It’s the last live episode of The 404…of 2009. Russ Frushtick, chief gamer at MTV Networks, joins the show today along with Mark Licea of The Green Show to discuss the tumultuous, but exciting year in videogames. Finally, we get to the winners of our “Hangover” contest.

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(Credit:
Russ Frushtick)

Because of the Great Recession, many games this year have been pushed back to the next year, and we’ve seen developers folding left and right. Jeff counts down his list of the most anticipated games of 2010–many of which were suppose to be released this year. Some of the games include Dark Void and Bayonetta. We think the main character of Bayonetta looks a lot like Sarah Palin.

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Russ tries to teach Snooki of "Jersey Shore" how to play Buck Hunter.

(Credit:
Russ Frushtick)

Some of Jeff’s favorite games this year were Ghostbusters and, of course, Modern Warfare 2, which Russ actually says didn’t make his top 5. Most of that he says has to do with the so-so single player mode and the glitches and cheats in the multiplayer mode of the game. Jeff and Wilson think that Ghostbusters was pretty entertaining, but they both agree that the gameplay itself was a little unappealing after 6 or 7 hours.

Finally, we had a contest to give away copies of “The Hangover” in Blu-ray and DVD. Most of our hangover stories were definitely NSFW, but a couple of them reminded us of our own horrible hangover stories from college and our adolescent days. On that note, please take care of yourself during the holidays. We will see you on the other side of New Year’s. In the mean time, send us an e-mail at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com or leave a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638). There’s no guarantee we will get to it during our break, but we will appreciate it. Be safe and have a blast!

EPISODE 490

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Originally posted at The 404 Podcast

Launching in September for the Wii, DS, PC and Mac is a childhood favorite of mine, Waldo. Yes, the striped sweater wearing dope is making his triumphant return to the world in the form of a videogame. The question is: where the hell has he been for the last 21 years? I’d like to buy him a beer.

Where’s Waldo? The Fantastic Journey is being developed by Ludia and features 12 “magical worlds” and a multiplayer mode. I have no idea how it works, but this is how Ubisoft describes it.

In the multiplayer mode, gameplay is enhanced through a variety of power-up features where players unleash different special effects to gain an advantage over opponents or enhance their own search capabilities.

Umm. OK. Said power-ups include:

• Wacky Paint: Splatter colorful paint onto your opponent’s screen to obscure the view.
• Thunder Clap: Cast thunder onto your opponent and make the screen shake.
• Frosty: Freeze the search window by encasing it in ice.
• Sparkly: Keep your eyes on the twinkle and glitter effects to detect items.
• And many more!

Japan’s (and probably the world’s) most renowned gaming magazine, the Famitsu [JP], has given Square Enix’s RPG Dragon Quest IX a perfect score in the latest issue. All four editors who tested the game gave 10 points out of 10, resulting in a 40/40 score.

The magazine says the music and the multiplayer mode are outstanding, and said the game can trigger deep emotions in the player. Dragon Quest is a household name in Japan, with the ninth installment having shipped 3 million units since its release in Nippon just last Saturday.

Other games that received a perfect score from Famitsu include Metal Gear Solid 4 back in June last year, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the N64 and Vagrant Story for the PS. In total, there are only 10 games with a 40/40 score now.

Here is a video from the day Dragon Quest IX launched in Japan: