| THQ Collector Pack 25% Off This Weekend On Steam
August 27, 2009 at 7:50 pm
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| | Attention lovers of deals! Steam is holding a special 25 percent off sale this weekend on the THQ Collector Pack. So instead of throwing down $100 for the 13-game collection, you'll pay just $75. Look at you saving money. The THQ Collector Pack includes: Company of Heroes Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts Frontlines: Fuel of War Full Spectrum Warrior Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl Titan Quest Titan Quest - Immortal Throne Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Gold Edition Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War - Soulstorm Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II Anyone thinking of taking advantage of this THQ dealage? |
| FCC Probing Cell phone Carriers
August 27, 2009 at 6:46 pm
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| | The Federal Communication Commission is looking into competition among wireless providers in the United States. Right now, four national carriers control about 90 percent of the cell phone market, with AT&T and Verizon holding down 60 percent. The FCC is looking into how this seeming stranglehold of a few carriers affects innovation and consumers. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, "I hope the new wireless competition report will help set a standard for fact-based, analytically deep analysis of the mobile industry... It is essential that the commission develop policies that encourage a new generation of innovators, working with new tools, on new platforms, and having an extraordinary impact on our economy and society." Read More? |
| EEDAR Analyst Believes Nintendo Needs To Cut The Wii's Price To $199
August 27, 2009 at 6:42 pm
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| | With the Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 fighting it out at the $299 price point, many industry insiders are wondering what Nintendo will do to maintain its gargantuan lead with its Wii console. Let's face it, at $249 the Wii seems like a rip off compared to its competitors. Although it offers a unique experience with its motion controls, its raw horsepower and multimedia capabilities are considerably behind the other two consoles.EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich believes that Nintendo needs to drop its price to $199. He said: "Essentially, Nintendo stole potential PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consumers from this hardware lifecycle three years in advance. In order to maintain this position Nintendo should drop their Wii console down to $199, not because the current Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 pricing structure poses a threat; rather, because they will eventually pose a threat. Nintendo's strategy should be to capture as many consumer dollars as possible while their competitors are still weak in their offerings to the casual audience and price sensitive consumers." It's a sensible argument, but some would say that at $50 price cut isn't enough. Since the Nintendo Wii was the only home console this generation sold at a profitable price from the get go, surely a more drastic cut can be made three years later, right? While casual consumers can be swayed by a $100 difference, any shopper with a modicum of console knowledge can see that you are getting more for your money with the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. What do you think Nintendo has to due to compete with the recent price cuts? Is reducing the Wii's price to $199 enough? How about $149? Or is Nintendo's lead so big that it doesn't even matter? Leave a comment and let me know (please)! |
| Dragon Age: Origins Actors Include: Star Trek Voyager's Capt. Janeway And Rocky Horror's Dr. Frank N. Furter
August 27, 2009 at 6:37 pm
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| | Go behind the scenes with BioWare's RPG, Dragon Age: Origins, as they profile voice actors; Tim Curry, star of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and Broadway's "Spamalot," as well as Kate Mulgrew, well-known for her role as Capt. Kathryn Janeway in "Star Trek: Voyager." Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version Epic. |
| Xbox 360 Elite Bundles No Longer Include HDMI Cable...Or Component Cables?!
August 27, 2009 at 6:18 pm
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| | The one blemish on the otherwise welcomed news about the Xbox 360 Elite price cut is that, going forward, the new, cheaper Elite bundles will no longer ship with a once standard HDMI cable. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Well, at least it still comes with component cables...right?" Wrong! No component cables either! All you get is a dinky set of SD composite cables that will go quite nicely with the other 29 sets of composite cables sitting in that bag in the closet. Sadly, Microsoft has taken one of the less desirable pages out of Sony’s playbook on this one, leaving it up to users to supply their own way to maximize the full HD potential of their consoles. You know, the same glorious HD that both companies have used as the major selling point for both of their next-gen consoles from the beginning. However, as Microsoft's vice president of Interactive Entertainment Business in Europe, Chris Lewis, explained to GamesIndustry.biz, there was a very good reason for deciding to remove HDMI cables from the Elite bundles. "We wanted to get the Elite pricing to a figure that is acceptable for consumers so they have the option of a premium console gaming experience. Removing the HMDI cable gives the flexibility to consumers who can then decide which type of cable they want for their specific gaming and TV screen set-up." Read More? |
| The Full List Of Achievements And Trophies For Brutal Legend Have Been Revealed
August 27, 2009 at 6:09 pm
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| | Double Fine's Brutal Legend, the rock and roll action game that takes place in the mythical world featured on the cover of heavy metal albums, is coming out October 13. As you might expect from a video game created by Tim Schafer , the genius behind Psychonauts, it's an eagerly awaited game. Below the cut, you will find the complete list of both 360 achievements and PlayStation 3 trophies for the title. Obviously, this list is nothing but spoilers. Read More? |
| The MMO Report: Blizzcon 09 Special
August 27, 2009 at 5:25 pm
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| | It's that time of year again. Yes, the late summer brings high temperatures, back-to-school sales, and the annual nerd pilgrimage to the Anaheim Convention Center for Blizzcon. This year the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm, was revealed; which includes two new races, flying mounts, a world-wide event changing the landscapes for all of Azeroth, and a level-cap raise to 85. Yeah, it's that awesome. So let our guest correspondent Morgan Web get the answer you want direct from the source, and check out the spectacle that was Blizzcon 2009! Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version Subscribe to G4's The MMO Report Podcast by clicking your preferred service: |
| Music DLC Round-Up - Week Of August 24
August 27, 2009 at 5:20 pm
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| | It's time once again for your weekly music DLC round-up. With Guitar Hero 5 and Beatles: Rock Band just around the corner, it would be understandable if this week's DLC list was a bit light. Well, that's pretty much what we're dealing with as the forthcoming list clearly demonstrates. Now, while there is nothing new this week for Guitar Hero: World Tour, SingStar or Lips, Rock Band fans continue to feel the DLC love. Tracks from Billy Idol, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac and Jet are available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, while Wii owners get to enjoy some more back-catalogue goodness in the form of a little Grateful Dead, Foo Fighters and Dropkick Murphys. And Rock Band: Unplugged players can pick up some undead stylings from the Zombies and White Zombie. Bit of a slow week, for sure, but by this time next week, you'll be fully entrenched in a brand new Guitar Hero game, and be a few short days away from becoming the fifth (virtual) Beatle, so I have a feeling you're going to be just fine. Now go forth, and rock! No new releases The Zombies – “She’s Not There” ($1.99) White Zombie – “Black Sunshine” ($1.99) Click through for the full list. Read More? |
| Xbox 360's Facebook And Twitter Will Have "Free Trial Period" For Silver Users
August 27, 2009 at 4:57 pm
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| | It turns out Xbox Live silver users will be able to access the upcoming Facebook and Twitter add-ons that are coming to the Xbox 360 dashboard later this year. A Microsoft spokesperson just told me Xbox Live silver users will be granted a "free trial period" to play around with Facebook and Twitter on Xbox 360 before being asked to upgrade to an annual gold membership. “Facebook and Twitter on Xbox LIVE will be free to Gold members, with a free trial period also available for Silver members," said a company spokesperson in an e-mailed statement. "Facebook and Twitter on Xbox LIVE will offer a truly one-of-a-kind social experience, completely optimized for the TV and seamlessly integrated onto your console." When asked, Microsoft wasn't able to elaborate on what a "free trial period" entails. Those details are coming at a later time, likely closer to the launch of the Facebook and Twitter applications on Xbox Live. Both have been vaguely promised to launch before the end of the year. |
| EEDAR Analyst Calls $299 Price Point "Sweet Spot", Predicts More Cuts Over Next Year
August 27, 2009 at 4:32 pm
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| | By now, you have no doubt heard that Microsoft has officially dropped the price of the Xbox 360 Elite to $299, bringing it in line with Sony’s PlayStation 3. Well, EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich has a few thoughts of what these price cuts mean from the consumer’s perspective as well as what it means going forward for Microsoft and Sony. In terms of the specific price points that Microsoft and Sony have now settled on, Divnich says: “The truth about consumer goods, something Sony and Microsoft have finally realized, is that you design your product around the price threshold consumers are willing to pay—just because you can cram nine processors into your console, it doesn’t mean consumers will pay a premium for it...Historical sales, accounting for inflation, suggest the $249 to $299 price point is the sweet spot where the industry can expand at a comfortable rate while still delivering profitability for the console manufacturers.” Now, while the new price points are certainly welcomed and, clearly, necessary, Divnich believes that Microsoft isn’t done putting the pressure on Sony just yet. “Over the next year Microsoft will most likely reposition the Xbox 360 Elite model closer to the $249 price point to both pressure Sony and attract potential Nintendo Wii consumers. From a strategic standpoint this would then allow Microsoft to introduce the new Natal model in 2010/2011 at the $299 price point and still have an option for consumers cheaper than the Sony PlayStation 3.” Read More? |
| Microsoft: Red-Rings Are "Behind Us"
August 27, 2009 at 4:26 pm
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| | In a recent interview with GameSpot, Microsoft's Adam Greenberg said the Xbox 360's wide-spread red-ring problems are a thing of the past. "I can tell you the consoles we're making today have lower-heat chips and better cooling, and we're seeing fantastic quality in those consoles today," Greenberg told GameSpot. "That said, I know people have had issues with systems, which were bought earlier in the life cycle, and that's part of the reason why we implemented our unprecedented three-year warranty for anyone who gets the three red-ring flashing light error or the E74 error." 'I think we've made it clear we stand by the quality of our product, and we will make it right by fixing the problem at no extra cost to you. But at the same time, we've been working hard to make improvements in the products we're currently making, so I really feel like most of this is well behind us." Here at G4, many people's 360s seem to be still breaking down, although, it does seem that people who purchased the Elite haven't had as many red rings as the suckers like me who own older 360s. I have yet to hear of anyone having to send back his or her PlayStation 3, though. Do you think Microsoft's red ring problems are a thing of the past? Would you be confident purchasing another 360 if it didn't have a 3-year warranty? Source |
| Timbaland Sessions With Beaterator On The PSP
August 27, 2009 at 3:59 pm
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| | Beat maestro Timbaland sits down to demo, Beaterator, his portable beat machine joint venture with Rockstar Games. Check him out as he showcases the PSP functionality including the ability to record voice samples right into your PlayStation Portable. Beaterator mixes live September 29 for the PSP and PlayStation Network. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version |
| WET The Sound Of Cold Steel Featurette Brings In Beck's Music Director
August 27, 2009 at 3:45 pm
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| | Wet has a dusty, retro soundtrack forged from Beck's keyboardist/music director Brian Lebarton. Here's the developers with more on the original musical score and how the sum of it's parts is shaping up. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version |
| EA Chief Creative Officer Rich Hilleman Expects PlayStation 3.5
August 27, 2009 at 3:09 pm
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| | Electronic Arts chief creative officer Rich Hilleman is an opinionated guy, but even I was surprised by some of the things he said to VentureBeat's "Dancing" Dean Takahashi. Here are some choice quotes: "I expected we’ll see a PlayStation 3.5 before we see a PlayStation 4 and an Xbox 560 before we see an Xbox 720. The biggest shift is how fast packaged goods games are changing and going away." A lot of analysts point to Project Natal as being the "Xbox 560" Hilleman spoke of. There have been lots of rumors about a Wii HD system. Although the gaming business has grown at a mercurial rate, things had to slow down some time. Current economic conditions and a more mature business are causing the "big three" to extend the life cycle of their respective consoles. Incremental upgrades are one way to do that. I'm not convinced Sony will go with a PlayStation 3.5, considering developers are still trying to figure how to harness the PS3's power. I'm not sure that kind of upgrade is needed. Next, Hilleman talked about which country represents gaming's future. Read More? |
| Monster Hunter Tri GamesCom 2009 Producer Interview
August 27, 2009 at 3:05 pm
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| | Japanese gamers eat up Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise like Kirstie Alley eats up small woodland creatures. Yeah. It's that popular. Yet one of the key components missing from the Japanese version of the most recent installment in the series, Monster Hunter Tri for the Nintendo Wii, is WiiSpeak functionality. Now, given the affinity of Western gamers for being able to chat with other players during multiplayer games, it’s no surprise that Capcom is hoping to rectify this issue when the game final does leave Japan’s shores and makes its way to Western consoles sometime next year. In fact, as Monster Hunter Tri producer Ryozo Tsujimoto told G4 during GamesCom 2009: “Obviously, voice chat is the largest priority for us, including that particular function. At the moment, we haven’t decided anything yet, so we can’t promise you that voice chat will be included, but we’ll aim for that.” To find out more about what you can expect from what's sure to be one of next year's biggest Wii games, be sure to check out the full interview. Watch Larger Version of this Video |
| In-Game Footage-Heavy IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey Launch Trailer
August 27, 2009 at 3:01 pm
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| | Prepping for their September 8 launch, 505 Games releases a trailer saturated with impressive in-game footage of their dogfighter, IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey. Air combat jockeys can grab a look at the expansive arenas and real-time battle damage coming from the first installment from the series to reach consoles. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version |
| Microsoft Dodges Questions About A Redesigned Xbox 360
August 27, 2009 at 2:57 pm
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| | There were rumors Microsoft would redesign the original Xbox, but instead, the company moved into the next generation. With this hardware cycle appearing to last much longer than any one before it, the idea that Microsoft would redesign the look of Xbox 360 eventually isn't far fetched, especially since Sony just rolled a redesign for PlayStation 3. Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft's director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, wouldn't give a straight answer (surprise!) about whether this was a possibility. "We are really happy with the Xbox 360 console hardware, which as you know we designed from the beginning for continuous innovation," said Greenberg over e-mail last night. "I think we showed with the New Xbox Experience that we can re-invent the entire console experience through the power of software. Then you look at something like Project Natal, which many people have described as a next-generation experience being adding to the current Xbox 360 generation." Microsoft could easily roll out a redesigned Xbox 360 with Project Natal packed into the box. Right now, Project Natal's expected to be released before the end of 2010. "We are really changing the rules this generation in many ways and extending the lifecycle beyond what many may have imagined," said Greenberg. "Today we not even at the mid-point of this generation and have a lot of exciting new experiences we plan to deliver to Xbox 360 owners in the future." None of this rules out an Xbox 360 with a new look, but it's not happening this year. [image credit: flickr / mplayer74] |
| Sony PS3 "It Only Does Everything" Commercials Actually Say Something
August 27, 2009 at 2:16 pm
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| | It took about three years, but Sony finally has clever advertisements that say something about the PlayStation 3. Gone are the really stylish and really meaningless spots that once prompted a Sony employee to tell me, "I don't know what the hell I'm looking at." Playing on the PS3's power and capabilities is a new ad campaign with the tagline "It Only Does Everything". Here are two of the planned ads. The first spot emphasizes the new price point and is tongue-in-cheek. The next ad is more informational, while still being fun. Read More? |
| Batman: Arkham Asylum PS3-Exclusive DLC Impressions
August 27, 2009 at 1:54 pm
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| | By now, you’ve likely read the reviews across a variety of outlets, and you’ve decided to drop your hard-earned cash on Batman: Arkham Asylum come payday. Good choice, as it's a fun and fantastic experience. If you own both a PlayStation 3 and an Xbox 360, you might wonder, is that exclusive downloadable content worth the nudge toward the PS3 version? The answer depends how much you plan to invest in the game’s Challenge Modes.Read More? |
| Microsoft Claims Xbox Price Drop Timing Coincidental, PS3's Cuts Welcomed
August 27, 2009 at 1:50 pm
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| | In the middle of the night, Microsoft confirmed the rumors were true and adjusted the price of its Xbox 360 lineup. The Pro unit is currently being phased out -- priced at $249 until stock runs dry -- while the Elite unit drops $100 to a more comforting $299 and in line with Sony's recent cuts. Microsoft's director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Aaron Greenberg, claims the timing is completely coincidental. "Typically these types of price changes are targeted to drive sales for the holiday season," said Greenberg to me over e-mail. "However it is difficult for our retail partners to make these types of changes in November or December so we try to work with them to make these types of adjustments before things get too hectic at retail." Greenberg hasn't seen the redesigned PlayStation 3 in person yet, but after asking him what he thought about the machine, he pounced on the chance to zing the console. "I guess as a gamer," he said, "I am glad I got an earlier PS3 console before they pulled a lot of the functionality like backwards compatibility out." I would have asked Greenberg about the dropped support for Xbox Originals, but he was off to dinner. The executive said he's actually not bothered by Sony's recent moves, though. "At the end of the day lower priced hardware is good for everyone and good for the industry as a whole," he said. I think we can all agree on that one. |
| Naughty Dog Says Uncharted 2 "Impossible" On The Xbox 360
August 27, 2009 at 1:13 pm
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| | Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 may be on equal footing now thanks to recently announced price cuts, but when it comes to graphical capabilities, the PS3 is, apparently, far and away superior to the 360…That is, according to co-president of Naughty Dog, Christophe Balestra. Balestra recently spoke with tech blog Ars Technica about his company’s upcoming action-adventure title, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and said quite bluntly, "I guarantee that this game couldn't be working on Xbox 360. It would be impossible. I'm 100 percent sure of this.” Bold words, indeed. To demonstrate this, Balestra points to the fact that for the highly anticipated follow up to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, “We fill the Blu-ray 100 percent, we have no room left on this one. We have 25GB of data; we're using every single bit of it." Balestra goes on to say that the first game only used about 30 percent of the PS3’s SPU [Synergistic Processing Units] power, whereas the new game uses 100 percent. As a result, Balestra says, "The quality of the depth of field we have, you can't do that on the Xbox." Again, quite the assertion. Yet as impressive as both of these details are, they seem to beg the rather obvious question: Does this game represent the pinnacle of the PS3’s potential? While Balestra's trumpeting of the PS3's power and his game's use of that power is understandable and clearly evidenced, it also sounds like he is saying that his developers have pushed the PS3 to its absolute limits, which I sincerely hope isn’t the case considering we’re only three years into the PS3’s "10-year life cycle." I mean, sure, Uncharted 2 has ridiculous amounts of potential, and I can’t to get my hands on it, but if it's maxing out the PS3 in the ways Balestra says it is, then where does Naughty Dog go from here? Where do other developers go from here, for that matter? I guess the hope would be that developers will be able to find more efficient ways to use 100 percent of the PS3's various components, which sounds a bit strange considering Sony has long since touted the PS3 as having virtually limitless potential. Let the well reasoned and civilized discussion commence. Source |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up Dev Video Explains Online Multiplayer
August 27, 2009 at 1:00 pm
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| | Ubisoft releases a new developer video that profiles the online multiplayer of the brawler Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up. The large success of this title will most likely depend on it's ability to appeal to the Smash Bros. fighting community. Here's what they're offering to interested parties: Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version |
| Analyst: The Beatles: Rock Band Will Sell Half Of Guitar Hero 5
August 27, 2009 at 12:26 pm
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| | The once booming genre of music games is in a bit of a slump lately. Through July, U.S. sales of music and rhythm games have declined 46 percent this year to $452 million, after a huge boom between 2005 to 2008. “The genre has peaked,” Jesse Divnich, an analyst with Electronic Entertainment Design & Research, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “This genre has seen explosive growth over the past two years, so it would be wrong to assume that would continue.” Divnich went on to predict that The Beatles: Rock Band will sell at least 1.7 million copies this year, fewer than half the 4 million or so he estimates for Guitar Hero 5. Unless Divnich is a psychic, of course, it's just speculation, but he brings up a good point: Are The Beatles a big enough draw with video game consumers to support the kind of huge sales Harmonix/MTV Games are expecting for this title? Read More? |
| First Images For Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars PSP Move Into Town
August 27, 2009 at 12:00 pm
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| | Rockstar releases the first screens for the PSP version of the highest-rated DS game of all time, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Built to exploit the advantages of the PSP, expect upscaled, widescreen graphics, lighting and animation with all new missions to boot. GTA: Chinatown Wars will be available on October 20 as a digital download and at retail stores. More Images... |
| Man Kicked Out Of Library For Being Awesome, Playing Halo 3
August 27, 2009 at 11:31 am
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| | The man you see in the photo above is awesome. He reportedly walked into a NYC library, took out a wireless router, an Xbox 360, monitor, controller, and headset, then sat down to go to work. After building his gaming command center, the dude started playing Halo 3, Call of Duty and other games using the New York library's public Wi-Fi, barking orders at his team-mates over the headset as he did. Killjoy library officials reportedly shut down his one-man LAN party in like two minutes. My question: If the dude can't afford an internet connection at home, how can he pay for Xbox Live? Source |
| Sega Discusses The Future Of Sonic And How To Fix His Hardcore Image
August 27, 2009 at 11:00 am
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| | There was an enormous amount of discussion recently about a Kotaku article on the future of Sonic, with Sega president and COO Mike Hayes responding to fan backlash towards Sonic Unleashed. Hardcore Sonic fans didn't like the Werehog. Sega knows that. When I spoke with Hayes last week, we picked up where that conversation left off and talked about where Sonic goes from here. "I think there are two core parts to the Sonic strategy," he said. "The big numbers do come from that big mass market, which is the [ages] 6-12, male-female playing audience. Many, perhaps, have no reference to the original Sonic apart from what their parents tell them and therefore Sonic's pretty cool to have in the household, so that's good. But then also the Sega fanbase and Sonic loyal base is so big, it's important that we also introduce product that we think's going to delight them, as well." How does Sega do that? Read More? |
| Gabe Newell Wins Second Prize In Beauty Pageant
August 27, 2009 at 10:50 am
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| | Valve's managing director Gabe Newell is a sexy man, and some internet pranksters (or Gabe himself) decided recently to enter Newell in Victoria's Secret's Love Your Body By Victoria contest, a vote-by-web competition where fans of Victoria's Secret shill for votes, and the winner gets a free trip to New York and a pair of panties or something. Gabe was doing great, too. He was second place in the voting, having earned over 36,000 nods, only falling behind 4Chan founder moot. To put this in perspective, the next entry down (a lady with cancer) has like 8,000 votes. But Victoria's Secret apparently doesn't take too kindly to people trying to rig its contest, so they've taken Newell and moot's entries off the front page of the site. The individual pages are still there, but they're not in the list of winning entries. It isn't fair that a large, furry man who makes great video games can't win an internet lingerie contest. Victoria's Secret is really being underhanded here by removing him from the front page of their site and the active entries, and I suggest you, TheFeed reader, visit Newell's page and vote for him. It will only take a second, and you know you loved Portal, so do it. Source |
| Morning Hangover #42: Patrick Talks Sonic's Combat And Raymond Hates Fight Night Round 4 "Enhancements"
August 27, 2009 at 9:00 am
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| | Welcome to "Morning Hangover" -- an excellent way to start your day with the crew at TheFeed...no matter what you're recovering from. Every morning you'll hear musings from two of TheFeed's editors and have the chance to share your thoughts on what's going on in the gaming world. So buckle up, relive the thrilling moments of Blizzcon 2009, and keep reading! Patrick Klepek: Later this morning, there will be a story about Sega discussing the future of Sonic and how Sega plans to start repairing his image with the hardcore. You can discuss Sonic's future in that story, but here, I wanted to ask you guys for your opinions on how different companies have handled retro revivals. What have been your favorites? What have been the biggest misfires? And what should companies be looking at to handle future retro retreads? They aren't going anywhere. Read More? |
| Xbox 360's Facebook And Twitter Will Require Xbox Live Gold Subscriptions
August 27, 2009 at 5:44 am
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| | Microsoft said at E3 that Xbox Live users would need to be Gold members (requiring an annual fee) to access Last.fm without paying for a Last.fm-specific subscription; Silver users would just have extremely limited access. What Microsoft didn't mention, however, was that these limitations would extend to both Facebook and Twitter, as well. This news was buried in Microsoft's late night press release about the new Xbox 360 price adjustments. Here's what the press release says: "Xbox LIVE Gold Membership will be required for Twitter and Facebook when they are available, and is required for Netflix. Games, media content and Netflix membership are sold separately; a hard drive is required for storage." When Facebook and Twitter's Xbox Live extensions launch later this year, you'll need to be a paying subscriber to access the applications. The press release doesn't get anymore specific than saying the social networking add-ons will arrive sometime "this fall," as Microsoft has said in the past. What do you think about limiting Facebook and Twitter to Gold members? |
| Microsoft Confirms Xbox 360 Price Drop, Xbox 360 Elite Becomes Xbox 360 Pro
August 27, 2009 at 5:34 am
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| | The rumors were true. Just as PlayStation 3 Slim hits shelves, Microsoft has confirmed price rejustments to its various Xbox 360 units. The Xbox 360 Arcade unit remains at $199.99, but Microsoft is dropping the price of the 60GB packing Xbox 360 Pro to $249.99 until supplies run out, with the formerly $399.99-priced Xbox 360 Elite (with a 120B hard drive) assuming a new $299.99 price point. All of the adjusted prices will begin Friday. Sony seems to have lit a match under Microsoft. What do you think of the response? | | | 
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| Xbox 360 Price Cut Coming Tomorrow?
August 26, 2009 at 8:31 pm
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| | The rumor mill says that Microsoft will be cutting the price of the Xbox 360 tomorrow. The timing of the price cut would make this photographed advertisement from Target, showing a lower price, seem legitimate. According to MCV: "Tomorrow is the day that Microsoft will reveal its new intentions for the Xbox 360. The announcement is expected to include the ditching of the mid-range Pro SKU and a price drop for the high-end Elite model. It’s also likely that there will be changes made to the Arcade SKU, too." With Sony's announcement of the PlayStation 3 Slim and a price drop, it was only a matter of time before Microsoft followed suit. Some analysts were expecting a price cut later in the year, while others expected it this week. It's looking more and more like the latter group was correct. While many industry insiders expected the Elite to hit $299 and the Pro to go away, not many people knew (or cared) about the fate of the Arcade SKU . It will be interesting to see what enhancements Microsoft makes to compete with Sony. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Wii is looking like a raw deal at $250. Any guesses on when Nintendo will make a move? What do you think will be added to the Arcade SKU? Source |
| Bungie Says Halo: Reach Might Not Be Its Last Halo Game After All
August 26, 2009 at 8:06 pm
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| | “Halo: Reach will be Bungie’s last Halo game,” is a statement that would seem obvious enough. And yet, there’s apparently a bit more wiggly room than previous thought, as evidence by recent comments made by Bungie community and PR director Brian Jarrard during GamesCom 2009. Speaking with VideoGamer, Jarrard said, “The clarification is we just don’t know at this point…I think there's a lot of work just to get Reach done between now and next fall. At that point anything's possible. We're going to keep looking at making the games we want to make. Maybe that's Halo. Maybe it's not. We'll have to wait and see." Wait and see, indeed. Fortunately, fans still have quite a bit of Halo to look forward too in the meantime. Halo 3: ODST hits shelves September 22nd, and Reach is expected to be released sometime next year. Do you think Bungie’s next IP will be developed for the 360 or the next-next-gen Microsoft console? Source |
| Cursed Mountain Launches With Demon-Encrusted Trailer
August 26, 2009 at 7:45 pm
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| | As if climbing the treacherous Himalayan mountains wasn't challenging enough, Deep Silver throws a great helping of supernatural survival-horror gameplay to complicate things in Cursed Mountain for the Wii. A rare sight in the ocean of casual Wii games, this hits store shelves this week. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version |
| Layoffs Reported At Maxis, Too
August 26, 2009 at 7:30 pm
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| | The economy continues to turn the screws on video game developers. Reports of layoffs at both Raven Software and Maxis have surfaced this afternoon, with confirmation coming from the respective owners of each studio, Activision and Electronic Arts. No word on how many were laid off at Maxis either, but here's what the company told Kotaku. "Often in the video game industry, the size of a studio fluctuates in response to business conditions. In this case, EA has taken action to reduce the workforce at Maxis as we focus the business and focus Maxis. EA remains fully committed to Spore and other IP within Maxis, with games planned for launch in the next few months, including Spore Hero, coming to the Wii for the first time, and Spore Hero Arena on the DS. All eligible employees will receive severance and outplacement assistance." If you have any information on the layoffs, drop me an email. |
| GamesCom 2009 Star Wars: The Old Republic Interview
August 26, 2009 at 6:54 pm
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| | BioWare is attempting to make Star Wars: The Old Republic different than any other MMO. One of the ways it plans to do this is through story. Lead writer Daniel Erickson met with G4tv.com at GamesCom 2009 to discuss the game's combat, writing process, gameplay consequences, and more. He said: "We have this very long story arc that we can bring things back to. You may have completely forgotten that when you were at level eight, that you killed this guy you didn't need to kill. His family hasn't forgotten it and they're going to find you 20 hours later and hunt you down, and you're going to have to deal with the ramifications. One of the really fun things there is that you may be a completely different person at that point. You might have decided to give up your crazy ways from when you were a kid. And now at level 40, you're a pretty good and these guys come to you. You have to decide, 'Okay, am I going to cover that up? How am I going to handle it?' These are the things that really make the galaxy feel alive." This might be my inner BioWare mark talking, but all of that sounds frickin' awesome. After some addiction problems, I've sworn off MMOs, but I'm really tempted to give this one a shot. Besides, Twi'lek chicks are totally hot. Watch the entire interview and let me know what you think. Watch Larger Version of this Video |
| Activision Confirms Raven Software Layoffs
August 26, 2009 at 6:40 pm
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| | Activision has confirmed to Kotaku that Wolfenstein developer Raven Software is in the midst of “slightly reducing its workforce to better reflect the studio’s upcoming slate.” In other words, a whole bunch of people are, sadly, out of the job. According to Kotaku’s sources, the layoffs were partly the result of the poor performance of the company’s latest release, Wolfenstein (currently sitting in the mid-70s on Metacritic). Additionally, the fact that the developer’s sci-fi FPS Singularity was recently delayed until next year forced some personnel shifts that apparently led to the reduction from three internal studios to two. Activision and Raven have yet to reveal the total number of layoffs, but a source told Shacknews that as many as 56 of the developer’s 180 employees have been let go. But again, no official numbers have been announced. Source |
| Kobe Bryant And The Draft Combine On Display In NBA 2K10 Trailers
August 26, 2009 at 5:41 pm
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| | The NBA's greatest Closer, Kobe Bryant shows off his signature style in this trailer for NBA 2K10. For those of you who want your NBA 2K10 fix early hit up the NBA 2K10: Draft Combine trailer and notes after the jump to check out the downloadable companion game to 2K10. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version Read More? |
| Sessler's Soapbox: Game Reviews Need Reference
August 26, 2009 at 5:32 pm
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| | On this week's Soapbox, Adam responds directly to you, the readers. Apparently many of you were unhappy with the references made to other games in the Shadow Complex and Batman: Arkham Asylum reviews. Well The Sess took it upon himself to explain to you why it's important to include those references when talking about any form of art, including games. So put on your thinking caps, this Soapbox will test your noodle. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version Subscribe to G4's Sessler's Soapbox Podcast by clicking your preferred service: |
| PlayStation Home Getting Tons Of New Content Tomorrow
August 26, 2009 at 5:19 pm
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| | Are you ready for a massive PlayStation Home content explosion? Because you might think you’re ready for a massive PlayStation Home content explosion, but in actuality you most certainly are not ready for a massive PlayStation Home content explosion. Well, I’ll assume you are ready for a massive…nah, just kidding. Seriously though, Sony’s virtual play-land will be getting over 100 pieces of new content this Thursday (August 27th), so you might want to do some stretches or whatever it is one does in a situation like this. Killzone 2 fans will be getting some love in the form of the Visari Throne Room, based on Scolar Visari’s Palace from the end of Guerilla Games' acclaimed first-person shooter. There will also be a number of new Killzone-y items that you can use to decorate the space to your liking. There will also be a brand new Post-Apocalyptic Apartment space that should offer the perfect getaway in between journey’s through the wastelands of Fallout 3. A furniture bundle will also be available for the space that should help you design the nightmarish safe house of your dreams. In total, there will around 70 items released for the space, which means no two hellish condos should look alike. And for the fashion inclined, you’ll be able to pick up some new animated t-shirts, which will let users promote their favorite cities. There look to be other functions for them as well, so if rubbing your hometown love in everyone’s face isn’t your thing, it seems you’re in luck. Just curious: how much time would you say you spend in Home? What are some of your favorite spaces, items, etc.? Source |
| Champions Online Subscription Offer Ends Early
August 26, 2009 at 4:32 pm
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| | Upcoming MMO Champions Online had an interesting subscription offer -- gamers interested in playing the multiplayer super hero PC (and maybe, someday, 360) game were offered lifetime subscriptions for $200. But if you haven't jumped on the deal already, you're out of luck: Cryptic Software pulled the offer today, saying it had run out of the subscriptions, less than a week prior to the previously stated, September 1st end date for the promotion. "We do sincerely apologize for the rather abrupt end to the promotional offers," Cryptic said in a statement. "It was never our intention to spring that news on our fans or anyone else. In short, we had an allotment of special subscription packages to sell over a fixed time (ending September 1). When we began approaching the offer cap before the date cap, we had to message. Frankly, we never suspected our special offers to be so popular." Someone seems to be feeling pretty confident about the longer-term success of their game! Read More? |
| New Fight Night Round 4 Button Controls Detailed, Coming August 27
August 26, 2009 at 3:58 pm
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| | A while back, it was revealed that EA Sports was planning to release a patch that would add traditional button controls to its acclaimed boxing title Fight Night Round 4, so as to supplement the game’s touted thumbstick controls. Well, that update will be available on the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store tomorrow (August 27). Additionally, Xbox Live Silver members and PS3 users will be able to download the free Boxer Pack II on Thursday as well. And when I say “be able to,” I really mean, “be forced to,” since you won’t be able to access the new button controls, or enjoy the other gameplay improvements provided by the new patch, without first installing the free pack. In case you feel like doing some finger exercises while you wait for the update to be released tomorrow, click through to see the full control scheme. Read More? |
| Will 'The Green Lantern' Be Kicked Out Of Australia?
August 26, 2009 at 3:44 pm
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| | The $150 million epic, The Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds may be in a bit of trouble. It seems that rather than the villainous, Sinestro, the Emerald Crusader is being beat-down by none other than the inflating US Dollar. Originally lured to Australia with promises of tax-breaks and creating a miniature economic boom, director Martin Campbell had already scouted filming locations in Sydney and Melbourne. Now, the production is facing an Australian dollar that is increasing beyond anticipation, and may possibly become a game-changer for the big-budget comic epic. According to Australia's Inside Film: "The value of the Australian dollar has climbed by more than 16 per cent since the State Labor government announced the deal to film at Fox Studios in mid-April. The big-budget Hollywood blockbuster was expected to create around 500 local jobs, including 100 performers and 200 crew." Will this force a relocating effort that may possibly cause serious delays for the film? That, of course, remains to be seen. At the moment, Warner Bros. is attempting to negotiate with the NSW (New South Wales) State Govenment in an effort to level those currency disparities, which represent a potential $15-25 million USD in losses. It may be a difficult effort, seeing as they likely have no legal leg on which to stand. However, the prospect of an economic boom from the aforementioned big-budget Hollywood job opportunities and circulating spending money being present in the country, just might be the leverage they need to persuade the legislators. Thus far, neither party has offered any comments on the progress of those negotiations. As of now, The Green Lantern is still currently projected for a release date of June 17, 2011. Source |
| 2K Play Bringing Two Awesome Looking Indie Games To Xbox Live Arcade
August 26, 2009 at 3:17 pm
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| | Take-Two Interactive and its 2K Play label deserve thumbs up today for announcing Axel & Pixel and The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, two great looking independent games coming to Xbox Live Arcade. The former's being released this fall, while the other arrives in early 2010. Axel & Pixel is a point 'n click adventure (seen above) out of Czech Republic-based Silver Wish Games. Not much else is known about the game -- though an official website should reveal more in the future -- but simply knowing it's a brand-new point 'n click adventure with an interesting visual style incorporating real-life photography is enough for me. The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is more of a known quantity; it was shown at the Independent Games Festival during the 2008 Game Developers Conference. Developed by The Odd Gentleman, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom manipulates time to steal pies. The problem? He's also competing against his past, current and future selves, who are also stealing pie! Both games will be playable at the Penny Arcade Expo next month in Seattle. I'll be there, along with a bunch of other folks from G4tv.com. Stay tuned! |
| X-Play Fall Specials: Gamescom
August 26, 2009 at 3:16 pm
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| | This fall, X-Play takes you to the biggest gaming events in the world, and brings you exclusive, inside previews and information about the most highly-anticipated game titles before their release. We’re covering BlizzCon, Halo: ODST, Pax 2009, Modern Warfare 2, Tokyo Game Show 2009 and much more. Don't miss any of X-Play's fall specials. It all gets started as X-Play presents Gamescom 2009, starting Monday, August 31st at 6:30PM. Catch a preview of Mass Effect 2, Castlevania, Star Wars: The Old Republic and a hands-on demo of Dirt 2. And then, make sure you stay with us through the fall, as X-Play brings the world of gaming home to you. Here's the schedule. BlizzCon - September 4 PAX 2009 - September 8 & 9 Halo: ODST - September 10 Avatar the Videogame - October 1 Brutal Legend - October 1 Tokyo Game Show 2009 - October 6, 7 & 8 In the meantime, check out G4tv.com's Gamescom coverage here. |
| Comic-Con '09 Bonus Video: Dana Vinson - Booth Babe
August 26, 2009 at 3:00 pm
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| | Dana Vinson has been poking fun at booth babes for a long time. As a matter of fact, if there was a degree in it, she'd have long-ago graduated with honors. However, we thought it would be funny if Dana were made to spend a little time on the other side of the fence, so, at Comic-Con '09, she donned her mother's 30-year-old majorette costume and hit the floor, to see what it's really like. What she got was a lesson in humility. What you'll get is about 5 minutes of hilarity. Seriously, check it out. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version |
| Fans Choose Command & Conquer 4 Tiberian Twilight As Official EA Title
August 26, 2009 at 2:53 pm
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| | The hardcore Command & Conquer fanbase has spoken and EA has officially announced, out of more than 15,000 submissions to the EA naming contest, Command & Conquer 4 Tiberium Twilight, shall be the official moniker of the Tiberium saga conclusion. Still scheduled for a release in 2010, the EA Los Angeles-developed RTS will introduce: mobile bases, persistent player progression, a 3-class system and an objective-based 5v5 mutiplayer. |
| Heavy Rain's Characters Could See Extended Life Through DLC
August 26, 2009 at 2:47 pm
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| | Quantic Dream co-founder David Cage says Heavy Rain is a self-contained adventure, but as development nears the finish line and eyes look towards the future, even Cage is intrigued by the idea of downloadable content. Though nothing appears to have been decided, Cage discussed some of the ideas being tossed around for Heavy Rain downloadable content with Videogamer.com at GamesCom. "It's a self-contained experience," he said. "We won't release the end of the game as DLC that you need to pay for. The game has all the scenes it's supposed to have. It's a complete story. But we are talking with Sony at the moment about having maybe extra downloadable content, maybe with prequels or sequels about the characters. I'm sure people will get attached to some of them and will want to know them even better." You could have some influence on where the downloadable content goes. What do you want? Source |
| PlayStation 3 Slim's Insides Revealed: 95mm Fan With 17 Blades!
August 26, 2009 at 2:45 pm
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| | Just in case you didn't know, the PlayStation 3 Slim is available now. You've all seen photos of the PS3 Slim's outside. Now the fine folks at iFixit have exposed the PS3's innards. While many of you are debating on the console's looks, its insides are pretty impressive. The system has been engineered for excellent airflow and heat dissipation. It looks like it's an effective design, but only time and real-world use can say for sure. At the centerpiece of the cooling scheme is a 95mm fan that iFixit calls "the largest fan we've come across in a consumer electronics device of this size". The fan has 17 blades, so if your PS3 Slim breaks down, at least you have a cool ninja weapon. You know what? I think I'm going to get a PS3 Slim so I can throw the fan at Leahy. Excuse me, I'm heading over to Best Buy. What do you think of the PS3 Slim's insides? Impressed? Indifferent? Horny? Leave a comment and let me know (please!) Source |
| Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes GamesCom 2009 Interview
August 26, 2009 at 2:36 pm
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| | Watch Larger Version of this Video GamesCom 2009 may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean we’ve run out of fantastic content to share with you. Far from it. Case in point, our interview with assistant producer on LucasArts’ upcoming Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes, Chris Lee. As Lee explains, the game lets you play as both Jedis and Clone troopers, each of which allows for distinctive types of gameplay. “The Jedis are acrobatic; they use the Force; they use their lightsabers. And we’ve got a new move in the game where, as a Jedi, you can jump on any droid in the game and droid-jack them. All the droids have different moves, so you can use that against other droids, or you can use it to solve puzzles.” To find out what you’ll be capable of as a Clone trooper, and to see the game in action, be sure to check out the full interview. Anyone else think this game is shaping up to be an absolute blast? |
| 'Batman 3' Casting Rumor: Megan Fox As Catwoman?
August 26, 2009 at 2:26 pm
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| | How does this sound? Megan Fox = Catwoman? Well, according to the (always impeccably accurate) UK Sun, the deal is practically done! While they were rampant at the end of 2008, amidst more credible ones such as Rachel Weisz's possible casting, it's been a while since we heard some off-the-wall, "wtf," Batman 3 rumors. This latest one, therefore, almost seems like an old friend has come to visit. Of course, it joins some others of its ilk such as the "Cher as Catwoman" rumor and of course, the UK Sun's previous pre-Christmas masterpiece, "Eddie Murphy as the Riddler and Shia LaBeouf as Robin." Hey, in the bizarro world where these reports are even close to being truthful, it seems that Batman 3 will be a Transformers reunion. Would Megan Fox be an outrageously bad choice? Nope. Would she be the ideal choice? Well, nope again. It could be the current overexposure, but I get chills when I see good comic franchises overload in "celebrities for the sake of celebrities" casting, to a point where the film becomes too crowded. It tends to give a "Schumacher-esque" type of feeling, that style is starting to trump substance. (And that's my feeling on the Angelina Jolie issue, as well.) It's a tactic that tends to be utilized by a franchise after it hits its creative and monetary peak. I certainly hope that is not the case, here. Source In the spirit of things, I figured I'd make an attempt of my own to further prime the pump of Batman 3 casting rumors: Read More? |
| Lost Planet 2's Director On The Series' Future And A "Hypothetical" Wii Version
August 26, 2009 at 2:01 pm
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| | I recently gained complete access to an interview I conducted at Comic-Con in San Diego with Lost Planet 2 director Kenji Oguro. During the interview, I asked the Capcom creator about whether the enormous worldwide popularity of the Wii means he feels a personal pressure to come up with a concept for a Wii version of Lost Planet, in case his bosses said "hey, let's make a Wii version." "To be honest, we haven't really thought that much about developing a Wii version of the Lost Planet series, so it's a pretty difficult question for me to answer," said Oguro. "I actually don't think it's a series, [at least] in what we've seen in the series so far, is particularly suited for the Wii. I think that Lost Planet is a series that brings out the best of what the consoles like the 360 and the PS3 can do. I think that maybe if the series gets…it's still a series that's almost in its infancy and it's got a lot of way to go yet. It's hopefully going to be a much bigger and better series as it goes along and I think as the series grows, then we could maybe start thinking about doing things on other platforms. But, right now, we're focusing on these platforms." That's a typical answer for a designer used to that question. It makes for a good headline and doesn't really answer my question. But usually, in the interest of time (you normally have 10-15 minutes to interview, which is condensed further by the need for translation) that would be the end of discussion on the topic. But maybe it was the atmosphere of Comic-Con or because Oguro was feeling brave in front of his boss, Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi, because Oguro kept going. "Okay, just to be completely clear," he laughed, "this is an entirely hypothetical situation that I'm just thinking of right now. We don't have any plans for a Wii version, but if I was going to make a Wii version, I would like to…if you have like the baseball in Wii Sports, it's very simple, it's just swing, hit -- like baseball is, very simple. So if I was going to make a Wii version, I think I would like to make something that takes advantage of the simplicity that the Wii affords. The controls in Lost Planet are pretty complicated, as I'm sure you've seen, with lots of buttons, lots of stuff going on, so I like to make something that distills the essence of Lost Planet into a simple form that is easy to control." Afterwards, Oguro, Takeuchi, the Capcom translator and I all looked at each other and started laughing. I don't think Takeuchi (or Capcom PR) expected a hypothetical. "Completely hypothetical," he restated in-between giggles. Of course, Oguro. Completely hypothetical. |
| Ghostbusters Gets Graphics Boost On PS3 Via Patch
August 26, 2009 at 2:01 pm
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| | By now, PlayStation 3 owners who picked up Terminal Reality’s long awaited Ghostbusters: The Video Game know all too well that the game look noticeably worse than the 360 version. The game’s developer, Terminal Reality, even admitted to Joystiq back in June that the PS3 version ran at about “75 percent the resolution of the 360 version.” Well, the developers have heard your complaints, and gone ahead and released a patch for the game that should be available as we speak. According to Atari’s press release, the fixes include “an increase in resolution to match that of Xbox 360...along with numerous other localization fixes.” On the multiplayer side, players in America and Europe will now be able to play together without issue, and the unlocking bugs with the Pay Day and Capture All Most Wanted Ghosts trophies have been addressed as well. Any PS3 users had a chance to check out the game with the new patch applied? How noticeable are the differences? |
| Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Dev Diary: The Realistic Sound Of Death And Destruction
August 26, 2009 at 1:56 pm
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| | To further solidify Codemasters' military simulation franchise, they went out into the real world to record actual ambient game audio from heavy military machinery to the birds and the bees in the hyper-realistic military simulation Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. Listen carefully, this behind-the-scenes video could save your digital soldier's life. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version |
| Venezuela Mulls Total Violent Game And Toy Ban
August 26, 2009 at 1:49 pm
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| | I've sat by and done nothing while Venezuelan Marxist leader Hugo Chávez wrecked the economy of his country, shut down critical Venezuelan media outlets and callously provided free heating oil to the poorest of Americans, but the newest news out of Venezuela has me booking a flight to South America in order to join a counter-revolutionary insurgency holed up in the Andes Mountains: Venezuela is considering a total, country-wide ban on violent video games and toys shaped like guns. The Bill for the Prohibition of Video Games and Toy Weapons was presented to the Venezuelan National Assembly yesterday, and was approved after its first debate. It's heading toward a second debate. If it gets by debate 2, it will be sent to be signed by Chavez. The idea is that games will warp your mind and toy guns can be used in real crimes. Which is sort of similar to a lot of people's opinion here in this country. Perhaps the right-wing religious people in our nation can find some common ground with the left wing government of Venezuela and lead us all into peace and harmony... of course, in my imaginary scenario, there wouldn't be any video games, so let's not do that. In an unrelated note, Chávez used to host a live talk show in Venezuela called Aló Presidente ("Hello, President!"). I think that's pretty rad. What do you think of Chavez? Source |
| Kitase And Toriyama Comment On The Final Fantasy VII Remake Possibilities
August 26, 2009 at 1:35 pm
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| | Final Fantasy VII fans have been clamoring for Square Enix to remake the game. While gamers have had to make due with spin-off sequels, prequels, phone games, anime, and movies about FFVII, it's not quite the same. There are millions of gamers that would kill for a remake. According to Square Enix's Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama, the idea has been discussed, but not officially acted on. Through a translator they told VG247: "There’s no official project that’s up and running for a remake of Final Fantasy VII at this point. Both Toriyama-san and Kitase-san were involved in the development of the game, however, and it holds a special place in their hearts. They do talk about it on a personal level, like, ‘If we did it it would be like this or like that.’ So, they do talk about it, but there’s no official project yet. But there’s that PSN release that just came out, so if you could play that for the time being, it should be fun." A few things here -- first of all, I don't believe them. I think they're trying to be cute and coy. A Final Fantasy VII remake would be enormous and sell millions of copies. Unless Square has suddenly developed an aversion to money, I refuse to believe this project isn't being planned. From a business standpoint, it would be stupid not to do it. Secondly, I'm surprised it hasn't come out yet. It seemed like a brilliant idea for 2007, when the original game celebrated its ten-year anniversary. A lot of gamers would have been happy to give up the PS2 adventures of Vincent Valentine and the mobile adventures of The Turks if it meant devoting resources to an FFVII anniversary project. Oh well, maybe it'll come out for the game's 15-year anniversary? Any thoughts on what Kitase and Toriyama had to say? Do you believe that "there's no official project yet"? Or is Square Enix simply waiting to surprise gamers? Source |
| Peggle Nights Content Coming To Peggle XBLA As DLC
August 26, 2009 at 1:16 pm
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| | Listen up, Peggle fans. The Xbox Live Arcade version of PopCap's insanely awesome puzzle game will be getting the additional content from Peggle Nights as DLC this Fall. Peggle Nights, which is currently available as a standalone game on PC and Mac, with the following features set to hit the XBLA version: 60 new Peggle Nights levels for multiplayer over Xbox Live and all single player/local modes Peggle Nights Adventure mode (60 levels), including the Nights story 60 new Peggle Nights Challenges A new Peggle Master, Marina Peggle Nights trophy room Peggle Nights adventure statistics New style shots from Peggle Nights PC (available as title upgrade for all Peggle XBLA players) Three new Xbox 360 achievements worth a total of 50 gamerscore, bringing Peggle up to a total of 250 gamerscore. And now, the obligatory press release quote: “The addictive and fun gameplay of the Peggle franchise translates extremely well when tuned for the XBLA platform,” noted Sukhbir Sidhu, co-creator of Peggle and studio chief at PopCap. “Since launching earlier this year, Peggle for XBLA earned top awards from industry critics while taking full advantage of the XBLA multiplayer format to deliver an incredible gameplay experience. Peggle Nights essentially doubles the size of the Peggle XBLA universe for players everywhere.” There is no information on pricing and no release date beyond "Autumn" of this year, but this is a lot of content and should be a definite pickup for any Xbox 360 Peggle players. This is now where you post your favorite Peggle Master. Zen Shot for life! |
| Exclusive Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter SUPERMERCIAL! Will Destroy Your Reality
August 26, 2009 at 1:06 pm
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| | Croteam's high-definition FPS revamp, Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, releases no ordinary trailer, but an exclusive "SUPERMERCIAL" to contain the charm of the iconic series properly. Try to hang on to your sanity as you press play on this one. Pasgetti! It'll all make sense in the end. (sorta) Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version |
| First Three Fallout Games Available On Steam
August 26, 2009 at 1:03 pm
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| | If your entry into the Fallout universe came with Fallout 3, you have a lot to learn, son. The game's unique retro-futurism, open-world immersiveness and endless playing options began with Fallout, and continued through both Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel. All of these older Fallout games are available now through Steam, for only $19.99. If you are/were into Fallout 3, you owe it to yourself to check out one and two. All three of the Fallout games I've played are awesome in my eyes (haven't had a chance to play "Tactics"), but many, many old-school Fallout fans regard the third game as the worst of the series. I disagree, but in some ways they have a point -- Fallout 2 did have more open-feeling quests, fewer "guidelines" to make sure you got to the right place, a bigger map and a more organic feel to a lot of the NPC encounters and locations than the third game in the trilogy. Fallout 3 was a lot more fun and it's 3D, though, so I quickly stopped caring about that other stuff. Either way, you should download and play these games. If you can put up with an older-school interpretation of the RPG genre, there is a lot to love about these titles. And you'll get to decide whether they're actually as great as some people think, or if those people are looking at their gaming past with rose-colored glasses. Source |
| Gears of War 2: Game Of The Year Edition Coming September 1
August 26, 2009 at 12:36 pm
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| | Updated: 9:50AM PST Both GameStop and Amazon currently have listings for Gears of War 2: Game of the Year Edition, and while the prices might be slightly different ($39.99 at GameStop, $36.99 at Amazon), both seem to agree on the release date: September 1st. In addition to the retail game, the GOTY Edition includes the All Fronts Collection DLC, which consists of the Dark Corners DLC, plus the Flashback, Combustible, and Snowblind map packs. The DLC alone is $20, so this is edition is great deal for anyone who hasn’t picked up Gears 2 yet. I’m waiting to hear back from Epic for confirmation on all of this, so I’ll let you know if there are any discrepancies. Between Left 4 Dead, Fallout 3, and now Gears of War 2, what is your choice for 2008's Best Game of the Year Edition...of the Year? Update: Confirmed! September 1st it is. |
| Red Faction: Guerrilla DLC Pack #2 Gets Trailer And Release Date
August 26, 2009 at 12:30 pm
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| | Volition QA Testers preview the upcoming Red Faction: Guerrilla DLC Pack #2, which features 8 new maps and 2 new multiplayer modes. Check the video for tips on the new mode "Bagman" and the new maps; "Haven" and "Puncture". Hit the jump for the full notes from THQ. Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version RF:G DLC Pack #2 arrives September 17 on the PS3 and 360 for $7.00/560 MS points. |
| Study: Gamers' Desire For PS3 Increasing
August 26, 2009 at 12:07 pm
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| | According to a tracking study by OTX's GamePlan Insights, the announcement of the PlayStation 3 Slim and the $100 price cut for the system has caused an increase in desire for a PS3 among "leading-edge male gamers." The "general gaming audience," though is not as psyched. The study shows only a 2 percent increase in desire between the weeks of 8/10 and 8/17. "There was a significant uptick in purchase intent among males who don’t own a PS3 or Xbox 360 (32% increase in purchase intent), male gamers who tend to influence their friend’s decisions (25% increase), and male gamers who play at least 20 hours a week of video games (15%)," says OTX's Nick Williams. So overall, we have a picture of the news of the reduced price of the PlayStation 3 and the redesign of the case spreading from the nexus of the gaming community (The hardcore) out to the edges of more casual gamers, and the results seem positive. Read More? |
| Modern Warfare 2 Lobby Revealed In First Image
August 26, 2009 at 12:01 pm
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| | Infinity Ward's Rob Bowling has posted up what looks to be the first image of the lobby of Modern Warfare 2. Taken from the 360 version of the game everything looks in order here. Apparently, the last player didn't unlock the op and will not obtain stars for playing it. Interesting. Modern Warfare 2 arrives November 10. |
| PlayOn Media Extender Comes To Wii
August 26, 2009 at 11:17 am
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| | PlayOn's media serving software is now available (in beta form) on the Nintendo Wii. I use PlayOn on both the 360 and the PlayStation 3, and it is awesome. It allows you to make the future happen on your PS3 by letting you stream Netflix movies to your TV, as well as feeding Amazon VOD, Hulu and other internet video to both game systems. The Wii version will bring the same functionality to Nintendo's device, potentially making the Wii a viable, cheap media extender with an awesome point-and-click remote control. If it works, I could easily see the Wii as the center of an internet media enabled entertainment system. You can download the new version of PlayOn to your Windows computer (sorry, Mac users) right now and give it a shot: Although eh software costs 40 bucks, PlayOn offers a free trial. If it works as flawlessly as the 360 and PS3 versions have worked for me, that's a very small price to pay for a great program... of course, my PS3 and 360 are both wired to my network. I'm not sure how smooth the Wii's wireless functionality will be when streaming video. Source |
| Nintendo Patents Football Controller
August 26, 2009 at 11:04 am
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| | A recently revealed patent application reveals that Nintendo is working on a football controller for the Wii. It works like this: You snap your Wiimote into a squishy football, the attach it to your hand, and the Wii's accelerometers and gyroscopis motion sensors determine how you control the onscreen action. So if you want to throw a bullet, just make a bullet motion, etc. The "ball" will also sense your body motion, so it will read a quick move to the side as a juke to avoid a tackler. There's a place for the Wiimote's brother, the control stick, as well, so other options can be executed during your Wii football game. I predict this will be a big hit, if it comes out. But I also predict that TVs and expensive lamps near TVs have a reason to be very fearful of these innovations. You know people are going to forget to put the straps on and wreck everything in the living room. What do you think? Thumbs up or thumbs down on the Nintendo football controller? Source |
| Morning Hangover #41: Infogrames Rocks Raymond's World And Patrick Is The Anti-Sporto
August 26, 2009 at 9:00 am
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| | Welcome to "Morning Hangover" -- an excellent way to start your day with the crew at TheFeed...no matter what you're recovering from. Every morning you'll hear musings from two of TheFeed's editors and have the chance to share your thoughts on what's going on in the gaming world. So buckle up, get ready for PAX, and keep reading! Watch Larger Version of this Video Raymond Padilla: The video-game industry has had its fair share of silly PR moves (most of them executed by Acclaim), but there's one that has a soft spot in my heart. Some younger readers might not remember Infogrames, but the company was a huge publisher before transforming into Atari and fizzling. Infogrames was also responsible for the most ridiculous gaming song ever made -- one that set an industry benchmark for unintentional comedy. I'm happy to introduce it to a new generation of gamers and remind older ones of how ridiculous things used to be. Give the song a listen and let me know what you think. I also dare you to write your own lyrics about your favorite publisher. Surpassing "Infogrames Rocks My World"'s unintentional comedy is a Herculean challenge, but perhaps one of you is up to the task. Read More? | | | 
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