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| Xbox 360 | Brave: A Warrior's Tale Review
August 21, 2009 at 8:17 pm
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| A cruelly hijacked story makes this otherwise serviceable game a pale shadow of adventures past. 
Score: 4.5 / poor Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PC | GameSpot's Live Photo Stream: BlizzCon 2009
August 21, 2009 at 8:11 pm
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| | BlizzCon is getting started, and it's looking to be downright insane. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PSP | Undead Knights Hands-On
August 21, 2009 at 8:09 pm
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| We raise an army of the undead to help us exact revenge against a brainwashed puppet king. 
As much fun as it is to slaughter zombies in many gruesome but creative ways, bossing them around is just as delightful when there's a never-ending supply of undead to choose from. In Tecmo's bloody hack-and-slash game called Undead Knights, you play as any one of the three characters who were brutally murdered by the order of the king. At first, this game felt very much like a Dynasty Warriors game--except with zombies--but as we made our way through the chapters and learned the many different ways to use our zombie horde, we discovered that Undead Knights is actually a fun and interesting twist on the usual mindless hack-and-slash. The preview build we played still had a lot of issues that are being addressed, but when the game was running the way it should, it was satisfying to watch our bloodthirsty undead troops rip apart heavily armored knights. Once a kind ruler, King Kirk Gradis changed drastically after marrying a mysterious woman named Fatima. When Romulus Blood, a devoted knight to the king, warned him of the queen, the king ordered that the House of Blood be executed. Romulus and his younger brother Remus, as well as Sylvia, the king's daughter and Remus' bride-to-be, were all murdered for Romulus' impudence. As they were dying, the three made a pact with some unknown being and were given the power to rise from the dead and the ability to suck the life from the living in order to transform them into the undead. This proves to be useful, because the king also has a seemingly unlimited supply of troops to guard his kingdom. With this new power, regardless of who you decide to play as, you can zap the life out of any living person and turn him or her into a zombie follower. These zombies will immediately go after the closest living thing and gnaw at it, spewing blood everywhere. What's cool is that you can also order them to swarm and rip apart one person, send them to pull down barricades, or even order them to climb onto each other's shoulders to form a path for you to cross. You can also pick up your undead and toss them onto enemies, which knocks them down or distracts them so that you can deal some extra damage with your own weapon. Romulus wields a large and heavy weapon and feels a bit slow when compared to Remus, who is quick but deals less damage. Sylvia swings a giant scythe and has a long reach, but she is vulnerable between swings. We preferred Remus, mainly because he was fast, which allowed us to pull off some quick combos and then follow up with the zombie transformation. The square and triangle buttons are for your attacks, and the circle button is to grab your enemies by the neck and suck the energy out of them. A circular timer appears to let you know how long it will take before the deed is done, which can leave you vulnerable for a few seconds. If you deal enough damage to your foes, they'll turn red and start to flash, and that's when you follow up with the circle button so you can instantly convert them, as well as gain a bit of health back. Your undead army will rot away after a certain amount of time, so it's important to keep strangling knights as you hack your way through. Not only can you toss zombies, but you can pick one up and then slam it into the ground with the triangle button to do a devastating area attack. This destroys the undead you were holding, but it's not like you can't get more. The undead are also handy when used as meat shields, and when you need a specific number of minions to take down a structure, hold the R button and point them in the right direction and they'll automatically go running. Your infernal wrath gauge under your health bar will fill up as you plow your way through. Once it's full, you can unleash a powerful attack that kills everything around you, and your enemies will instantly come back as your loyal servants. At the end of each chapter, your performance is graded, and you'll earn Dark Energy points, which are shared between the three characters. Our build gave us a ton of points to start off with, so we were able to customize and upgrade our characters by giving them boosts in their defense and strength, as well as give them new combos, weapons, and abilities. There's also an option to reduce the time it takes to convert enemies and gain healing bonuses. We were given only one build, but you can play Undead Knights with up to four players via ad hoc mode. There's Survival Race mode, in which you race to the end of an area and then try to kill each other at the end. King Battle mode is more of a cooperative mode in which you try to survive a wave of zombie attacks and then work together to take down the boss. Apparently there is also going to be a zombie pillow fight, but we weren't given details on how that's going to work. The opening cutscene and the visuals as a whole are quite impressive. There's still some work to be done in terms of fixing the glitches and camera issues, but it was a fun romp through castle courtyards and battlements. If you like heavy metal music, there are plenty of angry tunes and guitar riffs to keep you going as you sever limbs and watch heads fly. There's supposed to be some zombie smack-talking in the game, but we haven't come across any in the first few chapters. Undead Knights is a violent and bloody hack-and-slash game, which is incredibly amusing because it's just so over the top. With the addition of zombies, that alone already bumps up the entertainment value. The game is broken up into relatively short chapters with checkpoints, so it's an easy game to take on the go. With customization options and multiplayer functionality, you and a few friends can dive into all this zombie madness when Undead Knights is released on September 29 for the PlayStation Portable. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Macintosh | Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Screens
August 21, 2009 at 7:48 pm
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| | 14 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Xbox 360 | Raven Squad: Operation Hidden Dagger Screens
August 21, 2009 at 7:48 pm
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| | 5 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PSP | Undead Knights - Tower of Zombies Make Great Bridge Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 7:44 pm
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| | Romulus shows no mercy to the castle guard in Undead Knights. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PSP | Undead Knights - Sylvia Tears Through Guards With Her Scythe, Sicks Zombies on Them Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 7:43 pm
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| | Harnessing the power of the undead in Undead Knights. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PSP | Undead Knights - Remus Chucks Angry Zombies Onto a Giant Executioner Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 7:42 pm
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| | Weighing down a huge enemy with zombies in Undead Knights. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Xbox 360 | Brave: A Warrior's Tale Screens
August 21, 2009 at 7:18 pm
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| | 28 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PlayStation 3 | Wolfenstein - Superpowered Occult Nazis Still Not Bullet Proof Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 6:53 pm
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| | Taking out occult Nazis at an archeological dig site in Wolfenstein. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PlayStation 3 | Wolfenstein - Avenue Shoot-Out Stalemate Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 6:52 pm
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| | Mire used to massacre second group of Nazis in Wolfenstein. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PC | Diablo III: Updated Hands-On -- The Monk
August 21, 2009 at 6:42 pm
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| We get our kung-fu grip on the new monk class announced at this year’s BlizzCon. 
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2009 Blizzcon opening ceremonies, we had a chance to hop onto a computer and dive right into the monk class for Diablo III that had been announced a few minutes prior. What we immediately noticed about the monk is that its female incarnation is still not available, but there is a silhouette that suggests she exists. When then jumped into the proper game where we see the monk standing inside of some gates, on a path that leads to the open desert. Here, an NPC tells you that you must go to the town of Alcarnus, and also alerts you to the fact that the desert is now overrun with evil creatures. But before setting out on the quest, we checked out a few of the details, including the monk’s skill tree, which has three columns: a, b, and c. In this demo, the monk already has a couple of skills unlocked, as well as a few others that unlock after leveling once. There’s also a nice mixture of active abilities. Of those, the two that seem to be most useful for the monk, at this point, are the exploding palm and the seven-sided strike. The exploding palm, which can be used in concert with the monk’s default attack (so it doesn’t drain mana), is almost like a touch of death skill--whenever the monk lands a third successive strike on a single enemy, a heart icon appears over the enemy’s head. This basically means that enemy only has a few seconds (depending on how strong they are) before they explode in a cloud of blood, and take a few surrounding creatures out with them. The seven-sided strike is more like a ranged attack for the monk. It lets him zip into a gang of enemies, and perform several quick strikes before reverting back to his normal state. As you can imagine, this attack is especially useful for engaging groups of enemies, but it's also interesting that you can almost use it in tandem with the exploding palm. Just zip into a group of enemies to get to the strongest one and use the exploding palm. Then zip back out and let that enemy explode. Another useful active skill for the monk is radiant visage, which blinds enemies in a certain radius, allowing you to move in quickly and take them out before they can attack. But perhaps our most favorite skill is the impenetrable defense. This is the skill that lets the monk reflect projectile attacks back at enemies for a few seconds and it's incredibly useful when you're surrounded by enemies casting any variety of spells in your general direction. And thankfully, it doesn't seem like you always need to be facing in the direction of the projectile to use it. In terms of other skills, there's also inner sanctuary, way of a hundred fists, and force without thought. Inner sanctuary is pretty straightforward. It creates a small ring around the monk that enemies can't cross, so it's especially useful when surrounded by a large group of enemies that would otherwise be difficult to fight through. Way of a hundred fists is a fast series of strikes while force without thought is a counter-attack skill. A few of the other details we check out before heading out to the desert are the character screen, quest log, and the available skills option. The character screen gives you the basic rundown for your character, featuring the typical stats like strength, dexterity, vitality, and willpower. The quest log shows our main quest as well as any side quests that come about as a result of exploring, and lastly the available skills options lets you quickly and easily drag and drop skills to hotkey areas in the Diablo III interface. We then start our monk adventure, heading out onto The Sundered Pass. The first few enemies we encounter are lowly wasps, most of which are easily vanquished in a click or two, but only a few minutes in, we encounter much stronger enemies called fallen, which have appeared in previous games. These are little demon-like creatures that like to crowd and they come in two flavors, regular and magic-powered, but using the exploding palm on the magic-imbued enemies and then running to let them explode and take out their own cohorts seems to be an effective strategy. But one of the stronger enemies we encounter (at least in terms of the amount of damage it hands out) is the dune dervish--a squid-like creature that spins its extremities while floating in the air, making it impossible to just walk up and hit it. That is, until it stops spinning. As we continue battling through throngs of enemies, we come across out first wanted poster that asks you to find an outlaw camp and kill its leader. Sounds pretty straightforward and shouldn't take much time, but since this desert area is absolutely massive, we get a little lost before finally stumbling upon the camp. Once there, we find the leader and execute him, which causes his head to fall to the ground. We're then told to bring this head to the Enclave Khamsin. But before heading there we do a little more exploring, but it's not too long before our monk stumbles upon a camp of cultists--its members in the middle of worshipping apparently. But after charging in and slaughtering almost everyone in the camp, we see that one cultists lives (automatically), and tells you about a cache of their equipment and that it's hidden in a certain location. Well, upon exploring even more, we come across another cult camp, and yet again, kill everyone in it, but it appears that there's a survivor of some kind of attempted sacrifice. We let her go, and she throws up. Yes, this NPC barfs as she tells you that a group of girls were taken to the cultists by someone named Zakarwa and that he drugged them. With that, she leads us on the path that eventually takes us to the enclave where we collect our bounty for killing the outlaw and speak to the uncle of the barfing girl to let him know that his niece is dead. A few conversations later, we venture out of the enclave and discover what seems like the last of the cult camps and Zakarwa happens to be there. Naturally, our monk kills everyone in the camp, including Zakarwa, but it seems that you actually have the option to not kill him, if you're so inclined. We return to the enclave and tell everyone that Zakarwa is dead and then leave to do some more exploring. We eventually come upon a series of necromancer totems and a necromancer who says that he needs help to activate some ruins to contain some sort of evil spirits. So, we venture out and come across a portal to a dungeon. This dungeon is slightly different from another located on the other side of the desert in that this one has a time limit as well as rocks and boulders crumbling because the dungeon itself is crumbling. Despite trying to find where we need to go the time limit runs out and our monk dies, forcing him out of the dungeon and back to the surface. With that our playtime ends. The monk is definitely an interesting class that seems to offer a bit more strategic options than a typical melee-focused character, like the barbarian. And you definitely have to be more careful with the monk because while his attacks may be strong, his defenses are not. Getting caught in a massive group of enemies can often mean death if you're not careful, but we'll be interested to see some of the other abilities of the monk class and how they balance things out. Look for more coverage of Diablo III in the future. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PC | Diablo III - Heroes Battle Dark Forces Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 6:06 pm
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| | Straight from BlizzCon 2009, check out this dark dungeon in Diablo III. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PC | Diablo III - Heroes Storm a Bridge Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 5:59 pm
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| | Straight from BlizzCon 2009, waves of monsters can't stop this party in Diablo III. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PC | Diablo III - Heroes Make Monsters Into Bloody Meat Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 5:57 pm
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| | Straight from BlizzCon 2009, a party of heroes battle hordes of monsters in Diablo III. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PC | Diablo III - The Monk Splatters Desert Baddies Gameplay Movie
August 21, 2009 at 5:56 pm
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| | Straight from BlizzCon 2009, the Monk explodes monsters in Diablo III. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Wii | The Beatles: Rock Band Launch Center
August 21, 2009 at 5:43 pm
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| | The lads from Liverpool are invading your home again! Check out our The Beatles: Rock Band Launch Center for the latest news, previews, videos, and more! Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PlayStation 3 | NHL 2K10 Screens
August 21, 2009 at 5:42 pm
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| | 10 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Xbox 360 | NHL 2K10 Screens
August 21, 2009 at 5:42 pm
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| | 10 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PlayStation 3 | Smash Cars Screens
August 21, 2009 at 5:36 pm
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| | 82 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PlayStation 3 | Batman: Arkham Asylum Screens
August 21, 2009 at 2:48 pm
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| | 28 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| NBA Live 10: Changing the Game
August 21, 2009 at 2:37 pm
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| 
"We're moving away from spreadsheet ratings… that's 'videogame speak.' All the stuff we've done [with NBA Live 10], that's what I want to see driving player ratings." - NBA Live producer Sean O'Brien
There's a little revolution brewing up in the NBA Live franchise, one that I think is going to change the way sports videogames are made… once the rest of the world catches up, that is. There's plenty that's new happening with this year's NBA Live 10--as I saw earlier this week when EA Sports producers came by to show off the game. I'll get to the big changes in Live, but I'd like to start with an aspect of the game that I think might turn out to be the most significant change to how sports games are going to be made in the coming years, and it has to do with player ratings. The Ratings Game Player ratings are always a hot topic in sports games. Whether it's arguing about the relative ratings of Michael Vick and Brett Favre as they return to Madden NFL 10, or discussing where you think Florida quarterback Tim Tebow should be rated in this year's NCAA Football 10, it's a constant back-and-forth, one that is reflected in sports games via frequent roster updates. But, like so much else in sports, there's an element of bias in player ratings that is sometimes difficult to reconcile with the facts. In some cases the bias is overt--as might be the case in the Vick or Favre debates, where fan controversy stokes the fires. But even in situations where player performance and statistics drives the ratings decisions--as is the case with the sports game developers at companies like EA Sports and 2K Sports who assign the ratings to players--the simple fact of the matter is that, at its core, an attribute rating is often a judgment call. That is set to change, and NBA Live is leading the way. That's because more and more of the player data in NBA Live is being driven directly by the so-called Dynamic DNA system, which was introduced in 2008's NBA Live 09. Dynamic DNA takes the metric ton of data recorded by the Synergy scouting service (who partners with EA Sports in this feature) and feeds it directly into Live. As a result, if you're playing Live, you have a direct feed as to what is happening with every player and every team in the NBA, thanks to the daily downloads available in the game. [ Watch Video ] According to producers, the NBA Live team barely scratched the surface of what Dynamic DNA could do with NBA Live 09. This time around, the data being pulled into the game has been expanded--with more categories of stats being used--and that data will surface in the game in a slightly different way. Most importantly to me, though, is the process of how the Live team is handling their player ratings. This year, the Synergy data has an extreme focus on shooting tendencies for players. Bring up a player's DNA data and you'll see a level of shooting detail that breaks down his entire offensive game--not based on an arbitrary rating assigned to him, but from actual on-court percentages. Here's some of the information on the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, pulled from the DNA Scouting Report in the NBA Live 10 demo: Scoring Tendencies
25% At the Basket
56% Jump Shots
19% Post-Ups Perimeter Tendencies
33% Drive Left
46% Pulls Up
53% Finish at the Basket
33% Drives Right
46% Pulls Up
54% Finish at the Basket
34% No-Dribble Jumper Post Tendencies
43% Turn Left
43% Turn Right
14% Faceup
Jump Shots Overall
42% Jump Shots [Jump Shot] Range Breakdown
46% Short
43% Mid-Range
37% 3 Point Shots [Jump Shot] Situation Breakdown
50% No Dribble Unguarded
37% No Dribble Guarded
43% Off-Dribble
From these percentages, you can derive a fairly sophisticated picture of Kobe's offensive game--and, when compared to DNA data in the past, a detailed account of how Bryant's game has changed over the years. It's this kind of data that is driving a good chunk of Bryant's actual player ratings in NBA Live 10. Producers told me that approximately 70 percent of NBA Live 10's player ratings are determined by Synergy data, and t hat number is expected to only increase in coming years. 
"The goal is to have all player ratings driven by actual Synergy data," game producer Sean O'Brien told me. "We're moving away from spreadsheet ratings… that's 'videogame speak.' All the stuff we've done [with NBA Live 10], that's what I want to see driving player ratings." While the focus for DNA is on offense this year, already the team is planning for next year: they're working with Synergy to develop and import a host of new defensive stats into next year's game, making the ratings of players in next year's NBA Live 11 that much more complete. While the idea of having player ratings driven by hard numbers is an enticing one, it's obvious that this kind of extensive data has a value all its own. EA has already trumpeted the Dynamic DNA service as a scouting service for NBA teams--and if the feature expands as it looks like it will, it's practically inevitable that EA will find a way to monetize it as a premium service. They've already done something very similar, in fact, with last year's FIFA 09; the Adidas Live Season featured on-the-fly roster updates that were free for one league of the player's choice, if you wanted data from additional leagues, you had to pay for it. It seems just a matter of time before players are paying for the privilege of keeping up with the NBA via Dynamic DNA. NBA… Courtside While Dynamic DNA is driving so much under NBA Live 10's hood, it isn't the whole story. The team behind the Live's gameplay are quick to own up to the mistakes of previous Live games, yet quick to focus on what's been improved for NBA Live 10. Controls are first and foremost--in addition to tweaks made to well-received features like last year's pick and roll controls, there's some new additions to gameplay specifically designed to let advanced Live players get more out of their team. The goal, producers told me, is to get the player thinking about playing all over the court--not just looking for the dunk or the three-pointer. First up are "solution layups", which gives you more control when driving towards the basket to drop one in. When you get close to the hoop, you can go either to the left or the right of the basket by pressing the left stick in the correct direction and pressing the shoot button. These solution layups are great for advanced Live players who are looking to beat defenders on either side of the basket. For certain skilled players in the game--such as nimble guards like Steve Nash or Manu Ginobli--you'll have access to specific moves designed to help you get around that first defender--by holding down the right trigger and moving the left stick you'll be able to beat your defender with specialized moves like the pro step layup, Euro step layup, and the spin layup. You've got several options for passing in NBA Live 10--in addition to icon passing, which is pulled off by holding the left trigger and then choosing the corresponding icon of the player you wish to pass to, you've also got options like freestyle passing. Freestyle passes are controlled by holding down the left stick and moving the right stick in any direction. The direction you move the right stick will determine which direction you pass the ball. The new direct pass receiver control is a big help for players looking to get their CPU teammates into position on the floor, without having to always call a set play. To do so, you hold the left trigger and the button of the player you wish to pass to. With that button held down, you now have complete control over where that player moves on the court--and releasing the player button will cause your original player to pass the ball. In theory it sounds tough but, in practice based on my time with the game, it's a pretty easy way to create some space, or get a player driving to the basket where they otherwise might not. A similar control feature allows you to control an off-ball player without throwing a pass, in essence creating a temporary player lock. To do so, you once again hold down the left trigger and press the button of the player you wish to control. Once you've switched player, you let go of the left trigger while still holding your teammate's button. Once you let go of the button, you'll be locked into an offball player and can do things like call off ball screens to help get that player free in order to set up an easy play. The one-on-one battles between NBA stars is why so many of the leagues fans love it and, knowing this, the developers are looking to make those battles more prevalent in the game as well. To that end, size-up moves (a series of fancy dribbles that is executed with the right trigger/R2 during a stationary dribble) can help you break down an opposing defender. The longer you hold it, the better chance you have of breaking his ankles once you decide to move--and there are also attacking size up moves you can do by mixing in the right stick with the right trigger held. In an attempt at balance, using size-up dribbles for too long and your defender will have window in which he can snatch the ball out of your hands. NBA Live 10 is also utilizing some of the ideas from last year's NCAA Basketball 09, including the post moves down low as well as that game's "team tempo" feature. While the team tempo variables aren't brought to the surface via the HUD as they were in NCAA 09, it sounds like they will work in a similar way, in that you'll need to play your team the correct way or else your team's abilities will suffer. Coupling team tendencies with the advanced player statistics available to players via the Dynamic DNA, as well as a ton of team-specific sets available in the game, and it seems like knowing your team and its players will pay off bigger dividends than ever before NBA Live 10. 
Most of my demo focused on the full version NBA Live 10, including details a big feature that I can't talk about just yet, but EA also left code of the Live 10 demo that will be released in the coming weeks. The demo features a two-quarter match-up (four minutes apiece) between last year's NBA Finalists, the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers. Things that are immediately noticeable in the demo, beyond some of the new gameplay mechanics described above include better body-to-body contact between players, ball physics that make sense more often than not (something I could rarely claim in previous versions of Live) and busier CPU teammates on the floor. Of course, it all remains to be seen for the full version of NBA Live 10 but, at least from the demo, things seem to be looking up. Baseline In the short-term, I think NBA Live 10 holds a good deal of promise--the game looks better and the developers seem dead-set on making the gameplay is improved as well. However, it's the long-term impact of NBA Live's approach to game development and player progression that intrigues me the most. Player ratings based on a constant stream of hard data rather than subjective judgment have been a long time coming and it's clear that--should the Live team figure out a way to integrate Synergy's exhaustive NBA data into the game's ever-improving AI--the future of sports gaming will take another leap forward.
Look for much more on NBA Live 10 in the coming weeks ahead of the game's October 6 release. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Xbox 360 | NBA Live 10 Screens
August 21, 2009 at 2:30 pm
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| | 4 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Macintosh | BlizzCon 2009 kicks off--LIVE!
August 21, 2009 at 2:24 pm
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| BlizzCon 2009: World of Warcraft maker begins annual Anaheim gala with opening remarks from company executives and a preview for what's in store for its big games.. 
ANAHEIM, California--Three numbers: eight, 20,000, 125. Their significance? In just eight minutes, 20,000 people foisted over $125 to buy out every last ticket to attend Blizzard Entertainment's annual gaming event, BlizzCon. That, despite Blizzard expanding its presence at the Anaheim Convention Center this year, securing four exhibition halls to make room for an additional 5,000 attendees. Anyone who even remotely follows the goings-on of Blizzard probably has a good idea about what all the fuss is about. Since its merger with Activision last year, the company has gone into overdrive with its product portfolio. First, the company announced the long-awaited Diablo III at the 2008 Blizzard Invitational in Paris last year. Four months later, Blizzard trifurcated its sci-fi real-time strategy game Starcraft II, the first installment of which was delayed to the first half of 2010 earlier this month. More than that, though, the publisher has its 800-pound-gorilla of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft still going strong. With some 11 million subscribers across the globe clamoring for new content, Blizzard is due to make good on its target of annual expansions. In late June, Blizzard filed to trademark the name "Cataclysm" with the US Patent and Trademark Office, a name many believe to be the title for WOW's next major add-on. BlizzCon 2009 will feature a variety of activities catering to the tastes of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo fans. Those in attendance will be able to play prereleased builds of Blizzard's upcoming games, including Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty and Diablo III. The show will also include a variety of panels from Blizzard developers, casual and competitive tournaments, contests, a silent auction, and a merchandise store. Oh, and the Prince of Darkness himself Ozzy Osbourne will apparently be here, as well. And as is customary, Blizzard will set the tone for its gala with opening remarks from CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime. What secrets does this game masters play gatekeeper to? Those answers will come in the next few minutes... [11:26] With five minutes to go before Blizzard is scheduled to take the stage, BlizzCon attendees have packed the cavernous Anaheim Convention Hall seemingly to capacity. [11:27] WOW's login screen currently states that Blizzard will be collecting non-personal system specifications data in the very near future...a sign of things to come? [11:27] A think white smoke pervades the massive main hall. An overworked dry ice machine, or the condensing fumes from the horde of WOW aficionados? [11:30] Blizzard's hallmark tunes ring from gigantic speakers suspended from the ceiling. The music is at once lighthearted in the vein of WOW's wholesome villages and then discordant to fit Diablo's mood. [11:30] From a vantage point in front of the hall, the smoke and the crowd seem to extend to eternity, with no end of people in sight. Now would be a very, very bad time for someone to pull the fire alarm. [11:31] Here we go, the lights dim, and the announcer welcomes the crowd. The crowd cheers back. [11:31] No health-care debate town hall riots here. [11:31] Not yet, anyway. [11:32] Blizzard's Gary Platner takes the stage. [11:32] Platner asks the crowd how they're doing. Apparently, they are doing well. [11:32] Platner, who is one of the lead artists on WOW, says that Blizzard listens to its players. [11:33] He regales the crowd with a post complaining about pet-peeves expected at BlizzCon. Apparently, someone doesn't like real people speaking in l33t sp3ak. "L-O-L," he jokes. [11:33] Apparently people want to fight you in real life just for not being horde. No pandering is occurring here, that's for sure. [11:35] There are over 1,700 PCs here today. Would you like to know more? [11:35] Platner is running through some administrative announcements: Please, only one collector's program per attendee. Thanks. [11:35] "Ladies and gentleman, Terran, Protoss, and Zerg, members of the horde and the alliance, welcome to Blizzcon 2009." [11:36] Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime takes the stage to thunderous applause. [11:36] Apparently, Starcraft II was just named best game at GamesCom. No word on who awarded the honor. [11:37] BlizzCon is the only place where attendees are waiting for something "Cataclysmic" to happen, he says. [11:37] Yeah, that's not portending anything... [11:38] Morhaime then welcomes Chinese players back online, the crowd doesn't know how to react, but someone shouts a token "YAY!" Not exactly a hostile audience. [11:38] Morhaime is talking about the passion of the world's greatest gaming community. If you didn't get into the queue to buy a BlizzCon ticket within 30 seconds, you didn't get a ticket. [11:38] It took 45 minutes to process all the orders, but essentially 20,000 tickets sold out in less than one minute. [11:41] Morhaime then talks about the sales success of Wrath of Lich King, which sold 2.8 million units in 24 hours. Um, yeah. we got the press release in November, thanks. [11:41] Morhaime then queues a trailer highlighting BlizzCon 2008 moments, as well as in-game moments from Wrath of the Lich King. Re-runs? Awesome. [11:42] The reel shows footage of BlizzCon attendees doin' how they do, playing Starcraft, Diablo, and WOW, as well as a number of other tabletop games. Cosplayers are featured prominently. Unfortunately, not all are female. [11:43] The trailer's still rolling, showing the massive crowds around the world who lined up to purchase Wrath of the Lich King in November. US, Mexico, France, just to name a few. This just in: WOW is popular. [11:43] The old, the young, the beautiful, the socially awkward, they're all represented. [11:44] Note: Those categories are not mutually exclusive. [11:44] Morhaime is back, and he's talking about the many enhancements made to WOW in the past few months. [11:45] The Blizzard exec is talking about iPhone integration with the mobile armory. [11:45] He's now talking about the big plans in store for 2010. They will be revamping Inyxia in November to celebrate the 5 year anniversary. [11:46] Next year, we will be shipping Starcraft II, along with the new Battle.net platform. [11:47] Morhaime then asks whether the name Sam Raimi means anything to the crowd. [11:47] The Spider-Man will direct the Warcraft movie. Apparently, they first met Raimi while he attended last year's BlizzCon. [11:47] Apparently, Bruce Campbell will not be playing Leeeeeeeeroy Jenkins, so the crowd boos. [11:48] Raimi expressed interest in the movie, and discussions progressed from there. [11:48] Morhaime then talks up the tournaments, which, for those who are wondering, are in Hall B. Just in case anyone was wondering. [11:50] Some of the top pro-gamers are in attendance, and total prizes from Blizzard games hits $340,000 this year. That's chump change to a company which has over $100 million a month in earnings. [11:50] Morhaime then talks about the N00bs figurines. One of the ones handed out as part of the swag bag given to attendees is one of a kind. Check your local eBay listing for more. [11:51] MC Frontalot and Jay Mohr are here to perform. One out of two ain't bad. [11:52] Morhaime gives a shout out to Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain will be playing. [11:52] Oh, and some guy named Ozzy Osbourne will be here too. Apparently he was in a band, had a reality show, and is a fan of bats. [11:53] Morhaime then turns the stage over to VP of creative development Chris Metzen. [11:54] Metzen says the company prides itself on not putting games out until they're done. Thanks for the newsflash. [11:54] He seems contrite, and apologizes that Blizzard doesn't put out more games. He seems earnest. [11:56] He thanks the crowd, and with that said, "I'm pretty sure you guys are curious about what we've been cooking up for the past year." [11:56] We've got a couple trailers to show you, we've got a couple of things to announce. [11:56] "Where's the Alliance at?" The crowd erupts. "Where's the Horde at?" Again, eruption. "Can I get a WOW what what?" [11:57] "Where are the Diablo players in the house?" is said with earnestness. Metzen says he'd like to talk to these folks for a bit. [11:58] "Diablo III is really taking shape, it's kicking-ass, it's a lot of fun." He says that over the past few months, they've been unveiling a number of classes. [11:59] All thus far have been pulled from classic archetypes, he says. [11:59] "The class we're going to be unveiling today has its roots in the same tradition." [11:59] "Without further ado, I'm very proud to introduce the monk." [11:59] A trailer rolls, showing the monk walking through a sandstorm in a barren wasteland. [11:59] A man fully cloaked asks the monk if he is heading to a city, and asks the hero to help. [12:00] A zoomed out shot of the city, which looks much like the sand level in Diablo II. [12:00] The monk has a gigantic staff with which he slays his foes, and in Diablo tradition, they are numerous. [12:00] "You, you're alive. But that's not possible!" [12:01] An infernal being then launches a fireball, and throws a bolt of blue/orange flame. [12:01] The monk prays, and seems to disappear. [12:01] He suddenly reappears, having lost his staff, and drops all kinds of hand-to-hand hurt on the demon [12:01] The fight culminates in the monk putting a firey fist through the demon's chest. Monk 1, Demon 0. [12:01] Metzen then rolls a trailer for in-game footage of the monk. [12:03] He seems to be very speedy, with close range melee attacks, with his staff, fists, and feet. [12:03] Lots of gold particle effects, along with runes during his special attacks. [12:03] Mmmmm, runes. [12:03] Metzen says to check out the panel at 2:00 p.m. today to find out more. [12:04] And we're back to WOW. "Alliance and Horde, you've all been very patient." Here it comes... [12:04] "BlizzCon, the wait is over." [12:06] In just a second here, we're going to roll the first gameplay trailer of the new World of Warcraft expansion. [12:07] "Without further ado, I'm very geeked up to debut an expansion set that will be nothing less than earth-shattering." [12:07] "Ladies and gentleman, I give you World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" [12:07] A trailer rolls, with a voice over saying that as the terrible war between the Lich King continues, but there can be no peace when the world itself is devoured. [12:08] An ancient evil has risen [12:08] Kalindor and the Eastern Kingdoms have been transformed. [12:08] Ancient lands have been torn asunder, unleashing widespread destruction. [12:08] Many islanders of the great sea have been driven from their homes, goblins run across the screen. [12:09] Goblins will be a Horde playable race. [12:09] Humans, turned werewolf, called Worgen, join the alliance. [12:09] The elves bring them into the fold, apparently. [12:09] New race and class combination are on the way. [12:09] New monsters, dungeons, and raids, of course, are also on the docket. [12:12] Level cap is raised to 85. [12:13] Archeology added as secondary skill. [12:13] Deathwind has returned. [12:13] "Welcome to Blizzcon!" bellows the announcer. [12:13] And the lights come up, not a bad way to end as a litteral bang rocks the auditorium. [12:13] And that's it. Check back in a few minutes for GameSpot's continuing coverage of BlizzCon 2009. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PlayStation 3 | DJ Hero books October 27 gig
August 21, 2009 at 1:43 pm
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| North American release date of Activision's new mix-and-mash rhythm franchise confirmed; international launches to happen by Halloween. 
With Guitar Hero 5's release date set for September 1, Activision had left a hole in its release schedule around the franchise's previously favored late October launch window. That hole won't go unfilled, as the publisher confirmed to Joystiq that its upstart music game, DJ Hero, is set for an October 27 North American launch and simply "late October" in other markets. DJ Hero will feature 100 individual songs in 80 all-new mixes previously unavailable to the public, with a number of licensed disc-scratchers, including DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Shadow, DJ AM, DJ Z-Trip, Grandmaster Flash, Tiesto, and DJ Yoda. That crew will be mashing up familiar songs from a wide variety of artists, from Daft Punk to Tears for Fears. The game will also pack in a new turntable peripheral, with retailers accepting preorders for a standard edition bundle at $120, and a Renegade Edition package for $200. The Renegade bundle will contain a "premium" black-and-gold turntable controller and a hard-shell carrying case that converts to a stand, so gamers can easily take their kits on the road to battle the DJ masses. A pair of CDs from Jay-Z and Eminem will also be included featuring unreleased tracks. For more on DJ Hero, check out its appearance on the premiere episode of Today On the Spot (below). Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Wii | Spyborgs Boss Battle Gameplay
August 21, 2009 at 12:31 pm
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| | The spyborgs battle a boss in this new gameplay movie. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Wii | Spyborgs GamesCom Trailer
August 21, 2009 at 12:31 pm
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| | Check out this brand new Spyborgs trailer fresh from GamesCom. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Wii | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Screens
August 21, 2009 at 11:36 am
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| | 6 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| DS | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized Screens
August 21, 2009 at 11:36 am
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| | 5 new shots posted. Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PlayStation 3 | Section 8 Dynamic Combat Missions Behind-the-Scenes
August 21, 2009 at 10:17 am
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| | Get a behind-the-scenes look at the dynamic combat missions in Section 8. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| DS | Band Hero Adam Levine Movie
August 21, 2009 at 10:16 am
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| | Adam Levine lends his likeness to Band Hero. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| DS | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized Official Trailer
August 21, 2009 at 8:07 am
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| | Check out Modern Warfare in action on the DS. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PC | The Whispered World Impressions
August 21, 2009 at 7:16 am
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| Old-fashioned point-and-click adventuring and gorgeous visuals are the hallmarks of this German title.
These days, point-and-click adventure games have become about as common as a sad clown. But point and click adventure games about sad clowns? Well, those are among the rarest of them all--yet that’s precisely what The Whispered World is all about. This adventure title from German developer Daedalic Entertainment stars a depressed clown named Sadwick who’s been tormented by mysterious nightmares. Here at GamesCom in Cologne, we just had the chance to see this strangely charming game courtesy of Daedelic themselves.  The Whispered World is and old-fashioned adventure game through and through. It features hand-drawn 2D visuals and a simple control scheme where the player simply points at an object and chooses to look at it, interact with it, or pick it up and keep it depending on the situation. The 2D visuals are especially notable because they’re nothing short of gorgeous. All the backgrounds are vibrant, colorful hand-drawn artwork spanning everything from dank caves to bright autumn forests. Cut scenes are fully animated cartoon sequences that fill in the gaps of the story, and there’s a lot of them, too--something on the order of 50 minutes worth of animation over the course of the entire game. Sadwick belongs to a family of clowns living in a caravan in the forest. His brother is a bit of a jerk, but his grandfather is a kind old man who’s gone a bit senile and started cooking all their meals with disgusting ingredients. But that’s not what’s getting at Sadwick, it’s the fact that he’s having terrible nightmares every night. Eventually, he meets with an oracle who tells him what those dreams mean: Sadwick will be the very person responsible for the end of the world, which is going to be happening very soon. Naturally, Sadwick doesn’t want that sort of notoriety weighing on his shoulders, so he sets off on a quest to the kingdom at the center of the world to stop find out how to stop himself from becoming a walking, chronically depressed apocalypse. That journey is aided by Sidewick’s pet blob, Spot. This little guy is an amorphous green ball of happy-go-lucky goo that can shapeshift into various forms in order to help Sidewick solve puzzles throughout the game. He can fill himself with water to become a heavy orb, flatten himself out like a sheet of paper, turn into flaming torch, and so on. The rest of the gameplay appears to be typical adventure fare, requiring players to examine every suspicious object they find in the game to find out if it has some hidden function, reacts to an object in your inventory, or just provides the protagonist with the opportunity to drop a witty remark. As an example of the latter, examining the bear rug in Sadwick’s room causes him to remind himself that no matter how bad life gets, it could be worse--you could always end up as a decoration on the floor of a sad clown’s bedroom.  The Whispered World is due to be released very soon in Daedalic’s home country of Germany. The demo we saw was entirely in German, but with English subtitles accompanying all the dialogue--which was quite witty and cleverly written. Right now, the team is working on translating the entire game and getting English voice acting in there as well. It should be out in English-speaking markets on PC sometime next year. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PC | Rig 'n' Roll Hands-On Impressions
August 21, 2009 at 7:09 am
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| It's time to hit the open road and live out the American dream in this trucking simulator.
Let’s face it, everyone and their mother has dreamed about becoming a professional trucker at some point in their lives. Hitting the open road for days on end, driving the world’s most exciting stretches of arrow-straight freeways, and sleeping on an inflatable mattress in the back of a cab littered with empty Red Bull cans--it’s the stuff children’s dreams are made of. Even though real life may have caught up with you, now you’ll be able to live out those childhood fantasies in a new game called Rig 'n' Roll from Russian publisher 1C. We recently traveled all the way to GamesCom in Cologne to see what this trucking simulator is all about.  In Rig 'n' Roll, the year is 2024 and you’ve got a simple mission: drive from Point A to Point B to deliver the goods in the back of your truck. A lot. All over the state of California. This futuristic version of California isn’t some sci-fi wasteland, though. It looks very much like the California of today. In fact, the game features a scaled map of California (and some parts of Nevada) containing 42 towns from San Diego to Oakland to Eureka way up north. Connecting these locales is a 12,000-mile collection of rolling highways and byways that can be as dense as those in Los Angeles or as painfully lonely as those outside Bakersfield. The game offers the ability to play over the course of a campaign or jump straight into a timed delivery route the instant order mode. The campaign doesn’t have any sort of dramatic storyline of going from trucking rags to trucking riches--you’re simply out to do your best and get the job done as consistently as possible. Each job you take on gives you a specified delivery point on the map and a set number of time to get there. The route you take to get there is up to you. But unlike a traditional racing game, here you’ll have to obey not only the posted speed limit, but also basic traffic laws such as passing on the left and making sure not to commit illegal turns. If you violate these rules, you’ll have the cops come after you in a way 1C compares to the Need for Speed series.  The driving and sense of speed aren’t exactly Need for Speed, though. The trucks lumber along with the stiffness and delayed acceleration of any giant rig carrying multiple tons of cargo, and the feeling of movement--at least in the early build we played--was hampered quite a bit by a chunky frame rate. Still, the graphics are solid if a little unremarkable, which seems fine considering how much real estate the game’s map of California offers. No release date has been announced for Rig 'n' Roll, but it’s most likely due to arrive early next year. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Xbox 360 | James Cameron's Avatar: The Game Official Trailer
August 21, 2009 at 3:00 am
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| | Check out the first in-game footage from Avatar in this awesome new trailer! Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| PC | James Cameron's Avatar: The Game Official Trailer
August 21, 2009 at 3:00 am
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| | Check out the first in-game footage from Avatar in this awesome new trailer! Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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| Xbox 360 | Beatlemania down under on September 9
August 21, 2009 at 12:01 am
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| EA confirms The Beatles: Rock Band will be released in Australia on September 9; pricing and downloadable content detailed
Bealtemania is now less than three weeks away with The Beatles: Rock Band set to hit store shelves around the world on September 9. In keeping with the previously-announced worldwide release date, Harmonix, MTV Games and distribution partner EA confirmed this week that the game will also hit Aussie shores on the same day, coinciding with the international release of the entire digitally remastered Beatles catalogue. The Beatles-inspired rhythm game marks the first-time collaboration between Beatles-owned Apple Corps, EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd and Sony/ATV Music Publishing to bring the music of The Beatles to an interactive format. Giles Martin, the son of legendary Beatles producer George Martin and co-producer of the LOVE album, served as music producer on the game, working with former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to bring the music of the Fab Four to life. The game features authentic Beatles-inspired peripheral instruments and takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the band’s renowned career, starting from the early touring days in 1963 Liverpool to the immortal and final performance on the Apple Corps rooftop. The game will also introduce three-part vocal harmonies. EA also confirmed pricing for The Beatles: Rock Band bundle, software and downloadable content for Australia. The Limited Edition Premium Bundle includes a large scale replica of the H’fner bass controller used by Paul McCartney, a Ringo Starr-inspired and Ludwig-branded Rock Band 2 drum set, microphone, microphone stand, game software and special game accessories, and will be available for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii for AU$369.99 through retailers JB Hi Fi, Dick Smith, Gamesmen and GAME. The Beatles: Rock Band software (which can be used with existing Rock Band instrument controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero controllers and other third-party rhythm game peripherals and microphones) will feature 45 tracks and will be available via all leading game retailers nationwide on PS3 and Xbox 360 for AU$89.99 and the Wii for AU$79.99. As previously announced, the entire Abbey Road, Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band albums will be available as downloadable content. Harmonix announced today that the first album, Abbey Road, will be released on the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii on October 20 (this date also includes Australia) selling for US$16.98 (1,360 Microsoft points) or $US1.99 (150 Microsoft points) on a per-track basis. Gamers who purchase the full-album download will be able to play the eight-song B-side medley as one continuous track, including "You Never Give Me Your Money", "Sun King", "Mean Mr. Mustard", "Polythene Pam", "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window", "Golden Slumbers", "Carry That Weight" and "The End". Abbey Road will be followed by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in November, and Rubber Soul in December. In the meantime, the Xbox 360 version of the game will have a limited-time exclusive track, "All You Need Is Love", available for US$1.99 (160 Microsoft points) from September 9, with all proceeds going to the Doctors Without Borders/M’decins Sans Fronti’res (MSF) charity. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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