Friday August 29, 2008

Team ICO to Unveil New Project at TGS

Since the release of the great Shadow of the Colossus, it has been announced, alongside a lone screenshot, by Famitsu in 2006 that the developers were working on a new project for the PS3. Since then though the project has been very silent and absent from this year’s E3 and GC.
In comes Shuhei Yoshida, head of Sony Worldwide Studio, who said that news should come “very soon”, presumably at TGS. Considering the quality of their former project, we shall eagerly await the announcement.

Rock Band 2 Gets 6 Albums!

It was revealed in an article in this week’s Entertainment Weekly that the game from Harmonix will add six full albums to its song roster. Here is the list:

• Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sex Sugar Magik
• Foo Fighters – The Colour and the Shape
• Jane’s Addiction – Nothing’s Shocking
• Megadeth – Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying
• No Doubt – Best of
• Stevie Ray Vaughn – Texas Flood

The Saga of Ryzom Free

Today the MMORPG became entirely free. So if you’re into online games, if you are looking for an MMO but don’t want to front the cash before you’re sure you like it, or if you just to try something new go ahead and download the game here.

Screens for Still Life 2

Still Life was a successful adventure game developed by French studio Game Consulting. Its sequel, set to come out in November, will let you take the role of Victoria MacPherson, a detective who will go to Maine to check on a gruesome murder. You will also be able to control Journalist Paloma Hernandez.

Square Enix Bids for Tecmo

Even though they announced yesterday that Ninja Gaiden II had sold more than a million units Tecmo has been having troubles including lawsuits and resignations.
Today the RPG giant made a friendly $200M bid for the company to “rescue Tecmo” according to Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix.

Rumor of the Week

The story comes from famous Japanese magazine Famitsu so it may hold some truth to it. Capcom is working on a Resident Evil 2 remake for the Wii that will include new creatures, new puzzles… The real story is that is will use the Resident Evil 4 engine!
If one thing’s for sure it’s that Capcom are masters at milking a franchise.

Thursday August 28, 2008

Screens for Raven Squad

Atomic Motion released 6 new screens today for their new game that will combine FPS and RTS. the game will let you manage two groups of four soldiers to reach your goals. The strategy part will be there to help you move your your squads, choose abilities and such, you will be able to switch to first person view when combats engage to be more immersed.
The game is set to come out this Fall on PC and Xbox 360.

Max Payne 3 at Rockstar

We all know that Remedy has been busy for a while on Alan Wake so Rockstar apparently decided to take over the development of the third game in the franchise and gave the project to Rockstar Toronto.
Added to this is a rumor that Max Payne 3 might be a PS3 exclusive which all in all seems highly unlikely.

So Blonde on Wii and DS

As some of you may know I reviewed the PC version of the game here.
The point & click game will be similar with adapted gameplay depending on the console. Also the graphics look fairly identical to the PC version but for some reason, even though the locations look the same, the angles and pans are different. The minigames also looks different, less Game & Watch and more cell shaded. Either way it’s a great game so try it out.

Wednesday August 27, 2008

RetroBeats Session 12 Out!

This week we’re taking a look at classical music that was integrated into video games over the years, featuring Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven and more.

Far Cry 3 Back to Africa

Far Cry 2 has not even been released yet but Patrick Redding, the narrative designer for Ubisoft Montreal, has revealed that a sequel is already under way, albeit at a very early stage, and may return to Africa.
This can only be good news considering the new direction that the Far Cry series is taking, i.e. doing away with aliens, zombies…. and sticking with good ol’ humans.

A Vampyre Story Is Going to Be a Trilogy!

For those of you who don’t know the game is a point & click adventure set to come out in October of this year that is being developed by Autumn Moon, a company formed by a bunch of former LucasArts employees who worked on classics such as Monkey Island and The Dig. Add tot his a vampire theme and you can picture me in heaven right there.
Bill Tiller has announced that they are working on 2 sequels in which Mona de Lafitte, the heroin, will develop powers such as transforming into a bat or mist, hypnotize people and drink blood.
Meanwhile enjoy the Game Convention trailer.

Tuesday August 26, 2008

Left 4 Dead Delayed

Valve has announced that they have postponed their release date to coincide with the anniversary of Half-Life. The game will come out on November 20 for PC and Xbox 360.
Doug Lombardi mentioned that the game could be ported to the PS3 since the console finally has a bigger number of them in home living rooms.

Harry Pitfall Jr. is Back

One of the most successful games from Activision for the Atari 2600 back then, Pitfall subsequently got some pretty good 2D sequels. The forays into 3D however, are not as fondly remembered.
In any case Pitfall: The Big Adventure has been announced on the Wii. Wait and see as they say.

EA & Take-Two Part…….

The two continue their mating dance but in a more private fashion. EA has stated that they are not going to publicly give any offer and that from now on everything will be negotiated privately once Take-Two is ready to sit down and make a deal. Which probably will not be until after GTA IV is released for the PC this fall.

This Week in RPGs

The numerous RPGs coming out this week will either have you jump for joy or cry at the amount of time you wish you had to play them….or, most likely, both.

• Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice for the PS3 came out this Monday
• Ys Book I & II on the Wii VC came out this Monday as well
• Tales of Vesperia for the Xbox 360 comes out today
• Infinite Undiscovery for the Xbox 360 is coming out Friday

Battleforge Delayed

Phenomic has changed the release date from End 2008 to a mere 2009. The game is a mix between an online strategy game and a card game, offering 40 maps for up to 12 players to battle on.

GC 2008 Late Night Edition

Since the Game Convention started in Leipzig today there’s a lot of stuff to cover so I’m going to summarize the most noteworthy announcements and link the best trailers only in HD.
Basically this is your one-stop Leipzig newsdesk.

Noteworthy Announcements:

• New PSP 3000 will come out on October 15 and feature a better screen and built-in mic for $199
• PS3 160G Hard Drive on October for $499, the 80G one will replace the current 40G
• New 160G PS3 Uncharted Bundle featuring game, dualshock 3 and PAIN voucher for $499
• EA is going to tackle Tennis games on Wii in 2009 taking advantage of the Wii Motion Plus
• Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts will be released November 14 for $40
• Fallout 3 will come out October 28 in North America and October 31 in Europe
• Suikoden Tierkreis is a DS title
• Chrono Trigger on the DS will come out November 25
• The Sims 3 worldwide release February 20, 2009

Noteworthy Trailers and Footage:

• Shattered Horizons Trailer – Very Nice! great trailer
• Resident Evil 5 GC 2008 Trailer – Sweet! even better than before
• Shadow Harvest Trailer – Awful, Unappealing… Plain Bad
• FIFA Soccer 09 Debut Trailer – Very Nice, if you like soccer
• Bionic Commando GC 2008 Trailer – Promising. wait and see
• Dawn of War II GC 2008 Trailer – Freaking Amazing!! And I don’t even like RTS games
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 Debut Teaser – Crap Music, OK Teaser. FIFA Vs. PES Round 1!
• Anno 1404 Debut Trailer – Really Nice. great game on the way
• Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Trailer – Sweet! E3 trailer in high quality
• Captain Blood GC 2008 Trailer – Looks Fun, could be a nice game
• Necro Vision GC 2008 Trailer – Gory, Gory and WTF?!
• Jumpgate Evolution GC 2008 Trailer – Very Nice! just my type of genre
• Red Alert 3 GC 2008 Trailer – Pure Epic! George Takei FTW!
• Prince of Persia Lengthy Footage – Voice Work OK. Still looks gorgeous and amazing
• Mad World GC 2008 Trailer – Very Original. The more I see the more intrigued i get
• Heavy Rain GC 2008 Trailer – Finally!! cam but very steady, can’t wait!

Tuesday August 19, 2008

Two Very Nice Articles

Rather than make a sub-par summary I’ll just link them so you can enjoy them.
The first one, by Ars Technica talks about how the PS3 is gaining steam and what the 360′s issues are currently. The guy has some very interesting and valid points. Check it out here.
The second one is a new research by the American Psychology Association which points out that games can be very educational in both good and bad ways and it all depends on several factors such as content, amount of time played… check it out here.

Sequel for the PSN Version of Ratchet & Clank

People who finish the PSN game Quest for Booty are greeted by this nice little screen which needs no comments. Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for More Booty in 2009?

Remedy Still at Work on Alan Wake

After being disappointed by its absence at E3, many started thinking that Alan Wake might never come out at all, or at least go the sad way of Duke Nukem Forever. Not so, on the official forums the developers announced yesterday that they were still working hard on the game but they had face some difficulties and that “sometimes you need to take a detour to find the best route forward“.
Nos we just need to follow the light and hopefully a trailer will pop up at GC 2008 because the last video is already 2 years old!

Duke Nukem 3D on XBLA

3D Realms just confirmed they have finished the special edition of the game for XBLA. The game was approved by Microsoft an should be released soon.
In the words of the Duke himself: “What are you waiting for?… Christmas?!”

Monday August 18, 2008

Hi Guys, sorry for the lack of updates this past Friday. I was away on a 3 day weekend for my wife’s birthday

Electronic Arts News Galore!

there are several stories involving EA today.
First is a deal signed with Epic Games on new unknown project for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. The game will be developed by People Can Fly (Painkiller and Gears of War PC).
Second, Suda 51 (No More Heroes) and Shinji Mikami (Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe), the duo behind the praised Killer 7, are working on a new completely unknown title that will be published by EA. The title is being developed by Grasshopper, Suda Goichi’s studio.
Finally, there is a new episode in the great Take-Two soap opera. The last deadline expires today and EA has announced there offer will expire tonight while Take-Two is beginning to warm up to the giant’s offer. They have stated they are going to let EA in on their confidential info, 3 year financial planning and future games. The most likely reason for Take-Two to start opening up is most likely because the price of their share has fallen since the release of GTA IV and is now $1.54 below EA’s offer which stands at $25.74.

The Godfather II Screens and Footage

Another EA news! They have released some screens for their sequel to The Godfather which came out in March 2006. While the screens are nice if you really want a good idea of what the game will feature you should definitely check out the last episode of Gametrailers TV which focuses on the game.

Spore Is Gold!

Not much more to say really, the game will be released on September 4.
Oh and this was another EA news by the way.

Force Unleashed Demo This Week

Now this should get you pumped!! First of all it’s not an EA news , second of all it has been announced that the demo for the game will be released August 21 for PSN and XBL.
The full game will be released about a month later on September 19 for the 360 and the PS3.

Thursday August 14, 2008

RetroBeats Session 11 Out!

This week I’m taking a look at some of the best original Disney games from the 16bits era, including Castle and World of Illusion, Quackshot, Mickey Mania and Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow

EA Is Expanding to Movies and TV

Considering the average quality of game adaptations to the screen this news can be scary but either way Electronic Arts has signed an agreement with the United Talent Agency to adapt some of its licenses to both the big and small screen. The First on the list appear to be The Sims, Mirror’s Edge and Army of Two.
Now’s a good time for a prayer.

Fallout 3 Will Be Released in Australia But Censored

After they said they would simply ban the game for it’s violence and language in the land down under, Bethesda went back to modify the game so that it could be released. Hence in its Australian version Fallout 3 will have some edited an deleted scenes and dialogues as well as the removal of all mentions of drugs.
Welcome to the 21st Century where democracies still act like the 3rd Reich in its hey-days. Long live the First Amendment.

Rock Band 2 Delayed?

It seems that while the game itself is still planned for the September 14 launch on the Xbox 360, the instruments will not be coming out until mid-October which coincides pretty well with the release of the game on PS3, PS2 and Wii. Doesn’t seem like a great exclusivity deal anymore.

Lian-Li Case for Xbox 360

Those of you who are into building their own computers are most likely familiar with Lian-Li, a very high quality case maker for PC. Well it seems they are releasing a special case for the Microsoft console. We all know the 360 is pretty noisy and gets fairly hot, so while this is a good idea I can’t help but feel that this is one of their weaker design and it simply looks too much like a PC tower.

Layoffs, Layoffs and More Layoffs

Since the Activision ‘streamlining’ a few weeks ago it seems that companies are firing people and canceling projects left and right. There was Midway a few days ago, NCSoft yesterday and now it’s Radical and High Noon, which are both owned by Activision Blizzard.
I know the economy isn’t at its best but this really doesn’t bode well for independent studios and original games.

Overlord Is Taking Over

Last year Overlord, a game I haven’t played but seems like a cross between Dungeon Keeper and Pikmin, was a surprise hit and Codemasters posted their best revenues ever. So it’s not too much of a leap to expect a sequel…BUT WAIT! They are actually planning to release 3 different games!
The PC, 360 and PS3 will be graced with a sequel: Overlord II while the Wii will have a prequel: Overlord: Dark Legend and the DS, a spin-off: Overlord Minions.
Pretty impressive and most certainly good news for fans of the original.

Overlord II:

Overlord: Dark Legend:

Overlord Minions:

Wednesday August 13, 2008

Diablo III to Conclude Story Arc

In an interview with MTV Multiplayer, Jay Wilson, lead designer for the game, said that Diablo III would conclude the story arc set up by the first two games. He also mentioned that some old characters would be coming back, especially from the first game because while “Diablo II seems to get a lot of the focus, Diablo I started it all”. True enough.
I’m sure we can expect at least one expansion to close out the story and Jay Wilson assured that even though this story arc would be done, the franchise would see more titles in the future.
Good news all around basically.

Empire: Total War, At Sea!

The Creative Assembly, the British studio famous for their acclaimed Total War series such as Rome: Total War and Medieval: Total War have release a new video (poor quality for now) for their upcoming game set to be released on February 6, 2009. The video focuses on naval battles which the player will be able to execute in real time.

Crysis Warhead Dated

Electronic Arts and Crytek have announced today that the game will be released on September 12 in Europe and September 16 in North America. On a side note if you preorder the game from the EA Store you will receive an instantaneous $5 discount.

Tuesday August 12, 2008

Viva Piñata 2 4-Way Online Coop?

Rare released some of the Achievements for the game and among these was “Full House” which requires you to play online with 4 people in cooperation for at least an hour. How this coop mode will work however remains to be seen.

AMD Teams With Blizzard

The chipset manufacturer announced today that Blizzard Entertainment has allowed them to bundle their games with all ATI video cards. AMD is also the exclusive graphic sponsor to the upcoming BlizzCon 2008 which will take place on October 10-11 in Anaheim, CA.

Parents Would Prefer Their Kids Drunk Than Playing Video Games…

*Sigh*… So a survey conducted by What They Play, a parental advisory website, shows that parents would basically rather have their kids smashed on beer than playing GTA IV.
The survey asked 1,600 persons what they were most afraid their kids would indulge in while at a sleepover. here are the replies:

• 49% Smoking Marijuana
• 19% Playing GTA
• 16% Watching Porn
• 14% Drinking Beer

Furthermore in a previous survey conducted in April they asked 1,266 participants what offended them most in video games, here are the replies:

• 37% A man and a woman having sex
• 27% Two men kissing
• 25% A graphically severed head
• 9% Multiple uses of the F-Word

First of all I’ll skip the sheer open-mindedness of these people who would rather watch people butcher each other instead of having two gays kissing and I know the source implies that these people have no, or very little, clue about what video games are but are people really that stupid??
As far as I can remember I became sexually aware around 12 and have played video games since I was 6 (granted, the realism isn’t on the same level) and I’m certainly not a model of virtue but I’m still able to remember that a game is…a game! shocker!

It’s funny how every new ‘medium’ that arises bring with it a slew of ignorants who would rather ban than try to understand. First it was Christianity, then it was Protestants, then it was the age of reason, then came raunchy books, then came movies which talked about important subjects such as abortion (OH NO!) and then came Rock and Roll, and now we have video games.
To think that these people will vote in November scares me to death.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Announced

OK back to reality, Game Informer said that Eidos and Rocksteady are currently working on a new game featuring the Dark Knight. It seems the game may be an FPS set at least partly in the infamous asylum and will feature the Joker and several other villains.
Batman games havne’t had a great reputation since the 8bits and 16bits era (exception made of the LEGO game) but Paul Dini (one of the main honchos behind the great Batman: The Animated Series) is cowriting on the game so this may be one to watch.