Visitors Online: 2113
Members: 28
Guests: 2085
Most users online: 8960
on Feb 12th, 2007 15:51:30.
Newest member, isy
Threads: 167438
Posts: 715959
Members: 388369
PC Gaming is a News and downloads site for the
PC, We have all the latest emulators, homebrew and all the downloads on this site,
we also cover commercial gaming and console news. Part of the
DCEmu Homebrew & Gaming Network.
Most of my weekend will be spent playing a little real-life Tetris, as I attempt to find open slots for all the boxes, furniture and knickknacks still in boxes from the relocation endeavor.
First thing I'll be playing in the virtual world this weekend is the iPhone version of Doom: Resurrection, in anticipation of an upcoming review. Probably should update the firmware on that thing so I'm up to speed on all my iPhone needs. I'll also be giving BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger another crack, once the TV, Xbox 360 and all necessary audio-visual equipment is hooked up.
This weekend, I'll also more than likely be picking some games to sell off and give away. There are a half-dozen Sega Saturn games—Shining Force III, Guardian Heroes, Burning Rangers—that will get more use at someone else's house.
What will you be playing this American holiday weekend?
Today, CuriousFactory announced the release of highly-anticipated 3D Robot FPS Ultimate Knight Windom XP.
In Ultimate Knight Windom XP, players can take command of 17 different makes of machines and blast enemies to pieces in this 3D robot action game. Players can pilot everything from general use machines to battle-ready machines to missile-loaded machines to machines equipped with magic attacks.
Some of the Ultimate Knight Windom XP features include:
Extensive Game Modes
Arcade Mode – Players can cooperate with another player to blast enemies.
Robot Garage Mode - Players can equip items you've picked up in Arcade Mode and change the color of your machine.
Local Battle Mode - Players can play against a computer controlled opponent.
Online Battle Mode - Players can play against players all over the world.
All this and more is included in this game's massive selection of game modes.
Up To 10 Players Battling At Once
Up to 10 players can join together in a wild team battle, battle royal or in one of many other exciting battle modes. Players rankings will change based on their scores.
Load in Your Own Data
Players can customize and load in their own game music and pilot image, then share with others!
On most TVs and projectors movies and games are too dark or missing detail in dark scenes. GammaX fixes this by adding a Gamma Boost without washing out the picture.
Simply plug the GammaX directly into the HDfury2, HDfury, HDfury Gamer Edition, or any device with RGB output and enjoy a more vibrant picture with perfect shadow details!
Using the original HDfury or HDfury Gamer Edition? The GammaX also includes a cable driver which lets you use monitor cables or long RGB projector cables (any length) without having to plug the HDfury or HDfury Gamer Edition directly into your TV!
The included power supply is not needed when the GammaX is used with the HDfury2, simplifying the cables and connections. (The power supply is needed for HDfury, HDfury Gamer Edition, or other RGB source users).
Many projectors and displays only work with either positive or negative sync RGB signals. The GammaX provides a user selectable positive or negative sync switch for displays that only accept negative sync such as the following projectors: Barco 800-801-808-1208, Dwin 500-700, and so on.
The GammaX is 100% Plug-and-play. No configuration or extra steps required. GammaX works at all resolutions, including 1080p and beyond.
Note: GammaX does not support component signals, only RGB. This includes the HDfury2 set to component (YUV) output mode. If you wish to add Gamma Boost to a component-only capable display, use the Box1020 instead.
- Input: RGBHV HD-15 D-Sub (VGA) Female Connector (direct connection to HDfury1 or HDfury2)
- Output: RGBHV HD-15 D-Sub (VGA) Male Connector (direct connection to TV)
- Cable driver built in allowing you to use an analog output cable of any length. Useful for using the original HDfury or HDfury Gamer Edition with monitor cables or long RGB projector cables. No need to plug the HDfury or HDfury Gamer Edition directly into your TV!
- Power supply included for use with HDfury, HDfury Gamer Edition, or other RGB sources
- Power supply not needed if used with the HDfury2, the HDfury2 supplies the power
- Plug-and-play, no extra steps required
- Adjustable Gamma Boost for restoring lost shadow details
- Slide potentiometer for easy Gamma Boost adjustment
- Compatible with all RGB sources
- Supports all standard HD formats and SD formats: 1080p-1080i-720p-etc. in NTSC-PAL-SECAM
- Supports all PC resolutions including extremely high resolutions such as 1600x1200-100Hz and 1920x1440-60Hz
- 450Mhz large signal (-3dB) bandwidth for virtually lossless video processing
- Full dynamic range for maximum picture detail at all resolutions
- User selectable positive or negative sync output for displays that only accept negative sync (ex: Barco 800-801-808-1208, Dwin, etc.)
- Precise black levels - no black crush or missing details or washed-out whites
Get out your Bill Gates commemorative calendars folks, 'cause it looks like we now have a few more dates to mark off on the road to Windows 7 availability. While Microsoft still isn't saying anything official itself just yet, a number of different sources are reporting that the company has set July 10th as the date for the final gold build of Windows 7, while the big release to manufacturing date is apparently on track for July 13th. Of course, things could still change if there's a major bug or other problem encountered, but barring any disasters, that'll likely be the same build that finds its way onto your PC this fall.
We already knew Heinz was developing a USB-powered and possibly portable mini microwave, but now we actually get to see how it works. You guessed it, just like a microwave.
The number one game in the Japanese chart comes as no surprise following news earlier in the week that Wii Sports Resort shifted over 350,000 copies during its first four days on sale.
The Nintendo title, bundled with the new MotionPlus add-on, tops the all-format software chart for the week ended June 28 with a total sales of 359,690, outselling the second biggest selling title - Tomodachi Collection - more than five times over.
Its success may have impacted slightly on the Japanese hardware chart for the week too as sales of the Wii were up slightly from 19,386 last week to 21,790.
The console's DS stablemate delivered a near identical performance to the week prior with 45,480 units sold (39,995 DSi and the remaining for the DS Lite) compared to 45,995, and PSP sales remained solid at 26,789 units.
PS3 continued to take steps in the right direction with 11,310 sales, up from 10,359 the week previous. The software chart delivered similarly good news for the system, with three new PS3 releases - Atelier Rorona: Alchemist of Arland, BlazBlue and Agarest Senki Zero - debuting in the top ten.
The Xbox 360 and PS2 systems sold 5,766 and 3,578 units respectively.
The full hardware charts from Media Create follow:
Nintendo DS - 45,480
PlayStation Portable - 26,789
Nintendo Wii - 21,790
PlayStation 3 - 11,310
Xbox 360 - 5,766
PlayStation 2 - 3,578
The top ten best-selling games in Japan follow:
01 Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo) - 359,690
02 Tomodachi Collection (Friend Collection) (Nintendo) - 71,692
03 Atelier Rorona: Alchemist of Arland (Gust) - 43,243
04 Ken to Mahou to Gakuen Mono. 2 (Sword & Magic & School 2) (Acquire) - 38,614
05 BlazBlue (Arc System Works) - 33,768
06 BlazBlue (Arc System Works) - 24,812
07 Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (Square Enix) - 22,114
08 Agarest Senki Zero (Compile Heart) - 14,466
09 Monster Hunter Portable 2 G (Capcom) - 12,985
10 Sloane and MacHale's Mysterious Story (Level 5) - 12,537
Valve has batted away the latest fears that its digital Steam service is damaging traditional retail, revealing it has data that shows boxed sales increase when it runs promotions via its digital distribution channel.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz in London yesterday, marketing boss Doug Lombardi claimed 'free weekend' initiatives boosted sales of its games across the board.
"When we do our free weekends on Steam for our products we see an increase in player numbers, obviously, and then we'll see a spike in sales at the end of the weekend on Steam and at retail," he said. "And recently we've seen data that shows Left 4 Dead free weekends increase the sales of Left 4 Dead on Steam, at retail and on the Xbox 360, which we would never have guessed could have happened, but it's just that word of mouth."
Lombardi also hit back at industry rumours suggesting leading US retailers including GameStop were increasingly reluctant to give over shelf space to Valve products in-store, due to the impact Steam is having on bricks-and-mortar businesses.
"A lot of the 'Steam is there to compete with retail' stuff is sort of sensationalised," he argued. "We spent more money at GameStop in the US promoting Left For Dead than we did at any other chain. We sold more copies of Left 4 Dead at Gamestop than we did at any other chain.
"We're supporting them with dollars for promotions and they're supporting us by delivering top performance in terms of sell-through at their outlet with Left 4 Dead. My hope is that we can replicate that success with Left 4 Dead 2.
"[Steam is] about making the games better. It's currently a great marketing and promotions channel, and yeah we sell games over it and that's great, but whether people buy games at GameStop, or GAME UK, or on Steam, we get paid. So for us, whichever cash register you want to pay at, that's fine."
Lombardi added that pre-orders for Left 4 Dead 2, the co-op shooter sequel, were already double that of the original for a similar time frame. This in spite of a widely-publicised internet campaign led by disgruntled owners of the first game, objecting to Valve releasing content as a standalone sequel rather than as DLC.
Left 4 Dead 2 is due for release on PC and Xbox 360 in November.
David Amor of Buzz developer Relentless believes that the unexplored casual genre will deliver radical new IP that will sell tens of millions.
Speaking to Develop in an interview published today, Amor drew on the phenomenal success of certain casual IPs, adding that the winning formula is not likely to go away.
“I think that casual games remain an untapped genre; I’ve worked in more traditional genres for years and years before saying “right, let’s make games for other people”, and I don’t think we’re anywhere near discovering how many games can be made to satisfy that audience,” he said.
“Guitar Hero did well, Buzz did well, SingStar did well, Wii Fit did well; this isn’t the end of that.”
“There are games, currently un-thought of in the casual genre, that will sell tens of millions. I’d rather have a business in that category rather than more established ones to be honest with you.”
Classic DOOM and DSL Linux Desktop inside your Java-enabled browser! The latest JPC, the fast 100% Java x86 PC emulator, is now available with online demos and downloads. JPC is open source and is the most secure way of running x86 software ever — 2 layers (applet sandbox, JPC sandbox) of independently validated security make it the world's most secure means of isolating x86 software. Visit the website to try out some classic games and play around with Linux all within your web browser. Refresh = reboot
As the latest in his Game Design Essentials series for Gamasutra, writer John Harris examines 10 games from the Western computer RPG (CRPG) tradition and 10 from the Japanese console RPG (JRPG) tradition, to figure out what exactly makes them tick. From the entry on Nethack: 'Gaining experience is supposed to carry the risk of harm and failure. Without that risk, gaining power becomes a foregone conclusion. It has reached the point where the mere act of spending time playing [most RPGs] appears to give players the right to have their characters become more powerful. The obstacles that provide experience become simply an arbitrary wall to scale before more power is granted; this, in a nutshell, is the type of play that has brought us grind, where the journey is simple and boring and the destination is something to be raced to. Nethack and many other roguelikes do feature experience gain, but it doesn't feel like grind. It doesn't because much of the time the player is gaining experience, he is in danger of sudden, catastrophic failure. When you're frequently a heartbeat away from death, it's difficult to become bored.' Harris' Game Design series has previously spanned subjects from mysterious games to open world games, unusual control schemes and difficult games."
Social networking tool increases its gaming footprint with two major new backers
Revolutionary social networking tool Twitter is to get in-game support in two of MMO’s biggest names – Activision Blizzard’s World of Warcraft and Cryptic’s upcoming Champions Online.
Offworld reports that new add-on TweetCraft will allow WoW players to send and receive Tweets in-game and upload screenshots using Twitpic. It will also allow gamers to auto-Tweet when they log in to the game.
Developer Cryptic has also confirmed Twitter support in its upcoming title, with a statement on the official blog explaining:
“We’re really excited to get in-game tweet testing out to our beta players. This feature is in initial testing stages and will most likely have issues. Beta players, please keep in mind that you are still under an NDA while testing this feature.”
Twitter took pride of place centre stage at last month’s E3, where Microsoft announced that a client for the service will be heading to Xbox 360 later this year.
Twitter also played a significant role in the E3 hype machine, with many companies using the social network to spread early word of their big news.
With the casual game market for women one of the driving forces behind the tremendous expansion of video games into the mainstream, Her Interactive, the designer, developer and distributor of the award-winning Nancy Drew PC games, today announced the second title in its hit Nancy Drew Dossier series, Resorting to Danger. Available for online download and retail purchase this August, Resorting to Danger follows the winning formula of its predecessor by integrating easily accessible gameplay with a captivating mystery.
As Megan Gaiser, president and CEO of Her Interactive, explains: "Our games have such resonance with women of all ages due to the sense of empowerment they feel from being as brilliant as Nancy Drew?. We believe the traits that define Nancy – gutsy, intelligent, independent – are imparted to players on a very subtle level and ultimately act to increase self-esteem and instill confidence. So with all the games that are 'good for you' like fitness games and brain games, we're glad we can offer a game that's good for the soul."
In Resorting to Danger, players assume the role of Nancy Drew as she sets out to foil a prankster bent on sabotaging the Redondo Spa. The Redondo Spa is a sanctuary to the rich and famous and with clients' retreats in jeopardy, Nancy goes undercover as a general assistant to unearth clues, interview suspects and solve daunting puzzles in order to determine who is planting bombs at the spa. With six alternate endings, players can tackle Resorting to Danger again and again from different approaches and scenarios.
Nancy Drew Dossier is a next-generation casual game series that combines a seek-and-find mechanic with a new level of compelling story-driven gameplay involving detective work, sophisticated interaction with clues and characters, brain-teasing puzzles, and arcade mini-games. Playing from the point of Nancy Drew, players find hidden clues and use their strengths of observation, deduction, and problem-solving to uncover culprits and schemes in a heavily story-driven plot.
Resorting to Danger will be available this August at retailers nationwide and for download online at www.HerInteractive.com for a suggested retail price of $19.99.
Ever wonder what it would be like to shoot enemies while floating through space? Futuremark is willing to give you that opportunity as a beta tester of their upcoming multiplayer first person shooter Shattered Horizon. Set after a mining accident that throws tons of rocky debris into near-Earth space from the moon, players will fight in zero gravity environments. "Playing a multiplayer FPS in zero gravity offers gameplay possibilities that simply cannot be found in conventional shooters," said Antti Summala, Lead Game Designer at Futuremark. "I invite every gamer looking for an FPS that offers something new and different to sign up for our beta test."
The Beta is available to PC owners that are 18 and older from North America and Europe. Players must have a dual core processor that runs Windows Vista, have a DirectX 10 graphics card, Steam account and broadband connection. If you're interested, you can sign up for the beta at the Shattered Horizon website.
Happy 4th of July! To help celebrate our nation's birthday, the developers at Maxis have created two holiday-themed missions from the latest video game, Spore Galactic Adventures. The adventures, entitled 'How a Bill Becomes Law' and 'Kaboom!,' are both available for download today at www.spore.com. Both missions, created with the Adventure Creator tool in Spore Galactic Adventures, allows for infinite creative possibilities!
'How a Bill Becomes a Law'- The Spoffit species are in trouble and you need to pass legislation to save them! A fun twist on a civics lesson and inspired by the 1970s TV show Schoolhouse Rock, you must lobby, ultimately turning a bill into a law.
'Kaboom!'- It's time for a Fourth of July celebration! The picnic is all set up, the fire's ready for s'mores, but there's a problem with the fireworks display. Can you help the Independence Day picnic go off with a BANG?
Spore Galactic Adventures, the expansion to the critically-acclaimed game Spore, is designed to expand the Spore universe. Spore Galactic Adventures delivers hilarious new adventures to players who aspire to become their own space captain, beam down to strange new planets, create customized adventures and take their favorite Spore creature from zero to galactic hero!
With the Adventure Creator, gamers are able to realize their most outlandish, challenging and fun adventure fantasies (like 'Kaboom!' and 'How a Bill Becomes a Law') by creating personalized missions. This easy-to-use tool gives players the ability to not only create, but play and share missions with friends online at www.spore.com. With more than 105 million creations available in the Sporepedia, the Spore library of user-generated content for use in players' missions, the only limit is their imaginations!
Check out 'Kaboom!', 'How a Bill Becomes a Law' and more than 30,000 missions in Spore Galactic Adventures at www.spore.com/sporepedia!
Eidos Interactive Ltd, creator of some of the world's leading videogame properties, today announced two new download packs shipping in July for Battlestations: Pacific, giving gamers new units and maps for tailor-made battles.
Featuring six new units and 18 new pieces of nose art, the Mustang Pack allows players to customise their battles in both single and multiplayer modes. Amongst the units, players can take to the skies in the legendary US P-51 Mustang bomber escort, a late entry to the Pacific campaign but one which made its mark in Europe as a deadly force; or control the seas with the US Navy's Alaska Class, giving the upper hand with a large and heavily armed 'cruiser killer'; or the Super Yamato Class, a huge behemoth of a ship which, had it left the drawing board, would have outclassed the Yamato in every way with the potential to be the most powerful battleship in history.
The Carrier Battles Map Pack gives gamers four new maps, playable across all five multiplayer modes. Take part in a clash of carriers at Midway, do battle at dawn in the mist of the Philippine Islands, experience the fury of Kamikaze attacks in the rocky islands of the Leyte Gulf and take control of your forces amongst the mountain peaks and glacial waters of the icy Aleutian Islands.
The Mustang Pack, priced at 160 points, and the Carrier Battles Map Pack, priced at 800 points, will be available to download on Marketplace from July 2nd and July 23rd respectively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows LIVE. Battlestations: Pacific is rated ESRB "T" for Teen in North America and PEGI 12+ in Europe.
Alawar Entertainment, one of the world's leading publishers of casual games, today released "Magic Encyclopedia: Moon Light." The hidden object adventure game is a sequel to "Magic Encyclopedia: First Story", a popular release set in a world of fantasy and enchantment.
Players join Katrina and her brother as they travel across the world and through time to save their professor from the curse of the werewolf. The gameplay involves finding the hidden pieces of important items and reassembling the objects to solve challenging puzzles.
"Magic Encyclopedia: Moon Light" takes players on a captivating and unpredictable journey across four continents. The game features dazzling hand-drawn graphics, 32 challenging levels, 18 mini-games and over 1,500 objects to find.
Kirill Plotnikov, vice president of publishing at Alawar, says "Magic Encyclopedia: Moon Light" is a deeply satisfying game experience with extraordinary artwork. "We worked hard to create an exceptional visual experience for players. Our artists drew each location and object by hand, giving the game a warm and charming feel. After all, true creativity is always an act of magic."
With the release of "Magic Encyclopedia: Moon Light" also comes the announcement that Alawar has begun production on "Magic Encyclopedia 3." The third game in the continuing series is on target to be released in 2009.
Deep Silver Inc., a publisher of interactive entertainment software and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koch Media, announced today that Risen will make its international debut on October 2, 2009. The new RPG from Piranha Bytes, the developers of Gothic, has already entered Beta phase. Risen will be available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC.
"We're excited to be able to announce the release date for Risen this far in advance," said Cathy Tische, VP Sales and Marketing for Deep Silver. "We've been in beta for a few weeks now and are focusing on stamping out the remaining bugs and optimizing gameplay."
The contents of Risen are already "code complete," and all voiceovers have been recorded. A total of three quality assurance teams are working on the game - one directly at Piranha Bytes, one at Deep Silver, plus an additional external studio.
About Risen:
This epic role playing game is set in a medieval world on a volcanic Mediterranean island, The "Risen" story unfolds over four chapters and will offer multiple ways to develop the story by his own actions and decisions. An innovative and intuitive user control interface will support both casual and hardcore gamers. With full world streaming support, the player will have a seamless experience while playing in a fully simulated game world with authentic characters.
Bohemia Interactive, creators of award winning military simulator games Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis and ArmA: Combat Operations and IDEA Games announced today the release of the first of a series of video diaries for ARMA II: this one focused on the game's basic controls.
The eagerly anticipated sandbox PC military shooter ARMA II, was recently released across Europe and will soon be available at retail in North America for all who want to visit the post-soviet republic of Chernarus and enjoy the many fantastic features of this monumental war simulator.
As part of a continuous commitment to ARMA II's dedicated fan community, Bohemia Interactive has created a series of developer diaries to be published online, starting July 1st. Jan Prazak Bohemia's PR manager explains the basic controls of ARMA II, shown using comprehensive video footage captured in-game.
"Our games can be mistakenly understood as difficult to play in terms of game mechanics and control if the player isn't properly introduced to these functions up front," said Jan Prazak. "Our intention is to explain the default settings and introduce the more casual player to the game mechanics of ARMA II. The main goal of these videos is to reveal the depth of the game and describe in an easy-to-understand way how fun it really is to play ARMA II and enjoy one of the most sophisticated military simulator on market."
ARMA II offers the ultimate realistic combat simulation experience in a modern day setting. With unprecedented freedom of movement, actions and tactics, the game allows players to immerse themselves in battle as never seen before.
Do you want to fight eye to eye with enemies on the lush, open battlefield, do you want to take advantage by strafing enemy position in aircraft, do you want to crush enemy lines in a tank? Then join the duty in ARMA II, this ultimate military simulator, and get a taste of what it takes to be a soldier in a modern warfare conflict!
Meridian4 is thrilled to announce that their addictive, physics-based puzzle game; Chains from 2DEngine.com is now available on digital distribution channels including Steam, Impulse and others.
Chains is a part of Meridian4's 5 year anniversary specials and is currently available for 50% off on Steam and is included as part of their Complete Pack with 14 other games. Chains will be available on other channels in the coming weeks. For more information, visit www.meridian4.com/games/chains/index.html
About Chains
Chains is a challenging puzzle game with a unique feel and distinctive vector graphics style. The object of the game is simple - to link adjacent bubbles of the same color into chains. As you progress through the physics-driven stages it becomes increasingly more challenging and players' speed, strategy and skill will be put to the test.
Chains is the first commercial title produced entirely with 2DEngine.com's proprietary engine and was also an official IGF entrant.
20 levels each focusing on action, strategy or flow
Physics-driven gameplay
3 difficulty modes
Colorblind option
Up to 15 player profiles
Unique art direction with beautiful vector graphics
Realore, a developer of such hits as Farm Mania and Jane's Hotel, announced the release of its brand-new time managment game Jane's Zoo. Jane is back again! This time well-known lady decides to save the extinct wild animals. You have a chance to help her in organizing asylums for the animals all over the world and taking care of them.
At the very beginning Jane pays attention on a great disaster on our planet. While her traveling around the world she sees a lot of factories and plants that cause water and air pollution. Pour wild animals die in such a horrible living conditions. Jane can't stand it and she will do anything to stop destroying our planet! And you have a unique chance to help her in this fine business!
Jane's Zoo game is divided into 3 main parts so you will travel to Europe, Asia and Africa. Each place has its own climate, animals and traditions so you'll have to be careful! Jane won't let you down and help in any situation. By the way, helping animals is not as boring as you may think: unique wild animals, baby animals (watch them growing!), different weather conditions, fascinating mini-games etc.
Feel the atmosphere of the wild nature and spirit of freedom with Jane's Zoo! Now Jane decides to save the extinct wild animals. You have a chance to help her in organizing asylums for the animals all over the world and taking care of them.
Download Jane's Zoo for free on PC, soon it will be also available Mac.
Rare animals and wild nature in general are in your hands now! Help Jane and save the world! Think of the future today with this fascinating colorful Jane's Zoo game!
Atari's slow collapse continues with the loss of the company's most lucrative franchise. No, not Ghostbusters -- it's Dragon Ball, which has produced approximately a billion video games so far. The franchise will now go back to Namco Bandai, the original Japanese publisher of the series. According to a statement by Namco Bandai, the agreement will run for five years beginning in January 2010 and will supersede any existing publishing rights. In addition, Namco Bandai will publish the upcoming Dragon Ball: Raging Blast game for Xbox 360 and PS3, Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo for Wii, and Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans for DS all this year.
The loss of the Dragon Ball franchise is perhaps the greatest evidence of the financial challenges that face Atari. Earlier this year, the company pulled out of E3, sold its European publishing division, and even sold exclusivity rights for Ghostbusters, all presumably for a small cash influx. With Phil Harrison recently stepping down from his position at the company, it's clear that Atari will see even more troubled times ahead
A couple of days ago kat5200 was updated. It emulates the Atari 5200 and 8-bit line of computers on Windows or Linux. Also note that there's a new homepage for this emulator, but builds are still available at the Google Code page.
Here's what's new in kat5200 0.6.2:
Fixed keypad button 1 not working at all
Fixed Player 2 always using defaults stick configuration
Fixed issue with Input Config where initially selected control was not saved
Changed Player 2 default configuration (use 's' for down)
Changed Default Sensitivity setting to 96 (Galaxian with digital input)
Changed Windows version to use User's AppData directory to store files
Note:
When using the Windows installer, the user will be asked whether to overwrite their configuration. The Sensitivity and Player 2 default updates will not occur if the user keeps their current configuration. Please update your Input settings manually if you need these particular updates.
Voice-activated exercise specialist VPT Technologies has been spotted trademarking the names Fitness Hero and Workout Hero.
Siliconera laid eyes on the patent, which mentions "a web-based videogame system to connect all users in a safe and secure global network".
Phrases like "align the various markets" and "synergistic" are thrown in almost for fun.
Activision has had immense success with Guitar Hero, which has lead to spin-offs of Hero-related rhythm titles. DJ Hero arrives on its wave of marketing-powered excitement this autumn.
Gearbox appears to want a piece of the Hero pie as well, having recently trademarked a quartet of familiar sounding names: War Hero, World War II Hero, Modern War Hero and Brothers In Arms War Hero.
Blizzard has filed three trademark registrations for the name Cataclysm, covering computer game software, online gaming services, and various related merchandising. The eagle-eyed superannuation made the spot.
Blizzard is known to have two unannounced games in the works, including its next MMO. But the title might also belong to the next World of Warcraft expansion, which some believe will be revealed at the BlizzCon fan convention in August.
BlizzPlanet notes that the word Cataclysm is thematically close to the Maelstrom, which in Warcraft lore is a huge, permanent storm in the seas of Azeroth created by a disastrous event in history known as the Sundering. Blizzard has said before that the Maelstrom is part of its future plans for World of Warcraft content, and WOW-watchers tip it as the most likely subject of the next expansion.
Take-Two and Rockstar are expected to release two brand new downloadable episodes for Grand Theft Auto IV in fiscal 2010, and release GTA V the following financial year.
That's according to analyst Todd Mitchell, who told GamesIndustry.biz that following the release of Xbox 360 exclusives The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, two all-new episodes are due – possibly across both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms.
"I would expect that there would be two more pieces of downloadable content for GTA IV, that's what has been indicated to me, although formats are unsure. It's been indicated to me to me that would be the case," said Mitchell, of Kaufman Bros. Equity Research.
Mitchell also stated that he's expecting Grand Theft Auto V to be released in the 2011 financial year, and there's also the possibility of a new GTA title for the PlayStation 2 next year.
"Coming out of E3 there was no commitment to a new Grand Theft Auto, and I think that's because of Rockstar's track record with delivering on time," said Mitchell.
"Of the three, I'm least confident in saying for sure there will be a new GTA for PlayStation 2, but the track record shows that PSP titles have been repositioned [on PS2]," he said, referring to the recent announcement of GTA: Chinatown Wars for the PSP.
Despite all the talk of Rockstar's biggest franchise, Kaufman Bros. has upgraded Take-Two to a 'buy' rating because the publisher is demonstrating that it no longer needs to rely on GTA to score blockbuster hits.
Newly announced Rockstar title Agent will be released in 2010, said the company, along with an as-yet unannounced title from 2K Games
"We believe Take-Two has a solid line-up for fiscal 2010 even without a GTA V release," noted Kaufman Bros.
"Our outlook includes expected strong sell-through of Bioshock 2, and the release of two 'AAA' titles, each from Rockstar (Red Dead Redemption and Agent) and 2K Games (Mafia II and TBD), reiterations of 2K Sports and 2K Play's annual line-ups, an expected GTA title for the PS2, expected strong sell-through of GTA: Chinatown Wars for the PSP, and new GTA DLC for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
"We now look for the release of GTA V in fiscal 2011, and believe IP introduced in fiscal 2010 can be turned into iterative franchises that will improve Take-Two's long-term earnings profile by lessening its dependence on GTA," said the firm.
Mitchell added: "What we're saying is Take-Two is now becoming a proper company rather than a one hit wonder. After GTA V in 2011, they can come back with more franchises and not be forced to rely on that every other year," he said.
Kaufman Bros. expects fiscal 2010 revenue for Take-Two to hit USD 1.3 billion, and USD 1.6 billion in 2011 with a GTA V release.
"Now that this shoe has dropped, and a case can be made for solid profitability in fiscal 2010 without GTA V, and the follow-on of higher earnings in fiscal 2011 with a GTA V release, we believe the investment case for Take-Two has improved and investors can begin to get more constructive with the name."
An authority on the trade in virtual items and currencies has discredited claims earlier this week that the Chinese government had banned gold farming.
On his ICTs for Development blog, Professor Richard Heeks of Manchester University interprets the move as an attempt to restrict the use of virtual currencies - used widely in Chinese internet portals - to buy real goods and services, particularly gambling. In fact, that's the opposite of gold trading, which is the use of real currency to buy virtual goods and services.
"This is a government restriction on the use of the quasi-Paypal-like currencies (mainly QQ coins) that are used extensively in China to pay for virtual game stuff. As announced they can now only be used to pay for virtual stuff, and you can't buy real things with them as game companies were allowing to happen, nor can you gamble," said Heeks.
"This therefore is not about what gold farming clients do: use real money to buy these virtual currencies; it's the mirror image. And it's not about the major trade in gold farming such as World of Warcraft, which relates to other types of virtual currency. And it's not about buying/selling in-game items. And it's not about the power-levelling of avatars. Bottom line: it's not about gold farming."
The current generation of games consoles could struggle to deliver the types of game experiences the majority of gamers want and end up as niche products within a couple of years, according to Playfish chief executive Kristian Segerstrale.
As the demand for social games distributed via Facebook and other social networking sites grows, he predicts that incompatible, prohibitively expensive games consoles could fail to compete with the more accessible and connected experiences online services can deliver.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Segerstrale said: "I think that games consoles - while they might be an important part of the industry now - might become niche in the next couple of years. It's not at all clear if it even makes sense to deliver this type of gaming on a home console."
While Microsoft's move to market the Xbox 360 as a social entertainment experience is a step in the right direction, ultimately the platform cannot compete with PC and other internet connected portable devices, he predicts.
"The challenge is, no matter how social you try to make a console not everybody has one. Not all your real world friends will have the same console as you do. No matter how social you make it you will only reach, if you like, vertically. You will only reach your friends who have an Xbox 360."
Going on to discuss EA's entry into the social gaming market, Segerstrale was positive about the publisher's involvement, saying a big presence in the market by them will lead to higher quality experiences for users.
"They clearly believe, much as we believe, that games are becoming services and that retail distribution for games will decline quite rapidly from here onwards. And I think that the most important thing for social games is to ensure the quality of the end user experience."
"The only threat that I see to the industry is that in the search for early profit and maximising early results for companies, companies will act overly aggressively in how they try to monetise users, which is not good for anybody," he added.
The current-gen UK console install base has hit 24.2 million units, according to data released by Chart-Track.
Wii comfortably leads the way in the UK with 5.4 million units sold as of June 27, 2009. Xbox 360 sales are currently at 3.9 million while PS3 sales sit at 2.2 million, says Chart-Track.
On the handheld front DS sales are approaching ten million units and in comparison PSP has shipped 3.3 million units so far.
Nintendo's still winning then. Full data follows:
DS - 9.4 million (including 300,000 DSi sales)
Wii - 5.4 million
Xbox 360 - 3.9 million
PSP - 3.3 million
PS3 - 2.2 million
Universal Music has pledged its back catalogue to a new karaoke game set to challenge SingStar. CasualGaming.biz's sister site MCV has revealed that French label Mindscape will publish U-Sing in time for Christmas across the UK and Europe.
The firm has previously signed distribution deals with UK publishers for releases in the territory – such as its deal with Koch for Deal Or No Deal and Golden Balls games, plus the upcoming Coronation Street title.
However, MCV reveals that U-Sing will be independently published by Mindscape following the deal with Universal.
A Mindscape spokesperson told MCV: “U-Sing will offer the whole family the chance to sing the hits of Universal Music – from the biggest known classics through to the latest trendy tunes.
“Each country will have its own list of most popular local and international artists.”
The U-Sing brand will become a full series in future, with each game offering different game modes and Voxler voice recognition technology.
They will be marketed in France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Benelux and Australia and will eventually become available on all platforms.
Artists such as Amy Winehouse, Black Eyed Peas, Girls Aloud, Paul Weller and Lady GaGa are on Universal’s books – but U-Sing’s song line-up is yet to be confirmed.
The title appears to fit with Universal’s ‘U’ re-branding. Its UK website was last year renamed to Umusic.co.uk.
Blizzard has announced that they will be dropping LAN support for Starcraft II , citing piracy and quality concerns. Instead, all multiplayer games will be hosted through their new Battle.net service. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by this move, but wasn't LAN play how the original Starcraft became popular? Blizzard said, 'More people on Battle.net means ... even more resources devoted to evolving this online platform to cater to further community building and new ways to enjoy the game online. World of Warcraft is a great example of a game that has evolved beyond anyone's imagination since their Day 1 and will continue to do so to better the player experience for as long as players support the title. ... We would not take out LAN if we did not feel we could offer players something better
Overlord II is the sequel to the hit warped fantasy action adventure that had players being delightfully despotic. In Overlord II, a new Overlord and a more powerful army of Minions take on an entire empire in a truly epic adventure, inspired by the rise of the Roman Empire. As the Glorious Empire conquers kingdoms and destroys any sign of magic it finds, it's time to go Minion Maximus and send in the horde.
The Minions return smarter, deadlier (and funnier) and are ready to fight in large scale battles that will see their wild pack mentality squaring up to the organised legions of the Glorious Empire. As ever, they'll do anything and everything the Overlord commands of them, especially now that they can run ravage and wreck buildings and scenery. They've also learn to ride: In Overlord II Minions will be able to mount up and ride wolves and other magical creatures around the landscape and take them into battle, making our band of merry fighters faster and fiercer than ever before.
In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was.
Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching.
Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts.
He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.
See Harry and friends in action before the movie hits the cinema. The Half Blood Prince is available on multiple platforms:
Xbox360™
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince US US$ 64.90
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince ASIA US$ 49.90
PlayStation3™
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince US US$ 64.90
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince ASIA US$ 49.90
Nintendo™ Wii
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince US US$ 54.90
PlayStation2™
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince US US$ 44.90
Nintendo DS™
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince JPN US$ 48.90
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince US US$ 44.90
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince ASIA US$ 42.90
PC Game
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince (DVD-ROM) US US$ 34.90
features
Harness a variety of weapons from various pistols to heavy-caliber cannons and machine guns. Every accurate shot increases your concentration, which allows you to unleash deadly shooting modes when outnumbered and even deadlier ones when the brothers work together
Choose to embody Ray or Thomas, each with a distinctive gameplay style (close or long range), specific abilities (lasso, dynamite, etc.) and arsenal of deadly weapons (dual guns, long-range carbine, etc.). Take advantage of each of their strengths and join in the fiercest fights imaginable
The McCall brothers face a renegade Apache Chief, a greedy Mexican bandit, and a vindictive Colonel, all driven by greed with moral disregard. Enjoy a wide variety of situations, using horses, canoes and wagons to explore the open natural landscapes of the mythical Wild West and its legendary period
Gunslingers, bandits and marshals struggle online for the bounty. Multiple characters are unlocked for team-based objective modes or the straightforward team deathmatch. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood introduces a Bounty system, which sees players increase the bounty on their head with more kills. Get rid of the deadliest among you to increase your bank roll!
description
Call of Juarez™: Bound in Blood, is the prequel to the Wild West action shooter Call of Juarez. As the McCall brothers, players enter a doomed quest for the legendary Gold of Juarez leading them from a ravaged Georgia during the Civil War to the Aztec ruins of Mexico. They make their lawless trail into the wildest West ever depicted, using their gunslinging skills and killing all of those that stand before them. But when the brothers face lust, their bond of blood feels thinner than ever…
Normally when Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter whips out his crystal ball and starts getting the vapors, he doesn't have time to turn on his minirecorder and take down the futurespeak channeled through his body. Luckily for us (and you!), he not only recorded it this time, but also wrote it down in the form of the 2009 Interactive Industry Report! We delved through the beast of a document this afternoon and found an interesting segment regarding the Nintendo Wii relying on "slower adoption rates of current generation technology" (read as: high-def displays) to help boost sales.
Pachter writes on page nine of the report, "The global recession served to benefit Nintendo at its competitors' expense," referencing Microsoft and Sony as having slower console sales this generation due to HDTV functionality built into the systems. He argues that consumers who might purchase the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 are more likely to buy the Wii not only because of the lower price point, but because of the subsequent HDTV purchase price. "Expect most consumers to defer purchasing a PS3 or an Xbox 360 until they have purchased an HD monitor," Pachter explains. Though we're not convinced that the same folks who would be purchasing an Xbox 360 or a PS3 would be running out to buy a Nintendo Wii in every case, we digress.
