Epic's Cliff Bleszinski has revealed that Gears of War 2 will not see a release on the PC, therefore remaining an Xbox 360 exclusive - unlike its predecessor.
Speaking to IGN, Bleszinski explained that the title was "first and foremost" for the Xbox 360 and that a PC version of the title was not planned.
"Gears of War is a great franchise first and foremost for Xbox 360, and therefore we're focusing on that platform for Gears of War 2. We've decided we're not going to do a PC version this time around," he explained.
This news comes shortly after Epic's President, Michael Capps, expressed dismay that the PC version of Gears of War received a lower review score than the Xbox 360 version, telling MundoRare "I think that's bullsh*t, and I don't understand it."
Earlier this year, Bleszinski commented that PC gaming is in "disarray" and that Epic's focus would be on developing for consoles instead.
EA is offering the original Red Alert as a free download from the official series website.
Furthermore, anyone pre-ordering Red Alert 3 will be granted access to Red Alert 2 for no extra cost. UK customers can get their hands on these treats through the EA Store or GAME.
Pre-ordering also nets you a DVD that offers more on poster-woman and real-world fighter Gina Carano, a Red Alert retrospective, and sneak peek at some special game-related videos. There's also a bonus map for Red Alert 3 chucked in.
The deals popped up over the weekend to mark the 13th anniversary of Red Alert 1. Just pop over to the official website to start downloading the 500MB Soviet and Allied discs.
The ScummVM Team has released a new version of ScummVM for tons of consoles and Operating Systems,
Heres the release details:
We can call it a tremendous development. Half a year since 0.11.1 passed pretty quickly, and we are pleased to announce the release of 0.12.0!
This new version of ScummVM adds support for 5 completely new games. The games that now run smoothly on many more platforms than was initially intended are: The Legend of Kyrandia: Book Two: Hand of Fate, The Legend of Kyrandia: Book Three: Malcolm's Revenge, Lost in Time, The Bizarre Adventures of Woodruff and the Schnibble and Drascula: The Vampire Strikes Back.
The number of supported platforms grew as well. The PS2 port has been revived, and the GameCube and Wii are now supported too. Take your Wiimote and make your beloved adventure game protagonist run around the screen .
For those new to ScummVM heres a description:
ScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games, provided you already have their data files. The clever part about this: ScummVM just replaces the executables shipped with the games, allowing you to play them on systems for which they were never designed!
Some of the adventures ScummVM supports include Adventure Soft's Simon the Sorcerer 1 and 2; Revolution's Beneath A Steel Sky, Broken Sword 1 and Broken Sword 2; Flight of the Amazon Queen; Wyrmkeep's Inherit the Earth; Coktel Vision's Gobliiins; Westwood Studios' The Legend of Kyrandia and games based on LucasArts' SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) system such as Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max and more. You can find a thorough list with details on which games are supported and how well on the compatibility page. ScummVM is continually improving, so check back often.
Heres the release notes:
0.12.0 (2008-08-31)
New Games:
- Added support for The Legend of Kyrandia: Book Two: Hand of Fate.
- Added support for The Legend of Kyrandia: Book Three: Malcolm's Revenge.
- Added support for Lost in Time.
- Added support for The Bizarre Adventures of Woodruff and the Schnibble.
- Added support for the PC version of Waxworks.
- Added support for the Macintosh version of I Have no Mouth, and I
must Scream.
- Added support for Drascula: The Vampire Strikes Back.
General:
- Added CAMD MIDI driver for AmigaOS4.
- Revived the PS2 port (was already in 0.11.1 but was forgotten in the
release notes).
- Plugged numerous memory leaks in all engines (part of GSoC'08 task),
- Added audio double buffering to the SDL backend, which fixes the
problems with the MT-32 emulator on Mac OS X (for now only enabled
on Mac OS X).
AGOS:
- Fixed crashes during certain music in Amiga versions of Elvira 1 and
Simon the Sorcerer 1.
- Fixed palette issues in Amiga versions of Simon the Sorcerer 1.
Queen:
- Speech is played at the correct sample rate. (It used to be pitched a bit
too low.)
SCUMM:
- Rewrote parts of Digital iMUSE, fixing some bugs.
- Rewrote the internal timer code, fixing some speed issues in e.g. COMI.
- Improved support for sound effects in Amiga version of Zak McKracken.
- Added support for mixed Adlib/MIDI mode in Monkey Island 1 (Floppy).
Several sites are reporting that the much anticipated SPORE has been released 5 days ahead of the scheduled release date in Australia. I can confirm that SPORE is sitting on shelves in retailers and for the tidy sum of A$95.95 it can be yours. Why the early release exactly seems to be a matter of contention. No news if the game can actually be played yet or if the lucky early punters will still have to wait till the official release when EA allows for any validation process to occur. I guess EA could possibly be using the relatively small population to test the servers...or someone somewhere stuffed up
Jeffrey Steefel, executive producer for Lord of the Rings: Online recently spoke to Eurogamer about the game's upcoming expansion and its future in the MMO market. One thing he mentions is the challenge of designing an MMO for consoles, which have a larger player base than PC games. He admits that UI development would be a huge issue, but also thinks MMOs could benefit from splitting tasks between various devices.
"Long term, for me, the real exciting vision is ... thinking about a game, a franchise, as this centralised content. There's this thing called Lord of the Rings that sits on a bunch of servers ... and whether you're on your PC, your console, your mobile device, those are all just access points, and they're all good at different things. ... The console is great for fast action, immediate activities. Combat, raids, things like that could be a lot of fun sitting on your couch. And some things that are necessary but slightly rote and boring, like managing your inventory or setting up for a raid, or some elements of crafting — those are things that you can do instead of playing Bejeweled when you're sitting on the train or on a break or whatever it happens to be."
1Up has a feature discussing where the line should be drawn when it comes to game addiction. The author speaks to researcher Neils Clark about some of the common characteristics of addiction, and how the high level of immersion in many modern games contributes to the mind's ability to drown out mundane tasks. We've discussed game addiction many times over the past several years. Quoting:
"If we're not all dribbling addicts, then why are we playing so much? Clark puts this down to a theory proposed by The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien — primary and secondary worlds. The primary world is our own real life. The secondary is the fictional world: literature, film, videogames, and so on. 'It used to be that the imagery and artistic intent had to be fully available before you could really "find" yourself in a written story,' Clark says. 'Immersion has progressed to the point where entering a world [inside a game] is almost automatic. At the point we're at, playing healthy not only means understanding immersion but [also] recognizing that these secondary worlds are designed to be more fulfilling than the primary. Learning to balance them is its own technology. It's something that humankind is in a process of developing, even if on a subconscious level for most gamers.'"
KingofGnG writes to tell us that the genius behind games like Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, and the SCUMM script engine has returned to bring you another action-adventure entitled "DeathSpank". Showcased at the recent Penny Arcade Expo, the game promises the same adventure-styled gameplay of Monkey Island with the RPG-style gameplay of Diablo. Now all you have to do is get the fish out of your pants and belly up to the SCUMM bar.
EA's thrown out the last trailer for Will Wright's Spore before it finally hits shops this Friday, September 5.
For your pleasure EA's also supplied a video of the galactic edition copy of the game, which comes with extra DVDs and goodies. It's basically a big ad.
Wright himself will be appearing at HMV Oxford Street in London tomorrow to answer your questions - so if you're homeless or a student toddle down at midday. See you there! If we can leave Mario Kart alone for lunch...
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 has debuted at the top of the UK software chart for the week ended August 30, according to data collected by Chart-Track.
Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit for the Nintendo Wii each dropped a place from last week to second and third places respectively. Carnival: Funfair Games, also for the Wii, came in fourth place, up from sixth last week and followed by Wii Play, which held onto fifth place.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games dropped two places to six, Big Beach Sports for the Wii came in at seven and Too Human, for the Xbox 360, broke into the charts at eight.
Closing off the charts in ninth place was Beijing 2008 and Wall-E in tenth place.
The full UK software chart for the week ended August 30 follows:
1. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
2. Mario Kart Wii
3. Wii Fit
4. Carnival: Funfair Games
5. Wii Play
6. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
7. Big Beach Sports
8. Too Human
9. Beijing 2008
10. Wall-E
Sure, the industry-dominating MMORPG World of Warcraft is bringing in tons of cash from its millions of subscribers every month, but such success doesn't come without a price. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Blizzard senior VP Frank Pierce explains that with great subscription numbers comes great, exhausting responsibility.
I don't know if I'd describe it as "interesting" as much as exhausting...As a company we've found ourselves spread very, very thin - because the World of Warcraft community has a voracious appetite for content. That development team is 130 people, they're working on content patches, they're working on an expansion set, they've got their hands full - and then we've got the other development teams that we need to continue to support as well.
Incidentally, the question Frank is responding to is "How interesting has it been for you to watch the success of World of Warcraft?", a question a lesser man might have answered with "pretty interesting" and then moved on to the next, hopefully better question.
Sure, the industry-dominating MMORPG World of Warcraft is bringing in tons of cash from its millions of subscribers every month, but such success doesn't come without a price. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Blizzard senior VP Frank Pierce explains that with great subscription numbers comes great, exhausting responsibility.
I don't know if I'd describe it as "interesting" as much as exhausting...As a company we've found ourselves spread very, very thin - because the World of Warcraft community has a voracious appetite for content. That development team is 130 people, they're working on content patches, they're working on an expansion set, they've got their hands full - and then we've got the other development teams that we need to continue to support as well.
Incidentally, the question Frank is responding to is "How interesting has it been for you to watch the success of World of Warcraft?", a question a lesser man might have answered with "pretty interesting" and then moved on to the next, hopefully better question.
The folks over at DIII.net combed through information from Blizzard employees about the revamped Battle.net that is slated to debut with Starcraft II. New features will include Achievements for various old and new Blizzard games, improved communication and community features, and better replay and spectating functionality.
Wondering what awaits at the Tokyo Game Show? This should provide an insight. A list of how many titles for each genre and a list for how many games are coming to each platform has been released. Let's start with the game genres:
• Action: 90 titles
• RPG: 35 titles
• "Simulation": 22 titles
• Sports: 20 titles
• Adventure: 14 titles
• Shooting: 11 titles
• Racing: 3 titles
Blizzard Entertainment again claimed responsibility for half of the top ten PC chart in the US for the week ending August 23, according to the latest information from NPD.
World of Warcraft: Battle Chest was the best-seller, followed by The Sims 2: Double Deluxe and the original World of Warcraft box.
Spore Creature Creator was fourth, chased by WoW's Burning Crusade expansion and The Diablo Battle Chest in fifth and sixth.
Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice was in seventh, with Call of Duty 4 and The Orange Box following.
The Warcraft III Battle Chest rounded out the top ten as Blizzard's fifth title on the chart.
The full list is as follows:
1. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest
2. The Sims 2: Double Deluxe
3. World of Warcraft
4. Spore Creature Creator
5. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
6. The Diablo Battle Chest
7. Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice
8. Call of Duty 4
9. The Orange Box
10. The Warcraft III Battle Chest
Zonk brings word that Multiverse, the developer who in 2006 acquired the rights to make a Firefly-based MMO, has announced that a Buffy: The Vampire Slayer MMO is now under development. An interview with Corey Bridges from Multiverse seems to indicate that the Firefly MMO, though delayed, is not dead. He also provides a few details on what the Buffy game will be like. Quoting:
"What we're doing with the Buffy game then is releasing it in stages. It will first be a flash-based virtual world, with the full Multiverse server behind it. ... So it will start as a 2D flash-based MMO where you can go on missions and interact with other players. This will extend even once we have the 3D client working, where you can both interact with players using the other point of view. We're going to have these shared spaces where 2D and 3D people can interact. All of this will come out in phases, with staged gameplay coming out. We're sort of blazing a path with this concept, and we're really interested in what this might mean for players of the two versions. ... I'd love to get [a public beta] out to players by the end of the year."
Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
Interesting games that came out this week include the US versions of hot games such as Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice and Tales of Vesperia. So to those who owned NTSC U/C encoded systems or those who don't speak Japanese, here is your portal to these hit Japanese RPGs.
Aside from localized RPGs, some very popular Xbox360™ games came out. Fight dirty in Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, unlike the above mentioned Japanese RPGs, you are not located in a fantasy world where there is a path to justice, you are not fighting to become a hero, you are trying to benefit from chaos.
The other Xbox360™ game differs greatly from the above mentioned fiery actioner. Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise is about creating an utopic world for pinata animals. Since rent has become expensive and very few people have the luxury of owning a garden the size of a forest, make use of your Xbox360™ portal to another world.
No matter how forgiving a person is, there must have been one or two people whom they love to hate. Face Breaker allows you to relieve this grudge and lower your stress levels. Disfigure your opponent's face through your powerful punches, but be careful not to mix up the virtual world with reality.
Your home consoles can make a lot of your wishes come true, not only can you own a paradise-like garden, now you can even own multiple Ferraris through your PlayStation3™. Ferrari Challenge allows you to join professional and amateur racers on the most famous race tracks around the world.
Get off your Ferraris and enter the Abyss to deplete the demon population as the queen's champion in Abyss Gate. Travel into the depths of the shadows to protect your country. Although menacing, shadows are not neccessarily a source of evil, in Blue Dragon Plus, a sequel to its highly popular Xbox360™ predecessor, you cast your shadow over your enemies as weapons.
Aside from games, a couple of interesting soundtracks also came out. The challenge bemani games pose have amused and frustrated many people and the key to the games' success is in the music. Synthesized, by Fujimori Sota and Pop'n Music 16 Party is going to revitalize a lot of people via its energetic tunes.
As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™
FaceBreaker ASIA US$ 44.90
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames US US$ 64.90
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames ASIA US$ 49.90
Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin JPN US$ 64.90
Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin ASIA US$ 59.90
Tales of Vesperia US US$ 64.90
Tales of Vesperia (English language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
Tales of Vesperia [Premium Edition] US US$ 79.90
Vampire Rain: Altered Species US US$ 44.90
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise ASIA US$ 39.90
PlayStation3™
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice US US$ 54.90
FaceBreaker ASIA US$ 49.90
Ferrari Challenge US US$ 64.90
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames US US$ 64.90
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames ASIA US$ 49.90
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PlayStation3 the Best) JPN US$ 39.90
Nintendo Wii™
Ferrari Challenge US US$ 54.90
Freddi Fish: Kelp Seed Mystery US US$ 24.90
Guitar Controller for Guitar Hero JPN US$ 79.90
Mario Super Sluggers US US$ 59.90
Pajama Sam: Don't Fear the Dark US US$ 24.90
Rainbow Pop JPN US$ 49.90
Spy Fox In Dry Cereal US US$ 24.90
Nintendo Wii™ Accessories
Wii Remote Control Strap (4 Color Set) JPN US$ 10.90
Wii Remote Control Strap (Blue) JPN US$ 4.90
Wii Remote Control Strap (Green) JPN US$ 4.90
Wii Remote Control Strap (Pink) JPN US$ 4.90
Wii Remote Control Strap (White) JPN US$ 4.90
PlayStation2™
Aammegami-Sama (Best Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII International (Ultimate Hits) JPN US$ 34.90
Drag-On Dragoon (Ultimate Hits) JPN US$ 34.90
Drag-On Dragoon 2: Love Red, Ambivalence Black (Ultimate Hits) JPN US$ 34.90
Ferrari Challenge US US$ 44.90
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames US US$ 44.90
Okami (Greatest Hits) US US$ 24.90
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection (PlayStation2 Big Hit) KOR US$ 38.90
TOCA Race Driver 3: Ultimate Racing Simulator (Best Price) JPN US$ 34.90
Zero no Tsukaima: Muma ga Tsumugu Yokaze no Gensoukyoku (Best Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Nintendo DS™
Blue Dragon Plus JPN US$ 49.90
Chi's Sweet Home: Chi ga Ouchi ni Yatte Kita! JPN US$ 48.90
Digimon World Championship US US$ 34.90
Ferrari Challenge US US$ 34.90
From the Abyss US US$ 34.90
Houkago no Mystery Club: 26 no Tobira JPN US$ 39.90
MLB Power Pros 2008 US US$ 34.90
My Chinese Coach US US$ 34.90
N+ US US$ 24.90
Picto Image US US$ 24.90
The Quest Trio US US$ 24.90
Zettai Karen Children DS: Dai-4 no Children JPN US$ 52.90
Sony PSP™
Colin McRae Rally (Best Price) JPN US$ 29.90
N+ US US$ 24.90
TOCA Race Driver 2: Ultimate Racing Simulator (Best Price) JPN US$ 29.90
Wangan Midnight Portable (Genki the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Guides & Magazines
Arcadia Magazine [October 2008] JPN US$ 12.90
Aria the Origination Aoi Wakusei no el Cielo Material Collection JPN US$ 24.90
Dengeki Online Games Collaboration Vol.1 JPN US$ 22.90
Derby Stallion DS Perfect Capture Guide JPN US$ 25.90
Famitsu PSP + PS3 [October 2008] JPN US$ 10.90
Famitsu Wave DVD [October 2008] JPN US$ 16.50
Famitsu Xbox 360 [October 2008] JPN US$ 10.90
Fate/Tiger Colosseum Upper Complete Guide JPN US$ 17.90
Fushigi Yuugi: Suzaku Ibun Visual Fan Book JPN US$ 38.90
Gundam Battle Universe Complete Guide JPN US$ 25.90
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de: Yumenoukihashi Guide Book JPN US$ 19.90
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Neverworld Online Data Book JPN US$ 27.90
Persona 4 Official Perfect Guide JPN US$ 37.90
Tales of Vesperia Signature Series Guide US US$ 19.90
Weekly Famitsu No. 1029 (2008 09/12) JPN N/A
d20 Taiou Rule Book Worst Blade /D20 JPN US$ 54.90
Video Game related Soundtracks
Mar-jong Fight Club Special Music Collection JPN US$ 44.90
Pop'n Music 16 Party Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 38.90
Soul Calibur IV Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 31.90
Vitamin X Character CD Ruby Disc - Nanakiyo (Shun Nanase & Kiyohiko Sendo) JPN US$ 23.90
Vitamin X Character CD Sapphire Disc - Gam (Goro Fumonji & Mizuki Madarame) JPN US$ 23.90
beatnation Records SYNTHESIZED / Sota Fujimori JPN US$ 39.90
Here is a quick outlook what's expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™
Infinite Undiscovery US US$ 64.90
Infinite Undiscovery JPN US$ 74.90
Rapala's Fishing Frenzy US US$ 44.90
Warhammer: Battle March US US$ 64.90
Warhammer: Battle March ASIA US$ 49.90
PlayStation3™
Rapala's Fishing Frenzy US US$ 44.90
Nintendo Wii™
One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 1 - Nami ni Yureru Hihou JPN US$ 59.90
Rapala's Fishing Frenzy (w/ Fishing Pole) US US$ 59.90
PlayStation2™
D.Gray-man: Sousha no Shikaku JPN US$ 68.90
Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 33: Fantasy Zone Complete Collection JPN US$ 28.90
Well, Afrika certainly outperformed the Silicon Knights-developed import; the PlayStation 3 safari game nabbed the number two spot, behind another solid week by Rhythm Tengoku Gold. Too Human debuted at #17, higher than the week's other new Xbox 360 entry, Clannad.
In other news, the latest Fire Emblem for the DS rebounded after an off-week, with Square-Enix's Sigma Harmonics showing no signs of recovery. Oh, and some people bought Battlefield: Bad Company.
01. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - 76,000 / 612,000
02. Afrika (PS3) - 38,000 / NEW
03. J-League Winning Eleven 2008 Club Championship (PS2) - 38,000 / 117,000
04. Fate/Tiger Colosseum Upper (PSP) - 34,000 / NEW
05. Wii Fit (Wii) - 31,000 / 2,578,000
06. Inazuma Eleven (DS) - 29,000 / 71,000
07. Battlefield: Bad Company (PS3) - 26,000 / NEW
08. Dragon Quest V (DS) - 23,000 / 1,148,000
09. Phantasy Star Portable (PSP) - 23,000 / 618,000
10. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 23,000 / 1,734,000
11. Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken (DS)
12. Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (DS)
13. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP)
14. Meccha! Taiko Drum Master DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken (DS)
15. Shinseiki Evangelion Ayanami Ikusei Keikaku DS with Asuka Hokan Keikaku (DS)
16. Sigma Harmonics (DS)
17. Too Human (X360)
18. Wii Sports (Wii)
19. To Love Ru Trouble: Waku Waku! Rinkangakkou-Hen (DS)
20. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 15 (PS2)
21. DS Bimoji Training (DS)
22. Mario Kart DS (DS)
23. Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu Portable 3 (PSP)
24. Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii)
25. Clannad (X360)
26. Katekyoo Hitman Reborn Nerae!? Ring x Bongole Returns (PS2)
27. Bokura wa Kaseki Holder (DS)
28. Wii Play (Wii)
29. Tokyo Majin Gakuen: Kenfuuchou (DS)
30. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS)
The new sales figures for Japan come along again from Media Create, same rank positions for all consoles, just changes in the figures as follows.
Nintendo DS Lite: 56,439
Playstation Portable: 41,664
Nintendo Wii: 35,755
Playstation 3: 9,775
Playstation 2: 8,810
Xbox 360: 3,124
DS lite is on top, up 500. PSP is 2nd, down 6,000. Next is the Wii, up 600. PS3 follows, increases by 755. PS2 is 5th, up 390 and Xbox 360 is down about 430.
EA's excellent-looking survival horror game Dead Space has been banned in Japan, China and (of course) ultra-conservative Germany.
According to EA community manager Andrew Green, the moody horror game is simply too moody and too horrific for German and Far Eastern shelves, which isn't too surprising considering the territories' long history of game censoring.
But there is one piece of good news (unless you live in Japan): the US release date has been moved forward again to October 14, more than a fortnight ahead of the original Halloween release. Europe is still on for October 24 at the moment.
PC versions of Dead Space are planned for a little later, hitting North America on October 20 and Europe on Halloween, October 31. At least one version got it right.
EA is currently investigating login problems affecting the online side of Spore, which finally went on sale today after 6 billion years in development.
Gamers who got hold of the game early-doors have been unable to login for want of some sort of validation code.
"We are aware that many of you are having login problems with Spore. This is being investigated so please bear with us!" a spokesperson wrote on the official forum.
"I installed mine this morning, but it won't let me online because the validation code is not valid for this product, or some such ballyhoo," said Eurogamer's Dan Whitehead, who bought the game via digital distribution so he could play it today.
"Which is weird, because I don't even have a validation code, nor have I been asked to enter one. I've tried it with both my previous Spore account and a new one, and it happens each time." Thanks Dan. (This is cheaper than vox pop.)
We rang EA to find out what's going on and have been told we'll get a call back shortly, so we'll let you know.
Spore is available now for PC and we spoke highly of it in yesterday's Spore review. It's jolly good when it works, promise.
The extent to which a game's sounds and music can affect a player's enjoyment is often overshadowed by other characteristics, such as graphics or gameplay. That said, I'm sure most players have had an experience where the audio really contributed to making the game great, whether it was an epic soundtrack, excellent narration, or just intuitive sound effects. Rock, Paper, Shotgun is running a feature discussing the state of game audio in today's market, discussing how far it has come, and where it's going.
"Games present some unusual problems, like the mix having to adjust itself to suit a situation created by the player, rather than the static vision of a single director. Game designers have to have a flexible attitude towards factors such as the amount of time spent listening to the same piece of music and the potential for sonic overload if too many game sounds are played simultaneously. ... CryTek's Florian Füsslin explained that Crysis' lavish soundscape was defined primarily by what information the player needs to hear. 'We often went for the concept "less is more" or let's better say "important things first." We used a pretty solid priority system which cuts quiet or unimportant sounds in an audio busy situation like combat. Together with the right mix we were able to provide a dense soundscape in all situations players might run into.'"
features
Includes all 4 Dawn of War titles in one incredible box set
Take control of nine armies.Command the Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Orks, Eldar, Imperial Guard, Necrons, Tau Empire, Sisters of Battle or Dark Eldar in brutal front line battles
Intense online competition – test your true battle abilities in 2 to 8 player competitions via LAN or Internet. Includes 114 multiplayer maps
Take to the skies as all armies gain new air units to rain death from above
Wage war across an entire solar system. Liberate, enslave, or destroy entire worlds as you unleash your army's fury on an interplanetary scale
description
Nine races. One box. Wage war in the most brutal combat ever depicted in a real-time strategy game. The Complete Collection includes all four Dawn of War titles in one incredible box set:
Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® - GOTY Edition
Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® - Winter Assault™
Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® - Dark Crusade™
Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® - Soulstorm™
Fans of both of the Raven classics, Heretic and Hexen, have been trying for almost a decade to convince Raven Software to release engine source code for the games under the GPL, much like the DOOM engine on which both of them are based. Well, they finally did it! Source code is available at Sourceforge. Both of these games have had the source available for a while, but under a restrictive license that hindered ports and modifications. Now, thanks to dedicated fans, that's no longer a problem
CVG spoke with John Carmack about the in-development browser-based version of Quake III Arena called Quake Live. He discusses the development team's reasons for the new project and mentions that current mods will not work. However, he adds, "We're in no way shutting down the original Q3A scene, so anybody who wants to build things with the open-source code is still more than free to do so. That may even become a proving ground for moving things into Quake Live." Carmack also says Quake Live will be fully ad-supported to start, but "it's not out of the question that eventually we'll have some kind of a premium service. But we don't know what it's going to be yet, and we're certainly going out with the completely free-to-play model." We've looked at video clips from Quake Live in the past.
GameSetWatch is running a feature about the evolution of game characters' physical presence. In many games, you can look down and not see your feet, or pass right through other players or NPCs. Other games rely on a believable model that can animate and collide with its surroundings. Tom Cross examines some of those scenarios, and also games that raise the bar for having a physical presence, such as the new Alone in the Dark.
"Edward Carnby's body is a distinct factor in everything that the player does. Your inventory is carried inside Carnby's leather jacket. To use, drop, or combine items, you must open it wide and look down at your own chest. The healing mechanic, too, reinforces the oft-forgotten fact that you have a body. To heal yourself, you must look at the parts of your body (arms, leg, chest) that are wounded, and then spray them with first-aid liquid. Likewise, when you equip an item, Edward reaches for it, palming it and then switching back to the stock third or first person view."
Bridger tips news that NCSoft's Tabula Rasa, created in part by Richard Garriott, is running an unusual promotion right now. Garriott is going to the International Space Station on October 12th, and he'll take with him a digital record of the DNA of various players and celebrities. The basic plot of Tabula Rasa is that Earth was attacked and humans almost completely wiped out. Garriott's promotion is playing on that idea; the hard drive with the DNA data will be left in orbit "just in case" something happens to humanity on Earth. NCSoft has been running a variety of polls and contests to include further data about humans on the hard drive. The deadline for joining the project has recently been extended to September 29th.
TELL US DAMMIT. here's how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn't some marketing survey or whatever. It's an emotional investment in you. Yes, we're interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You probably know ****tons about us — more than you even want to, we're sure. But, hey, we'd like to know about you. That way you won't be some faceless blob — and we might feel a tinge of guilt when we ban your ass. Or not, because really we're incapable of human emotion. Not sure!
This week, Tecmo turned down Square Enix's offer of a friendly takeover. Rather, the company is in talks to merge with Koei, making Tecmo-Koei a possibility — like Square Enix or Namco Bandai. Our question:
Many thanks to Alcachofa Soft for releasing as freeware their previously commercial game: Drascula: The Vampire Strikes Back.
It was quite a lengthy process which started in November of 2005. We were contacted by someone who offered us a direct lead to Emilio de Paz from Alcachofa Soft, S.L., the software house that created this game in 1996. Finally in July '07 we received the sources and a few months later they finally freewared it and gave us an official permission distribute the game.
The original version of the game is in Spanish with full voice overs and subtitles. Then there exists an English version with full voice overs and subtitles, and finally there are subtitles in German, French and Italian. Of course, there is also a full musical score which came as a set of audio tracks on the CD (the game was CD-only). We improved the English and Italian translations, and made all that was mentioned here ready for download.
In order to play the game you will need at least the English pack. Then you may optionally download the music pack, and the international pack which contains all those additional languages, Spanish included.
We hope that this will really extend the lifetime of the game and wish the best to Alcachofa Soft.
Piracy has been the main guilty party for everything going wrong in the PC gaming business. Still, there are some voices who disagree and claim that the issue has been significantly overblown.
According to Tom Jubert (Penumbra game writer), game developers should start blaming themselves more for various mishaps such as bad reviews, poor sales and overall failure of a certain game: “rampant piracy is no longer the catch-all excuse it's often employed as.”
Jubert's analysis (posted in an Edge blog) starts with a statement made by the CEO of Crytek: he claiemd that there were 20 illegal copies of Crysis for each legitimate one. However, the game writers says, the actual ratio is far less. According to data from GameShadow Metrics, an online service 5:1 in the US
To back up his statement, Jubert cites figures from GameShadow Metrics, an online service that automatically patches games and, thus, also detects modified .exe files. Thus, he concludes:
“Revenues on some PC titles may well be down by as much as 15% - 20% due to piracy, but I've yet to see evidence for any greater piracy related impact on the platform's decline. Meanwhile, online and casual products are popularly held as moving from strength to strength. At the end of the day, faltering sales must not be pinned solely to pirate activity. We must also blame increased competition from consoles, lack of platform support in the form of a major stakeholder, and the snowballing effect of declining exclusives.”
Massively recently interviewed Hermann Peterscheck, a producer for NetDevil's upcoming space-fighter MMO Jumpgate Evolution. He talks about the UI and the huge level of customization, as well as basic flight and zone design. Also available is a video showcasing space combat inside an asteroid belt.
"We're still sort of working on [ship progression], but the idea is that you pick your first ship at level five, which is about an hour or so of gameplay. Basically there's sort of forks, so you start out in kind of a beginner ship and then there's like fighting types of ships, mining types of ships, cargo haulers and within that there's sort of sub-classes. So like, there's light fighters, medium fighters, heavy fighters, bombers. There's haulers that carry a lot of stuff, but move kind of slowly and there's haulers that carry lost stuff, short little courier shuttles that move really quickly
One aspect of game design that many people point to when wailing about the lack of difficulty in many games these days is the save system. Older games, they argue, doled out saves like precious gems, and thus made the whole experience much more challenging. 'Where's the difficulty when you can save wherever and whenever you want?' However, as designer David Sirlin argues in a Gamasutra article, this is a false dichotomy: "We can allow the player to stop playing without excessive penalty and make a challenging game. It's just a matter of defining what 'saving' actually means." In short, there are plenty of examples of challenging games that don't punish the player for having other things going on in their life that don't allow for structuring a day around gaming:
A save system should allow the player to stop playing at any time, allow the player to pick up where he or she left off with as close to zero replaying as possible, and save as automatically and seamlessly as possible, so the player will not forget to do it.
Saving should be treated as one of the player's natural rights, not an earned privilege or a game mechanic around which to make strategic decisions.
The design space we have to create new games is so unthinkably large that we lose virtually nothing by restricting ourselves to designs with friendly save game systems that don't presume to override the real-life needs of players.
I usually wind up gaming on the fly — a little bit here, a little bit there — and the inability to save 'meaningful' progress quickly is one of those things that irks me. I sometimes resort to leaving my console on, wondering the whole time I'm out of the house if the damn thing is going to overheat and my house, possessions, and dog are going to go up in flames; I don't really need to be punished because I can't schedule my day around gaming. It's an interesting article and rebuttal to some of the 'difficulty discussions' that have been going on lately — Sirlin pretty successfully argues his point that making save systems that don't punish the player for having to put the game down aren't (necessarily) to blame for the lack of difficulty people are grousing about.
Will Wright's latest game, Spore, has been receiving negative reviews on Amazon from fans whose only complaint is with the SecuROM DRM system installed with the game.
According to consumers, SecuROM limits the purchaser to a maximum number of three installations before requiring the owner to contact EA and request more codes.
Over one hundred users have only awarded the game one star on the site's Customer Reviews pages, although many admit the title is a great game from the legendary The Sims designer.
"I came to Amazon to buy it, but clearly the DRM is repulsive and malware in nature. I will not buy it," wrote on reviewer.
"I'm very disappointed that EA has chosen to treat us all like criminals," stated another.
The game went on sale last Friday in Europe, but as one reviewer noted, the anti-piracy measures may have a limited effect, as the highly-anticipated title had been leaked on torrent sites days before the official release.
"Fantastic game, gets 1 star because of DRM. It was pointless anyway, since the game was leaked 4 days before the release date."
Nexon has announced that its free-to-play massively multiplayer shooter Combat Arms is coming to Europe, starting with a closed beta test in October.
Nexon is the Korean company that pioneered the free-to-play MMO with its massive (in all senses) RPG platformer, MapleStory, and cartoon racer KartRider.
Combat Arms recently launched in North America, and will be Nexon's second European release after MapleStory.
It's a multiplayer shooter with extensive character and weapon customisation, and an experience-based levelling system for character advancement. Nexon also promises extensive community features for clan support.
"The FPS genre is traditionally an area for hardcore gamers with a steep learning curve, but Combat Arms takes it to another level, offering a low barrier of entry with its free-to-play offering and low system requirement," said Nexon Europe manager Sung-Jin Kim.
"We have experienced a great demand from the European audience to set up a service for Europe," he said. "Now we are happy that we are just about to bring the title to the European continent, starting with the closed beta in late October."
The Nintendo DS is the top selling platform in Japan for the month of August, according to data from Enterbrain, as reported by Gamasutra.
Enterbrain reports that the DS sold 333,000 units, down by 29 per cent compared to the previous year's results. However, this is the first time the DS has been the top-seller in Japan for several months.
The PlayStation Portable was in second place with 292,000 units sold, The Wii was the best selling console at 181,000 units, while Namco Bandai's Tales of Vesperia boosted Xbox 360 sales to 45,000 units.
The best selling game of the month was Rhythm Tengoku Gold for the DS at 625,000 units. This was followed by Sega's Phantasy Star Portable for the PSP, selling 572,000 units.
There's always something cool about seeing parts of a game the dev team tried to hide away, and one nifty modder in Japan has unlocked hidden content in the PC version of Call of Duty 4.
The secrets revealed by the modder, known as 'Qrysalis', are of a longer training mission, with extra objectives that see you running an obstacle course before entering the hangar to do the trial run on the shooting range.
"As you can tell, we decided to make it short and sweet for the final version of the game," said Infinity Ward man Robert Bowling, who posted a video of the extended level in action.
Bowling added: "Nice work Qrysalis, as long as you don't find our Brokeback Snipers / Hot Coffee moment with Price and MacMillian ... then we're all good."
Microsoft appears ready to whip the Mac faithful into a frenzy with their latest job posting for a Windows Home Server software development engineer. According to the posting, they are currently looking for someone to help deliver a "top notch UI for the next release." The posting goes on to say that a: "Time Machine compete (sp?) UI for backup and restore, Windows Media Center integration UI, Live Mesh integration UI" are the top priorities. While WHS already features backup functionality, it lacks a fancy-pants OS X Time Machine style UI—something that may be corrected in the next release if Microsoft finds the right person for the job.
Will Wright has said that the Spore team decided long ago that it was more important to achieve stellar game sales than fantastic review scores.
"We were very focused, if anything, on making a game for more casual players," Wright told MTV Multiplayer. "Spore has more depth than, let's say, The Sims did. But we looked at the Metacritic scores for Sims 2, which was around 90, and something like Half-Life, which was 97, and we decided - quite a while back - that we would rather have the Metacritic and sales of Sims 2 than the Metacritic and sales of Half-Life."
Wright also said that he was unsurprised by the inconsistent review scores the game had received, citing the variety of different experiences Spore offers and suggesting it was almost impossible to satisfy all types of gamers.
"A lot of the reviews I've read have said that the Space Stage was far and away the best and they were disappointed by the earlier stages because they were too simple. Other people have said the Creature Stage is their favorite and that the Space Stage seems too complicated... There hasn't been any consistent feedback."
EA has announced a drop of £20/€30 from the recommended retail price for the Rock Band Instrument Edition pack sold in Europe. This means the cost of the instrument bundle and game, which sold separately for a combined price of £180/€240, will go from the shocking price of $360 (when converted to American bucks), to the better-than-before price of $300.
EA also stated that the PS3, PS2 and Wii versions of the game will release this September on the continent. Hopefully, EA/MTV/Harmonix will work out better pricing for the sequel when it's eventually released in Europe ... or at least come up with a better excuse for the high price.
description
Inspired by the real-life documentary, Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm lets gamers captain their own boat in the frenzied search for an undersea jackpot.
Gamers can take control of the great North Western, amongst others or create and customize their own boat from scratch. Gamers are then required to recruit and lead their own crew in the strategic search for King Crab and Opilio Crab
features
Familiar and well-know Soviet-style game world
Real in-game objects, like Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Chernobyl-2 military object designed to detect US missiles launches and others
The atmosphere of mystery and permanent danger
Improved graphics using the DX10 technology (volumetric light and fog, dynamic wet surfaces etc.)
Ability to join one of the stalker factions in the Zone and influence the balance of forces.
Correlation of players actions to factions' attitudes towards him
Fast travel inside the Zone with the help of guides
New types of anomalies and artifacts
description
Year 2011. Five years passed since the Second Disaster, which eclipsed the events of April 1986. The Zone is shaken by frequent and powerful blowouts, which move anomaly fields, opening new routes to previously inaccessible locations. Stalker factions fight for the new territories and key points. A lot of stalkers die, but newbies keep on arriving.
The action takes place one year prior to the events of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, one year before Strelok's most successful trip to the center of the Zone – the third one. We will learn about Strelok and his squad from another character's vantage point.
The Zone is waiting for you ahead, new locations and unknown threats, spatial holes and monsters hiding in the fog, pitch-black nights and saving rays of a rising sun. Try to avoid anomalies and hide from blowouts, discover the Zone and collect artifacts, cure radioactive irradiation and fight for any stalker faction you like! Only then you will uncover the truth about Strelok and how he happened to get inside the death track and receive the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. tattoo on his arm.
features
Realistic and integrated puzzles to solve
A scary, and surprising, story by Jonathan Boakes
A chilling soundtrack, specially created for the title
Point and click interface features both first and third person perspective
Real-time ghost-hunting
A cast of virtual actors to share your experience
One of England’s eerie coasts brought vividly to life
Explore surroundings by both day and night
description
Nigel Danvers is on the run! Two shadowy agents are on his tail, pursuing him across London to the grand train station at Liverpool Street. Nigel suspects that afternoon’s activities may be to blame…
Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today confirmed that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game will be released globally Summer 2009, alongside the Warner Bros. Pictures' film based on J.K. Rowling's sixth Harry Potter book.
"We're excited about the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game in development and its high level of authenticity and playability," said Robert Nashak, Vice President EA Casual Studios. "We are creating an immersive game experience that Potter fans around the world will really enjoy playing as they fly and duel their way through the story of the film. The game will feature new Wii gestures and increased gameplay capabilities across all of the platforms."
"The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince game will be an excellent interactive extension of the film and all of the new action that comes with it," said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "EA is creating the Harry Potter video games that fans will love, and this game will deliver new gameplay elements and the magic players are looking forward to."
"We have enjoyed a wonderful partnership with EA in collaborating on the videogames for all of the Harry Potter films," said Harry Potter film Producer David Heyman. "The visual look of the game for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is incredibly authentic to the film and will provide a truly compelling experience for everyone who plays."
In the game of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, players will return to Hogwarts to help Harry survive a fraught sixth year. They will also have a chance to engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in Potions class and take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. Players may even get sidetracked by Ron's romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.
Developed by EA's Bright Light Studio, the team behind the worldwide success of the Harry Potter library of games including the most recent game released in the summer of 2007, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is scheduled for release Summer 2009 for the Wii, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, Nintendo DS, Windows PC, Macintosh and mobile devices.
Fraudsters have begun cold-calling householders to accuse them of copyright infringement online and threaten them with court action, an ISP has reported.
The development comes soon after the law firm Davenport Lyons won a widely-reported £16,000 default court award for a videogames firm from an alleged filesharer. Davenport Lyons followed up the default judgement by telling newspapers that it had identified 25,000 more targets that it would take to court if they did not pay a £300 settlement.
Small ADSL provider UKFSN received a support call yesterday from an elderly customer who was concerned after being contacted by a scammer on Tuesday.
Accused of illegally sharing music, UKFSN's subscriber was savvy enough to refuse to give any details, and turned the tables on the caller, demanding to know where they were calling from. When they refused to provide credentials he hung up.
UKFSN's Jason Clifford posted some details of the incident on a broadband forum. He told El Reg: "They told my customer they had proof he had been filesharing illegally. The important thing to remember is that no ISP would give out a phone number in a legal case."
Two enforcement patterns have been recently adopted by rights holders on an unprecedented scale as they intensify their battle against illegal filesharing in the UK.
Record and film industry bodies are calling on ISPs to work in partnership with them when they detect an infringing IP address. The "enforcement" action taken by compliant providers generally involves a warning letter or letters being sent to the customer the IP is associated with. The BPI has won government backing for a such an effort on a large scale to caution net users against sharing unlicensed music. Last week we reported on how Tiscali tried to comply with a request from the movie studio MGM and got it badly wrong.
At the grubbier end of the scale, Davenport Lyons works with infringement detection firms to monitor BitTorrent networks. It then approaches rights holders and offers to win cash from individuals on their behalf. The High Court will then rubber-stamp an order forcing ISPs to disclose the physical addresses of those concerned, and Davenport Lyons is then free to fire off letters demanding for £300 and threatening court action.
In either case, phone numbers are never disclosed.
Many observers, including Reg readers, predicted that fraudsters would seize on lawyers' highly-publicised efforts to extract cash from internet users. And lo, it has come to pass. Email phishers can't be far behind.
A few weeks ago, we discussed Stardock CEO Brad Wardell's "Gamer's Bill of Rights," a proposal for removing some of the PC gaming industry's more obnoxious characteristics, such as annoying DRM and no-return policies. Shacknews sat down with Wardell for a lengthy interview in which he discussed his reasons for starting the project, how it's being received by game companies, and how he wants the gaming community to help. Quoting:
"I've already gotten calls from Microsoft, from Take 2, and other publishers who are interested in moving forward on this. Obviously the first step is we have to really define these items. And I've had other developers and publishers who have come back and said, 'No, because it's not flexible enough.' For example, what happens if someone wants to do a policy where there's CD copy protection, but after the first month [consumers] can download a patch that gets rid of it. So obviously that's a perfectly good solution too, but our thing eliminates the ability to do that."
Pandemic Studio's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames has debuted at first place on the UK software sales chart for the week ended September 6, according to data from Chart-Track.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 was knocked down a place to number two, followed by Maxis' Spore - which made it's debut on the chart at number three after only a single day on sale.
Wii Fit dropped a place from last week to number four, pushing down Carnival: Funfair Games to fifth place. Mario Kart Wii dropped four places from last week to come in at number six, while Wii Play came in at seventh and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games came in at eighth.
Big Beach Sports secured a spot at number nine and closing off the chart at ten was Wall-E.
The UK software sales chart for the week ended September 6 follows:
1. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
3. Spore
4. Wii Fit
5. Carnival: Funfair Games
6. Mario Kart Wii
7. Wii Play
8. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
9. Big Beach Sports
10. Wall-E
Amazon have dropped the price of their 8GB memory Sticks for PSP down to an amazing $45, also 8GB Micro SD Cards are $27.79 finally 8GB SD Card for $21.20
EA has said the PC version of Red Alert 3 will use a "more lenient" version of SecuROM in order to curb piracy and make fans happy at the same time.
The game will only need to be authenticated online once after installation, according to a developer post on the official forums, and can be reinstalled up to five times. EA support can be contacted if further installations are needed. Red Alert 3 will also run without a CD.
These procedures apparently did nothing to stop Spore from being pirated successfully before the official release. The real effect of the installation limit, critics argue, is on game trade-in shops such as Gamestation and GAME.
This also effectively renders legitimate copies of RA3 useless at some point down the line, whether reinstalling to save hard drive space or through upgrading hardware or combating viruses, since EA support for that title may have been shut down at that point given past precedents.
"Do you ask for Sony's permission to use your PS3 when you turn it on for the 50th time? Do you ask for Honda's permission to turn on your motor in your car after 100,000 miles? No. You purchased these systems, and they are now yours to do with as you wish," writes one particularly angry member of that official forum.
There's also growing concern about the third-party SecuROM software, which users are forced to install, and which lingers even after the game is removed.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is due for release in October.
If you rock Ubuntu, you've probably got your engines already revved for the more immediately imminent Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release next month. But that's not stopping Canonical—Ubuntu's main developer—from jibber-jabbering about Jaunty Jackalope, the next major Ubuntu release, which is due in April. Ubuntu 9.04's code name stems from its focus on zip-zoominess, with a goal of making "booting or resuming Ubuntu blindingly quick" and a "blurring of web services and desktop applications." So it'll be a fast hybrid, just like an, uh, real jackalope.
While it's not entirely certain how Jaunty will float on the cloud, Bits notes that Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth says they're after "weblications." Either way, it's surely not coincidental that Jaunty's two major goals—a light, snappy OS with serious web app/cloud computing integration—converge to accelerate the death of the traditional Microsoft-dominated desktop. We'll know how well it succeeds in just a few months.
A religious nutter has launched an anti-Spore website to let Electronic Arts know that its "biggest attack on Christian values to date will not be tolerated."
Antispore.com condemns Spore's teaching of the very un-Christian theory of evolution, which it says is an attempt on the games industry's part to "invade our homes and poison the minds of our children."
It says: "Yesterday I found out about a new game called Spore when my son asked me to buy it for him. It looked innocent enough at first and has E for Everyone ESRB rating. But don't be mislead, apparently 'everyone' means everyone they want to teach evolution to.
"This entire game is propaganda aimed directly at our children to teach them evolution instead of creationism, or 'intelligent design' if you go for stupid PC terms.
"The object of the game is to evolve from a 'spore' into demon-like intelligent space creatures that violently take over the galaxy," continues the site.
The site goes on to attack EA and it's 8,500 employees, "not a single one with enough Jesus to stand up and say what they are doing is wrong," it says.
"I used to like Will Wright," continues Anti-Spore.com. "He created Sim City, a fantastic game that celebrated the earth that God created for us and allowed you to use all your God given abilities to make an ideal society. But if you ever felt like you had too much power, God would come in with a tornado or an earthquake and put you back in place.
"You would think that as a member of the Episcopal Church, a smart man like Will Wright would not be capable of creating Spore. However, we must be reminded that the Episcopal Church is the only church in america that ordains homosexuals on a regular basis.
"It makes sense that a perverted church would cause a man to make the creations he has in this game. It just may be that evolution is not the only thing to fear this game teaching your children.
"[EA's] billions in revenue and all the advertising in the world are no match for the power of God."
With Warhammer Online just around the corner, Zonk wrote up a guide which compares it to the current top dog of the MMO market, World of Warcraft. He highlights the fact that despite the appearance of "War" in both names, Warhammer is much more focused on the struggle between factions, in gameplay and artistic style. Warhammer's open beta started on Sunday, doing well in the US but stumbling in Europe. The full version launches on Sept. 18th, but people who pre-order the game will be able to access live servers up to four days before, thanks to Mythic's head-start program. Mythic CEO Mark Jacobs recently launched a blog to answer questions about the game.
Shacknews reports that Ensemble Studios, developer of the Age of Empires series, will be shut down by Microsoft Game Studios (MGS) as soon as the upcoming Halo Wars title is complete. Microsoft execs said parts the team would continue to work with MGS. Halo Wars is scheduled for early 2009, and Eurogamer took a look at the Halo-styled RTS game last month.
Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
The highlight of this week is doubtlessly the release of Square Enix's much anticipated RPG Infinite Undiscovery. Cut off the chains that bind the moon to this world and remove the corrupted source of power that is governing everyone's life.
Besides sheer force, strategy is just as important in battles and Warhammer emphasized this point. The brutality of war and the enemies are remarkable in this series, so think twice before you employ your forces. The complete Dawn of War Collection is released on the PC while the newer installment, Battle March, has made its debut on the Xbox360.
Firearms and equipment are also vital to obtaining a victory in violent struggles. In the action shooter Commando: Steel Disaster, you have a wide range of fire arms selection. Tap into your leadership talents and unlock missions, take down your arch-nemesis and soil his dream of world domination.
Since we are talking about shooters, Fantasy Zone, one of the most representative of Sega shooters has come out as a complete collection [ebten DX Pack and Standard versions]. The package contain a total of 10+ games, from home console versions, arcade versions to the spin off products. All in all, the package has revived the full glory of the game for your PlayStation2 console.
Aside from projectile weapons, bio weapons are just as destructive. The Earl of the Millenium in D.Gray-man is using such weapons in an attempt to take over the world. Get into Allen Walker's pair of shoes to stop his plans from coming to fruition, but beware of the mysterious clan Noah.
Another game which is spawned from best selling manga/anime series is One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 1. Whenever the Makuwara pirates gets involved in something, there is always one single outcome: An action packed, fun filled comical adventure. Come on board with the crew and sail toward an unknown future.
Go to fresh water areas after you have got off board the pirate ship as the fishing competition is now in full swing. Activision's Rapala Fishing frenzy is providing you with professional fishing gear and a new perspective on fishing. Find the most sought after fish and participate in all 14 games as you tour around the American continent.
There are numerous ways to save the galaxy, besides taking up arms, you can blend into the Spore [US and JPN versions] environment as one of its creatures and discover the troubles the galaxy is experiencing.
As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™
Assassin's Creed (Platinum Hits) ASIA US$ 29.90
Atsumare! Viva Pinata 2: Garden wa Dai-Punch [First Print Limited Edition] JPN US$ 59.90
Double Clutch JPN US$ 64.90
FaceBreaker US US$ 59.90
Infinite Undiscovery US US$ 64.90
Infinite Undiscovery JPN US$ 74.90
NFL Head Coach 2009 US US$ 64.90
Rapala's Fishing Frenzy US US$ 44.90
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise US US$ 44.90
Warhammer: Battle March US US$ 64.90
Warhammer: Battle March ASIA US$ 49.90
Xbox 360 Console (60GB) JPN US$ 349.90
PlayStation3™
Double Clutch JPN US$ 64.90
FaceBreaker US US$ 59.90
Logicool Driving Force Wireless JPN US$ 129.90
NFL Head Coach 2009 US US$ 64.90
Rapala's Fishing Frenzy US US$ 44.90
Stranglehold JPN US$ 64.90
Nintendo Wii™
One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 1 - Nami ni Yureru Hihou JPN US$ 59.90
Puzzler Collection US US$ 24.90
Rapala's Fishing Frenzy US US$ 54.90
Rapala's Fishing Frenzy (w/ Fishing Pole) US US$ 59.90
PlayStation2™
D.Gray-man: Sousha no Shikaku JPN US$ 68.90
Saishu Shiken Kujira: Alive (Sweet so Sweet) JPN US$ 34.90
Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 33: Fantasy Zone Complete Collection JPN US$ 28.90
Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 33: Fantasy Zone Complete Collection [ebten DX Pack] JPN N/A
Nintendo DS™
DSVision Adapter Package JPN US$ 19.90
Gakken Mu Henshuubu Kanshuu: Choujou Genshou Research File JPN US$ 39.90
Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness US US$ 34.90
Hoshizora no Comic Garden JPN US$ 54.90
Hoshizora no Comic Garden [Limited Edition] JPN N/A
Kesshoutou no teiou entei (DSVision) JPN US$ 29.90
Maboroshi no Pokemon Rugia Bakutan (DSVision) JPN US$ 29.90
Myuu to hadou no yuusha rukario Special Pack (DSVision) JPN US$ 42.90
Nintendo DS Lite (Pokemon Limited Edition) - 110V US US$ 169.90
Quiz Magic Academy DS JPN US$ 48.90
Serebi toki wo koeta souguu (DSVision) JPN US$ 29.90
Spore Creatures JPN US$ 48.90
Spore Creatures US US$ 34.90
Theresia: Dear Emile JPN US$ 48.90
Sony PSP™
10,000 B.C. JPN US$ 14.90
Cake Mania: Baker's Challenge US US$ 24.90
PC Games
Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm (DVD-ROM) US US$ 44.90
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky ASIA US$ 37.90
The Lost Crown: A Ghost-Hunting Adventure ASIA US$ 34.90
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War The Complete Collection (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 44.90
Guide Books and Magazines
Blue Dragon Plus Guide JPN US$ 16.90
Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch R2 Complete Guide JPN US$ 22.90
D.Gray-man: Sousha no Shikaku Guide JPN US$ 17.90
Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility Official Strategy Guide US US$ 16.90
Infinite Undiscovery Player's Guide JPN US$ 21.90
Monster Farm DS 2: Yomigaeru! Master Breeder Densetsu Complete Guide JPN US$ 28.90
One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 1 - Nami ni Yureru Hihou Guide JPN US$ 16.90
Sigma Harmonics Official Guide Book JPN US$ 19.90
Spore Limited Edition Bundle: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 34.90
Spore: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Spore: The Evolution US US$ 24.90
Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi Complete Guide JPN US$ 31.90
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Weekly Famitsu No. 1030 (2008 09/19) JPN US$ 7.90
Video Game related
Fantasy Zone Complete Album JPN US$ 64.90
Neo Angelique Abyss Character Songs Vol.5 (~Toru Okawa, Daisuke Ono) JPN US$ 11.90
Oretachi Ni Tsubasa Ha Nai Drama Series Vol.2 Asuka Torai JPN US$ 20.90
Quiz Magic Academy IV Originial Soundtrack JPN US$ 23.90
Rock'n Roll Never Die (Kira Kira Curtain Call Vocal Album) JPN US$ 28.90
Rockman 9 Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 23.90
Here is a quick outlook what's expected to be hot next week.
PlayStation3™
Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume JPN US$ 64.90
PlayStation2™
Capcom vs SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001 & Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future Value Pack JPN US$ 29.90
Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition & Vampire DarkStalkers Collection Value Pack JPN US$ 29.90
Nintendo DS™
Dragon Ball DS JPN US$ 48.90
Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™
Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! Battle Arena JPN US$ 48.90
Neo Angelique Special JPN US$ 48.90
Neo Angelique Special [Premium Box] JPN US$ 64.90
Samurai Dou Portable JPN US$ 39.90
While we're going to get the first glimpse of the geek bits under Windows 7's multitouchable hood in October, it looks like we won't get hands on with the first beta until December. Some select special people already have super early builds, but Microsoft queen bee Mary Jo Foley says that Beta 1 won't see the light of snowy day until at least the week before Christmas, according to people in the know.
On the upside, it looks like the hold-up is to deliver a mostly feature complete beta, so we'll have a pretty good idea of what Windows 7 will taste like. Especially if that means they're planning on delivering the final in late 2009, as Bill mentioned at All Things D, since that's not an especially long beta period. Hopefully they'll still make that 15-second boot time.
Those of you riddled with angst over the fate of Age of Empires had best prepare for an antithetical application of ... Unangst! That's Kevin Unangst, Games for Windows director over at Microsoft. In a brief message posted on the Gamerscore Blog, Unangst has assured point-and-conquer fans that the closure of developer Ensemble Studios doesn't necessarily spell doom for the renowned PC franchise.
"I want to reassure you that Microsoft will still own the Age of Empires intellectual property," he said. "As a company, we're very excited about the future potential for Age of Empires, and as a PC gamer I'm looking forward to what that future holds."
Of course, not everybody is buying into this somewhat formless placation, with one commenter diplomatically venturing, "Go to hell you Microsoft pigs!" Nurse, we're going to need some oinkment for that burn.
While Mistwalker's Blue Dragon for the Xbox 360 didn't tear up the sales charts and reverse Microsoft's fortunes in Japan, it did have a more than respectable 80,000 unit opening week. Blue Dragon Plus for the Nintendo DS didn't fare quite as well, with a limp showing of just 21,000 units sold through. Granted Blue Dragon for the 360 bowed in December, giving it the holiday sales boost, but we doubt Mistwalker and AQ Interactive are popping the Cristal.
It's Nintendo whose likely celebrating this week, as Rhythm Tengoku Gold continues its sales chart dominance, with Wii Fit creeping further up the Media Create sales charts. Only two titles appear in the top ten that aren't on Nintendo hardware: Afrika and J-League Winning Eleven 2008 Club Championship.
01. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - 55,000 / 668,000
02. Wii Fit (Wii) - 32,000 / 2,609,000
03. Blue Dragon Plus (DS) - 21,000 / NEW
04. Afrika (PS3) - 19,000 / 57,000
05. J-League Winning Eleven 2008 Club Championship (PS2) - 18,000 / 136,000
06. Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken (DS) - 17,000 / 222,000
07. Dragon Quest V (DS) - 15,000 / 1,164,000
08. Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (DS) - 15,000 / 326,000
09. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 14,000 / 1,748,000
10. Inazuma Eleven (DS) - 14,000 / 85,000
The Multiplayer blog spoke with Tadashi Iguchi, one of the developers for the recent Pac-man and Galaga remakes, about the decision to bring new life to old classics and whether today's games will receive similar treatment twenty years down the road.
"'I think more than half of the games you see today with huge budgets and such a "realistic" focus will be either stale or forgotten in 20 years,' he said. 'On the other hand, the masterpieces of the '80s will definitely be enjoyed far into the future. The reason for this is simple — many of these classic titles have unique and fascinating mechanics that can't be diminished by the advancement of technology.'"
Rock, Paper, Shotgun's Kieron Gillen has combined and updated a series of guides he wrote for getting into the development of game mods. He provides a detailed explanation of the process from concept to reality as well as a look at some of the obstacles you're likely to run into. Quoting:
"First thing is that it really is work, and should be planned as such. As I've said earlier, you really need to be aware you have to sacrifice other elements of your life to get it done. If you just rely on your free time, the Mod will fail. You may find it helpful to actually time-table periods when you can do stuff, in the same way you would book a regular evening class. If every night you put aside a limited amount of time to do work, you'll make steady progress. This is considerably healthier than the boom/bust approach which most modders will follow. But - y'know - most people on your team will move on a cycle of massive productivity followed by long fallow periods."
The latest results from NPD have revealed that sales of videogames hardware in the US grew by just 3 per cent in August year-on-year, from USD 384.6 million to USD 394.5 million.
That list was headed, once again, by the Nintendo DS, which sold 518,300 units, followed by Nintendo's other console, the Wii, on 453,000 units.
The PlayStation Portable was third on 253,000 units, while the Xbox 360 just beat the PlayStation 3 into fourth - the pair sold 195,200 and 185,400 respectively.
The PlayStation 2 was last with 144,100, although retailers in the US have apparently reported rocketing Xbox 360 sales since the new price points came into force last week.
Meanwhile, sales of videogame accessories were up 13 per cent, from USD 121.1 million to USD 137.3 million.
The hardware sales list is as follows:
1. Nintendo DS: 518,300
2. Nintendo Wii: 453,000
3. PlayStation Portable: 253,000
4. Xbox 360: 195,200
5. PlayStation 3: 185,400
6. PlayStation 2: 144,100
Well, it's another round of data for Japan's weekly console sales again. Today, they maintain same postions like last time but all see a drop like two weeks ago:
Nintendo DS Lite: 51,412
Playstation Portable: 34,462
Nintendo Wii: 33,128
Playstation 3: 8,317
Playstation 2: 7,948
Xbox 360: 1,044
DS lite is down roughly 5,000. PSP drops 7,200. Wii goes down 2,000. PS3 reduces in sales by 1,600, PS2 is down 900 and Xbox 360 is down 1,080.
We suspected it might be a gag, (that's why we put it in the headline) but we went ahead and treated this "anti-Spore blog" as the real thing. We were victims of Poe's Law and that's something that we're going to have to live with.
So why aren't we angrier about getting hoodwinked? Well, the way that the blog's creator revealed it was just ... transcendent. Check out the second from last paragraph in this post and see if you don't agree.
Aw yeah, it's an $89 laptop, son! And it's new! Menq International's EasyPC E760 was reportedly spotted in Berlin at IFA 2008, and one particular camera-wielding individual even gave it the showcase treatment on video (after the break). This el cheapo was seen sporting a 7-inch 480 x 272 resolution display (ouch!), a Samsung ARM processor (what a workhorse!) and Windows CE behind the scenes. In that case, we'll just pick up a pocket-sized WinCE device and save ourselves the hassle -- thanks anyway, though.
I used to be an avid PC gamer. However, I have only bought 1 game in the last 18 months because I am sick and tired of the problems caused by the various intrusive, and sometimes damaging DRM schemes game publishers insist on forcing upon their customers. Once burned, twice shy! The EA announcement that upcoming releases will include SecuROM, along with verification requirements and major restrictions on installations left me wondering which recently released or upcoming games (particularly major titles) are being released without DRM? Are there any? How has DRM affected your game purchasing? Will EA be negatively affected by their DRM decision?"
The ongoing DRM controversy was stirred by the recent launch of Spore. We discussed the public outcry from Amazon's reviews (which were subsequently taken down and then re-posted). EA's response to the outcry was to say that only one percent of accounts tried to activate the game more than three times, which is the limit without help from their customer service. Meanwhile, their efforts to find a "balance" between preventing piracy and not hampering legal users may not have been as successful as they hoped. According to Forbes, a P2P research firm found that illegal copies of Spore had been downloaded over 170,000 times already. So, is it time to create a whitelist for game publishers and developers?
In contrast to yesterday's North American game charts for August, the latest software sales figures out of Japan aren't lead by Madden (and don't feature Too Human, nor will they ever). Instead, Nintendo's superb Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Rhythm Heaven when it launches here) beat out even the mighty Wii Fit to claim top spot.
Ludwig should be pleased to see that Arika is in there at a respectable No. 4 and, just to save you the counting, yes, six of the top 10 games for the week are on Nintendo DS. Here's the full list, with weekly and life-to-date sales accounted for:
1. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Rhythm Heaven) – DS – 55,276 / 668,000
2. Wii Fit – Wii – 31,970 / 2,609,000
3. Blue Dragon Plus – DS – 21,174 / New
4. Afrika – PS3 – 18,567 / 57,000
5. J-League Winning Eleven 2008 Club Championship – PS2 – 18,342 / 136,000
6. Fire Emblem: New Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light – DS – 17,349 / 222,000
7. Dragon Quest V – DS – 15,454 / 1,164,000
8. Daigasso! Band Brothers DX – DS – 14,688 / 326,000
9. Mario Kart Wii – Wii – 14,207 / 1,748,000
10. Inazuma Eleven – DS – 13,803 / 85,000
Oh Sonic. For years we've followed your adventures as a rubber-armed, lumbering Werehog with childish wonderment. Wait. A. Second. You're not Sonic! He's the zippy little blue guy in the really cool, actually Sonic the Hedgehog looking first half of the new Sonic Unleashed trailer we've got after the break. You're ... you're a monster. You probably ate him.
What. That's Sonic? And you play as him like this at night? Why? We see ... no one knows. Great. Well, we'll just have to set our system clocks ahead 12 hours every time we play. It's ... not tied to the system clock? Then we'll just skip those levels. Please tell us you can skip those levels.
We're not sure if Amazon is secretly displeased with its recent transformation from major online retailer to caustic protester staging ground. Gamers dissatisfied with Spore's "draconian" digital rights management attacked the game's reputation en masse earlier this week, dragging its user rating down and posting scathing reviews targeted at the three-installation limit imposed by the included SecuROM software. The slate was suspiciously wiped clean today, only to be restored moments before the publishing of this article.
Glitch, or conspiracy? As much as we'd like to point to the latter, Amazon tells us it was nothing more than a "site glitch." Says Amazon: "Amazon did not knowingly or consciously choose to remove the reviews. The team is working on resolving this issue now and restoring all the reviews on the site.
"Per our policy, Amazon doesn't censor or edit customer reviews and we'd only remove a review if it fell outside our guidelines." Regardless, we hope Spore publisher EA has heard the angry cries of legitimate game owners entangled in an anti-piracy net.
The latest Spore controversy comes courtesy of some false information printed in the game's manual. The Consumerist reports that despite the game's manual stating purchasers "may have multiple Spore accounts for each installation of the game," they only have one. An EA forum rep stated that the information was a "misprint and will be corrected in future printings of the manual."
Spore has been lambasted in Amazon.com's user review section for its "draconian DRM" measures. There's no clear indication whether Spore was originally meant to allow for more than one account -- did DRM measures put the kibosh on that plan?
features
Official Kingdom Hearts Art Trading Figure
Great collectible for all Kingdom Hearts fans
Shipped randomly
6 different characters
Axel, Jack Sparrow, Minnie Mouse, Pete, Sora & Ursula
Please order a box of 8 pieces to receive a factory sealed container
Size: approx. 11 - 18cm
Limited availability
description
Various characters in the hugely popular Kingdom Hearts video game series appeared as figures.
With a plot that combined Disney characters and the quintessential Final Fantasy series, Kingdom Hearts is a great hit.
All Figures are carefully crafted with expressive faces, and if you collected them all, you can play with them like chess pieces.
Line up for vol. 3:
Sora – A hero chosen by the keyblade
Ursula – The Witch of Atlantica
Pete – Mickey's eternal enemy
Minnie – The queen who protects the castle when her king is absent
Axel – A wind from dancing flames
Jack Sparrow – A lone wolf pirate
All orders are shipped randomly, please make sure to order 6pcs to get a factory sealed container.
Time for, that's right, TELL US DAMMIT. here's how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn't some marketing survey or whatever. It's an emotional investment in you. Yes, we're interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You probably know ****tons about us — more than you even want to, we're sure. But, hey, we'd like to know about you. That way you won't be some faceless blob — and we might feel a tinge of guilt when we ban your ass. Or not, because really we're incapable of human emotion. Not sure!
Something playing games is physical — especially if you playing a marathon session.
Question: Ever got a gaming-related injury? If so, what? How?
Honestly, I'm at a loss. There's no shortage of incomplete games gathering dust on my shelves — The Last Guy, Soulcalibur IV, Super Mario Galaxy (I know!) and Killer7 — things that I really should cross of the list. And I stupidly slept on the id Super Pack deal from last weekend. But I'm feeling unmotivated, probably due to LA's overcast skies and the obligation to complete Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise. Any recommendations? I've got some cash burning a hole my in pocket.
Other than that, I'm setting my weekend to Take It Easy, factor ten. What are you playing this weekend?
The heavy Amazon.com protest of Spore's DRM appears to have caught the attention of executives at EA. IGN reports that DRM for the upcoming C&C: Red Alert 3 will be scaled back. Unlike previous Command and Conquer games, the CD will not be required in the drive to play. The online authentication will be done just once (rather than periodic phone calls home), and up to five installations will be allowed, as opposed to three for Spore. While I still think five installations is too few (I've probably re-installed Command and Conquer: Generals 20 times over the years for various reasons), EA says they will have staff standing by to grant more installations as necessary on a case by case basis. So, while this still isn't optimal, at least we are getting a compromise. Hopefully, if the piracy rate for the game is low, perhaps EA will get comfortable enough to ship with even less DRM in the future
HDRL is running an analysis of loot systems in modern games. They talk about how in-game rewards, formerly the domain of RPGs and adventure games with powerups, have expanded to exist in every genre, as achievements and unlockable bonuses have become standard fare.
"For the majority of gamers, once the novelty is gone, they move on. To keep players interested, rewards are required. ... The Diablo series is a perfect example of the theory in effect. Just as in the story of the donkey and the carrot, a game's rewards cannot be too frequent, nor can it be too infrequent. If rewards are too frequent, they lose value in the eyes of the player, and they lose interest. If the rewards are too infrequent, the player loses sight of the carrot, and likely loses motivation to keep playing."
Gamasutra sat down with Jonathan Blow, creator of the successful independent game Braid. He talks about going through the three-year-plus development cycle as a one-man team, and how his concept of the game changed as he worked on it. He also discusses what he feels is the difference between "natural rewards" and "artificial rewards."
"... for the most part, when you're playing Tetris, you're enjoying it because you enjoy fitting the blocks together. Whereas when you play World of Warcraft — and what I'm about to say is a generalization, since different players enjoy different things, obviously — a lot of the appeal of playing World of Warcraft is not in the core gameplay mechanic, because it's boring, a lot of the time. ... I think what keeps them in there is, at first, the level ding, because it's very addictive to get that. 'Okay, I've got more gold. Whatever.' And eventually, they've made this huge time investment and they've got a character there and they know what that level ding feels like and the next one is pretty far off, but they can get there! And it's not any better, because this is like number 67. It's got to be better than 66!"
Our friends at eastasiasoft were so kind to let us know more details about the upcoming PlayStation3™ PSN release of their shoot 'em up with the hard to pronounce name Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer.
According to their latest press release announcement from earlier this week, the game is targeted to hit the PlayStation™ Network in North America in October 2008, with other territories expected to follow shortly after.
No matter if you have already enjoyed the PC version or are new to the game, you will probably be pleased to hear that SideQuest Studios (the developer of this game) have added plenty of new features to the PlayStation3™ port, including:
Visual improvements including y-scrolling, new background animations, newly added effects and more
Contains new enemies, including newly crafted standard foes and larger sub boss battles
Additional boss battle and berserker mode background music (seven brand new tracks in total!)
New sound effects added for an enhanced gaming experience
Rebalanced game play with an easier default difficulty
Rebalanced high score system, including new victory screens
DUALSHOCK®3 and optional SIXAXIS™ support
Trophies support
Visual improvements can been seen on their latest PS3™ screenshots. Below is a small excerpt only, you can find lots more on their official website.
Make sure to fill up your PSN wallet as Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer will surely be a pleasant addition to your game collection.
This is getting tons of notice over on Battleforums, which quotes the ubiquitous Anonymous Source (he does get around), this one "from inside Blizzard," as saying that StarCraft 2's development will be "largely postponed" until Diablo III is ready to go.
Mr. (or Mrs.) Source says StarCraft 2's dev team is comprised of "a minuscule amount of people" compared to the current Diablo III team. Pretty clear which baby was gonna get its milk first all along, I'd figure. Blizzard hasn't said anything officially about the rumor. Sounds like a good rumor, doesn't really defy reasonable expectations. While it doesn't exactly fix a release date for you, it does let StarCraft players know not to hold their breath waiting.
It's a well-known fact that the big three console manufacturers - Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft - all want your money. Once you fork out a few hundred notes for a console, they have you in their mighty grip, and bleed you dry with their capitalist agendas. In some cases, this can be as much as £300 over the next five years, not including essentials they don't include with the console. It's similar to hidden bank charges, except Watchdog's Nicky Campbell won't be fighting your corner - he'll be kicking your a*se at Halo instead.
Before we begin tearing apart consoles for their economic crimes, the SKUs (Stock-keeping Unit) tested are the standard ones - the basic Wii bundle (with Wii Sports), the 60GB Premium Xbox 360 package, and the latest 80GB PlayStation 3 with DualShock. Prices are the RRP, but you can knock off a few quid here and there if you shop around.
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Electricity Costs
Like any appliance, consoles will use up different amounts of power, and the difference between them is staggering. The Wii, the simpleton of the bunch, will use up to ten times less power than its high-definition competitors, with the PS3 requiring the most electricity. They weren't messing around when they said this is the most powerful generation yet. Nuclear power station peripherals are yet to be confirmed.
Wii - 12.41 kWh - £1.98 a year
Xbox 360 - 120.45 kWh - £19.21 a year
PS3 - 204.40 kWh - £32.60 a year
The Wii is hands down the cheapest, but the PS3 will make those energy price rises your worst nightmare. Figures are based on playing a game from a disc (standby and movie playback differ) for two hours per day for a year. (Figures obtained from sust-it.net.)
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Controllers
You'll be screwed without them, and charitably each console comes boxed with one. If you want to play with your mates then your wallet will have to take a gut punch, and in the case of recharging them, selling its kidney on the wallet black market.
PS3 - Technically there are no added extras, however early adopters missed out on the now-standard rumbling DualShock 3. This will set you back £40.
Wii - Comes with a Wii remote and Nunchuk, however an additional remote costs £30, and Nunchuk £15. That's £45 for one additional control set.
Xbox 360 - There is no rechargeable option out of the box - a Play & Charge kit retails for £15, and additional wireless controllers are £30 a pop. That's £60 for two charge kits and an extra wireless pad. However you can save by getting a Wired controller for £25.
The PS3 is hands down the cheapest, however the others differ according to what you buy. Getting the full set for both - Nunchuks (Wii) and wireless with recharge packs (Xbox) - makes the 360 £15 more expensive. On the other hand you don’t need a Nunchuk for most Wii games, and you can just use cheap rechargeable batteries or wired controllers for your 360.
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Television Cables
Confusion sets in at this point, where many gamers are left stranded behind their television, adopting the foetal position and shaking in bewilderment. All consoles come with connection cables, but the quality varies immensely, even between standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD). From plain awful to crystal clear the cables rank composite (SD), RGB (SD), component (SD / HD), and HDMI (HD). Considering there are more HD sets than before, cables are as vital as anything else on this list.
Xbox 360 - Comes with component for HD out of the box, also doubling up as composite cables for those with normal tellies. While there are better SD and HD options, these options will do you just fine.
Wii - Comes with a composite cable. While it looks bad, on a standard definition set it is passable, but you should get either an RGB or component cable. You need component for the best resolution on HDTV sets. They each cost £20.
PS3 - Just a composite cable; no HD option in the box. Your gorgeous new HD console will look like it's being played back through an '80s VCR. You need a component or HDMI cable, stat. That's £20, thank you very much.
While all three consoles could have better cables, the 360 offers you a near-perfect solution out of the box that gives you decent HD and SD connections. The Wii could do with an upgrade, while the PS3 needs one. What's cheaper, a HDMI cable or cataract surgery? You be the judge.
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Connecting to the internet
If there is one big leap this generation, it's that each console feeds on byte-sized information from the World Wide Web. If you want to get the most from your new pride and joy, you need to connect to the internet.
PS3 - Comes with both Wi-Fi receiver and LAN port for both wireless and wired connections. Perfect.
Wii - Wi-Fi receiver only. If you want to connect via LAN port, you can buy one for £20.
Xbox 360 - Ethernet port only. If you want to get a plug in Wi-Fi receiver, it'll set you back £60.
While they all have a base covered, the PS3 hits a home run by being as flexible as an Olympian gymnast. Considering many households own a wireless router, paying £60 to have the privilege to do so takes the metaphorical biscuit. Bridge your internet connection to your 360 and spend that £60 on a pick-and-mix.
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Other Additions
These are the little added extras that most people would purchase in their console's lifetime. Not surprisingly, Microsoft pushes these little additions.
Xbox Live subscription - While the Wii and PS3 online services are free, full Gold membership costs £40 a year on the 360. Without it, you cannot play online with others or access certain content.
Keyboard - The Wii and PS3 have full USB keyboard support for text input, whereas the 360 keypad costs £25. Alternatively, you can spend an entire hour entering a message via the d-pad.
Downloadable Content - This is subjective, as many games offer additional content that perhaps should be in the full product, but are not on the disc. But when games such as Beautiful Katamari (360) ask you to pay to unlock things already on the disc, it reinforces the point that you have to be a millionaire playboy to get the most out of everything.
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Quantitative Total
So when it boils down to it, which console is the most expensive? Brushing aside the base package, games and optional extras, the initial investment is about the same for all three systems. However the on-going running costs of electricity and subscriptions might find your Xbox 360 finding a new home on eBay. If you plan to keep it for the next five years, it could cost as much as £295, compared to Wii's paltry upkeep of £10. The PlayStation 3 isn't economically friendly either, coming in at £163. Eep.
Initial investment -
Wii - £65 (television cable upgrade, extra Wii remote and Nunchuk)
Xbox 360 - £60 (extra wireless controller, two Play & Charge kits)
PS3 - £60 (television cable upgrade, additional DualShock 3 controller)
On-going investment (per year) -
Wii - £1.98 (electricity)
PS3 - £32.60 (electricity)
Xbox 360 - £59.21 (electricity, Live subscription)
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Summary
It should be noted that these are all optional costs - you don't need to buy another controller, to purchase a Live subscription or run your console every day for the next few years. But many people do, and if you are thinking of getting a new system for yourself or someone else these little costs add up to something fierce. The Xbox 360 is the worst for those hidden costs, although the others aren't exactly innocent either. When you consider this doesn't include what you actually bought it for - the games - it shows that this hobby is a costly thing indeed.
The reviews for Rock Band 2 acknowledge that the game doesn't do anything radically new, but the improvements are enough to justify its existence. For those who don't have friends living close by, being able to play World Tour mode online will certainly be a vast improvement on the original's main method of solo gameplay. The game doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it sure does put some sweet rims on it.
Giant Bomb (5/5): "... With its large library of licensed master recordings and vastly improved approach to multiplayer play, Rock Band 2 is a terrific value at both ends. It's both a must-own for fans of the genre and a great place for new players to get started."
GamePro (5/5): "It's more Rock Band and that is not a bad thing at all. With a new setlist of songs and more features, it's a no-brainer for anyone who loved the first Rock Band."
OXM (90/100): "The game's true enhancements come in areas that are arguably more important than playing dress-up. This time, there's no guitar career or drum career; there is only the Tour. The Tour is whatever you want it to be - a solo path through the venues of the world (on any or all instruments - switch between them at will), or a shot at stardom with up to three friends, whether they're in the room or across the country (thanks to the brilliant and long overdue Xbox Live support for co-op careers)."
IGN (90/100): "Rock Band 2 improves in several areas over the original. The track list is better, the difficulty has been bumped up, it's more accessible, all previously released DLC works from the get-go, and Battle of the Bands is a brilliant online mode. But there's no getting around the fact that almost nothing was done to the main mode, World Tour. This is still the primary feature of Rock Band and yet it seems to have been neglected. It's hard to notice the newness when there's a big chunk of game that is just the same as it ever was."
EA has defended its use of SecuROM DRM in Spore, saying that it "has not changed" its basic copy protection policy, following a backlash by internet users on Amazon.
Earlier this month, consumers expressed their anger at the limitations imposed on them by the mandatory installation of SecuRom, which allows EA to limit the installation of each copy of Spore to a maximum number of three times. Mariam Sughayer of EA's corporate communications, told Gamasutra that the current DRM system is merely an extension of what they've always done.
"EA has not changed our basic DRM copy protection system... We simply changed the copy protection method from using the physical media, which requires authentication every time you play the game by requiring a disc in the drive, to one which uses a one-time online authentication," she said.
Three installations is more than enough for EA's customers who mostly only ever install their games once, according to the publisher's research, while combating piracy. Sughayer claimed that during the activations of the Spore Creature Creator, 77 per cent only ever activated it on one machine and 23 per cent activated it on more than one, of which only 1 per cent attempted to activate it on more than three computers.
Frustration at EA's anti-piracy policy risked further inflammation upon the confirmation that each copy of the game can only have a single account attached to it, meaning only one person can play the game at any given time.
"There is one Spore registration/account per game/serial code so... you cannot make multiple accounts at this time," commented an EA representative on Spore's forum. "I have sent your guys' feedback to the game team though since I can understand the desire to share a game on a system that you entire family uses."
This follows news that in the period between September 1-11, Spore had been illegally downloaded 171,402 times, according to Big Champagne, a peer-to-peer research firm, and reported by Forbes.
"The numbers are extraordinary," said Big Champagne's chief executive, Eric Garland. "This is a very high level of torrent activity even for an immensely popular game title."
The recommended specs for the upcoming PC version of GTA IV have been revealed... although slightly prematurely, it seems.
The specs, now removed from the Games for Windows site (but are still here) show that the game will chew up a fairly hefty chunk of your hard drive, but other than that they're nothing out of the ordinary.
Here's the list:
OS: Windows XP SP2
Processor: Dual core processor (Intel Pentium D or better)
RAM: 2GB
Hard Drive: 18GB free hard disk space
Video Card: 512MB Direct3D 10 compatible video card or Direct3D 9 card compatible with Shader
Drive: DVD-ROM dual-layer drive
Update: A batch of new shots appeared online. Hit this link for more.
Mini-Geek and many others tipped news that Blizzard has announced the release date for Wrath of the Lich King , World of Warcraft's second expansion. It will be in stores on November 13th in the US and Europe. They've also released details about the contents of the Collector's Edition. Wrath will be preceded by a large content patch, which will expand the talent trees and include many of the gameplay changes set for the expansion (including the consolidation of spell damage and healing into 'spellpower,' achievements, and a new profession). The patch was installed on the public test realm yesterday, and the current patch notes are available.
Titles for both Nintendo and PC platforms have dominated the Spanish and German software sales chart for the week ended September 7, according to data provided by Media-Control GfK International.
PC titles occupied five of the top ten places in German software sales chart, with EA Maxis' Spore coming in at number one and followed by The Sims 2: Apartment Life at number two.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky secured fourth place, while the Settlers: Rise of an Empire came in at six and Spore Galactic Edition at eight.
The Spanish chart was more centred around Nintendo titles and saw Wii Fit take the first place, followed by Wii Play at number two. The Sims 2: Apartment Life came in third, while Mario Kart Wii and the DS title Cooking Guide: Can't decide what to eat? came in fourth and fifth places respectively.
Spore came in at number six, Super Smash Bros Brawl at seven and Beijing 2008, for the PlayStation 3, at eight.
Closing the Spanish chart was Brain Training for the DS and Grand Theft Auto IV for the PS3.
The German software sales chart follows:
1. Spore (PC)
2. The Sims 2: Apartment Life (PC)
3. Wii Fit (Wii)
4. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky (PC)
5. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
6. The Settlers - Rise of an Empire (PC)
7. Spore Galactic Edition (PC)
8. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Wii)
9. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
10. Wii Play (Wii)
The Spanish software sales chart follows:
1. Wii Fit (Wii)
2. Wii Play (Wii)
3. The Sims 2: Apartment Life (PC)
4. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
5. Cooking Guide: Can't decide what to eat? (DS)
6. Spore (PC)
7. Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
8. Beijing 2008 (PS3)
9. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
10: Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3)
As you may recall, Bill Gates himself mentioned a little ways back that Windows 7 could possibly be arriving as soon as next year, which prompted some quick backtracking on Microsoft's part, but that earlier-than-expected date has now cropped up yet again, this time supposedly in Microsoft's internal calendar.
According to InternetNews.com, that calendar pegs the planned release date as June 3rd, 2009, which is a good deal sooner than the "early 2010" date we've been hearing all along, and quite a significant cut into Vista's planned three-year lifespan. What's more, the site also says that Microsoft will take advantage of its Professional Developer's Conference on October 27th to launch the first public beta of Windows 7, although that doesn't quite match up with earlier word that it'd only be revealing some "in-depth technical information" about the OS.
Connect multiple consoles with AV signal to any AV devices and switch easily between sources without having to plug or unplug any cable. You can connect up to 3 consoles or devices at the same time!
- Manual select function
- 3 ports of AV input
- 1 port of AV output
- Supports AV cable
- Up to 3 consoles or AV devices can be connected
Fable II is due out next month, so it's been making the rounds for previews. So has its creator, Peter Molyneux. He talks with Joystiq about the game's Co-op feature, which allows players to drop into the games of others, getting a look at how it would have played out had they made different choices. Molyneux also offered a frank interview to CVG about flaws in the game, such as poor lip-syncing and the occasional "low-spot." (This comes two weeks after he unabashedly rated it as a 9/10 game.) Joystiq also got several hours to preview the game, and Gamespy gave it a test drive recently as well.
Electronic Arts has abandoned plans to absorb Grand Theft Auto IV publisher Take-Two Interactive, the company announced earlier today. Following over half a year of hostile buyout offers by EA, the pair went into talks under a confidentiality agreement in late August. From the official announcement: 'EA continues to have a high regard for Take-Two's creative teams and products, [but] after careful consideration, including a management presentation and review of other due diligence materials provided by Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., EA has decided not to make a proposal to acquire Take-Two and has terminated discussions with Take-Two.' The announcement caused Take-Two's stock to drop by 30%, and analysts expect a bidding war to ensue for employment of the GTA creators
Remember that Legend of Galactic Heroes PC game we mentioned a while back? Well, the release is looming and to help people to part with their cash, Bandai Namco have released a demo of the rather shiny RTS today (click this link to start the download). It's not as freeform as Homeworld and actually quite planar but it's much more tactical. As there's a lag between setting up your fleet and them attacking the enemy. You have to plan ahead more as it's essentially leaning towards a turn based approach, or at least one where your commands can leave you clearly open if you don't position your fleet carefully. I quite like it. All it needs now is more Maurice Ravel.
For those curious about the main menu, the first option is a rolling (non-playable) demo, whereas the second option is the playable demo. This demo is entirely in Japanese in case anyone needed that clarifying.
features
Walkthrough: Extensive walkthrough of every level including locations of items.
Maps: Detailed area maps to get you to your objectives
Use the Force: Complete appendices with full analysis of every weapon, item, Force power, and enemy
Bonus Content: Huge pullout poster of exclusive art, exclusive art section, developer interviews, and more!
features
Official Final Fantasy XII Weapon Set
Conformer
Death Penalty
Dragon Claw
Fairy Tale
Hardedge
Length: approx. 80mm - 130mm
Limited avalibility
features
Platform: PC
Exclusive in-game item for that extra edge while leveling
Detailed maps labeled with points of interest
Realm vs. Realm (RvR) tips from the experts
In-depth class section written by gamers, for gamers
Tips for creating and leveling a guild Interior
features
Platform: PC
Exclusive in-game item for that extra edge while leveling
Detailed maps labeled with points of interest
Realm vs. Realm (RvR) tips from the experts
In-depth class section written by gamers, for gamers
Tips for creating and leveling a guild
Detailed maps labeled with points of interest
Realm vs. Realm (RvR) and Scenario maps with tips on dominating the enemy
Lair and dungeon maps with strategies and boss abilities Interior
features
Platform: PC
Exclusive in-game item code for The Adventurer's Handbook!
Detailed maps labeled with points of interest
Realm vs. Realm and Scenario maps with tips on dominating the enemy
Lair and dungeon maps with strategies and boss abilities
Mercenaries 2 has retained the top spot of the UK software sales chart for the week ended September 13, according to data provided by Chart-Track.
This was followed by Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 and Spore, which both held onto their positions at number two and three respectively.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games climbed the chart to fourth place, from eighth, pushing Wii Fit down to number five. Meanwhile Mario Kart Wii held onto its position at number six, followed by Carnival: Funfair Games at seven.
Guitar Hero: On Tour surged back into the top ten of the chart at number eight, up from 18, while TNA Impact! debuted at number nine.
Closing the chart in tenth place was Wii Play, down three places from last week.
The UK software sales chart follows:
1. Mercenaries 2: World In Flames
2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
3. Spore
4. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
5. Wii Fit
6. Mario Kart Wii
7. Carnival: Funfair Games
8. Guitar Hero: On Tour
9. TNA Impact!
10. Wii Play
Mythic Entertainment has announced that its fantasy MMO, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, has shipped 1.5 million copies to retailers in preparation for its global release on Thursday.
The game has also set a company record for the most retail pre-orders for any PC game in publisher EA's history.
Earlier this year Funcom's Age of Conan shipped 700,000 copies to retailers for its release, while World of Warcraft expansion The Burning Crusade sold 2.4 million copies to actual customers - not retailers - in its first 24 hours on sale.
Those who pre-ordered Warhammer Online have been able to download and play the game since the "head start" began yesterday (Sunday, for Collector's Edition owners). Servers are already very busy, with long queues on the more popular Destruction side, due to population capping.
CITY shops have been caught out selling knives and ultra-violent video games to underage children.
An undercover “mystery shopper” exercise by Plymouth’s Trading Standards officers saw two 16-year-old buyers test out 34 shops.
Two out of 25 stores were happy to hand over knives to the youngsters while five out of nine shops had no problem selling “18+ rated” video games like Grand Theft Auto 4, to the teens.
Councillor Michael Leaves, Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Environmental Regulation, called the carrying of knives by young people a “a plague”.
Under the Video Recordings Act and the Criminal Justice Act, stores are obligated to ask for proof of age before handing over restricted items.
It was the first time the city council’s trading standards team have targeted games sales and only the second time knife sales have been tested. Last year, out of 23 stores tested, only one failed.
Cllr Leaves said: “It’s vital for shops not to sell youngsters knives and I find it very disappointing that any in Plymouth have done so.
“As for violent video games, I believe they must have a detrimental influence on any children who play them and I would not be at all surprised if there was not a connection with the knife crime issue. Everyone who sells these games must take extra care to ensure they only sell them to those who can legally buy them.”
Lynda Braddock, Trading Standards officer, said the new targeting of games came in light of the “Byron review”.
In March this year TV child psychologist Dr Tanya Byron produced a Government-commissioned review of the impact of violent adult games on children.
She recommended reforming the classification system for video games with one set of symbols on the front of all boxes which are the same as those for film.
Lynda Braddock, who led the operation, said: “The statistics for knife sales are encouraging but it’s still disappointing to find some shops not on board with this issue especially bearing in mind the media coverage on knife crime in recent months.
“And we’re disappointed that the games sellers concerned don’t seem to have taken their training on board or recognised the fact that these games are given a high age rating for a reason.”
The trading officers targeted games which stated they contained violence, including the much publicised Grand Theft Auto 4, which carries a warning about “strong violence, very strong language, sex and drugs references.” Other games targeted included Hitman and Saints Row.
Ms Braddock said: “Games are becoming more and more violent and more and more interactive. Youngsters are using them for four or more hours a day, living the life of a gangster.
“You must lose your shock factor if you’re continuously killing people – and then get rewarded for being violent.”
The two test buyers – a girl and a boy – were also able to buy a 9” to 10” kitchen knife in one store and a pack of four steak knives in another.
Ms Braddock said each of the stores would now be investigated and interviewed to determine what sanctions would be taken. They range from a warning letter, explaining they will be monitored in the coming months, up to the maximum penalty – a six-month prison sentence and/or a £5,000 fine.
mcgrew writes with news that a study done by the Pew Internet & American Life Project has found game playing is all but universal among teens, and it provides a "significant amount of social interaction and potential for civic engagement." 97% of teens responding to the survey said they played games (75% played weekly or more often), and roughly two-thirds of teens use games as a social experience. The full report (PDF) and the questionnaire with answer data (PDF) are both available for viewing. From the report: "Youth who take part in social interaction related to the game, such as commenting on websites or contributing to discussion boards, are more engaged civically and politically. Youth who play games where they are part of guilds are not more civically engaged than youth who play games alone."
Gamasutra is running a story about how the "hard" modes in games can be designed to include difficulty, but not frustration. They give some examples of the changes made to several games as their difficulty settings are increased, and they discuss some of the simple options, such as increasing the number of required button presses, or increasing the relevant numbers by an arbitrary amount (a boss on easy may hit you for 10 damage, whereas a boss on hard may act the same but hit you for 100 damage). They also talk about maintaining the "illusion of fairness." Quoting:
"Bungie's Halo series is often praised for its excellent execution of difficult play in the form of its Legendary mode. Not surprisingly, the team took a very well-thought out approach to introducing and tuning difficult play. Halo 3 gameplay designer Francois Boucher-Genesse explains that it's not just a case of one formula fits all. 'It's not like we just cranked every enemy's health by 200% and called it Legendary,' he said. 'There was a good amount of custom changes made per mission as well. In that sense we encourage players with previous Halo experience to play at least on Heroic, since they get to see the game in its full scale
After a few false starts, the OS X-installing EFi-X dongle is finally shipping to consumers. Currently, two versions are up for grabs: the USB V1 for the average joe / jane and the USB V2 Developers Unit for, well, developers. In short, plugging this gem into your PC will enable select systems to install OS X, but we'd take a hard look at the fine print (and certified systems) before blindly plunking down $155 and hoping for the best.
For the last ten years, we've heard the promise of 3D shutter glasses, which when combined with the proper video card drivers and a good display, can trick your brain into thinking that your 2D monitor is creating 3D images. Unfortunately the glasses never really took off, partly because there were rendering problems with many popular 3D games but mostly because monitors didn't support high enough refresh rates to display games without giving people crushing headaches. Nvidia thinks they've solved both problems--the software works much better, and there are a surprising number of supported 120Hz-capable TVs and monitors that ameliorate the headache factor. Maximum PC has a hands-on with Nvidia's new tech, plus details about Nvidia's planned hardware solution
With invading Orcs enslaving the human kingdom, only a handful of rebels remain hiding in the forests and mountains of Midland. Choose between joining the rebellion or serve the Orcish Usurpers, but you will ultimately tip the scales and decide the outcome of the last war to save humanity.
Gothic III provides a living world where the players can freely choose the way they want to play; whether exploring the world and enjoying its rich and enchanted atmosphere or following a darker path, and even ultimately destroying it. Every choice and action the player makes will directly echo and affect the world of Gothic, creating a life-like environment and allowing for complex character interaction.
The Imperium Romanum: Emperor Expansion enables the player to travel through the ancient world, starting in Great Britain, passing through the wilds of Germania all the way to the fertile banks of the Nile in ancient Egypt. 16 challenging missions are divided into four campaigns which take place at well known historical sites such as Aque Sulis (Bath), Hadrian's Wall, Massilis (Marseilles) or Treverorum (Trier). The Imperium Romanum: Emperor Expansion demands strategic and economic skills from the player if they are to become a successful governor. The Emperor Expansion also requires the player to factor in the effects of religion and the all important Roman gods. Additionally, the Add-On provides new and bigger maps, newly designed buildings, new tasks, and extended voice recordings.
Project OMA is a 3rd Person Action shooter game that is similar to the earlier top down shooter, but rendered with 3D graphics and controlled by keyboard and mouse.
The player controls a robot that can equip with different weapons to shoots at enemies and progress though the levels.
In a case repeating itself across ASUS discussion forums, some ASUS laptop owners are finding confidential and personal software along with an illegal keygen software hack bundled with their new rigs. According to readers of PC Pro and APC Magazine, a directory on the ASUS-branded Vista recovery DVD contains illegal software serial numbers, confidential Microsoft documents intended for PC manufacturers, and a variety of ASUS documents and source code. A reader in ASUS' forums claims to have found other bizarre files including someone's resume (pictured above). For its part, an ASUS spokesman has responded saying, "We will be investigating this at quite a high level." Well, then that's that.
At this year's Austin Game Developer's Conference, sci-fi author Bruce Sterling gave a keynote speech about the gaming industry — looking back from the year 2043. GameSetWatch has a summary of the speech, and the full transcript is also available.
"So do people make games for this platform? Sure. Not the sort that were built for flat glass screens. We don't do those anymore, cumbersome, like a covered wagon. We don't pretend a glass screen is a window into another virtual worlds. The idea sounds silly, it's all the same world. It's always been the same world, it just changes. What we do is hang the towel [his metaphor for cheap, ubiquitous, unremarkable computers in the future] up in midair and gaze through it. And all the light that hits the far side passes through it except that the image is tagged and altered. We don't call it augmented reality, because we think reality is real, but you can still have fun with a game interface is that is everything you see."
PALE, overweight couch potatoes. That's the stereotype of avid online computer gamers, but these joystick junkies are actually in better than average physical condition, a new US survey suggests, although they may be less healthy mentally.
Researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the Palo Alto Research Center, also in California, and the University of Delaware in Newark, quizzed 7000 players of the role-playing game EverQuest II about their physical and mental health. Participants were offered a specially created virtual weapon as an incentive - the "Greatstaff of the Sun Serpent". The researchers then combined the survey responses with statistics about players' online activities and playing habits.
The results suggest that adult gamers have an average body mass index of 25.2, compared to the overall American average of 28. The average gamer also engages in vigorous exercise once or twice a week, which the researchers say is more than most Americans. The reasons for this are not obvious, although the team suggest it may be because more educated, wealthier people are attracted to computer games, and these people also tend to take better care of their health.
"Average gamers engage in vigorous exercise once or twice a week"The downside, however, was that the gamers reported more cases of depression and substance abuse than their compatriots. "They may be drawn to use the game to help deal with emotional distress," says team member Scott Caplan of the University of Delaware.
The work also suggested that young men do not dominate such games, as they are often assumed to: there were more players in their thirties than in their twenties, and older players tended to spend more time in the game. Furthermore, although fewer women played the game, those who did typically played for longer than men (Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol 13, p 993).
Mark Griffiths at Nottingham Trent University, UK, has found that most gamers simply exhibit healthy enthusiasm for their hobby rather than obsessive addiction, and says the new results sound about right. But he adds that since the research only studied one multiplayer online game, its conclusions may not be true for single-player console games. "They involve very different psychologies," he says.
Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
Interesting games are coming in from both US and Japan this week. First of all, the highly anticipated Star Wars The Force Unleashed has arrived. Sick of being a savior? Play the secret apprentice of the Darth Vader and help your mentor take over the galaxy.
Go and "catch'em all!" in the Pokemon Platinum. Aside from the powerful Palkia, Dialga and Giratina, lots more lengendary pokemon are going to make appearances. Based on the hugely popular "Diamond Pearl" this upgraded version will come with an immense amount of new elements that is going to leave players dazzled.
Trusty Bell [JPN & ASN versions] is a game that mixes the grace of Chopin's compositions with the excitement of RPGs. The magical world of Chopin's final dream is of course very intriguing, but the adorably designed, endearing characters themselves and the friendship between them are huge attractions too.
Leaving the dream world behind, its time to face a harsher reality. The battles are continuing in Warhammer and this time the war for world domination is going on in the internet via Warhammer Online. Join realms and declare war on others. Learn of the epic nature of war through brutality and violence.
Allowing you the same level of freedom of gameplay is Samurai Dou [JPN & ASN versions]. As a stray Samurai, you have the skills and guts, all you need is a person or a family for whom you can employ your powers.
Unlike the highly romanticized games or films that features deadly loyal retainers, your sense of loyalty can be compromised any minute. Walk the true path of the Samurai and take your fate within your own hands.
Battles don't stay within the feudal times or the internet, they are lasting for decades. Travel 10 years into the future in Kateikyou Hitman Reborn! Battle Arena and investigate the accidents that involve the virtual training room. As a powerful mafia group, the Bongoles have enemies everywhere, and there is only one way to ensure the family's standing in the underworld: Power.
Excitement need not come with death. In the wrestler TNA Impact! you can get involved in close range combat. Make all your slam downs and tackles count in this adrenaline pumping sports game. Aside from wrestling, you can engage in ice hockey.
Brought to you by the award winning sports game developer EA Sports, NHL 09 is upgraded with new depth and enhancements.
Fights need not be brutal just like Yakuza need not be villains. Execute a smooth chain of attacks in Hyper Street Fighter II and Capcom vs SNK 2. As for fans of Yakuza heroes, Kiryuu Kazuma is back in the US version of Yakuza 2, ready stop the spiralling chaos from spilling all over Japan.
Last, but definitely not least is Dragon Ball DS, relive the adventures of Goku and Buruma via your Nintendo DS. Go through the plot in an interactive way. Complete incorporated into the DS card are comic elements and exciting fights, bring this classic title with you wherever you are.
As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™
NHL 09 US US$ 64.90
NHL 2K9 US US$ 64.90
Rock Band 2 US US$ 64.90
Star Wars The Force Unleashed US US$ 64.90
Star Wars The Force Unleashed ASIA US$ 54.90
TNA Impact! US US$ 64.90
Unreal Tournament III JPN US$ 64.90
Zoids Assault US US$ 64.90
PlayStation3™
Def Jam Icon (EA Best Hits) JPN US$ 34.90
Fight Night Round 3 (EA Best Hits) JPN US$ 34.90
GI Jockey 4 2008 JPN US$ 69.90
NHL 09 US US$ 64.90
NHL 2K9 US US$ 64.90
Star Wars The Force Unleashed US US$ 64.90
TNA Impact! US US$ 64.90
Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume ASIA US$ 59.90
Trusty Bell: Chopin no Yume JPN US$ 64.90
Unreal Tournament III JPN US$ 64.90
Nintendo Wii™
Active Life: Outdoor Challenge US US$ 79.90
Biohazard Umbrella Chronicles (Best Price) JPN US$ 34.90
Cabela's Legendary Adventures US US$ 44.90
GI Jockey Wii 2008 JPN US$ 59.90
Hell's Kitchen US US$ 44.90
Kidz Sports: Crazy Golf US US$ 24.90
Kororinpa (Hudson the Best) JPN US$ 34.90
NHL 2K9 US US$ 54.90
Nintendo Wi-Fi Network Adapter JPN US$ 89.90
Star Wars The Force Unleashed US US$ 59.90
The Price is Right US US$ 44.90
PlayStation2™
Cabela's Legendary Adventures US US$ 34.90
Capcom vs SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001 & Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future Value Pack JPN US$ 29.90
Def Jam Fight for NY (EA:SY! 1980) JPN US$ 20.90
GI Jockey 4 2008 JPN US$ 64.90
GI Jockey 4 2008 & Winning Post 7 2008 [Twin Pack] JPN US$ 109.90
GI Jockey 4 2008 & Winning Post 7 2008 [Twin Pack] JPN US$ 119.90
Heart no Kuni no Alice JPN US$ 64.90
Hokuouki JPN US$ 64.90
Hokuouki [Limited Edition] JPN N/A
Hyper Street Fighter II: The Anniversary Edition & Vampire DarkStalkers Collection Value Pack JPN US$ 29.90
Medal of Honor: Vanguard (EA:SY! 1980) JPN US$ 20.90
NHL 2K9 US US$ 24.90
Odin Sphere (Greatest Hits) US US$ 24.90
SSX3 (EA:SY! 1980) JPN US$ 20.90
Speed Racer: The Video Game US US$ 24.90
Star Wars The Force Unleashed US US$ 44.90
TNA Impact! US US$ 44.90
Yakuza 2 US US$ 44.90
Nintendo DS™
Air Traffic Chaos US US$ 24.90
Bratz Ponyz 2 US US$ 34.90
Dragon Ball DS JPN US$ 48.90
Hell's Kitchen US US$ 34.90
Illumi Slight: Hikari no Puzzle JPN US$ 39.90
Lock's Quest: Contruction Combat US US$ 34.90
Long Vacation: Iruka to Watashi JPN US$ 39.90
Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir US US$ 24.90
Ochishi Keiji: Keiji-San, Watashi ga Arimashita JPN US$ 48.90
Pokemon Platinum JPN US$ 48.90
Rain Drops US US$ 24.90
Star Wars The Force Unleashed US US$ 39.90
The Price is Right US US$ 34.90
Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise US US$ 34.90
Yajuu Keiji: Tokyo Douji Tahatsu Tero o Chinatsu Seyo! JPN US$ 48.90
Nintendo DS™ Accessories
Card Pocket 3 Pocket Monsters (Giratina, Dialga & Palkia) JPN US$ 4.99
Nintendo DS Lite (Pokemon Limited Edition) - 110V US US$ 169.90
Smart Pouch Lite (Pocket Monster: Darkrai) JPN N/A
Smart Pouch Lite (Pocket Monster: Dialga) JPN N/A
Smart Pouch Lite (Pocket Monster: Palkia) JPN US$ 12.90
Sony PSP™
Cabela's Legendary Adventures US US$ 34.90
Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! Battle Arena JPN US$ 48.90
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G Hunter Leather Cover (premium black) JPN US$ 29.90
Neo Angelique Special JPN US$ 48.90
Neo Angelique Special [Premium Box] JPN US$ 64.90
Samurai Dou Portable ASIA US$ 36.90
Samurai Dou Portable JPN US$ 39.90
Star Wars The Force Unleashed ASIA US$ 39.90
Star Wars The Force Unleashed US US$ 44.90
PC Games
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2009 (DVD-ROM) US US$ 24.90
Gothic 3 ASIA US$ 34.90
Imperium Romanum: Emperor Expansion ASIA US$ 29.90
Stronghold Crusader Extreme (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 29.90
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 46.90
Game Guides and Magazines
Disgaea Compilation US US$ 14.90
Dragon Ball DS Adventure Bible JPN US$ 15.90
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Official Strategy Guide US US$ 17.90
Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! Battle Arena Guide JPN US$ 14.90
Sengoku Basara X Official Anthology Comics JPN US$ 14.90
Siren: New Translation Official Guide Book JPN US$ 27.90
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Summon Night 2 Perfect Bible JPN US$ 27.90
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Atlas US US$ 19.90
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Guide and Atlas Bundle US US$ 34.90
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 24.90
Weekly Famitsu No. 1031 (2008 09/26) JPN N/A
Video Game Soundtracks
Contrast / Katsuya Saeki Kichiku Megane Character Song CD JPN US$ 23.90
Dokidoki Majo Shinpan 2 Drama CD JPN US$ 29.90
Haruka Naru Toki No Naka De 4 - Hosikage No Uta JPN US$ 29.90
Here is a quick outlook what's expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™
Infinite Undiscovery (English language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
Infinite Undiscovery (Japanese language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
Lego Batman ASIA US$ 49.90
Lego Batman US US$ 59.90
PlayStation3™
Aquanaut's Holiday JPN US$ 59.90
Lego Batman US US$ 59.90
X Edge JPN US$ 79.90
X Edge ASIA US$ 76.90
Nintendo Wii™
Disaster: Day of Crisis JPN US$ 64.90
Lego Batman US US$ 59.90
Soul Eater: Monotone Princess JPN US$ 59.90
PlayStation2™
Dance Dance Revolution X US US$ 44.90
Kinnikuman Muscle Grand Prix Max 2 Tokumori JPN US$ 64.90
Super Robot Taisen Z JPN US$ 74.90
Super Robot Taisen Z ASIA US$ 69.90
Nintendo DS™
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen US US$ 44.90
Knights in the Nightmare JPN US$ 58.90
Knights in the Nightmare [DHE Series Special Pack] JPN US$ 79.90
Lego Batman US US$ 34.90
World Destruction: Michibi Kareshi Ishi JPN US$ 59.90
World Destruction: Michibi Kareshi Ishi [ebten DX Pack] JPN US$ 129.90
Sony PSP™
Lego Batman US US$ 34.90
Mana-Khemia: Gakuen no Renkinjutsu Shitachi Portable JPN US$ 48.90
Mana-Khemia: Gakuen no Renkinjutsu Shitachi Portable [Premium Box] JPN US$ 69.90
Soldier Collection (PC Engine Best Collection) JPN US$ 29.90
Yggdra Union US US$ 44.90
At a panel discussion at the Austin GDC, Myst creator Rand Miller gave his audience a look behind the scenes why his URU: Myst Online MMO has failed commercially not once but twice, summing up its failure by saying "it's frankly cheaper to build a treadmill than a national park. We were building a national park."
Rather than "setting people in a hamster wheel and saying 'run run run run run'," explained Miller, developer Cyan said it wasn't approaching URU as a "game in the traditional sense" but as something that "had the potential of competing with television." Rather than "what you would watch that night," Miller said the team saw potential to continually produce new worlds and shift the entertainment paradigm to "where would you go that night."
The title has always maintained a small but extremely avid fanbase who, the panel noted, not only kept unofficial game servers running for two years following its unceremonious cancellation by Ubisoft following a public beta that gathered 10-40,000 users, but also recreated its landmarks in other virtual worlds like There and Second Life.
Those users celebrated Turner Broadcasting's decision to revive the world and develop new content through its GameTap game subscription service, but – after only a year – Turner product development vice president Blake Lewin said the userbase couldn't support the operation costs and the game was shuttered once again.
Elaborating on why the game couldn't manage to initially keep itself alive, Miller said, "I'm always going to fall back on 'we were ahead of our time,' because it's easy."
"The biggest thing we did was an all or nothing proposal from an entertainment point of view," he continued. "It's not like you can start up a new TV network and give one show a month and expect it to be successful... We couldn't quite pull that off with the money we had."
Added Lewin, "I don't think there's any budget that would have worked," as the content production pipeline was extremely difficult. "Look at [TV series] Lost," he added. "Lost, at its level of quality, still can't get 26 episodes out in a year."
"There's a similar issue with Myst Online," he concluded. "It's a bigger issue when we're looking at broadband entertainment. The fallback is reality TV... [where the thought is] lets make users make idiots of themselves and we'll all laugh at them... We all do want to see the 'Lost's but production costs have to come down and we have to get smarter about tools."
Activision has fired out a new Call of Duty: World at War co-op movie, which you can check out right here.
Creative lead Rich Farrelly recently told us of the game's online mode: "We recognise that CoD 4 is a great multiplayer game. We would not want to take that engine and then remove things from it.
"We're not going to keep in game types, for instance, that don't fit in with our game setting. But the philosophy of map building, the way the perk system works - that's a great foundation. And then on top of that we'll build new perks, speciality perks, and vehicles."
Read the rest of the interview here and check out the co-op footage here.
Ubisoft has announced the ship date for its next installment in the Prince of Persia franchise. The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC title will ship on December 2. This will coincide with the DS Prince of Persia game, subtitled The Fallen King, which is a separate and distinct release from what the consoles and PC will receive.
Funcom has released a substantial patch for Age of Conan that activates the MMO's enhanced, PvP leveling system. According to IGN sister site Conan Vault, "You can now gain PvP levels by engaging in your normal PvP activities, be it world PvP, siege encounters or defeating your foes in the PVP mini-games. There are ten PvP levels in total that you can work through to prove your worth on the battlefield.
Your PvP stats are now also active in your character tab, keeping track of your performance in PvP.
In addition your new PVP armor ratings come into play now that the system is active. These provide additional mitigation of damage against damage that comes from other players. The new PVP armors will be the primary means of raising these ratings, although we will look to add additional means of raising these PVP defensive ratings in the future."
General patch notes are posted below:
Several client crash and assertion error causes were fixed.
The Noble Villas have been optimized. Some players should experience a noticeable increase in performance.
Facial expressions have been added to a number of emotes.
Female characters can now use the "pointdown" emote.
The following emotes now work for both male and female characters: cheer, excitedclap, excited (formerly jig_f), flirt, hugefish, lightheaded, pushaway, trance.
Players will now use the crawl animation when sprinting while swimming.
Corrected several typos in dialog in many areas.
Fixed the random seed on characters for animations
When creating a new character you should no longer see lots of spam messages about gaining abilities etc after the cut scene at tortage beach is over.
Path of Asura will now display where you are bound to.
Sound system was optimized, lessening memory usage and improving performance.
Fixed action animations playing on equipped weapons as well (for bow animations, in particular)
Resolved several memory leaks
Two players zoning from zone A to zone B at exactly the same time won't cause one of them to be invisible to the other one, anymore.
Fixed root animation extraction.
Made foliage removal to behave properly when disabled.
"Interrupted!" will no longer be shown twice in chat when using the rest ability.
Particle effects are not played on the character selection screen.
You now get xp and can level by discovering resurrection points if you cross the needed amount for the level.
/say should now be working again.
For a comprehensive list of tweaks and add-ons, visit Conanvault.ign.com.
The Development Director for EA's upcoming free-to-play action game, Battlefield Heroes, spoke with Gamasutra at the Austin Game Developers Conference about creating the game under an abnormal business model (abnormal for EA, anyway). He spoke about using the "Scrum" development model, and how the web platform was the most difficult part to create. Gamespy has written some initial impressions, and Joystiq has a basic description of the game.
After four days of "head-start" players getting the run of the servers, Warhammer Online launched today to the rest of the public. Mythic took the opportunity to explain why they think World of Warcraft players should give them a chance, highlighting their focus on PvP (or Realm-vs-Realm in this case), and their desire to keep time-intensive activities to a minimum. Creative director Paul Barnett says it's "a bit like Batman." 1.5 million copies of the game have already been sent to retailers, so they're clearly expecting a solid launch. The folks over at Massively have developed an excellent series of guides for players looking to get into the game. They explain and contrast general career choices and look at individual classes as well. They also have a variety of interviews and descriptions of gameplay.
New sales date for console sales in Japan are in as usual, with a change in ranking:
Nintendo DS Lite: 63,859
Playstation Portable: 30,156
Nintendo Wii: 29,686
Xbox 360: 28,188
Playstation 3: 8,053
Playstation 2: 7,669
DS lite goes up roughly 12,000 while PSP slips 3,400. Wii sinks lower down by 4,00 while the Xbox 360 shoots up in sales by 27,000, overtaking both the PS3 (down about 250) and PS2 (down 300).
The slow performance of home consoles in Asian markets outside of Japan shouldn't be just blamed on piracy, according to Nexon CEO Joonmo Kwon.
Kwon is optimistic that there could be a credible console market in countries such as Korea, provided console manufacturers and publishers take the time to understand the specific demands of the separate regions.
"It's true that the issue of piracy has had adverse effects on the development of the console game market in Asia to a certain extent," offered Kwon in an exclusive interview published today.
"However, as you can see by the consistent growth of the music and movie industries in most Asian territories despite such intellectual property issues, you can't really blame the underdevelopment of the console market solely on piracy."
Kwon detailed the performance of the three home consoles, noting that sales expectations for the Wii were lower than anticipated and that PS3 and Xbox 360 figures only make up a fraction of global sales.
"Microsoft's Xbox 360, which boasts sales of 15 million units worldwide, has only sold 150,000 units in Korea in the past two years," he said.
"Sony's PlayStation 3, which has sold 5.5 million units worldwide, has only sold 50,000 units during the past year in Korea. And the Nintendo Wii, which initially was expected to sell more than 100,000 units in the first month after it was released only sold about 40,000 units for almost two months - and the situation isn't much different in other parts of Asia, except of course for Japan.
"However, despite those numbers, the results aren't all discouraging when you consider that these numbers indicate that there is at least a possibility of a console game market in Asia, where online games traditionally had been completely dominant," he added.
Other encouraging signs are similar to growth areas in the Western market – the increased uptake of handheld consoles and a broadening of the demographic to include female consumers.
"You could even say that the situation is pretty much optimistic in general - the new trend has greatly contributed to the expansion of the game user demographics, capturing wider age ranges, not to mention female groups too," said Kwon.
However, if publishers really want success in Asian markets, Kwon believes they must cater to the local demands, and that means increasing online services in regions that expect such features as standard.
"In almost all parts of Asia, excluding Japan, online games have been leading the market growth since the very early stages of the games industry, which is something that indicates users have a strong preference and attachment for the common characteristics and typical features of online games.
"So for the console game industry to succeed in Asia, unlike in North America or Europe, it's extremely important to set strategies that are specifically suitable for the local market,” said Kwon. “Most Asian gamers are far more used to and attracted by interactive games via network connections, and they've long been enjoying the unique convenience that online games offer - such as being able to download and play a wide variety of games for free with a single account from any PC."
He added: "Games which require specific consoles and extra hardware devices, or are stored in a cartridge or CD/DVD-ROM, are purchasable mostly at offline stores and a new boxed product needs to be purchased for each new game that a person wants to play - all of those things simply make console games less appealing to gamers in Asia."
The full interview with Joonmo Kwon can be read here.
Eurogamer motorbike-champion RedLynx Trials 2: Second Edition has roared out of the garage with lots of new bits on.
There's 14 additional tracks, for starters, plus team-chat channels and European language support. Dialects can also separate off into channels, so Slovakians can go and bicker in Slovakian if needs be.
Voice-overs by real-life stunt bike maniacs Brandon DiCamillo, Art Webb and Rake Yohn have been added - not that we needed to hear more than our own strangled screams of perfectionist-frustration.
Optimisation has also been looked at, particularly on the lower-end machines and laptops, which can now use a new graphics mode boasting luxuries such as smooth edges and dynamic lighting.
RedLynx has upped the top end of the graphics spectrum, too. And, bizarrely, added triplescreen support for resolutions of 5040 x 1050.
The update, incidentally, will be automatically applied when Trials 2 starts.
RedLynx Trials 2: Second Edition is a wonderfully compulsive side-scrolling stunt-bike game, where the aim is to get from left to right (start to finish) as quickly - and with as few faults - as possible.
Even after the initial buzz has faded, Spore's DRM issues live on. One problem was the inability to have multiple accounts for the game, despite the the manual saying otherwise. EA Producer Lucy Bradshaw writes on the game's official forum, called the Sporum, that users will still have one account, but they'll be able to add five Spore screen names to that account.
These screen names will have separate entries in the Sporepedia, along with their own buddy lists and achievements. It's good to see Maxis and EA loosening its iron grip a little. Moments like this seem appropriate for quoting Princess Leia: "The more you tighten your grip ... the more star systems will slip through your fingers."
features
More From 2007's PC Game of the Year** - Crysis Warhead takes players through the intense, fierce battles Psycho experiences on the other side of the island during the events of Crysis - with the action dialed up even higher throughout the entire campaign.
Adapt to DOMINATE. - The Nanosuit may look the same, but the soldier underneath is definitely different. Whether jumping into battles with dual SMGs blazing or blowing up enough vehicles to turn the island into a junkyard, players will find Psycho's in-your-face style geared less towards just surviving the battle, and more towards total domination.
Complete Freedom, Start-to-Finish - Crysis Warhead features more of the open-ended sandbox game design Crytek has brought to the FPS genre throughout the entire experience, with minute-to-minute gameplay geared to be even more explosive and dynamic than in Crysis.
Breakthrough Performance - Built on an enhanced version of Crytek's industry-leading CryENGINE 2 game engine, Crysis Warhead not only features even more breathtaking, cutting edge visuals than the original game, but also performs markedly better across a wide range of PCs.
Introducing Crysis Wars - The future of multiplayer across the Crysis universe, Crysis Wars will be an exciting step forward for fans of Crysis, featuring a yet-to-be revealed new mode. Stay tuned for more details about Crysis Wars later this summer.
The Year's Best Value in Gaming - For only $29.99, gamers will get a standalone product that does not require the original Crysis to play, allowing them to experience a new, epic single player campaign and Crysis Wars - making Crysis Warhead one of the best values in gaming this year.
description
Award-winning independent studio Crytek and EA Partners are going back to the South China Sea this fall with Crysis Warhead®, a parallel story to Crysis®, one of the highest rated games last year on any platform.
Crysis Warhead features a pulse-racing storyline that will take gamers to unique and all-new environments they can explore and blow up, while also introducing them to Crysis Wars®*, the new multiplayer experience for the Crysis universe. And at only $29.99 MSRP Crysis Warhead will undoubtedly be one of the best values in gaming this year.
Players will be donning the Nanosuit of the volatile Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes, one of the most memorable characters from Crysis. More brash and aggressive than his Delta Force squadmate Nomad, players will find Psycho's adventure on the other side of the island to be even more intense and explosive than they could have ever imagined, especially as they battle against a greater density of human and alien enemies made even smarter by Crytek's enhanced AI system.
Should be a fun weekend, considering this week has been a five-day slice of Hell on Earth, as we alternate bashing our heads against the wall, then drinking ourselves into oblivion to numb the pain. In the in-between, we hope to squeeze in a few minutes of gaming time, actually getting around to that Team Fortress 2 Heavy Update we've been promising ourselves. We were hoping a certain horror game might arrive via the FedEx man today at Kotaku Towers West, but as private delivery company's are wont to do, we plan on being left high and dry. At least there's wild consumerism in the face of increasing economic troubles to keep us occupied!
Anyway, hope everyone's enjoying their schadenfreude! What are you playing this weekend?
EA has released the first patch for Spore, the purpose of which is to fix a number of bugs and tweak some gameplay settings to be more entertaining. Some of the visual effects were upgraded as well. They've also officially responded to the complaints about Spore's DRM, stating their intention to increase the number of allowed installations to five and to set up a system to "de-authorize" systems in order to reclaim the installation credit. They plan to allow multiple screen names per account, which was an issue for many families trying to play the game. This comes not long after EA made similar changes to the DRM of upcoming RTS Red Alert 3, and after Spore's DRM protest spread to in-game creature designs. Reader SoopahMan notes that users in EA's Spore tech support forum are reporting a number of new issues caused by the patch.
Ahoy! It's Friday, time to pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink and chat. That's right, time for Tell Us Dammit — rather, TELL US DAMMIT. Here's how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn't some marketing survey or whatever. It's an emotional investment in you. Yes, we're interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You probably know ****tons about us — more than you even want to, we're sure. But, hey, we'd like to know about you. That way you won't be some faceless blob — and we might feel a tinge of guilt when we ban your ass. Or not, because really we're incapable of human emotion. Who knows!
Take on the fight as the volatile Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes in a new parallel story taking place during the events of Crysis. Psycho's secret mission will take him to the other side of the island on a ruthless pursuit of a North Korean general hell-bent on obtaining powerful technology. With the versatile powers of his Nanosuit and an arsenal of fully customizable weapons & vehicles at his disposal, Sykes will do whatever it takes to carry out his top-secret objective.
Action on the other side of the island is more intense, the battles are fierce, and the mission protocol is no longer "Adapt to Survive". As Sergeant Sykes, now you must adapt to dominate the battle. Twin SMG's blazing, seizing new vehicles, or going stealth, the action and the victory is on your terms.
Product Features
Combat part - Mount & Blade is a game where the players need to learn how to use the sword, how to block and defend against enemies as in real life, which creates a very vivid experience that challenge the player skills.
The horse back fighting is a truly unique experience. With your horse you can run over enemies and escape from them etc. The developer team have had actual riders to help to get the behaviour of the horses accurate and have used motion capture to get the real feeling for battling against enemies placed on the horseback.
Tactical aspects - The gamer never fights alone
there is always a group of soldiers fighting along with your main character. That requires players to command the soldiers, send orders, make sure that they are protected and take care of them, which is a unique part of the game.
Impressive AI - Mount & Blade has an impressive AI and high level of challenge, which makes you think your playing in multiplayer mode. (No multiplayer in this version, but might be in expansions)
Flexible level system - The AI has three difficulty options
Freedom - The game offers great freedom in the same spirit as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but takes it a step further. There are quests and challenges everywhere and the player make the choices. No need to follow a linear path and go through different levels. Gamers can follow their own path independently and there is no main quest to follow. The developers have added a storyline for each of the five Kingdoms, which have their own quests.
Realism - Mount & Blade have put down extensive research to enhance the real live experience. All weapons are constructed as real life weapons and all the characters are based on real people. As other fantasy games make it easy for the gamer through magical potions and magic protection, Mount & Blade offers nothing like that. Instead the game creates completely higher levels of realism in the world of Caldaria.
Activision has begun suing individual pirates of console games. Edge Online is reporting that they are going after a New York resident for allegedly copying Call of Duty 3 for the Xbox 360 and other games, seeking $30,000 to $150,000 in damages for each infringement. GamePolitics has also uncovered six other lawsuits with settlements between $1,000 and $100,000, in five of which the defendant was unrepresented."
Activision's lawyers specifically told GamePolitics that the lawsuit wasn't targeting file-sharers, so they probably mean that the alleged pirate was reproducing and distributing physical copies of the game.
If we could somehow produce an audio version of this particular post, you'd hear a distinct gruffness to our characteristically un-gruff voices -- an unfortunate, though not completely unforeseeable, result of our enthusiastic observation of International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Capcom had their own way of celebrating the seafaring holiday -- yesterday, the open beta for Age of Booty (formerly Plunder, even more formerly Pimps at Sea) went live via a free download for all Fileplanet users.
You probably don't need us to tell you that the beta is for the PC version of the game -- those hoping to buckle their swashes on Xbox Live Arcade will have to wait for the game's yet-to-be-decided 2008 release date.
We imagine that Activision Blizzard has more green cash money than a number of medium-sized countries thanks to their ownership of some ridiculously profitable franchises. While the skeptical industry analyst might expect them to sit on their surplus, or perhaps swim through it Scrooge McDuck style, a recent announcement from Activision revealed that they're using said wealth to provide faux-rockers with a pretty terrific pre-order bonus for Guitar Hero: World Tour -- an extra guitar peripheral.
As far as we can tell, the offer is only extended to those living (and purchasing rhythm games) in the UK, and is limited to pre-orders of the GH:WT bundle (currently retailing for £150 in most online stores). While it's scientific fact that the modern gaming enthusiast already owns approximately seven guitar peripherals, newcomers to the rockstar simulation genre will now be able to play with a full band without incurring any pesky fees for an extra axe. Would-be bassists, rejoice!
A researcher at the Pentagon-funded National Defense University has theorized ways in which terrorists could use virtual worlds to speak their nefarious code talk and coordinate attacks on U.S. insert. Yeah, insert facepalm. In a presentation, reported on Wired's blog, two freedom-haters swap terms such as "White Keep" and "Dragon Fire," meaning the White House and a nookular bomb, mwahahahaha. Except none of that shit exists in World of Warcraft. In the end, it reads like some sort of case for government spooks to play MMOs. Yippity, hooray.
Well, the talk on difficulty in games keeps coming — Gamasutra has an interesting essay up that's a slightly different take on the problem of challenging players while not making the game inaccessible to everyone but the patient, dedicated hardcore contingent. Designer Daniel Boutros examines a number of ways in which games have tackled the difficulty question, and what games have done it well. Save/checkpoint issues also come up:
The truth is, wider checkpointing tests patience and memory as much as it does skill, which can frustrate and put off players. Call of Duty 2 had the best checkpointing implementation I experienced in the new generation, which was expanded even further with Call of Duty 4. Not only was each intensely exhilarating section in veteran mode beatable within 5-10 minutes (in Call of Duty 2, specifically), players would also get save-able checkpoints which appear before and after a cut-scene, saving players from classic tedium moments such as the "Look at all dat juice" scene from Gears of War.
This infamous portion of Gears of War placed players against a group of the tough Theron Guard enemies as they laid siege to a pumping station. Dying in battle restarted the player a long walk back before the action began, replaying a verbal scene in which one of the characters utters the immortal line, "Look at all dat juice." Repeating this became annoying after a while.
It's a nice, non-whiny take on the difficulty of designing for difficulty, and some solutions that have panned out well for designers and players alike.
There are many ways to deal with the boredom that can sometimes strike during lengthy World of Warcraft sessions -- other than walking away from the computer to partake in a more enjoyable activity (that's just unthinkable). Some people level up new characters. Some people head to the Barrens area to spew their hate-speech towards like-minded scoundrels. However, the virtual denizens of Azeroth will soon be wasting their time using a popular, real-life time wasting engine -- PopCap's uber-successful casual puzzler, Bejeweled.
The in-game add-on began as a homebrew Bejeweled clone from Michael Fromwiller, cleverly titled Besharded. Fromwiller developed the add-on as a method of killing time during long raids and farming sessions, but it wasn't too long before PopCap caught wind of the MMO mini-game. Instead of issuing a timely cease and desist, the casual gaming colossus hired Fromwiller to create a more polished version of the application. The add-on will launch this coming Thursday -- it would probably be wise to put in as much quality time with your WoW-playing acquaintances before then, as you won't be seeing them again for quite some time.
I cant be the only one who has more than 1 console or access to many consoles. This week Star Wars Unleashed was released on PS3, PS2, PSP, DS, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and even other platforms, but out of the major platforms which system would be the best to buy it for ?
What makes my mouth water is the Wii version and the talk of using the Wiimote as a light sabre, this alone makes the Wii the favourite but is it as good as it says?
For graphics the PS3, 360 and PSP should be the sweetest to watch it on, whilst the DS with the Stylus should make for a very different gameplay aspect.
So for all of you who have played the game or are going to buy it, which console version is the one to buy ?
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was released in the UK on Friday (18/09/08) and is available for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, NDS, PSP, PS2, and PC (what no Dreamcast version?)
To celebrate this new instalment in the Star Wars universe, we will be giving away not 1, not 2, but 3 copies of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for the PSP (courtesy of LucasArts), to 3 lucky DCEmu members.
To enter this contest all you have to do is to post a reply to this news post and answer this question:
Which of the 7 Star Wars films is your favourite?
You may only post your answer once, and duplicate entries will be disqualified from the contest. This contest is only open to residents of the UK and Ireland (sorry to all our members outside of that region).
This contest will close on the Friday the 26th of September 2008.
Winners will be chosen randomly from qualified posts and contacted via PM on the DCEmu forums and E-mail. If a winner does not respond within a week a new winner will be picked at random from the other entrants. No purchase necessary. One online entry per person (one e-mail address per person/address). You must be 16 years of age or older to enter. Entry constitutes agreement by winners to be publicized and permission to use each winner's name for the purposes of promotion of the Contest without further compensation. Contest void where prohibited. Odds of winning dependent on number of entrants.
logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. NINTENDO DS, Wii AND THE Wii LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF NINTENDO. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
May the Force be with you!!!!!
Update: If you want to post a reply to this post but do not qualify for the contest e.g. live outsite the UK and Ireland, please post "I'm not entering the contest" thanks
Sonic really needed to go back onto its glorious roots - and I honestly never imagined we could progress so fast in less than one year with this fast pace.
This has been possible only thanks to every talented and motivated contributor, past and present, which shared the same beloved memories of pure enjoyment with Sonic The Hedgehog 2 we had.
Yes, Sonic 2 HD will set many standards as it aims to be much more than a carbon copy version of the original. For instance, it will be the first time a genuine Sonic game will run at FULL HD – cinemascope resolution, Multiplayer Online Competitions, New Levels, unlockables and much more.
Valve's Gabe Newell once commented that World of Warcraft wasn't so much a game as a platform in its own right. Well, he's been proven right by respected puzzle game developer PopCap - it has decided to release its classic, Bejeweled, as a free game-within-a-game for World of Warcraft.
PopCap has re-written Bejeweled as an "add-on" - a small plug-in program for WOW, normally used by the community to modify the game's user interface.
There are some details on PopCap's site, and WOW Insider has some hands-on impressions of the beta version of Bejeweled for WOW.
As well as Classic and Timed modes, the game features a special Flight mode which pops up automatically every time you take an in-game flight, challenging you to score as high as you can before you land. The game also fires up automatically if you die ahead of your friends during a raid.
Bejeweled also features its own achievements and and "skill system", mirroring WOW's.
Bejeweled for WOW will be released, for free, on PopCap's site later this week.
Pandemic Studios has released patch 1.1 for Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, its recently released, action shooter. The update fixes resolution issues, and offers a number of bug tweaks. Patch Notes are posted below:
When the user sets the shader level to low in the options menu, the user can set the shaders back to high again.
The user can now cancel a contract by using a controller.
The user can set the volume levels to high and low using the mouse properly now.
When the user fails to find another player using "Custom Match" the menu options function normally.
Joystick sensitivity now operates as designed.
Adjusting the view distance from the main menu functions properly now.
The user can no longer create accounts using "spaces" in their names, thus allowing them to search online for names properly.
Paper animations have been removed from the game.
All common 16:9 and 4:3 resolutions are now available.
****NOTE: DVI Cable connections will only return a limited number of resolutions****
Default brightness now works when selecting the "Default" setting.
GamePolitics reports on a recent press release from the US Army which says they will be partnering with various military, education, and non-profit organizations to bring an education curriculum to high school students via America's Army. Quoting the press release:
"The partnership ... will incorporate Army technology, gaming and simulation resources to enhance student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The platform for the new curriculum is the America's Army PC game, a free online game that provides civilians with a virtual role in the US Army by introducing them to Army technologies, Rules of Engagement, training and missions. Used as a communications tool, the game has also been adapted for use within the military to produce effective and engaging virtual environments that enhance Soldier training in a number of areas including force protection, convoy survivability and nuclear, chemical and biological detection."
The new Diablo III screenshots highlight the strong chromatic variations existing between the dungeons and the various stages ... It appears obvious, however, that all those details enriching the scenes, the crumbling parapets of the paths within the dungeons, the plants and the ragged drapes lightened by candles, would lose the best part of their raison d'etre if put in monochrome palettes inclined to black
If any sort of parallel can be drawn between Spore and the creatures you foster into civilization within its digital confines, then we've reached a very proud moment. After it emerged from the development seas, wobbling on two spindly legs, Spore has now gone through its first evolution, thanks to a recently released patch that should help the fledgling game walk just a bit straighter.
There's a bevy of changes, from a difficulty increase in the game's first half and a decrease of random attacks on your home planet during the Space stage. Read all about Spore's evolutionary step right here.
Throttle up your ATV and check your fear at the starting line as you compete against fifteen rival riders in unique off-road trick-racing events on over 30 different tracks. Leap off snow-capped Italian mountains, jump gaping chasms in New Mexico or ride the rim of active volcanoes on your way to victory.
Ian Hudson (forum name PURE_DEV) is a member of the Black Rock studio development team (Environment Designer) and is willing to answer any questions you have about Pure, Black Rock Studio or game development in general.
Ian started out in the games industry in 1996 working as level designer for Acclaim Studios London. He moved on to Climax Racing (the former name of Black Rock studio) in 2000 shortly before Acclaim went under and is currently working for Black Rock studio since the Disney acquisition in 2006. For 12 years he has been designing game worlds and racing tracks for various platforms from the N64 through to the 360. Games that he has worked on include Forsaken, The Italian Job, ATV Offroad Fury 3, ATV Offroad Fury PSP and PURE.
If you have a question you would like to ask, post it here (via comments) and "PURE_DEV" will answer.
There will be a launch event of PURE on Leicester Square, London, on Wednesday the 24th of September. This event is open for everyone, and you will be able to try out the game and get the best PURE experience throughout the day. The event will run from 8am until 4pm.
Pure will be available for the PC, PS3 and X360 this Autumn/Fall
features
Fight for justice as Batman & Robin or create chaos as The Joker, Catwoman or other villains
Rocket through sewers and bound across rooftops
Fight on land, sea and in the air using a number of powerful Batman, Robin and villain-controlled vehicles
description
LEGO Batman: The Videogame is the latest game from the award-winning team behind the LEGO Star Wars series of games. With the LEGO fun and charm, the game takes you into the world of the ultimate crime-fighting hero.
This Videogame brings the one-and-only Caped Crusader to life in a completely original storyline. Players will take control of the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin to fight Gotham's City's most notorious criminals including The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, Scarecrow, Killer Croc and many more. The criminals have broken out of Arkham Asylum and are set to wreak havoc on the city.
Players will also be able to explore their wicked side and fight their way through the game as the villains, experiencing the game from a completely different point of view with all-new criminal objectives!
With a collection of high-tech suits, gadgets and cutting-edge vehicles on hand, players will be able to step into the unique LEGO Batman universe to bring super villains to justice - or as the villains, to run amok in Gotham City!
Gamasutra has an interview with Mark Jacobs, GM and co-founder of Mythic, about the recent launch of Warhammer Online. He talks about handling the heavy demands on the servers, and how the launch is going better than the opening of Dark Age of Camelot (during which "somebody parked a truck on our internet"). Jacobs also blogged about the glee with which he and his team have been banning gold spammers: "We don't wait and let them stay in the game and ban them en-masse, my guys ban their useless, time-consuming butts right away. We have a strike team whose sole job it is to get these guys off our servers as quickly as possible. This weekend, we unveiled a new wrinkle in the fight against them, the public ban message. Players on our Phoenix Throne server have been treated to special messages when a gold seller/spammer is banned. I've given them a wide leash to come up with creative messages to tell the entire community who has been banned and we keep it within the Warhammer universe."
Each month the NPD Group releases data about sales in the U.S. videogame industry, including a closely watched list of the top 10 selling software titles. Unfortunately for market data mavens, the top 10 provides only a tiny window into the larger market.
When dozens of games are released each month across no fewer than six console and handheld platforms, there simply aren't enough data points to see how games are selling on each platform.
However, in coordination with the NPD Group, Gamasutra has exclusive data on the top 5 titles for each of the current-generation consoles.
While these are simply additional small windows on the market and not the type of broad view that a top 100 or even top 20 might provide, they do help illuminate what kind of software is selling on which platforms.
Among the many games killed, sold-off or in some sort of nebulous video game purgatory is frightening shooter Ghostbusters.
The game made a splash earlier this year with some demo time at a few events, some wayward promotional lanyards and even a bit of time in my house, but since hitting everyone's radar Ghostbusters has essentially vanished.
Now we hear that among the publishers looking to snatch up the game is Atari which hopes to not only publish the game but make it the crown jewel of their turn-around.
Emails to Phil Harrison (and hassling of the gaggle of clone Harrison running around the tower) have netted us exactly nothing. The official words from Activision are "no comment" so take this one with a grain of salt until things find a bit more solid ground.
While I knew that 99.99% of women would rather play video games than sleep with me, the results of a poll conducted by women's website PoshMama.com for E for All discovered that many of them would rather play games than sleep period. The website polled 120 women, and then dug some interesting statistics out of the 71% of women who tested gaming-positive. For instance, many of the women admitted to playing video games when they should be doing more important things, such as sleeping (more than 33%), on the phone (32%), or while at work (20%). A whopping 53% admitted that gaming had made them late for family and social gatherings.
Hit the jump for more results from the E for All / PoshMama survey. Just keep one thing in mind - this is a poll from a women's exclusive website, meaning at least 50% of the respondents are men claiming to be women who think men are icky and want to experience a more feminine touch.
According to CNET, Microsoft has decided to strip Windows 7 of all built-in email and media editing programs and replace them with optional downloadable apps that tap into Windows Live. Microsoft claims that the move was made out of a desire to ensure a quicker turnaround for future OS releases and to provide a more streamlined system that eliminates confusion and opens up the possibility of working with partners down the line.
Whether this move to separate once native apps from the OS is really about speed, antitrust woes, or a desire to reduce development bugs is open for debate. Whatever the reason, the move does make some sense. Most of these client apps are already online anyway. It also makes it easier for Microsoft to focus on major native apps for the OS.
Mega-publisher Activision Blizzard has revealed that Crash: Mind Over Mutant will hit retail on October 31st, and The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon will arrive on November 21st.
Both titles had disappeared off release schedules following the merger between Vivendi and Activision, but it has now been confirmed that both titles will be out before Christmas.
The publisher has also listed Crash and Spyro as coming out under the Sierra label.
Crash: Mind Over Mutant will be released on DS, PS2, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360, whist The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon will appear on DS, PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360.
Rockstar and Microsoft have rolled out the inevitable news that Grand Theft Auto IV will "exclusively" use Games for Windows LIVE for its multiplayer component.
Microsoft, GTA IV PC will feature upcoming GFW LIVE updates such as "a redesigned game interface, out-of-game client" and the PC version of Marketplace. See what the redesign looks like here.
The news will no doubt come as a disappointment to the many PC gamers who'd rather sand their own face than use Microsoft's service, but that is how the cookie crumbles.
"As we work toward the release of the PC version, Games for Windows Live affords us the opportunity to seamlessly translate the multiplayer console experience for PC gamers," said Rockstar boss Sam Houser of the news.
"The service is a natural fit for the platform and we strongly believe it will help in building a strong online community around GTA IV PC."
The game itself is set to feature not multiplayer modes, a Halo-style replay mode and the obligatory graphical updates.
It's out on November 18. Read our first preview here for more.
One thing Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning doesn't lack is vocal front men at its developer Mythic Entertainment. Chief executive Mark Jacobs has used his first blog post since the game launched last week to lay into his pet hate: gold sellers.
Jacobs revealed that Mythic's "zero tolertance policy" had resulted in the bannings of roughly 400 gold sellers by Saturday night, just two days into the game's life. "We don’t wait and let them stay in the game and ban them en-masse, my guys ban their useless, time-consuming butts right away," he said.
Jacobs has even extended his personal crusade against the gold sellers to the virtual equivalent of public executions - the public ban message.
"Players on our Phoenix Throne server have been treated to special messages when a gold seller/spammer is banned... Messages like 'Tchar’zanek has ordered the slaughter of [Spammer] and all others of his kind who weaken the Raven Host by providing wealth and power to the unworthy' have been seen all weekend," he said. "We will continue this policy and expand it to the other servers."
He also notes that gold selling organisations - "lowlifes like IGE" - have attempted to buy him off in the past. "I’ve been offered 'a piece of the action' both personally and corporately in the past if I will either turn a blind eye or help them in their actions... My answer was and always will remain the same: Go to hell."
Although the majority of MMO operators oppose gold selling within their games, it has proved impossible to stamp out in most - and a silent majority of high-level players of games like World of Warcraft use gold selling services to ease the grind and in-game expense of raiding. Will Jacobs succeed in stamping out the practice in WAR - and should he even be trying?
Spore has maintained its position and gained in the German and Spanish software sales charts respectively for the week ended September 14, as Mercenaries 2: World in Flames fails to gain traction, according to data provided by Media-Control GfK International.
The German chart was topped by EA's sim-everything title, Spore, followed by Wii Fit in second place and Mario Kart Wii in third. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky for the PC debuted on the chart in fourth place, preceding The Sims 2: Apartment Life also for the PC at number five.
In sixth place came Dr Kawashima's Brain Training for the Nintendo DS, in seventh place came The Settlers - Rise of an Empire for the PC and in eighth place came the PlayStation 2 title Naruto Ultimate Ninja 3.
Closing off the German software chart was Dr Kawashimas More Brain Training for the DS at nine and Wii Play at ten.
The Spanish Software sales chart saw Wii Fit come in at number one, Wii Play at number two and The Sims 2: Apartment Life for the PC at number three. Mario Kart Wii came in fourth place, while Spore secured fifth place, up one position from last week.
Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat? for the Nintendo DS came in at number six, as Mercenaries 2: World in Flames for the PlayStation 3 debuted in the top ten at number seven.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii, Grand Theft Auto IV for the PS3 and the DS title Dr Kawashimas Brain Training took eighth, ninth and tenth place respectively.
The German software sales chart follows:
1. Spore (PC)
2. Wii Fit (Wii)
3. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
4. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky (PC)
5. The Sims 2: Apartment Life (PC)
6. Dr Kawashimas Brain Training (DS)
7. The Settlers - Rise of an Empire (PC)
8. Naruto Ultimate Ninja 3 (PS2)
9. Dr Kawashimas More Brain Training (DS)
10. Wii Play (Wii)
The Spanish software sales chart follows:
1. Wii Fit (Wii)
2. Wii Play (Wii)
3. The Sims 2: Apartment Life (PC)
4. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
5. Spore (PC)
6. Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat? (DS)
7. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PS3)
8. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
9. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3)
10. Dr Kawashimas Brain Training (DS)
Tired of Switching? Here is the solution. Talismoon HDMI Auto Switch lets you connect 3 HDMI devices to your screen and switches automatically to the device YOU want! For example, if no device is turned on and you power one on, it will automatically switch to it. Turn a second one on, and it will jump to that new device. Turn it off, it will go back to first one etc. No need to waste time finding the remote and switching back and forth all the time, the HDMI Auto Switch does the job for you
A small (easy to hide) and smart HDMI 1.3 switch that make old HDMI switches pointless! Excellent performance characteristics allows source devices to be used with HDMIT cables up to 15 meters away using AWG 28 HDMI cables at resolutions up to 1080P FULL HD!
This product is confirmed and tested to pass 1080p FULLHD and the new Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio lossless audio formats found on Blu-ray.
The Institute of the Future will soon be launching what it calls the first massively multiplayer forecast game, billed as The Superstruct Game. According to the game's FAQ, the idea is to 'imagine how we might solve the problems we'll face.' Interestingly, the game itself is meant to be played 'on forums, blogs, videos, wikis, and other familiar online spaces.' From the IFTF website's sneak peak, the game is set in the year 2019, where the Global Extinction Awareness System (GEAS) has forecast the possibility of human extinction by the year 2042 as the result of five simultaneous 'super-threats:' Quarantine, which is a result from 'declining health and pandemic disease;' Ravenous, which relates to the global collapse of the world food system; Power Struggle, related to the flux of power 'as nations fight for energy supremacy and the world searches for alternative energy solutions;' Outlaw Planet, covering increased surveillance and loss of liberties; and, lastly, Generation Exile, which covers the massive increase in refugees
Who needs a brick-and-mortar game shop when you have the world wide web of video game download services? Joel Durham Jr. over at ExtremeTech examines some game download services to decide once and for all which virtual storefront has the best deal for gamers. Among the services reviewed are: Steam, Impulse, Direct2Drive, Good Old Games, and WildTangent Orb. The most popular site in the roundup, Steam, was also the most favored because of its wide selection of popular titles, while Direct2Drive also scored top marks because it has 'just about every title in the universe.'"
Which service(s) do you like the most, and what have your experiences with them been?
EA has told users on its forum that they face having their Spore account banned for discussing DRM, a move which could force them to buy new copies of the game in order to continue playing - but subsequently back-tracked on those threats, as long as discussions were kept "civil".
Since the launch of the Sim-everything title, consumers have been expressing frustration at the use of SecuROM DRM to limit the maximum number of game installs to three.
"SecuROM has been discussed and discussed so much and it causes arguments in threads," commented a moderator on the forum. "If you want to talk about DRM SecuROM then please use another fansite forum. If there is any change you will be able to read it on the official Spore site."
"Please do not continue to post theses thread or you account may be at risk of banning which in some cases would mean you would need to buy a new copy to play Spore."
However, further down the page a producer at EA Maxis, going by the forum name 'Maxislucky', welcomed the discussion over DRM and pointed readers to another section of the forum.
"We are happy to support healthy exchanges on the forums. And people will only get banned for breaking the rules," read the post. "Discussing DRM is not breaking the rules - and as long as it is a civil conversation, it's cool with us."
Spore and Spore Galactic Edition have taken the top two spots of the US PC software sales chart for the week ended September 13, according to data provided by NPD.
EA Maxis' title knocked The Sims 2 Apartment Life down to third place, followed by Spore Creature Creator in fourth.
World of Warcraft: Battle Chest dropped down to number five, preceding The Sims 2 Double Deluxe at six, World of Warcraft at seven and World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade at eight.
Warcraft III Battle Chest secured a spot at ninth place and Crysis closed the chart off in tenth place.
The US PC chart follows:
1. Spore
2. Spore Galactic Edition
3. The Sims 2 Apartment Life
4. Spore Creature Creator
5. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest
6. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
7. World Of Warcraft
8. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade
9. Warcraft III Battle Chest
10. Crysis
Creative Assembly has told Eurogamer that it would "love to do" Total War on consoles.
The developer has dabbled in console spin-offs such as Spartan: Total Warrior and Viking: Battle for Asgard in the past, but both stopped short of Total War levels of critical acclaim.
"It's something we've talked about a lot over the years, but nothing has really happened with it," said Kevin McDowell, lead artist, during a roundtable session. "We've definitely thought about it," added senior designer Jamie Ferguson.
Lead programmer Guy Davidson offered: "We'd love to do it, yeah. Whether or not we will..."
Converting the series to console would, as Davison pointed out, be an "immense challenge". Total War is famed for complex real-time strategy battles and an intricate campaign element not unlike playing Sid Meier's Civilization.
Also, reasoned battle AI boss Richard Bull, console lifespan would be too short to create and fit a proper Total War instalment in to.
The PC series returns in February 2009 with Empire: Total War, which adds fully-implemented naval warfare plus a host of other features, including a brand new historical setting that takes place between 1700 and 1800.
Periods of history covered so far by Total War include ancient Japan, ancient Rome and the medieval times. So, where next?
"There are so many periods of history; there are so many ways we can go." said Jamie Ferguson. "We're not short of ideas of new stuff to do."
"We do have a question of like, do we go bigger? Do we go to the future? Do we go to the past? Do we go smaller again? Who knows?" pondered Kevin McDowelle, who added that it was a "fair consideration" to leave behind solid historical fact in favour of a self-made setting.
"If we did it," interjected Ferguson, "it would have to be stonkingly amazing."
Empire: Total War is due for release on 6th February 2009. Head to our Empire: Total War preview to find out more.
LucasArts has revealed that the latest Star Wars title - The Force Unleashed - has sold 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first five days on sale across all platforms.
The title was released on September 16 in North America, September 17 in Australia and South-East Asia, and September 19 in Europe, and the strong demand so far has prompted the publisher to order more copies to be manufactured.
4.3 million units were initially shipped to the various territories, but the Krome Studios-developed game looks set to become the most popular Star Wars title to date.
"The record-setting sales of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed shows the undiminished power of Star Wars and its popularity across all media types, including videogames," said Darrell Rodriguez, president of LucasArts. "We're blown away by the response to the game."
features
Multiplayer - speedy online and offline multiplayer modes for up to six people.
Action-Oriented Arcade Heritage - in contrast to other simulation-themed rally racers, SEGA Rally Revo features action-oriented next-gen arcade racing unlike any other game.
GeoDeformation™ - a unique feature which causes car tires to dynamically deteriorate the ground surface in each race, changing the course during each lap with revolutionary surface and environment deformation.
Vehicles - 30 officially-licensed vehicles, including 4WD, 2WD, Classic and Bonus types.
Environments - a wide range of hyper-realistic next-generation deformable environments including Safari, Arctic, Canyon and Lakeside.
Tracks - a range of off-road and on-road tracks, each with a variety of surface types and creative track designs.
description
SEGA RALLY REVO™
For the first time ever, experience real-time terrain deformation in the off-road racing genre, with SEGA Rally Revo's proprietary GeoDeformation™ technology. As drivers power around looping tracks within numerous environments, their chosen tires will leave tracks which dynamically deteriorate the track surface - meaning no two laps are ever the same. Driving fully customizable licensed cars, players will compete in close-quarters, intensely competitive single-player and multiplayer races made possible by the processing power of next-generation platforms.
Pokemon Platinum for the Nintendo DS has held onto the top spot of the Japanese software sales chart for the week ended September 21, by selling 315,000 units according to data provided by Media Create.
DS title Dragonball DS debuted on the chart at number two, selling 72,000 and preceding Rhythm Tengoku Gold also for the DS at 63,000 units. Namco Bandai's Trusty Bell for the PlayStation 3 broke into the chart with 34,000 units, followed by Quiz Magic Academy for the DS, which sold 29,000 units and secured a spot at number five.
Wii Fit held onto its position from last week at six with 28,000 units, the PlayStation Portable title Hitman Reborn debuted at seven with 25,000 and Shinobido PSP also debuted, taking eighth place at 17,000 units.
One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 1 for the Nintendo Wii dropped five places from last week to ninth, with 15,000 sold, and Mario Kart Wii dropped two places to ten at 14,000 units.
The Japanese software sales charts follows:
1. Pokemon Platinum (DS)
2. Dragonball DS (DS)
3. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS)
4. Trusty Bell (PS3)
5. Quiz Magic Academy (DS)
6. Wii Fit (Wii)
7. Hitman Reborn (PSP)
8. Shinobido PSP (PSP)
9. One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 1 (Wii)
10. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
Electronic Arts has announced more than 1 million copies of Spore have been sold since the game launched on September 7th.
What's more, over 25 million player-created creatures, vehicles and buildings to the Sporepedia.
"Spore is a hit," said EA Games president Frank Gibeau, rather unnecessarily. "Will Wright's latest delivers an incredibly diverse game that appeals to casual gamers and the core alike."
But Star Wars fans, not so much - The Force Unleashed has already reached the 1.5 million sales mark in just five days. Perhaps Will Wright should put more Darth Vader in his games.
The Florida Supreme Court has approved Judge Dava Tunis' recommendations for the permanent disbarment of John B. "Jack" Thompson, with no leave to reapply and $43,675.35 in disciplinary costs. The ruling is a step up from the enhanced disbarment that had been suggested by the prosecution, which would have forbidden him from reapplying for ten years. Thompson has 30 days to appeal the ruling before the disbarment is permanent. Thompson responds to the ruling.
The ever-growing unrest caused by the DRM involved with EA's launch of Spore came to a head on Monday. A woman named Melissa Thomas filed a class-action lawsuit against EA for their inclusion of the SecuROM copy-protection software with Spore. This comes after protests of the game's DRM ranged from a bombardment of poor Amazon reviews to in-game designs decrying EA and its policies. Some of those policies were eased, but EA has also threatened to ban players for even discussing SecuROM on their forums. The court documents (PDF) allege:
"What purchasers are not told is that, included in the purchase, installation, and operation of Spore is a second, undisclosed program. The name of the second program is SecuROM ... Consumers are given no control, rights, or options over SecuROM. ... Electronic Arts intentionally did not disclose to any such purchasers that the Spore game disk also possessed a second, hidden program which secretly installed to the command and control center of the computer."
Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
New games continue to pour into our warehouse and like last week, many of these releases are highly anticipated products.
The adrenaline pumping racer Pure [Xbox360™ & PC Games] is one of them. Instead of fueling your excitement with the sense of speed itself, the game includes a lot of tricks such as aerial jumps. Experience the deadly fun from the comfort of your living room.
Another racer for your Xbox360 is BAJA: Edge of control where you conquer austere environments such as desserts as you speed your way to victory.
Aside from racers, classical squad based combat actioner Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway has come out for your 3rd generation consoles in full glory, completed with stunning visual and audio effects that pushes the limits of your system.
Crossovers are in vogue today and Japanese game developers are taking advantage of that. Super Robot Taisen Z [Japan & Asian versions] and X Edge [Japanese and Asian versions] bring mecha and RPG characters from different series together respectively and have them combine forces to fight a greater evil.
The animation and gaming industry have always been intricately linked. Mecha from popular series such as Gundam shows up in Super Robot Taisen while the Soul Eater cast starred in their own game Soul Eater: Monotone Princess. Experience the hip and stylish elements of this anime turned action game.
September marks the start of a new term for a lot of students, while the novice death angels from the academy have took on dangerous field work, the students from Mana Khemia [Standard & Limited Editions] have started learning the basics of alchemy.
Create items out of raw materials you gathered during field work, build a sound network of friendship with your club members and avoid getting bad grades. This is what going to school is all about.
Autumn is on its tracks along with the start of school, but it's still not too late to have an oceanic adventure. Become a journalist in Aquanaut's Holiday [Japan & Asian versions] and investigate upon a case of a missing marine biologist. Ride on a submarine and explore spots such as sunken shrines and pirate ships. Figure out what the missing person has gone through that leads to his disappearance.
Get back to land from the ocean and submerge into your nightmare in Knights in the Nightmare [Standard & Limited Edition]. Instead of relying fully on tactical gameplay, the game system allows a level of real time control, increasing the level of excitement experienced.
Prior to Knights in the Nightmare, the artists of the game has worked on Yggdra Union, a popular strategic game that has quite a following in Japan. For those who don't speak Japanese, Atlus have localized it for English speaking gamers.
Aside from the classic strategic game, the mecha action Armored Core: For Answer [Xbox360™ & PlayStation3™] has also been localized and released by UBI Soft.
Most games tend to picture you as a world savior, but in World Destruction, you will be entrusted with the burden of ending the world, namely, destroy it completely. But while you are thrust into this mess, you may realize that the world was indeed quite beautiful.
After having fun destroying the world, change game softwares and parody as super heroes. The comedic actioner Lego Batman is teamed together with Lego Robin and are all set to fight crimes in Lego Gotham City.
Save the world is the theme of many games, even in Koei's romance simulators. Fight against thanatos, save the world, but most importantly, get the man of your dreams in Neo Angelique Special [Standard & Limited Editions].
As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™
Armored Core: For Answer US US$ 64.90
Baja: Edge of Control ASIA US$ 49.90
Battle Fantasia US US$ 54.90
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway ASIA US$ 49.90
Infinite Undiscovery (English language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
Infinite Undiscovery (Japanese language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
Janline JPN US$ 39.90
Lego Batman US US$ 59.90
Madden NFL 09 JPN US$ 64.90
Pure US US$ 64.90
Pure ASIA US$ 49.90
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 JPN US$ 64.90
PlayStation3™
Aquanaut's Holiday JPN US$ 59.90
Aquanaut's Holiday ASIA US$ 54.90
Armored Core: For Answer US US$ 64.90
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway ASIA US$ 59.90
Headset 3 JPN US$ 29.90
Lego Batman US US$ 59.90
Madden NFL 09 JPN US$ 64.90
Pure US US$ 64.90
Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty ASIA US$ 29.90
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 JPN US$ 64.90
X Edge JPN US$ 79.90
X Edge ASIA US$ 76.90
Nintendo Wii™
Bomberman JPN US$ 49.90
Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 (Bundle w/ Mat) US US$ 89.90
Disaster: Day of Crisis JPN US$ 64.90
Igor US US$ 44.90
Lego Batman US US$ 59.90
Sim City Creator JPN US$ 59.90
Simple 2000 Series Wii Vol. 1: The Table Game JPN US$ 24.90
Soul Eater: Monotone Princess JPN US$ 59.90
TNA Impact! US US$ 59.90
PlayStation2™
Angel Profile (Best Hit) JPN US$ 34.90
Daisenryaku: Dai Toua Kouboushi - Tora Tora Tora Ware Kishuu Ni Seikou Seri JPN US$ 64.90
Dance Dance Revolution X US US$ 44.90
Dance Dance Revolution X (w/ Dancing Mat) US US$ 79.90
Kinnikuman Muscle Grand Prix Max 2 Tokumori JPN US$ 64.90
Lego Batman US US$ 34.90
Nogizaka Sunkou no Himitsu Cosplay, Hajime Mashita JPN US$ 64.90
Nogizaka Sunkou no Himitsu Cosplay, Hajime Mashita [Limited Edition] JPN N/A
Secret of Evangelion (Best Hit) JPN US$ 34.90
Sengoku Basara 2 (Best Price!) JPN US$ 19.90
Soul Cradle: Sekai o Kurau Mono (The Best Price) JPN US$ 34.90
Sugar + Spice! Anoko no Suteki na Nanimokamo JPN US$ 64.90
Sugar + Spice! Anoko no Suteki na Nanimokamo [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 95.00
Super Robot Taisen Z ASIA US$ 69.90
Super Robot Taisen Z JPN US$ 74.90
True Fortune JPN US$ 64.90
Nintendo DS™
Chokkan! Asonde Relaxuma JPN US$ 48.90
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen US US$ 44.90
Gabu*Gabu Planet JPN US$ 48.90
Guitar Hero: On Tour JPN US$ 59.90
Igor US US$ 34.90
Knights in the Nightmare JPN US$ 58.90
Knights in the Nightmare [DHE Series Special Pack] JPN US$ 79.90
Kumatanchi JPN US$ 48.90
Lego Batman US US$ 34.90
Princess Maker 4 DS Special Edition JPN US$ 48.90
Red Bull BC One US US$ 24.90
Sakai Burai Kaiji: Death or Survival JPN US$ 48.90
Simple DS Series Vol. 44: The Gal Mahjong JPN US$ 28.90
U-Can Pen Ji Training DS JPN US$ 29.90
Umiuru to Sudoku Shiyo! JPN US$ 39.90
World Destruction: Michibi Kareshi Ishi JPN US$ 59.90
World Destruction: Michibi Kareshi Ishi [ebten DX Pack] JPN US$ 129.90
Nintendo DS™ Accessories
Hello Kitty Mobile Game Case (Black) JPN US$ 14.90
Hello Kitty Mobile Game Case (Red) JPN US$ 14.90
Hello Kitty Mobile Game Case (White) JPN US$ 14.90
Sony PSP™
B-Boy US US$ 34.90
Daisenryaku: Dai Toua Kouboushi - Tora Tora Tora Ware Kishuu Ni Seikou Seri JPN US$ 48.90
Mana-Khemia: Gakuen no Renkinjutsu Shitachi Portable JPN US$ 48.90
Mana-Khemia: Gakuen no Renkinjutsu Shitachi Portable [Premium Box] JPN US$ 69.90
Patapon (PSP the Best) ASIA US$ 24.90
Patapon (PSP the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Pipe Mania ASIA US$ 29.90
Princess Maker 5 Portable JPN US$ 48.90
Princess Maker 5 Portable [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 69.90
Soldier Collection (PC Engine Best Collection) JPN US$ 29.90
Yggdra Union US US$ 44.90
PC Game
Crysis Warhead (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 29.90
Dracula 3: Path of the Dragon ASIA US$ 34.90
Hell's Kitchen ASIA US$ 29.90
Lego Batman (DVD-ROM) US US$ 34.90
Pure US US$ 54.90
Sinking Island ASIA US$ 34.90
Magazines and Guides
Drastic Killer Official Visual Fan Book JPN US$ 40.90
Famitsu DS + Wii [November 2008] JPN US$ 9.90
Hobby Japan [November 2008] JPN US$ 14.90
Lineage II Memorial JPN US$ 23.90
Lord of Vermilion Official Guide Book JPN US$ 26.90
Monster Hunter Festival 2008 Memorial DVD Book JPN US$ 13.90
Neo Angelique Special Perfect Guide JPN US$ 24.90
Tokyo Majin Gakuen: Kenfuuchou Complete Guide JPN US$ 28.90
V-Jump [November 2008] JPN US$ 8.90
Wario Land Shake It!: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Weekly Famitsu No. 1032 (2008 10/03) JPN US$ 7.90
Zero no Tsukaima: Knight of Twin Moon Illustration Book JPN US$ 27.90
Video Game Soundtracks
Bleach Beat Collection 4th Session 3 JPN US$ 13.90
Crest of Z's Toshin No Monsho (Super Robot Taisen Z Intro Theme) (~JAM Project) JPN US$ 11.90
Fate/Tiger Colosseum Upper Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 19.90
Knights in the Nightmare Perfect Audio Collection Plus JPN US$ 29.90
Memories Off 6: Trial Wave Personal Collection 1 Candy Love (~Ririsu Tomine) JPN US$ 13.90
Memories Off 6: Trial Wave Personal Collection 2 Blue Moon (~Chloe Kagamigawa) JPN US$ 13.90
Memories Off 6: Trial Wave Personal Collection 2 Mind Loop (~Chisa Hakozaki) JPN US$ 13.90
Nana Best Album (~Nana) JPN US$ 28.90
Neo Angelique Abyss Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 30.90
PixelJunk Eden Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 21.90
Sigma Harmonics Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 23.90
Siren 2 Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 31.90
Tales of Series Piano Selection JPN US$ 29.90
Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 28.90
The Idolm@ster Master Box 4 [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 95.90
X Edge Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 31.90
Yuu Kobayashi's Monthly Fumiaki Kobayashi Radio CD October Issue (~Yuu Kobayashi) JPN US$ 32.90
Here is a quick outlook what's expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™
Raiden IV JPN US$ 64.90
Silent Hill: Homecoming ASIA US$ 59.90
Silent Hill: Homecoming US US$ 64.90
PlayStation3™
Baja: Edge of Control US US$ 64.90
Buzz Quiz TV (w/ 4 Wireless Buzzers) US US$ 79.90
Silent Hill: Homecoming ASIA US$ 59.90
Silent Hill: Homecoming US US$ 64.90
Nintendo Wii™
Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility US US$ 59.90
Samba De Amigo US US$ 44.90
Wario Land: Shake It! US US$ 54.90
PlayStation2™
Shin Sangoku Musou 5 Special JPN US$ 64.90
Nintendo DS™
Disgaea DS US US$ 34.90
Kirby: Super Star Ultra US US$ 39.90
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure US US$ 34.90
Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood US US$ 39.90
Time Hollow US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™
Ikkitousen: Eloquent Fist JPN US$ 48.90
Ikkitousen: Eloquent Fist [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 95.00
To Love Ru Trouble: Doki Doki! Rinkaigakkou-Hen JPN US$ 48.90
To Love Ru Trouble: Doki Doki! Rinkaigakkou-Hen [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 74.90
While SanDisk has made no official announcements, their 16GB MicroSD cards are popping up for sale at various internet retailers (at various prices, we might add). Ranging from $80 to $220 (we'd go with the $80), prices will settle with more availability. But we're pretty excited to toss an iPhone's worth of flash storage into any fancy smartphone we like. Plus, whenever we pop a tiny MicroSD card into one of our gadgets, it always feels like we're in the future.
Look, I know that Hawaii is a very laid-back sort of place. Bright sunshine, sandy beaches, news reporters who wear Hawaiian shirts on broadcast television even when not covering a luau, but it can be taken too far. For instance, if you are driving a city bus filled with passengers on a busy street in Honolulu, it's probably not a good idea to break out the PSP and play a couple rounds of Hot Shots Golf.
"With two hands… at times, while he was driving in traffic, yes,” (bus passenger Denita) Waltz said. "And also at the stoplights, and at that point I was very scared."
The driver, an 18-year veteran with The Bus, has been suspended without pay pending further investigation. Not sure what further investigating they need to do here, really. What game he was playing? His high score? Does that affect putting people's lives in danger?
With the economy on the ropes and a recession running around like death at the masquerade, it seems inevitable that we're going to be dealing with question eventually, so let's get to it now.
NPR argued yesterday that video games could serve as the mass opiate of this generation's great depression. In the 30s that role was served by nickle movies, but today's audience can perhaps get more bang for their buck, more distraction for their dollar with a game.
So which one will best help people to forget their worldly woes?
The Playstation 3 has theoretical future-proofing in the bag and includes a bunch of built in features that make using it for other purposes (without additional cost) a breeze and of course it has a Blu-ray player. Then again it's the most expensive, and blu-ray movies aren't exactly cheap either.
The Wii is the family friendliest of the bunch, the one most likely to attract reticent non-gamers to it's fold. Of course most of its games aren't as deep and it isn't the cheapest on the market anymore.
The Xbox 360 has the biggest selection of consoles, including the cheapest on the market. It also has the biggest selection of cheap downloadable titles and robust video on demand support, soon to be amplified by Netflix. But tapping into all of the 360's potential features means buying expensive add-ons, like the harddrive.
The arcade. Yes, the arcade. While they are almost non-existent in the U.S. and the likelihood that someone is going to suddenly invest in opening them up, especially now, is crazy, I think arcades are really the closest example of what happened in the 30s with movies. You don't need a television, you don't even need electricity, you just need a quarter and the time to play.
Creative Assembly - the team behind the Total War series - have told Eurogamer that they've not only been talking about a console version of the acclaimed strategy series "a lot over the years", but that they'd "love to do it". Coming on the heels of Ensemble's turn to a console game, then closure, dyed-in-the-wool PC gamers will no doubt be reacting with a mix of rage and rage. Of course, there are plenty of obstacles in their way, limited console lifespans and the complexity of the PC versions the primary two amongst many. As a long-time devotee of the Total War series, I'm hoping this outpouring of intent is harmless, akin to me saying "I'd love to buy a private jet, fill it with plastic balls (ala a ball pit) and order the pilot to make with the barrel rolls". It'd be awesome, but it's never going to happen.
BREAKING NEWS. If you are not sitting down, grab a seat. And if you are already sitting, you might want to stand up. A new US report shows that girls between 9 and 12 years old are becoming more interested in video games, while girls aged 13 and 14 years old are also listening music on *gasp* portable digital music players and using cell phones for talking/texting. But isn't that true of boys of that age as well? Pretty sure neither trend is unique of females...
Calradia is a land at war, a land offering great riches and even greater dangers to the adventurers and mercenaries that flock to shed their blood on its soil. With unerring courage and a strong sword, an unknown stranger can make a name as a warrior. Raise a band of hardened soldiers, become the lord of several towns and castles, and perhaps one day you may wield the power to depose kings and crown new ones at a whim.
Wow, another week files by and another round of new console sale figures come again from Japan with the following changes:
Nintendo DS Lite: 61,242
Nintendo Wii: 29,921
Playstation Portable: 28,674
Xbox 360: 13,777
Playstation 3: 8,156
Playstation 2: 7,720
The DS Lite stays on top, down slightly by about 2,600. The Wii overtakes the PSP (which goes down by 2,000), though sales just increase by 300. The Xbox 360 stays in 4th place, sales down more than half by about 14,500. PS3 and PS2 come up last in line, both virtually unchanged (up 103, 89 respectively). In short, all consoles aside from the DS Lite aren't doing so well for sales right now.
Half a million users have registered to play Mythic's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, according to publisher Electronic Arts.
The figures come after only one week on sale, with EA claiming the title is the fastest-selling MMO of all time.
"In just one week we have a half a million people playing WAR online, and the ranks of Order and Destruction are growing at a record-breaking pace for a new MMORPG," offered Mark Jacobs, co-founder of Mythic Entertainment.
"We spent years working to provide players with the most stable, epic, and polished online world we could, but it is the players that have truly brought the Age of Reckoning to life."
NCsoft has delayed the Architect updated to its superhero MMO City of Heroes, which was to allow players to design their own missions.
The game's next update - Issue 13 - is now retitled Power and Responsibility. It will contain all the other features planned for Architect, plus some new ones, including the an extension to the game's "sidekick" buddy system called Levelling Pact.
This feature allows you and a friend to synchronise XP over your characters so that they're always at the same level, even if one of you plays much more than the other; an idea that will come as a welcome relief to many MMO players.
Power and Responsibility also adds Multi-Builds, allowing you to keep two different versions of each of your characters. The Day Jobs, powersets and Merit rewards system planned for Architect will also be included.
Lead designer Matt Miller explained that the delay to the Architect mission editor was due to overwhelming player demand for the ability to create custom NPC characters for missions.
"Adding custom characters has always been on our Mission Architect feature list, but we had considered it a 'stretch goal'," Miller explained. "That is, we could launch the system without this feature because our confidence was high that the rest of the system was incredibly robust.
"But after listening to you guys, we realize that this feature simply must be in at launch," he said.
This the Architect update becomes Issue 14, and will be released in early 2009. Issue 13: Power and Responsibility will be released in the autumn this year.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has dominated the European software sales charts for the week ended September 21, taking up three places of the top ten in Spain and four in Germany.
The data, provided my Media-Control Gfk International, shows Lucas Arts' title take the top spot in Spain on the PlayStation 3, followed by the PC-MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning at number two.
Wii Fit comes in third, with The Force Unleashed for the Xbox 360 coming in fourth and Wii Play in fifth. The Wii version of The Force Unleashed came in sixth, Mario Kart Wii came in seventh and The Sims 2: Apartment Life for the PC came in eighth.
Closing off the Spanish chart was the DS title Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat? and Mercenaries 2: World in Flames for the PS3 at nine and ten respectively.
Warhammer Online topped the German software sales chart, preceding The Force Unleashed for the PS3 in second place and Crysis for the PC in third.
The Collectors Edition of Warhammer Online came in at number four, while the Xbox 360 version of the Force Unleashed came in at number five and Spore for the PC at number six.
The Force Unleased for the Wii came in seventh, followed by Mario Kart Wii at eighth, Wii Fit at ninth and the PlayStation 2 version of The Force Unleashed at tenth.
Spanish software sales chart follows:
1. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS3)
2. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC)
3. Wii Fit (Wii)
4. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360)
5. Wii Play (Wii)
6. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Wii)
7. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
8. The Sims 2: Apartment Life (PC)
9. Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat? (DS)
10. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PS3)
German software sales chart follows:
1. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC)
2. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS3)
3. Crysis (PC)
4. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Collectors Edition (PC)
5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360)
6. Spore (PC)
7. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Wii)
8. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
9. Wii Fit (Wii)
10. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS2)
Well, it looks like the good times that are the Ubuntu alpha testing process hit a bit of a snag recently, as one of the latest kernels apparently had the nasty side effect of irreparably damaging some users' hardware -- specifically, certain Intel network cards.
So far, it seems that only laptops have been affected by the bug, which corrupts the NVRAM used to store data like MAC addresses, but folks don't seem to be ruling out the possibility that it could affect desktops as well. What's more, while a warning has been added to the ISO download, it hasn't been pulled altogether, with the only explanation given being that it would delay the 8.10 release schedule too much.
Not entirely surprisingly, that has prompted at least a few folks to give up on testing alpha versions of the OS, at least until this whole thing gets sorted out.
This is what you'll need to run Valve's upcoming zombie-shooter Left 4 Dead, which you should be looking forward to running because it's really, really good. Like today - payday.
The specs have been provided by Doug Lombardi, so you can take them as pretty final.
Gamasutra did an in-depth interview with Yoshi Ono, producer of Street Fighter IV, about trying to bring the series back to the quality and popularity of the '90s. Ono also talks about broadening the market to include casual players, who were slowly driven away from the game by the increased focus on competitive play. Quoting:
"If you think about chess for instance, a kid and a grandfather can play the same game, with the same ruleset, and understand what's going on. I think through our competitive spirit back then; we were always out to out-complicate each other, and make our systems deeper and deeper. It was ok then because there was a wide player base who understood how to play these games, but that's not true anymore. What we're trying to do with Street Fighter IV is bring them back in. There's not a whole lot of other fighting games out there to compare it to, but hopefully, if we play our cards right and get people back in to the genre, we can blossom the genre itself again and spread things out and get it back to the way it was."
"It seems to me that the folks who create and publish a game shouldn't stop receiving income from further sales." That's the word from Bungie audio director Marty O'Donnell, who obviously feels that game developers and publishers should realize residual income from used game sales, much like we imagine the vehicle, book, and toothbrush industries do today ... in Bizarro World.
The sound guru also believes that used game sales had a "big" impact on Halo, though he admits that "complaining about sales when you have a multi-million seller is somewhat difficult to justify." That it is. While it's interesting to see that not everyone is doing backflips over pre-owned sales, we can't help but wonder if O'Donnell envisions a future where companies are allowed to double dip with online auctions, or if a Spartan will pay a visit to our neighborhood garage sale looking for his fair share.
Despite having her franchise rebooted a la Batman Begins, it saddens us to see acrobatic archeologist Lara Croft give in to her old, animal-killing habits. Sure, there's a modicum of guilty pleasure to be derived from watching her kick tigers in the face, but the above shark-slaying video simply lacks ... finesse. If watching the lithe leading lady go all Richard Dreyfuss on the wonders of the deep is something you find upsetting, we'd advise you to skip to the video after the break, where she runs around Mexico sticking poles in holes.
Pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink. No. Pour yourself two or three drinks. It's time for TELL US DAMMIT. Here's how it works: We ask a question, you answer it. Simple and no strings attached! This isn't some marketing survey or whatever. It's an emotional investment in you. Yes, we're interested in knowing you, Kotaku reader person. You probably know ****tons about us — more than you even want to, we're sure. But, hey, we'd like to know about you. That way you won't be some faceless blob — and we might feel a tinge of guilt when we ban your ass. Or not, because really we're incapable of human emotion. Who knows!
Question: What is your biggest gaming get? What is the best deal you've got on a game purchase?
Only a Game has an interesting musing up on who's winning — or potentially will win — the battle for the 'hardcore' market share. Nintendo is rather clearly running away with the so-called 'casual' market, but that still leaves room for Sony and Microsoft. Chris Bateman takes the opinion that Sony has managed to squander the biggest market lead in the history of gaming, but that doesn't mean it's easy sailing for Microsoft:
The battle is far from over, and Sony have more up their sleeve right now than Microsoft appear to be able to muster, but by stealing hardcore loyalty from their market rivals, Microsoft has gained an edge that could allow them to give Sony a seriously bloody nose this time around. But if it came to 360 versus Wii in a battle for the mass market, Microsoft should save their warchest and call it quits – it may be the hardcore gamer’s ideal machine right now, but even in a dream scenario the 360’s installed base is probably going to top out at about 40 million (not coincidentally, roughly the size of the installed base of Sony’s hardcore-friendly PSP handheld).
The Wii might not have the legs to beat Sony’s 140 million PS2’s, since that was the consequence of a convergence between gamer hobbyist and mass market support which doesn’t exist now that the console manufacturers have torn the market dynamic into two very different halves, but with a good tailwind it could match or exceed the 75 million DS handhelds Nintendo have sold. I suspect it will outsell the 360 by 2:1, perhaps 3:1.
And the PS3? It’s final unit sales may depend more on the uptake of the Blu-ray format than anything else, so at least it will help Sony with the promotion of their media format, even while it teaches the multinational the lesson the N64 taught Nintendo: you still have to be nice to people when you get to the top, as it’s a long way down...
I'm still irritated with Sony for a variety of reasons, most tied to the lead up to the PS3 release, but Bateman points out some PS3 features that may broaden its mass market appeal (e.g., Blu-ray). I'm am so not looking forward to whatever these companies have to dish out the next 'next-gen' release time around, which hopefully won't be for a while. In any case, the essay is worth a read — an interesting analysis of what is and what may be happening.
This 3D jigsaw puzzle game allows you to play jigsaw puzzles on your computer by selecting your favorite images and the number of pieces. The 3D view creates a totally immersive playing experience like a real puzzle game.
To help all users who visit our Sites we are asking for the DCEmu Public to help us gather as many links for each console and a little bit of info about the site in question.
It Should start like this, for example heres our site that covers PC Homebrew Emulation and Gaming
Description - DCEmus Site that covers all things PC such as Emulators, Homebrew, Development, Hacking, Gaming and Hardware News with discussion forums too.
Please add as many PC Homebrew Emulation and Gaming sites to the list as you know
With the introduction of the well-received N10, we thought maybe -- just maybe -- ASUS was moving beyond its disgusting obsession with mutilating the Eee brand. Instead, we're now faced with fresh hues of two old faces: the blue 901A and the gilded 900A. Looks as if all the internals have remained the same, though there's no indication what kind of premium (if any) you'll have to pay for your color of choice.
Microsoft has announced that the PC version of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV will exclusively use Games for Windows Live for its multiplayer mode when it hits shelves November 18th. Rockstar founder Sam Houser explained the decision: 'As we work toward the release of the PC version, Games for Windows Live affords us the opportunity to seamlessly translate the multiplayer console experience for PC gamers, the service is a natural fit for the platform and we strongly believe it will help in building a strong online community around GTA IV PC.'"
Wired is running a story suggesting that this release could save the rather unpopular Microsoft PC gaming platform.
In light of the increased focus on the DRM controversy in recent days, Ars Technica did an interview with execs from CD Projekt's Good Old Games about where the problems are with current DRM implementation. "For me, the idiocy of those protection solutions shows how far from reality and from customers a lot of executives at big companies can be. You don't have to be a genius to check the internet and see all the pros and cons of those actions." Penny Arcade is also running a two-part series on DRM from game journalists Brian Crecente and Chris Remo. Crecente talks about how some companies are making progress in developing acceptable DRM, and some aren't. Remo recommends against a trend of overreaction to minor gripes.
In their most recent weekly news update, Valve announced that starting next week, Steam will begin hosting certain user-created mods of Source engine titles such as Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2. Owners of any Source title will be able to download these mods for free -- what's more, Valve has promised automatic updates and stat tracking for the mods they add to the download service.
The first five mods to be highlighted by Steam are Age of Chivalry, a medieval HL2 mod (pictured above); Synergy, another mod for HL2 which adds a co-op mode to the campaign; D.I.P.R.I.P., a multiplayer vehicular combat game; Zombie Panic, a spiritual precursor to Left 4 Dead; and Insurgency, a "total conversion" mod that takes players out of City 17, and places them on a modern battlefield. Sadly, our Source-based Burgertime mod didn't make the cut. Hopefully Valve will get wise and pick it up with the next batch.
Not sure exactly how this alleged scam works/worked. Yewchoo Ng, 27, of Boulder, is accused of ripping off a bunch of retailers for more than $180,000 by buying new 360s and PS3s, prying off their serials and slapping them on old consoles, returning them for the cash and then, I presume, selling off the good merch on eBay or something. For this he's facing 20 years in the federal slammer and a fat fine.
For this scam to work, you really need access to a cheap supply of defective consoles, right? Unless, what, he was slapping serials on ColecoVisions, Atari 7800s, boxes of rocks with "PLAYSTASHUN 4" written on them? That's a hell of a lot of overhead for a ripoff, so my guess is the $180,000 is the value of all the machines he bought/returned, not his tainted profit.
Sorry, I just can't understand how he had that many defective/inoperable consoles to carry out this scam as described. Any alternative ideas?
A new version of OpenTTD has been released a few days ago.
Quote: "OpenTTD is a clone of the Microprose game "Transport Tycoon Deluxe", a popular game originally written by Chris Sawyer. It attempts to mimic the original game as closely as possible while extending it with new features.
OpenTTD is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.0. For more information, see the file 'COPYING' included with every release and source download of the game."
Developer Ascaron Entertainment has released a singe player demo for Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, the follow-up to the company's 2004 action-RPG.
The premise for the demo is posted below:
"This exciting new demo immerses gamers in the mystical world of Ancaria, as they experience a small sampling of the quests, environments and monsters that will be part of the grand adventure of the full game. Playing as the beautiful and deadly Seraphim, a powerful guardian of the world of Ancaria and its T-Energy, gamers will explore the lush lands of the High Elves, encountering a variety of creatures and environments."
To download the nearly 1749 MB demo, visit IGN's sister site, Fileplanet.
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