features
Befriend 6 beautiful horses from the magical world Bella Sara
Activate the exclusive horse 'Excelsior'
Explore the magical trails of North of North
Maintain your stable, groom your horses and watch them blossom
description
Bring the magical world of Bella Sara to life with the Bella Sara video game! Be a hero in your own story set in an interactive world of fantasy horses. The trading cards are a huge success and now you can also ride, care for, accessorise and trade your horses with friends. Get ready to discover secret items and exclusive cards to activate on the official Bella Sara website.
description
EA SPORTS FIFA MANAGER 09 gives football fans full control over the management of their clubs. Whether founding a club, becoming a national coach, or finally leading their favourite club to international glory, all options are open to players in the EA SPORTS football management simulation for PC. The game contains all areas of club management, from signing new players to training to extending stadiums.
A central element of EA SPORTS FIFA MANAGER 09 is the matchday itself. The 3D mode offers new improvements, particularly in the areas of graphics, sound and AI. The new, fully customisable user interface in 3D mode gives players direct access to substitutions, tactical changes, and statistics. The text mode has been completely revamped and now features a unique mixture of traditional live commentary and an Internet live ticker. Lots of exciting and informative tools create a high level of transparency and atmosphere.
Other major features of EA SPORTS FIFA MANAGER 09 are the line-up and tactics sections. Various new team and single-player options offer endless possibilities for every type of coach. New features include a youth transfer market and match prediction tool. Players can put teams together freely and even assign form and fitness values to single players. This allows matches in the real world of football to be simulated under very realistic conditions in order to predict the outcome of a match.
Featuring licensed league, club and player data from 33 countries, EA SPORTS FIFA MANAGER 09 has a comprehensive player data bank containing over 1,500 clubs and more than 25,000 players, with over 7,000 original player photos included in the game. Other players can be added by using the editor tool.
If you've yet to experience the joys of exploring Thailand's jungles, swinging across yawning chasms or savagely murdering exotic kitty cats, you probably failed to download the Xbox 360 demo of Tomb Raider: Underworld earlier this week. Don't worry, for we're about to give you a second chance by linking you to the PC demo of the game, hosted on the beefy servers of Big Download.
While you're playing, be sure to keep an eye on Lara's exquisite animation, as well as her inexplicable vendetta against ancient and undoubtedly priceless pots. Take that, primitive containers!
The eXtensible Visualization Platform TM (XVP) is a powerful, extensible and easy to use game development platform targeting a wide array of modern environments including Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, and Linux, as well as console gaming systems from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft.
XVP allows designers, artists, engineers and producers to collaborate like never before. Throughout the entire product's development cycle, XVP's Workflow Communications enhance productivity while simplifying complex dependencies between members of the team.
You know it, you love it, Tell Us Dammit. No, rather TELL US DAMMIT. Yep! Time to learn about each other. 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 interesting 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. Sadness.
Question What is the longest you have gone without gaming?
Michael Abbott of the Brainy Gamer has a nice reminder of why we play RPGs (well, those of us who play RPGs), based on some of his undergraduates' writings on their experiences in Fallout 1 and 2. Michael notes that the exercise — writing autobiographies of their characters — is often used in theatre, but it never occurred to him that it would be useful for his students in his RPG seminar, until "we began discussing the characters they had created .... The sense of ownership they clearly felt, and their remarkably vivid descriptions of their experiences in the games, made the assignment a no-brainer." Which goes to one of the reasons why people make the investment in RPGs:
What we're really talking about is pretending. Make-believe. "Role-playing" may bless the activity with a marginally more acceptable moniker, but when we play RPGs we summon our most primitive urges - the ones we've had since we were children - and we tap into something about the human psyche that inclines toward empathy.
We love pretending because we possess an innate desire to understand (to know and to feel) what it would be like to be *this* man or *that* woman. To mold a character through our own choices and to walk in his shoes, with as many in-world consequences and as few real-world consequences as possible, 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.
We know all this, and we've known it for a long time...but sometimes it pays to stop and take a another look. Sometimes we're jolted into knowing something in a better way than we knew it before.
It's an interesting look at (a) an interesting pedagogical tool (I am so hoping I can teach seminars on RPGs one day) and (b) a reminder of why (some of us) love RPGs.
We treat them like a rare species, but really, women who game are not that uncommon. Recent polls have put the figure between 35 and 40 percent of women, a minority but not a scarcity. Negative Gamer's Chelsea — aka Nintendoll — spotted something elsewhere that set her teeth on edge, and she wants to set the record straight about the reasons women and girls game. Because in her view the experience risks getting cliquey and catty, like high school.
Female gamers separate into two groups, Chelsea says, that are pretty easy to understand. "Girl gamers" do it for the attention — "a feeling of security and control from her social circle" — while "female gamers" just want to have friends who share an interest in games. "Since these “gamer girls” get their self-esteem from the praise and adoration of men who play video games, they become dependent on video games as something far more than entertainment."
How does it get to that point?
Well, it’s a problem that many people suffer from that is completely unrelated to gaming: low self-esteem. These girls want to be part of what they see as an exclusive boy’s club. It is true that women are currently a minority in the gaming industry, which is why gaming men find girls who play video games more desirable. Girls who feel the need to be loved try to sneak their way into this “boy’s club” using video games as a pretense to say that they’re a “tomboy” or “just one of the guys.” But the reality is that it is not really for the “equality” that they constantly complain is absent, but for the feeling of superiority over other girls coupled with the adoration of the male gaming community.
And that's where it gets catty.
“Gamer girls” hate on each other because they feel threatened by each other. Another female in this “boy’s club” diffuses the overall attention that a girl will get. Therefore a “gamer girl” will rip into another female gamer to protect her status as the most important girl in this male-dominated social circle. This is not unique to the video game industry, I’ve seen it happen in other predominantly male territories such as tech schools and the local rock climbing gym I used to frequent.
How can dudes help? She doesn't say, and I don't want to get all womyn's-studies on you here. But I'd say that treating everyone who picks up a controller, male or female, like a gamer first is a good start.
Patronizing, condescending or leering behavior would definitely discourages an interest in gaming as a fun activity, and if they continue it'll be for the other reasons Chelsea described — attention seeking, social superiority, etc.
I know I foment a lot of the "OMG hot girls who game" stuff, but when you look at them — Jo Garcia and Grace Kim are demonstrably serious about what they do, and the cosplayers are definitely informed about the games they like. To me, that's even hotter, and you see it when you game with them seriously.
You know you've made it when your little-laptops-that-could sit atop a market-share big enough to support third-party device-hackery like this. It's "easy," it's "fun," it's a solder-less DIY touch-screen kit made specifically for the Acer Aspire One and Eee PC 900/901 netbooks. The 4-wire, resistive panel display with Mac, Linux, and Windows drivers sure looks easy enough to install. But we'll wait for the reviews to see just how well the $96 panel (a cool 25% of the netbook's price) performs under day-to-day use, thankyouverymuch. We've got our Windows 7 pre-beta ready just in case.
Someone walking through the parking lot of my apartment complex and seeing a shattered DualShock laying on the ground probably thought someone had a little temper tantrum mixed in with his Bioshock last night. Actually, that's only half right. I wasn't mad at a game, but I was mad at the controller (of course, I'm not to blame). I'd spilled Dr. Pepper all over myself and some got in the left thumbstick. Suddenly I could not move to the right anymore. That's kind of important in a game like MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. It's kind of important in any game, actually. I tested it against my other controller, restarted the machine, let it dry out, nothing. So, $60 got me barely a day's worth of use of this controller. I said why not, heaved it over a row of apartments here and into the adjacent parking lot.
The weekday guys forgot to do a TUD and I know everyone likes weighing in, so I'll ask you here: What's the worst thing you've ever done to a piece of hardware, and why? Bonus points for details like people harmed/frightened by the act. Tell us everything about your rage! Tell us, dammit!
features
Built-in online tournament capability: First ever online hunting community that will provide players with constantly updated worldwide club and tournament opportunities
True-to-life animal behaviour: Animals see, smell, hear and even fight
Amazing special features: Bullet time, thermal scopes and ragdoll physics. Scout the area before hunting to set up blinds and tree stands
High quality art: Art and shaders show realistic looking animals and actions
Improved mechanics: Hunters sense, adrenaline mode and stealth to sight in and shoot elk, moose, red stag, mule, deer, cape buffalo, caribou, cougar, wild boar, kudu and grizzly bear
Master hunting strategies: Hunters can use glassing, stalking, tracking, long range shooting, baiting, stands and blinds
In depth tutorials: With nine in-depth tutorials, hunters can train to master hunting strategies
Dangerous game: Hunters will need to beware of dangerous game that will threaten and stalk the player until a final encounter where the player must use hunting skill to bring the game down
description
Enter into the most intense virtual hunting experience ever created! Communicate, trade and compete online – with the first-ever hunting game that includes in-game tournaments!
Deer Hunter, the biggest hunting game franchise of all time, returns with a bang in Deer Hunter Tournament. By providing players with constantly updated worldwide club and built-in tournament opportunities, Deer Hunter Tournament is designed to create a massive network of Deer Hunter players who will regularly compete and communicate with fellow hunters.
Gamers and hunting fans alike will venture to most of the world's most prestigious hunting locations in pursuit of the most exotic and sought after big-game trophy animals. Virtual hunters can now enter different modes, such as stealth or adrenaline, or employ an array of master hunting strategies, including building stands and blinds, to track and shoot their targets.
Deer Hunter Tournament provides numerous levels of gameplay, allowing hunters to embark on scouting missions designed to explore maps and equipment while studying animal habits. Hunters can also take part in hunting tutorials, compete in open hunting sessions and participate in either solo gameplay or the intense multi-player tournaments.
Yet more signs of life from NCsoft's sci-fi MMO Tabula Rasa: the game has a revamped camera system in the works, including an FPS-style view and a number of other first-person modes.
Last week's Feedback Friday update on the official Tabula Rasa site revealed that the sought-after FPS mode was under development. Click the link to see it working in a couple of screenshots.
Scope views are also being added to the game's sniper rifles, rocket launchers and the like, and are once again shown in screens. The post also promises a cockpit view for the game's mechs, and a more zoomed-out third-person camera to help out support classes.
These features bring Tabula Rasa a little closer to being the shooter-influenced MMO that was promised at launch. They follow last week's news that the next major update, Deployment 15, would bring players a new campaign set on Earth.
Electronic Arts has explained that forum moderators will not be able to ban people from playing EA games.
"Players who have been banned from EA Forums are not automatically banned from online access to their other EA games. Posting in EA Forums is enabled by an EA Nucleus account - but access to the forums and access to the games are separate," reads a publisher statement on GameCyte.
"Players can be banned if they breach the Terms of Service or Code of Conduct in a forum, game, or service. Each forum, game, and service is managed independently by customer support representatives responsible for that specific forum, game or service."
The publisher was responding to an EA moderator - supposedly community manager Aaron Kaufman - who told Red Alert 3 fans that game and forum accounts were linked, and that a ban for one meant a ban for the other.
Furthermore, this Master EA Account was said to be linked to all of the publisher's games requiring an online sign-in, resulting in an EA-wide ban for misbehaving on a forum.
The fate of the misguided EA forum moderator is undisclosed. Perhaps he is among the 600 losing jobs as EA cuts costs to combat diminishing retail demand.
So it's true - there really is a link between violence and video games. In an otherwise run of the mill article on how the next US President will have to deal with the issue of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, the New York Times printed this little nugget:
One detainee is said to have been schooled in making detonators out of SEGA game cartridges.
Nobody at Kotaku (especially those who frequently travel overseas) has any idea if that is even possible, or why SEGA specifically, but the story seems to originate from the case of Hassan Bin Attash - a seventeen year old (at time of capture) detainee that several human rights organisations claim was tortured in Jordan before being held in Gitmo. Possibly, after a few months of waterboarding a weaponized copy of Toe Jam & Earl: Panic on Funkotron might seem more credible.
It's been a while since we've had a really good "video games make our children violent" study, and I was beginning to fear we've given up on the idea, but then the story "Violent video games linked to child aggression" showed up on CNN.com this morning and my fears were completely assuaged. The story is about a study conducted by Dr. Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D., of Iowa State University, who studied three groups of children in both the United States and Japan to gage their violence levels three to six months after playing violent video games, versus children who did not play violent video games. The results may not surprise you at all.
The study found that children who played violent video games were more aggressive than those that did not, even taking into account children who were aggressive in the first place. The odd thing is the results were determined not so much through observation, though comments from parents and teachers were taken into account, but rather by asking the children about their own aggression levels.
Compatible with PS3, PS2, PSone and PC, this controller features an ergonomic design with lava-liquid filled handles and glowing internal LED lights. It combines the latest in wireless Radio Frequency and auto-scan technologies with touch-sensitive analog buttons to offer high-quality latency-free wireless gaming.
We're still scratching our noggins in a futile attempt to figure out the LifeBook U820's real purpose on this Earth, but for those who've got it all figured out, you'll likely be thrilled to know that this puppy is now on sale. $999 buys you a mini convertible tablet with an Intel Atom Z530 CPU, a 5.6-inch WXGA touchscreen, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 60GB 4,200RPM hard drive, built-in GPS / Garmin Mobile PC, Ethernet, a webcam / fingerprint sensor, Bluetooth / WiFi and a 4-cell battery. There's also a $1,299 version if that other variant just isn't up to your standards, but at any rate, feel free to punch the read link and have a think before pulling the trigger on either.
Easy! Take a t-shirt and apply the Bape sub-label Baby Milo. That's eighty bucks already. You're almost half way there. Next, make it exclusive to the members-only online store Nigo's Favorite Shop. Finally, add Japanese import mark up and you've easily reached $175. The designs, featuring artwork from the Bape branded Nintendo DSs released earlier this year, may not be spectacular enough to warrant nearly two-hundred bucks in t-shirt purchases, but it's not outrageous for retailers to ask this much money.
How do I know this? The shirts went online yesterday and are already sold out.
Are you the type of gamer who thrives on the rich worlds of EVE Online or World of Warcraft, worlds made more realistic by the semi-real interactions with other flesh and blood gamers? 'Cause, man, I am so not. And neither is Wired's Clive Thompson, who writes today about the joys of playing solo, even in games that simulate, in a fashion, big open worlds filled with personalities like Fable II.
To some degree, I can chalk up my own disinterest in the tedium of massively multiplayer online games. Grinding away on "kill X number of Monster Y and report back" style missions just aren't my thing. But it's really the potential for social interaction that does these games in for me.
Obligation gaming, the guilt of not being available for a gaming session, regardless of the genre — I even hate feeling trapped by first-person shooter social calls — is what makes me a gaming shut-in. A virtual Man's Best Friend, like the one in Fable II is about all I can handle.
Thompson looks at it a bit differently, writing "The fact that I know I'm the only person actually alive makes the game seem all the more dreamlike, as if everything — those mountain ranges, those creepy beetles — really is taking place inside my head."
True, bots suck, as does being verbally berated online by little boys who have just discovered the F-word.
Even in a perfect world, though, where everyone else might be a gentlemanly good sport, I think I'd prefer to do most of my gaming alone. Am I the only one?
Coldly efficient...dangerous...the new Bond is the ultimate weapon in today's ruthless world of international espionage.
Blending first person shooting and third person action, Quantum of Solace the Game puts you in control of Bond's greatest weapon - his mind.
You must think like Bond and intelligently use the map and situation to your advantage. Confront enemies in a variety of ways: take them head on, fire from behind cover or sneak up silently and eliminate them with a variety of special takedown moves.
Based on Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace the Game puts you in the dangerous world of international espionage and intrigue.
Enter the glamourous and dangerous world of James Bond on your console:
Xbox360™
James Bond: Quantum of Solace ASIA US$ 59.90
James Bond: Quantum of Solace US US$ 64.90
PlayStation3™
James Bond: Quantum of Solace US US$ 59.90
Nintendo Wii™
James Bond: Quantum of Solace US US$ 54.90
PlayStation2™
James Bond: Quantum of Solace US US$ 44.90
Nintendo DS™
James Bond: Quantum of Solace US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™
James Bond: Quantum of Solace (DVD-ROM) US US$ 54.90
The US versions are expected to arrive within this week, for a more concrete shipping schedule, please stay tuned to our daily news.
From the publisher: Join Alex the lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the Hippo and their entire madcap Madagascar crew on a whole new action-packed journey to save the African savannah in the Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa™ video game.
Your favorite characters from Madagascar return and you can play them all! In addition to Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman, you also get to play as the crafty penguins, the wacky King Julien and new hippo character Moto Moto!
Learn all the moves and choose which character is best for the situation at hand. Experience the characters, settings and situations established in Dreamworks Animation’s new Madagascar movie.
Unique new environments include the Watering Hole, a free roaming area that’s been expanded for the game, the volcano and the plane wreck. Master new and expanded tournament mini-games including twice as much multiplayer action as the first Madagascar!
Xbox360™
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa ASIA US$ 49.90
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa US US$ 54.90
PlayStation3™
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa US US$ 54.90
Nintendo Wii™
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa US US$ 54.90
PlayStation2™
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa US US$ 44.90
Nintendo DS™
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa US US$ 34.90
PC Games
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa US US$ 24.90
Ubisoft's Far Cry 2 has topped the charts in the US and Germany.
All three SKUs hog the top three positions in Germany, with the PC version leading sales, while the US PC charts show the game has debuted at number one, holding back multiple Electronic Arts games.
The sequel hasn't done so well in Spain, as it enters the charts at seven, where sports title take up the majority of the top ten.
German Top Ten:
1. Far Cry 2 (PC)
2. Far Cry 2 (Xbox 360)
3. Far Cry 2 (PS3)
4. FIFA 09 (PS2)
5. Mario Kart DS (DS)
6. Midnight Club: Los Angeles (PS3)
7. Wii Fit (Wii)
8. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PS3)
9. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
10. FIFA 09 (PS3)
Spanish Top Ten:
1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PS3)
2. Fable II (Xbox 360)
3. FIFA 09 (PS2)
4. FIFA 09 (PS3)
5. MOTO GP 08 (PS3)
6. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Xbox 360)
7. Far Cry 2 (PS3)
8. Wii Fit (Wii)
9. Dead Space (PS3)
10. Wii Play (Wii)
US PC Top Ten:
1. Far Cry 2
2. Spore
3. Nancy Drew
4. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest
5. The Sims 2: Apartment Life Expansion Pack
6. Dead Space
7. The Sims 2: Double Deluxe
8. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
9. World Of Warcraft
10. Colonization
Data supplied by Media Control GfK International and NPD.
Bethesda's Fallout 3 has hit the top of the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC charts in the UK.
The game has outsold combined sales in the region of the original Fallout and its sequel, and spin-off titles Fallout Tactics and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.
First week sales were also 57 per cent stronger than the first week performance of Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
According to data from GfK Chart-Track, 55 per cent of all sales were on the Microsoft format, 28 per cent on Sony's home console and 17 per cent for the PC.
The game knocked last week's number one Fable II off the top of the All Formats charts, and held off climbers FIFA 09 and Wii Fit, despite the latter enjoying its third biggest sales week since release.
Other new titles in the top forty this week include Activision's Bond tie-in Quantum of Solace at seven, EA's Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 at 15, MySims Kingdom at 25, More Touchmaster at 28 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year at 29.
The top ten All Formats sellers follow:
1. Fallout 3
2. FIFA 09
3. Wii Fit
4. Fable II
5. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
6. Far Cry 2
7. Quantum of Solace
8. LEGO Batman
9. Mario Kart Wii
10. Saints Row 2
Bethesda bigwig Pete Hines has said a patch for the PC version of the game will be released later today.
Speaking in a Eurogamer Live Text article, he said the patch will "address a few PC-specific things that have come up".
"Can't give you any details yet beyond that as far as what else might be in the works for any of the three platforms," Hines added.
However, he did confirm that the PS3 version will feature Trophies in the future. "It's going to happen, just not sure when," said Hines. "We'll let folks know when we have something more definitive."
For more from Hines, including why there are no plans to introduce a multiplayer mode or raise the level cap, read the full interview.
It seems as though Microsoft's feelings have been hurt recently following more mickey-taking regarding its Vista operating system and the 'security holes' that have plagued both this and XP.
If its recent security report is to be believed though, it has good reason to feel aggrieved.
Looking at the evolution of threats and the origin of system vulnerabilities, Microsoft confirms findings from other security vendors that show hackers are attacking Vista through third-party applications and not the OS itself.
Though it admits that half of the biggest issues with XP are the fault of Internet Explorer, when it comes to Vista, the top-10 browser based vulnerabilities are caused by third-party applications such as RealPlayer, Apple's Quicktime (gotta sneak that one in) and various add-ons and toolbars.
This suggests that Vista is more secure than XP but the results may be affected by the fact that this other software is easier to exploit and therefore a more attractive target.
As to what will be done about it, Microsoft is claiming its trusted Internet Initiative, launched earlier this year, will help develop a more secure community of software, that is if it gets past whitepaper stage.
The Be The One event went off in fine style, with over 70,000 gamers descending on the EA Battledome in Trafalgar Square over the weekend.
EA's contribution to the London Games Festival 2008 featured live performances from Natasha Bedingfield, The Automatic and McFly among other musical luminaries, but the main focus was giving gamers the chance to get hands on with new releases.
The plastic dome hosted to the launch party for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, attended actress/presenter/lingerie model Gemma Atkinson (aka Lt Eva McKenna), which gave hundreds of gamers the chance to play the game before its launch at midnight on October 31st.
Capcom's pegged the UK release of the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC versions of Street Fighter IV for February 20, 2009.
The game's producer recently raised our hopes that SFIV would be released this side of Christmas, but that possibility has now been dashed - at least here in the UK. Still, it's nice to finally get a release date, we suppose.
The game's scheduled for launch one week before Dead Rising for Wii, which is due out on February 27, reports MCV.
February will also see the release of Bionic Commando and MotoGP Wii, on the 13th and 20th respectively, while March 13 should definitely be added to your diary as it's Resident Evil 5 release day!
So it should be a busy - and profitable - couple of months for the Japanese publisher.
Following yesterday's reports that Hellgate: London is to return, Namco Bandai has clarified the announcement does not pertain to the US and Europe.
In a post on the official hellgate forum, a Namco Bandai staffer clarified that the company still owns the rights to the online RPG in the US and Europe, and has no plans to extend service beyond the last day of January 2009.
"People are speculating and I don't want anyone shocked on January 31, 2009 when the server and forums shut down and there is nothing," said Namco.
"Let me explain things a bit to see if it clears up any issues for you. Hanbit owns the IP and rights to publish anywhere other then the US and EU and I think the other territory is Japan. Namco owns the rights to publish in the US and EU."
As we spotted yesterday, a statement from HanbitSoft's top brass regarding the continuation of the game with a new expansion only mentioned that "service in Asia including Korea is in good hands".
Namco announced last week that it was closing down Hellgate's servers at midnight on January 31st, following developer Flagship's demise in July.
HanbitSoft and its owner T3 Entertainment said in August that they would continue development of Hellgate and sister game Mythos at a new studio based in San Francisco.
The future of Mythos, a free-to-play Diablo-style MMO, is still uncertain in the West, since it wasn't included in the Namco Bandai deal. We wouldn't rule out Hellgate's eventual return either, but it would take a publisher who was willing to buy the rights from Namco Bandai, and strike a deal with HanbitSoft for any new content it produces.
Galactic Civilization developer Stardock has unveiled a brand new game called Elemental: War of Magic.
This is a PC turn-based fantasy strategy outing based around the old 4X principles: explore, expand, exploit and exterminate. And players as sovereigns will be tasked with growing the empire and winning either by conquest, magical supremacy, diplomatic alliances or completion of a master quest.
Early screenshots show the world is presented in an appealing cartoon style. There's talk of persistent multiplayer matches hosted by Stardock plus user-created mods.
Elemental: War of Magic is scheduled to enter public beta in June 2009, and those pre-ordering the game through Stardock's strategy-focused digital distribution site Impulse will be given preference.
Pop over to the Elemental: War of Magic website for more.
What does an Obama presidency mean for video games? 1UP asks the question in a lengthy analysis of Obama's relationship to gaming culture. Obama first entered our scene in December 2007 with comments presented to Common Sense Media on the topic of game violence legislation on his way to being dubbed the most "gamer-friendly" Democratic candidate. But the President-elect is better known for targeting youth voters with a $44.5K in-game ad campaign during the election season. (And apparently, it worked.)
Obama did urge us to "stop playing Game Boy" and put down the Wiimote (see screencap above -- from his Election Day ad), but the sentiments were geared toward encouragement rather than scorn. 66 percent of voters ages 18-29 (you know, gamers) supported Obama yesterday, according to CNN. Perhaps the next US President can show some love back by bringing Wii to the White House.
A report by Verdict Research (via BBC) finds that UK game sales will surpass both music and video in 2008. Video game sales have been on a rampage in the region, with a report earlier this year by the Entertainment Retailers' Association (ERA) stating it had surpassed music sales. The Verdict report predicts a 42% growth in game sales this year to £4.64 billion, with sales of music and video combined at around £4.46 billion.
The ERA counters that the Verdict report is a bit misleading because it includes hardware sales. The organization is confident that game software sales of £1.7 billion will beat out music's (continually dropping sales of) £1.4 billion, but that video revenue will still be about £2.2 billion.
A body believed to be of missing teen gamer Brandon Crisp was discovered this morning in the Barrie area, police say.
"At this point we believe it to be Brandon, and we're still obviously in the early stages of our investigation," Sgt. Dave Goodbrand told CTV. "It's not confirmed because nothing's confirmed until we have pathology, but we believe it to be Brandon."
Crisp's parents say he ran away from Barrie home in Canada on Oct. 14 after they took away his Xbox 360. He had been playing Call of Duty 4 and his grades were slipping, his parents told ABC.
After being told he would lose his gaming privileges the 15-year-old told his father that he was running away. He was last seen biking on a trail about 5:45 p.m. The reward for information about the missing boy had reached $41,776.
According to the brief television report the body of the missing boy was found on Fifth Line in the Barrie area.A blue-checkered jacket, tent, crackers and full bag of chips were found on the trail on Oct. 24. No other details were given and police have yet to confirm the information.
Exodus From the Earth is a a CyberPunk FPS taking place in 2016. Mankind believes it'll be five billion years before the Earth begins to die. However, recent findings show that the earth is living its last twenty years and the Sun is to become an ever-increasing “Red Giant”, burning everything around it and turning the Earth into a lifeless hell. The population is now faced with the monumental task of either adapting human beings for living in extraterrestrial conditions, or finding an Earth-like planet where people can live.
The A.X. Corporation, which now rules the Earth, and is the largest genetic and space military engineering company, has undertaken the task of conducting research. After a while, the Corporation offered the technology that could allow human beings to survive in any alien extraterrestrial environment. On a distant planet they found a mineral from which they could produce a vaccine that would allow human beings to live in any environment. The Corporation’s proposal was to inject their vaccine into every person and then move to some other planet beyond the solar system.
Despite the fact that the first experiments have been successful, the Government has been very confused being entirely dependent on the Corporation. And furthermore, nobody knows how the mineral will affect human organisms. At the same time, according to their information there was an astronaut, John Rick, who had supposedly found a so-called “Second Earth” which was a planet with an Earth-like environment. Based on secret information, John Rick returned from his space expedition and disappeared. The Intelligence Agency suspects the Corporation, headed by Jack Crizby, of removing John Rick in order to conquer all of mankind for their financial interests.
Harry Southgate, who is the head of The Intelligence Agency, has commissioned the main hero whose name is Francis Rixon, to find out what is happening inside the Corporation’s confines and to get the information about the mineral and the Earth-like planet, should it really exist.
Mike Sullivan – an owl at the territory of the A.X. Corporation – is working to help Frank in reaching his goal. Mike is the Chief Security Guard of the Corporation’s inside locations and his mission is to lead Frank to the head office of the A.X. Corporation where all the information might be stored.
features
German and Russian Campaign missions are based on "Operation Bagration", the codename for the Soviet Belarusian Offensive during World War II.
Playable tanks: The Russian T-34/85 and the German Sd.Kfz. 181 "Tiger" Ausf. E.
Control your tank from fully modelled and animated 3D positions. (driver, gunner and commander).
"Napalm Engine" 3D technology allows for impressive effects, such as dynamic shadows, self shading, bump mapping, specular maps, glow and bloom.
Stunning graphics and huge realistic landscapes to explore.
Interactive environment with various levels of destruction: Buildings, trees and vehicles can be damaged or destroyed by cannon, MG fire or ramming attacks.
AI controlled vehicles include: T-34/85, T-34/76, Tiger, Sk.Kfz.251, M3A1,ZIS-5, Opel Blitz, ZIS-3, Pak. 40, IL-2, FW-190.
Multiplayer options include: LAN and Internet play for up to 16 players; Two multiplayer modes: Skirmish and TeamPlay.
description
The tank simulation "WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs. Tiger" takes place in Belarus during the Summer of 1943, in which the Soviet Union launched "Operation Bagration", the Belarusian Offensive, against the retreating German Wehrmacht. After Kursk, this was the most significant struggle of the two tank armies and resulted in the complete destruction of the German Army Group Center and the Soviet recapture of all territories within their 1941 borders.
The player can experience the battlefield from within the Russian T-34 and the German "Tiger", with fully animated 3D interiors and playable Driver, Gunner and Commander positions. The tanks' dynamics include realistic physics, accurate ballistics and elaborate damage models. Interior models feature historically accurate gun-sight optics.
The vast Belarusian landscape of the early 20th century, with its rolling hills, villages and large forests was carefully recreated from historical reference photos and maps. The rich battlefield environment includes AI controlled Russian and German tanks, infantry, armored-personnel-carriers, anti-tank-guns and airplanes.
Stunning special effects, such as explosions, fires and smoke, the ability to completely destroy vehicles and buildings, all combine to create a lifelike combat environment. The action can be viewed from various camera angles in first or third person view.
PC piracy is a "huge concern", Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 producer David Silverman has warned.
Speaking to VideoGamer.com in an interview to be published later this week, Silverman, who also works as a presenter for C&C TV, said that a "different approach" that includes digital distribution and micro-transactions will help tackle piracy on the PC in the future.
He said: "In all honesty piracy is a huge concern. Luckily people haven't figured out an easy way to pirate on consoles, otherwise you'd be telling me, 'oh, the console market's dying!'. It's a big problem and it's hard because you've got people like Greg (Black, lead balance designer) and a lot of guys on the development team who have been spending countless hours and someone just goes to download on a torrent site and they get the game. It's an unfortunate likelihood and it's one of the penalties that broadband came out. But unlike the music industry which went about it in an interesting way, we're trying some new things and I think we'll be productive in the years to come."
PC piracy is one of the industry's current hot topics. Recently Lionhead boss told VideoGamer.com that the PC gamer market was in "tatters". LucasArts explained to us in an interview from earlier in the year that it wasn't doing a PC version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed because of the vast differences in power of PCs in people's homes and the lack of scalability of the game.
And Ubisoft Shanghai creative director Michael de Plater has told VG247 that a PC version of EndWar would most likely be shipping alongside the console SKUs if it wasn't for rampant PC piracy, and that copyright theft is essentially destroying the PC games market.
Silverman, however, believes that the PC gaming industry can tackle the problem of piracy by taking a different approach.
He said: "Things like digital distribution, things like doing micro-transactions, things like that really find a way to get people involved and then also keep them interested. It's also a challenging thing on our end to make the game more engaging to people. If you give people a reason to buy the game they'll buy it. It's what happens. I use the music analogy again. If I'm an artist and I have an album with 14 songs and only two of them are good, then my album is probably getting stolen, but if every one of the 14 songs is awesome and you keep releasing maybe a new song or what not for people who bought it, I guarantee people will be buying my album. So it's just a different approach and a different way in how we have to look at it in the future."
Also speaking to VideoGamer.com, C&C: RA3 lead balance designer Greg Black suggested online play, which requires authentication, as a primary weapon in the war against PC piracy.
"I think one of the best ways to fight piracy is to have a compelling online experience," said Black. "Because you have to authenticate your copy to get online, and that's something we've tried to do with (Red Alert 3's) cooperative campaign. If you really want to fully experience Red Alert 3, you want to jump online and play the campaign with a friend, and you're going to need a legit copy of the game to do that. So I feel on the creative side that the future for PC gaming is online and that's how we're going deal with the piracy problem."
While the PC version of RTS Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 was released on last Friday, the Xbox 360 version won't be out until November 14. A PS3 version is currently in the works but without a release date.
Grand Theft Auto IV for the PlayStation 3 has shot to the top of the Japanese software sales chart for the week ended November 2, according to data provided by Media Creat.
Rockstar's controversial title saw 133,000 unit sales in its first week on the PS3, which comes after weeks of the platform's flagging hardware sales. Square Enix's Valkyrie Profile: Toga o Seoumono for the Nintendo DS followed behind at number two with 80,000 units.
PS3 exclusive LittleBigPlanet debuted in third place with 52,000 units, with Pokemon Platinum for the DS coming in fourth at 47,000 units, and Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode, also for the DS, securing a place at number five with 40,000 units.
Rhythm Tengoku Gold, for the DS, took sixth place with 39,000 units, while Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360 debuted at number seven with 34,000 units.
Closing off the Japanese software chart were a number of new portable titles, each with approximately 26,000 unit sales, including the DS titles Personal Trainer: Walking and Cid to Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon: Toki Wasure no Meikyuu + , as well as Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G for the PlayStation Portable in eighth, ninth and tenth places respectively.
Japanese software sales chart follows:
01. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3)
02. Valkyrie Profile: Toga o Seoumono (DS)
03. LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
04. Pokémon Platinum (DS)
05. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS)
06. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS)
07. Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360)
08. Personal Trainer: Walking (DS)
09. Cid to Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon: Toki Wasure no Meikyuu + (DS)
10. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP)
Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime has said the people who left World of Warcraft for pastures Warhammer Online and Age of Conan are returning home.
"To date, 68 per cent of the players who listed Age of Conan as their reason for cancellation and 46 per cent of the players who listed Warhammer [Online] as their reason for cancellation have reactivated their subscriptions to World of Warcraft," said Morhaime in an Activision Blizzard financial call.
World of Warcraft now boasts over 11 million paying subscribers; a number that is likely to grow when second expansion Wrath of the Lich King arrives on 13th November.
Morhaime reckons there will be 15,000 midnight launch events to celebrate the release of what could become the fastest selling PC game ever. The current leader, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, sold nearly 2.4 million copies in just 24 hours.
The result of all this popularity is an expected revenue of over one billion dollars for the second year running, according to Morhaime, who eats golden Coco Pops.
Thankfully, plenty of this money has been poured into making Wrath of the Lich King, and the results are shaping up to be tremendous.
As part of today's quarterly financial wrap-up, Activision Blizzard struck a high note with the announcement that the Guitar Hero franchise has topped the NPD Group's software sales chart for the first nine months of 2008. This includes, of course, every permutation of the rhythm game series combined across all console platforms and Nintendo DS, with the exception of the newly released Guitar Hero World Tour.
In its report to shareholders, Blizzivision pointed out that Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Guitar Hero: On Tour, in particular, contributed most to its bottom line for Q2. With World Tour out in Q3 followed by the holiday release of GH: Decades for the DS, we could see a similar chart-topping performance for the franchise come the end of December.
A nine year old boy has been arrested in Japan for stealing his parents car to visit his grandmother. And how, pray, does a nine year old kid learn to drive?
"It's my first time driving" he said, "but I learned from watching dad and playing at the video arcade."
Police in Gifu prefecture received a call on Monday morning from an anxious pedestrian who had seen a car apparently with no driver - the little sod was sitting on th every edge of the seat, strainingto reach the pedals and peer over the steering wheel.
The real question of course is What game did he practice on? Knowing if there are junior GTA players on the loose could be a very different prospect to under-age Mario Kart re-enactors.
Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
Hot titles came in torrents, mirroring the American election hype that has reached its climax yesterday. Same as the political atmosphere, the stream of this weeks' releases tend to be nerve wreakingly exciting.
Participate in the third World War that may end all wars and humanity in Tom Clancy's EndWar. But before a full world war could launch, spy activities must take place. As part of the promotional campaign for the new 007 film, James Bond: Quantum of Solace is out on your home consoles.
But sometimes technology may go awry, especially when they get fused with biology. Become the hero Sgt. Nathan Hale in Resistance 2 and fight both the Chimera, a set of war machines and the virus that threatens to turn you into the enemy of mankind.
You may have realized that your 3rd generation consoles are just as powerful as the famous spy's gadgets in his movies, these consoles make all sorts of mythological monsters come to life on your screen. Fight these swarming beasts for the survival of humanity in Legendary [PlayStation3™, Xbox360™ US, Asian versions, PC-Game].
Challenge your environment through sports instead of firearms in Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. The racer takes its participants to a tropical paradise for this season's races. The game blurs the line between virtual and reality by its accurate portrayal of the environment's physics. Take your mind off your current troubles and burst through the jungle.
Besides challenging the environment, try to live in harmony with it. Madagascar 2, the jungle adventure came out this week. Have fun with your madcap team of friends and strive to save the African savannah in this family adventure.
The newest Nintendo handheld console, NDSi's [black version, white version] debut this week heightens gamers' excitement. Aside from spotting cameras and a larger screen, the new console allows players to access an online shop so they could buy games on the go.
Following the hype aroused by the new portable systems, two new RPGs came out. Valkyrie Profile: Toga Seoumono deepens the title's universe by featuring the darkness and hatred born along with honour while Avalon Code features the birth of a new world.
Besides games, a number of interesting OSTs are also released. Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer Original Soundtrack will prepare you for the new hit horizontal shooter on the PlayStation3™.
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™
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Assassin's Creed (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Baja 1000 US US$ 44.90
Beautiful Katamari Damacy (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
James Bond: Quantum of Solace ASIA US$ 59.90
James Bond: Quantum of Solace US US$ 64.90
Lost Odyssey (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa US US$ 54.90
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa ASIA US$ 49.90
MotoGP 08 US US$ 64.90
Project Gotham Racing 4 (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon ASIA US$ 44.90
Tom Clancy's EndWar ASIA US$ 49.90
Xbox 360 Accessory Bundle - Wireless Controller + Play & Charge Kit (Red) ASIA US$ 59.90
Xbox 360 Hard Drive (60 GB) Live Pack ASIA US$ 99.90
Xbox 360 Value Pack JPN US$ 389.90
PlayStation3™
Baja 1000 US US$ 44.90
James Bond: Quantum of Solace US US$ 59.90
Legendary US US$ 64.90
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa US US$ 54.90
MotoGP 08 US US$ 64.90
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift US US$ 64.90
Resistance 2 US US$ 64.90
Resistance 2 [Collector's Edition] US US$ 89.90
SingStar Vol. 2 US US$ 44.90
SingStar Vol. 2 Bundle (w/ 2 Microphones) US US$ 69.90
Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon ASIA US$ 44.90
Tom Clancy's EndWar ASIA US$ 59.90
Nintendo Wii™
All Star Cheer Squad US US$ 44.90
Baja 1000 US US$ 44.90
Ben 10: Alien Force US US$ 44.90
Build-A-Bear Workshop: The Fur Seasons Islands US US$ 44.90
Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess US US$ 44.90
FIFA Soccer 09 All-Play US US$ 54.90
Go Diego Go! Great Dinosaur Rescue US US$ 44.90
Hunt for Blackbeards Booty US US$ 44.90
James Bond: Quantum of Solace US US$ 54.90
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa US US$ 54.90
Monster Jam: Urban Assault US US$ 44.90
My Sims Kingdom US US$ 54.90
Nerf N-Strike (w/ Blaster) US US$ 69.90
Shrek's Carnival Craze US US$ 44.90
Twin Strike: Operation Thunder US US$ 34.90
PlayStation2™
Baja 1000 US US$ 34.90
Ben 10: Alien Force US US$ 34.90
James Bond: Quantum of Solace US US$ 44.90
MotoGP 08 US US$ 34.90
SingStar Country US US$ 34.90
SingStar Country (w/ 2 Microphones) US US$ 59.90
SingStar Legends US US$ 34.90
The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga US US$ 24.90
Wrestle Angels: Survivor 2 JPN US$ 64.90
Wrestle Angels: Survivor 2 [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 89.90
Zero no Tsukai: Maigo no Period to Ikusen no Symphony JPN US$ 68.90
Zero no Tsukai: Maigo no Period to Ikusen no Symphony [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 89.90
Nintendo DS™
Akagawa Jirou Mystery: Tsuki no Hikari JPN US$ 39.90
Aruite Wakaru: Seikatsu Rhythm DS JPN US$ 58.90
Avalon Code JPN US$ 48.90
Bella Sara US US$ 34.90
Ben 10: Alien Force US US$ 34.90
Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer US US$ 34.90
Exit DS US US$ 24.90
Glory Days: Attack Hero JPN US$ 48.90
Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe JPN US$ 48.90
James Bond: Quantum of Solace US US$ 34.90
Koisuru Purin! Koi wa Daibouken! Dr. Kanmi no Yabou!? JPN US$ 48.90
Liquid Crystal Protection Filter DSi JPN US$ 6.99
Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa US US$ 34.90
Monster Jam: Urban Assault US US$ 24.90
My Sims Kingdom US US$ 34.90
Nintendo DSi (Black) JPN US$ 299.00
Nintendo DSi (White) JPN US$ 299.00
Nostalgia no Kaze JPN US$ 58.90
Pingu no Waku Waku Carnival! JPN US$ 48.90
Screen Guard DSi JPN US$ 6.99
Seikatsu Rhythm Meter JPN US$ 19.90
Shrek's Carnival Craze US US$ 34.90
Shugo Chara! Amunonijiro Chara Change JPN US$ 52.90
Six Flags Fun Park US US$ 34.90
The Wonder Pets!: Save the Animals US US$ 24.90
Theresia US US$ 34.90
Tom Clancy's EndWar ASIA US$ 29.90
Valkyrie Profile: Toga o Seoumono JPN US$ 48.90
Sony PSP™
Bleach: Soul Carnival (Chinese language Version) ASIA US$ 42.90
Data Communication & Charge USB Cable JPN US$ 5.99
Data Communication & Charge USB Winding Cable JPN US$ 7.99
Hard Pouch Portable 3 (Silver) JPN US$ 9.99
Hard Pouch Portable 3 (White) JPN US$ 9.99
Monster Jam: Urban Assault US US$ 34.90
Neverland Card Battles US US$ 34.90
The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga US US$ 34.90
The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga ASIA US$ 39.90
Sony PSP™ UMD Movies
28 Days Later JPN US$ 9.90
AVP2 Aliens Vs. Predator JPN US$ 9.90
Alien JPN US$ 9.90
Alien 2 JPN US$ 9.90
Alien vs. Predator JPN US$ 9.90
Behind Enemy Lines JPN US$ 9.90
Daredevil JPN US$ 9.90
Die Hard JPN US$ 9.90
Die Hard 2 JPN US$ 9.90
Die Hard 3 JPN US$ 9.90
Die Hard 4.0 JPN US$ 9.90
Dodgeball JPN US$ 9.90
Elektra JPN US$ 9.90
Fantastic 4 JPN US$ 9.90
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer JPN US$ 9.90
Garfield The Movie JPN US$ 9.90
I, Robot JPN US$ 9.90
Ice Age JPN US$ 9.90
Independence Day JPN US$ 9.90
Kingdom of Heaven JPN US$ 9.90
Predator JPN US$ 9.90
Robots JPN US$ 9.90
Speed JPN US$ 9.90
The Day After Tomorrow JPN US$ 9.90
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen JPN US$ 9.90
X-MEN JPN US$ 9.90
X-MEN 2 JPN US$ 9.90
PC Games
Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile ASIA US$ 34.90
Bella Sara (DVD-ROM) US US$ 24.90
Deer Hunter Tournament US US$ 24.90
Exodus from the Earth ASIA US$ 34.90
FIFA Manager 09 ASIA US$ 39.90
MotoGP 08 US US$ 44.90
WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs. Tiger ASIA US$ 34.90
Game Guides, Magazines and Calendars
Arushaado FF Replay Tokei Shikake no Hakaishin JPN US$ 29.90
BioShock Signature Series Guide (PS3 Version) US US$ 19.90
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia / Akumajou Dracula: Ubawareta Kokuin Official Complete Guide JPN US$ 19.90
Comic Calendar 2009: BLEACH JPN US$ 29.90
Comic Calendar 2009: D.Gray-Man JPN US$ 21.90
Comic Calendar 2009: Gintama JPN US$ 31.90
Comic Calendar 2009: Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn! JPN US$ 26.90
Comic Calendar 2009: Masuda Kousuke Gekijou Gag Manga Biyori JPN US$ 34.90
Comic Calendar 2009: Naruto JPN US$ 29.90
Comic Calendar 2009: One Piece JPN US$ 32.90
Comic Calendar 2009: To Love JPN US$ 32.90
Gin no Express Official Visual Fan Book JPN US$ 38.90
Hakushaku to Yousei Calendar Book 2009 JPN US$ 29.90
James Bond: Quantum of Solace Official Strategy Guide US US$ 17.90
Tom Clancy's End War: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Weekly Famitsu No. 1039 (2008 11/14) JPN US$ 7.90
Video Game Related Soundtrack
Bleach Original Soundtrack Vol. 3 JPN US$ 29.90
Kimi no Yusha Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 31.90
Naru Otori (Oretachi Ni Tsubasa Ha Nai Drama Series Vol.4) JPN US$ 20.90
Project Soul The Primary Sound Box - Soul Edge - Soul Calibur I & II [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 47.90
Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer Original Soundtrack Complete Edition ASIA US$ 14.90
Shining Force Exa Drama CD JPN US$ 29.90
Nijiiro Change (Shugo Chara Amu No Nijiiro Chara Change Intro Theme) JPN US$ 11.90
Valkyrie Profile: Toga Wo Seou Mono Arrange Album JPN US$ 29.90
Valkyrie Profile: Toga o Seoumono Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 26.90
Here is a preview of what are expected to be hot next week
Xbox360™
Call of Duty: World at War ASIA US$ 59.90
Call of Duty: World at War US US$ 64.90
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 ASIA US$ 49.90
Gears of War 2 ASIA US$ 49.90
Gears of War 2 US US$ 64.90
Gears of War 2 [Limited Edition] ASIA US$ 69.90
Gears of War 2 [Limited Edition] US US$ 79.90
Legendary ASIA US$ 49.90
Mirror's Edge ASIA US$ 49.90
Mirror's Edge US US$ 64.90
PES Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 US US$ 54.90
SOCOM: Confrontation ASIA US$ 39.90
SOCOM: Confrontation (w/ Headset) ASIA US$ 64.90
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 ASIA US$ 49.90
PlayStation3™
Call of Duty: World at War ASIA US$ 59.90
Call of Duty: World at War US US$ 64.90
Derby Time Online JPN US$ 59.90
Mirror's Edge ASIA US$ 49.90
Mirror's Edge US US$ 64.90
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm US US$ 64.90
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm [Limited Edition] US US$ 79.90
PES Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 US US$ 54.90
Resistance 2 JPN US$ 64.90
Resistance 2 ASIA US$ 59.90
Samurai Dou 3 ASIA US$ 64.90
Samurai Dou 3 JPN US$ 69.90
Valkyria Chronicles US US$ 64.90
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 US US$ 64.90
Nintendo Wii™
Family Ski: World Ski & Snowboard JPN US$ 54.90
Illvelo Wii JPN US$ 49.90
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World US US$ 44.90
PlayStation2™
Eternal Poison US US$ 44.90
Nintendo DS™
KORG DS-10 Synthesizer US US$ 44.90
Ryuusei no RockMan 3: Black Ace JPN US$ 48.90
Ryuusei no RockMan 3: Red Joker JPN US$ 48.90
PC Games
Call of Duty: World at War (DVD-ROM) US US$ 54.90
Call of Duty: World at War (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 44.90
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack US US$ 44.90
PDC World Championship Darts 2008 was released on 26/09/2008 in the UK for the PSP.
PDC World Championship Darts 2008, PSP features in full;
* 4 Game Modes - Exhibition. Tournament, Career and Party Games
* Three levels of difficulty/throwing mechanisms - Amateur, Professional and Master
* Wireless multi player and game sharing! Allows for 2 individual PSP Systems to communicate with each other and play an Exhibition Match
* Featuring 16 PDC Champions : Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, Peter Manley, Wayne Mardle, Dennis Priestley, Adrian Lewis, Alan Warriner-Little, John Part, Colin Lloyd, Mark Dudbridge, Roland Scholten, Ronnie Baxter, Terry Jenkins, Kevin Painter, Andy Hamilton, Andy Jenkins
* Commentary from the TV’s voice of darts Sid Waddell and top level match referee Bruce Spendley
* Computer opponents play off the real life averages and playing styles of the Pros
* Games stats displayed in-game, at the end of a match and stored as high scores and trivia
* In depth career mode based around the 7 major tournaments in the PDC calendar
* Custom Pictures – Import your own pictures via your Memory Stick Duo and assign them to a profile
* Custom Playlists – Create your own custom playlist by selecting MP3 tracks from your Memory Stick Duo
To celebrate the release of the game, we will be giving away a PSP and a copy of PDC World Championship Darts 2008 to a lucky DCEmu member, curiosity of Oxygen Games. Also we will be giving away a copy of the game to 2 Runners up. That at total of £220 worth of prizes!!
This contest is available to (residents of the UK and Ireland only).
To enter this contest all you have to do is to post a reply to this news post and answer the following question:
What's the Best Score you have ever had in Darts? (3 darts)
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 Wednesday the 26th of November 2008.
If you want to post a reply to this post but do not qualify for the contest e.g. live outside the UK and Ireland, please post "I'm not entering the contest" thanks
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). 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.
Thanks to Nintendo's financial results briefing, we have some solid European sales figures. And the results? Pretty much what everyone thought, Wii is kicking ass, PS3 selling a little better than the Xbox 360 for most of the year, until the recent Xbox 360 price cuts.
Another round of weekly data reading for console sales in Japan and there are changes and a new entry in the ranks:
Nintendo DSi: 171,925
Playstation Portable: 50,358
Playstation 3: 39,587
Nintendo Wii: 23,123
Nintendo DS Lite: 16,369
Playstation 2: 6,714
Xbox 360: 6,119
Nintendo's new DSi debuts at first place. The PSP comes next in 2nd, down roughly 10,000 units from last week. Playstation shoots into 3rd place, up by 35,000. The Wii comes next, down by 1,100. The old DS Lite slides further down by 5,400. PS2 is 6th place, down about 160. Finally, last in line again is the Xbox 360, down 1,700 units.
Capcom's let loose a Street Fighter IV gameplay video featuring new boss Seth.
Famitsu recently confirmed that the freakish looking blue coloured charatcer, who has a strange device embedded in his stomach, will be a playable character in the home version of SFIV (he wasn't in the arcade version).
You should definitely check out this video of him making mince meat of the likes of Crimson Viper, M. Bison and Guile.
Codies has released another video for the upcoming PC RPG The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria.
This developer video gives you a look at some of the game's new classes, and it's accompanied by 17 shots from the title's Central Levels and Khazaddum area. Feast your eyes.
Ghostbusters has not been canned. Ghostbusters is coming out next year. Don't thank us, thank Atari.
"Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a fantastic addition to Atari's global line-up in 2009," said Phil Harrison, President of Atari's parent company, Infogrames. "The title has built considerable anticipation and excitement among game fans for its high quality action and all-out mayhem. There's no more thrilling Ghostbusting experience to be had, short of building your own proton pack."
Just in case you need a top-up, here's some official blurb:
Ghostbusters: The Video Game was penned by original Ghostbusters writers Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd and reunites members of the original cast for the first time in 20 years.
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson lend their voices and in-game likenesses to the original story set two years after Ghostbusters II, with Manhattan once again overrun by ghosts and supernatural forces.
The game also features performances from fan favourites such as William Atherton (Walter Peck), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz) and Brian Doyle-Murray (portraying Mayor Jock Mulligan).
Ghostbusters is coming to PS3, PS2, 360, PC, Wii and DS. Basically you will be playing it when it comes out. Or at least be near someone who is.
You know who likes the smell of victory in the morning? The British Army, that's who - and now the Ministry Of Defence is pumping research pounds into creating a Virtual Battlefield complete with Virtual Smells so soldiers can sample that smell - alongside the bouquet of bullets, the whiff of weaponry and the perfume of the paramilitary - without having to step into harm's way.
The MOD already uses modified videogames to train ground troops but researcher have just invested £20,000 to investigate whether adding the sense of smell to a game experience can significantly enhance its realism and hence its value as a training aid.
"Smell is so closely linked to emotion and memory," says Professor Bob Jones of Birmingham University, "it's something that we need to take seriously."
If the research proves effective, it may not be long before games consoles adopt the technology.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the games companies are looking for an inexpensive version for the domestic market," said Jones.
"I think it could be translated into the computer games market in two-and-a-half years."
Just imagine - by 2011 you could be playing Gears of War 4 with two little Microsoft-branded plugs up your nostrils. I bet that armor really starts to stink after a couple of hours out in the field.
Lord of the Rings Online fans rejoice! Your first expansion - Mines of Moria - is coming November 18th. Last time we took a look at it, we flew through the darkest depths of Durin's Way. This time, these new screens give us a glimpse of the all famous Khazadum and Central Levels. Both of these areas are brand new and will give your dwarf plenty of space to duke it out with goblins. Me? I think I'm more of an elf person myself.
Much like the typing speed question I asked over the summer, this question is designed to pit you head-to-head against one another to see who has the biggest e-wang (so to speak). All you need to do is follow this link to test your internet connection speed.
The big AAA holiday games are starting to hit store. Let's talk about that! Because today, today is 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, 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. Waka waka.
Question: Are you a patient game buyer? Meaning, do you always buy new games (or hardware, for that matter) on the first day or are you able to wait the hype out?
Having just completed Resistance 2, for work purposes, I'll be taking a little break from gaming, recharging the batteries for... an upcoming Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts review. I'll tell you what we played last night though, me and the boys at the monthly LA Geek Night: Mirror's Edge, Wii Music and a bit of Fable II. We also played a little bit of John Carpenter's The Thing — the movie, that is — as those in my circle without access to the New Xbox Experience wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
I may try to sneak in some Left 4 Dead demo time — and probably some processor and video card overclocking attempts — but otherwise, it's going to be Jiggie collecting for me. What are you playing this weekend?
Why does Square Enix keep revisiting old franchises and selling polished classics? People buy them. This sales chart is a slide from Square Enix’s second quarter financial briefing of fiscal year 2009, a quarter when Square Enix released more new properties than any other quarter since the merger. Four brand new and entirely unattached games to any existing Square Enix series were introduced in Japan: Song Summoner, Nanashi no Game, Sigma Harmonics and Infinite Undiscovery. Sales of Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride for the DS dwarfed all of them tallied together. Sales data for Song Summoner, an iPod game, was not released.
Actually, Infinite Undiscovery sold fairly well worldwide. Tri-Ace’s Xbox 360 game was on par with Final Fantasy Tactics A2 in North America and it just came out in September. However, even critically acclaimed games like the World Ends With You, which came out in North America this April, have a hard time standing up to legacy games like Final Fantasy IV. Since remakes cost less to develop and sell like hotcakes slides like these are a convincing argument for an executive board to stay on the remake train instead of developing new properties. Of course, Square Enix is still trying to make new properties. The Last Remnant comes out in just a few weeks.
The transnational character of gaming is one that opens up a wide range of opportunities for the industry, but comes with a number of pitfalls as well — and, as Mathew McCurley argues at the Escapist, has far-reaching negative consequences, especially in term of content. Trying to navigate the tricky waters of censorship and varied expectations of what is OK (and what's not) in a variety of countries can mean developers play it safe in an attempt to ensure that their game will reach a wider audience:
The videogame industry will never stop pushing boundaries. It can't - gamers have an insatiable demand for more visceral experiences and will continue to flock to games that provide them. The problem, however, is the potentially heavy cost of taking risks on a global scale. The companies that have been most fearless about creating controversial games are the ones with the money to fight those battles, backed by publishers like EA who assume some of the risk. Smaller teams may find ways of breaking the boundaries in other content-neutral ways, like Jonathan Blow's Braid, which approaches storytelling through creative game mechanics. But the uncertainty that shrouds the ratings processes all over the world is a giant red flag for all but the most courageous game companies.
Of course, this ignores many of the good points of a more international scene, and I can't imagine there's a good way to get around this (short of trying to create an isolationist industry, which is unreasonable from several fronts). But it's certainly an interesting problem to ponder.
features
Material: Polystone
Scale: 1/4
Size: 483mm x 203mm x 267mm
Weight: approx. 12.5 kg
Licenced by Eidos, designed by Sideshow Collectibles
Hand painted, Hand numbered
Strictly Limited
description
The Premium Format Lara Croft figure captures every curve of the sexiest archaeologist to ever grace your screen. Lara is outfitted as she appears in Legend, the entire costume captured in expertly tailored fabrics. The figure is cast in heavy-weight polystone and hand-painted to exacting standards, and is complete with a rubble and ruin environmental display base. Each figure is individually hand-numbered, and packed in a durable foam interior and beautiful color box.
Publishing juggernaut Activision recently partnered up with the United Service Organization, a non-profit group whose sole purpose is to boost the morale of those currently serving in the armed forces, to give the gift of gaming to a bunch of people who have really earned it. At a launch event for Call of Duty: World at War at a Washington D.C. GameStop, customers will be able to play the title online with active servicemen and servicewomen -- in addition, for every copy of World at War purchased at the event, Activision will donate $10 to the USO. On top of all that, Activision will also donate $100,000 worth of Guitar Hero III to military bases across the globe.
This rather altruistic showing might just be exactly what Activision needed to win back the heart of the gaming community in the wake of a few upsetting comments recently made by CEO Bobby Kotick. We're a forgiving lot, aren't we, guys?
We're not even going to pretend like you have any free time to squander on frivolous gaming excursions -- as it stands, you're likely enjoying one of the the hojillion great titles that have come out in the past month. However, if you do find yourself bored, strapped for cash, and, well, twelve years old, you might want to turn your attention to the official site for Sony Online Entertainment's free-to-play MMO, Free Realms. In addition to posting a slew of new previews for the title, Sony recently began signing up testers for the Free Realms beta.
Want to know what you're getting into before spending your precious time on applying? Well, it's like Everquest, only cartoony, and with more minigames. Also, the title is apparently reaching for a mainstream teenage audience -- in turn, we can expect the usual shouts of "SoW PLZ" to be swiftly replaced with proclamations of "Did ne1 c grays anatmy last nite?". If this sounds like your cup of tea, you can find the sign-up form here.
Microsoft's Gears of War 2 for the Xbox 360 has beaten Sony's PS3 hope LittleBigPlanet to the top of the All Formats charts in the UK.
Both titles are exclusive to their respective formats, and LittleBigPlanet even benefited from a sales head-start – being released on November 5, two days before Gears' November 7 release.
But data from GfK Chart-Track shows Epic's highly-anticipated shooter entered the charts at number one, enjoying the third-best week-one sales for a 360 title, behind GTA IV and Halo 3.
LittleBigPlanet was originally due for release October 24, but was delayed globally while Sony removed part of the games soundtrack.
The Media Molecule-developed title debuted at number four in the chart, beating THQ's newly-released WWE Smackdown Vs RAW 2009 at five.
Nintendo's Professor Layton and the Curious Village entered the charts at number six, while Guitar Hero: World Tour broke the top twenty at 17.
Sony's other PlayStation 3 exclusive MotorStorm: Pacific Rift didn't perform strongly in its first week, only entering the charts at number 29, just ahead of Ubisoft's new Tom Clancy franchise, EndWar, at 30.
The full top ten for the UK follows:
1. Gears of War 2
2. FIFA 09
3. Fallout 3
4. LittleBigPlanet
5. WWE Smackdown Vs RAW 2009
6. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
7. Mario Kart Wii
8. Quantum of Solace
9. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
10. Wii Fit
EA is facing new class-action lawsuits over the company's alleged implementation of the controversial SecuROM Digital Rights Management software.
Following the news in September that a Maryland resident, Melissa Thomas, filed a suit against EA for keeping the installation of SecuROM a "secret", Gamepolitics reports that two similar lawsuits were filed against EA in October.
Pennsylvania resident Richard Eldridge claims that the free trial edition of Spore Creature Creator had installed SecuROM on his PC without his knowledge or permission. The suit argues that "the inclusion of undisclosed, secretly installed DRM protection measures with a program that was freely distributed constitutes a major violation of computer owners' absolute right to control what does and what does not get loaded onto their computers".
The suit also emphasises how SecuROM cannot be fully uninstalled, and that there is no warnining of the program within EA's software liscence agreement.
The second suit was filed on behalf of Missouri resident Dianna Cortez, who claims EA had implemented the inclusion of SecuROM on her copy of Sims 2 expansion; Bon Voyage. The suit claims that Cortez, a self-procliamed avid Sims fan, began to experience PC problems as soon as she installed the expansion pack.
"She had previously made backup Sims 2 game content on CDs," says that suit, "but her computer's disc drive would no longer recognize that content, reporting the CDs as empty. She could not access files that were saved on her USB flash drive or iPod, either." Cortez went on to claim that she was only able to get rid of SecuROM by reformatting her PC, and accuses EA's alleged practice as "immoral, unethical, oppressive [and] unscrupulous."
The #1 fighting game franchise in the world upholds its commitment to providing gamers with the definitive simulation of live WWE programming.
Featuring added depth and realism, along with a first-ever co-op storyline, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 enables players to come together and experience the virtual world of the WWE. On your own, you’re great, but together, you’re unstoppable.
Game Features:
TAG TEAM EXPLOSION: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 unleashes a brand new tag team match. Build momentum and attributes as a team, destroy opponents with high-impact double teams, pull off new bone-crunching tag team finishers and get the "hot tag" for the win.
ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA: Pave the way to WWE's biggest event of the year through WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009's new story mode, which features the franchise's first-ever co-op storyline.
CREATE-A-FINISHER: Construct the most devastating moves ever unleashed in a WWE ring with this brand new interface. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 lets players customize all aspects of created Superstars—even their very own finishing moves.
NEW ONLINE FUNCTIONALITY: Extend the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 gameplay experience with downloadable content and much more.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is available on a number of platforms:
Xbox360™
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 US US$ 64.90
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 ASIA US$ 49.90
PlayStation3™
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 US US$ 64.90
Nintendo Wii™
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 US US$ 59.90
Nintendo DS™
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 US US$ 34.90
Disney Sing It is a new video-based karaoke game featuring a mix of popular fan-faves and the hottest new Disney talents.
The first game in this rockin' new franchise features songs and videos from Hollywood Records artists, Disney Channel Original Series, and Disney Channel Original Movies.
Players can belt it out to some of today's chart topping tunes and have a blast along with their friends and Disney stars!
Disney movies are known for their feel-good elements, the cheerful plots, endearing characters and music. Disney Sing it is perfect for a party or karaoke night, sing with your friends in solos, duets and even teams, the game provides voice lessons that you can attend whenever you like.
The party game is compatible with these systems:
Xbox360™
Disney Sing It (Bundle with Microphone) ASIA US$ 59.90
Disney Sing It (Bundle with Microphone) US US$ 69.90
PlayStation3™
Disney Sing It (Bundle with Microphone) US US$ 69.90
Nintendo Wii™
Disney Sing It US US$ 44.90
Disney Sing It (Bundle with Microphone) US US$ 69.90
PlayStation2™
Disney Sing It US US$ 34.90
Disney Sing It (Bundle with Microphone) US US$ 59.90
Today's corporate laptops tend to be bristling with security measures, able to uniquely identify your fingers and faces on top of whatever authentication measures your operating system offers. But, without some kind of encryption, the drives inside are left completely vulnerable to anyone with a screwdriver. Seagate has been combating that with its AES-packing Momentus Full Drive Encryption disks for years, finally updating the range with a suite of larger and faster models.
The first is the Momentus 5400 FDE.3, a 5400RPM drive with 8MB of cache available in 160GB and 320GB sizes. There's also the Momentus 7200 FDE, coming in the same two capacities but with twice the cache and, predictably, spinning at 7200RPM. Seagate's promising 500GB flavors soon, all with onboard AES encryption that doesn't impact boot times or overall performance. Just don't forget that BIOS password, yeah?
Auran Games, developer of the long running Trainz franchise, today announced that Beta Testing had commenced for the new Trainz Simulator 2009: World Builder Edition. Over 1,000 registered members from TrainzDev.com have been invited to join the initial testing group and more testers would be invited in the coming weeks.
"We're thrilled to have reached our Beta milestone, and the early feedback from testers has been extremely positive" said Tony Hilliam, CEO. "We have built up a fantastic community over the past 8 years since Trainz began and everything is pointing towards Trainz 2009 being our best ever version."
"Trainz is an evergreen product with more than a million units sold since the first release in 2001," said Graham Edelsten, Director of N3VRF41L Publishing. "We're extremely happy to be publishing the 2009 version and look forward to welcoming thousands of train fans of all ages. Half our customers are aged over 50 and that gives Trainz a very special place in the gaming market. It really is more of a hobby than a game and that's one reason why we have built up a 300,000 strong online community."
The Trainz Simulator 2009: World Builder Edition contains everything you need to build or operate your own railroad and includes dozens of routes and hundreds of locomotives from around the world. You can drive steam diesel or electric locomotives using controls in the fully 3D cabs or use a simple speed controller for easier train management.
The 2009 World Builder Edition includes a major upgrade in the graphics capabilities, new content management tools and a host of new features in the famous "Surveyor" module. It will be followed early in 2009 by "Engineers Edition" which will deliver new content and new routes, plus a range of new Driver-specific features. Content from previous versions in 99% compatible and users will be able to import and upgrade their favourite routes and locos.
Pre-orders for TS2009 are live on the Auran website at www.auran.com/shop . All pre-order receive an invitation to the Beta plus a range of 20% and 60% discount vouchers on the Auran store.
Trainz Simulator 2009: Engineers Edition will be available from retail outlets in Q1 2009.
Internet boffins have hacked the PC Left 4 Dead demo to allow players to control the Infected, or zombies as we call them.
There's a step-by-step guide on the Steam forum, plus a reminder that this is an unsupported feature and so has plenty of bugs and balance issues.
But if you're feeling adventurous, why stop there? Another clever clogs has cobbled together some code to allow split-screen multiplayer in the demo. This involves having an Xbox 360 controller lying around and editing some .cfg files.
Finally, there's a chap who's got user maps working in the sampler, somehow. There's a video of the map in question, plus the usual waiver of slightly raw and unsupported content.
The Left 4 Dead demos will be released to the public tomorrow on PC and Xbox 360. However, those pre-ordering the game from Steam have had access since last Thursday.
The full PC version launches on Steam from 18th November, while retailers will stock Xbox 360 and PC boxes from 21st November.
The UK enjoyed software sales growth of 15 per cent for the three months ended September 30, beating marginal growth in the US of 8 per cent and a decline in Japan of 21 per cent.
Total global sales for the period evened out at 1 per cent, according to data from Top Global Markets, the alliance of NPD, GfK Chart-Track and Enterbrain, formed in August this year.
"Taking into consideration the marked differences between the three territories, the UK market in particular is gearing up for a best-ever Q4 performance overall, even under the well-documented financial climate," commented Dorian Bloch, business group director of GfK Chart-Track Limited.
"We fully expect UK consumers to drive sales for the full year to unprecedented heights, especially considering the line-up of exciting single and multi-format new franchises currently hitting the market, not to mention the evergreen portfolio of Nintendo-published Wii and DS titles which have done such a great job of expanding the market to a far more mainstream consumer."
Console software sales in the UK was up 26 per cent, but portable sales declined 1 per cent. Growth in the US was more even, with console software up 6 per cent, and portable growth up 10 per cent. Only the US market grew compared to the same period last year, by 3 per cent.
Japanese sales were down 33 per cent for console software, and 13 per cent in the handheld market.
"Japan did experience sales declines in both software categories, but it is important to keep in mind that not only is Japan a more mature market than the US and UK, but 2007 was a banner year for the Japanese software market, with the titles released in the third quarter of 2008 not being as highly anticipated as those released during the same time period in 2007," added Ricky K Tanimoto, global marketing analyst at Enterbrain.
Tanimoto observed that the market in Japan is not likely to be affected by the current global economic downturn, with the PSP 3000 and the DSi expected to drive sales in Q4.
Anita Frazier, analyst for NPD added that the US market "is on solid ground" for the next quarter, ending in December.
The Windows 7 unveiling garnered largely positive coverage, with many hands-on testers praising it for being faster than Vista. But is it actually? To find out, this blogger ran a suite of benchmarks to see just how much quicker Windows 7 really is — and the results weren't quite what he expected. 'The actual performance gap between Vista and Windows 7 is... nada. Absolutely nothing. Our Office benchmarks and video encoding tests complete in precisely the same time regardless of which OS in installed. [...] It's tempting to see this as a bit of a con. They've sped up the front end so it feels like you're getting more done, but in terms of real productivity it's no better than Vista.
Ascaron has adopted a unique DRM system for the PC version of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.
This allows the action-RPG to be installed as many times and on as many computers as you wish, but turns all of the unauthorised installations into timed demos lasting 24 hours.
During that period, all content within Sacred 2 will be on offer, as will the full suite of LAN multiplayer options. Then eventually, when the free-time comes to an end, players will be asked if they want to buy the full version.
"We feel that consumers should have a right to choose, and this innovative system offers the perfect purchasing option for gamers," said Heiko tom Felde, boss of developer Ascaron, in a statement.
"It's a great system for family and friends, allowing everyone the opportunity to try out the game and play together, then making a purchase decision."
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel was released last Friday on PC, with PS3 and Xbox 360 versions expected early next year.
Look out for our thoughts on the hack-and-slash loot-'em-up soon.
Creative Director Cardell Kerr and Ryan Bednar, lead designer, take a moment to show off two new character classes in this developer diary for Codemaster's MMO Lord of the Rings Online.
The Warden is loosely based on Haldir - the well-coiffured elf who overacts his way to death in the Battle of Helms Deep (movie version). A tank character at heart, the Warden can create long combo chains to deal huge amounts of damage or destroy multiple opponents. At least one of his combo moves seems to be shouting really loudly at his opponent. I like to imagine that he is saying something like "Yo momma's so fat, she tried to fit Grond with batteries."
The Runemaster is based on the character of Galadriel - only without the crucial 'resembling Cate Blanchett' perk which could be devastating if deployed against the right opponent. Rune masters can hurl around intricate looking magic composed of glowing runes or work as a healer - but not both at the same time.
Downloadable content as a weapon against second-hand resales is, nothing new, but Epic's Mike Capps has heard other ideas for how it can be used with devastating effect. If you hated the idea of DLC weapons in Bad Company, well, you're really going to hate this.
“I’ve talked to some developers who are saying ‘If you want to fight the final boss you go online and pay USD 20, but if you bought the retail version you got it for free’. We don’t make any money when someone rents it, and we don’t make any money when someone buys it used - way more than twice as many people played Gears than bought it.”
That would reduce everything but a retail sale to a demo, in my view. This doesn't sound like Capps specifically advocating such a bastard-ass move. But these two sides — developers and retailer/resellers — need to arrive at some sort of truce or else the only ones who'll get screwed are the gamers.
I can't imagine the Amazon and Metacritic reviews for such a game. It would make the Spore DRM backlash look like a polite disagreement. Seriously, games industry, you want to start spewing douchewater like the RIAA, go for it. They can tell you what it's done for their sales.
Valve has patched the PC demo of Left 4 Dead to remove split-screen play, which could be activated by plugging in an Xbox 360 controller and typing a short console command.
"Split-screen was always something we only wanted to officially support on the x360 due to the controller issues. However, we are planning on making some of the functionality work on the PC as an unsupported bonus feature," said Valve designer Yahrn Beriner on the Steam forums.
"We turned it off for the demo because we didn't want to have to deal with any additional bug reports etc. about it interfering with the demo experience, but the current plan is to re-enable it after we launch the full product."
And when that happens, Beriner believes the best split-screen set-up on PC will be two joysticks or two Xbox 360 controllers. One on keyboard/mouse and one on joystick should also work, although he's not sure about two lots of keyboard/mouse input.
Split-screen was just one of the features unlocked by savvy internet goers in the demo; the ability to play as the Infected and load user maps is also possible.
The Left 4 Dead demo launches worldwide on PC and Xbox 360 today, and will let quartets of survivors pit their wits and firepower against the relentless and frenzied Infected.
The full version of Left 4 Dead will be available on Steam from 18th November, while retailers will stock PC and Xbox 360 copies from 21st November.
You may or may not be one of over 150,000 gamers now registered to take part in the upcoming beta for Codemasters' space MMO Jumpgate Evolution.
Registration, which has been ongoing for three months, is apparently "climbing rapidly", but there's still time to sign up if you think it's your bag.
Designed for "experienced and novice MMO players alike", the NetDevil developed PC title "will allow players to choose from one of three playable nations and engage in an intense action experience featuring ship-to-ship combat in a persistent online universe", according to Codies.
The beta's kicking off in "the coming months" and the game's due out next year. Can it take on EVE Online though?
Ubisoft just announced that Far Cry 2 has achieved a million sales worldwide in under three weeks across Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Even with the holiday wallet onslaught (and recession) in full effect, it's encouraging to see a quality title that could have slipped through the cracks compete at retail.
The Africa-set Far Cry 2, developed by Ubisoft Montreal, has met with solid reviews from the gaming press and our very own Afrikaner, who greeted the news of the game's achievement with, "YES! Good job, world."
Sports Interactive has told Eurogamer to expect a patch for Football Manger 2009 on Friday, alongisde the European launch of the game.
The update will address various compatibility issues people are having with graphics cards and the 3D match engine, as well as tweak long-term injuries and the typing sensitivity in-game.
There are many more fixes besides, and a full list will be plastered over the official Football Manager 2009 website on Friday.
Football Manager 2009 thunders into the new season with a brand new 3D match engine, revamped transfer system, and myriad other nips and tucks.
Unfortunately, what should be a glorious display from the most complete entry in the series was sadly marred by numerous niggles and bugs. Still, Sports Interactive has already begun to iron these out, and will no doubt continue its historically passionate support of game and community until next season arrives.
One of the most feel-good stories of the year has got to be the unholy alliance between NPD/GfK/Enterbrain, that lets us see - every three months, at least - what the biggest-selling games are not in the US, Europe or Japan, but in the world. Last time we checked, the best-seller was GTA IV. This time around, for the quarter running from July-September? It's Madden. Madden, followed by daylight.
1. Madden 09 - 2.994 million
2. Wii Fit - 2.089 million
3. Force Unleashed - 1.738 million
4. Pokemon Platinum - 1.482 million
5. Mario Kart Wii - 1.468 million
What's even more interesting than the raw numbers is the percentage of those final tallies US sales comprise. For Madden, of the 2.994 million, 2.958 were in the US. Proving, in case Americans were unaware, how few people outside North America give a rat's arse about American Football. Yet for Wii Fit and Mario Kart, US numbers accounted for barely half of total sales: 1.283 million of 2.089 million for Wii Fit, and 856,000 of 1.468 million for Mario Kart Wii.
"Digital Marketing" experts Clickz have a theory - casual games are becoming the dominant form of gameplay and are killing the console market deader than a particularly dead doornail.
"We are entering a future that many in the game industry are still denying and fighting against," says Clickz's Kevin Carney, "We are watching the icon of gaming, the console, quickly and ungraciously bow to the internet."
You see, it is not just any old casual gaming - it is web-based casual gaming with an advertising-based revenue model. "Here's the beauty of this transition: advertisers are the prime movers. Online games are typically funded through advertising revenue," continues Carney.
features
Call of Duty 4 Technology – Built using the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War utilizes a bedrock of technology that delivers jaw-dropping visuals, while empowering players to employ elements like fire to affect the dynamics of the battlefield.
Coordinated Assault and Support – For the first time in the franchise, Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-op, bringing fresh meaning to the “No One Fights Alone” mantra. Call of Duty: World at War co-op features up to four-players online, or two-player local split-screen, allowing gamers to experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution.
New Theaters of Operation – Players fight as U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers facing enemies – some new to the Call of Duty franchise – that employ lethal new tactics and know no fear, no mercy, nor the rules of war.
Innovative Multiplayer – Multiplayer builds from the success of Call of Duty delivering a persistent online experience for more squad based interaction. New development with party systems allows an intimacy with squad based combat never before seen in Call of Duty.
Cinematic Quality Graphics and Sound – Treyarch’s award-winning sound department returns with effects that add to the already immersive cinematic intensity of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game engine.
description
Building on the Call of Duty 4 engine, Call of Duty: World at War thrusts players into the ruthless and gritty chaos of WWII combat like never been before, and challenges them to band together to survive the most harrowing and climactic battles of WWII that led to the demise of the Axis powers on the European and South Pacific fronts. The title re-defines WWII games by offering an uncensored experience with unique enemies and combat variety, including Kamikaze fighters, ambush attacks, Banzai charges and cunning cover tactics, as well as explosive on-screen action through all new cooperative gameplay.
Blizzard has revealed that it has closed over 350,000 StarCraft and Diablo II accounts which were found to be using third-party hacks.
The company further revealed that the Diablo II CD keys associated with the closed accounts are now barred from playing on Battle.net for 30 days and warned that repeat offenders face a permanent ban.
"We reserve the right to close the accounts and ban the CD keys of players who are caught cheating on Battle.net," the developer said in a statement.
"Cheating ruins the game experience for legitimate players, and we will not tolerate it."
Kloonigames' Independent Games Festival-winning Crayon Physics Deluxe is finally available to pre-order for a ridiculously minuscule USD 14.95, which will also grant access to a beta version in due course.
Crayon Physics Deluxe involves drawing objects with the mouse, which then become live and susceptible to physics, in order to drive a little crayon circle to a crayon star.
The cool bit (well, one of the cool bits) is that you can create little crayon physics machines, or, as John Walker put it in our Crayon Physics Deluxe hands-on preview, "it's building the most astonishingly stupid and over-complicated solutions to puzzles, involving elaborately peculiar mechanisms, that's most rewarding".
The full game will be released "when it's done", at a regular price of USD 19.95, but pre-orders get a USD 5 discount and access to the aforementioned beta, for which there is no release date, but which we're expecting soonish.
And if you're still sitting on the fence in the current harsh economic climate (sell the fence!), perhaps the following, from author Petri Purho's blog, will sway you: "There won't be any kind of DRM, because I've found that it only hurts the real customers."
Check out the game's official website for a demonstration of how it works and a pre-order link.
We speculated in our review of the new iPod touch that Apple had designs on more than just consumption of music and video, and now an interview with company VP of iPod and iPhone product marketing Greg Joswiak all but confirms that sights are set on the gaming market. In a conversation with T3, Joswiak boasts that the devices are breaking through as a viable alternative to established handhelds (such as the PSP or DS) due mostly in part to competitive software pricing and the company's content delivery system. While much of the interview focuses on iPod sales figures, it does delve into more detailed comparisons of platforms, with Joswiak stating, "The 3D graphic power here [iPod touch] is significantly greater than what you have here [picks up Nintendo DS]. So this allows people to do significantly higher quality games." While it's not unusual to hear Apple's honchos hyping their products like they just skipped across some water to heal a few lepers, it is a new trend to see the company aggressively going after gaming platform mainstays so directly. With Sony and Nintendo just getting up to speed on non-traditional content delivery, Apple may find an edge come holiday season with casual gamers -- the real question is whether the hardcore will bite.
Our World of Warcraft friends (some of whom may or may not work as professional WoW bloggers) have been prodding us incessantly to remind us that (a) Wrath of the Lich King is coming out worldwide on November 13 and (b) Europe is hours ahead of North America. Applying applicable logic, we can use (a) and (b) to deduce (c) Europeans are now exploring Northrend via the latest WoW expansion on European servers.
Why should you care? If you're a Western Hemisphere MMO addict, you might have a new reason to hate your friends across the pond -- at least for a few hours. If you don't care about MMOs at all, well, here's a post about Far Cry 2. Check out WoW Insider for more in-depth coverage than you can shake a Death Knight at. Remember, folks, Wrath of the Lich King officially comes out midnight tonight, so make an effort to see your WoW-playing buddies this one last time.
Just as China declares internet addiction a "mental disorder," 22 year-old Hu Ange from Sichuan Province is now trying to claim insanity after being sentenced to death for poisoning his parents and spending their money on online games. Back in March 2007, Hu's parents gave him 50,000 yuan (US$7,353) to support his seafood business — he spent all the money on online game Legend. Flash forward to July 14, 2007 when he purchased 20 packs of tetramine and poisoned his father the following morning. His father was saved thanks to emergency treatment. Days later on July 20, he bought 45 more packs of tetramine and served them with mixed beef on July 24, poisoning both his parents at lunch. Hu did not respond to his dying mother's pleas for help, because he was in his room playing Legend. If poisoning one's parents on multiple occasions wasn't nutty enough, this wacko's gotta drag gaming into it.
A new Kirby title from Nintendo has knocked Grand Theft Auto IV off the top of the charts in Japan.
According to data from Media Create, Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe sold 266,000 units in its first week of sale.
Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV, published by Capcom in the region, was the fifth highest seller in the market, shifting a further 36,000 copies.
Sony's LittleBigPlanet, released last week and entering the charts at number four, dropped down to tenth place with 17,000 copies sold.
The full top ten for Japan, week ended November 9, follows:
01. Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (DS)
02. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS)
03. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS)
04. Pokémon Platinum (DS)
05. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3)
06. Valkyrie Profile: Toga o Seoumono (DS)
07. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP)
08. Personal Trainer: Walking (DS)
09. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III (PS3)
10. LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
From the publisher: Enter a snowboarding world of total freedom. You can create your own experience in this game, and choose when, where, how and with whom you want to ride.
Developed in close collaboration with Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White – the most successful snowboarder in the history of the sport – Shaun White Snowboarding is the next-gen game that redefines the action sports genre.
Game Features:
Choose how you ride in open-world mountains across the globe. Conquer the extreme peak conditions, create your own paths in the back country, or compete with fellow riders in the terrain park.
Play in a world where your friends are always around. Do you own runs on mountains populated by real gamers, or join your friends for a quick session from anywhere in the mountains
Have fun with your friends on and off the board: Throw snowballs, hike to access secret spots, film your friends doing crazy tricks. You can also upload your videos online to share with the world
Express yourself through tricks, riding styles, and highly customizable avatars both in single-player and in the online world. Use the intuitive dual analog control to pull off a huge variety of tricks that express your style
Snow board in your living room on one of these consoles:
Xbox360™
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 64.90
Shaun White Snowboarding ASIA US$ 49.90
PlayStation3™
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 64.90
Shaun White Snowboarding ASIA US$ 59.90
Nintendo Wii™
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 54.90
PlayStation2™
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 44.90
Nintendo DS™
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 44.90
PC Game
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 34.90
All products on preorder are expected to arrive during the next few days, so please check back often for a more concrete shipping schedule.
features
Call of Duty 4 Technology – Built using the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War utilizes a bedrock of technology that delivers jaw-dropping visuals, while empowering players to employ elements like fire to affect the dynamics of the battlefield.
Coordinated Assault and Support – For the first time in the franchise, Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-op, bringing fresh meaning to the “No One Fights Alone” mantra. Call of Duty: World at War co-op features up to four-players online, or two-player local split-screen, allowing gamers to experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution.
New Theaters of Operation – Players fight as U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers facing enemies – some new to the Call of Duty franchise – that employ lethal new tactics and know no fear, no mercy, nor the rules of war.
Innovative Multiplayer – Multiplayer builds from the success of Call of Duty delivering a persistent online experience for more squad based interaction. New development with party systems allows an intimacy with squad based combat never before seen in Call of Duty.
Cinematic Quality Graphics and Sound – Treyarch’s award-winning sound department returns with effects that add to the already immersive cinematic intensity of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game engine.
description
Building on the Call of Duty 4 engine, Call of Duty: World at War thrusts players into the ruthless and gritty chaos of WWII combat like never been before, and challenges them to band together to survive the most harrowing and climactic battles of WWII that led to the demise of the Axis powers on the European and South Pacific fronts. The title re-defines WWII games by offering an uncensored experience with unique enemies and combat variety, including Kamikaze fighters, ambush attacks, Banzai charges and cunning cover tactics, as well as explosive on-screen action through all new cooperative gameplay
features
Even after you reach the top of the WWE, you must be prepared defend your title against the Superstars of Raw, SmackDown, and ECW, as well as your friends and fierce online competition! You may hold the gold now, but if you want to keep it then you need this guide!
Learn their strengths and weaknesses, from the match types in which they dominate to the best way to set up their signature and finishing moves.
Guide the biggest names in WWE along the Road to WresleMania or lead the company as the General Manager where you make the roster, set up matches, and even create the company's Highlight Reel!
Not everyone is available immediately! To learn how to unlock your favorite Superstars and their special Abilities, just look inside!
Platform: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS
World of Warcraft is one blackhole of an MMORPG, once you ventured into the world of Azeroth, you'd assume an alias and would never be able to get out again. A new menace is threatening the world and its up to you and your guild to save it.
From the publisher: The Lich King Arthas has set in motion events that could lead to the extinction of all life on Azeroth.
With the armies of the undead and the necromantic power of the plague threatening to sweep across the land, only the mightiest heroes can oppose the Lich King's will and end his reign of terror for all time.
Blizzard Entertainment's latest expansion to World of Warcraft – Wrath of the Lich King – adds a host of epic content to the existing game world.
Players will achieve soaring levels of power, explore a vast new continent, and battle other high-level heroes to determine the fate of Azeroth.
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack US US$ 44.90
Game Guide
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Official Strategy Guide US US$ 24.90
Things you need to open the portal to the World of Warcraft.
The Original Game:
World of Warcraft 60 Day Pre-Paid Time Card US US$ 29.99
World of Warcraft Battlechest US US$ 44.90
Time Cards
World of Warcraft 60 Day Pre-Paid Time Card US US$ 29.99
As the most popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft has captured many people's hearts through the extravagant settings, world view and addictive game play.
One of the unique features of this international success is its delicate art work, which DC Direct has taken from the computer screen and rendered into 3D as action figures.
Every one of them are loyally made according to the original artwork of the game's character designer down to the last curl of a piece of hair to the metallic sheen on the trimmings of the armors. With multiple points of articulation, you can recreate all sorts of battle poses on the figures.
Get the full set of figures separately and open up a battle field for them on your desk or display case:
World of Warcraft Series 3 Pre-Painted Figure: Blood Elf Paladin: Quin'thalan Sunfire US US$ 24.90
World of Warcraft Series 3 Pre-Painted Figure: Dranei Mage: Tamuura US US$ 24.90
World of Warcraft Series 3 Pre-Painted Figure: Human Priestess: Sister Benedron US US$ 24.90
World of Warcraft Series 3 Pre-Painted Figure: Undead Rogue: Skeeve Sorrowblade US US$ 24.90
Collect all the different races in the game and enlarge your battlefield. Include all the people from your guild and even a few of your opponents.
Figures from the second World of Warcraft series is also available at Play-Asia.com let them hack at each other on the surface of your desktop.
This series features members from both the Alliance and the Horde, the large spectrum of races and jobs is a main attraction of the game and the sculptors of DC Comics have carefully crafted them down to the most minute details in their most representative battle poses.
The races featured in this series are:
World of Warcraft Series 2: Gnome Warrior - Sprocket Gyrospring Figure US US$ 19.90
World of Warcraft Series 2: Human Warrior - Archilon Shadowheart Collector Figure US US$ 14.90
World of Warcraft Series 2: Night Elf Druid - Broll Bearmantle Figure US US$ 19.90
World of Warcraft Series 2: Troll Priest - Zabra Hexx Collector Figure US US$ 19.90
To promote their previous expansion package The Burning Crusade, Sideshow Collectibles and Blizzard started the diorama series.
This very limited statue series is based on artwork that was released as a teaser to the game's expansion pack and this first figure features the ferocious battle between a Blood Elf Rogue and a Draenei Paladin.
Draneis and the blood elves are new races that only appears in The Burning Crusade, and as mentioned above, this 3D battle scene is a very limited release. Each of these statues are hand crafted and painted to the highest quality, and to show their exalted status, they bear an individual hand painted edition number at their bases.
World of Warcraft 1/9 Scale Diorama Statue: Blood Elf Rogue Vs Draenei Paladin US US$ 269.00
Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
As the holiday season draws nearer and nearer, game developers push their products out, resulting in a flood of games in our warehouses.
Not only are there a lot of games, but most of them are block busters. Call of Duty: World At War allows players to participate in WWII, one of the largest scale wars that inspired gamers and developers alike.
Go from WWII to WWIII in Command and Conquer 3: Red Alert. Technology goes astray in this episode and everything goes beyond you wildest fancies. In an attempt to bring glory to your motherland, you travelled to a different time dimension, from this point onwards, you need to show whoever crosses your path that you are the boss!.
Aside from battling earthly forces, you can battle Locusts in Gears of War 2 that is threatening to overtake humanity. Please see this special report on the shipping status of the game and its related products.
Mankind is frequently under attack, the theme of technology against humans is a popular theme. Ryuusei no Rockman 3 [Black Ace and Red Joker] is a game based on such themes. Transform your armor and weapons in this hot DS release and eradicate the errors made by humans.
Sometimes freedom, or a sense of freedom need not be won over bloodshed. Shaun White Snowboarding and MotorStorm: Pacific Rift are games where speed is the liberating agent. Tear all chains that ties you to reality by accelerating down snowy slopes or storming through muddy paths.
Mirror's Edge combines liberating speeds with intense combat. Instead of pitting technology or aliens at you, you fall prey to hostile organizations that seeks to get their hands on, or destroy whatever secrets you are bearing. These people will stop at nothing, so run while you can.
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 takes away the speed factor and increased the combat elements by multi-fold. With its co-op story mode, you can take down any opponents with a friend. On your own, you are great, together, you are unstoppable.
The struggles are nothing less spectacular in the Japanese games. Localized for English speaking audiences, the engaging story and innovative strategic battle system in Valkyrie Chronicles are made available for the rest of the world.
Globalization opened up the Ninja industry for all highly qualified people to join in. Admire how seamlessly you can launch your ninja moves on your PlayStation3 in Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm [Limited and Standard Editions].
Besides Ninja, you can be a Samurai in Samurai Dou 3 [Asian & JPN versions]. Freedom of play is one of the main attractions of the game, you can stay loyal to a cause or betray your employers. Everything is up to you in this game, just bear in mind what effects your actions will have on the land, as the state's future rests within your hands.
Another hot game that launches today is World of WarCraft : Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack. Please see this special news on details with regards to the game and its related products.
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™
Call of Duty: World at War ASIA US$ 59.90
Call of Duty: World at War US US$ 64.90
Call of Duty: World at War [Collector's Edition] US US$ 89.90
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 ASIA US$ 49.90
Disney Sing It (Bundle with Microphone) ASIA US$ 59.90
FIFA Soccer 09 JPN US$ 74.90
Gears of War 2 ASIA US$ 49.90
Gears of War 2 US US$ 64.90
Gears of War 2 [Limited Edition] ASIA N/A
Gears of War 2 [Limited Edition] US N/A
Guitar Hero World Tour ASIA US$ 59.90
History Channel Civil War: Secret Missions US US$ 54.90
Legendary US US$ 64.90
Mirror's Edge ASIA US$ 49.90
Namco Museum Virtual Arcade US US$ 34.90
Scene It? Box Office Smash US US$ 44.90
Scene It? Box Office Smash (Controller Bundle) US US$ 79.90
Secret Service: Ultimate Sacrifice US US$ 44.90
Shaun White Snowboarding ASIA US$ 49.90
Tom Clancy's EndWar US US$ 64.90
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 ASIA US$ 49.90
Xbox 360 Hard Drive (60 GB) Live Pack JPN US$ 129.90
PlayStation3™
Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (PlayStation3 the Best) JPN US$ 39.90
Call of Duty: World at War ASIA US$ 59.90
Call of Duty: World at War US US$ 64.90
Derby Time Online JPN US$ 59.90
FIFA Soccer 09 JPN US$ 74.90
Guitar Hero World Tour ASIA US$ 59.90
History Channel Civil War: Secret Missions US US$ 54.90
Mahjong Taikai IV (Koei the Best) JPN US$ 34.90
Major League Baseball 2K8 JPN US$ 59.90
Mirror's Edge ASIA US$ 49.90
MotorStorm 2 ASIA US$ 59.90
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm US US$ 64.90
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm [Limited Edition] US US$ 79.90
Resistance 2 ASIA US$ 59.90
Resistance 2 JPN US$ 64.90
SOCOM: Confrontation ASIA US$ 39.90
SOCOM: Confrontation (w/ Headset) ASIA US$ 64.90
Samurai Dou 3 JPN US$ 69.90
Samurai Dou 3 ASIA US$ 64.90
Tom Clancy's EndWar US US$ 64.90
Tom Clancy's EndWar (Headset Bundle) ASIA US$ 79.90
Tom Clancy's EndWar (Headset Bundle) US N/A
Valkyria Chronicles US US$ 64.90
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 US US$ 64.90
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 [Collector's Edition] US N/A
Nintendo Wii™
Blob: Colorful na Kibou JPN US$ 59.90
Call of Duty: World at War US US$ 54.90
FIFA Soccer 09 All-Play JPN US$ 59.90
Family Ski: World Ski & Snowboard JPN US$ 54.90
Goosebumps HorrorLand US US$ 44.90
Illvelo Wii JPN US$ 49.90
Jinsei Game Wii EX JPN US$ 59.90
Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors US US$ 54.90
Movie Games US US$ 34.90
New Unou Kids Wii JPN US$ 49.90
Petz Sports US US$ 44.90
Remote Control Pocket (Black) JPN US$ 7.99
Remote Control Pocket (Blue) JPN US$ 7.99
Remote Control Pocket (White) JPN US$ 7.99
Sangokushi XI with Power-Up Kit (Koei the Best) JPN US$ 39.90
Star Wars Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels US US$ 54.90
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 US US$ 59.90
PlayStation2™
Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World US US$ 34.90
Goosebumps HorrorLand US US$ 34.90
Major League Baseball 2K8 JPN US$ 49.90
Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis US US$ 24.90
NHL 09 US US$ 34.90
Nobunaga no Yabou: Kakushin (PlayStation2 the Best) JPN US$ 39.90
Sangokushi XI with Power-Up Kit (Koei the Best) JPN US$ 39.90
Sengoku Musou 2 Empires (PlayStation2 the Best) JPN US$ 28.90
WinBack 2: Project Poseidon (Koei Selection Series) JPN US$ 19.90
Nintendo DS™
Call of Duty: World at War US US$ 34.90
DS Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense 2 Shin Tantei Series: Kanezawa kankan gokkan no kyoukoku fukushuu no kage JPN US$ 39.90
Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell US US$ 34.90
Dragon Ball Origins US US$ 34.90
Elminage DS Remix: Yami no Fuo to Kamigami no Yubiwa JPN US$ 48.90
Fushigi no Dungeon: Fuurai no Shiren DS 2 - Sabaku no Majou JPN US$ 48.90
Goosebumps HorrorLand US US$ 34.90
Ikatan: Ikamono Tantei JPN US$ 48.90
Imagine Interior Designer US US$ 34.90
Imagine Wedding Designer US US$ 34.90
Juggler DS JPN US$ 48.90
KORG DS-10 Synthesizer US US$ 44.90
Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors US US$ 34.90
My Baby Boy US US$ 34.90
My Baby Girl US US$ 34.90
New Unou Kids DS JPN US$ 39.90
Nobunaga no Yabou DS (Koei the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Petz Dogz Pack US US$ 34.90
Princess on Ice US US$ 34.90
Rhythm de Cooking JPN US$ 48.90
Ryuusei no RockMan 3: Black Ace JPN US$ 48.90
Ryuusei no RockMan 3: Red Joker JPN US$ 48.90
Shaun White Snowboarding ASIA US$ 29.90
Star Wars Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance US US$ 39.90
Taisen!! Ka to Chan no Kororonpe! JPN US$ 39.90
Tom Clancy's EndWar US US$ 34.90
Tongari Boushi no Mahou no 365 Nichi JPN US$ 48.90
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 US US$ 34.90
Zero Kara Hajimeru: Otona no 5-Kokugo Nyuumon JPN US$ 39.90
Nintendo DS™ Accessories
DS Card Case x 4 (Chic) JPN US$ 3.99
DS Card Case x 4 (Fine) JPN US$ 3.99
Dr. Slump Carrying Case (Arale) JPN US$ 9.90
Dr. Slump Carrying Case (Suppaman) JPN US$ 9.90
Dr. Slump Custom Hard Cover (Arale) JPN US$ 12.90
Dr. Slump Custom Hard Cover (Suppaman) JPN US$ 12.90
Dr. Slump Soft Card Case (Arale) JPN US$ 7.90
Dr. Slump Soft Card Case (Suppaman) JPN US$ 7.90
Ryuusei no RockMan 3 Noise Kaizou Gear Progress Stage (5pcs Pack) JPN US$ 2.99
Sony PSP™
Chuumon Shiyouze! Oretachi no Sekai JPN US$ 48.90
FIFA Soccer 09 JPN US$ 48.90
Guilty Gear: Judgment (Arc System Works Best Selection) JPN US$ 29.90
Guilty Gear: Judgment (Arc System Works Best Selection) ASIA US$ 24.90
Sangokushi VIII (Koei the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Sengoku Efuda Yuugi: Hototogisu Ran JPN US$ 48.90
Tom Clancy's EndWar US US$ 44.90
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 US US$ 44.90
Zero Pilot: Daisanji Sekai Taisen 1946 JPN US$ 48.90
Dreamcast™
Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles US$ 39.99
PC Game
Call of Duty: World at War (DVD-ROM) US US$ 54.90
Call of Duty: World at War (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 44.90
Call of Duty: World at War (DVD-ROM) [Collector's Edition] US US$ 79.90
Football Manager 2009 ASIA US$ 44.90
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack US US$ 44.90
Game Guides and Magazines
Gears of War 2 Signature Series Guide US US$ 19.90
Gears of War 2: Last Stand Edition Strategy Guide US US$ 34.90
Hyper Hobby [December 2008] JPN US$ 16.90
MJ4 Capture Guide JPN US$ 22.90
Macross Ace Frontier Complete Guide JPN US$ 27.90
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Gundam Meisters Complete Guide JPN US$ 27.90
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Resistance 2 Signature Series Guide US US$ 19.90
Ryuusei no RockMan 3 Perfect Guide JPN US$ 13.90
Sengoku Efuda Yuugi: Hototogisu Ran Official Handbook JPN US$ 22.90
Star Wars Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duel and Jedi Alliance: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World Official Strategy Guide US US$ 17.90
Tales of Vesperia Perfect Guide JPN US$ 31.90
Valkyria Chronicles Official Strategy Guide US US$ 17.90
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 Signature Series Guide US US$ 17.90
Weekly Famitsu No. 1040 (2008 11/21) JPN US$ 7.90
Video Game related Soundtracks
Blob - Colorful Na Kibou CM Song (~Akihito Tanaka) JPN US$ 9.90
Original Voice Drama True Fortune Vol.1 JPN US$ 28.90
Quiz Magic Academy 5 Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 23.90
Tongari Bouchi To Mahou No 365 Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 30.90
Here is a preview of what are expected to be hot next week, as you can see, there are quite a lot of them:
Xbox360™
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts ASIA US$ 39.90
Left 4 Dead ASIA US$ 49.90
Left 4 Dead US US$ 64.90
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe ASIA US$ 49.90
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe [Collector's Edition] US US$ 79.90
Naruto: The Broken Bond ASIA US$ 49.90
Naruto: The Broken Bond US US$ 64.90
Need for Speed Undercover ASIA US$ 44.90
Otomedius Gorgeous JPN US$ 64.90
Otomedius Gorgeous + Hyper Stick Pro Otomedius Gorgeous Ver. [Konamistyle Limited Edition] JPN N/A
PES Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 US US$ 54.90
The Last Remnant US US$ 64.90
The Last Remnant (English language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
The Last Remnant (Japanese language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
Tomb Raider Underworld US US$ 64.90
Tomb Raider Underworld ASIA US$ 49.90
PlayStation3™
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe US US$ 64.90
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe [Collector's Edition] US US$ 79.90
Need for Speed Undercover US US$ 64.90
Need for Speed Undercover ASIA US$ 49.90
PES Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 US US$ 54.90
Tomb Raider Underworld ASIA US$ 59.90
Tomb Raider Underworld US US$ 64.90
Nintendo Wii™
Animal Crossing: City Folk JPN US$ 59.90
Animal Crossing: City Folk US US$ 54.90
Animal Crossing: City Folk (w/ Wii Speak) JPN US$ 79.90
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World US US$ 44.90
PlayStation2™
Eternal Poison US US$ 44.90
Nintendo DS™
Chrono Trigger JPN US$ 48.90
Luminous Arc 2 US US$ 44.90
Metal Slug 7 US US$ 34.90
Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™
Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam ASIA US$ 42.90
Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam JPN US$ 48.90
Prinny: Ore ga Shujinkou de Iinsuka? JPN US$ 48.90
PC Games
EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey (DVD-ROM) US US$ 44.90
Left 4 Dead (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 39.90
FreeCol is an open source project that aims to provide a free Colonization clone (released under the GPL). A new alpha of the 0.8.0 version has been released.
In the study boys (12-15) were asked to play two different video games at home in the evening. The boys’ heart rate was registered, among other parameters. It turned out that the heart rate variability was affected to a higher degree when the boys were playing games focusing on violence compared with games without violent features. Differences in heart rate variability were registered both while the boys were playing the games and when they were sleeping that night. The boys themselves did not feel that they had slept poorly after having played violent games.
The results show that the autonomous nerve system, and thereby central physiological systems in the body, can be affected when you play violent games without your being aware of it. It is too early to draw conclusions about what the long-term significance of this sort of influence might be. What is important about this study is that the researchers have found a way, on the one hand, to study what happens physiologically when you play video or computer games and, on the other hand, to discern the effects of various types of games.
It is hoped that it will be possible to use the method to enhance our knowledge of what mechanisms could lie behind the association that has previously been suggested between violent games and aggressive behavior.
The researchers, from Stockholm University, Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, also hope the method can be used to study how individuals are affected by playing often and for long periods, which can take the form of so-called game addiction.
An article on this research was recently published electronically in the scientific journal Acta Paediatrica.
This research on the effects of video games is funded by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS) and the Oscar and Maria Ekman Philanthropic Fund.
Nintendo has trampled its competition with respect to hardware sales in the US for October, according to the latest data from NPD.
The Wii was the most popular platform by some distance, selling 803,000 units while the DS was a comfortable second on 491,000 - giving Nintendo a combined sales total of almost 1.3 million hardware units sold.
The Xbox 360 was third on 371,000, followed by the PlayStation Portable in fourth and PlayStation 3 in fifth on 193,000 and 190,000 units respectively. The PlayStation 2 was last, selling 136,000 consoles.
But despite brisk sales of the Nintendo platforms, hardware revenues in the US grew by just 5 per cent to USD 494.74 million, while the sales of accessories fell by 8 per cent to USD 120.19 million.
But NPD analyst Anita Frazier pointed out that the way the weeks fell in the calendar wasn't kind to October: "Keeping in mind that September was a five-week month while October had four, the sales pace increased 33 per cent," she said.
"The greater supply of Wii hardware at retail is evident in the sales figures for the month with the Wii enjoying its best sales month outside of last November and December.
"The price reduction on the Xbox 360 is paying dividends at retail as the platform realised a 7 per cent unit sales increase over September."
The hardware sales breakdown is as follows:
1. Nintendo Wii: 803,000
2. Nintendo DS: 491,000
3. Xbox 360: 370,000
4. PlayStation Portable: 193,000
5. PlayStation 3: 190,000
6. PlayStation 2: 136,000
SEGA has said sorry to people having trouble activating Football Manager 2009 keys online, and is "confident that the issue will be solved today".
"SEGA is aware that there have been some problems with the activation of Football Manager 2009 today. This has been due to a combination of issues relating to the printing of keycodes and the huge demand for the game," reads a SEGA statement.
"A solution is in place and is starting to clear the problem, we are confident that the issue will be solved today. The chances of successful authentication are increasing hourly. At this point consumers still experiencing difficulties are advised to leave a 10 minute gap between authentication attempts.
"SEGA apologises for the disappointment caused by the problems with activating the game and asks for Football Manager fans to remain patient," adds SEGA.
Football Manager 2009 launches today on PC and PSP, and is the fullest, most complete instalment in the series. There are, however, some teething issues, but Sports Interactive is already rolling out patches to amend these.
Following the release of October's US sales data by NPD, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony have all responded by releasing statements on their respective performance.
As usual Nintendo had the most to shout about on the hardware side of things, dominating with the Wii and DS, although Microsoft underlined the performance of the Xbox 360 compared with the PlayStation 3 following its price cut.
Microsoft also had reason to cheer on the software front with the best-selling title being a platform exclusive, while Sony focused on the steady year-on-year growth of the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Network.
The key points from each company is as follows:
Nintendo
Wii and DS sales bring lifetime US numbers for the platforms to 13.35 million and 23.02 million respectively.
Hardware sales were up almost 26 per cent over October, and accounted for over 59 per cent of total hardware sales in the month.
Lifetime sales of Wii Fit - second in the software chart - has now hit 2.83 million.
"Nintendo provides consumers with the best value not only among video games, but also among most entertainment options," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive VP of sales and marketing. "Nintendo also provides an incomparable range of experiences that everyone can enjoy, whether you've been playing for years or are just getting into videogames."
Microsoft
The Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 by nearly 2-to-1 in October, as the price cut boosts sales by around 33 per cent per week over September.
Fable II sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide since launch, while Gears of War 2 sold over 2 million in its first weekend. 1.5 million people played Gears 2 on the first weekend, logging 15 million hours of gameplay.
The Xbox 360's attach rate is now 8.1, with USD 244 million spent on Xbox 360 titles in October.
Third party sales share is now 57 per cent on the Xbox 360, with USD 171 million in October and a generation to-date figure of USD 4.5 billion.
Sony
The PlayStation brand generate USD 369 million in October in total.
PS3 hardware was up 90 per cent year-on-year, while PS3 software jumped almost 200 per cent in the same time frame.
PlayStation Network registration has grown by 166 per cent since January, with over 14 million accounts now registered worldwide and 270 million pieces of data downloaded.
Total PlayStation hardware revenue was USD 131 million - up 19 per cent - while software revenue was USD 209 million, up 23 per cent since last year.
One of the major criticisms of Funcom's Age of Conan when the MMORPG first launched was a considerable lack of high-end content. Now the developer addresses that issue directly with the release of the largest gameplay content addition since the game went live. The update introduces a huge new outdoor area, Ymir's Pass, that promises loads of new quests, new characters, new enemies, and a new storyline to follow along with. Also going live with the update is new dungeon The Amphitheater, that's supposed to hold "the most epic and memorable monster encounters ever created for the game."
"This is an important update that opens up a lot of new gameplay content for players who have already passed the level fifty mark," says Game Director Craig Morrison. "In the months ahead we will introduce even more new content, and coming up soon are two exciting new high-level dungeons intended for players who have reached the maximum level. At this stage adding more content and keeping people entertained is very important to us!"
See! They want to make it all better again! Hit the jump for screens from the new update, now live on all servers.
It's the weekly reading for the latest figures for console sales in Japan again as follows:
Nintendo DSi: 104,897
Playstation Portable: 43,726
Nintendo Wii: 24,726
Playstation 3: 18,354
Xbox 360: 12,759
Nintendo DS Lite: 8,381
Playstation 2: 5,743
DSi maintains top rank, down roughly 66,000. PSP comes next, down 7,000. Wii is 3rd, up 1,600. PS3 goes down by 23,000. Xbox 360 goes up by 6,000. DS Lite slides further down the ranks and takes sales cut by half (8,000). Last in line is the old PS2, down 400. Figures from M-Create.
One part of the new (Improved? You decide.) Games for Windows Live is, well, live. That would be the in-game interface we covered yesterday. It's fast, functional, and even swaps Windows UI elements out for 360 controller button icons when you connect a 360 controller to your PC (a nice touch).
The next element of the GFWL reset is due next month: the Marketplace. We got to go hands-on with this standalone app and ... it's very much what you would expect. The Marketplace app will become available once the first GFWL DLC rolls out; load up a GFWL game and it will auto-download. Similarly, GFWL games will check upon starting up if there are any title updates – just like 360 games – and download / install them with no muss, no fuss.
If this post reads a bit breathless, it's because I was just playing Left 4 Dead on the Xbox 360. Yikes! So many zombies! Playing through Valve's latest is going to take up the majority of my weekend, the moments not spent poolside or playing Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, which the FedEx man also dropped off earlier today. Expect a double shot of review text from me Monday and Tuesday on both. Luke may be chiming in with some feedback on the PC version of Left 4 Dead as soon as Steam gets around to making it available.
I may also squeeze in a bit more Dead Space, but want to keep the scaring the bejeezus out of myself to a respectable minimum. What gaming plans do you have for the weekend? Let us know in the comments.
How good is Football Manager 2009's player database? Professional quality, apparently - at least that is the opinion of Everton Football Club, who plan to use it to scout for talented players.
The English team - currently at 7th place in the Barclays Premier League - have signed an exclusive deal with Sports Interactive that will give manager David Moyes full access to the database of performance statistics used in the game. Moyes will be able to use the games dataset of players within 20,000 active FIFA teams across 50 countries to look for untapped talent in time for January's transfer window.
"The game’s database is a valuable resource with the most extensive scouting network in football so Everton FC is making a top signing," said game designer Paul Colyer, "I am personally delighted with today’s announcement as I’m a Toffees fan."
So let's talk. Let's 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, 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. Oh ho ho.
Question: What's the most reliable gaming hardware you've ever owned? (Note: Don't tell us your *least* reliable one — we'll do that in a future TUD.)
It's all fun and games using 'Piracy' to describe copyright infringement when you want to reframe the debate and equate the sharing of intellectual property with aquatic larceny, but what happens when your actual ship-based armed robbers yo-ho-ho into view? What then, Mr cognitive linguistics smartypants?
The holiday games market is under threat this year from actual, proper Somali pirates who are preying upon cargo ships off the Horn of Africa and beyond. Sadly, this lot seem to be eschewing Cornish accents and peg legs in favor of AK-47s and huge ex-Soviet trawler ships.
Shipping firms are now faced with the choice of braving pirate-infested waters or taking costly detours that can delay goods by several weeks.
"Despite all the publicity over piracy it will really hit home when consumers in the West find they haven't got their Nintendo gifts this Christmas," said Sam Dawson of the International Transport Workers' Federation.
Well, it's obvious than fandoms aren't all fun and games, but Peter Parrish warns that fanaticism could be downright dangerous for the industry at large — just imagine a world where unchecked fandom desires dictate how future games are going to play out. Using the example of the apparently large and vociferous Sonic fandom, Parrish points towards what he sees as a devolving series based on the whims of the 'fan-artist' and 'fan-author.' Oh, but it doesn't stop there:
You may not particularly care about Sonic, but the problem reaches beyond a solitary blue hedgehog. Visible pockets of fans can easily be mistaken for commercial opportunities, and developers are always under pressure to follow the money. Consider a future where Valve paid heed to the most unbalanced aspects of fandom. In this grim world, the Portal sequel is 12 hours of twee comedy songs played by a sexualized companion cube - where the end of every torturous utterance rhymes with "cake" or "triumph." Half-Life 2: Episode 3 becomes an extended anime-style romance between Gordon and Alyx (while her creepy dad watches), and Left 4 Dead is a tale of four hardy neck-beards battling a legion of flying ninja-monkey-zombie-pirate-samurai.
My first instinct is to say 'Oh, come on' — of course passionate fanbases with money to spend may have some sway, but I have a hard time seeing developers trawling through hundreds of pages of badly written fanfiction in order to cater to the whims of excitable fans. We could also argue about what constitutes the 'most unbalanced aspects' of fandom. Fanaticism doesn't appeal to all of us, but I really think there are bigger fish to fry in the industry than fanatics who have access to a tablet and a word processor.
A British-based anti-piracy group is seeking tougher copyright legislation that would require Internet service providers to turn over the names of suspected pirates to movie studios without requiring a court order. In a statement, John Lovelock, head of the semi-official Federation Against Software Theft (FAST), appeared to acknowledge that his group regarded such legislation as ideal but possibly beyond attainment. Under it he said, "personal data relating to a given IP address may be given to the rights holder on request, without a court order being needed, which is arguably gold plating." Lovelock appeared to suggest that an accommodation between copyright owners and ISPs, under which the ISPs would turn over information about suspected pirates upon request, is unlikely. "A voluntary approach would be the easiest solution but experience has shown that such an approach may well not work, as it is dependent on a full consensus [among all ISPs] being achieved," he said, noting some ISPs would be unwilling to alienate their customers.
We’re noticing a large number of complaints on various forums about Football Manager 2009’s DRM (Digital Rights Management - an authorisation system that attempts to block piracy). Apparently people are having trouble getting their copies of Sports Interactive’s football management sim authorised. The official Football Manager forums are currently down, as is the official website, presumably due to thousands of people queuing up to complain/ask for advice. We’re not sure if this is because people are putting in the wrong codes or if the authorisation servers are overloaded, but we’ll keep you posted. Should’ve bought it for the PSP…
I'm an archive junkie — I consider it a side-effect of my profession, since we spend half our lives in temperature-controlled buildings with lots of old stuff. So I watch the growth of the video game archives across the globe with no small measure of excitement — not only does my little historian heart go pitter-patter at the fact that people are being so proactive in figuring out how to preserve our beloved medium for future generations, but it means a couple more places to poke my head in when I have a good excuse. The recent announcement of the UK National Video Game Archive has led to some fruitful discussion on how to preserve games — not just in terms of the hardware, but also as a culture. Which, of course, is a hell of a lot harder than making sure books don't rot:
Newman also cited the vast variety of game formats as a major challenge to archiving and to displaying games in an attractive way. "There have been attempts to curate exhibitions of video games in the past, and they have been hit and miss affairs," he notes.
"Where you're dealing with coin-op games, you're usually fairly safe because they are designed to be approachable 'pick up and play' experiences," he continues, "but many pride themselves on the tens — even hundreds — of hours of gameplay they offer and on the complexity of their branching narratives and structures."
"How do you take a 150-plus-hour game that may take all sorts of different storylines depending on choices you make or your proficiency as a player, and show it to somebody who's never seen it before and may not have much experience of games?"
The Archive hasn't quite reached the point of answering that question. "This is not a brick-and-mortar building — not yet, anyway," Newman points out. Right now, the group is focusing on research and collection of games and gaming hardware, across several decades and myriad platforms.
Well, even if they can't answer the question yet, at least they're trying. Other archivists are struggling with many of the same questions, like 'How do we preserve MMOs?', but it's really cool to see how a variety of institutions are attempting to deal with this. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how all these archives continue to develop and grow.
Amy Taylor and David Pollard, a British couple who, until recently, had spent three years together in marital bliss, are both avid Second Life players. So avid, in fact, that their nuptials were delivered in the game's virtual world in addition to, you know, the real one. Unfortunately, digi-Amy caught digi-David in a compromising position with a digi-prostitute shortly after the wedding, leading these two fully grown adults to file for an untimely digi-divorce. However, they remained married in real life, which likely led to a few awkward conversations over brunch.
Digi-David seemed to prove his fidelity by passing a "honeytrap" test later ordered by digi-Amy, in which a buxom digi-Private Eye attempted, and ultimately failed, to seduce his avatar. Unfortunately, digi-Amy recently walked in on digi-David and another avatar, who were conversing with "genuine affection". In response, real-life-Amy filed for real-life-divorce from real-life-David.
This report has been fairly sensationalied by the mainstream media over the past few days -- some outlets state that Taylor's divorce lawyer had already seen a Second Life-related seperation earlier that week, while some mention that Taylor has found love once again, this time in World of Warcraft. Regardless of the veracity of these questionable accounts, the news of couple's split due to online infidelity seems to be as true as it is infinitely depressing.
Fresh from the "Study finds violent video games do X to kids" pile, we now find — shock — playing them results in "a greater variation in Heart Rate Variability." This isn't straight out one's pulse quickening. HRV is "the oscillation in the interval between consecutive heartbeats" — more or less, a measure of minute changes in heart rate.
The research concludes that violent video games can have effects on your body's autonomous systems, without you even being aware of it. In this instance, kids who played violent games had a greater HRV during sleep but still reported they'd slept fine. Makes sense. Games can have effects on your voluntary systems beyond your control, too. Like Dead Space making you shit your pants.
There's debate on whether HRV means anything, but the researchers indicate they're going to use this research to study links between violent video games and aggression and, of course, "video game addiction."
Fallout 3 was the best-selling PC title in the US in October, according to data from NPD, as the chart saw five new entries into the top ten.
September's number one game, Spore, dropped to second, while Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy went straight in at third, beating fellow debutant Far Cry 2, which was fourth.
The MMO duo of Warhammer Online and the World of Warcraft Battle Chest took fifth and sixth places while Sims 2 expansion Apartment Life was seventh.
The Fallout 3 Collectors Edition, priced USD 79, was eighth on the chart while The Sims 2 Double Deluxe was ninth and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 rounded out the top ten list.
Other notable new entries elsewhere on the chart included Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway at number 15 and Dead Space at number 17.
The full top ten is as follows:
1. Fallout 3
2. Spore
3. Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
4. Far Cry 2
5. Warhammer Online
6. World of Warcraft Battle Chest
7. Sims 2 expansion Apartment Life
8. Fallout 3 Collectors Edition
9. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
10. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
NCsoft has revealed that the open beta test for its upcoming MMO, Aion: Tower of Eternity, has seen more than 170,000 concurrent users, making it the most popular beta in Korea ever.
Aion is scheduled to launch in Korea within the year and next year in China, North America, Europe and Japan. According to NCsoft, the number of players logged into the game grew from 11,000 people within two minutes to over 40,000 in under an hour - requiring 25 servers and still leaving many would be players in a queue.
"The response we're seeing in Korea is incredibly exciting," said David Reid, president of publishing for NCsoft West in Seattle.
"Our Aion community in North America and Europe is also rapidly growing. We've got aggressive plans for the western launch in 2009."
This news follows a poor financial result for the company which saw its net income tumble 50 per cent.
For the first time, Europeans will be able to buy the innovative X0-1 laptop by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) charity scheme, starting tomorrow.
We all know the device costs nearly double than the original $100 target and shoppers here will be able to get a pair for around £268. Why a pair?
That's what people from the 27 EU nations and a couple of non-EU countries will be asked to pay under the Give One, Get One (G1G1) scheme. The idea is that you buy two laptops, one for you and another which will be donated to a child that needs it in a developing nation.
The OLPC scheme had hoped to sell millions of these cheap laptops to governments but it has hit one problem after another - not least of which is Intel's rival Classmate laptop, which sells lots mote.
The OLPC shacked up with Amazon last September to overcome delivery problems it was having getting the XO-1 to G1G1 customers. Amazon's European operations will be handling the launch today. The X0-1 on offer will be the Linux model.
Convert any Super/Audio/Video signal through USB 2.0 to make best performance and high speed data transmit to get better video recording. Motion capture: AVI/MPG format from 160x120 to 720x576 resolutions. Performance: Up to 25 FPS at 720x576 for PAL signal and 30 FPS at 720x480 for NTSC signal.
features
A complete walkthrough, leading players through every mission.
AREA MAPS: Detailed maps calling out items, weapons, critical locations, and more!
WEAPON LISTING: In-depth listing of all weapons with expert tactics on how best to use them
MULTIPLAYER COVERAGE: Extensive multiplayer coverage with strategies for solo and team-based gameplay
UNLOCKABLES: All unlockables revealed!
Signature Series guide features bonus foldout and more!
Platform: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PC
features
COMPLETE CRAFTING COVERAGE: Every recipe for every crafting profession
Complete coverage of each race, with strengths, weaknesses, and more.
WEAPONS: Discover the awesome battery of weapons and armor, with detailed equipment lists
NORTHREND EXPLORED: In-depth information on quests, bosses, and treasures
NEW DUNGEONS: Instances and Raid roles explained plus locations and strategy
Platform: PC
features
Reach new heights with the broadest range of acrobatic abilities and utilize objects within the environment to uncover new paths to explore
Discover ancient mysteries of the underworld hidden within the coast of Thailand, frozen islands of the Arctic Sea, the jungles of Mexico, and more
Each level is an elaborate multi-stage puzzle masked within an interactive environmental playground offering more flexibility over how the area is solved
Choose to pacify or kill, target multiple enemies at once with the new dual-target system, and shoot with one hand while suspended with the other
Utilize the latest technology in Laras upgraded inventory to navigate the world
description
A new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft explore exotic locations around the world, each designed with an incredible attention to detail resulting in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates truly believable world and delivers a new level of challenge and choice.
features
Co-op redefined: This new action title from Valve, creators of the Counter-Strike and Half-Life games, promises to redefine the co-operative genre as those titles did for multiplayer and single player action games.
A.I. technology: The advanced artificial intelligence drives both friendly and unfriendly creatures to dynamically create intense single-player, co-op, and multiplayer experiences every time the game is played.
Expansive environments: Battle across twenty different maps with ten distinct weapons across four sprawling campaigns.
Online matchmaking: The matchmaking, stats, rankings, and awards system drive collaborative play.
Designer's Commentary mode: Activate this mode for a unique "behind the scenes" look at the development of the game.
description
Set in a modern day survival-horror universe, the co-operative gameplay of Left 4 Dead™ casts four "Survivors" in an epic struggle against hordes of swarming zombies and terrifying "Boss Infected" mutants.
The Survivor Co-op Game Mode is played out across four sprawling campaigns, set in urban and rural environments. The team of four Survivors may be comprised of one to four human players, allowing for single player and multiplayer co-op games.
The next-generation A.I. technology of all non-player Survivor and zombie characters is a pool of systems used to procedurally generate a unique experience by monitoring the players' experiences and tailoring the pacing and difficulty of action for each game. This makes for a different experience each time the game is played.
In the Left 4 Dead Vs. Mode, play as a Survivor or as one of four types of "Boss Infected." Each of the "Boss Infected" possesses an exceptional mutant ability -- such as a 50-foot tongue lasso or a giant belly full of explosive methane gas -- instead of traditional firearms.
If you're still exploring the galaxy and seeding obscure planets with your peculiar race of tripedal penguins, you'll be pleased to note the arrival of Spore Patch 3, which not only strangles several known bugs but gives you a hand in creature creation. Well, 28 hands in fact, or 28 exoskeleton appendages to be more precise. We encourage you to welcome these latest members of the "Free DLC" club and promptly slap them onto your latest creations.
In order to download the patch (corrections are listed after the break), simply hop online with Spore or launch the EA Download Manager -- you'll be placed in arm's way automatically. Though the game is still locked up tight in DRM prison, it's nice to see it enjoying some free limb.
Although most bets on real-world Wrath of the Lich King drama had good odds on it involving a dead gamer in Asia, we're sure the media will be more than happy to take its pound of flesh from an exhausted Swedish boy as the latest victim of "game addiction." The 15-year-old went into convulsions following a marathon World of Warcraft session in which he hardly ate or slept.
Doctors say the boy will make a full recovery and the child's father expressed he'll limit the amount of time his son plays from now on. That must be awful for the dad; now he has to make sure his son is eating properly and pay attention to how the boy is spending his time. Parental responsibility is, like, totally not fun.
Still obsessing over sales statistics, Gamasutra has crafted a report on 2008's five top-selling games in the US -- so far. Though some figures are approximated, there's assurance that "the maximum possible error in each figure should not affect the rankings." All consoles considered, the rankings are as follows:
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (3.5 million, estimated)
Mario Kart (3.4 million)
Grand Theft Auto IV (3.2 million, estimated)
Wii Play (3 million)
Wii Fit (2.8 million)
Be sure to check out the report for further details, several of which are likely to fuel the fanboy fires for, oh, the next fifteen minutes at least. We look forward to entertaining your "Wii games don't sell," "GTA IV is overrated" and "Wii Play is just a controller in disguise" arguments. We do not, however, want anything to do with your "Why isn't Golden Axe: Beast Rider on there?" madness.
Call of Duty: World at War has charged to the top of the UK all-formats chart this week, becoming the third fastest-selling game ever in the region.
The shooter beat off competition from World of Warcraft expansion Wrath of the Lich King (in at two), which became the fastest-selling PC game in the UK of all time - a record previously held by Championship Manager 4.
But apparently football management games still draw the crowds. Football Manager 2009 enters the chart at three, proving that strategically placed adverts between big televised football matches pay dividends.
Last week's leader, Gears of War 2, falls to four - the spot previously held by Sony's system seller, LittleBigPlanet. That game, unfortunately, tumbled all the way down to 19. Oh dear.
And there were similar stories for other high profile releases, as Wii Music bucks the trend and enters at 16; sitting behind three other platform stalwarts: Mario Kart Wii, Wii Play and Wii Fit.
Perhaps more shocking, however, was a first-week entry for DICE eye-catcher Mirror's Edge at 20.
Their struggles make the rest of the top 10 spots all the more valuable. FIFA 09 sold well to take five, followed by Guitar Hero World Tour up from 17 to six, thanks to the arrival of the instrument bundles.
Bizarrely, to us at least, charming DS adventure Professor Layton and the Curious Village managed to drop just one spot to seven, ahead of Mario Kart Wii at eight, PES 2009 at nine, and WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2009 at 10.
Other big movers and shakers this week were Fallout 3 down from three to 14, Quantum of Solace down from eight to 18, Far Cry 2 down from 14 to 26, and Fable II down from 16 to 27.
Quickly: LEGO Indiana Jones managed to burst back into the list at 21, as did Viva Piñata, albeit at 37.
This week waves goodbye to Saints Row 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Dead Space.
(Update: As a few of you have noticed, the chart this week is also noteworthy for the absence of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, which came out on Friday. Poor old Rare made 15th in the Xbox 360 chart, but couldn't dent the top 40, which you can see below. Ouch.)
Call of Duty: World at War (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (PC)
Football Manager 2009 (PC, PSP)
Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)
FIFA 09 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS)
Guitar Hero: World Tour (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)
Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)
Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, DS, PS2)
Wii Play (Wii)
Wii Fit (Wii)
Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
Fallout 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii, DS)
Wii Music (Wii)
LEGO Batman (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS)
Quantum of Solace (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)
LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
Mirror's Edge (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
LEGO Indiana Jones (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS)
Carnival: Funfair Games (Wii)
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Wii)
Kung Fu Panda (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)
Midnight Club: Los Angeles (Xbox 360, PS3)
Far Cry 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
Fable II (Xbox 360)
More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima (DS)
Ben 10: Protector of Earth (Wii, DS, PS2, PSP)
MySims Kingdom (Wii, DS)
Disney's High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE! (Wii, PS2)
Turbine proudly announces the launch of the first expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, Mines of Moria is now available across the U.S. and Europe, including my living room, where the collector's edition sits next to the coal-dusted mining hat they sent me to commemorate the auspicious occasion, which left a lovely black line across my forehead. The new expansion of course opens up the infamous Mines of Moria, and from my time in the beta for the expansion I can tell you that they've done an amazing job of realizing Tolkien's vision. Far from feeling like you are in a dungeon, the Mines truly feel like a massive, underground empire, filled with marvelous sights and a sense of scale I've rarely experienced in an MMO environment.
Along with the new areas to explore, Mines also brings two new character classes - the shifty Warden and the versatile Rune-keeper, both of which add exciting new gameplay mechanics to the game, along with unique legendary weapons that players can customize and rename, growing in power along with their characters. LotRO has come a long way since launch, and with the release of Moria it reaches all-new heights of excellence
Some background: reckless driving and young deaths on Australian roads are a fairly big problem here. We've got lots of long roads, lots of kids with big cars, and a culture of people driving big cars fast. It's been a problem in Australian society for decades, but since games are around these days, they're becoming a convenient scapegoat amongst those who should really know better (ie the police). Having armed himself with a German report on the subject, Superintendent Dave Evans of the NSW Police has told the Daily Telegraph:
Video games can have a negative impact on young drivers because it increases their complacency and their indulgence in risk-taking behaviour. In games you race, you crash and it is a matter of pressing the buttons and off you go again. In real life it doesn't work that way, you can be killed.
Do any of you kids really think that real life driving comes with Gran Turismo crash modelling?
When Guitar Hero III was released in 2007, it sold 1.39 million copies across the various platforms in its first week on sale. That generated $115 million for Activision. When Guitar Hero World Tour launched in 2008, it sold 534,000 copies in its first seven days. That "only" generated $67 million. That's got to be disappointing for Activision. Sure, you can point to the fact the complete GHWT package is prohibitively expensive in these troubled economic times, but you didn't need to buy the whole pack. Indeed, so many people own a previous Guitar Hero a lot of people could just buy the disc. So what gives? Who knows. Rock Band's probably got a lot to do with it, but I'd never overlook the fact that more casual gamers - and a lot of Guitar Hero owners are just that - don't stomach annual updates as easily as us suckers do.
One of Yu Suzuki’s legacies is gently fading into the shadows. Outrun was big in the arcades, but Sega’s racing series barely made a splash when Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast came out on three consoles. But, all is not over for Outrun, maybe.
The OFLC just turned up a rating for Outrun Online Arcade originating from Sega’s Japan office. I haven’t been able to find an arcade game under that name or any other Outrun title for that matter. So, could this be something new? Maybe an Xbox Live Arcade or PlayStation 3 port of an old Outrun game? Sega seems to have a tendency of looking back at their legacy titles with all of the Genesis collections on the market nowadays…
Everyone's got their favourite console, and usually that choice goes arm-in-arm with the games they grew up with.
Some machines were better than others, but what's really important is what gave rise to today's enormous gaming landscape.
Raise a glass, then, to 10 landmark home gaming machines. Some were smash hits, others were dismal failures - but they've all earned a proud place in history.
1. Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K
A singularly British machine (it was Sir Clive Sinclair's finest hour), its graphical and sound limitations made it, on paper, more a computer than a gaming platform. Everyone still bangs on about copying its cassette-based games and the horrible loading noises, but that's doing its great legacy a huge disservice.
It clocked up well over 10,000 games during its long history - it was the first home to the likes of Manic Miner, Dizzy and Rebelstar, and received ports of most of the major arcade titles at the time. Never mind that its keyboard felt like zombie skin - the thing was relatively easy to program for, and as such was something of a training ground for many of today's big developers and unrepentant geeks. Hell, people are still making games for it even today.
2. Mattel Intellivision
In 1980, the Atari 2600 reigned supreme - which inevitably inspired a slew of other technology companies to seek a piece of home videogaming pie.
Perhaps the most successful was Mattel's 'intelligent television', with its infamously hyperbolic ("the closest thing to the real thing") ad campaign that shouted about its technical superiority over the incumbent Atari machine.
The Intellivision sold an impressive 3 million units, despite a games library of just 125, before becoming one of the major casualties of the 1983 videogame crash.
While the history books give it less space than its major rival, it's notable as being the first 16-bit home games machine, the first with 16-way directional controller, the first with real-time voices (so long as you had the Intellivoice add-on) and the first with downloadable games - which vanished when you turned the thing off, as it lacked writeable storage.
3. Sega Dreamcast
The turn of the 21st century does, of course, belong to the PlayStation 2, but Sega's final console was the first of that sixth-generation of home gaming systems, and to this day inspires unbelievable loyalty amongst its fanbase.
Hardware shortages, mediocre marketing, the lack of EA's otherwise omnipresent sports games and Sega's bad rep off the back of the preceding Saturn and 32X consoles meant it couldn't compete with the PS2's eventual blitzkrieg.
It was a pioneer of online gaming, however - the shining light of the modem age. Its MMO Phantasy Star Universe still runs to this day. It even had a web browser and supported keyboards (the latter was also memorably employed in bonkers spelling-shooter The Typing of the Dead).
The Dreamcast might be long off the shelves, but its scene continues to thrive - which is at least partly due to the crazy ease of running pirated and homebrew games on it.
4. Nintendo Gameboy Advance
The heyday of pre-3D home gaming in your hand. While Nintendo's portable consoles' huge success tends to rely on the kiddie market, the third-gen Gameboy really hit all the right beats for nostalgics and the hardcore.
Gorgeous remakes of classic Marios and Zeldas made it seem like the NES/SNES golden years never ended, while new sequels to beloved series kept 2D gaming very much alive in an age obsessed with 3D. The GBA still lives to this day, its design simplicity and lack of gimmickry lending it an appeal its follow-up, the DS, never quite managed.
5. Atari 2600
The flagship of the first big home console boom, the Atari 2600 popularised the idea of games appearing on swappable cartridges (the more costly forerunner to today's CDs and DVDs) rather than being built-in to the hardware. In 1977, home gaming was Pong, Pong and more Pong: the Atari (as it was simply known to most) changed all that, reinvigorating the market with ports of arcade darlings such as Space Invaders.
The Atari was everywhere in the early 80s, and it spawned a raft of competitors - including Nintendo's first console, the NES/Famicom. The 2600 both partly caused and was primary victim of the 1983 videogaming crash, but you could still buy one new as late as 1992.
6. 386/486 IBM compatible
PCs had been around for years, but it was the early 90s 386 and 486 processors that really defined the system as the thinking man's gaming platform.
This was the age of Doom, of Monkey Island, of Sim City, of Civilization... PC gaming never looked back, and the level of invention and intelligence birthed in those crucial years still continues in today's thriving indie and mod scene.
7. Nintendo Entertainment System
The Phoenix from the ashes of the 1983 crash that almost killed home gaming. The NES (or Famicom, as it was known in its home Japan) was held aloft by a fantastic port of the arcade smash Donkey Kong, but it was the likes of Super Mario Bros and lightgun classic Duck Hunt that booted it into the public consciousness.
Zelda, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Castlevania and Mega Man (amongst a raft of others) all began life on the NES, and its classic controller remains the essential template for today's gamepads. The NES might not have been the great innovator of the machines that preceded it, but it's the major root of today's consoles. History would be entirely different without it.
8. Sony PlayStation
Sony's first console would be the best-selling home console of all time, were it not for its even more successful follow-up, the still-popular PS2. Incredibly, it began life as a planned CD-ROM add-on for Nintendo's then-ubiquitous SNES, but contract arguments saw Sony go it alone.
Its CD-ROM drive, a technology Nintendo remained resistant to with its competing, cartridge-based N64, was one of the major causes for its success. Loading times may have suffered for it, but discs were dramatically cheaper to manufacture than cartridges, which were fast proving a turn-off to third party manufacturers.
Couple with that the PS's shift into being the first major 3D home console and the fact it soon proved remarkably easy to pirate its games, and you have yourself a landmark machine that eventually cropped up in most every gamer's home.
9. Amiga 500
Before the IBM compatible (the template upon which today's PCs are still based) became dominant, the Amiga series was the main name in home computing.
Its graphics and sound were ahead of the competition, it was astonishingly versatile at creating graphics and music (even Andy Warhol was a fan), and many of today's big game names - including EA, Rockstar, Peter Molyneux and Will Wright - cut their teeth on the platform. The 500 may have been the baby of the bunch, but it remained the best-selling.
10. Nintendo 64
Far from Nintendo's biggest commercial success - it was quite the flop compared to the SNES that preceded it or today's Wii - but, like the rival PlayStation, it was one of the major blueprints for modern console gaming.
The Nintendo 64 pioneered the shift from 2D to 3D, the likes of Mario 64 and The Ocarina of Time proving that the third dimension meant so much more than simply graphics, while the analogue stick and four controller ports gave rise to Goldeneye, one of the main parents of the first-person shooter deathmatches that dominate today. Nintendo might have dropped the ball with the N64's tiny catalogue of games, but it did define the future.
SEGA and Sports Interactive have said Football Manager 2009 still suffers from authentication problems, most of which are the result of new PC DRM software.
"After prolonged issues with pre-release piracy, this year SEGA and Sports Interactive decided to implement a new copy-protection system for Football Manager 2009," says the publisher in a statement.
"The incorporation of Uniloc's copy-protection system for the game has unfortunately caused a number of unexpected difficulties which SEGA would like to explain to any customers who may have experienced problems authenticating their copy of Football Manager 2009 since it launched on Friday November 14th."
The first problem was a printing hiccup with the game manuals, we're told, which resulted in characters looking similar and causing lots of confusion. They must mean characters Zippy and Bungle. [Better jokes please. - Ed]
The second problem was a DDoS attack on the authentication servers, through which the telephone authentication servers also run, thus putting both out of action. Apparently some of these phone lines are still out of order, but online authentication should be okay.
"SEGA and Sports Interactive take pride in producing the very best Football Manager year on year, and regret that this unfortunate situation has arisen," adds the statement.
"SEGA and Sports Interactive would like to unequivocally apologise to any customers who have experienced difficulties in authenticating their game, restate their desire to solve every issue encountered in the process, and enable all customers to be able to play and enjoy Football Manager 2009."
The World's First Laser Mouse. With 20x the tracking power of optical sensors, the Logitech MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse takes tracking precision to a revolutionary new level. Step up to laser and experience the next great advancement in mouse technology!
If you thought smooth tracking optical sensors were an advancement over mechanical ball-based mice, let us introduce you to the mouse that takes precision and performance to a whole new level: the Logitech MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse, the world's first laser mouse.
PEGI, the Pan European Games Information system, is to introduce its traffic light system to games packaging in mainland Europe this spring.
While age rating symbols have not yet been finalised, the current imagery depicting a spider, fist, syringe and other artwork, will be expanded upon to include descriptive text.
Age ratings will be coloured rather than the current black and white, but the mock-up image first unveiled last month will be tweaked to avoid copyright issues with PEGI's UK rival, the British Board of Film Classification.
"PEGI has agreed those changes and they will be implemented as part of the PEGI system in the new year, probably in the spring by the time the information has been transmitted to all publishers and incorporated as part of the approvals process for the format holders," detailed Michael Rawlinson, managing director of ELSPA, to GamesIndustry.biz.
However, whether the new traffic light system will be used in the UK is still up in the air and will not become clear until the government finishes reviewing information submitted following the end of the consultation on age ratings, first initiated as part of the Byron review.
"Whether they will appear on boxes in the UK will depend on the outcome of this consultation period and the decision made by the UK government in the new year," said Rawlinson.
"The introduction of traffic light colours and changes to the descriptors have been approved, they are now being worked through with lawyers to ensure they do not infringe any existing trademarks and can be adopted smoothly," added ELSPA
Copyright is a sticky issue for the age ratings system. The BBFC, which specifically rates games in the UK, uses colour-coded symbols already, and is currently watching PEGI for violation of its established imagery.
"We have challenged a number of organisations who have come up with symbols that look very close to BBFC symbols," said David Cooke, director of the BBFC.
"There are legal restraints on what's called 'passing off', so we'll have to see what they look like. It's about making sure our protections are honoured and partly a matter of making sure that things aren't made more confusing for the public."
Over the past four months, ELSPA and PEGI have publicly attacked the BBFC as incapable of rating videogames, as all three organisations prepared evidence and research for the government's consultation period, which ends today.
However, the government hasn't given a time frame for any conclusions on who will manage the future of games ratings in the UK, with a decision expected in the first quarter of next year.
This year the PC gaming market is worth over $20 billion, that figure will rise to $34 billion before 2012, and since 2005 there has been more gaming PCs shipped than the Wii, PS3 and 360 combined.
This is the conclusion of a study from research group JPR. In the group's latest report - called The PC Gaming Market - JPR calculates that there are three classes of PC gaming machines and together, from Q3 2005 until Q3 2008, 196 million of these units were shipped. The study also estimated by comparison that 74.7m PS3s, Wiis and 360s have been shipped worldwide.
The research, however, does not include sales of Nintendo DS units nor PSPs, which together have sold around 125m units worldwide. Nevertheless, due in part to the mushrooming Asian market, the study believes that "the PC gaming market is bigger, worth more money, growing faster, and has better technology than the console market."
The study can be found in the latest edition of JPR's subscription-based newsletter, Techwatch.
EA Phenomic believes its co-op card-battler BattleForge could be the game to finally establish real-time strategy as an online gaming genre.
"RTS has never made that transition," producer Sebastian Nell told Eurogamer, highlighting the tremendous success of online RPGs like World of Warcraft.
BattleForge, however, is more of a hybrid; a mixture of MMO, RTS and trading card game.
There are raids, for instance; co-operative player-versus-environment maps for 12 armies featuring giant bosses guarding epic loot. In other words, upgrades for cards, to increase health, abilities and "anything that makes them a lot better". And cards, remember, make up your army.
So cards are the core of BattleForge, and represent units, buildings and spells (frost, fire, nature and shadow). There are no tech-trees or building queues. But instead, players pick 20 cards, pop them down anywhere on the map, and fight.
Retail copies of BattleForge will come with four pre-defined sets of cards from each of the four above powers. Owners will then be able to unlock 10 booster packs containing eight random cards each, "and we guarantee there's at least one rare or ultra-rare card in there," promised Nell. All that adds up to around 100-120 different cards from an initial collection of 200.
And then comes the tricky part: micro-transactions. That's how Nell and team plan to support and grow BattleForge inthe future.
"There have been some misconceptions around that; 'Oh the player who spends the most money has the most powerful cards and is going to win everything,' and, 'It's a rip-off,' and all that. No it's not," said Nell.
"We would be stupid if we did something like that. The community has to give us some credit that we are actually thinking about what we're doing."
The price of the booster packs is not defined, but, said Nell, "It's going to be less than a Magic: The Gathering booster pack that costs EUR 4."
"The past has shown, and other games have shown, that this is actually enough to fund a life service like BattleForge - and we see BattleForge as a life service," he added.
"It's not a fire-and-forget project, it's something that has a persistent value for the players to come back. And we will release new maps for free every month, and release new card editions in a not-yet-determined cycle. Those cards you will have to buy in booster packs."
Nell pointed out that players needn't "spend a single dollar" on extra cards, but can opt to use the in-game trading and auction system to shuffle their decks; cards can be attached to mails and then sent to and fro.
BattleForge is currently in open beta, with a release date expected sometime early next year. Over 2000 invites have been sent out so far, and servers have seen up to 1000 people playing simultaneously online. Final numbers for the beta are not decided.
Nell joked that he was after "trillions" when the game finally launches simultaneously around the world, but he's keen to incorporate as much community feedback before then to get everything tip-top.
There's also, apparently, a chance this may appear on consoles, although this will "definitely not be for a while". There is no DRM and three year-old PCs should run the game.
"If there's innovation on the PC, players will go back," concluded Nell, hoping you will feel the same.
Head over to the official BattleForge website if you fancy a go.
Blizzard Entertainment has announced that World of Warcraft's second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, sold more than 2.8 million copies in its first day on sale.
According to the developer, sales eclipsed the 2.4 million the previous expansion, The Burning Crusade, achieved on its first day - making Wrath of the Lich King the fastest-selling PC game of all time.
"We're grateful for the incredible support that players around the world have continued to show for World of Warcraft," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.
"Wrath of the Lich King contains some of the best content we've created for the game so far, and we look forward to seeing even more players log in to experience it in the days ahead."
Retailers worldwide held extravagant midnight launch events for the expansion pack, with more up to 2000 people attending the opening at HMV's flagship store on Oxford Street in London.
Our brothers in gadgetry over at Engadget Chinese are at ASUS' Eee Top unveiling in Taipei. They've already been hands-on with the 15.6-inch all-in-one touchscreen PC and consider the build quality to be "ok," consistent with the traditional (read: non-S101) Eee PC netbooks. And while it includes an "Easy Mode" UI that runs on top of XP, launch anything other than an ASUS-built application and you're right back into XP's less finger-friendly interface. That's where the included stylus (hidden in the keyboard) comes into play. We also have a price: 18,900 Taiwanese dollars which is a tax inclusive price of about $580 in the US. It's available today in ASUS' home of Taiwan -- everyone else will have to wait for their local announcements. 'Till then, pics, plenty of pics.
Believe it or not, Half-Life, one of the most influential shooters ever, is ten years old this week. To celebrate, Valve's announced that it's selling the original PC game for 98 cents (or 66p) on Steam. No box and manual though, tsk.
"Launched 10 years ago today, Half-Life was greeted with overwhelming review scores (Metacritic of 96%), earned over 50 Game of the Year Awards, and birthed a franchise with over 20 million units sold to date," reads Valve's official statement.
"The special 10 year anniversary price is available via Steam until 12:01 pm PST on November 21. For more information or to purchase Half-Life for 98 cents, please visit www.steamgames.com."
And that's just about all the information you need. We'd dig out the original game over the weekend to celebrate, but we've just got too many new games sitting on the pile. Sorry.
Last week's Media Create chart topper, Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe, holds on to the top spot amid plenty of new competition. Way of the Samurai 3 and Resistance 2 both debuted strong, kicking former top ten PlayStation 3 titles LittleBigPlanet and Grand Theft Auto IV out of the top ten.
The PS3 has another new game appearing on the chart, as FIFA 09 sells enough to land at #18. Pokémon Platinum creeps ever closer to the 2 million mark and DS Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense 2 Shin Tantei Series: Kanezawa kankan gokkan no kyoukoku fukushuu no kage brings extra long titles from Tecmo back to the forefront.
The rest of Japan's best sellers for the week of Nov. 10 to 16 are after the break.
01. Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (DS) - 97,000 / 363,000
02. Way of the Samurai 3 (PS3) - 81,000 / NEW
03. Tongari Boushi no Mahou no 365 Nichi (DS) - 72,000 / NEW
04. Fushigi no Dungeon: Fuurai no Shiren DS 2 - Sabaku no Majou (DS) - 34,000 / NEW
05. Resistance 2 (PS3) - 34,000 / NEW
06. DS Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense 2 Shin Tantei Series: Kanezawa kankan gokkan no kyoukoku fukushuu no kage (DS) - 33,000 / NEW
07. Ryuusei no RockMan 3: Black Ace (DS) - 33,000 / NEW
08. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - 30,000 / 1,159,000
09. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS) - 30,000 / 183,000
10. Pokémon Platinum (DS) - 27,000 / 1,917,000
11. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3)
12. Wii Fit (Wii)
13. Ryuusei no RockMan 3: Red Joker (DS)
14. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III (PS3)
15. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (The Best) (PSP)
16. Family Ski & Snowboard (Wii)
17. Valkyrie Profile: Toga o Seoumono (DS)
18. FIFA 09 (PS3)
19. Wii Music (Wii)
20. Aruite Wakaru: Seikatsu Rhythm DS (DS)
21. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
22. LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
23. Shape Boxing: Wii de Enjoy! Diet (Wii)
24. Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida Or 2 (PSP)
25. Wii Sports (Wii)
26. Animal Crossing Wild World (DS)
27. Shin Sangoku Musou 5 Special (PS2)
28. Inazuma Eleven (DS)
29. Cid to Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon: Toki Wasure no Meikyuu + (DS)
30. Avalon Code (DS)
Star Wars Galaxies players are are getting some hot snowspeeder versus AT-ST combat with Chapter 11: The Battle of Echo Base. Live today, the update adds what is essentially a giant battleground, with players on both sides of the Galactic Civil War taking on quests to help their side triumph, with the Empire on assault and the Rebel Alliance on run like hell duty. Of course no Hoth battle would be the same without giant walking vehicles being tripped by small flying vehicles. Groups of up to 8 players will be able to hop into the cockpits of Imperial walker or Rebel snowspeeders and do what comes natural. Hope they packed plenty of tow line.
Honestly I'm a bit surprised this wasn't already in the game. I thought the first thing developers did upon starting up a Star Wars project based on the original trilogy was get the Hoth battle out of the way. Odd.
By now it’s sadly common experience, hearing racist, homophobic, even anti-Semitic slurs during online games. Often it’s for no apparent reason other than as a term of abuse used against competitors, that packs more of a punch than your standard four-letter word. But a couple months back, I had a different experience, and I’m sure it’s no more uncommon for others, too. In a game of Castle Crashers — cooperative multiplayer — this guy I was playing with completely proffered some rather ugly opinions of African-Americans, and needlessly heaped racial slurs on the foes we were battling.
First off, the guy knew I was a weekend editor at Kotaku. Secondly, I’m not black. But what troubled me most was not his behavior but my reaction to it. It was worse than being told a racist joke at a party under the assumption you’d laugh along because you’re white. I continued to play a game with the guy, quite passively letting the comment go lest I be the one to make things too awkward. And I beat myself up about it later for not calling this guy out on the spot, or at minimum, quitting the game.
Turns out, according to a couple psychologists I spoke to, that would have been the wrong reaction.
“Ignore it completely,” was one of two suggestions of Dr. Stuart Twemlow, , professor of psychiatry at the Menninger Department of Psychiatry in Houston. The other was a more subtle call-out of the remark — interpret it and ask if the guy’s doing it to get an advantage. Since this is cooperative multiplayer, maybe something like “Does that help you play this game better?”
Because in a perverse way, that’s what you’re dealing with here. Psychologists call this behavior “paradoxing,” and it’s a classic attempt to gain the upper hand, to become dominant in certain settings. Competitively, it’s to frustrate and anger you and take you out of your game. Cooperatively, it’s to establish aggression and therefore take the decision-making and the leadership. As I recall, this guy had played Castle Crashers a lot longer than I had, and was taking it somewhat seriously.
“When you act very unexpectedly, and when that person is caught up in what you’re doing, they lose their orientation,” Twemlow said. “And in that little window, you can control their mind. It’s an intervention to unseat you,” Twemlow said, even in a cooperative environment, where the intent is more to establish control of how the game proceeds. “And one advantage they have is the anonymity of being online. It’s so open and yet a person feels anonymous enough to say the most outrageous things, practically to your face.
“And the reason for doing that is because it exposes your weakness. It means you really want to win.” Twemlow said. “And that means you’re not a good player, because an expert player would never say that winning is the be all and end all.”
Not every situation needs psychological hand-holding. It’s not uncommon to see some ad-hoc self-policing, or a collectively expressed rebuke — booting, often backed or preceded by their own swear words — when the worst offenders start ruining a multiplayer match. Strength in numbers there. This is more about dealing with a sociopath in a one-on-one setting.
“You’re not going to change the way this person thinks, so getting into a confrontation is not going to work,” said Sue Barnes, associate director of the Lab for Social Computing at Rochester Institute of Technology, who studies online behavior and social media.
So the key for anyone provoked by this kind of baiting would not be so much in the reaction as in the preparation. Know that it’s coming, and because, in my case, this was cooperative multiplayer where I was invited by the same person who ended up spewing the invective, my guard was down. But I’d be naive to think ugly language is new enough to be called a trend in online play. If anything, it’s getting worse, and we should expect to see it all the time, especially among those we truly don’t know. Part of the shock, the experts said, is that you feel because you share an interest in the game you know the person better than you actually do. He’s still no different from any other stranger in public of whom you have no expectations, and would gladly avoid.
If you do feel compelled to speak up — especially if you’re a person of color, or the actual object of hate speech’s intent — Barnes suggests another query. She notes that much of the racism and bigoted language, especially as expressed by much younger gamers, isn’t the product of a very self-aware person. And they’d be insecure about having a mirror held up to their behavior. “So, you could try asking, ‘What if I told you I was black?’ ”
It’s a valid question even if you’re not. And the person might get so caught up in wondering why you had said that, if you aren’t, that you’ve paradoxed him out of his offensive state.
ScrewAttack put together another of their always-great Top 10 lists, this time focusing on games that need to be brought back.
After giving Capcom the props for revisiting games like Bionic Commando and of course Street Fighter, he mentions a few things I'd personally like to see (like Starfox!), as well as a bunch of choices from the Capcom stable, including Power Stone, Strider, and... I won't give away their #1 choice.
But really? People want that? We had no idea! Anyway, tell us, what games do YOU think Capcom should revisit?
Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
The flood continues to wash into our warehouse. Some of the games form stunning contrast with the jolly, colorful Christmas Season.
Reflecting the people's needs for some fast paced action to vent their frustrations, Left 4 Dead drops players off in a nightmarish world and have them face off with the most bizzarre of enemies.
Less Bizzarre but just as exciting is Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, the two of the most popular franchises in the US entertainment worlds crossovered and joint forces with each other to give you a fighting adventure that will blow all your troubles away.
Playing is part of the creative experience in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Join the bear and bird team as they travel across the mischievously designed game worlds to win the place as a successor to Spiral mountain. But beware, as your opponent, the witch Grunty will do all she can to stop you.
Hunting and being hunted are big parts of adventures in Need for Speed Undercover. Go against and far beyond the speed limit, wrestle secrets from your reckless prey and maneuvre your way out of the clutches of the police force.
Bring your favourite team of soccer players to your living room through PES 2009. The gap between virtual reality and the actual world is seamlessly bridged, letting you feel the ball against the sole of your spikes.
Eternal Poison and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World are crossing the ocean to English speaking audiences. Carefully translated and properly localized, these two strategic and action RPGs will transport you to fantasy worlds that unfolds extravagantly before your eyes, granting you a brief escape from the gloom.
Fly the skies in Otomedious Gorgeous. Rain bullets and energy balls at your opponents. Loyal to the arcade game, the Xbox360 rendition features the familiar faces and music. See how lethal shooting action and feminine cuteness are combined as one in this shooter.
After Infinite Undiscovery, Square Enix starts another RPG series. Last Remnant is a cross platform project that is available on both PlayStation3 and Xbox360.
While the PlayStation3 version is still unannounced as of yet, the Xbox360 version is right on time for Christmas. Revel in the imagination of Square Enix's game developers as you wait for the next episode in the Final Fantasy series.
Revise your Gundam history this Christmas via Gundam vs Gundam. All memorable action scenes and vocals throughout the series, from the first Gundam to the latest 00 are combined into one UMD. Step into your mobile suit and show the world your prowesses as a pilot. Alone or with friends, this mecha action will provide you hours of blood pounding excitement.
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™
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts ASIA US$ 39.90
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts US US$ 44.90
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 US US$ 64.90
Left 4 Dead ASIA US$ 49.90
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames JPN US$ 74.90
Mirror's Edge US US$ 64.90
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe ASIA US$ 49.90
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe US US$ 64.90
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe [Collector's Edition] US US$ 79.90
Need for Speed Undercover ASIA US$ 49.90
Need for Speed Undercover (Chinese Version) ASIA US$ 44.90
Otomedius Gorgeous JPN US$ 68.90
Otomedius Gorgeous + Hyper Stick Pro Otomedius Gorgeous Ver. [Konamistyle Limited Edition] JPN US$ 389.90
PES Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 US US$ 54.90
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 64.90
The Last Remnant JPN US$ 78.90
Xbox 360 The Last Remnant Premium Pack JPN US$ 444.90
PlayStation3™
Alone in the Dark: Inferno ASIA US$ 49.90
Aquanaut's Holiday (English/Chinese Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
Disney's Bolt US US$ 54.90
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames JPN US$ 74.90
Mirror's Edge US US$ 64.90
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe US US$ 64.90
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe [Collector's Edition] US N/A
MotorStorm 2 JPN US$ 59.90
Need for Speed Undercover ASIA US$ 49.90
Need for Speed Undercover (Chinese Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
PES Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 US US$ 54.90
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 64.90
Shaun White Snowboarding ASIA US$ 59.90
Nintendo Wii™
Animal Crossing: City Folk JPN US$ 59.90
Animal Crossing: City Folk (w/ Wii Speak) JPN US$ 79.90
Big League Sports US US$ 44.90
Bolt US US$ 54.90
Bratz Kidz: Slumber Party US US$ 44.90
FaceBreaker K.O. Party US US$ 44.90
Guinness World Records: The Videogame US US$ 44.90
Hasbro Family Game Night US US$ 44.90
Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! Kindan no Yami no Delta JPN US$ 68.90
Logicool Wireless Keyboard JPN US$ 59.90
MLB Superstars US US$ 34.90
Monkey Mischief US US$ 44.90
Monster Lab US US$ 49.90
Mortimer Beckett and the Secrets of Spooky Manor Wii US US$ 34.90
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party US US$ 54.90
Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes (Double Pack) (Best Price!) JPN US$ 39.90
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 54.90
Sugoro Chronicle: Migite ni Ken o Hidarite ni Saikoro o JPN US$ 59.90
Sugoro Chronicle: Migite ni Ken o Hidarite ni Saikoro o [Variety Pack] JPN US$ 79.90
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World US US$ 44.90
PlayStation2™
Call of Duty: World at War Final Fronts US US$ 44.90
Dokapon Kingdom (Sting the Best) JPN US$ 34.90
Eternal Poison US US$ 44.90
Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! Kindan no Yami no Delta JPN US$ 68.90
Koihime Musou JPN US$ 68.90
Koihime Musou [Limited Edition] JPN N/A
Koisuru Otome to Shugo no Tate: The Shield of AIGIS JPN US$ 68.90
Koisuru Otome to Shugo no Tate: The Shield of AIGIS [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 99.90
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames JPN US$ 59.90
Monster Lab US US$ 34.90
PES Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 US US$ 34.90
Nintendo DS™
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno US US$ 24.90
Candy Factory US US$ 24.90
Chrono Trigger JPN US$ 48.90
Disney's Bolt US US$ 34.90
Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess US US$ 34.90
Game Cleaning Cloth DS JPN US$ 4.99
Guinness World Records: The Videogame US US$ 34.90
Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams US US$ 34.90
Iron Chef: American Supreme Cuisine US US$ 34.90
Itsuma Demo Dev to Umou Unayo: DS Recording Diet JPN US$ 39.90
Monster Lab US US$ 34.90
National Geographic: Panda US US$ 34.90
Ninja Town US US$ 34.90
Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia US US$ 34.90
Populous DS US US$ 34.90
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party US US$ 34.90
Real Soccer 2009 US US$ 34.90
Saka-Tsuku DS: Touch and Direct JPN US$ 48.90
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 34.90
Tomb Raider Underworld ASIA US$ 32.90
Tomyka Hero: Rescue Force DS JPN US$ 48.90
Zombie Bar-B-Que US US$ 24.90
Sony PSP™
All Star Yakyuken 2 Portable JPN US$ 37.90
Clank & Ratchet: Maru Hi Mission * Ignition JPN US$ 48.90
Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam ASIA US$ 42.90
Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam JPN US$ 48.90
Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam (PSP Pack) JPN US$ 349.90
Need for Speed Undercover ASIA US$ 42.90
PES Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 US US$ 34.90
Prinny: Ore ga Shujinkou de Iinsuka? JPN US$ 48.90
Prinny: Ore ga Shujinkou de Iinsuka? ASIA US$ 42.90
Sony PSP™ Accessories
Attachment Set Portable (Black) JPN US$ 4.99
Attachment Set Portable (White) JPN US$ 4.99
Clear Case Portable 3 (Crystal) JPN US$ 9.99
Flat Pouch Portable (Black) JPN US$ 6.99
Flat Pouch Portable (White) JPN US$ 6.99
PC Games
High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance! (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 24.90
James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 34.90
Left 4 Dead (DVD-ROM) ASIA N/A
Need for Speed Undercover (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 39.90
Tomb Raider Underworld (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 34.90
Game Guides and Magazines
Animal Crossing: City Folk: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Avalon Code The Complete Guide JPN US$ 22.90
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Call of Duty: World at War Signature Series Guide US US$ 19.90
Culdcept DS Official Perfect Guide JPN US$ 23.90
Knights in the Nightmare The Complete Guide JPN US$ 32.90
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Need for Speed: Undercover: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Saka-Tsuku DS: Touch and Direct Playing Manual JPN US$ 16.90
Valkyrie Profile: Toga o Seoumono Final Guide JPN US$ 21.90
Weekly Famitsu No. 1041 (2008 11/28) JPN US$ 7.90
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Official Strategy Guide US US$ 24.90
Video Game Related Soundtracks
Ishinomori Shotaro Sakuhin Shudaika Collection JPN US$ 34.90
Nekketsu Kouha Kunio Kun Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 47.90
Here is a preview of what are expected to be hot next week:
Xbox360™
Agarest Senki: Rapier Lance JPN US$ 64.90
Agarest Senki: Rapier Lance ASIA US$ 44.90
Guitar Hero World Tour (Band Kit) ASIA US$ 289.90
Guitar Hero World Tour (Guitar Bundle) ASIA US$ 129.90
Naruto: The Broken Bond ASIA US$ 49.90
Naruto: The Broken Bond US US$ 64.90
Tomb Raider Underworld ASIA US$ 49.90
Tomb Raider Underworld US US$ 64.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 ASIA US$ 49.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 JPN US$ 79.90
PlayStation3™
Guitar Hero World Tour (Band Kit) ASIA US$ 289.90
Guitar Hero World Tour (Guitar Bundle) ASIA US$ 129.90
Tomb Raider Underworld ASIA US$ 59.90
Tomb Raider Underworld US US$ 64.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 ASIA US$ 49.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 JPN US$ 79.90
Nintendo Wii™
Animal Crossing: City Folk US US$ 54.90
Castlevania: Judgment US US$ 54.90
Naruto Shippuuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX 3 JPN US$ 64.90
Nintendo DS™
Chrono Trigger DS US US$ 44.90
Luminous Arc 2 US US$ 44.90
Metal Slug 7 US US$ 34.90
Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™
Eiyuu Densetsu: Sora no Kiseki Set JPN US$ 89.90
Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin JPN US$ 48.90
Patapon 2: Don-Chaka ASIA US$ 42.90
Patapon 2: Don-Chaka JPN US$ 48.90
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX: Tag Force 3 JPN US$ 48.90
PC Game
EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey (DVD-ROM) US US$ 44.90
A recent report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has revealed that video game console usage across America stands at approximately 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year—which is roughly the amount consumed by the entire city of San Diego. This is only a rough estimation, but there is no doubt that many of us waste a significant amount of energy when we leave our consoles running for hours on end. Even Energy Star has recognized the problem and begun setting standards on energy consumption for these devices. Obviously, the short-term solution to the problem would be to save your game and shut off the system when you are done—but it's a bad habit that is hard to break. So, my question is: do you leave your game console running when you are not playing?
Square Enix's new Los Angeles studio is still hiring, but they now have a small core staff of coders. To ease the new kids gently into the world of Squeenix development, the new studio is going to focus on downloadable games.
"We started the in-house development team a couple of months ago and we're starting with downloadable content because the team is still small," explained the studio's US president John Yamamoto. "All formats – Xbox Live, WiiWare, PlayStation Network – are all viable formats for us"
The LA studio will also be investigating middleware solutions, after successfully using the Unreal Engine 3 for The Last Remnant. "I want to [...] evaluate lots of middleware," said Yamamoto, "because western middleware is much more advanced compared to Japanese middleware. So we will study and feed back information to Square Enix in Japan."
features
Reach new heights with the broadest range of acrobatic abilities and utilize objects within the environment to uncover new paths to explore
Discover ancient mysteries of the underworld hidden within the coast of Thailand, frozen islands of the Arctic Sea, the jungles of Mexico, and more
Each level is an elaborate multi-stage puzzle masked within an interactive environmental playground offering more flexibility over how the area is solved
Choose to pacify or kill, target multiple enemies at once with the new dual-target system, and shoot with one hand while suspended with the other
Utilize the latest technology in Laras upgraded inventory to navigate the world
description
A new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft explore exotic locations around the world, each designed with an incredible attention to detail resulting in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates truly believable world and delivers a new level of challenge and choice.
Bethesda has confirmed that it's "working on" patches to fix a number of issues discovered in all three versions of Fallout 3.
While Fallout 3 has made a great start sales wise, numerous users have been left with a sour taste in their mouth after running into technical issues with the game.
Complaints on the game's official forums report crashes, lock-ups and graphical glitches, particularly with the PS3 version. But Bethesda assures players that a fix is on the way.
"We are currently working on a patch for all three platforms," wrote a Bethesda community manager. "When I've got more details, I'll let everyone know."
A brief and vague statement then, but at least we know for sure that Bethesda's on the case. Have you been one of the unlucky people to suffer from problems with the game? Fingers crossed it'll all be sorted soon.
The weeklyreading for console sale in Japan come again with the following results:
Nintendo DSi: 85,327
Playstation Portable: 38,153
Nintendo Wii: 26,787
Playstation 3: 17,448
Xbox 360: 7,983
Playstation 2: 5,421
Nintendo DS Lite: 3,559
First in line is the DSi, takes a tumble roughly by 19,000 units. PSP is next, down 5,000. The Wii is 3rd, goes up by 2,000. PS3 comes 4th, down 900. Xbox 360 is 5th, drops 5,000. PS2 is next and is down just 300. Finally is the DS Lite, with 5,000 taken off from last time. All in all, just another week of slow sales. Figures from M-Create.
features
Live another life in a whole new world -- gamers can create and play any character they can imagine, from the noble warrior to the sinister assassin to the wizened sorcerer
features
Second Empire—Create grand manors and sculpted landscapes with this romantic and elegant theme.
Re-create your Sims homes into luxurious mansions. New items including exotic columns that create stunning new archways, chic ceiling fans that add an element of cool, or sweeping grand staircases that make a bold statement.
Completely reinvent your Sims’ gardens with a colorful foundation of flower beds and shrubs including delicate irises, cheerful daylilies, and bright sunflowers.
Choose from three new architectural themes to re-imagine and re-make the exteriors of your Sims’ estates.
Moroccan—Transform your Sims’ homes into imposing Moroccan palaces with lush Mediterranean gardens.
Art Deco—Build luxury estates that are classic yet bold with this glamorous “Old Hollywood” style.
description
Design impressive estates and meticulous gardens for your Sims with three all-new architectural styles. Infuse your Sims’ mansion with the intricate beauty of new Moroccan designs, add a touch
of retro-modern style with stately and new Art Deco elements, or build in the imposing new Second
Empire style. With a host of new architectural and landscaping items to choose from, your Sims homes will look more stunning than ever!
So many games, so little time. But do you ever wonder what happens to the also-rans? The non-AAA titles and the ones that don't have the huge marketing budgets behind them? Or even those that do, but just.. don't work? The answer, according to market analysts EEDAR, is not very much.
EEDAR offer a service to games publishers where they run the numbers on games in development and try to predict how they will perform. The success rates make sobering reading for any game developer.
There's a copy of Castlevania Judgment and Metal Slug 7 at Kotaku Towers West both with my name on it. My name just happens to be on a Post-It preceded by "Review these ASAP or you're fired - Brian" so that's my weekend right there. What Brian doesn't know is that I'll be playing Left 4 Dead until my eyes bleed this weekend, with me thumbing my nose at him and his "due dates." Boy, I hope he doesn't read this post or the jig is up. I've also got some exciting Meat Bun things to pre-launch and a mouse carcass to dispose of.
Welcome to the good life! How's your world lookin'? Got some gaming that needs to get done this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
Attention, players of the PC version of Activision's Call of Duty: World at War. Developer Treyarch has let loose the Mod Tools for the game, so you may now start creating new levels for my amusement. The 1.1GB file is now available at FileShack along with several other fine file downloading establishments, and purportedly contains everything you need to start making mods and levels for Call of Duty: World at War. I would download it myself, but I lack both the time and talent needed to make anything more than the default blank map, so I leave up to you folks.
I am going to go ahead and pretend that this was the reason I bought the PC version, instead of the fact that GameStop only had the Collector's Edition left in PC format and I really, really wanted the collectible flask.
So we know there's going to be a video editor for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV, but what can you do with it, and how do you do it? Rockstar has dropped details on the versatile little app that will allow just about anyone to easy create and share game clips with the Social Club TV website. To start, all you have to do is hit F2 and the previous 30-40 seconds of gameplay are dumped into a clip. Open up the video editor from your in-game cell phone, and from there you can view the clips, use the editor to string them together, adding music, special effects, titles, and transitions, and then head to the upload section to post them directly on the Rockstar Games Social Club TV site for everyone's viewing enjoyment.
The researchers at Electronic Entertainment Design and...Research have been looking at console game sales patterns. Looking at how long it takes a game to enter "price protection", which is a term used for when a publisher - having noticed a game isn't selling very well - lowers the wholesale cost of a game so that retailers can keep it on the shelves at full price, even when the public are ignoring it. What they've found is that this practice occurs for 7.5% of 360 games. And 9.09% of PS3 games. But the Wii? It happens for 15.1% of titles.
Tabula Rasa, the sci-fi MMO from NCsoft and Richard Garriott, will shut down on February 28, according to an official message on the Tabula Rasa site. The game officially launched in November 2007, meaning that it will have lasted approximately 15 months. This brings to a close the long saga behind the game; it began development in 2001 and encountered numerous delays.
"Last November, we launched what we hoped would be a ground breaking sci-fi MMO. In many ways, we think we've achieved that goal. Tabula Rasa has some unique features that make it fun and very different from every other MMO out there. Unfortunately, the fact is that the game hasn't performed as expected. The development team has worked hard to improve the game since launch, but the game never achieved the player population we hoped for," the post, which was attributed to the Tabula Rasa team, read.
The post went on to add that the Tabula Rasa servers will be made free to play on January 10, allowing anyone to experience it before it shuts down on February 28. The team says that it will "be doing some really fun things... and we plan to make staying on a little longer worth your while."
This certainly marks a setback for NCsoft and Garriott, even though he recently announced plans to leave NCsoft to pursue his interests in space. Garriott, the creator of Ultima and Ultima Online and an early pioneer in the RPG genre, was the sixth space tourist in history last October. He paid approximately $30 million to fly aboard the International Space Station for 12 days.
Tabula Rasa is set on alien worlds, where the last remnants of humanity battle against an alien coalition known as The Bane. Like World of Warcraft, it required a monthly subscription to play.
When Criterion Games Producer Jeremy Chubb arrives on the official PlayStation Blog, you know that more Burnout Paradise content is on the way. On today's post, Chubb announced the upcoming arrival of the Carson Extreme Hotrod. The car looks like a pretty ridiculous ride and Chubb hints at more news and announcements to come. Chubb teases readers with: "we could explain that we've rewired Burnout's vehicle dynamics system, so it handles more intuitively and drifts more realistically than any other car. We could reveal that it's the first of a pack of two cars designed to re-imagine Burnout Boost. Which explains the blue exhaust flames..."
Chubb ends the post by noting that the car will be something you need to own in 2009 and informs Burnout junkies to look for more on their Burnout Paradise Boost Specials Pack. While the post obviously mentions nothing about the 360 version, we can only assume the hotrod will make its way to Xbox Live at the same time.
When Windows Vista shipped, it shipped alongside DirectX 10. DirectX 10 would only run with Vista. It wouldn't run with the faster, more stable, more popular Windows XP. This made those running games on XP unhappy. Well, fast forward a few years, and the next release of a Windows OS - Windows 7 - won't be repeating the same mistake. Microsoft's Product Marketing Manager Windows, Ben Basaric, has gone on record saying that while Windows 7 will be shipping with DX11 support (which will add features like allowing a graphics processor to process more than just graphics), it will also run on Windows Vista. So no need to go upgrading. Well...unless you're one of millions still using XP...
Little late this week, sorry. We were waiting on the NPD charts to show up. Guess the chart-trackers were too busy playing Left 4 Dead. Weren't we all? Well, no. Looks like plenty of people were also busy playing Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir as well. And Fallout 3. And the $0.98 Half-Life. Oh, that and some Call of Duty game.
NPD Sales Charts November 2-8 [via Shacknews]
1. Fallout 3
2. Spore
3. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
4. WoW: Battle Chest
5. Far Cry 2
6. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
7. The Sims 2 Apartment Life
8. Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
9. Crysis Warhead
10. World Of Warcraft
Steam Charts November 21
1. Left 4 Dead
2. Call of Duty: World at War
3. Half-Life
4. Fallout 3
5. Football Manager 2009
6. Counter-Strike Source
7. Orange Box
8. Counter-Strike
9. Far Cry 2
10. Team Fortress 2
Direct2Drive Charts November 21
1. Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir
2. Call of Duty: World at War
3. Fallout 3
4. Need for Speed Undercover
5. Red Alert 3
6. Spore: Creepy and Cute Parts Pack
7. Everquest II: The Shadow Odyssey
8. Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
9. Civilization IV
10. Neverwinter Nights 2 Complete Bundle
We suppose that if you've resisted the urge to buy into Grand Theft Auto IV this long, opting to wait for the superior Windows version, you may have waited on a copy of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, as well. Valve and Rockstar Games must think so too, as they're offering a deal to pre-purchasers of GTA IV via Steam, tossing in a gratis copy of Vice City if you throw down the cash now. Not the world's most earth-shattering deal, but ten bucks is ten bucks, and you get something new now to while away the time until GTA IV unlocks on December 2nd.
Today, a videogame adaptation of Terminator Salvation was announced that will launch alongside its silver screen counterpart in May of next year. Titled Terminator Salvation -- The Videogame (who would have thought?), you'll take on the role of John Connor as you fight against the overwhelming and vastly superior forces of Skynet. The game is being developed by GRIN Studios, however the press release makes no mention of what platforms the game will launch on.
"Terminator Salvation -- The Videogame allows players to battle for survival against Skynet enemies utilizing an incredibly fluid and realistic control set," said President of Halcyon Games Cos Lazouras. "The player will be led through a visceral story with extremely polished production values to create a fully interactive Terminator experience."
Next weekend, don’t just limit your animal interaction to eating turkey – launch parachuting war bears and play nice with dangerous dolphins in the single player demo for Command & Conquer Red Alert 3. Available for download this Monday, November 24th at GameSpot.com for the PC, the demo includes the game’s cinematic opening, three tutorials and two full campaign missions. Downloading the demo will give players a chance to experience the unique, fun, over-the-top universe of Red Alert 3 ahead of the game’s first major content patch, which includes the powerful WorldBuilder editor, balance fixes and a de-authorization tool that will allow users to de-authorize previously authenticated versions of Red Alert 3 on machines they no longer wish to use.
The single-player demo includes the entire 7-minute opening cinematic from the game, along with three of the game’s interactive tutorials and one campaign mission from both the Soviet and the Allied campaigns for a full-blown taste of Red Alert action:
* Krasna-45: Circus of Treachery – The second mission of the Soviet campaign, players will immediately be introduced to battling the series’ newest faction, the Empire of the Rising Sun, escorting the Soviet’s commando Natasha to a launch facility, protecting her from the Imperial ambush division waiting to attack.
* Heidelberg: The Famous Liberation – Players will then switch their attention over to the Allied cause, in the third mission in the Allied campaign, teaming up with an in-game Co-Commander to take out the Soviet’s powerful Iron Curtain and headquarters in Germany.
The demo gives gamers a great opportunity to try out Red Alert 3 before the game’s first major patch is released later this year. The upcoming update will include the WorldBuilder, the game’s map-making and mod tool and a community favorite, enhancements to AutoMatch for multiplayer, balance fixes and an easy-to-use de-authorization tool that will allow players to de-authorize previously authenticated machines that they no longer wish to play Red Alert 3 on, ultimately giving them the freedom to play on an unlimited number of computers. More details on the patch will be made available soon.
Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 is available in stores now for the PC and Xbox 360, featuring the genre’s first co-operative campaign, an increased emphasis on naval warfare and the series’ trademark live-action movie sequences, starring largest and most talented cast in the history of video games including Jenny McCarthy, George Takei, Tim Curry, J.K. Simmons, Randy Couture, Gina Carano, Autumn Reeser, Kelly Hu and Gemma Atkinson. The demo will be available for download at noon PT on Monday, November 28th at http://www.gamespot.com/event/download/red-alert-3/. For more information, please visit www.conquerthislife.com and the Command & Conquer franchise’s new website, www.commandandconquer.com.
Exult is a project to recreate Ultima 7 for modern operating systems, using the game's original plot, data, and graphics files. Some WIP news have been posted.
Four years ago today (November 23rd), Blizzard threw open the doors to Azeroth and then quickly shut them, opening and closing them several times until they were sure they had enough servers to handle the massive rush of players eager to enter the World of Warcraft. To celebrate 1,460 days of lost time, broken relationships, and weight gain (and I'm not excluding myself here), folks who log into the game today are gifted with the achievement "WoW's 4th Anniversary" and an adorable little baby polar bear to follow them around everywhere they go.
NCsoft's MMO, Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, is set to close down its servers and end all service on February 28.
In an open message to the title's community, the Tabula Rasa team cited poor uptake as the reason for its closure but said the MMO would go free-to-play from January 10 and that they still had certain in-game events planned.
"Last November we launched what we hoped would be a ground breaking sci-fi MMO," explained the company in a statement. "In many ways, we think we've achieved that goal. Tabula Rasa has some unique features that make it fun and very different from every other MMO out there."
"Unfortunately, the fact is that the game hasn't performed as expected. The development team has worked hard to improve the game since launch, but the game never achieved the player population we hoped for."
"So it is with regret that we must announce that Tabula Rasa will end live service on February 28, 2009," the company added. "Before we end the service, we'll make Tabula Rasa servers free to play starting on January 10, 2009."
"We can assure you that through the next couple of months we'll be doing some really fun things in Tabula Rasa, and we plan to make staying on a little longer worth your while... We thank you for your loyal support of the game and encourage you to take us up on the benefits we're offering Tabula Rasa players."
By way of compensation to Tabula Rasa fans, the company has gifted all active users with three free months of City of Heroes and Lineage II, Aion beta access and one free month of Aion when it comes out.
Earlier this month Richard Garriott announced his plans to leave NCsoft in order to pursue "new interests"
A relaxing day at a video game center in southwestern China turned deadly yesterday when an argument sparked an armed battle that resulted in the death of five people. According to Chongqing city police as quoted by the official Xinhua news agency, some youths were involved in an argument with the manager of the Milky Way Express games center, which escalated into a full-scale fight involving more than 20 people, some armed with knives and batons. When the smoke cleared, five people were left dead, with at least two injured.
Investigators are still trying to determine the initial cause of the violent brawl. As a precaution, earlier today Chongqing city police ordered security inspections of all internet bars and game centers in the area.
features
Join the only massively multiplayer online game based on the extensive and beloved fantasy universe of J.R.R. Tolkien and adventure through renowned places like the Shire and Bree, and now Moria, the dark heart of the Misty Mountains
Advance to level 60 with thousands of character customization possibilities. 4 races, 9 classes (including the new Warden and Rune-keeper), 10 professions, 7 vocations, plus over 1,000 titles, skills and traits. Over 3,500 monsters and more than 500 authentic landmarks in nearly 100 million square meters of Middle-earth!
Explore 3 new regions, including 12 expansive areas of Moria. New graphics technology brings this underground realm to life like never before, with stunning vistas and towering columns of stone crafted by the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm. Battle more than 200 new monsters, or delve deeper into the darkness and take on the Watcher in an epic raid!
Design and create legendary items as renowned as Bilbo’s Sting! Your hero’s gear will evolve and grow in power along with you, leading to truly unique end-game items!
Fight for the dark side with monster play, the revolutionary monster vs. player (PvMP) combat feature, now with Artifact Control and a live online leader board to showcase your achievements
Embark on more adventures and battle more monsters; learn to fish and craft; develop individual traits and reputations, and even buy houses to decorate them with trophies, artwork and more!
description
Conquer the World Beneath™
The 2007 PC MMO Game of the Year returns with an all-new breakthrough title! The Lord of the Rings Online™: Mines of Moria™ drops you into the dark majesty of the world beneath Middle-earth. Explore a truly vast underground environment like you’ve never seen before. Battle the terrors of the Nameless Deep with new legendary items that evolve and grow in power as you do. Experience the dread and wonder of Moria as one of the new Rune-keeper and Warden classes. Achieve greatness as you seek to claim the knowledge and power lost for generations! This Complete Edition includes the original title Shadows of Angmar™, all content updates, plus the Mines of Moria™ expansion.
features
Reach new heights with the broadest range of acrobatic abilities and utilize objects within the environment to uncover new paths to explore
Discover ancient mysteries of the underworld hidden within the coast of Thailand, frozen islands of the Arctic Sea, the jungles of Mexico, and more
Each level is an elaborate multi-stage puzzle masked within an interactive environmental playground offering more flexibility over how the area is solved
Choose to pacify or kill, target multiple enemies at once with the new dual-target system, and shoot with one hand while suspended with the other
Utilize the latest technology in Laras upgraded inventory to navigate the world
description
A new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft explore exotic locations around the world, each designed with an incredible attention to detail resulting in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates truly believable world and delivers a new level of challenge and choice.
Here is a question for all the parents and troublemaking kids out there. Is taking away favorite gadgets an effective form of punishment? I ask because an amusing story about a stoner having his Xbox 360 confiscated by police today reminded me, in a strange sort of way, about the tragic story of a 15-year old who recently died after running away from home. That case also centered around the confiscation of an Xbox 360. Obviously, the latter incident proves that this tactic can backfire in a big way—but again, in your experience, has it proven effective?
The head of Europe's first treatment center for gaming addicts has revealed that 90% of young people who seek counseling for compulsive gaming habits aren't actually addicts at all.
Keith Bakker of The Smith & Jones Centre in Amsterdam explains that while a gamers who show other addictive behaviors such as drinking or taking drugs have been successfully treated using traditional abstinence-based treatment models, the vast majority of compulsive gamers have a social problem, rather than a psychological one.
"This gaming problem is a result of the society we live in today," Mr Bakker told BBC News. "Eighty per cent of the young people we see have been bullied at school and feel isolated. Many of the symptoms they have can be solved by going back to good old fashioned communication."
Responding to this realization, The Smith & Jones Centre is now changing it's treatment plan for compulsive gamers, moving away from substance-abuse type methods in favor of a plan involving activity-based social and communication skills, to help players interact better with the real world.
The BBC article this story originates from goes on to speak to a gamer called "George" who sought help at the center to help overcome his 10 hour-a-day Call of Duty 4 habit.
"I liked gaming because people couldn't see me, they accepted me as my online character - I could be good at something and feel part of a group."
Underlying that new sense of belonging was a young man who felt powerless and neglected in real life.
"I was aware that I played too much but I didn't know what to do. But it helped me because I could be aggressive and get my anger and frustration out online," he says.
Bakker believes that the key to keeping this sort of thing from happening lies with parents communicating with their children, which is the old-fashioned way of preparing them for the real world, back before electronic babysitting was invented.
He also warns of the dangers of continuing to refer to compulsive gaming as an addiction.
"If I continue to call gaming an addiction it takes away the element of choice these people have," he says. "It's a complete shift in my thinking and also a shift in the thinking of my clinic and the way it treats these people."
SanDisk was first out of the gate with a 16GB microSDHC card, but Toshiba's just two months behind with the announcement of its iteration. Slated for mass production in January of 2009, the capacious SD-C16G should provide plenty of room for your EMF albums and that Rage Against the Machine discography. In related news, Tosh also introduced the soon-to-come SD-F16G and SD-F08G, 16GB / 8GB Class 6 SDHC cards that should handle even the quickest of cameras when they launch over the next few months. No prices to chew on just yet, but we'd wager they'll be competitive.
Some gadgets are a work of art right out of the box, but for many people it is not enough to have the same beautiful piece of technology that everyone else has. So, they spend a little extra money to customize the product to their specific tastes. There are several ways to go about this, from custom paint jobs to skins, to laser etching. Hell, it can be as easy as throwing a few stickers on there to add some flair. So, my question is: do you like to decorate your gadgets?
A couple of years after opening, a "game addiction" clinic in Amsterdam is still doing swift business, but its founder says he has realized that game addiction isn't really the problem. In fact, Smith & Jones Centre founder Keith Bakker says that 90 percent of those diagnosed with addiction are actually just compulsive gamers, pegging excessive gaming as a social problem rather than a psychological one. (And hey, he realized this just a little more than a year after the AMA. Great job!)
Not that the clinic has stopped taking money to treat over-gaming, oh, no, no, no. They've simply focused treatment on teaching patients more social skills to help re-acclimate them to the world. Right ... so, basically, Bakker has become Mystery.
If at first you don't succeed. Send free stuff to video game journalists and try again.
Just last summer Microsoft tried to jump start PC gaming with an ad-heavy, pr-pushed launch of Games for Windows Live. The PC-clone of the popular Xbox 360 online service was meant to bring the some respect, popularity and profitability that console games have been seeing of late.
But the thing is, it didn't really take.
First you had the problems with telling PC gamers they needed to pay for something they've always gotten for free. So Microsoft did away with that, then you had competing services that were, frankly, about a gajillionbillion times better. (cough)Steam(cough). So now, not daunted by facts, or figures, or reality, Microsoft is relaunching Games For Windows Live with another PR push, this one containing a free Sidewinder keyboard, mouse, a mouse pad, headphones and copies of James Bond Quantum of Solace and Fallout 3.
Why don't they just look into handing Valve the keys to the dwindling PC kingdom and get on with making some kick ass software, like Gears of War 3?
Even though StarCraft is over 10 years old, Blizzard Entertainment has released patch 1.16 for its highly-acclaimed real-time strategy game. Patch 1.16 saves in-game chat in replays. In addition, StarCraft now only uses as much central processing powers as it needs to run smoothly. The patch also fixes a number of exploits.
A complete list of patch notes are posted below:
Feature Changes
In-game chat is now saved in replays. Note: whispers are not saved.
Hitting the Escape key while in the chat room will clear your typed text.
"/reply" (or just "/r") will send a whisper to person who most recently whispered you.
Bug Fixes
Fixed localization issues with "from" and "to" in whispers.
StarCraft now only uses as much CPU as it needs to run smoothly.
Exploits
Fixed an exploit which allowed Zerg players to gain minerals through mutations.
Fixed an exploit which allowed Zerg players to recycle an upgrading building.
Fixed an exploit which allowed Zerg players to extend their creep with a drone.
Fixed an exploit which allowed Zerg players to move Drones over impassable terrain.
Fixed an exploit which allowed Terran players to drop a nuke anywhere on the map.
Fixed an exploit which allowed players to pause the game while in the pre-game lobby.
The patch comes in two versions for both StarCraft and its expansion StarCraft: Brood War. To download the updates, visit Blizzard.com.
Liberty City is sprawling over the landscape. It is spreading from your third generation consoles to your PC and there is no escape in this dark, glamourous and decadent city.
Invite a partner to join in your mini crime syndicate, with a multi-player mode and a highly sophisticated matching system, you are ready to roam the city and engage in all forms of anti-social behaviour that you know you can only get away with in Liberty City.
From the publisher: What does the American dream mean today?
For Niko Bellic fresh off the boat from Europe, it is the hope he can escape from his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, gateway to the land of opportunity.
As they slip into debt and get dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very different from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don't.
PC Game Features:
New high resolution technology brings Liberty City to life with even more stunning graphical detail
Expanded multiplayer will require even more strategy and skill to come out on top
Match Filtering allows you to pick your favorite multiplayer options and then instantly find online matches that fit
Record gameplay clips and edit them together with a variety of options using the Video Editor and upload via the Rockstar Social Club
The PC game is released in English versions and a Chinese version which includes English voices, with in-game menus and package manuals in simplified Chinese.
Grand Theft Auto IV (DVD-ROM) US US$ 54.90
Grand Theft Auto IV (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 44.90
Grand Theft Auto IV (Simplified Chinese Version) (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 29.90
December is going to be a busy month, the US PC version of GTA will be out on the 2nd of December.
The Asian English version will be available on the next day, 3rd of December while the Chinese version will come in the same month, preorder it for to ensure that you get the game before Christmas.
For a more concrete shipping schedule, especially with regards to the Chinese version, please keep yourselves posted via our daily news.
It's Thanksgiving Day here in the states, which means that unless Lara Croft and Nathan Drake have a love child and proceed to shoot up a shopping mall, you're probably not going to hear a whole lot from us today. Even Ludwig, a South African, likes to pretend he's sharing in the festivities with a little faux-turkey he makes every year from hut roof shavings and leopard paws.
But we wanted to have a place for you, the Joystiq Biomass, to commune with each other and share what you're thankful for in gaming this year. It can be a developer, a favorite game, a new mechanic, anything: It's your choice. Heck, we don't even care if you're bursting to give thanks for something non-gaming, as long as we're all together.
We're a few years into this generation. We're getting increasingly comfortable with the hardware. While we're not ready to move on, we still wonder: How much longer will it last?
Microsoft's Chris Lewis thinks it's going to last much longer, because of things like scalability. "When you look at NXE, that is a complete revision of the interface and the look and feel and every aspect of the system," Lewis says. Continuing, he adds that this sort of thing is not predicated by new hardware and that Microsoft has done that through software and services.
"So if you think of that scalability and the opportunity to enhance and develop what we do with this platform, then I think it’s very, very possible — and indeed appropriate — that this generation will be longer," says Lewis. "But we’re not specific about when that will happen, and we don’t have a particular timeline that we share right now. But as I said, there’s a lot more still to come."
Moreover the upgraded SKUs help lengthen the live of the console. A longer generation is win-win. Win for companies because they get a better handle on the product. Win for consumers because we get better games and don't have to buy more consoles.
Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
This is another busy week as the Japanese games came in to join the flow. Realize your dream of becoming a star in You're in the movies. Be the director, producer and actor in your own story and spice it up with all kinds of gimmicks.
You might discover you have more talents than you give yourself credit for.
Aside from the stars the real life stars, classic game characters make their appearance this holiday season. Sega's key mascot Sonic the hedgehog is Unleashed to save the day. Go catch him and engage in some fast paced adventures.
Speed is essential for a ninja. Naruto is in two places at once. Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX 3 is out on Nintendo Wii, prove your skills as you mow down your enemies and combat one to one in boss fights.
In The Broken Bond [Asian & US vers.] Naruto's friendship with Sasuke will face the ultimate test. Can the fox spirit posessed youth save his friend from self destruction?
Travelling is another good way to spend your holidays. Join Lara Croft, the hottest archaeologist on her quest to uncover ancient secrets in Underworld, see the sights and display the moves. You'd realize that being an archaeologist is not just about history and books, there's a lot of ninja work involved.
Horizontal action or one to one arena styled fights, the battle between the vampires and the Belmont clan never ceases. In fact, the fighting spirit has spreaded over all characters, transforming the good against evil struggle into a massive battle event. In the new Nintendo Wii fighter Castlevania: Judgement, pit Belmont, Alucard and Dracula against each other.
Good games always get localized, the strategy RPG Luminous Arc 2 and the fantasy farming fun Rune Factory 2 are available as US versions. Both games carry a bit of sword and shield action, while Luminous Arc 2 requires a bit of military tactics while Rune Factory 2 combines it with nurturance.
Move to a greener environment in Animal Crossing: City Life. Enjoy all the possibilities life brings you and all the activities in an ideal city. Move a little further into the rural areas in Rune Factory Frontier. Laguna and Mist from the first Rune Factory game are back and are ready to make their farms prosper.
Sony PSP is another console that gets a lot of titles this week. Koei's massive crossover, Musou Orochi 2, the card battle Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Tag Force 3 [Asian & JPN vers.], the digital novel inspired fighter Higurashi Daybreak Portable, Falcom's most well known RPG trilogy Sora no Kiseki Box Set, and Kenka Banchou 3 [Asian & JPN vers.] that redefines masculinity.
Patapon 2 [Asian & JPN vers.], the family rhythm game is released just in time for the Christmas holidays. With its new network mode, gather a bunch of friends or family members together and engage in a battle that includes cooperation, a sense of rhythm, stylishly cute characters with next to no violence.
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™
Agarest Senki: Rapier Lance JPN US$ 68.90
FarCry 2 JPN US$ 68.90
Guitar Hero World Tour (Band Kit) ASIA US$ 289.90
Guitar Hero World Tour (Guitar Bundle) ASIA US$ 129.90
HORI Fighting Stick EX2 JPN US$ 79.90
Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore 2 Bundle US US$ 69.90
Left 4 Dead US US$ 64.90
Lips US US$ 69.90
Major League Baseball 2K8 JPN US$ 59.90
NCAA Basketball 09 US US$ 64.90
Naruto: The Broken Bond US US$ 64.90
Need for Speed Undercover US US$ 64.90
Rock Band Track Pack: Vol. 2 US US$ 34.90
Sonic Unleashed ASIA US$ 49.90
The Last Remnant US US$ 64.90
The Last Remnant (English language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
The Last Remnant (Japanese language Version) ASIA US$ 49.90
Tomb Raider Underworld ASIA US$ 49.90
Tomb Raider Underworld US US$ 64.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 ASIA US$ 49.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 JPN US$ 79.90
You're in the Movies ASIA US$ 59.90
You're in the Movies US US$ 79.90
PlayStation3™
Alone in the Dark: Inferno US US$ 54.90
Bluetooth Headset US US$ 49.90
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway JPN US$ 68.90
Guitar Hero World Tour (Guitar Bundle) ASIA US$ 129.90
Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore 2 Bundle US US$ 69.90
NCAA Basketball 09 US US$ 64.90
NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 US US$ 54.90
Need for Speed Undercover US US$ 64.90
PlayStation3 Console (HDD 80GB Fallout 3 Collector's Edition Pack) ASIA US$ 469.90
Power Smash 3 / Virtua Tennis 3 (Sega the Best) JPN US$ 34.90
Rock Band Track Pack: Vol. 2 US US$ 34.90
The Eye of Judgment Biolith Rebellion 3 Expansion Pack (Voucher incl. 2 Bonus Special Creature Cards) ASIA N/A
Tomb Raider Underworld ASIA US$ 59.90
Tomb Raider Underworld US US$ 64.90
Winning Eleven x UEFA Champions League Anniversary Box JPN N/A
Wireless Headset ASIA US$ 44.90
Wireless Keypad ASIA US$ 49.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 ASIA US$ 49.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 JPN US$ 79.90
Nintendo Wii™
Animal Crossing: City Folk US US$ 54.90
Block Party US US$ 44.90
Castlevania: Judgment US US$ 54.90
Cooking Mama: World Kitchen US US$ 54.90
Gallop & Ride US US$ 24.90
Guitar Hero World Tour (Band Kit) US US$ 289.90
Hataraku Hit JPN US$ 49.00
Hori Classic Controller (Black) JPN US$ 29.90
Hori Classic Controller (White) JPN US$ 29.90
Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore 2 Bundle US US$ 69.90
Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan Wii Deluxe JPN US$ 39.90
Luxor 3 US US$ 34.90
Merv Griffin's Crosswords US US$ 24.90
NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 US US$ 54.90
Naruto Shippuuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX 3 JPN US$ 64.90
Need for Speed Undercover US US$ 54.90
PBR: Out of the Chute US US$ 34.90
Rock Band Track Pack: Vol. 2 US US$ 34.90
Rune Factory Frontier JPN US$ 64.90
Sonic Unleashed US US$ 59.90
Tomb Raider Underworld US US$ 44.90
Ultimate I Spy US US$ 34.90
Wii Speak US US$ 34.90
PlayStation2™
Dynasty Warriors 6 US US$ 34.90
Junjou Romanchika JPN US$ 68.90
Junjou Romanchika [Limited Edition] JPN N/A
Mana Khemia 2: Ochita Gakuen to Renkinjutsushi Tachi (Gust Best) JPN US$ 39.90
Moe Moe 2-ji Taisen Ryoku Deluxe JPN US$ 68.90
Monochrome Factor: Cross Road JPN US$ 68.90
Monochrome Factor: Cross Road [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 89.90
Murasaki no Honoo JPN US$ 68.90
Murasaki no Honoo [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 79.90
NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 US US$ 34.90
Naxat Soft Reachmania Vol. 1: CR Galaxy Angel JPN US$ 59.90
Naxat Soft Reachmania Vol. 1: CR Galaxy Angel [First Print Limited Edition] JPN US$ 99.90
Need for Speed Undercover US US$ 44.90
PBR: Out of the Chute US US$ 24.90
Rock Band Track Pack: Vol. 2 US US$ 34.90
Sonic Unleashed US US$ 34.90
Nintendo DS™
Bakumatsu Koihana: Shinsengumi DS JPN US$ 42.90
Bakumatsu Koihana: Shinsengumi DS [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 64.90
Disney Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force US US$ 34.90
Guitar Hero on Tour Decades (software only) US US$ 39.90
Guitar Hero on Tour Decades (w/ Guitar Hero Peripheral) US US$ 59.90
Guitar Hero: On Tour (software only) US US$ 39.90
Guitar Rock Tour US US$ 34.90
Higurashi no Nakukoru ni Kizuna: Dai-Ni-Kan - Sou JPN US$ 39.90
Higurashi no Nakukoru ni Kizuna: Dai-Ni-Kan - Sou [Limited Edition] JPN N/A
Kaite Oboeru: Dora-Gana JPN US$ 39.90
Keiki J.B. Harold Jikenbo: Manhattan Requiem & Kiss of Murder JPN US$ 44.90
Layton Kyouju to Saigo no Jikan Ryokou JPN US$ 48.90
Luminous Arc 2 US US$ 44.90
Metal Slug 7 US US$ 34.90
Moshimo!? Kinen Surunara... JPN US$ 48.90
Moshimo!? Saibanin ni Eribaretara... JPN US$ 48.90
My Stop Smoking Coach with Allen Carr US US$ 34.90
Petz Rescue Endangered Paradise US US$ 34.90
Robocalypse US US$ 34.90
Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon US US$ 34.90
Shiseido Beauty Solution Kaihatsu Center Kanshuu: Project Beauty JPN US$ 48.90
Shiseido Beauty Solution Kaihatsu Center Kanshuu: Project Beauty (w/ DS Scan) JPN US$ 59.90
Simple DS Series Vol. 45: The Misshitsukara no Dasshutsu 2 JPN US$ 28.90
Tamagotchi Kira Kira Omisecchi JPN US$ 48.90
Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff US US$ 39.90
The Conveni DS: Otona no Keiei Ryoku Training JPN US$ 49.90
Tomb Raider Underworld US US$ 34.90
Tropix...Your Island Getaway DS US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™
Clear Case Portable 3 (Graphite) JPN US$ 9.99
Eiyuu Densetsu: Sora no Kiseki Set JPN US$ 95.00
Higurashi Daybreak Portable JPN US$ 58.90
Higurashi Daybreak Portable [Limited Box] JPN N/A
Hoshiiro no Okurimono Portable JPN US$ 58.90
Kenka Banchou 3: Zenkoku Seiha ASIA US$ 42.90
Kenka Banchou 3: Zenkoku Seiha JPN US$ 48.90
Lost Regnum: Makutsu no Koutei (Ertain the Best) JPN US$ 19.90
Moe Moe 2-ji Taisen Ryoku Deluxe JPN US$ 48.90
Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin JPN US$ 52.90
Need for Speed Undercover US US$ 44.90
Patapon 2: Don-Chaka JPN US$ 48.90
Patapon 2: Don-Chaka ASIA US$ 42.90
Patapon 2: Don-Chaka (Winter Gift Pack) JPN N/A
Peep Guard Filter Portable 3 JPN US$ 7.99
Shaun White Snowboarding US US$ 44.90
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX: Tag Force 3 ASIA US$ 46.90
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX: Tag Force 3 JPN US$ 48.90
PC Games
Imperium Romanum Gold (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 39.90
The Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria (DVD-ROM) US US$ 44.90
The Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria [Collector's Edition] (DVD-ROM) US US$ 89.90
The Political Machine 2008 (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 34.90
The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff (English Version) ASIA US$ 19.90
Tomb Raider Underworld (DVD-ROM) US US$ 44.90
Game Guides and Magazines
Famitsu DS + Wii [January 2009] JPN US$ 9.90
Hobby Japan [January 2009] JPN N/A
Kimi no Yuusha Complete Guide JPN US$ 24.90
Knights in the Nightmare Official Setting Sourcebook ~Dept. Heaven Episodes World Guidance~ JPN US$ 37.90
Left 4 Dead: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Mirror's Edge: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 24.90
Rune Factory 2 Official Strategy Guide US US$ 17.90
Saihai no Yukue Perfect Guide JPN US$ 23.90
Tomb Raider: Underworld: The Official Guide US US$ 19.90
V-Jump [January 2009] JPN US$ 8.90
Weekly Famitsu No. 1042 (2008 12/05+12) JPN US$ 7.90
Video Game Soundtracks and Movies
Best of the Best Collector's Edition US US$ 15.97
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway Original Soundtrack US US$ 15.97
Gears of War 2 The Soundtrack US US$ 15.97
Gessei No Canon (Galaxy Angel 2 Theme Song) (~Yui Sakakibara) JPN US$ 11.90
Gessei No Canon (Galaxy Angel 2 Theme Song) [CD+DVD Limited Edition] (~Yui Sakakibara) JPN US$ 19.90
Hanayoi Romanesque Kuchibiru Hana Toiki JPN US$ 29.90
Hanayoi Romanesque Mikazuki Ha Sora Ni Nokoshita Bokura No Shokon JPN US$ 37.90
Hi Touch! / Ashita Wa Kitto (Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl New Intro and Outro Theme) JPN US$ 12.90
Hoshiiro No Okurimono Character Song & Drama CD Soya Narutaki (~Daisuke Hirakawa, Daisuke Kishio) JPN US$ 21.90
Ragnarok Online 6th Anniversary Image Song Kamigami No Uta (~Ceui) JPN US$ 14.90
Sokoku No Kusabi - Hiiro No Kakera 3 - Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 24.90
Tales of the Abyss Sound Episode Vol.1 (~Chihiro Suzuki, Yukana, Takehito Koyasu) JPN US$ 28.90
Togeki '08 Super Battle DVD Vol.4 Guilty Gear XX Accent Core JPN US$ 39.90
Togeki '08 Super Battle DVD Vol.5 Super Street Fighter IIX JPN US$ 39.90
Togeki '08 Super Battle DVD Vol.6 Arcana Heart 2 JPN US$ 39.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 Music Collection - Around the World JPN US$ 28.90
Yusha No Kuse Ni Namaiki Da 1 & 2 Giant Recital JPN US$ 21.90
Here is a preview of what are expected to be hot next week:
Xbox360™
Naruto: The Broken Bond ASIA US$ 49.90
Prince of Persia ASIA US$ 49.90
PlayStation3™
Prince of Persia US US$ 64.90
Prince of Persia ASIA US$ 59.90
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 Kanzenban [First Print Limited Edition] JPN US$ 79.90
Nintendo Wii™
Kaze no Klonoa: Door to Phantomile JPN US$ 49.90 PlayStation2™
Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World JPN US$ 59.90
Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 Kanzenban [First Print Limited Edition] JPN US$ 68.90
Nintendo DS™
Chrono Trigger DS US US$ 44.90
Hajime no Ippo The Fighting! DS JPN US$ 48.90
Prince of Persia: The Fallen King US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™
LocoRoco 2 ASIA US$ 42.90
LocoRoco 2 JPN US$ 48.90
Extreme-Mods.com would like to invite you to our Black Friday Sale starting this thursday through sunday. We are starting this sale a day early and ending it on sunday so we don't bog down our servers on Friday. Just use the coupon code: blkfriday to recieve a 10% discount on your entire order with us! We don't have many discounts like this, so take advantage while you can If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us. Have a great holiday season from all of us at Extreme-Mods.com!
Five new titles have taken the top positions in the Japanese software sales chart for the week ended November 24, according to data provided by Media Create.
Wii title, Animal Crossing: City Folk, debuted in the top spot. Nintendo's latest title in the series, which makes use of the Wii Speak microphone and channel, sold 305,000 units, followed by the Chrono Trigger remake for the DS in second place with 271,000 units and Gundam vs. Gundam for the PlayStation Portable in third place with 267,000 units.
Square Enix's The Last Remnant for the Xbox 360 hit 101,000 units and debuted at number four, while Sega's Saka DS: Touch and Go landed in fifth place at 72,000 units.
Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe for the DS came in at number six, Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode, also for the DS, came in seventh and Rhythm Tengoku Gold took eighth place.
Closing off the chart was Pokémon Platinum on the DS at nine and the PlayStation 3 title Way of the Samurai 3 at ten.
Japanese software sales chart follows:
01. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii)
02. Chrono Trigger DS (DS)
03. Gundam vs. Gundam (PSP)
04. The Last Remnant (Xbox 360)
05. Saka DS: Touch and Go (DS)
06. Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (DS)
07. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS)
08. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS)
09. Pokémon Platinum (DS)
10. Way of the Samurai 3 (PS3)
Yellow Eating Pie is a strict Pac Man clone for PC made with XNA 3.0. Like the original, it is fast, challenging and colorful. I have done a lot of research to make the AI and statistics as close as possible to the original.
As I actually have no access to an original arcade version, there are probably quite a few missing details a veteran could notice. If you have suggestions for improvements, or just want to thank me for being the greatest man ever, please email me at blask[underscore]prawdi[at]yahoo[dot]ca. http://www.gameprojects.com/project/?id=c21a61164c
We've already heard that Microsoft plans to make use of GPU acceleration in Windows 7, but it looks like the company is also going to be doing its part for the GPU-less out there, with the OS's new so-called WARP system promising to allow for DirectX 10 acceleration using nothing more than a plain old CPU. Among other things, that's apparently being done to avoid a recurrance of the Vista-capable debacle that happend last time around, when some systems that were said to be capable of running the OS were, in fact, anything but.
According to Microsoft, WARP (or Windows Advanced Rasterization Platform) will work with as little as an 800MHz CPU, although it says it'll work better on multi-core processors with SSE 4.1. To really put it to the test, Microsoft apparently even went so far as to run a few Crysis benchmarks with the system, and managed to clock in a blistering 7.36 fps frame rate at 800 x 600 on a Core i7-equipped PC, which is actually slightly better than what Intel's current integrated graphics were able to eek out.
New figure come along for this weeks weekly console sales reading for Japan with some changes shown below:
Nintendo DSi: 88,843
Playstation Portable: 61,226
Nintendo Wii: 35,298
Nintendo DS Lite: 18,580
Playstation 3: 17,436
Xbox 360: 15,474
Playstation 2: 5,281
DSi is still on top, up roughly 3,000. PSP is second, jumps hugely by 23,000. Wii is 3rd and also up by 9,000. The old DS Lite makes a small comeback, up 15,000. PS3 comes 5th, sales stay the same from last week. Xbox 360 is 5th, sales double from last week (up 7,000). Last in line is the PS2, the only one to go down and just by 200.
All in all, it seems a good week for console sale in Japan despite the current economic conditions. Figures from M-Create.
We go once more into the breach, dear Survivors, with some additional Left 4 Dead planned for this weekend. Perhaps I'll call up my video-podcasting buddies for some much-needed training before our next session.
There's a copy of Dead Space that also needs some attention — as does this made from scratch apple pie. Other than that, looks like I'll be shipping Meat Bun orders to those lucky enough to profit from our Black Friday blowout. And maybe I'll get some of that sleep back that I lost worrying about inventory flying out of stock...
Anyway, what are your gaming plans for this post-Thanksgiving weekend? Any leftovers?
features
Journey through more than 20 new zones, including the new overland zone, Innothule
Experience nostalgic EverQuest dungeon themes, such as Najena, Mistmoore and The Sebilisian Empire, and adventure through more than 18 goal-based dungeons, such as Ruins of Guk and Befallen
The Achievement Point level cap will be increased to 200 to offer new achievements for class- specific lines
A new Dungeon Delving mission system for players to replay content with new and different experiencesFive new Heritage Quests with unique rewards being added
A new, mysterious group of erudites with powerful new armor and equipment will barter for void shards earned during your encounters
Epic tales of the odyssey are told through battles with dozens of new creatures and hundreds of new quests
Two new deities have been introduced into Norrath, Rodcet Nife and Anashti Sul
Includes Legends of Norrath™ strategic online trading card game, digital starter deck and booster pack
description
EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey is the fifth expansion for the critically acclaimed EverQuest II franchise. This all-in-one compilation pack follows the award-winning and best-selling Rise of Kunark™ expansion. New players and veterans alike will journey through a massive amount of exquisite content unlike anything ever before seen in EverQuest II. The Shadow Odyssey stretches well beyond the fantasy realm and propels the EverQuest II world into a new era of excitement and adventure.
Interestingly enough, a lot of the gripes you readers had with the original Rock Band were addressed by Activision in the rivaling Guitar Hero: World Tour (cymbals, anyone?), but we're pretty sure the picky ones out there still have something to complain about. And seriously, when dropping upwards of $180 to $190 for the full-on band kit, you absolutely have a right to nitpick. Now that you've hopefully rocked through a few set lists, how are you enjoying things? Are the revamped / new instruments to your liking? Are the sensors accurate enough? Do you wish there was a freestyle mode in order to give real drummers free reign over what beats they play? Is your equipment holding up under the intense pressure of rockin' it all night long? Grab a mic and spit your feelings (in rhyme or prose, whatever) below.
Another week, another TUD. What's TUD? TELL US DAMMIT. So do that, 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, 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. Smooches.
Question: Did you buy any games or game hardware on Black Friday? If so, what?
I'll say this for Rockstar - they do like a controversy. Usually, though, they go in for cool controversies like sexy mini games or the sensationalised depiction of car crime and bullying.
Lame kerfuffles about copy protection schemes just seem a bit off-message, somehow. C'mon chaps, you'll not get many tabloid headlines with this nonsense! Get back to the prostitute murder and leave the customer-punishing DRM nonsense to your competitors.
Yes, another high profile PC release - GTA IV this time - will be shipping with SecuROM. The usual arguments are being trotted out - on the one hand it is the publisher's best defence against piracy (the copyright infringement kind, not the Somali kidnappy variety) while on the other it is a horrible mess of code that will taint the PCs of legitimate consumers like digital scar tissue.
If the debut of Animal Crossing: City Folk is any indication, Nintendo has another hit on its hands. City Folk landed at #1, with Wild World For the DS still in the top 30.
City Folk for the Wii was just one of five new debuts claiming half of the top ten, beating out Square Enix's Chrono Trigger DS and The Last Remnant. Another strong Xbox 360 Japanese-style role-playing game that should help Microsoft's fortunes overseas. Former chart-topper Kirby will likely move over 500,000 copies of Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe by the end of the year.
A handful of PlayStation 3 titles show stronger sales legs than their counterparts, potentially a good sign for Sony in Japan. Media Create sales for November 17 to 24 are after the jump.
01. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii) - 305,000 / NEW
02. Chrono Trigger DS (DS) - 271,000 / NEW
03. Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam (PSP) - 267,000 / NEW
04. The Last Remnant (Xbox 360) - 102,000 / NEW
05. Saka-Tsuku DS: Touch and Direct (DS) - 72,000 / NEW
06. Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (DS) - 55,000 / 419,000
07. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS) - 25,000 / 209,000
08. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - 25,000 / 1,184,000
09. Pokémon Platinum (DS) - 24,000 / 1,941,000
10. Way of the Samurai 3 (PS3) - 20,000 / 101,000
11. Wii Fit (Wii)
12. Tongari Boushi to Mahou no 365 Nichi (DS)
13. Prinny: Ore ga Shujinkou de Iinsuka? (PSP)
14. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III (PS3)
15. Koihime Musou (PS2)
16. Otomedius Gorgeous (Xbox 360)
17. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best) (PSP)
18. Fushigi no Dungeon Fuurai no Shiren DS 2: Sabaku no Majou (DS)
19. DS Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense 2 Shin Tantei Series: Kanezawa kankan gokkan no kyoukoku fukushuu no kage (DS)
20. Ryuusei no Rockman 3: Black Ace (DS)
21. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
22. Wii Music (Wii)
23. Secret Agent Clank (PSP)
24. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3)
25. Koisuru Otome to Shugo no Tate: The Shield of AIGIS (PS2)
26. Resistance 2 (PS3)
27. Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! Kindan no Yami no Delta (PS2)
28. Family Ski World Ski & Snowboard (Wii)
29. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS)
30. Personal Trainer: Walking (DS)
Dead Chaos is an episodic survival horror game where you assume the role of Kelly Talbert, the daughter of a very powerful and wealthy man. Kelly wakes up inside a scientific research facility, cameras seemingly monitoring her every move.
Possessing no immediate recollection of how she came to be in this bizarre and frightening place, she must attempt to restore her damaged memory, while fighting for her life.
Features
* Compelling and suspenseful storyline that draws you into the drama
* A gaming experience reminiscent of the early classics such as Resident Evil and Alone In the Dark
* Gather clues, solve puzzles, manage resources, and use your intuition to stay alive
* Highly detailed environments to explore and interact with
* Battle zombies and other undead creatures, save the infected from a fate worse than death
* Interact with a variety of characters, and delve into the mystery of this remote mansion and underground research facility
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us. Have a great holiday season from all of us at Extreme-Mods.com!
