Monthly Archives: December 2008

Rare’s released a patch that fixes the Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts SD TV text issue which rendered much of the game’s dialogue impossible to read on old, fat tellies.

A menu option for “Large Dialogue Text” has been added, meaning the problem should now be a thing of the past.

Destructoid has some before and after shots in case you need convincing.

By Mike Bowden

After the break. We thought we were watching a PS3 trailer for a second. No gameplay is shown but the PSP trailer does look very impressive indeed. See for yourself.

Final Fantasy Agito XIII is out next year in Japan, with Europe and US still TBA.

By Mike Bowden

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IGN’s Matt Casamassina has published an email from an “inside source” that claims Factor 5 is to close.

From the mail:

We just learned from inside sources that developer Factor 5 has officially closed their doors as of today. That’s some pretty big news considering that those guys have been around for quite a while. It’s definitely a real shame! I hope that this information is helpful to you.

Factor 5 was reported to be in a spot of bother last week as it was rumoured that 37 staff were laid off.

More Christmas cheer for the games industry, it seems.

Thanks, GoNintendo.

By Mike Bowden

A new study has shown that older people may benefit in the head department from playing taxing games, Reuters reports.

In a study of 40 adults in their 60s and 70s, researchers found that those who learned to play a strategy-heavy video game improved their scores on a number of tests of cognitive function.

Men and women who trained in the game for about a month showed gains in tests of memory, reasoning and the ability to “multi-task.”

The game they were playing? Rise of Nations. Who’d have thunk it.

More through there.

The Telegraph’s reporting that “doctors” are expecting a rise in Wii-related injuries over Chrstmas.

From the piece:

This year, the Wii is predicted to be one of the most popular Christmas presents. But doctors said those who spent too long on the games, especially those unused to exercise, were at risk of strain.

Researchers at Leeds Teaching Hospital have identified an injury they called “Wii knee”. Last year, osteopaths reported that they saw an increase in back patients after Christmas, and blamed the trend on fathers trying to keep up with their children on the machines.

The British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) also said there had been an increase in the number of injuries caused by excessive use of Wii.

Said Richar Milner of the BSSH: “We treated a patient this week who had injured herself using a Wii. She was playing tennis with a partner and fractured one of the bones in her finger when he hit the back of her hand with the control.”

Full thing through there.

In a feature titled, “The Zombies Look Better Every Year,” the New York Times has named Spore as its biggest disappointment for 2008.

“If Electronic Arts has learned anything from its experience with Spore, it ought to be that a software company should just let its games do the talking, rather than relentlessly hyping a game for years before its release only to deliver a one-note electronic toy in the end,” said the paper.

“Spore would not have fizzled so quickly if expectations had not been so ludicrously inflated to begin with.”

Game of the year? GTA IV, obviously. Worth a read.

SCEA’s confirmed that Home voice chat – a feature removed as part of the effort to stabilize connection to the app – will be re-added in a patch today.

From the PS Blog:

PlayStation Home update 1.05 is scheduled to be released on December 22. With this new update, users will be able to use the voice chat within their personal space and clubhouses to communicate and share with friends online.

By clicking on their PlayStation Home icon on the PlayStation Network column of XMB, users will be able to update PlayStation Home to 1.05. Users who are online with PlayStation Home will need to log-off and click on PlayStation Home icon.

Black Box may be planning its own funeral, but SKATE 2 is all set to come screaming out of the developer’s gates just before they slam shut for good.

Destructoid, then, nabbed ten fresh SKATE 2 screens from the game’s soon-to-be-deceased parents – as a reminder of their progeny’s bright future.

To be honest, though, we wish we could be writing this article about TimeSplitters 4. We really, really do.

By Nathan Grayson

According to a CVG report, PS3 Trophies’ ability to, er, do nothing in particular has run into a potentially shelf-smashing error. Apparently, after PSN users alter their PSN ID or password, Trophy data can become “corrupt.”

Should that happen, certain games will then notify players that Trophy data has failed to sync – sometimes leading to a series of looping “quit and try again” messages.

Titles like Burnout Paradise, LittleBigPlanet, Pain, and WipEout HD have fallen victim to the Trophy-gobbling glitch since October, but the recently released 2.53 firmware update failed to sweep the bug under the rug.

Fortunately, Sony community guy “MusterBuster” claimed that, “A fix is on the way, but I don’t have an ETA yet”.

If your e-life absolutely depends on a healthy, bustling Trophy case, click through the link for a “quick” fix. (Hint: it’s not quick.)

Otherwise, just remember that waiting builds character or whatever. So don’t worry; Sony’s got your back.

By Nathan Grayson

Tim Schafer’s Double Fine has released the Psychopedia; an encyclopaedia of anything and everything Psychonauts.

It’s still in its infancy, but there’s already plenty to see and do if you so wish. Nothing else to do this close to Christmas is there?

Thanks, Kotaku.

By Mike Bowden

IGN’s posted up an interview with Sucker Punch that includes a good deal of new inFAMOUS gameplay footage. After the break.

The superhero PS3 exclusive really does look great, even if the protagonist runs as though he’s had some kind of trouser accident.

There’s play impressions here as well, if you want some words. Shots here.

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SCEE president David Reeves has told MCV that substandard hardware will do nothing to grow the games market.

“We also grow the market through new products – some work, some don’t, that’s just the Sony way,” he said.

“And on that point, another thing we have committed to for supporting market growth is putting out quality hardware – you don’t grow the market by putting out shoddy machines.

“So we try to make sure that PS3s have a failure rate of just two to three per cent, which is very low by industry standards.”

Take that, Microsoft.

Thanks, Kotaku.

PlayStation show Pulse is reporting that PAIN is the most downloaded title on its PlayStation Network this year.

The game released on US PSN back in 2007 and in Europe March of this year. High Velocity Bowling rolled in second and the seminal Super Stardust HD third.

In fact, considering most of the titles in the top 10 (below) came out in the US last year, we’re left wondering if its a worldwide chart.

1. Pain
2. High Velocity Bowling
3. Super Stardust HD
4. PixelJunk Monsters
5. Flow
6. Warhawk
7. Aquatopia
8. Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection
9. High Stakes Poker Edition
10. Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty

Thanks, PS3F.

By Mike Bowden

Following a pretty conclusive rumour that Spore was about to go live on Steam earlier this week, Valve’s just confirmed that Wright’s latest, the Creepy & Cute add-on, WAR, Mass Effect, NfS Undercover and FIFA Manager 2009 are now all available on the download service.

Mirror’s Edge, Red Alert 3 and Dead Space are all to be added in the “coming weeks”.

“EA is one of the industry’s largest publishers,” said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. “The EA titles coming to Steam this holiday include some this year’s top PC titles.”

Press release after the drop.

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In a statement issued exclusively to VG247, Realtime Worlds studio head Colin MacDonald has confirmed the developer is in “ongoing” discussions with Microsoft regarding Crackdown 2.

His comments came after it was rumoured today that Microsoft was funding Ruffian Games – a new, Dundee-based firm partially formed of ex-members of Realtime Worlds – specifically to develop a Crackdown sequel.

MacDonald added that while an offer to develop a second game hadn’t been made to Realtime Worlds, he “very much” doubts “that Microsoft would harm an otherwise fruitful existing development relationship by gambling on funding Crackdown 2 with a startup on RTW’s doorstep, for obvious reasons.”

Realtime Worlds boss and GTA creator Dave Jones told us that he’d be “gutted” not be involved with Crackdown 2′s development, “but if it had to be that way, I would want to see it done justice – by an established, renowned developer that had the track record of delivering the quality gaming experience Crackdown players would demand.”

MacDonald also confirmed that “five or six” staff had left to join Ruffian, as was rumoured this morning, but that the “vast majority of the Crackdown team remain at RTW” working on APB and an “unannounced project that will cause quite a stir when unveiled.”

The existence of Ruffian came to light this morning after this Flickr set emerged of members of the fledgling firm look at office space in Dundee.

Crackdown lead designer Billy Thomson is involved with Ruffian, as is Xen Group long-timer, Gaz Liddon. Xen provided physics, art and other resources for the original game.

The full statement, emailed from MacDonald, is published below.

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Try saying that headline after you’ve had a few.

Anyway, a Capcom spokesperson has told Edge that a narrower time-frame regarding the release of the PS3 version of SSFHDIIR in Europe still isn’t forthcoming, despite the game hitting XBLA a month ago.

“There are reasons why we can’t always release games when we want to, but we are working hard on getting the game out as soon as possible,” a Capcom rep told the site.

However, that report speculates that early Q1 is looking likely. Time will tell.

Capcom announced yesterday that Super Street Fighter has already sold over 250,000 copies.

By Mike Bowden

After earlier reports outlining EA’s plans to fire 400 and close nine studios, it seems the first outfit to be axed is Need for Speed developer Black Box.

According to IGN, many of the studio’s staff are being relocated to EA’s Burnaby facility in British Columbia.

Apparently the closure will not be immediate, meaning SKATE 2′s development should remain unhindered. Full thing through the link.

By Mike Bowden

SCEA’s confirmed that Lumines Supernova will release on the US PSN next week, December 23.

There’s a press release after the link. There’s stuff in there about the already-confirmed LBP version of Lumines as well.

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THQ’s posted a new Dawn of War II movie, giving yet more reasons why the Relic RTS should be tip top of your list of PC games for the start of next year.

After the break. Looks awesome. Double awesome, probably.

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Free Radical may be in its death throes, but at least we get to look at what might have been. One of the artists on TimeSplitters 4 has released a bunch of concept stuff from the game.

It’s all on Nick Carver’s site, as he’s now looking for a job and it’s apparently free season on TimeSplitters 4 concept art.

Help yourself. Thanks, Kotaku.