Monthly Archives: February 2009

Tomb Raider: Underworld DLC Beneath the Ashes – delayed earlier in the month – has been scheduled for a February 24 release.

Lara’s Shadow, the next batch of content, will arrive on March 10 as a 1.07Gb download.

Bug fixes will be included in a patch about the same time, and are listed after the jump.

Thanks, Eurogamer.

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DICE handed out 4,000 beta keys for Battlefield Heroes yesterday, all to those registered through QA Boss.

More keys are to be handed out over the next few weeks. Once all the QA Boss sign-ups have gone out, gamers who signed up on the official site may get a present in the mail.

You can still try your luck by registering here.

The free-to-play shooter’s supposedly out in the first quarter.

Heavy Rain director David Cage has lashed out at mainstream actors involved in games as they harbor little love towards products themselves.

“Actors (and their agents) often have so little consideration for games that the only discussion you can have is how much money for how much time,” said Cage to Play magazine.

“No one cares about what you try to achieve, they very rarely agree to invest time and energy in their part, all they want is a maximum amount of money for a minimum amount of time, and ideally, on a game that won’t hurt their image too much”.

This was his main reason for not hiring well-known actors for Heavy Rain: the days of needing Hollywood voices for games are soon to be extinct, he said.

Take that Billy Dee Williams.

Global PS3 sales will take at least two years to pass those of 360 unless Sony can bring the machine to a “price advantage” position, Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter told VG247 today.

“Without a price advantage, they will not pass Microsoft for at least two years,” the analyst said.

“I think that means that they have to be priced at the same level or below the 360 to outsell them by a substantial amount, and I don’t see that happening this year.

“I expect a price cut, but not big enough to drive an incremental 2 – 3 million unit advantage.”

Pachter was responding to a question on whether or not he thought PS3 could get passed 360 in 2009, given that Sony announced global sales of 21 million for the machine today.

“I don’t think so without a price cut,” he said. “Microsoft has been doing a great job in keeping in front of people, and I don’t really see sales slowing down.

“That means Sony would have to outsell them by around 5 million, and they are only gaining in Japan at a 1 million annual rate, are selling more slowly than Microsoft in the US, and are gaining in Europe by probably 1 million annually.”

Xbox 360′s global sales hit 25 million in November 2008.

The Last Remnant will be available in Europe for PC on March 20.

The Games for Windows version lets players choose between Japanese or English voice-overs, has improved character animations and allows multiple leader units.

Square Enix boss John Yamamoto said, “We hope to reach a new audience with the Games for Windows version of The Last Remnant.

“The work that has been put into this version of the game is truly stunning and I hope that fans enjoy this exciting new adventure.”

Press release posted below.

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Good grief. After the break you’ll find a video of four Criterion developers dressed up in “costumes” to promote Burnout Paradise’s now-available Legendary car pack.

Seriously. We’ve met these people. They were good men. When one goes, a little piece of you goes with them.

Share our pain through the link.

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Watch the US DSi launch video after the break, if you dare. Apparently this is the next step forward in portable gaming, but there’s not too much talk about games in there, to be fair.

Apparently, the machine’s about “form, function, features and fun”. We think there’s one “f” you missed, Nintendo.

Take a look. The system hits America on April 5.

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NCsoft’s confirmed that Korean MMO Aion will launch in the US and Europe this autumn.

The game was supposed to release at the end of last year, but localization caused the delay, apparently.

“The localization effort is enormous, with a vast amount of content. Aion is not simply being translated, a team of dedicated content writers are re-creating the written dialogue and content to provide AAA quality and to ensure that it is culturally relevant for our audience. We are going to do this launch ‘right’ rather than fast,” executive producer Lance Stites said in an open letter on the game’s site.

The fantasy MMO’s been a smash in its native Korea, so definitely one to watch.

Sony’s claimed that PS3 has now sold more than 21 million machines globally today, as part of an announcement detailing plans to extend the PlayStation brand into South America.

The company is launching PS2,‭ ‬PSP and PS3‭ across‭ 13 ‬countries in the region,‭ ‬and will establish a localised PSN.‭

The firm will also introduce a localised website for South America.

Tons more on Edge.

The Halo Wars review embargo just lifted, and pieces are starting to appear now. Eurogamer’s gone with 8/10, which is spot on as far as we’re concerned, having got our copy yesterday.

There’ll be more soon, no doubt. If you want anything added, drop a link in the comments. The game, Ensemble’s last, ships on February 27.

• Eurogamer – 8
• Joystiq – No score
• IGN UK – 8.2
• PlanetXbox360 – 8.7
• Strategy Informer – 8.2
• Gamikaze (Polish translation) – 8.8
• 1UP – B
• Eurogamer.fr – 8
• TheGameReviews – 8.5
• IGN video review – After the break

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ThreeSpeech is to post an exclusive Killzone 2 video at 5.00pm GMT today, as you can read here.

This is only the first part of the video, apparently, with the second bit coming on Monday.

“What’s it gonna be folks?” says ThreeSpeech.

Some shooting?

[Update - The PC screens are from the game's new site. Thanks, Syrok.]

Famitsu just posted up some new screens of Metal Gear Solid Touch, the upcoming iPod Touch and iPhone version of Kojima’s never-ending little man.

Not quite sure what’s going with the PC screens there, but someone will no doubt translate it in a tick.

As you can see here, a new adaptor’s been released that allows you to use a 360 pad on a PS3.

The XCM Cross Battle Adaptor makes it easy. You never have to worry about that troublesome PS3 pad ever again.

“For many reasons people really like the Xbox 360 controller,” says the blurb.

“The look and feel are second to none. Now those same controllers can be used on your Playstation 3 console! For the first time you’ll have the use of real triggers on your Playstation 3 console!”

Good Lord. Yours for £40.

Last movie from the Codemaster US event yesterday, this one being for MMO Jumpgate Evolution.

There’s tons of gameplay footage in there, and some of it’s absolutely beautiful.

The space-based effort’s now confirmed for June. Get the new shots from Eurogamer.

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More from the Codemasters event in the US yesterday, this time in the form of screens and a movie of Overlord Dark Legend.

Get them from CVG. Viddler’s being shit.

It all looks awesome. Especially the gingerbread men.

The game’s a Wii exclusive, out in June. Get the rest of the news and media from the event here.

Codemasters put out a new FUEL trailer at a US press event yesterday, showing off show of the game’s American landmarks.

You get to drive around the Grand Canyon skywalk thing, which is great. The whole concept looks very cool, no doubt.

It’s out in May. After the break. Get the latest screens from CVG.

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After the break. This came out of Codemasters’ US Gamer Day yesterday, and is the demonic sequel’s first direct feed footage.

Looks very cool, to be fair. And it’s got a panda in it, which always helps.

It’s out in June. Get the new screens from Shacknews.

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According to this BBC report, “Xbox Live is being targeted by malicious hackers selling services that kick players off the network.”

These services, apparently, are “proving popular with players who want a way to get revenge on those who beat them in an Xbox Live game.”

Halo 3 players are a popular target for the attacks, says the piece.

Microsoft’s investigating the claims and will ban Live users found guilty of illegal player-expunging.

Full thing through there. Thanks, Roybott.

Activision’s UK PR team has now fully restructured following its merger with Blizzard, and has taken on an external PR company to lend a hand.

“Following the introduction of the new internal UK and Ireland PR team (Lucy Fairbrass, Johanna Hakala and Jonnie Bryant), it became apparent that the extensive nature of Activision’s 2009 product portfolio would require comprehensive PR support which would reach far beyond the 2008 PR objectives,” Kate Ward, head of UK PR, told GamesIndustry.biz.

“With this in mind I have been working to broaden the internal team and move to a one agency external PR solution, with Frank PR, for the Activision and LucasArts portfolio, while maintaining our relationship with Barrington Harvey on the Red Octane side of the business.”

More through there.

Codemasters showed DiRT 2, FUEL, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, Jumpgate Evolution, Overlord II, Overlord Dark Legend and Overlord Minions at a US press event yesterday, dating all three Overlord games and confirming a September release for DiRT 2.

All three Overlord games will release in June.

A ton of media was released this morning, including new FUEL and Overlord II trailers. We’re just sorting it now.

Press release after the break.

Update:

• Fuel trailer and shots
• Overlord II trailer and screens
• Overlord Dark Legend trailer and screens
• Jumpgate: Evolution trailer and screens

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