Monthly Archives: February 2009

A second DLC pack for Lord of the Rings: Conquest is releasing for PS3 360 tomorrow, priced 800 MS Points.

It features three new hero characters, two maps and two new hero arenas.

More on IGN.

The Gearbox Aliens RPG is dead, OK? Deal with it. Ex-Obsidian designer David Kondor has.

David’s online CV lists himself as a “Designer for canceled third-person action Aliens RPG (Xbox 360, PS3, & PC).”

Get it? Dead.

Thanks, Strategy Informer.

Sega and Spanish dev Pyro are working on a game based on upcoming film Planet 51.

It’s out this “winter” for 360, PS3, Wii and DS.

Planet 51 is a cartoon from the writer of the two Shrek films, and follows an astronaut’s adventures on a planet populated by little green men. Sounds phenomenal.

More on Gama.

A woman has apparently been banned from Xbox Live for stating the fact she was a lesbian in her profile.

An email from “Teresa” has been posted on Consumerist:

I just recently saw a thing on your site about someones gamer tag being banned because it had the word gay in the tag.

I had a similar incident, only my account was suspended because I had said in my profile that I was a lesbian. I was harassed by several players, ‘chased’ to different maps/games to get away from their harassment. They followed me into the games and told all the other players to turn me in because they didn’t want to see that crap or their kids to see that crap.

As if xbox live is really appropriate for kids anyways! My account was suspended and xbox live did nothing to solve this, but instead said others found it offensive.

Today I received a message from another gamer calling me a fag. I am a lesbian, so they aren’t too smart if they cant get their anti-gay slurs right.

Microsoft does nothing to stop this or prevent it, but instead sides with the homophobes. No one will help me get the word out about Microsoft’s anti-gay policy. Not even the HRC who says Microsoft has a positive image with them. Not to me it doesn’t!

Seriously, Microsoft. That is awesome.

Update: Kotaku caught up with Perry today and he said he know someone who’s working on it. Take a look.

Acclaim boss Dave Perry has backed up a tweet earlier today on the lack of UMD support in the heavily-rumoured upcoming PSP revamp, saying he’s “certain” the disc’s out of the new design.

“I can’t reveal my sources, but you can be certain there’s no UMD, which means fully digital online device, and you know I know people,” the exec told GameDaily.

For the record, he’s right. Hit this for the latest on PSP-4000.

Thanks, Joystiq.

Ubisoft’s partnered with muscle-pumping behemoth Gold’s Gym for a Wii Balance Board game, Kotaku reports.

The game will come with a one-week free trial to Gold’s Gym and will also be featured throughout Gold’s Gyms.

There’s no release date. More through there.

Ubisoft’s confirmed Prince of Persia’s Epilogue DLC has been delayed until March 5, the company’s confirmed on its twitter.

It was supposed to release tomorrow.

Twitter’s clearly the new place to announce absolutely everything. We look forward to hanging ourselves shortly.

Thanks, Joystiq.

WoW Insider’s published an exhaustive guide to World of Warcraft’s patch 3.1, which has now gone live on the game’s test realms.

There’s an insane amount of information through there, but some of the main changes are as follows:

• Mounts will not dismount in water
• Dual specs
• The Ulduar raid instance
• BG queuing now allowed anywhere in the world

Doesn’t look as though you’re going to be waiting too long for this to go live.

Australia’s awesome ratings board is at it again, this time revealing something called Worms Armageddon Decade for XBLA.

The rating looks as though it’s been applied for by Microsoft, which means this is almost certainly something different to the already-confirmed (by the USK, at least) PSN Worms version.

Thanks, Joystiq.

id boss John Carmack’s told Gamasutra that Quake Like – which hit open beta today – is partly about showing what the PC can do as a platform.

“A lot of this project was about doing something that the PC was going to be better at than the consoles,” he said.

“Our modern triple-A stuff has to be somewhat more console-centric, with the PC as a peer, while this is an opportunity to do something where the PC will really stand alone.”

So up yours, consoles. Not only will you not have anything to do with Quake Live’s free-to-play action, but id’s going to support Mac and Linux with the game, in the name of God.

Carmack told Joystiq today that “it’s pretty high on my priority list to have the Mac and Linux support.”

John Carmack spits on you, PS360. He spits in your face.

Rockstar’s put a March 12 date on the previously announced South Central DLC pack for Midnight Club LA.

The booster increases the game’s map size by a third, adds four more neighborhoods and, best of all, is completely free.

Well, a bit of it is, anyway. There’s a premium pack full of news cars and such for 800 MS Points as well.

Full details through the link.

Over 113,000 people have signed up for Quake Live since the free-to-play shooter went into open beta this morning, as seen on the game’s twitter.

Around 10,000 users are constantly in line to register for the game.

The latest incarnation of id’s classic FPS looks as though it may well “work”.

Good luck if you’re trying to get involved.

Resident Evil 5 has been given a whopping 38/40 in this week’s premiere Japanese gaming rag, Famitsu.

There’s not long to wait now: it releases on March 13.

The Famitsu score joins OXM’s 9/10 and Official PlayStation Magazine’s perfect 10.

Thanks, GAF.

Sega’s Project Ringo teaser has ended with, “What’s mean 247?”

We don’t know, Mr Sega. More on the secret thinger is promised on March 12.

FFXIII director and writer Motomu Toriyama has told Famitsu that, “Development is going favourably for a 2009 launch.”

The comment comes after company boss Yoichi Wada warned that the quadruple-A project may be pushed back thanks to Dragon Quest IX’s now-confirmed slip.

The RPG is slated only for Japanese release – and only for PS3 – this year. Versions for other territories, including the 360 SKU, will follow later.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has told MCV that “Christmas” 360 sales were up 120 percent at the end of last year.

“Christmas 2008 was the biggest sales period in the history of the Xbox brand,” he said.

“Sales of the console were more than double over the period a year before, in excess of 120 percent in fact.

“We’ve had record sales in January too – much better than we anticipated. We’re at over 8 million console sales to end of 2008.”

Does that mean Chris and the gang are going to rest on their laurels? No sir.

“We’re not dusting ourselves down saying ‘we’ve solved that challenge’,” he added. “You’re going to see us continue to invest in keeping things strong.

“The UK remains one of our strongest markets. We’ve now been consistently ahead of our competition in terms of Sony for a long and sustained period, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

More through there.

Atari just confirmed it’s to release Namco’s Dead to Rights: Retribution in Europe later this year.

The action reboot’s releasing for PS3 and 360.

The game’s big “thing” is a “hybrid combat system” mixing shooting and hand-to-hand brawling.

UK-based Volatile’s developing. Press release after the break.

More »

Capcom’s just announced Lost Planet 2 as a 360 exclusive.

“Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Lost Planet 2 is being developed for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, following an exclusive announcement on Xbox LIVE that happened Monday, February 23,” said the firm in a statement.

PS3 kids won’t be pleased.

There’s extra stuff in the announcement about the plot and confirmation of four-way co-op.

No date, though. Press release after the drop.

More »

Sony has just issued a “no comment” in light of continuing rumour on “PSP2.”

Talk emerged this week that PSP-4000 will have a complete aesthetic overhaul, featuring sliding screen support, amongst other features.

Yesterday, Sony announced PSP versions of Rock Band, Buzz, Motorstorm and LittleBigPlanet as it looks to live up to its promise of reinvigorating the handheld this year.

Acclaim boss David Perry has twittered that Sony is to drop UMD support for “PSP2″.

“I hear Sony FINALLY has the PSP 2. And thank goodness, they’ve removed the stupid battery-sucking UMD disc drive. I’m excited!” said Dave.

We told you about PSP’s heavily rumoured revamp on Monday, in all its sliding screen wonder. Go read.

Thanks goes to GAF.