Monthly Archives: March 2009

Gamesradar’s posted a video of all the cut-scenes in Halo Wars, giving you the game’s entire plot in 90 seconds.

For the sake of clarity, this will spoil it for you. We strongly advise you do not hit the link if you’re in any way sensitive on the subject of Halo Wars’ plot.

OK?

Capcom’s released a new trailer for downloadable alien-based sheep-herder, Flock!

This one’s called “Seasons” and can be watched over on GamersHell.

The puzzler will be hitting PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime next month.

Direct2Drive.com is taking 30 percent off its entire Rockstar library now through Sunday.

They have all sorts of stuff over there. Bully, GTA, Manhunt, Max Payne — the list goes on.

Prices are ranging anywhere from $6.95 – $20.95.

Harmonix and MTV Games are adding four new tracks to the Rock Band Music Store from R.E.M. and The Offspring.

In addition, British guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson is to make his Rock Band debut.

Here’s what you get:

• R.E.M. – Losing my Religion
• The Offspring -All I Want and The Kids Aren’t Alright
• Richard Thompson – The Way That it Shows

All tracks will be offered March 10 and 12 for Xbox 360 (160 MS Points) and PS3 ($1.99) respectively.

You’ll find four YouTube videos of the entire chapter three island section of Resident Evil after the break.

This is the part of the game Capcom UK has told at least some reviewers to not mention or take images of in their critiques.

Obviously, the footage is a huge spoiler, so don’t watch it if you want to stay pure.

We’re still chasing Capcom for comment as to why it doesn’t want images or text of the section out in the open, but hopefully we’ll get something today.

Thanks, GoOl!ne and Johnny Cullen.

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IGN’s gone live with the first Resident Evil 5 reviews, with it 9.0 in the UK, 9.0 in the US and 8.7 in Australia.

The American video review’s after the break.

Here’s a snip from the UK review:

While it’s occasionally hampered by outdated controls and problematic AI, it’s the near-mandatory co-op and bombastic assault of visceral silliness that earns Resident Evil 5 its stripes. Sure, it might just be a shinier, snazzier retread of Resi 4 – and certainly, it lacks its forerunner’s impressive sense of invention – but this is still big, dumb Grade A entertainment. Is it a classic like it’s predecessor? No, but it’s a gloriously daft amount of fun and sometimes that’s enough.

We’re still chasing Capcom on the issue of reviewers being told not to mention the island section in the game’s third chapter.

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Red Orchestra will be getting the Steam treatment soon by way of added achievements and a new free map called Fallen Heroes, according to this Shacknews story.

Set in the Red Square, the new content was originally planned for the initial release of the tactical FPS, but was all but forgotten about after being unceremoniously cut.

Recently, Tripwire passed handed the goods over to community map-maker Kevin “Dr Guppy” Butt, who played around with it and put it in the upcoming free release.

Full list of achievements through the jump.

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Bethesda has hired Sarah Seaby as its new European marketing and PR director.

Seaby started out with Interplay, and eventually went on to work for Gamecock, Virgin Interactive, Take Two and worked a consultancy role with Sega, working on Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

“Sarah’s vast experience of marketing triple-A titles and her affinity to the people who actually make the games ensure she is an ideal fit for Bethesda,” said a Bethesda spokesman.

Seaby’s new responsibility at the firm will be developing the overall brand strategy.

World of Goo, the award winning physics based puzzle/construction game is now available on Steam for $4.99.

If you don’t have it already, go get it if you feel like dropping “living, squirming, talking, globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins, and giant tongues.”

Wow. Thanks, Heitzu.

Those wacky folks over at Rooster Teeth are taking a crack at City of Heroes.

The Red vs. Blue series creators have started new live-action shorts featuring Captain Dynamic.

In the videos, Captain Dynamic hires a writing team to “spice up his adventures” by levelling him up quickly. One such adventure has him saving a kitten from a tree.

Both episodes are posted after the break.

Thanks, Kotaku.

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The UK Government’s Change4Life campaign has joined forces with the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Cancer Research, and is placing ads with TV and print media linking games with premature death.

The campaign’s newest ad has appeared in woman’s magazines Heat, Reveal and Star, and depicts a young gamer risking death by “doing nothing”.

Change4Life TV ads started hitting the airwaves this year, and this new bit of print advertising has caused MCV to file a complaint with the ASA.

MCV says the ad’s, “Unrepresentative of the positive effect video games have on the UK’s youth.”

“The advert implies to its audience (parents) that, by preventing their child from playing games, they will help ensure their future health,” said the British publication.

“Not only is this strictly not true, but runs the genuine risk of hurting small businesses.”

Hit the links for more info and to take a gander at the offending ad.

Klonoa: The Door to Phantomile will be hitting the UK sometime this year, Eurogamer reports.

Namco Bandai has overhauled the PSone game’s graphics – given it a 3D background with 2D character renderings – as well as adding new content and implementing classic and Wiimote-enhanced controls.

Reports state that the big-eared cat/dog’s new adventure remains as faithful as possible to the endearing original.

Good thing then.

Eurogamer has two videos here

Rare’s confirmed that Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts DLC will be announced next week.

According to Lord of Games (L.O.G.) himself:

“If all goes well, you’ll soon be able to experience a little something that I devised during a spare moment in exile from the Palace lounge as the Lady of Games watched some kind of dreadful house renovation show marathon. I have to say I’m quite pleased with the end result, apart from the section that Klungo insisted on contributing due to what he claimed was ‘popular demand’. Well, that remains to be seen.”

A bit esoteric, but a confirmation of something to come nonetheless.

Hit the link for more.

Punk rockers Rise Against debut a previously unreleased song on Guitar Hero: World Tour March 12.

Death Blossoms will be joining the singles Audience of One and Ready to Fall in a track pack for PS3 and on Xbox 360 for 440 MS ($5.49).  Each song will also be available individually for 160 points ($2).

Lead singer Tim McIlrath will also give fans a chance to sing along with him in a Game With Fame GHWT  session March 14 on Xbox Live.

Add Gamertag “GHRiseAgainst1″ to your friend list and be online and ready to wail by 4.30pm EST (7.00pm GMT).

Press release posted below.

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On Tuesday, March 10, Transporter 3 will be debuting on the US PlayStation Network — so Statham fans get ready.

Other than little tidbit, the PlayStation store has added loads of movies and TV shows in both regular and HD format today, including The Hills have Eyes II, Rocky V, Australia, American Dad: Season 4, Chuck: Season 2 and The Simpsons: Season 20.

Get the full update through the link. After the break is the list of top downloads for last week.

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Capcom hs told Joystiq that Wii-owning Resident Evil lovers smarting at RE5 not releasing for their machine should rest easy.

“It was made for the Xbox 360 and PS3,” said Capcom’s Matt Dahlgren of Resident Evil 5, speaking at a press event in Toronto.

“That being said, Nintendo Wii fans will be very happy very soon.”

Dahlgren wouldn’t be drawn on specifics.

RE5 launches next week in the west.

Steam will soon add Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box to its ever growing library of titles.

The PC version contains all downloadable content released for consoles by February.

Two paid downloadable packs, Cops and Robbers and Big Surf Island, are coming soon, and the PC version will see it eventually too.

Hit the link for more info.

VG247 has it on good authority that some British Resident Evil 5 reviewers have been specifically told to avoid writing about, taking video of, or image-grabbing the island section from the game’s third chapter.

We’ve been told that players encounter spear-wielding Africans in the specified section.

The instructions were given in the form of a covering letter sent with review code.

The game has been constantly accused of racism, a debate kicked off in earnest by Newsweek journo N’Gai Croal last April, who said it contained “classic racist imagery”.

Producer Jun Takeuchi has defended the project at every turn, even going as far as to say there are black members of the game’s Japanese development team.

IGN is going live with the first review – an agreed exclusive, we’re told – at 4.00pm PST today. The general review embargo lifts on Monday.

We’re unaware if American journalists have been put under the same restrictions.

We’ve contacted Capcom for comment.

Update: We’ve been given some of the wording from the letter this morning. Apparently, it says, “Please don’t mention any action/story/enemies from the Native Village,” and, “No screenshots of the Native Village”.

Also, UK reviewers have been told not to show screens of unlockable costumes.

There’s an interesting interview with a leading expert on racism, Glenn Bowman, posted on Videogamer, discussing whether or not Resident Evil 5 is a racist game.

The senior lecturer at the department of anthropology at the University of Kent said he thought it was “silly to call it racist.”

“It is about using Africa as threat, but they’ve got to use somewhere as threat”, he said.

“And as far as I know from what you’ve told me the last game used rural Spain as threat. Basically if you want to make a frightening scene you take whatever characteristics of that scene are salient and turn them align.

“So you get vicious Spaniards who I suspect are running around with knives or whatever. Here you get infected Africans. Maybe they’ll make the next game happen in Finland and you’ll have a whole series of Inuits and the like being really scary and running around with Walrus heads on. I think it’s silly to call it racist.”

He did say, however, that it has the potential to be much more racist. But isn’t.

“I don’t think it actually is racist. I think what they’re trying to do is say this is a shit scary space that you’re in and it’s full of anger and furthermore also people hate Americans”.

The rest of the interview is through here, and it’s well worth the read.

SCEA just confirmed that Sucker Punch’s inFamous will release in June this year.

There’s going to be a demo, apparently, but there’s no other detail.

Get the box art through the link.