Monthly Archives: May 2009

EA put out some new Army of Two: 40th Day shots this morning.

Not much involved in the screens other than, obviously, war.

There’s a kid in there that looks a bit like Short Round. Not sure why, but E3 will likely reveal all.

Joystiq has all four shots posted. Go take a look.

Majesco today announced Flip’s Twisted World exclusively for Wii, and it’s a puzzler where you rotate the world 90 degrees with the WiiMote.

The premise is kind of like Disney’s Fantasia because you are an apprentice who messes with a magical artifact you shouldn’t and things go a bit mad for you.

Instead of dancing brooms though, you are sucked into a cubed world that you must rotate to reveal new paths of escape  and along the way put things right before Master Fulcrum returns.

Players will traverse through five different puzzle worlds meeting strange characters along the way. Tommy Tallarico provides the background music.

Flip’s Twisted World will be on hand at E3 and you can expect it to land at retail sometime in January 2010.

Press release is after the break.

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New shots of the upcoming Land of the Dead expansion for Warhammer Online popped up on Eurogamer this morning.

There are 30 posted, and each depict a very Egyptian-like setting. Actually it would be considered Egypt if you could ride scary looking boar mounts and you were an orc.

Somehow we don’t think Semerkhet or any of the other Pharaohs rode one of those, which is a shame really.

At any rate, for those who play the MMO, stage one of public test 1.3 is live with the first segment focusing on combat and career changes, along with the mechanic for gathering resources and unlocking the Tomb of Kings zones. To get in on the test, the devs posted a “how to” page here.

Land of the Dead will not be made available until later in the year,  and while you can unlock it and take a gander at it, you can’t traverse through it yet. Sorry

Screens are through the link.

Media Molecule has revealed two costumes from the 2000AD DLC pack for LittleBigPlanet on its website.

The two outfits shown are Judge Dredd and Judge Cassandra Anderson, and more is to be revealed daily until the pack releases this Thursday.

Keep checking the site for more details, and get the download on May 28.

EA’s online card-trading RTS-MMO game, BattleForge, is now free to download.

Previously available for $29.99, you can download the full thing for nada and get access to all content, and two full decks. To get into the trading part, you will need to level up in both PvE and PvP.

Those interested can find out more on the official site.

Via StrategyInformer.

EA has “missed the current hardware cycle” and won’t record historical profits “anytime soon”, according to a new report by analysts at Cowen Research.

“We believe that following serial earnings disappointments, Electronic Arts now deserves a lower valuation premium than the company has historically enjoyed,” said the note.

“Since management first laid out its initial full year 2010 guidance and full year 2011 long-term guidance in February 2008, the company has failed to deliver on its earnings targets and has been forced to repeatedly revise down its guidance. Given this historical record, we do not think investors should place too much faith in management’s current guidance.”

Although Cowen Research’s expectations for 2010 are only a little below that of EA’s, it has significantly lowered its 2011 estimates, from a year-on-year earnings per share increase of 48.7 per cent to just 24.0 per cent.

Tons more on GI.

Screen Digest’s predicted that in-game advertising will be a $1 billion business within five years, according to this Media Week story.

A combination of audience media habits and the “unique advantages of dynamic in-game advertising” is forecast to drive spending to about one and a half percent of all digital advertising, says the report.

At that size, Screen Digest has predicted, the format will be impossible to ignore.

Full thing through there.

Square just detailed the PAL collector’s edition of Star Ocean: The Last Hope, releasing next Friday.

Here’s what you get, according to the press release after the break:

• Limited edition STAR OCEAN: The Last Hope Box:
  Unique ‘digistack’ packaging with dual gatefold, inside a special collector’s sleeve.
• STAR OCEAN Soundtrack Compilation CD:
  The STAR OCEAN Sound Best Collection showcases key themes from across the series specially chosen by the game creators and series fans.
• Five STAR OCEAN: The Last Hope Character Cards:
  Collectable prints of lead characters from the game, using rare artwork not officially released in Europe and other PAL countries.
• Brady Games Official Miniguide:
  32 page game guide printed in full-colour, with extra character artwork, descriptions and walkthrough information – to help you on your journey through the universe.
• Three STAR OCEAN: The Last Hope Game Discs
  Expansive galactic adventuring goes across three game discs, accompanied by full-colour play manual.

Hit the link for an image.

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UFC: Undisputed has scored an instant win the UK chart, debuting at number one this week.

EA Sports Active came in at third above Wii Fit’s fourth, which will delight EA. The news ends Wii Fit’s seven week run at the top.

Pokemon Platinum took second.

Last week’s chart here. Data for the week ending May 23.

Ubisoft has trademarked C.O.P. The Recruit, as you can see here.

It’s worth noting that Ubi trademarked Driver: The Recruit back in April.

What could it all mean?

Thanks, superannuation.

GTTV’s Geoff Keighley, during an interview with Havy Rain’s producer, has said that the Quantic Dreams thriller is to release “next year”.

Watch this at about 19 minutes.

The game was first shown at Games Convention in 2008 and pegged as a 2009 release.

Sony’s declined to comment on the matter, saying only that the PS3 exclusive has no fixed date.

Thanks, Eurogamer.

Update: There another video after the break showing a virtual can of soda with Ocelot’s face stamped on it. Thanks, mart.

The back of the latest Famitsu appears to have thrown up a serious hint that the new Kojima project is a Metal Gear title.

Watch the video after the break. It shows a webcam pointed at the magazine bringing up a cardboard box topped with an orange exclamation mark.

Remember: rumour. It may well be fake.

E fucking 3, baby. Thanks, Shatner.

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Weather changes in open-world Codemasters racer FUEL aren’t just cosmetic, producer Phil Wright’s assured VG247. They’re a “key player,” apparently.

“For must games [weather's] usually just for effect, but in FUEL we wanted to make a feature of it as well,” said the developer.

“Weather is a key player in the fictional backdrop of the game world, reinforcing the impression that there has been a shift in nature which has resulted in sudden and extreme changes in weather conditions.”

Don’t gawp at the tornados, though. Heaven knows what’ll happen.

“As well as offering a breathtaking spectacle to the player while racing or cruising around, we also use it to great effect in races, with driving rain, dust storms, snow and even tornados adding an extra dimension of challenge,” said Wright.

FUEL, the world’s largest ever console game ™, releases for 360 and PS3 early next month. A PC version’s to follow.

Eat Sleep Play’s David Jaffe’s cooled bubbling talk that the company’s project is to be announced at E3 next week.

“I’ll say it right now, because some people are speculating: we’re absolutely not going to be at E3,” said the developer, speaking in the video update you can see after the break.

“I will be there, and Scott Campbell may be there… but we’re not showing anything.”

E3 2010 should be a different story, however.

“Next year, I fully expect us to be on the showfloor,” Jaffe added. “Part of me would love to announce at E3, so you walk into the Sony booth and bam, there’s our game.”

What is it? Twisted Metal, probably. Watch the full thing.

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It’s started. IGN’s ground its E3 media domination machine into gear last night, first posting the first look at High Voltage’s Gladiator A.D., then following up with a preview of Rebellion’s Aliens Vs Predator, complete with new screens.

It looks peachy. Please don’t be shit. It’s out on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in early 2010.

Gamestop’s listing Tony Hawk: Ride at $120, as you can see here.

The game, complete with plastic skateboard, is due out at the end of this year.

Kids. Seriously. You can buy a decent skateboard for that. You’ll be able to go outside on it and actually learn to ollie and irritate policemen. In real life. You may find there’s a ramp near you. You will be able to ride it.

Just saying. Thanks, Kotaku.

Hardly the greatest shock, but there we are. Amaze Entertainment’s website‘s inadvertently announced a game version of Where the Wild Things Are.

The title is due in the fall for “all console platforms,” presumably to coincide with the release of the upcoming Spike Jonze movie adaptation of the beloved children’s book.

Thanks, superannuation.

IGN, as promised, has revealed the next High Voltage game to be Gladiator A.D., a “next step in filling the holes in the Wii’s library,” according to dev boss Kerry Ganofsky.

Players choose a Gladiator, each with unique attacks, behaviors, moves, and weapons. They then battle through a series of competitions, some one-on-one and some “much more complex”.

It’s out Q1 2010, and High Voltage hopes “Gladiator A.D. is going to redefine the fighting game genre on the Wii.”

Hooray to that. Another new High Voltage game is to be shown exclusively on IGN tomorrow.

Thanks, Centipede.

Nelson’s confirmed that Bionic Commando Rearmed is a mere 400 MS Points to Gold Live subs this week, a 50 percent reduction.

Which is pretty cool. Certainly better than taking a third off DLC so long and forgotten you’d need a handsome prince to break into its castle and kiss it awake.

Buy it.

Call of Duty 4 has topped a Radio 1 poll to find its listener’s favourite game.

Football Manager 2009 came second, with Final Fantasy VII taking third.

The vote was actually from a list compiled by a list of journos from the UK media, including Eurogamer’s Johnny Minkley and CVG’s Gavin Ogden.

Get the full list through the link.