Monthly Archives: June 2009

Gameinfowire has a bunch of Assassins Creed II screens from the Xbox 360 version of the game. They all look rather good and we can feel ourselves getting giddier as the clock ticks slowly down to November.

The game is shaping up very nicely.

Click the link, have a look.

Kotaku‘s unearthed some more details of the Last.fm service that will be integrated into XBL later this year.

Yes, there’s still no date but you’ll have the ability to share your playlists with friends and create your own, unique Last.fm station.

The feature list in full:

• browse artists & tracks and compile custom playlists
• share those playlists, and other recommendations, with friends via “Party Radio” (you’ll also be able to listen in on the same songs/playlists together)
• create your own Last.fm station
• check out artist pages complete with photos, band info and other info like how to find similar artists.

Microsoft has announced Last.fm will be free for all Live Gold subscribers.

BioWare’s updated The Old Republic blog detailing the awesome looking Trooper class and proclaiming that if it’s firepower you want, then the Trooper class will be the one for you.

The Trooper has evolved over time since that first playtest, but at the core he remains the same: a dedicated soldier who believes in military precision, tactical superiority and above all, a whole lot of firepower. With his impressive arsenal of assault rifles and grenades, the Trooper is the best ranged damage dealer the Republic has to offer.

That’s not all the Trooper is about, though. He’s got the ability to adjust his combat capabilities to meet different challenges. He’s got an array of morale-themed party buffs designed to strengthen himself and his party. He’s got just enough control to be able to maintain range and keep the fight on his own terms.

But really, what’s the Trooper about? A simple philosophy: “Happiness is a warm gun.”

Full thing with more great-looking screenshots through the link.

We’re looking for someone to cover the Gamescom day-shift this year. The Cologne show runs from August 19-23.

Is it you? Are you “the one”? Questions you may ask, answered:

Will I get paid?

Yes.

What do I have to do?

Write an awful lot of news very quickly, not be stupid, not ever moan ever.

I’ve never written professionally before.

Sorry, dude. We’ve got very little time to train.

Will I go to Germany?

No. You’ll be sat at your PC at home, crying onto your soon-to-be-arthritic hands.

If it works out, will I be able to do more?

You’re a sharp cookie.

Sounds amazing! Please let me do it!

Mail patrick [at] vg247.com and we’ll consider it.

Go on, then. Hurry up.

Media Molecule has revealed that this Thursday LittleBigPlanet’s Sackboy will get the Team ICO Costume Pack featuring Ico and Yorda.

That’s not all, however, as MM promise a “closer look at the other costumes from this pack, a set based on Ico’s sequel of sorts, Shadow of the Colossus.”

Exciting.

Full thing through the link.

Update: EG.TV.fr has a teaser. Go watch.

Microsoft corporate VP Shane Kim and new Sony European president and CEO Andrew House both agree that E3 is back baby and this year’s conference was the good-old-days reborn.

“It’s great to see it back,” said Kim. “We’re an entertainment business and we should act and talk like an entertainment business.

“We shouldn’t go hide in a corner. I’ve been doing E3 for some time and I’m really excited to see all the excitement and energy and noise and all the people come back, because that’s what we should represent.

“I feel very fortunate that we got to launch Project Natal this year, because in essence this is the rebirth of E3 and Natal is the perfect way to kick that off,” he added.

“I think you get a singular opportunity to have the press and everybody else focus on our industry for a week in LA – one of the entertainment capitals of the world,” echoed House.

“That’s pretty priceless. As soon as you took emphasis away from that we lost an opportunity to reach the media and by extension broaden our appeal as an industry as a whole, so I’m very glad it’s back.

“It’s absolutely worth the collective investment we put into it.”

Full thing including comments from Sega and Take-Two over at GI.

A new Nintendo first party Wii RPG was unveiled at E3 last week called Monado – Beginning Of The World and we’re astounded we missed it, as judging by the footage (after the break) it looks very good indeed.

Apart from some screenshots, there’s no other info on Nintendo’s official E3 page.

More soon hopefully.

Check it out.

More »

EA’s Sims 3 sits afoot of the UK all format format software charts released by GfK Chart-Track this week. No surprise there.

Then comes the THQ double-header: shooter Red Faction: Guerilla debuting in second spot and brawler UFC: Undisputed in third; knocked down from first the previous week.

Full thing below:

Excited about FIFA 10? Want to know what new features to look out when the game ships this autumn? EA thought you might, that’s why the company issued a fact sheet detailing 13 new changes you can expect to experience from the game.

Get them after the break.

More »

Bethesda’s Todd Howard has revealed the team has mulled over many different Fallout iPhone game designs, but have not released them as they don’t adequately support the brand.

“I think that the world of Fallout is unique enough that it could work on any platform. I think some of the things we do like VATS, I think that could translate to any platform, particularly the iPhone,” Howard told Joystiq at last week’s E3.

“We’ve looked into those things, we just haven’t found the thing that supports the brand well. I wouldn’t be surprised if it does happen one day.

“The iPhone versions that we’ve designed and said, ‘Ehh, we don’t think we’re going to do that right now’, there are … there are a lot of them.”

Apple is set to announce the next generation iPhone this week.

The Polyphony Digital boys sat down with Forza 3 at E3 asking questions, taking photos and according to Turn 10′s blog, this proves that competition between Gran Turismo and Forza can only be a good thing.

From the blog:

Perhaps the most surprising to me was when a couple developers from Gran Turismo makers Polyphony Digital came by to personally get hands-on with Forza 3, all the while taking careful notes, examining our UI system, shooting photos, and directly asking us some pretty interesting questions. The reason I say I was personally surprised was because PD aren’t generally known as a studio to acknowledge that there are racing games that exist beyond their own. Which could explain why the GT franchise has been so stagnant in the racing genre since GT3. So it seems competition is good for the consumer after all.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Kotaku‘s holding a bunch of psychedelic screens for Beatles Rock Band and very cool they look too.

We must admit, the more we see, the more we like.

Game’s out 9th September.

Check them out.

A huge, in-depth survey into teenager’s gaming habits and the relationship to civic engagement has shown that the five most popular games played in the US are Guitar Hero, Halo 3, Madden NFL, Solitaire, and Dance Dance Revolution.

The wide spread of genres on display is not uncommon, says the survey:

80% of teens play five or more different game genres, and 40% play eight or more types whilst 55% of daily gamers play eight or more types of games; just 33% of less frequent gamers do so. Girls play an average of 6 different game genres; boys average 8 different types.

Through this link are more stats about US teenage gaming habits than you could shake a stick at. Get the coffee ready and dive in.

Gas Powered Games CEO Chris Taylor has assured fans that more development time and more resources were being poured into the Supreme Commander 360 sequel after the first port got panned.

“We’re doing it [the port] in-house and giving it a lot more time and a lot more resources,” Taylor said.

“I would be very surprised if it didn’t do as well as the PC version.”

Look back at the first game Taylor told Joystiq at E3: “I felt bad [for] the developer who did the Xbox 360 version just did not have the time or the resources.

“It was a hair on fire mission.”

The initial reception for Supreme Commander 2 has been mostly positive. Here’s hoping it lives up to the early promise.

AQ Interactive’s Wii horror title, Ju-On: The Grudge will make you jump a little. That’s according to Joystiq that sat down with the title at last week’s E3.

Also, for those unfamiliar with the game, there’s a trailer to hide under the covers to and a few screenshots to turn the stomach.

All through the link.

Joystiq has cast its eye over new DS RPG Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story to reveal just how the different worlds (Bowser’s and Mario & Luigi’s) intertwine.

Here’s a clip:

Just as you had to control Mario, Luigi and their baby counterparts simultaneously in Partners in Time, you’ll be controlling Mario, Luigi and their overworld/adversary Bowser simultaneously in Inside Story.

Here’s whats so brilliant about this formula — as you travel around the world as Bowser, you encounter problems during your journey which require the help of your interior plumbers. In the demo we played, Bowser needed an extra burst of strength to pull an entire island inhabited by a single French blockhead (yes, it still retains the series’ quirky brand of comedy). Mario and Luigi made a quick trip to one of his arms, fighting off viral Blorbs in search of his biceps, which they pumped up by returning volley after volley of electric orbs using their trusty hammers. After adequately pumping him up, Bowser had the strength to move the landmass.

More through the link.

Disney’s Graham Hopper has assured us all that Deus Ex creator Warren Spector and his team are still working on a great Disney title.

“Warren’s hard at work,” he said. “He has a team working on a great project. We’re going to show it when it’s right and ready.

“We’re very encouraged by what we’re seeing. I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised.”

No platforms have been announced, nor any clue as to genre.

More soon, hopefully.

Thanks, D’toid.

Examiner has totalled the Media Create console sales in Japan for May 2009 and guess what? DSi won.

In other shocking news, PSP came in second closely followed by Nintendo Wii.

Full list including totals below:

1. Nintendo DSi – 238,037
2. PSP – 181,036
3. Nintendo Wii – 95,102
4. Playstation 3 – 77,035
5. Nintendo DS Lite – 33,399
6. Xbox 360 – 24,325
7. Playstation 2 – 22,831

In an interview with GamingShogun at E3, Valve’s Doug Lombardi has said the now controversial Left 4 Dead sequel was a “special case” as the team had so many good ideas.

“It’s a special case of the team came off the project with a head full of ideas for what to do next,” said Doug.

“They got a lot more feedback when the game went out and basically they sat down, did a whiteboard exercise and put a plan together for the sequel.

“The pitched the game to a bunch of us [Valve] and it seemed like a great idea.”

So that’s that.

Watch the full interview after the break.

More »

Take-Two boss Ben Feder has explained the reasoning at announcing Agent as a PS3 exclusive at E3, citing timed GTA PS2 exclusives as examples of how the strategy can work for a franchise.

“The trade-offs a publisher will typically make is, if you’re platform-agnostic, you get a larger installed base,” he said, speaking to Gamespot on the E3 showfloor. “You’re platform exclusive when you get the right kind of support from first parties.”

Feder said he believed Sony will offer the same kind of support that made GTAIII, Vice City, and San Andreas – all initially PlayStation 2 exclusives – three of the top 10 selling games of all time.

Said Feder, “At this phase in the cycle, when you’re trying to launch a new franchise, exclusivity can really help you launch the franchise. It can give you the kind of platform that you need to start exclusive, start in the right kind of way with the right kind of partner. Exclusivity does work.”

Full thing through there.