Monthly Archives: June 2009

Blur made an appearance at E3 this year, and loads of people got their hands on it.

Gamespot was one of ‘em, and according to the site, the damage that can be done to vehicles was extensive, and in order to get repairs, you may have to sacrifice a bit.

“Panels were deforming, doors were swinging open, bumpers were hanging off, and black smoke was pouring out from under the hoods–at least until those of us playing realized that there were repair stations dotted around each circuit that, more often than not, could only be driven through if we chose to ignore power-ups or shorter routes to aim for them.”

The game is scheduled for release later in the year and can handle 20 players online, split-screen support for four players, and boasts 100 different events spanning 14 locations.

Hit the link for the rest.

SCEE just released a bunch of official product images of the white version of PSP Go.

They’re all after the break. You’ll be able to buy one of these for $249 or €249 when it releases on October 1.

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Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten has told CVG at E3 that Xbox 360 has many years left due to software innovations like Xbox Live features Games on Demand, Zune Video and Facebook.

“I think we should continue to see how far we can evolve the experience just through software,” he said. “I think you can also see with Project Natal that there are things you can do to add to that experience.”

“Frankly regardless of when, if and how we see the next hardware platform, this one will have legs for years and years to come. We will be able to do so much with what we have with the Xbox 360 – sitting in everyone’s living room, everybody connected together.

“The magic is really that 20 million people are connected to each other and they’re enjoying this contented together in the living room. That’s the part that really brings these things together,” he added.

“It’s fun and easy to think of the experiences that are going to make that sync.”

Nintendo has once again said that the company has no plans for a Wii price cut any time soon.

When asked about it once more, Nintendo UK’s David Yarnton told Eurogamer that it will not happen this year, and economic conditions may not allow it to happen in 2010 either.

“No. We’ve no plans. Nintendo doesn’t like selling products at a loss. We’ve been round for quite a long time and we’re a very successful company,” he said. “It depends on the currency exchange – we can’t make any predictions there.”

This reiterates what Iwata told investors in May when he said that the company had no plans for one.

“While the price cut is said to surely increase demand, it must be clear from a variety of analysis so far that the effect cannot last very long,” he said. “Accordingly, if we really do enact a price cut, it must be exactly when it can maximize the business.”

More through the links.

Shacknews has published an Xbox 360 hands-on of BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins and revealed that the RPG features a sex mini-game that is so bad it’s “painful to watch.”

But in creating what is essentially a sex minigame within Dragon Age, BioWare is fully entering territory that I’m not sure it can pull off. Sex in games is still in the pubescent stage. Hammy voice acting and stiff 3D models make for awkward, pimply approximations of intimacy. One can only hope these early efforts lead to eventual maturity. In the meantime, they can be painful to watch.

Full thing through the link.

Crytek boss Cevat Yerli has told Gama that the differences between console versions will be negligible.

“I mean essentially the game we run is about the same,” he said. “Probably one’s stronger on the GPU side, one’s stronger on the CPU side, so depending on what you’re doing where, the PS3 does perform here sometimes better, the 360 performs other things better, but overall by the time the game ships it’ll be absolutely the same.”

Yerli also said that he felt his team has already pushed PlayStation 3 to it’s limit: “”here’s not much more you can do,” said Yerli, “and frankly the breakthrough was very recent, and otherwise we would’ve had a compromised strategy on the consoles, which we don’t have now.”

More through the link.

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny for PSP will have a special guest by the name of Kratos.

The God of War himself will be slicing others to death in it, like he always does.

It’s out later this summer, and there’s a video of it after the break.

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After the break you can see same brand new footage from Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell: Conviction showing a no holds barred Sam Fisher punching and pummelling his way through anyone that gets in between him, and where he wants go.

Also, you can see some “brand new projection technology” that projects your objectives onto walls as you walk by them.

It looks awesome, truth be told. It’s out in this year, too.

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Yesterday, Sony announced a new franchise exclusive to PS3 from United Front Games called ModNation Racers. It’s all part of the whole play, create, share thing that LBP started and it’s a racing game.

In it, you can create “whoever, whatever, and wherever” you want to race and Sony says it’s only possible on PS3.

During a demonstration, a couple of little avatars were shown along with two cars. Costumes decals, shapes, sizes, all are there for full customization. A monkey in a suit was shown, we know you like monkeys, and the demonstrator dressed it up and put it in a purple buggy – changed the color, decals, and drove off.

The game demo also showed the RT physics which according to what we saw, seemed very smooth, and the best part is that you will have weapons – which is always a good thing.

A track studio is included so you can design your own track in under five minutes and save it to your hard drive for later use. To create it, whatever scene you are driving around in – be it mountains, fields, or brush – just drive your car in a circle and the track is created.

Add a starting line, and change the road to dirt or gravel as a whole or just spots of it, and then create obstacles like mountains, trees, and lakes. Dynamic lighting also comes into play with the changing of the sun’s position in the sky.

Sounds fun. CVG has shots of it here.

According to the ESA’s Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2009 report, 68 per cent of American households play videogames.

In addition, the study reveals that 42 percent of said houses have a game console whilst the average age of game players is 35 years old. The study also showed that 43 percent of online game players are female.

ESA president Mike Gallagher: “This is the new golden age of entertainment software. Our products are now being enjoyed by over two-thirds of Americans.

“More and more Americans across all demographics are now embracing the interactive entertainment experience that computer and videogames provide.”

Thanks, Edge.

Eurogamer’s lead programmer, Mark Kennedy, has broken a string of ciphers being tweeted by Kojima Productions, as you can see here.

Here’s what’s been published, followed by the cracked translations:

• “There is a shadow: lw olhv zlwklq xv doo.” = “it lies within us all.”
• “It consumes us. ju efwpvst vt.” = “It devours us.”
• “We cannot escape it, exlm px wxlmkhr hnklxeoxl.” = “lest we destroy ourselves.”
• “This shadow makes us who we are. Cn cm qy qbi uly nby gihmnylm.” = “It is we who are the monsters.”
• “Join me: fasqftqd, Xqgoaftqm, iq omz fgdz ftue iadxp fa pmdwzqee.” = “together, Leucothea, we can turn this world to darkness.”
• “But I can’t! Ymnx btwqi sjjix rj, fsi ny sjjix dtz ytt.” = “This world needs me, and it needs you too.”

The Konami press conference happens at 3.00pm PST today.

THQ has revealed that Darksiders: Wrath of War will hit retail 1st January 2010.

That’s according to Gamespot who got the info via a THQ E3 webcast.

We’re just wondering if any game shops are actually open that day.

More soon.

What can you say? It’s MAG. It’s on PS3. It has 256 players, some of which can be seen in the screens after the break.

MAG is a game with guns. And objectives. And squads. Look at the pictures. They speak a thousand words.

Which is very handy, because we have aching hands.

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Harmonix creative director Josh Randall has told 1UP that if you want to play the Beatles song in Beatles: Rock Band, then you’re going to have to buy the game as downloadable content for the title won’t be compatible with other versions of the game.

However, it works both ways too. If you’re a Beatles Rock Band only owner and want to sample other track, you’ll simply have to buy another game in order to do so.

The game is out on September 9 ’09.

CVG has got a bunch of new Bioshock 2 screenshots that seem to show Rapture before its dilapidation.

You see your character’s bare hands, meaning you’re no Big Daddy here, and much of the décor looks unspoiled.

It’s out in October but we want it now.

Nintendo announced three new Mario titles during it’s E3 briefing yesterday and whilst Mario Galaxy 2 and New Super MArio Bros. Wii stole the limelight, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story RPG for DS/DSi also deservescame to the fore.

The presentation is a sharp as you want and the soundtrack just as tinny.

Looks great.

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Through here you can see a bunch of Lost Planet 2 off-screen E3 show floor mega footage.

The game looks smooth, shiny and the monsters are as big and as bad as you could want.

Check them out.

Ubisoft strategy title R.U.S.E. will work with Microsoft’s £8500 touch-table, Surface, Eurogamer reports.

Microsoft Surface is designed so that businesses and other important rich institutions can manage all their media files and documents whilst sitting down on what we would imagine to be incredibly comfortable chairs.

The trick is, you whack down your Zune, PDA, iPhone or whatever, and all the data, images, calender entries you have stored automatically get transferred into the table enabling you to move them around, change their size, and file them with your fingertips. Neat, huh?

Until now, games have never been mentioned as a potential feature. We’re getting three each.

Either whoever’s playing it isn’t very good, or or Gran Turismo PSP will take some mastering before you get your grinds down as you can see after the break.

Visually it looks impressive but the roar of the engine can’t be heard over the E3 show floor rabble.

Gran Turismo PSP releases October 1st.

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MTVM is reporting that during Miyamoto’s Q&A session last night, he was asked for his thoughts on both Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sony’s new motion controller.

Miyamoto responded by saying that it’s Nintendo’s policy to thoroughly test its hardware, ensure ease of use and accessibility, make sure it works, and then, and only then announce it to the public.

“He went on to say that until this sort of technology is in the users hands, its impossible to judge it,” says the piece.