Monthly Archives: July 2009

According to this Gamespot report, Behemoth’s Castle Crashers will be launching on PS3 later this year.

The game, a hugely successful Live affair, has been 360-exclusive so far.

No date. It’s on show at Comic Con this week. Thanks, 1UP.

A new Left 4 Dead 2 campaign, Swamp Fever, has been screenshotalised. See CVG for proof.

The setting features the Spitter, a new zombie as previously confirmed.

The game ships later this year.

Nelson’s confirmed the posting of the Madden NFL 10 demo on Live.

That’s the good bit. The bad bit is that you can only get it if you’re American. Screw you, America.

According to the US PS Blog, today’s Killzone Napalm & Cordite map pack will be joined by a Map Pack Bundle on PSN.

The bundle includes all three map packs – namely Steel & Titanium, Flash & Thunder and Napalm & Cordite – for $11.99.

Capcom’s put out some new Lost Planet 2 shots in celebration of San Diego Comic Con. They’re after the break.

Looks better every time we see it. No fixed date as yet.

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Microsoft’s confirmed that the second piece of 360-exclsive GTA IV DLC, The Ballard of Gay Tony, will release on October 29.

As previously announced, the content will be priced 1,600MSP.

Both Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned will also be released this autumn on DVD at $39.99: you won’t need the original GTA IV to play it.

Thanks, Edge.

Microsoft’s formed a division named 343 Industries to take control of the entire Halo brand, according to the LA Times.

Ex-Bungie man Frank O’Connor’s heading it up.

“If you look at how George Lucas held on to Star Wars, not just to make money from action figures but to control the direction the universe went in, you can see why we think it’s pretty vital,” said O’Connor

“Luckily, Microsoft has the resources to enable us to do that.”

That link? Hit it. Then this one.

IGN’s posted up some Comic Con shots of Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time. They’re pretty.

It’s for PS3 this year.

MCV’s reporting that RTW MMO APB will release in March 2010.

Dev boss Dave Jones said at Develop earlier this month that the game was targeted for “spring”.

We’ve contacted EA for comment.

The first images of Halo Legends, a seven-part anime based on Microsoft’s console-leading shooter, have been posted by the LA Times.

The project was announced at Comic Con in San Diego this week.

Shinji Aramaki, director of Appleseed and Appleseed Ex Machina, is managing the project.

There’s tons more detail through there.

Sorry for the sketchiness early yesterday and this morning. I’ve been on a press trip and Mike could only cover for Monday and Tuesday.

We’re back to normal as of… now.

Over in Japan, the PSP video rental service is now available through PSN.

The movies can be stored on Memory Sticks with up to ten titles on a 4GB card. Once downloaded, rentals last for 72 hours and contain the same DRM restrictions present with rentals on PS3.

No word on when this will land elsewhere.

Via Engadget.

Activision has launched the Band Hero website, with a contest containing prizes include a console Band Hero bundle and a DS Band Hero bundle.

Seems like the Band Hero DS Lite Band Kit includes the Guitar Grip peripheral and a “drum skin” peripheral, which was unknown before.

Don’t know if this means you can tap a drumbeat with your fingers or if you would use plastic sticks to beat on the DS as it sits in your lap.

Still, drumming and beating on stuff is fun.

More over on Joystiq.

We knew about the novels, and the comics, but it looks like you can soon own your very own God of War inspired cutlery.

Hitting in October, United Cutlery’s Blades of Chaos will create a scaled replica of Kratos Blades of Chaos. The weapon will be a total of 20-13/16 inches long and have a 12 7/16-inch blade constructed from solid-cast zinc aluminum with a custom-etched mold texture, and unique fantasy grindings that mirror the piece used in the game.

The handle grip is injection-molded and surrounded by an intricate, detailed cast-metal guard and pommel and includes a custom display stand with the God of War logo.

Can’t wait to cut some prime rib with that.

More through the break.

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The music composer for Dragon Quest IX, Koichi Sugiyama, has told Famitsu that stealing games is the same as breaking and entering.

“The way I see it, it’s like selling a set of thieves’ tools,” he told the mag. “If you make off with a physical item, everybody knows that’s a crime. If you stole an apple from a fruit stand, then you’re plainly committing the crime of shoplifting; going into someone’s house and taking their jewelry is robbery.

“Everyone is conscious of the fact that stealing what’s in front of you is a crime, but with something that’s not in plain sight, like intellectual property, a lot of people fail to understand what the issue is.”

More over on 1UP (via GoNinteno).

Nintendo has said that fitness games are now accepted in the videogame market, and are no longer scoffed at.

“When we first announced the Wii Balance Board, people were skeptical,” said Nintendo’s Denise Kaigler. “But consumers responded quickly and told their friends about it. Now when a new fitness game like Wii Fit Plus is announced, no one bats an eye.

“Fitness games are now an accepted part of the video game landscape.”

Wii Fit has currently sold 18 million copies and Wii Fit Plus is expected later this year.

More over on Kotaku.

Sega has announced a contest where artists can submit their rendition of Bayonetta and win cool prizes.

The winning submission will be spotlighted in Wizard magazine and the winner will receive an Xbox 360, a 50 inch Panasonic TC-P50X1 HDTV Plasma TV and a developer-autographed copy of Batonetta for 360.

Contest is open to legal residents of any state of the United States or province of Canada, and submitters but “any User Content that displays full nudity, nipples or genitalia, or enacts or simulates any sexual act will be not be eligible to compete. ”

We’ll keep that in mind.

More through the break.

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Electronic Arts has announced a deal with game operator NetDragon Websoft to recreate Ultima Online for the Chinese market.

The Hong Kong-based firm will develop the MMO alongside Mythic and will retain the rights to operate the game in China, Hong Kong, India, and Macau.

Currently, NetDragon operates Conquer Online, Eudemons Online, Heroes of Might and Magic Online, and Zero Online among others, with CJ7 Online, Disney Fantasy Online, Dungeon Keeper Online and Tian Yuan – all expected to launch by early 2010.

Niko Partners has previously estimated that China’s online market will gain $3.8 billion this year alone.

More over on VentureBeat.

Obsidian has released a new video for Alpha Protocol explaining how players can “customize their Michael Thorton into the spy they want to be.”

There’s a few one-liners in it too.

Game’s out on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 October 6, the video is over on Shack.

According to a report over on Kotaku, the average price of Xbox Live Arcade games has risen by a $1.74 since November of 2005.

Studying the launch prices of over 200 titles made available on the service, the average price for downloadable games has risen steadily in the past 46 months. Average price during the first month on the market in 2005 was under 600 MS Points ($7.31) and as of last week prices have gone to 700 MS Points ($9.05).

Games being released during Xbox’s Summer of Arcade will raise that average a bit, according to data, with four of the five offerings costing 1200 MS Points ($14.99).

A chart showing popular titles released for 400 MS Points ($5) suggest that the days of cheapness are nearly over with 1200 becoming the new magic number.

Looks like the whole world is just getting more expensive every day.

More data and some pretty charts are over on Kotaku.