Monthly Archives: October 2009

A blurb on Waterstones’ site for Elder Scrolls novel Infernal City has apparently dropped the bombshell that the next game’s set two centuries after Oblivion.

So it says: “A novel that takes places forty-five years after the Oblivion Crisis, which is the story of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion game and the expansion pack Shivering Isles. It partly bridges the gap for the next game, which is set 200 years after the Oblivion crisis.”

Or so it used to say, apparently. Looks as though someone’s done some quick editing. Thank Kotaku for spotting it.

Maxim’s posted a picture feature of models dressed sort of similarly to women in Dragon Age.

That’s it. When we say “sort of,” we mean they have almost the same haircuts and they’re wearing lingerie.

The game’s out… whatever. Have a great day.

The BBFC’s rated BioShock 2 as an 18. Not the most shocking thing in the world.

The game “contains strong bloody violence and very strong language,” as you already know.

BioShock 2 will release in “early 2010″.

The fourth StarCraft II Battle Report’s after the break, showing Yeon-Ho Lee as the Protoss up against David Kim as the red Terran forces.

It’s still looking awesome. Beta now. Please.

StarCraft II’s out next year.

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We can’t keep up with all this. Square’s put out some new FFXIII shots, this time showing something with claws and a man asking another man to “come quiet”.

We had no idea it was that sort of game. See them on Gamikaze.

SCEA’s Mark Valledor has confirmed a demo for LittleBigPlanet’s PSP version, although he’s pulled back from giving a date.

“In the works my friend,” he said in response to a question on the US PS Blog.

“Once we’re officially thru the testing process, we’ll be making some announcements on the official date.”

The game itself is releasing on November 3 in the UK and October 30 in the US.

Thanks, LittleBigLand and Syrok.

Warren Spector’s explained the reasoning behind bringing Epic Mickey exclusively to Wii, saying the game’s simply the right fit for the console’s audience.

The below quote’s taken from a massive – and excellent – Game Informer interview:

GI: Why the Wii?

WS: Well, think about it. Would you really want to tackle convincing Halo or Grand Theft Auto players that they want to be Mickey Mouse? Would you really want to do that? In terms of finding a congenial audience, let’s go for a platform that’s known for Mario and Link and now Sonic. Come on. Honestly, with the unit sales on the hardware, it was kind of a lucky happenstance. We made the call to go to the Wii long before it was clear that the Wii was going to be, at least for now, the best-selling platform.

It was about going where the audience is and going somewhere where they’re going to accept a visual style that is more cartoony than people are used to seeing and where we don’t feel obliged to throw in every shader on the planet. “Look at the normal maps and shaders.” We don’t have to do that kind of stuff. It’s the right platform for this project, for sure.

Definitely have a read of that piece, Saturday people. The game’s out next year.

Not a lot we can say about this, really. There are three Bayonetta TV spots after the break featuring the words “non-stop climax action,” a very attractive woman licking her lips, and what looks to be a show-stopping action game.

It’s out in Japan next week. Everywhere else early next year. Thanks, Kotaku.

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Cryptic’s Champions Online will be free to all next weekend as part of the MMO’s Blood Moon Hallowe’en event.

The promo will run from 10.00am October 30 until 10.00am November 2 (PST).

All our subscribers will be able to play the Blood Moon content starting October 27.

More info here. If you’re not already a sub you can sign up for an account there as well.

Those who’ve pre-ordered Left 4 Dead 2 can now pre-load the demo ahead of its release next Tuesday, October 27.

Early access to the L4D2 demo is available for both retail (360, PC) and Steam (PC) customers.

Those who pre-ordered via participating retailers should be able to pick up their early access codes this weekend and be ready to play on Tuesday when the demo launches.

The game itself hits on November 17.

Are you itching for some large-scale virtual warfare? Well, right now, you have three choices: Battlefield: Heroes, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 1943. Or! You could wait and see what’s behind the Battlefield 3-shaped mystery door. Oh, the suspense is killing us!

Thankfully, G4 picked the mystery door and, predictably enough, Battlefield 3 was its prize.

“I’ve had the luxury of looking at Battlefield 3 over at DICE in Sweden and was highly impressed by the way the team is working on that product,” EA chief operating office John Pleasants said. “Of course, that’s not [coming out] in the fiscal year, but that is a product that is looking very good.”

Pleasants, you tease. We like our leaks plump and juicy – not desert-dry. Huh? “Beggars can’t be choosers”? Never heard of ‘em. Are they, like, a band or something?

As if there were any doubt, Naughty Dog officially has a hit on its hands in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Speaking with IndustryGamers, Naughty Dog Creative Director Amy Hennig said that Nathan Drake’s latest caper is breaking new ground on the sales charts.

“I would definitely say it’s exceeding expectations,” she said. “Being in the industry for a while you learn to try to manage your expectations because you’d rather be surprised with good news than disappointed. It’s a tough business, but from the early numbers I’ve seen getting reported back it’s exceeded any estimates we had internally, and it’s certainly outsold the first game by many, many times. That and the critical reception so far has been really gratifying.”

Hennig also added that we can expect our first helping of Uncharted 2 DLC before the year’s out.

“Without going into specifics, it’ll involve new maps, new characters, things like that. Some of it will be free of charge and some of it will be purchasable. We’ve got a lot of people on the team working on this stuff, some really cool stuff that people will be excited about,” she explained.

Are you excited? You should be. Amy Hennig said so.

More through the link.

OnLive. Remember that? Boss of the Cloud service, Steve Perlman, has now been confirmed for a DICE presentation in Las Vegas next February.

OnLive’s in beta at the moment, but an appearance early next year may be an indicator that we’re about to see something solid.

It might not, obviously.

More on Gama.

BioWare’s gone Dragon Age crazy tonight, releasing a new, dwarfy movie of the fantasy RPG du jour to go along with the welcome announcement that all three versions will sim-ship.

We’re too tired to encode. Watch it on RPS.

There’s a movie of Sky working on 360 after the break. Looks pretty hot, to be fair.

Just watch it. Brits will be using this next Tuesday.

Thanks, CaZ.

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There’s a new movie after the break of Dead to Rights: Retribution in action, showing combat and the dog. Hot dog.

There’s not much to say. Third-person fighting. It’s out for 360 and PS3 early next year. Thanks, Destructoid.

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Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuck just said in a live chat on the PS Blog that all three versions of Dragon Age: Origins will ship on November 3.

Which is odd. Because EA said overnight that the PS3 version was to release on November 17.

Whatever. Rejoice.

Update: The official announcement’s here.

Edge is looking for a new writer, as you can see on its site.

Is this you?

Passionate about games, you will have a good understanding of the Edge brand and an extensive knowledge of the videogame industry and its history. You will use strong writing skills to create engaging, intelligent and informed copy. Ideally you will have an extensive track record of published work, in print and/or online.

Solid organisation and time management skills are essential, as well as the ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines. You will be a confident communicator and be keen to contribute story ideas to the magazine and website.

If so, knock yourself out. You’ll get a “competitive salary” if you win. Good luck!

Thanks, mescalineeyes.

Lucas released the minimum system specs for the PC version of The Force Unleashed tonight, bringing the shock news that the game requires a graphics card to be playable.

That’s as funny as this story’s ever going to be. Full thing after the break. Via BigDownload and Joystiq.

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BioWare co-founders, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuck are answering reader questions live on the US PS Blog right now.

This is all about Dragon Age, which releases over PS3, 360 and PC next month. Quick, before it ends.