Monthly Archives: November 2009

This week’s Famitsu’s confirmed Grasshopper’s No More Heroes for both 360 and PS3. Check out scans on Siliconera.

According to that report, the game will have new modes, Japanese voice acting – No More Heroes only had English voice acting in Japan – and will cost 5,040 yen on February 25.

No idea if it’s coming west. Hit the link.

Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada has admitted that Final Fantasy XIII is staying true to the series tried and tested formula, going as far as to tell FinalFantasyUnion in Montreal last week that it lacks much “newness”.

“It’s not there are new elements that are included into the Final Fantasy XIII, there are elements that are included that is expected out of the Final Fantasy title itself, for example a beautiful story, it being emotional and moving and you’ll be able to relax and enjoy,” Wada said, answering a question on whether or not the RPG will be the bestselling FF game yet.

“Those are included, but there is not a lot of newness to it. But when we take a look at a lot of Western game titles recently it is based on the real-world most of them, and with regards to some of the artworks in a sense it might look new because it is based on a fantasy story.”

FF-haters beware. The game’s out on next month in Japan and in March for both the US and Europe.

EA Sports Active stores are spreading, it seems. The San Francisco brick and mortar outlet we reported on yesterday isn’t alone: Boston’s also lucky enough to be able to go and look at very blonde, very fatless people get very excited about crouching in front of a TV screen.

Visitors get a “personalized” demo to the product. Details here.

The Boston store’s got a scooter in it too. Why? Thanks, Joystiq.

Game Informer’s published a list of quotes uttered by a man in the Game Informer offices while testing Tony Hawk RIDE. The game’s out in the US today. If you’re a Tony fan, you might want to look away now:

• “Wait, that’s not… d*** it. Seriously? I didn’t even do that trick!”
• “Oh god! A bunch of people just died! Whooo, SKATEBOARDING!”
• “Ugh. This board is just horsecrap. (sigh) Horsecrap.”
• “Wait, what? Was that a joke? lol skateboarding, I guess.”
• “What is taking so long? How long does it take to load a bad game?”
• “I go Super Saiyan. My hair turns blonde, but my beard doesn’t”
• “I don’t know how they expect people to do this s***.”
• “Last time I did that exact same motion, I did, like, a quadruple kickflip.”
• “You will have no idea what you are doing. I promise.”
• “And…I landed in the dumpster. That’s, uh, that’s called the triple-kickflip-dumpster.”

Apparently, these “seem pretty representative of the experience as a whole.” Their words. Not ours.

It’s out in Europe this week. Thanks, GoNintendo.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for EA. First came the announcement that the publisher plans to bolster the unemployment line’s numbers by 1,500, and today, Pandemic joined the list of casualties. So, Industry Gamers wondered, how’s BioWare faring? Pretty well, as it turns out. Though the normally verbose developer didn’t exactly give us much to go on.

“There’s no reaction to report from BioWare; it is business as usual,” said a BioWare rep.

Now, now guys, don’t tell us your life’s story or anything.

More through the link. But it’s not from BioWare, in case you were wondering.

Metroid: The Other M may be hogging all the series’ face time right now, but Prime isn’t ready for the retirement home just yet. Speaking with ONM, Nintendo’s Kensuke Tanabe indicated that Metroid Prime’s next foray might be a return trip to the Nintendo DS.

“We are always planning to make new games in the Metroid Prime series. Depending on the timing and the situation, we cannot deny the possibility of realising it on DS or DSi,” he said.

Well gee, that’s a funny way of saying “new 2D Metroid on the DS.” That is what he meant, right?

When it comes to Big Daddies, retro is in this year. Just look at all those tubes and bolts. It’s like something out of a futuristic utopian underwater society’s stone age.

But then, what else would you expect from the grandpappy of all Big Daddies? He may not be “hip” or “with it,” but he gets the job done. At least, we think he does. He’s pointing a giant drill at us, so we’re nothing but cheery compliments at the moment.

Check out all three platforms in their finest BioShock 2 attire over at The Cult of Rapture.

SEGA has said that its looking into a patch of sorts to remedy the loading times for the North American PS3 version of Bayonetta.

According to a post over on the official Platinum Games boards, an inquiry sent to SEGA was responded to with confirmation that  the company was “well aware of this issue and are working on a solution”.

This was soon followed up by a response by another SEGA representative which stated:

“I can, in fact, speak on their behalf in saying that a patch to correct this issue is under consideration through development to address the matter of the overwhelming load times with Bayonetta.

“Something I cannot address directly is when this will occur however I will be tracking this directly on all sides (the Japanese, North American, and European versions) as to ensure that we know exactly the status of each one.

“Provided that I am given full disclosure on this, I will be sure to keep you posted on what to expect.”

Looks like SEGA’s at least looking into making sure the PS3 version is on par for release.

We will send a mail off to SEGA and see if we can get confirmation of this.

Thanks, Robo_1.

Looks like those in the UK wanting physical copies of Left 4 Dead 2 should be able to get one by Friday.

According to a post on Valve’s official blog:

Due to high demand for L4D2, we decided to move various street dates forward for a coordinated worldwide release—except in the UK, where this was not possible (copies of the game are still arriving).

The good news is that we plan to have everyone in the UK playing Left 4 Dead 2 by Friday morning. Those who pre-ordered in the UK before the worldwide launch have been given access to the game.

So there ya have it.

Via BigDownload.

Remember back in July when Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey left EA for Activision? Well, it’s finally been revealed by the company what the two former Visceral Games execs will be doing.

The duo will co-head new studio Sledgehammer Games, which is currently at work on an unannounced project. Schofield takes on the role of vice president and general manager, while Condrey will serve as vice president and COO.

“Michael and I are thrilled to be building a brand new studio for Activision”, said Schofield. “This was an opportunity for us to assemble a world-class team made up of developers with a proven track record in delivering top-rated games.

“We know what it takes to develop a Game of the Year title, and we also know that the title needs the support of a strong publisher to make the game a success.”

“Activision Blizzard’s independent studio model is very empowering,” added Condrey. “We have a fantastic new studio facility, the foundation for a world-class team and the backing of the industry’s most profitable game publisher.

“This was a rare opportunity we couldn’t pass up and we are thankful for the support the Activision organization has shown us.”

Via GI.biz.

PS3 firmware 3.10 may not contain cross-game chat, but PSN product manager James Thorpe wrote on the EU PS Blog that there is hope to cling to.

“I wish I could just give you a date, I really do!! Trust me when I say that as soon as I hear from ‘up top’ I will be shouting about it and making myself the most popular person on the blog,” he wrote. “I hope, like you all do, that its sooner rather than later.”

Cross-game chat has been floating about in the rumor mill for a while.

On our end, a reliable source told us it was coming, and then Naughty Dog let it slip that it was coming.

Hurry up then Sony. Please.

Via Kotaku.

Capcom has sent word that those who preorder Lost Planet 2 through GameStop will be able to unlock Resident Evil’s Albert Wesker as an exclusive playable skin.

Also, preorders will net you additional firepower via a revolver which is sure to help you with those “one shot kills”.

Game’s out this winter on PS3 and Xbox 360.

New screens below the break.

More »

BioWare has finalized the box art for Mass Effect 2.

Make it finally seem like it’s really coming our way doesn’t it, kiddos.

It’s over on the official site if you would like to check the full thing out.

Nintendo has sent over its weekly list of US downloads, and as promised, you can now play demos.

Here’s the list, with the full PR below the breaky:

WiiWare

• Pokémon Rumble (1500 WP)
• BIT.TRIP BEAT (Demo)
• Final Fantasy:Crystal Chronicles – My Life as a Darklord (Demo)
• NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits (Demo)
• World of Goo (Demo)

Virtual Console

• Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures (800 WP)
• Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (700 WP)

DSiWare

• Art Style: DIGIDRIVE (500 DSi Points)
• Arcade Bowling (200 DSi Points)
• Robot Rescue (200 DSi Points)

More »

Microsoft has announced that its hosting free Live weekends for Silver members can have a go at the new features.

During the free weekends, all members can play around in multiplayer, Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM, Netflix, Sky Player, Halo Waypoint and 1 vs. 100.

Here’s the schedule:

• All Live regions except those in Europe: November 20 from 12:00om EST to November 23 at 12:00pm EST.

• All European Live regions: November 25 from 17:00pm GMT to November 30 at 17:00pm GMT.

Thanks, Major.

Update: According to the same internal memo acquired by Gamasutra, EA plans a “re-invention of the Medal of Honor franchise with a new design that is simply stunning” along with Might and Magic creator Jon Van Caneghem leading “the Command and Conquer brand with a new digital model that is going to re-ignite the fan base for this franchise.” More through here.

Original: Looks like an internal EA memo from VP Nick Earl has confirmed that Pandemic is to be shut down.

CEO Andrew Goldman, president Josh Resnick, and vice president Greg Borrud were let go, with “core IP” members being rerouted to the main EA offices LA.

“I want to make it clear that the Pandemic brand and franchises will live on,” wrote Nick Earl in the memo. “In the months ahead, we will announce plans for new games based on Pandemic franchises.

“This type of change can be difficult. But the situation calls for us to act decisively, to take control of our destiny and to run a stronger, more focused development operation. That’s how we will continue to make great games in our LA studios.”

No word on just how many were let go, but earlier reports had it at around 200.

Epic’s Cliff Bleszinski said via Twitter that those let go could always apply at Epic, as it is hiring. So is Gearbox.

More over on Kotaku.

VidZone has announced the dates that Europe can expect to receive the service on their PS3′s.

Here’s the list:

• November 23: Austria, The Netherlands, and Portugal
• December 3: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
• December 10: Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and New Zealand

The service launched in the UK in June.

Thanks, GI.biz.

A survey conducted by CNET UK has shown that 60 percent of Xbox 360 owners polled experienced hardware failure compared to 16 percent of PS3 user and 6 percent of Wii owners.

Of the 1,128 UK-based participants, 562 owned a Xbox 360s, 473 owned a PS3 and 591 had a Wii, some owning more than one.

The survey also indicated that Xbox 360 failures are more likely to occur within 12 months of purchase, and 47 percent reporting console failure inside a year with 72 percent of users taking advantage of the warranty and 15 percent trying to fix the problem themselves.

CNET says the survey does not “represent a random or necessarily representative sample”.

Full story through the link.

Via Gamespot.

Thanks, freedoms_stain.

Microsoft has responded to last week’s Natal information which was leaked from a “behind-closed-doors tour of UK publishers and studios”.

This information, according to Xbox UK bossman Neil Thompson is not “accurate” and nothing more than “rumors”.

“I’ve got nothing more to say about it”, he told GI.biz. “We’re still very much in the baking on Natal and there’s a lot of things to get decided on it.”

“Now you know better than to listen to that stuff,” said Microsoft Europe’s Chris Lewis. “We will announce in good time. As you can imagine, we’ve shared this technology with our worldwide development partners now for some time, and the pace with which they’re developing the kind of experiences is just amazing.

“I’m not going to be specific about what they might be, I will say however we’re committed to ensure those experiences are unique, compelling and very exciting right from the outset. That has to happen and that will happen.”

It was revealed last week by a source close to MCV that Natal would release during November 2010 with 14 launch games at a price point of £50 or for as little as £30.

Assassin’s Creed II reviews are starting to go live, and the general consensus is that you should go get the game, yesterday.

It landed on US shores today, and the official release date for Europe is November 20, but will we will see how long that street date lasts.

Here’s a list of reviews, and we will continue to update it as more go live:

• Eurogamer: 9/10
• Kotaku: NA
• Joystiq: NA
• CVG: 9.4/10
• IGN: 9.2/10
• IGN UK: 8.8/10
• IGN AUS: 9/10
• Eurogamer Germany: 8/10
• Edge: 8/10
• EveryEye (Italy): 9.5/10
• Giantbomb: 4/5
• Gamespot: 9/10
• Jeux Video: 18/20
• Gamer 365 (Hungary): 9.5/10
• GameTrailers: 9.2/10
• VideoGamesDaily: 8/10
• MTV: NA
• 1UP: A-