Monthly Archives: November 2009
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 23:00 GMT
Sony to compensate customers over faulty Bloodlines download

Sony has revealed that those who downloaded a faulty version of Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines from PSN will get a replacement code.
“Yes, there was an issue with the original download,” a Sony spokesperson told Eurogamer. “It was pulled from the store and we are issuing replacement codes for those people who purchased the content before 12pm GMT on November 20.”
Apparently, PAL copies were not function and the quick fix issued for it caused even more probelms.
Hopefully, all is as right as rain now.
Via Eurogamer.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 22:45 GMT
Far Cry 3 development looking “pretty exciting”

According to Ubisoft scriptwriter Kevin Shortt, work is progressing on Far Cry 3 despite his absence this time around.
When asked by OPM if he were working on the title he replied that he wasn’t but “I know the team are and what I’ve seen looks pretty exciting”.
The game was pretty much confirmed during Gamescom 2008 when Patrick Redding revealed that Ubi Montreal was working on the “preliminary stages” with the “next game” in the series, and that the team has a “commitment to the African setting.”
Looks like it’s back to the jungle with us.
Via CVG.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 22:29 GMT
Sony puts Flower, PoP: Classic, others on sale

Sony has sent word that from today until December 2, PS3 users can purchase the following games at a discounted price.
- Flower
Regular price: $9.99
Sale price: $4.99
- The Last Guy
Regular price: $9.99
Sale price: $4.99
- Comet Crash
Regular price: $9.99
Sale price: $4.99
- Prince of Persia Classic
Regular price: $9.99
Sale price: $4.99
- Bomberman Ultra
Regular price: $9.99
Sale price: $4.99
- Smash Cars
Regular price: $14.99
Sale price: $7.49
- Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao
Regular price: $14.99
Sale price: $7.49
There’s bound to be something there ya like, so have at it through PSN.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 21:39 GMT
Eurogamer’s digital download service has Serious Sam HD for cheap

Eurogamer’s digital download service, Get Games, flung the doors wide today, and debuted with a very special offer.
Serious Sam HD, which was released today, is up for £9.99 which is “the world’s lowest price”.
The site says that new releases, indie titles, classic games and free-to-play titles will be added soon.
Click the link for more.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 21:17 GMT
DoW2: Chaos Rising dev diary chats about troop influence

Screens and concept art have popped up for the Dawn of War 2 expansion, Chaos Rising via a new developer diary.
Along with the pretty shots, the diary contains information on the new corruption mechanic, which thanks to the influence of Chaos, can infect your troops.
How you handle missions will determine whether your squads become more prone to chaos or purity, but according to the diary, “neither is a penalty” as bot net different rewards.
The standalone expansion’s due in March.
Via Shack.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 23:04 GMT
EA confirms Mercenaries title, Mercs Inc from Pandemic

Pandemic has announced that a new game in the Mercenaries franchise is in its early stages of development at EALA.
Called ‘Mercs Inc’ for the time being, it’s the first Pandemic game to be developed by the studio at its new home in Playa Vista.
“We are very excited to announce a new installment in the popular Mercenaries series because it demonstrates our continued commitment to Pandemic’s rich cataloge of intellectual properties,” said EA VP Nick Earl.
“From the studio at EALA, a core creative team is forging new ground and conceptualizing new ideas for this exciting franchise.”
Platform and ship dates for Mercs Inc are to be announced at a later date, but it looks like it was not “canned” after all.
Check the video out that we posted yesterday through here and the full PR below.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 20:16 GMT
Tesla guitarist outs Guitar Hero 6 – no one is surprised

The guitarist for Tesla, the mid-’80s early ’90s rock band, has outted Guitar Hero 6, although the fact that’s coming should not be a shocker.
During an interview with Brave Words, Dave Rude revealed that the band’s big hit Modern Day Cowboy will be included on the disc, and revealed that he thinks music games are a “good thing”.
“I think it’s a good thing,” said Rude. “Even if people don’t learn to play guitar, it’s exposing them to all sorts of cool guitar-based music that they wouldn’t have ever heard otherwise.”
Of course Rude could be confusing GH6 with DLC, but that would not surprise anyone either.
Thanks, Joystiq.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 19:33 GMT
Just Cause 2 screens show air time, action galore

Just Cause 2 screens have popped up over on Boomtown.
They look great, to be honest, and show some skydiving and a military vehicle -but not a skydiving military vehicle.
That would just be over the top, ya know.
It was announced earlier today that it’s set for release March 23 and 26 in North America and Europe.
Hit the links for more, more, more!
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 19:13 GMT
GameStop: Buy two used games, get one free

GameStop has sent an email out letting customers know that this weekend, when you buy two used games you will get one free.
Not bad at all, really. You can get yourself two and your buddy one.
If you’re really nice, you’d do it the other way around, but we all know you’ll get all three for yourself.
Naughty, naughty consumers.
Thanks, GoNintendo.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 19:12 GMT
D2D has Dragon Age: Origins on sale this week

For those watching their wallets, Direct2Drive has Dragon Age: Origins on sale until November 30 in the US and Canada.
It’s $10 off, making it $39.95 instead of the normal $49.95 – then again you can do math so we’ll stop patronizing you.
Not bad really. Go see for yourself.
Thanks, Mike.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 18:57 GMT
Namco may release free DLC for Tekken 6

Tekken 6 producer Katsuhiro Harada has told PlayStation Europe that Namco is considering DLC for the fighter, and if created, it will be free.
“There is a strong possibility we will [release DLC],” he said. “However, even if we were to do so, it would be free to the end user.”
Free online co-op and patches are currently in the works, so it looks like there could possibly be more on the horizon for Tekken fans.
Via Siliconera.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 18:29 GMT
Saints Row 2 and LEGO Indy added to Games on Demand

Two new titles arrived to day via Microsoft’s Games on Demand Service.
Saints Row 2 will run you $29.99, and LEGO Indiana Jones is $19.99
Both are available everywhere except Japan and Mexico (Indy), and you can check prices for your region by hitting the link below.
Via the Major.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 18:07 GMT
BBFC outs possible second level for Resident Evil 5

The BBFC has outed what could possibly be the “to be announced” second level for Resident Evil 5: Alternate Edition.
Called Desperate Escape, the listing only cites the name, with no details other than the fact it’s to be included in the retail version, which we all know as Gold.
It’s expected to be released through DLC as well, at this point, so don’t go bashing your room to bits just yet.
We’ll email Capcom and see if anyone gets back with us.
Via D’toid, Siliconera.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 17:36 GMT
EA Montreal shifting its focus to “action titles and HD-quality products”

EA Montreal’s general manager, Alain Tascan, has told Edge that its to start focusing more HD consoles titles and “fewer and bigger things”, citing Army of Two: The 40th Day as an example.
This means fewer Wii games, and a shifting focus on “action titles”.
“The Wii market is a little bit unpredictable these days,” said Tascan, “We’re going to see how Christmas is going to do and while with the Wii we have had very successful titles, we are going to focus on big, blockbuster-type titles.
“It doesn’t mean that we are going to abandon the Wii, but as a studio we want to be ready for new challenges.
“I feel right now our label wants to focus on fewer and bigger things, and the market is going through this soft transition where people want these very high value productions on one side, which is our specialty within the games label, but also this casual, but high quality, product that they can play quickly, of which mobile is one part and Playfish is another. We’re just trying to adapt to the reality of today.
“I think the market is showing that if you don’t adapt fast enough then you’ll be in trouble.”
Hit the link for the rest.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 17:13 GMT
Square announces March release for Just Cause 2

Square Enix and Avalanche announced today that Just Cause 2 will be released on March 23 and 26 in North America and Europe, respectively, for PC, PS3 and 360.
Here’s the PR description, because we just can’t do it justice:
As Rico Rodriguez, the Agency’s most powerful weapon, players must take on the island of Panau and its military regime in order to track down Rico’s former boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon, who has gone rogue with millions in Agency cash and intel. Using a unique grapple and parachute combination, there is no vertical limit as the air becomes your playground: grapple a passing plane in flight, hijack helicopters, BASE jump from the tallest buildings or mountains and leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake. Just Cause 2 offers players the freedom to attack missions any way they choose and, with over 100 vehicles and countless upgrades and collectibles, the choices for relentless adrenaline-fuelled action are limitless.
Four more months until you’re scaling airplanes mid-air.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 17:03 GMT
Killzone turns five, celebrates with a double XP weekend

Guerrilla has announced over on the US PS Blog that Killzone is almost five, and it plans on celebrating the occasion with a double XP weekend.
Running November 27-30, the double XP weekend includes a Killzone 2 retro tournament, using only the Beach Head and Southern Hills maps from the second DLC pack.
Those who have not purchased DLC for the game, might be interested in the Flash & Thunder Map Pack, which is now on sale for $2.99 and the Map Pack Bundle is down to $9.99 until December 10.
More through the link.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 17:01 GMT
Mass Effect 2 team to move onto DLC post release

Mass Effect 2 project director, Casey Hudson, told GTTV last week that the whole Mass Effect team will switch over to the creation of DLC post launch, with the creation of many different types of content.
“As part of trying to build the game, as ambitious as it was, one of the things we weren’t able to do technically was to have the support in the game itself for certain kinds of downloadable content,” said Hudson. “So, it had to be a huge pack or nothing essentially was the issue. Now we’ve gone through and made sure that its technically possible to do a whole range of different kinds of downloads.
“Once we’re done working on Mass Effect 2, pretty much the whole team switches into working on really cool downloadable content. That’s where we like to listen to what fan feedback is for ‘where do you want to go’ and ‘what kinds of things do you want to see.’”
More through the link, via D’toid.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 16:45 GMT
BioWare community site has 5 million registered users, ME2 site relaunches

BioWare has announced that its community site, Social.Bioware.com, has 5 million registered users, with over 500,000 users signing up within the past five weeks.
The firm says the surge is in relation to Dragon Age: Origins, along with “word-of-mouth buzz”. Also, DragonAge.com has become the most highly trafficked web site in the EA network in 2009, and the game’s Facebook fan page has 30,000 users, making it the fastest-growing EA property on Facebook.
Mass Effect 2 saw a 33 percent increase in site traffic with the announcement of the Collectors’ Edition on November 4 and the new video release on November 5.
Today, BioWare is relaunching MassEffect.com with a new design and more connectivity to BioWare’s social networking community at Social.BioWare.com.
People really like BioWare games, apparently.
Via PR mail.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 16:34 GMT
Microsoft files patent for its own Super Guide on Xbox 360

Microsoft’s filed a patent for an “Xbox 360 Super Guide” of sorts, that would allow gamers to access information on games – sort of like an FAQ.
Filed by Andre Vrignaud, director of games platform strategy at Microsoft, it would be similar to the Nintendo Super Guide, in that players could pause their game and hop online for tips and strategies submitted by users and developers.
It would also implement screenshots, video clips, audio commentary, and the possibility of allowing developers to produce official guides.
No word on when or if this is coming – or if it will be free, or for only Gold members.
We’ll ask Microsoft.
Via GI.biz, Siliconera.
Tue, Nov 24, 2009 | 20:27 GMT
Reminder: Enter the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned today

2K has announced that Borderlands DLC, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, is now available for download on XBL and PSN for 800 MS Points and $9.99, respectively.
Here’s the rundown on it:
Tasked with keeping the workers of Jakobs Cove alive, Dr. Ned does his job a little too well, creating flesh eating zombies and other ghastly abominations that now run rampant in this region. Players will have to work alongside Dr. Ned as they embark on an explosive journey to cure the decaying inhabitants of Jakobs Cove in this expansion filled with new formidable enemies, new grueling quests and rare loot drops.
You know you want it really, really bad. We do too.
Via PR mail.


2K Marin staff working on second major project