Monthly Archives: December 2009

Black Rock’s put out a new Split/Second trailer, showing off environmental “Powerplays” in the bomb-heavy racer. It’s after the break.

There’s plenty of gameplay footage in there, and very good it looks too. We’re off to see this in Brighton next week, and after playing it at the EG Expo in Leeds we’re pretty pumped.

It’s out next May.

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Nelson’s confirmed that Call of Duty Classic is now available on Live. Yours for 1,200 MSP.

Blurb:

For the first time ever, Infinity Ward’s 2003 award-winning game that launched a franchise comes to consoles. Relive the original Call of Duty experience in HD. Online multiplayer on Xbox LIVE, including Leaderboard support. Winner of over 80 Game of the Year Awards and 50 Editor’s Choice Awards.

It was great. In 2003. No idea if it’s stood the test of time. Spend some money and find out.

Digital gaming will overtake packaged discs as early as next year, EA’s John Riccitiello’s predicted.

“It’s new to compete in that sector, so when people think of games they traditionally think of the Xbox, the PlayStation and the Wii, and they forget about all these online services that are out there – subscription, microstransactions, games they find on Facebook or if they go to Pogo,” the boss told Reuters.

“If you add all that stuff up, it’s almost half of the industry now. It’s about 40-45 per cent. Next year it’s likely to be a larger share of the total industry and it’ll be bigger than the console games all put together.”

Remember PlayFish? This is why. Thanks, GI.

Unflustered by the fact Bad Company 2′s beta’s been pushed into 2010, DICE just released system specs for both the shooter sequel and Battlefield 1943.

And here they are:

Minimum Frostbite PC Specifications for BFBC2 & BF1943

• Processor: Core 2 Duo @ 2.0GHz
• Main memory: 2GB
• Graphics card: GeForce 7800 GT / ATI X1900
• Graphics memory: 256MB
• OS: Windows XP
• Free HDD space: 15GB for Digital Version, 10GB for Disc Version (BFBC2), 10GB for Digital Version, 4GB for Disc Version (BF1943)

Recommended Frostbite PC Specifications for BFBC2 & BF1943

• Processor: Quadcore
• Main memory: 2GB
• Graphics card: GeForce GTX 260
• Graphics memory: 512MB
• OS: Windows Vista or Windows 7
• Free HDD space: 15GB for Digital Version, 10GB for Disc Version (BFBC2), 10GB for Digital Version, 4GB for Disc Version (BF1943)

Bad Company 2 hits North America on March 2 and Europe on March 5. Not quite sure when 1943′s out on PC, to be honest.

Not looking so amazingly hot for James Cameron’s Avatar, with the game picking up some less than impressive review scores, as you can see here.

It’s out on Friday. Round-up:

• Team Xbox – 7.1/10
• Videogamer – 7/10
• IGN – 6.8/10
• IGN UK = 6/10
• 1UP – C+
• Gamespot – 5.5/10
• Eurogamer – 5/10

EA’s just confirmed to VG247 that the Dante’s Inferno demo will release on both PS3 and 360 on December 24 in the UK.

American PS3 owners will get the demo two weeks early, as reported yesterday, with the US PSN version hitting on December 10.

The American 360 version will release on December 24, same as the British tester.

No reason has been given for the PS3 lead in the US as yet.

IGN AU’s gone live with the world’s first review for EA’s The Saboteur, giving the Parisian WWII actioner 8.2/10.

“While it’s a little rough around the edges we enjoyed this game more than we thought we would,” said the site.

“It’s far from perfect, but it’s great to see Pandemic going out with a bang.”

It’s out this Friday for PC, PS3 and 360. It’s next on the list for us after Assassin’s Creed II.

Want to work at Gearbox? Sure you do. Creative director Mike Neumann’s got something interesting for you, should you make the cut.

“Gearbox is hiring for all kinds of stuff, including a super secret project that I’m working on!” he tweeted laast night.

“Hit up the site!”

Borderlands 2? It probably is. Apply and find out.

Dan Hsu and Demian Linn now back on board at the soon-to-return EGM, as you can see from this press release.

The pair, which worked at the mag for many years before it was closed in January, have launched Bitmob in the meantime. They’ll continue to run the site, apparently.

“I am thrilled to see Dan and Demian on board the new EGM,” said publisher Steve Harris.

“Both of these journalists have a keen understanding of the industry they report on, and that exceptional insight is something I know readers will value.”

No date on when the relaunch issue’s to actually appear, however.

Kotaku’s rumouring that the steampunky Edge of Twilight’s been whacked.

As has, apparently, its developer, Fuzzyeyes.

That’s it, really. It was supposed to release on PC, PS3 and 360 this year.

Companies involved in Wii manufacture are taking a financial hammering as global demand for the machine continues on its downward slope, Nikkei reports, with parts orders dropping 30 percent so far for the year ending March.

Mitsumi Electric and Hosiden Corp, who both supply Wii bits to Nintendo, are now predicting a 50 percent decline in fortunes for the current FY.

Nintendo’s now revised its Wii hardware forecast down 6 million units to 20 million in the current financial year.

Hit the link for more. You’ll need to sub to see the whole thing.

EA will release 20 percent fewer games in the next financial year, boss John Riccitiello has told the Reuters Global Media Summit.

In the coming fiscal period, the publisher plans to release 40 products instead of the 60 it put out last year and the 50 it’s released this year, and may cut back much further going forward.

“Thirty wouldn’t shock me at some point in the future,” Riccitiello said, speaking in New York yesterday.

“Quality” is increasingly the focus for EA, said the exec. The company recently announced plans to reduce staff levels by a further 1,500.

Riccitiello also predicted that online sales would account for 40 percent of overall games revenue in 2010.

“We’re the world’s leader in packaged goods games, we make more of them than anybody,” he said. “We’re not suggesting that business is going away … (but) there’s this other thing that’s growing.”

He added: “It’s our goal for that business to be as important as, and over time maybe more important than, our packaged goods business.”

More on Reuters.

The XBLA version of Serious Sam HD has “got the ‘ol bumperooski to January,” according to Digital Devolver’s Twitter.

The PC version’s already been released – buy it here for a tenner – and Second Encounter’s already been announced for next year.

Guess you just have to wait a little to shoot 15 billion monsters in the face on flat plains, Xbox people.

Thanks, Shack.

FFXIII director Motomu Toriyama has told a mysterious Japanese magazine – we’re assuming it’s Famitsu – that his imminent RPG won’t be for the faint-hearted in terms of time-commitment.

“For XIII, the size of the entire game is considerable,” he said, as reported by Kotaku.

“Just running through the main story takes experienced players over 50 hours. For the first time, I think it’s possible to play through in full in about 60 hours or so.”

All you 10-hour namby pambies had better man-up, innit. The Japanese version’s out next week. Europe and America get it in March.

A lighting artist for EA DICE, Oscar Carlen, has listed two “2009-present” projects on his portfolio as Battlefield 3 and Mirror’s Edge 2.

There’s also pretty pictures and a video.

Whether Mirror’s Edge 2 survived the EA layoffs is yet to be seen, but we’ll send a mail out and see if anyone gets back with us.

Via Joystiq.

Freestyle and Activision announced today that now you can get a standalone Turntable controller for DJ Hero through the Guitar Hero Store.

This is so that during the game’s multiplayer modes, two DJs can mix together on multiple turntable controllers; or using a Guitar Hero guitar controller along with a turntable controller, to perform a series of mixes.

Each version, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, will run you $69.99.

Full PR below the break.

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SEGA has announced preorder bonuses available to folks in the UK who want to get their hands on Bayonetta, and then some.

The Climax Edition (snicker), available through Play for PS3 and Xbox 360 comes with a limited edition slipcase package, an artbook and soundtrack CD.

Game has the Replica Scarborough Fair Gun is one of four “infamous” handguns.

HMV nets you a DVD of ‘Manga’s Leading Ladies’ for FREE, featuring full episodes, trailers and exclusive clips.

Loads there to tickle your fancy. Hit the link for more details.

Steam has ACE’s Zeno Clash on sale for 66 percent off the normal price of $14.99 – which means it will run you $5.10.

That is a massive steal, seriously.

It also comes with three new levels, included in The Pit, just in case you have not updated the game in a while.

Head on over to Steam for the full thing.

Capcom has posted quite a few screens of the salamander boss in Lost Planet 2 over on its official blog.

There’s also loads of information on the Gordiant, which is the final boss you’ll encounter in Episode 1, and one bit has something to do with where his food exits.

We’ll let you read that bit for yourself.

Game’s slated for February on PS3 and Xbox 360.

SEGA has announced, post BBFC outing, that a Sonic Classic Collection’s headed to DS in March 2010.

It contains Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles along with a “save anywhere” feature which should come in handy.

No word on pricing just yet, but it’s real, kiddos.

More through SEGA.