Monthly Archives: December 2011

Codemasters has opened up applications for the closed beta of F1 Online. The browser-based F2P effort will feature all the teams, drivers and circuits from the 2011 Formula One season. Codies has also released the first gameplay trailer from the game which you can find below the break.

The full thing is expected to launch next year.

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For the first time in eight years, a title not published by either EA or Activision has become the Christmas number one, with Bethesda pinching this year’s festive chair with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

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Activision’s dropped a five minute dev diary for Prototype 2, which it shows how main character James Heller is able to obtain certain rewards in the game by uncovering case files and missions that he must go to destroy in order to reap said rewards. The content is secondary to the main stuff in the story, though.

Get the video below the break. Prototype 2 releases on April 24 for PS3, 360 and PC.

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Activision’s lifted the veil on Skylanders: Spyro’s Universe, an MMO version of Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. The title will introduce Skylands players are able to customise, a way to introduce physical figures from Spyro’s Adventure into the world and mini-games that totally aren’t Angry Birds. There’s a trailer for it below the break via Joystiq, while those looking to get into the beta can sign up here.

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Sony’s confirmed a download version of LA Noire will release this week. The Team Bondi investigative thriller, which launched in May this year at retail from Rockstar, will release as part of the PS Store’s content drop in the US tomorrow and in Europe on Wednesday.

Ragging on the VGAs is the in thing, but Nathan Grayson intends to call the critics out for their complicity in a wider-reaching problem.

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Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson has released his Ludum Dare entry into the wild, and you can play it right now. Called Minicraft, the game lets players explore random environments, harvesting resources and crafting new structures, with an end goal of defeating the Air Wizard. Sounds familiar, of course, but the perspective isn’t. The game was created in 48 hours as part of a rapid game making challenge, with Notch live streaming his creative process to eager fans accompanied by a dubstep soundtrack.

That new Pokémon announcement which was teased in Japan dropped over the weekend, and it’s better than we could have hoped for.

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A Digital Foundry report points to lower quality video playback since upgrading to the Xbox 360′s new dashboard.

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1UP has issued a timely PSA on how to play Virtual Console games on the 3DS at their original resolution, rather than smeared across the larger screen. It’s pretty easy – after launching the game from the channels menu, just hold down start or select until the black boot-up screen appears. Last week, Nintendo finally handed over the ten Game Boy Advance titles it had promised early adopters as compensation for the August price-cut.

Thanks, Joystiq.

Localisation specialist publisher XSEED is throwing a massive sale, with amazing games on sale for prices so low they made my face go numb with shock.

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According to Yushihiro Kitao, Star Ocean and Beyond the Labyrinth developer tri-Ace assisted Square Enix with Final Fantasy XIII-2.

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YouTube favourite Freddie Wong tackles Battlefield 3 in his latest video, commissioned by EA and destined for TV.

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Pocket Gamer reports Gameloft’s third tribute to all things modern and war-like has made the jump from the App Store to the Android Marketplace. As well as a surprisingly lengthy single-player campaign, the mobile release packs in 12-player multiplayer. Modern Combat 3 boasts improvements over its precursor including a sprint button, fancier graphics, and more unlockables and bonuses. You can grab it for £4.99 or territorial equivalent.

Sony has released an English-language Vita user’s guide, outlining the new handheld’s system software and features. As well as basic guides to the system itself, the PSN and game-specific features, you’ll find detailed explanations on how to use near, Party, LiveArea, Group Messaging and Content Manager. A useful reference for those who have imported from Japan, but also a nice run down on the Vita’s capacities for those of us waiting for Western launch on February 22.

Thanks, Engadget.

Fansite BF3Blog notes the appearance of the number “2143″ stencilled on a wall in Battlefield 3′s Wake Island map. The site theorises that DICE may be teasing its next major release as a sequel to Battlefield 2142, which was itself teased by similar hints in Battlefield 2 map packs. Or it might be having a laugh. Battlefield 2142 was released in 2006 and is DICE’s only foray into future combat to date; creative director Lars Gustavsson has admitted to a soft spot for the game’s world.

Hit the break to see the full image.

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What’s utterly gorgeous, a blast in co-op, and soon to be available everywhere, on nearly everything? Trine 2.

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Battlefield 3 took fifth position in Google’s annual top ten list of fastest-rising search queries, joining the likes of Steve Jobs, Google+, the iPad 2 and Rebecca Black as the year’s hottest topics.

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League of Legends developer Riot Games has released a video that spotlights one of its champions. Ahri, The Nine-Tailed Fox is shown to be a mage type class with highly versatile speed and damage dealing abilities. Check out the video past the break for the champion break down and expert strategy from Riot Games. More »

Rockstar announced today that it is holding a contest for fans of the game that will grant the winner a chance to get their face put into Max Payne 3′s multiplayer mode.

The developer has said that they are looking for more faces for multiplayer avatars, and if you follow @rockstargames and tweet using the #MaxPayne3 hashtag between now and January 13, your face could make it in.

Via Joystiq.