There you have it. Our first footage of Pandemic’s upcoming LotR game which, for those not in the know, is Battlefront, plus Rohirrim, sans the Stormtroopers. I kinda wish the battles looked…bigger, but then the fact Pandemic were confident enough to release a debut trailer consisting entirely of in-game (or at least very close to in-game) footage is always enough to bolster my confidence in a title.
Upcoming Platinum Games’ DS game Infinite Line is being co-developed by Tokyo developer Nude Maker and directed by Nude Maker’s Hifumi Kouno. Nude Maker? That’s an interesting name! And meaningful. The company spent a few years, cutting its teeth on erotic PC games. Says Kouno:
I realise for anyone with an NTSC disc and a copy of Freeloader, this is not a big deal. Heck, it should’ve come out months ago, so I doubt it’s news to anyone.
Nonetheless, if you had doubts about the June 26 launch date from Nintendo’s local presence, a photo of an OFLC-rated copy of the game on my loungeroom floor (complete with mild gambling references) should be proof enough.
No announcement accompanying this, so I guess Sony are looking at soft-launching the things, but reader Terry sent us these pics of some PlayStation Network pre-paid cards available right now at his local Meijer store. Both $AU 20.93 and $AU 52.34 denominations are available, and Terry lets us know that (like the card says), unlike those for the 360 and Wii, the PSN cards are only activated once they’ve been run through the register. Another shot of the cards (in the wild) after the jump.
Editor’s note: Let us know if you spot any in Australia!
Ultimate Band is Disney Interactive’s answer to those people who want to have the music band game experience without the need for all of those expensive, room-filling peripherals that are required for titles like Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour.
This band game light is both peripheral and original music free, using only cover bands so the developers would be allowed to tweak the music to better fit the game. Those tweaks include the ability to have the lead singer be either a man or a woman, no matter who originally sang it.
The Disney folks told me that they did a number of focus tests during their development of the game. In them they asked potential gamers which of nine versions of the game they would want to play. The options ranged from a peripheral-heavy version of the game with original music, to the game they ended up producing. All of the tests showed, they told me, that gamers wanted a game that didn’t require peripherals.
So what was it that had
N’Gai Croal from Newsweek‘s Level Up, Stephen Totilo from MTV Multiplayer and Brian Crecente from Pirates of the Caribbean talk what we should expect from this year’s E3 with Geoff Keighley. Interesting chat!
Bethesda PR guru Pete Hines is currently in Australia to show off the company’s upcoming FPS/RPG Fallout 3. Well, I should say “showed off” as today was his last press day, with the rest of his trip a meeting-fest.
I had a quick chat to Pete after the two-hour presentation, and one of the topics that came up was the Collector’s Edition. Pete was a bit surprised about the arrangement we have here in Australia (which I’ll fill you in on shortly), but he did confirm the bobblehead included in the Fallout 3 CE will be made of plastic, rather than the ceramic or plaster of the ones from the press preview last year.
At first, plastic might sound like a cost-cutting measure. I can assure you – it isn’t. My bobblehead met an untimely demise when faced with the rigors of international flight. Seems Vault Boy had the ankles of a 90-year old grandma.
A decent plastic construction offers both quality, when done right, as well as structural integrity. I know which one I’d pick, given the choice.
Blockshooter will be the next instalment in Kotaku’s AU’s Game A Week feature, where I do my best to code a new game in seven days.
Departing from the simulation and turn-based genres I’ve explored in the last two weeks, I’ve decided to code a shoot em’ up. It’s pretty conceptual at the moment, but the basic idea is that you fire lasers at blocks and collect the goodies from inside. You can then “build” those goodies onto your ship to make it better. It’s like a combination of Breakout, Space Invaders and MacGyver. Or Spore.
You’ll be free to create ugly ships that have ten super guns, or sleek, sexy creations with less firepower but more grace.
Friday again is my deadline. Wish me luck!
If you missed the previous Game A Week releases, Zafehouse and Wizkill, be sure to give them a play!
Alone in the Dark takes you to Central Park this week. Also Guitar Hero comes to the DS and Aerosmith to Guitar Hero. Then you have major drops like Battlefield: Bad Company for the PS3 and 360, plus Supreme Commander for and Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath for the 360. And a Hellboy movie adaptation. If tennis is your game, 2K’s Top Spin 3 is out.
Yes, gamer, you will consuuuuuuuume. Or at least rent. Tell us in the comments if you’ve been waiting on any of these.
