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TF2's Romantic Shenanigans
Posted by Luke Plunkett at 11:20 PM on March 20, 2008
Poor Heavy. For such a cuddly guy, he sure is unlucky with the ladies. Maybe it's all that killing he does for a living. I don't know. What I do know is that those unable to find a mate using more traditional methods can always resort to the internets. There's always that special someone waiting for you on the internets. Full, original comic's in a vertical format, so sorry, you'll have to click through for it.
You know, I've actually finished Ikaruga on the Dreamcast. And I'm absolutely rubbish at shooters. So I'm proud of that. Finishing the game is one thing, though. Finishing it while also earning some of these Ikaruga achievements is something else. Something a little harder. While most of them involve just killing off a boss, which is reasonable, one involves clearing the game without using a single continue ,while another involves clearing a chapter without firing a single bullet. Miiiiiiiiiiight give those two a miss.
Remember Heist? OK if you don't, it's been forever since we either heard or saw anything about the game. Anyone that does still remember it's a bank-robbing game set in San Francisco during the late 60s, and finds that at all intresting, will be thrilled to hear that it's due to be released in "late June", with the game due to appear on PC, 360 and PS3.
Remakes of old classics - especially ones done by bedroom coders - aren't exactly new, but then they're often not exactly great, either. So it's nice to find "Another Metroid 2 Remake" bucks that trend by looking absolutely wonderful. It's the work of an Argentinean chap by the name of Milton, he's building the whole thing via Game Maker, and it's been nearly three years in the making. Trailer's after the jump if you're interested, and you can check out screens and a project status report 
Sony announced today that the PLAYSTATION 3 will be getting interactive Blu-ray movie features in the next system update (v. 2.20) that's expected in late March. The update with add Blu-ray Disc (BD) Profile 2.0 or BD-LIVE, which will let PS3 owners experience interactive features like downloadable video content, ringtones, games and more. The 2.20 update will also allow photo and music playlists to run on the PS3. Says Sony's Scott Steinberg:
PC sex game publisher G-Collections newest title Lighting Warrior Raidy is so popular that a sequel has been announced even before the first game has gone on sale. What's the appeal? According to G-Collections:
Alienware have announced that their mothership desktop platform - the Area 51 - is in line for an update. So what's new? An Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI-based motherboard, they say. And one of those Nvidia 9800 GX2 graphics cards 
Yesterday, we 
Oh, Peter, you're such a tease. I know that, deep down, you're probably never going to make another Syndicate. But you know that just speaking of the possibility of another one is enough to get people interested, and you know what? Success. I'm interested.
Hahahah. Oh, Capcom, we were just joking about the hot dogs! You didn't need to go and actually get rid of them! Then again, maybe they're just making good on 
Update: The maker of this fantastic little guy, 
Poor Sierra. When Activision and Blizzard merged late last year, everybody forgot (or, more likely, didn't care) about what was going to happen to the venerable old studio. Well, here's what's happening: Activision are going to make each Sierra project currently in development get on all fours and explain why they shouldn't be killed off immediately. Games that are nearing completion/due this year, like Brutal Legend and Prototype, should be fine, but stuff that's not so far along will have a hard time of it justifying why they shouldn't be binned in favour of another Guitar Hero update or WWII Call of Duty.
Here's an excellent point (kind of) made by a Lucasarts rep with regards to their upcoming environment-shifting shooter Fracture:
Hooray! This April, The King of Fighters XII is getting its first official play test in Japan. As pointed out in Famitsu, it's traditional 3 vs. 3 team match-ups. Also, the screen's edge forms a hard barrier that players will have to balance. What's more, attacks can cancel each other and there's a Guard Attack system that lets players switch from offensive to defensive modes on the fly. SNK says that the game system had gotten too complex and they were aiming showing that would be more approachable and put emphasis on "reading the opponent's mind". Famitsu scans below — which do the 
PlayStation 3 owners who attempt to play their copies of The Orange Box tonight will be greeted with a required update, bringing the EA published collection to version 1.10. The 128MB download unfortunately doesn't come with a changelog, nor can we find a shred of information on what's changed on the internet. Digging through Valve's Steam forums, EA's support site and game forums, and the official PlayStation web site have revealed nothing about the download. We're pestering EA to found out what's up.
All those 
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board has weighed in on the potentially objectionable content in Grand Theft Auto IV, giving it an "M" rating, citing the game as having "Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol, Blood, and Intense Violence." One might suspect that, given the "AO" controversy surrounding Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' "Hot Coffee" mod, the ESRB did its due diligence and more when reviewing the contents of GTA IV.
Gamasutra contributor Kurt Kalata has the unenviable honour of determining what is surely to be a hotly contested list, a run-down of the best, most essential Japanese role-playing games, most of which have made it stateside. Kalata limits his list to the accepted RPG norm, leaving online and strategy RPGs for a possible future list. Sure, most of the genre's best make appearances—Xenogears, Earthbound, Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millenium—but I'm sure vocal enthusiasts will have their own picks.
If you're wondering who the joker is in the above photo, it's me.
Reader Brian, inspired by the pointlessness of these 
Disney's Spectrobes for the Nintendo DS was a rather mediocre game, but it went on to ship over a million copies worldwide. Why? Marketing, marketing, marketing. Now Disney Interactive is readying the follow up, Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals, and hopefully this time around they've got a bit more substance to back things up. The sequel continues the story of Rallen and Jeena, this time around investigating the origin of mysterious portals that lead to other dimensions. For the first time, players will be able to control Jeena, using her tech skills to help solve puzzles. With new dimensions come new Spectrobes, a new three-dimensional perspective, new ways to battle and excavate, and an all-new online battle system utilising Disney's DGamer community tool. Spectrobes is a neat concept that I'd really like to see fleshed out. Looks like that's exactly what Disney Interactive is doing. 
Playing Super Monkey Ball and Spore on the iPhone sure sounds like a nifty diversion, but is a $US 400 mobile device really going to be a success as a gaming platform? Not if Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter's perspective on new ventures from Sega, EA and THQ is spot on. He tells Next-Gen "To the extent that hip, rich people are an interesting gaming audience, iPhone games will work" adding that the demographic will probably "only interested in the most rudimentary games, and that the market will be small".
Ubisoft's 
The ESRB has (re-)rated both Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Pandemonium! for an upcoming PlayStation 3 and PSP release. That doesn't mean they're getting the next-gen and portable remake treatment, but that they're good candidates for a PlayStation Network release. The North American PlayStation Store continues to be a PS One wasteland, so anything we can get, we'll take. Surely, Eidos Interactive and crew have more marketable titles, like Tomb Raider and Fighting Force (LOL) planned, but they're off to a good enough start.
April 3rd will see the launch of Call of Duty 4: Game of the Year Edition and with it, the roll out of the Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack. Each copy of COD4:GOTY will come with a download token for the new multi-player maps, or you can download it from XBL for 800 MS points. Here's a quick rundown of the details:
When Microsoft announced the HD remake of Ikaruga last September, it said it was "coming soon". Then nothin'. Then, back in January, we thought that the Xbox Live Arcade release of Treasure's vertically scrolling shooter was 
Gameloft has just announced CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Mobile Game which they will be releasing in cooperation with CBS. In the game, players will be investigating the seedy side of Las Vegas (does it have a non-seedy side?) and will receive help and clues from the in-game characters in the form of real cell phone messages. From the press release:
The creators of PlayStation 3 exclusive Heavenly Sword won't be working on a sequel anytime soon, according to a report from GamesIndustry.biz. The UK dev has moved on, focusing on an original "triple-A blockbuster" concept that it plans to ship for both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Since Sony owns the Heavenly Sword IP, they could hand it off to someone else, but Ninja Theory's going platform agnostic. But that's not all it's working on.
During a recent investor call GameStop execs said they expect that Wii shortages will continue for at least another six months and that the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 will both see a $US 50 price drop this year, Gamasutra reports.
I really want to watch Kung Fu Panda when it comes out, but I'm not sure how much I want to PLAY Kung Fu Panda. I think maybe it would have been better if they went for a straight Street Fighter knock-off instead of another action fighter, button-masher.
Are you one of the unfortunates stuck with a now useless HD-DVD player? Did you purchase it at Best Buy before February 23rd? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you can return that old door stop to Best Buy and get a $US 50 gift card in return. According to CNN it is estimated that upwards of $US 10 million in US Gift cards. HD-DVD owners will be found through Best Buy's Reward Zone program, service plans and online orders. The gift cards will automatically be mailed out to qualifying folks at the beginning of may. If you are not a Reward Zone member you can bring in your BB receipt or credit card info. They will also be offering an online trade-in centre where customers can unload their unwanted players beginning March 21.