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Bungie unveiled the new Halo 3 map at Penny Arcade Expo, giving convention attendees a chance to beat each other up. The map, formerly known as Purple Reign, is now officially called Assembly and it's pretty impressive looking.
It’s late, I’m tired and the last thing I really want to hear right now is a Theremin solo by Freezepop – but since the other 1800 people in this room can’t seem to get enough, they’ve come back onstage for a two-song encore that’ll push Jonathan Coulton back by another half hour at least. I mean I know they’re in every Harmonix music game ever, but do they really need to destroy my ears with a quasi-Hendrix Star Spangled Banner rendition?
We've talked Machinarium before. Mostly because it looks amazing. Just in case you're not quite sold on the amazingness, here's a trailer for the game, which somehow manages to make me think Monty Python, Robo Story and the opening of Space Quest IV, all at the same time.
Nintendo To You: Your Core Games Are Coming, Just Not Soon
Comment by: Silverbackne
Nominated by: Mitch
Don't know how, if you hang around these parts of the internet, you would have missed it, but hey, stranger things have happened. You may have only just got a new PC. You may be a student, and it's taken you this long to scrape pennies from the trough in the pub's men's urinal to buy a new graphics card. You may have just woken up from a coma. If that's actually you, know that Valve's Portal is now going for $9.99 (or $10 in human pricing) on Steam, a saving of 50%. And that you need to get on it.
Color me skeptical whenever a game convention panel kicks around stuff like “the growing role of women in the game industry” or “women in gaming – how to make Pink games gender-neutral.” It’s not that I’m anti-feminist or that I doubt the validity of panelists that actually are girls in the game industry talking about girls in the game industry (this panel includes Microsoft’s Jo Clowes, Obsidian’s Annie Carlson, Marlo Huang from Liquid Entertainment and Linsey Mudrock from ArenaNet). It’s just that there’s always talk about women in the game industry – and for all the talking, how much is really getting done?
As you know, America Chrono Trigger DS is getting on November 25. Japan is not. Japan is getting the game on November 27th! But, those who pre-order the game in Japan will get two-track theme music sound track dubbed "CHRONO TRIGGER ORCHESTRA EXTRA SOUNDTRACKS". The CD was supervised by Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda. Hey, not bad, not bad at all.
Sony's Life project for the PS3 is set to revolutionise the "get your news from a spinning globe on a console" market. And it was meant to do it this month, too. Now, it won't be, Sony announcing that due to some paperwork issues (ie some wrangling over rights with news agencies) it won't be launching in August. Instead, they're asking we all "hold tight just a bit longer", and are attempting to stem our rising fury at the delays by letting us know the service will be free, it'll launch directly from the XMB and can even work in conjunction with Folding@Home.
Activision has officially announced Tony Hawk's next outing, this time for the Nintendo DS. Tony Hawk's Motion will be, as you might have guessed from the title, is a motion controlled affair. What you might not have guessed was that snowboarding events would be added to the series starting now.
Pro snowboarder Todd Richards will play second fiddle to Hawk in the handheld game, with the back up sport adding "more than 20 diverse mini-challenges" to the game. We're mini-excited.
Tony Hawk's Motion takes advantage of the Motion Pack, according to the fact sheet distributed today, which casually mentions it as if we know what the hell that is. It does remind us of this ancient rumour, though. And this one. Perhaps current gen console are getting their own taste of Tony Hawk's Motion soon.
Gears 1 on PC looked cleaner! Now with added Brumak! It was a flagship title for the Games For Windows Live push! So Gears of War 2 will be bigger, more badass, right? Wrong. So wrong. Dude Huge has told IGN that Epic have "decided we're not going to do a PC version this time around". Could mean just that, there won't be a Gears of War 2 on PC. Or it could just mean that when it does come to PC, Epic won't be the team behind it. Who knows, maybe Gearbox will have a spare team lying around, we hear they're open to that kind of wet work.
Nintendo wants to give you a quick update on how awesome it's doing. It's now planning on doing wicked awesome this current fiscal year, with an expected 11% increase in sales. That means instead of the 28 million Nintendo DSs and 25 million Wiis it had planned to ship by March 31 of 2009, it will ship... more. More software too! Laughs and chuckles were heard emanating from the company's Kyoto offices today.
Oh, and it'll make more money accordingly. Operating income and net income have both been projected to be much, much higher. What does that really mean?
Net income of somewhere in the ballpark of $US 3.8 billion (in U.S. bucks) for the year, according to Bloomberg, news that gave Nintendo's stock price a positive kick in the pants. The Bloomberg report does not mention, however, exactly when Nintendo expects to give up its efforts and go third party and put guns on cars like they probably should. You're just prolonging the inevitable, Iwata!
Nintendo Raises Forecasts on Wii, DS; Shares Surge [Bloomberg]
The Ministry of Information at Bungie has seen fit to provide those of us who aren't attending PAX this year a look at the newest of Halo 3 maps, known as Assembly. Formerly known as the infinitely more ear-pleasing "Purple Reign", the map will be playable by Halo uber-fans at the Penny Arcade Expo this weekend.
When will the rest of us get our hands on it? We don't know and neither does Bungie. You'll have to settle for going retina deep with carefully chosen high-res screen shots for now.
Bungie Weekly Update: 8/29/08 [Bungie.net - thanks, Johnnynn!]
I've got a fever and the only cure is more Pac-Man! If you're at PAX and you love Pac-Man, you may want to swing by Namco Networks' booth #141. Throughout the day there will be tournaments where players compete for the best score in Pac-Man. The top 4 scores of the day move onto the daily final challenge where the winner will win a nice prize pack that includes a brand new phone! If you're not ready for a challenge, you can just check out the other mobile games at the booth, such as Pac-Man, Galaga, and Pac-Man Arcade Golf. Full release after the jump.
No relief in sight for the 5000 or so Japanese gamers who might be on the weekly hunt for an Xbox 360. With a limited supply, those looking for a Microsoft brand console on which to play a copy of Tales of Vesperia or a second game will be left wanting until such time as supplies are replenished. That means that only 3500 Japanese gamers could get their hands on a 360 this past week. Just heartbreaking to see demand kind of (maybe) outstripping supply like this.
There's better news for Nintendo, as continued sales of Rhythm Tengoku Gold and Dragon Quest V help the portable carve out a big slice of the hardware pie.
Nintendo DS - 55,995
PSP - 47,604
Wii - 35,173
PlayStation 3 - 9,020
PlayStation 2 - 8,420
Xbox 360 - 3,551
MCV is reporting that Rising Star are attempting to target R-Type Tactics squarely at the retro gaming crowd.
Tactics is a new spin on the R-Type franchise, swapping the familiar side-scrolling twitch gameplay for a resolutely older-than-old-skool turn-based hex 'em up.
"The sense of nostalgia you get when you see the artwork and knowing you grew up with this series is immense and great fun to work on"., said Rising Star's Yen Hau, "Considering the size of the fan base, we expect to see steady sales throughout the Christmas period and into the New Year."
I have to say, this does sound like they are boxing themselves in a bit - is there really a big enough market for this? If it's a fun game then it is a fun game, but if you have to go out of your way to stress the nostalgia element.. it doesn't bode well.
R-Type Tactics is out on September 12th.
After Crecente snuck onto the PAX showroom floor he headed directly into the throne room itself to get a first hand discussion with the Kings of PAX Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. In his talk with the guys they discuss topics ranging from Crecente's socks to the future of Child's Play. This is the fifth PAX event by the way and this year's attendance estimations are going to topple fifty thousand. Rest of the interview after the jump.
Now, see, I think Turbine have missed a trick here. Surely the best — nay, the only — way to enter the beta program for LOTR Online expansion pack Mines Of Moria is by speaking 'Friend' and then entering?
Sadly, they have plumped for the more prosaic (and, lets be realistic, more practical) option of a website where you can sign up in the hope your name gets plucked from the wizard's hat.
The Mines final-stage beta is invite only, but you can apply for consideration at the official site. As well as the titular underground complex, the expansion will contain a couple of new character classes, hundreds of quests and Balrogs.
Invites Open for Mines of Moria Beta [Wired Game|Life]
I'm sitting in the cavernous main hall of the Washington State Convention waiting for Penny Arcade Expo 2008 to officially kick off with Ken Levine's keynote.
Levine, compatriot and family (including in his parents) are actually sitting right next to me. They're all very nice people. Hit up the jump to follow along as Levine wows us.
Odd timing or a reminder that while GameStop may not be listing the game anymore, Ghostbusters The Video Game still exists?
Tagged on every lanyard at Penny Arcade Expo was the game's name (glow in the dark) but, alas, no release date... or publisher.
Today's the day - the fangirls are out in force and the cosplayers are carousing in every nook and cranny of the convention centre. I've only been in Seattle for about four hours and already I've counted 41 utilikilts and 19 sets of cat ears. The favoured motif this year appears to be Naruto, with the odd smattering of old school Nintendo characters.
I'd love to post pics of all of this, but man friend has wandered off with my USB cable.
So here I sit in Handheld Lounge C, waiting for him to return (hopefully with beverage), counting up the swag I managed to accrue in the half hour I spent in the Exhibit Hall. So far, I've got 16 random scraps of paper (possibly stickers) and four buttons for games I've never felt the urge to play. If you're around, come and find me - I'm the incredibly tired looking girl with the red, white and blue stars on her shirt.
There's a lot to take in here and I'm only one woman - so help me out, readers. What games should I go after and what panels should I hit up? (Check the schedule here.)
Hit the jump to find out what it feels like to wait in line for two and a half hours. Why didn't I apply for a press pass?
We are getting reports that Gamestop have pulled Ghostbusters from pre-order. The tips centre on an internal email at Gamestop, informing staff that pre-order customers will be entitled to a full refund.
Sure enough, where a search for 'Ghostbusters' on Gamestop once returned this impressive array[via Google cache] of results, currently the only Ghostbuster-related item to be found on the site is this rather forlorn copy of the original movie on UMD.
Hard to say exactly what this means - both Terminal Reality and Vivendi have been adamant that the game will be published. The main confusion seems to be who by?
The Japanese love Winning Eleven brand soccer. Specifically, they love J-League Winning Eleven 2008 this week, as the PlayStation 2 game nabs the top spot on the Media Create software sales charts.
Less impressive were new debuts from Level 5 (Inazuma Eleven) and Square Enix (Sigma Harmonics). The pathetic first week sales for the Nintendo DS RPG led by Chrono Trigger vets Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroki Chiba will likely have Square Enix execs pondering "Why should we bother with new IP again?"
The company's Dragon Quest V remake, by comparison, sits comfortably above its new sibling in its sixth week on the chart.
01. J-League Winning Eleven 2008 (PS2) - 79,000 / NEW
02. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - 57,000 / 536,000
03. Inazuma Eleven (DS) - 41,000 / NEW
04. Dragon Quest V (DS) - 32,000 / 1,125,000
05. Phantasy Star Portable (PSP) - 31,000 / 595,000
06. Wii Fit (Wii) - 30,000 / 2,546,000
07. Harukanaru Toki no Naka de: Yumenoukihashi (DS) - 26,000 / NEW
08. Sigma Harmonics (DS) - 23,000 / NEW
09. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 19,000 / 1,711,000
10. Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (DS) - 16,000 / 296,000
The National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) continue their almost single handed quest to collect all the dust in the northern hemisphere with their range of shelf-filling collectibles.
Next up is a set of Gears of War 2 dolls action figures we first saw some advance shots of in June.There is a new Marcus Fenix figurine, an even 'orribler looking Locust Theron Guard and two more of Marcus' chums from Delta Squad.
As usual, the models are absurdly detailed, not that the people who will buy them will ever take them out of the packaging to find this out. Honestly, NECA could really save on manufacturing costs by only modelling the front bits. The savings on plastic alone could treble their 3rd quarter operating costs.
Gears of War Series 2 Action Figures Revealed [Team Xbox]
No, that's not a modified version of Nintendo's Wii Remote. That's Sixense's latest 3D input tech device they've been working on secretly the past 18 months. It's sorta like the current Wii-mote, but much more precise. The company showed off various tech demos at this years nVision 08 in San Jose, California. Interestingly enough, Sixense's CEO, Amir Rubin, said he contacted console manufactures about implementing the tech into their controllers and made mention that several big name developers have been playing around with dev kits for the last six months.
Viva Piñata fans hoping to get an extra dose of paper animal wrangling after VP: Trouble In Paradise will be disappointed, according to a recent web chat with the developers.
"We don't have any plans for DLC. As far as the team is concerned we are taking a break from VP for a while to make something new. But things change quickly in the software industry so next week it may be a completely different story"
But what could this new game be? I spoke to Rare's Community Manager George Kelion, who said that the team were keen on a fresh challenge after spending so long cooped up with just sentient Piñatas for company.
"With VP2 out the door and Banjo in its vinegar strokes, we're focusing on getting the Avatars all finished and done for the New Xbox Experience", said Kelion, "After that, it'll most likely be a mix of new projects and hopefully a Banjo sequel.. maybe? Fingers crossed, anyway!"
Chatting in Paradise [Mondo Rare]
Now that I'm back form Germany — and freed from having to resort to the Crosswords app on my iPhone — I'm gonna go hogwild this Labour Day weekend. With a slew of digitally distributed games at my disposal, The Last Guy, Castle Crashers and Team Fortress 2 (with Heavy Update!), I'm thumbing my nose at the traditional retail channel. Suck it, channel!
This Sunday, August 31st, marks thirteen years since Command & Conquer first advanced on our position. Unlucky for some, but not for fans of RTS retro gaming.
This just in! Crecente was able to sneak onto the PAX exhibit floor and take some snapshots. Also keep checking our omega PAX post for a list of the updates as the show starts.
Stardock announced multiple "micro-expansions" to be available for Sins of a Solar Empire throughout the next year. The first of these expansions, Entrenchment, is currently being developed and will be available in late 2008 for $9.95. This expansion is said to add new weapon upgrades and defence platforms. Two other expansions also in the works will add new diplomacy features as well as new technologies and ships. I hope fans of the series don't mind opening their wallets! Full release after the jump.
I'll go ahead and say it up front: Ratchet & Clank is right up at the top of my list of greatest video game franchises of all time. Since the very first installment back in 2002. the series has consistently delivered engaging stories, hilarious characters, beautiful graphics, and - most importantly - amazingly solid and intuitive gameplay. Having recently brought the series to PlayStation 3 with Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Insomniac decided to ease the pain of the cliffhanger ending of that title by giving us Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, a small, downloadable nugget of a game meant to bridge the gap between Tools and the upcoming 2009 sequel. A noble gesture, but can a series known for its epic scope be condensed into a four-hour experience without losing some of its polish? I spent an evening with everyone's favourite (and only) Lombax in order to find out.
That's right folks, in highlight of the 45 minute demo Bethesda will be giving of the game tomorrow afternoon at PAX, we got 5 new Fallout 3 gameplay videos to show you. The videos feature five different environments from the Super-Duper Mart to Tenpenny Tower. Just a note guys there is some violence in the videos and the game is rated M, viewer discretion is advised. Look for the game in stores on Ocotober 28th in North America for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Four more videos after the jump.
Back in the beginning of July I wrote up the announcement of GoLive2's Wii remote-aping PC peripheral Stix, a device that would allow PC gamers to play specific web-based games using motion sensing controls, and then just as quickly forgot all about it. Lo and behold, the week before I leave for the Games Convention a package arrives on my doorstep. Well, on my mother's doorstep, addressed to Chris Fahey, but close enough. Inside was the Stix 200 combo pack, which I excitedly ran home with, setting it on my coffee table before leaving for the airport. Now I've finally gotten a chance to crack them open and play through some of their game offerings, and I have to say that this is exactly the sort of Christmas present parents who can't get their hands on a Wii should get their children to make them cry.
2K Sports has announced today their annual hockey game has gone gold and is ready for production. If you can't wait until the September 9th releases date, downloaded demos are available right now on Xbox Live and Playstation Network. The demo allows for a short three minute period with the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Detroit Red Wings, but I don't think I need to tell you want team to play as. This is also the very first hockey game being released for the Wii, and it allows you to use the Wii Remote as a hockey stick. Let's see how that turns out, eh? Full release after the jump.
Continuing a tradition the company established with Neverwinter Nights, BioWare has announced that their forthcoming PC RPG Dragon Age: Origins will come complete with a robust toolset, allowing players to create and share their own adventures with the community. Users will have access to a full set of assets and areas to use in the original creations, along with a script editor that will allow them to fully tweak creature AI to create their own customised combat encounters. BioWare plans to create a dedicated community web site to go along with the editor, where people who think they are better than you can tell you what you've created sucks.
If you're one of the lucky ones who will get to walk the golden floors of PAX this weekend your in for another treat among many. On August 30th....AT 4PM...(drumroll please) Negin Farsad and Kimmy Gatewood the creators of the highly acclaimed "Nerd of the Week" web series will be screening their film Nerdcore Rising at the Washington State Convention Centre. There you will find a huge congregation of nerds watching the film and celebrating MC Frontalot's nerdcore hip hop. I can just imagine nerds running around everywhere, mass hysteria, chugging 40s of Mountain Dew, and tossing D20s against the wall while looking out for the 5-0. You can see the trailer for the film here.
Not a day goes by that PC gamers don't have something to complain about, whether it be misleading PC requirements for the games they buy, games being released in an unfinished state, or brutal copy protection measures that treat them as if they were all potential criminals. Indie developer and publisher Stardock feels PC gamers' pain, and has announced a Gamer's Bill of Rights, containing 10 specific rights that all PC gamers should have, as a guideline to encourage PC gaming companies to embrace better customer service policies. The list includes the right to return games that don't work on your PC, realistic minimum requirements, and single-player games that don't force players to connect to the internet. Gas Powered Games' Chris Taylor wholeheartedly approves.
"This is an awesome framework for the industry to aspire to, and ultimately so that we can provide our customers with the gaming experience that they have wanted for years, and really deserve."
In this behind the scenes look at Spark Unlimited's Legendary we get to see some of the environments that will be featured in the game. Expect it to hit stores for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 September 30th and PC November 4th.
Well this is a pleasant change from how things normally go down. EA's survival horror space shooter Dead Space, once slated for the October 31st release date coveted by scary games everywhere, has been pushed forward. See? It doesn't seem natural, does it? EA released a statement in Europe earlier today stating that the console versions of the game would be hitting store shelves on October 24th, a full week earlier than originally announced. The North American version is due out a few days earlier on the 21st, because we like our games earlier in the week for some odd reason. Note that the European PC version is still scheduled for Halloween. Gamestop here in the U.S. lists it for a release alongside the console versions, but they have been wrong in the past.
