| Interview: 4mm raps with us about Def Jam Rapstar
May 29, 2009 at 11:45 pm
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|   When Rockstar founders Jamie King and Gary Foreman announced plans to start up a new company earlier this month, even the clairvoyant among us were taken aback by the pair's plans to take on an already bloated music game genre with an entry of their own. However, that appears to be exactly what the newly founded 4mm Games is up to, and together with Def Jam Interactive and with considerable backing from investment firm CEA Autumn Games, Def Jam Rapstar was born.  4mm Games - the new studio formed by the two of the guys who founded Rockstar - have announced their debut game. And it's called Def Jam Rapstar, a hip-hop karaoke game.  Ask anyone who knows us: Joystiq understands hip-hop culture. So does the recently-revealed 4mm which today unveiled its maiden project: Def Jam Rapstar, a trailer for which we've nestled lovingly after the break.  Last week, Conduit devs High Voltage Software promised that a new IP would be revealed at E3. Well, the convention is still a week away, but High Voltage has unveiled Gladiator AD anyway...  Jamie King and Gary Formeman, who founded Rockstar Games with three others, are teaming up with former Image Metrics and NBC execs to create a new video game studio. 4mm Games is developing "online worlds that will define social gaming"...
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| 1UP E3 Calendar
May 29, 2009 at 11:00 pm
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|  Here's a quick guide to the big stories and shows we have planned for E3 next week. These are just the highlights, and there'll be more content than just this. And remember, some crazy things might change the situation. But in general, consider this your handy roadmap to E3 2009, 1UP-style. Monday Morning 12:00 AM - 1:00 PM  With E3 almost upon us, EA have reminded us of what I like to think is the spiritual successor to the Project Gotham series, Need for Speed: Shift. Still freaks me out that I'm interested in a Need for Speed game.  This weekend, almost all of Joystiq will depart to the City of Angels for E3 2009 ... a return to what everyone believes will be a real E3. Were the last two years of toned-down expos more conducive to work? Sure! But...  So far, Konami's publicity department has had a pretty sadistic 2009. After famed designer Hideo Kojima teased "the next MGS" at the end of his 2009 Game Developers Conference keynote address...  With Microsof's E3 Press Conference less than three days away, speculation about the software giant's announcements are reaching a fever pitch. Besides unconfirmed reports...
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| The Matrix Online pulls a Cypher, pulls the plug
May 29, 2009 at 10:58 pm
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|  All of you would-be Neos out there, know that you have limited time to tackle the remaining Agents of The Matrix Online. The game will be shutting down come July 31, 2009, says online community lead Daniel "Walrus" Myers. As sad as it is for the game to die a very silent, quick death, there's actually a lot to celebrate here.  After limping along with a small but dedicated fanbase for four years, Sony Online Entertainment is finally pulling the plug on The Matrix Online. The massively multiplayer game will go offline on July 31st.  When the Matrix online was first announced back at E3 2002, few could have foreseen the delays the massively multiplayer online role-playing game would face in the run up to release.  After nearly four years in operation, the machines now greatly outnumber the players and The Matrix Online is no longer necessary. July 31st is the day the machines finally triumph.  Okay, so DS hasn't really bested Paul Hogan's popularity -- as the man is an Australian legend -- but it is the fastest-selling piece of gaming hardware ever down under.
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| Hirai aiming to 'quickly' break-even on PlayStation hardware, looking to double PSN sales
May 29, 2009 at 10:29 pm
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|  President and CEO of SCEI, Kaz Hirai, knows all too well the financial troubles plaguing Sony's Computer Entertainment division. SCEI posted an operating loss of ¥58.5 billion ($612 million) for fiscal 2008 and Sony admits it doesn't expect to turn a profit any time soon. But that's not going to stop Hirai from trying to change things. No, according to what he told Japan Today, it sounds like he already has a plan: "We need to quickly bring our PlayStation business on a break-even level and later to profitability."  Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai is on a mission. A mission to make money for Sony's PlayStation division. "We need to quickly bring our PlayStation business on a break-even level and later to profitability," Hirai said Thursday.  The original Resident Evil is the highlight of the week for the American PSN store but, as usual, it's joined by a whole host of other content, too. As reported, a Crash...  In January, the NPD Group reported that PC software retails sales had slipped 23 percent in 2008 to $701.1 million, a seemingly alarming figure obfuscated by the rise of digital distribution and subscription-based services.  So, Prototype, we're a little worried about you, not gonna lie. Considering the recent wave of positive inFamous reviews, talk of Crackdown 2, and APB's E3 reveal, a game we once looked forward to greatly could quite possibly fall by the wayside.
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| EGM sold to original founder, resumes publication this year
May 29, 2009 at 10:26 pm
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|  Electronic Gaming Monthly, which died when UGO bought out the 1UP brand in January, is being resurrected by its original founder, Steve Harris. Harris, who started EGM in 1989, has regained the print and online publishing rights from Ziff Davis Media as part of an undisclosed agreement. Harris intends to relaunch the magazine in the second half of 2009 and says he has "exciting plans for the evolution of what will once again be a leading independent voice for the gaming community."  EGM is dead. Long live EGM! The struggling game magazine that shut down in January after nearly twenty years in print is returning later this year, courtesy of Electronic Gaming Monthly founder Steve Harris.  The above video is from an Ubisoft teaser video for some E3 coverage they'll be ... you know what? We'll tell you about that another time, stay focused. As you can see in the screen...  Take-Two Interactive announced delays for two of its upcoming open-world games today, pushing back the release dates of Rockstar San Diego's Red Dead Redemption and 2K Czech's Mafia II.  Atlus today proudly touted a dalliance with darkness, as the import publisher confirmed that it has picked up the publishing rights for the Japanese PS3-exclusive action-role-playing game Demon's Soul.
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| Developing Ten Games In Ten Hours
May 29, 2009 at 10:00 pm
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|   Game developer Mark Cooke did just that — all for Pecha Kucha in Tokyo. For those who aren't hip to Pecha Kucha, people give presentations. Twenty slides at twenty seconds. The embedded video is a screencast of Mark's presentation. Check out the actual presentation here, complete with crummy sound quality.  Did your late night Canasta tournament keep you away from your television last night, preventing you from catching all of GameTrailers' exclusive ... trailers for a number...  When playing Saints Row or Red Faction, did you ever wish you could smash up buildings or conduct drive-by shootings with a porn star while waggling a Wiimote? Even if you answered "no" to that question...  Square Enix's E3 lineup features two surprises, in addition to the expected Final Fantasy stuff: Front Mission Evolved and NIER. While we may have suspected that some kind of Front Mission game was coming...
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| Hands-on: Mini Ninjas
May 29, 2009 at 9:43 pm
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|  Once the most feared warriors in all Japan, Ninjas have been made incredibly cute and cuddly just by shrinking them down. Yes folks, it's Mini Ninjas. Tiny little ninjas that can weave magic spells, possess animals and defeat evil. While utterly unlikely to instill fear into the hearts of rival feudal lords, they sure do make an adorable subject for a game.  Back in March, we took a trip to Double Fine Productions to have a look at the opening sequence from Brutal Legend. This hands-off demo gave us an introduction to the...  Unlike the character it's based on, Batman: Arkham Asylum has been prancing about in broad daylight quite a bit as of late. We've seen walkthrough videos, tons of screenshots, and we've gotten our hands on it.  Eidos has confirmed the three major titles they'll be bringing to E3 2009, featuring three different types of agents of dark justice - small, medium, and Batman. The...  The Dark Knight is finally ready examine the bats in Arkham Asylum's belfry on August 25 in North America and August 28 in Europa. The game had previously been delayed to "late summer" from its June 23 release date...
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| Team Fortress 2 Update Adds Back Achievement Based Unlocks
May 29, 2009 at 9:40 pm
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|  Valve has issued one more update for Team Fortress 2 today, apparently another attempt to bring balance to the method that allows for unlockable weapons and items. Achievement based unlockable items are back. But according to the newest update, those milestone achievements are an "additional way" for Team Fortress 2 players to get newly added unlockable items like the Cloak and Dagger or Huntsman. Seems the randomized drops ushered in with the Spy/Sniper update are still in.  Some tweaks on Valve's side of things may already have improved the controversial but still-evolving new system the company has been using to randomly grant players access to new items in Team Fortress 2.  With Empire: Total War nowhere to be seen on Direct2Drive's charts, there's only a single game that made the top 10 across all three outlets over the past few weeks. And it was Fallout 3! Yes...  The new Sniper vs. Spy update for Team Fortress 2 went live yesterday, and in addition to adding new unlockable weapons and items for both classes, it also added a new...  After a week's worth of largely entertaining Team Fortress 2 "Spy Vs. Sniper" updates, Valve has officially released new content for two of the game's classes. But things aren't exactly going as planned.
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| Lionhead might unveil something big at Microsoft presser
May 29, 2009 at 9:18 pm
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|  Lionhead Studios posted an interesting tweet today, hinting at a potentially huge reveal to appear at Microsoft's press conference on Monday. The studio is claiming it will host a "big presentation" at the conference, urging all its Twitter followers to "watch this space!" for more (hyperbolic punctuation included!). With Microsof's E3 Press Conference less than three days away, speculation about the software giant's announcements are reaching a fever pitch. Besides unconfirmed reports...  Wondering what to expect from Microsoft's E3 conference this Monday? Lionhead's Twitter feed might be a good hint."Lionhead is off to LA for this year's E3 and will give...  click for alternate headline image It's not too uncommon to say that the current crop of consoles won't be replaced for quite some time. Some believe that the current generation will last until around 2012...
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| Still Can't Believe A Need For Speed Game Looks Good
May 29, 2009 at 9:00 pm
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| With E3 almost upon us, EA have reminded us of what I like to think is the spiritual successor to the Project Gotham series, Need for Speed: Shift. Still freaks me out that I'm interested in a Need for Speed game. Then again, it freaks me out even more that EA had the good sense to ditch the "Fast & the Furious" angle the franchise had taken in recent years, and make the whole thing a little classier.  You'll have plenty of the proverbial whips to cruise around with in EA's upcoming attempt at a serious racer, Need for Speed: Shift. The game is geared to present 18 authentic race tracks for you to navigate your way through...  In this week's issue of Famitsu magazine, Atlus revealed the first details on a project tentatively titled Hospital. The Wii game, which doesn't have a release date anywhere yet...  Blur, the upcoming combat racer from Bizarre Creations, features licensed automobiles. How'd the Project Gotham Racing developer snag them? According to Bizarre, it's choice of vehicles helped — meaning, there aren't Ferraris or Lamborghinis.  From Software's Demon's Souls is heading West, with Japanese role-playing game specialists Atlus picking up the slack for North American PlayStation 3 publishing duties.
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| WRUP: E3 is upon us
May 29, 2009 at 8:50 pm
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| This weekend, almost all of Joystiq will depart to the City of Angels for E3 2009 ... a return to what everyone believes will be a real E3. Were the last two years of toned-down expos more conducive to work? Sure! But, it was like an evening on the couch with a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream when you could be having a night on the town. There's nothing wrong with couch time, With E3 almost upon us, EA have reminded us of what I like to think is the spiritual successor to the Project Gotham series, Need for Speed: Shift. Still freaks me out that I'm interested in a Need for Speed game. So far, Konami's publicity department has had a pretty sadistic 2009. After famed designer Hideo Kojima teased "the next MGS" at the end of his 2009 Game Developers Conference keynote address... With Microsof's E3 Press Conference less than three days away, speculation about the software giant's announcements are reaching a fever pitch. Besides unconfirmed reports... Did your late night Canasta tournament keep you away from your television last night, preventing you from catching all of GameTrailers' exclusive ... trailers for a number...
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| Electronic Gaming Monthly To Return
May 29, 2009 at 8:40 pm
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| EGM is dead. Long live EGM! The struggling game magazine that shut down in January after nearly twenty years in print is returning later this year, courtesy of Electronic Gaming Monthly founder Steve Harris. According to an announcement, Harris has acquired publishing rights and trademarks to EGM, with plans to restart the print publication in the second half of this year. Electronic Gaming Monthly, which died when UGO bought out the 1UP brand in January, is being resurrected by its original founder, Steve Harris. Harris, who started EGM in 1989... The above video is from an Ubisoft teaser video for some E3 coverage they'll be ... you know what? We'll tell you about that another time, stay focused. As you can see in the screen...  Pokémon has been around for a while now — since 1996. Maybe it's time to spice up the franchise with a little more action to the hugely successful role-playing-game franchise.
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| EGM Back From The Dead
May 29, 2009 at 8:22 pm
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|  May 29, 2009 - Steve Harris, the founder of Electronic Gaming Monthly, announced today he is buying back the publishing and trademark rights from Ziff Davis Media, and plans to re-launch the historic gaming mag sometime in the second half of 2009. "The re-launch of Electronic Gaming Monthly represents a welcome opportunity to continue delivering quality content to gaming enthusiasts," said Harris in a press release. "I feel honored to once again be associated with this respected magazine. Electronic Gaming Monthly, which died when UGO bought out the 1UP brand in January, is being resurrected by its original founder, Steve Harris. Harris, who started EGM in 1989... EGM is dead. Long live EGM! The struggling game magazine that shut down in January after nearly twenty years in print is returning later this year, courtesy of Electronic Gaming Monthly founder Steve Harris.  Metal Gear makers Kojima Productions are just hours away from revealing... something, as the developer's teaser page countdown clock is set to expire today. Who knows what Kojima and crew are planning? Famitsu might know.
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| Brutal Legend: Meet the Halfords
May 29, 2009 at 8:20 pm
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|  Here's a glimpse at some of the introductory story behind Brutal Legend and it's glorious rock fiction. It's just enough to wet your appetite for next week's big show.  For a game as unashamed about showing female nudity as Pandemic's The Saboteur, you'd think they wouldn't feel the need to censor naked artwork in the E3 trailer. Let's peek behind the blur.  At another Electronic Arts event, this time down in Los Angeles, we got another opportunity to check out Spore Hero for the Nintendo Wii. This is an entirely new game built specifically for the Wii...  Eager for any morsel you can get from Modern Warfare 2 and Heavy Rain? Then you'd best tune in to tonight's episode of GameTrailers TV, as both games will be featured.  The Conduit is still more than a month away, but the dev team responsible for the anticipated Wii shooter has already moved on to other projects -- a glimpse of which we'll be getting at E3.  BioWare lays out their E3 plans for Mass Effect 2 in this E3 prelude video, giving us an early look at the expansive changes coming to the next chapter in their sci-fi epic.
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| Game Scoop! Podcast, Episode 122
May 29, 2009 at 8:17 pm
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| May 29, 2009 - Scoop! It's Daemon Hatfield, Craig Harris, Mark Ryan, and Greg Miller this week. It's go time people, and we're off to E3. Somehow, amidst about 10,000 game announcements today, we've managed to record a podcast. Def Jam is stepping up to the mic with Rapstar. Is this the year of hip-hop games? 4mm Games - the new studio formed by the two of the guys who founded Rockstar - have announced their debut game. And it's called Def Jam Rapstar, a hip-hop karaoke game.  It's been almost five years since the release of the original Red Dead Revolver, so it's been a long wait for a sequel. That game is called Red Dead Redemption, and it is currently being developed at Rockstar San Diego...  After unveiling its new first-person shooter Homefront yesterday, THQ has followed up with a bevy of game announcements, starting with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine... Ask anyone who knows us: Joystiq understands hip-hop culture. So does the recently-revealed 4mm which today unveiled its maiden project: Def Jam Rapstar, a trailer for which we've nestled lovingly after the break.  While it's unlikely that the White House coordinated with the makers of Grand Theft Auto, the two parties managed to make May 26, 2009 a significant date for Latinos. Today...
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| GameStop to bundle PS3 with free Advent Children Blu-ray
May 29, 2009 at 8:07 pm
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|  Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, the long awaited Blu-ray extended cut of the 2006 movie, releases next week. You should definitely check out our review if you haven't decided to pick it up yet. If you're planning on purchasing a PS3 at GameStop next week, though, you may not have a choice in the matter. The retailer has confirmed to Joystiq that it has received shipments of Advent Children Complete which employees are to bundle with 80GB PS3s at no extra charge.  Buy a PlayStation 3 next week and you might just get a free copy of Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete on Blu-ray as part of a new bundle for Sony's console.  If there's one thing football games lack nowadays, it's the feeling of comradery that comes from playing with teammates. When it's one person versus another person, the whole teamwork thing kind of gets thrown out the window. Unlike the character it's based on, Batman: Arkham Asylum has been prancing about in broad daylight quite a bit as of late. We've seen walkthrough videos, tons of screenshots, and we've gotten our hands on it.  We've been waiting on platform confirmation for 2K's upcoming Bioshock 2 for some time now, and we finally know which systems the title will release for. VG247 confirmed with 2K that the game will release "on PS3...
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| Next Week's Rock Band Update A Big Bunch Of Bonnaroo
May 29, 2009 at 8:00 pm
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|  MTV Games will ring in this year's Bonnaroo music and arts festival with a batch of downloadable tracks featuring artists from the show. If you've ever wanted to jam along with Phish, this one's for you. A half-dozen tunes will comprise the "Bonnaroo Pack," due for release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Rock Band and Rock Band 2 for $9.99 or 800 Microsoft Points. Each of the six master tracks will run you $1.99 or 160 Microsoft Points individually. Careful not to blow your load, folks, as the week after brings with it new Iron Maiden DLC.  Earlier this month, Activision officially confirmed DJ Hero, the latest spin-off of its rhythm-game franchise which ditches the guitar and melodic rock in favor of a turntable and scratch-heavy beats.  It's hard to believe that two years have passed since Virtua Tennis 3 came out on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The tennis landscape has certainly changed a lot since then.  Next week's Rock Band Weekly brings tracks from just a few artists performing at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in twangy Tennessee. Remember the following week's tracks have already been revealed as Iron Maiden... Back in March, we took a trip to Double Fine Productions to have a look at the opening sequence from Brutal Legend. This hands-off demo gave us an introduction to the...  E3 2009 is getting a massive dose of Square Enix next week. The company is bringing along a few games you might expect—Final Fantasy XIII, Dissidia Final Fantasy—and some brand new games.
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| Yosumin! Developer Blog (and Demo) Launches on 1UP
May 29, 2009 at 7:55 pm
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|  Its name is weird, but it's potentially addictive. Yosumin! is the name of a new puzzle game from Square Enix, which has recently launched on Steam on PC and is coming soon to Xbox Live Arcade. For the occasion, the Yosumin! development teamed joined our lineup of exclusive developer blogs. Check out Norihisa Iwasaki and the rest of the Yosumin! staff's profile now!  Undertow developer Chair Entertainment has been hard at work on video games based on Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series, the first of which is likely to be the recently trademarked Shadow Complex. With Microsof's E3 Press Conference less than three days away, speculation about the software giant's announcements are reaching a fever pitch. Besides unconfirmed reports...  See, this is why we don't write a blog about MMOs. Because after watching the trailer for Trion's new Heroes of Telara MMO (you'll find it after the break), we're hard pressed to explain why you might want to play this fantasy MMO over any other one.
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| The Final Countdown
May 29, 2009 at 7:40 pm
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| To: Owen Man, today has been stressful what with all of the news breaking, still juggling E3 scheduling and the stories and interviews. I can't wait to relax for a day before flitting off to LA to prepare for our E3 coverage. My in-laws are coming into town from Australia the day I get back from E3, like at the same time. So I'll be spending a chunk of Saturday cleaning and tidying.  Earlier today, Atari CEO David Gardner spoke with GameSpot about his company's restructuring, the departure of high-profile president Phil Harrison, and its plan to return the seminal publisher to profitability. Earlier this month, Activision officially confirmed DJ Hero, the latest spin-off of its rhythm-game franchise which ditches the guitar and melodic rock in favor of a turntable and scratch-heavy beats.  In the past three decades, Atari has seen some of the highest highs and lowest lows in the gaming industry. Though the company bearing the name today bears little resemblance to the one that became synonymous with gaming in the 1970s...
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| Roundup: GTTV's E3 trailers
May 29, 2009 at 7:33 pm
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| Did your late night Canasta tournament keep you away from your television last night, preventing you from catching all of GameTrailers' exclusive ... trailers for a number of highly anticipated titles that will be appearing at E3? Fear not -- we've got them posted conveniently after the break. What games are present and accounted for, you ask? Well, let's see (deep breath): Mass Effect 2, Brutal Legend, Lost Planet 2, Split/Second, Brink, DJ Hero, With E3 almost upon us, EA have reminded us of what I like to think is the spiritual successor to the Project Gotham series, Need for Speed: Shift. Still freaks me out that I'm interested in a Need for Speed game. This weekend, almost all of Joystiq will depart to the City of Angels for E3 2009 ... a return to what everyone believes will be a real E3. Were the last two years of toned-down expos more conducive to work? Sure! But... So far, Konami's publicity department has had a pretty sadistic 2009. After famed designer Hideo Kojima teased "the next MGS" at the end of his 2009 Game Developers Conference keynote address... With Microsof's E3 Press Conference less than three days away, speculation about the software giant's announcements are reaching a fever pitch. Besides unconfirmed reports...
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| Behold, the Joystiq E3 2009 Gear Gallery
May 29, 2009 at 5:06 pm
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|  We have something of a tradition around here. Every year, we compile a gallery of all the gear that the Joystiq collective will be hauling to E3. Think of it as your personal behind-the-scenes tour of the exciting world of blogging. It's your chance to start taking part in the magic of E3 before it even begins. And that, dear readers, is priceless. Enjoy.  Brightfalls.net, an Alan Wake fan news site officially sanctioned (and hosted) by developer Remedy, has been out of commission for all of 2009. The site has just popped back up... E3 2009 is getting a massive dose of Square Enix next week. The company is bringing along a few games you might expect—Final Fantasy XIII, Dissidia Final Fantasy—and some brand new games.  Famed mashup DJ Z-Trip will perform sets at E3 next week to help unveil DJ Hero. DJ Hero will also feature DJ Z-Trip as an in-game avatar, according to the artist's press release.  Our very own Stephen Totilo will be spending an hour today in Fox News' Strategy room talking about the gadgets, games and gizmos of E3. Hop on over to the site to lend your support and pepper him with show questions.
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| Ico/LittleBigPlanet mash-up teaser spotted
May 29, 2009 at 4:56 pm
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|  If you've been swooned by both Team Ico's self-titled adventure/puzzler Ico and Media Molecule's DIY platformer LittleBigPlanet -- and seriously, who hasn't -- you should turn your attention to a recently discovered image depicting Sack-ified versions of Ico and Yorda, running away from an illustrated castle. A Media Molecule logo embedded in the image lends some amount of credence to the picture -- as does a recent tweet from Media Molecule which confirms it is responsibility for the art.  LittleBigPlanet creators Media Molecule are teasing two new enticing additions to the decorative Sackboy (and Sackgirl) lineup with a new Ico themed teaser image. Happy coincidence...  We assumed DJ Hero's musical offerings would be impressive (considering the source of the mash-ups therein), but a recent Activision press release just gave us an idea...  While BioWare's Mass Effect didn't score top placement in this week's Japanese software sales chart—Sloane to MacHale: Nazo no Monogatari did—it had a pretty damn good showing, considering the platform's last place position.  Majesco is bending the very fabric of space to bring us Flip's Twisted World, an upside-down platformer for the Nintendo Wii, which they'll be showing off next week at E3 2009.
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| Ubisoft Announces 3 New Classic Game Show Games
May 29, 2009 at 4:33 pm
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|  UBISOFT® PARTNERS WITH LUDIA ON THREE NEW CLASSICGAME SHOW TITLES FROM FREMANTLEMEDIA ENTERPRISES Family Feud®, Press Your Luck(TM) and New Version of The Price is Right(TM)Video Games to Be Unveiled at E3 Ubisoft announced today that it has once again partnered with Ludia Inc toadd three new classic game show titles to its already successful portfolio.Family Feud 2010, Press Your Luck 2010, and an all new expanded version of ThePrice is Right 2010 will be available for the Wii system from Nintendo,  Special edition DJ Hero comes with an advanced version of the game's turntable controller, a metal traveling case that transforms into a performance-ready DJ stand and... When the Matrix online was first announced back at E3 2002, few could have foreseen the delays the massively multiplayer online role-playing game would face in the run up to release.  Great minds across the industry all seem to agree: Video games are heading into a new era. President of Square Enix, Yoichi Wada (pictured, right), has proven he too belongs to this school of thought...  It's time for another installment of "Sales Go Up, Profit Goes Down," the completely perplexing economic phenomenon that's been taking the gaming industry by storm as of late.
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| Madden NFL 10 to feature online co-op
May 29, 2009 at 4:32 pm
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| If there's one thing football games lack nowadays, it's the feeling of comradery that comes from playing with teammates. When it's one person versus another person, the whole teamwork thing kind of gets thrown out the window. Well, no longer will you be forced to play online all alone, as EA has revealed that Madden NFL 10 will include online co-op gameplay for the first time on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Head past the break for a trailer where some of the folks behind the game explain the new feature and what they hope it will mean for the future of Madden.  EA Tiburon has big plans for this year's installment of Madden, kicking things off with the announcement of online co-operative play - a first in franchise history. For the first time... Back in March, we took a trip to Double Fine Productions to have a look at the opening sequence from Brutal Legend. This hands-off demo gave us an introduction to the...  Activision sent word today that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners will soon be able to experience the game that helped define first-person shooters in the early '90s, Wolfenstein 3D. E3 2009 is getting a massive dose of Square Enix next week. The company is bringing along a few games you might expect—Final Fantasy XIII, Dissidia Final Fantasy—and some brand new games.
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| Gunstar Heroes kicks off Sega Vintage Collection 2 on June 10
May 29, 2009 at 4:32 pm
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| Sega is set to begin the second round of downloadable "vintage" games, starting with XBLA's Gunstar Heroes on June 10, with the PSN version hitting the following day. Gunstar Heroes appears to be the only title planned for the PSN from the seven announced titles. Although the seven games have been "re-worked" for high-definition, with online leaderboards and network play, it's worth mentioning that many of the titles are also available on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.  Coming one day in advance of the announced May 30th reveal date, a new trailer for No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle has just captured the hell out of our attention. While BioWare's Mass Effect didn't score top placement in this week's Japanese software sales chart—Sloane to MacHale: Nazo no Monogatari did—it had a pretty damn good showing, considering the platform's last place position.  We mentioned this earlier, but we thought you might like some more details. So, odds are we won't be seeing you at E3 (you'd recognize us by our rugged good looks and sun-bronzed skin)... The above video is from an Ubisoft teaser video for some E3 coverage they'll be ... you know what? We'll tell you about that another time, stay focused. As you can see in the screen...
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| Return of Alan Wake news site prompts hint of E3 appearance from Remedy staffer
May 29, 2009 at 4:23 pm
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| Brightfalls.net, an Alan Wake fan news site officially sanctioned (and hosted) by developer Remedy, has been out of commission for all of 2009. The site has just popped back up, leading one conspiracy-minded Alan Wake forum poster, "shorty," to conjecture that the site is back up in anticipation of some Alan Wake news. Specifically, "that Alan Wake will be shown at E3 on Monday!" E3 2009 is getting a massive dose of Square Enix next week. The company is bringing along a few games you might expect—Final Fantasy XIII, Dissidia Final Fantasy—and some brand new games. Famed mashup DJ Z-Trip will perform sets at E3 next week to help unveil DJ Hero. DJ Hero will also feature DJ Z-Trip as an in-game avatar, according to the artist's press release. Our very own Stephen Totilo will be spending an hour today in Fox News' Strategy room talking about the gadgets, games and gizmos of E3. Hop on over to the site to lend your support and pepper him with show questions. LittleBigPlanet creators Media Molecule are teasing two new enticing additions to the decorative Sackboy (and Sackgirl) lineup with a new Ico themed teaser image. Happy coincidence...
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| Killzone 2 Patch Delayed
May 29, 2009 at 4:10 pm
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|  Those of you eagerly awaiting Killzone 2's latest patch will have to wait a little longer. The patch will not be arriving this week."Just got official confirmation - the patch has been delayed and will not be released this week," Guerilla Games said on Twitter (via Computer and Video Games).
Wondering what to expect from Microsoft's E3 conference this Monday? Lionhead's Twitter feed might be a good hint."Lionhead is off to LA for this year's E3 and will give...  Lionhead will definitely be playing a part in Microsoft's E3 2009 press conference this Monday, joining the growing horde of game development studios using Twitter for evil teasing purposes. Great minds across the industry all seem to agree: Video games are heading into a new era. President of Square Enix, Yoichi Wada (pictured, right), has proven he too belongs to this school of thought...
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| Tomorrow Is Your Last Day To Not Get BlizzCon Tickets
May 29, 2009 at 4:00 pm
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|  In case you missed out on the first round of BlizzCon 2009 tickets, make sure you make it to the BlizzCon website tomorrow morning to miss out on that batch as well. Just like the amazing vanishing first batch, the remaining BlizzCon tickets go on sale at 10am Pacific time at BlizzCon.com tomorrow. Hopeful ticket owners will have mere minutes to get their orders in before the entire allotment is sold out, at which point things on eBay will go from insane to completely f***ing ridiculous, and we'll all have a good cry.  May 26, 2009 - Each and every Tuesday between 8 AM and 8 PM Pacific time, a random question about IGN, our editors or videogames will be asked on the IGNcom Twitter. The 50th person to email skrause@ign.  May 18, 2009 - Our first weekly Twitter Tuesday is nearly upon us. Each and every Tuesday between 8 AM and 8 PM Pacific time, a random question about IGN, our editors or videogames will be asked on the IGNcom Twitter.  Yesterday, tickets for BlizzCon 2009 sold out in record time, some say even before they officially went on sale. So color me surprised that today eBay is lousy with the tickets.  That's right folks, the first batch of BlizzCon 2009 tickets that went on sale this morning are gone. According to people in the official forums, the tickets sold out in record time...
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| SouthPeak Announces 'Horrid Henry' for Wii, DS & PC
May 29, 2009 at 3:51 pm
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| SouthPeak Games and AsylumEntertainment have today announced a deal to co-publish a video game based onthe highly successful Horrid Henry books written by Francesca Simon and the toprating children’s television series, produced by Novel Entertainment. Developedby Asylum Entertainment, the Horrid Henry game gives fans the chance to becometheir favorite naughty schoolboy.  Another Trauma game is on its way to the Wii, courtesy of Atlus. This time though, it won't be just one doctor against a nasty biological weapon, but several.Trauma Team will let you take on the role of general surgeon...  You may remember that Harry Potter and a second Indiana Jones game were confirmed to be getting the LEGO treatment back in March. LucasArts and Traveler's Tales are finally talking about one of those titles...  Fewer machines are better poised to enslave humanity than the ubiquitous iPhone. That doesn't make Apple's gadget the ideal device for a Terminator game, though it does suggest a good platform for crude movie tie-ins.  For some people the big news will be that the Lord of the Rings is making a video game comeback for kids; for others it will be that the developers responsible have a strong pedigree.
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| Interview: Paul Crocker of Rocksteady on Batman: Arkham Asylum
May 29, 2009 at 3:50 pm
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|  Not pictured: Paul Crocker Paul Crocker is the lead narrative designer at Rocksteady Studios where he's been hard at work on Batman: Arkham Asylum for the past two years. Thankfully, he hasn't taken on any of the Dark Knight's unfriendly tendencies in that time and gladly opened up to us about the game, explaining key omissions like Robin and Batmobile driving, and offering up his (not-so-creative) pick for the DC character he'd most like to create a game around. Continue past the break for the full interview. Unlike the character it's based on, Batman: Arkham Asylum has been prancing about in broad daylight quite a bit as of late. We've seen walkthrough videos, tons of screenshots, and we've gotten our hands on it. The Dark Knight is finally ready examine the bats in Arkham Asylum's belfry on August 25 in North America and August 28 in Europa. The game had previously been delayed to "late summer" from its June 23 release date...  Smoking Gun, an independent studio formed in 2007 by Relic Entertainment vets, has landed a new deal with tech evangelist Douglas Rushkoff, with the award-winning author set to pen the story for an as-yet-unannounced property.  Gaming's Citizen Kane Moment. Don't roll your eyes just yet! Director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Cronos) is here to tell us how its going to happen: convergence. And it's starting now with gaming's Model T.
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| EA Announce Battlefield 1943 Community Challenge that Unlocks Additional Bonus Map "Coral Sea"
May 29, 2009 at 3:48 pm
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| DICE today announced thatBattlefield 1943 will kick off a worldwide community challenge that, whenachieved, will reward players by unlocking a fourth map called Coral Sea. TheWWII Coral Sea map will be unlocked when the multiplayer community achieves 43Mkills on Xbox Live and the same number on PlayStation Network. When it shipsthis summer, Battlefield 1943 will include three maps (Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal,and Wake Island) plus this fourth bonus map, all for $15.  Big surprise, we know, considering the evidence of late, but we're happy to be able to officially confirm that Wolfenstein 3D is in fact coming to Xbox Live and PSN on June 4 and June 5, respectively (no price mentioned). Activision sent word today that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners will soon be able to experience the game that helped define first-person shooters in the early '90s, Wolfenstein 3D.  Rock Band DLC enthusiasts can look forward to a slew of tracks from artists featured at this year's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. A six-pack...  EA's downloadable Battlefield 1943 will take a Noby Noby Boy-esque -- albeit more violent -- cooperative approach to the release of its "Coral Sea" map. The bonus battlefield will unlock when the player communities on both Xbox and PS3 reach 43...
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| Rock Band Announces Iron Maiden Track Pack
May 29, 2009 at 3:47 pm
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| Metal lovers take notice! Harmonix Music alongwith distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc., today announced that 12 tracksfrom Iron Maiden, one of the world’s most successful rock bands, will be addedJune 9 to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360,PLAYSTATION 3 and the Wii system. Rock Band DLC enthusiasts can look forward to a slew of tracks from artists featured at this year's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. A six-pack...  Sega got a taste of crossover success with 2007's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, and the publisher has been making the original gaming speed freak play nice with other brands ever since.  MTV Games and Harmonix's Rock Band is getting a little heavier the week after E3, as the game's community 'zine has revealed that a dozen new Iron Maiden tracks will be released as downloadable content.  The official Rock Band Community Zine has announced that a new batch of Iron Maiden tracks is headed to the game. The 12 upcoming tracks were all played during the band's recent Somewhere Back in Time World Tour and all are master recordings.
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| New Features in Pirates of the Burning Sea MMO
May 29, 2009 at 3:45 pm
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| FLYING LAB SOFTWARE ADDSNEW FEATURES TO PIRATES OF THE BURNING SEA MMO Flying Lab Software has introduced Skirmish, a PvPsystem for its flagship MMORPG title Pirates of the Burning Sea. Skirmish gives players a new way to create their own risk-free PvP battles bothon land and at sea . Using a customizable lobby system, players can create swashbuckling or shipbattles with up to 48 participants. There are no national or careerrestrictions on skirmish battles,  Since Kingdom of the Crystal Skull barely had enough content for a movie, Traveller's Tales is including reworked versions of the original trilogy and a level editor in the newly-announced LEGO Indiana Jones 2.  Electronic Arts has narrowed its previously announced fall release window for Dead Space Extraction. The Wii-exclusive experiment is set to slice into retail shelves (and necromorphs' limbs) in North America on September 29.  Another executive has leveled up to MMO developer Turbine. Following recent appointments of Ken Surdan as operations vice president in March and ex-Flagship guys Dave Brevik and Jeff Lind last October...
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| Wolfenstein 3D confirmed for XBLA and PSN next week
May 29, 2009 at 3:42 pm
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| Big surprise, we know, considering the evidence of late, but we're happy to be able to officially confirm that Wolfenstein 3D is in fact coming to Xbox Live and PSN on June 4 and June 5, respectively (no price mentioned). Playing through Wolfenstein 3D will also offer more incentive than the sheer joy of mowing down a gigantic Hitler, as the classic will allow players to "earn accolades and be awarded gold for customizable weapon upgrades" in the new Wolfenstein, which is slated for an August 4 release. Activision sent word today that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners will soon be able to experience the game that helped define first-person shooters in the early '90s, Wolfenstein 3D. Rock Band DLC enthusiasts can look forward to a slew of tracks from artists featured at this year's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. A six-pack...  The original Nazi-killing first-person shooter returns next week, as Activision announces the release date for Wolfenstien 3D for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network.
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| Sony Online Pulls Plug On Matrix Online
May 29, 2009 at 3:42 pm
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| After limping along with a small but dedicated fanbase for four years, Sony Online Entertainment is finally pulling the plug on The Matrix Online. The massively multiplayer game will go offline on July 31st."It has been a good run. Where many games have fizzled out before or shortly after launch, by August we will have lived on in our home at SOE for more than 4 years," said producer Daniel Myers in a post on the official forums. When the Matrix online was first announced back at E3 2002, few could have foreseen the delays the massively multiplayer online role-playing game would face in the run up to release. After nearly four years in operation, the machines now greatly outnumber the players and The Matrix Online is no longer necessary. July 31st is the day the machines finally triumph. Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai is on a mission. A mission to make money for Sony's PlayStation division. "We need to quickly bring our PlayStation business on a break-even level and later to profitability," Hirai said Thursday.
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| Madden NFL 10 Introduces Online Co-op
May 29, 2009 at 3:40 pm
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| EA Tiburon has big plans for this year's installment of Madden, kicking things off with the announcement of online co-operative play - a first in franchise history. For the first time, two players will be able to take their game online together with online co-op play in Madden NFL 10. Team up online with your friends, taking on different defensive and offensive positions, experiencing the game through all-new position specific camera angles.  Senior producer Phil Frazier calls Madden NFL 10 a "reset." That's a tough buzzword to sell, especially for Madden, which is reappearing this August as its twenty-something-ith iteration.  The first of Capcom's motherload of PS1 re-releases for the PlayStation Network arrives later this week, with the debut of Resident Evil: Director's Cut. It'll be part of the PlayStation Store's regular weekly update on Thursday...  Yesterday, Rose McGowan and Tricia Helfer joined Geoff Keighley for a special live taping of GameTrailers TV. The E3 2009-themed special was packed with news, some of which splashed our way from the audience.  Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood builds upon the multiplayer mode from the original Call of Juarez by adding a lot more character classes. The new classes are trapper, gunsmith, spy, officer, duelist, veteran, scout, native and hombre.
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| Wolfenstein 3D Invades PlayStation Network and Xbox Live
May 29, 2009 at 3:32 pm
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| Activision sent word today that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners will soon be able to experience the game that helped define first-person shooters in the early '90s, Wolfenstein 3D. The formative FPS is coming to the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store next Thursday, June 4 for a price that has yet to be revealed -- fingers crossed that it's around the same $5 price point as Doom on XBLA. Back in March, we took a trip to Double Fine Productions to have a look at the opening sequence from Brutal Legend. This hands-off demo gave us an introduction to the... Big surprise, we know, considering the evidence of late, but we're happy to be able to officially confirm that Wolfenstein 3D is in fact coming to Xbox Live and PSN on June 4 and June 5, respectively (no price mentioned). E3 2009 is getting a massive dose of Square Enix next week. The company is bringing along a few games you might expect—Final Fantasy XIII, Dissidia Final Fantasy—and some brand new games. Rock Band DLC enthusiasts can look forward to a slew of tracks from artists featured at this year's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. A six-pack...
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| Stand at attention for this No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle trailer
May 29, 2009 at 3:24 pm
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| Coming one day in advance of the announced May 30th reveal date, a new trailer for No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle has just captured the hell out of our attention. Yes, that is a random shot of a luchador as a backdrop for Suda 51's credit -- why not. If you wanted to see more of the dual-sword moves seen in the Famitsu scans, well, here you go -- this video is loaded with shots of an older-looking Travis Touchdown swinging two Beam Katanas around. We mentioned this earlier, but we thought you might like some more details. So, odds are we won't be seeing you at E3 (you'd recognize us by our rugged good looks and sun-bronzed skin)... The above video is from an Ubisoft teaser video for some E3 coverage they'll be ... you know what? We'll tell you about that another time, stay focused. As you can see in the screen...  THQ has officially confirmed work on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, yet another game set against the backdrop of Games Workshop's gritty tabletop universe. Relic has again been handed developer duties on the title...  Japanese publisher Enterbrain doesn't only publish magazines like Famitsu, but also does probing research. Earlier this week, Famitsu polled folks with a "Dragon Quest 9 Pre-Launch Awareness Survey".
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| Lionhead Will Have "Big Presentation" At Microsoft Presser
May 29, 2009 at 3:23 pm
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| Wondering what to expect from Microsoft's E3 conference this Monday? Lionhead's Twitter feed might be a good hint."Lionhead is off to LA for this year's E3 and will give a big presentation at the Microsoft press conference on Monday! Watch this space," they said in their post (via Eurogamer). Lionhead founder Peter Molyneux has been teasing his latest project since before GDC. Word is that Fable 3 is floating around out there, but who knows? We won't know for sure until around 10:30 am PST.  By John Gaudiosi Anyone who's played through a game like Microsoft's Fable II (who can forget your virtual dog?), BioWare's Mass Effect (with its robust roster of non-playable characters) or seen Sony's upcoming Heavy Rain (whose developer... Lionhead will definitely be playing a part in Microsoft's E3 2009 press conference this Monday, joining the growing horde of game development studios using Twitter for evil teasing purposes.  With E3 coming up, and amazing and/or hilariously awkward conferences on the way (get your bingo cards ready!), Crispy Gamer's Kyle Orland offers a look back at the most memorable conference moments of E3's past.  Jack Black voiced Brutal Legend is prepping for E3 this week, unveiling a website dedicated to the game and the big show with promises of contests, interviews and a new trailer.
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| PlayStation 3 | Brutal Legend Hands-On Impressions
May 29, 2009 at 3:22 pm
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|  Back in March, we took a trip to Double Fine Productions to have a look at the opening sequence from Brutal Legend. This hands-off demo gave us an introduction to the basics of combat (kill demons with weapons) and open-world vehicular exploration (kill demons with an awesome hot rod), but it mainly served as an introduction to the story of a rock-obsessed roadie transported to an alternate realm of heavy metal lore... Activision sent word today that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners will soon be able to experience the game that helped define first-person shooters in the early '90s, Wolfenstein 3D. E3 2009 is getting a massive dose of Square Enix next week. The company is bringing along a few games you might expect—Final Fantasy XIII, Dissidia Final Fantasy—and some brand new games.  Sony's Studio Liverpool shipped its PS3-exclusive Formula One Championship Edition back in 2007 and since then racing-specialist Codemasters has taken over the reins. Released from the shackles of its platform-exclusive chains...  Just a few scant days before the year's biggest gaming event and GameTrailers has snuck into E3's living room and unwrapped one of its biggest gifts. Oh, and it televised what it found inside, spoiling it for everyone.  While hitmen and ninjas might seem to have a lot in common when you first think about it, their relationship gets a bit more complicated when you look at it from the perspective of Danish developer Io Interactive.
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| Batman: Arkham Asylum committed to retail Aug. 25 in NA, Aug. 28 in Europe
May 29, 2009 at 10:54 am
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| The Dark Knight is finally ready examine the bats in Arkham Asylum's belfry on August 25 in North America and August 28 in Europa. The game had previously been delayed to "late summer" from its June 23 release date, so the wait doesn't appear to be much longer, but it's already felt like a Ra's al Ghul lifetime.  According to the company's fiscal results for the financial year ending March 31, Infogrames posted net losses to the tune of €226.1 million. During the previous fiscal year, the company only posted losses €51. While hitmen and ninjas might seem to have a lot in common when you first think about it, their relationship gets a bit more complicated when you look at it from the perspective of Danish developer Io Interactive.  Rockstar San Diego's sequel to Red Dead Revolver has been a long time coming, with the original released in 2004 and a current-gen follow-up teased via video at Sony's E3 2005 press conference.  Attention digital pugilism fans everywhere: A Fight Night Round 4 demo is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Weighing in at 784MB and wearing the Gold Member Exclusive trunks, the demo is no featherweight either.
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| Dragon Age Originates October 20
May 29, 2009 at 10:51 am
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|  Last night on GameTrailers TV, the release date for BioWare's upcoming Dragon Age: Origins was revealed. Players will be able to start ruthlessly swording downed monsters on October 20. Along with the announcement, EA released a trailer for the RPG that should help answer the question of how BioWare plans to differentiate its game from the Lord of the Rings property: by being totally metal. Not just in terms of music .. The Dark Knight is finally ready examine the bats in Arkham Asylum's belfry on August 25 in North America and August 28 in Europa. The game had previously been delayed to "late summer" from its June 23 release date...  Just days before the real life trauma of E3 takes hold, Atlus announced that it will localized the recently revealed Trauma Center successor, Hospital, as Trauma Team for the Wii in North America.  Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online will bring golf to PC and Mac web browsers when it launches this fall, but it will also replace the disc-based versions of the game. The game...
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| Sequelitis
May 29, 2009 at 10:49 am
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| This is the time of the year that publishersgear up to announce their epic sequels of their best selling franchises. Fromthe typical Madden installment to the sequel that no one saw coming suchas Red Dead Redemption, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is abreeding ground for countless sequels that rule the video-game industry. Just days before the real life trauma of E3 takes hold, Atlus announced that it will localized the recently revealed Trauma Center successor, Hospital, as Trauma Team for the Wii in North America.  Ubisoft filed a new trademark last week for a seemingly forgotten title known as Killing Day. The game, as remembered by Eurogamer, was last seen in 2005 during Sony's E3 press conference.  Our old buddy Peter Moore doesn't spit fire as often as he used to now that he's at EA Sports. But that doesn't mean he won't bring it on occasion. Why look, just recently...  The weather's getting weirder on the Kojima Productions "NEXT" teaser site. Not only have glimpses of more letters and what appears to be Raiden begun to materialize as the 90 hour mark approaches...
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| Phil Harrison steps down as president of troubled Atari
May 29, 2009 at 10:48 am
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|  Atari president Phil Harrison, who joined the company last year, has taken a position as "non-executive director." According to Eurogamer, the move is a result of Atari's new focus on North American operations, following the sale of its European distribution to Namco Bandai. Parent company Infogrames announced a loss of €226.1 million ($319.6m) for the last fiscal year, due in part to the loss of revenue that would have come in from the distribution business. As a result, Atari said it has canceled some of its projects, to focus on "more cost-effective" games. According to the company's fiscal results for the financial year ending March 31, Infogrames posted net losses to the tune of €226.1 million. During the previous fiscal year, the company only posted losses €51.  Last year, in a major coup for the fledgling company, Atari managed to hire former Sony Worldwide Studios boss Phil Harrison to serve as President. Now? Now he's no longer President.  Last year, Atari announced it had buddied up with Rez HD and Lumines creators Q Entertainment for a pair of projects: the Live Arcade cash-in comp Qubed and the enigmatic "QJ.
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| Data Design Interactive Annouces Lineup At E3 2009
May 29, 2009 at 10:44 am
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| Florida, America, Data DesignInteractive - a successful video games publisher and games developer todayrevealed its product line-up for the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) inLos Angeles from June 2 to 4 at booth 441. Featuring Wii games that offer funfor the entire family, the line-up reinforces DDI position as an innovativeprovider of video games for the mass market. Just days before the real life trauma of E3 takes hold, Atlus announced that it will localized the recently revealed Trauma Center successor, Hospital, as Trauma Team for the Wii in North America. Ubisoft filed a new trademark last week for a seemingly forgotten title known as Killing Day. The game, as remembered by Eurogamer, was last seen in 2005 during Sony's E3 press conference. Great minds across the industry all seem to agree: Video games are heading into a new era. President of Square Enix, Yoichi Wada (pictured, right), has proven he too belongs to this school of thought... Our old buddy Peter Moore doesn't spit fire as often as he used to now that he's at EA Sports. But that doesn't mean he won't bring it on occasion. Why look, just recently...
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| Europa Universalis: Rome - GOLD Announced
May 29, 2009 at 10:41 am
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| EU:Rome: “..the immediate intensityof a real-time strategy game coupled with the high level strategizing of aclassic 4X game” - IGN, Score 87 Paradox Interactive today announcedthe release of Europa Universalis: Rome GOLD. This new compilation sees themarriage of the acclaimed original grand strategy game set in ancient times - EU:Rome, with the impressive updates available in the Vae Victis expansion pack.  Troubled real-time strategy and role-playing developer Big Huge Games lives on, with Curt Schilling's 38 Studios stepping up at the last moment for a late game save. 38 Studios has purchased Big Huge Games from THQ...  Here's a look at Sanzaru Games' PlayStation 2 port of High Impact's Secret Agent Clank for the PSP, lovingly recreated to provide a "richer game experience" for the console player.  Real-time strategy title BattleForge is now free, Electronic Arts announced today. To download the Play 4 Free version of BattleForge you just need to visit www.battleforge.
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| EA reveals Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online
May 29, 2009 at 10:09 am
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|  When you just read the name of EA's newly-announced Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, you were probably hoping for the same thing we were: A massively multiplayer golf/RPG hybrid that rewarded Magical Big Bertha drivers for completing timed raid instances. Sadly, it's a golf game that you'll be able to play through your web browser on courses such as Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass and St. Andrews. There's no pricing announced yet for the fall release, but we know it will have a "multi-tiered subscription structure" and beta sign-ups are open now.  Dante's Inferno is an interesting beast: A video game based on an epic poem written to attack the political foes of the author in the 14th Century. While the poem tells the story of Dante journey through hell...  According to a USA Today article, Activision has turned to Jay-Z and Eminem to provide some added value to a special-edition release of DJ Hero. In addition to the game... Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai is on a mission. A mission to make money for Sony's PlayStation division. "We need to quickly bring our PlayStation business on a break-even level and later to profitability," Hirai said Thursday.  Advent Children in its original form is far from a great film. However, it did serve its function as the most expensive fan-service created to date. Continuing the story of Final Fantasy VII...
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| Dante's Inferno: Lust and Heresy
May 29, 2009 at 10:00 am
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| Dante's Inferno is an interesting beast: A video game based on an epic poem written to attack the political foes of the author in the 14th Century. While the poem tells the story of Dante journey through hell, purgatory and heaven as an observer, the game has him get hands on with things, very hands on. Last night on GameTrailers TV, the release date for BioWare's upcoming Dragon Age: Origins was revealed. Players will be able to start ruthlessly swording downed monsters on October 20. The Dark Knight is finally ready examine the bats in Arkham Asylum's belfry on August 25 in North America and August 28 in Europa. The game had previously been delayed to "late summer" from its June 23 release date... Atari president Phil Harrison, who joined the company last year, has taken a position as "non-executive director." According to Eurogamer, the move is a result of Atari's new focus on North American operations... When you just read the name of EA's newly-announced Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, you were probably hoping for the same thing we were: A massively multiplayer golf/RPG...
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| USA Today: Jay-Z/Eminem limited edition DJ Hero pack coming
May 29, 2009 at 9:32 am
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| According to a USA Today article, Activision has turned to Jay-Z and Eminem to provide some added value to a special-edition release of DJ Hero. In addition to the game, the bundle reportedly includes greatest-hits CDs from both rappers, possibly with new tracks, an "advanced version of the controller, a DJ stand and metal traveling case." In addition, the two will serve as "consultants" to Activision, and will, of course, contribute tracks to the game.  Good news! GameTrailers just saved us a trip to LA by going ahead and having its own E3 tonight. Case in point: here's the first footage of DJ Hero, which reveals a much more .  Need pictures to go with the words explaining how DJ Hero will actually work? These screenshots should do, showing it works...well, a lot like Guitar Hero, really. Which is what you'd expect.  Ostensibly, we're writing this to inform you that Stan Bush's "Transformers" ballad "You Got the Touch" is now available in Guitar Hero World Tour for free. So ... now you know.  Activision passed us some Stan Bush swag in celebration of "The Touch" being available as free downloadable content for Guitar Hero World Tour. If you know your Transformers the Movie trivia, it could be yours.
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| Three Big Chopstick No-Nos
May 29, 2009 at 9:20 am
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| To: Crecente From: Bashcraft RE: T-Minus Three Days Tomorrow I'm going to a funeral — my second in Japan. One of my wife's distant relatives. He was old, death is natural, still sad, always sad. The first one I went to was rather intense. I expect tomorrow's to end up emotional as well. Often I get emails about Japan, what someone should or should not do. By and large, I've found Japanese people pretty accepting of Westerners and more than willing to overlook cultural faux pas. When you just read the name of EA's newly-announced Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, you were probably hoping for the same thing we were: A massively multiplayer golf/RPG... Dante's Inferno is an interesting beast: A video game based on an epic poem written to attack the political foes of the author in the 14th Century. While the poem tells the story of Dante journey through hell... According to a USA Today article, Activision has turned to Jay-Z and Eminem to provide some added value to a special-edition release of DJ Hero. In addition to the game... Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai is on a mission. A mission to make money for Sony's PlayStation division. "We need to quickly bring our PlayStation business on a break-even level and later to profitability," Hirai said Thursday.
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