February 26, 2009 at 11:51 am (GAMING STUFF)
Tags: Games
Namco Bandai has released new images for the sixth chapter of their famous fighter series, Tekken. Tekken 6 is to be launched for the first time in multiple platforms, and it will also feature the latest Arcade update called Bloodline Rebellion, that will offer new arenas, new characters, more customization and a better timing of the combo moves.
Tekken 6 will be launched this autumn for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
February 26, 2009 at 11:40 am (GAMING STUFF)
Tags: Games
Techland and Ubisofsed have relea the first images for Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood after its announcement, a little more than a month ago.
Even though the images aren’t in the max resolution possible, they’re more than enough to see the good job that the Polish development team is doing. The game is scheduled to launch this year on PC, PlayStation 3 and XBox 360. There’s not much known about the game, except that it’s a prequel to the current Call of Juarez title.
Ubisoft announces Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, a prequel to the western-themed shooter Call of Juarez, is under development at Techland. The game will be released for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 later this year, and here is a brief description: “Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood transports players from a ravaged Civil War-era Georgia to the Aztec ruins of Mexico. In the wildest West ever depicted, players can embody both McCall brothers in an intense Wild West storyline full of greed, lust and lawlessness that takes place during a legendary period of American history.”
It wouldn’t be right to say there’s been a resurgence of western-themed games lately, because they were never really a force to begin with. If you don’t count recent games like GUN and Red Dead Revolver, you’d be hard-pressed to find enough titles to count on one hand. In any case, riding this recent pseudo-wave is Call of Juarez. Like GUN, its story seems pretty well-developed, with enough interesting gameplay flourishes to make it somewhat unique among the throngs of first-person shooters on the horizon.
The term first-person shooter doesn’t fully apply to Call of Juarez. The gameplay is more akin to a third-person action-adventure — not unlike GUN, as a matter of fact. There are two playable characters in the game, and when you’re playing as one of them, you’ll be in full-on FPS mode, while the other character is played from a third-person perspective, with sequences like sneaking around and riding horses.
The FPS portion of the game revolves around Reverend Ray, who cuts an imposing figure, and embodies a popular Western archetype: the gunslinger turned preacher. The levels that are centered on this hardened man of the cloth, for the most part, will resemble your standard FPS fare. The pacing will be characterized by careful cover-to-cover movement, as the enemy AI in our demo was brutal, and not above filling you with lead if you’re unprotected for more than a few seconds.
The Reverend has a few cool tricks to even the odds, however. The first will be somewhat familiar to anyone who’s been playing shooters for the past five years or so. It’s Call of Juarez‘ take on “bullet-time” — Reverend Ray, being the consummate gunslinger, will draw both his guns, and, while time is slowed, he’ll be able to unload multiple rounds at his helpless enemies. When you initiate the ability, your aiming reticle will split in two, and follow a fixed path over any enemies in front of you. You can’t directly control it, but rather, you simply click the mouse button corresponding to the particular reticle as it floats over any enemy you want to kill. It’s a bit more challenging than it sounds, as the timing it a bit tricky, but once you get it down, it can certainly turn the tide of an ugly encounter. If that fails, then you always have the Word — rather than equip a second handgun on your left hand, you can hold a bible. No, not to smack heathens with it; when used as a weapon, it will cause Ray to spout fiery sermons that will send the weak-hearted packing.
February 26, 2009 at 11:39 am (GAMING STUFF)
Tags: Games
Electronic Arts has confirmed its intention of “polishing” the Need for Speed series, with the release of images for the latest title, Need for Speed: Shift, scheduled to launch on PSP, PC, XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 next Autumn.
Developed by Slightly Mad Studios (responsible for GTR2 and GT Legend), Need for Speed: Shift tries to walk away from the previous title’s atmospheres and offer a realistic playability without neglecting the graphic aspects.
Will EA and Slightly Mad manage to keep the promise and deliver a good Need for Speed title? We will have to wait and see, and in the meantime, here’s a few images of Need for Speed: Shift. Enjoy.
Shift into high gear! Designed to deliver a true driver’s experience that reflects contemporary motorsports, Need for Speed SHIFT is built by racers for racers. Need for Speed SHIFT delivers an authentic and immersive driving experience developed by Slightly Mad Studios in collaboration with executive producer Michael Mann at Black Box and senior vice president Patrick Soderlund at EA Games Europe. Slightly Mad Studios includes developers and designers that worked on the critically acclaimed games GT Legends and GTR 2.
Need for Speed SHIFT replicates the true feeling of racing high-end performance cars like never before. Players are thrust into the heart of the action with immersive and exciting features including a stunningly realistic first-person cockpit view camera and an all-new crash mechanic, providing an unrivaled sensation of the speed and feeling of racing a car on the extreme edge of control.
Soderlund is also part of a racing team that recently competed in the 4th edition of the TOYO TIRES 24H Dubai 2009, the first major race event of the year. His team ranked #5 in the high-profile race. Soderlund and the SHIFT development team are committed to bringing the on-the-track experience to players across the world.
Need for Speed SHIFT will be released on PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) and PC in fall 2009.
A hardcore simulation with police’, will be developed by Slightly Mad Studios, who will work alongside Black Box producer Michael Mann, and senior Vice-President of EA Games Europe, Patrick Soderland, to bring the title to the PC, PS3, PSP and Xbox 360 this Autumn.
What will help to achieve the feeling of being right behind the wheel is a cockpit view that lets players freely look around, and also a 3D HUD that mimics driver head movement, inertia and G-force.
is being developed at EA Montreal, and will be an “arcade racer with a fresh and unique visual style that is very Need for Speed.” Nitro will be released this Autumn as well, for the Wii and Nintendo DS.
![[nitro_brandrelease_jan29.jpg]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_jp-Y_pSujQA/SYNQVXmPcQI/AAAAAAAAXdA/x8aScBAkCXE/s1600/nitro_brandrelease_jan29.jpg)
is a PC-exclusive free-to-play MMO due for release in Asia this summer, and later on in the West as well. World Online will be created by EA Black Box and the online EA Singapore studio.
This is not so much a proof of concept – it is a full-fledged launch in a market that we are very ambitious toward. This Play 4 Free action racing game will give Need for Speed fans the most licensed cars, parts and game modes ever in Need for Speed’s history.
Players will prove their racing supremacy through the sophisticated online matchmaking features and fully customise their profile and their ride. Once Need for Speed World Online has been successfully deployed in Asia, we will expand the game’s reach by offering the service to PC gamers around the world.
Fourth Title Underdevelopment:
EA has also revealed that in addition to these three games, another future action title is currently under development by series regular Black Box. No further details about the secret project were revealed.
The motivation was purely driven by our understanding of racing gamers and their desire to experience different kinds of racing games. I would say that our strategy is the inverse of milking; it is an intentionally non-traditional approach.
So far, all this sounds quite promising. No matter what type of gamer you are; ‘hardcore’, casual or online, with the separation of the franchise into three distinct genres, EA will have the game that will fill your needs.
With recent Need for Speed titles having been unsuccessful, many will put in doubt the success of these four games, as would be reasonable. EA are said to remain committed to taking creative risks, and this is one of them.
Is it really going to happen that EA will surprise us and create a number of games, or at least one, which will really be worth buying and playing, unlike the recent mediocre titles in the NFS series? One thing is for sure – Need for Speed fans are going to be busy this year.
February 26, 2009 at 11:11 am (GAMING STUFF)
Tags: Games
The cross-over fighting game from Midway that combine the DC Comics and Mortal Kombat universes has now an official launch date. Mortal Kombat vs DC universe will arrive on the market on November 16th on North America and November 21st in Europe.
There have also been accusations that DC is borrowing Marvel’s concept of their wildly successful crossover with Capcom. Whether you love or hate the idea of a DC/MK merger, one thing is for certain: Midway has certainly got people talking.
There is just something so exciting about when two worlds crossover whether it’s in video games, comic books or films. Characters created by completely different companies, who you never thought would meet, are together battling against each other or, in some cases, teaming up together. DC has been known for some outrageous crossovers including Batman vs. Predator and Superman and Savage Dragon, though this has to be one of the most unexpected crossovers in DC history.
While the announcement that the game will be designed for a T-rating may alienate some diehard MK fans, the decision to do so is intended to please the DC fans who may be less inclined to enjoy seeing Superman’s insides spill out onto the floor. However, it has been confirmed that the game will include a finishing system similar to Fatalities which will feature less gore and less violence to ensure they stay within the Teen-rated boundaries.
But gore fans shouldn’t fret. Judging by the teaser for MK vs. DCU released late April, images of Batman striking Sub-Zero with a right-hook and Sub-Zero returning with a roundhouse to the Dark Knight’s chin show fair amounts of blood-spray. The trailer also shows some crazy midair battling, as Boon promises the game will incorporate a new element called Freefall Kombat to the arena-to-arena where characters fall through multi-tiered environments. Another fighting mechanic will be introduced to Mortal Kombat gameplay known as Klose Kombat, in which the camera zooms in to capture new damage affects on characters, including bruises and rips in clothing. It has also been announced by Epic Games that the game will be using their Unreal Engine 3 developed for the PS3 and 360.
And with the concept of DC characters facing MK fighters, the question will inevitably arise: ‘How the heck is anyone supposed to beat Superman?’. With more human characters fighting those with unrealistic superpowers, the developers have made sure to create a balance that elevates some character’s powers while lowering the powers of others to ensure a fair fight. With the fantastical storyline that merges the two worlds, the magic that flows through them will affect some characters differently to balance fighters more equally.
Midway is also working with DC comic writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray to create the storyline and ensure a perfect blend between MK imagery and DC nostalgia. It also helped Midway realize how DC characters would react to being thrust into the MK world, from the view of the writers who know them best. The game will in fact feature two different storylines in its story mode. One will take place in the MK realm in which the DC characters invade Outworld, and the second will be from the perspective of the DC world in which MK characters come to invade. Boon doesn’t reveal much in the way of storyline, but says some cataclysmic event will take place which merges the two realms and leads Mortal Kombat characters to confront DC heroes and villains.
According the Midway press release, “Kombat forces friends to fight, worlds to collide, and unlikely alliances to be forged. In order to save all they know, the heroes and villains of Mortal Kombat must wage war against the combined might of the DC Universe.”
With heated discussions on message boards the ‘net over, the decision to cross the two worlds over has definitely brought upon its share of controversy. With what could be a hit-or-miss approach to the next-gen MK debut, developers are undoubtedly aware of what fans expect from their franchise and are promising to do their best to satisfy both Kombat and DC fans with the project. Time will tell how fans on both sides of the fence will react when the game is released this fall.
Any further information about the game can be found on their very detailed (and beautiful) official site.
February 26, 2009 at 10:53 am (GAMING STUFF)
Tags: Games
The announcement made by Electronic Arts leaves no room for doubts: in order to experience the new things that The Sims 3 has to offer, we will need to wait until autumn. Initially scheduled for next February 20th, EA has decided to postpone it to a vague “Autumn 2009″, not giving any reasons for the delay: even though the game’s almost completed, instead of postponing it to March or April, it’s possible that EA has decided to push it towards a more financially-friendly period, which is the one preceeding the Christmas season.
We still hope that EA will change their minds, as the launch period for the title isn’t definite as the company has admitted. In the meanwhile, we’ll keep the launch date for The Sims 3 for autum this year, for PC and Mac OS-X
Updated: After some users contacted us wondering if this was simply a rumor or not, we have noticed that Eurogamer.net has published an article about the matter with a quote from EA as well, confirming the postponing of the launch date at least for now. The full article can be read here. We will be waiting on a more precise communication from EA and as soon as anything new comes up, we’ll let you all know!
One of the things that many players of The Sims wanted was the possibility of scarying their virtual citizens. Shacknews has published some images of The Sims 3 that show a possibility of giving the characters a “vampire look”.
However, the look is restricted to the appearance, really. There will be no vampiric abilities to those characters. We remind you all that The Sims 3 is scheduled to launch on June 2nd. In the meantime, take a look at those screenshots!
February 26, 2009 at 10:47 am (GAMING STUFF)
Tags: GAMING STUFF
Nintendo of Japan has presented three new colors for the Nintendo DSi to the press today. The new colors (Pink, Lime Green and Metallic blue) will be available from March 20th for the price of 18.900 yen (around 152€).
We take this opportunity to remind you all that the Nintendo DSi will be launched on April 3rd in Europe and April 5th for the US market, only in the original colors (black and white) for now.
February 26, 2009 at 10:43 am (GAMING STUFF)
Tags: Games
Square Enix has finally announced the launch date for the PC version of The Last Remnant: March 24th. The Steam launch was scheduled for a little later, on April 9th.
The Windows version will offer a few additional features not present on the XBox 360, such as enhancements and fixes, better graphics, faster game and also the possibility of choosing the English or Japanese dialogues.
The Last Remnant is an RPG with a more action nature that uses the famous Unreal Engine 3.
February 26, 2009 at 10:40 am (GAMING STUFF)
Tags: Games
After being labeled as the “main antagonist” for World of Warcraft and an initial success, Age of Conan is going low on the charts, arriving to a mere 100.000 subscribers: a whole lot less than Blizzard’s famous MMO, and still a few thousand behind Warhammer Online as well.
Age of Conan’s lack of success on the market was surely one of the main reasons for Funcom’s 23,3 million dollar loss, which added to the previous losses, it amounts to $33.8 million: reason why the Company’s CFO Olav Sandnes has presented his resignation.
We’ll see what future is reserved for Age of Conan.
February 26, 2009 at 10:37 am (GAMING STUFF)
Tags: Games
Microsoft has confirmed through Major Nelson the arrival of an XBox Resident Evil Limited Edition bundle, with the very original XBox 360 Elite, colored red.
The price was fixed on $399 dollars (should be around 299€ for Europe) and it will be available on the launch date for Resident Evil, on March 13th. As Major Nelson reminds on his blog, the number of those models is very limited, so the pre-ordering is advised.
The contents of the bundle are:
