tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36327359828235108372024-10-05T04:06:25.175+02:00"It's better to play than do nothing" - ConfuciusFisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-44095850206624023372011-06-30T08:44:00.002+02:002011-06-30T08:47:49.745+02:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mwarfare3.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/modernwarfare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://mwarfare3.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/modernwarfare.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> There's been a bit of <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/call-of-duty-elite-announcement-timing-questioned-ea-chief">mud slinging</a> between the respective sides for <a href="http://www.1up.com/games/xbox360/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3/">Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3</a> and <a href="http://www.1up.com/games/pc/battlefield-3/">Battlefield 3</a>. While the latter has been praised for its impressive visuals and the Frostbite 2 engine, Sledgehammer Games co-founder Glen Schofield is adamant that MW3's ability to run at 60 frames per second should not be understated. <br /> <br /> In an interview with <a href="http://www.ausgamers.com/features/read/3079156" target="_blank">AusGamers</a> at E3, Schofield was asked if the engine that continues to be used to power the Call of Duty series will ever be dropped of favor of something entirely new. He said, "I don't really know. I mean we really revamped this engine. We put a whole new audio system in and it is as competitive as anybody out there. You can go out and name your engine and call it whatever you want, right. You know, I've done that before; I've seen that trick and the bottom line is, this game will run at 60 frames a second. Not sure any of our competitors will. <br /> "Not sure I've seen any of our competitors on the console especially running at 60 frames a second and I'd be a little scared at this point -- in June -- if I was looking forward to a particular game that wasn't on the console and running at 60. And I think 60 is our competitive edge and you just don't throw that away." <br /> Some fans have called for Infinity Ward to develop an entirely new engine. That's obviously easier said than done, as it would require a big investment; as of <a href="http://www.1up.com/games/xbox360/cod-black-ops/">Black Ops</a>, the Call of Duty series was doing <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/black-ops-best-selling-game-all-time">just fine</a> whether or not it's running on the latest and greatest technology. <br /> <br /> "What you do is you build upon it, right? And build and build and build," Schofield continued. "And we build new tools that make us more efficient. We built brand new tools so that we could put more stuff in. That's why, you'll see a level and you'll come out of the water; so we've built all this water. You've got New York in the background; you've got explosions going on; you've got skyscrapers, then you have this huge submarine coming out of the water. We're able to put so much on the screen because it's an engine and it's well-known, it's very clean and we're able to easily upgrade it. <br /> <br /> "So I don't know what the future holds for the engine. But you don't ship an engine, you ship a game." <br /> Sledgehammer had been planning to work on an <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/activision-moving-call-duty-additional">action/adventure</a> Call of Duty game -- a project that <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/sledgehammer-call-of-duty-action-adventure-game-could-still-happen">has not</a> been forgotten -- but is focused for now on assisting Infinity Ward with development on MW3. <br /> Schofield never directly mentions Battlefield 3, although based upon the way the question is framed, it's pretty clear that it is the competitor being referred to. The two games will be squaring off later this year; BF3 is set for release on October 25 followed two weeks later by MW3 on November 8. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/call-of-duty-competitive-edge-sixty-frames-per-second" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-38349983844117934862011-01-14T09:20:00.001+01:002011-01-14T09:20:22.250+01:00 <P>Sledgehammer Games has posted a job listing which suggests it is working on the next installment of the CoD franchise.</P><P>The advert (on <A href="http://jobs.gamasutra.com/JobSeekerX/ViewJob.asp?JobID=Et%2F1%2BRGZZCyGcSdI7cIlMsAmjON7&Keywords=sledgehammer" target="_blank">Gamasutra</A>) is for a Community Manager for what Sledgehammer refers to as “the next Call of Duty game”.</P><P>Although Sledgehammer was <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Call-of-Duty-Sledgehammer-Games-Unannounced/news/Sledgehammer-CoD-Game-Is-An-FPS-15271.html">known</A> to be working on a Call of Duty game, the developer of the next CoD title has not yet been officially confirmed by Activision, and Raven Software was also <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Call-of-Duty-2011/news/Raven-Games-Joins-Call-of-Duty-Fold-15233.html">reported</A> to be working on its own entry in the series. However, today’s job listing, in conjunction with <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Raven-Software-Bond-Game-Unannounced/news/Shelved-Bond-Game-Back-On-As-Bond-23-Resurfaces-15932.html">rumours</A> that Raven has resumed development of its shelved Bond game, provides the strongest evidence yet that Sledgehammer will be at the helm of the next CoD release.</P><P>Although little has been revealed about the direction Sledgehammer intends to take with the series, <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Call-of-Duty-Sledgehammer-Games-Unannounced/news/Next-CoD-May-Be-Set-In-Space-15777.html">industry chatter</A> suggests that the next game may feature a futuristic aesthetic, with the ‘near-future’ conceit of previous entries abandoned in favour of a space combat theme. Sledgehammer was founded by key members of the original Dead Space team, so perhaps the rumours aren't as far-fetched as they sound. Nazi Zombies in space anyone?</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Call-of-Duty-Sledgehammer-Games-Unannounced/news/Sledgehammer-Making-Next-Call-of-Duty-Game-15938.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-19063498267535016252010-12-25T19:48:00.001+01:002010-12-25T19:48:50.860+01:00 <P>Activision has filed legal documents with the Los Angeles Superior Court seeking $400 million in punitive damages from rival publisher Electronic Arts.</P><P>It's all part of an <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Modern-Warfare-2/news/Infinity-Ward-Execs-West--Zampella-Suing-Activision-15033.html">ongoing legal battle</A> between Activision and two former studio heads at its Infinity Ward studio, Jason West and Vince Zampella, who were fired from their posts earlier this year.</P><P>West and Zampella have since formed Respawn Entertainment under the EA Partners program, leading Activision to seek punitive damages from EA including profits the company would have made had it not been for EA's "interference", costs for rebuilding Infinity Ward, and damages resulting from delays and disruptions.</P><P>Activision is also taking action to stop EA benefitting from what it calls "illegal conduct". The company claims that EA attempted to contact West and Zampella while they were still under contract at Activision and draw them away from the company to work on a rival videogame franchise.</P><P>Documentation provided by Activision suggests that West and Zampella still had two years left on their contracts when EA approached them, and these contracts effectively prohibited them from working within competing sectors of the videogame industry or luring any Infinity Ward staff to rival studios for the duration of their contracts. </P><P>EA's COO, John Schappert began "covertly" contacting West and Zameplla no later than July 30th 2009 according to Activision, which documented evidence of personal e-mails received by West and Zampella from the Creative Arts Agency representing them. </P><P>This agency is accused of being West and Zameplla's go-between with EA, playing a critical role in organising a secret meeting at the home of EA's CEO, John Riccitiello on August 28th 2009. EA is said to have flown West and Zameplla to San Francisco via private jet to meet personally with the company's CEO.</P><P>An <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Modern-Warfare-2/news/Has-Infinity-Ward-Lost-Its-Most-Important-Employee-Yet-15168.html">exodus of Infinity Ward staff</A> followed the formation of <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Modern-Warfare-2/news/West-And-Zampella-Making-Games-For-EA-15115.html">Respawn Entertainment</A> in April of this year as developers resigned their posts at the Activision studio to join West and Zameplla's new outfit.</P><P>EA has issued a response to Activision's legal filing, with a spokesperson for the company telling the <A href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/12/activision-sues-electronic-arts-seeks-400-million.html" target="_blank">LA Times</A>, "This is a PR play filled with pettiness and deliberate misdirection. Activision wants to hide the fact that they have no credible response to the claim of two artists who were fired and now just want to get paid for their work."</P><P>Legal documents sourced via <A href="http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/21/activision-claims-ea-and-former-iw-execs-schemed-to-inflict-ser/" target="_blank">Joystiq</A>.</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Call-of-Duty-Modern-Warfare-3-unannounced/news/Activision-Suing-EA-For-400-Million-15903.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-42665108903295572732010-11-27T11:37:00.000+01:002010-11-27T11:37:06.591+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images1.pocket-lint.com/images/y2Z4/best-cars-gran-turismo-5-0.jpg?20101124-171736" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images1.pocket-lint.com/images/y2Z4/best-cars-gran-turismo-5-0.jpg?20101124-171736" /></a></div><br /> Good things come to those who wait, or so they say. It's a proverb we'd hoped would ring true for Gran Turismo 5, a game that's been in development for over five years and continually pushed back from one vague seasonal release window to the next over the last couple of years. Perhaps Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital's most phenomenal achievement is that they've actually been allowed to develop a game for so long - in previous generations, whole videogame consoles would have come and gone in the same time that it's taken this one game to be developed.<br /> <br /> And even now, with the game finally making its way out into the wild, there's still more waiting to be done. Loading screens really are unfathomably long, while installing to the hard drive is an hour long process that still leaves extensive load times in its wake. The wait continues on into GT5's online component, which seems to take an age checking network environments or joining lobbies, while some post-release bugs <a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-5/news/GT5-Stalls-In-Network-Traffic-Jam-15819.html">haven't exactly helped matters</a> either. Gran Turismo is a game that will try your patience then, but the real question is whether it's all worth it in the end and the answer to that is yes, but only just.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.veterangamers.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/granturismo5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.veterangamers.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/granturismo5.jpg" /></a></div><br /> It's still the most visually impressive driving sim out there by a comfortable margin; the amount of content on offer easily trumps any other driving game in terms of sheer size, variation and quality, while the series retains its trademark motophilia that lavishes pornographic levels of attention on the metallic curves of its lovingly recreated vehicles. It is, as it always has been, a car collecting game that puts the focus squarely on acquiring vehicles and experiencing the thrill of driving them rather than racing them per se. Yes, we know that the vast majority of content in GT5 features races against AI vehicles, but once again these AI vehicles are about as aggressive as Mahatma Gandhi and feature as mobile blocks of Styrofoam more than they do tangible race competitors.<br /> <br /> The actual 'racing' in the game is more about buying the right vehicle for use in a particular championship and then using additional modifications in the garage to keep your car's pace above that of the AI pack. If you're playing Gran Turismo as intended, then furious battles in-between the front-runners shouldn't really come into it - it's much more about a challenge between you, your car, and the race track. To that aim, GT5 delivers to the same high standards of all its predecessors. The sheer joy of purchasing a '95 Toyota Celica WRC car or modifying a Nissan GT-R to ridiculous proportions is still unrivalled anywhere in gaming and will happily sate the appetites of hungry car enthusiasts more successfully than ever before. Still, those expecting a racing game might be disappointed, and justifiably so to be honest.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gotgame.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/GP_001_p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://gotgame.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/GP_001_p.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> While the introduction of damage modelling is tastefully done in GT5, it doesn't really have a knock-on effect with any of the gameplay at this stage (although that <a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-5/news/GT5-Mechanical-Damage-Not-Yet-Implemented-15822.html">may be subject to change</a>). Coverage of damage modelling from one vehicle to the next is admittedly a touch slim - many remain undamageable - while it's perhaps not quite as dynamic as we'd hoped. Dents and scratches will appear on the specific pieces of body panelling where an impact is made, although the size of those dents doesn't really reflect the force of a collision. Generally speaking, frequency of contact rather than intensity will determine how much damage is done, while the animations do appear to be a bit canned at times (we've seen our Lamborghini Gallardo's bumper come loose in precisely the same way on numerous different occasions).<br /> <br /> Where visual improvements are concerned though, the undeniable stars of the show are GT5's in-car views (arguably they're the stars of the whole game). Following their introduction in GT5 Prologue, Polyphony Digital has now retained this painstaking eye for interior detail and applied it to a strong majority of the cars in GT5. Subtle camera work that transfers the illusion of inertia and speed particularly well then makes these in-car camera angles more than merely pretty - in fact, you'll be robbing yourself of much of what makes GT5 great by opting for an alternative view. All of the new environmental additions, such as rain, snow, and night time races, have then been translated incredibly well to these in-car views (although, ironically enough, viewing wet or snowy races from the behind-the-car view can result in some fuzzy and even broken visual effects at times).<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/GT5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/GT5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> The weather effects certainly deliver on the gameplay front though, proving GT5's simulation prowess once again with a thoroughly believable loss of grip (driving on marbles is a famous motor racing phrase that comes to mind). It'll be no surprise to fans of the series that GT5 is as intently focussed on vehicle handling as it always has been, with a wide variation in driving experience from one car to the next and handling that changes convincingly as you add new parts and modifications to specific vehicles. Particularly worthy of note are some new additions to the Gran Turismo fold such as karting and NASCAR, with the karting in particular proving to be freakishly lifelike (to be honest we've never actually driven a NASCAR, so that could be just as lifelike for all we know). Whatever the case, there are whole videogames that are focussed solely on these specific types of motor sport that still don't do as good a job as GT5 manages on a whim.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.el33tonline.com/images/cache/8281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://www.el33tonline.com/images/cache/8281.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Perhaps the most original addition to GT5 is the new Course Maker, which allows players to take an existing blueprint for a circuit in the game and customise it according to a number of parameters including the number of sectors, track width in each sector, corner sharpness, and complexity (i.e. the number of corners). Once you've entered values for all of these variables, the Course Maker then processes a new sector of track for you. While we're a bit disappointed that the system doesn't have quite the hands on editing control that we'd hoped for, it's still decent enough to have a mess around with and see what you can conjure up before taking out your most prized car for a test drive or race around it.<br /> <br /> Beyond all of this, there's still oodles of content to get your teeth into, more cars than you can shake a stick at (over 1,000 apparently), and a wide assortment of imagined and licensed tracks. It really is as big as a driving game can get really, with enough races, championships, and Special Events to keep you beavering away for far in excess of 50 hours if you want to achieve the Gold trophy in each one. The B-Spec mode returns from previous GTs and, as before, there's little appeal to it beyond accruing some extra cash when you're making a cup of tea or, in our case at this very moment, writing a game review. As it was in Prologue, Gran Turismo TV is also on hand with both paid-for and free video content from the world of motoring should you wish to indulge. When you're tired of all this, there's 16-player online multiplayer to keep you happy as well.<br /> <br /> Admittedly the online component of GT5 has had a bit of a battering in its first 24 hours of exposure. Still, Kazunori Yamauchi has been quick to assure fans that the multiplayer will go through an ongoing process of evolution in the coming months, which is news to our ears as the offerings are a bit embryonic at this stage. Promises of online matchmaking, leaderboards, and more stringent restrictions in races need to be delivered by Polyphony Digital if this portion of the game is to achieve any significant lasting appeal. The development team might also want to look at adding a few more race modes as well because the offerings at the moment are fairly straight forward and bare, with only conventional and 'Shuffle' races on hand to mix-up the action.<br /> Other blemishes on the game are evident in its visuals which, although genre leading and closer to photo-realistic than pretty much any other videogame series in history, still remain on a par with the graphics in GT5: Prologue when we'd hoped they would be a slight improvement.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://chrisescars.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/GranTurismo-5-Red-Bull-X1-1-450x403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://chrisescars.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/GranTurismo-5-Red-Bull-X1-1-450x403.jpg" /></a></div><br /> &nbsp;GT5 is certainly no more graphically impressive on a technical level than Prologue and perhaps ever so slightly less. Maybe it's just the increased number of cars on track or the sheer amount of content that's been shoe-horned onto a single Blu-ray, but subtle visual effects such as shadowing have definitely been turned down a notch from what they were in the Prologue edition. Still, we're more than happy to trade-off blockier shadows for new visual features such as damage and weather.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-5/review-15824.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-54502893381625512962010-11-27T11:22:00.001+01:002010-11-27T11:22:48.925+01:00<P>Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi has announced that an update for Gran Turismo 5 will hit PS3s today. The patch will add power and weight class restrictions to online matches, in addition to other improvements “to refine the usability of the game to make it a better experience.”</P><br /><P>Speaking in an interview with <A href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-25-kazunori-yamauchi-interview-interview?page=1" target="_blank">Eurogamer</A>, Yamauchi-san explained why yesterday’s online congestion <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-5/news/GT5-Stalls-In-Network-Traffic-Jam-15819.html">brought GT5 to a grinding halt</A>.</P><br /><P>“Yesterday the online service was kind of in a critical state. The data centre was set up to handle 500,000 connections but the number of connections we received greatly exceeded that amount and there was a high chance of experiencing problems as a result.” he said.</P><br /><P>“The design of the GT game really integrates the online and offline parts. So the problems online actually affected the offline play as well. Right now we've changed the number of simultaneous connections that are possible to one million, doubling the number, and we're trying to gauge what will happen, but we don't know at this point in time.”</P><br /><P>Yamauchi-san also reitirated <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-6-Unannounced/news/Gran-Turismo-6-for-PS4-15823.html">his commitment</A> to continually improving the GT5 experience post-release, referring to the game as “a living creature, dynamically growing as we speak.” He said that tomorrow’s update “that will include things like max power restrictions and weight restrictions” is just the start of a longer process of refinement.</P><br /><P>“Now it's released we're going to have several million people who'll become citizens of Gran Turismo. From here on we have to listen to their voice and see what they want and change the game accordingly to match their needs. So Gran Turismo really is just at the starting point, it's really the beginning and we're just going to evolve from here.”</P><br /><P><A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-5/news/GT5-Online-Update-Arrives-Saturday-15825.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</A></P>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-47300409352893995532010-11-16T06:09:00.000+01:002010-11-16T06:09:00.961+01:00 <P>Call of Duty: Black Ops has beaten the previous record for launch day game sales in the UK, with retailers shifting 1.4 million copies of the FPS within 24 hours of its release.</P><P>Modern Warfare 2, the previous record holder, sold 1.23 million units over the equivalent period last year, generating £47.7m in revenue. Black Ops has hauled in £58m so far, representing an increase of 22 per cent in revenue terms, and 14 per cent in units sold, according to figures released by UKIE (as reported by <A href="http://www.mcvuk.com/news/41776/Black-Ops-sets-new-UK-day-1-record" target="_blank">MCV</A>).</P><P>Presumably the extensive nationwide midnight launches helped to buoy sales; it's easier to beat a day one sales record if you start at midnight after all.</P><P>The numbers indicate consumers are paying on average £2.50 more than they did for launch copies of Modern Warfare 2 last year, despite both games having an RRP of £54.99. This equates to a price hike at more than double the current rate of inflation as measured by the consumer prices index and means that the latest CoD is roughly £1 more expensive than last year in real terms. Taken over the total likely sales of Black Ops this represents a significant increase in potential revenue if the disparity between price and inflation is maintained.</P><P>These new figures add credence to Activision's <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops/news/CoD-Black-Ops-Breaks-Day-One-Sales-Records-15782.html">previous announcement</A> that day one sales of Black Ops had eclipsed Modern Warfare 2 by some £30m worldwide.</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops/news/CoD-Black-Ops-Breaks-UK-Sales-Record-15788.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-70936076980867144462010-11-16T03:34:00.000+01:002010-11-16T03:34:00.128+01:00 <P>EA has announced that, following the launch of FIFA 11, lifetime sales of its FIFA series have passed through 100 million total unit sales in 18 years on the market.</P><P>FIFA 11 has been the quickest selling FIFA game in the series so far, <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/FIFA-11/news/FIFA-11-Sells-26-Million-In-Its-First-Week-15686.html">selling 2.6 million units</A> in the first five days following its release. The record breaking figure makes FIFA 11 the fastest selling sports game ever according to EA, which reports that sales are up 20% over last year for the first month of sales.</P><P>This announcement comes alongside the <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/FIFA-11/news/FIFA-11-Ultimate-Team-DLC-Launching-Next-Week-15747.html">release of EA's FIFA 11 Ultimate Team DLC</A>, which is now available as a free download via Xbox Live and PSN.</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/FIFA-11/news/FIFA-Reaches-100-Million-Lifetime-Sales-15763.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-68417422267626697292010-11-16T00:24:00.000+01:002010-11-16T00:24:00.370+01:00 <P>New figures released by Chart Track reveal that Sega’s popular football management sim has taken the top spot in its debut week. Well known for its addictive gameplay, we gave Football Manager 2011 a healthy 8/10 in our <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Football-Manager-2011/review-15756.html">comprehensive review</A>; despite lacking any particularly revolutionary new features compared to previous iterations of the game, it seems that fans just can’t get enough (it’s a sickness, people).</P><P>Activision’s attempt to exploit the Bond license appears to have fared rather less well, with James Bond 007: Blood Stone and Wii reimaging Goldeneye 007 launching at number 18 and 13 respectively.</P><P>In a footy one-two for the UK sales chart, FIFA 11 settles into the second slot for another week as Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is finally relegated out of the top ten into 14th place.</P><P>01. Football Manager 2011 (Sega)<BR>02. FIFA 11 (EA Sports)<BR>03. Fable III (Microsoft)<BR>04. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)<BR>05. Professor Layton And The Lost Future (Nintendo)<BR>06. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo)<BR>07. Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda Softworks)<BR>08. Medal Of Honor (EA Games)<BR>09. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (Lucasarts)<BR>10. The Sims 3 (EA Games)</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Football-Manager-2011/news/Football-Manager-Top-Of-The-Table-In-UK-Sales-Chart-15768.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-74824087863921128552010-11-15T21:20:00.001+01:002010-11-15T21:20:55.821+01:00 <P>Sony has announced that Gran Turismo 5 will be released towards the end of next month, arriving in the UK on November 24th. The title was originally slated for a November 3rd launch, but was abruptly delayed in October, little more than a fortnight before release.</P><P>Today’s announcement comes as a relief to fans who were <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-5/news/Gran-Turismo-5-Delayed-In-Europe-Too-15721.html">previously told</A> GT5 would be out "sometime" before christmas as time was spent "ironing the kinks out of the game's complex system."</P><P>Sony has also revealed a full list of the <A href="http://uk.playstation.com/ps3/news/articles/detail/item319939/" target="_blank">cars</A> and <A href="http://uk.playstation.com/ps3/news/articles/detail/item318973/" target="_blank">tracks</A> in Gran Turismo 5. Masochists will be pleased to note the return of the Nurburgring 24 hour endurance race.</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-5/news/Gran-Turismo-5-Release-Date-Revealed-15791.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-65735454569726582132010-11-11T22:53:00.000+01:002010-11-11T22:53:25.287+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gamerant.com/wp-content/uploads/call-of-duty-black-ops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://gamerant.com/wp-content/uploads/call-of-duty-black-ops.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> Activision's Call of Duty games are really starting to rack up a hefty carbon footprint. Forget all of the greenhouse emissions from the copious amounts of military craft and vehicles (not to mention one nuclear explosion) - just the travelling alone is more than most people would do in a lifetime. The Modern Warfare games went from favelas in Rio de Janeiro to a gulag in the far-eastern corner of Russia and an SAS training camp in the UK to a village in Azerbeijan - they even had the audacity to go back in time with Captain Price's flashback to Chernobyl irradiated Ukraine, and we all know how polluting those flux capacitors are. Call of Duty: Black Ops is no exception in that regard, leapfrogging from Cuba to the Vietnam War, the former USSR to quite literally the edge of space, and Treyarch even has time to flashback to the Arctic Circle at the end of World War II (as if it hadn't had enough of that era already).<br /> <br /> If you don't even like first-person shooters, perhaps it's just worth buying the game for the virtual travelling opportunities? If not that, then just take a punt for the impressive levels of historical research on show. Military vehicles, weapons, and clothing have obviously been loyally recreated from the Cold War era, but it's the finer details that really stand out here - even the computer command consoles are unmistakably of their time and the voice-actor for JFK is spot-on the money. People harp on about how great TV shows like Mad Men are for precisely these reasons, so perhaps it's worth remembering that some videogames (CoD: Black Ops being a standout example) also do a remarkably good job in their own right (Resistance: Fall of Man, on the other hand, definitely did not).<br /> <br /> Black Ops presents a campaign that's adventurous and believable, then, but it's also unmistakably Treyarch. Much like with World at War, the initial levels play out like the final levels in the Modern Warfare games - with over-clocked gunfights around every turn - and this onslaught doesn't relent until the credits roll. There's very little time for subtlety here (Treyarch doesn't even bother with a tutorial really) and there are times when you'll ask yourself, where's the foreplay? You do feel a bit like a floozy who's been flung on a bed and dominated with animal-like aggression - at times we'd have liked Treyarch to slow it down and show a lighter touch for a second but, if we're being honest with ourselves, the red-blooded vigorousness of it all is just as much of a turn-on. Treyarch is kind of carving out its own style away from Infinity Ward in this regard, and all the power to it for that.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYQSPEmeGPZ872ZXGIhcY3EeZi3D3C0_OpXZxNukXmh9TAqDT1Dmg_Si5UKwtIYl2NbQHA4tu-74yq1D3HFPiKjBhnhpG_85c56vqNanMpp5DBcqQjiYwwZRQhlU-qtND6dXndNZVDGg/s1600/call-of-duty-black-ops-playstation-3-ps3-042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYQSPEmeGPZ872ZXGIhcY3EeZi3D3C0_OpXZxNukXmh9TAqDT1Dmg_Si5UKwtIYl2NbQHA4tu-74yq1D3HFPiKjBhnhpG_85c56vqNanMpp5DBcqQjiYwwZRQhlU-qtND6dXndNZVDGg/s400/call-of-duty-black-ops-playstation-3-ps3-042.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> While the studio's previous Call of Duty games have often been criticised for the vehicle sections in their campaigns, Black Ops finally manages to deliver. Things start off badly in the first couple of levels with some quite shoddy car and bike action but, as the campaign moves on into Vietnam, the vehicles come into their own. Driving a boat down a Vietnamese river, showering the undergrowth with bullets as the radio plays Black Ops' title track (The Rolling Stones - 'Gimme Shelter') at full volume is a priceless moment. Equally brilliant is the opportunity to take full control of a chopper a bit later on, raining fire on gun emplacements and sniper towers with disdain. In general, Black Ops does a very good job with the levels that it sets during the Vietnam War - a full-scale invasion by the Vietcong at one point is quite something to behold and ranks among Medal of Honor: Frontline's opening level as one of the finest to actually place gamers amid a heaving battlefield (or, at least, successfully cast that illusion).<br /> <br /> At 6-8 hours in length depending on your skill level, Black Ops' campaign is actually quite hearty compared to its immediate peers (i.e. Modern Warfare, Medal of Honor etc.). Where it does fall down a little, though, is with its variation in gameplay. There are a few examples of a change in pace, such as the SR-71 Blackbird level and one particularly good section with a Hazmat suit that we won't go into for spoiler reasons, but you're left with the overall feeling that Black Ops comes off a little gunfight heavy. Just one or two more novel design ideas could have made the difference here though and Black Ops does a much better job than most other FPS titles in this area regardless, so we're inclined not to be too critical.<br /> <br /> Nonetheless, if the campaign by itself scores a very high 8/10 that could just about scrape a 9, then CoD fans will be glad to hear that the all important multiplayer is a sure-fire 9/10 that reaches for the perfect 10. The simplest ideas are often the best ones and Black Ops' new Wager Mode is precisely that - it's the most notable addition to CoD's multiplayer format from Modern Warfare 2 and brings about a completely different way of playing the game. In the mode, gamers can wager CoD Points against matches in 6-player lobbies - if they manage to finish in the top three (or 'in the money') at the end of a match then they are rewarded with a sliding scale of CoD Points depending on their final position. The catch is that you have to place a wager to even play in a match and, if you finish outside the top three, then you get nothing.<br /> <br /> 'What are these CoD Points?' We hear you cry. Well, they're effectively an extension of XP. While XP still unlocks weapons and various other customisation options, gamers then need CoD Points to actually purchase the new weapons, killstreak rewards, or perks etc. You can earn CoD Points by achieving various challenges in the multiplayer, or purchasing specific 'Contracts' that reward you with bonus pay-outs upon their completion (e.g. call-in two Spy Planes, win three Team Deatchmatches etc.). It's effectively a whole new currency and one that's clearly been designed to fit around the Wager Mode - to this aim, the CoD Points are almost as inspired as the Wager Mode itself.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mmogamesite.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/call-of-duty-black-ops-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://www.mmogamesite.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/call-of-duty-black-ops-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> But it's the actual gameplay modes within Wager matches that are the most innovative and original ideas. Four separate modes manage to mix-up the action in ways that few other FPS games have touched on previously, let alone the CoD series. From 'One in the Chamber', where each gamer has a pistol armed with a single bullet to kill their adversaries, to 'Gun Game', where players rank-up through Black Ops' armoury of weapons with each successful kill, the gameplay is always frantic and varied. It has the kind of inventive multiplayer feel to it that we remember from playing GoldenEye in the 90s, and we certainly won't be surprised to see rival developers pinching ideas from Treyarch's work in the next couple of years.<br /> <br /> Other modes from the Wager matches include 'Sharp Shooter', where players accumulate perks as they build a killstreak, and 'Sticks &amp; Stones', which is a crossbows and tomahawks-only mode. All four of them have been solidly put together and we particularly enjoyed how Treyarch has approached the gameplay balancing. In 'Sharp Shooter', for example, all players have the same set weapon at one time, although the weapons cycle through a set list during matches; in 'Sticks and Stones' your score is reset back to zero when you're killed by a tomahawk, and in 'Gun Game' you get demoted to the previous weapon on the list when you're melee killed by an opponent. It's all finely-honed tweaking that keeps the action fast, frantic, and varied.<br /> Other than that, it's very much the multiplayer CoD experience that you know and love. The standard set-list of modes remains fairly unchanged, perks are pretty familiar, and weapon customisation remains consistent too. The big gameplay changes come from shotguns being reclassified as primary weapons (making them beefier as a result) and a radically changed list of killstreak rewards. Many of the new killstreaks have clearly been added to reflect the Cold War era, some have been re-introduced from earlier CoDs (e.g. attack dogs), and others are just variants on previously established ideas (e.g. the RC-XD bomb is an alternative to Predator Missiles and Spy Planes effectively replace UAVs). Overall, the killstreaks add some freshness to the experience and have been designed to offer a touch more hands-on control than their Modern Warfare 2 equivalents.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn1.spong.com/screen-shot/c/a/callofduty326116/_-New-Black-Ops-Trailer-Rolling-Stones-Review-Quotes-_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://cdn1.spong.com/screen-shot/c/a/callofduty326116/_-New-Black-Ops-Trailer-Rolling-Stones-Review-Quotes-_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> During our play-test of the multiplayer we managed to rank-up to level 11, providing a sizeable sample of the first few hours of play. We did sense some potential post-release issues, such as one or two predictable respawn points and gunplay that appeared to be balanced in favour of sub-machine guns. That said, these are the kind of issues that can only be solidly identified after the first few weeks of play and weapon balancing will vary greatly as you rank-up through the tiers. If these things do turn out to be bugbears, then they're also the kind of problems that can be rectified through patches and with a game of Black Ops' certain mass popularity, player feedback and developer response should be a fairly straightforward process.<br /> <br /> Beyond the multiplayer, Treyarch has brought along its world famous Zombie co-op mode complete with some rather unlikely protagonists in a map that you unlock after completing the campaign (which we won't go into for spoiler reasons). When you add this to the 4-player campaign co-op and local split-screen multiplayer options, Black Ops really is stocked with content that's been intelligently dished out, allowing gamers to play precisely how and with whom they want. You really have to look to the likes of Halo: Reach for another shooter that's just as well-stocked with options and modes.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops/review-15770.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-11455564411650814172010-11-11T22:23:00.000+01:002010-11-11T22:23:00.877+01:00 <P>Fallout: New Vegas has shipped a total of five million units worldwide across all platforms since launch, according to a press release from Bethesda. This translates to over $300 million in potential retail sales, a significant proportion of which is attributed to digital downloads.</P><P>“We are delighted by the reception Fallout: New Vegas has received from fans around the world,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks.</P><P>”Despite the large launch quantities for this title, we have already received substantial re-orders from our retail partners, underscoring the tremendous popularity of this highly entertaining game.”</P><P>Fallout: New Vegas has been well received by critics and fans alike despite a number of problematic bugs in the final code. Bethesda have announced a <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Fallout-New-Vegas/news/New-Patch-For-New-Vegas-15767.html">'comprehensive' patch</A>, which is due in the coming weeks and should address some of the issues players have been experiencing with the game.</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Fallout-New-Vegas/news/New-Vegas-Hits-The-Jackpot-15772.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-50809538832205502402010-11-11T18:58:00.002+01:002010-11-11T19:00:50.463+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.co-optimus.com/images/upload/image/2010/call-of-duty-black-ops-new-screens-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://www.co-optimus.com/images/upload/image/2010/call-of-duty-black-ops-new-screens-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> It's done it again. Activision's Call of Duty series has broken day-one sales records for the whole entertainment industry, totalling $360 million (roughly £223 million) in revenues during the first 24 hours of sales in North America and the UK alone.<br /> <br /> The revenues came from 5.6 million unit sales in total, nearly a million more than Modern Warfare 2 managed in its first day of sales last year. Admittedly Black Ops has an extra SKU on the Wii to push its sales figures up, although the lion's share of transactions are likely to have come from the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC platforms.<br /> <br /> &nbsp;"There has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records for two consecutive years and we are on track to outperform last year's five-day global sales record of $550 million," said Bobby Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard, Inc.&nbsp; "The game's success underscores the pop culture appeal of the brand. Call of Duty: Black Ops is the finest game that Treyarch has ever made and raises the bar for online gameplay by delivering the deepest and most intense Call of Duty experience yet. The Call of Duty franchise has over 25 million players around the world that are engaged in billions of hours of online gameplay, and we are committed to supporting them with new content and features on a more frequent and regular basis."<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops/news/CoD-Black-Ops-Breaks-Day-One-Sales-Records-15782.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-89853383588484545502010-11-08T10:09:00.002+01:002010-11-08T10:12:55.166+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://stuff.tv/csfiles/blogs/gaming/guitar_hero_metallica_-_the_band___the_forum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://stuff.tv/csfiles/blogs/gaming/guitar_hero_metallica_-_the_band___the_forum.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> Activision is making damn sure there is nothing subtle about the impending launch of Treyarch’s eagerly awaited <a class="game" href="http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/63703/call-of-duty-black-ops/index/">Call of Duty: Black Ops</a>, and just in case you had any doubts, the publisher announced today that legendary rockers Metallica will be taking the stage for the Black Ops launch party on November 4.<br /> <br /> The event will be held at the Santa Monica Airport’s Hangar 8 in Los Angeles, California, and is expected to raise $1 million for the Call of Duty Endowment. Activision Blizzard founded the non-profit corporation to help veterans find work and make the transition from soldier to civilian.<br /> <br /> "We are honored to have Metallica partner with us to pay tribute to the brave servicemen and women who have risked their lives at war only to return home to find their biggest challenge is searching for a job,” said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.<br /> <a href="http://feeds.g4tv.com/~r/g4tv/thefeed/~3/FT0BWswwjBs/Metallica-Headlines-Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops-Launch-Event.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-32865687155551734702010-11-07T19:04:00.001+01:002010-11-07T19:04:42.602+01:00 <P>EA has announced that Medal of Honor sold 1.5 million units in its first week on sale, while the game's first instalment of DLC will arrive for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 users on November 2nd.</P><P>The DLC will be free of charge to all gamers who've registered their Online Pass for Medal of Honor (available with all new copies of the game or as a separate purchase over Xbox Live/PSN) and will add a new multiplayer mode to the game. However, EA hasn't confirmed a PC release for the DLC at this stage, so we've sent off an e-mail to check and will update this article should we receive a response.</P><P>Entitled 'Clean Sweep', the new mode will pit two teams against each other in best-of-three matches played through four minute rounds. The catch is that there's no respawning in each round. Two all-new maps will be provided for the mode (Bagram Hangar and Khyber Caves) as well as two additional redesigns of existing maps (Diwagal Camp and Kabul City Ruins).</P><P>Medal of Honor's current figure of 1.5 million unit sales effectively gives it half the tally that the game's Producer, Greg Goodrich thinks will be <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/magazine/12military-t.html?_r=1" target="_blank">required to justify a sequel</A>. With only one week on the market so far, we'll bet good money it reaches that 3 million mark in the coming months.  </P><P>EA's CEO, John Riccitiello <A href="http://www.industrygamers.com/news/ea-confirms-medal-of-honor-has-generated-100-million/" target="_blank">revealed yesterday</A> that Medal of Honor has generated $100 million (roughly £64 million) in revenues so far.</P><P>Frank Gibeau, President at EA stated, “Medal of Honor is one of EA’s most storied franchises and we’re thrilled to see that fans worldwide have embraced it. In this ultra competitive category, Medal of Honor stands out from the pack. By portraying the Tier 1 Operator as so elite, so tough, Medal of Honor offers a view into a world that has the power to resonate with FPS gamers everywhere.”</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Medal-of-Honor/news/Medal-Of-Honor-Sells-15-Million-Free-DLC-Announced-15731.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-83444411885840812192010-11-06T13:26:00.002+01:002010-11-06T13:28:26.617+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gamingconsolenetwork.com/wp-content/woo_uploads/90-star-wars-the-force-unleashed-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://gamingconsolenetwork.com/wp-content/woo_uploads/90-star-wars-the-force-unleashed-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Perhaps the only redeeming quality behind Star Wars The Force Unleashed II is the fact that it’s a mercifully short game to finish. &nbsp;Something that comes as quite a blessing if you’re a Star Wars fan looking forward to where Starkiller’s adventure would take him next and ultimately discover the answer is... not very far.<br /> Whereas the original Force Unleashed was a mildly entertaining adventure with an intriguing premise that neatly introduced the idea of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, the sequel quite clearly highlights the series’ inadequacies and can no longer rely on the gimmick of novelty technology. &nbsp;Instead it’s the archaic and mind numbingly bland design that sticks in the memory, a reliance on tired ideas that proliferate throughout the entire experience and leaves little more than a tired action/adventure from a long time ago on a generation far, far away.<br /> <br /> Picking up shortly after the events of the original, The Force Unleashed II finds Starkiller attempting to escape the clutches of Darth Vader and track down Juno Eclipse. &nbsp;What this transpires into is a mind-numbing trawl through some of the most uninspired levels we’ve had the misfortune to play in quite some time. While the original was a testament to the technology powering the game engine and less a shining example of a great game, the subsequent time has diminished the impact that both Euphoria and MolecularMatter impose quite considerably. &nbsp;At times the original felt more like a game designed around a tech demo, but at least it had its share of memorable moments. &nbsp;Whether or not it’s the fact that the technology just doesn’t stand out as much or because it’s been downplayed is hard to ascertain, but either way The Force Unleashed II just feels lacking in virtually every department.<br /> <br /> Beyond jumping around the environment and dealing destruction with dual light sabres, The Force Unleashed II is woefully short of any variation. &nbsp;Occasionally you’ll have a section where Starkiller has to run away from the action towards the screen. &nbsp;It’s passable the first time, but it’s reused far too many times and quickly grows tiring, which can also be said about the repetitive QTE’s that frequent all of the larger opponents Starkiller faces. Sections that mask where you can explore with explosive obstacles and pose challenges &nbsp;such as breaking machinery with the Force are tired and ultimately seem as though LucasArts have been studying a book of game design circa 1996. &nbsp;To give just one example, Skykiller has to frequently put his masterful use of the Force to essentially put fuses back into their slots to open up doors - not exactly taxing the skills of a Jedi master!<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s3.gadgetreview.com.s3.amazonaws.com/Star_Wars_Force_Unleashed_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://s3.gadgetreview.com.s3.amazonaws.com/Star_Wars_Force_Unleashed_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> The combat and platforming mechanics, which feel staid and dated, are made even worse by the sheer efficiency of the two grapple moves that can defeat virtually every enemy you’ll come across. &nbsp;This is a crucial flaw as the same technique can be reused to blast through the game in no time at all. Trying to look past that is difficult particularly when the remaining combat system is button-bashing mediocrity and never really encourages you to explore its shallow limits. &nbsp;Once again it’s the Force Grip that allows you to hoist Stormtroopers into the air and throw them around that provides the most entertainment, but like the original it’s a cheap trick that gets old pretty quickly, particularly when the team hasn’t really addressed the control issues that still cause problems. &nbsp;New Force powers such as the Mind Trick join the established list, but they’re ultimately pointless and never do much to encourage using them. &nbsp;There’s never particularly any sense of development through the minimal upgrade system, and you never really get the feeling of becoming this empowered Jedi even when you’ve upgraded all of Starkiller’s abilities. &nbsp;If this character has a pivotal role to play in the Star Wars universe then it seems as though Chapter 2 is when he went on vacation.<br /> <br /> Following the ending from the original that saw Starkiller’s apparent death, it’s probably not too much of a spoiler that the course of events in the sequel follow the suggestion of whether or not Starkiller is a clone. &nbsp;As such The Force Unleashed II is supposed to be a more personal chapter in the trilogy that explores and questions Starkiller’s very existence. &nbsp;LucasArts handled the introduction of Starkiller with some skill in the original, particularly with plot details such as his efforts in fostering the Rebellion during the gap between Episode III and IV. Unfortunately it simply doesn’t come off in the sequel and is woefully short of any revelations that expand upon the Star Wars universe with any degree of satisfaction. &nbsp;Occasionally the game throws up a flashback sequence that offers a hint of intrigue but ultimately never really delivers or expands upon the Starkiller story. &nbsp;At one point you get to visit Yoda on Dagobah, but instead of using this to play some mind games with the player, ala Luke’s trip in The Empire Strikes Back, &nbsp;LucasArts has lazily restricted this to an unimaginative cut-scene. <br /> <br /> To cap it all off the final battle against Darth Vader is a lesson in repetition that fails to linger long in the memory. &nbsp;For some reason LucasArts has weakened the characters of Starkiller with brattish dialogue that ruins any reputation he had from the original. &nbsp;Once again there’s a choice to make at the end, but the events of the game fail to make this a noteworthy decision; the biggest issue is the fact that it probably sets things up for The Force Unleashed III.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Star-Wars-The-Force-Unleashed-II/review-15759.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-19991845214353116562010-11-05T15:16:00.000+01:002010-11-05T15:16:00.788+01:00 <P>The CEO of Polyphony Digital, Kazunori Yamauchi has revealed that his studio has already started work on the next instalment in the Gran Turismo series.</P><P><A href="http://www.autoweek.com/article/20101103/SEMA/101109948#ixzz14JXJLuf9" target="_blank">Autoweek</A> asked Yamauchi-san if Gran Turismo 6 was already in development, which he confirmed and then added when asked for an idea of what to expect, "It's not something that we can talk that lightly on. It took 2,000 days to get all the ideas that went into GT5. It's just too early to be talking about GT6".</P><P>Yamauchi-san has <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-5/news/Gran-Turismo-6-Confirmed-Wait-Wont-Be-As-Long-As-For-GT5-14723.html">indicated previously</A> that the wait for Gran Turismo 6 won't be as long as it has been for GT5. Polyphony Digital intends to build GT6 on the same system that's been used for GT5, only with new apps.</P><P>GT5 has now gone gold <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-5/news/Gran-Turismo-5-Delayed-In-Europe-Too-15721.html">despite being delayed</A> from its November 3rd release date last month. When asked whether he thought the game would arrive before Christmas, Yamauchi-san replied, "I think so".</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Gran-Turismo-6-Unannounced/news/Development-On-Gran-Turismo-6-Has-Already-Begun-15761.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-68379196982898620642010-11-05T11:51:00.000+01:002010-11-05T11:52:01.105+01:00 <P>EA Sports' Ultimate Team feature for FIFA 11 will be released as free DLC on November 3rd, when it will allow PS3 and Xbox 360 owners to start acquiring packs of playing cards through the Ultimate Team mode and build their dream-team squad of football stars.</P><P>The feature, which launched in FIFA 09, is a separate mode for the game where players are awarded points for their performances in matches and tournaments (both on and offline) that they can then spend on card packs. These packs, which contain real-world footballers, can then be used to build a dream-team squad from scratch.</P><P>New features for FIFA 11 include the ability to organise Ultimate Team matches against other players on your friends list, as well as a web tool that allows users to keep up-to-date on card auctions and trades while away from their console. </P><P>The tool has already gone live for gamers who played Ultimate Team in either of the last two FIFA games (find out more <A href="http://www.ea.com/uk/football/fifa-ultimate-team" target="_blank">here</A>). EA has organised a bonus of two gold card packs and daily gifts for gamers who log-in to the web tool before November 3rd.</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/FIFA-11/news/FIFA-11-Ultimate-Team-DLC-Launching-Next-Week-15747.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-65972223120925909632010-11-02T19:33:00.000+01:002010-11-02T19:33:00.092+01:00<P>The U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing oral arguments regarding a proposed law that would prohibit the sale of "excessively violent" video games to minors in the state of California today, November 2. </P><br /><P>Much of the issue surrounds how video games are sold at retail. Currently, video games in North America are self-regulated using the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) scale that assigns a recommended age rating that retailers, such as GameStop, adhere to. </P><br /><P>In 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that opposed the sale of violent games to minors and would fine retailers up to $1,000 for each violation. The law, however, was declared unconstitutional by a federal appeals court and was blocked. </P><br /><P>However, in April 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review the decision, marking the first time a video game case has gone before the Supreme Court. </P><br /><P>The Electronic Software Association, a U.S. trade group representing video game publishers and developers, will argue that the ESRB rating system is completely acceptable, and that video games should remain protected under First Amendment rights similar to movies, books, and music. </P><br /><P>San Francisco democratic state senator Leland Yee, who originally wrote and proposed the bill, and Calif. Attorney General Jerry Brown argue the ban is constitutional, and that the ESRB ratings system is not acceptable. He believes the current system is simply not specific enough for today's complex video games. </P><br /><P>Since the news of the court decision to review the law, many supporters and detractors have come forward. </P><br /><P>In July, 11 U.S. states <A href="http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1107498p1.html" target=new><B>came forward</B></A> to offer support of the law and submitted their own amicus briefs -- a written argument filed by a third party -- to be heard by the court. The states include: Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia. </P><br /><P>Meanwhile, in September, the ESA announced over 180 elected officials, medical/science researchers, First Amendment experts, and groups such as The National Association of Broadcasters have submitted briefs of their own to urge the court to strike down the bill. Some of the game's industry major publishers have also come forward offering their opposition for the bill, such as <A href="http://pc.ign.com/articles/112/1122474p1.html" target=new><B>Activision.</B></A> </P><br /><P>"The argument that video games present some kind of new ominous threat that requires a wholesale reassessment of one of our nation's most treasured freedoms and to take that freedom away indiscriminately from an entire group of our population based on nothing but age is beyond absurd,' Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick stated. </P><br /><P>The U.S. Supreme Court will not make a ruling tomorrow after the hearings. The court will then have until June 2011 to make its decision. The ESA will be holding a conference call tomorrow afternoon to discuss what went on at the hearing. </P><br /><P>IGN will have a full report on tomorrow's proceedings.</P><br /><P><A href="http://feeds.ign.com/click.phdo?i=810ec78365fcce7aea14f21dc0bf3f65" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</A></P>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-51881655917331929752010-11-02T16:29:00.000+01:002010-11-02T16:29:00.533+01:00 <P>Keiji Inafune, the creator of iconic Capcom series such as Mega-Man and Dead Rising, has revealed that he's leaving his position at Capcom with the intention of "starting his life over".</P><P>According to a <A href="http://kotaku.com/5676403/mega-mans-creator-quits-capcom" target="_blank">Kotaku</A> report, which translates a <A href="http://blog.daletto.net/inafunekeiji/" target="_blank">blog post</A> by Inafune, he's now left his position as Head of R&D Management Group, Consumer Games R&D Division and Contents Management Division at Capcom.</P><P>As well as being the creator of Mega-Man, Inafune also played a leading role in the creation of other iconic Capcom series such as Dead Rising, Ominusha, Lost Planet, Street Fighter IV, and Resident Evil.</P><P>Inafune is well-known for his vocal criticisms of the Japanese game industry, which he proclaimed to be years behind the West at the Tokyo Game Show just over a month ago. He also stated recently that he hated his job and wanted to retire early.</P><P>"There's nowhere higher for me to go," Inafune said. "I'm leaving Capcom with the intention of starting my life over."</P><P>"People that really know me," Inafune continued, "can see where I'm coming from. I'm not a regular dude. It's probably because I'm strange."</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Dead-Rising-2/news/Keiji-Inafune-Leaves-Capcom-15754.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-1232280845411893242010-11-02T13:04:00.001+01:002010-11-02T13:04:48.097+01:00 <P>Following the <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/PSP-2/news/PSP2-Has-A-Larger-Screen-With-HD-Resolution-15742.html">rumours that dropped</A> earlier this week, more speculation has emerged indicating that the PSP2 houses twice the RAM of an Xbox 360 console and, as has been suggested in <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/PSP-2/news/PSP2-Rumours-Resurface-Touch-Controls-Mooted-15573.html">previous reports</A>, that it will not have a UMD drive.</P><P>This is according to <A href="http://kotaku.com/5675525/psp2-will-ditch-the-umd-may-rival-xbox-360-in-horsepower" target="_blank">Kotaku</A>, which suggests that the PSP2 will have 1GB of RAM, double that of the Xbox 360's current 512MB array (the existing PSP houses a mere 64MB).</P><P>A memory card solution, similar to Sony's PSPgo, is allegedly in place to account for the lack of a UMD drive for the system, although Sony is apparently still working on its final UMD-less strategy for the system.</P><P>Earlier reports indicated that the prototype handheld was demoed in two forms to developers at the Tokyo Game Show earlier this year. One was similar in style to the classic PSP design, while the other looked similar to Sony's PSPgo.</P><P>So, to wrap up all the rumours so far, we know that the PSP2 will have a touchpad on its reverse side that's similar to a mouse trackpad, that the screen runs at an 'HD' resolution and is an inch wider than current PSP models, and that it has dual-analogue stick controls. Or do we?</P><P>According to a <A href="http://www.vg247.com/2010/10/28/psp2-is-codenamed-veta/">VG247</A> report, which seemingly outs the PSP2's codename as 'Veta', Sony has released misinformation into the wild to figure out where the multitude of PSP2 leaks are coming from. </P><P>That said, some developers have already <A href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/PSP-2/news/PSP2-Due-For-Late-2011-Release-15688.html">publicly stated</A> that they have received PSP2 dev kits from Sony, so unless the company is going to the extent of manufacturing bogus dev kits, it's hard to see how the misinformation can help at this stage. Still, as always, it's worth treating these kinds of rumours with a sizeable pinch of salt.</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/PSP-2/news/PSP2-Rumours-Keep-Coming-UMD-less-Handheld-Mooted-Again-15753.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-76988448737506185812010-10-31T14:48:00.001+01:002010-10-31T17:06:12.204+01:00Microsoft’s Halo:Reach generated $350 million in revenues in its first 16 days on the market, according to Microsoft’s earnings call today.<br /> Those worldwide sales numbers make it one of the biggest hits of the fall video game season. Other big titles include the upcoming <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2010/05/28/with-call-of-duty-black-ops-treyarch-steps-out-of-infinity-wards-shadow/">Call of Duty Black Ops</a> game coming from Activision Blizzard on Nov. 9. Other big titles include Star Wars the Force Unleashed 2, Fallout New Vegas, Civilization V, Fable III and Medal of Honor.<br /> Microsoft did not say how many units of Halo:Reach it sold in the second fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30. But if each game was priced at $60, then the revenue number suggests the game sold 5.8 million units. The number is likely less than that, since Microsoft has special editions it sells for higher prices.<br /> The company said previously that it sold more than $200 million in its first 24 hours on the market. That’s a blockbuster by any standard, though it isn’t as high as games such as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, which was the biggest selling game of all time. The Halo:Reach number is probably pretty close to sales of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_3">Halo 3</a>, which sold an estimated 5.2 million units in its first two weeks and more than 8 million units by the end of the holiday season in 2007.<br /> The upshot is that Microsoft will likely have good results during the current season. In the second fiscal quarter ended Sept. 30, the company said it sold <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2010/10/28/microsofts-xbox-360-console-sales-rise-38-percent-in-third-quarter/">2.8 million Xbox 360 video game consoles, up 38 percent from a year ago</a>. The Xbox 360 has been the No. 1 console in the U.S. since it launched a redesigned model in June. Overall sales were $1.8 billion in the quarter for the company’s Entertainment and Devices division, which includes games. That was up 27 percent from a year ago.<br /> <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2010/10/28/halo-reach-sold-350m-in-16-days/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-50597874706919707182010-10-31T12:13:00.001+01:002010-10-31T14:02:09.166+01:00Ninja Theory’s stunning and spectacular <a class="game" href="http://g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/62775/enslaved-odyssey-to-the-west/index/">Enslaved: Odyssey to the West</a> one of 2010’s best overlooked games--is set to receive two rather significant add-ons in the form of new story-based downloadable content and the addition of 3D support.<br /> <a href="" name="readmore"></a><br /> The DLC, entitled Pigsy’s Perfect 10, tells its own side story in which players assume the role of the swine-ish, grapple hook-handed, titular third wheel who plays a crucial, if emotionally conflicted, role in Enslaved stars Monkey and Trip’s journey. In this humorous tale, Pigsy attempts to build a female companion out of the plethora of spare parts found in his junkyard.<br /> Because Pigsy relies primarily on stealth and long-ranged attacks, thanks to his beloved sniper rifle, the gameplay will be decidedly different than the hand-to-mech-face gameplay of Enslaved. Pigsy’s hookshot should also expand the game’s platforming elements as well. And in keeping with Enslaved’s emphasis on partner dynamics, Pigsy will be accompanied by his mech sidekick Truffles.<br /> The DLC will also introduce 3D support for the entire game compliments of a TriOviz for Games Technology update. If you have a 3D-enabled TV, you can play in 3D using Stereo 3D Active Shutter glasses, and if you have a 2D HDTV, you’ll need a pair of TriOviz INFICOLOR 3D glasses, which should go on sale before the end of the year.<br /> Pigsy’s Perfect 10 will be available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later this year for $9.99/800 Microsoft Points.<br /> Should the need arise, feel free to <a href="">E-Mail me</a> your tips, suggestions, and/or personal philosophies, or follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/jakegaskill">Twitter</a>.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://feeds.g4tv.com/~r/g4tv/thefeed/~3/sgzvxtWqT4c/Enslaved-Odyssey-to-the-West-Gets-DLC-3D-Support.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the original article here</a>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-74672511474321844052010-10-31T09:37:00.000+01:002010-10-31T09:37:00.517+01:00<P>The launch of <A title="Fallout: New Vegas" href="http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3170859">Fallout: New Vegas</A> has been somewhat marred by bugs. It's the most common complaint from <A href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/fallout-new-vegas" target="_blank">reviewers</A> and YouTube is chock full of videos showing off some of the stranger glitches. Luckily, Bethesda assures us that help is on the way.</P><br /><P>Kotaku <A href="http://kotaku.com/5668552/fallout-new-vegas-has-bug-issues?skyline=true&s=i" target="_blank">reports</A> Bethesda's Pete Hines has issued a statement regarding the glitches. "We are currently working on releasing patches/updates as soon as possible for Fallout: New Vegas, for all platforms," he said. "Announcements regarding the patches are forthcoming."</P><br /><P>If you happen to be playing on Steam and you see the glitch that turns heads around, Hines advises re-verifying your files as a short-term fix. In the long-term, PC and console players alike will have to wait for word on when a more permanent patch will come.</P><br /><P><A href="http://www.ugo.com/games/fallout-new-vegas-patches-coming-as-quickly-as-possible?cmpid=rss-games" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</A></P>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-6619959532071350672010-10-31T06:27:00.000+01:002010-10-31T06:27:00.445+01:00 <IMG alt="Xbox Live" src="http://www.1up.com/media?id=3724754&type=lg"><BR clear=all>Microsoft has just released some numbers about the Xbox 360 and its usage, perhaps most notable among them the fact that the 25 million Xbox Live members worldwide use the service for an average of more than 30 hours per month. That equates to more than one billion hours spent on Xbox Live each and every month. <P>It's unclear exactly what Microsoft counts as time spent on Xbox Live. Even so, it's an impressively high number ahead of the expansion of Xbox Live to nine new countries at some point this fall. <P>Other facts shared by Major Nelson over on his <A href="http://majornelson.com/archive/2010/10/29/1-billion-entertainment-hours-spent-on-xbox-live-every-month.aspx" target="_blank">blog</A> include the fact that there have been 42 million Xbox 360 consoles sold across the 35 countries it's available in. Over the past year, there has been an increase of 157% in time spent watching movies and television shows on 360. Additionally, 42% of Xbox Live Gold members spend an average of one hour watching either TV or movies on their 360, which works out to over 30 hours of usage every month. <P>While this really more or less comes down to Microsoft bragging about some impressive (albeit hand-picked) numbers, it's still interesting to get some insight into the usage habits of Xbox 360 owners. It's very possible these numbers will grow even more beginning next week with the launch of Kinect and the new <A href="http://www.1up.com/news/microsoft-details-additional-improvements-fall">dashboard update</A> that adds, among other things, <A href="http://www.1up.com/news/e3-2010-espn-video-service">ESPN3 support</A>.</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.1up.com/news/1-billion-hours-spent-xbox-live-every-month" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3632735982823510837.post-75408572434512230322010-10-31T03:52:00.000+01:002010-10-31T03:52:00.494+01:00 <P>Treyarch has announced that gamers will be able to play Call of Duty: Black Ops' online multiplayer game through a local 2 player split-screen option.</P><P>This announcement comes as part of a bunch of "little-known facts" about Black Ops' multiplayer that have been posted by Treyarch's Community Manager, Josh Olin over on the <A href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/10/27/little-known-facts-call-of-duty-black-ops-multiplayer-for-ps3/" target="_blank">PlayStation blog</A>.</P><P>Additional info includes a Custom Games Editor that allows users unprecedented levels of customisation in private matches, from score and time limits to the weapons and perks that are sanctioned in a match.</P><P>A Regional Matchmaking setting allows players to determine who they play against on a global scale, so you can specify local players only or select specific geographical regions to play against - this helps to make the game experience less lag intrusive.</P><P>In other Black Ops news, old-school gangster rapper-cum-movie megastar, Ice Cube has revealed via <A href="http://twitter.com/icecube/status/28893570178#" target="_blank">Twitter</A> that he's lent his voice to a character called Corporal Bowman in the game's single-player campaign. Ice-T, an even more old-school West-Coast rapper, has previously confirmed that he's done voice-over work for the game.</P><br /><p><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops/news/CoD-Black-Ops-To-Have-Split-Screen-Online-Multiplayer-15750.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18255055805414477201noreply@blogger.com0