Sports Legends

Focus On Lust In Dante's Inferno

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:16:00 +0000

A new dev diary released today from Visceral Games showcases the "lusty" side of Dante's Inferno's second circle of hell, Lust.

Dante's Inferno Dev Diary 02

EA's Visceral Games released a new developer diary today which outlines what will be in store for gamers in Lust, the second circle of Hell in the faux-protested Dante's Inferno.

Along with a giant Cleopatra boss, the world is filled with grotesque sexual abominations (lovers with their bodies horrifically grafted together, overgrown sexual organs, etc.) that will be inhabiting Lust. Check the above dev diary for more info, and some hints of what's to come in the anticipated 2010 game.

Elder Scrolls II And MechWarrior 4 Made Free

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:28:00 +0000

TWO PC CLASSICS NOW FREE: Gamers will be able to download The Elder Scrolls II and MechWarrior 4 100% free.

Play two classic PC video games for free, Elder Scrolls II (top) and MechWarrior 4 (bottom)!

Today two separate announcements have been made that The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall and MechWarrior 4: Vengeance and all of its expansion packs (Black Knight, Mercenaries, Inner Sphere) will be entirely free to download and play.

MechWarrior 5 - Debut Gameplay Trailer
PS3, XBOX 360: MechWarrior5 Debut Gameplay Trailer.

You can download The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall on PC here. MechWarrior 4 and its expansions will be available for free download soon.

Alpha Protocol Gets Pre-Order Bonus Items

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:19:00 +0000

Alpha Protocol has a unique pre-order bonus item promotion - you'll get different weapons depending on which retailer you pre-order with - but developer Obsidian says that people who don't pre-order at all won't be getting the short end of the stick.

Depending on where your allegiances lie when it comes to videogame retailers, you might be getting a slightly different Alpha Protocol experience than others. GameStop pre-order customers will receive two in-game weapons aimed toward the guns-blazing approach and Gamecrazy customers will receive items geared toward stealthy gameplay.

But what about people who want to pre-order Obsidian Entertainment's action-RPG from other stores, or who maybe don't want to pre-order it at all? Are they going to be missing out on a good part of the Alpha Protocol action just because they don't want to slap down a $5 deposit on a game? Obsidian doesn't think so.

"Weapons are an important part of Alpha Protocol's gameplay: players will choose from hundreds of weapon customization options in addition to the thousands of story and skill choices made," Matthew Rorie of Obsidian told Sports Legends. "So these weapons are going to be fun bonuses for our fans, but they're not the only weapons and mods with some interesting attributes."

So, as intriguing a shotgun called the UC Regulator with good stats and mods sounds, you don't really need to pre-order unless you really want to - there are supposedly plenty of other guns in the game that are just as good.

This whole business of offering pre-order bonus items for games can be a neat promotion tool or run the risk of drastically changing the experience of a game solely because of how and where you buy your games. Obsidian's intent, they say, is only to deliver a little gift to the fans who have been waiting patiently for their game.

"Pre-orders are an important part of our industry," Rorie said. "When designing these, we simply wanted to reward fans of the game with a few different weapon options if they are excited enough to pre-order and play immediately on October 6."

The GameStop pre-order bonus is called the Assault Weapons Pack and includes two "specially modified weapons" in the UC Regulator and a rifle called the Rittergroupen Grizzly (nice name) with high accuracy, as well as some explosive sounding ammo like "epinephrine spikes." Michael Bay fans are probably going to go for this one.

The Gamecrazy bonus pack comes with the Hamilton Marksman, a high accuracy pistol, and the Samael Typhoon, a "high recoil control SMG," as well as some tranquilizer rounds, remote mines and "radio mimics." Sounds like the better choice for the Solid Snake/Sam Fisher wannabes.

How Sony Lost The Game

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:07:00 +0000

Sony's PlayStation brand dominated the video game world for a decade.

One mistake after another..what is happening to
the former console leader?

It started as a joint venture with Nintendo, but when Nintendo's Howard Lincoln announced, to Sony's considerable surprise, that Nintendo would instead be partnering with Philips, Sony decided to go it alone.

It all made for a compelling story. Big bad corporation betrays Sony. Sony, against all expectations, decides not to write off its work but to develop it alone. Big bad corporation enters a period of embarrassing subordination, first with the second-place N64 and then with the third-place GameCube.

Only the Game Boy kept Nintendo in the race, while Sony led two hardware generations. It seemed immovable.

Then, a series of events brought Sony crashing down to earth. Microsoft released the Xbox 360 at the end of 2005 and enjoyed a full year as the sole next-gen console. When the PS3 eventually arrived, it did so practically in tandem with the epoch-making, zillion-selling, game-changing Wii.

On the handheld front, Sony's attempt to remove Nintendo from its portable stronghold was equally disastrous. The PSP went head to head with the DS and came off far worse, hitting 50 million unit sales earlier this year as its rival reached 100 million.

Then the iPhone came along, but we won't talk about that.

Having released the PSP, Sony then spent a long time largely ignoring it and pouring energy into the PS3, with the result that UK PSP game sales collapsed in 2008. 2009 has been a better year for the device, however. In February a UK Sony product manager alluded to "significant PlayStation IPs" coming to the device's rescue, and soon afterwards her allusion proved true.

At the Destination PlayStation conference Sony ensured a late night for the staff of Pocket Gamer by revealing LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge, Assassin's Creed and Rock Band Unplugged in a single breath, and many more high profile game announcements have followed.

No sooner had the first announcements come, however, than Shiny founder Dave Perry set Sony flapping by revealing via Twitter that the next PSP would be UMD-less. Sony carefully negotiated the rumours, with Sony marketing director John Koller ambiguously insisting that, "the digital component is very important to us."

Prior to this year's E3, news about the PSPgo was already in the public domain thanks to concrete rumours dating back as far as April and when the new hardware was featured in a leaked Qore video at the end of May even the marketing types had to throw up their hands. When Jack Tretton took to the stage at the E3 Sony keynote, he had no choice but to make a joke of it, introducing the PSPgo as the expo's "worst kept secret."

So why was it E3's worst kept secret? Is it because Sony is no longer a company worth keeping a secret for? Dave Perry's irreverent revelation on Twitter demonstrates a notable indifference to the wrath of Sony's PR operatives, and his insouciance has been echoed by figures like Valve's Gabe Newell and Activision's Bobby Kotick, among others.

Bloggers and consumers have joined in the baiting. When Sony revealed that the price of the PSPgo would be $249.99, there was derision from all quarters, with industry analyst Michael Pachter even calling the device a 'rip-off'. He apologised, but his comment echoed the thoughts of many. Sony's insistence that the PSPgo cost a lot because, "there is a certain premium" attached to it was met with scorn.

The blogosphere seems ready to ignore the PSPgo before it's even out, looking as we are beyond it at the rumoured PSP 2 and its quad-core, Xbox-level performance. This device is just a rumour, of course, but so was the PSPgo until June, and every important prediction about that came true.

Which is to say, unlike other devices we've carefully avoided mentioning, it's nothing special.

Pocket Gamer is Europe's leading source of news, opinion and reviews on mobile and handheld gaming.

Nintendo President Defends Wii Vitality Sensor

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:45:00 +0000

Nintendo America President Reggie Fils-Aime has defended the latest add-on for the Wii

It looks like something you might see attached to an EEG machine or a lie detector and no one can quite figure out what it's supposed to be for, but Nintendo America Boss Reggie Fils-Aime has defended the Wii Vitality Sensor.

Speaking to FastCompany's N'Gai Croal, Fils-Aime compared the Vitality Sensor to the confusion that surrounded the Wii-Mote, saying: "We probably had a similar conversation about the Wii Remote: how is this going to work, how is it going to work with the games that I want to play--I don't get it."

"Now I'm hearing something similar for the Wii Vitality Sensor. And all I can tell you is, with the game developers that we have, we will bring forth an experience that you will say, "Wow, I get it," he continued.

According to Fils-Aime, detractors of the Sensor lack imagination, and the software examples necessary for that eureka moment of realization: "Until you have that software, it's tough to understand. If I told you that you would be standing on an oversized bathroom scale, and having fun doing it, you probably would have said, "Reggie, I don't get it." And yet here we are with the balance board arguably as the third largest development platform across the globe."

Fils-Aime does make a good point, that it's software that shifts hardware, and not the other way round, but releasing a new peripheral, that no one can figure out, without any examples of it in play, it's not hard to see why so many are skeptical.

Source: (FastCompany via Gizmodo)

Kingdom Hearts Originally Had Chainsaws

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:44:00 +0000

Apparently Squeenix team lead Tetsuya Nomura had been watching too many slasher flicks when he originally conceived Kingdom Hearts: The game's iconic keyblade weapon was originally supposed to be a chainsaw.

Not pictured: A bloody chainsaw

Speaking with Famitsu magazine about the birth of the quirky Disney / Final Fantasy crossover action RPG Kingdom Hearts, producer Tetsuya Nomura said that rather than starting with a base of storyline and characters, the developer conceived the game with the idea of the "Keyblade" in mind - and the idea of keys became central to the story moving forward.

Yet the Keyblade wasn't the first weapon Nomura proposed to Disney: "[T]the first weapon I showed Disney was a chainsaw. It was this chainsaw-like weapon that I had a rough sketch of when I first showed my concepts to Disney. Everyone got this scrunched-up look on their face and nobody said a word in the entire room. Dead silence. And I thought 'No, I guess this wouldn't work, huh?'"

To be fair to Nomura, the Kingdom Hearts series' Heartless enemies are sort of zombie-esque, and there are few better weapons for slaughtering zombies (or defenseless teenagers). I suppose if you were stretching, you could also make the argument that, much like the Keyblade, a chainsaw has the power to unlock a person's heart... in a manner of speaking, anyway.

Of course, the idea of Mickey Mouse wielding not an oversized, symbolic, magical key, but a brutal and roaring chainsaw, is a very, erm, "interesting" one. One can only wonder why the Disney executives ever turned down the idea.

The world may never know.

Source: (1up, via Kotaku)

Call Of Duty Resurfaces On Modern Warfare 2 Cover Art

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:34:00 +0000

Modern Warfare 2 confirmed to include popular brand thanks to images released by Infinity Ward employee.

The new cover was first leaked via twitter with the tagline: "shit just got real."

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 box art was released earlier today on Robert Bowling's twitter feed, leading us to believe that the official game title will include the Call of Duty moniker.

The decision to shorten the title to Modern Warfare 2 has been the source of quiet controversy for months, ever since a survey conducted in June found that cutting the well-known Call of Duty brand from the title nearly halved consumer awareness of the product.

New MechWarrior Game Revealed, Will Reboot The Classic Series

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:26:00 +0000

NEW MECHWARRIOR GAME: A new MechWarrior game is confirmed to be in development for Xbox 360 and PC. Screens and first details on game here.

A new MechWarrior video game from Piranha Games (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Need for Speed Undercover, The Strike) is coming to Xbox 360 and PC. The new MechWarrior game will be the fifth game in the series and the first official sequel since 2002's MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries. Piranha Games' MechWarrior will be a reboot of the classic PC series and has an almost Killzone/Killzone 2-like level of grittiness to its visuals.

Check out the debut trailer for MechWarrior below, which features gameplay.

MechWarrior 5 - Debut Gameplay Trailer HD

Really? They're bringing back MechWarrior? This is actually pretty cool and judging from the screens/trailer, it looks like they're handling it right.

Sony On The Offensive: Two Execs Slam PS3 Price Cut Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:19:00 +0000

Demands for a PS3 price cut are close to reaching a boiling point, but two notable heads of Sony, Jack Tretton and Sir Howard Stringer, seem determined to have the price stay right where it is.

Sony head Jack Tretton speaks out about a PS3 price cut and Sony's long term goals.

Looks like Sony may be just as frustrated with their current situation as gamers are, as both sides of the battle are steadfast in their beliefs over the PS3's current price tag. In terms of a price cut, gamers have loudly shouted "Yea", while Sony has clearly shouted back with a deafening "Nay." So, what's the deal here? What's keeping Sony from dropping the price, say $100?

Well, you may find your answers from Sony's president and CEO of Sony America, Jack Tretton and Sony's chairman, president and CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, who both spoke out in separate interviews about the problems of a price cut.

During and interview with Fast Company, Jack Tretton spoke about how Sony is looking long term, say 10 years long term in trying to grab consumers.

"People are having short-term thinking - the platform is not even three years old. It was $599; it's now $399," he said. "The focus on pricing is something we appreciate, but you have to have the conviction and the confidence that you are on the right path for the long term and ultimately you'll get all the consumers you want. You won't get them all day one, but we're looking to get them over a 10-year period. It's going to take different things to get different consumers."

Sony seems pretty stubborn about this 10-year plan, for better or for worse, but with the current economic situation, who knows how long this plan can hold out. However, Tretton seemed confident that this year would be better than the last, citing their upcoming digital media, especially for the PSPgo, and the PS3's versatility and "tremendous value."

Sony head Sir Howard Stringer speaks bluntly about a PS3 price cut.

That "tremendous value" might not be seen by all however, including game developers, as last June Activision CEO and president Bobby Kotick spoke out about the system, saying:

"If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony. When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support the console - and the PSP too." - Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision

Tough words, but in an Interview conducted with Reuters, Sony boss Sir Howard Stringer didn't seem too concerned about the threat and had a response to Kotick's statement, saying:

"He likes to make a lot of noise. He's putting pressure on me and I'm putting pressure on him. That's the nature of business."

A lot of people are fearing Sony's "nature of business" as of late, and when asked about the logic of not cutting the PS3's price, Stringer stated:

"I (would) lose money on every PlayStation I make - how's that for logic."

These are tough time my friends and it seems it may get a bit tougher if Sony holds to this 10-year plan of theirs. "Logically" it would make more sense for Sony to invest in a product that was more efficient and didn't cost so much to produce and sell (How's that for logic?). But, hopefully, if rumors are to be believed, Sony may be simply trying to cover for a rumored upcoming "PS3 slim" which would cost way less to produce and sell on the market. Let us hope this is the case, because if it isn't, gamers "10-year plan" may be to avoid Sony all together.

To read the full interviews and articles with Jack Tretton and Sir Howard Stringer, check out Fast Company and Reuters.

Fight Night DLC To Add New Controls, Options, & Content

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:11:00 +0000

EA is rolling out some pretty hefty DLC packs for its famous boxing sim. Read on to find out what you'll be getting!

I know he's a good boxer, but Sugar Ray's music is terrible. Oh, they're completely different people?

Recent recipient of the Game Critics Award for "Best Sports Game of E3", Fight Night Round 4 looks to be ready for a pair of upcoming DLC packs slated for the next two months, which should be music to any fan of the sweet science's ears.

The first pack is slated to release in early August and will include several cool new features. No price point has been announced for the DLC, so we're hoping it's free. Some of the features that'll be associated with this DLC pack are: a new training gym, new game sliders and a bevy of new equipment for personalizing your pugilist will be made available to you. Added bonus for Xbox 360 users as they will also receive a special alternate version of Sugar Ray Leonard courtesy of... Pizza Hut?

Sure, why the hell not?

Due out in early September is their second, and free, DLC pack which will focus on alternative controls for both the Xbox and PS3 versions of the game. These alternative controls will map punches to the face buttons on your controller allowing you to throw a jab, hook, haymaker and uppercut with the four buttons on the right hand side of your controller. This should make anybody who was a fan of the now defunct Knockout Kings happy assuming they couldn't make the jump to the sweet "Total Punch Control" system.

No word on who will sponser the alternative control scheme. I'd throw my hat in for Viagra given how archaic that control set up is.

Where's the DLC that lets me play as the Burger King again?

Alan Wake To Debut First On Xbox 360, PC Edition To Follow Later

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:04:00 +0000

Alan Wake has been a long time in coming, and it looks like it'll take an even longer time for the PC edition, as Remedy states that the Xbox 360 version will be first for release.

Looks like Alan Wake will be shining his flashlight on the Xbox 360 first, while PC gamers will have to wait in the dark a little bit longer.

The long awaited and highly anticipated Alan Wake will finally be making its way to consoles within a years time, if publisher Microsoft's promise of a "spring 2010" release is to believed. But, it looks like those hoping to explore the "psychological action thriller" on PC will have to wait a bit longer, as developer Remedy's center of attention seems directed at the Xbox 360 version for now.

"I'm a PC gamer at heart (have a Core i7, Radeon 4890, 5.1 audio setup at home) so I do appreciate your concerns," Remedy rep Markus wrote on the studio's boards.

"Unfortunately all I can say at this point is that we're focusing all our efforts on the 360 version and will be making comments in regards to the PC at a later time."

So, while Alan Wake for the PC certainly seems inevitable (especially considering the game was originally intended for the PC back in '05), PC gamers will have to test their patience a bit longer to uncover the secrets that Alan Wake has in store for us all.

Alan Wake is thus far set for a Spring 2010 release and will be available for Xbox 360 and PC.

Source: (Via Shacknews)

Halo 3 ODST: Three New Maps Revealed, Includes Remake Of Halo 2's Midship

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:37:00 +0000

HALO 3: ODST: Bungie unveils three multiplayer maps from the forthcoming next installment in their flagship FPS franchise.

Feast your eyes on ODST's Heretic map, an overhauled version of Halo 2's favorite Midship.

Bungie reveals three brand new multiplayer maps for Halo 3: ODST, the standalone expansion to 2007's Halo 3 on Xbox 360. The new Halo 3: ODST maps include Heretic (a remake of Halo 2's beloved Midship map), Citadel, and Longshore. Here are the official descriptions for each of the new maps.

Heretic: returns players to familiar ground as the Halo 2 arena "Midship" makes its long-rumored debut in Halo 3. The stark interior of the Pious Inquisitor might appear austere on first glance, but Heretic's symmetrical spaces require players to execute complex strategies in order to outplay their opponents.
Citadel: may be a long abandoned Forerunner stronghold, but its small, symmetrical confines are far from secure. Two opposing bases offer little safety for players looking for solace. Instead, Citadel forces small squads to stay in constant communication, keep their heads on a swivel, and be prepared to adjust combat tactics in close quarters.
Longshore: lacks the commercial ships that once made it a lucrative port for Old Mombasa, but it still bustles with activity. Designed for large scale combat and well suited for smaller affairs, Longshore's multitude of industrial buildings, elevated walks, and open inlets conspire to create a complex battleground tailored for multiple combat scenarios.

Read the original article on Bungie.net.

Who's excited for more Halo besides me? ODST is looking far better than merely an expansion of Halo 3... they should have just dropped the "3" in the title.

Nintendo's Controversial 'Demo Play' To Grace DS As Well

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:29:00 +0000

Nintendo's "Demo Play" will be making its way to their portable systems in the near future.

DS games are set to get the 'Demo Play' help feature.

Back in June, Miyamoto confirmed that "Demo Play," the new controversial "help feature" for gaming would make its way to the New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The reaction was definitely mixed, but it appears the "help feature" won't stand alone on Nintendo's big consoles however, as today in a blurb on Japan's Nikkei, it was revealed that 'Demo Play" will be featured in portable games in the future.

Nikkei referred to "Demo Play" as a "skip functionality" or "skip feature," but most notably it mentioned that the feature is designed for "high-speed action games." This presumably means that you won't have your Brain Age puzzles solved for you (though some of us could definitely use it. I'm tired of you shaking your head at me Dr. Kawashima! You hear me? Cilantro you jerk!...sorry), but you may have some help with say, some future Mario DS titles.

Expect New Super Mario Bros. Wii and "Demo Play" to arrive sometime around this holiday season.

Source: (via Joystiq)

RUMOR: PSP2 Planned To Be As Powerful As Xbox, Uses Quad Core GPU

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:22:00 +0000

The Sony rumor train continues, with an all new installment entitled: PSP2: Quad core GPU boogaloo.

The PSP could finally get a true successor in the near future, if rumors of a PSP2 prove correct.

Another day, another rumor for Sony and crew. Looks like this time, the rumors take a surprise turn in revealing tech specs for an upcoming PSP2 (No, not the PSPgo, but a true successor to the PSP). While this seems a bit shady as Sony just spent a great deal of time and effort promoting the PSPgo, it doesn't seem wholly implausible that Sony would already be investing in newer technology for their hand held console.

According to Eurogamer's Spanish outpost (Via Digital Foundry), a newer version of Imagination Technologies owerVR SGX543MP chip - codenamed Hydra - will form the foundation of the PSP2, which in its improved state would be a quad core chip. Apparently, the performance would then be able to match that of Microsoft's original Xbox.

It is also claimed that the new chip would be able to run Open GL 2.0, DirectX 10 and will double as both a graphics unit and CPU, allowing Sony to keep costs and power consumption to a minimum.

Again, this is all just speculation as Sony was quick to comment, "we do not comment on rumor and speculation," but, all the same, there could be some truth in the matter.

And no, there was no mention of a second analogue stick.

Read full details on the SGX543MP multi-processor here on Imgtec.com.

Source: (via Kotaku)

Used Game Sales And Gameplay Hours Rise During Recession

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:12:00 +0000

A recent survey has revealed that gamers are getting greater value than ever out of their video games, playing the ones they own for longer and buying pre-owned games to save money.

Time spent playing games and used game purchases are up, and in fact way up over the past several months, says the Nielsen Company. Citing a new study that gauged game playing and purchasing habits during the recent recession, the media audience tracker said the number of hours gamers claim to be engaged is at an "all time high," while the purchase of used games and video game rental service have both increased to "record-breaking" levels since tracking began in 2006. The conclusion? When it comes to entertainment, consumers are opting to get more from, well, more.

Anyone surprised? Used games can literally double or triple their value if they're something long form, say Dragon Quest VIII (around $10 used) or Final Fantasy X (around $15 used). You can drop $10-$15 on a movie ticket, a watered-down drink, and a bag of oily, over-salted popcorn for a couple hours of generally trite escapism, or direct that fifteen bucks toward something that'll keep you occupied for dozens. Something you can play in the comfort of your home. Something you can start or stop at leisure. Something you're actually controlling and interacting with, as opposed to passively receiving.

Nielsen adds that new game sales have been soft for three reasons: Used-game purchases are at an all-time high, video game rentals too, and 2009's been lacking the "name" games (Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV) to bring in the crowds. Nielsen says awareness of new titles has dipped in 2009 to its lowest levels since 2007.

Importantly, Nielsen says it's not hardcore gamers driving up the usage averages, but mainstream gamers "playing more of the broadly appealing games" like Wii Fit, Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Early Demo For Pre-Ordering Left 4 Dead 2

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:07:00 +0000

Gamers who pre-order the upcoming Valve zombie-killing simulator will get early access to an online demo of the game.

PLAY THE DEMO! I mean... BRAAAIIINNNS....

Like Valve did with the original Left 4 Dead, gamers who pre-order the sequel will get an early look at the game before a universal demo is released.

Though Valve hasn't issued a time frame for when the demo will hit, they have stated that people who pre-order Left 4 Dead 2 will have an advanced look at the title before the penny-pinchers can get their hands on it. The game can currently be pre-ordered through most retailers, as well as on Steam. Look for Left 4 Dead 2 on November 17th.

Source: (via Joystiq)

Tekken 6: Unlockable Characters 'Outdated' Says Series Director

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:03:00 +0000

Looks like the days of unlocking characters could be numbered, as Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada calls the process "outdated."

Get your scantilly clad characters right off the bat in Tekken 6 as unlockable characters are a thing of the past.

It's a staple of the fighting game genre to have unlockable characters. Mortal Kombat has always done it, Super Smash Bros. has always done it, and Tekken has always done it. But, not anymore, says Tekken series director Katsuhiro Harada. In an interview conducted with VideoGamer.com at Namco Bandai's Europe event, Harada explained the original uses for unlockable characters, and the game feature's subsequent demise.

"Why we locked the characters originally was that in the arcades, it was kind of to extend the life of the game by gradually unlocking characters. And also with the home versions as well, because you can rent games or whatever, it was to protect us against that," said Harada.

"That's kind of outdated now though, especially with online play. If we were to have locked characters it would irritate a lot of people, to be playing against others online and to not have all the characters available. So I think it's no longer useful."

Tekken 6 is set for release on October 27, 2009 and will feature 40 characters which will all be available as soon as you press play, for better or for worse. The game will be available for PlayStation 3, PSP and Xbox 360 consoles.

Classic LucasArts PC Games Come To Steam, Maybe iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:47:00 +0000

From Monkey Island to LEGO Indiana Jones, LucasArts is releasing a large chunk of its back catalog on Steam starting Wednesday, and mobile versions are in the works.

Re-releasing classic adventure games gives younger gamers a glimpse of the LucasArts golden age.

LucasArts dropped a bomb after the holiday weekend and announced a partnership with Valve to offer their greatest hits for direct download, including:

Armed and Dangerous
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
LEGO Indiana Jones : The Original Adventure
LOOM
Star Wars Battlefront II
Star Wars Republic Commando
Star Wars Starfighter
The Dig

The nine titles above comprise the initial offering, spanning the LucasArts development history from classic adventure games like Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis to more action-oriented Star Wars titles like Battlefront II and Republic Commando.

These games are direct ports, so while they've been tweaked to run smoothly on modern hardware there won't be any of the typical bells and whistles (achievements, etc.) Steam users have come to expect. However, during a recent interview LucasArts CEO Darrell Rodriguez implied that future releases with extra content may be forthcoming if these initial titles prove profitable.

Offering classics like Republic Commando for download on Steam is a golden opportunity for gamers who missed out the first time.

Mr. Rodriguez danced around the prospect of bringing these titles to mobile platforms like the iPhone (no surprise given Apple's strict press policies) but couldn't resist dropping hints, conceding that "we would do something like that if we were to go in that direction ... wink wink, nod, nod."

The initial nine titles run the gamut from classic adventure games to recent hits like LEGO Indiana Jones.

With the first episode of Telltale Games' new Tales of Monkey Island series rolling out tomorrow and the special edition of The Secret of Monkey Island dropping next week, the venerable publisher seems eager to attract old-school gamers back to the LucasArts banner with the promise of a return to what made the company famous. "We know how much you guys love our old games," reads a recent tweet from LucasArts PR. "This little announcement is just a start."

New 80GB PS3 Bundle Includes Killzone 2 And Metal Gear Solid 4 For $400

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:44:00 +0000

NEW PLAYSTATION 3 BUNDLE: A new PS3 bundle that comes with MGS4 and Killzone 2 is revealed in a photo.

Kotaku reports that a brand-new 80GB PlayStation 3 bundle is coming soon to retail stores. The new PS3 revealed in the photo above will come packaged with two of the best-selling video games for Sony's next-gen console, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Killzone 2. According to the article, the bundle will be priced at $400.

Read the original article on Kotaku.

Aren't console bundles supposed to come with crap games like Kung Fu Panda? This is one hell of a deal.

A Brief History Of The Elusive PSPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:15:00 +0000

Before 2008 and the iPhone App Store, mobile gaming was always a bottle of champagne waiting for the cork to pop.

Can you hear me now? ..Good

Several manufacturers tried to find a way to make the platform viable as a serious gaming platform - Nokia making the most spirited effort with the N-Gage QD - but every effort culminated in more or less embarrassing failure.

Amidst all this ambition and experimentation, one rumored device stood out as tantalizingly plausible, and, going on the substance of the rumors and the inevitable graphical mock-ups, highly desirable: the PSPhone.

It's plausible, of course, because Sony Ericsson is a major handset manufacturer and Sony - one half of that troubled marriage - is a major console manufacturer and games publisher. Rumors have been washing around for almost as long as the PSP has been available, varying in viscosity from solid to gas, and many of these have been set in motion by the most credible sources possible.

In 2007, Sony Ericsson's Peter Ahnegard admitted to Pocket Gamer that the PSPhone was "something that we're looking at," but he wouldn't be drawn on specifics. Would we be seeing it by Christmas? "Before Christmas, certainly... but exactly which Christmas I can't confirm!" Quite.

That was in August. In November, further rumours emerged from the Sony Computer Entertainment side of the net when co-chief operating officer Jim Ryan told the Financial Times, "The PlayStation is a proven success and so is Sony Ericsson. Convergence with the two arms working together is definitely plausible."

The following day Sony scotched the rumor, but it wasn't long before another rumor took its place. At the end of 2007, Stuff Magazine published an initially overlooked mock-up of the PSPhone, and in early 2008, a blurb in Sony Magazine revealed that the device would be out by as early as February of that year. It never came.

In June 2008, an article in Marketing Week suggested that the device could be available by Christmas 2009 (still a possibility, admittedly), and since then the flow of the rumor has continued to swell and shrink.

Sony moved to stanch it entirely in January by denying Sony Ericsson the PlayStation brand, a spokesman saying, "In the past, we have been keen that our product proposition lives up to brand promise, and we feel at the moment the technical specs are not high enough to put such a prestigious brand on a phone."

But in May, Sony Ericsson president Kideki Komiyama got the flow going again by averring to the Financial Times that the PSPhone "could happen."

Could it? Well, if the spate of rumors that emerged last week is anything to go by, yes, but it may not have anything to do with Sony Ericsson.

On the one hand, Japanese business daily Nikkei indicated that Sony is about to set up a team to explore the possibility of a device that combines Sony Ericsson's phone technology with Sony's gaming technology. It sounds very much like a joint project.

On the other hand Marketing Week has reported that relations between the two companies have grown "frosty" over SE's handling of the Walkman brand, and so if there is to be a PSPhone it'll have nothing to do with Sony's Swedish cousin.

Of course, nothing has been confirmed to date. Nevertheless, with Sony finally admitting that the iPhone presents a threat to its handheld market share it seems remotely possible, depending on your business intuitions, that a PSPhone will eventually arrive.

Yes, Sony has just announced a new console, the overpriced and largely underwhelming PSP Go. And yes, the only other device to be conceived as a games console with added phone functionality is the much derided and long extinct N-Gage QD. Not the most encouraging precedent to follow.

But in the handheld, as in the home console market, Sony has spent much of this generation on the ropes, outflanked at every turn by nimbler opposition. Perhaps taking the fight to Apple by throwing its brand into the phone market is its best chance of being survival into the coming rounds.

Japanese Games Market Takes Massive Hit

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:03:00 +0000

Gaming sales in Japan have seen a massive drop compared with last year.

A 25% decline in year on year sales is nothing to be sneezed at, but that is what the Japanese games market has found itself facing. Market research company Enterbrain released figures this week that showed that software sales had declined by 22% and hardware sales had declined by 28%, averaging out to a 25% decline over all.

One explanation put forward for this plunge is that the start of 2008 saw the release of some very high profile games like Smash Brothers, a factor that 2009 lacked, although it's hard to imagine a handful of games accounting for such a huge portion of the market.

Is it possible that the novelty of the Wii has started to wear off? The console has seen a dip in sales this year, and without its massive popularity shoring up the market a decline was inevitable. The big question though, is this the end of the decline, or is there more to come?

(Source: via Kotaku)

Get More Action In Conviction

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:29:00 +0000

See how Splinter Cell Conviction has evolved from past iterations by using more action gameplay elements.

Behind Closed Doors #1: Redefining Splinter Cell

Fitness Gaming

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:21:00 +0000

Instead of incorporating games into exercise, how about incorporating exercise into games?

The future of gaming?

A quick glance at my physique - not that I am suggesting that this is something you would want to look at, ever - will reveal that I am not a fitness expert. The ravages of time, sloth, and Cheetos have taken their toll on my mortal shell, and any efforts I make at this point are not improvements, but merely a reduction in the rate of decline.

In the process of trying to not die before I hit forty, I've learned that the most important part of any exercise program is not the equipment. It's not the type of exercise you do, how often you do it, or what time of day it is when you go for it. It's not the gym or the clothes you wear or the quality of your running shoes. The most crucial aspect of any fitness program is enjoying it. Which is hard, because working out is usually a dull chore. If you find a way to love it, you'll keep at it even when you don't feel well, when you're depressed, or when the weather is nasty. People who maintain an exercise regimen for years are able to do so because they learn to like it.

Finding a good exercise program is then about motivation management. It's about trying to find ways to make yourself want to do it. You buy the gym membership, hoping the guilt of spending all that money will make you go. (Hint: Guilt is actually a terrible motivator.) You buy new running shoes and equipment to have something to look forward to when it's time to work out, but that only works until the novelty wears off. You buy exercise tapes, but you get sick of them after a while. You make little deals and promises with yourself, or set up a system of rewards, all the while hoping to find some magic combination of policies that will make you do something you hate.

So what you need is something that you can do for hours without getting sick of it. Something like (and I really hope you saw this coming) a videogame.

While I've often made fun of Wii Fit in the past, I actually think it's the best exercise equipment I've ever used. Treadmills are bulky, they don't offer much variety, and using them can be dull. But Wii Fit costs less than a treadmill, it's quite small, it offers a huge variety of types of exercises, and it can turn your workout into mini-games to keep things interesting. On top of this, it can weigh you and chart your progress. Sure, the Wii Fit trainer is a passive-aggressive little shit and the games don't hold a candle to mini-game titles like Mario Party, but it's still better than walking forward on a treadmill and straining to hear the television over the sound of the machine and your own desperate struggle for oxygen.

True to form, this one successful and innovative Wii title has led to a dozen half-assed imitators, cheapo copycats, and other cynical attempts to cash in on the Wii Fit success without trying to make a quality product. This is a shame, because I think Wii Fit is a good start, not a good end. This idea is ripe for evolution, and the copycats seem to be beating it into the ground instead of building on it.

As part of my ongoing project to reduce the amount of Shamus-based mass in the universe, I picked up a Wii Fit this year. Like I said, it's the best piece of exercise equipment I've ever owned, but it falls far short of what it could be. Most of the games are simply too short. Just about the time I get into the rhythm of the downhill skiing, the run ends and I have to muck around restarting the thing. Generally, the more fun or interesting a game is, the shorter it is. Some are less than a minute. It's frustrating, like trying to watch a TV show that's been hacked up into thirty-second YouTube clips. Trying to fill a twenty-minute workout in little thirty-second increments is bothersome and keeps you from building up any kind of flow.

The common approach to exercise is to have a short, intense workout. Short, because you have better things to do with your time. Intense, because you want to burn as many calories as possible in that short but miserable time. Exercise sucks. But it would be much healthier to have prolonged, steady exercise than a short, lung-busting burst of activity. Rather than taking dull labor and sugar-coating it with a shallow but cute game, it would be better to take an already fun game and add a dimension of exercise onto it. I'd be happy to replace the fifteen minutes of mildly amusing Wii Fit minigames with a good two hours of incentivised walking while playing a game I'd actually enjoy on its own merits. I want some exercise-driven games, as opposed to some game-driven exercise.

The other night I spent two hours playing Mad World on the Wii, which is longer than I ever spent "playing" Wii Fit. I was sitting, but I couldn't help but wish the game could be connected to the Wii Fit board. If you took the healing items out of the game and allowed the player to gradually rebuild their health by stepping on and off the board, you'd have something that could provide hours of entertainment and exercise at the same time. Sure, I could just walk back and forth in place while playing, but linking the stepping to the player's health gives you a compelling motivation to keep going even when you're tired. And like I said, motivation is everything.

In a perfect world, normal mainstream titles would offer a "workout" mode that operates this way, letting you power your gameplay with gradual, steady movement. You could play the game normally, sitting on the couch with your Wiimote and your nachos, or you could play in workout mode and step on and off the Wii Fit board while you play. In Mad World, you'd gradually gain health. In Super Mario Galaxy, you'd earn a star bit for each step. (Or whatever works as a balanced reward.) Each game might handle it differently, but the important thing would be to turn every game into a possible exercise machine. I'm not talking about frantic aerobic activity that will wipe you out after ten minutes, I'm talking about a simple set of movements designed to get you off the couch and keep your blood flowing. Two hours of simple walking is going to incinerate a lot more calories than anything the average person can fit into twenty minutes. Moreover, the slow and steady workout is better for your heart, better for your knees, and it hurts less. The only reason people don't do the slow workout is because it's so time consuming, but that's not a problem when your gaming time and your workout are one in the same.

I'd love if Nintendo tried something like this. It would be huge. And I would be less so.

Games To Movies: Asteroids And Another Resident Evil Movie In The Works

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:35:00 +0000

Hollywood is officially out of ideas as Asteroids, Pac-Man, Joust and another Resident Evil film are all planned to hit the silver screen.

Recently, Hollywood's biggest production companies fought in a brutal bidding war for the privilege to adapt the old-school space-blaster Asteroids into a film. The winner? Universal Studios, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura (G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra) and Jeff Kirschenbaum (Wanted, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) are attached to the product. The script is to be penned by Matthew Lopez, who wrote this years Race to Witch Mountain starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Apparently, Universal isn't stopping with Asteroids in their game-to-movie productions, as such classics as Battleship, Candyland and Monopoly are also in the works.

The Resident Evil movie series will also get one more installment, as director Paul W.S. Anderson (director of the last three films) is busy working on the script, which supposedly will take place in Tokyo and Alaska (Code: Veronica maybe?).

According to ShockTillYouDrop.com, the movie will be titled, Resident Evil: Afterlife and is set for release by September 17, 2010. No word if Milla Jovovich will be reprising her role as Alice.

UUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.... (Pauses for breath) UUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Trine Goes Live Today, Release Bumped Up A Day Early

noreply@blogger.com (Sports Legends) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:29:00 +0000

Trine's release gets a bump up a day early, and will be going for $30 on Steam.

Trine released a day early on Steam. Goes for $30.

As reported earlier, Trine will be priced at $20 for the PlayStation Network, while Steam is selling it for $30. And while the arguments over the variations in price continues, it looks like you'll finally be able to spend your $30 for the PC version as Trine was released today on Steam at 9AM PST, a day earlier than expected.

The PlayStation 3 release is expected perhaps later today or next Thursday, and will be priced at $20. Xbox plans to release the game on Xbox Live Arcade as well, which will include online co-operative play not included in the current editions. A date for the Xbox version hasn't been released as of yet.

For those still not in the know as to what this Trine game is all about, you can play the demo here on FileShack.

You can purchase the game today on Steam.