News

Spanning the Net - Colts win edition

Posted by: John at 1/21/2007 10:55 PM - Comments (0)
More On: Spanning the Net Gaming Nexus
It's about time Peyton makes it to the Super Bowl. Let's see if he can do on the NFL level what he couldn't do in college and that's win a championship.

Gaming Gibs for 7/25/2008

by: Chuck - posted: 7/25/2008 7:41 AM - Comments (0)
Here are a few things I missed while legally downloading expensive software for free (limited time only kids):

New Sims 3 screenshots reek of money

by: Chuck - posted: 7/25/2008 7:38 AM - Comments (0)
I'm not the world's biggest Sims fan but these screenshots from The Sims 3 just reek of all the money that EA is going to be making off the game when it's released. Of course it's games like The Sims that allow EA to bankroll games like Spore and Dead Space so I'm not going to complain.
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News Roundup: Righteous Fallen Angel Crash

by: Randy - posted: 7/25/2008 1:24 AM - Comments (0)
Videos
 Screenshots
 Articles
 Thanks to Defunct Games, I4U, and AtomicGamer for today's news roundup.

Spore and MashON "Wish You Were Here!" with e-card creator

by: Randy - posted: 7/25/2008 12:52 AM - Comments (0)
Spore has teamed up with MashON, an e-card creator, to give folks the chance to keep feeding the irresistible Spore hype machine.  You select from a variety of backgrounds, place some creature and Spore vehicle clip art, add some words, then submit your e-card (after you register with MashON; which kept error'ing out when I was trying to register myself -- though I still nabbed the screenshot below).  In addition to pre-fab setups, you can use your own concoctions from the Spore Creature Creator.
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Eight new screens launch a Zoids Assault

by: Randy - posted: 7/25/2008 12:19 AM - Comments (0)
Elegantly-spartan icons, a harsh Consolas font, and screenshots that suspiciously play themselves out to be a mech-populated game of spectator-sport Archon.  The still unfortunately-named Zoids Assault released a healthy variety of pics depicting some CGI interactions, level-up screens, squared-off chess boards, inventory and equipment menus, health-regenerating units, and monster-sized walkers.  The visuals are starting to grow on me.
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New Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 trailer sets off a 'fusion' reaction

by: Randy - posted: 7/24/2008 11:38 PM - Comments (0)
Latveria.  London.  New York.  Chicago.  Los Angeles.  Qatar?  The attacks are hitting all over the globe, and no single superhero is up to the task.  That's why this video of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Fusion shows off cooperative attacks between the usual Marvel pantheon:  Iron Man and the Invisible Woman, Iron Man (again) and Spider Man, the Incredible Hulk and Wolverine, the Thing and the Human Torch.  Believe it or not, with Fusion being an action RPG, those folks at Blizzard are probably taking notes and having to seriously decide whether Diablo 3 will incorporate cooperative attacks or not.

Steel Disaster coming to DS

by: Sean Colleli - posted: 7/24/2008 7:49 PM - Comments (0)
This September the DS's action library will grow a bit with Commando: Steel Disaster.  A single player side scroller with influences of Contra and Metal Slug, publisher XS Games promises the game will have some of the best 2D visuals on the console.  It will also ship at a competitive $19.99, so it should make a good end-of-summer bargain. [READ MORE]

Dust up on PT Boats

by: Sean Colleli - posted: 7/24/2008 7:38 PM - Comments (0)
As Akella's new naval strategy game, PT-Boats: Knights of the Sea nears its release, they have a little history lesson up at their website.  You can check out the details of naval warfare and some of the game's assets at these two features, here and here.  Knights of the Sea launches later this year.

Dead Space: Downfall trailer released: not for the kids

by: Chuck - posted: 7/24/2008 6:36 PM - Comments (0)
Here's the new trailer for Dead Space:Downfall, the prequel to EA's upcoming sci-fi survival game Dead Space. The movie will fill in all of the plot details that lead up to the game.  If you've been tracking the game there aren't a lot of surprises here but it does flesh things out a bit.

Two tons of new stuff and a sale at the PlayStation store

by: Chuck - posted: 7/24/2008 6:27 PM - Comments (0)
PS3 owners are going to be a happy bunch today as Sony has released a ton of new content onto the PlayStation Network today.  There's a demo of the most excellent PixelJunk Eden along with a bunch of DLC content.  The real meat though is Siren, Sony's new episodic horror game which you can download in three separate chunks for $14.99 or pay $39.99 for the whole enchilada.  Also available is Capcom's 1942:Joint Strike for $9.99.

Sony is also having a one week sale on the following titles which you can now get for $4.99 each:
  • PAIN
  • PixelJunk Monsters
  • High Velocity Bowling
  • High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition
  • Rocketmen: Axis of Evil
I'm download Siren right now so check back tomorrow for some first impressions.

Adding a new category of gamers to the mix

by: Chuck - posted: 7/24/2008 1:06 PM - Comments (1)
Over at Edge (formerly Next Gen), Chris Charla has an outstanding editorial on why we need another category of gamers to the mix.  He argues that we need a "mass market" category of gamers that sits between the definition of casual games (online flash/mini-game collections) and hardcore (or core) games.  This category is where games like Rock Band sit as they don't really fit into the casual game category (too expensive to buy/play) and they don't fit into the hardcore category (broad appeal). 

Personally I love this definition as a lot of games and corporations are trying to label games as either casual or core games when there seems to be something in the middle.  What do you think?  Leave your thoughts in the comments

Buy Qore, get into Resistance Fall of Man 2 beta

by: Chuck - posted: 7/24/2008 12:16 PM - Comments (0)
If you buy the upcoming issue of Qore you will get an invite into the Resistance:Fall of Man 2 multiplayer beta which is a pretty good deal for $2.99.  Of course some of the commentors at Shacknews have pointed out that you may also be able to get in for free through alternate methods.   The beta is set to start in September and it will give people the chance to check out the unprecedented 60 player online play which should be pretty damn sweet.

GarageGames bringing Torque engine to the iPhone

by: Chuck - posted: 7/24/2008 12:10 PM - Comments (0)
A lot of people (myself included) have thought that gaming on the iPhone was going to be a fad at best but given the amount of development dollars being thrown at the device I'm starting to think it might become a serious platform. 

Adding further fuel to the fire is the announcement that GarageGame has added iPhone support to their Torque game engine which means game developers now have a solid engine to start building games with.  Time will tell if this really catches fire but if I'm Sony or Nintendo I might start to watch my back. [READ MORE]

PixelJunk Eden embiggened with the power of YouTube

by: Chuck - posted: 7/24/2008 12:06 PM - Comments (0)
YouTube announced today that you will be able to upload videos to the service directly from PixelJunk Eden when it comes out next week. The feature will allow you to record your best moves in the game and then share them with everyone else.  I'm pretty high on the game already and this sounds like another cool feature for people to use and abuse.  Here's a sample of the game in action:

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 to be released next week

by: Chuck - posted: 7/24/2008 7:58 AM - Comments (1)
The Bizzare Creations Facebook page has word that Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 will be released on July 30th, a full week earlier than expected.  I'm interested to see how the multiplayer works as I really loved the single player side of the game.

Gaming Gibs for 7/24/2008

by: Chuck - posted: 7/24/2008 7:31 AM - Comments (0)
Here are a few things I missed while reading about the new Star Wars Robot Chicken special:
  • Capcom cleans up at E3, does a victory lap in their blog (can't blame them, they had a great lineup this year)
  • Full body gaming chair?  Sign me up.
  • PixelJunk Eden trophies revealed and explained. Look for a demo later today.
  • Kotaku outlines a decent alternate history E3, even they would like to see a new IP from Nintendo
  • Iwata apologizes about weak Nintendo E3, Wii will still be in short supply this holiday season
  • Molyneaux feels bad for Dennis Dyack,may want to hold off on the pity party until after Fable 2 is released
  • Looks like Nintendo developers were suprised by the Wii Motion Plus as well (and that's not a good thing)
  • San Disk blames crap SSD performance on Vista driver support, which is so very 2007

News Roundup: The Last Too Human Guy

by: Randy - posted: 7/24/2008 12:09 AM - Comments (0)
Demos, Patches
 Videos
 Screenshots
 Articles
 Thanks to AtomicGamer, Digit-Life, and TheTechLounge for today's news roundup.

The Ring-Forge of Eregion brings to a close Volume I of Lord of the Rings Online

by: Randy - posted: 7/23/2008 11:30 PM - Comments (0)
Details for the sixth content update to The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar emerge in the form of Book 14: Ring-Forge of Eregion.  This finale to Volume I of LOTRO is a simultaneous lead-in to Fall 2008's pay-to-play expansion pack, The Mines of Moria.  A handful of pre-expansion pics showoff plenty of artful details in this still-pretty MMO, while the continuing story, new battlefield adventure instances, and new animation technology read themselves between the lines.
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EA bringing Operation to PC's everywhere

by: Chuck - posted: 7/23/2008 11:16 PM - Comments (0)
EA and Hasbro are continuing their partnership by bringing the classic game Operation board game to the PC in September.  The game is called OPERATION Mania and it will allow you to play Dr. Humerus (*sigh*) as he tries to build his surgical reputation by admitting, diagnosing, and treating patients.   The real heart of the game (pun intended) is the micro-games that are based on the classic board game action.  Personally I think this would be kind of a cool use of the Novint Falcon as the vibration feedback  would do a fantastic job of recreating those vibrations you got from the old board game.   [READ MORE]

Sam & Max Season Two collector's DVD out this August

by: Randy - posted: 7/23/2008 10:20 PM - Comments (0)
Telltale announced the eminent release of a Sam & Max Season Two Collector's DVD.  This edition, due in August, will contain all five episodes that comprise Season Two, along with hours of special features viewable in a standard DVD player.  Already bought Season Two?  Then you'll get the bonus DVD for free.  But if you haven't seen this duo's second season yet then you'll only be out $34.95 for the whole package.

Telltale's store also has some new Sam & Max merchandise available for preorder:
  • The complete Sam & Max Season Two soundtrack; a 2-CD set featuring three hours of jazz music from the games and another Steve Purcell (creator of Sam & Max) original on the cover, retailing for $19.99.
  • A limited edition case file stuffed with "evidence" from each Season Two episode, priced at $5.99.
  • A poster print based on the Season Two DVD cover art, available unsigned for $14.99 or signed for $19.99.
[READ MORE]

EA Sports Fantasy Football Live Draft Tracker now available

by: Randy - posted: 7/23/2008 10:15 PM - Comments (0)
"The days of paper draft boards are over," according to EA Sports.  The web-based EA Sports Fantasy Football is free, and players interested in the new Live Draft Tracker can buy the application through Xbox Live (400 points/$5.00) or Playstation Network for 50 cents.  Quite the price discrepancy. [READ MORE]

Time Hollow announced for DS

by: Sean Colleli - posted: 7/23/2008 7:35 PM - Comments (0)
Konami is hard at work on a new adventure game for DS, titled Time Hollow.  Konami promises that the game will have a unique art style and feature puzzles that require working in both the past and present.  The hero, Junko Kawano, discovers the Hollow Pen, which allows him to draw portals connecting the past to the present.  I really like the sound of this idea--kind of a mix of Timeshift and Portal, and it's always great to get a creative new franchise instead of just another sequel. [READ MORE]

Xploder now supporting Brawl

by: Sean Colleli - posted: 7/23/2008 7:28 PM - Comments (0)
The Xploder cheat service is now offering cheat saves for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.  Xploder is a web community that offers exploits, transferred to your Wii  through  an  SD  card.  You can get the saves for a small fee at their website, or at retailers.   I know Nintendo looks down on cheatsaves, but without any Gameshark or Action Replay devices on Wii, this might be the only option for now.  Use at your own risk. [READ MORE]

Penny Arcade game coming to PSN

by: Chuck - posted: 7/23/2008 6:54 PM - Comments (0)
The folks at Hothead Games announced today that they will be bringing Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness darkness to the PlayStation Network later this fall.  The game will be a straight port of the game that's already available on the Xbox 360 and Live and will be priced accordingly.  With the Penny Arcade Expo just around the corner you have to wonder if we are close to an announcement of the second game in the series and if that game will hit all three platforms simultaneously or if the PSN version will come later. [READ MORE]

1942: Joint Strike now available on PSn and Xbox Live

by: Chuck - posted: 7/23/2008 6:51 PM - Comments (1)
I've been playing 1942: Joint Strike on our debug for the last couple of months and if you're a fan of the series you're in for a real treat with the new game.  The graphics and gameplay have been updated without losing the feel of the old game.  If you like top down shooters the game really is worth your $9.99/800 MS points to play the game. [READ MORE]