So Diablo 3 was announced. It was inevitable that it would come out. The Diablo series is still extremely popular. I think it will do well. However, I don't know if it will do as well as previous Diablos.
Will its old school hack/slash/loot combo attract new gamers? Will it still only be available on PC? Console gaming has risen in popularity while PC gaming has suffered.
On the other hand, no matter how well it does or not, I tip my hat to Blizzard. They're putting out Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 and being true to the games' roots. And let's face it, Blizzard has World of Warcraft. They don't have to put out another game ever again and they're still set for life.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Comic: Betty Ford Clinic Welcomes a New Patient
In Battlefield: Bad Company, you heal yourself over and over again with this injector that injects you with "Life-2". So much so that's it's pretty laughable. Your character, Preston, is definitely going to have an addiction problem.
Written by Jester013 at 6:40 PM 0 comments
Opinion: Xbox 360 Achievements Should Be Stackable!
Like I said, this isn't just a Battlefield: Bad Company issue. There are many games that do this. Do the developers think that if I beat the level on Hard I won't be able to beat it on Normal? Or is this just a cheap way to get more replay value out of the game?
Friday, June 27, 2008
Good bye Bill Gates
A non-executive chairman is a part-time officeholder who chairs the main board of the company and provides advice to the CEO. Gates will still be seen as the political figurehead of Microsoft. But will people and fanboys still be able to blame Gates for every little thing Microsoft does? I don't think anybody can take Bill's place in that department.
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 DLC Coming in July
The "new" maps aren't really that new. One is a remake of of the Calypso Casino from Rainbow Six Vegas. The other two are maps from Rainbow Six Vegas 2 - Murdertown and CQB Training, but this time they are set at night so it's dark.
Ranks will now go beyond Elite(all already earned XP will still count). A.C.E.S. will now go to rank 100.
There will also be changes to the game itself. The grenade indicator will be more accurate. Health regeneration is disabled. Friendly fire will also be enabled. Camera view will be limited while under cover. Aim assistance will be disabled. There will be less ammo. Bullet spread will be increased when not zoomed in. Kill camera is always disabled. Friendly fire is always enabled.
There will also be changes to some of the equipment and weapons: Zooming in and out will be faster. LMGs will have higher base accuracy. Snipers will have increased damage at long range. Adjusted rate of fire for some Assault Rifles, Shotguns and an SMG. C4 and incendiary greandes will detonate faster.
And there will also be changes to the respawn options, chat options and score displays.
All this for the low, low cost of nothing. Although I would call this more of a patch than a real DLC. The maps are nice, but as I stated, they aren't really that new. I do like that there will be more ranks and A.C.E.S. Especially the A.C.E.S. I had maxed out most of mine.
Look for the patch, I mean DLC sometime in July.
Written by Jester013 at 1:15 AM 0 comments
Tags: Downloadable Content, PS3, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Ubisoft, Xbox 360
Friday, June 20, 2008
Vote for Prince of Persia Achievement
The options are:
1) Free fall
Longest Grip Fall: Perform the longest grip fall in the game.
2) Marathon
Marathon: Run Prince run! Run the whole map then keep running.
3) Combat King
Combo Specialist: Master every fight combo in the game.
Voting ends July 1st.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Nintendo Apologizes for Insults
I also don't see why the console companies get so mad when gamers want bigger storage space. Yes, the Nintendo Wii could use a real hard drive instead of just 512 MB memory or memory cards. And remember when Microsoft would get so mad when people were asking for a hard drive bigger than 20 GB?
Investing in a Game Before Purchase
So if I rank up to level 4 in the ranked matches of the demo, I will get an unlocked Uzi in the real game. That's some investment. I like the demo, but this incentive gives me more reason to play and if I do get to level 4, I have more reason to buy the full version. After all, I already have a gun that I earned!
Other games are also doing similar things. Fable 2 will release some gambling games on Xbox Live Arcade a little bit before Fable 2 is released. People can earn money for their in-game character by buying these XBLA games and doing well in the them.
Personally, I think these are good ideas, from a marketing stance. I love demos to begin with. They give you a real idea of what the game will be like. But with this working towards something, you are also guaranteeing not only that people will be invested but that they will continue playing the demo so that when other people try out the demo there's a lot of people to play with.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Rumor: Microsoft Avatars?
The rumor supposedly come from an independent survey. The avatars are rumored to be available "this holiday for all Xbox Live connected members" and "this Spring for all new console owners."
I was able to view the image on the original site earlier in the day, but it has since been taken down.
I think I'd like the Avatars. But they shouldn't get rid of the Gamerpics. Both should be options. Otherwise, people who paid for Gamerpics are screwed if they just get rid of them all. I like Miis on the Wii so I think I'd like Avatars because they seem like higher tech Miis with more options. They actually have clothes instead of just changing the color of their shirt!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Opinion: The Xbox 360 Is Not Dead
I know a lot of gamers. Most have an Xbox 360. Some of us also have Wiis, some of us also have PS3s. But the one that is played primarily is the Xbox 360. Most of our conversations are about games played on the 360. Surveys have constantly shown that gamers game on their 360 more consistently than other consoles they may own. So, the Xbox 360 is definitely not dead.
Now if the argument is about market growth, than maybe you can consider the Xbox 360's market growth dead. The Xbox 360 has been out longer than the Wii and PS3. Most gamers that were going to buy a 360 have gotten one. Of course, there are a few people left who want to get a 360 and just haven't, but for hardcore gamers, the 360's market growth is mostly dead. The PS3 has more growth to come because of Blu-Ray, and the Wii has more market growth coming since the Wii is finally readily available at stores.
Apparently, another argument is that the 360 hasn't had any big exclusives this year, and the year's half over. Exclusives? Exclusives aren't what they used to be. There really aren't many real exclusives anymore. Game production costs are so high that most developers go for multi-platform release to try to maximize their potential profits. The 360 has more exclusives on the way later this year, but their "big" exclusives have already been released.
But games will continue to come out on the Xbox 360, and gamers will continue to play games on the Xbox 360. So the Xbox 360 is definitely not dead.
Gamefly Opening New Shipping Center
I know when they opened their third shipping center in Tampa my shipping time was greatly reduced so hopefully this will help gamers in Texas and the Midwest. They still have a long way to go to be as fast as Netflix, but it's a good start.
IGN Has the Big E3 List for 2008
Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 3 (PC, PS3, X360)
Capcom
Bionic Commando (PC, PS3, X360)
Bionic Commando Rearmed (PC, PS3, X360)
Capcom Project #1 [untitled] (other)
Capcom Project #2 [untitled] (other)
Dark Void (PC, PS3, X360)
MotoGP 08 (other)
Neopets Puzzle Adventure (PC, Wii)
Plunder (PC, PS3, X360)
Resident Evil 5 (PS3, X360)
Spyborgs (Wii)
Street Fighter IV (PC, PS3, X360)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PS3, X360)
D3 Publisher
Bangai-O Spirits (DS)
Ben 10: Alien Force -- The Game (DS, PS2, PSP, Wii)
Naruto: Clash of The Ninja Revolution 2 (Wii)
Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 (DS)
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (DS, PC, X360)
Deep Silver
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky (PC)
Electronic Arts
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (PC, PS3, X360)
Crysis Warhead (PC)
Dead Space (PC, PS3, X360)
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PC, PS3, X360)
Mirror's Edge (PC, PS3, X360)
Skate It (Wii)
Spore (PC)
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest (PC, PS3, X360)
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC)
Microsoft
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (X360)
Fable 2 (X360)
Gears of War 2 (X360)
Halo Wars (X360)
Too Human (X360)
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (X360)
Namco Bandai
Soulcalibur IV (PS3, X360)
Natsume
Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness (DS)
Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Wii)
Sony Computer Entertainment
Killzone 2 (PS3)
LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift (PS3)
PixelJunk Eden (PS3)
Resistance 2 (PS3)
SIREN: Blood Curse Episode #1 [PSN] (PS3)
SOCOM: Confrontation (PS3)
Valve
Left 4 Dead (PC, X360)
XSEED Games
Little King's Story (Wii)
E3 will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 14 to July 17 this year.e
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Limbo of the Lost Plagiarism
Supposedly, some of the other games that may have been stolen from are "Diablo 2, Painkiller, Unreal Tournament 2003, Unreal Tournament 2004, Thief: Deadly Shadows, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Silent Hill 3 and scenes from the 1997 film Spawn."
Hey, at least they stole from some good games. I had never heard of Limbo of the Lost before today. I found this trailer for it on YouTube.
Limbo of the Lost is/was for PC only.
Written by Jester013 at 11:39 PM 0 comments
Tags: Limbo of the Lost, Majestic Studios, pc, Theft, Trysynergy
Microsoft to Blame for Red Rings
Microsoft apparently tried to cut costs by creating their own chip instead of going to a third party. As we all know, this cutting corners ended up costing Microsoft in their $1 billion recall and warranty extension.
Microsoft should remember their roots - software(although I do love my 360...).
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
APB Full Public Beta Coming Soon
360 Bringing RPGs to Japanese Gamers
There will be 6 new RPG games making their way there in the next year to year and a half. These include:
Star Ocean 4 (Square Enix)
Infinite Undiscovery (Square Enix)
Last Remnant (Square Enix)
Tales of Vesperia (Namco Bandai)
Mass Effect (Bioware)
Fable 2 (Lionhead)
This is a great list of games, but will it be what Microsoft needs to break into that market? My opinion is no. I don't think it's the games that is holding the console back. I think it's just that it's American made, so Japanese gamers are sticking with the Japanese made consoles. I guarantee that if a new Japanese gaming console came out tomorrow it would sell better than the Xbox 360 is doing right now.
Last Remnant is also getting the star treatment like Blue Dragon got, where the Japanese version will come bundled with a 20GB hard drive and some bonus stuff. Here's a better idea Microsoft, why don't you do American gamers a favor and give us the hookups like you do for the Japanese gamers. I guess it's the old business model of treat your potential customers better than your actual customers.
Written by Unknown at 8:09 AM 0 comments
Tags: fable 2, Infinite Undiscovery, japan, Last Remnant, Mass Effect, Microsoft, RPG, Star Ocean 4, Tales of Vesperia, Xbox 360
Monday, June 9, 2008
Call of Duty 5 Details Revealed
Call of Duty 5 will be the first Call of Duty game to feature co-op on the campaign. Multiplayer is also expected to be different with more vehicle and squad warfare.
CoD5 is scheduled to be released on PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. Developers say they are incorporating "more survival horror" into the game. I have no idea what that means. Are there going to be zombies?
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Rumor: Microsoft to Announce Xbox 360 Blu-Ray Drive
I've seen this rumor on few sites and heard rumblings for a week or so now. The new batch of this rumor today seem to stem from one person who has a "close friend" who works at Microsoft. Supposedly the announcement will be tomorrow at 9 am in an attempt to upstage Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference.
Look, I think it's inevitable that Microsoft will eventually make a Blu-Ray drive. Even if they have said many times that they never would. They also said they would never make a bigger harddrive for the Xbxo 360. I don't know if this announcement will actually happen tomorrow, but I'd think it would happen someday.
The real question is what kind of Blu-Ray drive will it be? Will it be an accessory like their HD-DVD drive or will it be internal? Will this mean a new SKU for the 360? Maybe we'll find out tomorrow...
Weak U.S. Dollar Bad for American Gamers
"The shortage demonstrates one consequence of the weak dollar. We're seeing companies ignore their largest market simply because they can make a greater profit elsewhere," said Michael Pachter an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities.
Patcher also estimates that only half a million units were shipped to North America while 2 million units went to Europe. Fortunately for Nintendo, the Wii and all of it's popular items will stay trendy for quite some time, so the audience will always be there regardless if the product isn't.
Written by Unknown at 3:33 PM 3 comments
Tags: la times, Nintendo, shortages, weak us dollar, wii, Wii Fit
Opinion: When Multiplayer Fails
Honestly, I can understand. The game is not that engaging. Even in single player, it pretends to have a story, but it really doesn't. But my post isn't actually about The Club. What happens to people who buy these games that expect a big multiplayer community and that community doesn't show up?
This is one of the reason I prefer games that concentrate on the single player, sometimes even abandoning the multiplayer altogether. If I buy/rent/borrow a single player game months or even years after its release, I don't have to worry about it. The game will still be the same. But if that game has a big multiplayer component, I have to worry.
Are there still gamers playing the game? Even if it's good, is it good enough that people are still playing it so long after release? This is a reason I disagree with some current developers who are starting to concentrate primarily on multiplayer. Yes, multiplayer is fun. But only when there are actually other people to play with!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Opinion: Xbox Live Marketplace Needs Reworking
There are a lot of good things on the Marketplace. The problem is finding them!
There are so many things on the Marketplace and the navigation system is terrible. Even when you find things that look like they might be decent, you can't usually tell from the description.
I downloaded the full version of Warlords, thinking it was the PC game Warlords I remembered from high school. Instead, it was some other game called Warlords. Is it too much to ask for a screenshot or two in the description area?
Also, why do only some of the Gamer Pics have pictures of what pictures you are actually getting? Many of the Gamer Pic packs make you just guess what the pictures will be or do a search on the internet to try to find it.
The categories themselves also need work. There should definitely be at least a "Free" category. And I could use a search feature or a page scroll option. Sometimes I know exactly what I'm looking for, but I have to scroll through hundreds of titles to get there.
Written by Jester013 at 12:29 PM 0 comments
Tags: Marketplace, Microsoft, Opinion Piece, Xbox 360, Xbox Live
Friday, June 6, 2008
LucasArts Layoffs
According to Wikipedia, they employee over 350 employees, so this is a huge chunk. The layoffs included the producer of the popular Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Shawn Storc.
There is a really funny comment on the Kotaku page, where one of the readers says "May the force be with them".
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Bioshock 3 On Its Way
It seems like the announcement was made somewhat off-hand. The actual statement was about the Bioshock movie. Chairman Strauss Zelnick said that the movie would not be released at the time of Bioshock 2 but would probably coincide with the release of Bioshock 3. No further details were released.
Bioshock 2 will be created by 2K Marin Studio and is scheduled for release 4th quarter fiscal 2009(July-September 2009). Rumors indicate it may be a prequel to Bioshock.
GTA IV DLC Delayed
No word on DLC for any other systems or what the DLC will actually be.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
New Saint's Row 2 Trailer Calls Out GTA IV
In particular, the trailer makes fun of GTA IV's bowling, watching TV and hanging out with friends at the cabaret. The trailer also shows some of the aspects of upcoming Saint's Row 2 like hijacking septic tankers, robbing liquor stores, disguising yourself as a cop, collecting insurance claims, flying barnstorming airplanes, base jumping, car surfing, working security for a rock band, underground fight clubs and just general mayhem.
Watching the trailer might give you an idea of why I've been looking forward to Saint's Row 2 for so long.
Sony Cancels Eight Days and The Getaway
These games were being developed under the umbrella of Sony Worldwide Studios which recently underwent a change of presidents with Shuhei Yoshida taking charge.
Eight Days was originally announced at 2006's E3 and looked to be a shooting/driving game that took place in the Arizona desert.
The Getaway was a continuation of The Getaway series. The series has been described as GTA's retarded cousin. It was originally shown at 2005's E3 and then again at 2006's. However, then it faded to the background. Apparently, it never really got too far in development.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Itagaki Quits and Sues Tecmo
Itagaki is suing Tecmo for about $1.4 million, claiming unpaid bonuses and mistreatment by the Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda.
Itagaki claims he was promised a bonus for the completion of Dead or Alive 4. When the time came, Tecmo refused to pay. At this time, Itagaki says Yasuda became defiant and told Itagaki to basically deal with or quit and sue the company.
Looks like Itagaki is taking his soon to be former boss's advice.
I'd imagine Itagaki will have no problem landing on his feet. Look for him possibly working for Microsoft since he has made no secret of his like of the Xbox 360 and dislike of the PS3. Of course, he also likes some things about the Wii...
Monday, June 2, 2008
Review: CSI: Hard Evidence
Game Score: 6 out of 10
Story: You’re a new CSI investigator, helping the team solve 5 different cases.
Graphics: Not really next gen. The environments are okay, but the character models are somewhat creepy, especially when they talk to you.
Sound: The sound is fine. The other CSI members are voiced by their respective actors.
Gameplay: Overall it works well. Sometimes you know what you want to happen, but getting it to happen in game can take trial and error. Luckily, these instances are few and far between.
Replay Value: Little to None
Recommendation: Possible rental
This game puts you in the role of a new CSI member. Each case will team you up with one of the investigators from CSI Vegas. While investigating, you’ll be able to gather and process evidence and question suspects.
It is a decent concept. I like the investigating and processing evidence. If you watch the show, you know that it is somewhat inaccurate with the CSI members constantly interrogating suspects and helping arrest people. The game is the same way.
One thing that I find very lame about the game is that you can’t falsely accuse suspects. You have to just keep processing the evidence until only one suspect remains and they confess. In this aspect, the game is very linear and it’s just like a somewhat interactive episode. I never really felt like *I* was solving the case. I was just pushing buttons, moving everything forward. If you ever do get stuck, you can ask your CSI partner for hints(although this counts against you in your evaluation(which means nothing)).
Another annoying thing is that they have little cutscenes of shots of Vegas when you change locations. You can easily skip them with the push of a button. So why is this annoying? Well, they happen *whenever* you travel. So if I travel from inside a house to the backyard, I see a cutscene of the Vegas strip. Am I taking the super long way to the backyard?
Overall, the game is an interesting attempt but fails as a blockbuster. It has 5 easy achievements for the 360, netting you all 1,000 points. But I would not pay retail for this game. Rent it if you’ve got some spare time or money. Or better yet borrow it from a friend.
Release Date: 9/27/07
Platforms: Nintendo Wii, PC, Xbox 360
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Telltale Games
June Game Releases
DS Titles
June 3
• Kung Fu Panda
• LEGO Indiana Jones
• Summon Night: Twin Age
June 5
• Incredible Hulk
June 10
• 1 vs. 100
• My Fashion Studio
• Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor
• Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles
June 17
• Arkanoid
• Code Lyoko: Fall of XANA
• Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard
• Imagine: Rock Star
• Pet Dogz Fashion
• Puzzler Collection
• Space Invaders Extreme
• Tamagotchi Connection Corner 3
• Wacky Races: Crash and Dash
June 22
• Guitar Hero: On Tour
June 23
• American Girl: Kit Mystery Challenge
• Top Spin 3
June 24
• Cake Mania 2
• Final Fantasy Tactics A2
• Gourmet Chef
• Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker X Ninja
• Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker X Saurian
• Midnight Play Pack
• My Weight Loss Coach
• Wall-E
June 30
• Garfield Gets Real
• Journey to the Center of the Earth
PC Titles
June 2
• Stronghold Crusader Extreme
June 3
• GRID
• Kung Fu Panda
• LEGO Indiana Jones
June 10
• Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm
June 16
• Political Machines 2008
June 17
• Incredible Hulk
• Spore Creature Creator
June 23
• Luxor 3 with 7 Wonders Ancient World
• The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff
• The Sim City Box
June 24
• Alone in the Dark
• Baseball Mogul 2009
• Elements
• Supreme Ruler 2020
• Wall-E
June 30
• The Immortals of Terra
PS2 Titles
June 3
• Kung Fu Panda
• LEGO Indiana Jones
June 5
• Incredible Hulk
June 10
• NASCAR 09
June 24
• Alone in the Dark
• Wall-E
June 29
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
PS3 Titles
June 3
• GRID
• Kung Fu Panda
• LEGO Indiana Jones
• Robert Ludlum’s: The Bourne Conspiracy
June 5
• Incredible Hulk
June 10
• Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
• NASCAR 09
June 12
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
June 23
• Battlefield: Bad Company
• Top Spin 3
June 24
• Hail to the Chimp
• Hellboy: Science of Evil
• Overlord Raising Hell
• Wall-E
June 29
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
PSP
June 3
• Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
• LEGO Indiana Jones
June 17
• Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity
• Secret Agent Clank
• Space Invaders Extreme
June 24
• Hellboy: Science of Evil
• Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress
• Wall-E
Wii
June 3
• Cabela’s Trophy Bucks
• Kung Fu Panda
• LEGO Indiana Jones
June 5
• Incredible Hulk
June 10
• Backyard Baseball ‘09
• Blast Works: Build, Trade & Destroy
• Carnival Games
June 17
• Wacky Races: Crash and Dash
June 23
• Top Spin 3
June 24
• Alone in the Dark
• Big Beach Sports
• Purr Pals
• Wall-E
June 29
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
June 30
• Garfield Gets Real
Xbox 360
June 3
• GRID
• Kung Fu Panda
• LEGO Indiana Jones
• Robert Ludlum’s: The Bourne Conspiracy
June 5
• Incredible Hulk
June 9
• Don King Presents Prize Fighter
June 10
• Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm
• Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
• NASCAR 09
June 23
• Battlefield: Bad Company
• Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath
• Supreme Commander
• Top Spin 3
June 24
• Alone in the Dark
• Gears of War Refresh
• Hail to the Chimp
• Hellboy: Science of Evil
• Operation Darkness
• Wall-E
June 29
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
Written by Jester013 at 12:01 PM 0 comments
Tags: game releases, Nintendo DS, pc, PS2, PS3, PSP, wii, Xbox 360