Follow
0
0
Want it
0
Have it
0
Had it
0
News
E3 Predictions: Bungie's Next Game
By GameInformer, published 24-05-2012
Earlier this week, a leaked contract agreement between Activision and Bungie gave many fans their first hard facts about the former Halo developer’s next project. Bungie is hard at work on Project Destiny, a likely code name for a new “sci-fantasy, action shooter” series scheduled to be published by Activison in the fall of 2013. The game series mentioned in the contract is also said to be in a “massively multiplayer style,” but it’s unclear if that means Destiny is an actual MMO or whether it simply has some persistent online elements. The first Destiny game will release on current-generation consoles such as the 360 and PS3, but also next-gen consoles. Wording within the 2010 contract indicates a timed exclusive on Microsoft consoles, with later rele...
Afterwords: SSX
By GameInformer, published 16-05-2012
Snowboarding fans waited over five years for EA Sports to revive its over-the-top SSX franchise. While the reboot thrilled some by continuing the series' legacy of wild trick and breakneck races, others took issue with the frustrating Survive It mode. We talked to creative director Todd Batty to find out what changed, what got cut, and what he wishes he could bring back. The game was originally announced with the subtitle "Deadly Descents." How soon after announcing did you decide to remove the subtitle? Did you change any of the content of the game as well or was it more of a marketing change? That was really more on the marketing side of things. I've said this many times before, but we started off from day one with race it, trick it, and survive it as the three pillars...
Halo 4 Limited Edition Announced
By GameInformer, published 16-05-2012
Microsoft announced a $99.99 Halo 4 limited edition that includes a number of digital goodies. This new edition is available for pre-order today. Included are the following items, according to Microsoft: • War Games Map Pack Access – The Limited Edition includes access to nine maps – three future competitive multiplayer map packs, each including three locations, available for download post-launch on Xbox Live. (A detailed release schedule for the map packs will be announced at a later time) • Specializations – Receive early access to six Specializations, available at launch on Xbox Live, to achieve higher ranks in your Spartan career. In addition to gaining access to new ranks, Specializations unlock new customization options. Purchasers of the ...
Blog Herding: Community Edition 05/10/12
By GameInformer, published 05-10-2012
For many the highlight of the week was revealed with Game Informer's June cover announcement, showcasing The Elder Scrolls Online. Several bloggers shared their thoughts on it while others were compelled to write about a wide range of topics from the world of video games. Blog Herding Stats: Period Reviewed: April 30 – May 06, 2012Number of User Blogs: 109Number of User Bloggers: 65Number of User Blogs Herded: 14 Community Events: Kid Icarus Uprising 3DS Online TournamentGame Informer community members Kid Ica and The Monster Hunter are looking for some fellow gamers to join them for some Kid Icarus Uprising online action on or around May 13. Community Blogs: My Top 25 Vacation Spots In GamesIf you could escape to any location in your favorite video game for a little rest and r...
The Man Determining The Future of Madden
By GameInformer, published 05-04-2012
EA Sports and developer EA Tiburon are promising big things for the Madden franchise this year after a string of disappointments in this hardware generation. We sat down with Cam Weber, EA Sports' new general manager of football, to talk about some of the challenges for the series as he works to rebuild its reputation and prepare for the next round of consoles. Some of the work on Madden NFL 13 started before development of Madden 12, and yet that content didn't appear in that game. Was Madden NFL 12 hamstrung? I don't know. I came in late in the year last year. We formed a new leadership team and a new business unit, and spent last February, March, April, and May forming a new long-term strategy and where we need to go and what technology we need to build. At that time, we re...
June Cover Revealed: The Elder Scrolls Online
By GameInformer, published 05-03-2012
Long rumored and much anticipated, The Elder Scrolls Online is finally being unveiled in the June issue of Game Informer. In this month's cover story we journey across the entire land of Tamriel, from Elsweyr to Skyrim and everywhere in between. Developed by the team at Zenimax Online Studios, The Elder Scrolls Online merges the unmatched exploration of rich worlds that the franchise is known for with the scale and social aspects of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Players will discover an entirely new chapter of Elder Scrolls history in this ambitious world, set a millennium before the events of Skyrim as the daedric prince Molag Bal tries to pull all of Tamriel into his demonic realm. "It will be extremely rewarding finally to unveil what we have been developi...
Sony Unveils God Of War: Ascension's Multiplayer
By GameInformer, published 30-04-2012
When news of God of War: Ascension’s existence leaked, many wondered what they’d see when Sony officially spilled the beans on the prequel. I attended a recent preview event in Hollywood for the game, and there was no shortage of chatter and predictions amongst journalists before the presentation began. Would the game take place before Kratos’ family died? If so, would he still have his trademark Blades of Chaos? What antagonists can he take down after slaying so many gods? When the presentation came to an end, we still didn’t have answers to these questions. Instead, we were shown a glimpse of the game’s new multiplayer mode. Game director Todd Papy took to the stage to begin the demonstration, and it was clear that the team planned on teasing the crowd with...
Star Wars: The Old Republic Receives Massive Game Update
By GameInformer, published 04-12-2012
Still fighting the good fight in a galaxy far, far away? EA and LucasArts just released a huge amount of new game content for your Star Wars character to enjoy. It looks like most of the content appeals directly to high level characters who may be looking for new experiences. According to an EA press release, Game Update 1.2 also allows players to link each of their created characters in a family tree that gives them access to special new abilities. Other changes include introducing a Galactic Trade Network terminal on player ships, new character races, new user interface customization, guild banks, and bonuses that will strengthen your relationships to companion characters. The new high-level content includes: Flashpoint: Lost Island continues the story of Flashpoint: Kaon Under S...
Hands-On With Borderlands 2 At PAX East
By GameInformer, published 04-06-2012
When we were down in Texas checking out Borderlands 2 for our September cover story, it was clear that Gearbox had ambitious plans for the sequel. The surprise success of the original game spawned millions of fans, and it was no shocker when the developer announced that a sequel was in the works. Our time at the studio was hands-off, but the game was in playable form on the PAX East show floor, and I had a chance to sit down with creative director Paul Hellquist for an extended demo. Two classes were available: the siren Maya and the dual-wielding Gunzerker that graced our cover. Since most of my time in the original game was spent with guns blazing, I opted for the latter. It didn’t take long for me to realize how well these two worked in tandem with each other. Hellquist was able ...
Kinect Star Wars Review: The Force Is Broken
By GameInformer, published 04-05-2012
Ignore my abysmal rating for one second. I had a good time playing Kinect Star Wars. More accurately, I laughed all the way through it, and most of the people who jumped in to play cooperatively with me left with smiles on their faces. Some of the comedy is intentional, mostly delivered through minigame diversions separate from the core campaign. Dancing alongside Han Solo to a familiar pop song rewritten with groan-inducing Star Wars-themed lyrics is one of the strangest activities I’ve experienced. Watching the coolest smuggler in the universe perform moves like the “trash compactor” and “falcon in flight” hurt my inner nerd, but more so made me laugh and shake my head in disbelief. Galactic Dance Off mode is designed to be fun and weird, and it succeeds in...
Sine Mora Review: Bullet Hell Made Manageable
By GameInformer, published 23-03-2012
Bullet hell shooters appeal to a very specific crowd. It’s a genre that requires patience, lightning-quick reflexes, and the ability to memorize and recognize bullet patterns at a moment’s notice. With Sine Mora, Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality have created a shooter that can appeal to both hardcore and casual fans of the genre. If you’re intimidated by the sheer number of projectiles that occupy the screen during most shooters, Sine Mora’s speed up ability should help you navigate threats far more efficiently. While it’s called “speed up,” it essentially slows down everything but your plane. That seemingly impenetrable wall of dots will often reveal a safe path once the action slows and you can wrap your head around the incoming patte...
Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai Review
By GameInformer, published 22-03-2012
The original Total War: Shogun 2 is a triumphant balance between complexity and elegance, a strategy game that offers players meaningful interactions with economic development and warfare alongside a diplomatic metagame that is second to none. The one area where that game tripped up was in variety; many of the one-off units were nearly indistinguishable from the baseline infantry/cavalry/archers they modified, and it was easy to fall back on static tactics and unit compositions. This standalone expansion retains everything that made the original great while rectifying that shortcoming with style. Every clan in Japan now has to straddle the line between traditional spears-and-bows units and modern firearms and cannons, and all of the diversity that the influx of new weaponry provides. From...
Armored Core V Review: Complexity And Repetition Collide
By GameInformer, published 21-03-2012
Long before From Software was torturing gamers with Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, the Japanese developer was keeping mech fans busy with a steady stream of Armored Core titles. Armored Core V is the newest installment of the series, and while From Software has continued its tradition of melding online and offline play in unique ways, the mech-exploding action has a few glaring issues. While AC V offers a functional offline mode, playing it that way would be like going solo in an MMO. Apart from a short gameplay tutorial, your first task is to sign up with an online team or create a new one. Each team accommodates up to 20 players, and everything you do in the game – from playing through story missions to competing for territory in Conquest battles – earns your squad Team P...
Capcom Going Big With Resident Evil
By GameInformer, published 13-03-2012
2012 is quickly becoming one of Capcom's busiest years to date. The company started off by announcing Resident Evil 6 for this November and followed up with releases of Resident Evil: Revelations, Asura's Wrath, and Street Fighter X Tekken. In the coming months, fans can expect to see Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Dragon's Dogma, Devil May Cry, and Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor. During the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week, we discussed a variety of topics with Capcom's SVP of planning and business development Christian Svensson, including the company's expectations for Resident Evil 6, what the new iPad means for console gaming, and why they keep having all those typos. ------------------------------------------------------ Game Informer: C...
Battlefield 3 Getting Three More Expansions
By GameInformer, published 03-07-2012
Following up its first download expansion Back to Karkand, DICE today revealed plans to bring three more expansions to Battlefield 3. Coming this June a week earlier on PlayStation 3, Close Quarters focuses on tight infantry battles with smaller maps and includes 10 more weapons. The third expansion is called Armored Kill and is due out this fall. DICE says its all about the vehicle experiences and it has the largest multiplayer map the developer has ever created. The final expansion reveled is called End Game, but DICE is not talking about it at all right now. It's due out this winter. Pricing detailes for these expansions were not announced. “Instead of delivering piecemeal map packs, we’re giving players a completely new experience with every themed expansion ...
Digging Into The Trenches With PlanetSide 2
By GameInformer, published 03-07-2012
When PlanetSide launched in 2003, it boldly tried to marry the persistence and player customization of massively multiplayer games with the kinetic action of a first-person shooter. Though it's fondly remembered by many for its unique concept, crippling bouts of lag ultimately grounded the ambitious project. Armed with better bandwidth and all of the progression refinements developed by games like Halo, Call of Duty, and Battlefield, nine years later Sony Online Entertainment is ready to give the concept another go. Like many other MMOs these days, PlanetSide 2 embraces the free-to-play financial model. Anyone will be welcome to download the game, with SOE supporting the servers by selling players several customization options for guns, vehicles, and soldiers. SOE was careful to poin...
Question Of The Month Reader Responses: Issue #228
By GameInformer, published 03-06-2012
A few months ago we asked readers what video game franchise they would permanently kill and why. The latest issue of Game Informer contains some of the series our readers nominated for early retirement, but here are some more that were called to the chopping block. Haters gonna hate. Call Denied: It would be Call of Duty. While it's been great to see Activision churn out the latest installment of this FPS franchise annually, I say it is time for them and FPS gamers alike to step away from this practice. Sooner of later, they will run out of unique ideas for the franchise. Combined with the FPS fatigue that many gamers like myself are having right now, I say it's time to put this franchise to rest.Chad Simplicio I would kill off the Call of duty franchise. It has b...
New Hands-On Impressions Of Max Payne 3
By GameInformer, published 03-01-2012
We’ve seen Rockstar’s Max Payne 3 at a few points in its development. Now, with the game’s May 15 release date drawing near, Rockstar stopped by the Game Informer offices to give us our first hands-on playable demo of the game.If you’ve missed our previous coverage on the game, here’s a brief primer: Max Payne 3 is set several years after the events of Max Payne 2. The intervening years have not been kind to Max, who left the NYPD in disgrace and has fallen into alcoholism. Through a former colleague, Raul Passos, Max makes his way to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he begins working in the shadowy world of private security for the local scion Rodrigo Branco. Predictably, everything goes to hell when Comando Sombra, a paramilitary-style gang, kidnaps Branco’s ...
Syndicate Review: The Revered Strategy Title Makes The Jump To FPS
By GameInformer, published 21-02-2012
Back in 1993, Peter Molyneux’s Bullfrog Productions released a now-classic PC strategy title in which players commanded a squad of four agents working for a super-corporation on a multitude of missions to dominate the world. Now Electronic Arts has resurrected the franchise after many years, transforming it from an isometric strategy game to a first-person shooter. If you’re a hardcore superfan of the original who has an issue with this decision, nothing anyone says is going to change your mind. But if you’re open to an FPS reinterpretation with loads of references to the old games, or if you’ve never heard of Syndicate and like sci-fi shooters, this may be the game for you. Rather than put you in the role of a commander like the original games, Chronicle...
Twisted Metal Review: Car Combat's Explosive Return
By GameInformer, published 14-02-2012
The Twisted Metal series will always have a place in PlayStation history. In the early years of the PSone, the successful vehicular combat game brought attention to a console trying to establish its identity. After creator David Jaffe left, the series floundered with two disappointing 989 Studios installments before returning with the hit Twisted Metal: Black. After a 10-year hiatus from consoles, how does the series stack up in a vastly different gaming landscape largely devoid of vehicular combat games?In terms of classic Twisted Metal gameplay, this is the best the series has ever been. When the game drops a handful of vehicles into a gigantic, destructible playground littered with weapons, it’s a blast. Most of the classic weapons are back, although developer Eat Sleep Play alte...
REVIEW: Super Stardust's Frantic Formula Is Still A Blast
By GameInformer, published 13-02-2012
If there was a game that cried out for the Vita’s twin sticks, Super Stardust was it. Super Stardust Portable valiantly made due with the PSP’s single stick and face buttons, but with Super Stardust Delta, fans can get the frenetic action as it was meant to be experienced. True to series’ form, in Super Stardust Delta, players pilot a tiny ship across a spheroid, blasting massive asteroids apart and fighting enemy ships. Your ship is equipped with a pair of main weapons – a stream of fire and a spread shot – as well as a trio of special-use items. They’ll be indispensable as you work through waves of enemies while traveling across a variety of planets and tearing apart massive bosses. I enjoy the stripped-down test of reflexes that the twin-stick shoote...
Skyrim Dominates The 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards
By GameInformer, published 02-10-2012
Bethesda Game Studio's epic open-world role-playing game took home the top honors at the annual D.I.C.E. awards show. Todd Howard and company accepted five awards over the course of the night, including Game of the Year, Role Playing/MMO Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Direction. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Portal 2 also fared well, taking home three awards apiece. Here is the full list of award winners: Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Outstanding Innovation in Gaming: Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Action Game of the Year: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Adventure Game of the Year: Batman: Arkham City Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Sports Game of the Year: FIFA 12 Racing Game of the...
Battleship Preview: War On The Shore, Minus The Game Board
By GameInformer, published 02-08-2012
Battleship has patrolled the video gaming waters for decades, most recently via EA’s Hasbro Family Game Night. That version played it safe, delivering a faithful adaptation of the classic board game. Now Activision is navigating more treacherous seas, licensing the rights to the upcoming movie and creating a completely new action-strategy hybrid. One thing’s for sure: You won’t be shouting A5 in this one. Activision is quick to point out that while the game is based on the film’s license, it’s not a movie-based game. Players won’t cozy up to Liam Neeson or Brooklyn Decker while battling aliens in the Pacific. Instead, developer Double Helix took the movie’s premise – aliens invading Earth and constructing a massive energy dome over the Hawai...
Advanced Tactics: The Search For A Smarter Military Shooter
By GameInformer, published 02-07-2012
Military shooters have a long and venerable history in video games. Before Call of Duty and Battlefield began their war for complete market domination, smaller series like Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, and SOCOM provided different takes on digital warfare. These series differentiated themselves – and the military shooter genre – from other FPS franchises like Quake and Halo by emphasizing strategy and realism. Forgoing roller-coaster spectacle and nonstop action, they presented gamers with a pseudo-authentic military experience where every shot counted and tactics played a larger role in the outcome of a mission than itchy trigger fingers. In the last few years, the first-person shooter landscape has radically changed. Guns-blazing military shooters now take ce...
FPS Multiplayer Record Set At 999 Simultaneous Combatants
By GameInformer, published 30-01-2012
Software developer MuchDifferent set a Guinness-sanctioned world record over the weekend, setting up an online FPS session that supported nearly 1,000 simultaneous players. The one-off stunt was a demonstration of the company's Pikkotekk technology, which was the backbone of the experiment. At its peak, 999 players faced off as either human or machine combatants in a massive battle. The video below it shows it off in action. It may not have been the prettiest gaming event over the weekend (by a long shot), but it was a pretty neat milestone. If you do plan to watch the video, be warned that the chat contains profanity. You didn't think they could round up 999 online FPS players without that happening now, did you? (Please visit the site to view this media) Guinness will be confir...
Watch Us Play The New Modern Warfare 3 Maps
By GameInformer, published 27-01-2012
Activision is planning on a nine-month DLC schedule for the massively popular Modern Warfare 3, and it kicked off this week with two new maps. Elite members can now download Liberation and Piazza, and we decided to take them out for a test run. You can see the new maps in action below. While non-Elite players can't access these new battlefields yet, they'll be made available as part of a larger DLC package in March. (Please visit the site to view this media)
See The Monsters Of Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock
By GameInformer, published 23-01-2012
BBC Worldwide has released a trailer for Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, which highlights the enemies the good doctor will be up against in his new downloadable adventure. The Eternity Clock is being developed by Supermassive Games, creators of Tumble, one of the few Move games worth buying. This new Doctor Who game looks to be a blend of action and platforming, and will debut on PS3 and Vita in March, followed by a later PC release. While the game promises to have puzzle solving and decision making that will affect the course of the game, you'll also face a wide variety of enemies, including Cybermen, Silurians, The Silence, and Daleks, all of which can be seen in the video below. (Please visit the site to view this media) I haven't seen enough of Doctor Who to know the differenc...
VVVVVV Review: Indie Platformer Survives 3DS Transition
By GameInformer, published 16-01-2012
There’s a lot to be said for simplicity in game design, and VVVVVV is a shining example of how far a good hook and clean execution can take you. This indie platformer came out in January of 2010 on PC, but this 3DS version is very much the same game. Making your way through hours of punishing 2D gauntlets with Captain Viridian’s singular ability to invert gravity is a natural fit for Nintendo’s portable, and the experience is alternately rewarding and frustrating just as it is in VVVVVV’s original PC release.VVVVVV makes excellent use of a small but potent gaming vocabulary. The player can run left or right and switch gravity. The rooms consist of walls, spikes, moving platforms, checkpoints, and mobile dangers. That’s it, outside of some one-off levels where...
Finalists For AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards Announced
By GameInformer, published 13-01-2012
February 9th will mark the 15th annual AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards, and a press release has announced the finalists for the show. Take a look below at the games that will be honored in Las Vegas during the D.I.C.E. Summit. Game of the YearBatman: Arkham CityPortal 2The Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward SwordUncharted 3: Drake’s DeceptionOutstanding Innovation in GamingBastionL.A. NoirePortal 2Skylanders Spyro’s AdventureThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Action Game of the YearBattlefield 3Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3Dead Space 2Gears of War 3Saints Row: The Third Adventure Game of the YearBatman: Arkham CityL.A. NoirePortal 2The Legend of Zelda: Skyward SwordUncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the YearDark Souls...
The Latest On Call of Duty Elite
By GameInformer, published 01-12-2012
In November, Activision hoped to have Call of Duty Elite fully operational by the end of the month after a very rocky launch. At the time, many users were unable to register and log into the service, but now things have settled down and Elite has had its connection problems ironed out. We recently contacted Activision with a few questions to get the latest on where Elite is and what users can expect down the road: 1. What’s the status on all version of Elite, including the PC version.The service is up and running across the web, console and mobile platforms, and players are using it every day. We rolled out the iOS smartphone application this week, and the Android version will be following next week. As with any service, we’re aware of a number of issues that have ...
Blizzard Tweets Diablo III Console Confirmation [Update: Not Confirmed]
By GameInformer, published 01-10-2012
[Update] Blizzard issued Game Informer the following statement on the current release of Diablo 3 on consoles: Bashiok’s response on Twitter was intended as a confirmation that we’re actively exploring the possibility of developing a console version of Diablo III, as we’ve mentioned in the past. This is not a confirmation that Diablo III is coming to any console platform. Our focus right now is on finishing the PC/Mac version of Diablo III and making sure it’s a worthwhile successor to the Diablo series. [Original Story] If Blizzard isn't bringing Diablo III to consoles, they're certainly doing a lousy job of shooting down fan speculation. The studio has a staff focused on seeing how Diablo would fit on the console space, and Jay Wilson, Diablo III's le...
Analyst Predictions For 2012
By GameInformer, published 28-12-2011
The games industry had an interesting year. Some highlights from 2011 include the release of motion controllers from Sony and Microsoft - Kinect and Move - and Nintendo revealed it's upcoming console, the Wii U, due out sometime after this coming E3. The 3DS saw a massive price cut from $249 to $169 in less than six months after launch. In the digital space, EA launched Origin, its online retail store to compete with Valve's Steam. Sony launched PlayStation Vita, a new, powerful handheld. And Grand Theft Auto V was finally revealed by Rockstar Games. As this year comes to a close, we spoke to several industry analysts to get their take on what could happen in 2012. Their predictions are published below: Jesse Divnich - EEDAR 1. Pricing for Paid Mobile Apps Will Increase in 2012 Wi...
My Surprise Hits Of 2011
By GameInformer, published 26-12-2011
This year had no shortage of amazing games that I knew I would love and put countless hours into. However, there were also a few games I never thought I'd even play, which turned out to be among my favorites. Dead IslandWhen I first heard of Dead Island, I was instantly intrigued. An open-world survival/horror format is exactly what I had been waiting for in a zombie game. When I got the chance to sit in on a demo of the game nearly a year before it came out, I went into the meeting with high hopes. Those hopes were quickly dashed when the developer revealed the combat was melee-focused. Suddenly, none of the other interesting-sounding aspects of the game mattered to me. A zombie apocalypse where you're stuck using oars and broomsticks to kill zombies? Lame. Add to that a rough d...
Gamers, Start Your Engines! 6 Top Gaming Engines Face Off
By MaximumPC, published 22-12-2011
A brief look under the hood of the top engines driving today's PC games If this year's crop of rocky video game launches has taught us anything, it's that coding video games is hard. Sit through the 30 minute scroll that passes itself off as a credits screen these days and you'll see just how many moving parts go into making today's games. With gigabytes of art assets to create, pages of story to write, hours of dialogue and sound to record, a tangled web of complex behaviors to script, and, oh yeah, actual levels and gameplay to design, one thing is clear: making games isn't all fun and games. Yet despite the ever-increasing complexity, the creation process is more streamlined than ever. Why? Licensable game engines, tools, and middleware. From specular maps to dynamic shadows, high dynam...
PlanetSide 2 opens beta sign-ups
By GameSpot, published 22-12-2011
Sony Online Entertainment opens up applications for gamers to test-drive its upcoming massively multiplayer online shooter. Sony Online Entertainment is putting out the call for PlanetSide 2 recruits. The publisher has relaunched the website for the upcoming free-to-play massively multiplayer online first-person shooter, complete with a sign-up form for would-be beta testers. SOE has put out the call for recruits. PlanetSide 2 will be a sequel to SOE's original subscription-based MMO shooter released in 2003. The studio is hoping to dramatically expand on that game's scope, and it will run on the newly built Forgelight Engine. The sequel will be a "reimagining" of the original, which chronicled a futuristic conflict on the embattled planet of Auraxis ...
Star Wars: The Old Republic server queues upset players
By GameSpot, published 19-12-2011
Early access players report waiting for hours to get a spot in latest massively multiplayer online game; BioWare promises it is "taking this matter seriously." Electronic Arts and BioWare have been preparing for tomorrow's launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic for years, but that preparation hasn't been enough to produce a completely smooth debut for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game. On Friday evening, estimated server waits ranged from five minutes to an hour and a half. Preorder customers in the game's early access program have been reporting long waits to get into servers since last week. There are hundreds of pages on The Old Republic message boards regarding the server queues, as users chimed in on the problem until the original...
Shippin' Out Dec. 18-24: Star Wars: The Old Republic
By GameSpot, published 19-12-2011
BioWare's first foray into the MMO space finally hits the market after years of development; sequel to indie hit Trine comes to consoles. While Star Wars: The Old Republic isn't the only new release hitting shelves this week, the BioWare-developed massively multiplayer online game is casting a large shadow over a short list of launches. Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things. A gamer, however, craves these things very much. Star Wars: The Old Republic arrives this week as the second massively multiplayer online game to be based on George Lucas' sci-fi universe. The game garnered more than 2 million players during its beta period and reached 750,000 simultaneous players over the US Thanksgiving holiday. The servers have been up and runnin...
Buying Guide: If you liked Doom, you'll love these iOS games
By TechRadar, published 17-12-2011
iOS FPS games: going beyond DoomBefore Doom, id Software released another game that established the elements of what we now recognise as a first-person shooter. You need only check out the iOS version of Wolfenstein 3D (£1.49, Universal) to see the lineage. A 3D world, movement and strafing performed on one controller, another used to look around, an arsenal of weapons, health packs and (semi) intelligent enemies. It's a little crude by today's standards, but as a piece of nostalgia it's well worth a look. Clearly this was an avenue to be further explored, so id followed it up with the legendary Doom. The iOS version of this landmark title – rebranded DOOM Classic (£1.99, Universal) – is an almost perfect recreation of the original game. We say almost, because after the release of th...
In Depth: Are cinemas under threat from video on demand?
By TechRadar, published 12-04-2011
Video on demand vs Cinema: Online buzz When you can access films direct from your television, laptop, tablet, phone or game console, is there still a place for cinemas? The arrival of streaming video has not only made it easy for us to access films at times of our choosing wherever we happen to be, it has opened up a massive range of content for us to browse and be entertained by. You can now enjoy 3D at home, along with surround sound, big screens and a wealth of inexpensive entertainment, all at the touch of a button. Services like LoveFilm, Netflix, YouTube, Gracenote and iTunes are all making films available in our living rooms, and each person watching a movie at home means one less ticket sold at the cinema. Cinemas do seem to be suffering: audiences are down (although box office tak...
In Depth: Are cinemas under threat from video on demand?
By TechRadar, published 12-04-2011
Video on demand vs Cinema: Online buzz When you can access films direct from your television, laptop, tablet, phone or game console, is there still a place for cinemas? The arrival of streaming video has not only made it easy for us to access films at times of our choosing wherever we happen to be, it has opened up a massive range of content for us to browse and be entertained by. You can now enjoy 3D at home, along with surround sound, big screens and a wealth of inexpensive entertainment, all at the touch of a button. Services like LoveFilm, Netflix, YouTube, Gracenote and iTunes are all making films available in our living rooms, and each person watching a movie at home means one less ticket sold at the cinema. Cinemas do seem to be suffering: audiences are down (although box office tak...
In Depth: Are cinemas under threat from video on demand?
By TechRadar, published 12-04-2011
Video on demand vs Cinema: Online buzz When you can access films direct from your television, laptop, tablet, phone or game console, is there still a place for cinemas? The arrival of streaming video has not only made it easy for us to access films at times of our choosing wherever we happen to be, it has opened up a massive range of content for us to browse and be entertained by. You can now enjoy 3D at home, along with surround sound, big screens and a wealth of inexpensive entertainment, all at the touch of a button. Services like LoveFilm, Netflix, YouTube, Gracenote and iTunes are all making films available in our living rooms, and each person watching a movie at home means one less ticket sold at the cinema. Cinemas do seem to be suffering: audiences are down (although box office tak...
NeverDead dismembering January 31
By GameSpot, published 12-02-2011
Konami's demon-slaying third-person action game slated for release early next year on 360, PS3. NeverDead, the dismemberment-heavy third-person action game from Kojima Productions veteran Shinta Nojiri, was first revealed during Konami's 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo media briefing. News surrounding the game dried up until this year's E3, and now, the campy action adventure has a release date. Decapitation is encouraged, even necessary. Konami announced today that NeverDead will be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 31. That date is proving to be popular among Japanese publishers and their high-profile releases, as Namco Bandai's SoulCalibur V and Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII-2 are also scheduled for release on that day....
Star Wars: The Old Republic annual profit to hit $80 million - Analyst
By GameSpot, published 12-02-2011
Wedbush's Pachter believes EA will pay LucasArts 35% in licensing fees; EEDAR's Divnich sees "little risk of failure." As the noise surrounding Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts' latest military shooters fades, the battleground is shifting to the massively multiplayer online role-playing market. Earlier this week, Activision Blizzard president Bobby Kotick projected EA won't get much benefit from Star Wars: The Old Republic due to LucasArts' licensing agreement. However, a handful of analysts feel that Kotick missed the mark with that assessment. Analysts agree: EA's Star Wars MMOG will be massively profitable. Speaking with Eurogamer, Wedbush's Michael Pachter said that he expects EA to pay out 35 percent of SW:TOR's earnings to LucasArts, aft...
Review: AMD FX 4100 Black Edition
By TechRadar, published 12-01-2011
OverviewWe've been waiting for AMD's brand new architecture for ages, and then Bulldozer turned out to be fairly underwhelming. Can the cheaper, quad-core AMD FX 4100 Black Edition rectify any of its wrongs?Multi-threading and parallelism are all the rage. Put simply, more cores equals more fun, right? Not, as it happens, when it comes to games, as seen in the AMD FX 8150. Despite the hype, the fact is PC games still don't scale all that well across multiple processor cores.On the one hand, that's a disappointing state of affairs given the massively multi-core hoopla the likes of Intel have been pedalling for the last five years or so. On the other, it also presents an opportunity for fanatical gamers to save a few quid. After all, if it's just games that gets you going, we'd argue there's...
Shadow of the Colossus director leaves Sony - Report
By GameSpot, published 30-11-2011
Japanese development sources cited with news that Fumito Ueda is gone from Team Ico, finishing up The Last Guardian on freelance basis. The Last Guardian may also be the last Fumito Ueda-led game from Sony. Eurogamer is citing "Japanese video game development sources" as providing word that Ueda has left not just the Team Ico development team, but Sony entirely. Fumito Ueda will reportedly finish The Last Guardian on a freelance basis. According to the report, Ueda will finish up work on Team Ico's long-awaited The Last Guardian as a freelancer, and afterward pursue personal projects. Ueda is best known for his work with Team Ico on the PlayStation 2 action games Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Released in September of 2001, Ico cast players as a horned y...
Get Schooled: 10 Life Lessons Learned from Gaming
By MaximumPC, published 30-11-2011
Everything we need to know, we learned from video games When we were kids, all we heard was how worthless video games were. "Those dopey things will rot your brain," was a favorite of my grandmother's, and even watching television was considered far more educational and intellectual than the mind-melting morass that was video games. Just how much I learned from reruns of Three's Company, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Magnum P.I. is debatable, but I can tell you, there are plenty of valuable life lessons I learned from video games. Think Outside the Box So, you're stuck in a room and all you have at your disposal is a rubber chicken (with a pulley in the middle, of course), a bit of string, and a broken pencil. How do you escape? While we may not face such byzantine and bizarre conundrums in re...
Kotick skeptical of Star Wars: The Old Republic
By GameSpot, published 29-11-2011
Activision Blizzard CEO questions how much money sci-fi MMORPG will make for EA, suggests LucasArts licensing terms likely too slanted to pay off for rival publisher. In the run-up to the releases of rival first-person shooters Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Electronic Arts executives pulled few punches, openly expressing the desire to see Activision Blizzard's hugely successful series "rot from the core." Activision Publishing's CEO responded with a public plea for civility, which was roundly mocked by EA. Kotick questions the profitability of The Old Republic after George Lucas gets his cut. With EA's Star Wars: The Old Republic attempting to steal some of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game market from World of Warc...
Review: Sony Tablet P
By TechRadar, published 29-11-2011
OverviewThis time last year - when the Tablet P wasn't even a twinkle in Sony's eye - we were weeping into a mound of rubbish iPad rip-offs, begging for sweet release from our tiresome lives. Every week we saw yet more rectangular lumps of plastic, fit only for use as door wedges. They ran outdated versions of Google's Android operating system, designed for the humble smartphone, so the blocky desktops and stretched-out apps looked truly horrendous.But just as we were headed to the bathtub with our toasters, two miraculous things happened. First, Google released Android Honeycomb - a slick, tablet-oriented version of its mobile operating system. And second, manufacturers started paying attention to the slew of negative reviews and actually started producing decent devices.The excellent Sam...
Review: Updated: Apple TV
By TechRadar, published 29-11-2011
OverviewThis second version of Apple TV (also commonly known as Apple TV 2) dumped its forebear's 40GB of local storage, chopped its footprint by three-quarters and halved its UK price down to £99.But its real advance only became apparent when iOS 5 was released in October 2011, which is why we're updating this review, first published when Apple TV 2 was released in 2010.iOS 5 has opened up Apple TV to a whole new level of functionality, which means that if you're an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch owner its well worth reconsidering Apple's little black box if you don't already own one, because it just developed a reason to exist.Perhaps we're being a bit harsh though – Apple TV has always been a darn good media streamer to use with your Mac/PC. You simply plug it into your HD TV via a HDMI ...
I Am Alive PC port may not happen: director
By GameSpot, published 25-11-2011
Piracy makes PC version's profitability uncertain; creative director Stanislas Mettra still working on feasibility of port. The upcoming action title I Am Alive may be heading to XBLA and PSN, but a PC version of the game has yet to be announced. The reason for this, according to the game's creative director, Stanislas Mettra, on IncGamers, is that a PC version is still uncertain. A PC port of I Am Alive may not see the light of day. Before a recent update to the article, it stated that Mettra was aware about PC gamers being vocal regarding any statement about the PC version of the game. "We've heard loud and clear that PC gamers are bitching about there being no version for them," Mettra said in the original article. "But are these people just ma...
Review: BlackBerry Curve 9380
By TechRadar, published 24-11-2011
Overview, design and feelAfter playing it cool for a few years, RIM has apparently decided that there's something to this touchscreen phone lark after all, releasing a budget all-touch device in the shape of the BlackBerry Curve 9380. In the last few months we've seen a touchscreen added to the Bold in the form of the BlackBerry Bold 9900, an update to the Torch line in the BlackBerry Torch 9810, and a new, all-touch addition to the Torch family in the BlackBerry Torch 9860. Now it's the Curve family's turn, even though we thought it was doing fine without touch in our BlackBerry Curve 9360 review. Instead of taking the Bold route and adding touch capability to the screen above the keyboard, RIM has been somewhat more aggressive with the BlackBerry Curve 9380. The keyboard's gone completel...
Exploring Euclideon's Unlimited Detail Engine
By GameInformer, published 22-11-2011
Is the Australian-developed Unlimited Detail technology the future of gaming? Or is it just a scam? We invited Euclideon CEO Bruce Dell to our office to prove his claims by letting us go hands-on. He was happy to oblige. The following article was originally published in issue 22 of Game Informer Australia, and was written by contributing editor Adam Mathew. For a bit of background on Euclideon's claims, as well as a video of the original tech demo the company released this summer, check out our original news article. Up and AtomFledgling Australian company Euclideon recently ignited YouTube and the international gaming industry with a short teaser of its Unlimited Detail 3D engine. Its claim: using an unconventional "atom based" approach to building 3D worlds, this new techn...
Point and Click: 8 Photo Hosting Websites Compared
By MaximumPC, published 22-11-2011
In the photo-hosting world, familiarity shouldn't be the overriding factor Facebook. Flickr. Picasa. Photobucket. Even those who still consider the Internet the work of demons and wizards know the names. And chances are virtually everyone in your posse has used at least one or more of these giants to host and share their personal photos. But this is no longer the dawn of the digital camera era, and online photo hosting is no longer limited to just a few key players. Today, you can't swing a 500mm lens without hitting a business that wants nothing more than to store your pics. The question is: Do you dare stray from the familiar entities? We can't give you that answer, but we can tell you that truly excellent sites, perhaps just right for you, do indeed exist in other corners of the Web. An...
Activision Blizzard stock downgraded on World of Warcraft declines
By GameSpot, published 21-11-2011
Lazard Capital Markets analyst believes age, increased competition for titanic MMOG could lead to 1.6 million-player exodus. Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft has unequivocally dominated the subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game market since its launch in 2004. However, earlier this month, Activision Blizzard revealed that WOW subscriptions had fallen by 10 percent since March, dropping to 10.3 million worldwide. Pandas may be WOW's only hope. In an investor note today, Lazard Capital Markets analyst Atul Bagga expressed pessimism over WOW's ability to reverse its negative trend. In the process, Bagga downgraded Activision Blizzard's stock from "buy" to "neutral." Bagga's move was primarily motivated by a Lazard ...
MechWarrior Online to use CryEngine 3
By GameSpot, published 18-11-2011
Forthcoming PC resurrection of classic FASA franchise is set to use one of the most advanced engines on the market. MechWarrior's rebirth as a free-to-play PC-only title was confirmed just a few weeks ago, but few details other than its multiplayer focus were discussed. Details are still scant, but the engine powering the game has now been revealed. Concept art or CryEngine 3? Hard to say. Crytek announced today that Piranha Games has licensed CryEngine 3 and will be using it to power MechWarrior Online. The CryEngine is known for delivering technically impressive visuals in Crytek's own Crysis games, but it has also been put to use powering online-dependant titles such as NCsoft's massively multiplayer online role-playing game Aion. Speaking to the merit...
DC Universe Online's next DLC features The Flash
By GameSpot, published 17-11-2011
Sony Online Entertainment's massively multiplayer superhero game to receive new characters, power, gear, and more; $10 add-on free for monthly subscribers. DC Universe Online recently made the jump to a freemium model and quickly saw an influx of users. Looking to capitalize on the expanded player base, Sony is hitting the ground running with an all-new content pack. As a rule, it's probably best to steer clear of dudes with exposed skull heads. Sony Online Entertainment announced today that Lightning Strikes, a new downloadable content pack featuring The Flash, is coming to DC Universe Online. The pack will introduce electrical abilities as the game's eighth power set, new gear, and a new map called Central City. The new Flash Museum Duo scenario wi...
Past and Present Geek Heroes: 8 Innovators and Legends
By MaximumPC, published 17-11-2011
The adventures of Sherlock Holmes have been wowing us with his fierce intellect, uncanny forensic prowess and rampant drug abuse since 1887. In 1939, Batman hit the scene, filling the criminals of Gotham with dread thanks to his highly developed detective skills, an encyclopedic knowledge of multiple sciences, wicked gadgets and a deep grief-fuelled psychosis. Montgomery Scott —Scotty—the beloved Chief Engineer of the U.S.S Enterprise: Thanks to his knowledge of particle physics, warp theory and a lifetime’s worth of hands-on experience, he was able to pluck his crew mates from the clutches of a fiery death countless times. Sadly, he too had his faults: routinely lied to his superior officers about repair times and spent his off-hours soaking himself in scotch, whiskey and something ...
The Quest To Final Fantasy XIII-2's Valhalla Begins
By GameInformer, published 17-11-2011
Most RPGs are difficult to judge based on the first several hours of gameplay. Tutorials are absorbed, characters are introduced, and the overall pace of the adventure’s early stages is usually quite slow. Most gamers that will be picking up Final Fantasy XIII-2 will have already played FF XIII, so jumping into the new chapter will be a smooth transition. But even for newcomers to the Fabula Nova Crystalis universe, I’d argue that FF XIII-2‘s introductory hours are shaping up to be the most thrilling of any recent Final Fantasy title – even if the story is a tad confusing. Gotta Catch 'Em All! As mentioned in previous FFXIII-2 coverage, Noel and Serah round out their party by enlisting the help of monster partners. During my playthrough I used a Cait Sith to ...
Maximum Interview: We Talk Battlefield 3 with a Navy SEAL
By MaximumPC, published 11-11-2011
Video games, like movies, are more about entertainment than realism. Yet game developers spend an inordinate amount of time modeling weapons, recording the sound from actual weapon systems and calculating how much damage a bullet should do. Since firearms are such a big part of first person shooters, we wanted to get the low down on the current state of firearms in video games and how they rate in real life. What's wrong with this picture? If you guessed, where's my rear sight, you guessed right. In real life, not having a rear sight would greatly diminish your ability to hit anything beyond 30 feet. There's no one to blame though, this Marine probably just hasn't unlocked his sights or bullets yet. To get the view of an expert, Maximum PC magazine spoke with Craig “Sawman” Sawyer. S...
Saints Row Review: Equal Parts Entertainment And Absurdity
By GameInformer, published 11-11-2011
When the teaser trailer for the first Saints Row debuted during a console reveal for the Xbox 360, gamers saw what appeared to be a derivative open-world crime game. In the span of two sequels, we’ve gone from the drive-by shooting of that trailer to areas ripped off from Tron and weapons like bottled farts and Mega Man-like arm cannons. With Saints Row: The Third, Volition has succeeded in making one of the most unpredictable and insane experiences in recent gaming memory. I was expecting something crazy, but was still surprised by the sheer amount of absurdist humor packed into this over-the-top sequel. Saints Row: The Third’s humor is low-brow yet self-aware, featuring the silliness of the Naked Gun movies with the adult edge of South Park. You won’t find much in the ...
Zelda 25th Anniversary: Remembering Capcom's Oracle Games And The CD-i Disasters
By GameInformer, published 11-11-2011
I was still in high school when Capcom hatched its plot to create a trilogy of linked Zelda games for the Game Boy Color, but I was already savvy enough (or at least cynical enough) to be deeply concerned at the prospect of Nintendo handing one of my favorite series over to another publisher. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. This trimmed down duo broke down the Zelda formula into its two core elements – Ages focused on the puzzle-solving that I’m so fond of, and Seasons was more about action and combat. I’ll always be curious what Capcom intended to do with the canceled third title. Because they deal with shifts between four seasons and two different time periods, the overworlds of the Oracle games are surprisingly massive and full of secrets for gamers wi...
Review: Samsung Galaxy Note
By TechRadar, published 11-11-2011
Overview, Design and Feel.Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Neither. It's a tablet. Or a phone. Or both. We really don't know – but it has some of the best specs around and Samsung's hoping this will ship by the bucketload.The Samsung Galaxy Note is a phone / tablet hybrid that doesn't really sit in any category - we've reviewed it as a smartphone simply due to the fact it can make calls, but Samsung is definitely trying to create a new category of device with this 5.3-inch screened behemoth.It's funny how mobile trends can change. Just a few years ago, manufacturers were falling over themselves trying to outdo each other to to provide the smallest handset in the world. Motorola got them pretty thin with the RAZR line and Samsung's own D500 was titchy. brightcove : 1268512853001Then something...
Skyward Sword Review: The Wii Game We've Wanted For Five Years
By GameInformer, published 11-11-2011
I remember the rush of excitement the first time Nintendo unveiled the Wii’s motion controllers. The upcoming system was still called the Revolution back then, and the name seemed well-suited. My mind flooded with visions of how I would use the insane new controller in the future: shooting down opponents with pinpoint accuracy, swinging my sword like a skilled blademaster, jumping with controller in hand as an on-screen Mario does the same – who knows what else? It was a strange, risky move for Nintendo, but the publisher had my implicit trust. I believed Nintendo would figure it out. Sadly, the revolution never really materialized. Nintendo and a few other publishers released plenty of excellent titles throughout the Wii’s lifespan, but the majority of them could have b...
Arm Yourself With Skyrim Info Via Dev Podcasts
By GameInformer, published 11-09-2011
In just a few days, pets will go unfed, dishes will go unwashed, and phones will go unanswered. On Friday, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ships, giving fans an excuse to shut out all other distractions and plunge into the game's massive fantasy world. Until 11-11-11 arrives, soon-to-be players can delve into the game's development with a series of official podcasts from Bethesda. The podcasts focus on a variety of topics, including creating the game's animations, shaping Skyrim's world, forging the audio, and how Bethesda conceptualized the game. They're all filled with interesting details that you may not have known, such as how animators created motion capture for the game's epic dragon battles (Spoiler: It involves a table.).
Total Recall 2012 MMOG on the way
By GameSpot, published 11-09-2011
Web game publisher SEE Games announces partnership to develop multiplayer title based on Colin Farrell remake of 1990 sci-fi film. A Columbia Pictures' remake of Total Recall is on the way to theaters next year, and like the 1990 original, it will also have a game tie-in. However, while the original film's tie-in was a 8-bit side-scrolling action title, the 2012 film's game adaptation will bring the property into the modern era as a massively multiplayer online game, courtesy of publisher SEE Games. Total Recall should be memorable, if nothing else. The Total Recall MMOG will be a freemium title that meshes MMO and social game features with player-versus-player and player-versus-environment gameplay. SEE Games says that the game will deliver consolelike gr...
New Call of Duty confirmed for 2012
By GameSpot, published 11-08-2011
Modern Warfare 3 posts largest day-one shipments in gaming history as Activision financials beat expectations; publisher promises "a minimum of two" Blizzard releases next year. It doesn't take a seasoned industry watcher to guess that Activision's blockbuster Call of Duty series--an annualized franchise since 2005--wouldn't make it through 2012 without a new release. The publisher confirmed as much in its quarterly earnings report, adding that today's launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 boasted the largest day-one shipments in gaming history. Modern Warfare 3 launched today, as did the marketing plan for its successor. "As we focus on 2012, we have a strong product pipeline which features a minimum of two highly-anticipated new titles from Blizza...
DC Universe Online population spikes 1,000% on free-to-play switch
By GameSpot, published 11-07-2011
Sony Online Entertainment's superhero-based MMOG struggles with capacity following introduction of microtransaction-based option. DC Universe Online launched in January as Sony Online Entertainment's fastest-selling game to date. The game is also attracting swaths of gamers in its new free-to-play form, according to Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley. Patient would-be superheroes can now fight for free. On Saturday, the SOE executive took to his Twitter feed to reveal that user-base numbers were up 900 percent over pre-free-to-play numbers since the new business model was introduced on November 1. Since then, the figure has ballooned to 1,000 percent. Smedley did not provide a breakdown of which platform new users are flocking to. The ...
Lego Universe shutting down in January
By GameSpot, published 11-05-2011
Building-block MMOG to close after just over a year on the market, taking developer Play Well Studios with it; Lego cites difficulty converting non-paying customers to subscribers. Last year, Gazillion sold its just-launched massively multiplayer online game Lego Universe to The Lego Group, predicting a "bright future" for the title at the time. That future was instead brief, as The Lego Group is pulling the plug on the game. Lego Universe will come to an end in January. The Danish building-block company announced today that it will be shuttering the MMOG on January 31, 2012. Lego Universe vice president Jesper Vilstrup addressed the decision to close the game, saying that although it has a healthy user base of 2 million players, the company simply h...
Lego Universe shutting down in January
By GameSpot, published 11-05-2011
Building-block MMOG to close after just over a year on the market, taking developer Play Well Studios with it; Lego cites difficulty converting non-paying customers to subscribers. Last year, Gazillion sold its just-launched massively multiplayer online game Lego Universe to The Lego Group, predicting a "bright future" for the title at the time. That future was instead brief, as The Lego Group is pulling the plug on the game. Lego Universe will come to an end in January. The Danish building-block company announced today that it will be shuttering the MMOG on January 31, 2012. Lego Universe vice president Jesper Vilstrup addressed the decision to close the game, saying that although it has a healthy user base of 2 million players, the company simply h...
Square Enix profit spikes on Deus Ex sales
By GameSpot, published 11-04-2011
Publisher posts 115 percent hike in net income for April-Sept. period, thanks to Eidos Montreal's 2.18-million-unit-shipping title; revenue slides 15 percent. Deus Ex: Human Revolution shipped two million units in the two weeks following its release in August, and that's just about where it remained throughout September. As part of its six-month earnings report today, Square Enix provided a brief update on its best-selling title for the April-September window, saying the Eidos Montreal-developed title shipped 2.18 million units during the period. Square Enix hopes to further its Deus Ex gains with the Missing Link DLC. Though Square Enix seemed pleased with Deus Ex's performance, the company's overall earnings for the first half of its fiscal year we...
Square Enix profit spikes on Deus Ex sales
By GameSpot, published 11-04-2011
Publisher posts 115 percent hike in net income for April-Sept. period, thanks to Eidos Montreal's 2.18-million-unit-shipping title; revenue slides 15 percent. Deus Ex: Human Revolution shipped two million units in the two weeks following its release in August, and that's just about where it remained throughout September. As part of its six-month earnings report today, Square Enix provided a brief update on its best-selling title for the April-September window, saying the Eidos Montreal-developed title shipped 2.18 million units during the period. Square Enix hopes to further its Deus Ex gains with the Missing Link DLC. Though Square Enix seemed pleased with Deus Ex's performance, the company's overall earnings for the first half of its fiscal year we...
Angry Birds soars past half a billion downloads
By GameSpot, published 11-02-2011
Rovio's physics-based casual game crosses massive milestone; game-related merchandise efforts expanding. Angry Birds has become a phenomenon in the gaming space. The not-quite-two-year-old brand already has toys, books, and other merchandise bearing its name, and it has now passed another significant milestone. Angry Birds is bigger than the Spruce Goose. Rovio announced today that the Angry Birds franchise has crossed 500,000,000 downloads. This number accounts for Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, and Angry Birds Rio releases across a multitude of platforms including phones, tablets, Web browsers, and computers. The developer also relayed a number of statistics about players' time with the game, with a total combined playtime of 200,000 years and 4...
Angry Birds soars past half a billion downloads
By GameSpot, published 11-02-2011
Rovio's physics-based casual game crosses massive milestone; game-related merchandise efforts expanding. Angry Birds has become a phenomenon in the gaming space. The not-quite-two-year-old brand already has toys, books, and other merchandise bearing its name, and it has now passed another significant milestone. Angry Birds is bigger than the Spruce Goose. Rovio announced today that the Angry Birds franchise has crossed 500,000,000 downloads. This number accounts for Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, and Angry Birds Rio releases across a multitude of platforms including phones, tablets, Web browsers, and computers. The developer also relayed a number of statistics about players' time with the game, with a total combined playtime of 200,000 years and 4...
Review: HTC Radar
By TechRadar, published 11-02-2011
Overview, design and feelThe HTC Radar is the latest smartphone to run Windows Phone 7.5, following on from the HTC Titan. With a smooth unibody design, HD video recording and 5MP camera, will it be enough to make Windows Phone a success?If HTC was at school right now, you can't help feeling it'd be getting an A for effort. The Taiwanese manufacturer is certainly churning out handsets like nobody's business. For the last few years, it's been concentrating mainly on Android - but now Windows Phone 7.5 Mango is here, it's going for gold. Probably much to the annoyance of Nokia, which adopted WP as its main operating system months ago, but is still being pipped to the post by HTC when it comes to getting handsets on the shelves.Little brother of the HTC Titan and the second handset from HTC t...
Battlefield 3 server issues largely resolved - EA
By GameSpot, published 11-01-2011
Q&A: EA Games' Patrick Soderlund recaps the debut of DICE's latest first-person shooter, addresses launch hiccups, the purpose of the beta test, and where the game goes from here. Yesterday, Electronic Arts engaged in a ceremonial postlaunch victory lap, heralding the news that its first-person shooter Battlefield 3 sold 5 million copies in its first week on shelves. As part of the process, EA Games executive vice president Patrick Soderlund spoke with GameSpot about the successes and slipups the DICE-developed title experienced out of the gate. EA has no complaints with Battlefield 3's 5-million-selling debut. GameSpot: So you've shipped 10 million and sold through 5 million. Meaning there's another 5 million left on shelves. Is 50 percent sell-through ...
Silicon Knights lays off 75% of studio - Report
By GameSpot, published 11-01-2011
Too Human, X-Men Destiny developer said to have undergone "massive layoffs," including entire human resources department. In July, Ontario's Ministry of Economic Development and Trade gave provincial developer Silicon Knights a grant that it said would help the studio not only protect the 97 jobs it had at the time, but also add 80 more employees to its headcount. Yesterday, a report surfaced that the studio has not only failed to add those extra positions but, instead, instituted a round of layoffs. Silicon Knights' most recent release was X-Men: Destiny. According to a 1UP report this week, "sources close to the company" have confirmed a round of sweeping job cuts that have left the studio with a core team of just 25 employees. The report states th...
A Boring City Builder Underneath A Disastrous RTS
By GameInformer, published 28-10-2011
The worst part of my job is writing a scathing review of a game I was looking forward to. An economic city-building simulation feeding into freeform castle design and real-time medieval combat? Yes, please! I like what developer Firefly tried to do with Stronghold 3, but the utterly incompetent execution is a disaster. Stronghold 3’s basic gameplay loop is intuitive and simple. First you set down buildings for your peasants to work. Then you keep them happy and fed by setting taxes, rations, etc. as they harvest and process resources like wheat, wood, stone, and iron. Once your economy is established, those resources can be turned into a variety of weapons to equip your armies and fortifications for them to defend in RTS combat. Depending on the scenario, you might be dealing with a...
DC Universe Online F2P launch set for November 1
By GameSpot, published 28-10-2011
SOE's superhero MMORPG will go free-to-play for PC and PlayStation 3 players next week; additional characters, powers, and DLC available for purchase. Last month, Sony Online Entertainment announced its massively multiplayer online role-playing game DC Universe Online will introduce a free-to-play option on top of its current subscription-based model. At the time, SOE executive producer Lorin Jameson said the new scheme was not in response to a drop in subscribers, but rather a chance to implement a business model envisioned from day one of development. DCUO free from November 1! Today, SOE announced that the free-to-play option will become available from November 1 for PC and PS3 players. The announcement came via a live video stream with DC Unive...
DC Universe Online F2P launch set for November 1
By GameSpot, published 28-10-2011
SOE's superhero MMORPG will go free-to-play for PC and PlayStation 3 players next week; additional characters, powers, and DLC available for purchase. Last month, Sony Online Entertainment announced that its massively multiplayer online role-playing game DC Universe Online will introduce a free-to-play option on top of its current subscription-based model. At the time, SOE executive producer Lorin Jameson said the new scheme was not in response to a drop in subscribers, but rather a chance to implement a business model envisioned from day one of development. DCUO free from November 1! Today, SOE announced that the free-to-play option will become available from November 1 for PC and PlayStation 3 players. The announcement came via a live video strea...
Review: Asus EAH 6770 DC
By TechRadar, published 27-10-2011
Asus EAH 6770 DC: OverviewAsus has released the highest-clocked passively-cooled graphics card around in this, the Asus EAH 6770 DC. And it's whisper quiet too.There was a time, not too long ago, when if you wanted to build a silent or very quiet PC you knew you were going to have to sacrifice any notion of serious gameplay to get the quietness needed for the system you were building.Well, helping to kick that idea out of touch, Asus has introduced the EAH6770 DC SL/2DI/1GD5. A really snappy name to remember that mouthful is. No matter, the card combines AMD's HD6770 core with, it must be said, a pretty massive passive heatsink and cooling array. It's created a passive card that makes a pretty good fist of playing today's demanding games even at high resolutions. Although size-wise it's no...
Nintendo reports $926 million loss
By GameSpot, published 27-10-2011
Massive losses for the April-September period worse than predicted; revenue falls 40% to $2.84 billion; predicts first annual loss in 30 years. When Nintendo announced it had lost ¥25.5 billion ($336 million) in July, it slashed its own profit forecasts for the rest of the year by over 80 percent. Today the Mario factory announced that its performance in the most recent fiscal quarter is failing to even hit those adjusted targets, with net losses amounting to ¥44.7 billion ($589 million) for the quarter, taking net losses for the first half of the firm's financial year to ¥70.2 billion ($926 million). Nintendo said it hoped sales would improve thanks to new titles slated for release during the next quarter. Yesterday, a report out of J...
Battlefield 3 Console Review: Smaller Maps, But Still Elite
By GameInformer, published 27-10-2011
Modern first-person shooters have started to resemble big-budget Hollywood blockbusters in recent years, a trend that has received both praise and criticism from gaming audiences. Being shuttled from one explosive set piece moment to another can be thrilling, but when this formula is overused it feels you’ve boarded an on-rails Disneyland ride. While the Battlefield 3 campaign isn’t devoid of this feeling, its multiplayer offers a much more natural (and rewarding) sense of large-scale action. With dozens of players battling across nine massive maps in tanks, jeeps, helicopters, jets, and on foot, multiplayer matches feel like a genuine war rather than a small-scale skirmish. Whether you’re playing through the tense campaign or spending countless hours in multiplayer, Ba...
The Secret World beta crosses 500,000 registrants
By GameSpot, published 25-10-2011
Funcom's forthcoming mythology mash-up MMOG surpasses half a million registered beta applicants six months out from release. Star Wars: The Old Republic may be Electronic Arts' massively multiplayer online game launch with the most attention at the moment, but it is not the publisher's only upcoming release in the genre that is generating interest. Funcom announced today that The Secret World has surpassed 500,000 registered users in the beta period, a number the developer says outpaces its previous MMOG, Age of Conan, during the same stage of development. EA keeps blabbing about The Secret World. Even though it is nowhere near World of Warcraft's 10-plus million subscriber number, 500,000 is a significant number in its own right. Speaking about the af...
Rockstar announces GTA V
By GameSpot, published 25-10-2011
New Grand Theft Auto game in the works; trailer coming next week. Today, Rockstar games confirmed the existence of GTA V through a tweet that simply read "#GTAV," with a link to the developer's main Web page. That page has been temporarily replaced with a single image: the logo for Grand Theft Auto V, along with a promise of a first trailer on November 2. The logo as it appears on RockstarGames.com The latest rumors surrounding the long-expected GTA V swirled in June, when development was said to be "well under way" by a source close to Rockstar. The source also indicated that a 2012 release was very likely for the title. No official details about characters, setting, or platforms have yet been made, but various casting calls linked to Rockstar have ...
Battlefield 3 Review: The Elite FPS Franchise
By GameInformer, published 24-10-2011
Modern first-person shooters have started to resemble big-budget Hollywood blockbusters in recent years, a trend that has received both praise and criticism from gaming audiences. Being shuttled from one explosive set piece moment to another can be thrilling, but when this formula is overused it feels like you’re on an on-rails Disneyland ride. While the Battlefield 3 campaign isn’t devoid of this feeling, its multiplayer offers a much more natural (and rewarding) sense of large-scale action. With dozens of players battling across nine massive maps in tanks, jeeps, helicopters, jets, or on foot, multiplayer matches feel like a genuine war rather than a small-scale skirmish. Whether you’re playing through the tense campaign or spending countless hours in multiplayer, Ba...
Blizzard delves into Diablo lore
By GameSpot, published 23-10-2011
BlizzCon 2011: Studio offers its first panel aimed at illuminating the history of its action RPG franchise, detailing The Eternal Conflict, angels, and demons. Oddly enough, in BlizzCon's seven-year history, there has never been a panel devoted explicitly to the Diablo franchise's lore. That changed today, however, as Blizzard senior VP of story and franchise development Chris Metzen took the stage alongside Diablo III lead content designer Kevin Martens and senior world designer Leonard Boyarsky. Diablo III's heroes will face off against Belial and Azmodan. Metzen began the session with an apology of sorts for the substantial amount of tinkering that has been done to Diablo's lore in advance of the third game's release. He said that the franchise h...
StarCraft II Developers Discuss New Units
By GameSpot, published 22-10-2011
Blizzcon 2011: StarCraft II’s Dustin Browder and David Kim discuses new units and other tweaks coming in StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. Who Was There: Hosting this panel were game director Dustin Browder, game balance designer David Kim, and senior designer Josh Menke. What They Talked About: Browder led this extensive panel on the state of StarCraft II’s online balance and discussion of the new multiplayer units in Heart of the Swarm. The opening section focused on which match-ups were seen as the most balanced in casual and high-level play, and which were the most one-sided in certain parts of the world. Apparently, Terran has advantage over Protoss in South Korea, while Zerg has an advantage over Protoss in Europe. [ Watch Video ]Maxwell McGee checks in with senio...
StarCraft II Developers Discuss New Units
By GameSpot, published 22-10-2011
Blizzcon 2011: StarCraft II’s Dustin Browder and David Kim discuses new units and other tweaks coming in StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. Who Was There: Hosting this panel were game director Dustin Browder, game balance designer David Kim, and senior designer Josh Menke. What They Talked About: Browder led this extensive panel on the state of StarCraft II’s online balance and discussion of the new multiplayer units in Heart of the Swarm. The opening section focused on which match-ups were seen as the most balanced in casual and high-level play, and which were the most one-sided in certain parts of the world. Apparently, Terran has advantage over Protoss in South Korea, while Zerg has an advantage over Protoss in Europe. [ Watch Video ]We swing by the Starcraft II multi...
Ten Things You Need To Know About The Old Republic
By GameInformer, published 21-10-2011
We’ve spent dozens of hours exploring the beta, and came away with several core features you should grasp to decide if this new Star Wars game is for you. It seems like we’ve been waiting to play Star Wars: The Old Republic forever. Formally announced in 2008, the MMO has been creeping towards launch ever since. Even so, it’s been hard to get a comprehensive picture of the game, since most press access to the game has been limited to brief convention appearances. In recent weeks, we finally had the chance to dive in and play the full beta version of the game. Even as BioWare works to polish the final experience, we found a game of impressive scope and ambition. For players who are still trying to make up their minds, here’s what you need to know to get started and ...
Portal 2 takes Game of the Year at Golden Joysticks
By GameSpot, published 21-10-2011
Valve's puzzler takes Ultimate Game of the Year at Golden Joystick Awards, Sonic awarded Outstanding Contribution. Portal 2 took the big prize at the 29th Golden Joysticks Awards, taking the Ultimate Game of the Year prize at the London award ceremony, with winners decided entirely by public vote. This year's awards, for which more than 2 million votes were cast, also saw FIFA pick up the Sports Game of the Year accolade for the second year running. Portal 2 wins big. The Call of Duty franchise bagged yet another award in the Best Shooter category for Black Ops, and there was also an award for Mojang's blocky sandbox build-'em-up Minecraft, which was named Downloadable Game of the Year. Awards were also handed to the Nintendo 3DS for Innovation and ...
New subscription-based games a flawed strategy - CCP dev
By GameSpot, published 20-10-2011
GDC Online 2011: Lead designer of Eve Online Kristoffer Touborg talks about the mutating MMORPG market, working with Sony for Dust 514, and the dimly understood details of World of Darkness Online. Yesterday, CCP Games announced it was laying off 20 percent of its workforce (roughly 120 employees) and refocusing its efforts on its venerable massively multiplayer online role-playing game Eve Online and the upcoming PlayStation 3-exclusive Dust 514, a first-person shooter set in the Eve universe. As a result, the company has cut resources from its early-in-development World of Darkness Online, even as it reiterated its long-term commitment to the project. The future of Eve Online should see fewer faces and more spaceships. Before the news of CCP Games' layoffs...
Origin surpasses 5 million daily users
By GameSpot, published 19-10-2011
EA's online service marks milestone in under five months; publisher aims to be almost completely digital in five years. EA's downloadable storefront Origin has seen steady adoption numbers since its launch in June, and the publisher announced the service topped 4 million users in September. Speaking with Digital Life this week, EA COO Peter Moore delivered another update on the service's numbers, saying that just four-and-a-half months after release, Origin has surpassed 5 million daily users. EA COO Peter Moore. Services like Origin are a key to EA's future, said Moore. Likening the publisher to big service-based companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon, he sees EA moving away from a traditional packaged goods model. "I think it will be a company that ...
EverQuest Next taking inspiration from Star Trek movie reboot
By GameSpot, published 18-10-2011
Q&A: Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley talks about seminal MMORPG's future in wake of Hall of Fame induction and freemium games on consoles, confirms Vita support. Last week was a big one for Sony Online Entertainment's EverQuest. The massively multiplayer online role-playing game was inducted into the Game Developers Choice Online Hall of Fame, becoming just the second game to receive that honor behind Ultima Online. Following the awards ceremony, SOE president John Smedley sat down with GameSpot to answer a few questions about the future of EverQuest and the rest of the developer's slate of titles, including the upcoming PlanetSide 2 and already-released DC Universe Online. The executive also pledged his support for Sony's upcoming PlayStation Vita portable and add...
Former Madden Developers Branch Off To Create Social Network Games
By GameInformer, published 17-10-2011
When you think of Tiburon and EA Games, you think of Madden and other popular sports franchise games. What you don’t think of are woodland creatures like raccoons and bears fighting one another on Facebook. It’s an odd direction to go for a developer who is used to worrying about the virtual physics of footballs flying through the air, but it’s one that young developer Row Sham Bow hopes that Facebook gamers will appreciate with its first game, Woodland Heroes. Six months ago, Phillip Holt and a number of other EA developers decided to branch off and create Row Sham Bow games. Holt, the CEO and President of the 23 person development studio said, “I love sports games. They bring their own set of challenges that I think are really interesting, and I think there...
Review: iPhone 4S
By TechRadar, published 17-10-2011
Overview, design and feelThe iPhone 4S caught many by surprise, with Apple expected to release the iPhone 5 - but instead we got an iPhone 4 with overhauled innards.While the masses were initially disappointed, the iPhone 4S features a glut of top-end tech that is designed to put it on a par with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2 - but does it manage to do that?The changes to the iPhone 4S are easy to document - the camera has been upgraded to 8MP (with an improved aperture ratio), the CPU is now the same dual-core A5 processor as seen in the iPad 2, and a seven time increase in graphical processing power.Check out our video of the iPhone 4S in action - is it the phone for you?brightcove : 1200452098001Also we've got Siri, Apple's voice recognition service - will this be a game changer fo...
Halo Waypoint shouldering ATLAS, redesign due this fall
By GameSpot, published 16-10-2011
343 Industries revamping sci-fi franchise's community network, emphasizing cross-platform parity, custom challenges; new Windows Phone 7 app; no premium tier for now; Halo: Anniversary goes gold. It's hard to argue with Halo Waypoint. Launched in late 2009, Microsoft and 343 Industires' online hub offers Halo players a granular breakdown of their multiplayer exploits across the franchise. Beyond tracking data, it also operates as a community hub by linking up members with one another and hosting a variety of gameplay videos and tutorials. [ Watch Video ]Check out some of the new features coming soon to Halo Waypoint. Comment on this videoWatch this video in High Def With Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary slated to arrive for the Xbox 360 on November 15, 343 Indust...
Halo Waypoint shouldering ATLAS, redesign due this fall
By GameSpot, published 16-10-2011
343 Industries revamping sci-fi franchise's community network, emphasizing cross-platform parity, custom challenges; new Windows Phone 7 app; no premium tier for now; Halo: Anniversary goes gold. It's hard to argue with Halo Waypoint. Launched in late 2009, Microsoft and 343 Industries' online hub offers Halo players a granular breakdown of their multiplayer exploits across the franchise. Beyond tracking data, it also operates as a community hub by linking up members with one another and hosting a variety of gameplay videos and tutorials. [ Watch Video ]Check out some of the new features coming soon to Halo Waypoint. Comment on this videoWatch this video in High Def With Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary slated to arrive for the Xbox 360 on November 15, 343 Indust...
In Depth: The death of money
By TechRadar, published 15-10-2011
The death of moneyEvery day, all over the world, currency is minted and printed in huge quantities. That currency gets jammed into pockets and organised in tills, folded inside wallets and stuffed into envelopes, paid into bank accounts and stored underneath mattresses. Money is all around us, and yet none of it actually exists. Our notes and coins and the numbers we see in our online bank accounts are mere IOUs - promises from people we'll never meet that we'll never redeem. Currency is just information, and if there's one thing computers are good at, it's dealing with information. Will the future of money be electronic? Google, Apple and a whole host of tech firms believe that the answer could be yes. By 2015, cash could be looking like an endangered species. Oyster-style smartcards will...
Amazon Prime Vs. Netflix: Head To Head
By MaximumPC, published 14-10-2011
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Remember when “Netflix” and “Streaming video” were virtually synonyms? Yeah, those were the days. Then, in the course of three disastrous months, Netflix jacked prices by 60 percent, announced it was splitting off the DVD business, and then announced that, no, actually, it was going to keep DVDs in house after all. The wacky moves sent...
The Best Licensed Video Game Ever Made
By GameInformer, published 14-10-2011
Gotham City’s skyline glows warmly, showing decades of progress and prosperity in each of its majestic towers. On this night, this impressive view is obstructed by the massive concrete walls of Arkham City, Gotham’s new home for its lunatics and murderers. Behind these barriers, a section of the city has been transformed into a prison with no rules. The inmates govern themselves. Anarchy reigns in the streets as they vie for territory control. The city’s historic landmarks are altered to bear the signature of the villains controlling them. The Penguin nests in the museum. The Joker’s maniacal laugh echoes across the docks. No sane person would dare enter this dangerous penitentiary. For Batman and the gamer controlling him, however, Arkham City is the ul...
Ex-Rare devs create Starfire Studios
By GameSpot, published 14-10-2011
Four former staff members from the Kinect Sports maker have formed their own development studio; first title to be published on Xbox Live Arcade. In February this year, Microsoft Studios subsidiary Rare was hit with a spate of staff layoffs, despite the good performance of the studio's previous title, Kinect Sports. Fusion: Genesis is coming to XBLA. Four ex-Rare developers have now teamed up to create Starfire Studios. The team consists of programmer Mark Edmonds, designer Chris Tilston, and artists Ross Bury and Phil Dunne, who have collectively previously worked on the Killer Instinct franchise, the Perfect Dark franchise, and the Halo franchise. The team, based in Leicestershire, UK, is already working on its first offering, a twin-stick space s...
Assembling Marvel Super Hero Squad Online
By GameSpot, published 13-10-2011
GDC Online 2011: Cofounders of development studio The Amazing Society explain how they converted an entire comics universe to a massively multiplayer online game in just two years. Who was there: The Amazing Society cofounders creative director Jay Minn and studio manager Jason Robar appeared at the 2011 Game Developers Choice Online to deliver a postmortem on Gazillion's Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, a massively multiplayer online game made in less than two years. Spider-Man may be going insane here, but it's cute because it's little. What they talked about: Robar began by talking about the makeup of Seattle-based The Amazing Society. He described the team as primarily consisting of veterans, a full 85 percent of them married, and more than half w...
Allods Online - Screenshots
By Game Revolution, published 13-10-2011
MOSCOW & DUBLIN - April 23, 2009 - Nival Online, the Russian game developer behind the Allods series of role-playing strategy games (known as Rage of Mages in Europe and America), and Gala Networks Europe, the free-to-play MMORPG publisher that operates the gPotato.eu gaming portal are proud to announce Allods Online, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on Russia’s most successful gaming series. The free-to-play title brings MMO fans across Europe into a universe of epic fantasy and fierce conflict with a deep and captivating storyline. Allods Online takes place after the destruction of the planet of Sarnout and the subsequent formation of the namesake Allods. These mystical islands float in the Astral, an expansive living substance that makes up the compellin...
31 Apps, Games, and Utilities to Enhance Your Chrome Experience!
By MaximumPC, published 10-12-2011
Like any dependable sidekick, Google Chrome has proven to be reliable, fast, and easy to work with; so much so, in fact, that we decided to feature the various apps, games, and utilities Chrome has to offer in a weekly series. But to make things easier for all you Chrome fans, we've decided to compile the last 30 weeks worth of posts and bring them to you here, in one huge comprehensive list of reading apps, games, utilities, and more. Check em' out below, and by all means, let us know what we missed in the comments. Enjoy! Gaming Gun Brothers No matter how much we love Gun Brother’s special brand of shoot ‘em up gunplay on Android and iOS devices, we couldn’t recommend it for use as a Chrome web app. When it was released to the Chrome Web Store several months ago, it was a glitchy, ...
Review: HTC Titan
By TechRadar, published 10-12-2011
Overview, design and feelHTC is doing fairly well right now. From the days of making (not so great) Windows Mobile handsets for networks, it's found its identity and is now riding high with a hugely recognisable brand around the world. Android was its saviour (and still is) but Windows hasn't been forgotten. HTC was the first to roll out Windows Phone 7 devices when they launched in the UK last year. And, true to form, it's in the lead with Windows Phone 7.5 devices too. The HTC Titan is one of its two first Mango-powered handsets - the other being the Radar. So, what's in a name? Well, quite a lot actually. The Titans were giant beasts from ancient Greek mythology. So by giving the phone a name like this, HTC's certainly aiming high. And you see that as soon as you take the HTC Titan out ...
Marv Wolfman tapped for Planetside 2
By GameSpot, published 10-12-2011
SOE extends deal with award-winning comics writer to craft backstory for sci-fi shooter MMOG; Web-based fiction series inbound. Sony Online Entertainment is taking another crack at the first-person massively multiplayer online shooter genre with Planetside 2. Story will apparently play a bigger role this time around, as the MMOG-specialty shop announced today that award-winning comic scribe Marv Wolfman will be crafting the game's fiction. Wolfman is faced with the daunting task of crafting a story for not just a shooter, but an MMOG shooter. A longtime writer for Marvel and DC Comics, Wolfman has been credited as the creator of such popular characters as Blade, as well as the New Teen Titans. He also contributed to various iconic comic franchises, i...
Snow Crash author on the state of storytelling in games
By GameSpot, published 10-11-2011
GDC Online 2011: Neal Stephenson details weekly workouts on Halo 3, the appeal of John Marston, and why Dungeons & Dragons is the future of storytelling in games. Who was there: Neal Stephenson, author of science fiction classics like Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash, answering questions posed by GameTrailers TV's Geoff Keighley. Neal Stephenson What they talked about: Given Stephenson's tangential relation to gaming, the first question was about the author's relationship to games. Stephenson called it "slightly unusual," saying he binged on Halo for a while and noticed that he'd have problems losing track of time. He said it was incompatible with certain aspects of his life (and a desire for physical fitness), so he compromised. He built an ellipti...
Snow Crash author on the state of storytelling in games
By GameSpot, published 10-11-2011
GDC Online 2011: Neal Stephenson details weekly workouts on Halo 3, the appeal of John Marston, and why Dungeons & Dragons is the future of storytelling in games. Who was there: Neal Stephenson, author of science fiction classics like Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash, answering questions posed by GameTrailers TV's Geoff Keighley. Neal Stephenson What they talked about: Given Stephenson's tangential relation to gaming, the first question was about the author's relationship to games. Stephenson called it "slightly unusual," saying he binged on Halo for a while and noticed that he'd have problems losing track of time. He said it was incompatible with certain aspects of his life (and a desire for physical fitness), so he compromised. He built an ellipti...
What We Think About Gears Of War 3's 4-Player Co-Op
By GameInformer, published 10-11-2011
The Game Informer office is packed with devoted gamers champing at the bit to experience the latest and greatest games. When a hot new title like Gears of War 3 releases with a big four-player campaign, we settle for nothing less than whole nine bloody yards. We spent a few days shoulder to shoulder in the Game Informer office with linked Xbox 360s shooting and sawing our way through the four-player. Here's what we thought. Dan Ryckert When I first bought Gears of War 3, I purposely stayed away from going through the campaign right away. I spent hours on Horde and competitive multiplayer, because I wanted to wait until I could get a consistent four-player team to plow through the campaign with. This took less than a week, luckily, as Tim, Ben Reeves, and our friend John were all game ...
Augmenting the Deus Ex: Human Revolution story
By GameSpot, published 10-11-2011
GDC Online 2011: Lead writer and narrative designer explains how Eidos Montreal integrated every part of the sci-fi action game, from story and gameplay to designers and writers. Who was there: Eidos Montreal lead writer and narrative game designer Mary DeMarle delivered a Tuesday-morning presentation titled "Building the Story-Driven Experience of Deus Ex: Human Revolution." DeMarle stressed the networked nature of the Eidos Montreal team. What they talked about: DeMarle opened with a disclaimer, saying she doesn't like to spoil stories at all but that there would be some in her presentation. That out of the way, she recapped what Deus Ex: Human Revolution was all about: a story-driven but open-ended action role-playing game set in the near future, ...
A New Way To Fly
By GameInformer, published 10-11-2011
Assault Horizon feels a little different from previous entries in the Ace Combat series. It’s not wildly different. It hasn’t suddenly changed genres and turned into a turn-based RPG, but it is different enough where there is a slight possibility that long time fans may be turned off. Possible new fans though, are welcome with wide open arms. The biggest change in Assault Horizon is the Dog Fight Mode, or DFM for short. DFM is entered by tailing your opponent closely for a certain period of time until a green circle appears over your combatant. After that you press the shoulder buttons, you are locked into DFM. The camera pulls up tight behind your ship and control over the jet becomes limited, but that’s a good thing. The broad controls are left to the computer meaning ...
Microtransaction missteps in Eve Online
By GameSpot, published 10-10-2011
GDC Online 2011: CCP postmortem discusses studio's first foray into virtual item sales with its subscription-based sci-fi MMORPG, from player protests to premium monocles. Who was there: CCP Games associate producer Ben Cockerill showed up at the 2011 Game Developers Conference Online to share lessons learned from the introduction of virtual item sales into its venerable sci-fi massively multiplayer online role-playing game Eve Online. The introduction of player avatars to Eve Online led to virtual goods. What they talked about: Earlier this month, CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Petursson issued a public apology for changes the company has made to Eve Online of late, specifically the introduction of virtual item sales that he described as rather underwhelmin...
Microtransaction missteps in Eve Online
By GameSpot, published 10-10-2011
GDC Online 2011: CCP postmortem discusses studio's first foray into virtual item sales with its subscription-based sci-fi MMORPG, from player protests to premium monocles. Who was there: CCP Games associate producer Ben Cockerill showed up at the 2011 Game Developers Conference Online to share lessons learned from the introduction of virtual item sales into its venerable sci-fi massively multiplayer online role-playing game Eve Online. The introduction of player avatars to Eve Online led to virtual goods. What they talked about: Earlier this month, CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Petursson issued a public apology for changes the company has made to Eve Online of late, specifically the introduction of virtual item sales that he described as rather underwhelmin...
In Depth: Are PCs to blame for the financial mess we're in?
By TechRadar, published 10-08-2011
Are PCs to blame for the financial mess we're in?During 6 May 2010, the Dow Jones Industrial Average - the second oldest US market index and one of the most commonly used indices to reflect the state of the market as a whole - saw its biggest and fastest decline ever. By 2:42pm that day, the Dow had dropped 300 points since the start of trading that morning. By 2:47pm, a mere five minutes later, it had dropped by a further 600 points. Suddenly, hundreds of stocks had had their prices slashed to almost zero. The crash instantly wiped out almost $1trillion in stock value. Even major blue chip companies weren't safe from its effects: Accenture shares fell more than 90 per cent from $40 to $0.01. Even more amazingly, just 20 minutes later the market had bounced back up to almost the same level...
The Good, The Not So Good, And The Ugly Of Today's Original IPs
By GameInformer, published 10-08-2011
New intellectual properties are a dangerous business. A lot of time and work could lead to massive success and assured future prospects in the world of video games. Alternatively, it could lead to catastrophic failure and a scramble to make up for lost time.New IPs aren’t necessarily rare. They are almost as common as a game with a two or a three after the title; we’re just overly aware of sequels and games based on existing franchises because they are the easiest to promote. During this era of video games, we have seen a lot of new IPs succeed and become some of our favorite franchises, while others have spelled disaster for their developers. Here are the ones that have succeeded (I believe rightfully so), the ones that should have (It saddens me that they didn't), and th...
A New Way To Play Like The Pros
By GameInformer, published 10-06-2011
Valve has given some insight into the ways Dota 2's replays will go above and beyond what players expect in a recent blog post. Most exciting is the "player perspective" camera, which lets you watch a replay as if you're looking at a player's screen. You'll see their mouse movements, UI interactions, and everything. What better way to learn how the pros own so hard? The Dota 2 team also shared its thinking on the "directed" camera mode, shown during the broadcasts of the Gamescom tournament, which has the system automatically place the camera where it thinks something interesting is happening. The idea is to give spectators a common view so they can share a viewing experience to talk about. It's a nice thought in theory, but I came away from The Int...
Hands-On With Shank 2
By GameInformer, published 30-09-2011
Earlier this week, EA and Klei Entertainment announced Shank 2, a sequel to the well-received downloadable title. Shank 2 still sports a violent and animated style, but not everything is staying the same for this bloody brawler. If you enjoyed the gonzo gunplay and brutality of Shank, don't worry. That isn't going anywhere. In the single-player level I ran through, Shank sliced through countless enemy soldiers, stuffed a chainsaw into their stomachs, and used them as human shields. The basic gameplay still brings to mind the chaos of side-scrolling arcade shooters, and it feels like an action-packed and gory cartoon. As Shank runs across burning rooftops wiping out the bad guys, I notice a handful of changes to the combat. The grab maneuver is much more useful, acting as a effect...
A Pairing Of Epic Proportions
By GameInformer, published 29-09-2011
The recent release of the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection for PS3 has us experiencing two distinct emotions. We’re reveling in a high definition nostalgia trip with two amazing PS2 titles, but we’re also yearning for new information on Team Ico’s new upcoming adventure, The Last Guardian. Unfortunately, no new info emerged on the game at TGS 2011. Because we assume you’re as eager as we are for some Last Guardian coverage, we’re bringing you something you may have missed. Check out Annette Gonzalez’s preview on the game which was originally published in issue #211 of Game Informer. Designing The Boy And His Trico The current model of the Trico is meant to resemble a cat, which the team agreed to after scrapping previous iterations that ...
Final Fantasy brand 'greatly damaged' - Square Enix CEO
By GameSpot, published 27-09-2011
Yoichi Wada acknowledges state of Final Fantasy XIV Online has hurt the company's flagship franchise, pledges to continue rebuilding all aspects of the game. When Final Fantasy XIV Online launched on the PC last year, it did so to heaping critical scorn, so much so that within months Square Enix ousted the game's management team and delayed the planned PlayStation 3 version. At the time, the publisher publicly apologized for the state of the game, but it still hasn't managed to put the fiasco behind it. Final Fantasy XIV hit the brand's weak spot for massive damage. According to an Andriasang translation of a Sponichi report, Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada provided an update on the game at a Tokyo press conference today. Wada reportedly discussed ongoing ...
Rise of Isengard breaks records
By GameSpot, published 27-09-2011
Digital-only expansion to newly free-to-play MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online best-selling expansion to date; new territories added, level cap raised to 75. In January, Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine announced that since the massively multiplayer online role-playing game had switched to a free-to-play business model revenue tripled. Now the good news continues for Turbine, as the developer today released the Rise of Isengard expansion, heralding it as the best-selling add-on to its game ever. The quest continues. Turbine did not provide specific sales statistics for Rise of Isengard, but it did note that pre-purchases--which opened in June--fueled sales for the expansion. Previous expansions to LOTRO included The Mines of Moria (2008) and ...
BioWare opens Old Republic customer service center
By GameSpot, published 26-09-2011
Developer cuts ribbon on Galway-based studio focused exclusively on support for upcoming MMORPG; 200 positions created to support game's launch. With Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare is traveling to a galaxy far, far away to bring gamers a new experience. But the developer isn't trekking that far to open a new customer service center to help gamers through their journeys. Star Wars: The Old Republic has been many years in the making. BioWare and Electronic Arts today announced the opening of a customer service center in Galway, Ireland that will focus exclusively on Star Wars: The Old Republic. The shop, BioWare's first outside North America, will offer 24/7 assistance for the December-dated massively multiplayer online role-playing game. According to...
In Depth: How to build the best PC for your needs
By TechRadar, published 25-09-2011
How to build a PCSystem builders are great and everything, but unless you emit static electricity or are terminally lazy, you should be thinking about building your own PC. Why? Because not only do you get the satisfaction of having crafted your machine from the ground up, growing and harvesting each component from the soil… or something like that. You also get full control over what goes in the chassis. And what the case will look like. System builders do a great job of delivering sensible packages of components at attractive price points, but building your own rig gives you full control. All the parts you need, none that you don't. And no extra expense to you. And that level of control's important. It's what being a PC enthusiast is all about. It's what elevates us above the hunched si...
Star Wars: The Old Republic debuts December 20
By GameSpot, published 24-09-2011
BioWare-developed MMORPG hits North America first with European launch to follow December 22 as EA sticks to 2011 launch window. Sony Online Entertainment’s Star Wars: Galaxies officially shuts down December 15, but fans won’t have to go without a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in George Lucas’ sci-fi universe for long. Gamers can look forward to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Electronic Arts today confirmed that the Bio-Ware-developed MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic will launch December 20 in North America, and December 22 in Europe. Since June, the publisher has been proclaiming a general 2011 release window for the game. The publisher has said it will limit the number of Star Wars: The Old Republic ...
Review: Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray
By TechRadar, published 22-09-2011
Overview, design and feelIt's been a busy old year for Sony Ericsson. As it struggles to regain a foothold in the market it was once sucha major player in, it's been firing out more Android-based Xperia smartphones than long-lost relatives on an episode of Jeremy Kyle. And they're not half bad either.The Xperia Arc has been the flagship of 2011's bunch. Arriving in the spring, it became the skinny poster girl for the Swedish-Japanese hybrid, showing off its amazing screen presence with the help of the Sony Reality Display (the bit that reproduces colour on the screen and makes it look great) but in the Xperia Ray, Sony Ericsson has gone for a smaller model.Before we go any further, there is one point we have to make clear: this phone is small. And thin. Think smaller and thinner than you e...
Hands on: OnLive UK review
By TechRadar, published 22-09-2011
After 15 months of what founder Steve Perlman cheekily labels 'beta testing' in the US, OnLive has arrived in the UK bringing cloud gaming and, despite denials, a whole new competitor for the likes of Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii and the PS3. Any introduction to OnLive needs to delve a little deeper into what the service actually is, something that both the company itself and launch partner (and shareholder) BT will be at pains to do as people begin to look at what cloud gaming offers. brightcove : 1175303689001For traditional consoles, device and PC gaming, the gaming runs locally - ie on that gadget, be it the PS3, a MacBook or even an iPad. That means that the game's data lives on that device's storage, and every button you press or swipe you make is processed and is acted upon on the devic...
DC Universe Online Going Free-To-Play
By GameInformer, published 19-09-2011
If paying a monthly subscription was the Kryptonite weakening your interest in playing DC Universe Online, Sony Online Entertainment has swooped in and used its super compromising powers to get you into its MMO universe for free. Starting in late October, DC Universe Online will be free to download and play on both PS3 and PC. There will be three tiers for gamers to choose from: Free, Premium, and Legendary. Here are the descriptions of each tier, straight from SOE: Free: New players will now have access to the current gameplay in DC Universe Online (including Gotham City, Metropolis, and all current raids and alerts), with the ability to create two characters, join a league, and many other benefits. Free level players will be able to purchase downloadable game packs/updates, additional ...
Blizzard talks World of Warcraft: Cataclysm 4.3
By GameSpot, published 19-09-2011
Game director Tom Chilton details what's next for Blizzard MMO game: transmogrification, new instances, new storage, and new legendary content. The massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft continues to welcome millions of subscribers to the virtual fantasy realm of Azeroth, and the development team at Blizzard is preparing to unveil its latest content update, the upcoming 4.3 patch for Cataclysm (the game's most recent retail expansion). Though no specific release date has been announced for it, the new patch will introduce six significant content additions: three new dungeon instances designed for five-character adventuring parties; a new high-end "raid" instance for groups of either 10 or 25 characters; a new type of item storage known as "void storage"; the option to ...
Screenshots Show WWII Flight MMO In Action
By GameInformer, published 16-09-2011
Tanks not your thing? Check out this impressive gallery showing off World of Warplanes, the next free-to-play action MMO from Wargaming.net. Wargaming.net has enjoyed massive, unprecedented success with its free-to-play World of Tanks, and the developer/publisher is expanding its reach into sky and sea with this and the upcoming World of Battleships. You can expect to engage in multitudes of session-based competitive multiplayer matches featuring a wide variety of real and prototype war machines of the World War II era, building up your pilot's career and his stable of aircraft as you go along. Given World of Tanks' success, you can bet that World of Warplanes will feature a similar system where gameplay is free, but you can buy special upgrades and ammo through a microtransaction...
Dead Island ships 1 million
By GameSpot, published 15-09-2011
Techland-developed, Deep Silver-published survival horror action game expected to go double-platinum by week's end. Dead Island may not benefit from a widely known developer or the deep pockets of a massive publisher, but that isn't stopping the zombie-infused title from posting impressive first-week sales figures. Deep Silver announced today that the Techland-developed survival horror action game has shipped more than 1 million units to North American retailers within its first week of availability. Zombie outbreaks often lead to gangbusters sales. Deep Silver expects worldwide shipment figures to hit 2 million units by the end of this week. Those predictions are due in part to Dead Island's top-selling position in foreign markets such as the UK and...
Asura Travels To The Moon And Back
By GameInformer, published 15-09-2011
We are gamers in an age when the video games as art debate is raging and with good examples to support it. However, it’s still refreshing to play a title that reinforces that video games can just be video games -- pure, simple, silly, unadulterated fun. Asura’s Wrath captures the essence of ridiculously unrealistic scenarios and engaging gameplay. You may think that you’ve done almost everything games have to offer, but you’ve never been stabbed into the earth by a guy standing on the moon. The TGS 2011 preview of Asura’s Wrath begins with Asura facing off against Augus on the moon. The muscled, white-haired, battle-scarred antagonist tries to deliver some grand speech about my pugilistic inadequacies, but a simple button press cuts off his monologue with a f...
Rockstar Announces Red Dead Redemption Game Of The Year Edition For October
By GameInformer, published 13-09-2011
If you haven't played Rockstar's epic Red Dead Redemption yet, you're running out of excuses. Today, the company announced a new Game of the Year edition of Red Dead will be release on October 14 -- featuring all of the game's popular DLC packs that have been released since its launch.For a mere $50, you'll be able to buy the GOTY Edition for PS3 and Xbox 360, which will nab you the original game plus a bevy of amazing extra content. Here's the full list, courtesy of Rockstar:Undead Nightmare – The one-of-a-kind experience that pits John Marston against a sinister zombie outbreak, along with its Undead Overrun survival-based multiplayer modeLegends and Killers Multiplayer Pack – Adds to the Red Dead multiplayer experience with nine additional activ...
In Depth: Hands on: Windows 8 review
By TechRadar, published 13-09-2011
Hands on: Windows 8 reviewAs expected, Microsoft is using its Build developer conference to distribute a pre-beta, developer preview version of Windows 8 (for x86 PCs only; the hardware to run the ARM version on isn't finished yet). Windows 8 is Microsoft's combined desktop, laptop and tablet operating system, designed to go from 10-inch touch-only tablets to big screens in your living room, from ultra-portable notebooks to massive gaming systems and business desktops. It's got the Windows Phone 7 Metro-style touch interface of live tiles, the Metro programming model for building web apps and native apps that run full screen and share information. Windows 8 also features gestures to put two apps on screen side by side, and the traditional Windows desktop for when you need richer apps like ...
Max Payne going mobile this fall
By GameSpot, published 09-12-2011
HD version of original installment in Rockstar Games' action shooter franchise set to arrive on multiple mobile platforms in advance of Max Payne 3's March debut. Rockstar Games' pill-popping protagonist is going portable. The publisher today announced that a high-definition version of the original Max Payne will be released for unspecified mobile devices this fall, complete with customizable controls and Rockstar Games Social Club features. Keep making that face and it'll stick that way. Originally released in 2001, Max Payne was a third-person shooter that featured a "bullet time" gameplay mechanic, slowing the world to a crawl while allowing players to aim and fire at enemies at full speed. The game follows the titular antihero, a modern-day New Yor...
Planetside 2 waging freemium warfare
By GameSpot, published 09-10-2011
SOE president John Smedley indicates online shooter will have League of Legends-style microtransaction-based business model; beta may begin this year. Sony Online Entertainment has already made in-roads into the freemium model, having opened up a free-to-play, microtransaction-supported option for Everquest 2 last August. The move has apparently been a successful one, as SOE president John Smedley has gone on record to say that Planetside 2 will include a freemium business model. Expect custom camo gear in Planetside 2. Smedley delivered the news in an interview with Chinese website 17173.com, and later confirmed the remarks to Planetside-Universe. "The game will be F2P," he said. "What form will it be? We're still working that out." Though he didn'...
Review: BlackBerry Torch 9810
By TechRadar, published 09-09-2011
Overview, design and feelThis time last year, BlackBerry fans were salivating at the imminent release of the Torch 9800. For the first time, those who'd been demanding a touchscreen smartphone from RIM (without SurePress, which we'll just gloss over) were getting their way with the safety net of a keyboard below that slid out. On top of that was 3G, a 5MP camera and the brand spanking new OS. What wasn't to love?And 12 months on we feel like we're experiencing a bit of deja-vu, because the Torch 9810 is now hitting shelves. And to look at it, not much has changed. The only thing that you'll notice as being really different on the exterior is the material it's made from. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 has been given less a makeover and more a new jacket. Gone is the black and dark chrome fascia,...
Blizzard three-year plan includes two World of Warcraft, Starcraft II add-ons
By GameSpot, published 09-08-2011
[UPDATE] Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl says publisher expects six releases from studio, including Diablo III and one expansion. Blizzard Entertainment is notorious for not committing to a release window until it is absolutely sure the game is done. However, the studio remains but one among the Activision Blizzard umbrella, and its corporate partner is expecting Blizzard to release a number of products over the next three years to grow the publisher's top and bottom line. Tippl believes the Starcraft II trilogy will conclude by 2014. Speaking at the Citi 2011 Technology Conference today, Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl said that over the next three years, the publisher is expecting six "proven property" releases from Blizzard. These releas...
Blizzard three-year plan includes two World of Warcraft, Starcraft II add-ons
By GameSpot, published 09-08-2011
[UPDATE] Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl says publisher expects six releases from studio, including Diablo III and one expansion. Blizzard Entertainment is notorious for not committing to a release window until it is absolutely sure the game is done. However, the studio remains but one among the Activision Blizzard umbrella, and its corporate partner is expecting Blizzard to release a number of products over the next three years to grow the publisher's top and bottom line. Tippl believes the Starcraft II trilogy will conclude by 2014. Speaking at the Citi 2011 Technology Conference today, Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl said that over the next three years, the publisher is expecting six "proven property" releases from Blizzard. These releas...
Blizzard three-year plan includes two World of Warcraft, Starcraft II add-ons
By GameSpot, published 09-08-2011
[UPDATE] Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl says publisher expects six releases from studio, including Diablo III and one expansion. Blizzard Entertainment is notorious for not committing to a release window until it is absolutely sure the game is done. However, the studio remains but one among the Activision Blizzard umbrella, and its corporate partner is expecting Blizzard to release a number of products over the next three years to grow the publisher's top and bottom line. Tippl believes the Starcraft II trilogy will conclude by 2014. Speaking at the Citi 2011 Technology Conference today, Activision Blizzard COO Thomas Tippl said that over the next three years, the publisher is expecting six "proven property" releases from Blizzard. These releas...
Battlefield 3 preorders hit 1.25 million
By GameSpot, published 09-08-2011
EA CFO Eric Brown touts platinum sales figures for DICE's shooter with more than a month until launch; taking wait-and-see tack for $50 Call of Duty Elite rival. Electronic Arts and Activision will be going head-to-head in the first-person shooter space later this year, and though the publisher has said that it doesn't expect Battlefield 3 to top Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sales, it expects to at least take some market share. And thus far, it appears as if demand is quite high for the EA DICE-developed shooter. Battlefield 3's standing army is already over a million. Speaking at the Citi 2011 Tech Conference, EA CFO Eric Brown said that Battlefield 3 has already sold more than a million units at retail. "To date we have about 1.25 million preorde...
Updated: Windows 8: everything you need to know
By TechRadar, published 09-07-2011
Windows 8: what you need to knowThe Windows 8 picture is becoming clearer. Following on from the slides allegedly leaked in June 2010 by a software engineer at HP, Microsoft has outed far more details about the interface design. Microsoft says Windows 8 is a reimagining of Windows, "from the chip to the interface" and has launched an Engineering Windows 8 blog. The corporation has promised that a pre-release Windows 8 build will be available to the public. Microsoft says that "a Windows 8-based PC is really a new kind of device, one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse." Opinion: Windows 8 could make you rethink buying iPad 3Indeed, the new OS appears to have two completely separate interfaces - one, a trad...
Buying Guide: Best PAYG phone - budget mobiles compared
By TechRadar, published 09-07-2011
Best budget PAYG phonesWith the mobile marketplace teeming with a multitude of smartphones, one might wonder whether cheap pay and go phones still have a place in the mobile infrastructure.With massive innovation in both hardware and operating systems, phones now do a lot more than just let you talk and text, with phones like the Samsung Galaxy S2 and Apple iPhone 5 stealing headlines around the world these days.Sadly all this innovation isn't cheap – and most of it is reserved for high-end contract handsets. So, is there such a thing as the 'best pay as you go phone on a budget'?Omio has provided a list of the top selling cheap phones at the moment, which we've taken to task to bring you the best PAYG phones around at the moment - so if you're looking to pick up a decent handset for not...
In Depth: Top 50 best Linux apps 2011
By TechRadar, published 09-07-2011
Top 50 best Linux apps 2011For everyone at Linux Format magazine and most of its readers, computers and Linux are a passion. Linux is perfect: its open source nature and excellent shell make it the ultimate hobbyist's operating system. Fortunately, there's a huge number of top-class applications available as well: market leading packages for professional and consumer level media creation, tools for developers, systems administrators and students - as well as great games to help you procrastinate on a Friday. Here we introduce you to the 50 best apps for Linux. We didn't just want the 50 most popular, so we asked our readers on TuxRadar for their favourites in a bid to discover some little-known gems. The response was overwhelming. You introduced us to great programs that we'd never heard o...
A San Francisco Treat
By GameInformer, published 09-06-2011
I may as well get this out of the way: Driver: San Francisco has one of the dumbest premises in all of gaming. In an industry that brought us barrel-chucking apes, speedy hedgehogs, and the concept of double jumping, that’s quite an accomplishment. Once I stopped snickering over the idea of playing as incapacitated cop John Tanner, inexplicably blessed with the power of astral projection, I was completely hooked. Apparently, all it took was a coma to revitalize the Driver series. Tanner is imbued with this power after getting in a wreck with his nemesis, Jericho. As he lies in stasis in a hospital bed, Tanner finds that he’s able to leap out of his body and transfer his consciousness into anyone who’s driving in San Francisco. Armed with that superpower, Tanner has to t...
Review: BlackBerry Torch 9860
By TechRadar, published 09-06-2011
Overview and designIt's taken a ridiculously long time to come, but this is it. This is the one. After the clickable screen of the BlackBerry Storm 2 and the touchscreen-with-slide-out-keyboard shenanigans of the original BlackBerry Torch, RIM has finally released a proper touchscreen smartphone.No ands or buts – the BlackBerry Torch 9860 is a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen, and that's it. Granted, the iPhone managed a similar-ish feat in 2007, but RIM's insistence in holding on to the designs that made it big in the first place have held it back from this moment.This 3.7-inch touchscreen the largest RIM has ever made, it's also the highest resolution, with a handy 480 x 800 pixels on display. Which is good, because you want the new BlackBerry OS 7 to look its best, don't you?Powering t...
Resistance 3: Continuing The Downward Trend
By GameInformer, published 09-06-2011
Launching with the PlayStation 3 back in 2006, the original Resistance: Fall of Man signaled that Sony wanted a blockbuster FPS franchise to call its own. Insomniac’s alternate history shooter deviated from clichés set by both WWII and sci-fi games with a story about an alien invasion in the 1940s. Its sequel made some odd decisions, such as limiting the single-player loadout to two weapons instead of the well-liked weapon wheel from the first. After fans gave the sequel negative feedback, Insomniac made some significant changes heading into Resistance 3. Unfortunately, they’re not enough to keep the game from being a decidedly average shooter, and the most disappointing entry in the series. After ending the misery of previous protagonist Nathan Hale during the dramatic...
Interview: LG talks up passive Cinema 3D tech
By TechRadar, published 09-05-2011
LG on Cinema 3D and dual action gamingWhen we say that LG's booth at this year's IFA exhibition was a true standout, we're talking mostly about the captivating 3D treats that lay within.Whether it was by design or not, the obligatory 3D glasses needed to view the majority of the display exhibits were best left on all the time, not for convenience, but for constant 3D thrills; every glance thrown across the show floor caught something leaping out of somewhere.This captivating 3D circus was an antidote to the naysayers who insist that 3D is all about total immersion, though the Korean company certainly has the products to match the eye-catching gimmicks. New 3D TVs launched at IFA by LG were actually few and far between (the Nano Full LED LW980T Series excepted); this was all about Cinema 3D...
In Depth: What's your life worth to an ID thief?
By TechRadar, published 09-03-2011
What's your life work to an ID thief?During 2002, JP Martin decided to analyse every bit of information his company had about its customers. The firm, Canadian Tire, had its own credit card and Martin discovered patterns in his customers' purchases. Customers who bought carbon monoxide detectors for their houses or felt pads to stop chairs scratching the floor rarely missed a payment, but those who bought chrome skull decorations for their cars were almost certain to fall behind. Martin's discoveries became the data mining industry, and today almost every bit of data about you is worth money to somebody. How much is personal information worth? If you ask Tesco, the answer might be £3.8 billion: that's its annual profit before tax, and if it weren't for its Clubcard loyalty programme that ...
Star Trek Online setting phasers to freemium
By GameSpot, published 09-02-2011
Cryptic Studios confirms sci-fi MMORPG will transition to microtransaction-based business model later this year. From Lord of the Rings Online to Age of Conan, success stories abound for massively multiplayer online role-playing games that flip to a microtransaction-driven freemium business model. With Cryptic Studios' Champions Online going the freemium route in January, it should come as no surprise that the MMOG specialist has similar intentions for Star Trek Online. Freemium isn't exactly a space where no man has gone before. Cryptic Studios confirmed this week that it intends to transition Star Trek Online to a freemium business model by the end of this year. The studio expects to have additional information on its pricing and execution strategy...
In Depth: Top 10 best gadgets at IFA 2011
By TechRadar, published 09-02-2011
Top 10 best gadgets at IFA 2011It's been a great year for gadgets at this year's Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) in Berlin with all kinds of surprises - from internet-connected TVs to super-sized smartphones - in the exhibition halls. Here are just 10 of the best in show...1. Sony Android tabletsSony's long-rumoured rivals to the Apple iPad 2 finally made their debut at IFA 2011 - and they confounded as much as they surprised. The Sony Tablet P (£499) and Tablet S (£399), both include Nvidia Tegra 2 mobile processors running Android Honeycomb OS, front- and rear-facing cameras, a USB 2.0 port and an SD card slot.Just like the iPad 2, both tablets are available in Wi-Fi only and 3G models, but it's the clamshell Tablet P that really piques our interest. For the Sony Tablet P sports n...
Rock of Ages tumbles to PC September 7
By GameSpot, published 09-01-2011
Atlus take on tower defense arrives on Steam next week, PlayStation 3 debut set for release later this summer. Rock of Ages hit the Xbox 360 this week, and Atlus today detailed the next stop on the downloadable game's digital world tour. The publisher announced PC gamers will be able to grab the game off Steam starting September 7, but PlayStation 3 gamers will unfortunately have to wait until later this summer. Two rocks enter. One rock leaves. A concoction of tower defense, Marble Madness, and art history, Rock of Ages has players engaging in a series of pitched castle-versus-castle battles. Players take turns controlling massive boulders in an attempt to bring their enemy's fortifications down, at the same time investing in upgrades for their own de...
The Secret World begins beta registration
By GameSpot, published 30-08-2011
Funcom invites gamers to sign up to test upcoming massively multiplayer online game; social network integration offers alternate path to access. Funcom is nearly ready to spill the beans on The Secret World. The publisher today announced it has officially opened up beta registrations for its upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Some secrets are easier to keep a lid on than others. Interested gamers can sign up on the game's official website in one of two phases. In the first phase, gamers take a personality test to determine which of the game's factions they would best fit, and then confirm their registration by choosing one themselves. The optional second phase of registration requires users to connect their Facebook accounts for...
Guild Wars 2: Designing a cooperative experience
By GameSpot, published 29-08-2011
PAX 2011: ArenaNet details its new approach to massively multiplayer online role-playing games, from scrapping loot drops to shaking up the standard party makeup. Who was there? Various members of ArenaNet, including Eric Flannum and Colin Johanson. Guild Wars 2 continues to "wow" players, even with no clear release window. What did they talked about? This full-to-capacity panel revolved around ArenaNet's long-awaited massively multiplayer online role-playing game sequel, acting as a primer to give fans and newcomers and an idea of what to expect when Guild Wars 2 launches. The panelists discussed a number of different ways in which they are building a game that is not only meant to be played with others, but how much more beneficial it will be when c...
RPG writers spill their secrets
By GameSpot, published 28-08-2011
PAX 2011: Authors from ArenaNet, Obsidian, Warner Bros., and DoubleBear gather to discuss the many challenges in writing for role-playing games. Who was there: This Penny Arcade Expo 2011 panel included writer John Gonzales from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment; writer Travis Stout from Obsidian Entertainment; content designer Annie VanderMeer Mitsoda from ArenaNet; and creative director Brian Mitsoda from DoubleBear Productions. The panel addressed the changing way writers are incorporated into RPG development. What they talked about: Just like saving the galaxy or uniting a fractured kingdom, writing for a role-playing game is a massive undertaking. Okay, maybe it isn't that massive, but keeping track of all the heroes, villains, and NPCs while...
Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes detailed
By GameSpot, published 28-08-2011
PAX Prime 2011: BioWare Mythic opens up on what players can expect from free PVP-focused online game; Warhammer Online "maybe" going free-to-play. Who was there: Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes development head Carrie Gouskos took to the PAX Prime 2011 stage along-side creative director Paul Barnett, producer James Casey, and web developer Ken Holley, as well as senior designers Nate Levy and Amber Turner. Wrath of Heroes is entering closed beta "very, very soon." What they talked about: This fall, BioWare Mythic will launch Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes, a free-to-play variant of the scenario combat found in the studio's massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The Wrath of Heroes team was on hand at this year's PAX Prime to deliver mor...
Mining the past for game ideas
By GameSpot, published 27-08-2011
PAX Prime 2011: Geeknight podcast hosts take a look at game mechanics worth revisiting from Outlaw, Spy vs. Spy, Sopwith, Aerobiz Supersonic, Rampart, Metal Marines. Who was there: Geeknights' Brandon DeCoster and Scott Rubin held forth at PAX Prime 2011 to talk about what designers can learn from games lost to time. Outlaw may look simplistic, but its gameplay is surprisingly entertaining. What they talked about: DeCoster and Rubin began their panel by referencing Dan Simmons' novel Hyperion, and a speech made therein. The far-future tale includes a speech by a character who is essentially the president of the galaxy. Afterward, the president is approached and praised on the speech, but the character says that it was actually stolen from long-forgotten l...
Review: EVGA GTX 580 Hydro Copper 2
By TechRadar, published 27-08-2011
OverviewWater, water everywhere but you really don't want to drink this stuff. Because it has coolant in it, and you will die. Or at least have a nasty tummy ache for a while. The GTX 580 Hydro Copper 2 is EVGA's monstrously OTT take on the Nvidia GeForce GTX 580, a GPU that already has the honour of being the fastest single chip graphics processor around. EVGA reckons that's not good enough, though, and has kitted its flagship card with the company's FTW Hydro Copper 2 water cooler, ready to be plumbed into your liquid-chilled system for that little bit of extra performance that air cannot provide. If you've already got a water-cooled system and want a graphics card that wants to get wet with it, it's a tempting prospect. There are just two things to bear in mind: You could buy a stock GT...
Review: Updated: HTC Evo 3D
By TechRadar, published 24-08-2011
UPDATE: We've now re-reviewed this phone for the UK market, so check out our findings below.It seems like there are a bazillion Android phones on the market, which means any phone with a brand new feature seems like a colossal improvement. The latest of these big steps forward was the 'glasses-free' 3D screen on the LG Optimus 3D. Now splashing down is HTC's Evo 3D, with 3D features intended to be less alarming those on the Optimus 3D.We've got a cheeky little video of the HTC Evo 3D if you want to see the phone in action ahead of our full and in-depth review:In fact, at first glance, you might mistake the Evo 3D for any other slightly chunkier Android phone with a bright screen and HTC's Sense user interface. The problem is that the Android line-up has recently moved on to greener pasture...
Updated: Windows 8: everything you need to know
By TechRadar, published 24-08-2011
The Windows 8 picture is becoming clearer. Following on from the slides allegedly leaked in June 2010 by a software engineer at HP, Microsoft has outed far more details about the interface design. Microsoft says Windows 8 is a reimagining of Windows, "from the chip to the interface" and has launched an Engineering Windows 8 blog. The corporation has promised that a pre-release Windows 8 build will be available to the public. Microsoft says that "a Windows 8-based PC is really a new kind of device, one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse." Opinion: Windows 8 could make you rethink buying iPad 3Indeed, the new OS appears to have two completely separate interfaces - one, a traditional (and, on the surface of it, unchanged) W...
Updated: iOS 5: all the latest details
By TechRadar, published 23-08-2011
We're expecting big things from Apple this year: the iPhone 5 will be with us at some point in 2011, and some rumours suggest we'll see the iPad 3 as early as this autumn. But in the meantime there's a new version of iOS, iOS 5 here and it's been revealed during tonight's WWDC 2011 keynote.iOS in numbers: 200 million iOS devices soldRead on for our list of all the new iOS 5 features but for a video rundown of what's new, check out our pal T3's video below:iOS 5 release dateThe iOS release date is Autumn 2011 - probably to coincide with the new iPhone.iOS 5 compatibilityiOS 5 will work with iPhone 4 and 3GS (the latter is a surprise), iPad and iPad 2, and the iPod touch 3rd and 4th gen. We're also a little surprised to see it's going to be rolled out to the original iPad, but as it has the ...
Virtua Fighter 5 set for Final Showdown
By GameSpot, published 23-08-2011
Definitive version of Sega fighter set for downloadable debut on Xbox 360, PS3 next summer; roster to see return of VF3 sumo wrestler Taka-Arashi, debut of Jean Kujo. Sega has made a habit of tinkering with its Virtua Fighter series of fighting games, and the latest full installment in the series, Virtua Fighter 5, has been no exception. The original Virtua Fighter 5 debuted in arcades in 2006, with the PlayStation 3 release bringing its second revision to Sony's console in early 2007 and the Xbox 360 edition capturing the game's third revision later that year. Now the definitive version of Virtua Fighter 5 is finally set to follow its predecessors to home consoles. Sega today announced Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with a summer 2012 release w...
EA to cap Star Wars: The Old Republic sales
By GameSpot, published 19-08-2011
Publisher says it will limit the number of retail, digital copies for upcoming MMORPG to ensure server stability at launch. The success of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game is commonly measured by how quickly it can gain a bustling population and how many players it has compared to genre kingpin World of Warcraft. However, Electronic Arts appears to be opting out of that race with Star Wars: The Old Republic. EA has ways of dealing with…consumers. As reported by Game Informer, EA said today that it will be limiting the number of Star Wars: The Old Republic copies that will be available at launch, through both retail and digital channels. EA reportedly made this decision so as to ensure server stability when the game goes live late...
Rock of Ages rolling onto XBLA August 31
By GameSpot, published 18-08-2011
Atlus and Ace Team's "tower offense" game gets dated for Xbox 360; PS3 and PC versions to follow later this summer. Though its name might suggest a timeless quality, Rock of Ages is definitely dated. Atlus today announced that the downloadable game will arrive on Xbox Live Arcade August 31, with PC and PlayStation 3 releases to follow "later this summer." This summer, Rock. Will. Roll. A distinctive concoction of tower defense, Marble Madness, and art history, Rock of Ages has players engaging in a series of pitched castle-versus-castle battles. Players take turns controlling massive boulders in an attempt to bring their enemy's fortifications down, at the same time investing in upgrades for their own defenses. Rock of Ages is being developed by Santi...
Carbine Studios loads WildStar
By GameSpot, published 17-08-2011
NCsoft pulls back curtain on new sci-fi MMORPG from Fallout lead designer Tim Cain, Turbine cofounder Jeremy Gaffney. It has been almost four years since NCsoft offered first word on its newest massively multiplayer online game-creating outfit, Carbine Studios. The studio's project has largely been under wraps since then, but that changed today. As part of Gamescom 2011, NCsoft offered the first look at Carbine Studios' new project, confirming that the sci-fi MMO role-playing game is titled WildStar. WildStar beta sign-ups have begun. WildStar's premise has players colonizing a mysterious planet on the outer reaches of the known universe. Players will be able to assume the role of an explorer, soldier, scientist, or settler as they traverse the plane...
How To Save Your Game Data When You Change Hard Drives
By MaximumPC, published 17-08-2011
Don't Leave The Past Behind There's an old saying that goes "You can't take it with you when you die," but we disagree. Sure, you might suffer an XP loss or have a nifty +3 bastard sword disappear from your inventory, but all in all, your belongings remain intact in the event of an untimely character death. The saying should be "You can't take it with you if you don't save your game data." We can't help with your lack of FPS skills, but we can help you transfer your game data to a new PC or hard drive. Find Your Save Backing up a save game is easy; finding the location of your save data is the tricky part. Game makers just can seem to settle on a common saved game spot. There are some common locations for saved games in Windows 7 and Vista, though, such as: Your save games usually hide de...
World of Battleships MMOG anchoring soon
By GameSpot, published 17-08-2011
World of Tanks and World of Warplanes team announces upcoming free-to-play naval MMO game to be based on sea battles of the 20th century. Wargaming.net, the team behind the team-based massively multiplayer online game World of Tanks, has announced the final game in its "World of" trilogy, which will focus on naval warfare. Battleships! World of Battleships will be a free-to-play naval MMO game based on sea battles throughout the 20th century, offering a variety of warships to provide various tactical opportunities based on individual combinations of firepower, speed, armor, and endurance. The game will also feature naval maps with changing weather conditions and an economic system that will let players distribute resources between each of the "World ...
EA spills The Secret World in April
By GameSpot, published 16-08-2011
Publisher puts a release window on Funcom's upcoming alternate-universe MMORPG; beta registration opens August 26. Electronic Arts is telling everyone it can today about The Secret World's new release window. During its Gamescom press briefing today, the publisher said the Funcom-developed massively multiplayer online role-playing game would launch on the PC in April of 2012. It's a secret to everyone. However, that doesn't necessarily mean gamers need to wait that long to go hands-on with the title. EA also announced plans for its upcoming beta testing, with registration opening "through a unique interactive social media campaign" that will be centered around the game's official website. Announced for the Xbox 360 and PC in 2007, The Secret World pos...
Game consultant diagnoses state of MMOGs
By GameSpot, published 16-08-2011
GDC Europe 2011: Freelance designer Ernest Adams talks about problems with today's online titles and how they can be addressed. Who was there: At this GDC Europe 2011 panel, freelance game design consultant Ernest Adams discussed the problems with storytelling in massively multiplayer online role-playing games and how these issues can be addressed using a hypothetical, World War II-inspired MMOG called The Blitz Online. Kill this stone giant 100 times, and he'll still be back for more. What he talked about:Ernest Adams has some problems with how storytelling is handled in today's MMOGs. In brief, there's a big disconnect between what the game says the player is doing and what is actually happening. Using The Lord of the Rings Online as an example, Ad...
The Paradox-ical developer-publisher relationship
By GameSpot, published 15-08-2011
GDC Europe 2011: Magicka publisher Paradox Interactive explains the dos and don'ts of dealing with publishers and the benefits of a small budget. Who was there: In a session titled "Developer + Publisher = Partnership," three speakers were on hand to discuss their experience working for PC strategy games publisher Paradox Interactive (Magicka, Mount & Blade). Those three were Paradox CEO Fredrik Wester, VP of publishing Susana Meza Graham, and Shams Jorjani, described by Wester as the company's multitalented "corporate paladin." Shams Jorjani. (Credit: GDC Europe) What they talked about: The session was a wide-reaching discussion about developer-publisher relations that covered everything from marketing philosophies to game budgets. However,...
MapleStory Adventures serving 1 million players
By GameSpot, published 15-08-2011
Facebook version of side-scrolling MMO game still at open beta stage. With the huge success of the MapleStory franchise on the PC, it's only logical for developer Nexon to spread it onto the Facebook platform. The social network spin-off MapleStory Adventures looks to have been received well, with more than 1 million players within the two weeks of the game's open beta phase, according to a recent Nexon press release. At this point, the app has 1,261,046 monthly active users. Hands up if you're a victim of MapleStory Adventures invite bombardments. The game itself is a browser-made version of the 2D-perspective massively multiplayer online action role-playing game. Next to the game's stylized aesthetics, this spin-off features the ability to invite ...
Shippin' Out August 14-20: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
By GameSpot, published 15-08-2011
New Release slate led by Ignition's action adventure game; No More Heroes: Heroes Paradise lands on PS3 alongside Bastion and Age of Empires Online for the PC. Last week's new release slate was decidedly short, with Fruit Ninja Kinect leading all-new releases. This week's offerings are heartier, with Ignition's action adventure game leading the way next to Travis Touchdown's first outing on the PlayStation 3. El Shaddai lights up the PS3 and Xbox 360 this week. First out of the gate this week is El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. El Shaddai takes its premise from the apocryphal Old Testament Book of Enoch. When a group of seven angels betray heaven to build the Tower of Babel, God appoints the mortal Enoch to set...
In Depth: 3D's role in science and engineering
By TechRadar, published 13-08-2011
Giving engineers, scientists and architects the ability to see the objects they're making in 3D brings amazing benefits. Computer aided design might be more down-to-earth than a Pixar film, but it's no less magical. We spoke to John Hutchinson, Senior Rendering Architect at Autodesk, to find out why. We started by asking just how realistic artificial 3D environments can become. John contrasts Autodesk's approach of physically-based rendering with the needs of games and films. "In [our] approach, we limit ourselves to algorithms and scene descriptions that are consistent with the physical behaviour of light," he explained. "This is a stark contrast to games and film, where realism is but one of many results desired from the rendering system. In physically-based rendering, we embrace the lim...
Star Wars: The Old Republic could sell 3M - Analysts
By GameSpot, published 08-12-2011
Cowen and Company firm cites "increasing confidence" in BioWare's upcoming MMORPG; Battlefield 3 to sell 11 million. Last month, Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter stated that BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic has the potential to sell 2 million units. However, another firm has higher expectations for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The Old Republic will spread to 3 million homes, says Cowen and Company. In a note to investors obtained by Gamasutra, Doug Creutz and Jason Mueller of financial firm Cowen and Company stated "increasing confidence" in The Old Republic has convinced the company to update its sales forecast for the title from 1.5 million to 3 million units. The firm remarked that preorders for The Old Republic on Amazo...
First Screens Of Dark European RPG Demonicon
By GameInformer, published 08-12-2011
Kalypso has released the first batch of screenshots for its upcoming action/RPG The Dark Eye – Demonicon, and they show a rich world full of promise for fans of European-style role-playing games.Demonicon is set in The Dark Eye universe, a tabletop RPG property that has never approached Dungeons & Dragons in U.S. gaming despite its massive European popularity. TDE is a solid system for fantasy role-playing, though, and is not difficult to pick up for anyone with experience in the genre.Demonicon follows two heroes who share a destiny and who will ultimately make choices that will shape the fate of an entire continent. The gameplay looks like a typical third-person fantasy action/RPG from the screens. I'll be going hands-on with it in Germany next week, so there should be actu...
Nintendo applies for 'massively single-player' patent, mentions Wii 3D
By GameSpot, published 08-12-2011
Hardware maker lays claim to idea of a virtual world devoid of direct player interaction, suggests implementation on "Wii 3D video game console." When it comes to online gaming, Nintendo has always insisted it would not follow the competition but would rather wait to pursue things in its distinctive Nintendo way. In a US patent application filed in early 2010 and published last week, Nintendo is claiming dibs on the idea of a "Massively Single-Playing Online Game." The patent doesn't mention specific titles, but the treatment is reminiscent of Animal Crossing. The patent gives a few examples of how such an idea could be implemented, starting with a single-player game in which the player's actions impact the characters and environment of other players e...
Feature of the Week Super Roundup: 52 Awesome Sites, Add-ons and Apps
By MaximumPC, published 08-12-2011
Here at Maximum PC, we adhere to a few simple maxims: Make it faster! Be thorough. And keep things as simple as possible. Adhering to that philosophy, we'd like to present to you a mega-ultra-laser-shark mix and mash of features we've published these past couple of months, including some of our favorite websites, Windows Phone 7 aps, and Chrome and browser add-ons that you've been seeing grace the pages of our site recently. Because, after all, we wouldn't want you guys to have to dig around for all these yourselves. Remember. We keep it simple, just for you. Enjoy! Awesome Sites NASA The last Star Trek TV series was kind of terrible, and they cancelled Firefly before the series had a chance to really come into its own. Sure, Battlestar Galactica was great but now that it...
Age of Conan doubles revenue since going F2P
By GameSpot, published 08-11-2011
Funcom's fantasy MMORPG sees registrations surge by 300,000 since it relaunched as Unchained in May. In May, Funcom announced that it would be relaunching 2008's well-received fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures under a new name--Age of Conan: Unchained--and a new business model: free-to-play. Unchained has been bloody successful for Funcom. The move has paid quick dividends, as Funcom today announced that since shifting from a subscription-only model to free-to-play, Age of Conan: Unchained has attracted 300,000 new players and has seen its total revenue surge to double the level it stood at before. Unchained has free and premium gamers playing alongside one another, with free users able to purcha...
Review: BlackBerry Bold 9900
By TechRadar, published 08-10-2011
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 comes as something of a shock. You see, for years, BlackBerry has, in a sense, been catching up. That's not a dig at its parent company – it's practically royalty in push email and corporate handset circles. But it has been rare for RIM to lead the way. Cameras, internet browsing, HTML emails – all were included on RIM's phones years after they'd become standard fare on other handsets. For recent examples of decent phones that didn't really push the envelope all that far, just take a look at the Bold 9780 and 9700.But the Bold 9000 finally offers some cutting-edge tech, and in an attractive package to boot. Its 1.2GHz processor, high-spec touchscreen, brand new OS7 and HD video camera are all specs we never really expected a BlackBerry to have before the next m...
Updated: iOS 5: all the latest details
By TechRadar, published 08-10-2011
We're expecting big things from Apple this year: the iPhone 5 will be with us at some point in 2011, and some rumours suggest we'll see the iPad 3 as early as this autumn. But in the meantime there's a new version of iOS, iOS 5 here and it's been revealed during tonight's WWDC 2011 keynote.iOS in numbers: 200 million iOS devices soldRead on for our list of all the new iOS 5 features but for a video rundown of what's new, check out our pal T3's video below:iOS 5 release dateThe iOS release date is Autumn 2011 - probably to coincide with the new iPhone.iOS 5 compatibilityiOS 5 will work with iPhone 4 and 3GS (the latter is a surprise), iPad and iPad 2, and the iPod touch 3rd and 4th gen. We're also a little surprised to see it's going to be rolled out to the original iPad, but as it has the ...
DC Universe Online consolidating servers
By GameSpot, published 08-09-2011
SOE folding 26 current game platforms into four "megaservers," grouped by platform and region beginning today. Server consolidations have become a normality following the launch of most massively multiplayer online games, as game populations stabilize following the initial release hype. Sony Online Entertainment's DC Universe Online will be no different, as the company announced through the game's official website that it will be consolidating gamers onto four "megaservers" beginning today. No word yet on whether the server consolidations will yield Bizarro superheroes. Prior to the consolidation, DCUO's server count stood at 26. The merger combines servers by region and platform, with the US and Europe each getting their own PlayStation 3 and PC ser...
Skyrim Hands-On Impressions
By GameInformer, published 08-05-2011
After years of waiting, the next installment of The Elder Scrolls finally lands in our hands. Follow Reiner's journey from Riverwood to Whiterun. As we mentioned in yesterday's quick look at the QuakeCon Skyrim demo, my experience started in the character creator. My Twitter followers wanted to know about the Argonian race, the reptilian race that hails from the Black Marsh swampland. This race looks much like it did in Oblivion and Morrowind, with green scaled skin that sometimes gives off a bluish tint, and yellow, cat-like eyes. For my character, however, I chose the cat-like Khajiit race. The level of customization with this race was impressive. I could alter the eyeliner, change the color of the speckles on the nose, add earrings, and even apply a hairdo on top of my Khajiit...
New Bungie game code-named Tiger, logo confirmed
By GameSpot, published 08-04-2011
Studio offers new details on upcoming Activision project in 20th anniversary video covering Halo history, future of Washington state developer. When Bungie signed a 10-year exclusive publishing deal with Activision in April 2010, the developer said it was working on an entirely new universe for multiple platforms. Since then, Bungie has confirmed the game will run on an all-new engine and likened it to a massively multiplayer title. Now, the developer has shed new light on the project, confirming it is currently in development under the working name "Tiger" and is related to a familiar logo. Bungie's new game is related to this logo. The news stems from Bungie's 20th anniversary video titled "O Brave New World," which was released today and speaks about the...
Review: Cyberpower Liquid i7 High
By TechRadar, published 08-04-2011
We've seen systems sporting overclocked Core i7 2600K CPUs before. Some, like Dino PC's Evolution 2600K, clocked the chip all the way up to 5GHz. We approved. Cyberpower is the latest to join the grossly overclocked 2600K club, the CPU in this system weighing in again at 5GHz. It's done it in style too, by water-cooling the chip so it stays well within safe temperatures at 100 per cent load. Cyberpower's not breaking new ground, but the water cooling kit looks pretty impressive inside that case compared to the self-contained kits such as the Corsair H50. The advantage this Cyberpower rig has over offerings like the Evolution 2600K and Palicomp's superlative Phoenix Hydro X is the inclusion of Intel's Z68 chipset. It's not a massive deal for gamers specifically, but Z68 has a number of feat...
What's The Scoop On Burnout Crash?
By GameInformer, published 08-04-2011
We spoke with the developer to get the full picture of how the classic game mode is becoming its own downloadable game. We asked Richard Franke, the creative director on Burnout Crash, about the dramatic changes in store for the franchise in the new game. Specifically, Burnout Crash takes the familiar mode seen in games like Burnout 3 and pans the camera back to a top-down view, then sets players out to create the biggest and most expensive crashes they can manage. Why did the team opt to shift the viewpoint from a traditional racing view to top-down?Burnout Crash was built from the ground up to be about crashing, not racing. We were very conscious to allow the game total freedom to evolve and define what it became very organically and not be limited by previous incarnations of Crash mod...
Call Of Duty XP Convention Activities Revealed
By GameInformer, published 08-03-2011
For $150, you can do paintball battle across a replica of Modern Warfare 2's Scrapyard level, run MW 2's The Pit qualification course, and order up at MW 2's Burgertown fast food restaurant. If your in-game skills are better than your real life abilities (and let's all be honest with ourselves here), you can compete for $1 million in prizes in a Modern Warfare 3 tournament at the Call of Duty XP instead.Held in Los Angeles over Labor Day weekend, the Call of Duty XP is the first fan convention for Activision's massively popular first-person shooter. All attendees will receive a voucher for a free copy of the MW 3 Hardened Edition as well, so the cost of the ticket doesn't look so bad after all – especially when you consider that Activision is donating all proc...
Blizzard trademarks Mists of Pandaria
By GameSpot, published 08-03-2011
Filing with USPTO fuels speculation about new World of Warcraft expansion, but publisher staying mum for now. Despite the Azeroth-rending effects of The Shattering, it's a safe bet Cataclysm was not the end of the World of Warcraft. The next chapter in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game may not be too far off, as a recent Blizzard trademark application with the US Patent and Trademark Office has sparked speculation regarding the online 800-pound gorilla's next expansion. This Pandaren warrior has a tiny traveling companda. As spotted by MMO Champion, Blizzard has filed for a US trademark on "Mists of Pandaria" for use in gaming software and entertainment services. Much like Blizzard's trademark for Cataclysm, the application was made ...
Rooney, Kaka named FIFA 12 global cover stars
By GameSpot, published 08-01-2011
Manchester United striker and Brazilian midfielder lead soccer sim packaging athletes; region-specific athletes named. Last week, Electronic Arts reported revenues of $999 million for its latest quarter, helped in part by the continuing success of FIFA 11, which has sold a massive 15 million units through June. Now, the publisher is talking about FIFA 12, having announced global and region-specific cover athletes for the game. Rooney doing what he does best. For the first time ever, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will front the cover of the North American iteration of FIFA 12. Joining him on the cover will be two additional players that will be named in mid-August. The other global cover athlete for FIFA 12 is Brazilian attacking midfielder Ka...
Updated: Windows 8: everything you need to know
By TechRadar, published 08-01-2011
The Windows 8 picture is becoming clearer. Following on from the slides allegedly leaked in June 2010 by a software engineer at HP, Microsoft has now outed more details about the interface design. Microsoft says Windows 8 is a reimagining of Windows, "from the chip to the interface". It says that "a Windows 8-based PC is really a new kind of device, one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse." Opinion: Windows 8 could make you rethink buying iPad 3Indeed, the new OS appears to have two completely separate interfaces - one, a traditional (and, on the surface of it, unchanged) Windows desktop and the other a new touch-based interface that borrows heavily from Windows Phone.Actually, as you'll see, it basically is Windows Phone...
Diablo III Beta Hands-On
By GameInformer, published 08-01-2011
Playing through the first half of Act I in Blizzard's upcoming action/RPG changed me. I have seen the future, my friends, and it is glorious.Diablo III may seem like more of the same on a superficial level. The game is still about blasting your way through randomized areas, hoovering up randomized loot, and getting killed by randomized minibosses. It’s still a click-fest of epic proportions, with players mowing down hordes of monsters with a constant barrage of devastating attacks. Once you sit down to play, though, every minute brings a new delight as Blizzard has smoothed away rough spots in traditional Diablo design and inserted creative new wrinkles.Story plays a larger role and is delivered organically this time. You can still ignore it, skipping through dialogue and sprint...
Resistance 3 beta opens August 4
By GameSpot, published 28-07-2011
SOCOM 4 purchasers get hands on Insomniac's latest starting next week; PlayStation Plus subscribers can join in August 23. Multiplayer-loving gamers who picked up SOCOM 4 in April were dealt a cruel setback when a massive security breach caused Sony to take the PlayStation Network down during the game's launch week and leave it down for a month. Things are now looking up for those gamers, as they will be among the first to try the next big PS3-excluisve shooter when the Resistance 3 multiplayer beta goes live next week. SOCOM 4 players will be first in line for the beta. Insomniac Games today announced that the multiplayer beta will go live August 4 and be open to all those who purchased new specially marked copies of SOCOM 4. The pool of beta players ...
Legacy Offers Plenty Of New Story For Dragon Age II Faithful
By GameInformer, published 28-07-2011
While it doesn't address issues fans might have with the gameplay, Legacy is a solid new chapter in the story of Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall. Dragon Age II met with a mixed reaction from BioWare enthusiasts. Dramatic changes to the combat system, the repeated use of environment templates, and an unfocused narrative were just some of the criticisms leveled at the game when it released earlier this year. Other fans rejoiced at the opportunity to return to the vibrant fantasy world of Thedas alongside a new hero. The first major story DLC for Dragon Age II doesn't aim to alter any of those perceptions, and your enjoyment of the new Legacy pack is dependent on your opinion of the source game. Presuming you found something to love about BioWare's latest fantasy excursion, this ...
Dead Island Creeps Onto The Page
By GameInformer, published 27-07-2011
Dead Island has attracted a big chunk of attention, in large part thanks to a particularly effective trailer. Players who are invested in the story of a zombie outbreak on an otherwise gorgeous tropical resort could soon have another outlet for their enthusiasm. Deep Silver and publisher Bantam have revealed that an official novelization is in the works, and it should be hitting U.K. booksellers around the game's launch. The book is being written by Mark Morris, an award-winning author who has penned four Doctor Who books and several other works of fiction. "Having marveled, like the rest of the world, at the stunning trailer earlier this year, I absolutely leaped at the opportunity to write the official Dead Island tie-in novel," said Morris. "This is a rich, exotic wo...
Portal 2 leads EA to $999 million quarter
By GameSpot, published 26-07-2011
Valve's puzzler ships 2 million to retailers as Crysis 2, FIFA 11 show staying power; digital revenue makes up more than 20 percent of publisher's income. Portal 2 opened up to rave reviews, and it turns out the game's sales weren't too shabby, either. Electronic Arts today announced its financial results for the three months ended June 30, beating its first fiscal quarter guidance with a boost from Valve's first-person puzzler. Portal 2's multiplayer mode stars bicker about the importance of shipped vs. sold. EA said it had shipped 2 million copies of Portal 2 to retailers during the quarter to lead a new release slate that also featured Alice: Madness Returns, Darkspore, and Shadows of the Damned. Combined with Valve's Gabe Newell telling the Games f...
Starhawk goes wild wild Warhawk
By GameSpot, published 24-07-2011
Comic-Con 2011: Lightbox discusses adding sci-fi Western single-player story to multiplayer-centric franchise for upcoming PS3 exclusive. Who was there: Lightbox Interactive creative director Lars DeVore was joined by writer Keen Wooten, as well as Sony Santa Monica studio director John Hight and senior producer Harvard Bonin. IGN's Greg Miller moderated the panel. Emmett Graves is the star of Starhawk. What they talked about: Rather than a sequel to 2007's online, multiplayer-only Warhawk, Lightbox is returning to the PlayStation 3 in a new direction with the markedly expanded Starhawk. Announced in May, Starhawk combines sci-fi and Western elements to tell a single-player story that augments the franchise's well-known online element. Taking to the ...
Marvel Pinball heading to Vita, Wii U, 3DS, more
By GameSpot, published 24-07-2011
Comic-Con 2011: New platforms flip for Zen's pinball game by end of 2012, Vengeance and Virtue table collection due this year; preorder bonuses for X-Men: Destiny, Spider-Man Edge of Time detailed. Who was there: TQ Jefferson of the Marvel Interactive team was joined by Silicon Knight's Denis Dyack, Activision's Doug Heder, Beenox's Dee Brown, THQ's Jonathan McMullen, Capcom's Seth Killian, and Gazillion Entertainment's David Brevik. Ghost Rider is revving onto Marvel Pinball this year. What they talked about: Game-related announcements have been sparse at Comic-Con 2011, but Marvel had one of the biggest with its reveal of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. At the Marvel Interactive games panel today, the comics publisher had a couple of other minor reve...
Marvel Pinball heading to Vita, Wii U, 3DS, more
By GameSpot, published 24-07-2011
Comic-Con 2011: New platforms flip for Zen's pinball game by end of 2012, Vengeance and Virtue table collection due this year; preorder bonuses for X-Men: Destiny, Spider-Man: Edge of Time detailed. Who was there: TQ Jefferson of the Marvel Interactive team was joined by Silicon Knight's Denis Dyack, Activision's Doug Heder, Beenox's Dee Brown, THQ's Jonathan McMullen, Capcom's Seth Killian, and Gazillion Entertainment's David Brevik. Ghost Rider is revving onto Marvel Pinball this year. What they talked about: Game-related announcements have been sparse at Comic-Con 2011, but Marvel had one of the biggest with its reveal of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. At the Marvel Interactive games panel today, the comics publisher had a couple of other minor rev...
From Halo to hardback
By GameSpot, published 22-07-2011
Comic-Con 2011: Authors from Gears of War, BioShock, and other popular franchises gather to share their experience when it comes to working for an interactive medium. Who was there: Greg Bear (Halo), Karen Traviss (Gears of War), David Gaider (Dragon Age), John Shirley (BioShock: Rapture), Tony Gonzalez (Eve Online), Frank O'Connor (creative director of 343 Industries), and Kevin Grace (managing editor of 343, Halo: Evolution). Writers, writers, and more writers. What they talked about: There's no doubt that storytelling has evolved quite a bit in video games over the years, but the interactive medium can still prove to be a challenge when there are technological restraints. The panel consisted of authors who are established science fiction writers, ...
From Halo to hardback
By GameSpot, published 22-07-2011
Comic-Con 2011: Authors from Gears of War, BioShock, and other popular franchises gather to share their experience when it comes to working for an interactive medium. Who was there: Greg Bear (Halo), Karen Traviss (Gears of War), David Gaider (Dragon Age), John Shirley (BioShock: Rapture), Tony Gonzalez (Eve Online), Frank O'Connor (creative director of 343 Industries), and Kevin Grace (managing editor of 343, Halo: Evolution). Writers, writers, and more writers. What they talked about: There's no doubt that storytelling has evolved quite a bit in video games over the years, but the interactive medium can still prove to be a challenge when there are technological restraints. The panel consisted of authors who are established science fiction writers, ...
Paragon Studios talks City of Heroes: Freedom
By GameSpot, published 22-07-2011
Comic-Con 2011: Studio offers an in-depth inside look at the upcoming free-to-play update and the content-heavy Issue 21 overhaul. Who was there: Paragon Studios employees Melissa Bianco (lead game designer), Matt Miller (lead systems designer), David Nakayama (art lead), Nate Birkholz (development producer), and Andy Belford (community manager). [ Watch Video ] Comment on this videoWatch this video in High Def What they talked about: Last month, NCsoft and Paragon Studios announced that their superhero massively multiplayer online role-playing game City of Heroes was going free-to-play under the new name City of Heroes: Freedom. Thus, it's no surprise where the panel started off, with the developers talking about the move and the major content update, Issue 21, ...
Paragon Studios talks City of Heroes: Freedom
By GameSpot, published 22-07-2011
Comic-Con 2011: Studio offers an in-depth inside look at the upcoming free-to-play update and the content-heavy Issue 21 overhaul. Who was there: Paragon Studios employees Melissa Bianco (lead game designer), Matt Miller (lead systems designer), David Nakayama (art lead), Nate Birkholz (development producer), and Andy Belford (community manager). [ Watch Video ] Comment on this videoWatch this video in High Def What they talked about: Last month, NCsoft and Paragon Studios announced that their superhero massively multiplayer online role-playing game City of Heroes was going free-to-play under the new name City of Heroes: Freedom. Thus, it's no surprise where the panel started off, with the developers talking about the move and the major content update, Issue 21, ...
Disney Interactive appoints new Marvel gaming exec
By GameSpot, published 22-07-2011
Diablo, Hellgate developer Bill Roper named chief creative officer overseeing strategy and direction for company's comics-based games. Last year, Bill Roper left his position as chief creative officer at Cryptic Studios, creator of unlicensed superhero online games like City of Heroes and Champions Online. Now Roper's going to be dealing with the real deal, as Disney Interactive Studios today announced his appointment as chief creative officer for the publisher's Marvel Comics-based games. Bill Roper. Roper's new job calls on him to "be responsible for establishing the long-term strategy and the future creative direction and vision" for Marvel games that Disney Interactive publishes. Beyond that, he will need to spot prospective partners in the development...
Star Wars: The Old Republic gets a trilogy of releases
By GameSpot, published 21-07-2011
Online game to arrive in Collector's Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, and Standard Edition packages with preorders receiving early access, in-game items; all downloadable versions exclusive to EA's Origin store. As Star Wars: The Old Republic nears its long-awaited release, the massively multiplayer online game is starting to hit some familiar prelaunch milestones. Today, that milestone is the rolling out of a preorder campaign and announcement of premium release bundles. The Collector's Edition features a Darth Malgus statue. The Old Republic will be available in standard and premium editions for both retail and downloadable stores. While the boxed copies of the game can be purchased from numerous retailers, both digital versions of The Old Republic w...
PSN outage helped LittleBigPlanet, says Media Molecule
By GameSpot, published 20-07-2011
Develop 2011: Creative director Mark Healey says network outage didn't hurt online community; user numbers "rocketed" thanks to LBP giveaway; studio will stay "protective" of franchise. The PlayStation Network outage hasn't harmed LittleBigPlanet's online community, according to Media Molecule creative director Mark Healey. After the outage, in which Sony took its online service down for several days in April and May, the number of players online in the community-focused LBP games surged due to PSN users downloading the first LittleBigPlanet game for free as part of Sony's welcome back package. The PSN outage didn't harm the LBP community, according to the game's creators. At UK-based games industry conference Develop, Healey told GameSpot about Medi...
Sega’s Super Soldier Struggles With Nazis And Mediocrity
By GameInformer, published 19-07-2011
Unlike most superheroes, Captain America was created in a lab. Scrawny patriot Steve Rogers was selected to take part in a secret government project called Operation: Rebirth, a scientific study that attempted to alter the genetics of everyday men and turn them into super soldiers. After Steve Rogers’ transformation, a Nazi spy sabotaged the operation, making Rogers the sole beneficiary of the program. But what if this spy had acted sooner? What if he had sabotaged the government’s experiment in the middle of the process? Perhaps the allies would have ended up with a soldier that functioned a bit like Sega’s movie tie-in: a brawler capable of getting the job done but far from super. After infiltrating Baron Zemo’s Bavarian castle, Captain America sets off...
MapleStory Adventures sets forth in July
By GameSpot, published 14-07-2011
Popular side-scrolling MMO game playable on Facebook; closed beta session reached maximum capacity. To say that Nexon's MapleStory massively multiplayer online game is a widely played game is an understatement: the title has more than 100 million players worldwide, with the highest number of concurrent users in Korea being 417,380. Nexon is now eyeballing another target: Facebook users. The MapleStory franchise will be taking a right turn into the realms of social gaming with MapleStory Adventures, which will be out on July 27. Expect a lot of MapleStory game requests on your Facebook page this July 27, whether you like it or not. Essentially, the game is a browser-tailored version of the 2D-perspective action MMORPG. New features in this version include ...
Battlefield 3 could have $50 million marketing budget - Analyst
By GameSpot, published 13-07-2011
Wedbush industry watcher estimates EA's push for Call of Duty competitor, projects 2 million sales for Star Wars: The Old Republic. In April, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello said Battlefield 3 was designed to take Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 down, adding gamers could expect "a couple hundred million dollars" would be spent marketing the two competing titles. The lion's share of that money may be spent on behalf of Activision's blockbuster first-person shooter series, if a new investor note from Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter is accurate. Expect a Battlefield 3 ad blitz closer to the game's launch. In today's note, Pachter estimated that EA will spend between $45 million and $50 million to push Battlefield 3 this year. In addition to the market...
DC Universe Online lighting Green Lantern DLC
By GameSpot, published 07-12-2011
Sony Online bringing first add-on to superhero-themed MMORPG this summer for $10. DC Universe Online is back up and running after hackers proved to be its personal kryptonite. And with its service restoration complete, Sony Online Entertainment can commence rolling out new content for the superhero-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Power rings for all! Today, SOE said that DCUO's first batch of paid downloadable content will be available for both the PC and PlayStation 3 versions of the game this summer. The Green Lantern has been chosen as the subject of this first wave of DLC. Titled Fight for the Light, the add-on pack lets players create heroes that make use of Green Lantern-like light-based powers. It also includes three ne...
Updated: Windows 8: everything you need to know
By TechRadar, published 07-11-2011
The Windows 8 picture is becoming clearer. Following on from the slides allegedly leaked in June 2010 by a software engineer at HP, Microsoft has now outed more details about the interface design. Microsoft says Windows 8 is a reimagining of Windows, "from the chip to the interface". It says that "a Windows 8-based PC is really a new kind of device, one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse." Opinion: Windows 8 could make you rethink buying iPad 3Indeed, the new OS appears to have two completely separate interfaces - one, a traditional (and, on the surface of it, unchanged) Windows desktop and the other a new touch-based interface that borrows heavily from Windows Phone.Actually, as you'll see, it basically is Windows Phone...
Katamari Damacy creator working on Glitch
By GameSpot, published 07-08-2011
Keita Takahashi joins Tiny Speck to work on browser-based, free-to-play massively multiplayer online game. Last year, Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi left Namco Bandai after more than a decade. He gave no indication where he would be headed after parting ways with his previous publisher, but the developer's next home was revealed today in a post on the blog of his new employer. Not done with games just yet. In a blog post for the free-to-play massively multiplayer online game Glitch, Tiny Speck cofounder Stewart Butterfield revealed that Takahashi had recently moved from Tokyo to work on the title. Butterfield said he met Takahashi through That Game Company's Robin Hunicke several months ago and said the meeting was instantly like talking with...
PlanetSide 2 revealed
By GameSpot, published 07-08-2011
Sony Online Entertainment officially takes the wraps off of PlanetSide 2, its massively multiplayer online first-person shooter sequel. Sony Online Entertainment has revealed PlanetSide 2, the sequel to 2003's massively multiplayer online shooter PlanetSide, at its Fan Faire event in Las Vegas. Creative director Matt Higby shared a few new details on the sequel with GameSpot, suggesting that the sequel will be "unrivaled in terms of scope and scale." The new game will be built with the Forgelight Engine, an entirely new technology suite created by Sony Online, though it will also apparently use Nvidia's PhysX software for such things as more-realistic flight modeling, cover from incoming fire, and certain special effects. PlanetSide 2 is a reimagining...
PlanetSide 2 Announced
By GameInformer, published 07-08-2011
After dropping a few hints, Sony Online Entertainment has finally revealed the follow-up to the unique MMO/Shooter PlanetSide. Like the first game, players will choose factions and fight for control of a persistent, war-torn world. The game is a massively multiplayer first-person shooter, and as players progress, they earn new skills and unlock combat roles (some of which are returning from the previous title). For all of the info, check out the FAQ section of the PlanetSide 2 site. If you're more of a visual person, you can just watch the trailer below. (Please visit the site to view this media)
DLC To Help You Through The Summer Drought
By GameInformer, published 07-07-2011
It's been a whirlwind year so far, from heavy-hitters like Dead Space 2 and Bulletstorm near the beginning of the year, to hits like Portal 2, L.A. Noire, and Mortal Kombat more recently. However, the next couple of months are going to be a little dry by comparison. Things kick into high gear again with Arkham City in October, and it's an avalanche of Uncharted 3, Skyrim, Battlefield 3, Saints Row: The Third, Modern Warfare 3, and plenty more after that. Odds are you won't have much time to devote to your backlog come holiday season, which is why you should take these rare uneventful months to catch up on recent DLC. Here's a look at what's been made available in the last few months. Call of Duty: Black Ops - Annihilation Map Pack We recently took a look at Black Ops&...
Ubisoft Rebuilds Long-Running Strategy Franchise
By GameInformer, published 07-04-2011
Might & Magic Heroes VI is a slight rebranding of the decades-old Heroes of Might & Magic franchise, and the change in image is accompanied by a re-examination of the building blocks of the series. Heroes VI is still about powerful heroes leading massive armies of fantastical creatures into turn-based battle, but digging into the closed beta has proven that many of the details beyond that broad description have been re-examined and rewritten for this entry. Heroes VI, like its predecessors, is a turn-based strategy game that takes place on a simple 2D map dotted with neutral armies, piles of resources, wealth-granting mines, and towns and forts to fight over. Your heroes move from site to site gathering riches, gaining experience, recruiting new troops, and invading your enemies. ...
Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi strikes Oct. 25
By GameSpot, published 07-01-2011
Namco Bandai bringing latest DBZ fighter to 360, PS3 this fall; Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations mobilizing in 2012. Namco Bandai has been uncharacteristically noncommittal about the title of its next Dragon Ball game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, heretofore referring to the game as simply "Dragon Ball Game Project AGE 2011." However, that opaque stance cleared up today, as the publisher officially attached the moniker of Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi to the game and dated it for October 25. Vegeta takes his 16-hit combos very seriously. Like the Dragon Ball Z: Raging Blast games, Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi will be developed by Spike Co. Ltd. The new game will cover the Dragon Ball Z series and boast "a massive char...
World of Warcraft now free until level 20
By GameSpot, published 29-06-2011
Blizzard doing away with 14-day free window in favor of unlimited, but level-capped, sampler; Rage of the Firelands patch now live with new raid, quests, UI updates. Blizzard Entertainment's massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft has not adopted a free-to-play model like high-profile games Lord of the Rings Online, EverQuest II, Team Fortress 2, and others. However, Blizzard has extended WoW's try-before-you-buy experience today, making the game free to play until level 20. World of Warcraft's new Starter Edition makes the game free to play until level 20. Blizzard has announced that it has done away with its 14-day trial period offer in favor of a new beginner system called the World of Warcraft Starter Edition. Now, gamers...
Google+ project goes after Facebook
By TechRadar, published 28-06-2011
Google has announced it is taking another leap into the social space, with Google+. This new project is a social network of sorts, which allows you to hook up with other people from around the web and share information with them.Google has already tried once to get in the lucrative social game. Buzz ultimately failed in bringing social networking to IM, but Google+ is quite a bit different.In a blog post, Google has tried its hardest to explain just what the Google+ Project is and believes it takes the awkwardness out of online sharing."Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness of our online tools," said the blog post."In this basic, human way, online sharing is awkward. Even broken....
Report: Microsoft seeking free-to-play Xbox Live games
By TechRadar, published 27-06-2011
Microsoft is reportedly set to try out a free-to-play service for its Xbox Live service which will be funded through the use of micro-transactions. Develop is quoting Microsoft sources who suggest that discussions have been opened with developers who are willing to open their games out to the masses and take a chance on micro-transactions in the hope that small payments from a much larger potential audience will increase profits. It's a model that has proven to be a massive success in the apps world, where games developers have cashed in on creating a fan base and then giving the opportunity to invest in a game later on. TF2And the PC and Mac gaming world has just been told that one of the most popular online shooters, Valve's Team Fortress 2, has gone free to play, with micro transactions...
Review: eMachines G627-202G25Mi
By TechRadar, published 27-06-2011
Californian company eMachines was taken over last decade by Acer, but the brand is still used for entry-level laptops. The eMachines G627-202G25Mi has some strong points, such as an excellent screen, but performance and portability lag far behind the competition.With a massive 17.3-inch screen and a hulking chassis that's 44mm thick, this is a big laptop, thicker than the 17.3-inch Toshiba Satellite C670D. At 2.8kg, it's also heavy, and best left on a desk at home.That said, the eMachines G627-202G25Mi is a decent-looking laptop and solidly built, except for a little flex around the palmrests. The keyboard is a good size, despite not stretching the width of the chassis, and the firm typing action makes it comfortable to work on all day. We expected a larger touchpad, but at least it's resp...
Star Wars: Galaxies signing off Dec. 15
By GameSpot, published 25-06-2011
LucasArts, Sony Online Entertainment pulling plug on long-running Star Wars-themed MMORPG by the end of the year; trading card games also being taken offline. When LucasArts formally announced Star Wars: The Old Republic in October 2008, it said its already-extant massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Star Wars: Galaxies, would continue. However, with the former game confirmed for launch later this year, the elder MMORPG's number is finally up. As of December 15, Wookiee speeder-bike accidents are expected to drop off rapidly. According to a statement on the official website for Star Wars: Galaxies, the game's last day of operation will be December 15, 2011. The shutdown will include both the main game and its ancillary card-trading titl...
Sony laid off security staff prior to PSN data breach, claims lawsuit
By GameSpot, published 24-06-2011
Proposed class action suit alleges that electronics giant gave pink slips to employees in network security division two weeks before hacker attack; knew customer data was at risk. The PlayStation Network may be up and running again after April's massive security breach and the subsequent month-long outage, but the incident is leaving some longer-term reminders for Sony. For instance, the company is now dealing with a handful of lawsuits over the breach, including one filed this week alleging that Sony laid off network security staff just weeks before the breach and ignored previous smaller-scale hackings that demonstrated security holes. The PSN is back up, but the story's not over yet. The complaint accuses Sony of negligence, breach of contract, bre...
The Eyefinity Field Manual: Your Guide to Multi-Monitor Bliss
By MaximumPC, published 23-06-2011
When ATI Launched its 5000 series graphics cards back in September 2009, it was more than just a performance marvel, it ushered in a new technology that promised PC gamers an experience unlike no other: true, no compromise, multi-monitor gaming. Sure, some ambitious PC-centric titles such as Supreme Commander had dabbled with multiple display support in the past, but these limited attempts offered little more than a convenient way to separate the mini map from the action. Eyefinity, by comparison, promised to bring multi-display gaming to hundreds of titles that were never optimized to support it. This would turn out to be both its biggest strength, and its greatest obstacle. It was an ambitious and somewhat buggy undertaking when it was revealed back in 2009, but has over a year and a ha...
The Singularity: Five Technologies That Will Change the World (and One That Won't)
By MaximumPC, published 22-06-2011
A few years ago, my buddy, Robert Sawyer postulated that because we now use computers as a critical tool for research, Moore’s Law applies to scientific accomplishment as well. He started with a simple postulate—assume that in the first decade of the 21st century we have already accomplished as much scientific advancement as we accomplished in the entire 20th century—amazing discoveries in astronomy, paleontology, materials, medicine, robotics, etc. Now, let’s try a thought experiment. If we apply Moore’s law and assume that the rate of scientific advancement doubles at the same rate as the computer power that we apply to research, then we can project that we will likely accomplish a whole 20th century’s worth of scientific advancement in 5 years—by 2015. As the rate continue...
City of Heroes going free-to-play route
By GameSpot, published 21-06-2011
NCSoft's superhero MMORPG relaunching as City of Heroes Freedom later this year. In the past year alone, Lord of the Rings Online, EverQuest II, and Fallen Earth have announced plans to drop their subscription fee in favor of a free-to-play model. Even Half-Life creator Valve now stocks free-to-play games in its Steam storefront and is preparing a free-to-play game of its own. Today, another longstanding massively multiplayer online role-playing game announced it will also adopt the new business model. City of Heroes goes free to play later this year. City of Heroes--which launched some seven years ago--will be rereleased later this year under a new name and free-to-play business model. The game will go by the title of City of Heroes Freedom, and it w...
Grand Theft Auto V development 'well underway'
By GameSpot, published 20-06-2011
Sources close to Rockstar Games say latest installment in blockbuster franchise is already getting final touches; 2012 release "pretty likely." Saying that Rockstar Games is working on a new Grand Theft Auto game isn't exactly a bold prediction. However, sources close to the Take-Two Interactive subsidiary have confirmed to GameSpot that the next installment in the blockbuster series is "well under way" and is already having final touches such as minigames being applied to it. The sources said a 2012 release was "pretty likely," adding that the game's scale was vast. "It's the big one," they said. Development of the next GTA is "well under way." Unfortunately, the sources would not divulge any further details on the project, which is already the su...
Chrome Web App of the Week: Dead Frontier
By MaximumPC, published 20-06-2011
With brands like Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies available in multiple formats on just about every piece of hardware imaginable, it’s never been easier for casual gamers to get their goof on anywhere they go. Sadly, those who prefer a bit of blood with their gaming have far fewer outlets available to them, especially when not in front of their home rig, console or handheld. What’s an office drone feeling a bit of bloodlust while trapped in his cubicle on a Monday afternoon to do? Might we recommend embarking on a zombie killing rampage with Dead Frontier? As you may have guessed, it’s our Chrome Web App of the Week. Dead Frontier is a free-to-play massive multiplayer third-person isometric survivalist shooter designed to run in your Chrome browser. After a brief sign up and tutori...
Review: HTC Salsa
By TechRadar, published 20-06-2011
There's a slight lack of high-quality action in the mid-sized Android phone section. The big manufacturers are focusing their attentions on creating monstrous, high-end "super-phones" with entire LCD monitors stuffed in their cases, while the smaller phone makers concentrate on offering budget handsets with smaller screens and lower specs.Thankfully the HTC Salsa has appeared to fill that touchscreen gap, and comes as a throwback to 2010's lovely little 3.2-inch HTC Legend, trying to be the perfect compromise between performance, price and screen size - with added Facebook integration and a larger 3,4-inch HVGA screen.With pricing expected to be around the £20 - £25 month on monthly contracts, could this be an affordable mass-market winner for HTC? Physically, you get a tough, matte, met...
Opinion: Why we should be excited about Kinect SDK
By TechRadar, published 20-06-2011
I'm currently cleaning sticky fingerprints off my plasma screen television, and it's all Kinect's fault. You see, I recently looked after my two-year-old niece and three-year-old nephew and decided that it would be the perfect time to break the plastic seal on a dusty old copy of Kinectimals that had been sat waiting for some attention. I'll level with you, it's not a great game, and it's rendered even worse by the fact that the Kinect sensor *really* doesn't like two kids with very little spacial awareness running willy-nilly in front of it waving and trying to stroke Boo the snow leopard pup. And yet, despite them quickly growing bored of the games – pitched at children a few years older – both of them loved being able to (somewhat haphazardly) manipulate what was happening on screen...
GamersFirst gets MMO Fallen Earth
By GameSpot, published 17-06-2011
Free-to-play label behind APB: Reloaded scoops up post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online game and plans to launch it by Q4 with new business model. Last November, free-to-play label GamersFirst picked up All Points Bulletin after its developer Realtime Worlds collapsed. The label then rebranded it APB: Reloaded, and made it free-to-play. Fallen Earth is rising as a free-to-play game by the end of the year. Now, the outfit has acquired Fallen Earth LLC, and its post-apocalyptic action-oriented massively multiplayer online game Fallen Earth. All 12 Fallen Earth employees will join GamersFirst's Reload Productions and continue to work on the game's forthcoming Alpha County expansion. Over the next five months, Fallen Earth will transition into a...
GamersFirst gets MMOG Fallen Earth
By GameSpot, published 17-06-2011
Free-to-play label behind APB: Reloaded scoops up postapocalyptic massively multiplayer online game and plans to launch it by Q4 with new business model. Last November, free-to-play label GamersFirst picked up All Points Bulletin after its developer Realtime Worlds collapsed. The label then rebranded it APB: Reloaded and made it free to play. Fallen Earth is rising as a free-to-play game by the end of the year. Now, the outfit has acquired the postapocalyptic action-oriented massively multiplayer online game Fallen Earth. All 12 Fallen Earth employees will join GamersFirst's Reloaded Productions and continue to work on the game's forthcoming Alpha County expansion. Over the next five months, Fallen Earth will transition into a free-to-play game, joi...
First Trailer And Images For Transformers Universe
By GameInformer, published 14-06-2011
The new MMO is coming in 2012, and we've got your first glimpse of what to expect. There's been fan speculation for years about the possibility of a Transformers MMO, but a massively multiplayer game in the popular Hasbro franchise is on the way. There's not a lot of info yet about the game, but a few tidbits are confirmed. The game is being made with cooperation from Hasbro by Jagex Games Studios, the same team that put out the hugely popular RuneScape. Transformers Universe will be an action focused MMO game in which players create their own Autobot or Decepticon and put them into battle. For enthusiasts who are familiar with the complicated web of continuities and timelines that make up the Transformers world, this new game will be set with the "Prime" timeline. T...
E3 2011: Activision Publishing CEO sounds off on Wii U, Vita, and Call of Duty: Elite
By GameSpot, published 06-10-2011
Q&A: Eric Hirshberg discusses the new console and portable, explains why Call of Duty won't fade like Guitar Hero; Sledgehammer Games' COD "action adventure" on hold. LOS ANGELES--At this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendoall held major press events. So did two major third-party publishers: Ubisoftand Electronic Arts. However, the biggest third-party publisher, Activision, didn't stage a media event. It was the third year running the company didn't hold a traditional press briefing, although it did tease some games during a star-studded concert at E3 2010. The company did have a massive booth in the Los Angeles Convention Center's South Hall which loudly promoted Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty: Elite, Modern Warfare 3's controv...
Ryu Returns In Blood-Soaked Ninja Gaiden 3
By GameInformer, published 06-09-2011
It’s been a few years since Ryu Hayabasa sliced up his opponents in an all-new adventure, and my time with Ninja Gaiden 3 proved that it’ll be the most violent entry yet. While it remained mostly in line with the fast-paced slicing and dicing of the last two games, an assortment of minor changes and additions should be intriguing to fans of the series.One of the game’s central themes is the burden and consequences of killing. Ryu’s past is covered through flashbacks, and the guilt over his murders has manifested in the form of a cursed, veiny arm. This arm starts glowing red as you kill more enemies, and it can unleash a massive Ultimate Attack that will kill several enemies in the surrounding area.To maximize the gore, some attacks will cause the camera to zoom in...
Crawling Through Sony’s Versatile Action RPG
By GameInformer, published 06-08-2011
Sony showed off one of their standout Vita titles during their E3 2011 press conference. Ruin, an action RPG, borrows heavily from the Diablo formula while leaving room for intriguing social media integration and clever use of the Vita’s tech. Players will be able to start a game on their Vita away from home, then effortlessly transfer progress onto their PS3 to continue play on the big screen. We recently got our hands on the game and came away even more interested. Crawling through the dark dungeons of Ruin is a familiar journey; skeletons and other grunts lurch from and foolishly rush the overpowered qarrior. Developer Idolminds says each player begins with a character endowed with supernatural strength. Gameplay wise, this means players don’t start out with a cloth tunic a...
E3 2011: Nintendo Wii U: Everything You Need to Know
By GameSpot, published 06-08-2011
Get all of the latest details on the Wii U, Nintendo's brand new gaming console and controller. At its E3 2011 press conference, Nintendo confirmed some details about the successor to the Wii and even gave its new platform an official name: Wii U. While the name might not suggest much of a difference from Nintendo previous system, the Wii U has some significant upgrades and changes, the most important of which is undoubtedly its new controller. While the Wii U supports all of the Wii's controllers, the controller designed for this new platform is not unlike a tablet. It has a large touch-sensitive 6.2-inch screen in the middle surrounded by a plastic enclosure that features traditional console-style control characteristics, including a D pad, two sets of shoulder buttons, four fac...
Multiplatform Shooter MMO Announced
By GameInformer, published 06-08-2011
Trion Worlds made waves with its debut product, Rift. Following up on that MMORPG's success, the company is creating another massively multiplayer game at its internal San Diego studio -- but Defiance is anything but a traditional MMO. This multiplatform shooter that ties into an upcoming SyFy television show breaks nearly every mold you try to fit it into.Trion introduced the game with a live multiplatform demo that had two players here at E3 in Los Angeles, one each on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, playing with several PC players back home in San Diego. The sci-fi shooting is roughly identical on all three, with the only differences being graphical quality (the PC version has the highest capabilities, and the PS3 build at E3 looked noticeably superior to the 360 game), input method, an...
E3 2011: Final Fantasy series tops 100 million
By GameSpot, published 06-07-2011
Square Enix confirms centennial shipment figure for two-decade-old role-playing game franchise. LOS ANGELES--When Square Enix closed on Eidos in April 2009, the publisher offered a glimpse at the strength of its portfolio, saying that its blockbuster Final Fantasy franchise had sold some 85 million units since 1987. Now, just over two years on, and the Final Fantasy series has completed that first big centennial milestone. Final Fantasy XIII-2 continues the series in Japan later this year. As part of the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo today, Square Enix said that the Final Fantasy series has now shipped more than 100 million units worldwide. The Final Fantasy series joins a small-but-growing group of titles that have exceeded the 100 million mark...
E3 2011: Microsoft at E3 2011: Halo 4 out 2012
By TechRadar, published 06-06-2011
Microsoft has kicked off E3 2011 in style in Los Angeles today, with a slew of new announcements and demonstrations of exclusive games and services for Xbox 360 and Kinect. And, as was expected and hoped, a final reveal that Halo 4 is on the way soon.Following a momentous opening marked by a demo of Activision's forthcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and a demonstration of the forthcoming new TV and voice search features on the way to Xbox 360 later in 2011, Microsoft gave the hardcore crowd exactly what they were hoping for. Loads of decent new games The Xbox 360 maker is the first of the three major console manufacturers to lay its cards on the table at this year's massive gaming industry trade event, opening E3 2011 in some style, and with an almost confident swagger.A solid range ...
Updated: iOS 5: all the latest details
By TechRadar, published 06-06-2011
We're expecting big things from Apple this year: the iPhone 5 will be with us at some point in 2011, some rumours suggest we'll see the iPad 3 as early as this autumn. But in the meantime there's a new version of iOS, iOS 5 here and it's been revealed during tonight's WWDC 2011 keynote.iOS in numbers: 200 million iOS devices soldWe're updating this article constantly with new iOS 5 features so keep checking back - and in the meantime, check out our video of the 10 best iPhone apps:iOS 5 release dateThe iOS release date is Autumn 2011 - probably to coincide with the new iPhone.iOS 5 compatibilityiOS 5 will work with iPhone 4 and 3GS (the latter is a surprise), iPad and iPad 2 and the iPod touch 3rd and 4th gen. We're also a little surprised to see it's going to be rolled out to the original...
E3 2011: Call of Duty: Elite beta begins July 14
By GameSpot, published 06-06-2011
Activision opening invite-only testing window for military shooter's new online platform next month; GameStop's Modern Warfare 3 preorders tracking ahead of Black Ops. LOS ANGELES--Activision plans to roll out Call of Duty's new online platform, Elite, alongside Modern Warfare 3 this November. But before Elite deploys, Activision has plans to put the service through boot camp. Elite will be reporting to boot camp on July 14. As part of the Electronic Entertainment Expo today, Activision said that it will hold an invitation-only beta test for Call of Duty: Elite. The beta period is expected to begin on July 14, and gamers will be able to access it through their copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops. Those interested in participating in the beta program ca...
Lights, Camera, Action Button
By GameInformer, published 06-04-2011
No, this article isn’t about how L.A. Noire’s expressive facial animations and multilayered story have blurred the line between film and game. Rockstar’s 1940s saga makes an appearance in this article, but it’s only to stress that video games are becoming more and more similar to the archetypes and release rhythms we’ve come to know from the film and television industries. Both the local theater and your living room host summer blockbusters, gripping trilogies, and episodic cartoon installments; something that’s difficult to imagine considering the first video game was a rudimentary ping pong simulator. We’ve narrowed down the main breeds leading this converging cadence of titles hitting the silver screen and the TV screen. The Summer Blockbuster...
Question Of The Month Reader Responses: Issue #219
By GameInformer, published 06-03-2011
In issue 217 of Game Informer, we asked gamers what their favorite military FPS franchise is. This issue we ran a small sample of the responses we received, but there were plenty of other players who shared their opinions as well. Keep reading to see what franchises your fellow gamers prefer, and to see how many people are confused by what constitutes as a military FPS. Team Battlefield: On the subject of favorite military FPS I would have to go with the Battlefield franchise, for several reasons. Don't get me wrong, I love COD and I've been a fan of fast-paced shooters since Doom - Quake 2 was a favorite of mine for years. But Battlefield brings so much more to the FPS mix. Scalability for one: The size of the maps adds a lot of realism for me and makes for a more open world f...
Sony Online Entertainment Announces Payday: The Heist
By GameInformer, published 06-03-2011
It seems that the folks at Overkill Software are fans of The Dark Knight, because their newly-announced Payday: The Heist greatly resembles The Joker's bank robbery from the film. We're not sure if clown masks are a necessity, but this squad-based team shooter will have you picking classes, robbing banks, and taking hostages. Here are some features, as outlined by Sony: Six High-Intensity Heists: Whether you're blowing the roof off a building to extract a safe via helicopter or emptying the vault at the First World Bank, these action-packed heists will have players on edge and always checking their six. Interactive Co-op Gameplay: Whether AI or live, your crew of four must operate as one to bring get the "big score." Sharing extra ammo and med kits, helping regen wo...
Review: Panasonic HX-WA10
By TechRadar, published 06-03-2011
The snappily titled HX-WA10 is one of Panasonic's first forays into pistol-style camcorders. These were once Sanyo's bread and butter as part of its Xacti line, but the company was bought by Panasonic several years ago, resulting in the HX-WA10 and its brothers, the HX-DC10 and HX-DC1.The WA10 is the top of the range, offering a 16-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor capable of recording 1080p footage, all in a waterproof exterior. The DC10 is identical save for its lack of waterproofing, while the DC1 has a 14MP non-backside-illuminated sensor.Backside-illuminated sensors are hot stuff at the moment thanks to their inclusion in the iPhone 4 and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. The reason the technology is so popular is that it should provide improved recording in low-light situations - especia...
EA launches digital download service, Star Wars: Old Republic confirmed for 2011
By GameSpot, published 06-03-2011
[UPDATE] E3 2011: Megapublisher launches Steam-like store to sell 150-plus games directly and offer social networking; will be sole online seller of Star Wars MMORPG "later this year." [UPDATE] Since this story went live, EA has launched its Origin service via a new online store. As outlined in the original article below, the Origin store will offer a large catalog of EA games for digital download, but it will also allow players to order boxed copies. Origin is a full-on replacement for the EA Store, as it offers retail games on every other major platform besides the PC. Old store.ea.com Web addresses now redirect to Origin.com. EA also confirmed Origin will indeed be the sole online seller of Star Wars: The Old Republic when the game launches "later this year." The service's desk...
Updated: Windows 8: everything you need to know
By TechRadar, published 06-02-2011
The Windows 8 picture is becoming clearer. Following on from the slides allegedly leaked in June 2010 by a software engineer at HP, Microsoft has now outed more details about the interface design. Microsoft says Windows 8 is a reimagining of Windows, "from the chip to the interface". It says that "a Windows 8-based PC is really a new kind of device, one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse." Indeed, the new OS appears to have two completely separate interfaces - one, a traditional (and, on the surface of it, unchanged) Windows desktop and the other a new touch-based interface that borrows heavily from Windows Phone.Actually, as you'll see, it basically is Windows Phone. You can move seamlessly between the interfaces and ev...
Order & Chaos Online earns $1 million within 20 days
By GameSpot, published 06-02-2011
iPhone/iPad massively multiplayer online role-playing game also has first update in June. It's a well-known fact that World of Warcraft is a popular game that's worth a lot of money. Naturally, an iPhone or iPad game that's more or less a clone of that popular MMORPG would probably experience the same kind of success. Gameloft recently announced that its latest game, Order & Chaos Online, has made $1 million within the first 20 days of the app's release. WOW look-alike + iPad = profit. The mobile-game-producing company also mentioned that an update of the game is on the way and will be scheduled for June. These additions include new quests, a dedicated chat channel for each language, and a server migration service. Additional updates are also pl...
Age of Empires Online launches August 16
By GameSpot, published 06-01-2011
Microsoft-published free-to-play PC real-time strategy game debuting this summer; premium content packs also available at launch for a price. The iconic Age of Empires franchise has been dormant on the PC since the well-reviewed Asian Dynasties expansion hit Age of Empires III in 2007. Now, the series' newest entry--Age of Empires Online--is readying a fight on the PC this summer. The dawn of Age of Empires: Online is nigh. According to an announcement on the game's website, Age of Empires Online will premiere on August 16 for the PC, one year following its announcement at GamesCom 2010. It will be available both at retail and via www.AgeofEmpiresOnline.com. The historical real-time strategy game will be available to play for free, but gamers can als...
A Heroic Attempt That Falls Just Short Of Greatness
By GameInformer, published 06-01-2011
In Infamous’ final moments, we learned that Cole MacGrath was destined to save humanity from a powerful being known as “The Beast.” This message was sent from a future version of Cole, who had gone back in time to shape his younger self into an instrument of destruction capable of stopping the threat. This plan didn’t work for John Connor or the robots in the Terminator movies, and to no surprise, it doesn’t work here. When the Beast arrives in the first few seconds of Infamous 2, Cole wastes no time trying to fulfill his destiny.Their battle consists of heart-pounding aerial combat, narrow escapes, and massive environmental damage – all beautifully framed to show a towering sense of scale. The Beast stands over 200 feet tall, and the trail he blazes le...
In Depth: The technology behind FIFA 12
By TechRadar, published 31-05-2011
For a game that lives or dies by its control mechanism, tinkering with something as fundamental as how the contact between players works in EA Sports' FIFA 12 is a risky move. And yet, EA Sports has decided the need to make its football game feel more realistic makes implementing a whole new Player Impact Engine in next season's version worth changing some previously fundamental gameplay. Along with what it is calling 'precision dribbling' 'tactical defending' and 'Pro Player Intelligence', the Player Impact Engine is part of a quarter of key changes to the technology behind FIFA 12. It's a significant overhaul, and it is meant as a compliment when we suggest that, from the time we have spent with the next iteration of the game, that the changes feel significant without breaking the gamepl...
In Depth: Like Flight Control? Then you'll love these games
By TechRadar, published 29-05-2011
Part of the reason Flight Control has been a massive hit is because it offered something entirely suited to touchscreens, rather than try to force control conventions from traditional consoles onto an iOS game. The path-drawing concept that underpins the entire game, with you guiding aircraft to runways and helipads, is intuitive for newcomers, but the game also quickly ramps up the challenge to ensure hardcore gamers aren't left bored. As with any iOS game that spends a number of months troubling the charts and goes on to sell millions, plenty of brazen copycats subsequently appeared. But when it comes to path-drawing games, some of the better efforts inspired by Firemint's classic extend Flight Control's core gameplay in interesting ways or mash up path-drawing with other genres to creat...
Brink's Free DLC Coming In June, Details Revealed
By GameInformer, published 28-05-2011
Reaction to Bethesda's Brink have been all over the map, but it would be hard to find someone that has a problem with DLC. Agents of Change will be free-of-charge, and is arriving in June. The publisher has posted details on their blog, and you can read them here. New Maps Founders’ Tower – The revolution finally reaches the island’s iconic spire and takes the battle for the Ark to dizzying heights. Labs – Venture into the depths of the Ark’s original research and development laboratories, a submerged high-tech facility so far untouched by the civil war. New Player Abilities UAV – This stealthy and lethal device allows Operatives to automatically mark nearby enemies on their radar. For more...
Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm cinematic leaks
By GameSpot, published 28-05-2011
Teaser for Blizzard's second installment in RTS trilogy arrives on video-sharing sites, depicting ghost assault on Kerrigan. Blizzarrd Entertainment has been having a rough time keeping video of the second installment in its Starcraft II series under its hat. Late last year, what purported to be an in-development CG cinematic ostensibly spoiled Heart of the Swarm's ending. Now, a second Heart of the Swarm leak has hit the Internet outside of Blizzard's customary channels, though this one falls squarely in the promotional column. Blizzard's latest leak captures Kerrigan in the midst of an embarrassing moment. The leaked teaser begins with what appears to be a team of ghosts infiltrating a secure compound. The ghosts make short work of a security retin...
Here's How Minecraft Will Work On Xperia Play
By GameInformer, published 27-05-2011
We already know that Minecraft creator Notch is giving Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play mobile device a lot of love with his upcoming mobile edition of Minecraft. If you've been concerned about how such a massive, complicated game will work on a tiny phone, he's now showing off the game in action on the Play in a new video. Check out the video below for a brief but tantalizing look at Minecraft running in a surprisingly functional form on the Xperia Play. We're expecting to try this out for ourselves at E3 so look for more info then. (Please visit the site to view this media) [Thanks to Devious for the tip]
Respawn agent Blackley leaving CAA
By GameSpot, published 27-05-2011
Xbox designer-turned-power player leaving Hollywood agency that represents Insomniac, Will Wright, Ken Levine, and Patrice Desilets to form game production company. One of the bigger behind-the-scenes players in the game industry is moving on. Variety is reporting that Seamus Blackley is stepping down as the head of the games division of Creative Artists Agency. According to the trade, he is leaving the Hollywood talent powerhouse, whose film clients include Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, to form his own game production company. His exit will be gradual, allowing for a transition through the end of the year. Blackley is saying sayonara to CAA. Blackley leaves behind a game division at CAA that has amassed a massive client roster since he joined in ...
Respawn agent Blackley leaving CAA
By GameSpot, published 27-05-2011
Xbox designer-turned-power-player leaving Hollywood agency that represents Insomniac, Will Wright, Ken Levine, and Patrice Desilets to form game production company. One of the bigger behind-the-scenes players in the game industry is moving on. Variety is reporting that Seamus Blackley is stepping down as the head of the games division of Creative Artists Agency. According to the trade, he is leaving the Hollywood talent powerhouse, whose film clients include Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, to form his own game production company. His exit will be gradual, allowing for a transition through the end of the year. Blackley is saying sayonara to CAA. Blackley leaves behind a game division at CAA that has amassed a massive client roster since he joined in ...
iCloud: 10 things we want to see
By TechRadar, published 26-05-2011
Although it's been rumoured for years that Apple will somehow finally fully embrace the cloud, it's only lately that it feels Cupertino's moving in the right direction.Apple's rumoured to have splashed out $4.5 million on the iCloud.com domain, is said to be striking deals with a number of record labels (in stark contrast to the gung-ho approach taken by Google and Amazon for their respective cloud-based music services) and has even posted a job advert for a 'Media Streaming Engineering Manager'.And, after all, Apple has to use the massive data centres it's building in the USA for something.Whether it's Apple iCloud.com or iSomeOtherName.com, here's what we want to see from Apple when it unleashes its cloud service later this year.1. Cross-device supportApple's often championed for its int...
Square Enix developing another MMOG - Report
By GameSpot, published 25-05-2011
Final Fantasy XIV publisher wants to operate two to three massively multiplayer titles simultaneously to promote stable income. Square Enix is working on at least one new massively multiplayer online role-playing game, according to reports out of Japan. Today, gaming blog Andria Sang translated comments made by CEO Yoichi Wada during a conference call following the company's May 13 earnings report. The just-released transcript of the call says that Wada wants his company to operate two to three "large-scale" MMOGs at the same time in order to promote "stable cash flow." Square Enix's CEO wants more MMORPGs. Wada apparently hopes to announce Square Enix's next MMOG during its current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2012. The company is already o...
Age of Conan relaunching free and unrated this summer
By GameSpot, published 25-05-2011
Funcom's fantasy MMORPG dropping subscription fee and adding "barbaric and sexy" content, in-game store; sales top 1.4 million; movie tie-in pack in development. Funcom's massively multiplayer online role-playing game Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures was well-reviewed when it debuted in 2008. It welcomed a major expansion pack--Rise of the Godslayer--in May 2010, and now its developer has announced the next major new change for the game. The Unrated version gets bloodier than this. Age of Conan will relaunch sometime this summer under a new name: Age of Conan: Unrated. In addition to the new title, the game will go free-to-play, joining big-name MMORPG Lord of the Rings: Online in adopting the business model. Gamers will be able to choose if they w...
Dungeon Fighter Online - PC - Screenshots
By Game Revolution, published 25-05-2011
LOS ANGELES – March 30, 2009 – Nexon America Inc. (www.nexon.net), a world leader in free massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, announced today that it will roll-out the highly anticipated title Dungeon Fighter Online in 2009. Dungeon Fighter Online was released as Dungeon & Fighter in Asia and developed by Neople, which is a studio owned by Nexon. This new title delivers the classic side-scrolling action of an arcade fighting game with an immersive role-playing experience — all online and free-to-play. Dungeon Fighter Online transports players into the mystical realm of Arad where dangerous dungeons abound. Gamers battle monsters as an individual explorer or team up to journey through exclusive multiplayer dungeons. Like other Nexon titles, the game’s cont...
Ghost Recon goes free-to-play
By GameSpot, published 24-05-2011
Ubisoft takes wraps off Ghost Recon Online third-person shooter for PC with debut trailer; closed beta begins this summer. The Ghost Recon series has long been enamored with the near future of warfare, and now, it has a near-future business model to match. Ubisoft today announced Ghost Recon Online, a free-to-play PC installment in the tactical shooter series. Ghost Recon Online will be a third-person, cover-based multiplayer shooter. The downloadable multiplayer shooter will take place in a third-person perspective with a focus on cover-based tactical gameplay. As is standard for free-to-play offerings, players will be afforded opportunities to customize their characters by purchasing "premium items." Additionally, players will choose from three different ...
Hellgate: London reopening later this year
By GameSpot, published 20-05-2011
HanbitSoft confirms free-to-play version of shuttered Flagship MMO will return in 2011; beta scheduled for June 3-5. It's been well over two years since reports emerged that Korean game company HanbitSoft had taken over work on Flagship Studios' defunct online shooter role-playing game Hellgate: London. Today, HanbitSoft, along with partners T3 Entertainment and Redbana, confirmed that the full conversion of Hellgate: London to a free-to-play, microtransaction-supported massively multiplayer online game is approaching completion. The nice thing about gates is they close and they open. They close and they open. HanbitSoft and company expect to open up the retooled Hellgate: London for a brief closed-beta window between June 3 and 5. The team expects t...
Bungie, 'Destiny' link established
By GameSpot, published 20-05-2011
Dummy corporation set up by Halo maker's staffers trademarks title of rumored MMOFPS for use in games. Back in February, a rumor spread that Bungie was working on a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter titled "Destiny." According to the source, purportedly a contractor who was let go from the project, the game will be like "[World of Warcraft] in space," run on an entirely new game engine and will sport "unique online connectivity and matchmaking technology." What is "Destiny"? Though the exact nature of Bungie's next project remains a mystery, today Halo.Bungie.Org revealed a concrete connection between the Halo developer and the term "Destiny." The fan site uncovered a dummy corporation called Podophobia Entertainment--curiously named aft...
Arma 3 Announced For Summer 2012, First Screenshots
By MaximumPC, published 19-05-2011
After weeks of puzzles and hinting, Czech developer Bohemia Interactive has confirmed that a follow-up to its landmark military simulation game, Arma 3, is in development. It’s still a PC exclusive, it’s set somewhere in the Mediterranean, and it’ll retain the fine, sandboxy, multiplayer-friendly, emergent warplay that we expect from the franchise with some key improvements. Within: I dissect every detail of the announcement, play Where In The World Is Arma Sandiego?, and change my pants. Arma 3?s story, as described by the press release: “After years of intense warfare against Eastern armies, Europe has become the last stand for the battered NATO forces. On the verge of being driven into the sea, NATO command embarks upon a most desperate measure. In the hope of seizing what seems...
Massive Infinity Blade update hits App Store: brings Arena multiplayer, price down to $2.99
By phoneArena, published 19-05-2011
Infinity Blade, the all-time fastest grossing app, just got bigger and better as the third update of the action game hit the App Store bringing player-on-player multiplayer in the new Arena mode among a host of new features…
Angry Birds hatches 200 million downloads
By GameSpot, published 19-05-2011
Rovio biz dev head confirms massive milestone for mobile-to-console puzzler; Angry Birds Rio tops 36 million. Get the full article at GameSpot "Angry Birds hatches 200 million downloads" was posted by Tom Magrino on Wed, 18 May 2011 17:10:34 -0700
PlayStation Network, SOE being 'phased' back online
By GameSpot, published 15-05-2011
BREAKING NEWS: After three weeks, Sony announces the PlayStation 3's online service is being restored; Sony Online Entertainment also coming back. Earlier this week, Sony promised it would "fully" restore the PlayStation Network by the end of the month. Today, the company took the first step in that process, announcing that the PSN will be brought back online today as part of a "phased" return. Sony Online Entertainment, Sony's massively multiplayer service, will also be coming back as part of the process. The PlayStation Network is coming back today. "The restoration of the services across the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Middle East are beginning, and consumers will be able to enjoy some of the online functionality provided by both the ...
Review: LG 42LW550T
By TechRadar, published 05-12-2011
LG's passive Cinema 3D technology has so far proved hit and miss. The 47LW550T impressed, while the 55LW650T disappointed, the 42-inch 42LW550T arrives with mixed expectations.It is also the latest combatant in the increasingly rancorous scuffle between active shutter and FPR (Film Patterned Retarder) 3D technology. The former presents two consecutive full HD images, one for each eye, that are cycled quickly and viewed through a pair of shuttering glasses causing your brain to combine them into a single, three-dimensional image. FPR, on the other hand, uses a polarising film on the front of a screen that creates a 3D image when observed with cheap, non-powered glasses. What's going to be particularly interesting about the 42LW550T is what difference if any the relative smallness of its scr...
Dragon Ball Game Project set for fall launch
By GameSpot, published 05-12-2011
Spike developing newest Xbox 360 and PS3 game based on original manga series; playable version to surface at Comic-Con. It has been years since the Dragon Ball manga and TV series wrapped up their runs, but that hasn't stopped the franchise from receiving new gaming adaptations with great regularity. Namco Bandai today announced the latest such effort, Dragon Ball Game Project AGE 2011 (working title) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Goku to the rescue. Like the Dragon Ball Z: Raging Blast games, Project AGE 2011 will be developed by Spike Co. Ltd. The new game will cover the Dragon Ball Z series and boast "a massive character selection." However, Namco Bandai is touting the title as "a new landmark game" in the franchise, with a revamped story mode and d...
Dragon Ball Game Project set for fall launch
By GameSpot, published 05-12-2011
Spike developing newest Xbox 360 and PS3 game based on original manga series; playable version to surface at Comic-Con. It has been years since the Dragon Ball manga and TV series wrapped up their runs, but that hasn't stopped the franchise from receiving new gaming adaptations with great regularity. Namco Bandai today announced the latest such effort, Dragon Ball Game Project AGE 2011 (working title) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Goku to the rescue. Like the Dragon Ball Z: Raging Blast games, Project AGE 2011 will be developed by Spike Co. Ltd. The new game will cover the Dragon Ball Z series and boast "a massive character selection." However, Namco Bandai is touting the title as "a new landmark game" in the franchise, with a revamped story mode and d...
Test Drive Unlimited dev goes on strike - Report
By GameSpot, published 05-12-2011
Protesting "mismanagement" and massive impending layoffs, Atari-owned Eden Games executes "symbolic" walkout. An oft-issued complaint among game developers is the crunch-to-layoff cycle that many publishers maintain at their studios. Such an occurrence appears to be under way at Atari-owned Eden Games, which received positive critical reception for Test Drive Unlimited 2 upon its release in February. However, Eden Games as a studio doesn't appear to be taking the layoffs lying down. Eden Games hits the picket line. Gamasutra reports today that it has received a letter from Eden Games indicating that the studio has called a "symbolic day strike" in protest of "mismanagement" at Atari. According to the letter, Atari plans to eliminate 51 of 80 position...
Virtual MMO Tackles Real-Life Military Dilemma
By GameInformer, published 05-11-2011
MMOWGLI is a new game that will encourage players to help solve the strategic military dilemma presented by Somali pirates. A fascinating new project is leveraging the creative thinking and group problem solving skills inherent to MMOs to help the military resolve the complicated issue of confronting piracy halfway across the world. MMOWGLI is a project designed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), an organization that "coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the United States Navy and Marine Corps," according to the organization's website. The new project is built to help the ONR confront strategic dilemmas that might be aided by the group think elements that let MMO players confront challenging situations in more traditional games like ...
Review: HTC Wildfire S
By TechRadar, published 05-11-2011
The HTC Wildfire arrived in mid-2010, when the world was still reeling from the impact of the sensational HTC Desire. And the Wildfire was almost as popular, coupling HTC's fantastic Sense user interface with a smaller, solid and capable little body – it was a lot of people's first, affordable smartphone.But things are a little different in 2011. The dual-core "superphones" have arrived, which means something with a lowly 600MHz processor is going to have to win fans via features and price rather than power. The HTC Wildfire S isn't exactly a cheap phone, either. Currently on sale for around £220 through the SIM-free retailers, there are now plenty of extremely capable Android-powered phones out there for less money – such as the Samsung Galaxy Ace or LG Optimus One. It's going to be ...
Bungie Aerospace trademarks 'Crimson'
By GameSpot, published 05-11-2011
Newly incorporated company files mark for something called Crimson; listed as "Computer game software downloadable from a global computer network." Earlier this week, it was revealed by the Washington State Business License Directory that Bungie president Harold Ryan would serve as a director at the newly incorporated Bungie Aerospace Corporation. Now, the nascent company has filed a trademark for something called "Crimson." "Crimson" is principally listed as "computer game software downloadable from a global computer network" in the May 4-dated United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) listing. It is also listed as "Computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones," as well as "Downloadable computer game software via a global computer network and wireless devices." ...
Review: Sony KDL-40EX724
By TechRadar, published 05-11-2011
The KDL-40EX724 sits at the top of Sony's mainstream EX range and offers 3D compatibility, cutting-edge internet connectivity and the kitchen sink. It's also available as the 46-inch KDL-46EX724 and the 32-inch KDL-32EX724. The set looks smart enough, with a subtle, two-tone fascia and the requisite amount of gloss. It's fashionably thin at just 42mm and tips the scales at an eminently wall-hangable 11.2kg.Despite the lightweight construction, build quality is considered good; the casing doesn't creak or flex and the overall cosmetic finish is high. Priced just below the EX724 line is Sony's look-alike EX723 series. This slightly cheaper option comprises the 55-inch KDL-55EX723, 46-inch KDL-46EX723, 40-inch KDL-40EX723 and the 32-inch KDL-32EX723. The only visible difference between the tw...
The Return Of Darth Clark
By GameInformer, published 05-10-2011
Every April we run a feature in the magazine called Game Infarcer. As the title suggests, Game Infarcer is a parody magazine that pokes fun at trends in the industry, as well as ourselves. Every year, despite the fact that the cover says "World's #1 Pretend Magazine" and each page has the word "Parody" at the bottom, some of our readers think Game Infarcer is real, and get upset about the (fake!) news and (fake!) opinions that it contains. Reading their heated responses is as much of a tradition as Game Infarcer itself. We ran a few of the responses we received in this issue's Feedback, but thanks to a particularly inflammatory editorial from Game Infarcer's returning editor Darth Clark, we have a ton of other humorous replies that didn't make the cut. ...
Call of Duty: Black Ops best seller on 360, PS3, PC
By GameSpot, published 05-09-2011
Activision announces sales milestone for Cold War-era shooter; Q1 earnings hit $1.4 billion, profit rises to $503 million; Diablo III beta kicking off Q3; free-to-play COD en route to China. That Activision Blizzard had a hit on its hands with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops last November is no surprise, considering the game made more than $1 billion in less than two months. However, the publisher clarified how big of a hit Black Ops is, announcing today that it is the highest-earning game of all time on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in the US and Europe. Black Ops became an all-time sales leader in the US and Europe on the 360, PS3, and PC in Q1. Unfortunately, Activision Blizzard did not release updated sales figures for the Cold War-e...
Multiscreen Madness: We Test Four Incredible Display Setups
By MaximumPC, published 05-09-2011
Because one screen is never enough! We set our sights on finding the best multiscreen setup for gaming Three of the more hardcore gamers on staff served as our intrepid testers. Last month’s review of Samsung’s MD230X6 six-screen Eyefinity display got us thinking big. We were awestruck by the majesty of so much screen real estate—particularly in games, where a screen config of massive proportions provides a level of immersion that a single screen, or even two screens, can’t come close to matching. But the MD230X6 wasn’t perfect, as our review revealed. This got us wondering: Would just three of the 23-inch displays side-by-side make for a more satisfying all-around experience? Would it be as encompassing in games? What if we could take three large displays and turn them vertical...
Anonymous castigates Financial Times over Sony hack claim
By TechRadar, published 05-09-2011
Anonymous has hit out again over allegations that it was part of the Sony hack, deciding to distance itself from a Financial Times article which lays the blame solely on the hacking network.Entitled 'Sony, I Am Disappoint', Anonymous says that it is unhappy with the "false assumptions" the article makes and believes that only after Sony's reports on the hack are made public can anybody know who is really behind the attack.Late last week, Sony did look like they were pinning the blame on Anonymous, stating that a file on its servers implicated the group. We just don't know"Until the forensics reports are released we don't know which exploit was used," said the statement. "The forensic investigators need to conclude their work, and speculation in articles, blogs and comments brings the factu...
Assassin's Creed Revelations stalking in November
By GameSpot, published 05-05-2011
Ubisoft's murderous action adventure will conclude Ezio's storyline on 360, PS3, PC this fall; E3 appearance a lock. It's been seven days since Ubisoft began ramping up its teaser campaign for the fourth installment in its 28 million-unit-selling Assassin's Creed franchise, and today came the payoff. This morning, the publisher officially announced Assassin's Creed Revelations, saying the game will arrive for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this November. After Revelations, Ezio can't go back to Constantinople (which is no one's business but the Turks). Calling it "the final chapter of the Ezio trilogy," Ubisoft said that Revelations will follow its Renaissance-era wetworks maestro, who was first introduced in Assassin's Creed II. This time out, ...
Star Wars: The Old Republic should launch this year - EA
By GameSpot, published 05-05-2011
BioWare's sci-fi MMORPG should launch between July and December, says EA Games president; EA CFO says there's an "outside" chance for further delay. Today, EA Games president Frank Gibeau teased the debut of Star Wars: The Old Republic. The executive called the sci-fi massively multiplayer online role-playing game's launch the "biggest event of the year," and EA's earnings report said the game is "scheduled to launch in the second half of calendar 2011." The Old Republic should launch between July and December…but there's an "outside" chance it could launch in the January quarter. While Gibeau seemed confident, some of his fellow executives were less so. "Although we fully anticipate launching Star Wars: The Old Republic [between July and Decem...
Roll With The Rock Of Ages In New Trailer
By GameInformer, published 05-05-2011
This incredibly quirky but strangely fascinating downloadable game has a new video in advance of its spring release. Rock of Ages is coming to PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and PC sometime this spring. The new video shows off the five periods of art history that the game will include and also gives a clear glimpse of the way Rock of Ages will combine tower defense gameplay with more than a hint of humor. "Rock of Ages is truly a 'Basalt' on the senses," says Atlus' Aram Jabbari in a recent press release. "It offers gamers a diverse marriage of elements like nothing they've seen before. What other game lets players hit a mechanized version of Michaelangelo's David below the belt or unleash a massive herd of bovine defenses upo...
Review: Dell XPS 17
By TechRadar, published 05-04-2011
It's been quite a while since we've seen a new 17-inch laptop from Dell's XPS range, which is home to the company's multimedia machines. Dell hasn't been twiddling its thumbs, however, and this laptop boasts fantastic design, power (for the money) and a huge range of multimedia features. Intel's Core i5 2410M processor provides comprehensive performance for all, but the most avid multimedia users. You'll easily be able to multi-task resource-intensive applications, such as music and movie editing software, while everyday applications, such as your web browser and word processing program, run with real fluidity. A powerful Nvidia Optimus GeForce GTX 555M graphics card means that those looking to play the latest games and edit their home movies in high definition, will find plenty of power h...
C$1 billion suit filed against Sony
By GameSpot, published 05-04-2011
Canadian law firm files massive class action against electronics giant over PlayStation Network outage and data breach. Less than a week after the first PlayStation Network-related class action suit was filed against Sony, a second legal claim has been initiated. While the first didn't ask for a specific amount, the second is quite clear on how much it wants from Sony--at least 1 billion dollars in damages. Canadian Natasha Maksimovic thinks Sony owes C$1 billion in damages to PSN users. But those aren't US dollars, they're Canadian ones. The second suit was announced on Monday by the Toronto law firm of McPhadden Samac Tuovi LLP, with Sony Canada, Sony USA, and "other Sony entities" being named as defendants. The firm has commenced the proposed class ac...
Blog Herding: Community Edition 05/03/11
By GameInformer, published 05-04-2011
After going on hiatus, Blog Herding is back with our biggest post yet! Check out our picks. This marks one of two posts this week as we return to our regular herding schedule. Huzzah! A Story Worth Fighting ForShould fighters include a strong narrative? HoboLuvin explains.The Dragyn's Lair: An Open Letter To Blizzard EntertainmentShadowDragyn wants Blizzard to bring games to consoles. Do you agree?A Non Linear Blog About Non linearityGamebeast23456 raises the discussion of linearity in games. Are you on the linear or open world side? Discuss in the comments section of his post.The Greatest Video Game Designer Of All TimeBrad Tramel pays homage to Shigeru Miyamoto.RPGs: From East And From WestJack, The Quixotic Gamer compares these varying RPG types. Also, check out his interview with...
SlashGear Week in Review – Week 18 2011
By SlashGear, published 05-01-2011
Welcome to the latest edition of the SlashGear Week in Review! Monday bought with it news that Nintendo was set to unveil a replacement for the Wii console at E3 this summer. The console itself is due to land for purchase sometime next year according to reports. The biggest story of the week has been the Sony PSN outage. Sony admitted that the Dev accounts and user accounts were hacked by outside sources. A really cool LEGO helmet that looks like the ones the Minifig astronauts wear that is sized for kids to be able to put on turned up. The helmet is very cool and has speakers inside to read LEGO comics to the kids via a digital file right off a USB drive plugged into the back of the helmet. Apple is facing its first class action suit over the tracking of user location details on the iP...
Sony faces lawsuits over costly PSN data breach
By TechRadar, published 29-04-2011
Following the PR disaster that is the massive Sony PSN hack Sony is already facing a number of legal cases from groups of irate PlayStation fans across the globe.Sony shares were down by nearly 5 per cent following the widespread publicity in both tech and mainstream media about the high-profile PlayStation Network hack.Angry gamers demand answersSony CEO Howard Stringer or his deputy Kazuo Hirai have both refused to comment publicly on the PSN hack to date, angering gamers even further. Michael Wang, manager of overseas funds at Sony shareholder Prudential Financials, told Reuters: "Gamers are angry that Sony's CEO hasn't come out to explain the situation and investors are disappointed over the company's corporate governance." The cost to Sony of the PlayStation Network hack is already be...
Gods & Heroes rising June 21
By GameSpot, published 29-04-2011
Heatwave launching Perpetual's once-abandoned Roman mythology-themed MMORPG this summer; preorder package detailed. For a time, it appeared as if releasing the massively multiplayer online role-playing Gods & Heroes was a task to be ranked alongside the 12 Labors of Hercules. However, like the slaying of the Nemean lion or the cleansing of the Augean stables, so too will the task of releasing the fated MMORPG be accomplished. Today, Heatwave Interactive announced that Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising will launch for the PC on June 21. The MMO nature of the game should mean players will only rarely have to slay minotaurs on their own. Gods & Heroes' story began in 2005, when developer Perpetual Entertainment, who was also at the time creating St...
Buying Guide: 20 best mobile phones in the world today
By TechRadar, published 28-04-2011
Our verdict on the best mobile phones / best smartphones - constantly updated We've all got at least one mobile phone each, right? The trouble is, how do you decide which is the best mobile phone for you when you realise it's time to phone the network and trouble them for an upgrade?If you've read our list of the latest mobile phones, seen the hottest pre-release new mobile phones and are still stumped, well, this is where we make it easy. Because here we have our constantly-updated list of the top 20 best mobile phones you can get in the UK.And now, after a glut of top-end mobile phones steaming out from Mobile World Congress 2011, we've just brought you our biggest update ever to this definitive chart.The big surprise was the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc nabbing top spot - the combo of Andro...
Updated: 40 best free Android games
By TechRadar, published 28-04-2011
As Android phones have increased in popularity the number of apps available for the platform has rocketed.And that means more free Android games. There's a lot of junk out there, but fortunately, there are gems within the junk.We've worked our way through a whole load of Android games to reveal the ones you should download to your phone.If we've missed your favourite free Android game, let us know in the comments.1. Angry BirdsThe amazingly popular iOS game moved to Android recently, earning over two million downloads during its first weekend of availability.The Android version is free, unlike the Apple release, with maker Rovio opting to stick a few adverts on it rather than charge an upfront fee. The result is a massive and very challenging physics puzzler that's incredibly polished and ...
Warhammer 40,000 game license extended
By GameSpot, published 26-04-2011
THQ, Games Workshop renew long-standing exclusive agreement in "multi-year" deal for sci-fi franchise, which has sold 6.5 million units to date. With Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine due out this summer and Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online still in development, THQ has plenty of Warhammer 40,000 titles in the works. However, that didn't stop the Santa Monica-based publisher from today announcing it had extended its licensing deal for the intellectual property with IP creator Games Workshop. Today's deal paves the way for more Warhammer 40,000 games from THQ. Details on the Warhammer 40,000 extension were vague beyond the fact it was a "multi-year deal" that gives THQ exclusive rights to publish games based on the IP. The agreement covers the f...
James Cameron: Games will spur 3D display adoption
By GameSpot, published 26-04-2011
Oscar-winning film director says video games will help indoctrinate new glasses-free technology; would "love" a 3D-enabled Avatar MMORPG. Games--not film--will be the catalyst for the mass adoption of glasses-free 3D technology, says film icon James Cameron. Cameron--who directed Avatar, the most popular film of all time--recently spoke at the NAB 2011 Show in Las Vegas and said technology like Nintendo's 3DS will help drive sales of 3D displays. Gaming will help 3D become popular, says Cameron. "Video games are going to help propel the autostereoscopic (glasses free) play because that's going to be the entry level for most people," Cameron told Yahoo! gaming blog Plugged In. "These single-viewing devices that are engaging the person to play these v...
A Complete Guide to 39 Google Apps and Services
By MaximumPC, published 25-04-2011
If it’s true that Google is set to take over the world, we should probably all get to know our online overlord a little better. After all, the Mountain View giant moves more than 65 percent of the world’s search traffic, and dominates the rest of the web with a broad swath of free services. Since it’s almost impossible to get through a day on the Internet without crossing Google’s path, we’ve created this comprehensive guide to all things G. 39 Google Apps That Matter We break down and evaluate the most essential Google services and offer helpful tips for the most important ones Google Alerts google.com/alerts Want to know what people are saying about you (or anything else, for that matter) on the web? Set up a Google alert. Type any search string into the field—the more speci...
Star Wars: The Old Republic to draw 1 million subscribers - Analyst
By GameSpot, published 25-04-2011
Janco Partners' Mike Hickey expects user base of EA's next massively multiplayer online game to hit seven digits within a year of launch. Earlier this year, Electronic Arts' CEO said the company could turn a substantial profit on its upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic massively multiplayer online game with as few as 500,000 subscribers. Today, Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey said he expects The Old Republic to at least double that figure. Expect plenty of Jedi in The Old Republic. In a note to investors, Hickey assumed the game would be able to draw more than 1 million subscribers within 12 months of launch, generating $162 million in its first full year. He still has some questions about the game, though, and how EA might adapt it to changing tre...
Buying Guide: 20 best mobile phones in the world today
By TechRadar, published 21-04-2011
Our verdict on the best mobile phones / best smartphones - constantly updated We've all got at least one mobile phone each, right? The trouble is, how do you decide which is the best mobile phone for you when you realise it's time to phone the network and trouble them for an upgrade?If you've read our list of the latest mobile phones, seen the hottest pre-release new mobile phones and are still stumped, well, this is where we make it easy. Because here we have our constantly-updated list of the top 20 best mobile phones you can get.And now, thanks to a glut of top-end mobile phones steaming out from Mobile World Congress 2011, we're bringing you our biggest update ever to our definitive chart.So what's changed? We've lost seven of the 20 from the previous ranking, the top ten has seen a hu...
Apple Q2 profit spikes 95%
By GameSpot, published 21-04-2011
Cupertino company sells 18.65 million iPhones, 4.69 million iPads, reports record income of $5.99 billion on $24.67 billion revenue. The degree to which Apple is having success with its iOS platforms was detailed in an unlikely place last week, when the company revealed through a court filing that about 108 million iPhones, 19 million iPads, and 60 million iPod Touches have been sold through the end of March. Today, Apple attached a dollar figure to that success, reporting record revenue and profit for its fiscal second quarter. Apple's iOS devices continue to mint money. For the three-month period ended March 26, 2011, Apple recorded revenue of $24.67 billion, up a massive 83 percent from the $13.5 billion brought in during the same period a year ago. Net...
Review: Sony VAIO Z Series VPCZ13M9E
By TechRadar, published 20-04-2011
Following hot on the heels of its new VAIO S-Series ultraportable laptop, Sony has released another ridiculously slim and light portable that packs in plenty of power.The VAIO VPCZ13M9E fits into Sony's top-range business ultraportable bracket, as reflected by the hefty price tag. However, you do get an awful lot in return for emptying your wallet.Pulling the VAIO VPCZ13M9E from its box, we were immediately struck by how thin and light it is. While it isn't as slender as the elegant Samsung 9 Series, the 234 x 216 x 34mm dimensions means it'll slip easily into pretty much any bag.And at 1.4kg it's only a fraction heavier than the Samsung 9 Series, and almost half a kilo lighter than the VAIO S-Series. Even small children could carry the VAIO VPCZ13M9E around all day – although trusting a...
In-Depth Q&A With Creator Dr. Dan Pinchbeck
By GameInformer, published 17-04-2011
How awesome does a mod have to be for Valve to give its creators full access to the Source engine and a distribution deal on Steam for an expanded, professional version? As awesome as Dear Esther, apparently. Read on for an extensive interview with Dr. Dan Pinchbeck, the research professor who created it. Quoth Pinchbeck: Dear Esther "makes Crysis look like Minecraft." Dear Esther (get the original Half-Life 2 mod here) is a unique attempt at creating an interactive storytelling experience that entirely forgoes traditional game trappings. You don't pick anything up, you don't fight anything, you don't level up. You simply explore a lonely island, and the game tells you a story as you go along. How the story is presented, and even what facts you learn about the mystery...
Reader Discussion: The Value Of ARGs
By GameInformer, published 17-04-2011
Valve is running a huge alternative reality game that ties into a cross-promotional bundle deal with Portal 2 and a bunch of indie games on Steam. Are you into this kind of thing?ARGs have been growing in popularity for years. Halo 3's ilovebees campaign generated a ton of fan interaction and goodwill for being a smart, fun, in-fiction interactive side story. Portal 2's potato-centric campaign is an interesting way for Valve to push Steam as a retail channel and reinforce its gamer cred (by offering an honestly great bundle deal on cool games that you may not have heard of) while letting thirteen indie developers piggyback on the massive Portal 2 hype machine.Even with these two generally positive examples, ARGs have also generated some pushback from gamers who feel like games shou...
Guitar Hero DLC draws to a close
By GameSpot, published 16-04-2011
Activision puts rhythm franchise "on vacation until further notice" with this week's launch of April track packs. In February, Activision pulled the plug on its Guitar Hero franchise, saying it would no longer release downloadable content for the rhythm game franchise after month's end. However, the company quickly backtracked on that proclamation, giving the series a temporary reprieve to thank fans for their continued support of the Hero games. Better to burn out or fade away? That reprieve lasted less than two months, as Activision social media manager Dan Amrich this week confirmed on the PlayStation Blog that the franchise had officially begun its hiatus. "With the release of April's downloadable Track Packs, Guitar Hero as a franchise goes on va...
Wii 2: What’ll it be? Roundup time!
By SlashGear, published 15-04-2011
It’s been nearly five full years since Nintendo released the gaming system that busted a thousand television sets and set millions of hearts on fire with the desire to play video games with their arms instead of their thumbs. Now we’re well on our way to a second iteration of this massively successful gaming system, and it’s looking like it’s going to be landing by June! And what’ll it be? Certainly not glasses-free 3D, that’s for sure. The June bit comes from the big bossman over at EA who recently hinted that the console would be dropping at E3 this year (in June.) He noted that the Wii is a “legacy platform” and that the company will be “coming back with a second act.” They’d better! At least our resident outspoken tech...
Insomniac’s Apocalyptic Nightmare Plays Like A Dream
By GameInformer, published 13-04-2011
I’ve been eager to drop into the post-apocalyptic world of Resistance 3 ever since writing the cover story back last November. Seeing the game in its early stages had me dying to know more about Joe Capelli’s cross-nation voyage, Insomniac’s rediscovery of the first game’s ambience, and the streamlined multiplayer. I finally had a chance to play through the arduous boat sequence, go a few rounds in a new multiplayer map, and sneak a peek at a new weapon, level, and a couple new foes at Sony’s press event in Hollywood. Capelli’s quest to save the human race eventually leads him to Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. Insomniac was eager to show off this new area of the game as it represents a departure in tone from any other setting in the series. This nighttim...
Over-The-Top Action Rules In Asura's Wrath
By GameInformer, published 04-12-2011
Asura is not happy. Once a demigod himself, he has been betrayed by his former associates, who have kidnapped his daughter. His mission is simple: Get her back while slaughtering anyone who stands in his way. Judging from the boss encounter we saw, he might have his work cut out for him.The hack-and-slash action game Asura’s Wrath was first announced at last Tokyo Game Show with a trailer that culminated in a planet-sized behemoth attacking Asura with a single jab from his index finger. During a presentation at this year’s Captivate 2011 event, developer CyberConnect 2 provided some welcomed context to the encounter.The battle begins in a large, open area, with the lumbering demigod Wysen far in the distance. As Asura approaches, he attacks with a targeting reticle. The boss f...
Capcom Tackles Open-World RPGs With Dragon's Dogma
By GameInformer, published 04-12-2011
Capcom is known for being a risk-taker among Japanese publishers, but the newly announced Dragon’s Dogma is pushing the company out of its comfort zone even further. The RPG blends party management and action with an ambitiously large open-world setting and impressive boss encounters. I was able to play through one such encounter, against a griffin.There wasn’t much context to the demo, aside from knowing that players start the game off after having their heart stolen by a dragon. The dragon then instructs players to follow a series of quests. That’s all I knew as my party of four descended a hill toward a cluster of goblins. They’ve either killed a large animal or stumbled upon its corpse, and they’re celebrating the occasion with dancing and hooting. Unfort...
Rumor: Free-To-Play Games Coming To Xbox Live?
By GameInformer, published 04-10-2011
Free-to-play and microtransaction oriented games have taken the industry by storm, especially in the PC marketplace. Now, reports are surfacing that Microsoft's Xbox Live online service -- which has generally been focused on paid titles -- might be embracing free-to-play games in the near future. IGN reports that "a trusted source" had told them that "[Microsoft] will allow publishers and developers to release games through the service for free where users can then purchase additional content, such as weapons, experience points, in-game currency, and perks." If true, this would be a massive sea-change for Xbox Live. IGN did point out that Joy Ride for Kinect was initially introduced as a free-to-play, microtransaction-driven title when it was announced at E3 i...
In Depth: Apps: the future of tech or a passing fad?
By TechRadar, published 04-10-2011
App - seldom has such a small word had such a big impact. It's always on the lips of tech's biggest and brightest firms: Apple, Microsoft, Google and BlackBerry. Smartphones, tablets, TVs, fridges, cars: if your devices don't already sport the ability to run small, slick, one-trick programs, then the option is only an upgrade away. The term has become so ubiquitous that the American Dialect Society - a learned group dedicated to the study of the English Language in America - dubbed 'app' its 2010 Word of the Year. In case you're interested, it fended off stiff competition from the Cookie Monster's 'nom'. Praise indeed. But what exactly is an app? Is 'app' really nothing more than a slightly irritating, cutesy term for 'application', or are apps indeed distinct from the software we PC users...
In Depth: Apps: the future of tech or a passing fad?
By TechRadar, published 04-10-2011
App - seldom has such a small word had such a big impact. It's always on the lips of tech's biggest and brightest firms: Apple, Microsoft, Google and BlackBerry. Smartphones, tablets, TVs, fridges, cars: if your devices don't already sport the ability to run small, slick, one-trick programs, then the option is only an upgrade away. The term has become so ubiquitous that the American Dialect Society - a learned group dedicated to the study of the English Language in America - dubbed 'app' its 2010 Word of the Year. In case you're interested, it fended off stiff competition from the Cookie Monster's 'nom'. Praise indeed. But what exactly is an app? Is 'app' really nothing more than a slightly irritating, cutesy term for 'application', or are apps indeed distinct from the software we PC users...
In Depth: Apps: the future of tech or a passing fad?
By TechRadar, published 04-10-2011
App - seldom has such a small word had such a big impact. It's always on the lips of tech's biggest and brightest firms: Apple, Microsoft, Google and BlackBerry. Smartphones, tablets, TVs, fridges, cars: if your devices don't already sport the ability to run small, slick, one-trick programs, then the option is only an upgrade away. The term has become so ubiquitous that the American Dialect Society - a learned group dedicated to the study of the English Language in America - dubbed 'app' its 2010 Word of the Year. In case you're interested, it fended off stiff competition from the Cookie Monster's 'nom'. Praise indeed. But what exactly is an app? Is 'app' really nothing more than a slightly irritating, cutesy term for 'application', or are apps indeed distinct from the software we PC users...
The Secret World stalls on consoles
By GameSpot, published 04-07-2011
Funcom says PC edition remains team's focus, but 360 version also in development; release depends on desktop-platform success. Massively multiplayer online role-playing game makers routinely announce their newest projects will populate Microsoft's Xbox 360 or Sony's PlayStation 3, but very few have been able to deliver. It appears as if the latest to be added to that list is Funcom's The Secret World, which was initially announced for the PC and Xbox 360 in 2007. Samurai swords remain an ideal weapon even in a postapocalyptic world. Speaking to Eurogamer, The Secret World director Ragnar Tornquist said that Funcom is focusing on the PC version of the game and that the release of a console version is predicated upon the success of the PC installment. "We a...
Tokyo Game Show won't be curtailed by quake
By GameSpot, published 04-07-2011
Organizers reportedly confirm expo will run as planned from September 15 to 18; Makuhari Messe suffered slight damage in disaster. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that rocked Japan last month had many aftershocks, both literal and figurative. One potential aftereffect of the tragedy--and ongoing nuclear crisis--was the cancelation or shortening of the Tokyo Game Show. The show must go on. Today, fears that TGS 11 might be curtailed in some way were put to rest. In an announcement translated by gaming blog Andria Sang, the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association, which organizes the event, said it will go ahead as scheduled. The expo is currently slated to run from Thursday, September 15 to Sunday, September 18. TGS is the biggest game expo in...
NGP launch unaffected by quake after all
By GameSpot, published 04-07-2011
Sony spokesperson tells Wall Street Journal that earlier report was "wrong"--and that a region-staggered launch was always in the cards. Earlier this week, those awaiting the launch of Sony's Next Generation Portable (NGP) received some bad news. Speaking to the Bloomberg news service, Sony Computer Entertainment America president Jack Tretton said supply-chain disruptions caused by Japan's tragic earthquake and tsunami might delay the handheld's launch in certain territories. The NGP may be delayed by the tragic events in Japan. Now, Sony is backtracking from Tretton's comments. The Dow Jones news service (via the Wall Street Journal) quotes a corporate spokesperson as saying that the massive disasters--and subsequent nuclear crisis--won't affect Sony's ...
Sony foresees 100M Free Realms users
By GameSpot, published 04-06-2011
Online boss John Smedley says "endless supply of children" will help game rise to new user milestone in five or six years. Last week, Sony Online Entertainment's Free Realms landed on the PlayStation 3 following over a year of PC exclusivity, where it has racked up over 17 million players. Now--undaunted by the massive layoffs that rocked the studio last week--Sony believes the game's user base can quintuple in size. Sony thinks Free Realms will just keep on growing. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, SOE president John Smedley said Free Realms is currently in a great spot in terms of registered users, but he also believes the user base can vault to 100 million over the course of "five or six years" based on what he called an inexhaustible reservoir of youth...
NGP could be delayed by Japanese earthquake
By GameSpot, published 04-05-2011
Sony Computer Entertainment America president Jack Tretton says supply-chain disruptions caused by disaster may delay the forthcoming portable in some regions. By any reckoning, the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan were humanitarian tragedies on a massive scale. However, the twin disasters--and subsequent nuclear crisis--have also created a massive logistical nightmare for Japanese industry, causing many companies such as Toyota and Honda to shutter factories. The NGP may be delayed by the tragic events in Japan. Unfortunately for gamers, another one of the companies affected is Sony. The electronics giant has also temporarily shut down several plants in Northern Japan for repairs, as well as others in other regions because of parts shortages. As ...
NGP could be delayed by Japanese earthquake
By GameSpot, published 04-05-2011
Sony Computer Entertainment America president Jack Tretton says supply-chain disruptions caused by disaster may delay the forthcoming portable in some regions. By any reckoning, the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan were humanitarian tragedies on a massive scale. However, the twin disasters--and subsequent nuclear crisis--have also created a massive logistical nightmare for Japanese industry, causing many companies such as Toyota and Honda to shutter factories. The NGP may be delayed by the tragic events in Japan. Unfortunately for gamers, another one of the companies affected is Sony. The electronics giant has also temporarily shut down several plants in Northern Japan for repairs, as well as others in other regions because of parts shortages. As ...
Big in Japan: Final Fantasy IV Collection
By GameSpot, published 04-02-2011
Square Enix remake for Sony's handheld tops 100,000 sold as 3DS and PSP hardware race goes down to the wire. Like the nation itself, Japanese game sales rebounded in the weeks following last month's massive earthquake. Game sales finished down sharply in the first full week after the quake, but tracking firm Media Create today released its figures for the following week of March 21-27, and the numbers were much improved. Final Fantasy IV was released in North America as Final Fantasy II for the Super Nintendo. Square Enix's PSP launch of Complete Final Fantasy IV led all games with sales of 104,173 copies, nearly three times more than the next best-selling title on the charts. Set for North American release on April 19, The Complete Collection includes...
Allods Online - PC - Screenshots
By Game Revolution, published 04-01-2011
MOSCOW & DUBLIN - April 23, 2009 - Nival Online, the Russian game developer behind the Allods series of role-playing strategy games (known as Rage of Mages in Europe and America), and Gala Networks Europe, the free-to-play MMORPG publisher that operates the gPotato.eu gaming portal are proud to announce Allods Online, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on Russia’s most successful gaming series. The free-to-play title brings MMO fans across Europe into a universe of epic fantasy and fierce conflict with a deep and captivating storyline. Allods Online takes place after the destruction of the planet of Sarnout and the subsequent formation of the namesake Allods. These mystical islands float in the Astral, an expansive living substance that makes up the compellin...
Palm: The Rise and Fall of a Legend
By MaximumPC, published 29-03-2011
Perhaps the most convoluted soap-opera in the history of technology... I was there, when the Pilot landed. It was the summer of 1996, and the US Robotics Pilot 5000 had just arrived in the bootLab (‘boot Magazine’ was the then-newly-launched precursor to Maximum PC). With unprecedented ferocity, we editors were fighting gladiator style for dibs on reviewing this tiny bit of pocket-sized plastic with its dingy monochrome screen. Not even the latest uber-PC or 3D graphics card generated such editorial lust. There was something magic about the initial Pilot. Something simple, elegant, genuinely useful. It was one of the few products we all knew would be worthy of a “Kick Ass” award almost immediately upon touching it. That first Pilot may not have been the first PDA, but it was...
A Dream Roster Meets A Lack Of Gameplay Variety
By GameInformer, published 29-03-2011
Vince McMahon’s WWE is the only big-name game in town when it comes to pro wrestling options, and the Smackdown vs. Raw series has been the only real choice for gamers in recent years. Thanks to THQ San Diego, wrestling fans that want a little more silliness and a lot less realism now have another option. WWE All Stars takes the biggest names of the '80s and '90s and pits them against the superstars of today, allowing sports entertainment fans to create numerous dream matches.One look at the roster reveals a who’s-who of the last three decades of wrestling. All-time legends like Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock populate the Legends side of the character select screen, while today’s best like Randy Orton, CM Punk, and The Miz round out the other ha...
The 3rd Birthday: A Twisted Tale Afflicted By Faulty Gameplay Execution
By GameInformer, published 25-03-2011
After a string of tragic events on Christmas Eve 2012, New York City finds itself enveloped by the Babel's massive tentacles in an incident known as the Sacrifice. This sets the stage for CTI agent Aya Brea's return to the Big Apple, as her altered genetics make her the only one resilient enough to rid the city of the macabre Twisted and ultimately bring down the Babel. One year after the Sacrifice, Brea uses the CTI's Overdive machine to deliver her mind to the past and hijack the bodies of soldiers. This will not only help her complete her world-saving mission, but also uncover the secrets of her own blurry history. This backdrop makes for compelling plot points, and use of Overdive creates opportunities for unique gameplay, however the shooting gallery feel and ...
Big in Japan March 14-20: Dynasty Warriors 7
By GameSpot, published 25-03-2011
Koei's action game continues selling as top 10 software sales cut in half, hardware sales down roughly 30 percent in first full week after devastating earthquake. In the wake of the massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami that struck Japan March 11, games were a relatively trivial concern for a country facing tens of thousands missing or dead and a crisis at a nuclear power plant, and beginning what is sure to be a lengthy recovery process. That's reflected in the sales data, as Media Create today released its retail figures for the first full week after the quake, showing a sharp dip in hardware and software sales. Dynasty Warriors 7 is lighting up the charts like Sima Shi lit up the armies of Cao Feng. For the week of March 14-20, the top 10 best-sell...
HTC EVO 3D Revealed at Sprint Event [CTIA 2011]
By SlashGear, published 22-03-2011
At a utterly lovely Sprint media event at CTIA 2011, gold and yellow tones abound, Sprint has announced what they hope will be a heavy contender in this massively competitive 2011 season for Android. It began with a lovely floaty Andy video in full 3D, showing him float about, transforming things from flat to 3D. It was instantly apparent that the device would be the next step in the EVO line. The first announcment was the HTC EVO 3D, the first 4G device with a dual-core and 3D capability with no glasses needed. This device, they say, will be performing like a PC with gaming, movies, and all manner of video. 3D 5-megapixel camera on the back, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a QHD display on the front, and hotspot enabled. The hotspot will work with 8 devices, this and the tablet announced makin...
Star Wars: The Old Republic important to MMO market - Blizzard
By GameSpot, published 21-03-2011
Studio heads Frank Pearce and Mike Morhaime are hopeful that BioWare's upcoming sci-fi MMORPG brings new players to the genre. World of Warcraft developer Blizzard is king of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game market. The game's most recent expansion--Cataclysm--sold nearly 5 million copies in its first month, and World of Warcraft's total subscriber base currently stands at 12 million. That being the case, Blizzard is rooting for the success of its upcoming competitor, BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic. Blizzard hopes SW:TOR doesn't ruin the MMORPG genre for anyone. In an interview with MCV, Blizzard cofounder Frank Pearce said, "[The Old Republic] is a game that has an opportunity to grow the MMO market if done right and therefor...
In Depth: Tips and tweaks to upgrade your laptop for gaming
By TechRadar, published 21-03-2011
Time then to lift the lid on your laptop and delve into its inner sanctum. The juicy technology sandwiched between its chassis is simply ripe for tinkering, and while manufacturers say you shouldn't, we're going to look at how opening up the case can reap rich performance rewards. Figures show that we've all been buying more laptops than desktops over the last few years and it's predicted that desktop sales will remain flat while laptop sales continue to post double-digit increases. In other words, we'll all be buying laptops while upgrading the one main desktop at home. So it's time we took a close look at how you can overhaul and game on a tired old laptop. The biggest single disappointment when attempting a laptop upgrade is the steadfast, single-minded blocking the industry and manufac...
In Depth: Tips and tweaks to upgrade your laptop for gaming
By TechRadar, published 21-03-2011
Time then to lift the lid on your laptop and delve into its inner sanctum. The juicy technology sandwiched between its chassis is simply ripe for tinkering, and while manufacturers say you shouldn't, we're going to look at how opening up the case can reap rich performance rewards. Figures show that we've all been buying more laptops than desktops over the last few years and it's predicted that desktop sales will remain flat while laptop sales continue to post double-digit increases. In other words, we'll all be buying laptops while upgrading the one main desktop at home. So it's time we took a close look at how you can overhaul and game on a tired old laptop. The biggest single disappointment when attempting a laptop upgrade is the steadfast, single-minded blocking the industry and manufac...
Motorstorm: Apocalypse delayed in US
By GameSpot, published 18-03-2011
North American version of Sony racer set in earthquake-ravaged city joins Japanese and European counterparts in missing its previously announced launch date. Earlier this week, Sony confirmed that the European and Japanese launches of Motorstorm: Apocalypse were delayed, given that the game is set in an earthquake-ravaged city and thousands of people had just died after an 8.9 magnitude quake and resulting tsunami in Northern Japan. Today, Sony Computer Entertainment America confirmed that Motorstorm: Apocalypse's North American release date was also being postponed. Motorstorm: Apocalypse has been delayed worldwide. "Similar to news already issued from our Japanese and European territories, SCEA can confirm that we are officially delaying release of...
Dragon Quest IX sales top 5.3 million
By GameSpot, published 18-03-2011
Square Enix announces new worldwide sales milestone for DS title through December; publisher pledges 100 million yen to earthquake relief. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies didn't waste any time becoming a hit for Square Enix, as the DS title sold 2.3 million units out of the gate. Some 18 months on from its Japanese debut, and the game has proven to have legs. Andria Sang reports today that Square Enix's Japanese arm has confirmed that DQIX has sold 5.3 million units worldwide through December. Dragon Quest IX has more than 5 million stars in its skies. Prior to today's announcement, Square Enix had said that DQIX sold 4.26 million units in Japan through the end of March 2010. However, that announcement came prior to the DQIX's July 201...
Star Wars: The Old Republic beta sign-ups near 1.5 million
By GameSpot, published 17-03-2011
EA CFO says BioWare's sci-fi MMORPG has well over a million waiting to test the game; more info due during E3. It would be an understatement to say that Electronic Arts would love to turn the massively multiplayer online role-playing genre on its head with Star Wars: The Old Republic. However, completely rewriting that landscape isn't a necessity for the BioWare Austin-developed sci-fi online game, as EA has said that the game could be "substantially profitable" with just 500,000 subscribers. EA has more than a million volunteers willing to test lightsaber efficacy. At the very least, EA has attracted that much interest from gamers wanting to try out SW:TOR for free. As part of the Lazard Capital Markets Technology & Media Day presentation yester...
Judge denies EA motion to dismiss in $400M Infinity Ward case
By GameSpot, published 17-03-2011
Publisher remains party to Activision suit against former Call of Duty heads Jason West, Vince Zampella; employee-group royalty suit amended with fraud complaints. Activision's effort to have Electronic Arts added to its massive $400 million contract-breach lawsuit against former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella is officially a go. The Los Angeles Times reports today that Northern California Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle dismissed all but one of EA's objections of being added to the suit, paving the way for the trial in May. EA unsuccessfully evaded Activision's grasp. According to the LA Times, Judge Berle cited EA's alleged pursuit of confidential information from West and Zampella as cause for not granting the publisher's motio...
PAX East draws nearly 70,000
By GameSpot, published 14-03-2011
Penny Arcade's Boston show trumps West Coast event with new attendance record for open-to-the-public expo. The Penny Arcade Expo's West Coast confab may have been the first open-to-the-public gaming event organized by its eponymous webcomic creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, but it is no longer the biggest. After speaking with the creative duo's business director Robert Khoo, Big Download reports today that last weekend's PAX East drew a crowd of 69,500 attendees to the three-day event in Boston. With a crowd of near 70,000, peace ain't so easy. PAX East's attendance just edged out PAX Prime 2010, which saw more than 67,600 gamers pack into the Washington State Convention Center last September. The East Coast event's 2011 draw far outpaced the expo'...
PAX East 2011: World Exclusive Demo of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
By GameSpot, published 03-12-2011
We watch as Kurt Schilling’s 38 Studios shows off its upcoming action game to the PAX masses. Who was there: Curt Schilling founder 38 Studios, Ian Frazier, lead systems designer, Joe Quadara, lead combat designer, and several hundred fans anxious to see the developer’s first title. What they talked about: After a brief introduction by Schilling that set the stage for the public debut of 38 Studios’ upcoming title, the mogul ceded the stage to Frazier and Quadara to showcase the RPG that’s being developed by 38 and Big Huge Games. Frazier walked attendees through an extensive demo of the game, driven by Quadara. The demo was basically the same one we recently saw at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference although it was accompanied by the soundtrack of e...
PAX East 2011: World Exclusive Demo of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
By GameSpot, published 03-12-2011
We watch as Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios shows off its upcoming action game to the PAX masses. Who was there: Curt Schilling founder 38 Studios, Ian Frazier, lead systems designer, Joe Quadara, lead combat designer, and several hundred fans anxious to see the developer’s first title. What they talked about: After a brief introduction by Schilling that set the stage for the public debut of 38 Studios’ upcoming title, the mogul ceded the stage to Frazier and Quadara to showcase the RPG that’s being developed by 38 and Big Huge Games. Frazier walked attendees through an extensive demo of the game, driven by Quadara. The demo was basically the same one we recently saw at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference although it was accompanied by the soundtrack of e...
Tribes: Ascend scheduled for XBLA, PC this year
By GameSpot, published 03-11-2011
Global Agenda dev Hi-Rez Studios resurrecting Dynamix's heralded multiplayer shooter franchise for downloadable platforms in late 2011. Prior to being shut down by IAC late last year, InstantAction (aka GarageGames) sold off the rights to its highest-profile gaming franchise, Tribes, to Global Agenda creator Hi-Rez Studios. And as could be expected, Hi-Rez intends to put that IP to use, announcing today at PAX East that it plans to bring Tribes: Ascend to the PC and Xbox 360 during the latter part of this year. Tribes: Ascend is a harbinger of Tribes Universe. Hi-Rez is crafting Tribes: Ascend as a successor to Tribes 2, which received wide acclaim upon its release for the PC in 2001. The game will make use of Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 middleware--...
Talking Co-op Shop In Dungeon Siege III
By GameInformer, published 03-11-2011
Our initial session with Dungeon Siege III detailed classes, combat, and basic lore, painting Obsidian’s upcoming title as Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance meets Mass Effect. In a recent hands-on session at GDC, we got a chance to dive deeper into the action/RPG and get a taste of co-op. Co-op is compatible with two players locally and four players online. We play as Lucas and Anjali, the only two announced characters, in a shared-screen demonstration. A witch named Leona tasks us with purifying a rundown manor, but her motive for exorcising evil from the abode isn’t altruistic. She wishes to gain access to the wealth of information housed in books throughout the home. Our intentions are slightly nobler, having met a female ghost who can’t access the river of souls an...
Grand Theft Auto IV Sales Near 20 Million
By GameInformer, published 03-10-2011
Niko Bellic finally found the American Dream. At the Wedbush Securities Technology, Media & Telecommunications Conference, Take-Two revealed that Rockstar's latest entry in its massively popular sandbox action series has moved nearly 20 million copies. We're not sure if those numbers include the two expansions, The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned, or the Liberty City Stories collection, but the huge returns push sales for the Grand Theft Auto series over the 100 million unit mark. Take Two also revealed sales figures for several other of its more prominent franchises: Red Dead Redemption: 8 million Midnight Club series: 18 million BioShock series: 8 million Civilization series: 10 million Carnival Games series: 7 million Mafia series: 5 million Borderlands...
DC Universe Online hitting PSN 'soon'
By GameSpot, published 03-10-2011
Sony says superhero MMO will be available as a $60 digital download via virtual marketplace in the near future; firm release date not offered. In January, DC Universe Online--Sony's PlayStation 3 and PC superhero massively multiplayer online role-playing game--became Sony Online Entertainment's fastest selling game of all time. The game is currently available at retail for both platforms and as a digital download on PC. However, the title will soon be available in another location. Many hands make (green) light work. According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, DC Universe Online for the PS3 will be available as a full-game download via the PlayStation Network sometime "soon." Unfortunately, Sony did not provide a specific release date. When it does ...
What Would You Want From A Bungie MMO?
By GameInformer, published 03-05-2011
Bungie can't seem to decide if they're actually working on a massively multiplayer game, but let's not let that stop us from speculating some! Bungie became one of the world's best-known and most-loved development studios by creating and growing the popular Halo franchise. Now they've spun off from Microsoft and have a deal inked with Activision to produce a game that -- if all the rumors are to be believed -- may turn out to be some sort of MMO that's likely more action-focused than traditional MMORPGs. So what kind of MMO do you want Bungie to make? How would you like to see them bring innovation to this difficult genre? Leave a comment, and let us know! If you need something to kickstart your thoughts, check out the most recent episode of our MMO podcast, Respe...
UPDATE: Bungie Refuses To Confirm Next Game Is An Action MMO
By GameInformer, published 03-05-2011
UPDATE: Ensuring at least another few months of annoying and tedious speculation and fake rumors, Bungie has stepped back from the comments made by David Aldridge at GDC. According to a post on Bungie's website, Aldridge was making a joke during his presentation that was misinterpreted by some journalists in the audience. HILARIOUS ZINGER, DUDE. Of course, Bungie does not exactly deny that they're making an MMO in the blog post -- they just won't confirm it yet. Thanks to Auston for the tip. ORIGINAL STORY: After dropping hints at GDC Online and some strong rumors last month, Bungie has finally confirmed that its next game is a massively multiplayer action game. The news comes from a Game Developers Conference panel hosted by Bungie lead network engineer David Aldridge. Aldrid...
Game Freak Revitalizes A Beloved Franchise
By GameInformer, published 03-04-2011
Game Freak has spent years building upon a money-making gameplay formula that involves engaging countless critters in addicting rock-paper-scissors style battles on a quest to catch ‘em all. Though the basic mechanics of the franchise have been effective, Pokémon fanatics have been clamoring for the series to evolve for years. While the latest franchise entries, Black and White, don’t necessarily make any major leaps in innovation, they do take steps in the right direction. Professor Juniper kicks off the action by sending our matured protagonist on a lengthy adventure to complete the Pokédex, battle trainers across the expansive Unova region, earn gym badges, and ultimately become the Pokémon champion – pretty much standard fare. While veteran train...
GDC Microtalks: Jaffe, Lemarchand, Brathwaite on gaming's future
By GameSpot, published 03-03-2011
Ten game designers, thinkers, writers, and luminaries get together to talk about what the act of playing means to them. Who was there: David Jaffe (director of Twisted Metal and God of War series, cofounder of Eat Sleep Play); Michael John (creative director at EA); Richard Lemarchand (designer at Naughty Dog); Brenda Brathwaite (industry veteran, game designer, social media and gallery games maker); Asi Burak (copresident of Games for Change, a social impact games collective); Jamin Brophy-Warren (cofounder of Kill Screen magazine); Jason Rohrer (game maker and creator of Cultivation and Passage); Colleen Macklin (associate professor at Parsons the New School for Design); Naomi Clark (game designer, Gamestar Mechanic); and Brandon Boyer (games critic, writer, musician, chairman of the I...
The pros and cons of gamification
By GameSpot, published 03-02-2011
GDC 2011: In a debate-style session, panelists argue the merits of bringing gameplay mechanics to just about everything. Who was there: "The Great Gamification Debate" at this year's Game Developers Conference featured two teams. On the pro-gamification side was Jane McGonigal (Social Chocolate), Margaret Robertson (Hide & Seek), and Jesse Schell (Schell Games). On the other side of the table sat Eric Marcoullier (OneTrueFan), Ross Smith (Microsoft), Ian Bogost (The Georgia Institute of Technology), and Margaret Wallace (Playmatics). Should game mechanics just be seen on game machines? What they talked about: The panel began with members offering their own definitions of gamification. For most, gamification was summed up best by Schell, who said that "...
Rift Developer: MMOs Are The "Most Emotionally Engaging Entertainment"
By GameInformer, published 03-01-2011
The new MMO Rift is the first release from developer Trion Worlds, and it seems to be building a fair amount of buzz in its launch week. Trion CEO Lars Buttler isn't surprised. He says their style of game is bound to be the biggest thing in entertainment's future, and he's got big plans to back it up. In an interview with Gamasutra, Buttler explained why Trion is focused on the MMO market above all else: "It used to be movies. It used to be stand alone video games. I think today the type of stunning, immersive, dynamic, and social worlds we create are probably the most exciting and most emotionally engaging entertainment you can find. That's really what drives us, that's really our reason for being." This idea of massively multiplayer games being so important...
Check Out Halo: Reach Defiant Pack In New Screens, Trailer
By GameInformer, published 28-02-2011
This March 15, Halo: Reach is getting a shot in the proverbial arm with the release of the Defiant Map Pack. For 800 Microsoft Points, players will be able to access three all-new maps and 150 additional achievement points. Take a look at the trailer to see the maps in motion, and then check out screens in the image gallery and read intel on each of the maps, straight from Microsoft. (Please visit the site to view this media) Condemned: Condemned takes place aboard Orbital Station Gamma, a massive space station high in orbit above the planet Reach. Prior to the Covenant’s overwhelming invasion, Orbital Station Gamma provided long range communications for UNSC fleets and a vital lifeline between Reach and Earth. During the Battle of Reach, the station suffered terrible punishment at...
Modern Warfare-themed countdown site a 'hoax' - Activision
By GameSpot, published 28-02-2011
Publisher dismisses Findmakarov.com as "speculation"; online report pegs site as viral marketing for indie film. Last week a Modern Warfare-themed countdown site dubbed Findmakarov.com went live and sparked rumors that Activision would reveal its latest Call of Duty project at this week's Game Developers Conference. Modern Warfare 3? More like Viral Marketing 101. Now, that notion appears to be false. In a statement sent to GameSpot, Activision said the following about the website: "There seems to be a great deal of speculation about the next Call of Duty project. Let me be clear that we are not revealing [anything] yet. Anything indicating otherwise is a hoax." According to Game Slice, the countdown site is not for Modern Warfare 3, but rather it...
Review: Nintendo 3DS
By TechRadar, published 28-02-2011
The UK release of the Nintendo 3DS on 25 March will see Europe welcome the latest offering from arguably the most innovative company in the gaming world.Nintendo is responsible for iconic household names like Super Mario, SNES and Gameboy all of which have made a massive contribution to how we play today.But the Japanese company has also been busy redefining the modern medium with its most recognised bit of kit - the Wii, dragging everyone from nine year old girls to 79-year-old grandaddys around the TV to wave a white remote in the air.Nintendo's current handheld line – the Nintendo DS – has had a similar amount of pull on the public, creating a world where everyone's a gamer. You might be Brain Training on the bus or leaping over spike pits at lunch, either way you're a part of a vid...
Shippin' Out Feb. 27-Mar. 5: Fight Night Champion, Black Ops PS3 DLC
By GameSpot, published 27-02-2011
New release slate highlighted by first M-rated franchise entry and First Strike add-on content for Sony's console; Beyond Good & Evil HD, Rift, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II - Retribution also out. The splendid shooter Killzone 3 and the foul-mouthed Bulletstorm led all releases last week, but this week's focus shifts to hand-to-hand fighting, Call of Duty multiplayer, and a revival of Beyond Good & Evil. Leading the pack this week is EA Sports' Fight Night Champion for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Champion is the first Fight Night game to be rated M for Mature. The game is being billed as one that is "gritty" and "dark," with animations and player damage that "truly conveys the brutality of the sport of boxing." This is the closest any ga...
3DS launches in Japan
By GameSpot, published 26-02-2011
Nintendo fans in Tokyo endure the frigid cold to pick up the new glasses-free 3D handheld. TOKYO--Nintendo released the 3DS in its native Japan this morning, one month ahead of the system's scheduled March 27 release in North America. Chilly February temperatures and strong winds were of little concern to fans who began lining up in the dark predawn hours to get their hands on Nintendo's latest handheld. Yodobashi Camera employees donned their signature sweater vests for the festivities. GameSpot was on the scene at the Yodobashi Camera in Tokyo's Akihabara neighborhood, a massive electronics superstore ranking among the city's largest. Though the crowds were robust, not all were there to pick up a 3DS. As coincidence would have it, there was a new to...
Modern Warfare 3 teaser site opens
By GameSpot, published 25-02-2011
Bare-bones countdown points to further reveal at next week's Game Developers Conference. In 2009, Activision used the Game Developers Choice Awards--the Game Developers Conference's award ceremony--to premiere the trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The preview was a bare-bones affair, with audio clips auguring the controversial content of the now-internationally infamous "No Russian" airport-massacre level. Is this the first glimpse of Modern Warfare 3? Now, it appears history is about to repeat itself--almost. This morning, the site findmakarov.com opened with graphics and sound cues straight out of Modern Warfare 2's ad campaign. The site's title also references Vladimir Makarov, the ultranationalist terrorist who was the primary villain ...
Lego acquires Lego Universe MMOG
By GameSpot, published 25-02-2011
Gazillion sells its rights to massively multiplayer game with "majority" of game's developers offered jobs to continue work on title; layoffs reported. Gazillion's Lego Universe massively multiplayer online game was in development for four years before launching last October, but the game was online for only four months before the developer divested itself of the project. Today, Gazillion announced that it has sold its rights to Lego Universe to The Lego Group, the Denmark company that publishes the game and manufactures the building block toys on which it is based. No purchase price was announced. Now it's up to The Lego Group to put the MMOG's pieces together. As part of the deal, the Lego Group has offered employment to "the majority of the Lego Uni...
Game Informer Show 58: Bulletstorm, Killzone 3
By GameInformer, published 25-02-2011
This week saw a massive showdown in the shooter genre -- People Can Fly/Epic's gonzo Bulletstorm facing off against Guerilla Games/Sony's sci-fi epic Killzone 3. It's still, February, and we already have what could be two of the year's most intense FPS experiences. Things kick off with Bulletstorm, with Andy Reiner, Bryan Vore, and Matt Bertz joining Matt Helgeson to discuss the game that is bringing the crazy back to the shooter genre -- along with some surprising depth. In the second segment, reviewer Matt Miller stops by to talk Killzone 3, the third in Sony's sci-fi FPS franchise. This is the best game in the series, offering intense, hardcore action. Even better -- it might just give you a reason to break out your Move controller. Miller discusses all these topics...
Buying Guide: Best gaming headset: five pairs on test
By TechRadar, published 19-02-2011
If you love playing games but there are other people in the house/office that would rather not be subjected to the sounds of your speakers cranked up to 11, then you should invest in a pair of gaming headphones.But which ones to buy? Here, we've taken a look at five gaming headsets for 2011.1. Sony DR-GA500 - £100 Web: www.sony.co.uk Sony seems to have taken a leaf out of the Mass Effect design book with its headphones, which look like something Commander Shepard would wear while bouncing around the galaxy. They're designed specifically for PC gamers, and they ship with a relatively large digital signal processing unit, which connects to your sound card or USB port. I'm not convinced by the ability of a stereo connector to deliver a 7.1 channel output, as Sony claims. According to Sony's ...
US game sales down 5%, Black Ops tops again - NPD
By GameSpot, published 18-02-2011
Sinking hardware, software sales send overall stateside revenues sliding; Just Dance 2, Dead Space 2, Little Big Planet 2, Zumba Fitness make top 10. Following months of sales declines in 2010, the US game industry started 2011 with…another month of sales declines. According to NPD figures released today, overall sales of PC games, non-PC games, hardware, and accessories sank 5 percent during the January reporting period, going from $1.22 billion to $1.16 billion. Of the various sectors, hardware sank the most, falling 8 percent to $324 million. The only company to release sales figures was Microsoft, which reported that 381,000 Xbox 360s were sold during the month, a 15 percent year-on-year increase. Neither Sony nor Nintendo issued sales figures for their platforms as of p...
US game sales down 5%, Black Ops tops again - NPD
By GameSpot, published 18-02-2011
Sinking hardware, software sales send overall stateside revenues sliding; Just Dance 2, Dead Space 2, Little Big Planet 2, Zumba Fitness make top 10. Following months of sales declines in 2010, the US game industry started 2011 with…another month of sales declines. According to NPD figures released today, overall sales of PC games, non-PC games, hardware, and accessories sank 5 percent during the January reporting period, going from $1.22 billion to $1.16 billion. Of the various sectors, hardware sank the most, falling 8 percent to $324 million. The only company to release sales figures was Microsoft, which reported that 381,000 Xbox 360s were sold during the month, a 15 percent year-on-year increase. Neither Sony nor Nintendo issued sales figures for their platforms as of p...
Cryptic MMOGs lift Atari earnings
By GameSpot, published 17-02-2011
Online revenues soar 493.5%, but publisher's $55.8 million nine-month earnings offset by plummeting packaged goods business. Atari's purchase of Cryptic Studios in late 2008 has proven to be a lifeline for the once-mighty publisher. The company issued its nine-month earnings recap this week, and the report revealed massive losses for its traditional packaged goods business but stratospheric gains from its online revenues. Champions Online is helping to keep Atari alive and kicking. For the nine-month period ended December 31, Atari saw total sales decline 55.7 percent year-over-year to €41 million ($55.8 million). The publisher's performance was hurt by its retail business, which saw earnings slip 74.7 percent to €22.6 million ($30.7 mill...
Star Wars: The Old Republic GM departs
By GameSpot, published 16-02-2011
BioWare studio head Gordon Walton exits Austin development house for VP position at Playdom; EA reiterates "business as usual." Electronic Arts maintains that it will have gotten a return on its investment if BioWare Austin's massively multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic can maintain 500,000 subscribers. Answers to The Old Republic's viability will begin to arrive sometime before March 31, 2012, but the head of BioWare's Austin studio won't be sticking around to receive them firsthand. Gordon Walton Today, EA confirmed that BioWare Austin general manager Gordon Walton resigned his position in January. According to Walton's LinkedIn profile, he did so to take a position with Playdom, which Disney purchased for more than $5...
Watson, Jeopardy and 11 Other Man vs Machine Battles of Epic Proportions
By MaximumPC, published 15-02-2011
The smackdown to end all smackdowns is on right now, baby, and the fate of mankind – nay, the fate of every living thing – hangs in the balance. In Corner #1: An unfeeling, metallic blend of potent software and light-speed hardware named Watson (after IBM founder Thomas J. Watson). Developed by IBM specifically for this particular assignment, Watson is nothing if not formidable. Fuelled by 2,800 Power7 processor cores and a seemingly inconceivable 16 TB of memory, and force-fed some 200 million pages of data over the past few years, it’s locked and loaded with data. But can it "understand" the nuances of the English language, the abstract answer-question Jeopardy format, the idioms, the puns, and the clever word puzzles for which the prime time game show is noted? (Check out the det...
Hands on LG's Optimus 3D
By MaximumPC, published 14-02-2011
To some, 3D is a gimmick but to LG it’s a serious proposition as it rolls out its first 3D-capable smartphone, the LG Optimus 3D. Debuting at Mobile World Congress this week, we nabbed some hands on time with an early production model of the LG Optimus 3D to see what all the three dimensional fuss is about. It’s worth noting at this point that this is handset was not a final version product. The first thing we notice on picking the handset up is that it’s a fair bit heavier than the current batch of smartphones, and chunkier too. With a dearth of physical buttons sullying the front panel, there’s nothing to distract your eye from the lovely 4.3-inch screen; it’s big, crisp and bright when the phone comes to life, even in 2D. Above the screen is a front-mounted camera, presumab...
Mass Effect 2, Red Dead Redemption Dominate 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards
By GameInformer, published 02-11-2011
BioWare's sci-fi RPG landed three awards, including game of the year, while Rockstar's gritty Western wrangled five trophies at the annual DICE awards show. In addition to the Mass Effect 2 accolades, BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk were inducted into the hall of fame for their impressive resumes that include critically acclaimed titles like Dragon Age, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur's Gate, and Jade Empire. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences also awarded former EA bigwigs Bing Gordon and Bill Budge with the lifetime achievement and pioneer awards, respectively. The creators of Heavy Rain, Limbo, and StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty also had nights to remember, with each title garnering multiple awards. "The Interactive Achievement ...
Kings and Castles placed on hold
By GameSpot, published 02-08-2011
Supreme Commander studio Gas Powered Games raises drawbridge on original fantasy RTS, with blame laid on "timing." Last March, Gas Powered Games wrapped development on Supreme Commander 2, the sequel to its sci-fi real-time strategy title that specialized in massive-scale combat. The studio, which is led by veteran designer Chris Taylor, then moved on to the fantasy RTS Kings and Castles, going so far as to produce 35 video blogs to document the game's preproduction phase. However, it appears as if development on that title has come to a standstill. Kings aren't really the sort to be placed on hold, but alas. Speaking to Big Download over the weekend, Taylor confirmed that Kings and Castles has been placed on indefinite hold. The game had previously been s...
BlizzCon is on for Oct. 21-22
By GameSpot, published 02-07-2011
Annual convention of all things Blizzard will once again be held at the Anaheim Convention Center this fall. Traditionally, BlizzCon has been held either in August or October. Today, organizer Blizzard Entertainment announced that the annual convention dedicated to its games will arrive during the latter month from October 21-22, in virtually the same slot as last year's October 22-23 expo. Massive statues of in-game characters are just one highlight of BlizzCon. The announcement did not say when tickets for the event would go on sale. Last year, they went on sale in June and--as has been the case for the past several years--sold out in a matter of minutes. The rapid sellouts came despite a premium price point, with last year's tickets costing $150 e...
Zombie apocalypse game lurching onto Xbox Live
By GameSpot, published 02-03-2011
Microsoft to publish Undead Labs' inaugural game exclusively on its online gaming service; open-world title will serve as foundation for horror MMOG. With The Walking Dead getting stellar TV ratings last fall, zombies continue to be all the rage. The latest media offering to feature the undead apocalypse was announced today in the form of an upcoming exclusive title for Xbox Live. Code-named "Class3," the title will be an "open-world zombie-survival game" and will support one to two players for online or split-screen co-op. The zombie apocalypse is headed to Xbox Live. No release window was given for Class3, which is in development at Seattle-area studio Undead Labs. The third-person title will have shooting and driving elements, as well as melee combat a...
Square Enix sales slide 28%
By GameSpot, published 02-03-2011
Role-playing game giant's revenues, profits dip dramatically in first nine months of fiscal year; president touts changes to choose titles more wisely. It's unfortunate that Square Enix pushed the release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution into its next fiscal year because the company could use a little divine intervention these days. The publisher today announced its financial results for the nine-months ended December 31, 2010, revealing steep declines in both sales and net profits. Dystopian future aside, Deus Ex is a reason for optimism for Square Enix. Through the first three quarters of its fiscal year, Square Enix touted sales of ¥98 billion ($1.2 billion), a 28 percent slide year-over-year. Net income fared even worse, as the company's ¥1.8...
Star Wars: The Old Republic only needs 500K subscribers - EA
By GameSpot, published 02-02-2011
CEO John Riccitiello claims that the forthcoming sci-fi MMORPG will be "substantially profitable" with just a half-million subscribers. During a conference call with analysts following Electronic Arts' earnings report yesterday, executives did not comment on recent reports that Star Wars: The Old Republic has been delayed to September. They did say BioWare's massively multiplayer role-playing game will still ship during the publisher's 2012 fiscal year, which runs from April 1, 2011, to March 31, 2012. Previously, the game had been slated for a spring 2011 release window. Star Wars: The Old Republic will need only 500,000 subscribers to be profitable, says EA. While tight-lipped on The Old Republic's date, EA CEO John Riccitiello was quite chatty ab...
Render Script / 3D Applications Impress at Google Android Honeycomb Event
By SlashGear, published 02-02-2011
Flowing through items like the Music app, YouTube, and Google’s book store are shown to be working miraculously well, looking amazing sliding back and forth, up and down. All of this done with Render Script, an element on the developer side of things designed to give devs the ability to create new and amazing graphics and user interface features never before possible. Another app shown to feature the capabilities of this new Honeycomb 3D rendering environment was Google’s body app, showing all the parts of the body, taking away or adding layers as you wish, moving smoothly to show you what’s going on in your body, and which bone you’d like to describe as broken to your doctor. A group of game designers step on stage and show the fabulous looking hack-and-slash gam...
Monster Hunter Portable 3 ships 4 million
By GameSpot, published 02-02-2011
Capcom's nine-month revenues grow 41.6%, profit spikes 294%; Dead Rising 2, Super Street Fighter IV, Lost Planet 2 all sell-in 1 million-plus. Capcom can't seem to lose when a new installment in its massively popular Monster Hunter franchise is on the docket. Today, the Japanese publisher reported impressive nine-month results that were boosted largely by the PSP sensation Monster Hunter Portable 3, as well as assists from Dead Rising 2 and Super Street Fighter IV. Who says PSP games don't sell? For the nine-month fiscal period ended December 31, 2010, Capcom reported net revenue of ¥70.77 billion ($866 million), a 41.6 percent increase compared to the same period a year ago. Profit for the period saw a monstrous increase during the April-Decemb...
Medal of Honor, Hot Pursuit ship 5 million
By GameSpot, published 02-01-2011
EA's rocky holiday quarter results in $1.05 billion in revenue, $322 net loss during three-month period; EA Sports Active 2 "well below expectations." If there's one quarter where a publisher wants to best its performance from the prior year, it's the highly lucrative holiday window. Unfortunately, such was not the case for Electronic Arts. NFS Hot Pursuit has amassed quite a following for EA. Today, the megapublisher issued its third-quarter earnings report for the October-December window, revealing net revenue fell 15 percent to $1.05 billion, down from $1.24 billion during the year prior. Net losses also mounted during the period, plummeting to $322 million from an already-substantial $82 million last year. EA was quick to point out that exclud...
Hands On This Hack n' Slasher
By GameInformer, published 28-01-2011
This might be the most misleadingly named game of 2011. Dungeon Siege III is being developed by a different studio, marketed by a new publisher, and draws little from the first two games except for backstory. Don't let that discourage your interest, though. Our hands-on time with the first two hours of the game revealed an action/RPG that plays like Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance with a splash of Mass Effect. Whichever class you choose to play as, you'll meet up with the others in the game's first hours. We only had the opportunity to check out the Guardian class, embodied by fantasy hero archetype Lucas. Our enemies are rent asunder by giant sweeps of Lucas' massive two-handed sword or dissected by the focused strikes of his sword-and-board style, depending on the encou...
Updated: 40 best iPhone games - paid apps
By TechRadar, published 28-01-2011
There are now tens of thousands of games on the App Store, covering every genre. Huge studios battle it out with bedroom coders, providing iOS gamers with a mix of blockbuster titles and novel creations full of innovation and personality. Below we list our 40 favourite paid-for games for iPhone and iPod touch; if we've missed your top game, let us know what it is in the comments!Don't forget that universal apps also work natively on the iPad.1. Angry Birds - £0.59The moral of Angry Birds is that if you're a hungry pig, don't steal eggs from crazed birds with a death-wish, who also happen to own a massive catapult. If you're one of the 17 people who've not yet sampled this artillery classic, you fling angry birds at ramshackle structures, aiming to dispatch the pigs lurking within. Ingenio...
Star Wars: The Old Republic delayed - Report
By GameSpot, published 26-01-2011
BioWare sources cited for tip that long-awaited space-bound MMORPG will miss projected spring 2011 debut, with launch now planned for September. A year ago Electronic Arts announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic--BioWare's massively multiplayer online role-playing game take on the esteemed film series--would arrive during the spring 2011 window. However, according to one report, the publisher was a bit ambitious with that date. The force of delay is strong with The Old Republic, it seems. Game business site MCV is reporting that sources within BioWare have informed it that the long-awaited PC MMORPG will arrive at an undisclosed date in September. As of press time EA had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment or clarification on the purpor...
Future Final Fantasy XIV Updates Detailed
By GameInformer, published 24-01-2011
Continuing a trend of transparency in regards to the massive Final Fantasy XIV overhaul currently underway, project Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida recently updated The Lodestone with a slew of new information. Yoshida went to great detail about pending updates, using results from the recent Final Fantasy XIV Player’s Poll to explain how feedback will dictate the game's future. The poll was made available to users with a Square Enix account, and results came in from Japan, North America, and Europe. According to Yoshida, information gleamed from the poll was quite useful in providing direction. Per the results, 56.8 percent of participants spend their time in Eorzea battling, while only 4.6 percent use their sessions for social behavior. This concerned Yoshida and the team, ...
DC Universe Online SOE's fastest-selling game ever
By GameSpot, published 24-01-2011
President of Sony Online Entertainment announces superhero MMORPG is an instant hit; tops the Steam software sales leaderboards; PS3 sales not announced. Sony Online Entertainment's massively multiplayer online role-playing game DC Universe Online is proving to be a massive success for its maker. According to the publisher, the title has used its superhuman strength to become SOE's fastest-selling game ever. The news comes via the Twitter post of SOE president John Smedley, who said the game is evaporating from store shelves. DC Universe Online is performing like a superhero. "Working on out-of-stock problems for DCUO," he said. "It's out [sic] fastest selling game ever. Should have more inventory in Monday." Smedley also used the social networking ...
Test Drive Unlimited 2 goes gold
By GameSpot, published 21-01-2011
Atari's racing title gets green flag for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on February 8 in North America, March 11 in EU. Atari sent word today that following a delay in August, Eden Games' Test Drive Unlimited 2's engine is revved and ready to debut for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on February 8 in North America. Test Drive Unlimited 2, now gilded and ready for release next month. Test Drive Unlimited 2--due out in Europe on March 11--is being touted as a game that "blends the single and multiplayer experiences seamlessly" by offering gamers what it calls M.O.O.R., an acronym that stands for Massively Open Online Racing. Additionally, the title sports a day/night cycle, vehicle damage, and weather-based effects, as well as various cos...
Red Faction: Armageddon - Xbox360 - Preview
By Game Revolution, published 21-01-2011
Destruction of biblical proportions. Mars, the red planet. The Red Faction planet. Yes, it seems that this dusty rock cannot go more than a generation without destruction and despair. Just when the miners get back to work, free from the tyranny of the Ultor Corporation, or the EDF, or whoever, tragedy strikes. The massive transformer that gives Mars breathable air gets destroyed, causing the kind of chaos and storms that would give The Weather Channel wet dreams. To add to the problems, the surface is then smashed by a meteor, forcing everyone to live underground. [image1]It's here we meet our hero Darius Mason - yes, from the same family as in Guerrilla. He is busy down in the Mars mine shafts when he is tricked into opening a long dormant shaft which releases a race of evil alien...
Red Faction: Armageddon - PC - Preview
By Game Revolution, published 21-01-2011
Destruction of biblical proportions. Mars, the red planet. The Red Faction planet. Yes, it seems that this dusty rock cannot go more than a generation without destruction and despair. Just when the miners get back to work, free from the tyranny of the Ultor Corporation, or the EDF, or whoever, tragedy strikes. The massive transformer that gives Mars breathable air gets destroyed, causing the kind of chaos and storms that would give The Weather Channel wet dreams. To add to the problems, the surface is then smashed by a meteor, forcing everyone to live underground. [image1]It's here we meet our hero Darius Mason - yes, from the same family as in Guerrilla. He is busy down in the Mars mine shafts when he is tricked into opening a long dormant shaft which releases a race of evil alien...
Red Faction: Armageddon - PS3 - Preview
By Game Revolution, published 21-01-2011
Destruction of biblical proportions. Mars, the red planet. The Red Faction planet. Yes, it seems that this dusty rock cannot go more than a generation without destruction and despair. Just when the miners get back to work, free from the tyranny of the Ultor Corporation, or the EDF, or whoever, tragedy strikes. The massive transformer that gives Mars breathable air gets destroyed, causing the kind of chaos and storms that would give The Weather Channel wet dreams. To add to the problems, the surface is then smashed by a meteor, forcing everyone to live underground. [image1]It's here we meet our hero Darius Mason - yes, from the same family as in Guerrilla. He is busy down in the Mars mine shafts when he is tricked into opening a long dormant shaft which releases a race of evil alien...
Sledgehammer, Raven sharing Modern Warfare 3 duties - Report
By GameSpot, published 20-01-2011
LA Times sources claim Infinity Ward is receiving big-time help on this year's Call of Duty installment, said to be due in November. Sledgehammer Games formed under Activision's auspices in 2009, and it became apparent quite quickly that the studio would be working on the publisher's massively popular Call of Duty franchise. However, much confusion has surrounded the nature of Sledgehammer's project, with it initially billed as an action adventure, only to later take on the appearance of a first-person shooter. Infinity Ward's reportedly being given a helping hand. Now, an explanation for that confusion appears to have surfaced, courtesy of the Los Angeles Times. According to the newspaper's online blog, Sledgehammer Games, along with Raven Software,...
Hands on: Nintendo 3DS review
By TechRadar, published 20-01-2011
It's fairly clear that the powers that be at Nintendo HD in Japan firmly believe that 3D is the future. "The 3DS will change gaming… again," executives said at the launch conference, citing the company's track record with the Wii and Wii Fit. The questions are: is their faith in the technology going to translate to a real game changer? And is tacking on the clever autosteroscopic 3D screen to ageing DS technology really the best way to take us to this utopian three-dimensional future?From the outset, any kind of critique of the 3DS needs to be tempered with the very big disclaimer that the autosteroscopic 3D is very much a "suck it and see" technology. For some, the addition of a genuinely well-designed top screen, the fact that it allows you to see 3D very effectively without the need f...
Red Dead Redemption, Enslaved, God of War lead IAA nominees
By GameSpot, published 20-01-2011
Rockstar Western leads the pack with nine nods for Interactive Achievement Awards, Namco Bandai action game and Sony's mythological trilogy caper secure six nominations each. If it's an honor just to be nominated, no game has been honored more by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences this year than Red Dead Redemption. The AIAS announced the finalists for its 14th annual Interactive Achievement Awards, giving Rockstar San Diego's open-world Western shooter nominations in nine different categories--including Game of the Year--more than any other title. Red Dead Redemption could be adding to its trophy case. Red Dead Redemption has already been named GameSpot's 2010 Game of the Year and was among the nominees for the Game Developers Choice Award...
-
MAG : Massive Action Game : (7.5/10)
5 expert reviews
0 user reviews
-
Mafia 2 : (8.1/10)
17 expert reviews
0 user reviews
-
Madden NFL Football : (4.7/10)
4 expert reviews
0 user reviews
-
Madden NFL 12 : (7/10)
1 expert reviews
0 user reviews
