Thursday, August 4, 2011
Rebecca Mayes Live Show | Batman Arkham Asylum PS3
here were lots of songs between Madworld and Batman, and every last one of them almost killed me. I was often left at a loss as to what I should do. Ghostbusters, Bionic Commando, Wolverine, Worms, Overlord 2 and Velvet Assassin.
A lot of times I had the ideas but I just couldn't pull them off. More often than not I'd use my friends, or parties I went to but these didn't necessarily got he way I wanted them too.
Batman was a song where I managed to have more fun dressing up as the four characters. It wasn't like a total stress, although it seemed like an impossible feat to make the four costumes. The costumes were always crap, but that was part of the fun I think and I'd always make such a mess and have about a week's worth of cleaning to do after finishing the songs -- my things would be all over the place.
Batman was another song where I enjoyed experimenting with different instruments. In this one though I got into percussion and the track you hear is me just banging various things I could get my hands on.
I wanted to capture the whole Batman phenomena in the song, his relationships and how he doesn't actually kill anyone. It was all a bit of a balm to my conscience playing the game - a bit of a relief not to have to kill people.
A lot of times I had the ideas but I just couldn't pull them off. More often than not I'd use my friends, or parties I went to but these didn't necessarily got he way I wanted them too.
Batman was a song where I managed to have more fun dressing up as the four characters. It wasn't like a total stress, although it seemed like an impossible feat to make the four costumes. The costumes were always crap, but that was part of the fun I think and I'd always make such a mess and have about a week's worth of cleaning to do after finishing the songs -- my things would be all over the place.
Batman was another song where I enjoyed experimenting with different instruments. In this one though I got into percussion and the track you hear is me just banging various things I could get my hands on.
I wanted to capture the whole Batman phenomena in the song, his relationships and how he doesn't actually kill anyone. It was all a bit of a balm to my conscience playing the game - a bit of a relief not to have to kill people.
Congratulations Batman - Lyrics
Congratulations Batman You're the game of the year And they all sing your praises Batman You're the man of the hour Even Yahtzee couldn't find enough to spank your bat-behind But do you want to know, what it is that I like about you? If you care to know what it is that I like about you, it's this I didn't have to kill anyone No I didn't have to kill anyone No blood on your hands this time my girl So a word of praise for your gadgets and of course the outfit I guess the story's not too desperate And for your enemies I'm affectionate But do you want to know, what it is that I like about you? If you care to know what it is that I like about you, it's this I didn't have to kill anyone No I didn't have to kill anyone No blood on your hands this time my girl Cause how could we not, love your good hea
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
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Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition Review
The Good
- Solid, fun fighting
- All four new characters are interesting additions
- Across the board character balancing.
The Bad
- No Challenge mode for new characters.
With Super Street Fighter IV, Capcom made some significant changes to the original, adding in 10 new characters and selectable ultras, as well as overhauling the game's online features. Arcade Edition isn't as ambitious in scope, so the game feels and plays much like its predecessor. (Check out our full review of Super Street Fighter IV). The most apparent additions are the four new characters Arcade Edition brings, bringing the game's total roster up to 39 fighters. Street Fighter III veterans Yun and Yang skateboard and rollerblade their way back in (respectively), while Ryu gets a villainous makeover as Evil Ryu. The last new character slot is filled by Oni, an even nastier version of Akuma.
While Yun and Yang might superficially look and play similarly, the only thing they truly share is their similar rushdown style of offence. Both characters are effective for getting into an opponent's face and pressuring with fast strikes. For players not used to Yun and Yang's aggression, they can be tricky to fight against (particularly online, where the twins have become favorites). Evil Ryu plays like a mix of Ryu and Akuma, with additional moves like an Akuma-like teleport and a wicked axe-kick. Oni, on the other hand, is a mixture of Akuma and Gouken, sporting a ridiculous number of projectile attacks and easy combo potential. Both of the dark hado characters also pack a mean punch, dishing out high damage and making them dangerous characters in expert hands. The trade-off, however, is low health. In fact, all four of the new character's offensive strengths are balanced out by relatively less staying power, particularly Evil Ryu and Oni.
Because Evil Ryu and Oni are essentially souped-up versions of characters like Ken, Ryu, Sagat, and others, Yun and Yang are the most interesting additions to the roster. Those wanting to brush up their skills on the newcomers, however, might find the early going tough because none of the new characters have been incorporated into the game's Challenge mode. Challenge mode--a series of trials set for each character that effectively taught players different combos--was the best way to get to grips with an unfamiliar fighter in the previous incarnations of Street Fighter IV, given the paucity of other training options within the game. Without challenges for the four additions, you'll have to look elsewhere for advanced tips on how to improve your game.
As for the other 35 fighters on the roster, they've all experienced some changes as part of an overall tweaking of the game's balance. Some of the changes are quite noticeable (Akuma and Ryu's air hurricane kick, for example, has had its jump arc modified to make it tougher to run away with, while Guile's flash kick damage has been nerfed), while most have had subtler tweaks made to attack damage, recovery, hit boxes, or frame counts. The majority of these changes only really affect high-level play, and for casual or moderate players, their favorite characters will still handle much as they have previously, and the overall gameplay experience will feel very similar to Super Street Fighter IV.
Unlike vanilla Street Fighter IV and its Super incarnation, online play between Super Street Fighter IV and Arcade Edition is not mutually exclusive. In Arcade Edition, you can choose to either play other Arcade or Super players online, with the game letting you choose which version to look for (Super owners, however, won't be able to play you online if you're set to Arcade Edition). "Downgrading" to Super will also turn off the balancing that Arcade Edition introduces, which could be a handy fallback if you're not happy with how your favorite character has been changed. Online play is seamless, with only matches with players from the other side of the world experiencing any sort of lag.
Arcade Edition comes in two flavors--either as a download via the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live to upgrade an existing Super Street Fighter IV copy or as a budget-priced retail box that includes the entire game. For Super owners, Arcade Edition isn't a dramatic overhaul of the game, and its worth really depends on how competitive you want to stay when playing online. But for those who haven't picked up Street Fighter IV, the low price point of the boxed version of Arcade Edition makes it a great entry point into this outstanding fighting game. Street Fighter IV is a tight, fun, and competitive brawler with a healthy online community, and Arcade Edition is the most complete and comprehensive version of it yet.
PlayStation Store Update: L.A. Noire DLC, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Sony's online marketplace hosts a range of new content this week, including Ezio's newest adventure as a full-game download and a trial for Atlus' Catherine. However, it's Rockstar Games that is bringing the biggest of the week's new releases, hoping that crime does in fact pay.
Leading the charge today on the PlayStation Network is the Reefer Madness ($4) downloadable content for Rockstar Games' well-received 1940s sleuther L.A. Noire. The new case tasks players with pursuing and bringing to justice a Los Angeles drug dealer who trades in heroin, morphine, and marijuana.
Switching to the PlayStation 3 game download hub, Sony added just one new title today, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood ($40). The stealth action game follows the long-knifed Ezio as he once again hunts down the Templars, but this entry has a twist. Instead of fighting alone, Ezio will recruit an army of killers to fight alongside him.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood also features a multiplayer component, a first for the popular series. In this game mode, players will receive contracts for the heads of other players. They must sneak around the multiplayer environments and kill their opponents before they fall by the knife to another player.
Gamers hoping to try before they buy this week can grab a demo for Catherine today on Xbox Live. The sampler gives gamers a first look at and feel for Atlus' puzzle adventure game, which is due out in full on July 26.
Living room rockstars can grab new tunes for the Rock Band franchise today. New songs added to the PlayStation Network include two tunes from Christian rock band P.O.D. and one song each from Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Erasure. Songs are available for $2 each.
A full list of the week's deals and new PlayStation Store content, including themes, wallpapers, demos, discounts, and add-on content, is available on the PlayStation Blog.
Leading the charge today on the PlayStation Network is the Reefer Madness ($4) downloadable content for Rockstar Games' well-received 1940s sleuther L.A. Noire. The new case tasks players with pursuing and bringing to justice a Los Angeles drug dealer who trades in heroin, morphine, and marijuana.
Detective Phelps, making a loud house call.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood also features a multiplayer component, a first for the popular series. In this game mode, players will receive contracts for the heads of other players. They must sneak around the multiplayer environments and kill their opponents before they fall by the knife to another player.
Gamers hoping to try before they buy this week can grab a demo for Catherine today on Xbox Live. The sampler gives gamers a first look at and feel for Atlus' puzzle adventure game, which is due out in full on July 26.
Living room rockstars can grab new tunes for the Rock Band franchise today. New songs added to the PlayStation Network include two tunes from Christian rock band P.O.D. and one song each from Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Erasure. Songs are available for $2 each.
A full list of the week's deals and new PlayStation Store content, including themes, wallpapers, demos, discounts, and add-on content, is available on the PlayStation Blog.
EA taking Army of Two, Skate, more offline
Earlier today, Electronic Arts purchased PopCap Games for at least $750 million, opening a new chapter in the Plants vs. Zombies and Bejeweled franchises. However, EA is also ending the era of multiple games, today announcing its plan to take a long list of games offline for good.
According to EA's updated Service Updates page, the publisher will turn off online capabilities for Army of Two (Xbox 360, PS3), Skate (Xbox 360, PS3), Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (Xbox 360), Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (PSP, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii), and more on August 11. For the full list of games that will have their online components shut down next month, see the EA's website.
EA will continue the deactivation wave on October 1, when the publisher shuts down online functionality for NHL 10 (PS3, Xbox 360) and Madden NFL 10 (PS3, Xbox 360).
EA noted that the reason these games are going to be shut down is because they account for less than 1 percent of total traffic, and so that EA's IT staff is free to focus on games users are more actively playing.
Army of Two's online component will soon be an army of zero.
EA will continue the deactivation wave on October 1, when the publisher shuts down online functionality for NHL 10 (PS3, Xbox 360) and Madden NFL 10 (PS3, Xbox 360).
EA noted that the reason these games are going to be shut down is because they account for less than 1 percent of total traffic, and so that EA's IT staff is free to focus on games users are more actively playing.
South Park seconds coming to Xbox 360
Unlike the aesthetically crude Comedy Central show it was based upon, South Park's first brush with gaming in the late '90s was objectively not good. However, Microsoft and Comedy Central went a long way to righting the franchise in gamers' minds with their 2009 tower-defense title South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play.
Now, it appears as if a second South Park game is headed exclusively to the Xbox 360. Speaking to Joystiq, 345 Games creative director Prithvi Virasinghe confirmed that his studio is collaborating with Microsoft on a new title based on the tiny-town travails of Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman.
"Right now, South Park is actually in a first-party deal with Microsoft Studios, who published the first game, and they're doing a second game as well," Virasinghe said. The head of 345 Games, which is Comedy Central's internal game development arm, went on to note that the second South Park game will mark the end of its exclusivity deal with Microsoft. Additional details on the title were not revealed.
Beyond South Park, Virasinghe also indicated that he'd like to create a game based upon mock right-wing talk show host Stephen Colbert. "It has to be the right combination of game idea meets property," he said.
Microsoft had not responded to a request for comment as of press time. For more on the original South Park title for Xbox Live.
Now, it appears as if a second South Park game is headed exclusively to the Xbox 360. Speaking to Joystiq, 345 Games creative director Prithvi Virasinghe confirmed that his studio is collaborating with Microsoft on a new title based on the tiny-town travails of Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Cartman.
"Right now, South Park is actually in a first-party deal with Microsoft Studios, who published the first game, and they're doing a second game as well," Virasinghe said. The head of 345 Games, which is Comedy Central's internal game development arm, went on to note that the second South Park game will mark the end of its exclusivity deal with Microsoft. Additional details on the title were not revealed.
South Park may be goin' back down to Xbox Live.
Microsoft had not responded to a request for comment as of press time. For more on the original South Park title for Xbox Live.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Sony unsure if credit card info compromised in PSN outage - Report
As if the fact the ongoing PlayStation Network outage entering its sixth day wasn't bad enough news for Sony, now comes word that the company isn't sure if the service's 75 million subscribers have had their personal information compromised.
According to a PC World report, Sony spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka said that the company had "not yet determined" if the confidentiality of PSN users' personal or credit card information had been undermined by the "external intrusion" that brought the network down. As of press time, Sony Computer Entertainment reps had not responded to requests for comment on the matter, and the official PlayStation Blog had not offered any updates on the situation regarding PSN users' information.
The cloud of uncertainty over the security of users' information is the latest development in the ongoing PSN outage saga. The crisis began Wednesday evening, when Sony took down the service with little explanation. Two days later, the hacker collective known as Anonymous--which had previously mounted attacks on the PSN--announced it was not sanctioning action against the PlayStation 3 and PSP's online service.
Then, late Friday, Sony revealed an "external intrusion" was behind the PSN outage, and said that it was conducting an investigation into the incident. Then, late Saturday, the company announced it was rebuilding the PSN infrastructure to ensure "additional security" would be added to the network.
According to a PC World report, Sony spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka said that the company had "not yet determined" if the confidentiality of PSN users' personal or credit card information had been undermined by the "external intrusion" that brought the network down. As of press time, Sony Computer Entertainment reps had not responded to requests for comment on the matter, and the official PlayStation Blog had not offered any updates on the situation regarding PSN users' information.
The cloud of uncertainty over the security of users' information is the latest development in the ongoing PSN outage saga. The crisis began Wednesday evening, when Sony took down the service with little explanation. Two days later, the hacker collective known as Anonymous--which had previously mounted attacks on the PSN--announced it was not sanctioning action against the PlayStation 3 and PSP's online service.
Then, late Friday, Sony revealed an "external intrusion" was behind the PSN outage, and said that it was conducting an investigation into the incident. Then, late Saturday, the company announced it was rebuilding the PSN infrastructure to ensure "additional security" would be added to the network.
Mario Kart sliding onto 3DS in 2011 - Report
Thus far, Nintendo has been slow with bringing many of its heralded franchises to the 3DS, but that doesn't mean that they won't be coming by year's end. Earlier this month, Nintendo attached a June 19 release date to Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and said that Super Mario 3DS would touch down in 2011. Now, it appears as if the same can be said for Mario Kart 3DS.
French site Gamekyo reports that Nintendo design chief Shigeru Miyamoto attended a press event in Paris last week, at which the Mario creator purportedly stated that Mario Kart 3DS will arrive in 2011. The title was among the first shown by Nintendo for its glasses-free 3D handheld, which went on sale in the US last month.
Nintendo has thus far offered gamers little information on what they can expect from the most recent installment in the long-running kart racing franchise. At its E3 2010 unveil, the game was shown to feature Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach racing outside the damsel-in-distress' castle. Miyamoto reportedly said to expect more information on the title at this year's E3 in June.
Beyond offering a broad window for Mario Kart 3DS, Miyamoto also offered a few tantalizing details concerning the Wii 2, confirmed today as arriving in 2012. According to Gamekyo's report, the publisher has been toying with the idea of letting gamers use the 3DS as a controller for its next console, which is also rumored to have a tablet add-on.
Nintendo had not returned a request for comment as of press time.
French site Gamekyo reports that Nintendo design chief Shigeru Miyamoto attended a press event in Paris last week, at which the Mario creator purportedly stated that Mario Kart 3DS will arrive in 2011. The title was among the first shown by Nintendo for its glasses-free 3D handheld, which went on sale in the US last month.
Nintendo has thus far offered gamers little information on what they can expect from the most recent installment in the long-running kart racing franchise. At its E3 2010 unveil, the game was shown to feature Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach racing outside the damsel-in-distress' castle. Miyamoto reportedly said to expect more information on the title at this year's E3 in June.
Beyond offering a broad window for Mario Kart 3DS, Miyamoto also offered a few tantalizing details concerning the Wii 2, confirmed today as arriving in 2012. According to Gamekyo's report, the publisher has been toying with the idea of letting gamers use the 3DS as a controller for its next console, which is also rumored to have a tablet add-on.
Nintendo had not returned a request for comment as of press time.
Infamous 2 beta extended
Since April 12, a select group of PlayStation 3 owners have been beta-testing Infamous 2's create-a-mission mode to create and share their own twists on the open-world action title's gameplay. But with the PlayStation Network down for six days and counting, developer Sucker Punch has decided to extend the beta test to make up for lost time.
The studio posted about the extension on its Twitter page today, saying, "We've decided to extend the beta. Once PSN is back up we'll determine by how long, but rest assured: your outcry has been heard."
The PSN outage has also kept Sucker Punch from distributing more beta keys to its fan base. The developer said that giving out keys that people wouldn't be able to redeem "would be cruel and unusual."
Infamous 2 will see Cole leave the metropolis of Empire City and travel to New Marais, a city based on New Orleans. Along the way, he faces the same narrative duality of choosing to either help or hinder humankind. Once he arrives at his destination, he must face an evil entity simply called "the Beast."
The PlayStation 3 exclusive will be available June 7 as a $60 stand-alone title or as part of a previously revealed $100 Hero Edition. The latter will come with an 8.5-inch Cole MacGrath statue, a sling pack modeled after Cole's own in-game gear, an Infamous mini comic from DC Comics, the official Infamous 2 Hero Edition Soundtrack, and a voucher code for unidentified in-game content.
The studio posted about the extension on its Twitter page today, saying, "We've decided to extend the beta. Once PSN is back up we'll determine by how long, but rest assured: your outcry has been heard."
The PSN outage has also kept Sucker Punch from distributing more beta keys to its fan base. The developer said that giving out keys that people wouldn't be able to redeem "would be cruel and unusual."
Infamous 2 will see Cole leave the metropolis of Empire City and travel to New Marais, a city based on New Orleans. Along the way, he faces the same narrative duality of choosing to either help or hinder humankind. Once he arrives at his destination, he must face an evil entity simply called "the Beast."
The PlayStation 3 exclusive will be available June 7 as a $60 stand-alone title or as part of a previously revealed $100 Hero Edition. The latter will come with an 8.5-inch Cole MacGrath statue, a sling pack modeled after Cole's own in-game gear, an Infamous mini comic from DC Comics, the official Infamous 2 Hero Edition Soundtrack, and a voucher code for unidentified in-game content.
Gears of War 3 beta schedule detailed
Those who purchased the Epic Edition of Bulletstorm have been mutilating one another in the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta test for a week at this point. Those who forwent Bulletstorm in favor of simply preordering Gears of War 3 will be pleased to know that they, too, can now rev their lancers and launch into the fray.
Along with announcing the opening of the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta, Epic delineated a schedule for what players can expect over the next several weeks. Up first will be the Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill modes, which will be tested from April 25-May 1. Gamers will be able to engage one another in the Thrashball, Checkout, and Trenches maps.
From May 2-8, Epic will open up the Capture the Leader game type as well as the Old Town scenario. The last week of the beta--May 9-15--sees gamers able to launch into any of the three battle modes on any of the four maps.
Epic is also planning a few incentives to keep gamers engaged with the beta. These include exclusive medals, weapon skins, and character model variants that will carry over to the retail edition of Gears of War 3 when it launches for the Xbox 360 on September 20.
Along with announcing the opening of the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta, Epic delineated a schedule for what players can expect over the next several weeks. Up first will be the Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill modes, which will be tested from April 25-May 1. Gamers will be able to engage one another in the Thrashball, Checkout, and Trenches maps.
From May 2-8, Epic will open up the Capture the Leader game type as well as the Old Town scenario. The last week of the beta--May 9-15--sees gamers able to launch into any of the three battle modes on any of the four maps.
Epic is also planning a few incentives to keep gamers engaged with the beta. These include exclusive medals, weapon skins, and character model variants that will carry over to the retail edition of Gears of War 3 when it launches for the Xbox 360 on September 20.
Conduit 2 Review
The Good
- Irreverent, B-move-caliber story
- Labyrinthine levels with plenty of secrets
- Varied artistic design
- Exciting boss fights.
The Bad
- Hilariously awful AI
- Classic Controller issues.
Conduit 2 is a breath of fresh air in a genre that takes itself far too seriously. Breaking away from the shackles that made The Conduit an insipid chore, this unrestrained sequel addresses every concern from the first game with a jester's aplomb. Gone is the overly dramatic story that made government conspiracies as banal as a tour through a doorknob factory, replaced by a tongue-in-cheek narrative that revels in preposterous logic. The paint-by-numbers level design has been tossed in the scrap heap as well. You travel the globe in Conduit 2, and the circuitous layouts make it fun to figure out where to go next. There are even thrilling set-piece moments mixed in, culminating in a number of over-the-top boss fights that provide an explosive change from the normal action. That's not to say Conduit 2 is without fault. The core action is mired in problems, ranging from hapless AI to predictable combat, and the lifeless multiplayer fails to build on the cartoonish charm of the campaign. But Conduit 2 rises above these complaints. It has a style all its own, and though it has its fair share of issues, you'll still have a smile on your face the whole time.
When the story begins, it's impossible to tell if it's a serious attempt to relay the plot of another alien-themed conspiracy cover-up, or if it's making fun of genre cliches. Mr. Ford is a surly, take-no-guff protagonist, and his guttural growls make it easy to dismiss him as another run-of-the-mill tough guy. But it soon becomes apparent that you aren't meant to take this goofy story seriously, and the outlandish plot provides more than a few laugh-out-loud moments. Take, for example, the taunting words of one late-game boss. After you shoot him in the head for nearly 10 minutes, he bellows at you that he's through negotiating. In another amusing exchange, Ford questions why the architecture of the building he's in seems to repeat. Your helpful friend responds that time and money force designers to reuse assets, just like in video games. It's moments like this that make it easy to just relax and enjoy the show. Conduit 2 isn't particularly smart or insightful, but it has enough silly banter to make the story enjoyable.
The Conduit was heralded for its outstanding controls, and the precision offered by the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combo is just as impressive the second time around. Now the Classic Controller is an option as well, and though it's not nearly as accurate as the standard scheme, it's a welcome addition for those who would rather use a dual-stick setup. There are some notable issues, though. You may have to slam on the duck button multiple times before your avatar reacts, for example, and aiming is far too touchy, even after you tweak the sensitivity settings. These quirks are annoying, but they won't impede your progress thanks to the laughable artificial intelligence. Enemies act more like vaudevillian performers than trained mercenaries. You may see a soldier take cover against a wall of air or perform a somersault and forget to shoot afterward. Oftentimes, you strafe into a room with your gun cocked, only to find your foes standing around as if they're at a cocktail party. Make no mistake about it, the AI in Conduit 2 is atrocious, though it does fit within the B-movie vibe the game exudes. It's funny gunning down these fatuous fools, and because Conduit 2 never pretends to be a serious shooter, the inept AI only adds to the charm.
Your varied arsenal includes military staples such as machine guns and sniper rifles mixed in with a healthy assortment of out-of-this-world armaments. The earthly weapons generally act as you would expect, though there are some exceptions. Damage with the shotgun is woefully inconsistent, so you may behead a vile enemy with a sure blast in one fight, only to find it takes three headshots the next time around. Your alien firearms look a lot more interesting than an ordinary pistol, but they're not quite as effective in combat. Oftentimes, it takes two or three times as many shots to kill an attacker with an intergalactic offering, which makes using these fancy tools of destruction less enticing. There is one exotic gun that not only has a creepy visual design, but is a fine killing machine as well. The hive cannon looks like a grotesque insect, complete with slithering tentacles, and delivers a deadly punch when fired. Despite some neat-looking weapons, the action in Conduit 2 is rather predictable. Fights too often erupt in narrow corridors littered with handy pieces of cover, and the typical layout combined with the aforementioned AI problems make for functional, if derivative, shoot outs.
When the story begins, it's impossible to tell if it's a serious attempt to relay the plot of another alien-themed conspiracy cover-up, or if it's making fun of genre cliches. Mr. Ford is a surly, take-no-guff protagonist, and his guttural growls make it easy to dismiss him as another run-of-the-mill tough guy. But it soon becomes apparent that you aren't meant to take this goofy story seriously, and the outlandish plot provides more than a few laugh-out-loud moments. Take, for example, the taunting words of one late-game boss. After you shoot him in the head for nearly 10 minutes, he bellows at you that he's through negotiating. In another amusing exchange, Ford questions why the architecture of the building he's in seems to repeat. Your helpful friend responds that time and money force designers to reuse assets, just like in video games. It's moments like this that make it easy to just relax and enjoy the show. Conduit 2 isn't particularly smart or insightful, but it has enough silly banter to make the story enjoyable.
The Conduit was heralded for its outstanding controls, and the precision offered by the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combo is just as impressive the second time around. Now the Classic Controller is an option as well, and though it's not nearly as accurate as the standard scheme, it's a welcome addition for those who would rather use a dual-stick setup. There are some notable issues, though. You may have to slam on the duck button multiple times before your avatar reacts, for example, and aiming is far too touchy, even after you tweak the sensitivity settings. These quirks are annoying, but they won't impede your progress thanks to the laughable artificial intelligence. Enemies act more like vaudevillian performers than trained mercenaries. You may see a soldier take cover against a wall of air or perform a somersault and forget to shoot afterward. Oftentimes, you strafe into a room with your gun cocked, only to find your foes standing around as if they're at a cocktail party. Make no mistake about it, the AI in Conduit 2 is atrocious, though it does fit within the B-movie vibe the game exudes. It's funny gunning down these fatuous fools, and because Conduit 2 never pretends to be a serious shooter, the inept AI only adds to the charm.
Your varied arsenal includes military staples such as machine guns and sniper rifles mixed in with a healthy assortment of out-of-this-world armaments. The earthly weapons generally act as you would expect, though there are some exceptions. Damage with the shotgun is woefully inconsistent, so you may behead a vile enemy with a sure blast in one fight, only to find it takes three headshots the next time around. Your alien firearms look a lot more interesting than an ordinary pistol, but they're not quite as effective in combat. Oftentimes, it takes two or three times as many shots to kill an attacker with an intergalactic offering, which makes using these fancy tools of destruction less enticing. There is one exotic gun that not only has a creepy visual design, but is a fine killing machine as well. The hive cannon looks like a grotesque insect, complete with slithering tentacles, and delivers a deadly punch when fired. Despite some neat-looking weapons, the action in Conduit 2 is rather predictable. Fights too often erupt in narrow corridors littered with handy pieces of cover, and the typical layout combined with the aforementioned AI problems make for functional, if derivative, shoot outs.
Red Faction: Armageddon Hands-On Preview
In Red Faction: Armageddon we are on Mars with a shaven-headed Mason once again: Darius Mason this time, grandson of Alec, hero of 2009's Red Faction: Guerrilla. But where Guerrilla had us rove around on the Martian surface, Armageddon takes us underground. Terraforming has failed since the events of the last game, making Mars uninhabitable aboveground, forcing the human population to relocate into deep networks of rocky caverns. And where Guerrilla was open-world, Armageddon is basically linear, though with some larger, open areas suitable for sandbox-style play linked by the game's subterranean roads and corridors.
The game's producer, Jim Boone, tells us Armageddon's linearity comes from player feedback. Though fans of the previous game enjoyed the vehicles and free-form destruction, he says, they were less keen on trundling long distances through an open environment. He also tells us that some 20 percent of the third-person action still takes place topside, though we didn't see any sky for the few-hour duration of our hands-on demo, which was taken from early in the game.
As the demo began, the humans were already besieged by huge and vicious insectile beasties. Since these came from deep within the planet Mars and the humans from planet Earth, they are technically the natives. For the purposes of this preview, however, and because they are huge and vicious insectile beasties, we shall call them aliens. Our hero Darius is somehow to blame for the alien uprising--but inadvertently, mind you, and doing his best to make up for it. In the course of the demo, he escorts a convoy through hostile territory, fetches power cells and fixes water pumps for beleaguered civilians, and demolishes all manner of alien-infested structures.
Among the enemies are various brightly coloured red and green creatures, accessorised with organic blades and spikes and ranged bioweapon fire--glowing green globs that explode just after impact. We encountered plenty of ravagers: fast-moving, wall-climbing aliens with bone-bladed arms. Another alien creature, a stealthy variant, is invisible except when attacking but signals its proximity with a blurring effect on Darius' vision. Others are less subtle and less buglike: one creature was a hulking, horned biped, like a Martian minotaur.
We weren't short of hardware to see off the alien hordes, with Armageddon forever dropping new weapons in our path, but chief among them was the tremendously fun magnet gun. With this, the game's signature weapon, you shoot item A (say, the side of a building) and then shoot item B (say, a spiky ravager) to fling the one into the other, as if by magnetic attraction. The quick two-shot operation works a bit like Dead Space's kinesis module, letting you smash large chunks of the level furniture--girders, walkways, shacks, and the like--into your squishable foes, but also letting you launch enemies up and away, by firing at them and then at the distant cavern ceiling.
The magnet gun is also useful for demolition purposes. Alien-infected buildings can be destroyed by "magnetising" the roof and the floor, or one wall and the other, making it crumple up with zero ammo expenditure. Another demolition option is the powerful, no-mess nano-rifle: a gun that simply dissolves objects and enemies, with none of the gooey splatter of swatting an alien with a corrugated iron shack.
The extensive destruction will be familiar to players of Red Faction: Guerrilla. (Once again, terrain can't be deformed, except for the odd rocky crystal structure, though most man-made structures are fair game.) But Armageddon balances the large-scale demolition with the addition of a repair ability. Darius is equipped with a nano-forge, which is a kind of multi-tool with a number of unlockable and upgradeable abilities, such as shockwave, which freezes and levitates foes close to you; beserk, a double-damage buff; shield; and repair. This last ability is the inverse of the nano-rifle's disintegrating ray. Like an all-powerful undo button, the repair ability conjures anything you've annihilated back into being; you can rebuild walls around you when you're short on cover or reform a stairway while you climb it. Watching buildings rematerialise in a shimmery nano-glow is an unexpected treat.
For remote rather than up-close repairs, Darius has repair grenades, which can be tossed at distant ruined targets to remake them. These are also found in Infestation mode, the game's Horde-style multiplayer mode, in which four players fend of waves of aliens. In Infestation mode, the repair grenades are especially useful for salvaging cover out of the destruction wrought by four magnet guns.
For anyone who played Guerrilla and did enjoy the open-world roaming, there's no escaping the linearity of Armageddon. There was even a disheartening bit of backtracking through tunnels in the stretch we played. The largest caverns, though, do provide arenas for sandbox-style play. Hopefully, as vehicles are introduced--we saw little of these in our hands-on--the arenas grow too, with more room to manoeuvre and more sandbox opportunities to exploit. Fingers crossed also that the jittery frame rate on screens crowded by extravagant use of the magnet gun turns out to be a rarity.
Otherwise, Armageddon promises a fun third-person action game with enough novelty to make it interesting. A rugged protagonist against aliens on Mars is hardly fresh new territory--even discounting Red Faction titles--but Red Faction: Armageddon has an edge in its powerful magnet gun, free-form destruction, and magical repair tool. Look out for it this summer.
The game's producer, Jim Boone, tells us Armageddon's linearity comes from player feedback. Though fans of the previous game enjoyed the vehicles and free-form destruction, he says, they were less keen on trundling long distances through an open environment. He also tells us that some 20 percent of the third-person action still takes place topside, though we didn't see any sky for the few-hour duration of our hands-on demo, which was taken from early in the game.
As the demo began, the humans were already besieged by huge and vicious insectile beasties. Since these came from deep within the planet Mars and the humans from planet Earth, they are technically the natives. For the purposes of this preview, however, and because they are huge and vicious insectile beasties, we shall call them aliens. Our hero Darius is somehow to blame for the alien uprising--but inadvertently, mind you, and doing his best to make up for it. In the course of the demo, he escorts a convoy through hostile territory, fetches power cells and fixes water pumps for beleaguered civilians, and demolishes all manner of alien-infested structures.
Among the enemies are various brightly coloured red and green creatures, accessorised with organic blades and spikes and ranged bioweapon fire--glowing green globs that explode just after impact. We encountered plenty of ravagers: fast-moving, wall-climbing aliens with bone-bladed arms. Another alien creature, a stealthy variant, is invisible except when attacking but signals its proximity with a blurring effect on Darius' vision. Others are less subtle and less buglike: one creature was a hulking, horned biped, like a Martian minotaur.
We weren't short of hardware to see off the alien hordes, with Armageddon forever dropping new weapons in our path, but chief among them was the tremendously fun magnet gun. With this, the game's signature weapon, you shoot item A (say, the side of a building) and then shoot item B (say, a spiky ravager) to fling the one into the other, as if by magnetic attraction. The quick two-shot operation works a bit like Dead Space's kinesis module, letting you smash large chunks of the level furniture--girders, walkways, shacks, and the like--into your squishable foes, but also letting you launch enemies up and away, by firing at them and then at the distant cavern ceiling.
The magnet gun is also useful for demolition purposes. Alien-infected buildings can be destroyed by "magnetising" the roof and the floor, or one wall and the other, making it crumple up with zero ammo expenditure. Another demolition option is the powerful, no-mess nano-rifle: a gun that simply dissolves objects and enemies, with none of the gooey splatter of swatting an alien with a corrugated iron shack.
The extensive destruction will be familiar to players of Red Faction: Guerrilla. (Once again, terrain can't be deformed, except for the odd rocky crystal structure, though most man-made structures are fair game.) But Armageddon balances the large-scale demolition with the addition of a repair ability. Darius is equipped with a nano-forge, which is a kind of multi-tool with a number of unlockable and upgradeable abilities, such as shockwave, which freezes and levitates foes close to you; beserk, a double-damage buff; shield; and repair. This last ability is the inverse of the nano-rifle's disintegrating ray. Like an all-powerful undo button, the repair ability conjures anything you've annihilated back into being; you can rebuild walls around you when you're short on cover or reform a stairway while you climb it. Watching buildings rematerialise in a shimmery nano-glow is an unexpected treat.
For remote rather than up-close repairs, Darius has repair grenades, which can be tossed at distant ruined targets to remake them. These are also found in Infestation mode, the game's Horde-style multiplayer mode, in which four players fend of waves of aliens. In Infestation mode, the repair grenades are especially useful for salvaging cover out of the destruction wrought by four magnet guns.
For anyone who played Guerrilla and did enjoy the open-world roaming, there's no escaping the linearity of Armageddon. There was even a disheartening bit of backtracking through tunnels in the stretch we played. The largest caverns, though, do provide arenas for sandbox-style play. Hopefully, as vehicles are introduced--we saw little of these in our hands-on--the arenas grow too, with more room to manoeuvre and more sandbox opportunities to exploit. Fingers crossed also that the jittery frame rate on screens crowded by extravagant use of the magnet gun turns out to be a rarity.
Otherwise, Armageddon promises a fun third-person action game with enough novelty to make it interesting. A rugged protagonist against aliens on Mars is hardly fresh new territory--even discounting Red Faction titles--but Red Faction: Armageddon has an edge in its powerful magnet gun, free-form destruction, and magical repair tool. Look out for it this summer.
Wii successor confirmed for 2012, Nintendo profits fall by 66%
It’s almost customary in the lead-up to the yearly Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles to have rumours swirling regarding all manner of game-related issues, and 2011 is no exception. This year’s rumour mill has been throwing out plenty of speculation about Nintendo finally announcing a successor to the Wii, and it looks like the rumours have been accurate.
In a statement released alongside the company’s latest results today, Nintendo has confirmed that a new home console is indeed on the way and will be released sometime in 2012. The statement was brief and contained no other details, but it did state that the Wii successor will be playable at this year's E3 and that more specifications will also be released at gaming's premiere event.
The confirmation comes alongside gloomy results for the Japanese gaming giant, with the company reporting a decline in full-year profit for the second year in a row. Profit fell by more than 66 percent, with Nintendo recording 77.6 billion yen ($946.6 million) for the year ended March 2011. Income also fell 29.3 percent to 1.01 trillion yen ($12 billion).
Declining Wii sales was one significant factor in the results, with global sales recording 15.2 million units in the financial year gone compared to 20.1 million units a year earlier. DS sales also dipped, with 17.52 million units sold in the last year--a fall of roughly 10 million units from the year prior. Nintendo also missed its target of 4 million 3DS units sold, hitting only 3.61 million units by the end of March.
Rumours of a Wii successor have been gaining steam in the last month, with magazine Game Informer tipping that an HD-enabled Wii 2 would be announced at or just before this year's E3. Other sites have also emerged with leaked details, including speculation that the new Nintendo home console would feature controllers with a built-in 6.2-inch touch screen.
In a statement released alongside the company’s latest results today, Nintendo has confirmed that a new home console is indeed on the way and will be released sometime in 2012. The statement was brief and contained no other details, but it did state that the Wii successor will be playable at this year's E3 and that more specifications will also be released at gaming's premiere event.
The confirmation comes alongside gloomy results for the Japanese gaming giant, with the company reporting a decline in full-year profit for the second year in a row. Profit fell by more than 66 percent, with Nintendo recording 77.6 billion yen ($946.6 million) for the year ended March 2011. Income also fell 29.3 percent to 1.01 trillion yen ($12 billion).
Declining Wii sales was one significant factor in the results, with global sales recording 15.2 million units in the financial year gone compared to 20.1 million units a year earlier. DS sales also dipped, with 17.52 million units sold in the last year--a fall of roughly 10 million units from the year prior. Nintendo also missed its target of 4 million 3DS units sold, hitting only 3.61 million units by the end of March.
Rumours of a Wii successor have been gaining steam in the last month, with magazine Game Informer tipping that an HD-enabled Wii 2 would be announced at or just before this year's E3. Other sites have also emerged with leaked details, including speculation that the new Nintendo home console would feature controllers with a built-in 6.2-inch touch screen.
Friday, April 22, 2011
PSP Go still in production for North America
This week saw rumors surface that Sony had ceased production of the PSP Go. That speculation was apparently confirmed on Wednesday, when Japanese sources quoted Sony as saying that production of the UMD-less variant of the handheld had been discontinued. That account was backed up by the official Japanese PlayStation site, which listed the PSP Go as out of stock and no longer shipping.
At the same time, the North American Sony Style store listed the PSP Go as still in stock for $200. Now Sony is explaining why. In a brief statement provided to GameSpot, US Sony reps flatly said that, "We are continuing production of [the] PSP Go for North America." The reps did not comment on the status of the handheld in Japan or any other territories.
After being unveiled with great fanfare--following a colossal leak--at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the PSP Go was launched that October in North America. It was, however, not the runaway hit Sony hoped it would be. Though US sales figures for the handheld variant have never been released by the NPD Group, retail-tracking firm Media Create broke them out each week for the Japanese market. In almost every instance, the portable finished dead last on the hardware chart, selling just 356 units in the island nation during the week of April 4-10, compared to 35,478 PSP-3000s.
At the same time, the North American Sony Style store listed the PSP Go as still in stock for $200. Now Sony is explaining why. In a brief statement provided to GameSpot, US Sony reps flatly said that, "We are continuing production of [the] PSP Go for North America." The reps did not comment on the status of the handheld in Japan or any other territories.
After being unveiled with great fanfare--following a colossal leak--at the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the PSP Go was launched that October in North America. It was, however, not the runaway hit Sony hoped it would be. Though US sales figures for the handheld variant have never been released by the NPD Group, retail-tracking firm Media Create broke them out each week for the Japanese market. In almost every instance, the portable finished dead last on the hardware chart, selling just 356 units in the island nation during the week of April 4-10, compared to 35,478 PSP-3000s.
Big in Japan April 11-17: Super Robot Taisen
Media Create's Japanese sales charts for the week of April 11-17 saw a significant amount of turnover, with new releases accounting for seven of the top 10 games. The only remaining games from the previous week's chart were Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional, Earth Defense Force 2 Portable, and the tenacious Dynasty Warriors 7 (which clung to the 10th spot in its sixth week on the charts).
As for the newcomers to the chart, they were led by Namco's latest super deformed giant robot battle royale, Dai-2-Ji Super Robot Taisen Z Hakai-hen, which sold 307,019 copies in its debut. The latest installment in the long-running turn-based strategy series features dozens of mechs licensed from popular franchises like Gundam, Mazinger Z, Macross, and Big O. The series is not entirely unknown in the West, as Atlus has localized previous "Original Generation" installments--created with generic mechs to avoid licensing issues--for Nintendo's portable systems, most recently with 2009's DS game Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier.
Three more spots in the top 10 were claimed by various versions of Konami's new release, Pro Baseball Spirits 2011. The PlayStation 3, PSP, and 3DS versions of the publisher's long-running baseball series ranked second, fourth, and ninth on the charts, respectively. Combined, the three games sold nearly 170,000 copies.
The remaining newcomers to the chart may be a bit more familiar internationally. Nintendo's Pilotwings Resort for the 3DS made its debut in sixth place, followed by THQ's first-person shooter Homefront in seventh. Atlus' well-regarded Persona series of role-playing games also produced a new chart topper, as the PSP remake of the 1999 PlayStation role-playing game Persona 2: Tsumi debuted in fifth place.
New also trumped old on the hardware side of the charts, as Nintendo's 3DS bested the PSP--28,252 units sold to 23,846 units sold--after Sony's handheld posted back-to-back weeks as the best-selling system. Prior to that, the 3DS had locked down the top spot on the hardware charts for six weeks, dating back to its February Japanese launch. The PlayStation 3 took its increasingly common third place position, selling 22,265 systems, falling behind the main handhelds but well ahead the 8,122 sold by its closest competition, the Nintendo Wii. Sony's PSP Go, which was discontinued in Japan this week, limped its way toward the end of its lifespan, selling 207 units for the week.
JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF APRIL 11-17
Software:
Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales
1. Dai-2-Ji Super Robot Taisen Z Hakai-hen / Namco / PSP / 307,019
2. Pro Baseball Spirits 2011 / Konami / PS3 / 86,486
3. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional / Square Enix / DS / 86,364
4. Pro Baseball Spirits 2011 / Konami / PSP / 71,264
5. Persona 2: Tsumi / Atlus / PSP / 62,761
6. Pilotwings Resort / Nintendo / 3DS / 26,554
7. Homefront / Spike / PS3 / 22,111
8. Earth Defense Force 2 Portable / D3Publisher / PSP / 16,898
9. Pro Baseball Spirits 2011 / Konami / 3DS / 11,644
10. Dynasty Warriors 7 / Koei Tecmo / PS3 / 10,369
Hardware:
3DS - 28,252
PSP - 23,846
PS3 - 22,265
Wii - 8,122
DSi LL - 7,724
DSi - 6,809
Xbox 360 - 1,898
PS2 - 1,261
DS Lite - 423
PSP Go - 207
As for the newcomers to the chart, they were led by Namco's latest super deformed giant robot battle royale, Dai-2-Ji Super Robot Taisen Z Hakai-hen, which sold 307,019 copies in its debut. The latest installment in the long-running turn-based strategy series features dozens of mechs licensed from popular franchises like Gundam, Mazinger Z, Macross, and Big O. The series is not entirely unknown in the West, as Atlus has localized previous "Original Generation" installments--created with generic mechs to avoid licensing issues--for Nintendo's portable systems, most recently with 2009's DS game Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier.
Three more spots in the top 10 were claimed by various versions of Konami's new release, Pro Baseball Spirits 2011. The PlayStation 3, PSP, and 3DS versions of the publisher's long-running baseball series ranked second, fourth, and ninth on the charts, respectively. Combined, the three games sold nearly 170,000 copies.
The remaining newcomers to the chart may be a bit more familiar internationally. Nintendo's Pilotwings Resort for the 3DS made its debut in sixth place, followed by THQ's first-person shooter Homefront in seventh. Atlus' well-regarded Persona series of role-playing games also produced a new chart topper, as the PSP remake of the 1999 PlayStation role-playing game Persona 2: Tsumi debuted in fifth place.
New also trumped old on the hardware side of the charts, as Nintendo's 3DS bested the PSP--28,252 units sold to 23,846 units sold--after Sony's handheld posted back-to-back weeks as the best-selling system. Prior to that, the 3DS had locked down the top spot on the hardware charts for six weeks, dating back to its February Japanese launch. The PlayStation 3 took its increasingly common third place position, selling 22,265 systems, falling behind the main handhelds but well ahead the 8,122 sold by its closest competition, the Nintendo Wii. Sony's PSP Go, which was discontinued in Japan this week, limped its way toward the end of its lifespan, selling 207 units for the week.
JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF APRIL 11-17
Software:
Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales
1. Dai-2-Ji Super Robot Taisen Z Hakai-hen / Namco / PSP / 307,019
2. Pro Baseball Spirits 2011 / Konami / PS3 / 86,486
3. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 Professional / Square Enix / DS / 86,364
4. Pro Baseball Spirits 2011 / Konami / PSP / 71,264
5. Persona 2: Tsumi / Atlus / PSP / 62,761
6. Pilotwings Resort / Nintendo / 3DS / 26,554
7. Homefront / Spike / PS3 / 22,111
8. Earth Defense Force 2 Portable / D3Publisher / PSP / 16,898
9. Pro Baseball Spirits 2011 / Konami / 3DS / 11,644
10. Dynasty Warriors 7 / Koei Tecmo / PS3 / 10,369
Hardware:
3DS - 28,252
PSP - 23,846
PS3 - 22,265
Wii - 8,122
DSi LL - 7,724
DSi - 6,809
Xbox 360 - 1,898
PS2 - 1,261
DS Lite - 423
PSP Go - 207
PSN outages could last for days
The PlayStation Network is experiencing extended outages for the second time this month. In a post on the PlayStation Blog, the company acknowledged "certain functions of PlayStation Network are down," and that they might not be restored for a while.
"While we are investigating the cause of the Network outage, we wanted to alert you that it may be a full day or two before we're able to get the service completely back up and running," according to Sony. "Thank you very much for your patience while we work to resolve this matter."
As for which features are down, GameSpot editors were unable to log in to the service, effectively making all of the features inaccessible.
Earlier this month, the "hacktivist" group Anonymous launched distributed denial of service attacks on the PlayStation Network, intermittently bringing down the PlayStation 3's online functions. The attacks were directed at Sony in response to the company's since-settled legal fight with George Hotz, a hacker who distributed the PS3 master key online. However, on a website used as a mouthpiece for the loose-knit group of hackers, the attacks were called off because of the negative impact they were having on Sony's customers rather than the company itself.
"While we are investigating the cause of the Network outage, we wanted to alert you that it may be a full day or two before we're able to get the service completely back up and running," according to Sony. "Thank you very much for your patience while we work to resolve this matter."
As for which features are down, GameSpot editors were unable to log in to the service, effectively making all of the features inaccessible.
Earlier this month, the "hacktivist" group Anonymous launched distributed denial of service attacks on the PlayStation Network, intermittently bringing down the PlayStation 3's online functions. The attacks were directed at Sony in response to the company's since-settled legal fight with George Hotz, a hacker who distributed the PS3 master key online. However, on a website used as a mouthpiece for the loose-knit group of hackers, the attacks were called off because of the negative impact they were having on Sony's customers rather than the company itself.
Chrono Trigger cocked on PS3, PSP
Since its initial 1996 launch on the SNES, Chrono Trigger has been released on a number of other platforms. The acclaimed role-playing game was brought to the original PlayStation as part of the Final Fantasy Chronicles compilation in 2001 after being released solo for the platform in Japan in 1999. In 2008, a reworked version of the game arrived on the DS to critical acclaim, and a Virtual Console port will hit Japanese Wiis later this month.
Now it appears Chrono Trigger is coming to two more platforms. Recently, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board gave the game a Teen-for-Teen rating for the PlayStation 3 and PSP. Typically, such dual ratings for a game released on the original PlayStation mean that the title is being readied for rerelease as a PSone Classic on the PlayStation Network.
Chrono Trigger focuses on a main character named Crono and his friends Lucca and Marle. When inventor Lucca's teleportation experiment inadvertently sends the friends back in time, they discover an ancient evil that will one day ruin their world, and so they set out to fix it. The game featured a wide variety of fantastical environments throughout its multitude of time periods, and its storyline was typically twisty for a Square Enix RPG.
Now it appears Chrono Trigger is coming to two more platforms. Recently, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board gave the game a Teen-for-Teen rating for the PlayStation 3 and PSP. Typically, such dual ratings for a game released on the original PlayStation mean that the title is being readied for rerelease as a PSone Classic on the PlayStation Network.
Chrono Trigger focuses on a main character named Crono and his friends Lucca and Marle. When inventor Lucca's teleportation experiment inadvertently sends the friends back in time, they discover an ancient evil that will one day ruin their world, and so they set out to fix it. The game featured a wide variety of fantastical environments throughout its multitude of time periods, and its storyline was typically twisty for a Square Enix RPG.
PS3 Child of Eden due in Sept.
Last month, Ubisoft confirmed a June 14 launch date for the Xbox 360 version of Child of Eden, with its PlayStation 3 sibling set to arrive at a nebulous later date. The publisher has narrowed that window down a bit, today announcing that the PS3 edition of Child of Eden is expected to launch sometime this September.
Developed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment, Child of Eden is largely in keeping with the developer's previous work. The game takes its cues in large part from Mizuguchi's acclaimed rhythm shooter Rez, and it features the same style of music-enhanced shooter gameplay with psychedelic visuals.
It also bears a storyline: Gamers will attempt to rescue the embattled Project Lumi, which is an effort to "reproduce a human personality inside Eden, the archive of all human memories." A virus has invaded the program, however, and players must defeat it, before all hope is lost.
The game's visual style approximates a virtual reality universe and is heavily reliant on geometric shapes in motion against an ever-shifting background. The shapes join to take on aspects of the virus, evolving from tiny single-block creatures to giant wormlike monstrosities.
Developed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment, Child of Eden is largely in keeping with the developer's previous work. The game takes its cues in large part from Mizuguchi's acclaimed rhythm shooter Rez, and it features the same style of music-enhanced shooter gameplay with psychedelic visuals.
It also bears a storyline: Gamers will attempt to rescue the embattled Project Lumi, which is an effort to "reproduce a human personality inside Eden, the archive of all human memories." A virus has invaded the program, however, and players must defeat it, before all hope is lost.
The game's visual style approximates a virtual reality universe and is heavily reliant on geometric shapes in motion against an ever-shifting background. The shapes join to take on aspects of the virus, evolving from tiny single-block creatures to giant wormlike monstrosities.
DS Lite being discontinued?
What we heard: Anyone walking into a retailer today can find three non-3D types of Nintendo's DS handheld on the shelves: The DS Lite, the DSi, and the DSi XL. However, if the Ubergizmo report is to be believed, that number will soon be down to two. The tech blog has apparently acquired an internal memo from game specialty retailer GameStop, which says that the most venerable variant of the handheld on the market will soon be off the market. "New DS Lite systems have been discontinued and stores will no longer be replenished on this product," reads the memo. "Once your store sells through its current stock of these units, please remove any corresponding DS Lite (Crimson, Black, and Metallic Rose) display boxes from the sales floor and discard."
The official story: "Nintendo doesn't comment on rumor and speculation." -- Nintendo of America rep.
Bogus or not bogus?: Likely not bogus. The original DS, first introduced in 2004, spent less than three years on the market before being discontinued. The DS Lite first arrived in North America in June of 2006, meaning it has been available at retailers for nearly five years. And with the introduction of the 3DS, the camera-less DS Lite is showing its age more than ever.
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