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Dead Space Extraction Interview and Footage
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Electronic Arts, Features, Survival Horror, Trailers, Wii,
The Dead Space franchise is headed to the Nintendo Wii with Dead Space Extraction. earlier today, Visceral Studio announced that the game, which launches in the US on September 29, has gone gold. They’ve released a boss trailer, along with interview snippets with the developers of the game, detailing what we should expect from the Wii version of Dead Space. Hit the video for the full scoop, but here’s a hint: just because this is a Wii title, don’t expect the horror elements to be any less impressive than they were in the original. We’re excited.
Gallery: Dead Space Extraction Interview and Footage
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Bioshock 2 promotional vinyl
Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Culture, PC, PlayStation 3, Survival Horror, Xbox 360,
I’m a sucker for video game promotional items. Why? Well, they are usually extremely creative and make a great addition to any game collection. Also, the bragging rights are kind of nice. The fine folks over at Destructoid got such item last week from 2k Games promoting Bioshock 2. The package delivered a 7” vinyl and well – lots of mystery. Assuming we all carry around a record player (which obviously we do), we could find that the vinyl contained a Rapture anthem which is later interrupted by some crackling by the voice of a young girl calling out, “Daddy”. Now, I know I can make all kinds of clean jokes about this, but it’s not the same if you, the reader, have not yet been graced by these sounds. You can head over to There’s Something in the Sea and after the page loads, click the yellow arrow on the left and then click on the record player. You will then be able to hear what the vinyl contained. You know what they say—it ain’t no fun if the homies can’t have none.
Read More 
| Destructoid
Gallery: Bioshock 2 promotional vinyl
Dead Space Ultra Limited Edition to sell for $150
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Electronic Arts, PlayStation 3, Survival Horror, Xbox 360,
Okay, we know that the financial markets are extremely unstable at the moment, and coupling that with all the great games that are going to be making their way to stores this holiday, you probably don’t need any more reason to spend more on your gaming fix. This is why the Dead Space Ultra Limited Edition has us scratching our heads. Granted, it looks amazingly cool, but it is going to retail for $150. You might be considering what you might be getting in exhange for a bill-and-a-halg, so let us fill you in. This version of Dead Space will be available only to 1,000 people, as that is the number that are going to be produced. Aside from that, you get the game, some special packaging, bonus DVD content, lithograph art, “Downfall” DVD, a 160-page graphic novel, a 97-page art book, and an Ishimura crew patch. Yeah, it sounds amazing, but $150 amazing? You decide.
If you can’t live without it, you can pre-order Dead Space Ultra Limited Edition now at the EA Store online, as long as 1,000 others haven’t already beat you to it.
Dead Space Ultra Limited Edition
Gallery: Dead Space Ultra Limited Edition to sell for $150
E3 2008: Live from the EA Media Briefing
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Action, Adventure, Casual, Corporate News, Downloadable Content, Electronic Arts, First Person Shooters, PlayStation 3, Portable/Mobile, Release Dates, Survival Horror, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Marketplace,
We are seated for the Electronic Arts E3 2008 Media Briefing. We start the conference off right, with a montage of a ton of upcoming EA titles, focusing on some new sports titles, upcoming Sims releases, and a bunch of casual games like Monopoly, Boogie, and Operation (aw yeah!) Of course, Spore is also featured here as well.
John Riccitiello hits the stage to talk about what EA has this afternoon to show us, and he says they won’t be doing PowerPoint, statistics, or sales figures. Instead, they are going to focus on the games, and we will be hearing from the people that make the games.
Rod Humble of The Sims Studio comes out to talk about The Sims. He announces Sim Animals. in this game you create groups of animals and their friends, habitat, etc. Some animals are friendly like deer and rabbits, while wolves and bears can stir up trouble. We then get a trailer. We get a baby cub bear interacting with a squirrel, and then a fox joins the fray. It seems that you basically control the game by using the world as your UI, you have a hand similar to Black and White. Will be exclusive to Wii and Nintendo DS in January 2009.
Click to continue reading E3 2008: Live from the EA Media Briefing
Gallery: E3 2008: Live from the EA Media Briefing
Gears of War 2 drops in November 2008, check out the trailer
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Action, Corporate News, Survival Horror, Trailers, Xbox 360,
It was just announced this morning by Microsoft during their GDC keynote - Gears of War 2 will be hitting Xbox 360 consoles this November. That’s right kids - November 2008. You ready for this? Here is the word from Microsoft:
Providing a dramatic close to Microsoft’s GDC keynote address, Epic Games Inc.’s lead designer Cliff Bleszinski announced that the epic saga of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad continues exclusively on the Xbox 360 this fall with “Gears of War 2.” This highly anticipated sequel to the 4.5 million-selling blockbuster “Gears of War” delves deeper into humanity’s struggle for survival against the nightmarish Locust Horde, and promises to take high-definition visuals to a whole new level.
Check out the trailer, at the top of this post.
Gears of War product page
Gallery: Gears of War 2 drops in November 2008, check out the trailer
Manhunt 2 Review: The Good, The Bad and The Grisly
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Nintendo, Reviews, Survival Horror, Take2, Wii,
Along with the release of “Halo 3” and the unfortunate postponement of “GTA IV”, one of the biggest video game stories of the year is the saga of Rockstar’s “Manhunt 2”. First, it was banned in England due to its graphic violence. Then it was given the kiss-of-death “Adults Only” rating here in the US by the ESRB. Sony and Nintendo do not release games with that rating—and they’re not carried by Blockbuster and Walmart. Undaunted, Rockstar made some revisions, and eventually the game received a “Mature” rating.
So now “Manhunt 2” is available in stores for Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2 and PSP. Having followed the saga, and very curious about the game’s content (plus I’m a huge fan of previous Rockstar games), I made it my business to rent the Wii version and play it. Having never played the original “Manhunt”—and not being a fan of stealth games—I had little idea what to expect. After completing the tutorial of Wiimote and Nunchuk moves (which includes some very funny, if grisly, sound effects), I dove in.
Click to continue reading Manhunt 2 Review: The Good, The Bad and The Grisly
Gallery: Manhunt 2 Review: The Good, The Bad and The Grisly
Tecmo has announced that the next installment of its Fatal Frame horror series is in development for the Wii. The earlier games didn’t sell especially well upon release but have amassed a sizable cult following, or so I gather from the growing number of GameStops that have been unable to sell me a copy over the years. Now, with the burgeoning Wii phenomenon upon us, Tecmo has seen a way to give its underexposed franchise a second chance. You can certainly see where Tecmo is coming from, as snapping photos of ghosts is a staple game mechanic of the series, one that seems like a perfect fit for the Wii’s motion controls.
Interestingly, Tecmo has enlisted Grasshopper Manufacture to produce the game; Grasshopper is the studio behind Killer 7 and next year’s sure-to-be-bizarre Wii actioner, No More Heroes. Tecmo has remained mum on the subject of release dates, but for now just add Fatal Frame to the growing list of promising third-party Wii games.
Read More | 1UP
Gallery: Fatal Frame Sequel Coming to Wii
How Manhunt 2 Toned Down to an M Rating
Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: PlayStation 3, Politics, PSP, Survival Horror, Take2, Wii,
Some questions were asked after Rockstar announced that it had adjusted the content of its violent horror title Manhunt 2 to warrant an M rating from the ESRB rather than the unsellable AO it had previously been given. California Senator Leland Yee was one person asking such questions.
Since much of the public’s information about the original content in Manhunt 2 came from IGN’s Matt Casamassina’s hands-on with the game prior to rating, it’s only fitting that he plays the modified version heading to retail and reports on what the differences are.
Primarily, Casamassina says, the game has taken the controversial murder animations and added some blur and darkening effects to obfuscate the actions, making the action less identifyable. Casamassina is disappointed with the changes:
[It’s] unfortunate because both everything else is unchanged and because these death strikes are what gamers will want to work toward; they’re the pay off for a job well done, but now the pay off is not nearly as rewarding.
It’s worth noting that one maneuver in which the player removes an enemy’s testicles with a pair of pliers has been completely excised from the game, but aside from these adjustments the game is still extremely dark and graphically violent according to Casamassina’s estimation.
Gallery: How Manhunt 2 Toned Down to an M Rating
Silent Hill V Video and Developer Interviews
Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: PlayStation 3, Survival Horror, Trailers, Xbox 360,
Check out the video featuring footage and interviews with developers of the upcoming spook-fest sequel, Silent Hill V. Development of the game has been handed off to The Collective, but they seem to be determined to return the game to territory more akin to Silent Hill 2 than the mixed reception of IV. They’ve got a pretty solid looking engine running that features a lot of the familiar effects now rendered in real-time plus they’ve worked to enhance the combat which was always kind of a series weak point.
Unfortunately the interview doesn’t dive too deeply into how well The Collective can manage to retain the creeping psychological unease Silent Hill is famous for (versus rival series Resident Evil‘s shock and gore approach).
Silent Hill V is due sometime in 2008 for PS3 and Xbox 360.
Click to continue reading Silent Hill V Video and Developer Interviews
Gallery: Silent Hill V Video and Developer Interviews
California Senator Questions the ESRB’s Decision on Manhunt 2
Posted by Paul Hamilton Categories: Politics, Survival Horror,
After finally agreeing to grant the embattled Rockstar title Manhunt 2 a retail-friendly Mature rating, the ESRB is drawing some fire from California senator Leland Yee. Yee, best known for his failed 2005 video game legislation, is questioning what changed to entice the ESRB’s about-face. In a statement he says, “The ESRB refuses to use the AO rating for violence despite the descriptor calling for such a rating when there are ‘graphic depictions of violence.’ If Manhunt doesn’t qualify, what would?”
Somewhat surprisingly, Yee does have a valid question. It does seem like game publishers ought not to be under the typical pre-release scrutiny for something as inconsequential as ratings determination, but is there any reason why the ESRB can’t be forthcoming with specifics about how and why it comes to its conclusions?
Read More | Game Politics via Evil Avatar
Gallery: California Senator Questions the ESRB’s Decision on Manhunt 2
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