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ratchet and clank future boxart

On the latest episode of its Full Moon Show Podcast, Insomniac Games has disclosed an official North American release date of October 23rd for Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction.  The game is the fifth installment of the popular action/platform series (okay, so Deadlocked was more of a multiplayer shooter), and first for the .  A real next-gen mascot platform game (movie licensed ones don’t count) has been a long time coming, but luckily we have Insomniac around to temporarily rescue us from the glut of dark and mature steroid-addled first person shooters.

Insomniac has promised that a PSN demo will arrive before the final game, but all we have as far as a timeframe is a painfully vague, “Near future.”

Read More | Insomniac Games

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age of conan

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, Funcom’s highly anticipated PC/ online RPG, is bowing out of the crowded Fall ‘07 release window.  Based on the press release, it sounds like given the scale of the game, the development team just needed more time to polish and perfect the experience.

“We naturally regret that we have to push back ‘Age of Conan’. However, after careful consideration, and analysis of recent Beta feedback, we believe that the new release date is in the best interest of the gamers, our company and our owners,” said Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom.

You have to respect a developer that delays a game to make it better, and doesn’t just shove it out the door for the sake of the company’s shareholders.  At any rate, MMO players can now look forward to slashing their way through the world and characters of Robert E. Howard on March 25th, 2008.

Read More | Kotaku

BioShock

has announced that BioShock is gold and they also managed to sneak a demo of the game onto Xbox Live Marketplace. The 1.35 GB download has caused a flood of traffic, and some are reporting errors or stalls when trying to get their hands on a copy. If only PC gamers had such problems; 2K did confirm that they would be releasing a PC demo, but said only that it would be coming “later this month.”

Early reviews for the game have been exceedingly positive and with the game only a little more than a week from release, this should help hold you over for the next eight days.

Read More | Major Nelson

Track & Field Xbox Live Arcade screenshot

This week the Arcade goes retro with the 24-year-old Track & Field. For 400 Microsoft Points you’ll get the classic button-masher, complete with 4-player split-screen and Xbox Live support. Along with this announcement, Microsoft has revealed some of the XBLA games we’ll be seeing in August and by summer’s end.

Headlining releases this month is Hexic 2, sequel to the XBLA launch game, Hexic HD. We’ll also receive Ecco the Dolphin and War World during August.

And “in the coming weeks,” we’ll see Geon: Emotions, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Space Giraffe, Streets of Rage 2, and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. (That one’s a mouthful.)

Check after the break for a brief description of all these games, and a few more screenshots of Track & Field in action.

Click to continue reading Track & Field Hits Xbox Live Arcade This Week


Grand Theft Auto IV logo

In some rather surprising (and extremely disappointing) news, Take-Two has announced that it is reducing its fiscal 2007 guidance due to Grand Theft Auto IV for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 being delayed until fiscal 2008. Currently, GTA IV is set for release in the second fiscal quarter of ’08. Take Two’s second fiscal quarter runs from February 1, 2008 to April 30, 2008. The delay is due to additional time required to finish developing the game.

Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two, stated, “With Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar is setting a new standard for next generation video games. Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms. We all recognize that perfecting the game is vital and I can assure everyone it will be worth the wait. We owe it to the game’s millions of fans, to our dedicated development team, and to our shareholders to make sure that Grand Theft Auto IV is a groundbreaking gaming experience that takes maximum advantage of next generation technology.”

Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games, added, “The new consoles are allowing us to create the Grand Theft Auto game we always dreamed about. Every aspect of the game and its design has been completely transformed. The game is huge and is pushing the hardware platforms to their absolute limits. The top engineers from Sony and Microsoft are working closely with the team in Edinburgh right now, helping us to fully leverage the power of both platforms. As always, our goal is to surpass even the wildest expectations of the game’s fans, and to create the ultimate high definition video game experience.”


Blacksite Area 51 screenshot

Originally scheduled for a September release, Blacksite: Area 51 has been pushed back until November 5. The announcement was made during a Midway conference call, where the European release date was revealed to be October 26.The game is set for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

This is a smart move be Midway, as Blacksite would otherwise be competing more directly with Halo 3, and by releasing in November, they also manage to space the title away from heavy-hitter Grand Theft Auto IV.


Lair boxartOver on the official PlayStation blog, Ryan Hamlyn has announced that Factor 5’s PS3 exclusive, Lair, has been delayed in the US. Originally planned to come out on August 14, Lair will now hit store shelves on September 4. Hamlyn claimed it was due to an extra step in the QA testing process – so it probably isn’t in response to the poor review scores the game received in EGM, which have created quite a buzz around the Internet.


Marathon Durandal Xbox Live Arcade

Finally, Bungie’s Marathon. The game that was arguably better than Doom back in the day, but got little no attention because it was released only on Macs. (That’s what they get.) Marathon: Durandal, however, is actually the sequel to the original Marathon which saw a release on both Windows and Mac. The XBLA port was developed by Freeverse, and includes a variety of features that will make it worth its 800 Microsoft Point price tag – HD graphics, Xbox Live play, and co-op.

Spyglass Board Games has been heavily anticipated by many gamers, as for 400 Microsoft Points you get a sweet package of Chess, Checkers, Mancala and Reversi, all with Xbox Live Vision Camera support.

Both games will be available this Wednesday on Xbox Live Arcade.


Guild Wars Eye of the North

Starting last Friday, the prerelease bonus pack for the upcoming Guild Wars expansion is available for purchase. By picking up the bonus pack, you’ll receive exclusive in-game items and access to the Sneak Peek Weekend, which is taking place from August 24 – 26. The game is set for release on August 31 and is the first expansion Guild Wars is receiving – all three previous titles were independent (albeit connected) of one another, whereas Eye of the North requires that you own at least one of the previous Guild Wars titles.

In addition to the sneak peek and in-game items (which are the Glacial Blade, Hourglass Staff, and Darksteel Longbow), you’ll also receive a Guild Wars Trilogy Trial DVD, which provides you with either 10 hours or 14 days (whichever comes first) of gameplay in the first three Guild Wars titles. Not a bad way to lure in a friend if you already own them.

The Guild Wars: Eye of the North prerelease bonus pack is available at retailers, NCsoft’s online store, PlayNC.com, and the Official Guild Wars online store.


Wii Fit

Chris Kohler of Wired’s Game | Life had a chat with Reggie Fils-Aime about Wii Fit during E3, and two details came out of it – one of which was particularly noteworthy. As we all expect, the game will cost more than the traditional $50 price point for Wii titles. Research is still being done on the cost of the Wii Balance Board, so that will be what helps dictate the final price. Nintendo knows how well Guitar Hero II on Xbox 360 did at $89.99, so don’t be too surprised if Wii Fitness fell into that ballpark.

The other tidbit was that Wii Fit won’t be seeing a release in the United States this year. Japan will be seeing it by year’s end, but not in the states. Understandable, considering that Super Smash Bros. Brawl is coming in December and Super Mario Galaxy in November. But isn’t Nintendo missing out on a tremendous amount of sales during the holiday shopping season by releasing it in ’08?

Read More | Game | Life

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