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Bioshock Infinite Takes the Battle to the Skies
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Editorial, First Person Shooters, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360,
Watching the Bioshock Infinite trailer for the first time you would think that another underwater outing is in store for the next serious installment of Bioshock. And that’s exactly the effect desired by Irrational Games. While in the midst of this underwater backdrop, the size scale is disrupted when a seemingly enormous fish encircles the perimeter, prompting a very warranted “huh?” from the viewer. Instantly the carpet is pulled from underneath the audience as the scene is revealed to be from the perspective of an unknown victim who just went face diving in a fish tank. This, courtesy of a menacing giant with a visible beating heart sporting a very Bioshock look. The antagonist then tosses our unlucky friend head first out of the window. As the glass shatters we get our first real glimpse at the setting of Bioshock Infinite - above the clouds. Ladies and gentlemen, we’re not in Kansas anymore.
“The time for silence is over,” said Ken Levine of Irrational Games, finally unsealing his lips on the game they’ve been developing for the past three years. The last Bioshock released was heralded not by the original team behind the groundbreaking Bioshock, but by several different sister companies. However, this time Irrational Games is back behind the wheel, and is striking with a vengeance. However, no word on whether or not Infinite has a connection with the first Bioshock world, and Levine is remaining mum on the subject. “I don’t want to think about that…I don’t think it’s particularly constructive to have that conversation,” said Levine in reference to the narrative connection in Infinite. He did, however, nod that the Infinite part of the title “[has] meaning”.
Click to continue reading Bioshock Infinite Takes the Battle to the Skies
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Nintendo Wii is the Fastest Selling Console of All Time
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, Nintendo, Wii,
Nintendo proudly announced yesterday that their Wii console has earned its place in history as the fastest selling home console ever to grace the market with an amazing 30 million units sold. This should come as no surprise as the Wii has dominated both the immensely popular Xbox 360 and PS3 almost every single month since its release. Thanks are primarily due to the casual aura surrounding the Wii, promising accessibility to both children and adults.
The Nintendo Wii’s influence can even be seen in the recent motion technology developments that both Sony and Microsoft are unleashing on retail later this year. With Wii’s innovation, there would be no Kinect or Playstation Move. It seems that Sony and Microsoft want to ride this cash cow all the way to the bank in similar fashion to the way filmmakers are riding the 3D wave.
Also, the top ten best selling Wii games were announced, and the list comes with a bit of a surprise. Topping out at the tenth best selling game is the beloved Legend of Zelda hero, Link, in the form of Link’s Crossbow Training, instead of his own full length game, Twilight Princess. Either way, congratulations are in order for Nintendo. Perhaps a round of Mario Party? Full game list after the break.
Click to continue reading Nintendo Wii is the Fastest Selling Console of All Time
Blockbuster Now Including Games Through Mail
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360,
In a last ditch effort to keep up with their online counterpart Netflix, and those oh so convenient Redbox machines found at nearly every grocery store, Blockbuster started slanging their rentals via snail mail. However, with the video game market growing ever larger thanks to blockbusters of their own, such as Halo and Call of Duty, Blockbuster needed another ace in the hole in order to compete.
Enter Blockbuster’s new plan to counter the Gamefly epidemic. As of now, you will be able to order not just movies through the mail, but video games as well. This allows Playstation, Xbox 360, and Wii fanboys to get their fix without so much as leaving the couch. With this maneuver Blockbuster hopes to counter lackluster game sales they’ve been battling with, thanks to more relevant gaming outlets in the form of Gamestop and Gamefly. Of which the former offers an awesome trade-in system, and the latter specializes in mailing games directly to your house.
What do you think of Blockbuster’s “new” way to rent video games? Will you make Blockbuster your new priority for video game rentals, or will you stick to your old routine? If you wanna see how it all works, you can get a two-week Blockbuster Online free trial.
Read More 
| Blockbuster Online
Sonic Colors Trailer Shows Off Sonic’s New Moves
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Nintendo, Platformers, SEGA, Trailers, Wii,
The last 3D Sonic game, entitled Sonic Unleashed was a fairly experimental romp in the blue hedgehog’s universe. While the Sonic levels moved at blistering speeds with perspective transitioning from full 3D to side scrolling, the were-hog sections screeched the pace of the game to an alarming halt. Levels could take as long as 20 minutes when using the were-hog, and its slow pace just didn’t seem fitting for a Sonic game. However, between releasing a new 2D Sonic this fall, and now ‘Colors’, it seems SEGA is finally listening to its loyal fans.
With Sonic Colors, SEGA chooses to ditch the bogged down were-hog levels, while beefing up the Sonic-only single player run through. The lightning fast speed and switch to 2D perspectives are back again in this new chapter, as are a few new moves for our spiky haired protagonist to dispose enemies with. These new abilities are acquired by freeing ‘Wisps’. Wisps are creatures that look similar to the Chaos from the Adventure series. Different color Wisps lend various abilities to Sonic. For instance, the yellow Wisps provide Sonic with an all new drill ability that allows Sonic to tunnel through sand finding hidden items and new areas to explore. Another cool ability shown in the new trailer is the cyan laser skill, obtained from the cyan Wisp, of course. This allows Sonic to move at an uncontrollable laser speed, wreaking havoc on Eggman’s robotic creations.
The new trailer depicts these new abilities, and shows Sonic in rare form for a 3D adventure. Let’s hope that the blue blur is back, and won’t fall prey to annoying gimmicks or crappy level design. Look for Sonic Colors to hit stores November 12, 2010. Oh, lets try to do something about that theme song, SEGA! Catch the trailer after the break.
Click to continue reading Sonic Colors Trailer Shows Off Sonic’s New Moves
Craigslist Ad Likens Tetris to Love
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Culture, Internet, Puzzle,
Who says gamers don’t need love? A Philadelphia Craigslist ad has surfaced likening the squishy feeling of romantic entanglement with the cold hard random shapes of Tetris. “The long piece” - the piece that Tetris fans long for in all of their games is what this Craigslist seeking gamer longs for in his love life.
“You know how in Tetris you keep getting all these pieces you don’t want and you keep piling them up on right side of the screen, wondering how many squares you can get in a row when suddenly the long piece comes out of nowhere and for a moment makes everything disappear? Sometimes I feel as if my dating life is like that. I am waiting for my long piece.”
If that isn’t poetic than I don’t know what is! C’mon, there has to be some gamer girl out there for this guy. You don’t even have to be a gamer to appreciate this level of wittiness. Someone just give this guy a long piece… ahem, you know what I mean.
Read More | Craigslist
Guillermo del Toro teams up with THQ
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: PlayStation 3, THQ, Xbox 360,
Last week we reported on Guillermo del Toro’s intent to work with a “big game publisher” to create several new titles. Without mentioning more than that, we were left to speculate on who this mysterious company was, and what games the mastermind of Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy had up his sleeve. Now, the former question has been revealed to The LA Times to be THQ.
THQ is primarily known as a developer of kiddie games and wrestling titles, but have recently began focusing on their mature audiences with both the Red Faction and Saints Row franchises. The former of which is set to broadcast on SyFy as a live-action film in 2011. Now with del Toro lending his hand to the THQ drawing board, we can expect to see more “games that are going to be technically and narratively very interesting”.
Read More | LA Times
Halo 2600 Takes Master Chief Back In Time
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Bungie, Internet, Microsoft, Retro, Xbox 360,
While the original Halo: Combat Evolved may look as ancient as they come to some of today’s gamers, the former VP of Microsoft’s game publishing division was curious to how Halo would fare in the retro days of Atari 2600. The result? Halo: 2600! Halo 2600 began as a way for Ed to get his hands dirty in some 2600 code work, but the resulting experience transformed into a complete retro classic showcased at the Classic Gaming Expo. To solidify the retro experience, Halo 2600 even sports a cartridge modeled in true 2600 fashion. Below, Ed discusses his experience making Halo 2600, and a bug that seems to fit into the Halo experience:
“It’s around this time that I discovered the existence of what I call “Magic Land”. I was working on a bug with the boss encounter and accidentally found myself completely outside the 64 room map. I was wandering through memory that was never intended to be interpreted as part of the map but the code was doing the best it could to interpret what was being thrown at it. Strange, misshapen monsters attacked me in even stranger ways as I wandered through this bizarre land that I had unintentionally created. I left a bug or two in the final game to allow others to find and explore this strange landscape as I did.”
While waiting for Halo: Reach to hit stores, get your Master Chief fix here.
Read More | Halo 2600
Out Now: EA SPORTS Soundtrack Volume 2
Posted by Drea Avellan Categories: Culture, Electronic Arts, Music, Sports,
If you find yourself on the main menu of an EA SPORTS title only to enjoy the great compilation of its soundtrack, I can assure you, you are not alone. Thankfully for us, EA has released the second volume of the EA SPORTS Soundtrack. This soundtrack is jammed packed with all our favorite Hip-Hop tracks from Xzibit to Kidz In The Hall. Need more? Find the full track listing after the jump.
Click to continue reading Out Now: EA SPORTS Soundtrack Volume 2
Guillermo del Toro Announces Several Video Game Projects
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Culture, Editorial, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360,
Film director Guillermo del Toro, of Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy fame, is currently set to lend his artistic vision to a field that has long fought for its place in the artistic realm. The debate as to whether or not video games can be considered art was recently set ablaze when acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert blogged that “no video gamer now living will survive long enough to experience [video games] as an art form”. While Ebert admits to having no desire to ever play a video game, hardly the same sentiment applies to del Toro, who previously stated that Flower is “like haiku poetry.” Almost a year later Ebert referred to the same game as “decorative interest on the level of a greeting card”. The two are definitely polar opposites when it comes to video games and art. However, with del Toro’s unique artistic direction poised to influence the gaming industry, can the opinionated Ebert change his anti-gaming ways? Or will del Toro’s gaming projects miss the mainstream mark like other filmmakers’ ventures into the gaming world?
Click to continue reading Guillermo del Toro Announces Several Video Game Projects
Read More | MTV
Nintendo DS R4 Cards Now Illegal In UK
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Portable/Mobile,
In an attempt to thwart rampant piracy of their Nintendo DS line of video games, Nintendo has been combating the use of the R4 card and other methods of pirating for years. Finally, Nintendo has seen a tremendous victory come about in the form of the banning of R4 cards in the United Kingdom.
Previously, the R4 card was used (or supposed to used at least) to install homebrew games that indie developers would cook up for the DS. However, the R4 could also be loaded with easily accessible retail versions of Nintendo DS titles from major developers posted online. This posed a big problem to not only Nintendo, but to the developers who saw a decline in their sales. With digital downloads of their games available online, and easily transferable to one of these R4 cards, it seemed that their games didn’t stand a chance at retail. Why purchase something when you can get it for free?
In light of this misuse of R4 cards, a UK court has ruled in favor of Nintendo, making the R4 card illegal in the UK. While this comes as a huge victory to Nintendo, we must shed a tear for the indie homebrew developers who actually used the R4 cards for its intended purpose.
Nintendo had this to say:
“In the UK alone, there have been over 100,000 game copying devices seized since 2009. Nintendo initiates these actions not only on its own behalf, but also on behalf of over 1,400 video game development companies that depend on legitimate sales of games for their survival.”
Read More | MCV UK
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