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Sublime joins Guitar Hero: World Tour, Activision confirms previous acts, details

hiphper — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:41:19 +0000

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Rhythm

Activision made Guitar Hero: ~~Rock Band Edition~~ World Tour official today, confirming the details leaked from the current issue of Game Informer. World Tour will feature an all-master track cast, filled with previously named acts like Van Halen, Linkin Park, and The Eagles, plus today’s confirmation of Sublime and “many more.” The announcement also highlights the “Music Studio” mode (create-a-song), which allows players to “compose, record, edit and share music,” and the 8-player “Battle of the Bands” mode.

World Tour will also feature so-called “new state of the art wireless instruments” (as sorta seen yesterday), meaning mom won’t trip over the coil of wires when she walks in front of the TV and totally destroys the rock mojo; and the still curious, but ambitious sounding promise to add “significantly more localized downloadable music than ever before on all of the next-generation consoles.” Yep, that includes the Wii version (developed by Vicarious Visions). Activision confirms that World Tour will be the “first game ever in the Guitar Hero franchise to allow in-game downloadable content on Wii” — just make sure your SD card is inserted.

Gallery: Guitar Hero: World Tour

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Underperforming XBLA titles to be delisted

hiphper — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:27:58 +0000

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

We’re not the only ones tired of sifting through the digital dump. Xbox Live GM Marc Whitten has made it clear that any stinkers in the Xbox Live Arcade catalog will soon be delisted, he told Next-Gen. That’s a nice way of saying, Microsoft is finally taking out the trash. And what qualifies as 100% pure garbage, you ask? It’s a combination of things: A title must be at least 6 months old, have a Metacritic score below 65 and a conversion rate below 6%. Microsoft will provide a three-month notice before delisting any game.

“Overall I think you will find this will focus the catalog more on larger, more immersive games and make it much easier to find the games you are looking for,” said Whitten.

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Cyborg Robotic Gaming Keyboard, Futuristic Enuff’

hiphper — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:15:18 +0000

This Cyborg Robotic Gaming Keyboard looks futuristic enough. A gaming keyboard with customisable backlighting, 12 programmable gaming keys (the usual keys are metal-plated) and a cool Cyborg Mode which can disable “Windows” keys at an instant and transform into your customized gaming killing machine. If you are lost in a game, at least a look at this keyboard can satisfy you, really. $84.99 for one.

Where To Buy:

ThinkGeek {Cyborg Robotic Gaming Keyboard}

Image: ThinkGeek

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New MGO videos show how gameplay is like

hiphper — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 05:02:10 +0000

Enjoying your access to the Metal Gear Online beta? I hope you are because the best we other mere mortals can do is drool at the sight of MGO videos. I’ve got a couple of new ones today. Watch them and be reminded of how excruciating it is to wait for June 12, the game’s release date.

Take this first one, for example. You’ll see (or not see) how difficult it can be to find Snake as an average grunt on the battlefield. If you’re expecting to plainly see a cleverly-camouflaged Snake hiding in one corner during multiplayer, then get ready for a rude awakening. Snake would be presented as a translucent specter that you can barely see.

I’m still on the fence on how this would work first-hand because frankly, I would rather see (or not see) camouflage so good that we actually wouldn’t notice Snake hiding instead of just making the character almost invisible because that’s what the camo indicator says.

This video shows us how shooting other people in the face works in MGO. It’s good to see that unlike other multiplayer games, MGO allows players to engage in close-quarters combat (or CQC) instead of shooting each other with high-powered rifles at pointblank range, which rather looks ridiculous.

The buzz around Metal Gear Solid 4 and MGO may have been dulled somewhat by the release of a certain Grand Theft Auto IV, but rest assured that once the GTA hype is over, we’d all be itching for Snake by June.

Tags: beta_test, gameplay, metal_gear, metal_gear_online, solid_snake, video

The North, Pohjola

hiphper — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:47:20 +0000

The North, Pohjola is a strategy game which resembles David Galindo’s The Sandbox of God. Players have to help a tribe survive a harsh winter season by making decisions limited to the four cards drawn in each round. The game ends once all thirty cards from the deck have been exhausted, and scores are then calculated for online submission.

Population count is represented by a percentage at the top left of the screen. Temperature can be manipulated by choosing the right cards to maintain a warm surrounding for your tribe. Certain cards award bonus points, and may only affect proceedings when their specific conditions are met.

Name: The North, Pohjola
Developer: Fire Dragon
Category: Strategy
Type: Freeware
Size: 10MB
Download: link 1, link 2

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Bioshock on PS3 and the Cautious Fanboy

hiphper — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:33:13 +0000

Famous gaming webcomic Penny Arcadehas addressed the recent confirmation of Bioshock for the Playstation 3.

(I spelled that as “Biosock” at first. Mankind’s Deadliest Weapon is Festering at the Bottom of the Laundry Hamper.)

I’ve seen some pretty awesome console wars flare up over this topic, and therefore I can only smile at the guarded enthusiasm of Playstation 3 owners. There’s a sort of paranoia involved here, like Charlie Brown’s haunting fear of Lucy pulling away the football.

Then again, memories of The Orange Box port will not fade quickly.

Going back to Penny Arcade for a second, I’m glad to see that Carl the Exterminator was not devoured by the deep crow, and in fact managed to tame her. I don’t ask for much out of life either, but I think I’d banish myself to the dinosaur-populated centre of the earth if I could have a deep crow as a mount.

Tags: deep crow, just for fun, lol, Penny Arcade

My Thoughts On WoTLK 10 Man Raids - Is It Ok For Arthas?

hiphper — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:19:59 +0000

I know it’s a not a new issue anymore considering the news about it came out last week but I’ll talk about it anyway. I’m talking about the news that all raid dungeons in WoTLK will have their 10 man and 25 man versions. This move was praised because it opens up the option to still do some raids when you can’t put 25 men together for the night. This also opens up the possibility for smaller and/or more casual guilds to experience all the content. But this move was also lashed by the lore purists saying that being able to 10 man a strong and important figure of the game’s lore like Arthas is just absurd.

My thoughts below are my attempts to try to justify that the move to allow these 10 man raids could work and kinda add to what was said in this post in WoW Insider.

As long as it feels epic…

Just like Kil’jaeden is tucked away deep in TBC’s raid progression and a guild who attempts to down him aren’t just a bunch of dudes with much lower quality gear, a guy like Arthas won’t be downed by just any 10 men. These 10 men will have to have passed through the progression and get the right gear that would be enough to kill him. This kind of preparation and gearing up is a feat in itself, adding to epic-ness to what you might encounter. If the encounter means having the best gear available and the right kind of team work and group make up to do then it should feel epic enough. If the fight feels epic enough then it really shouldn’t matter how many people it takes.

You’re not just any 10 men

One thing I’ve wondered when I first started raiding in the original WoW game was that it seemed like even 40 men was not enough considering the vast numbers of man power you needed to win a battle in Warcraft 3. but then I realized that you’re not just a run off the mill warrior created from the barracks. You’re a hero! That’s why it only takes 5 of you to ransack whole dungeons and do what whole groups of people like the forces of Thrallmar or even the Shattered Sun Offensive couldn’t do without your help.

You’ll probably have help

One day, it bothered me that an epic battle like the CoT: Battle For Mount Hyjal raid dungeon was just a 25 man encounter considering the number of Warcraft 3 units it took to finish off Archimonde. but then I then found out that you have the help of a lot of npc’s, making the battle feel much more epic. In the case of Arthas, I’m sure the Ashbringer will come into play somehow making the fight much easier to just 10/25 men to do where they would surely fail without it.

So I’m not saying that it’s totally ok for 10 men to kill a such a strong figure of WoW lore but the reasons above surely makes it a bit easier to accept. In the end, I still praise the decision to allow it since I’m not such a lore purist and I’m really for having more and more people experience the content even if it’s toned down and with lower quality loot.

WoW Comic Contest: Honorable Mentions

hiphper — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:04:49 +0000

Here is the next honorable mention from this month’s comic contest submissions.
Remember, the contest will go on all year long, so don’t miss your chance to win
a copy of the World of Warcraft Battle Chest signed by both Vice President of Creative Development Chris
Metzen and Art Director Chris Robinson, as well as a World of Warcraft 60 day pre-paid time card.

Keep those comics coming! Check out today’s honorable mention from Hercule.

Have a comic to submit? It’s not too late to enter the comic contest. Read the official rules, and submit your comics today!

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Japan Sales: Monster Hunter Defeats Mario

hiphper — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:50:58 +0000

The numbers are in for Media Create’s weekly Japan sales chart (May 12-18), and although overall sales are way down, a few new entries help mix things up.

After weeks of coming in second behind Mario Kart Wii, the undying Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G has actually climbed up to take over the top spot — or rather, hasn’t seen its sales numbers go down as much as Mario has. This is also the week that sees 2nd G finally top the 2 million mark in sales.

Most of the action in the top 10 revolves around three new entries on
three different systems: tactical RPG Luminous Arc 2: Will on the DS, cel-shaded fighter Bleach: Heat the
Soul 5 on the PSP, and Battalion Wars 2 on the Wii.

Things
aren’t really looking good for Battalion though, since it only moved
24,000 units.

Looking over the top 30, new entries include PS2 adventure game The
Color Blue, and The Darkness, with a typical Xbox 360 entry rank in the
mid-twenties. In what could easily be a reaction to the recentl- revealed
details for the third Professor Layton game, Professor Layton and the
Curious Village re-enters the charts.

Below, Media Create’s full top 30. The list shows this week’s rank,
followed by last week’s position, with the sales figures showing this
week’s numbers, followed by total sales.

01./02. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (Capcom) - 53,000 / 2,045,000
02./01. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo) - 42,000 / 1,269,000
03./00. [NDS] Luminous Arc 2: Will (Marvelous Entertainment) - 41,000 / NEW
04./00. [PSP] Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 (Sony) - 39,000 / NEW
05./03. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo) - 35,000 / 2,074,000
06./00. [WII] Battalion Wars 2 (Nintendo) - 24,000 / NEW
07./13. [NDS] DS Beautiful Letter Training (Nintendo) - 15,000 / 218,000
08./04. [WII] Link’s Crossbow Training (Nintendo) - 14,000 / 156,000
09./05. [NDS] Taiko Drum Master DS: Seven Island Adventure (Bandai-Namco) - 14,000 / 147,000
10./08. [WII] Wii Sports (Nintendo) - 10,000 / 2,989,000

11./06. [NDS] Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage (Pokémon)
12./00. [PS2] The Color Blue (Success)
13./16. [PS2] Musou Orochi: The Evil King Returns (Koei)
14./15. [PS3] Valkyria Chronicles (Sega)
15./12. [NDS] Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
16./09. [NDS] We’re Fossil Diggers (Nintendo)
17./11. [WII] Wii Play (Nintendo)
18./14. [NDS] Tottado! Yowiko’s Deserted Island Life (Bandai-Namco)
19./10. [WII] Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo)
20./07. [WII] Deca Sporta (Hudson)
21./27. [NDS] SimCity DS 2: From the Past to the Future (EA)
22./25. [NDS] Kanji Brain Test 2.5M (IE Institute)
23./00. [360] The Darkness (Spike)
24./19. [NDS] New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
25./17. [NDS] Home Teacher Hitman Reborn! DS: Fate of Heat (Takara-Tomy)
26./23. [PS2] Pro Baseball Spirits 5 (Konami)
27./31. [NDS] Phoenix Wright: Gyakuten Revival (Capcom)
28./22. [NDS] Emblem of Gundam (Bandai-Namco)
29./00. [NDS] Prof. Layton and the Curious Village (Level 5)
30./24. [NDS] Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land (Banpresto)

Photos: Jean Snow/Wired.com

Media Create Sales [NeoGAF]

See also:

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Review: Penny Arcade Adventures Works It Out

hiphper — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:38:29 +0000

The creators of the webcomic Penny Arcade could not have taken lightly the decision to create their own videogame. Having spent the last few years voicing some of game criticism’s most no-holds-barred opinions and gaining legions of fans in the process, they had no choice but to deliver a high-quality product.

Luckily, Penny Arcade Adventures lives up as well as any game could to an overabundance of hype. That is to say, while it does try to bite off a great deal more than it can chew — and suffers for it — the game is a solid, clever, hilarious piece of entertainment that will more than please its audience.

Developed by Hothead Games, Penny Arcade Adventures has been given the purposely unwieldy subtitle Episode 1: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. Yes, that does mean that this $20 PC, Mac, Linux and Xbox 360 game is the first in an episodic series, although Hothead has intimated that the episodes will come in less frequently than Telltale Games’ monthly installments of Sam & Max — although probably faster than episodes of Half-Life.

While $20 might seem like a bit much for a little over five hours of gameplay, there’s a lot of content packed into this first installment: four largish 3-D environments, a dozen or so main characters and reams of funny dialogue.

On that last point, I should say right up front what everyone likely already knows: Penny Arcade is likely to end up as one of the funniest and best-written games of the year. If the webcomic has you in stitches, so will this. The plot’s bizarre mix of Lovecraftian horror and 21st-century toilet jokes somehow makes perfect sense, and even randomly clicking on the scenery in every level is bound to turn up dozens of throwaway bits of humor.

The gameplay is a mix of point-and-click adventure games and Final Fantasy, with heavier emphasis on the latter. While you do in fact walk around by pointing and clicking on places, objects and people, and there are a few easily solved item-based puzzles, you’ll spend the vast majority of your time in the battle system.

I name-drop Final Fantasy because fans of the series will recognize the concept of “active-time battles.” While the combat consists of turn-based affairs where most of your actions are undertaking by picking items from a menu, you have to make your choices quickly, as the enemies don’t stop attacking just because you’re taking too long to decide.

There’s also a good deal of Paper Mario sprinkled in there. You can block enemy attacks by pressing the spacebar at the right moment during their attack animation. Do it right on time and you’ll take no damage, which quickly becomes crucial to success.

Also playing off Mario’s role-playing game are the special attacks, in which you have to execute a series of accurately timed button presses in order to do full damage. The mini-games that result are different for each of your three main characters. For Gabe’s fisticuffs, you have to slam on your spacebar to raise a gauge, then press it one more time with perfect timing to stop the needle in the center. To spray more bullets from Tycho’s machine gun, you must press the arrow or WASD keys in a certain sequence before a timer runs out. And for the character that you create, a spinning needle whirls around in a circle and you press the spacebar to stop it in four hot spots around the perimeter.

Penny Arcade’s character creator is an interesting bit of tech, as you create one character that is then used in both the 3-D battles and the 2-D, comic-style dialogue sequences and cinematic scenes. It’s not the most fully featured character editor around — I found the lack of bizarre facial-hair types not particularly conducive to creating a Penny Arcade-style Kohler — but the swapping between dimensions is a neat trick.

Penny Arcade Adventures began to go off the rails for me once I realized that despite all the potential in the intricate timing-based combat system, you never really need to worry about failure. Your health is automatically refilled after every battle, you can flee instantly from all but the three boss fights, and you can restart from the beginning of any battle when you die.

This isn’t necessarily a bad idea when you consider that the game lets you save anywhere you like, so it’s simply saving players from having to load an old saved game. But at the same time, the difficulty curve is basically reversed: It’s harder in the beginning as you’re learning the combat system, and a breeze toward the end once you get the basics down.

While the game will quickly fill your inventory up with 14 different combat items, I found I didn’t need to use any of them except for just a few occasions — and even then, I probably could have gotten by without.

And although I realize that this is episode one of many, it’s tough to ignore the feeling that the game ends just as you’re getting into the groove.

I should point out that the Xbox 360 version of the game, available Wednesday via Xbox Live Arcade, differs from the computer version in a few significant ways. Instead of pointing and clicking, you move your character around directly with the control pad. I found this to be a bit less fussy than the mouse control, although selecting from the menus in battle was more complicated.

The graphics haven’t quite been optimized for television sets — while the text size has been scaled up, the general layout of the screen is identical, and what looks good from a foot away on a computer monitor just doesn’t feel right on a big-screen TV.

But either version will surely be devoured whole by fans of the webcomic. I’d love to see a longer Episode 2 that makes deeper use of the clever battle system.

– Chris Kohler

WIRED Great presentation, pitch-perfect dialogue, engaging battle system

TIRED Short, could use more and deeper battles

$20, Hothead Games

Rating:

Read Game|Life’s game ratings guide.

Images courtesy Hothead Games

Read more about Penny Arcade Adventures:

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