Greenpeace has more highlighted Nintendo as the most environmentally unfriendly of all its annually surveyed electronics companies.
This year's Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics study scored the company just 1.4 out of 10 for its chemical, e-waste and energy policies, the lowest of the 18 companies included.
The Japanese manufacturer scored zero on e-waste and on its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions due to a second year of increases, despite its pledge to cut them.
Square Enix's PS3-exclusive Final Fantasy XIII continued to do big business in Japan as the Far East led the way into 2010.
The JRPG finished fourth on Media Create's software chart for the week ending 3rd January, boosting its lifetime sales by 111,705 up to 1.8 million units - over a third of the local installed base for the console itself.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii topped the chart, selling 268,212 copies and taking its its lifetime total up to 2.7m units.
For those who didn't make it to this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Sony's Social Media Manager [b]Jeff Rubenstein[/b] has shared a PlayStation 3 video today which includes a 3D Q&A session.
To quote: 3D is undoubtedly the biggest buzzword at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. We know it's coming to the PS3, but how exactly is that going to work for current PS3 owners?
I asked that question of SCEA Director of Hardware Marketing [b]John Koller[/b], and the answers are in the video below.
We'll have more from CES here on Monday. In the meantime, you can find more Sony CES news [url=http://www.sony.com/index.php?hero=ces&SR=ces:placeholder]here[/url].
SCEA Marketing Manager [b]Mark Valledor[/b] has shared the first LittleBigPlanet PS3: Sack it to Me 2010 'kickoff' edition today.
To quote: We hope everyone celebrated the New Year with a bang! We're looking forward to another year of Sack it to Me posts filled with more LBP level creations and community happenings.
You guys continue to amaze us with all the new and creative things, and it's been a challenge to keep up with all of the LBP activity - a challenge we look forward to in 2010.
I thought it would be fun to kick off the year by celebrating some activity on our fan sites:
Over at [url=http://www.littlebigplanetguide.com/page/LittleBigPlanet+Fan+Art]LittleBigPlanetGuide.com[/url] & [url=http://www.lbpcentral.com/forums/littlebiggallery/index.php?c=2]LBPCentral.com[/url] - a bunch of us refreshed our desktops with new Sackboy wallpapers created by the fans.
Our friends at [url=http://www.littlebigland.com/]LittleBigLand.com[/url] just concluded their Pod Decor
VidZone's Head of Production [b]Ben Creasey[/b] has announced today that some exclusive footage of The Temper Trap playing at Koko Club in London with the hit single 'Sweet Disposition' is hitting Sony's PlayStation Network.
To quote: We've got live footage of The Temper Trap playing at Koko Club in London with a set that includes the brilliant hit single 'Sweet Disposition'.
We've also got their video for the brand new single 'Fader' and to celebrate the success of the debut album 'Conditions' we'll be giving the VidZone application a bit of a makeover in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, UK, [url=http://blog.fr.playstation.com/]France[/url], [url=http://blog.de.playstation.com/]Germany[/url], Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg for the Aussie wonders.
They're also touring Europe from late February through to May so head over to their website for more details, then you can catch them live in person not only on VidZone!
Also... Check out new playlists including exciting H
[u]Update[/u]: Sony has just confirmed that Heavy Rain will be hitting PS3 store shelves in [url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/01/heavy-rain-officially-releasing-on-february-23/]North America[/url] on February 23, grace mainland [url=http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2010/01/08/heavy-rain-approaching/]Europe[/url] on February 24, and hit the UK and Ireland on February 26, 2010... meaning the initial date Qore set of the 16th was inaccurate.
Today Examiner.com (linked above) has revealed that [url=http://www.ps3news.com/PS3-Online/video-qore-episode-20-dantes-inferno-heavy-rain-bioshock-2/]Qore Episode 20[/url] dates the Heavy Rain North American PS3 release for February 16, 2010.
Additionally, [url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=230846]CVG[/url] has reported that the UK should see a February 26th street date for the PlayStation 3 title.
Finally, yesterday we a Heavy Rain [url=http://www.ps3news.com/PlayStation-3/video-heavy-rain-ps3-trailer-hits-japane
It appears the RSA encryption scheme has fallen as cryptographers have [url=http://eprint.iacr.org/2010/006.pdf]broken[/url] [PDF] 768-bit keys via the widely used public-key algorithm.
An international team of mathematicians, computer scientists and cryptographers broke the key though NFS, or number field sieve, which allowed them to deduce two prime numbers that when multiplied together generated a number with 768 bits.
The discovery, which took about two-and-a-half years and hundreds of general-purpose computers, means 768-bit RSA keys can no longer be counted on to encrypt or authenticate sensitive communications.
To quote: "The latest milestone to fall is 768-bit RSA; in a paper posted on a cryptography preprint server, academic researchers have now announced that they factored one of these keys in early December.
Most modern cryptography relies on single large numbers that are the product of two primes. If you know the numbers, it's relatively easy to encrypt and d
PlayStation Store Senior Manager [b]Grace Chen[/b] has posted this week's PSN video content update today, as follows:
Here's the list of new arrivals and top downloads on the Video Store this week.
Hope 2010 is going well for you so far! We've started off the year with some creeptastic new releases!
Give yourself the chills this weekend with [url=http://www.imdb.com/rg/NEW2LHS//title/tt1131734/]Jennifer's Body[/url], [url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472033/]9[/url], [url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/]District 9[/url] and [url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1144884/]The Final Destination[/url], all available now on PlayStation Network.
Check out the clip below for a sneak peek of the latest installment of the highly popular and highly SCARY "Final Destination" series:
[viddler id=85f79598&w=320&h=545]
[b]FREE NEW ARRIVALS[/b]
24 | Season 8 - 24 Sneak Peek The Bannen Way: Part 1: The Criminal Lifestyle The Bannen Way: Part 2: The Offer The Bann
We hope everyone celebrated the New Year with a bang! We’re looking forward to another year of Sack it to Me posts filled with more LBP level creations and community happenings. You guys continue to amaze us with all the new and creative things, and it’s been a challenge to keep up with all of the LBP activity – a challenge we look forward to in 2010.
I thought it would be fun to kick off the year by celebrating some activity on our fan sites:
Our friends at LittleBigLand.com just concluded their Pod Decorating Contest – congrats to Sackguy96 for winning!
At Sackcast.com, the LittleBigReviewers have just announced two new contests, which could reward you their cool-looking LBR trophy.
Check out the January contest details in this quick video.
LittleBigPodcast continues in 2010 with their “New Year’s Edition” (short and simple to kick things off).
Do you have snow nearby? Check out the Sackboy Snowman created by someone over on the EU PlayStation forums. It might give you an idea or two if you’re out and about in the snow…
Haven’t gotten the Pirates of the Caribbean DLC yet? Check out this ‘talkthrough’ of the Water level from BludgaBoy to get the rundown. Then head on over to the PlayStation Store and download it today!
3D is undoubtedly the biggest buzzword at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. We know it’s coming to the PS3, but how exactly is that going to work for current PS3 owners? I asked that question of SCEA Director of Hardware Marketing John Koller, and the answers are in the video below.
We’ll have more from CES here on Monday. In the meantime, you can find more Sony CES news here.
Many people have been asking about when precisely Heavy Rain is going to hit store shelves in North America. Well, I'm here to deliver great news to those of you who are antsy to dive into this highly anticipated PS3 exclusive being developed by Quantic Dream. Fans of Heavy Rain can get their hands on this highly emotional thriller beginning Tuesday, February 23rd at participating retail stores.
As mentioned last month, players can pre-order their copy of Heavy Rain now at participating retailers, and will receive, for free and before anyone else, the first episode of The Heavy Rain Chronicles (valued at $4.99 each episode) titled, "Heavy Rain: Chronicle One – The Taxidermist".
Still don't know enough about Heavy Rain? Check out our GamesCom posting to meet Heavy Rain's director and co-CEO of Quantic Dream, David Cage, as he takes fans through one of more than 50 scenes this spectacular journey has to offer.
Continue to check back here on the Blog to get the latest news about Heavy Rain. We'll have more to come in the next couple of weeks!
Here's the list of new arrivals and top downloads on the Video Store this week.
Hope 2010 is going well for you so far! We’ve started off the year with some creeptastic new releases! Give yourself the chills this weekend with Jennifer’s Body, 9, District 9 and The Final Destination, all available now on PlayStation Network. Check out the clip below for a sneak peek of the latest installment of the highly popular and highly SCARY “Final Destination” series:
FREE NEW ARRIVALS
24 | Season 8 - 24 Sneak Peek
The Bannen Way: Part 1: The Criminal Lifestyle
The Bannen Way: Part 2: The Offer
The Bannen Way: Part 3: The Third Strike
The Bannen Way: Part 4: The Proposition
The Bannen Way: Part 5: The Assassin Trio
HD MOVIE NEW ARRIVALS
The Final Destination
Adam
Public Enemies
My One And Only
MOVIE NEW ARRIVALS
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
The Final Destination
Adam
Friday the 13th, Part VIII – Manhattan
The Bannen Way
My One And Only
The Great Muppet Caper
HD TV NEW ARRIVALS
American Dad | Season 5 - Don’t Look a Smith Horse in the Mouth
Family Guy | Season 8 - Big Man on Hippocampus
The Cleveland Show | Season 1 - Field of Streams
The Simpsons | Season 21 - Thursday with Abie
Brothers | Season 1 - Follow Story
Brothers | Season 1 - GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS
Heroes | Season 4 - Upon This Rock
Heroes | Season 4 - Let It Bleed
Til Death | Season 4 - No Complaints
Til Death | Season 4 - The Courtship of Eddie’s Parents
Til Death | Season 4 - The Ex-Factor
Til Death | Season 4 - The Buffer
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Season 11 - Quickie
Mercy | Season 1 - I Saw This Pig and I Thought of You
TV NEW ARRIVALS
Bowl Bash 2010: The BCS on FOX | Season 1 - AT&T Cotton Bowl (Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss)
Bowl Bash 2010: The BCS on FOX | Season 1 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Boise State vs. TCU)
Bowl Bash 2010: The BCS on FOX | Season 1 - FedEx Orange Bowl (Iowa vs. Georgia Tech)
World’s Strictest Parents | Season 1 - The Smidts
American Dad | Season 5 - Don’t Look a Smith Horse in the Mouth
Family Guy | Season 8 - Big Man on Hippocampus
The Cleveland Show | Season 1 - Field of Streams
The Simpsons | Season 21 - Thursday with Abie
Tough Love | Season 2 - Money Can’t Buy Me Love
Back at the Barnyard | Season 2 - Get Bessy/A Beautiful Freddy
Brothers | Season 1 - Follow Story
Brothers | Season 1 - GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS
Chef Academy | Season 1 - Squid Pro Quo
Chef Academy | Season 1 - Meat Your Maker
Fanboy and Chum Chum | Season 1 - Norse-ing Around/The Janitor’s Apprentice
Heroes | Season 4 - Upon This Rock
Heroes | Season 4 - Let It Bleed
I Want to Work for Diddy | Season 2 - Finale
Intervention | Season 7 - Sarah
MythBusters | Season 7 - Boomerang Bullet
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster | Season 2 - Eva’s Confession
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster | Season 2 - Of Men and Dining
Spartacus Motion Comic | Season 1 - Shadows of the Jackal
SpongeBob SquarePants | Season 7 - Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful/A Pal for Gary
Til Death | Season 4 - No Complaints
Til Death | Season 4 - The Courtship of Eddie’s Parents
Til Death | Season 4 - The Ex-Factor
Til Death | Season 4 - The Buffer
Better Off Ted | Season 2 - Beating a Dead Workforce
Better Off Ted | Season 2 - Change We Can’t Believe In
Dirty Jobs | Season 4 - Animal Control Speciailist
Naruto Shippuden Uncut | Season 1, Vol. 1 - The Death of Gaara!
Tabatha’s Salon Takeover | Season 2 - Tantrum Salon: Covina, CA
Bakugan | Season 7 - Earth Invaders
Campus PD | Season 1 - 105
Ghost Hunters International | Season 2 - Hitler’s Ghost
Human Wrecking Balls | Season 2 - Post Office
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Season 11 - Quickie
Man vs. Wild | Season 4 - Pacific Island
Mercy | Season 1 - I Saw This Pig and I Thought of You
Modern Family | Season 1 - Up All Night
The Real World DC - Looks Can Be D.C.-ving
The Real Housewives of Orange County | Season 5 - Love and War
Trick My Truck | Season 5
Macross Plus
Clarissa Explains It All – The Best Of
The State | Season 3
The State | Season 4
Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union | Season 2
RuPaul’s Drag Race | Season 1
I Want to Work for Diddy | Season 1
Top Movies
9
The Hangover (Unrated)
Jennifer’s Body
All About Steve
A Perfect Getaway (Unrated Director’s Cut) The Final Destination
Paranormal Activity
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love
District 9
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Top HD Movies
9
The Hangover (Unrated)
Jennifer’s Body
All About Steve
Paranormal Activity
A Perfect Getaway
Angels & Demons
The Hangover
Star Trek
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Top TV Episodes
Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side
Family Guy | Season 8 - Business Guy
Family Guy | Season 8 - Big Man on Hippocampus
Naruto Shippuden Uncut | Season Vol. 1 - The Secret of Jinchuriki
Family Guy | Season 8 - Road to Multi-verse
South Park: Uncensored | Season 13 - Pee
Family Guy | Season 8 - Hannah Banana
Naruto Shippuden Uncut | Season Vol. 1 - The Death of Gaara!
Family Guy | Season 8 - Quagmire’s Baby
Heroes | Season 4 - Upon This Rock
Top HD TV Episodes
Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side
Frankly, we don't get Nier. In Japan there are two different Nier games with different names and slightly different plots coming exclusively to the 360 and PS3, but in the US, we're just getting one of those, but it's coming to both the 360 and PS3! And if it wasn't bad enough we're expelling all this energy keeping Nier straight, we already sort of hate it.
At least one thing -- the release window -- is now clear: Square emailed this morning to let us know that the game would arrive in spring this year. Square also haughtily informed us that the game is an action RPG rather than a pure action game, and should be classified as such. Hey, isn't it enough if we remember how many of them exist?Nier gets close in spring 2010 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Fiction: Wow, so, we were totally on the back of this ATV, bullets going everywhere and then jumped this ramp. Oh yeah, and then when we landed I went right up to this tank's butt and blew it up with an RPG, it was awesome! Then we ran into this factory, and we were like "woah," cause there were all these bullets whizzing by. Then we captured the zone, ran down some stairs and were staring down the barrel of another tank, but we were lucky 'cause our chopper blew it up from the sky. I totally didn't get hit by any bullets, it was like playing with nOObs!
Reality: F*ck, man! I bet you it's some 12-year-old who keeps sniping us every time we get on these vehicles. Gawd, hold on, waiting to respawn. Oh, there's a tank over there, let me run up to it with this RPG. DAMN! Got too close, stupid proximity from blast killed me. Yup, I'll respawn with you guys in a sec. WHOA, whoa, whoa, what's with all the shooting, where'd those ... dead. Wait up, one sec. OK, let's get this other tank. Why isn't that helicopter helping us? Down here, helicopter! Come on, down -- dead.
NVidia chose to show off the processing power of the new version of its mobile Tegra processor the same way many companies demonstrate their big-boy processors: with Unreal Engine 3. On stage at its CES presentation, NVidia demonstrated an FPS running on the processor -- the same processor the company demonstrated in several portable tablet-type devices.
Though Epic's Tim Sweeney classified it as the "same engine" that runs on PC, Engadget described it as "A lot like the iPhone demo we saw recently. Certainly impressive, but this isn't an Xbox 360 yet." And, in fact, the environment bears a resemblance to that from the iPhone demo. Nonetheless, the demonstration prove that Tegra is quite powerful for a chip designed for handheld devices -- and one that's rumored to be part of a future DS system.Nvidia shows off Unreal Engine 3 on Tegra originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We were unbelievers at the beginning of this new Bayonettaad (after the break), in which Mega64's Rocco Botte insisted that he could emulate -- nay -- top any of the titular action star's moves. But he's definitely shooting bullets with his feet and he promises repeatedly that his hair is a demon, so now whose face has got egg on it? That's right: Ours.
Capcom's brought its A game to CES 2010, unloading everything but the proverbial kitchen sink (and the full roster list) for Super Street Fighter IV. There's some new fight sticks to look forward to, new screens and two new gameplay trailers -- which have oddly low volume, for some reason -- showing off those sweet new Ultra Combos.
You can check out the new screens in our gallery below, but you'll have to jump past the break for the conclusion of this two-part combo of fresh gameplay clips. It's totally worth it, we assure you.
Peripheral manufacturer Razer is dipping its shaved toes in the console market, announcing "preliminary approval" from Microsoft to produce an Xbox 360 controller and headset. The $50 wired Onza -- that's the controller -- will have Razer Hyperesponse technology that'll "give faster actuation and a crisp, tactile feel." What's that now? Oh, oh, we pressy the buttons and they make the things happen? Gotcha! Why not just say that? That's what we want from a controller.
The Razer Chimaera headset, which will retail for $130, features 5.1 channel virtual surround sound. The headset also allows "multiple Razer base stations to be connected to create a direct, private communication channel for in-game team conversations" -- or the rest of us can just start a party chat? Best part, though, the "circumaural design of the headset allows for optimum noise isolation for long-hours of comfortable gameplay." Thus allowing gamers to totally tune out their parents, spouse, or crying and hungry child.
GameStop cut its profit forecast for this fiscal year, impacting the company with the same devastating force that a single snowflake has on the Gobi Desert. The retailer stated in its holiday sales report that revenue hit $2.86 billion, which was actually flat compared to last year. Putting this into perspective, Gamestop expects to have its "second highest earnings year" in its history for fiscal 2009, which places it behind last year's record-breaker.
During the nine-week period ending January 2, 2010, new game sales were up four percent, while hardware declined eight percent, due to "recent console price cuts" and a decline in unit sales. Used products, the company's profit bread and butter, increased 10 percent. GameStop plans on having almost $700 million in cash when it ends its fiscal year later this month.
In a recent interview with VG247, Black Rock studio head Tony Beckwith confirmed that Split/Second isn't the only title the company is currently developing. "We're a two-product studio," Beckwith explained -- but when pressed to identify Black Rock's other game, he only responded by saying it's "not being discussed at all."
Whatever the title ends up being, we just hope it retains Split/Second's remote-controlled explosions. Because, really, is there any genre that's not immensely improved with remote-controlled explosions?Black Rock working on additional game besides Split/Second originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The first thing you should know about Bayonetta is that the story is entirely unimportant. It makes no sense. At all. Period. There's something about two warring clans, one of witches and one of sages (Light vs. Dark -- yada yada yada). There's a "journalist" who inexplicably carries a grappling hook; an ancient god that's being resurrected; and, at one point, there's even a dance-off.
Now, forget about all of that. You'll be skipping through it on your second playthrough anyway. And that's really the point. If you like action games in the vein of Devil May Cry orNinja Gaiden, you'll probably start your second playthrough of Bayonetta exactly when I did: immediately after the first.
Today's PSN update, the first of 2010, isn't exactly packed, but there's some good stuff in there. Check out the Dark Void and Matt Hazard demos. There's also the latest Borderlands expansion pack, which takes players to the Underdome. On PSP, there's a whole lotta comics to download. Check out the full PSN update after the break.
Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:
(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
You'd think some screen tearing was only natural in the aftermath of ... the Apocalypse -- but apparently it's an unintended hiccup in the Xbox 360 version of Vigil Games' Darksiders. Speaking to IGN, studio head Joe Madureira confirmed that Vigil is aware of the issue and is planning a title update to address it. "It's something that's really not a difficult fix for us, and so we're going to implement a patch to resolve the problem," Madureira assured. "We're fairly certain it'll happen really soon, so look out for it." Phew! It's good to know that the end of the world will be running a little smoother in no time.
One of the biggest players in the battle against Apple's ubiquitous iPhone is Palm. webOS, introduced in the Pre, is an attractive mobile operating system, but has sorely lacked the one thing gamers are most interested in: booth babes games. That's about to change, as Palm has announced a significant update to the webOS platform at CES today.
Seven 3D games from EA, Gameloft and Glu have been announced for the Palm App Catalog, including Need for Speed Undercover, The Sims 3, Let's Golf! and X-Plane. Best of all for Pre and Pixi owners, these games can be downloaded right now. Engadget noted that the games "integrate seamlessly in webOS," allowing users to automatically pause a game to respond to a text message.
The Palm App Catalog is still in its infancy, with approximately 1000 apps currently available to download. Who knows? Perhaps today's announcement will encourage the billions of fart app developers for Apple to start looking at multi-platform flatulence programming.Palm adds 3D gaming to webOS, gets big EA franchises originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Majesco followed up its announcement of Attack of the Movies 3D with another multiplayer Wii experience, this time with a much sillier title: Pirates Plund-arrr. Three r's. If it were two r's, it would be the planet that the Thundercats' enemies come from. Obviously.
The Wii game, developed by casual game creator Boomzap Entertainment, is a 2D side-scrolling brawler, with (obviously) a pirate theme. You and up to three friends beat up a bunch of pirates and ghosts (and pirate ghosts, presumably) in a quest to find Captain Rudebelly and retrieve the Scepter of Power.
To help them along, players will be able to ride warthogs and ... "trigger meat meteor showers raining down from above." The combination of four-player fighting, Flash-like 2D graphics, and character leveling makes this sound somewhat like a take on the Castle Crashers style, which sounds good to us. Majesco plans to release Plund-Arrr in April.
After teasing us with half an image last night, Mad Catz and Capcom have announced a new "Tournament Edition" arcade stick is in development, branded with new art featuring Super Street Fighter IV. The stick will be made available in two flavors (check them out below!) for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Alongside the "Tournament Edition S" sticks, Mad Catz "anticipates" releasing four new FightPads for consoles, branded with new art. Considering the supply and demand issues the original batch of controllers saw, we "anticipate" Mad Catz will flood the market with the new batch of peripherals.
Unfortunately, Capcom recently pulled Super Street Fighter IV from its Q1 release window; however, we can only presume the controllers will be made available within the same time frame as the game itself. When we pried a Mad Catz rep for a release window on the new controllers they would only confirm it's slated for a release this spring. Hopefully that means we'll get our hands on both items in time to shield us from the April showers.
We don't have to tell you who Glen Schofield is. The guy's been cementing his name in the industry for years now, and considering his recent realignment from EA's banner to Activision's, starting a new studio in Sledgehammer Games, we all have a lot of questions. Let's get to it:
You were one of the individuals most responsible for bringing Dead Space to fruition -- one of Joystiq's best games of 2008. How difficult an endeavor was conceptualizing that game, and how willing -- in the way of providing resources -- was EA to create the game?
Dead Space was an idea I wanted to pursue for quite a few years while at EA. I brought the idea to the previous president when I believed the window was right for the game to fit within EA's portfolio. At the time, EA was largely leveraging licensed IPs, and getting support for a new IP concept was tough. I really appreciated the opportunity he gave us. Fortunately, we had a passionate team of developers who poured a ton of energy into converting our skeptics into believers. In the end, the critical response by fans and the press is something myself and the entire team are very proud of.
Hopefully, the third time is the charm for SOCOM Fireteam Bravo. After twodelays, the Slant Six-developed co-op shooter is finally making its way to PSP on February 16 on both UMD and PlayStation Network.
As far as we know, the kind of laziness which prevents you from visiting the nearest Blockbuster Video is a worldwide phenomenon. According to a press release (.doc link) dropped just in time for CES, Microsoft is catering to this global lethargy by opening up the Xbox Live Video Marketplace to ten more countries this fall: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Australia and New Zealand.
We already know what you're going to say. While DC's upcoming Mass Effect 2figure series includes decent likenesses of Thane, Grunt and Tali, the company is way off on its version of Shepard. In DC's defense, however, the company has no idea what your Shepard looks like, so it was stuck with a mold for Default Shepard instead of the real Shepard -- who everyone knows is vaguely Asian and female.
According to the scans of DC's solicitation book, posted by Gamervision, the figures are still pending approval, but are due for release August 25 of this year. By then, you may be done with Mass Effect 2, so you can use these action figures to stage your own adventures on Planet Your Shelf.Mass Effect 2 figures feature Shepard, if not your Shepard originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
This March, fans of Bioware's epic RPG, Dragon Age: Origins, will be able to extend the experience through 'Awakening,' the hefty retail expansion bearing an equally hefty $40 price tag. While the new trailer coinciding with the announcement was gripping in its own right, many gamers are likely wondering what is deserving of so much coin. Sure, we know it takes place after Origins, we know players will be fighting new Darkspawn baddies and we know there's new items and a raised level cap, but what else should gamers look forward to spending another gazillion hours on?
Well, in a recent interview with IGN, Bioware's Fernando Melo put it all on the line. Basically, the Darkspawn haven't retreated underground after Origins' Blight -- as was the case following previous Blights -- and in the land of Amaranthine, one Darkspawn in particular has evolved to the point where it can talk and reason: the Architect. And if you haven't played through Origins at all and have no character to import, you'll have the option to create a new one that will automatically be placed somewhere between level 17 and 20, around the toughness of Awakening's roster of bad guys.
Then there's the raised level cap. Melo couldn't confirm where it would be when Awakening releases in March, but said it will "probably end up in the mid to high 30s." Also, you'll gain access to a bunch of new followers, complete with all-new banter and micro-managing. This will have a greater affect on imported characters, as Melo says a lot of the choices you've made in Origins carry over and, depending on what point you're currently at in the main game, characters will act accordingly. And if you choose to play Awakening first, decisions there will transfer back to Origins in the same way.
Melo even detailed a bit of the "re-spec" ability you'll have in Awakening. You'll be able to force a reboot of your character's skill points through a tome, allowing you to retain whatever level your Origins character is at, but have a fresh start in terms of where you want to place your points. Obviously, if you choose not to import a character, this feature is moot because you'd be spending all of the points you'll get from starting at the high level Awakening begins.
It's a lot to process and IGN's interview is three very lengthy pages, so if you want to read the rest, head on over and check it out. Just beware of spoilers.
According to a "senior UK trade source" who allegedly spoke with CVG, the next Call of Duty game from Treyarch will be set in Vietnam and arrive at retailers this November. "It's going to be November again - just as with World At War and Modern Warfare 2," the source was quoted as saying.
With little explanation offered (alright, so, basically no explanation whatsoever), the United Arab Emirate states have reportedly banned the distribution and sale of THQ and Vigil's Darksiders: Wrath of War. According to UAE-based GamesLatest, the game was deemed to "contradict with the UAE's customs and traditions" -- a standard phrase used to near-universally describe banned games in the Middle Eastern states.
Unfortunately, that task of enforcing such a ban can be a mighty difficult one. Many retailers in the UAE simply order from wholesalers, bypassing importing laws altogether, and sell their games under the table (and untaxed, might we add). And then, of course, there's always the internet -- we hear you can buy stuff through it.
If you've been jonesing to play along to a song performed by a fictional, cartoon heavy metal band, then look no further: Activision has announced a downloadable Dethklok song coming this month to the Guitar Hero line, as part of a metal track pack.
On the opposite extreme, January will see a Vampire Weekend collection released for Guitar Hero 5and Band Hero to coincide with the band's new album, as well as a three-track Creedence Clearwater Revival set and a collection of songs from "up-and-coming blues masters." (We assume that these so-called masters are real people and not cartoon characters.)
A few details about Project Natal's technical capabilities slipped out alongside the holiday 2010 release window at Microsoft's CES press conference. The most revealing of these specifics is that the hardware will only siphon 10 to 15 percent of the 360's CPU power, according to a statement from Natal lead developer Alex Kipman. "Natal has to work on the existing hardware without taking too much hardware processing away from the games developers," Kipman added.
However, according to a report obtained by GamesIndustry, the processing power could have been further reduced. The original build for Natal included a chip that processed the "bone system," assumed responsible for creating a skeleton of the player in front of the device's glossy eye. However, in an attempt to lower costs, the chip was removed from the device's final build, putting that processing onus on the software that will utilize Natal.
In other words, it's extremely unlikely that any software will be able to have Natal support patched into it -- a fact that Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter says could help "serve to focus developers on Natal-specific concepts as opposed to revisiting old classics."Natal to use 10-15 percent of Xbox 360 CPU power originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Following Capcom France head Antoine Seux's uncertainty about the Wii as a profitable platform for the company going into 2010, it would appear that the Capcom mothership would like to carefully rephrase the sentiment. As such, HQ has issued a statement reconfirming the Japanese publisher's "commitment as a multiplatform developer and publisher of interactive software."
Netherlands-based handheld gaming studio Engine Software has developed a cool new piece of tech for the DSi: motion sensitivity. To show off this breakthrough, the company has developed a brief demo video of TILT, a kind of Marble Blast Ultra clone where the player guides a ball around the gameworld by tilting the DSi. It's not the first we've heard of this kinda tech, and it won't be the last.
Last year at CES, Nyko unveiled the Wand, its take on Nintendo's Wiimote. This year, the peripheral maker's big item is ... abracadabra ... the Wand -- with one exciting addition! The $40 Wand+ is a single, self-contained unit that includes MotionPlus compatibility. The device still supports the crazy Trans-Port stuff, like the original Wand does, which means that Wiimote buttons can be automatically remapped to buttons on other Nyko accessories, including its gun controller.
Nyko has also introduced two variants of its cookie-inspiring Charge Base IC remote charger: a version of the original in black and a new one that can accommodate four Wiimotes.
For PS3, the company has designed a new version of its Intercooler made to bulk up Sony's Slim model, and the Media Hub Slim, a combination of a tiny remote control and a USB hub.
The Wand and Charge Base Quad IC are due in stores this March. The Intercooler will be available next month for $19.99, and the Media Hub Slim will retail for $19.99 when it's released in April.
An online fact sheet has detailed the pricing structure for Microsoft's newly announced Avatar-occupied Game Room, and we'd suggest gamers stock up on Microsoft funny money. Players have three options: 400 ($5) grants a dual-platform license (playable on Xbox 360 and PC), 240 ($3) gets you the virtual arcade cabinet on one platform (Xbox 360 or PC), and, for the old-fashioned types, 40 ($0.50) is exactly "two quarters" worth of playtime -- for an authentic arcade experience, minus the sticky floors. Additionally, when visiting friends' game rooms, you can "try" their games before you pump in Microsoft Points of your own.
The Game Room itself -- developed by third-party outfit Krome Studios (Viva Piñata: Party Animals, Star Wars: Republic Heroes) -- will be free for users to download. Customization options are mentioned in the fact sheet, but pricing for these features is not addressed. At launch the service will include 30 original arcade titles -- with "over 1000" planned in the future -- from multiple publishers, including Atari, Activision, Intellivision, and Konami.
Games will be presented in 1080p (because that's why you bought that HD set) and will support multiplayer for up to two players, as well as cross-platform leaderboards and Achievements. Microsoft's HomeGame Room is slated to launch this spring.
Atlus sure does love the PSP, announcing two games for Sony's handheld in just as many days. Hexyz Force is a new RPG from Sting, creator of Riviera: The Promised Land and Yggdra Union. This classically-styled JRPG features two different adventures, each about (what else?) the end of the world. Atlus promises each adventure will take about 25 hours, totaling 50 hours of dungeon crawling and grinding for RPG fans.
PSP owners are all too familiar with the lengthy load times for many of the system's RPGs. Thankfully, Atlus is promising "virtually no load times" for Hexyz Force. Like a console JRPG, the game will also feature twenty minutes of anime cutscenes. The UMD version is scheduled for release on May 25th, while a PSN version should follow shortly thereafter. Check out a video preview after the break.Continue reading Atlus uses the Hexyz Force on PSP Atlus uses the Hexyz Force on PSP originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We've seen educational video games show up in the classroom before, and it looks like one school district is coming back for more. The Austin Independent School District has ordered up another set of edu-games from a company called Tabula Digita that provides 3D, first-person action-based games to teach students how to do basic math and algebra. One sample scenario in the games has students calculating the location of an in-game weather station on a graph, and then using the data found there to make charts and track down alien creatures.
The press release doesn't mention costs, but according to its website, 15 single-user licenses to the games cost the school $1049.25 each, making up a cost of just over $24,000 for the entire 350 student program. The students, who were part of a 10-day JumpStart program and had previously failed a math retest, were allowed to play the games for 30 minutes a day, and, afterwards, 82% of the kids said they had improved their understanding of the concepts. No word on how their k/d ratio came out.
If you only play games with Ryu Hayabusa in them, then Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforceis likely to be your first experience with Koei's historical-ish brawler franchise. If you only play games with the ancient Chinese ruler Fu Xi in them, however, you're likely to be much better versed in the series. In either case, there's a Strikeforce for you: as reported, Fu Xi (and other characters from the Warriors Orochi series) appear in the Xbox 360 version, and Ryu in the PS3 version, both with exclusive missions that grant you the use of their "signature weapon" when completed.
New galleries give you a look at Fu Xi and the extra-beefy crossover ninja. And a new trailer (above) does what it can to get you pumped about Strikeforce, the Dynasty Warriors game with not only characters from other franchises, but giant tigers in it!
Army of Two: The 40th Day's Salem and Rios are no strangers to the modern world. Sure, they may have acted a bit ... out of place during previous visits to EA Montreal and EA Headquarters, but that doesn't mean they're not fit for retail life. Take, for instance, the video above of the two trying their best to lend a hand to the fine folks at GameStop.
They might be a bit rough around the edges, but that doesn't mean that they didn't get the most magazine upsells for the month of December (they did!) or that they aren't capable of re-alphabetizing the used PS2 section six or seven hundred times a day (they are!). Give them a chance, folks. Under the inhuman terror mask and bullet-proof chestpadding beats the heart of a human being.
And here we thought Tetris DS was the best blend of the Russian puzzler and Nintendo's classic platforming game Super Mario Bros., but Tuper Tario Tros. is a quite imaginative combination of the two. In fact, we haven't seen Tetris go so well with something since we were introduced to the conflict resolution capabilities of Tresling.
Already the culprit behind a sharp downturn in Joystiq productivity today, we now offer it to you. Just, uh, don't play it as much as we did. We can get away with it since, y'know, it's kinda our job.
Just three short years after the CES 2007 announcement that Microsoft's Mediaroom software would turn your Xbox 360 into an IPTV set-top box, Microsoft is finally ready to deliver on that promise (and no, the 2008 BT rollout doesn't count). "I'm happy to announce that later this year AT&T will also enable subscribers to U-verse to enjoy [the new Mediaroom 2.0] service on their Xbox 360 consoles," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told his keynote audience. This was in addition to U-verse support for Windows 7 and Windows Mobile, though the details on all three platforms end there.
On the heels of its CES 2010 keynote speech, Sony released a chest-pounding press release declaring worldwide sales "exceeding 3.8 million" of the PlayStation 3 during the 2009 holiday season. According to the company, "during the five weeks following the last week of November 2009" (ending on January 3, 2010), the console sold more than during any previous holiday season -- a 76 percent increase over last year's numbers.
Remedy's Xbox 360-exclusive Alan Wake, described as "the TV show Lost, as written by Stephen King, and filmed by David Lynch," by Microsoft Entertainment & Devices head Robbie Bach will -- much like Fable II -- be expanded upon via additional downloadable episodes. Bach made the announcement concerning the long-in-development title during the company's CES 2010 keynote this evening, saying, "story-driven like a TV series, Alan Wake will be told in episodes with even more episodes available on Xbox Live after its launch this year."
