All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

While Sega of America's public relations team still hasn't said word one regarding an increasingly inevitable delay, Sega of America's website has finally declared that Alpha Protocol will not begin its mission until 2010. The site displays the Xbox 360 and PC version launches for May 6, 2010, while the PS3 versions has been left at "Spring 2010." This is a not-so-slight change from what the publisher's website showed this morning, when the release information stated the espionage RPG was "out now" -- a strange pronouncement to frustrated consumers on developer Obsidian's forums and retailers we'd spoken to. Sega's update now fits with what several retailers have suggested about a 2010 release, including GameStop, Walmart, Amazon and GameFly.

Ahead of the impending release of The Ballad of Gay Tony -- as DLC or as a part of the Episodes from Liberty City retail disc -- Grand Theft Auto IV has been updated with new Achievements on Xbox.com. Ten new Achievements have been added for The Ballad of Gay Tony, totaling 250 points and bringing the grand total for GTAIV to 1500 points. Players are rewarded for various tasks in the expansion, including base jumping, cage fighting and -- Joystiq's favorite -- dancing flawlessly. Head over to Xbox 360 Achievements for the full list.

We’re excited to finally unveil the track list for the highly anticipated Tony Hawk: RIDE video game, which is due to hit North American retail shelves on November 17. The game, which has a long standing tradition of groundbreaking soundtracks, features more than 50 eclectic tracks. Ranging from popular anthems from the Yeah Yeah [...]

What's New? For one: a class action lawsuit filed by John Kennedy, who accuses Sony's 3.0-version PlayStation firmware update of breaching implied warranty and signaling an act of negligence (among other complaints). As detailed by Courthouse News Service, the suit alleges that "thousands" of PS3 owners downloaded the update, only to find that it caused the system to malfunction and suffer damage to hardware.While Firmware 3.0 was reported to be problematic (particularly in unison with Naughty Dog's popular action game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune), Sony soon issued an update to quell concerns. The manufacturer was also quick to separate hardware failures -- such as disc drive errors -- from the firmware update. It's the resulting $150 repair fee that provided impetus to Kennedy's suit, which aims to determine appropriate restitution during trial.[Via Gamasutra]

Okay, so the two WiiWare games this week were actually released last week. Once again, no WiiWare games are out this week, allowing us the luxury of highlighting the content that didn't make it to the site previously. And how could we let a NEVES sequel or a game based on Toei Animation and Sanrio's Sugarbunnies go by without mentioning them? The Sugarbunnies game manages to out-cute Cooking Mama by setting its cooking minigames in a cartoon bunny world.As for Virtual Console, we're really beginning to tire of the standard 800 point price for arcade games. Bravoman is cool, but New Rally-X? Really? You shouldn't even pay eight bucks for a New Rally-X arcade machine. Sugarbunnies Wii: Welcome to Bunnies' Field (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Hamekomi Lucky Puzzle Wii Return (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points) Fighting Street (PC Engine CD-ROM, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) New Rally-X (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Chouzetsu Rinjin Bravoman (Arcade, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) atShogi Challenge Spirits (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Ichimoudaijin! Neko King (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Sleep Timer: Mezamashi Clock (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) 6 in 1 Dictionary with Camera Function (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points) Itsudemo Bomberman (DSiWare, 1-8 players, 500 DSi Points) Mario vs. Donkey Kong (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points)

Remember how dejected we were when we realized that Ben Heck's recently crafted PS3 Slim laptop would never appear in our quivering, wanting hands? That script just got irrevocably flipped by Franklin, Tennessee-based gaming retailer/event organizer The Score, who is raffling the modded console off to anyone who purchases their goods or employs their party planning prowess from now until mid-December. The full list of rules and regulations for the raffle can be found on The Score's site, but it basically breaks down to "the more you spend, the more chances you have to win." This process is impeded by the fact that the store has no online support, but does allow for over-the-phone shopping. Yes, it's a lot of hassle for a quazi-portable PS3 -- but that extra effort is what really separates the men from the fanboys. [Thanks, Bradley.]

We learned this yesterday, but now the official PR has come out… Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and MTV Games today revealed that LEGO® Rock Band™ will feature the likeness of David Bowie, pop music icon and best-selling music artist, as a LEGO minifigure. Fans can play as Bowie while singing his song “Let’s Dance,” which will be [...]

Major Nelson brings word that the troops of Call of Duty 3 and the elite squad of Rainbow Six Vegas 2 have infiltrated Xbox Live's "Games on Demand." Both titles go for $30 each in the US, but check your respective region for pricing.We should note that both titles cost $30 new from a store -- even less for those who find a used copy. Keep that in mind while you're trying to understand how price parity exists when there's no disc, box, shipping or manufacturing involved. Add Call Of Duty 3 to your queue Add Rainbow Six Vegas 2 to your queue

During a recent interview with CNBC, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime addressed the Wii's recent price drop (surprise: it's seen positive results) and the company's strategy for the upcoming holiday season. The manufacturer is counting on a strong showing for its DSi handheld, with Reggie revealing that 2.2 million units have now been sold, presumably in North America alone. Of course, Nintendo couldn't have possibly sold that many handhelds without the help of retailers and according to Reggie, Walmart has been the biggest customer. We're not surprised -- Walmart is supernatural, after all.