All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Nine out of ten film experts agree that Zombieland was the best movie to come out last year, and expect it to make a strong showing at the Academy Awards. It should already be a no-brainer that you're going to purchase the film when it's released next Tuesday, Feb. 2 -- however, the Blu-ray version of Zombieland includes an unadvertised bonus that might influence you to drop the extra cash for the HD iteration. According to High Def Digest, if you pop the Zombieland Blu-ray into your PS3, you'll have the option to download a dynamic theme based on the film through the XMB's Game tab. The theme turns the browser's icons red, and changes the background into a rotating gallery of promotional art for the movie. It sounds like a really neat feature -- one that might influence us to purchase more Blu-rays should it become more popular.

Keiji Inafune promises first person elements in directorial debut.

Though we still don't have a release date for Dead Rising 2, we have gotten first word of a film (Keiji Inafune's directorial debut) based on the series. The title directly translates to "Death Disease Contamination Dead Rising," which we think you'll agree is a pretty great name for a movie. Bonus: With only its first trailer, this thing is already making us confused and a little headachey. As near as we can tell, it's a movie about four Asian people fighting zombies in a warehouse with both conventional armaments and a weaponized wheelchair. Oh and some parts are in first person. ... We know, right? This old chestnut again?! If you can stand the tedium, the trailer's right after the break. [Via Andriasang]

The identity of the teased "Capcom x Microsoft" title was revealed earlier this morning, bringing about one of those forehead-slapping of course moments -- because of course it's a Monster Hunter game for the 360. To be more specific it's Monster Hunter Frontier, a port of the PC MMO of the same name. On top of a promotional trailer (which we've posted after the jump), Capcom's released a few details about the game, the most interesting of which is the title's subscription plan. According to Famitsu, Japanese players will be required to purchase Hunter Life Course Coupons for 1,400 yen ($15), which will give them access to the game for 30 days and a one-month Xbox Live Gold subscription. Not a bad deal at all. The game's official site also went live earlier this morning, and will be updated again on February 1. Keep an eye out for more details in the coming weeks, even though chances of this coming to the West seem slim at best.

Having pulled some of its heaviest hitters out of the busy Q1 release calendar, Capcom is ready to reassign those titles to an entirely new part of the calendar, one that hasn't been getting nearly as much attention as its numeric predecessor: Q2. Monster Hunter Tri was already announced for April, but now Super Street Fighter IV will join it on April 27th in North America and April 30th in Europe. New characters, new combos, and the return of the smash-a-car bonus stage (see pic!) are highlights of the not-yet-priced though sure-to-be affordable followup. Lost Planet 2 is more "sequel" than Super Street Fighter IV-style expansion. The co-op focused third-person shooter offers "larger-than-life bosses" and four player co-op over Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, and you'll be able to take it up on that offer on May 18th in both North America and Europe. That leaves us some room in the June video game budget, if any publishers are looking to take advantage of the rest of Q2.

Capcom and Microsoft's big surprise was a port of a PC MMO.

Lost Planet 2, Super Street Fighter IV, Monster Hunter Tri all dated

Lost Planet 2, Super Street Fighter IV, Monster Hunter Tri all dated

And Dom too, if a video released on Xbox Live is any indication.

I was an unlikely choice to review Mass Effect 2. Unlike most of the Joystiq staff, I wasn't in love with the first entry in the series. Oh, I could see the promise, but I had a hard time getting past the clunky combat, the terrible vehicle sequences and a damnably irksome inventory system. But in a weird way, I was the very best person to review the sequel, because BioWare has gutted the original framework, doing away with everything that didn't work and replacing it with something vibrant, something engaging. All the while, the developers have expanded on the sweeping yet personal scope of the first game that made such an impression on so many. The resulting concoction is the best game BioWare has ever made and the best action RPG in history.

The sequel to Mass Effect is finally here. Does it boldly go places where its predecessor dared not tread?

Shepard musters all of his might and Vanguard powers to topple the giant and heavily armed mech suits in his way.

Shepard uses unique Vanguard powers to deal with the Geth threat in this cavernous side-mission gameplay.

Shepard takes on the Eclipse Pirates as a Vanguard in this side-mission gameplay for Mass Effect 2.

Shepard returns for BioWare's finest 30 hours.

Finally…FINALLY there is enough data on Dead Space: Extraction for the game to present itself on the Nintendo Channel. I swear, out of all the third party Wii games that failed to see success, this one really hurts me the most. It’s amazing from top to bottom, and even takes the genre of [...]

We’ve seen a real-life baby Link, but this child Link might come a little bit closer to getting the job done. I mean, Ganon would find her too cute to stomp her out…right?!

Microsoft has registered a motion to dismiss the antitrust lawsuit originally filed by unofficial memory card maker Datel, in which Datel claimed that by locking out its cards, Microsoft was being illegally anti-competitive in the field of 'Multiplayer Online Dedicated Gaming Systems" and their accessories. Microsoft's motion to dismiss (here's the PDF link) actually cites one of its biggest rivals, Apple, who fought off another unofficial vendor by claiming that its users (us) had knowingly agreed that by using its products, any aftermarket products had to come from Apple as well. You can't run OS X on any computers not made by Apple, says Microsoft, and so you can't use any non-Microsoft memory cards on your Xbox. As with most legal filings, the situation is complicated. Datel is also trying to claim that Microsoft has a grip on the console market by claiming that the much better selling Nintendo Wii isn't actually a part of that market, which leaves Microsoft in the weird position of arguing that yes, there are plenty of consoles (including the PSP and even the PlayStation 2) that "have outsold the Xbox 360." And Microsoft also argues that Datel's cheat-enabling memory cards "undermine quality user experience" on Xbox Live, which would also be reason enough to keep them off the system. Interesting arguments, all, but we'll have to see which emerge victorious after a hearing scheduled for March 2 in San Francisco.

Isn’t this a rumor that’s been going around for quite some time? Even if it has, now we have a bit more fuel for the fire. It sounds like Warner Bros. Pictures is looking to revamp the film series, with Oren Uziel being wooed to write. Of course, the film will follow fighters from [...]

Sometimes, Achievements and Trophies require you to complete tedious tasks or collect hundreds of a certain type of token before they unlock. Sometimes, they only require you to murder a whole bunch of people with hookshots or do awesome base jumping tricks. It seems Just Cause 2 will have a balanced assortment of both. Inside MGC recently uncovered the full list of Achievements (and, assumedly, Trophies) for Eidos and Avalanche's upcoming revolution simulator. Check them out after the jump!

"Who said we are lost again in this lonely world?" That's the first line of the somewhat hokey but infectious theme song to Phantasy Star Universe. When the song was written, that was a rhetorical question, but now it's been answered: Sega says you're lost in this lonely world. At least, that's the message the publisher is sending the remaining players of the PS2 and PC versions, whose servers will be shut down soon. Following the January 29 "Maximum Attack G+" event, Sega will convert everyone's account to a free account, and allow the players to enjoy what time they can before the servers shut off on March 31. This won't affect the Xbox 360 version in any way other than the flood of refugees from other platforms. It may not be much of a flood, however: GM Edward@Sega said that the shutdown is taking place because "[t]he population is simply too low for us to be able to continue to support this platform." [Via Massively]

EA must be feeling pretty good that it's got the top three best-selling games currently on Steam. It must feel even better that said games haven't even been released yet, but gamers have already paid in full to pre-load them onto their PCs ASAP. Specifically, this week's highest grossing title on Valve's digital distribution service is Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which doesn't release until March. Mass Effect 2, which hits tomorrow, occupies the number two and three slots -- the Digital Deluxe and Standard editions, respectively. Modern Warfare 2 and Company of Heroes Complete Pack round out the top five. The latter came out last October and is certainly in some pretty good company. Just missing the cut? BioShock 2, which is currently on sale for $5 off the $49.99 (virtual) sticker price. [Via BigDownload]

Perfect World Entertainment raises awareness of their online martial arts extravaganza with an infomercial destined for late-night greatness.

Direct link and videos for Escapee Go!, DSiWare Lineup, No More Heroes 2 Desperate Struggle, bittos+, “Aha! Found It!” Hidden Object Game, AiRace: Tunnel, Monster Rancer DS and Pizza Delivery Boy (thanks NintenDaan!)

An offensive of colossal proportions, the onslaught of the Sith Empire was an event unlike any other in the history of the The Old Republic.

Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham reveals in his latest vlog post that Dementium II has been delayed until April 20, 2010. The developer gives the distinct feeling he's not too keen about the hold up, which is allegedly due to a "manufacturing delay." Dementium II was originally intended to freak out DS owners on February 16. Watsham asks people to please pre-order, because "pre-orders make a big difference in the success of the game." Also, it's not like you've got anything else to spend that money on during the time ... oh wait. [Via Go Nintendo]

The massive multiplayer shooter deploys to the market on PlayStation 3.