All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

And it sounds pretty good.

Bioware's Ray Muzyka has been spilling some Bio-beans over on Eurogamer today. In the public interview, he says that while there is both PDLC (the "P" stands for "Premium") being developed for Mass Effect 2 and expansion content planned for Dragon Age: Origins, most of the core team for the sci-fi series has already started working on the as-yet-unannounced Mass Effect 3. He does promise that there's been a vision from the beginning and that the vision has been tweaked and changed as the games are coming along, so hopefully the trilogy will lead to a worthwhile conclusion. He also hints that there's lots more to see coming from Bioware -- Muzyka is working on both PS3 and 360 titles (some still secret) "across the studios I manage," and of course The Old Republic, which he describes as "KotOR 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 in one project," is in development as well. And at the very end of the interview, to a question about what we can expect at this year's E3, he only answers a cryptic, "Yes!" Maybe Muzyka should have been in charge of the dialog trees in Dragon Age; the game would have been a lot shorter. [via NeoGAF]

And it sounds pretty good.

The muscle-bound shooter gears up for a downloadable release in the U.S. on PSP.

The IGN Staff chimes in with our thoughts on Bioware's splendid sequel.

Company enjoys record revenue due to Windows 7.

An otherwise enjoyable strategy RPG is vandalized with atrocious artwork.

click to enlarge Gearbox Software and 2K Games have revealed the name -- and first solid details -- for the third DLC expansion for Borderlands. Called The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, the new content is pitched as having "never-before-seen enemies in a huge new environment complete with tons of brand new missions." New weapons and items are also promised, along with a previously confirmed raising of the character level cap from 50 to ... an undisclosed number. Still, Gearbox states there will be "new challenges and opportunities for growth for characters from around level 34 to level 50." No release timetable has been announced, but we've contacted 2K for addition info. First screens in the gallery below! Gallery: Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

Flip has many friends and tools at his disposal in his adventure on the Nintendo Wii.

Try and survive the tunnel race in this DSiWare exclusive title.

Our buddy Leo LaPorte interviewed Jay Tannenbaum of Sling Media the other week on his Tech Guy Labs podcast live at CES, and reader Jason spotted a little bit of news that will be of interest to PS3 owners. The interview starts at about 33 minutes into episode 629, and in his chat with Leo at 33:35, Tannenbaum mentions that the Slingbox software allows you to stream DVR content to anywhere in the world, including "your phone, your laptop, and soon to even the PlayS -- uh, PS3." Leo responds the same way we would, with an incredulous, "Really?" And Tannenbaum answers in the affirmative. So, wow, there you go. Presumably, you'll still need a Slingbox to actually sling the media out to your console, and obviously there's no word yet of how the software would be delivered to the PS3 (on a disk like the Netflix app, or via a purchased program like the $30 iPhone app), but eventually you'll be able to watch your Slingbox media, even in 1080i, as Tannenbaum says later in the interview, on your PlayStation 3. Interested?

Things sound pretty rough for Sony's SCE Studio Liverpool. Following the merging of Wipeout HD developer Studio Liverpool (formerly Psygnosis) with Evolution Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that it is "restructuring" the studio. According to GamesIndustry.biz, it is currently unknown how many jobs will be affected. Evidently, Sony is looking to relocate staff rather than lay them off, though, as GI puts it, "some redundancies may be necessary." In a statement, SCE said that "production on a number of projects within Studio Liverpool will cease immediately due to project prioritisation," and assured that "this decision will have no impact of the role that the North West Studio Group will play in the future of all PlayStation platforms." Except, of course, for the part of its role that included making those unspecified projects.

The week in Aussie news, reviews and opinions – in video form!

The week in Aussie news, reviews and opinions – in video form!

The week in Aussie news, reviews and opinions – in video form!

The week in Aussie news, reviews and opinions – in video form!

Another collection of music from Nintendo’s VS. System, an arcade platform that not many people have had a go at. You may not know the platform, but you should be able to pick up on these familiar tunes!

The luge and climbing are just a couple of the random ways to monkey around with Step Roll.

Folks who couldn't bring themselves to buy Uncharted 2 until they played the demo, well, now's their chance. This week's PSN update adds a single-player demo for Joystiq's Game of the Year for 2009. For those who already have Nathan Drake's latest adventure, the update also includes the $5 "PlayStation Heroes" pack, which allows you to reskin the Uncharted 2 crew with Resistance, inFamous and Killzone bodies. Check out the full PSN update after the break, along with the PSP comics update. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

Look, we know how your mind works. One day, you were sitting around, thinking about how you could lay your hands on the God of War III demo. Then, all of a sudden, it hit you. You figured out how to game the system. "Easy," you thought, "I'll just order the District 9 Blu-ray from Netflix, grab the demo, and send the disc back. Bam, free demo." Alas, it looks like Netflix has seen through your paper-thin ploy, as tipster Caleb tells Joystiq that the demo isn't included with the Netflix version of the film. A quick look at the God of War community forums reveals the same story. Sorry to spoil things. Maybe your next evil plan will work out better.

Netflix may not have a home on the PS3's XMB, but that hasn't hindered Netflix's success on Sony's console. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter told Industry Gamers that "the recent PS3 partnership is driving significant subscriber growth" to Netflix's subscription services. Netflix will likely benefit even further when the service becomes a standalone app on the OS. Pachter reiterated that the Netflix disc will no longer be necessary by the end of this year. "Netflix's exclusive relationship with Microsoft on the Xbox 360 will end in November (after two years), allowing the service to be accessed via the PS3 dashboard later this year." Twelve million members currently use Netflix, and the service is likely to expand even more once it transitions to the Wii. Sure, a smaller percentage of Wii owners are likely to be interested in the service, but with Wii's billion-strong user base, there's bound to be some traction.

Can you believe that we’ve had the Sims franchise for 10 years now? It seems like the brand just jumped on the scene a few years back. To celebrate this 10 years anniversary, EA has teamed up with art-funding social platform Society6 to create some art pieces that focus on The Sims. [...]

Not even Lance Henriksen's character will survive.

The sequel to one of the Wii's best (and best-known) games dropped this week with approximately zero fanfare. Yes, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is in stores now. Reviews are starting to come in for Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacture's latest -- let's find out if the new story and new bosses hold up to the first extraordinarily bizarre game, and if the removal of the navigable Santa Destroy is truly a good thing. GameSpy (5/5): " If Metroid Prime can be imprudently named "the 'Citizen Kane' of gaming," this is gaming's "Wu-Tang Forever" -- an intensely focused return to gritty braggadocio form, backed by high production values and a gang of inimitable emcees." 1UP (A-): "By being the high-quality, consistently enjoyable action game it wanted to be the first time around, Desperate Struggle is now a must-buy, and at the very least, finally makes the series deserving of the evangelism surrounding it." Gamepro (4.5/5): " It's evident from the game's tutorial battle that Suda has paid close attention to what his fans wanted out of a No More Heroes sequel, and Desperate Struggle delivers from start to finish Game Informer (8.5): "In interviews about the game, Suda51 implied that he was reluctant to do a sequel -- usually a bad sign -- but perhaps forcing his team to focus on refining a single idea was the best thing that could have happened. In No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, they have crafted everything fans could want out of a sequel. All the bad stuff from the original is gone or fixed in some way, and all of the good elements are magnified and improved."