All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Your butler will have you in stitches.

#mapathy Battlefield: Bad Company 2 joins Infinity Ward's fight against "mapathy" on March 30, unlocking its second set of VIP maps on the same day that Modern Warfare 2's first map pack drops - only Battlefield's maps are free. More »

Virtual world Echoverse to use revolutionary engine.

Wanna watch 9 minutes of a guy sneaking around, tying people to balloons? What if we told you it was Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker footage? Kojima Productions has uploaded a lengthy gameplay video of the former "Metal Gear Solid 5," in which our hero Big Boss does a bit of recruiting for his cause -- in this case, that means knocking dudes out and floating them back to his base on a balloon.

We also get to see the "Sonic Eye" and "Analyzer" tools in action (a radar device and an item used to determine the stats of potential recruits), as well as the ninja-inspired "Stealth Mat," which allows Naked Snake to hide in plain sight while he's holding it up. Check it out after the break!

We at long last have our first look at the setting for The Last Story, the new Wii exclusive RPG from Final Fantasy father Hironobu Sakaguchi.

Wargaming.net unveils American, German and Soviet tank development trees for its innovative "World of Tanks" MMO.

Lionhead looking to double success of Fable 2.

#gdc The Blizzard keynote at this year's Game Developers Conference just kicked off. More »

Hi Everyone!

Thanks to everyone who has been reading Kumi’s posts about THE EYE OF JUDGMENT LEGENDS. I’m here to announce that the wait is finally over, as the game becomes available for download on PlayStation Network today, March 11! Enjoy the ultimate digital card game experience for the PlayStation Portable system everywhere you go.

As mentioned previously, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT LEGENDS features game play based on digital cards that players collect, trade, and use to battle against others. Fans of the PlayStation 3 system hit, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT, will enjoy updated card balancing and new strategies, as well as the ability to easily carry your entire digital card collection with you to build the perfect deck on the fly. There are over 300 cards to collect, including Rare and Ultra Rare cards to build more unique battle decks! Plus there’s an all new Story Mode created exclusively for the PSP version, where you’ll unfold an epic journey to save the world from the evil Biolith king, Scion.

Check out the trailer for the game!

There are also two multiplayer modes for head-to-head card battles, Ad-hoc and Infrastructure. Ad-hoc mode lets you face off against another player locally over Wi-Fi, as well as trade cards from your collection. Infrastructure mode lets you battle another player online and compares the top scores among players all around the world!

Infrastructure mode also makes global tournaments possible for THE EYE OF JUDGMENT LEGENDS. See if you have what it takes to rank among the top players in the world, and observe battle tactics from other players you challenge that may improve your skills for future tournaments. The first tournament will be held today at 7:00 PM PST, and last until March 18 1:00 AM PST. This will be a great warm-up to the many strategies and approaches to card battles. To even the field, Ultra Rare cards will be restricted from the first tournament.

I hope everyone enjoys the game, stay tuned to the blog for more news!

#clips I've always loved the video for Sabotage, by the Beastie Boys. I love it more, though, when its hokey 70's cop show footage is replaced - scene for scene - with clips from Battlestar Galactica. More »

Oh man, EA's pursuit of Modern Warfare 2's throne just got hot, as DICE has announced via the Battlefield Blog that on March 30 -- the same day the Stimulus Package DLC will boost Modern Warfare 2's map count -- Battlefield: Bad Company 2's VIP members will receive the free "VIP Map Pack 2," which adds a Conquest mode scenario to the Arica Harbor map and Rush mode to Laguna Presa.

Both maps aren't new to the game, however neither has been available for play in the "unlocked" game modes noted above. So, that kinda qualifies as a "map pack," right? Regardless, it's free, as DICE boldly proclaims in its stab at Activision and Infinity Ward: "How to avoid 'mapathy' without paying!"

[Thanks, Qwaint]

The last time we were in control of Sam Fisher -- aka the X10 demo -- he was sneaking, shooting and (neck) snapping his way through a mansion in Malta, tracking down the man he believed had information about his daughter Sarah's killer. Recently, I played through a new section of Splinter Cell: Conviction, which picked up right where the previous demo abruptly ended -- with a a team of Third Echelon forces breaking up Sam's one-man operation.
Forced to surrender, Sam's put on a plane and "brought home" for questioning about a plot to bring down Washington, DC an EMP attack. Handling the transport is Black Arrow, a private military contractor, and it's this outfit's private airbase that serves as the setting for the game's second level. It presented me with new challenges, specifically staying out of site in some really wide-open spaces. I was reminded of Metal Gear Solid more than once, what with patrolling guards, stacked crates and roaming flood lights to negotiate.

OK folks, I’m waiting at GDC to start my day; first taking in the Sakamoto talk, then going to check out Cave Story, some additional WiiWare demos at a Nintendo appointment, wander around a bit, and then head over to Konami’s party tonight. While I’m waiting, here’s another Red Steel 2 speed art video that showed [...]

#bandwidthlimits In August of 2008, cable internet provider Comcast imposed a 250GB limit on bandwidth, scaring many of their internet gaming customers. Now the company is rolling out an internet usage meter, so customers can obsessively track every single megabyte. Great! More »

[Wii version] Warner Bros. Interactive has revealed that, in addition to the previously announced PS2, PSP, DS and Wii releases, it's putting Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest on PS3 -- with PlayStation Move support. The kid-friendly LOTR game will now be released this fall (delayed again!) on all five platforms, with the Wii version developed by Headstrong Games (yes, that Headstrong Games) and the others by TT Fusion. Of course, the Wii and PS3 versions will be the only ones with motion control, and they will also be the only versions featuring two-player co-op (with the second player controlling Gandalf).

The PS3 version won't be an exact port of the Wii one, but it's the same idea -- a game for which the Wii was originally the lead platform, now spreading to the PS3 thanks to the existence of a very Wii-like motion controller. It may be the first, but this is definitely not the last time we'll see this!

Wield Aragorn's sword in Fall 2010.

Mega Man 10 is here, do you need anything else? Yes? Well, click past the jump to see all of this week's offerings!

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:
(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

#preview My time with the latest preview build of Splinter Cell: Conviction transformed me from a stealth operations hater to a deadly master assassin, stalking dark corridors with deadly intent. Has the game changed, or have I? More »

Leading game technologies offered in concert to developers worldwide.

Resident savings.

Oh man, EA's pursuit of Modern Warfare 2's just got hot, as DICE has announced via the Battlefield Blog that on May 30 -- the same day the Stimulus Package DLC will boost Modern Warfare 2's map count -- Battlefield: Bad Company 2's VIP members will receive the free "VIP Map Pack 2," which adds a Conquest mode scenario to the Arica Harbor map and Rush mode to Laguna Presa.

Both maps aren't new to the game, however neither has been available for play in the "unlocked" game modes noted above. So, that kinda qualifies as a "map pack," right?

[Thanks, Qwaint]

New buff hits Nexon's MMO.

#clips Finally, finally. After a lengthy wait, arcade shooter Ketsui is getting ported to the Xbox 360. More »

The siege wars begin.

"Very aggressive" is the phrase THQ executive VP of Core Games Danny Bilson used to describe his company's plans for downloadable titles across the Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC platforms during a GDC 2010 interview with Joystiq. With two studios dedicated to the downloadable space -- THQ Digital Studios Phoenix (formerly Rainbow Studios) and THQ Digital Studios UK (formerly Juice Games) -- Bilson told us THQ plans to release "up to six" downloadable titles within the next year, some based on the company's biggest brands.

"We're going to be building stuff on some of our core brands," Bilson said, noting the plan is to create downloadable titles within the same universe as THQ's major franchises in order to improve brand awareness. Surprisingly, Bilson's plans include "giving away" some of the upcoming downloadable games, although he did not specify how this idea would be executed.

Bilson's theory is that by getting players "involved" in its franchises via downloadable titles, THQ can help drive pre-orders and awareness for their big-budget (in relation) retail counterparts. While he would not specify which THQ franchises would get downloadable titles, we were told the plan is to roll out this strategy on "two or three" of THQ's biggest franchises (à la Square Enix's upcoming Lara Croft game from developer Crystal Dynamics).

But the plan doesn't end there: Similar to the approach taken by Microsoft's Fable II: Pub Games experiment, downloadable releases based on THQ's major brands will unlock content within the retail releases, teasing players with potential advantages to purchasing retail releases; retail games will also unlock content in downloadable titles, to help drive players to explore more content within that franchise's universe. "You're going to see some of our core brands built out in different kinds of gameplay to get people involved in the brands and drive awareness towards a launch."

Full standalone music video game experience features 47 exportable tracks, rare access to the Green Day media vault, artist likenesses and more.

Nintendo of Europe is bringing back the Hanabi Festival, its occasional celebration of import games, starting March 12 -- and it's bringing what might be the most anticipated import Virtual Console game ever (by us). Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is among the small lineup of games to be released in Europe as part of the Festival, along with Milon's Secret Castle and Lode Runner, both for NES, and Ironclad for Neo Geo.

We aren't entirely certain from the wording, but the announcement mentions Castlevania, and then says that the other games will "continue in the following weeks." So it's pretty likely you're going to be able to buy Rondo of Blood tomorrow. Happy Hanabi Festival!

#gdc There have been an impressive slate of iPhone games on show here at GDC, but my favorite so far has surprised even me. Here are some hints: It didn't involve guns, puzzles, punching, racing cars or jet fighters. More »

Almost a year ago, a trademark for "Crafting Mama" was spotted. It's now being put to use, as Majesco has announced, well, Crafting Mama for DS. In her latest endeavor, Mama will occupy her seemingly endless time with a new task: arts & crafts.

In a series of 40 projects, players will create things like birdhouses, quilts, kaleidoscopes and adorable new aprons for Mama to wear, as well as Mama dolls. Of course, these creations will all be realized through the familiar touch-based minigames, played alone and in multiplayer, which so many of us have grown to love in the utterly populous Cooking Mama game franchise. It's kind of crazy that a company can announce a game about making quilts and birdhouses, and we can already pretty much imagine how to play it!

Majesco plans a fall 2010 release for Crafting Mama, but we suspect the publisher is at least considering bumping that up a bit.

#gdc Don't snicker at Move Party. It is the game most squarely targeted at families among the motion-sensitive games showcased today at Sony's PlayStation Move event. It is the most magical game here. More »