All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Looking for a place to keep track of the entire Bit.Trip series? Check out the official Bit.Trip web hub, complete with videos/screens/info on all the games in the Bit.Trip series! This sucker should be updated with even more Bit.Trip RUNNER info in the not-too-distant future, so I’ll be bookmarking for reference! Site here (thanks [...]

GamesRadar is kicking off a new feature where they highlight some of the best music from the world of video games. Today they’ve picked up some Tal Tal Heights music from Link’s Awakening. Great choice, as it’s one of my favorite Zelda songs!

This note was slipped in with the artwork I posted earlier today. It’s so heartfelt and honest that I wanted to share it with you guys. It’s very rare that we hear from Pixel, and whenever he has something to say, it was very much worth the wait.

The ongoing chronicles of one editor's quest to be the very best.

As the first PixelJunk game from Q-Games, Racers was largely misunderstood by most. Now, after the success of Monsters, Eden and Shooter, Q-Games is ready to go back to its first concept and give it a second chance. PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap isn't just an add-on to the original PSN game, but a new game (with new features like Trophies) that warrants a second look from fresh PixelJunk fans.

Like the original, 2nd Lap is a unique interpretation of classic top-down racers of yore. However, Q-Games' take on the genre makes it more of a puzzle or rhythm game, rather than a racing game -- an easy mistake for players to make, considering both the game's look and title. While some modes do require "winning" a race, most are about achieving rather specific goals. For example, you may need to complete a number of laps in a constantly-accelerating vehicle, while avoiding all the other cars on the road. "Sunday Drive" will have you trying to get past as many slow-driving cars as possible. It's a frustrating recreation of being stuck in traffic, yet it's oddly compelling.

In its second iteration, PixelJunk Racers remains essentially a collection of car-themed minigames, with the ultimate goal of scoring as high as possible on the leaderboards. Thankfully, 2nd Lap has been made considerably easier and more accessible than the first game, easing players into a much easier single-player experience. The addition of YouTube recording support should appease the show-offs, while the presence of PSN Trophies may make the overall package far more rewarding. (Don't worry Trophy hunters, Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert told us that they've learned from PixelJunk Eden and Monsters, and will make the Trophies much easier, akin to PixelJunk Shooter.)

#delayofgame Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City for the PlayStation and PC—and their individual downloadable episodes—won't be making their previously scheduled release dates. Rockstar says the game will be delayed by two weeks to accommodate "minor content changes." More »

The 1993 Game Violence Senate Hearing changed the course of video games forever. That was a landmark issue for the video game landscape, and we are living with the changes today. Games now have ESRB ratings, and I think that they should. The only problem is, parents still don’t bother to read [...]

What do IGN editors think of the new Pokemon and its PokeWalker? We catch em' all to find out.

Is it never too late to start again?

Full image after break In light of recent Xbox 360 hardware news, like pictures revealing an alleged Xbox 360 Slim motherboard and documentation of USB storage in a future update, we decided to see if the two stories tied together in some technical way. Surprisingly, they just might. Modding artist, hardware sculptor and warranty wrecker, Ben Heck, told us that if the leaked Slim motherboard is legitimate, not only does he see no place for memory cards (lending even more credence to USB storage for data transfer), but he dropped on us the idea that it may also have an internal hard drive. To emphasize, this conversation is speculation based on potential evidence that has not been confirmed by Microsoft.

Joystiq: Okay, before we go any further, explain this internal hard drive theory?

Ben Heckendorn: Well if you look at the upper left of the board, there appear to be (2) SATA connections. One is clearly for the DVD-ROM, of course, but what's the other one for? My guess is an internal hard drive. How it connects I'm not sure, but why else have 2 SATA connectors? Also there's an extra plug that could be hard drive power (next to DVD power).

Now, after looking at the board, you said you were "99 percent sure" there are no Xbox 360 memory card slots. Please explain.

None of the connectors look remotely like an Xbox 360 memory card reader [Ed: See one after break]. Keep in mind the memory cards were kind of a "Trojan horse" to have a hard drive-less (cheap) 360 back in 2005. Now, especially with built-in memory since the Jaspers, they are essentially useless. Why waste money and space on adding something none of your new customers will even need?

Of note: The memory cards were basically USB devices, except they ran off 3.3 volts and had security chips to authenticate them, as do all Xbox 360 peripherals.

#squareenix Square Enix passed us the box art and a batch of new screens for Front Mission Evolved today, including at least one shot of a mech that seems to be joyously completing an upbeat dance routine. What won't those giant robots do? More »

Aussie news, reviews and opinions - in video form!

Aussie news, reviews and opinions - in video form!

Aussie news, reviews and opinions - in video form!

Aussie news, reviews and opinions - in video form!

Your virtual closet of Avatar wear just got some new styles, as Perfect Dark and Alan Wake gear is now available in the Avatar Marketplace. You can peruse the usual -- shirts, pants, helmets and outfits -- or if props is more your thing, there's a variety to choose from.

"Elvis" you can see above, but there's also a flare, some pages of a manuscript or even an Alan Wake book. Like, a book that says Alan Wake on it that your Avatar looks at. Head into the Avatar Marketplace to see all of the new stuff.

Source -- Perfect Dark Avatar gear on Xbox Live [Xbox.com]
Source -- Alan Wake Avatar gear on Xbox Live [Xbox.com]

[Via Destructoid]

Some stories transcend time.

#playstationnetwork While we were at the Game Developers Conference, PlayStation Network reality show The Tester carried on as normal, meaning we didn't get a chance to liveblog the fourth episode "LARPing in the Park" as normal. So here's a recap. More »

On behalf of everyone here at Zipper Interactive, I’m pleased to announce that beginning March 25, our first official MAG downloadable add-on will be made available to players worldwide absolutely free of charge!

Dubbed the “Trooper Gear Pack,” our first DLC addition to the MAG universe will offer a number of cool goodies for veterans and first timers alike. Out of everything in the pack, the most popular will likely be the oft-requested “Flashbang Grenade” that can be used to confuse, disorient or distract your enemies in a single throw.

Of course, there’s more to the Trooper Gear Pack than Flashbangs. We’ll also be including new special edition Light Machine Guns for each PMC. Raven’s APEX 100SE, SVER’s RTK-74 Vla, and Valor’s Mk 46 Mod 1 weapons will provide both a new look for your favorite LMGs and a number of performance adjustments as well.

The last element of the pack will be two additional uniforms – “Trooper Dark” and “Trooper Light.” Available to all three PMCs, these uniforms are specifically designed for urban and interior combat situations and give you two more aesthetic options to diversify your character with.

The best part of the Trooper Gear Pack? It’s just the beginning of our ongoing commitment to MAG. In the coming months, you can expect to see plenty of other add-ons and goodies that we can’t quite tell you about yet (but know you’ll enjoy).

But that’s not all. To commemorate the release of our DLC, we want to throw in a little extra. And so, as a thank you to all of our fans, we’re offering Double XP to any and all MAG players starting March 25. Simply log in at 12am Pacific/ 3am Eastern/ 8am GMT and play MAG as you normally would. Every time you complete a game your experience doubles, and yes, this bonus stacks for Veterans who already have an XP bonus to begin with! Just make sure you actually complete the games you play – if you quit early, your bonus won’t apply.

Expect the Double XP promotion to run until 11:59pm Pacific time on Sunday, March 28. Be sure to take advantage of it as much as you possibly can until then.

For more MAG-related news, don’t forget to visit the Official MAG Blog on a regular basis, or check out our Official Zipper Interactive Twitter and Facebook pages. Enjoy your weekend everybody!

On behalf of everyone here at Zipper Interactive, I’m pleased to announce that beginning March 25, our first official MAG downloadable add-on will be made available to players worldwide absolutely free of charge!

Dubbed the “Trooper Gear Pack,” our first DLC addition to the MAG universe will offer a number of cool goodies for veterans and first timers alike. Out of everything in the pack, the most popular will likely be the oft-requested “Flashbang Grenade” that can be used to confuse, disorient or distract your enemies in a single throw.

Of course, there’s more to the Trooper Gear Pack than Flashbangs. We’ll also be including new special edition Light Machine Guns for each PMC. Raven’s APEX 100SE, SVER’s RTK-74 Vla, and Valor’s Mk 46 Mod 1 weapons will provide both a new look for your favorite LMGs and a number of performance adjustments as well.

The last element of the pack will be two additional uniforms – “Trooper Dark” and “Trooper Light.” Available to all three PMCs, these uniforms are specifically designed for urban and interior combat situations and give you two more aesthetic options to diversify your character with.

The best part of the Trooper Gear Pack? It’s just the beginning of our ongoing commitment to MAG. In the coming months, you can expect to see plenty of other add-ons and goodies that we can’t quite tell you about yet (but know you’ll enjoy).

But that’s not all. To commemorate the release of our DLC, we want to throw in a little extra. And so, as a thank you to all of our fans, we’re offering Double XP to any and all MAG players starting March 25. Simply log in at 12am Pacific/ 3am Eastern/ 8am GMT and play MAG as you normally would. Every time you complete a game your experience doubles, and yes, this bonus stacks for Veterans who already have an XP bonus to begin with! Just make sure you actually complete the games you play – if you quit early, your bonus won’t apply.
Expect the Double XP promotion to run until 11:59pm Pacific time on Sunday, March 28. Be sure to take advantage of it as much as you possibly can until then.

For more MAG-related news, don’t forget to visit the Official MAG Blog on a regular basis, or check out our Official Zipper Interactive Twitter and Facebook pages. Enjoy your weekend everybody!

The first PixelJunk title returns with Trophies, ghost races and more.

If you've waited this long for Episodes from Liberty City, another two weeks shouldn't hurt, right? Rockstar Games has pushed back the PS3 and PC releases of the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto IV expansions by two weeks due to "a request by Sony Europe to make some minor content changes to the PAL PS3 version of the game." According to the press release, "the minor changes made to the game will not affect the gamers enjoyment of the games, these will not affect any gameplay elements and were not related to any local ratings requirements."

All versions of the add-ons -- including the downloadable episodes "The Lost & Damned" and "The Ballad of Gay Tony" -- have been delayed to April 13th for North America, and April 16th for all other countries. A Rockstar Games blog post further elaborated on the decision to do a global delay, ensuring that "everyone can experience multiplayer simultaneously, take part in online events together, be on level ground on leaderboards, etc."

Ninja robots battle for energy in this arcade-style multiplayer game.

Round and round they go.

We’re going to have a Monster Hunter Tri BBQ in LA on Tuesday next week. We have a few spots to invite you to the event, eat some BBQ, play some Monster Hunter Tri, and overall have a good time! We’ll even have custom mugs that look like the ones you can get in the online [...]