All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Murder has never been so aggravating.

I never want to hear the phrase "Mjolnir Dead Pit" ever again.

The buxom combatants are on vacay; sadly so is the usual DOA level of quality.

#koei Koei's latest massive beat 'em up—known as Hokuto Musou in Japan, simply Fist of the North Star for the West—will get a little something extra when it comes westward: the extreme violence that we so desperately need. More »

According to a recent study, 88 percent of gamers have purchased digital content over the last several years. The study was conducted by market research firm DFC Intelligence using a survey of 5000 gamers from the US and Europe during the first two months of 2010. The study also looked at data from several different countries -- including South Korea, the U.S., Japan, Germany, Vietnam and the Philippines -- gathered over the last seven years. The worldwide data was provided by Live Gamer, a company that helps developers and publishers monetize their products.

It's worth noting that the content described by the survey includes music and movies as well as in-game content. Still, 60 percent of those surveyed have purchased in-game items, most of which were offered as part of free-to-play games. DFC analyst David Cole notes that the free-to-play model gives games distinct advantages over traditional single releases, saying that "a single product can have a lifespan of years online as opposed to a few months on the retail shelf."

According to DFC, free-to-play games like Farmville and Combat Arms, which the firm refers to as "MMOG Lite," are expected to grow substantially over the next few years. DFC sees what it calls "MMOG Lite" products growing substantially in the next few years. Specifically, DFC predicts that the MMOG Lite market in Europe and North America will grow from $800 million in 2009 to over $3 billion by 2015.

But don't feel left out, core gamers, these finding apply to all kinds of games. Live Gamer's Andrew Schneider points out that core gamers are "increasingly engaging in the purchase of virtual goods" and adds that the study illustrates "the market potential as traditional Western game publishers migrate towards microtransactions as the central monetization method."

Frankly, the study's findings seem just a little far-fetched. Now, if you'll excuse us, the crops need tending.

[Via Gamasutra]

The series dives to new depths.

With the release of WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase this week, Nintendo is still in hype mode for its mini-game generation suite. This week's Nintendo Channel highlight video features longtime Nintendo developer Yoshio Sakamoto, a guy with impressive resume bullet points like Rhythm Heaven, several WarioWare titles, and he was also the game designer of Balloon Fight. Impressive!

So be sure to soak in the new video above, then head past the break for some new DS demos and the rest of this week's video content.

#downloadables Kotaku was prepared to mock the release of a metronome for the DSi today, surely not the best thing in this week's offering of DS and Wii downloads. But then we saw the picture for it. More »

EA has released a new trailer for the upcoming VIP Map Pack 2 for Battlefield: Bad Company 2. As the name of the DLC implies, this DLC is for VIP members only. Much like Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network, VIP membership is free for those who bought the game new. Meanwhile, those with used copies on Xbox or PlayStation 3 will have to fork over $15 (1200 on Xbox) for a VIP membership. PC players (lucky dogs) are exempt from all this business and will receive the pack as an update.

It's worth noting that the map pack doesn't actually include any maps. Instead, it unlocks the Conquest Mode in Arica Harbor and Rush Mode in Laguna Presa. Still, it's essentially new gameplay for free, so it's hard to complain. Unless you aren't a VIP, of course. The DLC releases tomorrow, March 30.

Now you don’t even have to wait for your game to get back to GameFly in order to get the next game you have lined up. One GameFly gets a confirmation scan from the post office, they’ll ship out your next game. That should cut back on the time it takes to get [...]

Throw away that crappy desk calendar. This is the one that matters.

Throw away that crappy desk calendar. This is the one that matters.

Throw away that crappy desk calendar. This is the one that matters.

Throw away that crappy desk calendar. This is the one that matters.

Grab your favorite weapon and get ready to kick some alien butt!!

Some sneaky screens, see?

#bioware The maker of Dragon Age and Mass Effect have ended its online countdown clock teasing, revealing something that isn't a new game, isn't a batch of fresh downloadable content and isn't a port of Mass Effect 2. It's the BioWare Bazaar. More »

#clips Nintendo's new super-sized DSi XL portable gaming system hit stores this weekend. One of the device's key "games" also went on sale: An interactive cook book. We took both for a spin to see how they did. More »

[Error Macro] If you're waiting for sequels to your favorite Rare games, like Battletoads, Killer Instinct, or Taboo: The Sixth Sense, you should probably shut down your vigil now. Studio head Mark Betteridge told Develop that the company isn't especially keen on returning to old franchises.

Rare "would only go back to older franchises if we saw an opportunity to make the product in a different way that would do justice to [them]," said the head of the studio behind this month's Perfect Dark remake, adding that there "isn't a need" to return to Rare's classics.

Betteridge goes on to classify the role of Rare and other first-parties as "to define the Xbox 360 platform," something he says Rare is also working to do for Project Natal. As for the camera-based control system, it's "the biggest change in how you interact with software... ever, really," he said, "because we've moved to a clean sheet of paper on the user input - it's a huge change creatively in how you build a game."

Hey everyone, happy Monday! This week, we have some really “Incredible” news to share with you! So without further adieu…

What’s New?

There is no longer any reason to be scared should the cities of LittleBigPlanet become threatened by an evil super villain, for The Incredibles will be here to save us all.

Coming soon to the LittleBigStore is The Incredibles Costume Kit inspired by the Disney/Pixar animated feature, The Incredibles. This huge pack features NINE costumes: all of The Incredibles family (including a “Retro” Mr. Incredible sporting his classic blue costume), their allies Frozone and Edna Mode, and their arch nemesis, Syndrome. Individual costumes of The Incredibles will also be available for purchase.

Also hitting the LittleBigStore at the same time, The Incredibles Level Kit, featuring a Gallery Level filled with memorable landmarks from The Incredibles, prize bubbles containing all the materials used to make it, and masses of other collectibles. Stretch and dash your way across the rooftops of the city, investigate the more secret parts of the Parr family home, explore the jungles of Nomanisan Island, where Syndrome’s base is located, before taking a trip on his monorail system into the heart of the base itself.

The Incredibles DLC for LittleBigPlanet will be available on the PlayStation Store April 8!

New on the PlayStation Store

April Fools “Fragrances Costume” for LBP PS3 (FREE) – Grab this free DLC for SackBoy or SackGirl and celebrate April Fools Day in LittleBigPlanet style! Available this Thursday, this little gem will only be available for one week so don’t miss out!

Islands Costume for LBP PSP (FREE) – Coming to the store this Thursday, grab this free costume from the Islands Theme Pack!

Islands Theme Pack for LBP PSP ($2.99) – Available this Thursday, download a new set of costumes and CREATE materials to create your own LittleBigPlanet PSP Islands levels! The Islands Theme Pack includes 3 Costume items, 13 CREATE Materials, 15 Stickers, 1 Music file, and 1 Background to create your very own Islands levels!

Shin'en's next WiiWare game's looking pretty snazzy. Check out some new media.

We are, and I don't think I'm being premature about this, in the thrall of a full-on 2D renaissance courtesy of digital distribution platforms like XBLA and PSN. Developers are realizing that modern technology plus a less technically demanding perspective can lead to a really beautiful end product.

That's the case with Shank, a fluid, violent brawler that artfully combines a sort of 2D Devil May Cry blend of sword- and gunplay with a Saturday morning animation style to create the coolest cartoon your mom would have never let you watch.

An excerpt from a random video game magazine concerning Earthbound… I don’t know…is Earthbound a sleeper hit? You’d think that if it was, Nintendo might have a little more faith in bringing subsequent entries to the states. That hasn’t happened, and Nintendo doesn’t seem to be interested in that at all. More sleeper [...]

Cuts happen at Kane & Lynch developer.