All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Dig into the details of the publisher's countersuit against Infinity Ward founders Zampella and West.

Schwartz says Activision's claims are "false and outrageous."

Schwartz says Activision's claims are "false and outrageous."

Looking for a guide to all things Mario? Nintendo Power has put out a new collector’s special which focuses on the plumber we all know and love. This should be on sale everywhere that provides Nintendo Power! Thanks to moneyhead64 for the heads up!

As most of you guys know, Super Castlevania IV is one of my favorite Castlevania games in the entire franchise. As far as classic Castlevania games go, this sucker is top-notch. From sound to design, there’s really nothing wrong with it. You even get the multi-directional whip, as well as moonwalking on [...]

Gears of War 3 and...?

Just to let you guys know, there is a post-release feature for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks in the most recent issue of Nintendo Power. You get a sneak at some unseen concept art, as well as an interview with the director, Daiki Iwamoto. Keep an eye out for this issue on [...]

DS RPG leads in software, but Sony systems continue to lead in hardware.

DS RPG leads in software, but Sony systems continue to lead in hardware.

When Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski got bumped from last night's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon because of a Justin Bieber-shaped "scheduling conflict," someone forgot to tell the Xbox Dashboard programming team who, inadvertently, spoiled Mr. B's big reveal: Gears of War 3. Re-booked for Monday's show with no big reveal has left Epic Games with only one alternative: reveal a second game!

CliffyB took to Twitter with the following comment: "NEWSFLASH: Two announcements about two upcoming games on Monday. BOOM!" Lucky for them, Epic has a second game that's just about ready for its close-up, People Can Fly's Bulletstorm.

Now, he didn't say specifically that Bulletstorm would be the second "upcoming" game, but the pieces are certainly in place. Take, for example, the cover of next month's Game Informer magazine, which can already be found floating around various corners of the internet. Of course, Epic could simply be following Nintendo's lucrative Pokemon strategy and releasing two editions of Gears of War 3. If so, might we suggest Gears of War 3 Brown and Gears of War 3 Gray?

DS RPG leads in software, but Sony systems continue to lead in hardware.

Getting by with a little help from your friends.

Are gamers ready for the spectacle of Mexican wrestling?

Target is stepping up to match Walmart's $199 Wii bundle, which contains both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. While it won't come in a single box like Walmart's bundle, Target is offering a free copy of Wii Sports Resort with MotionPlus (normally with every Wii system purchased starting April 11. The retailer is also offering select Wii games including Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll and the inexplicable Just Dance for $30 each.

Though it's hardly competing with the pre-order deal Amazon has, Target also has a bonus offer for Splinter Cell: Conviction on Xbox 360, in the form of a one-month Xbox Live card with purchase.

Tear down the goalposts, Sony haters; you just won.

WHAT’S NEW…

Turbo! Pack for LBP PSP Coming Soon
Announced today on the LittleBigPlanet.com, check out two cool new Dev Diaries from Cambridge Studios that detail how this exciting new pack came to life, how the community (YEP, that’s you guys!) influenced their ideas, and what you can expect to see in this new pack for LittleBigPlanet PSP! Check out the Dev Diaries here. We’ll have more details on Turbo! Pack for you soon….

FOR THE WEEKEND…

LBP PS3 Community Level – “ARCTIC”  by Vex_Doppel and Uirop
Hey SackFolk! I met Vex right here, on this very same blog just a few weeks back and learned of this level. I got a chance to play it over the weekend, and had a blast!

Kudos to, Vex and Uirop!! Check it out folks, you’ll be glad you did!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Disney’s “Incredibles” have arrived on LittleBigPlanet!
As a reminder, now available on the PlayStation Store are Incredibles individual costumes, the Incredibles Level Kit, and the Incredibles Costume Kit.

Grab these guys and start saving the (LittleBig) Planet!

Grab this FREE LittleBigPlanet PSP theme for your PSP XMB!
As you’ve probably heard, LittleBigPlanet PSP won a BAFTA for Best Hand-held Game! We want to thank you, the community for your support and all of your great LBP PSP creations! Head over to the PlayStation Store and download your free theme!

Crysis has long been the poster child of the PC gaming community. Still heralded as a technical benchmark for the platform, the first Crysis game exploited the power of PCs, going far beyond what consoles could initially offer. Crytek has managed to set another technical benchmark with Crysis 2, offering a similar experience on consoles. We spoke to Crytek's executive producer Nathan Camarillo on the process of transitioning to console development, and how that affected game development.

Joystiq: Console gamers are likely to be unfamiliar with the story of the first Crysis. Will that put them at a disadvantage going into the second game?
Nathan Camarillo: With Crysis 2, we're considering it in some ways a reboot of the franchise. But we're not starting over from scratch. There will be continuity between Crysis 1 and Crysis 2 for players who have played Crysis 1, but you don't need to have played it in order to understand what Crysis 2 is about. We're hoping that the story and gameplay is so compelling that people will be encouraged to try Crysis 1 after, but in no way is it a prerequisite.

Why make the switch to consoles now? How do you address complaints from dedicated PC fans that are concerned about a "watered down" experience caused by multiplatform development?
In actuality, our switch to focusing development to include consoles has strengthened the quality of game that we're making for Crysis 2, because it's allows us to look at, with a higher degree of scrutiny, what it is we're trying to do and how we go about accomplishing it. It's not "can we just do it on console?" Is it the best decision to make for the product? And can we do it on consoles and PC?

Schwartz says Activision's claims are "false and outrageous."

The publisher claims they were "forced to sever the relationship."

It's your time to shine!

Do you smell that? Can you taste it? That, dear readers, is the sweet taste of freedom. In more exact terms, it's the taste of never being forced to buy extra Microsoft Points again. The problem with Microsoft Points has always been summed up pretty accurately by the age-old hot dogs vs. hot dog buns debate. If you wanted to buy a 400 ($5) Xbox Live Arcade game, you were forced to buy 500 from Xbox Live Marketplace, leaving you with 100 nearly useless points. And let's not even start on the inexplicable fact that 80 is equivalent to $1, making the whole process that much more confusing.

Thankfully, at least part of that has been rectified, as tipster Chuck points out that Microsoft is now selling MS Points in increments of $5 through the Xbox Live Marketplace on Xbox.com and through the console itself. Previously, the only way to get exact dollar amounts was to purchase physical point cards at a retailer, but not anymore. As evidenced above, users can now buy points in 400, 800, 1600 or 4000 point bundles, coming in at clean $5, $10, $20 and $50 price points. That's right, never again will you have to purchase some stupid gamer picture just to spend those spare points on something.

Today, ladies and gentlemen, is a good day.

It looks like the price drop for Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles isn’t just at GameStop. Most major game retailers should be offering this new price, so keep your eyes peeled!

If you play Modern Warfare 2, you just might be busy racking another kill. But the people who made the game are in another round of their own combat. Activision, the game's publisher, tells Kotaku the company this was necessary. More »

Live the life as a Mexican wrestler in Konami's latest.

The free DSi app Flipnote Studio is generally associated with short, often silly animations. Nintendo's own promotion of the program showed off John "Napoleon Dynamite" Heder making some particularly kitschy animations -- including a UFO abduction and a nunchaku-wielding minotaur. Now, a tipster points us to a particularly poignant music video created entirely in Flipnote Studio. The video is for the song "Losing Light" by one Billy Polard. While it seems innocuous enough at first, it takes a sad turn pretty quickly and it doesn't stop there. Apart from that, the animation and artwork is impressive in its own right and a tribute to what Flipnote is capable of.

Suffice it to say that the program isn't reserved just for the short and silly. Watch the video after the break.

[Thanks, Ghoti]

Dig into the details of the publisher's countersuit against Infinity Ward founders Zampella and West.

#lawsuits A little more than a month after the two top men behind Modern Warfare 2 were fired by their publisher and sued because of it — that publisher, Activision, is suing back, the Los Angeles Times reported today. More »

SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo and Confrontation developer Slant Six has instituted layoffs, according to statements given to GameSpot by managing director Brian Thalken. Thalken called the dismissals "temporary," with the goal to bring back as many of the affected staff as possible at a later date. He did not specify just how many employees had been laid off, but said the company will continue to offer benefits to those affected.

"Our current project needs do not align with our current staffing levels," Thalken told GameSpot. The studio's last release was SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 in February.

Additionally, Kotaku reports that, according to its sources, the rumored Star Wars: Battlefront Online, which Slant Six was reportedly developing, has been canceled by publisher LucasArts. The game was never announced, and its existence was only suggested by an earlier rumor. As such, its possible relationship to the recent studio layoffs is unconfirmed. We've contacted Slant Six to clear up the issue.