All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#mistwalker The most we've seen so far of The Last Story, an upcoming Wii role-playing game from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, has been artwork. It's about time we looked at the actual game itself, no? More »

Click image to blast your way into our gallery In the mood for some old-school shmup action with a modern twist? This Thursday, NormalTanks -- not to be confused with those crazy tanks you see every now and then -- will release on PSN for the PSP and PS3. The game features a top-down isometric view and eight different environments to navigate and, as you may have guessed from the title, you control a tank.

The PlayStation blog has a video showcasing the title, which we've gone ahead and parked past the break. And, if you're more of the "gotta blow it up now!" school of tank driving, check out the game's official site for a Windows version.

#sega Are you excited yet about Vanquish, the third-person shoot 'em up from Bayonetta and Madworld studio Platinum Games? Did we mention it's from the guy who made God Hand? And did you see these new screen shots? More »

Looks like those leaflets at Best Buy we posted a few weeks back were no baloney. Sega and Best Buy wired a press release confirming the Stealth Weapons Pack for Alpha Protocol, which includes "the Hamilton Marksman High-Accuracy Pistol, the Samael Typhoon High Recoil Control SMG and a bonus arsenal of ammo and mines." Huh, since when did the purveyors of home appliances start manufacturing weaponry?

The extra spy gear is only available through in-store Best Buy pre-orders, so you'll have to put on your best camo and infiltrate your local store if you want 'em.

#scouts Scouting is no longer just about the outdoors - roughing it, blowing up a can of beef stew in a campfire or drinking kool-aid that tastes like chewable aspirin. The Cub Scouts are now awarding pins for video games. More »

#braingames The Department of Defense is trying to train a better breed of soldier using video games—aka "simulations"—that monitor voice recognition, facial gestures and cognitive patterns through EEG scans, reports Wired. Hope for future video game controllers... [Wired] More »

#clips In the ongoing tradition of beautifully filmed, high-class live action Halo commercials comes "Birth of a Spartan," Microsoft and Bungie's promotional short for the Halo: Reach beta. That's right. We're doing beta commercials now. More »

#screengrab This cutting board runs $165, but it's perfect for cutting vegetables - or strawberries, oranges, apples and melons. But not Galaxians or keys. Seen on Etsy by reader Cameron O. More »

Alright folks -- it's time for another live-action Halo short, this one for the upcoming Reach beta. We told you about it yesterday, now a short version of the short is making its way through the pipes of the internet, winding up on YouTube in advance of a higher-quality version due later this evening.

We've embedded the clip -- "Birth of a Spartan" -- after the break. The not-so-short (i.e. full) version of the, er, short will hit Thursday morning, April 29. Consider your appetite for more officially whetted.

[Via Geoff Keighley, Twitter]

It’s time for another massive Iwata Asks feature, this one focusing on Sin and Punishment 2. I’m really glad to see this article pop up. It convinces me that the game is actually going to make its new release date! Hit up the link below and check the feature out.

EA has been pushing the community aspects of Skate 3 since unveiling the game, and this latest trailer is no different. Focusing on the Freeskating mode, the video demonstrates how easy it is to hook up with some friends and navigate the different parts of Port Carverton. For the most part, these are things players could do in Skate 2 -- been there, done that.

But there is one interesting item of note here: the team films. The trailer only briefly touches on that functionality near the end, which, come May 11, will grant foursomes their own 15 clicks of fame via the official Skate website. Gnarly!

New Zealand neighbours get the same deal too!

#sex The face of EA Sports Tiger Woods PGA Tour series is now the unwilling subject of another video game, the adults-only, sexually explicit screw 'em up Tiger Woods Affair Tour 2010. More »

#madden Two videos and some screens released today give visual context to Madden NFL 11's "Gameflow", described in Totilo's preview yesterday, and other features that designers say will halve the amount of time required to play a game. More »

The gameplay of A2M's Naughty Bear, in which you either outright murder other bears or scare them into killing themselves, is missing something. It seems like there's some additional touch that could really sell the idea of becoming a revenge-obsessed villain preying on the worst fears of those around you.

Like, perhaps, a Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees outfit.

Publisher 505 Games announced that you'll get precisely that (well, almost precisely: it's a "Kruebear" costume or a "Slasher Bear" outfit) when you pre-order Naughty Bear from Amazon or GameStop, respectively. The Kruebear offer isn't reflected on the Amazon page yet -- but expect to be offered the chance to tear stuffing out of bears' bodies with some knife-gloves soon. See the "Slasher Bear" costume after the break.

#infinityward A group of nearly 40 past and present Infinity Ward developers have banded together to file suit against the publishers of Modern Warfare 2 for half a billion dollars, alleging breach of contract and unpaid royalties, according to court documents obtained by G4 TV.com. More »

#2kmarin The Rapture Metro pack, previously scheduled to arrive this week for BioShock 2 fans hungry for more of the multiplayer action they so desperately crave, will miss its stop. 2K Games has pressed pause on the downloadable map pack's release. More »

Emphasis now on beating enemies to death with their own limbs.

Hi PlayStation fans!

I’ve listened to PlayStation users voice their opinions for the past 10 years. They’ve said, “We’re waiting for the next numbered sequel to Street Fighter!”

I have to apologize that it took Capcom almost a decade to make the decision… but, I really appreciate your continuous support, and I’m now armed with weapons and armor to fight as Capcom’s voice in this tough global market. It is as if I’m fighting as King Arthur from Ghosts ‘n Goblins!

The original Street Fighter IV was released in February 2009. Before that, it has been about 15 years since the SFII series, and 10 years since the SFIII series. I strongly feel that SFIV wouldn’t have happened without your support. I’m glad that Street Fighter is now back, and I’d like to say “thank you” to all of you.

And now SFIV is fully renewed and, to reinforce the upgrades, we’ve added the pre-fix “Super.” All of the additions are a reflection of what you, the fans, have voiced, so I hope you will continue to play it as long as possible. Also, please be sure that I truly did try to listen to your requests as much as possible in deciding the new characters.

There are also fans demanding functionality related to PlayStation Network, so we’ve implemented the “Endless Battle” and “Team Battle” modes. “Team Battle” allows users to play as a team, and provides you with a platform for researching which are the best teams. Also, all of the modes have the “battle observation” mode, which allows you to watch the matches as they are played by your friends. All battles can be saved with the replay save request if you want. These features were created to build a stronger community within PSN.

Also, all SSFIV replay data which is saved on your PS3 can be shared with other online-connected PS3’s worldwide. This “Replay Channel Mode” allows you to watch any replays and is available 24/7 on the PS3 through PSN. Now you can’t hide from Street Fighter anymore!

As many of you know, we had a PlayStation-supported SSFIV Fight Club event with the fans in a Los Angeles suburb on Friday, April 23rd. It was a big success, and I was pleasantly surprised that about 1,000 fans attended! It is this amazing support that is exceptionally important, and provides the motivation for us to develop new projects in the future. To be completely honest, I’m absolutely exhausted now since I’ve been running non-stop for several years, so please let me take a break for a little bit. J I’m sure that the break won’t last that long…

I’ll be back in the near future with a great idea for a new project which will hopefully get you excited!

Well, the last topic on this blog is about the Super Tournament Mode that will be available as a free download for SSFIV this June. To showcase how great this new mode is, we’re planning to organize an online tournament in cooperation with SCEA. Tournament Mode allows us to create exclusive “titles” (like a champion belt) that will be awarded to the winner of the tournament. Please look forward to it, and stay tuned!

With the big support from all the PlayStation users, Super Street Fighter IV has been excitingly launched! I consider a fighting game to be a virtual “tool” of real fighting. And, as in real-life fighting, perfection is what we are striving for. So if any unexpected bugs happen, please let us know and we’ll do our best to fix them.

It would be highly appreciated if you keep conveying your requests and voicing your opinions to us moving forward. We will try our best to implement your requests in the future.

Finally, I’m looking forward to seeing all of you somewhere in the future. And, I expect you to “Smile” with “Surprise” then.

Everyone, again, thank you very much!

Suit claims Activision held team hostage to finish Modern Warfare 3.

Does this HD upscaler drastically imrpove the Wii's video quality?

The case against violent videogames, and what it means for gamers.

The case against violent videogames, and what it means for gamers.

Being a giant, beloved video game blog has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we're giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week we talk with John Graham of Wolfire Games, whose Overgrowth, a follow-up to underground hit Lugaru, is currently in development.

How did you your company get started?

David Rosen created Wolfire in 2003 as a web site where people could download his personal gaming projects. All of us at Wolfire were really into computer games growing up but I think something unique in David compelled him to get an early start. I had the good fortune to go to the same elementary school as David, and while most kids were playing the hunting section of Oregon Trail at recess, he was spending his time coding his own stick figure war game in a programming environment called HyperCard. He even went so far as to craft his own explosion and gunshot sound effects by recording the distortion that occurs from blowing into a microphone. Soon David's war game spread around the school until, not surprisingly, it got banned by the administration for being too violent. By the time David hit high school, he had migrated to 3D games using C++.

The case against violent videogames, and what it means for gamers.

The case against violent videogames, and what it means for gamers.

Swinging swords and slinging fireballs.

#xbox Lots of people continued playing Halo 2 past the midnight deadline Microsoft gave 12 days ago for discontinuing original Xbox multiplayer support. Fourteen have managed to still keep their consoles connected and running since, prolonging the game's final goodbye indefinitely. More »