All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#lastmanstanding It is Apache N4SIR. Nearly a month after Microsoft shut down the original Xbox Live, he was one of the Noble 14 who kept their connections running. Their numbers slowly dwindled, and today, he was the last Spartan standing. More »

US consumers of those newfangled video games apparently spent $25.3 billion on them in 2009, according to the Today's Gamers Survey by Newzoo and TNS. If this study seems vaguely familiar, it's likely because there was a similar report released on massively multiplayer games a couple months ago, which found that Americans spent $3.8 billion on MMOs during 2009. Typically, data we see comes from retailers, but this survey was conducted using 13,000 respondents, aged 8 and up, who were "carefully selected to represent each individual country's demographic profile."

As VentureBeat notes, the numbers in the Newzoo report are quite different than NPD's report on 2009 sales -- by about $5 billion. Unlike NPD, the Newzoo study also reports data on several European nations. A free summary [PDF link] of the report is available on GamesIndustry.com, while the full report will cost you €299 ($384). We wonder how much US consumers spent on research reports in 2009 ...

[Via VentureBeat]

Now this is how you do a commercial! Man, I really love this one. Has a very classic feeling to it. What do you guys think?

#movies We're still about six months away from the theatrical release of Disney's Tron Legacy, so some new concept art of the sleeker, sexier video game world seems appropriate. But that doesn't make the wait any easier. More »

The official Super Mario Galaxy 2 website has updated with a bunch of new content. There’s new video features and a lot more worth checking out. Hit up the details below, and then click over to check out the videos! I’ll only be putting the brand-new details below. Site here - five TV spots [...]

How scary is Dementium II? According to the press kit, it’ll make you crap your pants! Man, I picked up my copy of the game last week, but I forgot the diapers. Better make sure I play while in the bathroom!

If you clicked on the video above before reading this, you're probably a little confused. Yes, it looks like you've somehow pulled up footage from PlayStation Home. If you stick with it for a bit, though, you'll see that it isn't. It really is footage from Test Drive Unlimited 2. Like we said in our preview last month, the game is essentially an MMO, incorporating player avatars and various places for folks to hang out when not racing. That's what you're seeing. Crazy, right?

The video provides you with a pretty good look at this aspect of the game; thankfully, it also contains a decent amount of actual racing, specifically highlighting TDU2's day/night cycle, weather effects and off-road driving. You know -- the other stuff you'll be experiencing when not shopping for clothes, getting cosmetic surgery or chilling in a jacuzzi on-board your yacht. (Actually, the MMO stuff is pretty cool ... )

#real3d Wide acceptance of 3D in the home, whether for movies, television shows or video games, has a few imposing barriers. Price, support, and—perhaps most limiting—looking like a tool while staring blankly at your television screen, wearing 3D specs. More »

#dlc BioShock 2's "Rapture Metro" pack of downloadable content, abruptly delayed from its original release two weeks ago, was rescheduled just as abruptly today. 2K Games today said the DLC rolls out tomorrow. More »

Perhaps you've heard of (or purchased!) the Humble Indie Bundle -- a set of five DRM-free indie games, which you can choose your own price for, the entirety of which goes to two completely deserving charities. Despite the bundle's altruism and affordability, Wolfire Games reports that over one quarter of the total downloads of the package were pirated. You read that right -- a grip of people have stolen the choose-your-own-price indie-bundle-for-charity. Talk about sticking it to The Man.

This fraction of creeps shouldn't cheapen the fact that the bundle's already brought in $716,944 for Child's Play and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, but it's still pretty disheartening. If you'll excuse us, we need to go watch Happy-Go-Lucky or perhaps a few episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition until we regain our faith in humanity.

[Via Ars Technica]

You may not have been too disappointed that Fable 2 wasn't full of animals (filthy, stinking animals), but Lionhead's Lead Artist John McCormack was, and he tells Beauty of Games that he's making up for it with the next game. "The lack of animals in the Fable franchise is always something that has bothered me," he says, and so in Fable 3, "we've built bats, crows, rabbits, ducks, robins, vultures, lizards, rats, butterflies, moths, insect swarms, dogs, fireflies, geese and we even started on a cow."

Rest assured that animals won't be the only new part of the experience, though -- McCormack also says his team is hard at work on incorporating the new Industrial aesthetic into the game's buildings, morphed weapons and NPCs as well. He says he's not sure whether all of those animals will eventually make it into the finished product, but obviously we hope so -- vultures need to be Touched, too.

#crime A British programmer said to have reaped some £600,000 selling modchips that bypassed copy protection on four consoles avoided jail at his sentencing today, but only because the father of two was bankrupted by his conviction. More »

Game designer Mark Darin and artist/animator/"creative instigator" Graham Annable provide a look at the inspirations, unique visual style, and creepy gnome-filled plot of the recently announced Puzzle Agent in a developer featurette fresh from Telltale Games. There isn't a wealth of gameplay to be seen, but it's still a nice treat for those of us who've been trying to wrap our noggins around the mystery of Scoggins.

It seems that something's amiss at the White House's eraser supplier and ... well, we'll let Darin and Annable explain the rest. Be sure to watch it all the way to the end for a special surprise.

#xbox360 Attention Grand Theft Auto IV fans looking to complete the "Impossible Trinity": Rockstar's second expansion The Ballad of Gay Tony is the Xbox Live Deal of the Week. Revisit Liberty City slightly cheaper, just 1200 Microsoft Points. [Live Marketplace] More »

#playstation2 Well, you can determine for yourself. Not by judging the cover of the novelization of Sony's video game, but by reading the first chapter of God of War in book form, now online. More »

The guys in United Front Games weren’t just inspired by the art and toys of the Urban Vinyl scene, they loved how the movement gave talented people a new way to express themselves. It gave artists a new way to be seen and to get recognized for their talents.

We hope ModNation Racers will be a way people can share their imagination with the world, just like these artists got to do with vinyl toys.

This week, the Artist Spotlight stays in the world of Urban Vinyl to meet another one of its superstars, Huck Gee.

In this Spotlight, Huck shows us some of his favorite toys, boots up ModNation to bring his “Skullhead” character to life, and STILL has time to have a RACE with fellow vinyl artist, Jesse Hernandez!

Huck not only has made a sweet career designing toys for companies like Kidrobot, but is one of the few vinyl artists featured in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was great to see how he was able to realize his vision with the game’s tools and ultimately race it.

We can’t wait for you to do the same.

15 days and counting!

Any ideas on what you’re going to make?

Brian Fargo is no stranger to the world of video game development, having originally founded Interplay back in 1984. He's worked on titles like the original Bard's Tale and Wasteland, and Interplay developed everything from Battle Chess to Fallout to Baldur's Gate. When Interplay was acquired by Titus in 2002, Fargo left and founded InXile Entertainment, which later released an updated Bard's Tale for PS2, Xbox, and PC. Now both Fargo and InXile are moving onto next-generation consoles with the swords and scorcery co-op title Hunted: The Demon's Forge.

We recently spoke to Fargo about the game, which you can find just after the break. But be warned! Just prepare yourself for the sheer about of verbiage manages to foist upon us when we asked what the initial genesis for the game was. It's quite an answer! Read on to see what he has to say about the upcoming title, including why they limited to two characters, the depth of the puzzles in the game, and boob jiggle. Yes, boob jiggle.

2K has announced that the erroneously dated BioShock 2 Metro Pack DLC now has an actual release date: Tuesday, May 11. The Metro Pack adds six maps to the multiplayer mode and will be available on PSN and Xbox Live for $10. 2K is also releasing some additional DLC alongside the Metro Pack. First up is a $2 character pack, which adds two new characters to multiplayer. In addition, players can also grab the free download for "Kill'Em'Kindly," a new multiplayer mode that has players "fight to the death with golf clubs."

That disturbing, guttural sound you just heard was the collective "ugh" of everyone who has ever played the original BioShock.

Peer is back, and we talk about Galaxy 2 (finally!).

#casual FarmVille looks to overrun your corner convenience store this summer, thanks to a cross promotion that'll have 7-Elevens nationwide hawking exclusive items for the casual game, plus others from the Zynga family. More »

Have you ever gotten truly engrossed in a game? How about so engrossed that your own home burned down around you while you were playing?! That’s exactly what happened to Wayne and James Turner on this day in 1993. The pair were playing Sonic the Hedgehog, and were so blown away by the game [...]