#dsi
Spirit Hunters, a new game in development by Nnooo for the DSi and "future nintendo handhelds", is an augmented reality title that promises to be, in the creator's words, "a role playing game set in the real world". More »
Although Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar San Diego's long-awaited open-world game, may look nothing like GTA IV, the two easily invite comparison. Like GTA IV, Red Dead Redemption is an incredibly powerful, polished sandbox game. But, it also carries many of the same flaws as its Liberty City counterpart. While set in drastically different periods, the similarities between these two games cannot be ignored: from gameplay mechanics to mission design to narrative direction. While not cosmetically apparent, even the premises of these two titles are strikingly similar: both are about ex-criminals in new lands attempting to forge new lives for themselves. Both characters are dragged back into murder and vengeance; and both John Marston and Niko Bellic are forced to do odd jobs for odd characters in order to accomplish their goals.
It's these odd jobs that make up the majority of Red Dead Redemption's core gameplay, which is a mixed bag. Most of the missions involve going from Point A to Point B, shooting enemies along the way, and it won't be long before you start to ask yourself the say question Marston asks: "Why am I doing this?" RDR has a number of explosive moments. As John, you'll hijack a moving train, engage in duels and race away in a mine cart. But too much of the game is devoted to herding cows, shopping and shooting hats -- odd jobs indeed for a bloody murderer. To say that RDR sometimes loses its focus is an understatement.
Capcom has dropped a veritable swarm of Lost Planet 2 Avatar goodies onto Xbox live. Most of the gear is comprised of clothing from the various factions in the game -- but we all know that the stars of the show in Lost Planet 2 are the creepy, crawly Akrid.
Unfortunately, you can only snag one of the giant bugs via the Avatar Marketplace: Gordiant, otherwise known as "that giant salamander thing." As you can see, it's not quite as threatening in Avatar pet form. In fact, it's kind of adorable.
You can see Gordiant and the rest of the Lost Planet 2 Avatar collection here.
GORMLEY, Ontario, Canada – May 21, 2010 – Digital Leisure Inc. a leading developer and publisher of interactive video-based titles and console games, announced today the upcoming launch of Mix Superstar, designed exclusively for Nintendo’s WiiWare™ game service.
Think you can be the next big music star? Well now you’ve got all the tools [...]
#starwars
On the 30th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, let's take a look at video games' favorite scene from that movie: the battle of Hoth. Developers have been trying for almost a full 30 years to get it right. More »
Here's the best news for PSP owners who love futuristic co-op dungeon crawling since, well, Phantasy Star Portable: Sega has announced that it's localizing Phantasy Star Portable 2, with a fall release planned in both North America and Europe.
Taking place after the events of Phantasy Star Universe, Portable 2 features the people of Gurhal facing a new, less easily defeated threat: scarcity of resources. We'll have to play the game's story mode and some online quests (that's right, unlike the first Phantasy Star Portable, this one's playable online) before we discover how that issue is resolved, though we do know how Sega of Japan acquired the resources it used to produce the game: advertising tie-ins! We really hope the Pizza Hut box item makes it into the Western version.
#truestory
Lately I've been buying Nintendo DS games at an alarming rate, with little or no regard to my own well-being. Could my new DS case be controlling my brain? More »
Google has put together a playable tribute to Pac-Man in their latest logo. What a nice way to recognize the gaming icon’s 30th birthday! Just head over to Google and get ready to play this extra-wide version of the game!
Play here
#screengrab
Zangief is more than meets the eye in this fan-made custom Transformer, complete with rust chest hair. Created by Deej at the Fanboy Forum. Thanks Benjamin! More »
The free-to-play browser game Legends of Zork has been a bit of an experiment for GameStop. The retailer has promoted the free-to-play browser game both in-store and online as the major title in its "Free2Play" service. It hasn't just been an experiment in offering online content to customers -- GameStop has also used it as a testing ground for promoting specific games.
"Targeted customers received free in-game play cards with purchases at GameStop and they used the codes on cards to enter the game site online," explained COO J. Paul Raines in yesterday's investor call. "The results were that we added a large number of new game players to Legends of Zork, roughly doubling the audience of that game in four weeks. Our customer acquisition costs were significantly lower than advertising driven customer acquisition, and it is clear to us now that stores can efficiently convert online game players and provide a multi-channel gaming experience."
Later, in response to a question about the growth of web-based games and its effect on GameStop, Raines called GameStop stores a "customer acquisition engine" for specific online games, as proven by Zork. GameStop's idea appears to be to earn revenue by promoting online games in stores -- and then possibly sell DLC cards. If it can do those things, it has nothing to fear from browser games.
