All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Greetings and happy “OMG we are launching tomorrow” ModNation Monday!

If you are like me, you’re still a bit dazed from last night’s LOST season finale (anyone else still confused?). But I’m still uber-stoked that everyone will finally get their hands on ModNation Racers TOMORROW on both PS3 and PSP!

Actually playing the final version of the game you’ve been working on for so many months is probably the best part of being in this incredible industry. That’s how I spent my weekend and that’s when I was reminded of why I love playing this game (and why the Photo Mode rocks!).

*Please excuse my “so-so” screen shots. I’m a racer, not a photographer!

#1 The Chuck Wagon

It’s not sexy, it’s not even that cool, but it’s MINE. There is no feeling like making and racing your own kart, and it’s 100% yours. Look out for this kart online, you’ll both know who to aim your weapon at. If it passes you up, you’ll know who just smoked you!

#2 Mini-Me

Some racers will make their favorite characters, some will think of some completely original creations of their own. But if you’re like me, you will put yourself in the game so when you showboat, you can say, “THAT’S ME!”

#3 Bringing the Hurt (and avoiding it too!)

We’ve covered this subject in past blog posts, but the weapons are a BLAST (see what I did there?). While I love raining down the pain in a well-timed Bolt Storm or dropping a well-placed mine right in front of a tailgater, there is a great feeling hitting my shields just at the right moment to avoid an attack or dodging a nasty missile like this.

#4 Attitude Adjustment

What I love about ModNation Racers is that as soon as you get cocky, the game will remind you of your mistake. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, there is always someone better, or who has a weapon ready to trigger. As soon as I got online I learned the hard way. Ouch! No matter how much time I’ve spent with the game, there are some great racers out there.

#5 Trading Paint

While weapons are fun, the art of the sideswipe is a beautiful thing. Lining up next to a racer, tapping your right analog stick just at the right time, and smacking your competion into railing (…or off a very high cliff) is pure bliss.

#6 Fire From My Tires

Drifting is huge source of joy in this game, but when you drift long enough, your tires ignite and light up the road. Best Back to the Future tribute ever.

Those are just a few things I dig about ModNation Racers, and I’m pretty certain you will too TOMORROW! Notice I didn’t even touch track creation, which is probably the most revolutionary thing about the game, but we have to save some things for later. :)

Stay tuned for a Launch Day post tomorrow from Kyle Zundel, the game’s producer, to get some Race Day tips and to see our launch trailer. And we’ve got more good stuff to come in following ModNation Mondays, including new Artist Spotlights. Until then…

See you online!

#analysis Although the Supreme Court today refused to give the NFL an antitrust exemption in negotiating exclusive licenses - and the league sold one to EA Sports' Madden series - the decision doesn't necessarily jeopardize such deals for video games. More »

If you live in Los Angeles, and are at least 18 years old, and you know your way around a God of War game, and you're capable of signing a Non-Disclosure agreement, then this is one heck of a coincidence. Sony is currently looking for people matching that very description to come check out Kratos' next handheld adventure: God of War: Ghost of Sparta, this Thursday.

To apply, just email SCEA Santa Monica with your name, address, phone number, and whether you'd prefer to join in the 11 a.m. to noon session, or the 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. session. We suggest going with the first one, so that you don't have to see them cleaning up the goat offal left over from their bacchanalian lunchtime feast.

And then there were two. That's right, it's just Richard and Dave this week. Alexander, jerk that he is, decided to go vacationing in London. That doesn't stop us from gabbing about Alan Wake, Halo: Reach and our own deaths, though. Give it a listen for the news, fanmail and your Twitter questions. Listen closely, because you need to know about the dangers of the Chicago Jump Bear.

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
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[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.

Hosts: Richard Mitchell (SenseiRAM, @senseiram) and Dave Hinkle (KnifefightYaDad, @davehinkle)

Music: Intro/Outro: "Electromooq" by Uma Floresta. Break: "Franklin" by Male Bonding.

For fans: Xbox 360 Fancast Facebook group

New downloadable videogame integrated with immersive social media features.

Super rides and bounce pad housing items launch in Free Realms.

Rock and roll can never die.

#gameface Taken by Kotakuite FuuRe_cl at a mall in Chile. More »

A Brutal and Spectacular Fantasy Horror Makes its Way to 360 and PS3.

A 20-year retrospective chronicling how Mario's steed was born, grew and became a star of his own.

A brutal and spectacular fantasy horror makes its way to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system in 2011.

#rockstar Here's a refreshing, if predictable dose of common sense from developers Rockstar, telling the BBC that anyone buying on of their games - like Grand Theft Auto, or Red Dead Redemption - is a "terrible parent". More »

#clips More »

#tv Lost went out, last night, like the first Star Wars movie, in the same excellent, sweet way. More »

Four Mega Mans for the price of one!

#steam After a successful run on Xbox Live Arcade, Wizards of the Coast is bringing Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers to keyboard and mouse set via Steam next month. More »

Naughty Dog appreciates the importance of keeping things fresh for folks who partake in the multiplayer portion of Uncharted 2. That's why, starting the weekend of May 28, the developer will launch a series of experimental online playlists every other week, as part of a promotion labeled "The Lab."

For instance, this coming weekend will see the temporary introduction of a 2 vs. 2 Team Deathmatch mode, in which pairs of players race to 25 kills. As an added bonus, this Memorial Day weekend will also earn players double cash, which should entice the prodigal treasure hunters among you to return to the fold. Check out Naughty Dog's naughty blog for more info on future experimental playlists.

Six Flags plans to launch a social game on the platform this summer.

This is one dude you don't want to mess with.

#gameclub Let's go back to me in high school. Sophomore year. English class. Camus' The Plague. None us read it. The teacher made us sweat it out silently. You talk about Alan Wake Episode 3 please. I, uh, am behind! More »

Remember when you and your classmates stacked brightly colored blocks at school? Did they ‘ooooh’ and ‘ahhhh’ as you placed each block higher and higher? Did you love to challenge your friends to make the tallest stack, enjoying the suspense before they all came tumbling down? Sparkworkz reignites your childish enjoyment with Super Stacker for PSN!

Inspired by the game by Gaz Thomas, Super Stacker’s popularity pretty much demanded that we captured that fun and take it to the next level. This latest PSN exclusive version of Super Stacker is bursting with 2 new game modes, exclusive artwork, over 100 levels, multiplayer and much more!

We’re most excited about the introduction of Competitive and Co-Op Multiplayer. You can now sit down with a friend and either work together to solve a puzzle or see who can stack faster and higher.*

The two never-before-seen modes include Present Stacker: stacking blocks toward a particular ‘goal’, and Unstacker: blasting away dynamite blocks! And you’ve got to admit, every game is better when you get to blow something up.

Super Stacker for PSN is blocks on steroids. The premise is deceptively simple: Stack your entire queue of blocks onto a given platform without them falling off. If your stack can last more than 30 seconds, you win! Sounds easy, right? Well the grunts and groans of failure and loud screams of victory from countless fans beg to differ. With two new modes, multiplayer capability, badges, leaderboards, and over 100 puzzles to choose from, no other puzzle game on PSN can stack up!

Super Stacker will become available on PSN for PS3 tomorrow for $9.99.

*Sparkworkz may not be held accountable for damages or loss of friendship.

Can't wait for next Saturday to finally bring you the first installment in the Doctor Who: The Adventure Games series? Your two options boil down to either hopping into your discreet, time-traveling police box and moving two weeks into the future, or ... you know, waiting. Fortunately, the latter should be made more bearable by watching the developer diary posted after the jump.

Watch as the ever-charming Matt Smith (the titular Doctor) and Karen Gillan (companion Amy Pond) do some rotoscoping photo shoots, and lend their voices to the game. Then watch as the developer works on facial animations, which results in the horrifying texture seen above. Not so pretty now, is he, ladies?

[Via Big Download]

#xbox360 It's double the dose of Xbox Live Arcade this week, as id Software's classic demonic shooter Doom II and mystical puzzle game Voodoo Dice do their thing for the Xbox 360 owner looking for something downloadable. More »

Where we're going, we don't need roads.

We yank some vines with Prope's new platformer.

For all the time we spent expressing our admiration of Game Republic's Dragon Ball: Origins (admiration that will probably also apply to the sequel, though we don't really know yet), Namco Bandai's latest effort will be a lot more effective in convincing people to try it out before its June 22 release.

On Monday, May 31, a downloadable demo for the DS action-adventure will be available through the Wii's Nintendo Channel. In this slice of gameplay, you'll get to gather up Goku's lost belongings, after he is knocked off of his Flying Nimbus cloud. Mostly, you'll get to fight a bunch of stuff, including a boss. And if you hate it, you've just lost a few minutes of your time and added an infinitesimal amount of wear to your DS.

#microsoft Halo fans who pick up Reach on its September 14 release date will score this attractive exclusive in-game Spartan Recon Helmet. Fans who wait until after launch day aren't really fans, now are they? More »