All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Insomniac Games' Ted Price has announced a new direction for the company: a multi-platform one. Best known for their PlayStation exclusives (Resistance, Ratchet and Clank), the company has announced a "brand new universe and franchise ... to experience in the coming years." With the goal of providing an "awesome experience for as many players as possible," the game will appear on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, courtesy of Insomniac's new partnership with EA Partners.

While PlayStation fans may be stunned by the team's decision to work with a new publisher, Price reassured fans in a blog post that Insomniac's "relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment is still very strong" with "additional projects" planned "exclusively for PlayStation 3." It appears Insomniac's relationship can be considered analogous to that of Bungie's with Microsoft -- Bungie recently signed with Activision to develop multi-platform titles, while still working on the Xbox-exclusive Halo: Reach.

Working on Xbox 360 games isn't the only planned change for Insomniac games. While famous for its ability to produce games on an annual cycle, Price says that Insomniac will give focus on spending "more development time to iterate and polish our games." According to Price, "all future Insomniac titles will benefit from longer development cycles, which will directly benefit you, our fans."

#dreampark Game Nation is gearing up to make your live-action role-playing dreams come true, now scouting locations for the world's first "Experiential Video Game Theme Park and Resort." Sounds like some expensive LARPing to me! More »

Insomniac Games' Ted Price has announced a new direction for the company: a multi-platform one. Best known for their PlayStation exclusives (Resistance, Ratchet and Clank), the company has announced a "brand new universe and franchise ... to experience in the coming years." With the goal of providing an "awesome experience for as many players as possible," the game will appear on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, courtesy of Insomniac's new partnership with EA Partners.

While PlayStation fans may be stunned by the team's decision to work with a new publisher, Price reassured fans in a blog post that Insomniac's "relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment is still very strong" with "additional projects" planned "exclusively for PlayStation 3." It appears Insomniac's relationship can be considered analogous to that of Bungie's with Microsoft -- Bungie recently signed with Activision to develop multi-platform titles, while still working on the Xbox-exclusive Halo: Reach.

Working on Xbox 360 games isn't the only planned change for Insomniac games. While famous for its ability to produce games on an annual cycle, Price says that Insomniac will give focus on spending "more development time to iterate and polish our games." According to Price, "all future Insomniac titles will benefit from longer development cycles, which will directly benefit you, our fans."

Do you ever wish your PSP could experience the magic and wonder of American Laser Games? Well, Nordcurrent's Robin Hood: The Return of Richard doesn't quite replicate the full live-action cheesiness of Mad Dog McCree ... but it certainly tries.

Robin Hood will be available as a Mini for $4.99 in today's PSN Tuesday update. But seriously, look at what you're getting yourself into before you even consider buying this. We attached a video, after the break.

#splintercell Ubisoft Toronto, the new big-game studio overseen by former Assassin's Creed producer Jade Raymond, is making the next Splinter Cell. Development will involve tech and talents from Splinter Cell Conviction studio Ubi Montreal. No title, details or release date. [Gamasutra] More »

#breaking The next big gaming franchise from the creators of a decade and a half's worth of some of the Playstation's most beloved titles is coming to the Xbox 360. More »

Insomniac Games gets friendly with the 360.

It looks like Guitar Hero 6 may have found a new name. A listing on amazon.com may have leaked Activision's next foray of the Guitar Hero franchise: Warriors of Rock for Wii, PS3 and 360. Unless Activision plans on releasing two Guitar Hero games in the same time frame (not unlikely), Warriors of Rock is likely the new moniker for Guitar Hero 6. The SKUs will come in three flavors: Standard, Guitar Bundle and Super Bundle (which will presumably include drums and a microphone).

For better or for worse, we can't help but conjure up images of Activision's former baby, Brütal Legend, when thinking about the new subtitle. Perhaps Activision has figured out a way to use plastic guitars in a way Tim Schafer could not?

[Via Siliconera]

Dookieheads (that's what Green Day fans are colloquially referred to, right?) who downloaded the two-track Green Day: Rock Band demo from Xbox Live Marketplace today (gold subscribers only) found a little bonus waiting for them when they exited the demo: The teaser image posted above. Alongside the series' four iconic instrument logos is a whole new symbol, which seems to indicate that keyboards (or perhaps ... keytars?) will be added to Rock Band 3.

You can check out the demo, which includes the songs "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Welcome to Paradise," to see the teaser firsthand, and to start imagining all the wonderful implications a Rock Band keyboard might have.

[Thanks, Neil]

Xbox.com: Add Green Day: Rock Band demo to your Xbox 360 download queue

#republished Red Dead Redemption came out last week and while I know I'm going to buy it, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat hesitant to do so. It seems the controversy is now mostly forgotten, but in January, the spouses of a number of Rockstar San Diego developers penned an open letter decrying the working conditions in the studio. Reminiscent of the then unnamed Erin Hoffman's EA Spouse letter, it details conditions that grossly overreach the usual game development crunch time. And of course, the response from Rockstar HQ and Take 2 was typical mealy-mouthed PR bullshit. While I'm sure plenty of other games I have enjoyed were made under similar conditions to Red Dead Redemption and simply didn't receive public outcry, a pall is still cast over RDR that it won't ever be able to fully shake, at least for me. More »

According to the Wall Street Journal, J Allard's rumored departure from Microsoft is only the beginning of the story. It's apparently part of a planned managerial shake-up at the company's Entertainment & Devices Division -- which includes both Microsoft's Xbox business and its Windows mobile group -- and as a result of stiff competition from Apple and Google in the mobile space.

The WSJ posits that Microsoft could institute changes at the management level as early as this week. We'll keep you posted.

Source - Wall Street Journal [subscription required]

According to Joystiq's sources, Sony is set to reveal a premium tier of the PlayStation Network service, labeled PSN+, during its 2010 E3 media briefing. Unlike Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold service, PSN+ will focus on giving paid subscribers additional bonuses without limiting online multiplayer between paying and nonpaying users.

Many of the features included in the premium service mimic those featured in a supposed survey released late last year. Sources tell us that subscribers will have access to a rotating list of PSP Minis and PSone Classics, exclusive in-game DLC, discounts to the PlayStation Store and "first hour" demo access to full retail titles. Following the first hour of gameplay, players will have the ability to purchase the full title; however, demo access will only be available once the entire title has been downloaded.

As PSN+ subscribers, gamers will also receive protection for their consoles with the recently announced PlayStation Protection Plan, as well as exclusive access to the long-awaited cross-game voice chat. Additional features are said to be in the works following the launch of PSN+, including the previously rumored cloud-based saving system.

Joystiq has been informed that PSN+ subscribers will also have the ability to enable an auto-patching feature, which will detect, download and install updates for recently played PS3 titles on the system.

Pricing and a release for the PSN+ service is unknown, though one source speculates PSN+ may cost $9.99 per month. When contacted, a Sony representative said the company does not "comment on rumors or speculation."

#rumor So reckons this advert from a South African retailer. And before you go thumbing your nose at the ad's origin and nature, bear this in mind: they've actually got a good track record when it comes to this stuff. More »

According to Joystiq's sources, Sony is set to reveal a premium tier of the PlayStation Network service, labeled PSN+, during its 2010 E3 media briefing. Unlike Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold service, PSN+ will focus on giving paid subscribers additional bonuses without limiting online multiplayer between paying and nonpaying users.

Many of the features included in the premium service mimic those featured in a supposed survey released late last year. Sources tell us that subscribers will have access to a rotating list of PSP Minis and PSone Classics, exclusive in-game DLC, discounts to the PlayStation Store and "first hour" demo access to full retail titles. Following the first hour of gameplay, players will have the ability to purchase the full title; however, demo access will only be available once the entire title has been downloaded.

As PSN+ subscribers, gamers will also receive protection for their consoles with the recently announced PlayStation Protection Plan, as well as exclusive access to the long-awaited cross-game voice chat. Additional features are said to be in the works following the launch of PSN+, including the previously rumored cloud-based saving system.

Joystiq has been informed that PSN+ subscribers will also have the ability to enable an auto-patching feature, which will detect, download and install updates for recently played PS3 titles on the system.

Pricing and a release for the PSN+ service is unknown, though one source speculates PSN+ may cost $9.99 per month. When contacted, a Sony representative said the company does not "comment on rumors or speculation."

#screengrab As seen on I Heart Chaos NSFW. More »

#rockband There's a demo for Rock Band: Green Day currently up on Xbox Live. Of actual interest is this image greeting users when they quit the demo, teasing Rock Band 3 with a little ebony and ivory. More »

#clips Crysis may have been the benchmark for PC graphics in 2007, but as we power on into 2010, it's looking a little long in the tooth compared to what's coming in the future. More »

#killzone Naughty Dog, the studio responsible for the Uncharted series, doesn't just do Nathan Drake and sexy ladies. It's also lending a helping hand on upcoming shooter Killzone 3. More »

#akihabara It used to be that on Sundays and holidays, Tokyo's electrics and game mecca Akihabara closed off its streets to cars and turned itself into a "Pedestrians' Paradise". Then, seven individuals were tragically killed in a stabbing spree. More »

#residentevilafterlife You might know Wentworth Miller from the television series Prison Break. You might not have a television. I dunno! More »

#ds That's what this letter seems to suggest, when a girl - forced to write a letter to a company for a school project - bugs Nintendo for a DS, and Nintendo obliges. More »

#china After months and months of Foxconn employees dying, the company's CEO finally addressed the issue. And then, another Foxconn worker fell to his death. More »

#nsfw Anime Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance is being released with "adjustments" on DVD and Blu-ray as Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance. What kind of adjustments? More »

#clips For those who were left thirsty for more Fire Emblem tactical game action after 2008's release, take heart. There's going to be more. More »

Finally, resolution to a story we've been following for several years -- though it's a bit disappointing. Nibris's Wii horror title Sadness (what did you think we were talking about?) has been canceled, after years of disappearing websites, slipping release dates, nonexistent demos and a generally game-free history.

The news comes from a Polish-language blog post from April, announcing the release of composer Arkadiusz Reikowski's soundtrack for the game. The post notes that, according to Reikowski, the game was cancelled before work on the music was complete. So that soundtrack is basically the closest part of the game to "finished" -- and it's still in a preliminary state itself.

[Via Original Sound Version; thanks, Aquacharger!]

#hollywood BioWare's epic sci-fi role playing game is on its way to a theater near you, with Legendary Pictures—the studio banking on the notion that video game movies will be a Big Deal—reportedly picking up the film rights. More »

#music Link, with some help from his Four Swords co-stars, ditches the stealth approach and tries taking down the Forsaken Fortress the hard way: with beatboxing. More »

#movies If you love the look of Half-Life 2 - and really, who doesn't - Viktor Antonov is the man to thank. But the art director for Valve's masterpiece doesn't just do games. He does movies, too. More »

#ps3 Sony Europe is engaging in some curious marketing over on a German website, hinting that the future adventures of Uncharted hero Nathan Drake will take him to Norway. More »

#hitman They are making another movie based on the Hitman video games. Why? More »