All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

We got an extensive demo with Jane Jensen's oft-delayed adventure game Gray Matter at E3 (more on that soon) but she did give us one item we couldn't wait to share: Publisher DTP Entertainment is currently targeting an October release for the PC/360 title.

Considering we've previously heard March of 2010, 2009 and 2008, well ... let's just say we're writing the date on our calendar in pencil. Maybe not even that. Maybe sidewalk chalk.

#openthread The word "game" implies something with a winner. And the planet's biggest gathering of video games, and those who make them, fairly begs for one, too. More »

Here's the surprising thing about the Innex Rapid Shot: It's good. Like, really good. The pseudo sub-machine gun not only bundles the functionality of the Wiimote, Nunchuk and MotionPlus into one controller, it also looks and feels great. In fact, it's being marketed as the first controller made solely for adults. All marketing nonsense, but it tells you a lot about what kind of audience they're targeting.

What feature does the Rapid Shot (which retails for $49.99) not include? Well, for starters, it doesn't keep you from being stupefyingly uncomfortable when a man in camoflauge shouts at you about protecting your brain from zombies. Perhaps in version two?

#e3 One of the coolest things at E3 2010 was the zoom function for Xbox Live Arcade game Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. I had to see it. You do too. More »

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

#rumor At E3 earlier this week, Microsoft unveiled a new 250GB Xbox 360. According to a report on Giant Bomb, there's also a secret 120GB version available. More »

#government As weird and scary as it sounds, there may be a time when you'll be able to blame your server going down on the current U.S. President instead of your internet provider. More »

#e3 Artists from The Creative Assembly have spent more than a year learning ancient Japanese ink brush and wood block techniques, just to create transition art for Shogun 2: Total War. Imagine the work going into the actual game. More »

#e3 A multiplayer Castlevania? Series designer Koji Igarashi's latest off-the-wall idea for the 23-year-old vampire slaying franchise might just be crazy enough to work. After playing Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, I'm on board. More »

#microsoft In broad terms, the new Xbox 360 "S" model is the same as the previous console; it plays the same games, does the same stuff. But under the hood, there have been changes, and mostly for the better. More »

Metroid: Other M isn't just a side-scroller. It's a first-person shooter. And a third-person exploration game. And seemingly everything in-between. This trailer features a hodgepodge of perspectives, but how does it play? Stay tuned for our hands-on preview this weekend.

Holding your breath for new Heavy Rain DLC? Well, stop. Game Informer has learned that the "Heavy Rain Chronicles" have been put on indefinite hold, with creator Quantic Dream saying they were urged by Sony to redirect their focus on an upcoming Move patch for the game. It's not been canceled completely, mind, but it's not looking good.

No one's chalking the holdup to low interest, but one would imagine that if the first chunk of DLC -- which was free to those who purchased the game new, but on sale to those who didn't -- was moving like thickly-accented hotcakes, we'd already be playing the second episode.

Valve is "mutating" Left 4 Dead 2 with a new headshots-only campaign variation this week, as well as instituting some substantial changes to Jockey and the AI Director in the game's Versus mode. [L4D Blog] More »

There really isn't a lot to write about Sonic the Hedgehog 4. It's everything Sega promised it would be: just Sonic without all the cruft. I got to play through the game's Splash Hill Zone, and it's pure, unadulterated Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with a new coat of paint and a handful of new features. And there's no Tails, of course (not in Episode One at least).

There are a few new wrinkles. Sonic has his homing attack from Sonic Adventure, for example. As with most of the 2D Sonic titles, there are also a few interesting locomotion mechanics sprinkled throughout the levels: vines to swing on, ziplines and, of course, the beloved corkscrews and loops.

#e3 Hideo Kojima was at E3 this week to show off his team's latest project, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, but a report from CVG says the game developer has a "massive PS3 exclusive" to unveil at Tokyo Game Show. More »

#tv There was a Pac-Man cartoon series in the 1980s. All things considered, it wasn't that bad! Now, Namco Bandai wants to make a new series. For the 21st century. More »

Agent, you ready to get more skills for kills? Return to Pacific City with the Crackdown 2 demo next Monday, June 21. The "generous demo" will apparently be huge, according to our recent interview with Ruffian's James Cope.

You can likely increase your chances of getting the demo early by following Ruffian Games' Twitter account. The company appears to be giving out passes early to those with a quick enough Twitter finger. We also have 10 codes to give out, five on Twitter and five on Facebook this Saturday, June 18.

In the first half of our video interview with John Koller, we talked about PSP, Sony's expectations for the PSP Go, and a new marketing direction for the portal. In the second half of our video interview with Sony's John Koller, we chat about some of E3's key surprises, including PlayStation Plus and Steamworks. What can we expect from Sony's new partnership with Valve? How did it come together? Furthermore, what kind of services will PlayStation Plus offer? These questions and more in part two, viewable after the break.

#e3 The creators of Sonic the Hedgehog are borrowing a more current page from Nintendo's Mario, giving the speedy blue mascot a galactic adventure and some super powered suits of his own to wear in Sonic Colors. More »

After seeing games running in glasses-free 3D on Nintendo's black-magic powered 3DS, looking at old-fashioned "flat" images just isn't that much fun anymore. Still, these official photos of the 3DS itself -- in red and blue -- are pretty impressive. Emphasis on pretty. They'll almost make you want to reach into your screen to grab them, but we really don't recommend that. Having to buy a new monitor will kind of put a dent in that money you're setting aside to buy a 3DS.