All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#epic Epic Games, the people who make Unreal Tournament and Gears of War, could eventually bring Gears of War to your iPhone or Android, the future destination of big budget, "AAA" games. More »

#swagger Yesterday we heard of a rating new to Madden NFL 11, the Old Spice-sponsored "Swagger." Rumor had it that the rating affected player attributes. Nope. It governs a player's likelihood to celebrate, during or after a touchdown. More »

Wow, has it already been a year since DICE's freemium version of its popular Battlefield FPS series, Battlefield Heroes, launched on the PC? Sure enough, that's the case and EA is looking to celebrate by hooking up players with a free $5 voucher for use in-game, which can be redeemed here to unlock a two-day XP boost, a two-day VP boost and 25 bandages. You'll have to act fast, as the code below is only valid until tomorrow:

• 49TP-ZJB7-NVTR-P8AE

Other than free in-game items, EA also offers some stats on the first year of the game. Turns out, more than 4.8 million players have registered for play and the community as a whole has managed to commit 1.2 billion heinous murders in a total of 29 million hours of gameplay -- equal to 3,724 years, you monsters.

Whether you like it or not, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is going to have more motion controls than any other Zelda game before it. I may sound like a total fanboy on this one, but I really can’t wait for the series to head in that direction. Obviously, some people don’t [...]

One of the most versatile puzzlers in the DSi Shop.

Featuring a Hangman game in which a man actually hangs.

Yep, it's about just what you think it is.

Most of the games games shown at E3 are not final retail versions; they're preview builds specifically developed to show at the industry's largest expo. Since this is the case, many developers will remind those playing its game or watching demos that what they're seeing is subject to change. "We still have to polish this," or "the animation over here isn't finished" are a few of the things you'll hear. It's expected.

However, sometimes demos are nothing but a string of apologies and promises. Splatterhouse was one of those titles. During my demo, the game's executive producer assured me that the game was still in production at every pass and that nearly everything I saw and played would be "fixed," "changed" or "polished." You can't blame Namco Bandai for being hesitant to show the game, considering the development hell it has been through -- but it was a little extreme, especially when considering that I thought the game looked good (even great in some spots!) apart from the expected poor framerate for an early build.

No, looks weren't an issue, but I did have a few others with the game during my short demo.

#thetwilightsaga The third Twilight film, Eclipse, opens tomorrow, but you can save yourself two hours and $10 by checking out the more satisfying 8-Bit Twilight Eclipse Interactive YouTube game instead. More »

#northamerica Welcome to the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Plus. Subscribers to Sony's new premium service are on the receiving end of the greatest number of additions to the North American PlayStation Store this week, a more convincing argument for signing up. More »

Grab your golems, pick up your Paladins and drag out your Druids, because Diablo 2 is now officially ten years old. Originally released on June 29, 2000 the game is still being played today on Blizzard's Battle.net. What's more, Blizzard is still updating Diablo 2, with the most recent patch having been launched in March.

Let's just hope it's not another ten years before Diablo 3 shows up.

Fujiya Famikase Series 3: Shikou Game Shu is a long-lost unlicensed Famicom game. It’s hard to tell, isn’t it? With it’s sophisticated cover? Man, pirates just didn’t try that hard back in the day.

Get out your brightest highlighter and draw a big circle around today’s date, Tuesday, June 29, 2010, aka The Best Day in PSP Tennis History.

This is the day that Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip (as a UMD or PSN download) makes its North American debut, and for the wallet-friendly price of $19.99!

That’s right, the wait is over… all your portable tennis needs are finally answered! Get ready to spend countless summer nights unlocking characters, costumes, courts and secret levels. Oh, the joy.

But I don’t have to sell you on this… you’ve already gotten a taste of the supremely awesome gameplay with the demo (released last week!) and your thumbs are sore from maxing out both your points and loyalty level. You’re gotten a glimpse into to endless (hyperbole!) rows of customization options. Your smash hits are unstoppable and you are ready to name your first child Emily (or Hugo, it’s up to you).

Fifteen new tennis Hot Shots; exotic locations and brand new courts (like the colorful World Television Studios); hundreds of matches and weeks worth of gameplay; a bajillion costume combinations and crazy outfits; fierce, in-your-face ad-hoc competitive and co-op multiplayer matches… is there a better way to spend your summer?

So it’s settled: head out (or click out) and pick up (or download) your very own copy of Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip before you go mad with envy and end up looking like this dude… sheesh… he definitely needs to Get a Grip.

A portion of a Tech-Gaming review… As long as gamers aren’t expecting immediate thrills from Free Running, and can commit to the game’s solid learning curve, they might want to seek out the title. For players that have ever yearned for the Prince of Persia to have a free-form playground filled with ledges, rails, and ramps- [...]

Want to see the Raiden references you missed?

The Nintendo 3DS game list has a lot of predictable titles on it, but seeing Saint's Row on there was somewhat of a surprise. But it was a natural fit, as THQ VP Danny Bilson recently said. Not only was Nintendo enthusiastic about putting mature content on its new system, but "the interesting thing about the game is we were already making it. We were already making it as our Xbox Live game and in 3D also. It's designed for 3D already."

Wait, an Xbox Live title? The Saint's Row 3 universe is full of surprises -- THQ is planning a whole fleet of games to launch together, and among those is a downloadable XBL game that will unlock content in the full game (and vice versa). The 3DS will share content as well -- "all of our extension properties," says Bilson, "all connect and unlock things in each other."

Looks like the game's "new direction" is actually split a few different ways. All of these games are still due out sometime after March of next year.

Best played in as little clothing as possible.

Hi Everyone- Here’s this week’s Digital Comics update. As usual, we have the full list of new content to the store below, but let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

To start with, we have another large set of new arrivals from DC Comics. Pick up your free copy of the Wonder Woman #600 10-page preview, written by none other than J. Michael Straczynski. Or download #1 of DMZ and follow Matty Roth, an aspiring reporter trapped in a Manhattan ravaged by America’s Second Civil War. Finally from DC, down in Texas it’s all about werewolves, as you’ll see in High Moon #1. Former detective Matthew Macgregor investigates strange happenings in a desolate town… werewolf western drawn by Steve Ellis.

Want more superhero action? Marvel’s Black Panther, makes his solo debut on Digital Comics this week! So, who is Black Panther? R. Hudlin is here to answer this question – in cinematic scope, no less. He famously said that his influences for the Black Panther were another mighty superhero (can you guess who?), Spike Lee, and Sean Combs. That’s quite something.

Last, but not least, another great series by IDW: Mystery Society. Charismatic duo Nick Hammond and Anastasia Collins bring their own justice to the world’s underbellies – and it’s not an easy task. Written by Steve Niles, with art by amazing Ashley Wood (Tank Girl, Zombie vs Robots, and many many others) – another one really worth a try.

That’s it, have a great week, and head to www.playstationcomics.com for more info or to view our full catalog and pricing.

• 2000AD Prog #1686
• Army of Two #5
• Astonishing Tales (2009) #3
• Batman: Hush #7-#12
• Batman: Year One #2
• Black Panther (2005) #1-#5
• Criminal (2008) #6 & #7
• DMZ #1-#5
• Dante’s Inferno #4-#6
• Devi #6
• Fables #6-#10
• Free Realms #3 & #4
• Fringe #4-#6
• Gladstone Gander and the Boomerang Friendship
• Green Lantern: Secret Origin #2
• High Moon #1
• Hope Falls #3
• Jonah Hex #7-#12
• Mirror’s Edge #4-#6
• Mystery Society #1
• Ramayan 3392 AD #6
• Resistance #3 & #4
• Snakewoman #6
• Star Trek: The Movie Adaptation #4
• Superduck and the Haunted Villa
• The Adventures of Sinbad Duck
• The Lion King
• The Sadhu #6
• Transformers #7
• Transformers: Ironhide #2
• Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers #5
• Ultraheroes #6: Good and Evil
• Victorian Undead #2
• Walk-In #5
• Wonder Woman #600: Preview
• X-Mickey #14: Werewolf Night

The first week of PlayStation Plus brings a lot of savings for subscribers. Everyone else, however, will find that this week's update is rather sparse. Check out Hot Shots Tennis on PSP, or download the full inFamous game to your PS3.

Check out the full update after the break.

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:
(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

#2kgames The problem is, says the game's producer, is that only one was really good. So 2K Games had three outcomes whacked and hardwired the upcoming game for just one conclusion. Sorry, alternate endings, it's just business. More »

#lucasarts Lucasfilm isn't shy about diving deeply into Star Wars lore to churn out plastic toys based on the people, starships and beasts of George Lucas' universe(s). But what about turning those Star Wars video games into action figures? More »

Speaking to Techland, Kid Icarus: Uprising producer Masahiro Sakurai described how the new 3DS franchise revival came about. Essentially, all of the distinguishing characteristics of the game came into the picture separately.

First, Sakurai decided that he wanted to make a shooting game for Nintendo's new handheld, which he knew would be more powerful than the DS. Then, according to Sakurai, "Mr. Iwata said, 'Maybe you might like to do some Nintendo franchise,' and I felt that if the match was good, then there's definitely room for that." Sakurai was thinking Star Fox, but "the game design incorporates a lot of different views; for example, flying and shooting sideways, or turning around and shooting behind -- and I felt that there were some restrictions with Star Fox in this regard." (Of course, Star Fox ended up on 3DS anyway.)

It was only after coming up with the game concept that Sakurai learned of the 3D screen, and "quite by chance or luck, [Nintendo] found that to be a very good match with the gameplay idea."

Sakurai also proved that he's basically as clueless as the rest of us about the renewed popularity of Pit, the protagonist of an inscrutable NES game about shooting mice, collecting hammers and being turned into an eggplant. "I think -- and you can recognize this from the original game, too -- that he has sort of this carefree, worry-free sort of air about him, and that, I think, provides a positive outlook for the player and relieves some of the stress that you get from more serious games."

Can turn-based strategy be even more accessible than Advance Wars?

A new firmware raises eyebrows.

We've been subscribers for a day, and this is why we already don't regret the $50 decision.

You want to believe, but you're still skeptical. We're here to help.

In addition to announcing release dates for Blacklight: Tango Down and Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, Microsoft has also revealed that new DLC is on the way for Toy Soldiers and Worms 2: Armageddon. The Toy Soldiers "The Kaiser's Battle" ($5) add-on arrives tomorrow, June 30, and lets players try out the French army, take on a new boss, grab 3 more Achievements and enjoy some new multiplayer and survival maps.

On Wednesday, July 7, the Worms 2 "Battle Pack" ($5) will be released and includes six new weapons, new speech banks, 10 new forts, a new "Survivor" game mode, more Achievements, new player titles, leaderboards and 30 new single-player missions. Sheesh -- you'd think Team17 would save something for future DLC.