All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Head to space, it's harder than you think.

Tournament of Legends was originally conceived as Gladiator A.D., a fighter hinged on stylized gladiatorial combat. But the concept -- and, as it turns out, its potential -- was later scrapped in favor of the shallow SoulCalibur imitation we're now left with.

The real tragedy here isn't the lack of any real depth or character. No, the tragedy is how a seasoned developer managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of potential victory and turn what, at one point, appeared to be an inspired historically-influenced brawler into a forgettable mess.

Sharpen your trident, it's time for battle.

Konami dates new downloadable title for Xbox Live.

Competitive play enhanced in Riot Games' hit free-to-play online game.

The new event quest, Sea Power, throws you into a battle versus two Lagiacrus. This quest is definitely made for seasoned hunters. First, you’ll need a hunter rank of at least 40 to join the quest. Second, it’s in the water arena. It’s sort of like swimming in a kiddie pool with your three friends [...]

Try it for free for 10 whole days, available to both active and inactive players.

Wii Party and White Knight Chronicles 2 lead the way in Japan this week.

Conquering the sea together.

Last week, Hulu's own webpage said "you must be a subscriber of the Playstation Plus Network" in order to access the subscription-based Hulu Plus service, and neither Hulu nor Sony were willing to clarify that requirement with Joystiq. This week, we've confirmed with Hulu that it's emailing customers a statement to address the "rumors" and "remedy the situation." We'll cut to the chase: "The Playstation Plus service is only a requirement during the preview period," according to Hulu.

That means that during the Hulu Plus preview period, you need to be a member of PlayStation Plus to access the service on your PS3; however, with Hulu Plus currently in its "preview period" and "launching to the public very soon" and the PS3 app nowhere to be found for PlayStation Plus subscribers, it's not clear how many potential users there will be on the PS3 before it goes public. Full statement from Hulu after the break.

Accessories firm Impact Global Solutions Ltd is the first company to market an innovative new range of miniiTM WiiTM products, designed especially for the younger gamer. The fully compatible collection, designed to be 50% smaller that standard products includes the miniiTMMO (Remote), miniiTMCHUK (nunchuk), miniiTMWHEEL, miniiTMSPORTS, miniiTMLIGHTSWORD and a child-sized miniiTMBOARD. The products will be launched [...]

Live in a world of fun.

Online game "Outer Galaxies" launched 6 July 2010.

Original music for psychological action thriller composed by Petri Alanko.

A new trailer for Rock Band 3, discovered on GameStop Italy's YouTube page, highlights many of the new and exciting features of Harmonix's upcoming sequel. You'll see the brand new Music Library, with more flexible sorting options. The trailer confirms the ability to import tracks from nearly every game in the franchise, including Lego Rock Band.

Most mesmerizing of all is the first direct-feed footage of the new "Pro" mode, which has you playing instruments like a real musician would. Is anyone else quivering at the sight of finger notations?

[Thanks, Anthony!]

Another chance to get a look at the Molyneux's newest game.

Includes NVIDIA 3D Vision support and better antialiasing.

Killing has never been more fun.

Company confirms Hulu Plus will not require new Sony service.

Crackdown 2 left us with the feeling we were missing something -- like, an entire sequel's worth of content. It appears we weren't alone for the most part. Then again, if you've got AOO (agility orb obsession), you'll be too busy to care. Chase down the review orb links below for the full content:

• Eurogamer (80/100): "Besides, they're offset by everything that Ruffian gets right: the masterful way the developers have turned simple neighbourhoods into set-pieces; the moments where nightfall triggers neon signage that reveals a hidden pathway up the side of a skyscraper; the way in which a chain of seemingly random Agility Orbs picks out a perfect racing line of superhero bounds from one chimney to the next and off into the horizon."
• IGN (75/100): "The new additions, specifically the expansion to four-player co-op, are welcome, but this hardly feels like it was worth the three-year wait. It's mostly just more of the same, in the same city, with the same shortcomings and a slightly expanded set of missions. Crackdown 2 feels uninspired and rushed, and it certainly doesn't feel like a full sequel."
• Game Informer (73/100): "Yes, the fights with gang leaders got old after a while in the first game, but they instilled a sense of progress. Without them, you're just jumping around ruined versions of the same old places, tracking down nearly 1,000 orbs, and working through the same pair of "kill 'em all" story missions until the credits roll. Crackdown is still ripe for an ambitious sequel, but this Crackdown 2 thing clearly isn't it. What a squandered opportunity."
• 1UP (B-): "There's no question that Crackdown 2 is a mere shadow of the first game, which stands as an absolute classic. The sequel feels more like an ambitious user mod than a true follow-up."
• Giant Bomb (3/5) "There's a narrow subset of people that will absolutely love Crackdown 2 for it's "it ain't broke, so we didn't fix it" approach to sequel development. ... If you're in that group or if you're just looking for something absolutely mindless to do with a few online friends, Crackdown 2 is practically perfect for that."

- Square-Enix and Suntory team-up - two drinks made to promote Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road Victory - two flavors: Hoimi Cider (blue) and Mera Tropical (orange) - based off spells in the Dragon Quest series - Hoimi is heal and Mera is Frizz - Heal Cider loaded with vitamin B6 - each drink comes with an in-game avatar item - hits [...]