All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Microsoft has clarified that Kinect is very capable of recognizing a user that's sitting, an aspect of the new tech that continues to be a point of confusion. "Kinect can be used while sitting when an experience is developed with sitting in mind," a representative for the company confirmed to Joystiq today.

As for previously revealed Kinect applications that are being developed with a seated user in mind, Microsoft pointed to navigating the Dashboard, along with using the ESPN, Zune and Video Kinect apps as "experiences where we expect people to be sitting."

Microsoft concluded that what it showed at E3 was "only the tip of the iceberg" and that it's going to be "natural for Kinect games to be designed to get you off the couch: dancing, running, dodging, bending and kicking." It's just good to know that we'll also have opportunities to stay seated and move as little as possible to connect to this motion-based gameplay technology.

We’re only three weeks into our open casting for the second season of PlayStation Network’s original competitive reality series, The Tester. By now, you should have created a profile, complete with videos and pictures, for a chance to compete on the series to win a job as an official PlayStation game tester. Not interested in being a contestant? Well, you can still take part in the action by voting for your favorite casting submission. Remember, one lucky gamer gets voted onto the cast by you!

Beginning today, the online casting contest kicks off and invites the entire PlayStation community to vote for their favorite contender. For all of you contenders, it’s time to push your friends, family and friends of friends to vote for you at thetester.com! Round 1 voting ends on Friday, July 16th, which also means you still have 10 days to set up your profile, submit your videos and drum up voting support.

There are already many impressive profiles from across the country. This is going to make a great Season 2, and you guys get to help decide who’s on the show. Take a look at a few of the video submissions and then cast your vote!

#pax The organizers of Penny Arcade Expo have signed a three year agreement with the Massachusetts Convention Center to bring PAX East back to Boston for at least three more years, the Boston Herald reports. More »

Capcom making changes for arcade release.

#blizzard Blizzard's decision to use players' real first and last names in the StarCraft II and World of Warcraft forums draws strong negative reactions from fans. Why are they so upset? Let's take a look. More »

Global video game publisher 505 Games U.S. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today revealed the official gameplay trailer and box art for Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. Exclusively for Nintendo DS™ and available nationwide on July 20 2010, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is based [...]

- costs ¥39,980 - teamed up with specific locations and businesses to offer up attractions for gamers to visit with their virtual girlfriends - 6 locations around Atami are set up - same locations appear in-game - trip involves a stamp rally - pick up a stamp rally sheet from the Atami Station Tourism Guide Concierge - must show up with [...]

Guybrush and LeChuck are back for the better.

A handful of big ol' games became even bigger this week with a few high-profile DLC releases, such as Modern Warfare 2's "Resurgence Pack," and Dragon Age: Origins' "Leiliana's Song." Also, LittleBigPlanet gets a booster shot in the form of a Marvel Level and Costume Kit, and the new and improved version of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge hits the storefront. Click past the jump for the full release list!

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

THIS is the game of the year all years. I mean, just look at the cover.

 

 

 

It's amazing. A ninja gingerbread man character? Now THAT'S innovation. What else is there? Well. There's FOUR amazing levels. Including the tutorial. And 4 fun modes to choose from! I dunno about you. But I eagerly await the sequel.

Bungie Day delivers lots of Halo: Reach reveals.

#e3 Why! Why, you keep asking, did Kotaku heap so many awards on Dance Central? And what about the Game Critics? They did too? Has the world gone crazy? More »

Well, it looks like the hopes of NBA Jam staying exclusive to Wii are long gone. The German USK has rated the title for both the 360/PS3. I’m sure we’ll end up seeing that version come out with all sorts of bells and whistles that the Wii version won’t have, and then sales [...]

#psp Is Sony working on a new handheld gaming machine? That's what the Wall Street Journal seems to think. More »

What's in a name?

Today is July 7, a normal day for most human beings but a very special day for Bungie devotees. That's right, it's the seventh day of the seventh month, which signals the arrival of Bungie Day, along with a special present for Halo: Reach fans in the form of a new video from the folks at Rooster Teeth. Blood Gulch, probably the most well-remembered map in Halo history, returns and, as you'll see, it's both very familiar and very different (especially considering that you can leave the canyon).

The video also teases a new armor ability -- which could be a joke, mind you -- that allows players to create a holographic decoy. And hey, is Sarge using the jet pack and carrying the flag? That was a no-no during the beta. Check it out after the break.

Critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game shifts from France Telecom to EA.

#psp After a successful debut on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, Disney's destruction-driver racer Split/Second gets down-sized and down-to-business on the PSP this holiday season. More »

Mysteries of Cleopatra and Valley of the Kings coming.

Master your kingdom with new content.

#bungie It's Bungie Day, and the developer celebrates with a new video featuring Rooster Teeth's Red Vs. Blue crew coming home to a new and improved Halo: Reach version of the Blood Gulch map. More »

We might not have loved Crackdown 2 as much as anticipated, but we're glad to see that's not stopping developer Ruffian Games from supporting the game post-launch with downloadable content. Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, producer James Cope spoke of two (tentatively titled) packs already planned for release: "The Toy Box" and "Deluge." According to Cope, The Toy Box will be available first and features "new gadgets and vehicles," as well as opening up Pacific City in the same way that the first game's "Keys to the City" mode did.

Next will be the Deluge pack, which will contain "new game modes to expand the play" -- Cope says the team at Ruffian is aiming for "a completely new way to play the game you've already got." No release prices or dates were given for the DLC add-ons, though, presumably Crackdown 2 owners are still plenty occupied collecting all of them orbs. It's a hunger that can't be satisfied, folks!

We were all surprised to see a Metal Gear Solid demo for 3DS. Probably not as surprised, however, as the Kojima Productions staff who didn't know it was being developed. In a Famitsu interview (translated by Andriasang), Hideo Kojima described how, after the completion of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, he secretly assigned a small number of staffers to the project on a different floor of the Kojima Productions office -- causing other Kojipro staff to believe the others were on vacation.

Kojima seems confident that the demo will evolve into a full game, which will probably still be a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 -- after Peace Walker, he wanted to tell the story of The Boss again. "MGS3's story can't change, so we're thinking of Co-ops, 3D and portable-like elements," Kojima said. The final game may actually look better than the demo, as well. "The high level models are about the same quality as the stuff we made on the PlayStation 3," Kojima said, "although it's tough to see this. If we'd had a bit more time, we could have made something better."

2K Sports calls it the "Greatest Cover of All Time" -- but, you know, it's not even the greatest Michael Jordan cover of all time. Five words: Chaos. In. The. Windy. City. (Click the image for a better look at Jordan's latest comeback.)

Save your soul with new weapons, properties and more.

Attention Speed Demons: WipEout – one of PlayStation’s most celebrated and longest-running franchises – turns 15 this year. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we’re launching the WipEout Museum – a brand new space stuffed to the brim with games based upon this critically-acclaimed series of hypersonic, futuristic racers. From the Team Logo Hunt questing game to the breakneck fury lying within in the WipEout 2D arcade cabinets; the point-and-blast excitement of the WipEout Shooter to the interactive DJ area (where you can crank your favorite tracks and pump yourself up for the impending races), the WipEout Museum is the premier destination for fans of the long line of classic, gravity-defying titles that make up the WipEout universe.

In other news, we’ll be opening the doors of the new Observatory space this Thursday, July 8th, for the PlayStation minis event. Challenge your friends to a battle of wits, memory, and luck over a board consisting of a grid of glowing tiles. Flip the tiles over to reveal a variety of minis images; reveal two matching tiles to score a point. To keep things interesting, we’ve riddled the board with random tiles hiding bonuses and traps (such as a tile that steals points from your opponent). You can even hide traps of your own, weakening your opponent and securing the spoils (which, of course, come in the form of a highly-collectible reward). Elsewhere in the Observatory you will find the pool-esque FreezeBall game, which rounds out the exclusive PlayStation minis event.

In terms of other events to keep you busy over the upcoming weekend, we’ve just received a report of an imminent outbreak of red scorpions in the Sodium Hub:

“Coming heat waves are predicted to cause numbers of red robotic scorpions in the Sodium Hub to swell! Experts predict numbers will reach their peak this weekend. Do your part to keep the Sodium Hub safe by donning your stomp boots and keeping the red scorpion menace at bay over the coming days. Remember, the more red scorpions you stomp the greater level of upgrade you’ll earn for your stomp boots. And that’s not all; each progressive Stomp Boot upgrade will increase the number of points awarded to you for stomping red scorpions when worn!”

As far as updates to the PlayStation Home Mall go, Just Cause 2 clothing and furniture items (including Rico and Tom Sheldon costumes) will be released alongside new Lockwood/Sodium clothing items (new stilettos for the ladies), the mega-popular Trigger Happy-in-the-Box game from the Midway space will be made available for use in your clubhouses and personal spaces (available at a discounted price of $0.49 for those of you who have purchased the Midway Bar Key – likewise, if you purchase the Trigger Happy-in-the-Box game at its full price of $2.99 you will get a discount on the Midway Bar Key), new Monkey Island 2 items will appear in the LucasArts store, and our friends at LOOT will release the new LOOT Mobile Internet Browser item, which allows you to access the Sony Pictures Emporium website from your personal space. Does your avatar have a shirt you want to sport on your next night out? Use the LOOT Mobile Internet Browser to access IRL versions of some of your favorite in-world items.

Last but certainly not least, we want to invite you all out to our nightly Featured Game parties to play the latest and greatest PS3 and PSN games with your friends in PlayStation Home. To participate in a Featured Game party, simply go to the Gamer’s Lounge between 4:00pm and 8:00pm PDT (7:00pm and 11:00pm EDT). Once at the event, insert the Featured Game into your PlayStation 3 and either set up your own game launching session or join someone else’s. (Pro tip: Make sure to add people you meet in PlayStation Home to your friends list so that you can find one another in the game lobby). Over the course of the next week, we’ll be playing some awesome multiplayer games – from ModNation Racers (Friday, July 9th) to the new Fat Princess DLC (Tuesday, July 13th). Come on out and join us!

See you in Home!