All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#boardgames From the creators of the World of Warcraft and StarCraft board games comes Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game, the second board game inspired by the addictive turn-based strategy game. More »

"It was tough to narrow down the list to just ten, but we wanted to pick games and moments that were career-defining and that translated well to replicating through a video game," explained 2K marketing director SportsChris Snyder of NBA 2K11's new "Jordan Challenge" mode -- a series of recreations of some of Michael Jordan's most famous moments on the hardwood.

As the cover athlete, Jordan has been involved with the game's development to some extent. "Michael has been great with feedback," Snyder told us. "When he talks we are definitely all ears." While Jordan did not personally assemble the list of games featured in the Jordan Challenge, "he also didn't shut it down when we sent it in for approval," Snyder said. "So I like to think we picked a good list."

When asked whether Jordan's famous teammates, such as Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, would be included in the game, Snyder promised, "fans will be pleased with who they see on the court." Outside of the Jordan Challenge mode, players can use the "Classic Bulls team," which 2K confirmed would be selectable right from the beginning. (Snyder couldn't say whether players would be able to use this team online.)

Finally, for those of you lamenting the absence of perhaps Jordan's greatest basketball accomplishment -- defeating the Monstars in the epic Space Jam showdown -- Snyder offers this: "Bugs Bunny's price was too high." We guess the price of carrots must be on the rise.

Get ready to feed your PSP some new Ys.

Can you beat Earthbound in less than 6 hours, 38 minutes and 16 seconds? If so, you could end up being the world record-holder for fastest completion of Earthbound. Right now, that honor goes to Earthbound fanatic, Chris Corsi. This completion time has been recognized by Twin Galaxies, so it’s 100% official. [...]

#irrationalgames System Shock 3? BioShock 3? SWATshock? Ken Levine Dating Simulator? The next game from Irrational Games, makers of BioShock, will be revealed next week. Irrational's new podcast has some fun with the guesses. More »

Have you ever wondered what Master Chief's intergalactic adventures would look like if rendered by an Atari 2600? Neither have we -- and now that the folks over at Extra Guy have shared their find of "Halo 2600," we don't have to. Bizarrely, ex-Microsoft VP of game publishing Ed Fries is credited on the game's cover as the creator (as seen on the game's Facebook page).

Halo 2600 was playable at the Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, which came to an end today. Sure, it's playable online right now, but apparently we missed out on 500 real-life Atari 2600 cartridges containing the game (check out a photo of them all lined up). How's that for a limited edition?

[Thanks, Anthony!]

What most people don't tell you about the fast lane is that it's quite expensive. It's not that the lane itself is paved in gold -- it's that the faster a car goes, the more money it seems to cost. Thankfully, video games allow us to experience this thrill at an affordable price, and this week's Xbox Live Deal of the Week is all about joining the racing elite on the cheap.

Five Forza Motorsport 3 DLC packs have each been discounted by 40 percent this week (through Sunday), bringing them down a mere $3 a piece. You can see more details about the packs by checking out the links below.

Xbox.com: Add Auto Week Car Show Pack to your Xbox 360 download queue (240 MSP / $3)
Xbox.com: Add Hot Holidays Car Pack to your Xbox 360 download queue (240 MSP / $3)
Xbox.com: Add Jalopnik Car Pack to your Xbox 360 download queue (240 MSP / $3)
Xbox.com: Add Nürburgring GP Track Pack to your Xbox 360 download queue (240 MSP / $3)
Xbox.com: Add The Road & Track Car Pack to your Xbox 360 download queue (240 MSP / $3)

Not on sale in North America, but I’m sure an import retailer will pick these up. We can always use more bags, right!?

Escape the heat, humidity and sunburns of summer with an equally sizzling PlayStation Network Summer Sale. Enjoy great gaming with big discounts on your favorite PS3 and PSP titles and new to this limited-time event – minis are on sale! Now you can download minis such as Tetris, Bloons, Dracula Undead Awakenings, Monsters Probably Stole My Princess, and Zombie Tycoon at discounted Summer Sale prices.

When temperatures soar, you know it’s time to cool off and play some fun games. So, avoid the dog days of summer with titles that will entertain you all summer long. From PS3 titles like Fat Princess and PixelJunk Shooter to PSP games like Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and lots of entertaining minis, get ’em at our lowest prices during the PSN Summer Sale. Don’t miss out on the season’s biggest event!

Offers good through Monday, August 9, 2010 for US & CA stores and open to all PlayStation Network users.

PS3

Fat Princess – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.
PixelJunk Shooter – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Groovin’ Blocks – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Madden NFL Arcade – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.
Wakeboarding HD – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.

PSP

The Eye of Judgment Legends – $14.99 sale; $29.99 reg.
echoshift – $7.49 sale; $14.99 reg.
Patchwork Heroes – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars – $14.99 sale; $29.99 reg.
Lunar Silver Star Harmony – $14.99 sale; $29.99 reg.

minis

Tetris – $4.99 sale; $9.99 reg.
Dracula Undead Awakenings – $2.49 sale; $4.99 reg.
Monsters Probably Stole My Princess – $2.49 sale; $4.99 reg.
Zombie Tycoon – $2.49 sale; $4.99 reg.
Bloons – $1.49 sale; $2.99 reg.

Endless Ocean this aint.

Microsoft's new mobile platform launching this fall.

If Asteroids is deserving of a movie adaptation, then no video game in all of creation is off the table -- a maxim proven by Half Day Today's inspiring trailer for The Oregon Trail: The Movie, which you'll find after the jump. (And yes, before you ask, there's dysentery.)

The official schedule has been announced for this year's QuakeCon, which is taking place August 12-15 in Dallas, Texas. In addition to the usual id gallery, none other than Jason West and Vince Zampella of the newly formed Respawn Entertainment will be in attendance.

The ousted Infinity Ward heads will sit on a panel the Friday morning of the conference called "Building Blockbusters," talking with Tim Willits and Tom Howard of id and Bethesda about how to make big games (like the "huge summer blockbuster" they're supposedly working on). Todd Alderman, also of Respawn, will sit on a panel the previous day speaking about "The World of Design" with a few other developers.

Elsewhere in the schedule, John Carmack and Richard Garriott will hold court on Thursday evening discussing rockets and space travel, and Friday and Saturday afternoons will bring preview panels for RAGE and Brink. Sounds like an excellent weekend of FPS gaming -- so if you're in Dallas (or plan to be there), the event is free and open to the public.

Ah, the game that I received instead of Night Trap. I’ll never forget Mario Paint. I’d still love to see a new version of this released. I’m tired of Nintendo just teasing/referencing Mario Paint in their other titles. It’s time for a full-fledged sequel!

How funny is it that there are Mario games that never made it to the states, and hardly anyone knows of them? Case in point, a trilogy of Mario games that Hudson was involved with. You would think that Nintendo would get these out on the Virtual Console. Sometimes Nintendo’s business decisions [...]

Namco Bandai has officially acknowledged the existence of a leaked Tales of title. Andriasang reports series producer Hideo Baba confirmed at a press conference that there is a new entry coming to PS3, but that it's currently nameless -- shooting down rumor that it'll be called "Tales of Unitia." There is currently no release window for the game, but some concept art was shown (pictured).

Additionally, the company verified the port Tales of Graces F for the PS3 this winter, which will include an "after-story" that wasn't in the original Wii game. A Namco Bandai representative informed Joystiq that the publisher currently has no plans to release "Tales of Graces (PS3)" in North America.

With two different PSP hardware bundles for upcoming games, today might randomly be the biggest day of the year for PSP news. In addition to the God of War: Ghost of Sparta Entertainment Pack, Sony has announced a bundle that includes Madden 11. If you still need a PSP before you're ready for some football, this is for you!

The Madden bundle doesn't come with a PSP in a unique color scheme -- it simply includes the Piano Black PSP-3000. But what it does come with is an effectively free copy of Madden. The whole bundle sells for $170, the same price as the PSP alone. (You don't have to be one of football's best coaches to recognize the appeal of that strategy.) The bundle will be available alongside standalone versions of Madden 11 next Tuesday, August 10.

The ending of the original Bionic Commando is actually kind of sad. You can only see part of the ending above, but I suggest you click over and check out the full piece. Super Joe may have taken you on an amazing adventure, but it’s one that he wrapped up many years ago. Article [...]

Pre-order bonus gives players a chance to be creative.

Namco Bandai has officially acknowledged the existence of a leaked Tales of title. Andriasang reports series producer Hideo Baba confirmed at a press conference that there is a new entry coming to PS3, but that it's currently nameless -- shooting down rumor that it'll be called "Tales of Unitia." There is currently no release window for the game, but some concept art was shown (pictured).

Additionally, the company verified the port Tales of Graces F for the PS3 this winter, which will include an "after-story" that wasn't in the original Wii game. A Namco Bandai representative informed Joystiq that the publisher currently has no plans to release "Tales of Graces (PS3)" in North America.