All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

During EA's Q1 financial conference call, COO John Schappert discussed the success of the company's "Online Pass" initiative. According to Schappert, early results from NCAA Football 11 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 indicated that "sixty percent to seventy percent of online connected users" have redeemed a code for Online Pass. He noted further that "the level of online play is up" over last year, as is revenue from paid downloadable content.

When asked how Online Pass has impacted used game sales, Schappert noted that it's "too early to tell" but that EA is "encouraged by" the number of people playing online, and that the "extra gift" offered by Online Pass is "driving some of that adoption."

EA announced its Online Pass program earlier this year -- bundling a code with new copies of NCA Football 11 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 -- which allows access to online features like multiplayer (among other things). Those who choose to buy used copies of the games can purchase an Online Pass for an additional $10. The Online Pass program operates as part of "Project Ten Dollar," created to stop losses generated by the used game industry. Based on the numbers touted by Schappert, as well as those reported by EA for the quarter, the strategy just might be working.

You won't see another 7.9 on IGN.

You won't see another 7.9 on IGN.

You won't see another 7.9 on IGN.

You won't see another 7.9 on IGN.

There aren't too many new games on the PlayStation Store this week, but there are certainly some terrific sales. If you haven't picked them up yet, definitely consider grabbing PixelJunk Shooter for PS3 and Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess for PS3/PSP while they're on sale. (Note: There's no PlayStation Plus update this week.)

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.)

AFI – “Dancing Through Sunday” Alice Cooper – “No More Mr. Nice Guy”
 Alter Bridge – “Ties That Bind” Anthrax – “Indians” Atreyu – “Ravenous” Avenged Sevenfold – “Bat Country” Bad Brains – “Re-Ignition (Live)” Black Sabbath – “Children of the Grave” Blue Öyster Cult – “Burnin’ For You”
 Bush – “Machinehead”
 Buzzcocks – “What do I Get?” Children of Bodom – “If you Want Peace, [...]

#gameface An oldie but goodie, found on Love PWND's Flickr stream. More »

Things are looking rosy in general for EA, which today reported the results of its fiscal first quarter (April-June). While the company faced a $234 million net loss in the same period last year, this year the publisher recorded $96 million in net income during the quarter. Both digital revenues and revenues from packaged goods were up, though sales of distribution titles (EA Partners games) were down, suggesting that Green Day: Rock Band and APB sales weren't quite what EA would have wanted.

EA had plenty of boasting to do in light of the quarterly revenue growth, claiming its status as "the #1 publisher on high definition consoles with 22 percent segment share" in the 2010 calendar year. The company also claimed itself to be the top PC publisher and, amazingly, the #1 publisher "across all platforms" in the App Store for the quarter. So that's what that sale was for!

We have a complete rundown of today's PSN update.

Brett Favre's officially on the Minnesota Vikings - in Madden NFL 11's launch version. If he retires, the first roster update will drop him from the game, making him unavailable in multiplayer. How soon after the Aug. 10 release will that first update come? "We are monitoring the situation, and will detail our plans should Brett Favre officially announce his retirement from the NFL," EA Sports told Kotaku today. More »

#ea How long will November's Gran Turismo 5 be the newest realistic racing game you can play? Possibly not past March, as EA has revealed that Need for Speed Shift 2 will be out on console and PC in early 2011. More »

#delayofgame Most recently scheduled for release before the end of 2010, perhaps even in the fall, EA has confirmed that Crysis 2 has been pushed to its fourth financial quarter, giving it a release window of January through March of 2011. More »

New racing title coming in 2011.

Another Need for Speed game entering the world is, at this point, less like the birth of a child and more like locating a new star. Sure, we're going to name it, but there's no need to Skype your Gram-Gram about it. It is in this spirit that we soberly yet respectfully report that a new star, NFS-2332, has been discovered in an EA financial report. It's being commonly referred to as Need for Speed: Shift 2 by scientists, and it's slated to crash into Earth between January and March of 2011, as rumored early last month. (Sorry, we didn't consider how horrifying that would sound when we started the analogy).

Though we can assume the sequel will keep to the simmier aspects of its predecessor, we know diddly else about the title at the moment. Here's hoping an ongoing EA earnings call sheds some light.

Hi Everyone – It’s time for the weekly PlayStation Store Update.

PlayStation Plus

Highlights for 8/10:

Red Faction Guerilla – Game Trial
Qore August Episode
PixelJunk Racers Second Lap – Limited time discount – Early release for PS Plus members only

Last Chance, Get Them While You Can – Coming down next Tuesday (8/10):

Games
Field Runners – Mini – FREE
Super Stardust (PlayStation Plus price $5.00, original price $9.99)
Gravity Crash (PlayStation Plus price $5.00, original price $9.99)

Discounted DLC
Super Stardust HD Team add-on Pack (PlayStation Plus price $2.50, original price $4.99)
Super Stardust HD Solo add-on Pack (PlayStation Plus price $2.50, original price $4.99)
Resistance 2 Aftermath Multiplayer Map Pack (PlayStation Plus price $2.00, original price $3.99)

Themes (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)
King Zumo
MAG S.V.E.R Dynamic Theme
MAG Raven Dynamic Theme
MAG Valor Dynamic Theme

Video
Qore – July Episode

Updates

PlayStation Network Summer Sale (Offers are valid through 8/9/10)

PS3
Fat Princess – Sale (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
PixelJunk Shooter – Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Groovin Blocks PS3 – Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Madden NFL Arcade – Sale (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
Wakeboarding HD – Sale (now $7.49, original price $14.99)

PSP
Eye Of Judgement: Legends – Sale (now $14.99, original price $29.99)
Echoshift – Sale (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
Patchwork Heroes – Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars – Sale (now $14.99, original price $29.99)
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony – Sale (now $14.99, original price $29.99)

minis
Tetris – Minis – Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Dracula – Undead Awakening – Minis – Sale (now $2.49, original price $4.99)
Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess! – Minis – Sale (now $2.49, original price $4.99)
Zombie Tycoon – Minis – Sale (now $2.49, original price $4.99)
Bloons – Minis – Sale (now $1.99, original price $2.99)

Kick-Ass – Permanent Price Drop (now $9.99, original price $14.99)
Section 8 – New Sale (now $14.99, original price $29.99)
Final Fight/Double Impact – Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Flock – Sale (now $7.49, original price $14.99)

Downloadable Games

Earthworm Jim HD ($9.99)
Groovy! One of the all-time most iconic video game characters is back in full HD glory! Master Jim’s far-out powers, bungee jump, throw cows, blast through rocket-speed levels and more! Explore a crazy universe offering wild gameplay and hilarious possibilities. Overcome mad baddies, including new enemies in never-before-seen levels. Get help from 1, 2 or 3 friends with the exclusive cooperative gameplay in multiplayer levels.
ESRB Rated E10+
File size: 228 MB

Game Demos (free)

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Cliffhanger Demo (also available in French)
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Demo features a breathtaking single player mission from the multiple Game of the Year award winner. In Cliffhanger, scale a frozen mountainside where one wrong move means certain death, engage in stealth combat amidst an intense snowstorm, shoot your way through a raging firefight, then race for survival aboard a snowmobile under heavy enemy fire.
ESRB Rated M
File size: 1.12 GB

Earthworm Jim HD Trial
The grooviest action classic is back and in full HD glory! Rediscover this cult adventure full of wild gameplay. Download the full game to unlock the 4-player co-op mode! Grab your friends and combine your wormy powers online or locally. Explore all the the updated classic levels, plus never-before-seen levels. Face terrible new enemies like Grand’Ma, Pitch the Cat and more! Now that’s groooovy!
ESRB Rated E10+
File size: 228 MB

Add-on Game Content

ModNation Racers: Nukular Mod ($0.99)
Be careful, Nukular’s got a serious lead-foot from being exposed to radioactive materials, and loves to BOOST through the finish line! This ModNation Racers Mod includes a fully-designed Mod, as well as several related accessories for you to Create with in the Mod Studios. Download this Mod Today!
File size: 100 KB

ModNation Racers: Mauler Kart ($0.99)
This ModNation Racers Mauler Kart pack includes a fully-designed as well as several related parts and accessories for you to Create with in the Kart Studio. Download this pack today!
File size: 100 KB

ModNation Racers: Nukular Mod and Mauler Kart ($1.75)
Be careful, Nukular’s got a serious lead-foot from being exposed to radioactive materials, and loves to BOOST through the finish line! This ModNation Racers Mod and Kart pack includes a fully-designed Mod, Kart, as well as several related parts and accessories for you to Create with in the Mod and Kart Studios. Download this pack today!
File size: 200 KB

LittleBigPlanet: Marvel – Captain America ($1.99)
Complete with paint-proof shield, Sackboy’s Captain America costume comes in very helpful when facing villains armed with the Paintinator. NOTE: to download this costume, you must already own LittleBigPlanet.
File size: 1.04 MB

LittleBigPlanet: Marvel – Wolverine ($1.99)
Nobody can say for sure what it is that lies beneath Sackboy’s zip. Is it an adamantium skeleton? Who knows? One thing is for sure, while he’s in his Wolverine costume he certainly looks the part. NOTE: to download this costume, you must already own LittleBigPlanet.
File size: 1.04 MB

LittleBigPlanet: Marvel – Invisible Woman ($1.99)
She may be the Fantastic Four’s least visible member, but that makes Sackboy’s Invisible Woman costume all the more exciting. NOTE: to download this costume, you must already own LittleBigPlanet.
File size: 1.04 MB

LittleBigPlanet: Marvel – Venom ($1.99)
One of the web-slinger’s oldest enemies, Venom has proved repeatedly that he is not to be taken lightly, and now Sackboy can get in on the action with the costume of this most infamous of characters. NOTE: to download this costume, you must already own LittleBigPlanet.
File size: 1.04 MB

LittleBigPlanet: Marvel – Rogue ($1.99)
Rogue’s distinctive hair color makes her stand out among the X-Men and it is this that Sackboy absorbs by wearing her costume. NOTE: to download this costume, you must already own LittleBigPlanet.
File size: 1.04 MB

LittleBigPlanet: Marvel Costume Kit #3 ($5.99)
Look out “True Believers”, your favorite Marvel heroes and villains have landed on LittleBigPlanet! Grab this costume pack and you’ll be ready for action with 5 costumes of your favorite Marvel characters including Captain America, Wolverine, Invisible Woman, Venom, and Rogue! NOTE: to download this costume, you must already own LittleBigPlanet.
File size: 1.04 MB

Trine DLC ($0.99)
Download the new level for Trine, “Path to New Dawn”, to extend the adventure.
File size: 100 KB

BioShock 2 – Protector Trials ($4.99)
Tenenbaum desperately needs you to steal as much ADAM as possible, to help thwart Sofia Lamb’s insane plan. The goal in each Trial is simple: get your Little Sister to an ADAM-rich corpse and keep her safe while she gathers precious ADAM. Each Trial features three unique weapon and Plasmid load-outs as well as a fourth bonus load-out the player receives when all previous load-outs are completed.
File size: 1.67 GB

Tiger Woods Pga Tour 11: Riviera CC ($4.99)
Grab your clubs and play this Southern California course that features one of the world’s most famous finishing holes and remains one of golf’s few genuine classics. The world famous challenging 18th hole is surrounded by a natural amphitheater with a beautiful view of the clubhouse.
File size: 222 MB

Blazblue: Continuum Shift (x24) ($0.59 – $7.99)
File size: 2.51 MB

Guitar Hero
For all song credits please visit www.guitarhero.com.

• “Bird And The Worm” – The Used ($1.99)
• “Pretty Handsome Awkward” – The Used ($1.99)
• “The Taste Of Ink” – The Used ($1.99)
• The Used Track Pack ($5.49) – Downloadable Track Pack featuring “Bird And The Worm”, “Pretty Handsome Awkward”, and “The Taste Of Ink” by The Used. Please Note: Many songs are available both as singles and as part of a Track Pack, so please carefully consider your purchases before downloading.

File size: 36 – 40 MB (singles), 112 MB (track pack)

Rock Band
Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

• “Bulletproof” – La Roux ($1.99)
• “I Only Want You” – Eagles of Death Metal ($1.99)
• “Jesus Freak” – dc Talk ($1.99)
• “Love Addict” – Family Force 5 ($1.99)
• “Rapture” – Blondie ($1.99)
• “Saturday Morning” – Eels ($1.99)
• “Sturm & Drang” – KMFDM ($1.99)
• “The Perfect Crime #2″ – The Decemberists ($1.99)

Rock Band Network

• “Crushed Beyond Dust” by Skeletonwitch ($1.99)
• “Elements” by Texas in July ($0.99)
• “Fake It” by Seether ($1.99)
• “Heads Or Tails? Real Or Not” by Emarosa ($1.99)
• “Is There A Ghost” by Band of Horses ($1.99)

File size: 18 – 47 MB

Avatars

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Avatars ($0.49) (x3)
File size: 100 KB

Game Videos (free)

Pulse 8/3 Edition
File size: 259 MB (HD), 414 MB (1080)

inFAMOUS 2 E3 Trailer
File size: 46 MB (HD), 76 MB (1080)

inFAMOUS 2 First Look Gameplay Trailer
File size: 133 MB (HD), 230 MB (1080)

Deathspank – Launch Trailer
File size: 56 MB (HD)

Deathspank – Loot Trailer
File size: 52 MB (HD)

A Short Film Made From Red Dead Redemption
File size: 1.17 GB (HD)

3D Sizzle Trailer
File size: 108 MB (HD), 184 MB (1080)

PS3 Themes

Liquid Theme ($1.49)
File size: 6.03 MB

Purple Haze Theme ($1.49)
File size: 6.47 MB

Summer Girls Theme ($1.49)
File size: 6.77 MB

Wallpapers (free)

Fat Princess Fat Roles Wallpaper 5
File size: 392 KB (1080)

PlayStation Store for PSP

Downloadable Games (also available from PS3 Storefront)

Warriors Of The Lost Empire ($9.99)
A kingdom has fallen. An empire is in ruin. When all hope seemed lost, four heroic warriors have risen to revive a lost city. Raid the dungeons and seek out the evil that has overtaken your land and bring glory back to the empire!
ESRB Rated T
File size: 1.54 GB

PSP Minis (also available from PS3 Storefront)

Arctic Adventures: Polar’s Puzzles – Minis ($4.99)
ESRB Rated E
File size: 21 MB

Widgets Odyssey 2 – Minis ($1.99)
ESRB Rated E
File size: 61 MB

Add-on Game Content (also available from PS3 Storefront)

BUZZ Quiz World: American Culture Quiz Pack ($2.99)
Test your knowledge on the traditions, ideals, customs, beliefs, values, arts of America in this DLC pack, BUZZ!: American Culture Quiz! This pack features hundreds of new questions to play in any of your favorite BUZZ! Quiz World game modes for your PSP or PSPgo system. Download this quiz pack today and turn your party into the ultimate trivia showdown.
File size: 74 MB

LittleBigPlanet PSP – Robin Hood Men in Sack Pack ($2.99)
The magnificent collection of stickers and costumes in the Robin Hood – Men In Sacks pack has everything your Sackboy needs to make him a merry man! Includes 4 costumes and 12 stickers to make your own Robin Hood – Men in Sacks levels! NOTE: Manual Update required
File size: 1.48 MB

Game Videos (free)

Pulse 8/3 Edition
File size: 40 MB

inFAMOUS 2 E3 Trailer
File size: 6.14 MB

inFAMOUS 2 First Look Gameplay Trailer
File size: 22 MB

3D Sizzle 2D Trailer
File size: 17 MB

PSP Themes (also available from PS3 Storefront)

Purple Haze PSP Theme ($1.49)
File size: 563 KB

Summer Girls PSP Theme ($1.49)
File size: 580 KB

New racing title coming in 2011.

#ea We've known for months that sci-fi horror game Dead Space 2 is coming to home consoles and computers early next year, but today publisher Electronic Arts listed two more formats for the game: "handheld" and "mobile." More »

Prepare for virtual bouts with gloves for Sony's new motion controller.

Crytek's apocalyptic FPS appears to have slipped into the next year. Although originally planned as a "holiday" release, EA's latest financial report places Crysis 2 in the company's financial Q4, which spans January-March of the next year. Barring any further changes, Crysis 2 joins a rather crowded line-up for early 2011, including EA's own Dead Space 2, Bulletstorm, Darkspore, Fight Night Champion, and the newly announced Need for Speed Shift 2. It appears next year's first quarter will be just as hectic as this year's.

EA may offer further insight into the delay during its investor call, happening now. Stay tuned for updates.

Crytek's title moved to next year.

Haven't had a chance to get your hands on the PlayStation Move during one of its appearances at industry trade shows? According to a report from Destructoid, you'll get your chance to try out the peripheral before its September 19 launch date, as anonymous sources claim Sony is hiring tons of representatives to work demo kiosks which will start appearing in Best Buys and Walmarts across the country starting September 11.

According to the report, the units should stay in stores until late January 2011, giving you plenty of time to determine whether or not the Move is worth your hard-earned cash -- or plenty of time to hard-earn said cash, if you decide to apply to become one of Sony's Move representatives. We've contacted Sony to get a comment on all of these reports.

I recently got a closer look at Rock Band 3, and while I saw new elements of the game's Pro mode (you'll read more about those at a later date), I came away impressed with all the enhancements made to the interface and career structure. Harmonix project director Daniel Sussman wasn't about to let me overlook it. "Everybody wants to talk about what we're doing with the keyboard and the pro guitar," he said. "The bigger story for me is that we've taken apart and put back together the core experience."

When I first previewed the game, I saw "the overshell" in action -- across the bottom of every screen hides a persistent options menu, through which players can jump in, jump out and set up their profiles and characters as they see fit. You can also change difficulty in the middle of any song, on a per-person basis, and I often found myself tweaking the difficulty up or down mid-song as I got more or less used to the drums or keyboard setup. Whenever you change difficulty, the song rewinds by a few seconds to give everyone playing a chance to get back into place.

#science Meet Robonaut 2, the most dexterous humanoid robot in existence, soon to be the first humanoid robot in space, and you'll be able to hear all about it through his Twitter account. More »

Scott Pilgrim is clearly a man with a lot on his mind, but if you'd like to add to his pre-existing romantic burden, you'll be able to do so with the help of a few undead aggressors. As revealed in a trailer posted by Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (and, perhaps more appropriately, Shaun of the Dead) director Edgar Wright, the upcoming film's video game adaptation will feature some sort of zombie survival mode accessible through the main menu.

Of course, you'll need a bit of know-how in order access the mode. On the game's title screen, simply input down, up, right, down, up, right, down, up, right, right, right -- that's "DUR DUR DURRR," the universal mating call of all undeadkind -- and then prepare to press whatever the "Punch" button might be on the console upon which you're playing the game. Prepare to press it a lot.

#preview Inspired by the never-discouraged mailman, the true professional permits no act of nature, chance or evil to interfere with his coverage of a new video game. But what fun could you have with Super Scribblenauts just 10 minutes after your wedding ring disappeared? More »

Kmart continues to prove how serious it is about awesome game deals, with temporary price drops on some of Activision's big-box games. If you've been waiting for the right time to buy DJ Hero, we can now confidently tell you exactly when that right time is: August 8 through 14, when Kmart will be selling it for $40 on PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

In addition, you'll be able to get the Guitar Hero 5 guitar bundle on the same three systems for $50, the full Band Hero bundle for $80, and, for whatever reason, Tony Hawk Ride for $40. These deals will be available both in-store and online, so you don't have to live anywhere near a Kmart to take advantage.