All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

SCEE product Manager Ross Alexander took to the EU's PlayStation Blog earlier today and revealed that the PlayStation Move-enabled version of Heavy Rain will be available "pre-Xmas." He also noted that it will be digitally distributed for free via PSN to those who already picked up the disc, though he gave no word on a re-release of the retail edition with Move functionality already baked-in.

Apparently, the waggle-ified version of Heavy Rain will be playable both with the Move and a DualShock 3 or a Move and the Navigation Controller -- the latter of which Alexander claims is the only way to get the "full experience." Trailers with the new Move controls are forthcoming, but why wait? We've dropped a handful of screens into a gallery below right now.

#dlc The first two letters are the same, but the third one's different, according to developer Crystal Dynamics, unveiling plans to release five different batches of Downloadable Lara Croft for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. More »

Want 25 extra missions for free? Stick with Sony.

Sega's Vanquish is really fast, really pretty and, judging by this video, out-gruff-speaks every Metal Gear Solid game combined. The main character is a not-very-gruff-looking DARPA "researcher," but even his voice sounds like he gargles nails. Hear (and see) what we mean after the break.

#consoletaisen What sells PlayStation 3s in Japan? Samurai soldiers with rock hard abs and great hair, that's what. See the impact that Sengoku Basara 3 had on Sony's current generation console? More »

Filed under: Podcasts So, how does one follow up last week's groundbreaking reveal of Halo Creek? Why, with 74 or so minutes of jibber jabber. Sure, we somehow find time to answer life's deep questions, like "Will Microsoft support Kinect?" and "Will Chris return to Final Fantasy XIII one day?" For the answers to those, and other, important questions, you'll have to listen to the show.

And thanks to Michael DiMauro for his masterful work on the official Halo Creek boxart, coming soon from Joystiq Publishing.


Get the podcast:
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[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Hosts: Justin McElroy (@justinmcelroy), Ludwig Kietzmann (@ludwigk) and Chris Grant (@chrisgrant)
Music: "Gravity (Don't Let Me Go)" by Jon Black, "Red Eye" by Ben Kweller
For fans: Joystiq Podcast Facebook group
New to the show?: Listen to Episode Zero
The Do It Line!: 1-(877)-JOYSTIQ

See all of this week's links after the jump.

I wonder what the chances are of Square-Enix and Nintendo teaming up once again for another Super Mario RPG game. I think both companies might be afraid to do that. Super Mario RPG ended up being the last SquareSoft game on a Nintendo platform for 10 years! The bad blood has definitely [...]

Guardian of Light details reveal staggered multiplayer rollout.

Guardian of Light details reveal staggered multiplayer rollout.

#ps3 This week's patch to PlayStation 3 game ModNation Racers was supposed to make load times in that otherwise-delightful, customizable racing game as much as 50 percent shorter. I tested the patch today. It made my load times longer. More »

Retro gaming enthusiast and part-time mad genius Eric Ruth recently pulled the dust cover off of his latest 8-bit de-make of a current-gen title. This time, it's FreeStyleGames' vinyl-scratching sim DJ Hero. "But how," you may ask, "how does he get DJ Hero, a game with its own, highly complex peripheral, to work using the eight-buttoned NES controller?" In response, we simply laugh. You obviously don't know how Eric Ruth rolls.

Check out a video demo of the game posted after the jump, and join us in furiously wondering what an 8-bit Peter Gabriel/Kenny Loggins mash-up sounds like.

#psp PM Studios and developer Pentavision mix things up in DJ Max Portable 3 with a three-track remixing system causing fingers to fly even faster over the PSP's buttons later this year. More »

I love Grasshopper, but I don’t love this shirt. It’s only available in Japan, and it costs over $40. If I’m going to support Grasshopper with my clothing, I’d like it to be a bit more stylish!

#bioware BioWare has revealed that each class in Star Wars: The Old Republic will have an optional non-human species option, introducing the Force-wielding Mirialans, Miraluka, Zabraks, and Sith Purebloods. More »

Hi Everyone, time for this week’s video store updates.

On The US store:

• This weekend, purchase Kick-Ass in SD or HD on the PlayStation®Store and receive an exclusive first look at the Kick-Ass digital comic book as your gift-with-purchase. This limited time offer ends next week so act fast!
• New flicks on the store: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Kick-Ass, and The Ghost Writer.
• Action junkies can find incredible savings on testosterone-riddled favorites from Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Jet Li, in The Expendables themed Deal of the Week, celebrating the theatrical release of Stallone’s action-packed new film.
• Finally, we’ve added more action-packed martial arts films to the Spotlight on Martial Arts collection, so check it out. You can download all time favorites including The One, Kung Fu Hustle, Initial D, Unleashed, and many more.

On the Canada store this week:

• Enjoy great new additions of highly anticipated movie titles like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Kick-Ass, To Save a Life, and The Last Station.
• Also, new episodes of of 30 Rock, Daddy’s Girl, Friday Night Lights, and more. You can find these under newly added episodes.

Suffering from a serious case of Comic-Con withdrawal? Both US and Canada users can download Comic Con coverage of Day 3 and 4!

Latest TV and Movie arrivals to hit the stores this week …

Just in TV
US Store: Vampire Knight, The Colony, Deadwood, Jersey Shore, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, Stan Lee’s Superhumans, Shark Week, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Gangland, Black Panther: Who Is The Black Panther?, Warren the Ape, The Gates, The Glades, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kekkaishi, Pros vs. Joes, Ochocinco, The T.O. Show, Top Shot, Initial D: Fourth Stage, Intervention, Players: Uncensored, Soul Eater, Tosh.0, Cake Boss, Drop Dead Diva, The First 48, and The Real Housewives of D.C.

Canada Store: Shuffle, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, Sex and the City, Stargate SG-1, The Sopranos, The Wire, Aeon Flux, The Sarah Silverman Program

New Release Movies
US Store: The Ghost Writer, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, The Last Station, After.Life, The Oxford Murders, To Save a Life, You’re So Cupid!, Modern Collective, Opa!, Raajneeti, A Prophet, Bronson, Chevolution, The Living Wake, World’s Greatest Dad, Stripped Naked, and Drop Back Ten

Canada Store: A Prophet, Kiss Me Again, Carts of Darkness, The Amityville Horror (1979), Wild Seven

And last but not least, here’s a trailer for Kick-Ass.

Top Ten Movie Downloads (US):

• Clash of the Titans
• Kick-Ass
• Cop Out
• Repo Men (Unrated)
• The Losers
• Batman: Under the Red Hood
• Repo Men
• Hot Tub Time Machine (Unrated Version)
• The Bounty Hunter
• Brooklyn’s Finest

Top Ten TV Episodes (US):

• Futurama | Season 7 The Late Philip J. Fry
• The Boondocks | Season 3 The Fried Chicken Flu
• Jersey Shore | Season Miami Goin’ South
• Deadliest Warrior | Season 2 Navy Seal vs. Israeli Commando
• The Boondocks | Season 3 Mr. Medicinal
• Naruto Shippuden Uncut | Season 1, Vol. 4 The Unfinished Page
• Futurama | Season 7 Lethal Inspection
• Family Guy | Season 8 Brian & Stewie
• Tosh.0 | Season 2 Tosh.0 217
• Naruto Shippuden Uncut | Season 1, Vol. 4 Infiltration: The Den of the Snake!

1.)A Perfect Circle - “The Outsider” 2.)Aerosmith - “Cryin’” 3.)AFI - “Dancing Through Sunday” 4.)Alice Cooper - “No More Mr. Nice Guy” 5.)Alter Bridge - “Ties That Bind” 6.)Anberlin - “Feel Good Drag” 7.)Anthrax – “Indians” 8.)Arch Enemy - “Nemesis” 9.)Atreyu - “Ravenous” 10.)Avenged Sevenfold – “Bat Country” 11.)Bad Brains - “Re-Ignition (Live)” 12.)Band Of Skulls - “I Know What I Am” 13.)Black Sabbath - [...]

We hope you've got space for Lara Croft and one guardian of light on your couch, because that's where the heroic pair will find themselves on August 18th. Developer Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that when Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light launches on Xbox Live Arcade, concluding Microsoft's Summer of Arcade promotion, it will only support offline co-op.

Online co-op, as well as Xbox Live standards like full leaderboard support and voice chat functionality, will be introduced via a free update on September 28. On the same day, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will be launched on PlayStation Network and Steam.

The baffling omission of the online component appears to have been made at the last minute, with Crystal Dynamics general manager Darrell Gallagher telling Joystiq, "We made a decision recently because we were focusing on how we can deliver the best possible experience to the players. If we had launched with online co-op, we wouldn't feel comfortable that it was the best possible experience for the player." Though online co-op had been promoted and promised since the game's announcement, Gallagher claims that "nothing underhanded" influenced the decision. "This is our first digital title and we want to make sure we deliver the best possible experience to players."

Though Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is making its debut as part of Microsoft's high-profile (and heavily co-marketed) Summer of Arcade program, that doesn't mean Lara isn't destined for other platforms. Square Enix today announced that GoL will be released on both PlayStation Network and Steam on September 28th for the same $15 asking price. But Lara's plans for 2010 don't stop there.

While we agree DLC is a pretty strange acronym for Downloadable Content, we're going to have to disagree with Crystal Dynamics General Manager Darrell Gallagher when he insists, "DLC for us means Downloadable Lara Croft." Don't get us wrong, we're on board for Guardian of Light in a big way (though our initial enthusiasm has certainly been blunted with today's news that online co-op will suffer a one-month delay for Xbox owners). We simply worry that five DLC packs over three months is going to cause a consumer revolt, fueled by cries of "that should've been in the game."

The first three packs are straight-up expansions, meaning fresh puzzles and "new areas" to visit. The latter two are "playable character packs" which will let you swap out Lara and Totec throughout the entire campaign for "some other well-known videogame characters." Our guess: Hitman's Agent 47 ... or perhaps another trigger-happy hero from Square's catalog, Vincent from Final Fantasy VII.

In a desperate but successful attempt to rescue his smartphone from his son, Powerhead Games’ Jason Schreiber built Did It Myself ABC123, with a little help from family and co-workers. “As I watched my son drain my phone’s battery, I realized there really should be a downloadable Toddler Game for the Nintendo DSi™,” said Jason. [...]

I’ll just let the original boxart speak for this one. I don’t think I could say anything that would be nearly as interesting.

Needs some improvement.

Maniac Mansion didn’t start on the NES, but it certainly did land on the platform. Unfortunately the game saw a number of rather large cuts, which is always a shame to hear. The good news is, the game was still fantastic. If you’ve only ever played the NES version, you need to [...]

#review Just when I was ready to call the first hang-gliding video game that I've ever controlled with my face a modern-day torture rack, I discovered it plays well in the second-most comfortable location of my home. More »

Last month, the name “Jimmy’s Vendetta” leaked out, along with a list of PlayStation 3 Trophies that appeared to be from the previously-confirmed PS3-exclusive Mafia II downloadable content.

As it turns out, that DLC will be coming down the line. Before Jimmy can get going on that vendetta – he’s got to be double-crossed. That, as it turns out, is the source material for The Betrayal of Jimmy DLC, available at free at launch, exclusively for the PS3 version of Mafia II.

The Betrayal of Jimmy is almost an arcade-style take on the Mafia II experience. The team took the most fun elements from the game: shooting, driving, stealing, etc in a open world, and made it a point-based romp, complete with leaderboards. It’s all about fast cars, blowing stuff up, hitting top speeds, and really taking advantage of the open city. If Mafia II is an expansive story, then The Betrayal of Jimmy is instant gratification.

Unlike in the main Mafia II storyline, you’ll rack up points for drifting, high speed driving, headshots, kill combos and more. Points pop up right on the screen, arcade style and giant, flashy icons like arrows point at targets – something you’d never see in the more authentically 1940s and 50s setting from the primary game mode.

That’s not to say it’s all run and gun – there’s some story to give the mode substance to bring it together. 2K included new cut-scenes and voice acting to keep production quality consistent from the main game.

About that story… Jimmy’s a lot different than Vito, the protagonist in the main game’s plot. While Vito is more of a Henry Hill-esque character – a good guy that gets drawn into becoming a goodfella, Jimmy’s been getting his hands dirty for a long time. With a shaved head, all-black attire, and dark shades, Jimmy’s the kind of guy who you’d cross the street to avoid.

When Jimmy gets screwed over and doesn’t know what’s going on, he starts taking on missions from different crime families to try to uncover the truth. You’ll see some new families here, but some of the characters cross over the storylines, including the main character – the city of Empire Bay.

While you can download The Betrayal of Jimmy on August 24th, the day Mafia II hits shelves, you’ll definitely wanna play through the main storyline first. There’s not a lot of exposition in this content pack; you’re immediately dropped into a gunfight where you’re outgunned and outflanked. Unlike Vito’s slow introduction to the world of organized crime in the main game, Jimmy’s already “leveled up” and spawns initially with multiple weapons. The whole city is open to you right at the start.

Now I tried to anticipate a few questions you Blog readers would come up with when we visited 2K this week to see the game in action:

• The Betrayal of Jimmy is not included on the disc – new copies of the game will contain a voucher to download it. If you pick the game up used, you’ll be able to purchase the DLC for $9.99.
• While you can unlock Trophies during The Betrayal of Jimmy (we saw one earned during our playthrough for getting significant airtime in a car), there aren’t any mission-specific Trophies for this DLC.
• The Jimmy’s Vendetta DLC will become available post-launch. No word on price.

With over 25 different missions, The Betrayal of Jimmy promises a meaty additional gameplay experience, and a nice bonus for PlayStation 3 owners looking to pick up Mafia II later this month.

The Just Dance franchise takes a graceful leap over the shark with Ubisoft's announcement of Just Dance Kids, the fourth game in the series since its debut last year (or third, if you don't think Dance on Broadway counts).

The new game replaces the original's glowing silhouettes with video footage of Real Kids, who are sometimes dressed like chefs for some reason, and who dance along to 40-plus choreographed dances. According to the press release, it'll include "popular hits like 'Holiday,' "Naturally,' and 'One Time,'" which, not coincidentally, are also performed by children. You'll be able to Just Buy the game in November. If you happen to be attending the BlogHer conference in New York this weekend, you'll be able to see it there.

Get a more intimate look at Kaka.

As close to looking like Sonic without genetic engineering.