All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

The little psychological thriller that could surprised them all.

[Flight Simultator History] Tucked away within the press release for Age of Empires Online was the announcement of a new entry in a really long-lived Microsoft game series: Microsoft Flight Simulator. The latest Windows-exclusive title, now called simply Microsoft Flight, "will bring a new perspective to the long-standing genre," according to the press release, "welcoming everyone, including long-time fans, to experience the magic of flight."

There are no details beyond that, and the listed website is not live at the moment. However, the "welcoming everyone" language combined with the symbolic omission of the word "simulator" gives us an idea of what to expect: a more game-like, streamlined experience.

Harmonix wouldn't provide any screenshots or footage of the DS version of Rock Band 3. But here's a good idea of what to expect. Yep, Rock Band 3 for DS is a lot like Rock Band Unplugged for PSP.

If you're familiar with Unplugged, you should be able to jump right into Rock Band 3's Expert modes on DS. The gameplay is identical: all the instruments and the vocals are charted at once, and you freely switch between them as you attempt to successfully play note phrases to keep each part "alive." It's Harmonix's classic Frequency game, but with rock music. Rock Band 3 for DS doesn't take advantage of the touch screen or the built-in mic -- nor does it require you to pay attention to both screens at once. The top screen displays your characters performing, while the bottom screen is the familiar note stream.

Nearly all of the features of Unplugged make a reappearance, but some are given new names. For example, "Band Survival Mode" is now called "Pro Mode," adopting the moniker given to the console game's biggest new feature (but you won't be plugging your MIDI instruments into the DS). Additionally, The Tour and Career modes have been enhanced in the some of the same ways as the console version: there are now "unique gameplay challenges" (objectives) that you'll need to achieve to progress.

#pc You know how we told you that Microsoft's secret "Project S" game played a lot like Age of Empires? Well, that's probably because it was Age of Empires. Namely, a new game called Age of Empires Online. More »

Ensemble Studios may be no more, but Microsoft hasn't forgotten the franchise it created: Age of Empires. Heading into GamesCom 2010, the company has announced a revival of the series in the form of Age of Empires Online, which is being developed by Robot Entertainment, a studio that knows a thing or two about the subject. That's because it was started by Ensemble Studios founder Tony Goodman.

Details on the game are fairly slim, other than its target platform (Games for Windows) and the fact that it's an online title with persistent capital cities and the ability to embark on adventures cooperatively. Microsoft has promised that screenshots and a first trailer for the game are incoming -- we'll have them up for you just as soon as possible.

Ensemble Studios may be no more, but Microsoft hasn't forgotten the franchise it created: Age of Empires. Heading into GamesCom 2010, the company has announced a revival of the series in the form of Age of Empires Online, which is being developed by Robot Entertainment, a studio that knows a thing or two about the subject. That's because it was started by Ensemble Studios founder Tony Goodman.

Details on the game are fairly slim, other than its target platform (Games for Windows) and the fact that it's a free-to-play MMO, with persistent capital cities and the ability to embark on adventures cooperatively. Microsoft has promised that screenshots and a first trailer for the game are incoming -- we'll have them up for you just as soon as possible.

#motion Red Steel 2 was reviewed favorably, but that doesn't mean it was a success. Its disappointing sales performance, says the game's creative director, can be chalked up to gamers unwillingness "to get up and move and exert themselves for fun." More »

At a Harmonix event a few weeks ago, I finally got some solid fingers-on time with Rock Band 3's keyboard, and as a guy who took nearly 10 years of Friday afternoon piano lessons as a kid, I can say that it's a nice set of keys. The quality of the plastic ivories is not quite as good as your Grandma's classic Steinway, but better than a cheap Casio, and Harmonix has put just as much thought and design into the keytar* as it did into the previous Rock Band instruments.

I also got to play with the game's trainer modes for the first time. Training is available for each of the three instruments, and rather than just a simple tutorial, the trainer is a fully interactive game that teaches you, step-by-step, the finer points of playing both the real and plastic gear. When teamed up with the instruments and a little bit of time and practice, Rock Band 3's trainer really seems like it can teach you the same things that Mrs. Crane taught me all those years ago.

#clips The "more" from that headline refers the hyper-active vikings, powerful cheetahs and tiny dragons alluded to in this new Super Scribblenauts trailer, released as part of WB's Gamescom hype. More »

Wanna snag eight WWE superstars all on one game box? Too bad, as THQ's WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 will feature eight WWE wrestlers across several region-specific covers.

As the wait draws to a close, Eorzea looks prettier than ever.

#used Ever wanted to own your own games store? Well, you can buy one on eBay - or the inventory of one set to close on Sept. 1 in Grand Junction, Colo. The owner ships it free up to 750 miles. More »

Back on June 1, Sony announced a new line of budget-priced titles for the PSP, dubbed PSP Favorites. Each game will only set consumers back $9.99, and today Sony revealed the new packaging that will grace these budget titles and plans to bulk up its line-up well into the holiday season. Consumers can look forward to reduced prices on Burnout Legends, Capcom Classics Collection: Reloaded, Capcom Classics Collection: Remix, Dark Stalkers: Chaos Tower, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Medal of Honor: Heroes, Sid Meier's Pirates! and more.

Head past the break for the latest Marcus PSP spot, which sums up the new initiative in the young lad's typical succinct fashion while simultaneously trashing the iPhone. Early preparation for the new Ericsson?

#rumor The developer of Crackdown and APB, Realtime Worlds, was recently hit with layoffs. Members of the APB team were axed, as was much of the team developing social gaming software Project MyWorld. So, what happened to the promising studio? More »

The second installment of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 dev diary is out and once again focuses on the game story. Of particular note, the video delves into the roles of Yoda and Boba Fett, as well as the parallels between TFU2 and The Empire Strikes Back.

According to Gamasutra, Limbo - which kicked off the Xbox Live Arcade Summer of Arcade last month - has sold over 300,000 units. The outlet spoke to Jeppe Carlsen, level designer for Limbo, who discussed some of the design philosophy behind the game. Carlsen noted that the team had a few goals that Limbo had to adhere to from the beginning, including the overall mood and the decision that it would contain no tutorial text whatsoever.

With many of the game's puzzles punishing a player at the slightest misstep, Carlsen stated that "it's important that you also treat him nicely." In other words, while death is frequent, it's also entertaining and educational. Ideally, players learn something about the puzzle with each death.

Another philosophy: Make sure the correct solution is "fairly easy to execute" and that incorrect solutions are obviously wrong. Making incorrect solutions obvious aids players in discarding them from other possible solutions, nudging them toward the correct one. After all, there's no better motivator than grisly death.

#ps3 Flight Control, which did very well as an app with the iPhone's multitouch controls, is getting a release for PlayStation Move at launch. It's also playable with the PS3's standard controller. More »

Paranormal FPS sequel F.E.A.R. 3 had previously been set to scare on October 20, 2010, but now Warner Bros. Interactive has confirmed to Joystiq that the game will take on corporeal form sometime in 2011. No reason was given for the delay. Black Ops already spooking the competition?

#republished "Gnhhh!" ... "Whhhhaaaah!" ... "Bah….ah...gahhhhhh"... "Hmmmf!"... "Ehiehhh" ... "Mhaemm!".. These grunts, sighs, squeals and miscellaneous other vocalizations compose roughly 1/4 of the dialogues in the early hours of Final Fantasy XIII. More »

#hotflashes You may think you know a lot of video games. You may even think you could name hundreds of them from a single screenshot. Time to put that knowledge to the test! More »

In about a month, people who purchased a 3-month subscription to PlayStation Plus will be faced with one crucial question. What happens to my games when my subscription ends? Joystiq had access to a press-only 1 month trial, and recently found out the answer. Sony's premium online subscription service has offered a number of "free" games -- full PSN games, like WipEout HD and Critter Crunch, and a variety of Minis and PSone classics. However, these titles were all made available with a caveat: they'd remain accessible for as long as your subscription remained active.

Attempting to launch an expired game will trigger this prompt: "This content can be used if you renew the license in PlayStation Store." You'll be able to launch directly into the PlayStation Store, where you will be able to purchase the expired title. For example, we could purchase Aero Racer for its full price of $2.99 from the PlayStation Store. We could also choose to purchase a new PlayStation Plus subscription to extend the license.

Curiously, PSone games (like Syphon Filter) appear to work even after the Plus subscription ends. Although clearly marked as Expired under the game's "Details," the game launches normally. It's unclear if this is simply an oversight, or if this content is meant to be free, even after the end of a subscription (much like downloaded avatars and XMB themes). Nevertheless, we've asked Sony to clarify because, hey - permanently free games makes PlayStation Plus a much more palatable offer! If it's a glitch, you can look forward to another mandatory firmware update sometime soon (sorry!).

Eurogamer has revealed 10 more songs that we'll be playing in Rock Band 3, and the list is all over the place -- Bob Marley, Roxette and Slipknot join eclectic groups like Mexico's Maná and Germany's Tokio Hotel. The music game series is definitely stretching the limits of its title, although "rock" as a genre can be pretty widespread anyway. You can find the full list of new songs after the break.

These 10 tracks bring the list of known songs in the game to around 40, about half of the 83 to be included on the disc. And if that's not enough, you'll also be able to import songs from all of the previous Rock Band games, including the Rock Band Network and LEGO Rock Band. So there'll definitely be no shortage of music to play when the game comes out on October 26 this year.

#xbox360 Why does Microsoft seem to be selling Halo Reach over Xbox Live right now for $1250? Answer from Microsoft: They're not, and they don't plan to sell Reach as a downloadable game. More »

I remember back when everyone was all anti-L4D2 when it was first announced, and then people were later excited because of all the features valve promised sounded promising. And it did. One thing that caught my attention was that they promised actual dynamic paths that changes with each playthrough, meaning every time you play a campaign it won't the same, unlike the first L4D.

But enough about that, I should get to reviewing, and this is my first review so whoopie. I just wanted to fill up game reviews for this site.

I won't lie when I say this: Out of the 2 games, L4D2 is the better product than the other game overall. L4D was a great fun teamwork game that puts 4 survivors in a zombie apocalypse and has to survive through various campaign. L4D2 is like the first game with some additional icing on the cake. Some cool features Valve has added includes melee weapons, more special infected, actual campaign connection, some neat weapons, and a finale that actually gets you moving instead of camping in one spot. Despite the game having glitches here and there, the gameplay is smooth for the most part.

Since there isn't much of a "story" in this game, I won't talk about the story. But what makes this campaign different from the first one is that in L4D2, the survivors actually meet for the first time, which opens the door for some character development, and again, while the game lacks any real story, some development is noticeable, though its not much. Therefore, the characters in 2 feel more "real" than the 1st one, since in L4D, the four survivors already happen to know each other without any real reason.

But does that mean that I love the L4D2 cast more than the first? Not really. Francis, Bill, and even Louis added some humor to the game which is supposedly set in a dark post-apocolypse world. The only one I hated in 1 was Zoey *puts flame shield up* who IMO lacked any character. The cast in 2 however, are not as great as 1 IMO. Ellis' stories are great, but sometimes his lines makes me want to rip my ears off (not really). Coach and Nick were okay, but they didn't give me that feeling Bill and Francis did. (no homo). Rochelle, in my opinion, had more character than Zoey so thats a plus. Besides the main cast, there are NPCs like Virgil who I think should have been playable.

Overall though, I prefer the first one over the second game. And this is purely opinion but the atmosphere in one was more dark and felt more like a post-apocalypse world. In two, they introduced daylight, which honestly kills the whole point of a zombie game. Even Half LIfe had some spooky stage that felt more like a L4D stage, and the opposite is true for L4D2: Dead Center and The Parish felt too much like Half Life with more zombies.

With me complimenting the gameplay and the characters, you would think I would have given this game a much higher score, but why did I give it a meh? Well to be honest, Its more like in between Good and Meh. Francis you need to add more ratings.

Well for starters, they lied about the dynamic pathing. Every single playthrough feels the damn same. There is no real change. The only "change" is that one part in Dead Center 3 before the Crescendo event where you either go through the toy shop, or open the emergency door at the very bottom of the mall. With 6 short campaigns, there really isn't much replay value here, unless you play versus, but even then, theres that repetition in that mode.

Secondly, theres the water, a new feature in 2. While its great they added it so survivors can pick which way to go (through the water or over), whats the point in adding this feature if its not in Versus, which is what practically everyone plays in L4D2.

Really, the only thing features I didn't mind was the weather (which could have only been for cosmetic purpose, as its not really game breaking), and Scavenge mode, which is pretty fun and different from the other modes.

Conclusion: Keep in mind that L4D was in development for 3 years. L4D2 development started after the first, so one year. See its no wonder L4D2 is not as great as it should have been. It had potential, yes, but Valve ultimately blew it by rushing it and adding some pointless features. L4D2 feels like a rushed version of L4D, it feels like a beta with all the glitches and all. In fact L4D2 should have been called L4D2Beta and release the full thing in a few years.

Also I should mention the shitty so-called Left 4 Dead 2 community. Rages and whinings every where.

That reminds me, HL Ep 3 has been in development for like what, more than 3 years? Hopefully we will get a godly HL game that surpasses the original HL2 : )

The upcoming Shutter Island game for Nintendo DS didn't get announced with a press release and a bunch of hoopla. It just calmly strolled onto the Entertainment Software Ratings Board website (and Australia's OFLC as well), just like our man Leo strolled off that boat in the film upon which the game is based. While the Aussie board description only reveals that the game is being published by City Interactive, the ESRB description details it as a "seek-and-find puzzle" (read: hidden object) game.

Players will take on the role of US Marshals exploring the movie's Shutter Island location where the "Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane" is housed. Aside from finding "clues/items among scenes of jumbled objects," players will interview hospital personnel and uncover patient files -- one of which is said to have a story about "the scalping of relatives for use as hats." So, not for kids then?

A portion of a Bitmob review… So if you came to Enjoy Your Massage! hoping to unlock your magic touch and apply it toward wooing a true love, I am afraid to say the realm of video games has disappointed you yet again. If, however, you came looking for an overly simple repetition game cased in [...]

#thq The first downloadable Red Faction game was officially named and detailed earlier today, but publisher THQ is making its latest game announcement officially official with new Red Faction: Battlegrounds media. More »

Horror shooter moved to next year.

We can forget our worries about Metroid: Other M for just a few minutes, thanks to this trailer. While we watch it, we can let our continuing concerns about the number, length and melodramatic content of cutscenes within Team Ninja's upcoming Wii game fall away as we enjoy wall-to-wall action.

We learn nothing at all of Samus's past in these clips, nor about her feelings, save for the fact that she feels like not being eaten by a lava worm thing. Instead, we see Metroid: Other M as we first imagined it: as a Metroid game with the speed and intensity of the combat dialed way up. We'll find out soon enough how realistic this version is.