All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

The next great strategy title from the creator Of Space Empires.

No arrow, blade or strongest Firaga seems to be capable of ridding the online world of Final Fantasy XIV from its most daunting foes -- the dreaded "critical bugs." Square Enix announced earlier today that the game's open beta testing, which was scheduled to start later today, will be postponed in all regions due to the discovery of these vexing critters.

No new timetable was placed on the open beta testing -- we suppose that depends on how long it takes Square to vanquish the errors that are apparently plaguing the client. We'll let you know as soon as there's more information.

[Thanks, Nick]

#clips A lot of people loved killing zombies in the original Dead Rising. But almost just as many hated using guns to do so. Why? The controls. More »

You have to be just a little curious about a vertical scrolling shooter, starring a bunch of flying King of Fighters characters. According to the ESRB, those of us in North America will soon have the opportunity to experience the bizarre KOF Sky Stage for ourselves -- the ratings board has evaluated the Xbox Live Arcade port of the arcade shmup, making an American release likely.

Meanwhile, in Japan, SNK released a PSP game containing the entirety of KOF Sky Stage as just one mode of another shooter. The XBLA version's compensation? A "still-frame image of a female character" wearing "a revealing outfit that accentuates her buttocks and displays large amounts of cleavage."

Return to Empire Bay with Jimmy's Vendetta.

#gunweek In game after game, there they are: guns. Weapons are a common trope. They are a catalyst for action and an instrument for destruction. In-game guns and, well, guns are different. What do game developers know about the real deal? More »

Take-Two's crime drama, Mafia 2, debuted at the top of the UK charts last week, with Chart-Track calling it "the biggest UK game launch since Take-Two's very own Red Dead Redemption 14 weeks ago." Though it's an impressive start, we've yet to see how the game fares in the United States, and whether sales have the stamina to recoup the costs of a lengthy development.

Kane and Lynch aren't done with their Dog Days up on the charts just yet. Despite slipping into second place this week, the duo managed a 33 percent increase in sales. Toy Story 3 and Red Dead Redemption found comfortable spots in third and fourth, respectively, and a Wii sale in the region helped boost the system-bundled Wii Sports Resort from 16 to number five.

If there's one surprise, it's that one of Ubisoft's Dance titles is out of the top ten. Don't worry, Just Dance is still gettin' down like an all-night rave at sixth, but Dance on Broadway has fallen off the stage and into row 16.

Check out this week's top selling titles after the break.

Get to the chopper with these screens.

#gallery Crime game Mafia II is getting its second downloadable add-on called Jimmy's Vendetta. More »

#esrb SNK, the Osaka-based game developer best known for its fighting games, has made a shooting gamer that features its fighting game characters. More »

#gtaiv Here's what Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV would have looked like were it a first-person shooter, and not a third-person...whatever you like to call these games. More »

The demo for upcoming third person shooter Vanquish has hit PSN and Xbox Live. You can download it. Yes, you can! More »

#business Interested in a job with Starcraft and Warcraft developers Blizzard? You're going to need to put on a gun show. More »

#gallery PSP title MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Ailu Mura, the spin-off game feature the Monster Hunter cats, went on sale on August 26. It looks like it really popular. More »

Super Meat Boy will be out on Xbox Live Arcade on October 20, as part of Microsoft's new "Game Feast" promotion for Xbox Live Arcade. More »

#starcraft Starcraft's Baneling is a Zerg unit, meaning it's a slimy, repulsive bug sort of thing. That explodes. Luckily this plush representation is a little more cuddly! More »

Dog Days slips as the Cosa Nostra roll into town.

#blizzard StarCraft and Diablo maker Blizzard already has a World of Warcraft film in development with Spider-man director Sam Raimi. What might twist the arm of Blizzard's top creators to get a StarCraft movie underway? James Cameron might! More »

#daigo Daigo Umehara. AKA "The Beast". AKA The best Street Fighter player on Earth. If there's someone who might have advice on how to improve your game, it's him. More »

#humor Sure, she's cheating by standing so close. But you try playing Duck Hunt with no opposable thumbs. More »

Team Meat's manic and mercilessly tenderized hero, Super Meat Boy, is set to make his debut on Xbox Live Arcade on October 20. The developer announced the date via Twitter, and indicated that the well-done platformer would be part of "Game Feast," a new promotion from Microsoft Game Studios that should be detailed later today.

With Super Meat Boy making up the main course, Game Feast might just be burger, better and more badass than the recently concluded Summer of Arcade. See the full poster after the break.

Team Meat's manic and mercilessly tenderized hero, Super Meat Boy, is set to make his debut on Xbox Live Arcade on October 20. The developer announced the date via Twitter, and indicated that the well-done platformer would be part of "Game Feast," a new promotion from Microsoft Game Studios that should be detailed later today.

With Super Meat Boy making up the main course, Game Feast might just be burger, better and more badass than the recently concluded Summer of Arcade. See the full poster after the break.

#kenlevine Hollywood is working on a big screen version of underwater opus BioShock. There have been stops and starts, but the game's designer Ken Levine assures the film adaption is being "actively" worked on. More »

THQ has revealed details on pre-order incentives for this year's iteration of WWE SmackDown Vs. RAW. As usual, what you'll get will depend on where you reserve your copy. Here's the lowdown:

• Best Buy (or any retailer in Canada): Brett Hart playable character
• Toys R Us: Undertaker's "Ministry of Darkness" gear
• Amazon.com: Three outfits for Randy Orton (T-shirt, suit and referee uniform)
• Walmart: "Tribute to the Troops" arena

WWE SmackDown Vs. RAW will be out for all systems (including PS2, though the first two bonuses are only available for Xbox 360 or PS3) on October 26.

#pc Nvidia vs ATI. To PC gamers who are big on their hardware races, it's like Ford vs GM, Packers vs Bears or Sony vs Microsoft. Sadly, it's a fight that's about to get a name change. More »

#nintendo The Nintendo Wii launched in 2006. For one reason or another, I wasn't able to get my Wii online, save for a brief spell when Super Smash Bros. Brawl was released. Today all that changed, and my Wii is online. More »

#squareenix Why aren't Japanese games made by companies not called Nintendo not as big or important as they used to be? Square Enix's Final Fantasy veteran Akitoshi Kawazu has a theory. More »

Majesco has released images of the final doll design and packaging for Babysitting Mama. Cleverly, the box for the minigame collection is shaped like a crib, featuring a phrase we didn't ever think we'd see on a game box: "Wii Game Disc Included (Look Under Baby!)"

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is kind of difficult to judge. While it is a standalone title, it's not really a full game per se. It is, essentially, DLC for a game that hasn't been released yet, an extension of Dead Rising 2. Of course, no one has had that experience yet, meaning that Case Zero serves double duty as a demo as well. It's an interesting experiment for Capcom and for the industry in general; thankfully for Dead Rising fans, it pays off.

#humor Funny man David Thorne received an abnormally hefty gas bill earlier this month. He blames two portals, a PlayStation 3 and Prince Adam of Eternia. More »