All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Namco Bandai readying Japanese demo for PlayStation 3 version.

From the moment the campaign kicks off, it's patently obvious that Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Videogame hails from an entirely different lineage than Arkham Asylum. That's not a knock on the game, nor even a reference to the cartoon-stylized visuals; rather, the game's tone is much sillier than the dark and serious approach of last year's smash. By the end of the first chapter, both Batman and Robin have been transformed into housecats, and before the game concludes, Batman's floating in space, blasting a giant starfish with an endless supply of batarangs in a simple shoot-em-up ('rang-em-up?) sequence.

It's weird, no doubt, and though The Brave and the Bold suffers due to kid-friendly gameplay mechanics and a total lack of challenge, it maintains a slight winning edge with its total adherence to this playful demeanor.

Check out more screens and art in our Flickr set BURBANK, Calif. – September 7, 2010 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment are teaming up for the launch of Batman: The Brave and the Bold™ the Videogame, an episodic, family-friendly adventure based on the hit animated series of the same name. The game [...]

#clips Platinum Games' third-person shooter isn't just about missile-launching robots in space, there's also a plot that involves a bad guy with a vaguely Russian accent and requests for unconditional surrender. More »

Four Spider-Men are better than one.

Unconfirmed reports suggest an international version with English voices, an "easy" mode and a sweet art book.

#science Top players have spent lifetimes mastering the subtle nuances of chess, but when a quantum physics twist is added to the age-old classic, it's anybody's games. More »

The following is from guitar company Sparrow… And this blurb can be found on the Sparrow website… “Time has not been kind to the electric guitar. Once a dangerous and revered tool in rock ‘n’ roll’s arsenal, the mighty battle axe and amplified phallic symbol has been castrated over the years–smashed to pieces and set on fire [...]

Retail titles aren't the only games taking advantage of PlayStation Move. One of the first third-party games to utilize the controller is PSN-exclusive RTS Under Siege.

, released a new trailer today showing gameplay for Rock Band™ 3 for the Nintendo DS™, featuring Smash Mouth’s [...]

#xbox360 Halo: Reach is only a week away, and Microsoft is counting down the days with previews, themes, and other downloadable goodies, leading up to the Halo: Reach Invasion Week on Xbox Live. More »

Leery of this fall's literal interpretation of the "Guitar Hero" franchise? In an attempt to assuage your skepticism, Activision has wisely released the Warriors of Rock demo on Xbox Live today. The sampling unlocks "Johnny Napalm's chapter," allowing you to upgrade the literal hero in advance of his quest to save the Demigod of Rock (pictured; with his literal axe). Surprisingly, you still use a plastic guitar to play songs in the game. The demo features the following:

• Dethklok - "Bloodlines"
• Black Sabbath - "Children of the Grave"
• Foo Fighters - "No Way Back"
• Slash featuring Ian Astbury - "Ghosts"

Additionally, the DJ Hero 2 demo is expected on Xbox Live Marketplace today (though it's currently missing from the service) and features the following mixes:

• "American Boy" (by Estelle featuring Kanye West) mixed with "Good Times" (by Chic)
• "Don't Cha" (by Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes) mixed with "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" (by Pitbull)
• "Bounce" (Battle Mix) (by MSTRKRFT featuring N.O.R.E.)
• "Just Dance" (by Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis ) mixed with "Ghosts N Stuff" (by Deadmau5)

As usual, both demos are exclusive to Xbox Live Gold subscribers for one week. (Silver members can today download the R.U.S.E. and Vanquish demos.) Historically, all Hero-brand demos have been exclusive to Xbox Live, and today's demos are not expected for release on PSN when the service updates later today.

#pinball You think it's hard being the only company around that still makes pinball machines? What about the people left who still repairs them? More »

Order through the Phantom EFX Store and receive free shipping on the latest iterations in the genre-leading Reel Deal franchise.

Mickey Mouse isn't supposed to be in situations like this.

Though I'd been having a great time spraying paint on enemies and wiping out obstacles with magical paint thinner in my PAX demo of Epic Mickey , I found myself absolutely stymied during a crucial moment. Here on my one hand was a helpless gremlin in a cage, begging for rescue. On the other, a treasure chest full of the game's currency, E tickets.

The tickets were counter-balancing the catapult in which the gremlin was confined, so snatching them would lead to his doom. But I was told that the tickets would be lost if I freed the gremlin. I had to get one of the two, but as soon as I did, the other would be lost forever.

Might as well be walking on the sun.

The New York office is staffing up to handle customer support and community management for the MMO game publisher.

#demo Activision pimps its two upcoming rhythm games today with four-song demos for DJ Hero 2 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, featuring music from Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Black Sabbath, and Dethklok. Not all at once, of course. More »

What are you going to do when the Dragon calls for you?

Finally, a chance to play as a samurai.

Setting the price at $150, Bungie claims to give you the most complete Halo: Reach experience possible in the game's Legendary Edition, shipping next week. Adding to the sculpture and other various material goodies included in the package, Bungie recently revealed another piece of content: "two full hours of exclusive, behind-the-scenes campaign commentary covering unrevealed aspects of Halo: Reach's production." Creative director Marcus Lehto and crew commentate an entire campaign playthrough -- "judiciously edited to excise the downtime" -- and show off Reach "from concept to cutting room floor."

Additionally, Bungie pointed out in its weekly update that it won't be punishing folks for playing Reach early (legitimate copies, at least) -- but there will be a credit reset at launch. This means that those of you lucky enough to secure an early retail disc shouldn't get too attached to that sweet helmet or those shiny shoulder pads -- they'll disappear come September 14. Bungie also warns early players that the multiplayer is still in a "test" state, meaning various issues may pop up (matchmaking, credit acquisition, and the daily challenge are all said to be "running at less than optimal levels"). Even so, if you've gotten an early copy, you can enjoy the single-player campaign for the next week.

More Patrician headed your way.

#clips We've talked before about Tron: Evolution's wonky nature, but judge for yourself, here's a look at the game in action. More »

Fishdom 2 is the sequel to Playrix's renowned match-3 puzzle game Fishdom.

#gamingpc Origin PC introduces The Big O, a gaming PC with all the bells and whistles, including a liquid-cooled Xbox 360 Slim built right in, and it can be yours today for the price of a small car. More »

Partial proceeds to benefit five worthy causes.

Mass Effect 2 Executive Producer Casey Hudson has shared some juicy statistics about the game with IGN. Basic takeaways are that people really did treat the game as a "shooter," with the soldier class chosen more than every other combined. Also, the women's lib movement for intergalactic saviors still has some work to do, with 80 percent of players choosing the male Shepard.

The "anonymous player data" collected by BioWare is obviously meant to inform the studio in designing future titles. For example, only 15 percent of people skipped conversations in the game, most of the time in "non-critical moments like in the hub worlds." Hudson says that if the company found people skipping 80-90 percent of the lines that they'd have to "reevaluate the work" the team put into digital acting -- and we'd have to reevaluate why people are playing Mass Effect in the first place. Check out IGN's piece for more on how the stats support current decisions and influence future projects.

#downloadablecontent The second pack of downloadable content for Transformers: War for Cybertron drops today, with five new multiplayer maps and the addition of two new playable Cybertronian warriors: Zeta Prime and Dead End. More »

2K Sports today announced that Top Spin 4 is coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii in 2011. The next iteration in the tennis sim franchise will feature 25 top pros and legends, headlined by a young Andre Agassi -- the one with the rad hairpiece. Vintage Agassi will be offered as a pre-order bonus for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game purchased from GameStop.

While neither Move nor Kinect support was confirmed in the announcement, the "exhilarating" Top Spin 4 is said to feature "an uncanny level of realism" and "all-new innovative controls," according to 2K Games' president of product development Greg Thomas. Who knows -- maybe that means they just swapped the slice and lob buttons?