All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

GoldenEye was a major, major moment for console gaming. Without the success of GoldenEye, we probably wouldn’t see the onslaught of console first-person shooters that we see right now. It’s hard to imagine just how the industry would be without the success of GoldenEye. I remember being very excited for the game, [...]

Despite looking like Panzer Dragoon, being developed by Panzer Dragoon creator Yukio Futatsugi, having a codename referencing dragons with the same initials as Panzer Dragoon and, most suspiciously, having a codename at all, Microsoft Game Studios VP Phil Spencer told Joystiq he "woudn't call [Project Draco] a Panzer Dragoon game."

"It's a Kinect game for one thing, which is going to have its own take on it," Spencer said, referring to the concept of riding a dragon. Spencer added that "there are some differences between -- as a Panzer Dragoon fan -- the stuff we've seen in the Panzer Dragoon series and [Project Draco]," but he didn't elaborate on those differences. During the Microsoft keynote where the game was announced, Futatsugi explained, "What I wanted to do most is to fly." So perhaps Draco is more flying and less on-rails shooting?

So if it's not a Panzer Dragoon game, then what's up with the whole dragons-you-can-ride thing? "Futasugi-san does have a passion for dragons and the interactions between humans and dragons," Spencer said. "I think you could say 'inspired by' and obviously Futatsugi-san's heritage with that franchise is an important part of his history." But Spencer still "wouldn't characterize [Project Draco] as a Panzer Dragoon game."

"I think there's some great things about the mechanic in Panzer Dragoon that can work really well, but we're not in any way trying to diminish the value of that franchise or steal from it." So we're guessing they're not going to call it "Tank Leviathoon."

Amazon is trying to inform their customers on the various motion controllers out there for video games. The new hub page features videos, charts and all other sorts of information on what Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are doing in the motion arena. Hit up the link below to check out the page for [...]

Literary hack 'n slash.

#china Lenovo this week kicked off a second round of fundraising as it gears up work on a new game console it hopes to launch in China early next year, according to Reuters. More »

We know Fable 2 didn't quite get co-op right. To hear Peter Molyneux talk about it, it was a "poorly implemented feature." And that's where Fable 3 comes in. The threequel promises to fix three specific shortcomings of Fable 2's co-op experience: bringing your hero into another player's game; returning to your game with the gold and items you earned; and (yes!) detaching the camera.

First, the henchman problem. Since the concept of co-op was introduced into Fable 2 later in development, the game's quests were never designed to accommodate two heroes with all of their possible abilities and characteristics. Instead, when joining another player's game, your carefully curated hero would be replaced with a generic henchman. Hardly the kind of experience that drew players to Fable in the first place. In Fable 3, you take your hero - weapons and all - with you into a friend's game.

If you’ve previously played a tennis or ping pong video game, you might have an idea of what it’s like to play Table Tennis in Sports Champions. You might also be wrong :)

We wanted to wrap up Sports Champions Week with Table Tennis, because what might seem to be a very basic game proves itself to be quite complex when you factor in the precision of PlayStation Move.

In this video, producer Jeremy Ray demonstrates how the paddle is replicated in 3 dimensions, X, Y, and X-axis tracking, and also shows off multiplayer and how you too can fend off a robot attack with ping pong balls.

That concludes Sports Champions Week, which will be available in the PlayStation Move bundle this very weekend. If you missed them, please take a look at our Archery, Gladiator Duel, and Disc Golf videos. The final game also includes Bocce and Beach Volleyball.

Former EA.com editor in chief and longtime game journalist Jeff Green is now an employee of virtual drug pusher PopCap Games, reports Armchair Empire. He'll be heading up editorial and social media at the company, though it appears his employer's leash won't be held quite so tightly this time around.

"Don't worry kids, I have a long, generous leash at the new gig for ongoing podcasting, mag article writing, etc." Green said of his new position via Twitter. He also announced the return of his podcast "Out of the Game," with N'Gai Croal, Shawn Elliott and Luke Smith; as well as a new monthly column he'll be penning for EGM.

In an official statement, Green spoke highly of the Plants vs. Zombies developer. "PopCap never stumbles, and with PvZ you can see that they're just getting better and bolder. When I was talking to people about whether to take the job or not, one thing came up consistently: No one doesn't like PopCap. They, and their games, are beloved in the industry." As longtime fans of Green ourselves, we wish him the best of luck in his new position.

We’ve all been spending a lot of time talking about the games that will appear on the 3DS. Just how will those titles use the 3D effect? Will they take advantage of the other aspects the 3DS has to offer? While that conversation is a great one, have we stopped to actually think about [...]

We know that there are items to collect in Epic Mickey, but what do they do? According to a Epic Mickey demo booth rep, both film reels and pins will unlock content in the game, such as new levels and more. “The collectible pins and film reels will be used later in the game for [...]

#tgs After a seriously disastrous year, Nippon Ichi Software falls back on a proven breadwinner to help heals its wounds, readying Disgaea 4 for release on the Japanese PlayStation 3 in February. More »

A new champion approaches: Sona, the maven of the strings.

According to "sources in Japan" speaking with 1UP, two of Vanillaware's already gorgeous 2D titles, Muramasa: The Demon Blade (pictured) and Odin Sphere, are being remade in HD. The report also posits that the re-releases will likely arrive on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

Additionally, both games are now listed by Australia's OFLC as "multiplatform," though each has only been released on a single console to date (Odin Sphere on PS2 and Muramasa on Wii). The evidence may be mounting, but we're still filing these HD ports in the rumor department for now.

New title coming next year.

Warren Spector and his team at Junction Point are making sure that Epic Mickey is as faithful to the Mickey brand as possible. That goes down to the smallest detail, which in this case, is referring to Mickey’s ears. Did you ever notice that no matter which way Mickey turns, his ears are always facing [...]

As you can see, retailers have been doing a great job over the past few years when it comes to blocking sales of M-rated games to minors. They’re not too doing too hot when it comes to movies though! Hopefully this kind of information will help the game industry prove its point in [...]

#petermolyneux Fable I and Fable II are both coming-of-age stories. While Fable II does certainly have domesticate elements, Fable III is about settling into adulthood and becoming a king. King is the top. What does that leave for the future? More »

Civilzation 5 is the love child of a clandestine tryst between Civilization 4 and Civilization Revolution. It is a game that shares genetic markers of both the PC and console iterations of the franchise, luckily receiving the best elements of both -- with a couple good mutations. Civ 5 has the grand, epic feel we expect from the series on PC, but so much of it has been streamlined for the better that Revolution's influence is undeniable.

I'm going to try something different in this review. Civilization has been around for almost two decades and the most divisive moment in the franchise's history was the creation of the console-based Civilization Revolution. With that in mind, I'm going to divide this review into three parts, with sections for [1] Civilization PC veterans; [2] those who enjoyed Civilization Revolution; and [3] "the uninitiated." Read all three perspectives and find out if this latest Civ unites the tribes.