All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

An Australian classification board rating has outed Artificial Mind and Movement's unannounced "Crash Course." Apparently, the game will be available on multiple platforms, though it appears to be heading to Xbox 360 at the very least -- the game's publisher is listed as Microsoft Game Studios, giving us the impression that Crash Course is en route to Xbox Live Arcade.

Also of interest in the listing is its country of origin: Chile. Given that A2M's Santiago, Chile development house Wanako Games is based out of the South American country, we're thinking those folks could be behind Crash Course. Neither A2M nor Microsoft got back to us by publishing time.

#gameface New York Jets center Nick Mangold on the edge of his seat during a Halo: Reach event at the Jets' training facility earlier this month. More »

- climb grassy textured surfaces by holding B - climb across rock surfaces that have the green grass on them - co-op is jump-in/out, but only when on the world map - Sunset Shores is the silhouette level we saw in the trailer - hidden treats you can uncover by paying attention to the background - off into the distance [...]

You'll get by with a little help from your friends.

The new version of Dante found in DmC: Devil May Cry -- you know, the one who has retroactively ruined every previous game in the franchise by having black hair -- was inspired by another refresh of a popular franchise, which also involved exciting new innovations in the field of hair color. Specifically, the Daniel Craig version of James Bond.

"When you see the Casino Royale remake," Capcom's Alex Jones explained to Eurogamer, "you see Bond before he's actually killed anyone, and it's a really traumatic event. He's rough-hewn, he's not polished or debonair, but you can see the essence of what that character will become. That's what we want to do with Dante. The core of him is there, it's just a rougher version. It's a becoming. He's not fully actualised." So this Dante might be surprised the first time a sword flies directly into his torso of his own accord.

"Of course long-time fans are worried about us handing over such a big title to another company, another development team," Capcom's Hideaki Itsuna said. He expressed his confidence in Ninja Theory and his belief that "they're very serious about making this game good." Itsuna explained that the reboot is intended to increase the fanbase by bringing in new buyers as well as Devil May Cry series fans. Well, at least those who aren't hung up on the hair color thing.

#microsoft Microsoft is looking for a few thousand folks to test out its next big Xbox Live Update. Who wants an early look at the new Xbox Live dashboard? More »

Dot Defense brings SNES-style visuals to the tower defense genre.

What in the world is this all about? Could it be a mistake, or is there more to this? I’ve contacted Tyrone Rodriguez of Nicalis to help clear this situation up.

Aya and her many scantily clad zombie hunters go portable in Japan this Winter.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn - Second world is called ‘Hot Land’ - not a lot of water in the second world, but lots of water in the first - sand, lava, dinosaurs and more - Pyramid Sands level lets you transform into an off-road vehicle - off-road vehicle: 1 for gas, 2 to jump - collect speed-boosts as you drive - take down [...]

I know I posted this below, but I wanted to make sure these comments got a post of their own.

Microsoft is set to roll out some significant changes to its Xbox Live service this year, and wanted to run them by you first. An Xbox Live Update Preview Program is now accepting registrants online, and will grant selected users early access to the Xbox's updated user interface, the Xbox Live on-demand ESPN service, and the enhanced Netflix interface. This is not part of the Kinect beta test, so don't expect a camera to land in your mailbox unless you're also signing up for a reality TV show.

As per Major Nelson's instructions, you can now sign up to Microsoft's Connect website and complete a survey, after which you'll be notified if you've been selected for the program. "Multiple thousands of participants" are sought at this stage, so you might just have a good shot at getting in. You should be aware of some caveats, however: Your ISP must support ESPN 3; you need a Netflix subscription to use the new Netflix search, and an Xbox Live Gold account will afford you "priority" during selection.

The Xbox Live update will introduce a new audio codec for online communication -- if you're selected, your voice chat will become incompatible with the older version. Survey says: "Because you are participating in an exclusive pre-release program, you will not be able to voice chat with non-participants during the preview program period." Game chat should not be impacted, but you've already muted everyone on Halo: Reach anyway.

Make Golems and Werewolves fight it out.

Development for highly anticipated "Demonicon" Action-RPG will continue for 2012 release plans.

#review Finally. Having gotten closer and closer with each subsequent piece of downloadable content, with Lair of the Shadow Broker BioWare has delivered Mass Effect 2 players some DLC that, if you've finished the game, has some real point to it. More »

Intense two vs. two action heading to PSP this October.

In June, YouTube and the Guggenheim Museum launched YouTube Play. A Biennial of Creative Video. The Guggenheim describes the project as an initiate "to discover and showcase the most exceptional talent working in the ever-expanding realm of online video." The shortlist of entries was announced this week, whittling down some 23,000 submissions from 91 countries to just 125 videos. Among this select group is Josh Bricker's piece "Post Newtonianism," which juxtaposes footage and sound from real modern warfare with Call of Duty 4. (Bricker's video is embedded after the break.)

The shortlist will be further reduced to 20 videos, as selected by a jury chaired by the Guggenheim's chief curator, and those choices will be featured at the museum in a special exhibit next month. Could it be? Call of Duty 4 ... in a museum?!

Gran Turismo fans! If you’re in New York this Thursday, we will be part of a major Honda event in the middle of Times Square to celebrate the launch of their CR-Z Sport Hybrid coupe. In addition to tons of displays, interactive elements, and on-stage entertainment (N.E.R.D.!), we will have a number of racing sleds available for consumers to come by and play the latest build of Gran Turismo 5 in glorious stereoscopic 3D, featuring the all-new CR-Z.

Honda will have a huge 3D Spectacolor screen installed to show off their new “Eclipse” commercial in 3D (at 46th, between Broadway and 7th), and there will be a host of other 3D content that will be showcased at the event.

Some other items to keep an eye out for:

• Exclusive musical performance by N.E.R.D. at the Honda Stage at 12:30pm located on Broadway between 42nd and 43rd Streets
• Interactive CR-Z vehicle displays
• Racing simulators for fans to play Gran Turismo 5 in 3D, featuring the CR-Z in-game
• Maxim models on site to distribute copies of the first ever 3D issue which includes a CR-Z 3D ad
• Polite in Public photo booths with 3D backdrops
• Distribution of special screen-printed shirts on-site

The event is this Thursday, September 23rd going from 10am to 6pm. Hope to see you there!

Exclusive sneak peek of the debut issue available online.

Send us booze, get on the podcast!

A couple more papers that have been plastered with front-page advertising for Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. I would love to know what non-gamers think about this when they pick up the paper and find this waiting for them! Thanks to Robert for the heads up!

#spoilers America might be Halo and Civ obsessed now, but there's a brand new Pokémon out in Japan. It's already been beaten, the ending uploaded for all to see. That's the last clip here. Earlier, less spoilery-y gameplay in the others. More »

The Yakuza series may be exploring left field with the fanciful zombie-attack game Yakuza: Of the End, but American audiences still have one good old jaunt around Kamurocho to look forward to: this spring's Yakuza 4, whose major innovation of four playable characters seems comfy in comparison.

We spoke to producer Masayoshi Kikuchi, mostly about how Yakuza 4 has changed and improved on previous games in the series. Of course, we couldn't resist asking about Of the End, because seriously, what?

Joystiq: Yakuza 3 got a lot of complaints from American gamers for the content that was removed. Will Yakuza 4 have a more complete localization?

Masayoshi Kikuchi, Sega: One of the things that happened on Yakuza 3 was that the Yakuza team worked with the folks at Sega West to see how we can improve the product in terms of being able to be understood by users and broaden the user base, and one of the things that is part of the Yakuza franchise -- you have very Japanese parts of the game. They wanted to make the game easier to play. One of the decisions that was the result of that was that we decided to simplify the game by cutting sections of the game. Of course, based on the reaction that we received -- we heard the voices of our fans loud and clear -- and we will be doing as much as possible to bring the whole experience of Yakuza to the West in terms of the content, in terms of its Japaneseness.

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