Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Ep. 1 has now been dated for Japan as well. The title is slated for an October 12th release date, and will cost 1,000 Nintendo Points.
Fable 3 Kingmaker won't be helping North American "smartphone" owners stuff their in-game coffers before Fable 3's October 26 launch. A Microsoft representative told Joystiq today, "Kingmaker is a Europe only digital marketing promotion. No U.S. integration."
That's a pity, especially since the Foursquare-style app looks like it would've been good for getting the Albion-American faithful out of the house. Oh well, with pre-order they can still participate in creating their own NPC.
A full list of smartphones capable of playing Kingmaker still isn't available, but a safe bet is integration with Windows Mobile 7. Check out the Kingmaker trailer after the break and imagine all that gold you won't be making by walking around.
You know what the biggest problem with Xbox Live is? No, it's not that pesky friend limit -- it's the fact that I'm not connected when I'm getting my half-dairy mocha whip down at the Starbucks. Or how when I'm at the grocery store, picking up some veggies, I can't trash-talk with my bros and stay plugged into my virtual world. You know Neo was, like, hooked up to the Matrix the entire time. How do you think he got so good at it?
In all seriousness, Microsoft general manager Matt Thompson thinks that being connected all of the time is the biggest selling point of the new Windows Phone 7 OS, Venture Beat reports. That's what Microsoft hopes will give it an edge over Apple and its iPhone.
"Clearly the phone is you, so the most unique thing we're trying to do is bring Xbox Live so you can carry the online 'you' into the rest of the world," he said. Sure, it makes sense -- a gamer spends a lot of time building up Gamerscore and participating in that virtual world, so giving them a way to spend even more time there seems like a given. We just think Thompson's selling the whole thing short: it's all about that FM radio. Finally, we can listen to NPR on our phone!
#executivedecisions
The man with one of the most impressive houses in the gaming industry now has a title to match, as Microsoft officially makes Don Mattrick the president of its Interactive Entertainment Business. More »
"The Sacrifice" DLC for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 arrives October 5 on Xbox 360 and PC. The expansion will add a new campaign to both games, the L4D1 "No Mercy" game type to L4D2 and a new mechanic in which players can choose to sacrifice themselves for the team. While free for PC players, the add-on will cost 560 Microsoft Points ($7) on Xbox.
To help you avoid confusing this with "My Sacrifice," the 2001 hit single by Creed, we've included some visual aids in the form of a trailer after the break and screens in the gallery below.
The 11th-hour renaming of the playable Taliban fighters as the "Opposing Force" in this month's forthcoming Medal of Honor game is upsetting some gamers who say publisher Electronic Arts isn't standing up for games or free speech. More »
Looking for an extra controller? More specifically, are you looking for an extra controller that will make your coffee table look like a Christmas tree? Amazon is offering the full range of PDP's Afterglow controllers at a discount today, as its Deal of the Day.
#china
The Chinese government has taken swift steps to deal with teenagers that are addicted to online games and the internet. One step has been the creation of boot camps. More »
Confess! We've all sung along to R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" like this:
"That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and
snakes, an umm, hummy, hum, something something, something something
.... *bob along* ...
IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine."
Well, next week's Rock Band DLC includes that song, so you've got a fantastic cheat sheet to all the proper lyrics. R.E.M. and T. Rex track packs are what it's all about next week, so head past the break for the details.
Where will your "currency" go in Call of Duty: Black Ops? In this new video, Treyarch staff walk us through the customization options available within multiplayer, including elements like kill streaks and more ... cosmetic choices. We're blowing all of our cash on new reticles. No idea why.
Where will your "currency" go in Call of Duty: Black Ops? In this new video, Treyarch staff walk us through the customization options available within multiplayer, including elements like kill streaks and more ... cosmetic choices. We're blowing all of our cash on new reticles. No idea why.
During the Nintendo Conference, Namco Bandai announced to press that it's working on a new Ace Combat title for 3DS, tentatively named Ace Combat 3D. 4Gamer's brief description of the game mentions battling over detailed ravines and town areas in 3D.
The other new game announced by Namco is Double Pen Sports, which appears to (somehow) require the use two styli on the bottom screen to control archery, soccer and more. Of course, the actions also appear to be divided into two steps, suggesting they could be done consecutively (with one stylus). Namco Bandai's Taiko Drum Master series on the regular DS uses two styli, so this wouldn't be the first time the publisher used the "double pen" gimmick.
