All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#executivedecisions Last week Cammie Dunaway left the gaming industry after three years as Nintendo's executive vice president of sales and marketing. Where is Cammie going? She's taken on a role that will generate countless jobs for children 13 and under. More »

#downloadables It's a banner week for the Nintendo Download, as the sequel to a belly dancing half-genie platformer for the Game Boy Color becomes the priciest DSiWare title yet. More »

If you're just now in the final stages of recovery from your brutal, all-consuming addiction to the iPhone version of Peggle, then look away! Quickly, before it's too late! Okay, there's your fair warning -- the Peggle Nights expansion is now available to download through the iPhone port's in-app store, adding a whole slew of new (and darker) levels to the addictive Pachinko title for $2.99.

Though the announcement for the expansion claims that its contents come free with new purchases of Peggle starting today, it seems new purchasers actually just get access to a five-level sampler pack of Nights. The demo is also available to longtime mobile Pegglers with a free update to the title through the App Store. If this isn't proof that the company is run by extremely successful former drug dealers, we don't know what is.

New screenshots emerge from the shadows.

Copies of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will be whipped onto store shelves tomorrow, but Xbox Live Gold members can get a taste of the vampire slaying action today, thanks to a new demo on XBLM. Downloading it is easy. After all, what is a demo but a miserable little pile of kilobytes?

Closed Beta begins for 'Cities in Motion,' the ultimate public transport simulator, sign up today.

Four player DSiWare screens.

Let me bring you back in time to E3 2009, where we debuted a little tech demo for a brand new motion control platform, later to become what we now all know and love as the PlayStation Move. In the tech demo you could sword fight with a skeleton (anyone remember tickling the skeleton’s chin with the sword blade?), use dual handed throwing stars, and shoot arrows at an endless parade of skeletons. Most of the mechanics in the demo were the basis of a title that was, at the time, only a work in progress, but would become Sports Champions.

Well, our skeletons have finally been let out of the closet again with a brand new Sports Champions DLC pack called the Haunted Pack, available for sale through the PlayStation Store on Tuesday, October 5 for $4.99. The new content includes three new frightful characters that are playable in all six events, as well as new spooky equipment for each of the sports.

New Characters:

Specter:

Deadmund:

Numbskull:

New Equipment:

Disc Golf – Phantom Disc Set
Bocce – Skull Bocce Set
Table Tennis – Phantom Paddle
Gladiator Duel – Skeleton Sword and Shield
Archery – Skull Bow
Beach Volleyball – Skull Ball

I dare you to play a round of Disc Golf with Specter and not laugh. Also, for those wanting the easy way out, there will be an Unlock All DLC added the same day as the Haunted Pack. Please be sure to watch for more Sports Champions DLC in the months to come. Enjoy!

Tucked neatly below some official details regarding Left 4 Dead's "The Sacrifice" DLC lies an announcement: Left 4 Dead 2 will be available on Mac starting Tuesday, October 5. As per usual, Mac users who previously purchased Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam for PC will automatically receive access to the game, along with free downloads of "The Passing," "The Sacrifice" and "No Mercy" add-ons.

In the same note, Valve also apologizes to Left 4 Dead 1 owners -- since the sequel is making it onto Mac before the original. The company states it's "running a little late" and that it hopes to "have it out in time to celebrate Halloween." If you previously purchased L4D on Steam for PC, you'll have access to everything once the Mac version arrives.

Pre-order Digital Collector's Edition and receive free bonus Tribal Pack plus digital graphic novel "All Roads."

Revenge is a dish best served on nintendo DSi systems.

Originally meant to be episodic, the long-awaited sequel Shantae: Risky's Revenge arrives on DSiWare today. At 1,200 DSi Points ($12), it's the most expensive game on the service -- though its price doesn't come close to comparing to eBay prices for the original (just the manual is $50). If nothing else, that should provide a clue as to the level of affection people, including opportunistic eBayers, have for this series.

Also available this week: a Virtual Console game. No, really!

#wellplayed Last week Electronic Arts found out the hard way that video games' latest four letter word is actually seven letters long. More »

Treasure these last few months of tranquility, Azerothians. Blizzard just announced it'll all come crashing down on December 7, when World of Warcraft: Cataclysm destroys the world you've loved, leaving only destruction and a bevy of brand new adventures to be had.

You'll be able to get the new content digitally or in stores, if you like, for $40. But because you're you and Blizzard is Blizzard, there will also be a "Collector's Edition" of the expansion pack at retail for $80.

The latest trailer for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit provides lots of footage of implausibly fancy police cars chasing similarly precious private-owned vehicles, for what most be the most serious speeding citation the Seacrest County police can offer. If they have to get a helicopter on you for speeding, that's going to be a rather pricey ticket.

This trailer also gives some attention to Hot Pursuit's "Autolog" feature, which helps connect players to one another, and displays a bunch of stats about your friends' performance. In case you thought you were doing well!

Forget 2011. Blizzard said today that the next expansion to World of Warcraft will be released on December 7. That's World of Warcraft: Cataclysm for PC and Mac, in an otherwise barren video game December. More »

Latest World of Warcraft expansion arriving just in time for Christmas.

As with any well-rounded basketball team, NBA 2K11's success hinges on collaboration. It's a pretty corny analogy, but it's the truth: a combination of realistic gameplay, improved ball handling techniques and challenging AI go a long way toward making NBA 2K11 the best basketball game around. Lack of quality competition probably doesn't hurt, either.

#wii Nintendo has had its fair share of celebrity pitch ladies. There's been Nicole Kidman, Liv Tyler and Beyonce. The United Kingdom is getting the The Queen. More »

With less than a month to go, the team is counting down to the release of Gran Turismo 5 with a beautiful lead feature on this technical and gaming masterpiece. Audrey Cleo catches up with the US-based producers to understand what it takes to create the world’s greatest driving simulator. You’ll want to watch this story several times to experience the jaw-dropping realism in full HD.

Another huge title is also featured in this episode: EA’s Medal of Honor, which advances the timeframe from WWII to the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. Veronica Belmont spoke with MoH Executive Producer Greg Goodrich about the extensive research that went into the title to pay tribute to the US military Tier One Operators.
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Konami’s rebootin’ Castlevania, providing a fresh start to one of gaming’s most storied franchises. With input from the legendary ;Hideo Kojima, a new whip-wielding Belmont is introduced along with a huge array of supernatural creatures and sweet moves that maintain the game’s action/platformer legacy.

Our ‘On the Road with Qore’ series continues from Tokyo, home of GT5 creators Polyphony Digital. From Akihabara to a kitty café, Veronica experiences a very different side of one of the coolest cities in the world.

In the Episode 29 download center, it’s Audrey’s turn! She is featured in our latest Qore exclusive PS3 system theme. And on October 19th, for our Qore annual subscribers; the warped minds at Qore Labs bring you the Qore Ultimate Arqade! All of your favorite quirky Qore mini-games are now in one convenient package.

Look for Episode 29 tomorrow.

Epic VP says new Xbox and PlayStation 4 could be portable devices.

Epic VP says new Xbox and PlayStation 4 could be portable devices.

Epic VP says new Xbox and PlayStation 4 could be portable devices.

#dreamcclub Dream C Club is not an adult game. But, there are elements in Xbox 360 title that smack of an eroge (erotic game) More »

Games are made by human beings. It's easy to forget that fact when you're playing an extravagant, focus-tested blockbuster like Assassin's Creed, whose high production values can even obscure a team of over 200 people. In contrast, Twisted Pixel's games don't feel like perfectly orchestrated, inhuman feats -- they feel like they were handmade, just for you.

That contrast isn't diminished when the Texas-based indie developer attempts more complex storytelling in Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley. There has never been this much dialogue, creative presentation and extra content in a Twisted Pixel game, and while it feels less economical and less elegant than either The Maw or 'Splosion Man, hubristic hero Captain Smiley doesn't waste his time in the spotlight.

#epic Epic Games, video game engine tycoons and the developers behind Gears of War, have a vision for the future. And that vision includes Xboxes and PlayStations that you can unplug from your TV and carry around with you. More »

#clips Contrary to popular belief, Nintendo DS games are not made when two Game Boy Advance games love each other very much. They're made in factories. More »

#theidolmaster The upcoming entry in Namco Bandai's idol simulator franchise features a boy band. Some fans of THE iDOLM@STER do not want a boy band in the game. They're not happy. More »