All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Enticement? Enticement!
BioWare has conjured up a new incentive to pre-order next year's talkin' Tolkien-esque epic, Dragon Age 2. Pre-orders for the game will be automatically upgraded to the "BioWare Signature Edition," which comes packed with a download code for an extra playable character (and accompanying missions), a downloadable soundtrack, an in-game armory with bonus weapons and "additional downloadable items." In total, BioWare values it as a $20 bonus that you could get for no extra charge.

This special edition of Dragon Age 2 (for Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3) will be available via pre-order from Gamestop, Amazon, Electronics Boutique and the online EA store, with more stores to be announced later. You'll also be able to find it in several European territories, as well as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

There's just one catch: Your pre-order will only transform into BioWare Signature Edition if it's placed before January 11, 2011. If you miss the deadline, you'll have to pick up a regular copy of Dragon Age 2 on March 8. Maybe you could take it to a convention and have someone from BioWare autograph it for you.

Abylight is proud to announce the worldwide release of “Music on: Playing Piano”, second game of its successful musical series for Nintendo DSiWareTM. “Playing Piano” will be available for the Europeans next Friday, October 15th, and for the Americans the following Monday, October 18th; priced at only 200 Nintendo DSi PointsTM. Because less is more, [...]

Come next week, many of you will begin your adventures in Fallout: New Vegas – attempting to explore every nook, cranny, and Vault found within in and around Mojave Wasteland. Before your journey begins, we thought we’d answer some last-minute questions sent by you via Facebook and Twitter.

I’m afraid it’s going to feel like DLC. Are there enough changes to make New Vegas feel unique from Fallout 3? (thanks @acsguitar)

We certainly think so! While the gameplay is similar, the world itself is very, very different. And our main storyline plays out in a very different manner, with several very different paths to completion.

Can we expect the same wasteland experience as in Fallout 3? I’m kinda scared about playing in a city untouched by atomic bombs! (thanks @The_iCroco)

Yes and no. There are some areas that were hit directly, but for the most part, the destruction you’ll see in the Mojave Wasteland is due to neglect, not bombardment. Don’t expect sprawling, fully functioning cities, though. The New Vegas strip is self-contained and tightly managed directly by Mr. House, so everything in the city works perfectly. As you get farther away from the strip, you’ll see more and more ruins and abandoned buildings.

Would love to know how they will create that WOW factor that Fallout 3 had: the wasteland, the bomb at Megaton and so on. Tricky!? (thanks@bekblayton)

We think there are some similarly cool WOW moments in our game, and you should find one in each act of the main storyline.

How difficult will it be to take care of physical needs like hydration, sleep, and so on? Is it going to be overbearing?

Those features are only in Hardcore Mode, so they’re optional. If you find they’re getting to be too much of a hassle, you can always turn it off (although you won’t get the Hardcore trophy if you do).

What can you tell us about the new Hardcore Mode?

Hardcore Mode can be turned on or off at any time, although if you want the Hardcore trophy, you have to turn it on when initially prompted and leave it that way all the way to the end of the game. When it’s on, players will have to eat, sleep, and drink water every day. In addition, ammo has weight, companions can die, Stimpaks heal over time, and damaged limbs can only be healed with a Doctor’s Bag.

While you can fast travel in Hardcore Mode, you can’t if the time it would take to get you there would result in the player dying from dehydration/exhaustion/starvation.

Will the shooting feel better than it did in Fallout 3? (thanks @DYLANmmc)

Obsidian has tweaked the real-time combat quite a bit from Fallout 3 to make it feel more natural for people who don’t want to use VATS all the time.

What’s the story with the Aim Down the Sight mechanic? And is Fallout: New Vegas still support first-person and third-person viewing modes?

First- and third-person modes are in, and we’ve tweaked the third-person camera to be a bit more useful. In first-person mode, iron sights can be used with most weapons. The only exceptions are ones like the Grenade Machine Gun that are enormous and fire from the hip, and guns that have an actual sight on them (like sniper rifles and weapons modded with a physical sight). You just hold down the button and the camera zooms to show the weapon’s iron sight instead of a crosshair. It’s very useful for combat outside of VATS mode.

How big is Fallout: New Vegas compared to Fallout 3? (thanks @maialideth)

It’s about the same size. If you thought Fallout 3 was big, you’ll find Fallout: New Vegas to be equally big.

How much install data will be needed for Fallout: New Vegas?

Fallout: New Vegas is a 5 GB install on PS3 that runs when you first launch the game.

One of my favorite things to do in Fallout 3 was scavenging homes and office buildings. Will we see many rural and urban areas for that? (thanks @JaylLaf)

Just like Fallout 3, our wasteland is littered with abandoned (and not-so-abandoned) locations for you to explore.

Will there be any Vaults to explore in New Vegas? (thanks @LewJ1196)

Yes there are! We have five different Vaults in the game. They serve as unique dungeons, and depending on what path you follow through the main storyline, you may have to venture into one of them to retrieve something.

I’m interested to know more about the music score that will be piped through our Pip Boys for New Vegas. Will there be more variety? (thanks @Peligrie)

We have three separate radio stations in Fallout: New Vegas. There’s New Vegas Radio, which has the kind of songs you’ve come to expect from a Fallout game – hosted by Mr. New Vegas (voiced by Wayne Newton). Then there’s Black Mountain Radio, which is more classic country-focused. And finally there’s Mojave Music Radio, which is similar to NVR, only without the news stories from Mr. New Vegas.

Of course that’s just the radio. If you never turn on the radio at all, you’ll be treated to a new score by Inon Zur, featuring a string quartet, samples from past Fallout games, and some very cool location-specific themes.

Will New Vegas have a Good/Evil/Neutral decision path like Fallout 3? (thanks @Reumaut)

Karma still exists, and affects some things, but for the most part our decisions are determined more by the new reputation system, which tracks how the various factions in the game feel about you.

Will the Brotherhood of Steel be present in Fallout: New Vegas? I know in Fallout 3, the “original” BoS was based near California. (thanks @SCZ_PS3)

The Brotherhood of Steel is in Fallout: New Vegas, but not nearly as much as they were in Fallout 3. The west coast BoS was really hit hard following the events of Fallout 1 & 2, so they’re not nearly as important as the NCR is in the region.

Will there be any Fallout 2 characters make an appearance in Fallout: New Vegas? (thanks @Vi9)

Yes! We’ve already confirmed Marcus from Fallout 2 is coming back, and will again be voiced by Michael Dorn. As for anyone else, you’ll just have to wait for the game to see for yourself.

Can I still force materials inside the pants of enemies? If so, what explosive additions have you made? (thanks @Foxification)

Yep, you can still pickpocket grenades into people’s pockets. Even better is that now you can pickpocket plastic explosives into people’s pants! For some fun, drop some C4 into a few random people, equip the detonator, stand back and pull the trigger. It never gets old.

Will there any kind of transportation?

Aside from fast-travel, we do have a monorail that will take you directly to the strip from Camp McCarran (assuming you’re friendly with the NCR).

Can we continue playing after the main quest line ends?

No. Instead, Fallout: New Vegas has a real ending, that shows the results of your actions throughout the game and how they affected the different factions, locations and people you encountered.

Are you still able to make a female character?

Absolutely!

Do you plan on including many DLC add-ons for Fallout: New Vegas, as Fallout 3 did? (thanks @VGNtertainment)

We’re not really going into specifics on DLC, but we have a plan, and we think it’s a good one. You should hear more about it soon.

What’s the initial level cap.. and will DLC be exclusive to one console or another for any amount of time? (thanks @keeponrunning)

The level cap for Fallout: New Vegas is 30. As mentioned previously, we’re not discussing the details of downloadable content right now. Stay tuned!

Will there be a demo to try Fallout: New Vegas? (thanks @RichLando)

There’s no demo planned for the game.. We wanted the focus to be completing the full game and making it the best game it could be.

Thanks again for all the great questions. We hope you enjoy your stay in the Mojave Wasteland!

#clips Here's a look at two of the mechanized suits found in upcoming horror shooter F.E.A.R. 3. More »

Did Mr. Driller play a part in the Chilean miner rescue? That I don’t know, but he is celebrating the successful operation! You can grab a wallpaper-sized version of this “Welcome Back!” artwork right here.

It's not the October 18 release date we expected, but it is "thereabouts," as Gaijin Games' Alex Neuse put it. Bit. Trip Fate, the fifth entry in the outrageously difficult WiiWare game series, will be released in North America on October 25, for 800 Wii Points ($8).

Fate is "a much darker episode in our hero's life," Neuse said in the release date announcement, "and is full of depressing themes, dreary hidden messages, sad music, and an overall gloomy theme. YOU'LL LOVE IT!" It's also a side-scrolling shooter that uses the Wiimote's pointer to aim. And it's (we're guessing) painfully difficult.

#iphone Like an out-of-control boxer tearing off an opponent's ear, Rock Software rips off Nintendo's Punch-Out!! series to give Mike Tyson his own boxing video game for the iPhone. More »

Trade, succeed, and wonder what's next.

Is Red Dead Redemption getting a bit stale? It's going to be a lot more stale come October 26 -- so stale it's rotten, in fact. That's when all the deceased cowpokes, banditos and even varmints rise from their graves in the Undead Nightmare DLC.

The pack will run you $10 on Xbox 360 and PS3, and give you "5-12 hours" worth of zombie-shooting, coffin-burning, ex-horse-riding fun. For more information about what you'll actually be doing (besides screaming in a gentlemanly Southern accent), we invite you to peruse our preview.

Time stands still.

#nbajam NBA Jam's Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, originally meant to be a free digital download included with the now-delayed NBA Elite 11, will be a retail disc release, an EA Sports representative told Kotaku. More »

Best Buy is selling Split/Second on Xbox 360 and PS3 for only $20. It's a great game, so it shouldn't take you very long to decide to pick it up. Like, not even a few seconds. Or maybe just one second. It should take, like, no time to make this decision. Is there anything less than a second?

#preview Zombie bears. Desparate people who need rescuing. The great weapon of Holy Water. A flaming horse called War. A plague of violent weirdness is coming to Rockstar's hit western Red Dead Redemption. The forthcoming Undead Nightmare is infested with it. More »

You're seething with angst that can only be expressed through rap-rock. Activision completely understands. That's why the company is releasing a six-pack of songs from Linkin Park's new "A Thousand Suns" album (cover image above) on October 19 as Guitar Hero DLC. In addition, a set of three remixed Linkin Park songs will be available this winter in DJ Hero 2.

If you'd like to hear the rest of that album, you can get a free copy with orders of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock or DJ Hero 2 from Amazon, between "12:01am PST on October 17 and 11:59pm PST on October 23." This is the second free album to be bundled with Warriors of Rock! In the future, our entire music library will consist of freebies from Activision.

Rockstar's upcoming add-on will fill your tummy with delicious brains.

#expansionism The Vampires introduced in The Sims 3: Late Night don't want to fall in love with one-dimensional teenage girls. They just want to suck their blood. More »

Who are we to question the judgment of a multi-national, multi-billion dollar video game publisher like Ubisoft? And yet, here we are, faced with a commercial for Just Dance 2 featuring a pair of cast members from MTV's Jersey Shore. The ad has Snooki and Ronnie facing off in a club dance-off to promote Ubi's hit franchise.

Okay, so "dance-off" is being a tad generous. The reality TV thespians (who also have their own RPG) raise their arms and then do a running man-esque move for a couple seconds. In conclusion, if that medium-shot of Snooki dancing doesn't become a .gif or meme shortly, the internet will have failed us all.

Sony America's Taku Imasaki, producer on Gran Turismo 5, recently explained to a positively irate New York Times why the infamously tardy racer was recently bumped from its no, seriously, this time we mean it release date of November 2. "We're really close, but this was an executive decision that was made yesterday [Oct. 12]," Imasaki said. "Realistically, we thought we had a good date. We're not happy over here."

Imasaki later reiterated that Sony "is shooting for it to be out by the holidays," but added, "you won't see too much more delay." We'd ... we'd like to hear a more definitive response than that. Not that we'd, you know, believe it, but still.

#clips "Walking around in drunken stupors, puking on the sidewalks, dancing naked in fountains, that sort of thing." Fallout: New Vegas area designer Eric Fenstermaker sums up the Las Vegas strip in one sentence in the latest developer diary. More »

We were a little concerned about the first original release from Boston-based Demiurge Studios, despite its nearly 10 years of supporting work on major titles like Mass Effect and Borderlands. Sure, the trailer (just after the break) looks cool, but doesn't Shoot Many Robots sound upsettingly like a product from Idiocracy's dumbtopian future, advertised during a commercial break from "Ow, My Balls!"?

But the more we thought on it, the more we realized that there's a certain value to plainly stating what it is you do well, without all the highfalutin language. So, you're releasing an arcadey downloable game on 360 and PS3 about shooting a lot of robots? Why not just say so, Poindexter? Auto and restaurant industries, you're on notice: If we can't buy the "Vroom Get There Fast" and "Good Taste Tummy Full" by the time Shoot Many Robots drops in 2011, you're officially behind the curve.

It’s been a big month for Dead Nation! We’ve confirmed that online co-op play will be included from day one and also shown off three special zombies – the Mouth, Jumper, and Bombie — in our new “Know Your Enemies” video and there’s still more to come in October.

But one thing we haven’t yet discussed is audio. With Dead Nation, it’s vital that we create a skin-crawling atmosphere; more importantly, the music needs to adapt to the intensity of the on-screen carnage. I thought it would be fun to address some common questions related to Dead Nation’s audio design, everything from the zombie groans to dynamic music to soundtrack inspirations. I hope you enjoy it, and be sure to listen to the sample track below.

How did you start working with Housemarque?

The first game that I worked on with Housemarque was Super Stardust HD, the original soundtrack and sound design. I was in-house audio director in Frozenbyte Inc. back then and working outsourced. SSHD was a awesome project for me since I’ve grown up with retro arcade games and I got my chance to finally make style of my own.

What was your reaction when Housemarque originally came to you with the Dead Nation concept?

I’m a huge fan of apocalyptic and zombie movies and games, and when I first time heard about making a “really nasty R-rated zombie shooter” I was thrilled! Harri (the creative director) explained me of all the cool things you could do to the zombies and how gory everything would be. If you’re gonna do a great zombie game or a movie, it’s gotta be R-rated! The top-down perspective allows an interesting angle for the game audio design, too. You perceive the big picture of the soundscape much more broadly than in FPS games.

Has the music changed a lot since you took a first pass on it?

My first tracks for the game were a bit too slow and we ended up setting the tempo up to 162bpm for the highest intensity levels. The soundtrack is a mash-up of different genres like industrial, orchestral and ambient. We wanted it to sound dark, gritty, and dynamic so we ended up having six different intensity levels for every dynamic music group. It works really great — the music adapts seamlessly to the in-game events.

How difficult did you find putting together a concept soundtrack for Dead Nation?

It was not an easy task! There was not much reference for the Dead Nation soundtrack, I had to invent almost everything from scratch. The closest resemblance was found in the Dawn of the Dead remake OST, but I still had no reference for the highest intensity levels. The in-game music is almost sound design in some parts, since it doesn’t have much in the way of melody and it relies heavily on dark tones and gritty sounds. Overall, I achieved the feeling that we were after, it does sound unique and it fits in the game atmosphere perfectly.

What can you say about the sound design?

Well, first of all, I have to mention that Dead Nation has a huge amount of sounds. It features over 8000 unique sound files and craploads of near-authentic zombie vocals. The aim of the sound design was to make Dead Nation feel as gory and gritty as it plays — players will have to endure (or enjoy) quite twisted sounds! This is my most ambitious and biggest audio design work so far, I’m hoping players to have just the right feeling while playing.

What is your favorite part of Dead Nation?

I really like the feeling of nailing down the zombies. It just has this realness to it, feels like the zombies are really getting hurt in every way possible! I like the overall atmosphere too, I’m already hooked to the game!

Get out your power armor.

#japan Let's say you had a little over US$15,000. And let's say you were in Tokyo. What would you do? More »

Sony's ongoing battle with PSJailbreak seems to have reached the software side, as DigitalFoundry reports that Medal of Honor requires at least PlayStation 3 firmware 3.42 in order to run. DF notes that copies of the Medal of Honor have made it onto the net but "the game is completely unplayable with the hack as is." It seems that 3.42 includes a new decryption key, which is required to run Medal of Honor, while the firmware that PSJailbreak is based on "simply can't read the code." Presumably, this protection will be added to other future releases as well.

The article adds that it's possible that existing hacks could be altered to accommodate the change, though it remains to be seen if that will happen and, if so, how long it will take the hacking community to adapt.

Join your Sims in blissful matrimony.

The disc-free Netflix application for PlayStation 3 will be available in the States next Monday, October 18. Sony has said the PS3 system will be the "first consumer electronics device" to support 5.1-channel surround sound for Netflix's streaming library of movies and films. The app also features a fancy search option that allows users to update their regular queue.

Canadians began enjoying a native app a couple weeks back, albeit with a significantly less robust library compared to their southern brothers. Xbox 360 owners will also receive an update to their Netflix app whenever the fall update goes live. Check out Sony's Eric Lempel giving a tour of the new app after the break.

The speedy blue hedgehog is back...

True story: Just yesterday we were saying, "Huh, not as many people seem to be talking about Halo Reach lately." Then, this morning we wake up to find that Bungie will be stoking the flames on November 30 with the downloadable Noble Map Pack. Get out of our heads, creeps!

Ten bucks gets you access to three new environments. The first is Tempest, an abandoned shoreline facility featuring two symmetrical bases for 8 - 16 player fights. Anchor 9, an orbital dry-dock controlled by the UNSC, is a more intimate 2-8 player affair. Finally, there's Breakpoint, a series of frozen, modular archaeological labs for 8-16 players fracases. Oh, and there are 250 more Achievement Points to be had, which we know is all you really care about. Monster.

If that's still not enough new Halo, Bungie's challenging fans to make some of their own with the "Forgetacular Map Design Contest," the full details of which are right here. We'd love to participate, but we'll be too busy making foil hats to protect our precious thought waves.

#top Xbox 360 space marine shooter Halo: Reach gets its first map pack on Nov. 30, according to Microsoft. More »

Upgrade to support 5.1-channel surround sound.