All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#clips Wasn't it the PSP that was supposed to make gamers feel like they could hold console games in their hands? Here's the upcoming Resident Evil: Revelations played on a Nintendo 3DS. That sure looks like RE4 and RE5. More »

Though many are now realizing its beauty in multiplayer shooters, the jetpack is a woefully underused tool in the FPS developer's work box. My love affair with the jetpack began many years ago on the PC with Dynamix's Starsiege: Tribes -- unfortunately, that love affair has taken a near 15-year, involuntary hiatus.

Halo: Reach went a long way in sating my desire for airborne multiplayer combat, but it looks like Section 8: Prejudice will go even further toward addressing that desire. Jetpacks abound -- like they did in the original Section 8 -- as do a glut of other variables to turn the objective-focused multiplayer into a rock, paper, scissors playground. But while I was excited by a lot of the gameplay ideas I saw in Prejudice, I was just as concerned about the dated visuals and subdued personality.

Trick, grind, shape and transform your world into the ultimate skatepark with Shaun White Skateboarding.

See why Timegate's orbital nutjobs might make their second drop something special.

Games for Windows service undergoing another update.

More screens in our Flickr set Santa Monica, CA – October 26, 2010 – Activision Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) announced today that the latest installment in the best-selling action sports video game franchise, Tony Hawk®: SHRED, is available at North American retail outlets. Tony Hawk: SHRED allows players to GO BIG and feel the [...]

#art They may be known as Studio Liverpool today, but there once was a time British developers and publishers Psygnosis were responsible for the greatest video game covers of all time. More »

You either need to hide or break out your pocketbooks, friends -- GameFly's throwing another gigantic Under $20 sale on hundreds of its used games, many of which have free shipping. Check out a partial list of some of the encheapened games and their reduced prices posted below.

Looks like the Polish Nintendo rep from last night’s story has had a change of heart concerning her comments on the 3DS price point. She has been contacted via Facebook, and now she says the price isn’t confirmed. Well, at least she came forward and wrapped that one up quickly. I wonder why she [...]

New WiiWare simulator brings the night sky to living rooms everywhere.

If you've been considering checking out Cryptic's superhero MMO Champions Online, you ... well, you may want to wait. Publisher Atari has just announced that the game will transition to a free-to-play model in the first quarter of next year. The revamped Champions will feature premium content in the form of items, powers, costume pieces and Adventure Packs, though most of the content (as well as a few undisclosed perks) will be available to those who pony up the cash to be "Gold subscribers."

It may seem like a move of desperation, but that's not necessarily the case. Turbine set Dungeons and Dragons Online up with a similar structure last year and watched as revenues increased by a whopping 500 percent, which, as you math majors know, is almost five times better. The free-to-play conversion of Lord of the Rings Online met with similar success.

Hawk will make an appearance at the school to debut Activision's Tony Hawk: Shred experience on the Anthem Blue Cross Live Like a Champion Tour.

#blizzcon Entering the press room at BlizzCon 2010 late Saturday afternoon, I overheard one of Blizzard's PR people arguing that Final Fantasy XIII was the best in the series. I couldn't help but get involved. Neither could Heroes star Masi Oka. More »

Diablo 3, even by the most optimistic estimates, is a long way off. You see that spec in the distance? Yeah, that's just the next installment of StarCraft 2. The best you can do right now is watch this gameplay footage, grab your mouse and pretend. In a pinch, you could also play Torchlight.

The sequel to the best selling Star Wars game is here, but is the Force with it?

#blizzcon I sat down this weekend with Blizzard art director Christian Lichtner and senior designer Jason Bender to discuss the new Demon Hunter class in Diablo III. How did we end up discussing Vampire Hunter D? More »

Ready at Dawn recently explained in an interview with Eurogamer that it's ready to make the leap away from the PSP platform that's treated it so, so well over the years. The developer is preparing to announce a new "story driven" action-adventure game based on original IP -- but Ready at Dawn co-founder Ru Weerasuriya confirmed that God of War: Ghost of Sparta is "our last PSP game."

So, where is the new project going to end up? Weerasuriya explained that it's currently being developed using the studio's self-titled Ready at Dawn engine, and "right now our engine runs on pretty much anything that's available out there." So, then, 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, Gamecube, Xbox, DS, PC, Mac, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Phone 7, Game Boy Advance, car radios, iPod Nanos and Pokéwalkers -- but totally, definitely not the PSP.

To get you ready for the Season Premiere next week on Tuesday, November 2, we’re releasing a special ‘Preview Show’ today that features more about the cast, a glimpse at what you’ll see this season and, most importantly, casting submission outtakes from folks that didn’t come close to making the cut. Our good friend and Season 1 panelist, Hal Sparks hosts this preview.

While Hal was unavailable for Season 2 because of his touring schedule, he was able to check out the hopefuls, provide his hilarious perspective, and introduce his replacement, Adrianne Curry… all in this short preview episode.

During the season, you’ll see cast members win challenges and also valuable PlayStation and Sony prizes like a PlayStation Move bundle or a Sony HD HandyCam. You, the audience and fans of “The Tester,” will also have the opportunity to win the prizes seen on the show with our ‘Download & Win’ sweepstakes.

From a God of War III: Ultimate Edition (signed by Creative Director, Stig Asmussen) featured in next week’s Season Premiere to a Sony HX8 46” 3D Bravia TV grand prize from the series finale, all you have to do is download the episode from PlayStation Store to be automatically entered into each week’s prize drawing. For details, visit the ‘Download & Win’ section at www.thetester.com.

With only one week until the Season Premiere of “The Tester”, we’re looking forward to your impression of the Preview Show and we can’t wait for everyone to see the premiere on Tuesday, November 2.

An adventurous lady awaits your party.

An adventurous lady awaits your party.

Just two years after the triumphant return of the Fable franchise in Fable 2, Lionhead's exceptional realization of the original game's promise, comes Fable 3. For Peter Molyneux and team, much of their mandate was streamlining the experience so more players would experience more of what Albion had to offer. That means bringing the comedy to the surface instead of just beneath it, clearing up the menu system, fixing co-op play, and dozens of other targets. Think evolution and not, despite its narrative predisposition, revolution. Unfortunately, Fable 2's technical shortcomings weren't targeted and reappear - with a vengeance - in Fable 3, distracting from a mostly exceptional, albeit simplified, experience.

The story itself has been streamlined. How many of you can remember what happened in Fable 2? Despite the dozens of hours I spent playing the game, I couldn't recall what the Tattered Spire was built for when I spotted it from the shores of Fable 3's Driftwood. In comparison, Fable 3's structure provides a basic narrative arc - you go from revolutionary to ruler. Simple.

You play as a male or female hero, the child of Fable 2's Hero King or Queen (yes, it checks your save file). Your brother, Logan, has taken the throne and rules as a tyrant while the world of Albion is buzzing with revolutionary fervor. But who can lead them? After one particularly nasty turn by your brother, your character sets off with his or her mentor, Sir Walter, to do just that. The game's foil - which I won't spoil here - has even been simplified. Gone is Lord Lucien and his struggle for power (yeah, I looked it up on Wikipedia) and in his place is, well ... Evil. I'm glossing over the specifics because the writing is one area where Fable 3 really excels. Its story and, more importantly, its structure will help you keep the narrative thread, and not lose it amidst the bounty of distractions that Albion offers.

Sega West president Mike Hayes wouldn't disclose specific Vanquish sales numbers to IGN, but he did offer some hesitant praise for the shooter's sales. "It's been in the marketplace for two days," Hayes said. "We've seen the day one numbers and we're reasonably encouraged, but I think we need to see the rest of week one and probably week two just to see how it's going to play out." He also noted that the new IP faces tough competition from established franchises (like Fallout: New Vegas, which launched the same day).

"Reasonably encouraged" from a game company executive is reasonably troubling for our estimation of Vanquish's fortunes. We tend to expect publishers to overhype their games' success. If "reasonably encouraged" is Sega's spin, that's not great news for fans of Shinji Mikami's unique brand of smoking, shooting action. Though, of course, that's better than "disappointed," "humiliated," or "driven out of business."

#guesteditorial For PC Gaming Week, Kotaku has invited top people in video games to share their vision for the future of computer gaming. First up, Mark Skaggs, the man at social gaming juggernaut Zynga who led the creation of arguably the hottest PC game going: FarmVille. More »

Namco Bandai can't wait to introduce you to Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. The publisher announced that the North American release date for Game Republic's adventure, starring Tepeu and his awesome monster pal, has been moved forward a week from November 30 to November 23.

If you can't wait to play the game, a demo is available right now for Gold subscribers on Xbox Live Marketplace, and will be available on PSN later today. It features the first level of the game, in which Tepeu encounters the giant monster who would become his friend. Of course, not knowing how that plays out, Tepeu probably sees it as "encountering a giant monster," which is less heartwarming.