All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

We've said it many times and in many ways: Alan Wake is pretty great. For a mere $20, Buy.com is offering new copies of the game, a positively wonderful deal. Since they're new, they should have a free code for the first DLC 'The Signal.' We'd kinda like a sequel, so go buy a copy.

Check out more screens in our Flickr set Teyon, a successful video games developer and publisher, revealed today that their next downloadable title, Heavy Fire: Black Arms, is coming soon to the Nintendo WiiWare™ service. Set on a dangerous campaign in a South American jungle in a continuation of the popular WiiWare game Heavy Fire: [...]

#xbox360kinect This is your guide to everything you need to know about Xbox 360 Kinect: how it works, what it costs, and what games you can play on it. More »

1. Qualitative Information on Consolidated Results for the Six-Month PeriodEnded September 30, 2010 (1) Qualitative information on consolidated business results The Square Enix Group (the “Group”) is continuing determined efforts to strengthen the competitivenessand profitability of its business segments of Digital Entertainment, Amusement, Publication andMerchandising. Net sales for the six-month period ended September 30, 2010 totaled ¥68,056 million [...]

Here’s something a little strange. Earlier int the week we learned that Tecmo Koei was bringing Samurai Warriors 3Z to the PlayStation 3 and Samurai Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends to the Wii. There’s one thing that the initial report didn’t mention though. These are the same games with two different names. [...]

The PS3′s massive, ever-changing global war just got bigger! Starting today our “Escalation Add-on Pack” introduces the exciting three-faction “Escalation” game mode that throws Raven, SVER and Valor into simultaneous battle on three brand new maps. As an added bonus, Escalation owners also get their hands on nine exclusive new weapons — including assault rifles, sniper rifles, and machine guns! The best part? All this can be yours for the low, low price of $9.99.

To commemorate the release of our new DLC, we’re also unleashing a variety of special offers to our existing and future fans. Here’s our list of deals:

• Escalation Add-on Pack: $7.99 Through November 9 (until 11:59pm Pacific), anyone who purchased our previous DLC pack, Interdiction, prior to Midnight Pacific Time on October 28 gets 20% off the Escalation asking price!
• Interdiction Add-on Pack: $4.99, reduced from its original price of $9.99; this is a permanent adjustment
• MAG Starter Kit: $14.99 Valued at almost $30, it’s everything new MAG users would want: Both the Interdiction and Escalation Add-on packs, a 30-day trial for MAG character slots B and C, six official MAG PS3 avatars that sport Raven, SVER, and Valor characters and badges, and three dynamic PS3 themes (one for each PMC).
• PlayStation Plus Members receive special bargains as well. Through December 14, “PS+” members can purchase Escalation at the discounted price of $7.99 and Interdiction at half price, for only $2.50!

But we’re not done yet. Gamers that play any of our add-on packs between November 2 and November 14 get additional XP bonuses. Specifically, anyone who plays Interdiction or Escalation within that timeframe earns a +200% bonus with every finished match. We’re also including an all-around +100% bonus for playing any MAG mode within the same time frame. In other words, it’s going to be a MAG XP frenzy!

One last thing we want to mention before we go, is how Escalation fits into MAG’s storyline. Followers of the game’s mythos have been asking us, and it goes a little something like this:

The Neuvonics Corporation has collapsed in the wake of rapid expansion and spending on cutting-edge energy facilities around the world. Three of their most prized investments are up for grabs after on-site personnel walked out late last week. It stands to reason that the security contract for these facilities will go to the company who possesses them, which is why Valor, Raven and SVER operatives are currently en route. Once the dust settles, if their energy production remains intact, the PMC in control stands to make a fortune from these contracts in the years to come.

For additional details regarding Escalation’s gameplay, including a detailed description of the game mode itself and the maps within, check our list of links below. Enjoy the new content!

• MAG Escalation Announcement (w/ Weapons)
• Escalation Map Video Flythroughs
• Escalation: A Closer Look

Want to talk about it? Visit our official MAG forums by clicking this link and discuss Escalation with your fellow fans!

#kinect Kinect works by projecting infared light throughout the room it's situated in. Under normal circumstances, it's invisible, but switch to night vision mode and you can actually see the dots floating around your living room. More »

The latest Xbox 360 Dashboard update didn't just make the Avatars taller and give you the ability to navigate its menus with your mind -- it also made the illicit enterprise of pirates just a little bit more difficult. According to Digital Foundry, the hardware now institutes a series of checks, which hackers refer to as "AP 2.5," that work in conjunction with "security sectors" embedded in the disc. If the checks come back negative, the player receives a "dirty disc" error and his or her console is flagged for permaban.

Pirates can hypothetically avoid these checks by not updating to the new firmware, though this will prevent them from playing on Xbox Live ... which kind of defeats the purpose of avoiding the permaban. Man, it's hard out there for a buccaneer.

Company doubles earnings over last year.

Company doubles earnings over last year.

Company doubles earnings over last year.

Microsoft says the future of gaming starts today with Kinect, but this man obviously disagrees. The Time is Fulfilled ... The End is at Hand. After last night's Kinect launch festivities, you might be inclined to agree.

Company doubles earnings over last year.

Make the walls bleed in this ghostly freebie.

#rumor It looks as if the studio that brought us Xbox Live's 1 Vs. 100 has a new episodic game show in the works, as beta test emails go out for Microsoft Game Studios' Full House Poker. More »

Rango the video game to launch alongside Paramount Pictures' upcoming animated feature film.

Rango the video game to launch alongside Paramount Pictures' upcoming animated feature film.

Rango the video game to launch alongside Paramount Pictures' upcoming animated feature film.

Rango the video game to launch alongside Paramount Pictures' upcoming animated feature film.

#pressplay Zombie horror game Dead Rising was inspired by George Romero's zombie horror films, like Dawn of the Dead. But that wasn't enough! Former Dead Rising producer Keiji Inafune made his first — and last — film for Capcom, Shibyou Osen DEAD RISING. More »

Net revenues for Konami's Digital Entertainment division were up in its first half of fiscal 2011 (April through September), pulling in 53.1 billion yen ($655.7 million) vs. last year's 51.4 billion yen ($634.7). The growth comes almost entirely from the "Computer & Video Games" group within the division.

The results can be attributed to two games in particular: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Winning Eleven, both of which were cited in Konami's Q1 report as well, and whose sales "progressed favorably," according to the latest report. Because of these games, the PS3 and PSP accounted for 57% of Konami's video game business.

Konami's Japan-only DS dating simulator Love Plus Plus has also proven successful for the company, which said it "could be called a social phenomenon in Japan." Konami is following it up with a 3DS sequel and two arcade games. So there you have it -- love and peace!

Hello everyone! This is John Bates and Jennifer Pourchot from Pelfast. Pelfast is a small indie startup located in sunny California. Our debut title, Comet Crash, turned the tower defense genre on its head with completely new and exciting gameplay and we’re hard at working wrapping up a massive expansion, titled Comet Crash: Bionic Swarm. For those unfamiliar with the original Comet Crash, here’s a quick rundown.

Tower defense fans appreciate the simple yet addictive experience of building towers to defend from enemy waves. On the other hand, we at Pelfast love the thrill of a massive offensive rush to demolish an enemy base. We designed Comet Crash with both of these elements in mind. Finally, you can send massive swarms of your own troops to wreak havoc on the relentless waves of enemies.

Since your last mission at the end of Comet Crash, you have enjoyed peaceful times. But while you have been delighting in the fruits of your latest victory, underground enemy forces have been frantically working to rebuild their defenses. Their technology has expanded and once again they are ready to fight.

Welcome to comets Gaia and Kronos. The swarms are massive and the creatures have morphed into gargantuan monsters. Life is a bit more chaotic here and you will need all of your skills if you hope to survive these dangerous lands.

Gaia is a lush and savage landscape where enemy forces have been hiding out conducting experiments on their militant troops. Updated intel reveal they have mastered technology that transmogrifies existing fighters into hideous and powerful swarm creatures. If you hope to survive the no-man’s land of this comet it is crucial that you loot guarded research and use it to convert your own fighters into invading beasts as well as harness the power of guided missiles in order to blast your way through enemy territory.

Should you survive Gaia you will be transported to Kronos. Before it was ravaged by enemy forces, Kronos served as a bustling metropolis and was a primary research station for offensive weaponry. Enemy forces recently invaded Kronos, stealing local research with diabolical plans of evading your increasingly ingenious attacks. Once you gain the technology to cultivate hordes of Kamikaze fighters and master the art of missile defense you may have a fighting chance at survival. Be prepared for a battle of epic proportions — to survive Kronos you must be cunning, stealthy, and strategic.

Comet Crash: Bionic Swarm will be available on the PlayStation Network in coming weeks.
Thanks for reading!

#ps3 City Interactive brings the head exploding fun of Sniper: Ghost Warrior to the PlayStation 3 next year, with updated graphics and plenty of exclusive content for Sony sniping fans. More »

Are you ready for the first shot across the bow from the season of Black Friday? This Friday and Saturday only, Best Buy will mark down the price of the PSP Go to a far more reasonable $150. Keep in mind, though -- it's limited to one per customer. Don't get carried away, guys.

• PSP Go -- $149.99, down from $199.99

The people behind Blood Stone and Goldeneye tell us how they brought Bond from the big screen.

The people behind Blood Stone and Goldeneye tell us how they brought Bond from the big screen.

#augmentedreality Apple explores the awesome potential of augmented reality in a patent application that describes a multiplayer shooter that allows players to track each other for real using networked iPhones. More »

Team Meat is wrapping up the Super Meat Boy patch that addresses the auto-save glitch and, in fact, "all known bugs" in the Xbox Live Arcade game. The free title update will also include 20 new levels and a new music track, Team Meat tweets, and it's expected to be completed this week and "hopefully will be up soon" (pending Microsoft's approval). Also, if for some really stupid reason you haven't picked up the game yet -- those few bugs be damned -- the launch sale is still "going for another week" (from yesterday).

In other Meat Boy news: The Steam release for PC is still being targeted for the last week of November (with the Mac version coming "after" that). Over the past few days, Team Meat has peppered the @SuperMeatBoy feed with irresistible morsels plucked from the Steam game: 30-plus achievements, "most rejected by MS for their difficulty"? Check! Level editor? You bethca. Mr. Minecraft and five additional "exclusive" characters that'll make you change your pants? Uh-huh -- and that's not even counting the returning warp zone unlockables. Yeah but, how about a launch sale for this Steam version? No doubt.

Okay, that does it! We're buying Super Meat Boy ... again. Yes, "buy em both!" agrees Team Meat. "2 almost identical games for 1/3rd the price of Fallout New Vegas! So worth it .... (no seriously it's worth it)."

[Pictured: "Mr. Minecraft" unlock screen character art (PC version); source: Twitpic]