All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Players get more reasons to play Paradox Interactive games in 2011.

#feature You've never heard of this video game. It's only one machine, playable in one city and, generously estimating, maybe it makes a dollar a day. Nothing about the game suggests it's someone's meal ticket, but it is. For life. More »

Deep Silver's superbike racing game out now.

A new MMO approaches.

I’m excited to share some great news regarding the US SingStore. Many of you have expressed your frustration over the months on the difference in songs on the US and European SingStore. Your voices have been heard and we’re happy to announce today that we have secured an agreement in the US with Universal Music, the world’s leading music company.

So what does this mean for you SingStar fans? This means that moving forward SingStar updates will be one and the same for both stores, and that fans in the US will have access to the same great music and artists as our friends across the pond. In addition to delivering new Universal content to the SingStore, we’ll also be going back and releasing tons of songs in large updates that previously have only been available on the European SingStore as our way of thanking you for your patience as we worked to negotiate this contract.

So, get ready as the first update with Universal content is coming this Wednesday, December 15th. Over 64 new songs will be added to the store this week from popular and legendary artists such as Lady Gaga, Rick James, Lil Wayne, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rihanna, U2, Timbland, Black Eyed Peas, Nirvana, and many more. Ten new song packs also will be added to the store and highlights include rockers Bon Jovi and Kings of Leon, as well as packs from Lady Gaga, Jackson 5, and Sum 41. And this is just the beginning, as there will be lots more great Universal content to come in 2011.

For all you SingStar Dance fans, 11 additional SingStore songs from artists including Ciara, Sister Sledge, P!nk and more have been dance enabled for some dancing fun with PlayStation Move. The full track list for this week’s update is included below, as well as the breakdown on song and dance-enabled track pricing. So, if you’re looking for a way to entertain the family during the holiday break, dust off your vocal cords, break out the dancing shoes and get your SingStar on! See you in 2011 with the next SingStore update…

New SingStar Tracks – $1.49 Each:

• 10CC, I’m Not In Love
• Aled Jones, Walking In The Air
• Aswad, Don’t Turn Around
• Bing Crosby, Auld Lang Syne
• Black Eyed Peas, Shut Up
• Buggles, Video Killed The Radio Star
• Celine Dion, O Holy Night
• Cheryl Cole, Fight For This Love
• Cliff Richard, Saviour’s Day
• David Essex, A Winter’s Tale
• Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations, I Second That Emotion
• Doris Day, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
• Duffy, Mercy
• Elton John, Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time)
• Elton John, Step Into Christmas
• Gwen Stefani, 4 In The Morning
• Iggy Pop, Real Wild Child (Wild One)
• James Morrison, You Give Me Something
• James Morrison feat. Nelly Furtado, Broken Strings
• Johnny Mathis, When A Child Is Born
• Lady Gaga, Bad Romance
• Lady Gaga, LoveGame
• Lady Gaga, Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)
• Lady Gaga, Poker Face
• Lady Gaga feat Colby O’Donis, Just Dance
• Lil Wayne, Go D.J.
• Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sweet Home Alabama
• Martha Reeves, Dancing in The Street
• Morrissey, First Of The Gang To Die
• Nat King Cole, A Cradle In Bethlehem
• Nirvana, Come As You Are
• Patsy Cline, Crazy
• Pereza, Lady Madrid
• Propaganda, Dr. Mabuse
• Rick James, Super Freak
• Rihanna, We Ride
• Steppenwolf, Born To Be Wild
• Stereo MC’s, Connected
• Taio Cruz, Break Your Heart
• Take That, Back For Good
• Take That, Could It Be Magic
• Take That, Promises
• Take That, Everything Changes
• Take That, Sure
• The All-American Rejects, Move Along
• The Beach Boys, Wouldn’t It Be Nice
• The Exponents, Why Does Love Do This To Me
• The Hives, Tick Tick Boom
• The Jackson 5, Mama’s Pearl
• The Jackson 5, Never Can Say Goodbye
• The Jackson 5, I’ll Be There
• The Jackson 5, Dancing Machine
• The Jackson 5, ABC
• The Kinks, You Really Got Me
• The Mamas & The Papas, California Dreamin’
• The Supremes, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
• Tiffany, I Think We’re Alone Now
• Timbaland feat. One Republic, Apologize
• U2, With Or Without You
• Wolfmother, Woman
• Dance Add-Ons – $0.49 to Upgrade:
• Tiffany, I Think We’re Alone Now
• Cheryl Cole, Fight For This Love
• Pink, Get The Party Started
• Rick Astley, Never Gonna Give You Up
• Ciara, One Two Step
• a-ha, Take On Me [ORIG]
• Sister Sledge, We Are Family
• Nena, 99 Red Balloons
• Avril Lavigne, Sk8er Boi [NTSC]
• 2 Unlimited, No Limit
• Lady Gaga feat Colby O’Donis, Just Dance

The Jackson 5 Song Pack – $6.99:

• Mama’s Pearl
• Never Can Say Goodbye
• I’ll Be There
• Dancing Machine
• ABC

Lady Gaga Song Pack – $6.99:

• Bad Romance
• LoveGame
• Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)
• Just Dance (Featuring Colby O’Donis)
• Poker Face

Kings of Leon Song Pack – $6.99:

• Sex On Fire
• Use Somebody
• Charmer
• On Call
• Molly’s Chambers

Bon Jovi: Ballads Song Pack – $6.99:

• Blaze Of Glory
• Bed Of Roses
• I’ll Be There For You
• Wanted Dead or Alive
• Always
• Bon Jovi: Rock Song Pack – $6.99:
• Livin’ On A Prayer
• It’s My Life
• You Give Love A Bad Name
• Born To Be My Baby
• We Weren’t Born To Follow

Sum 41 Song Pack – $6.99:

• With Me
• Walking Disaster
• Still Waiting
• Pieces
• In Too Deep

Alternative 80s Song Pack – $6.99:

• The Stranglers, Always the Sun
• The Mission, Tower of Strength
• The Damned, Shadow of Love
• Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Passenger
• The House Of Love, Christine

80s Part 2 Song Pack – $6.99:

• MC Hammer, Can’t Touch This
• Thompson Twins, Hold Me Now
• Rick Astley, Never Gonna Give You Up
• Tiffany, I Think We’re Alone Now
• Duran Duran, Hungry Like The Wolf

Soft Rock Ballads Song Pack – $6.99:

• Toto, Hold The Line
• Mr. Big, To Be With You
• Whitney Houston, Greatest Love Of All
• Elton John, Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time)
• Foreigner, I Want To Know What Love Is

Top Tracks of 2010 Song Pack – $6.99:

• Cheryl Cole, Fight For This Love
• James Morrison feat. Nelly Furtado, Broken Strings
• Timbaland feat. One Republic, Apologize
• Kelly Clarkson, Since U Been Gone
• Black Eyed Peas, Shut Up

Failing to learn one of the very important lessons of video game hype, Guillermo Del Toro and his pals at THQ revealed today that their collaboration will be for not one game but a trilogy. Don't they know their history? More »

With a quick tease during this past weekend's Spike VGAs, Turn 10 Studios revealed its next project: Forza Motorsport 4. Microsoft confirmed today that Forza 4 will feature Kinect functionality -- the teaser trailer we've dropped after the break shows a brief moment that looks identical to a few of the features we saw at E3 this year.

Additionally, the studio is working with the US version of Top Gear "to create an automotive experience unlike anything before it" -- perhaps Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has been cloned and will ship with copies of the game, cheering and jeering players as they pilot supercars? That remains to be seen. What we do know is that Forza 4 will drift into retail outlets sometime next fall.

Blizzard sells more then 3.3 million copies in one day.

Half of everyone on the planet plays World of Warcraft -- that's just scientific fact -- so, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the game's recently released expansion made quite a splash on its launch day. According to Blizzard's calculations, the Cataclysm add-on sold 3.3 million units within 24 hours of its release, becoming the "fastest-selling PC game of all time." The previous record holder? World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, which sold 2.8 million copies in one day back in 2008.

Frankly, we're a little appalled at Blizzard. Like, they've obviously found a golden goose here. Why not let other developers create World of Warcraft expansions as well, giving them a chance to capitalize on this lucrative market? Why are they being so darn greedy?

In what is perhaps the best news about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim so far, Bethesda confirmed via a tweet that the game's engine is "brand new ... and it's spectacular!"

That's meaningless info to most, but for those of us who follow games a little too closely, "brand new engine" is more significantly "not Gamebryo," the troubled, notoriously glitchy skeleton inside Bethesda products like Fallout 3 and a few other titles, including the recent Epic Mickey. Bethesda community man Nick Breckon later tweeted that the new engine was built internally by the company.

Will it still feel like a Bethesda game if faces don't occasionally turn inside out, dislodge from their bodies and fly around the room? We'll find out when Skyrim launches on Xbox 360, PC and PS3 on November 11.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

#thehorror That "on crack" bit isn't me being rude. That's what the guy who made these figures said — that they look like they're on crack. More »

In what is perhaps the best news about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim so far, Bethesda confirmed via a tweet that the game's engine is "brand new ... and it's spectacular!"

That's meaningless info to most, but for those of us who follow games a little too closely, "brand new engine" is more significantly "not Gamebryo," the troubled, notoriously glitchy skeleton inside Bethesda products like Fallout 3 and a few other titles, including the recent Epic Mickey. Bethesda community man Nick Breckon later tweeted that the new engine was built internally by the company.

Will it still feel like a Bethesda game if faces don't occasionally turn inside out, dislodge from their bodies and fly around the room? Only time will tell.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

#pc The latest expansion pack for World of Warcraft crushed the last 24-hour sales record set by the massively popular, massively online computer game, selling 3.3 million copies in a single day. More »

Electronic Arts confirmed this morning that Mass Effect 3 will launch simultaneously on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC in holiday 2011. This marks the first time the franchise will set foot on all consoles on the same day. The first installment is still not available on the PS3, while the critically acclaimed sequel will "save the lost" on Sony's console beginning January 18.

Mass Effect 3 was officially unveiled over the weekend at the 2010 Spike VGAs. As evidenced by the trailer and the description from the EA Store last week, the "final" chapter in the Mass Effect saga will see Shepard saving Earth from the Reaper invasion. Come on, Shepard has saved the galaxy twice now -- he (or she) should have no difficulty saving one measly planet.

#sony Howard Stringer is the bossman at Sony, running the show. He's not Japanese, but a Welsh-born American. And according to one former Sony exec, a foreigner never should have run the company. More »

Due to issues beyond our control, a nasty, disgusting and horrific zombie outbreak has occurred and we need you to help prove your nation is the best in world at fighting the zombie infection.

Dead Nation has a unique online component which we call the metagame. It means that every time you kill a zombie, we know about it and so does the game. The metagame uses that information to track many things. So, every single zombie kill counts!

Every single dirt-ridden, disgusting sack of flesh you kill will count towards clearing the virus in your country. The more zombies you and your countrymen kill, the quicker the virus will be cleared.

Below is a snapshot of part of the Metagame:

Currently selected country. Player’s statistics. Statistics about the currently selected country. Ticker texts which displays various information about the global status, player’s country status, player’s friends and about the player. Access to more in-depth detailed statistics.

The metagame features an interactive map of the world, which can be used to access all the information. For example if you want to see who the best player in Japan is, you would select the country on the map to get that information. You can also easily check if any of your PSN friends live in that country and how well they are doing compared to their fellow countrymen. Can you be the best in your country?

The metagame also informs you which player is currently the best zombie killer in the world; best in your country of origin; and best amongst your friends.

On a higher level, the metagame tracks which country is the best in eradicating the zombie threat. This aspect can be seen as “Zombie killing World Championships.” It will be interesting to see which country will come on top and if they are able to hold that position.

Every country is ranked, so that you’ll be able to see how your homeland is progressing against your nearest ally or foe; and as you progress through the virus cycles it is worth keeping an eye out. Who knows when things might change?

Although the basic premise of the metagame is to see how your nation is progressing, it really does much more than that, and will take on a game of its own as it organically grows over the months and years after release. We’ll be keeping a close eye on it and are most definitely planning on supporting the Dead Nation community!

#gameface Codemasters shows off racing game F1 2010 in Tokyo, complete with racing wheel and "race queens". As seen on Game Watch Impress. More »

#nintendo There's a great piece up on Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto over on the New York Times, and while we knew much of what's been written, one thing stands out: the guy's being forced to drive to work! More »

#art Street Fighter and Sesame Street? Mario and Sesame Street worked just fine, so sure, why the hell not. More »

#japan When not making new Final Fantasy games, Square Enix likes to remake old Final Fantasy games. There's one title in particular that the company cannot stop remaking, though I really wish it would. More »

#totalrecall You'll usually find something being crammed in a "blister pack" when it's an action figure or a control pad. You don't normally see video games shipped that way. More »

Activision's money-maker holds off the competition yet again.

#the3rdbirthday Japanese actress Rei Okamoto might not be voicing protagonist Aya Brea in upcoming PSP title The 3rd Birthday, but that doesn't stop her from posing with a pistol and dangerously short shorts. More »

#squareenix This new Tomb Raider game is being hailed as a reboot of the series. Really? If my PC had to be rebooted as many times as this franchise, I'd have thrown it out years ago. More »

#uncharted This is, wait for it, a making-of clip for a trailer. Silly, we know, but you may want to click play anyways and skip straight to 3:57, because buried amidst the back-slapping is a cool sight. More »

#spike The Spike Video Game Awards were a great piece of entertainment, weren't they? We got a Mass Effect 3 trailer, an Elder Scrolls V reveal, an amazing Batman trailer and awards for…hrm... More »

#culturesmash Legislation was passed today in Tokyo that some contend not only robs creators of their freedom of speech, but is unfair. More »

Square Enix combines the original FFIV with The After Years on one UMD.

#elderscrolls While the reveal of a new Elder Scrolls game was a blast, it wasn't the best piece of Elder Scrolls new to come out of the weekend. No, the other piece is much more exciting. More »