Its been just about about 5 years since the Xbox 360 was released and 4 years since Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii have been on store shelves. Some are already talking about the announcement of the eighth generation console(s) coming as soon as this E3; some say it’ll happen next year and few say it might not even happen anytime soon. Either way — new consoles or not — change is always coming. With Sony repeating the idea that they are “future proof”, and as expensive as their console is (or ‘was’ depending on your preference) you can count on it lasting you for at least a decade. I think it’s safe to say there won’t be an announcement from Sony anytime soon for a Playstation 4 and Nintendo seems to be content with their stance in the market at the moment. So if there was an announcement of a new console coming soon most will suspect it will be Microsoft; while many beg to differ with the approach of the “Natal” release and some speculate that it wouldn’t be that far-fetched of an idea if Microsoft was already planning on a next-gen console to release as soon as 2011 or 2012 with Natal compatibility.
Whoa, what a great looking game this is turning out to be. This new trailer shows off some nice looking environments ranging from desert, forestry, and even back to some snowy climates. It starts off a bit slow showing off the CGI cutscenes but it picks up halfway through where it starts into new details. After some brief gameplay, it details their customization options of the characters, goes into some new weapons, and ends with a wide arrange of the enemies you will be facing. To make things simple, watch this trailer because it is damn gorgeous.
After playing the beta for a few days, I’ve compiled a list of strategies and tips to help you in your racing. If you’re wondering if I have the credentials to write this, don’t worry; I’ve done quite well so far. I’ve taken first place in over a third of my races, and have placed in the top three in about 95% of my races. If you want just general information, check our full preview, but if you want the strategies to win, read on.
So I’ve spent the last few days playing the beta for Blur, one of this spring’s high-octane street racers (the other one being Split/Second). Its being developed by Bizarre Creations, the makers of the Project Gotham Racing series. They were famous for how well made the PGR series was, and from the look of Blur so far, they are going to keep that good reputation.
Fable II might have sold fairly well, but famed developer Peter Molyneux (the creator) had some discouraging things to say about it. “We’re creating content that people literally don’t care about,” said Molyneux.
The comment was in response to a Microsoft study, which found that a majority of Fable 2 users understood less than half of the game’s features. Molyneux was speaking with Joystiq about the upcoming Fable 3, and fortunately, went into details about how he plans to make the new RPG more relevant.
The newest Rock Band retail game, focused solely on punk-rock group Green Day, is coming on June 8 to all three next-gen consoles. The game will be similar to the Beatles Rock Band, featuring character models of the band members, three-part vocal harmonies, a tour mode focusing on their career, and a large collection of their music.
The game will feature 47 tracks, all of which can be exported to a hard drive for use in the main Rock Band games. There are songs from throughout Green Day’s career, including modern hits like “Americana Idiot,” “Wake Me Up When September End,” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” alongside older songs like “Brain Stew” and “Jaded.” Gamers can also play the 6 previously released DLC tracks in the game with new animations and features.
Some gamers have questioned the choice of Green Day for the new music game, but among punk-rock bands they are definitely one of the biggest. They’ve won multiple Grammy Awards, have multi-platinum records, and are one of the few modern bands featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio. Harmonix and MTV call them the “band that jump-started the punk-pop revival and has continued to pave the way for American rock music into the 21st century.” After how long they’ve been around, they certainly have a lot of fans out there.
We’ve been waiting a long time for the rumored God of War movie, but we’re getting a remake of Clash of the Titans instead. The action movie looks decent, but we’ll have to wait and see if the video game tie-in is worth the cash. The movie should certainly benefit from the mythology craze surrounding Kratos’ third chapter, but will gamers still be playing God of War 3 when the Clash game hits?
Take a look at these new screens, and let us know if you’d pick this up as an extra Greek mythos fix. Or, let us know your theory on why the baddie in screen 10 is so damn ugly.
We told you that we’d have more details, and here they are. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light was just shown off at the Game Developer’s Conference, so we’ve got tons of details. The biggest news? A change of gameplay styles for the lady tomb raider, and the inclusion of co-op! Hit the jump for the full preview.
Street Fighter came back last year stronger than ever showing that 2-D fighters are still popular and still looking damn good. The last character got announced today looking completely ridiculous and could be a nice addition to the roster. Many are looking bad at this game wondering why people bought the inferior version and didn’t wait out for this one but it looks like the game will have enough to justify its reduced price of $39.99. Is Hakan supposed to be a devilish character with his red skin or is he just pumped too many steroids into his body; the guy looks a bit ridiculous…
Do we heap an unfair amount of expectations on Nintendo? Hmmm…Perhaps the best way to answer this is to consider the level of expectations you hold for a Nintendo-developed title…Yeah, poor Nintendo…So it’ll be a difficult task, indeed, for Nintendo to build a new Zelda title that will please everybody.
So in the spirit of love for our friendly neighborhood big business, here are a few suggestions for the next Wii Zelda title. +Continue Reading
One year after it was unveiled at the 2009 Game Developers Conference, OnLive finally has a launch date. Company CEO Steve Perlman announced today at his keynote at the GamesBeat mini-conference at GDC 2010 that OnLive will go live on June 17. The service will initially be available as an application for the Windows and Mac operating systems, with a micro-console that can be attached directly to HDTVs to arrive later on in the year.
OnLive’s launch will be limited to the contiguous lower 48 United States, will cost $14.95 per month and the first 25,000 thousand people to sign up will have the service fee waived for three months. OnLive’s monthly fee does not include the purchase price of games themselves, which can be rented or bought from publishers directly at a lower-than-retail price. The June launch will only be the start of the OnLive rollout. The service will offer 1080p high-definition gaming at 60 frames per second starting in 2011.
So $15 bucks a month, 1080p, 60 FPS and lag free? While it sounds great on paper, I’m still skeptical about how good their servers will run. Still, they have quite a nice line-up of games that will be available to download so I’m still anxious to see the reception it receives once June 17 rolls around. What do you think?
Bad Company 2 has some serious competition, having arrived after the likes of the Modern Warfare series and the epic story that it told through the single player. Bad Company is up for the challenge, making a game that is vastly superior to the first while poking fun of the competition which helps set the mood that is the Bad Company atmosphere. Dice knows how to make a fun multiplayer experience, but the single player of the first bogged the title down and didn’t make the dent it needed to be that great title that gamers talk about for years. I can safely say Bad Company 2 is overall a better game, making the story more enjoyable to play through and creating a new layer to the multiplayer to keep you coming back for more. +Continue Reading
