Some changes are coming to the Video Game Librarian soon. So if things look weird over the next few days, that’s why.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
January 9th, 2010 by JohnEA’s 2010-2011 Release Schedule, Big Announcements
February 8th, 2010 by JohnElectronic Arts has published a very large and very detailed release calendar for the rest of 2010 and early 2011 as part of their quarterly financial report. In addition to the obvious stuff (Medal of Honor, Madden NFL 11, NBA Live 11, FIFA 11, the recently announced NBA Jam reboot), EA has revealed a ton of games that it has in development, including a few never-before-seen bombshells.
For the Fall, EA plans to release Crysis 2, the next Next For Speed game (which is likely being developed by Criterion), two new editions of EA Sports Active (my guess is one for the Wii and one for the PS3/Xbox 360 after Natal and “The Wand” are released), The Sims 3 on consoles and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
In early 2011, EA will release Dead Space 2, a new Dragon Age title, another Need For Speed game, a new Sims game for the PC (The Sims 4?), a new Spore game (Spore 2?) and a shooter developed by Epic.
Which is a good note to end on as EA‘s 2010 looks epic. Click the “Read Full Post“ link for the full list. …Read Full Post…
Blaster Master Remake on WiiWare This Week
February 8th, 2010 by JohnSunsoft is jumping back into the American game market in a big way this week as they’ve added an enhanced remake of the NES classic Blaster Master to the Wii Shop Channel today. Titled Blaster Master Overdrive, the game is available to download for 1,000 Wii Points ($10).
A variety of puzzle games and platformers make up the rest of the new Wii Shop and DSiWare releases including Extreme Hangman, an extreme version of hangman for the DSi, Fieldrunners, a DSi tower defense game and Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom, a Virtual Cosnole re-release of the NES RPG.
More information on all of the new additions to the Wii Shop and DSi Shop can be found at the “Read Full Post” link. …Read Full Post…
Brock Lesnar Covers UFC 2010; New Details Announced
February 8th, 2010 by John
THQ has revealed that former WWE superstar and current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar will grace the cover of UFC Undisputed 2010 when it launches for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on May 25. A PSP version is scheduled for release later this year and THQ has also talked about bringing the series to the DS and Wii.
“Brock Lesnar’s intensity and relentless commitment to the sport of mixed martial arts, as well as to the UFC, make him a perfect candidate to be the cover athlete for UFC Undisputed 2010,” said Dana White, President, UFC. “You want to be a fighter? Videogamers and fight fans around the world need to step up to Brock’s level when they enter the virtual Octagon in UFC Undisputed 2010!”
THQ has also revealed a bevy of new gameplay details about the game including new gameplay modes, online play tweaks and a new fighting system known as the Sway System. Here’s the full rundown of new features, straight from THQ:
UFC Undisputed 2010 is the only mixed martial arts (MMA) videogame this year that will deliver the action, intensity and prestige of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Players will navigate an unparalleled roster of more than 100 prolific UFC fighters, each fully rendered to convey a photorealistic appearance. Prominent UFC personalities, including commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, veteran voice of the Octagon Bruce Buffer, the Octagon Girls, referees, trainers and more, will return to showcase an authentic and memorable UFC videogame experience.
Enhanced combat will offer players a new Sway System with full upper body and head movement that allows for the dodging of attacks. On the ground, a new Posture System will enable players to deliver stronger, fight-ending strikes from every position. In addition, players will manage Octagon control with new strikes, submissions, transitions and cage positions, as well as experience added realism with the introduction of Southpaw stance. Players will also enjoy customizable freedom with created fighters by combining moves from numerous MMA disciplines, including new moves taken from Sambo, Karate and Greco-Roman Wrestling, to become true mixed martial artists.
UFC Undisputed 2010 will encourage online camaraderie like never before, as players will have the ability to form fight camps and leagues, train like real-life UFC fighters and go online to compete against other camps in the virtual UFC world. Career Mode will also return, including a new “Game Is Watching You” system that will track every action and use this information to dictate in-game commentary, opponent intelligence and overall career progression. In addition, players will enhance their Career Mode experience through online co-op sparring sessions with their respective fight camps and form unique personalities for created fighters to increase their cred, popularity and sponsorships based on interactions during weigh-ins and interviews.
UFC Undisputed 2010 will also introduce players to three new gameplay modes. Title Mode will enable players to fight through one of UFC’s five official weight classes to earn and defend a championship belt. In Title Defense Mode, players will see a fighter’s condition remain persistent but offer milestone challenges built in along the way. In addition, the game’s Tournament Mode will allow players to explore up to 16-player individual and team tournaments within one system. The mode will be compatible with both UFC and created fighters, as well as deliver two unique gameplay styles. Arcade-style play will offer the ability to repeat a fighter’s appearance, while simulation play will limit fighter representation to one appearance.
Lego Star Wars III Announced
February 8th, 2010 by JohnThe saga continues! LucasArts and Travellers Tales has announced that Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars is in development and will be released this Fall for the DS, PC, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360.
The game will be based on the first two seasons of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars and it’ll contain all of the great features that made the first two Lego Star Wars games stand out. Lego Star Wars III will feature a level builder like the one last seen in Lego Indiana Jones 2 and “all new battle modes”:
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars will include all the characters from both seasons of the hugely popular animated television series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as well as some fan-favourite characters from the beloved theatrical Star Wars Saga. The game will feature brand new battle modes, giving players unique, head-to-head combat and an upgraded level builder, allowing the creation of customized bases and in-game battlefields. Play either as a Jedi or Separatist with all-new character abilities, such as Squad command, Lightsaber slicing, Lightsaber jumps, long distance Jedi attacks and Grapple Tie-Ups, all within a new, easy-to-navigate hub.
“LucasArts is an amazing partner, and working with them on the next iteration of the Lego Star Wars series continues to be a great experience,” said Tom Stone, director at TT Games. “The team at TT is working hard at making this simply the best Lego game ever with all new gameplay and features never before seen in a Lego game.”
New Releases (Week of 2/8/10)
February 8th, 2010 by JohnBioShock was one of the biggest surprises of 2007 and after a four-month delay, 2K Games is finally ready to retrun to Rapture with BioShock 2 this week. The PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 sequel comes from a new developer (2K Marin), but gives gamers the chance to play as the series’ iconic Big Daddy.
Also available this week is the next game from Dead Space-developers Visceral Games, Dante’s Inferno. The action-filled PS3 and Xbox 360 retelling of “The Divine Comedy” will debut with a fancy Super Bowl ad this Sunday before hitting stores on Tuesday. It will be joined by the PS3 version of Square Einx’s Star Ocean: The Last Hope International, a new action RPG for the Wii from Atlus in the form of Shiren the Wanderer and the latest Monkey Ball game from Sega, Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll for the Wii.
The full list of the rest of the new releases can be found below. …Read Full Post…
The Grinder Goes Multiplatform
February 5th, 2010 by JohnLast year around E3 time, High Voltage Software announced The Grinder, a Wii-exclusive first person shooter that took more than a few cues from Left 4 Dead. In a new interview with IGN, the Conduit developer revealed that the game will also be coming to the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 when its released in October 2011. Previously scheduled for a 2010 release, the delay is no doubt due to the game’s new multiplatform status.
High Voltage plans to talk more about the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of The Grinder at the Game Developer’s Conference in March, but they did reveal plenty of new information in the IGN interview.
First of all, the game will run on an enhanced version of the company’s Quantum 3 engine. The game will also include a “lengthy story mode and an experience system that promotes replayability.” High Voltage also plans to release “regular” downloadable content for the game, which they will reveal more about at GDC.
Like Left 4 Dead, The Grinder will include an extensive co-op mode, but High Voltage was a bit more cagey over whether or not the game would include versus multiplayer with Chief Creative Officer Eric Nofsinger saying “We cannot confirm or deny the inclusion of a versus mode… but I can say that we have often spoken about it and how cool it would be to include it.”
Nofsinger continued on by saying that High Voltage plans to listen to the fans during the development of The Grinder to make it the best game possible: “[W]e would love to hear from you. As many of you know, the fans played a huge role in the development of The Conduit and we are anxious to hear what people think. Stand up and be heard. I promise you, we are listening!”
Finally, IGN has posted a new trailer for the game that is just monster-riffic:
Choose the Madden NFL 11 Cover Athlete
February 5th, 2010 by JohnElectronic Arts and Doritos are giving gamers quite a bit of power with their new “Change the Game” promotion. They are allowing us to decide the next victim of the Madden Cover Curse. Wait, wait, wait. That’s not right. What they’re actually doing is allowing fans to choose who graces the cover of Madden NFL 11. But as the cover and the Cover Curse are so closely linked, it might be tempting to vote for the player you like the least instead of the player you like the most.
After going to DoritosChangeTheGame.com, fans can select from one of three finalists (two of which will be competing in this weekend’s Super Bowl):
You can enter a vote for the player of your choice once per day. And voters will be entered into a weekly sweepstakes for a trip for two to this April’s NFL Draft in New York City.
Madden NFL 11 will be released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 this August.
L.A. Noire Coming to PS3 and Xbox 360
February 5th, 2010 by JohnGame Informer plans to blow the lid off the long-simmering 1940s detective story, L.A. Noire, when its March issue hits newsstands in a few days. Previously a PlayStation 3 exclusive, according to the magazine, the game will also be hitting the Xbox 360 when its released…
Matthew Kato: “It’s not a PS3-exclusive. It was at one point, but it’s coming out for the PS3 and 360.”
With the issue of exclusivity all sorted out (Rockstar hinted at an Xbox 360 version as far back as 2007), the big question now is when will L.A. Noire be released? Perhaps that little tidbit of information will be revealed in Game Informer’s massive 10-page preview. It will also include an in-depth discussion with developer Team Bondi, some new details on the “groundbreaking facial-animation system” and “it might change the way we look at games from now on.” At least, that’s what Game Informer says.
Microsoft Shutting Down Live For Original Xbox Games
February 5th, 2010 by JohnMicrosoft has announced that they will be discontinung online play over the Xbox Live service for the original Xbox system (and Xbox games played on an Xbox 360 through backwards compatibility) on April 15, 2010.
And yes, that applies to Halo 2 as well. Xbox Live General Manager Mark Whitten had this to say about the game’s affect on the growth of the online service:
“There’s no greater example of the power of the Xbox Live community than the Halo franchise. Halo 2 has had an amazing run on Live, with a dedicated community more than five years after launch and well into the next generation of consoles. It has fundamentally changed the way we play video games. And while it’s difficult to see that run come to an end, the Halo franchise continues to act as the benchmark for multiplayer gaming in this generation, with Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and soon Halo: Reach on Xbox 360.”
Whitten continues by saying that Microsoft did not come to this decision lightly, but the discontinuation of the Live service for Xbox gamers was required due to the improvements the company wants to make to the service: “To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox v1 games.”
In the past, Microsoft has talked about wanting to expand the number of Friends each Xbox Live user can have (the current cap is 100), but that they couldn’t because the code in some original Xbox games wouldn’t let them.
While Whitten did not say if a cap increase is in the cards, he did say that changes will be coming this year and that he believes “we’ll look back on 2010 as a landmark year in gaming and home entertainment.”
ModNation Racers Coming to PSP Too
February 5th, 2010 by JohnSony has announced (via the PlayStation.Blog) that developer Sony San Diego is working on a PSP version of United Front Games’ ModNation Racers. The “Play. Create. Share.” kart racer will be released at the same time as the previously announced PlayStation 3 version, but right now that date is “TBA”.
According to Jeff Rubenstein, Sony’s Social Media Manager, the PSP version of ModNation Racers will include all of the same features as the PS3 version (as well as a six-player local multiplayer mode):
I was down at San Diego Studios this week, where the team demoed Mod creation, Kart customization, full track creation, single and online-multiplayer modes; basically, everything that you’re expecting from the PS3 version of MNR. How did they manage to jam all that into the PSP? That’s a story for another day.
You can see just how well the PSP version stacks up against the PS3 version in this announcement trailer:
