It's been a while chums, my apologies for not putting up a news article in a while. I'm sure you'll agree though, there's been quite a number of AAA titles launched in the past month and they all needed to be played. So, on with the show.
Best Buy Europe, a venture which is part owned by both Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse, has announced the closure of all 11 of its UK megastores with approximately 1100 jobs being affected. Most of the affected workers will be redeployed to Carphone Warehouse stores, with some of these retail outlets being re-branded as "Wireless World". The Best Buy UK experiment lasted just over 18 months but was brought to a close due to disappointing sales figures, most likely a result of the economic downturn. Plans to open Megastores across Europe as well as China have also been shelved. It's a real shame that so many people will be affected by this withdrawal from the UK but it's encouraging to see that they will be re-deployed where possible. On a positive note it would be safe to assume that when the 11 stores close at the end of the year there will be plenty of bargains to be had...
It's over a week since DC Universe Online went free-to-play but there's been some encouraging news for Sony Online Entertainment. SOE president John Smedley tweeted recently that the in game population numbers for the game have risen by 1000% compared to pre free-to-play figures. Gamers are always fond of a bargain, and free is as good a deal as you can get for a game that originally cost £40 plus a yearly subscription to play. Friend of the show Darragh O'Connor downloaded the PS3 version last night while I myself will be shortly. I'll be giving my thoughts on the F2P version of the game during episode 14 of the Killer Keyboard podcast next week.
Rockstar's Dan Houser certainly isn't backwards in coming forwards with his thoughts on the 3D revolution that's sweeping the Movie and Video games scene. In an interview with Variety magazine he said -"I don't think anyone has solved the riddle of how you make 3D an integral part of the gaming experience,"While this certainly doesn't mean he's not a fan of 3D, it does indicate that perhaps Max Payne 3 and GTA V might not be too heavily dedicated to the pursuit of 3D gaming perfection. In my mind that's not a bad thing either. I've yet to see a game use 3D in a way that adds to the gaming experience in a way that couldn't be achieved using a two dimensional display. Sure, Super Mario 3D comes close with it's "giant coin" puzzles, but echochrome proved that perspective bending puzzles are just as easy to achieve without the use of a 3D display.
There's something gloriously original about Takashi Miike's films. Ichi the Killer and 13 Assassins are two of my favourite films, each is very different from the other but the direction and camera work in each is spot on. This being the case, when i heard that he was behind the movie adaptation of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney i was interested to see what he'd do with it. The trailer hit Youtube recently, and even though my Japanese is just south of atrocious I could still see that it's going to be a well made movie that is extremely faithful to the source material. If you don't believe me just check out the hair and wardrobe in the trailer below..
By now you've probably heard about a promising little game that's due out soon, it's got Dragons and swords and lots of fighting in it and is apparently part of something called the Elder Scrolls series. No, it's not ringing many bells with me either...Well if there's anyone reading this that knows what the hell this game is about, this news is for you. First up, Skyrim will receive a patch on day one that "fixes some minor stability and quest progression issues," this patch will be downloaded automatically the first time you play the game and should make the experience that little bit smoother.Also in the news this week, Skyrim Director Todd Howard has told Wired that the game will have an unending list of quests to take part in. The "Radiant quest system" allows for random generation of quests in-game for each of the guilds, while also generating random NPC quests for you as well. So that's great news for anyone that gets through the main storyline in this years game, although you do wonder how long it will be before you get bored of "take this bag of herbs to my brother on the other side of the bandit infested woodland" or "my cart is broken, could you fetch me a fixing pin from the blacksmith?". Oh and while we're talking about Todd Howard, here's something that he told Norwegian publication Gamer.no."There is an unlimited number of dragons"Is that enough to get those juices flowing a little more freely? Killing one Dragon is great and all, but killing a dozen more is better don't you think? Well done Bethesda.
An inductee to my personal gaming hall of fame is up for sale on GOG.com right now for only $6 (£4 approx.) Quantic Dream's classic title "Fahrenheit", or "Indigo Prophecy" as it is better known in the US, is one of my favourite PS2 titles of all time and served as a proving ground for many of the control and story telling techniques eventually used in Heavy Rain on PS3. The game currently on sale at GOG.com is the uncut European version, meaning that, for the first time, our American cousins can have simulated sex with a polygonal woman while Theory of a Deadman plays softly in the background. It doesn't get any better than this.
Time for my free download of the week, which this time is actually a full blown game. I haven't played this game yet, but it's getting my recommendation purely because it has, quite possibly, the greatest name in Video Games history.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this weeks Free download of the week is Stealth Bastard: Tactical Espionage Arsehole. It's completely free to download and includes a level editor to boot. You can thank me later...
There's been more rumours this week regarding the next XBox console. For ease of reference i'll list them by source.MS Nerd blog-Console is codenamed XBox Loop-XBox Loop will run on a modified version of Windows 9 and use ARM architecture-Hardware will include a "main processor" which is supported by dedicated cores for graphics, audio, AI, physics etc-New console will be Cheaper and Smaller than 360Paul Thurott - TWiT-Holiday 2012 release-Microsoft will "would almost have to announce this [the new console] at CES"-Console will use the same Metro UI design as Windows Phone 7-Next XBox will feature Embedded Silverlight-Expect integration with Windows Phone and Windows 8The code name certainly makes a lot of sense, Loop fits with the whole 360 degree philosophy and brings to mind the idea of coming full circle. Of course that's reportedly only a code name, the same as Natal was for Kinect, so the real name is probably some horrible title with a K or a Z in place of the C's and S's. There have been multiple predictions of release dates, safe to say it will be sometime during 2012-2014. Integration with Windows is a must, especially with Windows phone being on the market from the beginning of the console life cycle. If the Console is to be more powerful than the last then it makes sense to have dedicated cores for each function, but chip technology moves so quickly that it's hard to get a real feel for what direction they'll take.Ah, hell. Let's just wait for CES in January and see if they announce something...
Finally, it's time for the UK top ten games on all platforms for the week ending November 5th 1.Battlefield 3 2.Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception 3.FIFA 12 4.Batman: Arkham City 5.Just Dance 3 6.Football Manager 2012 7.Forza Motorsport 4 8.Zumba Fitness 9.Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure 10.Sonic GenerationsBattlefield and FIFA 12 are non movers at numbers 1 and 3 respectively while Uncharted 3 makes it's chart début at number 2. It's a solid showing from the latest Nathan Drake game although Naughty Dog must be disappointed not to have claimed top spot for themselves, but with sales that are over 1/3 better than Uncharted 2 at the same point there's no shame in being second. Batman loses 2 places as does Football manager, and then there's Zumba Fitness. Again...I had hoped that in a month with so many great games on sale, that Zumba might just have slipped outside of the top ten, but that dream has yet to become a reality.There's always next week...
Greetings and welcome, once again, to the Monday round-up from Game for a Laugh.
BioWare announced today that they'll be opening a customer service center in sunny Galway, Ireland. The intention is that the 400 staff at the newly christened "BioWare Ireland" will help the launch of the new Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic, go as smoothly as possible in Europe.Dr. Ray Muzyka, the BioWare CEO, was keen to see the new center employ a wide range of European nationalities to help diversify the help they could offer potential players. he stated that “MMO launches are complex, and we are determined to set a new standard for a high quality, stable, smooth launch for our fans. Our new BioWare facility and team in Galway is critical to ensuring we deliver on that goal. We’ve got a solid base of people here already in Galway . . . we’re looking for more. From Ireland . . . from the rest of Europe to support our German and French customers . . . from all over the world. We want you to join us here at BioWare Ireland.”Dr. Greg Zeschuk added that "the BioWare team is responsible for 24/7 support of the game and every player subscribed to it.”The site currently has a staff of 200 although that number is certain to swell leading up to the launch of the game on December 20th in America, and December 22nd in Europe.On a personal note, i fully expect WrestleView International Desk Host Darragh O'Connor to be aplying for a job with Bioware as i type. Sup Darragh!
Most will agree that as much freedom as Deus Ex: Human Revolution gave you in general game play, it was woefully short of options when it came time to take on the bosses. Listeners to the Killer Keyboard podcast will know that Nick Rose took issue with this very point, and it would appear that Eidos Montreal agree.The latest DLC to be released for Deus Ex, The Missing Link, was developed completely in-house by Eidos Montreal and marks a departure from the one dimensional boss battles that players of the game have experienced so far, reports Eurogamer.Marc-Andre Dufort, the producer of The Missing Link DLC pack says, "You can actually not kill the boss. You can do a non-lethal takedown on him. And you can kill him from afar. You can even kill him without him seeing you. It's more of a bigger challenge than a standard boss fight like we have in many games."Be nice if there was a patch that made all the Boss battles so variable, but there's most likely a good reason why that hasn't been fixed. This is, at least, a step in the right direction.
The above is allegedly a patent from Microsoft for a new modular "slider style" mobile phone. Those of you with sharp eyes may have noticed the QWERTY keyboard, controller pad, an extra battery pack and camera film modules (no idea what the camera film is supposed to be although the patent states that it's a second display screen). While this seems like quite a clunky solution to the dedicated controller problem that most SM-ONES have these days, it does at least show that someone out there thinks that real buttons are better than touch screen for some applications.There's no guarantee that this will be the next Windows phone, but certainly many will see this as a potential rival to the Sony Xperia Play.Leading on from the future of hand held gaming, there's been a new peripheral released for the 3DS, and no, this one doesn't give you a second circle pad...Well, it gives you longer play time, and no-one would argue that the grip would make the console easier to hold, but who's honestly going to buy one of these? Plus I'm trying very hard not to cram a bunch of innuendo into this part so we'll finish that story there I think.Who am I kidding, it can make you go twice as long and prevents your hand cramping up, i must have one! mmm, innuendo...While I'm on the topic of Nintendo, they'll be releasing a black Wii Fit plus Bundle in the UK on October 7th for the rather reasonable price of £99. I'm not sure that a change of colour will convince anyone without a Wii to buy one now, but I'm sure a few people with the White version will trade it in for a Black version. If i might paraphrase an old saying: Once you go black, sales fall off rapidly.
You'd be forgiven if you'd never heard of this game, but Ubisoft's survival action game "I Am Alive" has finally been given a rating by the ESRB. It was initially announced 3 years ago, but since then it has made only a fleeting appearance during an unofficial trailer. Finally though we have a clue as to how the game is coming together.The ESRB describes the game as this, "players traverse through city ruins and use a machete to kill human enemies in melee-style-combat."I'd be surprised if the game sells all that well since the PR for the game seems to be working in reverse to every other game out there. They seem to be keeping it too quiet if anything. Even cult favourites get some publicity guys.I Am Alive is slated for release in Fiscal 2011/12 (April 2011 – March 2012)
It might not be the game that Half-life fans wanted to see, but at least you get to satisfy that Freeman addiction when Sega's Renegade Ops is released on Steam on October 14th.It's been announced that the Steam version of Renegade Ops, a top down action game that reminds me of Dead Nation crossed with Micro Machines and with a healthy dose of Twisted Metal for good measure, will feature Freeman, his Buggy and even Antlions as a special weapon!Now maybe someone can go round to Valve studios with a crowbar and remind them about Episode 3?Right now, take a look at this...
What did you see? If the answer is a cracking set of pins, you're correct but look again. That's right, M!NX have teamed up with Valve to create these immense looking Portal 2 Knee Socks, complete with aperture science logo. These really are a great example of Game inspired clothing and for $10 a pair they really are great value for money, much more so than the Minecraft socks mentioned on the Killer Keyboard podcast anyway...Finally, as has now become customary, here are the Top 10 selling UK Games on all platforms for the week ending September 24th.1 - Gears of War 32 - F1 20113 - Dead Island4 - Zumba Fitness5 - Deus Ex: Human Revolution6 - Driver: San Francisco7 - Warhammer 40K: Space Marine8 - Resistance 39 - Lego Pirates of the Caribbean10- Rugby World Cup 2011Time for bed, not sure how well I'll sleep with those Portal Socks on my mind but I'll give it the old college try.Later peeps.
Sony Online Entertainment announced today that DCU online would be joining the "Free-volution" by adopting a free to play model at the end of October.
For many gamers the monthly subscription was a sticking point that prevented them from getting on board with the SOE superhero MMO, but with the subscription model abandoned, and the announcement that the game itself will be free to download on the PSN, it's expected that many more gamers will be venturing into Gotham or Metropolis.
The new model will have three tiers of membership (Free, Premium and Legendary) depending on how much money you sink into the game through in game micro transactions, although SOE were at pains to state that micro transactions won't break the game. Items like the Superman Raid suit and extra EXP will not be available for purchase. That's heartening to hear, especially for a cheapskate like me who fully intends to play as a free member as far as i can.
Free membership is, as you can imagine, free. It allows for two character slots, access to current raids and online play in DC Universe Online, ability to join a league as well as many further benefits. Free level players can buy downloadable game packs/updates, additional character slots, powers and more through the aforementioned micro transactions.
Any gamer who has spent $5 or more in-game through either in game items or previous subscriptions qualifies for Premium membership. Premium members will get extra character slots, a greater cash limit and more inventory slots . just like Free members, premium members can also buy extra character slots etc in-game.Legendary Membership requires a monthly subscription of $14.99 but includes all the features and benefits that current subscribers enjoy, including free DLC and the ability to create leagues of unlimited size. Anyone who already paid for a lifetime subscription will be automatically given Legendary membership as the lifetime subscription still stands.
John Smedley, president of SOE refuted the idea that this move came after a downturn in players. "In terms of 'Is it a result in a drop in subs' – absolutely not, This is the right business model. If I can be honest, the game ended up costing a lot more than we thought it would, and this was our preferred business model from day one."
You do have to question though, if this was their preferred business model, then why not implement it from day one? It would be fair to assume that SOE needed to recoup their money quickly and that the original model was the best option to do so.
DCU Online will be available as a free download in late October. On the subject of PSN, the Call of Duty: Elite Beta finally went live on Sony's console today.
An Activision press release stated that "Beta testers can take their current Call of Duty multiplayer experience to the next level by jumping into the Beta version of the Call of Duty Elite service, as beta access will start to be activated in stages, with limited invitations rolling out effective today," The Beta is currently only for CoD: Black Ops, but once Modern Warfare 3 is released on November 8th the full functions of the Beta will be made available.To try getting in on the Beta you can head over to www.callofduty.com/elite and register your interest. I for one won't be bothering though...
Next up, Street Fighter IV will be making it's début on android phones sometime in Q4, unfortunately it will only be available on LG handsets for the first 3 months before being available on any Android compatible system thereafter.I can't decide what's a worse idea, that you'll more than likely be playing SF IV on a phone with no buttons or that you'll have to play it on a crappy LG handset to begin with...
According to Andrisang.com Hideo Kojima, the genius behind the Metal Gear games, has announced that Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater will be released for 3DS in 2012, not 2011 as was originally planned.
Regular readers will remember that i had a hands on with the game at the IGN UK 100th podcast party and i was very impressed with the use of 3D and general fidelity of the graphics. I'm interested if this delay has anything to do with the leaked news of a second control stick add-on for the 3DS system, maybe Kojima-san wants to build in some compatibility with the add-on to rectify some of the control issues i had with the game.
Andriasang also reports that Kojima confirmed an early to mid 2012 release date for the Z.O.E. HD collection. Yay!
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has announced the formation of a new company which will go by the name Qwikster. It marks the seperation of their streaming and Postal divisions and will require unique accounts to use either service. Going forward Netflix will handle the streaming side of the business while Qwikster will be the company in charge of the DVD/Games by post business.
Hard to say what advantage this move gives Netflix but it's an interesting development which makes sense of the re-pricing exercise of the previous few weeks.
Finally as always, here's the UK's top ten best selling games (all formats) for the week ending September 17:
1 - Dead Island 2 - Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 3 - Resistance 3 4 - Driver: San Franciso
5 - Deus Ex: Human Revolution 6 - Zumba Fitness
7 - Lego Pirates of the Caribbean 8 - Rugby World Cup 2011
9 - Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
10-Cars 2Really? Who hasn't got Zumba yet that could possibly want it? Rugby World cup is still performing well thanks to its real world counterpart, while Resistance 3 débuts at number 3 just below Dead Island and Warhammer 40k, which maintain their position at the top of the tree.
Right, i'm spent.Later days!
Best Buy Europe, a venture which is part owned by both Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse, has announced the closure of all 11 of its UK megastores with approximately 1100 jobs being affected. Most of the affected workers will be redeployed to Carphone Warehouse stores, with some of these retail outlets being re-branded as "Wireless World". The Best Buy UK experiment lasted just over 18 months but was brought to a close due to disappointing sales figures, most likely a result of the economic downturn. Plans to open Megastores across Europe as well as China have also been shelved. It's a real shame that so many people will be affected by this withdrawal from the UK but it's encouraging to see that they will be re-deployed where possible. On a positive note it would be safe to assume that when the 11 stores close at the end of the year there will be plenty of bargains to be had...
It's over a week since DC Universe Online went free-to-play but there's been some encouraging news for Sony Online Entertainment. SOE president John Smedley tweeted recently that the in game population numbers for the game have risen by 1000% compared to pre free-to-play figures. Gamers are always fond of a bargain, and free is as good a deal as you can get for a game that originally cost £40 plus a yearly subscription to play. Friend of the show Darragh O'Connor downloaded the PS3 version last night while I myself will be shortly. I'll be giving my thoughts on the F2P version of the game during episode 14 of the Killer Keyboard podcast next week.
Rockstar's Dan Houser certainly isn't backwards in coming forwards with his thoughts on the 3D revolution that's sweeping the Movie and Video games scene. In an interview with Variety magazine he said -
There's something gloriously original about Takashi Miike's films. Ichi the Killer and 13 Assassins are two of my favourite films, each is very different from the other but the direction and camera work in each is spot on. This being the case, when i heard that he was behind the movie adaptation of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney i was interested to see what he'd do with it. The trailer hit Youtube recently, and even though my Japanese is just south of atrocious I could still see that it's going to be a well made movie that is extremely faithful to the source material. If you don't believe me just check out the hair and wardrobe in the trailer below..
By now you've probably heard about a promising little game that's due out soon, it's got Dragons and swords and lots of fighting in it and is apparently part of something called the Elder Scrolls series. No, it's not ringing many bells with me either...
An inductee to my personal gaming hall of fame is up for sale on GOG.com right now for only $6 (£4 approx.) Quantic Dream's classic title "Fahrenheit", or "Indigo Prophecy" as it is better known in the US, is one of my favourite PS2 titles of all time and served as a proving ground for many of the control and story telling techniques eventually used in Heavy Rain on PS3. The game currently on sale at GOG.com is the uncut European version, meaning that, for the first time, our American cousins can have simulated sex with a polygonal woman while Theory of a Deadman plays softly in the background. It doesn't get any better than this.
Time for my free download of the week, which this time is actually a full blown game. I haven't played this game yet, but it's getting my recommendation purely because it has, quite possibly, the greatest name in Video Games history.
There's been more rumours this week regarding the next XBox console. For ease of reference i'll list them by source.
Finally, it's time for the UK top ten games on all platforms for the week ending November 5th
