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In addition to looking at the lighter and weirder side of the game industry, Sidebar is home to various editorial columns.
Latest News
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Only 200,000 Chinatown Wars sold in March?
EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich claims the DS debut of Rockstar's felonious franchise fizzled in March; other analysts put figure at 450,000.
Other Site Blogs
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Previews Blog
Things I Know and Don't Know About Puzzle Chronicles
FACT: Videogame press events often have alcoholic beverages on hand. Therefore, if you're looking to learn about a game you...
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Sports Blog
Fight Night Round 4: Your Next Five Fighters
Last month, EA Sports revealed the heavyweights in its upcoming Fight Night Round 4. Today, the publisher has announced five more...
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Rumor Control
Assassin's Creed 2 details leaked?
Source: The GameFAQs forums, relating information from a since-deleted Ubisoft message board post.What we heard: On Monday, Ubisoft set...
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Tech Blog
Xbox 360 Hard Drives - Could we get a price check?
There's pricing and then there's egregious pricing. It's plainly obvious to anyone who's ever used a computer that the Xbox 360 120GB...
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Community Blog
GameSpot Answers
GameSpot Answers allows registrants to post questions and receive answers about details in a game. If you don't see an answer for your...
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Zombie Apocalypse descending onto XBLA, PSN
- Posted Apr 13, 2009 12:16 pm PT
- 39 comments
Thanks to a string of games hell-bent on seeing brain eaters to a late grave, 2009 is shaping up to be a pretty lousy year for zombie-kind. Four months into the year, Capcom has delivered Resident Evil 5, Sega has dropped House of the Dead: Overkill, Kuju ignited Burn Zombie Burn, and even Activision got into the zombie-thrashing game with downloadable content for Call of Duty: World at War.
Today, Konami announced that it, too, has it out for congealed zombie blood in the form of Zombie Apocalypse for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Following well-trodden genre archetypes, Zombie Apocalypse sees players fending off zombie hordes as part of a small contingent of human survivors. It is expected to arrive for the online platforms this spring.
The arcade shooter has players attempting to stay alive for 55 in-game days, using 11 different weapons. Weapon types include traditional fare such as rifles and flamethrowers, and Konami promises a little spice by way of chainsaws and C4-filled teddy bears. Zombie Apocalypse accommodates play for up to four players locally or online. Pricing information has not yet been revealed.
[UPDATE] As it would turn out, Zombie Apocalypse isn't the only downloadable game Konami is prepping for Xbox Live and the PSN. Later in the day, the publisher also took the lid off Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment, a prequel to the original strategy role-playing game that made its debut on Sony's PlayStation in 1997.
As detailed by Konami, Flames of Judgment fleshes out the backstory of the continent of Sostegaria, and follows primary protagonist Tobias Martin. Konami did not detail Flames of Judgment's gameplay, but it did say that the strategy RPG will offer redesigned combat mechanics.
Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment is expected to debut on the Xbox 360 in August, with the PSN release expected to follow in September.
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Activision sends Mixed Messages to DSiWare
- Posted Apr 13, 2009 11:11 am PT
- 16 comments
Last week, Nintendo released its latest revision to its best-selling Nintendo DS handheld, adding among other features the ability to download games through the DSiWare Shop. Today, the publisher released the first postlaunch updates to the service, revealing that one of the first third-party publishers to lend support to the service is the biggest of them all, Activision.
Developed by Vicarious Visions and available for 500 Nintendo DSi points ($5), Activision's Mixed Messages tasks players with first writing sentences and then having their friends draw a picture that conveys the message. Play then progresses as an elaborate game of Telephone, with up to 21 players continuing to interpret and reinterpret the message through words and pictures.
Nintendo's magic-trick simulator Master of Illusion Express: Shuffle Games will also be available on DSiWare this week for 200 points ($2). A sampling of the tricks found in Tenyo's 2007 DS game Master of Illusion, Shuffle Games offers a number of kid-oriented card tricks.
The Wii's online store also has two additions this week, one new and one retro. On WiiWare, Tomy has on offer Party Fun Pirate for 500 Wii points ($5). Inspired by the Pop-Up Pirate toy, up to four players take turns inserting swords into a virtual barrel, attempting to avoid puncturing their captive captain in the process. On the Virtual Console, Sega Genesis side-scrolling actioner Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure can be purchased for 800 Wii points ($8 ).
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Anti-drug game gets $1 million budget
- Posted Apr 13, 2009 11:01 am PT
- 50 comments
Although some parents and pundits point to games as an addictive, corrupting vice aimed at children, one University of Missouri researcher wants to use them to fight a different addictive, corrupting vice aimed at children. As reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, associate professor of psychiatry Joel Epstein has received a $1 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to make a game about addiction.
The game will be an educational endeavor, attempting to show players the effects that drugs have on a person's brain and body. The game should take about two years to develop, with another two years of testing at a small number of St. Louis-area schools.
The medium of gaming is a relatively new way to get the antidrug message across to kids, but Epstein is targeting kids in even more specific ways. For example, the game will include competitive aspects in an attempt to appeal more to boys, with socially engaging elements aimed at girls.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a government agency with an annual budget of just more than $1 billion. Epstein has conducted studies for NIDA previously, producing nontraditional educational aids for elementary-school children using DVDs and computer programs.
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Rock Band reloads Guns N' Roses
- Posted Apr 10, 2009 10:49 am PT
- 47 comments
Dust off the kilts and catcher's gear, Guns N' Roses fans, because Harmonix is catering to your inner Axl Rose with its latest downloadable album. Next week, the band's most recent effort, Chinese Democracy, will be added to the Rock Band online store for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii.
With one track from the album ("Shackler's Revenge") already included in the Rock Band 2 setlist, the downloadable album will package together the remaining 13 songs for $19.99 (1,600 Microsoft points) on the PS3 and Xbox 360. While the songs won't be sold in album form on the Wii, users of all systems can download the tracks individually for about $2 (160 Microsoft points or 200 Wii points).
Chinese Democracy will be available for Xbox 360 and Wii players on Tuesday, April 14, with PS3 owners having to wait for the system's weekly update on Thursday, April 16. All tracks will be taken from the master recordings; the full set list follows below:
"Chinese Democracy"
"Better"
"Street of Dreams"
"If the World"
"There Was a Time"
"Catcher in the Rye"
"Scraped"
"Riad N' the Bedouins"
"Sorry"
"I.R.S."
"Madagascar"
"This I Love"
"Prostitute" -
Rag Doll Kung Fu Flocks to PSN
- Posted Apr 9, 2009 5:01 pm PT
- 5 comments
Before going on to form Media Molecule and help create the award-winning Little Big Planet, Mark Healey gained notoriety for his work on Rag Doll Kung Fu. This week, the PC brawler gets a remastered edition on the PlayStation Network,courtesy of Tarsier Studios, titled Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic. The physics-heavy fighting game is available for $9.99.
With the Media Molecule connection being as it is, Little Big Planet will receive a synergistic installment of add-on content on the release of Fists of Plastic. Beginning today, fans of the customization-heavy platformer can pick up the Rag Doll Kung Fu costume pack, which is available for $5.99. Included in the pack are costumes for Hero, Master Hip, Master Sin, Master Tang, and Master Sung Ling, as well as a number of new stickers.
Capcom will also be taking part in pint-sized off-kilter gaming this week, releasing Flock on both the PSN and Xbox Live for $14.99. A puzzle game at its core, Flock tasks players with herding a variety of animals through more than 50 wending levels in an effort to beam them aboard a UFO mothership. A demo of the game is also available through the PSN.
Rock Band goes country this week with the release of the Toby Keith Pack 01. Six songs from the singer are now playable through Rock Band, including "Beer for My Horses," "How Do You Like Me Now," "I Love this Bar," "She's a Hottie," "Should've Been a Cowboy," and "Who's Your Daddy?" Tracks are available individually for $1.99 a piece, or as a complete set for $9.99. Those who prefer a bit more rock and roll can also pick up tracks from Black Tide, Bullet for My Valentine, and The Shins.
Guitar Hero World Tour also has a slate of new playable songs this week, courtesy of Silversun Pickups. "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone," "Panic Switch," and "Well Thought Out Twinkles" are now available for $1.99 individually, or $5.49 for the pack.
On the PlayStation Store for the PSP this week, Sony has added Mumbo Jumbo and Mac Play's Super Collapse 3. Released in 2007 to fairly positive reviews, Super Collapse 3 is a matching puzzle game in which players attempt to line up colored blocks in quantities of three or more to score points. It is available for $9.99.
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Crysis Wars wage free trial promotion
- Posted Apr 9, 2009 3:44 pm PT
- 8 comments
When Crysis Warhead shipped for the PC in November, Crytek packed with it the stand-alone multiplayer component known as Crysis Wars. Seven months on, and Crytek is hoping to give Crysis Wars a boost of interest, announcing today that the multiplayer-only online game will receive a free trial beginning today. The fully featured free trial will be available until April 17.
The download client for Crysis Wars can be found on Crytek's official community Web site. Once installed, the free trial opens up the entire game, allowing up to 32 players to compete across 23 different maps. The free trial also offers access to Crysis Wars' three gameplay modes: Instant Action, Team Instant Action, and Power Struggle. GameSpot's previous coverage has a complete rundown on each of these modes.
Along with the multiplayer action, the free trial offers access to the MOD SDK editor. The tool allows gamers to create their own custom maps and mods, which can then be shared with the community.
Lastly, Crytek and EA also said today that Crysis: Maximum Edition will be available on PCs beginning May 5. The $39.99 package includes the original Crysis, released in 2007, as well as Crysis Warhead and Crysis Wars.
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Halo 3 Mythic maps now available
- Posted Apr 9, 2009 10:47 am PT
- 32 comments
It has been nearly a year to the day since Bungie last updated its top-rated sci-fi shooter Halo 3 with the Legendary Map Pack, a download that introduced a trio of arenas to the Xbox 360-exclusive's acclaimed multiplayer component. Now, those still enamored with the 19-month-old shooter have the option of picking up a few new playgrounds, as the Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack has been added to the Xbox Live Marketplace today.
Like the Legendary Map Pack and its predecessor, the Heroic Map Pack, the Mythic Map Pack adds three new multiplayer maps to Halo 3. Assembly is an open arena situated inside a massive Covenant structure designed for two to eight players. Accommodating 4 to 12 players, Orbital presents a corridor-filled space station. Lastly, Sandbox is an open map designed to be customized using Halo 3's Forge level editor, and it also supports 4 to 12 players.
The Halo 3 Mythic Map Pack is available for MSP800 ($10) and will also be included in the spin-off Halo 3: ODST this fall. For more on the maps, check out GameSpot's hands-on preview, as well as the below video.
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Silent Scope sights up iPhone
- Posted Apr 8, 2009 4:38 pm PT
- 17 comments
Konami's Silent Scope light-gun shooter epitomized the big-cabinet arcade scene when it launched in the late-'90s, given that it tasked players with getting behind the sight of a substantive--if not life-sized--replica of a sniper rifle. Now that experience will be filed down to fit on one of the smallest gaming devices. Konami announced today that Silent Scope is "coming soon" to the iPhone and iPod Touch.
As with the original Silent Scope, players will be tasked with saving the President of the United States, as well as the rest of the First Family, from a terrorist cell that has established its operations in Chicago. Armed with a sniper rifle, players assume the role of the world's top sniper, picking off terrorists one at a time to accomplish their goals.
Those hoping for a sniper-rifle peripheral to augment their iPhone experience will, sadly, be disappointed. Konami has converted the game's controls to make use of the device's touch screen. Silent Scope on Apple's platforms will include a number of different modes, including Arcade and Training, with Arcade mode offering Story, Shooting Range, and Time Attack options.
Silent Scope for the iPhone won't be the first time that Konami has brought its arcade rail shooter to mobile devices. In addition to a number of console installments, Silent Scope took position to fairly positive reviews on the Game Boy Advance in 2002.
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Valkyria Chronicles DLC takes flight Apr. 16
- Posted Apr 8, 2009 3:43 pm PT
- 31 comments
With not a Final Fantasy in sight, Sega's Valkyria Chronicles has proven to be one of the PlayStation 3's best Japanese-style role-playing games. And, to keep that experience fresh, Sega said today that on April 16 it would be delivering a trio of downloadable content packs designed to extend Valkryia Chronicles. Each pack will cost $4.99.
Valkyria Chronicles fans looking for more of a challenge out of the game's original storyline can pick up the Hard EX Mode pack. The EX Mode ramps up the difficulty level on enemy combatants, and players must wade through the Imperial hordes without the heavily armored Edelweiss tank.
The other two packs extend Valkyria Chronicles with new missions. Enter the Edy Detachment presents a scenario in which a six-member squad has been separated from Squad 7 and must defend a village while being heavily outnumbered. In Behind Her Blue Flame, players assume the role of a young engineer in the service of Selvaria, fighting for the Imperial Army.
For more information, check out GameSpot's full review of Valkyria Chronicles.
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Milwaukee Brewers slugger lands The Bigs 2 cover
- Posted Apr 7, 2009 2:31 pm PT
- 13 comments
Many Major League Baseball fans these days find themselves torn. They love the excitement of the recent long-ball era of inflated home-run stats, but loathe the recent revelations of inflated home-run hitters.
2K Sports' upcoming The Bigs 2 offers a feel-good alternative for these conflicted connoisseurs of baseball, featuring all the excitement of a crushing homer into the cheap seats with none of the questions about performance-enhancing drugs.
Today the publisher announced its similarly feel-good cover athlete for the game, Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder. The youngest player ever to have a 50-homer season, Fielder is known for his friendly, outgoing personality, his vegetarian diet, and his ability to launch moon shots on a regular basis (114 in three-plus seasons with Milwaukee).
Fielder's participation in The Bigs 2 isn't limited to an appearance on the cover of the game. Earlier this week, he and two of his fellow Brewers traveled to 2K Sports' offices in Novato, California, for a motion-capture session.
Opening day for The Bigs 2 is set for July 7 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii.
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New Beatles re-masters launching alongside Rock Band
- Posted Apr 7, 2009 11:29 am PT
- 20 comments
Last month, MTV Games and record label Apple Corps announced that The Beatles: Rock Band would arrive in stores worldwide on September 9. Although there will be no shortage of hype surrounding the game, it turns out that the Harmonix-developed project will be just one part of an all-out Beatles blitz.
Apple Corps announced today that The Fab Four's entire original catalog will be remixed and rereleased to go on store shelves the same day as The Beatles: Rock Band, alongside two new Beatles CD box sets. The rerelease has been in the works for four years at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, and includes the band's original 12 studio albums, Magical Mystery Tour, and a combo disc of the two Past Masters releases.
The entire catalog of remixes will be available in a box set with a number of Beatles documentaries on DVD. Although the rereleases will be all-new stereo mixes of the recordings, purists will also be able to pick up The Beatles in Mono box set. As the name implies, the set features 10 of the band's albums as they were originally released, in glorious mono.
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Assassin's Creed 2 teaser site launches
- Posted Apr 6, 2009 2:24 pm PT
- 255 comments
For whatever reason, game publishers maintain the illusion that if a game isn't announced via press release, it doesn't officially exist. Case in point: Ubisoft is still pretending that nobody knows about Assassin's Creed 2, despite the title being name-checked by CEO Yves Guillemot on two separate occasions.
However, the time is nearly nigh for Ubisoft to make Assassin's Creed 2's existence officially official, given that the publisher launched a new teaser site for the game today. The site depicts a brief Flash movie that displays the scrawling of famed Italian inventor Leonardo da Vinci. However, Ubisoft has taken some liberties with da Vinci's venerable drawings, adding a retractable blade to the Vitruvian Man's wrist, among other tweaks. The Flash video ends with the words "Game Informer 04.16.09," written in reverse, apparently teasing a reveal in the GameStop-owned print magazine.
Though initial rumor-mongering appeared to indicate that Assassin's Creed 2 would fast-forward the series from its 12th century Holy Land roots to 18th century France, the teaser site appears to confirm a second rumor, pegging the setting as 15th/16th century Venice, Italy. According to this second online report, Assassin's Creed 2 will introduce a bolt pistol, and disguises such as masks will play a prominent role in the game's stealth mechanics.
According to Guillemot, Assassin's Creed 2 is expected to ship sometime before March 31, 2010.
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Fable II DLC Sees the Future in May
- Posted Apr 6, 2009 12:08 pm PT
- 55 comments
As it turns out, Lionhead Studios is currently in full-scale production of a second add-on for Fable II, and not Fable III, as gabby BBC personality Jonathan Ross initially led many to believe. Today, the Microsoft-owned studio provided the first details on the Fable II downloadable content--titled See the Future--saying it would be available through Xbox Live this May for MSP560 ($7). For those keeping track, that dollar amount equates to $3 less than the well-received Knothole Island DLC pack, released in January.
The basic concept behind See the Future involves players lifting a curse on three items obtained by Murgo the Trader, better known as the mysterious vendor introduced during the opening childhood sequence in Fable II. According to Lionhead, those who complete the new quest line will be offered "a vision of Albion's future and what lies ahead for those born into the heroic bloodline."
As with the first Fable II DLC pack, See the Future will offer a variety of new characters, creatures, quests, and items. According to Lionhead, new quests include "The Ghosts of the Snowglobe," in which players must cipher out the secret of a mysterious town locked away in a chintzy novelty, and "The Cursed Knight," where players are tasked with assuming a variety of disguises to free an undead champion. The DLC pack will also include the Colosseum, where players can compete for prizes by besting a variety of challengers.
Many of the items and emotes contained in See the Future will also be available as a free download, allowing those who don't purchase the premium content to play with those who have. For more information, check out GameSpot's video review below.
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Penny Arcade Adventures leads April Xbox Live discounts
- Posted Apr 3, 2009 5:09 pm PT
- 41 comments
Hothead Games' Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode One was released to positive reviews in May 2008 as one of the most expensive downloadable games available through Xbox Live. That will change for Xbox Live Gold members next week, though, as Microsoft has announced that the adventure game will headline its Deal of the Week initiatives for the month of April.
For the week of April 6, paid subscribers to Microsoft's online service can pick up PAA: Episode One for 800 Microsoft points ($10), a 50 percent discount on the mystery adventure's standard price. Episode One is the first effort from Hothead's collaboration with Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, better known as the creators of the popular webcomic Penny Arcade.
The remaining weeks in April will see discounts applied to a number of different game add-ons. For the week of April 13, the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 Co-op Collection map pack will be discounted 20 percent to 320 Microsoft points ($4). The following week, the Spyglass Hill Golf Course for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 will drop 33 percent to 400 Microsoft points ($5). Closing out the month, the NBA Live 365 Subscription add-on for NBA Live 09 will drop to 560 Microsoft points ($7), a 30 percent discount.
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Ostrich Hammer dropping on Red Faction: Guerrilla...for real
- Posted Apr 3, 2009 2:22 pm PT
- 73 comments
Volition delivered one of the top April Fools' Day pranks earlier this week, offering up an Office-esque mockumentary on the inclusion of the Ostrich Hammer in Red Faction: Guerrilla's multiplayer mode. And, not unlike with Twisted Pixel Games' 'Splosion Man, perhaps the biggest joke of all is that it's actually happening. Or, as Volition said today, "We're giving them the bird."
"We had no idea the reaction to the video would be so positive and that gamers would really like to kill someone with a very large bird," a Volition employee wrote on the studio's blog today. "Luckily for all of you, the team here had already created this hammer for RF:G's MP component, but we really thought about doing something special to show it to the world."
As the story goes, pre-alpha screenshots of the game were leaked onto the Internet last year, where they eventually turned up on the notorious NeoGAF forums. Once there, a poster--in his or her infinite wisdom--Photoshopped an ostrich's body onto one of the shots, replacing the hilt of a hammer that was being swung at an enemy combatant. And the rest, as they say, is history.
THQ expects to ship Red Faction: Guerrilla for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on June 9. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.
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Outgoing IGDA head issues scathing apology
- Posted Apr 3, 2009 10:12 am PT
- 23 comments
Former International Game Developers Association executive director Jason Della Rocca spent nearly nine years with the professional organization. When the IGDA confirmed his departure earlier this year, the announcement included statements from Della Rocca saying that he was "humbled and honored" to serve the association's members.
However, during the 2009 Game Developers Conference rant session last week, Della Rocca took a few good-humored (though no less heartfelt) parting shots at his constituency, thinly disguised in the form of an apology. This week the ex-director posted the notes of his rant on his personal blog, for all to enjoy. The (lightly edited) apology is as follows:
Serving the IGDA for the past 9 years has been extremely rewarding and challenging. I helped to get a lot done, but somehow feel that I failed the community.
Sorry for being too focused on the nuts and bolts, with my head down in execution. I just didn't spend enough time on the big picture vision stuff. It's scary, and easy to avoid when you're just "busy" doing stuff.
Sorry for not having the leadership skills to beat the barriers of participation inequality. Less than 1 percent of the IGDA membership are truly active in driving the org forward. Sorry for not doing a better job building up a strong pipeline of community leaders and volunteers. Sorry for not overcoming your general apathy and laziness.
Sorry for not doing a better job of roping in all the snipers from the sidelines. Turns out you are all pretty damn good at b******* and complaining and being critical. But then you don't actually do anything about it and you don't get involved. Sorry for not bringing critics under the tent and getting them to work at improving things.
Sorry for not getting you to be more serious about the profession of game development. You are no longer a bunch of hacks. This is a real art and science. We need to be way more deliberate and control the path the profession takes as it evolves into the future.
Most of all, sorry for not doing more to help you realize your power! Both, collectively as a profession to tackle industry issues, and as creators of culture. You are all having a massive impact on society. You are transforming the world day-by-day without even realizing it.
Oh well, f*** you, it's not my job anymore!
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Comet Crash lands on PS3
- Posted Apr 2, 2009 4:14 pm PT
- 22 comments
Sony has hinted that it would have a steadier flow of new titles available on the PlayStation Network, and the electronics giant took steps toward that goal with this week's update to the downloadable catalog. PlayStation 3 owners can now download the Pelfast-developed strategy title Comet Crash from the store, while PSP users can yank down a digital version of the 2007 puzzler 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.
Although it's set up as a tower defense game along the lines of existing downloadable PS3 titles Savage Moon and PixelJunk Monsters, Comet Crash puts a twist on the standard set up by forcing players to go on the offense against their opponents with well-timed counterattack rushes. The game includes a 28-stage campaign mode as well as offline co-op and competitive multiplayer modes and is available for $9.99.
A clone of the popular puzzler Bejeweled, 7 Wonders requires players to shift differently labeled stones around grids of varying shapes to match three in a row and make them disappear. Players must clear blocks from every square in each level within a time limit in order to progress, with a handful of power-ups that can be earned to help get the hard-to-reach corners of each grid. 7 Wonders is available for $9.99.
Beyond the downloadable games, it's a quiet week for the PlayStation Network. The 11th "issue" of Sony's digital magazine Qore is now available, with content led by a look at the music of inGamous and sneak peeks at Fat Princess and Red Faction: Guerrilla. This issue is free, although gamers who insist on parting with their money can purchase an annual subscription to Qore for $24.99.
As for add-on content, Little Big Planet gets a new Patapon-themed costume pack for $1.99. Pain gets a martial-arts-themed character (Brock Lee) for $.99, and Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 gamers can grab the free Isles of Conflict map pack.
Rock Band players can strike up their own covers of three SpongeBob Squarepants songs for $.99 each or delve into a selection of four new $1.99 songs from the likes of Journey and Pat Benatar. Over on Guitar Hero World Tour, it's all Pixies, all the time, as three new tracks by the Frank Black-fronted band are available for $1.99 each, or $5.49 as a set.
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'Splosion Man blowin' up on XBLA
- Posted Apr 2, 2009 3:45 pm PT
- 33 comments
As part of the April Fools' chicanery that dominated headlines yesterday, The Maw creator Twisted Pixel Games announced its newest project: 'Splosion Man for Xbox Live. The title was billed as a 2.5D action platformer "based around the simple concept of 'splosions and the ridiculousness that ensues."
Ha ha, very funny, right? Well, as it turns out, Twisted Pixel was kind of serious. The developer confirmed as much in an announcement today, titled "By the Way, We Weren't Kidding About 'Splosion Man." According to the developer, 'Splosion Man follows the exploits of the titular hero, who was "born of plasma and flame in an underground military lab." 'Splosion Man has the unique ability of being able to explode on command, an ability that reduces the scientists he encounters to "chunks of ham and ribeyes."
According to Twisted Pixel, 'Splosion Man will feature both a story mode and four-player co-op for online or local action. Neither a release date nor pricing information has been announced.
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2.70 PS3 firmware update brings text chat, video backup
- Posted Apr 2, 2009 12:54 pm PT
- 100 comments
Late yesterday Sony revealed the upcoming v2.70 firmware update for the PS3. The new additions mainly deal with a new text chat feature, which can be used via the onscreen keyboard, a compatible full-sized keyboard, or the new wireless keypad that attaches to the top of the DualShock 3/Sixaxis controller. While in the midst of a game, players can join up to three different chat rooms at the same time, each of which will support up to 16 people.
Sony revamped the friends list on the XrossMediaBar to accommodate the new text chat feature. Friends can be sorted by online status and exchange files up to 3MB in size. The update also allows videos purchased from the PlayStation Store to be backed up on an external hard drive. In a bid to keep things simple for users, Sony will now allow users to transfer PSP video purchases to the PS3 for playback.
[UPDATE] The v2.70 firmware update is now live and ready for download!
--GameSpot Hardware's Sarju Shah co-wrote this report.
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Puzzle Quest: Galactrix journeys to XBLA Apr. 8
- Posted Apr 2, 2009 11:19 am PT
- 14 comments
Infinite Interactive's Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was one of the best titles of 2007, winning GameSpot's Best PSP Game and Best Game No One Played award at year's end. Its follow-up, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, has thus far fared far worse on the platforms that it has been released for, with critics drubbing the PC edition of the game for its lackluster story and the seeming overreliance on luck in deciding the outcome of battles.
However, the developer may soon have a chance to redeem itself, as D3 Publisher said today that Puzzle Quest: Galactrix will arrive for Xbox Live next Wednesday, April 8. Developed by Infinite Interactive, the Bejeweled-style puzzle game with role-playing elements will feature a suite of online options in addition to its single-player storyline, including multiplayer modes, matchmaking, leaderboards, and voice chat. Pricing information has not yet been revealed.
D3 Publisher, which is in the process of being acquired by Namco Bandai, also confirmed that a PlayStation Network edition of the game is planned for release this spring. Infinite Interactive is codeveloping the PSN edition of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix alongside Kalloc Studios.