Monday 28 February 2011
Sunday 27 February 2011
TAKE-TWO REGISTERS A BUNDLE OF POINTING TO A NEW GTA
Part of the charm of a new GTA game is the pop cultural references courtesy of the radio stations, TV shows and advertisements. Designed to look like real-world products, these ads succeed due to their method of making the mundane surreal. So when GTA publisher Take-Two Interactive registers for websites like cashfordeaddreams.com, sixfiguretemps.com, stoppayingyourmortgage.net, hammersteinfaust.com, and lifeinvader.com, its time we should pay attention.
Of course, all of these domain names could indicate Take-Two is interested in addressing the ongoing housing crisis with a slightly malicious world view, or these companies could show up in a game. LikeGTA V! It’s been a very long time since there was a proper GTA game, and the fifth entry to the franchise would be well appreciated. What do you think it could be?
UPDATE: MYSTERIOUS COUNTDOWN BRINGS CALL OF DUTY TO MIND
UPDATE: A little Nancy Drew sleuthing on our part has led to some interesting finds. I’ll break them down in the order of which we discovered them. First off, Geoff Keighly, host of GTTV, tweeted that he had been in touch with Activision and they claimed there will NOT be a new Call of Duty reveal next week. Okay, so let’s assume they aren’t lying. What are the other possibilities? Well, the Battlefield 3reveal event that’s planned for GDC next week ends just six hours before the timer will be up, which could be when the embargo for said event lifts. But there’s a couple of other noteworthy things. Josh Olin (AKA JD_2020), community manager at Treyarch, said he saw a rough cut of a new Black Opstrailer that is set to run next week. I’m going to guess the countdown is unrelated to that because of the name Makarov in the URL. My personal theory? Duty Calls 2.
Don’t look now, but the hype train for 2011’s Call of Duty has begun. A cryptic countdown has appeared over at FindMakarov.com, complete with the no-standard Modern Warfare color and font scheme. The countdown ends a little over four days from now, which is smack dab in the middle of GDC. What will be revealed? Could be a new Call of Duty site, a trailer, or another piece of promotion.
Back in 2009, the first footage we got of Modern Warfare 2 was the famous “No Russian” elevator scene done in green static with audio after a lengthy countdown site.
There’s one major clue here that should point CoD fans in the right direction: Makarov was the Russian arms dealer from Modern Warfare 2 that played the role of antagonist for most of the game. Given theModern Warfare branch of the CoD franchise and its penchant for returning characters from game to game, I’d say Modern Warfare 3 gets revealed at GDC next week (no surprise there).
Modern Warfare 3 Countdown Site A Hoax According to Geoff Keighley
Well hold onto your butts folks, it’s about to get real. It was earlier today that certain sites in the media got sent dog tags with a website URL on them along with other information. Upon going to the website, a countdown timer was all that was there, with some sounds and a flash of a character. The packages were apparently from Activision.
This is where it get’s fishy. According to Geoff Keighley, it was all a hoax, and there is no Modern Warfare 3announcement next week, or even anything related to Call of Duty.
Let’s think about this for a second though. Yes this all very well could be a hoax, but we have to remember that people do tell white lies when it comes to announcements and reveals about games. We all remember how David Jaffe played off the new Twisted Metal game? Constantly stating that he was not working on it. In reality, Twisted Metalstole the show at E3 because it was such a shock.
So from all this, we can’t tell who is telling the truth and who is lying here. I mean the packages came from Activision, so unless there is something the sites that got them aren’t telling us. Who would go through all this trouble just to pull this prank?
Either way, we will know for sure in about four days, so we will keep you posted on more news when it happens.
Friday 25 February 2011
Killzone 3 Steel Rain Map Pack Trailer (JUNKYARD MAP!)
Well, it didn’t take long for them to announce their first batch of DLC for Killzone 3 — did it? While there is no price or release date given for the map pack just yet, we do know what the map pack will include. You’ll be given two brand new maps that were derived from the singleplayer campaign.
First up we have Junkyard. The map is obviously of the junkyards of Helghan and was designed for play with 16 players in the Guerrilla Warfare gametype. Next up we have Stahl Arms. The map is of the Stahl Arms research facility and is designed for 24 players with the Warzone gametype.
That’s all there really is at the moment. As we said, there is no official release date or pricing, but there is a video that shows off the Junkyard map.
Countdown Site for Modern Warfare 3?
A countdown site for some game has just popped up and if any of the clues are to go by, we will be getting news onModern Warfare 3 in about four days. Which if you don’t know, means GDC will be an event you want to pay attention to.
Findmakarov.com is the site in question. Another site got sent a package from Activision with dog tags that led to the site, on the dog tags was “End the war” with information on Shepard. One of the “villains” from Modern Warfare 2.
Even before this countdown site was revealed there were rumors stirring about the next game in the Modern Warfare franchise. One rumor was the third game would follow Ghost from the two previous games, but would be a prequel to Call of Duty 4. The other one is that Infinity Ward, with the help of Sledgehammer and Raven Software are all working on the title.
Although, we all could be wrong, but if you add up the clues, it is pretty clear something Call of Duty is planned for GDC next week.
MotorStorm® Apocalypse Wreckreation Mode Developer Diary
The Motorstorm series is about to get a whole lot more intense with the next game — Motorstorm Apocalypse. This Dev Diary follows Wreckreation Mode, which as it sounds is a free-for-all race. Both a singleplayer and multiplayer race, were you try to win, but also wreck and destroy the opponents.
New L.A. Noire Screenshots Show Bloody Cars And Explosions
Quite a lot related to L.A. Noire this week. We saw the official box art, the preorder bonuses, and now we have some new screenshots for you to gawk at.
The screens showcase some of what Detective Phelps will encounter after his promotion to the “Traffic Desk.” While you think it’s just pulling over speeders and issuing tickets, you–like Phelps–will slowly realize it’s a dark job filled with hit-and-runs, accidents, and where cars are used as weapons for murder.
Just take a look at the screen of the abandoned bloody car. That should be enough to give you an idea of what the job, and game, will have you doing. L.A. Noire is set to release on May 17th. Get your detective hats on ladies and gentlemen, you’re going to need them!
APB: Reloaded Beta Application Keys Being Sent Out
If you were one of the 100,000 plus people who signed up to possibly participate the APB: Reloaded beta, you might want to check your email. That’s right, the beta application keys are now being sent out. It’s just a key that allows you to apply to possibly participate in the beta.
When you redeem your code, you’ll be asked to fill out a bit of information regarding your PC, what kind of connection you have and all that jazz — that’s it. Make sure you fill it out correctly too. The email with the application key states
Presuming you fill out the information correctly and completely in the Closed Beta Application, we will then let you access the game ahead of all other gamers.
When you’re all done, you’ll be disappointed to find out that you’re only going to be redirected to a screen that tells you that you still have to wait. However, if you did fill it out “correctly and completely” you should have nothing to worry about.
Just keep checking your e-mail in the coming weeks to find out if you’ve been accepted.
Thursday 24 February 2011
L.A. Noire Preorder Bonuses Revealed
Just the other day, the L.A. Noire boxart was revealed, and now today — the bonuses for preordering have made their way onto the scene. It seems almost obligatory that a game gets some form of preorder bonuses. However, some of them can often be pretty badass. Anyways, here’s what the offerings are for L.A. Noire.
GameStop:
The Naked City’ Vice Case
In this bonus case from L.A. Noire’s Vice Desk, detective Cole Phelps investigates the supposed suicide of a stunning fashion model. Can you help Cole unravel the truth in a city blighted by drugs, corruption and greed, where the death of a beautiful woman is never as straightforward as it seems?The Badge Pursuit Challenge
Hidden around L.A. Noire’s beautiful recreation of 1947 Los Angeles are 20 police badges to find and collect. If you can find all 20 of these badges, the dapper Button Man suit will be unlocked which provides extra ammo for all weapons. Each badge also provides 5 additional XP which will help further unlock Intuition Points – special credits that can be used to give Phelps a key investigative insight when you need it most.
Amazon:This unlockable detective suit boosts your fist-fighting capabilities and resilience to damage. Throughout L.A. Noire while working cases, you’ll encounter quite a few suspects and persons of interest who prove to be resistant to arrest. Your hand-to-hand fighting skills will be called into action on these cases – the Broderick suit with its enhanced fighting abilities may be that edge in helping make that collar.
WalMart:
“A Slip of the Tongue” is a bonus case from the Traffic Desk in which a seemingly run of the mill car theft ends up sparking an explosive investigation into the largest auto fraud racket the city has ever seen. With the stolen cars piling up and questionable characters at every turn, can you help Cole Phelps crack the biggest case so far in his career?
Best Buy:
The Sharpshooter unlockable detective suit enhances your aim with rifles and pistols. Always a worst case scenario for any detective working a case, there are of course those occasions for Cole Phelps when pursuing a suspect escalates to gunfire. In these tense shootouts, the Sharpshooter suit provides that extra aiming precision to take the criminal down.
Well, there you have it folks. Your pre-order bonuses from some of the leading retailers. Not mentioned above is another preorder bonus. It’s nothing in-game, but it is on the other hand something more tangible. If you preorder the game from the Rockstar Warehouse, you’ll receive a L.A. Noire t-shirt along with the game. Where you preorder is up to you, but if I had to choose — I’d go with the t-shirt.
Wednesday 23 February 2011
Killzone 3 Dev Keeping An Eye out for Cheating Scum
We all hate them, but in today’s world it is next to impossible to stop people from cheating, especially now since both the PS3 and 360 have problems with cheaters. Worry not though — Guerrilla Games — makers of Killzone 3are keeping an eye out for cheater and hackers who jailbreak their PS3′s.
Guerrilla producer Steven Ter Heide has stated that the recent “hacks” that have hit the PS3 are a major concern for them, and are working with Sony to monitor their game for cheaters.
The ability for one person to ruin people’s games is not a good prospect obviously, so we’re working with Sony on the moderation side. But at the same time we have to step up as developers and say, “OK what are the holes in our game, what is the data, can we analyze that and see where the problems might be?”
They are keeping their eyes on the leaderboards and stats for everyone in the game, and if one stands out as not being right. They can take an even closer look at that specific player and determine if the person is cheating or gained those levels by playing the game right.
They plan to stay one step ahead of the cheaters by releasing patches and updates for the game, which is great news. So let this be a lesson, don’t cheat at a video game. What do you really get out of it when you cheat?
If you want to know what we thought of Killzone 3, go check out our review of the game. Also don’t forget we alsoun-boxed the Helghast Edition of the game too.
Battlefield 3 Pre-order Bonus Revealed
Accompanying the recently released game trailer, EA and DICE have decided to also reveal the free piece of content that you will receive upon pre-ordering Battlefield 3.
In exchange for your pre-order, you will secure a free copy of the ‘Back to Karkand’ downloadable expansion pack, which primarily consists of four classic maps from Battlefield 2. However, in addition to these maps, Back to Karkand will also grant you access to a range of weapons and vehicles from the previous installment in the series, as well as unique rewards and achievements in the game.
Considering the magnitude of this expansion pack, it’s relatively safe to assume that it will be sold separately subsequent to the launch of Battlefield 3 in the fall.
Battlefield 3 [EA]
Official L.A. Noire Box Art
L.A. Noire the very anticipated game from Team Bondi has box art for both versions of the game. The L.A. crime thriller takes
place in the crime-plagued 1947 Los Angeles
Not a too flashy box art, but it gets the message across in just the right way. Look for L.A. Noire to hit shelves on May 17th. Also, those wanting to pre-order this game, pre-order bonuses will be hitting tomorrow, so be on the look out for that.
FortressCraft Water and Building
As Mojang ports Minecraft onto portable platforms, a wholly unrelated group is cashing in on the block-moving train with FortressCraft on Xbox Live Indie Games.
What amounts to a blatant knock-off of Minecraft, FortressCraft is impressive nonetheless. Releasing this spring for 80MS points ($1), the game’s first chapter, “The Creation”, will feature world building and 31 player multiplayer. Subsequent chapters are also in the works, also for $1, and there are even plans to port FortressCraft to Windows, Mac, Linux and browsers.
At this point, you’re probably wondering how in the hell these guys are going to avoid a lawsuit from Mojang. Well, they answer that in the FAQ:
I’ll feel dirty doing it, but there’s nothing that’s going to stop me from checking this out when it releases. Of course, should Mojang ever decide to put the real deal on Xbox, they’ll surely get my money again. Until then, this looks to be the best way to get your Minecraft fix from the comfort of your couch.
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Nintendo Confirms North American 3DS Launch Lineup
Until recently, the North American launch lineup for the upcoming 3DS handheld has been particularly unclear. Vague release dates and consistent use of the term “launch window” has led to some degree of confusion regarding which games will definitely be available on March 27th–the date of the North American 3DS release.
Thankfully, Nintendo of America has revealed a definitive list of 16 games that will be available on launch day.
- Nintendogs + Cats- Steel Diver
- Pilotwings Resort
- Asphalt 3D
- Bust-A-Move Universe
- Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D
- LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
- Madden NFL Football
- Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
- Rayman 3D
- Ridge Racer 3D
- Samurai Warriors: Chronicles
- The Sims 3
- Super Monkey Ball 3D
- Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
It’s worth mentioning that the first three titles on the list are the only first-party games that will be available during the launch of the 3DS. You’ll notice an absence of recognizable Nintendo ‘big hitters’ such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and the anticipated Kid Icarus.
Avatar Kinect Demo
It was announced at CES, then faded into the night until today. Microsoft gave a demo of Xbox 360 chat service Avatar Kinect to journalists this week, and one of them caught the action on video. First revealed at CES in January, the face-tracking service lets users control their Xbox Live avatars using Kinect.
With a release window of sometime in Spring. Avatar Kinect will be free for all Gold members of Xbox Live. With support of up to eight people, and the ability to choose from 15 different stages to customize your experience. This video does a much better job explaining Avatar Kinect than we can do, so we suggest you take the time and watch this video.
Bulletstorm ‘Gun Sonata’ Paid DLC Announced
Bulletstorm has been available in stores for only a few hours, and already DLC plans have been announced.
The upcoming ‘Gun Sonata’ DLC pack for Bulletstorm will consist of three new Anarchy multiplayer maps: Hotel Elysium, Sewers of Stygia, and Villa. Similar to the on-disc Anarchy maps, players will be tasked with competing against each other in a slightly modified Horde mode.
In addition to these three Anarchy maps, the freshly announced DLC will also include two new score-based Echo maps: Guns of Stygia and Crash Sight. Virtually identical in purpose to the Echo maps in the original release ofBulletstorm, players will primarily be competing for leaderboard positions.
Furthermore, two new leash enhancements, Flamingo and Pulp, will be available with the purchase of this DLC.
The ‘Gun Sonata’ pack for Bulletstorm will be released this spring for $10 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Sony Prepping A “Hack-Proof” PlayStation 3?
If you have been living under a rock for the last month and don’t know that the PlayStation 3 has become a haven for hacker’s and pirates. Sony may have something up their sleeves — a new PS3 model. Now of course this is a rumor, but thinking about it, Sony has not been able to quell the hacking scene, and a new model with new security features built in are their best bet to stop this wild fire of hacking.
According to unnamed sources this new model will boast new security features, a 300GB hard drive and run the buyer £186.99 or around $300. Not only will there be a new model, but to get rid of the stock of the old “hackable” models, a PS3 price cut will coincide with the release of the new model.
While this is probably their best bet to stop this problem before it gets way out of control. Making a whole new model and hacking the price of previous models doesn’t really sound so smart. What is going to stop the people who want to do illegal activities from purchasing a discounted PS3?
Why would they not just add these new security measures into current models, and not let anyone know about them? That would make the most sense, because the less noise you make when it comes to matters like this, the better.
Sony Preparing Hack-Proof PS3 SKU [everythinghq] Via Dtiod
Super Meat Boy Receives 40 Free Levels On Xbox 360
A few weeks ago we told you that two free Super Meat Boy chapters were coming to the Xbox 360 version of the game, each containing 20 new levels. As it turns out, the process took a few days longer than originally expected.
Late last night, Team Meat managed to successfully upload the two XBLA exclusive chapters, Expert Remix and Cramps. It’s worth noting that Cramps is the first user-created chapter available in Super Meat Boy.
The concept behind the Expert Remix chapter is very straightforward, twenty of the best Super Meat Boy levels–as voted on by the fans–were taken from the original game and made more difficult. These levels have been described by Team Meat as “very hard”, so be prepared when venturing into the chapter.
The second level pack, Cramps, was created by user NovaSilisko, and is comparatively much easier than its masochistic counterpart.
Many more free chapters are planned for Super Meat Boy on the Xbox 360 throughout the year. Currently, there are an impressive 430 available levels in the downloadable title.
New Chapters added! [Team Meat]
Don’t Forget! Dragon Age 2 Demo Lands Today!
If you’re tired of waiting to at least try Dragon Age 2 — fret not! Today marks the release of the Dragon Age 2 Demo! The demo will be made available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the PC. The demo will gamers to play through the game’s prologue as one of three classes available in said demo.
Upon completion of the demo, you’ll be given a treat for the full game when it’s eventually released in March. That’s right, all those who complete the demo will be given “Hayder’s Razor.” No, it’s not some sort of razor for shaving, but rather a Dwarven axe that increases health, mana and combat prowess in-game.
Look for Dragon Age 2 to land in stores on March 8th. Oh, did we mention it has blowjobs and same-sex kissing?
Even Cliffy B Wants To Play Killzone 3
Despite the fact that Bulletstorm released today, Cliffy B seems to be taking a break from that whole project to play another game that was released today. That’s right everyone, even Cliff Bleszinski of Epic Games will be playingKillzone 3. Cliff tweeted not too long ago that while he supports his product–Bulletstorm–he more importantly supports all games.
And yes, I support our products but more importantly I support GAMES. Got my #Killzone!
He even added a nice little picture for everyone to see he wasn’t joking around either.
The official Killzone 3 Twitter account tweeted back at Mr. B and told him to have fun. He will too! The game is simply fantastic! This reminds me of back in 2009 when Major Nelson talked about how he’d be playing Uncharted 2. However, is Cliffy B just scoping out his competition? Probably not, Cliffy B seems like an equal opportunity game player.
It’s good to see developers and such supporting all games. I just wish some gamers would be more mature and do the same.
Uncharted Film Director Wants To Be Trusted, Says Movie Will Be “Amazing”
Since the recent announcement of his inclusion in the upcoming Uncharted movie, David O. Russell has come under quite a bit of fire. Various disagreements between Russell and players of the Uncharted series have ultimately led to fans questioning how accurately the director will portray the popular franchise. To support their disposition, some enthusiasts have even accused Russell of never playing either of the Uncharted games, and instead simply reading an overall summary.In a recent interview with Slashfilm, David O. Russell directly responded to the accusations against him.
First, the director commented on the notion that he has never played either of the Uncharted games. In his response, he claims that this statement is false–and that he has in fact played through the series multiple times.
“I’m not going to present myself as hardcore. But I played the game a bunch of times and I also read as much as I could about the game and I met the game’s creator, Amy Hennig, who’s really cool. I started to brew together what I thought could be a really cool idea that I’d never seen in a film before. Really intense action and really intense family dynamics on a global stage.”
Secondly, the director offered assurance, saying that he will respect the Uncharted franchise in its movie adaptation. Solely based on his statement in the interview, Russell seems to believe that the upcoming movie will be ‘amazing’.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m very respectful as far as the core content and sprit of the game, but beyond that it’s my job as a filmmaker to make what I think is going to be an amazing movie. People have to trust that and let that go, I think. There’s not a bunch of movies you can point to that are made from games that are amazing movies, that stand up to time as a franchise or as [individual films].”
Whether or not the Uncharted movie will deliver on the promises made by the director will have to wait until its release. However, until that time, Russell is simply asking the community to trust him.
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