Most Recent: News

Then there were 8: Gronk, Rodgers, Newton, others advance in Madden NFL 13 cover vote

Posted on April 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

The second round of voting for the Madden NFL 13 cover vote has been completed and we finally have a few upsets to talk about.

In the left bracket, Patrick Willis (#11) collected 58% of the vote to push past Maurice Jones-Drew (#3). And on the right side, Calvin Johnson (#6) stomped Arian Foster (#3), receiving a whopping 73% of the vote. In another right bracket upset, Ray Rice (#5) squeaked past Drew Brees (#3).

So that leaves both number ones still in the hunt as well as both number twos. Third round voting begins today and runs until April 11 at ESPN.com/maddenvote. Here’s how the third round matchups shake out:

Left Bracket
Cam Newton (#1) vs Larry Fitzgerald (#4)
Victor Cruz (#2) vs Patrick Willis (#11)

Right Bracket
Aaron Rodgers (#1) vs Ray Rice (#5)
Rob Gronkowski (#2) vs Calvin Johnson (#6)

Posted in News, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 to be revealed at PAX East 2012

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

Zeboyd Games, the creators of Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII, recently took up development of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness – Episode 3. Original developer Hothead Games left the project to work on other projects, but Penny Arcade’s artist Mike “Gabe” Krahulik and writer Jerry “Tycho” Holkins are ready to show off the redone game at this year’s PAX East. Zeboyd has also signed on to develop a fourth installment in 2013.

Con-goers can get a first look at the game in Zeboyd’s booth on the Expo floor, and can also attend a panel with Jerry Holkins, game producer Jeff Kalles, and game leads Robert Boyd and Bill Stiernberg at 9:00 on Friday, April 6th to get some details on the game’s development.

The game, now rechristened Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 is slated for a Summer release on the PC, Mac, the Xbox Live Indie Games channel, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android, so if you own any kind of gaming technology, odds are you can find a way to play this one.

If you can’t make it to Boston this weekend, check out the official website or an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the game’s genesis at Joystiq.

Posted in Mobile, News, PC, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Anonymous devs say Wii U isn’t as powerful as PS3/Xbox 360

Posted on April 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Here’s a shocker… developers are unhappy with the processing power of the Wii U! Speaking anonymously to GamesIndustry International, several developers laid out their concerns about Nintendo’s next console:

“No, it’s not up to the same level as the PS3 or the 360,” said one developer who’s been working with the Wii U. What does that mean? “The graphics are just not as powerful,” reiterated the source.

Another developer at a major company confirmed this point of view. “Yeah, that’s true. It doesn’t produce graphics as well as the PS3 or the 360,” said the source. “There aren’t as many shaders, it’s not as capable. Sure, some things are better, mostly as a result of it being a more modern design. But overall the Wii U just can’t quite keep up.”

If what they say is true, it could certainly hurt the Wii U’s standing among hardcore gamers. The PS3 and Xbox 360 will be six and seven years old, respectively, when the Wii U launches, so the public is expecting it to pack a decent processing punch. Nintendo has said they plan to publicly reveal the final form of the Wii U at this year’s E3 Expo. So we should learn just how powerful the “next-gen” system is then.

However, I think the real crime here is that neither complaint has the artistry of former Maxis developer Chris Hecker saying, “The way you manufacture a Wii is you take two GameCubes and duct tape.”

If you’re going to slam Nintendo, you better be creative about it!

Posted in News, Wii U |

XBLA Today: Diabolical Pitch, Pinball Arcade

Posted on April 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Today’s Xbox Live Arcade additions have a theme, can you figure it out?

First up is Diabolical Pitch, a Kinect-powered XBLA game that features a pitcher with a bionic arm trapped in an amusement park full of demons. No, really! It’s priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10) and sounds totally awesome:

An unusual, unique and wacky pitching action game is coming to Kinect and the name of the game is Diabolical Pitch. A former pitcher now outfitted with an incredibly powerful bionic arm finds himself in a run-down, dark, and twisted amusement park. The night gets strange and intense quickly as you must use your pitching skills to survive the game of your life. Charge up your diabolical pitch to wipe out all the enemies crowding towards you. Power-ups give your throwing arm insane abilities that will give you the edge against huge mobs of enemies or even the most fearsome boss. Kinect turns your room into a playing field and your Diabolical Pitch is the main attraction.

Also available this week is Pinball Arcade, which aims to be a platform for additional tables much like Pinball FX. The base game includes four tables and is priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10):

Real pinball for your Xbox 360! The all-time greatest pinball tables from Williams, Bally, Stern Pinball, and Gottlieb are now together in one game. Every flipper, bumper, sound effect, and display pixel has been painstakingly emulated in astonishing detail. The four table launch collection includes Tales of the Arabian Nights, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Theatre of Magic, and Black Hole.

Did you guess the theme? It’s flying metal balls.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

I Am Alive, Wheels of Destruction, Price Is Right added to PS Store

Posted on April 4, 2012 by John Scalzo

Sony updated the PlayStation Store last night with a trio of new titles. Highlighting this week’s update is Ubisoft’s survival sim I Am Alive. It’s joined by the vehicular combat of Wheels of Destruction and midmorning game show fun of The Price Is Right Decades.

More info on all of these games can be found below. If you’re looking for discounts on Mortal Kombat DLC or want a complete list of this week’s game add-ons, head over to the PlayStation Blog.

PSN Games

Wheels of Destruction ($9.99)
In a lawless, post-apocalyptic world, Wheels of Destruction pits you in a kill-or-be-killed competition of extreme four-wheel wreckage. From death matches to flag capturing, slay everything in your path of relentless devastation.

The Price Is Right Decades ($9.99)
Come On Down! Take A Trip Back To Memory Lane with The Price Is Right Decades! The Price Is Right Decades retains all of the treasured game play elements found in previous versions, including classics such as Plinko and The Big Wheel.

I Am Alive ($14.99)
One year after a worldwide cataclysmic event that wiped out most of the human race, a man struggles for survival in a desolate city as he tries to reunite with his long lost family. In this post-apocalyptical tale, there are no supernatural threats, just an everyman who faces a decaying and hazardous world.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Battlefield developer DICE is hiring for a next-gen game

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Chris Urie

Who wants to work in Stockholm?

DICE, the EA division of mad programmers that play with the Frostbite 2 engine and brought you titles such as Battlefield 3 and Mirror’s Edge, is looking for a senior software engineer to help them craft their next-gen titles. Next-gen as in PlayStation 4 (AKA Orbis), Xbox 720, and Wii U.

What do you need to work at DICE? Hit the jump to find out, complete with translations for those unfamiliar with video game employment vernacular. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One |

League For Gamers to educate PAX East 2012 about proposed violence warning legislation

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

Are you familiar with bill H.R. 4204? If your answer was no, the League For Gamers, an organization that stands against legislation it considers detrimental to the games industry, would like you to know what it’s all about.

H.R. 4204 proposes that every video game carrying an ESRB rating of Everyone, Everyone 10+, Teen, Mature, or Adults Only must carry a warning label that states “Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior.” The League For Gamers feels that this assertion is based on questionable research, and will be asking con-goers for their support in their ongoing efforts to protect the games industry from legislation like H.R. 4204, SOPA, and PIPA.

Interested parties can stop by the booth at PAX East and meet with a representative, or visit the League For Gamers website for more information.

Posted in News | Tagged

Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends will include 50 cars you’ll never own

Posted on April 3, 2012 by John Scalzo

Do you want to own a Ferrari? How about 50 of them? Just outside your price range, right? Don’t worry, Atari’s got you covered.

Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends will be available this May for the PS3 and Xbox 360 and it’ll be packed with Ferraris, 50 of them in fact, in three different classes. Hey… look at that!

Want to know which specific Italian road machines made the cut for Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends? Check out the complete list after the break(s). (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged