Most Recent: PS3

The Balcony is Closed: Whatever Happened to the Licensed Game?

Posted on May 6, 2011 by John Scalzo

In case there was any doubt, Thor and his mighty hammer have officially opened the 2011 Summer movie season today. What will follow is four months of blockbusters that will be heavy on action and even heavier on reviews comparing their visuals to video games. But as Hollywood and Redmond trade ideas back and forth, the once great institution that is the licensed game has gone by the wayside.

Okay, “once great institution” might be the nostalgia talking, but licensed games were always plentiful, even if they weren’t always good games. We all know the story of Atari practically bankrupting themselves to produce the woefully bad E.T. game for the Atari 2600. And Acclaim’s history of low review scores (and eventual bankruptcy) could be attributed to the company’s string of licensed games.

But titles like GoldenEye and The Chronicles of Riddick prove that a licensed game doesn’t have to be a cheaply made cash-in. They can be classics. Yet their number is decreasing, even as gamemakers have embraced the trappings of Hollywood during the development process. (more…)

Posted in DS, Features, PC, PS3, Top Story, Wii, Xbox 360 |

Next Week on Rock Band 3: Foo Fighters! Oh, and Run DMC too!

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Adam Woolcott

Long-time fans of the Rock Band franchise are well aware that the Foo Fighters are one of the most prolific bands in the game – there’s well over twenty of their songs available in the Rock Band store. That number is set to increase this coming Tuesday, as the Foo Fighters are bringing four new tracks to Rock Band 3. That’s not all, however, as hip-hop legends Run-DMC make their Rock Band debut. Previously, they were only available in 2008’s Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. Anyway, here’s what’s on tap for Tuesday, May 10th:

  • Foo Fighters – “Long Road to Ruin”
  • Foo Fighters – “Rope” X
  • Foo Fighters – “Stacked Actors”
  • Foo Fighters – “Walk”
  • Lordi – “Hard Rock Hallelujah”
  • Run-DMC – “King of Rock”

“King of Rock” is an amazing pick, though hopefully this leads to their “Walk This Way” collaboration with Aerosmith. Otherwise, my only disappointment is the inclusion of just one track from the great new Foo Fighters album “Wasting Light” – hopefully more will appear in the future… like, you know, the entire album. In addition to the all-new tracks, there’s two previously available Foo Fighters songs being enhanced for Pro Guitar:

• Foo Fighters – “Monkey Wrench”
• Foo Fighters – “The Pretender”

As always, each song will retail for 160 Microsoft Points, 200 Wii Points, or $1.99 on PlayStation Network… though as I said last week, the availability on PS3 depends on whenever PSN is up and running again. The two “legacy” updates for the older Foo Fighters tracks will set you back half the cost of a full song, as will the Pro Guitar upgrade for “Rope.”

Tune in next week for another run down of Rock Band 3 goodness!

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

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations to star Altair, Ezio, Desmond

Posted on May 5, 2011 by John Scalzo

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Revelations reveal is fully unlocked and we finally get a glimpse of what we’ve expected all along: Altair and Ezio, together at last!

Game Informer has also revealed that the game will grace the cover of its June issue. We’ll get the full scoop in a few days, but the Game Informer teaser has already surely got Assassin’s Creed fans on the edge of their seats:

You’ll learn how each of the franchise’s major characters — Altaïr, Ezio, and Desmond — play a part in the story, and how you’ll control each of the three as playable characters. Uncover a brand new part of the world as Ezio travels abroad for the first time to explore the wonders of Constantinople at the height of the Ottoman Empire. Learn about all the new features that set Revelations apart, from a brand new weapon and tool that changes the way you’ll fight and traverse the world, to extensive details on the newly customizable multiplayer game. And what exactly is going on with Desmond after the end of Brotherhood?

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will be available this November.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Rage gameplay trailer shows off The Shrouded

Posted on May 5, 2011 by John Scalzo

An awesome new Rage gameplay trailer shows off an assault on bunker belonging to The Shrouded, one of the many clans in the game. Check out the wide variety of weapons and the bombing run by a remote control car. Take that you mutants!

Rage is in development at id Software for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. It’ll be available in stores on September 13.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Mass Effect 3 delayed into 2012

Posted on May 5, 2011 by John Scalzo

Were you super excited to play Mass Effect 3 this Fall? If so, then the franchise’s Executive Producer at BioWare, Casey Hudson, has some bad news for you. Posting on Facebook, he revealed that the release date for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 game has been pushed back into early 2012:

Mass Effect 3 will be released in the first three months of 2012. The development team is laser focused on making sure Mass Effect 3 is the biggest, boldest and best game in the series, ensuring that it exceeds everyone’s expectations.

To say sorry, EA has released a pair of new images, which you can find after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

THQ releasing uDraw HD, Saints Row 3 in 2011; Drive-By canceled

Posted on May 5, 2011 by John Scalzo

THQ used their quarterly financial call to reveal a bit more about its 2011-2012 release slate.

For this year, the publisher is readying MX vs. ATV Alive for release this month, Red Faction: Armageddon on June 7, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine for August and UFC Personal Trainer sometime this Summer. Towards the end of the year, THQ plans to release Saints Row: The Third and the next WWE game along with bringing their uDraw GameTablet to the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Speaking of Saints Row, after the call, the publisher told Joystiq that Saints Row: Drive-By (the franchise’s 3DS/PSN/XBLA spinoff) was canceled. Bummer.

But 2012 is looking great for THQ as they revealed that they have several major releases planned including the unannounced UFC Undisputed 2012, Darksiders 2, Tomonobu Itagaki’s Devil’s Third, Metro 2033: Last Light and Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online.

Finally, the publisher publicly commented on Nintendo’s next console: “[THQ is] excited about the prospect of new hardware next year and look[s] forward to working on that system.” Got an opinion of which of THQ’s 2012 releases will make the leap to the Wii 2/Project Cafe? Let us know in the comments.

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , ,

Sony pins SOE attack on Anonymous, makes statement to Congress

Posted on May 5, 2011 by John Scalzo

While the PlayStation Network is still down, Sony has gone on the offensive, detailing exactly what they told the U.S. House of Representatives and pinning the Sony Online Entertainment attack on Anonymous.

According to a new post on the PlayStation.Blog, Sony discovered a file on one of the SOE servers named “Anonymous” with the words “We are Legion.” Perhaps this calling card was left by an unconnected party in an attempt to paint the “hacktivist group” in a bad light. But it doesn’t inspire confidence in the group’s message that “For Once, We Didn’t Do It.”

Kazuo Hirai, SCEA’s Chairman of the Board, would go on to say that the major credit companies have not reported a single fraudulent transaction connected to the PSN information breach. But to be on the safe side, the company has also pledged to offer complimentary identity theft protection to U.S. account holders. This offer was not part of Sony’s original “Welcome Back” program and may have been spurred on by a Senator from Connecticut making the demand for identity theft protection in an open letter to the console maker last week.

Sony still has not confirmed when the PSN will be back online. They would only say that details will be coming “shortly.” Perhaps the promise of a return to service this week was a bit premature. SOE servers remain down indefinitely.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PSP | Tagged

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations takes place in Istanbul

Posted on May 4, 2011 by John Scalzo

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Revelations reveal has been slowly working its way towards completion and the new pictures are beginning to clear up the future of the franchise.

The clearest image is that of the Hagia Sophia (left), the largest church in the city of Istanbul. However, Turkish gaming site Oyungezer (via Joystiq) has translated more of the teaser and supplied the worldwide gaming community with even more clues:

  • The number (“24061459”) is actually the birthdate of Assassin’s Creed II protagonist Ezio Auditore da Firenze (albeit written in the European date format).
  • The amoeba-like symbol that occasionally flashes across the screen is a Tughra, an official seal or signature for a sultan.

The Tughra shown belongs to Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1520 until 1566. So it’s very possible that Assassin’s Creed: Revelation will be another direct sequel to ACII (which takes place in 1499) and Brotherhood (which takes place from 1499-1507).

Joystiq speculates that the inclusion of Ezio’s birthdate hints at a prequel focusing on Ezio’s father. Which would mean the action will take place in Constantinople (not Istanbul!).

They Might Be Giants had no comment on the rumors.

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