Most Recent: Xbox 360

id’s Tim Willits on Rage 2, Doom 4, more

On the eve of their first game in seven years, id Software Creative Director Tim Willits sat down with GamesIndustry.biz to discuss the company’s present and future including Rage, Doom 4 and… Rage 2?

On the subject of a Rage sequel, Willits said that DLC for Rage will come first, but the developer did reveal that id plans to begin work on Rage 2 if sales of the first game are good enough:

When I came to see you for the Rage announcement you were already talking about it being a franchise, can developers just not afford to make standalone titles in the current climate?

Willits: You need to make a franchise, especially for us. We’re doing everything we can to turn it into a franchise, “please let it sell so we can make another one!”

So we definitely, from the get go, planned to make this a much bigger franchise, a much richer world, that allows us to have different games, and we can make more mobile games, heck, we could make a social game with Rage if we wanted to. And hopefully we can make a Rage 2. Hopefully.

And what of id’s other major project, Doom 4? Willits revealed that at the time of the game’s 2008 announcement, only one person was working on Doom 4. Apparently, the game’s ultra-early announcement was all a ploy to get resumes:

Willits: We had to say that we were hiring folks [for Doom 4], so we had a long internal debate and we were like “why don’t we just tell people?” So we said we were hiring, but at that point we only had one guy working on it. But it was the best way to get resumes, because everybody wants to work on a Doom game.

So Rage will be available this Tuesday, Doom 4 is in the works for some time after and Rage 2 will come out in the far future… hopefully.

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

New Releases: Rage, NBA 2K12, Dark Souls, More

The Fall release rush began with some big titles in September, but now that we’re moving into October the new release list is going to get a lot more interesting from here on out.

This week’s biggest new release is id Software’s first game in over seven years, Rage (PC, PS3, Xbox 360). The post-apocalyptic shooter will also include Mad Max-style vehicle chases and more deserted lanscapes can you can shake a cactus at.

Speaking of deserted landscapes, 2K Sports will release NBA 2K12 (PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360) even though the 2011-2012 NBA season is currently in limbo.

If battling the forces of darkness is more your thing, perhaps you’ll want to look into Namco Bandai’s Dark Souls. The spiritual sequel to Demon’s Souls brings the series to the Xbox 360 for the first time.

Also available this week, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 will have to do battle with the forces of darkness in two time periods if they want to save Peter Parker’s life in Spider-Man: Edge of Time (3DS, DS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360).

Finally, Ubisoft is serving up another dance lesson, on the PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 this time, with Just Dance 3. And speaking of Kinect-powered games, Majesco will release Hulk Hogan’s Main Event for the Xbox 360.

Check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , , ,

I Am Alive lives on PSN, XBLA this Winter

Just days after I Am Alive made an appearance on the ESRB website, Ubisoft has confirmed the game will be released this Winter as a downloadable title on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

I Am Alive appears to have gone through a few changes since its original incarnation. Back in 2008, the game centered around the immediate aftermath of an earthquake in Chicago. Yesterday’s announcement revealed that the game’s setting has shifted to the fictional Haventon. An earthquake is no longer the cause of the disaster, which Ubisoft describes as “apocalyptic.” Instead, an unnamed everyman will be searching for his family in a city devastated by “The Event.”

“We know people have been waiting for this game to arrive, and we believe it’s going to be worth the wait,” said Adam Novickas, Director of Marketing at Ubisoft. “I Am Alive presents a unique take on the post-apocalyptic, survival genre by creating more complex and emotional situations for the player. Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network are the perfect platforms to leverage the mature and challenging experiences of the game.”

So I Am Alive still lives. Except it’s a completely different game than the last time we saw it and now it’s only being released on the PSN and XBLA. The gameplay trailer above looks good, but I think I was more interested in the original I Am Alive than this new version.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: September 30, 2011 – Friday GO!

It’s Friday, YES!! We have all survived yet another week! What are your big weekend plans? Mine include Ico, Dungeons & Dragons, some form of delicious brunch, and possibly taking in a film. I also need to do laundry, clean, and sleep, but who wants to put those into their planner? Those are boring.

Anyway, I’ve got some deals for you today! Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games is pretty lengthy today… a Mad Catz explosion!

  • Mad Catz Inc Wii Pro-Guitar Controller for $131.23
  • Rock Band 3 Wireless Keyboard and Software Bundle for Wii for $89.75
  • Mad Catz Inc PS3 Proguitar Controller for $112
  • Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller for Xbox 360 for $122.37

Whew! Also, there are two Gold Box deals:

  • 8 AM PDT/11 AM EST: 33% Off SteelSeries Gaming Keyboard – this is the SteelSeries Merc Stealth Gaming Keyboard for $59.99!
  • 10 AM PDT/1 PM EST: The best seat at the World Championship Rally is in your house. – it’s the Playseat World Rally Championship Gaming Seat for $419.99!

No gamer shirts today, but you guys know I’m a total sucker for turtles, and I can’t resist this awesome ampersand shirt over at Qwertee: (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 |

Gears of War 3 carves out 3 million in sales

Microsoft has drawn first blood in the cutthroat competition for “biggest game of the fall” by announcing that Gears of War 3 sold three million copies worldwide in its first week of availability. Available in three different (and pricey) packages, a $59.99 standard edition, a $79.99 Limited Edition and a $149.99 Epic Edition, Gears of War 3 has also pushed the franchise’s total monetary take past one billion dollars. That could buy a lot of chainsaws.

“Gears of War was the first killer app for Xbox 360, and the series has continued to contribute directly to the overall success of the platform ever since,” said Microsoft Corporate Vice President Phil Spencer. “Gears of War 3 kicked off the biggest Christmas period in Xbox history, setting the standard for the kind of amazing, action-packed experiences gamers should expect on Xbox 360 this year.”

Three million sounds pretty impressive until you remember that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will sell close to eleventyjillion copies.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

WB working on new Mortal Kombat movie for 2013

WB Games is having a practically “flawless” year and it looks like it’ll only get better with the announcement that a third Mortal Kombat movie is in development.

The currently untitled film will begin production next year under the watchful eye of director Kevin Tancharoen and writer Oren Uziel. If you’ll recall, Tancharoen was responsible for the gritty Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short film, which spawned this year’s Mortal Kombat: Legacy webseries. While Legacy was a mostly faithful retelling of the Mortal Kombat mythos, the new film will offer a more “realistic take” on the franchise when its released in 2013.

In addition to the new film, New Line Cinema President Toby Emmerich and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment President Kevin Tsujihara believe that the next game in the series (the currently untitled Mortal Kombat 10) will launch alongside the movie in 2013.

[Source: Los Angeles Times]

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

Syndicate receives February 21 release date, new trailer

Even though it was first revealed a few weeks back, EA’s Syndicate reboot has been (not so secretly) in development at Starbreeze for several years. But while EA took their sweet time to show it to the public, they’re not wasting any time to announce a release date: February 21, 2012. Yup, the Syndicate reboot will go from announcement to store shelves in less than six months.

To go along with a cofirmed release date, EA has unveiled the debut trailer for Syndicate and it is chock full of the inventive gunplay and creative melee combat that has become Starbreeze’s signature.

The trailer also reveals a Syndicate pre-order incentive known as “The Executive Package.” Players who pre-buy this game will get the full Donald Trump treatment including “solid gold versions of all loadout guns, golden dart vision, and the executive gold Syndicate logos during co-op missions.”

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

XBLM Extreme Shopping sale now live

There’s a huge sale going on right now on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Heavy hitters like Monday Night Combat and Shank are on sale for 600 Microsoft Points/$7.50, while two of my personal favorites, Housemarque’s Outland and Twisted Pixel’s The Maw, are down to 400 Microsoft Points/$5.

If you’ve been waiting for these games to go on sale, now’s your chance to grab them up. Hit the jump for the full list of delicious savings. (more…)

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