Archive for October 12th, 2006
First The Darkness gameplay video for Xbox 360 & PS3
Just released is the first video showing gameplay from The Darkness for Xbox 360 and PS3. And keep in mind that aside from the scripted events, the enemy AI is turned off. Enjoy a first look at the modern crime drama and supernatural horror.
Looks like a lot of fun don’t you think? I like the TV feature too!
The story behind the comic book based game is explained below the video…
On the eve of his 21st birthday, Article continues »
2 comments »Sinking Island point-and-click adventure announced for DS (was already coming to PC)
White Birds has announced that an adaptation of their PC adventure game Sinking Island is due on DS in Q1 2007.
White Birds will retain the same storyline, characters, and gameplay of the PC version, and adapt the controls and presentation to the unique features of the DS. The main screen will be the lower one, while various secondary interface features such as the inventory, map, and notes will be shown on the top screen.
The storyline is written by Benoît Sokal, Article continues »
Europa Universalis 3 announced for PC in early 2007
Publish Koch Media announced “Europa Universalis III” from game developer Paradox Interactive for an American & European release date of Q1 2007.
The latest game in the strategy series spans a historically accurate period of 300 years of global history from 1453 to 1789 and delves into areas of exploration, trade, warfare and diplomacy, with players taking control of any nation and embarking on an epic journey to become a great global empire. Article continues »
Red Steel multiplayer modes on Wii detailed
Ubisoft has finally released some info about the multiplayer gameplay modes in the Wii launch game Red Steel. You can expect to get your friends together and play one of three modes:
* Deathmatch,
* Team Deathmatch,
* Mission mode.
First Person Shooter fans will be familiar with the Deahtmatch modes where you face off against each other alone or in a team. What’s totally new here is the Mission mode…
When playing Mission Mode, one of the player’s Wii remote controllers will ring… yes, the speaker will ring like a phone. You press the 1 button to answer it, and you are given specific details on a mission you must complete. One of the objectives is to hunt down a mystery player who must be killed in order to win. You find this player by following the beeps coming from your Wii remote controller. The faster the beeps, the closer you are to the person. Of course, the mystery person is supposed to stay alive as long as possible to win. Sounds like a blast! 
New trailer below.
Article continues »
Nintendo & AiLive allow developers to capture Wii controller movements easily. For Zombie Cowboys of Doom?
“Zombie Cowboys of Doom“, is that a real game? No, it’s not. But it is an example of what can be made with (what Kotaku uncovered as) “the development kit behind Wiimote motion capture for gameplay.” This was unveiled today as LiveMove by Nintendo and AiLive to game developers.
Here’s the story behind the tool: “In early 2006, I challenged Dr. Wei Yen and his AI scientists to develop AIware for the Wii Remote. When Nintendo’s development teams saw LiveMove, we instantly recognized how it would greatly increase our ability to explore and experiment with new concepts and make our lives easier,” says Genyo Takeda, Senior Managing Director/General Manager of Integrated Research & Development Division, Nintendo Japan.
Article continues »
Xbox 360 Live Marketplace now available as PC website
Microsoft today launched Xbox Live Pipeline, a website that allows gamers to explore Xbox Live Marketplace without having to turn on their Xbox 360. The site allows anybody to look around for the latest demos, trailers, themes, and other downloadable content.
Eurogamer nitpicks what’s offered is still incomplete:
* It’s impossible to buy content using the web service.
* There’s no way to list content by the date it was added, making it difficult to establish what’s new.
* The demos page also includes Xbox Live Arcade titles, cluttering the listing.
The big question is: will this site become cross-platform like Microsoft’s Live Anywhere promises? The Live Anywhere service announced at E3 2006, will allow players to earn achievements and download content for multiple versions of the same game.
Capcom closes its Clover Studio
TVG reports that following a vote by its Board of Directors, Capcom has today confirmed the closure of Clover Studio in March 2007 in order to improve Capcom’s overall efficiency.
The studio is a 100% owned subsidiary of Capcom, had only been established back in July 2004 with the goal to make unique and creative games, Despite the surprising news (or it could just be we didn’t know the games sold poorly) the studio has been responsible for developing a number of key (and really fun) titles for Capcom like Viewtiful Joe 2, Okami & God Hand.
The Clover Studio employees including president and CEO Atsushi Inaba and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami will likely be housed in other Capcom studios next year.
Other id classic games coming to Xbox Live Arcade. Which is next?
Last month at the at X06 event, Microsoft (MS) and id Software made the surprise announcement and release of the original Doom on Xbox Live Arcade (XLA) the same day. id has a number of games that could also be released on the Xbox 360’s Live Arcade, like: Doom II, Final Doom, Hexen, Heretic, Wolfenstein 3D, and Commander Keen. So FiringSquad decided to contact id’s CEO Todd Hollenshead to find out if more older id Software titles could be in the works.
To quote: “We’re looking at bringing some of the other games to XLA, but a lot is going to depend on the response to DOOM. From what MS tells us, its been fantastic so far, which bodes well for other id “classics” to be released there. But there’s nothing concrete. Making the surprise announcement at X06 for DOOM worked out great, so I’ll be tight lipped about anything specific for now ”
Obviously you can all do the math, they’ve sold plenty of DOOM games on Xbox Live Arcade to warrant other classic releases from the 90’s. With online multiplayer and renewed graphics, which of these id Software games do you want to play on Xbox 360?
Young Angry Nintendo Nerd does not review, he just gets mad at Super Mario Bros. on NES
This is actually not the next in a series of bad video game reviews by the Angry Nintendo Nerd. But rather episode zero, a flashback to the first game being played by him in 1988. Yes, like many of us it was “Super Mario Bros.” that gave us both joy and stress for being so incredibly hard for kids to finish. Surprisingly he doesn’t curse, he just gets really really angry at his Nintendo!
Friday the 13th is your lucky Wii pre-order day
Gonintendo made a trip out to the mall to see what was up with these EB Games/GameStop preorders. Turns out they will be taking Wii reserves starting Friday, October 13th.
The confirmation email on your right details: “Our policy on these system reservations, PS3 and Wii, is thatreservations are to be processed on a “First Come, First Serve” basis. 
This means that each customer must be physically present at the store at opening time in order to make their reservation deposit. If your story is allotted 12 units for customer reservations, and there are 12 customers waiting in front of the store at opening time, those customers must be given priority to reserve [the console].”
Compare that to the sudden PS3 pre-orders Tuesday, where Gamestop/EB Games stores on average had 6 units, which sold out right away. Wii will have double the pre-order availability as well as units set aside for launch day in-store purchase in the US on November 19th. Not surprising as Sony has 400,000 launch day units ready, and Nintendo will have 1 million Wii units in the US at day one.
Game Giveaways
- Contest funds donated to Haiti
