Jun 30
Following the evidently successful rerelease of Fable 2 as an episodic downloadable series on Xbox Live, GamesIndustry.biz reports that Peter Molyneux has confirmed Fable 3 will get an episodic release “soon after” it hits retail for the Xbox 360 and PC on October 26.
Molyneux didn’t clarify just how soon after the release “soon after” means, but he did say that like the episodic release of Fable 2, the first episode of Fable 3 will be released for free to entice gamers to try it out. “We give away the first chapter entirely free, the first hour,” Molyneux explained. “When you reach a certain point in the game it says ‘thank you for playing the pilot of Fable 3, do you want to spend an extra 2-5 or whatever dollars to buy the next episode, or buy the whole lot?’ Press ‘yes’ and you will immediately continue playing.”
The episodic release of Fable 2 turned out to be a successful trial for the concept, as Molyneux revealed the first free episode was downloaded 1.6 million times and the episodes in total brought in an additional $15 million in revenue — nine months after Fable 2 hit stores shelves. Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: game, Xbox 360
Jun 29
The PlayStation 3 will soon be getting a substantial update, adding in new features like the recently-announced PlayStation Plus.
The PlayStation Blog has the details on v6.30, which will launch alongside the PSP’s v3.40. Aside from PlayStation Plus support, the update will add new photo and video editor functionality, which will make it possible to upload media to Facebook, Youtube and Picasa Web Album.
Other updates include a new rating system for PlayStation Store content, and additional power save settings.
PlayStation Plus, which was confirmed during E3, comprises the bulk of the new content. The subscription service will offer early access to demos, discounts and free access to a variety of games for $49.99 per year. Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: Playstation
Jun 28
Treasure has been making some of the most intense action games around since the early ’90s when it first wowed us with Gunstar Heroes on the SEGA Genesis. Silhouette Mirage, Bangai-O, Ikaruga… these guys know how to deliver hardcore thrills. Now they’ve brought their signature run-and-gun-for-your-life gameplay to the Wii with Sin & Punishment: Star Successor. A sequel to a cult Nintendo 64 game that was only released in Japan (although it is now available on the Virtual Console in the United States), this is a strange choice for Nintendo to publish stateside. Shooter fans will be glad the company did, though, because this is one of the best Wii games of the year.
The story here has something to do with protecting a girl who isn’t quite human from several bad guys who can transform into gigantic monsters. But you’re not playing this game for a gripping story. You want to shoot stuff and blow stuff up, and you’ll get to do plenty of that.There is something new to see around every corner in Star Successor. From start to finish, this is a wild ride that never gives you a moment to catch your breath. The boss fights remind me of Japanese monster movies and are some of the most impressive battles in recent memory. My only visual gripe is with the look of our two heroes. They remind me of those freaky puppets from the Dark Crystal with their pointy noses and wide eyes. Their voices don’t quite match their childlike appearance. Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: wii
Jun 27
Halo: Reach will give fans of the series a look at its universe — and a lot more Spartans — before the events of the original Halo: Combat Evolved took place, but according to Bungie community director Brian Jarrard, they planned at one point to make Halo 4 instead.
“Even before the idea to build a game based around Reach came about, a lot of other concepts were explored, up to and including a proper ‘Halo 4,’ where Master Chief was going to wake up from cryo-sleep and we were going to tell that story,” Jarrard said to MTV multiplayer. Spoiler warning if you never beat Halo 3, but for those whose memories are only a little hazy, the game ended with Master Chief encasing himself into cryo-sleep as he drifted aimlessly with Cortana in space on half of a destroyed frigate.
As for why they decided against another direct sequel, Jarrard said that “it just wasn’t as interesting to the team to just pick up where that left off and all the baggage that came with it.” Still, considering this will be Bungie’s last Halo (as they’re moving on to a mysterious new franchise in a publishing partnership with Activision), Jarrard also says Reach will tie into the trilogy nicely. “We don’t want to open up a whole bunch of doors that Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: game
Jun 25
Apps, apps, apps. All we talk about is apps, it seems. Week and week out, I try to throw out a list of five different applications–usually themed around some particular scenario–that give you untold access to your system in new and exciting ways. Well, mostly exciting. Let’s face it. Sometimes, an app is just an app. It’s a useful, free utility, but nothing to throw a party or write home about.
So, that in mind, how about some games?
There’s nothing more fun–and more detrimental to one’s professional life–than sinking hours after countless hours of playtime into a persistent digital world. That’s right, I’m talking about MMOs. The problem, however, is that there are simply too many free MMOs to choose from. If you’re intending on spending a significant amount of your personal life in some digital dungeon or what-have-you, you don’t want to do it for a crappy game that nobody is playing. You want an awesome game.
I have taken it upon myself to find five free MMOs with such a characteristic–awesome–and am happy to announce the results of my findings below. I wish you the best as you go forth in the grand tradition of surrendering your social life to slay digital… well, everything. Digital everythings. Right. Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: game
Jun 25
Remember how earlier this year we ran a story saying that Final Fantasy V and VI might never see the light of day on the Nintendo DS because of technical issues? Well, all hope might not be lost for handheld remakes of these two awesome classics — Siliconera spoke with Square Enix’s Shinji Hashimoto at E3 about the possibility of bringing these titles to the Nintendo 3DS instead, and he didn’t rule it out.
“No decision has been made,” he answered. But added that “Rather than creating [Final Fantasy] V or VI for the current DS we want to take a look to see how 3DS does, how it evolves, and then make a decision.”
All signs point to the 3DS being yet another major success for Nintendo, and the hardware is certainly capable of doing both games justice — let’s hope Square Enix seriously considers making this a reality! (Quoted from 1up)
written by cimaul
\\ tags: Nintendo
Jun 24
There’s no question in my mind that Nintendo’s showing at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo was the company’s best in years. After experiencing a dozen E3s and Nintendo press conferences first hand, I believe I’m comfortable in saying that the company finally gave us what we wanted: a competent line-up of games and a brand new console that we’re genuinely and almost universally excited for.
While the other companies were fighting over dominance in the motion control category, Nintendo returned to the glory days and showed exactly what makes the company masters of the market. There are the best of Nintendo on E3 2010 : Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: Nintendo
