General gaming

General gaming

Darksiders II Skipping Multiplayer Due to Technical Challenges

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 06:50 PM PDT

Darksiders II

Disappointing as it may be that Darksiders II will, like its predecessor, have you playing solo, it wasn't because of a lack of interest in multiplayer. On the contrary, developer Vigil Games has been interested in multiplayer since it began development on the first game, but the challenge of implementing it has proven to be too much thus far.

"When we put together the pitch for Darksiders 1, we wanted it to be multiplayer then," Director Marvin Donald told IGN. "It's just too much work when you're starting a brand new studio with a new [intellectual property] and you're building your own technology. We're also evolving the series into more of [a role-playing game], which was something else we wanted to do from the beginning, but we just didn't have the resources or time or money to do it the first time around and do it justice."

Donald explained that each character -- War in the first game, and Death in the sequel -- has its own animation set consisting of 800 to 1,000 animations. That might not be an issue if animations could be shared between characters, but that's not possible because each has different proportions.

What is the Battlefield 3 Alpha Test All About?

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 05:17 PM PDT

Battlefield 3

You may have heard that some people are playing Battlefield 3 right now. While it's entirely possible that friend of yours claiming to have multiplayer access is a big liar, there are people participating in an ongoing alpha trial. Despite what some people may erroneously be referring to it as, this is not the beta that will kick off later this year.

A new post on the Battlefield blog has cleared up some confusion. DICE Community Manager Daniel Matros laid out exactly what the purpose of the current alpha -- not beta -- is: "It is a highly tech focused test period where the main purpose is to do a number of server related tests in preparation for game launch requiring a set amount of players online to ensure the final experience is as much fun and easy as possible."

Matros continued, "[T]his is an Alpha Trial, meaning this software is still not at the 'Beta' development milestone."

Beg for Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D and You Just Might Get It

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 03:36 PM PDT

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Nintendo gave The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time the full remake treatment for its 3DS release last month. The company has yet to commit to remaking fellow N64 title Majora's Mask, a game that some prefer to OoT. While it's no guarantee, clamoring for a 3DS remake might convince Nintendo to make it happen.

"It's been 13 years since Ocarina of Time was originally released, and one of the big things that we made this remake possible was that there was an outpour of emotions from people who said they would like to see this game done," explained longtime Zelda director and producer Eiji Aonuma in an interview with Nintendo Power (via Zelda Informer, CVG). "We said we could do it in 3D, so we did. I think certainly if there was a similar output of emotion and clamor from fans for a remake of Majora's Mask, it wouldn't be an utter impossibility."

Suggesting that an outpouring of support would convince Nintendo to do something seems like a joke in light of what's happened with Operation Rainfall and its attempts to encourage Nintendo to bring several Wii RPGs to North America. (Nintendo's answer, in sum: No.)

Get a Taste of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 with Tekken Hybrid

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 02:20 PM PDT


The previously announced Tekken Hybrid is a Blu-ray-only collection of Tekken content. Before now, its big draw was a new, full-length CG movie called Tekken: Blood Vengeance 3D which, rest assured, has nothing to do with the abysmal live action movie that came out last year. Hybrid also packs in an HD version of Tekken Tag Tournament, the old arcade/PlayStation 2 fighting game. Over the weekend, Namco announced a third aspect of Hybrid, one that'll likely make it a must-buy for fans: a Gran Turismo 5 Prologue-esque taste of Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue is a smaller, standalone version of the Tekken Tag sequel. Since being announced last year, there had been no word on a console release, making this especially good news for anyone without easy access to a Japanese arcade.

Prologue is comprised of four characters from Blood Vengeance: Alisa Boskonovitch, Ling Xiaoyu, Devil Kazuya, and a fourth character who is being kept a secret for now. All four will come with two costumes -- one reflecting their Tekken Tag 2 look, and another based on how they look in the movie.

Watch the EVO Fighting Game Tournament Finals From PlayStation Home

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 01:16 PM PDT


The 2011 EVO World Finals are set to take place this weekend, and whether you couldn't afford to make the trip to Las Vegas, are too young to attend, or whatever else, you'll be able to watch all the action from PlayStation Home.

Sony announced today it will be broadcasting all three days of the world's largest fighting game tournament through its virtual world. By visiting the PlayStation Home Theater, PlayStation 3 owners will be able to watch tons of fighting game action as reigning two-time reigning Street Fighter champ Daigo Umehara goes for his third championship in a row.

As for what you can watch from Home, things kick off with three rounds of Super Street Fighter IV action on Friday morning. Saturday is dedicated to Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and then the top eight from each of the tournaments will compete for their respective championships on Sunday in the following order: BlazBlue Continuum Shift, Tekken 6, Mortal Kombat (the new 2011 game), Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Super Street Fighter IV. The full schedule can be seen on the PlayStation Blog.

1UP's Doctor Who: Series Six, Part One Giveaway

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 12:35 PM PDT

1UP's Doctor Who: Series Six, Part One Giveaway
How To Play

Prizes

Do you enjoy monsters, mysteries, and adventures across time and space?

If so, then today's giveaway is for you! Yup, we're giving away Doctor Who: Series Six, Part One all day long! Here's what it takes to win:

ESA Wants California to Fork Over $1 Million in Attorneys' Fees

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 12:19 PM PDT

Supreme Court videogame law

It was almost a full month ago now that the United States Supreme Court decided to strike down California's violent videogame law. Opponents of the law argued that it was a waste of California taxpayers' money to continue pursuing the law, which had been ruled unconstitutional several times before it reached the Supreme Court. Now it may end up costing the state another million dollars, as the Entertainment Software Association has filed a motion to be reimbursed for attorneys' fees totaling $1.1 million.

"We look forward to moving forward and working together to raise awareness about the valuable tools and information available to parents," said ESA CEO Michael D. Gallagher in a press release. "From the start of this misguided legislation, then-Governor Schwarzenegger and specific California legislators knew that their efforts to censor and restrict expression were, as court after court ruled, unconstitutional and thus a waste of taxpayers' money, government time, and state resources."

The ESA, which filed the motion in the U.S. Supreme Court according to today's press release, is the trade association responsible for representing the videogames industry. It was the main opponent of California's law and, under its previous name (the Interactive Digital Software Association), it founded the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) back in 1994.

Call of Juarez: The Cartel Review

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 11:39 AM PDT

The Call of Juarez series has comfortably been akin to that distant older relative (grandfather, uncle, cousin) "from the old country." That is, well-meaning and full of interesting stories and mannerisms, but also prone to moments of slight stereotyping or racism. Yet, you could chalk that latter point to coming more from cultural ignorance rather than outright malevolence. Unfortunately, this newest installment, Call of Juarez: The Cartel, then feels like that blatantly annoying contemporary relative -- a sort of unironic Ali G.

I've called the previous COJs, "Polish Call of Duty with hats" before, in that they are linear first-person shooters that funnel players through combat and scripted moments like a rollercoaster, but with the aesthetics of the Western rather than the War Movie. Like Call of Duty 4, The Cartel attempts the bold move of shifting time periods from the olden days into the present. Though, while the previous games were homages to iconic Westerns, The Cartel feels more like a clumsy fusion of The Shield and Bad Boys II.

Avatar Kinect is Out, Now You Can Make Your Own Talk Show

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 10:44 AM PDT


Microsoft's visual chatroom of sorts, Avatar Kinect, which allows players to control their Avatars in a 3D space, has been released today. It's available from the Kinect Fun Labs area of the dashboard, the home for various "experiences" and "gadgets" that was announced and then launched during E3 last month.

Avatar Kinect's existence was first leaked in January and then officially revealed at CES. Kinect owners can watch as their Avatar mimics their facial movements (raise your eyebrows, smile, nod, talk, etc. and your Avatar does the same) with up to seven friends across a variety of settings. These include a late night talk show set, news set, and a parking lot for tailgating.

While sitting around and talking to friends as your Avatar might not be something that ends up being used more than a few times, the ability to record and share videos on KinectShare.com could make it very useful for some. From Microsoft's website, you can download the video and upload it to YouTube, Facebook, or wherever else, thereby giving camera shy people the ability to make, say, their own talk show.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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