General gaming

General gaming

Nintendo Watching Xenoblade and The Last Story's Performance in Europe

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 06:43 PM PDT

Xenoblade Chronicles

Despite the impressive fan efforts to get them brought to North America, Nintendo of America continues to say it doesn't plan to release Pandora's Tower, The Last Story, and Xenoblade Chronicles over here. It's still hardly what members of Operation Rainfall are looking for, but NoA president Reggie Fils-Aime did have a somewhat positive comment on the situation, at least compared with what we've been told in the past.

"We will be watching very closely what happens in Europe," Fils-Aime told IGN. "Certainly if there are business opportunities and positive consumer uptake from some of those titles, that will be great data for us to consider as we look at what to do with these titles."

It's not a resounding "yes they're coming," but, as I said, it's more promising than Nintendo's comment in June, when it stated, "Thanks for being such incredible fans! Unfortunately, there continues to be no plans for NOA to release these 3 games right now."

The Latest Attempt to Encourage Valve to Release Half-Life 3

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 06:04 PM PDT

Half-Life 3 picketing

Earlier today, word got out that two fans were picketing Valve's headquarters in Washington. But what is it that they want?

Half-Life 3, of course.

For those who thought it was a joke, Bungie's Jason Sussman tweeted the image above (via IGN) this afternoon. It shows Valve boss Gabe Newell standing with the two fans and each of their signs: "Canada 4 the Release of Half-Life 3" and "Half-Life 3... is it Left 4 Dead?"

TrackMania 2 Beta Opens Next Week to Those Who Pre-Order

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 05:13 PM PDT


TrackMania fans who are certain they'll be picking up TrackMania 2: Canyon can earn themselves access to the multiplayer beta by simply placing a pre-order on the upcoming PC racer.

Starting next week, pre-orders will be available from TrackMania.com. For $24.99 (or 19.99 GBP), you can secure a copy of the game and the multiplayer beta, which includes both the map editor and video editing functionality. When it's time for the full version to come out, the beta will be upgraded to the complete game.

The ManiaPlanet development blog has a handy countdown timer set to end when the beta becomes available on August 16 at 6pm Eastern, 3pm Pacific.

This Puppet Brings Portal 2's Wheatley to Life

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 04:29 PM PDT


One of the best new characters in any videogame this year (or recent years) is, at least in my mind, Wheatley from Portal 2. He and Cave Johnson made for a hilarious cast of characters along with GLaDOS. Wheatley was especially good thanks to the performance of Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington pal Stephen Merchant. One Portal fan in particular loved him so much she went as far as to create a Wheatley puppet, the final product of which is nothing short of impressive.

When you hear the word "puppet," it might not sound particularly exciting. But a lot of work went into Wheatley, as documented on the blog of deviantART user ~TRP~Chan. Work began on the Wheatley look-alike in July, with the final product coming together just recently. Besides looking exactly like the real (virtual) thing, it has a sound module loaded with quotes of Merchant's voice from the game.

Following Portal 2's release, Merchant talked about how surprised he was by the overwhelmingly positive response. Playing the villain wasn't something he was used to (the agent in Extras isn't such a bad guy, he's just an idiot with a fun ringtone), and the entire process of recording was "really exhausting."

OnLive Brings Cloud Gaming to the U.K. Next Month

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 04:00 PM PDT

OnLive Just Cause 2 spectating

Cloud game service OnLive is headed to the United Kingdom soon. Starting in September, U.K. gamers will be able to begin using OnLive, which streams games directly to the user's computer, tablet, or TV-connected game system without the need to install or download the game itself.

The obvious benefit of OnLive is that you don't need a fast computer in order to play high-end PC games. Provided you have a capable Internet connection, you can play the latest computer games without any need to upgrade your graphics card, processor, hard drive, or anything else. Another nice feature is being able to sample trial versions of any supported game without paying a cent or downloading anything besides the OnLive client.

OnLive will make its debut in the U.K. at the Eurogamer Expo in London on September 22. Thousands of OnLive Game Systems (formerly known as the MicroConsole) will be given away to attendees. Those who aren't attending can still sign up to get early access by registering at the U.K. OnLive website. Support for more of Europe is expected to follow at a later time.

Target Also Now Offering 3DS for $170

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 02:30 PM PDT

Target

Following on the heels of Walmart, Target is now reportedly offering 3DS hardware at its new $169.99 price.

The new price is in effect as of today, two days before the scheduled August 12 price drop, according to a Target employee who tipped off Joystiq. Whether you hate Walmart or just don't have one nearby, this gives you an additional path for saving $80 on a 3DS while still having time to register on the eShop for the 3DS Ambassador program. Ambassadors will be given 20 free downloadable games for being early adopters: 10 NES games on September 1, followed by 10 GBA games later in 2011.

As noted yesterday, some Best Buy stores are price matching the new 3DS price. You're out of luck if you picked up the system months ago, but more recent purchasers at Best Buy might be able to get a partial refund.

NPD Expanding Game Sales Coverage to Europe

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 01:48 PM PDT

NPD Group

The NPD Group has announced plans to expand its videogame sales coverage to Europe.

It's already well known for the monthly videogame sales data it releases for the United States, which covers new, physical sales at retail. While we don't hear as much about it, the NPD also tracks sales that aren't of the new, physical variety, and it's precisely that area that it will focus on in Europe. Today's announcement indicated that it will emphasize "measuring channels that are not currently tracked in Europe."

It'll be doing this in three countries -- Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, which are the continent's largest game markets -- beginning with the fourth quarter of 2011. From there, it'll continue expanding into "major Asian markets."

New PS3 Firmware Adds Recommendations, Auto Trophy Sync and Save Uploads

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 12:00 PM PDT

PS3 automatic update

Many times when Sony releases a firmware update, it doesn't offer up any new features, making it more of an annoyance than anything else to users. In fact, that seems to be the case with the new version 6.60 firmware update for PSP. The new version 3.70 update for PlayStation 3, on the other hand, is not one of those times, particularly if you're a PlayStation Plus member or 3D television owner.

The major update in the new firmware, which is available now, has to do with the Automatic Download feature that's available only to Plus members. It's been renamed Automatic Update and now does more than grab updates for recently played games. At scheduled times, it will automatically sync your trophies with PSN and upload game saves to your online storage.

For 3D TV owners, there are three new things of note: 3D support is now enabled whenever you browse a Blu-ray's special features that run on Java, lossless audio is available when watching a Blu-ray movie in 3D, and digital photos taken in 3D can now be viewed in 3D from the XMB.

Assassin's Creed Revelations Beta Begins September 3

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 11:01 AM PDT

Assassin's Creed Revelations

Much like the beta for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the Revelations beta will be open only to PlayStation 3 owners.

The easiest way to get into the multiplayer beta is to be either a PlayStation Plus or Uplay member. (Uplay is Ubisoft's free online service.) The beta will be open to either service's members from September 3 through September 11. It's referred to as a "timed exclusive," which makes it sound as if non-members will be able to get in on the action after this period. Ubisoft wasn't forthcoming when asked to clarify what the date and timed exclusive talk means, only saying that more information on how long the beta will last is "coming up."

Details on what the beta entails are laid out on the Ubisoft forums. The beta client will be available for download prior to the actual launch, which should help testers to avoid slow download speeds on launch day. There will be four modes in the beta (Wanted, Manhunt, Deathmatch, and Artifact Assault), all of them available from the start, to play on three maps (Knight's Hospital, Antioch, and Constantinople). Nine characters and eight abilities are available for use, including the new tripwire bomb.

3DS Gets its First New Color: Flame Red

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 10:25 AM PDT

Flame Red 3DS

The 3DS is already available at its new $169.99 price at some stores now, ahead of the official price cut on August 12. That means you can get the free 3DS Ambassador games without having to pay $249.99 for the system, which is a hell of a good deal if you're in the market for a 3DS. If those games don't interest you much, it might be in your best interest to wait a month, as Nintendo has announced plans to launch a new 3DS color in North America next month.

The new color, "Flame Red," will become available on September 9, the same day Star Fox 64 3D comes out in the United States. The existing Cosmo Black and Aqua Blue colors will continue to be sold alongside the red system.

Besides the obligatory comment from Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime talking about how great the system is, today's announcement is littered with comments from people outside the company talking it up, including reps from Ubisoft, GameStop, and Target.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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