| Call of Duty Elite Beta Begins Tomorrow, Here's What You Need to Know Posted: 13 Jul 2011 06:08 PM PDT 
The beta test for Call of Duty Elite kicks off tomorrow. At some point during the day, the first batch of invites will be sent out by e-mail to those who registered to participate. The initial group will be "very small," according to Activision's Dan Amrich, and just because no invite shows up by day's end doesn't mean you won't get to participate. The beta makes use of Call of Duty: Black Ops, and some of what beta testers will get access to is among what will ultimately only be available to those who subscribe to Elite. Activision has already made it abundantly clear what's available for free; regardless of the initial confusion and angst, multiplayer is still free to play, and the new social networking features, custom leaderboards, advanced statistics, video sharing, clans, and more will all be free. The entire list of what you'll be asked to pay for, and how much the fee will be, hasn't been announced. We do know for sure that premium members will be entitled to all "playable game DLC." There is no end date set for the beta, and the mobile app that will allow players to do things like customize loadouts will not be a part of this, presumably because that functionality is tied to Modern Warfare 3. |
| Zynga Tried Buying PopCap for $1 Billion in Cash - Report Posted: 13 Jul 2011 05:24 PM PDT 
When rumors first surfaced of a $1 billion-plus acquisition of PopCap last month, Electronic Arts and Zynga were both likely suspects for the buyer. Zynga was said to have made an effort to buy the company but decided to drop out of the running. According to a new report by Forbes, Zynga attempted to buy PopCap outright for $1 billion in cash. As is obvious given yesterday's news that Electronic Arts has acquired the Peggle and Bejeweled maker, PopCap turned the deal down. EA's offer is initially worth less, at $650 million plus $100 million in stock, but it could end up reaching $1.3 billion. That's provided PopCap reach certain milestones -- according to the Wall Street Journal, PopCap could earn the additional $550 million if PopCap's earnings reach at least $343 million (before interest and tax) during 2012 and 2013. And to think: Microsoft offered to buy it for just $5 million back in 2002. Zynga, which recently filed to go public, is best known for its line of social games like FarmVille and CityVille. Its IPO filing revealed how heavily it relies on Facebook to make money, whereas PopCap has a much smaller presence on the social network with only two of its games (Bejeweled and Zuma) on Facebook. As reported earlier today by Games.com, that looks as if it will be changing soon -- Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle were both listed alongside Risk Factions and The Sims Social as future Facebook titles to come from EA and PopCap. |
| Parasite Eve II to Soon Round Out the Series on PSN Posted: 13 Jul 2011 04:50 PM PDT  The first Parasite Eve title in more than a decade, The 3rd Birthday, came out earlier this year on PlayStation Portable. Shortly before that, the original Parasite Eve was released as a PS1 Classic in February. Now it's only a matter of time before its sequel is re-released in the same fashion. A listing for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable versions of Parasite Eve II have been found on the ESRB's website, indicating a PS1 Classics release is in the works. This is good news for PSP owners who have been waiting to play it before moving on to the new PSP exclusive. |
| Hard Reset is a Blade Runner-ish FPS You'll be Playing in September Posted: 13 Jul 2011 03:50 PM PDT
Flying Wild Hog has finally announced its debut title today after teasing it with a screenshot recently. Known as Hard Reset, the game will be out quite soon for a title we haven't heard about before now -- it's scheduled for release at some point this September. The game was revealed by PC Gamer, which compares it with Blade Runner, The Matrix, and Painkiller all being wrapped into one. It's a PC-exclusive, single-player-only FPS, meaning it doesn't have to worry about delivering a multiplayer that could easily be dwarfed by what's offered in Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which will be out on October 25 and November 8, respectively. A price has yet to be announced. Hard Reset runs on a brand-new engine known as Road Hog and is set in the city of Bezoar. Players assume the role of Major Fletcher, seen in the trailer above, who "is dragged into a conflict between two of mankind's greatest enemies," according to the press release. The name Hard Reset presumably comes into play because those enemies come in the form of robots. |
| Namco Bandai Announces 3DS Brave Company Posted: 13 Jul 2011 03:13 PM PDT 
Brave Company, the new Nintendo 3DS title announced by Namco Bandai Games in Japan today, isn't about slaying monsters and saving princesses. It's about running the agency that sends out people to do all of that nasty business for you. A rather odd take on the simulation genre, Brave Company allows you to head up an outfit that dispatches heroes and heroines across the land to solve whatever problems are at hand. You maintain a roster of wannabe do-gooders, each with an individual class like knight or wizard. If they carry out their assigned quest successfully, you'll get the funds and extra equipment you'll need to expand your outfit. Assigning the right person to the right job will be key, as will using your revenue to rebuild and expand your castle headquarters. Developed by Cattle Call (makers of everything from Space Invaders Get Even to a couple of Arc the Lad titles), Brave Company is due out October 27 in Japan. A lighter, more social app-y version of the game will also be hitting the iOS platform sometime in late August.
|
| GameStop Integrates its Website with Impulse Posted: 13 Jul 2011 03:05 PM PDT 
Just over three months after acquiring digital games distributor Impulse from Stardock, GameStop announced today it has completed integration of Impulse with GameStop.com. The Impulse client carries the GameStop branding, while the GameStop website features a page dedicated to touting the benefits of using Impulse. In addition to more than 1,100 games that are available for download, it continues to offer features that Steam users also enjoy like automatic game updating, friends lists, and chatting. "A key highlight for GameStop Impulse customers will be ease of use that will allow them to purchase, download, install, update and manage their digital purchases," said GameStop's digital distribution GM, Steve Nix. "We intend to offer the best experience, content and value for PC gamers everywhere and this is only the beginning." |
| Japan Review Check: Rhythm Heaven, No More Heroes Posted: 13 Jul 2011 02:43 PM PDT 
A selection of the most interesting games due to hit Japan next week, courtesy the review pages of Famitsu magazine: - Rhythm Heaven (Wii) (9/8/8/7, 32 points): It seems like you pretty much know what you're getting into with this title, but the editors liked it well enough nonetheless. "The rules are simple, given that all you're doing is pushing buttons to the rhythm," said one. "The difficulty level is on the high side, but get into the rhythm and you'll find finishing a challenge comes naturally after a while, which feels really great. The game's also suited for casual users, such as how you can skip minigames that you have trouble with." Another writer found the challenge a bit much: "Even with the demonstrations, the button-press timing can be really severe, making some games extremely hard. That being said, that makes it all the more great when you finish them." |
| Early Super Mario Bros. Script Reveals a Bruce Willis Die Hard Cameo Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:35 PM PDT 
The Super Mario Bros. film, released in 1993, wasn't particularly good. Starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper, it wasn't well received at the time and, generally speaking, still isn't considered much better today. Prior to passing away in 2010, Hopper had even stated how he regretted doing the movie. Things didn't have to turn out the way they did (1UP took an in-depth look at it last year), and the script that ended up being used wasn't the only one that was written. Fan site Super Mario Bros. The Movie Archive (via GameSetWatch) was already home to two of the scripts that were produced during pre-production. This week it published two additional scripts written in the early 90s; one is the original, first draft by Parker Bennett and Tuerry Runte (both of whom would go on to be credited with writing the final film), and the other is a revision written by Dick Clement and Ian la Frenais. The website shows the progression the scripts took, initially starting with a cartoony, fantasy story that slowly morphed into something more serious, adult, and action-y, first taking cues from Ghostbusters, followed by Die Hard and then Mad Max. |
| Nintendo, Monster Hunter Clean Up in 2011 Japan Sales Posted: 13 Jul 2011 12:59 PM PDT 
The effects of Japan's March 11 earthquake, coupled with the slower-than-expected launch of Nintendo's 3DS portable, caused sales figures for the first half of the year to fall sharply from the previous. According to statistics tabulated by Famitsu publisher Enterbrain, total sales for console and portable system hardware and software amounted to 191.9 billion yen, about $2.42 billion, for the period between January and June 2011. That's off over 15 percent from the same period in 2010, and it marks the first time the figure's dropped below 200 billion yen since Famitsu began tracking it in 2000. The chief reason? The earthquake and subsequent crises across the north of the country, which delayed game releases and temporarily shut off much of Japan's game distribution network. The Nintendo 3DS having a somewhat slow launch also had its effect -- Nintendo sold 1.15 million systems so far in Japan, where after the successful February launch, the system now sells about as much as Sony's PSP system. |
| New PS3 Model Requires HDMI for HD Blu-ray Playback, But Not HD Gaming Posted: 13 Jul 2011 11:42 AM PDT  Despite what was initially suggested in a leaked memo sent to GameStop stores yesterday, the new model of PlayStation 3 will not require owners to use an HDMI cable to play games in high definition. A picture of the memo, as obtained by Kotaku, said that a new PS3 SKU using the "K" chassis would begin shipping this week. The most important change that employees needed to be aware of was their reliance on HDMI cables for HD output. The memo stated, "The 'K' systems will come with a AV cable, however, if you want to play a game or watch a movie in high definition you must use a HDMI cable. Component cables will no longer be able to transmit a high def picture. This means you will want to offer a HDMI with every new 'K' model PS3." This was believed to be inaccurate by some; the new AACS Final Adopter Agreement notes that any Blu-ray-playing device sold after December 31, 2010 "must limit analog video output of BD content to interlaced standard definition," also known as 480i. In other words, if you're not watching a Blu-ray played over a digital signal, you'll be stuck watching it in 480i, something that largely defeats the benefits of watching a movie or TV show on Blu-ray. |
