Archive for June, 2008
One more video..
One more video to add to the recent Gears of War video dump. This is the exclusive multiplayer video that is included in the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament III. Enjoy.
No commentsMega Video Dump: Gears of War 2 Edition
This is 1up’s inteview with Cliff Bleszinski showcasing Gridlock’s new makeover and some of the new features of Gears of War 2. Cliff addresses many of the issues that plagued Gears of War and how they will fix them for the sequel.
This video is essentially a walkthrough by Rod Fergusson and Cliff Bleszinski. You gotta love the roadie run slowdown when a player is getting shot. One of Epic’s goals is to have the best looking flamethrower in gaming today and I must say, I am sweating just looking at it in action.
This match is taking place on the River map. It seems the Active sniper is back but it looks like the crawling maneuver will work towards giving it a little more balance. It also seems that the issue of getting stuck to walls has been addressed.
A couple of cool things you might miss in this vid set in the Security map. Notice how the characters have a subtle weight to them when they turn while roadie running and in general motion. The “stun” effect on the smoke grenade seems a bit overpowered at this point and will become a major issue if not fixed, especially when everybody spawns with one in their inventory. It looks like wall bouncing is still possible in the sequel. It also seems that the Shotgun reticule has shrunk in width indicating a more focused spread for aimed shots. Baird is also actively bleeding indicating that he is obviously weak. As far as the punching execution goes, I was excited when I first heard about it but it’s not looking so good at this point. You should at least be able to completely destroy the guy’s skull with the final punch, especially, given the fact that the locusts have the ability to rip your arms out and beat you to death with them. Also, am I seeing things or did Dizzy’s hat fall off his head after he was chainsawed?
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Failure: Castlevania Judgement
Castlevania is finally making its way back to the living room with the announcement of Castlevania Judgement on the Wii. The last premiere entry to hit consoles was Castlevania :Curse of Darkness for the Xbox and PS2. It’s great to see Konami taking another stab at bringing Castlevania back to its console roots and….wait…it’s not an adventure game. It’s a 3D fighting game?…What…The…F—. It can’t be that hard and it really shouldn’t. Curse of Darkness wasn’t bad but it really didn’t live up to what fans imagined the series to look and play like in 3D. Konami has, what I like to consider, a clean slate. A new console generation with so many outlets to deliver a great game. They have had enough time and practice to perfect the 3rd dimension. Matter of fact, Castlevania doesn’t even have to be 3D. If they still believe in the magic of 2d, PSN, Xbox Live and Wiiware will be more than happy to distribute it. I still think it’s too early to engrave the Belmont name into a tombstone once and for all. But I think its about time Konami gave fans what they want. Castlevania is a big name in gaming history and this fighting game does nothing but tarnish it.
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The story originates from the latest issue of Nintendo Power but GoNintendo has the scoop. Click on the link below if you want to find out more about this title.
No commentsThe Flash zips his way in to the MK vs. DC roster

The 3rd confirmed hero on the DC side is none other than The Flash. For those of you who dont know, The Flash runs really, really fast. Really, really fast. The combat in MK vs. DC appears to be generally slow-paced so it will be interesting to see how Midway will work this character into the game. Along with the announcement of The Flash, Midway has also revealed the fatalities will return for the MK roster and the DC villians. The good guys, on the other hand, will use Brutalities to pummel their opponents but will not be able to actually kill them. The bad news is that Midway is sticking to their T rating so dont expect to see any spines or beating hearts in this title.
No commentsKratos in Soul Calibur IV?

In the August issue of EGM, the Quartermann revealed that one more soul may be added to the Soul Calibur roster. The rumor claims that Kratos of God of War fame will be exclusive to the Playstation 3 version. As much as I would like to see this, i’d rather not. Does no one believe in keeping these storylines consistent? Not that Soul Calibur had much of a story to begin with but it seems Namco is pulling characters left and right to make up for something they think the series is lacking. Is it not enough to have us believe that Darth Vader is after an evil sword, we must now believe that the God of War is after the same? If this does happen, who would be in Microsoft’s corner? Let’s hear your answers in the comments.
No commentsRumor: New Gears of War 2 Multiplayer details

GameRumor.net supposedly had a chat with engine programmer Mark Thompson over at Epic Games. While the interview has not yet been posted, here are some new multiplayer details.
- Cog and Locust will have 12 character models each. If we count Marcus, Dom, Hoffman, Carmine, Baird, Cole and Dizzy that leaves 5 unannounced characters on the COG side.
- New Map: Dusk is a smaller map (think Raven Down) with battles happening in the distant scenery
- The Scorcher (flamethrower) has a fuel meter and will jam if continually fired for an extended period of time
- Hammer of Dawn has 3 charges. A 4th charge is possible but it will cause the weapon to explode killing you and any nearby enemies
- The Subway map has moving trains that can be turned on/off by a switch.
- New Gametype: Wanted is a variation of juggernaut that pits 9 players against 1. The “wanted” player has a time limit in which he can accumulate points and he can only be killed by an execution.
- Boomshot now holds 3 shots but each shot has been weakened. If the player active reloads after letting off the first shot, the two remaining grenades will be shot at the same time for double the damage.
I am currently awaiting confirmation from Epic Games for this information. Until then, it is still a rumor.
No commentsNext Xbox: Completely Digital?

Shane Kim was recently promoted within Microsoft to the new Corporate Vice President of Strategy and Business Development. During a conversation, IGN asked if his new position will include looking at how Microsoft is going to transition into the next console.
Kim’s Reply:
“How [do] you think about next generation? What is that next generation going to encompass? How are you even going to define that? All of that is part of the equation. What kind of geographic expansion do we need to see? Is the world more of an online world than a hardware-oriented world? I think there are some really fascinating opportunities in front of us.”
While he does not go right out and say it, the implication is there. Personally, even if the next Xbox were to launch in the next 4 years or so, the market is not ready for an all-digital system. I can definitely see Microsoft putting their foot forward and pushing fully downloadable titles, but I think it will take at least 2 system cycles to remove the retail middle man. Interesting…
No commentsCapcom’s E3 Lineup

This is Capcom’s initial lineup for E3 2008. Along with the most expected titles, it looks like there are going to be surprises in the form of 2 untitled projects. Rumblings of Dead Rising 2 are obvious but I’m betting that on one of these titles, Capcom is going to show Nintendo some love…
- Bionic Commando (PC, PS3, X360)
- Bionic Commando Rearmed (PC, PS3, X360)
- Capcom Project #1 [untitled] (other)
- Capcom Project #2 [untitled] (other)
- Dark Void (PC, PS3, X360)
- MotoGP 08 (other)
- Neopets Puzzle Adventure (PC, Wii)
- Plunder (PC, PS3, X360)
- Resident Evil 5 (PS3, X360)
- Spyborgs (Wii)
- Street Fighter IV (PC, PS3, X360)
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PS3, X360)
Props: IGN for the list
No commentsMicrosoft to make a “spectacular and desperate” E3 2008 announcement

According to videogaming247, Microsoft will be making several announcements that are said to be “interesting, partly spectacular and a bit desperate.” VG247’s insider also added:
“Let’s put it this way: they’re worried the current line-up can’t carry Q4 for the entire Xbox brand in the core market. You’ll laugh when you see what they’re planning.”
Rumors started flying earlier this week about Microsoft announcing two brand new games. This just adds fuel to the fire. Interesting…
Microsoft’s E3 conference will be held July 14 at 10:30am PST.
No commentsUT3 for Xbox 360 out July 7

Epic Games has just announced that Unreal Tournament 3 will ship July 7 for the Xbox 360. The 360 version will feature five exclusive maps, two all-new characters, split-screen support and all the previously released downloadable content. The 360 version will also include an exclusive video preview of Gears of War 2. The never-before-seen footage will showcase GoW 2’s multiplayer modes, maps, weapons and gameplay elements. The video will also be narrated by Cliff Bleszinski and producer Rod Fergusson. I guess good things do come to those that wait.
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