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Assassin's Creed Hands-On Impressions
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10/31/2007 6:41:00 PM
After an unimpressive demonstration of the game at Microsoft’s E3 2007 press conference and mixed reports from the first official hands-on with the game, many people chalked up the game as a failed attempt before it was even released. Contrary to much of the reports coming out of E3, we actually quite enjoyed our time with Assassin’s Creed, and although early, we looked forward to seeing more of what we would experience as the stealthy killer Altaïr. Ubisoft Montreal recently stopped by with a near final build of the game, and our worries have largely been addressed.
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Next Harmonix Music Project To Be At GDC
10/31/2007 5:18:00 PM
While all eyes are on the company’s upcoming Rock Band game, it seems Harmonix has been hard at work on other things. At the Game Developers Conference 2008 in February, senior designer Chris Foster will be giving a talk on this mystery project. In his talk, “Your Music Is the Game: Designing the OTHER Project at Harmonix,” Foster will discuss his work on the title, which is described as a music game that uses algorithmically generated beats without requiring dedicated hardware peripherals, such as Rock Band’s instrument controllers. We’ll be checking out this lecture when we attend GDC 08, and we’ll keep you informed about this intriguing project.
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Kane & Lynch Getting Early Release
10/31/2007 4:43:00 PM
In an period of seemingly endless software delays, Eidos has some good news for gamers. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men will be hitting stores an entire week earlier than originally announced, shipping Nov. 13. The game is set for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC platforms. It was developed by IO Interactive, the creators of the Hitman games.
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Guinness World Records Recognizes Folding@home network
10/31/2007 1:06:00 PM
Sony announced today that its contribution to Stanford University’s Folding@home network program have helped create the most powerful distributed-computing network, as recognized by Guiness World Records. The record was officially set Sept. 16 when Folding@home network surpassed one petaflop--one quadrillion floating point operations per second. One week later, PS3 users alone hit the petaflop milestone. More than 670,000 unique PS3 users have registered to the Folding@home network, according to Sony, which pools unused processing power to help researchers learn more about diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer.
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MGS4 Delayed Until Q2 2008
10/31/2007 10:14:00 AM
Konami has announced that it’s delaying Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots “in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide,” according to a news release. The game, originally slated for a Q1 release is now expected to ship sometime in the second quarter of 2008. The company isn’t getting more specific about that date at this point or if Hideo Kojima’s plan for a worldwide simultaneous release is still in the works. We’ll let you know more about the delay as details are made available.
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Tuesday Review Roundup: 10/30/2007
10/30/2007 6:24:00 PM
The third installment of the venerable Guitar Hero series leads this week’s massive review roundup. We’ve got the lowdown on heavy hitters like the Simpsons Game, Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, Virtua Fighter 5 and much more. Be sure to read our full reviews before you open your wallet—there are too many great games coming out this season to risk getting burned.
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Get Ready For Haloween
10/30/2007 4:15:00 PM
Bungie is doing its part to get people in the Halloween mood with a special zombie-themed multiplayer playlist. Starting Oct. 31 at 12:01 a.m. and running through 3:00 a.m. Nov. 1, players will be able to access special custom games of Infection, according to a post on the company's Web site.
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“Species”, “Alias” Stars Enlist In C&C 3 Expansion
10/30/2007 3:52:00 PM
EA has announced that “Species” star Natasha Henstridge and Carl “Dixon on Alias” Lumbly will be joining Kane actor Joe Kucan in the upcoming Command & Conquer 3 expansion, Kane’s Wrath. The expansion’s storyline spans two decades, from the Brotherhood of Nod’s rebirth through the Third Tiberium War and beyond. The 360 version of the update includes an all-new radial interface, which EA says streamlines the action.
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Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition Ships 1 Million
10/30/2007 1:08:00 PM
Capcom announced today that it has shipped more than 1 million copies of the Wii version of its Resident Evil 4 game worldwide since its June release, joining other platinum sellers such as Wii Sports and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The title includes motion controls and the extra content from the PlayStation 2 version. Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition is rated M and retails for $29.99. Capcom is bringing the next Resident Evil title to the Wii in the form of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, a first-person shooter than uses the upcoming Wii Zapper peripheral.
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New Army Of Two Trailer
10/30/2007 11:54:00 AM
Just because Army of Two was delayed doesn’t mean you can’t still get excited for it.
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LucasArts, BioWare Joining Forces Again
10/30/2007 10:13:00 AM
LucasArts and BioWare today announced that the two companies have agreed to develop a new game together. Details on the game, including the genre, systems it will be on and other key information is unavailable at this time. BioWare developed the two Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games, working most recently on its upcoming sci-fi RPG Mass Effect. LucasArts has been just as busy, with a new Indiana Jones game currently in development, too.
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Stepping Into The Ring With SmackDown Vs. Raw 2008
10/29/2007 5:43:00 PM
Pro-wrestling fans have to put up with a lot. If it’s not bad enough that they have to defend their sport against criticism from cynics, intellectuals and Europeans, they’ve had to play a lot of mediocre games. SmackDown vs. Raw has been a generally solid series, capturing the pageantry and brutality of the sport while fully embracing the corny storylines. This year’s version, SmackDown vs. Raw 2008, adds a host of improvements to the series while keeping most of the elements that have made previous iterations so successful.
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CEA Team With Parents' Choice Foundation For Sandbox Summit
10/29/2007 5:42:00 PM
The Consumer Electronics Association and Parents’ Choice Foundation today announced the creation of the Sandbox Summit: A Playdate With Technology, a conference and exhibition that will debut at the 2008 International CES.
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New Final Fantasy XII Screens
10/29/2007 4:00:00 PM
In the universe of Final Fantasy XIII, like man of Square’s others, features a world with large cities in the sky. Airships, monster and magic are also there. From what we know, Final Fantasy XIII centers around a female protagonist named Lighting who’s “the chosen one”. Like all Final Fantasy games, we can expect epic story lines and deep emotion. At this point in the development cycle, the company has yet to divulge very much info but we’re being as patient as we possibly can.
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Smash Bros. Brawl To Include Stage Builder
10/29/2007 3:24:00 PM
While many fans of Smash Bros. wound up in tears after the delay was announced, today the official Smash Bros. Brawl website - Smash Bros. Dojo - revealed that there would be a Stage Builder that users can create their own stages, and then save and share them with your Wii and Smash friends. Saved levels are compatible with SD cards, as well.
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Harmonix Unveil Full Set List For Rock Band
10/29/2007 2:34:00 PM
Harmonix and EA today revealed the 45 tracks that will be included in Rock Band. There will be 58 songs total, and the two companies are keepng the 13 unlockable songs under wraps for you spoiler savvy people. 51 songs out of the total 58 are based on the original master tracks.
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Exclusive Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Media
10/29/2007 10:51:00 AM
Feast your eyes on this! We have some exclusive media for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. The new Naughty Dog game is an all out action/adventure games that could give the genre the kick start it needs is a world of shooters and MMOs. From what we have seen, the game has tightened the bolts on just about everything. The cut-scenes are some of the best around an the animations are top notch. Uncharted is slated to hit Nov 20 and will be a must buy for any PlayStation 3 owner.
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Virtual Console Gets Into Halloween Spirit
10/29/2007 10:42:00 AM
Nintendo is giving Wii owners a special Halloween treat today, with a specially themed pack of Virtual Console games. One of the scariest things about Castlevania II Simon’s Quest is how much it polarizes its players. Some see the game’s introduction of nonlinear gameplay and light RPG elements as an excellent addition to the series, while others had enough problems without having to get lost in Dracula’s castle—and interacting with virtual liars. Download the NES game for 500 points and make up your own mind. If you’d rather swing a sword instead of a whip, Samurai-Ghost might do the trick. The TurboGrafx-16 game lets players fight evil spirits as a, yeah yeah, samurai ghost. Along the way, you’ll fight tons of enemies and even the occasional samurai. It’s 600 points. Spooky! Finally, the VC is adding another NeoGeo title to the mix, with Magician Lord. While the title may not sound all that creepy, players will take on loads of creepy monsters as they transform into one of six different forms. It’s 900 Wii Points.
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Clear Your Calendars For PAX 2008
10/26/2007 1:22:00 PM
If you didn’t make it to this year’s Penny Arcade Expo, never fear. Organizers of the annual event have announced the dates for the 2008 show—so you can’t blame your slacking on not having enough time to plan. The fifth annual PAX will be held August 29-31, with registration opening in January. The 2007 event saw 37,000 attendees, and the news release said 47 million bajillion people are expected to show up in 2008, so you may want to register as soon as possible. For more information on the event, check out http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com.
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Second Pack Of Blue Dragon DLC Goes Live
10/26/2007 1:17:00 PM
Microsoft today announced that the second pack of DLC is now available for its Blue Dragon RPG. The 6 Treasures pack can be downloaded for 200 Microsoft Points, giving players (surprise!) six new items. The Whimsical Mind item is a growth item that enhances randomly selected character stats by 0-4 levels. The Way of Thieves can be used to steal rare items from enemy creatures during battle. The Devee Phonograph lets players listen to the Devee-tribe-dance song whenever they want. Nothing Glasses streamline exploration, pointing out objects that can be interacted with for nothing points with a star-like symbol. The Shuffled Helmet is an item that alone isn’t much to speak of—increasing magic by 40 points and reducing speed by 50—though when it’s combined with the Shuffled Breastplate and Shuffled Splint items it becomes the most powerful gear for magic users (increasing magic by 160 and speed by 40). Finally, the Spring-wind Scarf is equippable gear that increases character speed and HP by 20 percent.
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Crysis Demo Coming Soon
10/26/2007 11:33:00 AM
PC gamers who have been patiently waiting to get some hands-on time with the eagerly awaited FPS Crysis won’t have to wait much longer. EA has announced that the demo of Crysis, which includes the game’s first level and the Sandbox2 Editor, will be available for general release Oct. 27. Player who couldn’t bear the wait and preordered the game can get it an entire day early from the EA downloader. Otherwise, you can get it directly from us when it’s ready for general consumption.
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After User Outcry, Forza DLC Gets Price Cut
10/26/2007 11:17:00 AM
Never let it be said that game companies don’t pay attention to player feedback. After receiving sharp criticism from the Forza Motorsport 2 user base about the pricing of its DLC pack, which includes the Twin Ring Motegi track. Originally, it was set for 600 Microsoft Points, but it’s now been reduced to 400 points. Here’s a post from the official Forza Motorsport 2 message boards explaining the situation and decision.
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PlayStation Store Replenishes Stock
10/26/2007 11:03:00 AM
The PlayStation Store has updated its virtual inventory, adding new functionality, game content and skins. First up is EyeCreate, free video-editing software that lets PlayStation Eye users record and edit videos, photographs and audio. Once users are done editing their masterpieces, they can save custom videos and watch them from the XMB. PlayStation 1 game Spyro the Dragon is available for $5.99. This 3D platformer lets you fly around to your heart’s content, cleansing the world of bad guys, while you’re at it. Piyotama players can get into the Halloween spirit with a free skin download. The puzzle game gets a spooky new look, which is a treat. Finally, there’s new Ninja Gaiden Sigma DLC for $2.99. The Rachel Master download lets players test their Rachel skill against five increasingly tough enemy waves. Survive, and you can say you’ve earned the title of #1 Fiend Hunter. New hairstyles are available in this download, too.
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Crysis Single Player Hands-On Impressions And Direct Feed Movies
10/26/2007 10:57:00 AM
Back in March 2004, a little-known German developer named Crytek released a game for the PC called Far Cry. Far Cry took the PC FPS world by surprise with a powerful new engine, advanced AI, exciting stealth-action gameplay and incredible graphics that still stand up pretty well to this day. Ditching the Far Cry universe, Crytek is returning to the fold with the CryEngine 2 and a new franchise known simply as Crysis. One of the main games that pushed many a PC owner to fork over the dough for Windows Vista and a beefy DX10 card, Crysis will finally see the light of day on Nov. 13, and we got an advanced look at the first three levels of the game. The big question is: Will your PC be able to handle it?
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Phantasy Star Universe Expansion On The Way
10/26/2007 10:52:00 AM
Sega has released more information on its upcoming Phantasy Star Universe expansion, Ambition of the Illuminus. The expansion will be available for the Xbox 360 for 1,600 Microsoft Points ($20), and the PlayStation 2 and PC versions will cost $39.95. It’s set for a Nov. 20 release.
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