Time for 0.2 percent of you to form an "online PR cabal" again? Perhaps. Ubisoft forum manager "bukowski113" has posted details about the Far Cry 2 DRM, which happens to be the same SecuROM technology tied to Spore and other EA PC (and sometimes Mac) titles. According to bukowski113:
Purchasers have up to 5 activations on 3 separate PCs
Uninstalling Far Cry 2"refunds" an activation; this process is known as "revoke" (as long as you properly uninstall the game, you'll be able to re-install it an unlimited number of times on the 3 machines)
A computer can be upgraded an unlimited number of times (using "revoke")
Ubisoft is willing to provide additional activations, if necessary
"Ubisoft is committed to the long-term support of our games: you'll always be able to play Far Cry 2"
Welcome to "the future of DRM," people. Get comfy.
Konami's booth may not have been one of the larger booths at Tokyo Game Show this year, but it was certainly the most visible. It was nearly impossible to miss Konami's booth considering it was the very first thing you'd see after passing through the media entrance.
Anyway, what did Konami show on the floor? Its showing this year was all about sequels. The company dropped names for games from the Suikoden, Silent Hill and Castlevania series, just to name a few. Grab your tickets for the Konami Booth Photo Tour and see Konami's wares. It's free!
How big is Patapon 2? Well, take the original game ... and then multiply it by two. The upcoming PSP-exclusive sequel will feature a staggering amount of content which makes the original seem rather diminutive. While the first featured 37 levels, Patapon 2 Don Chaka will feature over 80. There were 187 weapons and items in the original -- and over 500 in the new game. Not only that, Patapon 2 will also feature a new multiplayer mode.
While critics and fans have embraced Patapon's unique gameplay, the new content expansion should make the sequel much more appealing to newcomers and veterans alike. The core gameplay remains largely untouched -- each of the face buttons represents a certain sound, and pressing button combinations to the beat will command the Patapon to march, retreat and attack. However, they've added a new twist to the formula. Enter: the Hero Patapon.
Players wanted a more personal interaction with their Patapon. With the Hero Patapon, they'll get just that. The Hero has an expanded set of moves and greater HP, making it far deadlier than the standard Patapon. While Patapon were fairly expendable in the original, players will want the Hero to stay alive. As it can be named by the player, many may think of it as their own unique "pet" in the game.
Potential storm in a teacup news now, with EA CEO John Riccitiello recently commenting on Spore's "particularly aggressive" digital rights management at a Media & Money conference. Though expressing a dislike for the anti-piracy system, Riccitiello explained that better protection against those with a propensity for pilferage had yet to manifest. He further added that the widely reported outcry against Spore's DRM originated from a deafening minority.
"We chose a particularly aggressive form of DRM, which 99.8 percent of consumers would never notice, but that two-tenths of one percent got incredibly focused and formed an online PR cabal," he said. "We can eliminate piracy by essentially blocking the online service from the pirate." Riccitiello called it "the future of DRM," one we hope will be more adept at distinguishing between the consumers and the criminals.
Sega's booth was hidden away in a corner at the backside of the Makuhari Messe. Despite this, Sega still drew in massive crowds. We suppose the guiding blue lights of Sega's logo would grab any fan's attention and bring them back towards the house that Sonic built.
This year's Sega offering was all about Yakuza 3, Phantasy Star, and many more DS J-RPGs. Why not take our Sega Booth Photo Tour and see things for yourself.
We had a feeling Microsoft had another surprise up its sleeve today. And sure enough, Crazy Mouse has come scurrying out of some tiny crack in the XBLA pipeline and into your livingroom for 400 ($5). Judging from the screen above, it's clear that this game is, uh, well, we actually haven't a clue. But dag, Player 1 is sure getting whooped by the computer! (Clearly, not even the folks in charge of assets had any idea how to play.)
According to its Xbox.com profile, Crazy Mouse is "the first original Xbox Live Arcade title from mainland China." Yay?
Recently, Bungie Studios community director Brian Jarrard - better known to Halo fans as "Sketch" - took some time to clear up a few lingering questions about Halo 3: Recon and Halo 3's upcoming Mythic Map Pack as well as some general Bungie topics.
From our informal chat, we learn that Halo 3: Recon will stay relatively true to Halo 3's formula, meaning that we won't be seeing any game engine improvements or added features. But Jarrard did confirm that (at minimum) one new weapon will make an appearance in Recon and a new soundtrack will debut. We also touch on the topic of Recon's Forge, learning what it is not and discuss why Bungie chose to not make it as feature-rich as a map editor like, say, what Far Cry 2 has to offer. There's Vidmaster achievement and Mythic Map Pack talk as well and the conversation somehow leads to the topic of global domination and pie.
Warcraft fans are pretty much all just as happy as that kid above (ok, well maybe not that happy). But there's lots of reasons to cheer -- BlizzCon took place in Anaheim, California this past weekend, patch 3.0.2 hit the live realms today, and next month, Wrath of the Lich King, the second WoW expansion, sees release. And throughout everything that's happening, WoW Insider has you covered -- here's our biggest stories from this weekend's convention and today's patch release.
BlizzCon Roundup: Day 2 Even more news from Blizzard about World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, and Starcraft 2.
BlizzCon 2008: Sound panel Blizzard's music team provided a rare treat during the Sound panel, and we recorded it just for you.
BlizzCon 2008: The Art Gallery A gallery on the show floor exhibits some terrific art from all of Blizzard's games (and a few hints at what upcoming titles will look like).
In an interview with Kikizo, Valve's Doug Lombardi says we won't have to wait long for ... our first glimpse of Half-Life 2: Episode Three. Quizzed on whether the dev would have something to show in 2008, Lombardi plainly said, "We may at the very end of the year." So, yay – a (possible) Half-Life Holiday.
As for when the game will actually ship – er, not so soon. "The next time you play as Gordon will be longer than the distance between HL2 to Ep1, and Ep1 to Ep2," Lombardi confirmed. We're guessing he didn't mean all of that time distance combined. Still, given that Episode One hit in June of '06 and we didn't see Episode Two until October '07, we're likely looking at an 18+ month wait for Episode Three. That would put its release ... around May or June 2009. Or, in comparative terms, sometime around the debut of the next new Lost episode.
Ladies and gentlemen of the Western Hemisphere, start your PlayStation 3s. Sony has released released firmware 2.50, which as we told you yesterday. The update includes support for the official PS3 bluetooth adapter, automatic shutdown after downloading, Flash 9 support and more. No word on PSP firmware 5.0, also expected today, but we've fired up our handhelds just in case. SCEE confirmed that both firmware updates will be available in Europe today.
Update: (1:32 AM ET) Two hours after the launch of the PS3 update, PSP firmware 5.0 is now also available.
With its developer already inking comic bookdeals and counting the dollars, euros, yen, and copper farthings it expects to rake in from a projected three million copies worldwide, Mirror's Edge staying a one-off affair may have seemed unlikely ... and is now so totally not one. In an interview with AusGamers, DICE senior producer, Owen O'Brien, reveals that the game – launching next month – will be the first in a planned trilogy.
O'Brien commented: "The story we're telling at the moment is kind of a trilogy, a three-story arc," adding that, "certainly for these first couple games, it's all about Faith." Faith being the protagonist of the first (and now, it seems, second) Mirror's Edge – or, you might also say, what EA has in the franchise. O'Brien also mentioned that the second game in the freshly-minted series may pack a level editor, saying: "It's something we're probably going to look at for the sequel."
He also said that, "We want to make the level editor as easy to use and intuitive as the game is. And that's going to take us quite a lot of time." In other words: the first dose of rooftop running action – complete with its recently revealed time trial mode – will have to keep us happy for a good while.
It's a rare-yet-joyous day when the gaming comic we really want to see win actually does earn the popular vote. Joystiq readers, thank you for picking 2P Start's Echochrome Auditions. No, really, we think you made the right choice. You should consider doing that more often.
Second and third place both went to Penny Arcade (Magnum Opus and The Great Divide, respectively, although the commenters are right that all three of their comics last week were gold). Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week! (Protip: It's best to use the comments field for that kind of stuff, or if you go via our tip line be sure to include "webcomic" in the subject or it will likely get ignored.)
Our statistics show that you, dear reader, are most likely to be of American origin. As a result, you probably don't have access to the Japanese Home beta. It's a shame, because it's the closest you were probably going to get to attending the Tokyo Game Show this year. The Japanese Home "Events and Media" space was updated, allowing those who were unable to reach the show to walk around in a to-scale mock-up of Sony's booth.
But just how close does the in-game model come to the real thing? Scarily close. We've attempted to recreate the screenshots by photographing the booth from the correct angles. In each image, the top half shows the Home version and the bottom reveals real life. Thankfully, the real booth was nowhere near as empty as it is in Home. Perhaps a release of the open beta, timed to coincide with TGS, would've allowed even more people to check out their upcoming wares. Opportunity missed.
While we're awaiting the recently-completed, more competitively-priced Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode 2, the official site has given us a way to bide our time. Introducing The Official PAA Papercraft™, which includes regulars Tycho, Gabe, Anne-Claire and Fruit ... erm, Lover.
Also available are Episode 2 foes Hat Spider, Asylum Patient and Dr. "I see you've been staring at my balls" Wolfington (his balls are not currently available as papercraft). Fun fact: In a display of irony, should you find yourself surrounded by papercraft Fruit Lovers, the use of fruit juice will actually harm them.
November 16. That's the day that Midway will impale Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe onto retail shelves, at least in North America. European players, on the other hand, will have to wait until November 21 to see a newly frozen Supes served a painful uppercut to his chiseled Kryptonian jaw. Now all that remains to be seen is if Alex Ross alone has enough power in his brush to make us overlook such a ridiculous crossover, or if the pairing of magical ninjas and superheroes in tights is just too much to resist.
($5). Judging from the screen above, it's clear that this game is, uh, well, we actually haven't a clue. But dag, Player 1 is sure getting whooped by the computer! (Clearly, not even the folks in charge of assets had any idea how to play.)
