Description
In addition to looking at the lighter and weirder side of the game industry, Sidebar is home to various editorial columns.
Latest News
-
Resident Evil 5 ships 4 million
Capcom touts initial deployment of survival horror shooter as franchise's biggest launch ever; demo downloads also stand at 4 million.
Other Site Blogs
-
Previews Blog
We Just Played Stormrise (in Multiplayer)
Have you heard of these "real-time strategy" games? The ones where you hoard piles of resources, build up a bunch of buildings, then...
-
Downloads Blog
Weekly Wrap-Up 03/09/09 - 03/13/03
Top Downloads of the WeekTheatre of War II: Africa 1943 Demo This playable demo includes one Tutorial mission to get you acquainted to...
-
Sports Blog
Peter Moore Interview: DLC, Wii, and the Future of Videogame Motorsports
EA Sports president Peter Moore wears his fandom on his sleeve. Whether he's championing a new sports game or chatting about his...
-
Rumor Control
Traveller's Tales assembling Lego Harry Potter, Indy 2?
Source: A Traveller's Tales employee's online resume.What we heard: Traveller's Tales may not have hit critical gold with the September...
-
Community Blog
Image Viewer Feedback
We've been working on an update to the GameSpot image viewer and would like to share the new in-page image experience. Which of the...
-
Wii Shop tunes into Bit.Trip Beat, Summer Games II
- Posted Mar 16, 2009 12:03 pm PT
- 1 comment
Nintendo has announced that two games will be added to its online Wii Shop Channel today, both of which will feature fare aimed at old-school gamers.
For Nintendo's original-game service WiiWare, Aksys Games has created Bit.Trip Beat. A rhythm game, Bit.Trip Beat has players pounding out 8-bit-era tunes set to retro-style visuals using the motion-sensing Wii Remote. The game accommodates play for up to four, and is available for 600 Wii points ($6).
Whereas Bit.Trip Beat is a throwback to days gone by, Summer Games II is actually from another gaming age. Originally released for the Commodore 64 in 1985, Summer Games II offers an 8-bit look at Olympic grandeur, offering gamers the chance to compete in eight different events: cycling, equestrian, fencing, high jump, javelin, kayaking, rowing, and triple jump. The 500 Wii point ($5) game features multiplayer action for up to eight, and players can choose from more than a dozen countries.
-
Capcom defends $5 RE5 Versus mode
- Posted Mar 13, 2009 4:23 pm PT
- 870 comments
Slaughtering zombies is often an arduous, even overwhelming, task far better suited for two or a whole team of individuals. Playing to this end, Capcom designed Resident Evil 5 around cooperative gameplay, letting players team up to lay waste to infected African shantytowns. But, really, when that murderous zombie-killing bloodlust takes hold, who's to say who is friend or foe. For those who agree, Capcom has delivered.
The publisher has announced that the RE5 Versus mode is now available for purchase through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Priced at $4.99 (400 Microsoft points), Versus mode lets up to four players compete in two different competitive game types. Survivor's Rule plays out much like a traditional deathmatch game, pitting individuals or two-on-two teams against one another, while Slayer's Rule has players scoring points as they hunt down Majinis.
Some may think that charging $5 for a competitive mode that nowadays comes standard in most games could be considered crass. Capcom disagrees. "Although Versus mode makes use of the assets that exist in the game, the functionality is not currently in the game and is above and beyond the initial scope of Resident Evil 5," the publisher told UK gaming news site CVG.
Check back later today for GameSpot's full review of Resident Evil 5.
-
James Brown, AWB funk up Rock Band
- Posted Mar 13, 2009 4:16 pm PT
- 64 comments
Last month, MTV Games announced that Snoop Dogg would become the first non-Beastie Boy rapper to appear in Rock Band. Today, the publisher revealed that three of hip-hop's most-sampled funk acts will be shaking their booties in next week's update to Harmonix's game.
Costing $5.49/M$440 on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace, the "Get the Funk Out 01" three-pack will feature "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine, Pt. 1" from James Brown, aka Soul Brother #1, aka the Godfather of Soul, aka The Hardest Working Man in Show Business. The late icon's dancefloor favorite will be accompanied by "Pick Up the Pieces," the horn-heavy anthem from the Scottish group Average White Band. Rounding up the trio is "Shining Star" from recent White House guests Earth, Wind, and Fire.
Funkophobes will also have several options in this week's Rock Band update, which contains "All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth" and "Use It" by indie rockers The New Pornographers. Those suffering from iron deficiencies can get a taste of metal courtesy of "Last Resort" and the new single "Lifeline" from Papa Roach. Finally, "Thrash Unreal" from neo-punkers Against Me! will also be available. All tracks will be available a la carte for $1.99/M$160 on PSN and XBLM.
-
McEnroe serves up Grand Slam Tennis
- Posted Mar 12, 2009 4:53 pm PT
- 8 comments
When EA's Grand Slam Tennis ships for the Wii on June 16, it will officially be the exclusive home of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, better known as the site of the Wimbledon Championships. However, that won't be the only tennis icon to appear only in EA's brand-new tennis franchise.
The publisher announced today that tennis legend John McEnroe will headline Grand Slam Tennis' cast of past and present greats, which players can play as or against. Known for his obtuse disposition on the court, McEnroe won seven Grand Slams and 77 singles titles over the course of his nearly 15-year career. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999.
EA has made a point of saying that Grand Slam Tennis will appear "first" on the Wii, indicating that other platform releases may follow in the future. However, the publisher has yet to announce additional platforms for its new tennis franchise. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.
-
Rock Band: The Beatles to have unreleased tunes
- Posted Mar 12, 2009 3:49 pm PT
- 90 comments
In and of itself, Rock Band: The Beatles signifies a major victory for MTV Games and Harmonix, considering the Fab Four's infamous recalcitrance toward distributing its heralded catalog through digital mediums. It doesn't end there, though, as Dhani Harrison--son of the late Beatles guitarist George Harrison--has revealed to Billboard that the game will also include previously unreleased material.
According to Harrison, Rock Band: The Beatles will feature a selection of songs that "has never been heard, never been released." Unfortunately, Harrison the younger was not authorized to go into further detail on what the unreleased material entails. However, he did go on to say that the game will be "totally, historically accurate," saying the game and the deal that ushered it in have been in development for the past two years.
Rock Band: The Beatles is expected to arrive on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii on September 9. MTV Games plans on offering it as a $59.99 stand-alone purchase or as part of a $249.99 full-band bundle, equipped with an all-new drum set, guitar, and microphone modeled after the Beatles' own instruments. Stand-alone guitars will be priced at $99.99 each. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Rock Band: The Beatles.
-
Capcom: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 HD Remix 'would be great to do'
- Posted Mar 12, 2009 2:24 pm PT
- 293 comments
Last year, Capcom scored commercial and critical success with Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. Developed by Backbone Entertainment and featuring visuals redrawn by Udon Comics, the downloadable game sold 250,000 copies within its first few weeks, with Capcom touting the performance as setting day-one and week-one sales records.
Those who enjoyed the game will be pleased to know that Capcom plans to continue applying the HD Remix treatment to its catalog of titles, according to Capcom's vice president of strategic planning, Christian Svensson. "Are we done doing HD Remixes? No we're not done," Svensson told UK gaming site VideoGamer. "But the next ones that we do will be even better, based on what we learned."
And, of course, the immediate question from any fan of Capcom fighting games then becomes, so what about Marvel vs. Capcom 2? "I won't say it doesn't need it," Svensson said. "Marvel would be great to do. There's obviously a fan base for it. It's probably our most requested title. Unfortunately, I wish I had news to share on that front but I don't."
In addition to Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Capcom HD Remixed Super Puzzle Fighter II in 2007.
-
Yale student files $1 million suit over stolen Xbox 360
- Posted Mar 11, 2009 5:12 pm PT
- 235 comments
For most people, losing some or all of their luggage at the airport is a headache. For Jesse Maiman, it's an opportunity. On Monday, the 21-year-old Yale University student filed a lawsuit in the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court against US Airways for the loss of his Xbox 360. His asking price in damages? One million dollars.
Disbelieving snickering aside, Maiman claims that the console, which sported a "specialized hard drive," was stolen from his luggage as he travelled from New Haven, Connecticut, to Cincinnati, Ohio. The student is seeking $1,700 in relief for the loss of his console, as well as the maximum damages allowable, or $1 million, the Associated Press reports. The most expensive Xbox 360 retails for $399, begetting the obvious question of just what this "specialized hard drive" contains.
In language befitting a man of Yale, Maiman called his ordeal with US Airways "an unconscionable run-around." For its part, US Airways told the AP that it had not yet been informed of the suit, noting only that liability limits set by the government are $3,300 per bag.
-
Warhammer Online sheds 63 servers
- Posted Mar 11, 2009 4:18 pm PT
- 57 comments
In war, there will be casualties. This week, Mythic Entertainment revealed the extent of those casualties, saying that 43 North American and 20 European Warhammer Online servers have been closed, following mandatory character transfers.
While the server shutdowns could be construed as a negative indicator of Warhammer Online's overall population, Mythic general manager Mark Jacobs believes the move was a natural step in fostering a healthy player experience. He also noted that the game's paying subscriber base continues to rise.
"As I've already said, if WAR was a PvE game, we wouldn't have closed those servers but since WAR is RvR-centric, leaving those servers open with their current population would not be a good idea," commented Jacobs in a forum post. "While these servers have been low population for quite a while once we told people to transfer off of them their population dropped too low for an RvR-centric game."
After peaking at 750,000 registered users three weeks after launch, Warhammer Online's current subscription base stood at 300,000, according to EA's most recent accounting in February. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Warhammer Online.
-
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot getting game tie-in
- Posted Mar 10, 2009 5:45 pm PT
- 64 comments
In its attempt to help hype Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams' forthcoming reboot of the Star Trek film franchise, Paramount Pictures has apparently revealed a secret game project. Fan site Trekmovie.com has posted a scan of a flyer that its editors found tucked inside the Blu-ray set of Season 1 of the original Star Trek series.
The scan appears to be for a game titled Star Trek: DAC developed by Naked Sky Entertainment, the Los Angeles-based studio behind the decently received sci-fi action game RoboBlitz, released on Xbox Live and the PC in 2006. With its depiction of the new Enterprise from the film in a space battle with several Romulan vessels, the game appears to be a space combat title, perhaps similar to the Battlestar Galactica tie-in from late 2007.
Star Trek: DAC's release date is listed as May, no doubt to coincide with its film inspiration's May 8 premiere. However, the game may be less exciting that it appears. Its publisher is listed as being Paramount Pictures Games, which has released only iPhone movie tie-in games for films such as School of Rock and Shooter, according to its Web site. Attempts to elicit comment from Paramount about the game were unsuccessful as of press time.
-
Big Sisters confirmed in BioShock 2
- Posted Mar 10, 2009 4:46 pm PT
- 187 comments
Last week, 2K Games soft-launched a teaser site for BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams, the follow-up to the 2007 award-winning underwater adventure BioShock. As with most teaser sites, Somethinginthesea.com aims to generate hype through mystery by offering only a few clues about the game. In this case, the site shows a map of the Atlantic Ocean ringed by a series of newspaper clippings detailing the disappearances of young girls in seaside towns.
Invariably, said vanishing is accompanied by red lights in the ocean and sightings of strange figures emerging from the surf wearing "shod" feet and "miner's helmets." Although the lights and helmet look like the calling cards of the first BioShock's lumbering Big Daddies, eyewitness accounts of "thin" figures with feet smaller than a human male's appear to be contradictory. As a result, theories about "Big Sisters" and "Little Daddies" began to bubble up--rumors that 2K Games has steadfastly declined to comment on. "Don't believe everything you read," one rep told GameSpot.
Next month, though, the public will be able to read about 2K Marin-developed BioShock 2 in Game Informer. The Minnesota-based monthly magazine, which is owned by game retailer GameStop, has posted a scan of its April issue's cover online, which indeed depicts a Big Sister. The new creature is shown wearing a helmet not unlike that of the Big Daddies, with sleeker diving gear fitted to its long limbs and a long-barreled weapon on its left arm. Inside a cage on the Big Sister's back is a Little Sister that looks several years older than the ones in the first BioShock. No "Little Daddies" are mentioned.
-
Behemoth to reveal third game March 18
- Posted Mar 10, 2009 11:47 am PT
- 51 comments
Castle Crashers was one of several standout titles to flood Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade last August. The well-received quirky beat-'em-up marked the second original game from San Diego-based independent developer The Behemoth, which had previously been known for the equally off-kilter side-scrolling shooter Alien Hominid.
This week, in a post to its official development blog, The Behemoth offered the first clues on its third game, currently operating under the aptly named working title "Game #3." A screenshot for the game shows what appears to be a tearful Irish shop keeper with a cuboid head being taunted with a massive green diamond. In the background, a seeming army of malevolent robots appears to be guarding a wall of vaults.
The Behemoth expects to debut the first trailer for Game #3 via its blog on March 18, and will be on hand at the Tokyo Anime Fair on March 20-March 21 to offer a first look at an "uber-early" version of the game.
-
Burn Zombie Burn lumbers onto PSN March 26
- Posted Mar 9, 2009 3:43 pm PT
- 38 comments
No matter how many bullets get pumped into a zombie, the darn things have a tendency to not stay dead. Case in point: Try as players might to eradicate the undead vermin in Capcom's Resident Evil 5 later this week, the hordes are already planning a reunion tour later this month, courtesy of Kuju Entertainment's downloadable game shop Doublesix.
The Guildford, UK-based studio announced today that Burn Zombie Burn will be available for the PlayStation Network in the US and Europe on March 26. Pricing information has not yet been revealed.
A top-down shooter in the lineage of Smash TV, Burn Zombie Burn sees players fending for the lives amid a zombie apocalypse. The humor-heavy shooter has players using a variety of weapons to slaughter wave after wave of undead hordes across six horror-themed levels for increasing amounts of points. The game also supports co-op and competitive multiplayer for up to two.
-
Alex Kidd, Gradius find ReBirth on Wii
- Posted Mar 9, 2009 1:15 pm PT
- 16 comments
Gradius has already seen its fair share of play on the Virtual Console, with a host of classic installments in the franchise making their way onto Nintendo's online store, ranging from the original 2D shooter to Salamander to Life Force. This week, though, Konami is changing up the game a bit, releasing a new installment in the franchise for WiiWare.
Titled Gradius ReBirth, Konami's latest game in the venerable series again sees gamers hopping into the cockpit of the Vic Viper as they attempt to mow down seemingly insurmountable waves of treacherous alien creatures. The 2D side-scrolling shooter offers play for one, but also features global leaderboards for Internet-enabled consoles. It is available for 1,000 Wii points ($10).
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars represents this week's Virtual Console release. Originally released for arcades in 1986 and ported to Sega's Master System in 1988, The Lost Stars features the titular primate-like Kidd platforming across six levels in an effort to capture 12 wayward zodiac signs. As with other Master System releases, it can be purchased for 500 Wii points ($5).
-
San Diego declares March 16 'Sony Online Entertainment Day'
- Posted Mar 6, 2009 3:33 pm PT
- 83 comments
On March 16, Sony Online Entertainment's seminal massively multiplayer online role-playing game, EverQuest, will turn 10. To honor the occasion, City Council member Carl DeMaio will officially proclaim March 16 as "Sony Online Entertainment Day" in San Diego, where SOE is headquartered.
According to a statement provided by SOE, "This proclamation serves to commemorate the 10th anniversary and launch of EverQuest on this day as well as the continued support and dedication SOE shows to the city and community of San Diego."
SOE has also issued an open invitation for EQ fans to join in the proceedings. DeMaio is scheduled to issue the proclamation on March 10 at 10:00 a.m.,which will take place in room 202C on the 12th floor of San Diego's Council Chambers.
It may be a decade old, but SOE continues to update its flagship MMOG with new expansions. The game's 15th expansion, Seeds of Destruction, arrived in October, while EverQuest II--launched alongside Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft in 2004--saw its fifth expansion in November.
-
BioShock 2 teaser site surfaces
- Posted Mar 6, 2009 1:50 pm PT
- 237 comments
Viral teaser sites are about as fresh an idea as a reality show starring a washed-up celebrity. But that doesn't stop publishers from using them to build buzz for their games. Case in point: BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams, currently in development at 2K Marin. The sequel to the GameSpot 2007 Game of the Year finalist is apparently the subject of Somethinginthesea.com, an oh-so-mysterious Web destination that soft-launched yesterday.
Set to a soundtrack of static-riddled radio transmissions, the site displays a wrinkled world map with a large X marked on the western coast of Ireland. The mark is dated February 20, 1967, seven years after the events of the original BioShock. On the upper right of the map are several photos, notes, and newspaper clippings bearing notations.
One article mentions the discovery of footprints on Lehinch Beach in western Ireland, which were made by something with "metallic soles [that] do not resemble any civilian or military footgear" and has "an unusually long stride." Further down on the page, the article notes recent sightings of "mysterious crimson lights" under the surface of nearby Liscannor Bay. Another article references the recent kidnapping of a local 7-year-old girl by an assailant wearing "a miner's helmet" with "a red light." That said, the articles and pictures state that the kidnappers are "thin" and have feet smaller than that of a regular man--perhaps indicating they are a new type of Big Daddy or a Splicer outfitted with scuba gear.
Anyone familiar with BioShock will recognize that these signs point to one of the lumbering Big Daddy opponents of the first game. Any remaining doubt will be erased by a photo of a homemade Big Daddy doll (top)--the same doll shown in the first official teaser trailer for the game (bottom). The doll's appearance leaves little doubt that Somethinginthesea.com was cooked up in 2K Games' marketing department and will be where more details about the undersea adventure surface.
BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams is currently "destined" to arrive on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, according to 2K. Tentatively set to hit one or all platforms later this year, the game is the middle part of a planned BioShock trilogy, which will be turned into a film next year by Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski.
-
Dragon Age: Origins gets prequel novel
- Posted Mar 5, 2009 3:56 pm PT
- 10 comments
By definition, the origin of something is the absolute beginning of it, with nothing coming before. Be that as it may, BioWare's upcoming console and PC role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins has received a prequel all its own.
Tor Books this week released the new trade paperback Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, described as a prequel to BioWare's upcoming game. The novel follows the deposed prince Maric as he seeks revenge for the murder of his mother, all while his nation suffers under the rule of the invading Orlesians.
While game-to-novel adaptations are typically penned by authors unrelated to development, The Stolen Throne was handled by the lead writer on the Dragon Age game, BioWare Edmonton's David Gaider. Gaider is no stranger to game development,and his previous credits include Baldur's Gate 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Neverwinter Nights.
Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne is now available for a suggested retail price of $14.95.
-
Fallout 3 hits the Pitt March 24
- Posted Mar 5, 2009 3:21 pm PT
- 128 comments
After several weeks of uncertainty, today Bethesda Softworks has announced the release date for the second downloadable expansion for GameSpot's 2008 Role-Playing Game of the Year, Fallout 3. The Pitt add-on will arrive on March 24, almost exactly two months after the first expansion, Operation Anchorage, arrived.
Like its predecessor, the Pitt add-on will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PC and will cost $9.99, or 800 Microsoft points in the 360's demi-currency. Featuring new achievements, the expansion is set in the raider city that has sprung up from the ruins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Players will be forced to side with one of two factions--the slaves or the raiders--in a growing conflict plaguing the town, which stages regular gladiatorial events players can join.
In April, the final Fallout 3 expansion, Broken Steel, will be released. It has players join the benevolent, knightlike Brotherhood of Steel to track down the remnants of the nefarious patriotic pretenders known as The Enclave. The add-on also extends the main storyline beyond the climactic battle in the mission "Take It Back," after which the game originally ended.
-
Days of Arcade dawn on XBLA
- Posted Mar 5, 2009 10:43 am PT
- 63 comments
Any which way it's cut, Microsoft's Summer of Arcade initiative last August was nothing short of a monumental success. In a single month, the publisher pushed onto its Xbox Live online platform critically acclaimed hits Braid, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Galaga Legions, Bionic Commando Rearmed, and Castle Crashers. In the process, Microsoft realized a 67 percent spike in revenue from the service during the period, setting a new monthly-sales record in the process.
Undoubtedly hoping to repeat that success, Microsoft revealed its Days of Arcade promotion today, which will begin March 18 with the release of Hasbro Family Game Night. The six-week, seven-game drive will then continue with the release of The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, Flock, Lode Runner, Outrun Online Arcade, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, and Uno Rush, though not necessarily in that order.
Microsoft expects to announce official dates for the remainder of the lineup by way of Xbox Live's director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb's blog beginning on March 23.
-
Microsoft promotion cuts Gold XBL dues by $10
- Posted Mar 4, 2009 4:36 pm PT
- 107 comments
Xbox Live is widely regarded as the superior online service for this generation of consoles. However, to take full advantage of its benefits, Microsoft requires that Xbox 360 gamers pony up a $49.99 annual fee for a Gold subscription, whereas Sony and Nintendo let users access all of their online features for free.
This week, however, the publisher sweetened the deal for those not content with their free Silver-level memberships. Silver members who log into the service today will be greeted with an offer to upgrade their accounts to Gold status for 12 months at the cut rate of $39.99, a $10 savings. Once the promotional period ends, Microsoft notes that the membership will automatically renew with the standard annual rate (currently $49.99).
Aside from calling it an "exclusive limited-time offer," Microsoft gave no indication of when the promotion would end. Representatives for the company had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.
-
Capcom hosts RE5 blood drive
- Posted Mar 4, 2009 3:55 pm PT
- 135 comments
Brain-eating zombies are often given a bad rap--on account of the brain eating, and all--but never let it be said that good work hasn't been done in their name. Today, Capcom, in partnership with the American Red Cross, said that it would be marking the March 13 launch of Resident Evil 5 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with a blood drive.
The blood drive will be held at the World of Wonder Gallery in Hollywood, California, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST. Those who willingly divest themselves of vital life fluid will have a chance to win a number of prizes, including limited-edition Resident Evil 5 Blood Drive collectibles such as posters, bumper stickers, and buttons, as well as copies of the game.
Capcom will also be raffling off a number of the red Xbox 360 Elite consoles that come bundled with a copy of Resident Evil 5, which Microsoft officially announced last week. Donation eligibility requirements can be found on the Red Cross' official Web site.
For more information on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Resident Evil 5.