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Archive for February, 2008
We have been hearing a lot of ballpark style release windows for Metal Gear Solid 4 up until now, but today all of that changes. Prepare to usher on a new age of MGS4 release date knowledge, as Konami has announced that their newest Metal Gear Solid title will ship on June 12th of this year. Oh, and don’t forget that anyone who preorders the game will receive an ‘exclusive’ Metal Gear Online beta code. Sweet!
Better warm up those Sixaxis (six-axe-ies), because the summer will be here sooner than you think.
Nintendo has definitely been trying to increase it’s reputation in the online gaming market. And today at GDC they have taken sides in the argument about free online services VS. paid online services. Nintendo announced a paid-service for WiFi on the Wii, Nintendo thinks that this service will allow for “collecting fees for some services [that] will allow us to adapt flexibly.” They didn’t really mention any other details about the service except that it will allow them to come out with new channels and better services. Nintendo did not explicitly mention that they would be charging to play any games online like Xbox Live, but they gave a good indication that some games would be charged for. It will be interesting to see how this feature is implemented and see how Sony will respond now that it is the only free online service in the console industry.
Ever since 2008 began rumors about Goldeneye 007 have been popping up all over the internet. Some rumors seemed more plausible like, Nintendo not allowing the rights to be used in an Xbox 360 port of the classic N64 game, while others tottered on the edge of just plain insanity. But, Xbox 360 World promises to bring some sanity to the situation in the form of very good news for anyone waiting for the game. On Wednesday(the 27th February) the magazine will be featuring an article with never-before-seen screenshots and hands-on details about the game. Some questions they mentioned in their announcement of the article that will announce the game are how different is the game? how does it feel on the 360?, and is it actually coming out?! Make sure you check back here at RotPod and Xbox 360 World for more details on Wednesday.
Staying true to Microsoft’s newly found ethic of making the community more important on Xbox Live Arcade, they have announced community-made XNA games that will be distributed through Xbox Live. The feature will not have any major filtering from Redmond themselves, but feature a peer-review system that will theoretically weed out any offensive or copyrighted games placed on the system. Microsoft will also make it advantageous to develop games for this platform by giving commission to the developers. There is no pricing scheme for the games, but I’d except the game to have lower prices than the standard Xbox Live Arcade games, which are anywhere from 200-800 MS points; however, you don’t know how greedy Microsoft may get. This will definitely be something to look forward to in the future, but until then you can go download some trial games on Xbox Live like, Little Gamers, Dishwasher and Jellycar.
image via[Kotaku]
Heres a look at the temporary box art for the two versions of Gears of War 2 that are being slapped onto the Amazon and GameStop online preorders. That’s the limited edition in the back which currently sports a slick black and white color scheme while the standard edition box is a Gears-tastic red and black combo.
I’m a little bummed that these aren’t the official designs because I’m kindof digging them. Maybe the simplicity is what gets me…
In case you haven’t heard, Gears 2 was announced today. Oh and just in case you didn’t believe us, here’s a little teaser trailer that Epic threw together to prove it. Sure there is no gameplay, graphical showcasing, or revelation of details, but damn it looks cool. Seeing Marcus Fenix going chainsaw to chainsaw with a Locust really gets ya’ pumped, doesn’t it?
It looks like everyone’s favorite power tool wielding macho man is headed back to an Xbox 360 near you later this year, as Microsoft and Epic have just officially announced Gears of War 2. The announcement came during the Microsoft Keynote via Cliffy B, who emerged onto the stage holding a lancer with a working chainsaw bayonet, and told the crowd that the highly anticipated shooter would exclusively hit the 360 in November.
No gameplay shots as of yet, but I for one can’t wait to see Gears 2 in action. We will post more info as we get it.
If you have not heard of N[game] before, you should go and download it right now. Then you should go buy it on the Xbox Live Arcade on Wednesday (February 20, 2008). The game was originally developed by two students that created their own independent game studio. The game is now coming out on XBLA, PSP, and the DS. It’s a true Cinderella story. The game will be 800 points and I think it is just the of beginning independent games coming to the Xbox Live Arcade in masses.
via[metablog]
That’s right, It’s been a whole year since the conception of the Rotpod gaming blog! Over the last year, we’ve seen tons of gaming rumors come and go, and I’m sure (unless you are the most avid Rotpod reader ever) that you must have missed some of them. Have no fear though, as we will be taking you on a trip down memory lane this week by sharing some of the craziest/coolest rumors of yesteryear which never came to be. Perhaps looking back on these posts will help us take future rumors for what they really are. Nah, who am I kidding? The less confirmation behind a story, the more interesting it is eh?
Look for lots of Rotpod birthday celebration in this week’s posts. Oh yeah, and GDC coverage too…
Recently, Nvidia bought Ageia, the manufacturer of the PhysX cards, and the deal was quickly confirmed by the the government. Now that the deal is official, Nvidia has started to reveal it’s plans for the companies. One of the major plans that the company revealed in a conference call is to update all the current 8-series Nvidia cards for support for PhysX via a software update.This is a pretty cool feature to give previous owners this functionality. Nvidia also plans to add some more hardware features for PhysX support to their cards in the future.
Just in case you don’t know, the PhysX technology is used to make physics in video games seem much more realistic by dedicating a processor and memory for calculating the physics. Since the only people that buy these cards are gamers and most people that buy high-end video cards are also gamers, it seems like a perfect merger.
It’s 2008, the supposed year of the Playstation 3. I was a bit skeptical of this theory, but the January NPD’s may be proof that this theory actually has some merit. The NPD group released the sales numbers for January with some very surprising results. As usual the Wii stayed on top with 274,000 units and the big surprise with 269,000 units is the Playstation 3. The Xbox 360 falls in third with only 230,000 units. The major thing about the NPDs is that the Playstation 3 surpassed the Xbox 360, but it is also interesting to notice that the Playstation 3 only came in 5,000 units behind the Wii, while the Xbox 360 was more than 30,000 units behind. Microsoft only had to say, “We certainly believe that this is an anomaly,” in response to it’s third place. However, there are some reasons for this “anomaly”: first, the Xbox 360 has been experiencing some shortages and many people have been complaining about the lack of 360’s on shelves, and second, the recent and fast rise of BluRay as the dominant competitor in the HD format war probably pushed a lot of Playstation 3 sales. These numbers are definitely something to take note of, but can Sony keep this up or will they fall back to number three?
via[Engadget]
The day is here ladies and gentlemen. After countless delays, rumors, and just plain lies, Spore, the game that is supposed to be bigger than life from Will Wright, is coming out September 07, 2008. It will be hitting the PC/Mac, DS, and some cellphones. The game has been in development a while and Will Wright had this to say, “We’re in our final stages of testing and polish with Spore, and the team at Maxis can’t wait to see the cosmos of content created by the community later this year.” I mean unless this is just a blatant lie, the game will definitely be hitting in September of this year. For those out of the loop, Will Wright is the master-mind behind the Sims and Maxis Studios. He has been hyping this game pre-Sims 2 and everyone has been getting more and more eager to play. Let’s just hope it lives up to the hyper. Check after the jump for the official teaser trailer with the launch date.
Continue reading ‘Spore To Be Released on September 07, 2008′
10
Feb
The Ultimate PS3 Setup
Most everyone is in constant competition with their friends to have the best high-definition/gaming setup for their consoles. It is usually a pretty fairly matched competition with no clear winner or loser… unless you are friends with this guy.
The system above comes to you from the Playstation forum’s user ‘Punisher69′ and although he doesn’t say that it is his system, I think everyone assumed it was. As you can see he has 16 subwoofers, 21 speakers, a professional Sony projector, the best processor money can probably buy, and a Sony Playstation 3. I am truly green with envy. Needless to say anyone would probably love to have this system, but I question a man who spends 6 million dollars on a home theater system and just doesn’t buy a Xbox 360 or a Nintendo Wii. Or I just call him a Sony fanboy. And yes, this did cost 6 million dollars. Jump to see some more pictures.
Everyone was pretty excited yesterday to hear that Jeff Gerstmann, the now famous (or infamous depending on how you look at it) game reviewer that was ousted from GameSpot because of his rumored negative review of Kane and Lynch, was going to be on X-Play. X-Play is TechTV’s G4TechTV’s G4TV’s video game show that recently switched from only reviews to more gaming news. Gerstmann, however, did not make any comments on his expulsion from GameSpot. He only talked about the lack of innovation in the Japanese gaming market. Interesting discussion, but kind of disappointing to those that were hoping for some meaty gossip about his firing. Check out the video:
(5 votes, average: 4.2 out of 5)
Everyone has been waiting for the PS3 to follow the way of many modern computers and technology devices in reducing the size of its processor. In the first step of this process, IBM has announced that they have reduced the normally 65nm Cell Processor that powers the PS3 to 45nm. The advantages of a 45nm processor are numerous: cooler temperatures, less power consumption, and more speed will become new standards. The power consumption should be reduced somewhere around 40%. The processor will also make it cheaper for Sony to make the PS3 because of the decreased die-size of the processor associated with the new 45nm processors.
Sony will definitely buy these processors to put into their newly made consoles and make a profit. The new processors are actually cheaper, but the question is whether buyers will see more affordable prices as well. Seeing that Sony just had a profitable quarter but is still nowhere near being profitable on the PS3, they might hold back the price-cuts until winter or (maybe) the release for that Slim-PS3.
via [Joystiq]
(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)
Fans of the Xbox 360 Sci-Fi epic, Mass Effect, are finally getting the first of many planned downloadable content packages which will serve to expand the game’s storyline. On March 10th, the ‘Bring Down the Sky’ DLC pack will add a new mission for Shepard and his/her crew to tackle, which will take the Spectre’s team to an uncharted planet on which a Batarian extremist group is planning a large scale attack on the colony world of Terra Nova. This mission will provide Mass Effect players with their first real look at the Batarian race outside of the concept art featured in their in-game Codex entry.
‘Bring Down the Sky’ promises to deliver around an hour and a half of additional playtime to the game, and will run you only 400 Microsoft points. You achievement junkies out there will also be glad to know that a new DLC related achievement will be added to the title’s list, which will be worth 50 gamerscore points should you unlock it.
Hit the jump for a look at the Batarians.
Nintendo announced a new beta test available in Japan for those wanting to help and earn some money as well (US $8.40 per hour). The job will have hours from 10a.m. to 5p.m. every weekday at the Kyoto Headquarters’ Research Division. The exciting part is that the test is rumored to possibly be for Mario Kart Wii, which is heavily anticipated and is potentially record-breaking. No other news about this games actual gameplay has surfaced, but a likely preview of the legitimate box art has been floating around (pictured above). If this test is for Mario Kart Wii, it will create a huge stir among all fans. Even the prospect of this being true has kindled our spirits.
via [Kotaku]
image via [Kotaku Australia]
Ubisoft’s stunning medieval assassination experience will find itself in the PC market in March. The game had already picked up 2.5 million sales within a month, and the number sold has only increases recently. This PC port should bring an even wider audience, with a a lower $50 price tag. Ubisoft plans to address some of the complaints of the repeition in the game by integrating four brand new investigation techniques into the upcoming release. With the established acclaim of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, consumers should already have a reason to pick up the PC version.
via [Ubisoft]
Just in case you missed it, almost everyone in Japan has been playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl for a week. Videos of the game have been pouring in online and everything that could be revealed in the game basically has been, unless Sakurai has some really crazy features that take a million hours to unlock. There has also been some really particularly curious news about the size of the save file. In proprietary Nintendo block form, the games save file takes up 128 blocks– for us normal humans that is roughly 30MB. This is in comparison to The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess which only took 1 block, or 0.2MB. I’m not saying that the game doesn’t use this much, but it is crazy to me that the game could take up this much space. I also sympathize for those that have many VC games that are going to get this game and find out they don’t have enough room to play it. Comment on what you think could be the reason for this!
via[ArsTechnica]
