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InstantAction.com Readies Rokkitball
GarageGames' labor of love, browser based action game portal InstantAction.com ads another title to their arsenal tomorrow with the introduction of Rokkitball. Rokkitball is a futuristic, team-based game that weaves together action and strategy to form a very compelling concept in browser-based gaming.
Rokkitball brings a new level of multiplayer gaming to InstantAction, combining the frantic pace of a shooter with the team strategy of a real-world sport," said Alex Swanson, Rokkitball Producer and Designer. "We plan to provide an on-going flow of new content to players through InstantAction, with several additional stadiums and enhanced team customization options already in the works."While we won't know much more until we actually get to play the game, there will be a live chat with developer Alex Swanson tomorrow at 3PM Pacific, the same time the game goes live, where he will be discussing the creation of Rokkitball and all that entails. For now, check out our exclusive screens from the new title, and head over to InstantAction.com for more web-based multiplayer goodness. More »
gran turismo 5 prologue
Weezer, DJ Shadow to Grace Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Soundtrack
The launch of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is coming up fast and Sony is announcing an action packed soundtrack to go along with. Leading the pack is an exclusive in-game remix of Weezer's "Automatic" and a special remix of Mars Volta's "Goliath." Also along for the ride exclusively in North America are Justice, SebastiAn, DJ Shadow, The Earaches and Pride Tiger.
You can check out the entire list of artists and their tracks after the jump.
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exclusive
Science fiction author Larry Niven, perhaps best known for his award-winning Ringworld series, has been creating worlds for readers to explore since the mid 1960's. Now, with the help of transmedia production company Alchemic Productions, he's creating a world for gamers to play in. Larry Niven's Free Fall isn't based on any of Niven's existing works. Desiring more involvement than simply handing over his books as source material, Niven is working with Alchemic to create an entirely new fiction for the game, which will center around a nation of miners and spacers that inhabit Earth's Moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt. You begin the game as newly immigrated Earther looking to get a fresh start as a miner who soon finds himself embroiled in miner revolution. I spoke extensively with Alchemic co-founder Rick Ernst about the project, touching on the concept, the technology, and the gameplay - which takes place entirely in zero-gravity.
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Larry Niven Teams With Alchemic For Free Fall
Science fiction author Larry Niven, perhaps best known for his award-winning Ringworld series, has been creating worlds for readers to explore since the mid 1960's. Now, with the help of transmedia production company Alchemic Productions, he's creating a world for gamers to play in. Larry Niven's Free Fall isn't based on any of Niven's existing works. Desiring more involvement than simply handing over his books as source material, Niven is working with Alchemic to create an entirely new fiction for the game, which will center around a nation of miners and spacers that inhabit Earth's Moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt. You begin the game as newly immigrated Earther looking to get a fresh start as a miner who soon finds himself embroiled in miner revolution. I spoke extensively with Alchemic co-founder Rick Ernst about the project, touching on the concept, the technology, and the gameplay - which takes place entirely in zero-gravity.
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Holy Crap, King of Fighters XII Is 100 Percent Hand Drawn
When SNK showed off The King of Fighters XII at arcade show AOU in Japan and industry event GDC in San Francisco, the unanimous reply was: Nice cell shading. That, or it's "just" hi-res 2D. Thing is, that's totally incorrect. And for SNK, who's been working on the game for the past three years, frustrating! Today, I checked out the game's latest build at SNK's Osaka office and saw a few stages that haven't been revealed. Screens weren't available, but there was a French stage, complete with fat, rich women and an Egyptian one that had loyal subjects worshiping before the Pharaoh. Colorful stuff and classic SNK. The company set out to make the ultimate 2D fighter — unparalleled by anything else out there, attempting not only to raise the bar, but snap it in half. KOFXII producer Masaaki Kukino tells Kotaku:
The game is one hundred percent hand drawn. There is zero cell shading in The King of Fighters XII.More »
exclusive
In-game advertising specialists IGA and id Software have partnered to bring you the next iteration of the classic Quake franchise, Quake Live, and it's definitely not your normal web-based, free-to-play game. Quake Live will deliver a full community experience, including stat tracking, friends lists, matchmaking, and sponsored tournaments, all within your standard web browser. Integrated with IGA's proprietary SDK, it is the first title in the company's "freemium category", offering premium gaming experiences for free thanks to integrated advertising.
IGA And ID Team For Free, Web-Based Quake Live
In-game advertising specialists IGA and id Software have partnered to bring you the next iteration of the classic Quake franchise, Quake Live, and it's definitely not your normal web-based, free-to-play game. Quake Live will deliver a full community experience, including stat tracking, friends lists, matchmaking, and sponsored tournaments, all within your standard web browser. Integrated with IGA's proprietary SDK, it is the first title in the company's "freemium category", offering premium gaming experiences for free thanks to integrated advertising. "id Software is among the proverbial godfathers of modern gaming and we are thrilled to be working with them on their first title in our 'freemium' category," said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. "This partnership is only the latest testament to the increasing acceptance of in-game as an effective, measurable advertising medium and a strategic revenue opportunity for publishers and developers."More »
6:55 AM on Tue Feb 19 2008
By Mike Fahey
19,727 views,
72 comments
Latest by nytestalker: But... I still own and play a copy of Q3 on a nightly basis... more »
format war
Wal-Mart Chooses Blu-ray
From CNN.Money comes the news that ubiquitous retailer Wal-Mart has decided to go exclusively Blu-ray. According to a statement by Wal-Mart's Senior Vice President of Home Entertainment Gary Severson,
"We've listened to our customers, who are showing a clear preference toward Blu-ray products and movies with their purchases."
Wal-Mart will continue to sell HD-DVD products in the coming months, but expect to be Blu-ray exclusive soon with a heavy shift happening in the next thirty days. Add to that this week's announcement of Netflix's Blu-ray exclusivity and you've got what looks like an end in sight to the format wars.
Wal-Mart on Blu-ray bandwagon [CNN Money]
rumor
The Rumor Returns - MGS4 On The 360
XboxFamily today reports that they have received word directly from a Konami distribution representative that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the Xbox 360 has been in development since early last year, with a release slated for 12-14 months after the PlayStation 3 version of the highly anticipated game. XboxFamily's Freeze felt so confident in his sources that he emailed Microsoft's John Porcaro for verification, receiving back a rather lengthy reply that touches on the more salient points of posting rumors before eventually devolving into a standard "no comment."
This of course is probably one of the most highly debated rumors of the past year, now spilling over into 2008, and while we'd generally take it with a grain of salt, we've heard rumblings over the past few months that lend support to the notion that Solid Snake's epic could eventually see the light of day on the 360.
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Peter Moore Goes NASCAR
By John Gaudiosi
HOMESTEAD, FL—New EA Sports President Peter Moore was at Miami Speedway over the weekend to hand out the $10,000 check to NASCAR Challenge winner Brandon Coppinger of Nashville, TN. Before heading to a meeting with the NASCAR drivers to talk videogames, Moore took some time for this exclusive Kotaku interview.
When asked how the unique NASCAR experience compared to his F1 racing, the Brit said that F1 had gotten boring for a while because Michael Schumacher seemed to win every race. Moore was recently in London, where he had the opportunity to meet the latest F1 sensation, Lewis Hamilton.
"Between Hamilton and the scandal involving the exchange of information between McLaren and Ferrari, F1 is getting more interesting," said Moore. "But. I'll tell you, there's nothing like a NASCAR race. This is my first NASCAR race in the flesh, although I follow the circuit."
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feature
Finger Eleven On Xbox Live Video Marketplace
by John Gaudiosi
Finger Eleven lead singer Scott Anderson is a huge gamer, so he's pretty stoked that his band is the first to offer a free live concert in high definition on Xbox Live Video Marketplace. Through January 6, gamers in the U.S. can download the 58-minute set from the Berkeley Church in Toronto. The concert includes hit songs "Paralyzer," "So So Suicide," "Falling On," and "Lost My Way."
"It's pretty awesome," said Anderson. "Anyone who's tried Xbox Live Video Marketplace for a while, they've been waiting for this type of thing...I live in Canada, so I've been waiting for this type of HD content for a long time. It's a full hour of a show we did a few months ago. It's so cool. It's a couple clicks away. It's a platform that I endorse, literally. I love it, man. I'll load it up and see my face and probably cringe, but it's cool. We're living in the future, man. There's no flying cars yet, but it's still pretty cool."
Anderson has been a passionate gamer his entire life. He said he doesn't discriminate against any platform, since he's not a fan boy of any console in particular. In fact, if he had to pick a favorite gaming medium, it'd be the PC.
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12:00 PM on Mon Nov 12 2007
2,642 views,
28 comments
Latest by Axolotl: Apparently rock stars can be gaming fans, but gaming fans don't listen to rock music?They have had a few more hit singles than the aforementioned 1, :P. Yes there guys were the Rainbow Butt Monkeys and they rocked then, and more »
ship date
PS3 Exclusive Haze IS Coming This Year...in December
Back at E3, Sony spent a lot of time hyping up two big third-party PlayStation 3 exclusives for this fall: Unreal Tournament III and Haze. Unreal Tournament III has slipped into 2008 according to Midway (or late December according to Epic), so that begs the question: What about Haze? At one point it was set for release in November, but now EB Games is reporting a launch in early December, with a December 4th release date. Sources close to Ubisoft tell me that the game is indeed coming this year (although I'm hearing December 11th), so it looks like Sony will at least get one third-party exclusive out the door. Still, I bet the house that Ken Kutaragi built is kicking itself that it didn't lock up Assassin's Creed as a PS3 exclusive, especially with early review scores like a 9.5 from Game Informer. (I've played the game but my thoughts can't be posted until Tuesday morning).
breaking
EA Confirms EA Chicago is Closing
EA Chicago has gone down for the count. I can exclusively report that EA is closing the studio effective immediately. Word is that EA is working hard to place many of the 150+ employees at its other studios around the world. What does this mean for the future of the Def Jam fighting franchise and the forthcoming Marvel fighting game? I'm still looking into that, but it sure seems like those games won't be coming anytime soon.
A source has also leaked me with the surprisingly honest memo sent to EA employees from Frank Gibeau, President of EA Games. In it he says:
"Within the EA Games Label, we are committed to running each franchise and facility as a city/state, teams with unique creative identities as well as responsibility for product quality, ship dates and profitability....Unfortunately, EA Chicago hasn't been able to meet that standard....Closing EA Chicago is the toughest decision I've made in my career - one that in no way reflects on the talent and dedication of the people who work there."
This was no doubt an extremely difficult decision for EA. I was at the Chicago studio this summer to tape an episode of Game Head on the new Marvel fighting game and it was a beautiful facility with very talented developers.
Read the full memo from EA after the jump...
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Geek Dream: Kristen Bell + Jade Raymond!
As if Jade Raymond doesn't already add enough sex appeal to Assassin's Creed, Heroes and Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell will have a featured role in the game. Ubisoft just sent us this exclusive image of what virtual Kristen looks like in the game.
Bell's involvement was first leaked last December when the blonde starlet started to mouth off about some of the game's top-secret sci-fi elements. (Let's just say you're in for a shock when you start playing Assassin's next week). But if you're looking for more details on Bell's character, you won't find any in the press release. Jade does say she's a big fan of Bell's "professionalism, "dynamic personality," "emotional range," and "talent." Do I sense a little crush? We'll have to see if Jade follows in Bell's footsteps and appears on the cover of Maxim like this thread suggests. Knowing Jade I'm guessing not.
clips
Soldier of Fortune Trailer
For your eyes only, the official trailer for the upcoming Soldier of Fortune: Payback shooter. Hell of a kicker. The Activision folks told me today that the game will be hitting the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and that it won't be a "Value" title in either spirit or price.
Tomorrow Activision launches the site, which has the above trailer, the below screens and some more details. Hit the jump for a quick description of the plot.
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guitar hero iii
If you're one of the few PlayStation 2 stragglers who haven't already picked up a pair of Guitar Hero controllers via a previous installment of the game, you might want to hit up your local Target store on the 28th. They'll have a special exclusive Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock bundle available for the PS2, including the game and two specially designed guitar controllers, along with the standard guitar strap and sticker combo package. The whole deal runs for $109.99, which considering one guitar controller adds $40 to the game's retail price ends up saving you $20 or so if you purchased the whole shebang separately. Seeing as I already have four guitar controllers in my living room, I'll pass on this one, but it's a hell of a good deal all things considered.
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Target's GHIII PS2 Bundle
If you're one of the few PlayStation 2 stragglers who haven't already picked up a pair of Guitar Hero controllers via a previous installment of the game, you might want to hit up your local Target store on the 28th. They'll have a special exclusive Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock bundle available for the PS2, including the game and two specially designed guitar controllers, along with the standard guitar strap and sticker combo package. The whole deal runs for $109.99, which considering one guitar controller adds $40 to the game's retail price ends up saving you $20 or so if you purchased the whole shebang separately. Seeing as I already have four guitar controllers in my living room, I'll pass on this one, but it's a hell of a good deal all things considered.
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In a world ravaged by global flooding, where the winged are hunted and killed by the wingless and murderous mechanical animals roam the land, who can an orphan with amputated wings look to for companionship as he journeys to find others like himself? Luc Bernard has revealed a new playable character for Eternity's Child, currently in development for the Wii. Angel will be joined on his quest by Rani, pictured above in the sketch sent to us by the artist himself. Rani is a boy who wants to be a girl, who joins up with the game's main protagonist Angel, helping each other reach their respective goals. Definitely a risky move on Bernard's part, but in a way it makes a certain thematic sense. A boy feeling out of place in the world and one feeling out of place in his body, both seeking a place to belong. Besides it's still relatively tame compared to his other project, The Rose Princess. Check out the gallery below for a larger view of the sketch, as well as a couple of new screens from the game showing off some of Angel's larger enemies.
New Eternity's Child Character Revealed
In a world ravaged by global flooding, where the winged are hunted and killed by the wingless and murderous mechanical animals roam the land, who can an orphan with amputated wings look to for companionship as he journeys to find others like himself? Luc Bernard has revealed a new playable character for Eternity's Child, currently in development for the Wii. Angel will be joined on his quest by Rani, pictured above in the sketch sent to us by the artist himself. Rani is a boy who wants to be a girl, who joins up with the game's main protagonist Angel, helping each other reach their respective goals. Definitely a risky move on Bernard's part, but in a way it makes a certain thematic sense. A boy feeling out of place in the world and one feeling out of place in his body, both seeking a place to belong. Besides it's still relatively tame compared to his other project, The Rose Princess. Check out the gallery below for a larger view of the sketch, as well as a couple of new screens from the game showing off some of Angel's larger enemies.
rumor smash
During my foray to the Square Enix Closed Mega Theater presentation, I saw the Final Fantasy XIII trailer and at the end the words "For PS3 Only" flashed on to the screen. At first I thought maybe the wording was due to translation but it also seemed like it could have been a definitive. PS3 ONLY! The same phrase was also present at the end of the Final Fantasy XIII Versus trailer. So there you are, according to the trailers Final Fantasy XIII is a confirmed PS3 ONLY title.
Square Closed Mega Theater Confirms FF XIII "PS3 Only"
During my foray to the Square Enix Closed Mega Theater presentation, I saw the Final Fantasy XIII trailer and at the end the words "For PS3 Only" flashed on to the screen. At first I thought maybe the wording was due to translation but it also seemed like it could have been a definitive. PS3 ONLY! The same phrase was also present at the end of the Final Fantasy XIII Versus trailer. So there you are, according to the trailers Final Fantasy XIII is a confirmed PS3 ONLY title.
exclusive
Make Love Not Warcraft Commentary
Gamers take note the South Park Tenth Season DVD pack hits stores on Aug. 21. The season features both the Make Love not Warcraft episode and the two-episode story featuring both the creators' take on atheism and their craving for the Wii.
The South Park gang was kind enough to shoot us this exclusive early look at some of the commentary included in the Make Love Not Warcraft episode. I also had a chance to watch through the gaming episodes and listen to the commentary. Pretty interesting stuff in there.
