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The Best PC Games Of 2009
While the overall Game of the Year debates are the main draw this week, we’re also handing out some other awards. Like these, for the best PC games of 2009. Since no PC game was in with a shot at the big prize, I felt like honouring the best of them in here. And when…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 22, 2010 -
Report: Airport Security Tears A Man’s Xbox 360 Apart
Consumerist reader Adam thought it was safe to take his Xbox 360 on a plane with him. He’d received assurances from US Airways that it was. Uh, no. It wasn’t. Upon landing, Adam says he opened his luggage and found his Xbox 360 had been cracked open. He also found inside his luggage something he…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010 -
God Of War III Snarls Itself Up A Console Bundle
This is a God of War III hardware bundle for the European market, first hinted at yesterday, now with its cover completely blown. Just like the Heavy Rain bundle, this one costs €350 (USD$500), and includes a 250GB console, controller and a copy of the game in question. Amazon France also reckon the bundle will…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010 -
Heavy Rain DLC Puts You In The Shoes Of A Killer
Speaking with French site gameblog, Heavy Rain creator David Cage has revealed just what you’ll be getting up to as part of the game’s downloadable “Chronicles” episodes. Running for around an hour in total, one of them will see you playing the part of the Origami Killer, a key character from the main game. Another…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010 -
Own A Little Piece Of Batman: Arkham Asylum
DC Direct has unveiled a statue based on Batman: Arkham Asylum, featuring the game’s fox-eared take on Gotham’s Dark Knight. It’ll go on sale in September (only a year after the game came out!), stands 7.25″ and will form part of DC’s exquisite “Black & White” range of statues, which also features pieces based on…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010 -
New Digital Store To Sell “Pre-Owned” Games
Green Man Gaming, a company based in the United Kingdom, is about to launch a digital download shopfront for the PC with a difference, claiming its store will be able to offer “pre-owned” digital sales. “Previously the minute you had paid and downloaded your game it had no resale value”, says Gian Luzio, Green Man’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010 -
Reports: EA Working On Apple Tablet, Kindle
According to a report on the Wall Street Journal, when the Apple Tablet is revealed later this month – as seems almost certain – it’ll have Electronic Arts along for the ride. “Apple is also working with videogame publisher Electronic Arts Inc. to show off the tablet’s game capabilities”, the Journal says, suggesting the games…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010 -
Microsoft Points Were Never Meant To “Mislead People”
Like Nintendo’s currency of the same name, Microsoft’s “Points” have been confusing people since they were first released, humans being accustomed to think of money spent in terms of, well, money spent. Not some abstract points scheme. If it makes you feel any better, Microsoft never meant for MS Points to confuse you. To mislead…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010 -
Goodbye, Burnout Paradise DLC, You Will Be Sorely Missed
Criterion Games today announced that there will be no more downloadable content made available for Burnout Paradise. Now is not the time for tears. It is a time for thanks. Burnout Paradise was released two years ago, and has been constantly updated with content – both free and paid – ever since. New areas, new…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010 -
Gran Turismo 5 vs Real Life
Gran Turismo has long prided itself as a series built on realism, but how do you go about modeling that realism? Let’s compare a lap done in a real car to a lap done in a fake car, see how they stack up. This is a feature from Polyphony Digital on the game’s “Data Logger…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010 -
Final Fantasy I & II Coming To An iPhone Near You
Square Enix announced today – rather quietly, may I add – that Final Fantasy I & II will soon be released for the iPhone and iPod Touch. As you can see, being what look like ports of the recent PSP re-releases, they’re looking nice and shiny (perhaps too shiny; what’s wrong with sprites?), but sadly…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 21, 2010 -
Some WiiWare Developers Not Exactly Thrilled With Nintendo
Of all the major platforms and services out there, Nintendo’s WiiWare is probably the most under-promoted and under-utilised (PSP mini’s aside). Something developers are not happy about. “We feel that Nintendo is not doing enough to promote the service at all,” JV Games’ Jag Jaege (Pong Toss) tells GI.biz. “We feel that the vast majority…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2010 -
Yup, Crackdown 2 Will Have A Demo
The first Crackdown had one of the best demos of all time. So it stands to reason that its sequel will also let players get their hands on it prior to the full game’s release. “You can definitely expect a demo to hit Live before the game is out but I can’t say when that…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2010 -
Heavy Rain Stars In European Console Bundle
Looks like Europe isn’t just getting a collector’s edition of PS3 adventure Heavy Rain; the Old World will also be seeing some hardware bundles, in which the game is packed in with a 250GB PlayStation 3 console. A listing, complete with box art, has appeared on Amazon’s French portal. That pic up there is it.…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2010 -
Number Of New Intellectual Properties On The Rise
According to a study performed by Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR), more and more publishers are betting their cash on new intellectual property. Since 2006, the percentage of games hitting the market based on new, original IP (so not a sequel or a licensed game) has grown from 16% to 22%. Which is…nice, but…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2010 -
The Best-Selling Games In Australia For 2009 Were…
While we’re still up to our armpits in 2009 flashbacks, we may as well take a look down under, and see what the twenty best-selling games in Australia were last year. These figures were released today by chart trackers GfK, who sadly do not provide individual unit sales. Warning: prepare for Nintendomania. 1. Wii Fit…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2010 -
Yakuza 3 Gets A New Box For Its Trip Stateside
As you’re no doubt aware, American publishers sometimes like to mess around with a foreign game’s box art before releasing it in the US. Yakuza 3 is the latest target of this practice. Gone is the stark white background of the Japanese cover, perhaps because – since it’s a trademark of a series people in…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2010 -
Retailer Leaks Final Fantasy XIII Collector’s Edition Contents?
It would appear that GameStop’s Italian portal has jumped the gun and revealed the contents of Final Fantasy XIII’s hitherto-mysterious collector’s edition. Available now for pre-order at the price of € 80 ($110), the retailer says the pack includes a soundtrack, art book, prequel story, comic book and collection of art cards. While the game…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2010 -
Sony Delays Launch Of PS3 Motion Controller
Sony has just announced that its motion control peripheral for the PlayStation 3 will not, as originally planned, be shipping in Spring 2010. “We have decided to release the Motion Controller in fall 2010 when we will be able to offer an exciting and varied line-up of software titles that will deliver the new entertainment…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2010 -
Even Activision’s CEO Knows Spider-Man Games Suck
We give Activision boss Bobby Kotick a ton of stick around here, mostly because he often says some pretty silly things. His latest comments on the Spider-Man series, however, ring as true as truth can ring. “Our Spider-Man games have sucked for the last five years”, he told Game Informer. “They are bad games. They…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2010