Luke Plunkett

360 Avatars: Coming To A Game/Marketing Campaign Near You

As it stands, we’re getting new 360 avatars every, what, week or two? But soon, say Rare, we’ll be getting them with specific games, “just like achievements”. Chatting with VG247, art head Lee Musgrave at Rare – who provided the avatars for the 360 – says that “In time… games will be able to give…

Slayer’s GH: Metallica Track Looks, Sounds Rather Difficult

As we’ve explained, Slayer’s contribution to Guitar Hero: Metallica is War Ensemble off Seasons of the Abyss. Slayer fans can probably imagine the song is difficult. Non-Slayer fans will need some video proof. This vid – courtesy of the Finns at Pelit – shows Neversoft staff rocking out with not only the hot double kick…

Wardevil Is Now A Short Film As Well?

Wardevil’s been on our radar since, what, 2005? For most of that time, we were under the impression that Wardevil was just a game. Now, though, it’s more than a game. Some job listings for CGI animators and concept artists on professional recruitment site CGJobs, posted by Wardevil developers Digi-Guys, show the company are looking…

British Sales Charts

Looking for a break from the Nintendopoly? Look elsewhere, as last week, the first four spots on the charts were occupied by games published by Nintendo. And the fifth? Ubisoft’s My Fitness Coach. So, yes, slim pickings, that get even slimmer when you see Brain Training and Sonic & Mario are still in the top…

Westwood Founder Forms New Studio For “Hip Cats”

Brett Sperry was one of the co-founders of Westwood, developers of Dune II and Command & Conquer. Westwood, later bought by EA then disbanded, are no more. But Sperry is, and has founded a new studio. Called Jet Set Games, their offices are sitting pretty on Vegas’ Strip, where they’ll be working on games for…

No GTA IV Figures? Make Your Own!

It’s strange. For a series that’s sold over a gagillion zillion copies, there have never been any (proper) Grand Theft Auto figures. So if you want some, you’re going to have to make them. That’s what Kalapusa did. Using sculpey clay, some time, some paint and all of his skills, the guy sculpted this fantastic…

PC Sales Charts

Holidays are over, so on the NPD charts, we’re back to the Maxis/Blizzard duopoly. Meanwhile, on Steam, Rockstar’s 30% off sale (and a new patch) over the weekend gave GTAIV sales a healthy boost. NPD Sales Charts January 18-24 1. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe 2. WoW: Wrath of the Lich King 3. Spore 4.…

SingStar Queen Tracklist Will Tie Your Fat-Bottomed Mother Down

Although ten tracks are already available on the PS3 SingStore, the world cares little. Why? Because the world waits patiently for SingStar Queen. Which, turns out, will be out in March, and contains the following. There’ll be 25 tracks on the PS3 edition, while on PS2, there’ll only be 20. Blame Blu-Ray. Anyway, SCE Australia…

There Will Be No DLC For Prince Of Persia On PC

I played Prince of Persia, I loved Prince of Persia, warts-n-all. But now, there’s a problem. I’ve got it on PC. Which is the only platform that won’t be getting any DLC. While Prince Of Persia Epilogue will be available for 360 and PS3 on February 26, Ubisoft have confirmed that the three hours of…

The Resident Evil 5 Demo Has Proved Somewhat Popular With 1.8 Million People

Those wondering how much anticipation there is for Capcom’s Resident Evil 5 need look no further than the following statistic: the Resident Evil 5 demo on Xbox Live has been downloaded 1.8 million times. Microsoft reckon that places it “among the top demo launches on the service”, though don’t elaborate on which/how many demos it…

Snow Day Spoils New Battlefield, Army Of Two Sequel Announcements

Seems Electronic Arts were due to hold a big press event in the UK today. Show off some new (including unannounced) games. Only problem is, there’s record snowfall in the UK at the moment. Yup, a snow day! Which means the event was called off. That didn’t stop word leaking out about which games were…

The History Of The Halo MMO, And Ensemble’s Other Cancelled Projects

While Ensemble Studios – recently shuttered by owners Microsoft – were busy stowing their gear and shutting down operations, Gamasutra thought it’d be an idea to go ask a few more questions about the Halo MMO. What they found was that the game has a long, long history. Indeed, it began before Halo, as a…

These Five Games Were The Biggest-Selling In The World For 2008

No more breaking it down into individual markets. Combined sales data released this morning from GfK, ChartTrack, Enterbrain and the NPD Group shows us the five biggest-selling games in the world for 2008. And there are few surprises, as the Wii speaks a universal language. Three of the top five titles for the year were…

Street Fighter IV Arcade In The US? Who Knows. Australia, Singapore? Maybe!

Street Fighter IV won’t be officially released in US arcades. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be released anywhere outside Japan. Take Australia, for example. Or Korea, or Singapore. It might come out there! Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono has revealed that while the game won’t be may not be shipped to the US thanks to a…

Coke’s Super Bowl Ad Brings Out The Avatar In, Well, Everyone

Here’s a Coke ad from yesterday’s Super Bowl. And it’s about…no, not football, but online avatars. Everyone’s got ’em! Even inattentive mothers and attractive young models sipping Coke at a bar. [via Wonderland]

What Do Nintendo Consoles Look Like After A House Fire?

Time to find out. Go Nintendo reader PsyduckWarrior owned a Game Boy Advance and a Wii. Or, he did, until a house fire took away the bulk of his and his family’s material possessions. Along with losing the house, their stuff and even their pets, he also lost a treasure trove of Nintendo swag, like…

New Studio To Release Six MS Flight Sim Expansions

Sure, Microsoft have killed off the primary developers of the Flight Simulator series, but that doesn’t mean the end of the series. For one, Microsoft are committed to future releases. Then there’s these guys. The newly-created Mamba Games will release six add-ons for MS Flight Sim over a 24-month period, beginning in March with Grumman…

Old Republic Trailer

This clip will start looking like a developer diary. Don’t fall asleep! While there’s chit-chat throughout, there’s also a ton of in-game footage from BioWare’s Star Wars MMO.

This Guy Has Driven A Real, Working Warthog

New Zealand’s WETA made a real Warthog for Neil Blomkamp’s Halo movie pitch. The movie never went anywhere. But the Warthog? It’s still around, still being driven by grown men dressed as Halo marines. OXM’s Alistair Wallis, for example, just got to drive the real Warthog. Oh, but first, he had to get into real…

Penny Arcade Survey Offers A Terrifying Glimpse Into Gamer Demographics

For those who did not take part, last week Penny Arcade ran a survey on their site. Asking for details on the site’s readers. Since 38,000 people responded, we find the answers very interesting. I mean, 38,000 people? That’s a hell of a lot of people/internet gaming nerds. It’s a veritbale gaming census. So let’s…