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More Americans Play Video Games Than Go To The Movies
According to the NPD Group, the fine market research folks who bring us batches of numbers every month, more Americans played video games in the past six months than went to a movie theater. To that, I say “Haha! Suck it, movie theater-going public, even though I may be among you.” Entertainment medium fanboys will…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 20, 2009 -
Team Fortress 2 Sniper Actually Getting Urine Grenades? Yes, He Is
Bad news, Team Fortress 2 Spy: your Summer is about to get wet and wild, as Valve has revealed the Sniper’s final unlockable. And this time it’s no joke. “Jarate” is a reality. First teased on April Fool’s Day, the Jarate, unlockable jar of human waste said to capture the liquid essence of the deadly…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 20, 2009 -
Blur Screens Come Into Focus
Bizarre Creations‘ Blur is “completely focused on making racing ‘fun’ again,” according to its creators. You know the details, but do you know what Blur looks like? Well, it looks like this. For those of us without pockets deep enough to afford a subscription to Edge magazine, Activision has released first screens of the weaponized…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 20, 2009 -
ESRB Reveals Details On New Star Wars Battlefront Games
It appears that LucasArts has more droid-slaying, lightsaber-swinging action planned in the Star Wars Battlefront fashion, as the ESRB has rated Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron for the PSP and Nintendo DS. The two titles both appear to be third-person perspective action games highlighting battles from the Star Wars universe, shrunk down to fit on…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 20, 2009 -
Unreal Tournament 3 Goes High Rez With DM-Spectrum
Budding level designer Matt Bradley is off to a good start with “DM-Spectrum,” a deathmatch map for Unreal Tournament 3 that’s unlike anything we’ve seen for the gib-laden shoot ’em up. DM-Spectrum, writes Bradley, is designed on a concept that forces UT3 players to use the game’s spectrum of lighting to navigate and kill opponents.…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 20, 2009 -
Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil PSone Classics Incoming
Looks like Sony is serious about adding new “PSone Classics” to the PlayStation Store, as a few original PlayStation heavy hitters appear to be en route. The ESRB has rated five new PSone Classics candidates. That includes PlayStation system sellers Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil: Director’s Cut, both newly rated for release on the…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 20, 2009 -
Braid Comes To The Mac
The list of excuses for not having played Number None’s Braid gets shorter today with the release of the Mac OS X version of the time-shifting puzzle platformer. The newest version of Braid is priced the same as its Xbox Live Arcade and PC counterparts ($14.95 USD) and is just as native to the Mac…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 20, 2009 -
Atlus Brings PlayStation 3’s Demon’s Souls Stateside
From Software’s Demon’s Souls is heading West, with Japanese role-playing game specialists Atlus picking up the slack for North American PlayStation 3 publishing duties. The action RPG, already released in Japan, will arrive this Fall. The “ultimate hardcore RPG challenge” will pit up to three players against a horde of demons online, with cooperative, player…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 20, 2009 -
Sega Finally Brings Jambo! Safari Home
Jambo! Safari may not be Sega’s most recognizable arcade title, but it ranks as a personal favorite. So I’m probably more excited than 99% of you to learn that Sega is finally bringing it home. Sega has announced that Jambo! Safari, a port of the 1999 arcade title, will be coming to the Wii later…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 20, 2009 -
Is Q Entertainment Still Making “QJ” For Atari?
Last year, Atari announced it had buddied up with Rez HD and Lumines creators Q Entertainment for a pair of projects: the Live Arcade cash-in comp Qubed and the enigmatic “QJ.” Where are they now? Well, Qubed is still listed as a to be released title at retailers like GameFly. But QJ hasn’t made a…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 19, 2009 -
Rumor: First Footage Of Team ICO’s “Project TRICO”
First details on the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus developers PlayStation 3 project may have just leaked online, just a few weeks before the game was expected to make an appearance at E3. The alleged trailer for “Project TRICO,” by way of PlayStation Lifestyle, begins with a scene that might be familiar to followers…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 19, 2009 -
How’s Killzone 2 Selling These Days?
April wasn’t the best month for the U.S. video game industry, reflecting a drop in spending on things that weren’t a Nintendo DSi or price reduced PlayStation 2. But how’s Killzone 2 selling these days? According to Gamasutra’s monthly deeper dive into NPD Group sales figures, the answer is 58,000 copies last month. Good? Bad?…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 19, 2009 -
Punch-Out!! Gets One-Of-A-Kind Slam Man Control
The Wii version of Punch-Out!! does a decent enough implementation of shadow boxing controls, thanks to the Wii Remote and Nunchuk option. But what about when you really, really want to punch something? Enter the Punch-Out!! compatible Slam Man, the boxing dummy designed for a workout that’s been modified in the DIY way to work…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 19, 2009 -
How Badly Do You Want The King of Fighters XII Japanese Box Art?
The King of Fighters XII fans, your demands for the Japanese version of the game’s box art have not fallen on deaf ears at U.S. publisher Ignition Entertainment. You could still get it. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions are due to ship stateside in less than two months, but Ignition hasn’t firmly decided…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 19, 2009 -
Zeno Clash 2 To Be Even Zeno Clashier Than The Original
ACE Team‘s original beautiful and bizarre first-person brawler Zeno Clash has been out for just shy of a month, but the Chilean developer is already hard at work on a sequel. According to the official ACE Team blog, consider Zeno Clash 2 officially official, with the second entry currently in the planning stages. ACE Team…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 19, 2009 -
Meet The Spy’s New Hand Cannon
Say hello to the Ambassador, the newest addition to the Team Fortress 2 Spy class’ arsenal. What’s unique about this new, unlockable pistol? It’s big. The Spy’s third and final addition to his back of tricks “has the ammo count of a revolver and the pinpoint accuracy of a sniper rifle, even at long range”…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 19, 2009 -
Reviews
Punch-Out!! Review: Call It A Comeback
Nintendo revitalizes Punch-Out!! after a 15-year-long break with the Wii re-imagining of the NES original. Little Mac and Doc Louis return, as does the original Punch-Out!! cast, for a decidedly old-school, but carefully updated homage. Punch-Out!! for the Wii pits Bronx-born pugilistic protagonist Little Mac and his trainer Doc Louis against a bizarre cast of…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 19, 2009 -
Who’s Hand Modeling For Boom Blox Bash Party?
Oscar winning filmmaker and budding game designer Steven Spielberg is! The idea man behind Boom Blox and the newly released sequel Boom Blox Bash Party shows what a lifetime of directing does to one’s extremities. Normally a job reserved for Japanese idols, voice actors and bikini models, EA has tapped Mr. Spielberg to hold aloft…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 19, 2009 -
Gears Of War Movie Maker Getting Into Game-Making Game
Legendary Pictures, the studio responsible for The Dark Knight, 300 and Watchmen, is getting into the video game production business, with a new internal digital development arm headed by former Electronic Arts exec Kathy Vrabeck. The production company has plans to development games and other interactive entertainment based on the films it backs, according to…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 19, 2009
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