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Here’s Daft Punk In DJ Hero
Last week’s news that electronic music duo Daft Punk would be contributing heavily to Activision’s DJ Hero is followed by this week’s screenshots of them doing just that. As if the old school hip-hop weren’t enough to lure me into a DJ Hero purchase, Activision had to go and recruit Daft Punk, with 11 exclusive…
By Mike Fahey Published September 14, 2009 -
Looks Like You Won’t Be Getting A Refund On That Copy Of Wolfenstein
Prior to the release of Wolfenstein, Raven Software designer Manveer Heir promised a full refund to anyone who bought the game if it outsold this year’s Madden. It did not. It didn’t come close, actually, according to NPD Group estimates. According to a report from GameSpot, the Activision game sold just 106,000 copies across the…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 11, 2009 -
The Problem With Reality
Video games are meant to be flights of fancy but, as with television, reality has become an increasingly popular concept to tap into. Nowhere is this more evident than in music-themed video games. Titles like Guitar Hero 5, The Beatles: Rock Band and soon-to-be released DJ Hero all use real musicians, living and dead, to…
By Brian Crecente Published September 11, 2009 -
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Launch Trailer Does Damage
Witness the heartbreaking breakup of Iron Man and Captain America in the launch trailer for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, accompanied by Kosheen’s amazingly appropriate “Damage.” Those of you who don’t follow comic books might scoff at the use of the Kosheen tune. How can a dramatic tale of two people dragging out a relationship long…
By Mike Fahey Published September 11, 2009 -
A Look At Daft Punk’s DJ Hero Appearance
DJ Hero won’t just be for hip-hop fans, electronic music, in the form of Daft Punk, will also be playable on the rhythm game, Rolling Stone reports. The game will feature 11 exclusive mixes by Daft Punk as well as in-game avatars and set designs. It will be the first time the duo have participated…
By Brian Crecente Published September 11, 2009 -
Nintendo Won’t Let You Call A Wii “Firearm” A “Gun”
From Hitler moustaches to “sweat” in Mortal Kombat, Nintendo have a long history of over-reacting to violence in video games. So it shouldn’t surprise you that, in 2009, you’re still not allowed to call a Wii peripheral a “gun”. Speaking with Game Informer, Activision’s Jeff Muench has said that when branding and promoting the amazing…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 11, 2009 -
Activision: Courtney Love Signed Cobain Contract for Guitar Hero 5 UPDATE
In the wake of Courtney Love’s bombastic vitriol over the appearance of her late husband in Guitar Hero 5, Activision tells Kotaku that she was the one who signed the agreement for the deal. “Guitar Hero secured the necessary licensing rights from the Cobain estate in a written agreement signed by Courtney Love to use…
By Brian Crecente Published September 10, 2009 -
Mad Catz Modern Warfare 2 Range In Pictures
If you thought Mad Catz line of Modern Warfare 2 accessories sounded impressive in print, wait until you see them in pictures. Here we get our first look at the Mad Catz Modern Warfare 2 lineup. First announced last month, it consists of custom controllers for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, that lovely Cyborg…
By Mike Fahey Published September 10, 2009 -
Singularity: Let’s Do The Time Wave Again
Nothing exhilarates quite like a refreshing dip in the 1950’s, courtesy of Singularity’s intriguing time wave. While the Time Manipulation Device in Raven Software‘s Singularity allows you to manipulate objects between ages, the time wave manipulates you, forcing you to switch between present-day and the 1950’s, when the titular catastrophe occurred. It’s an interesting mechanic,…
By Mike Fahey Published September 10, 2009 -
Courtney Love Will Have Her Revenge On Activision
Creeped out by Kurt Cobain’s appearance in Guitar Hero 5? Upset, even? You weren’t the only one. Courtney Love, Cobain’s widow, is furious, and is satisfying her fury by threatening Activision with legal action. Posting on her – what else – Twitter account, Love wrote: For the record this Guitar Hero shit is breach of…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 10, 2009 -
Tony Hawk Ride Impressions: Tony’s Way
Forgive me if I get some skateboarding terminology wrong in this post. I’ll do my best to relate what happened when I turned my board sideways and hit the Vert ramp in Tony Hawk: Ride last week. I’m the kind of person who has to double-check what “Vert ramp” means before I type it, to…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 8, 2009 -
Reviews
Guitar Hero 5 Review: Do The Evolution
Activision returns to a simple numbering scheme for the Guitar Hero series with the fifth entry in the core-focused, band non-specific entry, Guitar Hero 5. That’s reflective of its largely gimmick-free gameplay as well as the series’ evolution. Guitar Hero 5 doesn’t offer as much in the way of new, innovative features as, say, Guitar…
By Michael McWhertor Published September 7, 2009 -
CultureSplitscreen
Can Blur Bring Split Screen Back?
In the five years I have been covering video games professionally there’s one thing a video game company had never asked me to do until Activision did last week: Play their new game in four-player split screen. We might as well have been back in 1997 playing GoldenEye or something at Activision’s PAX-week event in…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 7, 2009 -
Rolling Stones Shamble Onto Guitar Hero
While The Beatles are lauded with their own game, one of Britain’s other 60’s super-groups – The Rolling Stones – are just going to have to make do with a downloadable track pack for Guitar Hero 5. There are five songs available starting from today, all live versions. Sadly, not one of them is “Street…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 3, 2009 -
Guitar Hero 5’s Song Importing Isn’t As Great As We Thought [Update]
Yeah…so it turns out Guitar Hero 5’s ability to import songs from previous games isn’t as good a deal as we first thought. Turns out that, of World Tour’s 85 songs, only 35 can so far be copied over. That’s less than half. Funny that there’s some mysterious ailment afflicting songs sold on a retail…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009 -
Activision Boss Bets Games Will “Eclipse” Movies, TV
Bobby Kotick, chief executive officer at Activision Blizzard and hero to gamers everywhere, is nothing if not confident. He’s so confident in the video game industry that he sees the potential for it to surpass movies and TV. That may be because his company is sitting on some of gaming’s biggest franchises—Call of Duty, World…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 31, 2009 -
Rapala: We Fish Makes Fishing “Wacky”
If you love fishing video games but felt that there just wasn’t enough wackiness involved, then Activision’s Rapala: We Fish might just catch your eye with its family-fun hook. Due out September 29th for the Nintendo Wii, Activision is touting Rapala: We Fish as the “first fishing title developed specifically for Wii”, injecting just the…
By Mike Fahey Published August 31, 2009 -
Disney Will Reexamine Marvel Video Game Deals As They Expire
While Disney has been increasing their in-house video game development, the company doesn’t feel a need to take over all Marvel game development in the future, company spokesmen told investors this morning. “On the video game front, (Marvel) have some smart licensing agreements with some of the best video game manufacturers in the business,” said…
By Brian Crecente Published August 31, 2009 -
Disney Buys Marvel For $4 Billion
The worldwide leader in family entertainment is about to get a great deal more entertaining, as the Walt Disney Company agrees to acquire iconic comic book company Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. More than 5,000 iconic comic book characters will soon be in the hands of Disney, raising serious questions about the future of Marvel…
By Mike Fahey Published August 31, 2009 -
The Making of Guitar Hero 5’s Playboy Commercial
This 7-minute video shows you the technical detail and painstaking direction it took to film Guitar Hero 5’s Playboy ad. But you probably don’t give a crap for that. It has 22 takes with teh wimmen on screen. Enjoy. If you’re here strictly for girls in lingerie cavorting with plastic instruments, that’s at the four…
By Owen Good Published August 30, 2009