Friday, November 5, 2010

Gaming Today

Gaming Today

Medal of Honor Clean Sweep and Hot Zone DLC Now Available (TRAILER)

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 06:59 PM PDT

Medal of Honor‘s biggest direct competitor this season is Call of Duty: Black Ops, which hits shelves on Tuesday. EA’s attempt to fight off the inevitable onslaught begins today with the release of two DLC packs: Clean Sweep, which is free, and Hot Zone, which is $10/800 MS points. Hot Zone is a new King of the Hill mode, and Clean Sweep is Elimination. Each of the packs comes with two new maps. Aaaaaaaaaaaand here’s a trailer for Hot Zone. There is no trailer for Clean Sweep because they don’t need to encourage you to get the free one.

download it

Cliffy B Says Heavy Rain Should Have Been Marketed To Ladies

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 06:15 PM PDT

Funny story: Heavy Rain was kind of a really terrible game, but it started with a good and novel idea, and so people still talk about it. And in Ken Levine’s interview podcast, he said maybe Heavy Rain should have been marketed to the ladies. Unfortunately, he kinda frames his point douchily (yes, I just created a word). Here is the full quote.

I hate to sound misogynistic, but for me it feels like such a great game for a girl who wouldn’t normally play games, because women love true crime. I don’t know what it is, and I’ve said this on my Twitter before; they love two things in life: queso dip and true crime. It’s like, just give me the Lifetime show Snapped and some queso dip, and she’s good, man. And you market that to that audience — you say Heavy Rain advertised in like Playstation magazines and things like that, and, dude, why isn’t this in Entertainment Weekly … and why aren’t you marketing this to the right crowd? There are scenes where I was literally almost dropping the controller because it was paced so well. The first scene — Madison in her apartment, and the guys were all chasing after her — that was just brilliant. If you just just ship that, and had that disc shipped with all these women’s magazines, you would maybe sell twice as much.

And if teh womenz knew the game was a s**t melodrama, they’d want it even more, amirite, Cliffy? Ladies love that s**t! <–obvious joke

You might wanna consider your words more carefully next time, bro, or, if you’re determined to make that joke, don’t preface it with “I hate to sound misogynistic,” which is actually you admitting that you sound misogynistic. Or maybe you should sound like you’re actually making a joke.

Anyway, Eurogamer posted the quote (badly, I might add — they kinda f**ked it up, but not so much that they altered the spirit of what he said), and CliffyB got mad on Twitter. Here are his tweets:

Oh Eurogamer, you so silly.

When bad pullquote summaries attack. If you see the Heavy Rain quote please read the full quote. Fred, next time I see you it’s on! :)

This type of journalism is going to force devs to never be able to comment on peers products and force devs into talking PR fact sheets.

Anybody who actually listens to me knows I love Heavy Rain and I think David Cage is the fucking MAN.

OK………

Here Are your Kinect Reviews — Kevin Butler Might Have Been Right

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 04:40 PM PDT

Microsoft has been pushing Kinect as the future of gaming by saying it makes you the controller. So the question is this: is using Kinect better than using a controller? I’d tell you, but we didn’t get a Kinect sensor pre-launch, so even though I have used Kinect before, I won’t presume to render my impressions of those experiences as a final verdict. Instead, I’m going to pull some quotes that directly address that question from reviews posted by reputable sources. Oh, and before we do that, I’m going to post this old Kevin Butler Playstation Move ad which jokes that the Movie is better than Kinect because it has buttons.

On to the reviews:

Kotaku:

Some Kinect games feel like they’d be better with a controller. Others, like Dance Central, wouldn’t be as fun. A comparison to a controller is apt, though, because gesturing to control a game feels as relatively convoluted and slightly slow as using a control stick. Kinect voice control, on the other hand, feels like it can be as precise as pressing a button. Buttons and control sticks together are a great combo; voice and gesture feel like just as terrific a pairing.

Joystiq:

I found that the Kinect Hub, which is brought up by either waving your hand while on the “classic” Xbox 360 Dashboard or saying “Xbox Kinect” is functional, but, if anything, requires far more effort to perform the most simple tasks than simply using a controller and the regular Dashboard. Here’s the problem: In order to select something, you have to hover your hand over it for a three-count. Then, there’s a delay as an extremely simplified version of, say, your friends list comes up. Navigating further into the menus is just as slow, as is navigating back out.

Ars Technica:

The voice commands, matched with your hand movements, work well most of the time, but when they don’t it’s a pain in the butt. Sometimes, I’d be waving to get the system’s attention, and it would take a few tries to turn on the cursor. Other times I would get to a menu where no voice commands seemed to want to work. This is all neat in a tech-demo sort of way, but it’s not as good as using a controller and buttons. It’s slower, less accurate, and you have to remember to speak in a loud, clear voice and move in a consistent way.
…
Microsoft is going to release a Move-style controller for the Kinect within a year or so.

CNN:

Games that feature full-body movement make best use of what Kinect can offer. Syncing up your movements with the movements on the screen is a lot easier and more natural with Kinect than with a normal controller.
…
But games that would be better enhanced with a physical device in hand feel flat. On Kinect, they’re just not up to the demands that players make from those types of games. You will probably not enjoy racing games and first-person shooter games as much with Kinect that you do with regular controllers.

Destructoid:

I was definitely more impressed by the Kinect hardware (and the software) than I imagined I would be. But I'm not ready to champion Kinect as the death knell for controller-based gaming, and I'm not sure I ever will be. When it comes to the games themselves, I'm a bit concerned that the lack of a physical controller will really limit the type of gaming experiences we'll see. (Will we get any games that aren't on rails?)

This Guy Is Really, Really Excited About The New Pokemon (NSFW)

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 04:39 PM PDT


Black Man Loves Pokemon – Watch more Game Trailers

Ignore the n-bombs and pay attemtion to the sublime glee this guy feels for the newest installment of Nintendo’s epic cash cow. Can you think of a single thing in your life that gives you this much satisfaction? We sure can’t.

Jealousy. We haz it.


Watch God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta’s Sex Mini Game (NSFW)

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 04:13 PM PDT

As if you needed a reason to run out and pick up a copy of Ghost of Sparta, feast your eyes on this hilarious proof that the silicon implant was first designed using an analogue computer1. It’s the full sex mini game in all its Ancient Greek majesty.

Still no word on whether we’ll ever see depictions of Kratos’ adventures as a boy in the Agoge, but considering what Spartan primary school consisted of, it’s probably for the best.

1) Either that or the Agean has Martian Arean gravity. Hiooo.

Shogun 2: Total War Story Trailer

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 02:50 PM PDT

Shogun: Total War was one of those games that, I’m ashamed to say, I forgot about. I played it, loved it and put it in the vault, and then I got buried under a bunch of other, far inferior games, even though the game launched the Total War franchise. Personally, though, I was never as interested in the other Total War games as I was in Shogun, because I was already familiar with the other game topics. Far East history, on the other hand, is not taught in schools in Alabama, and so Shogun was intriguing to me in a way that a game about Napoleon never could be.

Anyway, Shogun 2 picks up in 16th century Japan, and the player takes on the role of clan leader Daimyo as he attempts to unite all of Japan under his banner. Also, we got a really close look at it at PAX and it’s really great. Here’s the cool story trailer.

download it

Shogun 2 hits next year on the PC.

Grab a PSPgo For $150 This Weekend

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 01:34 PM PDT

Black Friday is three weeks from tomorrow, but Best Buy is getting in early this year. They’ve got a sale going Friday and Saturday this week (11/5 – 11/6), and there are a few interesting things for gamers there.

Largest among these is a Sony PSPgo for $150. That’s just about the cheapest I’ve seen Sony’s digital-only handheld. You’ll have to get up early, as you do with all Best Buy sales. Otherwise they’ll be sold out before you even get there.

There are also a number of Wii games, as well as some non-gaming electronics. You can check the whole thing out over at Best Buy’s website.


Stutter Remover For Fallout: New Vegas

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 01:31 PM PDT

Fallout: New Vegas is fairly excellent, but like Fallout 3 (and, frankly, most Bethesda titles) before it, there’s a notorious framerate stutter that has been the bane of many a gamer’s existence. If you’re playing a top of the line machine, or willing to get a new graphics card, it’s not a problem but if you’re not made of money yet still want to enjoy one of 2010′s best games, you’re stuck. You’ll be forced to endure annoying stops and starts andtartsstoand starts and stopsand. Well, you get the idea.

Fortunately, you’re in luck. A mod based on the stutter remover for Fallout 3 and Oblivion has been released for New Vegas. Currently it’ll only work with versions 1.0.0.240 and 1.1.1.271. If you have version 1.1.0.268, you’ll need to upgrade or downgrade to one of the supported versions. Full instructions are found at the above link, and you can get your copy of the Stutter Remover here.

Dead Space 2 Lullaby Trailer Will Haunt Your Dreams

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 01:07 PM PDT

Dead Space was a spooky game, and its sequel is shaping up to be exactly the same. In the latest trailer, we’re treated to an ethereal voice singing a slightly reworked version of “Ring Around the Rosy.”

Oh, and it’s accompanied by some nice new gameplay footage from Dead Space 2. It even shows me exactly what I’ve always thoughts subways really should look like.

Head on ever and check this one out, or download it from our fast, free servers.

Gran Turismo 5 to Launch on November 30?

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 11:04 AM PDT

It seems like only yesterday that we were telling you that Gran Turismo 5 had actually gone gold. (Oh wait, it was only yesterday!) Now, it looks like you could get your grubby little paws on Polyphony Digital’s long-awaited racing title this month.

Sony Style, the official store of Sony’s many products, is listing GT5 as being available for pre-order, and that the game will be available “on or about 11/30/2010.” This is the only indication we’ve got of when the game might be released, but even this isn’t official yet.

We’ve contacted Sony for further comment, and we’ll let you know what we find out. Until then, cross your fingers.

Microsoft Testing Episodic Poker Game for XBox Live

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 10:16 AM PDT

There’s been a lot of questions about what Microsoft would come up with to replace 1 vs. 100. MS has been really quiet about it, but now Kotaku may have some insight into the situation.

According to an email a reader forwarded to Kotaku, Microsoft Game Studios is beta testing Full House Poker, which will bring live poker to XBox Live. Regularly scheduled poker game shows (featuring a new game called “Texas Heat”) will pit thousands of players against each other as they try to reach the top table. They’ll also earn experience and chips for their bankroll as prizes.

You’ll also be playing as your XBox Live avatar, and you’ll be able to acquire unique accessories and tells.

No official confirmation has come from Microsoft, but odds are that they have to have something in the works to placate the folks who are now paying more for XBox Live than ever before. This would definitely be something they could hang their hats on.

Civilization 5 Heading to Mac November 23

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 08:05 AM PDT

Aspyr Media, kings of the PC to Mac port, have announced their next big title. Civilization 5 will hit Macs via Aspyr’s GameAgent retail portal on November 23.

You’ll be able to to grab either a digital or a boxed copy, and it may appear on Steam as well. According to this Twitter post, Aspyr has only confirmed SteamWorks support. Still, that means you’re getting cross-platform multiplayer and SteamCloud saves.

Ready to check this one out? Make sure you Mac is up to the task – here are the system requirements you need to know:

  • Operating System: 10.6.4 (Snow Leopard)
  • CPU Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (Dual-Core)
  • CPU Speed: 2.4 GHz
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Hard Disk Space: 8 GB
  • Video Card (ATI): Radeon HD2600
  • Video Card (NVidia): Geforce 8600
  • Video Memory (VRam): 256 MB
  • Media Required: DVD-ROM
  • Peripherals: Macintosh mouse and keyboard

If you haven’t checked out Civ 5 yet, you should really read our review to see what you’re missing.

Bungie Removes Halo: Reach Rank Cap

Posted: 04 Nov 2010 07:26 AM PDT

Back in October, Bungie said that they would be lifting the rank level cap once Halo: Reach played completed 117 million Daily and Weekly Challenges.

Well, the Reach players made that goal right on schedule, so Bungie is rewarding the community. Says Bungie in on its website,

Forty-nine days and more than a few million Challenges later, you've totally decapitated the Rank cap in Halo: Reach. That means there are now more kick ass Rank and Armor options available in the Armory than ever before. To help get you suited up into some hot new gear, we're introducing huge Credit Jackpots for players who routinely finish their games. Because we love you and we want you to have nice things.

Oh, and we’ve some “reports” online of a second Rank cap. Those reports are false. You now have access to everything the Armory has to offer, provided you have the Credits.

There you go, Reach players. You’ve got all the goodies now; you just have to get out and earn them all.
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