Breathe a sigh of relief. It's not nearly as bad as it first sounded. In fact, the "Target edition" of Shaun White Snowboarding might actually warrant a trip to Target for game shopping. And, didn't you hear? Target expects plenty of Wiis in stock this season. Why not do all your holiday spending there?
The marketing ploy is quite clear, and a good one. Building off its apparel partnership with Shaun White, Target has positioned itself to offer, exclusively through its retail and online outlets (oh, hai Wal-Mart!), a premium edition of Ubisoft's snowboarding game, and in turn, a hook to lure consumers into crossing off all the game requests on the holiday gift lists they're responsible for. (A recent survey found that 90% of tweens and teens are expected to ask for a video game this year.)
That's right, we said premium edition. While the Target-branded version will cost an additional $5, it'll include roughly 20 percent more game content (which, we were told, will never be offered as DLC). More specifically, the standard edition, available through all other retailers, will feature four mountains (each divided into peak, park and backcountry sections); the Target edition will include a fifth mountain, the "Target Mountain," which isn't as large as the original mountains, but does boast some interesting extras, like a full loop to attempt in the Xbox 360 version (identical to the PlayStation 3 and PC versions) and a trip inside the Target Chalet, based on the elitist party pad in Aspen. We know what you're thinking: But, what about the ads?
If you read our E3 hands-on of Tom Clancy's EndWar, you'd know that we were rather surprised by how well the real-time strategy game's voice commands worked. Rather than function as a vector for our usual hate speech and bigotry, the Xbox 360 headset could now allow us to command our armies from afar and pick fights by proxy. It's just how we envisioned the future of warfare, minus the odd laser or two.
You don't have to take our word for it, though, as Ubisoft has announced that a public demo is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The sampler includes a single-player tutorial, as well as a one-on-one multiplayer map with matchmaking support. Let us know if it manages to command your attention.
EndWar is out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 4th.
As iPhone users have known for a while now, there's nothing more satisfying than staring into your handset's screen and ... seeing that your friends are at home, playing video games? For those who roll with a Crackberry Blackberry and simply must keep tabs on their friends' Gamerscores at all times, Juan Xavier Larrea has developed the free Xberry Live.
Available via this link, the app functions much like Microsoft's own web-based friends list, displaying Gamertags, status, and Gamerscores along with a Gamercard sub-screen with icons representing your friends' most recently played games. Friends must be added manually for the time being ... which is fine, unless you have a maxed-out list.
Xberry Live has been tested and works on Blackberry 81xx, 83xx, 87xx, 88xx, and 9000 handsets, and requires OS 4.2.1. or higher. No word on whether it (or similar apps) will experience any problems when the New Xbox Experience launches November 19.
It's a testament to the excellent platforming of N+ that we haven't gotten sick of playing it yet. And by that, we mean we haven't grown tired of plummeting to our dooms and watching our lithe ninja bodies succumb to gravity in the worst of bone-crunching, limb-mangling ways.
Though developer Metanet suggests it has "tried to tone down the difficulty" in the free level pack hitting Xbox Live Arcade today, we're certain millions of gruesome fates await us in the 150 new single-player levels, 50 new race levels and 50 new co-op levels. That's a lot of new for nothing, no?
Comparing Sonic Unleashed to 2006's Sonic The Hedgehog nightmare is an utterly useless endeavor. Yes, Sonic Unleashed (or Sonic World Adventure, as it's known in Japan) is observably the superior game, but this confirmation is worthless when the previous adventure not only failed to raise the bar, but rather buried it somewhere deep within an abandoned mineshaft. The question then isn't whether Sonic Unleashed is better, but whether it's any good.
We had a feeling Microsoft had another surprise up its sleeve today. And sure enough, Crazy Mouse has come scurrying out of some tiny crack in the XBLA pipeline and into your livingroom for 400 ($5). Judging from the screen above, it's clear that this game is, uh, well, we actually haven't a clue. But dag, Player 1 is sure getting whooped by the computer! (Clearly, not even the folks in charge of assets had any idea how to play.)
According to its Xbox.com profile, Crazy Mouse is "the first original Xbox Live Arcade title from mainland China." Yay?
Recently, Bungie Studios community director Brian Jarrard - better known to Halo fans as "Sketch" - took some time to clear up a few lingering questions about Halo 3: Recon and Halo 3's upcoming Mythic Map Pack as well as some general Bungie topics.
From our informal chat, we learn that Halo 3: Recon will stay relatively true to Halo 3's formula, meaning that we won't be seeing any game engine improvements or added features. But Jarrard did confirm that (at minimum) one new weapon will make an appearance in Recon and a new soundtrack will debut. We also touch on the topic of Recon's Forge, learning what it is not and discuss why Bungie chose to not make it as feature-rich as a map editor like, say, what Far Cry 2 has to offer. There's Vidmaster achievement and Mythic Map Pack talk as well and the conversation somehow leads to the topic of global domination and pie.
With its developer already inking comic bookdeals and counting the dollars, euros, yen, and copper farthings it expects to rake in from a projected three million copies worldwide, Mirror's Edge staying a one-off affair may have seemed unlikely ... and is now so totally not one. In an interview with AusGamers, DICE senior producer, Owen O'Brien, reveals that the game – launching next month – will be the first in a planned trilogy.
O'Brien commented: "The story we're telling at the moment is kind of a trilogy, a three-story arc," adding that, "certainly for these first couple games, it's all about Faith." Faith being the protagonist of the first (and now, it seems, second) Mirror's Edge – or, you might also say, what EA has in the franchise. O'Brien also mentioned that the second game in the freshly-minted series may pack a level editor, saying: "It's something we're probably going to look at for the sequel."
He also said that, "We want to make the level editor as easy to use and intuitive as the game is. And that's going to take us quite a lot of time." In other words: the first dose of rooftop running action – complete with its recently revealed time trial mode – will have to keep us happy for a good while.
While we're awaiting the recently-completed, more competitively-priced Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode 2, the official site has given us a way to bide our time. Introducing The Official PAA Papercraft™, which includes regulars Tycho, Gabe, Anne-Claire and Fruit ... erm, Lover.
Also available are Episode 2 foes Hat Spider, Asylum Patient and Dr. "I see you've been staring at my balls" Wolfington (his balls are not currently available as papercraft). Fun fact: In a display of irony, should you find yourself surrounded by papercraft Fruit Lovers, the use of fruit juice will actually harm them.
November 16. That's the day that Midway will impale Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe onto retail shelves, at least in North America. European players, on the other hand, will have to wait until November 21 to see a newly frozen Supes served a painful uppercut to his chiseled Kryptonian jaw. Now all that remains to be seen is if Alex Ross alone has enough power in his brush to make us overlook such a ridiculous crossover, or if the pairing of magical ninjas and superheroes in tights is just too much to resist.
And here you thought we'd escaped TGS without this rumorang whizzing by again. Oh no, we most certainly did not (duck!). "We're actively looking into a [Metal Gear Solid 4] release for the Xbox 360," a Konami rep told Japanese investment research firm Morningstar for a TGS report published today (in Japanese). Feel free to take that as "no duh" or a renewed glimmer of hope -- Morningstar's report does not include further evidence that Konami is any closer to bringing a MGS4 port to Xbox 360 than when the rumor first appeared ... two years ago!
As IGN notes, the key dilemma is in the discs. How to transfer all that optimized Blu-ray data? And, where to put it?
They say in space, no one can hear you scream. Luckily, here on earth, they'll hear you loud and clear if you win this cache of Dead Space goodies. But this is no ordinary Joyswag giveaway, folks. Oh no, you're gonna have to work for this one. You're finally being called upon to put those hard-earned hours in front of Project Runway to the test!
Here's the deal: You design the winning costume, send us a JPEG, and we'll give you the head. In this case, 1 of only 8 fully modeled, handmade Dead Space helmets created for EA (embiggened view). You'll also receive the Dead Space game (PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 version -- your choice) plus game guide, Downfall (the animated prequel), the graphic novel, and art book (with 3-D glasses!). (Approximate value of prize is $600.) So bust out the scissors, sewing machine, gorilla glue, severed limbs, duct tape, and whatever else you can scrounge up ... and remember, take some risks! (Read: We don't want a thousand pictures of you all wrapped in tin foil.) Have fun! Update: To answer some of your questions, yes, the costume can be totally original (or based on the game's design) -- either way, it should complement the helmet. It's like Voltron: you form the body, we form the head. So, the costume must be fully realized (not a drawing, painting, proposal in comments, etc.). Consider your Halloween dilemma solved!
Although it is a general gaming event, the PlayStation Blog pointed the way to Best Buy's Gaming Invasion '08 taking place this weekend in Toronto, Canada. The nice thing about the event is that it appears to be open to the general public and allows gamers to get their Cheetos-encrusted mitts on some of this year's most anticipated titles like Gears 2, Resistance 2, LBP, Mirror's Edge and many more.
With major first- and third-party support at the Best Buy event it seems like it's something big. This is apparently the third year of Best Buy's Gaming Invasion, so any Canadians who can speak to how well the event is organized should kindly feel free to leave a comment as a heads-up.*
*Don't say it's horrible just so you can have all the games to yourself. 30 Helens agree: That's not nice.
Fo' rizzle, there be nothin' really wrong with Saints Row 2. Actually, it's quite amusing to read through the reviews of THQ's great holiday hope. The critics pretty much say that SR2 is great fun, but doesn't push the sandbox genre forward. With GTA's realistic turn in its fourth installment, SR2 is apparently a nice over-the-top alternative for fans of the genre. Not that it ever claimed to be anything else.
EuroGamer(90/100): "Saints Row 2 is one of the most ridiculous and enjoyable games of the year. Some will dismiss it as GTA's "gangsta" offshoot, but they're missing the point; with its immense scope, fun physics and focus on entertainment over realism or grit, Saints Row is what GTA would have become if Rockstar North had followed Vice City to its pimpin' conclusion."
IGN(82/100): "Saints Row 2 isn't a GTA killer, but it's a GTA alternative. Players who enjoyed the action-packed moments of GTA will have an absolute blast with Saints Row 2. It's tough not to hate on the slightly lacking production values, but when you see the rest of the game it actually makes a bit more sense. The technical shortcomings are the only truly bad part of Saints Row 2, but the core gameplay experience is extremely enjoyable."
Gamespot(80/100): "Saints Row 2 may not offer a sizable leap in the sandbox genre, but that doesn't diminish its fun. From beginning to end, this is one of the most fun urban chaos games out there. The controls are so tight and the combat so satisfying, you'll frequently find yourself getting distracted from the campaign as you cause terror all over the city. With great cooperative integration, tons of unique activities, and a super cool zombie mode, Saints Row 2 will keep you happily creating havoc for a long time."
Gaming Nexus(78/100):"After all's said and done, there's no singular powerful experience for you to store away in your Gaming's Greatest Moments memory bank. And so, in that respect, Saints Row 2 aims to be nothing more or less than a popcorn flick, and succeeds winningly as nothing more or less than a popcorn flick."
Right, so we know the inclusion of the demo for Madagascar 2 hardly makes this a dem-o-rama, but we figured as long as we were letting you know that a demo for Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway is now available on Xbox Live, we'd go ahead and mention Madagascar 2. Just ... you know ... in case.
... Oh, OK, fine. We just wanted an excuse to make that photoshop. There, are you happy now? You guys are monsters, we tell you! Monsters!
($5). Judging from the screen above, it's clear that this game is, uh, well, we actually haven't a clue. But dag, Player 1 is sure getting whooped by the computer! (Clearly, not even the folks in charge of assets had any idea how to play.)
