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2K Sports Releases First Screenshot of NBA 2K12 – It’s Dirk Nowitzki Scoring on LeBron

Chris Carlson — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:00:17 +0000

Today 2K Sports released the very first screenshot of NBA 2K12.

The screenshot highlights the exciting 2011 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. In the screenshot, Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki soars to the hoop at the American Airlines Center as the Heat’s Lebron James and Chris Bosh attempt to block the shot. Click on the image below to see the full sized version.

NBA 2K12 is set to release on October 4th 2011 for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and… PS2.

This Console Gen Has To End. New Consoles – The Time Is Now!

Aaron Alexander — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 16:41:15 +0000

2005 was a glorious year for gaming fans around the world, most of us finally put down our Dualshock 2′s and those god-awful original Xbox brick controllers and picked up the brand new gaming powerhouse, the Xbox360. We learned of things like High Definition, Achievements, standardized online play and our minds fucking popped when we exited the sewers of Oblivion, to see a living, breathing, beautiful world that awaited us. Then the PlayStation 3 was released and it offered us the same experiences we had come to expect from the Xbox. It was a great time, we were on the edge of technology, games were better to play and looked amazing while doing so. Getting online with your buddies was no longer a chore. It didn’t require any sort of network adapter and we didn’t even have to wade through menu after menu to sign up for an online account.

It’s now 2011, the sixth year since the Xbox360 was released, and while it can be argued that we have progressed in leaps and bounds, we’ve ultimately come to a slow halt. The current age of gaming feels like the end days of the Playstation 2, we’re seeing the same games only somewhat prettier, with a few new features thrown in here and there for good measure. Sure, there have been games that have revolutionized gaming as we know it – and I’m sure we’ll continue to see game changers released this generation, but think of how much more expansive these games could truly be with new hardware. Lets take a look;

Let’s start with the big one, the one thing everyone notices when first seeing or playing a brand new video game, how it looks. This generation has been huge in pushing graphics and the boundaries of artistic styles. The jump from the latest Playstation 2/Xbox titles to Oblivion or any of the other early 360 titles was truly something that needed to be seen to be believed. The Unreal engine mad a huge stamp on this generation, it runs extremely well on consoles while looking great doing so. It’s capable of portraying lands like the dark, evil drab land of Planet Sera, the lush overgrown paradises in Enslaved, or something completely quirky and humorous like Borderlands. It’s showing its age however, with constant jagged edges and pop-in’s, it’s definitely time to move on. Just look at what Epic has recently done to their engine tech! It would seem one of the leading men of Epic, the infamous design director and man about town, Cliff Bleszinski, would agree. In reference to the Unreal Engine coming to mobile platforms, and how it compares toe-to-toe with it’s console brethren, he said:

Now, even Android phones are capable of outputting Unreal 3 visuals to an HDTV – and with smooth FPS:

It’s not just phones that have caught up, Sony is touting the NGP’s capability to play full-on PlayStation 3 titles. While that may sound amazing and promising at first, stop and think, what does that say about Sony’s Flagship console?

You can either buy a console (and an HDTV if you don’t already own one) or get the same experience in the palm of your hands.

I’m not trying to say the NGP will be a preferable platform to the consoles, but obviously something has gone on long enough!

Digital delivery and downloadable content are obviously the way of the future for gaming, hell, it’s even the standard for present day in some cases. The original 360 model launched with a 20GB hard-drive (with about 14GB usable) , and while it was perfectly serviceable and futuristic for the time – I feel sorry for anyone who wants to use games on demand with one of those relics. Sure, both the PlayStation and Xbox have had massive iterations in terms of features and Hard-drive space, and while that’s all well and good, not everyone is ready to forgo their disc based games and movies. The Xbox360, as we all know uses DVDs as it’s standard disc format. Yes, DVD.

We’re often seeing games come on multiple discs for the Xbox, and while people throw the “get off your couch” argument around, it’s still an undeniable hassle.

Not only is it disc changing, developers often have to compress the hell out of sound and video files just for it to fit on the DVD itself. Compare the Final Fantasy 13 cut-scenes between consoles, please do it. It’s not only the Xbox’s DVD’s that are a problem, but how about the first generation Blu-Ray drives the PlayStation provides? Blu-Ray is obviously the next logical step above DVD in terms of physical media formats, but not when it’s a first generation drive. Gran Turismo 5′s initial install anyone?

Installing a brand new game for an hour is one of the most depressing experiences us nerds can experience. Both consoles are now at a point where installing games is the preferred option, so if this is going to be the case moving forward, we’re going to need an immense amount of space – especially with the insane amount of DLC, Video content, full retail games and other downloadables our respective services provide. Take the recent Killzone 3 leak into thought, the game is over 40GB’s! Even with the hard-drive offerings of this generation, that’s a ludicrous amount of space. Games are getting progressively bigger regardless of consoles and it’s time we adapted.

There was a 6 year gap between the Playstation and it’s successor, the Playstation 2. The jump to the newer hardware provided us with experiences that we thought were impossible, the exact same could be said for the transition to the 360/PS3. Coincidentally,

it’s about to be 6 years since the Xbox360 launched, and there’s no replacement in sight, not even a slight hint of what’s to come.

I’m sure that we’d be happy playing the same blockbusters we receive by the various AAA studios for another 3 years, but imagine how much better and expansive these blockbusters truly could be. It’s obvious that the recent attempts of motion gaming are an effort to expand the life of this generation, but to the people that buy that consoles in the first place, that isn’t what really matters.

These are but a few of the ideas surrounding my mind when thinking about the current generation of consoles. Share your vote in the poll below, and let me know your thoughts and ideas in the comments as well. Also feel free to hit me up directly via Twitter – @iamaaronalex

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

White Boy Raps The History of Gaming

Dave Oshry — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:20:15 +0000

Did you ever wonder what all those people you went to high school with have been up to? Well, some went on to be doctors, some lawyers, and others . . . decided to make YouTube videos where they rap about the history of gaming.

One such man was Atom Winston.

Atom or “Adam” as I briefly knew him in high school, has a knack for rapping and video editing. Turns out, he also has a thing for gaming. It is therefore my pleasure to bring to you this video. Enjoy:

It looks like the Hip Hop Gamer has some competition.

Feel free to show Atom some love (or hate) on his Facebook page or hire him to make videos for you!!

Band Hero Demo Hits XBL Marketplace, Pre-Teen Girls Everywhere Pause Twilight to Rejoice

Demi Adejuyigbe — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:01:04 +0000

Is that headline a bit critical of Band Hero? No. Is that headline very critical of Band Hero? Absolutely.

The demo for Band Hero hit the Xbox Live Marketplace a few hours ago, and though it’s getting rather mixed impressions, through and through, Band Hero is a family game, with family songs, targeted at a family market. Of course, with artists such as Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, and Jesse McCartney heading up the set list, you didn’t need me to tell you that.

But that’s not to say the setlist is a stinker; In fact, I really like it. Obvious mainstream appeal aside, songs like “Black Horse And Cherry Tree”, “Let’s Dance”, and “Kung-Fu Fighting” make me want to at least give the game a try, when it comes out Nov. 3rd. If this seems like your type of thing, or you’re just looking to quench your music game, button-mashing thirst, hit up XBLM and download the 3-song demo now.

PS2 and Dreamcast games coming to PSN?

Sam Naylor — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:01:57 +0000

Destructoid have noticed this post on NeoGaf detailing a leaked document from SEGA. The document was leaked and includes a lot of goodies. The biggest piece of gossip is that “SCEA wants to sell all PS2 titles on PSN (GTA Vice City/Sonic/etc)”. Similarly, “If [SEGA] provide a list of DC (Dreamcast) titles SCEA will let us know which ones they’re interested in having exclusively.”

Yes, you may now say “wow, I hope this is real”. Journalist Jim Sterling notes that he “tried the download link and it certainly comes from Sega’s own PR site,” so this could be legit. I certainly hope so. Go to the links to see the full list, or hit the jump. Your choice.

SCEA Meeting Aug 5th Notes
Aug 6 2009 – DRAFT FOR COMMENTS

Objectives of Meeting
Dyer agreed to regular quarterly meetings with SOA

Sony PS3
SCEA reiterated plans to sell 13 million PS3s this year
Big announcement back half of year they can’t talk about (potentially price cut of PS3 to reach hardware goals)
SCEA commented on indexing between PS3 and 360 SKUs, should be around 2:1 to garner most favorable treatment.

Motion Controller
Spring 2010 launch (March in JP)
No bundle/pricing details yet, should come Sept 1
Plan on selling 4-5MM units WW
SCEA agreed to provide a list of Sega IP that would work well with the motion controller, Virtua Tennis was an example
Motion Controller support allows easy way to differentiate PS3 SKU
Other differentiation opportunities include PSP/PS3 interoperability – think of features that would make users want to buy both PS3 and PSP SKUs.

Alpha Protocol
Michael Foster, product evaluator, said AP felt barely RPG. Initial level too challenging for players. “Mass Effect felt more RPG.”
Review notes sent to John Merlino a few weeks prior. After meeting Gerald mentioned AP is a high priority for his team.

Planet 51
Sell in of PS3 SKU – SCEA noted that other movie titles on PS3 had underperformed as well (inc. Transformers) this cycle.
Dyer suggests contacting Susan at Walmart and asking what she wants in the pack to sell this SKU (movie tix etc)
Other possibilities are Hybrid movie disc (BD 25 or 50 with Game and Movie on same disc).

Bayonetta
Collectors edition with Bayonetta Action Figure
Novo recommended launching PSN demo around Xmas based off a Jan 5th Ship date with 2-3 week run out to launch.
3-4 weeks is usually ideal demo timing with fresh content every week leading up to launch (trailers, insider video about PG heritage, video blogs).

Vancouver 2010
HOME, Olympic destination would garner a lot of positive attention from SCEA
Should be doing same with Bayonetta, Marvel etc. Easy to launch in all territories.
HOME merchandizing opportunities (clothes etc).

Sonic Racing
Open to DLC to differentiate PS3 SKU – not ratchet and clank but other characters
maybe characters from Rare or Fable universes

Yakuza
Could put Japanese games directly on PSN for download in a special Japanese Import section (pricing $9.99 to $39.99 for full game).
Might need to localize menus at least with subtitles.
SCEA interested in helping on MKTG side if they can have period of exclusivity.

AVP
Another great HOME candidate
AVP avatars
Hybrid BD disc with movie

Iron Man 2
Great candidate for HOME space – explore Tony Stark’s lab etc.
Should have one for Marvel in general.

PSU2
Could do bundle at GameStop with PSP 30-35K units on UMD, Go, or both.

Valkyria 1937
Could bundle with PSP as well.

Vanquish and Aliens: CM
Opportunity for PS3/PSP interoperability (see Eidos Batman, Army of Two, Assassin’s Creed for good examples).
If we offer that SCEA would be really interested in having us at their booth next E3.

Thor
SCEA would like a look at the code soon.

Sonic Anniversary
Could put out collectors edition with all old sonic games on one BD disc.
“Best of Sonic” for around $99.
SCEA would love PSN exclusive power ups/different game modes (like Castlevania’s flip it over/backwards)

PS2 emulator for PS3 (confidential)
SCEA wants to sell all PS2 titles on PSN (GTA Vice City/Sonic/etc)
For co Marketing money show PS3 controller on TV ads – similar to EA Madden Spots, NCAA, etc…

London Olympics
Perfect opportunity for Motion Controller integration.

DC Digital Titles
If we provide a list of DC titles SCEA will let us know which ones they’re interested in having exclusively.
If we give them a long period of exclusivity they’ll give us more marketing support.

PSP Titles
For SKU differentiation it’s best to offer features that are slightly different from PS3 version.
Titles that are coming up on PSP are Assassin’s Creed II, GTA China Wars, Resident Evil, Little Big Planet – all massive franchises.
SCEA has a specific PSP deck which they can send up with their hardware director for a chat.

Uncharted 2 spams Twitter so you don’t have to

Sam Naylor — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:43:36 +0000

It has transpired that Uncharted 2 will include support for Twitter updates. Players can input their account details and have the game automatically update their feed when the player connects to multiplayer, completes a chapter, earns a Trophy, or reaches a level milestone.

Of course, this will be a complete annoyance for everyone involved, except perhaps the PR department at Naughty Dog. Not to mention that in about a year when Twitter stops being the popular thing to do, this feature will look even more ridiculous. Hey, why not have a feature to write a Livejournal or update your MySpace page?

Via ConsoleMonster

New Michael Jackson Game in the Works?

Dylan Duarte — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:13:59 +0000

According to the Google translation of a Belgian gaming website 9 Lives, the king of pop (should that be capitalized?) has a new game coming out in the near future.

It seems that Michael Jackson is gearing up for a comeback and a new video game for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 is part of that comeback. No details are known at this point, but let’s hope it’s a sequel to Michael Jackson’s Moon Walker. I loved that game.

Go Nintendo

Harmonix releases kick pedal with double bass adaptor

Sam Naylor — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:29:52 +0000

Harmonix and PDP have announced that they will be shipping a kick pedal and double bass pedal adaptor pack for $24.99. The pedal is compatible with all iterations of Rock Band (every console), as well as Guitar Hero: Metallica and Guitar Hero: World Tour.

This is great for those who are either really good at the drums, or those who like to be frustrated by even greater difficulty. It’s a good deal considering that you might have had to shell out for a new drum kit to play the Expert+ mode in GH:Metallica. Oh, and don’t forget, folks, Guitar Hero:Metallica has the Zungre Seal of Approval™.

Konami Announces Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the Wii, PS2, and PSP

Demi Adejuyigbe — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:35:26 +0000

Sure, we already knew it was coming thanks to the leaked cover of May’s Nintendo Power, but today Konami sent out the press release for the newest Silent Hill game- the first for the Wii- Shattered Memories.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories seems to be more centered on puzzles this time around, as according to Destructoid, it has absolutely no combat. Nope- you just run away from enemies. On the plus side, it won’t have any load times. On the “I don’t know if this is good, bad, or just really stupid” side, the Wiimote will act as a cell phone anytime you get a call.

I’m sure this will excite many fans of the horror genre, or even just the Silent Hill franchise, but as Ripten’s resident scaredy cat (I still jump whenever I find the flashlight in the Highlights magazine search) I will staying far away from this game. Have fun with that game guys, I’ll be over here in the corner watching Noddy’s Toyland Adventure reruns. Hit the jump for the press release.

Konami Announces Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for Wii™, PlayStation®2 System and PSP® System

Popular Survival Horror Series Resurrects True Terror With
Debut on Wii

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – April 6, 2009 - Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. today unveiled the latest iteration in the popular Silent Hill franchise scheduled to launch this fall on Wii™, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. Featuring an interactive user interface, improved puzzle system, and a psych profile that changes the experience based on the players’ gameplay choices, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories conveys the most fluid and realistic gameplay of the series to date.

“Silent Hill: Shattered Memories returns to its roots in this re-imagining of the original Silent Hill with the most interactive and frightening installment of the decade-old series,” said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “With a deep storyline, eerie music and a psych profile that watches its players and evolves to expose their innermost fears throughout the game, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is sure to evoke fear in both franchise newcomers and longtime survival horror fans.”

In this terrifying survival horror experience with an all-new soundtrack by acclaimed series composer Akira Yamaoka, players follow Harry Mason, the maladroit protagonist who is searching for his missing daughter, Cheryl. While Harry wanders the snowy streets of Silent Hill searching for clues of her disappearance, he must face twisted creatures from the depths of his frozen nightmares.

In the Wii™ version, players will be drawn into the mysterious town using the Wii Remote™ as a flashlight and cell phone as they search for clues. The cell phone can also be used by players as a user interface which acts as a story telling device, map, camera and much more, providing seamless flow with no interruption in gameplay. Additionally, through a very unique feature in the game, an advanced psych profile watches and adapts to players’ actions to acclimatize Harry and the people he meets, the places he visits, and the enemies he encounters to create an intense and gripping experience like never before.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is scheduled to launch this fall for the Wii™ video game system from Nintendo, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system.

New PSP and PS2 Jak and Daxter announced

Sam Naylor — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:50:26 +0000

The Playstation blog announced today that High Impact Games are in the process of developing a brand new Jak and Daxter game for the PS2 and PSP. Called ‘Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier’, the game takes the player to “the edge of the world.” There you’ll fight “air pirates and sinister creatures in [your] quest to find a cure for the world’s eco shortage”. The game will release later this year.

I’m going to go ahead and assume the screenshots given are from the PSP version- even the first Jak and Daxter game looked better than that on the PS2. The developers are the ones behind the well-recieved Secret Agent Clank, so I expect this to at least be a decent PSP platformer, and probably a mediocre PS2 one.

Wipeout Pulse coming to PS2, Fat Princess out in March

Sam Naylor — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:31:01 +0000

Video Games Blogger reports that Sony Computer Entertainment Benelux (In case you don’t know, that’s Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) have put put a release list for the first quarter of 2009. The list shows that Wipeout Pulse (originally a PSP game) is being released on PS2, and that Flower and Fat Princess are releasing in February and March respectively.

For PSP fans, Patapon 2 is releasing on the 13th of February, and Resistance Retribution is set for a March release. Personally, I’m most looking forward to Fat Princess. It looks like a cross between Team Fortress 2 and Animal Crossing. See the full release list after the jump.

FEBRUARY 2009

PlayStation 2:
Wipeout Pulse
PSP:
(13th) Patapon 2
PlayStation Network:
SOCOM Confrontation
Ragdoll KungFu
(19th) Flower
PlayStation 3:
SOCOM Confrontation bundle (+ headset)
(27th) Killzone 2

MARCH 2009

PlayStation 2:
Buzz! The Smartest of (insert your country)
SingStar Queen
PSP:
Buzz! The Smartest of (insert your country)
Resistance Retribution
PlayStation Network:
Fat princess
PlayStation 3:
Buzz! The Smartest of (insert your country)
SingStar Queen

First Gameplay Footage & New Screenshots for Tomb Raider Underworld

Demi Adejuyigbe — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:52:57 +0000

Today, Eidos Interactive revealed the first gameplay footage, as well as some screenshots for the PS3/Xbox 360 versions of Tomb Raider: Underworld. They also announced a release date of November 18th of this year for the Xbox 360, PC, PS3, and PS2 versions of the game.

While the trailer is done as if for a movie, it’s great to see some footage of the game in action. I haven’t played a Tomb Raider title in a while, so I’m definitely going to be checking this one out. Plus, she encounters a giant freaking squid. Hit the jump for the gallery of screenshots.

PS2 Version 4 Is Coming October 2008

Kev Lochun — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:19:07 +0000

It was released in Japan last November; now the fourth version of PS2 is coming to Europe and India. That’s according to SCE India country manager Atindriya Bose, who claims it will launch simultaneously in the two regions at some point before this year’s Diwali festival on 28 October.

This may be why Sony has appeared hitherto incapable of putting PS2 titles – hell even PSOne titles – on PSN, let alone provide backward compatibility. In an interview with India’s Economic Times, Bose described this fourth iteration as being sleeker and slimmer than ever, even though the previously external AC adapter is now going to be built into the main unit. But you have to wonder what the point is.

PS2 is already a cheap, reliable console with a large selection of good and readily available titles – perfect for anyone looking for something entry-level, on a budget, or wanting to indulge in a few of gaming’s past treasures. The gains from remodeling the PS2 for no new functionality at this stage will be few, especially if price remains the same as the third model as planned – something already confirmed in India.

Source: Economic Times

Rumor: Download PS2 Games On Your PS3?

Ian Ennis — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:51:10 +0000

User NiTiz over on the N4G forums has posted a very intriguing image showing PS2 titles available from the PSN store. According to NiTiz, his friend at Sony London sent him the image and also told him that the PS2 store will be announced at E3.

The titles shown in this image are Fantavision, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, The Bouncer, Ridge Racer V, Red Fraction, SSX, and Smugglers Run. This is a very nice feature for the owners of 40GB PS3s who currently have no PS2 backwards compatibility.

However, this is still only a rumor, but if it turns out to be legit Sony would have a very strong summer lined up; movie rentals, firmware 2.4, and a now new PS2 store.

Source: N4G

Update: Sony Denies Rumor: “No plans for PS2 Downloadable Titles On PS3″
Sony’s Patrick Seybold, Director of Corporate Communications & Social Media, responded to the screenshot that had many (including us) believing in the possibility of PS2 downloads on the PS3, stating that it “must have been mocked up by an excited consumer”. He went on to add that “at this point, we haven’t made any announcements, and there are no plans for PS2 downloadable titles on PS3.”

While this sure sounds like an open and shut case, I vaguely remember a certain Sony official denying a price cut only for it to happen a few days later. In a world of corporate double talk, this could mean everything, or it could mean nothing. Regardless, the unnamed source associated with the original image stated that Sony would announce the PS2 download capability at this years E3 — so we will find out the truth soon enough.

Update Source: GamePro