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Shattered Dimensions creative head interested in Noir or 2099 Spider-Man game
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is like a Costco-size sample platter of four different Spidey universes, but Beenox Creative Director Thomas Wilson wouldn't mind focusing on just one of the wall crawlers for a game. During Gamescom the developer told us that if he could, he would want to focus on Noir or 2099 spidey, but immediately followed it up by saying, "That's not up to us to decide. We're looking with Activision at what's next." "They're interesting, they're different, they're new," Wilson told us on why he'd choose the lesser-known dimensions. He continued, "I think it would definitely be something interesting." Pssst, Activision -- we agree.
Demo for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 unchained before game's release
A LucasArts representative told Joystiq that there may be some tweaks before it's set free, but Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 will be getting a demo that's very similar to what we played at Gamescom. We were also told that the forthcoming game's demo will be made available publicly prior to retail launch on October 26. The demo we played begins with returning protagonist Starkiller attempting to escape his cloney confines on Kamino. He plummets down a tower, avoiding obstacles en route, busts through a giant dome, and then fights his way out of the facility. Force pushes, mind tricks, and force lightning follow as the Dark Apprentice redux attempts to steal a Tie Fighter and get off the planet . And it appears there won't be too long of a wait before you try the demo yourself -- that is, if you're not already in Germany attending the public days of Gamescom.%Gallery-95704%
Redspotgames looking to continue publishing for Dreamcast
Redspotgames, the small publisher behind relatively recent Dreamcast releases such as Last Hope, Rush Rush Rally Racing and Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles, says they are looking to continue publishing games for the long-dead system into next year. "We have seen some stuff on the PC, and we [are] talking to to the companies to see if they will agree to release on the Dreamcast," Redspotgames marketing and sales director Adrian Loudero told Joystiq at Gamescom this week. "We also have plans for 2011, maybe a new release, but this is really all I can say right now." Loudero told us that Redspotgame only sells a few thousands copies of each new Dreamcast game it releases. As such, the company has recently expanded to WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade development to stay afloat. But he also said that he's heartened by the way the Dreamcast demo units at the company's small Gamescom booth draw double takes and appreciative play from passers-by. "I think the Dreamcast is still famous," he said. Asked if he thinks Sega should get back into the Dreamcast game-publishing business, Loudero responded enthusiastically. "Yes, of course, please."
Torchlight 'hopefully' out on XBLA and PSN by holidays, has sold 750,000 units
Runic Games had dreams of putting Torchlight on Xbox Live Arcade, then it put "serious effort" into a console version, and now the studio is hoping to have the game out by this holiday for PSN and XBLA. Runic CEO Max Schaefer told Joystiq at Gamescom today, "We're trying, we're talking [to Sony and Microsoft] and we hope to get that done quickly." Although there's no release window, he told us it'll "hopefully" be available "by the holidays." Schaefer also told us the game has now sold over 750,000 units and is en route to a million. The RPG reached the half-million milestone back in May after launching in October, following a tiny development time of 10 months. If the sales figure seems a bit low, the executive mentioned that piracy has been an issue, but they have no way of tracking how many illegal copies were made. As for Torchlight 2 on consoles, Schaefer told us Runic will "try" to get the multiplayer sequel to consoles sometime after the PC and Mac release. %Gallery-72098%
Famitsu interview covers the testing of Final Fantasy XIV
After the recent interview confirming that some of the disliked aspects of the game weren't going away, it's understandable that some Final Fantasy XIV fans might have felt a bit disheartened. After all, it's easy to feel as if the developers weren't trying to listen to the players at all about their issues. The newest interview to come out of Gamescom, however, should help to alleviate some of those fears. Famitsu, frequently a good source for game information, had a chance to chat with some of the team about the game's testing schedule and their interactions with feedback. Two of the big issues highlighted are the controls and the user interface -- both polished since earlier phases and both continuing to be polished. The team wants control to be smooth with or without a gamepad, whether you don't have a gamepad or simply choose not to use one. There's also a mention of further classes possible, including pet classes, and the acknowledgment that the development team is currently debating the two-day guildleve timer after all. Take a look at the full interview if you're interested in Final Fantasy XIV, as it covers some interesting ground.
Overheard @ Gamescom: A development house divided
Like many Wii games before it, the upcoming revival of Goldeneye 007 supports a number of different controllers. You'll be able to play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Classic Controller, a GameCube controller or even the Wii Zapper. But surely one of these myriad methods must be the preferred control scheme among the development team, right? Well, no, not really. "There's a house divided, at least amongst ourselves," said Activision production coordinator Graham Hagmaier while presenting a demo of the game at Gamescom this week. "A lot of us play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. I prefer this particular scheme [the Classic Controller], just because I used to play a lot of FPS games on [the Xbox] 360 and PS3, and for a lot of people those are very popular formats. But it just depends on your proficiency with the controller." The team's proficiency with the Wii Zapper was left unaddressed.
Overheard @ Gamescom: Competitive Kinect fighting is dangerous
Since shortly after the Wii Remote first brought motion control to the masses, we've known that over-enthusiastic use (and slippery hands) can lead to controllers (and other things) getting broken. So what happens when Kinect's 3D camera turns your entire body into the controller? Well, not surprisingly, it turns out you're the one that could get broken. "Versus mode was a bit too dangerous," Fighters Uncaged producer Luc Verdier said when asked about a competitive mode for his newly announced Kinect-enabled fighting game. "It's possible to do, but people just end up hitting each other." Thus, the game's only multiplayer mode is a cooperative battle, where two players work together against the artificial intelligence. Of course, people don't usually end up killing one another while playing games like Just Dance, even if four players are moving about in an enclosed space. But Verdier said motion-controlled games where multiple players are synchronized are safer than games where the players can just "do whatever." We'd also hazard to guess that dancing players just tend to be less intentionally violent than fighting game players, especially when those fighting game players are actively playing.
Preview: Goldeneye 007 (single player)
We already said this when we talked about the multiplayer gameplay in the upcoming Wii version of Goldeneye 007, but it bears repeating: This is not your Goldeneye N64 game all prettied up. In fact, an eyes-on walkthrough of the game's Jungle level at Gamescom this week showed off just how much first-person-shooter game design has changed in the last 13 years. The changes were incredibly apparent right from the start, when the developers guiding the demo sneaked up behind a guard and took him out with the kind of close-quarters combat neck-snap you might expect to see in every bit of pop culture ever (but not the original Goldeneye). Taking out two more guards with headshots ensured that the alarm wouldn't be raised and the game could remain a Splinter Cell-style stealth experience for at least a while longer.%Gallery-97627%
Preview: MotionSports (Kinect)
Ubisoft's entry into the already burgeoning Kinect casual sports game market was roughly 60% complete in a demo at Gamescom this week, so the game was still looking pretty rough around the edges. Of the six different sports available on the menu, only downhill skiing and boxing were available to play. The skiing game was enjoyable enough, detecting slight variations in my lean to guide the on-screen skier down a pretty basic hill. The experience felt much smoother and more natural than similar games designed for the Wii balance board, which I usually find a bit twitchy in skiing simulations. I liked how the game recognized a low crouch as a way to improve aerodynamic speed, and how swooshing my arms at any time resulted in a satisfying ski pole push. Aside from some frequent graphical glitches (which made my skier look like he was showing off the bottom of his shoe), the demo was a great proof of concept. %Gallery-99778%
THQ wants Red Faction: Battlegrounds to be free, or at least cheap
There is likely to be a low barrier of entry for THQ's downloadable Red Faction spinoff, Red Faction: Battlegrounds. At Gamescom, a THQ representative told Joystiq that the company may opt to give the game away as a pre-order bonus for Red Faction: Armageddon. "No price yet," the rep said. "They are talking about possible pre-order specials. It's possible, hasn't been finalized yet, that if you pre-order Armageddon you may be able to toss this in as well. They obviously want to keep it as low as possible." Barring that, he said, THQ hopes to sell it for 400-800 Microsoft Points ($5-10). The freebie strategy fits with THQ core games VP Danny Bilson's strategy to use downloadable games to extend its brands. In addition, the representative offered additional details on the downloadable title's planned DLC. "Two downloadable packs," he said, "one ties into the [Red Faction: Origins] miniseries ... it also has a Armageddon DLC pack."
This is the full 83-track Rock Band 3 setlist
Recording from Gamescom, Harmonix has issued a video response to the alleged Rock Band 3 song list leak from earlier this week. Three members of the studio appear on screen to discredit the -- wait a minute! Is that the entire setlist scrolling in the background? Head past the break for the complete 83-track listing, as seen in Harmonix's tongue-in-cheek reveal.
Age of Empires Online promises not to nickle-and-dime players
Love it, hate it or meeky accept it, the terms "freemium" and "free-to-play" come with a lot of baggage these days, sometimes to the point of overshadowing the game itself. When Age of Empires fans heard that Microsoft was going to be releasing an online version of the hit RTS series, some of the fans' enthusiasm was tempered by the word that it would adopt the popular freemium business model. Microsoft Game Studio's Dave Luehmann was on hand at Gamescom to assure players that the company isn't out to nickle-and-dime fans to skip parts of the game they don't like. Joystiq reports that they won't be adopting the same strategy as other F2P models. "I don't like to pay for things I don't like to do, that seems kind of backwards," Luehmann said. "So how about we produce things that people actually want?" Instead of purchasing a lot of little items, the studio will simply put up large chunks of content as one-time purchases. These might include a new civilization or an area containing a plethora of quests. Microsoft is still feeling out a fair price point for the additional content, but it pointed to the fact that Age of Empires Online will ship with more than 25 hours of completely free entertainment to enjoy.
Guild Wars 2 wins best online game at Gamescom
The ArenaNet staffers have been working pretty hard this week -- both at Gamescom and at home in Seattle -- to make the world premiere of Guild Wars 2 gameplay an event to remember. Their hard work paid off this morning when Guild Wars 2 was presented with the award for Best Online Game of Gamescom 2010. "We're honored and delighted to receive this award," says ArenaNet, and credit was given to quite a few others who helped make it happen at Gamescom as well. "We'd like to thank our Gamescom collaborators, Razer, Alienware, nVidia, Flashpoint and Intel, and to send a special thanks to our fans in Cologne and all over the world!" We at Massively join all the fans in congratulating everyone at ArenaNet!
DJ Hero 2's tables turn on October 19 in North America, October 22 in Europe
Ready to queue up a copy of DJ Hero 2 at your favorite retailer? An Activision rep at Gamescom informed Joystiq of the release dates for the music-mixing sequel: October 19 in North America and October 22 in Europe. That means that, in North America at least, DJ Hero will have one full week to shine (and sell) before Rock Band 3 appears and begins tempting shoppers with keytars. Turntable vs. keytar! It's the battle of the bizarro instruments!
Darkspore screens filled with spore creatures, totally dark
In case you were wondering about the validity of Darkspore's "darkness" or its inclusion of Spore creatures, these screens from Gamescom should more than clear that up. An ice level? Check. A fire level? Totally. What, you wanted a water level? Nope. Wait a sec ...
Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time's Gamescom media pokes fun at Caesar
You probably use a washing machine on the regular -- at least, we hope you do -- but you may not have known that the gentle rinse cycle isn't the only trick up the bulky metal box's sleeve. Those delightful little rabbids managed to find the time travel setting in Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time, taking a hilarious jaunt back to Rome in the trailer past the break. Feel free to take your own trip past the break to check out the Gamescom 2010 trailer. We've also got some new screens in the gallery below. Decisions, decisions!%Gallery-99791%
Heroes on the Move trailer and details surface at Gamescom
Details on Sony and Nihilistic's motion-sensitive meeting of the mascot minds, Heroes on the Move, have been scarce since the game was first announced at E3. Gamescom filled in some of the missing pieces: Players will be able to choose between Ratchet, Clank, Sly Cooper, Bentley, Jak and Daxter, who will then be able to engage in various challenges across each character's native environs, such as Metropolis, Paris and Haven City. PlayStation.Blog revealed what some of these challenges might entail, such as "City of Fights," which sees Sly collecting orbs across Paris while fending off enemies from all three universes, or "Fistful of Crystals," which tasks Clank with blasting his way through Haven City in a light gun-esque fashion. Check out some new footage in the trailer posted just past the jump, and ponder what might happen should two Heroes from different universes come into physical contact with one another. (Our money is on the end of all existence.)
Grapple with some new EA Sports MMA media
Got your gloves on? Step into the ring. Your opponent today is EA Sports MMA, an October 15 contender that comes packing a mean gallery of fresh Gamescom 2010 screens. However, its most deadly attack is its online component, demonstrated in a new trailer just past the break.
Kitase: 3rd Birthday success could extend franchise to PS3
"The team had a lot of experience and knew a lot about making a game for PSP which is why we chose PSP as the platform for this game," said Square Enix's Yoshinori Kitase during a presentation at Gamescom in regards to The 3rd Birthday. "But if this game turns out to be a success then we'd be looking at extending the franchise into PS3." Now, Kitase could mean one of two things by that statement: Square Enix could develop an entirely new Parasite Eve game for the PS3; or he could be talking about re-releasing the first two Parasite Eve games as PSOne Classics. Neither are currently available on PSN, so we're inclined to think that's what he's talking about -- especially considering Square Enix has already expressed interest in going down that road.
THQ reveals DLC for Red Faction: Battlegrounds
Red Faction is kind of a big deal -- maybe you didn't know? The franchise is getting its fourth full retail game early next year (Red Faction: Armageddon), a television tie-in on SyFy (Red Faction: Origins), and even a downloadable title for XBLA, PSN, and PC (Red Faction: Battlegrounds). The downloadable property, however, will be getting tied to the other Red Faction ... things in production. Speaking with StrategyInformer, a THQ rep said that two downloadable content packs will be released for Battlegrounds, one of which contains extra vehicles, while the other will somehow tie to the forthcoming Syfy show. Furthermore, Achievements (and presumably Trophies as well) from Battlegrounds will unlock content in Armageddon, though it wasn't made clear what type of content that will be (the coveted ostrich hammer, perchance?). Battlegrounds will be available sometime in "early 2011."
