gamescom-2009
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Your first look at Your Shape's camera
[Update: Trailer has been removed at Ubisoft's request. You see, it was only approved for European consumption due to lack of an ESRB rating ... on the world wide web.] Ubisoft has released a video for GamesCom highlighting Your Shape, the Jenny McCarthy-endorsed, camera-focused exergame for Wii. The video highlights the game's camera, giving us a good look at the device and an explanation behind the technology powering it (hint: it's not rocket science). While it bares resemblance to Project Natal, unlike Microsoft's peripheral, Ubisoft's device and Your Shape will actually be out this year -- more precisely, this December. We know, it's a crazy concept for a game to release during the 2009 holidays.
Assassin's Creed 2 screens highlight new gameplay
click to enlarge Ubisoft has doled out a handful of new screens from Assassin's Creed 2 at GamesCom spotlighting some of the sequel's (welcome) new features. In them, we get a look at nighttime gameplay, with Ezio hacking up his pursuers with the help of some allies -- much nicer than them simply grabbing or standing in the way of enemies!There's also a shot showing the aftermath of a new gadget -- the tried-and-true smoke bomb -- that the assassin has used to slow down his foes. Oh, and a stagecoach pursuit. Every Renaissance era stealth action game needs one of those. %Gallery-70588%
Final Fantasy XIII team 'aiming' for three-DVD release
Click to embiggen. Square Enix's decision to simultaneously launch Final Fantasy XIII on both PS3 and Xbox 360 certainly caused a lot of fan fervor. With each DVD holding far less data than a Blu-ray disc, PlayStation fanboys soon came up with mock-ups of the 360 version of the game, some with as many as 40 discs! Xbox 360 users won't have to worry, though, as reality is shaping up quite differently.Speaking at GamesCom, Square Enix's Yoshinori Kitase commented: "This isn't the final count yet, but we're aiming for about three discs." The team is working to compress as much as possible, while still keeping the quality high. Interestingly enough, at three discs, Final Fantasy XIII won't take the crown for the 360 game with the highest disc count. Instead, Microsoft's exclusive Lost Odyssey manages to stay on top with its four.Releasing a multi-disc Final Fantasy game isn't new for Square Enix. In fact, the company launched Final Fantasy VII on three discs back in the PS1 era. In spite of the burden of having to change discs, we heard that game turned out pretty alright.%Gallery-70579%
Heavy Rain features 10 voiced languages, subtitles in 6 more [update]
Heavy Rain will be fully voice acted in 10 languages, with subtitles available for all spoken languages, plus six more languages. These details were disclosed during a presentation at GamesCom this afternoon, when Quantic Dream founder David Cage introduced Pascal Langdale (pictured right), the actor playing the English-speaking version of Heavy Rain's Ethan Mars, and discussed the extensive voice work necessary for the game's many branching scenes. Knowing a single Blu-ray disc can store language data in bulk, we were curious about how many language options would be available in the game. As it turns out, if Cage had brought in all of Mars' voices, the room would have gotten pretty tight. Check out the confirmed list of languages after the break. (We're still waiting for official confirmation on a couple -- the Quantic Dream team couldn't name them all off the top of their heads.) Update: Heavy Rain's associate producer and localization manager, Romain Castillos, has given us the official list of languages and subtitles. %Gallery-70367%
EA, Ubisoft pleased as punch post-PS3 price plummet
As happy as you might have been to read about the PS3's price being slashed to $299 in the US, trust us: Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot and EA Games president Frank Gibeau were much, much happier. Not only will, theoretically, more systems fly off shelves but buyers will have a little extra cash in their pockets for the companies' games. "It's exceptional news, actually. I think the machine is a great machine, with the Blu-ray," said Guillemot, who was having kind of a rough day with English it would appear. Gibeau shared his enthusiasm, telling GamesIndustry.biz, "It's an old line, but it still rings true for us: 'We make the ammunition for the hardware wars.' So the lowest priced hardware possible is a good thing for us." Also, we never noticed how much Gibeau looks like Radar O'Reilly.
No demo for Borderlands - at least not 'before launch'
The October 20 release of Gearbox's Borderlands will not be accompanied by a demo, but that doesn't mean that there won't be one. A 2K representative informs Joystiq, "Everyone is really, really focusing on getting the game done for release ... that's not to say there will never be a demo, just not before launch."New properties typically have a hard time breaking through in the infamous fourth quarter release window, and Borderlands is certainly no exception. 2K Games' BioShock, a bit of an unknown quantity at the time, benefited from its pre-release demo, which sent buzz through the roof. Gearbox president Randy Pitchford said in a GamesCom presentation that he hopes folks will be driven to the original property through solid word of mouth.
ArenaNet releases Guild Wars 2 trailer
The wait is finally up. At GamesCom today, ArenaNet delivered on their teasers throughout the week and released a brand new trailer for Guild Wars 2. This is something Guild Wars fans have been anticipating for years, and it's finally here.This gorgeous trailer shows everything from animated concept art to actual in-game footage. It takes us through the awakening of the dragons beneath the surface of Tyria to the call of the five races to join forces against them. We see Humans, Norn, Asura, Charr and Silvari rising up to defeat the undead armies of the dragon Zhaitan. Check out the trailer after the jump below, or in high definition at the main Guild Wars 2 website.
GamesCom 2009 opens to the public
GamesCom 2009 is now officially open to the public -- all that stuff yesterday was just for the media! Let the games and sweat-inducing quest for swag begin! See sad pictures of the huddled masses below, or video of a flying Republic Commando (Stormtrooper?) after the break. Oh, you want context for that one? Who needs context for a guy with a jetpack? Enjoy![Thanks to GamingOnly]
GamesCom ads around Cologne
GamesCom advertisements are everywhere in Cologne at the moment. Not only that, but it seems like the electronics retailers are taking advantage of the demographic currently in town. With 200,000+ attendees expected during the five-day event and GamesCom being open to the public (unlike E3 and GDC), it's really no surprise. We typically don't see marketing taking advantage of situations like this in the States -- well, excluding really big Final Fantasy XIII ads.Note: If you're attending GamesCom and see interesting gaming-related ads around Cologne, drop us a line. Please make sure to put "GamesCom ads" in the subject and have the pic linked (we can't take files, sorry) -- and make sure we get your name for photo credit.%Gallery-70553%
Consider these Mafia II screens a gift
Click image for extortion size You know, we were going to hold off on showing you these new Mafia II screens, but then our daughter decided to get engaged. Yes, today is our daughter's wedding and as such, it's customary that we must honor the request to see these new screens from GamesCom. Hit up the gallery below to check 'em out. %Gallery-70498%
Watch pro skateboarders uncomfortably play Tony Hawk Ride
Was it this silly when Guitar Hero first launched, with professional musicians trotted out to awkwardly "play" the game? Watching an aging Tony Hawk, grey hair in-tow, contort his body on the skateboard peripheral shipping with Tony Hawk Ride is the very definition of wahjah. Try as Activision might, we're still not convinced we need yet another peripheral for our already cramped living rooms. Consider that we've already used our BalanceBoard for snowboarding, Sony's EyeToy is sounding more robust every day and Project Natal is promising a board-free skateboarding experience. See the common denominator? No new, large plastic objects in our houses! That's a win-win to us.
Prepare for an onslaught of Tekken 6 PSP media
While some of us still think there's no way that Tekken 6 for the PSP will release alongside its console counterparts, Namco is sticking to its guns on the October 27 release. And so the publisher has unleashed an alarming amount of media for the PSP port, including two new trailers that show off the first in-game footage and a host of new screens. Hit up the gallery below for the screens and head past the break for the second trailer.Oh, and yes, Alisa totally took off her head and smacked Eddy with it. You didn't imagine that part.%Gallery-51400%
Aliens vs. Predator vs. your eyeballs
The Sega blog recently uploaded some fresh images from Rebellion's Aliens vs. Predator and they contain all of the items necessary for a good Aliens vs. Predator screenshot post: humans killing aliens; aliens killing humans; and billiards in a smokey bar? Okay, that last one isn't part of the game (it's a promotional thing for the movies in New Zealand, actually), but there's no way we're letting something as awesome as that escape a mention on Joystiq. Head into the gallery below for the new screens.%Gallery-70493%
Learn all about Dragon Age: Origins' origins in this new trailer
If you've come to this post looking for the image of a near-naked lady being embraced in front of a fire, you can skip the Dragon Age: Origins trailer above directly to the 1:58 mark. Done? Sure you are.Now, allow us to direct you to the smattering of new screens from the game just below. If you actually checked out the whole new trailer you see above, you're likely just as excited we are about the upcoming BioWare joint. If only they could hold off on the hint of crazy industrial music that tinges the trailer, we'd feel all the more joyous for the game's early November release.%Gallery-70488%
Seen@GamesCom: Same location, different PS3 ad
Remember that awesome deal we saw yesterday before Sony's press conference at GamesCom? It was the one that had the PS3 and PSP for €399 -- a pretty awesome deal ... yesterday. Well, not only does electronics retailer Saturn hate "teuer" (translation: expensive), they apparently have lighting-quick gnomes changing banners.This morning we passed the same sign and behold: the new deal was the just-announced PS3 Slim and The DaVinci Code for €299. Not a better deal, but boy, is that ever efficiency at work.
Gran Turismo 5's cars caught getting crunched on video
The Subaru Impreza that's zipping around the track in a GamesCom video captured by Gamersyde has certainly seen better days, but its suffering is our reward: we actually get to witness the yes-it's-finally-happening real-time car damage taking place in Gran Turismo 5. Sure, it still might not look quite right (there's something about the cars seeming really lightweight) but it's a good start. Of course, there will always be those who won't be satisfied until "The Real Driving Simulator" lives up to its name and features drivers being thrown from their cars during crashes.Head over to Gamersyde to view the video.[Thanks, Colin!]
Razer announces the Naga MMO mouse
BlizzCon isn't the only big gaming convention happening this week (though you'd never known it from reading our site -- we're a bit obsessive, no?). Gamescom is going on in Germany, and gaming equipment manufacturer Razer has announced there that they're releasing a new mouse, specifically designed for MMO games. They put it together in conjunction with MMO players (they say the folks at Curse had a hand in it), and while it isn't officially tied to Blizzard as far as we can tell (Steelseries already has that market cornered), there is one interesting connection. They decided to call this new mouse the "Naga."Technically the word is Sanskrit for "snake," and especially since most of Razer's mice are already named after scaly reptiles, we suppose it works. But given that the mouse is supposed to be designed for MMO gameplay (it has a twelve button thumb grid, supposedly to keep your hands off of spell buttons and on movement buttons where they belong), it's probably a happy coincidence that the name of the product is reminiscent of well-known villians in one very famous MMO. Good show, Razer.They also have a new "mousing surface" (back when I was a kid, we just called them mousepads) called the Megasoma. Both are available right now, and they ain't cheap: $80 for the mouse, and $50 for the pad. But if you want to go high-end on a mouse, and the Naga strikes your fancy, there you go.
WireWay pops up again
Konami's WireWay, an action game about bouncing a little alien around on wires, is flying dangerously under the radar, but we refuse to let it go ignored! Mostly because we are always interested in DS games with unique mechanics -- this one involves using wires placed around the stage as slingshots to move protagonist Wiley higher and higher in pursuit of star items. But also because this trailer Konami made for the game is too infectiously upbeat not to share. Bounce into our gallery for new screens!%Gallery-70492%
Final Fantasy XIV makes its gameplay debut at GamesCom
If you, like us, have been curious about the differences between Square's first MMO, Final Fantasy XI, and Square's upcoming MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, then a gameplay demonstration from GamesCom 2009 will likely provide an answer: One of the games has a "V" on the end of its title, while the other doesn't.Okay, okay, there's a bit more to it than that. In the gameplay demo -- which was captured by GameVideos and posted after the jump -- we can see the biggest difference right away: The game's combat system has seen a major overhaul. Gone is the weird drop-down menu system, which looks to have been replaced by a much more streamlined hotbar, as seen in the whack-the-obese-chicken footage. Also, FFXIV looks absolutely stunning. That's not much a shocker, though, considering Squeenix's pedigree -- a history that includes beautiful-looking games and an inability to count sequentially.[Via Massively]
The Beatles: Rock Band album DLC priced, dated, detailed
Harmonix has revealed approximate release dates, pricing, and track listings for the first three downloadable albums to hit The Beatles: Rock Band's Music Store. Abbey Road will arrive first on October 20 at a price of $16.98 (1360 ), with individual tracks for $1.99 (160). Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band will follow in November, and Rubber Soul will arrive in December. Full track listings are after the break, in case you aren't intimately familiar with Beatles albums.If you purchase the full Abbey Road album, you'll have the option to play the B-side medley (from "You Never Give Me Your Money" through "The End") as one continuous track. Along with this news, Harmonix confirmed that the "All You Need is Love" DLC track (160) will be available as a timed-exclusive for Xbox 360 on the game's September 9 launch date.
