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PSA: Play Bionic Commando with Capcom
Capcom's Shawn Baxter has announced that the company will be hosting a community play session of the Bionic Commando multiplayer demo later today. For your shot at playing with the folks at Capcom, sign on to Xbox Live at 3:00pm Pacific Time (6:00pm Eastern) and send a friend request to "Snow Infernus" (Baxter's gamertag). A few lucky gamers will then be invited to the match.Of course, you could always just play the demo with your friends.
Bionic Commando demo glitch allows friends, extends time limit
If you've put much time into the Bionic Commando multiplayer demo on Xbox Live, you'll be aware of two painful facts. 1) You can't invite friends and 2) five minutes isn't nearly enough time to, ahem, get into the swing of things. If you would like to get rid of both of these annoyances in one swoop, Capcom Unity forum member Toshin has got you covered. The process is pretty simple: Open up the demo and press start, which will open the main menu (with the Xbox Live, Options and Quit Demo selections). Don't leave this screen. Have a friend send you a game invite for any game. Accept the invite, then choose no when it asks if you want to quit your current game session. You will be booted to the demo lobby, only now you can invite friends to the game and the time limit has been removed. Be sure you don't edit either the frag limit or the game mode, as doing so will crash the demo. We tried it, and it definitely works. Watch the process in the video above.
Latest Bionic Commando screens are full of swinging ... dreads
For all of you hotly anticipating the May 19 release of Bionic Commando, Capcom has dropped a gaggle of screens on us for your perusal, just below. Featuring Nathan "RAD" Spencer's (likely smelly and gross) flowing dreads in action as he swings through Ascension City -- as well as a variety of other combat scenes -- we can't help but reminisce on the days of yore when the dude couldn't even jump. Now he's in three freakin' dimensions!GRIN's upcoming action-adventure/third-person swingin' shooter has been available for multiplayer demoing via Xbox Live and PlayStation Network for the past few days, but for those of you without access to the internet ... well, we wonder how you're reading this. But maybe you're at the local library and needed your daily Bionic Commando screenshot fix. Bang! Here it is!%Gallery-51688%
John Connor destroys a bunch of robots in Terminator: Salvation trailer
In another clip from GRIN's upcoming Terminator: Salvation, we see more of the usual: John Connor killing robots. Luckily for us, being the warm sacks of flesh that we are, that's exactly what we want to see. So, feast your eyes on the clip above and learn how to take down the many enemies of humanity. Y'know, in case you ever find yourself in Skynet's artificial dog house.
Humanity fights back in latest Terminator: Salvation video
For as much as Sarah Connor and the rest of humanity talk about John's fight against the machines, it isn't a fight that he has taken up on his own. There are many human allies behind the man, toiling day in and day out to quell the robotic onslaught from finishing off what little meat bags are left on this big, blue spinning rock. Thankfully, the folks at GRIN know that, and have sent our way this video from Terminator: Salvation that shows off some co-op gameplay. Looks like John gets by with a little help from his friends.
Terminator Salvation video has gameplay
We thought about coming up with a better headline for this post, but given our recent hands-on time with Terminator Salvation, we thought we'd let the video speak for itself. The above video is comprised solely of gameplay footage from Grin's upcoming John Connor simulator, replete with plenty of gun shootin', grenade throwin', cover grabbin' action.While we'll have to wait until next month to pass judgment on the final game, the action certainly looks decent. At the very least, the video does confirm one thing: They definitely got the music right, so that's a plus.
Terminator: Salvation trailer includes sweet action, bad voice acting
Grin is on a licensed game streak, having taken the reigns on Capcom's Bionic Commando reboot, breathing digital life to Mark Millar's Wanted and now shining light on Linda Hamilton's dark vision of the future in Terminator: Salvation. Based on what we've seen and our hands-on impressions, Terminator: Salvation has potential; however, the voice actor responsible for John Connor does not.For actor Gideon Emery, dialog -- that we presume was written to convey a sense of urgency -- is delivered flat and weak. We're seriously disappointed, considering how his previous work as British Commando #3 in Resistance 2 was so pivotal to that game's complete story experience.%Gallery-48219%
New Bionic Commando trailer drops science on abilities
Gamers are getting their chance to go Bionic this May when Grin extends it's retail arm to deliver Bionic Commando. In a new series of trailers (dubbed "Lab Reports") the developer showcases some abilities gamers will use to navigate and survive the treacherous landscape.We know. You're worried about the journey ahead, but you have the wits and will to complete your mission and the heart to continue when the going gets tough. We believe in you. Also, you will have a gigantic bionic arm capable to decimating foes and traversing the world in any direction... so, stop crying about it!%Gallery-24249%
GDC09: Terminator Salvation hands-on
click to enlarge Set two years before the movie bearing the same name, Terminator Salvation's, well, salvation from the realm of mediocre shooter-dom is in the hands of Bionic Commando dev Grin. Embedded within the film's production team from day one, sharing creations back and forth, the Swedish group hopes to set the game apart from every other third-person action game on the market by playing off the toughness and tenacity of the titular robots. When we sat down to play the game for the first time, we found a functional shooter that didn't manage to terminate our generally low expectations of movie tie-ins.While we were assured that the game does indeed look like the film on which it precedes in the series' canon, the wash of browns and greens which made up the first level's scenery, combined with its cover mechanic and even the look of John Connor himself, had us wondering if this really was a Terminator title or if someone had played way too much Resistance: Retribution. (It looks eerily similar at times; check out the screens.)%Gallery-48219%
Bionic Commando (dread) locks on to May 19 release
Nathan Spencer is ready to finish off Capcom's gaming assault of Q1 & Q2. GRIN's long-awaited three-dimensional continuation of the classic NES series now has a date: May 19 on Xbox 360 and PS3. A PC version, also in the works, will be available "shortly after the console release."Before the game comes out, make sure you check out all the various pre-order bonuses available -- you wouldn't want to miss out on a lunchbox, would you? And then, warm up with some Bionic Commando Rearmed (here's to hoping Bionic Commando will be at least half as good!).Update: Europe will be receiving the game on May 22nd.%Gallery-24249%
Da-da-dun-da-dun, this is Terminator Salvation
Taking place two years before the movie of the same name, Terminator Salvation: The Video Game puts players in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles at the time AI-overlord Skynet rises to power. This means series hero John Connor is still a legend-in-the-making, and time-traveling Terminators have yet to learn the catchy Spanish phrases that would make them famous.We watched a live demo of Salvation earlier this month, taking in the shooter's "cover and flank" battle system, the cinematic, HUD-less interface and the constant barrage of that thematic riff (the one that goes *Da-da-dun-da-dun. Da-da-dun-da-dun*). As much as we love hearing the tune, we're not too enamored, thus far, with the game's presentation regarding its generic weapons arsenal and bland on-rails sections; however, that opinion might change once we finally get some hands-on time at GDC next week. For now, here's a trailer and some screen shots to check out.%Gallery-48219%
Trophies: Bionic Commando
1 Platinum 3 Gold 4 Silver 42 Bronze Difficulty: Difficult Online Trophies? No Time to Completion: 25 hours DLC Trophies? No View Trophy List Read More About the Game %Gallery-9695%
Trophies: Terminator Salvation
How good will a game be when the developers put this much effort into making Trophies? Unless the game is impossible on Hard, this may be the easiest Platinum in a video game to date. View Trophy List | Visit Trophy Portal
Buy Bionic Commando, get a comic book with original Dave Gibbons art
Make that three copies of Bionic Commando you'll have to preorder: one at GameCrazy for the lunchbox, one at GameStop for the patches, and now one from Capcom's online store for this Bionic Commando: Chain of Command comic book.The book fills in the story gap between the NES Bionic Commando game and the new one. Chain of Command was serialized in digital form on the Bionic Commando website, but if you want the printed version with exclusive cover art from Dave "Watchmen" Gibbons, you'll have to buy the game.Oh, he's got a chain for an arm, and he's a command-o. We just got that.
Wanted: Weapons of Fate demo on March 5
According to a F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin promo insert (Xbox 360 version pictured), a demo for Wanted: Weapons of Fate is set to hit the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store on March 5.Developed by GRIN (of Bionic Commando Rearmed fame), Wanted: Weapons of Fate takes place five hours after the events of the 2008 action flick based on the same comic book property. Like a list of games as long as our arm, Wanted will feature bullet-time and (more creatively) the ability to curve bullets around the environment. Basically, it's the most realistic game ever.Check out Joystiq's hands-on feature with Wanted: Weapons of Fate.
Steamy Ghost Recon savings, 50% off the Complete Pack
This is not a drill. Keep your head low, your wallets open and your Steam account information at the ready, because this is an official weekend deal alert: The Ghost Recon Complete Pack is 50% off through Steam. For only $19.99 or roughly the cost of Tom Clancy's Fighter Wing guide, you can be the proud owner of all five PC versions of the Ghost Recon series including the original, Island Thunder, Desert Siege, GRAW and the latest installment, GRAW2. The money savings will expire prior to Monday, so make your "should I buy?" or "should I pass" decision in a timely manner. Please, try to keep an orderly line so the cashier can smoothly operate the checkout lane.
Movie stars contribute voice work to Wanted: Weapons of Fate
Wanted is a pretty sweet comic. It's also kind of a lousy movie. You'd think the same pejorative would apply to the upcoming video game, but we're actually looking forward to that. Go figure! Less surprising is the news that some of the film's actors will reprise their roles for the game, with additional Hollywood talent coming on board to fill out new roles made specifically for the GRIN-developed title. Among those from the film are Common (he played the Gunsmith in the film, but will voice Brummel, a new character for the game), Thomas Kretschmann (Cross), and Terence Stamp (Pekwarsky). Joining them will be Paz Vega, who will play "a seductive Spanish assassin known as Araña," and Peter Stormare, who will play The Immortal, leader of the French Fraternity. Just so you know, he'll "stop at nothing to follow the film's notable Code of Weavers." Wanted: Weapons of Fate will be available in March for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Head past the break for an interview with Common about his role in the game.%Gallery-38585%
Capcom commits to May release for Bionic Commando
Put a fresh coat of polish on your mechanical claw, throw on a clean tank top and part your hair, because Capcom just announced that Bionic Commando will be released on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, in all territories, sometime this May. To put the news another way, just look for this box on retail shelves during the month that follows April and precedes June. You'll find Nathan Spencer and his bionic appendage swinging onto the PC during the months following the console debut.
GRIN talks movie games, state of the industry
Speaking to gamesindustry.biz, GRIN co-founder Ulf Andersson shared some of his thoughts on creating movie licensed games -- something he's been doing a lot recently -- as well as thoughts on the game industry as a whole. Concerning games based on films, Anderson said he believed that "the movie business is taking games more seriously," further noting that the audiences for both films and games have "begun to meld together" (you don't say!).About the game industry itself, Anderson said the business needs "established quality marks." For example, said Anderson, consumers can be relatively certain that a game released by Blizzard or Valve will be good, but building that kind of reputation takes years, a luxury most small developers don't have. Said Anderson, "I think establishing some sort of quality mark... I don't know, I'm dreaming here, but it would be so nice to have something like: "Boom! This is good." Yes, Ulf. Yes it would.Hit the source link for the full interview.
Capcom: No online play for Bionic Commando: Rearmed the 'right choice'
In a rather exhaustive postmortem of Bionic Commando: Rearmed on Gamasutra, Capcom producer Ben Judd shared his opinion that excluding online play from Rearmed was "the right choice." Said Judd, "After seeing the large amount of headaches, additional production time and cost that comes with adding online, I'm glad we made the choice not to include it." He noted that many digitally distributed games are plagued with online problems and that "additional sales would not have been equivalent to the additional pains" needed to add online play to the game. While we certainly have to agree that digitally distributed games have their share of online problems -- something any XBLA user can tell you -- we can't help but imagine the glories online play could have brought to Bionic Commando: Rearmed. At least we'll still be able to swing online in the upcoming 3D remake.
