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Cave Story dev's Guxt rated for 3DS, will include vertical display mode
As Cave Story designer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya told us in an interview last March, he's been working on a version of his vertical scrolling shmup Guxt for the 3DS, and Nicalis, who's publishing the game, has just tweeted recently that it's been rated by the ESRB and is ready to go. You can download and play the game online for free on the PC right now, though the game will be updated for Nintendo's handheld for sure.One of the game's producers has tweeted that the title will have a "vertical display mode", so players will be able to tilt the 3DS to hold it vertically, and see the game on a correctly-aligned screen, rather than having a bar running through the middle of the action. Unfortunately, there's no word on exactly when the game will arrive, but considering it's been in development for a while., "soon" is probably the answer you're looking for. Stay tuned.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 rated by ESRB for consoles, PC
The ESRB has granted Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 an "E for Everyone" rating on the PC, 360, PS3 and Windows Phone platforms, thankfully without dyeing its sideburns in the process. Usually, an ESRB rating is indicative of an impending release date announcement or, in the case of badly promoted games, an impending release.Android, iOS and Wii classifications are missing from the ESRB's breakdown of the title, which isn't to say that those version don't or won't exist, but it is a good sign that they may not be among the first batch of platforms to receive Sonic 4: Episode 2. Still, it's at least reassuring to know that the game exists, which is more than some people can say.
Rated battlegrounds FAQ
Many players were a bit confused about some of the rules and mechanics revolving around the new rated battlegrounds coming in Cataclysm. Blizzard has, thankfully, posted a new FAQ on the official forums detailing some common questions players had about the new system. Some highlights include the three brackets (10v10, 15v15, 25v25); weekly conquest point caps based on your highest PvP rating in any bracket; and winning in a group comprised of 80 percent guild members awarding guild experience. Hit the jump for the full blue post.
IgroMir 2009: Cataclysm panel recaps
I touched on Blizzard's presence at IgroMir 2009, sort of the Russian E3, a bit previously, specifically about J. Allen Brack's panel regarding guild progression and leveling in Cataclysm. Of course, I had to Google-translate the panel from Russian (nyet, I do not know Russian, comrades), and not everything Blizzard-related from the whole convention was in the recaps I read. Thankfully, Blizzard themselves have released their own recaps of the Cataclysm panel. In his talk, Brack discussed rated battlegrounds, Tol Barad (briefly), and guild progression. It turns out that I was pretty thorough in the guild leveling post, but here's the stuff I didn't cover: Rated Battlegrounds will be an alternative way to gain Arena points for those who prefer large-scale PVP. Your personal rating gain for a win will vary depending on the specific Battleground. There'll be featured Battlegrounds each week with bonus rating gain for wins. You will not lose points or rating for a Battleground loss. Arena points can be used to purchase pets, mounts, vanity items, and perhaps best of all, the old honor system PVP titles like Grand Marshal. Tol Barad will provide bonus daily quests and instances for the faction that wins the battle for the zone, somewhat like, as Brack put it, a cross between the Isle of Quel'Danas and Lake Wintergrasp. You can check out our previous IgroMir post here, or read Blizzard's official recap on their IgroMir site. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it. Nothing will be the same. In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion. From Goblins and Worgens to Mastery and Guild changes, it's all there for your cataclysmic enjoyment.
CNET unveils its top-rated HDTVs
Yeah, we've already let you guys voice your opinion on the best HDTV out there, but now its time for CNET to dish out an updated version of the "top-rated HDTVs regardless of type, technology, brand, or size." Taking a respectable fourth is the Samsung LN-T4665F, which was praised for its excellent shadow detail and beautiful styling, while the Pioneer PDP-5070HD managed to squeeze into third thanks to its accurate color decoding and impressive array of inputs. The first loser (or runner-up, depending on perspective) was the Mitsubishi WD-65831, which was dubbed "as good as it gets" in the 65-inch range for those not savvy with high-end plasma pricetags. Unsprisingly, Pioneer's stunning PRO-FHD1 took top honors due to its excellent detail with 1080-resolution material, deep blacks, and all around excellent picture quality. Of course, this very set also took home the gold in an earlier showdown, so if you've been teetering on how to blow wisely spend $8,000 or so, the choice seems pretty clear at this stage.
Debunking a PSP myth: it has no good games
Anyone that has been around the Internet block or visited a game store lately may have heard someone claim the PSP has little to no good games on the platform. If you're anything like me, you like to wear your girlfriend's underwear and you also hate to hear bad words about the PSP. My personal PSP game collection is larger than my DS or Xbox 360 game libraries and after hearing about the lack of great games on the system so often, I began to wonder if perhaps I just had a terrible taste in games. While I can't prove that my gaming interests are worthwhile, I did dig up some info on the PSP library and whether or not there are many quality games on the system. It isn't just gaming fans who dis the PSP, critics do as well. Keeping that in mind, I wondered how the PSP game library critically stacked up against its competitor; the oft praised DS. What I found may be surprising. Data Collected from Metacritic Amount of US released PSP games rated 80 and above: 38 (not counting Advent Children since it isn't a game) Amount of US released DS games rated 80 and above: 28 (and 4 of those are versions of Nintendogs) So it seems that these same critics that praise PSP games, must have a short-term memory when they bash the system's lack of quality titles. I'm in no way trying to put down the DS with the example listed above, just attempting to prove that the PSP isn't devoid of quality like an episode of War at Home. Hopefully fellow PSP fanboys can use the above proof to dissuade negative words about your system of choice. In any case, it should make you feel good about owning the system.
