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GC 2008: Prince of Persia learns new move, is basically Spider-Man
"Prince of Persia, Prince of Persia ... does whatever a Prince of Persia can." Oh wait – that's the Spider-Man song. Well, it's easy to get the two characters confused, what with news out of Leipzig by way of Eurogamer that his royal majesty, the Prince of Persia, can add running along ceilings to his move repertoire.Using this new "roof run" move, he can scamper along, grabbing hanging objects in order to keep the momentum going. According to level designer Michael MacIntyre, "When you come in contact with the ceiling you jump, you do the run, and then you have to hit the glove button to grab any element on the roof in order to keep going. So there's a rhythm to it," adding, "With this new move, our level designers had all the tools they needed to create acrobatic sequences that can use pretty much every surface in the game." Every surface? We're pretty sure there's some nasty black goo you can't touch without, you know, dying. At least that's what the video walkthrough we posted yesterday seems to show.
GC 2008: This is new video of This is Vegas
Much like the real Vegas, you go into this Games Convention 2008 trailer thinking that you're going to come out a winner, but, when all is said and done, you're none the richer for it. It's more or less a sweep through the game's copyright-skirting lineup of faux casinos with a hint of driving and a logo to assure viewers that, yes, This is Vegas.Though the game / "lifestyle sim" has been delayed until next year, Midway nevertheless had it on display at E3 so we could proclaim: This is our Hands-on with This is Vegas. Two new screens head up the gallery below. Meanwhile, we anxiously await the inevitable sequels: This is Lodi, This is Jasper, and This is Hoboken.%Gallery-15441%
GC 2008: 'Tornado' ads both suck and blow
Behold: Tornado. What's the game about? Does it really matter? From what we can stomach gather, this ludicrous video – complete with a crappy rip-off of Danny Elfman's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure score – shows a game that looks like a Katamari Damacy clone, is played by swirling the stylus on the DS screen, and stars the love child of Shadow the Hedgehog and Aero the Acro-Bat.Oh, and what is up with that poor raccoon? Or the little girl with the dead eyes and creepy smirk? The whole thing looks like footage David Lynch could have shot after going off his drugs. There's a second spot after the break, but you might want to take a moment to compose yourself before clicking through, since it's just as hysterically awful. You have been warned.
GC 2008: Peter Moore doesn't want to punish pirates
Despite his fondness for authentic, handmade pirate headwear, Peter Moore was talking about video game pirates at the Leipzig Games Convention, telling Eurogamer that he doesn't think the rapscallions should be made to walk the plank. After all, that didn't work when the record industry tried to sue people for illegally downloading music, Moore reminds us.Granted, this doesn't mean he wants people to run out and torrent the latest EA title but "there are better solutions than chasing people for money," Moore says. "I'm not sure what they are, other than to build game experiences that make it more difficult for there to be any value in pirating games."So will Moore change his tune and start keelhauling PC pirates? Probably not, since he's "not a huge fan of trying to punish your consumer." Avast, me buckos! Might we expect a subscription-based Madden on PC then?
GC 2008: New trailer, screens for The Wheelman (not The Assassin!)
That's right! As Vin Diesel so eloquently points out, he's a wheelman, not an assassin. Of course, this dramatic scene takes place just after he's mowed down countless bad guys and destroyed half the city in a dramatic and collision-filled car chase. It's all a bit frantic, frankly, but at least we have The Wheelman's lead mission designer, Mark Thompson, to guide us through the broken glass and mangled metal. Don't forget to check out fresh screenshots in the gallery below!%Gallery-30183%
GC 2008: GTA IV adds replay editor, polish on PC
Rockstar has laid out details on some of the additions and improvements in store for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV. Eurogamer reports that the version it was shown at Leipzig featured more realistic lighting, animation, and "a much higher level of detail on both characters and environments."More intriguing is a replay editor. According to Rockstar, the PC version of GTA IV is always recording the previous 30 seconds worth of gameplay, so you can pause at any time and really soak up the calamity that's just transpired. It will also be possible to tweak the footage by means of filters, cuts, and repositioning of the camera. The completed clip can be combined with other 30 second snippets into one long, personal crime epic to share with friends via the Rockstar Social Club website. The PC version will also expand on the consoles' 16-player online component, although the extent of what's planned is largely unknown beyond there being more filters for finding specific match types.
GC 2008: Ubisoft screenshot roundup
Ubisoft has released beaucoup d'images as part of the media overflow we call Leipzig Games Convention 2008. Below and after the break, check out new galleries of screenshots for Raving Rabbids TV Party, Prince of Persia, EndWar, HAWX, Far Cry 2 and more. It's just like Ubidays, only with no Beyond Good & Evil in sight. Oh, mon Dieu!%Gallery-30166%
GC 2008: Shaun White and company take a road trip
Straight out of Leipzig, a crazy mofo named Shaun White. The latest trailer for Ubisoft's Balance Board-compatible sports title, Shaun White Snowboarding shows off a lot of what you'd expect from a snowboarding game: lots of spinning and big jumps. We're not poking fun, because, to be honest, we think the game looks pretty polished. SSX it may not be, but a fun time it could very well become.%Gallery-29887%
Resident Evil 5 co-op video fresh from Leipzig
Some fresh co-op gameplay video from Resident Evil 5 has landed in Leipzig, and now we're bringing it home to you. In the videos we see Chris Redfield working together with his new partner Sheva Alomar (also known as Player 2). The first video, above, shows Chris' point of view, while the second shows Sheva's. The two have to work together to open new pathways and continue forward (check out the awesome vaulting maneuver near the beginning). To be perfectly honest, Resident Evil 5 is looking hawt. Sure, it may only be Resident Evil 4 with a new coat of pixels, but those are some nice pixels. Find the second video after the break.
GC 2008: EVE economist says players set the game's course
Speaking at the Games Convention in Leipzig, EVE Online economist Dr. Eyjolfur Gudmundsson suggested that the game's 245,000 players drive its development and innovation even more than the team at CCP does. That could be construed as populist pandering, for sure, but Gudmundsson -- who was addressing a room full of game developers -- dedicated most of his talk to the notion of "unleashing the power of players."He pointed to the Council of Stellar Management -- a democratically-elected group that represents the player-base in meetings with CCP -- and the player-driven open market that manages itself in accordance with real-world principles of economics as examples of the communal direction in action.This is a notably different mentality than that found in World of Warcraft and similar games which dispense carefully constructed experiences to the players from the developers at the top. EVE stirs an open ended pot of players to cook up gameplay experiences. Godmundsson is talking up the open approach, but both methods arguably have their own special strengths and pitfalls.
GC 2008: Eden bringing Alone in the Dark PS3 fixes to Xbox 360 with patch
Did you find yourself driven just a wee bit mad by some of the design decisions in Alone in the Dark for Xbox 360? Well, you're not alone, and developer Eden Games isn't in the dark about what it did wrong.During a Leipzig Games Convention presentation, the studio owned up to the title's shortcomings, promising that a number of them are being addressed in the upcoming PS3 version. Specifically, the camerawork is different (it's pulled back more, and players will have free control using the right analog stick); the player character, Edward Carnby, runs by default; and the atrociously twitchy car handling has been mellowed out.While this is good news for PS3 owners still eager to experience the game, they won't be the only ones to reap the benefits of Eden's hindsight and extra development time. It's been announced that an upcoming patch will bring these fixes – and potentially more – to the 360 version, although no firm date has been given for its release (it'll presumably hit when the PS3 game does in November).
GC 2008: Heavy Rain will have demo; DLC teased
take a look at these screenshots Sure, we've been gushing about Heavy Rain lately, but Quantic Dreams President David Cage has assured Eurogamer that we will be able to experience it all first-hand with a demo. "Yes, of course, there will be a demo," he said, adding that it will likely not contain any elements of the main storyline. "We've spent a lot of time working on the story this time ... And I think it's a very unusual story for a videogame, so I think people will be quite surprised." Cage also noted that what we've seen so far is a separate episode and not related to the main storyline. Cage also hinted that Heavy Rain DLC could be trickling out in the near future. "This is something it's really too early to talk about, but it's definitely a possibility," he said, adding, "You can tell any story with this interface, because it's entirely contextual." The clouds will burst with Heavy Rain (seriously, we're going to work on our pun addiction) in 2009. %Gallery-30067%
Blizzard debuts 'Wrath of the Lich King' intro
Once you finally, finally install the Wrath of the Lich King onto your personal copy of World of Warcraft, what's the first thing you'll bear witness to (besides empty Mountain Dew cans and an empty, empty apartment)? Why, the above video, of course. For your viewing pleasure we present the opening cinematic from Blizzard's upcoming opus.So, what's it like? C'mon dude, it's a new Blizzard cinematic, do you really want some tubby blogger spoiling it for you? Of course not. Now, get to clicking.
GC 2008: New Killzone 2 footage shows game is 'pre-beta'
While not as high quality as the falsified chat multiplayer trailer, the Kizzy Dos (remember, that's our nickname for Killzone 2) footage from Leipzig GC 2008 above does reveal that the game is now in pre-beta. When we last saw the game about a month ago at E3, K2 was rocking a pre-alpha build. We're happy to see the game progressing smoothly, even if we have to wait until February to play the final build. Here's to hoping developer Guerilla Games follows in the footsteps of its peers and opens a public beta for the game.%Gallery-4719%
GC 2008: Lode Runner XBLA remake 'coming soon'
Developer Tozai has been noticeably silent with regards to its upcoming take on Brøderbund's early computer platformer Lode Runner, and while our army of robots have once more returned empty handed, the media sleuths at IGN report that a seemingly "largely done" build of the XBLA remake was on hand at the Leipzig's media extravaganza.The news leaves us wondering just when we'll be able to revisit our platforming roots, though the game's presence on the show floor was reportedly adorned with rather ambiguous signage that simply read "coming soon." We certainly hope so, because with both this and some sort of R-Type title in the works, Tozai has become adept at tugging at nostalgia's heartstrings.
Check out Far Cry 2's map editor
Ubisoft has released video of Far Cry 2's map editor, complete with a soothing narrator who holds your hands through the 5-minute trailer. Quite frankly, we're excited for how intuitive it seems to be, but perhaps that's just wishful thinking that we'll be able to accurately recreate the island from LOST and play out our own scenarios (only with fewer polar bears). Weather and time of day can also be altered. The folks at IGN have detailed impressions of the editor. It looks impressive, for sure, but remembering Unreal Tournament 3 for Xbox 360, what is unclear right now is how (if at all) console gamers will be able to trade maps. Update: Curse our insomniac ways! Previous entry Far Cry Instincts featured ways to share maps over Xbox Live, so it'd be safe to assume a similar method will also be used for Far Cry 2.
GC 2008: Buzz!, Destruction Derby going mobile in Europe
Hands on your buzzers. What two companies partnered during this year's Leipzig Games Convention to bring "key" PlayStation franchises to mobile carriers in the European market? Quickly now. 3 ... 2 ...1... buzzcrak! The correct answer, had you answered on time, would have been Sony and UK mobile games publisher Player X, though we can forgive your tardiness given that the duo's idea of a pivotal franchise is likely to differ from what you have in mind. No, rather than whipping Kratos' Blades of Chaos with the number 4 key on your handset, or tapping a put into the cup with the 9 in a miniaturized version of Hot Shots Golf, the companies have announced plans to bring virtual quiz show Buzz! and Reflection's original PlayStation racer Destruction Derby to mobile phones this fall and in early 2009, respectively. True, neither of these inspire us to reach for our phones just yet. However, Sony adds that the deal, a first for Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios with an outsider, will continue to bring PlayStation luminaries to mobile phones in Europe for the next three years. Thanks for playing.
GC 2008: Stare into the (new videos of) Dark Void
Capcom is showing Airtight Games' Gears of War/Crimson Skies/Rocketeer mash-up, Dark Void, at Games Convention – in fact, it's the very same section of the game that was on display at last month's E3. What's changed, though, is quite important: the frame rate. When we played the game less than 30 days ago, we liked it ... but we didn't like the sheer chugginess of it all.You can see that things have improved markedly in these three new videos (two more can be found after the break). In them, Dark Void designer, Jose Perez III, details the game's story and concept, vertical gameplay, and flight gameplay, respectively. Airtight still has about a year of development time to make sure the game is, well ... airtight when it ships in '09.
GC 2008: Over 2.2m SingStar downloads, Disney version coming to PS2
Sony announced today at the Leipzig Games Convention 2008 that over 2.2 million SingStar songs have been downloaded via the aptly titled SingStore, which launched less than a year ago. Additionally, the company also unveiled SingStar Singalong with Disney for PlayStation 2, which as you might have guessed is a collection of Disney songs you can sing along to. Singalong with Disney is coming this Fall "exclusively for PAL territories." And hey, don't forget it'll be compatible with SingStar PS3.Source – SingStar Singalong With Disney on PlayStation 2Source – Over 2.2m songs downloaded via SingStore
GC 2008: Sega screenshot roundup
Sega has a mighty lineup on public display (and behind closed doors) at Leipzig Games Convention 2008, comprised of titles from the East and West. MadWorld and Bayonetta, its collaborations with former Clover Studios staff, are there, as are Sonic games, strategy titles, DS wares, and more. But there's nary a sign of PSP support to be found. And it was doing so well with games like Crush. Ah well. You can check out screenshot galleries of everything Sega has on show after the break. %Gallery-30113% %Gallery-30114%
