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New cars (some free) hit Forza 2
If tooling around in the Hatemobile or its polar opposite the Loco Roller has lost some of its luster, there are a few new cars now available for download in Forza 2. First up, there's the Nissan Tournament Pack, which includes the 2007 Nissan Altima, 2007 Nissan Sentra and 2007 Nissan 350Z. If you're not only too poor to buy these cars but also to buy their digital equivalent, take heart: The pack is free.About 50 points (62 cents) less free is Peugeot's #8 turbo diesel 908. Speaking in technical terms, gearhead talk if you will, this car is very, very fast. Both are available now on Xbox Live.
Blast Factor: Advanced Research on the way
Sure, your friends may laugh at you as you continue to play Blast Factor many months after it appeared on PSN. But soon, your devotion will be rewarded by Blast Factor: Advanced Research, according to a post on the official PlayStation blog. Imagine how your friends' skills, thick and unwieldy from disuse will be shamed by your laser-like precision as you sail through seven new levels, eleven new enemy types and two new bosses. Yes, they could attempt to make use of the new practice modes, but it will all be for naught. ... You'll have already grown too powerful. Want to making your revenge dish even colder? The expansion adds monthly online high score tables, so the world will watch in awe, quaking before your greatness, finally realizing that though they laughed at you for your love of Blast Factor, in the end, the joke would be on them.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent gets lady spy, new maps on 360
Splinter Cell fans took it on the chin yesterday, finding out that the next iteration of the series, Conviction, wasn't due out until early 2008. It's sad, really. They're just sitting around now, sweating in their stealth wet suits, with their goggles down so we can't see the tears. Now it's time to perk up, guys and (specifically) gals, as new, free content for Splinter Cell: Double Agent has just been dropped on Xbox Live. It was talked about in February, but is finally here, just in time for nigh irrelevance. You can pick up two new multiplayer maps ("Kinshasa" and "Secret base"), but the real draw here is lady spy, who (as the blade description proudly touts) comes with three outfits. Who says women's liberation is over?
Project Sylpheed DLC: Free, but pulled; Vampire Rain DLC: Free, but pointless
Project Sylpheed was a pretty decent free-roaming space shooter in a genre that's been fairly thin, and if you didn't get enough on your first play-through, there are six new missions and six new weapons to download for free on Xbox Live. ... OK, well, there will be. It got pulled because of technical issues and will be put back up an an undetermined time.In the meantime though, look what we have here! It's some more free downloadable content for Vampire Rain! That's working just fine! Have you already played this game to death and been left blood-thirsty for more? ... No? Oh well, let's see what we've got anyway. Ooh, it's a free gathering mission. That certainly sounds exciting, doesn't it? ... Hey! Where are you going?
Wii Warm Up: A question of demos
We've got a quick question for you today: if you could choose something to be implemented on the Wii right now, today, would you choose downloadable demos of DS games (for the handheld, downloaded from the Wii), or would you be more interested in demos of Virtual Console games?We probably could have just asked if you own a DS or not, since we think the first option would be super keen for those of us who don't often find themselves around a download station, but we're sure many among you would prefer VC demos.
DS Daily: Downloadable content
If you didn't catch JC's review of the Nintendo Fan Network yesterday, go read it! We want to discuss location and event-based content. We'll just have to assume you're familiar with the concept, which isn't really a new one, but doesn't receive wide use. We can guess this is mostly due to the costs associated with such specifically-designed programs; after all, every participant would need a DS, and then the interface has to be designed. Still, whenever we read about creative use of the DS everywhere from museums to schools, we can't help but think how interesting it is regardless of whether they're using custom-designed software or not.So today, we want to get imaginative. Let's forget, for a moment, the difficulties associated with implementing a system like this and pretend that everything is super-easy. Where do you think the DS could add something to your experience? No matter how wild the idea, we want to hear it.
Four Lost Planet map packs go free on Friday, 360 patch coming soon
If you've been holding out to buy the first two Lost Planet map packs on Xbox Live because you didn't want to part with 800 ($10) of your hard-won bought points, get that downloading thumb ready. On July 20, "Radar Field," "Island 902," "Hive Complex" and "Trial Point" will become free. They'll also be appearing on PC for the first time on that day, where they will, of course, be free. As we all know, everything is free on the PC, a Willy Wonka-esque playground of pornography and gratis delights.Though they're late to the free party, 360 players can take comfort in the fact that the game will be getting a patch for connectivity issues at the end of July. Feel free to pretend that PC players both need it and have to pay for it, if it help gets you through the night. Of course, you'll then read that PC players will also get new characters like Frank West from Dead Rising and Mega Man. Check and ... mate.
Activision sticking to GH II DLC pricing
The consumer versus Guitar Hero II downloadable content pricing war rages on with Activision taking the defensive on their pricing strategy. According to Dusty Welch, the head of Red Octane publishing, the downloadable track packs have been a "tremendous success" and that "demand seems to be insatiable" as they're reporting that 300,000 song packs have been purchased since April. Mr. Welch goes on to say that they have been listening to Guitar Hero II customers, but will still be "offering even better music at current price points" due to the success of the previous song packs.So guys, who's to blame? We know we didn't purchase those overpriced track packs, but know there are a bunch who did. This is just another case of the financial bottom line being more important than the vocal majority, so quit buying the songs already! .... now back to the corner to cry myself to sleep again.[Via Joystiq]
Xbox Live demo orgy continues with The Bigs
If you, like one sad East Coast blogger, have been stinging from your dear friends at Joystiq leaving you behind as they party like Andrew W.K. at E3, then the flow of delicious demos on Xbox Live has been your balm. A salve, if you will. The healing continues today with The Bigs, 2K's arcade baseball entry, available in Canada and the U.S.We here at team East Coast have come to treasure these times we have together, Joystiq readers. You tell us about the new demo that you played, we listen and chuckle. Then, inevitably the talk turns to the rest of the Joystiq team and you ask if they're ever coming home, and we stare out the nearest West-facing window as we say "That's our prayer, child. That's our prayer." .... So, umm, The Bigs! What did you think?
E307: Picross and the painted pixels
The release of Picross is just around the corner for American gamers (none too soon!), and the title packs a huge punch considering the budget price. Not only does it look awesome, but it's been well-reviewed, and we'll have downloadable content. That's so great that Nintendo hardly needed to whet our appetites with a few new screens, but hey -- we're not complaining. Check 'em out below!Did we mention the wifi multiplayer? How can it be included in a lower-priced game like this, but not in Mario Party? We love you, Nintendo, but sometimes, we just don't understand you. %Gallery-4794%
Guitar Hero II gets new song pack
Boy, that Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Rock Band sure look exciting, don't they? The inclusion of Slash, new downloadable content every week? It's a very good time to love pretending to play guitar. But doesn't the axiom go "Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold"? You've got an opportunity to show a little love to an old friend with a new downloadable song pack for Guitar Hero II on Xbox Live.For 500 points ($6.25) you can pick up "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Smoke on the Water" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming." So, go ahead, spend some time with an old friend. Yes, he's an old friend who charges you six bucks to listen to old songs at his house, but he's a friend just the same.[Thanks, everyone who sent this in!]
Classic stadiums added (for a price) to MLB 2K7
If you're looking for a good way to connect with your grandpa (and you're tired of him reading you the good parts from The Princess Bride) you may want to consider a new, 800-point ($10) pack of six classic stadiums recently released for MLB 2K7. With the "Historic Stadium Bundle" you'll be able to play at Sportsman's Park, Forbes Field, Griffith Stadium, Shibe Park, Polo Grounds and Crosley Field. If your baseball history skills leave something to be desired, you can find some more information on Major Nelson's blog. That way, you won't be completely unable to relate when gramp-gramp starts waxing nostalgic about Polo Grounds' "oddly-shaped outfield fence." If you only have time to learn the ins-and-outs of a couple of stadiums though, you can also purchase them in two-packs for 300 points ($3.75).
New Boom Boom Rocket DLC is on its way
Bizarre Creations has confirmed that they are currently working on downloadable content for their firecracker of an XBLA game Boom Boom Rocket. The specifics like price and release date are still unknown, but what we do know is that the DLC will include five new songs. Which new songs? Well, that also has yet to be confirmed, but they did hint that the new tracks will be harder and should pose a challenge to even the most experienced Boom Boom Rocketers. We'll be sure to keep our ears open and our eyes peeled for any new info that heads our way concerning the new Boom Boom Rocket DLC. Boom!
F.E.A.R. Nightmare Pack available, reasonable
When we read the name of the new downloadable "Nightmare" map pack for F.E.A.R., our snarky blogger sense went haywire. "Oh, this will be rich," we said in our heads as we planned our first line, which would have gone something like "The real nightmare is being asked to pay $10 for these things!" (lolz!) But then we saw the price: 500 points ($6.25) for four new maps. Which is annoyingly reasonable. "Well what the blood clot are we supposed to write!?" we shouted angrily, chucking our half-empty Diet Pepsi Max at our favorite kitten calendar. That's when we realized it: The names of the maps! We could include those and then hopefully make some sort of great zinger. So ... Heliport, Spill Kill, Asylum and Cafeteria. ... Nothing. OK. Well, F.E.A.R. packs are available. Go get them, or don't. We're going to go curl up with a pint of Chubby Hubby and a Nicholas Sparks book and figure out what we're even doing in this business.
Sony-made ISO loader discovered in new PSP firmware
An official ISO loader has been found in the latest Sony PSP firmware updates (both 3.50 and 3.51). The file, np9660.prx, has been presumed to run downloaded PSP games (the encrypted ISO image) off of a memory stick.The presence of the ISO loader may not be significant on its own, but the speculation is that it may be the first steps for a games-on-demand service where full PSP titles (not just PlayStation One emulations) will be made available for download and play, sans UMD. It's an interesting possibility but at this point just rumors and speculation.[Via PSP Fanboy]
Rainbow Six Vegas Black Edition goes AWOL
So, the Rainbow Six Vegas Black Edition DLC really did appear on Xbox Live. It was brief, but it was there. But now, as you have already found if you've attempted a download over the past day or so, it is most certainly not there. The good Major offers little help on his blog, saying only: "This has been pulled. I'll let you know when it makes a return." Wow, cryptic.There are, of course, plenty of delightful theories as to why the pack pulled a Judy on Family Matters. Some think that it got on to Marketplace too early, some think a critical bug was discovered. We like to think that Ubisoft was so racked with guilt over charging $10 for five maps (when that amount previously got you five maps and two new modes) that they pulled it. We admit that's not really likely. We'll be sure to update this post when it triumphantly returns.
Wii Warm Up: Original fare
Now that we know that original games are coming via WiiWare, we've got to ask what kind of things you expect -- or hope -- to see. Any particular developers or existing franchises you're crossing your fingers for? Adaptations of existing games, perhaps? We all know ports are (not) where it's at. Surely you've pondered this question; now the time has come to share your musings with the other kids in the class. Also: do you think this announcement makes a hard drive more likely, despite yesterday's denial?
It's official: Nintendo to launch separate download service
Last month, the rumor gained some steam, and now Level Up's N'Gai Croal says it's official: Nintendo will launch WiiWare, a new service for original downloadable Wii games. Like the Virtual Console, WiiWare will be part of the Wii Shop channel and will be available for (unknown amounts of) Wii points. Croal can also confirm that it's not just the big names coming out with content for WiiWare -- indie developers are more than welcome. Of course, with all good news, there's also bound to be a little bad news ... and here it's that WiiWare probably won't be available until 2008. Still, it sounds like it could be worth the wait.
Rainbow Six Vegas expands yet again with Black Edition
Rainbow Six Vegas continues to roll along, picking up new levels like some sort of very specific Katamari. This new infusion of terrorist-thwomping action (just two months after your last hit) is called the Player's Pack Black Edition and will run you 800 points ($10).For your sawbuck, you'll nab three brand new maps like Red Lotus and Wartown plus a revamped version of Streets. You'll also get an appearance from a very special guest star: PRESIDIO, which the elderly among you may remember from Rainbow Six 3. The content weighs in at 705 MB and is available now.
Because we love you: Wipeout Pure downloads
One of our readers, Eric, has been unable to find the downloadable expansions for Wipeout Pure -- they seemingly disappeared off the face of the internet. Don't worry Eric, we got your back. Because we love our readers, we've uploaded all the tracks that were released post-launch. These levels add a significant amount of gameplay to the already-amazing launch title. Download the ZIP file. Extract the contents of the zip file (there should be many folders that start with UCUS). Connect your PSP via USB. Browse the Memory Stick. Save folders in PSP/SAVEDATA. Enjoy!
