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Make a Far Cry map, win swag
Planet Far Cry and TeamXbox are giving you the opportunity to unleash the map creating beast within and win some cool swag for your efforts. If you own a copy of Far Cry Instincts Predator for Xbox 360, and have mastered its map editing feature, you'll want to check out the submission rules for the Far Cry Map-Making Madness contest. The Grand Prize includes a Yamaha home theater system, a year of Xbox Live Gold, and other 360 goodies from the Marketplace and Ubisoft. Go ahead and show Jack Carver what you've got!
Metareview - Metroid Prime: Hunters
Metroid Prime: Hunters marks the return of Samus and the arrival of several new bounty hunters, each vying for victory in deadly online arenas. Judging by the initial batch of reviews, it would appear that the demo which introduced many of us to the DS for the first time has flourished into an excellent, platform-defining game. Yay! IGN (90%) praised the game's presentation and online play, but were a bit annoyed by the game's lazy boss designs. "Metroid Prime Hunters is easily the best handheld first person shooter developed to date, even with its somewhat high learning curve and cramp-inducing control." Gamepro (90%) loved the graphics and multiplayer aspects of the title, but thought that the touch screen aiming was a bit tricky when precision was required. "Although the single player game will provide you with hours of entertainment, the multiplayer in Hunters could be a game all unto its own." Gamespot (86%) was particularly impressed by the controls, but not so much by the apparently linear level design. "The online action is smooth and lag free in our experience, and you're likely to find stiff challenges online against other human opponents." [Note: Gamespot has since taken down their review due to an error. We'll post their updated score as soon as they publish it. Thanks Adam! Another note: Okay, the review is back up and the score is unchanged. That was fun. Thanks Andrew!] Gamedaily (80%) said that the lacking single-player mode was more than made up for by the excellent online component. "The game's controls take a bit of time to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, you'll realize NST has done an extraordinary job in bringing Samus to the Nintendo DS."
Halo 3 possibly back in PS3 launch frame, says analyst
With all the PS3 delay news flying around lately, it seems that a certain big sequel for the Xbox 360 may have creeped back onto the 2006 release window.According to Next Generation, a "lead analyst" from Tokyo is claiming that "big-hitting titles" for the first-moving 360 could be targeted at the PS3 launch "just to sabotage it." He stated that the release of Halo 3 ("timed to PS3") would be "quite damaging for Sony" as well.Well, a preemptive launch of Halo 3 would certainly serve as a distraction to Sony's next-gen launch plans, but people who really want a PS3 probably won't be deterred by Microsoft's premiere FPS appearing around the same time their favorite console does. Gears of War most likely won't stop PS3 fanboys, either. An unexpectedly early release (of either title) would certainly prove to be a perfect holiday present for 360 owners, however. Competition is grand.See also: Halo 3 could be released in '06 according to MS Game Studios GM Halo 3: speculation roundup PS3 worldwide in November Breaking News: PS3 delayed until November!
Metroid Prime Hunters commercial all dark and edgy
So, I have this great idea for a Metroid Prime Hunters commercial. Since it would have to appeal to those hip kids of today, the content would have to be dark, gritty and just generally disagreeable. A post-apocalyptic future is obviously the way to go, perhaps with some neon lights and masked strangers thrown in for good measure. With the setting established, we next turn to the other increasingly popular thing amongst teenagers today: Death! Let's have bodies just fall from the sky, complete with a slick narrator saying something like "More ways to die" or something cool like that. Following that, we could have some game footage, but that's not really important. Great pitch, huh?Oh? It's already been done?[Original IGN video here. Thanks dwarpdesign!]
Metroid Prime Hunters punishes chumps
Oh disconnectors, how we loathe thee and thy cowardly response to defeat. According to an interesting interview hype piece at the official Nintendo site, Metroid Prime: Hunters will be keeping track of those who disconnect from a Wi-Fi game in an effort to avoid tarnishing their online records. Mario Kart DS was another game that fell victim to this "strategy", a fact that has encouraged Nintendo to implement and liberally dish out "chump points"."We track a stat that the game calls Connection Percentage, but that I've been calling the Chump Meter. It keeps track of anyone who boots off. So, if I'm beating some kid and he tries to disconnect to avoid the loss, he'll be punished for that. When he turns the game back on, the game will know what happened and it will then hand out some Chump Points."The game will also be able to distinguish between intentional disconnections and the forgivable ones caused by your router unexpectedly exploding. This is certainly excellent news that will soothe many a temper, especially considering that Metroid Prime: Hunters is likely to be one of the most aggressively competitive games on Nintendo's Wi-Fi service thus far. [Thanks Nmaster!]
Call of Duty: Leaked
Not to crib too much from our brother blog, but Joystiq got an exclusive tip concerning the next two Call of Duty games appearing on the 360. A "reliable source" reports that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will build off the current unpleasantness in the Middle East, while an additional (as of yet un-named) Call of Duty will take things back to Normandy a short three months later. CoD2 developer Infinity ward is working on CoD:MW and the other title is probably in the Big Red hands of Treyarch. Follow the link for more details about both games.
Teaser trailer for Medal of Honor: Airborne
Fall out of an airplane and get shot in the neck? Must be Word War II. Spike TV's Game Head show aired a "world premiere" teaser trailer for Medal of Honor: Airborne, the first next-gen game in the the long-running MoH series. Thankfully, somebody put it up on YouTube so check it out. Rather than spawn points, EA promises that this entry will allow you to parachute down to any point on the map, which should hopefully improve on the mediocrity of the last couple games.The chute opens Q4 2006 on the 360.[via Xboxic]
Metroid Prime Hunters: Screenshot extravaganza
The chaps over at the British Gaming Blog have posted a glut of Metroid Prime Hunters images for your personal and potentially depraved enjoyment. By "glut", of course, mean 42. If we had said "plethora" or "volley", we would have obviously meant considerably less than 42. However, had we said "cornucopia"...well, you'd be even happier than you are now.As you gaze at these lovely screens (some old, some new), be sure to constantly remind yourself that the game's release is but a scant few weeks away. [Thanks, JonathanEx!]
Quake 4 patch 1.1 beta available
A new patch for Quake 4 has been released in beta form, allowing keen Quake gamers to get their hands on a whole slew of updates. The focus of the patch? In id Software's words, "multiplayer is fixed", with the addition of voice chat and a lot of multiplayer tweaks from a forcemodel option to a one-minute tournament warning.When this patch leaves beta, it will become a required update, bringing with it four new maps.
Half-Life 2: Episode Two confirmed by Valve
You didn't think it would end with Aftermath, did you? As a follow-up to Aftermath (now entitled Episode One), Valve has confirmed that Episode Two has been in development for quite some time ("about as long as Episode One," according to IGN). No other details are available right now, but it's safe to say that Episode One/Aftermath (whatever you wish to call it) will not be answering all of the questions left open by the Half-Life 2 ending. According to CVG, who will soon post an interview with Episode One designer Robin Walker, the initial release will offer around 5 hours of gameplay and will give more details as to the G-Man's involvement and the fates of the Breen and the Citadels. [Thanks, Jon D and the "almighty" Ludwig]
Virtual battlefields train soldiers for real wars
We've heard recently how games are good for you; here's another side of the story, which could unfortunately become fuel for the anti-game brigade's fires. The history of games and the military is a fairly long one, with recent titles like America's Army and A.W.E. bringing the two together.This Washington Post article examines the use of gaming in the American military, from mission co-ordination to marksmanship training. It also looks at soldiers who play games--from those who relax off-duty with first-person shooters, to a sergeant, home from the war, who won't play the violent titles he formerly enjoyed.Allowing soldiers to familiarise themselves with combat situations before experiencing them in real life seems to have its bonuses, best summarised by Marine Col Gary W. Anderson: "Today's soldiers, having grown up with first-person shooter games long before they joined the military, are the new Spartans."[via /.]
Is F.E.A.R. coming to the 360?
The latest Electronic Gaming Monthly floats the rumor that Monolith's eyeball-popping FPS, F.E.A.R., may be headed for the Xbox 360 in 2006. Apparently the title shares more than a passing similarity to Monolith's other creepy FPS Condemned: Criminal Origins, it also shares some underlying technology. So, the logic goes, much of the legwork of a port has been done already, so what do they have to F.E.A.R.? (That was bad... we know.) F.E.A.R.'s graphics engine garnered much praise on its release, so a jump to the 360 should prove the mettle of Microsoft's console. See Also: Joystiq Review: F.E.A.R. (PC
DS gets demo downloads, online voice chat
In an announcement that undoubtedly involved a lot of determined strutting, intimidating glances and overt hand pyramids, Reggie Fils-Aime revealed that there are some interesting things in store for DS owners this year. Speaking at the D.I.C.E. conference in Las Vegas, the name-taking, ass-kicking Nintendo marketing machine revealed that the ridiculously popular handheld would soon be privy to features more often associated with a Microsoft console--downloadable demos and online voice chat.As of next month, Nintendo will be placing Wi-Fi kiosks in retail locations all across the United States for the sole purpose of wirelessly providing gamers with demos and other content. When you're within range of these kiosks, all you have to do is open up your DS, hit "DS Download Play" and start downloading the goodness. Unfortunately, due to the lack of any permanent personal storage, you can only test out one game at a time. The data will also disappear as soon as you switch the system off. It would probably be a good idea to make use of the DS' sleep mode if you want to take something home with you and amaze your parents / siblings / pets / captors. The initial batch of demos include Mario Kart DS, Meteos, True Swing Golf, Pokemon Trozei, Tetris DS and Brain Age. The Reggie also discussed the upcoming and highly anticipated Metroid Prime: Hunters. The game's online mode will support voice chat, allowing players to discuss matches, arrange settings and offer advice, all in a completely curteous manner. Or not. Brace yourself for a glut of trash-talking, n00bzor.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Carmack: 360 is "a really sweet development system"
John Carmack is a video game deity. Responsible for many of the graphical and technological advancements of the medium, through his work on the engines for everything from Wolfenstein to Doom III, Carmack's opinion carries with it an almost incomprehensible amount of industry weight. So Carmack saying the Xbox 360 is "a really sweet development system" means precisely that. His praise isn't completely unequivocal though. He says about both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, "They can quote these incredibly high numbers of giga-flops or tera-flops or whatever, but in reality, when you do a straightforward development process on them, they're significantly slower than a modern high-end PC." The interview is from the February issue of PC Gamer UK, which hits newsstands today. We can probably expect to hear more details about both consoles therein. Any UK readers have a subscription?
FPS lineup for 2006
Despite the wealth of first-person shooter titles on the market, there are several new releases lined up for 2006 with a lot of promise. The lineup ranges from MMOFPS Huxley to Matrix-esque time-bender TimeShift, and IGN takes a look in this article.Many of the titles are sequels or expansions to existing FPS franchises, either through the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" or the "milk it for all it's worth" schools of business. The article concludes with some titles that may, if we're extremely lucky, make it out this year. Duke Nukem Forever? Who are we kidding?[Thanks, bandersnatch]
Far Cry Instincts Predator headed to the 360
The rumors were right! Ubisoft has officially unveiled two new upcoming Far Cry Instincts titles: Far Cry Instincts "Next Chapter" for the Xbox and Far Cry Instincts Predator for the Xbox 360. Next Chapter is being billed as a sequel to last year's Far Cry Instincts while Predator will "feature both Far Cry Instincts Next Chapter and an enhanced version of the original Far Cry Instincts game" in one package! Is this confusing yet? The press release teases, "Offering the kind of lush and deep natural environment true to the Far Cry® brand, Far Cry Instincts on Xbox 360 will captivate gamers with its enhanced graphical reality and gameplay. Giving gamers the opportunity to discover the Far Cry universe in an optimized, high-definition environment, the game takes advantage of Xbox 360's multi-core next-generation engine for improved performance." They're saying Spring 2006, while Gamestop already said March 14th. Either way, it's soon.
Far Cry Instincts on 360 says Gamestop
GamersReports has another release date list with some interesting developments. Apparently Far Cry Instincts has made the list slated for March 14th. The Xbox installment of this title hasn't been announced for the 360, so this comes as a bit of a surprise. However they are quick to update about how this may be why Far Cry Instincts on Xbox isn't backwards compatible on the 360. Keep in mind there is a possibility that this is an error of Gamestop's, but we'll be hearing about it if that's the case. [Via Digg]
Far Cry Instincts for Xbox360?
A new GS Xbox 360 list shows Far Cry Instincts as an upcoming game for the newest next-gen console. It could be a listing error, but a new Far Cry or Instincts remix could be in the works. A reader also mentioned that maybe this is why the game is not backwards compatible on the Xbox 360. The original game was released in September of this year for the Xbox. [Thanks, alvin]
Best selling PC games: AoE 3 and Civ IV battle for top spot
For the week ending November 13th, here's the best sellers list for PC games in the U.S. 1. Age Of Empires III 2. Civilization IV 3. Call Of Duty 2 4. Star Wars Battlefront II 5. World Of Warcraft 6. The Sims 2 7. City Of Villains 8. The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack 9. Battlefield 2 10. Call Of Duty 2 Collectors Edition As is obvious from the list, Civilization IV and Age of Empires 3 are deeply involved in a strategic battle for getting the most cash out of gamer's wallets. Age of Empires 3 has been out over a month now but is still topping the chart. With Civ IV being out just under a two weeks, has it already lost the momentum required to knock AoE 3 off the top spot?
Halo 1 & 2 to be "upgraded" on Xbox 360
1up has pointed out an interesting quote in the latest Bungie Weekly update. Besides detailing the new Dead or Alive 4 addition, Spartan 458, the update also alludes to "how Halo one and two look on 360, and it's all good news." While no other information was mentioned, it does sound like the Halos might be getting a few technical tweaks in their transition to the next generation Xbox console. Crisper models? Faster frame rates? HDTV support? It'd be interesting to see if the improvements are anything to shout about, but imagine what else companies could do when they bring their Xbox games over to the 360. How about, for example, making Halo 1 Xbox Live-compatible? [via 1up]
