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Game Informer reveals Raven Software's 'Singularity'
Judging by the big hand on the office clock it's time for new details concerning Activision Blizzard's upcoming 'targeted' new IP, Singularity. Right on cue, the game is the cover darling for Game Informer's February issue, with the 'zine's online site teasing new details on the sci-fi shooter with a time-sensitive twist.First shown in brief during Activision's not-quite E3 press event last July, Singularity is being developed by Wolverine dev Raven Software. According to GI, the game will let players jump through history and use time as a weapon, rapidly aging opponents into bones and dust. We wonder if it works the other way around, letting us turn the opposition into sniveling babies or angst-fueled tweens. The issue, complete with the snazzy cover above, should be fluxing its way onto magazine racks soon.
Dragon Age Origins console versions detailed in Nov. Game Informer
We have a feeling we're not going to find out whether Dragon Age Origins will be gracing the PS3 until someone gets their hands on the latest issue of Game Informer, the cover of which states that they have the skinny on the "console editions." Hard to imagine the upcoming Bioware RPG being possible on anything other than the PS3 or 360 and it does say consoles, plural. Who knows, though. Maybe we'll see scaled down Wii and DS versions.So if you're fans of Baldur's Gate (and we don't mean those action RPGs from the PS2 era) you may have something to look forward to coming to a PS3 near you. Possibly. Make sure you pick up the next issue of Game Informer to find out all the details.
Star Trek Online is Game Informer's October cover story
Magazine Game Informer's October issue (due to appear on stands any day now) will feature a ten page report on Star Trek Online, with new information and artwork. The game even graces the cover of the issue, which can already be seen online (to the right here). It's not a screenshot, though. It's just some artwork depicting Sovereign and Galaxy class starships.Previously featured articles in Game Informer have generally been quite substantial; they have combined tons of new images with descriptions of gameplay and dozens of quotes from developers. We haven't seen the STO piece yet, but it's probably worth flipping through at your local newsstand.There has to be at least something new to fill up ten pages, right? There probably aren't ten pages worth of info on the game out there at this point!
Confirmed: Arkham Asylum not coming to Wii
Sorry folks, looks like the new game Batman: Arkham Asylum isn't going to be on Wii. It's purely a PS3 and Xbox 360 affair, as well as for the PC. Sorry to crush your hopes and dreams (we felt you needed the closure of knowing, rather than never mentioning the game again), but the title isn't planned for Wii as of right now. That doesn't mean we can't hold out hope that the game will one day be ported to Nintendo's console. Just don't hold your breath on that one. [Via press release]
Batman: Arkham Asylum announced, possibly for Wii?
With The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger's stellar performance as the Joker still fresh in everyone's mind, who doesn't want to play a new, non-sucky Batman game? Of course, we have LEGO Batman to look forward to, but it's hard to feel like the Gotham bad-ass when you're controlling a plastic and deformed minifigure. The upcoming issue of Game Informer, due August 18th, has the scoop on publisher Eidos Interactive's forthcoming game, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and though it hasn't yet been revealed which consoles the title will appear on, we have hopes that one of those systems will be the Wii. Though the game's developer, London-based Rocksteady Studios (Urban Chaos: Riot Response), hasn't yet released anything for the Wii, its founders did have a hand in creating Catwoman: The Game for the GameCube -- that has to count for something, right? According to Game Informer, Batman: Arkham Asylum is an original title following a botched prison transfer which the Joker uses to his advantage, turning the psychiatric hospital's worst patients and Batman's worst enemies against the caped crusader. The game will feature "a dark and gritty setting reminiscent of Bioshock" and a story co-written by Paul Dini, who you'll recognize from his work on Batman: The Animated Series. Jump past the post break for an alternate cover of the GI issue with the Joker!
Wii third-parties nonplussed by surprise MotionPlus reveal
We'll level with you: the game industry confuses us. For example: you'd think with games like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Clone Wars, not to mention the recently announced Sonic and the Black Knight, coming to the Wii that Nintendo would have been eager to get the MotionPlus into dev's hands as quickly as possible. Not so, as Game Informer learned when they asked several third-party developers about the peripheral. Turns out the site uncovered a "general feeling ... of annoyance and betrayal" after Nintendo shared the existence of the device with third parties at the exact same time they shared it with us. Game Informer estimates it would take some six to nine months to incorporate MotionPlus functionality into games and that it's probably too late for games "deep in development." With Wii Sports Resort not due until Spring 2009, that might be just enough time to build some support into upcoming titles. So, let's recap: at Nintendo's E3 showing, the company managed to not only piss off every "core" gamer in existence but a good number of its third-party developers as well. Impressive?[Via NWF]
Game Informer gets inFAMOUS
It's been awhile since we heard from Sucker Punch about their upcoming PS3 game, inFAMOUS. Well, looks like the shroud of secrecy will be lifted in the July issue of Game Informer. The cover confirms that this will be a "sandbox game" (a la Grand Theft Auto IV). However, you will have "extraordinary powers" that come from a "cataclysmic explosion." It's looking dark, it's looking epic ... and it's exclusive to PS3. Game Informer is promising ten pages of info on the game. Once this issue comes in, our next trip to the bathroom will also be quite infamous. [Thanks, frankym!]
Game inFORMER covers inFAMOUS
First unveiled during Sony's E3 keynote nearly a year ago, Sucker Punch's inFAMOUS has done a good job of keeping entirely off the radar, despite a knockout trailer (found after the break) that left us wanting more. Well, "more" has come ... in the form of Game Informer's latest cover story, the details of which have begun popping up on message boards and in our inbox. According to GI's write-up, the game focuses on a protagonist named Dylan who possesses super powers. (In his case, the ability to fire off electric bolts all Zeus-like.) inFAMOUS begins with a literal "bang," with Empire City – the game's setting – descending into chaos following an explosion, a plague, government quarantine, and the rise of street gangs. So far, a definite far cry from Sucker Punch's previous creation for Sony, Sly Cooper.
Game Informer drops Gears of War 2 details
The May 2008 issue of Game Informer, available in red and gray flavors, promises a "world exclusive first look at Gears of War 2" – lucky for us, a poster at NeoGAF took the time to share the juiciest Locust-filled bits with the rest of the class. Of course Marcus and Dom are back, but so are several new characters like Chairman Prescott ("an almost dictatorial military leader"), Tai Kaliso ("a spiritual and meditative warrior from a tradition of honor-bound fighters"), and Maria Santiago (Dom's "lost love"); the Locust also have some new additions like the chanting "Kantus" who can focus those chants into concentrated sonic blasts (you're going to start acting quizzical now? They're underground monsters ...), and resurrect fallen Locust warriors. New functionality includes upgrades to Unreal Engine 3 as demoed during Microsoft's GDC keynote (obviously), a "SHUT UP" button to skip the yacking and get back to the shooting of the bug people, "drop in and drop out co-op" with different difficulty settings for different players, chainsaw duels, refined cover mechanics that should make it "harder to get hit while protected," a fourth even-more-casual Casual mode, and more. One area they aren't quite talking about yet is multiplayer. Game Informer writes, "We hear hints of ... multiplayer content that takes advantage of Unreal's new ability to deliver huge numbers of the Locust horde at one time, but confirmed details will have to wait until a later date." With most gamers, ourselves included, finding Gears' almost-excellent multiplayer implementation regrettably spartan, this is the one area we want to hear a haloff a lot more about.
Game Informer gets some Stargate goodies
A new issue of the popular print magazine Game Informer has an in-depth Q&A with creative director Chris Klug and studio head Dan Elggren from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment about Stargate Worlds. While you can get a sneak peek from Game Informer's website, you need to have a subscription to access it. Or, you can just pick it up at the newsstand like the rest of us schlubs. And according to the Stargate Worlds website, you'll want do just that. Apparently the magazine has some never-before-seen content - including the very first look at what combat will look like in the game itself. They also give a snipet from the interview which talks about how players can use the environment as a buff in combat (players will receive a boost not only in damage dealt, but how much damage can be taken). This feature sounds a lot like what's already in place in Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa.The exclusive images found in Game Informer will eventually be posted on StargateWorlds.com, so if you can't get the mag (or just don't want to)... stay tuned.
Champions Online and Cryptic Studios information bonanza
When news broke about Champions Online, it was because Game Informer Online had revealed the cover to their newest issue. We've got our hands on that issue and after pouring over its contents several times over, we're prepared to imbue you -- our readers -- with as much information as possible. There's a lot to know and a lot to get excited about, not to mention something of a bombshell from Cryptic Studios about the outcome from the sale of the City of Heroes property.
Promotional Consideration: Quote-based strategy II
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.Since we bemoaned Advance Wars: Days of Ruin's lacking marketing push last week, Nintendo has kept us holed up in our bomb shelter, walls trembling and lights flickering as wave after wave of advertisements, massive shells blasted from Leo Burnett's distant dreadnoughts, pound the smoking city above.Here's every salvo we've been hit with in just the past week: an official web site launch (with new media) media-heavy previews and several interviews with Nintendo's localization team two promotional emails sent out to Nintendo's online newsletter subscribers a launch event held earlier today at the Nintendo World Store (New York City) television commercials on both network and cable channels a two-page ad running in at least three video game magazines -- GamePro, Game Informer, and Electronic Gaming Monthly We stand, crumbs of concrete falling from our hair, corrected. As we promised in our last installment, we're taking a look at that two-page magazine ad for Days of Ruin, a print piece which features flattering quotes from three online video game sites.
NCsoft Prez Chris Chung talks shop with GI and 1UP
Game Informer and 1UP both recently had the privilege of sitting down with NCSoft President Chris Chung to talk about what direction he plans to take the company in 2008. Some of the things that Chung spoke about (and there was much overlap between the two interviews) were reminiscent of the comments that Richard Garriott made in his speech at George Washington University late last year. Garriott had talked about how NCsoft was looking to make their stable of MMOs more integrated with one another so that as players tire of one game and move onto another (a phenomenon referred to as "churn" within the industry), they can ensure that it will be another of their products. He also spoke briefly about NCsoft's current approach to console games, and he sounded considerably more tentative on the subject than we had originally been led to believe. He was complimentary of Sony's network model, and stated that he believed it was more in line with their policies than the competition. If we had to speculate, this would seem to indicate that Microsoft's Xbox Live service, which not only requires propriety features be included but also requires a subscription fee, was not their cup of tea. 1UP was more direct about this line of questioning, going so far as to ask out-right if City of Heroes was making its way to consoles. Chung refused to give a direct answer, but he didn't deny anything either, which is intriguing. It's an interesting interview, and sheds the NCsoft President (who only officially stepped into the role two weeks ago) in a favorable light.
Resistance 2 to feature 60-player online, 8-player co-op, 2 campaigns
As pictured, the February issue of Game Informer blows the lid off Insomniac's Resistance 2, and thanks to a few good-mannered subscribers posting on NeoGAF (please thank your mommies and daddies for teaching you to share) we get a peak inside the cookie jar. And my, what cookies await!The Resistance sequel will apparently feature two separate campaigns, one dedicated to single-player and a second for multiplayer. While the second campaign supports two-player split-screen for local play, once taken online, as many as 8 players can take on the Chimera invasion – or will we be fighting the Cloven this time? But the real treats seem to be stored in the competitive multiplayer modes, as Resistance 2 promises to support up to 60 players online – and not just 30-on-30 chaos. Some multiplayer modes will divide participants into 4- to 8-player squads each with its own virtual lobby. Squads will be tasked with unique objectives, and gameplay will be further diversified through three basic character classes: heavy weaponry, special ops (think: sniper) and medic. Insomniac's even promising an extensive stat-tracking database on MyResistance.net, coupled with faster matchmaking than any game of 2007. Oh snap! You listening to this, Bungie?[Via Evil Avatar]
Rumor: Command & Conquer FPS inbound, dubbed 'Tiberium'
Aptly titled games blog, VideoGameBlogger.com, claims to have gotten a peek at Game Informer's January '08 issue. Featured on the cover of said issue – evidenced by the totally crappy pic over to the right – is a new FPS in the Command & Conquer universe titled Tiberium. Lending credence to the rumor is Game Informer's recent addiction to debuting games on their cover: Borderlands in September, Dead Space in October, Brutal Legend in November, and Ghostbusters in December. VideoGamesBlogger.com has some additional details of the game, most notably that it's an FPS as opposed to the series' usual RTS format (though not the first C&C FPS, remember Renegade?); it's set 11 years after the end of the third Tiberium war (C&C fanfic writers, get to work); and is a squad-based shooter "described as Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter meets Battlefield meets Rainbow Six Vegas." Wow, that must've been some meeting.[Thanks, Supa]
Wii ain't afraid of no ghosts
Over a year ago, a British magazine compiled what seemed like a joking list of great possible ideas for Wii games -- and one of those is about to become a reality. Not long after a rumor surfaced of a beloved 80s franchise getting remade in gaming form, Game Informer revealed their December cover today, along with the meat behind that rumor: Ghostbusters is returning! And not in the typical lame, useless fashion we usually see with movie-based games, either; the game, which will be multi-platform, is being written by Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd as a follow-up to Ghostbusters I and II. They'll also be lending their voices to the production. We can't wait to hear more about this one, but for now, we're just going to hope desperately that some tender lovin' care goes into the Wii version, because it could be awesome with motion controls.
New York Times on tough times for game mags
Do you read video game magazines? Come on, you can be honest. Just because we try to provide you with all the online gaming news and views you need doesn't mean we don't expect you to occasionally feel the urge to read something printed on glossy paper. We won't get mad. Honest. Why aren't you answering us? YOU THINK WE'RE FAT DON'T YOU!Oh, we don't know why we're even worried. After all, we were just reading in today's New York Times how magazines are having a real tough time attracting readers, what with their outdated news and limited space. Sure they'll try to lure you in with special issues and in-depth features, but your attention span is so short that you probably won't bother reading them, no matter how much you say you want them. You'll just tune them out like ... hey, are you even still reading this? WHY DO YOU NEVER LISTEN TO US? *SOB*
Duke Nukem Forever pic sighted in Game Informer
Remember when we said another Duke Nukem Forever image prior to summer's end would indicate an "imminent apocalypse?" Time to prepare your shelters because 3D Realms threw in a new picture of DNF in the latest issue of Game Informer alongside the unveiling of Earth No More.The picture itself is rather non-revealing -- even more so than the previous two pictures of Duke and a Pork Nemesis. Over at the DNF forums, 3DR staffer Joe Siegler said that he cannot post a higher-resolution image online but agreed to the suggestion that the screenshot's inclusion in the magazine might get more people to read about Earth No More. Sneaky tactic, indeed -- at least Duke is being used somehow.Just a reminder, we are now in the year 10 A.D. ("After Duke"), a decade since the unveiling of DNF.
3D Realms hints at new project, Earth No More
3D Realms just announced their latest sci-fi/horror/suspense based game and is being tight lipped about the all the juicy details. Over on their blog, 3D Realms talks about Earth No More being their latest project and only teases about the details, because all the goods will be revealed in the July 2007 issue of Game Informer. Though, they did throw us a bone by posting a few quotes from the Game Informer article including details on a gun that works like a reverse proton pack called the Linker and how enemy AI will group together to take you down. They also mentioned that the team is pulling inspiration from movies like 28 Days Later, The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Aliens to nail the kind of suspense and horror that these movies bring to the table. But that's about it as any other details will have to come from Game Informer. Patience friends, patience.
A deluge of Rock Band details courtesy of Game Informer
For a game which we've known very little about since it was announced, having so many Rock Band details elucidated so suddenly is like Christmas come early. Except, if that were the case, we'd have the game by now. There's too much for us to discuss fully, so we'll focus on the points we find most interesting. Emphasis is on the online play, with a strong community based system (read: Myspace clone) for finding other bandmates, the ability to create a band logo and to customise your avatar. There is no clarification of whether PS3 and 360 users will be able to play together. We strongly hope they will. Due to Microsoft requiring special circuit boards for their peripherals, the controllers will be console specific. The guitars will have ten frets. The normal five near the top of the neck and an extra five near the bottom, used exclusively for solos. There is also a five-way effects switch, with purchasable effects such as Flange and Wah. We've always wanted to fit those words into a post. USB microphones will be supported, giving us another reason to pick up Singstar when it's released. The drum controller promises to be a "TV dinner tray stand, only cooler," which could go either way, really. We hope it'll be a decent sized piece of equipment. It will come with wooden drum sticks and have four pads to hit with them. Check out the rest of the details at NeoGAF and, if you want to see the accompanying images, pick up the latest issue of Game Informer. We certainly will.[Via CVG]
