gamescom-2010
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PS3 Mass Effect 2 to have 'seamless introduction,' integrates 'a lot' of DLC
BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka has revealed to VG247 that Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network DLC will be available for the PS3 version in a "full way." While he didn't get too specific, he indicated that "a lot," if not all of the post-release content that's been released for the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game will be integrated into the initial PS3 release. Additionally, the PS3 port will feature some form of an "introduction experience that provides the backstory and the things that have happened" in the first game (which is not available on PS3). "We haven't revealed what that is yet," Muzyka said of the introduction for first-time Mass Effect players. "It'll be something that provides a good introduction and provides a lot of the backstory and introduces you well to the story-arc, and kind of makes you feel like you're part of it all. And then you can jump right into the action in Mass Effect 2." Muzyka also touched on the possibility of Mass Effect 3 launching simultaneously on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, teasing, "That'd be a good guess, but we haven't announced any details on any future formats or anything -- or even formally announced Mass Effect 3 yet." Of course, BioWare "wants to support different platforms, reach different audiences," Muzyka added, "we're part of EA and we want to make sure we can embrace that as well. I think we're trying to do that with all of our products, whether it's Dragon Age or Mass Effect."
Experience the Michael Jackson game's first song list
Ubisoft today announced the first set of tracks licensed for Michael Jackson: The Experience, the multiplatform dance-n'-sing-along game coming this holiday. Only seven cuts deep, the list was accompanied by the publisher's assurance of "many more" -- eh HEE HEE! -- songs to be revealed: "Bad" "Beat It" "Billie Jean" "Earth Song" "The Girl Is Mine" "Who Is It" "Workin' Day And Night" The Wii Experience is indeed playable for the first time this week at Gamescom, but Ubisoft is focusing its marketing efforts on the company's so-called "proprietary Player Projection" technology -- sham on! -- featured in the Kinect version of the game. As it sounds, and demonstrated in the promo shot above, Player Projection superimposes the player into the game screen via the image captured by the Kinect camera. (It's not be specified whether this common effect will also be featured in the camera-equipped PlayStation Move version of the game.) If you're hoping to avoid the rather unpleasant experience of falling flat on your face while watching yourself fall flat on your face, then you had best study up on some of MJ's dance tricks. Thankfully, the game will include -- eh hee-hee-hee -- the "Michael Jackson School" mode. %Gallery-99711%
New Okamiden video paints a pretty picture
We're gobbling up this new Okamiden video from Gamescom, but not learning a whole lot more than we already knew. Visuals: Still adorable. Dialog: Still sounds like you force fed a schizophrenic person psychotropic mushrooms and managed to record the sound of their nightmares. Us: Still in love.
Resident Evil 5's Move patch available September 19
Capcom clarified today at Gamescom that the Resident Evil 5 patch that introduces Move functionality will be available on September 19 (the same day Move launches). As previously mentioned, the automatically downloaded patch will only be available for the Gold Edition of the game. If you live in Italy or Spain you didn't get a "gold edition," but Capcom is releasing Resident Evil 5: Move Edition in those countries. A Capcom representative also let us know that folks playing together will be able to play co-op online or offline with any supported controller configurations (a Move and Navigation Controller pair can play alongside a DualShock 3, for instance). The Move controls (and all the other control options) will be available in the main story, Mercenaries and bonus episodes.
Konami releasing No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise on PS3 in Europe, with Move support
Konami Europe has picked up the rights to No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise, the Feelplus-developed HD port of No More Heroes -- but seemingly just the PS3 version and not the Xbox 360 release. To make the news even more baffling, Konami is adding PlayStation Move support. That's right, the motion controls that were replaced in the game's transition from Wii to PS3 are back! Both previous No More Heroes games were published in Europe by Rising Star Games, which was first a subsidiary of -- and then a content partner with -- Japanese publisher Marvelous Interactive. We're following up with Konami's American branch to find out whether Travis Touchdown will appear in HD in North America. The European release is scheduled for 2011.
Demon a-go-go: Viewtiful Joe and Dormammu in Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Two more characters have joined Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Neither Viewtiful Joe nor Dormammu are strangers to alternate universes -- Joe jumped into Movieland to rescue his girlfriend Sylvia, and Dormammu is the ruler of his own Dark Dimension. For these two, suddenly being faced with a universe full of new people throwing hadoukens or whatever at them is not a big deal. Another similarity between the two: Dormammu is primarily a Doctor Strange character (speaking of whom, we'd love to see him make an appearance in this game!) and, well, Viewtiful Joe is a strange character. Look at the size of his head!%Gallery-99712%
Gamescom 2010: Guild Wars 2 demo video available, dev confirms necro class
Yesterday's footage of Guild Wars 2 being shown at Gamescom caused a huge stir in the GW2 community, but it was a little different than the one-on-one demos we've been waiting on. The first video was attendee footage of a developer player in godmode, who was invisible to the enemies for the sake of showing off some details of the game. Today, we get the real thing. 1UP has footage of their demo available, and it's a human vs. earth elemental battle on a pretty grand scale. That's not the only news coming out of Cologne this morning, though. Spong.com is reporting in a brief blurb that Colin Johanson told them that the necromancer is indeed the next class to be revealed. While ArenaNet has not announced this anywhere, in the demo video you are able to hear the necro class and a few of its abilities mentioned. Follow along after the jump to see the demo firsthand, and don't forget to keep an eye on NCsoft's live feed from Gamescom!
Project Dust, working title becomes From Dust, actual title
It seems like it was just yesterday that Ubisoft was still referring to its mysterious, Eric Chahi-led game by its working title, "Project Dust." Oh, what a difference a day makes. Introducing: From Dust, as elegantly illustrated on the above sign adorning a Ubisoft meeting room at Gamescom this morning. Perhaps the just-scribbled-in-Sharpie aesthetic was what they were going for but, in case it was an act of curious vandalism, we asked a Ubisoft press liasion who confirmed that, yes, From Dust is the official, just-announced title. Unfortunately, the above image is the closest we've been able to get to any kind of announcement from Ubisoft so you'll just have to trust us. [Update: Ubisoft has just forwarded a fact sheet for "From Dust."]
Gamescom 2010: BioWare reveals 10 new advanced classes for TOR
We've known for a while now that Star Wars: The Old Republic is planning to offer players two different specializations for each class, but up until now we've only heard of a couple of them. Today at Gamescom, however, BioWare unloaded the names and loose descriptions of ten advanced classes. The best part? No Bothans died for this information. Darth Hater reports that imperial agent characters will have the choice between specializing as snipers (long-range DPS) or operatives (who use stealth and short-range weapons to get up close and personal). If a bounty hunter is more to your liking, then the choice between a powertech and a mercenary should get your imagination racing. Over on the Republic side, troopers will sign up for either commando or vanguard training. Commandos are the tanking line, although we don't know much about vanguards yet. SWTOR-Station spied a Zabrak trooper at the BioWare booth, indicating another possible race for the class. Force-users are also in store for powerful upgrades. The villainous Sith inquisitors choose their path between a more Force-happy sorcerer or the twin lightsaber-using assassin. Their counterpart, the Jedi consular, has a similar decision to make: that of a shadow, who can use double-bladed lightsabers, or a wizard, who uses a single lightsaber but can heal. Are Star Wars fans ready for wizards and sorcerers in their MMO? Somehow, we think so.
David Cage on his 'benevolent dictatorship' over Quantic Dream
For most developers, creating a game is a constant struggle between the design-based decisions of the creative team and the marketing-based decisions of the business team. Not at Quantic Dream, where David Cage's role as both CEO and lead designer means that "game design guides everything" at the company. So when Cage says "the game designer decided this, and I fully agree with it," he's actually referring to himself both times, as he pointed out at a talk at GDC Europe this week. Cage said developing a game like Heavy Rain just wouldn't work in a more democratic development environment, where everyone on the team has equal power and the majority rules on major decisions. "When you want a strong vision, you need a vision holder, you need someone who has the final cut," Cage said.
Portal 2 will triumph on Feb. 9, 2011
OK, maybe that's not fair, since we don't necessarily know it will triumph when, according to Game Informer, Portal 2 arrives on February 9 next year. But let's say we think there's a strong possibility ... let's say very, very strong. Oh, who are we kidding? We're certain it's wonderful and if you say otherwise, we'll fight you like we're a lonely kid on a Sonic forum defending Amy Rose's honor. We also learned from GI that Stephen Merchant will play kindly British robot Wheatley, so we're going to have to start viciously defending him as well. Of course, with credits like co-creating The Office and Extras, it shouldn't be that hard. [Update: As near as we can tell, Merchant's voice isn't in use here, so this must have been a fairly recent decision.]
Remedy MD: episodic Alan Wake release would be 'interesting experiment'
Alan Wake was one of the victims of Red Dead Redemption's retail shootout earlier this year, but Remedy's Managing Director Matias Myllyrinne isn't bitter about it. Speaking to Joystiq at GDC Europe, the studio head expressed, "RDR is a fantastic game, due credit to Rockstar, they deserve it. For us, Wake clicked with gamers and a lot of the reviewers out there. I think it will continue to sell as folks learn about it." Myllyrinne expressed hope that the world of Wake would be something that Remedy could continue building on in the future. He couldn't make any announcements on future plans for Mr. Wake, but after seeing the strong reaction from the audience to the game, he feels Remedy established the key things it wanted to do with Wake -- "as a form of entertainment and art." Speaking directly to the numbers and the cost of Wake's five-year production, he said, "Commercially, the numbers will make sense in the end." The internally episodic narrative of Alan Wake would lend itself well to online distribution (perhaps following in Fable 2's footsteps), and Myllyrinne told us, "I don't think there's anything technically stopping us from doing that. I think those will be business decisiions we'll make together with Microsoft. I think it would be an interesting experiment." He also told us the next piece of DLC, dubbed "The Writer," is "not too far away" and that, in terms of gameplay, will feel more "surreal," like "Salvadore Dali does Alan Wake." When pushed on whether Remedy would take a break from Wake after the second DLC episode launches, he couldn't get into specifics. Myllyrinne said he had promised some folks that he wouldn't talk, but that Remedy would announce its next project "in a few months."
Red Steel 2 director unsure on Kinect, Move potential
In developing Red Steel 2, Ubisoft Creative Director Jason VanderBerge learned quite a bit about Nintendo's optional Wii MotionPlus accessory (and how people use it). So he seemed like a good person to ask about the potential of Sony and Microsoft's impending motion control accessories, the Move and Kinect. When we did just that, catching up with VanderBerge after his talk at GDC Europe this week, he was a bit ambivalent about the subject.
FIFA 11 features 11 vs. 11 online play thanks to 'Be a Goalkeeper'
EA Sports has added a new feature to the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of FIFA 11 called "Be a Goalkeeper." Guess what it's about! No, it's not about learning how to cultivate a hive, that's "Goal: a Beekeeper." This is about controlling the goalie in soccer games. Be a Goalkeeper allows you to control the goalie using three levels of AI assistance (ranging from "none" to "some," basically). Now that players can take control of that position, the possibility of full, 11 vs. 11 online play is opened up, a functionality that EA touts in the stylish trailer after the break.
Patapon 3 trailer reveals eight-person multiplayer
We have to imagine the sound of eight people playing any Patapon game collectively could be a bit on the overwhelming side. But that's exactly what Patapon 3 will feature when it arrives sometime "between now and December." The latest trailer of the game comes from Gamescom and gives us a much better idea of all the new features the game will come with. New enemies? You bet! New skills and weapons? No doubt! Eight-person multiplayer? For sure! Pink and fluffy bunnies? Okay, you've gone too far.
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit gameplay footage will get your heart racing
This freshly released gameplay trailer for Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit from Burnout vets Criterion Games has us in a hot pursuit of a controller with which we can play more of this blistering-fast racer. The footage features cops versus racers in both day and night settings, the latter we're pretty sure was put in the game just to show off the police car lights bathing passing cars and scenery in their red and blue beams. The video begins and ends with a peek at the game's "Autolog" player vs. player challenge system. There are also some shots that'll be familiar with anyone who played Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 in the PS2 era, including roadblocks, spike strips (dropped from helicopters!) and the cops calling in high-performance backup when their cruisers just aren't getting the job done. It looks fast-tastic. Now, if only November 16 could get here faster.
New LEGO Universe trailer: "Bring your world to life" [Updated]
The newest trailer from the team at LEGO Universe gives a closer look at what most players consider to be the core of the game: building and customization. Developers Ryan Seabury, Mads Purup, Randall Furino, and Scott Brown lead us through the different building models that offer varying amounts of freedom and creativity, along with some interesting LEGO twists on character customization. Among other things, the game allows you to decide how you want to die. Do you want to fall apart into a pile of LEGO bricks, or something else? Want to see all the options for yourself? Follow along after the jump for the newest look at LEGO Universe! [Editor's note: At the request of NetDevil, we've replaced the European version of the trailer with the US version. Enjoy!]
Preview: SingStar Dance and SingStar Guitar
A music game that's just about singing? That's so 2003. Or if you're the SingStar franchise, it's so, um, today. Sony's PlayStation karaoke series has proudly focused on grading vocals for years now, but that's about the change with this fall's release of both SingStar Dance and SingStar Guitar. I got a chance to try both of these games at Sony's pre-GamesCom press event, and have written up some quick initial impressions after the break.
Gamescom 2010: DC Universe Online trailer impresses
Our friends at Joystiq have the scoop on the latest trailer for DC Universe Online, the forthcoming superhero MMORPG from Sony Online Entertainment. Unlike last month's cinematic story trailer, this one is all gameplay, and it features heavy doses of action (yes, that guy did toss a helicopter on top of a skyscraper), as well as a voice-over narrative that hints at how player characters can co-exist with DC legends while carving out their own niche. DCUO launches in November for both the PC and Playstation 3 platforms, and you can sign up for beta, as well as pre-order, at the game's official website. Don't forget to fly past the cut to view the trailer.
Gamescom 2010: En Masse releases new TERA cinematic
Ready for two minutes of new TERA-related goodness? Look no further than the latest trailer from En Masse Entertainment, released today at Gamescom 2010. The video features a fair helping of combat gameplay, as well as a plethora of stylized action setups that are obvious homages to the trailers of big-budget action films. The trailer also highlights TERA's emphasis on fine combat control, concluding with the words "take aim, take control, and take action." We'll be more than happy to take a longer look at the game, and you can too via the video found just behind the cut. Alternatively, check it out over at IGN.
