gamescom-2011
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'Project Postman' is War of the Roses, a medieval multiplayer melee actioner
"The focus initially is gonna be on the PC," Paradox Interactive senior producer Gordon Van Dyke told me in an interview last week about the next title from Lead & Gold devs Fatshark. "Project Postman," now known as War of the Roses, was announced earlier this year by Paradox head Fredrik Wester as a "dream game" for the collaborators, but we knew little else about it. That is, until this afternoon at Gamescom, where the Swedish publisher unveiled the melee-based title. "Absolutely, it's being thought of as a franchise," Van Dyke continued, though he's not yet sure how that will play out in terms of branding. "We've been looking into franchise names. It's actually really hard to find a name that has anything to do with combat in video games." As the name implies, the game set between 1455 and 1485 -- during the "War of the Roses" era in England -- though it's not necessarily steeped in Medieval politics. Instead, it focuses on the regular battles between English houses jockeying for control of the kingdom. %Gallery-130828%
Massively Exclusive: Wargaming.net answers our World of Warplanes questions
Flight sim fans are abuzz over Wargaming.net's recent World of Warplanes announcement, and many are casting an expectant eye toward this year's Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. The reason? Wargaming.net is set to officially reveal the action MMO that features a large selection of aircraft from pre-World War II to the jet age. Today we're pleased to bring you an exclusive interview with Wargaming.net project manager Alexander Zezulin, so join us after the cut for loads of details on the game, including the debut trailer from Gamescom. Much like its World of Tanks predecessor, World of Warplanes looks to make squad-based vehicular combat more accessible to a wide audience while maintaining a sense of historical accuracy when it comes to said vehicles. %Gallery-130862%
Silent Hill: Book of Memories revealed as top-down multiplayer game
The WayForward-developed Silent Hill game for PlayStation Vita is weirder than you think. Konami showed off Silent Hill: Book of Memories during its Gamescom press conference this morning, revealing it to be a multiplayer action game (we expected that part) with a top-down or isometric perspective. If you look closely, you'll notice that series stars Harry, Maria and James now exist in the same game! Of course, Konami is wisely opting to spin Book of Memories off into its own, completely unrelated story. You'll also be able to create your own protagonist, further distancing yourself from the sanctity of Silent Hill canon. Update: The Harry, Maria and James in the image above are just custom characters with cheeky names, Konami tells us. Book of Memories features melee combat, guns and what appears to be a smattering of RPG elements. We'll try to get you more specific information as Gamescom continues.
Silent Hill HD Collection also heading to Xbox 360, Konami 'aiming' for simultaneous launch on both consoles
' Silent Hill: Downpour producer Tomm Hulett announced -- in video form -- during Konami's Gamescom press conference that the upcoming Silent Hill HD Collection would also be coming to Xbox 360. It was initially announced for PlayStation 3 only. According to Hulett, the HD Collection's Xbox 360 version is coming as a result of fan response to the originally announced exclusivity. Without giving a solid release date (the game is currently pegged for "September/October") Hulett noted that Konami is "aiming" to release Silent Hill HD Collection on both consoles simultaneously.
New PlayStation Move lineup includes dancing, mini-games and brain twisters
Move Fitness isn't the only PlayStation Move title revealed by Sony at Gamescom. The company also announced several other Move projects and they all seem a little ... familiar. The first, Start the Party: Save the World, is ... a mini-game collection. Next up is a game by the name of DanceStar Party, the trailer for which seems to feature a lot of people just dancing. Finally, we have Move Mind Benders, which bundles together several puzzle games already available on PSN, including Tumble, Echochrome 2 and Lemmings. It's worth noting that the PSN version of Lemmings does not currently support the Move. Whether Move functionality will be exclusive to the Mind Benders version remains to be seen. A trailer for Start the Party is embedded above. Check out DanceStar Party and Move Mind Benders trailers after the break.
Microsoft looking into Gears of War 1 and 2 in Germany
Epic Games president Mike Capps spoke at GDC Europe today, reiterating his surprise that Gears of War 3 received an "18" rating from the German USK, making it the first Gears not to be indexed in the region. "We were so surprised that Gears of War 3 was rated here that we really didn't have an action plan," said Capps. "I'm very happy that the marketing team at Microsoft was able to put together a booth presence for us at Gamescom with a couple weeks notice. I've never even met them, cause we've never sold anything [Gears of War] in Germany before." Capps said he thinks Microsoft is looking into getting the first two installments of the franchise released. He'd "love" to see that, especially if the company does a trilogy compilation and that passes the board. Microsoft's response during its Gamescom event when we asked for comment: "We're looking into it."
Star Trek - Infinite Space launches website with stellar promotion
We've been watching Star Trek - Infinite Space ever since eyeballing it at E3 earlier this year, and we're happy to say that Gameforge's upcoming title has taken the next step toward the final frontier by launching the official website for the game. The site is somewhat bare-Bones right now, with a sign-up to receive more information, screenshots, the trailer, and a news blog. What's interesting is that Gameforge is offering players an incentive to enlist in Starfleet by offering the chance to reserve your name, get beta key priority, and receive an exclusive item once you enter your retinal scan (or, y'know, fill out the form). Star Trek - Infinite Space is on display at this week's Gamescom, and we look forward to hearing more about this action-based free-to-play MMO.
Dota 2 beta registration now open
Valve has posted information about "The International" Dota 2 tournament going on at Gamescom this week, but a bunch of news about lucky Gamescom attendees playing the game isn't nearly as exciting as, you know, playing the game yourself. Along with the tourney schedule, Valve has opened up beta registration to the public for Dota 2. To sign up, all you need to do is head over to the Dota 2 page, sign into Steam and then click "Get on the List" to join. Unfortunately, there's no information about just when the beta will be happening or even how players will be chosen to participate, but since there will likely be a lot of people watching the livestream from Gamescom this week, Valve is likely just grabbing names and Steam accounts of interested parties while it can. Here's hoping you get in and play – but not before we do.
Self-explanatory 'Air Band' app hits Kinect Fun Labs August 22
When we first heard the name "Kinect Fun Labs - Air Band," it wasn't hard to conjure a pretty accurate image of what the widget would turn out to be: fake on-screen instruments that you play by gesturing. As revealed in these screens, Kinect Fun Labs summons neon phantoms of guitars, drums, and keyboards for you to play in your suddenly stage-like home. If mastering fictional instruments sounds like a good time, you won't have to wait long to start: Air Band will be out August 22.
Uncharted: Golden Abyss trailer introduces the dangling participants
Sony Bend's portable Uncharted adventure exhibits all the elements fans have come to expect from the franchise: vibrant graphics, treacherous environments, and cocky fortune hunters. Nice Meryl haircut, lady.
FIFA 12 ships with Ultimate Team, demo out Sept. 13
Your Madden-loving friends may not give your passion for FIFA the credit it's due the rest of the year, but at least today was a very good day to be a footie fan. For starters, EA announced at Gamescom that the strategic Ultimate Team mode would be included on FIFA 12's disc (a first for the series). Also, a demo for the soccer juggernaut will arrive on Sept. 13 (though the demo will not include Ultimate Team). What's that? Still haven't gotten enough? How about the brand new trailer above? We think you'll get ... a kick out of it. You know ... like in soccer?
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception trailer is just too much
You're more exciting than practically anything else coming this year. Your gameplay looks better than most other games' cinematics. You're elegant, you're classy and ... well frankly, Uncharted 3, it's all starting to come off a bit needy. What are you trying to prove with this new Gamescom trailer? That it looks really cool to punch a guy on a moving airplane? That your animations are just spectacular? No, that's not it, is it? No, you just want to remind us that you're just going to be the best, and you're not coming out until November. So, yes, Uncharted 3. We're dying inside. You're killing us with the slow, rusty knife of anticipation. There, we've said it, now can we please be left to alone to pine for you in peace?
New Resistance 3 trailer inspired by Olly Moss art
We know some of you still aren't convinced that Resistance 3 is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessors, but if this new trailer, inspired by Olly Moss's box art design, doesn't change your mind ... well, you're smart, because it doesn't have any gameplay. But you also have a heart of stone.
Dance Central 2 coming in October, just in time for the Monster Mash
We don't know if "Monster Mash" is actually in Dance Central 2, or if there's even a real dance associated with it. The point we were trying to make, ever so awkwardly, is that the Kinect dancing sequel will be released in October, just before Halloween. That's ... when you'd normally hear that song. Never mind. Harmonix announced at Gamescom today that Dance Central 2 will be out October 21 in Europe and Asia, October 25 in North America, and October 27 in Japan. The developer also revealed new features, including full voice integration, allowing you to operate the in-game menus and set up the updated "Break it Down" practice mode with voice commands. Four "dance crews" allow players to pick a faction and play through "crew challenges." 13 new songs were also announced. See the new song list after the break. Just a heads-up: it totally includes Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff." And the Numa Numa song.
Forza Motorsport 4 debuts Hockenheim track at Gamescom
No, Hockenheim isn't some made-up word -- it's a famous race track in Germany. What better place than the country's annual games show to debut the latest making-of video for Forza 4?
PlayStation Vita gets social with Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and Foursquare apps
During its GamesCom press conference, Sony revealed a suite of social media stuff that will be downloadable for the PlayStation Vita, joining the Vita-exclusive apps like Near and Party. If you want to let people know what's going on in your life (like, say, "I just played a Vita game" or "I'm about to play a Vita game") you'll be able to do so in Foursquare, Skype, Twitter, or Facebook. Skype was previously hinted at in a Brazilian Sony presentation. All four apps will be available for free download from the PlayStation Store. The announcement didn't make it clear as to whether any of them would be available at launch, but we're guessing no -- if the apps were ready at launch, they'd probably be pre-loaded on the device.
Gamescom 2011: gamigo reveals Otherland trailer
Prior to this week's Gamescom, blurbs about the Otherland MMO popped up once a year or so, if that. Now we're bringing you the second bit of news in as many days, courtesy of the trailer announcement that follows hot on the heels of yesterday's developer interview at IGN. The video clip showed up on publisher gamigo's YouTube portal this afternoon with a curious action MMORPG label in tow. We say curious here because "action" isn't the first word that springs to mind when discussing Tad Williams' Otherland novels, nor is there a lot of action in the four-minute trailer. There is a lot of eye candy and appropriately bizarre cyberpunk trappings, though, and all of it is presented through the glossy stylings of the Unreal 3 engine. The free-to-play title is scheduled to release sometime next year, and you can get a glimpse of what awaits you in the teaser after the cut.
Devil May Cry trailer and screens show off Ninja Theory's spin
Ninja Theory's take on Devil May Cry really gets off the ground in the Gamescom 2011 trailer. Dante might look like an emaciated Brian Molko in this one, but at least he's still got a knack for juggling.
Mass Effect 3 trailer shows Shepard leading his flock (of space commandos)
The latest Mass Effect 3 trailer bills itself as "Part 1" of the game's combat reveal and, as such, it shows off some of Shepard's new combat mechanics, notably the melee attack and some new squad leadership abilities. "Behind the boxes, right flank," Generi-Shep orders. Of course, we can imagine ourselves barking these same commands into our Kinect at home. Later, a huge mechsuit presents a larger challenge, but it's not clear if Garrus' Overload attack, which removed the mech's shields, was ordered by Shepard. If so, was that a voice command? While this reveal definitely has gameplay in it, it's so edited it's difficult to glean much about the game's new combat mechanics. Here's what we can tell: Mass Effect 3 definitely has combat and there are some new moves to take advantage of. Gotta save something for "Part 2," we guess.
PS3 price cut to $250, 320 GB model goes to $300 [update]
Well, this is certainly surprising. Sony closed out its Gamescom 2011 keynote with the startling announcement that the PlayStation 3 (presumably the standard, 160GB model) has had its price cut across the globe: It's now $249.99 in the U.S., €249.99 in Europe and ¥24,980 in Japan. According to Sony's Andrew House, this new price point is available immediately. As in, right now. This hot second. The $50 trimming of the system's MSRP comes nearly two years to the day after its original reduction to $299.99. We suppose that goes to show you: If you're planning on purchasing a Sony console, you should probably do so after the Ides of August. [Update: Sony is rolling our another deal today, according to its official blog: A new Infamous 2 PS3 bundle is now available that includes the game and the 320 GB PS3 for $300.]
