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C&C 3 demo commands/conquers Xbox Live
We're torn this morning. Sure, we'd love to order all of you to go out and download the hulking behemoth that is the Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars demo from Xbox Live. We'd like to, but we just can't until we get some questions answered. Well, one question, really: How much Billy Dee Williams does the demo contain? Sure, we're happy that, as previously announced, we're finally seeing how the RTS's controls translate to the 360. And don't get us wrong, we dig the Brotherhood of Nod, Kane, all that jazz. But what we really love, what keeps us coming back is GDI Director Redmond Boyle, BDW himself. The official description of the demo is of little help, heck, it doesn't even mention if the demo is single or multiplayer. The demo is 1GB though, so maybe the extra space was needed to store all of Mr. Williams' supercool, Colt 45-induced swagger. So, we're downloading now, as we're sure you are too, but without the presence of BDW, you can rest assured we'll be on that delete button faster than Lando Calrissian in the Millennium Falcon. (We're joking, of course -- nothing is that fast.) [Thanks, kritz]
Orta, Mercenaries, JSRF join 360 compatability list
Microsoft has supplied 33 more compelling reasons to finally stuff your old friend the Xbox in the closet with their new backwards compatibility update for the 360. How compelling, you ask? How about Jet Set Radio Future and Mercenaries? How's that grab you? No, still not enough? How about Panzer Dragoon Orta? The BC update doesn't seem to be working just yet, but we hope that'll be rectified soon. The full list is available here with all the new additions, like Return To Castle Wolfenstein and Breakdown. When asked to comment on the update, a Microsoft spokesperson wrote "We're continuing to work hard to certify as many original Xbox games to work on Xbox 360 as possible," and don't think we don't appreciate it. In fact, we're so grateful, we're not going to wonder aloud how NFL Fever 2004 snuck on to the list. We're rising above. Still conspicuously absent from the updates: Your Favorite Game that No One Else Liked. But chin up, we hear it's a lock for the next update. You can see a full list after the break. [via Snackbar Games]
Command & Conquer 3 demo on XBLM tomorrow?
Command & Conquer 3 Community Manager EA Apoc said in a forum post today that a demo for the anticipated Xbox 360 strategy game, currently out on PC, will be available on Xbox Live tomorrow. No word from the Major Nelson yet; a C&C3 theme pack and HD trailer was released yesterday. Apoc's forum post announcement is not an official confirmation, and there could be technical delays outside of publisher Electronic Arts' control (i.e. on Microsoft's side). Command & Conquer 3 will come out on Xbox 360 on May 10; it was released on PC late last month to positive reviews. The development team, EA Los Angeles, was also responsible for the Xbox 360 strategy title Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II, whose controls were surprisingly well done for a genre that typically does not map well to consoles. Should it prove true, we're sure to be one of the first to download the demo. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
From Firaxis to Maxis: Civ IV designer leaves to work on Spore
Soren Johnson, lead designer for Civilization IV, has left his nearly seven-year gig at Firaxis to work on Will Wright's Spore. Johnson had previously worked with Spore publisher Electronic Arts when he interned there and programmed for the PlayStation titles Knockout Kings 2000 and 2001. The news originally surfaced earlier today on Civilization site Apolyton and was later confirmed by Electronic Arts, according to GameSpot. The decision requires Johnson to move from Maryland to California. There is no indication as to why Johnson left Firaxis or in what facet he is helping with Spore this late in the game's development cycle. (The title, having been in development since 2000, is scheduled for release by the end of this year.) Of course, there's the obvious possibility he'll be helping out with the civilization phase of the game. Johnson's personal blog has not been updated since this year's Game Developers Conference. As Gamasutra notes, Johnson had been working on an original IP for Firaxis; its fate is currently unknown.
DS Fire Emblem possible
Try not to get too excited (we know how you Fire Emblem devotees can be), but in an interview with IGN, a few of the franchise's producers dropped some hints that may lead to a DS appearance. However -- and this is why we caution against jumping the excitement gun -- Nintendo's Hitoshi Yamagami voiced some hesitation at a DS version. While they think that the handheld is perfect for SRPGs, they prefer to see Fire Emblem on a television. The demand is considerable for such a title, though, so if we keep our fingers crossed and think happy thoughts, it just may happen. In the interview, they also discussed WiFi options and the fact that they wanted to implement online functionality in the Wii's Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn, but there just wasn't enough time. Wherever the next installment in the series falls, it's probably going to be online.
Take a peek at Final Fantasy Tactics A2
Viva la Jeux France, for they bring us scads of new images from Final Fantasy Tactics A2! While the game -- or rather, its successor -- may be somewhat divisive among gamers who either loved or hated it, we hope you can all agree on at least one thing: these images look pretty sweet. We'll wait to pass judgment on the game itself, but there's no question about the screens -- they are filled with awesome. The color palette and the overall design is really easy on the eyes. We could easily stare at this one for hours, which is good, since, y'know, we probably will.
Firaxis to revisit X-COM in Civ IV: Beyond the Sword
Firaxis' Tim McCracken recently updated the official Civilization IV site with details on a very intriguing scenario in the coming Beyond the Sword expansion. The scenario, "Afterworld," is "a tip of the hat to the Gollop brothers and the original X-COM team." "Afterworld" sounds like a squad-based, sci-fi scenario that is heavy on combat and light on everything else. "There are no leaders. No cities. No technologies. It's not the typical game of Civ. It's Afterworld." McCracken doesn't say much more, but Firaxis doing an X-COM homage is enough to make many gamers drool. More than we usually do, we mean.
New Final Fantasy Tactics character revealed
As the Japanese release of Final Fantasy Tactics draws nearer, more details have slowly been revealed. Ruliweb has posted a scan, which features one of the enhanced port's new characters, LuSo. With the addition of Final Fantasy XII characters, it appears as though the cast of Tactics is becoming even larger than it already was. It appears portable gamers will have a lot to look forward to. See also: Final Fantasy Tactics' beautiful box art [Via PSP-Vault]
Tiberium Wars 'commands' UK charts, 'conquers' PS3 Resistance
Back in August 1999 Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun dominated the UK's All Formats Chart for a 4-week stretch. Today the EA-owned RTS series is back on top, as Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars debuts at #1 (for the week ending March 31) -- and there can be only one, #1. Indeed, just as PlayStation 3 hardware sales have quickly cooled, so have sales of the console's top software titles, Resistance and Motorstorm, both dropping more than 60% in sales from two weeks ago (when the titles commanded the top spots) to last week, when they slipped, however slightly in the rankings to #2 and #3. Coincidentally, this isn't the first time that C&C and PlayStation have done the bump n' grind on UK sales charts. During the final week of September 1995, both Westwood Studios' original Command & Conquer (Tiberian Dawn) and Sony's first PlayStation system made their UK retail debuts.
Final Fantasy Tactics' beautiful box art
Not too many games are big enough to warrant a box art story. Well, this one is. The Japanese Final Fantasy Tactics is as pretty as the game itself. Click the image above to see a full, high-res version of the box. What do you think? Does it get you any more excited for the game? [Via PSP-Vault]
Get a load of Final Fantasy Tactics A2
If you've been waiting with bated breath to see the sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, you can relax -- it's here. This FFTA2 scan shows off some of the first screens, as well as main characters Adel and Luso. So here it is. Let the FFT vs FFTA wars begin, though we're not sure there's much fodder just yet. No matter which you prefer, we'll say one thing: these Ivalice Alliance games threaten to dominate all of our handheld time.
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword announced
Strategy junkies get ready to be home bound this summer, 2K announced the second expansion for Civilization IV entitled Beyond the Sword. The expansion will be out by the end of July and focus on the late-game time period after gunpowder. This puppy is big with ten new civs, 16 new leaders, five new wonders and a slew of other additions. Civilization IV's last expansion, Warlords, focused on combat. Beyond the Sword is designed for the players looking to dominate through other methods. Corporations will allow players to trade resources throughout the world, espionage will be allowed earlier in the game and the race to Alpha Centauri will require more strategy. There will also be advanced starts, allowing players to skip ahead and experience the new content. Which is great, but like Damion Shubert said at GDC, "There's still nothing like that first hour of a game in Civilization when players are just starting their empire."
Hoshigami Remix turns to the US
The DS remake of the Playstation strategy game Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth is headed to the US as Hoshigami Remix, published by Aksys Games. According to the announcement, the game is getting a ton of new content, including a new character, new missions, and redrawn art, plus the most welcome addition: three difficulty levels. Of course, there's also a new control scheme, but that's part and parcel with being a DS game.Aksys is aiming for a summer release at $29.99. Localizing an RPG and releasing it just a few months after the Japanese release seems pretty ambitious for a company that's only released one game (Eagle Eye Golf on the PS2) and no text-heavy RPG's. We're impressed by their confidence![Via Insert Credit]
Attack tables and you
Hello! Math time again. Some of you may know how attack tables work, but many of you, I'm sure, don't. This post in the European official forums contains the clearest explanation of attack tables I've seen, and I'd advise anybody interested in the mathier side of the game to go check it out. Some parts of it are copied into this post, because they are excellent and not everyone can access the official forums. I am also indebted to the ever-excellent WoWWiki."What is an attack table," you ask? Why, it's the method by which WoW decides what's going to happen when a mob or player attacks another mob or player. Is the attack going to miss, be parried, crit, or what? As it turns out, there are seven possible outcomes of a melee attack (six if there are no mobs involved). They are:Miss Dodge Parry Glancing Blow (players against mobs only)Block Critical Hit Crushing Blow (mobs only) Regular Hit
Saturday PSP background explosion
Every week we give you new backgrounds for your PSP. If your a background groupie or haven't changed your background in a while, that's why we're here. This week we have backgrounds based on Final Fantasy, a PS1 series I want a new game from and of course a background based on another anime I love. Backgrounds after the jump ...
Final Fantasy Tactics to have multiplayer
At least if the US version is to have the same features as the Japanese one . Square Enix has told IGN that the Japanese version of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War will have two player battles with a red team vs a blue team so that there is no confusion as to who you should injure mid-combat. Also you will have a limited number of turns to be victorious, thus preventing a tactics wimp from just running during an entire battle. I can't see them cutting this feature in the US given the popularity of multiplayer in the US, but I suppose we'll have to wait for confirmation to be sure.
Aedis Eclipse: Generations of Chaos screens
The first Generations of Chaos game for PSP seemed good when I bought it, but the lacking tutorial made it difficult for me to really progress. Hopefully Aedis Eclipse: Generations of Chaos will do a better job of informing the gamer how to play the game. The key idea of this game seems to be that you play a main character and story in three different worlds and get those different perspectives on the war and universe. I love tactics games, so I want nothing more than for it to be worthwhile. In the meantime there are some screens to view. More screens after the jump ...
New FF Tactics shots unearthed
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War may just be an upgraded port, but I can't help but get excited by it whenever I see new screens. In particular I love the addition of cinemas and the sketchy look of them. Though the battle scenes do look better than the PS1 original. If you love tactics games like me, check out the rest of the new screenshots. More screens after the jump ...
Top 5 on PSP: Strategy
There may not be much PSP related news out of GDC yet, but you can comfort yourself by knowing the system has lots of great games already. With that in mind, every day this week we'll feature a new genre and list the top 5 games (according to metareviews), so no matter what you're into, you'll have some idea of what games you should own. Today the focus is on strategy games, which the PSP doesn't have a lot of, but there are some notable and enjoyable ones (like the games on the list below). Top 5 Strategy games on PSP
