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F.E.A.R. gets new DLC yet again
We really dodged a bullet today with this new F.E.A.R. DLC pack, called Synchronicity. We were afraid we wouldn't have anything to say at all, there was just a new level pack on July 4 for crying out loud. Luckily for us, they priced the thing at 550 points. Yep, five-hundred ... and fifty. For those of you nervously pounding on your Texas Instruments, let us save you some time. It's $6.87 -- and a half cent. If you needed a reminder that the digital economy in still in its pupae state, this is it. Who played through three new CTF maps and two new Deathmatch/Control maps and was aghast that they would charge 500 points? "I insist, nay, demand you increase the price of this gaming product," the mysterious pricing manager might have shouted, as his monocle fell from his face. "You either raise the price sixty-two-and-one-half cents, or you may consider my resignation at this establishment tendered!" The plot thickens even more when you consider that the last map pack for F.E.A.R. was four maps for 500 points. It's further confirmation of what we all expected ... they're choosing these prices at random. Ah well, at least the spinning wheel isn't landing on $15 any more.
Download and F.E.A.R. the Synchronicity Pack
More F.E.A.R. content rolled out this morning and this time it's new multiplayer maps. For an unusually priced 550 Microsoft points you can get the F.E.A.R. Synchronicity Pack featuring five brand spanking new maps. The new maps include capture the flag/conquer all maps Dead Wood, Labs, and Depot and deathmatch/control maps Waterworks and Stockpile. So, taking into consideration the Nightmare Pack, you now have the option to download (purchase) nine new F.E.A.R. maps in total for 950 points. Fear the map pack purchases!
Even more F.E.A.R. coming this fall
F.E.A.R. is quickly moving up the ranks as the most confusing brand in the gaming world. It's astounding how four letters can turn us from suave, worldly gamers to the grandma who has a stroke trying to figure out why Intendo makes so many different Game Boys. First, of course, there was Not F.E.A.R. 2 (name subject to change) and now there's an announcement of new F.E.A.R. content coming this fall. The first is new PC expansion pack called F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate, which takes place during F.E.A.R. but with a different F.E.A.R. team, also, there are new enemies. Then we've got F.E.A.R. Files, for the Xbox 360. Now, don't confuse this with the recent downloadable content, no, this is something completely new entirely. Well, new in the sense that it's a combination of the Perseus Mandate expansion and another PC expansion called F.E.A.R. Extraction Point. Watch your back, Mega Man! It's only a matter of time before you get some poison in your ear and F.E.A.R. takes your "Most Diluted Brand" crown.
F.E.A.R. Nightmare pack on X.B.L.M.
After setting the foundation down with the free update that released last week, F.E.A.R. now has multiplayer maps available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The 4 maps cost only 500 Microsoft Points, which is a reasonable price for the content. CTF and Conquer All maps are Spill Kill and Heliport, while Cafeteria and Asylum will supply your fix for Control and straight up Deathmatch. Perhaps this will persuade us to actually break the seal on our still shrink wrapped copy of the game.
F.E.A.R. Nightmare Pack available, reasonable
When we read the name of the new downloadable "Nightmare" map pack for F.E.A.R., our snarky blogger sense went haywire. "Oh, this will be rich," we said in our heads as we planned our first line, which would have gone something like "The real nightmare is being asked to pay $10 for these things!" (lolz!) But then we saw the price: 500 points ($6.25) for four new maps. Which is annoyingly reasonable. "Well what the blood clot are we supposed to write!?" we shouted angrily, chucking our half-empty Diet Pepsi Max at our favorite kitten calendar. That's when we realized it: The names of the maps! We could include those and then hopefully make some sort of great zinger. So ... Heliport, Spill Kill, Asylum and Cafeteria. ... Nothing. OK. Well, F.E.A.R. packs are available. Go get them, or don't. We're going to go curl up with a pint of Chubby Hubby and a Nicholas Sparks book and figure out what we're even doing in this business.
F.E.A.R. D.L.C. for F.R.E.E. on X.B.L.M.
There's free new content available for F.E.A.R. on Xbox Live Marketplace. The Control and Conquer All Map Pack has two new gametypes, "Conquer All" and "Control". On top of the extra gametypes, there is also a title update that adds a few functionality features to the gameplay and Xbox Live experience. on the in game experience, blood splatter has been added to enemy uniforms after having been shot, as well as an option to fade the HUD so it only shows information when you need it, without cluttering your screen. Extra functionality has been added to Player Matches, allowing the host to invite friends into both private and public slots. There also were hints made towards new maps being available later this summer.
F.E.A.R. PS3/360 comparison video
From what Factor 5's Julian Eggebrecht said, we should already know that the 360 version of F.E.A.R. will look superior to the PlayStation 3 because of how the two console's hardware is arranged (ports from PS3 to the 360 would actually be easier and look identical, supposedly). The video above may surprise you at just how similar the game looks on both consoles. The PS3 seems brighter, the 360 seems shinier, but overall it's the same game. Cool.
F.E.A.R. the PS3 vs 360 comparison
Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 graphics comparisons aren't anything new, but when a multiplatform game releases we figure we'll just keep dishing out the video goods. Showcased above is a graphical brawl between the 360 and PS3 versions of F.E.A.R. and even though the small embedded video isn't the perfect graphical representation, we have a difficult time telling the difference. Even after downloading the HD comparison video it's still hard to tell which version is graphically superior. Maybe it was just a good porting job from the PC version to both consoles, who knows, but to us they look the same. We'll leave it in your hands fellow fanboys, watch the video and start a mini fanboy war or just dismiss this comparison and call it a draw.
Seven PS3 titles delayed from Euro launch, 27 still left
We now have seven PlayStation 3 titles that will miss their original European release date alongside the console's launch. The dubious septuplet and their new release dates: Splinter Cell: Double Agent -- March 30 NBA 2k7 -- April 6 F.E.A.R. -- April 20 Oblivion -- April 27 Untold Legends -- April 27 GRAW 2 -- June 2007 Rainbow Six: Vegas -- Spring 2007 While more than a few of those are top-notch titles, Sony still has 27 launch titles -- 23 disc-based and four downloadable -- and at their disposal, including Virtua Fighter 5. Will the absence of these seven games affect the launch? No more than the price, and the delays aren't very far behind the March 23 launch. In three months, no one is going to care about the delays. The initial momentum lost, however, is debatable. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
Vivendi Games buys Wanako, world trembles
Wanako Games, makers of the Live Arcade shooter, Assault Heroes, has been acquired by Vivendi Games. Given the (relative) praise that Assault Heroes received, the deal makes sense. Also, it has already been announced that Sierra Online -- a division of Vivendi Games and Ross Erickson's new home -- and Wanako are set to deliver another Arcade title 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures. It seems that both parties must have synced quite nicely, as representatives from both companies seem to share the same vision. Said Ed Zorbist, president of Sierra Online, "Wanako exudes the commitment to quality and a passion for developing great games that we ourselves strongly believe in."Alright. Yes. Good good. Now, can we please get to work on fixing Assault Heroes' co-op problems?[Via Joystiq. Thanks, J. Goodwin]
Bringing It Home content, 9/25
Well folks, TGS is over, finished, kaput. As such, it seem only fitting that today's content is more oriented towards western audiences -- note also that there is no Japan exclusive content today. Here's the sweet sweet candy: Battlestations Midway trailer Eragon trailer Import Tuner Challenge trailer Need for Speed Carbon trailer The Darkness trailer Mass Effect Picture Pack (free!) Battlestar Galactica (United States) TGS Showfloor video 3 video F.E.A.R. demo We discussed the F.E.A.R. demo earlier: if you played the OXM demo, there's nothing new. With all this content, it may be time to start clearing out some of that old E3 stuff. Meanwhile, X06 inches ever closer. So, everybody make some room, download each and every one of these trailers, watch them, and then come back here and discuss them. Discuss them, I say!
F.E.A.R. D.E.M.O. on X.B.L.M.
You read the headline, there's a demo of F.E.A.R. available on Marketplace right now. Our more astute readers will no doubt notice that this demo is exactly the same as the demo available some time ago in OXM. Giving it another go this morning, X360F wonders whether or not F.E.A.R. can stand out among upcoming blockbusters like Gears of War and Rainbow Six: Vegas. Also, it may just be us, but why does this game require such a monster PC to run? There are plenty of particle effects and the textures are all very high res, but the geometry just doesn't look that impressive -- again, see Gears of War and Rainbow Six. Still, if you haven't picked up the demo through OXM, you just can't beat the price (hint: it's free). [Thanks, Chris]
EA names new president of Asian operations
Electronic Arts has tapped former Vivendi Universal executive Hubert Larenaudie to be the new president of EA Asia. Larenaudie became the president of VU Games' Asia Pacific operations two years ago, and it's rumored that the strong ties he developed with The9 during that time will result in the Chinese publisher licensing EA's popular FIFA series. See also: EA's plan to rule Asia EA's admirable beginnings remembered Joystiq interview: Hoyt Ma (The9)
Eragon gameplay update
Your next Panzer Dragoon Orta fix might be coming from Eragon, based on the book and movie of the same name. According to Vivendi Games producer Tim Ramage, you'll spend one third of the game engaged in glorious aerial combat on the back of your dragon, Saphira. Unfortunately, there are the other two thirds of the game, which at this point appear to be standard third person combat and puzzle-solving fare. GameTrailers has some in-depth gameplay vids and interviews.Eragon will be shipping this holiday season on every platform except the Wii and PS3, and fans of Chistopher Paolini's bestselling novel also have the film to look forward to in December.
X360F plays FEAR, needs new shorts
I managed to grab a copy of the latest OXM yesterday, containing the long awaited F.E.A.R. demo. Let's get one thing straight. I have never played F.E.A.R. My PC can run Diablo II and that's fine by me. As you can imagine, I was giddy when I found out about the 360 port of F.E.A.R., and, now that I've played the demo, I'm intrigued to say the least. The game will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played Monolith's other title for the 360, Condemned: Criminal Origins. The environments and the overall tension of the games are very similar. The difference here is that the enemies in F.E.A.R. are run of the mill soldiers -- which makes the appearance of The Ring-inspired Alma that much more frightening. The supernatural elements of the game feel immediately out of place, which intensifies the...um...fear of them. The only concern I have is whether or not the gun battles will grow stale. That said, the story and horror elements present in the demo are more than enough to pique my interest. The demo is short and barely offers a taste of the action, but horror fans may just want to plunk down the cash for the latest OXM. We promise you at least one genuine scare.
F.E.A.R. demo scares OXM disc
K1lla (of K1lla's Xbox Domain, natch) just received the October issue of OXM, including a 360 demo of F.E.A.R., just in time for Halloween. At least it would be without arcane magazine lead times. Anyway, the upshot is that everyone gets a chance to try out F.E.A.R. before it hits the shelves -- and without upgrading their PC. Can a Marketplace demo be far behind? The demo is single player only and is reportedly very nice. We don't know if OXM has actually hit newsstands yet, but subscribers should expect the mag any day now. So, who's got a copy? Is it good? Is it super scary? Inquiring minds want to know. [Thanks, Joey]
Vivendi's F.E.A.R. coming to PS3 with extra scary extras [Update 1]
F.E.A.R. was pretty cool on the PC. Sure, adding Japanese Horror stereotypes to a FPS may seem awkward to some, but it worked out as a fairly entertaining device. No one wants a pale little girl with long dark hair anymore, that's for sure. It's also getting a release for the 360, with expansion pack Extraction Point. Now the game is also coming to the PS3. Better late than never? Oh, and online multiplayer is free. That aside, PS3 fans, let's get geared up for finally getting to play an interesting game, assuming we missed out on it for the PC or 360. Would this game make a nice launch title? Not really, since it's not the newest kid on the block, but it would still make a good game to be released with the system. At old-gen prices, please. No offense to the game, but paying $60-70 for it, when it'll most likely be cheaper for any other system, isn't exactly enticing. How about we get it free with the system? That'd be nice. Anyone have any thoughts about games that are released right now being ported to the PS3? Should they have a standard pricing, or be a little cheaper than other titles, like Heavenly Sword? [Update: oops! It's not out on the 360? Wonder what the heck I played... changed that line.]
Live member spotted playing F.E.A.R. demo
360 Fanboy reader, Malik, sent us this tip today: "Ok, I decided to make a thread for this whole thing. As I said in the Marketplace thread, I was browsing my Xbox.com friends list when I noticed that controlcommerce from CAG was playing the F.E.A.R. demo. Instantly I open up the 360 forum to see nothing about it mentioned while I sign onto the Marketplace on my 360. After finding nothing in the Marketplace I open his profile on my Xbox 360 Dashboard, and it says that he was playing Street Fighter II HF and not F.E.A.R." Does this portend the imminent arrival of a F.E.A.R. demo? Does a fanboy dare to dream? (Any loose-lipped Microsoft insiders can hit us up with a tip. I won't tell anyone, I promise.)
F.E.A.R. this countdown
Eurogamer posted a story about this a while ago. I meant to post it then, but --as usual -- Eurogamer failed to link it in any way whatsoever(!). Anyway, the point is this: joinfear.com has a countdown running (14 days to go as of this post) with the title "COMBAT IS COMING". What it's counting down to is anybody's guess. A 360 release date? Marketplace demo perhaps? Give us some theories in the comments.
Some really shifty shots
Xboxyde graces us with some new shots of Vivendi's 4th dimension bending shooter, Timeshift. The screens show off some of the nifty backdrops and some decent weapon models -- not spectacular, though this is expected from what was originally an Xbox title. Hopefully the final gameplay lives up to its promise (it should if E3 was any indication).
