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Free PlayStation Home Batcave comes on Batman: Arkham Asylum disc
After pounding macho men to a pulp in the recent Batman: Arkham Asylum demo, we're definitely excited for additional bat-goodies. That's why we're happy to pass along some info from the PlayStation Blog, which says Home users will get the sweet Batcave space you see above. It's called the "Batman Arkham Asylum Batcave Outpost Apartment" and comes chock full of stuff, including a "Batsuit, Batmobile, and Batwing, along with various Bat-gadgets." The space will be unlocked for gamers when they pop in the disc and allow them to walk about Bruce Wayne's (spoiler!) underground lair. Sounds all well and good, but where's the virtual Alfred to boss around?
Job listing claims Next Mortal Kombat will 'revolutionize online play'
The pieces of the puzzle that is the next Mortal Kombat continue to come together. WB Games Chicago (formerly Midway's Chicago studio, a.k.a. the MK team) has put out a help wanted sign for programmers looking to "revolutionize online play" with the series' next installment. The posting mentions that WB is "looking to position Mortal Kombat as the 'gold standard' for network play," and that whoever lands the job will "push the boundaries of what is possible with online interaction," including "brand-new features that will revolutionize online play." Pretty big words. We're not exactly sure how WB will go about turning the online fighting game experience on its ear, but we'd love to hear your ideas in comments. [Via TRMK]
Batman: Arkham Asylum dev diary has English sensibilities
Has your recent playthrough of the Batman: Arkham Asylum demo left you wondering exactly how the sausage got made? Lucky you -- Warner Bros. and Rocksteady recently released a behind-the-scenes look at the stealth-action superhero sim, which keen-eyed readers have probably already noticed is posted above.The game's creators do a great job of explaining what makes the game so successful -- elements such as the intensive mocap work done to bring the animations to life, story contributions from DC's Paul Dini, and of course, Rocksteady's own "English sensibilities." We're pretty fond of our American sensibilities thankyouverymuch -- but if that's the secret ingredient that makes Arkham Asylum so rad, we guess we can't complain.
BAM! Batman: Arkham Asylum demo punching faces online
Hello, loyal readers. We should have mentioned this a few hours ago but a demo for Batman: Arkham Asylum is now available for Xbox Live Gold users. Why are we late on the tip? Well, we've been busy playing the demo ... and time flew by. Translation: The demo is good. Yeah, that's right. Soak it in for a moment, a superhero game that doesn't immediately make you want to punch yourself in the face. Feels nice, doesn't it? Of course, the demo's vertical slice could be a mischievous ruse, and only when we play the full version will we realize that half the game is played by a boyish Robin ... or worse, The Arbiter (we're kidding, you're always The Bats). Will the final game live up? According to our other experiences in Arkham, Rocksteady has actually done Batman some justice. It's about time. Do the Bat-Dance, Queue up the Batman: Arkham Asylum demo
Warner Bros. trademark transfer of Midway begins
According to recently filed trademarks, the transfer of Midway's various game licenses to Warner Bros. Interactive has begun. Supererogatory spotted the first group of games that have been approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office -- including Robotron 2084, Defender, Joust and Wheelman, among others -- and asserted that the rest have yet to go through. With the possible re-branding of the ex-Midway Mortal Kombat team to WB Games Chicago and dissolution of Midway's executive ranks a few weeks ago, it appears as though the dismantling of Midway Games as it once was is nearly complete. We'll always have NBA Jam, right Midway?
No joke: Batman Arkham Asylum for $48 on consoles, $40 on PC
It's true, you can snag Batman: Arkham Asylum from Amazon for only $47.99. There's no need to pull out your handy Bat-Price-Reducer either. You need only place a pre-order for the Xbox 360 or PS3 version. Then, at checkout, simply enter the code 5OFFARKM for five smackers off Amazon's asking price of $52.99. Using free shipping, that's a brand new copy for $48. Even better, using the same coupon, the PC version can be had for only $40.That's a deal only the Joker could refuse. After all, saving money is no laughing matter.[Via Slickdeals.net]
Warner Bros. promotes exec following Midway acquisition
Warner Bros. executive Jeff Junge has a laundry list of valuable gaming credentials on his resume. From recently leading the acquisition of a failing Midway Games to an early investment in dark magic engine OnLive, and even spearheading the purchase of TT Games a couple of years back, Junge is no stranger to the game industry. And all that would help to explain why, late this week, Warner Bros. announced the promotion of Junge to senior VP of business management for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. The Home Entertainment Group includes, among many other things, the company's gaming division.According to the release issued by WB, Junge will continue to "drive mergers and acquisitions" for the company. We've been told on good faith that neither "mergers" nor "acquisitions" are any type of automobile. How do you plan on driving them then, Mr. Junge? Hmmm?[Via Edge]
New F.E.A.R. 2 DLC flips the script in August
Next month, Monolith's F.E.A.R. 2 will receive an injection of fresh DLC, IGN reveals. This time around, the content won't be focused on multiplayer. Instead, F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn adds four new single player missions, with the player controlling replica soldier Foxtrot 813 through an all-new adventure.There's no word on exact date or price, but we'll be sure to inform all eight of you that care when we find out.[Via Big Download]
Scribblenauts trailer attacks our weak point for massive damage
How many game trailers will you see today that start with a guy jumping a bicycle over a baby? Like, three at most. Even the trailers for Scribblenauts are mindblowing. There's even a little riff on Genji! To demonstrate the versatile gameplay found in the procedural adventure game (that's our awesome term for it), 5th Cell included things like helping improve an old man's vision by giving him another eye. That doesn't work? How about a sniper rifle? And while we're talking about that, we'd like to express our delight that there is a game in which improving an old man's vision is an objective. Even beyond all the item-summoning stuff, there's a ton of creativity at work here. %Gallery-68669%
Where the Wild Things Are romps into our hearts this October
(click to Wild Things-size) We didn't want to wake you up, but we really want to tell you something ... specifically, that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today officially announced the upcoming movie tie-in game, Where the Wild Things Are, for 360/PS3/Wii and DS. Landing on retailer shelves this October in-tandem with the film's theater release, all we know about the game so far is that it's an action/platformer.You might remember hearing about this game back in May when we told you more or less everything we've just heard officially today. We do have the one exciting screenshot you see above, but that's not a lot, so we've embedded the movie trailer after the break for your enjoyment. If it can warm our icy hearts, it can warm anyone's.
Scribblenauts: one level, many solutions
This is exactly the kind of thing we wanted to see with Scribblenauts: the same puzzle attempted multiple times, each using different means. A series of videos on Nintendo Raw shows one of the game's puzzles, in which the player is dangled from a rope next to a caged Starite, also suspended, using different items.After the break, we've embedded our favorite take on the puzzle, which earns that distinction for its use of a moustache as a problem-solving item -- wearing it causes the hat to which the rope is suspended to come off. Check Nintendo Raw to see several more attempts, some more successful than others.
WB pencils in September 25 UK release date for Scribblenauts
Scribblenauts is currently slated for a "September" release in North America, though it's semi-officially listed for September 15. If you write with an English accent, you'll be happy to know that you'll be summoning lorries, bobbies, and chavs to retrieve Starites as soon as September 25.WB confirmed the UK release date in a statement to Destructoid. This may actually be the release date across Europe, as Amazon.de lists the German version (which requires significantly more localization than the also-in-English UK version) for the same date. We're delighted that, as far as we can tell, there won't be any agonizing six-month waits for anyone while other regions have an awesome time. Except maybe for Japan. We haven't heard about any publishers picking it up there, and other 5TH Cell games have been released there months after they were in North America.%Gallery-39784%
Midway Newcastle drains the moat, shuts down
Try as it might, Midway Newcastle (Wheelman, Necessary Force) has apparently closed down, thanks to Midway's corporate incompetence and a lack of interest by new overlords at Warner Bros. Develop reports that the studio received the news this morning from Midway CEO Matt Booty -- an "insolvency team" was there to close the studio as soon as possible.That leaves the fate of Midway San Diego still hanging in the balance. Hopefully the 70 or so folks from Newcastle can find jobs soon. We hear that Realtime Worlds is hiring like crazy, and perhaps the team at Ruffian could use some help on Crackdown 2?
Amid Midway / Warner Bros. transition, Midway name up in the air
Various outlets reported this morning that, based on the Twitter accounts of a few Midway employees, the company name will be dissolved in the acquisition of Midway by Warner Bros. Midway's Geoff Mogilner told us this morning that those reports are simply unfounded. "The name and the mark are owned by Warner Bros. and it is up to them to figure out the branding strategy," Mogilner said to Joystiq. In the midst of buying and selling various Midway properties, basic things like the company name can easily be swept under the rug and forgotten about while people talk about intellectual properties and trademarks.According to Mogilner, when WB officially acquired Midway in an auction last month, it not only bought various IP (Mortal Kombat, Spy Hunter, etc.) but also the branding. "They [WB] bought the assets and the trademark and all the copyrights and the logo and all that ... to say the name is dead, it's silly but, ya know, it's premature -- the company Midway Games, Inc. still exists," Mogilner told us. He is, of course, speaking about the remaining studios still owned by Midway -- Midway Newcastle and San Diego among them -- who he says are still up for auction, "At this point, as long as they're open, we can still get bids. We're actively trying to figure out that situation. We were required (and it was prudent) to give notice to the people at those studios." We've contacted Warner Bros. for comment on whether or not it will continue using the Midway name on future ex-Midway products and have yet to hear back as of publishing.Update: Warner Bros. has responded to our request for comment with, well, no comment. We asked the company if it will be using the Midway name going forward on ex-Midway products, to which WB officially responded, "We [WB] are not yet commenting on Midway." That's all (for now), folks![Via Big Download] [Image]
Warner Bros. was the only one interested in Midway
It appears that Warner Bros. was the sole bidder for Midway, meaning the company's $33 million offer likely nets it the whole mortal kit and kaboodle. The LA Times reports that there's still some issues to deal with before the acquisition is finalized -- involving creditors, objections and those who had deals with Midway, including Mortal Kombat producer Lawrence Kasanoff.If the deal is finalized, WBIE will add more titles to its roster, including the next Mortal Kombat game and This is Vegas. Warner could also resurrect Joust and Spy Hunter if it wanted to. But, before all that, the company may still have another acquisition looming with Codemasters.
UK: Buy LEGO Battles, get a ticket to LEGOLAND
Attention UK readers, Warner Bros. is running an interesting promotion for its DS RTS title, LEGO Battles, which is set to release in the region next week. MCV reports that the game will include vouchers for free entry into LEGOLAND Windsor. Specifically, the vouchers allow a child to enter the park for every paying adult. In other words, full grown adults will still have to pay full admission regardless, but the kids can come along for free (so long as you bring enough adults along).So, all you adult gamers won't be getting a free pass. Of course, being full grown adults, you'd never play something as silly as LEGO Battles, would you? Of course not. Neither would we. Never.We've contacted Warner Bros. to see if this promotion will be making it to North America as well. Considering it's already been released in North America -- and we haven't heard any full-grown children screaming with glee -- we're not holding our breath.
Skateboarding god versus Cthulhu in Scribblenauts
We don't know which god the "god" in Scribblenauts represents -- in our eyes, he's vaguely Zeus-esque. But we do know, thanks to this demo given to IGN by 5TH Cell's Jeremiah Slaczka, what would happen if this god got into a fight with Cthulhu. While on a skateboard. And holding a shotgun.We also learn what happens when a villain sees a full moon: he transforms into a werewolf. Obviously. It's worth noting that none of these things helped get the Starite out of a tree, which was the actual objective of the level. That's going to be the biggest challenge in Scribblenauts: actually playing instead of just screwing around.%Gallery-39784%
Hands-on: Batman: Arkham Asylum
After we got to get an eyes-on with Batman: Arkham Asylum's single-player campaign last week, we were hankering for our first hands-on with the game. Luckily, Eidos brought the title to E3 this year, offering more than just the challenge rooms (available for play on kiosks at your local big box store) but also a slice of gameplay from the single-player campaign. Twenty minutes later, we had silently "not murdered" a slew of baddies employing the game's Detective Mode, and found ourselves smiling ear to ear. A cinematic guided us through the intro to the game -- essentially dropping off Joker at Arkham Asylum and witnessing the subsequent takeover of the facility. And that's when we started sluggin' dudes. Lots of dudes -- with big veins popping out of their arms. Each punch felt surprisingly satisfying and various on-screen commands helped to fluidly guide Batman's blows from one enemies' face to another. %Gallery-31781%
Lego Harry Potter magically appearing in 2010
Warner Bros. and Traveller's Tales have finally announced that Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is coming to all major platforms, including 9 3/4. (That's some tragic Hogwarts humor for y'all.) The game will release on "next generation console and handheld" consoles sometime next year.We'd go into more detail, but who hasn't played a Lego [fill in major franchise name here] yet? Seriously, we need a picture of a Lego cow's shriveled and dry teat.
The rest of Midway is up for auction
Apparently, struggling publisher Midway has more than just Warner Bros. bidding on its remaining assets. After last week's announcement of WB's $33 million dollar offer to acquire the lion's share of Midway's properties, Midway released a statement today detailing the process and, in so many words, is allowing for larger bids. "Midway recently announced a stalking horse asset purchase agreement, which is expected to receive court approval, subject to higher or better bids, in a hearing on June 2, 2009," reads the statement. Additionally, all remaining assets owned by Midway are available for bidding as well -- including the TNA Wrestling franchise not included in the WB bid -- until the court-supervised auction takes place on June 29th.Midway's Geoff Mogilner told Joystiq this afternoon that today's release "doesn't change that agreement [with WB]" and either side will suffer financial penalties for backing out. He also noted that the acquisition has no effect on the development teams employed by Midway as "people aren't assets." Yet, Geoff. Yet. Seriously though, he told us that any bidder wishing to acquire development teams would have to engage in a "separate acquisition" and any winning bidder on Midway's assets won't take on any of the massive debt the company is currently weighed down by. He also noted that the recipient(s) of the money from this auction have yet to be decided. Standing in line for a payout are a laundry list of creditors along with mystery man Mark Thomas.
