Posts

It still seems kind of strange to be talking about co-op for such a long-lived series likeResident Evil, but with this industry’s shift towards online play and integrating multiplayer into every game, ever, no matter how awkward it is, the notion make perfect sense. No offense, Sheva, but everyone’s been sayingResident Evil 5should be played with another human being for the best possible experience. It’s not that you’re stupid per se, but you go through your entire ammo supply as soon as possible, and you can’t manage your own inventory....

Want to try out game-streaming technology Gaikai for yourself? Here’s your chance, and you don’t even need to go anywhere: the beta service has launched demos for three Electronic Arts games. Sixty minute trials forSporeandThe Sims 3can be played right now, with no barrier to entry outside of your connection speed and desire to playSporeandThe Sims 3.Dead Space 2can be demoed after taking a brief survey. I’ve tried out all three games and am impressed with the results, although I did learn thatDead Space 2is impossible to play with a MacBook Pro trackpad....

GameStop stores across the country will be holding early preview events forHalo: Reachthis Friday. Each store will have a video showing off newReachcontent along with a Major League Gaming player giving out tips and tricks for the new game. Each store will also be giving away aLegendary EditionofHalo: Reachand there will be a sweepstakes to win a life-sizeHalostatue too. So if you have nothing planned this Friday evening, you might as well hit up a GameStop and possibly win some free stuff....

We knew for a while now that Criterion was going to work on theNeed for Speedlicense but seeing theHot Pursuitbrand coming back at E3 was quite a surprise. Here at gamescom we had the chance to take a look at the game behind closed doors and had a nice conversation with Criterion’s Matt Webster. Criterion just announced Autolog, a feature that could be described as Facebook for racing games. You might think that this would put you off, since social networking has not been done right in games so far, but since it is built into the heart ofHot Pursuitit could be a really interesting addition....

I think GDC took place in Bizarro World this year. Forget all thatSan Franciscotalk — that is just PR spin to throw everyone off the scent. How else can you explain my slightdisappointmentover the beautiful, retro, high-definition XBLA remake ofBionic Commandoand my surpriseexcitementover the upcoming 3D PS3/Xbox 360 version? (Also, nowhere else but Bizarro World would I ever utter the phrase “I want to put a baby in you!” But that is a story for another time …)...

Black Friday is just three days away and all the retailers are offering some great deals. Dale brought you news of theSams Club Wii Bundle dealyesterday and Nick showed off thenew DS Bundlesthat are being released just in time for this sales event. But there’s plenty of more deals at all the major retailers. Hit the jump to see what I think are some of the best deals from all the videogame retailers....

[Editor’s note: unangbangkay takes a look Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment in his contribution to theMonthly Musing. DDA isn’t really brought up that often and I must say this was a really enlightening read. — CTZ] Videogames as we know them were built on the idea of challenge. Arcade games were always about (and still are about) getting as far as you may go, mastering the gameplay (or at least the minutiae of the levels) and going until you either ran out of money or you contracted premature arthritis in your wrists....

This should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been following the slew of leaks and rumors surroundingGrand Theft Auto IVcoming to the PC, but today Rockstar has made the official announcement. On November 18,Grand Theft Auto IVwill ship in North America for the PC. Surprise! “The whole team is dedicated to bringing an amazing gaming experience to the PC,” said Rockstar’s Sam Houser. “The game looks and play beautiful on the PC and we can’t wait for people to play it....

The PlayStation Network hasearneditselfareputationas being quite friendly to hackers and cheaters, but Guerrilla doesn’t intend to give them quite so warm a welcome inKillzone 3. “The ability for one person to ruin people’s games is not a good prospect obviously, so we’re working with Sony on the moderation side,” said producer Steven Ter Heide. “We’re looking at people misbehaving, being able to follow reports against those so that’s all been taken care of — and we’re working with Sony to see, even more aggressively, what kind of things are happening....

I’ve just finished readinga very interesting articlebyNew York Timeswriter Daniel Radosh, in which he discussesHalo 3, its artistic merits and its impact on the ‘games as art’ debate as a whole. While these types of articles are normally written by self-interested, unresearched individuals like Roger Ebert, I find myself in the rare position of being unable to find true fault with this well written piece. I might not totally agree with him, but Daniel Radosh has done something that very few can do — use experience and education to sensibly and legitimately debate the argument that videogames are not truly art....

The world ofMindJackis an interesting one. It’s the year 2031, and people have the technology, through the power of special cybernetic devices, to control daily objects with just a thought. However, it’s not so simple as that, as these devices also enable players to shift between the minds of other AI controlled players. When a dastardly power hungry military organization tries to take over, what are the good agents of the world to do?...

Nothing is worse on a red-eyed, dazed morning than realizing that the previous night’s escapades with theRock Banddrum set have yielded a broken foot pedal. The only recourse in this scenario is lie your guts out to any EA warranty representative willing to assist. The fib may be innovative and ironclad, but EA is still going to ask for a less-than-60-day-old receipt. While lying is a hilarious way to get hardware replaced, what about the honest man who may have bought one of thedefective November bundles?...

A little late, but Activision has finally decided to let youhearthe mixes you could havedownloaded forDJ Herosince yesterday. The two mixes — “All Of Me” by 50 Cent featuring Mary J. Blige vs. “Radio Ga Ga” by Queen and “DARE” by Gorillaz vs. “Can’t Truss It” Performed by Public Enemy — will cost you $5.99 for the pack. you’re able to’t buy the songs individually on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; the Wii will get the DLC as single tracks on November 24 for 300 Wii Points a piece....