While visiting Valve this past week to pop zombie heads inLeft 4 Dead 2, we took the time to sit down with marketing VP Doug Lombardi to chat about two subjects very close to my heart — used games and piracy. While Valve has used Steam as a great way of dealing with such issues, we wondered whether the studio’s retail games suffered at all, and what they made of the whole used game debate....
Considering the relative success ofDante’s Inferno(both commercially and for the most part, critically), it’s not surprising to guess that Visceral Games might be working on a follow up. But a job listing making the rounds now makes it all the more obvious. The studio is currently seeking a level designer for “the sequel to a major new IP at the award-winning Visceral Games.” More hints that it’s aDante’s Infernofollow-up? “The game sequel will set new quality standards and make the franchise the world-leader in the action/melee-combat genre....
Halo 3: ODST, that one game that’s totally been completedsince May, is launching soon. Tuesday of next week, to be exact. As is the case for most big-name games with a sizable marketing budget, there will of course be a launch party to celebrate its release; that’s where you come in. If you happen to find yourself near Seattle’s Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame on Monday from 6:00 – 11:00 PM, you can join in theHalo 3: ODSTfestivities....
Ash is continuing his adventure and this time discovering random battles. I had no idea there were AK-47s inPokemon! What the hell! Weekend Destructainment is GO! Immersion takes on Horde mode, drum covers fill your ear holes, the Game Genie series is back,El Shaddai’strailer gets mashed up, a one man band goes allZelda, Cole Phelps is a douche, everyone lovesGame of Thrones, Nick Chester is a lush and Freddie Wong went to E3....
“We’ve studied, listened and absorbed much of your feedback and are very excited to be marching forward on the next [Medal of Honor],”writesexecutive producer Greg Goodrich of Danger Close Games. There’s been a mixed reaction toMedal of Honoronline — vocal minority, mayhaps? — but considering how the reboot has cleared 5 million units sold, of course there’s going to be another one. “As you all know, our goal was to tell the story of today’s soldier and to do so with the utmost respect and reverence,” he continues....
Ah, WiiWare. After a thrilling week with the introduction ofBIT. TRIP. BEAT., we’re back to more of the usual Wii fare withPop’Em Drop’Em SAMEGAME.At least Hudson made this one and not some company like Happyface Games or something of that sort. Fork over your 500 Wii points and you’ll get a puzzle title that has you matching blocks to clear a grid. I’ll wait to get surly on this one until I’ve actually played it....
I will admit that the Wiimote is not my controller of choice, but seeing it used in new and creative ways does give me the kind of warm fuzzies that only good deeds can. The image you see above was created by means of a program calledDigital Wheel Art, which was created byYoungHyun Chung, who got the idea after noticing that children affected with cerebral palsy were restricted from artistic expression due to their disorder....
What’s the deal with so many new adventure games suddenly coming out, in addition to numerous classics being brought to digital distribution services? I don’t know, but it’s certainly a trend I can get behind. Acclaimed point-and-click adventure titleThe Longest Journeywas recently added to Good Old Games’ impressive catalog of DRM-free PC classics. It’s no secret that we here at Destructoid fully support the efforts of GOG, because really, it’s a terrific service....
Gamers begging for more of what they arbitrarily decide is “hardcore” content on the Wii need look no further than Capcom’s forthcoming first person on-rails zombie shooting extravaganza,Umbrella Chronicles, andIGNlast night put up a brand new trailer for your all-seeing head balls to gawk at. Of course, since you’re part of the cool crowd, you can just watch the video above, right now. Watched it before you read this? Well, watch it again or something....
[Editor’s note: BahamutZero really loves GameTap. So much so, that he’s on a mission to play every single game they have. Of course, do something like this and you’re bound to come across some really horrible games. Luckily, we have Bahamut to tell us what to stay clear from and makes it extremely humorous at the same time. — CTZ] DISCLAIMER©: I want to preface this review by saying I am a huge advocate ofGameTap....
Suck on this, Jack Thompson and Co: according to a recentWiredarticle, it seems that virtual terrorists withinWorld of Warcraftare providing an interesting parallel to the types of activities real world terrorists engage in, making for some fascinating studies and really making you consider some of the frightful potential of MMOs. From the article: Scientists have already notedWorld of Warcraft’susefulness instudying how diseases spread. The game’s network of 10 million players — each capable of making decisions, either logical or illogical, rational or irrational — gives scientists a ready-made virtual world to scrutinize that’s not based on computer models or artificial intelligence....
Man I miss the good old days of just walking into a store and buying whatever I wanted. Videogames, candy corn, Gerber Graduate meat sticks… nothing could stand against my reckless spending and care-free attitude. But times have changed, and now I need to be a little more responsible with the cash flow. Recently my umpteenth 360 red-ringed on me, and instead of rushing out to the nearest Target and just throwing my wallet at the first stoned teenager in a red shirt I see, I’ve instead been scouring the Internet looking for discounts, deals, and coupons....
Although Destructoid’s Community Games challenge is for developers to tell us what we should review, a few titles on the service tempt me to “go rogue” and review them anyway. One of them isRumble Massage, which Wilbo told me about this morning. It’s supposed to use the controller as amassage devicefor those who have spent too long playing games and getting stiff. Talking of getting stiff, there is only one reason this game could have been invented, and I don’t believe it’s any of the advertised justifications....
