As your Union Leader, Icekxg dedicates himself to providing updates from various websites for your ease of information exploration. Most, if not all articles are pulled from other gaming sites such as ign.com, 1up.com, xbox-scene.com, and such. All articles are given credit where due and clicking on link will take you to the original article. Have fun!
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There's an enormous void in our brains where Splinter Cell: Conviction should be. It wasn't long ago that the Xbox 360-exclusive spy simulator used to occupy a significant chunk of the quadrant reserved for games being released in 2007 but, after several increasingly vague reports – not to mention the game's total absence at the recent Ubidays event – we're having a hard time remembering it ... this was the one where Sam Fisher goes totally emo, right?
Well, he was totally emo last time we saw him but who knows what state the game's gravelly voiced protagonist is in now. If a rumor on Sarcastic Gamer is to be believed, the hero's distinctive voice – heretofore provided by star of stage and screen and Scanners, Michael "Ironside" Ironside – may be replaced for this latest version with who the hell knows. We've put our feelers out but, as long as we've got you all here, let's do some brainstorming. We all realize David Hayter will be missing those Solid Snake checks pretty soon and, assuming this rumor is true for just 7 seconds, Ubisoft may need a leading man('s voice) pretty soon. David, Ubisoft. Ubisoft, David. Imagine it:
Sam! SAM! SAAAAMMMMMMM!
-joystiq.com
Man, I hope this one isn't true...
At the same Japanese press conference which saw the unveiling of the Xbox 360's Last Hope, Namco Bandai announced a release date for its cel-shaded Xbox 360 RPG, Tales of Vesperia. According to IGN's liveblog of the event, the magnificently colorful, blue-sky adventure will hit Japan (in a premium console bundle) on August 7th, with versions you can understand arriving in the same month. A European release is currently planned for 2009.
Namco Bandai also noted that a demo is scheduled to become available on Xbox Live sometime in June -- judging by the publisher's previous RPG teaser, it shouldn't be confined to the Japanese marketplace for very long, if at all.
Square Enix and tri-Ace's RPG Star Ocean 4 is coming to the Xbox 360. The game has gotten a final title as well: Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope. The game will be released in 2009. SO4 was first announced back in 2007 at the Square Enix Party, and it will take place a few hundred years before the first Star Ocean title. The title was originally thought to be a PS3 exclusive. Obviously, because this is a Microsoft event, no word if and when it will appear on the PLAYSTATION 3. Hit the jump for the logo and title.
As if Fallout 3's Collector's Edition wasn't enough to make you frantically type "DO WANT" in our comments section, Bethesda and Amazon have announced an even grander package, the Fallout 3 Survival Edition. In what's essentially the special edition of the collector's edition, Amazon's offer includes all of the latter item's goodies -- a Vault Boy Bobblehead doll, a hardcover book of art and a behind-the-scenes DVD in a Vault-Tec lunch box -- as well as a "life-size" replica of the Pip-Boy 3000, the wrist-mounted contraption worn by in-game apocalypse survivors.
Of course, being a replica, the Pip-Boy 3000 doesn't offer the full functionality enjoyed by those wandering Bethesda's wasteland. This one's just a cool digital clock, we're afraid. It's already available for pre-order on Amazon (but not to Europe, sorry!), with the console and PC versions listed at $129.99 and $119.99, respectively. DO WANT ... ?
Tech blog CrunchGear is reporting that an inside source at Microsoft who was a former member of the company's HD-DVD department has confirmed that the company will announce that the "Xbox 360 will get Blu-ray before Christmas" via a press release set to go out at 9 a.m. PDT. Details about the supposed system are slim, though the tipster confirmed that the new model will cost less than an Elite model ($449.99).
The announcement is supposed to drop one hour before the opening of the Worldwide Developer's Conference in order to steal the spotlight from Apple's annual event. Kind of a bizarre move on Microsoft's part -- we doubt announcing a new model of your gaming console will overshadow an entire conference-worth of Apple-related news stories. As per usual with rumors (especially ones involving Blu-ray 360s), we'll keep our standard level of skepticism at heart as we refresh our mailboxes tomorrow morning.
-joystiq.com
Despite our obvious misgivings over naming a new internet venture "Giant Bomb," the fuse on Jeff Gerstmann's post-GameSpot outing keeps on burning, getting us closer to its eventual proper unveiling this summer. In addition to Gerstmann and GameSpot BFF Ryan Davis, you can add former 'Spotters Vinny Caravella and Brad Shoemaker to the still shortlist of Giant Bombs, as confirmed on the latest podcast for the still infant site. With GameSpot still smarting over Gerstmann-gate, will Giant Bomb succeed in attracting enough readers to warrant the growing headcount? We'll find out soon – Giant Bomb is "blowing up this summer."
With Duke Nukem Forever over a decade in development, you'd think that a first gameplay video reveal of the thing would be a major event, the type of clip that would be handed out as an exclusive to a major video game press outlet. Nope. Instead, 3D Realms' forever-in-the-making first person shooter gets the over the shoulder, indirect feed treatment on The Jace Hall Show—delivered via the dreadful Crackle video player no less.
Due to the aggravating nature of Crackle videos to autoplay, the clip is after the jump. An interview segment with developers Scott Miller and George Broussard kicks off around 2:30, with first blurry footage of Duke Nukem Forever about four minutes in. Thanks to the many, many tipsters who sent this one in.
-kotaku.com (click link for video)
Holy Hell!
The Force is strong with the next installment in Namco's weapons-based fighting series. GameSpot reports that both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Soul Calibur IV will feature Darth Vader's "Secret Apprentice" from LucasArt's forthcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed as a playable character.
Each console version of Soul Calibur IV will feature one exclusive Star Wars icon: Darth Vader in the PS3 release and Yoda on 360. We'll have first screens of Vader's apprentice in action tomorrow.
Figured someone would enjoy this one.
As part of Take-Two's glowing second quarter financials, the publisher confirmed that Grand Theft Auto IV has been flying off shelves (GASP!), announcing that as of May 31, more than 11 million copies "have been sold in to retailers," while nearly 8.5 million units "have been sold through to consumers."
Take-Two further puffed out its financial chest this afternoon concerning the high profile title, boasting that GTAIV surpassed all-time entertainment records for day one and week one sales, selling about 6 million units worldwide and filling company wallets with more than $500 million in its debut week.
Well that beat out Call of Duty fast...
It's been a few years since we checked in on Navirobo. The iXs developed bot is now fully grown and fettered to Fujitsu and Kawasaki on a Japanese press tour. The bot features an impressive bag of tricks including an accelerometer ("ooo, it's bumpy"), light sensor ("don't forget to turn on the lights"), and voice guided navigation with the ability to point the way and describe nearby points of interest (read: honey pots). It'll even detect alcohol on your breath and presumably take a swipe at your jugular in just retribution. See for yourself in the videos over at Impress or check the few posted after the break.
Wow, I would keep one of these with me at all times lol...
Ten person, 5v5 online multiplayer.
Yes, Gears of War 2 will have a Halo-stile matchmaking system.
There will be respawning multiplayer modes, but the focus is still towards traditional non-respawn gaming.
Multiplayer game modes:
- "Guardian" game mode: A remade version of Gears' Assassination game mode where the objective is still to kill the other team's leader, but players keep respawning as long as their leader is alive. Opponents' leader will be marked on the HUD to keep the game moving along.
- "Wingman" game mode: You and a buddy team up, sharing a single character model in this five teams of two game mode.
- "Meatflag" game mode: A CTF-stile mode where the "flag" is actually an AI-controlled player who'll wander the map and attempt to kill anyone who gets near. To "capture" him, you'll have to first down, then escort him as a meatshield all the way back to your base, all while your opponents are trying to kill you and shoot at the "flag". Because, if shot at enough, your meatshield flag will break free, go berserk and deal out the pain. Respawning will be featured in this game mode as well as stats for the amount of kills the AI-controlled flag dished out
Multiplayer maps:
- Around a dozen maps will be included on disc.
- "Gridlock": A remake of the Gridlock we've all come to know and love, but taken over by vegetation, old age and now featuring a beautiful sun-setting glow.
- "River": Symmetrical map featuring a house and a sniper tower separated by (you guessed it) a river.
- "Security": A long, thin map with "verandas" on each side that are sealed off by red laser bars. In the center of the map is a button to deactivate all the security for roughly 20 seconds.
Fishing moves when an enemy is downed:
- "X" button: Traditional curb-stomp.
- "B" button: Melee attack that will be weapon specific. (Longshot sniper rifle will be used as a golf club of death.)
- "Y" button: Flips your opponent over and let's you punch in their face ... UFC stile
- "A" button: Use your enemy as a "meatshield" that limits your weapon choice to a pistol. And, yes, your meatshield can and will disintegrate in your arms after taking on enemy fire. If they don't get ripped apart, you can always dispense of your meatshield with a good old snap of the neck.
Random weapon location respawns will be used, but only for certain weapons not including power weapons, pistols or grenades.
All weapons have a variable amount of "stopping power" that'll slow down an opponent's running or diving abilities.
Weapons:
- Players will have the option of spawning with the chainsaw-equipped Lancer or the newly modified Locust Hammerburst.
- "Scorcher" weapon: A flamethrower that we're promised will produce some uber-realistic fire.
- "Medusa" weapon: A new Locust pistol that is said to be extremely powerful, pumping out five to six rounds per shot downing enemies in a few shots. Said to be the perfect compliment to a meatshielder.
- "Hammerburst" weapon: Changed a bit, now requiring players to pump the trigger as fast as possible (think Halo 3's Carbine). Though, recoil will increase the faster it's fired.
Grenades:
- Can be stuck to people, walls, the floor and any other surface to be used as a makeshift proximity mine.
- As before, players will spawn with one smoke grenade.
- Smoke grenade: Now carries a "stun" effect that "ragdolls any player within their blast radius".
- Poison gas grenade: Spews poison that will kill anyone who lingers in its poisonous cloud.
Chainsaw Duels:
- Whoever does the quickest amount of "B" button tapping will be victorious.
- Your teammates can help give you an edge in the duel by shooting the opponent which will give you the upper hand on the "B" button mini-game.
- No duel will occur if a player is chainsawed from behind. Instead, the sexy "butt to head" chainsaw animation will kick in giving the attacker and instant kill.
The cover system has been subtly reworked, where players' gun and body sit tighter to cover making it harder for your enemies to get an attacking angle.
Bullet shields described as "metal bucklers" that can be carried as indestructible cover. The trade-off being that only a pistol can be wielded and movement is slowed dramatically. One benefit of the bullet shield is that it can be planted into the ground for mobile cover, though we're told enemies can kick it over if they get close enough.
Once killed in a non-respawn game, players will enter a "dynamic battle-cam" that floats above the action.
Also available (when dead) will be a Ghost Cam where players can view the action from the battlefield and take screenshots that can be uploaded online similar to Halo 3.
Hammerhead Grunt Locust revealed and named as such because of his shark looking helmet.
The GoW2 Collector's Edition may include a weathered looking Polaroid of Dom's wife, the same one seen at the beginning of the game.
Development on Gears 2 is roughly at 65% complete.
Don't count on Call of Duty 4 stileXP or perks, Cliff says they will not be adding these types of character building elements to the Gears universe.
-xbox360fanboy.com
A series first. According to a now pulled GamesRadar article, Resident Evil 5 will feature a cooperative player available throughout the campaign which lets players drop in and out of co-op play. The new cover system mechanics will let players "lock to a wall and fire around the corner." When not in co-op model, the other character will be AI controlled. What's more, the game will feature a dodging movement controlled by the right analog stick, and the game will take place in more open areas than previous RE titles.
When you've had your fill of virtual binging with Major League Eating, why not virtually purge with a round of Beer Pong? Thanks to the power of WiiWare and Frat Party Games, the thrill of tossing ping pong balls with a femme wrist snap at Solo cups can be experienced without the threat of alcohol poisoning. To sum up, Beer Pong, Frat Party Games, WiiWare and no, this isn't something you're going to wake up from.
-kotaku.com (click link for video)
I wonder if the people who came up with the concept for this game were drunk and playing Beer Pong when they thought all this up.
We got our first blurry look at Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom courtesy of the pages of Famitsu magazine recently, but the mag's online presence has posted much clearer shots of the 2.5D fighter. It shows off the only confirmed characters—Chun-li, Ryu, Gatchaman and Casshern—and looks... well, it looks rather flat. Odd that Capcom would pump out another Street Fighter game so close to IV, but this one looks to cater to a different crowd, with big, big fireballs and over the top attacks a la X-Men Vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom. Take a peek.
Loved Casshan and would love to play as him, but why limit all the characters to only Tatsunoko, creator of Speed Racer and G-Force? Why not throw in there Armitage, Iria, and 8-man! Then we'll be talking!
Capcom have released a few news screens for Super Street Fighter II HD, showing resident angry-man Akuma as he kicks Ryu while he's down, hulks out at a pink flamingo and gives Ken's package a decidedly funny look. Which is a little odd, but hey, it's the HD era now, we've got to put up with both the pros and cons the extra clarity affords us.
It's about time we see Akuma in high def. Man, I can't wait for this to come out!
The newest issue of EGM, due to arrive any minute now we hope, features more than just sexy details on Splatterhouse, it also contains rumored details on Halo developer Bungie's next project. Unsurprisingly, EGM says that it will be a shooter set in the Halo universe, with a move to a third-person perspective and a setting that predates the original Halo.
The enigmatic Quarterman writes that "WETA is definitely involved in some capacity" and that we might hear more about Bungie's post-Halo 3 work as early as November, officially.
Rumors have abounded regarding an upcoming motion control device for the Xbox 360, purportedly codenamed "Newton" — first, a loquacious anonymous source told MTV that such a controller is in development with support from developer Rare, and next 8bitjoystick pegged patents from Gyration, the same company responsible for Nintendo's Wii remote technology, as the likely tech behind Microsoft's top-secret project.
Gyration, however, unequivocally denied yesterday that it has any such project in development with Microsoft. However, talking to Rare, Microsoft and a company called Motus revealed more items of interest regarding the "Newton" — the picture seen above is Motus' "Darwin" controller.
-kotaku.com (click link for full article)
It's been rumored for a while, and even officially confirmed for fiscal year 2008, but we really don't know much about the next Prince of Persia game. The loose talk is that the next trilogy will be a form of prequel, and it looks as though the first game of said trilogy could be called Prodigy. Recently trademarked by Ubisoft, Prince of Persia Prodigy is an admittedly vague title and could possibly refer to another PoP product, but with a new official teaser site up and the game rumored to be hitting this fall, an official name hitting now feels about right.
Furthermore, other rumors say that the game will be shown at Ubidays (an editorial event) sometime in the near future and that the game's REAL title is in fact Prince of Persia Zero. We'll just have to wait for Ubidays for more concrete info, but those with time to kill can endlessly refresh the official page to attempt to quickly decipher the writing before it's covered.
So, we've been hearing about Peter Jackson's Halo project since the Kennedy administration, but we've heard nary a peep in recent months. Now, MTV Multiplayer reports that it suspects Microsoft is hiring folks for the project this week, based on a recent job listing for a team to "help develop a new experience in the Halo universe."
The listings says that the team will work with an "external luminary" on the project, which has MTV thinking: Peter Jackson, duh. It has us thinking, "Are you seriously just now getting started on this?" Here's hoping we find out more about the mystery project in the coming days.
Update: Microsoft has confirmed with MTV that the job listings are for the Jackson project. "Microsoft Game Studios has been hard at work collaborating with Peter Jackson and Bungie on the development of [a Peter Jackson-helmed Halo project]. At this time, it's necessary to grow the internal team to keep pace with development. Bungie will continue to remain involved in multiple aspects of the Halo Universe with MGS."
