1P Start

Namco made headlines with the announcement that the widely popular Ace Combat series was coming to Xbox 360. They are making headlines again with details regarding the wide array gameplay options that will be available in Ace Combat 6.

The single player campaign has been completely upgraded, with Namco’s new “Dynamic Mission System”. This system allows for campaign skirmishes on grander scale than ever before, with objectives that evolve based on your actions. For instance, your mission is to escort a plane to safe air space. On the way, the plane gets blown to bits by enemy aircraft. Instead of the mission abruptly ending, the objectives and future missions will change based on your failures and successes.

Ace Combat 6 is also trying to broaden the game’s player base. With controls that can be changed from “arcade-style” to “simulation”, Ace Combat 6 promises to satisfy players regardless of their experience.

The online component includes deathmatch, team deathmatch, and co-operative mission play. These are all enhanced by updated leaderboards and future downloadable content.

I for one am very excited. Ace Combat has needed a quality online component for a long time, and I believe it will add a great deal to the series. Ace Combat 6 is scheduled to be released on 11/13/07. I’ll see you all online, just look for the guy flying upside down screaming Top Gun quotes into his microphone.

Ace Combat 6, Xbox 360, Namco

When I first started this blog back in October, I never thought I’d actually be writing an article about a video on water effects in a game. But this game is different. This is BioShock and in case you forgot, water is literally everywhere no matter where you are.

The Cult of Rapture was updated today with a simple, yet beautiful video showcasing the different water effects that you will encounter when BioShock is finally released in August. Not only are the water effects amazing in this video, but there is also a pretty lengthy interview that discusses what actually went into creating the complexity of the water. Trust me, it’s worth the read.

Microsoft, Xbox 360, PC, BioShock, water, trailer

The “Hype”. It’s inescapable. Companies spend millions in advertising, building up positive reaction for a game before it hits stores. You see it everywhere. In TV, billboards, and flash animations more annoying than those insipid “You just won two free Ipod Nano” ads. With so much exposure, rumors inevitably follow. Trying to filter out the fact from the fiction is no easy task. So we set out to do just that, delving deep into the frightening worlds of fan-fiction forums and hype-fueled rantings to see what the truth really is. Check below to see what we discovered.

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Not long after it’s release, the Xbox 360 Elite already has issues. The world was expecting the Elite’s new hardware and design to do away with the known faults of the original Xbox 360, but apparently this is not the case. Of course the Elite is a better system, but you’re basically just buying a more expensive future paper weight. This is terrible news for Microsoft and could potentially suck the excitement right out of the new release.

Personally, I have never been a fan of Microsoft systems. Right now, the 360 has the best games and we’re kind of stuck with it. I went through 3 original Xbox units and am actually surprised my 360 has yet to fail. I’m simply waiting for the day I get the red ring of death. Microsoft has taken recent steps to improve warranty coverage, but obviously they need to eventually focus on building a system that lasts.

Right now, the prospect of Halo 3 will keep me as a Microsoft Xbox loyalist, but I don’t see that lasting forever. Once the PS3 catches up, I’ll probably be shifting most of my game time over to the Sony side once again.

[Source: CVG]

Xbox 360 Elite, Breakdown, Microsoft

Kick, Punch, It’s All In The Mind…

One of the most underrated yet completely fun PS1 games ever made was Parappa The Rapper. I don’t care who you are, that game had it all. It was addictive, had very catch tunes, memorable characters, and was simple enough for people to start, but it’s difficulty increased to the point of mind numbing.

But enough of my rambling on about my pure love for Parappa The Rapper. SCEA has announced today they will be bringing Parappa The Rapper to the PSP in July ‘07.

“Bringing PaRappa The Rapper to PSP allows true PlayStation fans to re- connect with this timeless classic. This also introduces the beloved PaRappa and his cast of colorful friends to a new generation of fans and potential hip-hop stars on the move.”

This is great news because as the press release says, this opens up the game to a whole new audience who may not have experienced Parappa when it first came out. One thing I would love to see though is Parappa making it onto the PSNetwork. If I can download Parappa and play it anytime, then that would help me get a PS3 that much sooner.

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EA announced today they are working on Burnout Paradise specifically for next-gen consoles. EA is stating this Burnout is THE Burnout Criterion Studio has wanted to produce since Burnout came to be.

“We have been working towards Burnout Paradise for quite some time. Next generation consoles have opened up a raft of new gameplay opportunities and the Criterion team has leapt at the chance to innovate and raise the bar to an all-new high. There are going to be some big surprises and a lot of new features but the core of the game is still pure Burnout. Instant accessibility will be reinforced by innovative on-line capabilities which will see Burnout Paradise smash racing conventions.’”

I’ve always been a fan of the Burnout series because of it’s sense of speed, graphics, and destructibility. If Criterion can deliver what they promise, then I just may have creamed.

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This week’s Nintendo Wii virtual console update brings us two all-time classic games and a “Who?” game.

• Castlevania® (NES®, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
• The Legend of the Mystical Ninja™ (Super NES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
• Shockman (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)

The original Castlevania was a great game for it’s time (even though I feel Castlevania III was the best NES Castlevania). It was such a ground breaking game because at the time, most platformers were cartoony and kiddie. I’m not saying Castlevania was full of blood and gore, but it had more of an “adult” theme to it. Mystical Ninja was a pretty good game too, not a great game, but a good game nonetheless. It had a Link to the Past feeling to it and was released early on in the SNES’s life. As for Shockman….who?

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Another year, another Madden. With the upcoming release of Madden 2008, EA has talked to the press about the changes that can be found in this year’s version. Here is a summary of some of the more prominent features that EA has revealed:

• Completely new animation system. This “branching” animation technology allows players to automatically react to situations on the field in realistic ways. For example, You throw a pass to a receiver near the sideline. In previous Madden games, if the receiver caught the ball at a sprint near the sideline, the animation would always run the guy straight out of bounds. With the new “branching” technology, the receiver will automatically plant both his feet in-bounds and angle upfield to gain those extra yards.
• “Gang” tackling is now available on every system. It was first featured on the PS3, but now is making it’s way across all platforms. This system allows two or more defenders the ability to tackle a single player, increasing the chances of stopping the play. In addition, with the new “branching” animation system, the runner can spin out of holds and have defenders clash into each other, letting the runner escape.
• The AI has been significantly improved. “Money” plays of years past have been drastically reduced in effectiveness, with pass defense in general being enhanced. The new animation system allows defenders take out a guy’s legs and collide with him in mid-air, perhaps even jarring the ball loose in the process. This will make players think twice before throwing to star receivers out over the middle. There have also been improvements to AI on the offensive side of the ball, with the computer-controlled players reacting to situations based on their current Quarterback. For instance, Peyton Manning will have more accuracy under pressure than say, Rex Grossman.
• There are many other additions to Madden 08, including the return of some scrapped modes. These include co-op play, owner mode, laterals, and an upgraded fatigue system.

It seems that EA is trying to “get-back-to-basics” with this next version of the Madden series. It seems that all the enhancements that they have made will be welcome ones. But let’s be honest, they could do nothing but change the names of a few players and it will still sell a gazillion copies. The game is scheduled to be released on 08/14/2007.

[source: Gamespot]

Madden 2008, EA, Football

Famitsu updated their site today with some new Dragon Quest Swords screenshots for the Nintendo Wii. The screenshots that were released are nice mix of scenery, character interaction, and even some battle shots.

According to the Famitsu article, players can perform a “lock on” when attacking so the player may pinpoint which enemy they’d want to attack. Also, the game will be able to sense where exactly it is you want to cut on the screen (i.e. high slice, low slice, etc.).

You will also be able to choose one of 3 companions, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Dean is a soldier who is highly skilled in direct attacks. ‘Baudo’ is a strong father type figure whose strength lies in attack spells. While ‘Seteia’ has trained as a monk and is strong in healing (Yes, she’s a monk and dresses like a show girl..I’m as confused as you are)

[Source: Famitsu]

Nintendo, Wii, Dragon Quest Swords, screenshots

Ubisoft released some very ‘blue’ screens of their upcoming Assassin’s Creed. Aside from the annoying color scheme of the recent screenshots, the game looks to be moving along nicely graphically. I’m happy I got my pre-order for this game last week because I’m sure it’s going to blow people away.

Microsoft, Xbox 360, Sony, Playstation 3, PS3, Assassin’s Creed, screenshots

Personally, I’m not a real fan of Shakespeare. I think the guy had some serious issues and should have been in therapy instead of writing, but who am I? I also think Sigmund Freud was a sick bastard and should have been a patient instead of being the psychologist.

The University of Guelph in Ontario has developed a video game that encourages children to learn Shakespeare. While blasting away enemy space ships, the players have to recover the stolen text of Romeo and Juliet. In order to beat the game, you have to memorize quotes from the play, facts about William himself and other trivia related questions from the era.

I definitely think it’s a great idea to develop games to promote learning, but this may have just been a publicity stunt that wasn’t thought through all the way. For example, what are the odds of aliens stealing every last copy of Romeo and Juliet? An alien attack alone is possible, but unlikely. Imagine how much time and extensive planning it would take for the little green men to collect every last copy. It’s just not possible.

Some claim that this is a way to capitalize on the time that kids spend on the computer. I have to agree with that, but straight educational games have a long way to go.

[Source: New Zealand Herald]

Shakespeare, William, video games, education, 451 Press, Kezins, BB, Mazz

I don’t know what to say. For a company rife with controversy over it’s questionable ad content, you would think Sony would lay low for a while. To their credit, Sony has made changes to its corporate structure, and is working towards fixing the mistakes that have been made. Everything seemed to be looking up, and then they go and do something like this:

That picture is from the European launch party of God of War II. Yes, that’s a real goat that was decapitated for the event. To make things even better, Sony invited party guests to reach inside the goat carcass to eat offal from it’s stomach. I’m not sure what to say to all of this, but I’m pretty sure someone is getting fired over it.

Sony, God of War, Goat

Blizzard is known for being tight-lipped about upcoming projects. So we must take Blizzard’s current job postings as our prime source of information regarding new game development.

Blizzard has posted quite a few positions online, where they are looking for “team members focused on next-generation massively multi-player online games.” Now it’s unclear what Next-gen MMO they are speaking of, but speculation runs rampant.

Will it be a Starcraft MMO? Diablo MMO? Or perhaps just a port of World of Warcraft onto the home consoles. My guess leans toward the port of World of Warcraft, but you never really know what Blizzard is going to do. World of Warcraft basically prints money at his point, so Blizzard has the resources available to do something extraordinary. Let’s see what they can accomplish with their new-found wealth.

Blizzard, MMO, Rumor

South Korea based NCSoft confirmed that there is an investigation into the alleged theft of the software code for Lineage III. Lineage III is a MMO and extremely popular. They believe that the code was stolen and sold by seven former employees of the company for an undisclosed amount.

This is not the first time that NCSoft has been ripped off. Last year, the company along with the FBI cracked down on an operation that was providing thousands of gamers with fraudulent service for Lineage II. We’ll have to see what all of this means for the game, but it obviously will cost the South Korean company a large sum of money in losses.

[Source: Next-Gen]

Lineage III, South Korea, NCSoft

When I saw this trailer, those were the exact words that came to mind. Now granted, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was/is a great game, but Two Worlds is going to blow it completely out of the water from what we’ve seen. Just the idea that Two Worlds will support online multiplayer in the game and allow you to quest with other players makes it a must have title already. Now don’t you guys quote me here, as it hasn’t been released as to how many players can be in a game and or what the extent of the multiplayer capabilities are.

Check out this preview IGN has on Two Worlds to get an idea of what to expect. Any preview that begins with the phrase, “A bandit stole my pants.” has gotta be gold!

Microsoft, Xbox 360, PC, Vista, Two Worlds, trailer, video