Gears of War 2 patch tackles matchmaking issues

by Ludwig Kietzmann Nov 28th 2008 11:45AM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

Epic Games has released the first title update for its action-packed grunt-a-thon, Gears of War 2. The automagically applied patch addresses delays in public matchmaking (particularly for single- and four-player parties), improves the developer's ability to collect match statistics and fixes one non-hilarious issue which prevented some gamers from playing the Gears of War 2 campaign if Xbox Live was unavailable.

Now, about that Imulsion map ...

[Via X3F]

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PlayStation Home gets own home on the web

by Jason Dobson Nov 28th 2008 12:45PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3

Those who continue to experience PlayStation Home from the outside-looking-in have another outlet to fuel their desire to traipse about in Sony's social bowling experiment. The oft-delayed service has been given its own home on the official PlayStation website, though like Home itself at present the site is sparse in both content and purpose.

Currently visitors can wow themselves by reading a description of Home, as well as watch a video tour, look at a handful of screenshots ... and that's about it. Even so, pressing your face up against the screen is nearly as much fun as wandering aimlessly though the virtual world's vapid halls. Nearly.

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PlayStation Home gets own home on the web

by Jason Dobson Nov 28th 2008 12:45PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3

Those who continue to experience PlayStation Home from the outside-looking-in have another outlet to fuel their desire to traipse about in Sony's social bowling experiment. The oft-delayed service has been given its own home on the official PlayStation website, though like Home itself at present the site is sparse in both content and purpose.

Currently visitors can wow themselves by reading a description of Home, as well as watch a video tour, look at a handful of screenshots ... and that's about it. Even so, pressing your face up against the screen is nearly as much fun as wandering aimlessly though the virtual world's vapid halls. Nearly.

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GTA's 'The Lost and Damned' sold as $20 'token card' by Gamestop

by Ludwig Kietzmann Nov 28th 2008 3:15PM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

A retail chain selling downloadable content? What madness does the world find itself plummeting into now? According to a listing on Gamestop's online store, the forthcoming Grand Theft Auto IV add-on episode, The Lost and Damned, can be purchased as an Xbox Live Marketplace token card. The product page indicates that no disc is included in the packaging -- it contains only the download code (nonrefundable!) and a two-sided poster.

The chance to revisit the two-faced posers of Liberty City will seemingly cost you $19.99 when it releases on February 17th, 2009. The Lost and Damned's price has yet to be confirmed by Rockstar.

Gallery: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned DLC

[Via Gamasutra]

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Resident Evil creator Mikami won't play RE5

We usually don't think twice about trusting the judgment of game designer Shinji Mikami -- after all, he did create the Resident Evil series, and executive produced a few Capcom classics, such as Viewtiful Joe and Devil May Cry. However, we did a double-take when we saw a recent blurb from Mikami during an interview with Official PlayStation magazine; a blurb in which he reveals that, unlike many gamers, he "probably won't play" the next installment in his brainchild franchise, Resident Evil 5.

Mikami, who's been working under the Platinum Games label since the Great Clover Cleaving of 2006, said he knows he wouldn't enjoy the Africa-centric thriller, explaining that, "it's not going to be the game I would have made." He went on to issue a threat to his former employers, stating, "if I see anything in Resident Evil 5 that isn't done well, I'll be angry!" We'd hate to see what the man behind some of the goriest games we've ever played does when he gets his dander up.

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Midway working on top-secret title that looks 'better than Gears 2'

Hyping up your upcoming titles that everyone already knows about is an ancient, outdated P.R. maneuver -- the apparent wave of the future is boasting about your top-secret hits of tomorrow. Midway, who desperately needs one of these aforementioned "hits", recently began following this up-and-coming trend -- in an interview with VideoGamer.com, Wheelman creative director Simon Woodroffe dropped hints of a heretofore unannounced Midway title that "looks as good if not better than Gears 2."

The secret title, which has been in development for three months, is reportedly "similar to Gears, but a totally different set up." We're not exactly sure what to make of that. Will the game follow a quartet of burly, foul-mouthed space marines as they spend a summer dispersed throughout their war-torn planet, sharing a pair of magical blue jeans that somehow manages to fit them all? C'mon, Midway! The suspense is killing us!

[Via Big Download]

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PS3mote Update: See it in Action

sev1512 of playstationlifestyle.net writes:

This "PS3mote" has been rumored many times, in the past. It has even had many different explanations of how it worked. Whether it was a waggle controller, an FPS controller, or a "break apart" controller, it never was released, or shown to the public. It has even been said that this "new" PS3 controller has made it to the hands of developers.

Even with all the different versions of this "new" PS3 controller, nothing has ever been seen or heard about it… until now.

Back in June, we reported on a "PS3mote" that was being tested by a focus group behind closed doors. NDA's were signed but we had an insider willing to tell us all about the focus group, and the products being tested. A controller was being tested for the PlayStation 3, that offered superior control to that of the Nintendo Wii's. The only drawback was that it involved the use of a tripod.

After all this time, still no controller has surfaced. However something of interest has. Back when we first broke the story of the focus group test, and the "PS3mote", there were some details we left out. We left it out well, because there was no evidence that such a name, company, technology, or entity existing under the name we were given. In fact, we originally thought it may have just been a mock-up name for the "ps3mote".

Since then, we haven't given up our search for information on the "new" PS3 controller. We have finally found what we believe was the technology being tested that day, by Sony. While it appears that Sony has decided against using this technology, we wanted everyone to see what could have been…

The Dreamcast Turns Ten Today

Sega's last stab at console dominance is now ten years old. The Dreamcast was launched on November 27, 1998 in Japan, back when global hardware launches were almost unheard of. It wasn't exactly a success.

The Japanese version of the Sega Dreamcast launched with a rather paltry four forgettable games: Godzilla Generations, Virtua Fighter 3tb, PenPen TRiIceLon and July. Sonic Adventure, originally planned to hit at launch, was delayed. Other titles that came shortly after, like Incoming and Seventh Cross, didn't help matters. More »

World at War double XP weekend for collector's edition owners

We just received intel that there will be a week of Call of Duty: World at War double XP beginning December 5th, but that it's semi-exclusive. Only World at War collector's edition purchasers will have access to the XP fun. Those who registered their World at War CE copy (register it here) will have access to a special "Officer's Club" playlist that'll award twice the XP and (hopefully) twice the fun. Remember, the week of two-times XP begins December 5th and wraps at 11:59AM pacific on Friday, December 12th. At ease, soldier.

Killzone 2 will have no installation, 'optional or otherwise'

Well, it looks like we won't be reading Killzone 2's manual. Posting on the official US PlayStation forums, Seb Downie, QA Manager for developer Guerrilla Games, confirmed that the PlayStation 3's highly anticipated first-person shooter will not delay the action by installing content to the hard drive first. Sez Seb: "No install. Optional or otherwise."

Killzone 2, which is currently undergoing online beta testing, is due for release in February 2009.

[Via Videogaming247]

Columbia Pictures movies (mostly) available again for NXE Netflix streaming

One week after their abrupt disappearance from the service caused quite a stir, many of the Columbia Pictures films that were unavailable for streaming via the New Xbox Experience's Netflix client are now back. We've confirmed that almost everything, from Ghostbusters to The Karate Kid in your Netflix Instant Queue can now be streamed to the 360.

There are still some that aren't available (Superbad stands out) but this could be due to another aspect of the "availability" issue briefly explained last week on the Netflix blog. At least we know it's not a Sony conspiracy.

[Thanks, Alex]

Some prices halved at the PSN Store

People come up to me and they say, "Ken, ol' buddy, aren't you doin' anything since you gave Kaz your old gig?" and I tell them, "Friend, I don't know how I still have enough hours in the day!" So, what's been keepin' me busier than a classroom of dung beetles on a field trip to the doody factory? Well, just findin' the best video game savings and passin' 'em on to you, the consumer.

Why just today, I checked the PSN Store and it's is just crammed with games that simply must go to make room for our 2009 stock. People think that digital games don't take up space and I think those people are idiots who don't have the sense that god gave an avocado. But God bless 'em, I'd still sell 'em a copy of Echochrome or PixelJunk Eden for $4.99! I hear you sayin', "But Ken, what if I don't want those games? What if I want something different?" Well, friend, I may think you're dumber than a bag of hammers, but I'll still sell you something else from my stock at half price, there's plenty to go around! Have you heard about these before? Sure! But never let it be said that Ken Kutaragi would miss an opportunity to move a couple extra units.

You can see my whole stock, just just come out to Krazy Ken's Digital Distribution and Tanning Salon, just 4 miles past Purcellville off the I-64 Turnpike. Or, you know, just click on this link. Either way, just remember what we always say: "If It Don't Say Ken, You Probably Overpaid For The Product You Purchased!"

... Yeah, we're still workin' on that.

PS3 firmware 2.53 supposedly coming today

Using their time belts, our friends at PS3 Fanboy traveled into the future yesterday, all the way to Nov. 26 in the year 2008. Yeah, they traveled into today basically. So, what did they see on their journey? Well, we don't want any sort of Biff-gets-the-Sports-Almanac-style space-time fluxes, so let's just say that Obama names someone to some position, something happens on the the stock market, and PS3 Firmware 2.53 is released and it does something.

That last one isn't us being coy, we really don't know what it does, save for full screen support for Adobe Flash content hinted at in a listing that has since disappeared. Here's hoping there's a little more to it than that when it (probably) releases today.

Wii hits 7 million sales in Japan

Another day, another Wii milestone. Enterbrain reports that the Wii has sold 7 million units in Japan. Kotaku took the opportunity to do some mathematicalz and noticed that sales have slowed down since the last million mark. Typically a sign that Nintendo might conjure up new hardware or pretty colors to reinvigorate consumers.

Not that slowing sales mean much when the Wii retail engine is fed by high-octane jet fuel (and sacrificed kittens). Supplies of Wii are still expected to be tight during the holiday season, with GameStop planning to have issues keeping stock for a third Christmas in a row.

AC Adaptor charges your PlayStation peripherals for $25

click to enlarge

Maybe you noticed the PS3 uses mini-USB to recharge everything: Sixaxis and/or DualShock 3 controller; official Bluetooth headset; and even the soon-to-be-released Wireless Keypad. If you want to extend your gaze outside into the larger PlayStation family, the PSP-2000 and -3000 also support charging over USB. Convenient, no? What's not as convenient? A distinct lack of mini-USB outlets in our homes.

Cue: the official PlayStation "AC Adaptor" available at retailer this December for $25. You plug it into one of your many "AC" outlets and it converts all of that alternating current into sweet, delicious, USB-shaped direct current. Considering that the PS3 itself will charge your gear, we can only assume the target demographic is those of you that don't turn it on.

... But if you don't turn it on, why do you care if its peripherals are charged? Alright, we admit it. We don't know who this is for.

Left 4 Dead stats show strong anti-Smoker bias

Valve has collected and released the Achievement statistics for its cooperative, zombie extermination-fest, Left 4 Dead. The most frequently unlocked award amongst Steam users is "Drag and Drop," with 72.6% of players having earned it after splattering a spluttering Smoker zombie before it managed to inflict damage on a fellow survivor. That's sticking to the spirit of the game!

Unsurprisingly, nobody's managed to kill 53,595 Infected (yet!) and only 0.2% of players have survived every single campaign on Expert difficulty. That's the one where the AI Director puts a paperweight on the "Spawn Tank" button.

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Resident Evil 5 demo hitting Japan's Xbox Live Dec. 5, NA demo 'a bit later'

According to the latest issue of Famitsu (translated by IGN), Xbox 360 owners are in for a real, albeit slightly morbid treat this holiday season. The Japanese mag has revealed that a demo for Capcom's delightfully entertaining zombie safari, Resident Evil 5, will be shambling onto the Xbox Live Marketplace on December 5th. Though the offline and co-op demo has yet to be confirmed for regions outside of Japan (we're already eating picking Capcom's brain on the matter), we have it on good authority that the internet can, in fact, reach all the way over there.

Update: Capcom has confirmed that the North American demo will be coming "a bit later" than the Japanese demo.

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Ubisoft: 'working hard' on Assassin's Creed 2, no release date

During its first-half fiscal 2008-09 conference call today, Ubisoft parried a question regarding the Assassin's Creed sequel. While an Ubisoft executive would not confirm the game's release for fiscal 2010 (more specifically, holiday 2009), le exec did concede that "we are working hard on the product" -- the first real confirmation of its assumed development.

It seems that Ubisoft is sticking to claims that an Assassin's Creed sequel won't be released until there is "more anticipation for it." So let 'em know: You can't wait to get Altair's feet wet ... again! (Only this time, literally.)

Xbox Live Marketplace Black Friday sale

It's not just your friendly neighborhood retailers looking to take advantage of your weekend weakened state of mind this Friday. No, online marketplaces are looking to snag your credit card digits, too, as you sit slumped before your computer screen after awakening from a paralyzing food coma with an insatiable appetite to ... BUY!

Microsoft's Major Nelson has posted the Black Friday discounts for Xbox Live Marketplace, available to Xbox Live Gold members "Friday morning" through "Sunday evening" (an originally stated start time of 6 am ET has been removed). The sale includes Xbox Live Arcade games, premium DLC and several NXE Themes. Full details are posted after the break.

Continue reading Xbox Live Marketplace Black Friday sale

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