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Sunday, November 30, 2008

Street Fighter Sackboys to download for LittleBigPlanet

streetfighter sackboys
Ripten dug out of a Spanish PlayStation blog that little tidbit above — that Chun-Li, Guile, Zangief and Ryu are inbound for LittleBigPlanet.

Rumor has it they're gonna be available for download individually or as a package deal.

No date or pricing info yet, but SCEE has asked two other sites to take down the image (might we be the third?) so it sounds pretty legit to me.

Full post here on Kotaku here...
(unless Sony have asked for it to be removed!)

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Left 4 Dead zombie battle on xbox 360 and PC

left 4 dead
Just go on without me!" I shout. I'm pinned to the ground, a swarm of infected stamping on me. I fire blindly into the crowd, trying to help another survivor who's being tongued to death. A stray bullet severs the lengthy, constricting tongue and he runs for the safe house. Someone is in there already, waiting by the door. Norman, I think. Just like him to get away.

As I'm overwhelmed the safe house door is closed. BLAMMO, BANG. "DIE YOU ZOMBIE B*STARDS!" Level over.

Yes, I said "level". For a moment there I was in an '80s action movie, sacrificing my life so that others could live. Left 4 Dead does that to you. It's an entirely new way of playing games with friends.

You and up to three others battle through one of four movie-inspired apocalyptic backdrops, trying to reach safety, and that generates war stories like nothing else I've played. With four players working together against the overwhelming odds, plans are born out of desperation, some meagre supplies and a lot of luck.

Read the review on CVG here...

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Mirror's Edge free poster to download

mirror's edge




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Step-by-step Instructions for How to Mod your Super Nintendo to Play Super Famicom Games

Mod your Super Nintendo to Play Super Famicom Games
Mobiusclimber of the Rising Stuff Forums has created this simple and straight forward guide to one of the quickest mods you can do: Make your SNES play Super Famicom games! Don’t worry, it will still play your Super Nintendo games perfectly and the modification will not be visible on the outside of your console.

Standard Disclaimer: Mod your Super Nintendo at your own risk. We are not responsible for damaged consoles.


1) Unplug your console. This step should be obvious. Here is is anyway.

2) Look inside the cartridge slot of your SNES and you might notice two small ridges of plastic, one on each side of the pin connectors.
Mod your Super Nintendo to Play Super Famicom Games
Since the pins in both Surer Nintendo and Super Famicom games are the same, those two small pieces of plastic are the only things holding you back from playing Japanese Super Famicom games on your SNES. Well maybe the language barrier as well, but we can discuss that another time.
Mod your Super Nintendo to Play Super Famicom Games
If you look at the back of an SNES cartridge, you’ll see two slots cut out of the plastic. This is what those ridges fit into.
Mod your Super Nintendo to Play Super Famicom Games
Looking on the back of an SFC cartridge, they don’t have the open spaces for the ridges. So if you just tried to pop the cartridge into your SNES, it wouldn’t fit.

3) Of course there’s a very easy solution to this problem: with a pair of pliers (or some other suitable implement of destruction), reach into the cartridge slot and break off those two pieces of plastic. I used a knife when I performed the surgery, but I wouldn’t recommend that. Pliers work best because you want to make sure you get the whole piece off and not leave any behind. Take a look at these pics to see what an SNES will look like before and after the surgery:
Mod your Super Nintendo to Play Super Famicom Games
4) … There is no fourth step. Yeah, that’s it. And in case you were wondering, no, removing those two tabs doesn’t change your SNES Mini into a regular SNES. I just took pics of the two SNES consoles that I had. I didn’t mod the Mini and just happened to have a beat up regular SNES so I modded that. Once you have those two tabs broken off you can start playing all the Super Famicom games you like. Well… not quite. Later games (released around 1996) might have a lockout chip still. Known games that will not work are Super Mario RPG and Kirby Super Star. The solution? … Play the North American release!
Mod your Super Nintendo to Play Super Famicom Games

Elebits - The Adventures of Kai and Zero - fact sheet

Adventures of Kai and Zero
Enter into an extraordinary game of hide and seek in this exciting sequel to Elebits! Kai and Zero have been swept off to a magical land and must finish the challenges ahead, to get back home.

Adventures of Kai and Zero

Seek out the mischievous little Omega Elebits that hold supernatural powers and give you the ability to complete puzzle quests.

The more you play the stronger you become as you capture Omega Elebits providing you with incredible magic abilities to solve tasks.

Find, capture and befriend the Elebits, raise them and embark on a magical journey using their combined powers to battle through amazing adventures and find a way back home!

Adventures of Kai and Zero
Adventures of Kai and Zero
Adventures of Kai and Zero

Features:

Solve challenging puzzles in order to find and capture over 20 mysterious Omega Elebits
Players problem solving abilities increase the more they explore, capture and raise their Elebits
Battle 7 bosses by utilizing each of the Omega Elebits’ special powers to defeat them
Use Kai’s capture gun and find numerous upgrades to capture the elusive Elebits
Utilize each of the Omega Elebits’ special powers in order to solve puzzles, reveal hidden paths, freeze flowing water, turn darkness into light, levitate rocks and much more
Connect via Wi-Fi and battle up to four friends in a head-to-head Elebits capture battle.

Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment.
Platform: Nintendo DS
Rated: E (Mild Cartoon Violence)
Release Date: January 6, 2009
Genre: Action
Multiplayer: 1 - 4 players



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Nintendo Wii sales top 7 million units in Japan

Wii with Wiimote (white background).Nintendo Wii sales have passed the 7 million 'units sold' milestone last week in Japan - where it all began.

Helping the push - sales of the new Animal Crossing - City Folk video game topped 300,000 copies with some users buying the Nintendo Wii at the same time a s the new game.

To put this into perspective Sony's PlayStation 3 sold 2.37 million units up to September 2008.

Let's forget the Xbox 360 the Microsoft console has sold only 750,000 units since 2005 launch in Japan.

Nintendo must be well chuffed...



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Xtival is a three-day party that’s FREE for EVERYONE on Xbox LIVE


We’ve cranked up the volume for Xtival ’08 with 72 hours of controlled mayhem that you’ll never forget.

Xtival is a three-day party that’s FREE for EVERYONE on Xbox LIVE; even Silver members will be able to experience the thrill of multiplaying with their friends - all weekend!

So get your friends together and enjoy LIVE to the max.
This year brings exclusive new music videos, HD movies and new games to download.
You can chat to our headline act The Prodigy, and take advantage of multiplayer using FIFA’s new 10v10 feature.

Above all else this is your chance to play your favourite games with your mates - like there’s no tomorrow!

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Have Microsoft Wii'd on the Xbox 360?

xbox experience
A week ago Microsoft launched the new Xbox Experience and upset a fair number of Xbox 360 users in the process.

What if you liked the old Xbox Experience? Some people like the simple navigation having tried the PS3 navigation with its XMB.
So why have Microsoft chosen to mimic the Nintendo Wii style interface? Do they think that's what we want? If you look at what we buy to play (last week's chart) Call of Duty - World at War, Gears of War 2, Need for Speed - Undercover, FIFA 09, Left 4 Dead. YES, Microsoft shooting, driving and sports games not fluffy Nintendo 'family' games - so why the Nintendo interface?
Wii sale for the same week - Maro Kart, Wii Fit, Wii Play, Mario & Sonic at the Olympics all games that have been around for ages... No the hard nosed games the Xbox and PS3 users are attacted to.
It looks like it's all been done to get users to spend more time, NOT playing games! The social aspect of interacting with your friend's avatars and exploring the online content offered by Microsoft on Windows Live have also entered the party.
Some users have experienced the Red Ring of Death on upgrading but that may be down to what they've done to their Xbox 360 rather than what Microsoft have (if you understand).

See my earlier post on the new Jasper chip....

Xbox Experience post here...

Mirror's Edge review - the game really shines...

Occasionally, a video game will reshape the way gamers see virtual worlds. Much like "Wolfenstein 3D," "Super Mario 64" and "Half-Life" before it, the stunning first-person action-adventure game "Mirror's Edge" smashes the conventions of its predecessors.
As a super-agile courier named Faith -- who's usually being chased by bad guys -- players can run, walk, leap, hop and slide across rooftops, within warehouses, through sewers and inside office buildings. Faith's goals are never more complicated than getting from Point A to Point B. How she accomplishes that is where "Mirror's Edge" comes alive.
Created by Swedish developer DICE, "Mirror's Edge" mimics real-life running -- complete with panting sounds. There are no on-screen meters, so the minimalist display lets players' eyes focus on the game's parkour-inspired moves. (You know, that froggy style of movement made famous by "Casino Royale" and all those soda and sneaker commercials.)

Luckily, the free running isn't disorienting. It's liberating, especially when players gain enough momentum to acrobatically parlay a series of maneuvers into an impromptu ballet, resulting in a spring from a construction crane or lunge toward a helicopter. Of course, the fear of going splat or being shot to death by your pursuers is omnipresent.

To keep the action moving, objects and surfaces that Faith can bounce off of or use to her advantage glow a distinct shade of candy apple red and are usually easy to spot within her sterile urban environment, which resembles what it might look like if Ikea erected a city in Japan. Once you get the hang of the light-footed game play, it's strangely blissful.

Players can also tackle what few foes get in Faith's way and apprehend their firearms. However, guns seem to slow her down. Ultimately, this game is all about the chase. So, with the tap of a button, she'll toss weapons aside and continue on her way, making "Mirror's Edge" a surprisingly nonviolent yet continually adrenaline-pumping affair.
"Mirror's Edge" isn't perfect. The story line is pedestrian and the wannabe anime cut scenes aren't compelling. Tapping the bumper button to vault or wall climb doesn't always seem to elicit the desired response, which can send Faith tumbling to her death -- and force players to restart the sequence.
Those issues aside, the game's 10 chapters will definitely leave players craving more places to lunge and run. Innovative games such as "Mirror's Edge," with a sleek "Fifth Element" aesthetic and "Run Lola Run" sense of urgency, don't come around often. It would be a mistake to let such a visionary piece of work pass you by.

Source: Star Tribune


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Sony offer UK gamer £40 discount on PlayStation 3 (PS3) and why I would ask for money this Christmas


Sony are NOT cutting the price of the PS3 but they are offering the console direct from them at a discount (usually the dealers cut).

With Christmas the busiest time for game sales Sony are offering their 40GB PlayStation 3 for £269 that £40 cheaper that the recommended price.

Sony are also promosing a bundle with an 80GB with LittleBigPlanet for £279 no date has been set.

The Sony online store can be found here...

If you can wait I predict discounts just after Christmas as retailers try and squeeze more sales in the difficult January period.

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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Are 80% of games rubbish - if only 20% make money?


2007 saw video game sales topping $9 million, but according to a new report, only twenty percent of finished games actually turn a profit.
Forbes originally reported that only 4 percent of games are profitable, but the Electronic Entertainment Design and Research company quoted in the story was quick to clarify: Computer and video games, Nov. 24: This means that 4% of all games which start production will eventually make a profit, but a far-more-likely 20% of finished products will see profitable returns. ...
the average Xbox 360 title shifts 216,000 units and that Mature-rated titles are generally more popular on the Xbox 360 than those rated Teen.

However, the EEDAR stood by other statistics in the report, including the following: Computer and video games - The study concludes that the average total sales for an Xbox 360 game is around 216,000 units, while the average PlayStation 3 title sells 192,256 copies.
Therefore, any title shipping on both platforms is expected to sell on average 408,336 units. ... Interestingly, implementing a co-op mode is claimed to boost sales by 12,400, while a multiplayer mode could add 25,000 copies to a game's sales roster.
That's about $1 million in revenue, so well worth it if the said developer can whip up an online mode for less, notes the EEDAR study.
So, does this mean that 80 percent of video games suck?
Game reviewers don't seem to think so. Of the 526 Xbox 360 games on Metacritic, only 54 have garnered meta-scores of below 50 percent. Conversely, a full 210 — or 40 percent — of games earned meta-scores of 75 percent or above.

Perhaps these figures simply point out that the majority of likely consumers want mature titles with multiplayer elements for their Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

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UK - Battlefield 2 - The Complete Collection at ASDA only £9.91 delivered!

Head online for award-winning Battlefield franchise multiplayer action with up to 64 players.

Maps scale to the number of players engaging in battle (16, 32, or 64), for an intense experience every time.

Join a squad or select the new Commander Mode to assume the strategic role of a battlefield commander directing his forces. Enhanced squad structure includes VOIP commands and team stat tracking.

Earn medals, ribbons, unlockable weapons, and other items as you rise through the ranks from lowly Private to General.

Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2: Special Forces Expansion Pack
Battlefield 2: Euro Force Booster Pack
Battlefield 2: Armored Fury Booster Pack

Lock and load, soldier! Head out to the frontlines of the 21st century with the original Battlefield 2 plus the Battlefield 2: Special Forces Expansion Pack and the two Booster Packs.

Unleash the fury of an awesome arsenal in massive online battles featuring the franchise's legendary multiplayer warfare.

Choose an army and enter the fray with laser-designated bombs, wire-guided missiles, sniper rifles, and much more. Roar onto the battlefield in tactical fighters, main battle tanks, four-wheel drive assault buggies, and other advanced vehicles.

This is no minor skirmish-this is the ultimate collection of high-tech warfare on the modern battlefield.

Asda here...

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LocoRoco 2 Review for Sony PSP (PlaySationPortable)

loco roco 2The genius of Tsutomu Kouno's LocoRoco concept is that its gameplay hasn't been forced, like a square peg to a round hole, into the confines of the the PSP's control system, like so many first-person and third-person titles are. The L and R buttons are used to tilt the beautiful 2D game world and the Circle button is used for everything else. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Some will say LocoRoco 2 is too similar to 2006's brilliant original, and with good reason. Essentially it's the same game with different levels and a few gameplay tweaks, but then revolutionising the fundamentals that made the Sony Japan Studio developed title such a perfect fit on the PSP would have run the risk of ruining it. And anyway, its charm, beauty and uplifting nature is just as potent a second time around, even if you've felt it all before.

Full review here on VideoGamer...

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Left 4 Dead survival rate published by Valve

left 4 dead
Achievement tracking on Steam shows that only 0.2% of PC players survived all campaigns on Expert.

Valve's Left 4 Dead figures show how gamers have been getting on thanks to Steam's stat tracking abilities.

While no achievement has been earned by all players, there are a few around the 70 per cent mark.

'DRAG AND DROP' which tasks players with rescuing a survivor from a Smoker's tongue before he takes damage has been earned by 72.7 per cent of PC players and is the most earned achievement. 'BRAIN SALAD' - making 100 headshot kills is the second most earned achievement with 69.4 per cent of players seemingly able to point a gun in the face of oncoming zombies.



left 4 dead

The hardest achievements to earn are unsurprisingly 'LAMB 2 SLAUGHTER' - As an Infected, incap a Survivor who has entered and left a safe room, and 'ZOMBIE GENOCIDEST' - kill 53,595 Infected. No PC gamer has managed to earn these achievements.

You'll find the full list of Left 4 Dead achievement stats over on www.steampowered.com.


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Grand Theft Auto IV The Lost and Damned download content available in store


US retailer Gamestop will make the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV - The Lost and Damned - Download Content (DLC) available in store, according to its website.

Grand Theft Auto - The Lost And Damned, will be bundled with a GTA IV poster and comes in the form of a promotional code rather than a disc.

The move is thought to be an attempt to encourage more consumers to purchase the download as well as subscribe to Xbox Live.

The Xbox 360 exclusive content will be available on February 17, 2009 at a cost of $19.99 that's £13.

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Jasper Xbox 360 motherboards out now - an end to the Red Ring of Death


The 360's latest - and safest - chipset is codenamed "Jasper".

And has been on our radar for a while now.

Well, if posters on xbox-scene are to be believed, Jasper 360s have finally gone on sale.

Biggest giveaway is the 150w you can see there on the power brick.

Jaspers are supposed to run quiter, use less power and run cooler, so if you're in the market for a 360, might want to look for one manufactured anytime after October 23, 2008.

Read the Xbox post here...

More on Jasper chip for Xbox 360 here...

Jasper Xbox 360 to conquer Red Rings?

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NEW - Christmas soundtrack for Gears of War 2 by Devotchka

gears of war 2
Xbox 360 today announces that fans of the smash hit blockbuster Gears of War 2 can further immerse themselves in the GOW2 experience by enjoying the alternate soundtrack this Christmas.

Following on from the “Mad World” TV advert that accompanied the first game, Xbox has again delivered an emotive, cutting edge TV ad for Gears of War 2 with “Last Day”. Invoking the emotion and desperation of humanity’s last stand against overwhelming odds, the ad uses the track “How It Ends” by Colorado-based band Devotchka.

To celebrate the tremendous success of the game, Xbox is offering the original track, an exclusive remix, and the original TV spot all for the incredible value of 79p, available for download from iTunes from Monday 1st Dec 2008.

Stephen McGill, Head of Gaming & Entertainment, Microsoft UK, commented “Due to the incredible success of the game in the UK and the insatiable demand for all things GOW2 from fans of the franchise, we’re thrilled to be able to offer consumers the chance to enjoy the track from the new TV ad campaign “How It Ends” as a bona fide single release”.

Gears of War 2 is the biggest Xbox 360 exclusive this Christmas and provides an epic, adrenaline-fuelled rollercoaster ride that expands upon the original game’s themes of loss, hope and survival. On its opening weekend GOW2 sold over 2 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the biggest video game launches of all time.

Xbox 360 delivers the biggest blockbuster entertainment experiences through a combination of High Definition movies, music and games – a perfect fit for the Gears of War 2 and Devotchka collaboration.

“Gears of War 2” is rated 18 by the BBFC and is now available exclusively on Xbox 360 with an Estimated Retail Price of £44.99 for the Standard Edition and £49.99 for the Limited Edition.

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PopStar Guitar on Wii - poor mans Guitar Hero

popstar guitar wiiNew music rhythm game, PopStar Guitar, from XS Games out in Europe.
Featuring songs from top pop music stars including 3 Doors Down, Simple Plan, Blink 182 and many more, PopStar Guitar allows players to unlock their inner pop celebrity and star as the lead guitarist in their very own band. PopStar Guitar will be available for Nintendo Wii, featuring the AirG, an exciting new peripheral that turns the Wii Remote into an air guitar.
PopStar Guitar developed by Broadsword Interactive features a single player Career Mode, along with single player and multi-player mini-games.

The game takes the player on a musical journey that starts with forming a garage band to playing at 25 unique venues and eventually performing in the worldwide "Battle of the Bands" contest. Twelve playable characters are featured in the game and can be customized to give the band its own unique look. PopStar Guitar features 60 pop songs, including several masters performed by the original artists.
popstar guitar wii



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Video game makers are facing an uncertain Christmas


The game business is now bigger than Hollywood and last year the nation's largest game seller racked up over $2 billion in holiday sales.

It's a fairly expensive product line to push and the industry is battling to boost that bottom line.

Black Friday marks the beginning of a holiday season where sales growth is not expected to cover inflation.

That hasn't stopped shoppers, looking for a bargain, from turning out.

More on abc local here...

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Christmas games reviews iPhone and iPod Touch best games to buy


The ultimate iPhone gift guide.

Bargains:
MazeFinger - Free ... monster maze game review here
Trace - Free ... platform animation game review here
Adventure - Free ... Adventure game on iPhone review here
Frotz - Free ... Text adventure review here
Lux Touch - Free ... Risk invades iPhone reciew here

spore
Cheap:
Fieldrunners - $4.99 ... Tower Defence game review here
SPORE Origins -$5.99 ... Creature creation game review here
Super Monkey Ball - $9.99 ... Balance your ball and collect Bananas review here
Trism - $2.99 ... Puzzle game review here
Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D - $5.99 ... Racing game review here
Guitar Rock Tour - $7.99 ... Hit those notes review here
Ocarina - $0.99 ... Play the flute review here
Galcon - $4.99 ... Risk in space review here
Uno - $7.99 ... Portable Uno review here
Blue defence - $0.99 ... Shoot-em up review here


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