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Monday, November 10, 2008

LittleBigPlanet levels removed over copyright issues

little big planet video game

While one of the biggest draws for the PlayStation 3 game is the ability for users to create their own content, such freedom is providing a headache for the developer faced with moderating submissions for download.

Simply removing the offending content has sparked some complaints from the fan community, but Media Molecule has said that it is working on a solution to better communicate with users as to why levels have been deleted.

"We're reviewing the moderating system currently to provide better feedback on why levels are moderated," said a spokesperson for publisher Sony on the official forums.

"Primarily, any level that is reported using the grief tool will be checked over by a moderator, at which point they'll examine it in line with the EULA (End User Licence Agreement). If a level is found to be in violation of the EULA it will be moderated and you'll receive a message to that effect," explains the post.

"We're moving towards a system where additional information is given, however for the time being if you don't want your level moderating avoid anything unsuitable for users of all ages and copyright content."

Levels featuring content from games and other media including Metal Gear Solid, The Legend of Zelda, Batman and Scrubs have all been removed from the servers – with users complaining that they have spent hours creating content and have no back-up of their work.

Sony has said it hopes to inform users how they can tweak their creations to make them suitable, rather than be forced to delete the entire level.

"We want to ensure that creators' levels are only permanently removed if they warrant it. In most innocent cases a simple tweak to the level may be required and that's what we're working on communicating," said Sony.

Source: GamesIndustry




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25,000 free games uploaded by Yo Yo games users

yoyo games logoThe world's biggest casual gaming site gets bigger.
The world's largest user-generated games portal, YoYoGames.com, just got bigger. As its 25,000th game was uploaded this week, YoYo Games pulled further ahead of the competition in the crowded casual gaming market.

And every one of those games has been created and submitted by one of the nearly 186k members of the YoYo Games community - that equates to over 45 new games uploaded every day since the site's launch last year. Each one of them created using YoYo Games' own powerful and easy game development software - Game Maker (Free to download).
About YoYoGames.com

YoYo Games Ltd is a UK Based Game Start-up founded by games industry veterans, Sandy Duncan and Michel Cassius. YoYo Games launched its beta site in May 2007 and has grown to be the world's largest user generated game site with over 25,000 games.

Employing a web 2.0 community model YoYo Games allows users to "Play, Make and Share games" for free.

You can visit YYG at www.YoYoGames.com.

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Jumpgate Evolution sign up for beta test

Jumpgate Evolution screenshot
BETA signups for the highly anticipated elite space combat MMO, Jumpgate Evolution have now exceeded 150,000 with numbers climbing rapidly! Gamers can continue signing up for the chance to participate in the upcoming BETA at www.jumpgateevolution.com.

‘We are pleased to announce this exciting landmark for Jumpgate Evolution,” commented Edward Relf, Director, Marketing, Codemasters Online. “Since the commencement of the BETA signup program three months ago, we have seen overwhelming support for the game and look forward to inviting players into the BETA in the coming months. We encourage everyone looking to get into BETA to sign up as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.”

Jumpgate Evolution video game

Jumpgate Evolution is the definitive elite space combat MMO published by Codemasters Online and developed by the US-based NetDevil. This unique new title will allow players to choose from one of three playable Nations and engage in an intense action experience featuring ship-to-ship combat in a persistent online universe.

Gamers can embark on an immersive and accessible space adventure where they can trade valuable commodities, take part in dangerous large-scale intergalactic battles, meet and play with friends and live out the dream to become an elite space hero. Jumpgate Evolution features both a rich and varied universe to explore and has been designed for experienced and novice MMO players alike.

Jumpgate is set for release in 2009 with closed BETA due to go live soon. For more information on Jumpgate Evolution or to sign up for BETA visit: www.jumpgateevolution.com

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Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches PC video game launched


At long last, Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches – the highly anticipated Mythological Adventure game for Windows - is now available at retail stores across the United Kingdom. Published by leading video publisher Lighthouse Interactive and developer Arberth Studios, Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches has garnered rave reviews from top Adventure game sites. The story is based on the gripping tales of the Mabinogion, a collection of eleven prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The game is deep rooted in Celtic mythology and follows the present day haunting of a lonely teenage girl named Rhiannon, as she unwillingly enters a world filled with supernatural phenomena, magic, and legend. Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches is a must-have Adventure game for this holiday season.

Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches is set on the Celtic fringes of Britain; a place where myth and magic spill into reality, threatening the sanity of a teenage girl named Rhiannon Sullivan. An ancient battle for revenge engulfs Ty Pryderi, the remote Welsh farmstead Rhiannon now calls home. She begins to hear unexplained noises, see disturbing visions, and experience other chilling paranormal phenomena. There is an ancient evil lurking in the walls of Ty Pryderi that holds a terrible connection to a timeless struggle between man and magic fabled in the Mabinogion Legends. Her parents take Rhiannon away, leaving Ty Pryderi to your watch and exploration, but their absence can only postpone the inevitability of revenge and death. Unless you can stop it!


FEATURES
· Set in present day, the plot draws from ancient Welsh myths and legends
· Explore the haunted Welsh farmstead, from the imposing house, to its extensive grounds and buildings
· First-person, point-and-click with approximately 20 to 30 hours of largely non-linear gameplay
· Involved, multi-threaded plot
· Features classic themes such as: magic, paranormal phenomena and technology
· Interact with a comprehensive inventory of nearly 200 items
· 1024x768 full-screen graphics
· Engaging and unusual challenges, mostly plot and inventory-driven
· A haunting musical score will send chills up your spine
· Solid chapter structure to the compelling and ultimately uplifting story
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Trainz Simulator 2009 video game Beta Testing Begins


Auran Games, developer of the long running Trainz franchise, today announced that Beta Testing had commenced for the new Trainz Simulator 2009: World Builder Edition (TS2009). Over 1,000 registered members from TrainzDev.com have been invited to join the initial testing group and more testers would be invited in the coming weeks.
“We’re thrilled to have reached our Beta milestone, and the early feedback from testers has been extremely positive” said Tony Hilliam, CEO. “We have built up a fantastic community over the past 8 years since Trainz began and everything is pointing towards Trainz 2009 being our best ever version.”
“Trainz is an evergreen product with more than a million units sold since the first release in 2001,” said Graham Edelsten, Director of N3VRF41L Publishing. “We’re extremely happy to be publishing the 2009 version and look forward to welcoming thousands of train fans of all ages. Half our customers are aged over 50 and that gives Trainz a very special place in the gaming market. It really is more of a hobby than a game and that’s one reason why we have built up a 300,000 strong online community.”
The Trainz Simulator 2009: World Builder Edition contains everything you need to build or operate your own railroad and includes dozens of routes and hundreds of locomotives from around the world. You can drive steam diesel or electric locomotives using controls in the fully 3D cabs or use a simple speed controller for easier train management.

The 2009 World Builder Edition includes a major upgrade in the graphics capabilities, new content management tools and a host of new features in the famous “Surveyor” module. It will be followed early in 2009 by “Engineers Edition” (TEE) which will deliver new content and new routes, plus a range of new Driver-specific features. Content from previous versions in 99% compatible and users will be able to import and upgrade their favourite routes and locos.
Pre-orders for TS2009 are live on the Auran website at www.auran.com/shop . All pre-order receive an invitation to the Beta plus a range of 20% and 60% discount vouchers on the Auran store.

Trainz Simulator 2009: Engineers Edition will be available from retail outlets in Q1 2009.

Foo Fighters album download for Rock Band

rock band video game wiiMTV Games and Harmonix announced today that Foo Fighters’ best selling album, The Colour and the Shape, will become the seventh complete album to join the Rock Band® Music Store catalog of downloadable content.

Selling more than 2 million copies in the US alone, The Colour and the Shape is the most successful album from the alternative rock band and includes hit singles “Monkey Wrench,” “Hero” and “Everlong”. With “Everlong” already featured on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack, the DLC album will include the following tracks:
1. "Doll"
2. "Monkey Wrench"
3. "Hey, Johnny Park!"
4. "My Poor Brain”
5. "Wind Up"
6. "Up in Arms"
7. "My Hero"
8. "See You”
9. "Enough Space"
10. "February Stars”
11. "Walking After You”
12. “New Way Home”
The Colour and the Shape will be available for download starting November 11, 2008, for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and November 13, 2008, for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. Pricing will be $19.99 (1600 Microsoft Points) for the album, or $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) per track.
With the release of this album Rock Band fans will now have access to 14 solid tracks from the Foo Fighters – “Learn To Fly” was already featured on the original Rock Band soundtrack. All 14 tracks can be played in Rock Band 2’s different modes including Quickplay where the album itself will be called out in its own subheader, and Tour Challenges, where users will be prompted to play through all Foo Fighters tracks in a standalone setlist.
The Colour and the Shape joins the growing list of Rock Band albums in the DLC music catalog, which includes Mötley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Rush’s Moving Pictures, Megadeth’s Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?, Pixies’ Doolittle, Judas Priests’ Screaming For Vengeance and The Cars’ The Cars. With the addition of the Foo Fighters album there are now more than 400 tracks available to date via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks at http://www.rockband.com/music).




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Interaction Tomb Raider - Underworld website launched

Visit www.tombraider.com Now to Unlock the Experience

tomb raider underworld

Eidos, creator of some of the world’s leading video game properties, today confirms that the new official Tomb Raider: Underworld website has just gone live. Created entirely from in-game footage, the interactive site showcases some of the epic locations found in Tomb Raider: Underworld and takes players on a journey to the depths of the Kraken Room in the Mediterranean, on the muddy bike trails in Chiapas, Mexico and deep into the hostile jungles of Thailand.

Every section of the site is playable and provides visitors with a set of diverse mini challenges based around some of the events that take place within the Tomb Raider: Underworld game. Those completing the challenges on the site will be rewarded with a series of exclusive unlockable items.

The site can be reached now via the Official Tomb Raider Portal, www.tombraider.com, and is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian languages. Tomb Raider: Underworld will release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS . With development led by Crystal Dynamics, Tomb Raider: Underworld represents a new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As the fearless adventurer Lara Croft, players explore and solve the mysteries of exotic locations around the world, each designed in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that create a truly believable world and deliver a new level of challenge and choice.

All Lara Croft Tomb Raider posts on gamezplay.org here...




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Sunday, November 09, 2008

Call of Duty - Triple pack on PlayStation 2 for £9.99

All three games - save £20

Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Call of Duty: Finest Hour takes console players to the frontlines of combat to experience the cinematic intensity, chaos of battle and epic moments of World War II across new campaigns across the North African, Western and Eastern Fronts. An original game for the console systems, Call of Duty: Finest Hour delivers all-new missions featuring authentic squad-based combat, explosive vehicle action and cinematic special effects to deliver a breathtaking first person action thriller. Covering three Allied campaigns, players experience some of history's most intense battles and for the first time assume the role of multiple characters within the Russian, British and American forces. Call of Duty: Finest Hour is being developed by Spark, which is comprised of over 30 individuals who developed titles in the Medal of Honor series, including several of the production leads.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
In Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, players experience the adrenaline rush and harsh realities of war as never before, get to know squadmates and fight alongside them through an epic story during the most harrowing moments of WWII. As a part of America’s most decorated and heroic fighting unit, The Big Red One, players work together with their squad to accomplish a variety of land, see and air combat missions spanning North Africa, Italy and Nazi-occupied Western Europe.

Call of Duty 3
The follow-up to the No1 next-generation game, Call of Duty 3 delivers the intensity of being closer than ever to the fury of combat during the Normandy Breakout, the historic campaign that made the liberation of Paris possible and brought the Allies a step closer to Berlin. Through a seamless narrative that delivers the rush of unrelenting battle and breathtaking action, players assume the roles of four ordinary Allied soldiers—American, British, Canadian and Polish—and are thrust onto an authentic, living battlefield for an unprecedented variety of combat, with advanced high-definition graphics, detailed character animations and explosive on-screen action, delivering the most immersive and cinematically intense war experience ever.

Buy it here for only £9.99...

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Atari to make Ghostbusters - The video game (Who you gonna call?)

ghostbusters video game
Atari, one of the world's most recognized video game publishers, announced today the addition of the highly anticipated Ghostbusters: The Video Game to its 2009 release schedule. Working closely with Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. and acclaimed development studio Terminal Reality, Atari will bring this completely new story to advanced gaming platforms coinciding with the 25th anniversary celebration of the film's original theatrical release. Ghostbusters: The Video Game, based on the smash hit motion picture franchise, also reunites original cast members to recapture the unique blend of humour and fright that established Ghostbusters as a pop culture sensation.
ghostbuster xbox 360

"Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a fantastic addition to Atari's global line-up in 2009," said Phil Harrison, President of Infogrames Entertainment, the parent company of Atari. "The title has built considerable anticipation and excitement among game fans for its high quality action and all-out mayhem. There's no more thrilling Ghostbusting experience to be had, short of building your own proton pack."

"We're thrilled to partner with Atari on Ghostbusters: The Video Game", said Mark Caplan, Vice President of Licensing-Hardlines for Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. "As one of our studios' most valued film franchises, we wanted to develop a video game that would be exciting for both new and old fans and with Atari we have a publisher that fully understands Ghostbusters, and is committed to producing engaging entertainment that fans will thoroughly enjoy."
ghostbusters ps3
Ghostbusters: The Video Game was penned by original Ghostbusters writers Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd and reunites members of the original cast for the first time in 20 years. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson lend their voices and in-game likenesses to the original story set two years after Ghostbusters II, with Manhattan once again overrun by ghosts and supernatural forces. The game also features performances from fan favourites such as William Atherton (Walter Peck), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz) and Brian Doyle-Murray (portraying Mayor Jock Mulligan).
Atari will release the Ghostbusters: The Video Game for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 2 system, the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games For Windows, Wii and Nintendo DS. The launch will also leverage Atari's worldwide distribution network to maximize the presence of Ghostbusters: The Video Game around the globe as Sony marks the film's upcoming 25th anniversary. For more information on Atari's entire line up visit www.atari.com.
2009 also marks the 25th Anniversary of the original theatrical release of Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II combined to gross over $500 million world-wide at the box office. The film spawned some of the most memorable comedic catch-phrases and scenes in motion picture history. To recognize this special milestone, Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc has licensed the property for several new products to commemorate the anniversary, including: video games, toys, t-shirts, comic books, prop replicas, and a theme park attraction. In addition, the original Ghostbusters car (Ecto-1) has been fully restored with plans for special promotional appearances throughout the US. And for the first time ever, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II on Blu-rayTM disc.
About the Game

When Manhattan is once again overrun by ghosts and other supernatural creatures, players will take on the role of a new recruit joining the famous Ghostbusters team. Developed by acclaimed studio Terminal Reality, Ghostbusters: The Video Game will make its debut on the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system version and the Wii version are being developed by Red Fly Studios, and the Nintendo DS version, in which the player takes the role of one of the Ghostbusters themselves, is developed by Zen Studios. The PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PC versions of the game are developed using Terminal Reality's phenomenal proprietary Infernal Engine technology.

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Buy an 80gb PS3 and get $100 gift card at Walmart

PS3 walmart gift cardNormally at Walmart stores or their online shop you would be looking to pay $399 for just the Sony Playstation 3 console/entertainment system, but from this Saturday, November 8 you get to pay the same price and get a $100 gift card at Walmart stores only.
This is a fantastic deal and limited to just 4 units per customer, although I would imagine you will be lucky to even get your hands-on one of these 80GB PS3 deals.

The PlayStation 3 80 GB has these main features: Internet ready Wi-Fi with no adaptors needed (Xbox 360), Free PLAYSTATION Network membership (not paid like 360), the new DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller, and not to mention the excellent Blu-ray player built-in for the best in high-definition movies and gaming.

Link to Walmart webpage with offer here...

Source: Product Reviews



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