Beginner's guide to Street Fighter IV - have a go if you don't think you're hard enough

Street Fighter IV is out. It's out and it's getting amazing reviews. There is something elemental about this series, the way it pares everything down to time frames of action and interaction involving just one other onscreen object - your opponent. This honed gameplay is married with a brilliant audio and visual aesthetic; gaudy scenery, hyperbolic speech samples, fizzing J-pop. Street Fighter II worked back in 1991, and number four works in the same way now, by mixing the self-consciously tacky with real depth and complexity.

If you've bought a copy you could spend the weekend button-bashing like a chimp on a caffeine drip, or you could decide to do this properly. Street Fighter is an art. There are systems and rules. Thankfully, it's not difficult to learn the basics.

Read full post on the Guardian website...

Nintendo DS announce 3D Picross with download puzzles

In typical fashion, Nintendo Japan has waited until pretty much the last minute to share details on what will probably be one of next month's biggest DS games over in Japan. 3D Picross (or, as it's known in proper Japanese, Rittai Picross) hits Japan on March 12, and at long last received an official website today.

3D Picross is, as the name would suggest, a 3D version of the classic Picross DS puzzle game, itself a DS version of Nonogram or Paint by Numbers. The basic 2D Picross game has players mark off squares, eventually revealing a hidden picture. The new 3D version adds another dimension, replacing squares with blocks. Using hints, you break blocks and eventually reveal a hidden shape.

Official website here...

Read full post here on ign here...

Grand Ages Rome enhanced demo and patch released

Kalypso Media today published an enhanced demo for GRAND AGES: ROME their eagerly awaited city building title. GRAND AGES: ROME, which has been developed by Haemimont Games, is the sequel to their bestseller, Imperium Romanum. Also released is a patch for the Grand Ages: Rome demo released on the 6th February.

Patch-notes / improvements to the demo version:

Difficulty adjustment

• Houses are now deserted every 60 seconds during unemployment (was 30 seconds)
• Deserted buildings health degeneration 3x slower than previously (roughly 9 minutes before fire)
• Fire extinguished by Prefectures twice as quickly.

UI improvements
• Important notifications now blink
• New notification sound for important notifications
• It's harder to accidentally go to realm overview mode

Miscellaneous

• Reduced bad weather duration and intensity
• Stability and compatibility improvements

Improved Demo:
http://www.kalypsomedia.com/downloads/demos/grandagesromedemo-neu-eu.exe

Patch:
http://www.kalypsomedia.com/downloads/demos/grandagesromedemopatch.exe

GRAND AGES: ROME will be released in the UK on 6th March for a recommended retail price of £29.99.

Prince of Persia, Shaun White Snowboarding video game downloads for Mac

Prince of Persia and Shaun White Snowboarding Available Soon via Digital Download and at Retail

Ubisoft will release the award-winning Prince of Persia and Shaun White Snowboarding to the Mac community in March 2009 via Ubisoft’s online digital store, GameTree Online and at traditional retail locations. Mac versions of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation : Hard Evidence, Rayman Raving Rabbids and Petz Sports will also be released at select retail establishments for the first time in March 2009.

“The Mac community has responded very positively to our previous game offerings and we’re excited to provide Mac users with a new selection of games through our relationship with TransGaming,” said Andy Swanson, senior director of strategic sales and partnerships at Ubisoft.

“Ubisoft has an exceptional portfolio of titles that spans an assortment of genres. The availability of their titles on the Mac is a great catalyst for Mac gaming,” commented Vikas Gupta, CEO and president of TransGaming.

Current Mac titles from Ubisoft available via download include CSI: Hard Evidence, Petz Catz 2, Petz Dogz 2, Petz Sports, Prince of Persia The Two Thrones, and Rayman Raving Rabbids.

To learn more about Ubisoft’s games for the Mac, including details on how to pre-order Prince of Persia and Shaun White Snowboarding, please visit: http://digitalstore.ubi.com or http://www.gametreeonline.com.

iPhone Airports database now available on iTunes for iPhone and iPod Touch

I’m pleased to announce that my free iPhone Airports Database - Airports - is now available from iTunes.

It’s been available by direct link for a week or two, but it’s only just started to appear in the App Store search results.

Just seach for Airports and look for the free one from Mark Avey.

Airports will run on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Scottish comedian, Frankie Boyle, performs stand-up in GTA IV The Lost And The Damned DLC...

Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle can be found hidden in the DLC for The Lost And The Damned.

Boyle can be found performing a stand-up routine at the Split Sides comedy club. Rockstar even motion captured him for authenticity - you can check the credits at the end of The Lost And The Damned if you don't believe us.

"It's highlights from his live act plus at least one GTA IV in-joke," says GTA IV madman and OXM editor Jon Hicks (in that order). "See him at the Split Sides comedy club on Frankfort Ave, one block over and down a bit from Star Junction."

So there you have it. Frankie Boyle in GTAIV! A pretty awesome idea, truth be told. Let's hope this doesn't mean we'll also get Jim Davidson in Resident Evil 5...

Killzone 2 Webgame Command Centre online

Killzone 2 Webgame Command Centre watch the trailer (18+) and register to play here...Search on the right for Killzone for most posts on this game.

Rock Band goes Country with Neko Case, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Drive-By Truckers and Old 97’s Plus Jimmy Eat World rock...

Harmonix and MTV Games today announced the debut of five alternative country acts to the Rock Band Music Store catalog of downloadable content including artists Neko Case, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Drive-By Truckers and Old 97’s.

Rock Band fans will also get a 3-pack from alternative rock band Jimmy Eat World.

“Alt Country 01” 5-pack features a signature mix of alternative country sounds from bluegrass and rockabilly to honky-tonk rock. The 5-pack includes “People Got A Lotta Nerve” from Neko Case’s soon-to-be released album Middle Cyclone (March 3, 2009), “Can’t Let Go” by Grammy winning singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams from her album Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998) and Steve Earl’s “Satellite Radio” from his album Washington Square Serenade (2007). The 5-pack also features “Three Dimes Down” from southern rock band Drive-By Truckers featured on the Brighter Than Creation’s Dark (2008) album and the Old 97’s live recording “Timebomb” from the band’s Alive & Wi red (2005) album.

Jimmy Eat World makes its second Rock Band appearance with a 3-pack that includes “Lucky Denver Mint” from the band’s 1999 album Clarity. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the album’s release Jimmy Eat World will set out on a short 10 stop tour starting February 23rd where they’ll play Clarity in its entirety for the crowd. The Jimmy Eat World 3-Pack will also feature tracks “Futures” (Futures, 2004) and “Sweetness” from the band’s 2001 album Bleed American. The band’s hit “The Middle” was featured on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack.

Release Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360)
Thursday, February 26, 2009 (PlayStation Store)

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

Tracks:

Neko Case ”People Got A Lotta Nerve” Steve Earle “Satellite Radio” Lucinda Williams “Can’t Let Go” Drive-By Truckers “Three Dimes Down” Old 97’s “Timebomb (live)” Jimmy Eat World “Futures” Jimmy Eat World “Lucky Denver Mint” Jimmy Eat World “Sweetness“

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price: $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track
$8.49 (680 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for Alt Country Pack 01
$5.49 (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for Jimmy Eat World Pack 01

Locations: Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360
PlayStation Network

First shots of Fallout 3 Download Content DLC Pitt

Bethesda's just released the first shots of Fallout 3's new visually-pleasing DLC pack, The Pitt.

The Pitt takes place in Pittsburgh's steel-making industrial district, described as a "stunning dystopia that's unlike any other area in Fallout 3's world".

Side quests and unique items are promised, including the fearsome-looking Auto Axe which is pictured above.

Space War Commander video game goes DRM free!

Game developer Dreamspike Studios has just announced that Space War Commander is now available DRM free on Direct2Drive. According to game designer Alex Kutsenok, "Direct 2 Drive was the next logical step. With more and more people hearing about space war commander, we wanted to make the game available DRM free with a major Content delivery service." Space War Commander will sell for 19.95 on the service and will be appearing on many other content delivery services in the future with a possible retail release.

Since its surprise launch in January, Space War Commander has been building up a following with Strategy gamers looking to flex their strategic muscle. According to one armchair general, "Some RTS games let you micro manage, but Space War Commander is the only strategy game in a long time that actually made me think". Alex added this caution "don’t rush out and buy this game just because you need a good RTS. You have to be a fairly brilliant strategist to play this game. If you play it like a normal RTS it will beat you up and take your lunch money."