World destruction comes in small shrink-wrapped packages...

2010/05/07

Video Game Character Lookalikes: Dr. Betruger [Doom 3]

This might seem obvious to some of you, but it’s been niggling at me for years now. I have to say it. Dr. Betruger from Doom 3 not only looks like this man, but he sounds quite similar to him too, even though he was voiced by Philip L. Clarke.

Who am I talking about? Sir Antony Hopkins. The Welsh actor whose most famous role is likely that of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, or “Hannibal the Cannibal” in films such as Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and Hannibal.

      drbetrugerhannibal

                           Dr. Malcolm Betruger and Dr. Hannibal Lecter


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New Bungie IP Possibly an Action RPG, not Call of Duty

bungielogo Recently Bungie signed a ten year publishing and distribution deal with the antichrist of video games publishers, Activision - even despite all the legal issues going on between it and Infinity Ward.

Something caught my eye the other day, and that was their new IP that they’re working on other than Halo Reach will actually be something new, for the first time in who knows how long. And it’s rumoured to be an Action RPG, similar in style to Mass Effect or even Deus Ex.

The studio is currently looking for a lead writer for the storyline of the game.

"Can you inspire artists to create whole worlds and races of creatures with a few, quality keystrokes? Your words will help define Bungie's next game universe."

It looks as though they heeded the words of the all knowledgeable Randy Pitchford a while back, who urged Bungie to do something other than Halo for a change.

Bungie has made it clear though that this new title will not be Call of Duty, even despite the terrible situation involving Activision “shooting the race horse” that was IW, putting the Call of Duty, and Modern Warfare, series in jeopardy.

In related news, the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta is now live, and it can be accessed through the Halo 3: ODST disc, if you have it. The download “weight” is 1.15 GB. The beta runs until May 19.

"The download process may be subject to extended wait times. Server load is expected to be extremely high, especially during the first few hours and days of Beta availability. Please bear with us and stay tuned to Bungie.net for news and information."

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Sources:

New Bungie IP to be an action RPG, suggests job listing [VG247]
Halo: Reach beta is go, go, go! [VG247]
Bungie: 'No interest' in tackling Call Of Duty [CVG]


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2010/05/06

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Releasing in October, Scans hit the Internet

SFFU2 I got Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Ultimate Sith Edition [which I think is one of the longest titles for a game out there] for Christmas last year – and I still haven’t gotten around to playing it. It think it’s mainly because of the heavy HD requirements [24 GB install].

And my time to play it is running out it seems, as Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II [2] is coming out this year – October 26, to be exact. This was announced by LucasArts yesterday on the 4th of May, referred to as Star Wars Day. I saw this when logging into Twitter, and to be honest I’d never heard of it. But it makes sense because when you say it, because it sounds like: “May the Fourth”, as in “May the Fourth be with you”, as in “May the Force be with you”. Nerds.

The game was announced at the SpikeTV VGAs last year, which I saw on TV, and it’s said that console versions of the title are guaranteed - Wii, PS3, 360, PSP and DS versions specifically. Whether a PC version will appear is doubtful – maybe later on, even in 2011. The original Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was console only, but the Ultimate Sith Edition was released for PC however.

And the other day it seems as though some scans of the game have hit the internet, which you can see over at Gamekyo. This are allegedly the same ones that appeared in a French Magazine known as Consoles +.

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Source: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2' Release Date Confirmed [mtv.com]


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Black Wii Confirmed, Arriving in May, Soon

Nintendo of America announced recently that the Black Nintendo Wii is arriving this week in North America, specifically the 9th of May – Sunday; Mother’s Day. The console will be bundled with a Wii Mote, Nunchuck, Wii Motion Plus, Wii Sports, and Wii Sports Resort. The price is $199.

This bundle is also being applied to the usual white console as well.

You can order it over on Amazon.

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Sources:

Amazon
Black Wii is Official [Hot Blooded Gaming]


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StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Releasing in July

sc2a

Damn it! quite a few games have had release dates announced just recently. The most notable ones are Rage, scheduled for next year, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II – for October. Not to mention the Black Wii; coming in May.

Another game that has just gotten a release date is that of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Blizzard says that the game should be out all over the world on July 27, 2010, for PC and Mac. No console versions I’m afraid.

Mike Morhaime, CEO, cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment:

“We’ve been looking forward to revisiting the StarCraft universe for many years, and we’re excited that the time for that is almost here. Thanks to our beta testers, we’re making great progress on the final stages of development, and we’ll be ready to welcome players all over the world to StarCraft II and the new Battle.net in just a few months.”

This is has been said by many to just be a thumbsuck, as Blizzard has a reputation for not committing to release dates. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the first in a planned trilogy of games, with a Zerg campaign, Heart of the Swarm, and a Protoss campaign, Legacy of the Void, arriving later on.

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Source: StarCraft II releasing on July 27 [VG247]


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2010/05/05

Jack Friedman, THQ Founder, Dies at 70

jackfriedman THQ is a major publisher of video games in the United States, and its founder, Jack Friedman, passed away recently, at the age of 70.

Jack, in addition to founding THQ, also founded LJN and JAKKS Pacific.

JAKKS Pacific CEO, Stephen Berman:

"Jack was a legendary toymaker and a real titan in our industry. He dedicated his talents to JAKKS Pacific for 15 years, and he will be sorely missed."

Jack retired some time ago to spend more quality time with his family, but was hospitalized for several weeks before his death in early May.

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Source: THQ Founder Jack Friedman Has Died [1UP]


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Rage gets a Release Window, New Screenshots, Similar to Borderlands?

On this day: 5 May 2010 - May Day; 5 May 1992 – Wolfenstein 3D

rage All has been quite on the subject of Rageid Software’s first real developed game since Doom 3, and the first original IP since Quake.

But some news hit recently about the post-apocalyptic themed title, and it was concerning a release date.

Bethesda, the publisher says that the game should be out next year. In other words, 2011. For a while there we were expecting it to come this year. All the versions of the game – PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 – will be released simultaneously.

Tim Willits of id Software gave reasons why the title would not see 2010:

“Because we haven’t even hit alpha on this thing yet. But we’re working very hard and we’re getting close to that. But it’s important that we get this right. There’s nothing worse than pushing something out before it’s ready.

And the great thing about Bethesda and Zenimax is the executive management has the faith in us to give us the resource that we need to do the right game. Because, trust me, it would be horrible if we were to release it and it was bad.

As you saw, it’s running well on the 360. There are some graphical things that John’s working through, that he’ll get fixed. But the engine’s pretty solid.”

There was also talk about the fact – and I’ve thought this for some time – that Rage looks quite similar to Borderlands. I also thought Fallout 3 as well, seeing as some claim that’s the game that clinched the deal between id Software and Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax, last year.

But the Design Director on the game, Matt Hooper, stepped in to give his take:

"I can see fans drawing comparisons -- and people naturally want to draw parallels between existing things -- but no, we're not just making another 'Doom' here. It's something new for us."

Rage is not a procedural landscape with heavy RPG elements and a billion weapons. It's a very crafted, focused, action shooter with a level of attention to detail that's just off the charts."

We knew we wanted to have vehicles, and that we could make a kick-ass shooter, so the two came together in a very natural way for the team."

We've got a finely crafted weapons, really creative engineering items like deployable turrets and remote controlled bombs. It's all about creating a rich universe to use the array of weapons and options at the player's disposal."

It's not a bad thing that people draw comparisons. I just hope that people get more information and see demos and really realize what makes Rage so unique. Even if this post-apocalyptic wasteland seems familiar at first."

In addition to all this, there’ve been some new screenshots released for the game as well.

RageaRageb RagecRaged Ragee

By the way, if you local SA gamers, or those in the UK even, happen to watch GameFace on Tuesdays, last night you would have heard from Julia Hardy that they will doing a feature on the game sometime soon.

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Sources:

RAGE Gets Release Window, New Screenshots [Shacknews]
Rage delayed until 2011, confirms id Software [VG247]
'Rage' Developer On 'Borderlands' Similarities [multiplayerblog.mtv.com]


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Video Game Deals on Amazon [May 5, 2010 Edition]: Aliens vs. Predator, Splinter Cell: Conviction

                          AVp2010TCSCa

This week’s highlights include Aliens vs Predator for the Xbox 360 and PS3, which you can grab for $20 off each. The PC edition is nearly $10 off. There’s also Splinter Cell Conviction: Limited Edition, also for the 360, which is $14 off.

VGDs feature on AAA once or twice a week with deals at least $7.00 [R50] or more making the big list. Deals which are $10 or more make the best deals list.

Best Deals:

Aliens vs Predator - $39.99 - Save $20.00 [PS3, 360]

Alice in Wonderland - $35.54 - Save $14.45 [Wii]
Splinter Cell Conviction: Limited Edition - $55.99- Save $14.00 [360]

Iron Warriors - $9.33 - Save $14.00 [PC]
3D Xango Tango - $9.06 - Save $10.93 [PC]
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 - $29.96 - Save $10.03 [360]

[PC]

Iron Warriors - $9.33 - Save $14.00
3D Xango Tango - $9.06 - Save $10.93
Aliens vs Predator - $40.69 - Save $9.26

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction - $49.96 - $10.03

Restricted Area - $11.61 - Save $8.38 
OMG! High School - $9.06 - Save $7.70

[PS3]

Aliens vs Predator - $39.99 - Save $20.00

[PS2]

Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots - $9.90 - Save $8.09 

[Xbox 360]

Aliens vs Predator - $39.99 - Save $20.00
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 - $29.96 - Save $10.03
Splinter Cell Conviction: Limited Edition - $55.99- Save $14.00

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction - $50.19 - $9.80

[Nintendo DS]

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 - $19.99 - Save $8.00

[Nintendo Wii]

Alice in Wonderland - $35.54 - Save $14.45
Let's Play Ballerina - $19.99 - Save $10.00
Veggy World - $19.99 - Save $10.00
Burger Bot - $19.99 - Save $10.00

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Sources: Amazon - Nowinstock


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2010/05/04

Call of Duty: Black Ops Official Reveal, Trailer

Cod7bo The future of Infinity Ward is shaky, what with all the legal actions, lawsuits, and what not flying around, with some analysts saying the studio will be closed this year. This obviously must impact the future of Modern Warfare 3. Great going Activision.

Another worst kept secret in the world right now. Many people thought that this latest offering from Treyarch, the “B team”, would be called Call of Duty: Vietnam, even until just a few days ago. But it turns out after the official unveiling just recently, that Call of Duty: Black Ops is the name of the game – just like some other rumours suggested.

And possible locations that will be present in the game have also been revealed, with some sources saying Cuba, South America, the Arctic, Iran, and the jungles of Vietnam will be on display for players to run around in. The story has been said to feature black ops missions from WW II right through to present day. This will be the first Treyarch-developed CoD title to venture outside of WW II. Their last effort was World at War in 2008.

treyarch “We at Treyarch are excited to reveal our latest development – Call of Duty: Black Ops! Be sure to head over to CallOfDuty.com/blackops as more details begin to unfold! Follow @JD_2020 and @Treyarch on Twitter for the latest news & discussions regarding Black Ops.”

"We can’t wait for our community to experience Call of Duty: Black Ops. We have focused our entire studio on this game, with dedicated multiplayer, single-player and co-op teams creating the most intense, gripping and riveting experience possible for our fans on all fronts."

An official website has been set up for the game, with a release date set for 9 November 2010 – a year after Modern Warfare 2.

PS3_Slipsheet_Template_2009-4Retailer GAME says the following:

"Call of Duty Black Ops is the next instalment in the thrilling Call of Duty franchise. Packing an amazing singleplayer story that will see you fight across the globe in locations such as Cuba, Vietnam and the Arctic."

"Now you will witness the birth of the Elite Special Forces and take part in off-the-record missions using unconventional weaponry to get the job done!"

The game also has preorder pages at Amazon, for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 versions of the game.

Even a trailer for the game has been released, with some websites dissecting it to squeeze more information out of it.

They say that the game will be one big flashback, with the person telling the tale being tortured. The trailer shows snowy environments [the Arctic, or Siberia perhaps?], UH-1A Huey helicopters [made famous in the Vietnam War], some guns like a silenced Steyr Aug, a parachuting mission similar to games in the Medal of Honor series, and the most interesting of all: an SR71 Blackbird with the pilot in space suit, flying in sub-orbit.

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Source: callofduty.com/blackops [official website]


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Watch The Pacific, a Mini-Series, This Wednesday [TV]

ThePacific Those of you who’ve got DStv have likely been tuning in to M-Net Action to see Band of Brothers on Tuesdays nights, which features two back to back episodes. That comes to an end this week, as the last two episodes are being shown.

Never fear though, because something interesting is coming on this week. It’s called The Pacific. It ran in the US only in March, and was co-produced by the now-famous duo of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, who also collaborated on Band of Brothers, as well as Saving Private Ryan before that.

This time, instead of the European invasion, we’ll be seeing how things went on the pacific theatre – something not covered as much by films for sure, with some exceptions like Wind Talkers with Nicolas Cage, and The Thin Red Line.

The pacific theatre is interesting for this very reason because not many have explored it besides the History Channel. Games that have include Call of Duty: World at War, Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault, Dirty Dozen 2: Pacific Theatre, and Battlefield 1942 and 1943. This number pales in comparison to how many have had you fighting in Normandy or some other place.

So for those of you wanting something to see some Asian battlegrounds and some tropical islands and so on, tune in to M-Net this Wednesday at 21:30 to see The Pacific. It’s a mini-series that will also run for ten episodes, just like Band of Brothers.


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Direct2Drive Spring Sale – Week 4: Mass Effect 1 and 2, Fallout 3

MassEffect2 The 4th and final week of Direct2Drive’s Spring Sale is now on, and it’s your last chance to grab some games at great prices. The deals end at the end of the week.

There’s a Mass Effect Bundle which has both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, and that goes for $34.95 – 50% off the usual price. You can also get Fallout 3 for $14.95.

Check out the full list below, and then head over to D2D to pick up the game(s) of your choosing.

Mass Effect 1 + 2 Bundle - $34.95
Aion - $24.95
Titan Quest Bundle - $4.95
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines - $9.95
Sid Meier's Pirates! - $4.95
Civilization 4: The Complete Edition - $9.95
SimCity Societies - $9.95
Swat 4 Gold - $9.95
Fallout 3 - $14.95
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel - $19.95
Divinity 2 - $29.95

Chessmaster 9000 - $4.95
Defense Grid: The Awakening - $4.95
Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim - $8.95
The Settlers: Rise of an Empire Gold Edition - $9.95
Trine - $4.95
Guild Wars Nightfall - $14.95
Grand Ages Rome - $9.95
AI War Fleet Command + Zenith Remnant Bundle - $9.95
Europa Universalis: Rome Gold - $4.95
Dark Fall Lost Souls - $4.95

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Source: Direct2Drive


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2010/05/03

MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries Released as Freeware for the PC

Mwmerc It’s always good news to hear of a freeware release. Well, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, originally released in 2002, is now available for free. And it’s an updated version of the game as well, and has features such as automated patching and content delivery system, as well as additional weapons, units, and other stuff.. Apparently so many people want a free game to play, that MekTek’s servers crashed the other day.

"Studio MekTek, in association with Smith and Tinker, INC., Virtual World Entertainment, LLC, Catalyst Game Labs, and Microsoft Games, is happy to announce the release of Mechwarrior4 Free."

Many people initially believed that this was MechWarrior 4: Vengeance, but it’s actually the stand-alone expansion pack, called Mercenaries. MekTek Studios developed this one, you see – not MechWarrior 4.

The MechWarrior IP belongs to Smith and Tinker and they reportedly gave MekTek.net, a community website, permission to release the game for free – in July last year. But there was some red tape or something brought on by Microsoft, the publisher, which eventually gave the green light just last week.

You can bet that this will be “in the queue” over at requests to be put on thee NAG June Cover DVD. It weighs in at 1.7Gb. So for those of us down in the third world, you can rest assured that this might be on the DVD, and you won’t have to download it yourself.

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Sources:

mektek.net

Mechwarrior 4 Released for Free by Community [Shacknews]


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What do you Want on the June 2010 NAG Cover DVD?

NAGg It’s that time of the month again. The latest issue of NAG [May 2010] was just released last week, and all ready there’s a thread on the NAG Online Forums talking about what you would like to see on the June Cover DVD.

I thought I would take the time for those who are interested, to list here what I want on the DVD. I’ll also post this on the forums.

Recently, MechWarrior 4 was released as freeware. It was a long time coming, and it’s finally out. Despite some problems that people have been having with it, I’d like to see this on the DVD. You can also try and download it yourself, but it is nearly 2 GB [some say 1.7, others 1.8 GB], and not to mention MekTek’s servers can’t handle all the traffic coming in.

There was also something interesting that I came across the other day, and that was over at Major Nelson’s blog [his Xbox live account was hacked recently, by the way], as well as other sites on the net. This was a small collection of Claptrap sound bytes from Borderlands. It’s pretty small, so you can download it yourself, but for those of us without internet [I was like you once], I’d suggest this for the NAG Cover DVD.

As for screenshots and artwork, I could go and browse myself, but I’m busy most of the time, so I’d like to see screenshots and artwork on the DVD of the following games: Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2, Bulletstorm, Black Mesa: Source, Kane & Lynch 2, and Toy Story 3.

There will likely be more added at some other time, and I’ll post on the forums and update here accordingly. You can follow my suggestions under the name L1QU1D – as in Liquid Snake from MGS.

If you’re a South African gamer, and a reader of NAG [some people abroad even get the issues somehow – mailed to them I suppose], then tell NAG what you want, what you really, really want… on the June 2010 NAG Cover DVD, by following the link below.

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Source: June cover DVD request thread [NAG Online Forums]


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Possible S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Details in Magazine Fan Q&A

S2 Information on this game has been floating around for at least a year or two now, and I’ve done a few posts on it too. Most of the stuff was probably just rumours though. As I recall, at the time these rumours suggested that the game would be called Stalker 3: Apocalyptic. And that info was also in Gameplay, the same as the info released now.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat was released over the past few months in different territories [at different times, from October until February this year]. So where to now?

It seems S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the answer, which we saw coming anyway. There was recently a fan Q&A with GSC head honcho Sergey Grigorovich, again for a Russian magazine called Gameplay. It’s all in Russian and sifting through Google’s version of English is painstaking to say the least.

It claims that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will be a trilogy of games, kind of like Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Pripyat were. Or if you want to put them in chronological order: CS, SoC, CoP. There. Happy?

It was once rumoured that GSC was considering switching to the CryEngine [Far Cry, Crysis, etc.] for use in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, but decided to stick with X-Ray – except possibly X-Ray 2.0 [CoP used X-Ray 1.6].

The reason they considered CryEngine was because it was felt it would make it easier to develop for consoles. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will be multi-platform – not just PC like the existing three games. There was word a while back that an Xbox 360 version was in the cards. People are concerned that this will mean a downward spiral for the series, as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is considered a “PC” title.

And although many other games are all about DLC nowadays, with the Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package releasing for PC and PS3 this week even, it doesn’t look as though GSC is buying into the whole concept.

It also says that women will feature in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and not just male stalkers.

I once tried to break the subject of female stalkers in a forum thread, and my idea was shot down – with some claiming that they “wouldn’t survive”. Bunch of sexists.

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Sources: fan Q&A [world-stalker] - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 [TTLG]


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2010/05/02

Video Games Coming out This Week [May 02-08, 2010]: Modern Warfare 2: Stimulus Package, Iron Man 2

         Stimulus_Package IM2

AAA’s Targets of the Week: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Stimulus Package, Iron Man 2

This week sees the release of the Stimulus Package for Modern Warfare 2. May 4, the DLC pack will be available off of Steam for the PC, and PS3 user can also get it this week. Xbox 360 gamers go to play it a month ago or more. That should get rid of your mapathy.

The multi-platform release for this week is Iron Man 2 – the game based on the movie, which got less than stellar reviews so far. The game is probably headed in the same direction.

Available links go to game detail pages at retail and digital distribution outlets, like Amazon and Steam, etc. You can also check out my Amazon aStore to see what the latest and greatest games of 2010 are.

[PC]

Black Mirror 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Stimulus Package [Steam]
Shattered Horizon: Firepower

[Xbox 360]

Autobahn Polizei
Iron Man 2
RayStorm HD [XBLA]
Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition [XBLA]

[PlayStation 3]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Stimulus Package [PSN] 
Iron Man 2

[PSP]

Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake
Iron Man 2
What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord?! 2

[Wii]

Dance Sensation!
Family Gameshow
Iron Man 2
Kung Fu Funk
Satisfashion
Zombie Panic in Wonderland

[Nintendo DS]

1001 Crystal Mazes Collection
Dementium II
Iron Man 2
Jane's Hotel
Monster Racers
Picross 3D

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Sources:

The Video Game Release List of 5/2 - 5/8 [Shacknews]
New Releases Week of May 02, 2010 [Gamespot]


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The Replacements: An Online Video Game Manual Archive

Unreal You know the other day that Ubisoft was talking about doing away with printed video game manuals? I just happened to come across this post on HBG [Hot Blooded Gaming] where they talked about this online archive of video game manuals that have been scanned.

This is nothing new and other sites, even abandonware ones like Abandonia, have scans of manuals and box art for some of their games, mainly old classics, but I decided to check this one out anyway.

This site isn’t new either, but it has scans of games both old and new. And it’s not just for PC games, but many other consoles too. There are plenty of manuals on here that I’ll be taking a look at though. I’ve bought some games like Mortal Kombat Trilogy second-hand, which didn’t come with a manual – only the disc.

I still have a lot of my old game manuals hidden away somewhere. Among the ones I treasure dearly, as I said before in my other post regarding this subject, include Red Alert 2, No One Lives Forever, Unreal, Mortal Kombat 3, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six. I’ve even got one for Fade to Black. The funny thing is I lost the game somehow; not the manual. I think one of my ex-friends might have stolen it.

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Source: The Online Video Game Manual Archive [HBG]

Resources:

replacementdocs.com

They just don't make manuals like they used to [TTLG.com]


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Earthworm Jim 4 Rumoured to be Coming to Wii

earthworm-jim Do you remember those Earthworm Jim games from back in the days? Excellent little 2D adventure games that saw you take the role of Jim, and earthworm – except he had a suit that allowed him to do a lot of stuff that normal earthworms can’t.

Now a rumour is going around suggesting that Earthworm Jim might be going on another adventure in Earthworm Jim 4.

It’s been said apparently by Doug TenNapel, the protagonist’s creator that there will be another Earthworm Jim game, and it’s headed to the Wii. This was later said to be false.

Whatever the case, Earthworm Jim 4 has been announced before, and this wasn’t the first time either.

I want to dig up some of those classic Earthworm Jim games now.

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Sources: Earthworm Jim 4 Coming? [LazyGamer]


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2010/05/01

Vuzu Adverts Sound Conspicuously Like GLaDOS From Portal

Glados I was quite amused the other night while on Vuzu [Channel 123 on DSTV] to hear a type of voice I found recognisable: GLaDOS from Portal. It wasn’t exactly the same, and it lacked the usual dark humour, but the way it sounded was more or less the same.
Have a listen. Then listen to GlaDOS.
I mean, I can’t really think why they would do this other than trying to be funny or creative. There are gaming shows on the channel, like PlayR, The Verge, and more recently, the new additions like The Ginx Files and GameFace, originally British shows, presented by Julia Hardy.
But the strange GLaDOS-sounding voice was talking more about entertainment this time.
Maybe Portal had more of an influence than I thought. Maybe I’m just paranoid. Yes, probably.
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Hydrophobia Coming to PC and PS3 in Addition to Xbox 360

Hydrophobia Hydrophobia was once thought no too long ago to be an XBLA exclusive title. But Dark Energy Digital, the developers, confirmed recently that the game will also appear on PS3 and PC sometime, after the Xbox 360 “exclusivity” wears off.

Both retail and digital distribution versions of the game are planned for Xbox 360, while the PS3 will only get it via PSN.

Pete Jones of Dark Energy Digital:

“Hydrophobia is of a production quality that only the best at retail can match and yes it is of a comparable gameplay length to an AAA retail game."

"We produced the engine principally because it conveys a massive productivity benefit - basically it allows a small team like ourselves to produce a big budget game."But it had a spin off effect of producing a game to an impossibly small file size. Impossibly small meaning under 1GB."My bizarre analogy for this is Viagra. It was developed as a heart drug but had an interesting side effect."

"Size matters. Not sure that the industry has quite grasped this one yet. All of a sudden everyone talks about downloading games. But this bright digital future has a big elephant sitting in their virtual room. Until developers produce games with IW or its equivalent it will remain a dream."

I’ve seen the trailer for Hydrophobia not too long ago on The Verge, and the latest NAG cover DVD, which came out on Thursday the 29th, also had it on there. It looks like a cross between Dead Space and BioShock. It’s a third person game set on some vessel that’s flooded with water – hence the name hydrophobia: the irrational fear of water.

Interesting fact: hydrophobia is a symptom of rabies.

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Source: Hydrophobia release and platforms clarified [IncGamers]


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DSTV Competitor, Top TV, Starts Today

Worker’s Day [Labour Day]

Today marks the day that MultiChoice and DStv finally gets a competitor, in TopTV.
On Digital Media, which launched TopTV, a new pay-TV station, offers decoders, hardware installation, and channel bouquets at cheaper prices than MultiChoice [which some refer to as “MonoChoice” - until today anyway].

And of all people, Al Gore’s production company, Current TV, will supply content for TopTV.
“Competition forces organisations to re-think their business models. This is what makes the launch of TopTV so important for South Africa.”
I’ve read that TopTV is going to offer channels like Kerrang!, Discover Science, and Fox Movies – which DStv doesn’t, as far as I know, seeing as I have DStv.

MultiChoice has reacted to all this by dropping some of their bouquet prices as well – as low as R20 for the most basic setup. MultiChoice has denied that its doing this because of the TopTV threat, instead offering an explanation: it’s because of the 2010 World Cup, which starts in about forty days.

Jackie Rakitla, general manager at MultiChoice said:
“The improvement of our DStv offering is ongoing  and we always look for opportunities to improve our services. We want to give our subscribers more value and choice We would like to contribute to the experience [of the World Cup] by providing access to great sporting entertainment.”
Nice save.
Competition is good – don’t you think?

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Source: War erupts over pay-TV [Weekend Argus]
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