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Games for Windows Live Gets A Standalone Client
By Joe Haygood | December 4, 2008
After a lot of talk by Microsoft, a Games for Windows Live standalone client has been released. The client is available for download here. While this was big news for me initially, it ended up being a downer as you find out that there is almost no functionality in the client at this time.
There is a marketplace, but there is nothing on there, with the exception of some trailers and a demo for Viva Pinata. Also, items like voice chat, messages or even checking your achievements are not in this release. Yep, you can see my gamerscore in this picture, but you cannot look at the games I am playing, or even try to send another person a message.
All this said, it is a starting point for Microsoft, and it does show a renewed commitment to the Games for Windows Live branding. Now lets hope that we don’t have to wait three months for an updated client.
Mirror’s Edge DLC Announced, PC Date Set
By Joe Haygood | December 4, 2008DICE has announced their DLC plans for their recent release, Mirror’s Edge. Expanding on the time trial concept, Mirror’s Edge will release the Pure Time Trial maps, which takes the city out of the equation and has Faith working through a rather abstract obstacle course of shapes and colors that float in mid-air. It sounds strange, but watching the trailer, the concept is growing on me, and it might find a place on my newly purchased 120GB hard drive for my 360.
Also, DICE finally put the release date for the PC version to bed, and has announced that Mirror’s Edge will drop on the PC January 13th. Not sure if it will include the Pure Time Trials DLC, but one can only hope.
GTA IV Jacks PC Gamers With Tons of Bugs
By Joe Haygood | December 4, 2008
So Grand Theft Auto IV dropped on Tuesday for the PC, and because I had been on the edge of my seat waiting for this game, I immediately started downloading it as soon as it became available.
Now I sit here two days later trying to play the game. First came the problem of downloading the game. It took over 10 hours to actually get the game downloaded, and that resulted in a FATAL_ERROR every time I tried to load the game. So, being a sadistic PC gamer, I deleted the download and went through the process again, getting into the game, but just having a lot of weird graphical glitches.
I seem to be on the extreme end that is having problems, but can play GTA IV on the PC. It seems that there are a lot of people that cannot even get the game started.
Rockstar that initially stated that the problems were akin to Crysis, in regards to GTA IV being futureproofed against technology yet to come out. Now they have come out and stated that a “minor group” of players are having issues, and that Rockstar is feverously working on a solution to the problem. It might just be me, but maybe feverously testing a game before it is released might help with these problems. The turnaround on GTA IV from when it was announced to released was pretty significant in comparison to other GTA games that have migrated to the PC.
Some would say it is just drama from the PC gamers, but the problems are severe enough that Rockstar is offering refunds on a case by case basis for purchases of GTA IV on Steam. Seems to be more than a case of drama. Lets hope a patch is on the way sooner rather than later.
Blast Factor Gets Trophies Today
By Paul Munn | December 4, 2008
I think Blast Factor is the first PSN game I bought, and I’m pretty sure it was the first game that had online leaderboards. I distinctly remember the handful of minutes I had the top spot against my friends before those without kids and other such afternoon and evening things to keep them from playing fully pwned me. Yes, yes, I could practice again and with today’s upcoming patch giving Trophies to the game and its two expansions I just might be motivated to do so.
If you never picked up Blast Factor now would be a good time considering the bundle of the game plus the two expansions is just $12.99 while the main game is $9.99. The full bundle has 25 Trophies available, and given how hard the game is I take them at their word that the challenges will be tough.
If BluePoint Games can patch Trophies into a game built on probably one of the oldest PS3 firmwares without even letting us know ahead of time, I wonder why there are publishers like, oh I don’t know, let me think, Capcom taking so long to patch them in? Bionic Commando: Rearmed is still waiting for Trophies, kids. And while I know THQ has slid a bit in this economy, could we maybe get a Trophy patch for Saints Row 2, hm? Do we need to have the guys at BluePoint go show both of you guys how to code?
Seen on the PlayStation Blog.
Valve Releases Sales Numbers…For Retail Products
By Joe Haygood | December 3, 2008
Valve, which has been notorious for holding its sales numbers private, has decided to crack the door open ajar to let us look at their retail numbers going back to the original Half Life.
Some of the numbers are surprising, like Garry’s mod selling over 300,000 units, but others like Half Life’s 9 million units is to be expected. Missing from the list right now is newcomer, Left 4 Dead. My assumption would be that the game is realtively new, so they do not have numbers available as of yet.
What the numbers do not show is sales via Steam, and that is the big question that everyone would like to find out.
Valve has long kept Steam numbers close to the vest, and even with these retail numbers, are not giving out any details on how the online download service is doing. Most feel that Steam is very healthy, and putting up very good numbers. Even the sales numbers show a trend of retail products going down in units vs. the rise of the Steam service and its popularity. While Gabe Newell has said that they do not feel the need to release Steam numbers, it would be nice to release them, just to quell the “PC Gaming is dead” crowd.
via Joystiq.com
Former Prince of Persia Voice Actor Injured in Mumbai Attacks
By Joe Haygood | December 3, 2008
Michael Rudder, who voiced the Dark Prince in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, was injured in Mumbai, India, during the recent terrorist attacks.
Rudder was having dinner with a friend, when the terrorists exploded into the dining room of the Oberoi Hotel, and started firing off rounds. Rudder was hit three times, but survived the attack. He was taken to a hospital where surgery was performed to remove the bullets and repair the damage. He was in intensive care for a while, but is now stable and recovering.
Rudder has also provided voices for other games, including Far Cry: Instincts and Jagged Alliance 2.
via cbc.ca
Riddick: Dark Athena Becomes New Game, Original Is Bonus Content
By Joe Haygood | December 3, 2008
After the Activision Blizzard fire sale of 2008, people started to wonder what would happen to some of those titles. One of those titles was The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena, which had been scheduled as a remake of the classic Riddick game, Escape from Butcher’s Bay. Now comes word that the development team had been working on a lot of additional content for the game. So much content that the added content has become the main focus of the game.
So what happens to the original game that was suppose to be updated? Well, the original Escape from Butcher’s Bay will be included with the game, but will be on a separate disc as bonus material, and will have a complete visual upgrade courtesy of the new game engine.
Its funny that we were making fun of Atari, who was a laughing stock of the gaming industry a few months ago, has made some shrewed moves to upgrade their game catalog and image and are really looking to become a new force in the gaming industry.
via Gamecyte
Telltale announces Sam & Max Season Two for Wii (also PC)
By Joe Fourhman | December 2, 2008
How strange that after years of outright neglect, wistful memories, and frustrating will-they-won’t-they rumors, we now stand at two brand new Sam & Max adventures. Earlier this year, keepers of the flame Telltale Games shipped Sam & Max Season One for Wii… answering the desperate fanboy’s mating call of “But it would be PERFECT!”
Now, perhaps to no one’s surprise, Telltale has revealed that Season Two - which finished up on PC in April - will also make it to Wii. This retailer boxed set will arrive next year worldwide, alongside a similar package for PC gamers who like their episodic content boxed and retailed. Telltale’s partner in this release is classic gaming whipping boy Atari.
Telltale is proud to point out that Season Two will contain full voice localization in not only English but French and German, along with Spanish and Italian subtitles. I bet German Max is a hoot.
Source: Telltale Games
Sort-of new Kingdom Hearts on PS2 this week
By Joe Fourhman | December 2, 2008
What’s this? Am I to pick up a brand new PSTWO game so soon after publicly deriding Haygood over his pining for a backwards-compatible PS3? Oh, I am indeed shamefaced.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is shipping this week… and it’s totally a PS2 game. or rather, a semi-old 3D adaptation of a definitely-old Game Boy Advance game. The GBA version came out in 2004, continuing Sora’s story from the first PS2 Kingdom Hearts game. If you’ll recall, KH1 (2002) ended with Sora, Goofy and MY MAN Donald Duck walking off into the sunset. And then Kingdom Hearts II (also on PS2) came out in 2006 with a strange change in cast… and those of us who made the trip to the GBA [kinda] knew why. However, knowing that not everybody tried out GBA Chains of Memories, Square Enix went to the trouble of turning it into a full-fledged 3D PS2 game for the Japanese market… released as part of Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix in 2007.
Now, still smelling blood in the PS2 waters, Square Enix is finally giving the North American market the PS2 version of Chains of Memories. And at a budget price of $30!
The press release (included after the jump) doesn’t say if PS2 Chains continues the intriguing card battling mechanic found in the GBA version. I initially did not like the card battle concept, but after a few hours of building my deck, as the card-floppers say, I really enjoyed it.
Square Enix also took the opportunity to remind everyone about Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, coming soon to DS (again, after the jump). 358/2 Days follows Roxas during his days with Organization XIII, which, quite frankly, is the least interesting part of the entire Kingdom Hearts mythos for me. I’m a Disney guy. A Disney guy with a back-compat PS3.
25 Different Ways To Die In Gears Of War 2
By Levi Thornton | December 1, 2008I didn’t know that the rock worm could kill you! They look so peaceful and kind!
Via Machinima
