Ready to Skate in Your Living Room – Tony Hawk: Ride Hopes So

By Joe Haygood | November 17, 2009

Well, in case you have been living under a rock, you may have heard of a new game called Tony Hawk: Ride. Not content with just having you controller a skater via a controller, Activision has upped the ante with a new skateboard peripheral. Full of sensors and gyroscopes, the new Skateboard controller allows you to interact with Tony Hawk: Ride in all new ways.

I think that all the analysts and game companies are going to be watching this release to see how it does, kind of as a barometer for the future of plastic peripheral based games. So far, we have watched as DJ Hero has debuted to less than stellar sales, and Tony Hawk: Ride could be the nail in the proverbial coffin if it does not sell extremely well. Word of advice to Tony Hawk – find out how to buy out your contract and hit up the guys working on the skate. franchise at EA. It is what your games use to be oh so long ago.

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Night Elf Mohawk Grenades Anyone?

By Joe Haygood | November 16, 2009

The Night Elf Mohawk is back, and this time he is bringing in ranged support to help his cause. Yes, World of Warcraft has brought back Mr. T to promote the hugely popular MMORPG title, and he has a new weapon. The Night Elf Mohawk Grenade apparently rains good looks upon the world, according to Mr. T. Of course, that is only if you think everyone looks great with a Mohawk.

There is a downside to this commercial. Where is the “Shut up fool!” or “Sucka” quotes that regularly follow Mr. T. I feel a petition is in order to have Blizzard add these comments into the trailer pronto.

Activision Thinks that Consistent DLC for “Hero” Brands a 2010 Trend

By Joe Haygood | November 14, 2009

Sometimes I have to wonder if Activision management is firing on all cylinders when it comes to the statements that they make. I mean we have Bobby Kotick talking about how he decided to take all the fun out of making games, and instead focus on the bottom line. He also has made jokes about wanting to charge more than the market rate for games, making mention of the fact that he could sell Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for $80 or $90. Now we have Dan Rosensweig, the brand manager for the “Hero” brands over at Activision making more incredulous statements.

When asked about the viability of sequels for their “Hero” brands next year, the response was rather awe-inducing. Dan Rosensweig stated:

“We’re working on our 2010 slate now. You will probably see fewer SKUs from us, but the focus on making the best-selling, most fun to play, best-reviewed games will continue. Those are the things that are constant. [There will be] more DJ Hero, and the next iterations of Guitar and Band are on the way. But we will see how the market plays out. What you will see is the games will live longer and be more vibrant through DLC.”

Okay, so apparently, next year is the year when DLC for music games finally becomes an important battleground. Did I miss something here? Isn’t that what Harmonix has been preaching about for some time now? The idea that you do not need to have a new release for your game every year. Instead, just load up on DLC content for the game, buying what you want to be included in the game. I am just amazed by the idiocity of the people that run the brands at Activision. No, I do no think Dan Rosensweig would ever want to admit that his chief competitor is better, but sometimes, you need to acknowledge those that have created something in your field that works. Borrow from it and innovate, but it is really stupid to completely ignore the fact that someone has outplayed your brand in the downloadable marketplace.

What do you think about the current “Hero” brand games. Do you need more disc based releases, or should Activision take a page from Harmonix and work on ramping up their DLC offerings? Make your comments known below.

Activision and Call of Duty Do Something Right for a Change

By Joe Haygood | November 10, 2009

codmw2pcbox I have been an avid critic of the things that Infinity Ward and Activision have done with the latest release of Call of Duty, to the point that I am actively boycotting the purchase of the title. But now, I have to get behind at least one initiative with the Call of Duty brand that Activision is getting behind, and that is helping unemployed veterans of the conflicts in Afganistan and Iraq.

Starting today, Activision is funding an endowment that will help soldiers that have been disabled or found themselves out of work when they come back from both of the conflicts in Afganistan and Iraq. The endowment will be funded by Activision, and a website has been set up to give gamers and non-gamers some facts on what soldiers face when they come back to find their lives changed, either by injury or by a loss of work.

If you have a chance, check out www.callofdutyendowment.org, and if possible, make a donation. Soldiers that have lost so much protecting our country can use all the help they can get. Check out more info from the press release after the jump.

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Run, Don’t Walk, DJ Hero is on Store Shelves

By Joe Haygood | October 27, 2009

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Hold on to your record collection folks, because Activision has released DJ Hero to retail today. DJ Hero allows players to feel like a mash-up technician as you play through 93 unique mixes created specifically for DJ Hero.

DJ Hero can be found in two different flavors – either the standard package that comes with the DJ Hero game and turntable controller, or the Renegade edition, which comes with the game, a special colored controller, a transport case, stand and a 2-disc soundtrack containing special tracks from Jay-Z and Eminem.

You can pick up the standard bundle for $120, while the Renegade edition will set you back 200 bones. DJ Hero is available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 2.

Activision Reveals Track List for Renegade CD Set in DJ Hero Special Edition

By Joe Haygood | October 14, 2009

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Activision sent out the track list for the Renegade 2-disc CD set that you will get if you preorder the DJ Hero Renegade edition of the game, and it is a solid looking track list. Also, it looks like an unreleased Eminem track, “Taking My Ball” will be on the collection, and will debut on SiriusXM radio station Shade45 on October 16th, 2009 at 6:00PM.

If you would like to see the full track list for the pack in CD collection, check the jump below.

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Rocktober 13th Has Arrived: Brutal Legend is in Stores

By Joe Haygood | October 13, 2009

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After a long and arduous journey, Brutal Legend has finally hit retail shelves. Starting at Sierra, getting acquired by Activision, getting dumped by Activision, snapped up by Electronic Arts, a lawsuit that almost killed the game, and now into the hands of gamers. I am sure that somewhere, Tim Shafer is saying, “Let’s not do that again”.

Brutal Legend stars Jack Black as lifetime roadie, Eddie Riggs. Upon his apparent death by way of set crushing, his blood unlockes a hidden world trapped in his belt buckle where everything is made from those metal ablum covers we remember from the 80’s. Full of combat, light RTS elements, a multiplayer component and a kick ass soundtrack, Brutal Legend should have legs to be a solid hit this holiday season.

Brutal Legend is coming to both the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Project Natal Gets Lots of Developer Support

By Joe Haygood | September 24, 2009

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After having its coming out party at E3 2009, Project Natal will now have a compliment of developers working on software for its feature set. Microsoft touted a list of developers, including Konami, SquareEnix, Electronic Arts, Activision, MTV Games and more as having signed on to provide games for the Project Natal experience. The list of developers equals 70% of the third party developers that released games for the 360 (their numbers, not ours).

There was no word on whether these would be new franchises or existing ones, and if existing, would they only allow Project Natal control schemes. At least it is good to know that there will be something there when Project Natal does finallyhit retail shelves. Whether it will be good or not is a totally different story.

Activision Moves Blur to 2010

By Joe Haygood | September 21, 2009

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Activision released, what appears to be a financial guidance letter regarding Blur to investors, announcing that the title will be moving to the 2010 release schedule. They did not give a specific timeframe for the release, only using the 2010 year for guidance.

Now, I am not an Activision insider, but I do know that word around the blogosphere is that Blur was less than enthusiastcally received by the press. Many complained about the look of the game, the racing feel and other major issues with the title, and when you already look at the three titles that should be out by the end of 2009, Need for Speed Shift, Forza 3 and Gran Turismo 5, this might be a wise decision. Maybe the extra development time will lead to an interesting game.

I can say from my own experiences from seeing a bit of the game at E3, that the delay can only help that title. Activision paid a lot to bring Bizarre Creations into the fold, and to get a poor first title from them would be a big hit. We will have more info on an exact release date when the info becomes available from Activision.

Limited Edition 250GB Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 Announced

By Joe Haygood | September 15, 2009

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It looks like the rumors were almost completely true about a 250GB Xbox 360. Yes, the unit is coming, but it is not a full blown production model. Major Nelson posted up a couple of pictures of the Call of Duty Modern Warfare Limited Edition Xbox 360. The unit, priced at $399.99, will include an Xbox 360 with a 250GB drive, a custom Call of Duty Modern Warfare design, two wireless controllers and a copy of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.

Looking at the contents of the console, this is a really good deal. You are getting a $60 hotly desired game, a second $50 controller, and twice the hard drive space of the Xbox 360 Elite, considering the pricetag of a 120GB hard drive (since you would need a second hard drive to get the same comparable space).

Check the jump for a straight on picture of the console. Also, let us know if you might be picking one of these up.

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Ready to Skate in Your Living Room – Tony Hawk: Ride Hopes So

Night Elf Mohawk Grenades Anyone?

Activision Thinks that Consistent DLC for “Hero” Brands a 2010 Trend

Activision and Call of Duty Do Something Right for a Change

Run, Don’t Walk, DJ Hero is on Store Shelves

Activision Reveals Track List for Renegade CD Set in DJ Hero Special Edition

Rocktober 13th Has Arrived: Brutal Legend is in Stores

Project Natal Gets Lots of Developer Support

Activision Moves Blur to 2010

Limited Edition 250GB Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 Announced