Team Fortress 2 'Mann vs. Machine' update rumored

Speculation for new robot-fighting mode with tower defense elements emerges from hidden assets.

The crazed red and blue mercenaries of Team Fortress 2 may soon have more to worry about than the other team of crazed mercenaries. Various hints spanning from 2010 to 2012 (many compiled in one handy location by Reddit users) point to a new mode which will pit the two teams against waves of robots.

The Engineer might not be the only mechanical mastermind in town.

"Mann vs. Machine," the rumored name for the update, was most recently indicated by a suspicious splatter mark appearing this week on the logo of Team Fortress' website. The splatter mark links to an image: a birth certificate which indicates the feuding brothers who founded the opposing RED and BLU teams had a third sibling named Gray, who was "absconded with" soon after birth.

Previous hidden assets on the Team Fortress 2 website and within the game's code have pointed to robotic variants of each of the game's nine distinct classes, which would theoretically compose the rank and file of the Gray team. Reddit users have speculated that references to waves as well as new deployable items for the engineer indicate the mode will have elements of tower defense.

Valve, the game's developer, recently debuted its final "Meet the Team" update for the Pyro class, and unveiled a new cross-promotional Team Fortress 2 map for the upcoming Sleeping Dogs today. Valve also has a history of promoting upcoming titles and features with elaborate alternate reality games.

Source : us[dot]gamespot[dot]com

Team Fortress 2 'Mann vs. Machine' update rumored

Speculation for new robot-fighting mode with tower defense elements emerges from hidden assets.

The crazed red and blue mercenaries of Team Fortress 2 may soon have more to worry about than the other team of crazed mercenaries. Various hints spanning from 2010 to 2012 (many compiled in one handy location by Reddit users) point to a new mode which will pit the two teams against waves of robots.

The Engineer might not be the only mechanical mastermind in town.

"Mann vs. Machine," the rumored name for the update, was most recently indicated by a suspicious splatter mark appearing this week on the logo of Team Fortress' website. The splatter mark links to an image: a birth certificate which indicates the feuding brothers who founded the opposing RED and BLU teams had a third sibling named Gray, who was "absconded with" soon after birth.

Previous hidden assets on the Team Fortress 2 website and within the game's code have pointed to robotic variants of each of the game's nine distinct classes, which would theoretically compose the rank and file of the Gray team. Reddit users have speculated that references to waves as well as new deployable items for the engineer indicate the mode will have elements of tower defense.

Valve, the game's developer, recently debuted its final "Meet the Team" update for the Pyro class, and unveiled a new cross-promotional Team Fortress 2 map for the upcoming Sleeping Dogs today. Valve also has a history of promoting upcoming titles and features with elaborate alternate reality games.

Source : gamespot[dot]com

Southeast Asia to get region-exclusive Tekken Tag Tournament 2 collection

In-game DLC preorder bonuses also available for both standard and Asia prestige version within region.
Early bird Tekken fans are in for a treat as Namco Bandai has announced that it will be taking preorders for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 in Southeast Asia.

Gamers who order early will get the TTT2 Asia prestige edition when the game comes out on September 11 for Xbox 360 and PS3. All copies of this version will contain a 256-page art book, two soundtrack CDs containing the original tracks and remixes, a "Making of TTT2" DVD, and a Tekken wall-sticker signed by producer Katsuhiro Harada.

Southeast Asia is getting a bundle worthy for an iron fist fan.

As a side note, all Southeast Asian fans who preorder the game early (standard or Asian prestige version) will get in-game DLC. These include four playable characters (Angel, Julia Chang, Ancient Ogre, Kunimitsu), a "Snoop Dogg"-themed battle arena, over 150 in-game costumes for each playable character, and an interlocking code so that players can link their TTT2 arcade and console progress together.

The price of this version has yet to be announced. For more information on TTT2, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

Source : gamespot.com

July game sales the lowest in years

NCAA Football tops the charts as the NPD Group reports last month's US retail tally was 20 percent lower than the previous July's, which was already the industry's lowest total since 2006.

The gaming industry's summer swoon was deeper than usual this year, as the NPD Group today reported that total US retail game sales for July only amounted to $548.4 million, a 20 percent slide from July 2011. Making the decline worse is the fact that July 2011 was already the single worst month for the industry since October of 2006.

NCAA Football 13: Valedictorian of gaming's summer school.

Electronic Arts' annualized amateur pigskin sim NCAA Football 13 was the best seller for the month, and was the only new release to make the top 10. Super hero games performed well, with Lego Batman 2 the runner-up and the movie tie-in The Amazing Spider-Man finishing the month in third place. With one exception, the remaining games on the top 10 were all released in 2011. That exception was Call of Duty: Black Ops, Activision's 2010 entry in the first-person shooter series.

Game hardware sales were particularly soft side, down 32 percent to $150.7 million. While there wasn't much to crow about, Microsoft did announce that the Xbox 360 was the best-selling current-generation console for the 19th straight month, selling 203,000 units for July.

Accessories were the lone area of improvement for the industry, up 8 percent to $136.9 million. According to NPD analyst Anita Frazier, that number was bolstered by points and subscription cards, as well as Skylanders action figure packs. The NPD Group believes more than 25 million Skylanders figures have been purchased by customers since the game launched last October.

Frazier also cautioned anyone against expecting a miracle recovery for the industry in the back half of the year. "Based on year to date sales, and taking into account the release slate for the back five months of the year as well as the anticipated launch of the Wii U, annual sales for the new physical channel should come in around $14.5 billion for the year," Frazier said. That would represent a drop of nearly 15 percent from the NPD Group's 2011 US retail sales total of $17.02 billion.

JULY 2012 US GAME SALES
OVERALL DOLLAR SALES
Total consumer spend (rentals, used sales, digital estimates included): $1.1 billion
Total retail sales: $548.4 million (-20%)
Non-PC hardware: $150.7 million (-32%)
Non-PC software: $260.7 million (-23%)
Total software: $278.2 million (-23%)
Accessories: $136.9 million (+8%)
TOP 10 GAMES FOR JULY 2012
Title (Platforms) - Publisher
1. NCAA Football 13 (X360, PS3) - Electronic Arts
2. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (X360, PS3, Wii, Vita, 3DS, DS, PC) - WBIE
3. The Amazing Spider-Man (Wii, X360, PS3, 3DS, DS) - Activision
4. Just Dance 3 (Wii, X360, PS3) - Ubisoft
5. Batman: Arkham City (X360, PS3, PC) - WBIE
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops (X360, PS3, Wii, PC, DS, PC) - Activision
7. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (X360, PS3, PC) - Ubisoft
8. NBA 2K12 (X360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC) - Take-Two
9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (X360, PS3, Wii, PC) - Activision
10. Dead Island (X360, PS3, PC) - Deep Silver



Source : gamespot.com

Witcher 2 mod tools debuting at Gamescom

CD Projekt Red planning to present REDkit at industry event in Germany next week to media; no information about public release.

Gamers eager to design and play their own adventures for Geralt the Witcher will soon be in luck. The developer announced today that it will present its Witcher 2 modding tools--called the REDkit--at Gamescom next week in Cologne, Germany.

What kinds of worlds will gamers create with the REDkit?

Gamescom is open to the public, but CD Projekt Red's REDkit presentation will only be open to members of the press. No mention was made concerning when the REDkit will be made available to the public, but CD Projekt Red said it will share more information next week.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is CD Projekt Red's latest body of work. It released in May 2011 for the PC to a warm critical reception, before later arriving on the Xbox 360. The Polish studio is currently at work on a Cyberpunk role-playing game, as well as a potentially related "mature dark fantasy" game.




Source : gamespot.com

Gamers 'overcharged' for modern DLC, says Witcher dev

CD Projekt Red game director says add-on content should be seen as a free "post-sale service."

CD Projekt Red game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz claims gamers are being "overcharged for what they receive" from modern downloadable content. Speaking to VG247, the Witcher developer said DLC today does not offer as much content as it did in the past.

Most modern DLC is not worth the price, Tomaszkiewicz claims.

"If today's DLCs offered the same amount of content they would be worth paying for, but in most cases players think they are overcharged for what they receive," Tomaszkiewicz said. "That’s why we offer expansions to our game for free. This is also a way of saying 'thank you' to the people who decided to buy our game instead of copying it from an unauthorized source."

Elsewhere in the interview, Tomaszkiewicz explained that CD Projekt Red has "always believed in free DLC" and that DLC should be seen as a "normal post-sale service that shouldn't be priced."

"Back when retail games were dominant, we had expansion packs," he continued. "These were really large chunks of content, which were worth their price."

Tomaszkiewicz's comments follow a statement from CD Projekt Red cofounder and joint CEO Marcin Iwinski, who said last month that the current industry trend is to "over-exploit" gamers. He suggested publishers will lose business if they continue to charge for DLC, and can actually stand to benefit from offering such add-ons for free.




Source : gamespot.com

Amalur assets now belong to Rhode Island

Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. and Bank of New York Mellon Trust. Co. win court approval to secure 38 Studios' assets.

The Kingdoms of Amalur now belong to the state of Rhode Island. Bloomberg reports that the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company have won a court approval to take hold of 38 Studios' assets. The developer, founded by former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, publicly crumbled earlier this year, and is now bankrupt.

Amalur now belongs to Rhode Island.

The motion was granted by United States Bankruptcy Judge Mary Walrath at a hearing in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday. Rhode Island and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company will now attempt to sell 38 Studios' assets, which include intellectual property rights, to make back some of the controversial $75 million loan that brought 38 Studios to Rhode Island.

In May, industry analyst Michael Pachter estimated the worth of the Amalur intellectual property at $20 million, saying "nobody is buying MMOs after [Star Wars: The Old Republic fizzled]."

38 Studios shipped console and PC role-playing game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning in February 2012 to a warm critical reception and sales of 1.2 million in its first 90 days. The company's Amalur MMO--codenamed Project Copernicus--was reportedly being readied for release in June 2013.

According to the report, Rhode Island and the bank said they needed to take hold of 38 Studios' assets because if someone at the studio was granted permission to ditch computer equipment "all or substantially all of the intellectual property could be irretrievably lost."

Source : gamespot.com

AC3 for PS3 to get 60 minutes of exclusive content?

UK Amazon box art reveals the PS3 version of upcoming Ubisoft sequel will seemingly include "60 minutes of exclusive gameplay".

It appears that the PlayStation 3 version of Ubisoft's upcoming Assassin's Creed III will be released with an hour of exclusive gameplay.

A UK Amazon listing for the game reveals the PS3 box art, which is shown to display a "PS3 Exclusive Addition" sticker boasting "60 minutes of exclusive gameplay".

Ubisoft reportedly told Joystiq that this exclusive gameplay is the same content that was announced during Sony's Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference this year (when it was revealed an Assassin's Creed III PS3 bundle will be launching on October 30 with a console, game and DLC).

Ubisoft and Sony teamed up for similar exclusives with the release of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood in 2010, including a PS3-exclusive beta-testing phase and a batch of post-release DLC.

According to reports last month, it appears that Ubisoft is planning episodic add-on content for Assassin's Creed III, and may be offering a Season Pass for the game.

Set during the American Revolution, Assassin's Creed III features a new protagonist named Connor who will involve himself in the ongoing struggle between the Templars and the Assassins. The game is being built by Ubisoft Montreal and six collaborating studios on a new engine called Ubisoft-AnvilNext.

Assassin's Creed III will enjoy Ubisoft's biggest marketing campaign in company history, and is slated to arrive on October 30.
For more on Assassin's Creed III, check out GameSpot's latest preview.




Source : gamespot.com

Madden needs more innovation - EA Sports exec

Andrew Wilson says long-standing football franchise will have more significant gameplay changes in next iteration.

The Madden franchise may not be known for significant core changes in its every iteration, but Electronic Arts hopes its investment in Madden NFL 13 will buck that trend. EA Sports executive Andrew Wilson said in an interview with GamesIndustry International that the series has fallen short when it comes to fresh thinking.

Physics: Bringing you new ways to fall down since the dawn of time.

"I do believe that Madden did not have the level of innovation that some of our other franchises have had," Wilson said. "I think [Madden games] were still doing great things, they were great playing games and they were significantly more than roster updates." He said the team behind the core gameplay in this year's edition was 50 percent larger than last year, and the budget was the largest ever in the series' 20-year history. The game's new Infinity engine, which allows procedurally generated animations to affect the outcome of plays, is chief among the in-game alterations, as well as Kinect voice support before and during plays. Peripheral elements such as connected-careers mode and online seasons have also received attention.

EA's earnings report released last week revealed that preorder figures for Madden NFL 13 are up 25 percent from last year's edition, but Wilson said the franchise still needs to stay on its toes. "We recognize a need to fundamentally innovate in Madden. We have a brand new leadership team: Cam Weber, Roy Harvey and these guys. Roy Harvey did a fantastic job with NCAA; he made it the best football game on the market at the time. I think he did it this year with Madden."


Source : us.gamespot.com

Firemonkeys announces Real Racing 3

Newly-formed EA mobile studio to create sequel of popular iPhone, iPad title; Real Racing 3 to include new licensed tracks and manufacturers.

EA announced today that its newly-formed Australian mobile studio Firemonkeys (the product of a merger between Firemint and IronMonkey) is working on a sequel to Firemint's popular iOS titles Real Racing and Real Racing 2.

Real Racing 2 is getting a sequel.

Real Racing 3 will be released later this year and will incorporate a number of new features, including a 22-car grid, all-new licensed tracks, and cars from manufacturers including Porsche, Dodge, and Audi.

For the first time in the series, the game will also include a full line-up of real-world tracks, including Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Silverstone.

The rebranded Firemonkeys studio will be based in EA's Melbourne, Australia, office and will work on new intellectual property, in addition to Firemint's and IronMonkey's current products. These include Flight Control, Real Racing, and SPY Mouse (Firemint), along with Mass Effect Infiltrator, Dead Space for mobile, and The Sims FreePlay (IronMonkey).

For more on the Real Racing series, check out GameSpot's review of Real Racing.


Source : gamespot.com

Two top BioShock Infinite devs leave

Director of product development Tim Gerritsen and art director Nate Wells no longer employed at Irrational Games; original BioShock art director Scott Sinclair taking over for Wells.

The BioShock Infinite team at Irrational Games has lost two top developers. Director of product development Tim Gerritsen and 13-year studio veteran and former art director Nate Wells have left the company, according to updated LinkedIn profile pages reported on by Gamasutra.

The BioShock Infinite team has lost two top developers.

According to Gerritsen's LinkedIn page, he left the Boston area studio this month. Gerritsen was part of the senior management team at Irrational, overseeing the product development division of the company. As for Wells, his LinkedIn page also confirms his departure from the studio this month. He also reportedly updated his Twitter profile to say "New Job…Details to follow," although it no longer includes that note.

Following the publication of this story, Irrational creative director Ken Levine revealed over Twitter that original BioShock art director Scott Sinclair will fill Wells' role.

"Scott Sinclair, art director of [the original BioShock], back in the art director's chair for Infinite to bring it home. Can't wait to show you what's cooking," Levine wrote.

BioShock Infinite was announced in 2010 and was originally scheduled to launch this coming October. The game was delayed in the run up to the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo--at which it was not present--to February 2013. Explaining why BioShock Infinite would skip E3, as well as this month's Gamescom, Levine said preparing for the shows would come at the cost of development time.

"That way, the next time you see our game, it will be essentially the product we intend to put in the box," he explained at the time. "Preparing for these events takes time away from development."

When BioShock Infinite does ship, it will do so with great sales expectations. In August 2011, one analyst suggested the game would be a significant financial boon for Take-Two, saying it could ship 4.9 million copies.

BioShock: Infinite is set in a chaos-plagued airborne metropolis called Columbia. Gamers assume the role of Booker DeWitt, a former member of the feared Pinkerton National Detective Agency, which was the nation's largest security company in the late 19th century.

For more on BioShock Infinite, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.




Source : gamespot.com

Activision prepping Angry Birds HD for consoles

E3 2012: Publisher has reportedly embedded a sneak peek of its plans to bring popular iOS title to consoles in HD; Activision community representative confirm details.

LOS ANGELES--Activision is prepping popular iOS title Angry Birds HD for consoles.

Angry Birds HD coming to consoles courtesy of Activision.

Speaking to The Escapist, an Activision representative reportedly confirmed the move after the publication noticed a glimpse of the game on one of Activision's sizzle reels at the publisher's E3 2012 booth.
"We'll have some news for you in about two weeks," Activision told The Escapist. "Wait until you see Angry Birds on consoles in HD."

Later, Activision community spokesperson Dan Amrich also confirmed the news via his community blog, saying, "Activision is doing some form of Angry Birds on consoles. It's the teasiest of the teases, but it is official."

In May this year, Angry Birds developer Rovio Mobile today announced that games in the bird-flinging, pig-destroying portable strategy game franchise have been downloaded more than 1 billion times.

The developer also announced it is working on a new game titled Amazing Alex to be released later this year.


Source : gamespot.com

Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #2 Review

It’s been said that Alien was brilliant because of its nuance. You didn’t even see the alien for much of the movie. If the first movie was a creepy, dark room terrorizing the viewer with suspense, though, the second was a roller coaster grabbing the audience by the throat and never letting go. I assume that writer Cullen Bunn’s intent was to exploit a similar dynamic with his second installment of his new Deadpool miniseries, but the results are catastrophic. Really catastrophic.

Where Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #1 had strong character moments that evoked revulsion and horror from its readers, issue #2 slips into a hemoglobin-tinged blur of anti-climactic executions. Look, we all know what’s going to happen. It’s in the title. The allure for this series is in the emotional pain driving Deadpool to destroy everyone and everything around and the crippling agony of those who are forced to watch their friends and heroes senselessly being culled. Instead of offering a rich tapestry of emotions, Bunn eradicates emotion from his script entirely, leaving the story as hollow and numb as Albert Camus’s protagonist, Meursault.

The worst part of the characterizations is that you don’t have anyone to care about. I was expecting more justification for Deadpool’s actions, but it seems that last week’s initiating events are all that we’ll have to go on. Deadpool’s soliloquies offer nothing more, and supporting characters are good for nothing more than katana fodder.

Even as a portrayal of an awesome killing machine in the vein of the Terminator villains, the book fails. The conflicts are very one-sided, and they’re so abbreviated that it’s hard to invest in them before they’re over. The actual deeds are occasionally clever but never impressive enough to justify the issue’s existence. Also, there are just so many killings that it’s hard to feel like any of them are terribly important. It’s like running down a list of names rather than portraying the loss of individuals that we’ve loved for so long.

Dalibor Talajic’s work isn’t particularly praiseworthy in this issue either. The entire sequence with Spider-Man looks as though both he and Deadpool have the ability to fly (the irony of that situation should hit you by the end of the sequence), and Talajic's characters’ gestures throughout the book are often irritatingly melodramatic. Many of the shots in this issue look overly posed as well, especially when compared to the moments that highlighted issue #1.

The one thing that I did enjoy was Bunn’s meta-commentary on the usage of Deadpool as a comic book character in his recent Marvel appearances. He’s been turned into a parody of himself (which is strange because he was a parody to begin with), and the character is enraged by it. Bunn’s jabs at comics’ big publisher editorial offices are so cutting that I’m stunned that it was allowed to reach the printed page. The problem is, we don’t need a four-issue miniseries to get that point across. Perhaps Bunn will tackle senselessly drawing out events and introducing must-have minis for the purpose of milking as much money as possible from their readerships in the next issue.

Maybe it’s just that I don’t particularly identify with existentialism, but this issue is a huge disappointment. It’s entirely bereft of emotion – the one thing capable of driving this series to success. If you know that Spider-Man and the Avengers are in this issue, I’m pretty sure you can imagine a story of equivalent plotting and comparable quality for yourself without too much effort at all. The future for this series is ominous as it reaches its midpoint, with an underwhelming introduction capping off a general expungement of the series’ emotion.

Source : feeds.ign.com

The Creep #0 Review

I’m a sucker for detective stories, and The Creep #0 has just about everything I love about them: an engaging mystery, a lead with a troubled past (and in this case, current affliction), a suspicious supporting cast, and pitch-perfect narration that never feels the need to over-explain things. Writer John Arcudi and artist Jonathan Case are confident in the abilities of their readers, and this issue shines because of it.

The Creep is about a private detective named Oxel who suffers from a disease called acromegaly, which causes him physical deformities as he ages. An old flame from his college days, Stephanie, seeks his help after her son commits suicide, but she hasn’t seen Oxel since he was young and handsome. While the death of the boy is this book’s primary narrative, Arcudi masterfully weaves in the troubled relationships of Oxel and Stephanie underneath the mystery. At this point, this could be indicative of their connection having something to do with the case at hand or it could just be an added bonus to make us care about these characters. But in terms of just issue #0, it makes the read fleshed out and engaging.

The only thing that struck me as odd is the case of Oxel’s acromegaly; it seems rather arbitrary at this point. Though it does offer up some really nice word/imagery juxtaposition in a beautifully crafted scene aboard a train, it remains to be seen what purpose it serves the story, if any. That said, even if the disease is merely an additional character trait, the character moments it provides the deeply lonely Oxel is much appreciated.

Jonathan Case’s artwork impresses, not just in storytelling ability but also in diversity. The Creep #0 has two distinct styles, one of which is a gritty and straightforward approach supplemented by a cold color palette. The other is a more painterly approach with warmer colors and thin, sketchy lines. Case employs the latter style when appropriate, usually during flashbacks or hallucinations, though its usage in one particular instance is what really sold Oxel’s character to me. When Oxel finally calls Stephanie, speaking to her for the first time in over two decades, Case cuts between Oxel on the phone and Stephanie at home, with Stephanie’s two brief panels being rendered in the aforementioned warmer style.

The fact that this style had previously only been used in an “imaginary” capacity indicates how Oxel still views this woman – a warm reflection of his old, and presumably better, life. It’s a heartbreaking moment that is completely visual and happens during a scene when the tragedy should really be about Stephanie’s son’s death, not Oxel’s loneliness, and thus creates an unexpectedly complex moment for the reader.
And that’s what I really enjoyed about this debut issue. There’s so much weight to Arcudi’s words and Case’s visuals, but they do so in a way that keeps the mystery at the forefront and everything else sitting subtly in the background. The Creep #0 requires a bit of careful, thoughtful reading in order to fully appreciate everything that’s being done, but I promise that the effort is worthwhile.

Source : feeds.ign.com

Super Paper Mario: One and Done

Paper Mario's getting ripped in half. It hasn't happened yet – it won't be final until Paper Mario: Sticker Star ships to stores later this year – but when that sequel does arrive it will, in a sense, split its own series in two. We'll have the Paper Mario RPGs on one side, including the 2001 original game, the 2004 GameCube sequel The Thousand-Year Door and Sticker Star itself. But then we'll also have the Paper Mario action game. The one Paper Mario action game, 2007's Super Paper Mario, sitting alone by itself. Separated. Torn away from the rest of its own franchise.

The reason is that Super Paper Mario dared to do something different. Its two immediate predecessors both fit fairly well into the traditional role-playing genre – story-driven adventures with turn-based battle sequences. Super Paper Mario kicked that style of battling aside to focus on more immediate action – its gameplay was more in line with older Mario games, where hopping on a Goomba's heads simply defeated it on the spot instead of triggering a cut-away transition to a separate combat screen. Super Paper Mario was faster and more fluid as a result, and while it still had RPG elements in its design – including an incredibly detailed and text-heavy storyline – it was hard to classify it alongside the previous Paper adventures as a "real" role-playing game.

Opinions were split when Super Paper Mario shipped for the Wii five years ago, as some fans appreciated the gameplay shift while others bemoaned the removal of turn-based battling. It wasn't until recently, though, that we found out what that extra action emphasis would mean for the franchise going forward. As it turns out, nothing much.



Paper Mario: Sticker Star is set to ignore the tangent that Super Paper Mario took with its design and instead offer us another more traditional RPG experience. There's a slight thematic shift to having battles controlled by using collectible stickers, but underneath it's turn-based, rhythm-rewarding combat the same as we first saw in the 2001 series debut. And since we now know that the new Paper Mario is going back to its roots, we also know something else too.

That Super Paper Mario was a one-and-done.

Nintendo has done this a few times over the years. You can go back as far as the NES era to find examples like Super Mario Bros. 2 and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, or you can look to more modern titles like Mario Kart: Double Dash!! All of them were one-and-dones in the sense that they were all sequels in established, on-going series. Each dared to do something different, and then each series went back to doing things the "normal" way immediately afterward. Multiple selectable characters in a Mario side-scroller, each with unique abilities? A separation of Hyrule into birds-eye exploration and 2D side-scrolling action? Two characters riding around on each go-kart together? All of these were intriguing gameplay changes over what came before, but none of them were ever used again.

Super Paper Mario seems like it'll be next in joining Nintendo's one-and-done collection, which is a shame. To me, Super Paper Mario wasn't just a Paper Mario game that did battles differently, but rather a brilliantly individual concept in world exploration. The game's big hook – beyond its visual style and streamlined combat – was the fact that it let you flip its worlds.

Mario started off in 2D, as usual, looking all flat and flimsy in his Papery form. But very early into the adventure you gained the power to rotate the camera 90 degrees, instantly transforming flat, 2D scenery seen from "the side" into full 3D environments viewed from "behind." Nintendo's designers had a ton of fun playing around with the different perspectives, as many of the game's puzzles dealt with interacting with things from both angles – you'd come to an impassable pit in the 2D space, flip the scenery and find that a hill in the background was actually a curved bridge you could walk across. You'd encounter blocks to hit in one perspective that would spin around and settle into the other, making new platforms for Mario to hop across. It was fresh. It was fun.

And now we'll probably never see it again. The Paper Mario series had two directions it could have continued in – it could have continued on from Super Paper Mario, using its design as the new "normal" in a series evolving over time. Or it could go back to traditional turn-based battling, settling back into the older template. Nintendo chose the latter, and because of that choice, it seems like the innovations Super Paper Mario introduced in environment exploration will be getting the axe as well.

Now, that's a lot of doom and gloom for Super Paper Mario fans – those of us who truly appreciated the new direction Nintendo chose five years ago and liked where things looked to be heading for this series. But even now that the franchise has doubled back, I'm still hopeful for the future. Here's why.



First, we don't yet know everything there is to know about Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Its battles are going back to turn-based, sure, but Nintendo has been especially quiet about the adventure beyond that – not even presenting a playable demo at E3 this year. So it's entirely possible that the inventive, perspective-flipping gameplay of Super Paper Mario could still live on in the series in some form during Sticker Star's environment exploration sequences (even if there aren't any helpful Pixls around.)

Next, it's by no means a terrible fate for a Nintendo game to go down in history as a one-and-done. The Big N's designers are so endlessly creative that there's no way each unique idea to come along even gets the chance to be used in a game – so these solo-outing mechanics and concepts are already better off than the thousands of other ideas sitting on the cutting room floor. I'd love a world in which we got a second take on Double Dash's driving duos or Zelda II's split viewpoint, to see what more could have been done with those ideas. But maybe it's those games' uniqueness, years later, that's helping me remember them so fondly to begin with.

Last and best of all for Super Paper Mario is the fact that the game itself has held up beautifully over the past five years. It was a late-generation GameCube project when it first went into development that finally shipped for Wii after being ported over and overhauled to take advantage of the Wii's controller. But now, just months away from the arrival of the next hardware generation, it's still just as fun and worthy of your time as it was in 2007. Better yet, it's become a part of the Nintendo Selects line of budget-priced games in the meanwhile, so if you missed it the first time around or got into Wii ownership a little later, you can grab a fresh copy in stores right now for just 20 bucks.

And I advise you to do just that. Because Super Paper Mario, while it may never inspire its own direct sequel in the future, is a brilliant game, even just as a one-and-done.

Source : feeds.ign.com

Daredevil Annual #1 Reivew

If you are fan of Mark Waid's current run on Daredevil, you don't need to buy this book. It doesn't tie in at all. This is not to say that it's a bad comic book; it's a fun little tale about a single night of Daredevil patrolling the city. But considering how great Daredevil has been, it's a definite step down in quality.

Alan Davis writes and draws this issue, which right away should tell you that it's a beautifully drawn comic book. Davis is a true master in the realm of comic art and he shines here. Daredevil looks awesome and graceful. The panels where he swings across the city are a true site to behold. Since this is an annual, it comes with a higher page count and price tag. For me, extra pages of Alan Davis artwork is worth the extra dollar, but not everyone will feel that way. Especially when you consider the fact that the story is just sort of mediocre.

In this issue, Daredevil crosses paths with the ClanDestine. It's less than compelling and not the kind of story that deserves to be stretched out with an extra long annual issue. Again, it's not bad and certainly does entertain, but once it's over you'll close the book and forget all about it. There is nothing lasting within this issue. It's a bummer, because Daredevil is a character that has been on my mind ever since Waid's relaunch.

Source : feeds.ign.com

Mass Effect 3: Operation Olympus Coming this Weekend

BioWare has announced Operation Olympus, the newest Mass Effect 3 multiplayer event. Beginning Friday, August 10th and running until August 12th, Operation Olympus focuses on “increased Reaper activity reported around London” and involves large-scale strikes against the Reapers intended “to buy the Resistance time to investigate.” Mass Effect 3’s free Earth downloadable content is required to participate.

The Squad Goal of Olympus is full extraction from Firebase London using any kit on any difficulty. The Allied Goal is completing wave 10 on any map using any kit against any enemy for a combined community total of 200,000 Bronze missions, 175,000 Silver missions and 70,000 Gold missions. If the Squad Goal is met, all squad members will receive a Commendation pack, while success in the Allied Goal will get all players a Victory Pack.

Mass Effect 3 will receive its next single-player downloadable content later this summer with the release of Leviathan. The game is also set to be a launch title for Wii U.

Source : feeds.ign.com

Android-Powered Nikon Coolpix S800 On the Way with Google Play Store

Like it or not, "smart" point-and-shoot cameras which use Google's Android operating system are on the way, and the first one may land later this month.



A filing with the Indonesian Communication Agency (that would be Indonesia's version of the FCC) has outed an application for the Nikon Coolpix S800c digital camera, which is believed to be the company's first foray into Android territory.



According to Nikon Rumors, the S800 will run Android 2.3 and, get this: It will come with Google's Play Store, which means the camera will be capable of running just about any Android app you want to install.
To accomplish this task, Nikon is empowering the S800 with Wi-Fi as well as built-in GPS for geolocation, and the Coolpix shooter will reportedly come with a 25-250mm lens and 3.5-inch OLED screen.

The best news for Nikon fans is that the S800 could arrive as early as August 22, which is a mere two weeks away now.

Nikon is certainly not alone in wanting to bring Android onto point-and-shoot cameras, with rivals Panasonic and Samsung also expressing interest in such an animal. Back in February, Samsung even trademarked the term "Galaxy Camera" -- and we can only think of one thing that might be intended for.

Source: Slash Gear

Ben Affleck May Direct, Co-Star in JLA Movie

Oscar winner Ben Affleck has reportedly been approached by Warner Bros. about directing their long-gestating Justice League of America movie and might even play a role in it.

According to Variety, "Affleck is the only candidate who’s been sent Will Beall’s Justice League script, which the Gangster Squad scribe was hired to write last summer. ... Affleck has made it clear that he’s only interested in directing films in which he also stars — The Town and Argo are proof of that — so its likely that if this pairing ever came to fruition, he would don a suit of his own. One possible hesitation on Affleck’s part is that any involvement with Justice League would take him out of circulation as a director for a few years. He could, however, still fit in an acting gig at Warners."

The trade adds that the JLA movie could open summer 2015, which could see it go toe-to-toe against The Avengers 2. Imagine that!



As you know, Ben Affleck is no stranger to superhero fare having starred as Daredevil and playing Superman TV star George Reeves in Hollywoodland. Affleck's name was also bandied about as a Superman contender way back in the day.

What do you think of Affleck possibly directing JLA? And if he does play a role in the film, who should it be?

Source : feeds.ign.com

Batman #12 Review

Batman #12 is the kind of comic that DC should be striving to make 100% of the time. It’s a socially conscious character study that not only gives a glorious (and proper) introduction to Harper Row – the young woman that assisted Batman escape from the sewer in the midst of the Court of Owls story – but also succeeds in bringing Batman back to the streets after spending the last year locking horns with the epitome of a super villain.

Framing this issue from Harper's POV gives us an understanding of her character, but also allows us to see Bruce/Batman from an outsider’s perspective. Harper doesn’t know they’re the same person – though with how clever she is, I’d be shocked if she didn’t figure it out sooner or later – but using her perspective allows the reader to appreciate the full scope of Bruce’s devotion to eliminating crime in Gotham.

What’s even better is that we know that this story takes place during the events of Batman’s hunt for the Court of Owls, and so seeing him tackle a “small” crime in the middle of all the madness only makes him a greater hero. Not only that, but Snyder successfully explores the very nature of crime in the subtext of this story. In the context of Gotham itself, the plight that Harper and her brother are dealing with is indeed a “small” problem, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the most important thing in their own lives, or even in Batman’s. Combine the subtleties of this issue with the fact that you have Batman essentially tackling one of the most important real-world issues – bullying, specifically pertaining to homophobia – and you’ve got one of the best comics of the year, both in terms of characterization and meaningful message.

But the beauty is that this book isn’t preachy about its subject matter, it merely exists as a believable extension of Harper’s character. Despite not knowing much about her going in, Snyder is able to sell us immediately. From page one, we’re devoted to her and her brother with the added fun twists of how their story intertwines with events we’ve already seen. Rest assured, this issue will grip you from cover to cover and you might just have a new favorite Bat-character.

To cap it all off, Becky Cloonan makes her debut on a Batman title with her patented character driven storytelling, giving physical weight to Snyder’s characters with flowing body language and expressive faces. Her lines are smooth and her backgrounds gorgeous; she manages to walk a thin line between keeping her artwork clean while still portraying the grime of Gotham City. In that way, though their styles are quite different, Cloonan’s work fits thematically with what Greg Capullo has been doing on the series to date. And while most of issue #12 is focused on Harper sans Batman, once the Dark Knight does show up, Cloonan handles the action with an equal amount of grace.

The visuals only stumble when artist Andy Clarke takes over in the last few pages – the “back-up” portion of the book, though it’s just an extension of the main story. That’s not to say his art isn’t solid, it’s simply a stark stylistic contrast from Cloonan’s work. Had Clarke’s segment been a separated back-up tale, the transition would’ve been far less jarring.

Though there’s that slight nitpick, Batman #12 is a complete triumph. This is the kind of issue that we get far too few of in superhero comics; the one that reminds us a superhero book can be so much more than just the typical big action we get month-in and month-out. This is a book that exemplifies the true potential of these characters – and Batman hardly shows face.

Source : feeds.ign.com

Animal Crossing 3DS Adds Rooftops, Gardening Store

New details about Animal Crossing 3DS have been revealed by Japanese magazine Famitsu. According to details translated by Nintendo Everything, the new installment adds rooftops as a new area and offers the ability to customize doors, posts and fences. New furniture items have also been added, including a new mermaid-themed set.

Buying items has also changed, and new stores have been introduced including a shoe store run by Lisa the alpaca plus a “miscellaneous goods store.” A new gardening store run by a sloth will offer flower seeds and tree seedlings for sale and the Able sisters will return as the proprietors of the clothing store. Finally, Tom Nook will return, but this time he’ll be running Raccoon Housing. Nook will offer a tent to start, which you’ll be able to gradually build all the way up into a large house, customizing parts to change its appearance.

As previously confirmed, Animal Crossing 3DS has you play as the mayor, and a new shopping mall will be available just beyond the train tracks. The museum will be open 24 hours and offer more fish and fossils, an exhibition room and a museum shop.

Animal Crossing 3DS is known as Animal Crossing: Jump Out in Japan, but a Western title and release date has not yet been announced. We’re expecting more news in the coming months, so keep checking back to IGN for all the Animal Crossing details as they’re revealed.

Source : feeds.ign.com

PlayStation All-Stars: Character Cheat Sheet

The restrictions are lifted and we can finally tell you all about the PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale beta. For weeks now, IGN has been duking it out as the beta's six available characters -- Kratos, PaRappa the Rapper, Fat Princess, Sweet Tooth, Radec and Sly Cooper -- and they've made quite the impression on us. So read on (and check out all the new PlayStation All-Stars videos we've posted) and decide which fighter you'll be taking into All-Star battle.

KRATOS

By far, Kratos is my favorite character in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. And while Colin and Destin might tell you it's because he way overpowered in the beta (and he might be), I think it's because Kratos instantly makes sense as a fighter. Swinging his blades, using Helios' head to blast foes, firing his bow and arrow -- these are things I've done as the character before. Whereas I picked up the controller and wasn’t sure exactly what PaRappa was going to bust out, I expected the God of War combos I got as Kratos. Toss in a Level 3 Super that allows Kratos to grow to gigantic proportions, and Kratos is a combatant that anyone can pick up and get down with.

PARAPPA THE RAPPER

What isn't to love about PaRappa the Rapper? First off, he's got the rad 2D-like art style where he folds like a piece of paper more than he moves. Secondly, he's PaRappa the Rapper. He blocks with his skateboard, he can throw down a boom box for energy, and he has this pinwheel attack that steams across the map like a cracked-out bushwhacker. If there's a downside to the little guy, it's his Level 3 Super. It's an awesome throwback to his game -- complete with rapping and a rapping rating system -- but it clears the screen in one move. That sounds cool, but it limits you to only getting three KOs off that one move. Kratos can get up to six with his Level 3 if the player is fast enough.

FAT PRINCESS

I really want the wonderfully obese Fat Princess to be my favorite character, but alas she falls a little short. She’s more nimble than you may expect, considering her portliness and all, but she seems to lack the oomph in her attacks that some of the other characters in the beta have. She also has a bit of a nebulous Level 3 Super that, like PaRappa the Rapper, makes arduously building her meter just a little less rewarding. With that said, there’s certainly something endearing and charming about Fat Princess, and I’m so happy she’s included in the game. After a strong outing on PSN in its early years, she’s all but disappeared from view (which is strange, ‘cause she’s huge). Hopefully her inclusion means Sony has plans for her in the future… perhaps for PlayStation Vita?

SWEET TOOTH

The thing about Sweet Tooth is how well-balanced he is. He’s strong and packs a lot of power, but he’s also not as slow as you’d think he’d be considering his size. I’m typically more into playing swift characters regardless of the fighting game I’m currently invested in is, but Sweet Tooth, being middling with his speed and more on the powerful side than some of his contemporaries, intrigues me. What disappoints me with Sweet Tooth is the nature of his Level 3 Super. He can do a lot of damage if he’s in a corner and facing the rest of the field, but if you have to turn him around, you’ll need to spend precious time doing so. It makes you wonder how Supers have been vetted by the development team, where someone like Kratos could conceivably kill six characters per Level 3 while everyone else seems to be at a deficit. I hope it’s something that’s addressed in the final game.

COLONEL RADEC

Here's the thing about Radec: I don't like him all that much. Why? He's not my kind of fighter. That means I really respect players who are good with him. Radec stays back and attacks from the distance with his sniper rifle or missile. If you get in close, he's got a flamethrower or he can leap over your head and drop a grenade (a la Samus in Smash Bros.). It takes a special player to be awesome with Radec, but they exist and they are impressive to watch. Plus, the Level 1 Super is a rocket that locks on to foes and the Level 3 jetpack attack is pretty sweet.

SLY COOPER

Everyone’s favorite thieving raccoon (and perhaps the only thieving raccoon in existence) also happens to be my favorite character in the PlayStation All-Stars beta. He’s nimble and swift, and he packs a bit of a punch too. But what I like most about Sly Cooper is his ability to get out of harm’s way in a snap. He’s quick enough to get a few hits in on his opponent and then dodge subsequent attacks, giving him significant leverage over less skilled players that aren’t anticipating a strike-and-flee onslaught. Then again, Sly Cooper’s Level 3 Super leaves much to be desired not so much in terms of substance as in style. You can easily kill the entire field with his super, but it’s still a bit on the corny side. With such a cool character to work with, it would have been awesome to see Sly Cooper utilized in ways that didn’t involve binoculars and a strange turtle named Bentley.

Source : feeds.ign.com

Namco Bandai "in Active Discussions" With Ouya

Namco Bandai is apparently "in active discussions" to become the next major publisher to sign a distribution deal with Ouya.

Namco Bandai Games and Ouya are currently in active discussions to bring some of the world's biggest gaming properties to the exciting new open gaming platform.

Speaking with Develop, the Tekken and Ridge Racer developer revealed it was talking to the console's creators about bringing its franchises to the system.

Namco Marketing VP Carlson Choi explained, "Namco Bandai Games and Ouya are currently in active discussions to bring some of the world's biggest gaming properties to the exciting new open gaming platform.
"Namco Bandai brings with it a rich history of iconic gaming franchises, from classics like Pac-Man and Galaga, to seminal franchises like Tekken and Ridge Racer, and we're excited to explore how we can work with Ouya to bring some great titles to the forthcoming console."

We told you last week that Square Enix had thrown its weight behind the upcoming console, and would be releasing Final Fantasy III as an Ouya launch title. Predictably, it seems this has proved the catalyst for other developers to follow suit. The only question is, which company will be next to pitch its support?
Ouya is currently expected to release in March 2013.

Source : feeds.ign.com

Pele Movie in the Works

With the World Cup hitting Brazil in 2014, Imagine Entertainment has plans to shoot a film about the most famous footballer of them all: Pele.

According to Variety, the studio has asked brothers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist to write the script, with a view to directing. The pair have previously worked on the documentary likes of Favela Rising and The Two Escobars.

The story will concentrate on Pele’s remarkable early years, with Imagine President of Production Kim Roth describing it as “A coming-of-age story that will trace Pele’s childhood until he won his first World Cup in Sweden at the age of 17.”

Language will be English with some Portuguese; the film shooting next year with a view to releasing before the summer 2014 tournament.

Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN and thinks that Pele is the second greatest footballer of all-time, coming just behind Crystal Palace's midfield dynamo of the mid-1990s, David Hopkin.

Source : feeds.ign.com

The Dinosaur Project Review

It’s probably bad to want the protagonist to die throughout a movie, but such is the grating nature of the main character in The Dinosaur Project, that it’s impossible to not wish ill upon him.

And that’s just one of the many problems with this action-adventure that wants to be The Blair Witch Project meets Jurassic Park, but ends up playing more like an over-long and undercooked episode of Primeval.

The first issue is that it’s a ‘found footage’ movie, proceedings kicking off with a pair of Congolese fisherman discovering a rucksack filled with tapes and hard drives that document a British Cryptozoological Society jungle expedition.

Their mission? To track down ‘Mokele Mbembe’ – Africa’s answer to the Loch Ness Monster, and a creature thought to be descended from the dinosaurs.

But the found footage has to be shot before it's discovered, so the first 20 minutes of the film are spent contriving ways for the cameras to make it onto the journey and then keep rolling in the face of danger and death.

So a TV crew is invited to join renowned explorer Jonathan Marchant – and his slightly less renowned adventurer pal Charlie Rutherford – on their African odyssey, and encouraged to shoot whatever they witness.

But wouldn’t you know it, Jonathan’s camera-loving son Luke has also stowed away on the expedition, bringing with him state-of-the-art filming equipment that would put David Attenborough’s production team to shame.

So far, so contrived, and no sooner has the increasingly annoying Luke attached tiny cameras to the team’s apparel when their plane is attacked by a flock of flying creatures that bear more than a passing resemblance to pterodactyls.



They crash-land in the middle of the jungle, and before you can say Brassic Park, the expedition is being hunted down by large, vicious bat-like creatures that behave like dinosaur vampires, attacking the neck as they devour their prey.

Meanwhile Justin Bieb-a-like Luke has now taken centre stage, grabbing his camera to shoot a series of video diaries in which he moans about his Dad not loving him enough.

And that’s about it in terms of story, the unconvincing father-son soap opera playing alongside the crew dropping like flies. Along the way one of their number turns nasty to prove that we are the true monsters, and Luke befriends a dino-cub called Crypto who may be the most annoying dinosaur sidekick since this one.

The creatures themselves predictably disappointing, the effects created by the same company that crafted the BBC’s Planet Dinosaur and failing to ever rise above TV quality; the reveal of Mokele Mbembe particularly underwhelming.

But they are a damn-site better than the performances, with Matt Kane appalling as the film’s supposed hero Luke, and Peter Brooke equally abysmal as forgotten man Charlie. Only Richard Dillane – playing action-man Richard Marchant – comes out of it with any dignity, doing a fair impression of a poor man’s Indiana Jones throughout.

Writer-director Sid Bennett does manage to eek moments of tension out of the premise, and the vast African vistas glimpsed throughout are a joy to behold, but they aren’t enough to rescue The Dinosaur Project, a found footage flick that disappoints at just about every turn, and makes you wish the tapes had remained lost.


Source : feeds.ign.com

Resident Evil 6 Achievement List

The achievement list for Resident Evil 6 has been outed by X360A.org.

BEWARE SPOILERS:
As expected, you receive achievements for completing individuals chapters in each of the game's three campaigns (Leon, Chris, and Jake). In addition to the list below, there are six achievements (each worth 15G) that have been kept secret. Possibly because they relate to key plot points in the game.

The achievement list confirms that Ada will receive her own campaign, also containing five chapters. Chapter four – titled "Ada's Demise" – seems a little ominous for the usually inappropriately-attired zombie killer; however, the very existence of a chapter five might mean things aren't that grim after all.
The antisocial will be pleased to know there are no achievements for the game's multiplayer mode.
Here are the achievements in full:

• The Longest Night (10) - Complete the tutorial.
• Gone to Hell (15) - Complete Chapter 1 in Leon's campaign.
• Buried Secrets (15) - Complete Chapter 2 in Leon's campaign.
• Get on the Plane (15) - Complete Chapter 3 in Leon's campaign.
• Big Trouble in China (15) - Complete Chapter 4 in Leon's campaign.
• The Trouble with Women (15) - Complete Chapter 5 in Leon's campaign.
• Rescue the Hostages (15) - Complete Chapter 1 in Chris' campaign.
• Tragedy in Europe (15) - Complete Chapter 2 in Chris' campaign.
• After Her! (15) - Complete Chapter 3 in Chris' campaign.
• There's Always Hope (15) - Complete Chapter 4 in Chris' campaign.
• Duty Calls (15) - Complete Chapter 5 in Chris' campaign.
• Money Talks (15) - Complete Chapter 1 in Jake's campaign.
• A Revolting Development (15) - Complete Chapter 2 in Jake's campaign.
• Let's Blow This Joint (15) - Complete Chapter 3 in Jake's campaign.
• Still on the Run (15) - Complete Chapter 4 in Jake's campaign.
• See You Around (15) - Complete Chapter 5 in Jake's campaign.
• Green around the Ears (15) - Complete the entire game on Amateur.
• Normal Is Good (30) - Complete the entire game on Normal.
• Back in My Day (30) - Complete the entire game on Veteran.
• Leave It to the Pro (90) - Complete the entire game on Professional.
• Check Out My Dogs (15) - Customize your dog tags.
• Titular Achievement (15) - Earn (10) different titles.
• One Is Better Than None (15) - Purchase one skill.
• Mad Skillz (90) - Max out all the skills that allow you to level up.
• Silent Killer (15) - Use a stealth attack to take down five enemies.
• Finish What You Start (15) - Perform a coup de grâce on ten enemies.
• Bob and Weave (15) - Counter an enemy's attack three times in row.
• Down, Not Out (15) - Defeat an enemy while dying, then recover without any help.
• Lifesaver (15) - Help or rescue your partner ten times.
• Weapons Master (30) - Use all the weapons in the game and kill ten enemies with each of them.
• Give a Little Push (15) - Knock ten enemies off a high place.
• Rising Up (30) - Earn a level-four title.
• They're ACTION Figures! (15) - Collect 3 figures.
• Stuntman (15) - Defeat 20 enemies with the Hydra using a quick shot.
• Bring the Heat (15) - Take down an enemy from 50 meters away with a headshot using the thermal scope.
• High Voltage (15) - Defeat ten enemies with a stun rod charge attack.
• Zombie Massacre (15) - Defeat 500 zombies.
• J'avo Genocide (15) - Defeat 500 J'avo.
• B.O.W.s Are Ugly (30) - Defeat 100 enemies that have come out of a chrysalid.
• I Prefer Them Alive (15) - Rescue two female survivors at the cathedral.
• Flying Ace (15) - Pilot the VTOL without getting a scratch on it.
• Hard Choice (15) - Shoot the helicopter pilot with a Magnum at point-blank range.
• Covered in Brass (30) - Earn 150 different medals.
• Heirlooms (30) - Collect all the serpent emblems.
• I Spy (15) - Complete Chapter 1 in Ada's campaign.
• Counterintelligence (15) - Complete Chapter 2 in Ada's campaign.
• This Takes Me Back (15) - Complete Chapter 3 in Ada's campaign.
• Ada's Demise (15) - Complete Chapter 4 in Ada's campaign.
• What's Next? (15) - Complete Chapter 5 in Ada's campaign.
• Sneaking Around (15) - Get through the aircraft carrier's bridge area without being noticed.

PlayStation Trophies will presumably follow suit.

Source : feeds.ign.com

Codemasters Announces Grid 2

After some teasing late last week, Codemasters has officially announce that Grid 2 will be coming out on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC sometime in 2013.

The new trailer showcases two of the game's brand-new locations, Paris and Chicago. The game promises to "raise the gameplay and technological bar for motorsport gaming and remain true to the series’ core value – it’s all about the race".

The game promises an "expansive career mode" in which players will experience Codemaster's new TrueFeel Handling System, and though the system is based on real physics, it aims to hit the "sweetspot between accessiblity and simulation and deliver handling that is approachable yet challenging to master."

Executive Producer Clive Moody says, “Grid’s back and we’re going to make street, track and road racing exciting again. The core design philosophy for Grid 2 is that we treat the race as a character, not a consequence of simply putting cars on tracks. Everything that goes into the game impacts on that second-to-second, in the moment, blockbuster drama – the feel and personality of the race.

“We’re pushing boundaries once again with what can be accomplished in the genre via new tools, technology and innovations. In single-player, split-screen and online, the next-generation of the EGO Game Technology Platform will power graphics, AI, handling and damage advancements that will immerse players in the racing experience like never before. Like its predecessor, GRID 2 will put the sheer thrill and adrenaline rush of the race at the heart of the experience. It’s what we call Total Race Day Immersion."

Grid 2 will span three continents and feature iconic automobiles selected from over four decades of racing history. Multiplayer is also being touted as a major component, integrating Codemasters's RaceNetm, which keeps track of all your best times and those of your closest rivals.

Source : feeds.ign.com

Grid 2: On the Right Track

In 2008, Codemasters released one of the best received racing games of all time, Race Driver: Grid. Keenly balancing driving simulation and pure racing elements, Grid did much to re-invigorate the genre, most notably with its oft-imitated Flashback feature. Then, nothing. In the four years since, there have been three DiRT releases and two F1 titles from the developer, but not so much as a whiff of burning rubber from Grid. Until last week, when Codies salaciously teased a new entry. Panning over a gorgeously modelled car and capped with a flash of the logo, the hint was a mere 20 seconds long – but still enough to get gamers’ engines revving.
Understandably, the foremost question on most players’ minds was ‘what took so long?’ Clive Moody, Executive Producer on Grid 2 and a mainstay on the series since its earliest ToCa days, explained that gaming technology played a large part. “Grid 1 came out relatively early in the console life-cycle, and our technology at the time reflected that; it wasn’t as polished or mature as it is now. A lot of the ambition, the things we knew we wanted to introduce in that game; we just couldn’t make it happen. As time moved on, we’ve refined and evolved how we make games and we’re at the point where we can do justice to the experience we wanted to produce.”

Casting eyes on the game in action confirms the series has made immense strides while it’s been away. Footage rendered in-game shows the tiring console hardware being pushed to its absolute graphical limits by a glorious array of lighting and reflection effects. Even at this early stage, Grid 2 is breathtaking to behold. Rival drivers have been sent to AI cram school, now boasting over 60 distinct abilities which will allow personal grudges and race styles to evolve. Dynamic vehicle damage – already one of the finest points of Grid 1, with cars’ handling changing based on impacts – is similarly enhanced, each dent or knock causing unique effects.

What we’ve tried to do over the years, and even more in Grid 2, is broaden the experience; dirt racing, street racing, open road racing.

More importantly, Grid 2 remains all about the pure experience of the race itself. In fact, the core game philosophy being bandied about Codemasters’ Southam studio is ‘total race day immersion’. “What we’ve tried to do over the years, and even more in Grid 2, is broaden the experience; dirt racing, street racing, open road racing,” said Moody. “Elements get tied together into a much, much wider experience for the gamer, giving them something fresh to experience at every level of the game. I think that’s really important.”

“From the view of tech, art, design, audio – everything really, we’ve actively sought out areas where we can improve,” Associate Producer Iain Smith adds. “It all comes together to crystallise that immersion. The race feels tangible. You feel like you’re in a tactile world and all those things have been coming together.”



Getting hands on with Grid 2 proves captivating. Zooming around the urban sprawl of Chicago, one of the earlier tracks in the game, is an exhilarating experience. Sunbeams crack through towering buildings as the tarmac speeds beneath you, while the audio authentically bounces between buildings and creates roaring sound funnels as you tear through tunnels.

From the view of tech, art, design, audio – everything really, we’ve actively sought out areas where we can improve.

Moving to the California stage and placed behind the wheels of a beefy Ford Mustang Boss 302, the experience changes. A lush forest track with hairpin turns threads between the trees, the challenge as much to avoid careening off cliff edges  as you speed through each curve as it is to overtake your opponents. Professional race drivers, including Formula 2 wunderkind Jordan King, assisted in getting the feel of the cars right, particularly for trickier circuits such as this one, ensuring vehicles’ acceleration out of corners and braking times are appropriate.

The immediate impression is that handling seems much improved from the first Grid outing and while it still demands your focus, it’s not so punishing as its predecessor could be at times. Codemasters are calling it ‘TrueFeel’ handling, trying to capture the character of driving these vehicles, yet remaining accessible for newcomers. It seems like one for the win column, so far.

While the full garage is still to be announced, petrolheads can at least look forward to taking the likes of the BMW E30 M3 Sport Evo. Nissan Skyline GTR R34, Chevrolet Camaro SS, McLaren MP4-12C and even the UK’s own BAC Mono out for a spin. You’ll even be able to race some of these against each other out of class, as the cars are spread across four competitive tiers ranked by performance.

“It’s not classed based on engine size or BHP, but on which cars realistically give each other a run for their money,” explains Toby Evan-Jones, also an Associate Producer. “Each tier will have balance within each level in that tier. You’ll start off with an entry tier-1 car that won’t be quite as good as the cars at the end of tier 1, but it’ll still be competitive.”

With all this and a unique online mode, wholly independent of the single player career, that Moody hopes will “redefine multiplayer” and “show the racing genre what can be done,” an evolved Flashback feature refining those all-important mid-race saves, and full integration with the increasingly important RaceNet service, and Grid 2 is already looking like a must-have. It’s been a long four years, but clearly a case of time well spent.

Source : feeds.ign.com

The Hobbit Will Get Limited Release in 48-Frames

Warner Bros. will reportedly only give a limited release to the much talked-about 48 frames-per-second (aka high-frame-rate) version of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey when it opens December 14, perhaps skipping some major metropolitan markets altogether.

"People who have seen much of the film in 48 frames-per-second 3D tell Variety the picture now looks vastly better than the test footage shown this April at CinemaCon, which had not yet undergone post-production polishing and got a mixed reception from exhibitors," according to Variety.

"But the studio still wants to protect the format by going into a limited release for the HFR version, hoping to test the marketplace and expand the HFR release for the second and third installments -- provided auds are enthusiastic. As of now, there are still no theaters ready for HFR projection, though some require only a software upgrade that will be ready in September. Warners is satisfied with the pace of efforts to ready theaters for HFR."

Source : feeds.ign.com

Wrestling Wrap Up: HBK's Headed to SummerSlam!

So it seems as though the best part of last night’s RAW happened after the show went off the air and the entire arena was treated to "Shawn Michaels Appreciation Night!" Not that RAW was bad mind you, but I think we might have all liked to see an actual RAW dedicated to HBK – like the one they did for The Rock last year. Still, maybe it was too soon considering that we just saw Michaels two freakin’ weeks ago for a DX-nostalgiaballz segment. “I’m old and tired and can’t hop down to the ring like I used to” jokes included!

"Cuz I'm a (very very tired and weary) Sexy Boy..."

But after the cameras shut off last night, the “boys” tributized the hell out of HBK, breaking character and lettin’ loose with the huggery. CM Punk apparently got on the mic and told everyone how much HBK inspired him and how something Michaels autographed for him back when he was 15 is his most cherished possession. Which is funny considering how much bile Punk has spewed at autograph hounds.

HBK's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.

Oh, and even Undertaker came out. And it will always be strange to think about the guys who show up to the arena, who are on the roster, and aren’t used on TV. We just went through this whole thing a little bit with Cena and Big Show a few months back when they’d skip the televised RAW (with the announcers saying they weren't there that week) but show up for the after-show dark match because they were advertised. But to just think that Taker was there, ready to do an actual entrance, and wasn’t used on TV is a funny, funny thing indeed. And sticking with this for a moment, I’m reminded of how "meta" I get when I start to wonder why anyone shows up at all for a show that’s supposedly, in-story, booked on the spot. Like, if Alberto Del Rio doesn’t want to have a match, why doesn’t he just stay home? And likewise, if Del Rio hadn’t showed up to try and not have a match, what would Christian have done that night? Sometimes I like to drive myself mealworm-mad trying to hyper-dissect the idea of “wrestlers supposedly don’t know what they’re going to do on a live show until they’re told on the air.”



So, back to HBK. Who did show up on TV for a segment with Triple H and Brock, telling everyone he’d be in the corner for the SummerSlam match. Which now means that he’ll either cause Triple H to win or lose. I dunno. I’m fine with the match. I think it’ll be good. But after every one of these in-ring scenes all I can think is...DAMN, PAUL HEYMAN IS GOOD ON THE MIC! I mean, he’s sold this entire story. He’s put this whole thing together. There’s just so much conviction in his words, but he also never comes off as phony.

And, like all those old ‘90s-era guys, he’ll never cut off that damn skullytail that looks like it’s sprouted directly out of his cervical vertebrae. Hell, the DX guys came out for RAW 1000 and apparently none of them ever considered, you know, a trim or something. A snip. A little off the ears. They all still look like strip club owners. Obscenely long ponytails 4 life! Undertaker’s shown us that the only way to truly rid one’s self of out-dated retro coiffure is actual hair loss. Or some sort of targeted genetic blight.

Last night’s RAW was mostly a placeholder. Punk is still demanding respect. AJ is still “not crazy enough” as a GM and would be better off in a storyline. Daniel Bryan might not have been featured in tons of segments, but he was in the Main Event against Cena, eventually getting trapped inside a completely horrible-looking STF. Was Cena afraid of touching Bryan’s beard with his arms? Randy Orton looked incredibly bored (his version of stoic intensity) facing The Big Show, Sandow attacked Brodus in mid-funkadance and - will you look at that! - there was even a Diva match. Which featured the return of Kelly Kelly. Who went...somewhere. Back to Xanadu most likely. To roller-skate and shoot lasers out of her eyes.

Meanwhile, Bryan (and this counts as part of my Smackdown discussion too btw) has become a ball of distracted rage due to the fact that he maybe, possibly will have to do something with Charlie Sheen to help promote Sheen’s Anger Management show at SummerSlam. But nothing’s settled yet, and so until then Bryan’s just going to be screaming “NO!” at everyone. Man, the absurdity of it. It’s…half-great. I mean, it’s bad because we want to see Bryan doing cooler things, but just the fact that, within a few months, you can actually have a spirited, informative debate in the WWE involving people screaming “YES!” and “NO!” at one another is fantastic.

Hopefully, after all the Anger Management plugging is over and done with, Bryan can move on and maybe even, you know, reclaim the “YES!” chant. He was a lot more fun when he was just obsessively and aggressively positive. I’m not sure what AJ’s going to do after Bryan’s SummerSlam match since she just seems to live to drive him crazy. Again, I appreciate that she now skips down to the ring in her petite power suit, but I want to see her doing more. The WWE, typically, jumped the gun by making her GM. Like they did with Punk last Summer after Pipe Bomb 3:16.

Source : feeds.ign.com

Microsoft Job Listing Outs "Next Generation Surface"

In more than a dozen job listings on the Microsoft Career site spotted today by TechRadar, the Redmond, Washington technology giant let slip a hint that its Surface tablet releasing on October 26 this year won't be the last of its kind. A post on the Official Microsoft Blog echoes the sentiment, calling Surface "our new family of PCs".

While this could be a case of some bad or antiquated terminology (possibly referring to the already-announced Surface as the next generation of PixelSense, for example), the listings were posted after the reveal of the tablet on June 19.

The listings themselves also imply that these new positions will involve working on a different set of devices, as one listing mentions "understanding of touch display architecture and experience in mechanical integration of large touch displays into electronics products". "Large" is a relative term in the world of displays, but it could refer to a desktop monitor or integration with TV monitors.



If these listings do represent a new breed of Surface devices, then they may well feature some unique components mentioned in to the job requirements. "Alternative power sources" seems to imply that the next generation will be even greener than the first, though another listing does include AC/DC power expertise, which means battery-powered machines.

As much as Microsoft has lauded the already-announced Surface tablets for their unique cooling architecture, new developments in "passive and active cooling thermal designs" could further innovate on those models and allow for more powerful processors.

Whatever the next Surface looks like, it's no surprise that Microsoft is getting an early start on preparing it for consumers. Given past software cycles, its likely that these newer Surface devices would still run Windows 8, and that third-party hardware manufacturers will still get shafted as Microsoft dives headlong into the hardware space.

Source: TechRadar.com