Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, Business

Blacksite: Area 51’s creative director Harvey Smith let loose about the title’s “f*cked up” development during the Montreal Inernational Game Summit. Reported by Wired, he says he wasn’t too interested in the project to begin with and the game was “disastrously off rails” a year before finishing. He also says the game went from alpha to final in a “completely reprehensible” fashion. The critics agree.

Smith says his openness about the problems is due to “personal accountability.” It’s pretty obvious that publisher Midway just wanted the game out and maybe get some daft holiday shopper purchases, rather than hold off and do the title justice with a Spring ‘08 release — like many publishers opted for this year. Remember Midway, don’t ruin your name (more) by just pushing cow pies out the door — go ask Atari how that ends.

[Via NextGen]

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Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, Business

A new lawsuit has been filed by a San Diego resident against Microsoft and Bungie concerning Halo 3. According to Information Week, the suit alleges the game “consistently causes the Xbox 360 to crash, freeze, or lock up while the game is being played.”

The plaintiff, Randy Nunez, also asserts the problem is widespread and that Microsoft and Bungie “have failed to recall Halo 3 or otherwise remedy its failure to function on the Xbox 360.” He is seeking class action status and unspecified damages.

We’re not lawyers, but we don’t think the problem is inherently Halo 3 so much as hardware issues that Microsoft has tried to address (to the tune of over $1 billion). Of course, he could be talking about scratched Legendary Edition discs, which Microsoft also took action to fix. It’s hard to tell how these fancy schmancy legal proceedings will play out; perhaps the whole mess can be resolved over a friendly game of capture the flag.

[Via GameDaily]

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Filed under: Retro, Microsoft Xbox 360, Strategy, Casual

Chessmaster continues to be one of the longest running video game series around, having first schooled players in 1986 on such computers as the Amiga and Apple II. Games have come a long way since then, but chess is still…well, chess. Even so, Ubisoft has announced plans to being the franchise to Xbox Live Arcade in January with Chessmaster Live. Check.

Not a lot of details have been revealed about this latest game to carry the Chessmaster banner, though to be honest we think we have a good idea what to expect. Still, Ubisoft’s Peter Helm did describe the game as being a “comprehensive chess program” featuring “hundreds” of AI opponents for Elo-ranked matches, as well as Live play with with voice and camera support, which opens up the opportunity to return to those wild drunken nights spent at college playing ’strip chess.’ Your move, baby.

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Filed under: Hacks, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Peripherals, Rhythm

We don’t know why there’s been such a fervent quest to dampen the clickety-clack noise of the Rock Band drum kit:, as we’ve already solved the problem. Here, try our free mod: First, turn the TV up. Second … there is no second! You’re done. And as a side benefit, you’re playing louder! Like a real rock star.

But, if neighbors or local noise ordinances make our plan impossible, forum members at the Quarter to Three Forums have been working to curtail the problem. The biggest success so far seems to be these circular mouse pads, trimmed and glued to become efficient, silent conduits of rock. Keith Moon would be … well, he’d be disgusted. But your wife will be happy.

[Thanks, Jeff]

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360

It’s been a while since Konami first announced Silent Hill V, and details revealed since have been few and far between. A new issue of Official Playstation Magazine, however, has revealed some new tidbits of information about the latest in the survival horror series.

The radio and the flashlight — which were abandoned in the previous Silent Hill game — return in the fifth console installment of the series. Unlike previous games, the camera will feature full 3D movement, and the article hints at some possible Sixaxis functionality in the PS3 version. The rest of the article features some new, “exclusive” images and character renderings, and recaps story and gameplay elements that were already known, but it could be a nice refresher for anyone who’s forgotten exactly what to look forward to.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, RPGs

Sure, Two Worlds may not have the best reviews or consumer confidence right now, but that doesn’t make it beyond salvation (just look at the now-awesome Boom Boom Rocket). An expansion for the game, dubbed The Temptation, is coming second quarter 2008.

According to WorthPlaying (pictures), Temptation has what you’d expect from an expansion: new areas, new baddies, new abilities and better AI. The real question is will Temptation tempt you to (re)visit Two Worlds next year?

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Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

When Team Ninja’s Tomonobu Itagaki tells you Ninja Gaiden II is the greatest action game ever made, he doesn’t expect you to take his word for it. No, in today’s wondrous online world, he expects you to download the demo and reach that conclusion on your own. Failure to do so, of course, will result in the world’s deadliest mammals hurling shurikens through your window and slicing up your special edition copy of Devil May Cry 4.

In a video interview with IGN (embedded after the break), the outspoken designer notes that non-believers can look forward to a demo of Ninja Gaiden II at “some point,” though we suspect it might be after the game’s Spring 2008 release if the tardy Dead or Alive 4 demo is any indication. Not that we need much convincing, mind you — the interview’s talk of mutilated enemies exclaiming “It’s only a flesh wound!” before wrapping themselves around your legs and committing C4 seppuku has us convinced.

Continue reading Itagaki expects Ninja Gaiden 2 demo ‘at some point’

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Rhythm

Is your Rock Band axe hindering your rise to Heavy Metal Rock God? Developer Harmonix (via forum post) has acknowledged there was an “imperfection with the strum bar in an early production run of guitars that were shipped at launch … we have have since identified and fixed the issue in all subsequent production runs of the guitars.”

Those who have a broken Rock Band stratocaster can visit Electronic Arts’ customer support website and they “will send a replacement immediately.” We have yet to get the site to work for us (curse you, “Diagnostic code: page WWN, 2:”) but hopefully that will be cleared up soon. The impatient and handy people out there can also try a more DIY fix (thanks, Oxide99).

The post also tackled the subject of PlayStation 3’s guitar compatibility woes. Though not mentioning the Guitar Hero III Les Paul by name, they do say that they read everything in the forums posts and that they are “committed to providing the best play experience possible and working hard to ensure that we solve these problems as soon as possible.”

[Via GameDaily]

Read - Rockband [sic] Support
Read - PS3 Guitar Compatibility; strum bars

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Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360

There’s going to be a lot of gift guides coming down the media pipes — even we did one this year — but every so often there’s a few that stand out. For example, Popular Mechanics just posted their games to buy and avoid this season. The games to buy are a standard lot: Super Mario Galaxy, Rock Band, Mass Effect, CoD 4. They thought a little out of the box by saying a GameFly subscription, which is a good fiscally conservative idea. It’s their five “avoids” which are sure to make a few people get catty. They are:

• Wii Zapper — Cheap piece of plastic tarted up. OK, we’re still with ‘em.
• Ghost Squad — Sure, sure, fine.
• Clive Barker’s Jericho — Not everyone’s favorite cup of demonic tea.
• Guitar Hero III — Hm? Really? Avoid?
• Assassin’s Creed — Oh no grrrl, take off the press-on nails, it’s on now!

There’s a super-sized serving of titles out there this holiday season, and we didn’t expect Popular Mechanics to go for something obscure like Hannah Montana, but Assassin’s Creed and Guitar Hero III making the top games to avoid? Really? It’ll certainly be interesting to get people’s temperatures on Assassin’s Creed a few months from now, because tensions about that game are running a little high.

[Thanks Wonderflex]

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Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Rhythm

Revealed earlier this month, a title update to Xbox Live Arcade’s rhythmic detonator Boom Boom Rocket is now available, bringing with it some bug fixes, added peripheral support and, most importantly, bigger and better ’splosions. In addition to supporting dance mats and fake guitars, we’ve found that the game also works with Rock Band’s drum set, yielding an activity both challenging and utterly embarrassing.

Arriving in tandem with the update is the game’s long awaited downloadable content, announced by EA to be a set of five new songs:

• “Eine Kleine Rochtmusik”
• “Cannon in D”
• “Sugar High”
• “Sting of the Bumble Bee”
• “Explode to Joy”

Yes, it seems someone’s gone and shoved five more classical tunes through some sort of Eurotrash bastardization device, but we managed to enjoy the game despite that last time. Oh, and they’re free until December 16th, after which they’ll set you back 250 MS Points (an awkward $3 and 12.5 cents).

Update: EA says the tunes will likely go up before the end of the day.

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