Mortal Kombat to Get Webseries January 15, 2011
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A long time ago I posted about a viral video which hit the web and overnight had a million hits. It was a more realistic take on Mortal Kombat, and starred big name actors/actresses like Michael Jai White and Jeri Ryan.
Normally these kinds of projects are considered fanfilms, independently made videos which were produced only for online distribution, however the fact that big named actors appeared in it made it stand out as something more.
Unfortunately the original video has been taken down a while ago, so I can’t repost it here, but if you had seen it on my site earlier I invite you to picture it in your minds now.
Portal 2 Has a Theme Song January 14, 2011
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Fans of “Still Alive”, the theme song to 2007’s Portal, will be very happy to know that Jonathan Coulton, the artist behind the hit song, is recording whole new one for Portal 2. He has confirmed in his twitter account that he is in the process now of recording this song for it’s use in the game. No details on the song yet, it probably will be a suprise strictly for anyone who finishes the game. Knowing that Coulton was involved, you can probably rest assured there will be a comedic twist to it.
Jonathan Coulton has many other hits to his credit including “Code Monkey” and “Re: Your Brains”.
Dead Space 2 Launch Trailer January 13, 2011
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This trailer was just so awesome I had to show it to all of you.
Looking back, if there was a list of bands whose sound defined my generation, Smashing Pumpkins would be on that list.
Dead Space 2 launches Jan 25th, 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. GameStop is now offering the Rivet Gun, first used in Dead Space Extraction, as an exclusive weapon if you preorder the game there.
What’s Going on With Planet Moon? January 12, 2011
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Planet Moon Studios is another one of the classic game development houses that I followed a lot over the last ten years. In a generation of overcrowded PC faceless action shooters, they were able to mix up gameplay in a way that had never been seen before. They added a pretty funny story to the mix, with some pretty zany characters in a wild fantasy setting. Copies of Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Armed and Dangerous, and Infected, all have permanent places on my shelf.
However, after releasing Infected, Planet Moon dispatched with a lot of their game style as they knew it, and released a lot of games that were unlike the style they had previously established. An action oriented company with a focus on humor was releasing handheld ports, puzzle and family oriented games.
Today they announced that thirty-seven of their employees have successfully been transferred to another company to work on a different project. These employees were working on an unannounced game for Planet Moon, which after December got defaulted on for an unknown reason by the funder, and someone apparently owes them a lot of money.
Obviously this is just an event that sucks for everyone involved, but it could’ve been a lot worse. Those thirty-seven developers could’ve been left entirely without a job. Obviously lawsuits are being filed against all parties by Planet Moon, and things are probably going to be hush-hush until that clears.
Xbox Rewards Program Invites Being E-Mailed January 8, 2011
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Microsoft is now e-mailing Xbox Live members to participate in their own rewards program. Since the program is currently invite only, you have to choose to opt-in in order to be a part of it. However, if I got an e-mail about it, likely so has everyone else on Xbox Live.
The program will be avalible to anyone using Xbox Live Free or Xbox Live Gold accounts, although the rewards are greater for those who are currently Gold Members. The reward is quite literally money, in the form of Xbox Live points. For doing things such as renewing your Xbox Live account (by month, several months, or year) or completing a monthly survey, you will get free Xbox Live Points you can spend on whatever you want, like Avatar Items, Xbox Live Arcade Games, Gamer Pictures, DLC, or Themes.
So if you see an e-mail from Xbox titled “The Rewards Program is here” make sure to click on it and opt-in.
Microsoft Announces Avatar Kinect January 7, 2011
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At CES, Microsoft has announced the Avatar Kinect program, which is coming to the Xbox 360 this spring.
The program will allow people to have a live virtual conversation through their Xbox 360s using the Kinect’s motion tracking features. You will be able to use your Live Avatar to carry on your conversation in a virtual environment. All your actions, emotions and expressions will translate over to your avatar.
Now we all know how disappointed I was about the quality of the Kinect’s video chat program. The picture quality and video motion were terrible. This looks to be an improved way for people to chat through Kinect, and provide an alternative to that service.
Avatar Kinect will require gold membership and will be coming in the spring to Xbox 360 owners who have a Kinect.
New Uncharted 3 Gameplay Footage Online January 6, 2011
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Naughty Dog’s YouTube Profile has added a few more videos recently, probably in anticipation of CES. Entirely new HD gameplay sections of the highly anticipated PS3-exclusive, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.
First up, the footage you know, originally shown on the Jimmy Fallon show, this level is now being played by someone who knows what they’re doing.
Now, here’s the new footage never before seen.
It’s nice to see that Drake and Sullivan still have their banter. I have to say that some of my favorite gameplay segments of the first two Uncharted games were when I had to work with an AI controlled partner (usually Sullivan) to solve a puzzle. It looks like there’s no doubt this will continue.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Decpetion is coming November 1st, 2011 exclusive to the Playstation 3.
Naughty Dog Releases Behind the Scenes of Uncharted 3 (Part 1) Online January 6, 2011
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Title is still pretty self-explanatory here. This is the first part of what is slated to be a two-part behind the scenes documentary of the goings on at Naughty Dog, who are making the just announced Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. This was previously only avalible to download on the Playstation Store, but now it’s up for all to see.
I have to say, this is the kind of behind the scenes documentary I can really enjoy. It’s not just a bunch of talking heads telling you how great their game is going to be. You see the workings of the studio while the people who are working on the game are telling you a chronological story.
I have to really give props to a line said by Richard McGonagle (who plays “Sully” Sullivan) when he was talking about what it’s like being a traditional actor working in a new medium. He reminded the audience that the original title of “actors” used to be “players”, and that still holds true to those who contribute to the stage. As a student of English with a BA, I can’t disagree with the logic.
I haven’t seen a production this good since the Halo 2 Documentary on that game’s Limited Collector’s Edition, and that was produced by Film Oasis. This is done by a company called 2-Player, and they did a really good job. Can’t wait to see Part 2. If this is what they did with just 8 minutes, I wonder what they could do with two hours.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is coming November 2011 exclusive to the Playstation 3.
Dead Space iPhone is Coming January 5, 2011
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The Dead Space Twitter feed has confirmed that a fully interactive 3D Dead Space game is coming to the various iOS devices pretty soon. This will not be a port of a previous Dead Space game, it will be its own story. It is also not going to be an interactive rail-shooter, a la Dead Space Extraction, it will be fully controllable, with full dismemberment options.
Currently the game has been confirmed multiple times to have native iPad support, but newer iPhone/iPod Touch support is assured as well by many development sources on the Dead Space forums.
There is one problem one of the previews has mentioned, EA is once again rearing its money-hungry head for options that a simple cheat code should be able to provide. While you can collect and upgrade weapons and armor in-game, you can also purchase upgraded weapons and armor as DLC from the start. I remember EA did this in the Xbox 360 version of The Godfather (and to some extent with Dante’s Inferno) and it did not go over well at all.
Dead Space is coming to iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch soon.
Dead Space Save File Unlocks Original Plasma Cutter in Dead Space 2 January 2, 2011
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That title is pretty much self explanatory. EA has announced today that if you have any original Dead Space file on your console of choice, that save file, when carried over to Dead Space 2, will unlock you an exclusive weapon, the original Plasma Cutter.
This is another example of a nice trend that seems to be forming in games over the past three or so years. Original save files from Gears of War would unlock special mutliplayer characters in Gears of War 2, but what was unlocked was dependant on your progress in the original game. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves would unlock free in-game currency depending on your unlocked trophies in the save file of the original Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. You could unlock the most money by having the Platinum Trophy. And of course, a save brought over storyline important information from Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2.
This is not the only thing that will net you free goodies in Dead Space 2. Also be aware for players who complete Dead Space Ignition, the downloadable game released for free to those who preorder Dead Space 2, you will unlock a special outfit.
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