Duke Nukem Forever Playable at PAX September 3, 2010

HUGE news today, probably the biggest news I’ve ever reported, probably the biggest news any gaming journalist has ever reported.  Attendees at PAX Seattle are going to have a big playable suprise when they go over there, development of Duke Nukem Forever has been continued by Gearbox (makers of Borderlands, Brothers in Arms and Halo PC), and a playable version of it is being featured on the show floor for attendees to play.

After the lawsuit between 3D Realms and Take-2 Interactive was dropped, 3D Realms enlisted Gearbox to finish the game for them.  Working with all the tools and assets that 3D Realms provided for them, Gearbox is on track to finishing the game.  According to them, the game is currently being polished and is on track for release.

I never thought I’d say this but…Duke Nukem Forever is coming for the PC next year.  In other news, Hell has officially frozen over.

UPDATE:  My apologies, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions have also been confirmed.

Dead Rising Short Film on Xbox Live September 2, 2010

Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun, an eight-part short film, is avalible for download on Xbox Live marketplace, free of charge.  It is a live-action film remincant of classic zombie movies, and is considered a part of the Dead Rising story.

Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun will also be included in the Xbox 360 version of the Dead Rising Collector’s Edition, called the Zombrex Edition.

The official website for the film is the official website for the product Zombrex, which you can check out right here.  You can also check out the latest news on Zombrex, download consumer information on the drug (in .pdf) and view its latest commercials.

UPDATE:  It seems CAPCOM pulled all the viral sites they had up to promote Dead Rising 2, I don’t know if this is intentional or a mistake, espessially given that it is so close to PAX.  Because of that the links are dead, I swear they were working when I posted them this afternoon, and yesterday.

UPDATE 2:  Site’s back up.

George Broussard Shows Pigs Are Flying September 2, 2010

George Broussard’s Twitter Account clearly shows an image of pigs flying.  This is a play on a typical english saying which translates to (for our international visitors, who are perfectly welcome and loved by all) “something that will NEVER happen”.

As for things that never happen, coincidently, George Broussard has been working on a game for about 13 years called Duke Nukem Forever that most people have agreed will never see release.

Tomorrow if the first day of the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle, Wa.  Could this tweet be a tease for an announcement tomorrow?

Dead Rising 2 Developer Diaries September 1, 2010

After the release of Dead Rising 2: Case Zero yesterday, I couldn’t be more psyched for the release of Dead Rising 2.  While I was browsing for some new information about the game, I found Capcom has created these pretty interesting developer diaries including interviews and footage of the game.  They’re a great watch, and they feature some new tidbits of information about gameplay and story.

I just have one thing to say.  Giant Stuffed Teddy Bear brandishing an AK Powered by a Car Battery, sign me up!

Dead Rising 2 is coming September 28th, 2010 for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Epic Announces Unreal Engine Game for iPhone September 1, 2010

I can sum the game up in just a few words.  Competitive multiplayer sword-based combat.  Okay so that’s five, or maybe four, what’s the word count rules when you use a hyphen?

Project Sword is coming to iOS 4.1, and it will feature incredible graphics and multiplayer powered by the iPhone’s upcoming gamecenter feature (which was announced with iOS4 but isn’t going to see a release until iOS4.1, coming next week).  That could also mean cross-platform achievements unlockables, but that’s just speculation on my part based upon what was said about gamescenter’s capabilities.

Project Sword will see an iPhone release Holiday 2010.

New Screenshots Confirm Two-Face and Catwoman in Arkham City September 1, 2010

Screenshots have hit the web today for the sequel to last summer’s hit game Batman: Arkham Asylum, called Arkham City, and they include images of the rogues gallery that Batman will be up against in the new game.

Two-Face and Catwoman clearly appear in the images, looking very similiar to their comic book counterparts.  Harley Quinn is also seen in the images, but her appearance was confirmed when they released the first trailer at the Spike TV Video Games Award Show farce last year.

Both characters were mentioned several times in the previous game (most of Batman’s rogues gallery at least got some sort of nod) but were never seen.

Batman: Arkham City is coming multiplatform Fall 2011.

Epic Mickey Collectors Edition Confirmed August 31, 2010

Existance of this leaked out at retailers a day or two ago, but I was waiting for official confirmation before I posted up anything here, and that has come.  Disney’s Epic Mickey will get a full collector’s edition.  It’s quite rare a Wii game gets a collector’s edition, I can’t think of another game for the Wii that has gotten one other than Metroid Prime Trilogy (and that was more of a limited release game than a CE).

The CE will include a behind the scenes DVD, a 5-inch Mickey Mouse figurine, a Wii console skin, and a wiimote faceplate.  It will retail for $69.99 US.

Disney’s Epic Mickey is coming Holiday 2010 for the Nintendo Wii.

What is a Transforming D-Pad? August 31, 2010

Microsoft has announced today that they are releasing an updated version of the Xbox 360 controller with an improved directional pad, called a transforming d-pad, and a new color scheme which removes all the colors from the face buttons of the controller and replaces them with black and white buttons.

A transforming d-pad allows the user to raise the pad or flatten it depending on preference and game, making life a lot easier for fighting game purists.  By turning the pad at the base, you can change the d-pad’s orientation to your liking.

The largest complaint about the Xbox 360’s controller has always been the d-pad, perhaps this will quell that debate.  Other controllers also have complaints as well, for example the Dual Shock 3’s main complaint by most users is that the trigger buttons are rounded down instead of up, causing finger slippage.

The new Xbox 360 controllers are going to be released bundled with Plug and Charge kits on November 9th, 2010 for $64.99 US.

Dead Rising Case Zero Release Today August 31, 2010

In a brilliant move of marketing, Capcom is actually releasing a standalone game prior to the release of Dead Rising 2, which is supposed to serve as a prequel to the game, set up the new main character, and just be a great way to slay zombies.

Dead Rising Case Zero is out today and is only for download on Xbox Live.  Cost is 400 MS points, or about $5 US.

ATI Brand Discontinuing August 31, 2010

AMD has confirmed to several media outlets that it will no longer continue to use the ATI brand for its graphics processors, opting instead to continue with the AMD name for them.

Around the time of the shut down of 3DFX (at the time the primary graphics accelerator), many manufacturing companies that built hardware around their graphics api went down with them, leaving only Nvidia and ATI left in the graphics arena, who have been chief rivals ever since, and each had a dedicated fanbase devoted to their side.

AMD purchased ATI several years ago, and owns the company, so they can do this.  ATI’s chief (and by all accounts only) rival Nvidia is still independent.  No other company who produces graphics (including Intel) are even close technologically to the hardware either of these companies are producing.  In fact the stuff Intel made yesterday is pretty much on par with what Nvidia and ATI were making seven years ago.  There’s no comparison, and most modern PC games won’t play on your computer unless you’re using an Nvidia or ATI gpu.

To me this is the end of an era, but it has been coming ever since ATI’s purchase.  The ATI vs Nvidia wars were a staple of PC Gamers between 2000 and 2010 and likely will continue under the new name, but just will not be the same.