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Archive for October 3rd, 2007

Hitachi create 100GB four layer Blu-ray disc

October 3, 2007

Hitachi have developed a prototype 100GB four layer Blu-Ray disc. TDK and Panasonic had also created such discs, but they required specially developed optical heads to read the disc. Hitachi however say that have used a standard optical head that has been slightly modified to read and write data. It is believed exsiting drives will only require a firmware update to be compatible. Hitachi are trying to stabalise the signal quality before considering releasing the discs.

Rockstar puts up for grabs a limited edition Manhunt 2 themed Wii

October 3, 2007

In their latest sweepstakes, Rockstar is making available a limited edition Manhunt 2 themed Wii console complete with a 50\” Plasma TV. Here\’s a look at the console in all its bloody glory, more information on the contest is available to view at Rockstargames.

NBA 2K8 PS3 vs. Xbox 360 Comparison

October 3, 2007

Is the graphical divide between PS3 and Xbox 360 games becoming less and less? Take a look for yourself.

Playstation Store Updated

October 3, 2007

As usual, the Playstation store has received its weekly update. Go! Sports Ski has been released which takes advantage of the tilt sensing on the PS3 controller as well as a demo of The Simpsons game and more.

Hitachi create 100GB four layer Blu_ray disc

October 3, 2007

Hitachi have developed a prototype 100GB four layer Blu-Ray disc. TDK and Panasonic had also created such discs, but they required specially developed optical heads to read the disc. Hitachi however say that have used a standard optical head that has been slightly modified to read and write data. It is believed exsiting drives will only require a firmware update to be compatible. Hitachi are trying to stabalise the signal quality before considering releasing the discs.

Game Developer Now Offering Employees Overtime

October 3, 2007

Via Joystiq comes a story from the European game development website Develop, saying that the UK developer Free Radical will be offering employees overtime for crunch mode sessions. “Steve Ellis of Free Radical says the days of ‘bonuses that pay off your mortgage are long gone’ and that they’ve ‘decided to start paying people for the work that they do — even when that work is outside their normal hours.’ Ellis says that the industry as a whole will eventually go this way, but they prefer to do it sooner rather than later. Although there are so many companies who are guilty of not paying their employees for working extra hours, EA gets picked on more often than not because of the infamous EA Spouse saga.”.

Leaks Reveal New Xbox 360 Package

October 3, 2007

Gamasutra reports on hints from around the internet adding up to a new sku for the Xbox 360. The new box, the ‘Xbox 360 Arcade’ pack, is essentially a core pack with an emphasis on Xbox Live Arcade titles, for a low price. “Now, a new listing on Amazon, and a separate page at on Toys “R” Us’ retail site that has been consequently removed, indicate an October 25th release date and $279.99 price point. The package shot shown at Toys “R” Us prominently features the five-game Xbox Live Arcade pack-in, with icons for Pac-Man and UNO lending more credence to the Ars Technica rumors. Microsoft has yet to confirm any details of the new model, nor has the company officially declared that the Core model - which originally was marketed with no hard drive, external storage, or HDMI output at the same $279.99 price - has been discontinued.”.

Mass Effect Collector’s Edition Info, More Background Unveiled

October 3, 2007

Several piece of Mass Effect information have come up recently. Eurogamer had the chance to get some hands-on time with the title and speak to BioWare’s Greg Zeschuk. ” When we started Mass Effect’s development, we decided to do a big space epic, we went away and wrote the story, and we just felt it fitted better as installments. But a key thing for us is, we never want to make a game where the end of part one doesn’t feel like the end. That’s not to say we’ll never have any kind of cliffhanger, but you’ve got to be satisfied with the ending.” For more of a sense of the game, check out a video exclusive over at MTV: a tense confrontation between the protagonist and the bounty hunter Wrex. Finally, if you’re the type to like extras, they’ve finally released details of what’s going to be in the Limted Edition..

Nintendo issues a response to Wii Aussie game delays, well a lack of one

October 3, 2007

A gamer contacted Nintendo following his annoyance that many games were delayed in their release by many months for the Wii in Australia and New Zealand. Nintendo finally responded to his frustrations supported by hundreds and Nintendo simply said they have no comment and Nintendo of Australia doesn\’t comment on these issues. What a great response…

Video-game review: `Heavenly Sword’ (AP)

October 3, 2007

AP - The hack-and-slash genre brings a certain mindless, yet simply satisfying, element to video games. Call it a quirk of gaming, but sometimes there’s just an odd pleasure in pressing the same few buttons over and over again.

Full D2CKey specs revealed and install diagram available

October 3, 2007

D2CKey has released the full specs for their mod for the D2C Wii chipset which requires one heck of a lot of wires. The specs look pretty standard as well as the team indicating they have a \’true stealth\’ mode as their mod does not modify the RAM and features full command set emulation.

Wii Sports Boxing - even Cavemen love to play it

October 3, 2007

During the season premiere of Cavemen on ABC the Cavemen got down on Wii Sports Boxing.

PSP considerably dominates Japanese sales charts for second week running

October 3, 2007

Who would\’ve thought it? The PSP Slim & Lite has made Sony rocket to the top of the weekly sales charts in Japan. The latest Media Create figures reveal that the PSP sold 128,000 in comparison to the DS\’ 72,000 units. Elsewhere, the Wii sold 25,000 units while the PS2 and PS3 sold 13,000 units a piece and the Xbox 360 put in a GOOD performance by their standards with 5800 units sold during the week ending September 23rd (previously been struggling to sell over 1k).

EA compiles 13-game C&C Saga

October 3, 2007

Late last month, If Its Games confirmed with EA that the much-rumored sci-fi shooter in development at its LA studio was indeed set in the future-tech warfare universe of Command & Conquer. While that branch of the C&C story develops, EA is recapping what has come before to bring new fans up to speed and let old ones relive the series’ history.

EA has announced the Command & Conquer Saga, a 13-game compilation of C&C games released since the series’ inception 12 years ago. Included in the package are the original Command & Conquer, as well 1996’s Red Alert, 1999’s Tiberian Sun, and the most recent addition to the series, C&C3 Tiberium Wars. (An expansion proper to C&C3–Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath–will focus on the notoriously creepy Nod leader Kane and is due out in Q2 next year.)

Command & Conquer Saga will retail for $49.99 when it goes on sale later this month. In September, EA released Command & Conquer Gold for free, which is currently available for download on If Its Games.

A complete list of games appearing in Command & Conquer Saga is as follows:

Command & Conquer (1995)

Command & Conquer The Covert Operations (1996)

Command & Conquer Red Alert (1996)

Command & Conquer Red Alert Counterstrike (1997)

Command & Conquer Red Alert The Aftermath (1997)

Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun (1999)

Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun Firestorm (2000)

Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 (2000)

Command & Conquer Red Alert Yuri’s Revenge (2001)

Command & Conquer Renegade (2002)

Command & Conquer Generals (2003)

Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour (2003)

Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (2007)

Report: Princess Bride game conceivable

October 3, 2007

Between E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial on the Atari 2600, Taxi Driver, and Street Fighter: The Movie, film-to-game adaptations don’t always have fairy tale endings. However,