Archive for November 16th, 2007
November 16, 2007
Insomniac Games is responsible for two of the PS3\’s most important Sony published titles: Resistance and Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction. They believe that we\’re already seeing a big leap in what people are able to do with the PS3 now compared to a year ago, and that we will see another big leap by the end of 2008. They also think we\’re going to continue seeing major leaps each year in what people can do with the PS3 for at least three or four more years. The PS3 SPUs are how this can be achieved as they can move tons of things over to the SPUs that used to run on the PPU.
November 16, 2007
News agency Reuters has an article which is titled \’Nintendo and Sony roll out big titles\’ - can anyone guess which ones they are talking about? Why they\’re talking about Super Mario Galaxy and Uncharted of course. They describe Uncharted as providing a movie like adventure while Super Mario Galaxy uses cartoonish like graphics and simple controls to freshen up an aging gaming franchise.
November 16, 2007
The following video shows a demonstration of IPTV in action on the PS3 from Korea.
November 16, 2007
One year after the release of the PS3 ScrewAttack take a look at what defines a console - it\’s exclusive titles.
November 16, 2007
In London\’s East End, 3ROOMS is a set of beautifully designed settings to get to grips with all the functions of the PS3 designed in conjunction between Sony and designer Tom Dixon. The first event kicks off from December 1st and content includes complimentary drinks, refreshments and hosts on hand to answer any questions about the PS3.
November 16, 2007
Gamers are reporting that GameStop will be letting them pick up a copy of Uncharted today (November 16th). Since one guy posted it at the GS forums, a few more have come forward to confirm the same thing.
November 16, 2007
The Memor 32 team has released an updated build of their savegame manager software for their Memor 32 memory card for PS2/Two. It is now possible to export or import one or more savegames in a single file. Those of you who live life on the wild side, will know that this card also has the ability to function as a mod chip with a flash of the third party Memento hack. The Memor 32 is available to buy now from Divineo.de / Divineo.fr / Divineo.es and Divineo.it.
November 16, 2007
Recent statistics show that online PC game play time dropped during October. Xfire\’s senior director of marketing has suggested that Halo 3 could well be a reason for this fall in activity as a lot of Xfire users are console gamers too. However, with the release of titles such as Call of Duty 4, things seem to be picking up again for November as they experienced a 10 percent increase in traffic in comparison to October.
November 16, 2007
A technology website has put together a guestimation as to what the next Xbox console will have. They think that it will have an integrated chip with 16×5GHz processor cores, 8GB memory, a dual format Blu-ray/HD-DVD drive, 4TB of storage, a built in camera for gesture based control and a built in microphone.
November 16, 2007
MaxConsole reader KD let us know about a little experience he had with the Xbox customer service. He claims 12 out of the 20 Xbox 360\’s he bought had an RRoD problem. However, as he got them from a wholesale lot, the support staffer said that unless he had a receipt for each Xbox 360 then he would have to pay $100 per Xbox 360 fix. He then spoke to the supervisor who was questioned on where this was written and if they are making things up as they go and he stated \’yeah pretty much\’.
November 16, 2007
New figures reveal that the Xbox 360 in its two years on the market in Japan, has managed to outsell the total sales total of the original Xbox 1 console from Microsoft. At least this marks a continuous improvement for MS.
November 16, 2007
OXM has conducted a first look on Rockstar\’s GTA IV and thankfully it\’s all good. They claim that they are evolving the genre, and by the end of the demo they played, the prospects of IV were just looking better and better.
November 16, 2007
Now here\’s a good old class - 3 red lights of death on an xbox 360 only mean one thing…time to fry an egg!
November 16, 2007
With Doom, id Software chief John Carmack created groundbreaking technology that reinvented the way games look and play on the PC. In 2005, the tech-savvy programmer accomplished a similar feat for the mobile platform with Doom RPG, a role-playing take on the classic first-person shooter franchise that was codeveloped by Fountainhead Entertainment. Carmack and Fountainhead followed up that success with the equally well-received Orcs & Elves in 2006. Orcs and Elves for the Nintendo DS went on sale this week.
On the heels of that release, id and Carmack are diving headfirst into mobile gaming with the formation of a new division devoted exclusively to developing for mobile and handheld platforms, reports USA Today. id Mobile will be headed up by Katherine Anna Kang, founder of Fountainhead Entertainment and former director of business development at id Software.
“The whole reason we are in the mobile arena now is I was just really appalled at how bad [cell phone games] were,” said Carmack of the new mobile division. “We’re already making profit on 2 million units of games [sold], but we are kind of holding out this hope there might be a breakout moment when the industry gets five to 10 times larger.”
In addition to mobile ports of the original Quake and Wolfenstein 3D, id Mobile’s first projects include a sequel to Doom RPG. During this year’s E3 Media & Business Summit, id also revealed that it was developing Orcs and Elves II, which continues the storyline of the original game and adds in seven new environments to the fantasy world. USA Today reports that Orcs and Elves II will be available for mobile phones in December, and will be published by EA Mobile.
November 16, 2007
You don’t necessarily play Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law for the Nintendo Wii as much as you watch it. Oh sure, there’s the occasional pressing of the A and B button as you make your way through the game, which is based on the Adult Swim cartoon featuring the dull-witted, dramatically winged former superhero turned attorney. So while your interaction with the game is rather limited, your laughter probably won’t be. This is a funny game based on a funny show and one that’s come a long way since our initial look at the PSP version back at the 2007 E3 Media & Business Summit.
Birdman, how does your client plead?
Back in July, we only had time to go through the tutorial mission, which led you through the basics of Harvey’s particular brand of courtroom madness. Being relatively familiar with the case from E3, we burned through it again in the Wii version and noticed lots of small improvements, such as actual cast members providing voice-over work, as well as greatly improved animations that replaced many of the still character drawings that were in the earlier build of the game. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear you were watching an episode of the show.
However, that isn’t to say the game is a total hands-off affair. Indeed, while the first case in the game (there are five total) is a breeze, things pick up quickly with the second case. In this one, Harvey’s office has been robbed, with the culprits only leaving behind a death ray machine owned by X the Eliminator. With the crime scene established, it’s up to you, as Harvey, to put together a case for trial. This will include investigating several areas as you go–using a magnifying glass to check out and collect evidence you can use in the trial. In addition, you can interview witnesses and suspects. In this case, you’ll be talking to Harvey Birdman regulars, such as Peanut, Birdgirl, Secret Squirrel, and Magilla Gorilla, the latter of whom are potential suspects in the robbery.
As you interview folks and collect evidence, you’ll open up new areas to investigate where you can repeat the investigation/collection process until you have enough of a case to head to trial. Once a trial begins, it’s up to you to use your own powers of logic (likely many orders of magnitude greater than Harvey’s) to make your way through the sometimes insane twists and turns the trials take. For example, in this case, you guide Harvey (a defense attorney) as he’s put in the unenviable position of defending the very suspects accused of robbing him blind. Later, you’ll hold trial in a Jacuzzi. It’s nuts.
Questioning witnesses on the stand typically involves you first watching a brief cutscene of their testimony, then either pressing them on specific aspects of their testimony or presenting evidence from your investigation that either supports or refutes their claims. Evidence collected in case number two includes a fortune cookie, a used coffee cup, and an empty peanut bag with a pair of dirty boxer shorts stuck inside.
You can press a witness on his or her testimony multiple times with no penalty to your case. However, you’re more restricted when it comes to presenting evidence. Should you present a piece of evidence at the wrong moment or a piece of evidence that has nothing to do with a particular witness or segment of testimony, Harvey will lose a gravitas point (shaped like the crest he wears on his head). You only have a handful of gravitas points; thus, you only have a handful of chances to get your case correct. If you lose all your points, it’s case dismissed and you’ll have to start over. Luckily, the game has multiple save points so even if the judge calls the case, you don’t have to back up too far to try over again.
Hmm…how does ‘guiltocent’ sound?
The game certainly has its fair share of trial and error (not to mention point and click when investigating crime scenes), but the big cast of likeable characters along with the downright hilarious dialogue is enough to keep you coming back for more, if only to see what ridiculous turn the case will take next. Considering the second case takes under an hour to finish–with just three cases to follow after that–Harvey Birdman seems like a pretty short game, but one that’s long on the laughs. The case begins in early January when Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is released.
-If Its Games