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This is a really fun trailer for Ghostbusters: The Videogame. Sierra Entertainment has probably made one of the funnest trailers I have seen in the past two days, mainly because it not only has clips from the movie, but a side-by-side comparison of footage from the game next to the original scene from the movie. The gamplay footage looks top notch, and this is definitely (still) going to be the game to watch for this Fall.

The game is slated for an October 21st release (same day as Dead Space) and while October is “the” month as far as game releases go, I seriously believe it can hold its own because if other gamers out there are anything like I think they are, they will be buying plenty of titles that month. Also, the Activison shindig is tonight, so we might actually hear or see a bit more about the game considering Sierra is under the Activision umbrella, so check back with us.

More E3 screens for the game can be found here.

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One gamer has had it with the whole vicious cycle of hacking, slashing, looting and shopping in RPGs and MMORPGs. This is one element that can’t be avoided in games like Diablo and Diablo II, Titan Quest and legions of other RPGs. Whole new means of travel have been invented to deal with limited storage space of adventurers.

You should be saving the world from demons, but no, you’re mucking about with spreadsheets so that you’ve got space for an extra pair of bracers.

And Portals! I mean… These are worlds capable of incredible teleportation magic, the ability to travel instantly over miles of land, and what’s it used for? Shopping. Not banishing evil or revolutionising society or sticking one hand through so you can wave to your mum from the other side of the world. Just. Shopping.

Then there’s the whole effort to allow characters to pay for more storage slots or to expand the amount of loot a character can carry with more accessories. Many developers have tried to alleviate this rather large pain in the butt. However their efforts usually fall short or just bring more attention to this glaring flaw.

No-one actually tries to do anything about it. Instead we get painkillers such as Dungeon Siege’s mule or Dungeon Runners’ Bling Gnome. They’re there to ease the burden of constant space-shortage, but in a way they just emphasize what a ridiculous, mechanical system it is. When a game offers its players so extreme a fix as a Gnome that can eat loot on the spot and crap out gold, it’s a pretty clear sign that a critical element of the game isn’t as fun as it could be.

I don’t know whether to laugh about this article or not considering it’s oh so true.
Read the whole “Today I’m Annoyed About: Action-RPG Inventories” rant on Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

With all the Diablo III hype, many gamers are dusting off their copies of Diablo II. If you’re missing your CD key or the entire disc, G2Buy has a few precious CD keys on sale for Diablo II and the expansion, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, for a mere $5. Here are the particulars from the G2Buy.com site.

• Guarantees that cd-keys is 100% authentic and has NEVER BEEN USED.
• The cd-keys works on ALL CLOSED REALMS on Battle.net.
• You’ll be the only one with the cd-keys.
• You need the CD’s to install the game - we don’t provide these!

So what’s the catch (and there’s always a catch)? If you don’t have the physical CDs, you can download the programs, but you must request 26 characters from the Blizzard website first. There’s an extremely limited number of these keys left so move it or lose it. I’m glad I have the CD keys for all three copies of my game.

Editors Note: After looking into this a bit, I can’t find anything specifically stating that this service is legit, or not. However, with any deal that seems too good to be true, there’s always a chance that it is. Therefore, I urge you to consider carefully the ramifications of buying what may be a previously used, banned, or muted CD Key. Over at the Fat Wallet Forums, user Jethroz reminds us all of the following:

For those that are purchasing these, be careful. I have around 80 keysets from Clone Hunting, some of which are banned/muted and a few that are shared between users across realms. Multiple users can use the same key as long as they are being used on different realms. Also, if a key is banned on one realm, it will, in most cases, still work on a different realm.

I was able to register for the digital download with numerous ‘bad’ keys I have. Single realm mute, full mute, single realm ban, and full BNet ban all were accepted for the digital download.

*edit*
Now that I recall, g2buy.com is one of the notorious in-game spammers on at least the West realm. They ran spam bots to randomly enter games/lobbies and spam their store message. The bots cycled through hundreds of keys during the process.

Not to say that this site isn’t legit, but if these keys have been associated with nefarious activity in the past, it might not be something you want your name associated with. So, as always, caveat emptor, my friends.

via The Frugal Gamer

I am loving all of the cool screens for the upcoming Ghostbusters game from Sierra and Terminal Reality, and the barrage of screens we received today is no exception. This looks like it is going to be a very visually stunning game, therefore lets all cross our fingers that the gameplay will equal the coolness we see in the screens.

You can get more screens for the game after the jump.

Read the full article

When we first started getting news about the new Ghostbusters game from Sierra, we were all very curious as to whether the original actors would be lending their voices to the videogame counterparts. Imagine our excitement when we were informed that indeed the original Ghostbusters, cranky genius Bill Murry included, would be starring in the game as well, but with this announcement, a couple of names were missing from the list. Both Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis’ names were missing from the press release, which led us to wonder if they had just not hopped on board yet or if Sierra was just saving that last tidbit of information just to add a bit of suspense to the title.

Unfortunately, that is not the case because thanks to Das Gamer, the light has been shed on why these two names were vacant from the list. Well, they tell us why Rick is not in the game but as for Sigourney, nothing is mentioned but I have a feeling it has to do with her just being a stick in the mud.

According to Bit-Net, her character will not even be included in the story:

The cast has also been trimmed down a little bit and Dana, who was played by Sigourney Weaver, has been cut completely and replaced with a new female lead character. The developers have said that again, they couldn’t find a way to re-integrate her into the story, but the general opinion is more along the lines that they either couldn’t afford the actress or that she didn’t want to be involved.

Not wanting to be involved is more likely the case. She lent her voice to other works, including a Futurama episode, so she can’t be THAT expensive. I mean, seriously, what noteworthy film or anything for that matter has she done in the past few years? Almost everything she has been in that has released to theaters worldwide has flopped at the box office, and her “indie” films are basically sitting on retail shelves gathering dust. Maybe she really was too expensive, but considering the fact that her career is headed towards hawking tires for your local mechanic shop, she should have reconsidered the offer. Maybe, though, Dan Akroyd and the others did not include her character because just do not like her and tore-up her invite to the party. For what I can remember, she had issues with certain cast members in the movies anyway *cough Bill Murry cough*.

Now, back to Rick Moranis.

Apparently, Das Gamer is reporting that his reason for not being in the game is because he is retired. During a preview of the game with Sierra producer Ben Borth and Terminal Reality development director Brendan Goss, Broth stated Rick’s absence was because:

“He made so much money off of Honey I Shrunk The Kids that he retired. He just doesn’t want to work anymore”

Ah, come on now Rick. How hard could it be to do voice work? I mean that is really all you have done since 1997 anyway, the last of which being in 2002. You could easily phone it in from the comfort of your lazy boy. Actors do it for The Simpsons all the time.

This is a bit depressing, and I think that I can speak for all of us when I say that DJ Lubel says it best in the video below. We miss Rick.

Via: Das Gamer

XBLA Hors D’oeurvres are a weekly feature where I play the latest Xbox Live Arcade game – in trial form – for no more than 10 minutes, and then summarize my impressions of the game based only upon that.

Pokemon Snap was never something I enjoyed. I remember being forced to play it and I found it to be as dull as could possibly be. But, it garnered its fans because it worked well enough and anything with the Pokemon named attached to it is guaranteed to sell a million of 76 million copies — it’s a simple statistical fact.

Sea Life Safari is a lot like Pokemon Snap for obvious reasons, with a sort of Finding Nemo-ish vibe to the whole thing. The trial of the game is quite brief, but it does give you an excellent look at what the game has in store. Perhaps more than any other Arcade title (with the possible exception of something like Buku Sudoku), you already know whether or not you have any intention of playing the game.

Read the full article

Sierra Entertainment has announced that one of the most iconic cars in Hollywood history, the Ghostbusters’ ECTO-1, is back and will be busting ghosts in a town near you! In conjunction with the eagerly anticipated Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Sierra is taking the classic caddy on the road to give fans of the franchise a chance to experience this one-of-a-kind machine and the game first hand.

ECTO-1 will be stopping at several destinations across the U.S. throughout the tour, five of which are in partnership with the Boost Mobile Nightshift and Hot Import Nights events. Additionally, fans will have the chance to get up close and personal with ECTO-1 at Knott’s Scary Farm and the L.A. Auto Show later this year.

ECTO-1 Tour Schedule:

June 21 – Nightshift New York (Belmont Raceway; New York, NY)
August 9 – Nightshift Pomona (Pomona Fairplex; Pomona, CA)
August 29-31 – Penny Arcade Expo (Seattle Conv. Ctr; Seattle, WA)
Sept. 20 – Nightshift Pleasanton (Alameda Fairgrounds; Pleasanton, CA)
Sept. 27 – Hot Import Nights (Minneapolis Conv. Ctr; Minneapolis, MN)
Oct. 11 – Hot Import Nights (Dallas Conv. Ctr; Dallas, TX)
Oct. 15 – Nov. 1 – Knott’s Scary Farm (Knott’s Berry Farm; Buena Park, CA)
Nov. 19-30 – L.A. Auto Show (L.A. Conv. Ctr; Los Angeles, CA)

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is planned to release this Fall for the PC, PS2, PS3, DS, Xbox-360, and Wii.

If any of our readers decide to go to one of theses events, please send us a picture of you next to it.

Via: Press Release

Two new 800 Microsoft point games were released today on Xbox Live Arcade today: Sea Life Safari, the Pokemon Snap sans Pokemon clone, and Elements of Destruction, a game based around the one aspect of SimCity that everyone can enjoy — unleashing natural disasters.

As Jonathan said earlier this week, both games sound interesting, although I’m personally not all that interested in taking photographs of digital sea creatures. Maybe it’s just me, but I simply don’t find the concept all that appealing. (I’m not looking forward to writing tomorrow’s XBLA Hors D’oeuvres story on it, I’ll tell you that much.)

On the other hand, Elements of Destruction sounds nothing short of rad, even if the game’s title sounds a lot like a subtitle for “Unoriginal Game 78.” Playing as a mad scientist who can blow stuff up with lightning, tornadoes and earthquakes, among other things, sounds incredibly fun. Multiplayer also sounds like a blast, with a versus mode (try to cause the most damage) and co-op mode (work together to take down the corporations, man! Sounds a bit like a hippie’s dream.).

Both games are now available for $10 a pop. Expect the Hors D’oeuvres love to come sometime tomorrow.

The Bourne Conspiracy
Developer: High Moon Studios
Publisher: Sierra Entertainment
Price: $59.99
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360
Category: Action/Adventure
ESRB: “T” for Teen
Release Date: June 3, 2008

Really, I was surprised they didn’t make a Bourne game at some point while the movies were still coming out. A trilogy of action movies that makes millions at the box office seems like the sort of thing ripe for a shoddy video game tie-in. Thankfully though, the powers that be staved off such an adaptation until a video game company finally just secured the rights to the Bourne books themselves. Well now the wait is over, since High Moon Studios and Sierra have now released The Bourne Conspiracy for the Xbox 360 and PS3. So is this game — though Matt Damon-less — worthy to carry the Bourne name? Read on past the break to hear my impressions.

Read the full article

Last month, Radical Entertainment’s Tim Bennison stated that multiplayer had been cut from Prototype. For those of you who where looking forward to this aspect of the game, take heart because all may not be lost after all.

During and interview with VG247, Bennison, who is the executive producer, stated that the multiplayer for Prototype is currently being evaluated and may end up becoming part of the game.

“We’re trying to create the best possible single player experience. It’s an original story and if we are successful, we’re hoping it’s the start of a franchise. But to do this, you’ve got to establish a great core single player experience. Having said that, we are still evaluating multiplayer to see if we can make it work in our development schedule.”

Originally scheduled to be released towards the end of the year, Vivendi has instead pushed the game into 2009 and is expected to be released sometime in May. Hopefully this will give them time to work out the multiplayer end of the title so as not to disappoint those who were counting on it.

Thanks: VG247

A lot of people were bummed out by the fact that Matt Damon’s likeness would not be appearing in The Bourne Conspiracy. But when the developers needed a replacement for the titular role, Jimmy Kimmel had someone already lined up: his friend, Guillermo. Oddly, I think I would’ve liked the game more with him in it. Seriously though, it looks like they actually put a digital representation of Guillermo in the game just for this sketch. That…is awesome.

Yes, XBLA Hors D’oeurvres are back. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re simply a weekly feature where I play the latest Xbox Live Arcade game – in trial form – for no more than 10 minutes, and then summarize my impressions of the game based only upon that.

Right off the bat, I wasn’t particularly enamored with Aces of the Galaxy. It’s an on-rails space shooter that seems to have about as much strategy as those web games where you see how many times you can click your left mouse button in ten seconds. The trial lets you try the game’s first two levels; after I was through with the first (which took around four or five minutes), I was dreading another level.

But around halfway through the second level, I found myself genuinely enjoying the game. It wasn’t like the game suddenly become more sophisticated; it was more that I had let go the expectation of something more sophisticated and was able to enjoy the game for what it was.

Read the full article

I’m going to go out on a limb and predict — without having played either game — that people are more satisfied with this week’s lineup of Arcade games than they were last week, with a retro game and Sudoku. Roogoo has the sort of name that sounds like a manufacturer of children’s toys, but is actually a puzzle platformer. I get the feeling the game’s price tag of 800 Microsoft points ($10) might turn people away, though. You can check out five new screenshots on FileFront.

The other new release, Aces of the Galaxy, also carries the 800 points price tag, but it unfortunately falls into the bloated space-shooter genre. It does look really pretty, though, and doesn’t sport the usual bird’s eye view, so perhaps that and online co-op will be enough to garner some attention. The game was also released on PC today (you can find it acesofthegalaxy.com); you can check out a ton of screenshots here, and find some new videos in addition to the one above here.

Those lucky gougers over at Videogaming247 recently had an interview session with none other than Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddmore) from Ghostbusters. During the interview (which they plan to post later on in the week) Ernie discussed many things, and one of them was the size of the script for the game which has been written by Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis.

From the interview:

“You know, I read the script, and it’s a really good script. It’s huge. It covers every possibility. A regular film script is 120 pages, this thing’s 480 pages, or something. All the characters are back, including Bill Murray, which I was surprised at, because Bill tends to not do these things. If you look at his movies, I think the only time he ever did a sequel was with Ghostbusters. And it took five years to get him to do that.”

That is because Bill is not only a pretty sullen person, but is more concerned with alcohol, pot, and overseas hookers sexual liaisons apparently.

Hudson was at the MCM Expo in London promoting the Ghostbusters game, and as stated above you can read the full interview on Videogaming247 later this week. Hit the link below to go directly to the source.

Thanks: Videogaming247

Sierra is bombarding us with screenshots for the latest bit of adventures for Sypro, but that is a good thing because these are some pretty nice screens.

In Dawn of the Dragon, the final chapter of the trilogy, players find Sypro teaming up with an unlikely ally - Cynder, his former enemy, to face his most challenging mission to date. As the Dark Master’s (voiced by Mark Hamill) evil envelopes the world like a plague, Spyro must fulfil his destiny and unlock the true power of the purple dragon within him to stop the Dark Master in his tracks.

Expect the game to hit shelves this fall for everything but the PC and PSP.

I enjoyed the original Assault Heroes on Xbox Live Arcade as much as one could without actually buying the game. I was just somewhat fatigued with dual stick shooters at the time, and wanted a break from anything not named Geometry Wars. I almost bought it when it was named an Arcade Hit (and thusly having its price cut in half), but I’m not glad I didn’t, because Assault Heroes 2 is here and looks a whole lot better.

The above trailer gives you a look at the weaponry you’ll be employing in the game, and while it’s clear that none of them are going to win Sierra any originality awards, they do look fun. (Particularly that ice cannon.)

800 Microsoft Points, or $10, is the asking price for the game and it’s now available on the Marketplace.

Yesterday I told you all about the new Sierra movie/game tie-in for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Today, they sent us some screenshots for the game and after looking at them I came to the same conclusion I did yesterday when I heard the news. So what.

Sorry Sierra, but I just cannot get excited about this. But, if any of you out there are, you can look at more screens for the game by clicking here.

The first Assault Heroes game featured some huge screen-filling bosses that could challenge even the more skilled player. From the looks of these new videos, the sequel will also contain its share of strange, gigantic bosses to destroy. Sierra has just unveiled two new videos for the game that reveal most of the bosses you can expect to try and take down when the game is released next week on the XBLA. You can watch the second video, which shows off even more bosses for the upcoming game, after the break.

Read the full article

Sierra has announced the development of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a video game based the third installment of the “Mummy” movies from Universal Pictures. The game, which will mirror the events depicted in the film, is being developed by Eurocom Studios for the PS2 and the Wii; and in development for the DS from A2M.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor game was created through a licensing agreement with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. In this third-person action-adventure game, players will take on the roles of Rick O’Connell and his son, Alex (played by Brendan Fraser and Luke Ford, respectively, in the film). Gamers will follow the lead characters on their journey - across locations from ancient Chinese catacombs to the Himalayan peaks - to defeat the revived servants of the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li). The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will allow players to switch between gunplay and hand-to-hand melee attacks, and also features an arsenal of weaponry that can be used to vanquish the many enemies players will face during their journey. Players will also be able to utilize combat, puzzle-solving and hieroglyphic decoding gameplay elements to fight their way through the game.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is expected to be available on July 22nd, while the movie is expected to be released in theaters on August 1st.

You know, as horrid as The Scorpion King was combined with the asinine antics and plotline of the The Mummy Returns, I am surprised that they are even making ANOTHER one. I mean, even Rachel Weisz is smart enough not to be a part of this one - her character is being played by Maria Bello this time around - who isn’t even British so how in the world can she still be considered Jonathan’s sister? Plus, with the “son” as a side-kick in the movie, that just guarantees that it will both suck and blow. Plus, with Luke Ford playing Brenden Fraser’s son, his character would have been 13 when Alex was born which is absurd - of course, now I am just nit-picking so I will shut up.

Via: Press Release

That’s right, we’ve slipped into another year, so there has to be a new Crash Bandicoot game on the horizon. As such, Sierra has revealed a new teaser trailer for the upcoming Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant, set for release this fall. It already looks pretty much like his last game, Crash of the Titans, just with a few new abilities and enemies; so I can already draw some educated guesses on what this game will be like. Let me put it this way: the trailer begins with a cartoon character getting kicked in the groin. If you find that hilarious, then you probably fit into these games’ demographic. You’re also probably ten years old.