Something you may not know about me is the fact that I am not a huge fan of karaoke games like Sony SingStar. The reason why is that the thought of someone ruining great songs intentionally in the comfort of their homes annoys me. Why can’t they get drunk and make fools of themselves in a bar like everyone else? Well, that is because not everyone is a drinker, and the majority of the people who play Sony SingStar are not old enough to even get in a bar. Regardless, it ruins the self satisfaction I get when I make fun of these people.

However, news this morning via a press release from Sony has me feeling a bit better about karaoke games because the gaming giant indicated that instead of going ahead and releasing the much promised SingStar: Queen for the PS2, they have decided to let loose two new packs featuring a sort of “best of” compilation for the PS3. That is great news for Queen fans who are too shy to dress up in gold short-shorts and do their best Freddie Mercury poses down at the local pub; unfortunately, for those who like Rock Band instead, still no Queen on the horizon and I personally think that EA and MTV should make that their next priority.

Anyway, if you are interested in downloading the Queen packs for your SingStar, here is what you have to look forward to – including songs from the soundtrack to the first “Highlander” movie (which is so full of win it makes my head spin):

Ultimate Queen 1:

Bohemian Rhapsody
One Vision
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Breakthru
Bicycle Race

Ultimate Queen 2:

We Will Rock You
Another One Bites The Dust
Who Wants To Live Forever
I Want It All
We Are The Champions

On October 2, log into the SingStar store and get to downloading this healthy dose of Queen where each pack will run you about $10 (£4.49 in the UK). Now, what I want to know is, why they chose to omit “Fat Bottom Girls”? Maybe the sexual connotations in the song were not right for the underage crowd, but it is still a fantastic song that needs to be included if you expect to get the full Queen experience.

Fans of Highlander who are presently awaiting with baited breath for the game to hit shelves may be disappointed to learn that developer Widescreen Games has not included the evil Kurgan in the title. RATS! This is grim news indeed, because who of us hasn’t wanted to take a sword to his ugly head and claim victory as The Quickening washed over our body’s?

While this news is a bit of a let down, the Luke Timms, the assistant producer of the game, insists that one of the original film’s favorites will be making an appearance.

“Kurgan, no, but there is one familiar character Highlander fans will be happy to see,” he said. “Working closely with the original writer – David Abramowitz – ensures that we are in tune with what Highlander fans want and expect. One of the things we have found that is as compelling today as it was in the original film is the idea of immortality,” said Timms. “This really opens up some cool, unique gameplay opportunities. For example if you get impaled by a sword, you can pull the sword out of your stomach and use it to behead your enemy.”

Ok, so maybe that will make up for the loss of The Kurgan (poor Clancy Brown, I have hated him since that movie). Knowing that Connor MacLeod will not be the hero of the game should have given us a pretty good idea that The Kurgan would be absent from the game. However, Widescreen Games has not stated who this “familiar character” will be, so we will just have to cross our collective fingers that it is either Connor or Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (aka Sean Connery).

Highlander will be available for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 this year, and will be published by Eidos. For the full Luke Timms interview, please check out the link at the bottom of the post. For more information on the new Highlander game, look over our previous posts.

Thanks: VideoGaming247

When I first saw these screens for the new Highlander game, they literally made me weak in the knees. Not only does it look like it will be nice and bloody, but the graphics look pretty damn sweet too. Although I personally wish they had sent more than just five screens, I am just excited Eidos sent them. I know I should really calm down, because last time I was this giddy about a forthcoming game based on one of my movies, it dashed my hopes, smashed my heart to pieces, and literally made me so angry I thought I might develop an embolism.

The screens shown here depict the futuristic NYC that will be in the game as well as Pompeii

Back in August when I first heard about Highlander: The Game coming out I was as giddy as any catholic schoolgirl. Seeing one of my all time favorite movies (the first one anyway) and television series brought to the gaming world, I figured the possibilities were endless. Now Eidos and Widescreen Games have sent us a trailer featuring a new immortal hero, Owen MacLeod, and with a wonderful Scottish brogue, he tells the tale of the miseries he has seen. The rise and fall of kingdoms and vast cities, his battles, his losses, his gains, his immortality…. The Quickening. Oh the sweet, sweet joy of it all!

While the trailer is not of the highest quality, it gives you a basic background as to what the storyline of the game will entail. There are no cutscenes, no actual gameplay footage, and no characters present other than Owen himself. That’s okay though – gamers are used to marketing gimmicks, and the trailer being this short will either add to the overall anticipation or backfire dramatically – we will just have to wait and see what else they send us in the future. A release date of 2008 is all that is given so far, so stay tuned for more news within the weeks to come. Highlander:The Game will be made available for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. For more information, please visit our previous posts.

For the lady gamers out there and also to prove that men in kilts can indeed be sexy, I have posted pictures of the Highlander Hunks for your viewing pleasure. Sexy gals are always present on the pages of Gaming Today, so I figured I would provide something for the ladies this time just for fun. Please note, that when I say Highlander Hunks, I am NOT including the ridiculous Mario Van Peebles from the regrettable “Highlander III: The Sorcerer” – only Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, and Adrian Paul fit the Highlander Hunk mold.

It’s been anticipated for quite some time and certain companies already unintentionally confirmed its existence, but yesterday at Sony’s Tokyo Game Show conference Kaz Hirai confirmed a new Sixaxis controller with rumble – Dual Shock 3.

Kaz mentioned this being in response to what the fanbase was clamoring for. A number of titles at TGS are playable with rumble (in addition to Burnout Paradise) including Devil May Cry 4, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted, and Rachet & Clank. Already-released games will support rumble; a full list of titles can be seen after the break.

The controller will be released in Japan this fall and in the spring for the US and Europe. If I was in the market for a PS3 this holiday season, I might hesitate knowing that next year there will be a superior controller released that I’ll then have to drop $50 on (which is presumably what the price of the controller will be) to get the best gaming experience. But, it’s likely this move is being made to sell through all Sixaxis controllers out there before the new wave hits.

Check after the break for a list of games that will support rumble.

via 1UP 

Read the full article

 

Eidos finally revealed details about their Highlander project at GC 2007. The game will be a 3rd person action title developed by the French studio Widescreen Games for the PC, PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.

Highlander will cover 2,000 years of history allowing players to explore Pompeii before the catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius, feudal Japan, medieval Scotland and a futuristic New York City. As Owen Macleod of the clan Macleod you’ll walk the earth through the centuries to face other immortals from all over the globe in combat. When you take their head, you absorb their power. There are 18 missions and 77 immortal warriors to face including some familiar characters from the movies and TV series. The player may choose to wield a Claymore, Katana, or Double and will be able to execute special powered up moves such as Resurrection, Chi Balance, Fireblade, Wind Fury, Stone Armour.

Widescreen also promises a variety of ways to get around that befit a character unafraid of death; zip wires, dagger and traverse climbing, swan dives, free falls, cannonballs and beams are all fair game. Being an immortal kind of takes some of the thrill out of it though, unless the possibility of decapitation is involved.

Highlander promises to carry an adult rating with no holds barred violence, blood and gore. We can expect the Immortals to walk among us in 2008. In the end, there can be only one.

via Eurogamer

“I am immortal! I have inside me blood of kings! I have no rival…”

Well, that immortal part might be true… IF you believe everything Sony says.

Seems the crew over at SPOnG scored some information from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s founder, Chris Deering, at the recent Edinburgh Interactive Festival. At that festival the SCEE founder stated the PS3 had an amazingly low “default rate” of “around 0.2%”. That’s quite a boast considering the generally accepted average console failure rate is around 5 percent. Makes me wonder why Sony didn’t just come out and say they have a zero failure rate? Then again, as one forum goer stated, “They just can’t say it’s 0%. Same reason Lysol only kills 99.9% of germs instead of 100%”.

It is not surprising to see such a figure tossed around lately considering the community outcry that eventually led to Microsoft’s admission of the Xbox 360’s dismal failure rate. Ironically, Sony is now sitting with a large beating stick in hand staring down at a bound Microsoft. Apparently, the temptation to whack Microsoft with this stick is going to prove too much for the Sony PR ninjas. Isn’t taking cheap shots a sign of desperation? The sharks are definitely circling.

Now, before you label me an Xbox fanboi or anti-PS3 zealot, believe me when I say I’m about as neutral as it gets. Being a critic, I try to judge both consoles with equal harshness. Even still, if you think I’m overreacting to this virtually zero defect claim, you can not deny Sony is at the very least bragging.

Regardless, I cannot deny that the PS3 is well built. I just wish Sony would let the product speak for itself. Then again, subtlety has never been Sony’s style.

Via SPOnG