Search Results

Survival horror finally has finally made an appearance on the PlayStation Store with yesterday’s release of Siren: Blood Curse. The Sony-developed episodic game can be bought in its entirety for $40, or you can buy the three episode packs (each including three episodes) for $15 each.

A small selection of downloadable games on PSN have been temporarily discounted as part of a summer game sale. PAIN, PixelJunk Monsters, High Velocity Bowling, High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition and Rocketmen: Axis of Evil have had their price cut in half, from $10 to $5, for just one week. $5 for PixelJunk Monsters is an absolute bargain, and most PAIN owners would probably say that $5 is what the price should have always been.

Hit the break for the full list of content, which includes 1942: Joint Strike, new Guitar Hero III and Rock Band tracks, and a demo of PixelJunk Eden.

Read the full article

If you found this story interesting, why not subscribe to our RSS feed to get your daily fix of gaming news?

You know what they say about payback, and the now-official LucasArts layoffs has led to Kotaku getting all sorts of email from  former LucasArts staff revealing all kinda of details on future games — including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3.

The information claims that, with the layoffs, the company will be left shorthanded with all of the games they have in the works, which include KOTOR 3, which is apparently an MMO being worked on by BioWare, Star Wars Battlefront 3, “The Official Indiana Jones” game, “another LEGO game based on the Indy universe,” and “a lightsaber game for the wii (sorry, no lighsaber peripherals).”

Talk about juicy rumors.

The person also said that the layoffs shouldn’t impact The Force Unleashed or Fracture. The Force Unleashed has “passed approval with SCEA and is ready to ship,” while Fracture, on the other hand, is “an absolute piece of garbage.” Of course, I’d probably hate anything being made by the company that just fired me, so his or her word might not be the best to go on in that regard.

The rumored news that LucasArts had laid off as many as 100 employees — including the Peter Hirschmann, VP of product development — have been confirmed by the company today, Kotaku reports. Spokesperson Margaret Grohne said the decision to let Hirschmann go was a “mutual decision” and claimed that things are still in good shape.

“I can confirm we had layoffs yesterday they were in the studio,” said Grohne. “They had to do with where we are in our product life cycles.”

LucasArts underwent a change at president recently when former prez Jim Ward resigned. He was replaced by former Electronic Arts COO Darrell Rodriguez shortly thereafter. It’s unclear if those moves led to the layoffs, but it’s certainly a fact worth keeping in mind.

“We are healthy,” Grohne continued. “LEGO Indie was launched on seven platforms to positive reviews, The Force Unleashed and Fracture are on track for this fall. We have a good slate of games and we have some good stuff going on in production.

“We are definitely committed to the internal studio.”

But with so much of the company’s staff getting the boot, is the company really in a position to continue internal development? We’ll have more on the story as it develops.

Big update this week on the PlayStation Store. Normally, downloadable games would be the big deal, but with the first episode of Qore being released, that’s the real story. The new interactive video exploring all things PlayStation carries a price of $3, or $25 for a year-long subscription, and will hopefully provide more content than PS3 owners are used to getting. Otherwise, Sony can expect a backlash if the freebies become fewer in number.

We reported on the other big PSN releases already; Commando 3, Novastrike, Guitar Hero III’s God of War track and the Motorhead track pack, new Rock Band tracks, demos of NASCAR 09, Civilization Revolution, and Battlefield: Bad Company’s multiplayer… you’re not going to find it difficult to fill up your hard drives this week.
Read the full article

Ah, Fracture. It’s the non-Star Wars LucasArts title that seems to magically re-appear every couple months or so. This time, the game is popping it’s head up to share a new trailer that explains the story a bit more. Apparently you’ll play in a futuristic United States that has been both crippled by environmental disaster and then torn apart by a civil war. Most of the gameplay looks like your standard third-person shooter fare, with the main draw being special grenades that physically reshape the landscape. As cool as that is, it’s going to seem kind of gimmicky if the rest of the game doesn’t stand out in some way.

I have to admit, every time I hear the name “LucasArts,” I don’t first think of the Star Wars games or the upcoming Fracture or anything like that. No, I think of all the classic adventure games that the company released back in the 90’s. Their library of games includes most of the greatest in the genre, like the Monkey Island series, Day of the Tentacle, and Full Throttle (many of which were also made by the brilliant Tim Schafer). Now that the Wii and DS — two systems perfectly suited to point-and-click gameplay — are flying off store shelves, it seems natural that these games could simply be ported to a more modern format. Well, unfortunately, it’s not that easy, according the PR manager Chris Norris and Fracture assistant producer Jeffrey Gullett:

“We have looked at it,” admits Norris. “It is something we are continually looking at - new venues to put out our library of games on. We’re not announcing anything about that because honestly I don’t know anything about it.”

“The cart size of the DS makes it impossible to put out ports of any of our old graphic adventures,” claims Gullett. “There’s literally not enough room on those carts to put the games out.”

“It could still happen,” rallies Gullet. “We’ve got a lot of pride in our heritage and it’s definitely something we’re still leaving open.”

At least they are thinking about it, though I find the argument about size limitations on the DS carts a little hard to swallow. If they can put whole 3D adventures and complex RPGs on DS carts, surely they can do the same with some games that are almost two decades old. This sounds especially ridiculous when you realize that the homebrew community has already gotten some of these games to play on the DS using the ScummVM software.

Via EuroGamer

Back in September, we told you about Fuzzyeyes Studio’s latest project Edge of Twilight, but where unable to get you a release window or publishing details because it had neither at that point and time. Today, however, we received news that SouthPeak would be the publisher and Edge of Twilight would be hitting the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime next year. Why does it always seem that the games you would be the most interested in are always coming “sometime next year”? As long as the time is well spent on developing a great quality game that will give the player a fun and memorable experience, that is all well and good, but it still sucks having to wait.

Edge of Twilight puts the player in the shoes of Lex, an outcast bounty hunter who finds himself caught between clashes of two polar opposite civilizations. The world in which he resides, Hellayem, has been torn apart into two separate realms of Day and Night and Lex must travel through these two parallel realms drawing on mystic powers and his agility while uncovering the dark secrets and mysteries that shroud his fractured world.

For more information on Edge of Twilight, click here and check out some screens for the game here. Be sure and visit the official website for the game as well, which is very cool. You can get there by clicking on the game’s title above.

Via: Press Release 

The third-person shooter Fracture from Day 1 Studios and LucasArts is shaping up to be one cool looking action-packed, epic journey of a game. Armed with next-generation technology known as Terrain Deformation, Fracture will equip you with an arsenal of futuristic and destructive weaponry to strategically manipulate your terrain on the fly where every action dynamically changes the face of the earth along with the way you play the game. Fracture is expected to become available for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime in July.

Storyline:

In the year 2161, ecological and seismological disasters have radically altered the entire world as you know it. Determination and desperation fuel a clash of ideologies over the future of humanity in the United States, resulting in secession, and ultimately war. Amidst a backdrop of worldwide ecological and seismological chaos of the late 21st Century, the United States has been split in two. The eastern portion of the United States now refers to itself as the Atlantic Alliance (symbolic of their compact with Europe), putting their faith in surviving this new world with cybernetics, an established yet evolving technology now more than 150 years old. On the other side of the continent, the Western states, have declared their secession from the United States and call themselves the Republic of Pacifica. Allied with Asia, Pacifica resorts to human genetic engineering to cope with the rapidly changing global environment, restructuring the DNA of its inhabitants - a method the Atlantic Alliance finds morally reprehensible.

Experience a revolution in 22nd century warfare. Engage yourself and be prepared. You will become Mason Briggs, a cybernetically enhanced demolitions expert, fighting for the Atlantic Alliance. Pitted against the genetically enhanced soldiers of the Pacifican Army, face the frontlines head-on!

Sounds cool to me. LucasArts has been a bit quiet about the game since E3 ‘07, but now that 2008 has hit, we have received more screenshots for the game, so hopefully more info will come to the surface soon. In the meantime, for more information on Fracture, check out our previous posts and get more screenshots by clicking here.

Forget about the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD debacle that seems to be taking the top spot in news for CES 2008. Tomorrow, LucasArts plans to show off Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Fracture. Both games use game technology that has never been seen before. Perhaps ‘The Force Unleashed’ will be the ultimate game that finally brings balance to the force. No game have ever excited me as much as TFU. Perhaps an announcement concerning KOTOR III would be the only thing that could beat new information on The Force Unleashed.

I’m sure we will learn more about DMM or “Digital Molecular Matter” tomorrow, which is a new technology that will be first used in ‘The Force Unleashed’. We’re about to play a game in the near future where characters have actual nervous systems and a type of AI that has simply never been seen before. We look forward to whatever LucasArts has in store for us tomorrow. Until then, may the force be with you.

Via CNBC

Edge of Twilight is a third-person action adventure game developed for the PC and Xbox 360 with a post apocalyptic, steampunk fantasy world. The game takes place in a world where Day and Night have been torn apart into two separate realms. Lex, an outcast bounty hunter caught amidst the clash of two polar opposite civilizations - the industrial Atherns, and the spiritual Lithern - must travel through the two parallel realms drawing on mystic powers and his agility while uncovering the dark secrets and ornate mysteries that shroud the fractured world of Hellayem.

So far, neither a publisher or release date have been announced for Edge of Twilight, but the screenshots are impressive, and the amount of game detail on the website makes this game a bit of an easy sell for gamers who love the fantasy genre. Check back often as updates arrive on this title from Fuzzyeyes Studios - we have provided you with a more in depth storyline as well as some game features after the jump.

MORE SCREENS HERE

Read the full article

“It’s always funny until someone gets hurt, and then it’s just hilarious.”

Those crazy Japanese, what were they thinking?

Arm Spirit, by Atlus Co., is currently suffering a recall over in Japan. The crazy arm wrestling game (shown right) apparently is breaking arms of its opponents. Chalk one up for the engineering team on this one, folks. This is definitely a case of over design meets mental midget. The machine’s rubber hand is proving too much for the overzealous types over there. Or maybe it’s that pink barrel. I mean who wants to lose to a rubber hand over a pink barrel? Hey guys, don’t let a little old thing like a broken arm get you down. Seriously, your crazy antics make such great YouTube material. Keep up the fight! You shall have your revenge!

All 150 units are being recalled due to 3 reported cases of arm fractures. When questioned, Spokeswoman Ayano Sakiyama had this to say:

“The machine isn’t that strong, much less so than a muscular man. Even women should be able to beat it. We think that maybe some players get overexcited and twist their arms in an unnatural way…”

Zing! As our fearless leader, Ron, would say “Those nubs!”. They should have just stuck a sign on there saying “nubs (and elderly) need not apply”.

*cues Over The Top victory song*

You can totally blame GamersReports and endgadget for this one.

Well we just got back from a stellar appointment with the fine folks at LucasArts. In addition to the Star Wars offerings, LucasArts gave us some great looks at upcoming titles Thrillville: Off the Rails, and Fracture.

Thrillville: Off the Rails demonstrated an engaging and fun romp through the theme-park creation and management genre. Utilizing simple controls and an increased option set, Off the Rails offers gamers both a casual and involved environment. Only have a few minutes to play? Jump in and create a new coaster on the fly or play one of the numerous single or multi player mini-games. Micro-management your thing? Spend the day addressing the numerous needs of your parks guests. With an NPC dialog script that is longer than that of Knights of the Old Republic, you should stay busy for quite a while.

Perhaps the most engaging addition to the title is the added functionality found in the Nintendo Wii version. Building coasters on the Wii involves simply moving the Wii-mote in the direction you want to lay your tracks. The Nunchuk controls the banking of the line while the main remote addresses the vertical and horizontal. LucasArts demonstrated that gamers could even build coasters with their eyes closed. The fact that your tracks man not end where they began is no longer an issue, as all passengers are equipped with parachutes. Yes, you finally have the option to crash your rollercoasters.

LucasArts also took the time to show us gameplay from Fracture. The hook of Fracture is terrain deformation. Players manipulate the landmass itself to accomplish varying objectives. Going into the event I was enthralled by the idea of mass ground deformation, but concerned about the ability to actually pull it off. After all, the ground is typically one of the largest elements in a game, and the ability to shape and modify the land to that degree has got to be an amazing challenge technologically. I am happy to say it works like a charm and the build we were shown looked amazing. Perhaps the most interesting thing shown was a tunneling weapon called the Bangalore. The Bangalore is fired into the ground and then tunnels its way to the enemy before popping out and exploding. You can actually see the round spanning the terrain on its way to its intended target. The LucasArts team later told us they were affectionately calling it the “Bugs Bunny Gun”.

One helpful individual over at the Playstation Forums has compiled a list of all the PS3 games that have been confirmed for E3 2007. It should be noted that more titles may be added as E3 draws close; these are just the ones that have been put into the schedule. It’s also interesting to note that the only PS3 exclusives are the ones coming directly from Sony. You can view the full list after the break. Read the full article

Keeping with the Asian news theme today…

The GC Developer’s Conference, one of Europe’s GDC equivalents is launching a new Asian oriented operation. The new GCAC will be aimed strongly at Asia based game developers to address the topics and issues confronting the industry in those regions. The new conference will take place along side the GC Asia game convention on September 6th and 7th.

With the American game industry conferences fractured after the loss of E3 in 2006 its interesting to see how the rest of the world’s game industry is evolving professionally as well.

Lucasarts and their development partner, Day 1 Studios, recently sent out a press release to unveil their new project, Fracture. Drifting away from the usual Star Wars and occasional Indian Jones fare, Fracture will take place in an entirely new universe, where the United States has been split into two factions after the melting of the polar ice caps. Think of it as a futuristic East Coast vs. West Coat thing, but without Biggie or Tupac. Players will take on the persona of Mason Briggs, a cybernetically-enhanced demolitions expert in the year 2161, who fights on the side of the Atlantic Alliance. On the opposing side – meaning, the guys you shoot/blow up – are the genetically-enhanced soldiers of the Pacifican army.

But the main ground-breaking (literally) feature of the game will be a new terrain deformation system, where players can use different weapons to morph and reshape the terrain almost like a ball of Play-Doh:

“When Briggs throws a tectonic grenade on a level battlefield, the ground blasts upward to provide access to an otherwise unreachable area. Moving on, when he comes across what appears to be an impenetrable structure, Briggs utilizes the alt-fire functionality on his rocket launcher to create enormous craters to burrow underneath the wall.  Surrounded on all sides by enemies, Briggs heaves a vortex grenade, creating a swirling tornado-like mass of boulder, dirt and debris to dispatch his foes.”

A trailer for the game also shows these different weapons in action, and it definitely looks like something PS3 and X-Box owners can get excited about, when the game ships in Summer 2008.