We’re all used to seeing games that ship in one form for the XBox 360, a slightly different form for the PS3, and another form entirely on the PC. Whether it’s DLC, engine peculiarities, or exclusivity agreements, something always seems to make one platform different from another.

Well, this won’t be a problem for Singularity, the upcoming time-manipulation shooter from Raven Software. In an interview with VG247.com, Singularity’s creative director, Jon Zuk, said, “We are developing across the X360/PS3/PC simultaneously. Each platform has challenges, but you’ll get the same experience whether it’s PC, 360 or PS3.”

It helps that Raven is basing the game on the venerable Unreal 3 engine. After all, if you already have a proven multi-platform engine, that’s a lot less QA testing you have to do to make sure everything works. It’s also nice to see a developer working to make sure that they deliver a consistent experience across all the various platforms, and not favoring one over the other.

Singularity is set to release this fall, so we’ll let you know how their plan turns out once we get a chance to look at multiple versions.

Capcom sent us new five new screens for Resident Evil 5 today, and they basically look like more of the same. What kind of wowed everyone months ago is starting to look like old hat now. Granted, they may not be wanting to show us every area in the game, but the same ole dull grey is getting redundant.

Anyway, you can judge for yourself when you take a look at them.

According to a report on GamesIndustry.biz, a spokesperson named Cameron Gunn from the company Resolve, who is dealing with the administrative end of Free Radica,l has admitted that 185 employees have been let go, but that they have been paid for the rest of December. While the company is indeed in serious trouble, it still has 40 remaining employees working on game concepts and are expected to keep their jobs into the beginning of next year. At this time though, Free Radical has yet to find a publisher for the game(s) they are working on.

Gunn stated that:

“The company was placed into administration yesterday afternoon [and] we will be spending the next three or four days assessing the financial position of the company but it’s business as usual, although we have asked that almost all of the employees apart from a skeleton crew remain at home. All employees have been paid up until the end of December and we hope to make another announcement before Christmas or very soon thereafter, but we must stress at this stage that it’s business as usual.”

Meanwhile, Tiga CEO Richard Wilson has expressed his sadness over the situation and had this to say:

“On behalf of all Tiga members, I would like to say how sorry the whole industry is to hear of the fate of Free Radical Design. The studio has employed some very talented teams developing first class games over the years. Free Radical Design has also been a member of Tiga and a strong supporter of our trade association.

I would like to congratulate everyone at the studio for their past achievements and I wish everyone good fortune in finding a new job as quickly as possible. Free Radical Design’s demise highlights the difficult economic environment in which UK games developers do business.”

Using Free Radical as a sounding board for why the UK government needs to step up and support the videogame industry, he went on to state:

“The best outcome for the UK video games industry is an increase in the sector’s rate of growth and the return of the UK as the third largest developer of video games in the world. If we are to achieve these results then the Government must establish a more favorable tax environment and tackle the underlying skills shortages facing the industry.

A tax break for games production and a larger supply of skilled workers may not have saved Free Radical Design. Nonetheless, this policy approach would strengthen the UK video games sector. The Secretary of State for BERR must take action.”

Yet, according to some breaking news, there may just be hope yet for Free Radical.

Read the full article »

According to a report by ps3fanboy and showing up on NeoGAF, the trophies for the Metal Gear Solid
pack for LittleBigPlanet. On top of that, Media Molecule has said that upcoming level packs will include new gameplay elements: “I don’t think that people are expecting what it’s going to be and I’m so excited by that,” said Evans of the Metal Gear pack. “The surprise element is just a big part of it.”

The costumes hitting December 23 will cost you $1.99 each or get you can get all 4 for the price of 3 at $5.99. Player-creators also have the option to get the Metal Gear Solid Premium Level Pack for $5.99 which fills your Pop-it tool with MGS-themed “Create” materials plus objects, stickers and other goodies. All are listed below:

• A 5th Sackboy costume…the Gurlokovich Soldier
• 72 New Stickers
• 12 New Materials
• 10 New Decorations
• 18 New objects
• New background music track
• 3 new interactive music tracks
• New Metal Gear Solid themed ‘sound object’
• New Plasma Ball ‘danger element’
• New Laser Sight ‘gadget’
• New functioning Searchlight lamp
• 12 new Trophies to unlock
• THE PAINTINATOR and Paint Switch

With the THE PAINTINATOR you’ll be able to splatter anything that comes between you and the end of any level. Shoot paintballs with the R1 button and using the right stick to aim. Paintballs will hit very weak slap. Shoot ‘Brains’ from a safe distances now and progress thru levels much easier. The Paint Switch, so you can attach it to any object and set it to destruct after being splattered with enough paint.

Now if you don’t buy it, no worries, you’ll still be able to enjoy the MGS fun! Non-MGS Level Pack owners can PLAY the MGS Story Levels by joining a “host” who owns the pack and play the levels online together. You won’t be able to keep any objects, but you can experience the new features. MGS Level Pack owners will also be able to CREATE levels with any of these items (including the Paintinator) and SHARE them online for everyone to play.

Sounds like fun! Thanks NeoGaf for posting this info from the LittleBigWorkshop. If you hit that link, you can also view a trailer. More screens are posted below.

Read the full article »

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two is now available for download on the PS3 in North America. Offered via the PlayStation Network, this version of Episode Two features trophies, score ranking and background music support and sells for $14.99.

The zany adventures continue with Episode Two of the RPG-adventure game with a fresh character and new customization options or you can carry over their look and stats from Episode One. Plus, there are more puzzles, areas to explore, levels to gain and new difficulty settings to give you more of a immersive experience as you join Gabe and Tycho in trying to solve the mystery in the heart of New Arcadia.

For more information on the game, check out our FileFront page.

Gamers who play Guitar Hero: World Tour can look forward to an eclectic mix of tracks for the music simulation game come January. A full album from Oasis, a little bit of country (?) and Travis Barker tracks from Blink 182 and +44. Before January though, on December 23 Hinder’s “Use Me”, Nickelback’s “Because of You”, and Rev Theory’s “Light It Up” will be made available.

Come January 8 though, country comes to World Tour in the form of a Country Track Pack featuring Rascal Flatt’s “Me and My Gang”, Brad Paisley’s “Ticks” and Brooks & Dunn’s “Hillbilly Deluxe.” Hmmm… I wonder when we will get some good country like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Jim Reeves, Waylon Jennings, Keith Whitley, etc etc. “New country” is just not “country”. Even some Hank Senior would be cool even though his lyrics can be a bit depressing.

On the other side of the spectrum, Travis Barker is returning to Guitar Hero on January 15 with a three song track pack featuring songs from his stint with Blink 182, “What’s My Age Again”, and “Lycanthrope” from his work with +44. His solo-project Flo Rida will include the track “Low”.

January 22 sill see a track pack featuring Australian band Silverchair’s “Tomorrow”, and Wolfmother’s “Dimension” and The Vines’ “Outtathaway!”.

Finally, Oasis will release their latest album Dig Out Your Soul on January 29. “Bag it Up,” “Waiting for the Rapture” and “The Shock of the Lightning” are already available as a track pack, but now the following songs will be included: “The Turning,” “I’m Outta Time,” “(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady,” “Falling Down,” “To Be Where There’s Life,” “Ain’t Got Nothin,” “The Nature of Reality” and “Soldier On.”

The Oasis Album will be available on Xbox Live for 1520 Microsoft Points ($18.99) and on the PlayStation Store for the PS3 for $18.99. The Track Packs will be released for 440 Microsoft Points ($5.50) and PS3 system for $5.49. The songs on the Oasis Album and in each Track Pack will be released as downloadable singles for Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points ($2.60), PS3 for $1.99 and Wii for 200 Wii Points.

Karaoke game enthusiasts and people who just love to sing can now rejoice if they are the proud owners of  Sony’s SingStar games.

When Sony released SingStar for the PS3, the game was supposedly to come with a nice modern wireless microphone but instead came with the one PS2 users have been using since the game’s inception. This did not go over well with the living room stars, and they have (understandably) complained about it ever since. Thanks to word from Kotau though, it looks as though Sony is finally going to pony up a new mic for the SingStar games.

According to a post over on SingStar’s MySpace page, there is a contest (now closed) going on where you can win a wireless mic before they hit the streets. The mic is currently going through public testing and should be out sometime in 2009. Is there a bonus for those who have waited so long? Yes indeed. The wireless mic will work on both systems. Yay! More catterwalling, moonwalking, and thrashing around for all (at least if the commercials are any indication of how people play this game)!

Now Guitar Hero: World Tour players who are also fans of classic rock with a steel guitar flair can get to jamming with the following tunes from one of the most drama filled bands in history. I say that with all honestly and fact too, so don’t yell at me if you like The Eagles and feel like I am dissing your band.

The Eagles Track Pack is going to run you the usual 440 Microsoft Points ($5.50) and includes the songs “One of These Nights”, “Frail Grasp on the Big Picture”, and ‘Life in the Fast Lane”. Like previous track packs before this, you can download each song individually for 160 Microsoft Points ($2.00) but it if you like all three it is best to save the extra dollar and just get the track pack.

Now that we got that out of the way, speaking of The Eagles, who is better: Don Henley or Glenn Frey? Even if you do not like The Eagles, you have to have some sort of preference because they were both also solo artists and have bombarded radio stations for generations. So, if you were being tortured by masochistic kidnappers, and they were to force you to listen to one of the two, which one would you pick? There are no wrong answers, but like with most things on the internet, your preference will be ridiculed by the masses should anyone state their opinion on this.

Personally, I would prefer Don Henley, because Glenn Frey’s “Smuggler’s Blues” and “The Heat is On” drive me around the twist.

Capcom has sent us two new trailers for Resident Evil 5 showing off some of the gameplay you will experience in the Warehouse and Refinery. Both videos are being and age gate, so you will have to click on the links provided below to access the trailers.

Hopefully the “early 2009″ demo that was promised yesterday will arrive sooner than we think, and we will all finally get a chance to see if all the controversy surrounding the game was for naught; and also if it will live up to expectations considering how fantastic Resident Evil 4 turned out to be.

For the Warehouse gameplay trailer, visit the FileFront page here.

For the Refinery gameplay trailer, visit the FileFront page here.

Enjoy.

Shawn recently showed you the cool trailer for the upcoming action game Batman: Arkham Asylum, and recently we have gotten in a slew of really neat screenshots for the game. Today, only two arrived, but they are nevertheless just as cool as the others. Hopefully Eidos and Rocksteady can give us a good old fashiones Batman beat-down a lot better than Midway’s latest offering.

The game is based on the actual DC Comics instead of what those not immersed in the comics have seen on television and in the movies over the years. The whole of the island the prison is located on will be explorable, it is going to be played mostly via a third-person perspective and it is rumored that some of the villains will be playable at some point.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is expected to be released for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime in August 2009.