AMD’s Cinema 2.0… Wow. Seriously.
Sweet mother of Carmack! Did somebody say gaming on the PC was dead? Well, ok, I’ve been accused of saying that, but the flood of game titles has been on a tremendous decline since developers discovered that consoles print money. But I digress. So, what are the PC hardware manufacturers doing to combat the dreaded console menace? That video you see right up there. Take a moment to watch it. I’ll wait. Done? Good, now watch it again. Seriously. Pay very close attention. That my friend is REAL-TIME. Yeah, not pre-rendered. Not some fancy Sony video that claims gameplay but is obviously a cutscene. Real. Time. Text can’t express the emphasis I’m trying for here. Hit the jump for the full scoop on this piece of lovely from our friends at AMD/ATI.
Unreal Tournament 3 hits Xbox 360 in July
To quote Victor Lin from Bloodsport “It’s about f**king time!”
Epic Games announced today that the long-awaited (or rather ‘late-coming’) Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament 4.. er, I mean 3 (I guess Epic forgot about UT2003) hits North American store shelves on July 7th. The 360 release gets a split-screen multiplayer mode, new characters, new maps, and all of the official downloadable content released for the other versions. Now before you get too excited, keep in mind that the mod support that is in the PS3 and PC versions is missing thanks to Microsoft wanting to keep a short leash on what players can put on their consoles. So what was the hold-up in getting this released? They didn’t say, but I have a sneaking suspicion it has to do with UT3 being treated as another cog (get it?) in the Gears of War 2 hype machine. What makes me think that? The fact that along with announcing a shipping date, they also went out of their way to point out that UT3 will contain “an exclusive video that gives a never-before-seen first look at some of the new gameplay modes in Gears of War 2, hosted by Cliffy B”. Whatever…
Source: Shacknews
Is Apple serious about games this time?
Apple has always had a hot and cold relationship with game developers. They’ve occasionally hinted at core-level API support and better integrated hardware for the Mac. They’ve even showcased luminaries from Bungie, id Software, EA and other developers during Steve Job’s MacWorld Expo keynotes. Most every time, though, the thunder has died even before the last of the faithful have shuffled from the cavernous Moscone Center conference halls.
Now, Apple appears to be ramping up the hype again, this time touting iPhone and it’s updated 2.0 platform as a legitimate player in the burgeoning market for mobile games. At Monday’s WWDC 2008 keynote, Jobs and friends demoed a number of games in development. One in particular showed that iPhone may be able to compete (at least on a performance level) not only with other mobile phones, but also against dedicated game platforms like PSP and Nintendo DS.
Enigmo, by Pangea Software, has been around for a while on the Mac. It’s a 3-D puzzle game where you’re given a number of tools to try and manipulate various liquid droplets from point A to point B. Each type of liquid (water, oil and lava) has its own physical properties and behaves differently with the various obstacles and tools at your disposal. It’s a game that seems to be perfectly suited to the touch-based controls on iPhone and shows off some serious processing power as well.
Along with Super Monkey Ball from Sega developers are showing that they can utilize iPhone’s unique qualities in their games. I’m hoping that these are just two of many more to come.
Via Pangea Software
90s gaming… I just can’t quit you.
I’m of the opinion that there are few eras in gaming more important than the 1990s. Yes, gaming started in the 70s, and took the world by storm in the 80s, but the real beginning of the industry as we know it today happened in the 90s. I mean, just look at the list of gaming related things from the 1990s article on Wikipedia! The 90s set the stage for gaming as we know it now; console wars, mascot wars, Doom-clones, the rise of Sony, the downfall of Sega… ahem, excuse me… I just need a mintue… that last one always gets me teary eyed…
So what’s my point with all this? The video at the top of the post, that’s what. If you were to say that you’ve never heard of NAViGaTR, I wouldn’t think less of you. There’s not a tremendous amount of information out there other than their website, which looks like GeoCities and MySpace had a love-child and left it in a dumpster on prom night. And to tell you the truth, I’m not convinced that the whole thing isn’t a big put-on. However, there is a diamond in the rough. Apparently, NAViGaTR had a series of video reviews for games released throughout the 90s, and through what I’m sure was accidental genius, decided it would be a great idea to upload them to YouTube. The series is called “Gaming in the Clinton Years“, and while these may all be part of an elaborate ruse, it doesn’t change that what we have here is a treasure trove of greatness. Most of these reviews are laughably bad, some of them are surprisingly good, but overall they offer an amazing look into the decade when gaming lost it’s innocence. And besides, any videos that start with a stage from Battletoads on the SNES, a drawing of Bill Clinton, and the music from Shadowgate over it is OK by me. Hit the jump to see more of my favorite picks from the series.
What do you think of fighting games?
After wandering around gaming related videos on YouTube I came across the above video.
It’s got a nice number of views and one hell of a lot of angry comments. It shows some guy pretty much completely bashing all fighting games.
I feel he makes some really good points but he does tend to go overboard on how bad the games are. I’ve never been a fan of fighting games but I still see why people like them. I can also see why they are starting to become pretty stale these days.
So what do you think? Do you agree with the video, or does it make you angry?
Sims going online again?
The Sims has tried the online scene before and it failed pretty badly and was a free game on EA’s “EA-land” which has now been shut down. But even so, they are considering bringing online features back to the series, according to a Times Online interview with Nancy Smith (head of EA’s Sims division). The new game would contain some old features and some new, according to Smith.
Ms Smith was adamant, however, that The Sims would not break wholly with its past, and would continue to require players to buy and install software on their machines before being able to play. Some virtual worlds, such as Club Penguin and Habbo Hotel, can be played entirely within a web browser.
The Sims franchise would also continue to explore new revenue models that have become associated with virtual worlds, she said, including sponsorship and the sale of ‘virtual goods’, as on the fashion-focused virtual world for teens, Stardoll.com.
Little is known right now, but it looks like it’s coming. Will it work this time?
Getting ahead of themselves: Take Two announces Bioshock 3?
That’s right. According to Ars Technica, Strauss Zelnick, the chairman at Take Two got a bit carried away during a conference call and consequentially let it slip that Take Two would be producing a Bioshock 3.
The comment was made in regards to the release of the planned Bioshock movie. Zelnick said that the movie would not be released coincident with Bioshock 2 and “more likely, it would be released with Bioshock 3…”
While his statement may seem straightforward, this may all be a misinterpretation. Considering Zelnick was primarily speaking in regards to the Bioshock movie, which is planned for release sometime in 2010. Bioshock 2 is planned for release in 2009, so Zelnick may have been trying to clarify the fact that the movie will not be released alongside Bioshock 2.
Considering the very short time between Bioshock 2 and Bioshock: The Movie, I wouldn’t bet on a 3rd installment being developed in such a short time. But this still begs the question: “Will there be a 3rd Bioshock?” Only time will tell.
DoDonPachi Dai Fukkatsu - “Bullet Hell” is back!
Mmmmm…. nothing quite warms the cockles of my heart like Japanese arcade shmups. Sadly though, being in America, we rarely get top notch arcade titles anymore since the decline of the gameroom. If it shot out tickets, we might stand a chance of seeing it in one of the mega-cades like Dave & Busters, but alas, solid and challenging gameplay doesn’t seem to be enough anymore.
So what is this then? Well, it’s the fifth game in Cave’s DonPachi series, and if you’re a follower of the shmup genre then you know what to expect. Insane weapons, tiny hit boxes on your fighter, and screens so packed with enemy fire you’re likely to have a panic attack trying to dodge them. Everything that makes these games so fantastic! DoDonPachi Dai Fukkatsu made it’s debut at the AOU2008 Amusement EXPO, and is currently sitting in Japanese arcades gulping yen from hardcore manic shooter fans. Word around the campfire is that this version’s difficulty has been lowered slightly from previous entries to be more accessible to newer players. Hey, that’s fine with me! Whatever it takes to get enough buzz behind it to have it come stateside on one of the consoles. My fingers are crossed.
Duke Nukem Forever gameplay
Just when we had all forgotten about 3D-Realms long awaited project, late last year they sprung a teaser trailer re-igniting interest in Duke Nukem Forever, and subsequently decade old forum jokes. Now though, adding fuel to the fire of a prospective 2008 release, gameplay footage has surfaced.
Unexpectedly the thanks goes to Jace Hall, CEO of Monolith, and his new online show for showcasing the footage. After a brief tongue in cheek interview with George Broussard and Scott Miller of 3D Realms, Jace is allowed to play the current build of Duke Nukem Forever, with 30 seconds of over the shoulder camera footage, starting at 4 mins 20 secs.
Looking very much like Prey in the graphics department, the game is looking close to finished. The graphics are what’s important right? An Oscar worthy storyline and serious dialog are the last thing I expect from this game. Gameplay is looking very smooth as well and hopefully 3D Realms can pull out some variation with the gameplay. In ten years they must have had some sort of innovative idea?
SoulCalibur on XBLA gets ever closer…
My excitement levels for this game literally exploded (gah, there goes my favorite jeans) when it was announced that the Dreamcast version of SoulCalibur was coming to XBox LIVE Arcade. In between then and now, my unadulterated fanboyism waned a bit when it was discovered that there would be no online play, however, I was still very interested in being able to get a high-def remake of the Dreamcast’s defining title. Fast forward to now, and videos have started to make their way out showing off the improved graphics of the XBLA port of the game, and I must say that I am impressed! The jaggies that are so obvious and out of control on the Dreamcast version (let’s face it, we didn’t notice back then) have been completely smoothed out, and the game is running in a ridiculously high resolution! I can has happy again?
No, ‘fraid not. Sadly, this video also confirms that the game will NOT have the widescreen support I was hoping for. Am I getting too picky here? A graphically enhanced version of one of the greatest games of all time should be enough shouldn’t it? I guess it all depends on how many MS Points this puppy sells for when it gets released alongside SoulCalibur IV this summer.
