Once again, I’m impressed by both the time/ingenuity that goes into some of these crazy people’s contraptions, whether it’s homebrew/mods or even this, a gigantic and awesome Big Daddy costume. Looks like somebody’s ready for Halloween. How about you guys? Any Halloween plans this year?
Category: XBox 360
Introducing: Skorge in Gears of War 2
In light of the end of the Gears of War 2 Campaign NDA, news and screens are starting to break all around the Web about the single player portion of Epic’s upcoming game. One of the announcements that hit that is seemingly unrelated is that Skorge, the predator-looking locust seen in some recent screenshots, is going to be playable in Gears of War 2 Multiplayer.
He is kind of awesome looking, though it seems that his dual-chainsawed staff will be toned down or removed in order to keep things balanced. Also, he’ll be the end boss that shows up in the co-op Horde mode, which pits 5 players against AI armies of locusts. Cool stuff!
Source- AddictGaming
Rumor: Call of Duty 5 Perks?
For anyone that played Call of Duty 4’s excellent online multiplayer, you know the benefits, the joys and the struggles that come with the perk system. Do you get stopping power or Juggernaught? It’s those kinds of decisions and little abilities that made the game fun, though the martyr grenade always drove me up a wall.
Well, according to PlayStation Universe, they have a leaked list of Call of Duty: World at War perks, ready for you to look at, oggle, judge, and gasp at. I’m not sure where they got this list, and they don’t seem to be able to name their source, but nonetheless, it’s worth a look.
I’m actually really curious about the vehicle ones…
Play the Old School Fallout for Free
Though I am overwhelmed with excitement for Fallout 3, I have to admit that I never played the original PC games. Truth be told, I hear constantly that they were not only incredible, but also among the best PC games ever developed and then placed into the hands (or drives) of gamers.
So, imagine how cool it was to hear that GameTap is currently offering Fallout for free right now on their website, and all you’ve got to do is just sign up for free.
Granted, they might pester you at some point about, you know, giving them money, but hey- a free game’s a free game.
Source- Shacknews
Got this PC? Left 4 Dead System Requirements
I used to try in vein to keep my PC up-to-date, but as those of you who are into this have already surmised, it is an expensive bit of business. Luckily, I play most games on consoles these days, though the dreaded Diablo III looms in the nether-distance in some far-off-but-maybe-close future.
For those of you dying to play Left 4 Dead on your PC in November, Valve has finally released the Left 4 Dead system requirements. Give it a browse and see if your specs match up.
Continue reading Got this PC? Left 4 Dead System Requirements
Halo 3: Prepare to Drop
So last night, I posted about the countdown that appeared on Bungie. Well, the countdown is officially over, and with its end came a new teaser for a brand new game, as some were anticipating. It’s no Halo 4, if that’s what you’re hoping for, but it is related to the Halo universe.
While not many details are given, and it remains enigmatic as ever (thanks Bungie), there are a few clues to pick up on.
Video after the jump.
The Bungie Countdown
So the official Bungie website has gone off its rocker and is now displaying a countdown set to end in about 9 hours. I for one used to get stupid excited about these viral marketing campaigns that the developer constantly sets out on, but it does get a little irksome with the constant teasing.
We’ll be sure to keep our eye on the site for any kind of official announcements about new games, screenshots or whatever else they throw at the Internet.
Source- Bungie
Gears of War Dev Diary: Story
While the Dev Diary from Epic from a few weeks ago covered the weapons of Gears of War 2, we finally have something that dives just a little bit into the story of the game, which I am excited about. Even though the story in the first game was in the background, with the grizzly gory beefy guys in the foreground, I thought the foundation was there for a potentially cool narrative. Hopefully, we’ll get that in the sequel.
The Halo MMO That Almost Was
In case you didn’t know, Ensemble Studios, creators of Age of Empires as well as the upcoming Halo Wars, is closing shop soon. This announcement came rather suddenly, and makes a few wonder what’s going to happen to any future titles of those properties.
With this announcement, some information is starting to leak about old projects that got the axe at Ensemble, too, including a Halo MMO that was in development until last year.
Halo 3 Machinima: Without Providence
Here is a Halo 3 machinima short from TheDuoGroup, who I happen to be a fan of. They also created a Metal Gear Solid animated short which circulated around the Internet a few months back, and I was very impressed by it.
This new piece is short and simple, but has some very clever visual elements that you don’t often see in Halo machinima, or any machinima at all, really. Great use of some animated elements, and it features a song by Beck, so you know it’s gotta be good.
Splinter Cell: Conviction Still Truckin’
Last year, Ubisoft showed off some early gameplay footage of Splinter Cell: Conviction. This title didn’t play like other entries into the series, which typically have Sam Fisher infiltrate terrorist cells and do his best Solid Snake impression as he downed bad guys in stealth. No, Conviction instead has Sam Fisher on the run, doing his best to avoid cops in public as he is a wanted man.
Since that early preview, nobody’s really heard much about the game, until Chris Easton of Ubisoft recently gave a few more tidbits about the game’s progress. Apparently, they had some bumps along the way.
Dead Space And “Strategic Dismemberment”
I don’t do too well with scary things. Ask any of my friends, and they’ll tell you that I scream like a little girl and cover my ears during most horror movies (or games). Needless to say, I have never been a fan of the survival-horror genre for this reason, though I will give grace to things concerning Zombies.
Dead Space, however, combines survival-horror with science fiction, and it looks delicious. I’m particularly intrigued by the unique lack of a HUD, and the UI is incorporated into the environment, really making the gameplay experience feel like a literal camera attached to the hero. It just oozes atmosphere, and not all games have that. Plus, strategic dismemberment just looks insane.
Great XBox 360 Deal from Future Shop
Just a heads up to those of you in Canada. It appears that Future Shop, a Canadian retailer, is bundling Gears of War, Force Unleashed and 60GB XBox 360 models for 299.99, which isn’t bad at all, if I say so myself.
It seems that since the 360 price drop, these kinds of deals are popping up left and right. If you’re thinking about getting a 360 and live up in the great north, it might be the time to take the plunge, so to speak.
Source- Future Shop
First Person Zombies in Left 4 Dead
To me, one of the cool aspects that hasn’t been talked about in Left 4 Dead is the “Director”, an AI system that creates encounters for you as the game goes, meaning no 2 single-player (or co-op) playthroughs might be the same.
In versus mode, this changes. You play as a zombie, which makes you the “Director”, designing the campaign experience for your friends, in a sense. You can even call other zombies to your aid to battle your human foes. A new video interview has appeared on the webz, highlighting some of these features.
Fabulous Fable 2 Achievements
Ok, this one is for Eddy and all those other Achievement Whores out there who are anxious for Fable 2 to come out and hopefully live up to the hype it has generated. I think it looks like a fun game, but time will tell. Time and fanboys. Full list of Achievements after the jump. Continue reading Fabulous Fable 2 Achievements
Creating an XBox Mii, Er, Avatar
Apparently my XBot is showing today, as I bring even more news from the MS front. Once again, Gamerscore Blog has updated this week with some new info about the features of the upcoming new XBox Experience, an update to the 360’s dashboard.
This week covers the creation of Avatars for you to use as part of your Gamertag, and I have to say that I like some of the options. While there are lots complaining about them being glorified Miis, that is 100 percent correct. However, Nintendo hates all things related to the Internet, so the Miis just live in loneliness on your Wii. Here, they go out into the wild and flourish.
A Gag-Worthy “Best Of 360” List
I have a weird love/hate thing with “best of” gaming lists. They’re addictive as anything to read, but a lot of times you want to just slap the writers of them in the face for the way they have ranked the games. While a lot of that is expected and just typical subjectivity, sometimes dudes just get it wrong.
Take GamePro, for instance. While I’m sure they mean well with their new “Best of XBox 360” list, they are sadly, horribly, woefully misguided in the way they’ve placed the appropriate titles. There should be terrible punishments for people that are this far off.
Come Get Some Duke Nukem
No, not the vaporware Duke Nukem. I’m talking about the flesh-and-bone older brother, Duke Nukem 3D, which is coming to XBox Live Arcade later this month. A new trailer hit earlier this week, and man, I’m actually really pumped for the release.
I remember playing this thing on the N64 with my brother, and we would just do the deathmatch stuff with our friends all day long. Not to mention that this new version comes packed with 8 player multiplayer over XBL, but also the ability to save and share clips and even rewind it when you die, a la Prince of Persia. This is going to rule. Now if only they could get Goldeneye on XBLA…
Rumor: Mass Effect Movie?
As we all know, the world of video game movies has been a tough one for studio execs to crack. Nearly every movie based on a video game has been wretched, and it just doesn’t seem to show any signs of letting up.
However, it seems that Avi Arad, one of the bigwigs responsible for Marvel’s recent comeback, has optioned the rights from EA to produce a movie based on the RPG Mass Effect. Pretty wild.
Dear Gears of War 2 Diary
Gears of War 2 is looming, and the hype machine is ever-marching towards you and your XBox360. That’s why Epic has released another developer diary to tide your insatiable hunger for all things Gears of War 2 related. This new video features the weapons in the new game, along with a few other treats.
Despite the hype that is going to be all over this, I can’t help but be excited. I loved the campaign of the first game, and the second seems like it’s going to top it in nearly every facet.