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Metallica Death Magnetic album hits GH III via DLC this week

Posted by: Dan at 9/8/2008 12:25 PM - Comments (0)
More On: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Activision
Pop in your Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock disk this Friday to download Metallica's Death Magnetic Album the same day it hits retailers. The album will feature two exclusive Guitar Hero versions of "Suicide & Redemption" (extended solos). In addition, the entire Death Magnetic album will be forward compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour when it launches later this fall at no additional charge. Death Magnetic will cost 1440 Microsoft Points for the Xbox 360 or $17.99 for the Playstation 3.


Metallica Brings Death Magnetic to Guitar Hero(R) III: Legends of Rock This Friday to Make Music and Video Gaming History
Guitar Hero(R) to Feature Two Exclusive Versions of "Suicide and Redemption"
Downloadable Death Magnetic Album Also Forward Compatible with Upcoming Guitar Hero(R) World Tour

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept 08, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- In a monumental first for the gaming and music industries, Metallica's highly anticipated ninth studio album Death Magnetic will be available in its entirety as downloadable content for Activision Publishing, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero(R) III: Legends of Rock day and date with the album release this Friday, September 12. Featured on the downloadable album will be two Guitar Hero(R) exclusive renditions of "Suicide & Redemption" with extended solos by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. Gamers looking to shred, drum and wail away to the Death Magnetic downloadable album need only purchase the content once as it is forward compatible and will integrate seamlessly with Guitar Hero(R) World Tour when it launches this October.

In addition to the two exclusive versions of "Suicide & Redemption," Guitar Hero fans will live out the surreal Metallica experience with: "That Was Just Your Life," "The End of the Line," "Broken, Beat & Scared," "The Day That Never Comes," "All Nightmare Long," "Cyanide," "The Unforgiven III," "The Judas Kiss" and "My Apocalypse."

"We've been working very closely with Metallica and we're extremely excited to offer Death Magnetic not only in its entirety, but also with the exclusive recordings of 'Suicide & Redemption' as downloadable content to Guitar Hero fans," said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision Blizzard. "We're proud to be setting a new precedent for our two industries, making an entire new album available in two different mediums simultaneously."

Metallica's Death Magnetic album will be available for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on September 12, 2008 for download on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft at a cost of 1440 Microsoft Points and in the PLAYSTATION(R)Store for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system at a cost of $17.99.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock offers the ultimate rock experience with new wireless guitars, freshly added content and features including a multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a host of exclusive unlockable content and visually stunning rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer modes allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true rock status as they riff through a star-studded soundtrack including master tracks by legendary artists such as Aerosmith, Guns 'N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and Pearl Jam, as well as original songs by guitar icons Slash and Tom Morello. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is now available and is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB.

When the house lights go down this fall, a new generation of guitarists, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Guitar Hero World Tour. The latest installment in the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero's signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player "Battle of the Bands," which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online for the first time ever. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock 'n' roll anthems. Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes(SM) where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system. The Wii(TM) version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit http://www.guitarhero.com.

The first DLC is officially announced for Grand Theft Auto IV

by: John - posted: 11/20/2008 12:49 PM - Comments (0)
While I've stopped playing Grand Theft Auto IV, the first episode in a long line of DLC has finally been announced. On February 17th, Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned will finally be released only on Xbox 360. You'll be playing a new main character with a storyline that intersects with IV. Not only will there be new missions but new weapons, vehicles, and multiplayer modes will come into play as well. No info on the pricing yet but it's about time Microsoft started getting their money's worth.
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Are you John Conner?

by: John - posted: 11/20/2008 12:47 PM - Comments (0)
Well you can be as Terminator: Salvation has been announced. The game lets you play as John Conner and as from the title suggests, it will be a tie-in with the movie. Not much is known about the game save the basics of the plot so let's hope we see some screens of this third person shooter soon. [READ MORE]

Retailers feel Wrath of the Lich King (in a good way)

by: Chuck - posted: 11/20/2008 12:26 PM - Comments (0)
Blizzard announced today that World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King sold over 2.8 million copies last week, making it the fastest selling PC game ever (until the next World of Warcraft expansion ships).   Blizzard didn't break out the sales by unit type but that's about $84 million or so in sales (based on $30 a copy) which just throws more money into the giant Blizzard money making engine.

The only semi-negative for Blizzard is that it looks like only 25% or so of it's installed userbase of 11million users upgraded.  I'm sure the rest will take their time but it's interseting to see the breakout.  [READ MORE]

Gaming Gibs for 11/20/2008

by: Chuck - posted: 11/20/2008 12:19 PM - Comments (0)
Here are a few things I missed watching bears play hockey:
  • Bungie advises against installing Halo 3 to your hard drive
  • MTV digs up the most popular Xbox 360 DLC by title, free stuff surprising at the top of a lot of lists
  • Capcom wins Dead Rising lawsuit, Romero to eye Left 4 Dead next
  • Google Lively to be much less lively after 12/31
  • Apple once again pins it's hope on video games, FAIL sensor pegged
  • People using smartphones more for gaming than business applications, John and I could have told you this months ago
  • Bionic Commando getting some sweet pre-order items
  • The Analog Gamer rises from the dead to talk about the undead
  • NXE Avatars getting bi-weekly clothing additions, hopefully will be free
  • Gears of War 2 rankings explained

EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey Brings Classic Dungeons Back

by: Eva - posted: 11/20/2008 10:17 AM - Comments (0)
Everquest II: The Shadow Odyssey is live and Sony Online Entertainment has released a launch trailer to go with it. Some of the big changes in the fifth expansion are 20 new zones which include the overland zone of Innothule Swamp. TSO also brings back dungeons from the good old days of EverQuest such as the Ruins of Guk. Catch a full list of changes after the break.

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LOTRO: Mines of Moria Travel Guide

by: Eva - posted: 11/20/2008 9:50 AM - Comments (0)
With Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria officially live, Turbine has revealed a rich lode of video and screenshots for the game. Screens of Lothlórien display the wonders of the Golden Wood, home of Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. She may be Arwen's Grandmother but her beauty is ageless.

Several of the new areas in the Moria expansion are showcased in videos. Delve into the depths of Moria with fly throughs of the Redhorn Lodes, Great Delving and Zelem-melek. Then fly through Lothlórien beyond the gates of Khazad-dûm. All these travelogues are included after the break. And now the Mines of Moria Launch Trailer:

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Nyko lets you charge up four Wii controllers at once

by: John - posted: 11/20/2008 8:56 AM - Comments (0)
For those that have the full compliment of WiiMotes for their Wii, Nyko's finally producing a charger that charges them all at once. The Charge Station Quad for the Nintendo Wii comes with four covers, four batteries, and a charger that holds them all. The new covers have a rubber grip so you can have an easier hold on the controller. I use the first charger from Nyko with great results and really like the rubber grips on the back. The only thing I'd like to see this have is USB charging but then again I don't know if the USB port can output enough juice to charge four controllers at once.
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Poor G4saurus

by: John - posted: 11/20/2008 8:13 AM - Comments (0)
I used to love, love NVIDIA cards. Lately, AMD is kicking all kinds of major ass with their Radeon HD 4800 series of cards. Here's a nice little video to explain the current situation for everyone. Some of the terms and jokes might go over non-techy heads but it's still cute.

 

 



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Not surprisingly, there are some issues with the NXE update

by: John - posted: 11/20/2008 7:49 AM - Comments (0)
Have you updated your Xbox 360 to the NXE? A few of us have experienced problems with the update and you know I expected this since it's a pretty major rollout for them. The one problem I am seeing is being unable to access certain parts of the Marketplace. Major Nelson has info on the ongoing saga and has provided a small update on the situation. The team is looking into it right now so let's hope they clear things up. I was surprised it didn't take that long for the update to get to me though so that's good. How's everyone digging the new interface and avatar system?

Street Fighter gets its own little place on NXE

by: Dan - posted: 11/20/2008 5:28 AM - Comments (0)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix has its own little world on the Xbox 360 NXE. You can visit the destination experience and learn anything you want about the game including trailers, themes picture packs and DLC.
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PSU Expansion gets a lower price

by: Dan - posted: 11/20/2008 5:16 AM - Comments (0)
The Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus, expansion for PSU, has gotten a new price. It is now available for download from Xbox Live for 800 points, which is a 50% discount. The expansion contains a new single online mission where your character is now the main focus of the storyline. In addition, the online multiplayer also was beefed up with 25 new missions, 5 new bosses and 100 added weapons and items. As always, the original PSU disk and an active Guardians license are required to run the expansion. [READ MORE]

'Tis the Season for Street Fighter

by: Dan - posted: 11/20/2008 5:14 AM - Comments (2)
Capcom opened the "Season of Street Fighter" last week with the availability of the Street Fighter Pinball FX DLC to celebrate the approaching release of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. The remainder of the season will feature assorted Street Fighter-esque downloadable content packs on Both Xbox Live and Playstation Network. Some of the upcoming downloads will include a Street Fighter UNO deck, direct-to-download music from the series and a little surprise coming to PSN this Holiday Season. Check out the video in the interim:

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First Impressions -- The Legend of Spryo: Dawn of the Dragon

by: Randy - posted: 11/20/2008 1:25 AM - Comments (0)
Hearing Elijah Wood's boyish intonation come out of the wide-eyed Spyro's mouth requires no stretch of the imagination.  What does, however, require a re-meshing of mind over matter is The Legend of Spryo: Dawn of the Dragon's deceptive control schemes. 

Sharper minds than my own have argued the necessities of direct, immediately-understandable controls in a platformer.  Mario and Luigi, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank ... these are now-iconic duos that will attest to that need.  But Spyro and the newly-redeemed Cynder both subscribe to floaty, imprecise movements that are at once an aforementioned necessity (they are both dragons) as well as an unmentionably temple-throbbing headache.  Single-jumps are decidedly unnecessary.  Double-jumps are mushy.  Flying is inexplicably tethered by gravity when you need height, and unfailingly floaty when you need to land.

Moving about lava-carved caverns is a great start to any abrupt and unexplained intro:  Both Spryo and Cynder are encased in an enormous amber jewel, communicating telepathically, and then able to shatter their way out moments later.  This is likely a continuation from the previous entry in the Legend of Spryo series, but I'm coming at this with fresh eyes and no context for current events.  Without a detailed history of Spyro's past, I'll see if Dawn of the Dragon will sink or swim on its own merits.  And so far?  It doesn't look like dragons can swim.

The decidedly Balrog-looking thingy that attacks Spyro and Cynder -- surrounded by a cheering arena of goblin-thingy onlookers -- is a momentous beginning.  There's barely time to learn that you can grab enemies and spin them around before the Balrog-thingy decides it's seen enough.  Too bad its white-hot anger and molten-hot skin comes up with nothing more creative than to swat haphazardly at the two hapless dragons.  And to retaliate, Spyro (or Cynder -- you can interchange rolls or play co-op at will) attack the Balrog-thingy's hand.  It's po' widdle hand.

It's some constantly-interrupting Tony the Tiger of a hooded ranger than keeps tossing in all the cutscenes and making the cool bow shots like putting an arrow into the Balrog-thingy's eye socket.  Plus, as Tony the Tiger (not his real name) makes beautiful bounds from ledge to ledge, I'm in a constant battle with a camera that sometimes swings in an almost-360-degrees (though it's rare) to a camera that's more often riveted to some less-than-convenient angle against a wall.  The camera invents new inconvenient angles as I pop into a new room, and every fifth or sixth jump seems to have yet another cutscene intervene before I fully pull off my landing.

French developer Estranges Libellule (also responsible for the Asterix & Obelix games) has made it very clear that you, the player, are not allowed to have control of Spyro for any reasonable length of time.  Estranges Libellule has also made the mistake of positing a camera that wants to play the game for you.  I'm sincerely hoping that this is an indoor environment issue only, and that exterior environments will lend more of the freedoms that seem inherent to flying a dragon around.  As far as the introductory chapter goes, Dawn of the Dragon's lack of trust in the player makes it very difficult to navigate the too-tightly leashed environs.  Though, for unintentional laughs, it is always great to see your AI-controlled partner (be it Spyro or Cynder) constantly missing jumps and plummeting inches away from the targeted ledge.  Pretty much couldn't land a single jump.  It's as hilarious as it is incompetent.

Yet the heartwarming artwork gives me a flicker of hope, despite everything.  It's what made me accept the review assignment from Chuck in the first place.  And even though Spyro has shown me that he can't be controlled yet, perhaps he'll also show me some marvelous locales.  I haven't lost all hope that this dragon, after all, might be sleeping on a mound of treasure.

Lara Croft faces standard adventure game peril in new trailer

by: Chuck - posted: 11/20/2008 1:08 AM - Comments (0)
There's no doubt that Tomb Raider:Underworld looks bad ass in this trailer, I just wish the puzzles they were showing off in the game were a little more interesting.  It's almost like every ancient civilization in the world hid their secret palaces with various large swinging objects and stone creatures.  Hopefully there's some other cool stuff in the game.

Capcom releases web based demo of Neopets Puzzle Adventure

by: Chuck - posted: 11/20/2008 1:06 AM - Comments (0)
If you want to try Neopets Puzzle Adventure before purchasing the game you might want to check out this cool flash game that gives you a quick taste of the game.

Update (Chuck) - Click on the title to play the demo as it starts in noisy mode for some reason. [READ MORE]

PhysX effects show off in new Mirrors Edge trailer

by: Chuck - posted: 11/20/2008 1:00 AM - Comments (1)
It broke my heart to ship Mirrors Edge to Cyril last week as the game was one that I really wanted to play (of course Cyril loved it in his review).  I was going to pick of the PS3 version once the game storm quieted down but after seeing this trailer for the PC version I might just pick that version up instead.  The trailer shows off some of the new physics effects that Nvidia owners will be able to get.  These include some new fabric, water, and gas effects that I don't remember from my brief run through the 360 version of the game. 

News Roundup: Quantum Duty Call of the Lich King

by: Randy - posted: 11/19/2008 11:22 PM - Comments (0)
  • Defunct Games implores, "Don't F***ing Buy That Game!"  A non-gamers guide to getting the wrong gift.
  • The steps to take in order to get my hands on WAR's Knights of the Blazing Sun weren't so apparent, at first.
  • Massive Gamer launches into the EVE Online: Quantum Rise expansion.
  • Every MMO has its good and bad launches -- even if it's from Blizzard.  Even if it's WoW: Wrath of the Lich King.
  • For a CPU cooler that performs as good as it looks, Legit Reviews presents the 180W-capable Cooler Master V8 CPU Cooler.
  • Treyarch may have recovered their sullied name with Call of Duty: World at War.
  • All in all, the Termaltake BlacX External Hard Drive Docking Station is a "fine piece of hardware."
Thanks to Defunct Games, Massive Gamer, AtomicGamer, Legit Reviews, and Tweaknews for today's news roundup.

Guitar Hero World Tour Live Weekend starting this Thursday

by: Randy - posted: 11/19/2008 11:05 PM - Comments (0)
Starting this Thursday, November 27th, Guitar Hero World Tour is kicking off a Live Weekend on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.  Online activities include:
  • Xbox All Nighter -- Thursday, 11/27, from dusk until dawn
  • Play & Win Sweepstakes -- Friday, 11/28, through Saturday, 11/30
  • Game with Developers -- Saturday, 11/30 from 2:00 - 5:00pm PST [see the list of devs after the jump]
Throughout the weekend, guitarists, drummers, and vocalists who register and play the Guitar Hero World Tour multiplayer (co-op) session can also win some sweet prizes.  Stuff like a Samsung television home theater package, collector's edition World Tour drum sticks, 1GB memory sticks, and Guitar Hero portable USB/battery powered speakers. [READ MORE]

Sins of a Solar Empire version 1.1 available now; pre-order "Entrenchment" and get in the beta

by: Randy - posted: 11/19/2008 10:46 PM - Comments (0)
Stardock is still making good on their promise to release meaningful content for their games, post-release.  Now available is a major free update to Sins of a Solar Empire, upgrading its sins to version 1.1.  Highlights to the 1.1 change log include:
  • Alloy Networking Technology -- allows for seamless multiplayer without needing to deal with port forwarding or other router settings
  • Major upgrade to the graphics engine for better performance on all systems
  • Updated/improved graphics (textures, new models, explosions, and more)
  • Mini-Underground Window -- allows you to buy/sell resources and make pirate bids on the main gameplay screen [Hallelujah! - Ed.]
  • Improved game balance
  • Improved AI
  • Bug fixes and much more
Plus!  If you pre-order the Sins of a Solar Empire expansion, "Entrenchment," that guarantees you some early-access beta time.

Cities XL "Point, Shoot -- Win 2!" contest launched

by: Randy - posted: 11/19/2008 10:34 PM - Comments (0)
It's likely that your city hall doesn't garner much of your time and attention throughout the day -- unless you're like one of my coworkers who, when Congress was sketching out the banking bailout plan, thought it was Take Your Daughter To A Protest Day and ended up standing alone in the rain with cardboard signs outside of our city hall.  Oh, and her kid got a cold that day.  What's the lesson here?  It's that Cities XL has started up their "Point, Shoot -- Win 2!" contest, and this time their accepting photos of your favorite city hall.

From November 17 - 30, members of the Cities XL community are able to post images of their city hall in the hopes that it'll be voted as the winner.  Developer Monte Cristo then goes to work, taking the winning entry and giving it to their artists to put into the final game. [READ MORE]

Cooking Mama: "I would never put rat in my Ratatouille."

by: Randy - posted: 11/19/2008 10:17 PM - Comments (0)
Looks like PETA made enough of an impression with the Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals flash game that Majesco responded, but responded politely and in character.  Just as Cooking Mama World Kitchen was hitting store shelves this week, Mama Kills Animals ripped through the gaming community in an attempt to slander Mama and her purportedly meat-heavy menu.  Mama said, "Like any accomplished cook, I create my recipes to appeal to a broad range of tastes and preferences.  My only goas is to ensure you leave the table well fed."  Cooking Mama World Kitchen includes more than 25 vegetarian-friendly recipies spread across breakfast, dinner, dessert, and snack options.  Mama won't cop to being a vegetarian, but she fully supports the humane treatment of animals -- especially now with her canine companion, Max, who makes his debut in World Kitchen.

I'd like to congratulate PETA for blanketing a decent amount of buzz on a Wii title that would've otherwise fallen completely by the wayside this week. [READ MORE]

Evasive Space Screens Unveiled

by: Dan - posted: 11/19/2008 4:49 PM - Comments (0)

YUKE’S Company released the first look at their upcoming Space Action title for WiiWare called Evasive Space. The game will be a top-down scroller that uses the Wii remote to control your ship through 20 missions over five environments. The game will also feature four-person local multiplayer and online leaderboards. The new screens show off Acts I and II. A specific release date hasn’t been announced (Q1 2009), but when it hits WiiWare it will cost 1,000 Wii Points.

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Latest Hearts of Iron 3 Dev Diary

by: Dan - posted: 11/19/2008 4:25 PM - Comments (0)
Johan Andersson, lead developer of Hearts of Iron 3, has his latest developer diary up over at GiantRealm.com. This installment in the series (no. 6) focuses on intelligence, diplomacy and convoys as well as the politics in the game. Checkout these recent screens while we wait for the game to hit the PC in late 2009.
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GameTruck Coming to C-Bus

by: Dan - posted: 11/19/2008 4:22 PM - Comments (0)
GameTruck announced today that they are bringing their mobile gaming service to the Columbus, OH market, which is also the HQ of GamingNexus. Effective December 1st, central Ohio gamers can order the rolling platform for party’s or corporate events. The trucks feature four 50”Plasma TVs, surround sound and capabilities for 16 players at any given time. Columbus is the fourth franchise awarded, joining Orange County, CA, Phoenix, AZ and San Diego, CA. Check them out at GameTruckParty.com.
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Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge screenies surprsingly lacking in guns or jagged edges

by: Nathan - posted: 11/19/2008 2:40 PM - Comments (0)
Trisynergy, makers of such well named titles as Limbo of the Lost and UFO:Extraterrestials, bring us screen shots from another excellently named title Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge. This is a turn based war game focusing on the action at squad level. Basically it would be Rainbow Six or Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway mixed with Civilization Revolution or Fire Emblem. This is very much a PC title as indicated by the screenies. I would wait for a demo to see if this game was worth playing but those of you who like experimenting with Strategy games may want to check it out.
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