Author Archive
Capcom Gamer’s Day 2007 round-up
Here’s a nice, convenient round-up of our Capcom Gamer’s Day ‘07 explosion!
New games
Capcom brings Rocketmen and Talisman to XBLA and PSN
Capcom announces Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law
Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations confirmed for America
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for XBLA announced
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for XBLA unveiled
Announcements
It’s official: Lost Planet finds PC gamers
Capcom snags exclusive MotoGP rights for the PlayStation brand
Two new DS titles for Mega Man’s 20th Anniversary
Street Fighter, Mega Man on mobile phones
Capcom to buy/sell IP, publish games with global approach
Hands-ons
Joystiq hands-on: Project Treasure Island Z (Wii)
Hands-on with Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles for Wii
Permalink | Email this | Comments
NES USB controller: don’t make it, buy it
[Thanks, WhackMushroom]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
IslandofRhodes.org hides God of War 2′ ‘HD Mode’ and countdown
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Action
We admit it. We were disappointed to learn there wasn’t an announcement attached to the super-secret God of War-themed IslandofRhodes.org viral site we first spotted last month. Turns out, first impressions can be deceiving. Through beating the site’s puzzles, dedicated gamers (like the ones at GameFAQs) can find out how to enable the ditched-at-the-last-minute “HD mode” on God of War 2. Note: “this is NOT 720p. Its actually 480p with FULL SIZE buffers, in other words 640*448 resolution.” We’re not really sure what “full size buffers” are either, but a brief test using a PS3 and an HD monitor didn’t provide a very noticeable increase (except in page tearing). If you want to test for yourself, follow the instructions pasted after the break.
Also hidden at the site was yet another countdown! This one is set to go off in just over eleven days time. What’s going to happen then? We imagine it’ll be something besides a developer commentary site and the little sliver above seems to hint at a phrase beginning with “G.” Gout of War, anybody?
[Thanks, Wreckhart & ranova; via Kotaku]
Continue reading IslandofRhodes.org hides God of War 2′ ‘HD Mode’ and countdown
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
GTAIV drops Staten Island; Wu-Tang response unknown
Manhattan’s become Algonquin; Brooklyn’s become Broker; Queens has become Dukes; The Bronx have become Bohan; and even New Jersey is making an appearance as Alderney. So how must it feel to be a Staten Islander and see the other four boroughs of New York City recreated in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV while the forgotten borough is, well, forgotten?
While MTV News struggles to come to terms with the news, the Staten Island Advance reports that not everyone from Staten Island is upset. “That’s something I appreciate being left out of,” said Linda Baran, president of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. She of course was referring to the sure-to-be controversial GTAIV and not the neighborhood parties nobody bothers inviting her to (”she’s such a stick in the mud!”). Still, everyone is left wondering what Staten Island’s own Wu-Tang Clan think about the absence of the Island of Shaolin. Rockstar, you do know that Wu-Tang clan ain’t nothing to @!#?@! with, right?
Read - MTV News: Who’s Niko Bellic? And Where’s Staten Island?
Read - Staten Island Advance: Grand Theft leaves Island off the map (via)
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Make that Apple TV a gaming emulation station
Filed under: Hacks, Mac, Retro
AwkwardTV has a page set up listing some emulators that work with the Apple TV writing, “These emulators are being tested with standard ROM’s on the AppleTV running the original OS except for being slightly modified to add SSH.” Is anyone tired enough of waiting for Apple’s inevitable game offerings to upgrade their Apple TV themself?
[Via TUAW]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen opens chrono-rift in XBLM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360
Solar plexus! Now that Viacom’s gotten the lawyers involved, it’s become increasingly difficult for us to track down our favorite Tek Jansen clips on YouTube. Sure, we can always go to Viacom’s own iFilm property and watch the preroll ad (and they still can’t be embedded in our posts).
As Microsoft looks for more ways to fill those 120GB hard drives they want you to buy, they’re enlisting the help of Stephen Colbert Presents: Stephen Colbert’s Alpha Squad 7 — Tek Jansen the New Adventures. Available this week, the first short will be free while future installments will cost an unspecified amount. Our favorite? Operation Dragontongue: Chocolate Blades of Thunder. But hurry! If you don’t click this link and watch the video immediately, you risk opening a chrono-rift in the space-time continuum and may miss important life lessons (hint: DON’T GO IN CAVES!).
[Via Arrogantics]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Halo 3 video with X button footage — Is Quisnam Protero Damno!
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, Video
Accompanying the revelation that the Halo 3 multiplayer beta is coming May 16th (OMG!), was the above Vidoc (video documentary we imagine) dubbed “Is Quisnam Protero Damno!” (Any Latin majors reading?) Included in its roughly 7-1/2 minute runtime is footage of two new defensive functions and something entirely different:
- The bubble shield, first spotted in the Starry Night commercial
- The just-revealed trip mine, shown taking out an incoming Warthog (and the player)
- And a replay function you can share with friends, to slow down or even pause that perfect headshot (perfect for bragging rights)
So exactly which features are activated by the mysterious X button? In his update at Bungie.net, Frankie said, “There will also be new guns, vehicles and gameplay features to try - including the mysterious ‘X-Button’ functionality. But you don’t have to wait to find out what that is, since you can now view part of its functionality in our latest Vidoc …” Part of its functionality, eh? Need more proof? An alleged IRC chat sent in by reader Kritz had Frankie confirming, “x button deploys equipment for great justice. 
bubble shield and tripmine announced so far.” So far, eh? What else is up that comically billowing sleeve of yours, Bungie?
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Xbox 360 gets H.264, MPEG-4, PlaysForSure in Spring update
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360
We’re the first to admit that we’re not experts when it comes to things like video codecs — we leave that job up to our friends at Engadget. Don’t get us wrong, we know a little something about codecs (see above!), but eych-dot-two-sixty-four? Em-peg-four? Dubbya-em-dee-are-em? Yeah, these are all codecs that the Xbox 360 will support when the Spring Dashboard update rolls around next month but what do they all mean?
Lucky for us, the folks at Red Kawa — makers of video conversion utilities like Videora Xbox 360, PSP Video 9, PS3 Video 9, and Wii Video 9 — are experts in all things video conversion and they break the announcement down like this: “This puts Microsoft at the head of the pack in the Apple TV vs PS3 vs Xbox 360 video battle royale.” Oh SNAP! They break down the details so we don’t have to … c’mon PS3, H.264 Main Profile only? All the kids want H.264 High Profile support nowadays!
Actually, the kids really want Xvid and DivX support so they can watch their torrents of bits, which Red Kawa reminds us this isn’t. First, it doens’t support the AVI container (so there!) and the 360 only supports MPEG-4 Part 2 Simple Profile while Xvid videos are encoded as MPEG-4 Part 2 Advanced Simple Profile. Any questions?
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Resident Evil 4 Wii controls detailed, diagramed
Filed under: Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Action
IGN has done the heavy lifting, converting Capcom’s Japanese Wii controller diagram for the recently announced Resident Evil 4 into the familiar runes of the English language. If you’ve been curious to see how Capcom’s going to adapt their Gamecube classic for the Wii — and hopeful they do so with as much success as Twilight Princess and The Godfather: Blackhand Edition — then try studying up. Notable “enhancements” include: shake the Wiimote to reload (complete with auditory confirmation), Wiimote-enabled Quick Time Events (take that Shenmue!), and pointing to aim.
[Via Wii Fanboy]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
ESRB leaks ‘Quake III: Team Arena’ for Xbox 360 (XBLA?)
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters
The ESRB is always a great place to spot upcoming Xbox Live Arcade titles with the word “arena” in the title (Wing Commander Arena, anyone?). Without the enormous lead times of their retail counterparts (see Shadowrun above), these digitally distributed darlings will often sneak in under the radar. Take the Xbox 360 listing for Quake III: Team Arena above. The 1999 multiplayer classic would be a perfect fit for the Xbox Live service (right alongside older brother DOOM), and the newly enlarged 150MB size limit could make it a possibility. Or maybe this is just a retail port, though we can’t imagine it faring well in today’s competitive FPS environment.
We’ve asked Microsoft and Pi Studios to comment on the listing.
[Via GameAlmighty]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Special Xbox 360 Elite black HD DVD drive up for auction
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Peripherals
One of the first things we asked when Microsoft (finally) confirmed the Xbox 360 Elite was whether all of the peripherals would be available in black to match it. While controllers (keyboard accessories?), wired headsets, and Play & Charge kits will all be available in black, we were led to believe that other peripherals, like the HD DVD drive would not be. Well, that’s only half true.
Members of the HD DVD development team, like Andy Pennell, were given special black HD DVD drives with a black remote as a “Ship-it” reward. Even better, they’re allowed to sell these ones, as one other team member has decided to do. Currently fetching $347 on eBay, nearly double the standard price, this limited edition drive isn’t for the casual fanboy.
[Thanks, Jeff]
Gallery: Black Xbox 360 HD DVD drive
Read - Xbox 360 HD DVD drive now in black (MSDN blog)
Bid - Special Black edition of Xbox 360 HD DVD drive (eBay)
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Rumor: Phoenix Wright 3 dated, titled for US
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Casual
One of those 120 entries must have made a difference (we think it was the above) because, according to the highly reliable computer systems of GameCrazy, a DS game titled Phoenix Wright - Trials Tribu has a release date of 9/25/07 (that’s September 25, for our international friends, not the 9th of … whatever). Like Phoenix Wright 4, the currently GBA-only Gyakuten Saiban 3 has no English translation and was the only game with no localization plans announced.
[Thanks, Shadow Hog]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Galaga, BRAVOMAN, and Alex Kidd smash Virtual Console
Filed under: Retro, Nintendo Wii
Prepare to power-up your sledgehammer and smash some watermelons in the NES version of Gallagher!
… wait, this just in. We’re being informed that there never was a Gallagher NES game, so we’ll have to settle for Galaga, Namco’s classic 1981 arcade shooter that was later released on the NES (and every other platform known to mankind). We now return to our previously begun post.
Prepare to power-up your spaceship and shoot some aliens in the NES version of Galaga, hitting the Wii Virtual Console this morning along with its ne’er-do-well friends BRAVOMAN and Alex Kidd (in the Enchanted Castle, where else?). All three will arrive on US VC at 9am PT for the standard, platform-specific asking prices:
- Galaga (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
- BRAVOMAN (Turbografx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
- Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
IM coming to Xbox 360, keyboard accessory this summer
Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360
Alright, so Gamespot’s leakier than a colander full of swiss cheese, but now we’ve got the official details (from Microsoft this time) on what’s included in the upcoming Xbox 360 Spring Dashboard update, due in one month beginning the week of May 7th. Integrating the 6 million Xbox Live users with the 260 million Windows Live Messenger users stands at the core of the upcoming update, allowing Xbox 360 users to communicate with up to six of their PC, Mac, or mobile phone bound friends at once.
To aid gamers in their instant messaging, Microsoft is also preparing a keyboard accessory for the Xbox 360 controller, which will connect via the headphone jack. The un-named, un-priced, and un-dated device, which currently exists only in the pristine renderings contained in the gallery below, is reportedly due “this summer.” In the interim, an on-screen or USB keyboard will do the trick.
Also included in the Spring update: a new Achievement pop-up that displays the name and associated gamerscore value; a separate Xbox Live Marketplace blade to help organize the perpetually overcrowded service; the ability to begin watching incomplete video downloads; and a new auto-off function to put that system to sleep after it’s done downloading. Oh, and Major Nelson’s favorite new feature? Yup, the Dashboard will finally list what game is loaded in the disc tray. No more trial and error!
[Update: Xbox.com has been updated with a fairly repetitive list highlighting some additional features of the new update, including H.264 and MPEG-4 Part 2 video support (hrm?), WM-DRM streaming, the (now more informative) tray icon displays achievements and gamerscore for that game, and Xbox 1 games "show the name and image of the game."] Engadget has some additional details on the keyboard accessory, including the unfortunate news that the device prohibits the use of existing headsets and will come with its own.]
Gallery: Xbox 360 Spring Dashboard ‘07
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
360’s Guitar Hero II guitar works in Windows, Frets on Fire
Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Peripherals, Rhythm
The USB-equipped X-plorer guitar that ships with the just-released Guitar Hero II for Xbox 360 has some interesting tricks up its nonexistant but metaphorically convenient sleeve. No, we’re not talking about breaking or shape-shifting (sheesh) — we’re talking about things like effects pedals and oh, what’s this, Windows support? Randy tipped us off that the guitar controller works in Windows Vista, but we had to check for ourself. The above image was captured in Windows XP. The five frets control the first five buttons, Back and Start control buttons 7 and 8, the d-pad and strummer control the Point of View Hat, the whammy bar controls the X Rotation, Star Power controls the Y Rotation, and the Z Axis sorta just wiggles when you move the guitar. The X Axis / Y Axis does nothing (gotta save something for that effects pedal, no?).
Of course, we quickly fired up freeware PC clone, Frets on Fire, to see if we could manage to get these two to play nicely together. Sure enough, after a minute of changing the control configuration, we were able to rock out! Unfortunately, while Mac OS X recognized the device immediately (pic after the break), it failed to be detected as an HID-compliant gamepad by either GamePad Companion or the open source Xbox 360 Controller driver. Additionally, this blogger couldn’t convince the Mac OS port of Frets on Fire to load so we’re unable to determine if the game would support the device directly. Any Mac using ’stiqers able to get the X-plorer to work?
Continue reading 360’s Guitar Hero II guitar works in Windows, Frets on Fire
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Major Nelson teases new Dashboard details on Xbox 360 Fancast
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360
If you haven’t been listening to our very own Xbox 360 Fancast, you really ought to be! The team at Xbox 360 Fanboy just celebrated their tenth installment with a very special guest: Spring Dashboard rumors! Oh, and Major Nelson was there too. First, the bad news. According to Major (at around 0:39:45), the oft-requested clan support functionality ain’t gonna be coming in the impending Spring update. That doesn’t mean individual titles can’t use the available API to support clans, but don’t expect to see Dashboard level functionality.
Now the good news: Major says (at around 0:40:30) that the update will include “simple things that I’ve been asking for since launch.” 360 Fanboy put their thinking caps on and came up with a pretty convincing guess. Adding some “Play Game” verbiage to determine what game is in the drive is a feature that Major’s been vocal about and, they remind us, early Dashboard screenshots (like the one pictures above) included this functionality. It’s been a long time coming, so let’s hope it is coming.
Listen — Xbox 360 Fancast 010 featuring XBL’s Major Nelson
Speculate — Spring update may upgrade “Play Game” verbiage
Denied — What’s not in the spring update: clan support
Permalink | Email this | Comments
New Gears of War gametype detailed, dated, and pulled
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, First Person Shooters
Let’s just skip right to the meat of this story: Annex, the new Gears of War gametype, is basically King of the Hill. Each team captures an objective by entering the glowing ring — two to five available in each level — for a certain amount of time, as determined by the number of teammates present. Controlling the objective earns each team points — 1 point for each second of control, up to 60. Once an objective is zeroed out, another is made available. Oh yeah, and there’s respawning … with infinite lives.
Now, we’ll cover the drama: Apparently, Epic dropped the details (including an all too favorable April 9th release date) a little too early. The details previously listed on their website? Gone. That April 9th release date? According to 1UP, Microsoft says that’s gone too. The good news is those details have been confirmed to be accurate and have now been mirrored all over these here wonderfully porous internets so check out any number of sites, like The 360 Forum, to get the full skinny.
[Thanks, everyone!]
Read — Annex details at GearsofWar.com
Read — Annex details at The 360 Forum
Read — Gears of War update detailed and pulled (1UP)
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Halo 2 maps available April 17th for $4, Xbox 360 not required
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters
Remember that 2am Bungie announcement where they promised new Halo 2 multiplayer maps but only if you promised to play them on an Xbox 360? They stuck to their word with the maps — Halo 2 renditions of Hang ‘Em High and Derelict, two of Halo: Combat Evolved’s most popular multiplayer maps — but have broken their promise on the console requirements. See, now they’re saying these things will work on both Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms. Who’s saying that? Bungie’s own Frankie, that’s who!
For the reasonable price of $4 (wow, no MS Points?), you’ll be able to download both maps — now redubbed Tombstone and Desolation respectively — on April 17. Because the original Xbox doesn’t use Billy Bucks, they’ve foregone the confusing currency conversion and settled on good old money. Similarly, because the old Xbox doesn’t distinguish between Gold and Silver accounts, you’ll need to be a Gold member to download and play. Hurrah for coming through for the old school Halo gamers: letting them play some heretofore offline-only Halo maps in Halo 2 on their aging Xboxen.
Gallery: Halo 2 Maps
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Free T-Mobile WiFi with latest PSP firmware update
Filed under: Sony PSP, Wireless, Online
Sony’s looking to make their latest PSP firmware upgrade, version 3.30, too appetizing for all the homebrew users out there to pass up. In addition to officially sanctioned (albeit tempermental) full resolution video support, Sony has upped the ante by offering 3.30 users 6-months of complimentary access to T-Mobile WiFi HotSpots, available at over 8000 locations across the US including Starbucks, Borders, FedEx Kinko’s, Hyatt, Red Roof Inns, Sofitel and Novotel Hotels, and select airports. Yeah, for free.
To access the service, follow PSP Fanboy’s handy guide. Have an innate distrust of guides? We’ll condense it for you: turn on your PSP within range of a T-Mobile HotSpot, select the T-Mobile HotSpot icon under Network Settings, select [Use Promotional Access] if you ain’t got an account already, and then get your game on! Now, if only more PSP games supported Infrastructure mode.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
The Grand Theft Auto IV trailer
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360
- Try this HD torrent. Remember to seed when you’re done downloading!
- Xbox.com is hosting the trailer, in HD.
- GameVideos is embedded above.
- GameTrailers is back up.
- YouTube version has been pulled.
Continue reading The Grand Theft Auto IV trailer
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
