Darksiders 2 Preview: Looting the Classics

"Choose Your Own Death" is one of the strangest video game pitches that's been flung our way in a while. Choose Your Own Death. Okay, so I've thought about it, and I'd like to go with rollerskates, a wonky stepladder, a plate glass window, and the glinting tines of an upended garden fork, please. At my funeral, I want them to play the theme from Shaft, and everybody has to dress like they work at Burger King.

It all makes a bit more sense, though, when you discover that Death is the new protagonist for Darksiders 2. He's taking over from his brother War in a sequel that fits neatly inside the timeline of the original. Think of it as Back to the Future 2, but with a rock-fisted demon in place of Thomas F. Wilson. War has been accused of kicking off the Apocalypse early, and he's out to clear his name: that's Darksiders. Meanwhile, Death thinks War is his kind of people, so, as another of the famous four horsemen, he sets off on his own parallel adventure to see if he can help his brother out. That's Darksiders 2.

As for the element of choice, this comes from a slight change of emphasis. In Darksiders 2, you'll be able to shape Death a little as the game progresses, selecting which armour you want him to wear as you pick paths through his skill trees, while juggling his load out of weapons and magic attacks. It's a mix-and-match approach that mirrors that of the developer, Vigil Games, which built the original Darksiders, in part, from its favourite pieces of the Zelda and God of War series, taking the dungeons-and-gadgets structure of the former, and the pointy melee combat of the latter. For Darksiders 2, all of that stuff remains in place, but the team is throwing in some new inspirations as well.

So there's a little of the Diablo formula present in the sparkly loot that enemies now drop, giving you a new piece of kit to try out after each encounter. It's good stuff, too. There are plenty of different armour sets available, but they all fall into three basic types, which work a little like classes. Necromancer armour will always boost spell-casting stats. Slayer armour will improve your defence, melee attacks and general weapons proficiency. Finally, Wanderer gear will steadily turn you into a kind of rogue character - fast, stealthy, and brilliant at assassinations.

Puzzles are likely to be a little more involved this time around. At one moment, Death takes control of Constructs - robot-like digging mechs used to build entire planets - which allow him to cross lakes of lava and reach over long gaps.

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After the swaggering heft of War, is there a danger that cobbling your own outfit together over the course of the game could mean that Darksiders 2's main character ends up looking like a bit of a charlie? Vigil has taken pains to make sure that this doesn't happen, apparently. Not only is Death kitted out with a dandy Skull mask and a distinct, wiry physique, both of which will always be readily visible no matter how you've dolled him up, the studio has also been messing around with armour since the first days of the sequel's development to make sure it all fits his style.

"It's very complicated stuff," admits art director Han Randhawa. "You have no idea. In the end, we basically had a wall in the studio with all the different armour sets laid out, and as we'd build them, we'd put them into the game as quickly as we could to mix and match them. You have to be harsh and chuck stuff out that doesn't work. Elements may look great on their own, but they may look garish together. You also want to make sure that people are picking up stuff that isn't throwaway." With bundles of decent loot to sift through, then, and two separate skill trees that allow you to tailor your hero even further, choosing your own Death suddenly doesn't sound too bad.

Loot and an increased focus on character progression has helped build a game that looks and feels like Darksiders - you've got the same colourful dereliction, the same earthquake audio and the same chunky Joe Mad enemies - while giving you a lot of new options in combat.

"So much of that came out of the shift in character," admits Randhawa. "War for us was your soldier of justice. He sees everything in black and white, he's heavily armoured, and he basically just rips through everything he sees. Death? It wouldn't make sense for him to be a hulking warrior, as we've already done that. The next thing we wanted to do would be someone who was a bit more agile and tactical when he's fighting."

1/11 The game's apparently due out for the Wii U, but Vigil won't discuss specifics.

Death's primary weapon is his scythe. It's called Harvester (a name that conjures images of pleading victims and soul-reaping for American audiences, perhaps, but dumps English players into a rundown world of damp corn cobs, limp roast turkey and Lindisfarne on repeat), and he can wield it either as two short swords, good for fast, close-up damage-dealing, or as a single pole that gives him a bit more reach.

Secondary weapons, meanwhile, include everything from giant hammers to guns that can shoot various different ammo types. Death's not as resilient as War overall - he has a dodge instead of a block, encouraging you to constantly shift in and out of range - but he can also make use of a selection of magic attacks that invoke classic Blizzard every bit as much as all that loot.

Even in the lower branches of the skill trees he can learn the ability to summon zombie allies who will fight alongside him, or to stun his foes with flocks of crows. He's got more tricks up his sleeve than War ever did, in other words, and that's encouraged Vigil to make his enemies bigger and deadlier in response.

If Diablo is the most obvious new influence, there's also a little Prince of Persia in there too, however, as Darksiders' nimble new lead executes wall-runs and jumps far more swiftly than his brother ever could. Death can use a Ghost Hand gadget to grapple from one point to the next when climbing around the environment, and his improved range of traversal moves are frequently chained into complex gauntlets.

It allows for some surprisingly dynamic set-pieces, such as a section in which he's pursued by a rising tide of lava as he scrambles out of a well, and it suggests that platforming is no longer a simple palette cleanser between combat encounters or puzzles. Darksiders 2 should flow from one moment to the next with a touch more grace than the original could muster. (It also promises to be a lot more generous, incidentally, with an overworld map split across several hub towns, each with their own story quests and side missions, and a suite of entirely optional dungeons that come with their own mini-bosses and loot.)

It's weird that a game with so many obvious reference points should somehow manage to feel so coherent and so likeable, but Darksiders 2 still appears to exude a charisma that stops it from degenerating into a collection of tributes or thefts. Its ideas, when borrowed, are always repurposed inventively, and the whole thing is wrapped up in the hulking, wonderfully toy-like art style that gave the original such a distinct sense of character.

Besides, Darksiders never hides its many influences. It continues to wear them proudly, in fact: choice pieces of shiny armour dropped by some of the very best in the business.

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Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock PlayStation exclusive in Europe

The release of TV tie-in Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock will be limited to the PlayStation 3 and Vita in Europe, BBC Worldwide has announced.

Previously announced for PC as well, it's unclear if the game's PC version will still the light of day outside of Europe, or whether it has been canned completely.

The Eternity Clock stars the voice talents of current Doctor Matt Smith and wife/companion River Song, played by ER's Alex Kingston.

The BBC has previously boasted the success of PC Doctor Who tie-in series The Adventure Games, freely available from the BBC website.

Eurogamer has contacted BBC Worldwide for more information on the story and will update when we hear back.

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Dark Souls dev sorry for frame-rate issues, uncertain on sequel

Dark Souls developer From Software has admitted to "technical difficulties" which cause troubling frame-rate issues in its hard-as-nails role-player.

From Software felt out of its depth with the game's huge scope, Dark Souls' creative director Hidetaka Miyazaki revealed to Edge.

"Yes, there were technical difficulties," Miyazaki said. "I don't believe that it's okay to have them, but realistically speaking, it was quite a large-scale game - even in terms of budget and expectations.

"So we're very sorry for the trouble we've caused by our processing errors and bugs from Japan. It was a title that we haven't really experienced in all aspects, so there were areas where we felt our technical side couldn't keep up with the game's scope, like an increasingly growing ache."

Miyazaki considered working on the game "a learning curve", but is unsure whether From Software will ever revisit the Dark Souls universe.

"We don't even know if we'll have another chance. We have the confidence that we can improve from our mistakes this time and create an even better Dark world, but we don't know if the users will forgive us for the mistakes."

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Wii U hardware "changing constantly" says Team Ninja

Technical specifications for Nintendo's next-gen Wii U console are still in flux, according to Dead or Alive 5 developer Team Ninja.

Wii U game development is "very easy" and "almost exactly like on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360", Team Ninja revealed to NGamer magazine (thanks, Gamefront.de) in an interview discussing the Wii U version of upcoming hack-n'-slash Ninja Gaiden 3.

Nintendo has remained hush on the Wii U's final capabilities - unsurprising considering the fact that the console's abilities are "changing constantly", Team Ninja's Yosuke Hayashi has revealed.

"They asked us what we would want from the hardware, and when we give them feedback we can see that they have definitely listened and making changes," Hayashi said. "The hardware is still changing constantly."

Team Ninja's Fumihiko Yasuda added that the Wii U's touch-screen tablet controls were "similar" to those on the DS, something the team has experience with from handheld title Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword.

"We want to introduce some elements from that into the Wii U version," Yasuda added.

Nintendo confirmed this week that the Wii U will launch in Europe, the US and Japan by the end of 2012. More details are expected nearer this year's E3 trade show in June.

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Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has "best" combat of any RPG - Rolston

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and upcoming role-playing game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning have "a lot in common", reckons lead Reckoning designer Ken Rolston.

But not everything - Reckoning's combat is apparently better.

"What makes Reckoning differ from Skyrim?" Rolston asked Gamefront. "The simple answer is that Reckoning has the best, coolest, fastest-paced, most tactile and silly-exciting fantasy combat of any video RPG.

"The pace, fluid movement, tactical richness, and physical and visual theatre of fantasy combat has always seemed the weakest feature of video RPGs, and Reckoning offers a fresh new answer in that department. There are a couple of other obvious contrasting features, like Reckoning's more vivid, colourful art style, and easy-to-pick up, faster-paced gameplay in general."

"They have a lot in common," Rolston added. "Both games are way too big and and have way too much to do, and they both seduce you into playing for hours and hours and hours.

"They both have whacking big epic storylines, and elaborate faction quest lines, and boatloads of quests, and lots of characters and books, and lots of crafting and alchemy, and lots of ways to customise your character.

"But in many large ways, and in many small ways, Reckoning tries to take a fresh look at the RPG genre, and is trying to be what RPGs will look like and feel like in the future utopia."

Ken Rolston was the lead designer of Elder Scrolls games Morrowind and Oblivion. He was brought out of retirement by Big Huge Games to help make Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. He's been working alongside comic book hero Todd McFarlane (Spider-Man, Spawn) and best-selling fantasy author R.A. Salvatore (The Hunter's Blades Trilogy) on the game.

A generous demo of their creation, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, can be downloaded on all three formats - PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 - now.

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Risen 2 pre-order bonus DLC revealed

Pre-order fantasy role-playing game Risen 2 and you get story DLC and a special in-game item.

The pre-order bonus is called Treasure Isle. In it, you embark on an "extra story questline" as publisher Deep Silver puts it, to uncover Captain Steelbeard's legendary treasure.

Treasure Isle continues a plot element from the first Risen game and "finally brings it to an exciting conclusion". It revolves around Harlok, a cook on Steelbeard's ship Elenor. Harlok stole the clues that lead to the hidden treasure. The player helps him find it.

You, along with Steelbeard's daughter Patty, travel to an unknown island that offers new environments to explore and puzzles to solve. There's treasure to loot too, of course. At the end of it all you get a legendary item, only available in the DLC, that grants a permanent stat boost.

Deep Silver said the Treasure Isle DLC is worth ?8 or 800 Microsoft Points. Risen 2 launches on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on 27th April 2012 in Europe and 24th April in the US.

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Gotham City Imposters public beta released

A public beta for Gotham City Imposters is now available on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace, publisher Warner Bros. has announced.

The Batman-inspired shooter features team-based warfare in a civil war-torn Gotham City.

You play as fully-customisable Gotham citizens, fighting either for Batman or Joker.

Xbox 360 folk can sign up for a download key at Gotham City Imposters.com. PlayStation 3 players can nab the download directly from their console's PSN store.

Gotham City Imposters is due to fully launch next month on PC, PSN and XBLA.

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Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo bugs won't be in final game, dev vows

Bugs players have found in the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning demo won't be in the final game, one of its creators has vowed.

Big Huge Games lead designer Ian Frazier said the finished game is "in much better shape" than the demo, which was not created by Big Huge Games.

"There's a lot of tension about the demo, which we didn't build in-house," Frazier told Eurogamer. "It was branched off our code about three months ago. It got a lot of bug fixing. We sent them what we had, but there are a lot of bug fixes they didn't get. So we're all nervous, like, the demo's really buggy.

"But all the time the demo was worked on is time we spent de-bugging the main game. It should be clear from the reviews the main game is in way better shape. That's been a source of nervousness."

The biggest negative Big Huge Games has seen in the feedback to the demo is its buggy-ness, Frazier said.

"We're very not happy about that. But at the same time, the feedback overall has been really positive. Given the bug situation I'm incredibly happy with how positive the reaction has been.

"I'm not going to say the game's bug free - no game is. But it's pretty darn solid. Final code will show it's way better across all three platforms than the demo build. The demo didn't see the advantages of the last home stretch of bug fixing, which is a little bit painful."

In fact, the demo introduced bugs into the game that never existed in the code Big Huge Games created.

One of these relates to dialogue skipping - the result of missing voice over in the demo.

"The thing that's really hurtful for us is they actually introduced some new bugs in the demo that weren't even in the game when it branched," Frazier said.

Dialogue skipping is "not technically a bug", Frazier explained. "What they're seeing is the VO just isn't there. The big challenge for this demo was the game is frickin' huge so trying to get the download size down to something reasonable was a real challenge for the group that was working on it.

"Don't get me wrong - they did a good job with little support from us. I'm not trying to poo-poo those guys by any means. But in order to get it to fit to be a reasonable size download that would actually meet Microsoft and Sony's requirements, they had to cut everything that wasn't needed for the demo, like extra art and audio assets, and they cut a little much. They cut some audio that actually is in the demo. So if you talk to something and that clip's not there, you'll just see the words flicker across the screen."

While Frazier declined to name the contractor used to create the demo, he insisted it "does great work". "They did an amazing job within the context of the time they had."

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BioShock Infinite: This is Hardcore

I've spent a lot of time trying to picture what the newly unveiled 1999 mode means for BioShock Infinite, but I keep coming back to a scene from an old movie. It's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - which doesn't really have very much to do with Pinkerton agents, American exceptionalism, or floating cities in the sky - and the scene comes right at the end, just before the closing credits.

You probably know it, actually: Butch and Sundance are trapped in a barn, surrounded by heavily armed soldiers, and they're trying to work out what to do next. Do they run, do they fight or do they just stick around and bicker endearingly? They're stuck in this moment out of all possible moments, driven there by the poor choices you've watched them make over the last few hours. It's the garden of forking paths - and they appear to have just sat on one of the forks.

That, I think, is the kind of thing 1999 mode is meant to evoke, and it does it all without having to call in the Bolivian army. Instead, it works by fiddling with the game's variables, and making the whole experience a little more... rigorous.

If you're thinking this sounds like a standard difficulty setting that just happens to come with its own name and a good press secretary, you're missing the point. In BioShock Infinite's normal mode - the way most people are going to play it - you'll still be able to choose from a range of difficulty levels, boosting or lowering enemies' durability, say, or juggling how often you find health power-ups. 1999 mode has an entirely different agenda: its aim is to genuinely change the way you play the game, and it arose from Irrational creative director Ken Levine's own feelings about the original BioShock - and the feelings of some of the game's fans.

1/3 There will be a few nostrums specific to 1999, but Levine suggests the new mode isn't a huge technical challenge for the design team: it's more about exploring the possibilities of different balancing decisions.

"When we were working on BioShock there were design decisions we made where I think I sort of lost sight of something that was important in our previous games," sighs Levine.

"It didn't really occur to me what was missing until I had an interaction with a fan at a speaking event I did. He came up to me after the event and said, 'I've got a bone to pick with you.' I asked what it was. He said, 'BioShock didn't live up to something I was expecting out of the game: none of my decisions had any permanence. None of my character-based decisions had any permanence.' I thought, 'God, yes, that's a very good point.' When I look at BioShock, I look at all the game systems, and there's a hacking system, a photography system. There's a lot of systems in it, but none of the systems really demand a player sticks to those decisions they make."

The solution? Choices with a little more kick to them. We're not talking about big narrative choices here, like who lives and who dies (it's very hard for any game to go back on those occasions without pulling off a Bobby Ewing) but we are talking about the character stuff that affects your game on a moment-to-moment basis.

"So even in a vanilla BioShock Infinite, there are permanent decisions now," says Levine. "The nostrums that are basically the gene tonics of the first BioShock, those are permanent decisions. The way these work are you can find unstable nostrums in the world, and they give you a choice between one of three powers. You make that decision right there and then and then you stick with that decision.

"The change for 1999 mode is that the decision is not only permanent: if you make certain decisions, it's now mutually exclusive of other decisions. It locks out other stuff." Levine laughs. "You choose to specialise in guns or a particular type of gun, or hacking or whatever it is, you're really going to be compromised on other things: you're not going to be able to be good at them as well. And you're going to have those times in the game where you have a limited resource of the things you're good at.

1/2 Levine admits that he prefers to spend time thinking about the things people don't like about his games rather than the things they do like. 'Praise is always nice, but I like a design challenge.'

"You're dynamite with your pistol, but there will be times you don't have ammo for that pistol. You're going to struggle, because you've chosen that specialty, but you don't have the resources for that speciality. You really have to count every bullet and every dollar - that strategizing effect - to ensure you're going to be able to keep going and keep being effective." ("We get out of here alive, we go to Australia.")

"Basically, changes to balance can have some pretty profound effects," continues Levine. "1999 is a different way of thinking about resources, about character decisions, about health and about dying. You'll have to monitor your health much more carefully, and we're being crueller with re-spawning after death. Those are the primary areas where we're making changes. We don't want people thinking, "Oh my god, it's a whole new game." It's not a whole new game. It's a different way to play the game that really harkens back to the kind of game system stuff you'd get back in the 1990s than today."

It's an idea that should lead you down some interesting avenues. Take ammo rationing, for example. Fewer bullets in the world, and combat becomes a bit like a puzzle game: count your rounds, count your enemies, and work out how to make that equation work for you. It's fascinating stuff from a design point of view, then, but Levine's aware that it's not going to be for everyone.

"I think we're accepting in this mode that it's going to be punishing and it's going to be hard," he says. "It's not for the average guy who goes into a game store and picks up Infinite and says, 'Oh, this will be interesting.' It's very much a gamer's mode. In fact, what we might do is bury it under a left, right, left, right, up, down thing, or a keyboard combination on PC.

"We don't want people stumbling into it who aren't ready for it. We want people to read that code on Eurogamer or RPS or whatever - gamer sites - and then say, 'Okay, I'm ready for this.' You're not going to have to complete the campaign on normal first. You'll be able to dive straight into this mode, but it's not something I want everybody to see."

As for the name, it's worth remembering that System Shock 2 came out in 1999 and has been brutally smacking its fans about ever since. That's a reminder, if nothing else, of how tastes in game design have changed over the last decade. "There's a way that games in 2012 are balanced, and I think there are some really good innovations in game design and some really good innovations in game flow and ease of use," admits Levine. "With 1999, to some degree, we're going to say, 'Well, those are great, but we're going to leave those aside.' We want to be thinking, really thinking, about every decision, staring at the screen and knowing, well, this is life and death. This isn't 2012 game design at all."

Is there much of an audience for this kind of thing? Levine's feeling confident. "To make a game that is strictly this kind of game today would be a difficult proposition because tastes have changed broadly," he allows. "But old school gamers haven't changed. I as a gamer haven't changed. I miss this kind of experience. As gamers, we sometimes just want to have that experience where you're really stressing over a simple decision."

And is it nice to have a break from making games for everyone and focusing on what just one specific group of people want, even if it's only for one mode in a huge project like Infinite? "Those multiple audiences are within each of us," he argues. Last night I couldn't sleep so I was playing Bejeweled on my iPhone for about an hour, but right before that I was playing Deus Ex. That's weird, right? How often are those two games played in a row? I think surprisingly often.

"Gamers are so broad in their tastes. So there's a little bit of a voice in me saying, 'Make a game I can just pick up and play', and there's a voice saying, 'Screw that, I want to play something that will beat the crap out of me. I want to play S.T.A.L.K.E.R. I want to re-install X-Com.' This voice is in each of us, and all you need to do is listen to the schizophrenic voices in your head and I think it will give you some guidance about what you should be making." He laughs. "Because you can't make a game for somebody else, you know?"

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Troubled THQ risks falling off Nasdaq listing

Embattled publisher THQ has been warned it risks being delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange.

The threat comes after THQ shares failed to be worth more than a dollar for 30 consecutive days, reports MCV.

THQ has until 23rd July to raise its share price back above the dollar mark.

If THQ succeeds in doing so for more than 10 consecutive business days, the publisher will be saved from falling off the Nasdaq list.

Otherwise, Nasdaq has the power to remove THQ from stock exchange listings, should its share price remain stagnant.

It is the latest blow in what has been a miserable 12 months for the THQ. 2011 saw numerous internal studios shut their doors, its uDraw tablet flop on PS3 and Xbox 360 and its sci-fi action series Red Faction: Armageddon abandoned.

Since December, two separate rounds of staff lay-offs have been confirmed in as many months, while THQ was also forced to deny damaging rumours it had been pressed into cancelling its entire 2014 game line-up.

THQ now has five internal studios "aligned" to the publisher's biggest brands, the publisher reassured last week, amid growing fears for the company's long term health.

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PlayStation Vita Japan sales slowest yet

PlayStation Vita sold another 15,219 units in Japan last week, but that figure marks the handheld's lowest ever weekly total.

Sales fell from 22,538 the week before, according to Japanese chart company Media Create (via NeoGAF, although hardware numbers were largely down across the chart.

3DS sales shrank to 80,960, down almost 20,000 but still enough to outsell the rest of the hardware chart combined.

Once again PlayStation Vita finished fourth - behind the 3DS, PS3 and PSP.

Mario Kart 7 remained top of the software charts, selling 35,105.

Sega's new 3DS animated adventure Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure entered the chart in second with 31,598 copies sold.

In total, seven games out of the top 10 were on 3DS, while 13 of the top 20 were on 3DS or Wii. There were no Vita games in the top 20.

The full chart figures lie below.

Media Create software sales: Week 3, 2012 (Jan 16 - Jan 22)

[3DS] Mario Kart 7 - 35.105 / 1.404.728 [3DS] Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure - 31.598 / NEW [3DS] Monster Hunter 3G - 31.369 / 1.159.866 [3DS] Super Mario 3D Land - 26.051 / 1.265.491[360] Onechanbara Z: Kagura - 22.013 / NEW [PSP] Heroes Phantasia - 15.163 / NEW [3DS] Inazuma Eleven Go: Shine / Dark - 14.190 / 360.325 [3DS] Beyond the Labyrinth - 14.176 / NEW [PSP] Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Masou Kishin II - Revelation of Evil God - 11.598 / 93.494 [PS3] Warriors Orochi 3 - 10.690 / 347.614 [PS3] Final Fantasy XIII-2 - 8.706 / 762.674 [WII] Just Dance Wii - 8.315 / 511.363 [PSP] Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (PSP the Best) - 8.126 / 171.906 [WII] Wii Party - 7.133 / 2.273.318 [WII] Wii Sports Resort with Remote Plus - 6.594 / 850.426[WII] Kirby's Return to Dream Land - 6.162 / 585.260 [WII] Mario Kart Wii - 6.137 / 3.489.774[PS3] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Dubbed Edition - 5.945 / 96.391[3DS] Nintendogs + Cats: French Bulldog / Shiba / Toy Poodle & New Friends - 5.932 / 481.804 [WII] Go Vacation - 5.460 / 221.639

Media Create hardware sales: Week 3, 2012 (Jan 16 - Jan 22)

3DS - 80,960 (100,668)PS3 - 21,155 (30,332)PSP - 17,181 (22,538)PSV - 15,219 (18,361)Wii - 10,173 (14,179)DS - 2,022 (2,721)360 - 1,588 (1,519)PS2 - 903 (766)Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure

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Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock PC release still planned

The PC version of Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock will still release in Europe despite Sony's announcement of PlayStation exclusivity, BBC Worldwide has confirmed to Eurogamer.

Sony yesterday revealed it had secured the game as a PlayStation exclusive in European territories.

But that does not mean the planned PC version has been canned in Europe, just that Sony has the exclusive console rights to the title.

Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock will launch first on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. The PC release will then follow at a later date.

In the US there is no similar console exclusivity deal for the game, but all planned versions of the game will get a global release, Eurogamer understands.

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Activision: why Xbox 360 gets Call of Duty Elite maps first

Some silly old sausages have "convinced themselves" that having a Call of Duty Elite subscription means they are entitled to maps on PC and PlayStation 3 at the same time as on Xbox 360.

Like gasp! Not true - as Activision's Dan Amrich was at pains to explain on his blog.

"Somewhere along the way, people convinced themselves that an Elite subscription would trump the 2010 DLC exclusivity deal that was created before Elite existed; that by paying for Elite, they were somehow invalidating a contract between Activision and Microsoft. It doesn't make any sense, but it is what people started to think," wrote Amrich, self-described as Activision's "blogger".

The Xbox 360 exclusivity deal remains valid until the end of 2012, and declares that all Call of Duty DLC appear first on Xbox 360.

This period of exclusivity was typically 30 days with Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC.

"Yep, and it's called Call of Duty Elite..."

Map pack First Strike arrived 1st February on Xbox 360, and 3rd March on PlayStation 3 (25th March on PC). Map pack Escalation arrived 3rd May on Xbox 360, and 2nd June on PC (10th June on PS3).

Black Ops map pack Annihilation arrived 28th June on Xbox 360, and 28th July on PC and PS3. And map pack "Rezurrection" arrived 23rd August on Xbox 360, and 22nd September on PC and PS3.

Puzzled, Dan Amrich delved deep to find the source of confusion.

"Honestly? I think gamers just convinced themselves that it would happen because they wanted it to happen. That makes sense, but it doesn't make it true."

Dan Amrich, Activision's blogger

"What I found was that you can't prove the non-existence of something. I can find no evidence of 'buy Elite, get PS3 DLC same time as 360' ever being so much as suggested by any official source," he shared.

"It was never one of the things listed in the official benefits chart; it was never promised by any representative of Activision, Call of Duty, Elite, or its developers."

He pressed on: "Honestly? I think gamers just convinced themselves that it would happen because they wanted it to happen. That makes sense, but it doesn't make it true."

Even the Call of Duty Elite FAQ and Amrich's own previous blog post about Call of Duty Elite specified this not to be the case.

"So that's where we are," Amrich concluded. "The deal from 2010 is why DLC comes out on Xbox 360 first.

"I'm seeing people scream 'rip-off' and stuff like that, but nobody's going to get ripped off; every gamer will get everything they were promised and everything they paid for.

"It's unfortunate that people assumed things about Elite that turned out to not be based in fact, but I hope the truth is clear now.

"Unpopular, I'm guessing, but clear."

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Fans pick apart canonical errors in Mass Effect: Deception book

The just-released Mass Effect: Deception book has gone down like a lead balloon with Mass Effect fans. The novel is apparently riddled with canonical errors.

A shared Google doc titled "Errors in Mass Effect: Deception" attempts to list all the inaccuracies (via Kotaku)

Mass Effect: Deception. Apparently so.

Here are some snippets:

During the three years since [the setting of novel Mass Effect: Ascension], both Nick [Donahue] and Gillian [Grayson] have aged six years. In addition, the attack on the Citadel is said to have taken place two years earlier, despite it actually taking place three years earlier.Anderson claims Omega has no public newscasts. Mass Effect 2 begs to differ.Quarians wear environmentally sealed suits to protect their weakened immune systems. They do not wear "a motley collection of clothing, held together by a variety of straps and leather fasteners".The novel states that thousands die on the Citadel every day, but given the approximate population of 13 million, this is beyond excessive.

One fan went as far as to burn Mass Effect: Deception and video it. I can't get over how similar he looks to the actual Commander Shepard.

One explanation for the book's shoddy standards is it's not written by Drew Karpyshyn, writer of the previous three Mass Effect novels as well as lead writer of Mass Effect 1 and co-lead writer of Mass Effect 2.

Mass Effect: Deception is written by William C. Dietz.

Maybe he should stick to weight-loss books.

In reality, Dietz has enjoyed a long and prosperous career writing science fiction stories. In addition to his own works, he's adapted stories for the Star Wars licence as well as for game properties Halo, Hitman and Resistance. He even co-wrote Vita game Resistance: Burning Skies.

Here's a video about the real people lending their voices to digital people in Mass Effect 3.

Video(Playlist,1);

View the original article here

Assessing COD Elite

The grand entrance of Call of Duty: Elite at the gun-toter debutante ball wasn't graceful. Backstage she nervously applied the finishing touches to her camo paint while she listened to the unexpected wolf-whistles as Modern Warfare 3 shimmered down the red carpet. It was her time to shine: the moment she'd been built for. Yet as she approached the doorway a stun grenade became dislodged in her purse, and fell...

You know the rest of the story: an underprepared and distressed Premium service whimpering on the floor. There she was: crawling around on her hands and knees in clear view of the wealthy bachelors she had hoped to impress. She even did a little bit of sick in her hands. It got into Tatler and everything.

It wasn't pretty. The PC version went AWOL, the mobile app was delayed, the sign-up pages routinely crashed and the servers were clogged: in fact the Activision Empire's battle-station wasn't fully operational until early December, around a month after the release of the game it was supposed to chaperone. Punters were gifted an extra thirty days to their subscription by way of apology, less reported was the fact that they were also sent a Christmas present of two hours of Double XP and a Prestige Shop unlock. (This was my best Christmas present.)

Call of Duty Elite: underlining poor performances since 2011.

Call of Duty Elite is many things. For free it's a stat-tracker, social hub and equipment fiddle mainframe - for ?34.99 it's also a provenor of competitions, advanced clan features, strategy tips and the early delivery of downloadable content. The DLC, however, is clearly the clincher. For the Activision accounts department Elite is a feeder pipe to ensure that the audience does not stray: a money upfront ploy to fend off the inevitable decline in map pack sales that occurs the further they get from MW3, and the closer (what must be) Black Ops 2 becomes.

As of this Tuesday the Xbox 360 feeder pipe started to dribble into life - depositing two new maps into the waiting, willing mouths of the COD cognoscenti. Both are excellent examples of the form - far more individual and specialised efforts than the amiable (if vanilla and snipe-averse) maps provided upon release. Piazza takes place in an Italian hillside town - several dollops of vertical shootery mixed in with an equivalent measure of tight corners and winding roads to guarantee up-close combat. Liberation, meanwhile, is a wide and open map that takes in bits of Central Park that you might recognise from Home Alone 2 - a haven for snipers, and anyone who fancies jumping onto its mounted turrets.

It's telling that playing either map makes you instinctively reconsider your tried and tested load-outs currently rigged for MW3 - and hopefully a sure sign that Infinity Ward and friends are deliberately mixing things up now that a nine month feed of maps, Spec Ops missions and game modes is underway. The only complaint here, really, is that the new maps rub shoulders with the old in Elite playlists - spiking excitement with broad swathes of the over-familiar.

What's happening away from the DLC drops though? Elite's role as a 'COD Facebook' is slightly hampered by the fact that less militant players bypass it or don't frequent it often - as such the clan systems in the deep end are crowded, but invisible to a non-hardcore user floating in shallower waters next to a barren newsfeed.

This is particularly shown up by the (free) ability to join groups of likeminded players. As a fan of the glorious Queens Park Rangers, upon first hearing about Elite groups I saw myself in a post-MW3 world playing exclusively with likeminded individuals - mulling over likely relegation while shooting each other.

As it turned out the biggest QPR group has eleven members, it only says four things on its wall and one is "COME ON u Rs! F**k Man U!". I'm not really able to directly play with these charmers either - only really being provided with leaderboards and the ability to see when someone you're already playing is in a shared group.

Liberation is oddly reminiscent of the BF3 Metro map. It's the trees that do it.

As for the Premium Clan support - the system works well in terms of clan management and levelling (you sure as hell know you're going to get pasted when a bunch of players turn up with a shared golden clan tag) but there remains ongoing brouhaha that communal Clan Operations still aren't part of the package. Elite developers Beachhead have been playing catch-up ever since their stymied and cut-down launch - and for many the process hasn't been quick enough. Add in the PS3 owners smarting from the 'Microsoft first' DLC exclusivity deal, and you've got some heartily harassed community managers.

It isn't all DLC and social nubbins for the Premium crowd. Also piped in for paying customers is Elite TV which, with a small degree of hyperbole, is perhaps the most banal American cultural export in recorded history. Its flagship Friday Night Fights often takes on themes that connoisseurs of same-sex male erotica will be all too familiar with (Army vs Navy! Policemen vs Firemen!) It starts out well because it's hosted by Stacey Kiebler off of the wrestling, and after that... Well, here's a transcript:

Exuberant sailors enter from stage left, running

SAILOR 1: Woo! Navy baby! Navy baby! Navy baby!SAILOR 2: It's all goin' down!SAILOR 1: Joe's gonna cry!SAILOR 2: [Brandishing gamepad] Did anyone tell them how to use this yet?COD STRATEGIST MAN: Is this about to be a blow-out?SAILOR 1 and 2: OH MY GOD!

It's well meaning, and the map guides are useful, but it's hard not to re-evaluate your life when you hear a gravel-voice saying "J-bird is the Army's team captain. He's a REAL smack-talker but, if you ask HIM, he does most of his TALKING with his M4A1."

Let's not overdose on cheap bravado though. There are plenty of Elite side dishes that are worthy accompaniments. It's certainly not a function exclusive to COD, but the way you can study your gameplay statistics in the free part of Elite is genuinely fascinating - and allows you to pick up on the frailties of your game in quite an alarming way. I became aware, for example, that I was getting 20% more kills with the M4A1 over my (I thought) trusty CM901 - so switched my play-style to suit. (I also realised I should stop playing when drunk.)

Piazza: because what global warfare really needs is a bit with a winery.

On the Premium side, meanwhile, the 'Improve' section contains a range of handy videos to instruct you in the ways of wholesale slaughter, while those who fancy their chances can enter Lone Wolf Operations to win top-end prizes like iPads, and low-end prizes like hoodies or online badges. (The 99% of people who don't stand a chance in these, meanwhile, are consoled with 'best screenshot' competitions, which do feel a little bit like being a crap kid taking part in the 'walking race' on Sports Day).

Obvious question then, with an obvious answer. Has COD Elite proved itself worthy of the asking price? For punters who habitually snap up every map pack or operate in clans then Elite membership seems something of a shoe-in - primarily as a money-saver. Floating voters, meanwhile, are adequately catered for with its free features, unless of course they feel a gnawing desperation to play the new maps first.

Quite whether the ploy has worked for Activision, meanwhile, is still an unknown - having nine different Xbox Elite release dates, nine separate and belated drops on PS3 AND the traditional five map bundles really muddies the water in terms of both explaining and promoting their wares. What's more, the schism between those who've signed up for Elite and those unwilling to shell out until the map pack arrives will inevitably chop up the community - and, indeed, established playing partnerships.

The DLC campaign and fundamentals of Call of Duty Elite remain sound, despite the features still creeping into the mainframe and launch palaver. You would hope, however, that as time goes on it evolves into something more open, something more inclusive and something that has a more direct impact on the people you play alongside and against. Activision may have a firm grip on its audience, but those claws still have room to dig deeper.

View the original article here

Nintendo: market is now waiting for new home consoles

Gamers are now ready for new home consoles, Nintendo has said.

Pointing to declining sales of the PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 in the US in December, Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata said "the market is now waiting for a new proposal for home consoles".

In the US in 2011, Microsoft's Xbox 360 enjoyed "large momentum", Iwata said. The Wii edged out Sony's PlayStation 3 in terms of sales, but Nintendo did not see the console sell as well in December as it usually does.

"Usually, the Wii enjoys high sales in December, but last year, even though 'The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword' was highly acclaimed, we were not able to expand it sufficiently to our target audience, and although the Wii was the platform which sold the most software in December, we were not able to propose new Nintendo titles to our broad audience," Iwata said.

"Therefore, except for Ubisoft's Just Dance 3 there were no Wii titles with huge sales in the year-end sales season. Along with effects from our trade marketing activities in December which mainly focused on the Nintendo 3DS, we were not able to sell the Wii as well as we usually do.

"However, not just the Wii, but the overall performance of home consoles in December was lower than the previous year, and I think that the market is now waiting for a new proposal for home consoles."

Nintendo is set to enter the next generation home console market ahead of Sony and Microsoft with the launch of the Wii U in all key markets by the end of the year.

It is Nintendo's first high definition home console, and has a tablet device for a controller. Technical specifications and launch games are yet to be announced, however.

Microsoft and Sony's next-gen plans remain unknown, but Microsoft is expected to discuss its next Xbox at E3 2012 in June, with a possible 2013 launch in the works. Sony executives continue to insist the PlayStation 3 has much work left to do - possibly indicating the PlayStation 4 is further out.

View the original article here

UK Top 40: Resident Evil: Revelations lands sixth

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HomeReviewsNewsVideosEGTV ShowDigital FoundryGameDBRelease DatesEG ExpoForumGaikaiNewsPCXbox 360PlayStation 3Wii3DSUK Top 40: Resident Evil: Revelations lands sixth ByTom PhillipsPublished30 January, 2012

While FIFA 12 scores top spot again.

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3DS exclusive Resident Evil: Revelaitons has entered the UK all-format charts in sixth place.

The horror adventure is the first major 3DS game to chart this year and is the 3DS's seventh-largest launch so far.

FIFA 12 was top of the pops for a sixth week running. Last week it became the highest-grossing sports video game ever.

The only other newcomer this week was the latest Sims 3 expansion Master Suite Stuff, which arrived in 23rd.

The chart in general looks very similar to last week - Modern Warfare rises to second while Skyrim, Just Dance 3 and Battlefield 3 fill out the top five.

Zumba Fitness and Zumba Fitness 2, Saints Row: The Third and Assassin's Creed: Revelations make up the rest of the top ten.

The full top 40 lies below.

Video(Playlist,1);This WeekLast WeekTitlePlatform(s)11FIFA 12PS3, Xbox 36024Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 36032The Elder Scrolls 5: SkyrimPC, PS3, Xbox 36042Just Dance 3Wii, Xbox 36055Battlefield 3PC, PS3, Xbox 3606New entryResident Evil: Revelations3DS76Zumba FitnessWii, PS3, Xbox 36087Saints Row: The ThirdPC, PS3, Xbox 360912Assassin's Creed: RevelationsPC, PS3, Xbox 360108Zumba Fitness 2Wii1110RagePC, PS3, Xbox 360129Rayman OriginsPS3, Wii, Xbox 3601311Mario Kart 73DS1416Football Manager 2012PC1524Sonic GenerationsPS3, Xbox 3601613Super Mario 3D Land3DS1729Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012Xbox 3601825Kinect Sports: Season 2Xbox 3601920Cars 2DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 3602018WWE '12PS3, Xbox 3602122Lego Pirates of the Caribbean3DS, DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 3602219Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure3DS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 36023New entryThe Sims 3: Master Suite StuffPC2426Moshi Monsters: Moshling ZooDS2514Need for Speed: The RunPC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 3602627Dead IslandPC, PS3, Xbox 3602715Wii Fit PlusWii2821Forza Motorsport 4Xbox 3602917Mario & Sonic: London 2012 Olympic GamesWii3031Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 3603132Batman: Arkham CityPS3, Xbox 3603228Mario Kart WiiWii3339Uncharted 3: Drake's DeceptionPS33434Skate 3PS3, Xbox 36035Re-entryDirt 3PS3, Xbox 3603636Abba: So You Can DanceWii3730Halo: Combat Evolved AnniversaryXbox 3603838The Sims 33DS, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 36039Re-entryJust Dance 2Wii4037Star Wars: The Old RepublicPC

UKIE Games Charts compiled by GfK Chart-Track.

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Tom joined Eurogamer in 2010 and has quickly made his mark writing news and columns and coming up with puntastic straplines. Questionable beard.

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Where to now?More NewsMore 3DS articlesHome Comments (20) 4 hours ago

Order OldestNewestBestWorst Score-25-10-10+1+10+25 Log in or register to post a comment!

Nico4 #12 days ago

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Hope the game sells well Log in or register to reply+5-+

GamesConnoisseur #22 days ago

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That ain't too bad! Having fun on 3DS between Ace Combat andResident Evil the past few days, resting X360 and others!

Wouldn't be surprised if in couple of years Capcom wouldport the game to other format, ie Dreamcast's Code Veronicaor GameCube's RE4.

As Revelations a fully fledged game and part of the mainseries and not an isolated spin off.Log in or register to reply0-+

PixelEdged #32 days ago

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This is why we can't have nice things, because we as anation wan't to show publishers that we are the shovelwarenation, also how many football console fans are there tostill be buying Fifa this long after launch enough to keepit top?Log in or register to reply-12-+

Porko_Rossi #42 days ago

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Great to see some Resident Evil love. Also good to seeSkate 3 in the chart, the best skateboarding series ever forme.Log in or register to reply0-+

simsini #52 days ago

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Great result for Resident Evil, although there is a lot ofrubbish in that top 40. No wonder there is little innovationin console gaming these days!Log in or register to reply+3-+

Hellion83 #62 days ago

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Fifa again?? How the hell do you Fifa fans play the samething over and over and shell out the money for Fifa 12.. Ican't wait to see what they do for Fifa 20 and beyond.. letsadd..more football!Log in or register to reply-5-+

landlock #72 days ago

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Considering it's the first big release in nearly two monthsI was expecting better to be honest. Shame great game.

edit: Nevermind I forgot this was the multiplatform chart.It's really the No.1 best selling single software of theweek. That's better. Edited by 1 at 30/01/12 @ 10:45Log in or register to reply+4-+

jetsetwillie #82 days ago

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@Hellion83 because theylike it. pretty simple reallyLog in or register to reply+7-+

abigsmurf #92 days ago

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Resident Evil Revelations is a genuinely good game, nice tosee it getting decent sales. Only slight annoyances are thatthe non-ship chapters kinda break up the atmosphere a bitand the larger underwater BOWs which are incrediblyfrustrating.

Suffers a bit from "you are too baddass to bescared" like RE4 but it still has unsettling moments,most notably the communications officer: "Mayday. May...Day....MaaaAAAAaaaay....Daaaaaay"[/spoilerEdited by 1 at 30/01/12 @ 16:34Log in or register to reply+3-+

roz123 #102 days ago

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Yep Resident evil: revelations is shaping up to be a verygood game from what I have played so far. It is number oneof the individual formats chart.Log in or register to reply+2-+

riz23 #112 days ago

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Played the demo of RE:R and thought it was great. I'm justtoo tight to spend ?30 on it. I'm waiting for a price dropLog in or register to reply+3-+

simsini #122 days ago

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I can't wait to see the chart when the Vita comes out.Should be quite a few new entries then.Log in or register to reply-3-+

metallicorphan #132 days ago

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Surprised to see TOR right at the bottom,but i supposedeveryone who was looking forward to the game bought it dayoneLog in or register to reply0-+

Ror1984 #142 days ago

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I'd be playing Resi Revelations if my copy from Zavvi hadturned up. Curse you Zavvi and/or Royal Mail!Log in or register to reply+1-+

grimshawish #152 days ago

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Great result for RE:R - top of the single-format chart -Wasn't exactly out long either!

So am quite happy with that result - game deserves it.Log in or register to reply0-+

Eurocensor #162 days ago

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Log in or register to reply+1-+

wizlon #172 days ago

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@Ror1984 Zavvi sent mine 2ndclass, the scoundrels. Shouldn't complain as I got it withthe circle pad pro for ?30.Log in or register to reply+1-+

Ror1984 #182 days ago

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@wizlon - have you receivedyours then? That's what I ordered, the CPP ?30 bundle. Itwas supposedly sent out on Wednesday.Log in or register to reply+1-+

MikeRox #1915 hours ago

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@Ror1984 Got mine from Zavvitoo. It was shipped Wednesday and arrived Saturday. It'sworth the wait though! Nice packaging and I saw GAME wanted#37.99 for the game and #19.99 for the controller so overinstore price you're saving yourself #28.

Game is excellent, has really set a new standard for the 3DSand the circle pad pro really makes the system far morecomfortable for prolonged play. Glad the game is sellingpretty well. Might open the door for some new stuff.Log in or register to reply+1-+

Ror1984 #204 hours ago

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@MikeRox - cheers, soundslike it's Royal Mail who've screwed me then. God knows when(or if) it'll turn up. I've been really looking forward toit since the demo Log in or register to reply0-+ document.observe("dom:loaded",function(){//$("comments-list").update("Loading...");//comments.reload();});
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Capcom confirms Street Fighter x Tekken free post-launch tournament support mode patch

Capcom has confirmed plans to release a free, post-launch patch that adds a tournament support mode to upcoming fighting game Street Fighter x Tekken.

While Capcom is yet to finalise the details of what the mode will actually do, it is designed to alleviate fan concern over the controversial gem system - and how it will impact tournaments.

The gem system forces players to pick three gems to attach to their character. They come in two types: assist gems are always active and assist you in aspects of your game. Boost gems improve character attributes when they are activated.

The fighting game community has reacted strongly to the gem system, with some predicting it will grant an unfair advantage - an accusation Capcom denies.

Those in the tournament scene have their own set of concerns, including how the gem system will impact hosting matches.

"We know a lot of players are worried that with the gem system tournaments will be harder to run," Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono told Eurogamer.

"We know they take a lot of time. A lot of players were saying, 'I have to do button checks. Do I have to do a gem check now before a match?' With regards to that we plan to release a free post-launch tournament support mode."

Capcom hopes to release the tournament support mode as quickly as possible. "Hopefully it will alleviate a lot of the concerns the community has," Ono said.

The idea is that fighting game fans offer their thoughts on the tournament support mode so Capcom gets an idea of what to include in it. "Hopefully from that we'll get feedback from the community, and then we'll have a better direction of exactly what we should do with this mode," Ono added.

The game already includes a number of features designed to appeal to tournament players, including the ability to configure your buttons at the character select screen - long called for by fans.

Meanwhile, the enthusiastic Japanese developer was keen to stress that the gem system - 57 gems will be included on the disc with others supplied as pre-order bonuses - has been misunderstood by much of the fighting game community.

"In terms of DLC gems, we don't have any set plans on selling gems like this or like that," Ono said. "We're waiting to see what the user reaction is first, because we think a lot of users still don't understand the gem system completely.

"They're not power-up items. That's not how we see them. We put gems into the game which are default. As long as you have these default ones you'll be fine. If you want to get more gems down the road from the pre-order bonuses, you can definitely do that, but it doesn't make you stronger, it doesn't make you a better player, it doesn't mean you'll have an advantage.

"We think players should find gems that match their play style. Using a sports analogy, going into a sports shop and looking for equipment that fits you, buying the shoe that fits your foot, things like that."

Capcom promised to patch the game post-launch should the community feel a gem is too strong or the balance is suffering.

It's all part of a concerted effort to interact with the community much closer than Capcom has done in the past. Dedicated community managers will be in place to receive and direct feedback, and custom character titles and other game content will be offered as Street Fighter x Tekken tournament prizes.

"Hopefully we can start to build a closer relationship with the fans, and we can hear their concerns and implement any support or tools," Ono said. "It'll be the start of a really close relationship, we hope, with the community."

View the original article here

UK PC download chart to launch next month

A weekly UK PC download chart goes into public beta next month, entertainment trade body UKIE has announced.

A closed beta has been running for a few months now, but the general public will finally be able to view the data from February.

A number of key industry players have contributed to getting the chart - which is the first of its kind - off the ground, including Disney Interactive Studios, Focus Multimedia, Get Games, Green Man Gaming, Mastertronic, NCsoft, Sega, Square-Enix, Ubisoft and Warner Bros.

There was no mention of Steam in UKIE's announcement.

"UKIE is committed to measuring the size of the digital games market and is delighted to announce that it will be launching a public Beta of the UKIE PC Download Chart in February," commented UKIE CEO Jo Twist.

"Having this digital data alongside our UKIE Games Charts for boxed products, will allow the games industry to lobby government even more effectively, and allow our members to make informed and fact based commercial decisions."

Geoff Heath, head of UKIE's Digital Group, called for more publishers to get involved with the project.

"We all hear that digital sales are growing but we don't know by how much or in which area. UKIE's PC Download Chart is a first step to getting a full understanding of where the industry is developing but this is just the beginning and we still need more input from industry. We need your data!"

UKIE, which sends out the weekly top 40 data that you see on this site every Monday, also announced its intent to get PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade charts off the ground next.

View the original article here

Aliens: Colonial Marines delayed until Autumn

Long-in-the-offing shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines has been delayed from this Spring until some time in the Autumn, Sega has announced.

A statement from the publisher handed to Eurogamer explained that developer Gearbox Software needs a little more time to finish things up.

"Aliens: Colonial Marines is a process of creativity and invention and those don't necessarily follow the structure of an assembly line. While setting clear goals, deadlines and predictions is helpful, they are often subjective.

"We don't want to sacrifice the creative process just for the sake of following a blue print. We prefer to have the creative discovery shape that blue print because our goal is to make a great game, and we are prioritising this goal over the previously targeted date."

The game was first announced way, way back in 2006. What's a few more months, eh?

To be fair, Gearbox has plenty on its plate right now, what with this, Borderlands 2 and Brothers in Arms: Furious 4.

View the original article here

Kingdoms of Amalur online pass hides 7 single player quests

Forthcoming EA action RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning sees the next evolutionary step of the online pass, with second hand purchasers locked out of single player content until they cough up for the required passcode.

As reported by Destructoid, an online pass included with new copies of the game in the US offers access to the House of Valor faction quest, which includes seven individual single player missions.

In addition, it'll also unlock a Mass Effect 3-themed in-game item - the N7-inspired Shepard's Battle Armour.

EA declined to comment when asked if the same system will be in place in the European release, currently scheduled for 10th February.

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Final Fantasy 13-2 sidequests footage

Gimped cutscenes?

I prefer ingame movies, as usually better reflects the actual customisations to your characters whereas they would have to gimp characters to wear same stuff no matter if played hundred of hours as FMV spooled off disk are fixed!!

That seem to be a cheap shot at fanboyism, other advantages are spending less of the budget on shiny fmvs and more on an actual gameplay contents. Seem to be lining up to be a far better reflection of the FF franchise.

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Ghost Recon Preview: Rebuilding the Future Soldier

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier ain't quite what it used to be. When it first broke cover - and when we last took a serious look at it - Ubisoft's tactical shooter series had evolved into something far removed from the games of old, having become an action-heavy third-person shooter starring a soldier who was, in Ubisoft's own words, "an F-16 on legs". It had turned into Gears of Recon, and it proved an unpopular shift in direction for a series once known for its tactical smarts.

"We'd just finished Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, but that was just an iteration of the first Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter," creative director Jean-Marc Geffroy says of Future Soldier's first pass. "The team wanted to renew the game - they wanted to stay faithful, but they wanted to renew as well. And sometimes, when you're like that maybe you go too far in one direction."

Remember the over-powered exoskeleton, the class system and the player tethering discussed at the game's reveal? Forget about it - all of it - as today's version of Future Soldier is a world away from the one first shown in 2010.

"The team was thinking about changing the game, and at the same moment we were working with consultants," says Geffroy on the decision to switch tracks with Future Soldier. "It was interesting - at this time, we needed another view from someone who could tell us that maybe it's a great game, but from a military perspective, it's just s**t.

There are a handful of elements borrowed from Splinter Cell, lending Future Soldier's stealth a new dynamism.

"It was at this moment where we thought that we're too sci-fi - we had some good input from Special Forces who told us what really is their job. It was the right moment to change. We didn't change the engine, we didn't change a lot of stuff - but we changed the design, the visuals and the mission system."

First highlighted at Microsoft's E3 conference last year, Gunsmith is where Future Soldier lets you craft the game's tools. It's an incredibly detailed and comprehensive customisation tool that allows you to swap out various elements, from the sights to the barrel and beyond, with each piece coming with its own stats. Finding the right gun should prove a compelling exercise in alchemy, and it's a feature on all versions of Future Soldier. The Xbox 360 gets Kinect functionality that adds a tactile element, and while it's perfectly serviceable, it's hard not to see it as any more than a briefly diverting novelty.

It's one hell of an about-turn, although it's an about-turn that's hardly alien to Ubisoft, nor to Tom Clancy's extended family of games. I Am Alive recently shifted from a sci-fi survival horror to a taut downloadable action game, swapping studios in the process, while Splinter Cell: Conviction famously debuted with a hobo Sam Fisher and an elaborate combat system that were both never to be seen again.

Future Soldier's been taken down a similar path, and in its roundabout journey in the last six years it's ended somewhere near to where the series left off. Having flirted with gung-ho heroics, it's now returned to the considered yet fast-paced tactical shooting of the Advanced Warfighter games - which, if you can recall the brace of Ghost Recon games that came at the dawn of this generation, is no bad thing at all.

Gone is the gung-ho shooting, and in its place is squad-play that's easily directed and pleasing to tinker with. You're one of a team of four - there's no divide between single-player and online co-op in the campaign - sent out to fight in a series of nondescript and slightly over-familiar scenarios.

But - and don't tell poor old Tom this - no-one plays the Clancy games for their gripping stories. It's about technology and battleground wit, both of which empower the action and help elevate it above fellow third-person shooters, including the kind of game that Future Soldier once threatened to be.

The over-the-top technology of Future Soldier's old self has been removed, but in its place is a selection of gadgets that look just as satisfying and that have woven wonderfully into the game. First there's a remote-controlled drone that looks like it's fallen from the pages of the Innovations catalogue - it can be driven across land or flown across a short range, picking out targets and giving the lay of the land. Sensor grenades perform a similar trick, marking out nearby enemies.

Both of these tie into Future Soldier's other key introduction, a feature dubbed 'scan and execute'. It's remarkably similar, both in practice and in name, to Conviction's mark and execute; enemies can be tagged and then taken down, but the ability has been embellished. With the emphasis on co-op play, it's possible to tag kills for squad-mates before giving the order to pull the trigger, at which point the action trickles into bullet-time.

Like other Clancy games, Future Soldier's visuals are solid if hardly dazzling.

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Unlike Splinter Cell: Conviction, there's no economy keeping use of scan and execute in check. It was always an awkward and somewhat nonsensical limitation, but by removing it, Future Soldier runs the risk of over-powering the player - the cool, clinical run-through that was once the reserve of the skilled and patient now becomes the default way to play.

But Ubisoft's level designers seem to be having fun exploring the possibilities and stretching out the mechanics across a variety of scenarios. Stalking a military leader through a Bolivian camp requires stealth and a steady nerve, and Future Soldier's active camouflage - again, a feature that's kept relatively unchecked and is available at all times - removes some of the frustration inherent in other games of hide and seek.

An abandoned traffic jam in Pakistan shows signs of the more action-oriented game that Future Soldier nearly was, an explosion of noise and colour that funnels you through a thin, enemy-infested strip of road. It allows Future Soldier's cover mechanics to reveal themselves - it's fast and snappy in this regard, and with the ability to roll in and out of cover when lying prone it makes for equally fast and snappy combat - as well as revealing a handful of other quirks.

Come under fire from a heavy machine gun and Future Soldier's suppression mechanic kicks in, layering a dose of shaky-cam that makes it hard to fire off a clean shot in return. The solution tends to be sending a squad-mate out to take care of the unit - a small snapshot of how Future Soldier is placing an emphasis on both the tactical and the shooter sides of its genetic make-up.

The tactics and the shooting seem to be working in harmony now, restoring the balance that made both Advanced Warfighters such a success. It's a different game to the one Ubisoft once intended - but it's most definitely a better one.

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Exclusive Syndicate demo gameplay footage

All I see is a fairly competant but generic FPS. It doesn't look a bad game at all, but it looks like the kind of thing which was surpassed by the Halo or CoD series years ago. The only thing this game appears to have as a draw for customers is the title "Syndicate". But what the hell? This is insulting.

Where is the walking through rain filled dystopian streets?

Where are the local law enforcement threatening both your agents and the enemy agents alike?

Where are the innocent civilians who may well end up being minigunned down if they get in the way?

Where are the innocent civilians who are going to be "persuaded"?

And what about banks to rob, floating cars to hijack, or monorails to destroy?

This isn't Syndicate I am afraid, this is "Sci Fi themed shooter 192!"

I don't mind if it's FPS or top down or whatever, as long as they had a spirited attempt to capture the original atmosphere and theme of Syndicate. Without that there isn't any connection with the original game, and it becomes a cynical attempt to make money on an old favorite of the gaming world.

In other words, this is like remaking Citizen Kane but having the lead played by Jean Claude Van Damme. The remake may well be a nice movie, but it's just not right.

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SSX online pass confirmed, detailed

Forthcoming snowboarding revival SSX ships with an online pass, publisher EA has confirmed.

As detailed by GameInformer, all players will be able to access the game's Explore and Global Events multiplayer modes, however, any in-game credits earned will be withheld until an online pass code is activated.

That code is included in new copies of the game, but those picking the game up second hand will have to fork over $10 for a digital voucher.

"In SSX, players without an Online Pass are able to compete and play in both of SSX's online game modes, Explore and Global Events with no restrictions," explained an EA spokesperson.

"In Global Events, the top finishers from each event are awarded with in-game credits. These in-game credits earned during play will not be awarded to the player if they do not have an Online Pass; these credits will be stored so that at any time, if a player redeems an Online Pass code, all the credits that they had previously earned in Global Events will be immediately awarded to them."

The credits let you unlock new items for your character and participate in special event drops across the two game modes.

The game, developed by EA Canada, is due out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 2nd March. Give our recent SSX preview a read for more on what to expect.

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Reckoning dev's biggest concern is you're still playing Skyrim

The biggest concern at Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning developer Big Huge Games right now is you're still playing Skyrim.

According to lead designer Ian Frazier, if you and lots of other gamers are still playing Skyrim, you may not be interested in Reckoning, out next month.

Reckoning is a huge, open world high fantasy RPG. Sound like a game you've played?

"Frankly, Reckoning is either going to do well enough that we're going to be in a good place or people are going to go, nope, I'm still playing Skyrim, I'm not interested, in which case we're hosed," Frazier told Eurogamer.

"It's going to be one of those extremes."

Frazier described Skyrim as "our big competitor". "It's hard not to go, it's the devil! It's evil!" he said.

But, he's a fan - perhaps not as big a fan as others, but a fan. "It's a good game. It's got problems. It's not God's gift to gaming, as some are describing it. But it is good. It's a lot of fun. They do a lot of stuff really well.

"But a lot of folks are still playing it, and that's been one of my biggest concerns. It's the same thing as if we had released first. It's hundreds of hours of content and it's a high fantasy world. Are people just going to be bored? Are they just done with high fantasy for a while? I hope not. But that's the big concern at the studio."

Alternatively, Skyrim's incredible success - 10 million players and counting - suggests interest in fantasy RPGs it at an all-time high.

"Not just Skyrim, but RPGs in general have been in an upswing over the last few years," Frazier explained.

"Skyrim in particular, here's a giant open world game where you can do whatever you want in this fantasy setting, and everybody goes, wow, this is fun, I like this. And a few months later, oh, this is the same sort of thing I like except I can do a lot more awesome stuff in combat. Let's hope that is the thing that makes us succeed."

Gamers and press have been quick to compare Reckoning to Skyrim ever since it was announced.

This situation has "its ups and downs", Frazier said, but he's happy to discuss his gargantuan rival - even if it's bad PR.

"PR wise it's not a good idea for us to talk about any of our competitors too much, or anything else in the RPG space because we're trying to sell Reckoning," he said.

"Our livelihood depends on it. But I'm not going to pretend that Skyrim doesn't exist and it doesn't have a pretty big bearing on our success in both directions."

Reckoning chief Ken Rolston - who led development on Elder Scrolls games Morrowind and Oblivion - raised eyebrows earlier this week when he said his game "has the best, coolest, fastest-paced, most tactile and silly-exciting fantasy combat of any RPG".

Frazier echoed those comments - indeed he went one step further.

"The combat - I'll be very blunt - it is leagues better than Skyrim's. It's better than pretty much everything in the RPG space. I'm proud of our combat," he said.

Frazier pointed to Reckoning's Destiny System, which governs the game's class system, and its art style, as other points of difference.

Reckoning's art style in particular is "a big selling point".

Skyrim "is a little monochromatic, and it's snowy. It's just very white," Frazier said. "It's snowing, it was just snowing and it's about to start snowing again.

"It is cool, it's just it is samey throughout. And it's a big world, so it's like, I just want some variety.

"One thing I think we've done a pretty good job with is the art for each major zone and each of the dungeons is completely different. It's like, I'm in a desert, I'm in a swamp - really radically different environments.

"We embrace colour left and right."

Reckoning has over 130 hand-crafted dungeons, Frazier revealed. "We just made them" with "brute force"," he said.

"Our level design pipeline is great. You can make a dungeon that's pretty cool-looking pretty darn fast. So we've been able to craft a lot of them with a lot of variety to them across the course of development."

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Prototype 2 Radnet Edition grants "hours of additional gameplay"

UPDATE: Radical Entertainment has announced the delay of the PC version of Prototype 2.

"Hey all, we just wanted to let you know that the PC version of Prototype 2 is unfortunately going to be delayed until July 24th," reads a note on Facebook.

"Radical Entertainment has always been extremely dedicated to all our fans, and we just wanted to make sure you heard the news from us FIRST. We'll share more details with you soon."

ORIGINAL STORY: Activision has announced the Prototype 2 Radnet Edition, which includes 55 pieces of addition content and "hours" of additional gameplay.

The Radnet Edition rekindles memories of Mass Effect's Cerberus Network, the online DLC and news network from EA.

What it amounts to is a "limited number" of the launch quantities of Prototype 2 on PS3 and Xbox 360 (no mention is made of the PC version) include a one-time use code that unlocks access to Radnet, which dishes out content over a period of seven weeks following the game's April launch.

All who pre-order the game are guaranteed the Radnet Edition of the open world action game at no extra cost.

The weekly scheduled content includes in-game events and challenges. There are bonus mutations (for use in the campaign) behind the scenes videos, Avatar items and PS3 dynamic themes to unlock, too.

The challenges add online leaderboards Prototype 2, which is a single-player only game.

If you play all of the weekly challenges and events you unlock the "ultimate shape-shifting reward," which developer Radical Entertainment is keeping under wraps.

Studio Head Ken Rosman said the Radnet Edition "is our way of rewarding the game's most loyal supporters - the early adopters, the ones who will replay it over and over again".

"We think this is great because we're giving our fans hours of additional gameplay outside Prototype 2's main narrative, and cool rewards - all delivered weekly following the game's launch!"

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Modern Warfare 3 Title Update 8 released on Xbox Live

Title Update 8 has been released for Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox Live, and is in certification on PlayStation 3.

"It will be out shortly on all platforms soon," wrote Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling, perhaps in a hurry.

Title Update 8 improves networking, Theater, "host disadvantage" and "lag comp".

YouTube upload speed has been increased from 32K to 256K.

All Akimbo weapons have been nerfed - weakened via reduced fire rate - and shotguns have been "re-balanced". The Striker shotgun has had a "slight nerf", and all other shotguns a "slight buff".

Fixed are a bug preventing some gamers from getting a prestige token, and a "games played" statistic bug.

All of the Modern Warfare 3 Title Updates are listed, with the most recent presented first, below.

We've also included the list of Modern Warfare 3 developments Infinity Ward is currently working on.

Re-balancing and Updates currently in Development and/or Discussion:

Further improvements to the Spawn systemImprovement to PS3 Mic Quality.HD Video Uploads on PS3Default :30 Round Start timer for System Link only, while looking into adjustable timer for System Link games for Competitive Play.Options to allow System Link players to 'unlock all' for competitive play in System Link only.

Aaaand those Title Updates already released:

TU8: Networking enhancements, Theater improvements and fixes, Further improvements to "Host Disadvantage" / "Lag Comp", Increased speed of YouTube uploads from 32k to 256k, Nerf to all Akimbo weapons (reduced fire rate), Shotgun re-balance (Slight nerf to Striker, slight buff to all other shotguns), Fix that prevents some users from not receiving their prestige token after prestiging, fix stat bug that retains "games played" stat across prestiges.TU7: Improvement to address "Host Disadvantage" / "Lag Compensation" that caused hosts with good connections to be hindered. Plus ability to hot fix additional tweaks based on user feedback to this change. TU6: Additional improvements to address lag. Fix for Melee Jump. Clan Tag Validation (remove buttons from clan tags). Improve Host Migration logic. Prevent stat loss when player loses connection from server (internet pull / drop).TU5: Further improvements for hitching and addressing lag in gameplay.TU4: Change to address hitching and lag in gameplay.TU3: Theater Improvements (Fix to FF and RW in Theater), LAG improvements, Improvements to Hot Fix system.TU2: Fix for YouTube video upload on SD TVs. Matchmaking Improvements.TU1: Enabled Theater, Vault, Private Match options, Elite and Facebook functionality for Launch Day.'Tis the season for DLC, apparently.

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Sony "will probably be the last to announce" next-gen plans

Sony reckons it'll be the last to announce its next generation plans.

Sony France boss Philippe Cardon told Lepoint.fr (translated by Eurogamer's Oli Welsh) the Japanese company won't be rushed in the next-gen race.

"It's true that there are a lot of rumours, but I can't tell you anything," he told the interviewer.

"The Wii is under time pressure because it's in decline. As far as we're concerned, we're under a lot less pressure. We were the last to release the PS3, we will probably be the last to announce something."

Nintendo is set to enter the next generation ahead of Sony and Microsoft with the Wii U, due out this Christmas.

Microsoft is strongly rumoured to be preparing to announce its next Xbox at E3 in June, with a launch planned for 2013.

But what of Sony?

Jim Ryan, PlayStation Euro boss, told Eurogamer in November last year that it would be "undesirable" to concede another head start advantage to Microsoft with the next generation of consoles - comments that contradict Cardon's.

Earlier this month MCV claimed Sony would show its new console at E3 this year - a tip that came from an "ultra high level" source.

Meanwhile, Cardon suggested a Monster Hunter game will launch for Vita soon.

Commenting on the poor performance of the handheld in Japan, he said Monster Hunter on Vita was "due in a few months' time" (translation, again, by Oli Welsh).

"There were so many pre-orders that everything [all stock] went in the first few days," he said.

"The sales that followed might seem disappointing, but they're not. We must put things in perspective and stay calm. The games available at the Japanese launch didn't match the tastes of the Japanese public.

"One game in particular is missing - Monster Hunter, due in a few months' time. If it had been there from the start in Japan, it would have been a different story. The appropriateness of the games to the console at the European launch will be better than it was in Japan."

Vita launches in the US and Europe next month.

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