2008-releases posts

E3 08: Bionic Commando trailer swings into action

by Xav de Matos Jul 17th 2008 @ 1:00PM

The trailer train keeps on-a-rollin'! Bionic Commando is a rarity for the gaming industry. Ordinarily when a company revamps a classic title they are met with great hostility unless it holds true to the original vision. When Bionic Commando was first revealed gamers shrugged it off to the side expecting it to be a train-wreck -- a cash-in on nostalgic memories, if you will. But then something happened, the game started to look good. Real good. Now, we can barely get enough of it. Coming soon from Capcom, Bionic Commando has the potential to be something special and from what we've seen we're hopeful.

Filed under: Action, Adventure, Trailers

E3 08: Dead Space 'Loved Ones' trailer

by Xav de Matos Jul 15th 2008 @ 10:00AM

Dead Space, the upcoming survival horror game set in a space station, was one of the focuses of Electronic Arts during their E3 Press Conference. After a lengthy and entertaining developer walkthrough of one of the areas the trailer you see above was played. It's early morning now, so it can't scare you that much. Now imagine you're in a dark room with a 100 foot monitor in front of you surrounded by a hundred speakers. Yeah. Kinda freaky. Dead Space hits stores on October 21.

[via X3F]

Gallery: Dead Space

Filed under: Trailers

Brothers In Arms: 12 images added to the Hell's Highway gallery

by Xav de Matos Jul 5th 2008 @ 11:00AM

Some people might not be excited about Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway from developer Gearbox Software but it seems that every time new info or screens of the game drop we get a little excited. Continuing its tradition of a first-person shooter with a light, tactical strategy overlay, Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway is based on the historic WWII battle, Operation Market Garden.

Other than the squad-based mechanics, BIA:HH is unique for its focus on a battle that famously failed due to strong opposition. As the brave men of the 101st Airborne Division dropped into the German-occupied Netherlands expecting little resistance, they were ambushed by one of the fiercest battalions of German soldiers the war had seen. Known as the final victory for the Germans in the last Great War, Hell's Highway promises to retell the intense battle when it releases this August. We've added 12 images (which include a handful of new shots) to our existing gallery for the Ubisoft published shooter.

Gallery: Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway

Filed under: FPS, Screenshots, Strategy

McFarlane Toys to create "Call of Duty" inspired figures

by Xav de Matos Jul 3rd 2008 @ 5:30PM

Todd McFarlane and company have announced four Call of Duty: World at War inspired figures are set to release later this year for $10-$15 each. Modeled after the characters of the upcoming Treyarch-developed Pacific Theater WWII shooter, the figures feature three American Marines and one British Special Ops soldier from various historical battles.

The highly detailed figures continue the recent Activision deal with McFarlane Toys, who recently announced figures based on characters in the Guitar Hero franchise. Gamers looking to fancy up their desk space might want to take notice, unless you think WWII based figures are played out too.

Gallery: Call of Duty: World at War figures

Filed under: Biz, FPS

DICE confirms three new Battlefield titles in the works

by Xav de Matos Jun 24th 2008 @ 11:30AM

As EA DICE tweaks their first foray into the free to play realm with Battlefield: Heroes and prepares to release the once controversial console exclusive Battlefield: Bad Company, the future of the franchise has already been revealed. At GDC Paris today, executive producer Ben Cousins confirmed that the team at EA DICE is currently developing three additional titles in the Battlefield series bringing the current grand total to five.

One of the newly revealed titles is aimed squarely at traditional hardcore console gamers while another marks a collaborative effort with developer Neowiz to bring the franchise to the Korean market. The three new Battlefield titles were hinted at during a GDC Paris keynote presentation. "Since the start of this year I've been working as executive producer for the entire Battlefield franchise - we've got five titles in development at the moment, which is probably more than you expect," Cousins teased the crowd.

No other information regarding the new titles have been revealed but considering they are currently in development we expect to hear more at E3 this July.

[via Games Industry]

Filed under: Biz

Left 4 Dead: Zombie attack set for November 4

by Xav de Matos Jun 24th 2008 @ 10:30AM

Time to revamp your zombie apocalypse plan. After numerous delays the highly anticipated shooter, Left 4 Dead, will release on November 4. From publisher Valve and newly acquired developer Turtle Rock, the announced date confirms earlier statements made by Valve Software's Doug Lombardi who promised the title within the month. Since being announced in the early days of 2007 and first showcasing its flood of zombie enemies, gamers have been clamoring to get their hands on the Source Engine powered title. Shipping on the PC and Xbox 360, Left 4 Dead also allows gamers the opportunity to play as various "boss" zombie characters-- each class with their own special deadly ability. Stockpile your nonperishables and pick your squad ASAP, Left 4 Dead is only a few months away.

Gallery: Left 4 Dead

Filed under: FPS, Multiplayer, Left 4 Dead Series

Tomb Raider Underworld: Screens of Lara's latest adventure

by Xav de Matos Jun 23rd 2008 @ 9:30AM

Hitting PC and pretty much anything that has gaming functionality this fall is Lara Croft's latest adventue, Tomb Raider: Underworld. While sadly the game does not offer any battles versus a vampiric Kate Beckinsale, it will showcase Lara as she visits exotic new locales and tombs that, we can only assume, require raiding. From the screens released by Edios thus far the upcoming adventure looks very similar to Lara's Legend and Anniversary quests. However, Edios promises the latest installment of the franchise will captivate with an interesting story which revolves around the discovery of evidence that proves Norse mythology to be true as well as a certain mystical hammer belonging to the Norse god of Thunder, Thor.

Hey, as long as we're not raiding tombs that house violent Velociraptors we'll be OK. You can only suspend your belief so much. You know, besides the whole Norse thing that is. Tomb Raider: Underworld is being developed by Crystal Dynamics and is scheduled to ship this November.

Gallery: Tomb Raider: Underworld

Filed under: Adventure, Screenshots

Big Versus: Mass Effect

by Xav de Matos May 29th 2008 @ 12:00PM

In Big Versus we tackle multiplatform releases that land on PC and console and weigh the pros and cons of the PC version against its console sibling. In each installment we compare games based on included content (such as single and multiplayer features), visuals and everything in between. While our mascot may show an admiration for PC gaming, we're all about telling you the truth in Big Versus.

In our second installment of Big Versus we're tackling BioWare's epic roleplaying title Mass Effect, which hit retail on May 28--six months after its original release on the Xbox 360.

Which version of the critically acclaimed role-playing title comes out on top when we pit them head-to-head. This week we go galactic, so grab a spacesuit and jump in. This is Big Versus.
Gallery: Mass Effect

Continue reading Big Versus: Mass Effect

Filed under: Features, RPG, Opinion, Mass Effect Series

Analysts talk summer movies versus games, Alone in the Dark potential

by Xav de Matos May 24th 2008 @ 10:00AM

Speaking with Gamasutra, analysts weighed in on whether summer releases could hurt the Hollywood blockbuster season this year. While many analysts hypothesized over the success of console specific titles, OTX Research analyst Nick Williams called Atari/Infogrames' Alone in the Dark, which hits PC on June 24, a potential sleeper hit.

"One game that could end up being a pleasant surprise this summer is Alone in the Dark," Williams told Gamasutra. "Atari is looking to lay the foundation for a more stable future, and the launch of Alone in the Dark could be a big step towards this goal."

With rumblings that Alone in the Dark could be the final substantial title from Atari we wonder if an unexpected surge in sales could bring the long-running series back to the front page of the newly reformed company with former Sony executive, Phil Harrison.

Why the analysts refuse to lend weight to the argument that gaming could affect movie ticket sales, one thing is certain--we're in for a fantastic summer.

Filed under: Biz, Survival horror

PopCap to spend over $1 million on next title

by Xav de Matos May 13th 2008 @ 8:00PM

PopCap co-founder John Vechey has revealed its upcoming, internally developed, casual title has had over one million dollars spent on its production thus far in an interview with CasualGaming.biz.

"It's been in production for some time – we took a few wrong turns with the product and turned back to go in different directions. It's really tough to get the simple gameplay out there, but we're there." Vechey said. While major developers have grown used to multi-million dollar production budgets, the million dollar title is a new step in the world of casual gaming. "We spend more time than anyone else in the casual games space on those things," Vechey explained. "Very few people are able to take that risk, except for rare cases like Valve or Blizzard."

The unnamed title has been in development at PopCap for sometime and is scheduled for a release by the end of the year.

Filed under: Biz, Interviews, Casual

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