Posts

In a discussion between IGN and Remedy regarding what’s next forAlan Wake, head of franchise development Oskari Hakkinen went all out in revealing his desire to continue working with Bright Falls’ odd mythos. First up,downloadable content. Microsoft “are throwing the idea around of more episodes,” says Hakkinen, “but you know the size of our studio. We’re a small team. But yeah, Microsoft are interested in more episodes. Where we’re sitting right now is we’ll see how these [first two add-ons] go....

Last night’s announcement of PlayStation 3gaining Netflix streamingfunctionality in November was a big one, and even though it seemed inevitable, I still found myself a bit surprised. As someone who has used Instant Watch on his Xbox 360 time and time again, I can’t help but feel excited for my PS3-owning friends. One curious part of the PS3 Netflix deal, however, was the inclusion of a required disc that needs to remain in the console during movie streaming....

“Ball it up and roll it around, I love you, always smile for you! You’re my only Love Moon, so we’ve gotta hang in there!” – translated lyrics fromKatamari Damacytheme, “Katamari on the Rocks” Yeah, so I don’t know what the hell they’re talking about either. But who cares?Katamari Damacywas a breath of quirky and fun fresh air. Its follow ups,We Love Katamariand (the disasterous PSP title)Me & My Katamarileft fans of the Prince and the King demanding more....

Xbox LIVE Game Room developer Krome might have experienced yet another round of lay-offs. IGN’srecent report on the matterstates that, allegedly, around 30 people were handed pink slips “overnight.”AusGamersis hearing something else: the Australia-based developer’s staff was allegedly cut by more than fifty people due to its inability to maintain the license to develop the Wii version ofStar Wars: The Force Unleashed 2— a direct result, allegedly, of poor review scores and such....

Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, a music rhythm game for fans of hip-hop, is on its way to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in June of this year. The game will feature 60 licensed and original tracks for you to scratch to, using the included Numark turntable controller. A press release today reveals some of the tracks and artists that will be inScratch: The setlist will include: Additional music from artists: On top of all of that, Beastie Boys’ Mix Master Mike is helping to create the game, and his music will also be featured in the title....

During Nintendo’s Fall 2007 Conference,we heard a bit about a newFinal Fantasy: Crystal Chroniclestitle that would kick off the upcoming WiiWare channel, and now a few more details and some screen shots have been released. InFinal Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Young King and the Promised Land, you become the Young King named Leo. As Leo, you use a memory-based crystal power called “The Architect” to rebuild your land. This power needs spirit stones, and you’ll have to quest for these powers to continue rebuilding your town....

I’m a blasphemer, I suppose. Everyone was telling me of how bad of a raging clue they’ve suffered towardsPortal. Thing is, I had ownedThe Orange Boxfor three months before finally playing throughPortalabout two weeks ago. It wasn’t until then that I finally understood the wholeWeighted Companion Cube phenomenon. Granted, it took me about three seconds to dump the Cube into the incinerator … Anyway, Ben over atDoofyCrapmade a couple of actual weighted Weighted Companion Cubes....

I’ve been extremely excited for Double Fine’sSesame Street: Once Upon a Monsterfor the Xbox 360 Kinect since the secondit was announced. Not sure why and it’s kind of weird since I didn’t grow up onSesame Street. It’s more of a recent development and it may be my subconscious trying to balance out all the violent games I play regularly. That and I really missThe Muppets. Once Upon a Monsteris setup as a children’s book and the first chapter sees Cookie Monster and Oscar coming across a sadden monster named Marco....

Keith Bakker of the Smith & Jones Center in Amsterdam has been studying videogame addiction for a while now — rather useful, considering the Center’s purpose is to treat it. After professionally dealing with gaming addicts, Bakker hascome to a conclusionI think most of us arrived at a long time ago — most gaming addiction is bollocks. “These kids come in showing some kind of symptoms that are similar to other addictions and chemical dependencies,” explains Bakker....

Remember thethird-personCall of Dutygame that Sledgehammer was working on? Yeah, that’s not happening anymore. Apparently the prototype was “compelling”, but the opportunity to work onModern Warfare 3was too tempting, so it was ditched in favor of that. “The opportunity to work on the biggest thing in the industry with Infinity Ward, that’s demonstrated that they know how to do exceptional software, was just an opportunity we couldn’t [miss],” said Sledgehammer co-founder Michael Condrey....

Even though it’s a multi-platform release, Microsoft is pretty psyched aboutBatman: Arkham City. I mean, who isn’t? So to commemorate its release, it’s had some customArkham City360s made. The white Xbox 360 S has anArkham Citylogo on the base of the console’s front, and images of the Joker and Batman on either side. If you want this, get your ass to Seattle: you may enter to win the console by registering at the Warner Bros....

So, you’ve readJim’s reviewofSonic Unleashed, pondered purchasing the title for under $30 during an Amazon sale, decided against it, and now you are questioning how wise of a decision that was. Well, here’s your chance to find out: a demo forSonic Unleashedis now on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. For the sake of convenience, click onthis fancy linkto add the demo to your Xbox 360’s queue; it’ll begin downloading the next time you power on your console....

Today, Sonyannouncedthe arrival ofXiinHome.Xi— a gloriously vague name — is an alternate reality game based inside the social service. To join in on the cryptic shenanigans, all you have to do is step through thelooking glassthe silly little “Xi” insignia in front of the apartments in Home’s Central Plaza. Once entered, you’ll be transported to a new space called The Hub. If you’re at work, or just like clicking on things, I’ve included some pictures of the space in the gallery below....