Saturday, April 26

The Week Hath Ended

Hey gamers, the week's over yet again and we've had a record week. Reached almost 1k hits one of the days (let's do that again) and a record amount of posts, this should be the 35th post of the week if I'm correct.

Tons of awesome news this week, Metal Gear Online Beta started, which we've lost ryizzel to I fear. Then Grand Theft Auto IV grows even closer than before...but let's see the highlights of the week.

-In honor of 4/20 ryizzel wrote up the article: "Top 10 Games to Play While Baked"
-Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe rears it's gaming head.
-Playstation Home gets yet another delay.
-Nintendo announces no price drop for Wii or DS.
-Don't forget about the free promo cards for Eye of Judgment.

Pretty awesome week if I do say so myself gamers, what are you guys playing right now? I'm sort of in that bleak transitional period where I'm not playing anything in particular. Just an hour or two on older games here and there.





-Undrallio


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Bungie's next game

It seems Bungie isn't quite ready to part ways with the Halo universe. According the the latest gossip, Bungie is planning on making a 3rd person shooter that occurs within the Halo Universe.

In the June issue of EGM, rumor hound Quarterman claims industry rumblings are pointing at a Halo prequel as Bungie's first title since parting from Microsoft. According to the popular rumor page of the magazine, the rumored game is a third-person action/shooter hybrid that will chronicle the early battles between the ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) and Covenant.


Soooo... its Halo without Master Chief? Can such a thing exist?







-Ryizzel


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A Gamer's Blaspheme

Ok guys, you're all hellaciously excited about Grand Theft Auto IV right? Open world, awesome new graphics engine, amazing story, the whole nine yards. IGN even went so far as to say it was the greatest game since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Well, what I'm about to say may shock you all. It may be even considered a slight form of anarchism amongst us hardcore gamers....I am not interested in the newest Grand Theft Auto Game. I recognize it'll be an amazing game and all that jazz, but it's just not for me.

Is this bad of me? I've played and own Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas but I've never 100% been excited for them. Hell, I didn't get San Andreas until almost a year after it had been released.

So what I'm asking, is there any gamers out there like me who prefer the style of open world like Oblivion or Morrowind verses the sandbox style that Grand Theft Auto holds so well.





-Undrallio


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Assault Heroes 2 Slams Into Xbox Live Arcade In May



The sequel to the "surprisingly good" Xbox Live Arcade game Assault Heroes has been announced by Wanako Studios for May 14th, 2008. You'll be able to grab it off of Xbox Live for 800 MS Points.

Apparently not much has been changed, just tweaked to make the game even that much more awesome. Oh, and hi-jackable vehicles. What's not to like?





-Undrallio


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Great Game or Greatest Game?

The folks over at IGN are pretty quick on the draw, releasing their review of GTAIV a full 3 days before anyone could get their hands on the game.


The reviewer sure does pull no punches, calling it the best game since Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Yep, if you haven't guessed by now, IGN's review is basically a 7 page long love letter to Rockstar concluded with a 10/10.

Heh, looks like GTAIV lives up to the hype, all the more reason to pick it up on the 29th.








-Ryizzel


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Romance of the PC Kingdom


Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI will be coming to the PC after KOEI received good feedback from their PC version of Warriors Orochi.

Normally I bitch and moan about anything that KOEI rehashed a billion zillion times...*cough* Dynasty/Samurai Warriors *cough*...but I've always been a fan of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games, even though they've been through as many sequels as Jason, Freddy, and Micheal combined. Okay, so that was a little bit extravagant...but they've had a ton of games, admit it.

You can expect to play your favorite strategy, treaty-breaking, region stealing game on July 29, 2008 for a measly suggested retail price of $19.99. Not a bad deal in my opinion.

"Following KOEI's successful launch of Warriors Orochi for Windows-based PC earlier this year, the response to bringing more of KOEI's popular franchises to the platform has been overwhelming," said Amos Ip, Senior Vice President at KOEI Corporation. "For PC releases, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series has always been at the top of our fans' wish lists. We are looking forward to bringing Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI to Windows-based PC this summer."

ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS®XI COMING TO WINDOWS-BASED PC

One of Video Gaming's Longest-Running Historical Simulation Series Returns to PC on July 29, 2008

Burlingame, CA - April 23, 2008 - KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, announced today that the Historical Simulation game, Romance of the Three Kingdoms®XI (RTK XI) is coming to Windows-based PCs for gamers throughout North America on July 29, 2008.

"Following KOEI's successful launch of Warriors Orochi for Windows-based PC earlier this year, the response to bringing more of KOEI's popular franchises to the platform has been overwhelming," said Amos Ip, Senior Vice President at KOEI Corporation. "For PC releases, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series has always been at the top of our fans' wish lists. We are looking forward to bringing Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI to Windows-based PC this summer."

About ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS XI

From legendary video game producer Kou Shibusawa comes his next historical simulation masterpiece. Rediscover an ancient civilization with an explosive history in the most stunning edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Set during the end of China's Han Dynasty and the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., RTK XI presents the most visually captivating evolution in the history of the series. Blurring the line between video games and art, RTK XI features visuals evocative of classical Chinese ink-paintings along with debates and duels rendered in real-time 3D animation.

As the ruler of a kingdom, each player will have complete control over their territories. More than 40 base commands give players the power to govern cities, manage their personnel, practice diplomacy and much more. Complete freedom to develop markets, shipyards, outposts, forts and military units expand on the already substantial benchmarks established by previous editions of the series. Furthermore, players will watch the era come to life through the uniquely individual personalities of the more than 780 officers and supporting characters they will encounter.

Players will need to dig deep within to prove themselves adept at both the military and political arts in order to bring China under one rule. Domestic affairs, diplomacy and warfare are all conducted on a single vast 3D relief map, dramatically bringing to life the eight massive scenarios that lie before them.
For improved control over each military campaign, RTK XI's turn-based game play allows the player to plan their movements without undue time constraints, and then execute their battle tactics when ready. RTK XI also introduces an entirely new system for researching military techniques, as well as an Advanced Tactics System that allows players to drive or lure enemies into devastating ambushes. Skilled players will be able to link together tactics for maximum damage.

Produced by Kou Shibusawa and developed by KOEI Co., Ltd, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI is rated "RP" (Rating Pending) by the ESRB. The suggested retail price is US$19.99.




-Undrallio


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Madden '09 Cover Athlete Chosen



Finally the decision has been made, the cover athlete for Madden '09 has been chosen. The position holder for this year will be none other than the recently retired Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers.

The above trailer is both a history of the Madden games, and the first Madden '09 trailer.

The game is set for August 12th, 2008 and will a find it's way onto the Playstation 2 and 3, Xbox 360, PSP, and finally both the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii.





-Undrallio


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Socom: Confrontation Gameplay/Interview Video




The video brings us some gameplay footage and a pretty interesting interview about SOCOM: Confrontation. Things are looking pretty good for the game which should be coming to us on September 16th, 2008.

Watch the video, it can illustrate it all far better than I can with my fancy typing.





-Undrallio


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Friday, April 25

Battlefield: Bad Company Conquests

Beta players of Battlefield: Bad Company were having a rootin' tootin' helluva time with the game, but some were pretty disappointed with the lack of a Conquest mode that veteran players were oh so fond of.

The gaming community spoke out again, and once more EA has pulled through. Senior Producer of DICE studios, Karl-Magnus Troedsson announced that a free add-on for Conquest mode will have a simultaneous release with the full game in June.

Something has changed with EA, they listen to their gamers...could it be the beginning of a world where developers actually give two licks? Let us hope so fellow gamers...let us hope.





-Undrallio


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Portal 2 not coming anytime soon

After the conclusion of Portal, many gamers were left yearning for more cake and a visit from their companion cube, unfortunately they are going to have wait a while. When talking to Eurogamer, Valve's Doug Lombardi had this to say about a portal sequel.

"In typical Valve tradition, it won't be Portal with different colours," said Lombardi, dressed as a companion cube. "I think that when you hit something like that, you have two choices: you can quickly replicate it and stick it out there - do the opportunistic thing and cash in on it; or you can do the crazy thing like we did after Half-Life was so successful and go off and try and say, 'Okay, that was revolutionary, so its successor has to be equally as revolutionary.'


Looks like Portal 2 is going to launching alongside Duke Nukem Forever and Starcraft: Ghost.

[Source]





-Ryizzel


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Eye of Promoment



Super short post this one is, but who needs unnecessary chatter when there's free cards for Eye of Judgment to be had?

On Friday (next Friday), The Playstation Blog is going to be giving away 3 Set 2 promo cards to the first couple hundred people registering their mailing address.

I'll be sure to make a reminder post for all of you Eye of Judgment junkies out there, enjoy your free cards (when you get them).





-Undrallio


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Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant


Here he comes, racing down the trails from Sierra and Vivendi Universal. Crash Bandicoot's latest iteration has been confirmed and is on it's way as Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant.

No date is listed, but you can visit the site HERE to view a bunch of screenshots from the game. There's screenies for Xbox 360, Playstation 2, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Wii. ICGamers claims that it will see the light of day on the PSP as well, but I saw no facts about that.

Hit the jump for information on the game.

“In Crash Bandicoot: Mind over Mutant, a rejuvenated Neo Cortex is taking over the world one brain at a time! Cortex and N. Brio devise a new kind of evil; a text-messaging, do-anything device which controls both mutant and bandicoot minds. Armed with his quick-wits and lightning agility, Crash must free his friends, the titans and save the day!”

* Monsters on Demand! - Not only does Crash keep the ability to control his enemies when he jacks them – now he can store his favorite monsters in his pocket, upgrade them and utilize their powers when they are most advantageous;
* “Free-Romping” World Design - Wumpa Island is fully realized as a real location, with a “free-romping” design that allows players to travel and explore through intersecting worlds, with different gameplay options available depending on what creature you’ve brought along for the ride;
* Girl Power! - Your co-op partner is Crash’s sister, Coco, playable for the first time in the cooperative mode. Not only does Coco make the game that much more inviting for girls to pick up and play, she also brings with her a new tactile “treasure hunt” ability;
* New Abilities - Roll-and Counter Combat System: Crash will have a fun, agile dodge move and “counter” move which will inflict extra damage on his enemies; Digging: Crash can now dig underground as real-life bandicoots really do; this will allow for Crash to unlock bonus items; Climbing: Crash can climb vertical surfaces and jump side-to-side to connected areas and dodge hazards.





-Undrallio


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Bioshock Coming To Playstation 3?

2K Boston may be bringing Bioshock to the PS3 finally, at least according to a rumor in the next issue of EGM they will be.

If it turns out to be fact and not fiction, then the expected release date for Bioshock on the PS3 will be somewhat close to the same date as Bioshock 2, which will be coming for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

IGN had this to say: "The port will supposedly feature the previously released downloadable content and will have improved visuals over the PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game. We contacted 2K Games for a statement on this new rumor and were told, "No comment."

Looks like PS3 owners wait-out for the game will be worthwhile with that extra content and even prettier graphics.





-Undrallio


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Assassin's Creed sequel planned

As if the ending to Assassins Creed didn't spell it out before, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirms we'll be seeing more of the series for "years to come". Sounds like Ubisoft will be milking this cash cow for a while.

Lets just hope we'll see more of Altair in future installments and less of his whiny ancestor.





-Ryizzel


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Nintendo DS Will Continue Printing Money



If you were sitting on the edge considering buying either a Nintendo Wii or DS and that final price cut would have sent you plummeting into the world of cutesy half-assed mini-games, well....stop waiting. There will be no price cut.

President Satoru Iwata says "Our earnings projection for the year is not based on hardware price cuts, and I don't think we are going to need them,"

Thanks Mr. Iwata, we really appreciate not being able to save money on your gaming peripherals.





[Via Reuters]



-Undrallio


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Sing Your Chords Off In SingStar On The PS3


It's going to be the greatest (sort of) publicity stunt of all time. Sony's planning on having a first-look at SingStar at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.

They will have two set-ups, one for beginner singers with the other being geared towards the more advanced vocalist. Both stages will be in front of a presumably large audience, so if you freeze in the spotlight, you may want to hang back in the crowd for this one.

SingStar is set to be released on May 20th, but read about it all in the Press Release after the break.

Press Release

Sony Computer Entertainment America Returns to Rock Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival With a New Playstation(R) Experience

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) today announced a triumphant return to one of the entertainment industry's hottest music events, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (Coachella). SCEA will be on-site as one of the main sponsors to provide fans a first-look at three of its most-anticipated PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system releases, SingStar(TM), LittleBigPlanet(TM) and Gran Turismo(TM) 5 Prologue. Every year music fans from around the world gather to experience COACHELLA's adventurous mix of iconic headliners and wide-ranging, forward-looking performers.

Inside two fully-interactive entertainment tents, fans will experience the ultimate in gaming, social networking and community building while receiving a better understanding of the power of the PS3 system in High-Definition. Attendees will be immediately immersed in unique environments, including the highly innovative, original world of LittleBigPlanet. They will also be given the chance to show off their inner desire to be the next great singing sensation with SingStar and the opportunity to test their racing skills with the ultimate racing experience, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. SCEA will also offer the opportunity to upgrade the fan's experience daily with rewards including VIP access and band meet and greets.

"We are pleased to be an integral part of this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival," said Ginger Kraus, senior director, promotions, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. "As one of the best American festivals, we are thrilled to present PS3 in a social, interactive and immersive environment that compliments the spirit of this festival."

SingStar and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will share an interactive booth, with separate spaces and experiences for participants. The SingStar portion will feature a stage for novice and advanced vocalists to showcase their octave range in front of a live audience. After each number, attendees can surf PS3 system's online SingStore(TM) and view new downloadable songs available for the game when it releases on May 20. And, for those feeling brave, they can upload their personal performances via My SingStar Online and share it with others.

The section of the booth dedicated to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be an auto enthusiast's dream, complete with racing simulators where fans can test drive the new game from the world's best-selling racing franchise and participate in race events. In addition, fans will be treated to a celebrity competition on-site with artists featured in the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue soundtrack, including British electro-rock band "Does it Offend You, Yeah?", the French electro "Kavinsky" and others.

The LittleBigPlanet experience, housed within a 40' x 60' booth, will showcase the game's three main pillars, Play, Create and Share, and uniquely themed environments depicting game levels. Within the booth, fans with be treated to an original musical soundtrack as clouds breeze across the ceiling. Once inside, participants will be introduced to the main and highly-customizable character, Sackboy (or Sackgirl, depending on their preference). Continuing onward, multimedia vignettes will show participants the potential to create user-generated content in the game. Concluding the experience, fans will learn about the "Share" features of the game through the PLAYSTATION(R)Network, where their creations can be played by others online. The Communal Creativity Center will allow fans to decorate their own level and post it on the world, which showcase the game's community building aspect. U Artists, BATTLES, MGMT and Simian Mobile Disco will stop by to participate in the VIP gameplay area.

In addition, SCEA will have a special area within the Coachella campground at the Internet Cafe allowing fans to test their vocal skills on SingStar. SCEA will also participate in an exclusive event on Saturday night with T-Mobile entitled the "TMO Tone Def Party and SingStar Lounge." At this exclusive event, SCEA will provide party revelers with the opportunity to either rock the mike like a vandal or sing their heart's out like a pop diva with PS3, which features a new selection of SingStar hits before they are available in stores or online.

The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is "E" for "Everyone", for SingStar is "T" for Teen and the rating for LittleBigPlanet is pending. For more information about the ESRB visit http://www.esrb.org.




-Undrallio


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Thursday, April 24

Grand Theft Auto IV Scandal?


Yesterday a letter allegedly composed by Rockstar and Take-Two began circulating around the internet.

The letter told retailers to ignore the April 29th release date and distribute the game; unfortunately for us however, the letter is a fraud.

In other news, It seems a torrent of GTA IV has been leaked on the web. People have already begun to rack up achievement points on GTA IV, as evidenced by by this huge list of gamertags over at MyGamerCard.net.

There has been no official word on the actions Rockstar and Microsoft plan to take against these pirates. I assume that both companies are looking into the matter.






-Ryizzel


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Iron Man Demo Impressions (PS3)

In a desperate search for awesome gaming news, which there's little of today, I realized that today was the Playstation Store's update day. I log in, check out the new stuff, lo and behold there's two new demos that I immediately download. Echochrome, and Iron Man.

Seeing how I posted about it before. I realized what better post could I do than a demo-impression article. Let's check it out after the break.

After downloading and installing the demo, which was nearly a gig in size, I start it up. The title music, while semi-epic gets repetitive....quick. However, that's more of a personal issue, and it's not that I'd normally sit there and listen to a game menu's music, but I had to begin writing this post of course!

There's three difficulties that you can play on, Easy, Normal, and Formidable. Because when you use easy and normal....hard certainly shouldn't come after that. Let's start on Normal, because I'm a sissy.

Ok, begin the demo and I'm brought to a very short, very uninformative briefing about the mission at hand. It seems some people have a stockpile of weaponry and it's your job to go kick some ass and destroy the stockpiles. Awesome, this should be great.

Next up is the Suit Configuration, where you can spend absurd amounts of money to purchase upgrades for parts of your suit. Not bad, adding a little strategic element in there, but it looks like there's only 3 upgrade levels per part, but with each tech upgrade you unlock a few choices for suit parts. When I purchased the core suit tech upgrade I unlocked two different core suit pieces to use.

They start you off with 100 million, with the most expensive starting upgrade costing 93 million, your repulsors. Repulsors are a fancy name for blasty hand things that make the enemies catch the dead.

The graphics are great, at least the landscape and Iron Man are. The tanks and helicopters look a little...half-assed if I may say so...but Iron Man and his attacks are sweeeet.

Voice overs? Well...they felt a little shallow to me. I'm just not a fan of "witty" one-liners and British servants. Honestly though, the voices could have definitely been done better.

Finally the controls, I couldn't get used to it...maybe it's just my style of play, but dang I couldn't get the whole Hover -> Fly Fast -> Hover -> Shoot -> Fly While Shooting thing down, especially since I couldn't get the camera to work with me. This section however, may be my own problem so don't bite the dust on it.

Overall? The Iron Man demo was pretty fun, but definitely not for a real hardcore gamer. Unless you're an Iron Man fan, then by all means go for it. Casual gamers would probably love it as well, mindless destruction is groovin.





-Undrallio


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Wednesday, April 23

PS3 and 360 Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Details

Aaahh, do you guys smell that? New details about Id software's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars have surfaced.

While Quake Wars is the successor to Wolfeinstein: Enemy Territory, this game takes place in the Quake the universe, pitting Humanity (Global defense force A.K.A. GDF) against the a menacing alien horde invading earth called, the Strogg.

Basically the game will play like Battlefield 2 with a sci-fi twist(Oh shit, thats battlefield 2142) , giving players access 6 unique classes and a large assortment of weaponry, vehicles and deployable units. Gamers will be rewarded for working as a team to overcome your foes.

Key features after the break.


KEY FEATURES:

* Team-Based, Strategic Missions – Gameplay in Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is all about conquering and securing enemy territory, either advancing or holding your team’s front line. Players must work together using their vehicles, deployables, and character class abilities to complete objectives, defend valuable installations or execute massive assaults. Whether playing online or in the game’s single-player mode, every player’s choice of character class and tactical action plays a critical role throughout as they gain rank, upgrade skills and provide specialist skills necessary for victory. Campaign proficiencies, persistent achievements and nearly a thousand stats are tracked to enable players to improve their class abilities, earn ranks and medals and track their progress.
* Weapons, Vehicles, Deployables – The weapons, vehicles and deployables in Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars are much more than standard issue equipment. Each selection truly affects gameplay and is integral to a team’s success or failure. Set in the relative near future, the Human arsenal is based on ultramodern updates to today’s conventional Earth armory (i.e. machine guns, rocket launchers, armored personnel carriers, hover-copters, etc.), while the Strogg utilize a more advanced energy and gravity-manipulation technology suitable for conquering vastly different alien worlds (i.e. the HyperBlaster and Lightning Pistol, the giant Cyclops mech-walker, Desecrator hover-tank, the insectoid Tormentor aerial attack craft, etc.). The game’s intuitive controls will also allow players to easily utilize unique strategic assets like radar, auto targeting anti-personnel or anti-vehicle turrets, artillery or strategic strike missiles – all of which are realistically deployed onto the battlefield when and where you choose.
* Unique Teams and Character Classes – With “asymmetric gameplay,” the characters of both the GDF and the Strogg look, move, and behave uniquely, while advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology provides formidable friends and foes in online and offline play, allowing new players to ease into the game, while intuitively challenging more advanced ones. Bases, characters, vehicles and weapons demonstrate the different technologies and behavior of each side and require distinctive approaches to combat from each player.
* Ground-Breaking Technology – Using id Software’s new MegaTexture rendering technology, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars renders large, highly-detailed and un-tiled outdoor environments all the way to the horizon, providing a seamless experience that accurately simulates shadows, atmosphere, vegetation and weather for a graphically immersive gaming experience. Advanced real-time physics and all-new network code support large-scale military combat for up to 16 players through real-world locations, including deserts, glaciers, mountains and countryside.



-Ryizzel


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EA's Monopoly Comes Forth


In a collaboration between EA's casual division and Hasbro Entertainment Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, mobile phones and Pogo.com all will be receiving Mr. Monopoly as their gracious guest. EA is developing a Monopoly game with "a fresh take on the timeless classic with accessible gameplay for players of all ages and skill levels."

It sounds like the game will be marketed as a party game with new things like mini-games based off of getting out of jail.

Chance! Your mother bakes you a cake while you're in jail, there's a file in it. Get out of jail free during someone else's turn so no one pays attention.

EA's Casual Vice President had this to say “EA is taking Monopoly's core gameplay and bringing it to life in a way never before imagined. With this dynamic take on Hasbro’s classic board game, we’ve accelerated the pace of play, added new interactive mini-game sequences and integrated multi-player moments designed to make Monopoly a non-stop party for the whole family.”

No longer shall Monopoly be a game marketed at PC users or as a board game for when the power goes out.





-Undrallio


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Race Through Burnout Paradise On A Big Boy Bike



In what I believe is the first info on Codename: Davis, the third update that Criterion Games is working on for Burnout Paradise, we hear two little factoids of interesting news.

First of which is that motorcycles are going to be introduced into the game, vroooooom. I can only think of the pain that the driver of the motorcycle will go through after being slammed by a van. Criterion said the following about motorcycles in Paradise:

"And because we're dedicated to bringing you game-changing new Burnout Paradise content all year, bikes will feature their own game modes, challenges and even some new locations tailored to fit their unique performance and handing characteristics."

The second thing we were let in on about the Davis update is that night driving will be introduced. Now Paradise, the city with the most immortal sun ever, will experience the dark.

You can read about Codename: Davis in it's original context at Criterion Games.





-Undrallio


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Retro Employees Get Fired, Maybe.

Psssst, guess what? Several employees over at Retro Studios got canned... I think... or maybe they quit? The details around their sudden departure are kind of cloudy.

According to Shacknews, "Design director Mark Pacini, art director Todd Keller, and principal technology engineer Jack Mathews were escorted off the premises last Friday."

For those of you worried about Retro Studios closing, or the future of the Metroid series, fret not, we've been reassured that Retro won't be closing anytime soon and Metroid Dread is being developed by Nintendo itself.


Source





-Ryizzel


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QuakeCon 2008 Announced

Yep, it's that time of year (ish) again, and QuakeCon 2008 has gained a date. Who's all going? You can read about the whole thing after the break, or save some time and head over to QuakeCon.org where you can learn about how to register and whatnot.

I know I should have something witty to say here...but really...what can be said about QuakeCon besides EPIC AWESOME PWNAGE!11one!!!


"Dallas Heats Up For QuakeCon 2008

Id Software opens 2008 registration and Anatole reservations

MESQUITE, Texas - April 22, 2008 - As temperatures begin to rise it's time to start planning the ultimate summer vacation to THE must-attend gaming event of the year - QuakeCon 2008. That's right! The world's greatest gaming festival and party will take place July 31 - August 3, 2008 in Dallas, TX at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. As always, this event is FREE to all attendees thanks to the incredible support of the QuakeCon volunteer staff, id Software, and the event sponsors and exhibitors.

QuakeCon will once again host North America's largest BYOC (Bring-Your-Own-Computer) LAN party, as well as an expanded exhibits area with nearly 60 companies demonstrating their latest products. Of course, it wouldn't be QuakeCon without highly-competitive tournaments for serious cash and bragging rights, parties, contests, entertainment and announcements.

Registration for the BYOC area will kick off at 9 p.m. ET on April 30, 2008 at www.quakecon.org.

The Hilton Anatole is now taking room reservations for QuakeCon 2008 through their custom QuakeCon reservation page or through their toll-free reservations number, 1-800-HILTONS. To receive the specially negotiated room rate of $137.00 (single, double, triple or quad occupancy) and the special daily self-park rate of $5 (regularly $15 per day), you must request the group rate for “QuakeCon 2008” or book through the link above when making your reservation. The hotel requires a $50 non-refundable deposit on group reservations, which will be credited to your final room bill upon check-out. Rooms at this special rate are limited.

Companies interested in receiving information on sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities should email sponsors@quakecon.org.

More exciting details about QuakeCon 2008 will follow. Visit www.quakecon.org to stay on top of the latest information. Plan your travel, reserve your hotel room and BYOC spot, practice those gaming skillz and prepare to be blown away by another awesome QuakeCon."





-Undrallio


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Devil May Cry 4 Demo/Game Coming To PC


PC users will be getting Devil May Cry 4 at some point in the summer with the PC version containing better graphics rendering and "additional content". It's not really known what that content is right now, but it sure is additional. You can bet your sister Sally on that one.

Ryizzel made a pretty good point to me, "Sounds kind of stupid to me, DMC4 is sort of...a console-styled title. PCs are all about RPGs and FPSs." I feel about the same way, except that I chose to word it more like "I don't think it would feel as responsive on the PC as it does on a console". If that makes any sense at all.

"Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that the highly anticipated PC version of Devil May Cry® 4 is locked and loaded for release this summer. Devil May Cry 4 is already a certifiable hit in the console world, having shipped over 2 million units world wide since its release in North America in February. A demo of the game will be released for PC players before the retail version ships, allowing PC gamers to try the game ahead of time, as well as testing their system’s prowess with the included benchmark mode."

Read the rest of the press release after the jump.

CAPCOM®'S DEVIL MAY CRY® 4 COMING TO PC THIS SUMMER
Demo With System Benchmark Mode Will Be Available Before the Game's Release

SAN MATEO, Calif — April 23, 2008 — Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that the highly anticipated PC version of Devil May Cry® 4 is locked and loaded for release this summer. Devil May Cry 4 is already a certifiable hit in the console world, having shipped over 2 million units world wide since its release in North America in February. A demo of the game will be released for PC players before the retail version ships, allowing PC gamers to try the game ahead of time, as well as testing their system’s prowess with the included benchmark mode. The PC version of Devil May Cry 4 will feature new modes, enhanced graphics options and some additional content. Devil May Cry 4 has been rated M for Mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.


Good things come to those who wait as PC owners will benefit from having more modes and more visual customization options to help enhance their demon-slaying action. Turbo mode will turn-up the action to insane speeds, while Legendary Dark Knight Mode will harness advanced PC processing power and fill the screen with an unbelievable number of enemies for extra difficulty. Moreover, familiar enemies from the console versions will show-up in new locations in the PC version. The high resolution screen settings allow the cut scenes of the game to run at up to 120 frames per second (up from 30 frames per second in the console version of the game). Slider options are available to manage various visual effects seen throughout the game. Devil May Cry 4 for the PC will have both DirectX® 9 and DirectX® 10 modes, and will also be compliant with the Games For Windows® program.


From the producer of the original Devil May Cry® and Resident Evil® 4 comes the next installment in the hugely successful stylized action series that has so far achieved global sales of nearly seven million units. Devil May Cry 4 immerses gamers in a gothic supernatural world, where a new protagonist clashes with a familiar hero. As the new leading man, Nero, players will unleash incredible attacks and non-stop combos using a unique new gameplay mechanic: the powerful “Devil Bringer” on his right arm.

ABOUT CAPCOM
Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including best-selling franchises Resident Evil®, Street Fighter®, Mega Man® and Devil May Cry® Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Korea, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom can be found on the company web site, www.capcom.com.

Capcom, the Capcom logo, Resident Evil, Mega Man and Devil May Cry are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd., in the U.S. or other countries. Street Fighter is a registered trademark of Capcom U.S.A., Inc. DirectX is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All rights reserved. All other marks are the property of their respective holders.




-Undrallio


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Heavenly Sword 2 Branches Out

GamesIndustry.biz: My next question was are you looking at working with other publishers and other formats?

Nina Kristensen: Yes, our new game is going to be PS3 and Xbox 360. We have actually signed it but we're not announcing to who at the moment.


Seeing how I gave you no intro or information about that tidbit whatsoever, let me explain. Nina Kristensen is the co-founder/chief developer of Ninja Theory, the masterminds behind Heavenly Sword, and that quote you just read? Yeah, that's what you're gonna see from Heavenly Sword 2, multi-platform goodness.

I wonder if there will be a slight fanboy dispute about this one, Sony-heads whining because they lost an exclusive while M$ followers laugh out loud at the Sony's loss.

Of course, I feel it's good for the game to be able to reach a more broad audience, maybe they'll make Heavenly Sword 2 a little longer than the first one though...

You can read the whole interview after the break, or in it's original format at GamesIndustry.biz.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: Can we start by quickly looking back at Heavenly Sword. There was quite a lot of build up to the release of the game but after release did you get good feedback from Sony and from retail?

Nina Kristensen: We did. We're really proud of what we were able to achieve and we did some breakthrough stuff, particularly in the story-telling and cinematics and we were able to work with some absolutely incredible people like Andy Serkis. We were able to pioneer the performance capture and so forth. So the reception for it has been absolutely brilliant.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: Did you find that Serkis understood what you needed from him from a games development point of view, and did you get a better understanding of the acting and film business from that relationship?

Nina Kristensen: As a person to work with you couldn't ask for better. He's extremely professional and really knows what he's doing. Andy had never worked in games at all and I don't think he'd ever played a game when he first came on board. It was really interesting to him because he's seeing a media that he hasn't worked in before and saw some big opportunities to push his craft forwards. He was able to bring a huge amount to the project. He didn't just act in the game but was our dramatic director, so he directed all of the cinematics while Tameen Antonaides (co-founder of Ninja Theory) directed the gameplay.

But then Andy also bought a huge amount of other stuff to the game – he was involved in the story quite heavily, particularly the character art, he also did the casting which was done exactly like a film. He did workshops with all the actors who did complete read-throughs on set. They did a complete run through of the entire game acting it all out like a theatre production, so they really understood what they were doing, and he ran it like a film production in a really professional way. He brought a lot more to the team than just playing a character.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: Those high production values and attention to detail were praised in the finished game. That's important for Ninja Theory, to be quite lavish with the production of the game?

Nina Kristensen: I think you can only do that if you've got professional talent from those other industries. It's something we did across the board, we brought people in from other industries and media who'd never worked in games. There's a company called Play It By Ear out in New York who do sound effects and they had never worked in games before. We worked with them on the sound effects – they actually did the sound effects for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: And that's a philosophy you're going to continue with future titles?

Nina Kristensen: Absolutely. If you want to make something's that really high-end and really engaging if you get the best talents from each discipline and you're able to integrate them effectively into the game then you're going to get the best possible results. So there's a lot of these relationships that we very much intend to maintain going forwards with our new games.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: Are you working on a sequel to Heavenly Sword?

Nina Kristensen: No we're not, we're working on a new IP.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: What can we expect from the new project – can we expect another three year production with a massive budget?

Nina Kristensen: Yes, we're looking at doing something really big and ambitious and absolutely build on our strengths in storytelling, cinematics and combat.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: Heavenly Sword was a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Do you feel that you've really mastered that system now as a developer, because there were all these stories and rumblings that the PS3 was a tricky machine to get to grips with...

Nina Kristensen: There's always more stuff to learn but I think we know the PlayStation 3 very intimately now. We had to build everything from the ground up because when we started there simply wasn't any middleware or anything like that.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: Looking back would you say making Heavenly Sword exclusive to a single platform was the right decision to make or would you have preferred to see it on more formats?

Nina Kristensen: It was nice to be a PlayStation 3 exclusive going in to new generation of consoles. From a practical standpoint it was very helpful for us to be able to get the most we could out of the PS3 at the time. Going forwards we are going cross-platform with this new game.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: My next question was are you looking at working with other publishers and other formats?

Nina Kristensen: Yes, our new game is going to be PS3 and Xbox 360. We have actually signed it but we're not announcing to who at the moment.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: You've said that this new IP is going to be looking at new concepts for a videogame – can you expand on that? Do you mean new concepts in terms of genre and gameplay, or in terms of delivery to consumer, or business models...

Nina Kristensen: We're looking at several things. We're certainly targeting a triple-A blockbuster, with two and a half years in production. We're actually looking at something in addition to that - we're considering opportunities in creating a CGI movie using the game engine alongside the game itself. The game is certainly the most important thing and we haven't decided for sure to do this, but it's something we're looking at. It's an interesting idea.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: So you're looking at taking Ninja Theory beyond games development

Nina Kristensen: I think there's a lot of opportunities there and it's something we'll be exploring over the next year or so.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: Are you interested in other routes to market? Because those games that take three year's to create are very time consuming and expensive. Do you see opportunities for Ninja Theory to take advantage of downloadable content or smaller development models – PSN of XBLA where team sizes are smaller, titles are cheaper to make?

Nina Kristensen: It's very interesting but it's not something we're doing right now. It's something we might consider doing a little bit further down the track.

Q: GamesIndustry.biz: There was a rash of indie developers being snapped up by publishers last year, and recently a number of smaller outfits have been forced to close. Is Ninja Theory confident it can remain comfortably independent in the coming months?

Nina Kristensen: It's a brutal environment out there for an independent, particularly considering the size of the games that we're developing. But we've now signed up the new game and the future looks pretty rosy for us.






-Undrallio


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Tuesday, April 22

EA Confirms Next Harry Potter Game

Fans of the Harry Potter series who are hoping to keep the magic alive will be happy to hear EA has announced it's game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The game, set to be released alongside the movie coming out later this year, follows Harry's 6th year at Hogwarts, as he brews potions, participates in wizard duels, plays Quidditch...and finds love.

Half-Blood Prince will be released on the Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and just about every other electronic device you can play video games on.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited for this game. With the steady rising in quality of the Harry Potter games, maybe this one might actually be playable. Hit the jump for the press release.

EA AND WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE VIDEO GAME
Fans will relive the thrills, action and excitement of the movie this holiday season

Guildford, U.K. – April 22nd, 2008 – EA’s Casual Entertainment Label and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ video game will be released later this year to coincide with the Warner Bros. Pictures film based on J.K. Rowling’s sixth Harry Potter book.

“We believe that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game represents a milestone in the movie tie-in genre,” said Harvey Elliott, Head of EA Bright Light studio in the UK where the Harry Potter franchise has its home. “Building on the technological advancements of previous games in the series and with a particular focus on the unique control system of Nintendo’s WiiTM, the team here is working closely with the filmmakers to create an immersive interactive experience that captures the story, the action, the excitement and, above all, the fun of the film. ”

“Working with EA, we look forward to offering fans a compelling Harry Potter video game, one which captures the thrilling storyline and high visual quality of the movie,” said Scott Johnson, Vice President, Business Development for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The adherence to the rich fiction is a trademark of this franchise and with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince fans will experience the most authentic and enjoyable game in the series to date.”

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn't counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

In the game of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, players will return to Hogwarts to help Harry survive a fraught sixth year. They will also have a chance to engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in Potions class and take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. Players may even get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.

Under development by EA Bright Light Studio, the team behind the worldwide success of the Harry Potter library of games, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is scheduled for release in time for the movie launch this fall for the Wii, PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360™, PlayStation®2, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), Nintendo DS, Windows PC, Macintosh and mobile devices.



-Ryizzel


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Playstation Home Announcement



Ps3 owners, are you excited? Playstation Home is on it's way in Spring '08 (that's this year); the date draws near! The tension and anticipation is unbearable!

Well worry no more, because *wait for it* Home got delayed. Again. This time all the way back to Fall of 2008. I think I can hear non-beta players groaning from here, sorry guys.

"We have come to the conclusion that we need more time to refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience than what it is today," explained SCE president and CEO Kazuo Hirai.

"Spending more time on the development and on the Closed Beta testing reaffirms our commitment to bringing a quality service, maintaining the PlayStation tradition."

Are you willing to take a giant delay for a little refinement and making it nicer? Personally I would have been fine with taking it as it is and just getting updates as things get tweaked, but...that's what a Beta player is for.





-Undrallio


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Monday, April 21

Activision Shuts down Underground

In what I would call long overdue, Actvision is shutting down Underground studio. The 45 employees that worked at Underground are currently in the process of being relocated to other studios.

Originally named Z-axis, the studio worked on titles such as BMX XXX, X-Men: The Official Game, and the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX series. More recently, Underground worked on the PS3 port of Enemy Territories: Quake Wars which is due out in May.









-Ryizzel


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Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe








Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe is on it's way for the Ps3 and Xbox 360, and it looks like it's going to be one hell of a ride, what are we to expect from the game though?

Sub-Zero VS. Batman, exciting match up. Seems a little uneven though...what with Sub-Zero's whole "I can freeze you and uppercut you into a million bajillion pieces of ice".

Scorpion Vs. Superman, obviously this one isn't good. Superman having the whole x-ray vision will make Scorpion feel very awkward and insecure about himself, leaving him harmless.

Those four are the only super definitely confirmed characters that will be appearing in the game, have no fear though, MK Vs. DCU will not disappoint with *currently* 20 playable characters, the most "iconic" of both worlds. I'm assuming we'll see Kano, Shang Tsung, Liu Kang, Aquaman (God help us all), Wonder Woman (Lasso of Truth!), and probably the Green Lantern.

The downfall from the word on the street is that there will be no fatalities. What's a Mortal Kombat game with no flaming Scorpion head, no kiss of death from Sonya, no laser vision melting from Superman?! I really hope that one turns out to be false, but with the DC guys in there I suppose they're marketing towards a family beat-em-up.





-Undrallio


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Uwe Boll Gets Denied

It seems everyone's favorite video game director is at it again! Uwe Boll recently petitioned Blizzard about making a World of Warcraft movie, but was rather rudely denied by Paul Sams of Blizzard.

'We will not sell the movie rights, not to you...especially not to you. Because it's such a big online game success, maybe a bad movie would destroy that ongoing income, what the company has with it."


Wow, thats pretty harsh. I wonder why Blizzard wouldn't want the director of such gems as BloodRayne, Postal and House of the Dead directing a movie based on their game?







-Ryizzel


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Sunday, April 20

Konami ID goes down

Today many gamers were upset to discover that https://id.konami.net/ was down due to the overwhelming traffic received from people trying to register for the MGO Beta. To make matter worse, people seem to be having trouble downloading an update required to play the game.

It seems the site is back up, however many are reporting that they are receiving errors.

I guess Konami underestimated how many people would actually participate in the Beta. Lets just hope this doesn't foreshadow how the beta will play out.

And here is the rest of it.





-Ryizzel


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Week 4 of the April Game Releases

Final week of April everyone, April showers bring May flowers....let's hope that relates to gaming as well. April was a terri-not-so-very-good month for both news, and releases.

Not much to say this week really, the highlights are two Pokemon games for the Nintendo DS, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time; exciting.


Nintendo DS

The World Ends With You
Dream Pinball 3D
River King: Mystic Valley

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time



Nintendo Wii

Battle of the Bands
Dream Pinball 3D
The Red Star
Wild Earth: African Safari

Target: Terror



Playstation Portable

Chameleon



Xbox 360

NBA Ballers: Chosen One



Playstation 3

NBA Ballers: Chosen One



PC

Turok



Playstation 2

Persona 3: FES





-Undrallio


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Top 10 Games Best Played While Baked

Hey guys, guess what day it is. Yes, it is the day before MGO beta starts, but also it's 4/20. In honor of this holiday, we have composed a list of 10 games best played while baked, glazed, like a kite, or while you're flying.

Pull out your bluntie shaped stylus and get blitzed with these games. Enjoy your holiday and remember, smoking is bad mm'kay?


1. Cooking Mama
Platform: DS


2.
The Sims
Platform:Pc

3. Burger Time
Platform:Arcade

4. Tron
Platform:Arcade

5. Kid Kool and the Quest For the Seven Wonder Herbs
Platform:NES

6. Rez
Platform:Ps2

7. AudioSurf
Platform:Pc

8. Super Breakout
Platform:Atari 2600

9. Mario Kart
Platform:SNES

10. Katamari Damacy
Platform:Ps2




-Ryizzel


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Wrapping Up Another Slow Week

One more week down, and I managed to be late on this post where we discuss our gaming adventures of the week and subsequent weekend. Better late than never right?

So what games did you guys play over the weekend?

I worked my way through The Darkness, which I picked up used for ten bucks (Huzzah!). It was definitely worth it and now I'm considering crawling through on Hard mode...but then again I generally suck at staying alive in games like that. I'm thinking about finishing up this Sunday with a little Guitar Hero and Super Mario Galaxy (Yeah, still haven't beaten it, I suck).

You guys don't want to hear what I wasted my time on though, so let's go over the Highlights of the Week

-Marvel characters are back in style, Spidey and Iron Man get more games.

-Codename: Cagney, the next update for Burnout Paradise gets more details, user-created soundtrack for the win.

-Playstation Store gets a much needed overhaul.

-Konami cracks down on Beta abusers.




-Undrallio


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New TF2 Trailer



To promote the standalone release of Team Fortress 2, Valve has released a new trailer. In this "Meet The" video we are introduced to the Scout...who seems to really love turkey sandwiches, but then again who doesn't.

If only killing a Heavy with a Scout was that easy in-game.





-Ryizzel


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