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The introduction of the Forge to Halo 3 has set the stage for some very interesting game types and play variations, but there is one aspect of the level editor that we haven't seen much of yet: film making. Sure, anyone can stack some fusion coils and record some epic Mongoose launches (we did), but making something truly creative takes some effort. Case in point, this video of Super Mario Bros. done Halo style. Add some sound effects, graphics, and the oh-so-recognizable soundtrack, and you've got a decent video. Check it out above.
Now, before you leave, we like to issue a call for more interesting Halo 3 clips. Sure, we like awesome grenade sticks, but we'd really like to see some creative utilizations of Forge. Rube Goldberg machines, dominos, whack-a-Spartan: that's what we want to see. Get crackin' fanboys.
The first in a series of Two Humanvideo diaries has hit the intertubes. Microsoft protests that the video is also available on Xbox Live Marketplace, but our attempts to locate it thus far have proven unsuccessful. The video features Silicon Knights employees describing Baldur, the game's protagonist, and some of the reasoning behind choosing one of the more obscure Norse gods as a main character. There's also a rather off topic bit about what the developers do to blow off steam. Honestly, we've never thought of starting a club for pitching pencils into ceiling tiles, but we're seriously considering it now. Oh, and if you wait until the very end, you might see a few snippets of gameplay that you haven't seen before. Click. Watch. Enjoy.
Speaking to GamePro, Gears of War screenwriter Stuart Beattie discussed the upcoming film adaptation of the blockbuster game. Apart from talking about the slowly changing Hollywood view of game-to-film adaptations -- as the writer of the first Pirates of the Caribbean film (a movie based on a ride), he knows something about adaptations -- Beattie elaborates on how Gears of War may be treated in production. Beattie says that Gears of War will likely utilize the same techniques used in 300, which was shot entirely using a green screen. Said Beattie, "There's no way to build that world any other way, really," noting that a green screen and soundstage is the only way the movie could be made on a reasonable budget. So, when you sit down to enjoy the upcoming film, remember that the Brumak about to eat Marcus isn't real.
A new video of the upcoming Schizoid from Torpex Games has surfaced on GameTrailers. The video showcases the game's unique teamwork dynamic, in which players must attack enemies of the same color in order to clear a level. The twist is that running into an enemy of a different color results in death. Hence the teamwork, you see. It's a very interesting idea and looks like it will require some quick thinking. In the video, we see a new enemy that drops dots behind it as it moves, which player can gobble up Pac-Man style. The dots, as it turns out, are the opposite color of the enemy. You see how this could get confusing really quickly? Confusing in a good way though.
Eurogamer continues its extended look at the various classes of Team Fortress 2 with a new video highlighting the Heavy Weapons Guy and his beloved gun Sasha. Of course, PC players have become intimately familiar with all the classes thanks to the beta that's going on as we type. Still, for 360 players this marks the first time we've had a long look at the Heavy. You'll have to head over to Eurogamer to watch the video, but we can summarize it effectively right now. The Heavy Weapons Guy shoots. A lot. He shoots with an unhealthy, unrelenting passion. Every once in a while, he punches things too. If that sounds like your idea of a good time, click the "read" link and watch the video. If not, click it anyway, because the game is gorgeous.
Fans of hyper-violent action rejoice, for Conan is on the way. No, not that Conan. We're talking about Conan the barbarian. The kind that pulls men apart with his teeth. THQ has announced that a demo for Conan (not to be confused with the MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures) is scheduled to arrive on XBLM next week. Specifically, the demo should arrive on Monday. To get an idea of what exactly we're in for, you may want to check out Joystiq's impressions of the game from earlier this year.
Posted Oct 5th 2007 11:30AM by Dustin Burg Filed under: News
The rumors were true and it is now official. Bungie Studios has jumped Microsoft's money-rich ship and have gone independent. In a press release sent out this morning, Microsoft announced plans for Bungie to become an independent developer, but mentioned that they will still retain a "publishing agreement" between both studios and that Microsoft will keep "an equity interest in Bungie". The press release also mentions that Microsoft owns and will retain the Halo IP and that the Peter Jackson Halo project and Halo Wars are still on track for release. No other reasons were given for the split, but it seems to be on good terms.
So fanboys, what do you make of this? The press release sounds way too fluffy and way too civil for such a breakup, but maybe that's really how it is. We aren't sure, but it's going to be extremely interesting to see what Bungie's plans are for the future, how the Halo IP grows and how the two parties work together. Odd times indeed.
Today the Marketplace deities bless us with not one, but two demos. The first is Bladestorm, which has arrived a day late and hopefully not a dollar short. The second is the latest edition to the Looney Tunes franchise, Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal (by the way, please check out the latest DS Looney Tunes iteration: Duck Amuck). As it turns out, both games have accurately descriptive titles, as Bladestorm will have you unleashing your armies on hundreds of foes, while ACME Arsenal employs the use of all kinds of "wacky" weapons. Our hopes were set impossibly high from the first moment we saw Daffy Duck wielding a pie. Why not grab both demos and see how they fare?
It wasn't that long ago that we advised our readers to start mopping up the games they hadn't finished. Why? Because a perfect storm of gaming entertainment was fast approaching the Xbox 360 at the time. We're not sure if you've noticed, but that storm is upon us. Within the last several weeks alone we've received Halo 3, Skate, and, most recently, Project Gotham Racing 4. Don't forget that there have been tons of smaller releases too. Honestly, we find ourselves with an embarrassment of gaming riches. Oh, and did we mention Orange Boxhits next week? Yeah, we're all screwed.
Still, answer the question if you can: what will you be playing this weekend?
Announced this past July during the craziness that was E3 2007, Shacknews is reporting that Gears of War on the PC will be hitting retail shelves this November 6th with exclusive content not seen in the Xbox 360 version. Gears PC will come jam packed with brand new content including five additional chapters, three new multiplayer maps, a new King of the Hill gametype, a game editor and the infamous Brumak boss fight. As you can see, there's lots of fun and interesting goodies in the new PC version, all of which won't see the light of day on the 360. It's sad really and we refuse to quit complaining about it. Where's the Gears 360 love Epic, where's our love?
Hey kids! Just a quick reminder that our first Fanswag Weekly giveaway is still underway. For our first giveaway, we're giving away a copy of Halo 3 and some Game Fuel swag to boot. If you haven't already, be sure to submit your entry on the official giveaway post. Remember though, you can only enter once, so stay far, far away if you already have. As for the rest of you: get to it!
It seems like every few months it's time for a new article discussing the doom and gloom that is the Xbox 360 in Japan. We're not sure how long it's been, but it's probably time for a new one, don't you think? GameSpot has taken up the reins this time, gathering together a gaggle of Japanese developers with Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg thrown in for good measure. So, what do Japanese developers think should be done to lift the Xbox from the Pit of Despair? The most common answer: more RPGs. It seems that Japanese gamers tend to dislike the "stressful, difficult" games preferred in the west (the article uses Rainbow Six Vegas, Gears of War, and Test Drive as examples), and would rather have slower, more guided games. In other words, RPGs. The article also notes that Microsoft is pursuing more Japanese made Xbox Live Arcade content as well, hoping that such offerings will appeal to Japanese gamers as well as gamers across the pond. In fact, courting Japanese developers doesn't seem to be the problem at all (unlike the original Xbox), as more developers are looking to the larger western audience when designing games. It's merely a matter of getting the Japanese gamer on board that presents a problem. Whether or not Microsoft can ever make a sizable dent in Japan remains to be seen. We're keeping our eyes on Lost Odyssey.
Those of you looking forward to gaming on your Zune (all seven of you) are likely to be disappointed by the following news. Zune guru (and former Xbox guru) J Allard revealed to GamaSutra that there are currently no plans to integrate games into Microsoft's MP3 player (where have we heard that before?). Allard noted that the speed of innovation in the portable market makes games a "tricky proposition." In other words, new versions of MP3 players come out so often (see the latest Zunes above for example) that compatibility becomes and issue. Not only that, but control interfaces change all the time too, so playing an old game on a new player could be physically impossible. Allard doesn't rule out the possibility entirely, noting that XNA could be a factor for portable gaming. He concludes, however, that "Zune isn't playing Halo 3 anytime soon."
There's some new swag over at the Bungie Store today including the long promised official Halo 3video calibration filter or as we call it, a piece of blue see-through plastic. And you'll be pleased to know that the video calibration filter is free with any Bungie Store purchase or you can get it free by itself, but you'll have to dish out a $9 shipping fee. Among the other new goodies are a set of two Halo 3Mixer Glasses and a new Dual Deco Hoody too. Everything is gettable after the jump, so spend wisely and be sure to add the free video calibration filter to your cart while you're at it.
Okay, Blue Dragon we understood. Even Gears of War had the beautiful graphics and third person perspective going for it. But this, this was unexpected. Yes, the headline above is true. Halo 3 has landed on the number one spot in Japanese video game sales. Now, before we all go check ourselves into the loony bin, there are some clarifications in order. While Halo 3 did garner top honors, it did so with only 59,000 copies. In fact, there were two versions of the new Pókemon Mystery Dungeon 2 released that sold thousands more copies combined than Halo 3, though they are technically considered different games. Also, Blue Dragon, which landed in fourth place upon release last year, sold over 80,000 copies in its first week. So, while Halo 3 is doing well for a 360 title, it's not setting any records. Sill, positive 360 news out of Japan is rare, so cheers Microsoft, cheers.
Eurogamer continues its extended look at the various classes of Team Fortress 2 with a new video highlighting the Heavy Weapons Guy and his beloved gun Sasha. Of course, PC players have become intimately familiar with all the classes thanks to the beta that's going on as we type. Still, for 360 players this marks the first time we've had a long look at the Heavy. You'll have to head over to Eurogamer to watch the video, but we can summarize it effectively right now. The Heavy Weapons Guy shoots. A lot. He shoots with an unhealthy, unrelenting passion. Every once in a while, he punches things too. If that sounds like your idea of a good time, click the "read" link and watch the video. If not, click it anyway, because the game is gorgeous.
The rumors were true and it is now official. Bungie Studios has jumped Microsoft's money-rich ship and have gone independent. In a press release sent out this morning, Microsoft announced plans for Bungie to become an independent developer, but mentioned that they will still retain a "publishing agreement" between both studios and that Microsoft will keep "an equity interest in Bungie". The press release also mentions that Microsoft owns and will retain the Halo IP and that the Peter Jackson Halo project and Halo Wars are still on track for release. No other reasons were given for the split, but it seems to be on good terms.
It seems like every few months it's time for a new article discussing the doom and gloom that is the Xbox 360 in Japan. We're not sure how long it's been, but it's probably time for a new one, don't you think? GameSpot has taken up the reins this time, gathering together a gaggle of Japanese developers with Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg thrown in for good measure. So, what do Japanese developers think should be done to lift the Xbox from the Pit of Despair? The most common answer: more RPGs. It seems that Japanese gamers tend to dislike the "stressful, difficult" games preferred in the west (the article uses Rainbow Six Vegas, Gears of War, and Test Drive as examples), and would rather have slower, more guided games. In other words, RPGs. The article also notes that Microsoft is pursuing more Japanese made Xbox Live Arcade content as well, hoping that such offerings will appeal to Japanese gamers as well as gamers across the pond. In fact, courting Japanese developers doesn't seem to be the problem at all (unlike the original Xbox), as more developers are looking to the larger western audience when designing games. It's merely a matter of getting the Japanese gamer on board that presents a problem. Whether or not Microsoft can ever make a sizable dent in Japan remains to be seen. We're keeping our eyes on Lost Odyssey.
There's some new swag over at the Bungie Store today including the long promised official Halo 3 video calibration filter or as we call it, a piece of blue see-through plastic. And you'll be pleased to know that the video calibration filter is free with any Bungie Store purchase or you can get it free by itself, but you'll have to dish out a $9 shipping fee. Among the other new goodies are a set of two Halo 3 Mixer Glasses and a new Dual Deco Hoody too. Everything is gettable after the jump, so spend wisely and be sure to add the free video calibration filter to your cart while you're at it.
