Joystiq

We could have easily gone for a more vulgar headline! Here's what Christian Svensson, Capcom's vice president of business development and strategic planning, actually said about the upcoming co-op shooter, Lost Planet 2: "Takeuchi's approach was, you know what we're not going to sit back on our laurels and just shit out a sequel, we're actually going to take it up five notches. We're not going to under invest in this, we're actually going to over invest in this, and we're going to build it bigger."

Speaking to VideoGamer.com, Svensson relayed Lost Planet 2 (and Resident Evil 5) producer Jun Takeuchi's overall vision as being one that keeps all of the original's best qualities in, while dismissing the lax ambitions of lazy sequel design. You might even catch a whiff of 2007's critically acclaimed Call of Duty 4, which Svensson says was a big hit among the Lost Planet team. "So I think you're going to see some influence from that sneaking in."

So, to sum all this crap up: Lost Planet 2 is promised to be the shit, but won't be shit out.

Though EA's pledge to focus on quality games and new IP may have resulted in critical approval and a more positive image among gamers, the company has still been forced to take serious financial cost-cutting measures in recent months. Thankfully, Glen Schofield, manager of EA's Redwood Shores studio, isn't about to let some unpleasant realities get in the way of staff morale and a commitment to top-notch titles.

"I said, look, I can't tell you if this is the end or not, but we're making some great games here," Schofield relayed to GI.biz. "If we continue to make great games, if we continue to push this, we're not going to lose our jobs. Because we're making great stuff." The studio hopes to follow up the positively received but commercially disappointing survival-horror, Dead Space, with potentially great stuff like The Godfather II and hellish actioner Dante's Inferno.

Schofield reportedly told his staff, "People who aren't making great games are going to lose their jobs. But if you're making quality and we continue to push on that, and you're a quality person then you're going to keep your job." That almost sounds like a threat, doesn't it? Talk about the man(tra) sticking it to you.

Capcom has officially confirmed one of the more exciting features found in Lost Planet 2's announcement trailer: "The intense and action packed campaign mode comes with the ability to form teams of up to 4 players online to clear mission objectives with friends." Based on the initial gameplay footage, said mission objectives generally involve coordinated mech maneuvers and wanton destruction of the titular planet's more unfriendly creatures.

The press release also provides a general outline of the story, which takes place 10 years after the amnesia-riddled and ironically forgettable exploits of Lost Planet's Wayne Holden. Players will now take control of several customizable snow pirates "as plot threads evolve from various perspectives."

Capcom promises to deliver more information on Lost Planet 2 over the coming months. At this time, the game has only been confirmed to be in development for the Xbox 360.

Sometimes, I worry about Lara Croft. Sure, the bloody vendetta against endangered animals and that egregious contempt for ancient pots were both neon-lit warning signs, but the writing on the walls has never been so clearly etched as on those found in her latest raid-worthy tomb. It's not the fact that she's willing to clamber, crawl and cartwheel through the decrepit crypt, her collapsed mansion as its gravestone, that makes me fret about her mental health. It's that she's willing to do it all in a camo bikini.

Unsurprisingly, the gaudy garment, no doubt picked up at a tacky souvenir shop on Normandy Beach, represents the more adolescent additions offered by Tomb Raider Underworld's first DLC episode, Beneath the Ashes. The rest of it -- a large, unexplored environment, a new enemy and some fresh puzzles -- should appeal to those who see beyond Lara's figure and appreciate a game of clockwork exploration and platforming.

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Okay, so the planet's not nearly as lost this time around, what with people having settled on it long enough to start shooting at each other. But "Slightly Misplaced Planet 2" or "Somewhat Unfamiliar Orb 2" doesn't have the succinct strength of a "Lost Planet 2," so let's just call it a day -- and a sequel to Capcom's frenetic and famously frigid Xbox 360, PS3 and PC shooter.

We'll be putting up the video trailer soon, but in the meantime, you can view it on the Xbox Live Marketplace or have a look at some stills captured by Gamersyde. We trust you'll be able to notice the new forest environment, as well as the return of mechs, monsters and machine guns.

Update: You can watch the full trailer above, which demonstrates the game's new cooperative action. The trailer also notes that Lost Planet 2 is running on MT-Framework 2.0, an updated version of the engine used in the original Lost Planet as well as other Capcom releases like Dead Rising and Devil May Cry 4.

Having amassed an impressive Gamerscore by slogging through Cabela hunting games, forgettable anime beat-em-ups and the last Iron Man game, it's no surprise that Xbox Live users become agitated when their Gamertags are placed in jeopardy. Earlier this week, it was reported that Windows Live IDs linked to dormant email addresses were at risk of deletion, taking associated Gamertags with them.

However, Microsoft has clarified the situation, noting, "People with dormant Windows Live IDs can continue to enjoy the benefits of their Xbox LIVE Gamertags on their Xbox 360 consoles, including earning Achievements; however, they will not be able to use their expired Windows Live IDs for activities such as account management on xbox.com." According to a company representative, "An Xbox LIVE Gamertag is unrecoverable from the system only when the associated Windows Live ID has become dormant and the Gamertag has been deleted from all Xbox 360 consoles." In other words, a dead Windows Live ID will prevent you from recovering your Gamertag online should you change consoles or attempt account management, such as renewing your Xbox Live subscription.

Microsoft is "actively working" on a solution that should allow you to sever the dead weight of an expired Windows Live ID and link your Gamertag to a new one. In the meantime, Major Nelson recommends you log into your Windows Live ID (do it through xbox.com) at least once every four months. Think of it as an insincere pleasantry with long-term benefits -- like visiting your mother-in-law.

Though we expected the list to start out with something obvious, like, "Thou shalt never speak of Dino Crisis 3 again," Capcom's ten commandments of development are more aimed at the business side of the gaming industry. Speaking at the ongoing DICE summit in Las Vegas, Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi shed some light on the Japanese publisher's demonstrable success in reaching Western audiences.

The ten rules, captured by MTV Multiplayer, highlight the importance of carefully managing development costs (Rule #3: Keep development cost fluctuation within 10 percent), man power (Rule #1: Keep staff turnover below 10 percent per annum) and prudent handling of new IP (Rule #4: Investment in new IP needs to be kept within 20 percent of total development budget). Oh, Rule #10 is a good one: Don't set unachievable targets.

Let's hope that's the end of Capcom's attempts to make a good Resident Evil lightgun game.

After an "unexpected technical issue" delayed her basement expedition, Lara Croft is back on track for her Xbox 360-exclusive Tomb Raider Underworld add-on, Beneath the Ashes. According to an official forum post by Eidos' head of mastering, Jason Walker, the download has cleared Microsoft certification and should be available on the Xbox Live Marketplace next Tuesday, February 24. We've reached out to Eidos PR for additional confirmation.

A title update addressing several game bugs (fixes listed after the break) will be released alongside the download, which is expected to weigh in at 948MB. The second downloadable chapter, Lara's Shadow, still retains its original March 10 release date and promise of a "new" playable character. Expect each pack to cost 800 ($10).

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In a quest to end the bitterness between the Xbox 360 and the color red, Microsoft appears to be reconciling the two in a new Xbox 360 Elite SKU. The unannounced product has stumbled into the public eye much in the same way that many of Microsoft's secrets do -- first a rumor, then a retailer inventory listing and then an innocent mention in a New Zealand-bound press release.

Alright, maybe that last one doesn't quite adhere to the formula, but according to Kotaku, an MS New Zealand promotion for the upcoming release of Halo Wars -- buy a 360, get a free copy of the game! -- explicitly excluded "the Red Xbox 360 Elite console which is exclusive to EB games." You know, that one that hasn't been announced, and that certainly won't be announced "at this time."

Though mention of the system has been stricken from the online version of the press release, we'd be immensely disappointed if the system, whether tied to Resident Evil 5 or not, failed to make an appearance. We can't let all these Red Rig of Death jokes go to waste!

Source -- Red Xbox 360 Mentioned Officially by Microsoft
Source -- MS quiet on red Xbox 360 rumors
Source -- Halo Wars Promotion

Midway and Epic Games have decided to Titan up the graphics on Unreal Tournament 3 with the addition of an extensive new map pack, dubbed the "Titan Pack." The free download, aimed exclusively at the PlayStation 3 and PC versions of the first-person fragger, will add 11 new multiplayer maps for several of the game's modes, as well as eight maps culled from the Xbox 360 version and a prior bonus pack.

Our pals at Big Download have a hands-on preview of the content, including its two new modes: Greed mode, a "tug-of-war" style points battle; and Betrayal mode, which prompts you to tactfully turn on teammates if you feel like swiping the score for yourself. More intriguing is the new Titan mutator, which turns a skilled player into a towering Behemoth, excitedly described by the press release as "a 15-foot tall maestro of wholesale carnage that has the effects of every Power Up in the game... ALL AT ONCE!!!"

Finally, the Titan Pack expands Unreal Tournament 3's array of deployed equipment, Trophies (Steam Achievements for the PC version) and turrets. ALL AT ONCE!!! Look for it on Thursday, March 5th.

[Update: When asked about a 360 version, Midway explained that this update will bring many of the enhancements already included in the Xbox release to the PS3 and PC. "Given the file size requirements for updates on the Xbox 360 platform, we have no plans to release the Titan Pack for Xbox 360."]

Monday, June 1st, 10:30AM PST. That, dear readers, is when Microsoft's E3 2009 Media Briefing is due to take place in Los Angeles. The Redmond giant has politely asked us to save the date on our electronic calendars, but since reaching June requires like four clicks or something, we'll just make a note of it here. On our website.

You'll remind us when all that E3 malarkey kicks off, right? We suppose you'll want us to write a few lines about it, so don't forget to play your part.

Jonathan Blow has cast his reign on your Braid: The PC version of his acclaimed puzzle slash poem game will now cost $14.95, a full five cents cheaper than the Xbox Live Arcade edition. Initially priced at $20 by Stardock's Impulse distribution platform, Braid PC is due for release on March 31st. All pre-orders will reflect the new price.

Writing on his blog, Blow winds some of the controversy down, candidly explaining that the $20 tag seemed reasonable compared to similarly priced PC games, such as World of Goo and Crayon Physics Deluxe. Since the XBLA release was "nicely profitable," however, the designer has decided to shrug off the higher price -- which has proven to be "unpopular in certain areas of the Internets."

We feel kind of bad about sending those death threats now.

We don't wish to bore you with our extensive knowledge of integrated memory controllers or graphicular renderpipe cashays, so we'll simply leap to the core of this computer matter. Nvidia has responded to an Intel court filing, which alleges that a 2004 chipset licensing agreement between the two companies does not extend to Intel's future generation CPUs -- you know, the ones with integrated memory controllers.

Nvidia has deemed this movement counter to the prior agreement, with president and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang saying, "We are confident that our license, as negotiated, applies." He sees it as a brewing power struggle, labeling his own company as the major innovator and Intel as attempting to "stifle innovation to protect a decaying CPU business." Nvidia claims that it has been attempting to settle matters outside of the court for over a year. Good luck to whatever judge has to decide which hardware giant has the bigger chip on its solder, eh? EH?

[Via Big Download]

And so we meet again, Xbox Annoyance #010. Microsoft is currently "investigating" an issue afflicting Xbox Live accounts, specifically those tied to expired email addresses, according to GI.biz. It seems certain email services, which are set to expire after a certain period of disuse (see: Hotmail), are taking their linked Windows Live IDs with them into the internet's graveyard.

Once the email account has perished, the player's Gamertag also ceases to exist. GI.biz notes that the problem exists among "a relatively small percentage of users," the only solution currently being the creation of a brand new Gamertag. That's one with a pitiful "zero" Gamerscore, by the way.

We expect Microsoft will receive quite a few angry emails about this problem -- probably from Gmail addresses.

Contextually appropriate character idiosyncrasy, or questionably shaped carrot dangled in front of the gaming press? Either way, Rockstar's latest addition to the Grand Theft Auto franchise -- one of controversy's more intimate acquaintances -- roasts yet another wiener on the fiery debate over mature content in games. Though we're certain most players were expecting a fair amount of dicks in The Lost and Damned's cast, the presence of a penis may come as a surprise.

The folks at 1UP (NSFW) have captured the scene between protagonist Johnny Klebitz and massage-loving exhibitionist Mr. Stubbs in all its full frontal glory. If you're going to watch it, be prepared to have an important thought rushing to your head: Is Rockstar cheekily pushing our beloved medium forward, or simply erecting another financially beneficial controversy trap?

We're inclined to think that IT'S A TRAP.

Source [NSFW]