Videogames Archives - Page 130 of 185

Sony Officially Announces LittleBigPlanet 2 with PS Move Support

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that LittleBigPlanet 2 will be hitting the PlayStation 3 later in 2010. The follow up to one of the most original, inventive, and refreshing games I’ve ever seen, LBP2 increases the ways gamers can create levels and adds support for PlayStation Move. Be sure to check out the video above and enjoy this snippet from the press release:

In LittleBigPlanet 2, the tools have evolved to allow users to not only make better levels, but completely new games. With the implementation of a new CREATE mode, players will have the ability to broaden their developer horizons across multiple genres. Now allowing for a higher level of gameplay control, players can reset the control buttons for any object and change the rules to any level — imagine racing games, flying games, and shooters — you can now take control of anything! Also included are new multiplayer abilities so games can have life meters, scoring, and other elements to advance the types of games available for a social/competitive multiplayer experience, including puzzle games, sports, action/adventure, and more. Added to these fundamentals are a movie-like cut-scene maker to improve the storyline components of each creation and a newly enhanced SHARE component making it easier to search for, play through, and showcase the millions of levels around the world.

LittleBigPlanet 2 will be backwards compatible with LittleBigPlanet allowing players to access all online levels created with the original game. It will also include bonus levels that will support the PlayStation Move navigation controller.

As a fan of the game and the people at Media Molecule, I’m super psyched for this one. How about you? Are you ready to jump back into the world of LBP?

Coffee Talk #141: Who is Nintendo’s Rival?

Batman vs. The Joker, Goku vs. Vegeta, Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates, Ash Ketchum vs. Gary Oak — these are all examples of classic rivalries that will be waged until the end of time. Should Apple vs. Nintendo be added to that list? According to The Times Nintendo no longer views Microsoft and Sony as its primary competition. Instead, it sees Apple as the biggest threat:

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Paul Daley’s awesome sucker punch at UFC 113, Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron reenacting the WWE Royal Rumble, or the brilliance of Intelligentsia’s Los Inmortales El Salvador Finca Matalapa Guayabo, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Batman vs. The Joker, Goku vs. Vegeta, Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates, Ash Ketchum vs. Gary Oak — these are all examples of classic rivalries that will be waged until the end of time. Should Apple vs. Nintendo be added to that list? According to The Times Nintendo no longer views Microsoft and Sony as its primary competition. Instead, it sees Apple as the biggest threat:

Satoru Iwata, the Nintendo president, is understood to have told his senior executives recently to regard the battle with Sony as a victory already won and to treat Apple, and its iPhone and iPad devices, as the “enemy of the future”.

Those comments are a stark contrast from Iwata’s previous statements. In the past he dismissed Apple as competition and brushed off the iPad as just a big iPod. (I wonder why nobody asked, “Then what the hell is the DSi XL?”)

While I think Apple and Nintendo do compete, the overlap isn’t 100 percent. Obviously the Nintendo DS reaches a younger audience than the iPhone, while Apple’s products reach an older audience. (If you’re a parent that has armed your child with a 32GB iPhone then kindly smash your head on a brick wall seven times.) Still, I can’t see Nintendo dismissing Sony like that. Sony has ruled the console world before and all it takes is one great product backed by great marketing to take it back.

What do you think of these provocative comments? Has Nintendo passed Microsoft and Sony by? If so, is Apple really its primary rival? If not, is it foolish to dismiss competitors that could swiftly strike back? I miss having a rival! I’m going to go find bleahy and hit him.

This Week’s Videogame Releases

There’s a trio of interesting games coming out this week. Leading the way is Capcom’s Lost Planet 2, which is perfect for those of you that like shooting giant alien things. If revisiting insane criminals is more to your liking then check out Batman Arkham Asylum: Game of the Year Edition. In addition to repackaging one of the best superhero games of all time, this version of Arkham Asylum has special 3D features. Last, but not least is Skate 3, which seems like the perfect way to prepare for shredding up concrete this summer.

As always, let me know if you’re picking up any new games this week!

Dragon Age Origins Feastday Gift/Prank Guide

In the spirit of my Dragon Age: Origins character and gift guide for the Awakening expansion pack, here’s a listing of the items for the “Feastday” DLC. I totally missed this one while I was in Asia. It’s an amusing batch of DLC that also adds some in-game items. The gifts and pranks can be purchased separately for $1.99 on PSN or 160 BioWare/Microsoft Points. They can be purchased together for $2.99 on PSN or 240 BioWare Microsoft Points.

In addition to gifts and pranks that will swing character approval by 50 points, there are generic items that let you manipulate approval ratings. The character-specific items can be used in game too. For example, Dog’s plastic cone can be equipped for a hilarious look and Morrigan can use her Alistair doll to inflict voodoo pain on him. Here’s the full list:

Alistair
Grey Warden Hand Puppet (+50)
Compleat Geneaology of the Kyngs of Ferelden (-50)

Dog
Stick (+50)
Plastic Cone (-50)

Leiliana
Fat Lute (+50)
Ugly Boots (-50)

Loghain
King Maric’s Shield (+50)
Orlesian Mask (-50)

Morrigan
Alistair Doll (+50)
The Chant of Light Unabridged (-50)

Oghren
Beard Flask (+50)
Scented Soap (-50)

Shale
Pet Rock (+50)
Uncrushable Pigeon (-50)

Sten
Quanari Prayers of the Dead (+50)
Butterfly Sword (-50)

Wynne
Amulet of Memories (+50)
Cat Lady’s Hobble Stick (-50)

Zevran
Rare Antivan Brandy (+50)
Chastity Belt (-50)

Lost Planet 2 Party Pictures

Last night I went to an excellent party for Lost Planet 2. In addition to drinks and food, there was an LP2 tournament, custom t-shirts from I Am 8-Bit, a Lost Planet ski-ball machine, tons of celebrities I didn’t know, and that Olivia chick from the Iron Man 2 movie. Here are some pictures and goofy comments.

Here’s a shot from the opening moments of the party, before all the kids arrived.

The Lost Planet ski-ball machine was completely awesome. I want one!!!

Here’s a shot from the red carpet. There was dozens of celebs from television shows that I don’t watch, so I didn’t really recognize anyone.

It’s usually awkward running into your ex-fiance, but I’m always thrilled to see Capcom Melody. *sigh* It never would have worked out….

I Am 8-Bit served up some awesome custom-made t-shirts. You’ll have a chance to win mine soon!

Look, it’s that chick from Attack of the Show and Iron Man 2…Olivia something or another.

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

My nemesis Zoe Flower left me a very sweet tweet that reminded me of the many wonderful times we’ve had drinking coffee and playing Scrabble. It also reminded me that I’ve gotten at the game. Perhaps I’m just better at Scrabble when I can see the actual board and arrange my tiles with my own hands, but RPadholics Big Blak and N8R have been making me look silly in Hasbro Family Game Night Scrabble. I need to practice…and it all starts this weekend!

I’m hoping to make some time for Final Fantasy XIII as well, but I’m guessing that competitiveness will win out and I’ll work on raising my Scrabble power levels (it’s like Dragon Ball Z…but you don’t need a scouter).

As always, let me know what you’re playing this weekend!

Coffee Talk #140: What Are You Looking Forward to at E3 2010?

E3 2010 is a little over a month away and I wanted to get your thoughts on the show. I’ll probably ask you this question a couple of more times in the next few weeks so I can see how your answers change as information leaks. For now let me know what you’re jazzed about.

Are you looking forward to PlayStation Move vs. Project Natal? Perhaps you’re more interested in the future of streaming gaming and want to see how Gaikai vs. OnLive plays out. Mobile gaming is growing crazy fast and there will tons of great iPad/iPhone games on display. Perhaps you’re not interested in these new battles and trends. Maybe you just want more info on an exciting console or PC game.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, your plans for catching Iron Man 2 this weekend, Nutrisystem dumping Lawrence Taylor as a spokesman, or your UFC 113 predictions, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Let me know what you’re looking forward to at this year’s show. It will certainly alter my approach going into it. While I’m not going to write every story you’re interested in — I’m just one guy and have my own angles to play too — you’ll certainly be on my mind as I process story ideas. While I’d love for all of you to attend E3 with me, this is sorta kinda the next best thing, yeah? Use your influence and shape my E3 2010 coverage (please)!

Darkspawn Chronicles Lets You Play Dragon Age as a Baddie

Just in case you’ve been wondering what goes through the mind of a lonely genlock, the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC pack for Dragon Age: Origins lets you experience a brief portion of the game from the darkspawn’s perspective. The DLC will be available on May 18, 2010 for $4.99 on PS3, 400 BioWare Points on PC, and 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360. Here are some highlights from the press release:

Imagine a world without heroes, where the greatest among you never became a Grey Warden
Play through the Fall of Denerim from the perspective of the darkspawn
Complete the module and unlock an epic darkspawn item for use in Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Origins — Awakening
Use the “Enthrall” ability – recruit any darkspawn you encounter into your party

As a huge Dragon Age nerd, I’m certainly going to play this batch of DLC, but I’m not super excited for it. As I mentioned in Coffee Talk #36, I just don’t enjoy playing as the villain.

Any of you planning to pick up this Dragon Age: Darkspawn Chronicles?

Coffee Talk #139: Do You Break Videogame Controllers?

I love watching my friend James play videogames. He gets angry. He curses out the television. And inevitably, he flings his controller. Sometimes it’s more fun watching his reactions than watching the game itself.

I’m usually pretty calm when I play games. There are a few things that can drive me into a controller-throwing rage. Cheap deaths and cheap boss fights immediately come to mind. Last year I was playing Street Fighter IV while dealing with a malfunctioning Xbox 360 that often made the screen impossible to see. This made beating Seth — one of the cheapest bosses ever — even more irritating. This also made my hand hurt from punching my arcade stick.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the latest American Idol elimination, Milton Bradley being stressed out by earning millions of dollars playing baseball, or 61* being in the HBO rotation again, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’m usually pretty calm when I play games, but there are a few things that can drive me into a controller-throwing rage. Cheap deaths and cheap boss fights immediately come to mind. Last year I was playing Street Fighter IV while dealing with a malfunctioning Xbox 360 that often made the screen impossible to see. This made beating Seth — one of the cheapest bosses ever — even more irritating. This also made my hand hurt from punching my arcade stick.

Do any of you throw or break your controllers? What drives you into that zone? Consider today’s Coffee Talk therapy and release your videogame rage!

Poll: What’s Your Favorite Iron Man Videogame Appearance?

I’m totally psyched to see Iron Man 2 tonight. While I count down the hours to the screening, I want to go over some of Shellhead’s appearances in videogames. Obviously he’s an integral part of the Marvel vs. Capcom series. Arcade fans will remember him in Captain America and The Avengers. More recently he was one of the best characters in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games. I’m sure none of you willl pick this one (because it mostly sucked), but Iron Man had a prominent role in Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. And who could forget the unlockable version of Iron Man in Tony Hawk’s Underground?

As for me, I’m going to go with X-Men Legends II. If you found the scattered pieces of Iron Man’s armor (or used a cheat code) then you could play the game as him. He was ridiculously powerful and I had a blast vaporizing hordes of minions as Shellhead. I’m pretty sure I played the game an extra three or four times just to blast the hell out of things as Iron Man. Good times.

Now it’s your turn! Kindly make your selection in the poll and expand on your answer in the comments section. The best explanation wins a one-hour repulsor-ray massage!

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