Website Update

Update Sept 2 2007
Updated Sept 7 2007
Updated Sept 19 2007
More stuff added to the GTA 4 site.

Nintendo polling public on Wii game demo demand

Over at Go Nintendo, a reader sent in the above image, which is a hurdle that those wishing to enter the latest Nintendo Power sweepstakes need to tackle. It throws up flags in all areas, as it causes us to believe Nintendo is honestly considering providing us with some sort of demo download service. We don't like the idea of having to pay for the ability to do this, but we'll smile for the time being just at the thought that Nintendo is doing something in regards to the online situation.

Halo 3's Multiplayer Designer on armors, player customization, and the Man Cannon

Some juicy facts were revealed in IGN's interesting interview with Halo 3's Multiplayer Designer Lars Bakken, including some tidbits regarding how many armor pieces are in the game, a peek into Halo 3's player customisation, online storage limits for each player (and some optional extras), and that chuckle-magnet contraption, the Man Cannon.

While Bakken wasn't able to specify how many kinds of armor can be found in the game, he stated that there will be a lot more than what is already revealed so far. As to how the secret armor can be found, Bakken said that they will be found both in single and multiplayer modes through Achievements earned in game.

Aside from armor customisation, there's a new system called Player Traits where players can set basic player characteristics for the following categories: Shields and Health, Damage Modifiers, Movement, and Appearance.

Under Shields and Health, players can set a character's damage resistance rate, vampirism, head shot damage, and so forth. For Damage Modifiers, players can toggle how many grenades can be carried by the character, as well as the ability to have regenerating grenades. Player gravity, speed, and the ability to ride vehicles can be tweaked under the Movement category, while Appearance pretty much changes the character's outward appearance, including camouflage and team colors.

The good thing is that all of these tweaks can be saved as a custom setting, and can be labeled with a name and a description for easier retrieval. The customisation settings can be saved in the player's File Share - Halo 3 players will be alloted six slots where they can put in films, screenshots, etc. aside from custom settings.

If six slots (worth 25MB) aren't enough, there's an option called Bungie Pro where players can purchase 24 slots with 250MB worth of virtual space. The good thing is that Bungie Studios will host the saved files and not eat up the Microsoft Xbox 360's HD space. Pricing for the service is not yet determined as of this writing.

Finally (but not the least), Bakken enlightens us with how the Man Cannon term came to be. In case you're not yet aware about the Man Cannon, it's the device that shoots people into the air. Bakken recounts:

The name? You know, I can't actually remember who started yelling it, but I do remember very early on that, when we were playing multiplayer, one particular single player designer would yell it every time he went through it...we didn't necessarily mean for that to be what it became, but it is pretty funny.

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SOCOM Tactical Strike (2 More Videos)

Yes, the video you're seeing above is running on a PSP. Not a PS2. Not a Wii. But a PSP. The dense foliage, the beautiful rays of light shimmering down to the ground, the individual blades of grass ... this is all real, and all on the handheld. Look at the fog in the background: this isn't the muddy in-your-face fog from the N64 era. Look how you can see through it, just as you would real fog. This is one beautiful game.

But don't just stare at the graphics. Look at the enemy and partner AI. Watch for the commands system, and the intelligent way you move around the environment.

Coming this fall exclusively for PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) and created in association with the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command, SOCOM Tactical Strike offers the most realistic portrayal of special operations’ team tactics and strategy seen to-date. Bringing a new gameplay format to the SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs franchise, SOCOM Tactical Strike allows you to assume the role of an entire team of elite Special Forces. Evaluate your situation from the SEAL’s perspective, Plan your approach and Execute your strategy using the innate expertise of the four man SEAL team. Play as international Special Forces from the UK, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, South Korea and the Netherlands, all supported with native languages.

Set in the midst of rising instability in South America, your team is called in to rescue the ambassador to Panama who has been abducted by radical insurgent forces. With the consent of the Panamanian government, guide your team as they are drawn through Panama’s urban and industrial centers and then out into the deep jungle surrounding the Panama Canal.

Building on the legacy of SOCOM online play, SOCOM Tactical Strike offers multiplayer games of up to four players in both Ad Hoc and online Infrastructure modes. With SOCOM Tactical Strike’s innovative gameplay format each player controls a team of four soldiers delivering an online experience unlike any other.

KEY FEATURES

• Designed specifically for the PSP, the unique interface allows players to control and coordinate different members of the fireteam while experiencing the action from each soldier’s perspective. Players can issue tactical commands to individual soldiers, fireteam elements or their entire fireteam.
• Authentic, reality-based combat, where tactics determine the outcome of each encounter.
• Compelling single-player campaign featuring a contemporary narrative based in Panama.
• Guide your team of four through nine non-linear missions, each created with unique scenarios and challenging mission objectives.
• Enemy intelligence and behavior have been enhanced with realistic vision and hearing, sophisticated AI and the ability to communicate with each other.
• Open play invites replay, and improvement is rewarded with command equity, allowing players to upgrade their skills, weapons and equipment.
• New gameplay format makes SOCOM Tactical Strike easy for anyone to pick up and play while providing a depth of strategy and tactical training that will appeal to fans of the franchise.
• Play as any one of 9 Special Forces each with unique loadouts and weapons.
• 2-4 player Ad Hoc mode and online Infrastructure play with voice chat.

SOCOM: Tactical Strike

We have two new videos of SOCOM: Tactical Strike for your viewing pleasure today. First, you can see the SEALs going through a village, trying to keep civilian casualties to a minimum. After the cut, see Tactical Strike's awesome night vision mode in action.

The Sims 2 Castaway packshots

Fans of Electronic Arts' The Sims 2: Castaway, be advised that the game's packshots have already been revealed by its developers. This Survivor-inspired game promises to provide lots of great gameplay for both fans of portable and console gaming.

Slated to be released for the PSP, PS2, DS, and the Wii, this version puts your Sim trapped in a vacation gone wrong. Stranded on a deserted island, you'll have to use all your resources to survive and eventually escape from a life of coconuts and sunshine.

Website update

Included as a gift for hitting over 2000 hits I have started a chatroom on my website. The chatroom is also available on my updates page, at the bottom of the page. Enjoy :)

Worms Open Warfare 2 Downloadable PSP Demo

The upcoming Infrastructure-enabled Worms Open Warfare 2 is going to hit PSP later this year. Until then, enjoy this free downloadable demo from THQ. Requires firmware 3.52 or above.

1. Download the demo zip file.
2. Extract the contents of the zip file.
3. Connect your PSP to your computer using a USB cable.
4. Go to the PSP/GAME folder.
5. Copy ULED90045 folder into the GAME directory. Make sure there are no sub-directories in this folder.

Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions

PSP helped save a kidnap and torture victim

Jose Ignacio Ortega Garcia, a recent victim of a horrifying kidnapping and torture, managed to survive his horrifying experience by using a PSP to distract his captors. According to a local news report, it appears the kidnappers were distracted by the PSP. "On June 21, Gonzales gave Sanchez a hand-held video game that would prove to be Garcia's savior," the report explains. Sanchez supposedly played "virtually all day that day and much of the night."

Garcia was able to loosen his bindings while his kidnappers were playing, and was able to run away, screaming for help. Although he received serious physical and mental injury, we're glad to report that he's alive.

We want to offer our sympathy to Mr. Garcia, and hope he makes a full recovery. We hope that any comments made on this story are respectful to Mr. Garcia and his family. Thank you.

How to make a BB Gun

How To Make A BB Gun! - Watch a funny movie here

Worlds Smartest Dog

World's Smartest Dog - Click here for another funny movie.

Jennifer Aniston Sexy Scene

Jennifer Aniston Sexy Scene - Free videos are just a click away

Heroes of the Pacific flying to PSP

EB Games has a listing for Heroes of the Pacific on PSP. While the game's official site hasn't been updated to reflect this, it seems likely this listing isn't a mistake. After all, Heroes of the Pacific already came out on PS2, so it should be a relatively easy port (assuming it's a port and not a new entry). For those that don't remember when Heroes first came out, it received much critical praise and was heralded for its impressive dog fights. The game is listed as a 2008 release, so it may be a while before we find out more info on Heroes of the Pacific.

HALO 3 Legendary Edition

I just recently pre-ordered this. So I cant wait til Sept. 25 '07, when the game finally releases.

Peekaboo! BioShock goodies to hit Marketplace tonight (could be a demo?)

A launch trailer for BioShock will air tonight around 9:45 p.m. ET on Spike TV. It's going to be aired during the show "The Kill Point", after which, Geoff Keighley would be dropping in for a surprise announcement. Once the trailer gets aired on Spike, an HD version will hit the Marketplace soon after.

While the trailer is already enough to get some of us excited, Keighley's "surprise announcement" is making droves and droves of people (myself included) hoping that it's got something to do with a demo.

We previously reported of a supposed demo that USK had already rated, so maybe this could finally be it! Besides, the game is getting released in just a couple of days (August 21 in North America), so rolling out a demo between now and then couldn't come at a better time.

Time to clear the decks for this one. Whether it really is a BioShock demo or not (hey, it could be dashboard theme or maybe a walkthrough video, but still...), you just might want to clean out some stuff on your hard drive. Just in case.

Check out the review:


BioShock - Plasmid Powers Trailer:


Opening trailer:

Website Update

New video added which recreates the GTA 4 Trailer. Check it out...

Website Update

GTA IV DELAYED.

The release date for GTA IV has been pushed back until at least April 2008, possibly May.

Take-Two is reducing its fiscal 2007 guidance primarily to reflect the movement of the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 to fiscal 2008, due to additional development time required to complete the title. The title is now planned for release in the Company’s second quarter of fiscal 2008.

Why, you ask?

Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two, stated, “With Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar is setting a new standard for next generation video games. Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms. We all recognize that perfecting the game is vital and I can assure everyone it will be worth the wait. We owe it to the game’s millions of fans, to our dedicated development team, and to our shareholders to make sure that Grand Theft Auto IV is a groundbreaking gaming experience that takes maximum advantage of next generation technology.”

Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games, added, "The new consoles are allowing us to create the Grand Theft Auto game we always dreamed about. Every aspect of the game and its design has been completely transformed. The game is huge and is pushing the hardware platforms to their absolute limits. The top engineers from Sony and Microsoft are working closely with the team in Edinburgh right now, helping us to fully leverage the power of both platforms. As always, our goal is to surpass even the wildest expectations of the game’s fans, and to create the ultimate high definition video game experience."
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Im completely disgusted in the news, instead of trying to make this game better maybe they should just start work on the GTA for the PSP. April of 2008, by then I may just get sick of waiting and just lose intrest. This almost happened for GTA VCS, which was only like an extra month away. This is going to feel like a year, bad move Rockstar this move may cripple the game severely.
I will continue to make updates to the site as always, but Im not impressed. The official countdown will also stay on the site as it could be updated accordingly in time.

Syphon Filter: Building on the story of the game

There's something truly compelling about the story of Logan's Shadow, the upcoming PSP-exclusive sequel to Dark Mirror. Greg Rucka, the story writer behind Logan's Shadow, talked to IGN at Comic-Con about building Logan's Shadow's story. Interestingly, he was pitched to "salvage" the story and turn it into something far more substantial.

It didn't take long for Rucka to figure out that there was a lot of potential in the Syphon Filter franchise: it just needed to take advantage of the story elements introduced from the previous games. "Coming off of Dark Mirror and the stuff that had happened to the character there, I know of was stunned to be like 'Why aren't you using any of this stuff you set up?' I mean, he now has a kid! He knows that he's a dad! There's all this fabulous character stuff here. So, we discussed that and sort of tried to find a way to use the relationships that really have been building throughout this series and turn them into good story ... that's what we got here."

The story puts into serious question the loyalties of those around him. Although Rucka doesn't want to give anything away, it seems that he wants players to stay on the edge of their seats for yet another Syphon Filter beyond the next installment: "We got, I think, a good, good story for Gabe and I think at the end -- I don't want to give anything away -- it's got a nice ending. It's got the kind of ending that I think -- hopefully -- people will be like 'Where's the next one?'"