« December 6, 2009 - December 12, 2009 | Main | December 20, 2009 - December 26, 2009 »
The German USK rating system has revealed a new game coming to the Xbox Live Arcade - Lazy Raiders.
Absolutely nothing is known about the game, can't find anything outside of this, but from the looks of it Microsoft are publishing it, so it'll be an exclusive game.
You can't even get an idea of the game out of the title. Lazy Raiders? The story of bored World Of Warcraft players? The story of the Oakland Raiders rise to fame? Probably not.
Square Enix have announced that their next downloadable title will be coming out next week - just in time for Christmas to blow up giant space squids.
They have also posted their official facebook page where the Japanese developers are having some fun. It's so nice to see Japanese developers trying to reach out to the Western market - I imaging it's very difficult for them.
This week on Xbox Live Arcade you'll get Alien Breed Evolution, the first episode in Team 17's reboot of their classic Amiga series of games. The first episode is only 800MSP, and it looks prety spiffy from the screenshots. Can it be engaging enough to keep me interested throughout 3 episodes? We'll find out Wednesday.
Also this week is Puzzlegeddon, Pieces Interactive's popular puzzle game comes to the XBLA. We've had a few lackluster puzzlers recently, but this should reinvigorate your 3-match twitch.
10 new games for WiiWare, Virtual Console and DSiWare this week. Do you know there has been about 100 new WiiWare games released just this year? It's insanity.
The big release this week is Blaster Master for the Virtual Console. This classic NES game is on many gamers' Top 10 lists and thanks to Sunsoft and Gaijinsoft it's finally made its way back to a Nintendo Console. Also this week is Earthworm Jim 2, for 800 Points.
5 new titles on DSiWare today, headlined by Bejeweled Twist from PopCap Games for 500 Points. Also this week is Miami Nights from Gameloft - which is based off the iPhone game rather than older DS titles for 800 Points, Littlest Pet Shop from EA for 800 Points, Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam for 500 Points, and Master of Illusion Express: Matchmaker for 200 Points.
Finally we have 4 new WiiWare titles - Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH for 600 Points, Moki Moki for 800 Points, Diatomic for 800 Points and Stunt Cars for 800 Points.
The Arkedo series of games on Xbox Live Indie Games have been some of the most interesting games to pop up on the platform, and that continues with Pixel!
This game is actually a collaboration between Arkedo and Pastagames, who share offices with each other. 2D cat platforming with an interesting pixel-puzzle concept too.
The game is set to be put into submission in a week or so, so it should be out soon.
Team17's Alien Breed Evolution is now available on the Xbox Live Arcade - do note that currently it says it's 1200MSP - this is incorrect, it is 800MSP. By the time you read this it's probably fixed, but just giving you a heads up. In the meantime, download the demo version.
Also this week is Tecmo and Pieces Interactive's Puzzlegeddon, a multiplayer puzzle game that's apparently pretty good. Give the demo a go.
Last week Nintendo Power magazine revealed that Mega Man 10 would be coming to WiiWare, but this week's Famitsu magazine has announced that it is also coming to other consoles.
Like Mega Man 9, Mega Man 10 will be coming to the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network alongside the WiiWare release. The WiiWare release is expected to be released in March of 2010 (which is around the time of the Days of Arcade promotion the XBLA does, hmm!) so expect it on all consoles around that time.
While Leave Home may be joining the masses of shooters that we've seen on the Xbox Live Arcade, this game should be noted for its stunning visuals and dynamic difficulty system.
Leave Home is filled with an aesthetic similar to that of the BIT.TRIP series on WiiWare - a stylish low resolution look which instantly pops off the screen. Indie devs, take note.
But what's interesting is the way the game works - technically its a short game, about 5 minutes long, but the game will dynamically change with each play based on your hit ratio and death rate.
EDGE recently had a look at the game, and enjoyed it a whole lot, so give the demo a download and make up your own minds. The game's only 240MSP ($3), so it's not a big grab of your wallet.
Organizers have announced that the 2010 Game Developers Choice Awards, the most prestigious honors in the world of video game development, are now open for nominations through Jan. 4, 2010.
In its tenth year of honoring the best games and developers, the Game Developers Choice Awards -- the leading awards voted on by developers, and created for developers -- has adopted a new voting methodology.
Nominations - as always - are selected by any game professional worldwide, simply by submitting ballots via the Game Developers Choice Awards website. (Submitters are required to log in with a Gamasutra.com username and password so professional developer status can subsequently be verified.)
Category finalists and Special Award winners are selected by the 20 person-strong Game Developers Choice Awards Advisory Committee, including notable industry veterans from Harmonix, Valve, PopCap, Ubisoft, BioWare, and more.
Starting this year, winners are now being selected by the Game Developers Choice Awards-specific International Choice Awards Network (ICAN), which is a new invitation-only group comprised of 500 leading game creators from all parts of the video game industry.
Choice Awards organizers believe that, in tandem with their goal of having the most focused, impartial awards in the game industry, this additional voting transparency will further boost the awards' reputation.
The 2010 award categories are open for nominations to any member of the video game community until January 4th, combining both Regular and Special Award nominations, are:
Continue reading "2010 Game Developers Choice Awards Open For Nominations" »
Three new releases for Europe this week - Braid finally makes it over for only £7.99 / €9.99, a little cheaper than its US PSN counterpart, Star Trek D.A.C for £6.29 / €7.99, and the first two episodes of the Blue Toad Murder Files for £6.29 / €7.99 each or bundled for £9.99 / €12.99.
Also this week is a huge update for all of the minis - they're now available to play on the PS3! You can now play a ton of classic titles on both the PSP and PS3 now. If you already bought some of them, re-download it to your PS3 and get ready to play, if you haven't check out any yet, have a quick look through some reviews.
Finally there are a ton of Christmas specials on this week - both temporary and permanent. Just look at the list:
Special Offers (Until the 7th of January)
- Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (was – £19.99/€29.99 now – £14.99/€19.99)
- Burn Zombie Burn! (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.19/€3.99)
- Bomberman Ultra (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
- Battlefield 1943 (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £6.29/€7.99)
- Red Alert 3: Commander’s Challenge (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £5.19/€6.49)
- High Velocity Bowling (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
- Lemmings (was – £3.99/€7.99 now – £3.19/€3.99)
- 3 on 3 NHL Arcade (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.19/€3.99)
- Burnout Paradise (was – £24.99/€29.99 now – £13.99/€17.99)
- Burnout Paradise – Big Surf Bundle (was – £27.99/€34.99 now – £19.99/€24.99)
Permanent Price Reductions
- Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords ROTPL (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
- Puzzle Quest Galactix (was – £15.99/€19.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
- Texas Cheat’em Poker (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £7.99/€9.99)
Of those I highy recommend grabbing Puzzle Quest, Red Alert 3: Commander's Challenge, Battlefield 1943 and Burnout Paradise.
For a full list of available minis, keep reading.
This week nine new titles have been made available for Nintendo consoles, headlined once again by some quality DSiWare games. It feels like DSiWare is getting a whole lot of love lately, fare more than WiiWare at least.
This week Europe gets Star Ship Patrol, the third DSiWare game by Q-Games, again a game Nintendo don't really want to talk about before its release. It's a tower defense game with a cool, simple design for 500 Points.
Also this week is Castle Of Magic, Gameloft's 2D platformer for another 500 Points, which got some good reviews earlier this year. Alongside that are EA's Littlest Pet Shop, myNotebook: Green (really?) and A Little Bit of... Magic Made Fun
Two WiiWare releases for this week - Moki Moki for 800 Points and Eat! Fat! Fight!> for 1,000 Points. Finally we have two Virtual Console releases - Fighting Street for 800 Points, and A Boy And His Blob for 500 Points.
Final Fantasy VIII is finally out. If you've got any interest in the series, you might want to grab it.
Also out this week is Puzzlegeddon for $9.99 and a ton of demos - TV Show King and Diner Dash join Puzzlegeddon. I hope this demo thing catches on.
Two new Minis also - Heracles Chariot Racing and Spot the Differences! - but wait! they all (with the exception of Tetris) now work on your PlayStation 3 as well as your PSP. Might want to check out that minis section of the PS3 store.
Continue reading "NA PSN Store Update - Final Fantasy VIII, Puzzlegeddon, Working Minis And More" »
In our latest employment-specific round-up, we highlight some of the notable jobs posted in big sister site Gamasutra's industry-leading game jobs section this week, , including positions from Guerrilla Games, Tencent and more.
Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly.
It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, 'serious games', independent games and more.
Some of the notable jobs posted this week include:
Guerrilla Games: Senior Environment Artist
"Saving the environment is easy - just hit CTRL-S. Making the environment convincing and awe-inspiring at the same time is a far more interesting challenge. As a Senior Environment Artist at Guerrilla, you'll work with the Level Designers to create cutting edge architectural designs, themes and compositions. You'll become part of a highly talented team, acting as a mentor, problem solver and source of inspiration for the people around you."
High Moon/Activision: Senior Sound Designer
"High Moon Studios is looking for a talented Senior Sound Designer to design and implement audio assets for a high-profile, action-packed title for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The individual will frequently collaborate with the audio team, game designers and producers to push the bar for creating a sonically rich, high-quality game. The ideal candidate must be passionate about making great games, be a strong problem-solver and an effective communicator."
Continue reading "Round-Up: Gamasutra Network Jobs, Week Of December 18" »
Assault Heroes has been on the Xbox Live Arcade since 2006, but finally, three years later, the game is coming to the PlayStation Network thanks to Konami.
There's a bit of history to this release - originally the game was developed by Wanako Studios and published by Sierra / Vivendi Studios on the Xbox Live Arcade. Back in 2008 the game was rated on the ESRB for the PlayStation Network, but never announced. Since then Vivendi was integrated into Activision and their digital game reign was instantly halted. Wanako has since been bought by A2M Studios, where they announced they were working on 3D Ultra Mini Golf 2.
Since then we've heard nothing, so it's nice to finally see the game get a release, but it has been over 3 years and the sequel came out early last year. Hopefully the game is priced well - the original is currently 400MSP ($5), so hopefully this version is priced the same.
Gamasutra (the 'art and business of games'.)
Game Career Guide (for student game developers.)
Games On Deck (serving mobile game developers.)
Indie Games (for independent game players/developers.)
Game Set Watch (the Group's alt.game weblog.)
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