Judge sees no resemblance between game and "Dawn of the Dead"

Most of us remember the rather obvious disclaimers telling us Dead Rising has nothing to with MKR's Dawn of the Dead film.  It was on the box, and I believe it was even at the start of the game.

Anyway, that didn't stop the film production company MKR Group from filing their lawsuit, claiming Capcom stole from their 1978 zombie flick.  In February, MKR notified Capcom, Microsoft, and Best Buy of its intent to sue for Dead Rising's development, marketing, and distribution.

In addition to the lawsuit, MKR had repeatedly hounded Capcom about their alleged copyright infringements, forcing the company to eventually file a motion for relief from the legal harassment.

"The few similarities MKR has alleged are driven by the wholly unprotectable concept of humans battling zombies in a mall during a zombie outbreak," Capcom stated in their motion.

During the hearing, the Dead Rising developer and publisher provided "dozens of zombie movies and games" in order to establish certain conventions of the zombie genre and prove that any similarities between their game and Dawn of the Dead are purely coincidental.

United States Magistrate Judge richard Seeborg eventually ruled in Capcom's favor.  After finding several major differences between the survival-horror game and MKR's movie, he wrote, "The social commentary MKR draws from Dawn of the Dead ... appears totally absent from the combat focus found in Dead Rising."

New DLC packs announced just ahead of HD remake for Super Street Fighter II Turbo

Don't worry, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (phew) is cleared for release on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade this November 25th and 26th, respectively.  As part of the upcoming launch, Capcom opens a new online storefront for all their digital downloads, making them the first third party publisher to open a branded store over PSN and the New Xbox Experience (NXE).  To leverage their branded digital destinations, Capcom calls forth the "Season of Street Fighter", a bundle of joy comprising of several Street Fighter-themed digital download packs available over both PSN and XBL.  The first pack was already released last week in the form of Super Street Fighter Pinball FX, but there's more direct download titles on the way.

For example, perhaps you might be in the mood for some family friendly thrashing with... Street Fighter UNO  Now our dream of unleashing Tiger Up-your-butts in UNO is fulfilled, and the game will feature appropriately themed backgrounds and music to help set that mood.  Capcom also hints at another surprise title in the pipeline for the PSN "later in the holiday season".

Not all Season of Street Fighter download packs will be digitally distributed games.  Capcom will also release the "Street Fighter Underground Remix", a direct-to-download music album featuring hip-hop tribute tracks "inspired by the Street Fighter series" from such artists as DJ Qbert, Hieroglyphics, Redman, Oh No, DJ Toure, Mistah FAB and Zion I.  These tracks are exclusive to the PSN and will be free to download once the Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix game launches.

Columbia Pictures movies disappear from NXE

Don't get too excited about your new NXE.  It looks like Netflix has stopped Xbox 360 users from streaming movies from Columbia Pictures, which is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

This sudden restriction applies only to 360 users, of course, and PC or Mac users still have access to the unavailable films.  When asked whether all these movie licenses just coincidentally expired at the same time (and just when NXE has officially launched), Netflix VP of corporate communications Steve Swasey declined to comment.

Swasey did say that he hopes this mess will get sorted, so the movies can be made available on the Xbox 360 service once again.  In a emailed statement, Swasey shed a dim light on the current situation:

"In the case of Xbox 360, a few hundred titles are temporarily unavailable to be streamed via the Xbox game console.  Those titles are still available to be watched on subscribers’ computers and on TVs via other partner devices, and we hope they’ll be licensed for Xbox 360 shortly.

As watching instantly becomes a more prominent part of the Netflix service, our goal is to have all of our streaming content licensed for all of our partner devices.  We’re doing well in this area, but it will take some time before we fully achieve that goal. Today, titles regularly come in and out of license and there is a natural ebb and flow to what we have on license at any given point in time.”

Despite the frustrating issues surrounding movies from Columbia, those distributed by Sony Pictures are still up, and we're hoping these flicks don't get pulled as well.

Plus Wrath of the Lich King, Guitar Hero, Football Manager, more

Despite grumblings from the gaming community about Call of Duty: World at War, the game has sold vastly well. So well, in fact, it's more than doubled its already massively popular predecessor, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. More than that, the game is now the UK's third fastest selling video game of all time, behind Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Activision Blizzard (who published the game) continue their domination of the charts with World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, now the third fastest selling PC title, a record which has been held since March 2003 by Championship Manager 4.

Guitar Hero: World Tour meanwhile shoots up from #17 to #6, with the complete band packs no doubt being a factor.

Astonishinly, sales from just these three games accounted for one-quarter of all games sold last week. Dangerous, to be sure, but on the bright side, at least they're great games.

PC gaming is indeed looking up, as Football Manager 2009 comes in at #3, making it Sega's fastest selling game of the series. Meanwhile Gears of War 2 sales slip 64% (from #1 to #4), EA's FIFA 09 falls three spots to #5. Nintendo stays in the Top 10 with Professor Layton and Mario Kart Wii, which both fell one place to #7 and #8, but rose in sales, up 9% and 12%. Dissapointingly, (for Nintendo), Wii Music only hit #16, and (for gamers like myself, and DICE/EA, surely), Mirror's Edge got the #20 spot.

Publisher looks to produce new IP in North America, perhaps for Xbox 360 and Wii?

Square Enix's recent acquisition of Gas Powered Games, the folks behind Supreme Commander, will just be the start of bigger plans to take their North American activities beyond localization of their celebrated Japanese franchises. Now the publisher confirms in new postings in their North American website that it will establish a new studio in Los Angeles, and its first project looks to be set in a new action-adventure franchise.

Square Enix is building a studio from the ground up. We are making an action-oriented original IP game here in sunny Los Angeles. We are looking for motivated master programmers to lay the foundation for a solid development team.

How often do you get a chance to make sure that a studio starts off in the right direction? How often do you get to be one of the starting members, but also have medical insurance? This is a rare opportunity to have the creative control of a start-up but the backing and funding of a major publisher.

The studio, to be based in El Segundo, is seeking applicants for several positions, including 3D artists and software engineers versed in the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii platforms. Perhaps this new IP appears destined for said platforms, based on this information.

Combating zombies with teamwork!

Valve has been putting much of their energy into the upcoming co-op survival horror shooter Left 4 Dead, and the much anticipated FPS will be launching in four days.  Previously, only those who preordered the game through Steam could access the demo, but that recently changed when Valve made it available for public download. 

I don’t know how many of you have tried the demo or even plan to get L4D, but if you said “no” to either of those, then maybe I can convince you otherwise.  Despite what I observed at E3, I haven’t been particular excited for L4D with other games already cluttering my November list.  After playing the demo with a few friends, however, I was immediately convinced that Valve’s next sure-hit was going on my list.

For those who have no idea what Left 4 Dead is about, players essentially pick from four Survivors of a recent zombie infestation.  As a Survivor, you and your mates will need to fight off droves of Infected while making your way to safe rooms that also serve as a break between each stage.  The demo lets you play through three stages as the Survivors, though the actual game will allow players to be Infected and experiment with the different zombie classes in versus mode.

The four main characters of Left 4 Dead make quite an impression in the game's opening cinematic:

Bill is the Green Beret Vietnam vet, tailed by Francis, the tattooed biker.  The hysterical business man is IT Junior Systems Analyst Louis, and the young woman is Zoey, a college student with a thing for zombie flicks.  So the cast could be a little more original, but how creative can you get with a zombie survival shooter?  Valve came up with some colorful personalities, and I find Louis particularly endearing.  All four characters can use the same weapons too, so the individual Survivors don't really have any advantages nor disadvantages over each other.

Back to the demo...

The controls are, as expected, smooth and easy to grasp.  There's not much to say about the usual ASWD movement, scrolling mouse button to go through weapons, and click-to-use or shoot except that they work.

Right now, you can only access online co-op or single player campaign.  Because of the biggest draws to Left 4 Dead is its co-op gameplay, I opted to test that out.  If there aren't enough players at the start of the game, available characters will be controlled by AI.  You'll get two sets of firearms, explosives, first aid kits and other additional items.  The kits can be used to heal the player or teammates, and I highly recommend healing each other because an extra hand is pretty good to have around while you're being swarmed by various Infected.

Players may find themselves pinned or caught by zombies relatively frequently, and when this occurs, it's up to the remaining players to free him or her before reviving the downed member as quickly as possible.  If you haven't already figured it out, L4D provides pretty harsh lessons on the importance of teamwork.  If you wait to long, you're team is down one member, which can prove to be a debilitating handicap unless you manage to reach a safe room where dead players respawn and wait to be let back into the game.

It all sounds simple in theory, but players can't simply forget about their own safety to help someone else.  There's pushback to deal with if too many zombies are still up while you try to revive someone (a meter pops up when you're assisting an incapacitated mate).  Then there's the obvious idea that you're no good to anyone dead.  Blindfire won't work too well in a lot of situations either because guess what?  That's right: friendly fire!

So as you're unloading into a swarm of Infected, if someone hops in front of you, they're going to take a hit.  Don't think you can get away with doing it on purpose either because the game will inform you of who just shot who.  Sometimes when you're trying to help a teammate, you might even accidently plug 'em a couple times.  Just try not to make a habit of it.

A few more pointers.  Infected are attracted to light and loud noises, meaning your flashlight can sometimes become a liability.  Firing at cars could set off car alarms.  Get the picture?  Left 4 Dead isn't for gamers who fancy themselves lone wolves (who're you trying to impress anyway, emo kid?), even though there is single player mode available.  For me, the co-op aspect holds the greatest appeal and could teach all gamers a valuable lesson.  For some, that lesson may be humility, especially when they realize that this one fight you just can't win yourself.

The videogame industry for the time being is weathering the economic storm better than most, with 18 percent year-on-year growth

It's a good month for Nintendo and Microsoft, as both console giants managed to score for the home team last month, according to the NPD Group's latest industry sales report for North America. While we may see the effects of hesitant consumer spending trickle down to the games industry in the coming weeks to the Holiday shopping season, for now things were looking a little better in October than it did during September (news). Overall industry sales are back to an increase compared to the year before, compared to the decrease we saw in the last NPD report. The biggest driver of sales during October was in fact console software, which grew 35 percent year-on-year.

Nintendo continues to be the top performer on the hardware side of the equation, with the Wii pushing just over 800 thousand units during October alone. Reports are rightly attributing this healthy sales boost to the improving supply situation for the ever popular console. The only other console to receive an increase in sales last month was Microsoft's Xbox 360, thanks to its price cuts.

October 2008 US Games Industry Summary

Total Sales - $1.3 billion USD
Hardware Sales - $494.7 million USD
Software Sales - $696.8 million USD
Accessory Sales - $121 million USD

October 2008 US Hardware Sales

October 2008 US Software Sales

The real shining spot for the Xbox 360 last month was its software. Whether it was a multiplatform title or an exclusive, Xbox 360 games occupied half of the NPD's software top ten chart for October while Wii and PlayStation 3 software battled out for the remaining spots. North American Xbox 360 RPGs in particular are strongly vindicated with strong sales for Fable II and Fallout 3. Like Nintendo's (admittedly well performing) Wii software, the PS3 titles which managed to land onto the NPD October chart are first party exclusives. One of these was LittleBigPlanet, which ought to be pleasant news for PS3/Sackboy fans looking forward to user-generated content maintaining momentum for the console.  Dead Space also barely the list, so it seems enough players were ready for what EA claimed would be the next level of survival horror.

Install base to reach new heights shortly

While Nintendo was proclaiming user-made content as the future of gaming at the BMO Interactive Entertainment conference yesterday, Microsoft was bragging about its install base. According to Mindy Mount, CFO of the company's Entertainment & Devices Division, they'll be hitting a new high:

"By the end of this month, we expect our global installed base to reach 25 million units, surpassing that of the first Xbox," she announced.

Moreover, this is supposedly "only a start" as "more than three-quarters" of a console's sales occur once it hits the $199 or below price point (the Xbox 360 Arcade currently at that point following the drop in September). I guess those console wars have barely gotten started, despite what we've been led to believe -- though I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo has betrayed this standard.

It was also stated due to the price drop, sales of the system rose a big 42 percent month-on-month in the States, 62 in Europe, and 500 percent in Japan. If the Japan statistic sounds insane to you, it's not really -- up until this year approximately four Japanese gamers owned an Xbox (and they were shunned by their family and peers).

As for the future, Mount said, "We have a lot of reasons to be cautiously optimistic."

This comes on the same day of the NPD October 2008 report, where the 360 pretty much slaughtered the PS3 (though Nintendo in turn slaughtered them, as per usual). Fable II was the top seller during that time, and Gears of War 2 (both 360-exclusive, at least for now) has been reported to have sold 2 million copies since, which should partly explain the big console numbers.

"Passive entertainment" out through the in door

Indeed, user-generated content in games like LittleBigPlanet and in a different sense, Drawn to Life, has certainly caught on and gamers have responded enthusiastically. Even platforms like Xbox LIVE, WiiWare and PlayStation Network offer their own means of user-affected content. However, the moderation aspect required with this sort of thing seems like it will require some improvment in its methodology before we truly move into this age. In any case, if Fils-Aime is on with this, it seems console gaming will catch on to what PC gaming started long ago (finally!).

Trailer, screens and info on one of the game's enemies

Polycraft are highly maneuverable air units, designed for quick aerial assault and interception. The BioReign force brought with them a large number of the units to AscensionCity. Polycraft are easily refitted to excel in various situations, and can act as both troop transporters and heavily-armed missile gunships.

The compact design of the Polycraft combined with its unsurpassed aerial maneuverability allows it to fly in narrow and tight environments, close to ground without risk of collision, making it perfect for tactical surveys and interceptions.

Polycraft are sturdy and resilient machines, but analysis has shown that the armour plating over the engine is relatively thin. The engine is placed on the underside of the Polycraft, so an assault from directly underneath has the best chance of success.

That's what you'll be up against in the new Bionic Commando game -- excited? To illustrate, below are some screenshots and a new trailer.

Bionic Commando is due out Q1 2009; if you ask me, it looks about as close as you can get to a sure thing. Here's counting on a follow-up success to Rearmed.

Sales are enough to fuel designer Cliff Bleszinski's ego for years!!!

Epic's sequel to Gears of War for the Xbox 360 launched just last Friday, and already it's racking impressive figures across multiple fronts.  According to Microsoft, sales of Gears of War 2 have currently hit some 2 million units worldwide.  By comparison, Ubisoft's own shooter, Far Cry 2, sold 1 million copies three weeks after its own launch.  While on the topic of other Xbox 360 shooters, Microsoft's own Halo 3 sold approximately 3.3 million units in North America in a little under two weeks.  While the Gears of War branding certainly isn't without pedigree to begin with, the sequel itself has earned its share of praises from critics.

What's more, the launch buzz surrounding GoW2 has helped Xbox Live reach yet another user milestone.  Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb confirms 1.5 million gamers with XBL Gamertags engaged in some GoW2 mayhem, a new record for the number of concurrent players for a 360 title.  In addition to racking up around 15 million hours of gameplay, XBL players also collectively unlocked over 19 million GoW2-related Achievements.

Tightening security for the masses

Microsoft's Major Nelson has put the word out: the company is cracking down on users who choose to mod their Xbox 360s, and thereby play pirated video games on the console. Here's the message:

"I’ve gotten a few messages and seen some forum threads pop up on console bannings so I thought I’d post and let folks know what’s up. In our our continued effort to keep gameplay safe and secure for our community of more than 14 million members, Microsoft has taken action against a small percentage of Xbox 360 consoles that have been illegally modified in order to play pirated games. You should know that modifying your Xbox 360 console is also a violation of the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void your warranty and result in a ban from Xbox LIVE.   The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive, both from manufacturers and the local companies that support them. We will continue to employ and bolster anti-piracy security measures to counter piracy in the gaming industry and improve security in the Xbox LIVE community."

Can't say I really disagree or blame them. This is actually a lot like Blizzard's anti-piracy measure, which is basically...Battle.net. No pirating without sacrifice!

I'm slightly concerned as to how they detect whether or not one's console is modified -- but I'll go out on a limb here and assume it's nothing intrusive.

The undeniable problem though arises with "false positives" -- it seems a number of users are complaining their accounts have been banned though they do not have a modified console. Of course, maybe they're lying, assuming Microsoft won't come to their house and doublecheck...

It ain't over til it's over

Though the Fallout 3 censorship controversy eventually turned out to be pretty much a dud, it seems it ain't exactly over. In fact, we should've been focusing on another country this whole time: Japan.

According to QJ's translation for the game's Japanese web page, the game there will be censored, and it won't just be the name of a drug getting altered. No, this time it's a biggie. First though, you should be aware this news comes with SPOILERS! So, what'll be different is the removal of the NPC Mr. Burke from the "Power of the Atom" quest, in turn removing the option for you to detonate a nuclear bomb (still sensitive about Hiroshima, I suppose). Also, there'll be some "adjustments" to the level of gore, and a weapon will be renamed. It's not clear which one yet, though speculation says it'll be the "Fatman" nuke launcher, Fat Man being the nickname of the Nagasaki atomic bomb (another historical bombing site), of which the weapon shares the same model, apparently.

QJ staffer Jon G. writes, "although I can understand the need behind the changes ('cept the gore adjustments. I watch anime and the stuff there's way more violent! And they have tentacles!), the general online reaction from the Japanese gaming community has been against the censorship so far."

Though normally I'd be all frothing at the mouth over the news, I can actually feel for Japan with this one. I mean, for Americans it'd be basically the equivalent of making a game wherein you had the option of blowing up the Twin Towers, or two buildings that looked very much like them, and putting in a plane modelled after the one used in those attacks. However, my other principle says nothing should be censored and if you don't like it, don't play it. Naturally, there's a conflict here among those involved, internally and amongst each other, I imagine. What do you think should happen?

Fallout 3 comes to Japan this December.

Japan delay not related to game itself

Reported yesterday on sister site GameGrep, it seemed as though the Japanese version of Sonic Unleashed would be getting some special treatment, with some extra development time to be taken to "improve the quality of the game" (this coming from the translation of a post on the official game page). According to Sega, this was a misunderstanding, and the quality of the game will be unaffected. I can only assume this was a translation mistake -- never try to translate news if you're not totally confident!

Here's the response from the company:

"To Sonic fans living outside of Japan: In our previous November 7 post to this home page, we informed you that the release date of Sonic Unleashed in Japan on PS3 and 360 will be delayed.

Based on that announcement, some fans living overseas have become concerned that there will be a difference in quality between the version of the game released in Japan and the version released outside of Japan. This is not the case and we apologize for this misunderstanding.

The difference in the international release dates is based on the sales strategy and the manufacturing schedule. There will be no quality difference between the North American/European/Asia release and the Japanese version."

Good news!

The game will be released in 2009 in Japan, and is headed for console releases in North America and Europe this month (what day depends what console you're buying it for).

"That's the monkey-dog thing I saw!"

Gears of War 2 is probably going well enough right now and doesn't need much backing from me.  It's gotten enough good reviews, but most of us made this purchase knowing what we were getting into.

Still, I thought it would be fitting to dedicate this Sunday's editorial to one of my favorite titles of next-gen gaming.  I've wanted Gears of War 2 since beating the first one two years ago, and I've worked harder than most of you can imagine to acquire my Limited Edition copy.  Here, I tell you a story that will no doubt sound familiar to some:

A couple hours were spent at the midnight launch only to be told by GameStop that I had reserved the standard edition.  That would have been fine if it weren't for the fact that months prior to its release I had gone to that store with two friends to reserved the Limited Edition.  My receipt didn't indicate which version I had, which is why I initially badgered the clerk three times.  Naturally, he told me all three times he put me down for the Limited Edition.  Oh, Lard-for-Brains was working the register during the midnight launch, but his manager rang me up, so when I pointed my finger at him he simply denied making any promises to me about which edition I had ordered.

The only word that can accurately describe those moments is rage.  The next morning, I took it upon myself to call every local GameStop, and it turned out that the old EB Games in the same mall as the aforementioned GameStop had one copy of the Limited Edition Gears of War 2 available.  A short but speedy drive later, the Limited Edition was mine, and I returned the standard copy to the other GameStop.  Lard-for-Brains was present at the time and even gave me attitude.

Incidentally, Lard-for-Brains had also tried to get into an Xbox 360 versus PlayStation 3 "debate" with me in the past.  We all know how I feel about those people, but a simple "I don't care!" was enough to end it before it began..

So after all the drama and trauma, I am glad to say that Gears of War 2 has fulfilled every expectation I started out with, and it continues to surprise me as I progress through the campaign.  Instead of going on and on about the game's stellar multiplayer modes as most other reviews have already done at great lengths, I will simply list out a few key points I noticed in the campaign mode.  Why?  Because I've heard complaints about them for Gears of War.  Because I love Gears of War (both of them)...

... and because I can.

• Artificial intelligence was a big issue for me in the first Gears of War, especially Cole Train's.  Whenever I was in a bind, Cole Train would run off to feed kittens or knit a sweater, which pissed me off to no end.  As a whole, the AI was flawed, putting more pressure on the player.  Some people might like that, but I sure didn't.  In Gears of War 2, however, Epic took it upon themselves to correct this problem.  Whenever I am downed, one of my NPC comrades would run to me and pull me to my feet in a hurry.  Hell, I'd be taking my sweet time behind a barricade trying to get a good shot off when [ x ] pops up in my view as Carmine starts chainsawing the crap out of everything in site.  Even Cole got smarter, and I find myself less burdened by their incompetence than before.  When they run in to punch in a Locust's face, they actually manage to do it without getting incapacitated.  Now I'm worried I might start relying on them a little too much.  Speaking of which...

• Benjamin Carmine joins Delta Squad at the very start of the game, providing players with an opportunity to train before being tossed straight into the heat of battle.  He's greener and more adorable than his older brother, Anthony, and of the entire Gears cast, he has rescued me the most.

• Where did all these animals come from!?  And I still haven't found the answer to that.  In Gears of War 2, you begin seeing all sorts of weird creatures, both hostile and neutral.  Some of them are kinda neat in concept, but there are a few that made me do a double take.  We see a Rockworm pretty early on in the game, plodding along and eating glowing fruits underground, minding its own business.  And of course it has a bulletproof shell because that's such an obvious evolution trait.  They become rather endearing, unwitting allies even whenever you find yourself under heavy gunfire.  Almost makes you sad when you find out Locusts eat the poor unseeming worms (and possibly use their tough hide as armor).  The Rockworm can't compare to some of the other weird shit that pop up though.  In the first Gears of War, we caught a glimpse of the fearsome Brumak in the end cutscene, and now we encounter them in Gears 2, usually while driving since the beasts are the equivalent of a Locust tank.  Bloodmounts become a regular enemy unit, and Locust Gunboats are pulled by... fish?  And we've already had plenty of fun against Reavers in the previous Gears.  You know, for a race that can use guns and other military technology, Locusts sure are behind in the automotive department.

• Headshots are still funny.  Gears of War has to be the only game(s) in which I enjoy using a sniper rifle during gun fights.  Locust heads kind of make a splashing sound when they pop, too.

• Meat shields really are a great addition to the series.  Now you see enemies crawling around when they're down instead of just balled up in one place, and shadenfreude dictates that I snicker when I watch (I do play a Medic in Team Fortress 2, after all).  It's not that funny when they actually get to an ally and revive, though.  Still, you now have the opportunity of running up to an enemy in this pathetic state and picking them up to be recycled as a meat shield, instead of simply wasting a vulnerable opponent by ending his life with a curb stomp.  Now you can drag his sorry ass around a bit before you end his life.  You know, see the sights, show him a good time.  Then you can snap his neck.

• "Wait, why am I doing this again?"  I've asked myself this question on more than one occasion in Gears of War 2.  There are simply moments that make me tilt my head and go, "Huh?"  A few objectives will send you through stages of the game that just involve running (or driving) while searching for your objective.  And that is your objective.  I understand that a game shouldn't have constant action or it might grow stale, maybe even frustrating.  But an entire stage of having you drive through snow in a tank, forcing you to cross several frozen lakes in that vehicle while Locust are trying to blow you to the next county?  Or when Dizzy tells you to clear a way through town for his derrick, Betty (nevermind his creepy borderline sexual obsession with it)?  There really wasn't that much fighting involved say for the occasional pack of Tickers.  Your objective says to do one thing, but the you're essentially running around looking for Collector items while waiting for the game to nudge you and say, "Hey, listen!"

• "Did this just turn into Halo?"  Now don't get me wrong, I love Halo as a franchise, which may be why I noticed that a lot of aspects of Gears of War 2 remind me of Master Chief's universe.  Hell, some of the game's various stages are reminiscent of Halo, like driving a tank through the snow while torpedoing everying in your path.  Okay, so that's a bit vague, and I really don't want to say too much here in case some of you haven't progressed far enough in the game, but there was also a time when I felt like I was back inside Gravemind.  The abandoned COG outpost also houses some creatures that resemble Flood enemies, and the Locust themselves seem rather like the Covenant -- only ugly and humorless.

• Grab a Kleenex.  Players gave Epic a lot of crap for the brevity of Gears of War and complained that the story was lacking.  I've heard the same said about Gears of War 2, and I might have agreed if I didn't actually play the game.  While we've seen other studios do a better job of storytelling, Epic has stepped it up this time around.  Obviously, going into specifics would be as massive SPOILER, so I won't.  But I will say that I agree with other reviews out there when they say that Gears 2 got a whole lot darker in content.  Through the gore and profanities, there's moments that really make your jaw go slack if you allow yourself to be drawn into the moment, and I find myself muttering, "Ooooh shiiiiit..."  No exclamation mark, just ellipsis.
  

As I mentioned at the very beginning of this article, Gears of War 2 doesn't make a huge departure from its predecessor.  It isn't perfect, just like the first Gears wasn't perfect, but somehow the franchise has burrowed itself deep into my heart and remained there, unmoving.  If you liked Gears of War, there's a pretty good chance you'll enjoy the sequel.  I personally love this game and am not ashamed to admit that.  But you don't need to take my word for it.

Companion Cube endorses Gears of War 2, as depicted below.  Do not disappoint him.  Play this game.

New gameplay trailers fer yer viewin' pleasure

What I would estimate is one of the most hyped series' right now, Street Fighter, has many fans excited for what's to come. First we have the classic Street Fighter II being revamped for PSN and XBL in the form of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and then of course, there's Street Fighter IV. The former is due out sometime this month, while the latter is coming in February, and later in 2009 for the PC.

So, if you're keen to feed your own excitement, first up we have a combo video for SSF II THDR (even the acryonym is tiring), which shows some of the more impossible things which can be done in the game. It's the kind of thing where if you haven't been playing Street Fighter every other day since grade school, you feel like crap after watching it. It isn't in HD, apparently, but you take what you can get:

Next up is one for Street Fighter IV, where we see the boss character Seth in action at last. Known as "The Puppet Master" (snicker), he is the CEO of S.I.N., the weapons division of Shadaloo. Seth's body has been modified using advanced technology, and his Special Moves are techniques used by other characters (standard fighting game fare). If you ask me, his super move is about the weirdest and cheesiest thing I've seen in a fighting game, but other than that he looks great and so does the game. Check him out:

Microsoft and Sony still going neck and neck in console race

Nintendo has unveiled its hardware sales in Europe for 2008, and the results are about as impressive as one might expect.

During its financial results briefing, the Japanese video game company reported that the Wii stands on top with over 10.4 million units sold.  As for handhelds, the DS Lite sold around 225,000 units, putting it ahead of Sony's PlayStation Portable in that region. 

The PSP sold just over 50,000 units in Europe -- a vast contrast to its success in Japan, where Famitsu estimated a whopping 10 million PSPs have been sold as of August 2008.

Around April, both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 stood at approximately 90,000 units with the PS3 enjoying a marginal lead.  Following the price cuts, however, the 360 sold over 60,000 units and surpassed its rival in October.

When gamers and musicians form a single entity

Activision has formed a partnership with UK distributor Active Music, and soon music instrument stores across the UK will be selling Guitar Hero World Tour when it launches across the Pond on November 14.

Guitar Hero World Tour goes for the whole set with drums, guitar, vocal, and bass peripherals, which will be finding new homes in real instrument stores along with the game.

Active Music director Lee Worsley thinks the union between virtual and real looks promising for the music industry:

"There is an emerging trend that people playing Guitar Hero are keen to progress and actually start learning to play the real thing.  For many years computer games have taken people away from learning a musical instrument. That trend is now changing... here is a game that positively encourages it. This is a real opportunity for stores to embrace the platform and bring new customers into their stores."

Activision also inserted their two cents via spokesperson:

"We have seen this growing connection between Guitar Hero and music making, so finding a partner who could take the game to the grass roots of music making seemed an obvious channel to explore. We are delighted to have partnered with Active Music and look forward to developing this market together during the coming months."

Personally, gamers who play Guitar Hero (or any other music game) and suddenly think they can be a real rock star irk me to no end.  Those controllers cannot replace real instruments, and they do little more than inspire the impressionable.

Still, the partnership between Activision and Active Music reflects good business sense.

Non-violence is the new violence

I'd like to elaborate on my previous Mirror's Edge article, if I may, having taken in a lot of opinions about the game's non-violent approach since.

Most know about parkour already, but for those that don't, it is described as an "activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the abilities of the human body." Mirror's Edge's main character Faith, as a runner, uses parkour, and as you've seen, it comes in quite handy.

Kerry Folan of the Washington Post once described it as comparable to martial arts, but without the violence -- "in the fight-or-flight response, parkour is the flight." Judging from the E3 trailer, this is mostly attestable. As I touched on before, one martial art I think this is particularly comparable to is Aikido. Essentially entirely defense-based (attacks are redirected using the attacker's energy), it has been described as "the martial art of love".

Though guns are usable in Mirror's Edge, it's certainly not a prominent gameplay element -- indeed, the game's senior producer, Owen O'Brien, has said, "this is an action adventure. We're not positioning this as a shooter - the focus isn't on the gun, it's on the person." If you research parkour philosophy, you'll find a strong element there of being in touch with one's body and using that to overcome obstacles (though there are many uses and purposes).

We've seen Faith shoot a gun, but what with armor and all, this seems to give the player the viable option of it being more a stopping force than anything else. And it's kind of discouraged. For example, if you beat the entire game without shooting a single bullet, you unlock an achievement ("Test of Faith"); this also brings an extra challenge to the mix for those who say the game's going to be too short and won't have any replayability (getting to those in a second). More than this, once a gun is emptied, it must be thrown away, and holding one hinders your agility. While in a sense I'd love to see the game without the option for using guns, that wouldn't be very realistic. So, I wholeheartedly applaud DICE. Still, it's an interesting concept...

In a recent GamePro interview, Gears of War series man Cliff Blezinski, talking about the games he's excited about, mentioned Mirror's Edge:

"I think Mirror's Edge will be great, too, but they're showing me too much parkour, I want to see the gunplay. I hope it's not all just running and jumping. As long as there's something chasing me...even Mario had Goombas, you know?"

I really like Gears, but Cliff: you are everything that depresses me about video games. Allow me to elucidate. Over on VE3D last week, with news of the Mirror's Edge demo coming, user Jackal commented, "this game is a neat idea, but no multiplayer and a short linear singleplayer = no buy. at the very least they could have put in a basic level editor or something to keep replayability up". Scar Face replies to him, saying this:

"Yeah I would have liked this game too, if only they'd have taken out all of that silly running and jumping. Maybe make the protagonist a guy, probably some super soldier. And you know what? Why don't we just change the setting to WWII while we're at it? There, now THATS a game I'd buy."

It's deeply sardonic of course, and it illustrates perfectly why Cliff represents what he does to me. Look, I love shooters, but as my colleague Lydia Sung so succintly (hah!) put it: "There's like 100000 other games out there that let you blow shit up."

I just feel like we're at a point where if a game doesn't feature either you constantly trying to kill someone and/or someone constantly trying to kill you, we can't feel comfortable and enjoy ourselves. I guess that's what about 20 years worth of action and shooter games will do to the video gaming portion of the collective unconscious. So, seriously, can we enjoy something truly new?

"Boku" could be a new playground for budding developers to create games

Microsoft is continuing to push its XNA development platform to bridge the gap between Windows-based PC and Xbox 360 console platforms for a variety of users. One of its upcoming projects leveraging XNA will be "Boku", a new visual programming language designed to run on the Xbox 360. As an aside, Japanese language students may recognize "boku" as the word young children (and certain anime fans who are "young at heart") use to address themselves in casual conversations. Indeed, Boku as an programming environment will target users of all ages and skill.

The front end of Boku's programming is expected to be highly visual-oriented, with most of the tools being icon driven. Making Boku icon-based allows the Xbox 360 game controller to be used as the primary input device.

The Boku language is designed specifically for game development and provides specialized primitives derived from gaming scenarios. Programs are expressed in physical terms, using concepts like vision, hearing, and time to control character behavior. While not as general-purpose as classical programming languages, Boku can express advanced game design concepts in a simple, direct, and intuitive manner.

According to project manager Matthew MacLaurin, the name of the game is to fuel the desire for content creation in everyone (with an Xbox 360), especially the younger audiences; he specially names the Commodore PET as his inspiration. Sources cited by the Seattle Times believe a 2009 release timeframe for a Boku beta run appears likely.

With a focus on getting everyone to use Boku, plus the support for Xbox 360 game controllers, the signs seem to point towards it being realized for mass market release, but in what form? A content creation game like EA's Spore or Sony's LittleBigPlanet?

Albion likes its Heroes large and in charge!

So I haven't been back in the States for a week, and I'm hit in the face with the sheer greatness of Lionhead's Fable 2 and a demo for Dice's Mirror's Edge.  Between countless hours spent slaughtering trolls and seducing villagers, I've played the Mirror's Edge demo at least four times since its release.

But this commentary isn't about Mirror's Edge, nor is it a review for Fable 2.  Those who frequent Neoseeker and understand Sunday Specials might already have an idea of what to expect.  That is considering the title hasn't already given away my intentions.

I'll start by saying that I did not own the first Fable and expressed little interest in Fable 2 until I learned the sequel gave players the option of selecting a female lead.  That became a huge selling point for me, just as the protagonist of Mirror's Edge possesses a realistic and proportionate figure.  Two facts that have nothing to do with each other, some would say.  I see them as small steps toward gender equality in gaming, but I digress.

In Fable 2, stats are split into three categories -- Strength, Skill, Will -- that allow the player to personalize his (or her) character's combat style.  Focusing on each category will change the Hero physically.  Strength makes the character larger, Skill increases height, and Will causes blue veins to appear all over the body, which is kinda cool actually.  Things started getting a little fishy when I noticed my Fearmonger (now renamed "Lionheart") was looking bigger by comparison to all the NPCs crowding around her with big red hearts over their heads, hoping for an autograph, engagement ring, or sexy time.

"Oh crap," I thought.  Alas, it was too late.

Some of you might ask, "What's the big deal?  That game rocks!"  Yes, Fable 2 does, in fact, rock.  But I thought about the game's intended audience for a moment when I realized my Hero was getting too big for her breeches.  Despite female gamers like myself shouting across the internet and forcing everyone else to acknowledge our existence, the gaming community and industry still has yet to truly accept us as a serious demographic.  I can't blame them, to be quite honest, because the majority of "hardcore" gamers are still of the male variety.  And while I am fully aware that many boys like playing as females in games (some crap about "eye candy," I don't know), it seems that most choose to remain grounded in their own given gender and reflect such when creating avatars to represent themselves.

Now you all might find a big hulking figure quite impressive, towering above allies and enemies alike.  Let me tell you, it looks a hell of a lot more awkward when your Hero is a woman.  Suddenly I find myself in control of an Amazon -- a titan, even -- storming through Albion, tearing down everything in her path.  In fact, when a friend on LIVE invited himself to my game, he made a point of telling me, "I thought you were a man at first."

My Hero's masculinity is totally unintentional, an unfortunate side effect of leveling up her Abilities.  Now, I'm not saying I want a hyper-femanine avatar, but as it stands, she's beginning to look more and more like a man with breast (and ass) implants as she gains XP.  My suspicions lead me to believe that the development team for Fable 2 saw the female player as a mere bonus, an afterthought, which kills me a little inside as an avid gamer belonging to the fairer sex.  Expressions in the game do not vary much between the male and female models either, as I discovered through co-op play -- all my LIVE buddies are guys who chose male characters.

Okay, so it's not really a big deal.  I still enjoy Fable 2 and when I'm not playing, the urge to return to Albion claws at my subconscious.  The likelihood that developers still fail to take gender seriously in their works does disappoint me, though.  If they're going to give me a choice, why half-ass it?  Or are the nuances of femininity (and feminism) lost on most devs?  And why are the male whores of Bloodstone all so damn hideous while the female prostitutes range from repulsive to bodacious?

All I know is that my husband, Dean the Tattooist, grows tinier with each passing day, and I'm afraid that I may accidentally crush him one of these nights.

Apparel and toys still top the charts however, and consumers are expected to spend less this year

The NPD Group's annual "Holiday Survey of Consumer Purchase Intentions" tracks the most popular items consumers plan on purchasing as a gift for others during the Holiday shopping season. This year the firm completes 2,030 interviews, and confirm that video games do make the list of top ten gift ideas. Clothing, toys, home video and home electronics still have the gaming industry beat, though that's no great surprise given how ubiquitous such products remain in the consumer world. Games beat food though! Guess people are getting tired of chocolates and Christmas Crackers.

NPD also concludes that consumers are being more careful with their spending this Holiday shopping season, given the credit system meltdown over the past few weeks. The firm believes this will be the first year in a while where consumers will actually be curbing their Holiday spending, leading to "flat to declining sales" at retailers across North America.

Top 10 Items Consumers Plan to Buy as a Gift

Meet a new character

As reported on GameGrep, a demo for Mirror's Edge is out today on the PlayStation Network, and tomorrow on Xbox Live. How many Xbox owners are going to scrap Halloween this year, I wonder? Lucky you guys, anyway; as a primarily PC gamer for the moment, folks like me will have to wait until January 6th for our copy (according to GameStop anyway).

Also, about the DRM for the game (if there is any, but it's EA so I'm assuming), rumour has it there will be something different in tow, if Blue's News reader DangerDog is to be believed: "New and improved form of DRM, if you fall off a building in the game it'll format your hard drive." Mostly_Harmless has their own theories: "The PC delay is due to manufacturing problems with the microscopic tactical thermonuclear device that will be fitted in every DVD case for the game, EA can't work out how to detonate it if someone tries to install the game more than three times." Maybe they are getting too strict...

Anyhow, with the demo comes a demo trailer, which features a new character. This one is full of itself, but who can blame it?

New licensing deals offers brighter future for ailing company

Remember when Atari was facing bankruptsy and took the brunt of nearly every joke in the gaming community?  It wasn't that long ago, and the company really hasn't been doing too much better. 

Still, Atari just purchased publishing rights to The Chronicles of Riddick and Ghostbusters video games from Activision Blizzard.

Atari has confirmed that they will be releasing The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena in spring, the follow up to Escape at Butcher Bay, and signed a deal with Universal giving them rights to continue the Riddick game franchise after that.

Jim Wilson, CEO of Atari Inc., called Riddick a "high quality franchise with a strong future that presents a great opportunity for Atari's portfolio."

"The biggest point for us was to find a publisher that doesn't just want a game to fill a slot in its schedule but wants to work with us to build Riddick in the gaming space," added Bill Kispert, VP of interactive for Universal's digital platforms group.

Atari hasn't been very forthcoming about Ghostbusters, but certain sources have confirmed that there are plans to publish a Ghostbusters game sometime next summer, which coincides with the movie's 25th anniversary.  It is unknown whether Atari has come to any agreement with Sony Pictures that would grant them rights to the classic franchise, as with Universal and Riddick.

ESRB says content breaches rules

Offended? Didn't think so, but according to the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) you are.

Pete Hines of Bethesda Softworks (who developed the above game, Fallout 3), has sent out a 'seemingly forlorn email' to multiple gaming websites requesting they remove certain trailers the ESRB has deemed unsuitable, at least one of which is believed to be the one you just saw. Here is the email:

In connection with ESRB's advertising guidelines, you are instructed to remove immediately any of our Fallout 3 trailers from your website, pending further notice.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Pete

If you care to read the board's 'Principles and Guidelines for Responsible Advertising Practices’, you can do so in its entirety here -- the summation is the videos in question breach the agreement of excluding “graphic or excessive depictions of violence" and "graphic or excessive depictions of blood and gore”. Seriously -- a Fallout 3 trailer without graphic depictions of violence, blood, and/or gore? What would that be? I'd pass this off with a disgruntled sigh if this were television, but it seems absurd to me, Principles and Guidelines be damned, if they're censoring the Internet too. Oh well, the trailers are still all up on YouTube. I wonder if Google would go up against the ESRB if they were asked to remove them..

It's also odd to me the board is taking action after the trailers have been online for months. Developers send their games to them before they're released -- why is there different treatment for trailer content? Though, I am glad in a way, because otherwise we may never have seen these sweet trailers.

Of course, the irony is this will probably actually sell more copies of Fallout 3. The great thing about ignorance is it sometimes work to the advantage of creators instead of censors, contrary to what's intended.