Colony of Gamers - Gaming News

In-Game Chat: The Bean Footage Episode

fishbang — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:37:07 GMT

Our secret recipe is available at the following link.

Dragon Age has, for me, become the sort of gift that won't stop giving, though I'd sure as hell like it to. There's a conversation somewhere in which that line is a back-handed compliment, but you won't find it in this week's show. My thoughts and feelings are well documented, and haven't changed overmuch since the end of the campaign, despite a broad failure of imagination during the game's final hours. But the Awakenings expansion pack demands my attention, the flow of DLC continues unabated, and I'm awfully tired of my own comings and goings now. I can't bear to walk away when I'm so close to the end (again), but I want nothing more than to plant this story in the ground and forget about it until the sequel.

I've begged for larger portions in the past, sure, but this thing has become a bit "Ole 96er" for me, and I'm not sure it's worth it for the t-shirts.

Realtime Worlds Announces New Social Game

Doctor Setebos — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:45:47 GMT

Realtime Worlds, the developer of Crackdown and APB, have announced a new ambitious title called "Project: MyWorld".

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"Project: MyWorld is a virtual recreation of the real world combined with 3D gaming and social media." Perhaps the idea behind the project is better summed up by a rhetorical question Realtime Worlds raises: "What would it look like if Nintendo built Google Earth?"

Apparently users will be able to purchase and customize properties that appear very similar, if not completely identical, to their real-life counterparts. If the trailer is any indication, players will also be able to participate in many activities within this world, such as driving cars around city streets, flying planes through the sky (and, inevitably, into buildings), and maneuvering boats on fishing expeditions. Social interaction will include connectivity with networks such as Twitter and Facebook so you can annoy your friends and family even if they aren't playing Project: MyWorld with you.

You can check out more information about the game at their official website. Realtime Worlds plans to release the title sometime in early 2011, with a private beta beforehand.

Source - 1up

Nintendo Preparing for 3DS Announcements

Doctor Setebos — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:34:58 GMT

Far be it for us to post news about news, but here goes. Nintendo has announced that it plans to reveal the release date and price of the upcoming 3DS handheld on September 29th.

Up until now, all gamers have been told is that the device will be available sometime within Nintendo's fiscal year, which ends March 2011. Speculation has placed the handheld's potential consumer price at anywhere between $180 to upwards of $250.

Hopefully all of those questions will be answered in just two months' time, and gamers can go back to discussing the truly important topics: such as whether or not you will be able to rotate the 3DS screen in such a way as to allow you to look up Princess Peach's dress.

Source - 1up

MundoRare Shuts Down After Rare Shrugs Off Documentary

TrackZero — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:17:55 GMT

MundoRare, one of the largest Rare fan sites has decided to close up shop, apparently due to the decision by Rare not to be involved in a planned documentary.

Following the studio and its games since 2001, MundoRare has been a constant source of insider information; such as breaking the story regarding the cancelled Goldeneye XBLA title or the rumored Killer Instinct 3 game being false.

They had planned out a one hour documentary of the 25 year history of the studio to be released online for free. Planning, scripts and resumes were all submitted to Rare for approval in communications. However, they've run into a response they weren't expecting:

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Unfortunately, some days ago, Rare�s PR department finally denied our permission to shoot arguing that the film wasn�t going to be �on message.�

In response to this, MundoRare has expressed confusion and has decided to put an end to their website.

So, do you think the studios owe the fans access like this or was MundoRare making assumptions?

Source - 1UP

New Dragon Age DLC: Golems of Amgarrak

iHap — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:53:10 GMT

Bioware has done it again with the release of another new DLC for Dragon Age: Origins. This will be the 7th DLC they have released since Dragon Age: Origins has released. With Dragon Age 2 being released later next year, this shows Bioware can please their followers. Those lucky enough to be at Comic-Con were able to play this new DLC along with the just announced Dragon Age 2.

Dragon Age Origins: Golems of Amgarrak will be available for download Tuesday, August 10th.
You can view and purchase the DLC at the Dragon Age Addon Website. The price for this DLC will be $5 or 400 Bioware Points.

More Details and a Video Below

US PSN Update 7/27

Gorvi — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:01:54 GMT

It's certainly not the biggest week for new releases in this week's update, that's for sure, but we do see 4 Disney PS1 games hitting the PSN at once. The PSP gets it's own version of the quirky puzzle game Piyotama and the online shooter Section 8 not only gets a demo but is on sale for only $10. PSN + subscribers get some pretty nice content this week, with Critter Crunch, Syphon Filter, and Kahoots for free. The full list from the PlayStation Blog:

PS3:

The Emperor�s New Groove ($5.99) [PS1]
Hercules ($5.99) [PS1]
A Bug�s Life ($5.99) [PS1]
Toy Story Racer ($5.99) [PS1]
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days � Multiplayer Demo
Madden NFL 11 Demo
Section 8 Trial
Flower Demo
Zen Pinball � Mars Table ($2.49)
PAIN � Pinball Abusement Park ($1.99)
Transformers: War For Cybertron: Map and Character Pack ($9.99)
Lost Planet 2 Rush Arena Mode ($2.99)
Super Street Fighter IV: Super Complete Alternate Costume Pack ($17.99)
Skate 3: After Dark Pack �Available via in-game Store only� ($4.99)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 DLC
Trinity Universe � Mightiest Meteorite Pack ($1.99)
Guitar Hero Tracks
Rock Band Tracks
Rock Band Network Tracks

PSN +:

Critter Crunch (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)
Syphon Filter (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)
Kahoots (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped (PlayStation Plus price $3.00, original price $5.99)
Super Street Fighter IV PSN Avatar Bundle ($4.99) (Exclusive to PlayStation Plus Subscribers)

On Sale

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo � Sale (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Section 8 � Sale (now $9.99, original price $29.99)
Blast Factor � Sale (now $4.99, original price $12.99)
Blast Factor Advanced Research (now $2.49, original price $4.99)
Blast Factor Multiplayer Pack (now $1.49, original price $2.99)
Blast Factor Bundle (now $6.49, original price $12.99)

PSP:

Piyotama PSP ($4.99)
The Emperor�s New Groove ($5.99) [PS1]
Hercules ($5.99) [PS1]
A Bug�s Life ($5.99) [PS1]
Toy Story Racer ($5.99) [PS1]
BUZZ Quiz World: Celebrities Quiz Pack ($2.99)

Price Drops:

MLB 2K10 PSP � Permanent Price Drop (now $19.99, original price $29.99)
Silent Hill Origins � Permanent Price Drop (now $9.99, original price $14.99

In Other News... July 27

Nerdious — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:03:21 GMT

- Codemasters has had 50% of it's company acquired by Reliance Big Games out of India. The focus of the company will still remain at it's UK studio with funding being the biggest change out of the merger.

- The US Copyright Office has made a set of exemptions making jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone legal usage. Apple still has the authority to remotely disable a jailbroken phone with software updates.

- This years demo of Madden 11 is now available on XBLM now and PSN later today. This went up alongside the Kane and Lynch 2 demo, with more DLC hitting as part of the "Summer of Arcade" promotion. The Kane and Lynch 2 demo was made available to PSN Plus subscribers last week.

- Crossovers in veteran RPG writing should be good. The Darkspore team is borrowing the talent of one of BioWare's writers, Malcolm Azania. Azania has recently worked on Mass Effect 2, and the follow up DLC "Kasumi's Stolen Memory".

- Nintendo has trademarked the terms "CrossPass", "CrossPass Network" and "CrossPass Mode" with references to 3D. If this is Nintendo's strategy to online with the 3DS, it certainly sounds more fleshed out than the current Friend Codes system.

Everquest II Offers Free to Play Option

Nerdious — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:37:29 GMT

After Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons Online have successfully reinvented themselves in the free to play MMO market, SOE has announced that will offer a free to play model for Everquest II. What is different about SOE's approach is that they are leaving the subscription model intact. The new service called Everquest II Extended, will offer different levels of access to the game depending on the service paid for. The free game can be played to the games level cap of 80, or 90 with the puchase of the expansion.

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EverQuest II Extended is a completely separate gameplay service from the EverQuest II live subscription service. The server lists are not shared, it has completely separate forums, and if you don't want to be around the community that plays in the free adventure service, then there is no reason for that to ever occur. However, if you want to go try out Extended, feel free to do so. Active EQII live players can create a new account on EQII Extended for free or copy over a version of an existing EQII live character for $35.

Theres a whole FAQ and a subscription matrix located here. It looks like they've put a lot of thought into keeping their core audience while extending the games life. Also in the FAQ they mention that the game could go entirely free to play model, if the userbase moves in that direction.

Source - Kotaku

Valve Bans 12,000 Players, Then Gives Them Free Game

Doctor Setebos — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:42:52 GMT

"This was our mistake, and I apologize for any frustration or angst it may have caused you."

This was a message from Valve head honcho Gabe Newell to thousands of Modern Warfare 2 players who were erroneously banned from Steam when a glitched update to the game software caused the Valve servers to think the players were cheating. As an apology, Valve sent each of the users a copy of Left 4 Dead 2.

This is a behavior that many other game companies would do well to emulate. When you screw up, you recognize it and make up for it. Your customers will thank you for it with increased business and loyalty. Guaranteed.

Source - 1up

GameStop Purchases Online Gaming Portal Kongregate

Doctor Setebos — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:25:23 GMT

GameStop has been fairly vocal about how heavily it relies on a physical product in order to make a profit as a game retailer. But could that soon be a thing of the past? It was revealed today that GameStop has purchased the popular browser-based gaming site Kongregate for an undisclosed sum.

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Said GameStop CEO J. Paul Raines, "Kongregate advances GameStop's digital strategy by providing a gaming platform for casual, mobile and browser games that can be promoted and played by our existing gamers. We welcome the Kongregate team to the GameStop family."

As a part of the deal, Kongregate will become a wholly-owned GameStop subsidiary. What that means for the future of game retail for the company remains unclear.

Source - GamesIndustry

Media Create Sales for 07-12 to 07-18 - Fire Emblem

Chris_D — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:19:07 GMT

Here are the software and hardware numbers from Japan, straight from Media Create, for the week 07-12 to 07-18.

The remake of Fire Emblem on the DS was number 1 on the software chart last week, just beating out Dragon Quest Monsters: Battle Road Victory on the Wii. Fire Emblem was well received by Famitsu, scoring 9/8/9/8. Last Ranker for PSP, which was number 5 in terms of sales, also did well, scoring 9/8/8/8. From 1UP:

Quote:

Capcom's PSP action RPG (Last Ranker) fared pretty decently in the review ranks as well, although reviewers seemed generally more excited about the new Fire Emblem. "The characters are unique and charming, and the more time you put into the game, the more excited you get about what's going to happen next," as one put it. "Things are on the slow-paced side until you earn some more weapons, but once you do, the skill customization is really fun," another editor said.

While Famitsu's reviewers praised the game's ease of use (you can go to any location in the game at the press of a button, for example), they also bought up a lot of little niggles. "It would've been better if you had more freedom to challenge people ranked higher than you," one wrote. "I wish stats like the remaining number of skills at your disposal were displayed at all times," added another.

Hardware and software sales for last week:

Source - Media Create, 1UP.

See the sales from the previous week.

Note: Software cumulative sales estimates are provided by Media Create and VGChartz.

The Weekly Release - 7/25/2010 through 7/31/2010

bapenguin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:13:56 GMT

7/27
Arc Rise Fantasia (Wii) [Google It]
BLazBlue: Continuum Shift (360, PS3) [Google It]
Chuck E Cheese's Party Games (Wii) [Google It]
Clash of the Titans (360, PS3) [Google It]
Galaxy Racers (DS) [Google It]
Girls Only (DS) [Google It]
Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar (DS) [Google It]
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (PC, MAC) [Google It]
Wolfschanze 2 (PC) [Google It]

DVD and Blu-Ray
Clash of the Titans (also on Blu-Ray)
Repo Men (also on Blu-Ray)
Batman: Under the Red Hood (also on Blu-Ray)
G.I. Joe The Movie (Blu-Ray)
Fanboys (Blu-Ray)

Theater
Dinner for Schmucks
Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Charlie St. Cloud

Free and Worth Every Penny - Issue 52: Hydorah

Bandango — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:17:39 GMT

Do you miss the days when three lives meant three lives, and if you lost them that was it? Game over. Are all these indie games we post here too soft and coddling? Do you see checkpoints and infinite lives as cheating? Do you miss the satisfaction of truly beating a game? Well, Mr. Grognard, I�ve got a pick for you.

Hydorah is a wicked hard, totally beautiful, and shockingly fleshed-out sidescrolling shmup suitable for full release on your DS if the designer had not decided to give it away for free. If you dug this genre back in the day, you�ll love Hydorah. Read more.

Flying through The Old Republic

wyeast — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:16:30 GMT

Image Copyright Lucasfilm/Twentieth Century Fox

Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Announced this week at Comic-Con, Bioware has revealed that there will be space adventures in the upcoming MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic.

What exactly does space adventures entail? They've been a little meager with the details, but it sounds like there will be some instance-based missions involving that flying space bucket of yours.

Quote:

In space combat, you fly your personal ship to various “hot spots” on your galaxy map. From there, you will blast your way through asteroid fields, enemy fighters, frigates, destroyers, and a variety of other obstacles that will evoke memories of some of the great Star Wars™ space battles.

What they haven't said yet, is if there'll be long periods of mundane flying between hotspots, or if players will be able to engage each other in the empty void.

Which could be interesting, but how long before the first Griefer Pirate Clan? :p

More information will be revealed in the October issue of PC Gamer, due August 17th.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is slated for a 2011 release, likely late Q2.

Source: BioWare Forums

Street Fighter X Tekken

AniAko — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:56:30 GMT

Pacman > MegaMan > Inky, Blinky, Pinky & Clyde?

What do you get when you do a cross-over game of two of the most successful fighting franchises? Well, we don't actually know yet, but we're bound to find out because today Capcom announced Street Fighter X Tekken is in development for the PlayStation3 and XBox 360. From the gameplay screenshots and teaser trailer, it seems as if the game is driven once again by the Street Fighter IV engine.

OMG! You smell like the Old Spice dude on the horse!

While one could hope this might be a return to the gameplay formula introduced in Capcom vs. SNK titles, namely the different fighting "grooves", it sadly doesn't seem to be the case.

Quote:

As in Street Fighter IV, 2D gameplay will feature fully realized 3D character models battling for domination in both new and familiar highly detailed environments that are brought to life with engaging animations.

So even if by chance different fighting styles are offered, it seems like there won't be a true "Tekken" style due to lack of fighting on the 3D plane.

One new concept that might have a warm reception is the Tag Team combat, bringing assists and special tag team combos into the Street Fighter IV realm.

UPDATE: A different game titled "Tekken X Street Fighter" has also been officially announced and will be produced by Namco Bandai. This is rumored to use the Tekken 6 engine, which balances what seemed to be a Capcom strong arm on the two franchises.

Update Source: Examiner.com