Castle Crashers crashing Xbox Live: The Behemoth
working on fix

I'd love to be able to report that things are going swimmingly for Castle Crashers, but unfortunately I've had issues with the thing all day. So far I've managed one round of online co-op, and even then, it wasn't long before my character froze and I had to pull out. Since then, games won't connect, and even worse, my Xbox 360 has been (ironically) crashing when attempting to load an Xbox Live game.

Same goes for our very own Reverend Anthony, who has been having an awful time keeping a game going, and the Internet at large is also reporting problems. Apparently overseas connections have it the worst, too. It's safe to say that Castle Crashers has issues, son.

Not a very good start for a game that was sold on its online co-op potential. Fortunately, the game is still pretty fun on your own (although it makes archers unbearable) so you'll just have to muck through it is as best you can ... or find some real-life friends. Also, this is where you can make a snarky and cynical comment about the game costing 1200 MS Points. At least Braid's online co-op worked right.

[Update: The Behemoth is aware of the issue and claim to be fixing it, in their own cute way]

Read The Full Article:

Add to del.icio.us   Digg this   Post to Furl   Add to reddit   Add to myYahoo!

Escape Detention

Escape Detension is another new point and click game from Games2win, who is also creator of[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.escapegames24.com/2008/08/escape-detention.html

Add to del.icio.us   Digg this   Post to Furl   Add to reddit   Add to myYahoo!

Wallpaper: Triple-wide Braid desktop

This one here comes straight from Braid artist David Hellman’s website. There’s actually quite a few posts about the art direction for Braid, and it’s most definitely worth a read.But he ends with that he presents as a background for someone running not one, not two but three monitors! Now I seriously doubt most readers [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BitsBytesPixelsSprites/~3/376249256/

Add to del.icio.us   Digg this   Post to Furl   Add to reddit   Add to myYahoo!

Dyack: Hating Valkyrie cinema means you love Too
Human

In an interview with Xbox360Fanboy, Denis Dyack talked a little bit about Valkyrie the death animation in Too Human. His response to consumer groans over the boring animation is surprisingly like PR spin.

If you're getting frustrated with the Valkyrie cinema, you might be dying a little too much. The bottom line is ... If it's a sign that people love the game so much that they just want to get back in and play, could we make it skippable? Sure, it's an easy change.

If you’re anything like me, you have spent more time dead in the air than you have playing Too Human. I died around 60 times in the second level where everything on the screen fires arrows and bombs simultaneously. I’d like to think the Valkyrie and I have a special relationship at this point. Every time she puts my crumpled body in her arms I know she’s whispering sweet things in my dead ears.

Is it a result of love that makes me wish Valkyrie wouldn’t take so long to pick my character up? It’s definitely not love. I think it’s a troubling cinematic that serves as a reminder of how awkward the game is in almost every phase of the gameplay, including dealing with death.

Read The Full Article:

Add to del.icio.us   Digg this   Post to Furl   Add to reddit   Add to myYahoo!

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Eye In The Sky [Tom
Clancy's H.A.W.X.]

Aside from the rather intriguing gameplay features I discussed during my Games Convention preview, one of the most interesting aspects of Ubisoft's upcoming jet fighter Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. is the amount of attention paid to landscapes. Well that intricate detail is all thanks to GeoEye and their IKONOS - the world's first commercial Earth imaging satellite.

Check out the gallery below for some in-game images, along with photographs taken by IKONOS itself. It's an amazing amount of effort to render something you'll spend the entire game avoiding getting too close to.

Ubisoft® and GeoEye Integrate Satellite Imagery Into Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. - August 26, 2008 - Today, Ubisoft and GeoEye, Inc. announced that GeoEye, a premier provider of satellite, aerial and geospatial information, has provided high-resolution images taken from its commercial Earth-imaging IKONOS satellite for integration into Tom Clancy?s H.A.W.X for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Sony PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and on Windows-based PC. Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X will be available in early 2009.

The H.A.W.X development team is working closely with specialists at GeoEye to integrate realistic satellite images for every location throughout the game, including Rio de Janeiro, Cape Canaveral and the Middle East. With more than 16 international locations in the game, every mission will have players flying over GeoEye-provided satellite imagery in a three-dimensional environment creating an unparalleled, dogfighting experience.

GeoEye's IKONOS satellite was the world's first commercial Earth imaging satellite and its imagery is currently being used for US national security, mapping, air and marine transportation, environmental monitoring and insurance risk management. The amazing quality and detail of the IKONOS images will lend realism to Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X giving gamers a feeling of immersion that will plunge them into the air combat mission of the game.

"High-resolution satellite imaging is moving from the black world of intelligence to the white world of commerce and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X will bring that reality to gamers," said Mark Brender, vice president, corporate communications and marketing at GeoEye. "With video game graphics becoming more realistic, the use of high-quality photographic ground textures in H.A.W.X adds true photo-realism to the air combat experience."

During the development process the H.A.W.X team has also worked with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Center for Earth Resources Observations and Science (USGS/EROS) to understand how to best create a topographical 'underpinning' for the satellite imagery, creating a very realistic representation of the Earth.

"We are extremely grateful to GeoEye for their collaboration with Ubisoft and pleased with the level of quality and service we've received," said Travis Getz, authenticity coordinator for the H.A.W.X development team. "GeoEye's amazing imagery, combined with the intense aerial combat experience in H.A.W.X, makes this a perfect partnership for everyone-especially gamers."

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/376247721/tom-clancys--hawx-eye-in-the-
sky

Add to del.icio.us   Digg this   Post to Furl   Add to reddit   Add to myYahoo!

D's Look for Hamster 2

D's Look for Hamster 2 is another new Japanese point and click game by Doradora , who is also the[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.escapegames24.com/2008/08/ds-look-for-hamster-2.html

Add to del.icio.us   Digg this   Post to Furl   Add to reddit   Add to myYahoo!

Resident Evil 5 team says that Western devs are
ahead in music production

Kota Suzuki, composer on Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil 5, said that he feels that the Western world is leading in game music production. But, Japan is catching up.

"I get the impression that production at western, particularly American developers is ahead of those in Japan," Suzuki said in an interview with music4games. "But, I think that more and more in Japan, the process of making video game music is becoming specialized. More and more Japanese production companies are working together with foreign companies, and sound production quality in Japan is approaching that of the west."

What? I think all of my games sound good, Japanese or Western. Tetsuya Shibata, senior manager of Capcom's sound division, clarifies: "You don’t notice much difference in the quality of the tracks themselves, but when it comes to post-production elements like recording and mixing, Japan still lags behind overseas operations."

From a compositional standpoint, I prefer most of the music coming out of Japan lately. Of course, as Shibata says, music isn't everything. I think that Western devs may put a bit more money into their sound budgets, and I think it shows in the end.

Thinking of the games you've played recently, which sound do you prefer?

[Via Develop]

Read The Full Article:

Add to del.icio.us   Digg this   Post to Furl   Add to reddit   Add to myYahoo!

Tragnarion Nabs Comic Book Talent For Doodle Hex
Sequel [Doodle Hex 2]

Of all the things I missed at the Games Convention at Leipzig, none stung so much as Tragnarion Studios' Doodle Hex, a DS game I've been obsessing over on and off for the better part of a year now. I actually saw the game for sale at GameStop, but didn't pick it up, not knowing they were still looking for a U.S. publisher. So while I desperately await news of a North American release, Tragnarion is busy working on Doodle Hex 2, and they've tapped some top comic book talent to tackle the story this time around in the form of Mr. Sean McKeever.

Sean is an Eisner Award-winning writer who has worked in both the indie press as well as in the big leagues for titles such as Sentinel, Inhumans, Mystique, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, Gravity and Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane. He's currently moved to the dark side, working exclusively for DC Comics on the Teen Titans. So while I am crushed that I let Doodle Hex slip through my fingers, I am relieved to know the sequel is in good hands.

I've Been Doodle Hexed [Sean McKeever's Official Site]

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/376227709/tragnarion-nabs-comic-book-ta
lent-for-doodle-hex-sequel

Add to del.icio.us   Digg this   Post to Furl   Add to reddit   Add to myYahoo!

Q Entertainment bringing Meteos Wars to Xbox LIVE
Arcade

Q Entertainment has announced that an updated version of their Nintendo DS puzzler Meteos will be coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade in Japan this October. 

Called Meteos Wars, the game adds a head-to-head multiplayer mode to the mix, where players fill up a meter to unlock special attacks to screw with their opponent. Q Entertainment is also adding some extras to the mix, like avatars that can be decorated. Otherwise, it sounds like the same old story: match colors, send blocks up in to space. 

It's definitely not perfect -- it seemed somewhat random and chaotic at times -- but I was a pretty big fan of Meteos on the DS. The gameplay mechanic relied solely on the use of the touch screen, so I'm a bit curious to see who they'll pull this off. No US release date as been announced, but I'd be surprised if it doesn't make its way over by early next year.

[Via 1UP]

Read The Full Article:

Add to del.icio.us   Digg this   Post to Furl   Add to reddit   Add to myYahoo!

Watch the Joker's MK vs. DC fatality

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Fighting

So what's the problem with the Joker's Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe fatality (seen at about 3:40 into the video after the break)? Well, nothing per se, it's a perfectly silly, violent way for the criminal mastermind to finish off his foes, and is actually surprisingly brutal for the game's Teen rating.

No, the only real problem is what the attack isn't. As fans of The Dark Knight know, the Joker's real fatality is blindingly obvious. Because, honestly, who doesn't love a good magic trick?

Continue reading Watch the Joker's MK vs. DC fatality

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/376193168/

Add to del.icio.us   Digg this   Post to Furl   Add to reddit   Add to myYahoo!