Lots going on at X3F this week. We've got a Dennis Dyack interview, a video hands-on with Galaga Legions and more. Best of all, Fanswag Weekly returns with five XBLA redemption codes for Bionic Commando Rearmed (which is awesome, by the way). Peruse the links below and feed your inner fanboy. We won't tell anyone.
There are a lot of things that Alone in the Dark does very well. Building yourself a Molotov cocktail and subsequently taping a box of ammunition to it is not without its charm. Throwing said contraption onto a hapless zombie? Well that's just awesome. Unfortunately, other much more simple things, like camera controls, driving and combat can be a chore. Thankfully, it looks like developer Eden games if fixing many of these issues in the PS3 version. Even better, an upcoming patch should implement many of the improvements into the Xbox 360 version.
For example, Edward Carnby, the game's protagonist, now runs by default (rather than when the A button is held). Walking is accomplished by gently pushing the analog stick (what a revolutionary idea). Many other changes, including a better -- and manually controlled -- camera and improved driving controls, improve the game substantially according to Eurogamer. Exactly which PS3 improvements will make it into the 360 version remains unclear, but we'll happily take anything that can improve Alone in the Dark's more annoying aspects.
Fresh from the Games Convention comes new Mirror's Edge gameplay footage depicting a few solid minutes of action packed running, jumping, diving and climbing. The first "Energy Plant" gameplay video (embedded above) shows off some rather sexy moves and acrobatic sequences all ending in a watery slip-n-slide. The second video (after the break) is a bit less exciting and kinda shows what happens when your jumping skills aren't up to par. It's Mirror's Edge video goodness, now go watch.
Speaking to Joystiq, Xbox representative Jason Ing has revealed that Duke Nukem 3D should hit the Xbox Live Arcade service "sometime in September." For those keeping score, September starts in just over a week. Ing reconfirmed that the game has passed certification and also revealed that the game will be published by Microsoft. Duke Nukem 3D is set to include minimal graphical enhancements akin to what was seen with the XBLA port of Doom. Frankly, we don't care what it looks like as long as it has shrink rays and deathmatch.
Trying something new and a day early, Harmonix decided to reveal next week's Rock Banddownloadable content through their first emailed issue of the Rock Band Community-zine. And within its digital pages comes confirmation of new Rush downloadable content. Yup, RUSH! But don't go and expect to get a Rush three song track pack, because that just isn't the case. Instead, we'll be treated to all seven tracks from their Moving Pictures album which will hit the XBLM next Tuesday, August 26th. Including the original recordings from "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight"! Down with covers, up with original masters and bring on the album DLC!
Posted Aug 21st 2008 3:00PM by Dustin Burg Filed under: News
While at today's Canadian X08 event, our own Xav de Matos had a chance to chit-chat it up with Epic's Cliff Bleszinski (lucky turd) and learned something very, very interesting about Gears of War 2's achievements. Specifically, Cliff confirmed that Gears 2 will include an upgraded achievement based on Gears of War's original "Seriously" achievement. The freshly new "Seriously 2.0" achievement will require a whopping 100,000 kills to unlock. Yes, you read correctly, 100,000! But fear not, the achievement task isn't what you think, because "Seriously 2.0"'s 100,000 kills come from both single and co-op campaign gaming. So, no multiplayer kills will count. We say, bring on the Locust and give us our second helping of Seriously Gamerscore.
Some fresh co-op gameplay video from Resident Evil 5 has landed in Leipzig, and now we're bringing it home to you. In the videos we see Chris Redfield working together with his new partner Sheva Alomar (also known as Player 2). The first video, above, shows Chris' point of view, while the second shows Sheva's. The two have to work together to open new pathways and continue forward (check out the awesome vaulting maneuver near the beginning). To be perfectly honest, Resident Evil 5 is looking hawt. Sure, it may only be Resident Evil 4 with a new coat of pixels, but those are some nice pixels. Find the second video after the break.
It's been a while since we last heard about Sacred 2, but now that the Games Convention is underway in Leipzig, it's the perfect time for German developer Ascaron to roll out a brand new trailer. Lest you've missed our previous coverage of the game, Sacred 2 is a dungeon crawling RPG in the vein of Baldur's Gate and Diablo. Oh, and it's real purdy too. The trailer is a bit schizophrenic, what with the crazy fast motion and the like, but sharp-eyed observers will see detailed environments and characters, including a female warrior that appears to be wearing high heels. The trailer also promises over 500 quests and open world to explore. Oh, and genre fans should take note: four player co-op. Sacred 2 will be hitting the Xbox 360 this November.
It's high time we reminded everyone out there that we're giving away five copies of Bionic Commando Rearmed. We've got to give them away, and we figured we might as well give them to our favorite people, our dear readers. So, if you want a crack at winning your very own Bionic Commando RearmedXBLA redemption code, head over to the official contest post and enter. Don't forget that you can enter once a day, so come back and enter tomorrow to increase your chances. Now get the heck out of here, you nerd!
A video response to a classic YouTube video that poked fun of a glitch in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 where Tiger makes a shot for Par while standing on water is making the rounds this week online. EA Sports has released a new promotional video that tries to disprove the animation was a glitch by showcasing the skills of the real man himself. The video above, which was created in good fun, shows the real life Tiger Woods walk on water to a lost ball only to sink the shot with a slick chipshot. The video, which is used to promote the upcoming Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 release, concludes with the line, "It's not a glitch. He's just that good." Great viral video that will unfortunately be taken out of context. Enjoy it now on YouTube or wait for the CNN Special Report.
Along with a few gold earning tips and tricks, Lionhead Studios has informed us (via their lovely Fable 2 development blog) that they plan on releasing a Fable 2 Pub Games patch in the near future to fix the recently discovered gold exploit. Bummer! No word on a specific release date for the game patch, so continue to exploit until your greedy heart is content. Hurry though, time is tick-tock ticking ...
If you were lucky enough to score an invite when we tipped you off earlier in the week you should be making your way down to Toronto for Microsoft's X08 event later today. Promising a ton of hands-on experience with games from Microsoft Game studios, EA, Activision and Warner Bros., X08 is sure to have something for everyone. The event kicks off tonight from 5PM until 8PM EST. Remember, this was an invite only event so dropping by and hoping for the best isn't recommended.
If you're going make sure to say hello to X3F and Big Download staffer Xav, X3F alum Knuckles Dawson and one of our more seasoned comment/tipsters DjDATZ, who just celebrated his 2 year anniversary on the site.
Today is the day our Star Wars: The Force Unleashed demo hopes and dreams finally come true. Because today is the day the 904MB Force Unleasheddemo releases to the Xbox Live Marketplace for all to enjoy, that is if you're packing enough HDD space and are connected to Live. If both conditions are true for you then you'll be unleashing the force in the TIE Fighter Construction Facility in no time. Give the demo a download and share with us what your gut gaming reaction is.
The rumor that wouldn't die has once again reared its ugly head as a new advertisement hints at Xbox 360 price-drops across the board. According to an ad from Radio Shack the Xbox 360 Pro (60GB) and Elite units will receive a $50 price drop by the week of the Sept. 7, making the 60GB model $299 and the Elite $399 while the Arcade bundle will drop $80 to $199. Source spies within the retail industry have given Joystiq similar intel from other retailers hinting at the same rumor. Check out the flyer in the gallery below.
And the August Xbox Live Arcade onslaught continues. This week it's time for Galaga to make a comeback. We're talking about Galaga Legions of course. Created by the same team that transformed Pac-Man into Pac-Man Championship Edition, Galaga Legions takes the original Galaga formula and expands upon it, making an old game feel new again. The only question, especially given the quality we've seen this month, is whether or not it feels new enough. Check out the latest episode of XBLA in Brief to find out.
[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon). [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
