Study Shows Games Help to Reduce Stress
by obsoletepower on April 29th, 2008
If you’re feeling stressed, forget about “calm blue ocean” mantras and squishy toys to squeeze. Instead, a new study from East Carolina University says you should fire up a casual game. And since gaming company PopCap underwrote the research, scientists recommend the beneficial effects of the company’s Bejeweled 2, Peggle and Bookworm Adventures titles. Subjects’ moods were broken out into six categories: psychological tension, anger, depression, vigor, fatigue and confusion. The study found that:
Peggle had the greatest affect, improving mood by 573% across all study subjects - with Bejeweled 2 at 435% and Bookworm Adventures at 303%.
Normally, I’d be dubious about these results, since PopCap paid for the study. But I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that Peggle in the office = fun (except for that stupid car level). We used to hold Peggle tournaments when I worked at Shockwave.com, and that was the happiest place on Earth.
OK, I’m exaggerating a bit. But Peggle is actually a great spectator “sport” and this research reinforces the theory put forth by Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher in their book “The Levity Effect: Why it Pays to Lighten Up.” You can listen to the authors talk about their findings over at Marketplace.org.
Are for those Peggle faithful, check out this 13,000,000+ (yup, that many zeros) point shot:
A review of Mario Kart Wii - Part 3
by obsoletepower on April 29th, 2008
Kartography and the blue ocean
The last remaining piece of the puzzle is the multiplayer experience, which has defined Mario Kart as a series since its inception. Multiplayer heads online with Mario Kart Wii, but the developers didn’t forgo the standard four-player local multiplayer. Solo races, team races, and the legendary Battle mode, with both Balloon and Coin battles, made the cut for Mario Kart Wii. Offline multiplayer suffers from a slight frame rate drop when four players are playing via split-screen, but it’s nothing too detrimental to the gameplay.
It’s the online multiplayer, though, that truly stands out. Though there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the offline multiplayer, it simply pales in comparison to online play—especially since you can play online with another friend locally thanks to the included support for split-screen online.
Both the versus racing and battle modes make the transition online smoothly. Up to 12 players can race for glory in online modes, though eight seems to be the average number of racers for random rooms. Heading online is as easy as connecting to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and choosing either Worldwide races, Regional races, or Friends races.
The A.I. can be extremely brutal at times: the blue shell is more fearsome than ever
In Worldwide and Regional races, you’ll face off against contenders from around the world. A neat little model of the Earth highlights the region, Mii, and name of each player as the match loads—it’s a great touch that drives home the point that you’re playing Mario Kart with people from all over the world. Players can vote for specific courses prior to each round; the winner is randomly selected. When the match ends, rank points are either added or subtracted based on your placing and your past performance that increase your rank, which affects your worldwide standing as well as the contenders you’re matched against.
The Friends races are slightly less restrictive. You’re able to find and register friends and then create or join friend-only rooms where the host can fully customize the game’s settings. You’ll still vote on maps, but aside from that, the host is given full control. As a bonus, you’re given a novel but limited chatroom which features a variety of predetermined messages to "chat" with your friends.
In addition to straight-up multiplayer, the game also ships with a brand-new channel for the Wii called the "Mario Kart" channel. Through this channel, players can find out all kinds of information about the online community and access uploaded ghosts and ongoing tournaments. Being able to download the world’s best ghosts is a great way to find the secret routes on courses and improve your lines—a must for hardcore fans. As for the Tournament function, it was not yet operational by the time of publishing, but the mode will eventually allow for a worldwide tournament to occur via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. We’ll have continued coverage of this feature in Opposable Thumbs.
Nintendo has been slow to get online working in its first-party endeavors, but Mario Kart Wii marks a new standard for the company’s efforts. When the game’s online mode works, it’s a load a fun. It’s obvious, however, that Nintendo is still very new to the online experience as the game has quite a few foibles.
Nintendo opted not to follow the lead set by EA with Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 and Madden 2008 by streamlining the process to the point where Friend Codes aren’t even mentioned: you’ll still have to enter Friend Codes for each friend you want to play. However, you can send along a note to a friend’s Wii message board to invite them to join your friend’s list via the Online Channel.
The majority of the online problems are derived from the interface. The friend invite system is a bit crude and unintuitive. Launching a game from your Friends room requires that you close the room first—Ben and I found ourselves quite confused by this during our initial tests. Once we did get a game going, we weren’t able to change our characters or vehicles without quitting and remaking the room. Also, only invited friends could join the room: it never opens up to random players.
Despite some interface problems, online play is smooth once you get going
Flaky connections in the room interface also proved troubling. On multiple occasions our tests were hampered by our inability to join each other’s rooms once we’d shut down a previous one. The system told us frequently that the other wasn’t connected to the service, though we both were. You can follow friends into Worldwide VS matches once they are already off to the races, but here, too, we ran into some connection issues. While wide range of these small annoyances exist, though, the action is still fun—and surprisingly lag-free—once you get into it.
The Mushroom-checkered flag
The Mario Kart series has been around for quite some time now, and it continues to retain its top spot despite competition from not only other kart racers but other racing games in general. Mario Kart Wii is a supremely fun, well-designed title that reminds us why Nintendo games continue to be as revered and profitable as they are. Whatever faults I manage to dig out and nitpick about are simply forgotten once a good race is underway. Fun is first and foremost for Mario Kart, and that’s what will keep players—hardcore and casual alike—coming back for more as they have for so many years now.
The rubber-banding is a sore spot—Nintendo definitely needs to hire some better A.I. programmers. The online interface could definitely stand to be improved. The presentation bar hasn’t really been raised at all. The shell controller is a guilty pleasure at best: it’s still just a plastic shell. But the bad simply doesn’t outweigh the good in Mario Kart Wii which, for me, stands as arguably the best Mario Kart game thus far—if not the most fully-featured. This is a game built to last an entire generation, and it’s a blast to play. I don’t foresee myself putting down this Wii Wheel for quite some time.
Ben’s take: I’m not as wholly enthusiastic about the Wii Wheel, but I agree with most of Frank’s points in his review. If you’re a Mario Kart fan this is a must-buy, and many of the new tracks are amazingly designed. $15 for each extra wheel is robbery however, and if you’ve never cared for the series there won’t be much here that will convince you to give it another go.
This is the type of game that makes some people love Nintendo, and others hate it. It’s a strictly by-the-numbers update that gives you more good things and fewer bad things while adding a robust online system that will keep gamers hooked for a long time. Putting in friend codes is a pain in the butt, but the fun of online play will make you forget the headache once you have a good list of people to play against.
It’s likely you’ve already made up your mind about whether this game is worth a buy based only on your feelings for the series, and you’re most likely right in all your assumptions.
The Good
- - Refined kart gameplay blends old and new mechanics successfully
- - Great roster of tracks
- - Tons of characters
- - Smooth online multiplayer matches
- - Wii Wheel really does feel great
The Bad
- - Online interface is unintuitive, cumbersome in spots
- - A.I. is infuriating in latter races
- - No co-op Grand Prix mode means lonely nights of unlocking content
- - Tricks are limited
- - $10 to $15 for extra wheels? It’s nothing but plastic!
The Ugly
- Waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat after a nightmare in which you were endlessly bombarded with blue shells and knocked off Rainbow Road, only to find out that you passed out while trying to beat 150CC.
Verdict: Buy
Young man stabbed queueing for midnight launch of ultra-violent video game Grand Theft Auto IV
by obsoletepower on April 29th, 2008
The launch of the ultra-violent Grand Theft Auto IV video game descended into real-life horror when a man was stabbed repeatedly in a queue of fans waiting to buy it.
Shoppers thought they were witnessing a promotional stunt for the launch when the blood-soaked victim staggered among them.
They realised the attack was genuine only when police arrived.
Scroll down for more…
The GameStation shop in George Street, Croydon, where a 23- year-old man was stabbed last night
It took place outside the Gamestation store in Croydon, South London, one of 40 stores which opened at midnight to sell the new game.
Elsewhere, two muggers shattered the jaw and nose of an 18-year-old boy to steal his copy of the game just 30 minutes after he bought it in Leyland, Lancashire.
The violence intensified a chorus of criticism aimed at the British-designed game, the latest in a hugely controversial series.
Massive industry hype has surrounded its technological advances and stunning graphics and it is forecast to break records by selling six million copies in its first week.
But the content is unadulterated violence. Players assume the identity of Niko Bellic, a shaven-headed veteran of the Bosnian conflict who arrives in ‘Liberty City’ as a gangland novice.
He makes progress by killing people to order, robbing banks and dealing drugs with the help of an almost inexhaustible arsenal.
The game has been give an 18 certification from the British Board of Film Classification but critics fear it will inevitably be played by much younger people.
The series has sold an estimated 70million copies since its launch in 1997, but has been shrouded in controversy.
Scroll down for more…
Popular: Gamers queue in Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, all night to get their hands on Grand Theft Auto IV
Last year teenager Ezekiel Maxwell butchered a grandmother after hearing "gangster voices" in his head from an earlier version of the game telling him to stab a woman.
Yesterday, as police issued an appeal to find the Croydon attacker, witnesses described what happened.
Eagerly awaited: The Grand Theft Auto IV game went on sale at midnight
Malcolm Critchell, queueing with his nephew Jordan, said: "The victim was covered from shoulder to belly in blood. Everyone thought it was a show to promote the game."
Despite his wounds, the 23-year-old victim is believed to have gone home to arm himself with a kitchen knife to seek revenge, but police intercepted him.
He was treated in hospital for several stab wounds.
Another queuer, Marcus Henderson, 24, said: "It was a scene straight from the game itself. In Grand Theft Auto, when you attack someone but don’t finish them off they’ll come and get you. We thought it was a stunt put on by the makers of the game."
MP Keith Vaz said of the video game: "This kind of violence should be deplored. It’s highly likely that younger children are going to get access to this game.
"A young person’s mind is impressionable and the interactive violence of Grand Theft Auto is going to have an impact on them."
Rockstar Support Feels Terrible for GTA Lock-ups
by obsoletepower on April 29th, 2008
Earlier today, Kotaku broke the news that some Grand Theft Auto IV gamers were having problems with the game on both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Here is the following article as it was done by Kotaku:
For them, the game was freezing up during the introductory cut-scene, something that neither I nor Mike experienced during our time with the game on both systems. To be clear, we have no idea how widespread the problem is, but it’s certainly on Rockstar’s radar and making the rounds both in our tips line and on forums.
Rockstar declined to comment on the issue officially, so I went to the phone and called up Rockstar Support to see what they had to say about the problem.
A very friendly, and obviously unhappy, fellow answered the phone who, after thanking me for not yelling at him and apologizing profusely for the problem, spilled quite a bit of beans on the issue:
The man told me that the problem is apparently only effecting the 60 GB version of the Playstation 3, but that it didn’t matter than my particular console was a launch console (Yes, I told a little white lie and said my copy was locking up.) He said the problem is not across the board for the 60GB PS3s but rather only impacts some, so their tech folks are working around the clock to try and figure out what is causing the issue.
He did ask me to make sure that my harddrive wasn’t full and that I had the latest firmware update, but confessed that that really isn’t what’s causing most of the problem. He also said that the Xbox 360 is having the "exact same problem," which has further stumped their tech folks.
I asked him if wiping the harddrive and reinstalling the PS3 version would help, as seen on the PS forums, he said I could try but that he hadn’t heard of it helping a single person.
He ended the call by saying that they really have no idea when a fix will be coming because they can’t figure out what is exactly causing the problem and then once more apologized.
"I feel terrible about this."
If only more support folks were as empathetic and genuinely concerned about the problems their customers are going through.
Guinness World Records eyes release of upcoming "Grand Theft Auto IV" as a potential record breaking giant
by vipeness on April 28th, 2008
As part of its continued interest in chronicling the world of video game achievements and accomplishments, Guinness World Records™ will be closely watching the release of Grand Theft Auto IV as a potential record-breaking phenomenon.
Easily one of the most anticipated games of the year and biggest releases in the entertainment industry, the GTA franchise is no stranger to the famed pages of Guinness World Records. Ever since the franchise released its first third-person game with Grand Theft Auto III, the series has been racking up record after record.
- First Full “Sandbox” Action-Adventure- GTA III
- Biggest Selling Game of 2001- GTA III
- Biggest Selling Game of 2002- GTA: Vice City
- Best-selling Playstation 2 game of all time- GTA: Vice City
- Best-selling PSP game of all time- GTA: Liberty City Stories
- Largest in-game soundtrack- GTA: San Andreas
- Largest Voice Cast in a video game- GTA: San Andreas
- Most Guest Stars In A Video Game Series- Grand Theft Auto Franchise
With fans counting down the hours to GTA IV’s debut, it will only be a matter of time until a new record is added to that impressive list.
28th April 2008
GTA IV expected to sell 9 million copies at launch
by obsoletepower on April 28th, 2008
LOS ANGELES (AP) — There’s no Burger King tie-in or special flavor of Mountain Dew. No commercial directed by Peter Jackson, or even an action figure.
The run-up to "Grand Theft Auto IV" has been considerably less ballyhooed than last year’s over-the-top "Halo 3" debut. Yet when "GTA IV" parks on store shelves on April 29, the latest entry in the controversial video game franchise could be the most lucrative launch in entertainment history — and one that many people may not even know about.
Analysts predict Take-Two Interactive Software and Rockstar Games’ open-world, action-driving game will easily top last year’s record-breaking $300 million first-week sales of Microsoft and Bungee Studios’ first-person shooter "Halo 3" — and without a similar marketing bonanza.
With the launch of "GTA IV" on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Rockstar is seemingly steering in one direction: the downlow.
"Rockstar wants to control the message all the time," says Sam Kennedy, editorial director for the gaming site 1UP.com. "They want this to be seen and perceived exactly the way they want. That’s why — outside of the official trailers they released — people haven’t seen a lot of gameplay footage in advance of ‘GTA IV’ shipping. They want to build that hype."
Take-Two and Rockstar declined to comment for this story, but following a 90-minute demonstration of the game in January, "GTA IV" writer and Rockstar vice president Dan Houser told The Associated Press that the infamous game developer, who’s also responsible for the "Manhunt" and "Bully" games, was being overly protective for one very important reason.
"We want people to be really excited and not know everything by the time they play the game," said Houser. "Of course, we want them to understand what they’re buying, but we want there to be surprises along the way."
The desire for intel about "GTA IV" has been mounting since the game was announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2006 and again in August when Take-Two revealed "GTA IV" would be delayed until 2008. Other than four popular online trailers and some embargoed press previews, there hasn’t been much information.
The silent treatment is a savvy business move, according to Steve Fowler, vice president of strategy for the Ayzenberg Group, a company that specializes in interactive entertainment advertising and marketing. Fowler worked as a product manager on the original "Halo."
"’Halo 3′ took the approach of going after a less core consumer, but they had an ulterior motive," says Fowler. "Microsoft was using ‘Halo 3,’ their biggest property, to try and sell more Xbox 360s. Take-Two and Rockstar are free of that constriction because ‘GTA IV’ is on both platforms, so they’re only motivated to be true to what their game is and sell copies of their game."
Thus far, Rockstar’s advertising campaign has consisted of several outdoor elements — billboards, bus wraps, building murals, phony wanted posters — spread across North America and Europe as well as a few viral videos featuring satirical commercials for fictitious "GTA" businesses posted online. GameStop and Microsoft have also aired their own TV commercials featuring the game.
The less-is-more approach might also have something to do with the controversial series’ M-rated content. "GTA IV" anti-hero Niko Bellic, an imigrant-turned-gangster from Eastern Europe, isn’t exactly one of the Mario Brothers. As Bellic, players can hijack cars, earn cash for criminal activities, flee from police, drive drunk, kill innocent bystanders and patronize strip clubs.
"If you look at their marketing, that’s not a selling point at all," says Fowler. "They’ve gone with this comic book look and feel. It’s not about graphic violence. It’s not about profanity. It’s more about the feeling, expression and the emotional attachment to the characters and the world."
The drama extends beyond Liberty City, the game’s fictional locale, and into the real world. Video game publisher Take-Two, which owns Rockstar, has been subject to a hostile takeover bid from Electronic Arts since February. Take-Two has been holding out, refusing to enter formal talks with EA or any other suitor until April 30, the day after "GTA IV" goes on sale.
Huge first-day "GTA IV" sales could certainly boost the value of Take-Two’s shares. The lack of a "Halo 3"-sized advertising campaign isn’t expected to affect sales, according to video game analysts. Unlike the Xbox 360-exclusive "Halo 3," the ninth "GTA" game is being simultaneously released for Sony’s and Microsoft’s consoles, a first for the 10-year-old gaming franchise.
"The addressable market at launch is about 24 million consoles," says Michael Pachter, video game analyst at Wedbush Morgan. "So how many will sell in the first week or month or few months? Nine million. That’s the number. That’s about a 35 percent attach rate. By year’s end, it’ll be somewhere between 11 and 13 million because more consoles will be sold before the holidays."
By comparison, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End," which had the highest grossing film debut in 2007, fleeced $404 million in its first six days around the world. However, a movie ticket is significantly less than the $59.99 price tag for "GTA IV." And software sales are usually less concerned with opening week figures, according to Pachter.
"Opening week doesn’t have any bearing on lifetime sales," says Pachter. "With box office, three to five times opening weekend sales is what movies usually do. Games can slip under the radar and be slow and steady sellers like ‘Wii Fit’ will be or highly anticipated like ‘GTA IV’ and literally sell half of their lifetime units in the first week."
Such sales would beat the record held by "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," the previous "GTA" console game that sold over 9 million copies when it was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004, according to NPD Group, which tracks video game sales. To meet the demand, retailers such as GameStop and Best Buy are opening their doors at midnight for special "GTA IV" launch events.
"I would expect April to be a monster sales month for the video game industry, one that is likely to break all sorts of previous records," says Anita Frazier, video game analyst for NPD Group. "We release our April sales data on May 15, and I get goosebumps thinking of the numbers we’ll see on that day."
Grand Theft Auto IV Review HD
by obsoletepower on April 27th, 2008
This is the latest GTA IV review video.
Team Fortress 2 Goldrush
by obsoletepower on April 27th, 2008
New Map. New Gameplay. New Medic Achievements & Milestones
Goldrush is an entirely new level featuring a new gameplay style called Payload.
The level is split into three separate areas with capture zones inside of each major chapter. The teams are split between offense (blu) and defense (red) similar to dustbowl.
The goal for the blu team is to push the bomb payload throught the level until it reaches the next capture point, eventually destroying all three of the red teams major bases. Blu pushes the level by standing near it, and the cart will move faster the more people standing near it, which is a concept familiar to anyone who plays team based multiplayer games. If no one has pushed the cart forward after 30 seconds, the cart will begin to move backward until it is pushed forward again. This makes for some very concentrated and hectic exchanges indeed.
Goldrush is a map specifically focused on pacing, so the player feels like they are part of an overall team focus instead of being a lone wolf. Each member of the team naturally has to focus on both the overall goal of either advancing or stopping the payload, but also on the local threats, like that heavy backed up by a medic. Goldrush has been designed taking all nine classes into account, which means there is truly a place for everyone and their favorite class to be useful.
New Unique Item System
This update will also mark the beginning of the most significant change Vavle will be making to TF2 over the next year, beginning first with the Medic class. Players will be able to earn three unique items by earning some or all of the new medic achievements coming in this update. These new items will give the player new choices to how the play the medic class itself, as well as have a new impact and benefit to the rest of the team. I am sure many are curious, and Valve states that after this initial release they will quickly be adding unique items for the remaining eight classes.
Players earning one-third of the new medic achievements will be given a new syringe gun called “The Blutauger.” This new weapon will no longer be able to score critical hits against an opponent, instead it will draw health from enemies each time a syringe hits. It is especially helpful when used as a weapon to retreat away from the fight while staying alive.
Players earning two-thirds of the achievement will be granted “The Critzcrieg.” This new medigun uses it’s ubercharge not for invulnerability, but to give it’s recipient 100% chance to fire critical ordinance. Medics and the player they are charging need to be careful however because as much fun as it is to fire critical rockets as fast as you can, the other team will see what you are up to and try to put and quick stop to your plan.
The determined players who earn all 36 of the achievements will find themselves the proud owner of “The Ubersaw,” which takes damage done in melee attacks and converts it directly to Ubercharge. Four hits with this new weapon will fully charge whatever Medigun the Medic has equipped.
When you acquire a new item, you will get a screen indicating which new item you have received. You can then go to the loadout screen to equip your new stuff.
The update will be released this Tuesday, April 29th.
So load up Steam on Tuesday, and make sure to get this free update for the PC version of TF 2.
When asked about the console versions, Valve was unable to give us a solid release date, but said they did plan on releasing this update as soon as they possibly could.
Prince of Persia Prodigy confirmed
by obsoletepower on April 27th, 2008
Recently snooping enthusiasts uncovered the trademarking of ‘Prodigy’ for the Ubisoft platforming franchise.
Now according to the Ubisoft forum community a mysterious website has emerged which users were taken to after visiting the suspected official sites address.
There’s mystery abound, well sorta. The site featured swirling liquid behind a word in Arabic, which the Ubi community believes translated into "Minjar" meaning telescope in English.
The publisher hasn’t confirmed the official title for next year’s latest Prince of Persia, a number of people have reported that visiting www.princeofpersiaprodigy.com lead you to this teasing site but it no longer does.
Ubisoft community voice "UbiRazz" has apparently not denied the site being linked with Prodigy and left a teasing "give it time" remark, in a thread brainstorming speculation.
GTAIV Multiplayer Movies!
by vipeness on April 27th, 2008
If you are scouring the internet to find any information or new game play footage of GTAIV, look no further… here is some high resolution videos from IGN that shows off just a little bit of the multiplayer experience we are all about to imbrace!
GTA IV Reviews Inside! One stop source!
by vipeness on April 27th, 2008
Well, it’s good to be a gamer right now, and with the hottest and most expected game of the decade, the scores are rolling in quick. With all the reviews finally hitting the internet, here is a quick list to all the reviews that are posted currently on the internet. Come back to this thread with every single review posted which we will be updated when more sites review the game.
updated: 4:05 sun, 4.27.08
100 - IGN
100 - IGN UK
100 - 1UP
100 - EuroGamer
100 - GameSpy
100 - Games Radar
100 - Playstation Official Magazine UK [May 2008, p.88]
100 - Official Xbox Magazine UK [May 2008, p.79]
100 - Playstation: The Official Magazine (US) [June 2008, p.36]
100 - Team Xbox
100 - Game Informer
100 - GameDaily
100 - Kotaku.com
98 - Xbox World 360 Magazine UK [June 2008]
97 - Game Almighty
98 - GameTrailers
95 - Computer and Video Games
More scores to follow soon.
Game Release Alert: Mario Kart Wii now available.
by vipeness on April 27th, 2008
Got a Nintendo Wii? Well, make sure to grab Mario Kart Wii today, which Nintendo loves those Sunday releases. The game is $49.99 USD and comes with the game and a steering wheel, which just like our exclusive preview on April 12th 2008, works well. Also, if you are looking to buy an extra wheel; which is the official Nintendo Wheel, the price as of today was $14.99 USD at your local GameStop store. Gamestop is selling their own wheel for the game for $9.99 and from some inner ears from GameStop; they said the Nintendo wheel was a-lot better. So this go around, stick with official gear for the best playable. See ya online!
Grand Theft Auto 4 Q&A Technical Information Revealed
by vipeness on April 27th, 2008
Today, Rockstar QA/QC Rep PHiLCORE announced the Technical Information over at the gtagaming.com website. We just wanted to share the important information that he left here on the site so you can be ready for the most important game of this decade. Check out the following information below before the crazy midnight launches start up tomorrow night. Are you ready… ?
Hello peeps been a while since i was last on here because ive been busy with work so ermmm though id post this up for Xbox 360 and PS3 users who are going to get this game on tuesday, some general info and some help if you encounter tech issues with the game courtesey of you local Rockstar QA/QC Rep PHiLCORE:
What ports will be used for online play for both PS3 & XB360?
Xbox
only uses port 3074(UDP).
PS3
uses ports 6672(UDP), 8001(TCP), 28900(UDP), 27900(TCP).
For access to Playstation Network the following ports are used:
TCP:
80(HTTP)
8080(HTTP)
443(HTTPS)
5223(JABBER)
3478, 3479, 3480
UDP:
3478, 3479
How much HDD space will the PS3 version take up?
3500mb
What is the official stance on downloadable content? And how far do we support this?
There will be two episodes released as downloadable content. One will be released this year, the other in 2009. They will be exclusively available through Xbox Live.
What HD resolutions does the game support (PS3/XB360)?
Xbox 360: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i
PAL 50 and PAL 60 are supported
PS3: 1080p, 720p, 576p (16:9 wide screen), 576i, 480p (16:9 wide screen), 480i
Only PAL 60 is supported
Note: to enable 1080p on the PS3 the user must select custom under display settings on the PS3 dashboard and only tick the 1080p box. This will force the game to boot in 1080p. If the display settings are set to automatic the game will boot in 720p, NOT in 1080p.
Is there going to be an official H&T guide? And where will it be available from?
Yes, Brady Games will do an H&T guide. It will be available from game shops.
Here is the complete list of achievements and are there are no know issues with any of them.
Fed The Fish - You completed the mission "Uncle Vlad" (5G)
Driving Mr. Bellic - You unlocked the special ability of Roman’s taxi (10G)
Off The Boat - You have completed the first mission (5G)
One Hundred And Eighty - In a darts game score 180 with 3 darts (10G)
Pool Shark - Beat a friend at pool (10G)
King of QUB3D - Beat the High Score in QUB3D (15G)
Finish Him - Complete 10 melee counters in 4 minutes (15G)
Genetically Superior - Come first in 20 single player street races (25G)
Wheelie Rider - Do a wheelie lasting at least 500 feet on a motorbike (30G)
Gobble Gobble - Score 3 strikes in a row, a turkey, in 10-pin bowling (10G)
Rolled Over - Do 5 car rolls in a row from one crash (30G)
Walk Free - Lose a 4 star wanted rating by outrunning the cops (50G)
Courier Service - Complete all 10 package delivery jobs (10G)
Retail Therapy - Unlock the special ability of buying guns from a friend (10G)
Chain Reaction - You must blow up 10 vehicles in 10 seconds (20G)
One Man Army - Survive 5 minutes on 6 star wanted level (40G)
Lowest Point - Complete mission "Roman’s Sorrow" (5G)
Order Fulfilled - Complete all 10 Exotic Export orders (10G)
Manhunt - Complete the most wanted side missions from the police computer (15G)
Cleaned The Mean Streets - Capture 20 criminals through the police computer (20G)
It’ll Cost Ya - Complete a taxi ride without skipping from one island to another (5G)
Sightseer - Fly on all helicopter tours of Liberty City (5G)
Warm Coffee - Successfully date a girl to be invited into her house (5G)
That’s How We Roll! - Unlock the special ability of helicopter (10G)
Half Million - Reach a balance of $500,000 (55G)
Impossible Trinity - Complete mission "Museum Piece" (10G)
Full Exploration - Unlock all the islands (20G)
You Got The Message - Deliver all 30 cars ordered through text message (20G)
Dare Devil - Complete 100% of the unique stunt jumps (30G)
Assassin’s Greed - Complete all 9 assassin missions (20G)
Endangered Species - Collect every hidden package in the game (50G) Under The Radar - Fly underneath the main bridges in the game that cross water with a helicopter (40G)
Dial B For Bomb - Unlock that special ability of phoning for a bomb to be placed (10G)
Gracefully Taken - Complete mission "I’ll Take Her" (10G)
Liberty City (5) - After meeting all possible friends, the ones left alive all like you above 90% (20G)
No More Strangers - Meet All Random Characters (5G)
That Special Someone - Complete Mission "That Special Someone" (10G)
You Won! - Complete the final mission (60G)
Liberty City Minute - Complete the story missions in less than 30 hours (30G)
Key To The City - Achieve 100% in "Game progress" statistic (100G)
Teamplayer - Kill 5 players who are not in your team, in any ranked multiplayer team game (10G)
Cut Your Teeth - Earn a personal rank promotion in multiplayer (5G)
Join The Midnight Club - Win a ranked multiplayer race without damaging your vehicle too much and with damage enabled (10G)
Fly The Co-op - Beat our time in ranked versions of "Deal Breaker", "Hangman’s NOOSE" and "Bomb da Base II" (15G)
Taking It For The Team - Be on the winning team in all ranked multiplayer team games (10G)
Top Of The Food Chain - Kill 20 players with a pistol in a ranked multiplayer death match (10G)
Top Of The Midnight Club - Come first in 20 different ranked standard multiplayer races (20G)
Wanted - Achieve the highest rank in multiplayer (20G)
Auf Wiedersehen Petrovic - Win all ranked multiplayer variations, all races and "Cops ‘n Crooks", as both sides (30G)
Let Sleeping Rockstars Lie - Kill a Rockstar developer in a ranked multiplayer match (10G)
The game is too bright / the colours are washed out / there’s too much glare.
Pause the game > display options once in the sub menu you will need to turn the saturation to it’s lowest level and adjust the brightness and contrast to the desired level before readjusting the saturation level to the required level.
Why cant I use the original PS2 car controls or I don’t like the current control scheme.
Pause the game > Controls > Classic mode - toggle this option.
GPS mode makes the games too easy or the city is too big.
Pause the game > Display > toggle the GPS mode option as required
How do I start the multiplayer games?
In order to access the multiplayer mode you will need to pull out your mobile (press up on the d-pad) fun whilst not on a mission and select Multiplayer from the menu that appears.
What multiplayer modes are available:
Team modes:
Team Death match (2-8 teams)
Team Mafiya Work (2-8 teams)
Team Car jack City(2-8 teams)
Cops n’ Crooks(2 teams only)
Turf War (2 teams only)
Race Modes:
Race
GTA Race
There will also be cooperative and competitive modes, although no information is available about these at present. More information can be found at: http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/multiplayer
Where can I access the SIXAXIS menu?
It is located in the pause menu > Controls > selecting SIXAXIS brings up a submenu which allows the player to enable motion controls for various actions.
How do the SIXAXIS features on the PS3 controller work?
When in a helicopter you can control the pitch and roll of the craft.
When on a bike you can use pitch and roll to pull of wheelies and stoppies as well as leaning.
When on a boat you use it to steer and control the trim of the engines.
When in a vehicle you can use the pitch and roll to control the orientation of the vehicle when in mid-air.
When using weapons you can use it to quickly reload by pitching the controller up and down in quick succession
How much does a Heart Stopper 6Lb burger cost at Burger Shot?
99 cents
Also I had a little bit of a play on it today while sorting stuff out in the office, heres a little review nothing deep just some bits and bob
Riiight then,
Managed to get a few hours in today of gameplay when I was in work in between sortting everything out before tuesday (call it the calm before the storm) ermmm had a bash on PS3 and 360 noticable differences, PS3 looks nicer and the draw distance is slightly better but because of this frame rate struggles sometimes but its hardly noticable, the 360 version as i said its virtually like splitting hairs to compare the 2 but the controlls feel easier on the 360 and it does seem to run smoother, up to now ive just done a tour of the areas available to explore.
Generally other things to report are that you feel like you have alot more control of what is going on with your character and vehicles during gameplay, although depending what car your in things can sometimes slide out of control and get pretty annoying making you crash into a wall at full speed and go flying through your windshield which is a blast unless your not taking much notice of your health then you die (seemed to happen to me alot today but it is fun ) didnt have a go of many guns apart from the pistol but still good fun the new aiming mode is pretty top notch, I thought it was going to be halo-esc but it isnt it makes it its own, police (pigs) are a nightmare in this one, if you run a toll youll get a star on you they are also pretty harsh instead of been able to fight them off like in other games they can usually grab you before you have the chance and put a gun to your head but if youve been a naughty boy expect to get shot up big style even if your in a car, ohhh getting back onto the cars get ready for some drool worthy crashes its not exactly burnout but the realtime damage on cars is awsome!
Anyways ill shut up ive tried to give you a brief run through of things ive came across and ive tried my best not to ruin things for you all by spoiling sh!t.
So yeh hope you all enjoy on tuesday and get some marley funk tuned in on the car radio!
Peace!
As you can see, it’s a beautiful list of beginning stuff to get ready for the game come tomorrow night (midnight for the slow) Stay tuned to http://www.thegamershow.com as we prepare for the biggest game this decade has to offer.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 HD Remix May Become Reality
by vipeness on April 26th, 2008
For all the fans of Sonic posted by racketboy.com the project for turning Sonic 2 into HD has been initiated with quite a few established groups jumping on the bandwagon to make it possible.
The Development Team So Far
Quickman - Project Coordinator
TheSonicRetard - Graphic Engine developer (based on his NeedleMouse Engine)
Jman2050 / The Taxman - lead game engine programmer.
Tweaker (the creator of Sonic Megamix)
BlazeHedgehog, Cinossu, and many others - Developed remixed soundtrack
Vincent & Blue Streak - Sprite Artists
Below is what the HD artwork looks like so far.
Lets just hope that now that the project has been initiated the project will actually be completed. Especially for the gamers that have invested the money in getting the better systems for the quality when the project is done it would be good not to disappoint. Now with all the next-gen games it would be worth it to loyal fans of Sonic to experience the game and an updated quality.
Gran Turismo 5 - Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel Gameplay
by vipeness on April 26th, 2008
We got a chance to test out Gran Turismo 5 on the Playstation 3 using the advanced and brand new Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo Wheel, which by far is the best steering wheel known to man. Having played the G25 from Logitech as well. It works beautifully on the PS3 and we wanted to post a video of gameplay and the wheel in game action of the game. Enjoy.
Mario Kart WII (Preview with video and more)
by vipeness on April 26th, 2008
Mario Kart Wii in 2 words is; Awe Some. I got a chance to test out the final build of the game today here in Las Vegas, NV at the Fashion Mail. Nintendo is touring around right now at select cities and Las Vegas was 3rd on their list. Having seen very little previews on the Internet, here is some brand new GAMEPLAY of Mario Kart Wii.
Twisted Metal Heads On Extra Twisted Edition Video Review
by vipeness on April 26th, 2008
Hey Guys… Just wanted to post the video review of Twisted Metal heads On Extra Twisted Edition on the blog. Check it out below…
Some Gamestops stopping Midnight release of Mario Kart Wii, to Staff for GTA IV
by misty on April 25th, 2008
After making a few calls to some of the Gamestops it appears that some will be unable to comply with the Midnight Launch of Mario Kart Wii for financial reasons. One of the main reasons for being unable to do the Mario Kart Wii launch is because they are unable to staff for both nights being that the release dates are so close to each other. I guess for those Gamestops not being able to do both launches it probably came down to which release would bring in the most profit to justify the means of opening the store at midnight. As many people that are anticipating the release of Mario Kart for the Wii it only covers one system vs Grand Theft Auto IV which is being released on both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Which means all the fans waiting for the Mario Kart Wii will just have to sit tight until the doors open on the 27th. Now this doesn’t mean all Gamestops are stopping the Midnight Launch for the Mario Kart Wii it just means before you make the trip to one it would be a good idea to call first and confirm.