| Our Five Favorite Video Game Duos
January 12, 2010 at 9:00 PM
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| Elliot Salem and Tyson Rios might be an Army of Two, but they’re not the first -- or even the best -- tag-team in video game history. Here are five pairings that remind us that friendship is rare. (Do you know what I’m saying to you?) 
5) Bill & Lance (Contra, 1987)
The 1980s were a dark and turbulent time for America. Protests on the home front did nothing to prevent thousands of our nation’s youths from being drafted into service in the Great Red Falcon War, and we lost many bright and promising lives to what many parents considered to be a “silly” war. (Historians put the final death toll somewhere in the neighborhood of 30.) But two brave heroes emerged, and thanks to their intense military training which gave them the ability to shoot in 8 directions, resist substantial electric shock, and do really sweet somersaults when they jump, the war was ended, and an entire generation learned how to share (the Spread Gun).
4) Sam & Max (Sam & Max Hit the Road, 1993) The bond between a be-suited dog and a naked and crazy rabbit is undeniable in this point-and-click adventure classic. From the anthropomorphic duo’s search for Bruno, the thawed carny Bigfoot who abducts Trixie, the Giraffe-Necked Girl to their misadventures spanning from the Big Apple to the World’s Biggest Ball of Twine to Mt. Rushmore, there’s never a second that you’re not engage in their rapport. Plain and simple, the good cop/bad cop dynamic between Sam & Max is the stuff that legendary games are built upon (and then shuttered by LucasArts, never to be seen again for over a decade). Nothing, and we mean nothing, can beat playing Whack-a-Mole with live rats. 
3) Ico & Yorda (Ico, 2001)
It’s with good reason that many gamers cite Fumito Ueda’s Ico as the first time they felt a genuine emotional attachment to a video game, due largely because the gameplay specifically serves to establish a bond between Ico and his personal castle-bound princess, Yorda. The two can’t communicate with one another due to a language barrier and the game – smartly -- makes no attempts to change that from beginning to end. Instead, the relationship is furthered through their cooperative attempts to escape the stone walls that have imprisoned both of them. Even with its limited animation (it was originally developed for the PS One!), the game forges a strong relationship through a seemingly simple act that many of us take for granted in our own relationships: holding hands. Without it, Ico’d be a much different game. 
2) Alyx Vance & Gordon Freeman (Half-Life 2 and Episodes, 1998)
I could have taken the glib route here and paired the bespectacled one with his trusty crowbar, but there’s an emotional connection with Alyx that’s far more complex than “bash stuff.” (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Interacting with Alyx serves an important purpose: she’s the primary narrative voice that compels Gordon to keep on fighting…whether it’s to save humanity as a whole, or just to make sure she’s safe. 
1) Mario & Luigi (Mario Bros, 1984)
What, too obvious?
Anger-inducing exclusions: Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, Sonic & Tails, Billy & Jimmy Lee, ToeJam & Earl, Gunstar Heroes…express your irrational rage, total disbelief, or supreme disappointment in our omissions in the comments below!  
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| Microsoft Supporting 3D Games, But Unsure Of How Big They'll Become
January 12, 2010 at 7:31 PM
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You couldn't walk more than a few feet without running into a 3D-enabled TV at CES 2010. Sony was showing several demonstrations of PlayStation 3 games with 3D flipped on (Super Stardust HD was particularly impressive), while Microsoft was only showing one, an Xbox Live Arcade game called Scrap Metal. Plus, it wasn't the "new" 3D -- it was the "old" 3D. Does that say something about Microsoft's stance on the 3D revolution the tech industry was pushing at CES? I asked. "From the technical standpoint, we are fully 3D capable. We have 3D games running today," said Microsoft's Xbox group product manager Aaron Greenberg to me at CES last week. Greenberg conceded that it's possible Microsoft will embrace 3D...eventually. Maybe. "As consumer interest for 3D grows, we'll grow with it," he said. "I think right now we're unsure what level of interest there is from consumers to really want a 3D experience in the living room. Many, many years from now when it becomes a reality, we absolutely can support it, we do support it today. If developers want to make more 3D games, they can." In addition to Scrap Metal, Greenberg pointed to Avatar: The Game as another 3D-supporting game on Xbox 360. But in an unsurprising turn of events, Microsoft would rather encourage developers to look at Project Natal as a way to change the way games. He did admit the 3D works great at the movies. "I think 3D is a great experience in the theater and I thought Avatar was fantastic," he said, "but there's a lot of challenges about 3D in the living room. I don't know about you, but when I play games or watch TV, I've got my phone, I've got all kinds of things going on. I get up, I get down, I'm looking outside at the weather and it's...I'm not in a dark theater, wearing glasses, staring at a screen. I think it's just a different environment." Because the tech industry is pushing 3D so hard, however, Greenberg says Microsoft's technically on board. From a first-party perspective, they're going to remain on the sidelines for the time being. "It [3D] is the hot thing at CES and we've got 3D on the show floor, so we've checked the 3D box if that's important to people," he said. "If it becomes really important and people want to do more with it, we're absolutely happy to support it." Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter. 
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| The Verdict: Borderlands: Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot
January 12, 2010 at 7:30 PM
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Over the holidays, X-Play's Mike Demski and Michael Leffler booted up the latest Borderlands downloadable content, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot. Rather than focusing on a singular, self-contained story like The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Moxxi focuses on team-based arena combat. You and your buddies go in a room, enemies spawn in waves, you kill them all, rinse, repeat. Having spent many hours playing Horde mode in Gears of War 2 as well as Firefight mode in Halo 3: ODST, the promise of fighting endless waves of enemies with Hellfire SMG's and Volcano sniper rifles seemed like a very appealing proposition. Both have offered their take on Gearbox's DLC, with some mixed results to their shared experience.
Demski: I was so excited about this DLC. Literally, the first thing I did after returning home from vacation was turn on the 360 and get the download started. My hunter was at level 50, I already played through Dr. Ned twice, so I was definitely looking for something new to do in Pandora. Throw in a bank to store your guns, two additional skill points, plus more achievements and you've got 800 Microsoft spacebucks that I can't wait to give away.
Leffler: My level 42 Siren was definitely ready to be the Queen Bitch of the Apocalypse again. And I LOVE teaming up with friends who are a higher level than me so I can just rake in the XP. So Demski and I started Moxxi's first task, defeat 25 waves of enemies on each of three maps. When it got hairy I had no qualms about hiding behind a rock and leaving Demski to die alone.
Demski: Despite a few close calls, we managed to rocket through Moxxi's first challenge. But there were a few disappointments: no XP, and none of the kills counted towards weapon proficiency. So at this point, we're really in it for the achievements and the loot. Unfortunately, the loot drops are a complete disaster. You have to haul ass to the middle of the stage to pick up whatever's there after a boss wave is cleared. And since the waves keep coming, you only have seconds to see what's what. We ended up picking up a lot of garbage guns out of sheer panic.
Leffler: Then we tackled the first of three big Coliseum challenges: 100 waves of enemies, aliens, bosses, screaming, weeping, and a sweet sweet achievement at the end. Oh, and fighting this challenge by yourself is impossible without gaming the system. I hosted the game so the enemies would scale to my weaker character, but Demski's level 50 still got gang-banged multiple times by the unforgiving enemies. At which point I was hiding behind a boulder leaving him to die alone.
Demski: I really appreciated that. Thanks to all of the modifiers (think skulls from ODST’s Firefight mode) like low gravity, fast motion, no shields, or the dreaded vampire mode (where your health drains if you're not killing), the later waves became a real challenge. I often ended up in the penalty box, where I could attempt to snipe enemies from up high. But despite all the panic and yelling, we forged ahead, and several hours later, the end was finally in sight. That's when disaster struck.
Leffler: We’re giddy, it hasn't been easy (6 waves of vampire in a row!?! You Gearbox guys are jerks!). Wave 97 of 100 defeated! We catch our breath and wait for wave 98 to spawn. And we wait. And we look for the gun drop just ‘cause we're bored. Nothing. Um, hello? Where are the guys? Oh my God it freaking glitched. We just spent three hours gaining no XP and picking up crappy weapons to ultimately not finish. I could have been spending this time playing Jurassic: The Hunted!
Demski: After waiting for several minutes and performing one last sweep of the map, we give up and exit the arena. Maybe we can jump back in a resume our progress? Nope. I still can't believe you bought Jurassic: The Hunted.
Leffler: Dude, you shoot dinosaurs! How badass is that?! Although my one criticism is sometimes you shoot scorpions. And scorpions are NOT f@^&ing dinosaurs!
Demski: Noted. Anyway, back to Mad Moxxi. As if losing hours and hours of progress wasn't a big enough downer, I discovered that my shield, class mod, and grenade mod were suddenly gone forever. I also lost my progress for beating the first challenge. So basically, the whole thing was a wash. After searching a few forums, it seems that other players are having similar problems. So be careful! I hope Gearbox puts out a patch for this, because there is no way that I will go back to the arenas and risk another incident like this one.
Leffler: I love Borderlands, but not even Moxxi's boob tattoo can get me to venture into the Underdome until they figure out a patch.
Demski: Can I borrow Jurassic?
[Editor's Note: We reached out to 2K for an official comment on Mad Moxxi's glitches and reported user issues, but have yet to receive an official response. We'll keep you updated on any patches, updates, or official comments from the publisher or Gearbox.] 
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| Tech Review: Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR Camera
January 12, 2010 at 6:46 PM
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| | Canon combines high quality still photographs and video recording with their EOS 7D Digital SLR. Chris Hardwick and Kevin Pereira review its 18 mega pixel C-MOS sensor, the ISO range of up to 12,800 and full HD video recording, all available for only $1,700. Check out the full Attack of the Show review after the cut.
What You Need To Know - This is Canon's most recent DSLR release for a mid-range professional model.
- It features a 3" LCD screen and weighs almost 2 lbs.
- The button layout can be daunting but it's fairly easy to use out of the box.
- If you've had experience with DSLR's, then you'll find this camera very user friendly.
- A lot of the picture settings have been broken down into one button, making it easy to change your settings on the fly.
- After a few hours of shooting, your hand does get a little cramped.
- This camera shoots with 18 mega pixels, up to 12,800 ISO and has a 19 point auto-focus.
- The biggest draw is its ability to shoot high quality video in full 1080p HD.
- These auto-focus works very well and always seems to know where the subject of your picture is.
- The high speed burst shooting worked exceptionally well. It didn't lose focus and shoots 8 frames per second.
- The video settings were easy to use and you can choose between 24, 30 and even 60 frames per second.
- You can switch between settings with a push of a button.
- The quality of both videos and stills lived up to our expectations.
- The images were very nice: colors were warm and accurate, and the contrast was sharp. Soft focus was also rare.
- The low light images were great quality as well, and the amount of noise was dependent on your ISO.
- Video quality was great: they came out really nice in daylight and there was some noise when shooting in low light, but overall, it was a lot better than some hand-held camcorders.
Price Rating - 4.5 Seals of Approval out of 5. (How do we rate gadgets?)
- We loved this camera; it was so easy to use and the video/photo quality did not disappoint.
- If you're looking to make the jump from entry level DSLR's (like the Nikon D90) into something more professional, then this is the camera for you.
Want something reviewed on Gadget Pr0n? Email us your suggestions to gadgetpron@g4tv.com. 
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| Warner Bros. Game Studios Hit With Layoffs
January 12, 2010 at 6:09 PM
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|  Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment confirmed today that a number of employees from the company’s Monolith Productions, Snowblind Studios and Surreal Software have been laid off.
By way of explanation, Warner Bros. issued the following statement:
"We are committed to growing Warner Bros. in the game space and will be retaining robust teams in our Seattle studios. We have been moving towards sharing certain resources across the studios and have also been reallocating resources to align talent with our development needs. Unfortunately, we had a few too many resources in certain functions and some positions were eliminated in this process. Our plan is to continually review staffing needs and as future projects evolve we would expect to see the studios grow." Monolith Productions, best known for the horror shooter series F.E.A.R., and Death Tank developer Snowblind Studios each have unannounced projects in the works, while Surreal Software has yet to deliver This is Vegas, which was originally scheduled for release last year. How these recent layoffs will affect these, and future projects, isn’t clear, but it would appear that Warner Bros. thinks it will ultimately help. Let’s hope so.
Source: Gamasutra 
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| Hello Kitty Online Trailer Is Disgustingly Cute And Infectious
January 12, 2010 at 5:44 PM
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| Sanrio Digital and Aeria Games' release a new theme song and trailer for their disgustingly cute, free-to-play MMO, Hello Kitty Online. Featuring in-game locales, this little number that accompanies the video is only an abbreviated version. To find the full-length version, hardcore Hello Kittens will have to go to one of the places that's featured in the following video. If you are indeed able to find out feel free to write your exploits in the comment section below for me... er my neighbor's little sister. She'd love to know where to find the rest of this terrible (awesome!), terrible song. 
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| Around The Net 1.12.10
January 12, 2010 at 5:12 PM
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| | Today's ATN is going to be a little more stimulating than most. Not only will you be able to see the usual suspects, like idiot teens hurting themselves poolside, field reporters who just don't have "it," and football stars trying to make the transition into pop stars. You'll also get an eyeful of hot, gyrating derrieres. They're hypnotic! Find the direct video links from Around the Net on Attack of the Show after the jump.
WLWT.com: Reporter Can't Break Ice YouTube: LT's Electric Glide YouTube: Disco Star Wars BuyBootyPop: Booty Pop YouTube: Cowgirl Booty Show 
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| Beyonce And Nintendo Get "Style Savvy"
January 12, 2010 at 4:59 PM
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As regular readers of TheFeed know, Beyoncé is the unofficial female mascot of our site -- no one is sure exactly why, but an election was held recently and Beyoncé triumphed over her closest competitor: Snooki from The Jersey Shore. Anyway, Beyoncé (or "Yoncé" as I call her in intimate moments) has teamed up with Nintendo to add some flavor to DS and DSi game Style Savvy. Players with broadband Internet access will soon be able to download five designs from Beyonce's real-life clothing line, Deréon, and use them in the game. “Style Savvy is all about creativity and fashion, both of which are really important to me,” says Beyoncé in a press statement. “I love that I get to become a stylist and take over my own boutique, and it’s so much fun to see some of my Deréon designs added to the mix.” Yeah, Style Savvy is a game about fashion, but shut up; It's awesome. Or so says X-Play's Abbie Heppe, and I promise she's more hardcore than you are. Just check out Heppe's rave in the video below: Maybe it's the cute accent over the "E" in her name, but, I think Beyoncé is the among the most interesting, beautiful women in the entertainment industry. I realize my taste in ladies is regarded as "crazy" or "wild" by some, so I welcome your opinion in our comment section about Beyoncé, Style Savvy, or really anything. 
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| Dark Void: Demo Discussion
January 12, 2010 at 4:56 PM
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| Alrighty, there's been plenty of opinions thrown around about the gameplay in Dark Void. I'm just asking for all of them to be put into one place. Built specifically for you, the G4tv.com reader, is the following demo discussion (with companion piece direct-feed demo gameplay). Feel free to touch on: Flight mechanics, combat, execution, style, production, and anything in between. Publisher: Capcom Developer: Airtight Games The floor is yours and yours alone to let your voice be heard... have at it. 
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| The A-Team Trailer Comes Together
January 12, 2010 at 4:28 PM
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| | After being leaked around the Internet last week (followed by a massive wave of copyright-based removals,) the trailer for director, Joe Carnahan's remake of The A-Team has officially hit.
What's my verdict? It is essentially what you would think a modern remake of The A-Team would be like: Neither bad nor overly-remarkable. However, it does appears to be a fun, fast-paced film that capitalizes on nostalgia well, while at the same time not getting too lost in that aspect. There also seems to be some good chemistry displayed by the cast. Let's roll down the list, then:
- An action-packed, in-your-face escape sequence: Check.
- Shots of the cast walking together, joking around in iconic hero shots: Check.
- Liam Neeson's Hannibal dropping the "I love it when a plan comes together" line: Check.
- A hot damsel in distress (played by Jessica Biel) whose plight is surely the catalyst for the film's plot: Check.
- Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's BA Baracus holding a welding torch, ready to customize vehicles and gadgets, presumably over an 80's style montage, in homage to your average episode of the show: Check
All in all, it looks like a fun popcorn film that's worth a viewing. If you've seen Carnahan's Smokin' Aces, you'd get the impression that he would indulge in an overly-stylized, avant-garde narrative. However, the trailer seems to indicate a rather straight-forward, in-your-face approach. No evidence of rape appears to be present. (Although, we will question witnesses and check for DNA later.) The A-Team is set to hit theaters on June 11. 
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| Capcom Working On Hardcore Project Natal Game Based On Old Franchise
January 12, 2010 at 4:03 PM
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Outside of tech demonstrations and modifications of several existing Xbox 360 games, we haven't seen what Project Natal is capable of. Microsoft is keeping those games under wraps. But speaking with Capcom's VP of strategic planning and business development Christian Svensson at CES last week, I learned about Capcom's potentially ambitious plans for one Project Natal game. "I can't talk about what we're doing on Natal right now yet because we haven't announced it, although we have announced that we're working on stuff," said Svensson, emphasizing his vagueness. He was willing to tease a little more about one unannounced game, however. "I think you'll see again a brand focus on what we're doing there [on Natal], perhaps a brand we haven't seen in a while," he said with a coy smile, as Capcom public relations eyeballed us. "That's exciting."
Svensson did elaborate when pressed on whether it would be similar to Capcom's approach to Resident Evil 5 on PlayStation 3, which is getting updated to support Sony's upcoming motion controller. "We're gonna make a 'gamers game' for Natal using something amongst our brand history" "What we're doing is creating it from the ground up for Natal, in this case. But it's..." he said, pausing. "How do I describe this...it's created from the ground up for Natal. We're not looking at Natal as 'okay, here's a little Natal gimmick that we've worked into some existing game.'" When I jokingly proposed a spin-off of mini-games set in the Resident Evil universe, he corrected me. "That's not the plan," said Svensson. "The approach is we're gonna make a 'gamers game' for Natal using something amongst our brand history," he continued. "I know [Mega Man creator and Capcom head of R&D Keiji] Inafune is really excited about it, he's been very vocal both in Japan and with the media about his vision of what Natal brings. I'm going to have to ask you to wait and see." Microsoft announced Project Natal would be released during the holidays at CES, but Svensson made it clear to me that Capcom was not rushing this one out the door to meet that deadline. "We're not going to be at launch, just to temper the expectations," he said. "We're gonna cook something and it's gonna to take a while to cook." Let the speculation begin. Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.  
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| The Spider-Man Reboot: WHAT Can We Expect?
January 12, 2010 at 3:21 PM
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By now, the news has surely made its way around that the luck-deprived project of Spider-Man 4 has been mercifully euthanized. Allow us, then, a moment of silence... (Ah, screw it!)
While the highly publicized postponement of the film's production was a definite roadblock, the film still seemed to be somewhat on track with with a recent confirmation of some rumors by John Malkovich himself regarding his involvement to potentially play villain, The Vulture. However, the Spider-Man 4 rumor mills, in all its glory, have officially been closed down with yesterday's bombshell announcement.
He Said/She Said:
There are few different versions of what went wrong going around. The LA Times reports that it was rooted in the studio's unwillingness to exceed a $230 million dollar budget, which had them at odds with Raimi (who obviously wanted a great deal more.) However, according to Entertainment Weekly, Sony's decision to drop the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire package was due to scheduling issues. (Issues, that surely served as the straw that broke the camel's back.) As EW explains: "The decision to go with an origin story stemmed from Sony developing two Spidey projects simultaneously. According to studio insiders, Sony was working on both Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 and the new origin story from James Vanderbilt, who wrote Zodiac. The original plan was to keep the Spider-Man gang together for one last film in 2011 before rebooting the series in 2012. When it became clear that Raimi would not be able to make the summer 2011 release date planned for Spider-Man 4, the studio opted to scrap Spider-Man 4 altogether, and focus solely on the series reboot." As known for some time, Sony had to churn out A Spider-Man film soon enough to retain its perpetual rights on the franchise. Had they not done so, the rights would have gone back to Marvel/Disney, and we could have gotten a more prudently-timed Spider-Man reboot, which would have been directly tied into the other Paramount-distributed Marvel films. How sucky would that have been? /sarcasm
Therefore, there is probably a grain of truth in each scenario. However, did they make the wrong move? 2012 is without a doubt too soon for another Spidey franchise. This is especially so, when you consider that the new Spidey will hit in the same summer movie season that will kick-off with The Avengers, the biggest, most ambitious superhero movie of all time. Will Spidey be dwarfed? Will anyone care?
A "lemonade out of lemons" way to approach this, is that this upcoming franchise reboot will be a tremendous opportunity to set some things straight that didn't quite gel in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy (which I can now officially call it.) While that may echo the Sony PR line a bit, it is the truth. So, rather than continue through a more detailed and tedious postmortem about a film whose rumors have monopolized more than its fair share of film news, let's discuss what we expect to see.
Style Is Key:
There are so many avenues to explore, and as things develop, they will surely be more substantive for discussion. However, based on what little we know, the definitive factor for this franchise's success or failure will be its style.
EW has revealed that its style will be a "gritty, contemporary reboot of the franchise" adding that "this time around, the series will place Peter Parker in a more contemporary setting, as a teenager battling today’s issues." While the description is a bit vague, it may give us some elements about which to speculate. Some are already of the mindset that this will be an adaptation of Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man rendition. This is a very realistic scenario on many different levels, most notably on the aspect of the need to differentiate this series. However, there is also a certain darkness that's being implied, which may not echo the "Ultimate" title well enough.
We know that this absolutely, positively, definitively, (insert any other dramatic adverb) CANNOT echo the atmospheric style of the Sam Raimi films. By the time the film hits in 2012, it will only have been 5 years removed from the last outing. There have been longer hiatuses between proper sequels, much less complete franchise reboots. The average moviegoer needs to be able to understand immediately that this is a different universe. The name of The Dark Knight has been popping up in regards to this changed aspect. While that film is generally perceived as an untouchable paragon, Christopher Nolan's Batman series is not one that adheres much to the comics. Similarly, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films led a generation of geek-knowledge-deprived people to believe that The Green Goblin was some psycho business guy in a green metal onesie, The Sandman was some guy trickling into back vaults to raise money for a sick daughter, and that Venom was just some jealous, poor man's Peter Parker that haplessly joined with the Symbiote for five minutes before being jobbed-out by a pumpkin bomb. Those things considered, the new series NEEDS to get on track with the canon a bit more (be it the traditional or "Ultimate" one) and should not indulge in killing the villains in convenient wrap-ups to films. A believable Spider-Man film needs to establish a UNIVERSE in which you can imagine battles with his enemies occurring on a continuing basis. That was what was so brilliant about the battle with The Scarecrow in the beginning of The Dark Knight. Sure, he was one of the main villains in the last film, but here, foiling his sinister plans this time was just another day's work.
There are certainly other avenues that are being explored with this reboot and there's nothing but time to cover them. With the director's chair still officially vacant, names like Marc Webb ((500) Days of Summer,) one of the many Spider-Man 4 revisionist scribes, Gary Ross (Seabiscuit,) and... *gulp* Michael Bay (Transformers) have all been said to express interest in the project, this one, much like its ill-fated, unproduced predecessor, will be fodder for rumors and speculation for some time. Source: Entertainment Weekly 
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| 70 To 80 Percent Of Publishers Making Natal Games
January 12, 2010 at 2:52 PM
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|  Whether you think motion-controlled gaming is the wave of the future or a gimmicky trend that should motion its way to the nearest gutter, either way, it's going to be around for the foreseeable future, so you’d better get used to the idea.
Case in point, Canada’s CBC News (via Gamasutra) reports that between 70 and 80 percent of publishers are currently developing games for Microsoft’s Project Natal.
"Our first party studios are [also] very focused on this,” said Microsoft’s entertainment and devices divisions’ president Robbie Bach. "We want to have a few titles from Microsoft that show the way and then we want the breadth and power of the ecosystem from our partners to bring lots of new ideas, new innovations, new concepts to the marketplace. Xbox games don’t go away; you have to think of all this as additive. I think it adds to the beauty of what’s going on."
Microsoft has been talking a lot lately about sticking with the 360 for the time being, rather than fully looking ahead to the next generation of consoles. The company has said that extending the console’s life through hardware and software improvements is the current strategy, and with the kind of support Natal is receiving from publishers, it appears that the strategy has the potential to be a very worthwhile one. That is, assuming the Natal-powered games can deliver the kinds of groundbreaking experiences Microsoft is promising.
Source: CBC News (via Gamasutra) 
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| More Bad News For Electronic Arts, As Company Forced To Lower Guidance
January 12, 2010 at 2:40 PM
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|  Electronic Arts, despite critical acclaim for encouraging the development of new franchises in recent years, has had trouble finding its footing. The publisher has laid off thousands of employees during the transition and most recently lowered its fiscal 2010 guidance.
The company's fiscal 2010 ends on March 30, 2010. Previously, EA had anticipated a financial forecast of $3.6-$3.9 billion. That has since been reduced to $3.6 billion-$3.675 billion. This comes in the wake of news that Star Wars: The Old Republic isn't coming until spring 2011, but confirmation that Dead Space 2, Crysis 2, Medal of Honor, an "innovative" new take on Madden NFL and others are coming before the end of EA's fiscal 2011, ending March 30, 2011. They are making good decisions so far in 2010, however. EA's making a new NBA Jam! Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter. 
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| BioWare Confirms Star Wars: The Old Republic Targeting Spring 2011
January 12, 2010 at 2:06 PM
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Time to dash hopes that BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic would arrive in 2010. The studio has confirmed suspicions on their official message boards that Electronic Arts' unnamed MMO launching in spring 2011 that was mentioned yesterday is, in fact, Star Wars: The Old Republic. "While we have not announced a specific date, we can confirm that we are targeting a spring 2011 release for Star Wars: The Old Republic," said community manager Sean Dahlberg in a brief statement. "We’ve got a lot of exciting updates and reveals planned throughout 2010, including the first-ever hands-on testing for the game. It’s not too late to sign up to be a game tester, so go to www.swtor.com/tester and sign up today. We can’t wait to share more about the game with you as we progress through the year, so make sure you stay tuned to the official website for details." Bummer, but at least some fans will have a chance to play it in 2010! Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter. 
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| James Cameron Strikes Back At Halo Fans Criticizing Avatar
January 12, 2010 at 1:56 PM
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Are you a Halo fan? Have you seen Avatar? You're going to want to pay attention to director James Cameron's response to my question about the influence Aliens had on Halo and vice versa. One of the common responses to the first trailer for Cameron's Avatar was "whoa, that looks like Halo." Of course, moments later, most people realized Halo was deeply inspired by Cameron's own Aliens and Cameron was simply riffing on a style he invented. Bungie has admitted the influence numerous times. "The funniest thing is when some of the so-called fanboys get up trashing Avatar for looking too much like Halo," he laughed during a recent interview with me that aired on X-Play. "It's like...pay attention. If I'm referencing anything, I'm referencing the source work for Halo, which is my own stuff. So I get to do that. Nobody else gets to do that, but I get to do that. My rule, anyway." Based on his response, there's no doubt those comments ruffled Cameron's feathers a bit, but since he was laughing and smiling while describing the influence his movies have had on games like Halo, he seems over it. It's not featured in the X-Play segment (look for the rest of the interview soon), but Cameron also underscored his appreciation for his work entering into the "cultural zeitgeist." Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter. 
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| Sam Raimi's Next Project May Be World Of Warcraft
January 12, 2010 at 1:50 PM
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Hold on to your brains, gamers: The rumor du-jour on the internet is that Sam (Spider-man) Raimi's film based on World of Warcraft will be happening earlier than had been suspected. While Raimi's name has been connected to the project for a long time, yesterday's complete implosion of the next Spiderman flick may mean that Warcraft is moving up in Raimi's queue to the "next" position. According to movie-rumor site Ain't It Cool News: "I feel confident in saying that the next film we'll see from Raimi is going to be WARCRAFT... which after AVATAR, the concept of world building that particular universe could be astonishing - especially in 3D - especially after what Cameron just unleashed upon the globe. World creating Science Fiction & Fantasy... done by visionary filmmakers ... well, it is a premium. We got THE HOBBIT coming, looks like an AVATAR 2... but the word I hear is that today - the phone lines were burning between a certain legendary locale and Raimi's folks about firing up the furnaces to forge the weapons of war." I've been down with Sam Raimi's since The Evil Dead, and he's probably among the only three people on Earth with a whisp of a chance of doing justice to a Warcraft movie (The other two: James Cameron and Peter Jackson). But I'm leery of the project for a simple reason: Movies based on video games suck. It's an immutable rule of films.
You could spend all day arguing why this is the case, or whether it can be different in the future, but the fact remains: Almost all previous evidence indicates that suckitude is certain in a film based on a game. But can Raimi destroy the trend, and turn out a movie worthy of Warcraft? Maybe. He's among the greatest film-makers of all time, and the Warcraft universe provides some solid material for a 3D epic, but if I were a betting man, I'd still put my money on "This movie will suck," if only because the pop cultural landscape is littered with the charred husks of films based on beloved games. If you had put your money on "suck" with every video game based movie since Super Mario Brothers, you'd be a rich man... although you'd push on Mortal Kombat and Silent Hill. Source: AICN 
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| Wet Developer, A2M And 505 Games Debuts First Trailer For Naughty Bear
January 12, 2010 at 1:04 PM
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| Not familiar with 505 Games' upcoming Naughty Bear? Well... "NaughtyBear is a grisly psychopath slicing a path of manipulation and terror across a cartoon world of otherwise blissful teddy bears on the Island of Perfection. The other bears have gotten away with blaming NaughtyBear for everything that has gone wrong on the island—until now..." Expect the A2M-developed vengeful, action game to arrive on the 360 and PS3 later this year. At least I know what I'm getting my neighbor's 5-year old for his birthday. 
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| Dark Void Developer Video Hovers Over Ground Combat Mechanics
January 12, 2010 at 12:37 PM
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| Capcom Producers continue their line of gameplay developer videos with the latest taking ground combat into focus. Those concerned with how the hover pack will function vs. the traditional jet-pack that's featured in the game. The demo for Dark Void has been available for a week now, so be sure to get your playtime in, then, check back later for our G4tv.com community demo discussion to give us your take on the project. 
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| Dante's Inferno Book Coming On Jan. 19
January 12, 2010 at 11:11 AM
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Electronic Arts and Random House are teaming up to bring Dante's Inferno fans a special version of the source material for the video game: Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Divine Comedy. That's right, action-gaming fans, get ready to read a poem written in the early 1300s! Part one of The Divine Comedy will be distributed to booksellers nationwide on Jan. 19, 2010 to commemorate the launch of the Dante’s Inferno video game on Feb. 9. The new edition features an introduction written by Dante’s Inferno executive producer, Jonathan Knight, who offers insight into the process of adapting the dark masterpiece into the interactive medium. The book also features a 16-page, full-color art insert showcasing the evolution of characters and environments from the classic poem to the video game "We are so grateful to have the opportunity to work with Random House on this project. Through the creative process of developing this game, we have grown quite close to the literary works of Dante Alighieri. It is his vision that we are adapting for this new media, and new audience,” said Knight in a statement. “The game is a celebration of Dante, and we hope gamers will be encouraged to go beyond the game and explore the classic text that has inspired us so deeply." If you're a fan of Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy, you might be disappointed with the game version. It's not that it's a bad game --judging from the demo, it's crazy fun-- but it doesn't seem much like Alighieri's seminal literary work. (Read it yourself here.) The Inferno section of the The Divine Comedy is a great read, but it's more about the wages of sin than kicking ass --there are no boss battles, no nudity, really no action to speak of. On the other hand, the tone and setting should translate from text to game really well. Either way: Pick up this book at a local retailer and get some damn culture, man. 
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| Army Of Two: The 40th Day Review
January 12, 2010 at 11:02 AM
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TheFeed's Jake Gaskill spent some quality time with Army of Two: The 40th Day, on sale today for the PS3, 360 and PSP. Can the game live up to the promise of its co-op premise? Does the sequel improve upon the original Army of Two? In a word: Yes. "Army of Two: The 40th Day isn’t so much a complete overhaul of the formula that EA Montreal established in the previous installment, but rather, a game that’s tighter all around, with spectacular and diverse set pieces and a much appreciated step away from the Middle Eastern, Blackwater-referencing setting of the original. It definitely isn’t perfect, but there’s plenty to like here." Read the rest of the review, right here. 
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Ubisoft is apparently turning a tone-deaf ear to the 
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