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American McGee says XBLA, PSN need to evolve

by Jason Dobson { Apr 24th 2009 at 10:00AM }

When it comes to digital distribution on consoles, American McGee feels that the model "still has some evolving to do." The game designer -- whose credits include Alice as well as Doom and Quake -- recently told Geek.com that while his ambitious 24-episode experiment Grimm could be ported over to such platforms as Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, the process needs some work before that would happen.

"Porting this sort of stuff is straightforward," claimed McGee, who added that "the biggest issue" sits with the platforms' content approval and distribution model. XBLA's certification process has long proved a cumbersome hurdle for developers, with McGee noting,"When a single title might take months to get through review and approval (take Braid, as an example), pushing 24 episodes through would translate to years of approval process."

McGee is currently spinning his creative wheels on the recently announced sequel to Alice, a property that's also been mentioned in movie circles for some time. The rights currently sit with producer Scott Faye, who was responsible for 2008's big screen take on Max Payne, a film McGee lambasted, saying, "I wasn't able to sit through the entire thing ... I just couldn't connect to the film version." You, sir, were not alone.

[Via 1UP]

GameTap Thursday: Insecticide, Freak Out & McGee's Sleeping Beauty

by Xav de Matos { Mar 12th 2009 at 9:40PM }

Another week, another update to GameTap's service. This week three titles have been added as the company preps the service for a major overhaul. This week's offerings continue the Grimm franchise -- with what GameTap old us is the biggest episode in the series -- while introducing new gamers to the world of hard-boiled insect detectives. Yeah, you read that correctly.

Insecticide, Part 1 (Windows) - A "hard-boiled film noir action-adventure game" set a bug-ridden future? Sounds like realism to us, kids.
Freak Out: Extreme Freeride (Windows) - An extreme skiing simulator that combines two of our favorite things, freaking out and the word extreme.
American McGee's Grimm: Sleeping Beauty (Windows) - The continuing episodic adventures of Grimm this time tackling the age-old story of Sleeping Beauty. This one is free to play but only for today! Hop to it!

GameTap has added Just Cause (aka GTA in the Caribbean) to the free to play catalog but will only be free until March 26. Check out a full list of the service's downsized free-to-play titles after the break.

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GameTap Thursday: A Grimm Christmas Carol, Dawn of War: Gold

by Alexander Sliwinski { Dec 18th 2008 at 3:00AM }

Grimm's second volume ends this week with the negative gnome's (dwarf?) take on A Christmas Carol. The good news is that, instead of the standard 24 hours of free play, the latest episode will be available to freeloaders from now until New Year's Eve.

Grimm: A Christmas Carol (Windows) - Scrooge vs. Grimm: FIGHT!
Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War: Gold (Windows) - The original Dawn of War, plus the (arguably) superior Winter Assault expansion. RTS fans owe it to themselves to play this.

GameTap adds King of Fighters 2003 to the free games list for one week. Check out the full gratis rundown after the break.

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm meets the Pied Piper

by Ross Miller { Dec 11th 2008 at 5:59PM }

Even more Grimm this week, as the second volume gets ready to wrap up on December 18. We've also got tasty pastries and an open world, alternate-future shooter.

Grimm: The Pied Piper (Windows) - Something tells the music won't be as innocently alluring.
Digby's Donuts (Windows) - Mmmm, donuts.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl (Windows) - Fun for the whole nuclear family! Okay, not really, but it is quite fun.

For the freebies this week, we've got Tomb Raider Anniversary -- but only for this week. A friendly reminder, Grimm is free to play for the first 24 hours of release. Full list of free games after the break.

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GameTap Thursday: Tuesday brings Golden Goose, Painkiller

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 25th 2008 at 3:00AM }

GameTap will be updating with Painkiller and a new episode of Grimm today, due to the annual "gobble day" falling on this Thursday. Instead of the normal 24-hour grace period for freeloaders, the new episode of Grimm will be available to non-subscribers through Thanksgiving.

Grimm: The Golden Goose (Windows) - This goose lays golden eggs and everyone lives horribly ever after. Mo' money, mo' problems.
Painkiller (Windows) - An FPS that's filled to the brim with pew-pew pew-pew-pew and ka-booooom.

GameTap adds Fallout and Hitman: Blood Money to the gratis games roster this week. The full list of free-to-play titles is hiding from the apocalypse after the break.

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm, Lionheart, Elements of Destruction

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 20th 2008 at 8:00AM }

The tales of Grimm continue this week on GameTap with Cinderella. Subscribers of the service also have a chance to get their mad scientist on, destroying everything in their path for points, in Elements of Destruction.

Grimm: Cinderella (Windows) - We doubt there will be singing mice. If there are, they'll probably die in some gruesome way.
Lionheart (Windows) - An action-RPG from 2003 that uses Fallout's SPECIAL system, coupled with Diablo-esque hack n' slash.
Elements of Destruction (Window) - Be a mad scientist who likes to destroy cities. In the end, it's a little cathartic.

No new free games this week and next week's update will occur on Tuesday, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The full list of current free-to-play titles can be found after the break.

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm's King Midas, Space Hack

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 13th 2008 at 3:00AM }

GameTap keeps the Grimm episodes rolling, farting, and stomping along this week with King Midas. As with all Grimm titles, the latest episode is available to non-subscribers for free during the first 24 hours after release.

Grimm: King Midas (Windows) - Grimm goes after the man with the golden touch. Not to be confused with the man with the golden gun. That's Bond.
Space Hack (Windows) - A sci-fi RPG with "Diablo-inspired gameplay mechanics."

No new games on the free titles list this week. Don't worry, there are still 143 "no money required" games available, and the full list can be found after the break.

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm's 'The Singing Bone,' Red Faction II

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 6th 2008 at 9:30AM }

Grimm's second volume continues on GameTap this week with The Singing Bone. The site also adds THQ's Earth-bound FPS Red Faction II, created by Volition, developers of the Saints Row franchise.

Grimm: The Singing Bone (Windows) - The game is available to non-Gametap subscribers for the first 24 hours after release.
Red Faction II (Windows) - Sorry, Mars. The red planet just wasn't cool enough for the sequel. This Earth-based FPS totally missed the boat by not calling itself Blue Faction. Just ignore the historical basis for the series' name and the color change would have been fine.

The current list of 143 free games can be found after the break. Sorry, no new additions this week.

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm Vol. 2 begins, Fallout Tactics

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 30th 2008 at 3:00AM }

Grimm, GameTap's original series, returns this week with The Master Thief. Volume 2 will have eight new episodes leading up to Christmas, with the last one being the series' take on A Christmas Carol. Subscribers can play Grimm at any time, but freeloaders can check out The Master Thief for the next 48 hours.

Grimm: The Master Thief (Windows) - American McGee's Katamari-esque, fractured fairy tale returns.
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (Windows) - A tactical RPG, set in the Fallout universe, following the Brotherhood of Steel. The game is briefly mentioned in GameTrailers' Fallout retrospective.

There are no new additions to the gratis games catalog this week. The current list of 144 can still be found after the break.

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm's Beauty and the Beast

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 18th 2008 at 4:00AM }

It's a tale as old as time, a song as old as rhyme: Beauty and the Beast. Well, maybe not this time. American McGee's Grimm puts its own special twist on the fairy tale in this week's GameTap update.

Grimm: Beauty and the Beast (Windows) - Remember, it's free to non-subscribers for the first 24 hours after release.
Mission: Runway (Windows) - Like Project Runway, but without any of the entertaining elements. Worst of all: No Heidi Klum.

We're sure those of you who read this post every week have come to notice the "no new titles" pattern to GameTap's free games list ... this week isn't any different. The stagnant list of free-to-play titles can be found after the break .

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm's Godfather Death, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 4th 2008 at 6:00AM }

American McGee's Grimm introduces the title character to Godfather Death this week. GameTap continues to offer each new Grimm episode free to non-subscribers for the first 24 hours after release. There are a couple other new games this week, with one taking us 20,000 leagues under the sea, and the other us remember: We may not be smarter than a 5th grader, but we sure as heck are bigger and stronger!

Grimm: Godfather Death (Windows) - *Grandpa Simpson voice* Death! Deaaaaaaaaaaath!
Sub Command (Windows) - Another submarine simulation.
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (Windows) - Fine FOX programming, now on your computer screen.

There aren't any additions to GameTap's free games lineup this week, but the list of titles available can be found after the break. We've also learned that Kane & Lynch: Dead Men will join the service next week.

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm dirties another tale, Puzzle Quest drops some runes

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 28th 2008 at 3:00AM }

American McGee's Grimm continues on GameTap this week with The Girl Without Hands -- yup, it's getting darker. Same as every week, the episode is free to non-subscribers for the first 24 hours after release. The service also gets into the drug trade by adding the addictive Puzzle Quest.

Grimm: The Girl Without Hands (Windows) - Katamari Grimm-acy do your thing!
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of Warlords (Windows) - It's time to finally play this game if you've somehow missed out on it.

There aren't any additions to GameTap's gratis games lineup this week, but the full list of free-to-play titles can be found after the break.

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm vs. Puss in Boots; Patrician gets all medieval

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 21st 2008 at 3:00AM }

This week American McGee's Grimm retells the story (in Grimm's special way) of the anthropomorphic Puss in Boots. The episode is free for everyone the first 24 hours after release and will be available only to GameTap subscribers after that time.

Grimm: Puss In Boots (Windows) - Cats are evil and Puss is no exception. Dogs rule!
Patrician III (Windows) - How to describe ... how to describe? Oh, it's like playing "Medieval Tycoon."

There are no new additions to GameTap's free games lineup this week. As always, though, the full list of free-to-play titles can be found after the break.

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm meets The Fisherman and his Wife; Prince of Persia also flips in

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 14th 2008 at 3:00AM }

Katamari Grimm-acy rolls on this week as American McGee's Grimm tells the tale of The Fisherman and His Wife. Remember each episode is available for free to all for the first 24 hours after release, after which it becomes available to GameTap subscribers only.

Grimm: The Fisherman and His Wife (Windows) - Greedy wife is bound to get what she deserves!
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones (Windows) - The final chapter in the Sands of Time trilogy brings back some of the first game's charm and cuts out a lot of the second title's emo.

There are no new additions to GameTap's free games lineup this week. If you still haven't tried the first episode of Grimm, it's available to play for free and doesn't require a huge time commitment.

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GameTap Thursday: Grimm meets Little Red Riding Hood

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 7th 2008 at 3:00AM }

Despite some awkward news today that parent company Turner is trying to unload GameTap, the show must go on. With that said, American McGee's Grimm adds a new episode this week, Little Red Riding Hood, which will be available to everyone -- not just subscribers -- for the first 24 hours after release.