game informer posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Do you read video game magazines? Come on, you can be honest. Just because we try to provide you with all the online gaming news and views you need doesn't mean we don't expect you to occasionally feel the urge to read something printed on glossy paper. We won't get mad. Honest. Why aren't you answering us? YOU THINK WE'RE FAT DON'T YOU!

Oh, we don't know why we're even worried. After all, we were just reading in today's New York Times how magazines are having a real tough time attracting readers, what with their outdated news and limited space. Sure they'll try to lure you in with special issues and in-depth features, but your attention span is so short that you probably won't bother reading them, no matter how much you say you want them. You'll just tune them out like ... hey, are you even still reading this? WHY DO YOU NEVER LISTEN TO US? *SOB*

Remember when we said another Duke Nukem Forever image prior to summer's end would indicate an "imminent apocalypse?" Time to prepare your shelters because 3D Realms threw in a new picture of DNF in the latest issue of Game Informer alongside the unveiling of Earth No More.

The picture itself is rather non-revealing -- even more so than the previous two pictures of Duke and a Pork Nemesis. Over at the DNF forums, 3DR staffer Joe Siegler said that he cannot post a higher-resolution image online but agreed to the suggestion that the screenshot's inclusion in the magazine might get more people to read about Earth No More. Sneaky tactic, indeed -- at least Duke is being used somehow.

Just a reminder, we are now in the year 10 A.D. ("After Duke"), a decade since the unveiling of DNF.

3D Realms just announced their latest sci-fi/horror/suspense based game and is being tight lipped about the all the juicy details. Over on their blog, 3D Realms talks about Earth No More being their latest project and only teases about the details, because all the goods will be revealed in the July 2007 issue of Game Informer. Though, they did throw us a bone by posting a few quotes from the Game Informer article including details on a gun that works like a reverse proton pack called the Linker and how enemy AI will group together to take you down. They also mentioned that the team is pulling inspiration from movies like 28 Days Later, The Thing, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Aliens to nail the kind of suspense and horror that these movies bring to the table. But that's about it as any other details will have to come from Game Informer. Patience friends, patience.

Emphasis is on the online play, with a strong community based system (read: Myspace clone) for finding other bandmates, the ability to create a band logo and to customise your avatar. There is no clarification of whether PS3 and 360 users will be able to play together. We strongly hope they will. Due to Microsoft requiring special circuit boards for their peripherals, the controllers will be console specific.

The guitars will have ten frets. The normal five near the top of the neck and an extra five near the bottom, used exclusively for solos. There is also a five-way effects switch, with purchasable effects such as Flange and Wah. We've always wanted to fit those words into a post. USB microphones will be supported, giving us another reason to pick up Singstar when it's released. The drum controller promises to be a "TV dinner tray stand, only cooler," which could go either way, really. We hope it'll be a decent sized piece of equipment. It will come with wooden drum sticks and have four pads to hit with them.

Check out the rest of the details at NeoGAF and, if you want to see the accompanying images, pick up the latest issue of Game Informer. We certainly will.

[Via CVG]

The summary includes information on the story and philosophy behind the game. It appears that Free Radical will be making both an anti-war and an anti-drug statement with Haze, as you fight in a corporate military team which relies on a drug called Nectar to provide enhanced abilities to its troops. Nectar will feature heavily within the game, reducing combat damage and improving aim while obscuring your vision (hence the title, 'Haze', we suppose) and causing you to attack your allies if you happen to overdose. Sounds really interesting, if only because it's so different from Free Radical's most famous series, Timesplitters. Stylistically it's completely different but we're hoping its storyline is just as entertaining.

Other details harvested from the interview include information on multiplayer gameplay. Haze will have four player co-operative play online and, presumably, offline too. There will also be 24 person online deathmatch and assault modes. Though levels for these will be limited at first, due to Free Radical's belief in the cliche 'quality over quantity', there is every chance that there will be downloadable map packs available after the game's release. Read the full article for more information and check out the screenshots. Haze is going to be a big seller when it comes out this christmas and we can't wait to get our hands on it.

[Via PS3Forums]

The June issue of Game Informer has a feature about gaming's big questions. One of these is whether or not the PSP is a failure. Unsurprisingly, these claims are reduced to nothing more than simple falsities, spouted by Sony haters. As the Game Informer article smartly states: "How does selling 10 million units equate to failure?" Amongst many reasons listed is the undeniable fact that the PSP is the first serious portable competitor of Nintendo to find success. Before the DS Lite came out, PSP was actually beating DS in sales (according to NPD). To sum it up, no rational, unbiased gamer can list the PSP as a failure.

We all know the PSP is a success, it's just nice to see the often PSP hating press finally agree with us.

Silent Hill: Origins had seemingly disappeared from the public eye, with many (including ourselves) fearing its cancellation. The game showed early promise, with impressive graphics and Resident Evil 4-style gameplay. However, it wasn't long until there were reports of troubled development: Climax, the game's developer, laid off numerous employees. Then, it was conspicuously absent from Konami's Gamers Day.

Well, looks our fears were unwarranted. Game Informer has a new exclusive preview up: "The kicker was that even though the game was on a much smaller screen, our hands sweated and heart pounded as if we were playing a full-on entry in the series. If you're sensitive to scary content you'll probably not be playing this with the lights out and headphones on like the game recommends. With that said, it looks like Climax is on the right track with Origins."

We're incredibly relieved that the game has taken a turn for the better. Check out Game Informer for more screenshots and videos.

[Via NeoGAF]

Senior Marketing Manager John Koller has had a lot to say about PSP in the past few days. The system, which is now two years old, has seen its share of successes and problems. One undeniable truth has been the lackluster sales of Sony's proprietary movie format, the UMD. Although the format is considered dead by most, Koller claims that the format has "always been a steady growth."

The problem with UMDs, he notes, is the inappropriate selection of movies in its catalog: "There hasn't been the drop off that's been reported. The movies that have had some selling problems, quite honestly would in any environment, are the ones that weren't targeted against that 16-24 year old demo, or even now as we get a little bit younger the 13-24 year old demo. They're not looking for the older catalog late 70s early 80s kind of movies. A lot of them weren't alive then."

Looking at the top UMD movies (pictured, above), it's clear that successful UMD movies target a very specific demographic. However, considering the scarcity of movies in our weekly PSP releases, it's clear that the format is not experiencing the "growth" that Koller is hinting at. There's more to read at Game Informer, but note that the interview reiterates many points that we covered at GDC.

Just to clear up present and future tips. You know when you hear something long enough, you begin to think it's true? Well, that's what apparently happened to everyone in the chain of command at Game Informer when it came to the ongoing rumors that Mercenaries 2: World in Flames was no longer a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Heck, they believed it so much they just went ahead and made it an Xbox 360 exclusive in their March issue(as seen in the photo above). GI has since corrected themselves and, honestly, the error is totally understandable.

The whole Merc. 2 Xbox 360 kerfuffle started last July when a Pandemic representative said, "Right now, we have PS3 development kits and it's on PS3, and there is no announcement, but we're definitely considering Xbox 360." Then came the shots of Merc. 2 developers having and using a considerable amount of Xbox 360 equipment. Finally, there was the "oops" by IGN, when they announced the game for Xbox 360. This is laughably becoming one of the worst kept secrets in the industry.

The new issue of Game Informer (#165) offers the editors' vision of the 'Top 50 games of 2006.' According to GI, while Wii and PlayStation 3 overpowered our attentions, PlayStation 2 quietly enjoyed the year's most fulfilling lineup, trumping Xbox 360's solid first year.

Here's a breakdown of the number of Top 50 games per system (includes multi-platform titles):

• PS2: 20 (8 multi-platform)
  
• Xbox 360: 16 (10 multi-platform)
• PC: 15 (8 multi-platform)
• PS3: 6 (5 multi-platform)
• Xbox: 6 (all multi-platform)
• DS: 6
• PSP: 4
• Wii: 3 (GI lists 3 in table, but only highlights 2 games in article)
• GameCube: 0*

Despite Sony systems featuring 30 of GI's 2006 favorites, Nintendo was selected as both top publisher and developer of the year; and Twilight Princess (for Wii) was elected as 'Game of the Year.' It's also worth noting that while PS2 featured a wealth of top-rated games, the console was also home to the majority of lowest-rated, compatible with six of the 'Top 10 Worst Games of 2006.'

Update 1: because you all demanded it, here are GI's picks for PS3 games included in the year's Top 50 (in no particular order): Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Need for Speed Carbon, Call of Duty 3, Resistance: Fall of Man, Tony Hawk's Project 8, and Fight Night Round 3. Only Resistance is a PS3 exclusive.

Update 2: specified number of multi-platform titles per system in Top 50 breakdown.

*Twilight Princess was not included in the GameCube category.

[Via print edition]

See also: Winner of strongest fall lineup is ... PS2?

The new issue of Game Informer (#165) reportedly alleges that the next Wii installment of The Legend of Zelda has been "deep in development for around a year." Admittedly, this rumor comes as little surprise, since consistent first-party support is crucial for Wii's success.

We needn't remind you that Twilight Princess is a GameCube game with tacked on Wii functionality. While no doubt a key asset to the Wii launch, Twilight Princess is not a showcase for the new platform. Rest assured Nintendo has been working on 'that' particular Zelda entry since the moment the Wii concept was birthed. That's not to say we expect a true Wii Zelda before 2008. Remember, Metroid and Mario are holding it down in '07.

Game Informer also reports that Phantom Hourglass for DS as been delayed until October 2007; a full year after the Wind Waker sequel was initially expected. Sound familiar?

The second half of October is going to be an expensive month for PSP owners. October 31st will be an especially expensive time, with two of the PSP's biggest heavy-hitters launching simultaneously: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Killzone Liberation. The early reviews of Killzone are in, and so far, it's good:

• IGN (90/100) - "It seems wherever Liberation can go the extra mile, it does. It delivers on all fronts, from a thoroughly engrossing single-player campaign to an addictive multiplayer component. Liberation also shames most other PSP offerings through its presentation, which blends excellent visuals and sound with a clean and user-friendly interface. It has a few quirks, but in the end, they seem almost negligible. Definitely recommended to fans of the action genre, but also to anyone who dislikes bad games."
• Game Informer (73/100) - "Killzone is a franchise that has generated a lot of hype based on one average console FPS and a really wicked E3 video a couple of years ago, but Liberation is a PSP title that has some real meat on its bones... The basics here are all done well; I just wish there was a better auto-targeting system in place, a flaw that really limited my enjoyment of this game. Still, when portable versions of shooters so often feel like product for product's sake, it's good to see a company that's actually trying to do some quality work on the PSP."
• UGO (90/100) - "Gameplay-wise, Liberation is one of the best overhead shooters we've ever played... We would've liked to see a slightly meatier single-player experience, but the promised downloadable chapters and maps should help that. Mutliplayer, on the other hand, is top notch, and if you've got a couple friends with the game, it'll be a sure way to kill a few hours."

Meaty? Not meaty? Game Informer and UGO seem to disagree and the meatocity of the game, but one cannot forget that much more content will be made available later on in the year as free downloads, such as the highly coveted Infrastructure multiplayer. Our very own Chris Powell gave the demo an 8.5 earlier in the year, and it appears that the final version of the game is well represented by the demo. So, dust off your demo UMDs, and give the demo a spin. Chances are if you like the demo, you'll like the game.

Despite confusion over Game Informer's latest Red Steel impression, Ubisoft has revealed that a redesign of the game's mechanics is in development. The E3 build of the game was harshly criticized for its poor swordplay controls, and Ubisoft Paris has appeared to take notice of those complaints.

According to French press sources, the development team is hard at work refining a number of Red Steel's elements, specifically the sword-fighting, which Ubisoft admitted was difficult to program. Thankfully, the team likely has several months before Nintendo comes calling for the final build, unless the title slips out of the Wii launch window -- in that case, Ubisoft would have all the time in the world...

Speaking with Game Informer, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime has reconfirmed that Wii will use SD cards to store data and indirectly denounced rumors that the mysterious flap conceals Wii's 'last big secret.'

When questioned about the flap, Reggie responded, "That is where an SD card goes ... And on top are the attachments for the GameCube controllers." However, Reggie did hint that SD cards wouldn't be the only compatible memory option. "It will be one of the memory mediums, and it's the only one that we've announced," he cryptically told GI. Does Nintendo stil have an ace up its sleeve?

The July issue of Game Informer has a "Buy two used games, get one free" coupon for use at Gamestop/EB, pictured above in post rip-out condition. They discount the cheapest game so you need to buy three $55 games to get the full value out of it. There's also a $20 extra trade-in credit coupon for when you trade in that crusty old system.