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Keep It On The DL: The Top 10 Downloadable Games of 2007

Posted 12/10/07 8:13 am EST by in Best of 2007, Everyday Shooter, Pac Man C.E., PS3, PSN, PSP, Super Mario Bros 2, The Dime, Top 10, Xbox 360


pm2007.jpgWho says that you need a disk to have some fun playing video games? Sometimes all you need is a little bit of hard drive space. Ranging from updated classics to brave new takes on tried-and-true genres, here is my list of the top-ten downloadable games for your consoles.

1. Pac-Man: Championship Edition (Xbox 360)
The original "Pac-Man" was one of the games that changed the world, but the Championship Edition goes to a whole new pellet-munching level. Timed levels, crazy effects, and intense challenges make "Pac-Man C.E." a worthy successor to the Pac-Man crown. Hopefully 2008 will bring us "Ms. Pac-Man C.E." (I really do love her bow).

2. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Wii)
A classic finally made its way across the Pacific in its original form. The true sequel to the greatest game of all time, "Super Mario Bros. 2" (as it is known in Japan) picks up right where the first game left off, and keeps true to the game's 8-bit visual and audio style. Although it was released on the SNES "Super Mario All-Stars" compilation, true hardcore fans know it just wasn’t the same.

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Over-The-Top 'Devil May Cry 4' Xbox 360 Videos, Interview Coming Next Week

Posted 12/7/07 6:22 pm EST by in PS3, Video, Xbox 360


DMC4A few weeks ago Capcom flew "Devil May Cry 4" producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi to New York City to showcase his team's game.

He booted up a PS3, took a controller in hand and showed me -- no filming -- some wild scenes from the game. They included an incredible, over-the-top array of super-weapons.


Then he fired up a 360, played through some of the same levels, but not the ones with the super-weapons. We were allowed to film the big screen TV as he played the 360 version. And among the things we were allowed to capture was the introduction of a character called Gloria.


A publicist had told me in advance that I would like the Gloria scene.

Well, it depends on what you think I'm looking for. Next week, I'll run my interview with Kobayashi, which covers his thoughts on whether "DMC" is supposed to be a comedy, what he thought of the gamer-driven petition to return the game to PS3 exclusivity, and whether the health bars of Capcom bosses will ever get shorter. And more stuff.

"DMC4" comes out on Xbox 360 and PS3 on February 5, 2008.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

Razorworks on Those Darn 'Double Dragon' Achievements

Posted 12/5/07 12:29 pm EST by in achievements, Arcade, Retro, The Achievement Chronicles, Xbox 360


doubledragon.jpgLately, I've been investigating the origins of Achievements -- from some of the toughest ("Call of Duty 4" and "Gears of War") to the absolute easiest ("Avatar: The Last Airbender -- The Burning Earth").

But the one game that got me thinking about how Achievements are chosen in the first place was "Double Dragon." Earlier this year, the classic, quarter-eating brawler made its way onto Xbox 360 consoles. While many a gamer has no doubt conquered the title countless times, could they get all 12 Achievements in the XBLA version?

I'm guessing -- no. There was one in particular that got my attention: "Untouched: Complete mission 1 in a single player game without being hit." It's worth 20 points. And some of the other ones are nothing to sneeze at either. "Hero" requires you to play the entire game without using a continue.

So I decided to ask Razorworks, the U.K.-based developer who ported the game, about how they picked the Achievements.

Last week, two programmers from the company answered my questions via e-mail (and declined to be named for unspecified reasons).

They did tell me that only 8% of people who've bought "Double Dragon" have gotten the "Untouched" Achievement.

Read on for the rest.

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Running Out Of New Games For My Achievements Quest

Posted 12/4/07 6:27 pm EST by in achievements, Cipriano Achievement Thermometer, Xbox 360


ga_281×211.jpgWhat happens when there aren't any more games to play?

At least in terms of Achievements.

Does that mean it's time to give up on my quest to 20,000 points before "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" comes out? Absolutely not. It means it’s time to go back and work on some games that I already started.

Earlier this week I beat "The Simpsons Game," completing the list of games that I was looking forward to playing this year on the Xbox 360. That leaves me about nine weeks to go before "Smash Bros." comes out… but I still have 7,630 more points left before I achieve my goal. So at this point, I have two choices: work on games I'm not really into (otherwise known as “Achievement whoring,” a practice I admit is not above me), or work on getting more points in games that I’ve already played. I’m not that desperate yet, so right now, I'm opting for the latter…

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THQ Explains Those Easy Achievements in New 'Avatar' Title, Has No Regrets

Posted 12/3/07 12:05 pm EST by in achievements, The Achievement Chronicles, Xbox 360


avatar.jpgThe latest game in the "Avatar" series is a Gamerscore whore's dream.

About two weeks ago, a video made its way around the Internet showing how one can get 1,000 Achievement points in "Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth" ... in about two minutes. The player was shown performing a 50-hit combo, and in the process gets all five Achievements.

After learning about the tough Achievements in "Call of Duty 4" and "Gears of War," I decided to ask THQ what was up with the easy ones in "Avatar." Jon Cartwright, Director of Production at THQ's Australia studio, lays it out for us.

An excerpt from Cartwright's responses:

We weren't overly surprised that adults could get the Achievements as quickly as they did. If someone's been playing fighting games for years then the Achievements in "Avatar" are not going to challenge them too much. But again, we're not targeting that gamer. We tried to focus on the thrill a young kid would get when he/she receives his/her first Achievement.

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Activision Blizzard Update - Eye-Popping 'World Of Warcraft' Financials Revealed, Blizzard Console Plans Denied, Activision Annual Sequels Promised

Posted 12/3/07 9:50 am EST by in Big Business, guitar hero, PC, Top Entries, Wii, world of warcraft, Xbox 360


World of WarcraftAt 8:30 AM ET the heads of Activision and Vivendi Games led a transcontinental conference call to explain yesterday's Activision-Blizzard merger news. Vivendi CEO Jean-Bernard Levy revealed that the deal had it's genesis a year ago.

Among the headlines: this merger has not ignited any plans for a "World of Warcraft" console game. "We don't have any plans on the console side," Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said. "Blizzard's focus is on the PC side. If we were to release anything on the console side it would be managed on the Blizzard side of the business."

Most of the talk on the call involved financials and repeated explanations that the combined company is projected to have the largest income of any game publisher. Activision CEO Robert Kotick estimated that Activision Blizzard will have 15% of the $28 billion worldwide gaming market, allowing plenty of room for growth. He said the company will have 6000 employees, about half of them in "product development." Said Kotick, the combined company "unites the industry's best development resources in one organization."

What games are these executives most proud of? Activision's "Tony Hawk" did not get a mention on the call, but "Guitar Hero" did. The most enthusiasm was expressed for Vivendi-owned Blizzard's "World of Warcraft." Levy described it as " the most powerful relevant and successful interactive brand ever." It was revealed that Blizzard will report $1.1 billion in revenue this year, $517 million in operating income.

Repeated mentions were made of "unlocking Blizzard's value." Kotick said the combined company will "derive the benefits form Blizzard's deep knowledge of online gaming and the Chinese and Korean market." How this will affect Blizzard is unclear. Yesterday, Blizzard posted a FAQ on the company's site that implying little would change about how Blizzard Entertainment makes its own games.

As for how this will affect Activision's series...

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[Updated] The Day's Big Story -- Was GameSpot's Top Reviewer Fired Because He Slammed 'Kane & Lynch'?

Posted 11/30/07 1:30 pm EST by in Gamespot Controversy, PC, PS3, Xbox 360


kl281×211.jpg

UPDATED With Comments from CNET

Penny Arcade made a comic about the -- rumor -- last night that GameSpot was having trouble reconciling the site's major ad deal with game publisher Eidos with the 6.0 review the site's head reviewer gave Eidos' advertised game, "Kane & Lynch."

Kotaku had their own post up last night, connecting the dots while still saying the review causing the firing was a rumor.

Read Gerstmann's written review of the game here. Watch his video review here.

Joystiq reported this morning that:

Jeff has confirmed his firing to us via e-mail, but says he's "not really able to comment on the specifics of my termination." He added that he's "looking forward to getting back out there and figuring out what's next." We're still digging.

Joystiq also got a no comment from GameSpot parent company CNET.

I've put in requests to Eidos and CNET myself, in hopes of finding out what Eidos' deal with Gamespot and expectations for "Kane & Lynch" reviews really were. I'll post anything I find out.

But, rest assured, any hint that a media outlet might reprimand a reviewer for a negative review of a game for which it is running ads is not sitting well with many gamers out there. Hopefully this story will be clarified so we can see what was really going on...

Update, 2:05PM: CNET director of public relations Leslie Dotson Van Every just dropped me a line.

I had asked: Separate from Gerstmann, there is the question of whether Eidos' advertising deal with Gamespot/CNET would have involved any stipulations or expectations regarding the nature of Gamespot's review of the Kane and Lynch game. Can you comment on whether there was Gamespot/CNET agreed to any restrictions on how Kane and Lynch would be reviewed on Gamespot?

She provided this company statement: "GameSpot takes its editorial integrity extremely seriously. For over a decade, GameSpot and the many members of its editorial team have produced thousands of unbiased reviews that have been a valuable resource for the gaming community. At CNET Networks, we stand behind the editorial content that our teams produce on a daily basis."

Update, 6:09 PM:  Joystiq's Kyle Orland quotes a CNET spokeperson saying that Gerstmann was not fired at the behest of Eidos or any other advertiser. From his latest post:

While reiterating that CNET does not discuss personal employee matters with the press, [CNET spokesperson Sarah] Cain said directly that "we do not terminate employees based on external pressure from advertisers." When asked specifically about whether any such pressure was even attempted on Eidos' part, Cain had no comment.

Request To EA: Please Put 'Mass Effect' Developer BioWare On A 'Godfather' Sequel

Posted 11/29/07 10:05 am EST by in Games Based On Movies, mass effect, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360


godfather.jpg

I played EA's "Godfather" game last year. And while it was a solid enough interpretation of the "Grand Theft Auto" open-world formula, it did not feel much like I was playing "The Godfather" movie.

I started playing BioWare's "Mass Effect" a few weeks ago. And, well, I'm only exaggerating a little when I say it felt a little like I was playing "The Godfather" movie.

How "Godfather" was "The Godfather" EA game? It had lots of shooting, driving, and twisting of merchants' arms. It was never designed to ape the film. It told a story that ran parallel to it, focusing on the experience of a young man hopeful to join the Corleone family.

But is that the "Godfather" fantasy? The classic "Star Wars" fantasy involves swinging lightsabers or flying starfighters. The James Bond fantasy requires gadgets and beautiful women.  I look at the picture at the top of this post and I'm reminded that the Godfather image many people like me have is of the Don, sitting in a dark room, listening to the pleas of the desperate, raising a finger, muttering decisions and being untouchably powerful without directly soiling his hands.

Is there a lot of violence in "The Godfather"? Sure. But there is even more potent... talking. That's not really the recipe for a fun game, most people would agree. It certainly isn't the recipe for a popular console game.

Or is it?

BioWare developers, this is where you come in.

Image courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.

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The Biggest 2007 Games Of 2008

Posted 11/29/07 8:18 am EST by in 3DS / DS, Delays, Grand Theft Auto IV, PC, PS3, Smash Bros. Brawl, Xbox 360


What were the biggest games of 2007 that got pushed to 2008?

Earlier this week in my GameFile column at MTVNews.com, I ran through the hows/whys/whens on "Super Smash Brothers Brawl," "Haze," "Splinter Cell: Conviction," "Grand Theft Auto IV" (which now has a trailer coming next week, we learned yesterday), and -- indulge me on this one -- "Professor Layton And The Curious Village."

If nothing else, 2007's leftovers will make 2008 a pretty fun gaming year.

"Metal Gear Solid 4" did not make the list because they never dated it for 2007 in the first place. Should I have included "Spore"?

Check my round-up at MTVNews.com.

UPDATE: Reliable sources have told me I'm a fool. The E3 2006 trailer for MGS4 did indeed promise the game for 2007. So add that to my list. Go to 13:40 of this trailer for proof; though note that Kojima Productions got a little too clever for their own good as well.  

CliffyB Talks 'Gears of War' Achievements, Ponders Real-life Rewards

Posted 11/28/07 1:00 pm EST by in achievements, CliffyB, epic games, gears of war, PC, The Achievement Chronicles, Xbox 360


gearsofwar.jpgAchievements just don't make themselves up. They had to come from somewhere.

First we had Robert Bowling, Community Manager at Infinity Ward, explain to us how the development studio came up with the Achievements for "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare."

Now continuing our on-going Achievement series, Cliff Bleszinski (a.k.a. "CliffyB"), Lead Designer at Epic Games, gives us a brief rundown via e-mail on the Achievements for the best-selling title "Gears of War" (which recently came out for the PC).

While Bowling was a fan of skill-based Achievements in "Call of Duty 2" and "Call of Duty 4," Bleszinski wanted to spread the Gamerscore love to not-so-skillful "Gears" players:

"A good achievement is one that rewards experimentation or unique behavior. Even giving players an award for even attempting to play a game in a cooperative fashion at its most rudimentary level is a great motivator for inexperienced gamers to share a title with others."

He also talks more about the hardest "Gears" Achievement and how there should be real-life rewards for high Gamerscores...

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