Yes, I can confirm that is a pig, flying past your window - Nintendo Australia have just announced that their (very) highly-anticipated title Super Smash Bros. Brawl will be arriving on Australian shores on June 26th, just over a month away.
Not long to wait now before you'll be able to join the rest of the world in this action-packed fighting game, that boasts more moves, more levels, online play, Wi-Fi, multiple control options, more characters and a bonus single-player campaign that is a whole game by itself.
Banjo-Kazooie are coming back! 10 years after the first instalment and massive hit on the N64, that lovable bear and bird grace our consoles once again in the third of their series titled Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.
Rare has had massive success with their franchises and has gone back and reinvented Banjo-Koozie exclusively for the Xbox 360. Want to know more? Well we have the news, some pics and a video for you to check out.
... Following on from the Assassin's Creed patch earlier, Team Rainbow have had a sudden spate of jealousy towards Altair and demanded their own patch. Ubisoft has caved to the demands, and as a result Team Rainbow have decided to behave - instead of firing their guns aimlessly at flying bugs.
The 1.02 patch for Rainbow Six Vegas 2 replaces guns momentarily with the bug spray to remove a few troublesome pests that were feasting on code as though it was the last source of food in existence.
Rainbow Six gamers will also be pleased at the addition of some new features which have been introduced.
If movies are the "big screen", and tv is the "small screen", then what are video games? Technically, that's a variation on a theme of "tv" (unless you're talking handheld), but it's not the same, so it needs a new name. Hm.
Regardless of what we end up nicknaming it, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will be arriving on both the big screen and the ... interactive screen, later this year, thanks to Sierra Entertainment. This is the third title in the Mummy series, and sees Brendan Fraser and crew making the trek from Egypt to China, where he must combat Jet Li, as the resurrected Qin Emperor.
They say ask and you shall receive and it seems someone was listening to me. Yesterday I said I'll be keeping an eye out for gameplay videos for EA's Skate It and I wake up today to find both the Wii and DS movies on how the controls will work.
However they don't show the use of the balance board, crossing my fingers someone listens to me today, but it does show how the Wii-mote and stylus will be used to do tricks.
Now that the dust has settled a bit on the recent PC release of Assassin's Creed, it seems like a good time to release a new patch, updating the game to v1.02 and fixing a small, but annoying, pile of bugs.
Most of the issues seem to centre around graphics - pixellation, corruption and some issues with post-effects - but there's a few bits and pieces that are corrected now, too. Grab the v1.02 patch now and see for yourself, or stick around to peruse the changelog - or even check out our review, to see what all the fuss is about.
A gaming institution, the Madden NFL series has been around for 20 years, from the basic beginnings of 6-a-side John Madden Football. This year sees the 19th yearly update - Madden NFL 09, and we've just been slipped a few brand new screenshots from EA to share with y'all.
We've also got a rundown of the new updates and features for this year's game, which is also the first of the series to feature an inactive player on the cover, with former Green Bay man Brett Favre to be included after his record-breaking final season with the Packers. (Technically, John Madden himself appeared on the cover after he'd retired from playing - but as he appeared as a coach, not a player, the record goes to Favre.)
As much as movie/game tie-ins are criticised, it seems that the simple addition of Lego can turn an average concept into a winner. We've seen it before, and I think we're about to see it again, with the upcoming release of Lego Indiana Jones.
If you'd like to check this one out for yourself, you're in luck - a brand new playable demo has just been released, and for a mere 465MB download, you can be running and dodging blocky boulders in no time.
When I was (much) younger, my major gaming experience was on the good ol' Atari 2600. One of my favourite games for the clunky platform was, of course, Pitfall... it was so cute and awkward, and I'd usually only last a couple of screens before falling into quicksand or being stung by a scorpion.
It looks like my gaming days may be restored, with Activision announcing they will swing into action with Pitfall: The Big Adventure, for the Wii.
With some massive trailers coming out in the last 24 hours, I thought this week would have been a challenge to try and pick out some of the better ones. However when I went over to the file library to see what else was there, it was still jam packed with great videos that now I have too many to choose from.
Well, it's that time again - the folks at Blizzard have just put the finishing touches on yet another patch for World of Warcraft, bringing the worldwide smash MMORPG up to version 2.4.2.
This new patch is a little bigger than the last one, but will still only set you back 15MB, while it packs a pretty decent punch in terms of what it updates, introduces and fixes. We have the US/AUS 2.4.1 to 2.4.2 patch all ready for you - and if you'd like to check it out in other flavours, feel free to peruse our file library.
As always, we come prepared, changelog in hand, in case you're up for a spot of reading, too.
If you're big into your skating games and couldn't get a chance to play EA's SKATE since it was only released on PS3 and Xbox 360, you're in luck!
EA has announced that Skate it, a new game based off the same popular innovative controls of the original. But this time it is for Wii and DS only. That's not all, it will also use the Wii's new balance board to keep with the smart and new control systems players loved in the original.
And now for something completely different. I've been informed that independent game developer Last Day of Work has just loaded four of their casual games onto the Steam digital download service.
Become the leader of a whole new tribe in Virtual Villagers: A New Home and the sequel, Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children - or perhaps try out your hand at genetic engineering with either Plant Tycoon, where you must cultivate new plants to solve the genetic puzzle - or Fish Tycoon, where you can cross-breed fish to create new and different species.
Movie fans and gamers, your time is at hand. Sierra have unleashed new demos for Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy onto both Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network. Take a sneaky peek at the action-packed gameplay of the upcoming title - a nifty blend of brutal combat and unprecedented pace, designed to let you, the player, become the perfect weapon that is Jason Bourne.
Currently being developed through a close partnership with Ludlum Entertainment, and boasting story and character development from the Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy, The Bourne Conspiracy has been crafted to fit as an intensive, interactive addition to the library of blockbuster films and best-selling novels.
The significance of June 26th is fairly minimal, but for those of you hanging out for Battlefield: Bad Company, it's obviously a date of notoriety as that's your first opportunity to spend some intimate time away from the PC with your consoles, playing the latest instalment in the Battlefield series.
If that date seems too far off for you, and you want a sneak peek before that time, DICE and EA have just announced that the demo of Battlefield: Bad Company will be coming to Xbox LIVE and the Playstation network on June 5th.
...and continuing this morning's racy theme, Criterion Games have just announced that their award-winning gonzo driving game Burnout Paradise is currently in the workshop, being stripped and totally rebuilt, specifically for the PC.
This marks the first game from the series that will appear on the home computer, and it's been customised for the job with enhanced online features, expanded multiplayer and community driven content.
Following the runaway success that was the Race Driver: GRIDdemo, released over the weekend, Codemasters are very pleased to announce that they have secured the official Formula One video game license. They're now all set to drive the new generation of FIA Formula One World Championship games across a variety of formats.
Codemasters are the creators of genre-leading racers Colin McRae: DiRT and Race Driver: GRID (earlier titles sold in Australia as the V8 Supercars 3 series) - and they're looking forward to designing and developing official Formula One games for home consoles, handhelds and PC.
Way back in February, Chienneinformed us all that Gears of War would be getting the sequel treatment, with the infinitely creative trend of the gaming industry that is slapping an obligatory "2" to the end of the original title.
Gears of War 2, set for release around November will see the return of Marcus Fenix in the on-going war to save humanity from the invading Locusts. Like most video game characters, before being allowed to "just do their job", they must first make a few cameos in trailers.
Today, we've got the first game play trailer from Gears of War 2 for you - featuring a little bit of gameplay and a bit of background from lead designer Cliff Bleszinski.
While we're still lagging a little bit behind, Nintendo launched their WiiWare service in North America this week (Europe's due to get theirs on May 20th, fingers crossed we get lumped in with them!).
Getting in bright and early as one of the six launch titles is a little game called Pop, where players pop bubbles, scoring points and beating the timer. It's been developed by Sydney-based Nnooo, who are more than a little proud to see their handiwork being used as a flagship for one of Nintendo's new innovations.
The ABC's gaming show Good Game is shown on Monday nights @ 9pm on ABC2 with a repeat on ABC1 on Friday nights after triple j TV. As if that wasn't enough, there's always the downloadable vodcast on the website, too!
Here's some of what you can expect in tonight's Good Game:
Coverage of The Bourne Conspiracy, Wii Fit and Iron Man, plus a look at how Aussie athletes are using games to improve their real life performance, and a history of power-ups in videogames.
Welcome to another Monday, crammed full of screenshot goodness, all prepared and collated for your viewing pleasure.
We've got a veritable alphabet of enjoyment here for you, let's see now... archers lining up shots, b-boys (makin' with the freak-freak), plenty of cars, some demolition, a bunch of nice-looking environments, flowers blooming, giant mechs stomping, the inevitable heroes, a look at international competition, a zoom around jarama racetrack, a little bit of kicking, people made out of lego, the usual monsters, and ninjas, ships floating around in outer space, a nice protective suit or two, games that need quick reflexes, including running, nicely designed street racing tracks, some wartime tanks, hideously ugly creatures, characters putting in valiant efforts, perhaps in wartime situations, one or two x-rays (no, seriously!), a yellow bird ...and even animals from a zoo!
Anyone for tennis? Top Spin 3 is arriving on Australian courts on June 20th, for Xbox 360, Wii, PS3 and DS - and we've got a brand new look at some of the gameplay and highlights you can expect!
Created by 2K studio PAM development, Top Spin 3 boasts an impressive player lineup, each with their own signature animations and expressions, plus situation-specific behaviours, weather changes, and enhanced crowd reaction.
Take a look at some of what's in store with the new trailer!
Remember the first time you loaded up the Heavenly Sword demo, and, trembling hands grasping your still-pristine Sixaxis, spent thirty seconds marveling in the way you could repeatedly smash one button and unleash combo-tastic fury? I probably would have marveled for longer if the demo hadn't suddenly ended while I swallowed a mouthful of coke, causing me to choke in outrage and forget all about the gameplay, but once I got hold of the full title, the novelty wore off very quickly. That's why I'm particularly interested in whether X-Blades, which currently looks like a very similar style of thing, has what it takes controls-wise to keep me interested.
Set in the world created by J.R.R. Tolkein and depicted in the Academy Award-winning films, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will allow players to fight the entirety of the epic battles - any way they want. And, for the first time, if you don't want to crusade as the good guys, the option is there to conquer Middle-Earth as part of Sauron's evil army. Bring on Cave-trolls, the Balrog, Oliphaunts and even Sauron himself!
Just because you're back at work doesn't mean that you can't think about other things you could be doing with your time. Ubisoft would like it if you were thinking about the PS3, and all the things that it is capable of... like playing Haze, their upcoming futuristic first-person-shooter.
Don't just think about it though - step into the harsh world where nothing is quite as it seems, with the new, fully-playable demo recently released for the game! You can pick it up now via the PlayStation Network, and get an early taste of what the single-player campaign is like... or, if you've got some mates who are interested, check out the four-player drop-in/drop-out co-op online play (or via LAN), or rock out in your loungeroom with two-player split-screen.
Oh yes indeed, you read right, Bioshock is on its way to becoming a delicious live action cinema experience. I have mixed feelings about this. Half of me is pleased, because Bioshock is a great game, with a good story and a very developed and recognisable feel to its design, and as such, should convert well into a stylish and gripping film. The other half is a quivering mass moaning under the couch, thinking about that bit in the dentist's office where you grab that awesome pick up and feel all smug, and then you turn around... and scream yourself silly. It was a lot of fun, but hey, I spend a lot of time on the couch; my cardiac health is not all it could be
Every week, we collate the most popular stories that we published over the past seven days, plus a lineup of the most downloaded files added in the same timeframe.
It's nice to see that things change from week to week, interests grow and fade, and the digest isn't full of the same ol' stuff every update. That said, there are some familiar faces in this week's wrapup, but c'mon, you couldn't expect one of the most anticipated game releases in years to just disappear after hitting shelves, could you?
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