Thursday 22 April 2010

[News] Information Overload!

I'm trying to not post generic game news/announcements on here, but in the last half an hour I've just seen a few articles I feel are more than worthy enough to warrant your attention.

The fact I've come across all of this in such a short amount of time is pretty awesome. Anyway, I'll crack on:

Item Number One: Gran Turismo to include Top Gears Test Track
That line above pretty much needs no explanation. The creator of the fabled 'will-we-ever-see-it' Gran Turismo 5 has confirmed that the test track from the BBC's popular driving programme Top Gear is set to appear in the game. This had been rumoured at for some time now, with GT5 already having a service which will allow you to view archived Top Gear episodes. Linked from Kotaku here.

No word yet if The Stig will appear in game...

Item Number Two: HMV trialing Games Insurance

Again, do I really need to explain? HMV have rolled out to selected stores the ability to 'insure' your game purchases. From as little as a £1 your game will be insured for a year against being damaged or even stolen. Quite on how they plan on this being implemented is a little beyond me. GAME, Gamestation and HMV already have ways of protecting Hardware against damage, although not from theft. For a £1, it could well be worth it! Linked from MCV here.

Item Number Three: Halo Reach up for Preorder online. Comes in 3 flavours.
That's right. Although it hasn't got an official confirmed release date at time of writing, you can now preorder your copy of Halo Reach online. Hold on, their is more...

You've got your normal, everday copy of the game. You've got your Limited Edition version of the game. And then you've got the Legendary Edition, which includes all this:

Pretty neat huh? I know which version I'm preordering (more money than sense...I know I know, but it is pretty schweeettt). Linked from GAME's online shop, however spotted it also on sites like Play.com and so on.

Item Number Four: 8-Bit Linkin Park Game incoming

Point number 4 is a little more along the lines of BlastProcess.com. Linkin Park have teamed up with mobile video game developers Artifical Life to create a new iPhone/Touch/Pad game which doesn't look too bad! Dubbed Linkin Park: 8-Bit Rebellion, it plays like your standard side scrolling beat-em up of old, like say Streets of Rage. Featuring customizable characters, 8 bit covers of LP's biggest tracks and the reward of an exclusive Linkin track for finishing the game, this one could be one to watch!

Article I originally spotted on (yet again) Kotaku.com is here, with an another article including trailer here.

Thursday 8 April 2010

[Video] Night Trap!!

Over on BlastProcess.com, you'll get to see me in my first YouTube games review/acting debut...broken down into 2 videos. The video is based on the classic video game Night Trap.

Slightly confused? Check out this post out for both videos, and see for yourself...

Excuse the excessive use of the word ermmmm...., especially in the first video! Practice shall make perfect!

Big round of applause should go to Mike and Tom, as it was all based on their original idea. Tom's done another epic job in editing this video.

Enjoy!

Tuesday 6 April 2010

[Interview] Adam from Ubi talks Games. Plus a Round-up of Todays Event.

First off, for anyone reading this who passed through the Market Centre in Crewe today and donated cash to Children's Hospice UK (by ether random donation, playing Just Dance or generally choosing an Ubisoft item) thank you!! You helped to raise £45 for charity, which isn't bad at all for a couple of hours!

GAME Crewe will be doing future events to raise even more cash for Children's Hospice, and has donation boxes out all day everyday, so feel free to drop in and donate at anytime! All 3 of the POS standees (Assassins Creed 2, Avatar and Splinter Cell: Conviction) we had on offer today will still be on offer for a £3.50 deposit until we run out, just pop in and ask!

Adam Bhatti, the representative from Ubisoft who donated his time today to help us raise cash by demoing Just Dance and bringing along a lot of the Ubisoft goodies took time out to answer some questions for Gamepad. Here's what he had to say...
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Question:
We've obviously just spent a good part of the day demoing Ubisoft Wii titles, but do you actually prefer 'motion based' gaming? Or do you see yourself as a more traditional 'controller' sort of gamer?

Answer:
As an individual, and as a company, our focus has changed this past year. What started off a fruitful platform has saturated a little, so money isn't made with 'waggle' products as much as it has been.

Q: Digitally downloading full games are being tipped to be the main stream way of accessing titles in the coming few years.
Does this personally mean any difference to you? Would you be all for downloading new releases, or do you prefer 'boxed' products and see boxed products being around for sometime to come?

A: Personally I adore the ownership feeling of having a boxed product. Mind you, only just got into using iTunes recently, so maybe I'm all old and grumpy! Things like Steam look great, but PC is PC.

Q: Are games being aimed too much at casual gaming (Facebook/Farmville, motion controls being two examples) or do you feel that their is still a good balance with harder, more in-depth titles suited to more hardcore gamers?

A: They were, but the industry has become more balanced again with a refocus on hardcore titles. The new motion controller accessories heading to Xbox and PS3 later in the year (Natal and the Playstation Move) will continue to strengthen the balance between casual and hardcore gaming, thanks to them both being accessories for more traditional hardcore platforms, instead of being a necessity.

Q: What would you say is your favourite classic game? And what are you currently playing at the moment?

A: Classic game...has to be anything Mario! Currently really into Heavy Rain on the PS3.

Q: Which big titles can we most look forward to from Ubisoft this year?

A: The new Assassins Creed, and don't under estimate Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, with budgets that match a certain Call of Duty...

Thank you very much for you time Adam!!
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So all and all, a top day, and again a big thanks to Adam, and Ubisoft for helping us raise cash for charity!

Just to note, the answers to the interview questions were given based on a personal opinion and not of Ubisoft as a company.

Monday 5 April 2010

[Event] Ubisoft/Children's Hospice UK Charity Event



A quick heads up folks!

I'll be working along side Adam, our resident Ubisoft representative on this coming Tuesday (6th April) inside the Market Centre in Crewe Town Centre to help raise money for Children's Hospice UK.

If your passing through Crewe on Tuesday drop by! We'll have Wii games out for people to play on, such as Just Dance and other new Wii-based Ubisoft titles (for a small donation to charity of course), as well as having items such as styluses, faceplates and large point of sale standees available for you to donate money for. GAME are supporting Children's Hospice UK this year with many events happening at different stores throughout the year:
Children’s Hospices UK is the national charity that gives voice and support to all children’s hospice services. Our vision is for every child and young person who is not expected to reach adulthood - and their family - to have awareness of, and access to, the highest standards of care and support close to or in the home.
Its all for a truly great cause, so come along and donate some cash!

The event will be running approx between 10am-3pm outside GAME.

Quote used from Children's Hospice UK's official website, which can be found here