It has been three years since we last saw a Ghost Recon title. However, that’s about to change thanks to a Ubisoft announcement. The publisher has confirmed that their studio Ubisoft Paris, the same team who developed the Advanced Warfare series, is underway working on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
The company is promising the title will include “cutting-edge technology, prototype high-tech weaponry, and state-of-the-art single-player and multiplayer modes,” which isn’t hard to believe since pretty much every Ghost Recon has been considered a “Grade A” series.” And honestly, it was the Modern Warfare before Modern Warfare and not only that, the older Recon’s are STILL some of the most realistic shooters of-all-time.
The game sounds like it will launch sometime this holiday season; however, if you own an Xbox 360 you’ll get a chance to experience a tease beforehand. Included with Splinter Cell: Conviction will be a Ghost Recon: Future Soldier beta key. Exactly what that will entail is unknown, but we’re pretty sure multiplayer will be the focus.
Chris Rowson designed the shirt above, which depicts what would happen if those”Space Invaders” were indeed real and if the US government or any other for that matter do, if they caught one of those sinister aliens. If you want to purchase one, head over to Threadless.com and pick one up for only $18.
Cool Stuff is a feature of /gamer. Know of any geekarific creations or cool products which should be featured on Cool Stuff? E-Mail us at slashgamer@gmail.com
Every time new video footage of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves emerges online, I become more and more impressed with the title. That is saying a lot considering I already had incredibly high expectations for the action sequel. Naughty Dog has released more clips and this time it features Drake battling it out on a train in the rainforest.
While he firefights with baddies on the locomotive, a helicopter appears and automatically makes the scene epic. Drake then has to jump from platform to platform, while it moves at a fast speed and at the same time he has to dodge missiles from the chopper. It truly is remarkable what the studio is doing with the PlayStation 3 and this title looks like it could rival a blockbuster summer film when it comes to action
There is no question, there is a lot going on the screen at once, especially when one of the platforms spins out of control and just misses Drake, however, I might be more fascinated by how Drake talks to himself. For instance, right after the train misses him, he starts to laugh uncontrollably and thanks god for tunnels. This little feature of him entertaining himself by blabbering nonsense adds a lot of character and this is something that is missing in videogames. Most games have cutscenes, but when the action is going on — there’s no dialog. Which makes the main characters quite boring when you compare it to other mediums of story-telling.
We already know that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS was met with fantastic reviews, but the majority of DS owners didn’t purchase the game. Later, the publisher, Rockstar Games, announced it was headed to the PSP. Although I don’t think the dismal sales initially forced Rockstar to port the title over to Sony’s handheld, but it certainly didn’t discourage them either.
If you thought the decision to port the game over to the PSP was big, then you’re gonna surprised by the company’s new revelation. Rockstar Games has announced that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is going to be ported over to
Apple’s iPhone/iPod Touch. The game is expected to be available in the App Store starting this fall which is around the same time the PSP version ships, but an exact date has yet to be revealed.
This is huge for Apple because they have been trying to convince gamers that their platform can be a real gaming system. We already know how big of a franchise GTA is and having it available for a device that so far, isn’t perceived as a serious gaming machine — is a win situation for Apple. Not only that, considering Rockstar doesn’t have to box and ship actual software for the iPhone; they just have to throw up a digital copy in the App Store, which means its not very costly to port and definitely worth the risk.
Sony has released another trailer for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which was first shown at Gamescom. The video starts off in what looks like the same area as the first teaser — the middle of nowhere with a snow storm howling around Drake. While the clip doesn’t show much in-terms of gameplay elements, it certainly tries to prove that a videogame trailer can give off the same type of emotion as a film advertisement.
Videogame developers have been desperately trying to compete with big budget movies, however, in the end they generally fail. While a director for a videogame has an eye for camera work, they usually have a hard time helming the actors. You even see this with well known actors who lend their voices in a game, but for the most part their lines end up being cheesy. In the end, an actors horrible performance can really take a player out of the game, and it ultimately hurts the story and the seriousness it’s trying to tell.
Everything I’ve seen with Uncharted 2 is the complete opposite. So far, what I’ve seen has been almost perfect. From the gameplay elements, to the cut-scenes, to the acting and score — everything is top notch. Which in turn should easily make this game a contender for game of the year.
Earthworm Jim is officially ready to make a comeback. Gameloft has inked a deal with Interplay, the original developers of the classic 16-bit game, to bring Earthworm Jim to Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, WiiWare and mobile phones. When the sidescroller debuted on both the SNES and Genesis, it quickly became a smash hit and even spawned a sequel and a few spin-offs. However, there hasn’t been a new game since 1999.
“We are delighted to partner with Interplay to bring Earthworm Jim to multiple downloadable platforms,” said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president, Gameloft. “The game, with its humorous and edgy style, is a great fit for today’s gamer who craves a fully immersive experience that is fun and easily accessible. We look forward to delivering a fantastic game.”
The new deal is a bit vague. A press release was sent out, but it made it sound like both companies are planning to bring out the original, and not new installments. If this is true, hopefully the title sells well enough to warrant a brand new incarnation of Earthworm.
Basically, if it ends up being the first Earthworm Jim and you want a new story — make sure you purchase the download. And hopefully we will finally see a new adventure featuring your favorite invertebrate.
A few nights ago, Robin Williams made an appearance on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien to promote his new movie World’s Greatest Dad. During his interview, Williams talked about his love for online gaming — especially shooters. He then proceed to discuss the trash talking that is associated with playing a game over the Internet and obviously the man makes a joke or two. I guess that’s his job or something.
It’s been known that Williams has a passion for videogames and at one point, he bragged how he was obsessed with the Battlefield series. The man went as far to name his daughter Zelda. And yes, she was named after The Legend of Zelda series.
It’s always cool to see someone of Williams’ age and be successful as he is, but still finds the time to game.
Up top is an embedded video of that same interview.
A new job listing has appeared over at 2K Boston’s classified section. The posting is rather interesting because the developers behind the original BioShock are looking for candidates for “an unannounced shooter.” Not only that, the person hired will be responsible for some sort of multiplayer level designing. At the same time, the company isn’t looking for some generic online experience, but something more groundbreaking than previous multiplayer videogames. “No applicants will be considered who aren’t able to demonstrate they’ve got the skills to build an industry-changing multiplayer design,” is posted on the job listing.
What could it be? Well of course we’re not too sure. But the the creative director over at the studio, Ken Levine, teased the idea of the company’s next project.
“We had a scope and ambition in mind which is more ambitious than anything we’ve ever done. Even more, substantially more ambitious than BioShock,” said Levine last month.
So this is what we know so far. 2K Boston is working on a ambitious shooter, with industry-changing multiplayer aspects which has yet to be announced.
When I think augmented reality videogames, I think about walking around a real world environment but interacting with computer visuals. For the most part, I’m pretty sure most people think closely to the way I do.
A group of programmers over at Georgia Tech have done something a tad different and developed a cool idea for an augmented reality shooter for mobile camera-phones. Although the title has rather basic gameplay mechanics, the team has created something which definitely has potential in the industry.
I’m sure most people have seen some sort of viral campaign for either movies or even videogames, where you hold up a piece of paper in front of a computer webcam. Once you do that, a 3D graphical image appears on the computer display. The technology used for those things, is the basic idea that the Georgia Tech team did with their game called ‘ARhrrrr.’ Although this game is much more interactive.
The story is rather simple. Civilians are trapped inside a small town square, where a zombie invasion has begun. It’s up to the player to shoot and kill the undead, who are terrorizing the town square. The way you do this, is by lying a special paper with images on it, which made for the game, flat on a table. You then grab your camera-phone, and simply point the lens towards the paper and it’ll reveal an interactive 3D world. By moving the phone around the paper, it’ll seem like your flying inside a helicopter overhead the town in a 3D landscape. From there you’ll see swarms of zombies trying to attack people, and its your job to shoot them down by aiming your phone towards an enemy. Pretty awesome stuff.
If you’re a Contra fan, I have some great news for you. The ESRB has listed and rated the American version of Contra ReBirth for Wiiware. Previously released as a Japan only title, it was then announced for Europe. Although, we thought it would be obvious for Konami to bring the shooter-scroller to an American audience. Luckily we were right.
The ESRB website listed the game for the ages of 10+ and describes it as “fantasy violence.” When is the game going to come out? We don’t know that yet, but rumors are suggesting this fall which sounds about right to us. After the jump, read the official description of Contra ReBirth thanks in-part to the ESRB. (more…)
Have Gears of War 2 and only a Silver Membership to Xbox Live, but want to play online? Here’s your chance because Microsoft and Epic are allowing Silver members to play Gears of War 2 for free this weekend. Actually, if you’re hop online right now with Gears, you can already play the fragfest for the cheap price of nothing.
The event will last between now and Monday, August 3rd, but when the clock strikes midnight your Live account won’t work and you’ll have to upgrade to Gold.
Capcom has confirmed that they plan on pushing back the flying, third-person shooter Dark Void into Q1 2010, which was expected to come out later this year. The action title joins a long list of anticipated games which also have been delayed until next year including: BioShock 2, Red Steel 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction and among others.
Capcom community director Chris Kramer said the delay was made “in order to get the game out of the crowded fall game season.” in order to get the game out of the crowded fall game season.” “The move will be great for the game and for gamers. Less competition in the market (curse you, Halo!), more time for polish,” he added.
I don’t think I have ever seen so many games get delayed a few months before release. Although, I wouldn’t just blame Bungie’s Halo: ODST. I’m sure Activision’sModern Warfare 2 has a lot to do with this specific delay, as well as the other titles which have been pushed back until next year.
When I bought the PlayStation 3 back in 2006, I was told by Sony that I was purchasing the greatest console on earth. At the time, I already loved my Xbox 360, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a system that was supposedly better. Almost three years have past, so is it best? I’m not to sure about that, but I do love it anyway. However, there are some annoyances that really piss me off about the PS3.
One thing I find just BS is having to install a videogame in order to play it. Wasn’t one of the many benefits about playing on a console rather than a PC, is having the ability to play right off the disc? I understand not every game does it, but there are enough to severely fill up my ever-so-precious hard-drive space. When I look at my Xbox 360, I don’t see this crappy install thing happening, unless of course I CHOOSE to do so. Even when a third party develops a game for both systems, the Xbox 360 version can play right off the disc, while sometimes PS3 owners have to wait for five minutes until the system decides it’s done. I know it’s only five minutes or so, but seriously…
Now that my rant is done, the talented team over at Naughty Dog has confirmed that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will NOT have a mandatory install. This comes as a surprise because some early box art suggested that it would require a 1.7 GB installation. Thankfully it will not. Co-President of the studio Christophe Balestra confirmed that it won’t, thanks to his Twitter account, “Uncharted 2 does not require any install,” he wrote.
Thank you Naughty Dog! Now can you teach other companies how to accomplish this?
“Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? Have you or a member of your family seen a spook, specter or ghost? If the answer is yes, then don’t wait another minute. Just pick up the phone and call the professional. Niko Bellic! His courteous and efficient staff are on call 24 hours a day to serve all your supernatural elimination needs.”
The only thing I wish the video used, was this song instead of the Ghostbusters ‘theme.’ If you’re a true fan of the film, I’m pretty sure you would agree.
Ubisoft has announced the disappointing news that the Xbox 360 exclusive Splinter Cell: Conviction, and the WiiMotionPlus only game Red Steel 2, have both been delayed until 2010. From the sounds of it, both highly anticipated titles should be shipped into stores sometime between January and March of 2010.
When E3 was underway, the impression was that both Red Steel 2 and Conviction would be coming out later this year, and presumably during the holiday season. According to the CEO of Ubisoft Yves Guillemot, the company felt the need to delay both titles was because they wanted to make sure they were polished by the time gamers got their hands on them.
“The changes on Splinter Cell and Red Steel – it’s just a question of polish,” said Guillemot. “The team was asking that they couldn’t be with the level of quality on all the maps and all the game for the end of the year, so they had asked for more time to be able to come with a better product, for both of those games.”
Although some are speculating that Ubisoft is doing something similar that 2K did when they pushed back Bioshock 2. According to 2K, their reason to delay BioShock 2 was because of financial underestimation of how many would sell.
Either way, there isn’t a question; the more time developers have to creating a game — the better chance it has to become good.
Seeing Conviction being delayed is somewhat of a surprise. When the game was first revealed back at E3 in June, it definitely looked like it was ready to see a holiday release date.
Red Steel 2 is a different story, however. While I saw major potential in the sequel, I didn’t think it would have been ready in time for the Christmas season, or at least be met with great reviews. Seeing it get pushed back until next year is a good thing for Wii owners. The first Red Steel had buttloads of promise, but when it was released during the launch of the Wii — it was a huge disappointment. It seems like Ubisoft learned their lesson.
