Inc Gamers

A Vampyre Story Demo Released

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Ascaron has today announced that a demo will be available for download of A Vampyre Story.

A Vampyre Story is a point and click adventure game for the PC which follows a beautiful and gifted opera singer Mona De Lafitte who’s life is changed when she becomes infected by a vampire baron and trapped in Draxsylvania.

The game is brought to you by ex-LucasArts employee, Bill Tiller, and if you know your point and clicks, then you’ll be glad to hear that he’s behind the project.

The game is released today, but if you want to give it a whirl then click here which will take you to the demo link on the official site.

Our review will be up next week, so if you've played the demo by then and are still unsure, check back with us.

EndWar DLC Coming

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Ubisoft has confirmed that work on DLC is underway.

The DLC, which hasn’t been dated, will allow four vs. four multiplayer, making the experience of the highs and lows of the battles something which can be discussed with friends.

Currently the only available DLC for the game is a VIP Clancy Pack Details which requires you to link your Ubi.com account to download three battalions as well as three upgrades (1 for each faction) and has been available from launch:

SGB - 13th Airborne Battlion and Dragunov Sniper Upgrade
JSF - 10th Assault Battalion and SCORPION Munitions Upgrade
EFEC - Airborne Battlegroup 4 and Counter-Snipe Upgrade

When we get more information on this we’ll let you know.

Prince Of Persia Goes Gold

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Ubisoft has today announced that Prince of Persia has gone gold for the 360, PS3 and PC.

The game will follow the story of a rogue traveler who is convinced to fight the evil darkness by the beautiful guardian of light, Elika after the Tree of Life, the place the God of Darkness has been trapped for centuries, is destroyed.

And if you get bored of playing the Prince? Well, there’s always an Altair skin to download…

The game will be available for consoles on December 5 and the PC version will be out on December 12.

Ozzy In New WoW TV Adverts

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind the hugely successful World of Warcraft, has released two new TV ads to draw in yet more people to the game that 11 million people already play. The first advertisement features rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, in a typically humourous sitaution, calling for his wife Sharon as the Lich King chastises him for claiming to be the original Prince of Darkness. The second one has Steve Van Sandt (Sopranos' Silvio), and shows more general gameplay than the actor himself.Whether either of these characters actually play World of Warcraft remains to be seen, but Blizzard seem keen to keep using high profile stars to promote their top title. See both adverts over at worldofwar.net.

PEGI Ratings Standard By 2010?

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

The consultation period for the findings of the Byron Review closed yesterday with ELSPA outlining key issues in a detailed document to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) pushing for PEGI ratings rather than the current BBFC ratings which videogames already carry.

Speaking to MCV, ELSPA MD MIichael Rawlinson said “the correct solution is for the Government to accept the PEGI system is the best way for games to be rated and classified.”

By empowering the PEGI with “legal status in the UK” games will fall under stricter ratings and some may even be banned.

“We’ve had a strong dialogue with the Government and it understands that the games industry wants to sell its products in a sensible and appropriate manner,” added Rawlinson.

The BBFC is convinced that the report highlighted issues that needed to be addressed and they are confident they’ll “see greater collaborative working by all” in order to reach the right decision.

“The issues have been fully aired over the last 18 months. The BBFC is confident that the Government fully understands them, and is able to distinguish good from bad arguments,” said BBFC director David Cooke to MCV.

"We have closed the public consultation and we will have an announcement in due course to our findings, but at the moment we are unable to discuss this further," a DCMS spokesperson told IncGamers.

The government will give a formal response early next year.

Terminator Game In The Making

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

The new film, Terminator Salvation, will have a tie-in game to go with its release according to Warner Bros.

Bionic Commando developer, GRIN will be responsible for the third-person shooter which sees a battle to survive the Skynet robots…like pretty much all Terminator films.

The film is doe to be released in June next year and will star Batman Man Christian Bale as John Connor. You know, the chap that the whole film revolves around.

James Cameron has co-written the script and Charlie’s Angels director, Joseph McGinty Nichol will, surprisingly, direct the film.

We assume Arnie will be a malfunctioning robot spurting that California is the best place to live and Hummers are the best not-really-a-car to drive.

PSP 3000 Hacked

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

It was always going to be a matter of time before the newest iteration of the PSP would fall into the hands of hackers, cracking the software on the handheld from Sony.

The Datel Lite Blue battery allows users to put the unit into service mode and downgrade the firmware allowing you access the tools, apps and emulators according to Maxconsole.net.

This is, of course, extremely illegal, and on a scale of illegality, it’s up there with armed robbery, fraud, and terrorism.

The battery costs money, and because we’re not promoting it, we can’t tell you that it’s retailing at £19.99 GBP and will be available from November 28. We couldn’t tell you that at all.

Fallout 3 Patch Confirmed

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Bethesda have confirmed a patch will be coming to fix the bugs across all three platforms for Fallout 3.

In a post on Bathesda’s official forum, administrator and community manager Gstaff said “we are currently working on a patch for all three platforms.”

The game was released October 31 and has since been plagued with bug issues such as crashes and graphical issues.

There is still no word as to when the patch will be released, but as soon as we know we’ll let you know.

PS3 Trophies To Be Mandatory

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

By January 2009 Sony will require all newly released PS3 games to support the console's trophy system.

The announcement originated from an anonymous tip sent in to videogamer.com, which was later confirmed by a Sony Computer Entertainment Europe spokesperson stating that from January 2009 “all games must have trophies."

Previously the trophy system has only been implemented in specific titles, or patched in retroactively to others such as Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

Mandatory trophy support will also ensure gamers won't have to replay certain titles for achievements because of a post release inclusion of trophies via a patch.

Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix PSN Details

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

PS3 gamers anticipating the console release of Street Fighter IV will have something to alleviate the wait when Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix makes it's way to the PSN next week November 25.

HD Remix features 1080p art for Street Fighter characters and backgrounds created by Udon Entertainment, creators of the Street Fighter comic books.

The roster will include all 17 of the original Street Fighter II Turbo characters to battle in player vs. CPU, player vs. player, or an online vs. mode complete with matchmaking and a comprehensive worldwide rankings system.

The game will not launch with trophies but according to PlayStation Blog's John Diamonon they're “looking into it.”

The price is set at $14.99 USD and will include the ability to download the Street Fighter Underground Remix Soundtrack for free as a PSN exclusive.

Metal Slug 7 Released For Nintendo DS

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Ignition Entertainment and SNK Playmore announced the release in N. America of Metal Slug 7 for the Nintendo DS this week.

As an added treat, a special bonus disc offering an exclusive wallpaper and game trailers will be included with the game. Metal Slug 7 features seven brand new and fully detailed missions and six playable characters along with a host of new weapons, colossal new bosses, new Slugs to pilot and new gameplay modes for added replay value.

More information on the game can be found at the official Metal Slug 7 website.

Wrath of the Lich King Breaks Records

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Blizzard has revealed that their expansion for World of Warcraft, Wrath of the Lich King, is now the fastest selling PC title ever.Having shifted a whopping 2.8 million copies in 24 hours, the Wrath of the Lich King has outsold the Burning Crusade expansion which held the record after selling 2.4 million copies in January 2007.“We’re grateful for the incredible support that players around the world have continued to show for World of Warcraft,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Wrath of the Lich King contains some of the best content we’ve created for the game so far, and we look forward to seeing even more players log in to experience it in the days ahead.”“World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King surpassed all sales expectations, with 100 Gamestation stores opening at midnight to cater for a high level of demand,” said Andrew Thompson, product director, Gamestation UK. “Players queued for hours - some dressed as characters from the game - proving that enthusiasm for Blizzard Entertainment’s latest installment is at its highest level to date."It looks like any worries about increased competition are unfounded and WoW still remains top of the MMORPG pile.

Street Gears Open Beta Goes Live

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Gala Networks Europe has announced the open beta test for its upcoming in-line skating MMO, Street Gears, has gone live. Street Gears sees the player take on the role of a skater in Park Town, a persistant online world. Players can meet, train, race and quest as well as customising their character.The game world opens today, following two closed beta tests in September and October. Street Gears will be available to download for free via the gpotato game portal.

Majesco Responds to PETA

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Majesco, the publisher behind Cooking Mama, has responded to an attack by animal welfare group PETA.

PETA stirred some trouble with claims earlier in the week that Cooking Mama had no consideration for animals and meat in the game.

Infuriated by the amount of meat dishes in the game, PETA said that the only thing missing from the game was “the blood and the slaughterhouse.”

Majesco responded in a statement saying that Cooking Mama World Kitchen comes with “more than 25 vegetarian-friendly recipes.”

"Mama wants people to know that World Kitchen includes 51 recipes from around the world, ranging from vegetarian fare like miso soup and rice cakes to international delicacies like ginger pork and octopus dumplings."

Majesco also commented on behalf of Mama, saying that while she’s not a vegetarian, “she fully supports the humane treatment of animals, particularly for her canine protégé Max who makes his doggie debut in World Kitchen."

Incidentally Cooking Mama: World Kitchen will be released on the Wii in Europe next year.

PC Gaming Market Huge

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Research conducted by JPR has concluded that the PC gaming market is the largest in the gaming section.

With over 196 million “gaming PC units” sold worldwide over the last three years, the market is valued to be worth over $20 billion USD. This figure outweighs all sales of all other consoles combined, which stands at 74.7 million units.

Although the research, spotted in Edge Online, doesn’t include the sales of handheld units (PSP and DS) which have sold around 125 million units, the study states that irrelevant claiming "the PC gaming market is bigger, worth more money, growing faster, and has better technology than the console market."

This all thanks to the Asian market currently booming.

The full report can be found on Techwatch.

Gamestation Offers Half Price Games

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

We all know that most games worth buying this year, bar a couple, have already been released.

UK-based Gamestation seems to feel the same, getting ready for the Christmas period.

At the moment you can pick up a fist-full of titles for half price across all platforms with games on offer such as Battlefield: Bad Company, Samba De Amigo and Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise.

We’re not going to list everything, but we will give you this. It’s a link. It’ll take you to the online store. You check it out. Why not even get back to us if you’ve found a bargain and tell us what you’ve picked up?

Nice one.

Sony Infringes Patent

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Sony will have to pay $18.5m USD after US courts found them guilty of infringement.

It seems the US courts had clear and compelling evidence that Sony ignored patents covering “wireless local area network apparatus” which were implemented in a selection of their electrical goods.

Patent holder, Agere Systems, put the request in over two years ago, even though Sony denied that seven of the eight patents or contentious.

PSP Fanboy reports that legal papers cover everything from the PSP, mylo Personal Computer and Network Walkman products.

The whole thing has been a mess from the start, with Sony declaring the patents invalid and Augere denying the counterclaim and demanding a jury trail.

Either way, Sony has to pay up, and at this time of financial crisis, this will be another thorn in Sony’s side.

Atlus Secure TrackMania DS In North America

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Atlus USA Inc. today announced they’ve secured the North American publishing rights for TrackMania DS.

The game will will come with over 100 courses and you’ll even be able to design your own stages with a pretty incredible track editor.

With total freedom to play any course you’ve created, excellent graphics and brilliant physics for cars, this iteration of TrackMania DS looses nothing from the PC version which did so well.

We know, we reviewed it, and Spanner loved it.

The game will be out March 17 in North America and is expected to retail at $29.99 USD.

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 Announced

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

Codemasters has today announced that Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is currently in development.“Colin McRae was all about the speed, the excitement and the entertainment of rally driving. Even when we first worked with him over ten years ago, he captured a freedom and a spirit that enthralled rally fans,” said Gavin Raeburn, senior executive producer at Codemasters.

The game will feature a roster of of off-road events set in real-world environments and promises competing and aggressive multi-car races.

The game will run on the third generation of the EGO engine hoping to raise the bar for racing titles.

Also featuring in the game is a garage which will house officially licensed rally cars and off-road vehicles. Covering seven vehicle classes you'll be able to drive any of the vehicles and with full online support, you can race anyone anywhere. The game is due to be released for 360, PS3, PC, Wii, DS and PSP sometime in 2009, simultaneously across all platforms.

Colin McRae won his first WRC championship in 1995, and was one of the UK's leading sportsmen winning 25 world rally events and achieving 42 podium places.

McRae was killed in a helicopter crash on September 15, 2007.

More details of the game will appear when revealed.

GTA IV DLC Revealed

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 UTC

The first installment of Grand Theft Auto IV's Xbox exclusive DLC has been revealed by Rockstar.The episode is titled The Lost and Damned and will star Johnny Klebitz, a member of the Liberty City biker gang The Lost."I can't go into too much detail on the story, because we try not to give away too much plot before the game is released. But I can say that the story will show you a different side of Liberty City," Rockstar's Dan Houser told USA Today.This new episode is scheduled to arrive on 17 February via Xbox Live. The price is yet to be confirmed.Microsoft reportedly paid $50 million USD for the exclusive rights to GTA IV DLC.