Firstly let me just say due to academic reasons I’m sorry this blog has not been updated frequently however please keep checking back as I plan on more frequent updates this summer!
Now that is out the way as I’m sure many of you are aware the Xbox (the new console, one up from the 360) is due to be announced today 9am Pacific time which is 5pm for everyone in England.
This announcement will finally recall the look and features of the new Xbox by Microsoft and set aside the rumours allowing us to immerse between fact and fiction.
Make sure you watch the event live on YouTube or IGN or catch up on the event later for those of you who will be busy during this time.
Here is the link for those of you who would like to watch the event via IGN with IGN editors Ryan McCaffrey and Daemon Hatfield joining them is the one and only Peter Molyneux, Fable Creator and former Lionhead boss.
Hello everyone! Due to recent events in my life such as catching up with university work, going on holiday to Spain and starting a new job I haven’t be able to blog as much as I’d like 😦 Here is a catch up of all the events which have happened within the gaming world recently just to catch you, and me up.
Game Developers Conference
25th to 29th March 2013 saw the Game Developers Conference (GDC) being held in San Francisco, California, to catch up in full visit the following link http://www.gamasutra.com/gdc-2013 Companies who attended the event included Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft, OnLive and many more! Sony did not attend this event, I believe they are saving the best for E3 later this year, TechRadar quotes “A room full of potential PS4 developers got a run down of the system’s architecture, design philosophy and online features. However, as local multiplayer fanatics, we loved hearing that the system will use its controller tracking to automatically swap split screen, should players rearrange themselves on the couch.” Personally it will be interesting to see what will become of this and how it works, if it goes well perhaps other developers will look into this in the future. UMB Tech Game Network have confirmed that GDC 2013 attracted 23,000 attendees, the largest crowd in the show’s history. Future game ‘Battlefield 4’ seventeen minute footage was leaked, the footage is shown below.
Electronic Arts Boss denied there is any link between video game content and “actual violence”
John Riccitiello, the boss of EA voiced the thoughts of many gamers in which he says video games can instead be good and they do not cause for any gamer to become violent or take part in violent acts.
Disney cancel the upcoming ‘Star Wars’ game
Sad news for any fan of Star Wars and gaming LucasArts has been closed by Disney. Star Wars 1313 which had a demo at E3 in 2012 will no longer go ahead. This game was set to place “players in control of a deadly bounty hunter as he uses an arsenal of exotic weaponry to hunt down his marks and uncover the truth surrounding a criminal conspiracy.” However LucasFilm spokesperson Miles Perkins, spoke toBBC, saying production on Star Wars 1313 has simply been “halted.” Therefor this game could still get the go ahead at some time in the future.
Okay guys so for a while I’ve known about this song “2-Player Co-Op (Player 2 Press Start) for those who haven’t heard it click on the link below. It is a great song basically about a cute video game/gamers relationship by Danny Wiessner ft. Tori Lee.
More recently another song titled “The World Is Saved” became known to me via IGN Boards. Although different people and a different story line, this is about what Heroes do once they have saved the world, click on the link below to listen.
I began to think about Video Game Music, not the video game music that you can hear while playing the game but moreso music that is about video games, are there any songs like this that you like? Do you have a favourite? Comment below to let me know! 😀
I am doing some research based on video games and violence. Please can you take some time to complete my survey http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M8CGXX8 and let me know your thoughts, all answers are anonymous.
The NPD Group have revealed the Top 10 highest selling Video Games sold in America during 30th December 2012 and 2nd February 2013 (January period). They are the following:
Call of Duty: Black Ops II (360, PS3, Wii U, PC)**
Far Cry 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Just Dance 4 (Wii, 360, PS3, Wii U)
NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)**
Madden NFL 13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSV, Wii U)
DMC: Devil May Cry (PS3, 360)
Halo 4 (360)**
Assassin’s Creed III (360, PS3, Wii U, PC)**
Skylanders Giants (Wii, 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii U)**
FIFA Soccer 13 (PS3, 360, PSV, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, PSP)
**(includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)
Liam Callahan, who works for NPD, reflects upon the January period quoting
“With the exception of Capcom’s new Devil May Cry, January saw no major releases to speak of on the top ten, so 2012′s year-end hot sellers like Call of Duty and Far Cry 3 continued to top the charts. That said, new releases did fare a bit better than in past January periods.”
Some of the above figures may come as a surprise to many, with Just Dance 4 beating games such as Halo 4 and DMC, however it is important to take into account the release dates, target audiences and importantly sales of individual games being combined into groups by platform. For those who love the game ‘Ni No Kuni’, this came close ranking at number 11 however it would have ranked number 7 if sales of individual games were not combined into groups by platform.
No matter what you are doing today, or who you are spending it with then have a great day!
To all the gamers who are in relationships, or those who just want to hear some great music you must check out the ‘2-Player Co-op song below. All credit goes to Danny Wiessner for this. This song features so many references to all different games it is incredible.
Also, check out these very special Splinter Cell hearts as posted on the Splinter Cell Google+ page.
If however you do not like valentines day then be sure to check out our other posts, have a video games marathon and visit this page again later for a un-valentines day post.
Remember only 7 days to go until Sony’s ‘See the Future’ announcement!
A few weeks ago, on 15th January 2013, Disney Infinity was announced to the world during an exclusive media event at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Set to be a new video game where a spark of imagination unlocks the freedom to play with some of your favorite Disney and Disney/Pixar characters. This game wants to take us to infinity and beyond (pun definitely intended) so lets go and explore what this game is about.
Have you ever dreamed about writing your own story and having your favourite Disney/Pixar characters join together and star in it? This game can make that dream a reality. Disney Infinity, a third person adventuring mode, sees you accessing characters and environments by standing a series of chunky toys in different slots on the Infinity Base, this base is essential to the game as it allows the characters you have chosen to appear on screen before you. With the characters you have chosen you can choose to either play in worlds native to the characters or make your own worlds.
The Infinity Base which allows characters to appear in the game
It’s creativity and playfulness combined. If you’ve dreamed of ever having different Disney characters meet and explore their own missions then with good old Disney magic, this is a dream come true. Personally for me what would be interesting to see is what characters it features and which ones they do not feature, for example can you have ‘The Beast’ from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ appear or have all the classic Disney characters unfortunately disappeared.
Characters in the world
To play this video game to it’s full potential you will have to purchase additional features, there are power discs, playset pieces and hexagonal skin and item discs as well. The playset pieces unlock themed levels, the power discs which add buffs and abilities to characters when stacked underneath them, and the hexagonal discs allow you to unlock vehicles, items, wallpapers and give you even more to use when creating your own levels. With each play set created to give you an estimated 15+ hours of game play this could be worth it.
John Pleasants, Co-President of Disney Interactive, says it is a “new interactive gaming platform.” He goes on to state, “Disney Infinity is not a single game.”
There will initially be 40 interactive pieces and 17 characters to collect, but additional pieces, sets, and characters will release over time.
The Disney Infinity starter pack will be $74.99(features the game, 3 figures, Infinity Base, Play-set token for three adventures (Monsters University, Pirates and The Incredibles) and upgrade token.)
Other play sets/expansion pack will be $34.99(2 figures and a Play-set token for as yet unannounced franchises for launch)
Additional three-packs of figures for $29.99 (3 figures)
Individual figures for $12.99 (1 figure)
Power-disc pack for $4.99 (2 tokens in each foil pack but unseen before purchase)
If you purchased one of each of the above it will cost $157.95 (around £99.80)
We can’t help but feel this is true
What you do in this game is up to you. You can do a mission summoning a range of ‘prank’ devices to install at specific spots in a level, for example – things like call boxes which produce fly swats that knock characters around the map, or manhole covers that spring them into the air. Although each individual sets is reserved only for the specific characters whose worlds they draw upon. There will be no pirates around the plazas of Monster University and no superheroes on the deck of the Black Pearl. Editing is all done without leaving the game world or switching to another mode which of course is a plus. You simply equip your character with a magic wand that lets them highlight and manipulate things. You can load in new texture packs and sky domes by stacking power disks onto the Infinity Base alongside your figurines. The entire process will feel pretty effortless which allows for smoother game play.
To view the Disney Infinity Trailer click on the link
Infinity has been set for a June release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, PC, and mobile devices.
These 3 characters will be included in the starter pack
Set for release on 1st February for all Europe fans and luckily 29th January for all North America fans.
Featured in the Hitman HD Trilogy you can enjoy 3 classic Hitman games. However none of which are the first game, Hitman: Codename47) The three games are Hitman 2: Silent Assassin ( released in 2002), Hitman Contracts (released in 2004), and Hitman: Blood Money (released in 2006), all remastered for you Hitman gamers out there, as you may have already guessed, in HD. Available on platforms Xbox 360 and PS3.
As these games have all previously been released the speculation surrounds how good do these games look in HD. If you would like to find out for yourself scroll down to view some of the latest HD pictures. For those who have not played any Hitman games before, or would like a reminder, here is a quick review of all 3 games featured. (Warning: Hitman: Contracts contains a spoiler if you have not yet played Hitman: Codename 47)
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin – Agent 47 has left his life as an assassin and retreated to a church in Sicily wanting to find peace. 47 works as a gardener for his best friend, and mentor, Father Vittorio. Unfortunately an event occurs meaning, the man we know as Agent 47 has to return to his old life as an assassin. Making a deal he agrees to work for an agency, on one condition.
Hitman: Contracts – The start of the game shows Agent 47 wandering through a dark hotel corridor entering his room. Collapsing, he begins to have flashbacks off past assassinations he has committed, they have taken their toll. Starting with the aftermath of killing Dr. Ort-Meyer. The mission mainly focuses on replays of previous missions that take place in the original game, except this time they are played in reverse.
Hitman: Blood Money – This begins with a flash at an abandoned Baltimore, Maryland amusement park. We gather that many people were killed in an incident caused by negligent maintenance of a ferris wheel. The father of one of the victims calls the agency and orders a hit on the park owner, who was cleared of all charges. Agent 47 carries out the hit, following that assignment, he get’s a string of contracts from American clients all of which are eager to hire the famous hitman.
Latest HD Pictures
The pictures below have all been released by Square Enix, the developers, to show off the newly improved look;v
Sources;
So Video Gaming (2013) So Video Gaming. [online] Available at: http://www.sovideogaming.com/ [Accessed: 24 Jan 2013].
If however you do not like valentines day then be sure to check out our other posts, have a video games marathon and visit this page again later for a un-valentines day post.
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