Being The Very Best at Fighting Games
Posted by 1UP on Jun 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment
The man has won more fighting-game tournaments than you even knew existed. His English-language Wikipedia entry is longer than the one for current Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan. He’s got an endorsement deal with Mad Catz. Videos of the infamous Street Fighter III 3rd Strike “Ken super parry” he pulled off at a 2004 tournament have garned over a million hits on YouTube. He is Daigo “The Beast” Umehara, and he is quite simply the most famous fighting-game player...
PS3 Game: Transformers: War for Cybertron
Posted by Game News on Jun 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment
So many games these days are beholden to their licenses to such a degree that the fundamentals are either forgotten or thrown completely out the window. Transformers: War for Cybertron doesn’t have that problem. In fact, it would have been fantastic even if it wasn’t a Transformers game. Too many developers try to shape the game around the license. War for Cybertron shapes the license around the game, and as a result, it’s great.
Moving parts are key in any Transformers game,...
UK’s Coalition Government Cancels Promised Tax Relief for Videogame Industry
Posted by 1UP on Jun 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Game development studios located in the United Kingdom won’t be getting tax breaks after all.
In a speech at Westminster, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne confirmed that the tax relief had been canceled (via GamesIndustry.biz), saying that the original plans were “poorly targeted.”
Some of the studios affected by the decision include Codemasters (Bodycount), Rare (Kinect Sports) and Traveller’s Tales (Lego Star Wars).
Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers...
PS3 Game: Planet MiniGolf
Posted by Game News on Jun 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment
I’m a big fan of Zen Pinball. I love the idea of taking a well-known game to places its never been to. So, when I heard that Zen Studios was developing Planet MiniGolf, I was immediately intrigued. After spending some time with the game, I can’t say that it’s quite as well-designed as Zen Pinball. However, I can say with no reservations that it could have been. Still, it’s not a bad first effort.
Planet MiniGolf looks like it’s stuck in the visual limbo between...
PS3 Game: Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West
Posted by Game News on Jun 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment
What do you get when you combine “spaghetti-western” characterizations with fast-paced, multiplayer mayhem? Paradox Interactive is hoping that Lead & Gold: Gangs of the Wild West can answer that question for you. It should be noted that Lead & Gold: Gangs of the Wild West does not set out to re-invent the wheel, and that is probably a good choice. Graphically, it shares a strong resemblance to Valve’s popular title Team Fortress 2 (as in “OMG, this looks just...
PS3 Game: Alpha Protocol
Posted by Game News on Jun 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Alpha Protocol is a game that looks great on paper, and seems like any fan of recent Action/RPG games, namely Mass Effect, would love to have on their shelf. Unfortunatly, the game falls far short of its goal and ultimatly ends up feeling like it is trying to do too many things and does none of them well.
While the game box boasts the Unreal Technology’s badge on its back, the overall feel of the world and environments just don’t give off the same crisp, highly detailed and varied experience...
PS3 Game: Shrek Forever After
Posted by Game News on Jun 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Shrek Forever After looks like it was developed exclusively for the Wii or the PlayStation 2. Of course, this is a review for a PlayStation 3 game, so that’s simply a roundabout way of saying it’s not a looker. It’s not ugly per se; the best word for the visuals is “unimpressive.” The character models look decent enough, and the camera angle remains fixed and isometric throughout. This is a good thing; you can see the jaggies from far away. When the game takes control...
PS3 Game: Blur
Posted by Game News on Jun 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Blur is pretty damn hard. I’m no pro at racing games, but can at least hold my own. With Blur, though, it’s not just about finding the right lines or hitting the perfect drift – you have to learn to dodge all manner of projectiles as well.
The number of real-world cars available in Blur is mind-blowing and beyond anything I expected. There are mid-line consumer cars like the Ford Focus, as well as high-end deals like the Audi R8. There’s even room for old beater trucks and...
Mortal Kombat Trailer is Director’s Pitch for MK Film
Posted by 1UP on Jun 09, 2010 | Leave a Comment
So that mysterious live-action Mortal Kombat trailer that appeared on YouTube yesterday? Nope, it’s not Warner Bros.’s odd way of teasing a new Mortal Kombat game. It’s actually a director’s odd way of pitching Warner Bros. on his idea for a new Mortal Kombat film.
Actress Jeri Ryan, who portrayed Sonya Blade in the trailer, explained the point of it all on her Twitter account: “Okay, so… Mortal Kombat,” she begins. “It’s not a game trailer. Actually...
CNN Investigates Why Videogame Movies Suck
Posted by 1UP on Jun 08, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Films based on video games have long been regarded as mediocre at best, historically awful at worst. In exploring why games tend to make such bad movies, CNN spread the blame between both games and Hollywood.
Guest writer Scott Steinberg chalks up some of the problems to the struggle by developers to capture the “human element” of films, even while filmmakers fail to realize it’s a “specific gameplay mechanic, psychological meme or technical feature that makes the title...
You can subscribe by e-mail to receive news updates and breaking stories.
