resumeplay writes: "Canadian developer BioWare has long been known for its ability to weave deeply designed and thoroughly exciting personalities into the plots and universes it creates for its acclaimed RPGs. The new Awakening expansion project, which will be released to store shelves and be made available as downloadable content (DLC) on March 16, seems set to continue this trend."
May is almost here, and with it comes the release of Microsoft’s highly anticipated psychological-action thriller, Alan Wake. The game’s protagonist is (surprise!) author Alan Wake, who has caught a spot of writer’s block. To help alleviate his issue, Alan and his wife Alice furlough in the idyllic town of Bright Falls. Soon after their arrival, Alice goes missing and Alan’s nightmare intensifies as his latest work begins to literally come alive around him. We’re sure the devs NEVER read a Stephen King book, right?
The game will feature a full day/night cycle, a semi-free-roam environment, and a television-like episodic format. Look for it on the shelves sometime in May, but, until then, take a look at the screenshots.
Sharing: It’s Win/Win
The next Zelda instalment on the Wii is on its way to hit shelves sometime later this year, however we know very little. Bit by bit, information is being spilled our way, and all we can do for know is collect it.
Zeldainformer writes: "With the recent announcement of a 2010 release, it came to my attention there were even some details I overlooked, so I think now is the perfect time to state what we know about the game to this point. I think you’ll be as surprised as I was."
Disney is working hard at carving out their place in the racing world with Split/Second. You may remember this game from E3, because it won best racing game of the show. Here’s the latest trailer, simply called “The Shipyard” So if the wait for Gran Turismo is just too much for you to bear, you can expect to see Split/Second on shelves in early 2010.
Following on from Japanese gamers causing Amazon Japan to sell out of copies of Final Fantasy XIII before launch, Importing gamers are now pushing stock to the absolute limit.
An employee of top import store Play Asia told UFFSite the extent of the demand.
"We expected FF13 to be big, but in the last few days before launch we have seen a surge of orders from overseas, with lots of games being despatched to the US. We obtained extra stock and we have shipped more copies of the game than I’d care to count already. We’ll be shipping these all day!"
Critical Gamer Writes: After some lean times, Apple really made a name for themselves with the release of the all-in-one iMac G3 computer. Its brightly coloured exterior crushed the idea that computers had to be packaged in grey plastic, and as a result they flew off the shelves. Then with the release of the iPod and iTunes they redefined how music could be packaged, and you could now carry your whole music collection around with you. Over the years the iPod has added extra functionality, with the ability to store and view photos, then the addition of viewing movies, surfing the net, and most groundbreaking of all the addition of Apps to the iTunes store. This finally gave Apple a handheld computer, that can do most things that a laptop can do but in a pocket friendly package. With the release of the iPhone they gained valuable market share in the mobile market. The iPhone and iPod Touch have proven to be major players in the gaming market, with their bite sized, and pocket friendly games proving popular with users. In fact Apple have started marketing these devices as gaming consoles, with the slogan "Next level fun".
ZeroTolerance writes: The Saboteur is one of the most interesting stories in gaming this year. I am not necessarily referring to the actual story of the game itself though as much as its transition up to its release. Pandemic Studios, the company most notably known for titles such as Mercenaries and Battlefront series, are at the helm of this latest open-world extravaganza. This is also their last game they will ever create as the team was released before it even hit shelves. Then we have the fiasco of downloadable nude codes and The Saboteur is ripe for failure at every turn. Still once you sit down with the game you will quickly discover that underneath its rough exterior is a game that is chock full of fresh and entertaining ideas, and will reward anyone with enough patience to get past its shortcomings.
"Each year, there are certain video games that players just know will be awesome. For instance, months before games like Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2 or even original properties like Dragon Age: Origins, hit shelves, everything from their gameplay trailers to their developer’s pedigree suggested that those games would be instant hits.
On the other hand, there are video games that look like they’re not going to be any good. Maybe it’s because the developers aren’t exactly renowned for making quality titles, or maybe it’s just because the graphics don’t look up to par. Maybe the gameplay appears to be bland and derivative. For whatever reasons, these games looked simply unappealing.
Early impressions, though, can be entirely wrong, as the following five titles clearly indicate. Despite not looking particularly stellar at first, these video games defied all expectations by being pretty awesome instead of being terribly mediocre. "
When everyone thought it was over, it’s back. Flopped and shot in an early grave, Hellgate: London is being revamped and renamed Hellgate: Resurrection and put back on the shelves – at least in Asia.
There are also rumours about an EU/US revival.
Spike.com writes: It’s no secret game companies sometimes put out a broken game on the shelves. But for every game-breaking nightmare you have to download a patch to fix, there are bugs you want to hang onto. Whether it’s flying frogs, crashing planes, or filling a room with watermelons, here are the eight greatest bugs ever to ship.
