GamerNode: Latest Game and Console News

Summer release for Metroid and Mario

An announcement came today through IGN Australia that Metroid: Other M and Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be released for the Wii sometime between June and August of 2010.

Nintendo has done a great job of keeping game details under wraps for both of these titles, but GDC will surely be a big reveal point.  The pictures showing Mario with Yoshi, however, promise some great mounted gameplay for Galaxy 2, and screenshots for Other M show a possible return to 2D gameplay featuring 3D enemies and environments.

Stay tuned for more.

[VG247]

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Capcom COO Mark Beaumont suddenly passes away

In a statement released today by Capcom, the company announced that their chief operating officer for North America and Europe Mark Beaumont died suddenly this morning.

"Our COO and dear friend, Mark Beaumont, passed away this morning," read the statement. "This sudden loss has left us with deep sadness. Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will remember him for his humor, passion and commitment to Capcom and our industry. He was a great leader and visionary and his spirit will carry on in everything that we do. Please join us in memory of Mark."

Beaumont had joined the company in 2005 from Midway and received the official title of Capcom's executive vice president, officer and Head of North America, South America and Europe consumer software publishing. He was in his late 50s.

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

More StarCraft 2 beta keys given away

For those eagerly awaiting to jump into the multiplayer beta of Blizzard's upcoming StarCraft 2, take note -- a new batch of keys has been released to those who have opted into the testing program.

Keys are randomly given to those who have signed up for the beta through Blizzard's Battle.net website. Additionally, special "VIP" keys are awarded to Blizzcon attendees and contest winners.

If you haven's received your key yet, fret not; Blizzard appears to have plans for more waves of beta keys to be released in the future. Good luck!

[IncGamers]

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Former DICE CEO talks Battlefield 3

Fredrik Liliegren, the former CEO of DICE and Studio Manager of DICE Canada, has attested that the forthcoming Battlefield 3 will "absolutely blow everyone away", but offers little details to elaborate upon.

With the latest title in the series, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, undergoing its multiplayer beta, the team at DICE is wasting no time and forging ahead with Battlefield 3, which was confirmed by EA in the middle of last year.

In an interview with website GamingUnion, Liliegren gave his opinions on the state of the Battlefield series and teased upon the capability of what Battlefield 3 can provide.

"I mean Battlefield Heroes is something that we talked about back when even Jeff [Evans] was working at DICE, in regards of taking Battlefield into a micro-transaction type model. We actual...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This week's releases: 2/22 - 2/28

This week is calling for cloudy skies and some Heavy Rain. The PlayStation 3 exclusive from Quantric Dream is looking to change the way people play games with its real-time decision making system when it releases this Tuesday, February 23. Also hitting the stores this week is Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, the Xbox 360 version of Risen, and Metal Slug XX for the PSP.

Here's your full list of releases for this upcoming week.

DS:Hello Kitty: Birthday AdventuresLovely Lisa and FriendsPony Friends 2Sonic & Sega All-Stars RacingYu-Gi-Oh! 5D's World Championship 2010 Reverse of Arcadia

PC:Napoleon Total War: Limited EditionWarbirds: DogFightsSonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

PlayStation 3:Heavy RainLast RebellionSonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

PSP:Metal Slug XX

Xbox 360:Deadly PremonitionRisenSonic & Sega A...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Ken Levine: Irrational Games showing no product at...

The studio formerly known as 2K Boston will not be showing off any product at the upcoming PAX East convention, according to co-founder and creative director Ken Levine.

During an interview with GamerNode at Vassar College, Levine's alma mater, the Irrational Games head informed the site that while they will be present in full at the show in the studio's home town, they will be keeping their upcoming projects under wraps.

"No, no, no," said Levine. "We'll be at PAX East. I'm on a couple of panels and all my guys are gonna be there because we're in Boston, so we're sending our entire team. We'll have some fun things for our fans there I think. On our website too. On our new website we have a lot of cool things. But we're not planning on showing product there."

Earlier in the interview, when Le...

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

New Assassin's Creed multiplayer will have "justif...

Two of the top creators behind the Assassin's Creed series shed some light on the upcoming Assassin's Creed II follow-up game set to release next year.

Before the Interactive Achievement Awards at the DICE convention Ubisoft creative director Patrice Desilets and series lead writer Corey May stated that the upcoming game, in which Ezio returns to Rome after the events of Assassin's Creed II, will have a full single-player campaign. Desilets added that the game's multiplayer, the first for the series, will have "narrative justification."

"It won't be boring," added May jokingly.

When asked how it is possible that another full Assassin's Creed game could be made a year after Assassin's Creed II, Desilets stated that it took a year to make the technology for Assassin's Creed II and that should m...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

ESRB bares all for God of War 3 sex mini-game

The ladies can't seem to get enough of Kratos. When he's not busy bathing in the blood of his enemies, the lascivious demi-god can woo groups of comely women in one of the more amusing mini-games that are presented to the player within the God of War series.

Not just a mesmeric distraction, this -- doing the nasty with the women will often bestow heaps of health orbs or other similar items to the player. The upcoming God of War 3 looks to continue the trend, with Kratos even getting a little divine action if he plays his cards right.

The ESRB has released a stiffly prim explanation of the mini-game, with nary a pun or jab in sight.

"The game contains a sex mini-game. Players will encounter a goddess and her two hand maidens, all topless, all holding and caressing each other. If players wish...

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Splinter Cell Conviction trailer, Sam gets serious...

Another trailer has emerged for Splinter Cell Conviction, showing off what looks to be a gritty, hardcore experience.

The trailer features plenty of shooting and stealth takedowns, as well as knife and melee counters and a sweet "shoot the knees while choking" interrogation technique.  Also, the story is beginning to become a little more clear, with Sam Fisher now obviously being posed against some large, malicious organization in order to get revenge and to fulfill his conviction.  Somehow.

Just enjoy the video.

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Civilization V is announced along with first five ...

2K Games and Firaxis have unveiled the fifth installment of the Civilization series today, promising a brand new engine and hexagon-based maps. Players won't have to wait long for it either, as Civilization V will be released in the fall of this year.

The new hexagon tiles are meant to allow "for deeper strategy, more realistic gameplay and stunning organic landscapes for players to explore as they expand their empire."

"Each new version of Civilization presents exciting challenges for our team," said Sid Meier himself. "Thankfully, ideas on how to bring new and fun experiences to Civ players never seem to stop flowing. From fully animated leaders and realistic landscapes, new combat tactics, expanded diplomacy and shared mods, we're excited for players to see the new vision our team at Fira...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360 not in true HD

A forum user named "MazingerDUDE" at the NeoGAF website has concluded that the Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII does not render in a high-definition resolution, instead only reaching 576p.

MazingerDUDE -- who had previously performed resolution analysis on the Beyond3D forums -- had posted two side-by-side comparison shots of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game.

Apparently, the Xbox 360 runs a native resolution of 1024 x 576 with 2x anti-aliasing enabled at only 576p. That pales in comparison to the PS3's version, which runs at 1280 x 720 with 2x anti-aliasing enabled and at 1080p.

Check out the screenshots here. What do you think? Is the difference substantial enough to sway potential buyers into purchasing the PS3 version?

[NeoGAF]

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PS3 Motion Controller called "Gem" once again

Steve Wadsworth, the President of Disney Interactive Media Group, recently let slip during his keynote speech at the 2010 DICE summit that the new Sony motion controller is called the "Gem".  This slip was made during a comment about upcoming software design opportunities with next-gen console peripherals like the Xbox 360 Natal and the Sony... AHA!

EA's CEO John Riccitiello made a similar slip this past December at another conference, calling the device the Gem also in reference to next-gen peripheral software.  However, the device is also being called the Arc fairly widely within the game journalism community, and Sony has yet to confirm or deny either name.  Word on the street is that Gem was at least a codename used during production of the device, if not also its ultimate shelf name.

Mo...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Red Steel 2 Trailer - Headed West

Ubisoft recently released this new trailer for the upcoming Red Steel 2, a Wii MotionPlus exclusive set to release March 23rd this year.

The game clearly seems to be taking a whole new direction as far as artistic design, and appears to be focused on using old western themes in setting, music, and characters.  But the biggest question for this game is how the gameplay will be improved from the first one.

Red Steel disappointed many early Wii owners with its incredibly clunky use of the motion controls to fight some very awkward sword battles and shoot almost aimlessly at times.  However, with the addition of the Wii MotionPlus,  Ubisoft promises these issues have been ...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Alan Wake receives Teen rating by ESRB

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has given Remedy Entertainment's upcoming psychological thriller Alan Wake a T for Teen rating, nominally given to games that contain crude humor or suggestive content not suitable for minors under the age of 13.

Alan Wake is the latest project under development at Remedy Entertainment, best known for third-person shooters Max Payne and Max Payne 2.

Since Alan Wake touches upon psychological and horror elements in the same vein as TV's Twin Peaks and Lost, and contains narrative similar to the novels by Stephen King, it was expected that the game would easily pick up an M (Mature) rating, which is typically given to games that incorporate excessive violence and strong language.

Alan Wake is scheduled for a May 18 release date on the Xbox 360.

[...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Free DLC to launch with new Battlefield: Bad Compa...

Following the mold that has started with Mass Effect 2, Electronic Arts will have a "VIP" code included in all new copies of upcoming shooter Battlefield: Bad Company 2 that will allow players to access the game's downloadable content for free.

"We want people to insert the code they get when they buy the game to get access to [DLC content]," said senior producer Patrick Bach. "It's connected to your personal account, more or less, and what we want to do is give you something extra, added value, for that. In the future you will get more content, for free, if you have this VIP code."

The system is very similar to the Cerberus Network that was set up for Mass Effect 2, which Bach confirmed. When players start Bad Company 2 and enter the code, they will gain access to an in-game store that will...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Official StarCraft II beta FAQ arrives on Battle.n...

Fans of StarCraft II who are anxiously awaiting any information regarding the game's closed multiplayer beta, set to begin later this month, now have a solid source. An official FAQ for the beta has been posted on Battle.net that answers crucial questions regarding the event.

Posted by the RTS Community Team of Blizzard Europe, the FAQ answers a range of questions regarding how to gain access to the beta, the new Battle.net features, and what can be played in the beta. The FAQ also answered the question regarding just how long the beta will last.

"We have not determined an exact date for the end of the beta test," stated the post. "We will notify participants when the beta test is nearing completion."

Regarding the game itself, the FAQ announced that game modes in the beta will include multip...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Bungie: complete overhaul was needed for Halo: Rea...

Bungie's footage of Halo: Reach at Microsoft's X10 event caused many heads to turn when the development team discussed the painstaking effort that was taken to ensure that the graphics received as much care and attention as other aspects of the game. In a new interview conducted by EuroGamer, Creative Director Marcus Lehto elaborates on Bungie's decision to re-vamp Reach's graphics.

With graphical powerhouses such as Uncharted 2 and Mass Effect 2 leading the charge in terms of art direction and scalability, Bungie harbors no doubts that it certainly has a tall order to fill in having Reach on par with contemporary graphical standards within the industry. 

"Well... we realised that we needed to compete against quite a number of other titles. It really did require us to rebuild nearly everyth...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

de Blob meets Syfy in kids show?

According to a recent press release from THQ (found via VG247), the Syfy television network will be using THQ's trademarked character "de Blob", seen in the game de Blob for the Wii, in order to launch their new series of shows titled Syfy Kids.

The press release (linked below) offers more detailed information regarding the video game character adaptation, but I think the main point is made in the headline.  Seriously? Syfy Kids? And de Blob?

Personally, I've always enjoyed Syfy for some of the most unbelievably ridiculous original movies ever produced, including such hits as "The Furnace" and that one movie where the kids try to make the movie in the woods but get ambushed by troll rednecks.  And now this!  I think we can expect great things from Syfy Kids and THQ.

[THQ]

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This week's releases: 2/15 - 2/21

Fans of all things Aliens and Predator have reason to rejoice this week. Sega's first-person shooter Aliens vs. Predator will be shipping out on Tuesday to retailers for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The game will feature three single-player campaigns with one for the Aliens, one for the Predators, and one for the unfortunate human marines caught between them.

Also releasing will be two Pheonix Wright games. The Wii will get its own version of Pheonix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All, while the DS will receive spin-off Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth.

Here's a full list of what is coming this week.

DSAce Attorney Investigations: Miles EdgeworthCrime SceneKORG DS-10 PlusRagnarok DS

PCBecky Brogan: The Mystery of Meane Manor!Aliens vs. PredatorEverquest II: Sentinel's Fat...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Street Fighter IV coming to iPhone.....yes, iPhone...

The iPhone/iPod Touch platform is becoming a powerful medium for gaming and more and more big console franchises are making iPhone specific versions of their titles for Apple's little device. We'll just have to place this announcement in the "I never even imagined this would be possible" category. Capcom has announced that Street Fighter IV will be gracing the iPhone platform in March. The iPhone version will be almost a straight port of the console versions, using the same character models, just scalled down to the iPhone's graphical power. Capcom is also promising a large roster of characters, featuring both classic brawlers and newcomers, along with their complete move sets. Ultra combos will also be present and no animations have been cut out of this version.

Virtual controls have alway...

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
•