Guitar Hero On Tour Drum Kit video

Okay, I’ll admit it.. I think the new drum layout for Guitar Hero On Tour is awesome. The fact that the pads on the drum kit are now pressure sensitive, and it now is wireless is a nice step forward. Sure, it’s just a take off of the Rock Band formula, which most people will be quick to point out. But I still think that it looks like they’re trying to one up the formula, rather than just completely rip off their competition. That’s fine with me.

Get Left 4 Dead this November

Oh, you have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to Left 4 Dead. It has potential to be the greatest online co-op zombie game! Okay.. well it doesn’t have much competition. Anyway, after months and months of delays, the game may finally have a release date! In an interview with shacknews, Doug Lombardi stated that Left 4 Dead was pretty much complete, and they were just ironing out bugs and adding a bit of polish to the overall product. They expect Left 4 Dead to ship this November.

Infinite Undiscovery Trailer

As of late I’ve grown more and more wary of Square-Enix and the stuff they put out. They always seem to be going for the quick buck with their ports and rehashes. I can’t say that I had high hopes for Infinite Undiscovery, but after watching this trailer I can gladly say that I wont be picking this up.

All of the usual signs seem to be coming together for this one.

Standard looking Japanese RPG plot? Check
Crappy character design? Check

Too Human Sees a Release. No Really, It Does.

According to Microsoft, the very interesting looking Action game from Silicon Knights is said to be released August 19, but it comes with some sacrifice it seems. Online co-op, originally to feature up to 4 players has been toned down to 2. Hit the jump for more features

A bunch of details have also been released through a factsheet

“Too Human”
Fact Sheet
May 2008
Title: “Too Human”

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

So long, and thanks for all the games (PC)

I never expected that my first post for the new PC Gamer/GamesRadar website would also be my last. After seven years at PC Gamer, first as Features Editor, then as Senior Editor, Executive Editor, and, finally, Senior Executive Editor, I’ve accepted an exciting new Editor-in-Chief position at PCG’s parent company, Future US.

It wasn’t an easy decision, by any means. Working at PC Gamer has long been a dream of mine, and I’m honored to have been a part of its proud history. I’ve had no shortage of amazing experiences while at PCG; in fact, as I write this, I’m in Moscow on a mission for our August 2008 issue. Am I crazy for leaving? Yeah, probably.

72% of the US plays games (PSP)

A new study from the NPD Group has found that 72 percent of Americans play videogames, but the research firm says online gaming is still not fully addressed.

The number of gamers in the US rose from 64 percent of the population in 2006 to an all-time high of 72 percent in 2007, according to NPD's latest study, Online Gaming 2008.

Of the total amount of gamers in the US, over half play games online, according to the study.

The PC continues to be the top platform for online gaming, as 90 percent of online gamers say they use computers to play online games. Nineteen percent say they use a console and 3 percent use a cell phone for online gaming.

What will games be like in 2020? (PSP)

GamesRadar sister site Next Gen is running an article focussing on the opinions from industry experts on what games and gaming will be like in the year 2020...

Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and chair of NeoEdge: "Social gatherings have always had some game playing elements whether you're talking about a 12th century banquet or a game of Risk around the table at home.

"The way people will play games in the future is by getting together socially and making gaming a part of that experience, along with the beer and the pizza. They'll gather in social places and play games together, which are either free games or paid. Games will bring people together."

What will games be like in 2020? (Nintendo DS)

GamesRadar sister site Next Gen is running an article focussing on the opinions from industry experts on what games and gaming will be like in the year 2020...

Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and chair of NeoEdge: "Social gatherings have always had some game playing elements whether you're talking about a 12th century banquet or a game of Risk around the table at home.

"The way people will play games in the future is by getting together socially and making gaming a part of that experience, along with the beer and the pizza. They'll gather in social places and play games together, which are either free games or paid. Games will bring people together."

GTA4 dominates everything

Sheesh, when will we stop hearing about this game? Not for a while, I’m going to guess. First we learn that Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best reviewed games of all time, and now we learn that it’s continuing to break records everywhere. That was to be expected, of course. I’m sure the boys at Rockstar are happy with the launch of their latest masterpiece. Grand Theft Auto has made over $500 Million in its first week of release. That puts it a whopping $200 million over last years juggernaut, Halo 3.

72% of the US plays games (Nintendo DS)

A new study from the NPD Group has found that 72 percent of Americans play videogames, but the research firm says online gaming is still not fully addressed.

The number of gamers in the US rose from 64 percent of the population in 2006 to an all-time high of 72 percent in 2007, according to NPD's latest study, Online Gaming 2008.

Of the total amount of gamers in the US, over half play games online, according to the study.

The PC continues to be the top platform for online gaming, as 90 percent of online gamers say they use computers to play online games. Nineteen percent say they use a console and 3 percent use a cell phone for online gaming.

Say games made you evil and get paid (Nintendo DS)

A newspaper is offering cash for your stories on how videogames made you "turn to a life of crime."

A listing on recruitment site StarNow, a hub for actors and musicians looking for jobs, has appeared reading, "a national newspaper wants your story and will pay hundreds of pounds to the right person."

The listing comes in the wake of last week's Byron report, which made newspapers all across the UK, some with questionable headlines such as 'computer games get health warnings.'

Naval combat games broadsiding DS and WiiWare (Pirates: Duels on the High Seas)

Oxygen Interactive has unfurled the sails on two naval combat games, one which is heading to DS and one to WiiWare.

Yarr... *cough* Pirates: Duels on the High Seas is the name of the DS game and it includes single-player and multiplayer modes and features naval combat on the high seas in seven different locations around the globe.

In addition to broad siding enemy ships and fantastical beasts - like a Kraken - you'll be plundering treasure troves, trading flotsam and jetsam for gold and rescuing castaways that you can employ to improve the performance of your vessel.

Wii the weakest console on the market?

Still can’t find that Nintendo Wii you’ve been after, huh? Who can Blame you? You’d be lucky if you had a store that kept their Wii shipments in longer than just a few hours after they arrived. Something that sells that well must be great, right?
Wrong. I came across an interesting article today that basically states this: The Wii sucks. You know it, I know it, we all know it. The quality of games that has come out for Nintendo’s little system have ranged from crap to.. well.. crap.

Indie and Experimental Games Round-up

Indie and Experimental Games Round-upThe Internet is a big place. Like, really big. Think of the biggest Douglas Adams quote you can, then times it by a billion-million and you still aren’t even close. You may think it takes a long time to find your MP3 folder, but that’s just peanuts to the Internet.

There’s a lot of good stuff out there though – a lot of very fun games that don’t always get the level of respect they deserve. Games that could be as good as something you'd actually pay for, but get kind of lost in the shuffle because the developer doesn’t have a multi-million dollar advertising budget.

How To Start Your Own Games Studio, Pt 2

How To Start Your Own Games StudioForeword by Joe Martin
Here we are again, back with Introversion’s Mark Morris as he continues to guide a new generation (or a re-enthused old generation) of game developers to the indie way of life and all the treasures that their way holds.

While last month Mark wrote an article about how to develop a decent idea for a game and presented it to us here and on the official Introversion blog, more importantly how to tell a good idea from a bad one, this time he’s taken a rather different tack; how to build the first version – the Alpha. In brief, what form should an Alpha build take and how should it be handled?

Analysts: Ad-supported mobile games are on the way

Analysts: Ad-supported mobile games are on the way

According to analysts Screen Digest, advertising will account for more than 20 percent of all mobile TV revenues on a worldwide basis by 2012. So get ready for the ad-funded games, especially after mobile TV becomes universally available.

Four years from now, more than 60 million ad-funded mobile games will be downloaded each year worldwide, according to results of of a new survey by analyst group Screen Digest.

Say games made you evil and get paid (PSP)

A newspaper is offering cash for your stories on how videogames made you "turn to a life of crime."

A listing on recruitment site StarNow, a hub for actors and musicians looking for jobs, has appeared reading, "a national newspaper wants your story and will pay hundreds of pounds to the right person."

The listing comes in the wake of last week's Byron report, which made newspapers all across the UK, some with questionable headlines such as 'computer games get health warnings.'

This Month in EGM Rumors…

I was just perusing the newest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, and I checked out there monthly rumor section, which has some juicy tidbits in it.

- First off, apparently, a new Halo prequel is supposedly going to be announced for next years holiday season. This game will apparently be a 3rd person action/adventure game and detail early fights between marines and covenant.

- Bioshock is FINALLY getting a PS3 release sometime in September, with all the DLC content packed in. Also, we will also get a first glimpse of Bioshock 2 around the same time.

First shots of the new Prince of Persia

The long running Prince of Persia series has had it’s ups (Sands of Time), downs (Warrior Within), and in-betweens (The Two Thrones). Recently some scans of the new Prince of Persia Game have surfaced. The magazine scans are in another language, but who is really looking at the text? From what I can gather, we’re looking at an all new prince, and the art style looks to be drastically different from previous games.

The game will be coming out for PC, PS3, and 360. I find this kind of odd, because it kind of looks like a Wii game. We’ll keep an eye out for any new information about this new Prince of Persia game and we’ll keep you updated.

Crossover Games for Mac

CrossOver Games For MacPublisher:Codeweavers
UK Price (as reviewed): £25.99 (inc. VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): $39.95 (ex. Tax)

IntroductionI'm going to go against the grain here and embarrass my fellow bit-tech staffers – I love my Macbook. In fact, since I recently acquired my Macbook Pro after an accident involving some rather delicious green tea, I've fallen even more in love.

Now, I'm not here to preach about the love of Macs, because I happen to be a firm believer in the idea that

GTA4 Niko Trailer

Introducing Gameplay vids on MY GTA-Killer

I haven’t been very vocal on here about my disdain for GTA4. To me, it is over-hyped and more of the same, which is why i refuse to put out the dime-a-dozen, tiny pieces of info that every other website is infested with on that particular game. Instead, I’ve chosen to show more of this potentially amazing looking, bound-to-be-sleeper-hit-in-GTA4’s-wake game. Despite the lack of multi-player (rumor has it as comin in the form of DLC later on anyway), Prototype looks way fresher to me, and now I give to you the first official gameplay video of it:

Info on new Bungie Projects coming soon

And you really thought you had finished the fight, I lol at you naive kids! in the latest Bungie Weekly Update it is confirmed that both A) Bungie is expanding its team as to help the process on the oh-so-tight-lipped “Halo/Peter Jackson” project, and their own “top secret” projects that we will find out about eventually. My money goes on a new Marathon, or maybe the other Marathons coming to XBLA.

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Gametrailer’s GTAIV Review

I am a very big fan of the Video Reviews done by Gametrailers . I am continually impressed by the quality and care that they put into each of their Video Reviews. They’re always very professional, very well informed, and they’ll tell you exactly what you need to know by the end of their review. I tend to hold them in a higher regard over most other Websites because of this. Well they’ve just posted their review for Grand Theft Auto IV, which will be out in just a few short (or very long) days. Check it out below and be amazed.. I sure am!

GT.com Reviews Mario Kart Wii

GT.com Reviews Mario Kart Wii

Design: 9.3, Gameplay: 7.7, Presentation: 8.2, Overall: 8.4

So does it live up to all the hype and it’s own legacy?