In one of the goofier things I’ve seen in awhile comes a game company called 20Q.net. They have produced a series of pop culture quiz games. They have one for Star Trek, Harry Potter and The Simpsons. The Harry Potter game is shaped like a snitch, while the Star Trek one comes in the form of the Enterprise. I’ve been playing with it the last day or so and it’s kind of neat. 20Q™ is an artificial intelligence, a website, a company and a phenomenon that speaks for itself at http://20q.net. Players think of something, and 20Q™ guesses what is on their mind, in twenty questions or less. Each time the online game is played it learns a little more. After more than 62,000,000 games played and half a billion questions asked, 20Q™ has evolved from an experiment in artificial intelligence into a software development firm that licenses games built on the capabilities of the 20Q A.I. It’s an interesting concept, but I’d prefer to see this game available on mobile platforms (I’m sure they are working on it) instead of the big, bulky packaging it currently comes in.
Ubisoft announced that War World is now available on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by Third Wave Games, War World is a fast-paced third-person shooter that combines a unique blend of heart-pumping action and tactical gameplay, introducing an entirely new genre to Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360. Complete with next-gen visual effects and robust gameplay, War World throws players directly into combat on the battlefield of a war-torn planet. Control one of 10 different Mechanoids, each with special abilities, and wreak havoc throughout the 100-level single-player campaign. War World is truly the first of its kind on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 with a robust multiplayer game set available through the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. War World on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 is rated "T” for Teen and can be downloaded for 800 Microsoft Points.
D3Publisher (D3P), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, today announced that RocketBowl™ is available now for download on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. A refreshing twist on a classic sport, RocketBowl offers a 50’s style retro-futuristic vibe, out-of-this-world courses and rocket-powered bowling balls for a perfect game of fun on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for Xbox 360. Players will compete in tournaments, challenge their friends in multiplayer, test their bowling skills and more! Players can enjoy the robust, full game features of RocketBowl for 800 Microsoft Points.
In addition to an indoor bowling alley, RocketBowl features 10 crazy courses filled with ramps, tunnels, loops, hills, curves and more to create a bowling experience like never before. Players will enjoy fun and varied gamplay modes as they take on the different courses in Free Play or challenge the course pros in Tournament and Challenge mode where they can wager and win money to upgrade more than 15 unique bowling balls including Strawbally, 8-Ball and the Kalamazoo Special. RocketBowl offers exciting mulitplayer mode matches with up to 4 friends competing against each other over Xbox LIVE or locally on one system with Xbox LIVE play featuring unranked Player and Ranked matches.
In a monumental first for the gaming and music industries, Metallica’s highly anticipated ninth studio album Death Magnetic will be available in its entirety as downloadable content for Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock day and date with the album release this Friday, September 12. Featured on the downloadable album will be two Guitar Hero® exclusive renditions of “Suicide & Redemption” with extended solos by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. Gamers looking to shred, drum and wail away to the Death Magnetic downloadable album need only purchase the content once as it is forward compatible and will integrate seamlessly with Guitar Hero® World Tour when it launches this October.
In addition to the two exclusive versions of “Suicide & Redemption,” Guitar Hero fans will live out the surreal Metallica experience with: “That Was Just Your Life,” “The End of the Line,” “Broken, Beat & Scared,” “The Day That Never Comes,” “All Nightmare Long,” “Cyanide,” “The Unforgiven Ill,” “The Judas Kiss” and “My Apocalypse.”
“We’ve been working very closely with Metallica and we’re extremely excited to offer Death Magnetic not only in its entirety, but also with the exclusive recordings of ‘Suicide & Redemption’ as downloadable content to Guitar Hero fans,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision Blizzard. “We’re proud to be setting a new precedent for our two industries, making an entire new album available in two different mediums simultaneously.”
Metallica’s Death Magnetic album will be available for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on September 12, 2008 for download on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft at a cost of 1440 Microsoft Points and in the PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system at a cost of $17.99.
I’ve always wanted to learn how to play Gin Rummy. Sierra Online has brought one of the most famous classic card games to Xbox LIVE® Arcade with Gin Rummy. First introduced to the world almost 100 years ago, Gin Rummy comes to life online, where players can ‘knock’ out opponents with big scores and bonus points for endless hours of casual card game fun.
In Gin Rummy, players strategically select the right cards to create combinations of sets and runs to complete their hand, and in turn cleverly discard to minimize the risk of getting caught with a handful of high cards. Featuring six popular game modes, including Classic, Speed Gin, Hollywood Gin and Three-Hand Gin, players can also create their own rules for a truly unique experience. The game comes with rapid automatic scoring at the end of each match to get a detailed breakdown of each player’s points and bonuses. Gin Rummy features multiplayer for up to four players, with Xbox LIVE Vision support that lets players build up the atmosphere as the games progress. In addition, players can select from numerous game themes, including game skins, card decks and entertaining music selections. Gin Rummy is available now for Xbox LIVE® Arcade for 400 Microsoft Points. To help us noobs along they also released a tips and tricks video.
It’s almost time for me to go back to War. Oh, the stories I can tell about my experience using modern weapons to take out some middle eastern despot. Or the time I had to make it through a village without being spotted. Or the time I thought I rescued that downed chopper pilot and got nuked instead. Good times, good times. My favorite game from last year, Call of Duty is returning this fall. Boot camp will soon take on a new meaning, as Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and developer Treyarch, have confirmed plans for Call of Duty: World at War multiplayer betas in October for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and separately for download on Windows PC. These betas will serve as an early chance for players to practice the tactics needed for survival in the intense chaos of Call of Duty: World at War’s Pacific and European theaters. Players will experience the game’s new squad system, as well as fan favorite perks and kill streaks. All preparation for the full battle will commence on November 11, 2008 when Call of Duty: World at War is released to retailers nationwide. “We are excited to share a sneak peak of Call of Duty: World at War multiplayer with the community,” says Mark Lamia, Treyarch Studio Head. “The team has worked hard to build upon the great history and foundation of Call of Duty multiplayer and we can’t wait to go online to ramp up for our November launch.”
Everyone’s favorite Director - Bret Ratner is shopping around a movie based on the video game Guitar Hero. The premise is a kid who is great at the game, somehow wins a competition and becomes a real life Rockstar. How low and desperate is Hollywood to even consider this idea? Not only consider it, but then hire this no-talent hack to Produce it? But then they did let him ruin the X-Men franchise.
Prince of Persia is one of my favorite game franchises, I really dug the last two games in the series. The footage Ubi-Soft released this week makes me giddy with excitement for the latest installment. The graphics look amazing and the gameplay looks interesting. The one thing that I have concerns about is why did they have add an annoying side kick? She’s irritating as heck in this six minute sample, I can’t imagine having her around for an entire game. Why, Ubi, why? Check out the video clilp, like I said, other than the sidekick and bad dialogue, this really seems to bring the series back to it’s platforming roots.
I’m not sure how I feel about the Tomb Raider series. I love the concept of the entire series, the lead character is empowering, and generally speaking I like this genre of game. Every time a new one comes out, I’m all excited only to get disappointed in the first level. Frankly I’ve always found the series unnecessarily hard to play and the choppy 3D Animation has always made me sick (literally) so I’ll admit, I’ve never played through an entire adventure. Will Undertow be the TR game that finally sucks me in? I love the premise and it’s shaping up pretty nice. Here is the latest game play trailer. The game will be available on 360 and PS3 this fall.
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