To celebrate the Fourth of July, Activision has decided to release a free song to all Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 Guitar Hero III owners. The track in question is the Top Gun Anthem from the movie Top Gun (duh!).
Somehow I don't see this one as being used as a pickup line in a bar, but I'd still suggest you grab Goose and your guitar and get with the freebie. Enjoy all!
Following in the footsteps of the latest MAME update, MameUI v.125.9, the Windows GUI port of MAME v.125u9, is now available. The same advice I gave about the latest build of MAME applies to this version of MameUI as well.
As you may or may not already know, MameUI was previously known as MAME32. The emulator's name has been changed as it is now available in both 32 and 64 bit versions (as MameUI32 and MameUI64 respectively). Please be sure to download the correct version for your CPU.
While we were all making plans and prepping our grills for today, Version .125u9 of the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator was made available for download. As with most interim updates, this one focuses on bug fixes, driver updates and background changes - so unless you've been having difficulties with your current installation, I’d recommend holding off on upgrading until the next full release.
Those of you interested in testing this build for the dev team should download the update and then head on over to MAME Testers to find out how to get started.
The updated emulator files can be found at the official MAME development page at Mamedev.org. You can Click here to see the full list of what’s new in this update.
May your Fourth of July be happy, safe and full of bbq'ed food!
Just a quick note for those of you who may be wondering what happened to the PlayStation 3 System Update 2.40… While the update was released yesterday as planned, some PlayStation 3 owners reported that the update had caused some crashing and performance problems with their consoles.
As such, Sony has pulled version 2.40 and reverted back to the previous release, System Update v2.36, while they look into the problem. If you're currently one of the affected few, I'd probably suggest contacting Sony customer support, though I am hearing rumors that if they can't help you over the phone, that are advising that your console will have to come in for repairs - at a cost of $150 if your warranty has expired. I'm hoping that's a rumor, because to charge people for a repair caused by a bad firmware update is complete bullshit.
On a slightly brighter note, Kotaku has a post up that states that some people who found their console bricked after 2.40 have had success bringing their consoles back to life by removing the hard drive, formatting it via PC, reinserting it in the PS3 and reformatting it. Of course, that means you'll lose any content that is currently on the drive as well.
We'll be sure to keep you updated as any information becomes available. Hope not too many of you ran into this one.
It's a slightly odd Xbox Live Arcade double feature this week as we get one full game in Namco Bandai's Soul Calibur and one expansion in the form of 280 new questions for Wits and Wagers.
Now, I'm not going to lie… I once was a Soul Calibur junkie. In fact, in 1999 despite telling myself that in no way was I going to buy another Sega console at launch because of the bad taste both the Sega CD and Saturn left in my mouth, as soon as I saw that Soul Calibur was going to be a launch title, I plunked down my pre-order for the Dreamcast.
Many great gaming days with friends followed that, including many "ok, whoever gets to 100 wins first" versus mode multiplayer challenges. Yeah, it would be fair to say that with Soul Calibur alone, I more than got my money's worth out of the Dreamcast.
How well will Soul Calibur translate on the Xbox 360? I really don't know. Without mission mode or the expected addition of online multiplayer, there's not an overly compelling need for anyone with the original game to grab this one - especially with Soul Calibur 2 being backwards compatible and Soul Calibur 4 releasing at the end of this month.
My advice would be to give the demo a try and make up your own mind about whether this port is worth 800 points ($10) to you.
Title: Soul Calibur
Developer: Namco Bandai Games America
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games America
Genre: Xbox Live Arcade
Release Date: 7/02/08
Console: Xbox 360
Players: 1-2
Full Game: 800 points ($10)
Rating: T (Teen) - Animated Violence & Suggestive Themes
Demo?: Yes
From the Xbox.com product description;
"SoulCalibur®, the highest-rated console fighting game, has returned to the next generation! Sharpen your blades as you relive old grudges against classic adversaries in new high definition graphics. Prove your mettle against the world with a variety of leaderboards spanning every character and mode, or challenge a friend in local-play Versus mode.
- Nineteen playable characters: All of your favorite fighters are back including Kilik, Ivy, Siegfried, Edge Master, Nightmare, and many more!
- Eight modes of play: Try the different game modes including Story, Versus, and even Museum Mode that allows players to view artwork, character models, and animations.
- Leaderboards galore: Compare stats in sixty leaderboards spanning across each character and mode.
- High definition support: SoulCalibur has been given a whole new coat of beautiful paint to support HD resolutions up to 1080p." - Xbox.com
The other release this week is simply a new question pack for Wits and Wagers. You get some 280 new questions for 320 points ($4) - try to contain your excitement, ok?
Title: Wits & Wagers (DLC)
Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Genre: Xbox Live Arcade - Downloadable Content
Release Date: 7/02/08
Console: Xbox 360
Cost: 320 points ($4)
Rating: E (Everyone) (Original game)
Demo?: No (a demo of the original game is available)
Not much to say about last week's Live Arcade releases - mainly because I still don't have an Xbox 360 to try them on. The good news is it seems my console is being prepped for it's return from repair as we speak, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my 360 and I will be back in Liberty City real soon.
With the highly anticipated 2.40 PlayStation 3 System Update scheduled to hit on Wednesday, Eric Lempel - Sony’s director of PlayStation Network operations, has put together two videos highlighting what users can expect to see in the update. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or just don’t follow gaming news that closely, the main excitement comes from the ability to access the XMB from in-game and the addition of gamer trophies. Let’s take a look at the videos courtesy of GameTrailers.com, shall we?
Lempel has also posted an FAQ for the update at PlayStation Blog - you can check it out via the link below. As stated above, system update 2.40 is currently scheduled to go live on July 2nd, 2008.
Okay, looking over this week's release list, I can't help but think that maybe a few of the games that were caught in last week's flood of titles should have been held back for this week. Folks, there is really nothing to get excited about here. Best I can say is that if you haven't had a chance to pick up Gears of War yet, the newly released version is certainly a nice buy. You'll get the game, some making of videos, a sneak peak at Gears 2 as well as all the downloadable map packs released for the game.
Yup, Gears of War gets the nod for the week I love the game, but still - it's not like I had much of a choice here. Just… ugh…
…and the rest of this week's releases - look upon this list and… pick up some used titles or something;
Please keep in mind these are only estimated release dates and could change at any time.
At long last, Blizzard Entertainment has made the announcement so many have been waiting to hear… Diablo III is now in production. While just about any other details about the game are scarce at this point, what we do know so far is that the game will take place some 20 years after the events of Diablo II & Lord of Destruction.
“Two decades have passed since the demonic denizens, Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, wandered the world of Sanctuary in a vicious rampage to shackle humanity into unholy slavery. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils directly, the memory fades slowly and the wounds of the soul still burn.
When Deckard Cain returns to the ruins of Tristram’s Cathedral seeking clues to new stirrings of evil, a comet from the heavens strikes the very ground where Diablo once entered the world. The comet carries a dark omen in its fiery being and it calls the heroes of Sanctuary to defend the mortal world against the rising powers of the Burning Hells – and even the failing luminaries of the High Heavens itself. “ - Diablo III official website
The game will feature 5 character classes, of which only the Barbarian and Witch Doctor have been announced to date, that can now be either male or female and run on a game engine custom built by Blizzard.
To celebrate the announcement, Blizzard has released a Cinematic teaser - which we now bring to you courtesy of GameTrailers.com.
As with just about any Blizzard release, there is no timeframe for the game’s release - they’re going to take their time and make sure they get it right. Blizzard has announced that the game should ship for both PC and Mac simultaneously.
A demo of LucasArts' LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures for the Xbox 360 is now available for download in all regions via the Xbox Live Marketplace. Approximate file size is 619MB.
Please note: As of late November, it appears that Microsoft has re-instituted the one week wait before free content becomes available to Xbox Live Silver members. As such, if you're not an Xbox Live Gold member, this demo most likely won't be available for download until sometime next week.
Just a quick note here for owners of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Guitar Hero III. A new (and free) track is available in both the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store. The track, "I am Murloc", is a song about World of Warcraft and was created and performed by a band that one of the developers belongs to. Enjoy!
Following in the footsteps of the latest MAME update, MameUI v.125.8, the Windows GUI port of MAME v.125u6, is now available. The same advice I gave about the latest build of MAME applies to this version of MameUI as well. In addition, no version of MAMUI v.125.7 appears to have ever been released due to the problems with the MAME release of the same name.
As you may or may not already know, MameUI was previously known as MAME32. The emulator's name has been changed as it is now available in both 32 and 64 bit versions (as MameUI32 and MameUI64 respectively). Please be sure to download the correct version for your CPU.
Just a quick note here for anyone out there looking to pick up an Xbox 360 - Buy.com is currently selling recertified Xbox 360 Premium systems for $199.99. Not sure how long they'll last at that price, so if you want one, I'd suggest jumping on it ASAP.
A demo of Sony's Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds for the PlayStation 3 is now available for download via the PlayStation Store. Download size is approximately 506MB.
A demo of 2K Sports Top Spin 3 for the PlayStation 3 is now available for download via the PlayStation Store. Download size is approximately 442MB.
A demo of 2K Sports Top Spin 3 for the Xbox 360 is now available for download in all regions via the Xbox Live Marketplace. Approximate file size is 394MB.
Please note: As of late November, it appears that Microsoft has re-instituted the one week wait before free content becomes available to Xbox Live Silver members. As such, if you're not an Xbox Live Gold member, this demo most likely won't be available for download until sometime next week.
