GS: Last question, John. What's the one lesson from your two years of seeing Star Wars Galaxies being played, that you wish you knew sooner?

JS: That straight sandbox games don't work. And that we needed to focus much more on the Star Wars experience. I think in the past, what we probably made was the Uncle Owen experience as opposed to the Luke experience. We needed to deliver more of the Star Wars heroic and epic feeling to the game. I think we missed there. That's what I think we really brought to the game [with the update].

One thing that I love about our company is that there is no "quit" in this company. It's about making sure that we have pride in what we do. People within the company feel so much pride in this game that they want it to beat the crap out of World of Warcraft. That's something we feel very passionate about. We know we are capable of making the best stuff out there, and I'm proud to say that with the changes we're making in Galaxies, I think we're headed in the right direction.

What do you guys think about "sandbox" MMO's? Like them? Or prefer a more goal oriented game such as World of Warcraft or the like?

The Patch that makes DAoC Fun Released 12:38 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: MMOG (17 comments)
As promised earlier, Mythic has released version 1.81 of Dark Age of Camelot:

In response to our polls (both US and European) in the last few months, this patch is focused on improvements and enhancements to RVR and specific classes. Specifically, we have made changes to the realm point system to make the points earnable in many ways including most forms of healing, object breaking, and object repair. We extended the realm rank cap. We adjusted the process that makes Darkness Falls available to make that zone more accessible. More line of sight issues have been corrected, and we will continue to work on those in future patches. Finally, we made a change to battleground caps to make players in those zones more evenly matched.

Also in response to our polling data, we made many improvements to the classes that belong to our heavy tank archetype, and some adjustments to healers and assassins. Thank you for all of your input and testing help!

Line of sight issues have been improved for all bridges in New Frontiers. This fix also addresses many of the 'cast through walls' issues that Bainshees have on bridges.

• RR2L4 asshats are no longer allowed in thid (low level, but extremely fun BG) as there are now hard RR caps for them
• Artifacts are easier to get and faster to levels, plus quicker scroll drops
• Mini maps added for all toa dungeons
• Tons of master level tweaks to streamline the experience
• Teleporters added in SI towns
• Realm rank 13 added
• Un-nerfed realm points for killing lower rr dudes; increased amount higher levels toons are worth up to a sweet 2100 w/o taking bonuses into consideration
• Plus oh-so much more

CNN goes hands-on with Revolution Controller 09:19 am - Elias 'Mithan' Doulias - Consoles: Nintendo Revolution (51 comments)
Chris Morris updated his Game Over column on CNN Money with a "test drive" of the new Revolution Controller, and what he thinks of it.

One of the problems the Revolution faces is dislodging the idea of the standard controller from people's minds. Mention home video games to most people and they'll conjure a mental image of someone sitting on a couch, both hands gripping one of today's standard controllers and not moving much. So the idea of moving your arm in a virtual sword fight or taking virtual aim at onscreen monsters might be hard to get across.

"When we first watched it, we thought, frankly, 'what the hell is this?'," said Jack Sorensen, executive vice president of worldwide studios for THQ. "The main thing is getting it in your hands. Once you do that, it's pretty intuitive. It's not about more buttons. It's about ease of use for consumers. ... I'm surprised and happy with the direction Nintendo is going."

Rag Doll Kung Fu Creator Leaves Lionhead 08:50 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: General News (6 comments)
Mark Healey, creator of Rag Doll Kung Fu (the first wholly independently developed game to be distributed through Steam), has left Lionhead and long-term associate Peter Molyneux to create an independent development studio with a couple of Rag Doll Kung Fu contributors. In the employment of Molyneux at Bullfrog and then Lionhead, Healey worked on titles such as Magic Carpet, Syndicate Wars, Dungeon Keeper, Black & White, and Fable, but now says he's ready for something new:

Well, the reason they've gone, you see, is coz I've gone! I've left Lionhead - a very hard decision for me, but one I have made - my current plan is to spend rest of this year finishing the map editor with Alex, get the free demo out (sorry about delay on this - it's in Valves hands as to when and how they release it), and then set up a dev team, to make a new game next year, with Alex and Dave, who helped out on Rag Doll. (This time, it will be full time, none of this spare time business, TOO TIRING!)

I would like to point out that I didn't leave Lionhead on bad terms or anything, it was just time for a change really (I was there from the very start!). Watch this space for the next game - it's gonna be off its head.

[And] thanks for the kind words - I have to admit, it's quite scary for me, leaving a well paid job, to have a go at it for yourself (and no - I'm not mega rich from Rag Doll Kung Fu - despite ridiculus sales figures I have seen quoted on the web! 250,000 indeed - I wish!) - but i've made the leap, so time to grow some wings, or quickly weave a parachute!

Best of luck to you Mark.

Full Auto Screenshots 08:13 am - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Xbox 360 (5 comments)
Our final set of screenshots this morning is a series of eleven Technicolor images from Sega's Full Auto:

If you pick up the new issue of OXM you can find a one-level demo of the game to play, or alternatively wait a couple a weeks for it to show up on the Xbox Live Marketplace, and in addition a new website for the game has been launched that contains some rather good commercials.

Wrestle Kingdom Screenshots 08:03 am - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Xbox 360 (3 comments)
Seven shots of a game that will presumably sell rather well in Japan:

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II Screenshots 07:50 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Real-Time Strategy (3 comments)
Four new LotR:TBfM-EII screenshots from EA Australia:

IGN Bits 01:49 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (4 comments)
Silly question, but for anyone who has a Google homepage and uses the RSS, what's the exact keyword to add IGN Complete into your feeds? It's for a friend, honest. :P

• Splinter Cell Double Agent Interview
• Ace Combat Zero
• Mega Man X Collection
• The Sound and The Fury
• Call of Duty 2 Code Cures

RPG Vault Morsels 01:40 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Role-Playing (0 comments)

Pacific Storm First View Lesta Studios' intriguing World War II title touted as a combination of real-time strategy, war game and simulator

Tales of Legendia Media #1 Namco shows a video from the upcoming PS2 title in which characters demonstrate some of the special eres skills - An exclusive gameplay video

Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:15 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - hardware: General News (0 comments)

Boards

• Sapphire PURE Innovation PI-A9RD480 Crossfire - techPowerUp

  Cases
  

• Raidmax RX-9 Gaming Case - 3DGameMan
• Thermaltake Swing VB6000SNS ATX Computer Case - Tweaknews

  Cooling
  

• EverCool GT-365 extended cooling system device - A1
• Pentium 4 CPU Cooler roundup - Trusted Reviews

  Keyboard
  

• Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard - HardwareXL

  Memory
  

• SuperTalent PC4000 C2.5 1GB kit - 3DX

  Mice
  

• Logitech G7 Mouse - Designtechnica

  Power Supply
  

• Antec Neo HE 500W Power Supply - ThinkComputers.org

  Storage
  

• Blu-Ray Disc Format Interview - Hardware Accelerated

  Video
  

• Radeon X1800 XL vs. GeForce 7800 GT - Hartware
• Sneak Preview of NVIDIA Quad GPU SLI - Toms Hardware Guide (geebus, lol)

Game Reviews 12:45 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (0 comments)

360


• Need for Speed Most Wanted - Gaming Age - B-

  Xbox
  

• Call Of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth - Game Revolution - B

  PS2
  

• Gauntlet Seven Sorrows - PS2.IGN - 7/10

  PSP
  

• Prince of Persia Revelations - Gamespot - 7.4/10

  DS
  

• Elf Bowling 1&2 - DS.IGN - 1/10 (lol)
• Real Time Conflict: Shogan Empires - DS.IGN - 2.5/10
• Scooby Do Unmasked - DS.IGN - 6.5/10
• Shrek Superslam - Gamespot - 6.5/10
• The Sims 2 - Boomtown - 4/10

  GBA
  

• FF IV Advance - GBA.IGN - 8.6/10

In Other News... 12:15 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - In-House: In Other News... (41 comments)
Warning: DAoC mumbo jumbo inc:

Today Mythic is releasing "the patch that makes Dark Age of Camelot fun." Well, for the main tank classes at least. Armsmen, heroes and warriors are a cubic assload more durable plus can do crazy stuff like climb keep walls.

They're also easing up a lot of Trials of Atlantis restrictions, like if you've ever done an artifact encounter, you don't need the artifact any longer. Just the book of scrolls and credit. When you talk to the artifact npc scholar, he hooks ya up. While it sucks that I have a CM (consignment merchant) loaded with rare artifacts I've collected over the years, I can also activate a lot of wacky stuff that I've helped folks get, but didn't recieve the actual artifact (as I was helping them get it). Arties like Shield of Khaos, Bracer of Zo and Erinys Charm (nice for casters) come to mind (the charm is nearly impossible to get for Midgard characters), so I guess the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the dude with the overstocked CM. Besides the ToA stuff, they've made the game more realm vs realm friendly, whereas folks get rewards for repairing the frontier, healing others and crowd control spells.

Down with the fun police! It's time to open the game up.

Today's question:

What's the last MMORPG you played? Or are currently playing.

Microsoft lists two points in response to the reports claiming that it has, as of the 14th, entered into final development phases with Toshiba and other HD-DVD backers to release an HD-DVD version of the Xbox 360 some time next year after Spring. The first point: "Microsoft, in both America and Japan, has not announced anything regarding the possibility of a next generation DVD drive being placed in the Xbox 360." And the second point: "There are currently no plans to release an Xbox 360 equipped with a next generation DVD player."

While the second point may be true, we'll point out that the first point definitely isn't. Microsoft, both in America and Japan, has made comments regarding HD-DVD appearing in future revisions of the Xbox 360. Whether more specific comments on the matter were shared yesterday with the Japanese press, either in an official context or while everyone was drunk off hot sake, is the question.

HD-DVD capable Xbox 360s Next Year 07:30 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Consoles: Xbox 360 (21 comments)
Xbox 360.IGN is reporting that Microsoft may be making HD-DVD capable Xbox 360's next year:

According to the Jiji report, Microsoft revealed on the 14th that it has entered final stages with Toshiba and other HD-DVD backers on the development of an HD-DVD capable Xbox 360. The company is looking into the possibility of releasing the updated version of the hardware next year, although such a release won't happen until after Spring.

Microsoft has yet to respond to this story. Previously, Microsoft Japan representatives have suggested that HD-DVD will be a part of the Xbox 360's future, albeit for movie playback only.

EGM Editor Claims Rivals on the Take 07:13 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Consoles: General News (4 comments)
Gamesnet posted bits of an editorial by EGM Chief Dan Hsu who suggests that some other magazines and even websites might not be on the level:

The latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly gets right to the heart of this sticky debate. EGM's Editor-in-Chief, Dan Hsu, suggests that a number of publications--in both the print and online markets--are on the proverbial "take." But Hsu complicates matters by not overtly naming any of the suspect outlets. Despite the cloak-and-dagger routine, we need to look at what exactly these accusations imply. While great editorial content can certainly sell a magazine, the real cash comes in the form of advertising--the more ads there are, the more money the magazine makes. This is nothing new.

Black Hands-on 06:20 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Consoles: Xbox (5 comments)
TeamXbox whipped up some impressions of Criterion's Black, which oddly enough looks like a 360 title from the screens and movies, but is actually for the Xbox:

BLACK is most assuredly about blowing things up. That's because the physics system makes the game world your oyster. Nearly everything can take a pounding from your rounds; usually chipping and splintering in the process. It's easy to see why Criterion has consistently pounded the notion that the guns are the stars of this tale. They are your havoc makers... they are the tools that allow Dr. Destruction (that would be you) to go to work. Open up and say ahhh.

Dreamfall Previews 05:55 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Adventure (0 comments)
Gamespy took a hands-on look at Dreamfall, upcoming adventure game extraordinare from FunCom:

The first thing I noticed when Tharaldsen fired up the game is that Dreamfall just keeps getting more and more beautiful. This time around, Tharaldsen was showing off a few new areas we hadn't seen before. They included a green-tinged swamp filled with fireflies through which April Ryan (the heroine of the first game) floated on a strange, magical boat that looked as it had been shaped from growing tree roots. There was also a trip to a far future Tokyo where new hero Zo� Castillo had to sneak into a robotic pet museum in order to commune with an organic computer. Then there was a stop in the magical world of Arcadia where the third player character in the game, Kian the Assassin, must fight for his life in a beautiful mosque-like monastery.

Don't think for a second that Dreamfall is going to be a simple rehash of the original The Longest Journey. It's much more advanced in terms of storytelling technique and technology, the art style has been developed fully into a style much more compelling, and Funcom has developed some new gameplay features to help the series evolve beyond point and click.

Darwinia Available on Steam 03:53 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (2 comments)
Straight from the horse's mouth:

Introversion's Darwinia is now available to gamers worldwide via Steam for just $19.95. Darwinia is a captivating mix of multiple genres including real-time strategy, arcade, and puzzle games. For more information, please visit www.steampowered.com.

Marvel and NCsoft Settle Differences 03:31 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: MMOG (0 comments)
If you recall that lawsuit Marvel had against NCsoft's City of Heroes where they accused Cryptic of copying its super hero characters (or rather fans were) they have settled their differences:

Marvel Entertainment, Inc., NCsoft Corporation, NC Interactive, Inc. and Cryptic Studios, Inc. are pleased to announce today that they have amicably settled all claims brought by Marvel and all claims brought by NCsoft, NC Interactive, Inc. and Cryptic Studios, Inc.

The parties' settlement allows them all to continue to develop and sell exciting and innovative products, but does not reduce the players' ability to express their creativity in making and playing original and exciting characters. Therefore, no changes to City of Heroes or City of Villains' character creation engine are part of the settlement. The parties have agreed that protecting intellectual property rights is critically important and each will continue aggressively to protect such rights in accordance with all applicable laws. While the terms of the settlement were not disclosed, all parties agree that this case was never about monetary issues and that the fans of their respective products and characters are the winners in this settlement.

Best Selling Console Games of November; 325,902 360s Sold 12:02 pm - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: General News (23 comments)
A rundown of the best selling console games in the U.S., in November:

Xbox:

1. Star Wars: Battlefront 2 - Xbox - LucasArts
2. Call of Duty 2: Big Red One - Activision
3. Madden NFL 06 - Electronic Arts
4. Need For Speed: Most Wanted - Electronic Arts
5. GUN - Activision
6. The Matrix: Path of Neo - Atari
7. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat - Electronic Arts
8. Blitz: The League - Midway
9. 50 Cent: Bulletproof - Vivendi Universal Games
10. Tony Hawk's American Wasteland - Activision

Xbox 360:

1. Call of Duty 2 - Activision
2. Madden NFL 06 - Electronic Arts
3. Need For Speed: Most Wanted - Electronic Arts
4. Perfect Dark Zero: Limited Edition - Microsoft Games
5. Condemned: Criminal Origins - SEGA
6. Project Gotham Racing 3 - Microsoft Games
7. Perfect Dark Zero - Microsoft Games
8. Kameo: Elements of Power - Microsoft Games
9. Quake 4 - Activision
10. NBA Live 06 - Electronic Arts

Playstation 2:

1. Star Wars: Battlefront 2 - LucasArts
2. Madden NFL 06 - Electronic Arts
3. WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2 - THQ
4. Tony Hawk's American Wasteland - Activision
5. 50 Cent: Bulletproof - Vivendi Universal Games
6. Call of Duty 2: Big Red One - Activision
7. Soul Calibur III - Namco
8. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi - Atari
9. NBA Live 06 - Electronic Arts
10. Blitz: The League - Midway

GameCube:

1. Mario Party 7 - Nintendo of America
2. Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix With Mat - Nintendo of America
3. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness - Nintendo of America
4. Shadow The Hedgehog - SEGA
5. Mario Superstar Baseball - Nintendo of America
6. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire - Electronic Arts
7. LEGO: Star Wars - Eidos
8. Tony Hawk's American Wasteland - Activision
9. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - Nintendo of America
10. Madden NFL 06 - Electronic Arts

Overall Top 20:

1. Star Wars: Battlefront 2 - Xbox - LucasArts
2. Star Wars: Battlefront 2 - Playstation 2 - LucasArts
3. Call of Duty 2 - Xbox 360 - Activision
4. Madden NFL 06 - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
5. WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2 - Playstation 2 - THQ
6. Madden NFL 06 - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts
7. Tony Hawk's American Wasteland - Playstation 2 - Activision
8. Mario Party 7 - GameCube - Nintendo of America
9. 50 Cent: Bulletproof - Playstation 2 - Vivendi Universal Games
10. Call of Duty 2: Big Red One - Playstation 2 - Activision
11. Need For Speed: Most Wanted - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts
12. Soul Calibur III - Playstation 2 - Namco
13. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi - Playstation 2 - Atari
14. NBA Live 06 - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
15. Blitz: The League - Playstation 2 - Midway
16. Need For Speed: Most Wanted - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
17. Ratchet: Deadlocked - Playstation 2 - Sony Computer Entertainment
18. Perfect Dark Zero: Limited Edition - Xbox 360 - Microsoft Games
19. SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals - Playstation 2 - Sony Computer Entertainment
20. GUN - Playstation 2 - Activision

Stats:

• Star Wars: Battlefront 2 for the Xbox was sold 467,013 times to members of the United States public. The Playstation 2 edition was sold 446,696 times.
• Star Wars: Battlefront 2 for the Xbox outsold Call of Duty 2 by a factor of 1.87, and outsold Mario Party 7 by a factor of 2.95.
• Call of Duty 2 outsold Mario Party 7 by a factor of 1.58.
• Mario Party 7 failed to outsell Star Wars: Battlefront 2, or Call of Duty 2.

• Total number of units sold by the Playstation 2 top 10: 1,862,767.
• Total number of units sold by the Xbox top 10: 1,111,459.
• Total number of units sold by the GameCube top 10: 666,369.

• Total number of dollars taken by the Playstation 2 top 10: 87,413,060.
• Total number of dollars taken by the Xbox top 10: 53,000,217.
• Total number of dollars taken by the GameCube top 10: 30,196,552.
• Total number of dollars taken by the overall top 20: 174,353,611.
• Total number of dollars taken by every tracked console title in November: 552,411,284 (down 18% on figures recorded November 2004)

• November 2005 sales vs. November 2004 sales for Xbox: Down 75%
• November 2005 sales vs. November 2004 sales for Playstation 2: Down 21%
• November 2005 sales vs. November 2004 sales for GameCube: Down 19%

Xbox 360 Stats:

• 325,902 Xbox 360s were sold in the United States in November (Core:Premium unknown).
• 556,221 Xboxs were sold in the United States in the same number of days following launch.

• The best selling Xbox 360 title, Call of Duty 2, was sold 250,730 times to members of the United States public, making it the 3rd best selling console title in November.
• The worst selling Xbox 360 title, Ridge Racer 6, was sold just 9,091 times to members of the United States public, making it the 187th best selling console title in November.
• The best selling first-party title, Perfect Dark Zero: Limited Edition, was sold 85,593 times to members of the United States public (if sales figures for the Limited Edition were combined with sales figures for the regular edition, Perfect Dark Zero would be number three on the Xbox 360 chart).
• The first-party title with the least sales was Kameo: Elements of Power, with 73,801 units sold.

• Total number of units sold by the Xbox 360 top 10: 1,031,829.
• Total number of units sold by the Xbox 360 top 19 (18 launch titles & Perfect Dark Zero: Limited Edition): 1,273,352.
• Total number of units sold by original Xbox launch line-up: ~1,334,930.

• Total number of dollars taken by the Xbox 360 top 10: 57,894,847.
• Total number of dollars taken by the Xbox 360 top 19: 72,072,729.

• Tie ratio of the Xbox 360 by the end of November (average number of games sold per console): 3.9.
• Tie ratio of Xbox in equal number of days: 2.4.

• Xbox 360 accessory tie ratio: 3.1
• Wireless controller tie ratio: 98%

Yowser, that took a while.

Ubisoft on Kong Comments 10:57 am - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Xbox 360 (10 comments)
Newsor got in touch with Ubisoft to discover whether Yves Guillemot really suggested that people should not buy the 360 version of King Kong:

Ubisoft regrets that comments made by Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot to a BBC Online reporter regarding Peter Jackson's King Kong The Official Game of the Movie on the Xbox 360 were taken out of context. The company stands firmly behind the impeccable quality of the game on all platforms, as evidenced by the game's overwhelmingly positive reception from players and critics worldwide.

Ubisoft is actively investigating isolated reports of resolution issues on specific plasma screens, which should be easily resolved by adjusting/increasing the settings.

Ubisoft believes that King Kong offers one of the best gaming experiences available on the Xbox 360 and encourages gamers to check it out for themselves.

Thanks Shpankey.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent Officially Announced 09:57 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action / Strategy (7 comments)
The official announcement, and seven small screenshots, of the fourth Splinter Cell title:

Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 4 (working title), the fourth blockbuster in the Tom Clancy Splinter Cell franchise, will officially be called Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent. The game will be available Spring 2006 for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Xbox video game system from Microsoft, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo GameCube system and Windows PC.

Following the Tom Clancy Splinter Cell franchise tradition of innovation, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent will completely revolutionise and reinvent the spy action genre by introducing an unprecedented double agent concept and an entirely new breed of game play that adds an exciting new dimension to the gaming experience.

"Ubisoft is excited to have re-imagined the Splinter Cell franchise by introducing Sam Fisher as a double agent, expanding the depth of his character," says John Parkes, EMEA marketing director at Ubisoft. "Throughout the course of the story, gamers will be forced to make critical decisions which will not only affect how the story plays out but also have very different consequences."

With the entirely new direction of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, Ubisoft has reinvented the best-selling and highest rated espionage franchise. The revolutionary double agent concept immerses players in the world of international espionage more completely than ever, expanding the story and depth of Sam Fisher's character and involving players' emotions by drawing them deeper into the gaming experience. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent will push the limits of each platform based on its respective technological capabilities, taking advantage of a collaborative development effort between Ubisoft's award-winning development studios in Montreal, Shanghai and Annecy, France. Across all platforms, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent will have the features that have defined the Splinter Cell franchise - amazing graphics, fluid animations, advanced artificial intelligence and open level design. Furthermore, each platform will feature exclusive content and offer a unique game play experience.

About Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent
Veteran agent Sam Fisher is back. But he's never faced an enemy like this before. To stop a devastating terrorist attack, he must infiltrate a vicious terrorist group and destroy it from within. For the first time ever, experience the relentless tension and gut-wrenching dilemmas of life as a double agent. As you infiltrate a terrorist organization in its American headquarters, you must carefully weigh the consequences of your actions. Kill too many criminals and you'll blow your cover. Hesitate too long and millions will die. Do whatever it takes to complete your mission, but get out alive.

Key Features Include:

• Dual objectives to fulfil: NSA government agents and terrorists will each want you to accomplish opposing tasks at the same time.

• Discover the tension of being a double agent: Use actual tactics employed by today's real-life double agents to sabotage the terrorists' plans.

• Explore a branching storyline with multiple endings: Your choices have an impact on how the story and game play unfolds.

• A world of international espionage: Missions from all over the world, from Asia to Africa to the heart of the US. Experience extreme situations: underwater or in a sandstorm, hiding behind the dust or smoke - and even skydiving.

• New authentic gadgets: Master the latest weapons and gadgets used by NSA government agents in addition to black-market terrorist weapons.

• Innovative online play: The critically acclaimed multiplayer action of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is back with entirely new innovations for each platform.

If you wish, check out a scene setting trailer here, and a short article format interview pertaining to the game here.

How Bungie & Team Ninja Hooked Up 09:55 am - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Xbox 360 (4 comments)
The latest update over on the Bungie website details how Bungie got involved with Team Ninja and Dead or Alive 4, in addition to providing further info on the female Spartan known as Nicole:

Nicole was born in the year 2531 in the city of New Legaspi on Mars. At six years of age she was abducted by agents of the Office of Naval Intelligence and conscripted into the Spartan II program. The Spartan II program was the UNSC's highly successful military project to augment and hone perfect soldiers.

SPARTAN-458's unit was preparing for a classified mission on Nassau Station when the ONI stealth ship Apocalypso tumbled into real-space - being carried along in the wake of a freak slipspace anomaly. The anomaly intersected Nassau Station; creating a semi-stable "bubble" in the space/time continuum on its way back to the 21st Century.

For the time being Nicole-458 is trapped in the 21st century; guarding Nassau Station's secrets with all but lethal force (she realizes killing someone in the past could have dire consequences), waiting for the "bubble" to collapse and hopefully returning her to the year 2552.

How can we say all that with a straight face? Shut up is how. How does this explain why she's fighting a schoolgirl in a prehistoric oasis? Silence fool! How does this explain a very cool secret on a Casino-inspired level? Shut your noisehole is how.

For somewhat more serious talk of the transatlantic development process, head here.

Fight Night Round 3 Screenshots 09:45 am - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Xbox 360 (2 comments)
A couple Xbox 360 Fight Night Round 3 shots that eluded me yesterday:

Avoid King Kong On The 360 Says Ubisoft 04:49 am - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Xbox 360 (54 comments)
Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot advises you to not buy King Kong for the 360 due to a brightness bug that can make the game rather hard to see, and therefore play:

Fans wanting to get the best out of the King Kong video game should avoid the version for Microsoft's new Xbox 360, the game's maker Ubisoft has suggested.

Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot admitted that the 360 game is too dark on standard TVs, making it hard to play.

"I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't see it when we were developing the game," he told the BBC News website.

He recommended that fans of the movie stick to the version for more established games consoles.

"When you play on an Xbox or a PlayStation 2, you start to see that it is beautiful," he said.

You can find the rest of this rather embarrassing piece here.

Update: Ubisoft has given the BBC a good kickin' over their story.

Top Xbox 360 Sellers in Japan 01:43 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Consoles: Xbox 360 (5 comments)
We all know how bad the Xbox 360 sold in Japan, but here's how the split went down as far as games go (the pool of 360s sold is around 60,000, so do the math):

1. Perfect Dark Zero (43.86%)
2. Need for Speed Most Wanted (35.37%)
3. Ridge Racer 6 (28.83%)
4. FIFA06 16.75%)
5. Tetris The Grand Master (14.79% of the shipment)
6. Everyparty: (12.19%)

Interviewage 01:30 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (3 comments)
Prey must be kicking some ass, because Mr. Gerritson is talkin some trash in his interview (grin):

• Brad Wardell - Gamecloud
• Company of Heroes - Gamespot
• Jeremy Soule - Gamecloud
• Gearbox's Randy Pitchford - Gamecloud
• Mythic's Mark Jacobs - GamersInfo
• Obsidian's NWN2 - C&VG;
• Human Head's Tim Gerritson - Gamecloud

RPG Vault Morsels 01:27 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Role-Playing (0 comments)

Darkfall First View The Aventurine team's fantasy-themed persistent state project featuring skill-based advancement and PvP combat

Etrom - The Astral Essence Media #7 P.M. Studios brings us along as the protagonist takes the initial steps on a mission to find a set of seven special keys - Four exclusive screenshots

Hardware & Tech Nuggets 12:45 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - hardware: General News (0 comments)
[H] posted an article about Valve's new cinematic tech also.

Boards

• ASUS P5N32-SLI Deluxe - Digit-Life
• ECS KA1 MVP Extreme Motherboard - T-Break

  Cases
  

• Raidmax Sagitta ATX Gaming Case - BigBruin

  Cooling
  

• Evercool Sharks Heatpipe CPU Cooler - ThinkComputers.org

  Memory
  

• How Much RAM Do You Really Need? - Tom's Hardware

  Mice
  

• Logitech G7 Mouse - Telefragged

  Storage
  

• Blu-ray Disc considered "The New Higher Definition Format" - Designtechnica
• Seagate's Barracuda 7200.9 hard drives - Tech Report
• Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.9 - Viperlair

  Video
  

• Leadtek 7800 GTX MyVIVO Extreme - Bjorn3D
• Sapphire Radeon X800GTO2 Graphics Card - Trusted Reviews
• Sapphire RADEON X1300 256MB - CaseModGod
• XGI Volari 8300 128 MB 64-bit - Hardware Secrets

Game Reviews 12:31 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (1 comment)
100,000+ unsold Xbox 360s wasting away in Japan... T_T

PC

• Battlefield 2 Special Forces - Game Revolution - B-
• Blitzkrieg 2 - Gamespot - 7.8/10
• Quake IV - Armchair Empire - 8/10
• Star Wars Galaxies 2.0 - PC.IGN - 7.7/10

  360
  

• King Kong - Gaming Age - B

  TeamXbox
  

• Gauntlet Seven Sorrows - TeamXbox - 8/10

  PS2
  

• EyeToy Kinetic - Game Revolution - C+
• True Crime: NYC - Game Revolution - D

  PSP
  

• Pac Man World 3 - PSP.IGN - 6.9/10
• Popolocrois - Gamespot - 7.3/10

In Other News... 12:15 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - In-House: In Other News... (8 comments)
As you might've noticed, we put up our festive Santa logo for the holidays. I'd say "Christmas", but if you want to be technical, there are a ton of holidays jam packed together which makes the season so special. Christmas Eve, Christmas (or 12 days, like the song), New Year's Eye, New Years, like a week of Chanukah and more. So, that's why I say "Happy Holidays", unless it's December 25th, then I say Merry Christmas. Or, on Jan 1st, it's Happy New Year! It bugs me when people get all politically correct.

Anyhoo... King Kong opens today in theaters and I'll probably head out to see it sometime today. Hopefully it's longer than the game (zing). Today's question is by duman82 who asks:

"Would you rather watch a movie with a good plot, or play a game with a good story?"