Borderlands Cover Is Awesome!

Ready to see some kick ass cover aret for the upcoming game Borderlands? Okay here you go.



Pretty sweet if I do say so myself. Borderlands is an FPS/RPG set to release in a few months that offers an extremely deep system to hook gamers and never let them go. There is something like a million weapons combos and upgrade that can be created throughout the game ofering players an unprecedented amount of control over what they are using. The game is set for an October 20th release, don't forget to pick up your copy.

Finally, A Better Memory Solution For The Wii

The Wii and its storage problems, something that has plagued its users since launch, well maybe more its core users. During E3 they update the system to launch things off of an SD card and increased the capacities excepted up 16gb(I think). Well when Guitar Hero 5 launches, Wii owners can now use a 32gb SD card and stream the DLC from it straight to the game, just like PS3 and 360 users.

Right ow you can only play off of the card or off of the system itself, they don't work in tandem with each other. SD cards are kinda pricey once you get into ranges of 32gb, but I am sure quite a few gamers will get one anyway since a permanent storage solution for the Wii is non-existent.

This is a great thing since it will likely mean DLC can be introduced into and for more games, leaving it less likely users will have to purchase song packs from an actual retail store and can just pick and choose what they want. Surely Nintendo and other companies will opt to put DLC on the Wii Shop once this becomes available globally. At least I can hope they will.

via IGN

Capcom's Gamescom Lineup

I'd be pressed to say that Capcom isn't currently one of my favorite game companies. Most of everything they put out is gold in my eyes, and there are few games that have come from them that I dislike, Devil May Cry 2 may be the only one. It makes it even more exciting to know what they have coming down the pipeline and heading our way in the near future. There is a bit for everyone in the list of games being shown at Gamescom, and here they are. The original press release is below it.

Lost Planet 2,
Monster Hunter 3
MotoGP 09/10
Spyborgs
Dark Void
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Ultimate All-Stars

All of those games are on my want list, and I am hoping they have time to announce a new game or two, Devil May Cry 5 specifially. Here's the press release if you like reading these things.

CAPCOM DELIVERS STELLAR LINE UP FOR CONSUMERS AT GAMESCOM 2009
Blast off into the Void before being the first to experience some of the most eagerly awaited titles including Monster HunterTM Tri and Lost PlanetTM 2

London – August 11, 2009 – Capcom® a leading worldwide developer and publisher of videogames, today announced a spectacular line-up for consumers attending this year’s GamesCom in Cologne between 19th – 23rd August. The show will be the first time that European gamers can get their hands on future titles Lost Planet™ 2, Monster Hunter™ Tri, MotoGP™ 09/10 and Wii brawler Spyborgs™ as well as the action packed sci-fi adventure Dark Void™ and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom™ Ultimate All-Stars.

The upcoming title Dark Void blasts into centre stage at the Capcom booth. Creating a thrilling new gameplay dynamic for the third-person shooter experience, gamers will defy gravity with Dark Void’s unique vertical combat system and take to the skies with the explosive jet pack. To bring the real life flying experience to consumers Capcom will be hosting the Dark Void Body Flying Machine. Situated right outside the Consumer Hall visitors can literally blast off in a vertical orientated airstream at 180km/h. Consumers can then leave the show in one of 200 branded Dark Void taxis that will be driving through Cologne, but not before playing the game at the booth and receiving a limited edition Dark Void gift.

After journeying into the Void gamers can dive into one of the most beautiful titles ever created for the Nintendo Wii. GamesCom marks the western debut of Monster Hunter Tri. Visitors can experience the same game that took the Tokyo Game Show by storm last year where the queues stretched right around the Capcom booth with a waiting time of over two hours. Living the life of a hunter won’t be a solitary experience as gamers will be able to hunt co-operatively and form a team of up to four players to survive in a living, breathing eco-system where man co-exists with fantastic beasts.

Adding to the list of debuts, racing game fans won’t want to miss the exclusive worldwide showing of MotoGP 09/10. Taking the series in a refreshing new direction, gamers will get the chance to play a hands on demo and experience for the first time some of the new challenges that reward racing style and skill and not just crossing the finish line first.

Going from the race track to the fighting arena, the upcoming and visually stunning Wii title Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars will have fighting game fans’ fingers twitching. Players can choose from the combined roster of colourful characters to create the ultimate tag-team with the likes of Street Fighter favourites Ryu and Chun-Li and classic Tatsunoko stars Ken the Eagle and Tekkaman. Each character brings a unique arsenal of moves, including spectacular hyper-combos that literally take over the screen with devastating results.

European gamers will be able to experience the highly anticipated extensive multiplayer action of Lost Planet 2 as the title makes its worldwide debut on the PLAYSTATION®3. This impressive next instalment sees a return to the Lost Planet but offers gamers a series of totally new epic challenges with battles erupting on a planetary scale. Players will need to journey across a range of harsh environments and defeat giant Akrid in explosive four player co-operative play where skill and team work will be tested like never before in an epic fight for survival.

Also available to European gamers for the first time is Spyborgs, the upcoming beat-em-up brawler coming exclusively to the Wii. Designed around the two-player co-operative experience, gamers will need to slash and pummel their way through hordes of mechanized enemies and wickedly challenging boss battles.

To complete the line-up Capcom has teamed up with Intel to bring visitors to GamesCom the fear they’ll never forget. PC gamers can be among the first to experience the survival horrors of the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 5 for PC. Intel will be showing the game which takes full advantage of the intelligent multi-core technology in the Intel® Core™ i7 processors on a series of high spec PC’s in their dedicated RE5 booth situated in Hall 9.1, 61A.

Capcom’s Booth is situated in Hall 6.1, corridor A, No 31. For more information on any of the playable titles head to www.capcom-europe.com The press kit for GamesCom will be available to download on 19th August from www.capcomeuro-press.com

ABOUT CAPCOM
Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including best-selling franchises Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Devil May Cry. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Tokyo Korea and Hong Kong, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom can be found on the company web site, www.capcom.com.

Capcom, Mega Man, Resident Evil, and Devil May Cry are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd., in the U.S. or other countries. Dark Void and Street Fighter are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Capcom U.S.A., Inc. “All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Codemasters say 'Meh' To Natal

When Natal was shown at E3 this year a lot of people went gaga over it, and a lot of people just shrugged it off. Personally the application toward non-game uses is what intrigues me most with this little bit of hardware/software. They showed a range of games being played with Natal, most notably Burnout, and Codemasters isn't too sure about it either.

Videogamer caught up with Codemasters Ralph Fulton, current design manager of Dirt 2 and from the GRiD team, who doesn't think motion control will ever wrestle a traditional controller from gamers hands. Here is what he had to say

“The complexity of control for a racing game, certainly for a core racing game like ours, requires a controller,” he said. “It requires feedback, and I don't think waving your hands around and pretending you're steering a car offers you the precision or the feedback that racing games require.”

I agree with this 100%, and I would like to add that most core games will not offer the kind of precision needed to play unless you are using an actual controller. A wand, Wiimote, or nothing at all is just not good to play racing, FPS', TPS', anything at all really. Games that are specifically designed to play via these methods are one thing, but imagine playing Halo without a controller, it just doesn't sit right. I don't know about anyone else but I would just feel silly playing a game without a controller.

Videogamer

Are We Going To Let them Screw Us

Gamasutra has a piece up about Bobby Kotick and Chris Deerings recent comments over the price of games on the market. Both think that premium games should be sold at a higher price, but I really need to ask what makes a game premium. If it's expected to be AAA does that autmatically make it a premium game? What if they think a game is premium and gamers tend to disagree, it would instantly make the game tank.

In our current economy a lot of people have been turning an eye toward reviews. I certainly have, games are $60 if it sucks I don't want to sink $60 into it. Bionic Commando is just one game that had reviews and the early multiplayer demo affect it's immediate sales when it was released. But a person can't always trust reviews.

Anyway the write up at Gamasutra makes for a good read so I would check it out. At least if you are interested in this aspect of gaming. Only we as gamers can stand up and say no to what these companies let their mouthpieces say and ultimately get away with. I won't pay more for a premium game(Modern Warfare 2) and I won't pay for a game in three parts just so a ompany can make triple what it would have made on a blockbuster game(Starcraft 2). It's up to us, we speak with our wallets, and I have spoken with mine hofully you will speak with your's as well.

I would really like to hear other's thoughts on this so please speak up!

Gamasutra

Euro PS Blog Q&A With Heavy Rain Director

The Playstation Blog Europe will be hosting an interview with the director of Heavy Rain Guillaume de Fondaumiere. Heavy Rain is set to be a groundbreaking title for the PS3, literally a game changer of sorts that looks(to me) to blend cinematics and videogames in such a way that the uncanny valley will seem that much closer to reality. If you have any questions that you have a burning desire to get answered I would make time out of your day to get them ready and ask away.

Keep in mind that Quantic Dream has made to other games of similar quality to this one, critical darlings, market underperformers, so if you have silly questions it wouldn't be wise to ask them. I am pretty excited about this game, I like quick time events and blending that gameplay with CSI style investigation is gonna moake for some intense situations. Link over to the site below, you have to have a PSN account to ask your question in the comments.

PS Blog Heavy Rain Q&A

XBL Dashboard Update August 11

There are a bevy of updates in this new update to the dashboard of Xbox Live. There are far too many to list here, the most notable of the bunch being the Netflix options that have been opened up. Here is what it says on Xbox.com

Netflix*
Now you can watch movies with your friends and find new movies to add to your Instant Queue without leaving your seat.

Party Watch - Catch a show with your friends! Bring your party into Netflix and watch a movie or TV show together. (Feature available with supported titles.)

Find Content Faster - Browse through New Releases and other genre lists based on the types of shows you’ve previously watched, all from the comfort of your couch.

Improved Playback Experience - Improvements have been made to ensure a better experience when adapting to changing network conditions.

Improved Presence - Richer information is now displayed in the Friends channel and in the Guide showing what you and your friends are watching.

Nice new set of features, but remember most, if not all, of these features require both a Gold membership and a Netflix unlimited membership to work. Way down at the bottom of the page it states that it is an "exclusive partnership" between Netflix and Microsoft. I think this is just corprate speak to keep people on it for Xbox since awhile back Netflix was running some polls about what the public interest would be if the service was available via Wii or PS3.

Right now the features are only available on the Xbox 360 Arcade, Pro, or Elite period, PS3 has it's own video service of sorts but it isn't as robust as what Netflix is doing on the 360, so if you have a very good connection it's worth watching movies on your 360 if that's your thing. There is a massive list of what's in the update over at Xbox.com so head over there to see the rest.

Feel free to click through and comment!

Xbox.com