| GameBump |

Five New Guitar Hero Titles Coming in 2009

Zach Lott — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 17:14:39 -0500

Activision has announced that it will continue to milk the Guitar Hero franchise, revealing that five new iterations, including one based off of the works of Van Halen, will make their way to store shelves in 2009, according to Eurogamer.

The releases of Hard Rock Van Halen, Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, and Band Hero will span four platforms (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2) and should occur within the span of a few months during the second half of the year. Activision also has plans to release another Guitar Hero: On Tour title for the DS during 2009.

It seems that, for the time being, the oversaturation of the rhythm game market will continue unabated.

Sony talks portable LittleBigPlanet, Guitar Hero/Rock Band

Zach Lott — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:20:01 -0600

Rumors that LittleBigPlanet is getting a PSP iteration have been around since April and were recently strengthened by a rumor found within the pages of the latest Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), so MTV's Multiplayer Blog asked Sony's John Koller about the rumors during a phone interview yesterday.

Koller's comments from the story:

"'LittleBigPlanet is so expansionary. I think the developers really concentrating on right now making sure that the launched product is everything it could be and can be. Were watching the UGC [user generated content] and seeing how thats playing out. But for the future, I think certainly, wed look at a wide variety of opportunities. Whether thats the PSP or not, I cant really say. We certainly look at LittleBigPlanet franchise as a going forward franchise for us, and that speaks to the PlayStation brand overall.

Multiplayer also asked Koller about the possibility of Rock Band or Guitar Hero hitting the PSP, as well:

Its of huge interest to us. Thats something youd really have to talk to the developers on that side [if] its going to happen or not. For us, we look at the music area as being critical for PSP and the social area of interest as well. PSP is a lot different than your traditional handheld product and music is the number two use on the PSP, behind gaming. So, the marrying of those two concepts is of huge interest to us, and if theres that opportunity to launch a title like that or even a new title that utilizes music in some way, then obviously were very interested.

Sounds like there may be something to these rumors. Stay tuned, we'll let you know if anything is announced.

Jimi Hendrix DLC not coming to Wii

Zach Lott — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:55:15 -0600

Turns out that the Wii won't be getting this week's Guitar Hero World Tour Jimi Hendrix pack after all, as a representative from Activision Blizzard has confirmed to MTV's Multiplayer Blog that the console won't be getting the download pack.

Due to technical or licensing restrictions, the DLC offerings will not be the same for every console platform, the representative told Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek. For example, certain artists prefer to keep the integrity of the track pack rather than releasing singles and the Wiis infrastructure only allows us the ability to release single songs as DLC.

This kind of occurance isn't doing Nintendo any favors when it comes to competing in the online space, but when your console is printing money, what does it matter?

Mother 3: If You Want Nice Things, Sometimes You Just Have to Do It Yourself.

Ryan Fulton — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:12:22 -0500

Glorious news for those of you eager for information concerning the perennially disappointing handling of the Mother series by Nintendo. No, Nintendo hasn't announced that they're translating and releasing the title. If you're the sort of person who has been waiting for a new Earthbound, you're the sort of person who knows that Nintendo will never release a new Earthbound.

For several people who were faced with that stark reality the solution became apparent, if the masses were to ever have any hope of Mother 3 getting an English copy they would have to do it themselves. So thusly, they embarked upon an epic journey involving translating squiggles into slightly more recognizable characters and attempting to pay service to Shigesato Itoi's legendary writing ability.

Fortunately for them and for the rest of us who were not blessed with such multi-lingual functionality, their work is nearly at an end and the patch for an English Mother 3 is ever closer to release.

Thanks to Shannon of Ganza Watching for the amazing picture.

Smashing Pumpkins To Release Single Via Guitar Hero

Zach Lott — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:53:12 -0500

Following the ever-popular trend of releasing new music via Rock Band/Guitar Hero, the Smashing Pumpkins have announced that "G.L.O.W.," their new single, will be part of the set list for Guitar Hero: World Tour, according to 1up.

The single will packed in with two additional Pumpkins songs, "1979" and "The Everlasting Gaze," and will give you your first chance to hear the new song, as World Tour's October 15 release date is before the Pumpkins plan to have their new album finished. Also, group frontman Billy Corgan will be a playable character in the career mode.

It'll be fascinating to see how much of an effect the single inclusion in World Tour will have on album sales. After all, Dragonforce's sales didn't really take off until they allowed Activision to include Through Fire and Flames on Guitar Hero III.

Guitar Hero III Virtuoso DLC Pack Set For Thursday Release

Zach Lott — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:40:00 -0500

Activision has done fairly well at keeping fresh DLC in the channels for Guitar Hero III, and they are looking to keep the trend going, as it was announced today that a fresh track pack will be hitting the PS3 and 360 this Thursday.

Themed around virtuoso guitarists, the new pack will consist of songs by Joe Satriani ("Surfing with the Alien"), Steve Vai ("For the Love of God") and Buckethead ("Soothsayer"), who contributed the finger-blistering "Jordan" to Guitar Hero II.

A price wasn't disclosed, but past packs have cost $6.25, or 500 Microsoft Points.

E3 Leak: Guitar Hero World Tour's New Controller and Price

Zach Lott — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:43:04 -0500

Next up in the mess that is the E3 Leak, new information for Guitar Hero World Tour emerged from NeoGAF, revealing details about the new controller, the price, and a preview of what to expect from the setlist.

The guitar will have a new "touch-sensitive guitar neck slide" that "opens up the entire guitar neck for unbound solos." This comes after Activision had said the guitar would be upgraded without spilling any specific details.

As for the setlist, the information promises that players will be able to rock out to Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Korn, System of a Down, Ozzy Osbourne, Interpol, Muse, and others, but it's unknown what specific songs will be available.

Finally, the package of game, guitar, drums, and mike is expected to cost $179.99.

Guitar Hero: Metallica To Be Released By March

Zach Lott — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:29:46 -0500

If you thought Activision's milking of the Guitar Hero franchise was ridiculous when they announced the Aerosmith version of the game, wait until you hear this: Joystiq is reporting that Guitar Hero: Metallica is in the works and will hit store shelves before the first quarter of 2009.

Details such as whether or not the game will use the new peripherals coming with Guitar Hero World Tour haven't been announced, but you can be sure that this certainly isn't the last of the band-specific Guitar Hero titles, provided that this and the Aerosmith game don't flop at retail.

Activision, Vivendi, Others Pull Out of E3

Zach Lott — Sat, 03 May 2008 11:12:22 -0500

E3 has been much smaller and focused since it became invite-only last year, but things are about to shrink even more, as Kotaku, Joystiq, and Gamespot have all made varying reports that several publishers have decided not to attend this year's show.

Kotaku kicked things off by reporting that Vivendi, Activision, Her Interactive, NCSoft, and id Software are pulling out of E3 this year. Soon after, Gamespot reported that id is attending and that Foundation 9 is joining the list of absent publishers. However, they have since declared id's status to be "unclear." Also, Joystiq reported that RPG behemoth Atlus has dropped out as well.

Vivendi and Activision's decision comes with news that they have dropped out of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which runs E3, leading analysts to speculate that they are unhappy with the orginization's president, Mike Gallagher. He has been criticized for being "less knowledgeable and sophisticated about this industry than Doug [Lowenstein, former ESA president]" by Michael Pachter, an analyst for Wedbush Morgan. Kotaku's other sources agree that Gallagher's actions are involved with the publishers' decision.

However, the other publishers haven't left the organization, with NCSoft telling Kotaku that the decision not attend E3 came from their development cycle and had nothing to do with the ESA.

Foundation 9's decision, according to Gamespot, also has nothing to do with the ESA. "... exhibiting at E3 is just not something that fits with our marketing strategy this year," said a representative for the publisher. The rep also stated that some of their employees may still attend, but that the company is "not investing in the exhibit space."

Also, it was noted by Joystiq that an Activision representative told them that the company will not partake in "official E3 activities," meaning that the company might maintain a "presence" at this year's show. They will also have a non-E3 event on the first day of the show, according to Kotaku.

Juicy Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Preorder Details

Tim Grube — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:23:15 -0500

So Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is almost ready to hit stores, but today Activision announced all the pre-ordering details. Pre-ordering will give you access to a special bundle which includes guitar, the exclusive Aerosmith faceplate, an Aerosmith tour book and of course, the game.

Pricing is as follows:

    $99 for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii

    $89 for PlayStation 2 wireless

    $109 for the two-guitar (wired) PlayStation 2 bundle which includes both a black and silver guitar.

The game hits stores in June.

Wii Review Bonanza, or: Your Wii is Sick - Must be Something you Played

Eric Jonathan Smith — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 20:25:13 -0600

Kneel. Place hands on either side of the ceramic-like object. Wait. A sudden urge takes you, spewing the remains of a previous ingestion. You glance at what was just created; between the remains of what were once good ideas you see those extra things you tacked on that seemed like a quick fix at the time but ultimately caused their own regurgitation. You lament at the pain you caused yourself, but deep down you can feel that the pain is still there.

So what have you been eating? Or in this case, what have various developers been feeding the ceramic bowl in question, the Wii? Their own regurgitation, that's what - and a little bit of Nintendo's own leftovers for good measure. The Wii is the one that's sick, suffering from delirious spells of minigame collections, shoddy ports, forced motion control schemes, and God knows what else.

A little examination is in order. Five case studies have been prepared, each a different opinion of how Wii software appears. Some of it isn't too pretty but fear not, we might even discover a cure. So lean back, relax, and try not to throw that Wii remote into the tv.

CASE STUDY #1: AUTO MINIGAME SUFFICIENCY SYNDROME

Subject: Namco Museum Remix

PROGNOSIS: Sudden ingestion of too many minigame collections causes repetition, boredom, and possible suicide in large doses.

A certain kind of bug that especially has a tendency to bite the older and wiser is nostalgia. It can be a pretty nasty little sucker, causing previously sane and logical men and women to do foolish things like pine for dated graphics and simpler gameplay styles. As the years have gone by, once bustling arcades have forever shut their doors and the game consoles of yesteryear require a type of mouth-to-cartridge action bordering on fellatio to get the games working.

Namco's Museum series of arcade home conversions are some of the first treatments that should come to mind when considering ubiquitous, readily available classical cures. After all, every system under the sun absolutely needs multiple versions of Pac-Man on it, right? Namco has now made sure that the Wii is no exception and has released Namco Museum Remix, the Museum containing the nostalgic classics and you guessed it the Remix consisting of Wii-specific minigames.

However, it's not a good sign when a classic compilation makes you wax nostalgia for older compilations. That's not to say that Namco Museum Remix has any large, glaring faults: it is by all means a competent product, even if you have to roll around Pac-Man in lieu of a standard menu interface, which can be slightly annoying. But no, as with any other compilation, its success or failure hinges on its selection of games, and Namco Museum Remix drops the ball a bit. Sure, it has standard classics in Xevious, Mappy, Dig Dug, and Pac-Mania (you know, that are available on most of the other collections) but trades in Galaga for its inferior predecessor Galaxian (dear God, why?) In the games that no one ever wanted to play section, there's Cutie-Q (a poor Breakout clone) and Super Pac-Man and Pac & Pal, two rather poor sequels to the original. At least it offers Gaplus (Galagas sequel) as a sort of cruel consolation prize.

If this somewhat mediocre selection of its past was all Namco offered in Museum Remix, this collection would be DOA. Luckily, they put a slight bit of effort in its resuscitation: the titular Wii-specific "remixes" of other classic titles. Unfortunately, they aren't enough to keep this one alive for too long. However, they did get the nostalgic feel down pat! Feel like playing the rollercoaster minigame from Final Fantasy VII? Play Galaga Remix! How about Whack-A-Mole? Then Gator Panic Remix is for you. Granted, Rally X Remix is a rather fair version, as are Pac Motos (a Pac-infused version of the original bumping off the edge game Motos) and Pac 'n Roll. But the problem is that these suffer the same shallow fate as other Wii minigame collections, and in the few minutes that you'll be done with them you're then left with merely the arcade collection.

Diagnosis? The entire weight of Namco Museum Remix will rest on how much you like the classic arcade games included. Considering the selection isn't all that great to begin with, the weight will likely fatigue the classics in a relatively short amount of time.

Click here for an explanation of our review and scoring format.

She'll eat the monkey.

CASE STUDY #2: PORTROENTERITIS

Subject: The Sims 2: Castaway

PROGNOSIS: Patients suffering from contact to shoddy, careless ports from other systems suffer from: shattered belief in console's viability, fatigue, and indigestion.

One of the oldest epidemics in videogamedom is that of the port. Whether it was arcade to console, PC to console, or vice versa, the word port has connotations of mediocrity and for good reason: many ports are sloppy, rushed, stripped down versions of the original. Even in more modern times, ports retain that sloppy, rushed feel when they stray from the hardware they were built on. Unfortunately, this has been a lazy way for developers to cash on the Wii's success.

One such wave that has plagued nearly every piece of gaming hardware to ever exist, past, present, and future is The Sims. Popular with 15-year-old girls of all ages, The Sims is an omnipresent choice with casual gamers, and logic would successfully conclude that it should end up on the Wii.

The premise is simple: after constructing your Sim on a yacht, something bad happens and he or she washes ashore on a mysterious, deserted island with nary a volleyball around to keep as company. Obviously a tropical island is a terrible place to be lost, so it's up to you to guide your Sim to his/her ultimate goal of getting off the island alive. And to be perfectly honest, the interface in which you'll be accomplishing this works fairly well; with the Wii Remote acting superbly as a pointer in lieu of a mouse, navigating menus isn't all that hard.

Too bad the menus themselves looked like they were ported from a higher resolution without the proper tweaking. The entire game really looks very simple and to be frank, boring. You could choose to stay on the island for as long as you wanted, but when it looks that dull, why would you? Jagged edges are more reminiscent of the graphical hell that was the 32/64-bit era more than a tropical Eden.

But, this is a simulation at heart, and that gameplay still works. The Sim will have to collect resources to survive with the help of monkeys (of course) and eventually should have a decent little living space set up. There are also various goals that you can find scattered across the island that will give you some objectives amidst the rather open-ended (if not mundane) tasks.

Diagnosis? Not as bad as it could have been. Wii Pointer functionality works well amidst the poor resolution and the gameplay experience isn't a complete throwaway. More hardcore gamers, stay away (if the name wouldn't make them do so already).

Click here for an explanation of our review and scoring format.

My, Soulcalibur. You look as beautiful as you play.

CASE STUDY #3: MOTION SICKNESS

Subject: Soulcalibur Legends

PROGNOSIS: Prolonged exposure to poorly implemented Wii waggle controls can lead to: madness, frustration, and nausea.

Having new ways to control games means that there will be new ways for developers to screw up their implementation. Even after decades with a pretty standard diagonal pad and any number of supporting buttons, some still couldn't get it right. Poor control is absolutely killer to a game's success and probably the worst blight it could have.

Enter Soulcalibur Legends. A spin-off of Namco's eternal (also, a mere shadow of its former self) fighter, Legends tells the story of Teutonic Knight Siegfried Schtauffen and his dealings with Soul Edge, the evil blade. Yeah, it's a fighting game story. What the hell do you want from me?

Though it may have been built ground-up for Wii, it plays nothing like it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it was built ground-up to be a cheap cash-in. Siegfried and the other Soulcalibur heroes you command all control by swinging the Wii Remote as you would their weapons. It's a good enough idea in concept. In execution, it's abysmal. Controlling attacks in this manner is ungodly unresponsive and makes you question whether simple button presses would have been better. Considering this is a central gameplay mechanic, this is inexcusable. There is no way that Legends could be an adequate action title due to this flaw alone.

The game is also cringe-worthy in the visual department. In some aspects, especially the environments, it looks like a launch title for the PlayStation 2. That might be forgivable, but the level designs are as monotonous as the enemies you fight. Character models fair a bit better, because they are based around the designs from Soulcalibur II, if not taken wholesale from it. Legends also suffers from the tired design choice of "defeat every monster in the room before you can move on". Please.

I found myself looking more at the menus and the art in the story sequences because, well, they are actually rather decent, and not just in comparison to the game itself. I'd be tempted to say that the menus are the best part of the game. When all is said and done then, the most hardcore of Soulcalibur fanatics will be able to eke something out of this game though I wouldn't go so far as to call it enjoyment. The controls are just too poorly implemented for anyone with more than a merely casual interest in the franchise.

Diagnosis? Highly contagious, and not in the good way. Contagious in that it will creep up on your brain and soul and make you regret every penny and second spent on it. Unless, of course, you're just a hardcore and gullible fighting game fan - those people are crazy.

Click here for an explanation of our review and scoring format.

Okay, so it's not the sexiest thing on earth. Maybe you can dig it.

CASE STUDY #4: THE MYSTERY BUG

Subject: Smarty Pants

PROGNOSIS: ???

Sometimes even the best doctors can get baffled. True to that, every once in a while a game will come up that makes you question why it was necessary to be in videogame form. Was it really easier to play Monopoly on a TV than on a board (Hint: no)? Much of the experience of such a famous and standard board game rests on handling those gaudy bills and tapping your piece of choice past go. In other words, the actual game could sometimes be boring, but having it physically in front of you kept you from falling asleep.

EA's Smarty Pants dares to go into this territory. It is a trivia game, not unlike the old board game pursuits of old. Each of its cavalcades of questions ranging from pop-culture to history has a multiple choice selection. There are a few different modes, including ones for both single remote and multiple remote setups, suitably nudging itself into party game territory.

So. That's it. That's Smarty Pants in a nutshell. Sure, there's some sort of dancing thing you have to do with the Wii Remote, but we'll not mention that any more for its own sake.

Is there a benefit to having a trivia game on a home videogame console? From my own experience, I'd have to say yes. Smarty Pants is actually fairly well presented, with voiceovers and decent sound effects that make it seem more like a game show than just a trivia game. The group mode, which requires multiple Wii Remotes, each acting like a buzzer, manifests this presentation style. As with anything trivial, in a group setting you'll likely find yourself shouting out the answers, as much as you may regret this in your memory later on. The fact that Smarty Pants is capable of this is something positive in and of itself.

Diagnosis? Smarty Pants is hardly a wonderful title, but it's not necessarily a throwaway. If you really want to play a trivia game on the Wii, it's a decent enough choice. But, uh, you know, you could buy a copy of Trivial Pursuit for less.

Click here for an explanation of our review and scoring format.

I can't even tell what's bleeding.

CASE STUDY #5: NO MORE TEARS

Subject: No More Heroes

PROGNOSIS: Exposure to games designed for Wii from the ground up may cause: enjoyment, fun, laughter, and world peace.

"Will you do it with me?"

If any of the above games had asked you such a question, I hope by now youd have learned to at the very least understand the risk factors involved; simple precautions will keep your Wii from being subjugated to possible infection.

However, another game asks this favor, a game so dirty yet so clean, some would say downright filthy in content yet nearly spotless in design. "Will you do it with me?" If you're privy enough to hear those words uttered by Travis Touchdown, by all means, accept. Travis is the star of No More Heroes, a game with the distinction of being the near opposite of the Wii flu - it is a coherent, focused, original title using the Wii Remote in a startlingly effective manner.

The premise is straightforward but with spry delivery that never takes itself too seriously. Travis is essentially both a dork and a loser and while drowning his sorrows at a bar he runs into a mysterious woman named Sylvia who promises him he can be the world's top assassin all he has to do is off the rest of the world's top-ranked assassins. Naïve Travis of course accepts the offer, with his prime motivation being to sleep with Sylvia. Your prime motivation to play the game will likely be to see what outrageous and foul-mouthed things will come out of the mouths of Travis and his co-stars.

The game's structure is built around going after each of the 10 assassins. To get to each, Travis must pay Sylvia a fee, which he can earn by doing sidejobs like lawn mowing (seriously) and minor assassination gigs all within the façade of an open-ended environment and setting for the game, Santa Destroy. This environment is one of the game's faults because jobs and assassination gigs must be selected at specific locations before they can start, thus the free-roaming world really serves no other purpose than to add the filler of travel. Still, it is ultimately a minor issue.

How the story and gameplay unfold within each of the 10 main assassination missions is, in a way, underwhelming yet satisfying. Combat may appear simple at first, as pressing A controls Travis's attack, but Wii-specific moves come in the forms of finishers and grabs. If an enemy is near death, an arrow will appear on-screen, prompting you to move the Wii Remote in its direction for a super-violent finisher. Travis cuts his enemies into pieces, with blood and guts as exaggerated as his own persona. Later it is not uncommon to dismember entire groups of enemies at once, causing the entire game to slow down, ludicrous in its fulfillment. Travis also has a number of wrestling moves that are controlled by moving both the Remote and Nunchuk and do add a bit of variety. After every successful finisher, Travis also has a small slot wheel that can serve to make him even more powerful than he already is, providing temporary invincibility and the like.

No More Heroes is by no means a cure for the Wii's blues the game is not perfect. The aforementioned faux open-ended structure along with somewhat repetitive combat (the finishers never get old, however) and the fact that the assassin bosses take from dozens of hits to hundreds to defeat can sometimes sometimes leave a foul taste. But it lasts for but an instant in the presence of the rest of the game as a whole. Its language and bloody style may put some off, but if you're into that sort of thing, your Wii could really deserve the pleasure of doing it with Travis.

Diagnosis? While not a panacea, No More Heroes is certainly the type of original, short term treatment that the Wii needs in larger doses. A must-buy for anyone who needs a good action title for any system.

Click here for an explanation of our review and scoring format.

EA Pushing For Free, Ad-Supported Games. Announces Battlefield Heroes

Aaron Dunlap — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:03:59 -0600

In Asian gaming markets like Korea and, to a lesser extent, Japan, there is an entirely distinct business model for video game releasing that's never been tried here in the US at any broad scale or with any success: free games, supported by ads and micro-transactions.

Certain games, like EA's FIFA and a few titles from NC Soft are released for free to download in Korea but give players the option to purchase in-game objects and upgrades. EA's FIFA, for instance, lets you pay a few bucks for customized jersies as well as limited upgrades to a player's stats. Most people just play with what they can get for free, but enough people buy the extras that, combined with revenue from ads placed inside the games (be it actually within gameplay itself or just ads that appear within the interface) for the game to turn a profit.

EA's new chief executive, John Riccitiello, and Gerhard Florin, EA's executive vice president, aim to bring that model to the US starting with a brand new game just announced: Battlefield Heroes.

Not to be confused with Medal of Honor: Heroes, Company of Heroes, Bionacle Heroes, Sonic Heroes, City of Heroes, Heroes of the Pacific, Heroes of Might and Magic, or the TV show Heroes, Battlefield Heroes is a "dumbed-down", cartooned-up entry to the Battlefield franchise aimed at slightly more casual gamers.

The existing Battlefield games are fairly deep; you have to be pretty good or youll die pretty quick, Gerhard Florin told the New York Times. Now weve toned down the difficulty, shortened each game session to 10 or 15 minutes and made the visual style more cartoony.

He says that if this is a success, other EA library titles could be given the ad-supported treatment. Worth noting is that these are only PC titles we're talking about here, there's been no mention of applying this model to the console realm.

Here's to goofing off at work and not having to pay for it.

Game Developers Conference 2008 Featured Speakers

Shiva Stella — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:33:41 -0600

The Game Developers Conference 2008, which is currently scheduled for February 18-11 in San Francisco, has published a list of featured speakers and topics under discussion for each. Here are some big names for the curious:

Peter Molyneux (Head of Studios, Lionhead Studios), on (surprise!) Fable 2 - The Big Three Features Revealed.

Peter Molyneux's stated ambition as a designer is to make FABLE 2 a landmark game. In order to achieve this three big design features have been added. The inspiration and rational behind these features will be discussed along with their evolution throughout the development process. The wider context of their impact and influence on the RPG genre with also be examined as the ambition is also to evolve the genre itself. The talk will be supported by retrospective videos as well as live game examples.

Ken Levine (President/Creative Director, 2K Boston) on (bigger surprise!) Storytelling in Bioshock: Empowering Players to Care about Your Stupid Story (sign me up).

Game stories can matter, even in first person shooters. But first we're going to have to give up a lot of our preconceptions about what people care about when playing a game. For too long, games (especially first person shooters) have been stuck in a "game sequence followed by story sequence" mentality. Ken Levine will tell the tale of how the BIOSHOCK took a pointy-headed idea about a pseudo-objectivist utopia and turned it into one of the most compelling and succesful game worlds in recent history. What were the tools used? What compromises had to be made? Where did the shooter end and the story begin? How did we make people give a crap? How did we use story and narrative to become perhaps the most talked about game at the super-crowded E3 2006? What does this all mean for stories in games? And must of all, what hell does "Mise En Scene" mean?

Chris Butcher (Engineering Lead, Microsoft/Bungie) on E Pluribus Unum: Matchmaking in Halo 3.

The online multiplayer mode of HALO 3 features an automatic matchmaking system to place players into games. Players may join individually or with parties of friends, and are quickly matched into groups. This presentation describes the algorithms behind the peer-to-peer matchmaking model, and its implementation over Xbox Live. It examines the impact of matchmaking on the HALO online community, and provides techniques for shaping the player experience and discouraging cheaters. The tradeoffs of an automatic matchmaking system compared to traditional multiplayer game browsers will be discussed, and illustrated by some results from the first months of HALO 3's operation.

Cevat Yerli (Managing Director, Crytek) on Crysis in the Making.

This session will offer a look into key areas of CRYSIS development that markedly depart from Crytek's first project, FAR CRY. Main topics include Nanosuit design and gameplay, creating a rich, destructible/non-linear world, and peopling it with dynamic, believable AI enemies that challenge and entertain the player.

You can view the full list of featured speakers here. If you're interested in the keynotes, however, you can find that here.

Editorial: So, Like, The COD4 Chernobyl Level Is Based On a Real Place and Junk?

Aaron Dunlap — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:47:04 -0600

Is our children learning? I think the answer is no.

Like most people with even a fraction of an education, I enjoyed the level in Call of Duty 4 taking place in post-meltdown Chernobyl because of the accurate and realistic portrayal of the barren, radioactive landscape.

Chernobyl is a city in Russia where a nuclear power plant exploded in 1986. It was one of the largest disasters of the modern era. Hundreds of square miles are still radioactive over 20 years later, thousands of people died from the radioactivity from the waste seeping from the nuclear reactor. It's estimated that over 500,000 people have been seriously affected. Mutations, radiation poisoning, deformed offspring.

I didn't know that anybody didn't know that. Even if you don't know about it because of its significance in human tragedy or engineering failure, you know about it because everybody else knows about it. Almost everybody.

Recently, someone posted some photos from Chernobyl to compare them to Call of Duty 4 screenshots. Then, as is the most proper thing to do, someone put the photos on YouTube with a Linkin Park song over it to post it in this nextgenboards thread. The reactions, and the replies, have destroyed a special part of the inside of my brain.

People have no idea what Chernobyl is.

Here's one early reply:

OMFG what scary yet brilliant story those pics as well the game or at least some off the levels must be set here

Alright, that doesn't count as a logical sentiment or thought, so maybe it's just "first post" syndrome. Lets keep reading...

wow walking thru there must be cool, after you played the game. Might make you think your really in the game lol, but thats cool they used real places

Awesome. The only connection to one of man's greatest disasters is that it would remind you of a video game level.

Yeah worst part its radioactive. So u can die. But i would go there to be like Dam.

Yes. I too would go there to be like Dam. Though, I don't think the worst part is that it's radioactive; I think that's the only part.

The next reply:

creppy, is it really radioactive? if so, why?

Don't let your heads explode just yet, he is quickly educated:

The reactor melted down. and spilled it in the air. so everyone had to leve.

*boom*

I love to think that video games are helping to educate our youngsters, (everything I know about guns I learned from gaming...) but this is taking it a little far. It's Chernobyl for crying out loud. What are our public schools doing? Do people know that the events surrounding previous Call of Duty games (World War II) actually happened, too? Perhaps The Daily Show would have to do a bit about Chernobyl before today's youth would become aware of it.

Granted, this might not represent an accurate sample of our population, but not a single person in that forum seemed to have any idea that Chernobyl is a real place with a real meltdown. I think perhaps a few hours every day browsing Wikipedia articles should be mandatory.

Guitar Hero 3 Gets First PC Patch

Tim Grube — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:39:01 -0600

It was a silent release, but Aspyr has released the first patch for Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock on the PC making it v1.1. The new patch fixes several gameplay problems as well as improvements to the game. Some of the changes consist of the addition of the lens flare and crowd settings in the graphics options menu as well as Co-op Quickplay game mode for online multiplayer.

Hit the jump for the full release or grab the download by clicking here.

This official patch for Guitar Hero III will update any earlier version to 1.1. Version 1.1 adds many general fixes and improvements so it is recommended that all users apply the update.

Additions and Fixes for Version 1.1

- Adds Co-op Quickplay game mode for Online multiplayer.

- Adds Lens Flare and Crowd settings in the Graphics Options menu.

- Adds a new UI screen in the Controller Options menu that displays default keyboard controls.

- Improves the whammy bar sound effects.

- The star power electricity effect now displays correctly when using the Low Graphics Detail option.

- The skeleton in the Shanker Island venue now displays correctly on all supported graphics cards.

- Fixes a bug that caused the animations for Lous puppet to fall out of sync.

- The Leaderboards now update more quickly.

- Fixes an issue that caused some rare instability when joining Online multiplayer games.

- Fixes a bug that caused some finished games to be listed in Online game searches.

- Fixes an issue where menus would become corrupted when Demonware servers are under maintenance.

- Fixes pauses, rare freezes, and other strange behaviors that were occurring on the Video Shoot venue.

- Fixes a bug where practicing a section of a song before entering an online match results in starting from that point in the song.

- Pressing Alt+tab during an empty hosted game no longer displays as a disconnection from the previous opponent.

Guitar Hero DLC on the Way!

Akshay Masand — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 20:44:19 -0600

Those of you who have been sitting around waiting for some Guitar Hero content are in luck! Activision has recently announced that they have a bunch of songs that will be available to download for the holidays. It's good news for Guitar Hero players tired of being left out as their Rock Band brethren secure Foo Fighters packs.

The most popular songs from the DLC include a three-song pack for Guitar Hero 3 which includes "No More Sorrow" by Linkin park, "Sleeping Giant" by Mastadon, and "Pretty Handsome Awkward" by The Used. Unfortunately these songs do not come individually so if you don't like one, you're stuck with it. There will be individual songs available as well, such as"So Payaso" by Extremoduro, "Antisocial" by Trust, and "Erten Was Wir S?en" by Die Fantastischen Vier. The individual songs are hit European tracks. We'll have to see how those turn out to be in terms of success.

Prices have not yet been revealed but they will most likely resemble the prices for packs that were available for Guitar Hero 2. For those of you who can't spend the money for these extra songs or don't want to, a free rendition of "We Three Kings" done by Steve Ouimette will be available. So pickup those guitars, pop in the Guitar Hero CD,and head over to the Playstation Network or the Xbox Live Marketplace this holiday season for some new songs. Sorry Wii owners, news for DLC content for Nintendo's console is still yet to come.

Activision is holding up GHIII Patch for PS3

Brian Mohr — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:40:37 -0600

The game Rock Band on the Xbox 360 landed a patch soon after it's release on November 20th to allow players to use the Guitar Hero III controller in the game. The same can not be said for the PlayStation 3 version.

According to word from Harmonix, Activision is blocking the patch for the Sony console. The Harmonix team claims they completed the patch two weeks ago and was scheduled to release on December 4th, however Activision objected, stopping the release.

At this point, it appears to be a matter of Activision backing down to the pressure.

Tired of Paying For Microsoft Points You Don't Need? Get Used To It

Akshay Masand — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:12:49 -0600

Have you ever purchased a bundle of Microsoft Points so you can get something you want only to find out that you have an obscure number of points leftover? It has been a common thing for a while on the Marketplace and even more so recently thanks to DLC from games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3. With the newly released single song downloads for the following games, many of the users find themselves having an odd number of points leftover and then having to purchase another bundle of points for future purchases.

The aggravation had risen to the point where 1up editor Patrick Klepek decided to speak to a product manager Aaron Greenberg about the issue. Greenberg mentioned that the reason Microsoft does this is because they don't want to "burden" the consumers with the publishers, themselves, or transaction fees. He mentioned that they bundle the points to keep infrastructure costs down even though it is frustrating at times.

Regardless of whether we like it or not, we're stuck with these bundled Microsoft Points as Greenberg had mentioned that there is no future plan to change this process. We're going to have to put up with the issue unless for some odd reason you don't want any DLC, Xbox Live Arcade Games, or anything else the Xbox Live Marketplace has to offer.

Activision Not Neglecting Wii Guitar Hero III

Akshay Masand — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 19:20:01 -0600

For all the Guitar Hero 3 fans who unfortunately own their copy on the Wii, it is a time to rejoice. Activision is not neglecting their product for the Wii whose copies had shipped out with mono sound. Stereo-enabled discs will be given free of charge from Activision when they are released sometime early next year. The method of shipment is still unknown as of right now as is the date of release.

RedOctane has also announced working with Nintendo to help get DLC out for the system and fix some of the multiplayer bugs along with it. Guitar Hero fanboys for the Wii now have something to look forward to as they too will be able to play with all the functions the PS3 and the Xbox360 version have.

Call Of Duty 5, Guitar Hero IV Confirmed

Solomon Lee — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:42:25 -0600

Following the news of the Activision Blizzard merger, the company has confirmed that, in fact, Call of Duty 5 and Guitar Hero IV are both in development. There are no other details for these upcoming titles at this time.

In addition, other titles in the works include a new James Bond, Tony Hawk, new Dreamworks and Marvel titles and a racing title from Bizarre Creations.

Those who wish to visit the official site can do so here.

Guitar Hero 3 Cheats Uncovered

Tim Grube — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:51:40 -0600

So we've been receiving a bunch of emails lately regarding Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock. The emails were pretty much asking if there were any cheats out there to gain special songs, items, etc...Well, we have acquired a top secret list to satisfy your cheating needs! Peep them below! If you come across anymore, feel free to post them in the comments section!

Cheat mode

At the main menu, select "Options", "Cheats", "Enter New Cheat", then enter one of the following codes to activate the corresponding cheat function. Note: Each note or chord must be strummed.

All songs in Quick Play mode

Press Yellow + Orange, Red + Blue, Red + Orange, Green + Blue, Red + Yellow, Yellow + Orange, Red + Yellow, Red + Blue, [Green + Yellow] two times, [Yellow + Blue] two times, [Yellow + Orange] two times, Yellow + Blue, Yellow, Red, Red + Yellow, Red, Yellow, Orange to unlock all songs in Quick Play mode. Note: This code cannot be disabled once it is activated.

Oh and by the way, we don't usually post cheats--but if you would prefer their inclusion for popular games feel to drop us a line and let us know!

All items

Press [Green + Red + Blue + Orange], [Green + Red + Yellow + Blue], [Green + Red + Yellow + Orange], [Green + Blue + Yellow + Orange], [Green + Red + Yellow + Blue], [Red + Yellow + Blue + Orange], [Green + Red + Yellow + Blue], [Green + Yellow + Blue + Orange], [Green + Red + Yellow + Blue], [Green + Red + Yellow + Orange], [Green + Red + Yellow + Orange], [Green + Red + Yellow + Blue], [Green + Red + Yellow + Orange]. Note: There will be no sound while entering the four note "chords". Enter the shop in Career mode to access all items. This code cannot be disabled once it is activated.

Bret Michaels as the singer

Press [Green + Red] three times, [Green + Blue] three times, Red + Blue, Red(3), Red + Blue, Red(3), Red + Blue, Red(3). Note: Enabling this code will glitch online gameplay.

Easy Expert mode

Press Green + Red, Green + Yellow, Yellow + Blue, Red + Blue, Blue + Orange, Yellow + Orange, Red + Yellow, Red + Blue. This mode increases the size of the timing window. Note: This code cannot be used in Career mode.

No fail

Press Green + Red, Blue, Green + Red, Green + Yellow, Blue, Green + Yellow, Red + Yellow, Orange, Red + Yellow, Green + Yellow, Yellow, Green + Yellow, Green + Red. Note: This code cannot be used in Career mode.

Air guitar

Press Blue + Yellow, [Green + Yellow] two times, [Red + Blue] two times, [Red + Yellow] two times, Blue + Yellow, [Green + Yellow] two times, [Red + Blue] two times, [Red + Yellow] two times, [Green + Yellow] two times, [Red + Yellow] two times.

Hyperspeed mode

Press Orange, Blue, Orange, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Orange, Yellow. This mode makes the charts faster. There are five Hyperspeed levels. Press Green on the Hyperspeed option at the "Cheats" menu to cycle through them.

Precision mode

Press [Green + Red] three times, [Red + Yellow] two times, [Red + Blue] two times, Yellow + Blue, Yellow + Orange, Yellow + Orange, [Green + Red] three times, [Red + Yellow] two times, [Red + Blue] two times, Yellow + Blue, [Yellow + Orange] two times.

Performance mode

Press Red + Yellow, Red + Blue, Red + Orange, Red + Blue, Red + Yellow, Green + Blue, Red + Yellow, Red + Blue. This mode makes everything disappears except for the performance.

Guitar Hero III Headed to PC/Mac On Dec. 10

Aaron Dunlap — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:23:22 -0600

Aspyr ("Asper" or "Aspire"?) Media, a company that deals with porting games to the Mac, has announced that they've finished a Mac version of the console hit, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

The Aspyr Mac version, along with Activision's own PC version, will be shipped on one hybrid disk (that installs on both PCs and Macs, negating the need for separate versions) along with a USB guitar controller.

So now you can play Guitar Hero III on every system ever made. Congratulations music-based rhythm game - you own our souls.

CBS GameCore's Holiday Gift Guide 2007

Tim Grube — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:40:30 -0600

Our good friends over at CBS GameCore just posted their annual holiday gift guide that features everybody's top 5 along with the top 10 overall listings. Some of the games in the top 10 include:

What are your picks for this holiday season? Post them in the comments of this story! For the time being, head over to GameCore's website for the full listings.

Elder Scrolls Online Rumor Resurfaces

Shiva Stella — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:00:00 -0600

Remember that Elder Scrolls Online rumor that recently surfaced? It's back, now that ZeniMax Online (a development studio created by ZeniMax Media Inc, which is the parent company of Bethesda Softworks) has announced that it has acquired the rights to use Simutronics' HeroEngine, which is designed specifically for crafting MMO titles.

ZeniMax Online was launched on August 1 of this year with the intention of focusing on the MMO market, so the company's use of the HeroEngine definitely makes sense. As for what MMO the team is working on, if it's going to compete with the likes of World of Warcraft it had either better be a bloody good, original franchise or an Elder Scrolls game. I will take either at this point.

The Romantics Sue Guitar Hero Maker

Tim Grube — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 13:48:48 -0600

It seems like whenever something is popular or famous, there's always one person out there that decides to make some easy cash off of that fame one way or another. This time, The Romantics have filed a federal lawsuit against Activision saying the game infringes on the band's rights by featuring a soundalike recording of its 1980 hit "What I Like About You."

The song is one of about 30 songs featured on "Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s." The amount of what they are seeking was not disclosed, but you'd think all of this would never have happened if the label had decided to just let Activision use the original song.

The band's attorneys stated that Activision properly secured permission to use "What I Like About You," allowing it to record a cover version. So the problem is that it sounds almost exactly like the band--isn't that the point of a cover band?

Free Halo Theme Song Goes Live for Guitar Hero III Thursday

Shiva Stella — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:20:00 -0600

Get your groove on with the Master.

If you're a Halo and a Guitar Hero fan, you might be interested to know that Neversoft, Bungie, Activision/RedOctane, and Microsoft have teamed up to bring the Halo theme (MJOLNIR Mix) to Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the Xbox 360.

The song is free and launches on the Xbox Live Marketplace on Thanksgiving day, Thursday November 22.

Here's some info on the theme if you're a music buff:

The Halo theme was written, composed, and performed by Martin ODonnell and Michael Salvatori; and the MJOLNIR Mix features guitars performed by the Grammy Award winning guitar hero, Steve Vai.

"Its a real pleasure to hear one of the best loved and most iconic themes from Bungies Halo Universe in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock," said Marty ODonnell, Composer and Audio Director for Bungie Studios. "As longtime fans of the Guitar Hero franchise, it was great to collaborate with Neversoft and Activision/RedOctane to offer this exciting free download to our fans."

New Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Song Packs

Shiva Stella — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:46:17 -0600

Activision has launched two new song packs for its popular Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the Xbox 360. The packs are available online through the XBL service and cost 500 Microsoft points a pop. Here's a song list for each pack:

Velvet Revolver Pack

"She Builds Quick Machines" Off of the "Libertad Allbum"
"Slither" Off of the "Contraband Allbum"
"Messages" Off of the "Libertad (deluxe version)", as performed by Velvet Revolver.

Content: Foo Fighters Pack

"The Pretender" Off of the "Echoes Silence Patience & Grace"
"All My life" Off of the "One by One"
"This Is A Call" Off of the "Foo Fighters (self titled)" as performed by Foo Fighters.

[Edit] The PlayStation Store has also been updated with the same content, so I guess everybody's covered.

Official Guitar Hero III Tourney: 8 Cities, 1 Free Car

Brian Mohr — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:40:01 -0600

Activision has announced a national Guitar Hero III tournament in to promote Guitar Hero: III Legends of Rock.

The contest is available to contestants 16-years and up and the top winners at each stop on the tour will win $100 gift card to Hot Topic. The two finalists will get a chance to win a 2008 Pontiac G5.

The contest will be making it's way to:

11/8 Orland Park, IL (Chicago) Orland Square
11/12 Paramus, NJ (New York/Newark) Garden State Plaza
11/15 Buford, GA (Atlanta) Mall of Georgia
11/19 Austin, TX Barton Creek
11/26 Phoenix, AZ Metro Center Mall
11/29 Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall
12/3 Northridge, CA (Los Angeles) Northridge Fashion Center
12/5 San Francisco, CA San Francisco Center

For more details, contact the Hot Topic store that'll be holding the event.

Medal of Honor Heroes 2 Goes Gold!

Tim Grube — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:55:50 -0600

Electronic Arts has just announced that Medal of Honor Heroes 2 has gone gold for the Wii and PSP. This time around, the game is built from the ground up and will support the Wii Zapper. The PSP version will allow up to 32 players to multiplayer online. Pretty crazy if you ask me. Not sure how that will work on the PSP with lag and whatnot.

Hopefully we can get our hands on a copy to give you all some feedback regarding that. In the meantime, jump over to the official website for the goods!

Game Soundtrack Review - Odin Sphere

Eric Jonathan Smith — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 20:40:00 -0500

In the first of what will hopefully become a regular feature here on GameBump, we turn our eyes to our ears and take a closer look at one of gaming's more underrated aspects: music, of course.

For our inaugural review, we couldn't have a better contender: the soundtrack release to Odin Sphere, Vanillaware's beautiful 2D action game. While the game was released back in May for both its US and Japanese releases, the soundtrack just saw the light of day last week in Japan. This may seem strange, but it's not uncommon; even a major soundtrack release such as Final Fantasy XII's was released over 2 months after the game.

Speaking of Final Fantasy XII, if you've played that (or Final Fantasy Tactics, or Vagrant Story, or countless others) you've already heard the work of Odin Sphere's composer: Hitoshi Sakimoto. A former employee of Square, Sakimoto's time there was brief before he broke off and formed his own studio named Basiscape, who of recent have exploded in demand (and by no lack of talent).

Sakimoto leads his Basiscape crew (including long-time composing partner Masaharu Iwata, whom he worked with on Final Fantasy Tactics and others) in providing the distinct orchestral sound in Odin Sphere he is known for. While Odin Sphere is not Sakimoto's best work (nor did he compose the majority of it), there's enough color in the material to provide the perfect backdrop to the already vibrant world of Odin Sphere.

The 2-disc soundtrack starts off appropriately with the main theme of Odin Sphere, a melody that Sakimoto will weave throughout the soundtrack. This is a beautiful piece - and good thing - because as mentioned this motif appears throughout the soundtrack. But nowhere is it as stunning as in this opening vocal arrangement (well, with one exception, below).

The majority of the first disc is spent on the themes of the stages players visit in Odin Sphere. On the whole, they are hit or miss. Some are bombastic and fit the action (such as "Battle on the Snowy Mountain", the battle theme of Winterhorn Ridge) but others are downright grating ("Battle in Fairy Land", heard while fighting in Ringford Forest). This could be due to Sakimoto himself only contributing one of these stage tracks ("Battle in the Land of Fire", battle theme of the Volkanon Lava Pit). Veteran Iwata does provide the majority of them with aplomb but the weaker ones can be attributed to the newer composers of the Basiscape team. Another highlight on the first disc is Sakimoto's "Attic Archive", the theme of Alice, the little girl whose reading of dusty old books forms both the frame of the game's action and serves as a stage select. Light, airy, and playful, it serves as a great contrast to Odin Sphere's largely dramatic tone.

And for drama, look no further than the second disc. This disc contains all of the music from the game's cutscenes and series of final battles. Iwata provides appropriately somber tunes in "Sinking in Sadness" and "The One Left Standing At the World's End" but the highlight again goes to Sakimoto's sorrowful reworking of the main theme in "A Fate Accepted." Sakimoto provides other memorable tracks of a more upbeat kind with "Restaurant", the theme of the Pooka Kitchen and "Study Time", which sounds very similar to his work in Final Fantasy XII.

But for what negatives they created for the first disc, the "freshmen" of Basiscape prove themselves with the greatness of some of the final battle themes. Mitsuhiro Kaneda shines with "Rally", while Kimihiro Abe fixes his previous faux pas of "Battle in Fairy Land" with "Facing the Darkness." These themes serve to make an already memorable final sequence of battles all the more exciting.

However, possibly the greatest track is Sakimoto's ending theme ("Odin Sphere's Theme -Shanachie ver.-"), an orchestral, Celtic (!) arrangement of Odin Sphere's main theme. While the original theme was already gorgeous enough to the ear, this version is a special treat due to the Celtic arrangement, a style not normally associated with Sakimoto. To round out this disc and the soundtrack, video game music performers the Eminence Orchestra provide some string arrangements of Odin Sphere's theme and Attic Archive, to good effect.

The orchestral-sounding music of Odin Sphere as a whole may not be strong enough to stand on its own. Sakimoto's work again is the highlight, but he composed moderately few tracks in comparison to the others. But that is not to say it is not a success. The music supports the action in-game nearly flawlessly and whether or not you enjoyed the game is going to be the major factor in how positively or negatively the soundtrack affects your perception of it.

As with most video game soundtracks, the Odin Sphere Original Soundtrack is a Japan-only release. So yes, *groan*, that means it must be imported. If you want to take the plunge, an immediate and safe solution is CDJapan. Great selection with fast service, they list Odin Sphere for 3200 yen, which is just over $27. Shipping is generally $15 for 3 day air from Japan, which may seem unreasonable but it's not. All's in the cost of having a great conversation piece, eh?

Interested in a complete tracklisting? Try Game Music Revolution, my friend.

Guitar Hero III Review Roundup

Tim Grube — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 21:48:47 -0500

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is officially out now on the Xbox 360 and there are already an abundance of reviews giving it a pretty decent score. The highest score comes from Play Magazine with a 90 out of 100 while Hardcore Gamer Magazine giving it the lowest with a 75 out of 100.

There are a total of 71 tracks in all -- 46 on the regular set and 25 bonus songs. Check out the list below:

Play Magazine - 90
Yahoo! Games - 90
IGN - 89
Team Xbox - 89
Game Informer - 88
Electronic Gaming Monthly - 85
Official Xbox Magazine - 80
GameDaily - 80
Hardcore Gamer Magazine - 75

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Out!

Tim Grube — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:13:15 -0500

You heard right. Activision just sent over the press release stating Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has officially been released. Some stores may not have it until October 28 though.

Where there is music this holiday season, there is Guitar Hero, and were excited to deliver Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock as the ultimate guitar-bending experience for our fans, said Dusty Welch, head of publishing for Activision/RedOctane. With an amazing set list, added gameplay features, online functionality, and new wireless guitars, aspiring rock stars are going to shred harder than ever before.

For the first time ever, Guitar Hero® fans will also be able to thrash and burn with new wireless guitar controllers available for each platform, including exclusive Gibson Guitar's Les Paul model for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii home video game system from Nintendo, and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system gamers will also get to shred on a new exclusive shape, Gibsons Kramer guitar, popularized by hard rockers and known for its body design, pickups, electronics and construction for furious finger fretting.

Activision Announces Guitar Hero 80's Edition

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:25:00 -0500

Activision has officially announced a sequel to Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero 80's Edition.

No details have been given on the songs to be included in the game. It is however scheduled to release on June 13th for the PlayStation 2 for $39.99. Hopefully we'll see this also release for download on the Xbox 360 after Guitar Hero II comes out in early April.

Originally written by Brian Mohr

Brothers In Arms Hell�s Highway Announced

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Thu, 24 May 2007 15:55:00 -0500

Ubisoft today announced that Brothers In Arms Hells Highway is in development for next generation video game platforms, which include the PlayStation 3 and PC.

With Brothers In Arms Hells Highway, Gearbox is investing everything to take next-generation gaming to an entirely new level, said Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software. For Brothers In Arms Hells Highway, the Unreal Engine 3 powers real next-generation graphics and the most intense, action-oriented recreation of true history ever offered as interactive entertainment.
Since the series was introduced last year, Brothers In Arms has consistently excelled at delivering a new style of tactical shooter wrapped up in an authentic WWII setting, said Francesca Reyes, editor-in-chief at Official Xbox Magazine (OXM). As fans of the Brothers In Arms series, OXM is incredibly excited to be the first to reveal to readers the world-exclusive first-look at Brothers In Arms Hells Highway. The issue is available on newsstands since April 11, 2006.

The game is scheduled for a holiday 2006 release. This title has not yet been concept approved by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Originally written by Tim Grube

New Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes Screens

Aaron Dunlap — Thu, 17 May 2007 16:33:00 -0500

This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Below are some new screens from the 2007 SCEA Gamer's Day event for Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes for the PSP.

Odin Sphere Set for Release on May 22

Shiva Stella — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:47:00 -0500

This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Atlus Co. has confirmed the official US release date for its Odin Sphere, an action-RPG set to launch on the PlayStation 2 on May 22, almost immediately following the game's May 17 release in Japan.

Atlus has also announced that the game will feature fully voiced dialogue in the player's choice of either English or Japanese (apparently for a more authentic experience). You can access more information on the game from the company's official Odin Sphere website.

Brothers in Arms For Wii, DS

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:12:00 -0500

Ubisoft has announced that its highly successful Brothers in Arms franchise will be arriving on the Nintendo DS and Wii this year. Entitled Brothers in Arms DS and Brothers in Arms Double Time, respectively, the games promise to "immerse Nintendo system owners into the intensity of World War II through the stories of Sergeants Baker and Hartsock and their squad of paratroopers during the Normandy invasion."

Brothers In Arms on the Wii and DS systems is really exciting for us, said Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software. I am a huge fan of both systems and thrilled about making games for the two platforms. In the entire space of first-person shooters on video game systems, Brothers In Arms really lends itself to both the Wii and DS interfaces. Imagine using the Wii Remote to give actual hand signals or aiming with the DS stylus from a covered position. Thats what you can look forward to with Brothers In Arms Double Time and Brothers In Arms DS.

Brothers In Arms DS Key Features:

First Brothers In Arms for the DS System: Exclusively designed for Nintendo DS with easy-to-use, stylus-based controls such as using the Touch Screen to aim, with the camera following the stylus.
Impressive, Realistic 3D Graphics: Incredibly detailed environments with highly believable characters and enemies, cinematic camera angles, and great animation.
Drivable Vehicles: Drive a recon car or a Sherman Tank. Use a wide range of weapons such as bazookas, sniper rifles, grenades and more to destroy your enemy.
16 Missions and Three Different Campaigns: Relive the intensity of WWII through three different campaigns, from Normandy to North-Africa and Ardennes.
Redesigned New Multiplayer Experience: Fight major multiplayer battles with three of your friends in different multiplayer modes, including Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch.
Contextual Movements: Gameplay adapted to the Nintendo DS hardware with auto-cover behind walls or auto-recovering life system.

Brothers In Arms Double Time Key Features:

Next-Generation Brothers In Arms - The award-winning WWII franchise comes to the Wii system with all of the action, story and authenticity that has critics and fans eager for more.
Combining All 31 Playable Levels: Play as Sergeants Matt Baker and Joe Hartsock, leading your squad behind enemy lines through the Normandy invasion.
Unrivaled Authenticity: Fight actual Airborne Infantry battles of D-Day accurately recreated using thousands of official photos, maps, After-Action Reports and eyewitness accounts under the direction of Military and Historical Director, Col. John Antal.
Challenging and Dynamic Combat: Featuring close-quarter urban environments and a next-generation artificial intelligence system, Brothers In Arms Double Time promises to take authentic military action to the next level on the Wii system.
Enhanced Control Scheme: Issue orders and perform military gestures to command and lead your team using the Wii Remote.

The DS version is tentatively scheduled to launch this summer while Double Time is slated to launch this fall. Screenshots below are from the DS version. Originally written by Shiva Stella

Guitar Hero Sequels Are Coming

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 13:44:00 -0500

The incredible success of Guitar Hero last fall has resulted in an announcement by RedOctane CEO that plenty more sequels are coming.

CEO Kelly Sumner announced today that Guitar Hero will likely see five or six new titles by the middle of 2007. RedOctane also announced that Guitar Hero 2 is definitely in the works right now and that it will feature 40 new tracks.

Meanwhile just like Harmonix's other franchise Karaoke Revolution, Sumner hinted at the possibility that genre specific guitar strumming titles could be in the works including Country and Heavy Metal versions.

Originally written by Brian Mohr

New Gods & Heroes Media

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 17:20:00 -0500

Sony Online Entertainment has published several new screenshots of its Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising for the PC. The title is an MMORPG currently being developed by Perpetual Entertainment and slated for a June 1 launch. Enjoy. Originally written by Shiva Stella

Godfather Scopes Out Wii, PS3

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 18:08:00 -0600

Because we wouldn't be a gaming site without reporting on the obvious premier-title news, Electronic Arts, now sole owner of the virtual Italian mafia, has announced that it is bringing The Godfather franchise to both the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles.

The Godfather: The Don's Edition will be seeing release Sony's side while The Godfather: Blackhand Edition will be gracing the Wii. The Don's Edition includes new missions, the Corelone expansion, and utilizes the sixaxis controller while Blackhand Edition will make use of the Wii's unique remote. Both games are slated to release in March.

Fresh screenshots taken from both of these new versions are available below. Originally written by Shiva Stella

GH Review: Guitar Hero 2 (PS2)

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:58:00 -0600

This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Eric Dayday.

Guitar Hero 2 is probably one of the most anticipated rhythm game sequels ever. And now, the follow up to the super smash hit, Guitar Hero, has finally arrived. The fact that it offers so many improvements in almost area makes the package all the more appealing to guitar-rocking fans. Its almost the perfect sequel almost.

Think about everything you know and love about the original Guitar Hero. Now think about the wish list you had after sinking hundreds of hours perfecting your shred technique larger song list, multiple guitar parts, and a practice mode to help you get past those tricky parts. Well folks, all of your wishes have come true because Guitar Hero 2 boasts all of those plus a host of new characters, guitars, and performing venues.

For those of you not familiar with how GH plays, heres a quick rundown about the core gameplay. The screen features a bar that scrolls towards you and colored circles that correspond to the ones on the SG guitar controller start out at the back and run to the bottom of the screen. Thats where the target area is and when the circles reach it, thats when you strum and voila youre playing the song. Those who have been playing guitar or any other stringed instrument for a while will feel right at home with the controller and the games mechanics. Dont let that, however, let any of you who have no idea how to play an instrument stop you. Guitar Hero was the definition of pick-up-and-play and it still is.

On easy, youre only responsible for the first three buttons and chords (hitting two buttons simultaneously) dont appear until the last few songs. Bump it up to medium and the fourth fret button will come into play and chords will begin to appear more frequently. And just as the first game, be wary of sore fingers and stiff wrists from extended plays.

Hard and expert up the ante even more by introducing the fifth and last fret button and chords abound. This is where pinky strength will play a big role since the easiest way is to just stretch that pinky to hit that orange button. But, if youre an experienced stringer you may find it much easier to shift especially when chord includes that fifth button.

Red Octane also upped the difficulty factor by including three-note chords. Now, that doesnt sound too bad; I mean its only one extra button to press and/or hold on certain notes. However, when a song starts throwing them out in quick succession, itll definitely take some time adjusting to even for those of you who managed to five-star every song in GH. Its a small addition that adds a ton to the core gameplay.

Hammer-on and pull-off are two techniques all too familiar to GH fans. A hammer-on involves holding a fret button down and strumming then while holding the strum hit or hammer-on one or two more notes so that you will have played multiple notes on one strum; a pull-off is just a hammer-on in reverse. To some, they were quite troublesome in the first Guitar Hero because it was either you got them with ease or feared them every time they came up and tried to rush the strum to hit all the notes. Here, however, its a lot easier to pull off because the timing window is more lenient. Those who had trouble with them before will feel an enormous amount of satisfaction when hitting the majority of those passages.

But dont fret challenge seekers. GH2 is still plenty challenging, but it offers more tools to help you overcome those tricky solos. The addition of a training mode is a godsend. And its a pretty powerful. Not only can you practice songs in their entirety without fear of failing, you can also single out and practice small portions because theyre broken down into individual stanzas and phrases. On top of that, you can slow it down with three speed options. Practice makes perfect and if youre dedicated enough, that can and will be the case here. The only unfortunate part is the fact that you need to reload after each attempt which is a tad cumbersome. It would have been easier to have it loop when practicing a small part, but hey, its just something to wish for in GH3, right?

Easily the best improvement lies in multiplayer. The first GH featured a multiplayer mode that was downright bland exchange parts and whoever has the highest score wins. That same mode is still in GH2, but theres also an unlockable mode where each player plays the exact same song - every note, chord, etc. with high score winning. That ought to shut up any arguments involving the you had an easier part excuse. The best addition to multiplayer, however, is cooperative mode. Depending on the song, you and a friend can separate into lead and either bass or rhythm guitar parts. The bass parts on some songs can be underwhelming, in both and difficulty and volume (sounds like something went wrong recording in stereo). It doesnt sound like youre actually playing with someone, but instead youre just playing beside your friend. But, thats not too important because it doesnt occur on every song and some of the bass parts are more fun than the lead guitars. I can guarantee that if you have two SG guitar controllers, this mode will be the one youll find yourself in the most. They smartly included the option to allow each player to select their own difficulty, so dont be afraid that youll have to match your partners skill level.

The same cast of characters from the first title makes their way over here along with a few new characters. The most memorable one is the hulking KISS wannabe. Along with the new characters are alternate outfits for a select number of them. Add to that a load of new guitars, and now with more purchasable finishes, and you have yourself a whole slew of things to spend your hard earned career cash on. Oh, and lets not forget that everyones favorite rocker, the Grim Reaper, himself returns as an unlockable rocker.

I just mentioned career money and the career mode remains virtually unchanged. Because of the much larger song list, there are more tiers to play through. Unfortunately, the difficulty progression isnt as smooth as it was last time. As you go through the set lists, youll come across a few songs that will trip you up, but nothing that seems unbeatable. Its more apparent in the jump from medium to hard difficulties. It used to be that the last songs on a difficulty had you well and prepared for the next difficulty, but its not the case here. Instead, the first tier on the harder difficulties throws you straight into the fire. Again, nothing impossible, but the progression is not as smooth as it once was.

Youre probably wondering why I havent mentioned the song list. Now, youre probably wondering why Ive waited until the bad and ugly section to finally talk about it. Its not to say that the song list is bad. In fact, thats far from the truth. It feels more of a disappointment than anything else.

The first GH offered a great variety of songs, most considered classics. If thats what youre expecting from GH2, then prepared to feel let down, even though it offers more songs than its predecessor. Its clear that the developers chose songs that feature quite a few guitar solos and songs that have some freakishly fast sequences. In that sense, it was a job well done. But, in GH, some of the slower songs were just as difficult because they were very technical, especially the bluesy sounding ones. Unfortunately, those kinds of songs are sorely lacking, though the Allman Brothers Jessica helps fill the void a bit.

Its nice to finally see Van Halen on the list, and while its a song I love, is You Really Got Me the one Van Halen song most would want to play? On top of that, its a cover of an old Kinks song. The same goes for Aerosmith nice to see them here, but I know theyve had more hits than Last Child.

But, the play list isnt a complete disappointment; remember that this is only my opinion. Just because the entire list doesnt appeal to me shouldnt have you hesitating to pick it up. Heck, even knowing what songs were in GH2 in advance didnt stop me from wanting to play this. And there are still a number of songs that everyone can enjoy. Theres The Polices Message in a Bottle for the classic rockers; Nirvanas Heart-Shaped Box for the grunge fans; and for the internet fans, Strong Bad makes an appearance to sing Trogdor.

One last note is the fact that the covers are still for the most part very well done. There are some sore spots the one singing Killing in the Name in particular fails to capture Zack de la Rochas sound but its still of the same quality as the first GH. The developers, however, managed to snag some master, or original, tracks. The master reels include Primus John the Fisherman and Stop! from Janes Addiction. Now, lets hope for more in the next installment of this great series.

Guitar Hero 2 offers all the fun and excitement of the original and more - more songs; easier hammer-on/pull-off techniques; new characters, guitars, and outfits and skins; and a much needed practice mode. While not as earth-shattering as the original, no fan of rhythm games should be without Guitar Hero 2 in their library.

Same as last time, but new practice mode and more technique leniency are great additions.

Never was GHs strongpoint, but with all the frantic note reading, you wont really notice.

Bass parts are sometimes lacking in co-op. The covers are still excellent.

If you had fun with the first, then youll have just as much fun here, if not more.

60 some-odd songs. 4 difficulties. Plenty of things to buy. Youll be playing GH2 for a while.

GH Review: Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run (Xbox)

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:20:00 -0500

This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Eric Dayday.

Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run features the likeness of Dwayne The Rock Johnson, who plays the lead role in the corresponding movie. Problem is that here we have the game, but no movie to be found. Then, theres a gameplay curveball that may anger Spy Hunter purists on foot sequences. Were not starting off on the right foot are we?

Not surprisingly, The Rocks inclusion as the main character, Alex Decker, is one of the few bright spots here. As The Rock in the former WWF now WWE, he was always a charismatic person and it peeks through in Alexs witty lines. Unfortunately, that too is sometimes off because of the wooden script, which leads to some awkward deliveries. But, at least they managed to squeeze in some of Rocks trademark wrestling moves in the on-foot sequences.

Thankfully, the car sequences are still intact and are done pretty well for the most part. There is a huge variety of weapons to use, all of which are useful in certain situations, as many fans know. The Interceptor, which the car is known as, will change form depending on the terrain car on land, boat over water, and a motorcycle at certain points. The transition between the modes is seamless, so switching between land and water is a fun change of pace. The problem with these sections is that the controls arent very tight. No matter what form the Interceptor is in, it controls very floaty. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the control for the salvo mechanic. When using the salvo, the game freezes and allows you to move a reticule to target multiple targets at once, unleashing a barrage of missiles. Unfortunately, getting that reticule to move where you want is a chore since it doesnt want to respond to direction you want it to go. And with a limited supply of salvos, trying to get all of the targets in one shot is more irritating than it is useful.

I havent picked up a Spy Hunter title since the original arcade title, so all I know are the linear driving levels featuring a car with more weapons than a Bond car. And when I started the game as a third-person action game, my first reaction was what is this doing in my Spy hunter?! Though I will admit that the initial reaction wore off pretty soon and I warmed up to the out of car sequences somewhat.

You would think that switching between the foot sequences and car sequences would create an uneven pace, but Nowhere to Run always keeps the action going by including side objectives, like planting explosives or assassinating a character. The switching between the two gameplay types is done logically as well. For example, you start the game as Alex on foot because the Interceptor was stolen and its up to him to get it back. After recovering the Interceptor, you control it as you make your escape.

Alex Decker is, in some ways, a poor mans Master Chief. He can only carry two weapons at a time and he can regenerate health if he avoids damage for an amount of time. But what really makes the third person sections really bad is how broken some of the fighting mechanics are.

In most cases, guns do more damage than fists. Dont tell that to Alex Decker. Apparently, the development team wanted The Rock to be the true focus of Spy Hunter, not Alex because his fists and wrestling moves are more devastating than an assault rifle. You can combo between light and heavy punches. But by holding down the heavy punch, Alex will perform a stun punch, which opens them up to a finishing maneuver. By pressing a face button when an opponent is stunned, youll activate that finisher, with each button corresponding to a different move, including The Rocks trademark finisher, The Rock Bottom. After that, you have no need to worry about that peon any more. Unfortunately, you can still take damage during these animations, so while it lessens one problem, it opens you up to another one.

As for the AI, well they are dumb as bricks. While you can be shot during the finishing animations, most of the time, the other soldiers will just watch as you wail on their hapless friend. Other times, they will actually run away from you. Is Alex really that scary looking?

Graphically, Nowhere to Run isnt that great looking. While Alex is almost a spot-on recreation of Dwayne Johnson, he looks a little blocky, and he isnt the only one. The environments look muddy and muted and some of the animations look stilted. At least the framerate maintains a steady clip throughout even when things get a tad hectic.

The music is mostly forgettable and the sound effects dont stand out, sounding like typical action game fare. However, at least the entire cast, not just The Rock, sound quite good outside of some cheesy lines, but the blame for that lies with the writers and the script.

Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run is an odd title. Is it a deliberate third-person action shooter or a fast-paced action driving game? In that sense, its like youre getting two games in one seamlessly transition package unfortunately for it, it does neither genre well. The third-person sequences feature decent gunplay partnered with broken hand-to-hand combat mechanics, while the driving sequences feature loads of destruction paired with somewhat frustrating controls. Other games do both kinds of gameplay much better than Nowhere to Run. I hate to say, but I really cant see anyone actually wanting to spend money to play this.

Third-person in my driving Spy Hunter game?! Preposterous? No. Done well? Also no..

Nothing outstanding. Actually looks like other titles of the same ilk.

Nothing memorable here either, but the voice cast does a good job with what it was given.

Two different game types sound fun, but not when either is polished well.

Multiple difficulties and thats all she wrote.

Dragon Quest Heroes Oozes Into Stores

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:01:00 -0500

This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.The original author is Evan Lahti.

On sale today is Square Enix's first DS title ever to hit North American shores, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime. Retailing at $34.99, the title represents a unique platformer with multiplayer battle modes, and a different take on the lore from its long-running Dragon Quest series. Instead of filling the shoes of a young adventurer, players take the form of Rocket Slime, usually a common enemy within the franchise, but a smiling, well-intentioned protagonist in this case.Check out our hands-on E3 preview of the title, or head over to the official North American website for the game, as well as the official fansite for more information.

GH Review: The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch (PSP)

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 22:52:00 -0500

This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Eric Dayday.

Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch is the follow-up to last years Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion, which itself wasnt too bad, but didnt offer tons of originality to a genre thats always reinventing itself in some way. If you didnt play the first offering, dont worry about having to catch up on the story because Moonlight Witch has its own standalone story and cast of characters. However, the story shares the same generic and bland writing that the first one suffered from as well as some other short comings in its game mechanics. Lets delve deeper shall we?

The best part about Legend of Heroes 2 is how meaty it is. This is an RPG that will take more than a few dozen hours or so to finish. Dont think that just because its a PSP title that this will be a quick weekend play. While the majority of that time is spent with the main story arc, I actually didnt mind it here because of the way the story is set up. The two main characters, Jurio and Chris(tine), are two young teens from a small village. Village tradition dictates that the two will partake on a long pilgrimage to help the two youths find themselves. And so the games length adds to the feeling that youre following along with them instead of just playing through. Theyll come across a number of other characters as one would expect, though Jurio and Chris introductions to them really seem sugar-coated. Having the two so goody two-shoes gets a little annoying. And there are many times where things slow down horribly, but if you can make it past the slow stretches and the totally generic plot, youll get plenty of value out of LoH 2.

Random battles are thankfully not present. In fact, just about every battle is avoidable; all enemies are visible and the on-screen character moves at a pretty fast clip. If youre good at maneuvering through some tight spaces, you could easily minimize the number of battles youll face. Of course, that isnt the best idea because youll miss out on all the money and experience. Surprisingly, level ups feel very substantial here. Within the same area, an extra of level or two will show dividends enemies will do much less damage and your party will start killing off enemies in less turns.

Killing off enemies faster is always a good thing, but here youll really want to do so because the battles can sometimes be cumbersome. If you stick to physical attacks, most battles will be a breeze as long as you hit hard enough. But, there will be times when spells and skills will be necessary and the animations for these can take a while resulting in some fights dragging on. Luckily, theres a mechanic that can cut some time off finishing moves. Each character has a meter thats filled up when they deal or take damage. Once its filled, they can unleash a powerful move that can usually kill a foe in one shot. The meter fills up rather quickly leaving them frequently at your disposal, so when you feel like shaving some time, let loose with them.

The rest of the battle system is pretty simple. You choose an action attack, skill, magic, etc for each character in your party, up to four max. Once thats done the turn plays out between the two sides with actions based on the agility stat. However, different types of attacks can affect initiative, so be wary of that when choosing who does what, as that could lead to the untimely demise of someone who you needed to cast a critical spell.

The battle system also takes into account relative positions, so some attacks wont hit anything unless youre close enough to an enemy. It adds a strategic element to a rather straightforward battle system. Unfortunately it sounds better than it was executed since you can just hammer through attacks with no regard to positioning for the most part and still get the job done.

Graphically, Legend of Heroes 2 doesnt break any ground, like the rest of the game. But they do just fine. Its top down view evokes the days of the classic 16-bit games while the 3D backgrounds and plump characters hit you over the head that it isnt a title from those days.

The story, sadly for all its hours, is generic the entire way through as I mentioned before. Nothing will surprise you; nothing will be unexpected. If anything, youll be able to easily predict what will happen next. What doesnt help is the poorly translated and edited script. As youre reading through the tons of text, youll spot tons of spelling errors, awkward sentence splits, and some badly translated names and places. An error here and there I can live with (editors cant spot everything), but the number present here is absurd.

LoH2 also isnt built well for on-the-go gaming. Being able to save anywhere helps, but the game does a bad job telling you where to go if you just so happened to leave off at an odd point. For the most part though, the journey is straight forward, with event triggers (i.e. conversations with NPCs) marked with exclamation points. However, if youre not paying intent enough attention, you could end up mindlessly wandering the routes between towns. Itll help you level up, but theres nothing more frustrating than being lost without any help of being pointed in the right direction. Also, the overworld map doesnt tell you where to go next and the lack of a quest log can really hinder progress if youve totally forgotten what your next step should be.

Lastly, there is a pet that follows you around. You can feed it different kinds of foods that will have it randomly do different things in battle like cast an elemental magic, raise defense, raise attack, etc. You can also scold it and praise it, which I think may have an effect on how often the pet acts; I never found any use for it. It sounds like an interesting aspect, but its underwhelming to the point that I completely forgot about it at times. You can get through the entire game without bothering with it at all, but what kind of pet owner are you to let your cat or dog starve for the entire duration of Chris and Jurios pilgrimage.

Legend of Heroes II: The Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch doesnt reinvent the wheel. What it does offer is the tried-and-true gameplay of a typical turn-based RPG. If you dont mind a generic story, a simple battle system, and a lengthy, though at times slow, journey, then you may want to consider giving this a look. Otherwise, there are others that may hold your interest better.

Simple battle system and avoidable combat are good. Sometimes cumbersome pacing bad.

Nothing spectacular, but they arent horrid.

Nothing memorable at all. I cant even remember if there were voices.

It can get very slow at times, but if you can overcome those, youll have a good time.

You wont play through it again, but the one time through is long enough is keep one satisfied.

Godfather: Mob Wars Coming To The PSP

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 12:36:00 -0500

Gangsters on the go will have something to look forward to in September, as Electronic Arts has just announced that The Godfather: Mob Wars is in production for the PSP. Though specifics are sparse, and we're unsure if the PSP version will be a complete port of the the free-roaming romp that was released on the Xbox, PC, and PS2 back in March, we know that the PSP release will come with a tactical tint to it.

Aside from taking on the rival families face-to-face (using the same "pressure-point" targeting system featured in the

Cryptic Studios Hiring For New MMOs

Shiva Stella — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 12:29:00 -0500

This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Those of you eager to break into the gaming industry may be interested to know that Cryptic Studios, the team behind both City of Villains and City of Heroes, is looking for new talent to join its development staff - and you don't have to be a programmer to score a job.Were looking for the best, whether you are a proven industry veteran or a new college grad who wants to break into the business, said Michael Lewis, President of Cryptic Studios. If you want to work on cutting-edge technology and designs centered around making games easy to build and fun to play, then this is the place for you. You wont be surprised to know were looking for top-notch programmers and artists, but you might be surprised to find were also interested in engineering, economics, linguistics and philosophy majors.Philosophy majors may actually have a chance to land a position that doesn't involve daily paraphrasing of Aristotle, and within the videogame industry, no less! Cryptic Studios has also confirmed that it will be announcing several new MMOs later this year, making it a strong bet that any new Cryptic employees will be working on building functional systems, mythology, ethics, and all the little things that make MMOs grand, for these new projects.If you're considering joining the team, visit Cryptic Studios at this link, and good luck.

The Rock Talks Spy Hunter

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 07:38:00 -0500

Summertime is the time for slow news cycles in this business, I've learned. Fortunately, any time Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. "The Rock" opens his mouth, you can be guaranteed good material - his latest blurbs on Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run being no exception. From Midway's press release:

Were you a fan of the original, SpyHunter?

I was a big fan of the original game. When Midway came to me with the idea, of course, we were still in the development of the movie. So my first question was how is this game going to be different? How can it compete? They said for the first time the fans of the video game Spy Hunter are going to be able to get out of the car and actually become this character who's been driving this car all this time. So I thought, okay, how else can we compete because the video game market is so ultra competitive? How can we be creative? How can we maim and bring death to the opponents creatively with my bare hands? :)

Since your character gets out of the car for the first time in franchise history, do you think this makes SpyHunter the next Knight Rider?

Okay, well let me tell you something. Comparing Michael Knight to Alex Decker is like comparing wine to vinegar. Alex doesn't care about wearing the coolest jeans or the coolest jacket. He just has one mission, which is to hunt down spies and to kick ass like there's no tomorrow.

I can only imagine that he followed that last line up with the People's Eyebrow, and then knocked the interviewer out with one meaty hamfist to his temple. Seriously, comparing The Rock to this guy? Please.

The Legend of Heroes II Ships for PSP

Brian Mohr — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 20:05:00 -0500

This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Namco has announced that they have shipped the PSP role-playing game, The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch to retailers.

The game follows two young boys, Jurio and Chris who discover the Raual Wave which is able to destroy the world. In the game, the two head out on a journey to five shrines to save the world. Legend of Heroes II features character art and the pet system featured in the first title.

Vanguard: Guild Beta Apps Now Live

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:06:00 -0500

I am told that there are those of you, out there, for which Everquest 2 was not, well... Everquesty enough. With that in mind, I give you news that Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is now accepting applications from guilds who wish to beta test the game. From the official Vanguard website:

Sigil Games Online is now accepting applications for guilds/clans to be accepted into Beta. We are looking for guilds of all sizes and play styles to help us test Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. In order to be considered for acceptance, you must adhere to the following guidelines:

* Only one application per guild may be submitted. Multiple applications will be automatically rejected.

* The submitted list of members must be complete and may not be amended after submission.

* All guild members submitted for consideration must have active accounts on the Vanguard forums.

Carebears, the line starts here.

Justice League Heroes Heading for GBA and DS

The Gaming Horizon Archive — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 11:31:00 -0500

Justice League Heroes was announced months ago for most of the major consoles and the PSP. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment dropped another bomb by announcing versions for the GBA and DS. The GBA version, however, carries a subtitle that the others don't have - Justice League Heroes: The Flash - so it looks like it may end up quite different than its counterparts.

The only other information that was revealed was the Fall 2006 release date, but Gaming Horizon will keep you up to date when more information is available.