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BradNicholson

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BradNicholson

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#1  Edited By BradNicholson

No Caption Provided
Hulu Plus may be coming to Xbox Live soon--like, in two days “soon” soon. Joystiq has obtained what it believes to be an authentic scan of the upcoming June issue of Official Xbox Magazine, and in the pages, the rag straight-up states that the service will hit April 29. That's a date that jives with what Microsoft has said in the past, as Kinect-enabled Hulu Plus has always been slated for an eventual “spring” 2011 release.  

Microsoft has not commented on the April 29 date as of yet.

Interestingly, Microsoft will be some major marketing dollars behind the launch, so says the magazine. For a solid month, the publisher will reportedly be randomly giving out prizes like free Xbox 360 bundles or resort trips to users of the service. I guess that’s neat, but it’s not like you don’t already have a 360, right?

Unless, of course, your chance to win isn’t just tied to you using the service on your 360--that is unclear at the moment. Chances are we'll know soon enough. April 29 is only two days away.
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BradNicholson

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#2  Edited By BradNicholson

You’ll be able to get your first taste of Red Faction: Armageddon this coming May 4. Volition and THQhave confirmed that the game’s demo will be appearing on Xbox Live Marketplace and PSN on this day.

Despite the fact that Armageddon’s PC port is being developed in-house, this demo will not be making an appearance on the PC.  When asked if there were plans to release a PC demo,  Volition’s community dude J Goldberg replied with a somber  “unfortunately, no,” over Twitter.

 Aliens are never a good sign. Unless you're the aliens.
 Aliens are never a good sign. Unless you're the aliens.

== TEASER ==The demo will take place in an alien-infested sewer where you’ll be given access to the Magnet Gun and the Nano Forge, a tool that can repair what you’ve crippled with your magnet might.  

"For the first time players will assume the role of Darius Mason and fight their way through Martian sewers and an oncoming alien infestation," the official game's blog post reads. "Meanwhile, Darius must clear his name as the colonists have blamed him for unleashing the alien threat that has ravaged the underground cities of Mars."

Red Faction: Armageddon hits Xbox 360, PS3, and PC this June 2. 
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#3  Edited By BradNicholson

It’s official: Alma Wade don't give a damn about your calendar. The horror shooter being developed at Day 1 Studios is now slated to arrive on June 21, a representative at Warner Bros., the game's publisher, confirmed to me this morning. F.E.A.R. 3 has been postponed for, ironically, a third time. 

Previously, F.E.A.R. 3 was slated to hit this May. Before that, the multi-platform game was slated for a March 22 release. Before even that, Alma's return was slated to hit in the fall

UK Online retailer Game Gears was the first to report the delay. In a tweet, the retailer said simply that it had slipped to a June release. 

Look on the bright side: now you have even more time to stress over whether you should import the Collector’s Edition. The pregnant Alma figurine glows, guys. The womb glows.   
[Additional reporting by Patrick Klepek]

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#4  Edited By BradNicholson

Yet another Hydrophobia re-release is on the horizon. Earlier this morning, creator Dark Energy Digital announced Hydrophobia Prophecy, a Steam and PSN-bound “comprehensive reinvention” of the original Xbox Live Arcade release. As such, Prophecy features new levels, new puzzles, a re-tooled narrative, and even several technical enhancements like better lighting, textures, and animations. 

The title is slated to hit both networks this coming May 9, and you can spend your idle time waiting for it by reading the freaky list of tweaks, fixes, and additions to Prophecy on the game's official Web site.


No Caption Provided


== TEASER ==Dark Energy Digital has devoted what feels like an unreasonable amount of time to tweaking and fixing Hydrophobia. Months after the game’s initial release earlier in the fall, the studio dropped a title update called “Pure,” which also had a laundry list of promising fixes: from the physics, to the visuals, to the camera, and even to the action, Dark Energy attempted to fix a game that wasn’t well received by players and games critics alike. Also, it dropped the price on the game.

Prior to the update, Dark Energy went on the offensive against some select outlets for its mixed takes on the title. Famously, Dark Energy accused Edge of not playing through the introductory portions of the game for the purposes of its negative review and lobbed the criticism that a Destructoid reviewer was ‘playing the game wrong' after a negative tweet.

User feedback played huge in what was addressed in Pure and, for what its worth, Dark Energy will be taking feedback to the extreme in Prophecy. At any point in the game, in fact, you’ll be able to bring up a feedback tool and comment directly to Dark Energy about your experience. 

Prophecy was first believed to be a sequel when it's name was spotted on the sleuth-tastic Australian Ratings Board Web site a mere week ago. Hydrophobia is slated to be a trilogy.

You can pre-purchase Prophecy on Steam right now for $10.19, a 15 percent savings on the regular price. No word on the PSN price as of yet, but I assume it'll be equal in price.
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#5  Edited By BradNicholson

As Sony investigates the “external intrusion” linked to the service’s continued downtime, the fact that you can’t play games over PSN may be the least of your worries. At the moment, Sony is unable to determine if someone has collected your credit card number or other bits of identifying personal information, a company spokesperson told PC World.

On Sunday, Sony said it was rebuilding the PSN to “further strengthen our network infrastructure.” In an update published today on the official PS blog, Sony spokesman Patrick Seybold said he has no update on when the service will be offered again to users, but Sony is working to get PSN “online quickly.”

The PlayStation Store home page.
The PlayStation Store home page.
== TEASER ==PSN's complete outage started on Wednesday. The downtime has made it impossible to play online, download games, or use the media streaming Qriocity service. If it makes you any feel better, apparently game updates still work.

As a dude who just had his personal details yanked a month ago and then used against his will, it would be really nice if Sony could at least say, “Hey, you know, maybe these people do have your credit card number and address.” At least, I wouldn’t be so paranoid. That said, PC World was assured by Sony that it would "promptly" tell people if they indeed discover that personal information has been compromised.

We’ve contacted SCEA for further clarification and I'll update when or if I hear back.
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#6  Edited By BradNicholson

While you were asleep, Nintendo confirmed plans to release a brand new console in 2012. The device will make its first public (and playable!) appearance at E3 2011, which kicks off this June 7 in Los Angeles.

The official word comes via a brief note released on Nintendo’s Japanese investors relations Web site. The document is a stiff pairing of paragraphs that, unfortunately for us, reveal nothing more than the fact that Nintendo plans to release a successor to the Wii in 2012.

 Nintendo may soon become the first company with a next-generation machine.
 Nintendo may soon become the first company with a next-generation machine.
== TEASER ==“Nintendo Co., Ltd. has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii, which the company has sold 86.01 million units on a consolidated shipment basis between its launch in 2006 and the end of March 2011,” the statement reads. “We will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo, which will be held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles.”

“Sales of this new system have not been included in the financial forecasts announced today for the fiscal term ending March 2012,” it continues. 

Who loves mock-ups?
Who loves mock-ups?
The word on the 'net suggests this will be a HD-capable console that might be more powerful than the current console juggernauts, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Other reports allege its tech will be on par, while still others only maintain the device be able to output HD. In other words: it'll be more powerful in some way. How much more? Shrug.

A Kotaku report claims the device's "main" controller is host to dual-analog sticks, a total of eight buttons, a front-facing camera, and a 6.2 (diagonal) touch screen. A source has told CVG since this screen will be able to display HD visuals. Rumors (are you sensing a trend?) stemming from 01net indicate the controller will have a built-in Wii sensor bar as well, which leads us to other rumors the console will continue to support motion control. Next-Gen.biz is reporting, at least, that the device's motion control capabilities will be better than what Sony is offering with Move
Sure, why not?
Sure, why not?
Also, the console is supposedly set to be backwards compatible with Wii and GameCube games because...why not, right? What doesn't this console have? A cappuccino machine?
 
According to a recent IGN report, apparently Nintendo is thinking about going with “Stream” as its official name. Project Cafe is reportedly the codename.

[Mock-up images via IGN and 01net respectively.]
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BradNicholson

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#7  Edited By BradNicholson
Michiru Yamane, the composer of several  Castlevania titles (notably, of course,  Castlevania: Symphony of the Night), as well as other more whimsical joints like Elebits and beatmania IIDX, has signed on to do the music for Reverge Labs’ sharp-looking 2D fighter Skullgirls, the studio announced has announced.

In the press release, Yamane seemed stoked about the opportunity and noted the over-the-top, East-meets-West artistic direction in Skullgirls was a big factor in her decision to put ink to paper with the LA-based indie developer and its publisher, Autumn Games.

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== TEASER ==“It was clear from the start that Skullgirls is something special, and I’m constantly seeking new and innovative projects to create for,” said Yamane. “After seeing the game’s distinctive artistic direction, and discussing its beautiful premise with Autumn Games and Reverge Labs, it was easy to be inspired."

“Because Skullgirls has such a unique style, it is important that the music both complements and adds to the game’s atmosphere,” she added. “I think fans will be very happy with the direction we are taking.”

Yamane left Konami and the Castlevania series in 2008 to become an independent composer. She got her break in 1998 with a composition in TWINBEE. Also, did we mention Symphony of the Night?!

Earlier this March, other Brad got a chance to sit down with two of Reverge’s developers and record a Quick Look EX of Skullgirls. As you’ll see, it’s a pretty flashy fighter that shares a thing or two in common with Capcom’s wilder creations. 

Skullgirls is set to hit the Xbox 360 and PS3 this year.
  
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#8  Edited By BradNicholson

Recent speculation that the original Alice game, American McGee’s Alice, was headed to consoles in some fashion was confirmed today. In a press release, EA announced that each sealed copy of the sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, is shipping with a one-time use Online Pass that’ll give access to a downloadable version of the original game, day and date with the release of Madness on June 14. 

There's a couple of catches to be aware of. The original Alice, at least initially, will not only require an Online Pass, but the Madness Returns disc. Also, Alice won’t be available on XBLM and PSN in a traditional sense--you’ll need to download it through Madness Returns’ menu.

No Caption Provided

== TEASER ==Designer American McGee actually broke this news a few days ago. "There's also going to be a pretty significant release, which is the original Alice brought over to the consoles,"  McGee told CVG in an interview. "A person who's purchased Madness Returns gets a download code and is able to bring Alice onto their console and play through the entire original game alongside playing Madness Returns."

What will you get with the PC version, you ask? EA neglected to talk about any PC-specific perks for Madness Returns. As of right now, the only way you can play the original Alice is via a mouse, keyboard, and computer (or Mac).  

An Online Pass comes free with every console copy of the game. If you buy used and your pass has been used as well, you'll be able to get a fresh one for $10.
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#9  Edited By BradNicholson
UPDATE:  The Last Standalone and Retribution will receive the same updates simultaneously, DOW publisher THQ informed us this morning.

If I were the God Emperor, I’d be smiling at Relic. The (mostly) real-time-strategy development studio announced plans yesterday to release a cheaper, standalone experience based on Dawn Of War II - Retribution's “Horde” mode, The Last Stand. It's called The Last Standalone, and it's now available on Steam for  $9.99.

The Last Standalone is ripped straight from Retribution, so if you already have the game, this is safe to skip over. However, if you don't have Retribution and want to buy The Last Standalone, you’ll be able to “upgrade” the game to Retribution at a “reduced price.”  

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== TEASER ==The goal of The Last Standalone is to introduce new players to the core game, Retribution, via this cheaper, tighter and less complex experience. 

“We saw this as a unique opportunity to introduce new players to the Dawn of War franchise as well as expanding the player base for the already popular Last Stand mode,” producer Jeff Lydell said in the announcement press release.

The one question I have is if Retribution or the Last Standalone will receive updates that the other won't. I have a feeling that Relic won't be boning owners of either game, but I fired off an e-mail to THQ to check, just in case.
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#10  Edited By BradNicholson
Masachika Kawata, a longrunning Capcom employee who has been involved with the Resident Evil series in various roles since Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, says that a sweeping “complete renovation” is on the horizon for the franchise the unannounced-but-you-know-it's-coming Resident Evil 6. We're talking about a possible brick-by-brick reconstruction of what a Resident Evil game is, according to Kawata.

"The series will see a complete renovation with the next entry on every level," he said to Spanish site MarcaPlayer, as translated by videogame horror fansite Rely On Horror. "But we can't forget about all the previous entries that have led to the creation of many possibilities for the franchise." 

 Just don't ask him to run forward like that.
 Just don't ask him to run forward like that.

== TEASER =="I can't say if we're going to make it survival horror or a shooter, but I can say that it'll be totally new,” he explained.

This is one of those classic “stay tuned” comments; what you see is exactly what you get in terms of specifics. If the next Resident Evil is going to give you the ability to dive into cover and regenerate health--or the chance to slide around like a lunatic with jet thrusters--is unknown at this point. 

There are some anecdotal clues that can be gleaned, however, from the direction the other new Resident Evil titles are taking. It definitely seems possible Capcom will throw out the meat-turret concept in RE6. Both upcoming 3DS titles, for example, will allow you to move and shoot--a first for the series.

And let’s not forget that Kawata is now a producer on Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, which is a noted departure from the series norm. Operation Raccoon City is a squad-based shooter in development at Slant Six Games, pitting two four-person teams against each other to either cover up or stop the cover up of Resident Evil 2’s city-wide zombie outbreak. The hook is these teams won’t be responsible for murdering each other. Rather, there's an objective-based experience at work that’ll have both teams fending off monsters while accomplishing goal-oriented tasks. In other words, it’s not Resident Evil 5. 

The cynical part of me things this is just Kawata spitting game about a new cover-based system, but hey, I’m open to hearing your ideas.