Despite a $38 million loss in 2008’s first fiscal quarter, Take-Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick is a happy man.  According to him, it could have been worse and that he was pleased with the result.  Yeah it could have been worse, but I don’t know whether or not to admire his optimism, $38 million bucks isn’t pocket change.

The good news is Bioshock 2 has been confirmed.  Well it really is no surprise.  Everyone was kinda expecting it.  Any game that has received multiple “Game of the Year” awards and sold two million copies is most likely to get a sequel. 

There are no details released about the game, however some rumors are spreading it will be a prequel.  It is scheduled to be released in the final quarter of 2009.

Another game that is now scheduled for 2009 is the sci-fi FPS/RPG hybrid, Borderlands.  Yes that is definitely a long delay.  The reason?  According to Take-Two, the decision to move the release date was done “in order to allow additional development time for this highly anticipated game and provide a better balance in the release of Take-Two’s triple-A titles.” 

Triple-A title?  Yeah its most likely GTA IV.  Basically Take-Two won’t risk ruining the sales of their own games due to another one of their own games.  A wise decision granted that GTA IV lives up to be the blockbuster we are all expecting it to be.

The next-gen format war may be over but the console wars is still raging hot.  Microsoft has decided to get a firmer grasp of the European market by imposing a price cut for all Xbox 360 SKUs in Europe effective on Friday, March 14, 2008. 

The Arcade pack will have a MSRP of only £159.99 (down from £199.99), the Premium pack will be £199.99 (down from £259.99), and the Elite pack will be £259.99 (down from £299.99).

With the price cuts, the Arcade version will be the cheapest next-gen console in Europe.  It is so cheap that it will even beat the Wii which at £179.99 was the cheapest next-gen console since it launched in December 2006. 

Microsoft hopes the move will further increase console sales in the region.  According to their Interactive Entertainment Business Europe’s VP, Chris Lewis, “History shows that £159.99 is the price point where a console’s audience begins to expand, and with these new ERPs in place we’re ready to bring more consumers into the Xbox 360 world.”

The company claims that the 360 is the number one next-gen console in Europe, the Middle East and Africa where it holds a 42% stake in the market “in terms of life-to date revenue.”  They also boast a high game sales per console number with seven games sold per Xbox compared to 3.5 for the Wii and 3.8 for the PlayStation 3.

It has been a long wait, but finally, Blizzard has shed some light on the Zerg faction of the uber-anticipated strategy game Starcraft 2.  The new game definitely gives new meaning to the “Zerg rush!”  Here’s some gameplay footage (courtesy of ThisIsGame.com):

Judging from that video, it seems that the old strategy of winning in numbers has not changed for the Zerg.  The huge numbers may be exciting for Zerg fans but its downright scary for me, a Protoss player.  I can only imagine how much more micro-management it will take for the Terran players!

You can see some familiar units there such as the swarm-like Zergling and the fearsome Ultralisks but did you know almost all of them are new or have new abilities?  Check out the Zerg Fact Sheet below if you want to know more.  Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been away for a long, long time. A BIG, BIG, BIG project required an ungodly period for PLOWING.

Yes, PLOWING…

I feel like a jaded ox after a long day’s work. Ugh.

Anyway, what kept me sane was this game.

I’m a huge RPG nutbag but the whole formula of hero, slay monsters using uninspired battle system, farm, farm, farm, loot, craft, farm, random encounters… ISSSS getting a little too stale for my taste.

In comes Puzzle Quest, a unique puzzle-rpg hybrid that totally blurs the line between genres. The story is simple: A huge bad-boy by the name of Lord Bane is threatening the land of Etheria and you, the ever-so-gullible hero, set out to gather allies, forge weapons, train epic mounts to reach that climactic Washowski-ly epic final battle.

So yeah, I got this for the Wii first (how I wish I had a DS or a 360 for the better version but what can I do?) and after 15 hours or so, I still can’t pry that Wiimote out of my nerd fingers.

I can’t remember the last time I left such a dent on my beanbag. Yum.

Imagine my glee when I found out that this game is available on the PC.

Better graphics.

Easier controls (the Wiimote is a bit too clunky for me, really)

AAAAAAAAAAANDDDD I get to use YM while playing

Win.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GAME. THIS IS THE DELEORAN OF GAMING.

Before you know it, it’s already tomorrow.

Oh yeah! And Mario Batali will look phater than ever if he joins the roster.

Set to be out not only for the Wii but for the DS too, Iron Chef will surely be a worthy opponent for Cooking Mama. And although it’s still unclear what style the game will use or who will participate in the game, Destineer (the game’s developer) CEO Paul Rinde has a few things to share:

“If the early buzz surrounding the game is any indication, then fans of the show and Nintendo owners are as excited as we are to be developing Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine…With their innovative control dynamics, Wii and DS are the ideal system for the inaugural Iron Chef video game and believe the ultimate ‘secret ingredient’ to these games will be family fun.”

W-h J: Dang I can’t wait to battle it out with my favorite chefs! I wonder if I’ll do well against Ming Tsai if the theme is Steamed Dumplings.

Via Gaming Today

After a long wait, the worst thing a gamer would get is a bugged game, and that’s exactly what Xb0x 360 owners got when they bought Bully: Scholarship Edition.  The game’s bugs ranged from low frame rates to frequent crashes.

Rockstar was caught off-guard with the bugs saying that they did not encounter the bugs during their beta tests and QA.  However, they are not taking this sitting down, and they have started work on a fix immediately.

According to a Rockstar representative:

We are very aware of the problems some people have been experiencing with the Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition and have been doing everything within our powers to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.  We apologize wholeheartedly for the inconvenience that this matter has caused some owners of the game.

The fix is well underway.  It is expected to make it into Xbox Live by next week.

As the dust starts to settle on the long going next-gen disc format war, Sony’s Blu-ray seems to have emerged the victor.  Microsoft, one of the major backers for HD DVD seems to have conceded defeat and is now getting ready to move on.

According to Seattle Post-Intelligence, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed in their Mix08 Internet conference at Las Vegas that they are now working with Blu-ray.

According to Ballmer:

We’ve already been working on, for example, in Windows, device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like, and I think the world moves on. We’ve moved on, and we’ll support Blu-ray in ways that make sense.

Nothing in the report has been mentioned about the rumored Blu-ray add-on for the Xbox 360.  As of now, Microsoft has not commented on this rumor despite of the new information offered by Ballmer.  A representative however said:

We have made no such announcement. Games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available.

With only under a week in the market, Bully: Scholarship Edition for the Xbox 360 is beginning to show some major issues.  Basically a PlayStation 2 port with some added features, members of NeoGAF noticed a substantial number of people complaining about the game freezing and crashing.

In addition to the freezing and crashing, players have also reported audio problems and poor framerate.  For a game that worked fine in the lower spec hardware of the PlayStation 2, something is definitely wrong here.

Some review sites have also reported the game freezing.  According to 1up, “Perhaps worst of all, we had several instances where the game froze midmission, and since you can’t save at any moment it sometimes necessitated replaying a significant amount of the game.”

Rockstar’s Sam Houser commented on the situation at Kotaku.  He said:

We have just become aware of the issues people are having with Bully Scholarship Edition on Xbox 360. It appears that some older 360s are experiencing framerate issues, freezes and other problems. You have our word that we never experienced any of this in QA - in any of our offices or at Microsoft. I am horrified, and we are now working around the clock to rectify this situation. Thanks to Neo-Gaf for bringing this matter to our attention. We love our games and put a huge amount of energy and care into making them all that they can be. We would never shove anything out the door - we never have and never will. We apologise to everyone affected for the inconvenience. Respectfully, Sam Houser

It appears that Rockstar has acknowledged the existence of the problem.  Until they find a fix, it seems like buying this game will not be an option.

Lego seems to be going strong in the video game world.  You have the Star Wars franchise, and some unofficial Lego mods such as the new Unreal Tournament 3 map.  Now they are releasing a new one based on the Indiana Jones world. 

At first glance it looks like a re-skinned Lego Star Wars game.  A lot of the stuff that worked for Star Wars was added here.  Frankly, I don’t mind.  I have always loved Lego and to have another of my favorite movie icons turned into one is a definite treat for me.

The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar Lorebook has now introduced us to a member of Gimli’s family.  It’s none other than his dad, Glóin.

Glóin was one of the company of thirteen that went out to reclaim Thorin Oakenshield’s birthright.  Another notable member of this group was Bilbo Baggins.  After the battle, Glóin settled at the Lonely Mountain.

According to the LoTRO Lorebook:

After the rise of the Shadow in the East, Glóin and his son Gimli brought news to Rivendell of the Enemy’s movements and sought the wisdom of Elrond Half-elven. Both attended the great Council of Elrond, where Gimli was chosen to become one of the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring, whose task it is to bear the One Ring of Sauron to Mount Doom and cast it into the Chamber of Fire. Glóin, with his entourage, set about clearing the outcast Dourhands from the passes of the Misty Mountains, making safe the way from west to east.

You can find Glóin at his post in the Misty Mountains where he marshals defenses against the Dourhand Dwarves.  You can get many Epic quests from him.  If you want to find all the quests, you can find them at the Lorebook.

[Source: LoTRO Lorebook]