Gamernode: Latest Game and Console News

H2H: Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat

Two combatants enter; only one leaves: this is the credo of Head 2 Head.

GamerNode aims to bring the best match-ups and bitter rivalries in the videogame industry to our readers, who will be tasked with crowning a definitive champion of each contest. We may ask which of two games or companies is superior, or we may ask which of two industry figues would win in a knock-down, drag-out rumble, but whatever the stipulations, the winner is up to you. Comments will be tallied and listed in the next edition of Head 2 Head.

Round 1: Fight!

The first edition of H2H spotlights the original 2D fighting rivalry between Capcom's classic Street Fighter series and the brutal Mortal Kombat series from Midway Games

Street Fighter II molded the one-on-one competitive fighting template that would be emulated a t...

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Sony pulls 2.40 update for PS3 off servers

Yesterday it was reported all over the internet that firmware version 2.40 was crashing and freezing up PS3s after installation.

Sony has announced that it has pulled the update from its servers and will be keeping the PS3 community in the loop with "further information" as it tries to solve the issues, which Sony states, has only affected a small number of machines.

On the official PlayStation Blog, Patrick Seybold, director of corporate communications at Sony said,

"As has been reported on many gaming blogs and websites, we have temporarily taken Firmware v2.40 offline. We've received a limited number of calls from consumers experiencing an issue with installing the system software update on their PS3.

"While our consumer services department has seen a low volume of calls on this topic, w...

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Firmware update 2.40 reportedly crashes PS3s

The latest firmware update for the PS3, version 2.40, is apparently causing problems for some PlayStation 3 owners. Reports are coming in from the US PlayStation forums that the newest firmware is causing quite a few lock-ups and freezes on the game console.

The problems may be associated with the earliest versions of the PS3--a similar situation that also surfaced with the release of GTA IV where the loading screen remained frozen during installation.

One forum member described what happened after he updated to firmware 2.40. "Well, I downloaded version 2.40 put in metal gear solid 4 and i get a black screen forever..i cant even get demos to start..I got my Ps3 on Launch day..So my warrenty (sp) is out now..Any advice? I can take a vid if anyone wants."

One user said that his PS3 power butto...

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Update: Chrono Trigger coming to the DS

A rumor was circulating the last few hours about a Chrono Trigger port coming out for the Nintendo DS. With Square-Enix's tendency to release older games on Nintendo's handheld, it wasn't a completely unbelievable rumor, but still, any fans of Chrono Trigger knew better than to get their hopes up by getting excited.

Well, get excited. While there's been no official word yet from Square-Enix about a Chrono Trigger DS, a page on Square's official site popped up a short while ago, all but confirming the existence of the project. All that remains to be seen now is whether or not Chrono Trigger DS will feature new or updated features, a la some of the ported Final Fantasy titles. 

In other news, if you've been sitting on a Chrono Trigger SNES cart in hopes the prices continued to rise, you may w...

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Rock Band 2 partial list leaked?

So this bit of news, be it true or rumor, comes from ScoreHero forum-goers who might've accidentally slipped on the information.

Spotted on a preview from X-Play, we now have a list of some songs that could either be new songs for Rock Band 2, or future DLC for the original Rock Band. Either way, the list is pretty damn sweet, lets take a look.

* "Panic Attack" - Dream Theater (or Finger Eleven) * "Chop Suey" - System of a Down * "Give It Away" - Red Hot Chili Peppers * "Everlong" - Foo Fighters * "Kids in America" - Kim Wilde * "Ace of Spades" - Motorhead * "Hello There" - Cheap Trick * "Anyway You Want It" - Journey * "Pinball Wizard" - The Who

Oh man, am I going to have to buy Rock Band 2 now just so I can play Panic Attack? My inner DT feeling says, "YES! Why ...

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GTA IV PC in the works?

At this point, nothing seems to be official, and this information came from an unlikely source, but it is interesting that it "slipped his togue" if you will. Some pranksters decided to contact Rockstar's customer service and ask them about a problem they had when playing GTAIV on their PC. They said:

"The first person driving view is simply amazing and the Nico Bellic character really makes me feel like I'm living the storyline. So much so that I feel bad in finding something to complain about, that being the surround sound. At times the back left speaker cuts out, specially when characters like little Jacob are speaking. Also when I call 911, the automated response starts, but cuts out when I am given emergency options."

Pretty convincing? After a few responses they received the reply: "...

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The "I Hear You" Award - Blizzard Entertainment

Welcome to You Win! This GN feature has been put together to honor not only the best and the brightest in the videogame industry, but also the most useless, incompetent, and just plain foolish.

GN will be looking at industry news, announcements, game releases, retail, politics, marketing, corporate shake-ups, critics, and anything else that could possibly inspire us to create and bestow a brand new (and extra shiny) custom award as often as possible. The frequency of new "winners" is entirely up to how consistently awesome or despicable everyone chooses to be.

The inaugural You Win! award goes to our old friends at Blizzard Entertainment for finally announcing the long-awaited and intensely pined-for Diablo III. The announcement was made this past Saturday at the 2008 Blizzard Worldwide Invi...

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Daily Q: Are there genres you avoid at all costs?

Everyone has different tastes. From cars to clothes to food and drink to members of the opposite sex, we all have our likes and dislikes.

When it comes to videogames, we have a wide variety of genres to choose from. Some of them tickle our fancies more than others, and some do absolutely nothing to excite us, but which are the types of games that we absolutely despise? That's today's Q.

What type of game do you avoid at all costs?

I thought about this for a while, and I'm going to have to go with anything that comes to the mobile phone platform. Yeah, I avoid those, even with their phenomenal gameplay and audio/visual presentation.

Yuck. (Can that be my One Word Review?)

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Castlevania fighting game to hit Wii this fall

Attention Wii owners who love Castlevania-I've got some good news, and bad news. The good news is that Iga and Konami announced today that they're beginning work on a new Castlevania title for the Wii. The bad news is that it's a fighting game.

Titled Castlevania Judgment, the game pits several generations of the Belmont clan against characters from the franchise's entire run.

"We wanted to take this addition to the signature Konami franchise in a direction that really sets it apart from the previous Castlevania titles in the series," said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment. "The Wii Remote and Nunchuk capabilities, along with the iconic characters, make this game the ideal entry point into the fighting game genre. This combination is certain to thr...

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Rumor: Xbox 360 20GB cancelled. 360 60GB in

Recent leaks of store ads indicate that the Xbox 360 Premium model (20GB) is going to have a price cut from $349 to $299. But an insider source says that this is only part of the story.

Apparently, a new 60GB Xbox 360 model is coming and this will mean the end of the Xbox 20GB version.

According to the stealthy communication:

"At E3 Microsoft will make an official announcement that we are dropping the 20GB pro console to $299... As we launch the 60GB SKU throughout July, the 20GB SKU will DISCONTINUE. You will see the new SKU on your 7/1 price list."

If the rumor is true and more storage is available for the Xbox 360, we wonder if this is all that will be different about the new version of the machine. This would be an incredible time, during E3, to release a more dependable iteration of the X...

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December launch of Starcraft II now in doubt

Recent rumors and indications from various retail outlets suggest that Starcraft II is sitting in the wings for a December 3 release for this year. But statements made by executive vice president, Rob Pardo of Blizzard, have cast some doubts recently on the launch date.

At the Worldwide Invitational presentation of Starcraft II, Pardo talked about how far along the game was in the development cycle and said they were "about a third of the way through" the campaign and were focusing on the cinematics and story structure. He said that by year's end, Blizzard would have something dramatic to reveal.

If Starcraft II is indeed only a third of the way along in the development cycle, with only five months left before the rumored release date, will there really be enough time to finish and test the ...

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Megaman 9 announced for WiiWare

Capcom has announced that it is releasing Megaman 9 for WiiWare.

The news comes from leaked scans of the latest issue of Nintendo Power, which shows Megaman 9 coming to WiiWare and previous news from Nintendo.

Megaman 9 will be presented in classic 2D without any upgrades to its graphics or gameplay. So for that genuine old-school goodness, M9 may be just the game for platformer fans.

The Nintendo Power article says Inti Creates, a company comprised of former Capcom employees who worked on previous Megaman games, will be in charge of developing the game.

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June 30th WiiWare/Virtual Console releases

Another Monday, another round of WiiWare and Virtual Console updates.

Whether Nintendo adds one game, ten games, or none at all, GamerNode will be here every Monday with the official details - titles, platforms, ratings, pricing, and even a taste of some corny marketing copy - keeping you up to date with everything from the online Wii scene.

Without further ado, the games:

WiiWare

Magnetica Twist (Nintendo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone-Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The classic puzzle game Magnetica is now available on WiiWare , putting its own unique "twist" on the puzzle-game experience. You're surrounded by marbles, marching slowly but surely down a track. Use a launcher (piloted by a Mii of your choice) to shoot marbles with matching colors and wipe them out before they reach...

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Online survey reveals Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero ...

As many people who partake in Internet money-making sites will know, there's an invitation-only survey site called u.talk.back which sprung up some time ago. Companies and sponsors of the site send surveys to user demographics (after they've invited them to register, of course) to get feedback on things they're working on or planning for the future, and the survey takers are rewarded with gift cards or certificates. Last month, hints of Rock Band 2 started leaking from people partaking in the surveys. This time, the surveys have offered a bit more possible info, as the subject was Rock Band 2 vs Guitar Hero World Tour, and which one the responder would rather purchase.

Thanks to forum member (and survey taker extraordinaire) Dan Xanadu, we have the full text of the survey below. Go ahead an...

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OWR: Guitar Hero

Welcome to One Word Review, GamerNode's unique take on videogame critique. Every Sunday, we will present a single game, reviewed with but a single word from each of a handful of reviewers.

You may not always find our words in your standard dictionary, but we have faith that you will catch our meaning, nonetheless. Videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion, so while some may call OWR a creative way to be lazy, we call it succinct, sincere...and fun. We love reader input at GN, so be sure to throw your own OWRs in the comments section, too.

With the newest installment in the franchise, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, dropping today, GamerNode has decided to One Word Review the entire series, which is more a series of expansions than completely individualized games. They hav...

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Update: Zelda not coming to an online game near yo...

Sorry, Zelda fanboys, but Zelda Universe isn't an upcoming Zelda online game, despite the great write-up and team effort by Eddie and Justin on the original article. Turns out it's a rating from 2000-2001 for a Zelda flash game on the official Zelda site which is now gone. You can tell it's an older rating based on the games surrounding it if you do a simple search for all online ratings at the ESRB's website, and then go through the pages until you get to Zelda Universe.

I'm not entirely sure why it stayed quiet for so long with all the Nintendo fanboys out there (you'd think eventually someone would notice a Zelda rating with an online note and start spreading the word), but alas, it is not to be. Of course, you could always LARP your favorite Zelda scenes and moments with friends... May...

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Diablo III cinematic trailer revealed

Blizzard. Diablo 3. Officially announced. Trailer below.

Really, does anything else need to be said? Watch the Diablo 3 cinematic announcement trailer below. If not, bad things might happen to you while you sleep. Awful, horrifying things.

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Cliffy B says "No" to the ways of MGS

Well, Kojima has certainly caused quite a stir with his subtle quip directed towards the 360 contained in MGS4.  First, the MGS series has taken fire from a Bad Company trailer.  Now, the series is taking fire from Cliffy B.

Cliff Bleszinski, the lead designer of Gears of War, was quoted as saying MGS is a type of game that Epic would not touch with a ten-foot pole.  "Metal Gear Solid is our example of the game we're not doing," he stated.  "Passive entertainment is on its way out."

Now, what does this mean?  As Cliffy B was very vague with his wording, it's impossible to decide what aspect of the franchise he was referring to, and what exactly "passive entertainment" is.  Maybe he was referring to stealth.  Perhaps he was making a reference to the ridiculously long cut scenes that are almos...

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Dissidia: Final Fantasy gameplay

What do you get when you mix some of the most popular characters across most of the Final Fantasy games and Super Smash Bros-like mayhem? A FF fanboy's wet dream called Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Gaze at what to expect from playing this game when it comes out on the PSP in the near future. Featuring multiple characters, free flying combat and crazy animations, it's definitely a game to keep on every Final Fantasy fans watch list.

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Heavens tremble, Diablo III announced!

The day has finally arrived where the ice melts away and the heavens peer down on our planet with eyes filled with hate and destruction. At last the legends are true, the coming of a new generation of Diablo will tie gamers down to their PCs for years of gaming ecstasy.

The almighty Blizzard has announced with its voice of grandeur the next coming of a game that will sell millions of copies on the first day of release. The time for Diablo III is here.

There were doubters (yes everyone point at me) and there were people who leaked information onto the powerful gossip machine we call the Internet, but in the end, when the game is announced from the mouth of Blizzard, it just has to be true.

Can you hear that? Thats the sound of hundreds of pants being washed in the washer because of what this...

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