Gamernode: Latest Game and Console News

Daily Q: Would a GTA MMO slay World of Warcraft?

World of Warcraft sits high atop the crowded MMO space; a facet of gaming where even the most anticipated games fade into obscurity. Blizzard's MMO has such a vice grip on the genre, it seems that too many studios are a useless gesture to compete. With ten million subscribers logging countless hours, it is clear that the people have made their choice.

But we aren't stupid here at GamerNode. Someday someone, or something is going to finally dethrone WoW. It could be time, lack of interest, or (the most interesting) a new franchise. So for discussion's sake let's tackle the latter; a new franchise.

Today's Q comes from the rumor that the next Grand Theft Auto installment will be an MMO. Think about it; an MMO littered with locals as detailed as Liberty City in GTA IV, but with the rolling hi...

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E3 loses Vivendi/Activision

Poor E3. It's just never been the same since the public was left to stand outside in the cold. The Electronics Entertainment Expo takes place this July, however this year, as already reported, it will be without the world's largest gaming publisher Vivendi/Activision.

Vivendi is part of a growing number of publishers saying sayonara to what was once the biggest gaming spectacle this side of the Pacific. With more and more companies having their own self contained events during the months of April and May, a grandiose event in the middle of July just seems redundant.

Capcom is the most recent company to have completed their press event, and Ubisoft's is coming up later this month. Sony has their own also, and Microsoft has X08.

I mean think about it, wouldn't you rather show off your stuf...

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Nintendo Channel goes live

Earlier this morning, the Nintendo Channel (known as Everyone's Nintendo Channel in Japan) went live in North America. So boot up your Wii and head over to the Shop Channel to download it. This new channel opens up several new and exciting features to Wii owners including the ability to watch videos, commercials, and interviews.

The channel also allows you to rate any game you've played for more than an hour. Nintendo will then use your ratings to recommend games to you, although some games are not currently available for rating. I really wanted to tell people how awesome No More Heroes was too, bummer.

The most exciting feature, however, is the ability to stream demos of DS games right to your DS. It's like those DS Download Stations you sometimes see in stores only now you can do the sam...

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Play the game of chess with Raving Rabbids. Yes!

I've been a fan of the game chess for quite a while although I don't know really why--I'm not that good at it. But I've got everything from chess video games to pocket electronic chess to prove that it has some sort of fascination and allurement for me.

The next game that definitely will be on my list of games to buy is Chessmaster Live on Xbox Live Arcade or the Grandmaster Edition on the PC. Why? You won't have the typical knights and pawns to do battle with in this new series. Instead you'll be going head-to-head with those silly and crazy Raving Rabbids from the Rayman game.

Those nutty plunger wielding characters will star on this iteration of the Chessmaster series and will surely prove to be a fanatical fun fest. How wild will it be? Well, if you look closely at the rook, he seems to ...

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Mirror's Edge gameplay footage

Holy cow, I was pretty blown away after watching this trailer. Mirror's Edge is an upcoming open-world action title from EA DICE where you play Faith, who practices parkour. The gameplay seems so fluid and I'm a big fan of the "bodily awareness" thing too, so leaping over fences and traversing city buildings with ease sounds so cool. Also don't forget the neat unarmed combat system. It looks like EA is trying some new things here.

Expect this game later this year for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

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Daily Q: Can another franchise take down GTA?

When the idea of the Daily Q was first pitched to me, today's question was the very first thing that came to mind. With all of the hype surrounding Grand Theft Auto 4, I wonder how the gaming community views the competition (if you even acknowledge that there is any) that "GTA clones" present to Rockstar's flagship franchise. Here's my question:

After one solid week of playing Grand Theft Auto 4, do you think there is room for other free-roaming action games in that style, or does the GTA series' prominence make competition impossible?

I'd say that GTA is pretty much unsinkable at this point, more due to brand awareness than to actual game quality. While it is definitely a great game, I am fairly confident that another studio could eclipse GTA4 in terms of videogame quality.  It would tak...

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What's the real cost of the 360 120GB HDD?

Upgrading a PS3's HDD to 120GB is as easy as going to an online store and selecting the proper 2.5" drive and buying it. Cost? Around $70-$80. If you want to upgrade your Xbox 360's HDD, you'll be facing a price tag of $179. 

Ouch.

So why the big difference in price? Microsoft says that it's because of special things and magic it has to add to the hard drive before they sell it to you. But iSuppli, a company that likes to track down the real costs of products did a little sleuthing to figure out how much Microsoft's pricey 360 drive might actually cost.

According to iSuppli, the main drive itself probably is either a Toshiba or Seagate that is pre-loaded with software and other tidbits. Cost of the basic unit is probably around $75. Add another $5 for packaging and other frills and the total ...

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Valve not bringing Left 4 Dead to PS3...

...but that doesn't mean that someone else won't, according to Valve marketing director Doug Lombardi.

Lombardi recently spoke about the upcoming zombie-splattering first-person shooter, and when questioned about the possibility of a PlayStation 3 release, he had this to say:

"We're not PS3 developers - we're doing PC and 360 like with Orange Box. EA came to us and said 'Wow, Orange box was an incredible project, can we do a PS3 version?' Left 4 Dead doesn't have that guaranteed appeal yet - it's a new IP. If you mention a new Half-Life, people want to make as many versions of it as possible. If Left 4 Dead is big, then we may see a PS3 version later, or if and when we do a sequel, people may be more interested in that.

We're only 150 people, so there's only so many things we can do. But it'...

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Want free Rock Band tracks? Settle for a dollar ea...

For anyone who has torn through Rock Band forward and backward, but has yet to pick up any downloadable content, this news is for you. Beginning today, select tracks will be available to download for the low, low price of 80 MS points. That's just a dollar, and half off the regular price of Rock Band DLC.

Xbox Live's Major Nelson reports that this promotion is the result of a Harmonix, MTV, and McDonald's(?) tag team marketing effort that will continue until June 1st. Two tracks will be discounted each week, for a total of eight by the end of May.

Here is the official schedule:

5/6/08-5/12/08 :Crushcrushcrush - ParamoreRock 'n Roll Band - Boston

5/13/08-5/19/08 :Shockwave - Black TideSugar Magnolia - Grateful Dead

5/20/08-5/26/08:We Care A Lot - Faith No MoreAll the Small Things - Blink 18...

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Sony launching a new online gaming publication?

Trademark filings have become a great source of advanced industry information as of late - and videogame journalists like myself love to make use of them.

Recently, industry giant Sony filed a new trademark for a product or service called QORE, described as "computer services, namely, providing interactive online magazine and entertainment services in the field of video games."

With a name like QORE, this project will most likely be related to the PlayStation Network, which is indeed at the core of Sony's videogame marketing plan. This makes more sense than a typical videogame website; a new source of information for PlayStation 3 owners about upcoming Sony products and services would be much more effective when delivered directly via PSN.

Then again, trademarks are filed and go unused all...

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Prototype delayed till 2009

A few thrilling gameplay video montages later and Prototype, Radical Entertainment's upcoming open-world action game seems to still entice gamers on its mysterious storyline and zany powers wielded by the game's main character Alex Mercer.

Unfortunately, Sierra Entertainment announced today that Prototype has hit a snag and will now ship in 2009 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

The representative said, regarding the game's delay, "Since its announcement, Prototype has been regarded by many as groundbreaking and taking the open-world genre in new directions, and in the simplest explanation possible, we need more time to deliver the game the team initially set out to create."

It's interesting to note that last month, the multiplayer component for Prototype was cut in order for the developer to comple...

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Jack Thompson sends a letter to Zelnick's mother

All of you guys that have been appalled by Take-Two's unruly behavior in creating the killer creating game GTA, your prayers have been answered.

That's right, Jack Thompson, the only person who seems to actually care about our youth and still know enough about video games to be useful, has set matters straight by sending a letter to Adolph Hitler's mother to tell her of her son's company. Did I say Adolph Hitler? I meant Strauss Zelnick (Chairman of Take Two). I sometimes get the two confused.

With Mother's Day around the corner, our old friend Jack Thompson took it upon himself to inform Zelnick's mother of his ghastly actions. Well, technically he sent it to Zelnick's attorney because he's not allowed to send correspondence to Zelnick or his mother directly, but that's beside the po...

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GTA IV for the PS3. The frustration and the fix

Last week, I spent a good deal of time playing, or should I say, installing and loading the PS3 version of GTA IV. I was pretty excited as I saw the loading bar slowly fill up on that eventful day. It was going to take about five minutes, so I stepped out to the kitchen to get a snack while the installation went smoothly on its way.

After I returned with a cold drink in one hand and a plate of Cheetos, crunchy style, in the other, I saw the loading bar fill up and switch over to the "new game loading" screen. I took a swig of my cold drink and popped a handful of bright international orange colored Cheetos in my mouth and waited for the loading screen to finish.

I waited one minute, then two, and before long I was at the 10-minute mark. "Should I wait longer?" I asked myself. I gave it anoth...

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May 5th Virtual Console releases

Happy Cinco de Mayo from the land of classic videogames! This week's Virtual Console update isn't exactly the celebration of victory one might be hoping for, however, as it features a lackluster addition to a genre whose concept has been perfected elsewhere on numerous occasions, and a re-skinned version of a game that could have made it to the Wii for half the cost.

Renegade is the third NES beat-em-up from Technos to come to the Virtual Console in as many weeks, but this time the excitement of River City Ransom and Double Dragon just doesn't carry over. Actually, Renegade will make you wish you were playing those games, instead. As for Pokemon Puzzle League, it is basically the Pokemon-coated version of Tetris Attack. That's not a bad thing, but if it was replaced by Tetris Attack (an...

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Daily Q: What started you on gaming?

I was a casual gamer before the term even became popular. By that I mean I wasn't a hardcore gamer but still enjoyed the occasional video game now and then.

I really began some 'serious' gaming when I started playing the Sega Genesis. There was a game called Zero Tolerance, an FPS that most people would call lame by today's standards, but I remember playing untold hours on that game till my fingers ached.

But the incident that sealed my fate as a dedicated gamer was when I bought the original PlayStation and got into a couple of little games called Final Fantasy VII and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. These two games basically defined what I loved about video games - an alternate world to play in and lots of neat adventures and puzzles.

After that, I never turned back.

So, just what was it that star...

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Animal Crossing for Wii expected at E3. Whee!

VideoGames Blogger speculates that a Wii edition of the popular Animal Crossing franchise will make a showing at this year's E3. The reasoning is that Nintendo has yet to reveal any of their second-half 2008 lineup. 

They also, by dissecting each and every bit of Animal Crossing information for the past three years, have come up with a plausible list of features that the title might have. Most interesting is that they say the game will feature the ability to travel to friend's towns and play with several friends simultaneously.

"This creates a real-time, online community in larger towns that allow you to chat, work on building the town, and play motion controlled mini-games together", they say.

They also touch on the possibility that Animal Crossing Wii will be an MMO title that utilizes Nin...

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Sixty player online madness for Resistance 2

Insomniac Games just keep rolling out the good news. The latest comes from the next installment in Insominac's original FPS IP, Resistance. Having been the best launch title for the PlayStation 3, it is not surprising that the game has spawned a sequel.

Promising to be bigger and badder in everyway possible, Resistance 2 is going to sport 60 person multiplayer when it launches this Fall for the PlayStation 3.

The original Resistance also had a hefty player cap, and while the game ran smooth as butter some of the maps were too big or the battles too crazy for fun to set in. Let's hope that the experience Resistance provided makes Resistance 2's multiplayer the crowning achievement we know it can be. [Via Insomniac Games]

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RUMOR: Prince of Persia coming to Wii?

A brand new Prince of Persia game was recently announced for both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, and a few gamers have been wondering if the Wii will see a port of the title. In a recent Edge interview, Ubisoft confirmed that they will not be producing a port but there might be a different Prince of Persia title in the works for the system. Here is an excerpt from the interview.

"It's connected to the game in a very interesting way, but it's not a port. A complementary experience, shall we say? We ported Two Thrones to the Wii. It was a quick and dirty port, I can say. With that we saw a lot of potential. The controls were not fully optimized, and it did not take full advantage of the Wii, but a lot of people saw the PoP universe could certainly have a home on Wii. Since then, people h...

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Daily Q: Which Mario Kart is the best?

Today's Daily Q is something I ask anyone who claims to be a Nintendo fan, because I find the answer varies quite a bit from person to person. Recently, Creighton and I actually got into a no-holds-barred cage match over this very topic (secretly, I want to see all of the GN faithful tear each other limb from limb inside of a chainlink DOME), so I pose the question to you:

"Which game is the best in the Mario Kart series...and why? Which is the worst?"

Yeah, I mixed it up there with the bonus question, but I know you guys can rock two at once. For me, Mario Kart DS is the best, and Double Dash is the worst.

Admittedly, I have had very little time with Mario Kart Wii, so my assessment may be unfair, but Mario Kart DS has tons of characters and karts to choose from, with a great range of at...

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OWR: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

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.

For our first edition of OWR, we will be tackling one of the most highly praised games in the history of the industry. If you take a look at Ocarina of Time's aggregate scores on GameRankings and Metacritic, you will see a 98% a...

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