GamerNode: Latest Game and Console News

Arkham Asylum getting free DLC on Sept. 17

If you've been paying attention to the news ticker in Batman: Arkham Asylum, then you may have noticed the message stating, "New free downloadable content coming in __ days!" If not, then here's the news: New free DLC coming to Arkham Asylum on September 17th!

There are no details on exactly what this DLC will consist of, and contact with Eidos has yielded a "can't talk about any DLC at the moment" response, so we'll all just have to wait until next week to find out the full scoop. Until then, make your wild guesses, hope, wish, and dream about what you'd like to see added... maybe it'll come true.

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

FFXIII dated in Japan, estimated abroad

At a press event held this morning in Tokyo (which would be tonight in back-to-the-future Japan time), Square Enix announced an official release date for Final Fantasy XIII. The game will be available in Japan on December 17th, at the astronomical price of ¥8,800, or $95.

When asked about an international release date, producer Yoshinori Kitase responded, "In the past, it's taken a year or half a year to release our games abroad, but this time we are aiming for an international release this Spring."

Of particular note is Kitase's use of the word "international." Could this mean that FFXIII's release outside of Japan will be simultaneous across western territories?

GN will have more information as it becomes available.

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

This week's releases: 9/6 - 9/12

Gamers will finally be able to relive the career of The Fab Four this week, as The Beatles: Rock Band releases on Wednesday. The group is leading the charge in the week's releases, and heading up the unofficial start of the flood of big titles that is the fourth quarter. Here's a list of all games releasing this week alongside The Beatles.

Ant NationDiRT 2 Imagine DetectiveMini Ninjas

Darkest of Days DiRT 2Heroes Over Europe Fallen Earth Time of Shadows War Leaders: Clash of NationsWomen's Murder Club: Twice in a Blue Moon

DiRT 2

The Beatles: Rock Band DiRT 2IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of PreyLittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition Mini Ninjas Trine 

DiRT 2Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days

The Beatles: Rock Band Darkest of DaysDiRT 2IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey Mini Ninjas Platinum Hits Triple Pack Qube...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

First week PS3 "Slim" sales around 500,000 units w...

Sony seems to have hit a home run with its new console model, as around half-a-million units of the PS3 "Slim" have been sold worldwide last week according to preliminary data from VGChartz.

The number represents over a 400 percent increase in sales week-on-week and is a definite shot in the arm for a console manufacturer that has been in jeopardy as of late with declining sales and poor quarterly reports. In its first three days on sale in Japan, the console sold 150,252 units, which dwarfs the 88,000 sold immediately following the PS3's initial launch. In the UK, PS3 sales are up over 1,000 percent! This recovery can be credited to the new, more affordable price of the PS3 at $299 that began just one week prior to the "Slim" model's release.

Software for the PS3 also saw strong increases ...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Fighters Inc. sues EA over Fight Night Round 4

Fighters Inc., a fledgling group licensing organization for professional boxers, is suing Electronic Arts for "intentional misappropriation of the names and likenesses of professional boxers in its 'Fight Night Round 4' videogame," as well as "undermining the interests" of boxers participating in the MLBPA-like program. They are seeking $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

Said Fighters Inc. managing member Chip Meyers, "Not only did EA take money out of the pockets of all professional boxers who are participating in the group licensing program, but its intentional misconduct could completely destroy what we are trying to build to empower today's professional boxers with the same marketing and earning presence that is enjoyed by professional athletes in all major sports."

Profes...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Sony working on Update 3.0 issues

Reports of the latest PlayStation 3 firmware freezing games and generally not playing very nicely have been flying around the internet since shortly after the update was first made available. Well, Sony knows about it, and they want you to know that they're working on it.

A post on the official PlayStation blog states:

"SCEA is aware of reports that PS3 owners are experiencing isolated issues with their PS3 system since installing the most recent system software update (v3.00). Rest assured that we are looking into the matter and will provide an update here as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience, as it's our mission to deliver the best consumer experience on all PlayStation platforms."

Glad to hear it, but I'm sure a lot of PS3 owners are thinking, "'Looking into the matter' ...

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Valve announces new boss, pre-order weapon exclusi...

Valve did more than just have Left 4 Dead 2's new "Dark Carnival" campaign on display to be played by attendees at the Penny-Arcade Expo. They announced a new zombie boss for the game and details on some exclusive pre-order weapons.

The newly unveiled boss zombie is the Jockey, which is designed to attack lone survivors and wrestle control of their movement away from them into fires, off ledges, or straight into the middle of a zombie horde. The Jockey joins the Charger and Spitter, announced at E3 and Comic-Con respectively, as new boss infected for the sequel.

Valve also announced that some of the 20 new items for Left 4 Dead 2 will be offered as a "pre-sell exclusive with select retailers" and named the "electric guitar, machete, and the American baseball bat" as examples.

[ShackNews]

• (2)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Analyst expects GTA Episodes from Liberty City to ...

With Take-Two Interactive recently reporting that it lost $55.5 million for its latest quarter on Tuesday, one would think that the company will have a hard time bouncing back. But stocks have rose over $1 so far based on the fact that the losses were less than expected and the company has a little title called Grand Theft Auto: Stories from Liberty City on the way.

The stand-alone disc will include both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony expansions for Grand Theft Auto IV at a price of $39.99 and according to Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter, is a decision that will pay off big time for Take-Two.

 "We estimate that around 7 million copies of GTA IV were sold on the Xbox 360, meaning that approximately 25 million Xbox 360 owners did not buy the game," he said. "While w...

• (2)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Microsoft drops HD requirement for 360 games

It appears that developers of Xbox 360 games will no longer be required to use a minimum resolution of 1280x720 pixels (720p), a quality benchmark that Microsoft has proudly boasted since launch day.

In his most recent column at Develop Online, Black Rock Studio's David Jefferies has revealed that Microsoft has since dropped that requirement, allowing developers to create games using other-than-HD resolutions. He claims this is a good thing for developers, who needn't waste video memory in order to maintain 720p, but can use that horsepower more efficiently as they see fit.

The exact quote is, "...until recently, Microsoft had a TCR insisting that games run at 1280x720 - providing you weren't one of the lucky ones like Halo, who got it waived and ran at 1152x640, that is." [Emphasis ours.]...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Now you can change your WoW Faction for $30

Blizzard opened up the new World of Warcraft Faction Change service today, allowing players of the world's most popular MMORPG to change any character's faction for a fee of $30, provided the character has reached at least level 10.

Players who make use of the service will be allowed to choose any race that is available for their selected class, fully customizing the new character's name and appearance. Old names will remain unavailable to the WoW masses for a period of 90 days. All non-faction-specific mounts, equipment, achievements, and titles will remain unchanged after making the switch; those that are faction-specific will be replaced with "cross-faction equivalents." Non-combat pets and characters' experience points will be completely unaffected.

The Faction Change option can be foun...

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PS3 sales double in US

Despite complaints of Firmware 3.0, Sony has reason to be happy. A weekly report of hardware sales from August 23-29 acquired by VGChartz shows that the sales of Sony's PlayStation 3 have more than doubled in America, increasing 104% over the week prior.

The massive increase in sales has to do with Sony's drop of the cost of its PS3 to $299, with the new "Slim" model now on sale at the same price. Worldwide, the PS3 has seen a 35% increase in sales.

As for the Xbox 360, which had its price lowered by Microsoft to $299 for the Elite model, it saw a sales increase of 32% from the week prior and a 29% increase worldwide. Sony's PSP saw sales shoot up 81%, 19% worldwide, which is mainly due to the release of Dissidia Final Fantasy and a bundle involving the portable system and game.

As for the Ni...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Ubisoft announces new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...

Ubisoft today announced a brand new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game in celebration of the brand's 25th anniversary.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack will be a side-scrolling beat-em-up in the same vein as the many TMNT arcade classics. It will have an original storyline and will be available in the last quarter of 2009. The game will also feature a new combination system and two-player cooperative play via local ad hoc wireless.

Said Ubisoft senior vice president of sales and marketing Tony Key, "Gamers all over the world recall the countless hours of fun these types of arcade games provided. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack plans to recapture that nostalgia and add an entirely new level of sophistication. Given the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

New PlayStation 3 firmware freezing games

There have been some unsettling reports coming out of the GameFAQs message boards for any and every PlayStation 3 owner. The community has been complaining  about games for the console, specifically and mainly Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, freezing ever since the new Firmware 3.0 update.

It is currently unsure whether the problems will be limited to this small list of games, which also includes UFC, Tiger Woods 10, and Bioshock, or if it will expand in the future. However this is still a bad sign for Sony, which has already started to hear criticism and complaints over just how "major" this update has been compared to the company's promises and public expectations.

[GameFAQS]

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Survey says "Red Ring of Death" is abating

The Xbox 360's "Red Ring of Death" is something every owner of the console dreads and, according to a GameInformer survey, about 55 percent have inevitably dealt with. However according to IndustryGamers, owners of the Xbox 360 will have reason to fear the "Red Ring of Death" less based on a new survey from SquareTrade.

The survey from SquareTrade, which claims to be the largest independent warranty provider in the world, evaluated the efficiency of all three current-gen consoles. The Xbox 360 had a 23.7 percent of failure over a two-year period, which the survey credits to the introduction of the "Jasper" chipset in late 2008 that "has likely solved" the "Red Ring of Death" problem.

As for the other consoles over that same time period, the PlayStation 3 had a 10 percent of failure and the ...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Tetris makes your brain work better, last longer

A new study reports that playing videogames -- specifically Tetris -- improves the brain's efficiency, increases its size, and helps it resist late-life deterioration.

The Mind Reaseach Network's study, funded by the makers of Tetris, observed the brains of adolescent girls with MRI scans before and after a three-month test period. During this time, the girls participated in "challenging visuospatial tasks," operationally defined as a number of Tetris gameplay sessions.

The results show that certain areas of the cortex (shown in red above) increase in thickness after prolonged focus on these sorts of tasks, thereby making the individual more resistant to mental decline that may occur later in life. Other areas (shown in blue) function with greater efficiency after Tetris.

So the next time som...

• (1)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

DSi-exclusive games coming this fall

According to the wild west of videogame industry news, the internet, the first DSi-exclusive game cards will be hitting retailers sometime this fall. 

At this year's Game Developers Conference, DSi hardware project lead Masato Kuwahara explained that special DSi games were in the works that would be unplayable on DS and DS Lite hardware. This would be different from currently available titles that function on all models, but have special enhanced features when played on the DSi.

When they arrive, DSi-only games will be packaged in distinct, all-white cases, so they stand out against the current DS library in stores, and will have a warning that they are only playable on the newer hardware. The game cards themselves will be manufactured from white plastic, as well.

This news seems to fall in l...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Free at last! Wii Internet Channel costs nothing a...

Remember when the Wii Internet Channel was free? If not, it was during the first few months following the console's release. Since then, it has cost Wii owners 500 Wii Points to enjoy the internet via the Wii's Opera browser.

Well, not anymore.

The Internet Channel is available for free once again, and Nintendo is reimbursing everyone who ever paid for the right to surf the web on their console -- but not with money. Beginning October 1st, those misfortunate Internet Channel purchasers will be allowed to claim one free NES game (also valued at 500 Wii Points) to make up for their expenditure.

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

The quality of Wii games is improving

We all know that Nintendo's Wii, aside from expanding the market and making tons of money, has been highly prone to third-party shovelware. But it looks like there is hope for improvement, because a year-to-year comparison of EEDAR Quality Scores shows that Wii games are indeed getting better.

Comparing review scores from the first six months of 2008 and 2009 show that while PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 scores have remained consistent, Wii games in 2009 have averaged 6% higher scores in 2009 than in 2008, up to 66/100 from 60/100. That's a 10% increase!

Hopefully this sort of trend continues, because I know I'm not the only one who's tired of playing crappy games.

[IndustryGamers]

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Empire: Total War Update 1.4 coming in September

Creative Assembly and Sega have announced that Empire: Total War will be updated to version 1.4 in late September. The update will focus on improving enemy artificial intelligence, with an overhaul to both the campaign and battle AI, as well as rebalanced sieges and naval battles.

Said Creative Assembly creative director Mike Simpson, "This update will please all Empire: Total War players as we've continuously listened to the feedback received via our forums. The framework has been laid down for all the exciting content that will come to the series in the future, and that's thanks to all the players of Empire: Total War."

A more complete list of fixes in the 1.4 update follows:

- Fix for auto unlimbering causing the attack order to terminate prematurely resulting in an inability to stop the ...

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Wait... What? Take-Two's quote on GTA V announceme...

VG247 is reporting that Take-Two is not taking kindly to anyone asking them about anything related to a Grand Theft Auto V announcement. This is a quote from who VG247 believes to be Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two's chairman, when he was asked during a Q3 earnings conference call about any GTA V announcement:

"We're not going to announce it. We're not going to announce when we're going to announce it. And we're not going to announce the strategy about announcing it or about when we're going to announce it either, or about the announcement strategy surrounding the announcement of the strategy.

Any other questions?"

So wait... who's on first?

[VG247]

• (0)
• 
• 
• 
• 
•