GamerNode: Latest Game and Console News

GamerNode's You Win! Awards are back!

Another GamerNode original column returns today, right alongside One Word Review. GamerNode's You Win! Awards are back, and ready to dish out all the commendation and condemnation the GN staff can muster.

With You Win! GN will honor not only the best and the brightest in the videogame industry, but also the most useless, incompetent, and just plain foolish. We 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, but let's get things started with today's "That Makes Sense" Award,...

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One Word Review returns to GamerNode!

That's right, the world's fastest reviews are back at GamerNode!

If you're unfamiliar with the One Word Review Process, it's really very simple: the GN staff members pick out a current, aging, or classic title and attempt to encapsulate an entire review in a single word. You may or may not be able to find our game-condensing descriptors in a standard dictionary, but we have faith that you will catch our meaning, nonetheless.

It's a unique take on videogame critique. Videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion, so we decided to strive for the other end of the spectrum with something succinct, sincere... and fun. And we love reader input at GN, so be sure to throw your own OWRs in the comments section, too.

GamerNode's latest OWR can be found here, complete with an EXT...

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Jade Raymond to lead Ubisoft Toronto

The highly visible producer of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed games, Jade Raymond, has been chosen to head up its new Toronto studio.

The announcement came on Monday, months after the developer had announced the founding of the studio back in July. Raymond will answer to Yannis Mallat, CEO of both Ubisoft Montreal and Toronto, and she will be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the studio.

Raymond has been with Ubisoft Montreal since 2004,  where she was one of the producers on Assassin's Creed. The popular third-person action game sold eight million units, according to Ubisoft.

She is currently the executive producer of Assassin's Creed 2 and other projects by the developer. Raymond previously worked with IBM, Electronic Arts, and Sony Online.

"I'm excited to have Jade managing our Toronto ...

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The Beatles: Rock Band could cost Viacom over $40 ...

Rythem games have hit a bit of a rut as of late. Rock Band's sales have gone down and rhythm games as a whole have lost money according to the latest NPD reports. "Of all genres, the music/dance genre has suffered the greatest declines this year, with nearly $390 million less revenues than the same time period last year," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

It's that reason which makes it hard to believe just how much money Viacom will be shelling out just to have the rights to use The Beatles music in their upcoming Rock Band title. The company has paid a guaranteed $10 million in royalties and, if sales of The Beatles: Rock Band hits certain figures, could increase to $40 million or more.

"The royalty rates on this are not even comparable to anything that has been done before," said Martin Ban...

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Gamestop Manager's Conference '09: God of War 1 an...

At the Sony conference during the 2009 Gamestop Manager's Conference, Sony announced a God of War 1 and 2 Blu-ray package. It will retail at 39.99 and run 60 frames per second at 720P resolution. It's due out in November.

More from the conference as it pours in.

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Disney acquires Marvel for $4 Billion

In a shocking move, the Walt Disney Corporation has acquired Marvel Comics for a staggering $4 billion.

All of Marvel's more than 5,000 superheroes and supervillains will now belong to Mickey and company, which makes many wonder what the future of Marvel will hold. There's a major portion of Universal Orlando devoted to Marvel Comics, as well as movies, video games, and other media that Disney's rivals all have a say in. Will they remain the same, or will Disney force a halt in production?

Ultimate Alliance 2 delay? I sure hope not.

From the official press release, via Kotaku, here's Disney's side:

"This transaction combines Marvel's strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor with Disney's creat...

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GameStop to offer old PS3 trade-ins for "Slim"

Many PlayStation 3 owners may not want to spend more money by purchase the new "Slim" model that is due to come out this week, but GameStop is doing its best to convince these people otherwise.

The largest videogame store chain will be giving customers $150 off of the new PS3 in exchange for their older, bigger models. If one does the math, that cuts the price of the new PS3 "Slim", priced at $299, in half.

It may still be an additional $150 on top of the large amount already spent for the older PS3, but it could be enough to entice gamers who have gained a fond attraction to the smaller new model.

[PSX Extreme]

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BioWare reveals Sith Warrior for The Old Republic

It shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone who knows that Star Wars: The Old Republic exists, but LucasArts and BioWare revealed the Sith Warrior as their newest playable class in the highly anticipated MMO. The lightsaber-wielding, hatred-filled force adept has its own profile page on The Old Republic website with details and hints on how the Sith will act and play in the game.

"Though the lightsaber is the Warrior's primary method of attack, he also uses his dark command of the Force to paralyze, terrify, and kill," says the site. "Protected by heavy armor and his powers of intimidation, the Warrior wades into the thick of the fight and unleashes pure hatred and fury to eliminate all who would stand against him."

The profile also mentions how the Sith Empire is run in the game, and that s...

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ESA: 43-0 against game legislation bills

What do the Entertainment Software Association and boxing legend Rocky Marciano have in common? The answer to that question is simple: 43 knockouts without a single defeat.

The organization's 2009 annual report proclaims this record proudly, stating that of 43 bills targeting videogames for government regulation, zero have been signed into law, thanks in great part to the ESA's tireless efforts.

From the document:

"With a growing network of retained partners across the country, ESA State Government Affairs (SGA) effectively monitored, responded to and shaped industry-related legislation during the past year. While 43 bills sought to regulate content and/or access to video games, our actions ensured that no legislature enacted a law regulating game sales. Conversely, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgi...

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Microsoft holding up 360 Champions Online release,...

Want to play Champions Online on your Xbox 360? Too bad. There won't be a 360 version anytime soon, and Cryptic CCO Jack Emmer says it's all Microsoft's fault.

According to Emmer, a 360 version of the game is "ready to go," but Microsoft's "baffling" hesitance with console MMOs will prevent the game rom releasing anytime near its PC counterpart, which will be available next week.

"Microsoft's a big company, and they have to work out all the various issues related to MMOs," said Emmert. "It just takes time for the big beast known as Microsoft to get moving. I really have no explanation other than that, because it's as baffling to developers as it is to everyone else."

"This year? I don't know," responded Emmert when probed about the expected time frame for the 360 release. "Right now we're ju...

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No More Heroes 2 playable at PAX 09

In just about a week, attendees of 2009's Penny-Arcade Expo in Seattle, WA will be treated to a world premiere of Grasshopper Manufacture's No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle; this trade event will mark the first time the game will be available in playable form to anyone in the gaming press/public.

The first No More Heroes game garnered heaps of critical acclaim and helped to propel game designer Suda 51 further into cult gaming stardom, and No More Heroes 2 looks to build on that success with a second helping of its unique, retro aesthetic and simple, effective gameplay mechanics.

PAX 09 begins on Friday, September 4th.

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Arkham Asylum sets Guinness World Record

Game reviewers have been heralding Batman: Arkham Asylum as the best comic book game of all time. And now they all have a world record to back up their claims.

Guinness announced today that Arkham Asylum has become "Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever" due to its average Metacritic score of 91.67. The game surpassed Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for the Sega Dreamcast, which had an average score of 90.

"We are so pleased to be awarding Batman: Arkham Asylum a Guinness World Record," said Gaz Deaves, manager at Guinness. "It is a fantastic new game and due to the reaction of gaming experts we believe it has a well deserved place in the Guinness World Records book."

At press time there have been no statements regarding the award from either Eidos or Rocksteady.

[IGN]

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Analysts weigh in on PS3 and 360 price drops, pred...

Sony and Microsoft have dropped the prices on their consoles recently as the the Xbox 360 Elite and PlayStation 3 are now $299, with Sony's new PlayStation 3 "Slim" model debuting this week at the same price. Along with the price cuts, industry analysts are taking a look at how these drops in price will effect Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and the game industry as a whole.

"Historical sales, accounting for inflation, suggest the $249 to $299 price point is the sweet spot where the industry can expand at a comfortable rate while still delivering profitability for the console manufacturers," said Electronic Entertainment Design and Research's Jesse Divnich. "A $249 to $299 price point over the next two years would give Microsoft, and Sony, the breathing room needed to improve manufacturing effic...

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Realtime Worlds still growing before APB launch

News hasn't been good lately for publishers and developers, with Electronic Arts and Activision cutting jobs at Maxis and Raven Software, respectively. However, there is one developer that is actually looking to add jobs.

Realtime Worlds, the studio behind next year's All Points Bulletin, has purchased 8,000 square feet of office space in Dundee, Scottland due to their rapid growth and to prepare for the game's launch.

"When we opened our current facility less than three years ago we hadn't yet shipped our first game," said studio manager Colin Macdonald. "Since then we've had tremendous commercial and critical success, and have done the lion's share of the work towards a successful launch of our online title APB."

"This additional space allows us to continue to grow at the pace needed to at...

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Maxis cuts confirmed by EA

Tough times appear to be hitting publishers as of late. Only a day after Activision confirmed a layoff of employees at Raven Software, Electronic Arts today confirmed that it will be reducing its workforce at Maxis, the studio behind Spore.

"Often in the videogame industry, the size of a studio fluctuates in response to business conditions," stated an EA rep. "In this case, EA has taken action to reduce the workforce at Maxis as we focus the business and focus Maxis. EA remains fully committed to Spore and other IP within Maxis, with games planned for launch in the next few months, including Spore Hero, coming to the Wii for the first time, and Spore Hero Arena on the DS."

Back in April, Maxis founder and game designer Will Wright left the company in order to form what Wright described as a...

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Price cuts for Xbox 360 confirmed by Microsoft

Right on the heels of Sony's price drops on its Playstation 3, Microsoft today confirmed rumors that the Xbox 360 will have prices drops of its own. As of tomorrow, the Xbox 360 Elite will be priced at $299.99 and the Pro model will be phased out.

Production on the Xbox 360 Pro has already stopped and will be priced at $249.99 until the stock is cleared. The Arcade model will still remain and at its current price of $199.99. However the Elite will no longer be shipped with an HDMI cable. The part will have to be purchased seperately.

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg stated the price drops are due to lower production costs and that the price drops of the Playstation 3 are coincidence. "This has been in the works for months and months," he said. "I think it's a bit coincidental, but it's also somew...

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2K Play publishing a pair of indie games on XBLA

2K Play announced yesterday that the publisher will be delivering a refreshing pair of indie titles to Xbox LIVE Arcade in the coming months.

Axel & Pixel from Silver Wish Games is a point-and-click adventure about an artist and his dog, set in a hand-drawn dream world. It is scheduled to arrive in the fall of 2009. The Odd Gentlemen's (yes, that's the name of the developer) The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, which a few of us here at GN were lucky enough to try out at last year's E3 (see Kyle's preview), is a black-and-white puzzle/adventure game that utilizes time-manipulation to create a very unique gameplay experience. It will be available in early 2010.

Said 2K president Christoph Hartmann, "The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom and Axel & Pixel are passion projects for us. We sa...

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Valve to unveil playable Left 4 Dead 2 campaign at...

Lucky fans attending the Penny Arcade Expo 2009 in Seattle next week will be in for a very special treat courtesy of Valve. The developer will be revealing the third campaign in the sequal to popular zombie shooter Left 4 Dead, but that is not all.

The newest campaign of Left 4 Dead 2, titled Dark Carnival, will be playable on the show floor for fans at both the Valve and Microsoft booths.

Dark Carnival joins The Parish and Swamp Fever, revealed at E3 and Comic Con, on the list of campaigns for the upcoming shooter known for its co-op and competitive play. Only two more campaigns remain to be unveiled before the game's November 17 release.

[IGN]

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Raven Software suffers layoffs

An earlier report by gaming site Shacknews claimed that the developer of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Wolfenstein has suffered a layoff of up to 56 employees. The report has now been cofirmed, as the story has been updated with an official statement from Raven Software on the subject.

"With the recent completion of both Wolverine, based on the summer blockbuster movie, and Wolfenstein, the next chapter of the famed franchise, Raven Software is slightly reducing its workforce to better reflect the studio's upcoming slate," said the developer.

The released employees are reported to be from throughout the studio, with no specific team or project targeted. Those affected by the firings have allegedly been offered severence packages and placement support.

The developer's statement regarding a less...

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Atari being sued by Turbine over D&D Online

The publisher of soon to re-launch as free-to-play D&D Online is allegedly being sued over its MMOG. But the shock isn't just the lawsuit itself, but the source of the lawsuit as well.

Turbine Inc., the developer of D&D Online, has filed a suit against publisher Atari in New York, according to Courthouse News. The developer is arguing that Atari has breached an agreement in 2003, where Turbine licensed the rights to make D&D MMOGs from the publisher.

Turbine is claiming that Atari is deliberately under-promoting the relaunch of D&D Online as part of a license-agreement "termination" strategy. The suit then claims that this strategy is being pursued in bad faith, as Atari is planning to launch its own competing product.

The Courthouse News did not specify what the competing product is. Rumors ...

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