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Team Killing in Starcraft II Is A Bannable Offence Says Staff Member

AndyW — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:19:33 +0000

It looks as though Blizzard will be turning up the heat on players who “accidentaly” engage in some mean-spirited fun. According to a post by a Blizzard staff member on the official Battle.net English Forums, the company will temporarily or permanently disable the game if you kill your ally mid-match in Starcraft II.

“Bans are license specific unless it’s from bad accesses to a Battle.net account. We can lock down a Battle.net account when it happens but if you do something goofy in a game (like Backstabbing, poor Mugaro), we can apply temporary or permanent bans on just the game itself depending on severity. Details aren’t fully available at this time.”

Here is the official Battle.net English Forums so you can take a look for yourself.

I wouldn’t take this to heart too much, as it seems he is just demonstrating the potiential authority they will be overlooking the games with. As he says it with a touch of humor, i’ll take this with a touch of salt.

Though he could totally be serious – but I won’t be the scapegoat testing it out.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane Launches onto XBLA This Week

AndyW — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:07:03 +0000

Last week Microsoft launched their “Summer of Arcade” scheme with the eerie Limbo (see the review here); it has now been announced that this week will feature the momentum of ‘Hydro Thunder Hurricane’ as it speeds onto XBLA.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is a water-based racer, created by Vector Unit. The game is due to hit the marketplace on Wednesday, July 28, where players will get the opportunity to race against 15 AI-controlled opponents as well as battle up to seven others across Xbox Live.

The original Hyrdro Thunder debuted in arcades and was later brought to Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation One.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane will be available on XBLA on July 28th for 1,200 MS points and $15 respectively.

What You Need To Know About Starcraft II Before You Start

AndyW — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:47:38 +0000

Are you one of the many thousands of people who have eagerly sat at your computer on the eve of July 26th, patiently waiting for Starcraft II to come alive? Don’t fear, you are not alone. As I type this we are approximately one hour into the 12GB installation – 55% complete – it’s nearly time.

But before you eagerly jump into one of the biggest computer game nexus, there are some things you might want to know before you jump in head first. Firstly, what is it about, what is BattleNet, how do I find my friends? Below is an introductory video easing you into the world of Starcraft II.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Halo Reach Forge World Vidoc Trailer

AndyW — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:45:04 +0000

For more information about Halo Reach “Forge World Vidoc” check out the official Bungie website for all your informational needs.

This is going to be a lot of fun when released, I simply can’t wait to see what the creative public can create with this addition to the Halo series.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Nobody will be able to play StarCraft 2 till Release, Not Pirates, Not Reviewers

AndyW — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:07:29 +0000

EuroGamer reported yesterday that Blizzard have implemented a system which stopped global users from gaining access to Starcraft II before release. Although, at that point, nothing was confirmed.

Unfortunately, upon recieving our reviewer copy from Blizzard this morning, we found a disheartening message stating that it “cannot install Starcraft II” as “Starcraft II has not been released” then advised us to “come back on 27/07/2010 [release day].”

Damn! *sigh*

After experiencing this unfortunate knock-back, we emailed Blizzard to see if reviewers could bypass this, as we needed to review it after all. The response read:

Hey Andy,

Applies to everyone, sorry to say, even me .

Cheers,

Even though disappointment runs through my veins, I can’t totally fault Blizzard for doing this. For such a big release, surely they would do everything in their power to keep unauthorized personnel from weaving their way in illegally. Though, I kind of presumed we’d be “authorized personnel.”

The countdown till 27th July starts once again.

Kane & Lynch 2 Achievements & Trophies Announced

AndyW — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:19:15 +0000

According to the latest official Square Enix press release, below are what gamers will be happily aiming for during their time spend on Kane & Lynch 2. Take a look.

‘

Xbox360 Achievements

Name	Achievement Points	Description
Welcome to Shanghai	20	Complete ‘Welcome to Shanghai’ on any difficulty.
Street War	20	Complete ‘The Details’ on any difficulty.
Death Sentence	20	Complete ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’ on any difficulty.
Nowhere to Hide	25	Complete ‘Laying Low’ on any difficulty.
Baby be Safe	25	Complete ‘Coming Home’ on any difficulty.
Lost Love	25	Complete ‘A Thousand Cuts’ on any difficulty.
Double Cross	25	Complete ‘The Deal’ on any difficulty.
Slow Train to Hell	30	Complete ‘Out of Shanghai’ on any difficulty.
Bring It Down	30	Complete ‘Air Strike’ on any difficulty.
Kill or Be Killed	30	Complete ‘Resurrection’ on any difficulty.
Dog Days	60	Complete Story Mode on any difficulty level.
Dead Men Rising	60	Complete Story Mode on Extreme.
Catch!	10	Push your human shield into an opponent in Story Mode.
Can It!	10	Kill 10 enemies with exploding canisters.
Mexican Showoff	10	Kill 5 enemies while downed before successfully recovering.
Sichuan Specialist	10	Escape the restaurant in ‘Laying Low’ without being downed on any difficulty.
Hand of God	20	Complete a Story Mode mission without dying once on any difficulty.
Chinese Waltz	10	Kill 5 enemies without losing your human shield.
Dance Off!	10	Execute 30 enemies while holding them as human shield.
Trigger Happy	15	Kill 5 enemies in 15 seconds with any pistol whilst not dropping your health below 90%.
Double Happiness	15	Kill 6 enemies in a row with a shotgun – all of them as one shot kills.
Steady Hand	15	Get 5 headshots in a row using the same clip.
You Want Blood?	30	1000 kills.
A Little Help From a Friend	10	Complete 1 mission in Co-op.
No Going Back	20	Complete 5 missions in Co-op.
End of the Road	40	Complete Story Mode in Co-op.
Giving a Hand	15	Finish 30 enemies your Co-op partner shot ‘Down Not Dead’.
Got Your Back	10	Revive your Co-op partner 10 times.
Welcome	10	Successfully escape once in Arcade Mode or in any Multiplayer Ranked Match.
Doing Good	10	Successfully reach round 5 in Arcade Mode.
Love of Money	20	Successfully reach round 10 in Arcade Mode.
Greedy Bastard	10	Earn at least $5,000,000 in every level in Arcade Mode.
Lightning Looter	10	Reach $8,000,000 in under 6 minutes of actual playtime in Arcade Mode.
Safe Crime	10	Finish 5 rounds in a row without getting any penalties in Arcade Mode.
Battle Hardened	15	Complete one session in each Multiplayer Mode (Ranked Match).
Addict	20	Win 20 sessions of Cops & Robbers (Ranked Match).
The Cleaner	20	Escape as a traitor with 50% of any level’s total loot in Arcade Mode or Multiplayer Ranked Match.
Escape from …Anywhere	20	Successfully escape 25 times in Arcade Mode or in any Multiplayer Ranked Match.
D.I.Y.	20	Escape with more than $2,500,000 in a round of either Arcade Mode or Multiplayer Ranked Match.
Putting on the Ritz	20	End a round as Criminal Expert in a Fragile Alliance Ranked Match.
Blackjack and Hookers!	10	Accumulate $25,000,000 in your career (Arcade Mode and Multiplayer Ranked Match).
Most Wanted	25	Accumulate $50,000,000 in your career (Arcade Mode and Multiplayer Ranked Match).
Mastermind	50	Become criminal Mastermind (Highest Rank) in Multiplayer Ranked Match.
Rat Killer	20	Kill the Undercover Cop as the last surviving criminal and escape (Ranked Match).
Law Enforcer	20	Win as the Undercover Cop by killing all criminals yourself (Ranked Match).
Harry Houdini	10	Escape from being held as human shield in any Multiplayer mode (Ranked Match).
Unfinished Business	10	Kill a yellow carded criminal whilst Down Not Dead (Arcade Mode and Multiplayer Ranked Match).
Alpha Male	20	Have the most kills in a Cops & Robbers Ranked Match.
No I in TEAM	15	Earn the highest Criminal Loyalty level in Multiplayer Ranked Match.
There’s an I in TRAITOR	15	Become Scum in a Multiplayer Mode (Ranked Match).

PSN TROPHIES

Name	Trophies	Description
Welcome to Shanghai	Bronze	Complete ‘Welcome to Shanghai’ on any difficulty.
Street War	Bronze	Complete ‘The Details’ on any difficulty.
Death Sentence	Bronze	Complete ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’ on any difficulty.
Nowhere to Hide	Bronze	Complete ‘Laying Low’ on any difficulty.
Baby be Safe	Bronze	Complete ‘Coming Home’ on any difficulty.
Lost Love	Bronze	Complete ‘A Thousand Cuts’ on any difficulty.
Double Cross	Bronze	Complete ‘The Deal’ on any difficulty.
Slow Train to Hell	Bronze	Complete ‘Out of Shanghai’ on any difficulty.
Bring It Down	Bronze	Complete ‘Air Strike’ on any difficulty.
Kill or Be Killed	Bronze	Complete ‘Resurrection’ on any difficulty.
Dog Days	Gold	Complete Story Mode on any difficulty level.
Dead Men Rising	Gold	Complete Story Mode on Extreme.
Catch!	Bronze	Push your human shield into an opponent in Story Mode.
Can It!	Bronze	Kill 10 enemies with exploding canisters.
Mexican Showoff	Bronze	Kill 5 enemies while downed before successfully recovering.
Sichuan Specialist	Bronze	Escape the restaurant in ‘Laying Low’ without being downed on any difficulty.
Hand of God	Bronze	Complete a Story Mode mission without dying once on any difficulty.
Chinese Waltz	Bronze	Kill 5 enemies without losing your human shield.
Dance Off!	Bronze	Execute 30 enemies while holding them as human shield.
Trigger Happy	Bronze	Kill 5 enemies in 15 seconds with any pistol whilst not dropping your health below 90%.
Double Happiness	Bronze	Kill 6 enemies in a row with a shotgun – all of them as one shot kills.
Steady Hand	Bronze	Get 5 headshots in a row using the same clip.
You Want Blood?	Silver	1000 kills.
A Little Help From a Friend	Bronze	Complete 1 mission in Co-op.
No Going Back	Bronze	Complete 5 missions in Co-op.
End of the Road	Silver	Complete Story Mode in Co-op.
Giving a Hand	Bronze	Finish 30 enemies your Co-op partner shot ‘Down Not Dead’.
Got Your Back	Bronze	Revive your Co-op partner 10 times.
Welcome	Bronze	Successfully escape once in Arcade Mode or in any Multiplayer Ranked Match.
Doing Good	Bronze	Successfully reach round 5 in Arcade Mode.
Love of Money	Silver	Successfully reach round 10 in Arcade Mode.
Greedy Bastard	Bronze	Earn at least $5,000,000 in every level in Arcade Mode.
Lightning Looter	Bronze	Reach $8,000,000 in under 6 minutes of actual playtime in Arcade Mode.
Safe Crime	Bronze	Finish 5 rounds in a row without getting any penalties in Arcade Mode.
Battle Hardened	Bronze	Complete one session in each Multiplayer Mode (Ranked Match).
Addict	Bronze	Win 20 sessions of Cops & Robbers (Ranked Match).
The Cleaner	Bronze	Escape as a traitor with 50% of any level’s total loot in Arcade Mode or Multiplayer Ranked Match.
Escape from …Anywhere	Bronze	Successfully escape 25 times in Arcade Mode or in any Multiplayer Ranked Match.
D.I.Y.	Bronze	Escape with more than $2,500,000 in a round of either Arcade Mode or Multiplayer Ranked Match.
Putting on the Ritz	Bronze	End a round as Criminal Expert in a Fragile Alliance Ranked Match.
Blackjack and Hookers!	Bronze	Accumulate $25,000,000 in your career (Arcade Mode and Multiplayer Ranked Match).
Most Wanted	Silver	Accumulate $50,000,000 in your career (Arcade Mode and Multiplayer Ranked Match).
Mastermind	Gold	Become criminal Mastermind (Highest Rank) in Multiplayer Ranked Match.
Rat Killer	Bronze	Kill the Undercover Cop as the last surviving criminal and escape (Ranked Match).
Law Enforcer	Bronze	Win as the Undercover Cop by killing all criminals yourself (Ranked Match).
Harry Houdini	Bronze	Escape from being held as human shield in any Multiplayer mode (Ranked Match).
Unfinished Business	Bronze	Kill a yellow carded criminal whilst Down Not Dead (Arcade Mode and Multiplayer Ranked Match).
Alpha Male	Silver	Have the most kills in a Cops & Robbers Ranked Match.
No I in TEAM	Bronze	Earn the highest Criminal Loyalty level in Multiplayer Ranked Match.
There’s an I in TRAITOR	Bronze	Become Scum in a Multiplayer Mode (Ranked Match).
Love of the Game	Gold	All Multiplayer Modes trophies unlocked.
Blood On Your Hands	Platinum	Earn all Trophies.

What do you readers think of this achievement/trophy set? Is it what you expected, will you aim to attain them? Or are some just that little bit too far out of reach?

Xbox360 ‘S’ Limited Edition: Halo Reach Console

AndyW — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:07:42 +0000

Didn’t pick up the 360 ‘S’ model yet? Been waiting for a nice Limited Edition to sway your decision? Or are you just a Halo fan at heart? You are in luck, Microsoft released a press-release yesterday regarding their Halo Reach Limited Edition Console. It’s looking good.

The biggest game of 2010, “Halo: Reach,” is getting the ultimate hardware treatment. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle launches day and date with the game on September 14 and provides both an incredible value and a stunning way to celebrate the iconic franchise. The commemorative bundle will be available with matching custom “Halo: Reach” Limited Edition Wireless Controllers. Additionally, Microsoft and Bungie revealed an onslaught of other “Halo: Reach” news today at Comic-Con International, including a first look at Forge World, Versus Firefight mode and more.

The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle is Available for Pre-Order Today

The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle features an exclusive silver design and comes with two custom Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers with artwork inspired by the game, a Standard Edition copy of “Halo: Reach,” a token for the Limited Edition Elite armor set, an episode of “Halo Legends” and a “Halo: Reach”-themed Xbox 360 wired headset. As an added touch, the specially designed console in the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle not only captures the look and feel of the game, but also features custom sound effects from the “Halo” universe.

Designed by Bungie, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle includes all the features of the newly designed Xbox 360 console, such as a 250 GB Hard Drive and the fastest built-in Wi-Fi for the easiest connection to Xbox LIVE. The bundle is available in limited quantities and only while supplies last, so fans who want to own a piece of the “Halo” mythology are encouraged to pre-order quickly. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle has a suggested retail price of $399 USD, and will be available on Sept. 14. To offer a closer look at the contents of the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle, Microsoft and Bungie unveiled an unboxing video of the bundle, which is available for download today on Halo Waypoint and Halo.Xbox.com.

Also check out Bungie’s Limited Edition unvailing video – where you will get to see both the aditional accessories and the console hands on.

TACTICS OGRE: Let Us Cling Together Announced

Sean — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:03:09 +0000

Square Enix are bringing Tactics Ogre to Europe in the form of a new PSP title.

Tactics Orge is much loved in Japan and often appeared in Famitsu’s “Top 20 games voted by readers” for 14 years running, however Tactics Orge never received a European release until now.

Tactics Orge: Let Us Cling Together will be a reborn version of the game from the ground up and will be developed by the original Tactics Orge team allow them to recreate the strategy RPG experience that made the franchise so loved in the beginning.

Tactics Orge: Let Us Cling Together will feature a re-arranged soundtrack by the original composers, reworked visuals, new character growth mechanics and a new wheel of fortune system which adds replay value to the game.

Larry Sparks, Vice President Brands PAL Region of Square Enix Limited comments, “It gives us great delight to revisit this legendary title, I hope that TACTICS OGRE: Let Us Cling Together pleases the original fans with a host of improvements and attracts a new audience eager to find out why TACTICS OGRE remains such a beloved title.”

No release date has been set as of yet.

Fans to Decide the Fate of Carmine in “Gears of War 3”

AndyW — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:31:33 +0000

Carmine, should he live, or should he succumb to fate? Epic are leaving this important decision up to their fans, according to their latest press release.

Place your vote for the fate of the newest Carmine brother through the purchase of avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace with benefits going to charity. Voting will begin July 29.

The fate of Carmine lies in your hands! For the first time in franchise history, Epic Games and Microsoft are giving fans the chance to decide the fate of a character in “Gears of War 3.” By purchasing avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, fans and gaming communities around the globe will decide the destiny of the newest Carmine brother set to appear in “Gears of War 3,” with all the proceeds going to the Child’s Play Charity.

Keeping with the series’ tradition, Clayton Carmine will be introduced in the trilogy’s final chapter, and like Anthony and Ben, the newest rookie brother runs the high risk of meeting an early death. However, unlike in the previous games, the Xbox community will choose whether Carmine lives or dies by purchasing special “Gears of War 3” avatar gear on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Starting July 29 two new avatar t-shirts will be available on the Avatar Marketplace on Xbox LIVE – one shirt reads “Save Carmine” and the other reads “Carmine Must Die.” By purchasing the “Save Carmine” shirt, you’re casting your vote to let Carmine live in “Gears of War 3.” Conversely, purchasing the “Carmine Must Die” shirt means you want to see Clayton follow in the fate of his brothers.

Fans attending Comic-Con International in San Diego this week will also be able to cast their votes early by purchasing real life limited edition “Save Carmine” or “Carmine Must Die” t-shirts at the NECA booth (#3145) for $20.00. “Gears” fans can also visit the Xbox 360 booth (#5153) to be amongst the first to play “Gears of War 3” Beast Mode throughout the show. Finally, the team from Epic Games, including design director Cliff Bleszinski, executive producer Rod Fergusson and lead writer Karen Traviss, will be signing Comic-Con exclusive posters at the Xbox booth on Saturday, July 24 at 12:00 p.m. PDT.

Child’s Play is a community-based games industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world. Through their network of more than 60 hospitals and through the generosity of their community of donors, Child’s Play raises millions of dollars each year to donate games, consoles and toys to sick children. The proceeds from the sales of the “Save Carmine” and “Carmine Must Die” avatar gear and limited edition NECA t-shirts will go to Child’s Play, so cast your vote, donate to charity, and get cool “Gears of War” gear! Fans can get up to date information about the fate of Clayton Carmine by visiting www.gearsofwar.com.

Published by Microsoft Game Studios and developed by Epic Games, the “Gears of War” franchise has won over 30 “Game of the Year” awards, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and redefined the third-person shooter genre for this console generation. The “Gears of War” series is exclusive to Xbox 360 and its riveting multiplayer action makes it one of the most popular titles on Xbox LIVE. The trilogy finale, “Gear of War 3,” will release on April 5, 2011, only on Xbox 360.

UK Kinect Price Details Revealed

Sean — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:51:53 +0000

Microsoft has today revealed the price of Kinect as well as a bundle.

Kinect will cost £129.99 and will come bundled with Kinect adventures however it is not yet known if the adapter needed to plug Kinect into older system will be included in the bundle.

Microsoft also revealed that a bundle consisting of the new model 360 and Kinect will cost £249.99; this will also include Kinect adventures.

Microsoft has also stated that more than 15 games will be available at the retail price of £39.99.