The creativity and ingenuity of LittleBigPlanet's user base never fails to impress us, and this video is a great example why. Playdead's Limbo may be an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive, but that doesn't mean that PlayStation 3 owners are left out entirely. Created by user bra2008, this clever level shows off some remarkable workarounds to bring some Limbo flavor to the PS3. The level, Limbo, Son of the Forest, delivers some of Limbo's gloomy traps and puzzles to Sony's system.

Check it out for yourself.

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Trailer for Codemasters' new racer coming this weekend.
The first ever image from Codemasters racer DiRT 3 has gone and slipped onto the internet.



Click here to read the full article

Dishing the dirt.

"It's not only about racing. It's about rallying. That's something different."

I'm sat in a hotel meeting room in a mildly scruffy corner of Milan, just around the corner from the offices of the motorsport game specialist Milestone. Irvin Zonca, physics game designer, is explaining - with soulful enthusiasm - what this independent developer discovered about the spirit of the World Rally Championship when it started working with the sport's teams and drivers some three years ago.

"The 'rally' word is also used to mean a gathering. So it's something that moves a lot of people that work together, where everyone does their part for success, for victory. It's really an environment, an ecosystem."

Read more...

Activision has announced another DJ for the upcoming DJ Hero sequel, DJ Hero 2. DJ Tiësto will appear in the game, both as a playable character and through two exclusive mixes. (According to Activision, these will pound your pulse, so consult a physician before playing this game.)

Guess what? He’s excited to be in the game!

 “DJ Hero 2 is all about bringing people of different backgrounds, ages and music tastes together to have some fun DJ’ing their favorite music.  The way the music comes together is fresh and unique and as a DJ, I couldn’t ask for more than that,” said Tiësto. “I am excited to be involved with this medium and to be contributing to a great game with an amazing soundtrack.”

We're certain that this is not a guy who uses the word "excited" loosely, either. He's performed at the opening ceremonies at the Athens Olympics, headlined at major musical festivals, and worked with the Three 6 Mafia, so we're assuming it takes something special for him to use the "E" word.

Tiësto joins previously announced DJs Deadmau5, David Guetta, and DJ Qbert. If you don’t see your favorite disc jockey in this tiny list, don’t fret. We’re confident Activision will continue to reveal new talent on a regular basis. Fingers crossed!

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Upgrade issues not linked to 3.41 system update, says firm.
Sony's 3.41 firmware is reportedly causing some issues with PlayStation 3 hard drives - but the hardware company insists that its update is not to blame.

Click here to read the full article

Psst. Just between you and me, I'm getting a little tired of the endless StarCraft II news cycle. I'm certain that it's a great game and all, but surely there has to be something else going on in the world of gaming. Fortunately for people like me, there is.

As Joystiq pointed out earlier, Kooberz Studios has created a wonderful Lego homage to...the original StarCraft. The visuals are appropriately blocked up, but the audio is going to be instantly familiar to anyone who played Blizzard's classic game. Also, it is awesome.

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Unspectacular RPG targeted in financials.

SEGA's blamed "slow" sales of Alpha Protocol and Iron Man 2 for weak videogame income in the three months ending 30 June 2010.

The company's consumer business lost $7.4 million during April to June. Bad, but a dramatic improvement on last year's Q1 result of minus $52 million.

SEGA openly told the world earlier this month that Alpha Protocol - an espionage RPG made by Obsidian and released in May - "hasn't sold what we've expected". The upshot: no sequel. Eurogamer gave Alpha Protocol a solid and not-to-be-sniffed-at 6/10.

Read more...

Naughty Dog keen on releasing special pack.
Uncharted 2 was undoubtedly one of 2009's most cherished releases - and yet a Game Of The Year Edition has not yet been released by Sony. However, that may all change if developer Naughty Dog gets its way.

Click here to read the full article

Welcome to the biodome.
Metroid: Other M is like no Metroid game you've ever played before.



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Make the rarest item in the entire alchemy world

Masterson is the third Star Trek actor to perform voice work for Star Trek Online, after Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto (2:08)

But not Kinect Sports criticism.

Kinect Sports developer Rare has offered its best wishes to a long-running fan site that blamed the Microsoft-owned developer for its closure.

Rare said it was "very sorry" to hear of nine-year-old fan site MundoRare's decision to shut its virtual doors.

MundoRare announced its closure earlier this week after it claimed Rare knocked back a planned video documentary on the UK studio.

Read more...

Gamers complaining they can't upgrade.
The latest PlayStation 3 firmware upgrade is reportedly causing issues for users attempting to upgrade their hard drive.

Click here to read the full article

Get ready for the zombie invasion

The world's biggest touring electronic artist and dance music icon to provide likeness and two exclusive mixes (1:39)

Take charge of one of the many European powers aiming to conquer the New World

Pre-order details revealed

The superstar DJ makes his video game debut.
Activision has announced that the world's most popular electronic and dance music DJ, Tiesto, will be making his video game debut in DJ Hero 2.

Click here to read the full article

BBFC classifies Bethesda's upcoming RPG.
The British Board of Film Classification has given Fallout: New Vegas an 18 rating.

Click here to read the full article

Classic console games for Nintendo DS

Plus: Premier Manager! Flower demo!

Hello and welcome to our amazingly late recap of what's on the PlayStation Store this week.

Star attractions are Earthworm Jim HD and newcomer Premier Manager. The latter's been made by urbanscan and costs £14. It's exclusive to PSN and features an XMB-style menu and dot-based match engine. Accessibility is the key word.

There's a video and some blurb about Premier Manager on the European PlayStation blog.

Read more...

Read more...

Reloaded will cost 18 quid in August.

Worms will make a glorious 2D return to PC on 26th August with Worms: Reloaded. It's been 10 years since a new 2D game has come out on PC, apparently.

Perhaps that's why Worms: Reloaded will cost £17.99 (£16.19 for the time being on Steam).

Thankfully, Reloaded boasts loads of content. Graphics are HD and Worms has "never looked this good", reckons the press release.

Read more...

Game delay confirmed.

PS3 developer Zipper Interactive has promised gamers the recently delayed SOCOM 4 will be worth the wait.

Zipper confirmed yesterday that the shooter, which is PlayStation Move compatible, will be released next year.

"While we're certainly aware that you've been looking forward to playing SOCOM 4 this year, we don't want to take any shortcuts," Zipper's senior community manager Jeremy Dunham wrote on the game's official website.

Read more...

As plans go, it probably sounded pretty watertight. Hire two gorgeous models. Put them on stage in front of the press. Get them to show off the controller-free awesomeness of Kinect. Retire to the nearest drinking establishment for beers and good times. What could possibly go wrong? ...

Fans waiting breathlessly for the Metalocalypse game on PS3 and Xbox 360 should probably begin breathing again lest they faint. The game will never see the light of day. Cartoon Network and game publisher Konami have mutually agreed to lingering "creative differences" on how to bring the cartoon series starring fictional metal band Dethklok to the digital world...

...

A lot of people get scared when the ominous specter of micromanagement in a real-time strategy game is invoked. It sounds a lot harder than it is, though, and these simple tips can elevate your game. In the interests of clarity I'm going to focus on Terran units here, but the concepts are just as easily applied to other races.

Micromanagement refers to giving units tactical orders in combat in order to maximize their effectiveness. If you're more concerned with macromanagement -- optimizing your resource gathering and unit production -- check out yesterday's Macro 101 tips.

(Before moving on, please note that the above pictured tactic of blocking a chokepoint with perma-cloaked Dark Templar on "hold ground" with Immortals and Colossi backing them up is total hax, and should not be tried at home without leet supervision.)

***

Understand hotkeys and unit selection! This is real basic, but remember that you can hotkey and select units in several ways:

• Shift-click (or shift-drag) will add/remove units to/from the current selection
• Control-click (or double-click) will add/remove all units of the same type to/from the current selection
• Control-[#] will set that number to the current selection
• Shift-[#] will add the current selection to that number
• Double-tap [#] zooms the view to that group's location

That's how things work, but how do you make StarCraft II's unit management work for you? Easy. Consider the following situations, and the most efficient way to select or hotkey the units you want:

New units have been built and are hanging out at their rally point. You want to add all the marines and marauders to your infantry group (1), all the medivacs and ravens to a secondary support group (2), and have them join your main forces at a forward position. Just control-click a marine, then hold shift-control and click a marauder, then press shift-1 and right-click on your primary army on the minimap. You've just bulked up your infantry group and sent the new troops to the front line without giving any orders to your existing forces which may well be actively engaging the enemy. After they move out a few steps, drag-select the still-stationary medivacs and ravens, hit shift-2, and right-click one of the newly departed infantry. The ships will follow and support the ground-pounders on their way to the front, and they're part of hotkey group 2 for further orders.

This sounds like a lot, but the above sequence is only five mouse clicks, two presses of number keys, and a little bit of dancing across shift and control. With practice, it'll come as naturally as queuing your workers back to mineral patches following build orders (which you've been doing, right?).

If you accidentally hotkey an SCV or two with your combat forces -- and you will, trust me -- just find their icon in the bottom-center part of the UI and control-click it, then press control-[#] to reset that hotkey group to the same set of units minus the SCVs.

Know when not to attack-move! You should be giving attack-move orders (press [a] followed by left-clicking the ground) most of the time so that your units engage any enemies in their line of sight along the way. However, there are situations where regular moves, where units do not engage enemies even if fired upon, are appropriate. Consider this situation:

Your marine/marauder group is trying to break an enemy chokepoint. If you give a general attack-move order, or even queued attack orders (via holding shift and giving multiple orders), the front-most marines will stop moving and start shooting as soon as they're at max range, preventing the rest of your army from engaging if there's not room to maneuver around the firing marines. With big armies in tight quarters -- an extremely common scenario in StarCraft II -- this can mean that only five or six marines out of your 30+ army are actively firing at any one time. If you give a short move order, just enough to get most of your army within firing range, and then a stop order, you'll be much better off. You may lose one or two in the advance, but having 25 gauss rifles spitting death instead of five is well worth the tradeoff.

Hotkey your casters! It should be obvious, but a few well-managed casters can be worth twice their weight in gas. A properly-placed point defense drone from a Raven can save hundreds if not thousands of damage to your forces. A well-timed ghost EMP can do more damage than five battlecruisers. Casters are the most intimidating units to StarCraft newbies, with their high cost, low health, and poor or nonexistent attacks. If you hotkey them, though, dropping that PD drone is as easy as pressing [2][d] and left-clicking to place it. With the Terrans, I find it particularly effective to group my Ravens with the medivacs in the support group that follows my army around. The game automatically puts the Ravens as the default selection when you press the hotkey, and it saves the hassle of moving the two sets of ships separately since you generally want them all in the same area anyway.

Retreat injured units! This isn’t terribly applicable to infantry since they’re inexpensive and die too fast anyway, but by the time you get to midgame it becomes well worth it to keep your expensive units alive if possible. The easiest way is to keep an eye on the bottom-center of your UI and left-click any portrait that turns orange (this selects that unit on its own) and right-click in the opposite direction of the bad guys. Again, this seems like a lot to do in the middle of an already chaotic battle, but it's just two mouse clicks.

This may not be possible if you’re facing a focus-firing opponent with faster units than you have, and you may have more pressing needs than worrying about saving a couple hundred minerals by saving a damaged Thor, but it can be useful. Note that units given attack-move orders will prioritize whatever is closest, so you don’t even have to move a unit very far to get it out of harm’s way -- oftentimes it can even stay within weapons range.

Kite enemy melee! There are specific circumstances where this isn't possible at all, but effective kiting (keeping outside of enemy attack range with constant movement) can overcome truly silly odds. If there are enemy Zealots attacking your marines, why are you standing there and taking it? Why not move the one being targeted while your other marines fill the zealots with lead? You can do the same with Zerglings and Ultralisks, and fast air units like Banshees and Mutalisks can pull off similar tactics. Keep in mind that queuing several move orders in a rough circle can make this a less click-intensive task.

Move into the vortex! It seems counter-intuitive, but the Protoss Mothership’s devastating Vortex ability is easily overcome with a little micro. The Vortex takes any unit within its swirling maelstrom out of the battle; they can neither attack nor be attacked. Good Protoss players will use this to split your army in half and destroy it piecemeal. While you can’t directly counter the Vortex itself, you can send the non-Vortexed half of your forces into it, safe from harm. Since all Vortexed units pop out at the same time, you can resume the fight with even odds. Note that this tactic is not similarly applicable to the Terran Tactical Nuke ability.

Each week we highlight both editor and reader blogs worth your undivided attention. We skipped last week for Comic-Con so now we're back with an extra large post. Shout out to the GIO community! Great blogs these past two weeks!

Most Gamers Don't Want Change, No Matter How Much They May Say It
"Recently, I feel that I've been reading more and more that people think the gaming industry is running itself into a rut. That we're just getting the same types of games; shooter after shooter, open world game after open world game...We're killing the chances at making something original and different for more and more of the same. The fix for this would be simple, no? Just try and create more and more original games and eventually people will move on, right? Well, it really isn't that simple." Do you agree with Hawk_hotlips?

Five Reasons To Read Mass Effect Retribution
Who reads? Joe does. "I like playing video games and reading books, but I only do one of those things professionally. I'm not qualified to assess Drew Karpyshyn's Mass Effect: Redemption (in stores now) in terms of literary merit. However, from a gamer's perspective, I can give you five reasons why the book is definitely worth reading if, like me, you're a fan of the Mass Effect series." Check out his five reasons in this post.

Responding To Gamer Gorilla Radio... Again!
Warbuff gets heated up over the topics discussed during our latest episode of Gamer Gorilla Radio and puts in his two cents in this blog post. Want a chance to chime in on the topics discussed during the podcast? Check out Warbuff's post and debate it out in the comments section.

Sports Gamers FTW
If you haven't already noticed, Kato and Bertz run the sports side of our games coverage here at GI. In this post Kato says haters need to cut sports gamers some slack. "Some people put down sports gamers under the assumption that we're somehow not legitimate gamers. That's ***. I don't get where this comes from. Are these not games with goals, buttons, actions, rewards, and challenges? Like some alternate universe where the geeks are trying to exact their revenge on the jocks from high school, some gamers loves to crap on people who play sports games." All sports gamers and sports haters should give this post a read. You might learn something. Duke it out in the comments section.

Looking For A Comeback — The Rise And Fall Of Sports Gaming
To continue with the sports theme, Rob Ebert put together a great post explaining how he wishes sports games would take bigger leaps in improvement with each iteration. "Maybe it was the ridiculous passing cone introduced in Madden '06, or the way they kept including Good Charlotte songs on the soundtrack, but for whatever reason, each new sports game no longer represented a giant leap forever, but merely a step sideways, and in some cases, backwards." Though he does admit that in some cases there have been some small displays of progress. Here's a post fans of sports games should definitely check out.

So I Finished Final Fantasy XIII...
Finally! Phil is next to finish the latest entry in the Final Fantasy series. Admittedly, I have yet to finish it, but I'll save my reasoning for a separate blog post. What took Phil so long? "Aside from the boring MMO that was Final Fantasy XI, FF XIII is easily the most fascinating anomaly in the main series to me. It is at once the most unique and singular but also the biggest exercise in frustration that has ever carried the Final Fantasy name." Read on for details of his experience.

MotionScan Will Change Video Games, 3D And Motion Controls Will Not
"Are motion controls and 3D really the vehicles that will carry video games into the next generation? Honestly, I don’t think so. While motion controls and 3D are great avenues to explore, I don’t believe that they will transform the gaming world like many developers would like us to believe they will." So what will change the video game landscape? MotionScan, you know, that facial recognition tech used in Rockstar's upcoming L.A. Noire. Read Michael Johnson's post for more on the tech and how it can change gaming.

San Diego Comic-Con 2010 Photos
DTJAAAAM seems to have been at all the big cons this year, and this time around he's put together several of his famous photo blogs featuring sightings from the convention center on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

When Video Game Characters Retire
Saint takes characters from popular franchises in this hilarious post that matches up their skills to what they should do after retiring from their epic adventures.

Have you produced or read a blog post on gameinformer.com that you think should be considered for upcoming installments of Blog Herding? Send over an e-mail with a link to annette@gameinformer.com. I also accept bribes.

Transform and roll out: If you’re looking for some true multiplayer challengers in Activision’s Transformers: War for Cybertron title, look no further than High Moon Studios. This is your chance to play against the developers themselves.

This Thursday, July 29 (that’s tonight) between 9:00 pm and Midnight ET, members from the development staff at High Moon Studios will be available to challenge your gaming prowess in their own game.

If you’re interesting in facing off against some true Transformers nerds send an invite or friend request to one of the following gamertags:

• TFCybertron1
• TFCybertron2
• TFCybertron3
• TFCybertron4
• TFCybertron5
• TFCybertron6
• TFCybertron7
• TFCybertron8
• TFCybertron9
• TFCybertron10

Additionally, you can earn double XP all weekend in War for Cyberton's multiplayer. So what are you waiting for? Transform already!

via Xbox.com

As I was soothed by the sweet sounds of Level 800 Elite Tauren Chieftain rocking out with "Terran Up The Night," it struck me that I had been watching these credits roll for three minutes. On fast forward.

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Blizzard's in-house metal band and their horrific puns aside, the credits for StarCraft II are crazy long. Props for giving us the option to fast-forward them, though. Too bad there's no Skeletor (Ben Reeves' term for post-credits bonus material), though.

It has just been announced by executive producer and writer of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS2/PS3/360/Wii/DS/PSP), Haden Blackman, that he has resigned from LucasArts after 13 years with the company.

Haden Blackman was quoted by saying in a statement that: “I’ve had a fantastic time working with the team at Lucasfilm and am really grateful for their ongoing support, while the decision to leave LucasArts did not happen overnight or come easily.  I really feel that now is the best time for me to move on and explore new creative challenges and I look forward to the next phase of my career.”

Blackman, who was also the producer on Star Wars: Galaxies, Star Wars: Force Commander and also involved in multiple comics and novels, has ultimately decided to leave the company to pursue other goals.  LucasArts has said that the departure of Haden Blackman will not affect the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (PS3/360/Wii/DS/PSP), which is still set for an October 26th release.

A Collector’s Edition (PS3/360) of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II which LucasArts made the announcement early last month, is also scheduled for release on October 26th.

Samus’s comeback coming to store shelves near you.  Nintendo dumps a boatload of screenshots alongside the official packaging.

During E3 2009, Nintendo unveiled an all new Metroid project, Metroid: Other M. Hot off its playable form at E3 2010, the title is scheduled to release on August 31, 2010 in hopes of making it one of the summer’s biggest video games.

Tecmo design squad Team Ninja and one of Nintendo’s internal groups have been hard at work on the game for years.  Metroid: Other M is set between the events of Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion and will be controlled in the Wii Remotes classic orientation (sideways).  Although heavily influenced by Team Ninja’s Ninja Gaiden, Other M will retain the adventurous and exploratory nature the franchise is known for.

The game is presented in the class 2D side-scrolling setup, but the environments are three dimensional.  Furthermore, Samus can enter a first-person perspective in 3D when the player points the Wiimote at the screen.  While in this more-advanced view, Samus cannot move but can lock on to targets.  It has been confirmed that there will be numerous instances where players must juggle the views to accomplish objectives.

The multi-team development of Metroid: Other M goes beyond Nintendo’s previous team efforts on titles like F-Zero GX and Starfox Assault,  Yoshio Sakamoto, the chief Metroid designer, said “It’s more than just a collaborative effort — it’s one group working toward a common goal.”

Metroid: Other M is available for pre-order now.

Producer Yoshinori Ono dishes a handful of details as the official website opens with a screenshot dump.Shortly after producer Yoshinori Ono lent his time for an interview with Famitsu, Capcom launched the official Japanese Super Street Fighter IV (PS3/360) 3DS website.  The new site doesn’t reveal anything in particular, but it does include a handful of screenshots of the 3D title that are included in the gallery below.

Thanks to an extended translation of the interview, we have garnered further insight into the upcoming handheld.  First off, Capcom and its development staff are playing with a variety of ideas for 3D implementation.  Ono specifically mentioned using the 3D tech to fancy up the visual effects.  But he mainly focused on what the 3D technology will not be used for, and that’s gameplay.  Players will not move around the stage and objects will not be used in some cheesy fashion.  He very plainly, and repeatedly stated “The gameplay will be the same as Super Street Fighter IV.”

What we do know is coming is that the game will be tailored to the 3DS control scheme and Capcom is attempting to add some functionality to the second screen.  He closed out the interview by stating that the portable version may see some original content.  First, the goal of keeping all of modes from the console SSFIV, the 35 chracters and deep wireless capabilities must be meet before extra material is explored.

According to Famitsu, the portable version is only 10% done.

Many gamers have been speculating ever since the 3DS was unveiled at E3, as to when Nintendo will make an official announcement regarding the release date and price point of the new handheld.

The speculations have been that the 3DS will cost between $250 to $300,  but those speculations can come to rest very shortly, as Nintendo is scheduled to announce the release date for the 3DS in Japan on September 29th.

According to reports, Nintendo has said that the 3DS will launch before the end of the year in Japan that is.  It is not known if Nintendo will also provide information regarding the North American release date and price, as Nintendo has said that the system will launch in North America on or before March 2011.

With the announcement of the Japanese price and release date, it will give us gamers here in North America an idea of how much the new portable will go for, when it is released here.

No mention of colors was announced, but we are sure that Nintendo will also announce what colors they expect to release the 3DS in, we will keep you posted on any further developments.

Sony and Developer Zipper Interactive have announced that the highly anticipated SOCOM 4 for the PS3, has now been officially delayed until 2011.

SOCOM 4 revolves around a military coup in a South Asian country, where players take control of a five-man squad to stop them in the single-player campaign.  The game will feature 12-hour mission using all motion-captured characters.

SOCOM 4 will also take advantage of the new PlayStation Move controller, giving the player the feel of being in live combat.  All weapons and supplies will be either given at the start of the game, or found inside the missions, to replicate the feeling of searching for supplies in a combat scenario.  Multiplayer, the biggest feature in the SOCOM series is back, and is set to feature a 32-person multiplayer with new Special Forces units.

Sony and Zipper Interactive have released a statement saying:

“While we’re certainly aware that you’ve been looking forward to playing SOCOM 4 this year, we don’t want to take any shortcuts.  Instead, we want to deliver the best and most immersive SOCOM game we possibly can and we’re going to use our extra time to do just that.”

So it looks like gamers and fans of the popular SOCOM series are going to have to wait a little while longer for SOCOM 4, but we are hoping the extra time need to complete the game is worth the wait.

To us, there is a specific circle of Hell reserved for people who talk during movies, use cell phones in gyms, and consciously under-use their turn signal. After reading this eBay posting from seller “modzkingdante,” you will think that some people deserve a far worse punishment... ...

As is Capcom tradition, new characters for their fighting games are revealed through an agonizingly slow trickle process. We get that it’s a surefire way to build hype for games that can be a year (or more) away from release, but when you’re waiting for a sequel to a game released a friggin’ decade ago, “aintsy” is just one of the words to describe it... ...

Capcom's Japanese site has just put up some fresh, though sadly 2D, shots of SSFIV 3D Edition, and things seem to be coming along nicely. The screens clearly show that most of the core roster from SFIV will be included; Ryu, Ken, C. Viper, Blanka, Zangief, Chun-Li and Sagat are all in. No word on the rest of the cast, but we can’t imagine them calling it Super SFIV without fan favorite Juri making an appearance. ...

When we first saw the 3DS at E3, I think everyone agreed that right release date for the 3DS should be “immediately,” and the price should be “whatever you want, just give it to me now!” Still, Nintendo has been cagey with any details for the fancy new handheld. But hot on the heels of rumors that it will launch in Japan in October, Nintendo announced it will finally hold a press conference on September 29 where all will be revealed... ...

Santa's bag of toys will be a little bit lighter than expected this year, as one of the most hotly anticipated games scheduled for a holiday release has been relegated to a much less exciting early 2011 launch.

Breaking the hearts of PlayStation FPS fans all across the country, the game's developer Zipper has announced that development of Socom 4 is taking a little bit longer than expected. According to an official blog post... ...

Just wanted to remind you guys that Reality Blurs president Sean Preston has agreed to answer your questions!  Sean’s company publishes books primarily for Savage Worlds, but they are branching out to other systems, including True 20.  For more info, you can visit their website HERE, as well as read our review of Savage Worlds HERE and Reality Blur’s Realms of Cthulhu HERE.

We really need some good questions posted from you guys to make this work, so please post in the comments here, the original article which is linked above, or the Reddit post which can be found HERE.  Don’t feel restricted to asking questions about Realms of Cthulhu!  Sean is a pro at running games, designing, and runs a very successful company.  Ask anything!

Thanks guys, please post!

Troll in the Corner.

Related posts:

1. Win a Signed Copy of Realms of Cthulhu from Reality Blurs!
2. Origins 2010 Expanded Coverage – Realms of Cthulhu
3. Got questions, thoughts, suggestions or criticisms for me?

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WWE All-Stars won’t be the only grappler coming out beside the latest version of SmackDown vs. Raw.  And no, THQ isn’t creating SmackDown vs. Raw vs. ECW as its third WWE property.

In a chat with CVG, THQ core games boss Danny Bilson stated that the company is working on four WWE properties (including an Asia-only online game).  The fourth property, that was previously unknown, is to follow the lead of WWE All-Stars (360/PS3/PSP/Wii).  The untitled game will be more of an arcade affair, when compared to the flagship SmackDown vs. Raw franchise.

“Next year you’ll see another new extension there in another way – that’s just as exciting as All Stars, but a little different. We’re not talking about that yet,” he told CVG.  WWE All-Stars and the unannounced title “are more friendly, easier and less simmy than Smackdown! Vs Raw.”

WWE All-Stars (360/PS3/PSP/Wii) was announced shortly before E3 2010, where it was playable on the show floor.  WWE All-Stars will be out during the first half of next year, likely ahead of the untitled project and SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 (360/PS2/PS3/PSP/Wii).

Capcom has been front and center since last week at Comic-Con with their huge announcement of Street Fighter X Tekken, coming to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

While Capcom is now currently working on Super Street Fighter IV (PS3/360) for the 3DS, producer of the game Yoshinori Ono has revealed why Capcom chose to bring the game to the 3DS, instead of the PSP and current DS.

In a recent an interview with popular Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, Ono said that although Capcom looked at the PSP and DS, the current generation of handhelds couldn’t do justice to the title.  Yoshinori Ono said that another reason to bring Super Street Fighter IV (PS3/360) to the 3DS, was the wireless capabilities of the system, allowing players to communicate with each other, which will be an important part of Super Street Fighter IV (PS3/360) on the 3DS.

In addition to explaining Capcom’s decision to bring it to the 3DS, he also revealed a few details about the game.  He assures fans that the gameplay will remain the same as Super Street Fighter IV (PS3/360) on the home consoles, and that the game won’t be toned down for a younger audience.

Capcom will reveal more information on Super Street Fighter IV (PS3/360) for the 3DS in the coming months.

I’ve been to a couple of conventions this summer, as you no doubt know. Origins was a really good time, and KantCon gave me some good friends (and a killer snack table). I have never had experiences like this before. They were both amazing, but now it’s time for something even bigger.

I leave for GenCon in one week.

After I left KantCon, I was feeling a little bit, well, done with conventions for the summer. Just over the last 24 hours, though, the excitement has been growing. I’m thinking back to Origins and imagining it writ large, crossing over the space of the Indiana Conventions Center and into the adjoining hotels. I’m remembering the people that I met and the games I ran at KantCon and I’m looking forward to seeing some of those people again, and running through the DMs Gauntlet.

Mostly, I’m excited about every awesome unplanned thing that will happen. When I went to Origins, I went with very little plan as to what, exactly, I would do. Sure, I had some events that I had tickets for, but I was more than willing to go sideways and try something new. Without having that willingness to try something new, I never would have played in Morton’s List, Fellowship of the White Star, Dread, Burning Wheel, or ADGNEPSEF555.

And that’s going to be my guiding philosophy for GenCon, as well. I have to admit, I have a few more things directly planned for GenCon, but that’s mainly because I’m actually going to be hanging out with people that I know; such activities necessitate more plans. However, I have plenty of free time, so I hope to encounter some new things so my horizons can expand.

That having been said, here’s what I’ll be doing, and when.

Thursday

11:30AM to 7:30PM - DM’s Gauntlet

Friday

2PM to 6PM – Dresden Files

6PM to 10PM – Ennies Awards Show

11PM to 2AM – Nerdcore Entertainment Showcase

Saturday

8PM to 10PM – Media Meet & Greet

Sunday

Completely open, as of now.

So, that’s my schedule. Friday is pretty busy, but Saturday and Sunday are much more open, giving me time to take things as quickly or as slowly as I need to. I will have my voice recorder with me, as well as tons of extra batteries, so I’ll be recording as much audio as I am able to.

What I would like to know from you, oh noble readers of TC, is what else you would like from my GenCon coverage that I did not give in my Origins or KantCon coverage? I am going to do my level best to take more pictures, since I seem to be bad at remembering I have a camera with me, but other than that, I’m planning on duplicating my formula from my Origins coverage.

So, let me know.

As well, if you want my updates as they come, then follow me on Twitter.

I’m really looking forward to this convention, and I hope that it lives up to its promise. I’ll be dropping updates as often as I am able, so keep checking back here at TC to find out what I’m doing at GenCon.

Technorati Tags: rpg, rpgs, role playing games, conventions, GenCon

Troll in the Corner.

Related posts:

1. Convention Coverage Draws Nigh
2. Con Coverage This Summer
3. Origins 2010 Photodump

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Post tags: conventions, GenCon, Role Playing Games, rpg, rpgs

Last December I sat down with a good friend and we talked a bit about what a standard high fantasy world would be like if a worldwide zombie apocalypse were to happen to it.  What would happen to the various nations, empires and races?  Who would be affected most?   How would it change the political structure, the formation of cities, or just going for a stroll between adventures?  This discussion was the launching point for the World of Aruneus - a high fantasy world which has suffered just such an event, 100 years in its past.   After much writing, deliberating, play testing and development, I release several documents for this world, including the Orcs as a player character race and the zombies themselves.

This led me to create the Aruneus Project.  In creating these I’ve met a number of talented artists, editors, and writers who’ve also worked on these with me.  I’m now hoping to bring this project to the next level by releasing a 100 (give or take) page supplement containing all of the information needed to run a complete campaign in the world of Aruneus, including several 1st and 2nd level modules.  To do this though, I would need several objectives met.  The first and foremost is paying my artists, editors, typesetters and Pathfinder experts.  These are all talented people who want to work in the RPG industry and could really use that one break. Their name on a project, and a paycheck.  With the Aruneus Project I can offer them all of this, as well as have the funding to publish this as a physical book, and get it out into the public eye at several conventions.  Currently the project is 68% funded (the goal is $1,500) with 26 days left!

This book would contain the following publications. A * means the product is already published. Unpublished products are all currently in progress, being actively worked on and have artists assigned to them.

*The History of Aruneus – a time line.
Aruneus – life in a post-apocalypse world – featuring an Atlas style map, and detailed history.
*Contagion Infected Zombies. 3 different zombie types, a new feat, and a cure.
*Zombie Cards – for Contagion Infected Zombie management.
*Orcs! A new Player Character Race, Prestige class and more.
Two new full character classes, including the Quantamancer.
The Gods of Aruneus – detailing the six gods of the pantheon, new divine magic and more.
*Clerics and Wizards – the struggle between the ruling Clerics and outlawed magic.
*The Dwarven Empire – the rise and fall of the Dwarves.
The Elves – a history of the race of Elves and their struggle with the human undead.
Herbology – Magical herbs found throughout Aruneus
The Haunted Mine – The first adventure in the Aruneus world for 1st level characters.
New Enemies – A second adventure for 1st level characters.

All of these would also be available as individual PDFs.

That is where the Aruneus Project stands at the moment.  If this sounds interesting to you, I would encourage you to visit the Kickstarter page for the project, where there are more descriptive updates.  There’s also a Facebook page that is updated frequently, and of course this site right here.

Technorati Tags: rpg, role playing games, aruneus, zombies, pathfinder, pfrpg

Troll in the Corner.

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1. Aruneus Project II – A 100 page source book for a Zombie infested, high fantasy apocalypse
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3. The Zombies are here! World of Aruneus – Contagion Infected Human Zombies and Zombie Cards now available!

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Post tags: Aruneus, pathfinder, PFRPG, Role Playing Games, rpg, zombies

Preferring temperate or cold forests above all else, the Coilicoot is a snake-like mammal which has claimed many curious victims.

Appearing like a cross between a large snake and a house cat, the Coilicoot can be found in many northern forests throughout the world.  Their coloration ranges from whites and blacks through dark orange and brown. Unlike their reptilian counterparts, Coilicoots are warm blooded, entirely nocturnal and prefer cold areas.  Armed with sharp fangs and highly toxic venom, Coilicoots should not be underestimated.

Coilicoots can grow to six feet long, a foot in diameter and weigh up to forty pounds.  When threatened, they coil into tight, furry balls and emit a sound not unlike a cat’s purr.  This has led many an unwary traveller, particularly children, to attempt to pet them or play with them. Seeing these behaviors as threatening gestures, the Coilicoot naturally attacks.

Technorati Tags: rpg, role playing games, pathfinder, d20, coilicoot, creature

Troll in the Corner.

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Post tags: coilicoot, creature, d20, pathfinder, Role Playing Games, rpg

Today marks what would have been Gary Gygax’s 71st birthday.  Let’s all grab our favorite dice, pause a moment to think about RPG’s and how much Gary influenced everything we do with them, and then give him an honor roll.  Feel free to report any Natural 20′s here.

Technorati Tags: honor roll, gary gygax, rpg, role playing games

Troll in the Corner.

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Post tags: gary gygax, honor roll, Role Playing Games, rpg

It sounds a bit confusing but A Terrible Idea actually has a great idea!  60 “Terrible Character Portraits” which, once created, would be released under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License and be free to use by anyone!  Folks looking for a good character sheet portrait.  Newly minted game designers *cough* – anyone would be able to use these character portraits.

They’re looking to raise $750 to fund this project.  It think this would be a fantastic thing to have for the community, with a low cost of entry when spread out over multiple folks backing the project.   More in their own words:

That means that anyone could take the character portraits and use them in stories, RPGs, NPC writeups, adventures, collages or larger works, provided they provided proper attribution for the portraits.

Each portrait will be hand-drawn by Jeff Preston (see his work here). The final images will be about 2″ x 2 1/2″ square, give or take. They will be scanned at 300dpi and made available for easy download. The portraits will essentially be headshots, geared toward system and period agnostic pieces to allow for maximum flexibility.

Please Note : The vast majority of the money goes directly to the artist, Jeff Preston, to properly compensate him for his work. After related fees, I will retain a small amount (< $75.00) to cover my own time and expenses on the project (writing, mailing, etc).

Should we raise more money than needed, the extra money will be used to add additional portraits to the project.

Technorati Tags: rpg, terrible idea, character portriats, kickstarter, role playing games

Troll in the Corner.

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Post tags: character portriats, kickstarter, Role Playing Games, rpg, terrible idea

Rite Publishing scores again with The Secrets of Martial Mastery, a nice little book filled with over 25 new feats and their corresponding combat maneuvers sure to spice up any fight.  Drawing from everything between plain old fisticuffs to fencing moves, you can now do a lot more with your hands-on type characters.  In addition to the new feats and combat maneuvers, there’s a new prestige class: Master of the Arts – someone who’s great at fighting and great at dispensing that knowledge as well.

There are rules and flavor text for many different kinds of maneuvers, including throwing, cutting clothing off, blinding, causing nausea, and more along that vein.  If you and your group enjoy this kind of thing, this book will deliver.  I wouldn’t put it under my “must have” list though as a game could progress along nicely without even missing it.  It is a niche product in other words but if it’s your niche, you’ll enjoy it.

The layout is done very well but the artwork leaves a bit to be desired in some cases, although the cover is stunning.  At the current price of $2.99 this would be a great book to present to your combat oriented group, or that player that just loves to get descriptive about their fights.  4 out of 5 stars.

Technorati Tags: rpg, role playing games, pathfinder, review, martial mastery

Troll in the Corner.

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Post tags: martial mastery, pathfinder, review, Role Playing Games, rpg