General Discussion

Following my review of Inside a Star-filled Sky, I had a chance to talk with the developer, Jason Rohrer about some aspects of the game. He answered some of the questions I had and was able to provide some insights into the game’s design. The following are some excerpts of the chat that I had with him, edited into Q&A format. Q: Any survival tips? A: The general idea (at least how I approach playing the game—there are many ways) is to “bootstrap” your next power up with your current one. Yeah, entering power-ups from level 118 is really hard if you’re carrying a pea-shooter (because of the difficulty modifier). So, you want to enter your NEXT power-up pick up be…

Earlier this week Alan Wake 2 rumors were stirring around the internet and Remedy has confirmed to Eurogamer that the next Alan Wake will not be a retail version of Alan Wake or DLC. “Fans of the franchise will be excited to learn that yes, more Wake is coming! But to be absolutely certain to avoid confusion, this next Wake instalment will not be Alan Wake 2. And neither will it be DLC,” – Oskari Hakkinen, Head of Franchise Development Instead Alan Wake: Night Springs is rumored to be an Xbox Live Arcade release and according to Eurogamer Remedy was hiring for motion controller experts last year making some wonder if Alan Wake: Night Springs will be Kinect enabled. via E…

It appears that Marcus Fenix will be searching for his scientist father in the highly anticipated final chapter where the Fenix story unfolds in the upcoming shooter from Epic Games, Gears of War 3. The full trailer will air on May 28 during the Champion League’s Final after the final whistle. If you can’t wait an extra week to see the campaign reveal trailer, then feast your eyes on a tiny bit of a teaser. <br> <center> </center><br> via Joystiq Tweet This Post View the full article

If you are finding yourself heading off to college later this year and need a computer or maybe you are already taking classes and need a new computer, now would be the time to make that purchase. Microsoft announced that beginning on May 22 until September 3 if you purchase a new Windows 7 PC that is valued at $699 or more you will receive a free 4 GB Xbox 360 S model at participating retailers. All you have to do is show your proof of college student ID or make a purchase online using your .edu email. The offer is only valid in the United States, however this deal will be coming to France and Canada soon. via Windows Team Blog Tweet This Post View the full art…

"Primary reports seem to be that updating to firmware 3.61 will cause PlayStations to overheat," reads the "answer" to the issue. "There have been various reports of this on a few different games now, all reporting their PS3s turning off or 'Red Lighting' after having installed 3.61." Read the rest, here. Source - [GamePro]

Details for this promotion can be found, here.

OnLive has announced that Duke Nukem Forever will be launching on their game streaming platform coinciding with the games US launch on June 14th. Partnering with Gearbox Software and 2K Games, they have also announced that with each pre-order, you will receive either a free game or the OnLive Micro Console. This deal is very similar to things they have done in the past with high profile game releases. John Spinale, OnLive VP of Games and Media had this to say: “The satirical and action-packed gameplay of the Duke Nukem brand makes it a fantastic fit for next-level, easy-access gaming on the OnLive service. Members can laugh, taunt and quote Duke-isms in real-time …

Developed by: Jason Rohrer Published by: Jason Rohrer Platforms: PC Players: 1 What happens when you cross Geometry Wars with Inception? You get a space shooter of epic, layered proportions. Inside a Star-Filled Sky is a space shooter unlike any other. I say space shooter for lack of a better term, as you’re really in some odd, layered pixel dimension. There isn’t really an objective in the game aside from maybe seeing how far you can go. You can play the game normally like any other shooter, flying around the levels, blasting enemies until you find the level exit. If you can’t find the exit, you can stand still and a guide line will lead you to it. And when yo…

"This was an unprecedented situation," he told reporters today. "Most of these breaches go unreported by companies. Forty-three percent notify victims within a month. We reported in a week. You're telling me my week wasn't fast enough?" So much for remaining humble. Read the rest, here. Source - [GI] Also, some of the comments on that article are spot on. Sony may want to gauge their fans reactions to all this.

Microsoft released a statement earlier about how they plan on making sure that Xbox 360 users who have been affected by the new dashboard update still get to play the games that they love and it involves a new console. The new mandatory update has not been compatible with some older models of the Xbox 360 when it comes to the new disc format and Microsoft has announced that they will be replacing those consoles for free with a new Xbox 360 Model S and a 250 GB hard drive. If you are finding yourself having an issue with reading retail copies of your games after applying the update, Microsoft has said to get in contact with support immediately. If you are planning on sche…

The intro for EA’s and Spicy Horses’s highly anticipated sequel, Alice: Madness Returns has been released for your viewing pleasure. The intro has Alice remembering a memory that makes her “sick”. Just what is reality in that memory dear Alice? Fans will have to wait until June 14 to find out. <br> <br> via Tweet This Post View the full article

As a reward for reaching the 500,000 fan mark on the Silent Hill Facebook page and Silent Hill: Downpour’s producer Devin Shatsky is giving fans of the series a sneak peek look at what they will showing at E3. <br> <br> via Tweet This Post View the full article

If you participated in the Gears of War 3 beta the following set of stats might be of interest to you considering that you along with 1.29 million players clocked in about 249 years worth of matches. That’s correct, 249 years. 1.29 million people participated in the beta145 different countries participated in the beta249 years worth of matches playedMore than 11 million matches completedMore than 927 million kills recordedMore than 131 million executions performedMore than 23 million deaths by chainsawNearly 23 BILLION bullets fired4.9 billion ribbons and 291 million medals earned435,000 people earned the beta-exclusive Thrashball Cole skin to use in the retail game wh…

“The decision was not up to Starbreeze, and when it was decided to do a sequel we had already started working on a new project,” – via Starbreeze CEO, Mikael Nermark speaking to CVG Starbreeze CEO, Mikael Nermark made that statement to CVG as the studio who developed the first game of Jackie Estacado’s adventure in The Darkness, opened up about not making the sequel, The Darkness II. 2K Games instead chose Digital Extremes who has worked on BioShock, BioShock 2, and various Unreal Tournament games. The Darkness II is set for release on October 4, 2011 and the story will pick up two years after the events in first game and finds that Jackie used his powers to become the he…

Honest Hearts, the first of three DLC packs that were announced for the somewhat buggy RPG from Bethesda, Fallout: New Vegas has been released today for the Xbox 360. The Playstation 3 release is being halted until the Playstation Network gets back up and running. In Honest Hearts, you will find yourself going on an adventure that will ultimately lead you to Zion and the “Burned Man”. New missions have been added, along with new perks, characters, and achievements that will boost your gamerscore up by 140 points. Honest Hearts will cost you 800 Microsoft Points. via Fallout: New Vegas wikia and Xbox Live Marketplace Tweet This Post View the full article

Happy Birthday TC! I hope it's a good one

PlayStation 3 and PSP owners had cause to celebrate over the weekend, when Sony announced that it had begun enabling some functionality of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity, as well as relaunching Sony Online Entertainment games. However, despite Sony's claims to have rebuilt the services with a greater emphasis on security, Japanese officials are demanding greater transparency before authorizing their relaunch. Sony still faces hurdles before relaunching the PSN in Japan. The Dow Jones Newswire reports that Japan's Media and Content Industry department at the Ministry of Economy is holding up the relaunch of the services until Sony offers greater transparency on the s…

Apparently the upcoming release of Infamous 2 in Europe is deserving of not one, two, or even three, but four different bundles and of course the purchase of the game seperately, when the game releases in Europe on June 8th and June 10th of this year. The Lenticular Special Edition – “with a powershot of extra digital content including the Electrocution Grenade power, Golden Amp and an exclusive Cole MacGrath skin from inFamous 1″ The Luxury Hero Edition – “complete with Lightning Hook downloadable power, Kessler skin, a Cole MacGrath figurine and inFamous comic from graphic novel legends DC Comics, a replica Cole MacGrath messenger bag and the inFamous 2 digital soundtr…

Can’t wait to get your hands on those big, huge, muscular, biceps of Duke Nukem? If you happen to have purchased Borderlands Game of the Year Edition you are in luck, because 2K Games and Gearbox recently announced that the members of “Duke Nukem Forever First Access Club” will be receiving the demo on June 3. The only way to become a member is by purchasing Borderlands GOTY or pre-ordering a copy of Duke Nukem Forever from a local game store. Gearbox President Randy Pitchford made the announcement in a “Special Message from Gearbox” video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsoNz-7xtg0 via VG247 Tweet This Post View the full article

Games like Infamous and Little Big Planet are up for grabs. http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/05/16/details-for-playstation-network-and-qriocity-customer-appreciation-program-in-north-america/

If the recent filings of an FCC document are correct than it appears that Fox Entertainment will be heading to video game consoles. According to the Gamasutra who posted a link to the FCC document, this service will be a pay to watch television service and is rumored to be either “a cable, FIOS, or satellite company in the US.” Hulu and Netflix are already offered on the current generation of consoles leading many to wonder how this rumor would impact the use of those services as well as what consoles would get this rumored pay to watch television service. via Gamasutra Tweet This Post View the full article

The actors that led their talents and likeliness to the recent Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation zombies mode map Call of the Dead, speak out about their experience with Call of Duty and some look down right awkward doing it. <br> <br> via Joystiq and Tweet This Post View the full article

Confirmed today via Mass Effect 3′s Executive Producer Casey Hudson’s Twitter is the same-sex friendly option meaning that Commander Shepard can engage in relationship acts with anybody regardless of sex. “Happy to confirm #ME3 supports wider options for love interests incl. same-sex for m&f chars, reactive to how you interact w/them in-game.” – Casey Hudson, ME3 Executive Producer Mass Effect 3 is slated for a quarter one 2012 launch and EA will have the game at this year’s E3.via Twitter Tweet This Post View the full article

The announcement of Modern Warfare 3 made many Call of Duty fans rejoice, but that happiness went away when it was followed by the little fact that Modern Warfare 3 is being handled by two different developers instead of being directly developed by Infinity Ward. Infinity Ward is providing assistance on some level and now rumors are flying that there is a big reveal on the way. No exact details have been released regarding the big reveal rumor other than a huge number 3 in green appearing on the Playstation UK Magazine that says, “The biggest game in the world returns”. Rumors are also on the rise that Infinity Ward will be making a Call of Duty game in the future and …

Happy Birthday Double D!