Gaming Mojo

Michael Pachter has called it: Natal will be $50 when it goes on sale in the US by the end of this year.

The Wedbush Morgan analyst, speaking in the latest edition of his Pach-Attack show on GT, said:

“My guess is, talking to my hardware specialist colleagues at Wedbush, it’s about $50 in cost,” he said.

“I’d be very surprised if the thing is more then $79, and I really think it’s going to be $50. Microsoft’s not trying to make money on the device, trying to get everybody to have the device so that they can sell us other things, eventually can sell us a lot more Xbox 360s.

“My call is $50, I think that’s where it’s going to be launched.”

This of course is just speculation on his part but what if he is right? I don’t know Microsoft is in the business to make money. I personally think it will be more that just a mere $50. But I have been wrong before.

An LA casting call for Call of Duty-related “voice over/motion capture” for an Activision “video game” has described character Frank Barnes as being part of an elite Vietnam unit, the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group.

SOG was responsible for covert operations in Vietnam, and was active from 1964-1972.

The call is for motion capture and VO work for what looks like four major characters from the game. The details come from a US casting site. Activision has yet to say anything about the Treyarch title other than it’s coming this year and it’s not expected to be bigger than Modern Warfare 2.

I have been dissapointed with the Modern series as we aren’t really fighting the real enemy in the game. Nothing “modern” about that. With this one and the series with the Nazi’s it’s a real enemy your taking on and that never gets old to me.

Nintendo DS gamers looking for a crime and forensics interactive mystery, search no more. SouthPeak Games, who collaborated with Nobilis, have just released Crime Scene for the Nintendo DS.

Aubrey Norris PR Manager at SouthPeak says:

“By combining a suspenseful storyline and forensics investigation controlled using the stylus and touch screen interface, Crime Scene literally puts the evidence right at your fingertips in a comprehensive and compelling way.

Crime scene investigation and forensic science is exceptionally popular right now and has a huge audience eager to test their skills in authentic forensic scenarios. Crime Scene the game offers users an engrossing adventure, and by taking advantage of the unique Nintendo DS interface, makes detective work a realistic, tactile and gratifying experience.”

Crime Scene is a Mature rated game and is available now for purchase. Visit www.crimescenegame.com for more information on the game.

Konami has announced that it is bringing the next Ninety-Nine Nights game to the Xbox 360. The original Ninety-Nine Nights was published by Microsoft Game Studios, but Konami picks up the Ninety-Nine Nights series with N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights. Expect more of  a two-player online mode.

Here are the details on N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights from Konami:
“Set on a ravaged world, N3II:Ninety-Nine Nights invites the player to take on all comers in a series of spectacular battles. Players can enjoy the story from five different perspectives – including humans, elves and goblins – and are pitted against wave after wave of adversaries in the ultimate ‘last man standing’ free-for-all. Each of the species is given a specific back story which unfolds as the game progresses, while the various races also bring unique skills and abilities to the battle field.

At its heart, N3II:Ninety-Nine Nights is a vast combat title, with hundreds of enemy creatures on screen simultaneously. As the camera picks over the action, the player can use a wealth of easily-effected combo attacks to carve a path through the enemy, and also use whatever weapons and items come to hand. At the end of each skirmish, players will then face a ‘Titanic Boss Battle’ against the champion of their current adversary, with players forced to move quickly and locate the well hidden weak spots of these seemingly unstoppable behemoths.

N3II:Ninety-Nine Nights also has a stunning two-player co-op online mode, wherein players team up against the oncoming hordes, working together to expand their combo range to take out more enemy assailants at once. This two-player mode features online ranking boards detailing the most effective pairings across the globe.”

You can check out more at Konami.com

Ubisoft has announced that the second DLC for Assassins Creed 2, Bonfire of the Vanities, will be released February 18, 2010, via PSN and XBL. Players will gain access to a new district of Florence in the DLC as well as Ezio’s new “spring jump” move as they work with Machiavelli to free the city from the grip of the mad monk Savonarola by targeting influential citizens under his control.

Its going out for $4 or 320 MS Point, or you have the option to bundle with three Templar Secret Locations for $6.50 or 520 MS Points. Not sure about PSN pricing.

Palazzo Medici – Located in Florence, the player gets to explore the house of the Medici family. It is located in the San Marco district of Florence.

Santa Maria dei Frari – Located in Venice, in the San Polo district, the player gets to explore this renowned church built in the XIIIth century.

Arsenal Shipyard – Venice was known for its Arsenal, a shipyard that was settled in the eastern part of the city. The last Templars’ Lair is located there, and lets the player explore the Drydocks.

There are a couple of new screens from the DLC here and you can check out the trailer here

(Credit to gametrailers.com for links)

For PC fans, wondering about these DLC’s coming out, Ubisoft has announced that the PC released will include the DLC’s that are issued out before release in March

Halo Legends is available on Blu-ray, DVD (single disc and two-disc edition).  Halo Legends features eight animated shorts, each running about 10-17 minutes in length. There is also a wealth of information on the Halo franchise, with additional material available in the Halo Legends Blu-ray Edition and Two-Disc Special Edition DVD.

Here is some of the extra content that you will find in the Halo Legends Blu-ray and Two-Disc Editions:

Halo Legends – Blu-ray Editio
Includes bonus materials found in the DVD Two-Disc Edition (see below), as well as “Halo: The Story so Far,” which is an overview of Halo through the end of Halo 3.

Halo Legends – Two-Disc Special Edition
Includes several hours of bonus features:
- The Making of Halo Legends: An introduction to Halo Legends followed by a making-of segment for each episode.

- Halo: Gaming Evolved – Explaining the Halo phenomenon from its inception as an Xbox video game to a present day entertainment franchise.

- Audio Commentary with directors Frank O’Connor and Joseph Chou.

- Widescreen format (1.78:1)

Well Capcom has done it, after breaking the barrel with its release of SFIV on all platforms; they have done a version for the iphone/ipod. Apparently reports state that Capcom spent “months” refining the controls system to accurately replicate an arcade stick, even though it looks like a basic concept. Also the iPhone version pulls its assets directly from the current-gen code, meaning that in terms of graphics, the game should offer the same character models with minimal colour or detail loss

Unfortunately the only characters confirmed thus far are Ken and Ryu, well really you wouldn’t need to confirm these two, they are like a must same with a lot of the main characters carried from version to version, so expect the usual and hopefully one or two new arrivals.

Lastly, the game will feature multiplayer via Bluetooth atm, further details about internet play have not been released but assume they will be included as this game is a PvP based game. Well to all Street Fighter fans and really anyone that here with a “fixed” iPhone/ iPod should have a look when it arrives, purely on the basis you don’t have to pay for it

Those following Lionhead’s Fable franchise will be happy to know that the third instalment will be released in time to invite you back to Albion this coming holiday season. Also, some new in-game images from Fable III have emerged and are rather dark yet interesting to say the least.

News for more sneak-peeks and content to be coming out the months so I’ll keep you guys posted on this.

I’m really looking forward to this, played the first on the old Xbox and loved it, so much so i got a the Lost Chapters on PC, now with a definite exclusion of a PC version of Fable 2, can only hope that a PC version is released for this. Even so 360 fans can still relax as this will is guaranteed to hit the 360 at the end of this year. Let’s hope it has something to offer to improve on an average performance of the prior to issues.

In a recent interview with WorthPlaying.com, Battlefield: Bad Company 2’s senior producer Patrick Bach discussed many aspects of the highly-anticipated shooter including the game’s humour, level design, locations, and more. One aspect that came up, voluntarily, was that of DLC where Bach had the following to say:

One thing that’s also very interesting is how we see our customers. We see the game as the first step to a longer experience. We have an in-game store where you get free content or you can buy new content to the game, so it’s a very integral part of the game that we will have a long post-launch campaign. I think people will be thrilled to see what’s in that already. On day one, you will get some really cool stuff.

So, not surprisingly, we learn that BFBC2 will support DLC of both the free and paid variety, although we don’t know what will be featured in the DLC on day one. The above quote had been in debate about the content of this first coming DLC, and what its worth. As with some recent games, it’s possible a major DLC could be offer via a one-time-use code posted in a every copy. Or have an in-game catalogue of the available DLC’s, free or pay.

Anyways, its refreshing to know extra content and DLC’s are become more common in games these days, extended the play duration and enjoy for the majority of players. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 ships this March for the PS3, 360, and PC.

Those anxiously awaiting the release of Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, will be pleased to know (myself included), that a demo has been released on the Xbox 360 Marketplace. At the moment the demo is only available to Gold subscribers, with it becoming available to everyone in the next few days. The demo is 1.3GB.

You can choose between Sonic or Banjo Kazooie in the demo, with one map open.  While it may be great for Sonic fans, it is very much like Mario Kart and Crash Kart Racing, with power ups to collect which give you items to throw at other players, or power ups which give you a speed boost, or shield.

Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing will be released on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii (with an optional wheel), DS/DSi and on PC. American release date is 23rd of February, while Europe will get the game on the 26th.