A demo of the incredibly anticipated BioShock is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace, with a PC version currently "in the final stages of testing" and planned to release by the month's end. Developed by the studio formerly known, BioShock arrives on PC and Xbox 360 August 21 in North America and August 24 in Europe.
Medal of Honor Airborne demo heading to X360, PC
[pc][xbox360]
A demo of EA Los Angeles' upcoming WWII first-person shooter will hit Xbox 360 and PC on Thursday, August 23. The PC and Xbox 360 editions of the game arrive September 4, while the PlayStation 3 version follows in November.
Pirates, Ninjas embrace Dodgeball
[ps3][xbox360]
Blazing Lizard issued the first details of Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball, planned for a Q1 2008 release on unspecified console download services. Supporting matches of eight-player online with four-player co-op, it is reportedly the first of several planned downloadable Pirates vs. Ninjas entries. Along with the announcement, Blazing Lizard unveiled several screens and pieces of concept art.
On the Xbox 360 front:
XBLA nets Ecco, Hexic 2
[xbox360]
Carbonated Games' color- and formation-based puzzler Hexic 2, the followup to the Xbox 360 HDD pack-in Hexic HD, and Novotrade's underwater Genesis adventure Ecco the Dolphin hit Xbox Live Arcade this week. Hexic 2 sells for 800 Microsoft Points ($10), whereas Ecco runs 400 Microsoft Points ($5).
For more information on the games, including screenshots, check out our initial coverage of the news.
Skate demo delayed
[xbox360]
Previously announced for an August 15 release, the demo for EA Black Box's Skate has been delayed "for a few days." Executive producer Scott Blackwood attributed the holdup to a technical issue with the demo's video upload capabilities.
Space Giraffe certified, expected soon
[xbox360]
Space Giraffe, the latest effort from the psychedelic Jeff Minter, has passed Microsoft's certification process, the Llamasoft founder announced on his LiveJournal. Now both complete and approved by Microsoft, the trippy shooter is expected to debut on Xbox Live Arcade in the coming weeks. Prior to Space Giraffe's approval, Minter referred to Microsoft's certification process as the most stressful thing he had ever encountered in the video game industry.
3D Realms wants Duke Nukem XBLA
[xbox360]
3D Realms has approached Microsoft with the prospect of bringing its iconic PC shooter Duke Nukem 3D to Xbox Live Arcade. "Truth be told, we've talked to Microsoft about it and have some people that would port it," 3D Realms' George Broussard revealed in a Shacknews posting. "Just waiting on the good word from Microsoft to continue."
Schizoid makes XNA to XBLA transition
[xbox360]
Torpex Games confirmed that Schizoid, developed in Microsoft's XNA Game Studio Express, will be the first XNA-created title to appear on Xbox Live Arcade when it releases later this year. For more details and screens of Schizoid, hit the original news post.
XNA creators win XBLA contracts
[xbox360]
The top four entries in Microsoft's Dream-Build-Play XNA game contest--David Flook's Blazing Birds, James Silva's The Diswasher: Dead Samurai, Steve Olofsson's Gravitron Ultra, and Daniel McGuire's Yo Ho Kablammo!-- have been offered publishing contracts that will see the titles arrive on Xbox Live Arcade. For screens of the games and additional info, scope out our detailed news post.
New Guitar Hero 2 songs. Finally.
[x360]
The first round of original downloadable content for Harmonix's Guitar Hero II has appeared at long last, offering three new My Chemical Romance tracks performed by the band itself--Teenagers, Famous Last Words, and This is How I Disappear--for 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25).
Wireless update rocks Xbox 360
[x360]
A minor system update for the Xbox 360 arrived last week, adding support for the wireless guitars that will accompany Neversoft's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Harmonix's Rock Band this fall. A more substantial and feature-rich update is planned for release later this year.
Other Xbox Live Marketplace downloads
[xbox360]
- A new ten-level campaign are available for Ninja Bee's Band of Bugs, which also brings a new tile set and two new units to the game. It sells for 250 Microsoft Points ($3.12).
- Namco Bandai released a free demo of the upcoming roll'em up Beautiful Katamari.
- Owners of Sierra Online's Carcassonne can purchase The River II expansion set for 300 Microsoft Points ($3.75), which adds 12 new pieces to the tile-laying game.
- Long available on the Japanese Marketplace, the demo of tri-Crescendo's gorgeous role-playing adventure Eternal Sonata is now available for Xbox 360 users in North America.
- Players of Day 1 Studios' Xbox 360 edition of Monolith's F.E.A.R. can snag three new free multiplayer maps: Ecosphere, Hotel and Sewers.
- Another wave of 80 Microsoft Point ($1) costumes are up for players of Yuke's Media Creations' Rumble Roses XX, providing five new outfits for SS Aisha, SS Anesthesia, SS Spencer.
- Ten additional game types are available for Silver Creek Entertainment's Soltrio Solitaire, bringing rules such as Steps, Streets, Sultan, and TreFoil for 150 Microsoft Points ($1.87).
- A demo of Midway Games Chicago's John Woo-inspired shooter Stranglehold can be found in the Xbox Live Marketplace.
- Xbox Live users can try out a free demo of Artoon's Vampire Rain, which features all the thrills of vampire hunting without any of the sexy that Buffy fans have come to expect.
Turn the page for the latest PlayStation Network news and downloads, this week's Virtual Console offerings, plus the latest in PC mods and patches.
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In the world of PlayStation 3:
Piyotama hatches in PlayStation Store
[ps3]
SCE Studio Japan's overwhelmingly cute puzzler Piyotama appeared in the online PlayStation Store last week for the temptingly low price of $2.99. Requiring players to shift three colored eggs left and right as they attempt to match four or more of the same color, the game seems to favor luck and constant movement over actual strategy. The game's Sixaxis support reinforces the luck-based play stylings, as players can flick the controller to send eggs flying into the air, causing them to land in entirely different patterns.
While more of a casual distraction than an actual game, Piyotama's cheery graphics and super happy music make it the most enjoyable experience I've ever had watching a giant chicken drop eggs into a bucket. That, my friends, is probably worth $2.99.
Meanwhile, on Wii:
This week on Virtual Console
[wii]
Nintendo's 500 Wii Point ($5) NES adventure Metroid, NEC and Hudson Soft's 600 Wii Point ($6) time-travelling maze effort Cratermaze, and Climax Entertainment and Sonic! Software Planning's 800 Wii Point ($8) Genesis RPG Shining in the Darkness mark this week's Virtual Console releases.
Nintendo also released a downloadable Metroid Prime 3 Preview, allowing Wii users to watch streaming trailers of the upcoming title.
Slated to arrive on the service August 20 is Nintendo's 800 Wii Point ($8) SNES Metroid entry, Super Metroid>/p>
System updates smooth Wii issues
[wii]
Two Wii system updates have arrived within the past week. Bringing the system firmware up to 3.0, the first streamlined the Wii Shop Channel interface and added News Channel and Weather Channel functionality to the main Wii menu, among other changes. The second resolved some stability issues with the Internet Channel and ethernet connection issues.
Elsewhere, in PC land:
The Specialists retire
[pc]
The Specialists team has produced the The Specialists 3.0, the final version of its Half-Life mod. Bringing a new game mode, stunts, kung fu attacks, map and weapons to the mod, version 3.0 and its corresponding Linux sever can be found at FileShack.
Explore The Lighthouse HL2 mod
[pc]
DICE level designer Viktor Lundberg just released his latest side project, a single-player Half Life 2 map entitled "The Lighthouse." According to Lundberg, the map, which is available at FileShack, features a mixture of solo and squad play across a realistic and open environment.
Point of Existence 2 Hits 1.8
[pc]
The Point of Existence team has updated its Battlefield 2 mod to version 1.8, adding further polish, balances and tweaks to Point of Existence 2. With the fate of Eastern Europe at stake, players can opt to either patch from 1.7 or download the rather large 1.8 client.
That Lighthouse Mod seems to have missed out on playtesting, i managed to break it twice during the first 5 mins by doing somthing it wasn't expecting.
Daily Filter: Planetside 2, Deadlight
Weekend PC digital deals: strategy-o-rama
38 Studios, Harry Potter Kinect - Shacknews Daily: May 25, 2012
Minecraft for Xbox 360 dev working on 'Adventure' update
Demon's Souls servers extended again
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