Here’s a brand new trailer and a batch of fresh screenshots for Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, otherwise known as pretty much the only retail game in August that I’m looking forward to. The latest trailer is pretty mental, with lots of violence and shouting, which is pretty much what you’d expect.
The game’s out on August 17, and by all accounts, it seems to be a drastic improvement over the first title, which had bucketfuls of promise but stumbled in the execution. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed, because I’ve always loved these characters and really want to see them in a good game.
-
Under :
1, destructoid
-
Tags: apple, hammer, japan, media, singularity, tiger-woods, video, video-game-news, video-games, violence, wii, worlds
Facebook games are frighteningly popular and able to make huge amounts of money for very little investment. Nevertheless, major developers have thus far expressed a total disinterest in it, the latest being Bethesda’s Todd Howard.
“I’ve got to be honest, I don’t get it,” he admits. ”I look at it and try to understand but for now I’ve just decided to ignore it (laughter). I think, one day, maybe I’ll figure it out, but until then, I don’t see the allure of those kinds of games. ”The light bulb hasn’t gone off for me. I just don’t get it. I get these little messages: ‘I’ve got a new horse, or fish?’ I don’t know.
“There might be a way to connect people. I think that’s always a good goal: to connect people through your game. So I’ve kind of looked into that, how we might be able to do some of those things. But as far as a game on there, I don’t know.”
It’s very easy for developers and gamers alike to write off Facebook gaming, looking down their noses with disdain, but it’s just as easy to forget that there are people out there with just as strong a connection to FarmVille as you might have to Halo. It’s pretty arrogant to simply assume your love for a game is more legitimate than somebody else’s, and I can’t say I’m innocent of that either.
In any case, the way we treat Facebook is often reminiscent of the way in which the media has always treated “real” games, and I don’t think we want to become those people.
Bethesda’s Todd Howard on RPG Development, 3D, Not Supporting Nintendo and More [Industry Gamers]
The preservation of art so that it can be discovered by future generations is incredibly important. Videogames should be no exception and a new paper published in the International Journal of Digital Curation outlines the challenges our preferred form of entertainment faces in being protected. Painting a bleak picture, it suggests a not-distant future where some console games could be lost to time forever.
Satisfactorily preserving a game is difficult. In order to present the exact experience as designed, games really need to be run on their original hardware. As any retro fan will tell you, it’s just better that way.
Game consoles have never been built to last, operating under the expectation that the devices would eventually be replaced with more powerful hardware. But once the last ColecoVision or Magnavox Odyssey stops working, so does the game as originally designed. Emulators attempt to fix this problem but, as they are not typically produced by a commercial entity, compatibility may not be across the board and even emulators run the risk of being made obsolete as computer systems continue to evolve.
Copyright laws, too, present challenges which will have to be overcome. In order for a game to be preserved in such a manner that it could be played decades later, everybody who has a stake in the ownership of that title would have to agree to do so. Beyond the crass suggestion of a loss of profitability, just tracking people down and getting their signature could be a bureaucratic nightmare.
I don’t know if it is possible to properly preserve our history in games. The paper suggests ways in which we can improve the situation and, as with every creative endeavor man has undertaken, some things are always going to fall through the cracks and become lost. But games are unique in that, even if a lost and forgotten game should be discovered decades from now, it’s entirely possible that nobody will ever be able to experience it. Sad, sad things to think about on your Friday morning.
Keeping the Game Alive: Evaluating Strategies for the Preservation of Console Video Games [International Journal of Digital Curation via Technology Review]
Above, you see a design concept for a Space Invaders-themed couch. It is a beautiful thing constructed using glass, leather and awesome. Though not in production, this piece by Igor Chak absolutely should be.
I’m in the process of moving, so furniture is something that’s at the forefront of my mind at the moment. Were my situation different, if every couch, chair and bed weren’t tinged with the thought of having to actually pick up and carry it somewhere, I might want this bad boy more. As it stands, I already want it pretty badly.
It also looks startlingly uncomfortable. Chak says on his website that this is not the case, as it’s lined with memory foam, but I still have a hard time believing that. It is sleek and sexy, however, and that could make all the difference.
Space Invader Couch [Igor Chak via Geeky Gadgets]
Two Worlds was a game I was probably never going to like. Neither a fan of fantasy genres nor having the time and attention span for lengthy role-playing games, it just wasn’t built for me. Nevertheless, I still kept eyeing it at the store whenever I went in because I have a tendency to do things which fight my nature.
The sequel appears to be shaping up better than its predecessor and the team seems to be aware of the failings made there. I hope it’s good but I know that I’d never play more than ten hours before something shiny distracted me.
Just because I can’t get excited doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. Are you willing to take a chance on this sequel fixing the mistakes of Two Worlds?
Snoop Dogg loves 2K Sports’ NBA 2K series — so much so, in fact, that he has recorded an exclusive track, the “NBA 2K Theme,” for NBA 2K11. But Snoop is only one of more than 30 artists who appear on the 27-song soundtrack for the game. Other highlights include Drake, Outkast’s Big Boi, Kid Cudi, and Ron Artest. That’s right — the Los Angeles Lakers small forward, who released a 21-track rap album in 2006, has contributed a cut to NBA 2K11. I wonder if he thanked his psychiatrist for getting him the gig.
In a nice move, 2K has included “Sirius” by The Alan Parsons Project, which you’ll likely recognize once you hear it as the Chicago Bulls’ theme — after all, Michael Jordan is on the cover of the game. Hell, I despised the Bulls when Jordan was wrecking my Knicks in the ’90s, but even I couldn’t deny the catchiness of their entrance music. Check out the full track list after the jump. You can hear all those songs on October 5th, when NBA 2K11 launches for PS3, 360, Wii, PC, PSP, PS2, and iPhone.
- Snoop Dogg – NBA 2K Theme
- Big Boi – Shutterbug
- Drake – Over
- Cassidy – Game Time
- Ron Artest – Champion
- Duck-Down All-Stars feat. Buckshot, Skyzoo, Promise, and Sean Price – Better Than You
- The Alan Parsons Project – Sirius
- Art vs. Science – Hollywood
- Big Rock Candy Mountain – Rocketship
- Brunettes – Red Rollerskates
- Chicharones – Little By Little
- Children Collide – Skeleton Dance
- Constellations feat. Asher Roth- We’re Here To Save The Day
- Dan Black feat. Kid Cudi – Symphonies (Remix)
- Delorean – Deli
- Ev – Home Of The Brave (Instrumental)
- Failsafe – Hope & Only If We Learn
- HOGNI – Bow Down
- Kidz In Space – Downtime
- Middleman – It’s Not Over Yet
- Rakaa feat. Aloe Blaac – Crown Of Thorns
- The Redland – So Far
- The Russian Futurists – Paul Simon & Precious Metals
- Sonny Bones – Rise
- Two Door Cinema Club – I Can Talk
- Yung Autmatik & Bayroot Productions – Go Hard or Go Home
- Dux Jones – Pourin’ It On
We previously told you that a Kane & Lynch comic book was on the way. All well and good, especially considering the flawed-but-interesting nature of K&L, but now we have something even better: a couple of pages from the debut issue, in addition to some gorgeous cover art.
This series is being written by Ian Edginton, with Chris Mitten handling the art. The covers are coming to us from Ben Templesmith, who continues to impress as always.
Kane & Lynch #1 goes on sale August 4, and as with many of these game-to-comic adaptations, this one seems worth looking into if you want more fiction to go alongside what’s available in the games. Generally speaking, there’s always room for more.
Plants vs. Zombies is a much-loved game around these parts, which pleases me greatly. If you are one of the few who hasn’t played it yet, or you simply cannot get enough of lawn defending, the shiny Game of the Year Edition is for you.
Out now for $19.99, this version has new unlockable achievements, and much more importantly, a tool that allows you to create your own custom zombies. You can actually try this Zombatar feature out at the game’s official site. As expected, it’s pretty neat.
Go get your download on.
New Plants Vs Zombies Game of the Year Edition available for download [Big Download]
What you’re seeing isn’t an official trailer for Epic’s Gears of War 3, but you’d be hard pressed to tell.
Created by The Duo Group (in collaboration with a who slew of other folks), it’s set to Johnny Cash’s haunting cover of Nine Inch Nail’s “Hurt.” It follows in the footsteps of previous (and official) Gears promotional clips — COG soldiers with their backs to a wall, facing unassailable odds against incoming Locust (and now Lambent) forces, and a depressing music bed. It’s almost getting to the point where it’s “paint by numbers,” but damned if it doesn’t work every time, so I don’t see any reason to stop.
The trailer doesn’t feature any actual assets from the upcoming title, as far as I can tell, instead designed using the Unreal Development Kit and existing art to create the original piece. Do you guys think it would work as an advertisement? I already have a tent set up in front of my local GameStop for the Gears 3 midnight launch.
New Unofficial Gears of War 3 Trailer is hauntingly beautiful [Damnlag]
This is just a handy PSA that won’t really be of any use to anyone because we’ll all have forgotten about it by then, but Nintendo has stated that the 3DS will be dated and priced on September 29. This is what the company told Bloomberg Japan, in any case.
It was previously promised by Reggie “The Meatman Cometh” Fils-Aime that the 3DS would be out worldwide by March 2011, and most predictions for the price have put it at around $250. Of course, none of that’s official, and it seems that we won’t know anything concrete until after the Summer.
I want to kiss the 3DS on its little 3D balls, so Nintendo could certainly be quicker about giving us a launch date if it wants to. Go on Nintendo, I give you full permission to give us the release details today!
3DS date, price to be announced on September 29 [VG247]