Category Archives: games

LittleBigPlanet 2 Controlinator Featurette

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LittleBigPlanet 2

Media Molecule has released another trailer for LittleBigPlanet 2, and once again it introduces a new feature.

This latest trailer introduces The Controlinator, which is arguably looks like the most important new feature in LittleBigPlanet 2. It’s a new gadget that lets Sackboy steer and control any new creation or mechanical object in a variety of different ways. In LittleBigPlanet 2, the controlinator will let sackboy drive, race, dig and fly any creation. The controlinator looks to be a key feature not just in the creation of levels, but in making whole new games.

You can check out the 1960’s style science programme controlinator featurette below.


The controlinator is just one of many new features that has been added to LittleBigPlanet 2. Previously we’ve seen how the Creatinator will allow Sackboy to shoot or spawn any item, while Bounce Pads give him a whole new way to move around levels.

LittleBigPlanet 2 will also see the introduction of Sackbots, which can be used to help or hinder the player in community created levels.  The game is truly shaping up to offer players plenty of scope for creating not only unique levels, but whole new games.

Interesting creations we’ve seen during the LittleBigPlanet 2 beta test include re-imaginings of games from classics like Dogfight and Street Fighter, but also more recent titles including Portal.

Train2Game students would be well advised to pick up a copy of LittleBigPlanet 2, not only to help their creative juices flow, but because Media Molecule have a record of hiring community designers who’ve made outstanding levels.

You can get an insight into what working for LittleBigPlanet 2 creators Media Molecule is like, by taking a look at the development of Sackboy.

LittleBigPlanet 2 is scheduled for release on January 18th and will be PlayStation Move compatible.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the controlinator? Do you think it’s the biggest new addition (so far…) to LittleBigPlanet 2? How do you think you’ll use it?

You can leave your thoughts about LittleBigPlanet 2 here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Gran Turismo 5 ‘can’t match adrenaline rush of F1 2010’ say Codemasters

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Gran Turismo 5

You may have noticed that Gran Turismo 5 has finally been released today, but Codemasters say it can’t match up to the adrenaline rush of their own F1 2010.

Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens told CVG that while Gran Turismo 5 is a “phenomenal product” the realism could take away from the excitement of the game.

“GT5 is going to be a phenomenal product, with the time and investment Sony have made in it, You can have a technically phenomenal game, but you can also have a game concept that doesn’t really appeal [to some racing fans] and could be accused of – and you have to be careful how you write this – of being boring.”

“We don’t have that problem. We feel the adrenaline rush that we’ll always provide in F1 will not be matched by anyone else. You’re going to have all the cars, all the tracks and all the worldwide locations – not to mention the best strategy, and the best damage, as far as we can. If you’re an F1 fan, you don’t need to go anywhere else for that.”

HMV are currently offering Gran Turismo 5 for just £4.99 if you trade in a copy of F1 2010, could this be an attempt and trying to stop gamers trading Codemasters product in for one of their rivals?

F1 2010 took the top spot in the UK Charts when it was released towards the end of September.

So Train2Game, do you think Cousens comments are true? Has too much effort been put into making Gran Turismo 5 a simulation, and therefore making it less fun?

Can passing a faceless driver in a Nissan be as thrilling as overtaking Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso at one of the famous F1 circuits? And are you still playing F1 2010?

You can leave your thoughts about Gran Turismo 5 and F1 2010 here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum

Gran Turismo 5 review round-up

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Gran Turismo 5

After years of waiting, it’s actually here. You can physically go into a games retailer, buy a copy of Gran Turismo 5 then go home and play it. Of course before going out to buy it, you may want to check out where you can pick up Gran Turismo 5 for the cheapest price.

If you needed further proof that the much delayed Gran Turismo 5 has finally been released, then you can read a variety of reviews across the gaming media. Alternatively, you can save yourself some time by reading this Gran Turismo 5 review round up. The good news that fans who have been waiting all these years is that reviews of Gran Turismo 5 are positive with a Metacritic average of 86 (At the time of writing)

Destructoid give Gran Turismo 5 a perfect 10 and have high praise for the game:

“Just as with a great car, Gran Turismo 5 feels so great that it begs to be driven. You can’t put it down. I found myself cruising the 8.5 miles of Circuit de la Sarthe this week just to enjoy the drive. When you get in the zone and really get in tune with the controls, this game really does let you tap into the pleasures of driving and racing. I’d like to imagine that Polyphony Digital has spent all this time fine-tuning this game for this very feeling.”

Eurogamer give Gran Turismo 5 a 9/10. They say the online mode isn’t as good as it can be, but that this is made up for by the rest of the game:

“Dreamed up five years ago and served up yesterday, it’s an off-kilter vision of the future, a cumbersome game with odd priorities, certainly. But it’s equally a game that heads off in unexpected and exciting directions, makes a few notable improvements, and overflows with love – for cars, for games technology and for its own mad pursuit. It’s good that Gran Turismo’s been away so long, because it’s all the better to have it back.”

Gran Turismo 5 gets an 8.5/10 from IGN, praising the games racing elements but claiming that away from the track the game isn’ quite up to scratch:

“Gran Turismo 5 is a 10/10 simulator wrapped up in a 5/10 game – driving is as exhilarating as anything that’s gone before, and slavish obsession with the minutiae of many of its cars ensure it’s an encyclopaedia of automotive delights. Its brilliance on the track, however is matched by its sloppiness off of it, and there’s a lack of polish that would at one time have seemed sacrilegious to the series. Ultimately its driving wins out to ensure that it’s still a great game, but it leaves that nagging doubt; this could have been a masterpiece were it not for the fact that Polyphony was so absorbed with the detail that it took its eye off the ball.”

CVG gives Gran Turismo 5 an 8/10, praising how realistic the cars feel to drive:

“Ultimately, Gran Turismo 5 has improved in the most important area, how the cars feel. Pounding the tarmac at the Nurburgring is even more satisfying knowing that the car is behaving as a real car would. It’s the biggest racing game around, so you certainly won’t be short of things to do once you get locked into building a serious car collection.”

However, their review ends by saying that after so long in development, Gran Turismo 5 does come with a slight sense of disappointment. Still, 8/10 is a very good score.

The high review scores suggest that Gran Turismo 5 will indeed be one of the biggest games of the year. ShopTo Marketing Manager Philip Driver claimed that Gran Turismo 5 will be the biggest selling PlayStation 3 game of the year, could this be true?

So Train2Game, have you been playing Gran Turismo 5? If so what do you think of it? Has it been worth the long wait?

You can leave your thoughts about Gran Turismo 5 here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

Activision boss: “we will never, ever charge for Call of Duty multiplayer”

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Call of Duty: Black Ops

Activision has once again moved to quell rumours that they’ll charge a fee for Call of Duty online multiplayer.

Industry analyst Michael Pachter recently stated that he believed that Activision was soon going to introduce a subscription charge for Call of Duty: Black Ops. However, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg has told Industry Gamers they company will never charge for Call of Duty’s online multiplayer.

“Are we going to be charging for multiplayer? The answer is no. The experience you have out of the box, connecting with the online community to play Call of Duty is absolutely integral to the experience and we’ll never charge for that. It’s not going to be something we’ll attempt to monetize; it’s part of the package,”

Hirshberg then went onto directly discuss Pachter’s comments.

“Nothing we or anyone else tries is going to work if it doesn’t have tremendous value for people and add a tremendous value to the gaming experience. He’s [Pachter] probably looking at meta-trends in the world and in culture about online services and new ways things should be monetized from Netflix to cloud-based computing.”

“So there are certainly a lot of behavioural shifts towards long-standing online relationships… But at the end of the day, all I’m trying to get across is I can unequivocally say we will never, ever charge for the multiplayer.”

Activision has previously made strong hints that it’s looking to make more money from the online aspect of Call of Duty. Modern Warfare 2 saw the introduction of two online expansion packs  with extra maps– the Resurgence and Stimulus Packages – which both sold rather well at over £10 each. However, it could be argued that the publishers desire to make a profit, is starting to make them out of touch with gamers.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is currently sitting atop the UK Chart for the second week in a row.

So Train2Game, after there was so much outrage on the Facebook page yesterday are you reassured by the comments from Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg? And if Activision really want to make more money from the Call of Duty series, how do you think they should go about doing it?

As usual, you can leave your comments here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare disc release this Friday

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Undead Nightmare

Rockstar has announced that Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare will be released on a standalone playable disc this Friday. The expansion pack was originally released as downloadable content on October 26th.

Undead Nightmare features both a new single player campaign for Red Dead Redemption’s protagonist John Marston and all new multiplayer features.

“Undead Nightmare makes an entirely new game from Red Dead Redemption’s amazing open world,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games.

“The Western frontier is completely transformed into a classic zombie-horror fight for survival.”

For more information on Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, be sure to check out these posts from October featuring information about the Undead Nightmare TV Trailer, the Gameplay Trailer and the first teaser trailer.

The Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare disc also comes with every other bit of DLC for the western game released to date. This includes:

  • Outlaws to the End— Co-Op mission pack where players team up to complete up to six unique missions set throughout the world of Red Dead Redemption;
  • Legends and Killers — multiplayer pack which adds nine maps, eight characters from Red Dead Revolver, and the Tomahawk weapon;
  • Liars and Cheats — multiplayer pack that adds new modes, including Stronghold, Horse Racing, Liar’s Dice and Poker, along with new characters and the Explosive Rifle. (Be sure to check out this post from September for more information about Liars and Cheats)
  • And finally, Undead Nightmare includes all Red Dead Redemption Multiplayer Free Roam modes, challenges and achievements/trophies released to date.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare will be released on Friday 26th November with a RRP of £24.99.  However, many retailers have the game listed at lower prices including Play who are selling Undead Nightmare for £17.99, while GAME have it listed for £19.99.

So Train2Game, if you didn’t download Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, are you interested in buying it now that it’s on disc? Do you think that the price represents good value for money? Or are you already long done with Red Dead Redemption?

You can leave your thoughts about the disc release of Undead Nightmare here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Fable III gets first batch of DLC

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Fable III

Microsoft has released the first piece of DLC for Fable III and it’s called the Understone Quest Pack.

The additional content gives Fable III players three new quests to complete based around the town of Understone, which perhaps unsurprisingly is underground. It’s below the streets of Bowerstone to be precise. Microsoft give the new addition to Fable III the following description:

“Designed by the peculiar mind of inventor Montague Hummes following the uncertain events that unfolded in “Fable II,” Understone brings new houses and stalls to own, creatures to conquer and a mystery to solve.”

Heres what Fable III players can expect from the three new Understone based quests:

“The Voice”: In the main quest, explore the mysterious underground land built by Montague Hummes in fear of the Spire in “Fable II”

  • Discover the origin of the voice that controls the people of Understone
  • Features a moral decision that will lead to two drastically different outcomes in Understone

“Shooting Range”: After defeating Saker during your quest to become King or Queen, the remaining Mercenaries have turned their camp into a tourist attraction. The main attraction being the re-playable shooting range mode

  • Beat the high scores to win three prizes that can be used while playing the mini-game: the Marksman 500 (gifted to players for downloading the pack), Money Shot (prize) and Black Dragon (prize)

“The Wheel of Misfortune”: After Reaver vacated his home, he set up a venture for budding heroes to replay the thrilling arena-based challenges within his new dwellings

  • Beat the high scores to win three new weapons that can be used while playing in the mini-game: The Full Monty (gifted to players upon downloading pack), Dirty Harriet (prize) and Dead Ned’s Revolver (prize)

The Understone Quest Pack for Fable III costs 400 Microsoft Points.

Other new bits and pieces of DLC for Fable III include the Exclusive Hair Pack, which allows you to give your character “corn rows, afro and asymmetrical bob styles” and costs 160 Microsoft Point. The 5 Star Dog Potion which ““gives your canine companion the full 5-star ability for digging, diving and tracking down hidden chests right from the start” and will set you back 80 Microsoft Points.

Also out today are a Reaver Industries Hero Outfit and a colourful Dye Pack for 160 and 80 Microsoft Points respectively.

Fable III topped the UK Chart in it’s first week of release at the end of October. In this weeks UKIE GfK Chart Track All Formats Top 40, the game lies in 24th spot.

You can check out the Fable III trailer here.

So Train2Game, have you finished Fable III? If so are you at all interested in the Understone Quest Pack? Would you part with your money to give your character a special hair style or some brightly coloured clothes?  Or have you already finished with the game for good?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Pachter predicts Call of Duty: Black Ops subscription charges

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Call of Duty: Black Ops subscription charges

Online subscriptions for Call of Duty: Black Ops could be introduced in the near future, according to industry analyst Michael Pachter.  Speaking to Industry Gamers, he said:

“I think everyone will be offered the same multiplayer options for free that they have now.  In addition, I see premium items offered as virtual goods for a modest fee–let’s say $1.”

“There will be special weapons, armour, vehicles, etc. offered, and the quantity will keep growing, in the hopes that some meaningful percentage of gamers who play online multiplayer pony up $1 or $2 per month on virtual goods. “

“I think that the company will “tier” its offering by offering a $5 per month subscription to Black Ops that includes ALL virtual items for free, plus access to all map packs released as long as the player remains active.  There are probably going to be three $15 map packs, so that feature alone has a perceived $45 value, and I’m sure that there will be dozens of virtual items, so the $5 subscriber will perceive some value from subscribing.”

“In addition, the $5 subscriber may be offered exclusive tournaments, game play modes, ladders, achievements, and any other features that Activision can think up to induce them to pony up more money.”

Pachter then went on to say how he believes that in future, Activision will offer a $10 subscription for all Call of Duty games.

“Anyone paying $10 per month gets virtual items, ladders, tournaments, achievements, game play modes and map packs for CoD MW, CoD MW2, Black Ops and World at War, and as long as their subscription remains alive, they will get the next game and the one after that. There are a total of 7 map packs (I think) available now, and will be another 3 next year, so for $10 per month, a player will get all 10 map packs. Not a bad value.

“Next, I think Activision will offer a $15 monthly subscription that is an ‘all access pass’, allowing subscribers to play WoW, StarCraft II (look for monetization there), the new Bungie game (when it comes out), all COD games, and whatever they do with Guitar Hero (maybe free downloads of songs), on an unlimited basis.

“The trick is managing this without destroying sales of the game. They will tread very carefully, and will make sure that they let consumers know that they are NOT taking anything away, but are merely offering a LOT MORE VALUE for a little bit of money.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops made rather a lot of money when it launched last week, and Activision CEO Bobby Lotick has previously made no secret of his desire to make Call of Duty’s online multiplayer a subscription based service.

So Train2Game, do you believe that Activision could really introduce a subscription based service for Call of Duty: Black Ops? If so, would you be willing to pay for it? Or do you think Michael Pachter’s predictions are off the mark?

You can leave your thoughts about a subscription service for Call of Duty: Black Ops here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Gran Turismo 5 – Where can you get it for the cheapest price?

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Gran Turismo 5

Gran Turismo 5 is finally released tomorrow and various retailers will be selling the much anticipated –  and of course much delayed – racing sim at a knock down price.

HMV still has the most tempting offer, giving you the opportunity to buy Gran Turismo 5 for just £4.99 when you trade in F1 2010. But if you want to get Gran Turismo 5 for under a fiver you’ll have to be quick as HMV are only running the offer until Friday.

You can part with even less cash if you choose to buy Gran Turismo 5 from Blockbuster. It’s available for just 99p if you trade in two games from a list of chart titles including Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, F1 2010 and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

The best no strings attached deal comes from Best Buy who are offering Gran Turismo 5 for just £29.99. However, there are only six Best Buy stores in the UK so unless you live near one, you’ll have to order Gran Turismo 5 online then wait a few days before you can play it.

Online retailer Shop.To are offering Gran Turismo 5 for the very reasonable price of £34.85 and say that it’ll be dispatched within five minutes of being ordered.  Shop.To Marketing Manager Philip Driver recently stated that Gran Turismo 5 will be the ‘biggest selling PlayStation 3 game of the year.’

Meanwhile, back on the High Street, Tesco are offering Gran Turismo 5 for £35.90, while Sainsbury’s have it priced at £39.99. Specialist retailers GAME and GameStation both also list Gran Turismo 5 for £39.99 and some stores will be hosting midnight launches.  You can find out if a store near you will be opening tonight for the launch of Gran Turismo 5 on the GAME and GameStation websites. The doors will open at 11:45 with Gran Turismo going on sale at 00:01.

Gran Turismo 5 is the third midnight game launch of the month, with Call of Duty: Black Ops and Kinect having previously caused games retailers to open their doors in the dead of night. Blizzard has also announced that there will also be a midnight launch for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm when the MMO is released on December 7th.

So Train2Game, will you be buying Gran Turismo 5 tomorrow? Will you be queuing up tonight to get your hands on it? Can you actually believe that after all the delays, that one of the PlayStation 3’s biggest exclusives is finally being released? Do you think Gran Turismo 5 could knock Call of Duty: Black Ops from the top of the charts?

You can leave your thoughts about Gran Turismo 5 here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm gets huge launch event

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World of Warcraft Cataclysm Worgen

Blizzard has revealed details about the UK launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm when the much anticipated expansion is released next month.

GAME will host the official launch event for World of Warcraft Cataclysm which will take place at Sound, Leicester Square on the evening of December 6th.  Fans will not only be among the first to get there hands on Cataclysm when it’s made available at midnight, but they’ll also get a chance to meet Blizzard staff.

Naturally, with this being a World of Warcraft event, there’s the obligatory costume content, and Blizzard say there will be prizes for the winners. The current details about the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm launch event, including costume contest guidelines, can be found on the Blizzard website. Expect it to be updated nearer the time with more information.

In addition to the big launch event, Blizzard say that other retailers around the country will be opening their doors for midnight launches of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

“After two years of development, we’re excited to now be just two weeks away from releasing our best World of Warcraft expansion yet,” said, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Morhaime

“Cataclysm will add a huge amount of new content to the game and change the face of Azeroth forever, and we can’t wait to celebrate this launch with players around the world.”

Changes that Cataclysm will bring to the World of Warcraft include dramatically altering the make up of Azeroth, providing new quests, allowing characters to level up to level 85, and play as two new races, Worgen and Goblins.

World of Warcraft currently has over 12 million subscribers, could Cataclysm encourage even more people to sign up to the worlds most successful MMO?

The game is set to be released for the PC on December 7th

So Train2Game, are any of you World of Warcraft players? If so, will you be attending a midnight launch event? And if you want to wear one, have you got any ideas for a costume yet?

You can leave your thoughts about World of Warcraft: Cataclysm here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

Fallout: New Vegas Dead Money DLC details revealed

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Fallout: New Vegas Dead Money

Bethesda has released more details about their upcoming DLC for Fallout: New Vegas, Dead Money. The new information about the Fallout: New Vegas DLC, and the screenshot above, comes from the Bethesda Softworks newsletter.

Senior Designer Chris Avellone provided the details about Dead Money in a short but revealing interview:

Can you discuss the setting for Dead Money?
Dead Money is set in the Sierra Madre, an opulent and extravagant resort that was supposed to be the greatest casino in the west – except that it never opened. Bombs fell before the gala opening, and the Sierra Madre froze in time, its state of the art security system locking the place up tight. Nothing could get in, and none of the guests could escape. Years passed. The climate control and air conditioning system within the facility began to spit toxins into the surrounding city, causing a slow cloud and haze to form over the area – which proved lethal to anyone who tried to explore the city. Only a mysterious group called the Ghost People survived to call the city home, trapped inside what appeared to be hazmat suits and never speaking to their victims… only capturing them alive and dragging them away to the depths of the city deep within the Cloud.

And so the Sierra Madre faded from the history books, only occasionally being seen in posters across the wastes, until it took on mythic ghost story status… a supposed “City of Gold” in the Mojave Wasteland where all the treasures of the Old World were rumoured to be held. It was kept alive as a late-night saloon story by prospectors who’d claimed to have found maps leading there… and were willing to part with the “map” for a few caps. Or a drink. Or a warm place to sleep.

How will the player reach this area?
The Sierra Madre is a mythical place in the wastes, with travellers all risking their lives to find it. Only one man truly “found” it – and lived. After the fall of HELIOS One, Father Elijah of the Brotherhood of Steel set out to find new weapons to eradicate NCR. And in the process he found the Sierra Madre. The Courier is lured to the Sierra Madre by a faint radio broadcast advertising the gala grand opening.

From a gameplay standpoint, Dead Money is accessed by loading a save file from any point in Fallout: New Vegas prior to the endgame sequence, in the same way as Operation Anchorage, Point Lookout, The Pitt or Mothership Zeta were triggered in Fallout 3.

Can you share details on some of the new creatures/enemies players will encounter?
This being an extension of Fallout: New Vegas, players will encounter several unique characters, each with their own motivations, all of whom will have to work together if any of them are going to survive. Aside from just struggling with their would-be companions, the courier will also have to deal with the mysterious Ghost People as well as the casino’s substantial defence systems.

Sounds interesting, right?

Chris Avellone has previously given advice about breaking into the games industry in an interview with Planet Fallout. You can check out his tips here.

Dead Money is going to be the first in a number of DLC packs for Fallout New Vegas. Bethesda have previously announced that all DLC will be Xbox 360 exclusive, but then the DLC for Fallout 3 was originally exclusive to Microsoft so it could eventually come to the PlayStation 3 and PC.

Fallout: New Vegas has sold rather successfully, and topped the UK Charts when it was released at the end of October. It only dropped out of the top ten today following the entry of other big hitters including Call of Duty: Black Ops and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

Bethesda hopes that the DLC will increase the shelf life of Fallout: New Vegas.

The Dead Money DLC will be available on Xbox Live from December 21st for 800 Microsoft points

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the new details about the Dead Money DLC for Fallout: New Vegas? Do you think you’ll part with your cash for extra content? Or are you happy to finish Fallout: New Vegas without paying for DLC?

And does anyone else think that Ghost Person looks like one of the Combine Overwatch from Half Life 2?

You can leave your thoughts on the Dead Money DLC for Fallout: New Vegas here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.