Weekly Xbox Indies - 11/21/09

Yay

• Wool - 80 MS points. Wool is a game that puts you in the paws of a sheep dog herding sheep, with gameplay similar to the Xbox Live Arcade game Flock (or more accurately, the PS1 game Sheep). Personally, I actually prefer this indie take on the gameplay over Capcom's (far more expensive) offering. The sheep AI is just the right balance between cooperative and unruly to make the game challenging without becoming too frustrating. There is also a nice multiplayer mode that has up to 4 players trying to horde the herded sheep all to themselves that gets very competitive very quickly.
• Neo Terra - 80 MS points. Neo Terra is a real-time space strategy game that moves at a very quick pace akin to the popular iPhone game Galcon. The game presents a galaxy of planets to conquer that will produce more ships that you can send and conquer more planets. The game creates an addicting tug of war dynamic between you and your opponent where both sides will be taking and retaking planets from each other. There are two main game types, with the first an all out domination match where the last player standing is the victor, as well as a king of the hill type mode where a player wins by controlling a flagged planet for a set amount of time. The multiplayer extends to up to 4 players, with the option to also have 4 AI players in the mix as well, making for a truly hectic strategy experience.
• Inside Lacrosse's CL2010 - 400 MS points. Perhaps it's the just because of the sheer phallic imagery involved in the sport, but I've always been fascinated by lacrosse. As such, I've always wished there was a lacrosse videogame, and Inside Lacrosse's CL2010 does a damn good job of that. I don't claim to know the intricacies of the sport, but I do know that while playing the game I had a lot of fun. Even if it's just the little touches, like seeing the trajectory of a pass before you throw it, or using the right analog stick to aim a shot while you maneuver around the field, this is one of the few sports games that I've truly enjoyed and feel comfortable recommending to anyone regardless of how familiar they are with the sport.
• Aesop's Garden - 240 MS points. Aesop's Garden looks, sounds, and plays like a long-lost NES game. Someone nefarious has been planting weeds in your garden, and you need to collect the weeds to make your garden beautiful again. It's a puzzle game at heart, with the real challenge to maneuver mazes and push blocks so you can reach the weeds. There is also a complete level editor for the game to create your own puzzle gardens, though the created levels cannot be shared online.
• Aardvark - 240 MS points. On the surface, Aardvark seems like just another Breakout clone with a funny name. In large part that assessment is true and, despite the sheer number of Breakout clones already on the Xbox Live indie game channel, Aardvark is one of the top out there. But what really sets Aardvark apart is the level editor, letting you build your own block breaking levels. There's no level sharing online, but it's still fun to play your own creations.

Wootini's Weekly Animal Crossing Diary

Dear Diary,

This week, Narnia had a celebration! Well, not an actual celebration, but there was an occasion marked, even if it was only quietly. On the flip side, it was also another sad week of loss. I'm beginning to wonder if I smell or something. There has to be some reason why nobody sticks around anymore! I mean, I've got townies who seem to be relatively permanent, like the regular cast of a TV show. But then I get these new castmembers who somehow turn into special guest stars and disappear. Did they get a better offer? Who am I talking about this time? Well, you'll see after the break. And obviously it's not Pippy, because I'm still able to string sentences together!

Ubisoft Not Bringing No More Heroes To North American 360/PS3s

While it's still on track to publish No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle for the Wii, Ubisoft has confirmed that it will not be publishing No More Heroes HD, AKA No More Heroes: Hero's Paradise in the US, even though Japan will get the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the updated original game in February.

Said an Ubisoft spokesperson:

"Ubisoft will not be publishing either of these versions."

No reasons were given, nor any indication of whether or not another publisher will pick up the stateside slack. But a gamer can hope!

NIMF Closing At Year's End

The National Institute on Media and the Family will be shutting down at the end of 2009. NIMF, known for its annual Video Game Report Card, will be closing because of a lack of funding. Fairview Health Services, which supported NIMF annually with $750,000, could no longer meet its commitment thanks to economic woes.

President and founder Dr. David Walsh vowed to soldier on despite the organization's closing:

The current challenging economic environment accelerated those discussions making this the right time to begin transitioning the programs to other organizations who share our mission and values. I look forward to transitioning the Institute's programs to worthy organizations that I am confident will continue to educate parents and caregivers on our rapidly changing digital culture.

And in a blog post:

We've accomplished a lot of amazing things in the last thirteen years. And in that same amount of time there has been unprecedented technological innovation and an ever-increasing number of screens in young people's lives, making the Institute's mission just as relevant today as when we started. So while this chapter of the Institute's work is coming to a close, I am excited to transition the Institute's programs to organizations that will continue to foster the same important conversations and bring relevant solutions to parents.

NIMF's most recent Report Card gave high marks to the industry for education and enforcement of video game ratings - save an "incomplete" for Parental Involvement.

NIMF to Close at Year End [GamePolitics]

Contest: Listen And Win A Copy Of Dragon Age: Origins

It's the season for giving and we've got some more great games to give away! This time we have two (2) copies of Dragon Age: Origins for the Xbox 360 to give away. I'm sure you're wondering what "Listen and Win" means, so without further ado, here's the rules of the contest.

Take a listen to our most recent podcast (#43 which you can find here) and be one of the first two people to return the questions below with the correct answers to info@gaygamer.net with the subject line "Listen and Win." If your email does not have that as the subject line, it will not be considered. Now, here are the questions.

• 1. What duo do Fruit Brute and Tiny Dancer compare themselves to?
• 2. What famous TV show did the duo in Question #1 come from?
• 3. What race and character class do Fruit Brute and Tiny Dancer play as in Dragon Age: Origins?
• 4. Which male character can you romance in Dragon Age: Origins? (character race and class, not his name)
• 5. Where did that character grow up?
• 6. What is the Japanese title of the Hotel Dusk sequel?
• 7. What game franchise has Fruit Brute given up on?
• 8. What is Fruit Brute and Tiny Dancer's favorite party game
• 9. Which characters do fruit Brute and Tiny Dancer play in Left4Dead 2, respectively.
• 10. What is video game character can Fruit Brute "get behind or in front of?"

Alrighty, there are your questions. Be aware that these are not necessarily in the order that they come in the podcast. You have the weekend to get your answers in and the winner will be announced on Monday. The first two people with all the correct answers will win the prizes. All answers must be submitted by 11:59pm PST on Sunday the 22nd.

Good Luck and Happy Listening!

Heroes' Paradise Hi-Res Screenshots

As VorpalBunny let us know last week, they announced that they are making ports of the original No More Heroes game for both the PS3 and Xbox 360. They also announced that the game will be shipping in Japan on Feb. 25th; however, they still have yet to say when it'll be available for the rest of the world.

In the meantime, they've already launched the Japanese website for the new ports, now know as No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise. On the site you can see a number of hi-res screen shots from the game that show a glimpse of what fans will be getting on the higher resolution ports of the game. I decided to include a small gallery below to let you truly behold some of the video eye candy that will be cranked out for fans. At the same time, they've still kept the lovely 8-bit graphical interface that was part of the charm of the original title, so no worries about the developers selling out their souls to look pretty.

Battleswarm: Field of Honor Launches Officially

I wrote a review of this FPS/RTS hybrid MMOG back in September; a short month later Battleswarm has gone from open beta to full release yesterday as the free-to-play title opens its doors to any and all interested players.

Battleswarm is an innovative title that pits a team of human players fighting an alien horde controlled by another player on competitive maps. The humans play from typical first person perspective while the aliens march towards their opponents' base via an overhead, tactical perspective. Players can earn points in game that can be used to purchase upgrades, or fork over actual cash for credits to accomplish the same thing. Microtransactions are the business model for the title and in my time playing they're accomplished to a respectable degree.

People who play during its opening weekend will have the chance to win an Alienware m15x laptop as well as two thousand in-game prizes. If you're a fan of quick competitive games and interested in an MMOG outside the normal WoW mold then this is definitely worth checking out. At the very least its price of free, free, free means there's nothing to lose if it's not your tastes.

GayGamer.net Podcast #43

The GayGamer.net Podcast #43 is here! Join Fruit Brute and Tiny dancer as we discuss the game news of the last week including: The latest 360 update, keeping up with the Joneses, The God of War Collection on PS3, EA layoffs, a possible Hotel Dusk sequel plus more on the racy Dragon Age: Origins gay sex scene!

We're always looking for reader questions to answer on the show so if you have a query for the crew that you'd like answered or would just like to suggest a topic for discussion, send it here with the subject line "Podcast Question."

THIS LINK WILL TAKE YOU TO THE GAYGAMER.NET PODCAST ON ITUNES!

or if you prefer you can

DOWNLOAD THE FILE DIRECTLY HERE!

BioShock 2 Special Edition Details Announced

Today we learned the details of the BioShock 2 Special Edition, which forgoes the awesome Big Daddy figure for something a little more mature (and potentially less exciting). For the suggested price of $99.99 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, or $89.99 for the PC version, this single-production run Special Edition offers music and art to the BioShock 2 connoisseur, including two orchestral scores - one of which is vinyl - and plenty of pretty visuals.

The SE contains:

• Vinyl 180g LP with BioShock orchestral score


• Audio CD with BioShock 2 orchestral score


• Three vintage Rapture advertisement posters (rolled)


• BioShock 2 Art Book, 164 pages and hardcover


• BioShock 2 game

And while you might not be psyched to wait until February 9, 2010 to drop a hundy for this rarefied collection, at least we'll have a distraction from the most depressing month ever. And a five-day lead on Valentine's Day!

Playstation Network Getting Premium Subscription Content

Today Sony held a media/investor conference to discuss some of the company's future plans. While not all of it is relevant to gaming, there was, of course, a portion of the conference that touched on Sony's plans for the PS3 (and to a lesser extent the PSP). Some interesting details were revealed which non-investors can learn all abut through the conference's slides made available here. Sony sees it's motion controller and 3D gaming (via special glasses and a firmware update) as two of the PS3's key advantages over the competition, all good stuff. But under the Playstation Network section of the presentation there is a tiny detail that might seem a little out of place.

The line "New revenue stream from subscription" appears on the slide detailing how PSN is one of the PS3's key advantages. Of course, this is meant for investors, so new revenue would be seen as an advantage. But as a gamer, this is worrying news. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I had always thought that that one of the PS3's key advantages over the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live was that PSN access was free.

Don't worry, at least too much yet. Online play will still be free through PSN. Shortly after the conference, Sony's Kaz Hirai commented on the subscription plans to reassure gamers that the current free services will stay the same.

"SCE will further increase sales by offering users new entertainment through the combination of hardware, software, peripheral and PlayStation Network. Especially in the online area, we are studying the possibility of introducing a subscription model, offering premium content and services, in addition to the current free services."

Premium content could mean any number of things ranging from more Qore-like content on PSN, to an MMO game, to exclusive Home channels, to early access to game betas and demos. It's good to know that the things on PSN that are currently free will stay that way, but I am very curious to see how Sony will introduce the new premium subscription content into PSN.

Hirai - Current PSN service to remain free, subs for "premium content and services" [VG247]

Supreme Commander 2 Gets A Spring 2010 Release Date

There have been a lot of recent releases in the FPS and RPG genres, but one category of games that's been sadly underrepresented in recent memory would be that strategy staple known as RTSes. However, aside from Starcraft 2, strategy aficionados now have something else to look forward to as the sequel to Gas Powered Games' Supreme Commander gets an official release date of spring 2010 from its publisher, Square Enix.

Supreme Commander 2 takes place twenty five years after the original game and will continue the story through an extensive single-player campaign as well as its compelling multiplayer modes. This is also the first time Square Enix is publishing a Western title within the Western market, as a result of its partnership with Gas Powered Games.

Personally I'm quite excited: both Supreme Commander and its expansion, Forged Alliance, have places of joy inside my heart, and I've played the game's multiplayer maps to death on top of that. The game will be released on both PC and the Xbox 360 at the same time. This should be considered an improvement towards console fans as the first title's port lagged behind the PC release by several months.

Update: After saying this, Square Enix went ahead and issued a press release dating the PC version as March 2, with the Xbox 360 version coming out on March 16.

Video: Star Trek Online Space Battle

Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'm banking on the fact that this footage of actual Star Trek Online space battles is worth well over a mint. That's right, the folks over at Cryptic Studios finally decided to release some battle footage from their upcoming MMO, Star Trek Online, which they picked up last year from their fallen brethren, Perpetual Entertainment. I have to admit, with both this MMO and the Old Republic MMO looming on the horizon, I'm one happy Sci-Fi camper.

In the video, the designers reveal that there are basically three different types of starships that you can pilot in the game, each better suited for a different role: tank, damage dealer, or support; however, there are many ways on top of the basic structure of the ship that you can further customize each ship, such as weapons, deflector dish, impulse engines, consoles, and even your bridge officers. Apparently your bridge officers act like your abilities and powers during combat, and all the other aspects let you tweak and configure your ship to behave in a variety of ways.

After looking at the combat in action, I have to say that this definitely blows the pants off anything we've seen before in online space combat (though as far as MMOs go, we really only have EVE Online to look at). Hopefully the upgrade and leveling system used in the game will add further to the combat system that they are displaying boldly here. Eager fans of the game can hopefully start beaming themselves into the Star Trek Online universe next Groundhog's Day, Feb 2nd, 2010.