Batman: Arkham Asylum before its release found that certain controls were disabled, meaning that it was impossible to navigate some sections of the game. After getting stuck in the game, one player posted this on the Edios forum (all spelling mistakes poster’s own): “I’ve got a problem when it’s time to use Batman’s glide in the game. When I hold “,” like it’s said to jump from one platform to another, Batman tries to open his wings again and again instead of gliding. So he fels down in a poisoning gas. If somebody could tel me, what should I do there”. The innovative copy protection was revealed by forum administrator Keir, who responded: “The problem you have encountered is a hook in the copy protection, to catch out people who try and download cracked versions of the game for free. It’s not a bug in the game’s code, it’s a bug in your moral code”.
Batman beats his latest foe: Piracy With an increasing amount of people turning to illegal downloads, Edios have hit upon an interesting way to combat piracy. Players downloading last month’s
It’s not currently known whether the glide function is the only command disabled, or how exactly the copy protection works, but for now it seems that games developers have a rare edge over the pirates.
Playstation Portable Becomes Even More Portable
Bejeweled RPG
This month Sony brought out their redesigned handheld console, the PSPgo. With this smaller, more compact and completely disc free design, Sony is hoping to capture the growing market for downloadable gaming. Although essentially the same console as the previous PSP3000, the Go has had a massive redesign, becoming 43% lighter and 56% smaller, roughly the same size as Apple’s iPhone. The controls, which previously sat either side of the screen, are now hidden underneath via a sliding mechanism, giving the whole console a much neater, less cluttered feel. The screen itself has also been improved, coming across as much sharper and clearer.
Fans of both puzzle games and RPGs are in for a rare treat, as the developers of the ever popular Final Fantasy series, Square Enix, are teaming up with PopCap games, the creators of the massive selling Bejewelled, to create a new Puzzle RPG. Gyromancer will be released on the Xbox Live Arcade and Steam platforms. “Gyromancer is a cool puzzle/RPG hybrid that uses Bejeweled Twist’s game mechanic at the heart of its battle system”, said Jason Kapalka, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder of PopCap. “We’ve worked with Square Enix as a distribution partner in Japan for several years, and it was fun to collaborate with them in a more creative way on Gyromancer”. “We’ve always enjoyed a strong partnership with PopCap Games and Gyromancer represents our goal of developing unique gaming experiences”, said John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix, Inc. “We believe that Gyromancer will appeal not only to core gamers, but will further introduce the RPG genre to casual gamers as well.” With Bejewelled having sold more than 25 million units, this new iteration could be a great way for casual gamers to dip their toes into the daunting world of role playing games.
Another new feature of the Go is Bluetooth connectivity. Using this, players will be able to connect to their PS3 to play PSP games on their television with the DuelShock 3 controller. In addition, compatibility with other Bluetooth devices such as headsets and mobile phones will be enabled. The battery life has also been improved. However, the most interesting, and potentially game changing, feature of the PSPgo is the lack of input for any physical media, such as the UMDs of the previous models. Instead, all games will be downloaded from the PlayStation store, in much the same way as Apple’s application store. Sony aren’t discontinuing production of the PSP3000, and new games will be released as both psychical UMDs and as downloads. They’re also working on porting existing PSP games into the download format, as well as many original Playstation games. The downloads will be available straight from the PSP, or from a PS3 or PC, which can then be transferred via Bluetooth. If other consoles follow Sony’s lead and phase out physical media, it will completely change the culture of gaming. No longer
will we be able to trade old games for new ones, now we’ll just have to delete them. Similarly, we won’t be able to pick up a bargain from a second hand games shop or eBay, we’ll have to pay whatever price Sony have set. Gamers won’t be able to trade or borrow games, and the rental market will disappear. Of course, in an increasingly digital world this tidal shift seems inevitable, and in many ways we should be applauding Sony for being the first to make the jump. In addition to full priced games, Sony are introducing ‘PSP Minis’, micro sized and budgeted games, again similar to the kind you’d find on an Apple product. The launch games include such all time classics as Tetris. At the moment Sony aren’t allowing games to be released for free, but it’s hoped that this will change at some point in the near future. The Minis platform could potentially be a great launching pad for small and amateur developers looking to make a name for themselves by delivering varied and innovative content. The PSPgo is currently priced at £199.99, a significant price increase of the original PSP, which has an RRP of £129.99. This price makes it more expensive than both the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. It’s also less than only £50 the price of a PS3, which of course comes equipped with a blu-ray player. Current PSP owners shouldn’t worry about their console being made obsolete, as new games will continue to be released on UMDs, and the downloadable full and Minis games will still work on the older models. Gamers without a PSP may very well consider purchasing one of Sony’s sleek new models and embracing the future of cartridge-less and disc-less gaming.
Microsoft poised to take over EA? Microsoft are rumoured to be looking at the possibility of taking over Electronic Arts, best know for their EA Sports series, including FIFA. Rumours amongst traders of the takeover have driven up the stock of both companies. Sales for videogames have been steadily dropping, leaving EA
primed for such a takeover. If the deal takes place, it would mean no more EA titles on any other consoles. Of course, it’s possible that the whole thing is a completely unsubstantiated rumour, but if it happens it could potentially have huge ramifications across the industry.
New Xbox bundle for Modern Warfare 2 Anyone excited about the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but with nothing to play it on, will be thrilled with the announcement of an Xbox 360 bundle. The box contains a copy of the game, two wireless controllers and a specially designed 360. Most intriguingly, the console comes equipped with a 250GB hard-drive, which has over double the storage space of the Elite version of the console. Speaking at the Infinity Ward press conference, senior director of global marketing for Xbox 360 Albert Penello said “Fans deserve the biggest Xbox 360 console ever, and we’re delivering with more storage space than ever before and freedom to enjoy their favorite games and downloadable Game Add-ons, including the first two Modern Warfare 2 maps that will be available first on Xbox LIVE”. The special edition console will be released worldwide on November 10th, tying in with the release of the game.
re-play | November 09
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