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Rumor: Skate 3 in the works

by David Hinkle { Jul 3rd 2009 at 2:00PM }

Apparently EA is working on a sequel to Skate 2, if the Epicly Trife twitter is to be believed. Epicly Trife (NSFW) is a site dedicated to skating, and its twitter account said the following: "I just got told 'tonight we gotta celebrate,' one of the bro's got offered to be in SKATE 3." By no means a confirmation, we're still excited, as Skate 2 was not only a great sequel, but pretty much the best skating sim around. Plus, it's much easier to get up after falling down four flights of stairs in a video game, as gravity is a much more harsh mistress in real life.

We've put in word to EA for comment, but with almost everyone taking the day off today, don't hold your breath for a response. We sure aren't.

[Via Kotaku]

JAKKS wants to keep WWE, THQ not quite sure

by Justin McElroy { Jul 1st 2009 at 11:00PM }

JAKKS is more than happy to reenter into its WWE licensing deal with THQ, but the gaming company isn't so sure it's ready to make a commitment. After JAKKS signed on the dotted line to extend its gaming agreement with the wrestling group for five years, THQ sued the toymaker, saying it wasn't ready to make a decision and that JAKKS had no right to sign the agreement without THQ's consent.

There were some reportedly shady dealings when JAKKS originally got the contract -- perhaps THQ wants to get the whole pie for itself. Who knows? Either way, the two companies have entered into arbitration, so hopefully the tiff won't have an impact on releases.

Down for the count: Players report Fight Night Round 4 glitch

by David Hinkle { Jun 25th 2009 at 3:30PM }

According to Team Xbox, there's a nasty glitch bogging down players in Fight Night Round 4. This glitch causes the game to suddenly freeze, forcing players to actually get up and turn off their Xbox consoles. Wait, get up? That's crazy talk!

Supposedly, this is an issue tied to certain files and the HDD, though there isn't any explanation beyond that. And what makes this so surprising is that the game's demo had a few glitches, including a freezing glitch just like this one. We've put in word to EA to get to the bottom of this issue and will be sure to get back to you with what we find.

Blake Griffin selected as NCAA Basketball 10 cover athlete

by David Hinkle { Jun 25th 2009 at 3:00AM }

Click image for hi-res box art

The Oklamahoma Sooners power forward, and AP player of the year, Blake Griffin will be gracing the cover of EA's NCAA Basketball 10. Even though he's headed to the NBA in this year's draft, Griffin's time in the NCAA will not be forgotten, making him a great choice for the game's cover. If it were us, we'd probably have toned down the airbrushing, though.

Patrick Kane dekes his way onto NHL 10 cover

by David Hinkle { Jun 24th 2009 at 2:00AM }

Click for full cover

EA's getting a new slapsticker for its NHL series of games, as the Chicago Blackhawks' right winger, Patrick Kane, will be gracing the cover of NHL 10. Drafted in 2007, the kid has been a great player since hitting the ice, and is a solid choice for the cover. But is he a better choice than the competition's cover guy?

All we want to know is: where's the Sidney Crosby love? The Penguins did win the Stanley Cup this year, after all. Also, we looked that up on Wikipedia.

Gallery: NHL 10

EA and Tiger Woods make viral video magic (again)

by David Hinkle { Jun 23rd 2009 at 6:30PM }

It's tough to follow the Jesus Shot, EA's viral video for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 and tongue-in-cheek reference to a glitch found in Tiger Woods 08. But, we must say, EA has managed to strike rich, comedic gold again, as the video after the break for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 featuring Rocco Mediate is pretty damn hilarious. Like, grandpa-with-an-open-fly hilarious.

Oh, and some of you may notice something at the end of the clip, to the tune of EA awarding someone with $50,000 for their own viral video. For more details on that, check out the official site.

Continued →

Take-Two announces push into Asia with NBA 2K Online

by Ben Gilbert { Jun 23rd 2009 at 3:30PM }

Did you know that at 1.3 billion people, the mainland Chinese population encompasses around 1/6th of the world's population? It's true! This might help to explain why Take-Two Interactive announced today not just the launch of NBA 2K Online -- an online basketball game for the Asian market -- but also the creation of Take-Two Asia, a new satellite office for the BioShock publisher.

The game is being co-developed by Take-Two and Chinese game company Tencent Holdings Limited for distribution in China and "other key markets" (notably Taiwan, South Korea and Southeast Asia). Information on the game's pricing structure or what it looks like or, well, anything really is rather scant, though we do know that it will include "all of the NBA teams, as well as current and retired NBA players." Will the game be free-to-play with microtransactions? Will it ever be offered on this side of the Pacific? Will we be able to showboat our jersey in a raucous celebration of happiness a la Kobe Bryant when we dunk on fools? We just don't know.

Wii Sports Resort: Video clip marathon

by JC Fletcher { Jun 22nd 2009 at 3:15PM }

Wii Sports Resort has a lot more content than its predecessor. For example, the aerobatics portion doesn't just include the skydiving segment that begins the game -- you can also fly the plane. Similarly, there are multiple aquatic vehicles you can operate -- canoes, wakeboards, and a few different jet-ski-based activities. Each of the twelve base sports contains a few gameplay variations.

After the break, you can see the airplane game and more for yourself, in a series of nine gameplay videos captured by GameVideos. We're glad you'll finally be able to see the surprisingly strenuous canoeing portion in action.

Gallery: Wii Sports Resort

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Blood Bowl trailer everything but a blood bath

by David Hinkle { Jun 19th 2009 at 4:00AM }

We haven't seen any gameplay of Blood Bowl yet, and, sadly, this trailer is no different. It does provide us with a taste of the color commentary that will frame the many conflicts taking place in the soon-to-be-bloody bowls, though. There's even a brief look at the many different races and squads that will take to the field in this most literal fantasy football title. In terms of quantity, it looks like the amount of teams will be somewhere between a lot and a whole freakin' lot.

Capcom scraping knees with MotoGP 09/10 in March

by David Hinkle { Jun 19th 2009 at 3:00AM }

Capcom's recently acquired motorcycling sim series is set to hit the track again in March 2010 with MotoGP 09/10 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Capcom has put a new team on the franchise in Monumental Games, but before you start running around and slashing tires in disgust, know that some of the members of that studio are actually MotoGP veterans. Put the knife down!

The next installment in the series brings all of the bikes, riders, and tracks from the 2009 championship series, including a full-fledged career mode that will give players the control to handle not only the racing, but also managerial tasks. But, even more interesting is Capcom's promise to "update the game with accurate real-time content from the 2010 championship at no extra cost." Rounding out the rest of the game will be an Arcade mode, and online racing, supporting leaderboards and a spectator mode.

Alex Ovechkin hip checks NHL 2K10 cover

by Ben Gilbert { Jun 14th 2009 at 11:30AM }

Alex Ovechkin, left winger for the Washington Capitals, and his beautiful face will be gracing the cover of this years NHL 2K10. According to the Capitals website, a "fists clenched and mouth agape" Ovechkin image has been picked for the game's cover, the third hockey game to use his image on the box.

Additionally, Ovechkin is participating in 2K's first ever "public outdoor hockey motion capture session" next week in Las Vegas, taking time out of his trip to Nevada for the NHL Awards Show. Rather than employing ice, however, the session is said to be using a plastic sheet, hopes, and dreams. Unfortunately, this ain't the hockey game with first-person fighting mechanics, so those of you looking to knock some teeth out of Ovechkin's head all up close and personal-like may find yourselves wanting for more.

Hands-on: Academy of Champions

by Kevin Kelly { Jun 13th 2009 at 11:30AM }

Ah, soccer ... the sport of kings. Oh, wait. That's chess. Or maybe that's the game of kings. Anyhow, we're talking about soccer. Well, soccer here in America, "football" to the rest of the known world. Ubisoft has a new soccer game coming out for the Wii called Academy of Champions, and despite the awkward combination of Pele (a legend) and Joel McHale (a goofball) at Ubisoft's E3 presser, the game is actually fun. Especially when you're playing with friends.

You can see new screenshots from the game below before heading beyond the break to read our hands-on and see the new trailer for Academy of Champions. It's a bit like a Hogwart's for soccer, except without all the death and killing and such. But is there magic? Oh yes ... you can actually play as Sam Fisher in full-stealth mode. Find out more inside.

Gallery: Academy of Champions

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Madden suit settled by NFLPA, retired players

by Justin McElroy { Jun 10th 2009 at 8:02PM }

Say what you will about the American legal system, at least the thing is speedy. After all, in late April EA was denying it knew anything about a lawsuit between the NFL Players Association and retired players, and now said players have been awarded $26 million dollars a judge decided they were owed from the sale of games like Madden.

Oh, and sorry if you thought we were talking about that other Madden suit, that one is still in the courts. Man, how do the players keep getting suits on over all their pads?

Madden NFL 10 to feature online co-op

by David Hinkle { May 29th 2009 at 4:30PM }

If there's one thing football games lack nowadays, it's the feeling of comradery that comes from playing with teammates. When it's one person versus another person, the whole teamwork thing kind of gets thrown out the window. Well, no longer will you be forced to play online all alone, as EA has revealed that Madden NFL 10 will include online co-op gameplay for the first time on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Head past the break for a trailer where some of the folks behind the game explain the new feature and what they hope it will mean for the future of Madden.

Continued →

Ubisoft to answer the question of how MotionPlus-enhanced soccer works

by JC Fletcher { May 20th 2009 at 4:30PM }

The MotionPlus peripheral provides more fine-grained motion recognition for hand movements. The defining characteristic of soccer is that the hands are not used. With that in mind, we can't wait to see how the new Academy of Champions arcade soccer game is going to make use of the device. It also supports the Balance Board, but that's a lot easier to figure out.

Academy of Champions is a new Wii soccer game that will feature soccer stars Pelé and Mia Hamm, as well as that kid with the weird-looking face. The game features a "rich, story-driven adventure" taking place in a fictitious soccer-centered school. Players "improve their skills, recruit new team members and build the best possible squad," making the game sound rather like a soccer-themed RPG (which isn't that outlandish).