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Fight Night: Round 4 gets new fighters, modes, major update Dec. 3

by David Hinkle { Nov 24th 2009 at 10:00PM }

Punch your way through to our gallery

Pugilists looking to beef up their stable of brawlers in Fight Night Round 4 will be able to do just that when EA offers up three new fighters in a DLC pack for 360 and PS3 on December 3. For the price of 160

($2) and $1.99, respectively, you'll be able to add boxing greats Evander Holyfield, Sonny Liston and Bernard Hopkins to your virtual lineup of potential pulverizers. In addition to the new DLC, EA will also bring in the cut man to fix a few issues fighters are having with the game -- you can find the full list of fixes after the break -- and will add Old School Rules and Ring Rivalry mode. Here's the fight card:

Full bundle (Xbox 360/PS3) - 800

($10) / $9.99

Evander Holyfield, Sonny Liston and Bernard Hopkins
Ring Rivalry game mode (allows players to choose from over 20 different match options recreating boxing's most famous matchups)
Old School Rules game mode (simulates the common rules of boxing prior to the establishment of the Marquis of Queensbury Rules)

Three new boxers (Holyfield, Liston and Hopkins) -- 160

($2) / $1.99 each

Old School Rules mode -- 320

($4) / $3.99

Ring Rivalry mode -- 160

($2) / $1.99

Gallery: Fight Night Round 4 (DLC)

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Shaun White Snowboarding World Stage trailer is all big air, winding grinds

by David Hinkle { Nov 10th 2009 at 2:45PM }

Almost every post on Joystiq about Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage has been met with cries for a new SSX game, but this launch trailer for Ubisoft's upcoming game actually does a good job of mimicking the EA series' over-the-top X-TREME thrills. Sure, there's manufactured virtual pals to laugh at and stereotypical caricatures of foreigners from countries you never bothered to learn about in there, but the warm, nougety center of snowboarding goodness seems warm and inviting enough.

Also, what's with that logo? Why is Shaun White's hair the dot on the "i?" If we were him, we'd try to steer as far away from being associated with that other red-headed dude as possible. We'd also be too rich to blog for you people.

EA Sports MMA gameplay footage revealed during Strikeforce match

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 8th 2009 at 5:30PM }

Man, we have got to get into watching Mixed Martial Arts. Not only do the sport's leagues have like, the coolest names ever, but the televised bouts also occasionally contain sneak peeks into upcoming video games. For instance, on last night's Strikeforce (so, so cool) match, the first-ever gameplay footage from EA Sports MMA was revealed. You can find it posted just after the jump.

How does it look? We have no idea. There's plenty of punching and kicking, sure, and one might say these two techniques are used intermittently -- or rather, that they are mixed. Therefore, our initial, amateur analysis of the video concludes that it reeks of authenticity.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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Konami extremely confident in PES 2010, ships 3 million to Europe

by David Hinkle { Oct 24th 2009 at 12:00AM }

Look, we know you Europeans love your ~~soccer~~ football, but GI.biz is reporting that Konami has shipped three million copies of PES 2010 to the region today. Three million -- that's like Halo 3 numbers, people!

While we're willing to bet you Euros are chomping at the bit for more pitch play, we're curious if PES 2010 needs such a hefty initial shipment -- especially since FIFA 10 has been out and selling really well. Have footy fans had their needs fulfilled? Apparently not, since Konami expects the game to "become a million-selling title at launch."

"Global sales for the PES series to date are over 55.5 million, and we expect a very strong performance from what is easily the best PES in a long, long time," says Martin Schneider, Konami's European marketing director. He credits the rise in quality and buzz to the latest iteration to the fans, whom he expects to stick around as Konami starts charging toward DLC for the game.

Technical foul: 2K looking into framerate issues in NBA 2K10

by David Hinkle { Oct 8th 2009 at 7:00PM }

Posting on the official 2K forums, an admin has stated that the developer is aware of reported framerate issues encountered by several players in NBA 2K10. He's also put out a call to readers to describe any encounters with the slowdown, with the hopes that problems can be identified and resolved. The thread has grown to 25 pages at the time of writing this post.

If you've run into the problem yourself, get over to the relevant thread and recount that traumatic experience with as much detail as you can. Heck of a way to celebrate a franchise's 10th anniversary, eh?

[Thanks, Mark!]

Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage trailer travels the globe

by David Hinkle { Aug 27th 2009 at 4:15PM }

Ubisoft just sent us a new trailer for Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage and, as those powder-carving kids would say, it's totally tubular. It reminds us of a time when snowboarding games were, uh, fun (oh, how we miss you, SSX). If this wasn't on your radar before this post, we're sure that's going to change for a few of you after checking out the action above. Enjoy.

Gallery: Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage

Here's a beautiful FIFA 10 trailer from GamesCom

by Ben Gilbert { Aug 19th 2009 at 1:15PM }

We may not know much about the athletes on the various covers of FIFA 10, but we do know that this trailer looks damn impressive. In fairness, the game often looks rather stunning, but the sizzle reel that EA has whipped up for GamesCom (found after the break) is specifically meant to show off the game to its most active market -- which certainly comes through in production quality. Though we don't watch a ton of sports (and we play even less) we're legitimately looking forward to EA's next entry in the FIFA series, set to release this October.

Gallery: FIFA 10 (360/PS3)

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Hudson finally announces Deca Sports on DS

by JC Fletcher { Aug 10th 2009 at 1:45PM }

We first heard rumblings from Hudson about a DS version of the surprisingly popular Deca Sports back in May of last year. Those ... offhand remarks have finally come to fruition, as Hudson has officially announced Deca Sports DS, for release in North America at the same time as every other game ever (Spring 2010). Scans of the Japanese version have also appeared, providing a first look at the handheld sports game.

The DS game includes customizable team designs, multiplayer modes and, most importantly, new sports. The events on this cartridge include golf, ping pong, wall climbing, bobsled, rugby, arm wrestling, clay shooting, cheerleading, and sepak takraw, only one of which we had to look up. (Wall climbing? What is that?)

Will Deca Sports be a hit on DS? Will the kind of inexplicable success of Deca Sports counteract the super-crowded release schedule? It should be interesting to find out.

[Scan via GoNintendo]

Wii Sports Resort puts MotionPlus in over 600,000 European homes

by JC Fletcher { Aug 7th 2009 at 9:40AM }

We knew that Wii Sports Resort was selling well in Europe. Today, Nintendo told GamesIndustry.biz just how well: over 600,000 copies in its two weeks of release, even more than have sold in North America. That's not only good news for the game, but also for the prospects for future MotionPlus use -- the more the game sells, the more of the Wii audience has the device, and the more likely developers are to support it.

Who knew that a sequel to a ridiculously popular game could also be popular? Somebody should tell all the struggling publishers like EA and Activision about this.

Gallery: Wii Sports Resort in Times Square

EA reveals UK lovefest with FIFA 10 cover athletes

by Ben Gilbert { Aug 6th 2009 at 2:00AM }

We've been known to dabble in a FIFA game from time to time, though cover athletes aren't really our forte, if you will. Rather than address our ignorance dead-on, we'll simply tell you that Frank Lampard of Chelsea, Theo Walcott of Arsenal and Wayne Rooney of Manchester United are donning the cover of this year's footballer.

Believe it or not, the game will feature more than just players from English teams. (Yes, we're just as shocked as you by that possibility.) The game is set to land in the UK on October 2, and Amazon and GameStop are putting the game's US release on October 20th.

Gallery: FIFA 10 (360/PS3)

EA creating bite-sized Madden arcade title (think '3-on-3 NHL Arcade')

by David Hinkle { Aug 4th 2009 at 5:45PM }

EA's 3-on-3 NHL Arcade, a smaller and more focused downloadable hockey title, seems to have been a successful experiment for the publisher. In a recent investor call, EA's Peter Moore confirmed that a similar title, this time with the Madden franchise as basis, is currently in development. Though little other information was divulged, we're told to expect title sometime "this holiday."

New NHL 2K10 trailer totally fakes us out

by Ben Gilbert { Aug 1st 2009 at 1:00PM }

Other than the ghastly image of Washington Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin gracing the cover of September's NHL 2K10, we've seen almost nothing of the game thus far. Unfortunately for us -- and worse for you, weekend readers -- the game's first trailer does little in the way of showing off what the game has to offer. The one thing we do know after watching that trailer? Alex Ovechkin is quite a tricky fella.

EA Sports' fall soundtrack in full, from Alexisonfire to Zap Mama

by Ben Gilbert { Jul 27th 2009 at 4:00PM }

What kind of crazy, block-bustin' beats are you going to be nodding your head to when playing this fall's EA Sports titles? The publisher wants you to know, in full, well before any of the games launch. Why? Well, we're not entirely sure.

One thing that's clearly apparent from the various soundtracks: target markets. We're not exactly left scratching our heads over who wants Röyksopp rolling in the background while playing a rousing game of footie (hint: EUROPEANS) or who wants Alice in Chains pumping in Giants Stadium (hint: UNITED STATESIANS). Either way, head after the break for the whole list, including the tunes in Madden NFL 10, NBA Live 10, NHL 10, and FIFA 10. And then go out and buy a Röyksopp album. You'll thank us.

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Review: The Bigs 2

by Griffin McElroy { Jul 17th 2009 at 9:00PM }

In my mind, the world of sports games is equally divided between two realms, each with its own cadre of fanatical followers -- titles such as Madden (Year) and MLB (Year): The Show which revel in realism and rosters, and titles such as NFL Blitz which take copious poetic liberties with trivial things like physics and gravity to add arcadey flair to our nation's athletic pastimes.

While I certainly understand the appeal of the first group, I've never been a stringent follower of any sport -- therefore, the depth and simulation in these titles have no currency with me. When it comes to sports games, I want them loud, fun, fast and rewarding.

The Bigs 2 possesses all four of these properties in spades.

Gallery: The BIGS 2

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FIFA 10 hits the pitch October 2 in the UK

by David Hinkle { Jul 15th 2009 at 1:35PM }

MCV confirmed with EA that its latest entry in the long-standing soccer franchise, FIFA 10, will arrive at UK retailers on October 2. There's no mention of a release date for North America, so we've put in word to EA to see just when we Yanks will receive the game. We'll be sure to update you as soon as we hear back.