File this under “rumor, but crazy cool if true.” EGM’s resident rumor monger Quartermann has [url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3157677]apparently teased[/url] readers of the magazine’s April issue, and us by association, by commenting that the upcoming Platinum Hits version of Capcom’s Xbox 360 exclusive Dead Rising will sport a cooperative mode over Xbox Live.
If there was one missing ingredient from the otherwise fantastic game, this would be it. In addition, the article also reveals apparently plans to patch existing copies of the game via a paid download so that everyone can get in on the fun.
Nintendo has released the latest batch of titles over its popular Virtual Console service for the Wii. These newest releases include NES arcade classic Elevator Action for 500 Wii Points ($5), one of the most difficult SNES titles every created with Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts for $800 Wii Points ($8), and Sega’s 16-bit role-playing classic, Sword of Vermilion for $800 Wii Points ($8) as well.
Today on the first day of the Game Developers Conference, Microsoft has announced a new Xbox Live Arcade title, Schizoid, which is in development by Torpex Games and represents the first Xbox Live Arcade title built using XNA Game Studio Express.
Schizoid is described as a co-op action game that emphasizes teamwork as gamers and their friend or AI ally protect each other from barrages of glowing enemies. While little else is known about the game currently, Microsoft has revealed that the game is expected to be released over the online service before the end of 2007.
As part of what is sure to be a sea of announcements coming from this week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Microsoft has announced its [url=http://www.dreambuildplay.com]Dream-Build-Play game development contest[/url], offering a $10,000 grand prize and the opportunity for a winner’s game to be published on Xbox Live Arcade.
Available to aspiring developers globally, Microsoft’s Dream-Build-Play is open to any user of XNA Game Studio Express, including the GarageGames Torque X platform. The contest ends July 2, 2007, and winners will be announced August 13 at Microsoft Gamefest 2007 in Seattle.
In addition, to further highlight the Dream-Build-Play global contest, Microsoft will also demonstrate its XNA Game Studio Express Challenge, during which GDC attendees will have a chance to see aspiring developers compete to create four games in four days using XNA Game Studio Express tools.
Sony has announced that its singular killer app for the PlayStation 3 is getting a bit beefier this spring in order to coincide with the game’s European launch on March 23.
According to Sony, this update will add a pair of new online modes, including Team Conversion and Assault mode. Team Conversion mode is the same gameplay mechanic as the existing Conversion mode except that gamers will play as part of a team and both teams will start off as human and have one life on each side. The Assault mode is based around the concept of attrition where the objective is to wear down an opponent’s defenses before destroying their base.
In addition, another new online feature to be added will be the spectator camera that allows players to either observe the action from the player’s point-of-view or free-roam across the entire battlefield. Sony also notes that matchmaking also will be sped up and be made more reliable, and the old radar will make a comeback as a new custom game option that will be “ideal for nostalgic players.”
But that’s not all. In May a map pack update is scheduled that will enable worldwide gameplay and allow players to purchase and download new multiplayer maps in-game. Insomniac Games has created two new maps to provide players with an “entirely different feel” from those maps that are currently available.
One of these maps is set in Westmorland, England where players will find the struggle against the Chimera continues among the snowy hills of northern Great Britain. The other map is set in Camborn, England where once again the British Resistance battles the Chimera. In Camborn, players will be able to take part in both above-ground and subterranean combat. The story behind the new maps is told as an extension of the backstory presented on [url=http://www.rfomps3.com/]the [i]Resistance: Fall of Man[/i] website[/url], and additional details will be revealed closer to the May release.
The May update also allows players to challenge each other on a global scale. Players from around the world now will be able to hop online with one another and establish new friends and potential opponents. [url=http://www.myresistance.net/]Online leaderboards[/url] will be filterable by region, and each territory will retain the ability to make announcements and hold events that are targeted to their players.
