2009 Games

EA has officially announced Mercenaries Inc. after a leaked video of the game was released by a former Pandemic Studios employee.

Mercenaries Inc. will be the third installment in the Mercenaries franchise and will be more multiplayer focused than the previous games. The game’s existence was originally leaked on Bitmob by a former Pandemic Studios employee after the studio was closed down earlier this month. EA has now officially announced the game and it is currently under development at the EA Los Angeles studio. Several former Pandemic Studios developers that weren’t part of the big layoff are currently working on the new game. Little details other than that the game is officially under development have been announced. It is rumored to feature 4 player co-op gameplay though. In the press release Nick Earl, who is the Senior VP and Group General Manager at EA, stated this about the new Mercenaries game: "From the studio at EALA, a core creative team is forging new ground and conceptualizing new ideas for this exciting franchise."

No release date or platform has been announced for Mercenaries Inc. which is a working title for now. Check out the leaked footage after the break.Read more…

When a non-hyped game adaptation of an upcoming big budget film is the biggest attraction, gamers know that it is going to be an uneventful week of releases. This is pretty much the case as James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game will be the big release on what is to be a tiny list of games coming to retailers from now until December 5. The game is based upon the same big budget movie by the critically acclaimed Cameron that is set to hit theaters in two weeks.

Other releases include Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil 0 for the Wii and first-person shooter Rogue Warrior from Bethesda Studios for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Here is the full list of releases for this week:

DS:

Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
MX vs ATV: Reflex
Picture Perfect Hair Salon
th!nk Logic Trainer
th!nk Logic Trainer: Kids

PC:

Dirt 2
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
Rogue Warrior

PlayStation 2:

No New Releases

PlayStation 3:

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
MX vs ATV: Reflex
Rogue Warrior

PSP:

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
MX vs ATV: Reflex

Xbox 360:

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
MX vs ATV: Reflex
Rogue Warrior

Wii:

Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game
Rec Room
Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil 0
Rogue Trooper: The Quartz Zone Massacre
Storybook Workshop
th!nk Logic Trainer

Splash Damage has high hopes for their ambitious first-person shooter Brink, and all this week we’ll be bringing you exclusive video after exclusive video showcasing some of the ways the game’s developers are hoping to make Brink something truly special.

First up, we have a little walkthrough — narrated by the game’s director, Paul Wedgwood — that shows off the game’s Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain (S.M.A.R.T.) system, which essentially lets you go all Mirror’s Edge, and maneuver around environments in dynamic and unique ways, all based on your position and immediate need. If that sounds kind of cool, wait until you see it in action.

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And be sure to check out G4tv.com and X-Play all week for more exclusive Brink goodness.

Will Nicolas Cage return for the upcoming sequel to 2007′s Ghost Rider? Apparently, this is a question that he either cannot or is unwilling to answer.

Despite the film’s somewhat lukewarm fan reception, the first Ghost Rider, in its box-office run, drew $115,802,596 million domestic with a $228,738,393 million worldwide total. Not too shabby and it certainly (as far as he books are concerned,) justifies a return for the sequel. Why, then, is Nicolas Cage uncertain about the film? The man currently has the I.R.S. up his *ss and despite making an ungodly amount of money in a myriad of box-office mega hits, may end up broke! One would assume that the prospect of a sequel to one of his many blockbusters would be jumped at so quickly it would make distributor, Sony’s head spin.

When asked about the status of the film by MTV, Cage replied:

“You probably know more about it then I do,” laughed the veteran actor when asked about the project. “What have you read?" Adding: “Yeah, well I don’t really know how to answer that because I don’t have all the details.”

The sequel was rumored to be based on a script by David Goyer, which would take place 8-10 years after 2007′s Ghost Rider. It would unfold in such a way that the audience would not need to have seen the first film. In essence, it was thought to be a pseudo-reboot, where the actors and canon was maintained, but the storyline would be autonomous.

Cage’s other comments were pretty much more assertions of his inability to discuss the film. While we can hardly take an actor’s reluctance to discuss details of a future project as a sign that something is wrong, it could also be a sign that what we thought we knew was wrong.

It may be a case of Sony waiting for some traction on its Spider-Man 4 property before fully committing to this sequel. However, there certainly have to be doubts about whether Nicolas Cage may still be right actor to front this franchise. If the numbers for the first film clued them into anything, it’s that even a mediocre, "okay" at best Ghost Rider film can make a lot of money. Whether or not it was Cage himself that brought the audience, is the question. At this point, two years removed from the somewhat low-key first film, they have the luxury of considering the long-term investment of this franchise. This kind of thinking may entail going fresher or younger with the leading man.

Might this be the news on which Nicolas Cage is waiting? What is certain, is that the man is a certifiable box-office draw. For the most part, you can’t go wrong with him. However, for a sequel confirmed to be in development, this kind of stonewalling on whether its star would return does seem a bit odd.

Would the upcoming Ghost Rider sequel be better served with Nicolas Cage or someone new?

Source

A new report crafted by the gang over at Gamasutra displays a remarkably strong presence for the Xbox 360 in Japan following the release of Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2.

It’s easily apparent that Western-based companies have their work cut out for them in establishing a beachhead within the Japanese market; homegrown companies such as Nintendo continue to offer top-notch products for their chief market, with every Wii and DS title gobbled up by the insatiable masses.

According to the report, Left 4 Dead 2 has managed to shamble its way into the top 10 of a weekly Japanese sales chart, with an impressive 28,000 copies sold.

1. Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver (DS) – 55,000
2. Tomodachi Collection (DS) – 50,000
3. Wii Fit Plus (Wi) – 43,000
4. Inazuma Eleven 2: Kyoui no Shinryakusha (Fire/Blizzard)(DS) – 29,000
5. Taiko Drum Master Wii 2 (Wii) – 28,000 (NEW)
6. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) – 28,000 (NEW)
7. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 (PS3) – 24,000
8. J-League Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou! 6 (PSP) – 24,000
9. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS) – 23,000 (NEW)
10. Dragon Ball: Raging Blast (PS3) – 17,000

Edging out popular titles such as Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games and World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 is no small feat, and Microsoft should be proud of finally being a valid alternative to Japanese gamers seeking something apart from Nintendo or Sony games.

[Gamasutra]

A new multiplayer focused trailer has been released for Aliens vs. Predator, the latest installment in the franchise, developed by Rebellion, the company that created the first game on PC. The trailer showcases some of the modes and gameplay elements from the upcoming shooter, and it looks to be a pretty fun multiplayer shooter.

The game will feature modes such as regular single species deathmatch, where only one race is allowed, species versus, allowing two races, and multi species deathmatch where it is a race free for all. The trailer goes on to flesh out a special mode where one player is a Predator and the other players are Marines. The marines have to hunt down the Predator, while that player has to take them out. The trailer shows the Predator jumping from pillar to pillar and using their claws, staves, and cannons against the Marines in an all out hunt, while the Marines are armed with pure firepower and the signature motion sensor. Looks very cool.

One notable aspect missing from the trailer is how the Aliens play. It shows snippets of other characters being killed by Aliens, like a Marine being gutted by their razor tails or the enticing image above, but no HUD elements or gameplay from their viewpoint. It does hint that special Alien kills show it from the victim’s perspective bringing an interesting aspect to the race.

Check out the trailer here to see the multiplayer horror shooter in action.

[GameTrailers]

If you thought you’d be able to learn everything about the combat tactics of Star Trek Online in just one video diary, would you mind explaining why part two of this video series is sitting just below this sentence? I mean, did you honestly think you’d be able to grasp the complexities and challenges of successfully engaging in space combat that easily? Think again, and then check out this new combat video:

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There haven’t been a ton of exclusives for the Xbox 360 this year, but even though they are few in number, they are mighty. It’s hard to choose the most outstanding, but Adam Sessler lets you know which titles to pick up this holiday season including Forza Motorsport 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo Wars, Ninja Blade and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

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Just in time to give those nefarious Americans a break from wolfing down turkey legs on Thanksgiving, a Russian entity has supposedly "hacked" Ubisoft’s official Splinter Cell website.

Initially announced via the company’s Twitter feed, Ubisoft has stated they are scrambling to resolve the issue; the funny thing is, this hack appears meticulously constructed in Flash, complete with a loading screen and flashy background effects. I’m not sure if anonymous hackers would wish to leave a calling card this garish–but everyday in Russia is opposite day, right?

Here is the translated message, thanks to the wonderfully accurate Google Translate:

"Occasionally the security system will be switched off for planned work and data protection. During such work may be a breach in security from external threats. Thus, all off would be a random character in accordance with a random pattern of Delta-3-6-Oscar"

The message contains a mysterious code phrased in the military alphabet. Upon decrypting the message through the NSA’s cipher matrix, we appear to reveal a secr–oh, who am I kidding. Nice try, Ubisoft.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is scheduled for a February 23, 2010 release on the PC and Xbox 360.

[ConnectedConsoles]

The PS3 has really come into its own lately, and many of the exclusives this year pushed the hardware to its limits and really showed us what the console was capable of.

In the video below, Adam Sessler gives our picks for the Top 5 PS3 Games this holiday season including Killzone 2, InFamous, Demon’s Souls, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

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