Kicking things off today, the fine folks over at Maxis have released a short teaser trailer for their upcoming people-sim, The Sims 3. Running just under two minutes long, the video introduces us to the game's new neighborhoods, various activities you can participate in and more! Enjoy:
Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. The video is also available for download at GamersHell and the FileFront. Stay tuned for more mirrors! ;)
Ding! Achievement unlocked!
While those people who scour the web for all the latest NDA-taunting leaks from the Wrath of the Lich King Alpha are already "in-the-know", Blizzard has now officially unveiled the addition of an achievement system to World of Warcraft.
You wanted something else to do in the game? I mean, beyond the usual drive to kill the hardest raid bosses, collecting better Epic items, gathering honor or accumulating Arena ranking? Well, achievements add a whole new set of goals to aim for.
The new feature is part of the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion, and Blizzard is going "big" with it - at launch there will be more than 500 different achievements to collect. Gotta catch 'em all!
Read on for examples, or check out Blizzard's preview.
To help keep track of all the different achievements you can unlock, you’ll find the following categories in the achievements window:
Player-vs.-Player: This includes arena, battlegrounds, and world player-vs.-player objectives. A few examples:Hot Streak: Win 10 ranked arena matches in a row.Alterac Valley All-Star: Capture graveyards, towers, and kill the enemy leader all in one game.City Defender: Kill 50 enemy players in your faction’s capital cities.Dungeons and Raids: Every end boss of every raid and dungeon in the game grants its own achievement. Future achievements in this category may include ones for completing a run without any player deaths, with fewer than the maximum number of players, or within a certain time limit.Professions: Advancing to each tier of mastery in a profession earns you an achievement, and there are specific achievements for secondary skills (with major professions to follow).Quests: Quest-based achievements include completing a certain number of quests and completing specific quest lines. This category contains zone-specific subcategories.Events: Seasonal events such as the Midsummer Festival, the Lunar Festival, and Hallows’ End have specific achievements of their own.World Exploration: You’ll earn achievements by exploring each zone in the game -- and get meta-achievements when you fully explore a continent.Reputations: This set of achievements includes attaining exalted reputation with each faction in the game.General: These achievements tend toward the whimsical, including getting a shave and haircut (a new feature of Wrath of the Lich King), obtaining a certain number of tabards and vanity pets, falling from a great height, and more.Now all they need to add here is guild-specific achievements related to the raid bosses, and a small upgrade to Armory, and we'll even have official "Raid Progress" rankings! The little gamerscore-addict in me can't wait...
According to the American Medical Association, ADHD is “one of the best-researched disorders in medicine.” However, despite this, no one really knows what causes ADHD or how to cure it. So when a new approach comes along, it's welcomed with open arms by the scientific community. Well, just such a thing has happened, and it's resulted in some great findings.
A "first-of-its-kind survey" was conducted by Information Solutions Group on behalf of PopCap Games (who you may have read about before). Involving 13,296 respondents, about 220 were children suffering from some level of ADHD. According to the results, certain types of video games appear to have a therapeutic affect on the disorder, lessening symptoms and helping kids focus. And of course, kids love it, and doctors and parents alike couldn't be more pleased. Dr. Carl Arinoldo, a Stony Brook, New York-based psychologist of 25 years’ experience reports:
“It seems that children with AD/HD often lack that sense of control that comes much more easily to their non-AD/HD peers. Playing casual games such as Peggle and Bejeweled, among others, is one area in their lives in which these children can experience some sense of control with the added benefit of achieving success in something. Both of these aspects, taken together, can serve to enhance the child’s self-concept and self-esteem.”
Joe P. of Athens, Georgia, a father of a child diagnosed with ADHD, wrote in response to the survey, “He seems more relaxed and calm. We have also noticed after playing games, he can concentrate on school materials such as math, in which he has the biggest struggle, and not get frustrated with problems he doesn't understand.”
He ain't the only one, either, but hey, space is limited!
Here's a breakdown of the benefits cited:
83% cited Improved concentration skills/Increased attention span70% cited Improved hand-eye coordination/Manual dexterity64% cited Stress relief/Relaxation60% cited Learning (pattern recognition, resource allocation, spelling, typing skills)56% cited Mental workouts/Memory strengthening/Mentally sharp and focused55% cited Mood-lifting51% cited Positive affirmation/Increased confidence/Sense of accomplishment
Keeping things rollin' tonight, the guys over at Relic Entertainment have released a brand new cinematic trailer for their highly anticipated strategy title, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. There's no in-game footage, but man...that's some nice CG! Enjoy:
Thanks to GameTrailers for the above stream. Mirrors are also available at the following websites:
FileShackFilePlanetStrategyInformerWarhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 is scheduled for release in Spring 2009.
Also available for download today is a brand new teaser trailer for Raven Software's upcoming first person shooter, Wolfenstein. The 24 second video features huge explosions, a handful of strange sci fi weapons, and some soon-to-be-dead Nazis. Enjoy:
The above stream is courtesy of GameTrailers. Hit-up any of the following mirrors for a manual download:
GamersHellFileFrontFileShackStrategyInformerWorthPlayingWonder if they'll recruit Splash Damage for the multiplayer portion of the game again. Kind of doubt it, but I can dream! ;)
You can't keep that Bond guy down. After countless movies, a tall stack of books and a bevy of games, Bond is making another apperance soon, in Quantum Of Solace.You have to hand it to the guy -- Bond's managed to keep fans entertained since the early 1950's. Quite the stretch!
Based on the upcoming Bond film of the same name, the Quantum of Solace game will be coming in the fall for pretty much every platform: PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, Wii, and the DS.
Four different developers (Treyarch, Beenox, Eurocom and Vicarious Visions) are working on the different versions of the game, so it'll be interesting to see what they all come up with.
The Xbox and PS2/3 versions will be built upon the engine that powered the best-selling Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Here's some of the game's attributes from the press release. Warning: this information will explode into a giant fireball within 30 seconds, so read quickly.
• Be the New Bond – The Quantum of Solace game marks the first time players can become the dangerous and cunning Bond as portrayed by Daniel Craig in “Quantum of Solace” and “Casino Royale.”
• Combat Variety – From silent take downs and sneaking through confined spaces, to one-on-one shoot outs and large scale battles, players experience a variety of gameplay that challenges them to think through situations and choose how they progress, whether it’s through covert means or confronting enemies in full force.
• Advanced combat and Realistic AI – Players engage in both first-person and third-person gameplay that allows gamers to be Bond in unscripted battles against the world’s most evil villains and mercenaries.
• Cinematic Appeal – Filled with armed combat, massive explosions and vertigo-inducing chases, gamers are immersed in an authentic Bond universe and drawn into epic movie moments with theatrical camera angles, split screen effects, picture-in-picture sequences, and amazing environments inspired by real world locations such as Montenegro, Venice, Bolivia and Austria.
• Unparalleled Bond Multiplayer Experience – Bringing James Bond to next-gen consoles for the first time, gamers now have the ability to battle online in a variety of modes.
Last but not least, we caught Sony's big press conference at this year's E3 Media & Business Summit. If you happened to miss it, don't worry! We took some notes:
Resistance 2
New gameplay trailer shown. Show a giant monster walking through the city that, picking the player up and tossing him to other rooftops.Set in 1953...they give the basic rundown on the storyline.Stuff we already knew: 8 player online co-op, 60 player online competitive mode.New Twin Falls Idaho level shown in trailer form. (VIDEO)Little Big Planet
Play, create and share levels.They use the game to run through some PlayStation numbers with a custom map made of charts and stuff. Dressed Sacboy up in a Boston Celtics uniform. (VIDEO)Greatest Hits line coming later this year.
$29.99 per game.Titles named: Resistance, Motorstorm, Warhawk, Call of Duty 3, Fight Night, Need for Speed Carbon, Rainbow Six Vegas, Assassins Creed, Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Ninja Gaiden Sigma.Buzz Coming to PSP and PS3
PSP version to feature 6 exclusive rounds.PS3 version to feature special theme packs via PSN.New PlayStation 2 bundle announced.
Due out this FallIncludes Lego Batman and Justice League: New Frontier DVD.Priced at $149.PSN
Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty PSN game announced. Shorter then a big retail product at a lower price. Begins where Tools of Destruction left off. Includes a new wrench ability that helps you reach distant objects. Due out later this Summer.Gran Turismo TV coming to PSN visa GT5: Prologue on August 1st. Lets you watch car related programing.New PlayStation Home trailer shown. Meet friends, customize your avatar and house, visit living game spaces (Resistance and Warhawk related areas shown). (VIDEO)PlayStation Store now offers Movie and TV shows for rent or purchase in both SD and HD. Prices run from 1.99 per tv episode. 5.99 per movie rental. TV episodes will run you $1.99, while Movie are priced at $2.99-5.99 for rentals and $9.99-14.99 for purchases. Features progressive downloads, so you can watch as you download. New titles will be added each week. This service is available now (July 15th)!PSP
PSP Madden pack coming this Fall.PSP Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters pack coming this October Includes a silver PSP, R&C: Size Matters, National Treasures 2: Book of Secrets, 1GB memory stick and a PSN voucher for Echochrome. All for $199.Resistance Retribution PSP game revealed. Short trailer shown. Coming Spring 2009. (VIDEO)"Life With PlayStation" Announced
Allows you to watch worldwide news, weather, ect, through your PS3 and PSN.Available by the end of the month.DC Universe Online
Create your own superhero of villain and fight alongside or against popular comic characters.New trailer shown. (VIDEO)Sony to focus on 80GB PS3s.
Sony announces that they'll be focusing on the 80GB PS3's.Coming this September, you can get an 80GB PS3 for $399.99.Will feature the "same functionality as the 40GB". Does this mean no PS2 backward compatibility? They didn't say.God of War 3 Revealed
Short CG trailer shown. (VIDEO)No details..at all. Sorry. :(Infamous
Be a hero or anti-hero. Save or destroy and entire city.New trailer shown. (VIDEO)Coming Spring 2009MAG: Massive Action Game Announced
Developed by Zipper InteractiveOnline action game.256 players!Squad based combat. (8 player squads)Character growth with full advancement trees.On-going faction based campaigns.CG trailer shown (VIDEO)Stay tuned for more notes and some videos! ;)
