Disney Interactive has announced that the Hollywood-inspired racer Split/Second will be ported over to PSP this winter, and will retain the same OTT power-player sequences that made it such a stand-out title in the genre. While the game will sadly not feature online multiplayer, local multiplayer for up to four players has been promised, along with an extra track and additional challenges that were not featured in the original.

Despite my best efforts to persuade you to buy it, the original Split/Second achieved underwhelming sales so it will be interesting to see how it will perform on a new platform, not to mention how the sensation of being in a big budget movie will transpire on a smaller system.

Split/Second is due for release on PSP this Autumn – check out the newly released screenshots after the break.

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Yesterday Blizzard Entertainment announced that it will be making some major changes to it’s forums in preparation for StarCraft II and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. The biggest thing being changed is that “anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name.”

That’s right folks, anonymity on the Blizzard forums is going to die. According to the official posting, “These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged.” Read more… »

Many people have suggested that playing Puzzle Quest is a lot like being addicted to crack, but I don’t share that view. Instead, I would compare the experience to opening a bag of potato chips. Just as you find yourself unable to stop at one potato chip and soon are in need of a new bag and a handful of napkins, Puzzle Quest sucks you in, forcing you to play puzzle after puzzle until you realize that your life has become more useless than the cast of Jersey Shore.

Now, D3 Publisher has released Puzzle Quest 2, hoping that it can capture the hearts of its consumer base once again just as the Lays Corporation did with Baked Lays. Indeed, Puzzle Quest 2 is a game that has trimmed out a lot of the fat, making for a game that is far healthier for you even if, in your weak moments, you do miss some of the rich taste of the original.

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PSP Minis were kind of dead on arrival. iTunes has them beat in just about every respect: lower price points, a wider variety of genres, and most importantly, the fact that there are more iTunes games released in one day than there are currently on the minis marketplace in total.

Can Stellar Attack’s old school charm bring PSP Minis back from the dead? Read more… »

Today brings some bad news for fans of Obsidian’s espionage-based RPG Alpha Protocol. Publisher Sega West has confirmed that, due to poor critical reception, any plans for a sequel have gone out the window.

Sega West president Mike Hayes explained, “Let’s speak very commercially; the game hasn’t sold what we’ve expected, therefore we won’t be doing a sequel.” Read more… »

Electronic Arts’ campaign to fight used game sales, code-named Project Ten Dollar, involves offering free DLC to people who purchase their games new and charging everyone who buys the game used $10 to download that content. There is a version of this campaign called Online Pass, which gives purchasers of new EA Sports titles the ability to play online for free, and charges anyone who buys the game used $10 for the privilege.

Most of the criticism I’ve read about Project Ten Dollar stems from those who may be facing these $10 purchases, and their arguments make little sense to me. Used copies of games usually go for $54.99 at GameStop if the title was released within the past one or two months. If you have an Edge card, you save an extra 5%. Is it worth saving $7.75 at the expense of missing out on a bunch of content? And if someone waits long enough for the used copy of the game to run at $39.99 or less, even if they do spend the $10 for the “free” DLC they have still saved $10 off the retail price of a new copy.

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Ignition Entertainment have given the nod that their downloadable shooter, Blacklight: Tango Down, will hit XBLA tomorrow, Wednesday 7th July.  Coming in at a sizeable 1200 Microsoft points the title boasts an environment that is “part Blade Runner and part Call of Duty”.  Not entirely sure I’m convinced with that marriage but the proof of the pudding is in the head-shots as I like to say.

The game generated a wave of positive rumbles at E3 a few weeks back so I’m intrigued as to the quality of the end product.  The title is also due for release on PC and PS3 later in the Summer, no pricing information was forthcoming for those versions at this time.

So for now feast your eyes on these new screens and take a nose through the press release until you can take the title for a test drive yourself tomorrow.

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It has become increasingly apparent that games have been watered down for today’s current generation of gamers in an attempt to make things more streamlined. Indeed, while this notion certainly rings true when considering Nintendo’s approach with the Wii – not to mention the ever-notorious Kinect and Playstation Move following suit – there are still games being produced that have been lovingly crafted for the more dedicated gamer.

Enter Sin and Punishment. Developed by rail-shooter veterans Treasure, the series made its debut back on the Nintendo 64, garnering much critical acclaim due to its eclectic nature and high production values. However, with the popularity of Ninty’s beloved console rapidly dwindling, Treasure quietly removed the title from their roster and released it exclusively for the Japanese market. It became a mythological entity at that point; North American and PAL owners were shunned in an attempt to sustain financial stability, thus making it a prestigious collector’s item in the process.

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When you think of female characters in gaming, they tend to fall into one of two categories. On one hand, you’ve got your independent ass-kickers like Samus, Alyx Vance, and Jade. On the other, you have the damsels in distress, such as Peach and Zelda, who seem content to cheer from the sidelines and hang out in dungeons.

Throughout gaming, the word princess has been synonymous with useless… that is, until now. Enter Princess Fury for the iPhone. When her kingdom is threatened by all kind of evil creatures, she does what any self-respecting potential monarch should: she grabs an extremely over-sized sword and she hits the battlefield.

Now, you may think that a ruffly pastel dress, shiny silver shoes, and a tiara would be impractical for heavy combat. Well, the Princess is out to show us otherwise, and the result is an entertaining little title for the iPhone.

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[Editor's note - at the current moment, Worgens cannot exit their starting area, so I explored the entire region]

Well, the time has come, and I’ve finally completed the two starting areas for both the Worgen and Goblins! If you’ve been following along so far, you’ll know the basics of each race, and how they fit into the World of Warcraft mythos.

The addition of two brand new races will certaintly mix up raids a bit, especially since Blizzard is giving 10-man raids another go – we’re getting to the point where entire raids will be comprised almost entirely of different races (and that 1% extra damage passive that the Worgen have isn’t too shabby for end-game content). Read on for my thoughts on the two new races. Read more… »

With the retro aesthetic, infectious music, and colourful visuals of their first series, Gaijin Games have endeared themselves to the hearts of many. What the Bit.Trip titles lack in excellent high-definition visuals and Hollywood budgets, they make up with a vibrant artistic style and actually substantive rhythm-based gameplay.

Beyond the addictive gameplay that can unintentionally leave one playing for hours on end, Gaijin Games subtly weaves an intriguing tale about man’s journey through life. Bit.Trip RUNNER shows Commander Video’s journey from adolescence into adulthood. Essentially, it is a story about the maturation of this man, his existential plateau, and his climactic moment.

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