Wii owners must have rejoiced with giddy relish upon the announcement of Goldeneye 007, a remake of the N64 classic that is a renowned hallmark of the FPS genre and licensed movie games in general. Imagine, then, the grimace when it was found that, due to Nintendo’s exclusivity, everyone else would not be able to sample the great Goldeneye, and would instead be treated to an original Bond game developed by Bizarre Creations, a developer better known for honing racing games.

007 Blood Stone is based on an original storyline in the same vein as Bond games from the previous generation, such as Nightfire and Everything or Nothing, with the advantage of being written by Bruce Feirstein who also wrote the script for the Goldeneye film. But can fans seek solace in this video game adaptation while the film franchise remains in limbo?

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Hot on today’s release of Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit in North America, EA has already confirmed the next entry in the series, Need For Speed Shift 2 Unleashed, the sequel to last year’s supercharged Need For Speed: Shift.

Presented in a new teaser trailer, Shift 2 looks to retain the same helmet camera viewpoint that captured the g-forces of thundering along at obscene speeds so incredibly well in Shift. An enhanced version of Hot Pursuit‘s autolog is also set to feature, allowing you to monitor friend’s performances and compare personal stats.

Need For Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed is slated for a 2011 release sometime in the Spring.

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Bit.Trip FATE is the fifth and penultimate installment of Gaijin Games’ Bit.Trip series. Like the four titles preceding it, FATE meshes distinctly retro aesthetics with rhythm-based gameplay, crafting a familiar and nostalgic experience that still manages to be unique in its own right. Also like its predecessors, FATE borrows greatly from classic-retro titles. This time, Gaijin Games pays homage to the venerable Shoot ‘em up genre in what might be one of the most interesting titles of the series.

But is it any good? Hit the jump to find out.

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Update: Blizzard released the following statement in regards to the job postings:  “We’re exploring a Diablo-related concept for consoles and are currently looking to fill a few senior console-related positions on the Diablo III team. As we’ve said in the past, with proper care the gameplay could suit the console platform, and we’re interested in seeing what talent out there might be interested in such a project. If you’re passionate about all things Diablo and have the requisite skill and experience, then head over to our jobs site to check out the positions and apply.

Please note that this is not an announcement of a console title. We are first and foremost developing Diablo III for Windows and Mac PCs and don’t intend to allow any possibility of a console interpretation to delay or affect the release of the game.”

Well I guess that means console gamers won’t be slaying demons along side their PC brethren on Battle.net anytime soon. Hopefully, somewhere down the line, Blizzard will show a little love to those who play with controllers rather then just to those with the keyboards and mice.

Original: Today Blizzard Entertainment added a few job postings to its website that are causing quite a buzz on the Web. Apparently, Blizzard is looking to hire developers with console experience for Diablo III. Now one can only assume that Blizzard would want to hire console developers because they are planning a Diablo III console port, right?

While this may sound a little crazy to some gamers, (I mean Blizzard is pretty dedicated to developing for the PC) it is important to remember that the original Diablo hit the PlayStation one year after being releases on the PC. You also can’t forget about the of StarCraft N64 port. Read more… »

Developer People Can Fly just released a new Bulletstorm trailer today. If you’re like me, you clicked on right away to watch the gory goodness. From the sights and sounds, it seems the game will live up to its promise of being jam packed with colorful language and massively entertaining shooter action–even if it is only remotely close to the trailer.

You want more? Of course you want more.

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So far, the PlayStation Move controller has been transformed into all manner of wacky objects, from tennis bats and archery bows to fly swatters and frying pans. And now it can also add light guns to its arsenal with The Shoot, the first of what could potentially be a slew of light-gun themed games. Case in point: Time Crisis: Razing Storm has already been released merely a week later.

Does The Shoot reach its target or should it be left firmly in its holster?

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The 12th of November proved to be a momentously uplifting day for Gran Turismo devotees as, after months of rumours, delays and teasing leaks, the final release date for Gran Turismo 5 was finally announced amidst a plethora of ecstatic cheers and relief.

In conjunction, the full car list was also unveiled, confirming that Gran Turismo 5 will have no less than 1031 cars to drive. It’s an undeniably staggering feat for a video game, and easily the largest line-up of cars ever seen in a driving game, trouncing GT4’s previous 700+ strong car collection.

However, there may well be over 1000 cars but literally half of these are from Japanese manufacturers – there are almost 100 Mazdas, and no less than 40 variations of the bloody Nissan Skyline, for example. It’s beyond excessive.

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Following on from today’s release date announcement, Polyphony have posted a long list of all the available cars in the game.

In total, there are a staggering 1031 playable cars, the biggest and most diverse range of any driving game to date. Read on for the full list: “S” denotes a Standard Model enhanced from GT4 whereas “P” represents a Premium Model with fully modelled interior as seen in GT5: Prologue.

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In what will hopefully be the last time I post this news, the final release date for Gran Turismo 5 has now been confirmed for November 24th in both the US and Europe.

An official apology was found in the press release for the on-going delays the anticipated game has suffered:

“Satisfying the loyal Gran Turismo followers is at the heart of all of our efforts, which is why it was such a difficult decision to delay the release of the game, and one which we did not take lightly. I can only apologise to everyone for making you wait so long, and I hope that when you try out the wealth of driving experiences available in Gran Turismo 5, you will not be disappointed.”

The more observant of you will have also noticed that November 24th is under two weeks away!

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How many games let you dress up as a giant chicken in order to rescue ‘crafty’ escaped chickens by lulling them into a false sense of security?  Fable III is here and maintains the humorous writing that has characterized the entire series.  After three games of refining and tweaking formulas Peter Molyneux’s franchise has come a long way in both good ways and bad.  At its core Fable III is a solid advancement of what made Fable II good but it also carries some of the same problems and introduces a few new ones.

Fifty years after Fable II the land of Albion has entered an industrial era and the old Hero-King of Albion, the player character from Fable II, has died and left the crown to his tyrannical firstborn son Logan.  Under Logan’s rule hardship, pollution, and poverty run rampant with the masses downtrodden and hopeless.  You are Logan’s younger brother who, after an incident in the castle that showcases Logan’s cruelty, flees the castle with the aid of his or her mentor Sir Walter, faithful butler Jarvis, and loyal pet dog to discover his or her destiny as a Hero and lead a revolution against Logan to save Albion. Read more… »

It’s been two years since Fallout 3 hit, bringing new life to a long sleeping franchise. Aside from garnering all sorts of critical acclaim, Fallout 3 successfully transported a new generation of gamers (by which I mean console as well as younger)  to the harsh wasteland of post WWIII Washington DC.

While Fallout 3 was fantastic in almost all aspects, the one place I felt it was lacking was in the Fallout feel. Anyone who played the first two Fallout games should know what I’m talking about. The original isometric Fallout games were a no-holds-barred glimpse into the savagery that is post-apocalyptic society. Fallout 3 was a bit too touchy feely for my likes, which raises the question: What direction did Obsidian games take Fallout: New Vegas? Read on to find out. Read more… »

Video games themed around holidays like Christmas or Halloween aren’t nearly as prevalent as books or films.  There’s definitely potential in the idea but game makers haven’t really touched upon it yet.  Double Fine Productions decided to explore this new territory for games to bring us Costume Quest.  Double Fine’s creativity shines through in this endearing XBLA/PSN release to deliver a memorable experience.

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