Resistance 2 Collector’s Edition Revealed!

• Copy of Resistance 2 with special edition cover artwork selected by the fans
• An exclusive Chimeran Hybrid action figure with Bullseye, created by DC Unlimited
• A double-sided hard-cover Resistance 2 art book covering war-torn America from two unique perspectives
• Exclusive in-game HVAP Wraith multiplayer weapon skin

The collector’s edition also contains a bonus DVD that includes:

• Exclusive behind the scenes video, “America Forever Lost”, chronicling the making of Resistance 2
• Digital copy of Issue #0 of the Resistance comic book series published by Wildstorm.
• A preview into the upcoming Resistance novel, “Resistance: The Gathering Storm” by science fiction author William Dietz.
• “Shattered History” Resistance timeline movie– providing a story overview from the earliest days of the Chimera invasion to the beginning of Resistance 2.

It makes up what we think is a pretty cool package for fans of Resistance, and it will be available for $79.99. It is a limited release though, so I highly recommend you pre-order! This brings me to another point: the Public Beta.

We are excited to announce the Public Beta will begin in early October, and premier access to the beta can be obtained in North America by pre-ordering the game from a GameStop retail store or online at www.gamestop.com. In addition, Qore annual subscribers will receive premier access to the beta.

Now if you’d like to apply for the open access period of the public beta, you can visit http://beta.myresistance.net/apply. Folks that have purchased Qore Episode 3 will be given the beta during the open access period as well.

I know many of our friends outside of North America read this blog. Don’t worry! The plans for the Public Beta will be communicated on a more local level, but will generally involve pre-order and/or application programs.

Socom Confrontation Beta in Two Weeks !

When you preorder this game you will be entittled to join the beta along with two friends of your choice.
Check www.socom.com for more details.

Socom Beta Update

Those of you who purchased Episode 1 of Qore (or subscribed) will join the fray Monday, September 8th. Those of you that pre-order the full game can get started a week earlier.

Pre-order from where? How long does the beta last? How many friends can you share your beta with? (Yes, I said “share!”) The good folks at SOCOM.com have the answers you’re looking for.

Wii: Number One console in the US

The U.S. video-game industry remains on track to achieve a record year of more than $22 billion in revenue, as people are apparently turning to in-home entertainment to weather the shaky economy.

Store sales of video games and consoles in June soared 53% and 54%, respectively, from the same month last year, while revenue from software and accessories rose 61% and 25%, the NPD Group said Thursday. So far this year, retailers have sold $16.6 billion in video games, consoles, and related products, compared with $12.2 billion during the same period a year ago.

"The videogames industry continues to perform in the face of an ever-increasingly difficult economic environment as many turn to more in-home entertainment," NPD analyst Anita Frazier, said in an e-mailed statement. "Even if growth slows over the back half of 2008, the industry is poised to achieve record-breaking revenues of over $22 billion for the year."

Nintendo’s Wii console, with its popular motion-sensing remote, took the lead in total unit sales of current-generation hardware, NPD said. Since releasing the Wii in November 2006, Nintendo has sold 10.9 million units through U.S. retail stores. In June, sales reached 666,700 units.

Sony (NYSE: SNE) had its best month in terms of PlayStation 3 sales since last year’s holiday shopping season, as retailers sold more than 405,000 units. NPD, which does not include online sales, attributed the solid month to the release of the game Metal Gear Solid 4, which is exclusive to the PS3.

"Platform-exclusive content usually fuels hardware system purchases, and PS3 sales certainly reflect the impact of Metal Gear Solid 4," Frazier said. Almost 775,000 copies of Metal Gear were sold at stores in June, making it the top-selling game.

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), meanwhile, sold 219,800 Xbox 360s in June.

Microsoft is reportedly getting ready to cut the price of its best-selling Xbox 360 model this month, a move that could boost sales. The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, said the company would reduce the retail price for the 20-GB Xbox 360 Pro by $50 to $299.

Rockband 2

It’s official. Rock Band 2 is coming this fall. Harmonix is making a few changes to the original Rock Band game which will have better instruments, an online community, and a new soundtrack. In an interview with Harmonix’s Lead Designer Dan Teasdale, IGN got a few more details about the game, but it looks like we won’t see an actual demo until later this month.

Apparently, after listening to customer feedback, Harmonix has decided to improve the instruments, which will now be quieter, more realistic and more reliable. The games will also be compatible between each other, meaning instruments and songs from the original game will work with Rock Band 2.

The Rock Band sequel will debut on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 this September, and versions compatible with Sony’s Playstation and the Nintendo Wii will be available later this year. More details about the game should be revealed during the E3 video gaming conference in Los Angeles on July 14-17, so we’ll see then how this new Rock Band will compare with the upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour.

Metal Gear 4

 

Wow, I have to admit it, what a fine job they did with Metal Gear 4

          I’m really impressed wtih the graphics and those long and cool cinematics.
Althought they say this is the last game from MG4, in reality what is happening is that Solid is retiring but not the franchise, ……I don’t know if this could work…they tried on one of the previous games to play as someone rather then Snake and the crowd were not happy campers. Metal Gear its been around for the last twenty years, and still kickin’ I still have the original Metal Gear for the original Nintendo. I remember I used to get excited with the graphics…lol… we had come a long way.

There is a downhill though, the headset, is not as pleasant as it should be, it looks more like a plastic toy and noise reduction..still there. Still it is a cool gadget since I had never bought a headset for the PS3 and never talked to other online. (Most of players don’t use headsets on PS3) unlike the Xbox Live which we are always talking to new and veteran gamer even if we don’t know them. That’s what  l like about the XBL. That’s how I met most of you my friends.

Anyways, I would like to know what do you think so far about MG4.

Happy Gaming!

Vip

Wii Ware: Is This Nintendo’s First Blunder?

Nintendo’s Wii console unveiled its own slate of original, downloadable games this month, and the service promises to broaden this unique machine’s appeal still further. With low distribution costs and little barrier to entry, it’s a hit among smaller, risk-averse developers.

But after being bewildered by bizarre interfaces, confused by storage limits and inexplicably accosted by orange Marios, we’re left wondering: could this be the Wii’s first blunder?

Packing a launch portfolio containing some surprisingly compelling titles, WiiWare, as the new service is called, certainly has all the right ideas behind it. It’s intended to support smaller developers in much the same way as competing services on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Distributing games directly to consumers via digital download services cuts out both publisher and retailer, meaning developers can afford to take more risks, and — in theory — give consumers like us a better deal.

Try it out, though, and you’ll find some big problems. The interface is average at best, and the limited storage of the Wii console means trouble for heavy users of the machine’s Virtual Console service (which lets you download classic games), who are suddenly going to have to make some tough choices about which games to keep. With only 512 MB of on-board storage, players are running out of room, and although you can store games on an SD card, you have to copy them back before you can play them. If keen players are already reaching the limit, what’s it going to be like in a few years?

Wii Fit could be as scarce as, well, the Wii

Online retailers have stopped taking preorders for the much-hyped Wii Fit—sound familiar?—while shoppers scratch their heads over the exact launch date.

I just did a quick survey of the bigger online shopping sites, and no one’s taking preorders for Nintendo’s $90 balance-board-packing exercise game (read all about it here). Amazon, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, GameStop, even Sears-all sold out.

And if you’re thinking of just walking into your local big-box retailer to grab a Wii Fit off the shelves, well … you’ll have to wait until Wednesday, May 21.

Strange, considering Nintendo held a New York launch event on Monday, with some lucky shoppers carting away white-and-green Wii Fit boxes in the process.

Indeed, it looks like there was some confusion among retailers, shoppers, and even Nintendo itself over the exact U.S. launch date for Wii Fit.

Last month, Nintendo announced Wii Fit would land on store shelves May 19. Then the Wii Fit ads came out, and they all said May 21. GameSpot reported that it checked with Nintendo of America just last week, and reps said May 19 was still the big day. Guess they were wrong.

Anyway, it’s looking like Wii Fit will be a hot ticket-maybe as hot as the Wii console itself, which even now remains in short supply.

We’ll have to wait until Wednesday to see just how many-or how few-Wii Fit units ship to stores nationwide. But if you’re hoping for guaranteed time on Nintento’s wireless balance board this week, consider staking out your local electronics retailer Wednesday morning. Either that, or prepare to pay double on eBay.

Related:
Wii Fit coming to U.S. in May [Yahoo! Tech]
Confusion, shortages hobble US Wii Fit kickoff [GameSpot]

FFC: My LIfe as a King

     For those who have the Wii and internet connection, you might want to try this game.
Its really cool DLC from the Nintendo Shop Channel, this game breaks the RPG genre and implements the "Simulation" style.
Its basically what you get if you cross Sim City and Final Fantasy you ended with this game.
Also, if you like DLC add-ons this game has plenty, you can buy outfits, missions, etc…
I want to hear your opinion, for those who had played…..what do you think?

Sypnosis:

You are a young king who must rebuild his kingdom, beginning with the castle town. When the king first reaches the borders of his realm, he finds that the crystal in the center of town has given him special powers to be a "master builder," a unique ability he uses to construct houses, shops and the like to rebuild and revitalize his kingdom.

 

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play is an online service that offers extra downloadable content for games, such as bonus stages or specialty items, to extend or enhance your gaming experience. Games that offer extra fee-based content, which may be downloaded using Wii Points, will be clearly marked with the new Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play logo.

PS3 Gaining Foreign Grounds!

With 5 million PS3s sold on the continent, Sony has announced that they’ve overtaken the 360 in Europe. And not only that, but Sony has been outselling Microsoft in the market since October.

While Sony’s PlayStation 3 has gotten off to a shaky, late start, Sony has always claimed that the console was doing well through Europe (which includes many markets that don’t have public sales figures available). And that makes sense, since the PlayStation brand is incredibly strong there—48 million PS2s have been sold there, along with 12 million PSPs.

With this European data in hand, it’s looking more and more like the Xbox 360 is an American trend (since their sales in Japan are virtually nonexistent). But Sony still has a good deal more ground to cover before they can claim second place in the console wars, even from the worldwide perspective