Valve has ’3 big surprises’ up their sleeve

Valve, speaking to PC Gamer UK (thanks, CVG), promised that it has at least three big surprises for gamers in the next 12 months.  And what’s more, they are going to be “shocking”.

“I can guarantee you people are going to be surprised at stuff we do. That isn’t going to stop any time soon. I’m just laughing because… people will be shocked again,” Valve boss Gabe Newell told the latest issue of PC Gamer.

“We have three pretty big surprises in the next 12 months at least.”

Let the speculation begin! Most gamers are surely hoping for anything Half Life. I mean come on, it’s been years and they have three surprise slots to fill anyway. I also reckon Valve will announce PS Move support for Portal since they have been so lovey-dovey with the platform lately (and it kind of makes sense, no?). But we shall see.

Tron: Evolution Collector’s Edition revealed, Release date confirmed

Press release:
Disney Interactive Studios today announced a collector’s edition of TRON: Evolution will be available at retail. The TRON: Evolution collector’s edition package will include an exclusive TRON light cycle collectible based on the in-game model from TRON: Evolution. The light cycle model is being created by renowned collectibles manufacturer Sideshow Collectibles. Available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, the collector’s edition will be packaged in a special protective casing with a drawer for the game.

The company also announced December 7 as the North American release date for all its TRON: Evolution video games on popular platforms. TRON: Evolution games will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system, Wii, Windows PC, Nintendo DS and PSP system. The Wii game’s title is TRON: Evolution – Battle Grids.

The TRON: Evolution collector’s edition will only be available in limited quantities and will have a suggested retail price of $129.99 in North America. The collector’s edition will be available on December 7 with the rest of the TRON: Evolution video game portfolio before the “TRON: Legacy” film hits U.S. theaters on December 17 in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D.

Developed by Propaganda Games, Disney Interactive Studios’ action and role-playing game studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, TRON: Evolution is set during the era between the two TRON films, “TRON” (1982) and “TRON: Legacy.” TRON: Evolution conveys the story of significant events within the TRON mythology. The game features an epic adventure across a massive digital world filled with high-mobility disc-based combat and advanced light cycles.

TRON: Evolution is one of the keys to unlocking the TRON mythology. The game’s story takes place before the “TRON: Legacy” events and provides insight into the film’s past. As an integrated entertainment experience, the film will reference elements of the game’s story. Fans will want to play the game to learn more about the TRON mythology seen in the film, but each entertainment experience will stand on its own.

“TRON has proven to be a franchise that inspires loyal fans and collectors and will continue with the holiday’s new entries,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “This collector’s edition will give fans of TRON: Evolution and the TRON movies a great opportunity to not only get the game but also a unique TRON collectible.”

Zeno Clash Ultimate Edition is XBLA Deal of the Week

Press release:
Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today shouted from the rooftops that Xbox LIVE Gold Members can punch, kick, and headbutt their time away, for thirty-three percent off with Zeno Clash Ultimate Edition on Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. This critically acclaimed, first-person melee action adventure brawler, normally priced at 1200 Microsoft Points, is included in the XBLA Deal of the Week for only 800 Microsoft Points!

Zeno Clash Ultimate Edition recently released with praise, honored for its unique visual style. 1UP.com says “Zeno Clash remains the same gorgeous, grotesque, unique experience it was on PC, and a game well worth its…price tag on Live,” giving it an A- on their review. GameZone states “…the strange, brutal, and somehow beautiful world that ACE Team has created here is one that you won’t want to miss out on,” scoring it 9/10 on their review.

The vastly enhanced Zeno Clash Ultimate Edition features new modes including all-new online and split-screen cooperative mode for the Tower and Pit Challenges, along with new combat moves, new weapons, and a whole new Zeno Rush gameplay mode. Zeno Rush mode lets players compete against themselves and each other (via online leaderboards) in trying to complete select scenarios from the single-player campaign in the shortest times possible. All this added content, combined with a series of tweaks and improvements based on fan feedback, deliver the definitive version of the critically acclaimed game.

Zeno Clash Ultimate Edition is available on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points, for a limited time. Visit the official game website (www.zenoclash.com) for more information.

Stealth’s new keyboard made for tough

Press release:
Stealth.com Inc. (Stealth Computer) a leading ISO 9001 manufacturer of industrial rugged computers and peripherals has released a new rugged, vandal resistant keyboard with built-in trackball mouse and adjustable backlit keys.

The Stealth model KYBX-400 series keyboard is an industrial grade keyboard with built-in optical trackball that is environmentally sealed to NEMA 4, 4X, IP65 specifications. This tough keyboard is housed in a rugged, vandal resistant, stainless steel enclosure that stands up to harsh, wet and dirty environments.

Stealth’s hardened keyboard features 71 full-travel polymer keys with silent tactile feedback for fast and accurate data input functionality. The 38mm optical trackball is sealed to IP65 specifications and offers an advanced resolution of 800DPI. Stealth’s KYBX-400 series keyboard also features NVIS-compliant red adjustable backlighting, which makes this keyboard ideal for military, aviation or vehicle applications where night vision goggles are worn.

“The new KYBX-400 series keyboard compliments our existing rugged peripherals family of products with the introduction of adjustable illuminated keys and a precision trackball. The keyboard is encapsulated in durable stainless-steel providing an anti-corrosive protection that is ideally suited for dirty and wet environments”, remarked Ed Boutilier, CEO of Stealth.com Inc.

Main Features:

Environmentally Sealed NEMA 4, 4X, IP65
Rugged Stainless Steel, Vandal Resistant
NVIS-compliant Red Adjustable Backlighting
Built-in 800DPI Sealed Optical Trackball
10 Million Actuations Expected life
71 Full Travel, Tactile Laser Etched Keys
Includes 5.75′ USB cable
Dimensions (W-D-H): 14.96″ x 5.31″ x 1.41″ (380.0mm x 135mm x 36mm)
The Stealth industrial grade KYBX-400 series keyboard is ideal for applications including; process control, public space, in-vehicle computing, plant floor, interactive kiosks, control rooms, laboratories, warehousing and outdoor environments to name a few.

The Stealth model KYBX-400-DT-BL-TB-USB has a list price of $695.00 USD and is currently shipping from stock. For convenience, the new rugged keyboard can be purchased directly through Stealth’s on-line web store at StealthDirect.com.

Comic Jumper finally dated

Press release:
At Twisted Pixel there are few things we love more than food, so when Microsoft announced we’d be headlining the inaugural Game Feast, we were busy downing tacos. But a couple hours later our food comas largely wore off, and we realized that on October 6th, Comic Jumper would be released to the world, and that’s pretty awesome. We should probably celebrate it with a bunch of free stuff and maybe write a food-themed press release. Let’s get to it.

Looking Over The Menu
The Captain is a superhero extraordinaire and prima donna star of his own comic book series that spans literally tens of readers. After he gets cancelled, Twisted Pixel swoops in, ready to pay him minimum wage to be our lab rat with our new Comic Jumper technology – hiring him out to other comic books to come in and save their storylines when things go wrong. Art Director David Leung says of the game, “four completely unique art styles in one game, each with their own gameplay modes and animations? It’s cool, I don’t need to see my family.” Dave? Dave’s just giving me the finger now. Moving on…

Main Course Served, Let’s Gorge
As part of The Game Feast promotion for Xbox LIVE® Arcade, Comic Jumper releases on October 6th at 1200 points. Continuing our tradition of cramming as much free stuff as we can into each game, Comic Jumper comes with a Premium Theme, Gamerpics, and free Avatar accessories! As a special thank you to our Splosion Man fans, the game also includes a pair of free extra-long levels for Splosion Man, one Single-Player and one Multiplayer. I don’t know how our mad programming geniuses pulled off that last one, but it’s pretty cool.

I’ll Take More Of That, That…. and That
Today we are releasing our latest in-depth reveal, this time on our 4th genre, Manga. If there was any doubt to how much we love our fans, let me just say that watching hours of obscure terrible Japanese manga is considered a war crime in most countries. Designer Sean Conway comments on the complexities of incorporating the nuances of Japanese style, “Kunichiwa! Tsunami ramen sushi hurricane Punch!” Attaboy, Sean! Way to sacrifice your sanity for the good of the game! Check out www.twistedpixelgames.com for the fruits of his despair.

Ate Too Much, Think I’m Going To Puke
We’ll be showing up to PAX this year with a vast array of giveaways and prizes. Our pièces de résistance are four custom painted “slim” Xboxes featuring The Captain that we’ll be giving away to lucky fans. Our booth at PAX, aside from being staffed by our awesome team members, will have live ukulele performances of Donuts, Go Nuts! by our resident musical prodigy, Matt “Chainsaw” Chaney. We’ll also have game competitions of Splosion Man and Comic Jumper, and free posters and other giveaways. Plus we have some sweet T-shirts and Statuettes for the true superfan. If you can’t make it to PAX, fear not: soon afterwards we’ll be giving more custom Xboxes away through your favorite websites. These Xboxes feature takes on the Captain by renowned comic book artists.

Vanquish demo out now on XBL, PSN

Sega Europe confirms that a demo for Vanquish has safely landed on to the Xbox Live and Playstation Network pads.

Vanquish – official demo ‘Velocity Attack’ is set in the landing bay of the Providence Space Colony in a desperate fight to gain control of the facility. But the enemy has more in store as the massive Argus robot emerges to dominate the battlefield.

Xbox 360 users can queue their download here; PSN users will have to manually get it from the store.

The game is set for release across North America on 19th October, Australia on 21st of October and across Europe on October 22nd 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Mortal Kombat – ‘Shadows’ Trailer

Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios have released an all-new trailer for Mortal Kombat, their upcoming brawler releasing in 2011 on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

“The rocking trailer features several classic Mortal Kombat fighters hidden in the shadows preparing for their next vicious attack. Even in the darkness, players will recognize the blue blaze of Raiden’s electricity and the iconic spear attack of Scorpion. You’ll find these kombatants are just as brutal, if not more, under the veil of darkness.

The new Mortal Kombat trailer’s soundtrack is provided by the single “Another Way to Die” from the new album Asylum from hard rock band Disturbed. Asylum is the fifth studio effort from the multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated hard rock band and is available everywhere now. The band has 11 million albums and six million digital tracks worldwide, and have scored eight No. 1 singles at Active Rock radio over the course of their career.”

Check it out:

Final Fantasy XIV Open Beta starts tomorrow

If you weren’t quick or lucky enough to get an entry into the close beta test of Square Enix’s anticipated Final Fantasty XIV, you can have a shot at it once again in the open beta test that starts tomorrow.

Word from Square Enix informs us that the open beta will begin on September 2, 2010 at 02:00 GMT (that’s 06:00 UAE time), and the registration code can be found at the application site here: http://entry.ffxiv.com

According to a post at the game’s official forum, the servers will be available 24 hours a day but only a set number of players are allowed to login at a time. Square Enix plans to increase the number gradually but in the meanwhile, players who are unable to login will be placed on a waiting list.

There is also a new ‘pre-release’ trailer made available to while your time away on the waiting list.

Starcraft II breaks 3 million mark

Press release:
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty has sold over 3 million copies worldwide in the first month of its release, building on the game’s momentum as the bestselling PC game of 2010 and the fastest-selling real-time strategy game of all time.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was released simultaneously in North America, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on July 27. With day-one sales topping 1 million copies, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty became the bestselling PC game of 2010 within its first 24 hours of availability. The game went on to sell more than 1.5 million copies in its first 48 hours, setting the record for fastest-selling strategy game of all time, and has won numerous critical accolades, including multiple editor’s choice awards from major gaming publications.

“We appreciate all the enthusiasm that players around the world have shown for StarCraft II,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “It was important to us to deliver an overall gameplay experience that was accessible, balanced, and fun, and it’s been gratifying to see how strongly the global community has already embraced the game.”

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 1998 hit StarCraft, which has been hailed by players and critics worldwide as one of the top real-time strategy games of all time. Sporting a vibrant 3D-graphics engine, StarCraft II once again centres on the clash between the protoss, terrans, and zerg, with each side deploying legions of veteran, upgraded, and new unit types. Unparalleled online play for StarCraft II is available through a new version of Battle.net, Blizzard Entertainment’s world-renowned gaming service. Battle.net has been redesigned from the ground up to be the premier online gaming destination for Blizzard gamers, with several enhancements and new features, such as voice communication, cloud file storage, leagues and ladders, achievements, stat-tracking, and more.

The solo campaign for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty continues the epic saga where it left off in StarCraft: Brood War. The story line chronicles the exploits of marshal-turned-rebel-leader Jim Raynor and features both familiar faces and new heroes. Players are able to tailor the experience, choosing their own mission path and selecting technology and research upgrades to suit their playing style throughout the 29-mission campaign. Several challenge-mode mini-games are also included, with focused goals designed to ease players into the basics of multiplayer strategies.

For more information on StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, visit the official website at eu.blizzard.com/games/sc2/.

Get your groove on with DanceMasters for Kinect

Press release:
Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. today announced DanceMastersfor KinectTM for Xbox 360. Utilizing Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 3D motion capture technology, DanceMasters is the next generation in full body dancing where players will not need a controller to move their body to the beat and position their bodies to a variety of on screen markers, giving gamers the ultimate dance club vibe with the most realistic and exhilarating dancing experience to date.

“As an expert in the rhythm-based genre with games such as the highly-successfulDanceDanceRevolution franchise, it was a natural fit for Konami to utilize the new capabilities of Kinect for Xbox 360 and create the next generation of dancing video games,” said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. “DanceMasters is truly an interactive, full body dance game, providing gamers of all ages a heart-pumping experience filled with today’s hottest dance songs.”

In DanceMasters, the new technology of Kinect for Xbox 360 allows players to watch themselves play in real time on the screen and also allows them to save up to 2 of their original dance moves in order to watch themselves as back-up dancers in the game. As players boogie in tune to the game’s music, they can also take snapshots of their favorite dance poses, save to local albums and share the fun with friends. Utilizing Xbox LIVE Arcade, players can also challenge up to four friends around the world and enhance their experience with dance sequences, theme packs and more.

Featuring 30 tracks from a wide variety of club music including Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, and Techno, dancers can play to their favorite songs, including non-stop set lists and download new songs through the Xbox LIVE. The game additionally offers three gameplay modes for the ultimate dance experience – Dance, Lesson, and Status. In Dance Mode, gamers compete to become the ‘dance master’ as they play and unlock their favorite songs and groove along with a friend. Lesson Mode allows users to train in a tutorial, and Status Mode enables them to check their play records and review the titles they have earned. Players can also compete to determine who is the ultimate dancer with multiple difficulty levels including Light, Standard, Extreme and Stealth.

DanceMasters will be available this fall on Kinect for Xbox 360. For assets and more information, please visit www.konami.com/.

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