Some More Info on Banjo Kazooie

by Peaking Legoman

More information from the Microsoft press event in San Francisco is rolling in, including some details on the new Banjo game: Banjo Kazooie -Nuts & Bolts-.

Firstly, here’s a couple of videos well worth checking out to get a feel for how the game looks and runs:

Debut Trailer

RARE Studio Tour (1up)

One of the most exciting new features of the game is the ability to build and use ‘contraption’ that can be used to assist in the completion of missions and goals within the game. Described as a type of ‘lego’ feature the player will be able to build different vehicles for ground, air and water - as well as combining different parts to create unique and original vehicles.

From Kotaku:

Throughout their adventure, players create their own abilities by building vehicles for Banjo to pilot over land, water and air. Vehicle parts, which range from simple devices such as engines and wheels to more unusual equipment such as springs and egg guns, are earned and collected throughout the game. Players use their imagination to combine parts in any order to create whatever vehicle they choose. LOG’s challenges have one goal, but players’ choice of vehicle and tactics will determine how they get there. By exploring worlds and solving puzzles, players both young and old will be rewarded with more advanced and diverse vehicle parts in their quest to defeat Grunty once and for all.

So there you go. The game is looking great so far and is slated for an 08 release - so it wont be long until we all get a chance to play the new Banjo Kazooie game.

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise announced, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts named, Too Human dated

By Dimorphic

Big news coming out of Microsoft’s San Fransisco conference have been announced, with Viva Pinata : Trouble in Paradise announced, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts named and Too Human given a release date.

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise:

New environments, Pinata’s, challenges and a whole lot more new content have been revealed as Rare announced it’s sequel to Viva Pinata. Trouble in Paradise see’s the player having to re-record all the information about Pinata’s to Party Central’s database after the evil Pester has his side kick try to steal the information, only to delete it all.

The major addition appears to be co-op play, confirmed locally and predicted to be avaliable via Xbox Live, Trouble in Paradise is due sometime in September.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nut’s and Bolts:

Not much information released yet about the third installment to the series, but two screens have been released and the threequal has been named Nuts & Bolts.

Too Human:

The release date for Too Human has finally been announced; August 19th, 2008. After nearly a decade of development the futuristic Nordish RPG will be in our hot, sweaty hands in only a matter of months. Some new screens have also been released.

So big news from the Microsoft camp as we draw ever closer to E3. As always we will keep you up to date with the goings on with Microsoft and the Xbox 360.

A Few Things That Would’ve Improved GTA IV

By Hyperion Ecta

Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the greatest games of our time and probably in the history of the industry. To say that means that there is little wrong with the game and no need for improvement. But all things are not perfect and this is the case with GTA IV. After playing quite a few hours I feel now I can throw in a few things which I think would have improved GTA IV. Now, in no way am I saying that without these things that the game is bad, obviously, but these are just things I’ve thought of while playing this amazing game.

No Targeting System:- 

      The new cover system and the shooting controls are pretty good, but they have their problems. I think that auto-targeting needs to go. In today’s gaming universe, gamers are experienced in the craft of aiming. There is no need now for a targeting system as most people can handle aiming at their enemies. And the new cover system makes it even more redundant because having the ability to hide in cover gives you time to pick your targets and aim. It’s not really a complaint but more of a updating with the times. Targeting seems to me like a old generation feature that doesn’t belong in todays games. Thankfully you can still perform headshots.

More Things To Do With Money:-

This seems to me like a slip-up by Rockstar. You earn lots of money on your journey through Liberty City, yet have few places to spend it. There is only three clothes stores, a few weapon shops (which you don’t need because of the constant ammo drops) and some car and bike dealers. This just doesn’t seem to fit in with a game which is so large and detailed. It seems to me like there could have been so much variation and customisation that Rockstar could’ve went with. For example, there could be different weapons dealers who offer different weapons and upgrades like enhanced sites and more advanced additions; car modifications (I know, but San Andreas had it) & the ability to buy property and upgrade your safehouses. There are loads of options that could’ve worked.

Rewards:-

This sorta links to the point above. While money is good, more tangible rewards would have been nice. Things like cars, weapons and other perks would have been a nice addition to the story. Sure, there is a couple of instances but it just doesn’t seem like it’s enough. Also, possibly the perks that you get from friends could’ve been integrated into the main story instead of having the game be a damn social experiment.

In-car View:-

This is one of the things I was hoping would be in the game, but alas, twas not (not a spelling error). The atmosphere of Liberty City would be heightened through the windshield of a car. I mean, riding in the taxi is pretty cool in itself. But being behind the wheel of a Infernus while avoiding the cops could be the coolest thing the game had. It would’ve added quite a few new mechanics to the game as well. The shooting from a car would have been interesting but fun none the less. Also, the in-car conversations would add to the realism. Though, the beauty of the city might by dimmed.

Now there is a few suggestions and I’m sure that as I play the game toward it’s conclusion more will appear, and I’m sure that you yourself may have a few ideas. So fell free to share your thoughts.

Game and Microsoft combine to produce Xbox 360 Chopper - on tour now!

By Dimorphic

Microsoft, in colaboration with Game and GLH Customs have finished their Xbox 360 900cc Harley Davidson Chopper and come the second week of June one lucky Xbox 360 owner will call it their own.

Featuring a meticulous Xbox green finish as well as the A, B, X, Y and Xbox Guide buttons (that power basic bike controls like lights etc) the chopper cost $80,000 AUD and will be touring the Sydney and Newcastle areas (keep reading for exact times and locations).

To enter the draw to win this fantastic prize all you need to do is purcahse a GTA: IV bundle from Game and you’re automatically in the draw, plus you get a “Scratch-N-Win” ticket to enter into the additional draws for products such as Samsung LCD TV.

Grant from XboxOZ360 Weblog attended the launch at the Chatswood Game franchise last night and has written up an article over on his page. I caught up with him and asked a few quick questions about the night;

Dimorphic 360: So Grant, how many people attended the launch of the chopper last night?

Grant: It was a mixed bag really, as not a lot of pre-promotion was done, as the bike had only been finished several days earlier. So basically, promo shots etc had only been completed. There was a Damien Leigh Mini-Concert on at the main stage right near where game and the bike were located, so a good number of people, around a few hundred, got to see it as a by-product of the nights events at Chastwood.

D360: What was the best part or coolest feature of the bike?

Grant: The paint and the instrumentation of the bike. If you check the pics out, the actual speedo and instruments are not all that big, and need not be actually, simply functional. And each button works such as Lights, Hazards, Trip meter etc etc. Having been a custom painter in my ‘earlier years’ and knew what to look for, (cough have birthday next week cough), I could see the huge effort that went into every corner of the frame. It just looks like it’s wet all the time, which is what you aim for when applying a show finish, without any showing of “orange peel” . . That’s the little dimpled effect you get in standard paintwork.

Plus that read tyre and rim (wheel) just look “awesome” . . . no other word for it.

D360: How was the atmosphere out there?

Grant:

It was quite busy actually, while many of the shots don’t have a lot of people around, there were quite a few once Damien had made his appearance and was signing autographs, then dropping over to the bike to plonk his bum on it for a pic, as well as keep Julia from Game happy.

For more info visit http://www.game.com.au/chopperprizes 

During May the Xbox 360 Chopper Bike will on show at various locations around Sydney and Newcastle, including those listed below:

• Westfield Chatswood Thursday 8th May 08 5pm to 9pm
• Windsor-Riverview Shopping Centre Saturday 17th May 08 9am to 5pm
• Westfield Miranda Thursday 22nd May 08 5pm to 9pm
• Westfield Kotara- Kids Precinct Saturday 24th May 08 9am to 5pm
• Blacktown WestPoint Shopping Centre Thursday 29th May 08 5pm to 9pm
• Rouse Hill Shopping Centre Saturday 31st May 08 9am to 5pm

Gears Of War 2 first glimpse.

By Roadkill619

Well we are just hours from the world exclusive game play of Gears of War 2. The game play is going to air may 9th in America as a Gametrailers.com exclusive. Showcasing the game is no other than Epic games Cliffy B (Cliff Bleszinski), check back to this post to have a look at the video and discuss your thoughts about it on Dimorphic360. What will the new game play show besides the improved Unreal Engine 3.5? New weapons, enemies, characters, plot?

We will see in within the next 14 and a half hours what the next chapter of the gears saga has in store for gamers around the world.

Games in Australia Feature Story

By Iamthemonkeyhead

(Written for Murdoch University. Print News II)

Hands up if you believe games are for children. Hands up if you think games are mindless wastes of time. Hands up if you think video games are dangerous and will create more criminals. Did you put your hand up?

The fact is that, like any new form of media, gaming and the culture surrounding technology has long been stigmatized: “Games are for nerds.” “Games are dangerous.” “Only children play games.” “Games are pointless and will fry your brain.” Are the most commonly regurgitated ideas you might hear on a regular basis from the average observer. The truth is that none of these common beliefs about games are real.

Games these days are reaching a very broad audience and casual gaming is something that is drawing grandparents and parents to the gaming scene more than ever. Nintendo has broken records with their Wii console and DS handheld that play games that teach you mathematics or help you get fitter. According to the Entertainment Software Association website the average North American gamer is “33 years old and has been playing games for 12 years”. Now you might think that’s just one of those “only in America” anomalies but Dr Jeffrey Brand, Associate Professor at the Bond University Centre for New Media Research and Education reports that the average gamer’s age in Australia, 2007 was 28 years old.

On top of this, games are also frequently seen as threats to learning, causing hours of distraction, obsession and even addiction in some. The fact is that games have always had the capacity to educate, and with more technology are greater possibilities for creativity such as Spore’s animal creator that lets you create any animal you desire to evolve from a single cell to interplanetary conquest. The ability to educate in areas outside of academia go as far back as the late eighty’s and early ninety’s with Lucasarts and Sierra creating adventure/puzzle games that required mind-boggling logic and lateral thinking to succeed in. The Incredible Machine and Bejeweled are puzzle games that exercise your logic while still creating an entertaining experience.

DOOM 4 Announced!

by Peaking Legoman

id have finally announced a sequel for the franchise that introduced the FPS genre to the masses: DOOM. The original DOOM game was launched in 1993 and quickly became one of the most successful games of all time - while also proving at the time that ‘Shareware’ was a viable distribution method. The concept of playing a game from the 1st-person perspective was so new at the time that although it was immensely popular - it also left many people feeling ill from motion sickness - and reaching for the vomit bucket.

Fast forward to 2004 and the release of DOOM 3 - a remake of the original DOOM, only this time the game looked, sounded, and played according to the original vision of the developers. Thanks to much more advanced 3D rendering tech in home PC’s id were able to create a game that - at the time - was one of the most visually impressive virtual worlds ever realised. However once the initial excitement of a brand new DOOM game died down and gamers actually started playing it, it became apparent that DOOM 3 was little more than a traditional monster-closet shooter - albeit with the best graphics and presentation ever seen in a videogame.

So after almost 4 years of silence regarding the franchise id have finally announced plans to create DOOM 4. The company has been busy over the last 4 years developing a new engine (Tech 5) and a new game to use the engine - RAGE. So it seems likely that the new DOOM game will also use this engine - especially since its supposed to be extremely flexible with regard to multi-platform development. Here’s what lead artist Kevin Cloud told Shacknews.com:

“You don’t even have to worry about how it’s going to look on PS3 or 360. Right now we’ve got it running cross-platform running 60 hertz, and it looks really good,” said Cloud. “In terms of what artists are available to achieve–it’s something you have to see for yourself. I can say this, but you still won’t get it until you see it.”

Click here for the full DOOM 4 announcement fro Shacknews.

So there you have it. A brand new DOOM game is in the works - hopefully this time it wont take 4 years to develop. It’s also good news to see that it will likely land on all three platforms(360, PC, PS3) so no one will be left out in the cold.

Review: Grand Theft Auto IV

By Dimorphic

Stepping off the boat as Niko, an Eastern European refugee, your met by your verbose cousin Roman on a dark and wet night in the docks of Broker. While you have your rather loud reunion some dock workers tell you to shut the hell up, which annoys Roman and gives you your first glimpse at the detail put into the game. You calm Roman down and drive back to his apartment, and find that his ”American Dream” is still just that, living in a run down place in an equally run down part of the city. Far less than what you were expecting after Roman promised you a mansion and models.

However you are there, in Liberty City, the land of opportunity and Grand Theft Auto IV has arrived. Rockstar have created a living, breathing city for you to wreak havoic in and unlike the previous installments of the series, GTA IV is a revolution, not an evolution.

OzBoxLive Episode #30 - GTA Special

By Dimorphic

The newest episode of Australia’s only dedicated Xbox 360 podcast, OzBoxLive is now up on their website. As always Dimorphic 360 in association with OzBoxLive support the Aussie gaming community and as such we reccomend listening to the show for the latest news, reviews and round table discussions on all things 360.

OzBoxLive  Radio #030 – GTA Special

In this weeks Special episode of OzBoxLive Radio…

- News and Announcements with Mick

- Review - Grand Theft Auto IV

- Interview - Customers at Midnight Launch

- Xcessory of the Week - Wireless Racing Wheel

- Group Discussion - The GTA Franchise

- Competition - Tell us in 25 Words or less…

What would you like to see in Grand Theft Auto - AUSTRALIA?

You could win a copy of Lost Odyssey, along with a copy of Australian 360 AND a “Making of - MASS EFFECT DVD“, AND a Halo 3 Bag worth $50 Bucks AND lots more goodies.

ALSO. Make sure to Sign Up for our next OzBoxLive Game Night. We will be playing GRAND THEFT AUTO IV.

Blu-ray Rumours Refuse to Die

by Peaking Legoman

Since the launch of the 360 back in November 2005 rumours of a Blu-ray equipped SKU have been fairly frequent. However as Microsoft initially supported the HDDVD platform most people wrote the rumours off as run-of-the-mill Internet noise, not worthy of anyone’s concern.

But in February this year the landscape of the HD market changed somewhat with the acknowledgement from Toshiba that the momentun was with Blu-ray, and the official announcement of the discontinuation of the HDDVD format. On the surface this seemed like terrible news for Microsoft and their HDDVD add-on for the 360 - but the company has said all along that regardless of the outcome of the HD format war the future is with digital distribution.

However that hasn’t stopped the rumours from claiming that Microsoft does indeed have plans for Blu-ray support on the Xbox 360. The latest story comes from a seemingly trustworthy source - the Taiwanese Economic Daily - and claims that a tech company has received an order from Microsoft to manufacture the new Blu-ray supported 360 with the intent of shipping within the next six months:

XBOX 360 BLU RAYA report from Taiwanese news source Economic Daily News says that Pegatron Technology—a recently formed subsidiary of Asus that shouldn’t be confused with the Decepticon leader—has received an order from Microsoft to manufacture a Blu-ray equipped model of the Xbox 360. According to the report, Pegatron says that it plans to begin production on the HD version of the Xbox 360 soon, with plans to ship within the next six months, aiming for a pre-holiday release.

So there it is… yet another Blu-ray/360 rumour. There is no word in the article regarding specifics such as price; whether its an integrated or add-on drive; and whether or not games will be supported on Blu-ray. Although it seems very unlikey that Microsoft would allow Blu-ray based games as they have said that they would never do this. It would drastically splinter the userbase and after the RRoD fiasco Microsoft can’t afford to have any more bad will out there in the marketplace.

Source: Kotaku