Chronicles of Mad Wolf

Cryptic has updated its Beta for Star Trek Online with an absolutely massive patch.

The total list of changes, fixes and the like is a novel in and of itself, along with a note from the developers of known issues that are currently being worked on.

The tutorial has been polished, PvP drops and rewards are now working properly, you can no longer “jump” into space, and the UI got an extensive update. Players have also gained the ability to scan anomalies with the MiniMap HUD.

Two major things of note are the removal of the level cap and the opening of the Cardassian and Romulan Sectors to Federation players.

Additionally, Bridge Officers will now join your team with basic customization options, and can request transfers should they not feel appreciated enough, apparently. Damn ingrates.

The best bit in the whole patch though, is when you enter a new Sector Block, you’ll be blessed with the voice of Leonard Nimoy via an audio journal overview.

Full patch notes can be found
through here, and you may want to grab a drink and a snack before you start.

Open Beta for STO went live January 12, and Cryptic says the response to it crushed expectations.

The beta ends on January 26 and the game launches February 2.

The ModNation Racers Beta starts today in Europe, and will be made available to the first 10,000 people who download the client.

It comes with four pre-made tracks, two of which are exclusive to Europe.

Full thing is expected to be released this spring and loaded to the gills with customization options.

The US Beta ended last week.

EA’s formally announced Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘11 with a release this summer on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and iPhone.

Also confirmed is the open beta of Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, which opens today.

“During beta testing we’ve already seen tremendous participation and enthusiasm from golf fans around the world for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online,” said Mike Taramykin, Executive Producer of PGA Tour Online.

“We’re looking forward to offering all players the opportunity to preview the game for free* in the coming weeks.”

During the closed beta, over 500,000 rounds of golf were played in the game.

Full PR below.

TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR ONLINE OPEN BETA HIGHLIGHTS STRONG
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 also coming this Summer

GUILDFORD, UK., CITY, Calif., – 21st January, 2010 –Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today the upcoming product lineup for the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® franchise, which includes the launch of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® Online open beta and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 11 on multiple consoles this Summer.

Golf enthusiasts globally can now get a free* preview of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online and invite others via Facebook® to join the open beta. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online, developed by EA Tiburon, is the most accessible, authentic and feature-rich golf video game experience available through a web browser, with no game installation, no disc, and no additional peripherals required. In addition, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 will be available on the Wii™, Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3 and iPhone™ platforms.

“During beta testing we’ve already seen tremendous participation and enthusiasm from golf fans around the world for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online,” said Executive Producer Mike Taramykin. “We’re looking forward to offering all players the opportunity to preview the game for free* in the coming weeks. Also, during open beta gamers can invite others to play via Facebook and we continue to encourage the community to help to drive the game’s evolution and development.”

Since May, EA SPORTS has invited players to participate in four closed beta tests and consumers have showed overwhelming interest and support for the offering. During this time, more than 500,000 rounds of golf have been played.

During the free preview open beta starting today, players will also be able to enjoy the following new features:
• Facebook Connect – Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online connects to Facebook, allowing players to invite their friends to become fans, thus earning additional in-game experience. Players are also able to publish their accomplishments to Facebook.
• Golfer Progression – Players will begin their career as a beginner and by earning experience points, will climb the ranks toward becoming a golf legend.
• The Cut Line – As an extra challenge, each day a target score will appear that becomes the goal for each golfer. If the user meets, or scores under the target, additional in-game experience is rewarded.
• Fans, Favorites & Sponsorships – Each player will be able to acquire fans within Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online. The more fans a player has, the more experience points are rewarded. Sponsor your friends and earn in-game money if they make the Cut Line.
• Realistic Wind – Experience dynamic wind that calculates the direction and speed throughout the round, making the game more realistic and challenging.
• Pro Shop – Purchase upgraded equipment with in-game earnings to help improve your customized golfer and impress friends.

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online will be offered through a multi-tiered subscription in early 2010.
Since 1986, EA has produced immersive golf experiences that give casual and hardcore gamers the ability to hit the links via an authentic gameplay experience. Since the launch of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 99 the franchise has sold more than 25 million units worldwide**. The critically acclaimed Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 on the Wii currently ranks as the 12th highest rated Wii game of all-time on Metacritic. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 will launch this Summer on the Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and iPhone platforms.

Sony has updated the EU PS Store, and it has Smash Cars, LocoRoco and Unbound Saga on sale along with some new dynamic themes for Heavy Rain, Buzz! and SingStar.

We’ve got the main bits posted below with the rest, along with pricing, available over on the EU PS Blog.

On sale until February 4:

• Smash Cars
• Digger HD
• Cuboid
• Interpol
• Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom
• Unbound Saga (PSP)
• Buzz! Master Quiz (PSP)
• Elemental Monster TD Portable (PSP)
• LocoRoco (PSP)
• Super Stardust Portable (PSP)

minis (PS3/PSP): Vector TD

Add-Ons

• Dragon Ball: Raging Blast – Warriors of Justice Pack (free) Rating: PEGI 12
• Rock Band: Tom Petty, Phoenix, and Silvertide,
• Guitar Hero 5: Metal Track Pack, Dethklok, Shadows Fall, Amon Amarth, Scott Mckeon, Joe Bonamassa, Tyler Bryant
• SOCOM: Confrontation – Cold Front Map Pack
• Fallout 3: Broken Steel, Operation Anchorage, The Pitt, Point Lookout, Mothership Zeta

Downloadable Games:

• Need for Speed Underground Rivals
• The History Channel: The Great Battles of Rome
• Ben 10: Protector of Earth
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

SCEE’s confirmed that Final Fantasy VIII will arrive on the PS Store on February 4.

“FF8 is coming on the 4th of February, this is a confirmed date now. Hooray,” said Mike Kebby of the PS Store team.

Hooray, indeed.

No price yet, though.

It was released in Japan in September during  TGS, and was released in the US back in December.

Thanks, TSA.

Capcom has announced Excella Gionne, the CEO of Tricell, as a playable character in Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition’s Mercenaries Reunion episode.

Apparently, she is not only beautiful, but deadly with her “superior martial art skills”.

Nothing says “kick yer ass” like a lady in an evening gown.

It was also announced that Jill Valentine and Josh Stone will have some new moves up their sleeves in Desperate Escape.

Josh can tackle Majini to the ground or elbow drop injured the deziens while Jill can jump on one’s back and twist its neck. SNAP!

Just think, all this was originally in the game kiddos.

Check out the screens in the gallery below and watch the trailer that was posted last week through here.

Sega’s confirmed that Yakuza 3 is to release in the UK on March 12.

The Japanese GTA-styled game finally got confirmation of a Western release last month, nine months after its Japanese release.

The firm confirmed a while back it will release Yakuza 3’s sequel in Japan on March 18.

The game will contain Japanese voiceovers with English subtitles, and not an English voicing cast as Sega previously suggested.

Sega’s also released new screens, render art and the cover-art, which confirms the validity of the artwork found yesterday.

Find them below.

Konami has confirmed new details for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which will land on store shelves May 25 and 28 in the US and UK, respectively.

Naked Snake’s story takes up post MGS3: Snake Eater during the 70s era cold war, which most of us know already.

However, what is new to us is the fact that the Mother Base offshore plant is to be included and will act as a hub for items and personnel collected within the game. During the course of the game, users can recruit felled baddies and transport them to the Mother Base using the Fulton Recovery System.

Recruited soldiers each harbor unique abilities that will support Snake and other characters in a variety of ways. The more staff you accumulate, the more you will be able to explore and expand the Mother Base while gaining access to new functions. This area also acts as a development area for Snake where he can upgrade weapons or collate information to create new armaments.

New AI Weapons have also being introduced, and these “giant unmanned behemoths” must be overcome by Snake so he can complete his missions. These include hover, airborne, and tank-style vehicles that can talk and sing – yes, sing – during battle using VOCALOID technology.

Multiplayer in the game allows up four-player co-op missions, and a three-against-three battle royale, with more to be announced at a later date.

Yesterday, the special edition MGS: Peace Walker PSP-3000 was announced, and lovely pictures of the camo-attired handheld surfaced today.

Halo: Reach will be the “Titanic” in terms of story – that’s what Bungie’s creative director Marcus Lehto has told Edge.

“Reach is like Titanic – we know the end from the beginning. Reach is going to fall and 700 million people are going to perish as a result,” said Lehto.

“It’s a very dark story to tell, and our goal is to allow the player to experience Noble Team’s efforts and get satisfaction from them continuing to fight forward and achieve the final acts of what we can’t talk about today.

“That success is what’s so gratifying at the end.”

Some new screens were released yesterday morning along with a leaked video, which shows the public open beta you’ll be going hands-on with in the spring.

Halo: Reach is released this fall, exclusive to Xbox 360.

Take-Two’s just said that three members of its Board are to be replaced at shareholders’ requests, including CEO Ben Feder.

Feder will, however, continue to operate as the firm’s CEO.

“I want to express my gratitude to Ben, Grover and John not only for their dedicated service to Take-Two stockholders but also for their very gracious decision not to stand for re-election so that we can facilitate a change in Board composition,” said chairman Strauss Zelnick.

Sounds as though there’s been some serious politicking here. Carl Icahn, holder of approximately 11.3 percent of Take-Two shares, is one of the shareholders requesting the changes, and has put forward three new nominees to replace the holes left in the company’s Board; including one Brett Icahn.

Full details on what sounds like an awkward deal here.

Capcom has told Joystiq that all of the firm’s fighters will now be based in 2.5D for the foreseeable future.

In the past year, it released Street Fighter IV in the past year usuing 2.5D, with Super Street Fighter IV sometime after March.

“Right now, you see that we’re trying to move away from straight-up traditional 2D fighting into what I guess you’d call ‘2.5D,’ where you take the 3D fighter models and marry them to a 2D fighting plane,” said Ryota Niitsuma, producer on Tatsunoko vs Capcom.

“For now, that’s the way we’re going to go.”

The company insists though they will still experiment and test ideas between 2D and 3D, with one idea already in mind by Niitsuma.

“It’s still a 2D fighting field, but the camera moves in a 3D space. That’s just one possibility of something we’d like to be able to do.”

Tatsunoko vs Capcom releases in Europe for Wii tomorrow.

NPD has revealed that New Super Mario Bros. Wii’s lifetime-to-date numbers are more then Super Mario Galaxy’s.

So far, NMSBW has sold 4.2 million copies since its release in November last year, while Supe Mario Galaxy has sold 4.1 million units since it launched in November 2007.

The platformer sold 2.8 million units in the December NPD.

In the two months it has been on sale, its sold over 2.5 million units in Europe, and was the third best-selling title of 2009 in Japan with over 2.4 million units.

Thanks, IGN.

[gulls, waves, people talking]

“Hello.”
“Hello.”

[long pause. car driving past]

“Look, I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need.”
“I think there is.”
“Well.”
“It’s not easy for me to apologise, you know. I’m not the type. You could at least have the grace to accept.”
“All right. Just forget about it. I know you were upset.”

[metal cigarette lighter followed by deep breaths and 48 seconds of silence]

“How are you, anyway?”
“I’m fine. Look, what do you have? I need to get back.”
“Of course. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to be sorry, really. Everything’s fine.”
“Are we going to see each other again? I need to know.”
“I’m not sure. I think so.”
“Right.”

[long pause, inaudible mumbling]

“I want to.”
“I want to too.”
“So.”
“Yeah. I was told this a while back, but it’s firmed up in the past week.”
“What?”
“You know Rare?”
“Yes, I know Rare. Come on.”
“I’m sorry.”
“God.”
“OK. Rare’s been turned over pretty much entirely to Natal, right?”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Well, it’s true.”
“What are they doing?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
“This is great.”
“Hang on.”
“All right.”
“I don’t know the name of the main game, but I do know what it is.”
“I’m all ears.”
“It’s a fitness game for Natal. Like Microsoft’s version of Wii Fit.”
“You’re sure.”
“Sure I’m sure. They’ve been working on it for a good while. There’s something else there you can probably guess at, but we’ll save that for another day. Don’t want you dumping me, do we?”
“I’ll ask Microsoft.”
“I already did. No comment.”
“A launch thing?”
“I don’t know, but you’d think.”
“E3?”

[sighing]

“Well, that’s good. Here.”
“Thanks.”
“Come on. I’ll buy you an ice cream.”
“I’d like that.”

[footfalls, increased sound of waves. talking with ice cream-seller. both have "99’s" with strawberry sauce.]

“I went to the doctor today.”

Arkedo has revealed it was working on a finger-based Natal game known as 2 Finger Heroes.

It’s since been canned, the studio’s CEO Camile Guermonprez confirmed.

The developer detailed how the game would potentially work, and provided some concept art and bullshots.

Yours fingers were to act as protagonists, with power-ups awarded if you did a hand gesture. But flip the screen and you’d get a penalty [Nope, me either - Ed]. That’s the future, kids.

But why was it canned? The studio said as well as Natal needing a “very precise pattern recognition”, it’d also be “HELL to localize.”

Oh well.

Thanks, Joystiq and GAF.

Square’s put out a new trailer for Gas Powered Games’ imminent RTS sequel, Supreme Commander 2.

Find it over at Kotaku.

It’s filled with much CGI and a little gameplay footage. It’d be hard not to be a little excited for this after seeing the trailer.

The game is due sometime in the spring for PC and 360. The US has it on March 16.

SCEJ’s announced that Uncharted 2’s multiplayer will be getting new DLC in the form of multiplayer skins from other first-party games, including Killzone 2, inFamous and Resistance.

All of the above will land next week, along with a demo for the game.

It’s unclear as to exactly what’s going to release globally and what isn’t, so we’re checking now.

There are some shots of the skins over at Siliconera.

On February 25, a second additional pack will be released two multiplayer maps, one from Drake’s Fortune, with more Uncharted multiplayer skins.

And on April 15, a third pack of DLC will be released, which includes multiplayer co-op for the Asian territories, more multiplayer skins and four new maps.

Ubi’s dropped two more RUSE videos, showing off the RTS’s nuke and a full gameplay example.

Get them both below.

The first is a standard trailer showing tanks, planes and a healthy dose of lens flare, and ending with a mushroom-based finishing move.

The second is a gameplay example, showing a player employing ruses such as camouflage and radio silence to drop paratroopers on an enemy base. It’s looking pretty bloody solid, to be fair.

The Eugen game suffered something of a set-back recently when Ubi pushed it into FY2011, but hopefully this’ll just ensure it’ll be properly good to go.

It’s a PC, 360 and PS3 release.

A Microsoft job listing has popped up showing Forza developer Turn 10 is working on Natal.

The job ad, for a Senior Business Development Manager at the studio, says:

“Turn 10 Studios, the creators of the Forza Motorsport franchise and a division of Microsoft Game Studios, has an exciting opportunity for an experienced senior business leader to head up the studio’s licensing and business management team. This leadership role will manage the studio’s P&L, partner with executives to set strategy and drive high quality game content for our Next Generation games including the NATAL platform. This person is also responsible for managing the licensing and business management team that provides world-class support to the entire studio. The Senior Business Manager is an exceptionally strong communicator who can move seamlessly between Microsoft’s financial, legal and business organizations, as well as form a strong partnerships with the technical and creative leaders in the game studio.”

Forza 4 with Natal. Or maybe it could potentially be PGR5.

Via Kotaku and EG.

UK start-up Green Man Gaming said this morning it intends to sell pre-owned digital games.

“Previously the minute you had paid and downloaded your game it had no resale value,” said COO Gian Luzio, previously of Play.com.

“This is extremely expensive for the gamer and does not encourage the consumer to try new genres or franchises. Our leading edge technology gives downloaded games a value that gamers can trade-in at any time.”

Luzio was quick to add that there’ll be a IP-owner kick-back on all sales.

“We will pay significant royalties to the publisher each time the game is traded in perpetuity,” he said.

The company’s claiming it going to launch with 400 titles at the end of Q1 2010 with over 2,000 games available by the end of the year.

Exactly how this is all going to work hasn’t been detailed as yet. Expect it to be soon, however.

The Wall Street Journal’s claiming EA is teaming with Apple to show off games at the company’s heavily rumoured tablet reveal next week.

“Apple is… working with videogame publisher Electronic Arts Inc. to show off the tablet’s game capabilities, according to one person familiar with the matter,” said the US pub.

Apple is holding a US press event on January 27, widely believed to be the first look at its new tablet computer.

US games press have been invited to the shindig.

The invites said only that attendees would see Apple’s “latest creation”.

The tablet, which Apple apparently plans to ship in March, will have about a 10- to 11-inch touch screen.

Touch-screen Madden! We’ll all know soon enough.