Joystiq [Xbox]

The Xbox 360 is, of course, a great system for new first-person-shooters, but with XBLA re-releases of games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, and Duke Nukem 3D, it's also becoming the system of choice for classic FPS games. Now Croteam is working on an XBLA version of Serious Sam, called, unsurprisingly, Serious Sam HD.

Publisher Majesco told Eurogamer that the remake, which will "re-imagine The First Encounter," will be available on XBLA late this summer for 1,200 Microsoft Points. The new version will include four-player online co-op.

Though we look forward to blowing up stuff with abandon, we are a bit concerned that this news could mean that the "next Serious Sam FPS game" to which Croteam's CEO referred is actually the first one again.

Update: cdv Software Entertainment AG has confirmed to VideoGamer that the game will also be appearing on PC.

Microsoft's Major Nelson showed off several consoles that the company will be giving to its new partners, now being integrated into Xbox Live. The Major even noted that he may even "liberate" one and asked if anyone was with him. Um, yeah! Now we want Joystiq integration on Xbox just so we can finagle a console in our blue or yellowy/orangish color.

Also, theft is likely the only way to get your hands on one of these custom consoles (unless you've got a high-level insider at one of the involved companies). The Major makes sure to note, "To be VERY clear ... Those are special consoles made for our partners. They are not for sale anywhere." Hmm, five-finger discount it is.

[Thanks, B. Marriner]

All hail Overlord 2! Well, OK, so don't everyone hail, but one may genuflect if one wishes. It appears that the game has been slightly enhanced since the first outing, but it's still just not clicking. We've given our "snap judgment" on the evil baiting master simulator, but let's see what the other outlets thought. Much like the original, it appears people's opinions are all across the board.

• 1UP (A-): "So no, it's not an entirely perfect experience. But all of the above complaints -- even combined with my minor irritation with details like the marionette-like cut scene animation -- barely contests my overall joy at just playing this damn thing. The original Overlord was a perfect send-up and reversal of fantasy game clichés, and the sequel is even more satisfying while fixing a lot of the first game's rough patches."
• OXM (80/100): "To be fair, most parts of Overlord II are fun, and its problems are offset by high production values and funny dialogue (oh, those minions!). A lot of folks missed the original game, so here's your second chance: Overlord II preserves what worked last time, improves what didn't, and tries several new ideas on for size."
• Eurogamer (80/100): "Overall, in what has been a pretty underwhelming year for games so far, Overlord II feels like a shining beacon of quality. Not only is it a distinct improvement on the original, but the new features add greatly to what was already a superbly entertaining game."
• Game Informer (65/100): "The real shame is that Overlord II can be entertaining. It shamelessly embraces its evil heritage, and goes to great lengths to put the hilarious minions front and center. On the other hand, it just doesn't play well. The controls are clunky, the pacing is unsatisfying, and the multiplayer feels tacked-on. While the original Overlord was a compelling game at heart, Overlord II just feels like an unpolished retread of ­familiar ground."
• IGN (60/100): "Overlord II is a sequel that is neither bigger nor better than its predecessor. The size and scope have been dialed back to something that is more akin to a straight action game. And since none of the frustrating elements of the first have been fixed -- namely the camera, control, and save structure -- this game just isn't much fun. No amount of British wit could bring a smile to my face as I treaded through the tedium that is Overlord II."

OK, we wrote the headline and even we have a hard time believing it. Yes, Tropico 3, the revolutionary leader to banana republic simulators everywhere, is coming to the Xbox 360, as well as the PC, this September. The Xbox version is being developed by Haemimont Games in Bulgaria, the same company working on the PC version.

We admit to being very curious to see how this game shapes up, especially since there aren't many simulation games on the console. We're just not going to get our hopes up until we get some hands-on time with it.

If you live near Chinatown in Los Angeles, and can chuck Hadoukens with the best of them, then grab your gi from out of the closet and head down to the Mountain Bar tomorrow night from 7pm - 10pm for a Street Fighter IV competition. Sponsored by i am 8-bit and Capcom, this one-night tournament will see Bison's shady organization take over Mountain Bar for a tournament featuring sixteen of the best brawlers duking it out for a $2,000 cash prize.

And, hey, if you don't live on the West Coast, don't sweat it. We'll have someone there taking pictures and asking everyone what a Spinning Bird Kick is.

Speaking today at the Game Horizon conference in the UK, as reported by Gamasutra, Splash Damage CEO Paul Wedgwood laid down his company's "rules of engagement." The rules are simple, according to Wedgwood: "Don't work on movie licenses, don't work on ports, don't do work for hire, and find a big brother to nurture us in those early years." He noted that this is how Splash Damage attained its focus, which is to "shamelessly pursue critical acclaim" by "focusing all our effort on making sure the stuff we do is better than the stuff we did."

The most important factor, said Wedgwood, is people. He stated that "People are the only important asset you have," adding that, as a company, one should attempt to "hire people who are better than you -- because guess what? They have better ideas than you." Here's hoping that the folks Splash Damage hired earlier this year have some great ideas for Brink, the company's first console title.

The Oklamahoma Sooners power forward, and AP player of the year, Blake Griffin will be gracing the cover of EA's NCAA Basketball 10. Even though he's headed to the NBA in this year's draft, Griffin's time in the NCAA will not be forgotten, making him a great choice for the game's cover. If it were us, we'd probably have toned down the airbrushing, though.

It looks like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison have more to do with The Beatles: Rock Band than thrilling journalists at Microsoft's E3 media briefing. In an interview with Crispy Gamer, the game's lead designer, Chris Foster, intimated that the former Beatles, along with Ono and Harrison, have shared quite a bit of input with the team at Harmonix.

Foster calls the group "the shareholders," and states that they helped put together the song list, its venues and gave input as to whether the game's "dreamscapes" adequately supported the songs. "They looked over all the characters, the animations ... they really kept us honest on whether we were capturing the spirit of the band as they were performing, which was a huge challenge for us," says Foster, noting that it's necessary to capture the joy that The Beatles expressed when playing.

According to Foster, seeing the former Beatles and their widows at Microsoft's E3 briefing "is about as validating as everything." He adds, "They don't get together for almost anything ... it has to be something important, something they believe in."

Capcom is still worried about all of this Swine Flu business, apparently, as MTV Multiplayer revealed that the company will not bring Dead Rising 2 to upcoming PAX (or Games Con, either). Instead, Chris Kramer, senior director of communications, revealed that the next glimpse of the game will be at the Tokyo Game Show, in late September.

We tracked down Kramer ourselves and asked him what the deal was. He said he couldn't provide us with anything other than to expect something on the game around TGS. We further inquired why the title would be missing PAX, but Kramer remained tight-lipped. We have a feeling the game is skipping the show because Capcom is still worried about all of this Swine Flu business, and not because Dead Rising 2 is a bad game or anything. Duct-taping chainsaws to dirtbikes and killing zombies with them sounds like the opposite of bad to us.

Jack Black returns for yet another episode of "Brutal Thoughts." The weakest episode so far explores the "wild" world of roadies, courtesy of someone named "Meatbones." The punchline ... is rather mediocre. There's no Schafer in this episode, and even Black looks like he's phoning this one in. Give it a watch, and then relive the (much better) previous installments here:

• Tim Schafer electrocutes Jack Black on video
• Jack Black pumped for 'that Brutal Legend movie'

With limited time in the day to review all the games we want to tell you about, some have a habit of falling through the cracks before we've been able to get our thoughts onto the site. In the hopes of remedying that, we've created a new feature we're calling Snap Judgment. Here's the gist: We'll play enough of the game to get the lay of the land -- what we liked, what we didn't, etc. -- and then pass our opinions on to you. It's not a full "review" in the traditional sense, but we're hoping you'll scroll away just a bit more informed.

So, shall we?

Continued →

Developer Binary Tweed has admitted sales of its first Xbox Live Community title Clover have not met expectations. Speaking with Digital Spy, Binary Tweed community managing director Daniel Jones said his team "definitely won't recoup costs" from Microsoft's indie games service alone.

Despite strong critical reception for the title, Jones says the Xbox Live Community Games market -- being re-branded 'Indie Games' in July -- is "prohibitively small to be financially viable." According to Jones, Binary Tweed may only use the Community Games market as an "an arena for proving concepts" in the future.

While Clover has failed to capture much attention from gamers, Jones says having a salable product to showcase to publishers (rather than a demo) has helped open doors for the team's future. "Although I can't talk about specifics at the moment, Clover's critical acclaim has opened doors to Binary Tweed." Jones recommends Clover fans keep an eye on the developer's official site for news in the coming weeks. We recommend you stop playing with that XBLCG Fart app and check out Clover.

You may find this hard to believe, but removing the Call of Duty from Modern Warfare 2's title -- it's confusing some people. In fact, according to a survey conducted by GamePlan Insights -- a game tracking service offered by OTX -- and reported by Gamasutra, 50% fewer people knew about the game.

"In other words, the Call of Duty brand association essentially doubles the awareness for the game," GamePlan head Nick Williams told the site. "That is quite a remarkable statistic." Williams went on to state his revalatory belief that the massive marketing push Activision has lined up for the game (on the scale of "biggest entertainment launch of all time") should quash any consumer confusion.

Wait -- "Activision?" We've heard of an "Activision Blizzard;" are they the same company? We're only half convinced.