Joystiq [Xbox]

If you're wondering what to do on a cold night, while snuggling next to a warm fire ... may we suggest, reading? Of course, in this scenario, all electricity is out and video games are no option for you. So, if that's what it takes for you to pick up a book (we kid!), you might be interested in something with a little video game flavor.

Coming to bookstores on July 28 is Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant -- from best-selling sci-fi author Karen Traviss (of Star Wars novel fame!).

Jacinto's Remnant begins moments following the end of Gears of War 2. It's really hard to tell you what the novel is about without spoiling the ending of 2008's Epic Xbox 360-exclusive, but from what we've seen so far, the book looks to paint a picture of humanity's struggle for survival against a new kind of enemy -- itself. Sounds interesting, so far. Excited?

Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter already told us about the inevitable WiiHD (inevitable to him, anyway), and that he thinks this cycle will be the last, and in his massive 201-page report Wedbush Morgan sent out recently, he reiterates both, but pointed out that this console cycle will outlast any other in history's past due to two things: HD displays and console SKUs.

Pointing to the small adoption rates for HD displays, Pachter says that unless consumers start coming out in droves to pick up HD displays, these consumers aren't going to feel compelled to pick up a HD-compatible console (or upgrade from their Wii). This, he feels, adds longevity to the current cycle, stating that current-generation console sales will go long tail, and says that the lower-than-expected adoption rates for consoles suggests a longevity not seen in the past. He also suggests that the increased developmental costs of this generation will cause developers and publishers to milk this generation for all its worth, extending its life that much more. And, due to this, Pachter believes that console sales won't reach their peak until early next decade, when HD adoption rates will also supposedly hit their peak.

And speaking of higher costs, manufacturers are looking to cut costs, and that's where the value of optional SKUs comes in. Pachter points out that as console manufacturers come up with new ways to cut corners, they will offer SKUs taking advantage of this. Pachter points to the PS3 Slim as an obvious release for later this year, and the numerous different packages we've seen offered for the Xbox 360 as examples of this new mentality.

What is Dreamkiller? It's like Psychonauts and Painkiller had a baby, and that baby has grown into an angry teenager who then scratched the design doc for the game on the outside of his notebook. Mindware Studios – the developers behind Painkiller Overdose – are back to "probe the insidious depths of the subconscious" with Dreamkiller for the Xbox 360 and PC platforms, available this fall.

Ever wanted to go "inside the dark and twisted nightmares of tortured souls possessed by unknown forces"? Yeah, us neither ... but that's just what you'll do in the "role of Alice Drake, a psychologist with the extraordinary ability to enter the minds of her patients and combat the ravenous foes haunting their dreams." So, 12 "mega-bloodbath" single-player levels and "numerous multiplayer modes" are what they're offering.

The bad news: that same design doc was already used for some levels in Psychotoxic, where you also play a female protagonist who can enter people's dreams and do battle with their subconscious. Our own Ludwig Kietzmann, in a previous life, wrote, "Setting yourself on fire and then diving into a pool of broken glass is more fun than playing this absolute disaster of a game." So, the good news: it couldn't possibly be any worse than Psychotoxic.

Microsoft announced at their E3 keynote last month that Last.fm would be coming to Xbox Live. We're working on an interview with key players at both Last.fm and Microsoft to bring you more details about the collaboration soon. However, we can share one tidbit: today we spoke with Christina DeRosa, a general manager for XBL, and she let us know who the service will be available to.

"Silver users will be able access what we're considering a trial period of three hours a month, which comes with video advertising. Gold users will have unlimited ad-supported access, so they can use it 24 hours a day. There will also be a premium offering on a subscription basis from Last.fm, that will be commercial free and will also have more sophisticated personalization features, like Loved Tracks."

Last.fm's subscription prices are currently $3.00 US (€3 EU or £3 GBP) per month, so you'll have to shell out an additional $36 a year if you want to avoid the ads and have full access to their service. You'll also need a Last.fm account, in case you haven't set one up already. Luckily, that part is free.

"Once we were bought up by Microsoft obviously things have changed within the top ranks and stuff. And I think over the last few years maybe the awareness of Rare has dropped." That's according to Steve McFarlane, art director for the studio responsible for such titles as, umm ... hang on, we're just checking Wikipedia here.

Won't take a moment.

Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark, Viva Piñata and GoldenEye, it says here. Anyway, according to an interview with OXM, Rare's counting on some revitalized recognition, courtesy of new(ish) Microsoft Games Studios Europe director, Peter Molyneux. "And the idea of Pete coming in and being this new face of Rare it's a great thing for us. It's really just to get us out there a bit more," McFarlane said. Pete's a real pal, having similarly expressed a desire to foster an improved identity for Rare just a few weeks ago.

With a hit game and solid promotion, there's no reason the spotlight can't fall back on Rare, even inside Microsoft. We're fairly confident you've all heard of standouts like Lionhead and walkouts like Bungie.

So, remember how NinjaBee teased us with fireball-tossing Avatars last week? It turns out that the developer isn't creating a brand new Avatar game after all. Instead, NinjaBee is adding Avatar support to its turn-based strategy game, Band of Bugs. Yeah, it's not as exciting as the Avatar fighting game of our dreams, but it might be enough to make us blow the digital dust off of the XBLA title. Players will be able to use their Avatars in both the single-player campaign and in Spider Hunter multiplayer mode. The Avatar support will be coming as a free update on July 8.

In addition to Avatar support, NinjaBee is also set release an entirely new campaign for Band of Bugs entitled Tales of Kaloki, though it's very different from traditional DLC. Instead of simply expanding Band of Bugs, Tales of Kaloki actually plays like an entirely new game set in a different universe with different characters. Rather than pitting bugs against one another, players will control spaceships -- which utilize new weapons and abilities -- and try to blast their enemies out of the sky. And, judging from the above image, you can also wreak urban havoc with your Avatar.

As the title implies, Tales of Kaloki is based on another NinjaBee XBLA game, Outpost Kaloki X. The DLC will be available July 8 for 240 ($3). NinjaBee will also be releasing a Band of Bugs dashboard theme on the same day for the same price.

Check out screens of Tales of Kaloki and Avatars in Band of Bugs in the galleries below.

Now, NinjaBee, seriously ... about that fighting game ....

Yesterday, Zip.ca announced a partnership with Sonic Solutions to become the first online streaming film and TV show rental service in Canada. Speaking with Joystiq, Zip.ca CEO Curt Millar said his company "would love" to bring the service to Canadian video game consoles -- similar to the Netflix streaming service currently available on Xbox 360's in the United States -- but no agreements are in place with any of the three game console manufacturers.

"Our whole strategy on this is to be available on every platform that we can be available on," Millar said. "We believe for consumer adoption to be high, you need to have it so that the consumer doesn't have to worry about how it works. It should just work on everything." According to Millar, partnering with an American company -- such as Sonic Solutions -- allows Zip.ca to put forth "a better presentation" when looking to secure agreements with partners, like the major console makers.

Streaming content to consoles isn't exactly new to Zip.ca's partner. Sonic Solutions recently announced it would begin offering movies from its catalog to Fujisoft's streaming Wii video service, Minna no Theater Wii, in Japan through its Roxio CinemaNow platform.

Anatomy of confusion:

1. At E3 earlier this month, Atlus announces that they'll be publishing Frozenbyte's very impressive co-op platformer Trine on Xbox Live Arcade.
2. Primotech is purportedly told by an Atlus representative at E3 that the Xbox Live Arcade release will feature online co-op as well as offline. Neither the PC nor PSN versions, both of which are being released much sooner than the XBLA version, will feature online co-op.
3. Shacknews links Primotech's assertion, and Joystiq in turn links that.
4. Developer Frozenbyte takes to the forums to clear the confusion, stating that "The XBLA version and its features is just speculation at this point."

Wait, what? "The XBLA version ... is just speculation at this point"?

Developer fb_joel writes, "... as developers, we would love as many people as possible to be able to play our games and therefore I hope Trine will eventually find its way to XBLA too." So, not only is Frozenbyte stating that online co-op in the Xbox Live Arcade version is "speculation" but that the XBLA release itself is speculation as well! We bet Atlus wishes someone told them that at E3!

The developer later said, "On the actual topic I will not comment as no-one knows anything about XBLA at this point, and I really hope when some people do know, I would be one of them." Yeah, we're right there with you. GamerBytes reported from E3 that Trine "hasn't been given the official nod from Microsoft for concept approval, and therefore Atlus are unable to send out press releases or other information about the game." That may explain why, when contacted for this story, Atlus responded with a very terse "no comment." We've reached out to Frozenbyte as well, and will update this story accordingly.

[Update: We've heard from Frozenbyte's Lauri Hyvärinen and here's what they say: "An XBLA version of Trine is a possibility but nothing more at present time. We would love to have Trine on XBLA and we've partnered with Atlus to make it happen, but it needs Microsoft's approval and there are other factors as well. So it may happen or it may not, that's really the current situation. Everything else ranging from release date to features is just speculation and isn't based on any facts. As soon as we know more we will also inform everyone else :)

So, there you have it. Trine on XBLA is not a sure thing. There, there ... it'll be okay.]


[Via Shacknews]

Just shy of its official release on Xbox Live Arcade, Team17 has dropped plenty of details and a big ol' pile of screens for Worms 2 Armageddon, out tomorrow for 800 ($10). First up, there are lots of new weapons in Worms 2, some of them are brand new, while others are returning favorites from other installments in the series. Fans will be happy to know that the Concrete Donkey is back (as is his nemesis, the Buffalo of Lies[?]). The game also includes bunker buster bombs which, true to their name, are used to take out cowardly worms that have burrowed deep, deep out of harm's way.

As we've mentioned before, the game also brings persistent fire, which is utilized in weapons like napalm and the petrol bomb. The game includes a handful of new modes too, such as Fort Mode -- which sets each team's worms in opposing bases instead of placing them randomly -- and Rope Race Mode. Another addition that might not sound too sexy but, trust us, it's important: Host migration for network play. The game also introduces vertical levels, which are tall and narrow, as opposed to the traditional wide levels.

All in all, it sounds like Worms 2 Armageddon is packing plenty of punch. Check out new screens in the gallery below and two trailers after the break.

Continued →

If your revolutionary Martian escapades are drawing to a close, don't fret -- it looks like there's plenty more Red Faction: Guerrilla content coming out in the next few months. THQ just announced three new DLC packs for the game -- the first of which, titled Demons of the Badlands, will land on XBLM and the PlayStation Store on August 13.

Badlands is an expansion to the game's single-player campaign which features a "mission arc that takes place in an entirely new Mars landscape outside of the existing expansive world." THQ has priced the DLC at 800 or $9.99. The developer has promised further details on the August-bound DLC and the two other upcoming expansions in the next few weeks, so keep your ear to the red, dusty ground.

Remember that costume CLAMP designed for Tekken 6? Well, feast your eyes on the gallery below, which shows Jin Kazama sporting the ridiculously ornate get-up and putting the screws to his daddy, Kazuya Mishima. We won't keep you from the eye candy, so feel free to check out the screens below while we daydream about how fun Tekken Bowling was.

2K Sports has unveiled the 10th Anniversary edition of NBA 2K10 -- or, rather, TeamXbox has discovered it as 2K Sports was about to unveil it -- and it may be the most overblown limited-edition release of any game yet.

The $99.99 package includes the game (obviously), an exclusive Kobe Bryant figurine by McFarlane Toys, a Kobe Bryant poster, a video about the NBA 2K series, and an account on the "Gold Room," a special VIP online lobby for the game.

Oh, the package also includes a storage locker designed to hold 20 games. That's furniture. This game comes with furniture.

Monolith Productions -- the developers behind titles such as F.E.A.R., Condemned, and, if you're an older gamer, No One Lives Forever -- are looking for a software engineer for a "triple-A next-generation console title," as a recent job posting on the developer's site points out. Further down into the nitty-gritty of the listing, you'll find a brief description for this new Xbox 360, PS3, and PC title: "Work closely with engineers, designers, and artists on the creation of game systems for a cutting-edge first-person action game on PlayStation 3, XBox 360 and PC."

And, sadly, that's about all of the information on the game the job listing provides. With F.E.A.R. 2 releasing this past February, we'd be hard-pressed to consider a new entry in that series, so we're crossing our fingers for a new No One Lives Forever.

[Via IGN]

Based on the highest-pursed skating event in history, the Maloof Money Cup makes its way to Skate 2 on July 9 for $3.00 and 240 on PSN and Xbox Live, respectively. That's one day before the real-life event takes place, and the DLC will mimic the setup of that event pretty closely, through a collection of single-player and online events. These events consist of freeskate, vert, and street contests, and will also provide Xbox gamers with an additional 250 Achievement points to earn. Considering the game's last update was back in February, we're surprised EA even remembered it had a skateboarding game.

And the mighty Xbox Live tug-of-war continues this week as Major Nelson reports that Halo 3 has once again wrangled the top spot from Call of Duty: World at War. We'd like to say there were some other -- more interesting -- changes this week, but the rest of the list remains almost completely unchanged. The only other difference is that Fallout 3 replaced Prototype at ninth place, knocking the latter to tenth.

Don't worry, though, we've got a new Halo game and a new Call of Duty game on the way in just a few months. Then we can at least see different iterations of the same series occupying the top two slots. That's something to look forward to, right?

[Image: Pwn or Die]