DCEmu Featured News Articles

Metroid: Other M designers Yoshio Sakamoto and Yosuke Hayashi have spoken to Eurogamer about their desire to leave their own mark on the famous series, which they hope to do by approaching familiar elements in new ways and investing in the character and story of protagonist Samus Aran.

"While we're trying to do these things that people have been clamouring for, we also don't want to do things the way people expect, because then there's no surprise," Sakamoto, from Nintendo, told Eurogamer in an interview published today.

"On top of that, we have to make it accessible for anybody to play."

One key point of difference will be the game's story focus, which we suggested might lead to a less "lonely" game than some of its series predecessors.

"I think the essential Metroid design is something that's very beautiful, but in each game, I think it's had a slightly different manifestation," Hayashi, of Team Ninja, explained.

"For example, if you think about Super Metroid, that was a game that was really characterised by silence. This time for Other M, the scenario that Mr Sakamoto has written for us is really that of a robust adventure game, with a story that makes players want to see more."

Sakamoto revealed that the team had researched the public perception of Samus as part of their development.

"I think a lot of people who have been playing Metroid certainly have developed an idea of Samus as a loner," he acknowledged. "It certainly seems hard to get a sense that Samus would ever work with team members.

"But because that image is so prevalent, we've decided to play with it a little bit. So you'll find that she does have team members fighting alongside her, but, at the same time, the focus, from the narrative perspective, is going to always be on what she's thinking. We want people to get to know Samus this time around."

Hayashi said that "sense of solitude" would remain, though. "But it's expressed within Samus's character. I think you'll find that Samus is a character who can feel alone even while surrounded by others."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ne...e-expectations ...

The upcoming special edition of Monkey Island 2 will finally allow players to control hero Guybrush with the analogue stick.

Last summer's Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition mapped points to A and clicks to B, but still went on to earn 9/10 on Eurogamer.

IGN, spotting the difference, also noted that alongside the three-tiered hint system is an L1-mapped helper that highlights objects you can interact with. R2, meanwhile, produces a radial menu of the actions that best suit an object rather than the whole lot.

What's more, Monkey Island 2: Special Edition can overlay new voice-overs on the original game in Classic Mode. And there's the option to turn them off altogether if you so wish.

Commentary from developers Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman will be accessible (prompted) at certain points throughout the adventure, and there are various concept art unlocks that await your eye.

Monkey Island 2: Special Edition will be released 7th July on Mac, PC, PSN and XBLA. iPhone and iPad conversions are expected later this summer.

Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition currently costs 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live. Snap it up.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/mo...emake-detailed ...

Well, it looks like you can put those conspiracy theories to rest... or can you? Apple has just put out an official statement on the nowhere to be found white iPhone 4, which it now says will not be available until the "second half of July." What's the holdup? Apparently, the white models have "proven more challenging to manufacture than expected" -- but don't worry, Apple assures us that "availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected."

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/a...lf-of-july-mo/ ...

It's still not hitting the bulk of Nexus Ones as far as we can tell, but for what it's worth, Google has unleashed the source code for Android 2.2 today, which is a solid sign that the code's been bulletproofed to the Open Handset Alliance's satisfaction and is ready for deployment across a number of phones from different manufacturers and carriers. It's still ultimately up to a bunch of gatekeepers in suits to decide when various models will get the upgrade, but this is basically zero day -- so let the countdown begin.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/a...ailable-today/ ...

Just Cause 2 owners can download a free vehicle today or spend money to access a few goodies that used to be pre-order incentives.

The new vehicle, pictured below, is called the Tuk Tuk Boom Boom. Yes. Apparently it's available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

"Pimped-out and bumped-up, this auto-rickshaw rolls with style, grace and a roof-mounted weapon of mass destruction," apparently. BOOM.

It's got reinforced shields, an armoured windscreen and "quad front-mounted air horns", for her pleasure.

So that's free. Rico's Signature Gun, the Bull's Eye Assault Rifle and the Chevalier Classic limousine, however, are 80 Microsoft Points (£0.68 / €0.96) apiece.


BOOM!
Just Cause 2's previous downloadable packs were the Black Market Aerial Pack and Black Market Boom Pack, which were 160 MSP / €1.99 each and introduced planes and weapons.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/fr...r-just-cause-2 ...

Sledgehammer Games has relaunched its website and revealed that it has a proper office now, having hired more than 50 people to work on its new Call of Duty game.

"We are currently in production on a Call of Duty FPS game. More details coming soon or sooner if you pass our interview process and become an employee!" the main page jokes.

According to co-founder Glen Schofield, the studio now consists of "well over 50 developers" and is "still hiring", having moved into an office on 27th February.

Photos of the facilities include a shot of the room where the team reviews progress on the game, with PS3 and Xbox 360 development kits visible, along with some PCs, but no sign of a Wii or any other formats.

Sledgehammer was formed in late 2009 by Schofield and his colleague Michael Condrey, who left EA's Visceral Games studio after working on the likes of Dead Space.

The team's Call of Duty focus came to light following the ousting of Vince Zampella and Jason West from Infinity Ward earlier this year and publisher Activision's subsequent COD reshuffle.

At the time we were told Sledgehammer would "extend the franchise into the action-adventure genre", although job adverts - and now the official site - indicate that, whatever the variation, the game will be played from the first-person perspective.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/sl...ng-for-cod-fps ...

CNET is reporting that a fifth of Android apps expose private data. The Android market threat report details the security issues uncovered. Dozens of apps were found to have the same type of access to sensitive information as known spyware does, including access to the content of e-mail and text messages, phone call information, and device location. 5% of the apps were found to have the ability to make calls, and 2% can send text messages, without the mobile user doing anything.

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/06/...e-Private-Data ...

It seems Sony's proposals regarding PlayStation Plus - its new paid-for PSN service going live on June 29 - weren't clear enough, and the bombardment of questions has lead it to post a more detailed brief on exactly what you get for your cash money.

This should answer all your questions but it's fairly long so we'll leave Sony to it:

Ok, here are the basics of the new premium subscription service, PlayStation Plus:

* Launching on the 29th June

* The current PSN features will remain free. We are still very committed to PSN as a free gaming service and are certainly not planning on reducing this service following the launch of PlayStation Plus.

* Plus is an evolving service and the features included at launch will be:
- Games
- Discounts
- Exclusive items on PlayStation Store
- Full Game Trial
- Automatic Downloads
(More info on these below)

* Membership to Plus can be purchased through PlayStation Store on PS3 for either 90 days or a whole year (365 days)

* Local prices for membership can be found below, payment is a one off fee for either of the memberships and can be purchased with any of the current Store payment methods - Credit Card or PSN Cards

* If you sign up between the 29th June and 3rd Aug for the 1 year subscription then you will also receive a downloadable copy of the original LittleBigPlanet game for PS3, completely free! This is yours to keep and is not tied to the period of subscription

Here are the features in more detail -

Games & Special Offers: As a member you can expect to get your hands on at least 4 games a month at no extra charge. Each month there will be a selection of 1x PSN game, 2x minis and 1x PS One classics. A list of the games available in month 1 and 2 can be found below. You will be able to download these games during the month they are available, until the new selection replaces these.

Once downloaded, these games are yours to keep and play as long as you are a member of PlayStation Plus. If your subscription lapses and then you re-subscribe the games you have already downloaded will reactivate, so you still have access to them. Additionally, if you delete one of these titles from your PS3 but decide you want to get it back then you can re-download from the Plus section of the Store if the games is still there, or, if the game has expired from the Plus section of the Store, then you can simply search for it on the Store and download it again at no extra cost.

Each month there will be 2 dynamic themes, 2 premium avatars and premium game elements/add-ons for you to download and many of these will be exclusive to members only. These are yours to keep forever once you have downloaded them.

Plus members will also be given exclusive PlayStation Store discounts each month that are above and beyond the current Store discounts available to everyone. These discounts will range from 20% - 50% and anything you buy with these is yours to keep and enjoy forever.

Finally, wherever possible we'll be making sure that members are included in some selected demos and beta trials early, before they go live to everyone, so you can be the one to tell all your mates about the next big game they 'must' get.

As I mentioned, just the games themes and avatars are worth over £200* a year and with unrestricted access to 48+ games each year and all the other features, we think this service is great value for money.

Full Game Trial: Each month we will be offering members the chance to download 2 full games, try them out for a period of time (1 hour unless otherwise stated). Then you will have the choice to either buy the game and carry on from where you left off, or delete the game from your hard drive. This is a unique way to trial the full game experience and means you don't have to be restricted to certain levels/game modes when you test out a game.

The games in full game trail will become available to all Store users to purchase but only Plus members will have the chance to 'try before you buy'.

The other great thing about this feature is that you can continue from where you were at the end of the trial period if you decide to buy the game. All game saves and trophies earned during the trial will be unlocked and will show up on your trophy list and your trophy level, when you purchase the game. You don't even have to re-download the game, just purchase and go back to the XMB to access the game.

Automatic Download: Members will be able to set their PS3 to wake up from standby at any time of the day or night, download and install any game updates for the games you have been playing and we will also send you new game demos that will be ready and waiting for you to play when you next use your PS3. System software updates will also download automatically (manual install still required) and then the PS3 will turn itself off again.

Game updates and demos will also automatically install and the next time you turn on your PS3 you will see a brief on screen message letting you know what has been downloaded and updated.

Some other answers to frequently asked questions from the last blog post -

* Cross-game chat is not currently included in PlayStation Plus.

* You need to be the master account holder on the PS3 and be over 18 to purchase a Plus membership but other accounts on that PS3 will be able to play the games you download for as long ...

It seems Sony's proposals regarding PlayStation Plus - its new paid-for PSN service going live on June 29 - weren't clear enough, and the bombardment of questions has lead it to post a more detailed brief on exactly what you get for your cash money.

This should answer all your questions but it's fairly long so we'll leave Sony to it:

Ok, here are the basics of the new premium subscription service, PlayStation Plus:

* Launching on the 29th June

* The current PSN features will remain free. We are still very committed to PSN as a free gaming service and are certainly not planning on reducing this service following the launch of PlayStation Plus.

* Plus is an evolving service and the features included at launch will be:
- Games
- Discounts
- Exclusive items on PlayStation Store
- Full Game Trial
- Automatic Downloads
(More info on these below)

* Membership to Plus can be purchased through PlayStation Store on PS3 for either 90 days or a whole year (365 days)

* Local prices for membership can be found below, payment is a one off fee for either of the memberships and can be purchased with any of the current Store payment methods - Credit Card or PSN Cards

* If you sign up between the 29th June and 3rd Aug for the 1 year subscription then you will also receive a downloadable copy of the original LittleBigPlanet game for PS3, completely free! This is yours to keep and is not tied to the period of subscription

Here are the features in more detail -

Games & Special Offers: As a member you can expect to get your hands on at least 4 games a month at no extra charge. Each month there will be a selection of 1x PSN game, 2x minis and 1x PS One classics. A list of the games available in month 1 and 2 can be found below. You will be able to download these games during the month they are available, until the new selection replaces these.

Once downloaded, these games are yours to keep and play as long as you are a member of PlayStation Plus. If your subscription lapses and then you re-subscribe the games you have already downloaded will reactivate, so you still have access to them. Additionally, if you delete one of these titles from your PS3 but decide you want to get it back then you can re-download from the Plus section of the Store if the games is still there, or, if the game has expired from the Plus section of the Store, then you can simply search for it on the Store and download it again at no extra cost.

Each month there will be 2 dynamic themes, 2 premium avatars and premium game elements/add-ons for you to download and many of these will be exclusive to members only. These are yours to keep forever once you have downloaded them.

Plus members will also be given exclusive PlayStation Store discounts each month that are above and beyond the current Store discounts available to everyone. These discounts will range from 20% - 50% and anything you buy with these is yours to keep and enjoy forever.

Finally, wherever possible we'll be making sure that members are included in some selected demos and beta trials early, before they go live to everyone, so you can be the one to tell all your mates about the next big game they 'must' get.

As I mentioned, just the games themes and avatars are worth over £200* a year and with unrestricted access to 48+ games each year and all the other features, we think this service is great value for money.

Full Game Trial: Each month we will be offering members the chance to download 2 full games, try them out for a period of time (1 hour unless otherwise stated). Then you will have the choice to either buy the game and carry on from where you left off, or delete the game from your hard drive. This is a unique way to trial the full game experience and means you don't have to be restricted to certain levels/game modes when you test out a game.

The games in full game trail will become available to all Store users to purchase but only Plus members will have the chance to 'try before you buy'.

The other great thing about this feature is that you can continue from where you were at the end of the trial period if you decide to buy the game. All game saves and trophies earned during the trial will be unlocked and will show up on your trophy list and your trophy level, when you purchase the game. You don't even have to re-download the game, just purchase and go back to the XMB to access the game.

Automatic Download: Members will be able to set their PS3 to wake up from standby at any time of the day or night, download and install any game updates for the games you have been playing and we will also send you new game demos that will be ready and waiting for you to play when you next use your PS3. System software updates will also download automatically (manual install still required) and then the PS3 will turn itself off again.

Game updates and demos will also automatically install and the next time you turn on your PS3 you will see a brief on screen message letting you know what has been downloaded and updated.

Some other answers to frequently asked questions from the last blog post -

* Cross-game chat is not currently included in PlayStation Plus.

* You need to be the master account holder on the PS3 and be over 18 to purchase a Plus membership but other accounts on that PS3 will be able to play the games you download for as long ...