For a while now, we've been asking ourselves "How different can Band Hero really be from Guitar Hero?" With today's release of the first trailer for the game, we have more answers than simply "Uh, the word 'guitar' has been replaced by 'band'." Specifically, the video lets us know that the game will feature a decidedly pop rock packed song lineup, to, y'know, make it more appealing to the mainstream ('cause Guitar Hero's soundtrack is so elitist).

It's also clear that, in addition to guitar, bass, drum and microphone peripherals, you'll be required to suit up at GAP before playing. Oh, and be a model. Will the specialized peripherals never end?

MSN Music's article on the game also mentions that the game disc will house 65 tracks (a partial list can be found after the break) and that DLC for Guitar Hero World Tour will be compatible with the game. Due for release this November on all consoles and DS, the game will also make use of the drop-in, drop-out gameplay feature found in Guitar Hero 5. Just remember: This totally isn't Guitar Hero. The name says so.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/ba...lowed-to-play/ ...

Microsoft's E3 demo for Project Natal include two game demos -- Paint Party and Ricochet. We assumed that these minigames were developed from scratch, specially for the E3 demonstration, but Epic's Mark Rein has stated in an interview with OXM that they were made using the Unreal Engine 3.

That makes UE3 the first middleware to support the new motion control system, meaning developers who utilize it shouldn't have much difficulty adding Natal functionality to their titles. UE3 isn't quite as commonly used as it was in 2007, but this does mean there's no excuse for Gears of War 3 not to support Natal. We suspect a great many of you would enjoy a bit of motion-controlled chainsawdomizing

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/21/e3...real-engine-3/ ...

Details of a sequel to DS game Jam Sessions have popped up on the Ubisoft website.

Jam Sessions 2 is designed to teach you how to play the electric guitar and improving your songwriting abilities. The game features licensed tracks by the likes of REM, Heart, The Ramones, The Clash, Doobie Brothers and The Pixies.

You can play Stratocaster, Telecaster, Acoustic, Old Electric and Les Paul guitars. There's a song editor for creating your own tracks, and you can share your efforts with other budding musicians. There are also "DSi features to enhance sound effects while playing".

The release date for Jam Sessions 2 is listed as 29th September.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ja...ng-this-autumn ...

id Software has released more details on its upcoming shooter/racer hybrid Rage in the current issue of Game Informer, which hits just ahead of next month's QuakeCon.

We already know a fair bit about Rage thanks to two successive QuakeCons of revelations (check out our 2008 preview for a fair summary), but the GI piece (with thanks to Shacknews) nails on a few more specifics.

Striking out from hub towns, which provide access to races and missions, players will get involved in vehicular combat - complete with power-ups and ammo dotted around tracks - and build their character and vehicle over the course of the game.

There's also an engineering system that allows you to build things like sentry turrets and remote-control car-bombs if you've gathered the requisite blueprints and parts.

Naturally there will be weapon upgrades too, including a scope and aiming stabilisers for a crossbow, and car upgrades include bombs, a magnet for power-ups, tyre-shredders and EMP shields, along with more traditional car parts upgrades.

One weapon mentioned is a three-tipped boomerang called the "wingstick", and we're also promised alternative ammo types, including a crossbow bolt that gives you brief control of a victim before he or she explodes.

We still don't know much about your character, other than you're one of the survivors of an asteroid striking the earth in the mid-21st century, and that you're prowling the wasteland like everyone else, except the new preview mentions that your regenerating health is connected to your background.

Mission-wise, all we're told for now is that, besides quest-givers in towns, there's a gladiatorial game-show called Mutant Bash TV - presumably connected to the arena combat mentioned elsewhere - and stealth will be an option along the way too.

As at QuakeCon last year, multiplayer modes are being finalised, but id's Tim Willits and John Carmack told us 12 months ago that the multiplayer element of Rage would be divorced from single-player. Multiplayer was billed then as a discrete, two-player co-op mode, with split-screen options on consoles to complement the online elements.

Rage is due out on PC, Mac, PS3 and Xbox 360 "when it's done", and John Carmack apparently told Game Informer that PC bonuses will be higher resolutions, more anti-aliasing and faster texture page-in.

He also reportedly expanded on the aim to release the game on one Blu-ray or three DVDs depending on your choice of platform, but the new details suggest the structure of the game is causing difficulties there, with two major wastelands that don't split helpfully across the DVDs.

Look out for much more on Rage around the time of QuakeCon, which takes place between 13th and 16th August at the Gaylord Texan hotel near Dallas.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/id...etails-on-rage ...

After announcing the disappointing delay, 2K Games has gone back into BioShock 2 teaser mode, kicking off the 'BioShock 2 Artists Series' and promising more 'Something in the Sea' viral at Comic-Con tomorrow. Do they know we've seen the game already?

You'll probably remember that Something in the Sea was the viral site that teased the sequel's premise before it was properly unveiled in magazines and online.

"Something in the Sea continues in San Diego on July 23," 2K says on its website, so we're probably in for more vague photos and drip-feeding story documents.


As for the BioShock 2 artist series, the publisher says it asked "several uniquely different artists to create a piece of art that represented their Rapture to celebrate the profound effect the city's beauty has on the BioShock community.

"These works, released over the coming months, represent the artistic impact BioShock made on gamers worldwide, and how the game spoke to each of us individually," it says. The first, by Invader Sim creator Jhonen Vasquez can be found on this page.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=219939 ...

Alright, look, Activision -- we've seen quite enough of Wolfenstein already. What with the recent comic strips and the constant stream of trailers since last July, it feels like we're writing something about BJ Blazkowicz every day. For the most part, the trailers have become fairly repetitive at this point -- lucky you, this one's a "featurette."

We were wondering to ourselves -- after watching the four minutes of torturous explanation in the video above -- what does "featurette" mean, exactly? Dictionary.com calls it a "short movie." Though we wouldn't exactly classify the video above as a "short movie," it is short and there are moving things in it, so we guess it'll have to do while we wait for the game to release a week later than expected.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/22/ne...u-already-kno/ ...

Analyst Michael Pachter reckons Activision's controversial decision to raise the price of Modern Warfare 2 has nothing to do with a weak pound as the publisher has claimed.

"The price increase is a business decision," he told Eurogamer, noting that the pound is worth more today than when Call Of Duty 5 launched last year.

"Activision knows it has a 'hot' game, knows that the market will pay an additional ten per cent, and has decided to increase price accordingly."

Pachter thinks the question of whether this is fair is "a difficult one" to answer. Games, he explained, are cheaper to buy today but contain better graphics, gameplay and online functionality. And the latter service, while free to users, costs Activision to provide - although Xbox 360 owners must pay Microsoft for the privilege.

"My guess is that this is a one-time test for Activision, and that they will re-think the strategy after seeing if it angers consumers," offered Pachter. "If there is no consumer backlash, I think we may see higher pricing on other games, regardless of the GBP/USD translation rate."

And, he added: "The repercussions could be significant and lasting. If Activision is successful, we may see increases for other 'hot' games in the future. We see tiered pricing to the downside for more casual games, so why not tiered pricing to the upside for hot games?"

Activision revealed the suggested retail price of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would be set at GBP 54.99 earlier this month. Retailers may only take this figure as guidance, but the bump will be felt nonetheless.

And it's not just MW2; Pachter suggested keeping in mind the price of the Guitar Hero franchise, which has generally gone up. Band Hero, he adds, will be more expensive than GH World Tour, and Tony Hawk Ride and DJ Hero will cost a considerable GBP 107.99. And on all platforms; no discount for PS2 and Wii any more.

What does Activision have to say? "I'm afraid we don't comment on our product pricing strategies," a spokesperson said this morning.

"This is the year that Activision raises prices selectively for several games," concludes Pachter. "and the US increases don't have anything to do with foreign currency translation."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...tegy-is-a-test ...

Numbers of console and handhold gamers worldwide could increase by 50 per cent with the right game, according to Nintendo of America's senior director of product development, Tom Prata.

The exec noted the worldwide active market size of console gamers currently stands at 295 million, however believes this figure could swell by 150 million - or 50 per cent - "if the right game came along".

Revealing new internal Nintendo research at the Casual Connect conference in Seattle, Prata said some 30 million new game players have appeared across North America in the last two-and-a-half years alone, bringing the current user base there up to 143.7, reports Edge.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-million-users ...

EA is ready to take Need for Speed Nitro out of the garage and onto the road on November 17th. The Wii- and DS-exclusive title is designed to offer "fun and intense competition for every type of gamer." This wouldn't be the first time a more casual approach reinvigorated a franchise.

Nitro, like upcoming scarefest Dead Space Extraction, is part of EA's ongoing effort to establish some big hits on Nintendo's console. Other titles from the test lab, like EA Sports Active and the Tiger Woods 10, have already proven to be quite successful. Let's see if EA can keep up the Wii streak!
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/22/ne...stores-nov-17/ ...