via Planet Xbox 360

Marvel Entertainment, SEGA Europe mand SEGA of America have expanded their relationship to include the rights to develop and distribute games inspired by Marvel’s Hall-of-Fame franchises -- Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and Thor. Through the exclusive, multi-year global licensing agreement, SEGA will create titles for console, handheld and PC platforms based upon both the classic comic books and planned feature film adaptations of these world-renowned Super Heroes. The deal follows Marvel and SEGA’s announcement to create titles based on Super Hero favorite Iron Man, with both game and film slated to be released in May 2008.

“Video games are an ideal medium to showcase the appeal and excitement of our Super Hero franchises,” said David Maisel, Chairman, Marvel Studios. “SEGA is one of the industry’s most innovative game developers and we are thrilled to partner with them to bring Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and Thor to the video gaming arena. These franchises represent three of Marvel’s most popular characters and lend themselves to captivating game play. We have already seen SEGA’s passion for the Marvel Universe through the early development of the Iron Man video game, and we look forward to working closely with them over the next few years to maximize the potential of these franchises in the interactive entertainment space.”

Under the expanded agreement, SEGA will develop a title to be based on Marvel Studios' highly-anticipated The Incredible Hulk feature film. Hitting theaters June 13, 2008, the film will return the larger-than-life green goliath to the roots of the long-running comic series with an all-new action-packed storyline directed by Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2, Unleashed). The Incredible Hulk video game will be released in the same timeframe as the film. Games based on Captain America and Thor will follow, though the timing of those feature film projects, currently in development, has not yet been determined.

“We are excited to broaden our partnership with Marvel, a recognized leader and innovator in the entertainment industry,” said Simon Jeffery, President and COO, SEGA of America. “As SEGA continues to create games that are built from the ground up to appeal to Western audiences it makes perfect sense to work with a powerhouse like Marvel. Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and Thor are icons that people are already familiar with and love, so our goal is to give gamers the ability to play out their fantasies by actually becoming these Super Heroes. Fans can now not only watch them in movies and read about them in comic books, but also literally control their actions through the video games we are creating. We look forward to bringing these icons to life like never before and putting the power in the hands of the fans.” ...

New update on the VM build from the 0.9.2 version

I've decided to release a fixed 0.9.2 VM build for those having problems. This is primarily for those with Brazilian XP, but im hoping it will help others too.

those with the 0x20000000-0x40000000 problem, im not sure if itll help you, but worth a try

Note: make sure you close anything you dont need, just in case something is taking up the space in memory or just incase you don't have enough free

Note 2: This build is IDENTICAL to the 0.9.2 release, just the VM address is changed to somewhere a bit more compatable ...

via Spong

With all the next-gen news of late (and flurries of name calling based on leaked stats, manipulated figures and plain nonsense) the phrase “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics”†, appears to be more on the mark than ever.

But sometimes statistics can throw up some truly intriguing information. The ‘Many Eyes’ project’s findings regarding average game review scores for last-gen systems including Xbox, PS2, GameCube and Dreamcast, present one of these moments.

According to its ‘visualisation’ (pictured right), which is based on data from the Metacritic review-score site, both the Xbox and the PlayStation 2 are beaten by GameCube and Dreamcast in terms of games receiving the highest-scores.

Very little other information, aside from the raw data is given. So, for example, we don’t know over what period the information derives from (although Metacritic began business in 1999). However, what it does tell us (or in this case show us) is the following:

Of games rated between 97-100 points (from 100), the Dreamcast caught three while the Xbox and PS2 attracted two and one respectively. At the lower end of the scale, games that rated at less than 29 points appeared five times on the PS2, six times on the Xbox, twice on the GameCube; no Dreamcast games rated that low-down.

The number of review ratings used by the data in total is 2,913. This breaks down as follows:

PS2 – 1,417
Xbox – 854
GameCube – 500
Dreamcast - 142

What is also made clear by the stats is that the media likes to be 'nice', with the bulk of the review scores (2,077) appearing between the 57 to 84 point range.

The Many Eyes project is part of the part of IBM's Collaborative User Experience research group – and there’s a vague chance that you could take it seriously. However, the more you drill into the stats, the more questions need to be asked, including: with more than 2,500 PS2 games released in Europe, why only 1,147 reviews in this sample? Why so few Dreamcast games - 142? Which sites did Metacritic use?

So, once again, while looking over the lovely graph, bear in mind that stats are only as good as the information supporting them. ...

More news about the PlayStation 2 emulator for Windows and Linux.

Whilst the Linux users out there get to enjoy PlayStation 2 emulation for the first time in awhile with PCSX2 0.9.3, I'm sure both Windows and Linux users wonder what lies in store with PCSX2 0.9.4.

First off, before I get to the seductive eye candy, a small but important note for our Brazilian users:

The VM (PCSX2 Virtual Memory Build) issues under Windows XP you have experienced with PCSX2 0.9.2 have been fixed in 0.9.4 thanks to some work by Refraction.

I dare say the term "Path 3" doesn't mean a great deal to most of the people visiting this site, however "Path 3" is part of GS/GIF (the interface for GS) and is often used in the handling of textures and enviroment effects.

Refraction has been doing a great deal of research / coding with regards to path 3. Many games now are no longer suffering from garbage textures, texture flicker and other miscellaneous issues.

Whilst these fixes have far reaching effects, from games no longer displaying "split-repeating IPU" (multiple copies of the same frame on screen), to subtle fixes like Final Fantasy 12 having fixed menu backgrounds, below is a selection of shots from games that have seen dramatic improvement!

* And1 Streetball
* Bloody Roar 4
* Bomberman Hardball
* Burnout 2 - Point of Impact
* Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas
* Lemmings
* Metal Slug 3D
* Need for Speed Carbon
* Need for Speed Most Wanted
* Street Racing Syndicate
* Swords of Destiny
* The Fast and The Furious - Tokyo Drift
* The Punisher
* Torino 2006 ...

via Game World Network

A recently filed patent suggests ‘Sonic Rush Adventure’ is to be the name of a follow up to the popular Sonic Rush DS title.



Sega of America recently filed a new patent with The United States Patent and Trademark Office for a ‘Sonic Rush Adventure’ title, this has lead to speculation that a Sonic Rush sequel is on the way.

It is worth bearing in mind that companies register patents and trademarks all the time, and only a selection of them ever come to fruition, but given the success of the previous Sonic Rush title, it seems fair to assume that this particular game will eventually come about.

Although we don’t know any more about the games of yet, the name alone brings back memories of the ‘Sonic Adventure’ Dreamcast titles, leading some to believe that the new game will feature at least some elements from those two titles.

We will just have to wait and see whether this comes in the form of 3D gameplay, some sort of central hub/exploration areas, or something entirely different. We’ll keep you posted with the latest updates. ...

via Game World Network

A recently filed patent suggests ‘Sonic Rush Adventure’ is to be the name of a follow up to the popular Sonic Rush DS title.



Sega of America recently filed a new patent with The United States Patent and Trademark Office for a ‘Sonic Rush Adventure’ title, this has lead to speculation that a Sonic Rush sequel is on the way.

It is worth bearing in mind that companies register patents and trademarks all the time, and only a selection of them ever come to fruition, but given the success of the previous Sonic Rush title, it seems fair to assume that this particular game will eventually come about.

Although we don’t know any more about the games of yet, the name alone brings back memories of the ‘Sonic Adventure’ Dreamcast titles, leading some to believe that the new game will feature at least some elements from those two titles.

We will just have to wait and see whether this comes in the form of 3D gameplay, some sort of central hub/exploration areas, or something entirely different. We’ll keep you posted with the latest updates. ...

via Game World Network

A recently filed patent suggests ‘Sonic Rush Adventure’ is to be the name of a follow up to the popular Sonic Rush DS title.



Sega of America recently filed a new patent with The United States Patent and Trademark Office for a ‘Sonic Rush Adventure’ title, this has lead to speculation that a Sonic Rush sequel is on the way.

It is worth bearing in mind that companies register patents and trademarks all the time, and only a selection of them ever come to fruition, but given the success of the previous Sonic Rush title, it seems fair to assume that this particular game will eventually come about.

Although we don’t know any more about the games of yet, the name alone brings back memories of the ‘Sonic Adventure’ Dreamcast titles, leading some to believe that the new game will feature at least some elements from those two titles.

We will just have to wait and see whether this comes in the form of 3D gameplay, some sort of central hub/exploration areas, or something entirely different. We’ll keep you posted with the latest updates. ...

via pro-g

The ESRB website is often the source of new game release information and it has now revealed plans to release Quake III: Team Arena for Xbox 360. The PC FPS was released back in December 2000 as an expansion to Quake III: Arena, offering new team-focused multiplayer modes and weapons.

With no official confirmation from Activision it is currently thought that the game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade. This won't be the first time Quake III has made it to consoles though, with Quake III: Arena making it to Dreamcast in 2000 and Quake III Revolution appearing on PlayStation 2 in 2001. Remarkably, the Dreamcast game allowed console and PC players to go head-to-head.

According to the ESRB listing, Quake III: Team Arena for Xbox 360 is in development at Pi Studios, which has previously worked on the Call of Duty series. ...

via Gameinfowire

Unique to its genre, Crush flips traditional gameplay on its head and creates a valuable new gaming experience that is wholly suited to the PSP. Set within a complex, hypnotic 3D world, players can Crush it to form simple 2D platforms, unlock secrets and then back again, to solve otherwise impossible challenges.

Crush story and characters

Danny, the main character and hero of Crush, has been hospitalised for insomnia. A troubled hero and a nervous wreck, Danny’s subconscious swims in unresolved issues. Sleeping is all he can think about, but thinking does nothing to actually help him drift away. It is his restless troubles that lead him to seek out help and ultimately to Dr. Reubens.

Dr Reubens, considered by some as a maverick psychologist, but by others as simply a raving mad scientist. Pioneering a new field in medicine, he is convinced his miracle machine will get to the bottom of Danny's troubles and in turn win him the academic acclaim he’s due. The problem is, Dr. Reubens solutions aren’t strictly above board, but his patients don’t need to know that do they…?

C.R.U.S.H. Dr Reubens' pride and joy, C.R.U.S.H. is the very latest in psychotherapy. The name stands for Cognitive Regression Utilizing pSychiatric Heuristics and according to Dr Reubens, the processing power is matched only by its beauty. What makes C.R.U.S.H. unique is the ability to re-frame a patient's problems. While under hypnosis, C.R.U.S.H. will allow Danny to move between 3D and 2D as he navigates his neuroses and comes to terms with the secrets of his past.

OBJECTS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE

Whilst Danny is undergoing Dr. Reubens’ C.R.U.S.H therapy he has the ability to navigate between 2D and 3D to help unlock the secret to his long suffering insomnia. However, there are certain rules that he must adhere to whilst in this hypnotic state and certain objects that he can use:

BLOCK TYPES

* Solid Blocks: Can be stood on, but not walked through. Danny cannot crush against solid blocks.
* Hollow Blocks: Can be stood on and walked through. These are the only blocks Danny can cross in a top-down crush.
* Ghost Blocks: Can’t be stood on but can be walked and fallen through. Ghost blocks will appear as holes through the ground in a top-down crush.
* Moving Blocks: Very useful for helping to get to otherwise inaccessible parts of levels. Sometimes hidden switches will activate moving blocks, so Danny must keep an eye out for them.
* Fragile Blocks: Will appear to be a cracked and pitted solid block, but will crumble away quickly if Danny puts any weight on it.

BOULDERS

Danny has the power to push these around levels and there are a variety of them: Balls, Rollers, Octaballs and Octorollers. Interestingly, the Rollers and Octorollers have ghost variations and can be crushed to create 2D tunnels through solid objects. ...