via Computer and Video Games


Xbox Live Arcade currently carries a strict file size limit of 150MB, but it's emerged that Microsoft is to make special exception for Capcom's upcoming download games, which will break the size limit for the first time.

According to IGN, both Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Bionic Commando Rearmed will be swelling above the current cap.

Capcom says that both Rearmed and Street Fighter hold far too much content to fit the current 150MB limit, and to meet standards bonus material present in the PC and PSN versions would have to be cut for XBLA. With Microsoft's exception in place - which allows the Capcom two to swell above the 150MB limit - this won't be the case.

Thankfully then, it looks like earlier rumours suggesting "gimped" textures for the XBLA versions aren't true after all.

The last game to break the size limit rule was Konami's excellent Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which broke the previous quota of 50MB. Soon after its release Microsoft raised the cap to the current 150MB rule, so perhaps we'll be seeing another rise following Rearmed and Street Fighters appearance on XBLA... ...

via Eurogamer


Capcom will let Xbox Live Gold subscribers who buy the Xbox Live Arcade version of Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 access an upcoming Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix beta test, the US arm of the publisher said yesterday.

Commando 3 is set to cost 800 Microsoft Points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.60) when it launches this spring, and the HD Remix beta will launch shortly afterward and last for about eight weeks, with the aim of stress-testing the multiplayer network code. We've asked Capcom whether there'll be a PS3 equivalent but haven't heard back yet.

The company's prolific US bloggers have also shed some light on why we've been waiting so long for the HD Remix version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, which was originally announced all the way back in April 2007. A lot of the delay is to do with revamping artwork, apparently.

"As a necessary part of development, we had to outsource a lot of the [artistic] work to an outside company that based their work off of Udon's key frames," producer Rey Jimenez explains. "This company has an excellent reputation and ability as an outside art contractor and we were very impressed with their overall resources and their infrastructure.

"Without going into the nitty-gritty of it, the art they were producing just wasn't up to par or schedule of what we needed. To be honest, a lot of their art was looking pretty good, but just not 'good enough'. It just wouldn't satisfy the quality bar that both Capcom and Street Fighter fans demand."

So Capcom redid it, reducing the number of tones for each colour, among other things. "We know that it sucks that we all have to wait longer to play HD Remix, but the plus side to all this is that with the extra time needed to reboot the art pipeline, we have extra time to: a) cram in tons of cool features that weren't planned from the onset of development and b) further refine and test features that we had planned all along," Jimenez adds.

"Recent tech solutions dedicated to online play" mean that HD Remix "will provide the best online console experience to date", he says, and the team has also added 8-man Tournament Mode, remixed and classic music, and "hit box display" which is good enough for a "Woohoo!" in Capcom-land. More features will be announced later, apparently.

So, look out for more on HD Remix soon, it would seem. ...

via Kotaku


SouthPeak's epic RPG Two Worlds gets a little bit bigger today, as the company releases the first of two planned expansion packs onto Xbox Live. This pack, titled Tainted Blood, focuses on expanding the multiplayer gameplay of the game, adding four new maps to explore with friends, over 35 new quests, and a new PVP mode in which players vie for control of magical orbs of some sort.

"This pack of downloadable content is a fantastic expansion for players who love playing Two Worlds with friends and are ready for some new and exhilarating features," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "Tainted Blood's excellent new multiplayer mode is the key thing to note. The introduction of a completely new multiplayer mode lives up to our commitment to making sure Two Worlds is the best RPG experience we can create."

I particularly love the line about it being the best game they can create. It might not be the best RPG, but it's the best you'll get from us! Tainted Blood is available for download now for 600 Microsoft points. ...

via Eurogamer


A sequel to top-down shooter Assault Heroes is coming to Xbox Live Arcade this spring.

Apparently everything's been "reimagined" for Assault Heroes 2 so you can expect "an even more intense arcade shooter experience". Publisher Sierra Online is also promising the game will expand its horizons into outer space.

New features will include enemy vehicles you can hijack, an enhanced co-op mode and lots more levels. Like its predecessor, Assault Heroes 2 is being developed by Wanako Studios.

Here's hoping it's a bit better, as Tom only sort of liked AH1 - read his review to find out why. ...

via Games Industry


Microsoft's Xbox 360 group product manager Aaron Greenberg has rejected recent speculation that the company was looking into adding a Blu-ray peripheral to its console following the demise of HD DVD.

Instead the corporation would continue to invest in digital distribution via the Xbox Live service, he told Reuters.

"Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience," he said. "We're the only console offering digital distribution of entertainment content."

The HD DVD attachment for the Xbox 360 is no longer in production following Toshiba's withdrawal from the next-generation race.

The news comes just one week after Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, told the Mix08 conference that the company was in talks over possible moves for supporting Blu-ray in Windows.

"We've already been working on, for example, in Windows, device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like, and I think the world moves on," he said then.

"Toshiba has moved on. We've moved on, and we'll support Blu-ray in ways that make sense," he added, statements which led many to believe that a peripheral similar to the Xbox 360's HD DVD drive could be released later in the year.

However, Greenberg's comments appear to clarify Ballmer's original statements as focusing purely on the Windows environment.

Xbox Live Video Store is Microsoft's bid to distance itself from the need for physical media by offering titles for rental via download, and the company's head of Xbox gaming and entertainment in the UK, Stephen McGill, told GamesIndustry.biz at the launch of the service last year that it was about customer choice.

"For the Xbox 360, from design all the way upwards, it's about consumer choice, what the consumer wants to do," he said last December. "Some will want to do it differently, about personalisation, the user interface, and how they access entertainment."

"HDTVs are phenomenally well-priced at the moment, and a lot will sell over Christmas, so we'll see many more people jumping in the high definition world.

"But then some people don't want to go out and buy a disc or anything, so download rental is more their cup of tea. So it's about choice, whatever you want to do, however you want to get your content."

Meanwhile Sony's PlayStation 3 has jumped in popularity following a price cut last year, and its victory in the Blu-ray stakes could lead to a further 10 per cent jump in sales, according to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.

This week Microsoft confirmed a price cut for the Xbox 360 in response to Sony's recent upturn in sales, making the Arcade model cheaper than the Nintendo Wii. ...

via IGN


Gamecock Media Group today announced that Insecticide is now shipping in North America for Nintendo DS. Insecticide features stylish film noir visuals paired with an engaging plot that is unmatched by any game in its genre. The highly anticipated action adventure game challenges players to think like a bug (detective) and solve an epic mystery in a world where insects have evolved as the dominant race on the planet.

In Insecticide, play as female heroin Chrys Lyszt, a hard-headed, 6 legged rookie detective thirsty for a big case. Chrys gets her wish granted when the CEO of the city's most lucrative soft drink company, Nectarola, is almost killed in a mysterious accident. But as Chrys delves deeper into the case she realizes that things are not what they appear. Get drawn into the fascinating and deadly world of Troi, where hopes are lost and joy is forgotten.

"Insecticide seeks to make a statement with its imaginative storyline", said Rick Stults, Console Chief at Gamecock. "The game combines the finesse of a quality detective game and the high-velocity of an action game to deliver a silky smooth solve-and-shoot adventure."

The gameplay is divided equally between Action and Detective (Adventure) levels. In the detective levels Chrys will pry through files and infiltrate areas to uncover any evidence crucial to her case, gaining access to new areas as well as meeting reliable sources for tips. In action levels Chrys hunts down any leads, including dangerous criminals that might bring her one step closer to exposing the truth behind the murder at Nectarola. Using insect-inspired weaponry such as the "Pollenizer" and the "Amberizer," Chrys has an arsenal of creative weapons to squash bad bugs with.

"Insecticide is a game that throws conventions out the window," said Michael E. Levine, Chief Nut-job at Crackpot Entertainment. "Players will be sucked into the storyline and really want to make it to the end of this game. The combination of the old school adventure elements and the fast paced action sets up an interactive story that appeals to all gamers."

Insecticide is available now for Nintendo DS for a suggested retail price of $29.99 and is rated Everyone 10+. The first episode of the "Bi-sodic" PC version of Insecticide will be available soon. Visit www.inseciticidethegame.com for more. ...

via IGN


Gamecock Media Group today announced that Insecticide is now shipping in North America for Nintendo DS. Insecticide features stylish film noir visuals paired with an engaging plot that is unmatched by any game in its genre. The highly anticipated action adventure game challenges players to think like a bug (detective) and solve an epic mystery in a world where insects have evolved as the dominant race on the planet.

In Insecticide, play as female heroin Chrys Lyszt, a hard-headed, 6 legged rookie detective thirsty for a big case. Chrys gets her wish granted when the CEO of the city's most lucrative soft drink company, Nectarola, is almost killed in a mysterious accident. But as Chrys delves deeper into the case she realizes that things are not what they appear. Get drawn into the fascinating and deadly world of Troi, where hopes are lost and joy is forgotten.

"Insecticide seeks to make a statement with its imaginative storyline", said Rick Stults, Console Chief at Gamecock. "The game combines the finesse of a quality detective game and the high-velocity of an action game to deliver a silky smooth solve-and-shoot adventure."

The gameplay is divided equally between Action and Detective (Adventure) levels. In the detective levels Chrys will pry through files and infiltrate areas to uncover any evidence crucial to her case, gaining access to new areas as well as meeting reliable sources for tips. In action levels Chrys hunts down any leads, including dangerous criminals that might bring her one step closer to exposing the truth behind the murder at Nectarola. Using insect-inspired weaponry such as the "Pollenizer" and the "Amberizer," Chrys has an arsenal of creative weapons to squash bad bugs with.

"Insecticide is a game that throws conventions out the window," said Michael E. Levine, Chief Nut-job at Crackpot Entertainment. "Players will be sucked into the storyline and really want to make it to the end of this game. The combination of the old school adventure elements and the fast paced action sets up an interactive story that appeals to all gamers."

Insecticide is available now for Nintendo DS for a suggested retail price of $29.99 and is rated Everyone 10+. The first episode of the "Bi-sodic" PC version of Insecticide will be available soon. Visit www.inseciticidethegame.com for more. ...

via Eurogamer


Because you can never have too much Tetris (not true), Hudson has announced plans to release a new WiiWare version of the classic block dropper.

That's according to an article over on Engadget (as translated by Joystiq). Apparently the gameplay will involve shaking the remote to activate special items - presumably power-ups and weapons, that sort of thing.

Up to six players will be able to take part in multiplayer contests via Wi-Fi Connection and downloadable content is promised.

WiiWare Tetris will be available around the world this summer and Hudson reckons it'll shift at least a million downloads following release. There's no word on price yet, but expect to pay somewhere between GBP 3 and GBP 8 judging by yesterday's WiiWare announcement. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Activision is gearing up to release Kung Fu Panda, a comedy cartoon martial arts adventure based on the film of the game name, in May.

You play as Po the Panda on a mission to become a Dragon Warrior. You journey with the Furious Five; Monkey, Tigress, Viper, Mantis and Crane, to battle against the inevitable super-evil dude, Tai Lung.

It may not feature a moody ninja that slices off the limbs of his foes, but it does have "kung fu awesomeness" and "bodacious humour" according to Activision. Though it sounds like the release was penned by Bill and Ted.

The game will pack 13 levels, as well as co-op and versus multiplayer modes and will be available for all formats and then some (PS3, 360, PC, DS, Wii and PS2, but not the NES or Atari 2600, unfortunately).

First 360/PS3 shots are below.


Screenshots here ...