via Joystiq


Will wonders never cease? In one week, Alone in the Dark went from being released in March to being released in September to "not delayed until September, but we're not saying when it's actually coming out." Now, according to CVG, the survival horror title will drop on the Xbox 360, Wii, PC and PS2 in May of 2008. As you may have noticed, the PS3 is absent from that list, and with good reason: That version is now due "sometime in 2008." That's especially interesting to those who have been following the AITD release drama, as Atari previously said that the PS3 version would arrive day-and-date with its brethren on other consoles.

We have to admit that we're still looking forward to getting our hands on the game, if only to see if all the delays were time well spent. If we could be so bold though, could we suggest that the game ship with a special bonus copy of Chinese Democracy? ...

via Joystiq


We had told you previously about some new MotorStorm tracks that were in the works, but a few details have changed in the intervening days and we wanted to make you aware. First off, as you might have noticed on January 10, they're not coming out on January 10. They're coming out today. Also at that time, we told you that we thought the tracks would run $7, based on the £3.49 in the press release. Well, apparently, they'll cost you $2.99. (Our English friends are just going to love that.)

A couple of the details are still the same though. For one, the track pack does include courses called Diamondback Speedway and Eagle's Nest. Also still true: Releasing new DLC nearly a year after a game is really, really great and we wish more companies would follow suit. ...

via Eurogamer


Microsoft has accidentally leaked the January downloadable content schedule for Rock Band.

Most of it has now been removed, but 1UP claims the original Xbox.com list featured none other than pretentious rock siblings Oasis.

Supposedly the band will offer up Don't Look Back in Anger, Live Forever and Wonderwall on the week beginning 22nd January.

Not our first choices. Surely Cigarettes & Alcohol or I Am the Walrus or The Importance of Being Idle would have been a little more, er, rock. That's what our two minutes of trying to remember Oasis songs so we'd sound clever threw up, anyway.

They will be followed a week later by a Progressive Pack featuring Siva by Smashing Pumpkins, Working Man as made famous by Rush, and Ten Speed as made famous by Coheed and Cambria.

Alas, Rock Band will not be out in Europe until sometime this first quarter.

Those who have it can look forward to Last Train to Clarksville as made famous by The Monkees, All the Small Things by Blink-182, and Action as made famous by Sweet. ...

via Computer and Video Games


A playable demo of FIFA Street 3 is now available for download via Xbox Live Marketplace - more than a month before the game's planned February 22 release.

The latest edition of the arcade footy series is a complete overhaul of past games, with a brand new art style (that strangely resembles Team Fortress), and faster, more accessible gameplay.

There's currently no date set for a PSN demo, but hopefully it'll be out within a week or so.

Read all about the new tricks in store in this preview.

Hit the movie player for a two-minute clip of us playing the game really badly. It actually reminded us a little of playing in the school yard. With the posh kids that had all the fancy tricks and us that used to boot it as hard as we could. "Ave it" as Kay says in that classic John Smith ad.


Trailer here ...

via Eurogamer


Q-Games' Dylan Cuthbert has revealed that US PlayStation Network users will be able to buy PixelJunk Monsters "next week", which presumably means Thursday 24th January.

Sony UK wasn't able to nail down the exact date of the game's release on the European PSN when we spoke to someone there, but it's in QA and the expectation is we'll see it at the end of January. So, either next week or the 31st, most likely.

Cuthbert's US Sony blog post talks about the game scenario - protecting your island and villagers from an invading monster horde - and outlines the various level specifics, items and tower types for defence.

An accompanying video also reminds us that there is support for co-operative play and Remote Play using the PSP, for those of you who like to continue playing after you're sent to bed with no dinner.

Look out for our review of PixelJunk Monsters pretty soon. We may even get round to reviewing PixelJunk Racers one day, but who knows. Check out our PixelJunk Monsters gamepage for more in the meantime. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates will launch on DS on March 21.

Featuring wireless play and unique action-based gameplay, the exclusive Nintendo DS title promises to be the most accessible Final Fantasy ever.

Sounds like great news, though considering that we still don't fully understand the battle system in Final Fantasy VII, it's not exactly a difficult goal to achieve.

Echoing similar obsessions of Jackass DS of all things, Ring of Fates will include hundreds of different items and costume combinations to make your character unique. Does everybody think that all DS players want is a high-tech Barbie dress-up game or something?

Bad news for cheeky importers, though. The UK version contains additional content over the Japanese version, with four new quests available. It's worth buying twice over anyway, though. Just check out the glowing review from NGamer and these screenshots to prove it. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates will launch on DS on March 21.

Featuring wireless play and unique action-based gameplay, the exclusive Nintendo DS title promises to be the most accessible Final Fantasy ever.

Sounds like great news, though considering that we still don't fully understand the battle system in Final Fantasy VII, it's not exactly a difficult goal to achieve.

Echoing similar obsessions of Jackass DS of all things, Ring of Fates will include hundreds of different items and costume combinations to make your character unique. Does everybody think that all DS players want is a high-tech Barbie dress-up game or something?

Bad news for cheeky importers, though. The UK version contains additional content over the Japanese version, with four new quests available. It's worth buying twice over anyway, though. Just check out the glowing review from NGamer and these screenshots to prove it. ...

via Eurogamer


Atari has decided it's about time Dragon Ball Z moved onto PS3 and Xbox 360. So it has, and Atari will release it this year.

Burst Limit will be the first fighting game in the series to tackle the new hardware, bringing usual boasts of online battles and much fancier visuals. Also, lightning fast action.

Otherwise this is simply Dragon Ball Z. Name sound familiar? It should; DBZ is a Japanese anime series that has been recreated into over 25 games since 2002.

Total worldwide sales: over 10 million. Atari bread and butter, you could say.

The most recent to be released was Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 on PS2, which will be ported to Wii early this year.

If you're not fussed about Dragon Ball Z then probably best avoided. Even those who like it will find it a tough and often unrewarding slog, even if it is a competent enough game. Slug over to our Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 review for more. ...

via Eurogamer


The wind is picking up and dropping rain off on our heads as we tumble into work each morning, but the good news this week is that we can quickly dispatch the raindrops from our raincoated shoulders by flapping our arms about to a bundle of new Wii games.

What's more, you'd actually buy some of them. Geometry Wars: Galaxies and Zack & Wiki are must-haves - the former a smashing evolution of the Xbox Live Arcade Geometry Wars game with some very agreeable control options and tons of content, and the latter the closest thing we've had to an adventure game that isn't rubbish or hideously overrated since Fahrenheit, probably.

As for NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, it's as happy to see you as you probably will be to play it. Which is fairly happy, as you will know if you've read today's review. You float through dreamy worlds going through hoops, collecting orbs and circling things to murderise them. Then you do it all again for a better rank.

Meanwhile, Ghost Squad isn't quite so exciting - at least according to our beloved former editor Kristan - although I rather enjoyed playing it at Games Convention, if only for the amazing characters who stand there at the end of each level staring into each other's eyes as the camera zooms away to reveal the scores.

Oh, and Wii Chess code is inbound in the next day or so, according to Nintendo, so presumably it's either cack or was late in from the duplicators.

Finally, we probably won't bother with the sixth, Balls of Fury, which has managed to pick up 10, 12, 15 and 27 out of 100 according to the eminently trustworthy Metacritic, which isn't even a very good score if you add all the numbers together (can't figure it out? Report back here on 8th Feb for Maths Training).

Oh, and John Walker always complains bitterly if this page isn't a mess of surreality and pointlessness, so here's a video someone sent me of a man's chin singing the Automatic song off SingStar PS3 (when it's working, anyway).

This week:

• Balls of Fury (Wii)
• Geometry Wars: Galaxies (Wii, DS)
• Ghost Squad (Wii)
• NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii)
• Wii Chess (Wii)
• Zack & Wiki: The Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (Wii)

...