via Computer and Video Games


Two new Team Fortress 2 maps that are being created by Valve may not be released for Xbox 360 and PS3.

ShackNews reports it's received word from the developer that the maps are "undecided" for the consoles.

But they will, of course, definitely release on Team Fortress 2 on PC.

One of the new maps remains a mystery, however the other is a remake of Badlands, which players of Team Fortress Classic will be familiar with.

Valve additionally expects to ship other TF2 content before the two maps arrive, which includes new achievements and a "significant gameplay tweak" for the Medic class.

"It's a large scale modification to the core of the game," Valve's Robin Walker has said of the new class content. "It'll debut in a limited fashion through the Medic first, but it'll be affecting all classes eventually."

Both new Team Fortress 2 maps are expected within the next couple of months. ...

via Joystiq


If you saw our new release list this week, then you know that a torrent of mediocrity is forcing us to do things we don't want to do. First it was an American Idol take-off, which every media outlet from Semi Fan Bi-Monthly to Bi Fan Semi-Monthly has done before us. Now ... the hordes have forced us to post the above, semi-Pac-Man-related video just so this post has some entertainment value, and we couldn't be more sorry.

Pac-Attack (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Though Pac-Man itself is a classic, we can't understand games that think the character identity of a soulless, yellow pizza is strong enough so that it can be transported to other games. In this case, it's a puzzler, both literally and figuratively.

Riot Zone (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): From the intro of this side-scrolling beat 'em up: "The Bossman's still in the DragonZone! Whear's that warrant you promised?!" We assume your purchasing decision is now clear. ...

via Engadget


Splendid news on the Canadian front -- it seems as if that proposed tax on digital recorders and storage devices (you know, like Apple's iPod for instance) will actually not come to pass. According to Judge Karen Sharlow, the board "had no legal authority to certify a tariff on digital audio recorders or on the memory permanently embedded in digital audio recorders." The ruling enables all music lovin' Canucks to breath a sigh of relief, as it makes tacking on fees ranging from C$5 ($4.95) to C$75 ($74) in order to "compensate the recording industry for music that was copied" illegal . From here, a decision still needs to be made to clarify the legality (or illegality) of copying music from discs to DAPs, but at least we're seeing a touch of levelheadedness in the music biz, regardless. ...

via Eurogamer


The inevitable sequel to Resistance: Fall of Man has finally been unveiled.

It's the cover story on the February issue of US magazine Game Informer. The game will feature boasts co-operative play for up to eight players, plus enormous 60-player battles over PSN.

On top of this are two full campaigns (one may be a co-operative endeavour) set in what could be New York, if the Brooklyn Bridge-alike on the cover is anything to go by. We'll call it Earth for now.

There is no clarification as to whether Manchester Cathedral will return for a cameo.

Resistance was developed by Ratchet & Clank brainbox Insomniac Games and launched alongside the PS3 in the US and Europe.

Unfortunately it failed to command top-end scores; the game was chastised for its generic environments and enemies and a disappointing range of weaponry from a usually abundant creative talent. "Just a bit limp," reckons Tom.

Pop your head into our Resistance: Fall of Man gamepage for our US and European reviews of the game. ...

via Games Industry


The online presence of UK specialist retailer Game has opened the voting for this year's People's Choice Award.

Game.co.uk has listed 43 titles for members of the public to choose from, including big-sellers such as FIFA 08, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and More Brain Training with Dr Kawashima, and some cult favourites like Okami and Super Paper Mario.

Voting for the award is open now and closes at 11:30pm on Thursday January 17, with the winner announcement expected on the web site on Friday January 18.

Other awards being contested include Best Publisher and Best Developer, which have already been won by Nintendo and Bungie respectively, with Best Console, Best Value for Money and Game of the Year yet to be announced.

The full People's Choice shortlist is as follows:

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Final Fantasy XII (various)
Resident Evil 4 – Wii Edition (Wii)
Tiger Woods 08 (various)
Football Manager 2008 (various)
Mass Effect (360)
Assassin's Creed (various)
Need for Speed: ProStreet (various)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (various)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
God of War II (PS2)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (various)
Forza Motorsport 2 (360)
Project Gotham Racing 4 (360)
The Darkness (various)
John Woo Presents Stranglehold (various)
Virtua Tennis 3 (various)
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Wii)
Rainbow Six Vegas (various)
Guitar Hero III (various)
Pokemon Diamond / Pearl (DS)
Singstar PS3 (PS3)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (various)
FIFA 08 (various)
Super Paper Mario (Wii)
Mario Vs Sonic at the Olympics (Wii)
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (various)
Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions (PSP)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (various)
Metroid Prime III: Corruption (Wii)
Okami (PS2)
The Simpsons Game (various)
Skate (various)
More Brain Training By Dr. Kawashima (DS)
WWE SmackDown Vs Raw 2008 (various)
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (various)
Crysis (PC)
Cooking Mama (various)
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (Wii)
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)
Halo 3 (360)
Bioshock (360) ...

via Computer and Video Games


Not a great day for Smash Brothers fans today. Coming on the back of news that the release has slipped again, today's post reveals... the challenges screen.

Apparently, Super Smash Bros. Brawl contains a variety of rewards that you can unlock when you meet certain conditions during play.

The rewards come in the form of trophies, stickers and music that you can play.

For those achievement whores out there, unlocking one award also reveals the conditions you need to fulfil in order to unlock adjacent awards.

You can even use one of your golden hammers to unlock awards that you find too difficult to achieve on your own.

Sounds awesome. With cutting-edge features like this, it's no wonder the title has been delayed yet again.


Screenshots ...

via Kotaku


As Xbox Live limps into the third week of 2008 still experiencing slow-downs, and occasional outages, salvation has come in the form of a legal excuse not to explain why the service remains so dodgy.

According to Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, he is no longer allowed to update us because Microsoft now faces a class action lawsuit over the outages. Hryb apologized, but said any future updates will need to come from "the lawyer."

That means no more Twitter updates like "LIVE is looking pretty good now....how is it for you guys-n-girls?" or "I want to thank you all for (mostly) being so understanding during the tough LIVE time. Some of you did decide to cuss at me...but ok.".

The response by gamers over on his Microsoft site is getting quite hostile, hostile toward Larry Hryb and each other and the guys behind the suit. It's unfortunate that this has happened, because the only thing worse than having issues with a very popular service, is not being able to talk about when a fix is coming.

How about you all, are you still experiencing any Xbox Live issues? ...

via Kotaku




Go Nintendo reader Andy works at Target, and loves him some Nintendo. So he's the kind of guy to pay attention to things like changes in the way Target catalogue their Wii SKUs. Changes like the one he noticed the other day when scanning a Wii console through the register. Where previously the product would be displayed as "Wii Console", it's now coming up as "Wii White". Why emphasise the colour? No reason. Oh, unless you're about to release other colours, and need to differentiate between them. That might be a reason. ...

via Eurogamer


Nintendo is no closer to narrowing down a European date for DS game Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.

But it has confirmed the US release for 12th February, which is useful for those who like importing their games.

It would seem that Phoenix Wright will no longer be the star of the Ace Attorney series - looks like Capcom will be introducing a whole new cast of characters instead.

Last we heard, Apollo Justice was due to arrive here in March. But we're still waiting on Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations, which is lurking mysteriously in "2008".

You can always torture yourselves and read our Trials and Tribulations review, where John Walker tells you how good it is and how he wishes he was new to the series because then he would get to see it with fresh eyes. It's quite moving actually.

Alternatively you could run around in circles and never stop. ...