Halo Wars News Update

This month's Halo Wars news update kinda renewed my decaying hopes on Ensemble's real time strategy game. For one, the Ensemble guys stated that Halo Wars might be present at E3, although they also made some emphasis on E3's "closed doors, just press and buyers" policy. Textually: " So although we’re going to be showing Halo Wars there, you’re likely going to have to live vicariously through second hand accounts from members of the press".

They also disclosed information on the so-called Cyclops. Turns out it's just a version of Starcraft's Terran SCVs resource gathereres, instead of a Human counterpart to the Covenant's "try-to-kill-me!" Scarab tank. Again, textually: "These mechanical suits house a man who operates it, and they would normally be put to work moving around supplies, ammunition, or doing the heavy lifting on construction projects". And I was already planning to do some grunt splattering!

Anyway, I certainly hope that from this point on, information regarding Halo Wars makes more emphasis on Units, weapons, graphics, etc, to turn the heat up, you know?

Halo Wars

Rocking out With Rock Band in the Vans Warped Tour!

Well, looks like not even Punk Rawk music can compete with the onslaught of music simulation videogames. Proof of this is Xbox.com's decision to make an... alliance with Rock Band to provide what they call "some gaming fun along with the music". This means that at each tour date, one will be able to leave the mosh pit for a second, and head for the nearest Rock Band gaming station... This means, the true end of anarchy for Punk Rawk....

Lesson 3.3 is getting near, be ready!

Rock Band
Vans Warped Tour
Xbox 360

Guitar Hero IV is finally named, and gets a few pats in the back in the process

Up until now, all we knew about Guitar Hero IV was that it had designed it's own guitar controller and that it included a drum kit with cymbals. Not much, if you ask me.

But now, we know a lot more. We know for starters, it will be released by Fall 2008. We also know the official name, Guitar Hero: World Tour (snazzy!!)

The game will include songs by bands like Van Halen, The Eagles and Sublime. The game will offer significantly more localized downloadable music than ever before on all of the next-generation consoles. Budding rock stars will also be given creative license to fully customize everything from their characters' appearance and instruments to their band's logo and album covers.

There's also an 8 player "Battle of The Bands" for online and offline gaming

Citing literally the press release: In addition to a newly designed more responsive guitar controller and microphone, Guitar Hero World Tour will deliver the most realistic drum experience ever in a video game with an authentic electronic drum kit. Featuring three drum pads, two raised cymbals and a bass kick pedal, the drum controller combines larger and quieter, velocity-sensitive drum heads with soft rubber construction to deliver authentic bounce back and is easy to set up, move, break down and store.

Perhaps the most "promising" feature of GH:WT is it's Music Studio, with which a player can create a digital composition that can be played and shared with other players online with GHTunes.

The game is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for Xbox 360 and Ps3, Vicarious Visions for Wii, and Budcat for PS2.

This looks like the cue for GH fans to start saving...



Guitar Hero: World Tour

Game Consoles Contain Harmful Materials, Greenpeace Finds

According to their lab findings, the PlayStation 3's AV cables contained phthalates up to 21.2 percent by weight, while the housing on the cooling fan had "the highest level of bromine found in all components tested from all three consoles," 13.8 percent by weight. The Xbox 360's power cable contained phthalates up to 27.5 percent by weight. Both console's controllers were noted for having low levels of bromine.

The Nintendo Wii, while having bromine up to 12.5 percent by weight in its internal housing, was praised for having no beryllium, which can cause lung disease. Check out the Greenpeace page for more information. (Via Joystiq)