The above video represents Sega’s new attempt to ‘fix’ the rather mediocre Sonic series. With Sonic Unleashed, Sega is going back to their roots by offering users a game that will feature side-scrolling gameplay that gamers have been wanting from a console Sonic game since the Sega Genesis era. While Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 were not exactly horrible games, many Sonic fans simply were not satisfied with how well it played. Countless other Sonic games have been made and most people will agree that none of them have delivered the gameplay that Sonic fans want.

While not many details are known about this game we can easily see that the game will play like the original Sonic games, feature impressive cinematic quality visuals and will feature a wide variety of locales. A ton of screenshots have already been released for the screen in which you can check out here and some more here. There is some speculation that these screenshots and video could be a well orchestrated hoax but until then I would assume that this content is indeed the real deal. The game is listed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii and will likely be released sometime next year.

It’s not very often when you see an RPG come along that has the capability to one-up the Diablo series but Titan Quest happens to be one of those games. So it was a Monday evening and I knew that I had the next three days off of work so I decided to go check out the shrinking PC game section of GameStop to see if there was any cheap games that might catch my attention. I saw Titan Quest: Gold Edition which comes with the original Titan Quest, Titan Quest: Immortal Throne, the soundtrack CD and a decent art book, all for $20. Sure it sounded like a good set for the price but I was a little reluctant to make the purchase. I usually find that I am pretty picky when it comes to RPG games. I have never been able to get into the Final Fantasy games with their somewhat boring control system. I had a similar problem with the Neverwinter Nights games. Besides the Diablo series, the only other RPG that I could truly get into was the Dungeon Siege series.

Well I decided to purchase Titan Quest anyways. I figured it would be worth the $20. After spending a few days with the game I can easily say that this is one of the best RPG I have ever played. One of the things I appreciate a lot in Titan Quest is how easy it is to get in and understand how to play the game. You don’t need to sit down and read a 200 page manual to try and figure out how to work everything. The game brings the same intuitive gameplay that made Diablo and Dungeon Siege such lovable series. If you know how to play those games then you will be able to master the controls of Titan Quest within minutes. The game offers all of the flexibility you would want from an RPG but without all of the confusion.  Click below to continue reading.

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Just like that I have come up with what I consider to be a brilliant strategy.  That Intel might be working on which may possibly destroy both Nvida and ATI/AMD in the graphics marketplace. Intel is the world’s leading computer processor manufacturer. Many people have been speculating that Intel, with their integrated graphics chipsets, may end up killing PC gaming. However recent events have lead me to believe that Intel is working on a massive plan that will for sure revive the pc gaming market for years to come if executed properly.

Nvidia may be secretly working on developing integrated graphics that are much superior to the highly prices Nvidia cards today and by integrating them into their motherboards along with combining their multi-core processing technology, Nvidia could develop a GPU that would blow away anything offered by the competition and at an affordable (easy and cheap to develop) price. Imagine being able to get a killer PC gaming system that could run all games on max settings for less then half the price of a current gaming PC today. I believe Nvidia might just be working on.  Click below to continue reading.

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In a not so surprising move, Electronic Arts has engaged in an attempted hostile takeover of Take Two Interactive. EA went directly to the shareholders and offered $26 a share in an attempt to buyout Take Two Interactive without their willingness. The Wall Street Journal has also published an article regarding EA’s move:

Following the rejection of its unsolicited bid to acquire Take-Two, EA launched a tender offer to acquire all of Take-Two’s outstanding shares for $26 each, the price it offered the company last month. The move signals that EA’s attempt to gain control of Take-Two, publisher of the blockbuster Grand Theft Auto game, is turning hostile.

In response to the move, Take-Two’s board recommended Thursday that its shareholders take no action at this time, saying it would advise investors on its position within 10 business days.

The EA bid places a value of about $2 billion on Take-Two, which temporarily traded above the $26 a share that EA offered, but later sunk below the offer price. The stock traded at 4 p.m. yesterday at $24.91, up 26 cents, on Nasdaq.

“This is a great opportunity for Take-Two shareholders,” said EA Chief Executive Officer John Riccitiello. “We believe Take-Two investors will see our tender offer as the best way to maximize the value of their investment in Take-Two.”

If Electronic Arts succeeds in acquiring Take Two Interactive, EA will then control much of the gaming industry. EA has a reputation of milking franchises and preventing innovation. If EA ends up controlling most of the game industry (which it looks like they may end up doing) will this severely hurt the gaming market and creativity?

[Via The Wall Street Journal]

During the first few months of working on integrating Activision into Vivendi studios, head of Activision, Bobby Kotick mentioned the possibility of working on a massive multi player game that would potentially cost one billion dollars to create in order to compete with the successful World of Warcraft.

Talking with the investors at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference, Kotick specifically mentioned Call of Duty:

What would be the natural evolution of a property like Call of Duty into a massively-multiplayer environment and how do you monetize that?

Kotick also mentioned the possibility of using in-game advertising as one of the sources of income from such a massive project. While Activision may only be considering a Call of Duty MMO at this time, they company is at the very least considering the possibilities of such a game. One thing is for sure, if we every do see a Call of Duty MMO, it won’t be for at least three or four years.

[Via Kotaku]

When you think of Banjo-Kazooie, you generally think of single-player story based platforming.  At Microsoft’s X06 event a couple of years ago, Rareware had announced the third console incarnation of what has become a rather popular franchise character for the company.  Since the project was still in early development, they did not release any details regarding what the game would look or play like.  However, recently Rareware has finally spoken out with a few cryptic hints regarding the status of Banjo-Kazooie 3 and what fans can expect from the highly anticipated game through the Scribes section of their website.  The company originally had plans to do a simple remake of the original game utilizing the new graphics power of the Xbox 360 console:

I don’t think that’s what we said.  We said there was a possibility of Banjo DS at some point, and we said that preliminary work on a Banjo-Kazooie remake for Xbox 360 was started before the team decided to build a brand new game instead.

The company has since scrapped those plans for new plans in which they shared a few hints at what those plans might entail:

Banjo won’t be a shooter (unless we sell no copies like Ghoulies and out of desperation give him a gun for the next game) but it also won’t be a traditional platformer…

...your multiplayer hopes will be answered.  The ‘new direction’ that Banjo is taking should offer a multiplayer experience unique to anything currently available.

Click below to continue reading.

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Sony says in late Q2 2008 a Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle will be available.  I don’t have a PS3 yet, and I totally plan on picking this up...but not just for any reason, it’s actually quite a deal.  Blu-ray recently became the standard in HD movies, which of course you get with your PS3.  However, we already knew that, what else makes it so special?  Well, the new DualShock 3 controller is included in this bundle, as well as Metal Gear Solid 4, and this is the 80GB version with backward compatibility, all for only $499.  Sure that’s a lot of money, but when we’re talking about the PS3 here, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck.  If you bought an 80GB PS3 right now you’d be getting no rumble and no MGS4, for the same price…

Note that if you already have a PS3, pre-ordering MGS4 will get you a spot in the multiplayer beta before the game is released.  Now that’s a sweet deal...too bad I won’t have my PS3 until the game is actually released.  The famous DualShock 3 that you’re hearing so much about will be available separately in April for $54.95.  Apparently Sony’s decision to remove rumble was quite the unpopular one.  I’m a big fan of rumble myself so it’s good to see it make a return.  Sony also announced that you can get an ugly, “limited-edition Deep Red” God of War PSP.  Nothing more needs to be said about that.

Click below to see the full press release.

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Kotaku has heard rumors from multiple sources that a sequel is in production for Dead Rising, which is fantastic news.  However, it appears a new developer will be handling it.  I find that worrisome to say the least.  Let’s try and remain optimistic though...things don’t always go wrong when development responsibilities change hands.  The current name being tossed around is Blue Castle Games, who recently released The Bigs...a baseball game.  Though it’s unlikely Capcom would hand their successful (and well reviewed) franchise over to just anyone.  Hopefully they can do this fantastic series justice.

[Via Kotaku]

At the Game Developers Conference, Portal project lead Kim Swift brought up the fact that a full sequel to Portal was recently announced.  The only problem?  A sequel hasn’t been announced.  She was under the impression that Doug Lombardi already revealed it, when in actuality he made a vague statement about more Portal coming in one form or another.  So did Kim just accidentally slip the official word that a new Portal is on its way, or did she just confuse Doug’s original words?  Considering Kim was such a huge part of the original Portal, I highly doubt that she made a mistake here.  Either way we’re getting more Portal, and I’m pretty excited at the possibility of a real sequel rather than a small expansion pack of new puzzles.  The community can provide us with those.  The only question I have is what do they plan on doing without GLaDOS, or will she make a return?  GLaDOS was a large part of Portal’s appeal and I can’t imagine the game without her.

[Via Joystiq]

Microsoft’s XNA tools have been giving indie developers access to powerful game design tools for a few years now.  We’re finally beginning to see the fruits of their labor.  Microsoft has released the XNA Creators Club Game Launcher as well as quite a few demos for some independently developed games.  Above is a trailer showing off some of the games coming out.  Little Gamers, Dishwasher, and Jellycar were the ones that particularly caught my eye.  Microsoft claims there will be a large number of community games released and I’m looking forward to playing them all.  Sometimes the best ideas are the ones the big companies won’t take on.  If my 360 wasn’t in for repairs (again) I’d be downloading everything that’s currently available.  When you get a chance to try them, please post your impression, whether they’re good or bad.