Video Games: PC, PSP, PS3, xBox, and Wii Gaming News

Bethesda announced today that its ”Winner of E3 2008’s ‘Best of Show‘” will be released to eager fans in North America on October 28, and to European fans a mere 3 days later.  10 years ago Fallout 2 riveted RPG enthusiasts with its balanced yet open-ended adventure set in a post-nuclear wasteland.

Bethesda assures us in no uncertain terms that Fallout 3 will maintain the vision of the previous Fallout games while delivering even more freedom of choice, but plot-wise is “[a] different story unto itself and isn’t directly connected to any of the other storylines.”  This has allowed Bethesda enough creative license to reinvent the details for Fallout 3, in what will undoubtedly be the biggest single-player RPG hit of 2008.

The full press release is as follows:

August 20, 2008 (Rockville, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that its highly anticipated title, Fallout® 3, will be available on store shelves and online in North America on October 28, 2008 and in Europe on October 31, 2008. Developed at Bethesda Game Studios – creators of the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® – Fallout 3 is slated for release on the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

“We are very excited to let gamers get their hands on Fallout 3, the latest chapter in this beloved and highly acclaimed franchise,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “To meet the huge demand for this title by our fans worldwide, we are planning one of the biggest launches of any game released this year.”

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

Hailed as one of the most anticipated games for 2008, Fallout 3 has already won numerous awards including Best of Show from the official Game Critics Awards at E3 2008, a selection voted on by an independent group of journalists from 36 leading North American media outlets that cover the videogame industry.
Fallout® 3 has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

The most striking thing about Soul Caliber 4 isn’t the massively endowed female characters or muscle-bound brutish men, but rather the careful polishing done to an already successful series that incrementally makes it even better than previous incarnations that were themselves perfect.

For example, the biggest new features include online multiplayer modes, total character customization, a slightly more complex combat system, new characters, new unlockables, and even more new modes. Taking a page from Guitar Hero, in SC4 you don’t just play through all the characters, you fight for money to buy new ones, new gear, and new outfits. Suddenly your favorite fighter is your pet fighter!

MetaCritic gives it an impressive 86%, a score I can’t much argue with. It’s a solid, entertaining game that can be played by 1-2 players with an equal amount of enjoyment. It’s probably not going to appeal to young children or adults, due to its over-the-top violent nature, but for everyone else Soul Caliber is a must-have on the PS3.

Oh, and did we mention that you get Vader on the PS3? With his signature choke move? Yes you do! xBox users will get little Yoda, although I’ve heard whispers that Yoda might be coming as a PS3 download in the future … let us know on that one… or how to unlock Yoda!

Here’s a YouTube trailer for those of you who can’t wait to see what it’s like:

My take is that it’s the best fighting game on the PS3, and one of the best games for the platform overall. It’s perfect for those under 2hr sessions when you want something engaging but not particular mentally challenging to play, something fun and light.

Check out this graph of Nintendo Gamecube sales versus Sony PS3 sales from the NPD, a firm that tracks North American console sales:

In the first 10 months, the PS3 sold 1,742,000 units compared with the Gamecub, which sold 2,120,000 in the same period. This means that the more expensive and less profitable PS3 might signal Sony’s final attempt at making console video games…. or so we hope!

Sony has announced that its coveted PSP-2000 will be released in Japan on Sept. 20.  According to Joystiq, “[t]he handheld will release for ¥19,800 ($162) in six colors (black, white, silver and three pastels)”. 

And as for the actual technical specs of the PSP-2000, check out this post, which notes that its RAM has been doubled and that it can be charged over USB, among other things.  In the US, the PSP-2000 will ring up at the tidy sum of $199 for the entertainment pack, and $169 for the stand-alone unit.  Check out this photo of the manual for the PSP-2000:

Aeropause has the latest Rock Band details, via someone at NeoGaf who posted them all.  For those of you who don’t know exactly what Rock Band in, it’s Harmonix’s latest project, which offers the ability to function in a virtual band by allowing up to four players play guitars, bass, drums, and vocals.  Check these details out!

* One disk with 4 separate campaigns. Guitar, Drum, Bass and Vocal. Each can be played on its own from start to finish, in addition, a full band game is designed to allow for one huge co-op playthrough.
* Will feature full support for four player online play on both 360 and PS3. Any combination of on/offline play will work and each player can pick their own difficulty setting.
* Flexible community system will allow you to find bandmates anywhere in the world
* There will be a way for you to share your band’s triumphs with the world, but the details are still under wraps.

* Musical fret-boards are now transparent so you can see more of the background visuals. Guitar is on the left side of the screen, Bass on the right and drums down the middle. Vocals scroll from right to left along the top of the screen.
* Guitars and Bass now have 10 frets. 5 for the regular sections of the game and 5 for the newly designated solo sections.
* Whammy bar is back as is the tilt to activate rock band’s version of star power
* there is a five way switch on the guitar that allows for 5 different self-applied effects to the sound.
* Singing is now more in depth. There is a phoneme detector that will pick up individual vowels and consonants you say. Build up enough highly judged phrases and you’ll be able to sing free-form. If you do well enough in free-form, then you’ll trigger the vocalist’s version of star power.
* Microphone doubles as a tambourine on many songs to combat super long guitar solos where the singer doesn’t have much to do.
* Drums are apparently insane. You use actual sticks and hit one of four colored pads in front of you, in addition to a kick pedal attached to the drumming unit. Drummers will also have the ability to do fills etc. in their own little free-form section, do well and you’ll trigger the drummers version of star power.
* If one person fails, the whole band does not fail, their section simply turns gray and they have to sit out the rest of the song unless one your band mates initiates star power, which will bring you back into the fold.
* If all bandmates can reach the end of a song, you’ll be greeted with one huge free-form jam session.
* There will be a character creation system, and you can create multiple avatars that play different instruments.
* Four themed clothing stores in addition to licensed guitars and pedals and other rock paraphernalia.
* A full set of mo-cap stage movements have been added for each instrument. You can decide whether your vocalist moves like Axel Rose, or stands his ground like Clapton.
* 40 performance venues planned
* All peripherals will be unique to each platform. This isn’t the developer’s decision. Apparently MS peripherals require special circuit boards.
* You’ll be able to craft your own band logo

There’s more…. dear god is there more…
4 songs announced in the article, not sure if this is new or old but whatever.

* Weezer – Say It Ain’t So – Original Master Track
* Black Sabbath – Paranoid – Original Master Track
* The Who – Won’t Get Fooled Again – Original Master Track
* Nirvana – In Bloom – Original Master Track

INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTIONS

Guitars/Bass

* Guitars are an exact 3/4 replica of a Fender Strat.
* Xplorer guitars will work for 360 owners, but you may not be able to pass on all the new stuff this model has.
* Five familiar buttons near the top of the neck, five buttons near the body of the guitar. You will use these new buttons during specially designed solo sections using ONLY hammer ons and pull offs, no having to worry about your strum bar. Signature Fender 5-way switch has been added. By shopping at the in game store you’ll be able to purchase several virtual effects pedals such as Flange, Wah, Chorus and Echo. These can be applied during your song by setting the 5 way switch to the desired effect.

Microphone

* There will eventually be a Rock Band branded Mic
* Other USB mics will be supported, but Harmonix will probably NOT allow the use of the 360 headset due to its low fidelity. Mics will be usable as tambourines during certain songs.

Drums

* It consists of four pads, a kick pedal and legs for the enire unit to stand on. Think of it as a TV dinner tray stand only cooler
* Leftmost pad (red) is your snare drum, everything else doubles as toms and cymbals depending on the song.
* A set of real wooden drum sticks will ship with the unit.
* A piece of the stand can be taken off so that the unit can sit lower, or on a coffee table.
* There is a kick pedal
* If you play drums in this game on hard or expert, then you’re really playing the drums. Apparently you could sit down at a real set and play the same songs.