Archive for October, 2008:
DigitalBattle Condition: Stable
Well loyal readers,
After a problematic server change and various other issues that were plaguing us, Digitalbattle is back on the old server and in a stable condition. We have discovered that the previous theme was causing load issues therefore, we have decided to temporarily switch to this loner theme until we have sorted out all the kinks.
The Daily Battle will resume starting Monday but we will continue to keep you updated on happenings in the game world throughout the weekend so be sure to tune in.
Skate 2 Coming January 2009
Skateboarding fans everywhere will be pleased to hear that EA’s skate 2 will be hitting shelves stateside January of next year.
This comes to us from IGN who, after thumbing through their pre-release Mirror’s Edge copies, noticed a skate 2 advertisement that states the game will be “In Stores January 2009″. Following their discovery, they phoned EA who gave them confirmation that they are, in fact, set for a January ‘09 release.
So there it is, you’ll be back flicking it in San Vanelona sooner than you may have thought.
Read(IGN)
QuickPicks
Samsung SP-D400 Projector
Hellboy 2 Behind-the-Scenes Clip
Xerox DocuColor 8000AP Digital Press
Microsoft Plants “I’m a PC” Booth in Front of Apple Store
Obama, Palin in Mercs 2
Yes, your dreams have come true, you can finally run around as Sarah Palin shooting rocket launchers at, who else, Barack Obama.
Thanks to new DLC that is soon to be added to Mercenaries 2, both Barack Obama and Sarah Palin will be playable characters in the game. But why no McCain? Probably due to the fact that Palin is an avid moose hunter and member of the NRA, not to mention that McCain is 72 years old.
While we have seen the likeliness of Obama and McCain in Saints Row 2, trailer included after the break, they were only classified as Democrats and Republicans. Mercenaries 2 actually includes their names, you are actually playing as them. Any guesses on how much press this is going to net Mercenaries 2?
Read(Joystiq)
Flash Cards No Longer Work on DSi
If you have been a fan of homebrew on the Nintendo DS platform, you better prepare yourself for this one. With the release of the new DSi model also comes the end of homebrew development, or so it seems.
Well, the main tool of homebrew were the flash cards, shaped like a DS game, that you could load software on from your computer and then boot it up in your DS. Well, the DSi prevents these cards from working, both auto-boot and menu-bootable. If an auto-boot card is inserted, the DSi will crash, while if a menu-bootable card is inserted the DSi will crash upon sellection.
Bummer, looks like hackers and crackers everwhere better get on this, but for now? If you really want to continue using homebrew just stick to a DS lite.
Tags: homebrew
Mirror’s Edge Demo hits PSN
Happy Halloween everyone! To celebrate for the season, Sony has given us some treats on the PSN. Unfortunately there are no ghouls or goblins to be seen, just demos, trailers, add-on packs and more.
While you can check out the list in its entirerty after the break, but the one thing you should need to get your hands on is the demo of Mirror’s Edge. You remember that gameplay video jumping from roof-top to roof-top parkour style, right? Yeah, that’s this game, which is why you need to download the demo ASAP.
Again, you can check out what else was added, thanks to ThatVideoGameBlog, after the break.
SEGA Publishing The Conduit
Oddly the company that was once Nintendo’s primary rival is now helping to spearhead a the revival of the Nintendo Wii as a console for ‘hardcore’ gamers. High Voltage software has been developing the sci-fi FPS The Conduit for some time despite not having a publisher.
SEGA has announced that they are hopping on board with High Voltage to publish and distribute the title which has garnered several awards already and has a lot of people talking, if only because the FPS potential of the Wii and its control scheme has yet to be fully realized.
The game sets players in the role of a secret service agent sent in by a secretive organization called the Trust to battle a strange alien race known as the Drudge. The game features some customization options as far as control schemes and looks to have the best graphics anyone’s gotten out of the Wii so far and releases Spring 2009.
Sony To Keep PS3 Price, “They Have A Business to Run”
Ask any analyst what they think Sony can do to be able to hold their own this holiday season and every single one will mention dropping the PlayStation 3’s price. If you were to ask someone at Sony that same question, however, you’d get a different kind of answer. After being asked if Sony felt any pressure to drop the price of the PlayStation 3 Ray Maguire, the managing director for Sony Computer Entertainment, replied by stating that it really doesn’t matter whether there is pressure or not.
“Well the pressure comes from the consumers obviously and so therefore there’s always pressure on price, but you know we have a business to run, and we have to make sure we’re doing the right thing for the shareholders as well. At the moment there’s a marketplace for PS3 and I think for this particular Christmas, with the kind of quality of games we’re seeing coming out this Christmas, I don’t think the price of the console is going to be an issue at all.”
Now, Sony is certainly at a far, better position price-wise than during the first part of the PlayStation 3’s life. That said, a price drop will only help to sell consoles. For a company that doesn’t buy exclusivity, I find it ironic that they are relying on quality titles to sell their system.
New Killzone 2 Trailer
Sony has decided that there is not enough hype for Guerrilla Games’ highly anticipated Killzone 2. To remedy this, they’ve released a new trailer. The trailer, which is not in CG in case you were wondering, is very well put together and does a good job demonstrating the atmosphere that Guerrilla games is trying to achieve with Killzone 2.
ELSPA To Implement New Color-coded Ratings
A while ago, we posted an article, which presented several ideas that could be used by the ESRB to improve 
the ratings system for video games. One of the suggestions was to implement a color coding system. While I’m sure that the head members of the ESRB were considering such suggestions, it seems that the ELSPA, which is the group that lobbies for game publishers in the U.K, has beat the ESRB to it. The new color code is supposed to be building off of the idea of traffic lights. The mature titles being red, the more intense games re marked as yellow, and the family friendly games are, obviously, green.
“The new rating system is in response to the UK government’s upcoming consultation into video game ratings on November 20 and to child psychologist Dr. Tanya Byron’s recommendations in her recently published report on the effects of video games on children. There is a system in place already which people know and understand and which in fact uses the traffic light colours, and it’s called the BBFC system.”
Tell us what you think, would you like to see a color code system set up for Game ratings in America? Leave a comment in the section below.
Bioware Criticizes Lack Of Consequences In Games
There have been a few traits that have been absent in modern games. Titles such as Mega Man 9 and Bionic 
Commando Rearmed have illustrated the sheer difficulty that not only retro games had, but is missing in modern games. Another ‘trait’ that games are missing is consequences. According to Bioware they aim to fix that with the new Star wars MMO.
“As an attempt to appeal to a broader and broader audience, consequence has left gaming. Everything is very low impact and there’s no real negative result that can occur. We’re going to start bringing that back but in a rational way, a way that doesn’t punish the player — but puts them on the spot.”
It will be interesting how apparent the conscious implementation of significant consequences is while playing Star Wars The Old Republic.
Daily Battle – 10/28/08
Welcome back loyal readers, we have a few stories that may interest you on this lovely Tuesday evening.
First off, the Call of Duty 5 PC beta is now available for you to download, so you can read more about that. The Wii version of Rock Band 2 will be coming late December. And lastly, World of Warcraft recently surpasses 11 million subscribers, a number that is sure to increase when Wrath of the Lich King drops next month.
Read more below:
Call of Duty 5 PC Multiplayer Beta Now Online
Early Left 4 Dead Demo
Jimi Hendrix, Raconteurs Rocking World Tour
World of Warcraft Population: 11 Million
THQ Sues Activision Over Boxart
Rock Band 2 Wii in Late December
Fallout 3 Ads Pulled Night Of Launch
Call of Duty 5 PC Multiplayer Beta Now Online
The guys over at Activision have officially begun the multiplayer PC beta of Call of Duty 5: World at War today. Everyone gets a key just for signing up at the official website, and can play right away. Once you’re signed up, go ahead and download a copy of the game, which is about 850MB. A list of mirrors are available on the official website, as well.
I’ll be in the servers in a few, so maybe you’ll be lucky enough to get fragged by me. In case your PC doesn’t meet the system requirements to run the game, Xbox Live beta keys are also available.
QuickPicks
Universal Building Skyscraper
Get Pumped with Ian- Load up on the Protein
Memorex Lite Series – Full-Motion Wall Mount
Police Cameras Get Fooled by The Muppets
Rogers and Apple Sold Over 250,000 iPhones in Canada
Early Left 4 Dead Demo
Valve had promised the demo for Left 4 Dead for early November, but it appears that those who pre-order the game from GameStop will get in on the fun earlier.
The game’s product page on GameStop promises “early access to the demo” from November 6 to 11 for those who reserve a copy of the game. In fact, those who have already reserved it can go to this page to get their access keys.
While no release date has been provided yet, speculation suggests that the demo will be available to the general public starting November 12. The full game is due out November 18 on PC and Xbox 360.