When John Riccitiello needs to unwind from a long day as CEO of EA, he does it with dismemberment. That's the word from an interview with Fox Business in which Riccy (No? Well, worth a shot) names Dead Space as his favorite game of the past 12 months. We're assuming he's not talking about the Wii version of the game, since it's a statistical improbability that he owns it.
After his revelation that digital distribution offset retail sluggishness, the publishing boss went on to say it takes him around "50 to 60 hours" to finish a typical game. It prompts the question: Exactly how many times is he planning on fending off the necromorph threat?
EA has announced a deal to feature the Strikeforce MMA league in its upcoming EA Sports MMA. The publisher also finalized contracts with two pro mixed martial artists currently fighting in Strikeforce, Jake shields (pictured, left) and Brett Rogers, to appear on the game's roster. Don't expect the signings to throw any fuel on the UFC vs. EAfire, however, as neither fighter has ever been on the payroll of UFC prez Dana White.
Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo, Strikeforce's commentary team, will also be recording voiceover for the game. It has yet to be revealed which, if any other leagues will be featured in the game, and if their own commentary teams will be included. Currently, we know that MMA referee "Big John" McCarthy and Strikeforce ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr. will also lend their voices and likenesses to the title.
While locking up more pro talent and the Strikeforce license lends credibility to EA Sports MMA, we've still yet to see any hint of an actual video game apart from a lone screenshot released late last month. Hey, EA: You do know that, at this pace and given the nature of MMA, these guys could be retired by the time the game actually ships ... right?
The latest playable class to be announced for BioWare's upcoming Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic, is the Imperial Agent, or, as it will more commonly be known, Not Jedi Knight. Inspired by Star Wars characters like Grand Moff Tarkin and Zam Wesell, the latest Not Jedi Knight class will be an expert with technology and espionage, using "abilities of subversion and subterfuge to infiltrate and assassinate enemies of the Sith Empire with deadly efficiency."
Sounds like a good, assassin-style class for players whose friends inform them that not everybody can be a Jedi Knight or a Sith Warrior. Check out screens of the Imperial Agent at IncGamers.
Gyromancer will end our lives on November 18
Looks like we're going to have to start working on that Bucket List a lot sooner than we would've guessed. The recently released English language trailer for Square Enix and PopCap's RPG-puzzle mash-up Gyromancer has delivered a release date for our pending doom: November 18. Not only that, but the trailer's now-readable text has revealed a gameplay mechanic which slipped our attention in the original, Japanese trailer: Monster collection.
So, it's Bejeweled, Final Fantasy and Pokémon all rolled into one, then? Awesome. That's really awesome. We hope you guys have enjoyed reading our humble site, because Gyromancer looks to be addictive enough make us forget to feed ourselves, let alone work.
Now that Halo Waypoint has launched and the Halo Legends anime project will soon begin airing on Xbox consoles everywhere, we got the chance to discuss the current state of Halo with 343 Industries creative director, Frank O'Connor. After the break, you'll find discussion on Waypoint, Legends, Halo 3: ODST sales and whereabouts of Ryan Payton. We also talk about the whether or not there's just too muchHalo out there, whether we'll see any Halo games for kids and we even squeeze in a question about Pimps at Sea.
Tony Hawk: Ride videos are in-game and out-of-game
We debated which of the two video assets Activision recently sent us for Tony Hawk: Ride should go a the top of the post, and which should be relegated to the unfavorable, post-jump real estate. The in-game trailer is pretty slick, and features that super catchy We Are Scientists jam. (You know the one, you hip guy, you.) However, the gameplay demonstration actually shows the peripheral being used to go on a "sick run," apparently part of a long-standing feud between Activision and Robomodo.
We decided to put the "sick run" at the top of the post, if only because we want you to know that this is exactly how we looked the first time we played the game at E3. Only we didn't crash quite so much, and also, when we finished playing, Tony Hawk himself came up and gave us a high-five with one of his giant hands. Check out the video above, then click past the jump to check out its neglected (but catchy!) brother.
A variety of new job listings have emerged on a Microsoft employment site, including positions for Project Natal and -- perhaps more interesting -- positions for a new Halogame. These listings for Halo, likely for Halo: Reach, call for designers, AI developers and animators -- even a multiplayer game design lead.
As for Project Natal, some listings point to "a large franchise," whereas others quote "an excellent next-generation" project -- which could be just about anything. We confirmed with Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb that the listings were legit, though he couldn't provide us with any more info beyond that.
Many Netflix subscribers will find a rather inconspicuous red envelope in the mail today. It may look like a standard Netflix package, but inside PS3 owners will discover the "Instant Streaming Disc" which enables Netflix's instant streaming service on Sony's console.
We've embedded a video overview of the service above. We'll admit that there are a few qualms with the presentation so far. First, the activation process is slow and requires the use of a computer -- there is no way to activate Netflix directly from the PS3. (You won't be able to use the PS3 internet browser for activation purposes either.) Second, the loading of cover art is suspiciously slow. Finally, there is no way to directly manage your Queue from the interface. While you'll be able to browse various categories, there is no Search capability. One benefit the PS3 has over the 360 in this regard is the built-in browser. You will be able to use the PS3's internet browser to manage your Queue. It's a baffling additional step, but it certainly is an added convenience. (ProTip: Use SELECT to add a bookmark to your PS3 internet browser.)
While the previous video we posted suggested otherwise, we can confirm that HD video works on PS3, and it works well. In fact, it's a bit faster than watching SD content, simply because you won't have to wait for the PS3 to switch between resolution modes. When browsing your queue, look for a tiny HD icon at the bottom of the screen to see if it will play in high-def. (The selection can be quite limited.) When judging the overall experience, however, we'd say starting movies required a longer buffer than when using the service on the 360 or PC. Netflix is a terrific value-add for the PlayStation 3, but minor interface issues make it clear that there's a lot of room for improvement -- perhaps when Netflix becomes a standard built-in feature of the OS next year?
