Se você conhece o mundo dos videogames, provavelmente conhece Duke Nukem Forever, ou pelo menos ouviu falar da história (ou ainda, da “novela”). Calma, se você não conhece ou não curte, continue lendo, vale a pena.

Duke Nukem é um personagem durão, conhecido por destruir alienígenas e salvar o mundo várias vezes em seus games, além de ser mulherengo e legal pra caramba.

Depois de Duke Nukem 3D, seu mais famoso game, poucas versões de games do herói foram lançadas (ou pelo menos, poucas versões que valessem a pena). Existe, porém, desde 1997, a promessa do maior e melhor game de Duke, Duke Nukem Forever. Durante esses 12 anos, foram milhares de reviravoltas no desenvolvimento do game, que foi cancelado e voltou a vida, foi renovado várias vezes, passou por problemas jurídicos e muita coisa que não quero gastar este post para explicar (Vejam mais AQUI).

Cada vez que o assunto de Forever volta a tona, os fãs se manifestam à sua maneira. Desta vez, porém, algo estranho se manifestou, um vídeo que acabou sendo chamado do culto de cxiam veti sur duke. Ele fala, em tom de previsão mística (e bem assustadora, diga-se de passagem), sobre a inevitabilidade de Duke Nukem Forever. A mensagem pode ser tanto direcionada aos desenvolvedores quanto aos fãs. Confesso que fiquei com um pouco de medo do vídeo, que, se analisarmos, realmente pega emprestado alguns símbolos de magia e é bem bizarro no geral.

Confiram:

Abaixo, a transcrição da fala e uma tradução/adaptação rápida:

“You can kill us, set us on fire, skin us, beat us and rape us, but you can never stop Duke Nukem Forever. You can drown us in shitty games with emo mutes that trapse around not having sex with anything or even being ballsy enough to say anything or flood us with generic suit wearing gimps that fight partially inflated trash bags on mars and we will never stop. Duke Nukem Forever is coming. Mortal men may not craft him, gods might not live long enough to play him, the very universe itself may fold under his might, but he will come and there will not be a toilet big enough to park his bricks in.

You can all dance around in your ignorance, your pithy idea that mere financial mechanisms of mere men can stop him. That simply because nobody is there to craft the one true creator, the he cannot rise from his own rest is reason to assume he will never return is pure lunacy. Duke Nukem Forever is Forever. He is before, he is after and he is during, forever. Mock all you want, you could never really grasp the idea of what forever is, let along what duke himself is and you never will.” – AxeManiac 5: 18

“Vocês podem nos matar, nos incendiar, arrancar nossas peles, nos espancar e estuprar, mas vocês nunca podem parar Duke Nukem Forever. Vocês podem nos afogar em games de merda com emos mudos que ficam passeando sem fazer sexo com qualquer coisa ou ainda sem ter colhões o suficiente para falar qualquer coisa ou nos encherem de gimps genéricos com roupas especiais que lutam contra sacos de lixo parcialmente cheios em Marte, mas nós nunca pararemos. Duke Nukem forever está vindo. Mortais podem não fazê-lo, deuses podem não viver o suficiente para jogá-lo, o próprio universo poderá se dobrar sobre seu poder, mas ele virá, e não haverá uma privada grande o suficiente para ele liberar seus “tijolos”.

Vocês todos podem ficar dançando em sua ignorância, sua patética idéia que meros mecanismos financeiros de meros homens podem pará-lo. [Acreditar] Que simplesmente porque não há ninguém lá para criar o único e verdadeiro criador, que por ele não poder se levantar de seu descanso, não irá voltar, é loucura. Duke Nukem Forever é Eterno. Ele é antes, ele é depois e ele é durante, eterno. Zombem o quanto quiserem, vocês nunca poderiam realmente entender a idéia do que “eterno” é, muito menos o próprio Duke, e vocês nunca poderão.” – AxeManiac 5:18

It’s the stuff of legend:

“…It’s taken longer to develop than the mapping of the human genome. It’s the first Google result for “When it’s done.” It’s birthed the longest running development period in video game history, and the longest running joke in internet history. It’s still not out.

Maybe the one thing you can’t say about Duke Nukem Forever is that it’s been canceled. And now, thanks to that fortune, we may yet be treated to a release of the infamous game. But how did we get here? I was in 7th grade when DNF was announced, and though I’ve followed its development since, my memory of that time is muddled with the pleasures of late 90s gaming, and the horrors of braces…”

hahaha

well 3D Realms finally shut down:

“… Original story: A very reliable source close to Duke Nukem Forever developer 3D Realms today confirmed to Shacknews that the development studio has shut down.

The closure came about as a result of funding issues, our source explained, with the shut down said to affect both 3D Realms and the recently resurrected Apogee. Employees of both entities have already been let go…”

The next time you find yourself working on a game and you can’t seem to finish it – don’t worry – there’s a benchmark for this kind of delay, here’s some comparisons (i.e. Word Events):

World Events:

• 4 nations have acquired nuclear weapons technology.
• 19 wars have begun.
• 5 wars have ended.
• Approximately 509,373,306 people have died and 661,373,082 have been born.
• There have been 7 total solar eclipses and 8 total lunar eclipses.
• The United Kingdom handed sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China.
• There have been 22 “major” school shootings worldwide.

You can check this page for more comparison!

The population of the world has crossed six billion

posted by Paul “The Pageman” Pajo

Phalneas Die Gerüchteküche des Entwicklerstudios 3D Realms kocht wieder. Und erneut geht es um den jahrelang verschobenen Titel: Duke Nukem Forever.

Der Verantwortliche ist Scott Miller, einer der Mitbegründer des Studios. Denn erst vor kurzem hat er auf seiner Facebook-Seite Screenshots zu Duke Nukem Forever veröffentlicht und jetzt hat er eine, laut seiner Aussage: “große, überraschende Ankündigung” für die Spielewelt parat!
Um was es sich dann dabei wirklich handelt ist jedoch noch unklar, die Fanseite Duke4.net will aber herausbekommen haben, dass es sich bei der Ankündigung definitiv um das Duke-Universum handelt.

Eine andere Person aus der Riege der 3D Realms Mitbegründer, George Broussard, hat nun auch noch den schon lange austehenden Fanwunsch bestätigt, dass der Duke zu seinen 2D-Ursprüngen zurückkehrt.

Was Duke Nukem also in Zukunft auf den Spieleplattformen treiben wird, ist weiterhin noch nicht ganz klar. Aber egal ob als 3D oder 2D Held, ich denke wir können uns darauf freuen!

Quelle: http://www.iamgamer.de/magazin/news/dj35kwgrstlhs848wo08k4okg/Duke_Nukem_Forever–dtop-Groe_und_ueberraschende_Ankuendigung-dtop–30378381/

Yes its been ages, and yes lot’s has happened in the world of games! Let me go over the top 15 with our thoughts on them!

• PS3 Slim: Sony launched the slim inevitable PS3 with a larger HD and a better price point. Good news finally from Sony whose refusal to lower the PS3 price seems to have been purely because they couldn’t afford to. Bad news for my mate Fudgester who bought his PS3 only 3 days before the new one was announced on my say so! Oops!
• SHOCK: EA have actually started producing good games! Yes I said good, I know it is odd isn’t it? Hopefully they will continue in this vein from now on!
• NATAL: Microsoft unveil Natal! Great just what we need another over-priced peripheral that will probably get minimal support and then gather dust just like my Live Cam! It has got to be doomed, let’s face it Peter Molyneux has been talking it up and we all know what that means! ( We shall see.)
• F***: Gordon Ramsay released a F***ing game! (Erm that is, he released a game about cooking not F***… Oh you know what I mean!)(This isn’t one of our highlights I just wanted to use that joke!)
• Halo: Despite Bungie claiming that Halo 3 would be the “Last ever Halo game, honest guv, no like seriously, we ain’t kidding!” We have since seen two more Halo games. I was really surprised I bet you were too! No really!
• Uncharted 2: Sony’s Tomb Raider beater famously received 26/25 in some French Mag Hmm we shall see, we shall see!
• Game Central: The very sad news that in the shake up of teletext Game Central will be no more from the end of this year! As one of the last bastions of totally unbiased game reviewing we will be sorry to see them depart. Moonhead and I have been avid followers ever since it was Digitiser and I even worked as their sports game reviewer for a while!
• G4A gets pissed off with reviewers and decides to pull its Joypads out of its collective arses and get back in the game, especially since Game Central will be no more the world needs someone to take up their mantel!
• Xbox still suffering the red ring of death but now death comes in a new form E73. Moonhead has had both this year!
• PS3’s now also dying of yellow fever, or yellow light failure (I like mine better) and Sony charging £125 to repair if out of warranty!
• Batman: The wondrous Batman Arkham Asylum, finally a decent Superhero game!
• E3: The return of E3, the world’s premier game show returns to somewhere near its best!
• Delay’s: Loads of top titles now slipped until 2010! Still better that than half-arsed rushed versions!
• Duke has finally been Nuked, with the demise of 3D Realms it seems that the single longest running gaming soap-opera has come to a close. Duke Nukem Forever would appear to be no more! Personally I think they should just release it virally in whatever state it is in like Thrill Kill on the Playstation. Will there be a resurrection? I suspect that somewhere down the line we will all wake up form a dream and Duke will be in the shower treading on an aliens kneck!
• Obsession By MicroSonySoft: The major console manufacturer’s obsession with having to outdo each others stupid motion tracking gadgets! Leave that to the experts at Nintendo and get on with making PS4 and Xbox 1080!!

With the Lisbon II campaign officially under way, it’s been interesting to see who’s been crying for a no vote, and why. First off, there are a lot of empty seats at the back. Amazingly, the bauld Ganley has seemingly kept his promise to stay out of it should Libertas do badly in the European elections. I didn’t expect that. I thought we’d have every media outlet in the country saturated with his opinions (if perhaps through proxies). Perhaps working with Libertas really was a miserable experience for all involved.

Also marked by his absence this time around is Kevin Myers. Not a word has he devoted to Lisbon in his Indo column; odd given is highly vocal objections last year. I don’t recall all his arguments, but I happen to know his main objection was the possibility of Turkey (ie, a Muslim country) joining the EU. I know this because he told me so in conversation (I interviewed him for my thesis). Now he didn’t say it was ok to quote him on this, but he didn’t indicate he was speaking off the record either so I assume he doesn’t mind me repeating it here. Given recent tirades against immigration, one must assume he hasn’t changed his mind. There’s time for him to speak up yet.

Other no-shows include Ulick, seemingly rendered too shy in the presence of Sinn Féin supporters. As such, the campaign for a No vote has been largely left to the Shinners, those wicked cunts in Cóir and Joe Higgins’ socialists. There are others of course, such as Unite breaking ranks with their fellow trade-unions, but for the sake of clarity let’s say these three are the golden trinity of naysayers. Of these Joe appears to have adopted the mantle of the No side’s grandmaster. Last year he was waxing lyrical about Europe’s military industrial complex. I saw him at a public debate in Trim with Ganley and Dick Roche and a few other vested interests. When it was Joe’s turn to speak he banged on with is best Jim Larkin impression, shoutin’ and roarin’ like a mad thing about profits made by European arms manufacturers, and getting only nervous sideway-glances in response. This time his argument is more measured, complaining that anti-worker rulings by the European Court of Justice will be copper-fastened under the treaty.

His claim seems to have formed the No side’s central argument. And honestly, I don’t have the wherewithal to challenge it. I’ll allow more learned men to fight this case. However, I must challenge Higgins’ apparent concern that “the reality is that Lisbon grants no new rights for workers”. Why would it? We might as well complain that it doesn’t say anything about fighting pollution, it doesn’t control John O’Donoghue’s spending, and it doesn’t force a videogame company to release Duke Nukem Forover. The Lisbon treaty’s charge is surely the numerous organs of the EU, ensuring they work efficiently together. It is these organs that ensure workers rights, and Lisbon facilities that. Now we can complain about ideology and ECJ rulings ‘til the cows come home, but if we take the EU as a whole I think most will agree Irish workers have benefited from it.

Até quando veremos material inédito de um dos mais polêmicos games da história, Duke Nukem Forever? Já tem um tempo que ele foi oficialmente cancelado e ainda disponibilizam imagens, se bem que dificilmente alguém irá se impressionar, até porque a maioria por aqui já deve ter assistido ao vídeo de jogabilidade do game. Caso negativo, clique AQUI para conferir.

O foco dessas imagens é um monstro gigante que seria um dos chefes do jogo. Também podemos ver um monstrão cibernético e um monstrinho que parece uma lula. Realmente encantador.

A 3D Realms jura que está trabalhando em Duke Nukem Forever, apesar da batalha legal em volta do título. Se esse game realmente chegar às lojas algum dia a Take-Two terá que conseguir outra distribuidora para fazer o serviço.

Eis a nova galeria.

Daha önce yazdığım Nostalji – Duke Nukem – Come Get Some başlıklı yazıda epey anlatmıştım Duke Nukem’in geçmişini. Şimdi artık geleceğiyle ilgilenmemiz lazım diye düşünüyorum. Bu anlatılmaz ancak izlenir…

Ve işte 12 yıldır üzerine çalışılan Duke Nukem Forever’ın ilk oyun videosu… İyi Seyirler…

Noulath - Mittlerweile dürfte es ja wohl jeder wissen, dass man den Duke nicht einfach herumschubsen kann! Doch anscheinend ist das bei 3D-Realms normal. Zumindest war es so in den letzten Monaten.
Der Duke ist tot geglaubt, doch er wird immer wieder auferstehen! (Ich hab den Mythos abgeschrieben übrigens) Wer allerdings noch Hoffnungen in den Duke steckt und immer noch auf ein Duke Nukem Forever wartet, dem werden die News sicherlich erfreuen:

Denn der Co-Chef von 3D-Realms gehört mit unter zu den Personen, die den Duke nicht sterben lassen wollen!
Denn Scott Miller hat trotz der Pleite des Spieleentwicklers über sein Facebook-Profil verkündet, dass der Muscleman nur eine kleine Pause eingelegt habe und zurück im Rennen ist (oder an den Knarren? Na egal).

Dass es sich hierbei wohl um Duke Nukem Forever handeln „könnte“, dafür sprechen zwei neue Screenshots, die Miller kurz nach der Mitteilung veröffentlicht hat.
Doch macht euch nicht falsche Hoffnungen, denn selbst wenn der Duke wirklich noch mal seine Muskeln anstrengen soll, dann wird das erstmal so schnell nicht passieren!
Abwarten und Tee trinken oder sich auf Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 freuen!

Der Entwickler Telltale Games werkelt ja an einem neuen Teil der Monkey Island Reihe, die in Episoden Form erscheinen soll. Episode eins mit dem Titel “Launch of the Screaming Narwhal” ist heute erschienen, aber anscheinend scheint Telltale die eigenen Piratentruhen satt füllen zu wollen, denn die erste Episode kann man nicht einzeln erwerben, sondern nur, indem man gleich alle fünf Episoden zum Preis von immerhin 32,99€! Dabei sind die restlichen vier Episoden noch nichtmal erschienen. Sie sind zwar monatlich angekündigt, aber eigentlich sollten wir ja auch schon längst “Duke Nukem Forever” in den Händen halten. Aber selbst wenn Telltale die Teile pünktlich jeden Monat abliefert kauft man doch die “Katze im Sack” (vielleicht heißt ja so ein kommender MI Teil?). Selbst bei anderen Episoden Spielen wie “Sam & Max” ebenfalls aus dem Hause Telltale Games war der einzelne Erwerb der Episoden möglich.

Mit dem neuen Angebot widerspricht Telltale nicht nur der hauseigenen Tradition, sondern auch dem grundsätzlichen Sinn der Episodenveröffentlichung. Statt die Käufer mit jedem Spiel aufs Neue überzeugen zu müssen, wird für zweifelhafte Leistungen im Voraus abkassiert. Selbst wenn die erste Tales of Monkey Island-Staffel durchweg überzeugen sollte, hinterlässt die aktuelle Geschäftspolitik einen faden Beigeschmack.

Eins ist klar, auf eine solche Geschäftspolitik lasse ich mich nicht ein und warte, bis es die Episoden einzeln zu erwerben gibt!

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Bir zamanlar p133 16mb ram 8mb vga kartı 1 gb da hdd si olan bilgisayarlar vardı. İlk bilgisayarımda onlardan biriydi. ‘96 yılının yaz aylarında sünnetten sonra, zırlamasın diye koydular bir tane önüme. Harbi sustum ama. Hatta o ney falan diye kurcalarken dakka 1 gol 1 bozdumda…

Saolsun o zamanlar lojmanda otururken, mahalledeki abiler çok severlerdi beni. Teki gelip epeyce bi oyun yüklemişti bilgisayara. Tabi cd ye 100-200 oyun sığdığı zamanlar. Zamanın en kral oyunları olan, Warcraft II, Silent Hunter, Need for Speed, Doom ve tabiki Duke Nukem elimin altındaydı…

Sabi sübyanız daha o zamanlar ben ne bileyim, ilk Duke abimizden başladık oynamaya. Doğal olarak oyun ingilizce anlamıyoruz “fak, mak” bişiler diyo ama kötü bişi gelmiyor insanın aklına. İlk çıplaklığıda bu oyunda keşfettim zaten, kadınlara para uzatılınca sütyeni falan açtıklarını öğrendim.(Aklıma nasıl kötü bir şey gelmiyorsa artık)  Tabi oynama sebebimiz bu değildi ekşını yüksek olmasından başka bir şey yoktu arkasında…

Geçmişi tekrar yaşamak adına biraz resimlere bakalım…

Oyunun en güzel yanının, çıplaklığı, şiddeti ve bunların hepsinin geyik olduğunu çok net bir şekilde gösterebiliyor olması. Burdan 3d realms çalışanlarını bundan dolayı teşekkür ederken, 12 yıldır geliştirilen Duke Nukem: Forever ı çıkarttık, çıkartıcaz demelerinden dolayı ayıplıyorum kendilerini. Duke Nukem: Wait for forever!!!

Oyunun bu yıl çıkması durumunda büyük ses getireceği kesin, çünkü DN fan ları artık sabırlarının son sınırında. Duke Nukem: Forever teaserına bakıp heyecanlanalım biraz. Let’s Rock!!!

ve son olarak Megadeth – Duke Nukem Theme

Bu arada oyunun sonunda çıkmaya başlayan orgazm sesleri evde panik havası yaratmıştı…

p.s. : resmi sitesinde verilmiş olan son haber;

The release date of this game is “When it’s done”. Anything else, and we mean anything else is someone’s speculation. There is no date. We don’t know any date. If you have a friend who claims they have “inside info”, or there’s some game news site, or some computer store at the mall who claims they know – they do not. They are making it up. There is no date. Period.

yani sabah kalktığımızda sürprizle karşılaşabiliriz…

Gelişmeler için: Duke Nukem: Forever Game Video

Hey there! So this week in TechStuff, Chris and I put on our prognosticator hats to make some predictions about E3 on Monday and we dove into the differences between USB and Firewire on Wednesday. Let’s tackle Monday first.

I’ve mentioned that we record our podcasts weeks before they publish. That’s important to note when you listen to the E3 predictions podcast. Chris and I went into that one with very little information about E3 (which took place just this week) — we recorded the episode in early May. As it turns out, several of our predictions completely missed the mark. Even more surprising, my pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking prediction came half-true! I said that I wished there would be an announcement for a new Monkey Island game. What we got was an announcement of a new version of the first Monkey Island game, The Secret of Monkey Island. I love this series of adventure games. They are hilarious, challenging and feature pirates! What’s not to love? I eagerly look forward to the special edition.

Some of our other predictions fell flat. A few were spoiled before E3 even got started. For example, we mention Duke Nukem Forever in the podcast. You may know that 3D Realms, the development company behind the Duke Nukem franchise, had to abandon the game after 12 years of development. They simply ran out of money and the game wasn’t finished. And there’s another example — Chris mentions the PSP Go in the podcast and predicts it would make an appearance at E3. He was right — but the unveiling was somewhat tarnished when a first-look video hit the Internet a few days too soon.

Wednesday’s episode features a discussion about the USB and Firewire technologies. Both allow data transfers between devices and computers. We talk about data transfer rates and powering devices through USB cables. We also discuss the upcoming USB 3.0 standard. Make sure you check it out!

Now I’m going to crawl under my desk and take a nap. The jet lag is killing me!

Learn more at HowStuffWorks.com:

How Video Game Systems Work
How USB Ports Work
How Firewire Works

Later this afternoon I’ll be hopping on a plane to Los Angeles, Calif., to attend the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the massive video game conference. Now E3 used to be a giant, chaotic extravaganza filled with video games, elaborate displays and the ever-present booth babes who lured people into exhibitor areas. In 2007, the conference scaled down to a more sedate, business-like format. Then companies began to bail on the conference.

This year, E3 is loosening up a little bit but it’s not a complete return to the days of yore. GameDaily spoke with Micahel Gallagher, the head of the Entertainment Software Association, the group responsible for E3. Gallagher explained that while this year’s E3 is larger than the last two shows, it’s still not the same beast as previous conferences. For one thing, the public isn’t allowed into the conference — only industry professionals and members of the media have access to the show. While this comes as a disappointment to video game junkies who are itching to play unreleased games, it makes life much easier for the professionals and reporters who need access to developers and products. It’s hard to report on a new game if there’s a line of two hundred people to play it.

Today’s episode of the TechStuff podcast features our predictions for E3. I must point out that Chris and I recorded this podcast nearly a month ago. Some of the big predictions aren’t really predictions any more. For example, we talk about a rumored new version of the PSP. Well, confirmation of the PSP popped up over the weekend. Veronica Belmont recorded an episode of Qore that examines the features of the new PSP Go, including a slider panel housing the controls.

We also mention Duke Nukem Forever in the podcast. As you may know, 3D Realms, the company responsible for the development of Duke Nukem Forever, recently dissolved after more than 12 years of working on the game. There are still rumors floating around that we’ll eventually see Duke Nukem Forever but I doubt it will make an appearance at E3 at this point.

I’ll be blogging live from E3 this week. Keep your eyes peeled to the blog for updates on new games, hardware and what has the industry buzzing this year.

Learn all about video games at HowStuffWorks.com:

How Video Game Systems Work
How the PlayStation Portable Works
How the Xbox 360 Works
How the PlayStation 3 Works
How the Wii Works

It’s that time of year again, and E3 is just around the corner. The favourite time of the gaming industry, it’s the biggest gaming event in the world and despite some hiccups in the past, it’s back in full force. The whole thing kicks off tomorrow with Microsoft’s press briefing at 10.25 AM (Los Angeles) and we’re promised some big reveals that will “transform home entertainment” – that’s a pretty bold statement to make! – predictions for all of the press conferences after the break!

However, what is certain is that we’re gonna see a lot of new games being announced and we’ll no doubt get the standard press briefing format: statistics, product news, product demo, games revealed, games demoed, betas announced, mystery guest, company executives embarrassing themselves with a game demo (singing/making movies/hitting the guide button while rocking out) and then maybe a teaser trailer for a blockbuster sequel.

There are five main press conferences this week: Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony and Ubisoft, all taking place on June 1st and 2nd. As it’s the first, kicking off tomorrow morning, here are my predictions and opinions of the forthcoming Microsoft event, (which you can watch live) along with predictions for Ubisoft’s, EA’s, Sony’s and Nintendo’s respective events. 

Perfect Dark

Recently, snaps of an Xbox Live Arcade version of Perfect Dark was leaked on the net. This promptly resulted in hordes of fans, quite simply, going insane – who can blame them? Yes, we all want GoldenEye on XBLA but most of us are aware that it’s very unlikely to happen considering that the game license is owned by Nintendo, the current Bond license is owned by Activision and that Rare is owned by Microsoft. Understandably, nobody can seem to agree on a re-release on any platform. However, the original Perfect Dark on N64 seems to be a possibility as Microsoft appear to own the license (hence the 2005 release of Perfect Dark Zero, the mixed reception prequel that, I personally, love). Speaking of Perfect Dark Zero, the other big rumour is that Microsoft is thinking of releasing another sequel (in addition to Killer Instinct 3). With potentially three years of development time since Perfect Dark Zero was released back in 2005, the scope of this potential title is huge and it could easily be a flyaway success if it’s done right. I really hope that this does happen because the basic plotline of the franchise is perfect (honestly, no pun intended) and is in the same league as the stories seen in the likes of Halo and Gears of War. 

Crackdown 2

Infamously nicknamed “Halo 3 Beta (and Crackdown)“, Crackdown was one of the best games of 2007, without question. Created by David Jones’ (one of the creators of the original Grand Theft Auto) team, Realtime Worlds, it sold over 1.5 million copies and holds an 83% rating on Metacritic. Although, this was arguably affected by die-hard Halo fans attempting to secure 

their place in the Halo 3 beta. The game is favourably described as being Grand Theft Auto fused with superheroes, which as anyone knows, is a great formula for a game. Set in fictional Pacific City, it is an open-world game with online integration over Xbox Live. Talks about a sequel have been extensive with the franchise originally planned to be a series of games. Back in September2007, the potential for a sequel was squashed by Realtime Worlds when they announced that “Microsoft was a little late in stepping up to the plate to ask for 

Crackdown 2, and by then we had already started working on bigger, better things”. However, more recently, rumours have been rumbling of Dundee based start-up Ruffian Games possibly developing a sequel – the company’s team comprises people who have worked on games such as Grand Theft Auto, Fable 2, Project Gotham Racing and … Crackdown? Hmm…

Alan Wake

As far as I’m aware, this game is the last remaining unreleased title announced along with the Xbox 360 in May 2005. Alan Wake is described by Finnish Remedy Entertainment (the developers of the original Max Payne) as a “psychological thriller” and after looking at it’s trailers, it looks pretty interesting. The game is said to build upon the successful open-world formula made famous in games like Crackdown and Grand Theft Auto. Open-world environments are typically exclusive for third person shooters, racing  and RPGs. To extend this to a whole new genre is pretty risky, but also extremely exciting. Very little is known about this game but the basic idea, scene and plot (essentially the protagonist is a horror writer and his newest book is coming true) all add up to be a very successful game, so long as it is referenced at E3 and not abandoned like Duke Nukem Forever.

Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2 is likely to make an appearance in the Microsoft press conference, just like its predecessors Modern Warfare and World of War did in the last couple of years. I’m expecting nothing less of a full level demonstration with the announcement of an online beta at the end. Somewhat predictably, little is known about this title, also. Other than a handful of teaser trailers and press releases, all we know is that the protagonist “Soap” returns in the form of an NPC (non-playable character), it’s set in Afghanistan, Brazil and Russia, it takes place several years after Modern Warfare and that they’ve dropped the Call of Duty name. Despite the wishes of fans, online co-op will not be featured in this title, although a ’special forces’ co-op mode is available.

Ubisoft

Ubisoft has got three big titles coming out which are expected to make : Assassin’s Creed 2, I Am ALIVE and Splinter Cell: Conviction. All three of these games are shrouded in secrecy.

Splinter Cell: Conviction was originally due for release in 2007 but was delayed for a number of reasons. A tech demo was shown back then too and from what we can tell, it’s an open-world title – a first for the Splinter Cell series. However, a teaser trailer was recently leaked on the internet, possibly proving that the game will make an appearance at E3.

Assassin’s Creed 2 has been in demand since the original’s release back in 2007 and received a favourable, slightly mixed reception. The sequel changes the franchise’s formula with a whole new character, location and time period. All we know is that the new protagonist Ezio is much more agile and can now swim and “glide“. After the cliff hanger of the first game, fans are crying out for resolution and answers about what is going on in this subtle sci-fi title.

Finally, I Am ALIVE was announced last year, at E3 – we’ve heard almost nothing from it since then. Fast-forward 12 months and it’s shifted studio, had a release date of August 2009 announced and yes, we still know absolutely nothing about it, besides one teaser trailer. What we do know is that it’s a post-apocalyptic action game (kinda like a restructured, simpler Fallout 3) set in Chicago after (what appears to be) an earthquake. Nevertheless, it’s distinct anonymity has sparked the imagination of fans, and the release of more information about this title is craved by most.

However, there is one more game that hasn’t been announced by Ubisoft at all, and one that I am personally hoping will get recognition next week. It’s part of a franchise that hasn’t seen an update since March 2008 and has sold many millions of copies. Rainbow Six, one of the most loved first person shooter franchises on the market today, is overdue an announcement. It’s easily the most accurate and tactical FPS available on home consoles and has a very, very large multiplayer base. A teaser trailer for a sequel at E3 would be a nice surprise and I’m hoping that it surfaces.

Microsoft’s press conference is just a little under 17 hours away, and in addition to the above, I’m expecting some news on Forza Motorsport 3. Dubbed as one of “Microsoft’s worst kept secrets”, it’s a title that has been gently leaked in the form of details and images, over several months, and it’s undoubtedly going to get attention tomorrow.

Halo 3: ODST (formerly Halo 3: Recon) takes the form of an expansion pack for Halo 3 that adds campaign levels chronologically set between Halo 2 and Halo 3. The title is also said to include all the Halo 3 map packs with it.

A new Burnout game, while unlikely due to the overwhelming amount of downloadable content that Criterion is working on, would be a nice surprise at EA’s event next week.

DJ Hero is also set to make an appearance – also announcements for Rock Band 3, Guitar Hero 5 and rumoured “Band Hero” are entirely possible. 

Just Cause 2 may also make an appearance – the sequel to the much loved game that was, as far as I’m aware, the first open-world game ever on Xbox 360.

Also, Rockstar recently announced their second, and final Xbox 360 exclusive episode for Grand Theft Auto IV, titled “The Ballad of Gay Tony”. We haven’t even seen gameplay for this so we’ll be hopefully hearing more about this title soon. In fact, who’s to say that Rockstar won’t announce a new Grand Theft Auto at E3? GTA IV was announced in 2006 so, I guess it’s that time again, surely?

Also, I bet none of you remember this one, but remember that teaser trailer Don Mattrick showed last year at Microsoft’s press conference for “South Park” on Xbox Live Arcade? Over a year later and we’ve still not heard anything about that. 

Over at Nintendo and Sony’s part in E3. Sony have managed to leak two of their biggest announcements recently: The PSP Go and the PS3 slim. No one knows if they’re genuine or just really good fakes but we’ll find out on Tuesday. If the PSP Go does turn out to be genuine (and it is looking that way seeing as the leak came from Sony and was found in the official digital Sony magazine) the design is pretty unfortunate. More information on MAG, Sony’s huge open-world shooter allowing hundreds of players at once, is likely along with some teaser trailers for new games.

Nintendo have got some big titles coming out too. Wii Sports Resort was confirmed earlier and Pikmin 3 has been heavily rumoured recently – hopefully, both titles will make significant appearances next week. Also, rumours of a ‘Wii HD‘ and hardware additions have been building up.

So, there’s plenty of games that could be announced at this year’s E3, and not surprisingly, people are expecting a few blockbuster announcements too (Halo 4, anyone?). But it’s not just the games. Along with Xbox Live Primetime, (which is due to go live soon, so expect to hear more about that, possibly the announcement of more programmes and maybe even a release date) Microsoft has been saving something big for tomorrow – they’ve said that it’s going to “transform the way we look at home entertainment“. Whether that’s something to do with that job position Microsoft recently advertised for the construction of an MMO, the deal with Sky for video on demand, the acquisition of BigPark Studios or those rumours about motion-sensing infra-red things, no one is entirely certain about what Microsoft will reveal – it really could be anything.

Remember, for details of when the press conferences start, click here.

E3 is just hours away now. What do you think will happen? Whatever happens, I’m sure it’ll be awesome. Enjoy it and I’ll see you on the other side!

- netgem21.

I firmly believe that, unlike any other medium, videogame sequels generally tend to out-perform their predecessors. Hollywood continues to crank out sequels that shame and defile what came before them, yet the game industry has managed to avoid that trend… for the most part. Today, I’m going to talk about five videogame sequels that have dropped the ball in epic, disappointing ways. Read on, and see if you agree with me.

Scantily-clad, sword-wielding emo chick = awesomeness +10

Let me begin by saying that Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, the second entry in Ubisoft’s three-part Sands of Time story, is a highly underrated game. It’s a game that critics have always had a little too much fun bashing, and while some of it is deserved, exaggerations run rampant.

However, it can’t be denied that Warrior Within dropped the ball in some embarrassing ways. Blood, gore, language, and scantily clad women aren’t offensive in and of themselves – but the way that they were portrayed, in stark contrast to The Sands of Time’s storybook atmosphere, was almost humorous. In an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, much of Warrior Within came off as just that – a shameless attempt to appeal to a wider, less tasteful audience. Good thing the gameplay is as fantastic as ever, and the story is actually pretty damned interesting.

Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse

I’m well aware of the fact that I largely stand alone with my love for the Xenosaga trilogy. Nonetheless, all you haters can go suck a wet sock; it’s one of the best sci-fi stories ever told, and the series features some solid role-playing mechanics to boot.

….with the exception of the oft-maligned second entry, Jenseits von Gut und Böse. The storytelling in Episode II is still fantastic. What’s LEFT of it, at least. In another attempt to appeal to wider audiences, Namco chopped a lot of cutscene footage from the game, hoping that 20 minute cutscenes would be viewed as more “accessible” than 40 minute cutscenes. Make sense to you? Nah, me neither. What makes LESS sense is the utter destruction of the combat system from Episode I, and the subsequent implementation of a system that would made regular encounters take over 10 minutes to complete. Ouch, Namco. Ouch.

Devil May Cry 2
There isn’t much good to say about Devil May Cry 2, honestly. I suppose I could mention the fact that the combat is as flashy, fast-paced, and fun as its predecessor. But that’s hard to notice when the soul has essentially been sucked from the game. It’s not like the Devil May Cry franchise has ever been known for deep storytelling, but DMC2 falls to new depths. At least let Dante talk, for christ’s sake; it’s a little too late to portray him as a silent protagonist. Oh, and if I could just have the slightest inkling of where the hell I was and why at any given time, that would be nice too.

Girls rule!

I have an intense loathing for Final Fantasy X-2 that, in all honesty, isn’t entirely justified. I view the game as a stab in the back from Square Enix, in a sense. I absolutely loved Final Fantasy X, and I couldn’t have been more excited to see a direct sequel continue the story. And then when it finally arrived, X-2 proceeded to slowly break my heart over the course of, oh, 20 measly hours or so.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: X-2 is a game that could make a gay man feel girly. The constant, recurring “girl power” bullshit never failed to revolt me. The amusing thing is that I still can’t quite figure out who Square Enix was trying to appeal to. If I was a woman, I’d be offended by the ridiculously stereotypical and slightly sexist portrayals of the three main characters. As a dude I was just plain disgusted.

That aside, I have more “legitimate” complaints, if you will: THE STORY SUCKED. The plot, the characters, the pacing, the presentation, EVERY conceivable aspect. In a follow-up to Final Fantasy X’s beautiful story about love, sacrifice, and self-discovery, we get an elongated Powerpuff Girls episode about… um… well, nothing really. Something about a giant robot and two ancient people who, for some inexplicable reason, look exactly like Tidus and Yuna. Oh, and the fact that you could easily miss the vast majority of it by not happening to be in a certain place at a certain time didn’t help. (Seriously, how the hell am I supposed to know to return to the depths of Bevelle after chapter 10? Good thing all I miss is a rather integral cutscene.) But yeah, the battle system was great. Overshadowed by the game’s utter crappiness perhaps, but still great.

Duke Nukem Forever
Haha… ha… hahahaha.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

No, I couldn’t come up with a fifth example. Live with it.

Ето списъка на GT:

Какво включва вашия?

Аз лично, задавам най-логичният (за мен) въпрос – къде е Mass Effect 2?!?!?! И добавям още Alan Wake и Max Payne 3… Въпреки че имам доста сериозни притеснения за качеството на новите приключения на Max.

BTW за пръв път от 10-тина години насам Duke Nukem Forever не е в списъка

J'ai dit que je sortirai un jour et tu m'as cru ? Mouahaha !

Les joueurs amateurs de FPS savent depuis peu grâce à l’annonce de 3D Realms que l’arlésienne du jeu vidéo a sonné le glas. Je veux bien évidement parler de Duke Nukem Forever !  Mais qu’a pu donc faire ce bon vieux Duke pendant ces 12 dernières années sans montrer le bout de son cigare ? Les étudiants de l’école belge La Cambre qui sont Pierre Mousquet, Marc-Antoine Deleplanque et Hubert Seynave nous donnent la réponse en vidéo. 

Enfin presque ! C’est juste mon imagination qui m’a emporté dans un délire nocturne sur la vie de ce personnage charismatique quand il ne squatte pas les bars à strip-tease pour tabasser du cochon en uniforme. 

Avec un style graphique qui me rappelle Beavis et Butt-Head vous allez voir un Duke qui, au vu de son physique, avait déjà pris sa retraite depuis bien longtemps sans nous l’avoir annoncé, mais qui n’aura pas changé d’un iota au niveau du caractère. C’est qu’on ne doit pas le faire chier le Duke ! Je tiens quand même à prévenir les cœurs fragiles et les yeux innocents : c’est drôlement sanglant !