I'm Back!

Sorry, had some stuff to do.  This will not be a frequent occurrence.

True Crime Canceled, Guitar Hero Canned

First of all, this is old news by a few days, but I realized I haven't posted about it, so there we go.  Activision has canceled the True Crime reboot (which I was really looking forward too, by the way, as I enjoyed the first game), and to everyone's surprise, apparently done away with their Guitar Hero and DJ Hero series.  Can't really say I care about those; maybe now people will actually decide they want to learn how to play an instrument; you know, in REALITY.

Well, that's okay, Activision.   You just do away with potentially awesome games like True Crime and lean on games like Call of Duty and Spider-Man 2 for the PC... hell yeah, I remember that, and I'm still angry.

 Well, here's the scoop:
http://www.gamedynamo.com/article/showarticle/753/en/True_Crime_Guitar_Hero_and_DJ_Hero_Canned_New_Call_of_Duty_Studio

UPDATE: Apparently, the Tony Hawk series has been canceled as well.  Go figure.

Dualshock 3 Now Available in Jungle Green

Just in case any body cares, and is tired of black (which isn't a color, but rather the absence of color).

Yup.  Slow news day.

Sony's Been Busy

It's been a pretty huge last few weeks for Sony, who have now unveiled both their Next-Generation-Portable (a.k.a. PSP2) and oft-rumored Playstation Phone, now confirmed under the name "Xperia Play", from Sony Ericsson.  There is a third product in the works; taking a bite from Apple, Sony is apparently releasing a tablet device as well.  Think iPad, just with the ability to play PS1 games; oh, and that goes for the phone as well.  I've been slightly lazy with updates on the NGP and any news on the Xperia Play, so I'll publish stories on both those and the tablet in a few days.  As for now, I'm out.

Here's hoping at least one person visits this blog.

The Spider-Man Reboot Gets a Name

Not exactly video-game related, but... the new Spider-Man movie just got a name.  It shall now be officially known as... *drumroll*:

The Amazing Spider-Man

And that's the man in tights himself, Andrew Garfield.  This is all kind of strange to me because I heard rumors the movie was a spin on the Ultimate Spider-Man universe; the fact that the movie places Peter Parker in high school, along with Garfield's lean/skinny physique, definitely gave these rumors credit.  But... Amazing?  Really?  Well, at least this way if the movie is bad it won't be a reflection on the amazing (no pun intended) Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series.  Well, I would have rather had Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi back for Spider-Man 4, but I'll definitely be watching this when it hits theaters, which is said to be on July 3, 2012.  Look out for the inevitable video game adaptation as well; hopefully it will be better than some of the more recent Spider-Man games.

Video Game Deals

Nier is now $15 for the Xbox 360 (although it's still $30 for the PS3), and Resistance Retribution for the PSP is $10; these are both Amazon deals.

Nier (Xbox 360)

Resistance: Retribution (PSP)

New Pokemon Game In The Works

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced recently that a new Pokemon title for the Wii is under development.  IGN has published a very interesting article on what the editors want from the new Pokemon Wii game, and their predictions for what the game will turn out to be.  Considered are a new Pokemon Snap, new Pokemon Stadium, a Pokemon MMO, a 3D free-roaming Pokemon adventure, and "something completely out of left field", meaning a new take on the franchise.

That can be found here: http://wii.ign.com/articles/114/1148672p1.html

Let's consider the information we have so far:

Pokemon director Junichi Masuda has stated that a Pokemon MMORPG is not the direction he wants to take the series in.  He says, "At this point, we're not thinking of going in that direction. Trading is a core concept of Pokémon. So when you're trading, you meet with a friend and decide which one you want and which one they want. I would like to emphasize real-world communication. You don't see each other online."

Source: http://www.whattheyplay.com/blog/2009/03/20/no-pokemon-mmo-or-online-game-coming-say-creators/ 

Until recently, there was a successful online Pokemon game made by fans called Pokenet; it was an online community in which one could catch and battle with Pokemon (essentially like the retail games, but with other people).  Nintendo shut that down months ago.


Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/02/nintendo-shuts-down-fan-made-pokemon-mmo/

This was all recently, so it's highly unlikely that Masuda would simply ignore his own words and produce a Pokemon MMO.  That being said, there's a good chance the new game will simply be the Wii version of Pokemon Stadium... in my opinion, that's what it will be.  Following every new generation of hand-held Pokemon games is a new console title; after Red & Blue it was Pokemon Stadium, after Gold & Silver it was Pokemon Stadium 2, after Ruby & Sapphire it was Pokemon Colosseum, after Diamond & Pearl it was Pokemon Battle Revolution, and after Black & White it will be something along the same lines.


I am still wishfully hoping for a true console Pokemon game, however.  IGN had this picture in their article:

Fabricated from pure imagination, it's pretty damn close to how I want my 3D open-world console Pokemon adventure... if we ever get one.

Video of the Week: PS2 - Le Troisieme Monde

This French ad for the PS2 has the distinction of being the strangest video game advertisement I have ever seen... and yeah, I watched all the crazy PS3 ones.

"Le Troisieme Monde" means "The Third World".

Without further ado, here it is:
Sony - Playstation 2 - Le Troisieme Monde

Contents of the inFamous 2 Collector's Edition Revealed

inFamous 2's Collector's Edition, now known as the "Hero Edition" will run you $100, and will include the game, the soundtrack, an 8.5-inch statuette of Cole (the protagonist), vouchers for some digital downloads, a comic, and (probably coolest of all) a replica of Cole's backpack.

The game was  apparently listed on Amazon (and those leaks ALWAYS turn out to be accurate), before it was taken down when someone realized that the posted edition of the game hadn't even been announced yet.

Source:
http://www.gametrailers.com/news/infamous-2-hero-edition-spotted/2999

The existence of the inFamous 2 Collector's Edition was first revealed over a week ago; if you missed it, check it out here:
http://unchartedgaming.blogspot.com/2011/02/infamous-2-collectors-edition-revealed.html

New Spyro Game Announced... But You May Hate It

I'm back, and with information on a new Spyro title currently in development; just a warning, though... purists won't like it.

First off, here is what the lovable dragon has changed into:

If you're still reading this after seeing that picture, just know that the game is launching on consoles and handhelds, and coming alongside a series of action figures being sold in stores, which can apparently be bought and somehow digitized into the game; so, there are a total of 32 playable characters, which means a hell of a lot of money spent on action figures.

Am I fan of this new Spyro twist?  No.  Am I going to write any more than this?  Hell no.

Full story:
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/25340

Changes

Next Friday, I will be changing the URL of this site to this:
unchartedgaming.blogspot.com

I feel that this would better represent what I am trying to do with the site, because the current web address doesn't really evoke "gaming" as specifically as I would like it to.

This will be the last post until I change the address, as I have a week full of studying and tests coming up.  I apologize for the inconvenience, but rest assured that I will be back with better posts than ever by next week.

See you all on the flipside.

Devil May Cry Collection for PS3 and Xbox 360 In the Works???

Look what I found:
http://www.gamepur.com/news/2693-rumor-capcom-planning-release-devil-may-cry-collection-ps3-and-xbox-360.html

According to a rumor, Capcom is planning a Devil May Cry Collection!  This is awesome news for me; I've been intrigued by the series for years now, but never got a chance to play either of the first two games.  I got most of the way through DMC3 for PC (never finished it, because my PC ran it at seriously crappy speeds) and I played the demo for DMC4.

SO HYPE FOR THIS

Devil May Cry 4 Refrain Now Available on the iPhone

Recently, Capcom announced plans to release a port of Devil May Cry 4 on the iPhone; that game is now available for download for a limited time price of $2 at the App Store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/devil-may-cry-4-refrain/id407897164?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

It seems decent, but I would definitely have an aversion to playing something like Devil May Cry on a touch-screen display; it would irk me to no end.  For those of you that are interested and actually have an iPhone, here is IGN's review of the game:
http://wireless.ign.com/articles/114/1147812p1.html

Video of the Week: Naughty Bear Death Montage

Many games coming out today fall into an expected category: first-person shooter, RPG, driving simulation, etc.  Every so often, however, a game comes out that's completely out of left field; Naughty Bear is one of these games.  I've never played it myself, but what I've seen of the game is somewhat hard to categorize.  Naughty Bear essentially puts you in the fuzzy shoes of the main character, appropriately named "Naughty Bear", as he slaughters his way through villages of teddy bears in order to make them pay for humiliating him.  So yeah, it pretty much just sounds like an excuse to violently kill cuddly stuffed animals.  Anyway, watching footage of Naughty Bear in action is amusing, to say the least.

Here is a compilation of kills put together by a guy with way too much time on his hands; be warned, it contains both the introductory and concluding cutscenes for the game, so if you don't want spoilers, avoid this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyWmr4HK4Mc

Red Dead Redemption $30 At GameStop Through Tomorrow (United States)

I can't believe I missed this, but GameStop's Weekly Ad has Red Dead Redemption at the awesome price of $30.  It's my personal Game of the Year 2010 (perhaps I'll write about it in the near future), and although it won't appeal to everyone, it's one hell of an experience.

Red Dead Redemption comes highly recommended.

inFamous 2 Collector's Edition Revealed... From a Very Unlikely Source

Subway has accidentally leaked the existence of an inFamous 2 Collector's Edition.  That's right... Subway; as in, the sandwich place.

It's due to a contest they're currently having.  I found the full story on another blog:
http://igogaming.blogspot.com/2011/02/subway-leaks-infamous-2-collectors.html

UPDATE: The contents have been revealed along with a price, and the edition itself has been named.
http://unchartedgaming.blogspot.com/2011/02/contents-of-infamous-2-collectors.html

The Conduit Is Coming to the 3DS

Not much else to say, as Conduit 2 (yes, no more "the") hasn't even been released yet.

The first game received positive critical reception, and the second looks to trump it in every way, so Wii owners might want to be on the lookout.

Anyway, here are two links to the full story:
http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/news/25128/
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-02-03-conduit-3ds-in-development

There Is Now a LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Game

After the cancellation of Armada of the Damned (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armada_of_the_Damned), a new Pirates of the Caribbean game has been announced.  There were rumors abound, and many knew it was going to happen, but now it's official: the series is the next to take the leap into LEGO-ization.

You can watch the teaser here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEuhiScluK8

This game has the potential to be pretty good.  I was more excited about Armada of the Damned, as I was a big fan of the original Pirates of the Caribbean game for PC (the one released in 2003; that's right, the one you've never heard of) but I guess this turnout isn't too bad.  Also, I didn't realize that Traveller's Tales, the developers behind the new game, had changed their logo... the original was much better, in my opinion.  Here it is:

Awesome, isn't it?  In retrospect, it's probably the greatest single logo I have ever seen.  Why they would change it, I have no idea.

Anyway, the consistent stream of franchises turned into LEGO games that we've been getting bothers me.  Why?  I'll tell you why: because I love LEGO Island 2.  That game is one of my absolute favorites, and I really, REALLY want a sequel in the same vein.  Make it happen, Silicon Dreams.

Michael Phelps Has a Game Coming Out for Kinect... Yes, Really

Michael Phelps is arguably one of the better-known athletes in the sporting world.  He has gotten so famous, in fact, that he now has his own video game, entitled Michael Phelps: Push the Limit.

Am I the only one wondering how in the hell one is supposed to play this?  A swimming game... really???

The title is said to "help players learn advanced swimming techniques".  As an experienced swimmer myself, I have no idea how 505 Games plans to accomplish this, and teach players anything REAL.  In my opinion, the only way to learn proper form and stroke is to get in the water and practice.

Advanced swimming techniques won't help you if you're not at a level where you can use them in the first place.

As you all can probably tell, this game ticks me off; I believe it's an unnecessary move on the part of Michael Phelps, who shouldn't need any more money, and that it makes light of the sport of swimming, which requires a HUGE amount of work and dedication.  At the very least, it should be extremely amusing to watch people play this game and flail around like lunatics.

You can read about the announcement here:
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/42839/Michael-Phelps-Kinect-game-revealed

And here's the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofy0QlnY2KE