Red Steel stays offline
Word out of Nintendo of Europe'ssite- via an interview with Ubisoft's Stephanie Langlois, which you can't read, since you're not a European, have not purchased a European Nintendo game and thus have not obtained the code you need to do so - isthat Red Steel won't have online play... at least, not at launch. Nintendo's online service Connect 24, which pushes new features to Wii games while you sleep (if it works, anyway) could change that... but who knows? Best to just assume you won't be slashing each others' throats out and leave it that for now. It helps avoid disappointment if you lower your expectations. That's the kind of useful advice you need to navigate the tricky world of games these days. And it's the kind of advice we like to give out at Newsdump.
Book sale
Another pay download is being added to RPG heavyweight Oblivion. Whilewe've already pointed out that PC gamers can add in any number of awesome, free features to the game, we won't get too pissed off if you pay for one - even if it's not exactly awe-inspiring. The new one adds a bunch of spell books as treasures throughout the world- more detailshere. What we're wondering is how far they can spin out these downloads, though. Next up: evil-looking hats! After that: casseroles that look but do not smell like the real thing!
Visterious
Word has leaked - via Amazon.com, originally - that Windows Vista will hit on January 30 for somewhere between $99.95 and $399,ZDNet reports. Why the huge potential price difference? Well, there are four flavors, and two pricing schemes: upgrade (from your existing copy of Windows) and full price, and everything from Home Basic to Ultimate. Yeah, and Microsoft wonders why people are switching to Macintosh? While it's not too hard to understand when it's laid out in front of you, it's a bunch of choices nobody really needs to waste time making. Just sell people Windows, MS. We're busy over here.
Shelve it next to Lemmings
Continuing in its proud tradition of publishing games that go over huge in Britain but leave US gamers scratching their heads, Codemasters is resurrecting the Cannon Fodder series on the PSP. Unfortunately, we haven't gotten anything like a real look at it (that's a screenshot of the game up top) but we're hoping the promised blend of "fast-paced strategic action" and "devilish sense of humor" is not just a load of meaningless marketing-speak. Seriously - how many games are actually funny? Think about it. At any rate, we'll find out next year when the game gets released. If you'd like to look at few more screens or read more wannabe box copy, head over to Codemasters'official website.
August 29, 2006
