Watch the teaser trailer, funny stuff.
Global Agenda Trailer

Via http://twitter.com/turbine/statuses/1924303056:

LOTRO: Twitter Exclusive Reveal! VOLUME II, BOOK 8: SCOURGE OF KHAZAD-DÛM coming in June! You heard it here first!

Yay! New content for Heren Vanista to blow through! ^_^

I was playing Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and came across something interesting.

The game is very much a classic arcade game, think the original arcade TMNT. It feels very much like a console port, the camera is jumpy, the controls don’t quite “feel” right and the action/combat is very repetitive.

What grabbed me though was the character progression. Powers to learn, points to earn (and then spend) costumes to unlock, characters to unlock, special abilities to gain. The more you play a specific character, the further you can develop them. And thus they call it an rpg. There’s nothing they do here that’s remarkable, but it was more of a moment of self realization; I like it when I can develop a character. There’s something deeply satisfying and fun in it for me.

So what is an RPG? The basic idea is that you take on the persona of a given character and act it out. That’s not really what an rpg is for me, I’ll do that with most games. In Grand Theft Auto I used to ignore the missions and imagine my own. There was enough freedom in the game that I was able to to act out what I believed my character would do.

Perhaps the question is pointless. I sit here and try to define what an rpg is to me, but I feel that the term is now just a marketing word with no one definition.

So instead I’ll try and get back to the vague point of this blog post. That is, my sudden interest in the game when character development was added. Why did I have such a strong reaction? Is it because from such an early age I’ve played games with character development? Or perhaps by customizing the character, I’m able to get into their head more and imagine more involved scenarios.

-justin

Valkyria Chronicles is getting additional content on the April 16th PSN update. I am so kicking myself in the head for not picking this up. I guess I have a present for myself when I get some nice-paying clients! ^_^

Source Engine mod Neotokyo has been in the works for years. Quickly approaching their much anticipated release, they are beginning to drop other tasty morsels, first with an official trailer, an FAQ from a dev, and now the soundtrack on CD!

From the Neotokyo music page:

13 songs will be released as mp3’s free with the mod, but if you want to support Ed Harrison, and all the hard work he has put into this 27 TRACK-DOUBLE CD, then we can’t think of a better way to spend $11 dollars.

Beyond the pure excitement that we will soon be able to play this mod, this is a great example of independent developers coming together and creating something without the need of a game publisher backing them. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the game won’t be showing up on Steam sometime after it is released.

Because I am a chump for soundtrack music, and that I don’t play mp3’s, I ordered the CD today (it was out of stock quickly, so hurry and get yours!). Soon I will be chillaxing to an even larger ambient cyberpunk playlist! ^_^

If the post title made sense to you, then go ahead and jump into PlayStation Home and have at it. For the uninitiated, the PlayStation.Blog explains:

The world’s first console-based Alternate Reality Game starts today in PlayStation Home.

Called Xi , the adventure takes place in a series of secret areas in Home – and beyond – changing day by day, week by week, in real time. Anyone with a PLAYSTATION 3 can join in the fun for free.

To discover the mystery of Xi, simply log on to PlayStation Home and look for the graffiti on the wall in the main square. Find that, and all will be revealed….

I wanted to test it out before I blogged about it, and it is live, with a new zone that pays homage to a past project (or something). You can hear all about the speculation in the Xi forum.

Now, if you excuse me, I need to find the other scraps of paper…

Our favourite OSS RTS has just been released with an update that adds a whole lot, including: new campaigns, AI-objective setting, multiplayer balancing, new graphics, new tiles, and new music! You can read the whole change log at http://www.wesnoth.org/start/1.6/.

Congratulations to the Wesnoth team! This is a great update to an already great game. I will definitely be on later tonight! ^_^

From the PlayStation.Blog:

We’re finally able to announce that our latest free downloadable Burnout pack bikes will be out 18th September!!!

It’s tough to give specific dates on downloadable content, because we don’t know for certain until the last minute. But hey, we’re really excited about bringing bikes to Burnout, so we’re going to take a chance and tell you that we’re aiming for September 18 – that’s this coming Thursday!

There is more details on that post, but nothing new. The question is, get it now, or wait until the game is released on the PSN as a downloadable game?

Do you have a nanosuit? Do you find yourself always visiting strange tropic islands filled with Koreans? If so, you might have a Crysis.

Where we’re going, we don’t need paths. Remember that there are many ways to finish objectives. Go in stealth mode and sneak past the unsuspecting guards, or use strength mode and climb the mountain to the side. Don’t forget that you can grab those guards as well. A quick switch to strength mode and you can send him flying into his compatriots.

Sweet ride. Shoot out a vehicles tires as it’s driving and watch what happens! Another fun trick is to get into a vehicle and then enable stealth mode, your energy won’t drain! Drive into an enemy camp (remember to hold down the shift key to give yourself a boost) and then jump out. The guards will run to investigate the vehicle. A grenade or a shot to the gas tank will give them something to talk about.

Flashlights bad, lasers good. If you equip that flashlight to your gun, they will see you, stealth mode or not. The laser pointer on the other-hand emits light in a spectrum invisible to the Korean eye.

Turbine has put up a page on the LOTRO site with a few details of the upcoming Mines of Moria expansion. Among the highlights are legendary weapons, crafting guilds, and trait sets.

There are some other things, but it is stock expansion hype (really, 200 new monsters, huh?). Check it out at http://www.lotro.com/moria.