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Media: NBA 2K9 Trailer Makes Even Kevin Garnett Look Pretty
by Kombo Staff | 09/06/08 | 5:36 PM PST

You knew that it was only a matter of time before we heard something from NBA 2K9. Yesterday 2K sports released a new trailer, featuring the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Kevin Garnett. If this is representative of what all game play will look like, then I may quit going to games and just simulate the match-ups myself. The graphics look absolutely stunning. We can expect to see more, when the game hits shelves on October 7th.

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Another Madden 09 Patch on the Horizon
by Blake Grundman | 09/06/08 | 4:39 PM PST



Madden 09 has been hailed as one of the most solid football titles in several years. However, this doesn't mean that the games is perfect. Several members of the community have brought some glaring issues to the attention of EA, and it looks like the Madden development team is up to the challenge. Recently Ian Cummings, a producer on Madden 09, commented an the upcoming patch:

"The patch is being tested as I write this and will be sent off for verification in the morning, so we are targeting less than a 3 week turnaround from today for this to hit the general public. (Woohoo!) We will also make sure to provide updates as the patch progresses through the 3rd party approval process. As a side note, as of this moment there have been no changes to database schema, so you won't have to re-start your Franchise or delete any files. " -- Ian Cummings via Madden Producer Blog

It has not been confirmed what platforms will be seeing the aforementioned update, but it would be safe to say this should effect both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. I really appreciate that team Madden has a commitment to perfecting their games. Hopefully this will is a lesson that will trickle down to the NCAA 09 development team.

Hit the cut for the complete list of bugfixes.

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Bungie Reveals New Halo 3 Achievements
by Kim Fidler | 09/06/08 | 8:58 AM PST

Luke Smith, via the Bungie Weekly Update, has revealed some of the new achievements that will be added to Halo 3 when Title Update 2 hits later this month. The achievements shown are related to the campaign, ranked/social play, and the Legendary map pack. Luke is also quick to point out that these are not all of the achievements that will be added when the update launches, and more information will be given out in the coming weeks. Here's what's been shown so far.

• Vidmaster Challenge: Lightswitch (0 points) – Get to the rank of Lieutenant in any playlist in the new EXP progression system.


• Vidmaster Challenge: 7 on 7 (0 points) – Enter into any ranked or social playlist with 7 EXP on the 7th of the month.


• Vidmaster Challenge: Annual (0 points) – After 9/25/08, complete Halo on 4-player Legendary LIVE co-op, with Iron, and everyone in Ghosts.


• Double Double (25 points) – On a Legendary map, get two Double Kills during any ranked or social match.


• Poor Yorick (25 points) – On a Legendary map, get 3 Oddball melee kills during any ranked or social match.


• Came…From…Behind (50 points) – On a Legendary map, get 3 assassinations during any ranked or social match.


• Defend This (50 points) – On a Legendary map, get a flag melee kill during any ranked or social match.


• Flag Dropped (25 points) – On a Legendary map, get 2 flag carrier kills during any ranked or social match.


• Road Rage (25 points) – On a Legendary map, get 5 Warthog chaingun kills during any ranked or social match.


• Look Both Ways (50 points) – On a Legendary map, get a Splatter Spree during any ranked or social match.

I'm an achievement prostitute so I'm pretty excited about this update. While I only get to play Halo 3 about once per week, it'll be nice to have some new multiplayer objectives to go after. What I find a little strange is that Bungie could be blasting over the 1250 maximum gamerscore with this update. While the achievements shown only add up to 1250, will the upcoming ones offer points? Could this be a sign of things to come in terms of how many points a game will be allowed to give?

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Amazon Offering a Great Deal on 360 Elite
by Kim Fidler | 09/06/08 | 8:26 AM PST

What would you say if I told you that you could buy an Xbox 360 Elite for $339? You'd probably tell me that I was crazy and then ask me if I was serious. Well, I'm serious! For a limited time, Amazon is offering a pretty amazing price on the 360 Elite. While you won't be able to buy the system for $339, you will be given a $60 gift card when you buy the Elite for $399. Definitely one of the better deals I've seen on the Elite model and if you've been looking to grab a 360, you can't go wrong with 120 GB of pure storage potential.

For a limited time, when you buy an Xbox 360 Elite in our Video Games Store, you will qualify to receive a $60.00 Amazon.com Gift Card*. An email will be sent out by September 30, 2008 and will include the Amazon.com Gift Card and redemption instructions. This offer applies only to the purchase of an Xbox 360 Elite console offered by Amazon.com and does not apply to products sold on our site by third-party merchants or through third-party areas such as Amazon.com Marketplace or Auctions. Limit one per household. -- Amazon

I currently own a premium model and I'm almost tempted to jump on this deal. It's basically like getting the system with any game of your choosing for the regular price of $399. Plus it's black. That means it's better.

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Madden NFL 09 Roster Update #2 Now Available
by Kim Fidler | 09/06/08 | 7:48 AM PST



If you're getting excited about the start of the NFL football season, then you're probably going to want to grab the Madden NFL 09 roster update that EA just released. It will bring your rosters up to date, adjust some player ratings due to performance in the preseason, and bench the players that are out for the season on injuries.

The second roster update for Madden 09 is scheduled to release tomorrow for both the 360 and PS3. There are some ratings adjustments involved but this update is predominantly transaction based. The name change to Chad Ocho Cinco will not occur in this update. -- PastaPadre

It's pretty awesome to see how much effort EA puts into keeping their sports titles in line with what's happening in the real game. Roster updates are one of those small little details that people love so much about the EA line and even if it means having to update every year, I think it's worth it. On a somewhat related note, Seattle's going all the way this year. Yeah, I said it.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of adjustments.

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Other Stuff: Saving, Fun, Least Favorite Critical Games, and Atari's Golden Years
by David Oxford | 09/05/08 | 8:23 PM PST

Welcome to "Other Stuff." This is just a quick dumping ground for neat features and articles found while searching for news, maybe some stuff I don't really have much else to comment on, or items that don't really fit their own story. Stuff that's interesting to read, or at least sounded that way when I saw it.

• Top 10 Least Favorite Critically Acclaimed Games: Pretty much just what it says it is; games that people have loved or rated highly, but this guy didn't find all too appealing. Maybe you agree with some of them? Or maybe he's just full of it. You decide!
• Just What Is Fun, Anyway?: Newsweek's NGai Croal and I seem to have a similar stance as of late when it comes to stories in games: The big stuff isn't as fascinating as it used to be. So what else is there to motivate us to keep playing?
• Atari: The Golden Years -- A History, 1978-1981: I love reading up on the history of this business, and seeing what went down in the golden years of the company that was king before The Crash and Nintendo's subsequent revival of the industry is usually fun.
• Saving the Day: Save Systems in Games: About a week ago, you might recall that I wrote a little rant about saving in portable games. Well, now designer David Sirlin has taken the main topic-- saving-- and gone into far more detail about the whole subject, nevermind just the portables. Maybe there's something developers can pick up on in there...

...and that's it for me, I'm outta here. Have a good weekend!

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The Taste of Energy: Mega Man 9's E-Cans on Tap
by Kombo Staff | 09/05/08 | 7:57 PM PST

A few weeks ago, we brought you news of a hot little item hitting the streets of Japan to celebrate the release of Rock(Mega)man 9: The E-Tank energy drink.

People have sought to get their hands on one, and sure enough, it's happened. So does it taste like that god-awful magic potion the Square guys came up with? Well, as +D Games shows and tells it (in Japanese), the drink is clear, and "flavor and ingredients are typical to that of any other sports drink, though it has a strong aftertaste of royal honey - the drinks primary flavoring constituent. Nevertheless, he felt that the beverage does deliver a spot of energy for those laggy days at work or right after giving your all in sport." -- as translated by The Mega Man Network

In case you're not familiar with what royal jelly is... well, read at your own risk. I'll admit that even I'm hesitant to drink one of these things. Maybe I'll just keep it as a souveneir for the can...

On the other hand, maybe it's only the taste of royal jelly... of which I admit I have no idea the taste. Perhaps this bears further research...

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EA Can't Change Your WarHammer Online Preorder Address, But Can Cancel Your Order Easily Enough
by David Oxford | 09/05/08 | 7:25 PM PST

Ever tried to preorder a game from EA? I haven't... but I figured I should pass this along, just in case.

Electronic Arts immediately forwards all pre-orders to a secretive processing facility, so if you happy to change your address after ordering a game eight months in advance, well, tough. At least that's what Electronic Arts told Micah when he asked to update his pre-order for the now sold-out limited-run collector's edition of Warhammer: Age of Reckoning. When Micah pointed out that it might not be the best idea to sell games eight months in advance without a way to update addresses, Electronic Arts canceled his order altogether and told him to find another copy somewhere else. -- The Consumerist

Click the link for a much more detailed account of the back-and-forth endured.

It doesn't really make sense that they are able to cancel the order with the shipping company, but unable to update a person's address for the preorder. On the other hand, with some of these user-unfriendly programs I've dealt with lately, I'm not completely surprised.

In any event, let this be a warning if you preorder a game from EA, with the possibility of moving within eight month's time.

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My Game This Weekend: Too Human - What's Yours?
by Blake Grundman | 09/05/08 | 7:14 PM PST

Well, the buzz for Too Human has gotten the best of me. Overall the reviews from most gaming publications have been pretty scathing. There have been many comments about promises made, but never delivered on. However, on the community side there has been more widespread support, even acceptance. Many fansites have been praising the game's variety and replayability.

The early portions of the game have left me scratching my head a bit. I am also having some difficulties with the new control scheme that the game introduces, but I am sure that this will pass with time. If I were to make one flash judgement, it would be that the story is a bit scatter shot. This may be due to the fact that I was just trying to power through the game, but it is still a bit confusing. Though I can't really understand what is going on all the time, I still find myself compelled to be a part of it!

As a skeptic of anything that I haven't completed myself, I have decided to dedicate my weekend to trying the game out. I was once a victim of the soul stealing Diablo games, and the frequent comparisons have me hopeful. What it all comes down to is whether or not Too Human can unleash my inner loot whore. I have done my best to restrain myself for this long, but Lord knows what will happen when that disc enters my 360 again. All I can say is that my wife has already been warned, and she has the priest of our church on speed dial in case I become to possessed. "The spirit of Dyack compels you!"

Well that's enough from me, what do you have planned for your weekend of gaming pleasure?

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Microsoft Wants to Spill Beans on New Halo 'Sooner Than Later'
by David Oxford | 09/05/08 | 7:05 PM PST

After the back and forth over the announcement of a new Halo at E3 (which has been said to be put off for "its own event"), all we really know for sure is that... there's something new coming for Halo.

That said, the question was put forth at PAX about when we'd hear more about the title, to which Luke Smith stated "Unfortunately, that's not a question for me. You'll have to ask Microsoft."

And so, ask someone did:

"Hopefully soon. We haven't said anything exactly yet, but I know the 'Halo' nation and Xbox fans out there are waiting and there's been a lot of rumors. We hope to be able to have some more information to share sooner than later." -- Microsoft's Xbox Director of Product Management Aaron Greenberg, to MTV Multiplayer

Go figure. You'd think that if they were ready to go at E3, setting up another event for the title wouldn't sound like such an obstacle for them.

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WWE Tombstones Game Asylum's YouTube Account Over Old Game Trailer
by David Oxford | 09/05/08 | 6:44 PM PST

While I am undoubtedly a fan of WWE, there are times that they do things to which I can only shake my head (insert joke here). This time, it involves effectively killing one website's YouTube account, not over wrestling footage, but a year-old wrestling game trailer:

Apologies for the harsh language there, but you may (or may not) have noticed that Games Asylum's YouTube page has been permanently disabled.

Occasionally we'd get the odd e-mail from EA and other publishers via YouTube claiming copyright on videos that we uploaded, but they didn't mind us uploading them. And why would they? We're giving their games publicity for free. Heck, the press are always sending us links to videogame trailers so that we can potentially feature them on this site.

But earlier this week a year old video of the WWE Vs Smackdown trailer was removed, because the WWE claimed full ownership and copyright violation. Today I received a message stating that the Game Asylum account has been disabled, thus losing everything that was uploaded - over 300 videos, including some personally taken in Tokyo.

Last time I checked the channel had over 3 million video views. Obviously YouTube aren't bothered about the loss. -- Games Asylum

Now, this sucks-- no question about it. However, seeing odd things like this here and there over the years, I have don't really blame the company so much. I don't think Mr. McMahon or Triple H came across the video and said "let's shut this bastard down." Usually, this stuff comes down to some legal guys doing their jobs-- and poorly, one might surmise, especially with all the other footage, video, and music there is.

The other problem would likely be YouTube, who I think overreacted. As it seems many companies are prone to do, they're more willing to listen to an angry, vocal minority-- or one company, in this case-- without giving the "offending" party a chance to defend itself, or allow others to speak up on their behalf. And that's just rubbish.

It would be nice to think someone might realize there was an overreaction here, but I don't see that happening, and that's unfortunate indeed.

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Dead Space Banned in Japan, Germany, and China
by Kim Fidler | 09/05/08 | 6:03 PM PST



You know a game is well on its way to being awesome when it gets banned in 3 countries even before it's released. Dead Space community manager, Andrew Green, has told Destructoid that gamers in Germany, Japan, and China will not be able to get their hands on the title when it ships this October. No reason was given as to why the title was banned but I'm going to say that it probably has something to do with blood, tentacles, and the lack of communism.

"We've also been told by Dead Space community manager Andrew Green that the title has been completely banned from the following countries: Germany, Japan, and China. That's right, there's just too much survival and way too much horror in Dead Space for these countries to handle. No word on whether EA has any plans to alter the game for a future release in those territories. -- Destructoid

Germany, China, and Japan? I understand the first two but I'm really confused about the inclusion of Japan. This is the same country that brings us games like Resident Evil and movies like "Ichi The Killer." Either they're turning into a bunch of softies or Dead Space is even more intense than what we've been shown. It's violent, but violent enough to warrant a ban? Does that even exist?

While it may affect some sales, I think that this could work in EA's favor. Not sure about everyone else, but every time I hear about a game getting banned in another country, it makes me want to play that game even more. Except for Australia, they ban everything in Australia.

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Random Video of the Day: Red vs. Blue Animated
by David Oxford | 09/05/08 | 5:46 PM PST

Admit it... wouldn't it be cool if the boys at Rooster Teeth were able to produce a fully-animated Red vs. Blue series?

Attendees at PAX last weekend had a chance to see for themselves what such an endeavor might have been like... however, they have no such plans of making more, though they do have some hope.

What really sucks is, they don't plan to put the video they do have online... so you'll have to make do with this pirated shakey-cam footage.

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Team Ninja Reaches Settlement, Kills All Within
by David Oxford | 09/05/08 | 5:30 PM PST

Just kidding. This is one ninja battle that seems to have ended without bloodshed, fortunately.

Team Ninja's saga has spanned the past few months, and is finally at a close, with a a judicial settlement reached:

Regarding the litigation against our company, on September 1st a settlement was reached as indicated below:

Settlement for the Lawsuit Has Been Reached
On July 16th, two of our employees brought suit against our company regarding unpaid overtime in the Tokyo District Court and presented a proposed settlement. On September 1, 2008, a judicial settlement was reached. -- Kotaku

That just leaves the question of Itagaki, who left the company just prior to this case for similar reasons.

Do you think he would settle? Or take them through the wringer for all they're worth? Tell us in the comments.

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A Buggy Life: How Patches are Making Developers Lazy
by Brad Hilderbrand | 09/05/08 | 5:27 PM PST




Is anyone else suffering from a bug infestation?

I'm not talking about the ants that invade your kitchen in the summertime, turning your countertops into a constant parade of little black bodies heading behind the refrigerator to that soda spill you never bothered to clean up. Nor am I noting the buzzy flies that come around every summer to ruin your picnic and turn an otherwise respectable person into an arm-flailing madman. No, I'm talking about buggy games, firmware updates, and patches, which all seem to be more prevalent now than ever before. It seems like a lot of titles are shipping in a borderline broken status, and developers are relying on patches to fix their handiwork after enough consumers complain about major game problems. This is unacceptable, and without more stringent QA procedures and a heavier emphasis on making sure the game is right before it goes out the door, we are in danger of heading down a road where shipped games are little more than Alpha code, with promises of future fixes actually making them playable.