Another Thursday update for us Europeans. Is this going to be a recurring thing? It makes sense for all the stores to be updated on the same day, after all. Well, let's get down to it. Here are your updates to the store for this week:
Just in time for the European release tomorrow, The Darkness gets a demo and a trailer. So if you're not sure whether to get the game or not, check these out. We're not at all surprised to see a lack of Heavenly Sword demo this week, despite it being ready to go. We'll no doubt see it next Friday. Or Thurday. Which is it, Sony? You're messing with our heads.
We're proud to announce the winners of our Xbox 360/PS3 Fanboy The Darkness giveaway. Although Xbox 360 Fanboy dominated with a mountain of entries, we're still glad that the PS3 community stood by this excellent FPS. Here are the winners for Xbox 360 and PS3:
Starbreeze's Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay was one of those titles that you really, really should have played. The critically acclaimed game was known for its incredible graphics, atmospheric story and brutal, violent gameplay but was largely ignored by gamers who wrote it off as another cheap movie tie-in or were distracted by Half-Life 2 and Doom 3, both of which had just been released. It's a shame though, because Riddick easily held its own against both of those titles and is considered by many people to be the best FPS of 2004. And now, three years later, Starbreeze has done it again with their latest effort, The Darkness. Though only a little more than half-way through the year, The Darkness is an early runner for best FPS of 2007. A fantastic amalgamation of tight gameplay, mature storytelling and excellent graphics, the title is an absolute must-buy and is an instant classic.
Based on Top Cow's long running comic series of the same name, the story revolves around an anti-hero by the name of Jackie Estacado. Adopted by a mafia Don when a child, Jackie was raised to be the perfect hitman and enforcer for the mob. Things were going swimmingly until his 21st birthday when a strange and evil power within him called the Darkness is awoken. Older than time, this menavolent entity gives its host incredible powers and protection -- but nothing in this world is free and Jackie is about to find out what the cost of ultimate power is ...
Our favorite penny-pincher, CheapyD from Cheap Ass Gamer, has found yet another tasty deal for us. This week you can pick up The Darkness for a mere $49.99 from Circuit City. This knocks the price of Starbreeze's latest FPS from the unruly next-gen price of $60 to a more comfortable PS2-level price point.
The Darkness has been getting fantastic reviews so far and looks like a must-buy when it comes out today. And now, thanks to CheapyD, you can buy the game and even have enough money left over for a McDonalds value meal and a 40 of Old English. Now THAT'S good living.
You have entered our The Darkness giveaway, haven't you? We're trying to beat Xbox 360 Fanboy by getting more entries than them ... but it looks like they've taken the lead! Make sure you tell all your PS3-owning friends to enter. The site with the most entries gets not two, but three copies of the game to give away.
You like winning, don't you? To enter, visit the official contest page. Remember, the contest ends at 11:59PM EST tomorrow (6/26). For complete rules, click here.
Quite a well populated list. There's no real way anyone can complain about this week's releases. Unless you're a European The Darkness fan. Don't forget, though. If there's a game that's only available in another region, then feel free to import it. Your PlayStation 3 won't care. Release dates are subject to constant change, so give your local game shop a ring before walking down there.
Which of this week's releases will you be picking up? We've already got our copies of The Darkness ordered.
We saw warning signs that this might happen about a week ago. GAME.uk.com changed the release date for The Darkness from June 29th to July 20th. We figured if we ignored it, maybe it wouldn't be true. Unfortunately, it is true. Play.com and Amazon.co.uk have both updated their release dates to correspond with GAME.
So it looks like we're in for another wait. It is, however, important to remember that the PS3 is region free for games. The American version will still be out early next week, so hop on over to your favourite international games website and get ordering. Alternatively, you could get an American friend to enter our The Darkness contest and send you the winnings. If they win.
Starbreeze's hotly anticipated FPS title is coming to the PS3 ... and Xbox 360. We have five copies of the game to give away, but we don't know which version we should hand out. Xbox 360? PS3? Well, you'll help us decide in the very first Xbox 360 Fanboy/PS3 Fanboy joint contest. We're pitting each community against each other. Fans on Xbox 360 Fanboy will explain why the 360 version of the game will be better. You will explain why the PS3 version of the game will be better. To enter:
Finish this sentence: "The PS3 version of The Darkness is better than the 360 version because ... "
Submit your idea to our comments section.
Two winners will be chosen from PS3 Fanboy. If the PS3 Fanboy sweepstakes receives more entries than the Xbox 360 Fanboy sweepstakes, a third winner will be chosen here at PS3 Fanboy. All winners will receive a prize package from 2K Games, which includes one copy of the game, and a very cool The Darkness comic. Entries will only be accepted until 6/26/07. Please note that the giveaway is open US residents only, 18 years or older. For complete rules and regulations, click here.
Next week, PS3 gamers are finally going to get (shock!) a real game. 2K Games is releasing The Darkness to the Americas next week. We've received a batch of new screenshots from the game, showcasing some of its brutal, gory gameplay. We're working with 2K Games right now to have something real special for you ... Stay tuned for more details.
Are you ready for this? We feel like, for the first time, we are relaying some good news to all the Europeans out there. Read on to see what your PSN Store now contains.
Where to start! Yes, the games are Midway rehashes (and you know how we feel about those) but, really, it's the thought that counts. Sony are finally pulling their collective finger out and releasing some decent content to the European market. As a quick aside, we can't stop watching that Haze trailer. Honestly. It's on repeat in the background at this very moment.
But what of the Motorstorm Time Attack Mode? We only just got done telling you that it has been delayed, which it has. In America, at least. For those of you about to download it, take heed. There are reports of problems occuring unless you do things in the proper order. Load Motorstorm and update to version 1.2 in the online menu, then download the Time Attack Mode and install.
If you're a subscriber to The Darkness' bulletin via MySpace or whatever, you may have been alerted to some news that's quite the disappointment. Initially, there was planned a demo prior to release, however, that seems to have changed. The developers issued this statement, in character: "The wicked embodiment of Light and Order, the Angelus, must be corrupting the Darkness somehow because the demo is not ready."
Yes, that's exactly why the demo isn't ready. In any case, they promised that "there will be a demo. I cannot guarantee that it will come before the game releases." We keep complaining about the lack of demos and this doesn't help. We know we'll get one, but getting it after the game is released almost defeats the purpose. Regardless, we'll be happy when it arrives because we simply can't fall on either side of the fence for this game.
In a recent Q&A with Gamespot Jens Matthies, Art Director at Starbreeze, discussed voice actors, in-game advertising and developing a game for two next-gen consoles.
When asked what sort of technical limitations Starbreeze came across when developing The Darkness for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 Matthies responding saying that "this game as a whole has been the single most challenging experience of my life. The fact that we did it for two new platforms that are fundamentally very different is bordering on stupidity." Whether that's simply from an art perspective or not is unclear, but it begs the question of why so many games are deciding to go multi-platform if it is as difficult an undertaking as Matthies says. We reckon that in a year or so this will be happening less and less as developers start to make concrete decisions on which system to support. By then the PlayStation 3 will be at a point in its lifespan where it will be showing what it really has to offer.
Read the full Q&A for more of Matthies' views on the development process for The Darkness. Including some discussion on real world video being placed inside a video game world and what implications that could have on game pricing in the future. It's fairly light on actual information, but we suppose it's still quite an interesting read. If you've nothing better to do.
With the release of The Darkness less than a month away IGN have seen fit to interview a certain Mr. Paul Jenkins about his role in the development of the game. British-born (and therefore automatically cool) Jenkins worked on the comic of The Darkness for Top Cow and is now working on the script for the game. Other game credentials include the God of War series and the Legacy of Kainseries, the latter of which happens to be a particular favourite of mine. With games like these under his belt we can be sure to get something great out of the story of The Darkness.
The interview discusses his experiences in the industry -- both comics and video games -- as well as what it has been like writing for The Darkness and developing the game with Starbreeze. It's an interesting read, by all accounts, though there's little information on the game itself except a wee bit of regarding implementation of 'invisible' loading screens. Be sure to check it out, regardless. If you find yourself hungry for more The Darkness goodies then keep in mind that we should be seeing a demo on the PSN within the next few weeks. We can't wait, can you?
Not a lot new here. With the game due for release next month, we've seen a lot of what's to come already. These screenshots show that it's still looking beautiful, as well as showing a good reason not to let a Darkling near you with a chainsaw. But I guess that's common sense. Where are those videos we were promised, hmm? Will you be grabbing this game when it releases?
Fancy some new details about The Darkness? Go on then, you've twisted my arm. If you've been keeping an eye on the Myspace page for the game then you'll probably already know this, but for those who haven't I'm here to relay Lord Sonatine's message. Here's the skinny:
Release date: Confirmed for the 25th of June
Demos: No cover discs. Expect to see a downloadable demo on the PLAYSTATION Store three weeks before release.
Videos: Three in the works. One is ready and is working on being approved. Apparently we'll LOVE it. Two other videos, showing off multiplayer and 'supernatural elements' of the game, have started being produced.
Pre-order: Doing so at EB or Gamestop will net you an in-game 2K Sports Darkling.
Sounds great to me. It should be a couple of months filled with The Darkness, all the way up to release. Give in. The Darkness is coming, and it's bringing friends.
Another Thursday update for us Europeans. Is this going to be a recurring thing? It makes sense for all the stores to be updated on the same day, after all. Well, let's get down to it. Here are your updates to the store for this week:
Our favorite penny-pincher, CheapyD from Cheap Ass Gamer, has found yet another tasty deal for us. This week you can pick up The Darkness for a mere $49.99 from Circuit City. This knocks the price of Starbreeze's latest FPS from the unruly next-gen price of $60 to a more comfortable PS2-level price point.
We saw warning signs that this might happen about a week ago. GAME.uk.com changed the release date for The Darkness from June 29th to July 20th. We figured if we ignored it, maybe it wouldn't be true. Unfortunately, it is true. Play.com and Amazon.co.uk have both updated their release dates to correspond with GAME.
In a recent Q&A with Gamespot Jens Matthies, Art Director at Starbreeze, discussed voice actors, in-game advertising and developing a game for two next-gen consoles.
With the release of The Darkness less than a month away IGN have seen fit to interview a certain Mr. Paul Jenkins about his role in the development of the game. British-born (and therefore automatically cool) Jenkins worked on the comic of The Darkness for Top Cow and is now working on the script for the game. Other game credentials include the God of War series and the Legacy of Kain series, the latter of which happens to be a particular favourite of mine. With games like these under his belt we can be sure to get something great out of the story of The Darkness. 
