Valve recently posted an article detailing the latest updates that were released today for Left 4 Dead.
There isn’t much included in the update other than some bug fixes and tweaks that will make the game run smoother. However, the update now makes it so when you melee in versus mode, you will get fatigued. This is a whole new element of gameplay that is sure to turn the tables at least a bit.
This patch release is for the PC but a console version is said to be coming with the Survival DLC pack.
Read (Steam)
Great news everyone! Sanrio Digital and Aeria Games has recently announced a partnership that will bring Hello Kitty Online to North America, w00t!
Sanrio Digital exec Robert Ferrari had this to say:
Sanrio Digital is very excited to partner with Aeria Games, who will be our online publisher and operator for Hello Kitty Online in North America. With Aeria Games’ leadership position in the free-to-play casual MMO sector and Hello Kitty brand awareness among the underserved female gaming audience, Hello Kitty Online will grow into a leading social gaming destination for teens and female adults
I don’t know about you guys, but this seems like a joke from a certain South Park episode.
Want more information about Hello Kitty Online? Head over to the game’s official website, here.
Gameloft, mobile-game-publishing-behemoth, has recently stated that the iPhone (and iPod touch) version of Assassin’s Creed is set to join the likes of games like The Oregon Trail by this May.
This release window comes after the discovery that Assassin’s Creed would in fact be hitting the App Store along with Terminator Salvation which would come at a later date.
If Assassin’s Creed is proven to be successful on this new mobile platform, who’s to say we won’t be seeing iPhone versions of games like Gears of War and Halo? Oh yeah, Microsoft, bummer.
Read (Joystiq)
It was recently announced at the Game Developers Conference by Nintendo’s Masato Kuwahara that new game cards are on the way that will favor the Nintendo DSi.
In fact, one of these mentioned cards will only work on the Nintendo DSi handheld. The other, however, will work on the previous generation consoles but will have features that will only be playable if you are using a DSi.
Let’s just hope this doesn’t mean that Nintendo is going to throw in some gimmicky mini games utilizing the DSi’s built in camera.
Read (Joystiq)
It was recently announced that Activision would be securing a spot in Sony’s Playstation Home virtual world for their Guitar Hero franchise.
The feature is entitled Backstage With Guitar Hero and will include an easily recognizable set, pictured above. Apparently it will include a mini game called Rock God which includes game play similar to that of Simon, or any other memorization game.
Backstage With Guitar Hero will hit the Playstation Home service tomorrow.
Read (Kotaku)
At this years GDC, Nintendo has revealed the sequel to 2007′s DS hit Phantom Hourglass. The new game, on the DS as well, will be called Spirit Tracks, or rather, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Nintendo says:
“The concept behind this Zelda game includes utilizing a steam locomotive to travel around the world, switching Phantom and Link to explore the dungeons, and solving puzzles using new items.”
The game features the same cell-shaded looks as Phantom Hourglass, and is slated for release later this year. You can check out the GDC trailer here.
Japanese independent game developer and publisher Level-5, (not Factor 5, the developers of the Rogue Squadron series and Lair), will be releasing an online game distribution portal known as ROID.
First announced at Tokyo Game Show in 2008, the new content delivery system will let users access their games on their mobile and later, on the PC as well on roid.jp.
The new service is set to launch with a surprise title, according to Famitsu, which suggests the JRPG EarthBound. More details at 1UP here.
Micheal Pachter, the analyst from Webush Morgan that frequently tosses his two cents in on the video game business, has some new opinion this time around GDC time. He claims that this console generation — with the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 — will be the last, because publishers are spending too much money supporting three platforms instead one, unified console platform. Pachter says:
“I think we’ve seen the last generation of consoles. [Third party publishers] are not going to support a PS4 or Xbox 720. The content is not going to change in any meaningful ways because the publishers can’t afford it.”
Other analysts, like Colin Sebastian and David Cole, disagree, but say that the next console generation, which should be released in 2012, will be the last. Hmm, who to believe?
At this years GDC, Nintendo has announced that the Wii has shipped 50 million units worldwide, which makes it the fastest selling home console in history. This makes good sense, as AMD recently revealed that they shipped 50 million Wii GPUs.
Wii shipments can be roughly distributed as: 23 million in North America, 17 million in Europe and 10 million in Japan and rest of Asia. Analysts expect the Wii to break the 60 million units sold this year.
