Mark from "Game Hunters" shares his first impressions of the soon to be smash hit, "Sims 3" for Consoles.
One of the highest-rated computer games in recent memory is making its way to consoles. Electronic Arts' The Sims 3 will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii on October 26.
Can EA take a "lean in" experience, where you micromanage the lives of little people, and make it appeal to a more "lean back" gamer? From what we've seen at a recent press event in New York City, they've figured out how to do it.
First off, The Sims 3 for consoles has everything the PC version has, says EA, but with tweaked controls, a better suited user interface and fun extras such as karma powers and a reward system.
If you've ever played the computer version, you're well aware of how the game mechanics work: you take care of the needs and desires of your customizable Sims, mingle with the neighbors, excel in your career and decorate your home with unlockable items.
The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, which mark the first time The Sims has appeared on next-generation consoles, also lets you exchange items with friends over the Internet, while the Nintendo Wii game has its own unique town and careers, a 4-player minigame, and the ability to swim in the ocean or go windsurfing.
One of the coolest new features of The Sims 3 on consoles is "karma powers," where you can cast a spell, of sorts, to help your sim out in a number of ways. For example, does a pretty Sim like someone other than your own Sim? Use "Cosmic Curse" to the take out the competition by giving her suitor some serious flatulence. Is your Sim feeling down and needs a "Best Day Ever"? Everything will go right for your Sim as they go to work and get a promotion, and then come home to find an attractive neighbor at their doorstep. Each power only lasts a couple of hours, so be selective when and how you use it.
2K Games have just released Bioshock 2's new swarm mode pack called "Protector Trials". The new single player expansion pack can now be purchased and downloaded from the Xbox LIVE Marketplate for 400 MSP.
The new DLC contains six new maps, new Achievements, and a bunch of new unlockables.
Protector Trials for Bioshock 2 extends the single player experience with “swarms of corrupt Splicers who are hell-bent on stealing the precious ADAM that she gathers from corpses.”
Bioshock 2 "Projector Trials" DLC Includes
Six new maps: three unique difficulty levels, each based on favorite locales from BioShock 2;
New unlockables: including never-before-seen concept art and videos;
Seven new Achievements: grab the new DLC for access to seven new achievements.
Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox battle it out for the gaming crown.
Sales of the Sony PlayStation 3 console has outstripped the sales of Microsoft's Xbox 360 by 28% in the financial year ending on June 30 2010.
According to figures, 10.3 million Xbox 360 consoles were sold in comparison to 14.3 million PS3 consoles in the same time frame. This is a shift from the previous year, when Xbox 360 was selling more than the PS3. The reason for this reversal seems to be the price reduction of the Sony PS3 consoles as well as its PS3 Slim version.
However, in overall sales, Microsoft is still in the lead, having sold 3.6 million more Xbox 360's than Sony PS3's.
fourzerotwo tweeted "We’re updating the playlists to Modern Warfare 2 for Xbox 360. The update will bring the triumphant return of a dedicated Capture the Flag playlist, in addition to the new Hardcore Moshpit playlist."
Hardcore Moshpit allows you to play Hardcore Domination (YESSSS!), Hardcore Demolition, Hardcore Capture the Flag, and Hardcore Sabotage for the first time in a public playlist; as well as the Hardcore TDM, Hardcore HQ Pro, and Hardcore S&D staples that HC fans already know and love.
These two additions will take the place of the Resurgence playlists, since they are now integrated into all modes.
Note that this playlist update is currently only on Xbox 360 but will be made for Playstation and Steam users in a week or so (due to the Resurgence Package and corresponding playlists having only recently been added to PSN and PC).
Players should be seeing the playlist update hit their boxes in the next hour or so (depending on location, as it takes time to prop to everyone). Jump online, and enjoy!
The 250GB hard drive supplied with the new 250GB Xbox 360 S will be available to buy separately..
The reveal came via a box shot released by Microsoft this afternoon of the upcoming 4GB Xbox 360, which states in the accessories section that the new style hard drive is 'sold separately'.
Except it isn't yet.
But presumably it will be by the time the 4GB Xbox 360 goes on sale next month. The new console, which sports 4GB internal memory, should let you upgrade the amount of hard drive space available by slotting the new hard drive into the slot on the console's base.
Of course, news of the 250GB S hard drive being made available to buy separately isn't too surprising.
Each of the hard drives supplied with older Xbox 360s have eventually made their way to market individually so that users can increase their storage space, including the 20GB, 60GB and 120GB hard drives, and more recent 250GB model.
Last month, THQ reported some not-so-awesome sales figures for its second annual entry into the UFC Undisputed franchise -- to the tune of an almost 50 percent decline from sales for last year's first stab at game-ifying the sport.
In a recent discussion with the print version of MCV (via CVG), Jon Rooke, the company's UK marketing director, provided one possible explanation for the decrease: "That's largely down to Red Dead Redemption," Rooke explained.
Though Undisputed 2010 has managed to ship a sizable 2.6 million units, Rooke stated that the title hasn't "delivered the broader sales yet." He added, "Rockstar have probably taken a fair amount of our market share. They shipped 5m units, taking a lot of consumer dollars." We know exactly what he's talking about: We picked up Red Dead Redemption instead of UFC because we heard the former had really great wrasslin' -- but we were unfortunately greeted with hours of rustlin' instead.
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