GamingBits.com Podcast #21 (week of 7/7/08): Thought we'd leave you hanging? Your GamingBits.com Podcast is in! A slight delay, but there's a nice bonus interview that Sha'ul, Rivithed (me) and Koei Canada bring you.
Listen for a chat with Mike Bond, lead game designer behind Fatal Inertia EX on the PLAYSTATION 3 and Fatal Inertia on the Xbox 360. Mike shares some insight on how he helped break the mold of what we've typically come to expect from Koei. How did the PLAYSTATION 3 Fatal Inertia EX release benefit from the original Xbox 360 release? What Nintendo game is an inspiration, and favorite, for Mike? What about Trophies on Fatal Inertia EX? Listen for Mike's answers on the podcast!
Fatal Inertia EX will be coming to the European PlayStation Network soon, on July 15th. It's currently available on the PSN for North America and Japan. An extensive playable demo is available as well. Thanks to Mike Bond, Koei Canada and Jarik Sikat for making the interview possible.
Sha'ul also brings you the weekly updates, like what's new in videogame releases, a couple of news bits, what GamingBits.com YouTube videos BitHeads are watching most, and what game he just finished up! Enjoy it!
Don't forget to send in your E3 questions to . Last call!
Nintendo:
- Star Wars Battlefront III listed by Amazon.com for the Wii.
Source: GoNintendo
- Two new Harvest Moon games are heading to the Wii and DS soon. They are titled "Island of Happiness" and "Tree of Tranquility."
Source: GWN
Xbox 360: - Major Nelson has just revealed their E3 hub for gamers. Check it out for some of the Xbox 360 action at E3.
Source: Xbox.com
- [Rumor Bit] Looks like it's going to happen. The Xbox 360 price cut is taking affect this Sunday at Gamestop.
Source: Kotaku
PLAYSTATION 3: - Attention Metal Gear Solid 4 fans! Konami has just released two new game modes for Metal Gear Online called "Team Sneaking" and "Headshots Only."
Source: Eurogamer
The Singstore has been updated for you vocal fans. Eighteen new tracks have been added.
Source: thepsn.co.uk
Square Enix has released its first iPod game, and it's a tactical RPG. The $4.99 game (129 MB total) is available from the iTunes Store and is compatible with the iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod. English and Japanese languages are included. Using the iPod's tracks, Song Summoner melds your music into the gameplay.
From Square Enix: "SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes is a Role-Playing Game that transforms your iPod songs into powerful "Tune Troopers" that you can control in battle! As the protagonist Ziggy, you will embark on an epic journey to rescue your brother from the clutches of the Mechanical Militia! Intriguing characters, an epic story and a tactics-based battle system combine for a rich RPG experience previously only available on home and handheld game consoles."
Unreal Tournament III was just released yesterday for the Xbox 360. The debut price tag of the Xbox 360 version at $59.99 seems steep in comparison to the PLAYSTATION 3 ($39.99) and PC ($29.99, or less) releases. Granted, they both started at a higher price tag as well. But Xbox 360 gamers had a longer wait, right? Well Amazon.com fixes up, at least for today, 7/8/08.
Unreal Tournament III is available as Amazon.com's Deal of the Day for today. UT3 is priced at $44.99, about $15 less than you'll find anywhere else. Not a bad deal for Epic's FPS title. Let us know if you spot any other deals on Unreal Tournament III for the Xbox 360.
PLAYSTATION 3 gamers will be happy to know that the PLAYSTATION 3's firmware update 2.41 is now available. The update fixes last week's release of 2.40, which caused problems for some PLAYSTATION 3 users (read more on that here).
Eric Lempel, Director of PlayStation Network Operations, reported on the PlayStation Blog: "As many of you know, we released PS3 firmware update v2.40 last week, but had to take it offline temporarily because, for a limited number of users, the XMB wouldn’t display after the update was installed. We’ve been able to fix the problem, and I’m happy to report that firmware update v2.41 will be released shortly."
It's now available, so download it now to use in-game XMB and get your trophies. Let us know how it worked out for you!
McFarlane Toys is keeping busy creating plastic versions of digital videogame characters. Besides the Halo and Guitar Hero figures, McFarlane Toys has announced an upcoming line of Call of Duty: World at War figures.
McFarlane Toys' Call of Duty: World at War Series 1 action figures will include:
- MARINE CORPS WITH FLAMETHROWER, Battle of Peleliu - Includes M2-2 flamethrower with removable flame, and M1911A1 pistol & holster
- MARINE INFANTRY, Battle of Peleliu - Includes M1 Garand rifle and M1 bayonet
- MARINE CORPS WITH MACHINE GUN, Battle of Okinawa - Includes M-1928A1 machine gun w/20 round magazine and M1911A1 pistol & holster
- BRITISH SPECIAL OPS, Battle for the Roer Triangle - Includes Mark II Sten gun
The figures will be available for $10-$15. Watch for them in November 2008.
Xbox 360
- Unreal Tournament 3 has been released for the Xbox 360 today. Make sure to check it out if you don't already have it for the PLAYSTATION 3.
Source: Xbox.com
Nintendo
- [Rumor Bit] Just when you thought the Nintendo DS couldn't evolve more, a rumored widescreen Nintendo DS has been spotted. An ad in this month's Nintendo Power shows a widescreen DS. Could this be a clue to one of Nintendo's announcements at E3 or just a retouched DS by NIS America for its ad? With the DS Lite still going strong, can another one be coming out?
Source: Aeropause
- Think Super Smash Bros. Brawl was the last one? Think again. In the UK's Nintendo Magazine, the creator of Brawl, Masahiro Sakurai, is considering making another one. Lets cross our fingers for a Nintendo DS one.
Source: mywii.com.au
- The japanese Chrono Trigger site just launched with the Chrono Trigger DS trailer. Check it out!
Source: chronotrigger.jp
- A real nice mod for the GameCube has been spotted. It is the Wall-E case mod made to look like Wall-E!
Source: Slashgear.com
Playstation
- [Rumor Bit] The PSP Phone has been in a past article and it looks like it may be coming true. The PSP Phone specs have surfaced and don't look bad!
Source: slipperybrick.com
Anticipating Star Wars: The Force Unleashed? You know we are. To get us more hyped up for the release, LucasArts today announced that the launch trailer for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will appear on Entertainment Weekly's ew.com at 6am Pacific Time on Wednesday, July 9th.
What you can expect, as noted in the announcement: "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a new chapter in the Star Wars Saga. The launch trailer will delve more deeply into its storyline, and contains never-before-seen scenes from the game."
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be available in the US on September 16, 2008, in Asia/Pacific region on September 17, and in Europe on September 19. The game takes place in between chapters III and IV of the Star Wars saga and will be available for the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3,
Wii,
PS2,
Sony PSP
and
Nintendo DS.
Don't call it vaporware yet. Looks like 3 years later, Sadness may finally emerge. Wii developer Nibris has updated their website for the Wii game, Sadness. The game has long been in planning and development, since the Wii originally launched. It sounds like a bold addition to the Wii library, being a black and white colored, Mature rated game. Fall 2009 is the tentative release date for the horror game. The hope hasn't died yet.
A spike of Fable 2 pre-orders will be happening soon, thanks to some good news on Fable II Pub Games. Microsoft and Lionhead Studios have announced that the Xbox LIVE Arcade game, Fable II Pub Games, will be available for free with pre-orders of the Fable 2 regular edition and the Fable 2 Limited Edition.
Fable II Pub Games will be released in August 2008 on the Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). The collection of "Pub Games" will allow you to gamble for gold, which can be used in Fable II when it's released in October 2008. A great way of farming some gold in preparation for gear in Fable II. Although it will be sold on the Xbox LIVE Arcade (XBLA), pre-order the full Fable II game before its release and you'll get a download code for Fable II Pub Games.
Fable II Pub Games will include 3 game types:
- Keystone: a combination of Craps and Roulette
- Spinnerbox: an updated take on slot machines
- Fortune’s Tower: a press your luck style of game
The Fable 2 Limited Edition includes: "bonus disc with a new behind-the-scenes making of video, collectible Hobbe figure, a LIVE trial card, and additional in-game content (an Xbox LIVE account is required to access the limited collector's edition bonus in-game content)."
and 
releases. Granted, they both started at a higher price tag as well. But Xbox 360 gamers had a longer wait, right? Well Amazon.com fixes up, at least for today, 7/8/08.
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