Fuck April Fool’s Day. No, wait— fuck me. I’m so gullible that the first time a bully claimed he was going to kick my ass I turned my back to a wall and got punched in the stomach. Which is why every news item today is double-checked for freshness and veracity.
Those people who have gotten an early copy of the Xbox 360 port of Guitar Hero II have shined a little goodness into our dark holes (ow) by revealing that the new Xplorer controller has a port for an effects pedal. Add that to the ten new songs, the promise of downloadable content, and the HD graphics (exciting!) and you’ve got almost enough features to qualify for a sequel, which is either a sad commentary on the state of sequels in today’s market or a wild hyperbole. Only a couple of days until 360 owners can rock out in their boxer shorts.
Speaking of Harmonix, the company has just issued a press release announcing their new project: Rock Band. This made-for-multiplayer game will allow for collaborative gameplay from (at least) four players, one microphone, lead guitar, bass guitar, and drum peripherals. I can’t wait to start getting frustrated at my bandmates instead of at the blistering difficulty of whatever songs fill the game’s highest tier. Transferrence is fun.
Everyone who hasn’t played the Freespace games ought to remedy that as quickly as possible. If you don’t has the five bucks, then maybe you can be enticed with a little carrot in the form of Battlestar Galactica: Beyond the Red Line. This fan-made mod of Freespace 2 has a new demo available for download, and the good news is you don’t need a copy of Freespace 2 to play, since Volition went all generous on us and set their creation free. I’ve farted around a little in BtRL and have been generally impressed with the quality of work. It’s nice to have a space sim a bit more forgiving than X3.
The PSP homebrew scene has been kicking all sorts of ass, lately, what with Dark_Alex’s custom firmware (which allows you to play any PS1 game on the go) to Fanjita’s loaders and downgraders. The legality of these programs is a perennial issue, but the skill of these talented coders — and the capabilities of Sony’s handheld — are to be praised. Here’s another name to check: StrmnNrmn has been working on a Nintendo64 emulator for the PSP since right around the time it was released, and has just announced that the latest version allows for Mario64 to be playable at full speed. Other games are confirmed working, making the PSP almost an all-in-one handheld, with a little (okay, a lot of) tweaking.
These games are easier to play and will be bought by at least one person!
PC:
Dawnspire
Frontline: Fields of Thunder
Loco Mania
Sims 2: Celebration Stuff, The
Xbox 360:
Guitar Hero II
Rapala Trophies
PS3:
Enchanted Arms
PS2:
Brave: The Search for Spirit Dancer
SingStar Pop
Th3 Plan
World Championship Cards
PSP:
Prince of Persia: Rival Swords
World Championship Cards
Wii:
Bionicle Heroes
Prince of Persia: Rival Swords
DS:
Cake Mania
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
Gamecube:
Backyard Baseball 2007