<![CDATA[[GameRatty] tag: trio]]> http://gameratty.com/tag/trio Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:10:00 +0000 iRatty Engine http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <![CDATA[What Were NOT Playing (Sorry Call of Duty, Need For Speed And Castlevania)]]> http://gameratty.com/article/b430956febb9f7722bfe38d0041982f6 http://gameratty.com/article/b430956febb9f7722bfe38d0041982f6

Call of what? Need for who? In this week’s edition of “What We’re NOT Playing,” the Multiplayer trio chooses to skip out on three big franchises.

Read on to see why…

Tracey’s Not Playing…
“Need For Speed: Undercover” (on any platform)

Why she’s passing on the top-selling racing franchise: Aside from the fact that there are too many games out right now, racing games have just never been my forte. I haven’t found the time to get a driver’s license in real life, and my lack of driving skills is apparent whenever I drive in video games. I’m pretty decent at “Burnout” since the objective is to mostly crash into other cars, but “Undercover” is going to to have to wait until I have the time and patience to grasp the concept of reverse. Anyone want to teach me how to drive?

Patrick’s Not Playing…
“Call of Duty: World at War” (everything!)

Why he’s not trying to stop the Japanese: Shooter fatigue is starting to set in. Between “Resistance 2,” “Fallout 3″ and “Gears of War 2,” I’m already stuffed full of high-quality shooters this holiday season. The surprisingly positive things I’m hearing about “World at War,” however, means I might get around to checking it out during the inevitable early 2009 lull, but right now, things like “Mirror’s Edge” and “LittleBigPlanet” are calling my name in-between sessions of the shooters I’m already committed to. If this was made by Infinity Ward, however…

Stephen’s Not Playing…
“Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia” (Nintendo DS)

Why he’s taking it easy on Dracula’s minions: Well, I was playing this game. I was even enjoying it, which I couldn’t say about other “Castlevania” games I had tried in the last half-decade. But DS gaming is for my subway rides, and I’ve taken to catching up on my magazine-reading. I’ve considered going back, but I’m daunted by returning to such a challenging game now that I’m likely rusty from a couple of weeks of inactivity. I hear gamers talk about this a lot. We start games. We get in a groove. And then we take a break. Why’s it so hard, so often, to get back into them?

]]> Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:00:25 +0000 games video games castlevania games castlevania start games call high-quality shooters shooters war What Were NOT Playing (Sorry Call of Duty, Need For Speed And Castlevania) <![CDATA[Report: EA shuts down Blueprint, Boom Blox sequel carries on]]> http://gameratty.com/article/a7c691e89444b0635b7f201290ddeb87 http://gameratty.com/article/a7c691e89444b0635b7f201290ddeb87 Filed under: ,

boom blox
Was it a project? A division? A windowless room in the basement of EA HQ? Whatever "Blueprint" was, it is no more. All corporate employees of EA Blueprint were lost in the recent layoffs, transferred, or simply quit, reports Variety. The somewhat mysterious experiment, known as Blueprint, was established in mid-2007 as an effort to support a development process populated by individuals and small, independent teams working together virtually. Blueprint was best known for striking a deal with Armature, the studio founded by several former Metroid Prime developers, and for managing EA's trio of Spielberg games, of which Bloom Blox was the first.

As it turns out, a sequel to Boom Blox is currently underway, spearheaded by original developer EALA. The project is being shaped by many hands, though, co-created from various locations around the world. "Everybody is integrated, regardless of whether they're in the same physical location," an ex-Blueprint employee told Variety. "It's truly the spirit of what Blueprint was going to be."

Report: EA shuts down Blueprint, Boom Blox sequel carries on originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]> Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:29:00 +0000 blueprint ex-blueprint employee boom blox reports variety metroid prime developers variety original developer eala sequel bloom blox Report: EA shuts down Blueprint, Boom Blox sequel carries on <![CDATA[The Killers DLC also coming to Rock Band Music Store]]> http://gameratty.com/article/4a81716fc325537b7255c6ac66405249 http://gameratty.com/article/4a81716fc325537b7255c6ac66405249 Filed under: , ,


The spirit of competition between Activision and Harmonix's respective rhythm franchises is still very much alive and well -- shortly after Activision announced that a trio of tunes from post-punk darlings The Killers would be making their way onto Guitar Hero: World Tour as DLC, MTV let it slip to Wired that they would be adding their own Killers triple-pack to the Rock Band Music Store on the very same day (Nov. 25). Man, what a bizarre coincidence!

Two of the three songs which are about to be thrust into Harmonix's already intimidating music library are relative oldies: "Mr. Brightside" and "Smile Like You Mean It" -- but a title from the Killers' new album, Day & Age, will also make an appearance: "Spaceman". The article on Wired mentioned nothing of pricing details -- though it's probably safe to assume they'll match the $2.00 (160) per song/ $5.50 (440) per pack price point we've all come to know and love over the past year.

The Killers DLC also coming to Rock Band Music Store originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]> Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:30:00 +0000 killers killers dlc dlc killers triple-pack rhythm respective rhythm franchises day music library wired The Killers DLC also coming to Rock Band Music Store <![CDATA[Your shopping accompanied by Wii Music]]> http://gameratty.com/article/bc663747a39d1efb5f0ed1ea3c7d4813 http://gameratty.com/article/bc663747a39d1efb5f0ed1ea3c7d4813 Filed under:


Attention Wii Music haters: since you didn't purchase the game, your Wii Music hating hobby may currently be limited to your time online. Luckily for you, Nintendo has announced that, for the next two weekends, they are going to hold public Wii Music performances in eight U.S. cities, so if you're near one of the planned locations, you can go and not enjoy one! This promotion may also be of interest to people who are genuinely curious about Wii Music, even if they aren't motivated by a desire to declare it the death of gaming.

Each location will feature a "family trio of music-makers" and a Wii Music station hooked up to a "rockin' sound system" to entertain shoppers who happen to pass by. The list of venues for each weekend is after the break!

Gallery: Wii Music


November 15-16
Atlanta: Perimeter Mall Toys "R" Us
Boston: Natick Collection
Chicago: Water Tower Place
Dallas: West Village
Los Angeles: The Commons (Calabasas, Calif.)
New York: South Street Seaport
San Francisco: Stonestown Galleria
Washington, D.C.: The Market Common Clarendon (Arlington, Va.)

November 22-23
Atlanta: Toys R Us
Boston: Emerald Square Mall
Chicago: TBD
Dallas: Mockingbird Station
Los Angeles: Hollywood and Highland
New York: Staten Island Mall
San Francisco: Pier 39
Washington, D.C.: Potomac Mills

Your shopping accompanied by Wii Music originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:31:00 +0000 wii music wii music station san francisco nintendo wii fanboy perimeter mall toys toys los angeles nintendo market common clarendon Your shopping accompanied by Wii Music <![CDATA[Nintendos DS busts some sick beats for The Trio DS-10]]> http://gameratty.com/article/0656f26b600b179a3395e467aea4a2b2 http://gameratty.com/article/0656f26b600b179a3395e467aea4a2b2

There’s no shortage of trance-tastic YouTube videos for the KORG DS-10, which is basically a complete KORG MS-10 synthesizer and sequencer crammed into a single Nintendo DS cartridge, but leave it to a trio of musical masters to show you how to really rock the party, handheld gaming system style.

Developer AQ Interactive has posted their own video featuring “The Trio DS-10″ — composers Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuyoshi Sano, and Michio Okamiya — each using two DS-10’s at once to bust out the blips and bleeps of Chrono Cross‘ “Scars of Time” at the EXTRA: Hyper Game Music Event 2008 in Tokyo.

Now, don’t let these maestros discourage you from picking up this niche-market masterpiece - though the musically-inclined won’t find the learning curve quite so steep, even an amateur can generate cool-sounding retro rhythms using this amazingly layered music creation tool. The KORG DS-10 can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be; the soundboard interface, designed to look like an actual KORG synthesizer keyboard complete with knobs to be turned and cables to be patched, allows you tweak and twist every note yourself or use the generously provided pre-programmed beats. For the truly musically-challenged, it also features a “Chaos Pad” that simply lets you doodle on the touch screen, mapping out corresponding notes on the fly. This game that isn’t a game is, in fact, the ultimate game because unlike Guitar Hero and Rock Band, which can’t really take the rock star wish fulfillment fantasy beyond the confines of your living room, the KORG DS-10 can turn anyone into a professional-sounding musician with just a little bit of time and effort.

On that note, who wants to be in my new band, Flock of DSgulls?

]]> Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:19:37 +0000 korg ds-10 rock band band rock chrono cross scars trance-tastic youtube videos music creation tool rock star unlike guitar hero Nintendos DS busts some sick beats for The Trio DS-10 <![CDATA[Massively.com giveaway: Play Wrath with a brand-new Razer mouse!]]> http://gameratty.com/article/8792cae4ff242e4539d6860bec12e5a9 http://gameratty.com/article/8792cae4ff242e4539d6860bec12e5a9 Filed under: , , ,

If you've been reading the site for a while, you might already be aware that our good friends at Razer have been pitching in with mice and mousing surfaces. It's always great to do giveaways here on the site - a nice change of pace for us and lots of fun for you! So we're thrilled to be able to do yet another giveaway with those folks, this time offering up a trio of Diamondback mice just in time for the launch of Wrath of the Lich King. Each of these babies retails for $49.99, making the pack total about $150. If you win you get to pick your mouse color; blue, red, and green are your...

Massively.com giveaway: Play Wrath with a brand-new Razer mouse! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]> Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:15:00 +0000 brand-new razer mouse razer wrath play wrath giveaway massively diamondback mice mice mouse color Massively.com giveaway: Play Wrath with a brand-new Razer mouse! <![CDATA[This Wednesday: Something burrowed, something blue, something old, nothing new on XBLA]]> http://gameratty.com/article/4337c55f97ac44937b79102e10882a56 http://gameratty.com/article/4337c55f97ac44937b79102e10882a56 Filed under:

xbla
As expected, a trio of new, er, old games has joined the Arcade Hits lineup as part of this week's Xbox Live Arcade update: Worms (something burrowed), Feeding Frenzy (something blue) and Ultimate MK3 (something, well, old). Each game has been discounted to 400 ($5).

And, as you may have gathered from the headline (if you made it to the end), there are no new releases on XBLA this week, ending a 26-week release streak that began on May 7th (according to our stat boy's research*). Perhaps the hiatus is intended to build anticipation for ... something big?

(Our best guess: We're in store for "something giant," as in the Giant Avatar game, A Kingdom for Keflings -- NXE is just one week away!)

*If we got that wrong, blame the intern!

Update: CarpeD1em500 brings up a good point. If you pre-ordered Nuts & Bolts you may have received a download code for Banjo-Kazooie on XBLA, which is available to you now. The game should be released to the public on or around November 26th. And, oh! We almost forgot: The Street Fighter "table" is also available for Pinball FX today!

This Wednesday: Something burrowed, something blue, something old, nothing new on XBLA originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]> Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:15:00 +0000 26-week release streak week giant avatar game xbla giant game blue xbox live arcade arcade hits lineup This Wednesday: Something burrowed, something blue, something old, nothing new on XBLA <![CDATA[Rocking Out to KORG DS-10 in Tokyo]]> http://gameratty.com/article/ecdc71537698c52b028528c0f85126cc http://gameratty.com/article/ecdc71537698c52b028528c0f85126cc Why all the fuss regarding the KORG DS-10 synthesizer software for the Nintendo DS? Maybe seeing it in action will help you see the light.

The video features composers Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuyoshi Sano, and Michio Okamiya -- "The Trio DS-10" -- using the softwarein a performance of the track "Scars of Time" from Chrono Crossat the EXTRA: Hyper Game Music Event 2008.

The only question that remains is whether you'll be able to find a copy in stores.

For more on EXTRA make sure to read Chris' take on the event, which he attended last month while in Tokyo.

The KORG DS-10 Like You've Never Seen It: EXTRA 2008's "The Trio DS-10"[Original Sound Version]


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]]> Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:49:00 +0000 korg ds-10 trio ds-10 original sound version extra chrono cross nobuyoshi sano tokyo michio okamiya scars Rocking Out to KORG DS-10 in Tokyo <![CDATA[Nintendo confirms Art Style games for Europe]]> http://gameratty.com/article/190fbef4eb7c3f50038ae4b512ce3f09 http://gameratty.com/article/190fbef4eb7c3f50038ae4b512ce3f09 Filed under: ,


Though we always expected this, Nintendo has confirmed that it will bring the stylish Art Style games to Europe's (and, we assume, Australia's) WiiWare service from November 21st.

Art Style: Rotohex, Art Style: Cubello, and Art Style: Orbient are a trio of minimalist puzzle games, two of which are remakes of Bit Generations games from the GBA, and all of which we loved. Disaster: Day of Crisis, Space Invaders Get Even!, and now this? Whisper it, but it's beginning to feel like Europe actually exists in Nintendo's thoughts these days.

Nintendo confirms Art Style games for Europe originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:10:00 +0000 art style nintendo europe nintendo wii fanboy wiiware service wiiware bit generations games minimalist puzzle games november 21st Nintendo confirms Art Style games for Europe <![CDATA[Castlevania Judgment's final characters revealed]]> http://gameratty.com/article/ae470e00608eadb1284185d8949b238c http://gameratty.com/article/ae470e00608eadb1284185d8949b238c Filed under:


The last three playable characters in Castlevania Judgment's cast (hit the break for a full list) have been captured in screenshots and await your perusal in our gallery. Sypha Belnades is located ... somewhere in the messy explosion above, which is being caused by Legacy of Darkness protagonist Cornell, who appears in his werewolf form. The trio is rounded off by Grant Danasty, who, in true Castlevania Judgment tradition, looks nothing like his former self. Now, we wait for the game with ... not-so-bated breath, actually.

Gallery: Castlevania Judgment


  • Simon Belmont
  • Dracula
  • Death
  • Trevor Belmont
  • Alucard
  • Eric Lecarde
  • Carmilla
  • Maria
  • Golem
  • Shanoa
  • Aeon
  • Grant Danasty
  • Cornell
  • Sypha Belnades
[Via press release]

Castlevania Judgment's final characters revealed originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:10:00 +0000 castlevania judgment grant danasty final characters sypha belnades cornell darkness protagonist cornell nintendo wii fanboy werewolf form trevor belmont Castlevania Judgment's final characters revealed