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• GHIII gets free Warcraft track

  by Ryan Maffit June 26th 2008 7:11 AM EDT0 Comments

  Guitar Hero III fans have already been treated to the Halo theme and now Blizzard have got in on the act by releasing a song from their hit PC game World of Warcraft. The track, called "I am Murloc", is available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for free.
  
  With the Activision Blizzard merger still pending, who'd bet against there being more Blizzard titles appearing in the forthcoming Guitar Hero World Tour?
  

• Not one, not two, but 5 Battlefield titles in the horizon

  by Beau King June 24th 2008 11:03 AM EDT3 Comments

  Some game franchises don’t die. Instead, they keep adding more and more installments to continue bleeding the pig. Only this piggy don’t quit. The Warcraft series, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Madden and NCAA, and Battlefield are just to name a few.

  Developers do this for a simple reason; mo’ money mo’ money. This is why it is of no great surprise that DICE currently has 5 titles in the market or production. For us Yanks’ Battlefield: Bad Company hits stores today. Battlefield Heroes, gravely similar to Team Fortress 2, will be out at the start of the year. The next three titles are in development.

  One title is a core console game while the other two remain a secret and collaborative effort respectively. The secret is exactly that so we will stop there. As far as the collaboration goes though, DICE owns steak in Korean company Neowiz and will use them for more online segmenting.

• Call of Duty: World at War details

  by Beau King June 23rd 2008 3:06 PM EDT0 Comments

  
  When it comes to the Call of Duty franchise, developer Treyarch gets a pretty bad rap. We here at XF have even thrown in a punch or two. However, we have never counted them out completely; for good reason too. When taking into account that the developer was given a two year window to work on their newest title versus a measly 8 months we can finally see their potential.

  Recently thrust upon Xbox Live was a trailer depicting the true nitty-gritty of battle. Also showcased was the same COD4 engine we’ve so adored. Today, Activision and Treyarch have continued the momentum with all new screens and details. These details are by no means elementary either.

  After the jump is a full preview of what’s to come.

• Battlefield: Bad Company demo hits 1.5 million downloads

  by Beau King June 23rd 2008 10:07 AM EDT0 Comments

  
  Release dates for both developers and publishers come with high levels of anxiety and anticipation. EA are seasoned vets when it comes to launch time jitters, but still must face the flood of emotion. Today is no exception as Battlefield: Bad Company reaches the masses.

  Nonetheless, EA can rest a little easier with the hefty number of demo downloads in mind. As of last night downloads hit the 1.5 million mark. In terms of retention rates the numbers look suspect. However, the demo being in the hands of so many creates much needed buzz.

• Lara Returning in November

  by Scott Webber June 23rd 2008 8:53 AM EDT0 Comments

  Those of you who saw Tomb Raider Legend and Anniversary as a return to form will be pleased to hear that Lara Croft's next outing, subtitled Underworld in case you'd forgotten, has been given a November release date.
  
  Underworld will again be developed by Crystal Dynamics and will kick off where Legend finished.
  

• Spider-Man: Web of Shadows combat looks promising

  by Beau King June 22nd 2008 9:21 PM EDT0 Comments

  Spider-man games are a dime a dozen. What’s worse is the fact that each rendition supports basically the same half arsed web-slinging experience we’ve grown accustomed to both in game and movie. Therefore, each promise of something new in subsequent games comes with high levels of skepticism.

  Nonetheless, this bitter old heart has enough room to keep some hope. The newest shimmer comes from recent footage of Spider-Man: Web of Shadow’s combat system. Within contains some really neat abilities yet unseen, but more true to the characteristics of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Let’s just hope the repetition bat doesn’t lodge itself into this one’s skull as well.

• No more host advantage set for Gears of War 2

  by Beau King June 22nd 2008 8:48 PM EDT4 Comments

  Cliffy B, ahem, Cliff Bleszinski has recently sat down with the guys at GamePro to detail a few mechanical and gameplay upgrades for Gears of War 2. Of major interest is how host advantages are gone in online play. Nothing on earth is more annoying than a shotgun duel going unbalanced in favor of the host. Well, maybe a hunting trip with Dick Cheney would suffice. Both ways end with a mouthful of buckshot.

  Other goodies include chainsaw duels and multiplayer team slotting. Chainsaw duels are as figured, activated once two saw happy players face one another simultaneously. Unfortunately however is that chainsaw animations do not come packaged with invincibility anymore.

  Multiplayer considerations come in the form of bumping the number of players in each team to five instead of four. Unless of course you play wingman, an adaptation of Team Doubles in Halo 3 complete with five teams all facing off. The cover system has yet to be fully rehashed, but Cliff assures us that the team is intently working on it.

• More Battlefield: Bad Company spoof trailers

  by Beau King June 22nd 2008 8:25 AM EDT0 Comments

  If your fanboyism meter ticks toward dangerous for either Gears of War or Rainbow Six then be advised that these videos might make you cringe. For the rest of us happy-go-lucky bunch, shown here are some more spoof trailers picking fun at some well known titles. Deeper than mere satire, these trailers show how Battlefield: Bad Company separates itself from the pack.

  Whereas in many shooters a sense of strategy mixed with stealth calls for success BBC asks the player to create their own path. Whether it be through walls, vehicles, or enemy fire your team will find a way. It’s not that Bad Company is a fearless group of elite fighters, they are just too stupid to know when to quit.

  Jump through for “Rainbow Sprinkles”, a Rainbow Six alternative.