MLB 2K10 was released earlier this week and has already ran into issues with online play. In the recent developers’ conference call, which can be found here, they stressed the fact that 2K10 is not going to be like 2K9. I’m currently in the middle of reviewing the title and I have to say that this year’s title is certainly not like the previous year’s. For one thing, it works, and it is very clear that MLB 2K10 is a big improvement. However the one area that isn’t quite working up to potential is the online play. In the first few days there have been many reports of games suffering from lag, disconnect issues and now players are unable to connect to ranked matches. I myself have not been able to connect to a ranked match and have yet to try to play an unranked game. For the many people who are experiencing this issue, 2K has officially released a “workaround” to this issue while a patch is being worked on. This is what you will have to do:

“Workaround One” Most Effective

When attempting to connect, make sure it connects to the first attempt the game tries. If it moves to another connection, then simply cancel and try again. This may take a little bit longer (about 2 minutes) than connecting via workaround two.

“Workaround Two” Effective

When you select a ranked game, it will say “loading online roster” and then “restoring default roster” and move on to connect to a player. However, after it attempts to connect to another user afterwards, it will sometimes say “restoring default roster” a second time. If you see the “restoring default roster” a second time, then the glitch will happen. Simply press “A” to cancel the connection and try a ranked game again.

You should only see the game say “restoring default roster” once. Anymore than one time will cause the glitch.

Now I can’t say I’m surprised as NBA 2K10 also suffered from online issues so gamers can only hope that a patch for this issue is released much sooner than the first patch that hit the NBA title.

[Source: 2Ksports.com ]

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The Blur multiplayer beta is set to kick off next week but Activision doesn’t want you to forget about it so they released a gameplay trailer to keep the hype going. I’m not sure what will be included in the beta but Blur will be the first racing game to allow up to 20 players online at the same time with objective-based racing events. There’s no word on how many of the 50 licensed cars we’ll see in the beta but the trailer gives you a good idea of how intense the action is going to be. Check out the new trailer below!

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Not too long ago FIFA Online started the first phase of closed beta testing. Those lucky enough to get a beta code were able to be the first to experience the new browser-style FIFA game. During the closed beta players were only allowed to play the World Cup tournament. Electronic Arts today announced that the second round of closed beta testing is now live and gamers will be able to try out a few more modes. If you were in the first beta testing you will be able to get into round two of the testing. Those who have still not been accepted you can sign up again at the FIFA Online website. Here is what you will find in Closed Beta 2:

• League Mode – Choose your favorite club and lead them to domestic league glory. Begin your campaign as the new manager with a mission to lead your club to greatness. Take on the challenge for turning around your team’s fortunes by winning matches, earning In Game Currency and using the proceeds to sign new players improve your chances of winning future games.Play offline against the CPU and measure your progress against friends. Showcase your football skills and management expertise and challenge friends to do better by earning Manager Experience Points (XP).

   

• Co-op Mode and Versus Mode – Join your friends in playing their league matches or challenge them to a 1 on 1 club match.

• Manager System – Slip on the old sheepskin coat and take control of your team. Man-manage your squad to get the best out of them. Select the first 11, choose the formation and make the key mid-match decisions that make the hallmarks of the next great club manager.

• 100% Mouse Play Controls – New fixes include:
  • New practice drills
  • More details in tutorials
  • New, intuitive controls for Through ball and Lob through ball
  • Mouse lock to window for windowed mode
  • Auto-Pause on Alt-Tab

• Inventory System – Earn special rewards at the end of each match in the form of Player Equipment. Improve your players abilities with boots that improve shooting, drinks that replenish fatigue and much more.

In just two weeks of Closed Beat 1, over 25, 000 matches were played in FIFA Online. With all these new modes I expect that number to double.  The closed beta will run till March 18th. As always stay tuned at Spawn Kill for our hands on impressions of Closed Beta 2!

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MotoGP has a long history of creating a very exciting motorcycle racing experience though in the recent generation the franchise has struggled. The previous title lacked any sort of depth and gamers were left with wanting much more. With MotoGP 09/10 developers Milestone look to change that. The upcoming racing title will feature a very robust career mode unlike any seen in the MotoGP franchise. Players will take control of everything on and off the track. With the game only a few weeks away, Capcom has announced that gamers will be able to test drive MotoGP 09/10 this Thursday March 4 when the demo goes live on the PSN and XBLA. You’ll be able to check out three modes- Championship mode, Time Trial and the all new Arcade mode.

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Old-school RPG fans can now rejoice, for Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II are for the first time now available on mobile phones in North America. These iPhone releases mark the seventeenth (at least) re-release of the original Final Fantasy. Of course, these updated versions show all of the polish that comes with remastering a game once every year or so.

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MMORPG developer Bluehole Studio has officially announced the formation of a new subsidiary company initially formed to help localize and promote their games to Western audiences. Technically formed in 2009, En Masse Entertainment is comprised of several members who have previously worked for companies such as Blizzard, Microsoft, NCSoft, and Electronic Arts, including Warcraft/Starcraft contributor Patrick Wyatt.

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At last year’s E3 there was one game that stood out and completely blew me away and it was from Disney Interactive Studios. Split/Second, the action racing game from Black Rock Studios is bringing us a racing game that we’ve never seen before. From the creators of Pure, Split/Second was awarded Best Racing Game  of E3 2009 from many critics.

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The ever popular side-scrolling shooter Metal Slug returns in the form of a PSP game titled Metal Slug XX. Originally released in 1999, the classic 2D run n’ gun shooter Metal Slug X is getting a bit of a facelift on the PSP. The high resolution 2D art brings to life all the stages in the game. Metal Slug XX will include the original stages along with adding co-op support via Ad-Hoc Wireless Lan and the popular Combat School mode. In Combat School you will go through 70 mini game challenges and if you do well enough you can unlock some fancy new weapons. In order to play Metal Slug XX’s Co-op mode you and a friend will have to have a copy of the game.

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In addition to revealing a release date for the DSi XL, Nintendo had a slew of software announcements for the upcoming months, including news about some of their most-anticipated titles.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be hitting US store shelves in May, with an official release date of May 23.  That gives everyone (including me) time to finish the first one!

Metroid: Other M, of which we’ve heard very little, will be arriving on June 27.  The game will mix classic 2D gameplay with the newer, 3D first-person perspective and is something fans of the series won’t want to miss.

And there’s good news for Dragon Quest fans, as Nintendo will be publishing Dragon Quest IX in the US this summer.  This is exciting news, because that means it will only have been a year between the momentous Japanese release and having this great title stateside.  In case you were in a coma when the game was released in Japan last summer, it has sold over 4 million copies there alone, and it was questionable at first whether the US would even get a chance to see this title localized, let alone so soon!

Monster Hunter Tri releases April 20, and, as previously announced, will be sold as the game only or in a bundle with the classic controller pro.

Nintendo fans can also look forward to Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, coming June 7, along with MegaMan 10 (March 1) and Cave Story (March 22).  Super Meat Boy and And Yet It Moves and will both be coming to WiiWare, although no release dates were yet given for these titles.

[Source: Nintendo]

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Today, Nintendo finally announced when the Big Daddy of the DS family will be released in the US, along with its price.  In just a little over a month, on March 28, you can take one of these sweet “super-sized” handhelds home for only $189.99 ($20 more than the current DSi).

The DSi XL is 93% larger than the DS Lite, with screens that provide a wider viewing angle so friends and family can spy–er–join in on the fun.  The new system will be available in Bronze and Burgundy, and will be pre-loaded with Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock, as well as two free applications: the Nintendo DSi Browser and Flipnote Studio.

In addition to larger screens, the new handheld comes with a much larger, pen-like stylus, to make using it more ergonomic.

Also, Nintendo will be releasing a book reader of sorts for the DS, 100 Classic Books, which will include books from classic authors such as Twain, Shakespeare, and more.  The software releases June 14 for $19.99, and will enable you to alter the size of the text, create bookmarks, and download new texts via WiFi.  Perhaps Nintendo is trying to give Kindle a run for its money?

[Source: Nintendo]

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Following the massive DLC trend of the past couple years, 2K has already announced some upcoming DLC for recently released BioShock 2, the first of which will be a purely multiplayer expansion titled “The Sinclair Solutions Test Pack.”  There isn’t a release date quite yet, unless you consider “soon” to be a release date, but it’ll cost you 400 ($5) on Xbox Live and $4.99 on PSN when it’s doled out and features the following:

• Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
• New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
• 20 new trials (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)
• A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
• Five additional masks (some only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher)

Not bad for a 5 buck DLC to be honest.  Most games charge more than that just for a rank increase.  For those into the multiplayer enough to have capped out already, this will definitely be welcome.  One interesting slice of this announcement pie mentioned future single player DLC, and as to what that could be, well it’s anyone’s guess.  I’d probably wager on some challenge rooms similar to the first game’s DLC as the story itself does not leave too much room for tinkering.  Either way, I’m always ready to return to Rapture.  Stayed tuned this week for our very own BioShock 2 review as well!

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Always wanting to keep up with the ever-increasing need of consumers for a home entertainment package, Sony finally has a chance to catch up to Microsoft a little with the release of their Torne service.  Torne is a peripheral device that allows users to record digital television and play it back at their convenience.  On March 18th, Sony will release PS3 bundles with the Torne box included, but only in Japan, and the device is only compatible right now with Japanese television.  The bundle includes a 250g PS3 and Torne for ¥42,800 or $466.52, making the Torne itself fairly pricey.

But things get more interesting than that because the service also reportedly incorporates television watching into your PSN account and even promises to add trophies to certain television shows.  Yes, you read that correctly.  You will get trophies for watching television.  If trophies have ever made you feel accomplished or proud in any way, prepare to have that pride thrown out the window.  Yeah sure, there have been some easy trophies over the past year or so that they’ve been implemented, but attaining them for n0 input seems and is completely ridiculous.

As of now, no plans have been announced for a US version of the Torne service.  Given the different markets regarding television in both countries, it’s difficult to gauge just how well it would do here.  PS3s are certainly becoming more common, but partly because they’re becoming cheaper, which Torne kind of backsteps.

Regardless, it’s certainly a step forward for Sony in regards to making the PS3 “do everything,” but one has to question the decision to mesh gaming with television in regards to accomplishment.  We’ll see how things turn out if this comes to the states.  I might have to transfer my personal efforts over to an Xbox gamerscore.

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3D Dot Game Heroes, the upcoming retro throwback gaming homage/parody action adventure role playing game straight out of the minds at Atlus, has been garnering a lot of attention for its three-dimensional pixels. The unusually breathtaking visuals of the game are both an impressive technical accomplishment and an interesting way to tap into the player’s imagination. Working further towards this ideal, 3D Dot Game Heroes will include an apparently-robust character editor where the possibilities are seemingly limitless.

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EA Sports had a good year in 2009, in terms of reviews. Even the struggling NBA Live series saw a nice improvement. Though most of their titles were very strong, NCAA Basketball 10 continued to struggle, receiving decent reviews at best. This year’s title brought an excellent presentation that any fan of college hoops or sports games could appreciate. Sadly the game suffered from some of the same issues as its predecessors. Coupled with the stalled negotiations over licensing rights and pending lawsuits over likeness rights, Electronic Arts has officially put the NCAA Basketball series on hold.

“We do not have an NCAA Basketball game in development at this time, and we’re currently reviewing the future of our NCAA Basketball business,” an EA Sports rep told GameSpot. “This was a difficult decision, but we remain a committed partner to the NCAA and its member institutions.”

When a sports title begins to struggle it is very difficult to right the ship. Much like we discussed in the first episode of our Sports Podcast, it is sometimes in the company’s best interest to take a year off to develop and reboot the series. Hopefully this means that in a couple of years we’ll get a strong NCAA Basketball title because it would be a shame to not have a college hoops sim to play during March Madness.

[Source: GameSpot ]

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The zombie survival mode in Call of Duty: World at War was a huge hit with shooters and zombie fans, so much so that Activision released an iPhone app based on Treyarch’s console version. Developed by Ideaworks Game Studio Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies gives gamers a faithful representation of one of the most popular online modes of 2009. The app which was released late last year is getting its first set of DLC. “Verrückt” (Zombie Asylum) map offers gamers a new location with new weapons, defenses and Perks-A Cola Machines. The map was originally released for the console version of World at War and now you can play it on the go.

The “Verrückt” map add-on can be downloaded now for $4.99. If you don’t have the original Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES App you can download it, along with a free demo here. The iPhone/iPod touch game is a really fun adaptation of the console version and anyone who misses killing zombies when they aren’t at home should definitely give it a shot.

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