Sunday, July 4, 2010

QTE Tweets Of The Week

This top 10 shows the most clicked tweets from my News in brief Twitter stream. There was a fair bit of news throughout the week, but ultimately there wasn't a clear winner in terms of the most clicked story with most of this top 10 just a few clicks ahead of other stories.

10 Square Enix announce the Final Fantasy Versus XIII Story, Character designs, and clothing designs are now finished http://ht.ly/24Hsf

9 QTE Blog: Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest) http://ht.ly/17TxQD

8 Interplay is releasing MDK 2 on WiiWare and MDK 2 HD on PC http://ht.ly/23Cew

7 DSi: The OFLC has rated Face Pilot: Fly With Your DSi Camera for DSi Ware http://ht.ly/23CfD

6 QTE Blog: Sony Announce Marvel Costume Packs Are Coming To Little Big Planet From 7th July http://ht.ly/17TDDv

5 QTE Blog: Hit X: The News Recapping Podcast For Friday 25th June http://ht.ly/17TDDw

4 PS3: Shinji Hashimoto announces that Legend of Mana is coming out in Japan as a PS1 Classic http://ht.ly/23Chz

3 Peter Molyneux has said that pairing Black & White with Kinect would be cool, but doesn't have the time http://ht.ly/23CiU

2 Its reported that MGS: Rising producer Shigenobu Matsuyama said Kojima is working on a new Metal Gear Solid Game http://ht.ly/23CgG

1 360: Rumoured, specs for Kinect have leaked. it needs 175MB of Memory Supports Xbox Live Party + more http://ht.ly/24P3f


What Have You Played This Week?

I got a lot more in this week. Having family round for my birthday and the odd busy day with the site meant I couldn't play as much as I wanted, but in all I managed to play a lot more than last week, and now I have some new games to add to my videogame library.

Football Manager 10 – PC – well my Havant & Waterlooville side are in league 2. its much more of a challenge and i'm struggling down the bottom half of the table, but thankfully it doesn't look like i'll get relegated.

Transformers: War For Cybertron – PS3 – This was a birthday present and i've been thoroughly enjoying it. The multiplayer is a lot of fun, the different classes and weapon choices keep the multilayer fresh. I've only played a few chapters of the Decepticon campaign so far, but the story's been good and already its filling in gaps of Transformer back story. I'll admit to being a huge Transformers fan so I was already looking forward to the game. But I can't ignore a few technical issues. The pop in is very Unreal 3 Engine, and so is the shiny look of everything. I'm always have connection issues when playing online as well, either players constantly dropping their connection, or matches being heavily effected by lag, or myself being unable to join any matches as my screen says there are known, or the game constantly drops my connection as I try to enter a game. Despite this, I still find the game a lot of fun.

InFamous – PS3 – Another birthday game, I only played a little of this game. It still looks good, and the gameplay is very accessible. I was shocked by how blatant the good or evil choices have been so far and I admit it does kinda take you out of the game. Having two choices does make me want to play both a good and evil campaign just to see how each choice plays out.

LittleBigPlannet – PSP – Yet another game I got for my birthday, lol. I enjoyed the demo for the game, and I love the PS3 version so I was looking forward to playing it on the PSP. Its a little annoying you can skip a lot of the tutorials as its mostly the same as the PS3 version, but what is immediately clear from the off is that the game looks very good for a PSP game. Just playing the single player, I have completed Australia so far, is simple and the levels are just as fun and imaginative as ever. The multiplayer is a little more difficult. You will need to update the game first before you can access the online features. Once you log in online, the game does well to keep you connection saved, and its easy to download other peoples levels to your memory card as they are small and its quick. You can't play them straight from that, you will need to go to another menu to play them. Its slightly annoying, but once you've played the levels they stay on your memory card and you can replay them as much as you like. Also, any ratings you give those levels will be uploaded the next time you access the online level select.

Did you manage to play more games than I have over the week, or do you have any comments on my experiences or questions about the games i've played? If you do, feel free to add them in the comments section.


Saturday, July 3, 2010

Hit X: The News Recapping Podcast For Friday 2nd July

This is all the news from Friday 2nd July.

You can subscribe to the Hit X: The News Recapping Podcast on iTunes and if you do or are already a subscriber, it would be very helpful for me if you can rate and review the podcast.

A podcast is available on iTunes from:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=328547861

A RSS Feed from Podbean:
http://qtegamers.podbean.com/feed

And on qtegamers.blogspot.com:
http://qtegamers.blogspot.com/search/label/Audio Re-Cap


Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest)


  • QTE Blog: Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest) http://ht.ly/17YnFp
  • QTE Blog: Hit X: The News Recapping Podcast For Thursday 1st July http://ht.ly/17YpZG
  • iPhone: Apple admit their phone does not calculate signal strength correctly, bringing out a firmware update to fix it http://ht.ly/26gBD
  • Its reported UK retailers may not pass on the VAT increase to consumers in an attempt to keep game sales high http://ht.ly/26gRI
  • PS3: Insomniac Games say they would back any company that would do a Ratchet & Clank HD Collection http://ht.ly/26gUI
  • Mythic Entertainment has been renamed again. it's now called BioWare Mythic http://ht.ly/26h18
  • JP Poll of 8.957 reveals 70% were turned off by 3D Glasses, 57% said price was too high, 31.2% interested in buying 3D TV http://ht.ly/26h70
  • PS3: Its strongly rumoured Sony have been testing a 3D Playstation Eye, a camera able to see in 3D http://ht.ly/26hii
  • JP Consoles, DSi LL 41.676, PSP 23.257, PS3 19.578, Wii 19.115, 306 17.370, DSi 17.306, DS 5.209, PS2 1.530, PSPgo 845 http://ht.ly/26hkn
  • QTE Blog: Namco Bandai Have Released 8 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 Gameplay Videos http://ht.ly/17Yxve
  • QTE Blog: Namco Bandai Have Released A Load Of New Screenshots For Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood On The PSP http://ht.ly/17Yxvd
  • QTE Blog: Namco Bandai Have Released New Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team Screenshots And A Trailer http://ht.ly/17YzD4
  • QTE Blog: Namco Bandai Have Released New Screenshots For Dragon Ball Raging Blast 2 http://ht.ly/17YzD5
  • Walt Disney Company has acquired Tapulous, Tapulos is now part of the Disney Interactive Media Group’s mobile games arm http://ht.ly/26hdL
  • 360: The OFLC has rated Dead Or Alive 2 MA15+ and will be released in Australia http://ht.ly/26hfe
  • QTE Blog: Namco Bandai Have Released New Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 Screenshots http://ht.ly/17YDwU
  • QTE Blog: Namco Bandai Have Released A New Gameplay Video For Family Trainer: Treasure Adventure http://ht.ly/17YDwT
  • QTE Blog: Namco Bandai Have Released Plenty Of New Screenshots For Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 http://ht.ly/26pHU
  • ModNation racers was the top selling racing game in the USA in May, but it only reached 15 in game charts http://ht.ly/26qyh
  • QTE Blog: Capcom Announce A Okamiden Chibiterasu Plushie Is Coming Out In Ocotber in Japan http://ht.ly/17YFAB
  • QTE Blog: Marvel Reveal The Daredevil And Dr Octopus Little Big Planet Costumes http://ht.ly/17YFAC
  • Xbox website lists the first DLC for Transformers: War For Cybertron includes the 3 pre-order characters + 2 maps + more http://ht.ly/26qBe
  • QTE Blog: Sega Have Released New Sonic Colours Screenshots For The Wii And DS Versions Of The Game http://ht.ly/17YHWX
  • QTE Blog: EA Announce FIFA Manager 11 Is Coming Out This Fall On PC http://ht.ly/17YHWW
  • QTE Blog: This Weeks UK WiiWare, DSiWare, And Virtual Console Releases http://ht.ly/17YKmG
  • QTE Blog: Sony Announce The Patapon 3 Demo Is Coming Out Next Week http://ht.ly/17YKmF


Friday, July 2, 2010

Sony Announce The Patapon 3 Demo Is Coming Out Next Week


Sony Have Announced that the Patapon 3 demo is coming out next week in the USA and EU on the PSN. This demo is a multiplayer demo that can be played via a wi-fi connection, enabling you to play with other players online. The demo will be 110MB.

From USA Playstation Blog


This Weeks UK WiiWare, DSiWare, And Virtual Console Releases

Nintendo's UK Blog have detailed the games coming out today on the Virtual Console, WiiWare, And DSiWare stores. in all there are 7 games, 1 on Vuirtual Console, 1 on WiiWare, and 5 on DSiWare. i have included screenshots for the game that i could, but Nintendo do have a video in the link below of gameplay from all the games released today.

Virtual Console

Ufouria: THE SAGA – NES

WiiWare

Jett Rocket


DSiWare

PREHISTORIK MAN


Ball Fighter


Maestro! Green Groove


Puffins: Let's Fish!



Extreme Hangman


From Nintendo UK


EA Announce FIFA Manager 11 Is Coming Out This Fall On PC

EA have announced that FIFA Manager 11 is coming out this autumn on PC. EA have announced that there have been a host of improvements and additions to the game over previous entries in the series. The aim is to make the game easier for people to get into, whilst making the game more authentic for regular players.

The Line-Up and Tactics have been re-designed, enabling players to set up player positions during free kicks and such. There is also a formation assistant that can help create a formation that makes the most of the players you have who are not injured/banned. A new feature added to the game is the Rating system that makes it easier to distinguish between players. a new moral system has also been added to players, adding a new challenge for gamers in trying to keep a player happy and keeping a team with high morale.

Transfers in the game have been made a important part of the game, a reflection on how important transfers have become in Football. Players and agents are now more vocal on what they expect from talks. AI clubs are now alot smarter, making offers to players to weaken direct competition for example. Players can use the media to their advantage, manipulating the media to show praise towards a target, making it easier for them to join your club.

EA have also revealed that the online mode in the game will be improved and extended. there are new auction types, sponsor missions, and a draft for youth players. A Special addition for this game is the ability for players to play through the 2010 FIFA World Cup in single player. this mode can either be completed in 20 odd minutes or as long as 2 hours.

Screenshots


Supported software:
Microsoft XP SP3 (Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98/ME, Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows NT are not supported), Microsoft Windows Vista™, Microsoft Windows 7

Minimum hardware requirements:
Windows XP SP3
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 1 GB
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9500 Pro 128MB or greater, NVIDIA GeForce 6600 256MB or greater, Pixel shader 2.0 and above.

Windows Vista™ SP2 / Windows 7
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 1.5 GB
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9500 Pro 128MB or greater, NVIDIA GeForce 6600 256MB or greater, Pixel shader 2.0 and above.

8 GB available hard disk space
8x DVD-ROM drive
DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

Press Release

GUILDFORD, UK 2 July 2010 – EA SPORTSTM, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), is proud to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its popular football management game with the announcement of EA SPORTSTM FIFA MANAGER 11 – a leap forward in virtual football management. FIFA MANAGER 11 includes a host of new feature enhancements including an improved tactics system, a much more realistic transfer market and an extended online mode that offer easier access to novice players while providing a deeper experience for existing fans. FIFA MANAGER 11 allows gamers to take control and show the highly paid professional coaches how it’s really done.

“We want to provide our fans with a completely unique football management experience in this anniversary year for the franchise with all the great new innovations that reflect actual real life football management included in FIFA MANAGER 11”, Gerald Köhler, lead designer of the FIFA MANAGER series explains. “We are very proud that we are now developing our tenth FIFA MANAGER game in succession. This would not have been possible without the support of our superb and still growing fan base.”

FIFA MANAGER 11 delivers a host of improvements aimed at making the game the most authentic of the series to date, while lowering the barrier of entry for first time players.
More experienced football managers will appreciate the new and improved tactics system which allows for quicker and deeper involvement.
A new and highly polished pitch screen allows the manager to quickly set instructions for individual players as well as for the entire team’s playing style - including increased control of set-pieces and offensive/defensive player movement orders.

Further enhancements include new cup draws, a special status for Derby matches, a revised player level system, a new experience system, a new player search system and a World Cup tournament that can be played separately to the main game. In addition, the transfer period has been changed to mirror the real life football calendar.

The online mode which was successfully launched in FIFA MANAGER 10 has been considerably expanded and an action-card system has been implemented, allowing even more direct influence on the game’s flow.

EA SPORTSTM FIFA MANAGER 11 is developed for EA SPORTS by Bright Future in Cologne. The game will be released for the PC in five languages this autumn.

For more information on EA SPORTSTM FIFA MANAGER 11, please checkhttp://www.fm10.de/publish/en/fifa_manager/fm_11/product_description/product_description.htm

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA MobileTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.easports.co.uk . More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.electronicarts.co.uk/press.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Microsoft, Xbox, and Xbox 360 are registered trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Fact Sheet

FIFA MANAGER 11 is the 10th edition of the franchise, featuring a vast array of all-new features. Hundreds of improvements to the game have been made across the board with a special focus on its core areas. Introduced last year it also includes a separate online mode where up to 8 players can play against each other over the internet.

The manager still has full control over the management of a football club. In the game you are responsible for the line-up, the tactics and the training of your team – as well as for signing the right players, improving the club facilities and the stadium. Special highlights are the FIFA 3D engine, more than 13,000 original player pictures, the player manager mode, the national team manager mode, the Create-a-Club mode and the Match Prognosis Tool.

Features
Line-up and Tactics
The tactics area in FIFA MANAGER 11 is completely re-designed and now offers a unique complexity. Target positions for every single player in offensive and defensive play can be set directly on the pitch (even in Full HD). The manager can now also choose between several variations for goal and corner kicks. Various tactic presets and formations can be defined and easily selected before a game with just one mouse click. A new formation assistant guarantees optimal adjustment of the manager’s line-up in case of bans or injuries without permanent efforts of the manager. For beginners the new Tactics Wizard makes life really easy. Before its use every tactical option is explained in detail and the manager can make informed step-by-step decisions.

New Rating, Skill and Morale System
FIFA MANAGER 11 will use a new system to rate its about 40,000 players and to make the differences between the players more obvious.

Every player gets a playing level for every position, and the skill differences between the positions will become a lot more realistic. Players will be more flexible to learn new positions, and experience becomes more important. The game also introduces a new morale system, which makes it more challenging for the user to keep a high morale for all players, especially in strong teams with a lot of competition between the players.

Transfer Market
For many fans the transfer window in summer has now become more exciting than the actual season.

The realistic implementation of this period, surely the most stressful for any manager, is another focal point in this year’s FIFA MANAGER. This core feature of every football management simulation now confronts the manager with all the challenges real managers have to face. Players and agents will now tell you what they expect from you ahead of the talks and the AI clubs will become a lot smarter and use all the tactics we know from real-life, e.g. they make offers to players just to weaken the direct competition. Life at a small club also becomes much harder and if there is only a 1-year contract left it’s often only the decision between the money or an unhappy player for one last year. The clubs will now have long-term strategies and will immediately react if a season went not as good as expected.

The media pressure is a central challenge for managers with its regular gossip, talks about offers and contract extensions or news on unsatisfied players. There is even a newspaper archive with all the headlines and articles from the first rumours to the signed contract.

But the manager can also use the very nature of the press to his advantage. He can involve the media at an early stage of negotiations with his favourite players, by praising them or advising them to not extent their contract at their club, all to direct them to his own club later. Much like in reality, it pays off if the manager cares about new signings from a very early stage.

Just Football!
FIFA MANAGER is well-known to simulate all aspects of club management. This year a new mode allows the user to just focus on teams and transfers.

Other features that make the game more accessible are a new Search feature to find clubs, players and league data a lot faster and a new “Links Widget” to quickly jump to the game areas used most often.

Separate World Cup Mode
It is possible to replay the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ directly from the main menu. This is a quick game mode that takes 20 minutes to 2 hours to complete, depending on the manager’s success and love for details.

Community Wishes
FIFA MANAGER 11 comes along with a series of community driven improvements, e.g. a special presentation of local matches, new cup draws, the possibility to set the clubs for all “Found a Club” leagues, more transfers in last 24 hours before the transfer market closes, thousands of new lines of text in the Live Ticker, new FIFA player faces, youth player contract negotiations, and many other advances in practically all areas of the game.

New pre-matchday screens give the manager additional information on the next opponent, important other matches, historic results and on the cities and stadiums.

Extended Online Mode
FIFA MANAGER 11 also includes an extended Online Mode which has been successfully introduced last year. Amongst other features, a new action-card system has been implemented, allowing even more direct influence on the match action.

Other new features are a draft for youth players, new auction types and regular sponsor missions, which let the managers compete for bonus payments.

Supported software:
Microsoft XP SP3 (Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98/ME, Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows NT are not supported), Microsoft Windows Vista™, Microsoft Windows 7

Minimum hardware requirements:
Windows XP SP3
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 1 GB
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9500 Pro 128MB or greater, NVIDIA GeForce 6600 256MB or greater, Pixel shader 2.0 and above.

Windows Vista™ SP2 / Windows 7
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 1.5 GB
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9500 Pro 128MB or greater, NVIDIA GeForce 6600 256MB or greater, Pixel shader 2.0 and above.

8 GB available hard disk space
8x DVD-ROM drive
DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card