GamesCom 2009 Blog

Morning Hangover #59: Raymond Predicts Sony Surge And Jake Rides The (Virtual) Thin Blue Line

30 Comments Posted September 22, 2009 - By Jake Gaskill

Welcome to "Morning Hangover" -- an excellent way to start your day with the crew at TheFeed...no matter what you're recovering from. Every morning you'll hear musings from two of TheFeed's editors and have the chance to share your thoughts on what's going on in the gaming world. So buckle up, prepare yourself for Sony news bombs, and keep reading!

Sony Announces PlayStation 3 Slim For $299, Available In September

Raymond Padilla: Sony's game-changing announcements at GamesCom 2009 have made the console wars a whole lot more exciting. It will be terribly interesting to see what it does next at Tokyo Game Show 2009 (be sure to read Sterling's Sony teaser and stay tuned for Patrick's live blog of Kaz Hirai's keynote!). While a price cut and new hardware are huge, following it up with excellent software is vital. Nintendo has never been big on TGS (it used to hold its own show, Space World prior to it) and Microsoft has never been big in Japan, so this is an excellent time and place for Sony to launch its next salvo. It started things off with a bang at GamesCom and has a chance to really drive the point home at TGS. I wouldn't be surprised if August and September 2009 are remembered as extremely pivotal moments in this round of console wars. We could be witnessing the beginning of Sony resurgence...or maybe not. I want to hear what you have to say! What do you expect from Sony at TGS 2009? What does it have to do at the show to take its game to the next level?

Tags: GamesCom 2009, Morning Hangover, PC Gaming, PlayStation 3, Tokyo Game Show, Tokyo Game Show 2009, Videogames, Xbox 360

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They better put an easy bake oven in the damn thing.

Posted: September 22, 2009 by Arguello

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Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow GamesCom 2009 Producer Interview

5 Comments Posted September 14, 2009 - By Patrick Klepek

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It can't be easy working under the shadow of Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, but Castlevania: Lords of Shadow producer David Cox is doing exactly that. In addition to manning operations at Kojima Productions, Kojima is overseeing Cox's reboot of the Castlevania franchise, Konami's latest attempt to bring Castlevania into 3D. Billy Berghammer had a chance to talk with Cox at GamesCom 2009 a few weeks back about the pressure on his shoulders from Kojima:

"[laughs] It’s a pressure, but it’s quite nice because it makes you – it pushes you further than you normally go on things. You always question 'Is this going to be good enough?' It’s funny because sometimes you show him something and think “Yea, he’s gonna love this.” And then he’s like “Nah…” and you think, “Oh shit,” ya know, and go back and work on it harder, and other times you think “Ah, no, that’s not something – don’t look at that.” And he’s like, “Oh, that’s really cool. I love that.” It’s strange, but it’s a nice pressure. He’s very careful not to step on anyone’s toes. I think that's what I like about him. He’s a creator who has this huge wealth of experience, which he wants to share, but at the same time, he’s painfully aware that he doesn’t sort of want to take over the project. That’s quite nice. I think I’m in a very lucky position."

For more, check out Billy's full interview about Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

Tags: GamesCom 2009, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Xbox 360

Featured Comment

come on Kojima,don't let us down....
finally,a game worth buying,I was just about to toss my machine out, thanks to crap games and TOO MUCH focus on online CRAP,Hailz to the SOLE GAMER,
you are the true gamer!!!

Posted: September 15, 2009 by camaro72toy

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Gameplay-Heavy Assassin's Creed II Walkthrough Is Packing Da Vinci Arsenal

13 Comments Posted September 9, 2009 - By Jeffrey Kanjanapangka

Ubisoft Montreal sure does take their time releasing these Assassin's Creed II commentary walkthroughs from past gaming conventions. However, if they're all going to include a ton of gameplay depicting:

Hidden guns, smoke bombs, poison, coin distractions
Pigeon Coup Mission Centers
Eagle Vision gameplay
Mercenaries
Leonardo Da Vinci weaponry
Secret Location challenge rooms and more...

In the span of 6 minutes, by all means Ubisoft... take all the time you want.

Assassin's Creed II GamesCom Walkthrough Video »

Tags: GamesCom 2009, PC Gaming, PlayStation 3, Videogames, Videos, Xbox 360

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hey hey hey now that resident evil game was a dam good multilayer game.

Posted: October 5, 2009 by kasperchaz

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X-Play Fall Specials: BlizzCon Tonight at 6:30 PM!

8 Comments Posted September 4, 2009 - By Dana Vinson

X-Play Fall Specials: BlizzCon Tonight at 6:30 PM!

This fall, X-Play takes you to the biggest gaming events in the world, and brings you exclusive, inside previews and information about the most highly-anticipated game titles before their release. We’re covering BlizzCon, Halo: ODST, Pax 2009, Modern Warfare 2, Tokyo Game Show 2009 and much more.

Don't miss any of X-Play's fall specials. Next up is BlizzCon, which premieres tonight at 6:30PM ET. Get the scoop on the newest World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, and Starcraft 2 news straight from the source.

And then, make sure you stay with us through the fall, as X-Play brings the world of gaming home to you. Here's the schedule.

PAX 2009 - September 8 & 9
Halo: ODST - September 10
Brutal Legend - October 1
Tokyo Game Show 2009 - October 5, 6 & 7

To get ready for tonight, check out G4tv.com's BlizzCon coverage here.

Tags: Blizzcon 2009, G4, GamesCom 2009, PAX, Tokyo Game Show, Tokyo Game Show 2009, Videogames

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I personally cant wait for what comes from the Tokyo Game Show since its pretty much the last word in gaming for the year.

Posted: September 7, 2009 by ShadowAssassin88

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X-Play Fall Specials: BlizzCon Friday, Sept. 4th @ 6:30 PM

4 Comments Posted September 1, 2009 - By Mike D'Alonzo

X-Play Fall Specials: BlizzCon Friday, Sept. 4th @ 6:30 PM

This fall, X-Play takes you to the biggest gaming events in the world, and brings you exclusive, inside previews and information about the most highly-anticipated game titles before their release. We’re covering BlizzCon, Halo: ODST, Pax 2009, Modern Warfare 2, Tokyo Game Show 2009 and much more.

Don't miss any of X-Play's fall specials. Next up is BlizzCon, which will premiere Friday, September 4th at 6:30PM ET. Get the scoop on the newest World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, and Starcraft 2 news straight from the source.

And then, make sure you stay with us through the fall, as X-Play brings the world of gaming home to you. Here's the schedule.

PAX 2009 - September 8 & 9
Halo: ODST - September 10
Brutal Legend - October 1
Tokyo Game Show 2009 - October 6, 7 & 8

In the meantime, check out G4tv.com's BlizzCon coverage here.

Tags: Blizzcon 2009, G4, GamesCom 2009, PAX, Tokyo Game Show, Videogames

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i'm totaly going next year

Posted: October 27, 2009 by insanet1i

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X-Play Fall Specials: Gamescom Tonight!

5 Comments Posted August 31, 2009 - By Mike D'Alonzo

X-Play Fall Specials: Gamescom

This fall, X-Play takes you to the biggest gaming events in the world, and brings you exclusive, inside previews and information about the most highly-anticipated game titles before their release. We’re covering BlizzCon, Halo: ODST, Pax 2009, Modern Warfare 2, Tokyo Game Show 2009 and much more.

Don't miss any of X-Play's fall specials. It all gets started as X-Play presents Gamescom 2009, starting Tonight at 6:30PM. Catch a preview of Mass Effect 2, Castlevania, Star Wars: The Old Republic and a hands-on demo of Dirt 2.

And then, make sure you stay with us through the fall, as X-Play brings the world of gaming home to you. Here's the schedule.

BlizzCon - September 4
PAX 2009 - September 8 & 9
Halo: ODST - September 10
Brutal Legend - October 1
Tokyo Game Show 2009 - October 6, 7 & 8

In the meantime, check out G4tv.com's Gamescom coverage here.

Tags: G4, GamesCom 2009, TV, Videogames

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Look forward to Halo 3: ODST.

Posted: August 31, 2009 by redmario7

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Quantic Dream's David Cage: Play Heavy Rain Several Times, "Kill The Magic Of It"

34 Comments Posted August 31, 2009 - By Jake Gaskill

David Cage Says Playing Heavy Rain Multiple Times Will

In part two of G4’s mammoth interview with Quantic Dream’s David Cage from GamesCom 2009, the Heavy Rain creator talks to Billy Berghammer about the developer's creative relationship with Sony, who Cage believes the game’s audience will be, and what lies ahead creatively for him and his team.

Easily one of Cage’s most compelling assertions comes during his discussion about how he hopes people will play the game, given that so much of the experience depends on making decisions and seeing them through to their narrative conclusions. In terms of how many times players will play through the game, Cage says:

“I would like people to play it once…because that’s life. Life you can only play once…I would like people to have this experience that way.”’

Of course, in the end, it is a game, and Cage understands that people will naturally want to go back and play through again, and even perhaps reload a previous save point to avoid unpleasant results that might occur because of actions taken in the game.

To this, Cage says, “I’m fine with that, but the right way to enjoy Heavy Rain is really to make one thing because it’s going to be your story. It’s going to be unique to you. It’s really the story you decided to write…I think playing it several times is also a way to kill the magic of it.”

To find out even more about why you need to keep a very close eye on Heavy Rain and Quantic Dream, be sure to check out Part One and Part Two of Billy’s epic interview.

Tags: GamesCom 2009, PlayStation 3, Videogames

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David Cage: "I should've payed more attention in marketing class. ZOINKS!"

Posted: August 31, 2009 by l33t360

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Letter From The Director: Looking Back At GamesCom

4 Comments Posted August 28, 2009 - By agentcooperfbi

After a stint on the home team during Comic-Con a little while ago, it was time to get my hands dirty again and get back into the field. Hitting the road – whether it’s DICE, GDC, E3, QuakeCon, GamesCom, Tokyo Game Show – these are the things that I live for in this industry. Regardless of the team only getting 3-5 hours of sleep per night, and is exhausted after knocking out each day of the show – there’s something that each of us laugh about when the day is done – we are so f%$&ing lucky to be able to do what we do.

Letter From The Director: Looking Back At GamesCom

Looking back a few days after returning from this German show, it’s amazing to see how massive it’s become. This is Europe’s only real big show, and even though there have been European shows in the past (such as ECTS), Europe isn’t going to let all the video game fun happen in North America and Japan any longer. Each year it gets bigger and bigger. Just seeing what the major companies debuted at this show is a testament to why GamesCom is becoming an important yearly event. Sony pulling back the curtains on the PS3 slim and debuting the new PSP store and Minis, to Microsoft and Peter Molyneux not only announcing Fable II episodes, but Fable III, GamesCom is becoming another outlet to announce big new things.

Tags: G4, G4 Web Exclusive, GamesCom 2009, Letter From The Editor

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I'm curious how Europe's sudden involvement will impact the video game world. It's about time...

Posted: August 28, 2009 by Nasty_Gamer

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Quantic Dream's David Cage Touts Authenticity of Heavy Rain Performances

10 Comments Posted August 28, 2009 - By Jake Gaskill

During GamesCom 2009, Quantic Dream’s David Cage and Guillaume de Fondamiere spoke with G4’s Billy Berghammer at length about the process of creating and capturing the incredibly high level of emotion and authenticity found in their thrilling PlayStation 3 exclusive Heavy Rain. Particularly fascinating is Cage’s discussion about deciding to have each of the characters portrayed by individual actors.

“What most games do, these days, is to find a face, sometimes they scan it or they entirely design it from scratch and find someone else to do the body motion capture and someone else doing the voice, and someone else doing the facial animation. This is what we’ve done with Indigo Prophecy and you end up with characters that were, in fact, built based on five or six different people. And that’s okay, to a certain extent, but on Heavy Rain we wanted to see what we would gain by creating characters based on one person. Not a composite of several ones. Would we gain performance consistency or credibility in creating these characters? And I felt, in fact, that yes, it has been extremely useful.”

And if you’ve seen the game in action, you can attest to just how successful this approach turned out to be, and we have barely seen a fraction of what this game is packing. I mean, I was on the verge of tears just watching the latest trailer. I can’t imagine how crazy actually playing the game will be, but I also can’t wait.

Cage and de Fondamiere have tons of fascinating and enlightening things to say about the game and the video game medium in general, so be sure to check out Billy’s full interview right here. And be sure to check back later for Part 2.

Heavy Rain GamesCom 2009 'Love' Trailer »

Tags: GamesCom 2009, PlayStation 3, Videogames

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I loved Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy) and this game is looking incredible... Heavy Rain is, seriously, the only game that has the power to make me break down and buy a PS3.

Posted: August 31, 2009 by masterbedgood

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Monster Hunter Tri GamesCom 2009 Producer Interview

6 Comments Posted August 27, 2009 - By Jake Gaskill

Japanese gamers eat up Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise like Kirstie Alley eats up small woodland creatures. Yeah. It's that popular. Yet one of the key components missing from the Japanese version of the most recent installment in the series, Monster Hunter Tri for the Nintendo Wii, is WiiSpeak functionality. Now, given the affinity of Western gamers for being able to chat with other players during multiplayer games, it’s no surprise that Capcom is hoping to rectify this issue when the game final does leave Japan’s shores and makes its way to Western consoles sometime next year.

In fact, as Monster Hunter Tri producer Ryozo Tsujimoto told G4 during GamesCom 2009:

“Obviously, voice chat is the largest priority for us, including that particular function. At the moment, we haven’t decided anything yet, so we can’t promise you that voice chat will be included, but we’ll aim for that.”

To find out more about what you can expect from what's sure to be one of next year's biggest Wii games, be sure to check out the full interview.

Monster Hunter Tri GamesCom 2009 Producer Interview »

Tags: GamesCom 2009, PlayStation Portable, Videogames, Wii

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all wii haters keep on haten this game is gonna be the bomb. i only say this because...... i have a wii boya!!!

Posted: September 28, 2009 by vegnus

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GamesCom 2009 Star Wars: The Old Republic Interview

14 Comments Posted August 26, 2009 - By r_pad

BioWare is attempting to make Star Wars: The Old Republic different than any other MMO. One of the ways it plans to do this is through story. Lead writer Daniel Erickson met with G4tv.com at GamesCom 2009 to discuss the game's combat, writing process, gameplay consequences, and more. He said:

"We have this very long story arc that we can bring things back to. You may have completely forgotten that when you were at level eight, that you killed this guy you didn't need to kill. His family hasn't forgotten it and they're going to find you 20 hours later and hunt you down, and you're going to have to deal with the ramifications. One of the really fun things there is that you may be a completely different person at that point. You might have decided to give up your crazy ways from when you were a kid. And now at level 40, you're a pretty good and these guys come to you. You have to decide, 'Okay, am I going to cover that up? How am I going to handle it?' These are the things that really make the galaxy feel alive."

This might be my inner BioWare mark talking, but all of that sounds frickin' awesome. After some addiction problems, I've sworn off MMOs, but I'm really tempted to give this one a shot. Besides, Twi'lek chicks are totally hot.

Watch the entire interview and let me know what you think.

Star Wars: The Old Republic GC 09 Lead Writer Interview »

Tags: GamesCom 2009, MMO News, PC Gaming

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i agree this interview really gives u a good look on how it will work and act, but it dosent look like my sort of game it looks like somthing for the younger genration, for exsample the first 2 knights of the old republic, the look of the people in the game and the graphics look so much better in the first 2

Posted: September 2, 2009 by the_real_god_of_war

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Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues GamesCom 2009 Interview

4 Comments Posted August 26, 2009 - By Stephen Johnson

G4 spoke with LucasArts' Matt Shell at GamesCom 2009 about Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, that video game where a famous movie character is portrayed as made of plastic Lego blocks.

According to Shell, part 2 is a not a remake or rehash.

"This is a true, legitimate sequel,” Shell told us. “We’ve taken all the aspects of the original game and brought those original adventures back to the sequel in a new way, so you won't be replaying any of the scenes from the first game…. It’s completely re-told.”

We also got the inside word and an early look at Lego Indie 2's builder mode that allows for the creation of original levels, the game's massive improvement to the hub system, and a look at the new split-screen that allows co-op players to separate as far as they want. At last! Plus, Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues contains exciting scenes and characters from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The game comes out across platforms this fall. Check out the video below!

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues GC09 Interview »

Tags: GamesCom 2009, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Videogames, Videos, Wii, Xbox 360

Featured Comment

How about a LEGO Marvel or DC, Transformers, or a remake of the best one LEGO Star Wars. At least there isn't of a dumb version like LEGO Rockband. Wait...hold on..... LEGO what Rock what? Lord have mercy this franchise is getting milked.

Posted: August 26, 2009 by scottyrob82

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X-Play Fall Specials: Gamescom

Leave a Comment Posted August 26, 2009 - By Mike D'Alonzo

Don't miss any of X-Play's fall specials. It all gets started as X-Play presents Gamescom 2009, starting Monday, August 31st at 6:30PM. Catch a preview of Mass Effect 2, Castlevania, Star Wars: The Old Republic and a hands-on demo of Dirt 2.

And then, make sure you stay with us through the fall, as X-Play brings the world of gaming home to you. Here's the schedule.

BlizzCon - September 4
PAX 2009 - September 8 & 9
Halo: ODST - September 10
Brutal Legend - October 1
Tokyo Game Show 2009 - October 6, 7 & 8

In the meantime, check out G4tv.com's Gamescom coverage here.

Tags: Blizzcon 2009, G4, GamesCom 2009, PAX, Tokyo Game Show, Tokyo Game Show 2009

Heavy Rain's Characters Could See Extended Life Through DLC

13 Comments Posted August 26, 2009 - By Patrick Klepek

Heavy Rain's Characters Could See Extended Life Through Downloadable Content

Quantic Dream co-founder David Cage says Heavy Rain is a self-contained adventure, but as development nears the finish line and eyes look towards the future, even Cage is intrigued by the idea of downloadable content. Though nothing appears to have been decided, Cage discussed some of the ideas being tossed around for Heavy Rain downloadable content with Videogamer.com at GamesCom.

"It's a self-contained experience," he said. "We won't release the end of the game as DLC that you need to pay for. The game has all the scenes it's supposed to have. It's a complete story. But we are talking with Sony at the moment about having maybe extra downloadable content, maybe with prequels or sequels about the characters. I'm sure people will get attached to some of them and will want to know them even better."

You could have some influence on where the downloadable content goes. What do you want?

Source

Tags: GamesCom 2009, PlayStation 3, Videogames

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Are you friggin kiddin me of course I want DLC the game already looks like it kicks A$$ and I always want MORE MORE MORE!!! lol

Posted: August 27, 2009 by WaltonWeed

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Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes GamesCom 2009 Interview

4 Comments Posted August 26, 2009 - By Jake Gaskill

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes GC09 Interview »

GamesCom 2009 may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean we’ve run out of fantastic content to share with you. Far from it. Case in point, our interview with assistant producer on LucasArts’ upcoming Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes, Chris Lee.

As Lee explains, the game lets you play as both Jedis and Clone troopers, each of which allows for distinctive types of gameplay.

“The Jedis are acrobatic; they use the Force; they use their lightsabers. And we’ve got a new move in the game where, as a Jedi, you can jump on any droid in the game and droid-jack them. All the droids have different moves, so you can use that against other droids, or you can use it to solve puzzles.”

To find out what you’ll be capable of as a Clone trooper, and to see the game in action, be sure to check out the full interview.

Anyone else think this game is shaping up to be an absolute blast?