Shipping to shelves this week are a plethora of DS games, though a few Computer, PS3 and Wii titles attempt to add variety to the videogame releases scheduled from June 29 (because we missed a few) to July 5. You might even see a few familiar games making a comeback, though the real head-turners are probably ’round the bend. So we guess this is another one of those average weeks.

At least there’s Metal Gear Solid 4 to tide through, if you haven’t completed it yet. Or you could be headhunting for each scrap information you can squeeze out of the new games announced last week.

But just in case you’re looking for a quick enjoyment to tide you over these few days, you could try the new Guitar Hero titles lined up. The list follows, arranged in chronological order:

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith - What can we say? Under the care of Activision, you couldn’t have expected that the publisher wouldn’t have another serving of it’s highly-prized music rhythm game franchise.

Created by the same guys who gave us Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, NeverSoft (Vicarious Visions for the Wii version, Budcat Creations for the PS2), Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii) is a tad bit more focused on the songs of “The Bad Boys of Boston.”

But not limiting the portfolio to just Aerosmith’s songs, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith also collected songs that majorly influenced the band in many ways than one. If you didn’t get yourself a working Guitar Hero instrument to play with, the price for entering the riff-ripping now might be off-putting for some.

• PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox 360 - June 29, 2008
• ESRB rated T for Teen
• PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 Bundle: US 99.99; PS2 Regular Bundle: US 89.99, PS2 Aerosmith 2 Bundle: US 109.99; PS2 Aerosmith Kramer Bundle: US 89.99
• PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Regular: US 59.99; PlayStation 2, Wii Regular: US 49.99
• Activision

The Immortals of Terra: A Perry Rhodan Adventure - Though the mainstream of Computer games have taken to just the prime three genres - FPS, RTS, and RPG - the Computer scene is rife with more than just guns, swords, and vespene gas.

One of the first genres to have ever taken off on the PC was the adventure genre, and 3d-io’s The Immortals of Terra are just one of many games under that genre that continue to relive the legacies that was embodied by Zork, Gabriel Knight, and Blade Runner - just to name a few.

Like Jack Keane, The Immortals of Terra was the fruits of labor of an independent gaming studio in Europe, though thanks to the aid of publisher Take-Two Interactive, it’s now a reality for many adventure gaming fans on Windows. This is the U.S. release title, which you should note is exactly the same as the UK version: Rhodan: The Adventure.

Featuring one of the most spectacular visuals undoubtedly able to rival those of Mass Effect, The Immortals of Terra is bound to grasp you with the lure of its futuristic story and its embedded mysteries. But it’s not 3D, so despite its great graphical appeal, it’s forgiving in the hardware stipulations front.

• Windows 2000, XP, and above - June 30, 2008
• ESRB rated T for Teen
• Windows Retail: US 19.99
• Take-Two Interactive

Journey to the Center of the Earth - As THQ’s bid for concentrating on movie-to-game adaptations, Journey to the Center of the Earth is a lone one. In fact, you could have expected that this project would spur more titles split evenly among the game consoles, but we’re only expected to see the Nintendo DS version hit shelves on Monday. Maybe the other versions will follow suit. Or not. Who’s to state?

As you would anticipate, this action game will try to tie down the motion picture coming up this July 11, 2008, though that’s all we have the ability to say before crossing the line coupled with the words “no spoilers, bub!” True to some game adaptations out there, however, Journey to the Center of the Earth will allow the play of all the movie’s characters.

• Nintendo DS - June 30, 2008
• ESRB rated T for Teen
• Nintendo DS: US 29.99
• THQ

1 vs. 100 - Oh come on. You know you could have half-expected a Nintendo DS version of the popular game show to roll out eventually. Picking up where Endemol left viewers off, casual gamers can now participate in the game show that pits you against a centurion of others in the witty battle for US 1 million. Cold. Hard. Cash.

Leave it to the guys of Destination Software to offer their help in bringing 1 vs. 100 hosted by Bob Saget to Nintendo’s handheld, but we would have expected a Wii version as well. Oh well - beggars can’t be choosers.

• Nintendo DS - June 30, 2008
• ESRB rated E for Everyone
• Nintendo DS: US 19.99
• Destination Software

Roogoo - Scooby Doo, is that roo - err I mean you? Those who search for Xbox LIVE Arcade’s incoming would argue otherwise, because as SouthPeak Interactive would have it, this is SpiderMonk Entertainment’s puzzle game mean for casual gaming on the next-gen console and Computer.

Released sometime earlier, the XBLA version just cost gamers about US 10. Unfortunately for retail Computer gamers, this one’s going to net 10 more bucks from your pocket.

Roogoo is no easy puzzle game, however: there’s a good share of skill, timing, and hand-eye coordination involved - something that could make even a hardcore gamer surprised that their mom could reach the tenth level.

The magic of Roogoo is in its spinning discs with shaped cut outs. Align a cut out in all the discs in time with a shaped object’s fall, and you could be the savior the planet Roo’s been waiting for.

• Windows - June 30, 2008
• ESRB rated RP for Rating Pending
• Windows Retail: US 19.99
• SouthPeak Interactive

Purr Pals - No it’s not Catz. Well, it is in a sense, but it’s in no way hoping to cater to that market. Instead, Purr Pals is what you could call the feline adaptation of Nintendogs. Take the bow-wows out, and plop in the meow-meows - if there was any way to describe it generally.

Crave Entertainment, folks who brought us the remake of Battlezone to the Computer (that being, the Rise of the Black Dogs one), has added a couple more options and steps that aren’t available in Nintendo’s own pet simulator. From adoption to rearing, Purr Pals is pretty much you would expect from Baby Pals (another one of their games) - except in place of a little toddler is a mewing kitty.

• Nintendo DS - June 30, 2008
• ESRB rated E for Everyone
• Nintendo DS - US 29.99
• Crave Entertainment

Gears of War Refresh - Yeah, we know - we’ve listed this before, but apparently, the repackaged game’s bound to be shipped this week. Like we’ve covered before, it’s supposed to have the latest build of Gears of War on the Xbox 360, plus some bonus content in the form of multiplayer maps, themes, and gamer photos (those you could get for MS Points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace). Oh and there’s that Gears of War 2 preview.

Nothing new to add, except that it’s expected to ship to pre-order customers this Tuesday.

• Xbox 360 - July 1, 2008
• ESRB rated M for Mature
• Xbox 360 - US 39.99
• Microsoft Game Studios

Ducati Moto - Brought to us by Bethesda Softworks, those who don’t want to listen to Fallout’s fans, Vir2L Studios’ Ducati Moto racing is just what you’d anticipate of a typical arcade racer. Though it picks up one of the biggest brands in the motorcycle market, it’s no serious simulation - Ducati Moto is just fun racing on predefined circuits using the brand’s premiere racing motorcycles.

Which one, you ask? We’re not sure, however, but the cover art does portray the Ducati Superbike. We’re inclined to think will that the Superbike will be your only choice for racing.

• Nintendo DS - July 1, 2008
• ESRB rated E for Everyone
• Nintendo DS - US 19.99
• Bethesda Softworks

AMF Bowling: Pinbusters! - Wait, wasn’t this already released? True, but that was the Nintendo Wii version that EuroGamer’s Ellie Gibson parted some bittersweet words with. This here is the Nintendo DS equivalent, and according to the info we gathered, AMF Bowling: Pinbusters! is a development effort from Vir2L Studios again by way of Bethesda.

Duckpin bowling with friends over Wi-Fi while on the go is probably the number one reason you might think about picking this bowling game up. Otherwise, feel free to course through single player game modes similar to the Wii version, which includes a practice mode for beginners.

• Nintendo DS - July 1, 2008
• ESRB rated E for Everyone
• Nintendo DS - US 19.99
• Bethesda Softworks

Hail to the Chimp - Okay, there’s a lot of deja vu that’s creeping up somehow. We’ve eyed this game last week, but that was Gamecock’s celebration rendition for the Xbox 360. PlayStation 3 gamers get their version shipped to retail shelves on Tuesday.

As with the Xbox 360 version, this is a high-definition celebration game for friends, family, and politically-inclined intellectuals - if something so ironic was possible.

Participate in the animal kingdom’s version of a presidential race, and try not to take it seriously - Wideload Games’ Hail to the Chimp is just a comical parody on political campaigns, after all.

• PlayStation 3 - July 1, 2008
• ESRB rated T for Teens
• PlayStation 3: US 39.99
• Gamecock Media

Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 - Last but definitely not least is the dramatic, interactive take on medical emergencies first offered on the Nintendo Wii, and now available on the Nintendo DS.

Atlus took their sweet time suturing up this sweet gem, but the surgical simulation seems intent on letting DS fans continue investigating the killer virus that was GUILT and the mysteries behind it.

So what state you? Care to give Dr. Stiles and Nurse Thompson another go? Because as with Trauma Center: Under the Knife for the DS, you’ll only need 30 Washingtons to unearth the reasons of GUILT’s emergence.

• Nintendo DS - July 1, 2008
• ESRB rated T for Teens
• Nintendo DS: US 29.99
• Atlus

Dungeon Runners - What can we say? It’s simply a free-to-play MMORPG with each love for the addicting facets of dungeon crawling - only this time you’ve got tons of friends to tag along. Think an virtual Dungeons and Dragons run, only this time no dice and no Dungeon Master to wait on. Everything is dynamically created on the fly.

Dungeon Runners has actually been a long time running since the turn of the millennium, though it wasn’t actually a medieval dash. It’s been in shut beta some two years ago, and we’re actually happy to state it’s finally launching this Friday. Of course, the game is naturally free to one and all, but for US 4.99, you could get an enhanced experienced with premium features.

Take note though: there’s nothing that NCsoft is barring f2p players from - inside or outside the game. It’s just that the fee could grant the player more storage space, a higher opportunity to pick up sweet loot (plus the capability to grab the rarest of them all), and there would be no more ads to bug ya.

Other than that, it’s fair game for everyone. If you purchase the retail version, though, you instantly get half a year’s worth of premium features. For those outside of the US and Europe, pick up a copy from PlayNC instead.

• Windows - July 2, 2008
• ESRB rated T for Teen
• Windows Retail: US 19.99; Download: Free; Premium Subscription: US 4.99 per month
• NCsoft

Fading Shadows - The title sounds intriguing, but try not to get too carried away with your imagination - Ivolgamus’ Fading Shadows isn’t a mystery-thriller game but a puzzle platformer to exclusively release on the PlayStation Portable. The people behind Falling Stars for the PS2 and PC have once again tied to fitting words to create an enigmatic title for a rather intellectually deceiving game.

The concept is very unique: you, the player, must control a beam of light that in turn will guide a crystal tear to the end of very challenging levels. It sounds pretty easy, but then there are obstacles to overcome, and in order to compensate for a few of them, you’ll have to contend with the crystal tear’s material-changing powers.

Though Falling Shadows is releasing this week, take note that right now we can’t even extract a sure price tag for the game. What we’ve listed below is an estimate based on the European retail tag.

• PlayStation Portable - July 3, 2008
• ESRB rated E for Everyone
• PlayStation Portable: US 29.99 (GBP 15.67)
• Agetec (US)

Buy: [ Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Regular (PlayStation 3), (Wii), (Xbox 360) ]
Buy: [ Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Bundle (PlayStation 3), (Wii), (Xbox 360) ]
Buy: [ The Immortals of Terra: A Perry Rhodan Adventure (Windows) ]
Buy: [ Journey to the Center of the Earth (DS) ]
Buy: [ 1 vs. 100 (DS) ]
Buy: [ Roogoo (Windows) ]
Buy: [ Purr Pals (DS) ]
Buy: [ Gears of War Refresh (Xbox 360) ]
Buy: [ Ducati Moto (DS) ]
Buy: [ AMF Bowling: Pinbusters! (DS) ]
Buy: [ Hail to the Chimp (PlayStation 3) ]
Buy: [ Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 (DS) ]
Buy: [ Dungeon Runners (Windows - for US residents only) ]

source pc.qj.net

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The WTF! Show - Episode 3

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For a game that can be run with a 400 (around US 621) on the highest graphic settings, Crysis Warhead is looking pretty sweet if you ask us. How can we tell? The developers from Crytek just rolled out a teaser trailer of the game which shows off a lot of what we can expect to find in the game.

Whether you’re a fan of automobile on car combat, blowing up helicopters, or just simply getting up close and personal with your weapon of choice, you’ll find something to drool over in the teaser trailer of the game.

We’re not going to keep you any longer lest we find a couple of missiles headed out way. Here’s the trailer, enjoy!

source pc.qj.net

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Now that Diablo 3 has finally been announced, the real waiting finally starts. So, what do fans of the series have to look forward to? Here’s what Diablo 3 lead designer Jay Wilson revealed during Blizzard’s World Wide Invitational.

The focus in Diablo 3 will still be on the action. Combat will be epic, accessible (”If you can click a mouse,” said Wilson, “you can play Diablo”) and conducive to cooperative play. If you liked the idea of slogging through masses of enemies in the previous Diablo games, you’ll be getting more of this kind of large-scale combat in Diablo 3.

That’s not to state that the game’s roleplaying elements will be taking a backseat, though. Wilson said that they plan to expand the roleplaying aspect while still staying true to the series’ original concepts. Quests and NPC interaction have apparently been buffed up, and the different character classes now have voices for that added touch of personality.

Blizzard is also upping the game’s replayability. In addition to the random dungeons, items, and monsters, completely random adventures will be injected into DIablo 3’s system. This new feature essentially allows Blizzard to place random scripted events nearly anywhere in the game, so no one playthrough will be exactly the same as another.

Not a lot was said about the game’s multiplayer aspect, but Wilson did say that Diablo 3 will be taking advantage of the new battle.net system that’s going to be rolled out for Starcraft 2. Wilson also noted that the new version of battle.net will be armed with anti-cheater features. Judging from Wilson’s comments on celebration sizes, it seems like the maximum number of party members will be around 4 or 5.

Blizzard will also be sticking to their tried and true model of bringing their games to as many gamers as possible. The Diablo 3 team is currently making sure that even those who don’t have high-end gaming rigs will be able to run the game. DirectX 10 will not be required to run Diablo 3, similar to what Crytek is doing with Crysis Warhead.

If all that information still isn’t enough to feed your voracious hunger for more Diablo 3, stay tuned. Blizzard still has some major reveals planned for the coming months. In the meantime, you can check out more from Jay Wilson through the source link below.

source pc.qj.net

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new ultimate machines…

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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare by Activision and Infinity Ward was one of 2007’s best releases and even as 2008 reaches its midway mark, CoD4 is still one of the ideal current-gen titles out there bar none. That motivates the devs to keep on making the gameplay experience as good as possible for players new and old. They do that with constant updates like this one.

The 1.7 patch has arrived and it has a few sweet changes that you’ll definitely relish. It’s 39MB in size, so it shouldn’t take too long for you to begin applying it. Here’s the changelog:

• Fixed an exploit that granted players to access certain console dvars during multi-player matches.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when a Chinatown Sabotage match would go into over-time.
• Fixed a bug where the MP icons (Bomb, Defend, Capture, etc) were always showing up as English regardless of the install language.

source pc.qj.net

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Hurrah! Weekends are made up of all the most awesome stuff. It’s one of life’s most satisfying things after all - perhaps second only to getting to scratch an annoying itch.

For one, most of us who get the weekend off (either from school or work - or both?) finally get to park our merry butts in front of the Television and play video games with impunity. Aside from that, we get to catch up on pretty much everything we missed out on during the week. Which is what we’ve been doing for the past 52 weeks, in case you were really living under a rock the size of Mars.

In QuickJump QuickPeek’s second year, we decided to branch out… and dig deeper still. Because quite frankly, at the rate that each previous QuickPeek was going, it wasn’t getting any quicker of a peek, if you get our drift. So with that, we’ll be splitting it up and allow each of our blogs to go in-depth with the week’s news!

Thus, we bring in the Weekend Warriors!

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The QuickJump QuickPeek v2.0 changelog:

Yeap! From now on, each blog will be getting its own individual QuickPeek, each tagged under a Weekend Warrior label. This grants the individual teams to report on more news and add a tiny bit of editorial introspective into the week’s news.

Yes, you heard us. This time around, QuickPeek - or should we now say Weekend Warrior? - won’t just be recapping news. We’ll be throwing in some incentive for you readers too. Little “behind-the-scenes” snippets that don’t quite make it to the regular updates you find on the site.

So, who are the Weekend Warriors?

We’ll have Weekend Warriors for all of our blogs in QJ.NET. That includes all gaming blogs - PSP, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PC, MMORPG, and WoW - plus those concerning Science and Technology - Science, Apple, Gadgets, and Mobile.

Check ‘em out - lined up looking all pretty like that! Shiny banners for our new columns!

Gaming

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Forget Arthas - it looks like Blizzard’s got larger, badder fish to fry at today’s Worldwide Invitational. The company has just unveiled during their opening ceremonies that their new mystery title is none other than Diablo 3.

Presenting the game at WWI was Diablo 3 lead designer Jay Wilson, who was more than happy to demonstrate the game’s features by playing through a dungeon with a dual axe-wielding barbarian. Here’s a couple of details on what he unveiled in the gameplay (via Gamespot):

• Beautiful new graphics
• New improvements include a hot bar, where you can use the mouse to cycle between the skills you want to use. It’s where the potion bar used to be.
• The quest giver from Diablo 2 is back, along with the same voice actor
• New character class: The Witch Physician, which can summon pets, mind control/ enemies, and summon a devastating locust swarm.
• Witch Doctor’s pet, the mongrel, gets an attack bonus when buffed with locust swarm
• Female characters for Barbarian and Witch Doctor introduced

Jay ended the demo by slaying what appears to be a level boss - one much larger than the previous bosses from both Diablo and Diablo 2. In line with this announcement, Blizzard’s also set up the game’s official site, which will carry screenshots and a clear copy of Jay’s demo video from WWI.

We’ve posted the link below, though we warn you - the site traffic’s pretty heavy at the moment. Now if you completely can’t wait to get a glimpse of the game or its accompanying trailer, we’re posted duplicates of them below.

source pc.qj.net

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