Sep 19, 2010

NBA 2K11 Achievements Take A Dig At NBA Elite's Cover Boy?

Kotaku

NBA 2K11 Achievements Take A Dig At NBA Elite's Cover Boy? NBA 2K11 will feature 50 achievements, only one of them concerns a feat with a specific player in a standard game. It just so happens to involve the cover athlete for rival NBA Elite 11.

"G Performance," a cheevo that's an apparent nod to in-game sponsor Gatorade, gives you 20 Gamerscore if you score 48 points with Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant. Why that guy? He's the cover rep for NBA Elite 11. Why that figure? Because his real-life career high is 47.

In a rivalry that's walked - and sometimes stumbled - on the line between digging at the other guy and not acknowledging him, I tip my cap to 2K Sports. This is their baby; they're very confident in it (ESPN's already calling it the SGOTY not even a week into the demo) and it is still fargin war between them and EA Sports.

Here's the full achievement set, courtesy of Operation Sports. There are 24 20-point achievements, 13 15-point achievements, six 25-point achievements, three each for 30 and 10 points, and a 50-point achievement, for a total of 995 Gamerscore. The PS3 trophy breakdown is not yet known.

•The Whole Enchilada (50)
Earn every achievement in NBA 2K11

•The Big Day (15)
Get drafted in the 1st round of the NBA draft in My Player mode

•Complete the Circuit (15)
Complete the Summer Circuit and make an NBA roster in My Player Mode.

•Check! (15)
Complete all 3 in-game tasks in My Player mode

•Keep Your Friends Close (15)
Win a My Player Pick-Up Game

•My Air (15)
Create your own signature Air Jordans

•My Player of the Game (20)
Be named Player of the Game (in an NBA game) in My Player mode

•My Every Day Player (20)
Become a starter in the NBA in My Player Mode

•My Rookie of the Year (20)
Win the NBA Rookie of the Year award in My Player mode

•My Big Eight-O (20)
Earn an 80 overall rating in My Player mode

•My All-Star (25)
Be named an NBA All-Star in My Player mode

•My MVP (30)
Win the NBA MVP award in My Player mode

•Buzzer Beater (20)
Make a game winning shot with no time left on the clock

•Trip-Dub (20)
Record a triple double with any player

•Dub-Dub (20)
Record two double doubles with any teammates in the same game

•Five by Five (20)
Record 5 or more in 5 different stats with any player

•Artillery (20)
Make 15 or more 3-pointers with any team

•Block Party (20)
Record 10 or more blocks with any team

•Grand Theft (20)
Record 10 or more steals with any team

•Swat and Swipe (20)
Record at least 5 blocks and 5 steals with any team

•Smothering (20)
Hold the opposing teams FG% below 40% with any team

•Giveth and Taketh Away (20)
Record 10 or more rebounds and assists with any player

•Hold the Fat Lady (20)
Start the 4th period losing by 10 or more points and win the game with any team

•Wire to Wire (20)
Do not allow your opponent to lead the game at any point with any team

•4-Point Line (20)
Pull off a successful 4-point play with any player

•Not Over Yet (20)
Make a 3-point shot at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime

•The Closer (20)
Hold the opposing team to zero points in the final two minutes of the game

•G Performance (20)
Score at least 48 points with Kevin Durant to set a new career high

•G Dominance (25)
Win by at least 50 points with any team

•G Recovery (10)
Play an entire game using manual substitutions

•Air Apparent (25)
Unlock all 40 Air Jordans

•Another Day, Another Win (20)
Win 5 NBA Today matchups

•Live the Dream (25)
Complete all of the Jordan Moments challenges

•Streaking (25)
Win 5 games in a row in The Association mode (playing all 5 games)

•Home Court (25)
Earn the NBAs best record in The Association mode (at least 30 games played)

•Ticker Tape (30)
Win an NBA Championship in The Association mode (playing every playoff game)

•Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown (20)
Beat LeBron James in the Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown

•Top Trey (15)
Win the Sprite Blacktop 3pt Shootout

•Birthday (10)
Create a player

•Hey Mr. DJ (10)
Create a 2K Beats Playlist

•This One Counts (15)
Win one online ranked match

•Back to Back to Back (15)
Win 3 ranked matches in a row

•You're Officially Hot (20)
Win 5 ranked matches in a row

•Lincoln (15)
Win 5 ranked matches total

•Hamilton (20)
Win 10 ranked matches total

•Jackson (30)
Win 20 ranked matches total

•All for One (15)
Win one online crew game

•Teamwork (15)
Win one online pick-up game

•One for All (15)
Earn a positive Teammate Rating in the online Team Mode

•It's Better to Give (15)
Share any file type through 2K Share

Sep 19, 2010

Three Weapons That (Sadly) Aren't In Red Faction: Battlegrounds

Red Faction

THQ offered us a peek at a playable version of its downloadable Red Faction spin-off, the four-player vehicular combat action game Red Faction: Battlegrounds, at this week's Tokyo Game Show. What did we learn?

Well, not too much more beyond what was featured in the downloadable game's debut trailer. Red Faction: Battlegrounds is a frantic, competitive arcade action game, a top-down perspective take on Twisted Metal-style car combat. Vehicles, mechs, tanks and weapons lifted from the Red Faction franchise will make an appearance in the game, like the mini-black hole spawning singularity gun.

But some Red Faction standbys—and some of the series' not so common weapons—won't be making an appearance in Battlegrounds. Here's a quick rundown of what won't be available in the game's arsenal. Believe me, I asked.

1. Cars with hammers attached to them
2. A gun that shoots hammers
3. A giant ostrich mech

Fortunately, the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network game doesn't appear to suffer for those absences. The hands-off demo we saw at TGS looked like a fun arcade experience, one on par with the planned $5 to $10 USD price THQ is expecting for Red Faction: Battlegrounds. With persistent rankings, leaderboards and planned downloadable content post-launch, this spin-off title might make the wait for the next fully-fledged Red Faction game a bit easier.

The game is expected to ship "a couple months" before Red Faction: Armageddon arrives in May 2011. Battlegrounds is planned to includes tie-ins to that title that THQ is still yet to detail.

Sep 19, 2010

What's Happening With Good Old Games?

Kotaku

What's Happening With Good Old Games? The entire site of Good Old Games, the online seller of classic - and DRM-free - video games, has been taken offline and replaced with a message saying the service has been closed. Update: This is looking like a marketing move.

"We have recently had to give serious thought to whether we could really keep GOG.com the way it is," reads the front page message. "We've debated on it for quite some time and, unfortunately, we've decided that GOG.com simply cannot remain in its current form."

The message thanks GOG customers for "an unforgettable journey into the past," and says that later this week "we'll put in place a solution to allow everyone to re-download their games."

Update: Good Old Games spokesman Tom Ohle gave this comment to Kotaku: "As the message on the site says, this doesn't mean GOG is gone. We'll have more to share in the coming days."

Signs point to a potential relaunch of the service. Good Old Games had always carried a "beta" tag. This Polish financial news page, translated, (Good Old Games' owner is Warsaw-based CD Projekt) indicates news is coming on Wednesday. [Thanks to Kotaku reader jayntampa for the link.]

The abrupt closure - first noticed sometime after 10 a.m. MDT - set off speculation of legal trouble or an attack on the site. There's no evidence that either is the case. Good Old Games' Twitter feed on Friday morning offered a farewell message, and referred obliquely to problems keeping customers, publishers and management happy. But just a day before, GOG announced it was offering a Codemasters bundle at a deep discount.

The farewell message is not limited to GOG's front page; all previous links to other parts of the site redirect to the closure page.

Good Old Games, owned by the Polish games distributor CD Projekt, launched in 2008. It offered classic PC games, tuned to ensure compatibility with modern versions of Microsoft Windows. It was known and well liked among gamers for its commitment to selling games without Digital Rights Management protection, considering it an ineffective antipiracy method that punishes legitimate users.

Here is Good Old Games' farewell message, in its entirety:

Dear GOG users,

We have recently had to give serious thought to whether we could really keep GOG.com the way it is. We've debated on it for quite some time and, unfortunately, we've decided that GOG.com simply cannot remain in its current form.

We're very grateful for all support we've received from all of you in the past two years. Working on GOG.com was a great adventure for all of us and an unforgettable journey to the past, through the long and wonderful history of PC gaming.

This doesn't mean the idea behind GOG.com is gone forever. We're closing down the service and putting this era behind us as new challenges await.

On a technical note, this week we'll put in place a solution to allow everyone to re-download their games. Stay tuned to this page and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

All the best,
GOG.com Team

Sep 19, 2010

Not All Tokyo Game Show Cosplayers Are Japanese

Kotaku

This year's Tokyo Game Show is making a bigger push for cosplay and cosplayers. The changing rooms, which have been typically, in the bowls of the the convention hall have been moved to a nice, air-conditioned area. That's not all.

For this year's Tokyo Game Show, somewhere between 50 and 100 foreign cosplayers flew out for the show. In years past, foreign cosplayers have of course participated in show's "cosplay alley". However, it was not an organized effort on the part of show organizers. Is this the year that TGS cosplay truly went global?

The check-in booth for cosplayers invites overseas (and domestic) cosplayers to put a gold star on a world map to denote where they are from. Red dotes might be easier to see! There seems to be a good showing of American, Taiwanese and Chinese cosplayers as well as South Korean, Malaysian, European and Australian cosplayers.

Show organizers have been inviting international cosplayers and giving guest passes so that they can attend TGS free of charge as well as stipends. The stipends apparently range anywhere from ¥5,000 (US$58) to ¥30,000 ($349). Famous cosplayers have flown in from abroad.

"They want it to be an international event," says 27-year-old Nick Hawkins, who cosplays as Final Fantasy XIII's Sazh Katzroy. Out of costume and off-duty so to speak, the South Carolina native notes that this just one way organizers hope to make the Tokyo Game Show more global. Hawkins, who lives in Japan, did not fly in for the event. He isn't alone.

"I was spotted at Comiket by TGS organizers," says fellow Japan-resident Dan Lemoine, who cosplays as a chemist from Final Fantasy Tactics. "They gave me their business card and told me to contact them."

Organizers selected three cosplayers as guests: One from America, one from Europe and one from Asia. "This is the first year they are inviting cosplay guests," American cosplayer Adella blogs, "and I am selected as the United States cosplayer."

Separate from the efforts of show organizers, Konami invited guests of its own. Earlier this year, Hideo Kojima judged costumes at this year's Comic-Con. The first and second place winners have been flown out to the Tokyo Game Show to appear at the company's booth. According to Crystal, who won the MGS cosplay event at Comic-Con, it's been a wonderful experience. "They put us up at a nice hotel," she says, "and have been showing us around."

Don't just think of them as international cosplayers, think of them as international cosplaying diplomats. They are building bridges — one wonderful costume at a time.

Sep 19, 2010

Kotaku 'Shop Contest: Only In A Jeep

Kotaku

Kotaku 'Shop Contest: Only In A Jeep This past week we learned that Chrysler will be rolling out a Call of Duty Black Ops-branded special edition of its 2011 Jeep Wrangler. I swear, it's like Chrysler knew I was hard up for a good 'Shop Contest idea.

This one all but draws itself, children. You're all experts at skinning and masking and whatever it is you do in Photoshop or Gimp (but, God no, spare us MS Paint). The idea is pretty clear: Show us what this Jeep would look like; or show us what kind of person (or character) would drive it; or show us a better game-branded Jeep; or show us a better game-branded vehicle.

It is all on the table here. I've included images of the 2011 Jeep Wrangler as a starting point, but again, you may feel free to use any make, model or game for your inspiration. In fact, I would be disappointed if all the entries were limited to Black Ops.

Source Images: 2011 Jeep Wrangler; (alternate shot); (alternate shot)

Post your submissions in the comments. The 20 best will get rounded up and published at the end of next Saturday. Meantime, I and the rest of the starred commentariat will approve and promote as many as we can so folks can see them and pass judgment. Remember, if you're trying to get a comment account approved, turning in a worthy 'shop is an easy path to the privilege.

Alright, gentlemen, start your 'Shoppin!