Underground Gamer

Jools Watsham introduces “Sanctus Vector,” a security drone that Major Kane will encounter. Watch Video

Help these girls do some damage. Watch Video

Sometimes it’s hard to find the right words. Watch Video

Those looking for a more action-oriented game after Merv Griffin’s Crosswords finished off 2008 won’t be too pleased with this week’s title. Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos is a puzzle game that’ll have you scouring for clues as an Interpol agent chasing down a terribly evil fellow by the name of Dr. Chaos. You can see that the game’s title didn’t require a tremendous leap to come up with.

You may have heard of the game before; both Interpol and its sequel have been available on the PC for a while now from developer TikGames — better known to the Xbox 360 crowd as the developer of both Domino Master and Texas Hold ‘em on Xbox Live Arcade. Anyone that’s too eager to wait can check out the a trial on PC right here.

Four player co-op (both locally and over Xbox Live) are among the features the game is bringing with it to the console world. 800 Microsoft points ($10) will be the price when Interpol is released this Wednesday.

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Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux recently questioned the stability of current game prices and the traditional release schedule in an end-of-year report from BBC News. “Everyone says games are good value for home entertainment, despite the relatively high price,” he said. “I’m not so sure. I think we’re going to see a lot of price pressure put on games.” We’ve recently heard analysts echo similar statements that the traditional $50-60 price model for new titles may be more flexible in the current economic climate.

He also questioned the wisdom of saving big titles for the holiday season. As an example, he cited Little Big Planet’s “superb artistry and fatastic marketing,” but lamented its disappointing sales. “I wonder if Christmas is really the right time to release a new title,” he said. “We’ve got into a rhythm [of sequels at Christmas] which is all fair and well while people are buying games, but we have to make sure we don’t get complacent.”

It’s hard to argue that the prices of games could stand some readjusting, but for now they’re staying fairly solid. It will most likely take one developer making a solid profit on a reduced-price game to prove to others that it can work. While you’re waiting for that to happen, it might be a good idea to check out our recession gaming feature for ideas on how to save a bit of money.

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Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Adventure, Casual

Seek and ye shall find a casual squint-a-thon on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday. Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos wraps investigative, per-pixel peering around a globetrotting chase, with “elaborate crime scenes” and “hundreds of mysterious hidden objects” to eke and serenade with a celebratory “Aha!”

You need not be alone in your hunt for Dr. Waldo Chaos, as Interpol supports four-player co-op (both online and on couch). Perhaps you can split the 800 ($10) cost with the other agents.

This Wednesday: Interpol investigates XBLA originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In response to MTV Multiplayer’s views on the subject, Prince of Persia producer Ben Mattes delivers his take on the striking similarities between his game and the PlayStation 2 classic Shadow of the Colossus.

Just before Christmas, Stephen Totilo of MTV Multiplayer ran an article pondering whether concepts and mechanics shared by Ubisoft’s new Prince title and Sony’s Shadow of the Colossus were homage or theft. PoP’s Ben Mattes responded nearly immediately on his person blog, but by then we were all out caroling. His thoughts on the matter:

SoTC was a big inspiration for us, but mostly with the intention of making the boss battles epic and emotional - something they succeeded in masterfully and that we only touched the surface of (in terms of emotional connection on the part of the player). Many of the similarities you pointed out are coincidental, but I certainly don’t mind the comparison. We’ve always been very open about the huge influences that Ico, SoTC and Okami had on us during our development.

So there you have it, folks. Purely coincidental. Of course no game producer in his right mind was going to come out and say yeah, we stole it, but we’ll take Ben at his word. He seems like a nice enough bloke.

Ben also addresses Stephen’s concerns about the game’s ending in a nice, spoiler-free sort of way. For those of you that have finished the game already, Mattes said that the particular ending was forced on the player in order to maintain continuity between titles. He explains that players who chose one ending in The Warrior Within were disappointed when The Two Thrones came out, continuing the story from the other ending. This way everyone wins, even if we do feel as if we were pushed towards doing something we’d rather not have.

My suggestion to those disappointed by PoP’s ending? Prince of Persia fan fiction. Oh yes, it’s time. Make sure you use the term “Fertile Ground” in a highly suggestive fashion.

Stephen Totilo on POP ending [TooMuchImagination]

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Microsoft dubs Bungie’s sci-fi FPS as most-played online Xbox 360 game; Castle Crashers crowned Arcade champ. View Source

Vintage rocker gets six-song downloadable track pack featuring “Oh, Pretty Woman,” “You Got It.” View Source

Times of London reports that the PlayStation maker will unveil “sacred-cow-slaying” changes after this week’s Las Vegas electronics convention. View Source

Final Fantasy creator’s studio and AQ Interactive pull plug on Xbox 360-exclusive action RPG due to economic viability, market conditions. View Source

The new year is wide open with comics firing on all cylinders — from the upper echelons of superhero comics to the vibrant field of modern comics. View Source

“I hope you’re ready for a beating,” says Dan Hibiki, the underpowered Street Fighter (originally created by Capcom as a joking reference to Ryo Sakazaki, a main character in SNK’s Art of Fighting). In 1UP’s exclusive Dan vs. Dan video, we get the impression that he’s no longer a joke character but a worthy fighter possessing a solid ground game, a few decent combos, and an uppercut special attack with surprisingly decent priority. Watch the clip at 1:18 for Dan’s hilarious — and damaging — Ultra attack, an awesome combo featuring several hard punches to the face and gut, followed by a soaring uppercut in the air.

For more videos of Street Fighter 4 characters exclusive to the console version, check out the Fei Long vs. Cammy video used on the 1UP Show’s Street Fighter 4 preview. And, of course, you can watch us stream SF4 on this week’s Game Night, scheduled for Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 5 p.m. PST.

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Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360

Today’s Amazon “deal of the day” bombs the prices on several limited edition Fallout 3 bundles. For starters, the Fallout 3 “Collector’s Edition” for the Xbox 360 has its price melted by 40% and is being sold for $50.

For those who really want the Vault-Tec goods, Amazon’s exclusive “Survival Edition” has been reduced by $20 for all available platforms ($110 for X360 and PS3; $100 on PC). The main difference between the two bundles is the Survival Edition’s life-size replica of the Pip-Boy 3000. Sadly, it doesn’t feature built-in GPS or a real-time medical readout like the one in the game.

Amazon nukes Fallout 3 bundle prices today originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tommy Tallarico looks to freshen up the Video Games Live experience a bit in 2009, with plans to add several new games to the concert’s line up, including Mega Man, Shenmue, and Chrono Trigger.

Portuguese gaming blog RumblePack got an exclusive from Tallarico during a recent Video Games Live performance, with the diminutive composer spilled the beans on several properties they are working on integrating into the show this year. In the video clip below, Tommy announces that Shadow of Colossus, Mega Man, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Shenmue, and Earthworm Jim were all in the works.

I don’t know about you guys, but they had me at Chrono Trigger. If I had to single out the best video game soundtrack ever composed, that’s the one right there. The only problem I can see with the addition is that depending on the song selection, I won’t be able to attend the concert without crying like a baby.

Exclusivo Mundial: Os novos segmentos do Video Games Live em 2009 [Rumblepack - Thanks Pedro!]

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