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Gamer Chip - August 2008

left 4 dead


Now this is the sort of news to make Xbox 360 owners wee a little in excitement.
We all know the issues Team Fortress 2 has faced with lag, but with the news that Left 4 Dead will be running through XBL on dedicated servers, we should see much better performance and a host of other advantages.


The PC differences don't stop there. There will be a host of changes that will have the PC fanboys leaping about in self righteous glee, such as the console version having a subtle auto aim built in. Also, due to the decreased sensitivity of movement with the controller, enemies will be less likely to attack from behind, giving players a better chance of manuvering into position before having their backsides gnawed upon.

All this and more about the console version can be found in the 1UP preview of the game.
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microsoft game studios


It looks like Microsoft is serious about its first party games, securing the future of Halo for the Xbox for the future by hiring just about everyone who has had anything to do with the franchise across PC and console.

The news is confirmed. Gearbox will not be developing a new installment, instead Gearbox Director of Technology Corrinne Yu will now by working with Microsoft Game Studios as the Principle Engine Architect for the franchise.



Thanks to Kotaku who have broken this story wide open.
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psp 2000 vs psp 3001


Gamespot have released a full review of the differences between the PSP 2000 and PSP 3000 for our pleasure. The results show a big difference in the quality of the screens, that's for sure.

The key points are:

- The PSP-3000 plays the same games and offers the same media support as the older PSP
models
- Improved LCD screen
- new built-in microphone
- The LCD is the same size and resolution as older PSP displays, but it has a "wider color
gamut and anti-reflection technology."
- The new LCD also features five times the contrast ratio and quicker pixel-response times
than the old PSP display
- The response time has doubled in speed
- The new screen will reduce battery life by "about 20 minutes."
- The new system has the same video-out port and uses the exact same video cables as the PSP-2000, but Sony has upgraded the PSP-3000's video output to support gameplay output on interlaced displays using composite video cables.
- The PSP-3000 will be compatible with the same accessories as the PSP-2000.

The full goodness can be found here at Gamespot
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sony home


Guess what Sony Home is this week?
The launch for Home is not far off, with the 10,000 strong beta finally working out enough bugs, glitches and additions to have Sony happy enough to declare PS3 owners long wait to be coming to and end before christmas. But in the meantime, exacly what Home is meant to be changes more often than the underpants of the lead character from Dead Space.

Lead artist John Venables describes Home as a "social layer" for the PS3, pretty much contradicting the previous statements from Darren Cairns and Liam Wickham, declaring Home "is not a social network - it's focused on games. It's a visual representation of the PlayStation community."

According to the article, Sony's main goal for the service is to make online gaming more accessible and welcoming. The blurb and the quotes are incredibly blurred, but Home is made to sound like a meeting place for people to meet and then play casual games, be they strangers or friends. The open areas would be set aside for special events, but with headphones and microhphones, they will be designed to be interactive for the audience members. I guess we shall have to wait and see exacly what this beast turns out to be. It's easy to see why Sony want to distance themselves from the dwindling Second Life scene, but perhaps its too late to do that now.
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Guitar Hero World Tour


A few observant gamers have spotted a small, subtle piece of classic subnote text in an IGN article regarding the PS3 and Wii versions of Guitar Hero: World Tour


[ Click here to read more ]
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Want To Write For GamerChip?

August 28th 2008 03:08
gamerchip enlist


GamerChip has come along in leaps and bounds over the last few months, having stories linked to by sites such as Kotaku, 1UP, CVG, and a few others I can't remember right now (respect to y'all


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Fallout 3 Playable At PAX

August 28th 2008 01:21
PAX penny arcade expo


If I ever hear anyone in the USA or Europe whine about the quality of their gaming expos and trade shows i'm gunna stuff a greasy chicken wing and crossoint in their respective mouths


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Ubisoft Planning Far Cry 3 Already

August 28th 2008 00:22
far cry


Far Cry is synonymous with lush forest settings, and if the rumours are true the third installment is due to stay that way


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mystery title gearbox


Rumours. They fill the time in between real news being released. We all deep down, perhaps secretly, absolutely love them. Especially when they are as juicy as Halo 4 appearing as a launch title for a new Xbox console without Bungie being involved. Even Passions couldn't come up with that one


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metal gear solid 4


You may have thought that it was just those movie guys that became typecast, but it seems the same fate befalls anyone who is successful. And although it may tear out a small part of Hideo Kojima's soul each day, it could be good news for fans of the Metal Gear series


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halo 4 gearbox


Rumour! Alert, alert, Rumour


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too human


Too Human. You know how you feel about it by now. Even if you haven't played it, you probably have an opinion. And even those that had experienced the demo have come to the same realisation that the optimistic buyers have also come to: there is something wrong with the game. Strangely, it was while giving The Outfit the thirty seconds of gameplay it deserved that led to the answer as to just what it was that held Too Human back


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warhammer online: Age of Reckoning


I've pretty much given up playing games. There is very little need or time after having watched the incredible cinematic trailers currently being released. Perhaps Final Fantasy VIII and it's hours of cut scenes have the right idea


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PSP 2001 - PSP 3000 Comparison

August 22nd 2008 04:00
psp 3000 screen


Kotaku have tracked down a comparison held between the PSP 2001 and PSP 3000. Now the original site was in a foreign language (my ignorance narrows it down to Taiwanese or Klingon) so the information will be presented here in pictures. And that's all we need really, isn't it? The feature list for the new version is a little thin


[ Click here to read more ]
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Sony Wins Leipzig - By Default

August 22nd 2008 01:51
Sony Game Convention Leipzig


The Game Convention in Leipzig, advertised as the biggest gaming event of the year, underwhelmed with its poor showing from the majority of the gaming console world, which proved to be a good thing for Sony. After pundits declared Microsoft the winner of E3 on a points decision, Sony would have been looking to bounce back with a good showing. And with Nintendo missing in action and Microsoft resting on their laurels the floor was theirs. Unfortunately, the only announcements to come out have been about the new wireless Keypad (impractically placed and a year late), updated Petz or eyetoy, a harddrive upgrade, and a free music video service... already available through the spotlights section of a Media Centre enabled 360 (for those lucky US owners


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team fortress 2


PC gamers have long enjoyed for free the types of content that console owners have payed for. This is set to continue beyond the regular DLC like extra maps and armour, and will now includes updates also


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left 4 dead


Gabe Newell, company head at Valve, has let us know that there are definitely no current plans for a PS3 version of Left For Dead


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psp 3000 phone


Sony have revealed the details of the latest incarnation of their handheld device, the PSP 3000. Along with the regular Skype calling ability, this new version now has a built in microphone, eliminating the need for a headset as with the previous model. David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe claims this will "establish the PSP as a viable communication device


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PSP 3000 Launch Date Announced

August 21st 2008 01:31
psp 3000


For those eager to get their hands on the new PSP 3000 (and fair enough, it sounds pretty classy), the date for the


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age of conan movie


We know that there is already a movie exploring some of the barbarians more primal expliots, but news from the Leipzig Games Convention via Funcom's Erling Ellingsen confirms a new Conan film from Lionsgate that will have close ties Age of Conan MMO


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Wiress Keypad For PS3 Revealed

August 20th 2008 23:52
ps3 keypad


Sony and the everything to everyone PS3 will be receiving a wireless keybord that can be used for gaming


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too human


Microsoft’s head of gaming and entertainment Stephen McGill has given the Too Human franchise his support by going as far as comparing the title to classics such as Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings


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Sony Press Release Details Leaked

August 20th 2008 03:16
Games convention


Microsoft said no and perhaps Sony should have, as Gamekyo has snuck into Sony's Leipzig press conference and the Games Convention and given us a few samples of what is in store from Sony. There is a half of the presentation that they didn't get a look at, but here is what was found


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If Games Were Made Into Adult Movies

August 20th 2008 02:11
rage of bonan - age of conan


There is very little more amusing than a well crafted adult film based on a popular existing franchise. Take The hilarious "The Flintbones", cunningly crafted from The Flintstones. Or "The Naked Buns", from the already overly laugh-inducing Naked Gun series. The gaming world has, until now, been relatively safe from Ron Jeremy and friends... Apart from that Super Mario Bros. spoof (pun definitely not intended


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too human


Games recently have set our gaming bar high... I should probably think about these openinig sentances a little more.... With most AAA titles lately hitting the 90%'s. Now enough votes have rolled in for Metacritic, the site that compiles numerous professional critics scores into one overall ratings, we can see that the gaming media doesn't think this is one of them, ranking Too Human as Slightly Better Than Average with a score of 67


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Sony Home To Include Adult Only Areas

August 19th 2008 04:42
sony home


Playtations' Home becomes more clear, with the news that the service will host over 18 areas where restricted trailers and possibly casinos will dwell


[ Click here to read more ]
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too human


A concession that Too Human might not have been everything Silicon Knights had hoped


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Wildtangent Orb


Firstly, I would like to give my congratulations to Alex St. John for his boldness is stating that this generation of consoles will be the last. It is such questioning of the current state of the gaming industry that continues to push it forward. And so, with respect, I would like to present the alternative argument, that his theory is actually complete and utter bollocks


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SOCOM: Confrontation


Gamestop believes SOCOM: Confrontation is better with your friends, who have informed their PlayStation Underground members that with every pre-order of the new title three Beta keys will be included for use by your friends. Sony are pretty hardcore about their friends though, and want to protect you from bad relationships. If either party ends the friendship, so ends the Beta access


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software piracy


Positech Games are interested in what makes software pirates tick. And it's not the Fob watch concealed in a top pocket that was pulled from DJ's locker, according to the information dredged up by Cliff Harris, an independant developer with the company, their illegal trade is mainly due to Digital Rights Management (DRM). The pirates have united in their dissaproval of the use of DRM in new games, claiming that it actually inhibits legitimate gamers ability to use their purchase


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wii game scores


Don't hold back. It's unhealthy. Let it all out. Sega of America president Simon Jeffery may never be accused of being a puffy pants poet, but can be admired for his strong opinions on the current state of the Wii games library. "The Wii is a very cost effective platform to experiment with," said Jeffrey, "There is a lot of crap coming out for the Wii in general


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ps3 blu-ray


Sony have had a tough time deciding on what the PS3 is, a social networking device or hardcore gaming machine, media centre... or hardcore gaming machine, but in an interview with Gamasutra Scott Steinberg has said that the the high price is for the ten years of potential that will lead into the console being so much more than... a gaming machine


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halo 3


All it took was one new map to be given away for free - Halo 3 has continued its run at the top of the Live play charts


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PSP-3001 Details Revealed Through FCC

August 14th 2008 06:42
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star wars wii


Game Informer Magazine has reported that LucasArts are seeing blaster-red over Nintendo and their new Motionplus addon for the Wii controller. Why? Because Nintendo decided to keep it to themselves, rather than share it with, say, the developers trying to release decent third party titles for the Wii


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Introducing The New Face Of The PS3

August 14th 2008 02:25
sackboy


Just when you were busy laughing at the Wii for being too softcore, Sony have unveiled their "face of PS3" (much like David Jones and Myer do each year with supermodels...), Sackboy


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Xbox 360 GTA IV Preferred By Gamers

August 13th 2008 07:09
gat IV xbox 360


Nielsen have released a report showing some hard data on the owners of GTA IV, showing that a majority of those purchasing the game preferring the Xbox 360 console over the PS3. Also, a quarter made the decision to buy for their Xbox 360 based on the exclusive content


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fallout 3


GamerChip brings you the news you have been waiting for: RedAnt, the Australian distributor for Fallout 3, has confirmed through the EB Games website that the game will be released on October 17th. The RedAnt website is yet to post details which will be of concern to some, but EB Games has yet to steer us wrong on this one


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Star Trek Online - The Complete FAQ

August 13th 2008 01:34
star trek online


Just about everything you need to know about Star Trek Online has been released in the form of a FAQ on the official website
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2 More MMO's To Shut Down?

August 12th 2008 23:48
tabula rasa


RUMOUR: Joystiq reports that the latest culling of MMO's will be occuring within NCsoft, with a "reliable source" within the company stating that they are on the verge of laying off the entire development team, leading the title Dungeon Runner to "be closed" and the fate of Tabula Rasa in the air


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Braid Hampered By XBLA Restrictions

August 12th 2008 04:56
braid XBLA


Braid, the recently released to rave reviews, would have been even better if it were not restraind the restrictions of the XBLA service, and will limit any sort of profit that might have made on the title to the extent that the creator would think twice about using the service again


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blizzcon 2008


AMD and Blizzard have entered into an agreement to bundle the "best" games from the Blizzard catalogue across all ATI Radeon(TM) graphics products


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alone in the dark ps3


Alone In The Dark looks set to be given a new lease of life via the PS3


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Fallout 3 rating


Australian Gamer have been kind enough to confirm the GamerChip story regarding the edited version of Fallout 3 hitting Australian shelves. The OFLC has decreed that fifteen years and older gamers will have a very similar version to that released around the civilized world - the one with the 18 rating. Details will come to hand soon as to the exact nature of these changes, but it would seem to be fairly cosmetic, such as drugs being renamed. The sexually explicit content, not having been raised as the cause of the ban originally looks to remain intact


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star trek online


It's game over for the crews of the Star Trek TV and movie franchises. Cryptic Chief Creative Officer Jack Emmert has set his mouth to stun and announced that the characters we know and love from our screens will not be showing up in Start Trek Online


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gears of war PC


Mike Capps, head of Epic, has given his opinion of the reviews that Gear Of War for the PC has received. Capps sounds like a fan of nutshells, wrapping his thoughts up quite distinctly inside one. In a video interview, Capps explains ,"because what we did was take a great game, Gears of War 1 for Xbox 360, made it run at higher resolutions and added three new hours of really good gameplay and it got lower reviews. I think that’s bullshit, and I don’t understand it. I can’t figure out what it is


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gears of war 2 lancer


Amazon.com have revealed a Gears of War 2 bundle with full-size (non-working) Lancer replica. The bundle costs $140US, or there's the option of taking the limited edition of the game with it for an extra $10. It's time to pick your least favourite family picture off the wall and find the spot to mount this bad boy


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ghostbusters


Rumour: Ghostbusters has had the rough end of the proton beams so far, being cast aside after the latest round of mergers and finding itself still without a home. The suggestion now is that Sony may pick up the pieces and keep them to themselves, and though there is some evidence pointing in that direction, it is less than conclusive


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havok inside


An interesting development has reared its head into the exclusivity debate, with the signing of a "perpetual licensing agreement" that will make the Havok physics engines available to Microsoft Game Studios and its development partners. With such a close relationship forming, will we see Sony and Microsoft become separated with exclusivity, not between game titles, but the actual engines they use? Could it be that future titles on the 360 will have the latest physics engine and those on Sony will not


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world of warcraft


Blizzard have shaken up the World Of Warcraft and gaming in general by introducing a scheme to allow players to gain in-game benefits by recruiting extra members to their subscription service


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fallout 3


Bethesda's Pete Hines speaks with TVG about the upcoming Fallout 3. It makes for a quite interesting read, particularly regarding the factors that affect the end game, where Hines shares with us that they are nudging past 500 different variations you could experience in the 20-100 hours of gamplay, "(the) number of variations is over 500, but that's of all the different permutations you can have of each different variable and what you did at each point. I don't know how many of those there are (I haven't gone back to look), but it takes into account any number of things you've done from early in the game, right up to when the game ends - it takes into account all of that stuff," says HInes


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PS4 To Be More Of The "Same Thing"?

August 6th 2008 01:07
phil harrison


So it begins again, and Phil Harrison for one has decided that he would be better of elsewhere, accoring to a source reporting to VG247


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Fury To Shut Down Within 48 Hours

August 5th 2008 05:51
The massively hyped MMO game Fury has finally succumb to the pressures of a poor reception at launch and announced that it will cease to provide a gaming service. Citing the lack of profitibilty but retaining an optimism for a possible future in some shape, for the moment it is time to lay down your weapons.

An official annoucement was released through the Fury forums for players


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sqaure enix DKS3713


The Square Enix DKS3713 Event has ended, and thanks to Jeremy Parish via Gametab we can take a relaxing virtual trip through the previews revealed at the event that insists on sounding like a genuine replacement headlight cover for a 1973 Datsun 180B


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mega man 9


That was a close one


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mattrick


We've all been guilty of spending a little too much quality time on our consoles, but VP of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business Don Mattrick may have lost track of time a little. In an interview with Edge Magazine, Mattrick was quoted as saying, "We’re leading in terms of hours played – a recent study showed that 18-26-year-olds are roughly spending 75 hours a week with our box, which is pretty amazing. That audience tends to be the leader, it tends to influence younger siblings in a household in terms of what’s cool and what’s hot in the consumer electronics space


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mac gaming


Id Software technical director John Carmack has given a world class rant during his QuakeCon keynote, blasting Steve Jobs and Apple over their attitude to gaming, "something they don't really believe in


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Nintendo Out Of Ideas For The Wii?

August 4th 2008 06:38
wii accessories helmet


Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata, has said in an interview published in the Wall Street Journal that they have exhausted all of their original ideas for the Wi and are unsure of the extent of their ongoing development for the console


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wii fit


The Consortium for Public Education in the US has bestowed a Great Idea Grants to local schools with the projects developed including a Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution setup


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Fallout 3 classification


Only a few days after GamerChip revealing that retail chains had received the news (see: not rumour) that there was a new Australia-friendly version of Fallout 3 coming, Internode has expertly probed deep enough into the story to bring a tear to Peter Harvey's eye


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fallout 3


Fallout is an apt name for upcoming game. The Australian media has been whipped into the closest thing to a frenzy we have here for the gaming industry over the ban on the upcoming Bethesda title Fallout 3. But according to EB Games and GAME representatives, Australia will be receiving the game, albeit in a modified format. The new, friendlier version, will have the drug use removed that saw the game banned in the first place. Both EB Games and GAME are currently taking pre-orders for the title. One representative from GAME, contacted this Thursday night, (after hammering home the "do you want to pre-order?" spiel) said that he had read on their internal communications only an hour before that Fallout 3 would be released this year


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Ghostbusters To Ship Spring 2008?

August 1st 2008 02:24
ghostbusters


Could this just be some late mail or does someone know something we don't


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