‘DJ Hero 2′DLC Featuring Beastie Boys And Linkin Park Mixes Dated» MTV Multiplayer

In the holiday rush that you've likely plunged into for the next few weeks, it might be nice to know ahead of time which"DJ Hero 2"DLC tracks are headed your way and when you can expect to grab them. Beastie Boys, Linkin Park and Pixies tunes headline the rollout that Activision announced today for December, and among the releases are some combos I wouldn't mind picking up outside the game.

Here's what you expect to see from this week through December 21:

Hard Edge Mix Pack (available starting today, November 30):
• Pixies -"Debaser"Mixed With The Prodigy—"Invaders Must Die"
• Beastie Boys —"Body Movin'"Mixed With Lenny Kravitz"Rock And Roll Is Dead"

Old Skool Mix Pack (available December 14):
• Fat Boys —"Human Beat Box"Mixed With Mantronix—"King of the Beats"
• Tag Team —"Whoomp! (There It Is)"Mixed With 45 King—"The 900 Number"
• Beastie Boys —"Triple Trouble"Mixed With Tone-Loc—"Funky Cold Medina"

Linkin Park Mix Pack (available December 21):
• Linkin Park —"The Catalyst (Does It Offend You, Yeah? Remix)"(Remix by FSG)
• Linkin Park —"When They Come For Me"(Diplo Remix)
• Linkin Park —"Pts.of.Athrty"(Remix by FSG)

That Pixies/Prodigy mix in particular sounds like it could be quite good. Depending on your musical preferences, though, any of these could be fine additions to your DJ battling repertoire.

Do you any of these mixes look like winners to you? Who would you like to see"DJ Hero 2"nab for future DLC tracks? Share your responses with us in the comment section below.

Photo Credit:Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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EA Not Interested in More Movie Games» MTV Multiplayer

Electronic Arts respects how important license-based games once were to its rise a publisher, but EA Games label president Frank Gibeau believes that success stories of critically acclaimed movie-based titles are"dead like the dinosaur."Discussing the James Bond franchise specifically, which didn't doany favors for Bizarre Creationsthis year, he expressed no regret over the license's departure from EA and believes that original IP development is a much better alternative.

"The margins are being squeezed,"Gibeau toldDevelop."And, to top it all off, the movie-game business is falling apart."

As for Bond, Gibeau didn't seem jealous of Activision and Bizarre's task to make"Bloodstone."

"We dumped that licence because we felt like we needed to own more intellectual property, and we don’t like where James Bond is going with all the creative limitations on it,"he explained."The percentage royalties you have to pay the licensors are going the wrong way for publishers."

Saving that money and investing it in new concepts and characters interests him a lot more, and he's confident that EA's results thus far have proved him right.

"Considering the total amount of money we have to spend on those types of James Bond games, and the total amount of man-hours we had to put into them, we thought; hell, let's work on our own IP,"he said."The guys who made James Bond games for us, well yeah, they went on and made Dead Space."

Do you think Gibeau's on the money about movie-based games? Can you think of any titles that prove him wrong? Share your responses with us in the comment section below.

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Water Rejoices As The‘Fluidity’Release Date Is Secured» MTV Multiplayer

Water plays a big role in video games, but it's usually not a starring role. In games like"Pitfall"and"Red Dead Redemption,"water meant instant death, whereas other games like"Super Mario Bros."have entire levels dedicated to H20. But to make water the star of its own game? Unless you count"Wetrix,"it's never really happened...until"Fluidity,"that is.

"Fluidity"is a WiiWare title which has you controlling a puddle of water. The game uses fluid dynamics, the kind we saw in titles like"PixelJunk Shooter,"but you're not controlling a tiny space ship here. Nope, you're just controlling the water. You can make it slide around, squeeze through tiny crevices and even jump. The biggest challenge, though, is keeping it all together. Water isn't the most teamwork-oriented of substances, and you'll often find your collection of agua splitting up and venturing out into dangerous territory. Thankfully you'll also be able to find and rescue rogue water droplets to expand your liquid empire.

Yes, this is a really weird game, but I had a blast playing through a demo of"Fluidity"a few months ago. It's one of those clever 2D platformers that offers way more complexity than the simple premise implies.

Well, with that lengthy intro out of the way, you should definitely keep an eye out for"Fluidity"when it drops on December 6. It'll run you 1200 Nintendo points or $12 for those in the States. And while you're at it, check out"Cave Story,"as well. Oh, and"World of Goo."And"And Yet It Moves."Hey, look at that! WiiWare is really starting to come along, isn't it?

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Mark Wahlberg Confirms Starring Role in‘Uncharted’Movie» MTV Multiplayer

News has slowly been surfacing about the forthcoming"Uncharted"movie, based on the hit PS3 franchise. The last confirmed information that we received was that David O. Russell, the director of movies like"Three Kings"and this year's"The Fighter,"would be helming the project. The biggest question, however, has remained strictly in the realm of speculation: Who would be playing the hero, Nathan Drake? In an interview, Mark Wahlberg gave us our answer:

On the subject of how the"Uncharted"movie is progressing, Wahlberg confirmed that David O. Russell has started writing."David is one of the best writer/directors I've ever worked with,"said Wahlberg."The idea that he has is just insane. So hopefully we'll be making that movie this summer."

Recently there have been rumors that O. Russell was interested in casting Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro in the film, and Wahlberg confirmed those, as well."That's who he wants to write the parts for. I talked to Pesci about it and I know David's people have talked to {Robert De Niro}."

And now for the juicy bit: How would Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro fit into the storyline?

"I'm obviously in whatever David wants to do but the idea of it is so off the charts: De Niro being my father, Pesci being my uncle. It's not going to be the watered-down version, that's for sure."

At this point, it's clear that O. Russell will be exploring"Uncharted"mythos beyond what we've seen on the PS3, given that none of Nathan Drake's family members have appeared in the games before. Even if they don't manage to secure Pesci and De Niro, Wahlberg basically confirmed that he'll be the central character of the film, which is big news.Sorry Nathan Fillion, better luck next time.

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Axl Rose Claims $20 Million Worth Of Problems With‘Guitar Hero 3′» MTV Multiplayer

Lawsuits against Activision regarding celebrity likenesses in their Guitar Hero games are nothing new.No Doubt was unhappywith"Band Hero,"and Courtney Love was thoroughly dissatisfied with the use ofCurt Cobain in"Guitar Hero 5."Now, Axl Rose has decided to turn a grievance with"Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock"into a legal matter, and he wants $20 million.

It's no secret that Axl Rose would prefer not to have Guns N' Roses' former guitarist Slash associated with his band in any way now, but court documents uncovered byRadar Onlineexplain that Rose believes he was misled about how"Welcome to the Jungle"was used in"GT3,"to the extent that he claims he only agreed to let it appear if it never came into contact Slash over the course of the game.

Well, anyone who's played"GT3"knows that Slash's likeness appeared in it prominently, and Rose alleges that he was assured that neither Slash nor his band Velvet Revolver would be associated with Gun N' Roses' classic track. The court documents even claim that Rose was told as recently as August 2007, just before"GT3"came out, that Slash and Velvet Revolver would not be featured.

With up to $20 million in damages, punitive damages and other costs at stake now in this case alone, it's easy to see why Activision veered away from celebrity likenesses andstuck with fictional characters for"Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock."Nevertheless, if Rose feels cheated, you can bet he's not going to walk away from this disagreement quietly.

What do you think about the way"Welcome to the Jungle"was used in"GT3"? Should Activision have kept Slash and the track apart? Share your opinions with us in the comment section below.

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Sony Importing‘Western Game’Releases To Japan» MTV Multiplayer

Xbox Liveand thePlayStation Networkboth have been recruiting new Japanese import titles to their online stores this year, but Sony wants to keep the flow of content going both ways across the Pacific. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's new"Western Game Buyer Selection"label will start appearing overseas on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable titles, with"Castle Crashers"and"Comet Crash"landing on PlayStation 3's and"Young Thor"coming to PlayStation Portables.

The games will become available on November 25, according to a report atAndriasang. They'll be priced at¥1,500, ¥1,000 and ¥500, respectively, and Sony says it's a category they want to continue to nurture for their systems going forward.

Pelfast studio head John Bates toldJoystiqthat"Comet Crash"would be completely localized for the new market, so it sounds like Sony's not messing around. Of course, you may need to be a fluent Japanese speaker to tell for sure how well the translations are going, but if you're already sitting on the receiving end of PSN content in Japan, that's probably not going to be a huge issue for you.

Sony can only open up new distribution channels for these games, though; they'll have to sell themselves to their new market, which could be tricky. Luckily,"Castle Crashers"is a game where the characters almost always communicate through grunts and other strange noises, so hopefully it won't have too hard of a time finding some new players.

Are you happy to see Sony starting up a new label for digital distribution of Western games in Japan? Which other games do you think show up in their store? Share your proposals with us in the comment section below.

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‘Pac-Man Championship Edition DX’Review - He Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghosts» MTV Multiplayer

Three years ago Namco Bandai did the unthinkable; they took Pac-Man and made him relevant again with the release of the Xbox Live exclusive"Pac-Man Championship Edition"(some people were so excited theycelebrated by dressing up). The radical update to the beloved franchise kept the original's core, ghost-munching mechanics and updated the gameplay to create a wild new experience. Building on the success of that release, Namco Bandai has kicked off the release of their Namco Generations series with"Pac-Man Championship Edition DX,"fueled with the hope that gamers will never get tired of munching pellets.

The Basics

Like the original"Championship Edition,""DX"resurrects the classic gameplay of"Pac-Man,"but with an entirely new, extremely fast spin. Overall, the game plays out in a very similar manner, except there is now even more of an emphasis on eating ghosts to drive up your score. Instead of Pac-Man being chased by the standard four ghosts (traditionally the iconic Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde) there are now hundreds that are integrated into each board building on"C.E."'s idea that you need to follow a set path to accumulate the highest possible score.

In"DX"the ghosts are scatted throughout the corridors of each map, napping, just waiting for Pac to pass by them, and wake them up; at that point they hop in line behind him and begin their hunt. The more ghosts that you can amass; the higher your potential score will be grab a Power Pellet."DX"takes this new queuing mechanic and extends it out over a variety of uniquely designed levels and modes, offering a more robust experience than the original"Championship Edition."

The Highs

So Much More For Pac To Chomp
Namco basically took the original"Championship Edition,"combined it with the iPhone version, and then threw a whole bunch more stuff on top to produce"DX."This updated version has so much more to offer than the original: there are ten different boards, each with their own series of Time Trail challenges, visualization options, a selection of background music, and the ever important leaderboards for each different piece of the game. Don't worry; the original five-minute mode is still an integral part of the game.

More Than Just A New Coat Of Paint
Longtime fans of Pac-Man and his many, many different spin-off games will appreciate the variety of visuals that"DX"offers. One of the few complaints that people had with the original game was that the visuals made the game feel like you were playing a"Pac-Man"/"Geometry Wars"mash-up, at a rave. This game fixes that aesthetic by offering eight different visual style, many of which are inspired by classic"Pac-Man"games. On top of that, you can also choose what you want Pac and the ghosts to look like, most of which were also pulled from classic games as well. It's an unnecessary bit of fan service, but it's also a pretty awesome inclusion at the same time.

Less Walls
If there was one problem that plagued"Pac-Man Championship Edition"it was that no matter how good you were at it, you were bound to hit a wall when it came to how many points you could score. There just came a point in the game where you couldn't make it any further, and it most likely led to a lot of people giving up. However, That wall isn't as apparent in"DX,"mostly because the gameplay has been tweaked, but also because once you hit that wall, you can move on to one of the other maps or Time Trials, and work on your high score there.

The Lows

It's Pretty Much The Same Thing Over And Over
The problem with making a game like"Pac-Man C.E."so much bigger is that the developers are basically taking one concept and stretching it a very long way. It's a problem that plagues almost every"arcade"style game. On the plus side, the selection of levels do keep things fresh, but it's still basically"Pac-Man"on crack (and possibly LSD).

Visual Trickery
The game does offer a host of different visual modes, but that doesn't mean all of them are amazing; a couple of them actually hinder the gameplay, making it harder to navigate the corridors and coordinate your plan of attack. Unfortunately, it seems unintentional since no part of the game seems to center around this concept as a core tenant of the game's difficulty like some others do (I'm looking at you"Lumines").

Does This Seem Easier To You?
One of the things that players absolutely had to do in"Pac-Man C.E."was conserve their lives, or, at least, make a strong attempt not to die. However,"DX"offers a more"accessible"solution to this problem;"Pac-Man"bullet-time. If you're about to collide with any ghost (sleeping, trailing, or chasing) the game slows down and zooms in, giving you an extra split second to adjust your decision. This was obviously added in because the original was so hard, especially at the higher speeds, but that was one of the things that made it so great. On top of all that, you can now use bombs as a last ditch effort to clear out any upcoming accidents, making it even less likely that your Pac-Man will bite the big one.

The Verdict
Novelty helped sell the original"Pac-Man Championship Edition,"but there was a solid gameplay experience behind it that helped make it as revered as it is."DX"takes that formula and ups the ante significantly, layering a more robust experience with tweaked gameplay that makes it well worth the $10 sticker price. Maybe, just maybe, fans out there can hope that the follow up to this will be"Ms. Pac-Man Championship Edition,"it's a long shot, but we can still all hope and dream.

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‘NBA Jam’Review (360/PS3) - Always Have A Friend To Jam With» MTV Multiplayer

After one of the most tumultuous releases in recent memory, the new and improved"NBA Jam"has finally made its way to the HD consoles six weeks after landing on the Wii. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions offer little in the way of new gameplay, but they do include one unfortunately missing feature from the Wii version; online play. While most of my original review still holds true, I wanted to revisit the game, and see whether or not the changes that EA included help improve on an already enjoyable experience.

The Basics

Nothing's changed from myWii review, except the addition of the online features, and achievements/trophies and the subtraction of motion controls.

The Highs

Online Ballin'
The obvious selling point of this version of"NBA Jam"is online play, and that's pretty much all it is. You have your choice playing against one or three other people in competitive or co-op games mimicking the same experience of local multiplayer. In addition to the standard games, you can take any of the Remix modes online, from 21 to Smash. It's a nice addition, and offers as similar to the home experience as possible.

Jam Cards
Much like"Call of Duty"and a host of other online multiplayer games,"NBA Jam"allows you to create a personalized online card to house all your player information. It's not nearly as robust as"Black Ops,"but it still features unlockable backgrounds, names and icons that should give players some incentive to invest some time online.

The Lows

Online Ballin'
Yes, it's on the lows side as well. The online isn't perfect, but when it works it's great. Finding a match usually takes more time than it should, and then once you're connected staying that way wasn't always a guarantee (mostly because there's no penalty for dropping out of a game you're losing). While those are the standard complaints for any online game it's proves that"Jam"is no different. Also, watch out for the ally-oops online, they're impossible to block.

Analog Play
In place of motion controls the new versions of"Jam"come with optional analog stick controls. Essentially, the entire game can be played dual-analog style with the different directions taking the place of the face buttons. Thankfully it's just an option."Jam"doesn't require the precision that a racing game might, but pressing an holding the X button to shoot is still way more reliable than pulling back the analog stick to get set and then pushing it forward to follow through with your shot.

The Verdict

This version of"Jam"is essentially the same as the Wii version, just with an online component layered on top, but that's enough to make it the definitive edition. However, it needs to be stressed that the online play is no substitute for playing someone in the same room. While it offers another human being to play (virtually) all the time, hitting that buzzer beater from half court to take the win just isn't as satisfying when you can't see your opponent's face.

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Gran Turismo 5: This is not the review, Gran Turismo 5 PS3 News

A quick Gran Turismo 5 review update: We received review code from Sony on Monday morning (yesterday).  The Sony review embargo says that we are allowed to post a review on Wednesday (tomorrow). That means I have less than two days to play the game, write the review, take screenshots/video and get it published on the site.

The writing of words and editing of videos alone will take the best part of a working day. With this timeframe, that leaves me with a‘Gran’ total of one day to play the behemoth that is Gran Turismo 5. One day for a game that has been in development for 5 years. One day for a game that is possibly Sony's biggest exclusive of the year. It deserves more.

 

These are just *some* of the things I want to achieve with the review: test the online and 'B-spec' modes. Examine the new, aggressive AI. Drive on all the track surfaces. Watch GT TV. Test the load times before and after the install (which takes 50 minutes alone). Unlock the F1 cars. It ain’t gonna happen in a day. The review WON'T be ready for tomorrow.

Above: This is the proper way to review Gran Tursimo 5

That said, rest assured that I am deep in the process of reviewing the game. I’ve gone as far as I can to make sure I do it with the best set-up I can manage. I even paid£80 at the weekend to buy a Logitech Driving Force steering wheel to go with my now-legendary racing seat just for this review. I’m playing on a (non-3D) 40inch LCD TV, although I’ve played it in 3D at Sony’s headquarters. I’ve got the PS Eye connected for head tracking. I’m listening to the audio through a hi-fi and big fat sub-woofer. I’m taking it damn seriously.

Clearly I’m not allowed to tell you what I think of the review code so far, but I will point you in the direction of my hands-on preview from a few months ago. There’s going to be a lot to talk about in the review. But I can’t write that unless I’ve played the game, so I’d better get back to it.

Expect to see GamesRadar’s Gran Turismo 5 review by the end of the week. I promise.

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Halo Movie Still On Microsoft’s To-Do List» MTV Multiplayer

TheHalofranchise's quest to produce a feature-length film has been almost as epic as the games themselves, with Peter Jackson,Neill BlomkampandSteven Spielbergall making appearances as the real-life drama has unfolded. Even though Bungie and Microsoft are parting ways post-"Reach,"finding a way to turn Halo into a success outside of games is something Microsoft wants to see happen, whether it means working with a studio or bringing it to HBO as a TV series.

"There will be a Halo movie. We don't need a movie. But we'd like a movie,"Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor told Harold Goldberg of theNew York Videogame Critics Circle."We'd like the moms of gamers to see the movies because they would love our characters. Maybe we’ll even fund it ourselves."

O'Connor explained that Microsoft is keeping their options open, too.

"We'd love to see Halo as a television series,"he said."Look what HBO did with Band of Brothers or even Rome. Something like that would work because the Halo universe is so vast."

O'Connor was reportedly approached by a high-level network executive the Future of Television East conference in New York last week, and though the exec agreed to bring large amounts of money to the table, he wouldn't be the first to try securing the rights to Master Chief.

In the post-Bungie era, there's going to be a lot of pressure on MS to make sure they do right by Halo, whatever happens. Either a film or a"Sopranos"-sized TV series would be fine by me as long as they make it look good, but I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering where that exec was from.

Would you rather see Halo become a film or a TV series? Do you trust Microsoft to make the right choices? Share your opinions with us in the comment section below.

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