Tenchu Z hands on

Gamespot played some Tenchu Z recently and filed a report here.

In practical terms, you'll accomplish all of those objectives by sneaking around and cutting throats a whole lot. This is how Z is closest to all the preceding Tenchu games: You've got the same color-based enemy-proximity indicator, along with a Splinter Cell-style meter indicating your relative visibility, to help you remain hidden from the numerous guards that you'll want to neutralize silently. Performing a stealth kill is as easy as getting behind an enemy and hitting the attack button. Additionally, if more than one enemy is nearby and none of them detect you, you can actually kill all of them in a combo kill if you have the right timing. However, we encountered some preternaturally observant enemies in our build, some of whom could see us in places where it seemed like we'd be safely hidden, so pulling off stealth kills will require a lot of patience and care.

There are two things that turn me off of games. Jumping puzzles and Stealth. I didn't like Splinter Cell at all, cause all you did was sneak around and shoot out lights and start over cause someone saw you. Hate it.

Maybe this game will make stealth games fun again. It has ninjas.

Agent 0 owns EA, ends up on the cover

Read the entire interview here.

carter grant, New York: Do you play nba live 2006

Gilbert Arenas: No. I play NBA2K. It's real, the NBA2K. The other one, now...it's too fake.

If Arenas doesn't turn the Live franchise around, I will be the first one to call him a fraud.

Ad Supported Gametap Free

I have never understood the allure of Gametap. Old assed games on a PC where you use the keyboard to control your little 8 bit sprite across the screen. Anyway...

In an interview with Next Generation, GameTap general manager Stu Snyder reveals the company's intriguing plans for the future, beginning with a new Xbox Live-inspired free service. Under this new system, users will exist on three levels. The Free level will be for any one of the "2 to 3 million uni ques per month" stopping by on the site who just want to check out a quick game of Pac-Man or Joust. The free games will feature advertising both before and after play. Some simple registration will grant users Green status, which maintains the ads but opens up multiplayer and other community features. Finally, there's the normal $9.99 a month Subscriber status that current GameTap users know and love

Gametap plans to open a digital storefront selling current computer games, I am unsure if Gametap will use a subscription based system or a flat fee system for this.

1up is playing APF 2k8 today

The sports guy's blog gives hints there will be a preview up tonight!

Tomorrow's a big day: I get my first glimpse at All-Pro Football 2K8 (expect a preview by tomorrow night), I meet Jerry Rice, and we tape the new Sports Anomaly Podcast. Spicy hot!

Devil May Cry 4 Gameplay trailer

I have no clue how good this game will be, but it sure looks pretty.

Gears of War Map PACKS Thurs 3pm

Major Nelson's blog tells us

It’s the ‘Hidden Fronts’ map pack and it’s dropping this Thursday, May 3, at 9 a.m. GMT

The map pack is 800 points in which you’ll get four new multiplayer maps:

Bullet Marsh: In this Kryll-infested swamp, an old generator still powers the area lights. A few stray bullets could easily knock out the generator, leaving combatants to fend for themselves against the Kryll.

Garden: This overgrown and crumbling conservatory still has a working fertilization and pesticide system. This system can pose a serious hazard to anyone who ventures into the greenhouse without first venting the air.

Process: Teams must fight for control of this subterranean Imulsion processing plant, still active despite the cessation of the Pendulum wars.

Subway: Timgad's Central Subway station used to serve as a central hub for commuters. Now the tunnels are crawling with Locust.

You can grab the pack this Thursday for 800 points or wait until Sept. 3, 2007 when all four maps will be available for free.

Madden 08 Producers Blog: Daniel Castorani

"D-Cas", the one responsible for Devon Hester's 100 speed rating in Madden 08, explains the reasoning behind his decision. EA sports is going to explain the 100 rating with dueling blogs. First up: D-Cas himself.

It seems that everyone opposing the 100 SPD rating likes to point to a disappointing 4.41 second 40 yard dash time that Hester ran at the rookie combine. Now as easy as it is for me to counter with the 4.27 time that he clocked at the Miami Pro Day, I look at this totally differently. Running on a track in skin tight clothing does not directly translate to game day when the pads are on and ball is in your hand. If track speed was all that mattered when it came to being a fast player, than people like Justin Gatling and Michael Johnson would be lining up on Sundays! So how do you measure something so intangible such as game speed? You watch the games. And anyone who watched number 23 run down the field this season had to be amazed.

I don't know, former Minnesota Viking Michael Bennett ran a 4.13 40 time last year. The highest speed rating he garnered from Madden was a 98 in Madden NFL 2005. He has great speed on the track (9.91 100m) and on the football field, but he is an injury prone player.

In 2003, Bennett had consecutive games with multiple 60+ yard runs. No love for Mr. Bennett.

Now before you get all nostalgic on me, I’ll answer the burning question: Does this mean that we have proclaimed Hester to be the fastest man to ever play in the NFL? No. All this means is that we have decided to open the ratings scale up a little bit this year and that Hester deserved to receive the maximum on this scale. If we had decided to do this when Neon Deion was in his prime maybe he would have received the first 100- who knows?

I know that Neon Deion ran a 4.6 40 backward, and that is crazy fast. He would have smoked forward running Legendary WR Jerry rice (4.7 40), and maybe we will see that some day in APF2k9.

I am looking forward to more Madden Producer blogs on this subject and others. I am rooting for both companies EA and 2k sports to succeed in their football endeavors, for competition breeds quality.

Edit: It will also blow playing against the Bears, because cheeser noobs will use Devon Hester everywhere. He will probably even show up as WR.

A more realistic way to show his expertise at returner would be to give him 95 speed and 100 agility and 100 awareness. Speed is much too important in Madden to give someone a 100 that really isn't that fast.

Tenchu Z preview

I have always wanted to play a ninja assassin. Now I have my chance with Tenchu Z.

Fallout 3 Tech Trailer

I have been looking forward to Fallout 3 for about 10 years. Someone just released what Fallout 3 would have looked like if black isle hadn't cancelled it. It looks a ton like fallout and fallout 2.

Bethesda, the makers of Oblivion, are developing F3. Hopefully they do justice to the franchise.