BadPower.com Blog

SAN FRANCISCO — Think the music game market is already crowded enough? Here comes a new challenger, a full-band game that will use real electric guitars for controllers.

PowerGig: Rise of the SixString, published by Seven45 Studios, will be demoed on the Game Developers Conference show floor this week. It’s scheduled to be released this fall on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Wired.com got an advance look at the game and the guitar peripheral (above), which looks like a Rock Band plastic axe and an inexpensive real one had a baby.

For the most part, Guitar Hero fans will feel right at home with the gameplay: Colored Notes travel down the screen, and you hit them by holding any of the strings in that colored area of the guitar’s neck, then strumming. Easy enough. Where Power Gig gets complex, and where the game’s creators feel its appeal lies, is in the “chording” gameplay.

If you turn chording on, the colored notes on-screen suddenly have numbers inside them. A number “5″ inside a green note means that you have to hold down the fifth string in the green fret area, plus the fourth string in the yellow area. The game teaches you each of these chords and ramps them up gradually as you progress through the songs.

Since these are actual power chords, you’ll be learning to play the guitar. And since it’s an actual guitar, you can unplug it from the console, plug it into an amplifier, and wail away.

We didn’t get to go hands-on with Power Gig, so I couldn’t tell you if it’s any fun. And there are more questions than answers right now about the game: What music will be included? How will the drums and vocals work? How much will it all cost?

And will we really learn guitar by playing it? A music game that actually teaches you to play music is the Holy Grail of this business. It’s something that Harmonix has long hoped to accomplish, and with Rock Band 3 coming this holiday season, perhaps the originators will attempt something similar.

For the time being, you can head down to the Game Developers Conference to get the same brief demo we did.

Image courtesy Seven45 Studios

Portal 2 is real, and coming this Christmas, Valve said Friday. And it looks like Mac owners might get to share the love.

The Seattle gamemaker announced that it would release the sequel to Portal, its space-time-bending, hilarious 2007 sleeper hit later this year. If you want to know more, you’ll have to pick up the next issue of Game Informer magazine. And Valve’s not done making waves: A slate of teaser images released this week that the company is bringing its games, and Steam direct download service, to the Mac platform.

Portal 2 also had its share of teases: On Monday, an update to the original game brought with it a pile of hidden clues that suggested a sequel was inbound.

Right after leading fans down the Portal rabbit hole, Valve started teasing the notion of Steam for Mac. A series of ad parodies that mash Valve’s characters into retro Apple ads more than suggests that the company will be launching their game marketplace and social network for Mac computers in the near future.

We’ll make sure Valve gets us the official news when it’s ready to stop being such teases.

Image courtesy Valve

See Also:

• Geeky Clues Suggest Portal Sequel Is Coming
• In 'Portal,' Violating Physics Proves Weirdly Satisfying
• Portal Prodigy Vacates Valve
• Valve Says Downloads Picked Up Steam in 2009
• Valve's Newell: Next Console War to Be Decided by Steam-Like Services

After much deliberation, Microsoft has changed its policy about self-identifying one’s sexual preference, race, religion or nationality via its Xbox Live online service.

In an open letter written Friday, Xbox Live general manager Marc Whitten said that the Xbox Live Terms of Use and Code of Conduct will now allow players to “more freely express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation in Gamertags and profiles.”

Specifically, it is now kosher to use the words “lesbian,” “gay,” “bi,” “transgender” and “straight” in a user name or profile. The new policy does not yet outline proper uses for reference to race, religion and nationality.

Previously, Microsoft banned those expressions out of concern that they could be used as slurs. But an instance in 2009, when a lesbian gamer was banned for self-identifying as homosexual in her profile, resulted in a re-examination of the policy, executed in close collaboration with GLADD.

Now, perhaps Richard Gaywood — the gamer whose real name once ran afoul of Microsoft’s policies — will be able to get his old Gamertag back.

Image courtesy Microsoft

See Also:

• Xbox Live Bans Lesbian Gamer, Microsoft Apologizes
• Microsoft Forbids User's Name as Gamertag
• LGBT-Friendly Campaign Targets Insensitive Gamers
• Xbox Live Trash Talk Leads to Arrest

Harmonix launched the Rock Band Network music store on Thursday, featuring over 100 songs created by end users.

Rock Band Network works with the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band 2. From the average user’s perspective, it’s just another source of music; 100 more songs from obscure indie bands as well as acts like Flogging Molly and Steve Vai. But these songs weren’t created in-house; they were put together by independent music-makers using software provided by Harmonix, then peer-reviewed by their fellow indie developers. Artists get 30% of the take.

Harmonix says that a selection of Rock Band Network tracks will be brought to the Wii and PlayStation 3 platforms no sooner than 30 days after each releases on the Xbox 360.

Now for the million-dollar question: With the songs online and available to every Rock Band 2 owner, will these bands make a bunch of money? And what happens when the service inevitably balloons from 100 songs to thousands?

Image courtesy Harmonix

What’s up with Square Enix’s Nier, anyway?

We’re a little over a month away from the release of this Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game, yet we don’t know a whole heck of a lot about it. It’s an action role-playing game developed by the hit-or-miss folks at Cavia (Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, but also Bullet Witch). Square Enix insists it’s heavy on the RPG side of the seesaw: “This is not a God of War clone. This is not an action game. This is not an adventure game.”

In fact, besides monster slashing, it also features fishing and farming.

In an emailed interview with Wired.com, a Square Enix representative filled in some of the details of Nier, including why the game is being released in two separate versions in Japan but not anywhere else, and what the deal is with that hermaphrodite character.

Wired.com: So I think there’s a bit of confusion out there on just what kind of game Nier is. Can you talk about the battle system and what separates the game from other hack-and-slash titles?

Square Enix: Let’s make a clear separation right off the bat — Nier is an action RPG. This is not a God of War clone. This is not an action game. This is not an adventure game. Nier absolutely has its share of hack-and-slash gameplay and it’s a lot of fun, as it always is to swing huge swords, do acrobatic martial arts moves and crush enemies under the weight of your ever-expanding abilities.

However, Nier also has magic spells. Nier can upgrade, alter and enhance his abilities, magic spells, weapons and martial arts using a system that is similar to a “rune” archetype. The game revolves around one of the most intricate and surprising stories of any game, filled with unusual characters and shocking cliffhangers. And the game’s non-linear progression includes world exploration, countless side quests, additional villages and NPCs, fishing, cultivation and more — allowing the player to choose how they play and the pace at which they wish to progress through the main story.

In short — it’s an RPG and that’s what separates Nier from hack-and-slash titles.

The battle system seamlessly integrates the swordplay and acrobatics with the magical attacks. And the best part is that this is all customizable. By using “Words” found throughout the world, the player can change the characteristics of their favorite swords and spells to better fit their play style or the immediacy of the encounter they are engaged in. If you are the type of player that likes to stomp in and crush enemies with your sword, you can add strength or health upgrades to your sword and equip some AoE magic spells for close combat. If, however, you want to battle from a distance, you can select a set of ranged spells and add additional magical power enhancements to your weapon for extra buffs. It’s up to the player at all times and the player can continually adjust to find what works best for them, personally.

Wired.com: Does the game leave room for exploration or do players go from one room of monsters to the next in a linear fashion?

Square Enix: Nier leaves the pace of the game to the player. As the game is an action-RPG, there is a lot of exploration of the world that players can undertake. In addition, there are quite a few side quests that can be found at Nier’s village and at other locations throughout the world. These side quests will help Nier gain experience faster while at the same time will provide him with a source of income which can then be spent on new weapons or upgrades to current weapons. It’s not right to call this an “open-world” — because people will think of Grand Theft Auto — but essentially, you are standing inside a world and you have the freedom to go where you would like. Just like other RPGs, it wouldn’t be wise to wander off into high level areas without progressing through the game a bit first, but you have the freedom to explore at your own pace and design.

Wired.com: Why did you decide to release two separate versions of the game in Japan, but only one in the U.S.?

Square Enix: Nier was designed with a very strong adult male character as its lead character. We realized as we built the game that this is not what has been the “usual” RPG experience for gamers in Japan. For that reason, we decided to make changes to the game, only in Japan and only on the PlayStation 3 version. In that version of the game, the role of Nier is played by a younger, more traditional Japanese RPG hero figure. In order to make this work, the PS3 Japan-only version features a brother saving his sister, while all other versions (including the game here in North America) Nier is a father saving his daughter.

Wired.com: Do the stories of Gestalt and Replicant intersect with one another at some point or are they completely self-contained experiences?

Square Enix:The two games are, for the most part, the same. The only difference between Japan’s Nier Gestalt and Japan’s Nier Replicant is that in Replicant, Nier is a younger boy saving his sister, instead of an adult man saving his daughter. Otherwise the story, gameplay and experience are the same (aside from small changes to the script to make the brother storyline fit). Here in North America, we only have one game called Nier, which is the same game as Nier Gestalt.

Wired.com: Nier features a character who happens to be a hermaphrodite, which was something that got a lot of media attention for obvious reasons. How did the idea for this character come about? What is the story purpose behind the character?

Square Enix: The character you are referring to is Kaine, one of Nier’s companions who fights alongside him during part of the game. It’s true, she is a hermaphrodite and you’re right, a surprising amount of media attention came out of this tidbit of information.

To be honest, the fact that Kaine is a hermaphrodite was never meant to be a salacious detail that would be talked about on message boards the world over. It is a core part of who she is but it is not a major point within the game story. Kaine’s history is one of conflict and suffering. She has had a hard life, full of pain, and the fact that she is a hermaphrodite is only a small part of that overall story. Sure, it helps to explain some of her personality and actions, and all of that is explained quite naturally through the story of the game.

Images courtesy Square Enix

See Also:

• Square Enix to Release Nier in April
• Square Enix Unveils Hotly Anticipated Sequel
• Square Enix Kills Near Complete Chrono Trigger Fan Project
• Stripped-Down Final Fantasy XIII Is More Movie Than Game

The venerable heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records has released a five-song EP inspired by the forthcoming videogame God of War III.

God of War: Blood & Metal, featuring songs by Killswitch Engage, Dream Theater, Trivium, Opeth and Taking Dawn, is free to those who purchase the $100 God of War III Ultimate Edition bundle. Otherwise, the EP can be downloaded for just $2 at Shockhound.

Headbanger Ben Apatoff from Metal Injection wasn’t terribly moved by the tracks. Opeth’s “The Throat of Winter” feels out of place, he says, though he praised the Dream Theater tune “Raw Dog” for going instrumental, ditching the vocal contributions of frontman James LaBrie.

God of War III for PlayStation 3 will be released on March 16. The hack-n-slash action game follows the adventures of a vengeful Greek god who aims to murder all the other deities on Olympus. After two games, apparently, Kratos still has lots of killing to do.

Image courtesy Sony Computer Entertainment

See Also:

• Hands On: God of War 3 Cranks Gore to 11
• First Screens: God of War III as Brutal as Ever
• God Of War Collection
• God of War III Trailer – Video – Wired
• God of War III: Assembling the Score – Video – Wired

Activision Blizzard will release new games in the Call of Duty first-person shooter series in 2010 and 2011, plus a game that takes the series into the action-adventure genre, it said Tuesday.

The details of the blockbuster war-game franchise follow the shocking news that Jason West and Vince Zampella, the top execs at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward, were ousted from the company. Activision confirmed the pair’s departure today but did not give any further details, although it said that two “Activision publishing veterans” would be placed in control of Infinity Ward.

This year’s Call of Duty will be produced by Treyarch, the team responsible for 2008’s Call of Duty: World at War (pictured above). The action-adventure game will be produced by new Activision unit Sledgehammer Games, formed by former Electronic Arts developers who created Dead Space.

Activision also said that it will form a dedicated Call of Duty business unit that will oversee the franchise much in the same way that Blizzard Entertainment handles its products. Tuesday’s press release says that the company will pursue “new digital business models” and “high-margin digital online content,” which sounds like that Call of Duty MMO we keep hearing about.

Image courtesy Activision

Sony has acquired Media Molecule, the developer behind innovative game LittleBigPlanet, which allows PlayStation 3 owners to create, share and play their own videogame levels.

The announcement, made in a press release Tuesday, said that Media Molecule would become a part of Sony Computer Entertainment’s global gaming business as part of SCE Worldwide Studios.

Media Molecule was founded by Lionhead Studios alumni in 2006. Their first game was indie hit Rag Doll Kung Fu. In 2007 Media Molecule unveiled LittleBigPlanet at Game Developers Conference as a work in progress. The game went on to sell millions of copies, win a handful of awards and generate more than 2 million different user-generated levels.

Alex Evans, co-founder of Media Molecule, says the decision to hook up more permanently with Sony was a no-brainer. “Over the years,” he said, “they have consistently shown their dedication to Creative Gaming and Media Molecule, not only through their support of the company, but their willingness to take risks and embrace our often unusual approach and ideas.”

Image courtesy Sony Computer Entertainment

See Also:

• Video Gallery: Top 10 User-Created LittleBigPlanet Adventures
• Sony Killing Questionable LittleBigPlanet Levels, Without Warning
• LittleBigPlanet Transforms Players Into DIY Gods
• Video: The Making of Little Big Planet
• Japanese Rock Group’s LittleBigPlanet Music Video

Relax. Take a deep breath.

Your PlayStation 3 is broken thanks to a glitchy internal clock, and it’s not going to right itself for a while. What will you do to fill the hours and pretend that your game console still works? Game|Life writers John Mix Meyer, Chris Baker, Gus Mastrapa and I have some suggestions.

10. Pretend you’re in PlayStation Home: Invite a bunch of weird-looking dudes over to your house and do the Cabbage Patch in your living room.

9. Pull out your PlayStation 2. Reminisce about the good old days when game consoles were free-standing appliances that didn’t need to ping a central server before they allowed you to play.

8. Make a game out of your household chores: “Hooray! I just unlocked the Elbow Grease Trophy in PixelJunk Fridge-Cleaner!”

7. Play real-life Gran Turismo: Take your used Toyota hatchback out on the freeway and rev it up to 55. Ah, this is the life. Who needs racing games? Hey, Click and Clack are on NPR.

6. Stand outside by your mailbox, waiting for friend requests.

5. Play the Xbox 360, which has an internal clock that does not have a horrible kill-switch built into it. AARGH.

4. Break out the Pledge and clean the dust off your Wii. Bonus: Clean off all your unused peripherals, too — by the time you’re wiping the last of the grime off the Wii Wheel, the bug will be fixed.

3. Read our recaps of The Tester instead of watching the actual show. (Note: This tip still applies even after your PlayStation 3 starts working again.)

2. Make a list of 10 things to do while your PlayStation 3 is broken.

1. Get your old box of Little League baseball trophies out of the basement, and award them to yourself. Take them to bed with you, comforted in the knowledge that Sony cannot take these away from you (until at least the PlayStation 5).

Image: Sony/Wired.com

See Also:

• ApocalyPS3: Buggy Clock Drives PlayStation 3 Haywire
• PlayStation Network Problems Cause PS3 Meltdown