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Expensive Tomb Raider Art Book Coming Soon

No sooner have I practically begged that publishers take an active role in creating well-crafted books packed with concept and production artwork of famous beloved characters than word comes that an art book focusing on Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise is nearing its February release date.  Featuring art, sketches, and storyboards from each and every Tomb Raider game up through 2008's Underworld, the two-volume set is to see a very limited printing and sell for $110 each.  Here comes The Art of Tomb Raider.

The Art of Tomb Raider is the first book to present every significant piece of Tomb Raider art from all the games and adventures of Lara Croft. This gallery of art is presented in a two volume, 568 page book. Volume 1 chronicles Tomb Raider through Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. Volume 2 chronicles Tomb Raider: Legend through Tomb Raider: Underworld. The two volume set is house in a slipcase.  See the first ever sketches of Lara Croft by Toby Gard, unreleased concept art, storyboards and promotional art and fascinating insights into the evolution of design and visualization of all the Tomb Raider games.

There's even a super limited $500 edition that contains original autographed Lara Croft artwork suitable for framing (the Lettered Edition).  This is exactly the kind of thing that I want to see more companies create, although ideally for a lower price.  It's a shame that I'm not more of a Tomb Raider fan because I just can't justify spending $110 on this, but I'm still glad that it's being produced.

(via Joystiq)

Dante's Inferno Team Celebrates Launch

Today is the day that those awaiting Dante's Inferno from Electronic Arts for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 can finally go to hell as the game heads to stores.  To celebrate the launch of the title, several members of the development team including the producer and combat designer are chatting with fans, listening to feedback, and telling development war stories online from 5pm - 8pm ET today.  If you have a question or a comment to share or just what to hear tales of the creative process, here is your chance. See you in hell! Yeah, I know that doesn't sound quite right either.

OCRemix Wants To Compose Sonic 4 Soundtrack

After hitting the mainstream big time in 2008 with their work on the official soundtrack for Capcom's Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360, the talented musicians at video game soundtrack community OverClocked Remix aren't ready to hang up their instruments just yet.  When the hypothetical possibility of the group handling the soundtrack for Sega's recently announced Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was raised today via Twitter, there appeared to be some interest.

We'd need to grease some palms to score Sonic 4 BUT WE'D DO IT :-D SnappleMan could handle boss themes.

Considering how much of the OCRemix library's collection of Sonic the Hedgehog music definitively rocks, I would feel comfortable with the group handling Sonic 4's collection of background tunes.  Impossibly unlikely?  I'm afraid so.  Amazing potential opportunity?  You know it!  The community is starting to try a little online persuasion towards Sega in order to land the gig.  Here's hoping something positive comes of it.

(via self-fulfilling prophecy)

Kombo Breaker - Episode 60: Garth Chateau Talks Addiction and PopCap Games

We have a double-dose of Kombo Breaker this week as in addition to the special BioShock 2 edition we also have our usual weekly show. This week we have our old friend Garth Chateau of PopGame Games in the guest seat to discuss Bejeweled Blitz, new iPhone titles, expanded support for home consoles, and some exciting news about PopCap titles coming to Nintendo's Wii. As if that's not enough, we also have Kombo's own Keri Honea sitting in with us to pitch her own PopCap proposals. It's forty-five minutes of exciting information, Bejeweled bragging, and even a little peek into the PopCap hiring process (hint: it involves evil laughter). Download this week's episode directly from Kombo or subscribe via iTunes.

Kombo Breaker Special Edition: BioShock 2 Developer Conference

2K Games's eagerly awaited BioShock 2 launches today for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and PC, but before you step into the shoes of a Big Daddy, why not learn what went into the making of the game?  Late last week a few members of the development team sat down for a phone conference in which they discussed the development process, and rather than just provide a brief transcript of their remarks, I recorded the whole hour-long conversation that we're now presenting as a special extra edition of Kombo Breaker.  Would you kindly listen to it?  Download the special episode directly from Kombo or subscribe via iTunes.

Steven Seagal *Is* Hard To Watch

For an ever-so-brief while back in the 16-bit gaming era, it was fashionable for publishers to license actual movie stars to star in original games as opposed to licensing the movie in which they appeared.  Why make, for example, Under Siege: The Game that will be here and gone quickly when one can get action star Steven Seagal to appear in his own unique game that will sell for years?  The Lost Levels feature at Retronauts explains why that doesn't quite hold in up practice as it takes a stern look at the unreleased Super NES project called Steven Seagal is The Final Option (be sure to nail the "is" when you read it aloud).

Though TecMagik had the image rights to capture Seagal himself, a look-alike was used in the shoot, because "the resolution of even digitized images on cartridges is not such that you can tell the difference," said Tarr, saying that the company would work directly with Seagal if their partnership continued on to a higher resolution, CD-ROM based product.  The game's scenario was co-developed with Seagal himself (and credited to his production company, Steamroller Productions), a partnership Tarr described to the Daily Variety as "a perfect example of the new relationship between Hollywood and Silicon Valley." We don't know very much about the plot, other than it stars Seagal and a female co-star battling villains to rescue the woman's son.

The game itself was developed by RSP Inc., an independent studio founded by former Atari programmer Mike Riedel in 1984. It was one of the earliest games programmed by Adrian Jones, who would move on to work as technical director of the Medal of Honor franchise at EA and co-found Spark Unlimited.  The SNES demonstration ROM I was able to review shows the game in a playable, though early, state. A fluidly animated Seagal can move in four directions, punch, kick, block and jump. He can also throw knives and shoot a gun using the L and R triggers, respectively. There are about four or five enemy types, ranging from wimpy scientists holding clipboards to heavily armed mercenaries who will shoot for an instant kill, given the opportunity.

It all ends up being just another forgettable Super NES digitized action wannabe alongside other dismal titles such as Batman Forever.  The practice of signing celebrities to topline games never really went away, but in the modern era we see examples of stars merely lending their name to an otherwise unrelated product.  The star power ends up carrying the promotional angle, but the gameplay is left out of the hands of people like, well, Steven Seagal.

Buy Two, Get One Free Xbox 360 Sale At Amazon

Are you looking to stock up on titles from the Platinum Hits line of Microsoft Xbox 360 games?  Then Amazon.com has a deal for you.  There's a Buy Two, Get One Free sale going on over at the popular web retailer in which a bunch of solid titles are up for grabs.  Choose from the likes of Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, Mass Effect, BioShock, Assassin's Creed, Fallout 3, The Orange Box, Left 4 Dead, Gears of War, Burnout Paradise, Dead Rising, Halo Wars, and many more.  Every purchase made via the green link here goes to help support PTB (which is something that is greatly appreciated).  Now, go forth and grab a handful of new games!

(via Games Abyss)

Weekly Poll: Xbox Nonlive

Plenty of adults enjoy playing Super Mario games, so I'd say that the 8.6% of you that don't are really missing out.  As for the 12.5% of you who are not adults yet, I really hope that you'll stick with the Mushroom Kingdom's favorite son as you grow older.  After all, you never outgrow the classics.  I recommend plenty of Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii in your gaming diet.  Mix well with spin-offs like Mario Kart 64, Donkey Kong '94, Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.  Serves up to four and lasts a lifetime if you do it right.

Speaking of aging, Microsoft is preparing to pull the plug on Xbox Live support for the original classic Xbox console.  This means no more online Halo 2 multiplayer (even if you're still playing it on a Xbox 360).  Does this shutdown affect you at all?  Are you still playing classic Xbox Live multiplayer games?  Or are you just sad to see it go from an innocent bystander's perspective?  Maybe you're eagerly rooting on its April demise.  Either way, let's hear your thoughts on the matter.

Gamers Go Crazy In The World Of Stock Photos

I know that you've seen stereotypical "gamerz" in stock photos used to illustrate mainstream magazine and newspaper articles at some point.  You know the type of photo — an article about violent video games appealing to innocent children is paired with a photo of a generic eight-year-old wailing on an upside-down controller with his hair blown back and mouth wide open in apoplectic shock.  Plus, often times the controller isn't even connected to anything.  Nobody plays games like that.  Ever.  GameSpy has opened the stock image archives to take a look at twenty-five of the worst offenders from the world of "games make people lose their minds".  There are so many things wrong with these kinds of photos.  If these were equivalent stock sports pictures, you'd see kids tossing a basketball at one another presented as an honest depiction of soccer.

Mass Effect 2 Text To Remain Blurry Specks

Woe be to you if you're trying to play Mass Effect 2 for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and PC on a regular, old-fashioned non-high definition television, as you may not be able to read the smaller onscreen text.  What is supposed to be clearly legible (if a bit small) information on a HDTV becomes a blurry unreadable mess on a SDTV, and those waiting for developer BioWare to do something about it will be waiting for a long, long time.  As Eurogamer reports, it has no intentions of fixing the problem.  Here's the relevant text:

"We understand that on some Standard Definition TVs the smallest text in Mass Effect 2 can be difficult to read. While this was not an intentional result, it was a byproduct of enhancements to the user interface," BioWare's Michael Gamble wrote on the official forum.

"After investigating potential solutions, we have determined that while this issue does affect a small portion of SDTV owners, we are unable to resolve it for Mass Effect 2 through a title update.  However, we have taken note of this issue and will take it into consideration as we plan future games in the Mass Effect franchise."

Here's the relevant text again for those of you with non-HD monitors:

"We understand that on some Standard Definition TVs the smallest text in Mass Effect 2 can be difficult to read. While this was not an intentional result, it was a byproduct of enhancements to the user interface," BioWare's Michael Gamble wrote on the official forum.

"After investigating potential solutions, we have determined that while this issue does affect a small portion of SDTV owners, we are unable to resolve it for Mass Effect 2 through a title update.  However, we have taken note of this issue and will take it into consideration as we plan future games in the Mass Effect franchise."

It's a shame that this can't be corrected.  If this sort of thing is going to be an issue (Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and Dead Rising both fell into this trap, for instance), then maybe game cases should have a little "Requires HDTV" indicator next to the ESRB rating and other technical specifications.

(via Joystiq)