Konami continues to cash in on the current Wii fitness craze by announcing Walk It Out. In case you haven’t guessed by now the game is all about the incredibly thrilling act of walking. Yes, you read that correctly, Konami is releasing a game in which you walk.

Players will walk along to a soundtrack of over a hundred songs and, erm, I think that’s pretty much everything the game has to offer. You can use the Wii Balance Board of course, or Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution mat, to imitate the art of walking. There is also the option of using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, although I’m thinking that doing that defeats the whole object of the game (although I suppose you do the arm motions when you walk, but why am I even bothering to put much thought into this?).

I love video games, and I’m sure anyone visiting this blog shares the same opinion, but there are some topics which just aren’t worth the time of day to make into a video game. Why is Konami trying to encourage people to stay inside when they can go outside and walk for free throughout our beautiful world? People don’t walk enough these days, and are missing out on sightseeing opportunities and the physical benefits that a good walk brings. This is just Konami trying to cash in on something a lot of us do all the time, as is human nature. What’s next? A game where you breathe the air around you?

The amount of crap one can find on the Wii is just getting ridiculous.

UPDATE: Here’s a cheesy trailer for the game:

At least they try, and fail hard, to make walking sound exciting.

(Images source: Kotaku)

MechWarrior fans will be pleased to know that the teaser trailer released earlier this week (see below) was indeed for a new MechWarrior game. The title is in development at Piranha Games and is said to be a “reboot” of the video game arm of the BattleTech franchise, the previous game being MechWarrior 4: Vengeance way back in 2001.

Piranha Games doesn’t need any fancy titles and has simply gone with the name of MechWarrior for the game. If that doesn’t tell the fan what it’s all about then I don’t know what does. For everyone else a giant robot on the front of the game packaging should pretty much do it.

The game will be set on the planet Deshler circa 3015 (so that’s pre-clan for those that are taking notes) during an invasion, and is planned to feature a full single-player campaign, four-player co-op player and a range of other multiplayer options. The budget is still being discussed at the moment, largely because the game hasn’t found a publisher yet. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

Apparently the game will have a sense of “information warfare”, allowing the player to use unmanned drones or light scout mechs to survey the battlefield. Following this you can pound away at your targets in a variety of mechs, and sticking in one mech will reward the player through experience. This experience translates into, for example, better accuracy and damage from your mechs weapon systems. The game will also be different depending on what type of mech you choose.

The BattleTech franchise has never been that popular here in the UK, but that’s largely because most of the gaming equipment 0r books aren’t widely available. However, the games were released here so it shows there is some demand for fighting in giant robots. I was only introduced to the franchise when I was on holiday in Florida and I bought three BattleTech novels. They’re great fun if you manage to get hold of any of them.

Finally, some other good news to come out of this announcement is that MechWarrior 4: Vengeance is to be released for free alongside its expansion packs in the near future.

The game is being developed for the PC and Xbox 360, but there’s no word on a release date yet as the developer is yet to find a publisher. For more information and screenshots check out IGN’s article on the reboot.

(Image Source: IGN)

BioWare have continued to dodge an official announcement regarding the next piece of Mass Effect DLC, and unfortunately this still remains the case. Lets recap for a second; Bioware let slip that more DLC was on the way through their Twitter account late last month, saying that further details were imminent. Shortly after that we were told we would have to wait for more information, and now we’re getting teased a little bit more.

BioWare head Ray Muzyka has told IGN that the DLC will emerge soon and is “fun” to play. So basically he stated the obvious of what fans are expecting, because we wouldn’t want to play it if it wasn’t fun, would we?

“We haven’t announced it formally yet but I think you can expect something in the next little while,” he said. “Probably some kind of announcement about [the ME DLC]. It’s pretty cool. I’ve been playing what we’re working on there and fans will find it fun.” - IGN

It has been over a year since the only piece of Mass Effect DLC, “Bring Down the Sky”, was released. I was a little disappointed at the DLC, and I felt that it didn’t delve deeper into the background of Mass Effect’s fascinating universe like I wanted it to. Plus, it didn’t help that you had to control that god awful Mako vehicle for part of the DLC.

Hopefully the upcoming DLC will have a little more substance, but we won’t actually know if it will be worth the money until we hear some more information about it. At least it will help plug the hole in my heart that continues to exist until Mass Effect 2 is released.

We love a good deal here at ButtonSmasher (we even have a ‘Bargain Bin’ series dedicated to cheap games) so imagine my jaw dropping to the floor and doing a little dance when I discovered that Steam currently has one of the best gaming deals I’ve ever seen.

2k Games is offering the “2K Huge Game Pack” right now on Steam. The pack includes games like Bioshock, five Civilization games, five X-Com games and nine others. The best part? It’s only £35.99!

Here’s the full list of the games in the pack:

Sid Meier’s Civilization IV
Sid Meier’s Civilization III Complete
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
Shattered Union
Prey
CivCity: Rome
Civilization IV: Warlords
Sid Meier’s Railroads!
Railroad Tycoon 3
Railroad Tycoon II Platinum
X-COM: Terror From the Deep
X-COM: Apocalypse
BioShock
X-COM: Interceptor
X-COM: UFO Defense
X-COM: Enforcer
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
Freedom Force
Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich
Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization

If you bought all those games individually it would empty your pockets of £141.80, which is a massive saving of £105.81. You can’t really go wrong with this deal, unless you have most or all of the games already.

The pack normally costs £39.99, but a 10% discount is in effect until July 7. This means the pack is now £35.99, so if you want to save £4 get it before Tuesday.

You can purchase the pack here. Alternatively you can just load the Steam program on your desktop and buy it through there.

Anyway, if you want to get away from the sun here’s some new games that you could be playing instead of getting burnt to a crisp.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PC, PS3, X360) 3/7

The prequel to 2007’s Call of Juarez follows the story of the McCall brothers as they shoot their way through a civil-war era US and Mexico. The gameplay will be slightly different depending on which brother you select. For example, one brother uses a lasso while the other brother likes to use dynamite. Co-op play will allow you to compliment your chosen characters abilities with those of a friend. Check out the trailer here.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (PS3, Wii, X360) 3/7

I find it hard to write something positive about a golf game, as I personally find it one of the most uninteresting sports on the planet. However, if you are interested a new “Tournament Challenge” mode allows players to replicate famous shots and moments from the PGA Tour’s history, while the Wii version supports MotionPlus; allowing for more authentic and accurate golf swings.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (DS, Mac, Mobile, PC, PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii, X360) 3/7

The game tie-in with the book and film of the same name comes to pretty much every current platform, as well as one of the old ones. It’s pretty much similar to the previous games, with some multiplayer thrown in so you can go up against other crazy Potter fans. Apparently EA didn’t bother to include some of the locations from the previous books, so don’t expect it to be completely canon.

Moon (DS) 3/7

Moon is a first-person shooter that uses the same engine as Renegade Kid’s previous DS game, Dementium: The Ward. It takes place….um, take a wild guess? While the game features plenty of the narrow corridors it’s predecessor had in abundance the developer stresses that an updated version of the engine allows for more open environments and larger groups of enemies (source). All in all it doesn’t look like a bad attempt for a handheld that doesn’t have all that many FPS games.

Other releases:

• Divinity 2 - Ego Draconis (PC, X360) *Out now*
• Music: Music for Everyone (DS) *Out now*
• Pro Cycling Manager/Tour de France 2009 (PC) *Out now*
• Ride to Hell (X360) *Out now*
• Modern Warrior: Special Tactics (PC) *Out now*
• 2025: Battle for Fatherland (PC) *Out now*
• Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS) *Out now*
• Crime Scene (DS) *Out now*
• Worms 2: Armageddon (X360) *Out now*
• Diabolik: The Original Sin (PSP) 3/7
• Space Camp (DS, Wii) 3/7
• King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 3 (PS3) 3/7
• Drama Queens (DS) 3/7
• Classic Word Games (DS) 3/7
• Summer Sports Party (Wii) 3/7
• My Friends (DS) 3/7
• Ready Steady Cook (DS) 3/7
• Fallout 3 Game Add-On Pack: The Pitt and Operation Anchorage (PC, X360) 3/7
• Street Fighter IV (PC) 3/7
• Virtua Tennis 2009 (PC) 3/7
• Rygar: The Battle of Argus (Wii) 3/7

(Images source: Gamespot)

Eurogamer brings word that developer Croteam have been working on a re-imagining of Serious Sam: The First Encounter using a new version of their CroTech Engine.

The original developer of the game is said to be using the power of the Xbox 360 to upgrade the first entry in the hilariously over-the-top first-person shooter series with full HD graphics, along with four-player co-operative play over Xbox Live. The price is rumoured to be 1,200 Microsoft points.

“We are really excited to update our hero and recreate Sam in stunning high definition for Xbox LIVE Arcade players,” said Roman Ribaric, CEO of Croteam. “The fans have lobbied us hard to do this, so we are stoked about bringing Sam back as big, bold and bad as he ever was.” - Kotaku

The image at the top of the page shows what the game will look like upon its release this summer, while the image below shows what the original version looked like (as always you can click on each image to see a larger version). As you can see it’s a pretty drastic change, but it’s also looking all the more better. The hilarious fun of the original combined with a graphics upgrade may just make this one hell of a decent download for Xbox Live. I have fond memories of playing this with one of my friends while growing up (especially the gigantic monster that appears near the end of the game, making my jaw literally drop open), so if one of the best co-op experiences I’ve ever had can be successfully re-created on the Xbox 360 then I’m putting down the cash for it right now.

The game is also said to be coming back to its birthplace, the PC, but what about the Playstation 3? Croteam CEO Roman Ribaric told G4 that a PS3 version was originally planned but was shelved because the developer didn’t have enough time or money to release the game on PSN at the same time as the Xbox Live version. Realistically the game could still come to PSN somewhere down the line, but Ribaric doesn’t think it’s that likely unless demand from PS3 owners becomes high.

(Images source: Eurogamer)

It’s not actually a bad week, with something coming out for everyone. Boxing fans have Fight Night Round 4, while RPG fans can pick between Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Tales of Vesperia. There are a truck load of other releases, so take a look below to see if anyone takes your fancy.

Fight Night Round 4 (PS3, X360) 26/6

Fight Night Round 4 makes punching Ricky Hatton in the face even more realistic than last time. There’s a huge roster of fighters, new fighting styles and the introduction of the legacy mode; which is basically a re-titled version of the career mode which allows you to create your own boxer or choose from legends such as Mike Tyson or Lennox Lewis.

Overlord II (PC, PS3, X360) 26/6

The first Overlord was pretty well received, even if the sales weren’t great. However, it was marred by technical problems - such as long load times and low frame rates - that Overlord II hopes to avoid. The plot is penned by Rhianna Pratchett (Terry’s daughter), who recently did the plot for Mirror’s Edge, and follows the events of the first game. As for gameplay the game apparently “massively increases the scope of the original concept” (source), which means improved minion intelligence and destructiveness and the ability to carry out tasks such as riding mounts and sailing warships. Sounds like fun to me!

Anno 1404 (PC) 26/6

The RTS and city building series continues, or rather goes back in time to 1404. This installment features a new interface, gigantic islands and worlds, a modifiable sandbox and a host of other features. Oh, and there’s the (English gentlemen mode commence!) absolutely splendid graphics you can see above.

Spore Galatic Adventures (PC) 26/6

Spore’s first proper expansion pack (the first, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, simply contained some new body parts) adds some much needed meat to the game in the form of custom missions. The player can customise planets, add flora and fauna, new vehicles, buildings and other objects while also defining various goals for the mission; such as having to defeat a particular enemy or collect a certain object. It should add some much needed variety to a game that got stale pretty damn quick.

Other releases:

• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (PC, PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii) 26/6
• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PSP) 26/6
• Tales of Vesperia (X360) 26/6
• Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires (PS3, X360) 26/6
• Lego Battles (DS) 26/6
• Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil (Wii) 26/6
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits (PS2, PS3, X360, Wii) 26/6
• Superstars V8 Racing (PC, PS3, X360) 26/6
• Street Fighter IV (PC) 26/6
• Overlord Minions (DS) 26/6
• Fuel (PC) 26/6
• Music (DS) *Out now*
• CustomPlay Golf (PC) 26/6
• Ico Soccer DS (DS) 26/6
• Pool Hall Pro (Wii) 26/6
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (DS, PC, PS2, PS3, X360, Wii) 26/6
• Diabolik: The Original Sin (DS, PC, Wii) 26/6
• Story Hour: Fairy Tales (Wii) 26/6
• Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits (DS) 26/6
• Skyscraper (Wii) 26/6
• Deus Ex Complete (PC) 26/6
• Valhalla Nights 2 (PSP) 26/6
• Another Code R: A Journey into Lost Memories (Wii) 26/6
• Bigfoot: Collision Course (DS, PC) 26/6
• My Friends (DS) 26/6
• Fritz Chess (DS, PS3, Wii) 26/6
• Story Hour: Adventures (Wii) 26/6
• SimEarth (Wii) 26/6
• Conflict Collection (PC) 26/6
• Party Pigs: FarmYard Games (Wii) 26/6
• Pro Cycling Manager 2009 (PSP) 26/6
• The Big Deal (DS) 26/6
• Rock Band 2 (Wii) 26/6
• Overlord: Dark Legend (Wii) 26/6
• DC Universe Online (PC) 26/6
• Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? (PSP) 26/6

(Images Source: Gamespot)

Forget about Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars being exclusive to the Nintendo DS because Rockstar have now confirmed that they’re porting it to the PSP in time for autumn.

The PSP will reportedly take advantage of the PSP’s more powerful hardware, meaning a graphical update and new story missions. Rockstar will also offer a downloadable version for the PSP Go!, alongside the regular UMD release.

“Rockstar’s work with the GTA series has been an enormous part of the success of PlayStation platforms,” said Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America. “We’re excited to welcome the critically acclaimed Chinatown Wars to the outstanding line-up of great games headed to the PSP platform this fall”- Kotaku

I think Chinatown Wars is an amazing game, and it’s probably the best game available on the DS, but maybe the DS wasn’t the right platform when it comes to mature games as the sales seem to reflect that. These poor sales have obviously prompted Rockstar to look to other platforms to make a profit, or maybe they were planning this all along - who knows? Whatever the case it’s good news for those that only have a PSP, but I’m curious about whether or not the touch screen mini-games will lose their appeal with you obviously not being able to use a touch screen.

LucasArts, creators of classic games such as the Monkey Island series and Full Throttle (which gave me an excuse to post the glorious gif above), believes that the increase in developers using digital distribution to release games has also increased consumer interest in retro games.

Craig Derrick, producer on the upcoming download only Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, told Destructoid that LucasArts decided to update the title due to fan demand, and also because making new IP is “very difficult”.

“We’re experiencing a remarkable increase in retro gaming and nostalgia thanks in part to the digital distribution of games on Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, Wiiware, Steam and iTunes, he said. “We’re seeing that gamers are looking for new experiences, even if they’re found in classic games.

“The age range of the average gamer has significantly broadened and people are open now more than ever to different types of game genres.” - Destructoid

The beauty of releasing old games on any digital distribution platform means that not only those that grew up playing them can relive the good old days, but it also means that quality games are exposed to a new generation. Some gamers may like hunting down dusty copies of old games, but I just prefer easy access on modern platforms. That doesn’t mean I think they should be updated though, and to be honest I prefer the original visuals in Secret of Monkey Island rather than the new HD update on PC and Xbox Live Arcade (thankfully you can switch between the two). However, there are other options available such as the excellent Good Old Games website. Not only does GoG provide a large stable of classic games, but it’s also extremely cheap to boot!

Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition lands 7 July on PC and Xbox Live.

PEGI, which stands for Pan European Game Information, has been named by the UK government as the sole game ratings board for the country. This means that the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) will no longer rate video games and will instead stick to rating films and DVD’s.

The BBFC previously claimed that the UK would be better served by a local ratings board rather than a European one. The problem with this was that games released on the continent had one sole PEGI rating, while games released in the UK could either be rated by the BBFC or PEGI. For the sake of having clear uniform ratings across Europe the government chose PEGI, which should make things less confusing for customers.

The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), who largely represents the video game industry in the UK, were pleased at the decision, issuing a statement from its Director General Mike Rawlinson:

“The Government has made absolutely the right decision for child safety. By choosing PEGI as the single classification system in the UK, British children will now get the best possible protection when playing videogames either on a console or on the internet. Parents can be assured that they will have access to clear, uniform ratings on games and an accurate understanding of game content.”

There’s no doubt that the BBFC’s age rating icons are far more recognised amongst the British public, largely because every film and DVD release carries the marks, but having one sole rating should make things more clear for parents. It’s not like the PEGI ratings are hard to understand, and if parent’s check the box like they should be doing they should already be familiar with the age ratings; whether they be PEGI or BBFC.

Whoever does the ratings on the package doesn’t really matter, because if parents don’t check or ignore the age rating to begin with then a violent game is then in their child’s hands. I feel we need a big advertisement campaign to advertise this fact, because some parents just don’t realise the content their children are being exposed to through video games.

(Image source: 1UP)