Author: John Young (1-10 of 182)

May 15 2012 03:00 PM ET

'Disney Epic Mickey 2': Go behind the scenes in new trailer -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

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The first Disney Epic Mickey game, released in 2010 on the Nintendo Wii, was a witty, inventive action-adventure platformer that was held back by a few blemishes. Now here’s Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, and in an exclusive behind-the-scenes video, the developers at Junction Point Studios don’t shy away from addressing those prior complaints.

Dismayed by the graphical limitations of the Wii? Epic Mickey 2 will be released on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC/Mac, in addition to the Wii. Tired of reading text bubbles? The game now features full speech. Wish you could play with a friend? The sequel will offer drop-in, drop-out co-play. And if you were ever frustrated by the original game’s clunky camera, this quote from creator Warren Spector will be music to your Mickey Mouse ears: “The camera is dramatically enhanced — we’ve made hundreds and hundreds of changes.”

Epic Mickey 2 returns players to Wasteland, an alternate universe inhabited by Walt Disney’s discarded or forgotten characters and ideas. In addition to playing as Mickey, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit — one of Disney’s earliest hit characters — can now be controlled by a second person. And in what sounds like a delightful twist, the game is being described as a musical in which the plot will be advanced through original song numbers.

Check out the exclusive behind-the-scenes trailer below: READ FULL STORY »

May 9 2012 08:36 PM ET

'BioShock Infinite' delayed to 2013, causing millions of gamers to simultaneously weep

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BIOSHOCK-INFINITE

The release of BioShock Infinite, one of the most anticipated games of 2012, has been pushed back from Oct. 16, 2012, to Feb. 26, 2013, according to a message posted on developer Irrational Games’ website. “We’ve come to realize that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary,” wrote game director Ken Levine. “I won’t kid you: BioShock Infinite is a very big game, and we’re doing things that no one has ever done in a first-person shooter.”

Sadly, that means we’ll have to wait four extra months before being able to visit Columbia, the game’s floating steampunk metropolis — and a relative of sorts to Rapture, the underwater utopian setting of BioShock and BioShock 2. Set in an alternate-universe 1912, Infinite lets you play as Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, who travels to Columbia to rescue a woman with some incredible — and incredibly dangerous — magical powers. It was the most promising game I saw at last year’s E3 convention; speaking of which, Levine also mentioned that Infinite will not be making an appearance at this year’s E3.

Levine and his team should have all the time they need to finish this game. But I wouldn’t be opposed to sending a Big Daddy to the company’s Quincy, Mass., headquarters just to politely keep their feet to the fire. How crushed are you about BioShock Infinite‘s postponement?

Read more:
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‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 2′ sends the franchise into the future. Gamechanger or shark-jumper?
‘God of War: Ascension’: Director Todd Papy talks multiplayer

May 1 2012 09:00 AM ET

'God of War: Ascension': Director Todd Papy talks multiplayer

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GOD-OF-WAR

Image Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment America

Kratos has never been one to play nice with others, so maybe it’s no surprise that the God of War series has so far avoided multiplayer. But that all changes with God of War: Ascension, the PlayStation 3 prequel that was first announced earlier this month. Sony revealed Monday that Ascension will contain multiplayer modes in addition to a single-player campaign. EW got to see some of the ancient Greek gameplay in action and talked to director Todd Papy about how multiplayer will work in the God of War universe. Here’s what we learned: READ FULL STORY »

Apr 27 2012 03:00 AM ET

'PlayStation All-Stars': Sony's answer to Nintendo's 'Super Smash Bros.' -- VIDEO

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Believe it or not, it’s been 13 years since the first Super Smash Bros. debuted on Nintendo 64, bringing together several iconic Nintendo characters in one four-player fighting game and answering one of life’s greatest mysteries: What’s it like to be defeated by Jigglypuff?

Now it’s Sony’s turn. The company has officially announced PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale, a PS3 exclusive that brings the Super Smash Bros. formula to the Sony universe. At a Los Angeles media event earlier this week, developer SuperBot Entertainment gave the press its first look at PlayStation All-Stars. Our snap judgment: The game’s a blast, though your mileage will obviously vary depending on your passion for side-scrolling brawlers. READ FULL STORY »

Apr 19 2012 09:01 AM ET

Sony announces 'God of War: Ascension' for PlayStation 3 -- VIDEO

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How’ve you been, Kratos? After two years of rumors and speculation, Sony confirmed today that a new God of War game will be coming to the PlayStation 3. Called God of War: Ascension, the game’s blood-drenched trailer (see below) suggests that it’s a prequel set before the Spartan warrior became the ash-covered “Ghost of Sparta.” And that’s pretty much all we know at this point. A spokesperson for Sony did say that more game details would be revealed next week. Until then, let us toast to the return of Kratos, who was named one of EW’s 100 greatest characters of the past 20 years.

Check out the trailer for God of War: Ascension below. READ FULL STORY »

Mar 1 2012 05:45 AM ET

'American Idol' on the scene: Top 12 girls sing, one contestant has an insanely good time, and Randy earns the audience's respect

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Idol-Top12-Girls

Image Credit: Fox

Hello, Idoldome. Hello, John. This is the third season of American Idol that I’ve covered in person, and by now the Idoldome — EW’s nickname for the Idol studio at L.A.’s CBS Television City — is sort of like a second home to me. Except my second home has gone and remodeled itself. The most noticeable difference between last year’s set and Idoldome 2012 is the size of the audience, which has been cut roughly in half. As a result, the noise level has been reduced from “airplane taking off” to “Gilbert Gottfried.”

The stage itself is larger, with tentacle-like walkways protruding into the audience. There are also Burtonesque spirals on the ceiling, though they appear to be an afterthought in terms of the show’s overall design scheme. What isn’t an afterthought is the addition of cubes, cubes, and more cubes. Both sides of the stage now feature giant video-screen blocks that display various looping footage throughout the show. When I first entered the Idoldome yesterday, these screens were all orange, and I felt as if I had somehow become trapped inside the world’s largest, all-orange Rubik’s Cube. But I quickly grew to accept the cubes. They may be Idol‘s attempt to add a bit more razzle-dazzle to the set, à la The X Factor, but they aren’t so overwhelming that they distract from the performances.

But enough about the set. It gets the job done, even if its components may one day be used to rebuild the Aggro Crag in a revival of Nickelodeon GUTS. Last night was all about the Top 12 Girls, who easily surpassed what the Guys delivered on Tuesday. Here are some things that you didn’t see on TV: READ FULL STORY »

Feb 23 2012 09:50 AM ET

Sony's PlayStation Vita: (Pricey) gaming nirvana on the go

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Image Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

I’ve never been much of a handheld gamer. The only handheld system I ever owned was the ill-fated Sega Nomad, and heck if I know the whereabouts of that Christmas present now. So it was with my arms crossed that I approached the PlayStation Vita, Sony’s new high-def gaming device that was released on Wednesday. I was suspicious about whether a handheld gaming system even made sense these days: Would the PS Vita be able to scratch an itch that wasn’t already covered by my iPhone on the go and my PlayStation 3 at home? Turns out, to my surprise, that the answer was yes. READ FULL STORY »

Jan 25 2012 12:00 PM ET

'Kinect Star Wars': Chris Pratt challenges Darth Vader to a duel -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

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Luke Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Andy Dwyer? In Kinect Star Wars, the upcoming motion-controlled game for Xbox 360, anyone can feel as though he or she is a real Jedi master — even Chris Pratt, who plays the lazy shoeshiner-turned-assistant Andy on Parks and Recreation. Case in point: this new two-minute short film, which EW.com is exclusively debuting. The clip features a bathrobe-wearing Pratt facing off against Darth Vader in the iconic lightsaber duel from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. All I’ll say is that Mr. Vader is a very patient man (and that Pratt’s geeky giggle at 0:44 is priceless). Check out the video below: READ FULL STORY »

Dec 8 2011 07:05 AM ET

'The X Factor' on the scene: Confetti catastrophe, Rachel's teacher, and that Pepsi Challenge 'error'

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X-Factor-judges

Image Credit: Fox

Wilt Chamberlain. Godzilla. That baby from Honey, I Blew Up the Kid. All were shorter than the man standing in front of me at The X Factor last night, which is simply my way of saying that I had a wee bit of trouble observing any off-camera drama inside the Xanadome. But compromised vantage point notwithstanding, I do have a few what-you-didn’t-see-on-TV tidbits I’d like to discuss. Let’s begin, as all X Factor conversations should, with some confetti.

Brooms, get a room: Melanie Amaro started off the dance-music themed show by performing a song by an artist synonymous with dance music: Adele. (And don’t get me started on those dancers — a metallic cloned army of Mortal Kombat‘s Scorpion.) During the climax of “Someone Like You,” confetti machines started showering the stage with little shreds of paper. If the producers of X Factor learn anything from last night, it should be this: If you’re going to employ confetti machines, don’t use them for the opening number. READ FULL STORY »

Nov 18 2011 06:45 AM ET

'The X Factor' on the scene: A look behind all that Astro and Stacy drama

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Rihanna-X-Factor

Image Credit: Fox

Last night’s The X Factor show concluded with all sorts of unexpected, juicy, normally seen-on-Bravo drama. It started with Astro prefacing his survival performance with these words: “I really don’t want to perform. I feel like it’s unnecessary.” And then moments later, the 15-year-old rapper told America, “I feel like if you’re going to put me in the bottom two, I don’t want to perform for people who don’t want me here.” This comment effectively turned the entire Xanadome against the kid. But I want to begin this on-the-scene recap several minutes before that and tell you how everything you didn’t see on TV went down. READ FULL STORY »

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