December 2002

Tuesday, December 31, 2002

Happy New Year!
Posted by White_Pointer @ 12:34:58 AEST
Yep, it's that time of year again, new years eve! Today is the last day of 2002, so go out tonight and party! Make sure you all stay safe over the holiday period, and we'll see you all again next year in 2003!
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Saturday, December 28, 2002

Marvel vs Capcom 2 coming to X-Box Live
Posted by White_Pointer @ 22:03:47 AEST
The more stalwart of you Street Fighter fans may have known this already, but an X-Box Live version of Marvel vs Capcom 2 has been in development by Capcom for a while now, and it's been scheduled for a February 2003 release. This is going to be one of the biggest Fighters by Capcom yet, with 56 playable characters, hyper-fast animation and 3 on 3 tag battles! If you weren't content with the X-Box Live version of Capcom vs SNK 2 EO, then you'll be pretty hard to please if you didn't like this.

You can pre-order both Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Capcom vs SNK 2 EO from Capcom's site right now, so what are you waiting for? Go to it!
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Friday, December 27, 2002

European (and probably Australian too) MK:DA release date
Posted by Squash @ 9:51:41 AEST
If you, like us, happen to live in either Europe or Australia, you'd want to know when MK:DA is coming out, right? Well it seems like the 14th of February 2003 is the date set so start saving up that cash.
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Wednesday, December 25, 2002

Midway for sale?
Posted by Squash @ 5:12:15 AEST
It seems that Midway is in money trouble. Big money trouble.
Sources say that Midway has tried making deals with bot Activision and Electronic Arts, but neither company showed interest.

Read the full article here
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Tuesday, December 24, 2002

Nintendo Power bonus SSBM Music CD!
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:53:21 AEST
Subscribers to the Nintendo Power Magazine will be receiving a free gift this Christmas, in the form of a CD with a Live Orchestra, playing tunes from Super Smash Bros Melee! This is indeed very interesting news. The soundtrack to SSBM is already awesome, it'll sound even better with an Orchestra!

Check out Gaming Evolution Network For more details.
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Merry Christmas from Blood-Sports.net!
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:43:25 AEST
Just to show you we aren't all about Blood and gore at this site, myself and the staff here wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Stay safe, eat a lot, and play games to your heart's content! I hope some of you asked for a fighting game for Christmas!
Take care!

Sunday, December 22, 2002

Sales of Mature rated video games to underaged kids, who's the blame?
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:26:20 AEST
I guess it's no surprise for us in the gaming community that young kids can go to any games store and purchase any game they want regardless of the game's ESRB rating. Dateline however decided to look at this in depth and see just how the stores that promise they don't sell such games to underaged have taken measures that it doesn't happen. And of course, the results don't speak well for the major games retailers such as CompUSA, Circuit City, Toys R Us, Walmart and K-Mart, with all five of them not even giving the kid's age a second thought.

Our affiliates XBoxSolution have a more in depth article if you are interested in finding out more about the subject, and you can read it here
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Friday, December 20, 2002

IGN Publishes Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Guide
Posted by White_Pointer @ 15:44:10 AEST
IGN have just published their own guide for Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, with seperate guides for each version of the game. You'll need to be an IGN Insider member to access it though...but if you are, head on over to IGN and check it out
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Thursday, December 19, 2002

GameSpy starts unveiling their Game of The Year winners
Posted by Squash @ 20:55:17 AEST
So far, they have put up the winners of the PS2, XBOX and NGC Game of The Year.

How well did the fighting games do then?
Quite a few runner-ups and even a special award for Mortal Kombat:Deadly Alliance!

Anyway, go here to check out the winners.
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The New Hip Screenpad
Posted by White_Pointer @ 16:51:28 AEST
No, it's not a marketing cliche`, it's the name of a product, and a very innovative one at that. The Hip Screenpad, created by Hip Gear, (a division of Hip Interactive) is an LCD screen attached to a videogame controller, thus eliminating the need for a television.
The device features a 2.6-inch, fully adjustable TFT screen that can be locked into place. Users can adjust the screen’s brightness, color, contrast and volume and the device also includes stereo speakers and headphone jack. The controller also supports the rumble feature.
This remarkable device is available for the Gamecube, Playstation 2 and X-Box, and will surely come in handy when you really do want to make your console portable. For more information, check out Hip Gear's website.


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Wednesday, December 18, 2002

November's Video Game Sales
Posted by White_Pointer @ 19:36:47 AEST
Slightly different video game sales charts, this one takes a look at which games sold the most out of the entire month, this one being for November. Let's take a look at it then:

October / November / Title / Platform / Publisher / Average Price
1 / 1 / Grand Theft Auto: Vice City / PS2 / Rockstar Games / $50
* / 2 / Metroid Prime / GC / Nintendo / $49
* / 3 / WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth / PS2 / THQ / $50
7 / 4 / Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 / PS2 / Activision / $48
6 / 5 / Yu-Gi-Oh! Eternal / GBA / Konami / $29
4 / 6 / Madden NFL 2003 / PS2 / Electronic Arts / $49
* / 7 / Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell / Xbox / Ubi Soft / $50
8 / 8 / The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / PS2 / Electronic Arts / $49
* / 9 / Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance / PS2 / Midway / $49
* / 10 / Metroid Fusion / GBA / Nintendo / $28

(* indicates not applicable)

Well, that's certainly interesting. Keep in mind that these sales are of the entire month of November. I guess it's no surprise to see GTA:VC and Metroid Prime top the list, but Mortal Kombat:Deadly Alliance has also made it in 9th spot. Since the game was actually released only a 8 days before the end of the month, that's a pretty impressive effort. I'm sure December's sales figures will see it ranked much much higher.
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Tuesday, December 17, 2002

Gamecube Gameboy Player pictures
Posted by White_Pointer @ 18:32:47 AEST
A few weeks back, we reported news about the Gamecube Gameboy player, which plugs into the Gamecube and works in a similar way that the Super Gameboy did for the SNES, allowing you to play your Gameboy Advance Games on your Gamecube. Our Affiliates Nintendo Corner have some pictures of the Gamecube Gameboy Player in action, so if you are interested head on over there and take a look.
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Fight Night chat transcript
Posted by Squash @ 0:33:40 AEST
We were sadly not able to be there for the developers chat but the nice guys over at mk5.org were kind enough to post a chat transcript.
The thing is a must-read for any die-hard MK:DA fans.
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Monday, December 16, 2002

Nintendo Rumours...
Posted by White_Pointer @ 7:24:37 AEST
Apparently, according to a Bloomberg report, Nintendo have approached NEC to build a new chip that will power Nintendo's next console that will follow the Gamecube. Of course, Nintendo denies that anything like this has taken place, so this little tidbit of information isn't concrete evidence that Nintendo have started working on the successor to the Gamecube. We'll keep you posted of any updates as they become available.
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Saturday, December 14, 2002

UBS Warburg Weekly Video Game Sales
Posted by White_Pointer @ 19:02:23 AEST
Time for the new list of top selling games courtesy of UBS Warburg for the week December 3rd to December 10th:

Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform

1 / Grand Theft Auto: Vice City / Take-Two / PS2
2 / Splinter Cell / Ubi Soft / XBox
3 / Bond 007: Nightfire / Electronic Arts / PS2,XB,GC,PC
4 / Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance / Midway / PS2,XB,GC,GBA
5 / Metroid Prime / Nintendo / GC
6 / Dragon Ball Z / Infogrames / PS2
7 (tie) / Lord of the Rings: Two Towers / Electronic Arts / PS2
7 (tie) / Tony Hawk 4/Activision/PS2,XB,GC,GBA,PSX
9 / WWE Smackdown / THQ / PS2
10 / Kingdom Hearts / Electronic Arts & Square / PS2

Well, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance has slipped to 4th place after being in a solid 2nd for 2 weeks running, but 4th place is still a very good ranking on this list. Of real surprise is the new Dragon Ball Z game, which is also a fighter, to be ranked in this list at number 6 after less than a week on the market.
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Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Reviews
Posted by White_Pointer @ 18:49:57 AEST
Now that the game has been out for a few weeks, lets check out some reviews, shall we?

Gamecube Reviews

9.1/10 - Gamezone
8/10 - Gamers.com
4.5/5 - All Cube

Playstation 2 Reviews

4 stars - TechTV
"A" - The Next Level
8.5 - Gaming Maxx

X-Box Reviews

8.7/10 - Gamezone
8.6/10 - IGN
83/100 - Console Gold

There you go, 3 reviews for each console, and not a single bad review within the bunch of them, with no score below 80% or 8/10. It seems Midway have indeed produced a direct hit here. So, what are you all waiting for? Go out and buy it! Remember you can buy it from our affiliated partner Simso by using the link to the Online Stores in the left menu!
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New Fan Art!
Posted by White_Pointer @ 18:06:38 AEST
We've just received our first fan art submission! L. Charles has sent us an excellent hand drawn image of Evil Ryu vs Akuma. You can check it out using the Fan Art link on the left or simply by clicking here Sorry to Mister Charles for not having this up a little earlier.
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Friday, December 13, 2002

Capcom vs SNK 2 E0 X-Box Info
Posted by White_Pointer @ 9:04:48 AEST
As we all know, Capcom vs SNK 2 EO for the X-Box Live is just around the corner, and here is some info that's been released. There will be 48 playable characters, just like the other versions of the game, but there will be additional options such as a versus mode, a practice mode, a survival mode, and an edit mode, where you can actually customise your character. Of course it'll be X-Box Live compatible, meaning you can play it against anyone in the world. It has also been mentioned that players can even use their own customised characters while playing online, although this has yet to be confirmed.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2002

A new games console on the way?
Posted by White_Pointer @ 18:05:45 AEST
Well, this is indeed interesting news. Perhaps it would be best explained if I post a snippet of this press release that was released last week:

Make Your Move, Inc. today announced that the Company has filed the first patent application on the Company's unique game console. "The Company's research and development team has been working on the development of a unique game console for the past two years," states Henry Rolling, Make Your Move's President. "This patent application is the result of the Company's extensive research into game console technology. The Company's unique patent pending game console has been developed as a medium to bridge the gap between the more traditional board game market and the current video game console market. The new game console targets all age groups. In one delivery platform, the game users can enjoy more traditional games, upgraded with a unique new dimension that will expand the player's gaming experience. The game console is designed to be highly advanced, yet it interfaces easily with the average game user. The ease of operation and user friendliness is an important feature of the game console and provides customers with a uniquely different, entertaining and comprehensive game experience."

Get discounts on Capcom games!
Posted by White_Pointer @ 17:57:02 AEST
Well, Capcom are celebrating the holiday season by giving you discounts if you order your Capcom games online! Choose from all their recent titles, including the new Street Fighter games, all for bargain prices of under US $20!

Check out Capcom's Holiday Specials today!
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Tuesday, December 10, 2002

Honduras to ban violent Video Games
Posted by White_Pointer @ 8:27:49 AEST
Yes, it's true. There's a country that is actually banning violent video games altogether...for reasons still unknown. The Honduran Congress voted for violent games to be taken off the shelves, and the Honduran President Ricardo Maduro is expected to sign his name on the paper and pass the new law. If passed, shop owners will be given six months to clear their shelves of the banned items and it will be effective from June 2003.

Among the list of games that are considered violent and headed for the Rubbish Bin there's Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct and Street Fighter, as well as other non-fighting games like Shadowman, Perfect Dark, Doom, Quake, The Legacy of Kain series, Resident Evil, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, The House of the Dead and the new Duke Nukem games.

I only ask one thing...what exactly is this supposed to achieve?
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Monday, December 9, 2002

Soul Calibur II Information
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:11:22 AEST
While I was away at the game developers conference, I had a chance to play the arcade version of Soul Calibur II for the first time, and I must say, straight off the bat I was very impressed. A lot of you would have played it already though...in fact there has been tournaments running for a while now, it shows you how often I get the opportunity visit the arcades nowadays.

For those of you who still haven't played it, it has very smooth graphics, great sound (the characters actually speak English rather than speaking Japanese with English subtitles), and the controls were ultra-responsive, meaning you have excellent precision when controlling your fighter. As far as gameplay goes, well, it's pretty much the same as the original, so you can pick it up and go from there, I was able to reach Inferno on my second attempt at arcade mode, having never played it before. Of course there are some improvements to the gameplay, but it still very much feels like Soul Calibur.

I can't wait until this is finally released on the home systems!
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New Rocky FAQ
Posted by White_Pointer @ 21:03:20 AEST
Nick Clarkson has written up an excellent FAQ for the new Rocky game, now available for all consoles, and has been kind enough to give us permission to use it here at Blood-Sports.net. It's for the X-Box version of the game, but it should be identical to every other version available, so check it out when you get the chance!
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Gamecube Price Drop confirmed
Posted by White_Pointer @ 20:44:06 AEST
Well, it's kind of a price drop anyway. This applies only to US residents, but if you buy a Gamecube this week (and only this week, strictly limited time) you can receive $25 cashback in the mail for the system itself, and another $25 cashback if you buy a game along with it.

You can read more information and download the coupons you need to fill out here. Hurry though, the offer ends this Saturday!
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Street Fighter Alpha ships for GBA!
Posted by White_Pointer @ 20:40:35 AEST
Hello Everyone, I am back from the conference, and I must say, it was great! But, enough of my riff-raff that you don't want to know about, let's get onto the real news eh?

Nintendo have announced that the GBA version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 has finally been shipped, so now all of you who own GBA's (and there's plenty of you) will finally have your own Street Fighter Alpha to play!

You can read more on Nintendo's site
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Thursday, December 5, 2002

The latest list from UBS Warburg
Posted by Squash @ 20:09:50 AEST
No real surprises this week as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is still dominating the top with Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance coming in second. Splinter Cell moved up s spot and knocked Metroid Prime down to 4th.

Anyway, here's the list:

1 / Grand Theft Auto: Vice City / Take-Two / PS2
2 / Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance / Midway / PS2, Xbox, GC, GBA
3 / Splinter Cell / Ubi Soft / Xbox
4 / Metroid Prime / Nintendo / GC
5 / James Bond 007: NightFire / Electronic Arts / PS2, Xbox, GC, PC
6 / Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 / Activision / PS2, Xbox, GC, GBA, PS
7 / WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth / THQ / PS2
8 / The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / Electronic Arts / PS2
9 / Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets / Electronic Arts / PS2, Xbox, GC, GBA, GBC, PS, PC
10 / Madden NFL 2003 / Electronic Arts / PS2, Xbox, GC, GBA, GBC, PS, PC
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Tuesday, December 3, 2002

Australian Game Developers Conference Ahoy! Your chance to ask Sony and Microsoft Questions!
Posted by White_Pointer @ 9:43:55 AEST
Well, Myself and Gooberman (our History of Fighters writer) will be gone for a few days from Thursday (Which will be Wednesday for most of you Americans) to go to the Australian Game Developers Conference. For those of you who aren't aware, this is a three day conference where developers from Australia and Overseas gather to give seminars about the industry. There's also an Expo coupled along with it, which I guess you could say is Australia's version of E3, although nowhere near as large.
At the conference we'll be meeting with Delegates and Representatives from both Sony and Microsoft plus a couple of game developers. At this stage I'm not entirely sure if we can ask them any questions, but this is your chance to ask them! Use the comments link on this news post, or join our forums to post any question you would like us to ask Sony or Microsoft, should we get a chance to ask them. We'll take any appropriate question you can come up with and ask them if we are allowed to do so.
You better hurry though, only a day and a half before we leave!
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Australian Release Date for Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Posted by White_Pointer @ 7:12:42 AEST
Well, if you live Down Under like myself, and have been looking for Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance on the shelves of your favourite games store, you've probably noticed it's not there and may be wondering what's going on.

Well, I asked at Electronics Boutique today when they may be expecting to get them in, and they informed me that it's not due to be released in the land of Oz until Valentines Day next year. Again, it seems as if us Aussies have been left in the lurch a little when it comes to the Video Games market, so I guess all we need to do is wait, and hope that the release may be brought forward a little as the date draws closer.
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Monday, December 2, 2002

X-Box Live Beta A success in Europe
Posted by White_Pointer @ 16:00:44 AEST
Well, the Beta of X-Box Live launched in Europe on the 30th of November, and so far it's been a big success. However, the "Test Drive" won't be completed until March next year, but for all intents and purposes, if you live in Europe you can start playing X-Box Live games now! Just grab your starter kit and make sure you have a broadband Internet connection, and start playing!
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