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Reuters - God did not create the universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book.

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During a presentation at the CESA Developers Conference on Wednesday about the art of animation, Team Ico head Fumito Ueda brought up some shots from Ico as illustrations. Except the images projected don't look exactly like the PS2 game: the aspect ratio is different, the textures are better, and the character models are sharper -- and that's just what can be picked up from looking at pictures of a projector showing the images. NeoGAF's Gribbix and SolidSnakex posted direct comparisons between the CEDEC presentation and the PS2 Ico.

With the persistent rumor of a God of War Collection-style remake of Team Ico's PS2 games, and with TGS around the corner, it's tempting to take these images as evidence. It seems just as likely, however, that Ueda mocked up nice illustrations of iconic scenes for his presentation. In any case, they're lovely and can be seen at GAME Watch.

Team Ico shows off cleaned-up Ico shots at CEDEC awards originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are you ready, Steef? Just Add Water is working on a high-definition remake of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. The Gravity Crash developer announced the project earlier today, highlighting it as the first in a "long and fruitful relationship" with the original game's developer, Oddworld Inhabitants. "Having a chance to update the great title and release it on PS3 is just a brilliant opportunity, not least for us, but for the fans too," added Just Add Water MD Stewart Gilray.

Set for release during Easter next year, the PlayStation 3 remake of Stranger's Wrath will offer enhanced 720p visuals, more detailed character models, remastered dialogue, PlayStation Move support and "additional bonus material."

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, which launched on Xbox in 2005, was notable for being, well, a really bizarre first-person shooter. It placed the franchise's environmental missive inside a wild and weird Western aesthetic, and replaced ammunition with ravenous fuzzballs. An EA-developed PS2 port never made it to stores.

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath remake coming to PS3 in 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A feast of XBLA games may be headed to Xbox Live Marketplace soon, but that's not all there is. First up, there are a lot of festivities planned for the launch of Halo: Reach. Microsoft is dubbing September 14-20 "Invasion Week," and plenty of Halo goodies will be available "including new gear, exciting content, spectacular prizes and a chance to play with the creators of the game." Microsoft will also be offering opening up Xbox Live Gold features to Silver members from September 17-20. Finally, "all fans that jump online" can download a free "Invasion" theme. It's a bit unclear exactly what's meant by "jump online," whether it be players that play Halo: Reach or simply anyone that signs into Live. We've contacted Microsoft for clarification.

New Deals of the Week are headed down the pipeline as well, with Resident Evil 5 "avatar outfits and game add-ons" receiving as yet unspecified discounts next week. The week of September 13, several puzzle games will get the DoTW treatment. Bust-a-Move Live, Puzzle Chronicles and Tower Bloxx Deluxe are all being knocked from 800 MSP ($10) to 400 MSP ($5), while Gyromancer will drop from 1200 MSP ($15) to 800 MSP ($10).

If you still have money to spend after all that, some new Rock Band 3 Avatar items are now on Marketplace, as are two new Games on Demand, Bully: Scholarship Edition and Cabela's African Safari.

Xbox Live in September: Halo goodies, free Live Gold, cheap puzzle games originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony, here's an idea: just let Kevin Butler control your entire company. Seriously, Sir Howard Stringer is a great guy and all, don't get us wrong -- we've been up plenty of nights bawling our eyes out while he cradled us in his big, burly arms, assuring us that the PS3 would in fact be okay -- but Kevin Butler has proven in his latest ad that he's more than capable for the job.

Just look at the image above and tell us the guy isn't CEO material. Heck, even better: watch the new PlayStation Move ad for yourself past the break and try to tell us it isn't the highlight of your day!

Continue reading Kevin Butler shows us the epic side of PlayStation Move

Kevin Butler shows us the epic side of PlayStation Move originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Red Dead Redemption has been a bonanza for Take-Two, with the company announcing today that 6.9 million units have been shipped to retail. Take-Two stated a couple months back that the title had already become profitable after the western shipped over 5 million units and allegedly recouped six years of development costs.

The breakout hit has been a staple of the NPD and UK sales charts since launch, but it's still got a lot of sales to go before it has the cachet of Grand Theft Auto. And before we stop using that picture above.

Red Dead Redemption has shipped 6.9 million units originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot on the heels of the "movie poster" teasers, and ... several months after the first mention of the title, Ubisoft has given us the first real look at its downloadable game Bloody Good Time.

The multiplayer Source Engine-powered FPS will be released on Steam and XBLA. Up to eight players can compete in various environments within a movie set, fighting to get the starring role in a horror movie by murdering each other with weapons ranging from the expected (guns) to the bizarre ("an exploding remote-controlled rat").

Check out the first screens in the gallery below, featuring the game's cast of playable movie stereotypes. Bloody Good Time will be available this fall.

Continue reading Have a Bloody Good Time in Ubisoft's Source Engine FPS

Have a Bloody Good Time in Ubisoft's Source Engine FPS originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Ubisoft first revealed Outland for PSN and XBLA earlier this week, the company didn't provide many details. Now, thanks to a preview on IGN, we've got a much clearer picture of the title. Outland is being developed by Housemarque, the studio behind the PSN shooter Super Stardust HD and the upcoming Dead Nation. According to IGN, the game is essentially "a cross between retro platformers like Prince of Persia or Out of This World and the color-switching of shoot 'em up Ikaruga."

If just the thought of those two play styles combined has you short of breath, we wouldn't blame you. Like Ikaruga, players can switch the protagonist between two forms, white and black, rendering him impervious to bullets of the same color. At the same time, players must navigate jungle settings on branching pathways looking for secrets and, of course, boss fights. Outland isn't scheduled for release until next year, but rest assured we'll be taking a closer look during PAX.

Outland developed by Housemarque, gameplay detailed originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mega Man Universe teaser trailer hinted at all sorts of cross-game franchise madness when it debuted earlier this year, and this first gameplay trailer does little more than stoke our curiosity all the more. The new teaser begins with an introduction from creator Keiji Inafune, and then launches into the character select screen of this prettied up side-scrolling Mega Man title.

After just a minute of Blue Bomber action, a final tease is revealed -- the character select screen pops up again, only this time it features a Megafied version of Street Fighter's Ryu. "No way!!!" indeed! Head past the break for the full clip, courtesy of 1UP.

Continue reading First Mega Man Universe gameplay footage revealed

First Mega Man Universe gameplay footage revealed originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Have you ever wished you could turn the act of reading a comic book into a more social experience, but without all the reading over your shoulder and creepy breathing down the back your shirt? Sony might be making moves to bring your dream to fruition. PS3 enthusiast site Addicted to PlayStation reported receiving a survey inquiring whether they would be interested in seeing the Digital Comics service, which launched last November on the PSP, migrate to the PS3 (or other devices) sometime in the future.

If Sony really is planning on bringing comics to the big screen, we're torn on whether or not that would be a good thing. On one hand, part of the joy of comics is burying your face in the pages -- an experience you couldn't really replicate on a TV. On the other, we could finally use this as a chance to show our friends what incredibly expedient readers we are. "Oh, you're still on panel four? We're on panel nine. What's up?"

Rumor: Sony surveying interest in PS3 Digital Comics service originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When developers release multiplayer videos from their upcoming games, they often feature god-like players who tear down fields of enemies without taking a single hit. The two GamesRadar demos for Halo: Reach posted below, however, feature all the intensity and stifled swears of a real multiplayer match.

Continue reading Two new Halo: Reach multiplayer videos are full of emotion

Two new Halo: Reach multiplayer videos are full of emotion originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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