Archive for April, 2009

Apr
28/09
Marvel VS Capcom 2 on XBL/PSN – The Worse kept secret!
Last Updated on Monday, 28 September 2009 03:07
Written by affro
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

Thats right fight fans, a personal favourite of mines and a favourite of thosands around the world is coming to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, below is the official statement on the game re-release;

In what will inevitably go down as the worst kept industry secret in recent years, I’m very happy to finally be able to confirm that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network this summer.

The deal took a good while but it’s probably our most requested title to bring back, so Marvel and I and a few other people here at Capcom rolled up our sleeves and got it done.  I can’t stress enough, if you ask for something loudly enough and long enough, we’ll work very hard to make it happen.

So while you may have been able to surmise that something was going on with MvC2, we do still have a few surprises up our sleeves. Let me tell you a little more about how and why this version of MvC2 will be the definitive version.

 

1.       It’s based on the Dreamcast code base – While the PS2 and Xbox versions of MvC2 were great, there are a few niggling issues in them that have caused the competitive community to continue using the Dreamcast version of the game. We wanted to bring you the very best version of the game, so we listened to the community and started with the Dreamcast.

2.       There is online – With the game being developed by Backbone, we are using largely the same, critically acclaimed net code that we used in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix and with that will come our player match quarter mode/lobby system that has proven so popular. Naturally leaderboards and some form of stats tracking (details to be provided at a later date) will also be in the mix. So on the net code side, you’re pretty much assured the best fighting game net code ever created for consoles.

3.       HD upscaling options – Given that most people play Xbox 360s and PS3s on HD TVs, it’s important to help make the game look better. We’ve refined our real-time sprite filtering to use even more advanced techniques and we’re providing two upscaling options for the sprites… one we’ve termed “Crisp” the other we’ve termed “Smooth”. It’s a matter of personal preference for which one you’ll enjoy more. For purists, if you’d like you can use the “Classic” setting, which leaves the sprites completely unfiltered. Because the filtering is applied in real-time, you can change these settings on the fly, mid-match if you choose. Our producer will be showing you some comparison screenshots in the coming days to better clarify the differences. The backgrounds in MvC2 are all 3D, and when rendered at higher resolutions look fantastic. The original textures and assets from the Dreamcast were actually much higher quality than the Dreamcast could really display at the time and when shown in HD, the impact is really quite amazing.

4.       Widescreen – Again, with most people playing on HD displays, we wanted to figure out how to implement widescreen support. To do so, the camera field of view was widened (which we’re able to do because of the 3D backgrounds effectively running off the “edges” of the 4:3 scenario) and there are a few camera tricks that minimize any impact on the gameplay. Play area is unchanged, and this is not a zoom and crop like HD Remix was.  To put it simply, the gameplay area will be in a 4:3 field, while the viewing area will be widescreen.  At the same time, for purists and competitive play, a 4:3 option (with vertical bars on the left and right) still exists.

5.       No unlocking – While we love giving people unlockables in games, for this outing, there’s not a lot of surprises in terms of what characters are in the game. All 56 characters will be unlocked at the start for immediate play, again great for tournament play where players won’t need to mess with save game data or hacked versions (/shame).

6.       Music Options – We love MvC2 but the original “jazzy” music has long been criticized even by ardent fans. Independent music volume controls and support of custom soundtracks on PS3 and 360 we deemed an important feature. Purists will still have what they love and fans of customization are also served.

And as an added bonus, some of you will get to play it sooner than you think. The US PlayStation network will have the demo available for download this week (Europe’s PSN should follow not far after). Surprise. :)

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Apr
19/09
Scotland SF4 Ranking Battles Round 3
Last Updated on Monday, 28 September 2009 10:46
Written by kenny
Sunday, April 19th, 2009

After the Ready-Up World Record Event, we had to quickly rearrange the shop floor for todays ranking battles.

Some of the guys had stayed up throughout the night so it wasn’t an easy task but we managed it.

With new sticks, and the elephant beanbags, the new setup was in place for the next round.

ranking battles round 3 results

Apr
19/09
New World Record Set
Last Updated on Monday, 28 September 2009 03:08
Written by kenny
Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Yes folks, the Ready Up World Record Attempt is complete.
Team Ready Up have successfully completed the 24 Hour Burnout Marathon and were met with a massive round of applause on completion.

Everyone has made it through the challenge in one piece… and, possibly spurred on by Martin’s perkiness, everyone is suddenly full of beans with massive grins on their faces. Photos of the event will follow shortly!

It’s been a very long 24 hours, but it’s also been an incredible amount of fun. We’ll probably all say never again, but really, you should never say never!

Read more about the event at www.ready-up.net

GamesAid

The world record attempt will raise money in support of GamesAid (www.gamesaid.org), the new UK videogames industry charity, which distributes funds to a diverse range of children and young people’s charities.
Andy Payne, Chairman of GamesAid said: “This is a great initiative and hats off to the lovely people at Ready Up, EA and of course Guinness World Records. This is exactly the sort of japery that GamesAid is seeking to endorse. It is games focused and totally inclusive. More power to all of those who take part, original thought never hurts and giving up time is absolutely brilliant!”

Event Info

A group of die-hard videogamers hopes to set a new world record and break in to the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition with a challenging 24-hour gaming marathon.

Staff of gaming website Ready Up (www.ready-up.net) will converge on Esc Gaming centre (www.esc-games.com), Hope St, Glasgow on April 18, 2009 to set the Longest Marathon Playing a Driving Game record. Dan, Kirstin, Martin, Shaz, Simon and Fran, backed up by their own support team, will play EA’s driving game Burnout Paradise over Xbox Live for a day and a night in front of Official Guinness World Record adjudicators. The players will be allowed only short bathroom and eating breaks.

Participant and former Frag Doll Kirsten Kearney, who already holds a Guinness World Record for the First Person Shooter Marathon, said: “Going for this kind of marathon gaming record is a lot harder than you might think. Keeping your morale up while concentrating on a screen and maintaining hand-eye coordination is tough, and you have to rely on using your second and third wind to help you through hardest going parts. It’s made easier by the fact that we have chosen a game like Burnout Paradise, which has a great deal of variety and fresh downloadable content that we can use.”

donate

Support the record attempt and GamesAid by donating at www.justgiving.com/gamesaid-readyup and keep an eye on www.ready-up.net/worldrecord for details of how you can join the team on Xbox Live during the record!

Apr
19/09
Start Your Engines…
Last Updated on Monday, 28 September 2009 03:08
Written by kenny
Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Vroomvroom!!

The 24-hour  marathon has just officially begun! For the next 24 hours (until Sunday, 10am), the Ready Up! team will set the Longest Marathon Playing a Driving Game record: Burnout Paradise over Xbox Live.

Follow the progress of Dan, Kirsten, Fran, Martin, Shaz and Simon on www.ready-up.net as they head towards a new Guiness Record!

A worthy mention to Jake for keeping us all up to date on the event (you’re doing a fantastic job!) and also to John and Anthony for stomping on the network nasties >:)

Good luck everyone, we’re all rooting for you guys!

GamesAid

The world record attempt will raise money in support of GamesAid (www.gamesaid.org), the new UK videogames industry charity, which distributes funds to a diverse range of children and young people’s charities.
Andy Payne, Chairman of GamesAid said: “This is a great initiative and hats off to the lovely people at Ready Up, EA and of course Guinness World Records. This is exactly the sort of japery that GamesAid is seeking to endorse. It is games focused and totally inclusive. More power to all of those who take part, original thought never hurts and giving up time is absolutely brilliant!”

Event Info

A group of die-hard videogamers hopes to set a new world record and break in to the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition with a challenging 24-hour gaming marathon.

Staff of gaming website Ready Up (www.ready-up.net) will converge on Esc Gaming centre (www.esc-games.com), Hope St, Glasgow on April 18, 2009 to set the Longest Marathon Playing a Driving Game record. Dan, Kirstin, Martin, Shaz, Simon and Fran, backed up by their own support team, will play EA’s driving game Burnout Paradise over Xbox Live for a day and a night in front of Official Guinness World Record adjudicators. The players will be allowed only short bathroom and eating breaks.

Participant and former Frag Doll Kirsten Kearney, who already holds a Guinness World Record for the First Person Shooter Marathon, said: “Going for this kind of marathon gaming record is a lot harder than you might think. Keeping your morale up while concentrating on a screen and maintaining hand-eye coordination is tough, and you have to rely on using your second and third wind to help you through hardest going parts. It’s made easier by the fact that we have chosen a game like Burnout Paradise, which has a great deal of variety and fresh downloadable content that we can use.”

donate

Support the record attempt and GamesAid by donating at www.justgiving.com/gamesaid-readyup and keep an eye on www.ready-up.net/worldrecord for details of how you can join the team on Xbox Live during the record!

Apr
07/09
GAMERS PLAN TO RACE INTO THE GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS GAMER’S EDITION
Last Updated on Monday, 28 September 2009 03:09
Written by affro
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

 

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Videogamers to attempt new driving game marathon playing Burnout™ Paradise

A group of die-hard videogamers hopes to set a new world record and break in to the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition with a challenging 24-hour gaming marathon.

Staff of gaming website Ready Up (www.ready-up.net) will converge on Esc Gaming centre (www.esc-games.com), Hope St, Glasgow on April 18, 2009 to set the Longest Marathon Playing a Driving Game record. Six people, backed up by their own support team, will play EA’s driving game Burnout™ Paradise over Xbox Live for a day and a night in front of Guinness’s official adjudicators. The players will be allowed only short bathroom and eating breaks.

Participant and former Frag Doll Kirsten Kearney, who already holds a Guinness World Record for the First Person Shooter Marathon, said: “Going for this kind of marathon gaming record is a lot harder than you might think. Keeping your morale up while concentrating on a screen and maintaining hand-eye coordination is tough, and you have to rely on using your second and third wind to help you through hardest going parts. It’s made easier by the fact that we have chosen a game like Burnout Paradise, which has a great deal of variety and fresh downloadable content that we can use.”

The record attempt will raise money in support of GamesAid (www.gamesaid.org), the new UK videogames industry charity, which distributes funds to a diverse range of children and young people’s charities.
Andy Payne, Chairman of GamesAid said: “This is a great initiative and hats off to the lovely people at Ready Up, EA and of course Guinness World Records. This is exactly the sort of japery that GamesAid is seeking to endorse. It is games focused and totally inclusive. More power to all of those who take part, original thought never hurts and giving up time is absolutely brilliant!”

Gaz Deaves, Video Games Records Manager at Guinness World Records said: “Endurance record attempts like this are among the biggest tests of skill and stamina, and really separate the casual gamer from the hardcore. I look forward to adjudicating the record and wish team at Ready Up the best of luck. It would be great to see their achievement featured in next year’s Gamer’s Edition.”

Support the record attempt and GamesAid by donating at www.justgiving.com/gamesaid-readyup and keep an eye on www.ready-up.net/worldrecord for details of how you can join the team on Xbox Live during the record!

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Apr
07/09
Scotland SF4 ranking battles 1:3 [19th April]
Last Updated on Monday, 28 September 2009 03:09
Written by affro
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

Scotland 1:3

After last months excellent Ranking Battle number 2, it’s all systems go for Ranking Battle 1:3

In case some of you were not clued up, we are running Ranking Battles every month for a 6 month season.
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