February 2012

LittleBigPlanet Karting Confirmed by Sony

All week, rumors have been swirling about the existence ofLittleBigPlanet Karting, a kart racer featuring Sackboy and the Play/Create/Share mantra. Well, today, Sony has admitted that the leaked poster and game concept are real.

“We can confirm that LittleBigPlanet Karting is in fact in development and we look forward to sharing details on this exciting new game in the near future,” a statement from Sony said. “Stay tuned for more info.”

It isn’t much to go on, but at least we know the truth. What do you think of the news? What do you want in the game? Let us know in the comments below and then listen to Podcast Beyond talk about the LBP Karting rumors and what it might mean for ModNation Racers.

Activision Confirms New Call of Duty Game in 2012

During its 4th Quarter earnings call today, Activision confirmed that a new Call of Duty game will be coming in 2012.
This comes as no surprise since the franchise has seen new titles annually and Modern Warfare 3 has made over a billion dollars. Still, this marks the first time that Activision has plainly stated that a new Call of Duty game will be released this year.

No information on the title was revealed. Previously, reports suggested that Activision may be prepping Black Ops 2, though that hasn’t been confirmed. Sledgehammer has been hiring for a new Call of Duty game, and Infinity Ward is working on a next-gen Call of Duty.

Family Guy Online

This is almost like the time they made a Facebook game out of a popular TV show. Except it isn’t.

Family Guy Online isn’t your standard social grind. It’s not even a Facebook game. It’s a graphically convincing free-to-play browser-based RPG with plenty of character, TV-showness and gameplay challenges.

The game begins with the player creating their own avatar based on familiar characters from the show. You’re not exactly one of the Griffins, but you look like you might be. These are, essentially, classes.

In any case, inside the persistent world, the Griffins are big players. These NPCs send you on quests and challenges which offer rewards including funny clips from the show and points towards upgrades and items.

Quests include the kind of goofy nonsense and weirdness that has made Seth MacFarlane’s show such a cultural touchstone for our times, and fans will recognize the jokes – chasing naked man down the street, for example or rescuing a midget from a well. Expect giant chickens.

Players pick up special skills as they progress through the quests. There are plenty of basic tasks like beating people up, rescuing and fetching. Since it’s an MMO, certain quests and tasks require team-work.

The 3D world is there to explore so you can mooch around Spooner Street and its environs. The producers had to construct a quasi-realistic neighborhood because, incredibly, the TV show’s makers don’t have an actual map of Quahog.

Players come across certain characters just kinda being themselves who may send you on quests. That creepy old sexual predator Herbert is an early encounter.

The Griffins’ home is a central location, as is, of course, The Drunken Clam.

The game’s lead is Ian Verchere, known for the award-winning TV-based game Beavis and Butthead back in the 1990s.

Family Guy Online is currently in closed beta with an open beta scheduled in a few months time.

Free 3DS Wi-Fi at over 5000 Locations Across Europe

You can now connect your Nintendo 3DS to the internet at over 5000 locations across Europe for free.

The locations mainly include fast food restaurants – McDonald’s, KFC, Subway, Burger King – as well as Ibis and Etap Hotels, which all use the hotspot.com Wi-Fi service.

“With such an extensive European-wide Wi-Fi access network, partnering with free-hotspot.com made absolute sense. The access points are largely located in popular restaurants and hotels – places where Nintendo 3DS owners are likely to want, and to unwind in,” said Laurent Fischer, Nintendo Europe marketing and PR director.

So if you like Mario Kart, and if you like burgers, this is pretty much the best news you’ve ever read