2K Marin Studio Opens

Take-Two Interactive announced today the creation of their newest studio under its 2K publishing label, 2K Marin. Located in Novato, California, this studio will work with other 2K studios to co-develop products as well as create new intellectual properties of its own.

"We're focused on continuing to bring new brands and cutting-edge gameplay to market with the creation of the 2K Marin studio," said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K Games. "2K Marin will build upon our success in creating and leveraging AAA franchises."

[via GameDaily]

PS3 Firmware 2.10 Coming Tomorrow With Divx Support In Tow

Tomorrow, December 18th, PS3 owners who attempt to log on to the Playstation Network will be prompted to upgrade to the latest firmware, version 2.10. According to posters on NeoGAF's gaming discussion forums linking to a now non existent page on the European Playstation website, the new update features long awaited support for the Divx format, further enhancing the Playstation 3's media streaming capabilities. Unfortunately, there are a few minor drawbacks, as files encoded in Divx version 3.11 and higher as well as those larger than 2 GB will not play.

Other features in this media friendly update include support for Type 3 music bitmapping, support for WMV playback, Blu Ray Profile 1.1 and a "Voice Changer" which, as its name suggests, allows you to mask your voice.

[via PS3 Fanboy]

Bioshock DLC Surfaces

Bioshock fans, now is the best time to step into the bathysphere for a return trip to Rapture. Today Xbox 360 and PC owners have more incentive than ever to take a walk through the underwater wonderland. Alongside a patch (title update for 360 owners) new downloadble content and enhancements have surfaced for 2K Games' latest nautical treasure, Bioshock.

Four new Plasmids and Gene Tonics are included

• Sonic Boom: Hurls creatures and objects back with a blast of force
• EVE saver: Enables Plasmids to use less EVE
• Vending Expert: Reduces prices in the vending machines
• Machine Buster: Increases the amount of damage players deal to cameras, bots and turrets

Exclusively for Xbox 360 owners, players can earn a new achievement, called 'Brass Balls' worth 100 points for completing the game on Hard difficulty without dying.

A number of enhancements have been added by popular demand from users on the Cult of Rapture forums. such as a true widescreen FOV and the option to disable Vita-Chambers.

These updates will be automatically applied upon startup for Xbox 360 owners connected to Xbox Live and PC players can head over to the Bioshock support page to download the patch.

GUFU Podcast 4 Part 2 Is Available!

The new and improved GUFU Podcast has finally been released. In this fourth edition, AdobeArtist, The_Game21x, Jechsthost78 and Heil68 answer questions submitted by GUFU members and much more.

http://www.brainycode.com/GUFUPodcast4part2.mp3

New editions of the GUFU Podcast are currently in the works so make sure to check back often!

GUFU Weekly News Roundup 11/26 - 11/30

The Week’s hottest gaming news, all in one place. The GUFU Weekly News Roundup

More Xbox 360 Fall Update Details Released!

New information about the Xbox 360’s fall update has been released at Xbox.com. Available to the public at 2:00 AM December 4, 2007, The new update brings with it a host of new features including an “Inside Xbox” feed which delivers the latest Xbox 360 news via Xbox.com and expanded video support (Divx?).

Patch and Free DLC Coming For Bioshock

The Cult of Rapture is reporting that a patch as well as free downloadable content is on the way for the PC and Xbox 360 hit, Bioshock. The patch will be available sometime next week accompanied by the yet to be detailed free downloadable content for both platforms. A full list of bug fixes is set to be released concurrently with the patch.

Bioshock 2 In Development At New 2K Games Studio?

Hot on the heels of the news of new content coming down the pipes, rumors have surfaced that Bioshock 2 is already in development. Following reports from Take Two that the game had been a very successful IP for them and one they considered expanding, this is not exactly surprising.

Classic Stages To Be Included in Super Smash Brothers Brawl

The good news continues to roll in for Nintendo’s upcoming Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Already seemingly bursting at the seams with content, the development team has confirmed that the classic Hyrule Temple stage will be included in Brawl. No other classic stages have been announced thus far but more are expected to come.

PSP System Update 3.73 Released, But Doesn’t Really Add Anything…

The Official Firmware 3.73 has been released but from the looks of things, is practically identical to the recent 3.72 update and prior to the installation of the new firmware, there are no new features outlined.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Needs to Sell a Million On Day One?

In an interview with Reuters, Ryan Payton told them “the new "Metal Gear Solid" needs to sell over a million copies on the first day it goes on sale due to its costly production”. Somewhat confirming that third party exclusives are a dying breed.
Warhawk: Omega Dawn Expansion Details Released

Sony’s online only shooter is about to receive some new content to keep it alive and kicking for quite a while. The new DLC, priced at $7.99 including a new map and a new vehicle in the form of a huge dropship.


That'll do it for this week's Weekly News Roundup. Stay tuned to GUFU News Blog for the latest!

Firmware 2.01 On the Way

A short while after the release of firmware 2.00, Sony has announced on its Playstation Blog that firmware 2.01 is on the way, to be released in a few days. Those hoping for substantial updates (including the already confirmed Divx Support) are going to be a bit disappointed, as this update will only offer minor improvements to the stability of the Playstation 3.

Get Halo 3 for Free?

IGN has reported that, from now until December 21st, Microsoft will be sending a free copy of Halo 3 to anyone who buys a new Xbox 360 signs up for a new Xbox Live account and registers their system. Combined with the two free games that come packed in with the Xbox 360, this makes for one enticing deal. Almost too good to be true.

Well, it may very well be. Since IGN posted their article, the web page advertising this deal has since disappeared and as of this writing, the registration link for the program is having problems.

We'll keep you posted if this deal turns out to be legitimate or another case of something being too good to be true.

Source: IGN.com

The GUFU Weekly News Roundup 11/12 - 11/16

The Week's Hottest Gaming News, all in one place. The GUFU Weekly News Roundup

Singapore Bans Mass Effect!

Reuters has reported that Singapore's Media Development Authority has placed a ban on Bioware's latest opus because of the love scene that can occur between a female human and an alien woman.

Singapore Changes Its Mind! Mass Effect No Longer Banned!

After an incredibly short span of time, the ban on Mass Effect has been lifted and instead the game will release with an M18 rating. The Board of Film Censors has also stated that they plan to devise a ratings system to "enable highly anticipated games to be launched in Singapore."

NPD October Totals Released

The totals for October have been released from the NPD. The Xbox 360's Halo 3 sparked lead in Septemberwas indeed short-lived, clocking in at 366,000 systems and the Wii has once again retaken the top spot with 519,000 units shipped followed closely by the Nintendo DS with 458,000 shipped. The Playstation Portable checked in at a respectable 286,000 units while the Playstation 2 followed with 184,000 systems shipped. Playstation 3 total, at a mere 121,000 units were a bit disappointing but were likely caused by Sony's early reports that the cheaper 40 GB console would launch in the early part of November.

Microsoft to offer Original Xbox Games on the Xbox Live Marketplace

Microsoft announced early this week that, as part of their seasonal Xbox 360 firmware update, they would offer Original Xbox games for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace early next month for 1200 Microsoft Pointe ($15). The games to be initially available are Halo: Combat Evolved, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge, Fable, Burnout 3: Takedown and the often overlooked but critically acclaimed Psychonauts.

Super Smash Bros Brawl to Offer Unconventional Spectator Mode

Not only can you watch online matches (sans player names to protect users identities) you will also be able to bet on them before the match begins! Players will be able to bet on which character they think will winthe upcoming match with their own coins. The more players in the match, the higher the winning payout will be, and there's even a chance for even greater prizes!

Resistance Map Pack #2 Revealed

IGN and Insomniac's Ted Price give us the lowdown on the two all-new maps, Bracknell and Axbridge. Insomniac hasn't confirmed a solid release date, but the word from Ted Price is they are aiming for the end of November.

Nintendo Releases Special SNES Controller For The Wii!

The only catch? You have to live in Japan and be a member of the Japanese only Club Nintendo to get your hands on it. The Special SNES Controller, shaped like a classic Super Famicom controller will be released to Club Nintendo members who have fulfilled certain requirements along with a host of other goodies. Western gamers can only hope that Nintendo will release the controller and other goodies here as well.

Divx Support Coming To The PS3, Rumored for the Xbox 360

PS3 Fanboy is reporting that Divx support has been confirmed by a recent press release sent out by Divx Inc. and that the functionality will soon be enabled in an upcoming firmware update. No specifics as to when this update will be made available were released.

Xbox 360 Fanboy has also reported that Divx support is rumored to be part of the Xbox 360's upcoming fall firmware update. As of writing, no such reports have been verified.

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Well, that'll do it for this week's edition of the GUFU Weekly News Roundup. Stay tuned in to this blog for the latest news as it comes in.

GUFU Blog is now Active.

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