Welcome to the Black List, our regular Friday afternoon retrospective on the week that was.

Monday

On Monday, we stopped complaining about Australia’s classification system long enough to post our second podcast.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, we reluctantly revealed that Blur, one the most promising racing titles on the horizon, had slipped to 2010.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, we took a look at the free-to-play browser title Junk Battles.

Thursday

On Thursday, we reported on Rage of the Gladiator, the first WiiWare title to support MotionPlus.

Friday

On Friday, we reported that motion controller support would be added to Resident Evil 5 and other PS3 back catalogue titles.

Thanks for reading.

Erin Marcon

Editor

Previous editions of The Black List

11.09.09 l 18.09.09

Sony has unveiled motion controller support for a number of back catalogue titles, according to a report published on G4. Repackaged retail titles such as Resident Evil 5 and LittleBigPlanet were among the highlights of Sony’s Tokyo Games Show press conference. However, PSN titles such as Flower, Pain and High Velocity Bowling will also be updated to accommodate the new PlayStation 3 peripheral.

Long time fans of the Resident Evil series will regard this as business as usual. Capcom issued a special edition of the PlayStation original in 1998 to take advantage of Sony’s (then new) DualShock controller. In 2007, Capcom added motion controls to the GameCube’s Resident Evil 4 and relaunched it on the Wii. Virtually every significant title in the series has been exploited to within an inch of its life.

One aspect of the announcement did surprise me. When Capcom’s Jun Takeuchi took to the stage to demonstrate the new control scheme, it became evident that we’ll be required to manipulate two controllers simultaneously. That’s right, folks, we’ll be holding a motion controller in one hand and a DualShock in the other. Since we’ve obviously taken leave of our senses anyway, why not add a third controller to the mix? Sigh…

Rage of the Gladiator is to become the first downloadable title to support MotionPlus controls, according to a report published on 1UP. For those late to the party, Nintendo’s MotionPlus peripheral is designed to improve the accuracy of the Wii Remote. Retail releases such as Wii Sports Resort and Grand Slam Tennis have employed the technology in recent months to considerable acclaim.

A first person melee combat game, Rage of the Gladiator is the second WiiWare release from Ghostfire Games. Set in the fictional city of Averlance, it follows the story of Prince Gracius as he battles for his life in a blood soaked arena. Mythological foes such as the Minotaur, Medusa and Chimera await him. Oh, and they throw in a Ninja as well, just for the hell of it.

The game features a rudimentary system of advancement and customisation. Each victory earns a player skill points, which can be used to enhance the Prince’s offensive, defensive or magical abilities. A range of finishing moves are available but one stands head and shoulders above the others: the ability to transform into a colossus and crush your opponents underfoot. It’s almost as if they’re eavesdropping on my fantasies…

Will Rage of the Gladiator be the first of many WiiWare titles to boast MotionPlus Support? One thing is certain, if you are yet to climb about the MotionPlus Express, you won’t be left out in the cold. Ghostfire Games CEO Ed Roman confirmed on the company’s website that Rage of the Gladiator will also support standard Wii controls. Look for it later this year.

"Oh, so you think it's easy being green do you?"

"She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid."

Is civilisation really poised on the brink of collapse? If the likes of Fallout 3, Rage and Enslaved haven’t convinced you that we’re heading for Mad Max territory, then perhaps Junk Battles will.

As reported by Gamasutra, Junk Battles is the first release from Canadian studio Antic Entertainment.  It is a browser-based driving combat title in which cars, trucks, motorcycles and even zeppelins battle for control of post apocalyptic highways.

Players are charged with cobbling together a vehicle using spare parts. In order to claim upgrades, they must face off against other drivers, with the resulting scrap going to the victor. Players are able to upgrade their vehicles with armour, guns, chainsaws and wrecking balls. Over 220 unique components are available.

Although Junk Battles is free to play, access to premium parts can be accelerated via micro-transactions. There is also a formal mechanism to enable players to sell parts to other players in exchange for in game currency.

With barely animated graphics and an interface more at home in a Facebook app, Junk Battles doesn’t make a great first impression. Overall, it seems unlikely that it will reach the AAA level of quality Antic founder Fredrik Liljegren claimed to be aiming for.

Sign up at www.junkbattles.com if you’d like to see for yourself.