Fri, 12 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , ,

From Molyneux’s Move Musings to Xbox Sales Success – News Roundup 12th March 2010

Molyneux Dismisses Playstation Move

From Molyneuxs Move Musings to Xbox Sales Success News Roundup 12th March 2010

The Playstation Move represents Sony’s first move into dedicated motion control peripherals (not including the Sixaxis), and it looks fairly impressive to boot.  However, Lionhead’s eccentric CEO (and current Project Natal spokesman) Peter Molyneux has downplayed the importance of the Sony peripheral, though does show some grudging respect towards the precision that Move will offer. In an interview with Eurogamer, Molyneux stated:

“Yes, I have seen some of [the Playstation Move in action]. We’re not really surprised, are we? I mean at E3 last year we saw they were having a wand, and that’s kind of what I expected. It looks like they’ve taken a step forward but it’s not as big a step as something like Natal, I don’t think.”

“To be honest, it’s all down to what us poor old designers do with this stuff, because all these guys do is make the hardware. Whether we utilise that hardware in a real way or whether we just take shortcuts, that’s really going to be where we succeed or not.”

Actually, he does have a couple of good points. Natal and Move are both fantastic pieces of kit; but Sony’s contender is an evolution of existing motion controls whereas Natal harnesses motion-capture technology and applies it in an entirely new direction. Molyneux’s also right on the money as far as software support is concerned. The technology is out there… and it’s very impressive… but it’s up to game designers to funnel such vast potential into something more worthwhile than godawful minigame collections. We remain to see whether motion control will become a viable input method with real sticking power or a simple fad.

What do you think about the rush towards motion control? Moved by the Move? Numbed by Natal? Let us know in the comments!

First Paid Mass Effect DLC Announced

From Molyneuxs Move Musings to Xbox Sales Success News Roundup 12th March 2010

Well, the Cerberus network was fun while it lasted, but EA have decided that we’ve got our “ten dollars” worth and will now be charging for future Mass Effect 2 DLC. Whilst I hate day one DLC and everything it stands for, at least EA didn’t chisel us for content this time around… so long as you got a decent deal on a new copy!

The next DLC pack, entitled ‘Kasumi’s Stolen Memory’ will add the female thief to the roster of characters (finally filling the sad, empty dossier on the character select screen) along with a new SMG, loyalty power and achievement. The new mission will take between one and two hours to complete- price TBA. [Joystiq]

Xbox Outsells Wii in February

From Molyneuxs Move Musings to Xbox Sales Success News Roundup 12th March 2010

According to the latest NPD Group data, Xbox sales have outperformed both the Wii and PS3. It’s rare to see Nintendo’s casual console slip from the top spot (though stock shortages may be retarding the Wii and PS3 sales somewhat). Here’s the figures for your delectation. [via 1UP].

  • Xbox 360 — 422,000 units
  • Wii — 397,900 units
  • PlayStation 3 — 360,100 units

In an email to PC World, Microsoft has branded last month as the…

“biggest February in Xbox 360 history [with] a stellar portfolio of exclusive blockbuster games, a fresh pipeline of new content on Xbox LIVE and high anticipation for controller-free gaming and entertainment with ‘Project Natal’ for Xbox 360.”

Both Microsoft and Sony have experienced steady growth this year (though arguably the PS3 had nowhere to go but up after its truly depressing first-year sales). However, Microsoft shouldn’t celebrate just yet… since the immanent release of God of War III might well tip the balance towards the Playstation.  System shifters don’t come bigger than this, folks- though Sony will have to sort out its bewildering stock shortage before we see real improvement in the figures.

The NPD data also places Bioshock as the software sales leader, and impressively features Heavy Rain in the top 10 after a single February week of sales. However, Xbox 360 multiplatform titles sold far better than their PS3 counterparts. Congratulations to Microsoft and Quantic Dreams for now… though 2010 is just beginning…

1 Comment

Thu, 11 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , ,

From Playstation Move to OnLive Release Date – News Roundup 11th March 2010

Playstation Move Unveiled

From Playstation Move to OnLive Release Date News Roundup 11th March 2010

Motion control is the current must-have fad that the Big Three have been investing their precious time and resources into. The Wii was able to tap into a massive casual market with its accessible control scheme, and naturally Sony and Microsoft would love a piece of that action. Microsoft and Molyneux have been making a lot of noise about Project Natal, but Sony has finally revealed their take on motion control: The Playstation Move.

At first glance, the Playstation Move appears to be a black Wiimote with a brightly coloured globe sticking obscenely out of the top. Whilst these orbs make Sony’s peripheral an easy target for crude jokes, they critically provide a point of reference for the Playstation Eye camera that allows the controller’s position to be accurately located in 3D space. A gyroscope, accelerometer and terrestrial magnetic field sensor provides precise measurement of both controller motions and position relative to the television- which makes for an incredibly accurate motion control scheme. An optional ‘Subcontroller’ (basically a nunchuck with an extra D-Pad) allows the Move to be used with more conventional titles.

I’m still not convinced that motion control is anything more than a fashionable phase in the grand scheme of things, but the combination of large-scale body movements with small-scale button and trigger feedback is intriguing. Not only that, but support for LBP, SOCOM 4, and Eyepet has been confirmed; and 35 AAA publishers have also jumped on the bandwagon. The Playstation Move is shaping up nicely… and Sony has the in-house devs to make it a worthwhile purchase. The way it’s going, I’d take Sony’s pendulous orbs over Molyneux’s touchable child simulator any day. Microsoft will need to secure some big Natal titles very quickly to stay in the game.

[via Kotaku and 1UP]

OnLive US Launches June 17th

From Playstation Move to OnLive Release Date News Roundup 11th March 2010

OnLive, the subscription-based cloud gaming service, will be launching this summer in the United States. According to the OnLive official blog, it will be released on June 17th and will cost $14.95 per month. There will doubtlessly be a number of bolt-on loyalty packages available nearer the time, which will be discussed at this year’s E3.

Just in case you don’t know, OnLive uses video streaming to allow even slow computers to play high end games, using remote servers to do all the hard work. So long as your computer can handle high-quality streaming video, it can play top-end titles without any upgrades whatsoever. I’ll let the CEO fill you in about the rest  himself:

“Once you are on the service, instant-play, top-tier, newly-released games will be for sale and for rent on an à la carte basis [as streaming video rather than software downloads]. Also included in your monthly service fee are OnLive-exclusive features such as instant-play free game demos; multiplayer across [all] platforms; and cloud-saving of games you’ve purchased—pause, and instantly resume from anywhere, even on a different platform.”- Steve Perlman, Founder and CEO

It’s likely that the US sales will determine whether OnLive makes it across the Atlantic. I’m personally excited about the new service, but I’d be interested to hear what you think about the cloud gaming service. Have your say in the comments!

Naruto Devs give us Seven Day Countdown

From Playstation Move to OnLive Release Date News Roundup 11th March 2010

A mysterious countdown has appeared on CyberConnect2’s website. Apparently something is going to happen in seven days, though since they’re the developer behind the .hack and Natuto franchises, that something will almost certainly be a sequel.

I’ve got my fingers crossed for a Next-Gen or handheld .hack title, since I personally think that the //GU series showed real potential on the PS2. On the other hand, it will probably be just another churned out Naruto title. Still, only one week to find out!

Leave a comment

Wed, 10 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , ,

From Realistic Wiimote Handgun to Rise of the Six String – News Roundup 10th March 2010

Rock Band 3 vs Real Guitar Peripheral

From Realistic Wiimote Handgun to Rise of the Six String News Roundup 10th March 2010

Harmonix and EA have announced that Rock Band 3 will be released in Q3, promising to “revolutionise” the music game genre. It’s unclear how they plan on doing that exactly (considering that Rock Band and Guitar Hero improvements tend to be incremental rather than sweeping), but it is clear that they’ll be facing some competition.

Seven45 Studios have announced the development of Power Gig: Rise of the Six String at this year’s GDC. It’s a standard colour-matching rhythm game…  except that the peripheral is an actual electric guitar. It can be plugged into an amp for some sick riffage, and provides game input with the addition of a plastic gizmo that fits under the strings. Whilst Power Gig won’t require players to sweep pick or double-handed tap, it will teach elementary power chord progressions as well as elemental guitar theory (and hopefully will include an optional guitar training mode).

This brave new IP may well bridge the gap between rhythm game aficionados and skilled guitar players (who take great pride in smugly slamming the genre), but will require very careful pricing in order to make a splash. Music game sales have been steadily declining since the start of last year and Seven45 studios can’t afford to price fickle consumers out of the market (especially since the peripheral is unlikely to be compatible with existing GH and RB titles). Watch this space. [Gamezine]

Details Emerge about Girl Shooting Tragedy

Two days ago, we brought you the heartbreaking story of a young girl who mistook a loaded pistol for a Wiimote and subsequently killed herself. Details were thin on the ground since the news was breaking at the time of writing, but we’re now in command of all the facts surrounding this needless death.

Cheyenne Alexis McKeehan’s stepfather left the loaded semiautomatic weapon on a worktop counter after suspecting that an intruder had entered the property. However, many gamers were confused by the fact that a white plastic Wiimote could be confused with a handgun by someone of any age (and left perfectly reasonable comments to that effect). Now we know.

From Realistic Wiimote Handgun to Rise of the Six String News Roundup 10th March 2010

Manufactured by a Chinese company, this black peripheral is technically illegal in the States due to its realistic colouration and the absence of an orange gun barrel (which is mandatory for lightgun peripherals and toy replicas). Whilst it’s now clear how a harmless Wiimote could be mistaken for a lethal weapon, this doesn’t vindicate Cheyenne’s stepfather at all. He left an unattended loaded weapon within reach of a young child. Don’t blame the game, folks: inattentive parenting ruins (and indeed, kills) more kids than violent media ever will. [via Kotaku]

Final Fantasy XIII Shifts Five Million Copies

From Realistic Wiimote Handgun to Rise of the Six String News Roundup 10th March 2010

We had mixed feelings about Square’s latest Final Fantasy RPG odyssey, but the sales don’t lie. After two days of sales, Final Fantasy has already shifted five million units, which is a huge number in anyone’s book. Square’s lavish launch parties, press events and hype machine have definitely paid off- even if critical reviews have been divided over whether it deserves such massive support.

In an statement to Gamesindustry.biz, Square Enix Europe CEO Phil Rogers was quick  to laud FFXIII’s strong European sales:

“The European launch of Final Fantasy XIII has been incredible. We hope this latest Final Fantasy adventure will excite our loyal fans and introduce this rich franchise to a totally new audience.”

Square have certainly enticed the “totally new” western audience… but  this isn’t entirely a success story. Final Fantasy XIII has the weakest Japanese Debut of any FF title to date, with less than two million units sold in its traditional home territory. It’s likely that the butch, western stylings of its main character and combat-driven first half have forced Japanese gamers out of their comfort zone. [Gamesindustry.biz]

3 Comments

Tue, 9 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , , , , ,

From DRM Apology to Holy Robin in Arkham 2, Batman! – News Roundup 9th March 2010

Holy Arkham Asylum 2, Batman!

From DRM Apology to Holy Robin in Arkham 2, Batman! News Roundup 9th March 2010

The IMDB listing for Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 suggests that the Boy Wonder will be making an appearance. Vincent Martella has been slated to provide the voice acting (fresh from his work in Final Fantasy XIII). Whether or not he’ll be a playable character is not yet known, though it would open up the opportunity for cooperative play.

Mark Hamill will reprise his excellent role as the Joker, and will be joined by fellow silver screen star Bruce Greenwood as Two-Face. These two veteran actors should provide some serious clout to Rocksteady Studio’s next project. [via Gossipgamers]

Steam and Valve Back the Mac

From DRM Apology to Holy Robin in Arkham 2, Batman! News Roundup 9th March 2010

Usually, the words “Mac” and “Steam” are only said in the same sentence when you’re getting your jacket dry-cleaned. However, Valve have announced that their digital distribution network is headed to Apple’s personal computer platform along with their full range of gaming titles. It’s about time that a games company showed some genuine love to the Mac crowd- after all, it’ll give them something to do between pretending to write poetry in Starbucks and picking out new berets. Only joking, folks.

According to the press release, this new Apple  functionality comes with a whole range of nifty new features. Both Mac and PC users will share the same multiplayer lobbies (allowing for cross-platform play); and purchased games can be downloaded on both PC and Mac with no extra charge. The most interesting new enhancement Steamplay, that takes advantage of Steam’s cloud processing capability to remotely save checkpoint progress and quicksaves- meaning that you can start playing on your Macbook and finish the level on your PC desktop.

Portal 2 will be the first simultaneous PC and Mac launch for a Valve title. [Valve]

Ubisoft Explain Server Shutdown

From DRM Apology to Holy Robin in Arkham 2, Batman! News Roundup 9th March 2010

Ubisoft’s DRM servers suffered a major blackout over the weekend that left thousands of Assassin’s Creed 2 and Silent Hunter V players unable to connect (and thus play their legally-purchased games). A spokesman was therefore quick to leap to the defence of their draconian digital rights management protocol, offering what could honestly be the least sincere apology I’ve ever seen.

“Ubisoft would like to apologize to anyone who could not play Assassin’s Creed 2 or Silent Hunter 5 yesterday. Servers were attacked and while the servers did not go down, service was limited. 95% of players were not affected, but a small group of players attempting to open a game session did receive denial of service errors. All players with an open session during the attack were not affected.”

Whilst Ubisoft admitted that their servers were vulnerable, they were also quick to deny the existence of any playable hacked version that bypasses the DRM.

“We also confirm that, at this time, no valid cracked version of either Silent Hunter 5 or Assassin’s Creed II are available”

Turns out that submarines aren’t vulnerable to pirates just yet! However, don’t lose sight of the fact that the hackers only attacked the servers…  Ubisoft’s own DRM protocol stopped gamers from simply playing offline. This situation is fast becoming a publicity nightmare for the company, and they’ll soon have to decide between radically improving the system or scrapping it altogether. Or to stop developing for the PC, which may prove to be the most viable (and profitable) option considering the prevalence of piracy. [via The Guardian]

5 Comments

Mon, 8 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , , ,

From Wii Child Death Tragedy to Ubisoft DRM Fail – News Roundup 8th March 2010

3 Year Old Girl Killed; Mistook Gun for Wiimote

From Wii Child Death Tragedy to Ubisoft DRM Fail News Roundup 8th March 2010

A three year old American girl has fatally shot herself after mistaking her father’s gun for a Wiimote.

This story is currently breaking, but a few details about the tragic incident have been made public by local news reports:

“According to investigators, the girl’s father had left a semi-automatic weapon on the counter, and the child mistook it for a “Wii” video game controller. The child was fatally shot in the abdomen.”- WSMV

A number of smallminded Americans will doubtlessly throw their Wiis away and start preaching about how dangerous it is. I just hope that they remember that you shouldn’t leave your “semi-automatic weapon” anywhere near your child- or keep one in the house in the first place!

Ubisoft DRM Servers Downed

From Wii Child Death Tragedy to Ubisoft DRM Fail News Roundup 8th March 2010

Whilst Activision have been recently hogging the title of gaming’s evil supervillain, Ubisoft has assumed the role of their bungling henchmen. First they announce a staggeringly unpopular DRM… then they announce it for a whole slew of upcoming titles… then it gets hacked… and now it doesn’t work. At the time of writing, the DRM servers simply aren’t allowing anyone to connect: which means that no one can play the Assassin’s Creed 2 on the PC. Angry gamers are justifiably flooding the forums after paying good money for software they can’t use!

Currently, Ubisoft have only released a brief statement about the sorry situation:

“I don’t have any clear information on what the issue is since I’m not in the office, but clearly the extended downtime and lengthy login issues are unacceptable, particularly as I’ve been told these servers are constantly monitored.

I realise that’s not ideal but there’s only so much I can do on a weekend as I’m not directly involved with the server side of this system.”- Ubisoft UK Community Manager

Frankly I’m starting to doubt whether Ubisoft is actually a games company at all; since they currently appear to be some sort of psychological research agency that’s analysing the effects of long term abuse on PC gamers. All joking aside, this will probably be the last straw for the few optimists who’ve been giving Ubisoft the benefit of the doubt. [via Gossipgamers]

Black Creator’s New FPS Revealed: Bodycount

From Wii Child Death Tragedy to Ubisoft DRM Fail News Roundup 8th March 2010

Remember Black, anyone? This ridiculous FPS rocked the Xbox and PS2 by taking Burnout’s attitude to racing and applying it to blowing stuff up with massive guns. Huge explosions, brutal SFX and enough flying debris to make John Woo shed a tear were the order of the day- and it seems that we’re in store for more of the same.

Codemasters recently employed Stuart Black (one of the key creatives involved with the original title) to develop a secret FPS project, and now  Official Xbox Magazine have blown the lid right off it. Whilst the full OXM preview will be released in their next physical publication, their blog confirms that Codemaster’s mystery project is called Bodycount, which is described as “a spectacular and frankly mental first-person shooter.”

Sounds familiar! Let’s hope that Bodycount can make its mark in the oversaturated FPS market. [OXM]

9 Comments

Sat, 6 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , , , , ,

From Sexual Orientation to Portal 2 Confirmation – News Roundup 6th March 2010

Portal 2 Materialising In October. With co-op.

From Sexual Orientation to Portal 2 Confirmation News Roundup 6th March 2010

We’ve been covering the developing Portal ARG situation and our sequel suspicions have finally been confirmed. GameInformer has revealed that their April magazine will spill the beans on Valve’s latest project, and Valve’s own Doug Lombardi has told Eurogamer that Portal 2 will grace our hard drives this Halloween. The Pumpkin is a lie!

We’ve been hearing rumours about the addition of cooperative play in Portal 2, and Gamestop’s leaked product description has finally confirmed it. We’ll be seeing a dedicated cooperative campaign with two playable characters; which is very interesting considering that Valve managed to run co-op in the original Portal, but couldn’t make it fun. We can’t see how this will work unless one player controls portals and the other manipulates objects… an interesting prospect that may well pan out if our sources are solid. Watch this space. Or this space.

Natal won’t make Microsoft… soft

From Sexual Orientation to Portal 2 Confirmation News Roundup 6th March 2010

Whilst I’m quietly optimistic about the potential of Microsoft’s impending motion capture peripheral, most gamers are still apprehensive about the shift in Microsoft’s focus from software to hardware. The potential for shovelware and increased focus on Natal-enabled games is a genuine worry for Xbox 360 fans, but Microsoft’s European head honcho is keen to allay our fears.

“Project Natal is meant to complement, not replace, the experiences on Xbox 360. We’ve reached new heights in creating a more natural and responsive gaming and entertainment experience for people of all interests and skill levels, whilst maintaining our commitment to deliver quality core games that consistently exceed expectations.”- Chris Lewis, European MS Boss

Personally, I’m not too worried about Natal distracting Microsoft’s focus. Since they’ve delegated specific developers to creating the device, it’s only distracted Peter Molyneux’s focus. And if Natal keeps the increasingly deranged auteur off the streets for another year then it can only be a good thing. [MCV]

3G Ipad Lauches Next Month

From Sexual Orientation to Portal 2 Confirmation News Roundup 6th March 2010

We’ve had our doubts about the iPad. We know what it is, though we don’t yet know what it’s for. However, we do know when it’ll be arriving: next month.

Apple have announced that the standard and 3G versions of their new inexplicable gizmo will reach storm our beaches in late April (meaning that we’ll be receiving the superior 3G version at the same time as the Americans). That means that it will be a lot faster to do… whatever it is the iPad does. [Gamesindustry.biz]

Xbox Live Now Allows Freedom of Expression

From Sexual Orientation to Portal 2 Confirmation News Roundup 6th March 2010

In an open letter to the Xbox Live community, Marc Whitten has announced that an update to the Xbox Live code of conduct now permits expression of race, religion, sexual orientation and nationality without being censored. Apparently, this update…

“will allow our members to more freely express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation in Gamertags and profiles. Under our previous policy, some of these expressions of self-identification were not allowed…”

Welcome to the 21st century, Xbox Live. Having said that, I’ve heard some nasty slurs online and it may be difficult to tell the genuine article apart from trolls and racists. Never mind, though: this is a step in the right direction. A step towards a genuinely tolerant online community that places sportsmanship and skill above anything else. It can’t come soon enough.

Leave a comment

Fri, 5 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , , , , , ,

From Kotick’s Unbridled Greed to Bungie’s Devotion – News Roundup 5th March 2010

PSP Still #1 in Japan

From Koticks Unbridled Greed to Bungies Devotion News Roundup 5th March 2010

The Japanese Market has always been traditionally dominated by Nintendo, but it’s great to see the Sony PSP get a solid and sustained foothold in the land of the rising sun (not unlike a tiny Godzilla). According to VG247 and VGChartz, the Sony handheld is currently leading in terms of hardware sales thanks to the release of God Eater, Kingdom Hearts and Monster Hunter- and is currently shifting more units than the Wii. Note, however, that the different models of DS count as separate consoles.

[Don't take our word for it. See the full list at VG247]

It’s also interesting to see that DSi XL is selling like hot cakes… or cold sushi? It’ll be interesting to see how the incremental upgrade fares on British shores.

Activision’s “Unbridled Greed”- New Lawsuit Details

From Koticks Unbridled Greed to Bungies Devotion News Roundup 5th March 2010

Wow, I bet you’re getting bored of the constant coverage everyone’s giving to the developing Jason West vs Activison snafu. However, I also know that we all love a bit of scandal, so here’s the latest news on the lawsuit that the two ousted devs are bringing to bear on Kotick’s unpopular publishing behemoth. The entire court document is free to view at IGN, by the way. [via Gamesindustry.biz]

Lawsuit accuses Activison of “Arrogance and Greed”

In no uncertain terms, the legal document accuses Activion of “astonishing arrogance and unbridled greed”. Strong words, but they’re echoed by millions of gamers worldwide.

Note that the document also sheds new light on the nature of the alleged “Insubordination” carried out by the pair. Apparently,

“Activision forced Infinity Ward’s employees to continue producing the games at a breakneck pace under aggressive schedules, and West and Zampella were concerned that Activision was emphasising quantity over quality.

West and Zampella were not eager to extend their employment; especially as they watched their games make Activision billions of dollars, while many Infinity Ward employees were not being provided a fair share.”

There are two sides to every story, but it’s interesting to see that the two developers may have criticised Activision’s aggressive sequel milking policies- and been crushed accordingly.

West and Zampella may retain Power to veto

This is a big one. The terms of the lawsuit may, if successful, grant West and Zampella creative control over the Modern Warfare franchise- even though they won’t be employed by Activison! Videogame legal expert Jas Purewal explains:

“This is potentially explosive: West and Zampella are arguing they have contractual creative control over the Modern Warfare brand.

The short-term prognosis at this very early stage does not look good… unless [they] can get rid of the lawsuit quickly, Activision faces lingering legal doubt as to whether West and Zampella retain creative control over Modern Warfare.  And, worst of all, this will mean the industry watching very carefully what it does next and how it relates with developers in the future.”

It may even be possible for West and Zampella to secure an injunction against Activision, essentially tying up future MW development until this is sorted out. Activision’s legal team will need to work quickly to avoid massive investor panic.

What are your thoughts on the West/Zampella vs Activision situation? Is it fair? Do you care? Have your say in the comments!

Bungie Rewards Halo 2 Faithful

From Koticks Unbridled Greed to Bungies Devotion News Roundup 5th March 2010

Server culls are an unfortunate part of life. It’s sad when they happen, but sooner or later every game loses its online support. Usually it’s preceded by a simple warning and inglorious deactivation- so it’s fantastic to see a developer and publisher reward their veteran fanbase for their faithful service before the big switch off.

Bungie are rewarding the few stalwart players who’ve invested years of online play into Halo 2 (Microsoft’s first true Xbox Live breakout success) with a cavalcade of goodies. They’ll each receive 3 free months of Xbox Live gold, 400 Microsoft points and a free Halo Reach Beta Key. No Recon, but hey, I’d take roughly £20 worth of goodies any day. Before you ask, the ‘faithful’ have already been informed via email- if you don’t already know, you’re not one of them.

We <3 Bungie. And Bungie <3 us. Which makes us all very happy indeed. [via Kotaku]

1 Comment

Thu, 4 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , , , , ,

From Infinity Ward Lawsuits to Declawed Ubisoft DRM – News Roundup 4th March 2010

West and Zampella to Sue Activision

From Infinity Ward Lawsuits to Declawed Ubisoft DRM News Roundup 4th March 2010

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella are bringing legal action against Activision for unlawful termination and unpaid royalties. Not only that, but they’re also vying for the contractual rights to the Modern Warfare brand; which could make their future company a lot of money (especially if Infinity Ward employees jump ship when their contract expires…).

Unpaid Royalties? Now that’s interesting. We recently informed you that Infinity Ward hasn’t received a penny of the substantial residuals generated by the billion dollar franchise, and the spectacular ousting of the leadership couldn’t have come at a more suspicious time.

“Instead of thanking, lauding, or just plain paying Jason and Vince for giving Activision the most successful entertainment product ever offered to the public. Last month Activision hired lawyers to conduct a pretextual ‘investigation’ into unstated and unsubstantiated charges of ‘insubordination’ and ‘breach of fiduciary duty,’ which then became the grounds for their termination.”- Robert Schwartz, Attorney

Hopefully these lawsuits will shed more light into the alleged “insubordination” committed by West and Zampella. We’re all dying to know what they did… if anything.

[via Joystiq]

Ubisoft DRM: Now 50% Less Evil

From Infinity Ward Lawsuits to Declawed Ubisoft DRM News Roundup 4th March 2010

Ubisoft’s deeply unpopular online DRM has become a target for disenfranchised PC gamers and pirates (who claim to have hacked it within 24 hours). In an effort to both improve their public image and beef up security, Ubi has released a patch that allows disconnected players to continue from the exact place they left off rather than forcing them to return to a previous checkpoint. It also doubtlessly contains a few security upgrades.

This is a step in the right direction- but it’s simply too little too late to sway the hearts and minds of the gaming public. Ubisoft have already alienated a huge proportion of their PC consumers and are going to have to seriously reconsider their DLC options to win them back. [Ubisoft]

Portal Ending Upgraded [Spoiler Free]

From Infinity Ward Lawsuits to Declawed Ubisoft DRM News Roundup 4th March 2010

A new Portal Patch has changed the final cutscene to bring it in line with the latest rumours. We won’t give the game away, but if you don’t own the PC version of Portal (or are too lazy to play Valve’s masterpiece through again), then here it is. [Steam Forums]

More Borderlands DLC Incoming

From Infinity Ward Lawsuits to Declawed Ubisoft DRM News Roundup 4th March 2010

Borderlands was recently graced with The Secret Armory of General Knoxx; a fantastic piece of DLC that expanded and improved the game experience across the board (though it did suffer from serious difficulty issues). Most gamers assumed that this would be Borderlands’ swan song, but this simply isn’t the case. In the latest Take Two financial earnings call, CEO Ben Feder stated:

“We will continue to support the title with more add-on content.”

Groovy. As an avid Borderlands junkie, I’m delighted that my online shooter of choice is going to be supported for the foreseeable future. However, I hope that Gearbox will be free to continue with the frankly excellent-looking Alien: Colonial Marines now that Rebellion’s AvP sales have been verified! [Kotaku]

Leave a comment

Wed, 3 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , , , ,

From Halo Jetpacks to Sony’s Newest Pet Developer – News Roundup 3rd March 2010

New Halo Reach MP Trailer: Headshots and Jetpacks!

From Halo Jetpacks to Sonys Newest Pet Developer News Roundup 3rd March 2010

A new ‘leaked’ trailer for the upcoming Halo Reach Multiplayer beta has revealed a slew of new game modes, weaponry and equipment. Watch it. Watch it now.

The new game modes appear to include:

  • Invasion: A massive “big team” gametype, possibly involving territory control as its main scoring method
  • Headhunter: Landing headshots produces a shower of collectible skulls, which will likely contribute to the points total.
  • Spartans vs. Elites: Should be pretty self explanatory. Appears to feature objective-based scoring (e.g. destroying generators etc.)
  • The Arena: Not sure yet. Possibly one-on-one tiered combat?

There are a whole mess of new weapons on show, though they’ve had cameo roles in older Bungie announcements and news posts. As a mid-range specialist I’m most excited for the scoped suppression rifle, though it seems to occupy the same combat role as the Magnum pistol.

Probably the most exciting new revelation is the addition of Jetpacks. Oh yes, it appears that aerial combat will play a greater role in Multiplayer; possibly as an armour upgrade or one-off consumable. The level design will have to cope with the newfound verticality (and make sure that there are no glitchy little hidey-holes for jetpack-equipped campers to hide in), though Bungie are no strangers to aircraft in multiplayer.

This Beta cannot come soon enough. Get your copy of ODST ready! [via VG247]

Infinity Ward/Activison Debacle Roundup

From Halo Jetpacks to Sonys Newest Pet Developer News Roundup 3rd March 2010

Been there, pundited on that. Our latest Game Buzz Special delves into the confusing heart of yesterday’s scandalous scandal and returns with the latest developments and some controversial commentary. Let’s move on, folks!

Sony Acquires Media Molecule

From Halo Jetpacks to Sonys Newest Pet Developer News Roundup 3rd March 2010

This story unfortunately broke minutes after yesterday’s roundup was completed, but it’s well worth mentioning. Sony Computer Entertainment has snaffled up Media Molecule, the British developer of the multi-award winning Little Big Planet. The Surrey-based company has had a special working relationship with Sony ever since its inception, and it seems a logical move for both parties.

“Since they burst onto the gaming scene, Media Molecule have proved to be a truly exciting and innovative studio, who have proved their world-class credentials with the creation of the incredible LittleBigPlanet. [Sony] is all about creating ambitious, innovative and ground breaking games, traits that Media Molecule clearly have.”

“To bring them into our family proves our dedication to creating fantastic new experiences that we believe will cement our position as industry leaders.”- Shuhei Yoshida, president of SCE Worldwide Studios

Media Molecule are apparently delighted with the acquisition and good on them. Yet another AAA developer in Sony’s hands bodes well for PS3 gaming… and may well shake Microsoft out of its current ‘Cheque-writing’ mentality towards development studios. [Gamesindustry.biz]

Activision: WoW will become “Obsolete”

From Halo Jetpacks to Sonys Newest Pet Developer News Roundup 3rd March 2010

Wow, that Activision Annual Report certainly made for interesting reading! It’s already provided unique insights into yesterday’s scandal, but hidden within the”Risk Analysis” section is a sobering prediction about World of Warcraft.

“…technological advances in online game software or the Internet, could result in a decline in platform-based software and negatively impact sales of our console and hand-held products. Newer technological advances in online game software may also render products such as World of Warcraft obsolete.

‘Additionally, direct sales of software over the Internet by competitors could adversely affect our distribution business”

Over 90% of Blizzard’s revenue is currently generated by the insanely addictive MMORPG, and even a small fluctuation in sales could cost the company millions. For their sake, they’d better hope that Starcraft II and Diablo III are fit for task. [CVG]

Leave a comment

Tue, 2 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , ,

From Activision Atrocity to Deepening Portal Mystery – News Roundup 2nd March 2010

Modern Warfare Chief Fired for “Insubordination’

From Activision Atrocity to Deepening Portal Mystery News Roundup 2nd March 2010

Activision has been making some staggeringly brutal and deeply unpopular decisions lately. February alone has heralded studio closures, huge staff layoffs and loyal fan abuse… and it looks like Kotick’s publishing juggernaut wants to kick March off with a bang. Multiple sources have reported that Infinity Ward Chief Jason West has been fired- and the entire studio put under lockdown by security guards.

When G4 reported that guards had been posted outside Infinity Ward’s headquarters, many gamers assumed that it was just a publicity stunt designed to draw attention away from the US release of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. After all, Infinity Ward insiders did leak breaking news about the situation very quickly. However, West’s Facebook and Linkedin profiles soon verified his changed employment status and confirmed that Activison had indeed ‘cut off its nose to spite its face’.

At this stage it’s difficult to know exactly why West has been given his marching orders. After all, the Modern Warfare franchise is pulling in billions of dollars for Activison. Our only clue is that a recently released Activision Annual Report details a planned HR investigation of “breaches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity Ward…[that] is expected to involve the departure of key personnel and litigation.” Prepare for the rumour mill to kick into overdrive for this one, but my guess would be that West kicked up a fuss about a proposed new WW2 shooter or subscription-based CoD membership. Or just asked for more money.

Whilst I’ve got plenty of bile to spare for gaming’s emergent public enemy number one, Double Fine’s Tim Schafer sums up my feelings perfectly:

“Getting mad at Activision for this kind of thing is like getting mad at an ape for throwing feces. It’s just how the beast communicates.”- Twitter announcement

PS3 Bug Corrects Itself

From Activision Atrocity to Deepening Portal Mystery News Roundup 2nd March 2010

Millions of original PS3 owners were dismayed, horrified and outraged by yesterday’s crippling calendar bug that rendered their consoles practically inoperable. However, the phantom ‘leap day’ is now over… as is the nightmare. The “ApocalyPS3″ has officially ended, folks: it’s time to get back into Heavy Rain!

“We are aware that the internal clock functionality in the PS3 units other than the slim model, recognized the year 2010 as a leap year. Having the internal clock date change from February 29 to March 1 (both GMT), we have verified that the symptoms are now resolved and that users are able to use their PS3 normally.”- Official Sony Blog

It’s important not to blow this single event out of proportion- though I wonder if there are any other ticking time bombs hidden away in the impenetrable XMB? See you next leap year!

New Portal Achievement Hides Deepening Mystery

From Activision Atrocity to Deepening Portal Mystery News Roundup 2nd March 2010

A recent Portal patch delivered a seemingly innocuous Steam achievement that rewards gamers for listening to a set of new radio transmissions. However, the strange sounds played by each radio actually hide encoded images which become apparent through the cunning application of stenography. These images, in turn, contain a series of numbers, letters and bizarre imagery- all of which are stamped with the Aperture Science Logo.

The latest development is that the clues have lead intrepid online sleuths to a BBS modem located in Seattle that proffered up a stream of ASCII artwork upon connection. Streamlining this art has produced this epic picture, which seems to contain screenshots and concept art for a new Valve title. Could it be Portal II? Half Life 2 Episode 3? A crossover?!

Actually, it’s almost certainly Portal 2- but have a gander at the pictures anyway. Stay tuned to the investigative thread in the Steam forums for the latest revelations! [Steam Forums]

4 Comments

Mon, 1 Mar, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , ,

From PS3 Millennium Bug to BAFTA Bookies- News Roundup 1st March 2010

‘Millenium Bug’ Attacks Original PS3s

From PS3 Millennium Bug to BAFTA Bookies News Roundup 1st March 2010

Remember the Millennium bug? Millions of people across the globe were convinced that computers would cease to function in the year 2000 thanks to the clocks resetting to 1900- and thus causing planes to plummet out of the sky, reactors to melt down, nukes to rain down upon us and bring about total Armageddon. This didn’t happen, of course- until now. Ten years too late.

Original PS3s are now unable to connect to PSN, as their internal clocks reset to January 1st 2000. This not only renders the console offline, but also scuppers a number of time-sensitive trophies and stops trophy synchronised-titles from loading. DLC and installed games also fail to boot up. A rep from Sony Europe states:

“We have found out that some users are experiencing a network connection failure when signing on to PlayStation Network. We are currently looking into the issue to identify the cause of this network connection failure and will update further information as necessary (on the Blog or official website). We appreciate for your understanding and continued support.”

Slim models are not affected by the bug, but original PS3 owners should not connect to PSN until this outrageous problem is rectified.

Keep an eye on the official blog… and good luck.

NEWS UPDATE: Possible fix available in 24 hours. Don’t turn on your PS3 until then!

“We hope to resolve this problem within the next 24 hours. In the meantime, if you have a model other than the new slim PS3, we advise that you do not use your PS3 system, as doing so may result in errors in some functionality, such as recording obtained trophies, and not being able to restore certain data.”- Official Statement from Sony

Activision Shut Down Legal Fan Sequel

From PS3 Millennium Bug to BAFTA Bookies News Roundup 1st March 2010

Five years ago, Vivendi granted an unprecedented ‘fan licence’ to a group of fanatic developers so that they could legally produce a sequel to the Kings Quest series. Entitled The Silver Lining, this project has taken over 8 years of grueling development- but will now never see the light of day. Activision acquired the rights to the Kings Quest series during its merger with Vivendi, and has now deemed the fan project unprofitable enough to revoke their fan license and force them to cease and desist… even though it has no plans to continue the series itself.

On the official site, the dev team thanks their fans and supporters for standing by them during their 8 years of fruitless blood, sweat and tears.

“Again, thank you all so much for everything. This has been a long and crazy road, full of more twists than we could’ve anticipated, but more triumphs and wonderful memories than we could’ve ever hoped for. And for that, to all of you and to everyone on our team, we will always be grateful. Thank You.”

That’s a class act through and through. We wish them the best of luck finding new projects and employment… yet another needlessly mercenary decision from Activision.

Uncharted 2 is Bookies’ Favourite for BAFTA Win

From PS3 Millennium Bug to BAFTA Bookies News Roundup 1st March 2010

Victor Chandler has announced that they’ve given Naughty Dog’s latest masterpiece 6/4 odds of winning Game of the Year at this years BAFTAs. Managing Director Peter Laverick explains:

“Uncharted 2 is a very strong favourite at 6/4 and we’ve already taken numerous four figure bets on it. For those looking for an outside bet we have seen support for FIFA 10 at 33/1. It’s always tricky offering odds on a public vote so we’ll be keeping a close eye on the money rolling in,”

Considering the coup at this year’s AIAS awards, Uncharted 2 would be our favourite to win Game of the Year as well. Disagree? Have your say in the comments! [Gameindustry.biz]

8 Comments

Sat, 27 Feb, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , , ,

From Softcore Porn Denial to More Ubisoft DRM – News Roundup 27th February 2010

DOA Paradise is not Softcore Porn, says Director

From Softcore Porn Denial to More Ubisoft DRM News Roundup 27th February 2010

The Home Office may believe that the upcoming Dead or Alive Paradise is nothing short of dangerous pornography designed to corrupt our rosy-cheeked children, but its product director would beg to differ. In an interview with Eurogamer, Yoshinori Ueda stated:

“We’re certainly not trying to degrade women. They have beautiful bodies. We’re trying to show off the beauty of their bodies but we’re not trying to be degrading about it – we’re trying to show that they are beautiful characters.”

“It’s not that we were trying to make softcore porn, that’s definitely not the goal.”

Wow, well that’s us told. This creepy and slightly worrying well-reasoned and persuasive argument will be sure to sway the overprotective, biased critics that want to remove all violence, sex and good gameplay from our favourite entertainment medium. Good one, Ueda.

Personally, I couldn’t care less about whether or not DOA: Paradise objectifies women or not. So long as it’s a good game, it deserves to be played. If it isn’t, it deserves to be judged on its own merits without petty scapegoating and political point-scoring getting in the way. [via 1UP]

Naughty Dog Moves to Bigger Kennel

From Softcore Porn Denial to More Ubisoft DRM News Roundup 27th February 2010

Naughty Dog, the developer behind the fantastically successful Uncharted series, is moving studios to accommodate for their burgeoning workforce.

“We’ve built out our new studio from a raw and open floorplan to a killer new studio that provides us with more flexibility in space, layout and adjusting to fluctuating staffing needs – not to mention there are some significant upgrades to help us keep developing cutting-edge, award-winning games.”- Naughty Dog Official Blog

To be honest, they’re probably moving to a studio with a bigger mantelpiece- there probably isn’t room for all their AIAS awards!

Future Ubisoft PC titles to contain ‘evil’ DRM

From Softcore Porn Denial to More Ubisoft DRM News Roundup 27th February 2010

As we’ve reported in an earlier bulletin, the PC version of Assassin’s Creed 2 contains a nasty piece of DRM that forces you to maintain a constant connection to the Ubisoft servers. If the connection is interrupted in any way (even for a second) the game quits back to the menu and loses any progress you may have made since the last checkpoint. There’s been a huge gamer backlash against Ubisoft for instigating such a draconian anti-piracy measure, but this hasn’t stopped them from announcing that all the upcoming new PC releases will also use the same system.

Splinter Cell Conviction, Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will all contain this DRM.

“It’s hard for us to say, yes, from now until the day that we all die all of our games are going to include this but most will.” – Ubisoft announcement to PC Gamer.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not a fan of this new DRM at all. But think about this: it’s got to be better than Starforce, right? This style of DRM could be a lot less invasive than spyware and actually provide the way forward for rights management as a whole… if Ubisoft sort out a way of allowing small lapses in internet connection without raping player progress. [VG247]

Disagree? Want to vent about DRM? Leave a comment!

6 Comments

Fri, 26 Feb, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , ,

From Sexualising Youngsters to Ninty 2010 Lineup – News Roundup 26th February 2010

Nintendo 2010 Release Roundup

From Sexualising Youngsters to Ninty 2010 Lineup News Roundup 26th February 2010

Nintendo showed off its wares to the European press at yesterday’s Event in London, finally giving us a glimpse of what they’ll be bringing us in 2010. Not that there are too many surprises, of course- but at least Nintendo have dated most of their important franchises. So, in order of release date, here’s the roundup!

  • Monster Hunter Tri (Wii): April 24th. The Monster Hunter series is a beloved staple of Japanese videogame sales, and we’ve seen several iterations wash up on our shores. Monster Hunter Tri is the first of the franchise to defect from Sony Consoles in the west, and gives players the opportunity to team up with your mates and take down enormous reptiles. Hopefully they’ll have fixed the woeful camera issues that dogged its predecessors.
  • Warioware: Do it yourself (DS): April 30th. We used to love Warioware… until the latest halfbaked Wii version sold us short. However, the DS versions were great, and the latest will offer a larger selection of minigames and control methods. An upcoming Wiiware version will add a bunch more minigames as well as a revamped version of the NES classic Balloon Fight.
  • Sin and Punishment (Wii): May 7th. Treasure are the legendary developers behind Ikaruga, and are the undisputed masters of the shoot ‘em up. Rejoice, ye faithful- for they’re revamping their N64 classic with enhanced graphics and gameplay. As a retro shooter aficionado and a raving Treasure fanboy, I can’t wait for this one.
  • Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii): 11th June. Our second favourite Italian Plumber (after Luigi, obviously) will be returning to the Wii in early June. A playable demo of Super Mario Galaxy 2 was up and running at the press event, and was looking mighty fine indeed- as a flagship franchise, there’s no doubt that this game will bring us more cheerful platforming action whilst pushing the Wii hardware to its limits.
  • Photo Dojo (DSiWare): Spring 2010. This platformer takes advantage of the DSi’s camera by allowing you to take several pictures of yourself from several angles- and hence become the protagonist. Whether or not it’ll actually work properly remains to be seen, but it’s great to see a developer using the DSi’s feature set to advantage.
  • Dragon Quest 9 (Wii): Summer 2010. Square Enix are set to bring the latest iteration of their classic series to Western audiences. It’s already shifted over 4.5 million copies in Japan and should give Wii owners the RPG fix they’ve been craving.
  • Flingsmash (Wiiware): Summer 2010. Ever played Pain on the PS3? Flingsmash will be much the same, but will be a lot cuter and a lot less painful. Still, smashing stuff is fun- so Flingsmash will probably be a laugh.

Phew, that was a lot of titles! I’m mainly looking forward to Sin and Punishment- as a hardcore gamer (IMO) I’m not going to abandon the Wii just yet.

[via Guardian.co.uk]

GAME Closes 43 Stores

From Sexualising Youngsters to Ninty 2010 Lineup News Roundup 26th February 2010

GAME, Gamestation and Gameplay bring us excellent deals from time to time- and provided me a safe haven from the bright confusing lights of our nation’s high streets. However, recent financial problems are forcing them to close the doors on 43 of their shops as well as a number of Gamestation stores and Debenhams concession stands.

247 jobs will be lost in the closures- and we wish them the best of luck in these tough times. [VG247]

Video Games Sexualise Youngsters, says Home Office

From Sexualising Youngsters to Ninty 2010 Lineup News Roundup 26th February 2010

According to an official Home Office Report, computer games play a major role in sexualising young people. Here’s some choice quotes for your delectation.

“Many games feature highly sexualised content and there is a notable lack of strong female characters.”

“Violence against women is often trivialised,”

“There has also been a marked increase in the number of games depicting various forms of sexual abuse. Many popular videogames effectively reward children for engaging in violent, illegal activity, albeit virtually.”

The report recommends that consoles be sold with parental controls in place from Day One to protect our innocent, naive children from the evils of sexy, curvaceous game heroines.

Here’s an idea. Parents, why don’t you pay attention to your kids and not buy them mature games in the first place?! Or take an interest in your children’s favourite hobby and play games with them? After all, hefty fines for retailers mean that they can’t buy these games by themselves. [Gamesindustry.biz]

What do you think about the effect of videogames on the youth of today…or on yourselves? Let us know in the comments!

10 Comments

Thu, 25 Feb, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:
, , , ,

From Australian Ultraviolence to 360 Monster Hunter – News Roundup 25th February 2010

Wii to Release Ultraviolent Triple Pack… Down Under?!

From Australian Ultraviolence to 360 Monster Hunter News Roundup 25th February 2010

The Wii has suffered constant flak from all sides thanks to its lack of ‘mature’ gaming titles. However, Nintendo are keen to hit back at its critics by releasing a triple pack of its most explicit titles in a triple pack of bloodsoaked, gory goodness. “Welcome To Violence” will feature House of the Dead: Overkill, Madworld and The Conduit in a single collection retailing for the price of a single game.

Sure, we can all live without The Conduit; but HOTD: Overkill is a wonderful blend of grindhouse cinema and classic lightgun action that shouldn’t be missed. Not to mention that Madworld is a groovy little title that’s reminiscent of Frank Miller’s Sin City, but with extra chainsaw slaughter thrown in for good measure.

Exciting news- right? Wrong. The Violence Triple Pack has only been confirmed for Australian audiences.

This is a bizarre turn of events considering the controversial zero tolerance policy down under. It’s still unclear as to whether we’ll be seeing the triple pack on British shores. [Kotaku]

Monster Hunter with Xbox Keyboard to hit Japanese 360s

From Australian Ultraviolence to 360 Monster Hunter News Roundup 25th February 2010

Monster Hunter is one of Capcom’s most beloved Japanese IPs, and has shifted thousands of PSPs since the release of Monster Hunter Freedom. In an interesting turn of events, the previously exclusive Sony franchise has defected to Japanese 360s to launch a port of the PC online RPG Monster Hunter Frontier that will make its debut in June 2010. This may well attract the attention of gamers from the land of the rising sun who have been giving the Xbox 360 a hard time (and weak sales) since day one.

So, as hardcore UK gamers, why should you care? Here’s why. Apart from the fact that Monster Hunter is great fun (and may be released here depending on its initial success), Capcom will also be selling a 360-compatible wireless keyboard with the new game in order to communicate properly in  the online environment. A few third party keyboards work with Microsoft’s console on a very basic level, but the integration of a licensed keyboard peripheral directly into the game experience could well revolutionise the 360 in terms of interaction with RTS, RPG and shooter titles. More than Natal will, even.

It’d be great if a USB mouse makes an appearance down the line, but maybe that’s too much to ask. At least a fully-endorsed wireless keyboard is a step in the right direction. [1up]

Best. Peripheral. EVER.

We hate to end our news roundup with a ’soft’ story, but this is a thing that we want. We covet this. And so do you.

From Australian Ultraviolence to 360 Monster Hunter News Roundup 25th February 2010

Avid modder Jack Rossi has built the Wii controllers into a ‘fully working’ and realistic proton pack. The ‘particle accelerator’ incorporates the Wiimote and nunchuck peripherals, and the pack itself visually displays the amount of battery power remaining. What’s more, the sound effects from the film and game are played and amplified through the Proton Pack when you fire the beam. Just don’t cross the streams!

Disclaimer: Will not catch actual ghosts. Call a licesnsed exorcist in case of poltergeists.

[Who you're gonna call: GossipGamers]

4 Comments

Wed, 24 Feb, 10
Author:
Jonathan Lester

Category:
Game news

Tags:


From Microsoft Smack Talk to Pointless Stunts – News Roundup 24th February 2010

MS Director: ‘Xbox will Outsell PS3 in 2010′…

From Microsoft Smack Talk to Pointless Stunts News Roundup 24th February 2010

Microsoft Product Director Aaron Greenberg has thrown down the gauntlet. In an interview with Destructoid during X10, Greenberg stated:

“Hopefully we made it clear, that when we said this was going to be the biggest year in the history of Xbox, we’ve come back a month later and shown you just a glimpse of what we’ve got lined up,”

“We’ve got AAA-exclusive blockbusters month after month this year, we had a great January – we outsold the PS3 by a pretty solid margin – and we believe we will outsell the PS3 for the full year, like we did in 2009.”

Whilst it’s true that the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 stateside, our figures suggest that the PS3 was globally more successful in 2009. It remains to be seen whether or not Natal, Alan Wake and Halo Reach will prove a match for the Sony exclusives set for this year. [Destructoid via VG247]

…and they’ll be “careful” with Natal Lineup

From Microsoft Smack Talk to Pointless Stunts News Roundup 24th February 2010

Greenberg also reassured gamers that Microsoft would be very stringent about the quality of the Natal games portfolio. Valve raised some valid concerns about the opportunity for godawful shovelware on the peripheral, and Greenberg was quick to reassure us that Natal will provide a truly excellent game lineup from day one.

“We want the first impression [of Natal] to be a great one, so we are not going to dump products on it just because we can. We are going to be very thoughtful about what we bring to market.”

I’m psyched for the new peripheral – but I’ll believe it when I see it. In other Natal news, Peter Molyneux has announced that Milo, his BoyToy simulator, will actually be part of a larger game experience.

“I might hint… Milo is a character in a bigger and more dramatic story that we’re telling,” [IncGamers]

Thank God for that, because the ability to touch and groom a small virtual child has a very small and worrying target audience!

What are your thoughts on Natal? Let us know in the comments!

New Awesome Just Cause 2 Trailers are Pointless

From Microsoft Smack Talk to Pointless Stunts News Roundup 24th February 2010

The latest Anatomy of a Stunt trailer has been released for Just Cause 2. You’ll witness our swarthy Latin hero play chicken with a bus…and a 747. Seriously, it’s a thing of beauty.

Wait a minute, though. Pulling off ridiculous, crazy stunts sounds fun… but we just won’t do it. There’s no reason to risk life and limb by rigging a ridiculously convoluted set piece when you could just shoot your enemy with the gun that you have. Don’t kid yourself. Just Cause 2 is shaping up nicely, but Avalanche Studios are going to need to seriously lower the effectiveness or the availability of firearms and vehicles in order to make the high-octane tomfoolery worthwhile.

At least there’ll probably be an achievement or two for getting some crazy air.

No HD Install for God of War III

From Microsoft Smack Talk to Pointless Stunts News Roundup 24th February 2010

After God of War III’s monstrous 40 Gb size was revealed yesterday, gamers have been going berzerk about the potential for the longest, most tedious HD install ever. However, this won’t be the case, as a twitter post from their Technology director confirms that it will stream to the system cache rather than require a hefty install. Relax, guys- you’ll be able to play it straight out of the box. [via 1up]

1 Comment

< Older Entries