When you were a kid did your parents ever do anything mean to you for their own amusement? Whatever it was, something tells us it wasn't as evil as what Jonathan's (above) family did on Christmas morning, having him unwrap an empty Xbox box with some shirts inside -- while on video, mind you -- and then everyone laughing at him when he got upset and cried over being hoodwinked. For the love of all that is holy in the gadget-loving world, that is so wrong. Despite the fact his family told Jonathan multiple times in the video, "C'mon, you know we can't afford an Xbox!", the kid's shining example of an older brother (who uploaded the video) claims that they actually did get him the console, and that he'd eventually upload the video of the "real" unwrapping. He never did. Right.
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Platform: Sony PlayStation 3 and X-Box 360
Pages: 176
Co-op strategy: Whether human or AI, you'll always have a partner. Prima details how to take advantage of the integral cooperative play.
Maps: The world's hot spots are confusing places. Prima's guide has the recon to keep you on task and safe.
Equipment Customization: Shotgun or sub-machine gun? Laser sight or rifle stock? You want the right tool for the job and Prima can give you the intel on what gear will serve you best.
Battle-tested tactics
Tips to make the most of Aggro and the full range of tactics at your disposal
Stats on all weapons and upgrades
Preview of the Army of Two: Dirty Money graphic novel
description
Prima has the intel you need to fight hard, stay strong, and cash in.
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Platform: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, WII, X-Box and X-Box 360
Pages: 656
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This strategy guide features a comprehensive walkthrough of the entire single player campaign.
In-depth area maps.
Detailed information on vehicles, weapons and additional equipment.
Expert multiplayer strategies.
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3
Pages: 144
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Famitsu Wave Magazine
Japan's No.1 selling video game magazine
Check out all the latest game news every month
Includes a DVD disc featuring latest game footage
description
The Famitsu Wave is Japan's No.1 selling video game magazine. It features all the latest video game news and pictures from Japan's upcoming video games.
Each magazine includes a DVD disc with video game footage. The DVD disc is NTSC Region 2 encoded.
Brave One (HD DVD + DVD Combo Format) (~Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard) US US$ 35.99
No Reservations (~Catherine Zeta-jones, Aaron Eckhart, ...) JPN US$ 47.90
Railway Story - Shin Sekai Tetsudo Roman Kiko - Canada Part-1 [HD DVD Twin Format] JPN US$ 35.90
Railway Story - Shin Sekai Tetsudo Roman Kiko - Canada Part.2 [HD DVD Twin Format] JPN US$ 35.90
Rain In The Mountains (~Dan Brunell, Nick Erb) US US$ 29.95
The Brother From Another Planet (~Joe Morton, Darryl Edwards, ...) JPN US$ 39.90
Petroglyph's Creative Director Adam Isgreen is an RTS veteran, having worked on loads of Command & Conquers and, more recently, Universe at War. But he isn't worried that RTS titles making their way to consoles will in some way dilute the experience. In fact, he believes just the opposite:
...you could look at the transition of RTS from PC to console as "dumbing down" of the genre, but really that's completely inaccurate. The evolution of RTS from PC to console is all about re-discovering the core fun of the genre while stripping away the redundancy, over-complication, and bloat that has been attaching itself to RTS games over the years.
He continues:
If anything, I'm glad that console is becoming dominant for gaming because it's going to force some evolution on a genre that has been fairly static for quite some time. We need to grow the RTS market and bring in new players, not isolate it further into eventual niche obscurity.
The only problem is that while all of that sounds great in theory, the practice of running an RTS without a mouse a keyboard hasn't worked out so great yet.
Which is exactly why we all need Halo Wars to be really, really good.
The Consumerist is reporting that one unlucky individual had to send his Xbox 360 in for repairs. The catch is he had spent a great deal of time getting signatures and artwork on the outside of the console from notable members of the gaming industry. He specifically asked and even sent a letter along with his console requesting that the outside of the case be returned intact. When he got it back it was once again, plain white. Assuming that this is a genuine claim, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the missing/cleaned case Microsoft should at least apologize to the guy.
Spotted this over at gp32x.com and thought it would interest many of our coders from many homebrew scenes, heres the post from Mr Lou
Hello fellow game-developers
I'm writing you because I'm creating a site at www.indiegamemusic.com which I plan to become a link between indie game developers and musicians. This letter is an invitation to you as an indie game-developer, to participate in the design phase with your suggestions and ideas so that the site will end up being something you would like to use.
The idea
In short, I want to make it easy for the indie game-developers (you) to find good music for your games, free for freeware games and cheap for resale. A few steps I have in mind so far, is that you
* go to indiegamemusic.com
* click "Search", and input your search criteria
* listen to results and find contact information to the artist
Your search criterias may be
* a specific format (mmf, midi, mod, xm, s3m, mp3, ogg etc)
* a specific license (free for freeware? available for non-exclusive resale? available for exclusive resale?)
* max file size
* style
* category (music, sound-scape, sound-effect, loop part)
* max channels or polyphony
* max price
* maybe preferred bpm
So... That's the idea. What do you think? If this sounds like an interesting project to you, feel free to participate with ideas and feedback at mr_lou@vip.cybercity.dk
Some of the things I'd like some feedback about is
* how should payment happen? Paypal? Bank-transfer? Game-developer contacting artist and agreeing their own method of payment?
* what stuff would you like to be able to search for? are there some of the above mentioned search criterias you don't need? why?
* what formats are you mostly interested in, and why?a
* and of course: do you think you'd use such a tool like IndieGameMusic.com?
On the Friday of GDC, Gamasutra got a chance to talk to Microsoft's Jeremy Wacksman, global marketing manager of Xbox Live marketing.
* People are starting to bump up against the size limit again. It was raised once, and that was really beneficial, but I've been hearing more reports from developers as they try to get a little more ambitious as the service gets more mature that they are sort of banging against that size limit wall. What do you think about that?
* JW: We haven't heard that too much. We raised it when we did because of the ecosystem and the development community, but we have no plans to change that right now.
It ensures small, pick-up-and-play games, and I think people are finding... look at Undertow that just came out. Unreal Engine 3, single and multiplayer, with cutscenes in audio, under 50 [megs]. Not even under 150 megabytes. Developers are finding incredible ways to fit into our platform, and that's part of why I say that.
* Do you think it matters that the PlayStation 3 does not have a size limit? Some developers, if they're going to do a multiplatform download game, the way they're planning, or the issue of what they have to work with becomes more complex for them.
* JW: It's always case-by-case. I think we granted a one-time exception for Street Fighter [HD Remix], because it's such a good game with so much put into it, but in general, Live Arcade is all about pick-up-and-play games and accessible games.
That's part of that guideline. And like I said, look at the games that we have coming. Look at Castle Crashers. 20 levels, 4-player co-op, hand-drawn HD art... that's a game that fits well with the model.
We speak to the developers behind Microsoft's first batch of freely available community-developed Xbox 360 games. It's the revenge of bedroom coding!
Meet 'Walaber', developer of JellyCar, Brian Cable, responsible for Proximity HD, James Silva of The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai fame and Jeff Pobst and Michael Austin of Hidden Path Entertainment, creators of Culture.
What sort of technical restrictions are placed on XNA developers? Are there things you'd like to have done that the dev platform won't allow?
* Walaber: Well, the choice to go with C# brings with it some performance issues (particularly on the Xbox 360), which required me to do more optimization of my code than I would have initially expected, considering that the Xbox 360 is so powerful. Hopefully future versions of XNA will improve some of these performance issues.
* Brian: From what I hear, XNA is not quite as powerful as a graphics engine developed internally, but I'm just one person, not a company, and even if I spent several years perfecting a graphics engine the industry and XNA itself will likely have leaped ahead of me anyway, and I'd constantly be playing catch-up with my engine and not focusing on actually making games, which is much more fun and interesting to me anyway.
Also there's no achievements, leaderboard support, or the camera support, and I don't think you have full access to Xbox LIVE multiplayer either, but I haven't looked too much into that yet. Achievements are understandable, though, or else you'd have everyone spamming five second non-games and releasing them to the service giving whoever played them max achievements instantly anyway. But of course, I would like access to all of these features, which is why I would love to someday release the game through XBLA.
* James: C# does slightly underperform versus native code. Personally, I'd rather be coding in C#, because I'm a rotten C++ coder. If I were in charge of things, I would market XNA with the tagline "XNA: Giving Hope to Rotten Coders."
* Michael: There are some features (pointers, etc) turned off for security reasons, and while managed code can be convenient to use, it does run more slowly. For instance, every time you access a variable in an array, C# has to validate the index. In C++ there are no handrails, so you can shoot yourself in the foot, but it's generally faster. The nice thing is that more and more heavy lifting is done by the GPU, and so the impact of using a managed language is less than it has been in the past.
Seven years after the introduction of its first console, Microsoft is waging a new war with Xbox 360 - against itself. Phil Spencer, the general manager of Microsoft Game Studios Europe, believes the war can still be won.
Wondering just how big or small a part of Microsoft the division is? That total revenue of $5.53 billion was part of a $30.3 billion (£15.2 billion) total revenue in the same period, so some rough-as-they-come beer mat sums would tell you it's about 18.25 per cent - a proportion that, even allowing for the varied products contained in the division, puts to rest the sneery idea that Microsoft can simply afford to throw money at the brand. And sure enough, the 360 has hit Microsoft's business targets: in particular, Bill Gates' E3 2006 prediction that the console would sell 10,000,000 units by the end of 2006 was surpassed by nearly half a million.
But think about the figures for a moment. If 1.5 million 360s were sold by the end of 2005, 10.4 million by the end of 2006, and 17.7 million by the end of 2007, then the Xbox 360 sold significantly fewer units in 2007 than it did in 2006. The bad news doesn't stop there: 2007 saw its head start battered aside by the unstoppable Wii, with little chance of redress, and the PlayStation 3 reaching the 9.5 million unit mark worldwide. The only territory in which it outsold the PS3 was North America, and without the sales spike around Halo 3 things would have looked considerably worse.
It seems strange that this is the case. After all, with its obvious attributes and its late-2007 software lineup, why didn't the Xbox 360 dominate the year, and the Christmas period in particular? Microsoft began 2007 with a huge unit lead, its biggest game properties due to arrive on the shelves, plus a significant marketing spend, and in the event managed to sell less hardware than the previous year.
By:Nikole
I'm going to do my best to leave me opinions out of this and make it as unbiased as I can, because I mostly want your opinions on the matter.
I was reading an article on bingegamer.net. The author Allison Boyer was discussing her experiences while playing XBL. She complains that she doesn't like using her mic due to the fact that she has a woman's voice, as most women do. The problem with having a woman's voice you ask? You get comments like these:
"Ooo, your voice sounds sexy, Ooo, I'll protect you baby, Ooo, you up for some fun?
She says that while playing she will either get killed non-stop by guys thinking its funny to kill a girl or be protected by players who think its chivalrous to keep her from harms way. The bottom line being: "I'm a girl. I like to play video games. STOP RUINING IT FOR ME."
There, a simple painless little article stating how this girl felt she was being harassed and treated differently on live. Hardly breaking news or any kind of oddity. But the part that strikes me is the comments she received. The article went up today and there are already 50+ comments, the majority of which being negative and involving the world kitchen and/or sammiches. [Guys get some new jokes!!!]
* "-Get back to the kitchen" x9000!!!!
* -"grow some balls "
* "Get over it. You know the nature of how online play is on xbox live and PSN. You know what to expect. All that one can do in your position is endure it. You can't change anything by writing a piece crying about how annoying people are towards you when you play online. I get irritated at the idiots who only know how to swear all day and talk over the mic just to hear themselves say something in the game. But I don't care that much to write a cry me a river style article. If I want to play online then that is what I have to expect. It is the "nature" of playing a game online."
* -"The irony in this article is amazing. The jerks pick on you because you act like a little girl, in fact you ARE a little girl (no i don't care about your real age, someone who cries about the ean people on the internet is as naive as a 8 years old). Instead of whining you should understand that xboxlive is full of morons and the fact that you're a girl is just one more reason to add to a countless list for acting like a complete idiot. I hope you're just a troll playing the old "EHI AIMMA GRRRL GAMER!!!" card for some easy baiting. In that case it was a pleasure to feed you. tl;dr Cry me a river, build a bridge and get over it."
* -"Don't wear your mic or turn on mute. Seriously, why so many words for a non-issue? And I'm really sure the fellas are waiting in lines to tap your sh--, sister"
* -"Cute arguement, but one article on the next isn't anything more then a gossip. I appologize but no ones going to look at this and change their ways for it, ethier way it was clevar and I got a few laughs out of it."
* -"WAHHH. Like any woman, all you can f------ do is bitch. Grow some f------ ovaries, and either kill the m----------- trying to kill/protect you, or, hey, tell them to f--- off. Jesus christ, do you honestly expect the internet to feel sorry for you? Why? Because you have a f------ hole between your legs? GTFO, you stupid, worthless, hypocritical c----. Seriously. Just get the f--- off the internet right now. You belong in the kitchen anyways."
I'm gonna avoid bitching about the obvious idiots she has to deal with. I don't see how this will ever change for xbl or anywhere on the internet as long as people can hide behind the anonymity of the internet.
Am I the only one that thinks this is ridiculous?
And guys, is this how you really are and how you really view girls?
Does talking about these issues actually bring about change for the better?
Is there really anything that can be done to stop stupidity on the internet?
In a little over two weeks Armored Core For Answer will be released in Japan on both PS3 and 360. The publicity campaign the game has received has been pretty thorough, as From Software utilised the whole Web 2.0 approach by having Japanese bloggers espouse the game's virtues (something Famitsu has got in the act on with their crazy 360 blogger, Jamzy). Even the redoubtable Toshifumi Nabeshima, essentially regarded as the father of Armored Core by the Japanese fanbase, has done the rounds online pimping the game as best he can.
Features-wise, it's all a bit over the top still as For Answer comes across as being like Shadow of the Colossus but with guns and robots (traveling at 2000 km/h, obviously). A few things have fallen by the wayside though, namely the transformable AC's but other things like Dolby 5.1 in-game and full online co-op have partly made up for that (though there's always the possibility that Famitsu initially misquoted the whole transformation aspect, as a lot of the Arms Forts do transform into different modes rather than the AC's themselves).
One of the more interesting aspects of the game's production though is the use of Isaku Okabe as a military adviser (he recently did something similar for the truly excellent Gundam 00). Again, From Software didn't miss a trick and they had him put in front of a camera and explain the nitty gritty military aspects of the game.
For those that want to catch up with the deluge of materials that have been unleashed online, then the official site is a good port of call as is the Armored Core Wiki (the Next Reports are especially worth a gander). GameTrailers has also leeched the movies from the official site if you have trouble streaming them. All we need to do now is wait for the Western release and the subsequent reviews undertaken by gamers that have had their hands replaced with flippers.
LucasArts isn't the only developer with a proclivity to "hit the bricks", it seems -- according to the latest issue of EGM, Bungie is currently working on a heretofore unannounced project in conjunction with Lego. The brainchild of this unholy union is -- as you've probably already guessed -- Lego Halo. Set to follow the entire storyline of the Halo trilogy, and featuring gameplay similar to the other games in the Lego crossover genre (with just a dash of traditional FPS fare mixed in), this chimera is sure to sell like hotcakes to fans of Master Chief and construction toys both -- if it actually existed, that is.
As many of our loyal tipsters (as well as one of our sister sites) didn't realize, this exclusive preview ran in the April edition of EGM -- the same edition which is infamous for its history of April Fools' skullduggery. Sorry to break your naïve heart, if you didn't see this coming -- but the only way you're going to get your hot little hands on Lego Halo is if you order it from a parallel universe. Would you mind picking up a copy of Mushroom Kingdom Hearts for us while you're over there?
Capcom has confirmed to Eurogamer that Rocketmen: Axis of Evil will be on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday.
It was responding to the official US blog that said both 360 and PS3 versions would be out this week.
However, those in the Sony camp may have to wait a little longer, as a European date is still to be set in stone. Not normally a problem since US accounts are easy to set up, but since Rocketmen will cost money you'd also need a US credit card to pay for it.
Rocketmen: Axis of Evil looks rather exciting: a top-down two-stick shooter for you and up to three friends. Similar to Monster Madness, or Gauntlet but with guns.
Anyway, the idea was adapted from a collectible card-construction game by WizKids - pointed out by one of our helpful readers - but will have less strategy and much more action.
It all looks really rather promising, and you can expect our review this week.
38 percent of gamers are female, according to a report by the Entertainment Software Association, sourced by CNN technology.
According to the ESA, girl gamers spend 7.4 hours a week playing games, in-between hiding every television remote and moaning that we've left the toilet seat up.
Studies and sales data have shown that women are more likely to play casual handheld games such as the DS, along with "social games" like The Sims, where women apparently make up more than 55 percent of players (and not just because you can cook and clean!! Sorry, we had to).
"Women are out there in significant numbers playing MMOs, action games, first-person shooters," said Sony Online Entertainment marketing lady Torrie Dorrell. "What is lacking in the equation are women behind these games."
Despite the fancy new figures pointing to the amount of women playing games, they represent just under 12 percent of the industry, according to the International Game Developers Association.
Courtney Simmons, another PR women at SOE, said she wants to see "more women making games," and, "making more games that women want to play."
The MMO developer isn't sitting idly on its dream either; to help balance the sex equation it's setup G.I.R.L., Gamers In Real Life, a scholarship program to attract more young women to careers in game development.
"There is a lack of understanding about how women play," said Simmons, adding that she believes that women are being "gamed down to."
What about Jade Raymond? She makes games for girls, right? Stabbing Knights with throwing knives is wicked.
Videogames allow the simulation of rape, and are the cause of real-life murders, according to one MP in a parliamentary debate on Friday.
Members of Parliament attended the debate to discuss the merits of a Private Member's Bill on violence in films and videogames, and decide if it would receive a Second Reading.
The Bill seeks to reform the BBFC in order to make it "accountable to Parliament and the public in a way that should encourage a return to more responsible decisions," in the words of its sponsor, Julian Brazier, Conservative member for Canterbury.
He was supported by Keith Vaz, Labour member for Leicester East, who has a long-standing connection with the violence issue following his stance on the murder of Stefan Pakeerah in 2004 in which he cited Rockstar's Manhunt as an inspiration - and he brought that particular example to light once again.
"As the House knows, my concerns about these issues arise from the brutal killing of Stefan Pakeerah, a 14-year-old Leicester schoolboy who was murdered in a savage attack in which he received 50 blows with a claw hammer - an attack that mirrored exactly a scene in the videogame Manhunt," he told the debate.
"I was not the first to say that; Giselle Pakeerah, his parent, has from the very beginning maintained and strongly believed that the fact that Warren Leblanc had a copy of Manhunt and that other children were looking at those scenes of violence led to the attack on Stefan."
The Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Margaret Hodge, later pointed out that there had been no evidence to support Mr Vaz's ongoing claims.
"They may have made that statement, but the rationale for the statement is less clear," she said. "The game was discovered not in Warren Leblanc's possession but in the victim's possession.
"It does not feature the use of a hammer, and it was not considered by the police to be a contributory factor. No such connection was ever suggested in court.
"Indeed, the prosecution and defence barristers insisted in court that the video game had played no part in the killing. It was reported that Leblanc was motivated by fear of a gang to which he owed money."
Mr Vaz, who complained in part of his speech that proponents of his argument have been "pilloried in the press that is sponsored by the videogames industry," went on to discuss the differences between films and videogames.
"That is quite simple: videogames are different because they are interactive," he said. "People who are watching a film at the cinema cannot participate in what is happening on the screen, or if they do they are removed from the cinema.
"However, someone sitting at a computer playing a videogame, or someone with one of those small devices that young people have these days, the name of which I forget…PlayStations or PSPs, something of that kind…Well, whatever they are called, when people play these things, they can interact.
"They can shoot people; they can kill people," he said, before adding: "As the honourable gentleman said, they can rape women," referring to Mr Brazier's earlier comments on films - not videogames - which appear to glorify the act.
Ed Vaizey, Conservative member for Wantage, questioned that last point later on - addressing Mr Brazier as Mr Vaz had left already -"I checked the point with the BBFC and found it to be completely unaware of any such videogame," he said.
"Is the honourable gentleman aware of any videogame that has as its intention the carrying out of rape or that allows the game player to carry out such an act? The BBFC and I are unaware of any such game."
Mr Brazier replied that he was unable to comment on "the rape in games issue".
Following the session, which lasted almost five hours and ended before proceedings had been completed, the vote on whether or not the Bill will proceed to a Second Reading will now take place when the debate resumes on Friday, when Ms Hodge will complete her response to the various remarks made during the first session, including those belonging to Mr Vaz.
As well as a CMS Select Committee investigation into the effects of violence on the internet and in videogames, the Byron Report set up by the Prime Minister is due to report before the end of this month.
With a game as stupidly popular and successful as Counter-Strike, the question is never 'Will there be a sequel?' But, 'When?'.
Valve Software, the developer housed in a red building entirely comprised of $50 bills (may be a lie), knows this too: "We will never abandon Counter-Strike," marketing man Doug Lombardi told Shack News, explaining why the online shooter hasn't received a major update since the release of Counter-Strike Source.
"It's a little bit unfair to compare Counter-Strike, I think, to your classic game that's gonna have these sequels. It looks a little bit more like an MMO where it's constantly [being updated]."
But Lombardi did reveal that the developer is at least thinking about how they'd approach a sequel:
"With Counter-Strike 2," he said, "there's a big question between, do we go start over from scratch and build this whole new game, do we do something that looks more like Team Fortress 2 that is rooted in the old game but has a ton of new stuff, or do we just sort of take everything that's new that we've released and put that out in a new box." We'd go for the middle one.
"I think we're leaning more towards the two more radical places than just sort of rolling up the new box and reskinning the box and putting out all the new stuff."
The Valve team also recently confirmed (by accident) that a second Portal game is in the works (and Lombardi has since officially stated to CVG that "more Portal is coming"), so combined with the Counter-Strike sequel and Half-Life 2: Episode Three, could we be looking at the early stages of what might be an Orange Box Two?
"I just don't think that [Counter-Strike 2] would be a good fit [with a second Orange Box]," piped in Valve overlord Gabe Newell, noting that CS2 would be a stand-alone game to him.
"But if I get 15,000 emails from customers in response to this interview telling me 'Of course it should be in [the next Orange Box],' then of course we'll pay attention to that." We think he'll regret saying that...
description
In 1931, Winston Churchill was hit by a taxi in New York. In the real world, he survived, and went on to rally the British people to fight the Nazi threat. But what if he hadn’t?
It’s from this premise that Fall Of Liberty takes it’s theme - without Churchill’s leadership, Europe and the United Kingdom have fallen to Hitler’s forces. By 1951, using crushing technical superiority, the United States is invaded and defeated by the Third Reich.
With this setting, Fall Of Liberty will be an FPS experience like no other; a game that’s both a World War 2 FPS and something different. Fighting not as a soldier, but a resistance fighter in a United States of America that’s under the rule of a foreign power.
Exclusive to next-generation platforms and PC, Fall Of Liberty breathes new life into the FPS genre.
The decision not to include a hard drive as standard with every 360 was a "mistake" by Microsoft, Bourne Conspiracy's lead game designer has told us.
The Core and Arcade versions of the Xbox 360 come without hard drives, meaning developers have to make sure their games can work without a HDD to cater for those users. But this restricts their freedoms with hard drive use, Rory McGuire explained.
"In retrospect I wish Microsoft had made the choice to have [mandatory] hard drives like Sony did with the PS3," he said.
"They did it with the original Xbox. I'm not sure why they decided to not require a hard drive on the 360. From what I understand they don't move many [Core/Arcade] units," added McGuire.
"Developers certainly benefit [from a hard drive]," he went on to explain, adding: "if you have a hard drive, the whole game loads faster. Obviously you'll be facing a short install time, but the developer benefits from it and you definitely benefit from it as a player.
"So I think that was one of the mistakes that Microsoft made with the 360," addd McGuire.
The Bourne Conspiracy is coming along nicely, and you can check out our hands-on feature here.
SEGA Superstars Tennis is a game that brings together some of the most treasured and well known characters from the SEGA universe, in some of the most unusual courts and outrageous settings ever imagined.
SEGA Superstars Tennis has over 15 playable SEGA idols including Sonic the Hedgehog, AiAi from Super Monkeyball fame, Ulala of Space Channel 5 and Amigo from Samba De Amigo. In addition to their own unique attributes, each character will also come equipped with their own superstar tennis skills, putting a whole new spin on each match played!
Exhibition mode offers the chance to challenge Sonic, or the character or your choice, to a match on one of many courts, including Sonic’s home court of Green Hill Zone, or Amigo’s Carnival Park court. Wherever you play there will be a host of SEGA celebrities cheering you on from courtside and by partaking in crazy doubles matches with your choice of partner, you could end up playing against some pretty unusual couples! Prove your SEGA hero is the shining star of SEGA Superstars Tennis by collecting silverware in the Tournament Mode. There will also be the opportunity to unlock a host of exciting extras which will be announced in the near future!
Complementing the Exhibition and Tournament modes, there will also be new and innovative ways of enjoying some of SEGA’s classic titles, plus platform exclusive ways to play the game, including online modes for X360 and PS3 versions!
“SEGA Superstars Tennis has the potential to be one of the most fun and accessible sports games ever.” commented Gary Knight, European Marketing Director. “The fantastic Sumo Digital team has had access to a wealth of SEGA IP and you’ll be surprised at the gaming icons that will be making an appearance!”
Available on the PS3, PS2, X360, NDS, and Wii, SEGA Superstars Tennis will release in early 2008.
We had an inkling that the format war was soon to be over when Warner announced it was going Blu-ray just before CES and HD DVD canceled its press conference, but we didn't realize how quickly things would come to an abrupt end. It looks like Toshiba CEO Atsutoshi Nishida was decisive in ending the battle, telling the Wall Street Journal that HD DVD didn't stand a chance after Warner left, and that if HD DVD wasn't "going to win then we had to pull out, especially since consumers were already asking for a single standard." That's interesting, especially since Toshiba issued all those jilted-lover press releases as former partners defected and continued to waffle for another month or so and even air a Super Bowl ad, but we suppose PR people can't go running around saying things like "One has to take calculated risks in business, but it's also important to switch gears immediately if you think your decision was wrong," like the CEO can. Of course, the CEO probably shouldn't say things that Toshiba's upconverting DVD players are so good "consumers won't be able to tell the difference from HD DVD images" either, but give the man a break -- he's still in mourning.
The time-honored tradition of stodgy men arguing over things they know nothing about continued in England during last Friday's game censorship debate in the House of Commons, with MP Keith Vaz showing us how it's done while speaking in defense of Julian Brazier's bill to add a censorship level above the British Board of Film Classification. In comparing the interactivity of video games to movies, Vaz unleashed this little gem:
However, someone sitting at a computer playing a video game, or someone with one of those small devices that young people have these days, the name of which I forget-- [Interruption.] PlayStations or PSPs, something of that kind.
"Well, whatever they are called, when people play these things, they can interact. They can shoot people; they can kill people. As the honourable Gentleman said, they can rape women."
The gentleman he is referring to is the bill's author Julian Brazier, though being completely off-base when quoting someone else doesn't excuse you from being off-base in the first place. The man can barely remember what these horribly offensive rape-machines are. When you have to struggle to remember what you were talking about in the first place it's probably a good indicator that you should sit down and shut up.
Luckily for British gamers, the House isn't completely full of uninformed idiots. Conservative MP Edward Vaizey actually took the time to check this claim out with the BBFC.
"Is the honourable Gentleman aware of any video game that has as its intention the carrying out of rape or that allows the game player to carry out such an act? The BBFC and I are unaware of any such game."
Look? Sense! What could the bill's author counter sense with, but more nonsense?
"I cannot comment on the rape in games issue, but I can tell the House what Stefan Pakeerah's father said after Warren Leblanc had murdered his son. He said that "Manhunt" is a game using weapons like hammers and knives...The object of Manhunt is not just to go out and kill people. It's a point-scoring game where you increase your score depending on how violent the killing is. That explains why Stefan's murder was as horrific as it was."
Aha! While I cannot comment on games that allow you to rape women as I know of none, look at this puppet on my other hand! It is a murderous puppet, with a hammer in hand! A video game puppet! Take that!
Taken, and rebutted by Minister of State Margaret Hodge, who explained that not only was the game found to have played no part in the murder, it was the victim who owned the game and not the attacker.
Perhaps the real story here isn't that Mr. Vaz decided to claim erroneously that video games let you rape women, but rather the fact the the House of Commons debates had people present with enough sense to challenge the claim. Good show!
Woe be the PC game developer these days, as various reports put piracy rates in the U.S. at approximately 70-85%.
Pirates?! I'm supposed to be fighting a hydra!
It's no wonder that Epic Games is dumping PC games for the greener pastures of console gaming: piracy rates for the U.S. market alone are hovering around 80%!
And beyond the U.S., the piracy picture becomes even larger and more menacing -- especially if you're an independent developer without "Madden-sized advertising budget," said THQ Director of Creative Management Michael Fitch, who laid out his case against piracy and hardware manufactures in an epic rant at the Quarter to Three forums.
In the post, Fitch attacked pirates, the PC software security model and everything in between. In Europe, he said, piracy rates approach 90%. In Asia, those figures are "off the charts."
"I didn't believe [the data] at first. It seemed way too high. Then I saw that Bioshock was selling 5 to 1 on console vs. PC. And Call of Duty 4 was selling 10 to 1. These are hardcore games, shooters, classic PC audience stuff. Given the difference in install base, I can't believe that there's that big of a difference in who played these games, but I guess there can be in who actually payed for them," Fitch said.
These are hard numbers for any PC developer to ignore, and from the tone of Fitch's message board rant the other day, things are likely to get much worse before they get better. Or should that be "if" they get better?
Halo house Bungie tells Next-Gen that it is working on something super-secret to rectify a situation that saw the Xbox 360 repair service wipe the nostalgia from one fan's console. You can't say that Bungie doesn't look out for its fans.
The Next-Gen blog posted a story recently about an Xbox fan whose Xbox 360 had been signed by key Halo and Xbox figures over the course of about two years. That Xbox 360 encountered the dreaded Red Ring of Death, and the Xbox fan, "Nathaniel," had to send it in for service.
And even though a service rep assured him on the phone that the signatures would be intact upon return of the console (and the fact that he included a letter clearly stating the console's importance), the Xbox 360 came back wiped virtually clean, with just a few black smudges left from the ink that adorned the console.
But now Bungie is ready to take action.
"Something is already 'afoot' within Bungie to help our community member in need," Bungie community director Brian Jarrard told Next-Gen on Monday. "Our team and the community as a whole is rallying to help fix this unfortunate situation. It's been awesome to see such an outpouring of sympathy and support from our community. We can't replace the exact item that was lost but, but we should come very close."
Jarrard is still keeping Bungie's plans under wraps but one can imagine what kind of consolation prize a studio of Bungie's influence and financial stature could provide.
"I think when it's all said and done, justice will prevail," said Jarrard.
In a fit of unbridled generosity, UK retailer GAME is offering 500 Microsoft Points to anyone pre-ordering Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360.
It's a similar offer to the one that recently accompanied Lost Odyssey's release in the UK – only this time the title in question is an undeniable must-buy. There're a number of different purchase options for those wanting to get their hands on Rockstar's latest – and perhaps greatest – instalment in the series come April 29. These range from the vanilla boxed affair to a more elaborate bundle comprising of a branded duffel bag, CD soundtrack and Rockstar keychain.
Of course, those 500 Microsoft points might be handy come the arrival of that Xbox 360-exclusive downloadable content, rumoured to land some time in the autumn.
Valve has patched The Orange Box on Xbox 360 to fix and tweak a few bits and bobs in Team Fortress 2.
Probably the most noticeable change is that weapons now have rumble support, but it also fixes a number of exploits, and allows for ten- and fourteen-player games.
This is the full list of changes as posted on Xbox.com:
Fixed a medic invulnerability exploit.
Fixed grenades going through players or buildings.
Fixed exploit with rockets causing damage through thin walls.
Fixed exploit allowing snipers to fire faster than intended.
Fixed exploit allowing players to teleport with the intelligence.
Fixed exploit attaching sappers to buildings through walls.
Fixed spy backstab exploit.
Fixed spy being able to attack without dropping his disguise.
Medics no longer heal enemy spies when they're not disguised.
Tweaked autobalance calculations.
When an engineer dies in sudden death, his buildings explode.
Fixed stats sometimes not reporting correctly.
Added a dialog to indicate when the host shuts down the server.
Added rumble to TF weapons.
Fixed ping column sometimes getting hidden in some resolutions.
Added 10 and 14 player game sizes.
Prevent hosts selecting game sizes above their bandwidth limits.
Improved handling of large network packets to eliminate bandwidth spikes.
Reduced respawn times for smaller games.
Next time you load the game, you should be prompted to install the update.
Chair Entertainment has announced the first expansion to Undertow, an underwater shooter for the Xbox Live Arcade. Titled "Path of the Elect," the download costs 400 Microsoft Points (US $5) and introduces a new playable race to the game. With the download, players get access to The Elect, a high-tech alien race, a five level campaign that continues the story laid out in Undertow, and four new multiplayer maps.
There will be separate match-making for those who download the expansion, so those who choose not to won't find themselves up against a new opponent. To see The Elect, you'll have to download the expansion.
Strong debuts from four new releases have failed to shift Sega's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games from the top of the Chart Track All Formats top ten.
Ubisoft's Lost: The Videogame enters the top ten at three, just ahead of THQ's first-person shooter Frontlines: Fuel of War at four.
Microsoft's long-awaited Xbox 360 RPG Lost Odyssey breaks into the charts at six, while Electronic Arts' mega-franchise The Sims hits the number ten spot with the latest expansion pack, The Sims 2: Freetime.
DS Lite hardware sales were also up this week by 24 per cent, thanks to a boost from the white DS bundled with Nintendo's Brain Training software, with the original Dr Kawashima's Brain Training sitting at the top of the DS charts for the 41st time since release.
The full top ten follows:
1. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
2. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
3. Lost: The Videogame
4. Frontlines: Fuel of War
5. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
6. Lost Odyssey
7. More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima
8. FIFA Street 3
9. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
10. The Sims 2: Freetime
Stories about thieves stealing games and systems are a dime a dozen, but those thefts usually don't involve a culprit that was praised as a hero by President Bush. They do occasionally, though, as is proven by a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article about Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School student Lewis Bennett III.
Bennett earned fame and a meeting with the president for thwarting a planned Columbine-style attack by classmate Dillon Cossey back in October. But even heroes have their flaws, and last week, Bennett confessed to authorities that he and two friends had repeatedly broken in to Cossey's house last month to steal a variety of items, including an Xbox 360 that Bennett later sold to a classmate for $20.
Bennett's attorney said the media attention may have driven his client to the criminal act."How does a child, a young adult, deal with that situation, where all these cameras are put in his face and he's required to respond and he meets the president?" The answer to that rhetorical question, apparently, is 'by stealing an Xbox 360.'
A number of industry sources have indicated that Microsoft is due to cut the price of all Xbox 360 skus in Europe.
According to videogaming247.com, non-disclosure agreements are in place with leading retailers to prevent them from revealing the price drop, which will come into effect just ahead of the busy Easter sales period.
Around EUR 50 is expected to be slashed off the price of the Elite, Premium and Arcade units, according to techradar.com, on March 14.
This means the Arcade Xbox 360 will retail for around GBP 150 in the UK – cheaper than Nintendo's Wii console – the Elite will sell below GBP 240 and the Premium at just under GBP 200.
Retailers contacted by GamesIndustry.biz have declined to comment on the record.
Microsoft has been targeting the Arcade unit at the casual end of the market, packaging it with five free Live Arcade games but without a hard-drive as standard.
Reducing its price to around GBP 30 less than the Wii would be a more aggressive attempt to win over the casual consumer, a market currently dominated by Nintendo's home console.
Chair Entertainment has popped Undertow expansion Path of the Elect onto Xbox Live Marketplace.
It costs 400 Points (GBP 3.40 / EUR 4.80) and adds the Elect race with a five-level campaign of its own, doable in co-op or single-player.
The Elect will be the fourth race, and be playable in multiplayer along with four new maps. You can get a glimpse of this in our Path of the Elect gallery or trailer.
Unfortunately there's no word on whether there will be any more Achievements on offer.
Undertow is a side-scrolling shooter that was released on Live Arcade last December. Our only criticism was its length, but otherwise we felt it was a fun and welcome addition to the service.
Microsoft also offered it to everyone for free as a way of apologising for the Christmas performance of Live. So most of you should have it by now.
It joins Rocketmen: Axis of Evil on Live Arcade today, which we'll be offering our thoughts on soon (here's one: don't).
UK retailers are looking forward to continued growth in 2008, with GTA IV leading the way.
"We expect the market to continue to grow based on increase availability of hardware, publishers spreading their release schedule across the year and product innovation," Patrick Kelly, Zavvi's head of games, told GamesIndustry.biz.
"The expectation is that publishers will continue to push the capabilities of next generation hardware and we’ll see some outstanding games during 2008," remarked Play.com's head games buyer, Gian Luzio.
Marc Dean, the home entertainment buyer for Morrisons, agreed.
"We expect developers and publishers to continue broadening the market with more family and mass market products," he said.
Although the retailers think that 2008 will see family/social gaming take a larger slice of the pie - with titles such as Wii Fit and Rock Band - they all agreed that the biggest release of the year will be Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV.
Despite some analysts predicting that the PlayStation is poised to have a bright year, the retailers didn't see an end to the "console wars" any time soon.
"The release schedule for 2008 is looking strong for all three formats and pre-orders for cross platform titles such as GTA IV and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed suggest a very level playing field," Luzio said.
"It's unlikely that the console battle will be won or lost in the space of a year."
"I really hope that PS3 comes through for us - it has not peaked as we expected," admitted tgrav.com's Matt Holland.
"However, with more titles launching on the format and some fabulous peripherals I am hopeful that with Sony's support we can deliver some great numbers for them."
"I'm sure Sony are delighted with recent announcements regarding Blu-ray versus HD DVD, but that is only one aspect of the console battle," said Tim Ellis, head of games for HMV.
"Consumers are lucky to have three strong home console propositions with their own USPs and I'm sure we'll still be debating what's best in a year's time."
The complete interview with representatives from various UK retailers can be read here.
Namco Bandai has made some running repairs to Ace Combat 6.
The title update is available on Live, and should make the online side of the game a little more seamless and balanced. They say.
Chief among the changes are point penalties for doing silly things like crashing, leaving the battlefield or being shot down in Team Battle and Battle Royale modes. Similarly you can now gain points for damaging an aircraft and not necessarily destroying the bogey outright.
Those of you doing the dying will now be invulnerable for a short period of time on respawn, your in-game HUD should display points lost and won, and special weapons have been tweaked to balance things up.
You will also be able to see who is talking in the pre-game lobby thanks to a little microphone icon next to their Gamertag - useful for singling out those who sound strange.
Ace Combat 6 might be a little cringe-worthy, but it is really rather good. Take our highway to the Ace Combat 6 review zone to find out more.
Everyone's favourite military fetishist Tom Clancy has taken time out from typing to release a second Advanced Warfighter 2 Co-op Collection pack on Xbox Live.
It will cost you 400 Points (GBP 3.40 / EUR 4.80) and comes with nine new maps and eight fresh Achievements, which could earn you 125 Gamerpoints.
Being the second Collection pack, it carries on the story of the first in five fresh co-op missions. Manuel Suazo Azcona continues to destroy governments in Honduras and El Salvador, you see, so you have to put an end to him.
Of the nine maps, seven are classic scenarios from past Ghost Recon games and two are completely new: Treatment Plant and Mining Camp.
Those returning are Bridges, Stronghold and Island from Ghost Recon: Island Thunder; and Depot, Riverbed, Ghost Town and Roadblock from Ghost Recon: Desert Siege.
We have dug ourself a little hole so you will never find us. But you can look at some screenshots of the Co-op Collection 2 in our Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 gallery.
Nintendo will once again look upon the Spanish and German software sales charts with satisfaction as its platforms accounted for the top four places in both charts, and 15 of the combined top ten lists as well.
Few of the titles will come as any surprise, with Spain dominated by Wii Play, Mario & Sonic at the Olympics and the Brain Training titles, with Call of Duty 4 and Unreal Tournament 3 marking the only non-Nintendo platform entries in the top ten.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, Big Brain Academy and Triiviial - all for the Wii - completed the top ten for the week ending February 24 according to data compiled by Media-Control GfK International.
Meanwhile in Germany, Mario & Sonic took top spot for the DS, with the Brain Training titles in second and third, and Prof Kageyama's Maths Training in fourth.
Call of Duty 4 was fifth, with Wii Play and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings in sixth and seventh. World of Warcraft, along with the Burning Crusade expansion, and Super Mario Galaxy finished the list.
The full charts are as follows:
Spain
1. Wii Play (Wii)
2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (DS)
3. More Brain Training (DS)
4. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (Wii)
5. Call of Duty 4 (PS3)
6. Brain Training (DS)
7. Unreal Tournament 3 (PS3)
8. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (Wii)
9. Big Brain Academy (Wii)
10. Triiviial (Wii)
Germany
1. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (DS)
2. More Brain Training (DS)
3. Brain Training (DS)
4. Prof Kageyama's Maths Training (DS)
5. Call of Duty 4 (PC)
6. Wii Play (Wii)
7. Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (DS)
8. World of Warcraft (PC)
9. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)
10. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
The Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator is now available as a free download on Xbox Live Marketplace when you request a token at http://www.thisishddvd.com/emulator/.
Why is it free now?
This decision was made in light of Toshiba's recent announcement that they are discontinuing their HD DVD business. The reasons for offering the emulator for free are two-fold.
Microsoft is committed to interactivity and giving content authors the ability to create more compelling entertainment experiences. The specification for HDi was developed with significant input from studios like Warner Bros. and Disney based on scenarios they desired in the next generation format. Offering the emulator for free allows a greater audience to experiment with interactivity with little to no cost.
Second, the emulator beta program had approximately 80 participants across the industry who relied on the emulator for testing HDi content. Continued access to the emulator will assist those post houses and developers in completing their outstanding HD DVD projects.
What about the people who already purchased the emulator?
They will be issued gift certificates redeemable at the Microsoft Store. I'm kidding, of course! That would be completely lame - who would do that? Complete refunds will be issued to those who previously paid the full price for the emulator.
What can I do with this?
The Xbox 360 HD DVD Emulator is a development and test tool that allows you to run complete HD DVD projects - video, audio, and advanced interactivity - on your Xbox 360 from an external USB drive or networked PC. If you're interested in learning more about HDi and how to create your first HDi application, start in the April 2007 section of this blog and work your way forward.
If you're interested in a tool for muxing video to test on the emulator, be sure to check out NetBlender's DoStudio MX. They also have a demo project that you can run on the emulator.
Note that you do not need to have video in your project, though. Your playlist may contain titles without PrimaryAudioVideoClip(s).
Once you have your project looking just the way you want, you can burn it to a DVD-9 and share it. More info on burning DVD-9s can be found here: http://dostudio.netblender.com/wikipapers/wiki_dvdr.asp. FYI, I use a Pioneer DVD burner, Gear Pro Professional software, and Verbatim discs. [follow up: the burner and software I have used successfully are not mentioned on NetBlender's wiki, so I mention them so people know what I have used to create discs that work on the Xbox and Toshiba players]
What doesn't it do?
The emulator does not allow you to play ripped retail titles on your Xbox or your PC. The emulator runs on your Xbox 360, it does not run on a PC. It will also not do your laundry.
Do I need an Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on drive to use this?
Yes! Yes you do! The HD DVD playback software required by the Xbox 360 is on the add-on drive, so you will need an add-on drive to use the emulator. But, lucky you, they are now available for $50. Sweet.
A massive haul of around 30,000 counterfeit DVDs, CDs and Wii Playstation discs worth around £500,000 have been seized.
They were destined for car boot sales around Staffordshire and the Black Country.
The raid was carried out at the regular Cocksparrow Lane sale at Huntington near Cannock last Sunday.
The operation involved Trading Standards officers and police.
Three people were arrested and have been questioned and three vehicles impounded by police on suspicion they were involved in the distribution of counterfeit goods.
The £500,000 haul included fake Wii Playstation discs and many DVD films which have yet to be released at the cinema.
Several thousand cigarettes and a quantity of rolling tobacco was also seized.
Councillor Carol Dean, cabinet member for safer and stronger communities said: “We need to get the message out there that it is not acceptable to sell these counterfeit goods and that there is a real risk of being caught.
“It is important for consumers to think about the consequences of buying counterfeit products as this can really affect local businesses who struggle to compete with counterfeiters who sell products that legitimate businesses are unable to - such as unreleased films.”
Similar operations are set to take place in the county in future months.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown is set to meet the mother of Stefan Pakeerah, a 14 year-old whose murder in 2004 sparked a row about Rockstar's videogame Manhunt.
Despite repeated evidence showing that the perpetrator of the crime, 17 year-old Warren Leblanc, was not in possession of the game, and despite prosecution and defence lawyers - as well as the police - pouring scorn on the link, the Prime Minister is going to discuss violent videogames with Giselle Pakeerah today, according to the Leicester Mercury.
The move follows ill-advised comments made last Friday in a Parliamentary debate by Leicester East MP Keith Vaz - a long-time critic of one of the most popular entertainment pastimes for a wide cross-section of the population - as rape-simulators.
This allegation was shot down by Conservative MP Ed Vaizey, who pointed out that neither he, nor the BBFC, had ever encountered such a game.
And Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Margaret Hodge, dismissed links between the Pakeerah murder and Manhunt: "They may have made that statement, but the rationale for the statement is less clear," she said.
"The game was discovered not in Warren Leblanc's possession but in the victim's possession. It does not feature the use of a hammer, and it was not considered by the police to be a contributory factor.
"No such connection was ever suggested in court. Indeed, the prosecution and defence barristers insisted in court that the videogame had played no part in the killing. It was reported that Leblanc was motivated by fear of a gang to which he owed money."
The Byron Report, due later this month, and the CMS Select Committee are both investigating the effects of internet and videogame violence.
Both Keith Vaz and colleague Julian Brazier are set to meet the Prime Minister later today to discuss tougher regulations for videogames.
But Gundam Musou Special for the PS2 is crowned the new number 1
Gundam Musou Special for the PlayStation 2 went straight in at number one in the Japanese software chart for the sales week ending March 2, according to data from Media Create, although Nintendo platforms accounted for seven of the top ten titles.
It sold around 150,000 copies, twice the number that the number one game sold last week - although that title was Super Smash Bros Brawl, which has now been out for some time, and is expected to break the 1.5 million sales mark by the end of March.
Wii Fit took third place, breezing past 1.6 million sales in the process, while the second new entry of the week, Soma Bringer for the Nintendo DS, was in fourth.
Some moderately good news for Microsoft took the form of Xbox 360 music title The Idolmaster: Live for You, which sold 44,000 copies on its first week on the chart, while the previous week's number two, Etrian Odyssey II: The Royal Grail, fell to number six.
Musou Orochi for the PlayStation Portable, Harvest Moon: Shining Sun and Friends for the DS, and Wii Sports and Winning Eleven Play Maker 2008 for the Wii finished up the top ten.
The highest PlayStation 3 title was Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, falling from number seven to number 17.
The full top ten is as follows:
1. Gundam Musou Special (PS2)
2. Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
3. Wii Fit (Wii)
4. Soma Bringer (DS)
5. The Idolmaster: Live for You (360)
6. Etrian Odyssey II: The Royal Grail (DS)
7. Musou Orochi (PSP)
8. Harvest Moon: Shining Sun and Friends (DS)
9. Wii Sports (Wii)
10. Winning Eleven Play Maker 2008 (Wii)
Rockstar boss blames "older 360s", company working hard to rectify problems
Following reports of technical problems being suffered by some owners of Bully for the Xbox 360, Rockstar boss Sam Houser has responded by apologising, and assuring fans that the company is working hard to find and fix the problems.
"We have just become aware of the issues people are having with Bully Scholarship Edition on Xbox 360," Houser told Kotaku. "It appears that some older 360s are experiencing frame rate issues, freezes and other problems.
"You have our word that we never experienced any of this in QA - in any of our offices or at Microsoft. I am horrified, and we are now working around the clock to rectify this situation."
Houser went on to reiterate the developer's commitment to quality, and hint that any problems being experienced had nothing to do with having to release the game before it was complete.
"We love our games and put a huge amount of energy and care into making them all that they can be," he said. "We would never shove anything out the door - we never have and never will.
"We apologise to everyone affected for the inconvenience."
Bully: Scholarship Edition was released in the US on Tuesday, and is set for release in the UK tomorrow. There is no word as yet regarding specific details on how old the Xbox 360 consoles are that are suffering from problems, and how many are actually affected.
Welcome to this week's Games & Toys update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
Several exciting games have been published this week. Get ready to set off to war in the chaotic worlds of Frontlines: Fuel of War and Army of Two [Xbox360™ and PlayStation3™] where a person needs to have both wits and battle skills to survive.
The Japanese and Asian versions of the third installment in the Yakuza series Ryuu ga Gotoku Kenzan! (a.k.a Yakuza 3) for PlayStation3™ have also been published. Taking the players back to the Edo period where the samurai spirit flourishes, this game provides an engaging plot, superb graphics and exciting action.
Aside from war and action games, MLB 08: The Show, the most authentic baseball game also came out this week on PlayStation3™. For people of all ages who enjoy stylistic graphics and excellent game play along with adorable characters, Patapon on Sony PSP™ is for you.
Last but not least, Nintendo Wii Collection Super Mario Galaxy Keychain Gashapon and Nintendo Super Mario Bros. Mascot 2 Keychain Gashapon came out under the toys section this week, and as if that is not enough to sate every Mario fan's thirst Super Mario Galaxy Original Soundtrack has been released along with them.
As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™:
Army of Two ASIA US$ 44.90
Frontlines: Fuel of War ASIA US$ 49.90
LOST: Via Domus US US$ 64.90
Riot Act / Crackdown (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Saints Row (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Senko no Ronde Rev.X (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Super Star Karaoke KOR US$ 69.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty US US$ 64.90
Xbox 360 Arcade Console JPN US$ 299.90
PlayStation3™:
Army of Two ASIA US$ 49.90
Dual Shock 3 (Satin Silver) JPN US$ 59.90
Frontlines: Fuel of War US US$ 64.90
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (w/Guitar) JPN US$ 129.90
LOST: Via Domus US US$ 64.90
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition US US$ 44.90
MLB 08: The Show US US$ 64.90
PlayStation3 Console (HDD 40GB Model) Satin Silver - 110V JPN US$ 429.00
Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! ASIA US$ 64.90
Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! JPN US$ 74.90
Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! (w/ PlayStation3 Console 40GB Satin Silver) JPN US$ 499.90
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty US US$ 64.90
Nintendo Wii™:
Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None US US$ 34.90
Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed US US$ 49.90
Family Jockey JPN US$ 54.90
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption JPN US$ 64.90
Minna no Joushiki Ryoku TV JPN US$ 49.90
Nobunaga no Yabou: Kakushin with Power-Up Kit JPN US$ 95.00
Nobunaga no Yabou: Kakushin with Power-Up Kit (w/ Sangokushi XI) JPN US$ 139.90
Playground: Kouen de Asobou! JPN US$ 39.90
Sega Bass Fishing US US$ 34.90
PlayStation2™:
Amekoushi no Kan (The Best Price) JPN US$ 34.90
Aria: The Natural (Alchemist Best Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (w/Guitar) JPN US$ 129.90
Hisshou Pachinko*Pachi-Slot Kouryoku Series Vol. 10 (Special Price Edition) JPN US$ 34.90
Hisshou Pachinko*Pachi-Slot Kouryoku Series Vol. 5: CR Neon Genesis Evangelion Sekandoinpakuto & Pachislot Neon Genesis Evangelion (Special Price Edition) JPN US$ 34.90
MLB 08: The Show US US$ 44.90
Naraku no Shiro JPN US$ 64.90
Nobunaga no Yabou: Kakushin with Power-Up Kit JPN US$ 95.00
Nobunaga no Yabou: Kakushin with Power-Up Kit (w/ Sangokushi XI) JPN US$ 139.90
Nintendo DS™:
Bomberman Portable (Hudson the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Brain Assist US US$ 24.90
Bratz: Super Babyz US US$ 34.90
Bubble Bobble: Double Shot US US$ 24.90
Doraemon Waku Waku DS Lite Accessory Set JPN US$ 16.90
Doraemon: Nobita to Midori no Kyojinden DS JPN US$ 48.90
Eiken-Ou: 2-Kyuuhen JPN US$ 39.90
Hana to Taiyou to Ame to JPN US$ 48.90
Hello Kitty Pouch (Enamel Pink) JPN US$ 17.90
Hello Kitty Pouch (Enamel Red) JPN US$ 17.90
Jigsaw Puzzle DS: DS de Meguru Sekai Isan no Tabi JPN US$ 29.90
Naruto: Ninja Destiny US US$ 34.90
Petz Wild Animals: Tigerz US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™:
Blokus Portable: Steambot Championship US US$ 24.90
Bomberman Portable (Hudson the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Coded Soul: Uke Keigareshi Idea ASIA US$ 42.90
Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable (Ultimate Hits) ASIA US$ 24.90
Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable (Ultimate Hits) JPN US$ 29.90
Dungeon Explorer: Warrior of Ancient Arts US US$ 34.90
MLB 08: The Show US US$ 44.90
Patapon US US$ 24.90
The Brave One JPN US$ 14.90
The Invasion JPN US$ 14.90
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (Ultimate Hits) ASIA US$ 24.90
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (Ultimate Hits) JPN US$ 29.90
PC and MAC™:
Frontlines: Fuel of War (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 39.90
Frontlines: Fuel of War Collector's Edition (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 59.90
Lost: Via Domus (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 34.90
Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou! Online Beginner's Package JPN US$ 24.90
Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific ASIA US$ 34.90
The Sims 2 FreeTime ASIA US$ 29.90
The Typing of the Dead II JPN US$ 59.90
The Typing of the Dead II [W Pack] JPN US$ 69.90
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (DVD-ROM) US US$ 44.90
Toys and More:
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Black Jersey (Size L) JPN US$ 42.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Black Jersey (Size M) JPN N/A
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Black Jersey (Size XL) JPN US$ 42.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Black T-Shirt (Size L) JPN US$ 29.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Black T-Shirt (Size M) JPN US$ 29.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Black T-Shirt (Size S) JPN US$ 29.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Black T-Shirt (Size XL) JPN N/A
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Black Windbreaker JPN US$ 49.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Red Jersey (Size L) JPN US$ 42.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Red Jersey (Size M) JPN US$ 42.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Red T-Shirt (Size L) JPN US$ 29.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Red T-Shirt (Size M) JPN US$ 29.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official Red T-Shirt (Size XL) JPN US$ 29.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official White T-Shirt (Size L) JPN US$ 29.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official White T-Shirt (Size M) JPN US$ 29.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official White T-Shirt (Size S) JPN US$ 29.90
20th Anniversary Rockman - Official White T-Shirt (Size XL) JPN US$ 29.90
20th Anniversary Rockman Art File JPN US$ 16.90
20th Anniversary Rockman Clear Folder Set JPN US$ 14.90
20th Anniversary Rockman Keychain Gashapon JPN US$ 6.99
20th Anniversary Rockman Towel Scarf JPN N/A
Armored Core 1/72 Scale Pre-Painted Model Kit: Crest CR-C75U2 (Delta Version) JPN US$ 42.49
Dragon Ball Collection Vol. 1 Soft Vinyl Figure: Chi Chi JPN US$ 9.90
Dragon Ball Collection Vol. 1 Soft Vinyl Figure: Kame Sennin JPN US$ 9.90
Dragon Ball Collection Vol. 1 Soft Vinyl Figure: Son Gokou JPN US$ 9.90
Dragon Ball DX 3 Non Scale Pre-Painted Soft Vinyl Figure: Chaoz JPN US$ 16.90
Dragon Ball DX 3 Non Scale Pre-Painted Soft Vinyl Figure: Mr. Popo JPN US$ 16.90
Dragon Ball DX 3 Non Scale Pre-Painted Soft Vinyl Figure: Son Gokou JPN US$ 16.90
Fraulein Revoltech Series No. 003 - Neon Genesis Evangelion Pre-Painted Figure: Asuka Langley JPN N/A
Gundam Mini Figure Selection Plus 10 Non Scale Candy Toy JPN US$ 4.49
Kanon 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Sawatari Makoto JPN N/A
Kinnikuman 29th Anniversary Vol. 1 Figure JPN US$ 9.90
Kinnikuman 29th Anniversary Vol. 2 Figure JPN US$ 9.90
Koro Koro Collection Bakuretsu Tenshi Non Scale Pre-Painted Gashapon JPN US$ 2.90
Melty Blood Series III 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Akiha Toono JPN N/A
Monster Hunter Big Sword Trading Card (Repackaged Version) JPN US$ 19.90
Monster Hunter Hammer Trading Card (Repackaged Version) JPN US$ 19.90
Monster Hunter Lance Trading Card (Repackaged Version) JPN US$ 19.90
Monster Hunter Sword In One Hand Trading Card (Repackaged Version) JPN US$ 19.90
Nintendo Super Mario Bros. Mascot 2 Keychain Gashapon JPN US$ 1.90
Nintendo Wii Collection Super Mario Galaxy Keychain Gashapon JPN US$ 2.90
Quiz Magic Academy 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Aloe & CPU Shalon JPN US$ 54.90
Revoltech Series No. 025 - Transformers Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Action Figure: Megatron (Re-run) JPN US$ 19.90
Screen Battles SB-03 Transformers Movie Desert Attack Figure set JPN US$ 29.90
Screen Battles SB-04 Transformers Movie Capture of Bumblebee Figure set JPN US$ 29.90
Super Black Jack High Grade Non Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure: Rio (Black Dealer Version) JPN N/A
Super Black Jack High Grade Non Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure: Rio (Red Dealer Version) JPN US$ 16.90
The Movie All Spark Power - Transformers Pre-Painted Figure: MA-20 Arcee (Black Version) JPN N/A
The Movie All Spark Power - Transformers Pre-Painted Figure: MD-23 Stockcade JPN US$ 24.90
Variabl Action Genesis Climber Mospeada Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Mospeada Ray Type JPN N/A
Variabl Action Genesis Climber Mospeada Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Mospeada Stick Type JPN N/A
Magazine and Game Guide:
Arcadia Magazine [April 2008] JPN N/A
Army of Two: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Biohazard the Umbrella Chronicles: Art of Arts JPN US$ 19.90
Codes & Cheats Spring 2008: Prima Games Code Book US US$ 9.90
Digimon Championship DS Official Capture Book JPN US$ 16.90
Famitsu Wave DVD [April 2008] JPN US$ 16.50
Frontlines: Fuel of War Official Strategy Guide US US$ 16.90
Harvest Moon Rune Factory 2 Final Perfect Guide JPN US$ 23.90
L: The Prologue to Death Note - Rasen no Wana Official Capture Book JPN US$ 16.90
La Corda d'Oro 2 Perfect Setting Sourcebook JPN US$ 37.90
Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes Anecdote Script JPN US$ 19.90
Suzumiya Haruhi no Tomadoi Official Fan Book JPN US$ 24.90
Tales of Destiny Perfect Guide JPN US$ 21.90
The Sims 2 FreeTime: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Yggdra Union Complete Tour Guide JPN US$ 29.90
Video Game Soundtracks:
Alice / Again (~A.G.E) JPN US$ 11.90
Alice / Again [CD+DVD Limited Edition] (~A.G.E) JPN US$ 17.90
Bleach Beat Collection 3rd Session: 06 Szayelaporro Granz JPN US$ 9.90
Hamatte Sabotte Oh My Ga! / Nantettatte Densetsu (Lucky Star Intro/Outro Theme Song) JPN US$ 11.90
Last Escort 2 Shinya No Amai Toge Original Suondtrack JPN US$ 29.90
Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 17.90
Super Mario Galaxy Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 29.90
The Idolm@ster Master Live 01 JPN US$ 19.90
This week the Japanese get the new Arcade 360 with HDMI Port for a price of Price: US$ 299.90 (~152.56 GBP)
features
New Version with HDMI port
This is the Japanese version console. Only suitable to play Japanese/Asian NTSC/J encoded or Region Free games (see list below under "Useful Links").
Box contents
Xbox 360 Console
Wireless Controller
Composite AV Cable
Memory Unit (256MB)
Xbox Live Arcade Disc
Power Supply (110V)
Manual (Japanese)
Yep the only reason a non jap person would buy this is for the Region Free Games but thankfully most games are region free these days.
In its March playlist update for Halo 3, Bungie has tweaked some matchmaking eccentricities, fixed some multiplayer map glitches and introduced two new double-experience weekend playlists.
The first weekend Double XP playlist went live at noon today and runs through noon PDT on March 10. The second runs March 20 - March 23. Here's a full breakdown by Bungie community guru Luke Smith:
Grifball, the game created by Burnie Burns of Red vs. Blue will be an unranked, weekend-long social playlist awarding DoubleXP to winning teams. We've slightly adjusted some of the rules for Grifball (unlimited round times make for unlimited griefing potential), but kept the game's core intact. You'll be able to go in with party configurations ranging from one to eight people. This playlist will be available from Thursday, March 6 at NOON until March 10 at NOON(all times Pacific Standard). I apparently forgot to mention that the Grifball hopper is being treated like a Tournament hopper -- a hopper where there will be prizes. Tournament prizes.
Beginning March 20 at NOON will be the return of Team SWAT in the Social, DoubleXP variety. Team SWAT is an old Halo 2 gametype where players have no shields, increased body health and do not have the luxury of radar. This eight-player maximum hopper will be completely Team Slayer focused with the SWAT ruleset. This weekend playlist will be available from March 20 at NOON until March 23 at NOON (all times Pacific).
In addition to sucking the next two weekends away from Halo 3 players' friends and loved ones, Bungie made some changes to the Heroic DLC multiplayer variant, splitting it into DLC Slayer (4v4) and DLC Objective (6v6) with a mix of various gametypes on the DLC maps. Slayer options include Team Snipers, Team Rockets, Team BRs, Team Duel and Team Duals. Objective variants include Multi Flag CTF, Multi Flag BR, One Flag, Assault, Neutral Bomb Assault and Team King.
But wait, there's more. Along with the new weekend events and Heroic DLC changes, Bungie added the following changes to the game:
Fixed map exploit on The Pit
Fixed map exploit on Construct
Fixed map exploit on Epitaph
Reduced Ranked Big Team Battle "Large party" size to six players and increased Big Team threshold to two
Fixed Spartan Laser occasionally falling through map on Sandtrap
Fixes to matchmaking to allow more even leveling for players
Disabled Mixed Skill restrictions for RBTB and Team Slayer
To nerd out on even more detail about the March playlist update, check out this post on Bungie.net.
A father and son are accused of assaulting another father and son with a baseball bat during an argument over the ownership of a Xbox game.
Police say Michael Malta, 43, and his son, Anthony, 18, both of Garnerville, were arraigned Thursday morning on assault charges. They were arrested Wednesday night after police responded to a street fight.
Police say a 45-year-old West Haverstraw man and his 18-year-old son were found injured near their home. They suffered head, arm and leg injuries and were hospitalized.
Capcom has confirmed to CVG that the long-rumoured spin-off (or whatever it is) Lost Planet Colonies will be officially unveiled next week.
The news comes after a very unexciting Achievements list leaked onto the internet, revealing Gamerpoints for finishing Colonies on "easy", "normal" and indeed, "hard". Riveting stuff.
Capcom UK (who are standing behind our desks somewhere) won't reveal what exactly Colonies is, though from the lack of marketing flair surrounding its reveal, we're not holding our breaths for a sequel.
We reckon it'll turn out to be a re-release with DLC, but Capcom isn't saying either way.
Famitsu has released the all-time software and hardware numbers for the ‘next-gen’ consoles, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360 in Japan.
Wii - 5,366,963
1. Wii Sports - Nintendo - 2,750,365
2. Wii Play - Nintendo - 2,198,039
3. Wii Fit - Nintendo - 1,450,509
4. Super Smash Brothers X - Nintendo - 1,247,632
5. Mario Party 8 - Nintendo - 1,181,118
6. Super Mario Galaxy - Nintendo - 872,463
7. Made in Wario Wii - Nintendo - 568,623
8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Nintendo - 552,476
9. Mario & Sonic at Olympics - Nintendo - 510,465
10. Super Paper Mario - Nintendo - 505,491
Word has reached CVG that a big Xbox 360 announcement will be made in the Middle East next week, which could well mean the region's introduction to Xbox Live.
We're reliably informed that invitations have been sent out for the Dubai-based event, which promises "big news" for Xbox 360 in the region.
Microsoft's console has already launched in the Middle East, though without its highly regarded online service. That's a bit like having bread without butter.
Since events and announcements are rarely ever made in the region, says our source, this could very likely mean the launch of Xbox Live in the Middle East. That means we'll have even more strangers swearing at us from foreign parts. Welcome aboard!
Microsoft UK was unavailable for comment when we picked up the phone, but we'll let you know if and when it gets back to us.
Sony is in talks with console rival Microsoft about offering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360, according to a senior executive.
After Sony's victory last month in the high-definition DVD format war, Stan Glasgow, Sony Electronics US president, said the two sides were now talking about Microsoft adopting Blu-ray.
A Blu-ray drive in a 360 would make Microsoft more competitive with the PS3, but it would also mean extra revenues for Sony's electronics division. It would also add further cost to the 360, meaning a premium edition of the console could be necessary.
A Blu-ray drive could be incorporated in its top-of-the-range Elite Xbox, or Microsoft could again offer a drive as a plug-in peripheral.
A press release for Play.com's Live event revealed that Lego Indiana Jones, slated to be playable at the event, is coming to retail channels on June 6. Eurogamer has confirmed the date with the ever-reliable "Top Secret Games Industry Source" and, frankly, we're happy for our European readers who don't have to wait for the usual long delay between North American release (coming June 3).
The June 6 date reportedly applies to all platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii and DS. Eurogamer's source also noted that Lego Batman is coming later this year.
At E3 2006, Microsoft announced Live Anywhere, an initiative to bring Xbox Live, well, everywhere. The goal was for integrated play (MMO enhancement?) and Live access from Xbox 360, PC and mobile phones. MTV Multiplayer contacted Xbox Live executive John Schappert for an update on the program.
In an email response, Schappert said, "We continue to make progress against the vision laid out for LIVE Anywhere and remain committed to building out the network that connects you to your games, your friends and your entertainment in a variety of ways." He also cited XNA and Zune integration as an example of this.
Microsoft also told MTV that there no Live Anywhere announcements were expected in the immediate future. The PC aspect of Live Anywhere -- Games for Windows Live -- has materialized to mixed results and acceptance.
Rockstar has promised a fix for issues with the recently-released Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition.
Complaints appeared on the official Xbox forums as well as on various internet blogs reporting issues with the game freezing up as well as skipping audio and a poor framerate.
Rockstar boss Sam Houser told Kotaku that the issues were never experienced in QA and promised that they would be working around the clock to rectify the situation.
A company spokesperson has now announced a solution.
"We are very aware of the problems some people have been experiencing with the Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition and have been doing everything within our powers to resolve these issues as quickly as possible," a Rockstar Games PR spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz.
"We will be releasing a title update through Xbox Live within the next week that we are confident will rectify the problem. We apologize wholeheartedly for the inconvenience that this matter has caused some owners of the game. "
Designer Tom Heaton has dropped hints that we might see an Xbox Live Arcade iteration of the upcoming Doctor Who Top Trumps game, currently planned for DS and PC.
When questioned about the possibility of the card game being updated with new cards and power-ups via the web, Heaton said, "Sadly, this isn't something that is possible on all of the platforms that we're bringing the game out on.
"However, we are looking at versions for other consoles which could incorporate lots of other goodies - we are big fans of UNO on Xbox Live."
It's far from confirmed but if that isn't a blatant hint then we don't know what is any more. Look for the full interview on CVG over the weekend.
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has admitted that the company is working on ways to support Blu-ray, the next-generation DVD format.
Although he did not talk specifically about the format in relation to gaming, he did concede it was time to move on following the collapse of the HD-DVD format earlier this year.
"We've already been working on, for example, in Windows, device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like, and I think the world moves on," said Ballmer at the Mix08 conference.
"Toshiba has moved on. We've moved on, and we'll support Blu-ray in ways that make sense," he said.
Many are expecting Microsoft to announce a Blu-ray peripheral for the Xbox 360 in the near future, following the demise of the HD-DVD format and Microsoft's decision to end production of a HD-DVD add-on for its console.
According to a Financial Times report yesterday, Microsoft and Sony are currently in talks to offer a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360.
The latest console sales in Japan are in and a change in the first 3 rankings are to been seen today:
Playstation Portable: 73,706
Nintendo Wii: 64,535
Nintendo DS Lite: 51,922
Playstation 3: 13,520
Playstation 2: 10,986
Xbox 360: 2,282
PSP sales shoot past both the Wii (increase roughly 1,000) and the DS Lite (up 1,800) by a staggering 20,300 units. The PS3 (up about 500), PS2 (up about 1,300) and Xbox 360 (down 281) stay in the previous positions as last week and the week before and so on....
Mohit Anand, Entertainment and Devices manager for Microsoft India, is to leave the company in April.
Anand has been with Microsoft for eight years during which time he has overseen the launch of the Xbox 360 in the region.
Although the respected executive has not yet revealed his new employer or position, he told GameGuru that he intends to stay in India and work in a similar gaming capacity.
"Whatever my next move is going to be, it is going to be within these spaces, which is technology."
"The convergence of technology, retail, entertainment, that's where I have specialised and built these skill sets and that is what I really intend to do," he said.
GameGuru noted that rumours have suggested Anand may be working with Nintendo to establish a presence for the Wii in India, but the exec would not be drawn on any speculation.
"Nintendo first of all hasn't made any announcements on entering the country."
"There are rumours and speculations floating around for that as well but all I will say is that right now I am not going to be making any formal announcements as to where I am headed," he said.
TrustedReviews is pretty confidant about their latest "world exclusive" – they say the Xbox 360's 20GB hard drive is going the way of the Core system (read: dying), and in its place we'll have a 60GB Pro system. While the site is sure their info is on the money, they're not sure about when we can expect this new drive (before the end of Microsoft's fiscal year, says their source, which ends June 30).
Will the hard drive-less Arcade console replace the missing 20GB model? They can't be sure, but they do say the boys in Redmond are considering adding another SKU to their increasingly complex product lineup. Something in between the Arcade and the 60GB? Or perhaps something with built-in Blu-ray (if that "makes sense")?
Into The Wild (~Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, ...) US US$ 39.99
Naked Beneath The Water (~Sean Cain, Randal Malone, ...) US US$ 13.98
No Reservations (HD DVD + DVD Combo Format) (~Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, ...) US US$ 35.99
The Bourne Ultimatum JPN US$ 46.90
The Brave One JPN US$ 47.90
The Invasion JPN US$ 47.90
Things We Lost In The Fire (~Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro, ...) US US$ 39.99
Major League Baseball 2K8 returns to the diamond with the most complete MLB experience available on every major video game console. Revolutionizing your control of the 5 tools in baseball are brand new pitching, fielding and baserunning controls and completely overhauled batting interface. Featuring a totally unique trading card mode, robust Minor League system, all-new Signature Style animations for 2008, and more, Major League Baseball 2K8 brings a new level of fun to the virtual baseball world.
The US versions of 2k Sport's Major League Baseball 2K8 for Xbox360™, PlayStation3™, Nintendo Wii™, PlayStation2™ and Sony PSP™ systems are in stock today.
This Signature Series guide features a detailed walkthrough leading players through all chapters in the main story plus several side activities.
Ace every course at Bullworth Academy to unlock cool bonuses.
Master all of the combos to beat down any bully.
Find Every Collectible Item.
Bonus: Giant Two-Sided Poster!
Platform: Xbox 360 and Wii
Pages: 192
The Rockstar tradition of groundbreaking, original gameplay and humorous tongue-in-cheek storytelling invades an entirely new setting: the schoolyard. As a mischievous schoolboy, you'll stand up to bullies, get picked on by teachers, play pranks, win or lose the girl, and ultimately learn to navigate the obstacles of the worst school around, Bullworth Academy - a corrupt and crumbling prep school with an uptight facade. The story follows Jimmy Hopkins, a teenager who's been expelled from every school he's ever attended.
Left to fend for himself after his mother abandons him at Bullworth to go on her fifth honeymoon, Jimmy has a whole year at Bullworth ahead of him, working his way up the social ladder of this demented institution of supposed learning, standing up for what he thinks is right and taking on the liars, cheats and snobs who are the most popular members of the student body and faculty. If Jimmy can survive the school year and outsmart his rivals, he could rule the school.
Apparently, Steve Ballmer didn't just take time to respond to the latest iPhone announcements and give that whole Monkey Boy Dance another go during the Mix '08 event. Oh no, he most certainly took the opportunity to address Microsoft's stance on where it was headed now that the format war has concluded. Granted, it's not like it ever had much choice here but to pick up the pieces and support the Blu camp, but for those who put a great deal of stock in confirmation, Mr. Ballmer did say that it had "already been working on, for example, in Windows, device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like." He also noted that "Toshiba had moved on" and that it too was moving forward, but unfortunately, he didn't make a peep about the recently rumored Xbox 360 BD add-on. Still, we're hoping that one thing will lead to another, if you catch our drift.
Like they say, all's well that ends well -- and that's certainly true in the case of a gamer named Nathaniel. If you'll recall, the Xbox 360 owner had sent his very personalized console into Microsoft for repairs, making very clear that the signed and drawn-on system had great sentimental value to him... which the technicians in Redmond promptly ignored. After the console returned to him wiped clean of the aforementioned "value," it seemed like all hope was lost. Luckily, the kind souls at Bungie have taken it upon themselves to try and right the wrongs perpetrated in this case, and have mailed Nathaniel a super-ultra-mega awesome package, featuring a Legendary Edition helmet signed by most of the Bungie studio staff, the soundtrack disc signed by Martin O'Donnel, a jacket, t-shirt, limited edition wireless controllers, and much, much, much more.
Remember that Xbox 360 price cut we mentioned a few days ago? Well it appears that the Financial Times Germany is reporting that this Monday, Microsoft will trim the fat from the Arcade and Pro consoles, shaving €80 and €50 off the price tag, respectively. Of course, right now this is still unconfirmed by the boys in Redmond (or in any other official location), though the buzz in the community does seem to suggest that these cuts are coming. Hopefully if these become a reality, the company will break something off for folks on these shores as well -- we need all the help we can get right now.
A Lansing mother was shocked after her two children were subjected to nude pictures on X-Box Live.
Michigan State Police say this disturbing crime should be a wake up call for parents.
Video games are meant to be a haven mostly targeted towards children but just like logging onto the Internet, state police say online games have become a magnet for sexual predators.
Detective Thomas Kish, Computer Crimes Unit: "Mom and dad don't ordinarily think that there's any danger in that and it is a potential danger and something that we all need to be concerned with."
Jennifer says her two sons were the latest victims to an Internet crime.
Thursday night while playing a game on X-Box Live, a video game that allows you to play against people anywhere in the world, they were exposed to nude pictures sent from someone on the other end.
Jennifer, Lansing Resident: "I immediately grabbed the X-Box controller from him, and I went ahead and turned it off. And then I went ahead and called X-Box live, and they told me there was nothing they could do about it. "
Jennifer now fears the safety of her children.
State police say a crime like this is exactly why parents should be aware of online video games.
Detective Thomas Kish: "X-Box Live in particular has video capability so you can see two-way video. It has the ability for text messaging, instant messaging back and fourth. The ability to receive voice messages, so it's as much of a medium as your home computer and parents need to really be aware of that."
And while Microsoft, the maker of X-Box, does give ways to deal with offensive players online, Jennifer says the damage to her children from this incident has already been done.
And she has banned her children from using X-Box Live to protect them from becoming prey to online predators.
Microsoft has released the Bring Down the Sky downloadable content on Xbox Live.
It costs 400 Points (GBP 3.40 / EUR 4.80) and offers-up an uncharted world to plod around. Or an asteroid station, if you want to be picky.
You see, some four-eyed Batarians (appearing for the first time) have claimed it as their base of operations for an extremist group, and plan to crash it into a nearby colony and kill millions. Unless you stop them. Or help them. Terrorist.
In total there should be around 90 minutes of fresh adventure on offer, as well as a new Achievement totalling 50 Gamerpoints.
It's also worth remembering that those of you too far advanced in the story will not be able to access this: you need full galaxy-exploration freedom to receive the quest and get to the asteroid.
The download is 253.40 MB, and is the first of many future additions to the widely acclaimed science fiction role-playing game.
Microsoft will officially lower the prices of all its Xbox 360 units in Europe from 14th March.
The biggest saving will be made on the Premium unit, which drops by GBP 50 down to GBP 199.99.
Elsewhere the Arcade model will become the cheapest new-generation model at GBP 159.99, while the Elite will fall to GBP 259.99. That's GBP 40 off the current price in both instances.
"Xbox 360 is now mass market in Europe," said Chris Lewis, bigwig at Microsoft Entertainment Europe. "We have reached and surpassed several key milestones that form part of our long term strategic plan to achieve critical mass in Europe; and our portfolio now offers the kind of mainstream entertainment experiences that secure wider appeal for Xbox 360.
"History shows that GBP 159.99 is the price point where a console's audience begins to expand, and with these new ERPs in place we're ready to bring more consumers into the Xbox 360 world."
The announcement comes after the German Financial Times reported that the platform holder would reduce the cost of its console throughout our region.
PC title The Sims 2: FreeTime went straight into the number one slot in the German chart, and Pro Evolution Soccer for the PlayStation Portable has hit the top of the Spanish chart, according to data from Media-Control GfK International for the sales week ending March 2.
The new entries broke Nintendo's usual dominance of the European charts which has seen various DS or Wii titles take the top slots and bulk out the majority of the two top ten lists for most of this calendar year.
In Germany Mario & Sonic for the DS was pushed into second, followed by Brain Training and another new entry, Frontlines: Fuel of War.
More Brain Training was fifth, followed by Maths Training and Call of Duty 4.
New Super Mario Bros, Wii Play and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade rounded out the top ten.
Meanwhile in Spain Wii Play followed Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, while Lost Odyssey was another new entry in third.
More Brain Training, Mario & Sonic for the DS and The Sims 2: FreeTime took fourth to sixth places respectively, while Mario & Sonic for the Wii was seventh.
Brain Training, Call of Duty 4 and FIFA 08 for the PlayStation 2 completed the top ten list.
The full charts are as follows:
Germany
1. The Sims 2: FreeTime (PC)
2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (DS)
3. Brain Training (DS)
4. Frontlines: Fuel of War (PC)
5. More Brain Training (DS)
6. Maths Training (DS)
7. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
8. New Super Mario Bros (DS)
9. Wii Play (Wii)
10. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)
Spain
1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PSP)
2. Wii Play (Wii)
3. Lost Odyssey (360)
4. More Brain Training (DS)
5. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (DS)
6. The Sims 2: FreeTime (PC)
7. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (Wii)
8. Brain Training (DS)
9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)
10. FIFA 08 (PS2)
Following Microsoft's decision to drop the price of the Xbox 360 in Europe, analyst Michael Pachter has told GamesIndustry.biz that he expects sales to increase by around 20 per cent over the coming months.
However, in the long term, he doesn't see it making a larger impact to Microsoft's standing in the region, as Sony is also likely to cut the price of the PlayStation 3 at some point later this year.
"Price elasticity of demand is an economic concept that says demand goes up as price comes down. I would imagine that demand will increase by 20 per cent or so, and we'll see sales increase by this amount over the next few months," offered Pachter.
"If the price cut were in a vacuum, I suppose it would make a difference, but it's likely Sony will match the cut sometime later this year," he said.
He also echoed comments made to GamesIndustry.biz by The simExchange's Jesse Divnich, that the timing of Microsoft's price cut is partly due to the failure of the HD-DVD format, and consumer perception that the PlayStation 3 now seems a better value machine with its integrated Blu-ray technology.
"I'm sure it is more than coincidence that Microsoft cut price just after Sony won the Blu-ray/HD-DVD battle," he said.
"Sony definitely gained in the eyes of consumers, who suddenly see the premium for the PlayStation 3 as having some value, and I think Microsoft decided to widen the gap between the two consoles."
Microsoft has taken nearly half of 'to date' current-gen revenue across console, game and peripheral sales, the company has boasted.
The boast made to trade mag MCV comes alongside Microsoft's other big news this morning; its 17.7 million Xbox 360s sold worldwide and the European price cut - which brings the console's tag down to less than a Wii.
"We had to reach and surpass key milestones [before we dropped 360's UK price]. We had to get to let a level of momentum that we've now achieved," Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Europe VP, Chris Lewis told MCV.
"We've taken 42 per cent revenue share of next gen-games market - including hardware, peripherals and software, as well as the stunning performance of Live." To be fair, the 360 has had a rather large head start.
Microsoft also claims it has the highest attach rate of any current-gen console, with seven games sold on average per Xbox 360.
"We're consistently attaching games at high level," added Lewis, "we're now at north of seven games to every console. That's considerably more than our competitors and something we're immensely proud of.
"On top of that, we've worked our way to a 17.7 million units worldwide installed base - and Europe is a critical geography within that figure. The ability to continually drive cost through the console is what has allowed us to open up the price of the system now."
The Xbox 360 is now retailing for £199.99 in Europe, with the Arcade pack down to £159.99. We'll be watching GTA IV format sales with great interest...
New from SuccessHK is a 3rd party Wireless Guitar to use on the Guitar Hero Games
Product Features
Five multi-colored fret buttons.
Stylized Start and Select buttons that look like volume knobs off an actual guitar
A responsive and durable strum bar.
Working whammy bar, has an adjustable strap
Tilt Sensors that can tell when the guitar is pointed straight up.
More Description
Strap on your Guitar Hero III Wireless Controller, plug it in, and CRANK IT UP! The Wireless Guitar feels just like a real guitar, making it the ultimate way to jam on your XBox 360. With the Guitar Hero III Wireless Controller, you turn into a rock star every time you play Guitar Hero!
Never go into battle alone! EA's new next-gen boutique development studio is changing the face of how people will play games. Delivering a groundbreaking strategic 3rd person co-op shooter unparalleled in the action genre, EA Montreal's ARMY OF TWO™ focuses on gameplay centered around TWO man missions, TWO man strategies, TWO man tactics and a TWO man advantage
Today, the United States is awarding an unprecedented number of contracts to Private Military Corporations (PMC) in an effort to maintain its presence worldwide. Since the Vietnam War, this number has increase ten fold and is only rising. As the clear cut flow of the chain of command blurs and the military responsibilities of a nation slipping out of its own control, it is getting hard to tell who really holds the power.
The Pro Evolution Soccer™2008 Official Guide & Coaching DVD is the definitive PES 2008 collector’s item offering a coaching DVD and a complete Piggyback guide in one product. The 168-page guide complement gives the reader increased focus on screenshots, integrating these in diagrams to demonstrate moves and tactics. The guide also covers chapters on Master League, Team & Player Guide, Tactics & Strategies as well as a Coaching Manual.
Purchasing decisions not just about cost, say experts
Microsoft may have cut the price of the Xbox 360 in Europe, but analysts remain cautious that the console has yet to prove popular with an audience outside of the dedicated core gamer.
Although he agreed that an immediate boost in sales was likely, Screen Digest's Ed Barton argued that pricing is only one factor and consumers can be swayed more by brand appeal than value for money.
"For the longer term it depends on how price sensitive consumers are with regard to games hardware purchasing decisions," he said.
"Naturally Microsoft hopes that consumers prove very price sensitive in their choice of games platforms – after all the Arcade model is now undercutting Wii by GBP 20 – however, hardware pricing is only one of many factors which influence consumers' games hardware purchasing decisions."
David Cole, analyst at DFC Intelligence, also noted that European sales of the Xbox 360 have slowed, and that Microsoft needs a renewed sales push in the region
"The price elasticity for videogame hardware systems has proven quite high, especially when you get down to the price range the Xbox 360 and Wii are now competing at," said Cole.
"However, Europe sales for the Xbox 360 have been disappointing so it remains to be seen whether this will give the system the needed jump-start," he added.
Microsoft has already attempted to attract a wider demographic through previous price cuts and software titles such as Viva Piñata and Scene It? but Barton feels these haven't had the desired effect.
"There is yet to emerge conclusive evidence that the platform is appealing effectively to demographics outside the core gamer with whom the Microsoft platform has resonated strongly, particularly in North America," commented Barton.
At GBP 159.99, the Arcade Xbox 360 is cheaper than the Wii and the PlayStation 3, and while it will help Microsoft sell more home consoles, it remains to be seen just how effective the 360 will be against its competition.
"The impact on Xbox 360's competitiveness certainly won't be negative, however, the real issue is to what extent will it help Xbox 360 compete with PS3 and Wii?" questioned Barton.
"We come back to how price sensitive consumers are. Currently my feeling is that most consumers are not particularly price sensitive and tend to think 'I want a specific games console, how much is it?' as opposed to 'I want a games console, what is the cheapest?'"
David Cole also said that although the price is lower than the Wii, the two consoles are still appealing to different audiences, and as such the price cut isn't likely to be a threat to Nintendo.
"The Wii seems to be off in its own realm so I think the price cut is much more of advantage for competing with the PS3," offered Cole.
"For the overall picture, much will probably depend on how aggressive Sony is for the PS3 with both pricing and new software.
"I think this puts some pressure on Sony in terms of pricing," he added.
The Japanese Xbox 360 site has been updated with information on this Friday's update. Here's what to expect.
Seasonal lobby
The Jaggo Amures are upon us as White Day comes to Gurhal! This seasonal event will be in effect from March 14th until March 28th.
New mission difficulty
Bruce's Dungeon will be receiving an S-rank difficulty with this update. Please note that this difficulty is available only to those playing Ambition of the Illuminus. If you are still using the base game, only difficulties C-A will be available to you.
New mission type
To go along with Bruce's Dungeon S, a new recruitment mission is being added to help making finding a party easier. You can access this mission from the Dagora GUARDIANS Branch.
System update
The level cap will be increased from LV120 to LV130!
New items
Numerous new items will be added, including new weapons, clothes and parts. Also be sure to check out the two new EX Devices for your partner machine: EX Device GH461 and EX Device GH465. Finally, Casino Voloyal will be receiving an update which will add new items to the exchange counter as well as continue the usual rotation of items.
The History Channel takes you to the Battle for the Pacific where you will experience history brought to life in one of the defining campaigns of World War II. Relive epic land battles fought on some of the most brutal and unforgiving battlefields in recorded history. Retake strategically important locations throughout the Pacific Theatre that are vital to the allies on the ?Road to Tokyo.? Play through the eyes of an American GI as you experience intense, no holds barred action against an opponent for which surrender isn't an option! Fire authentic allied and axis weaponry including sub-machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-aircraft guns, pistols, and grenades Relive History - each level begins with a documentary video featuring actual battle footage, key facts and statistics, and the importance that the battle ultimately played in the allied victory.
Failure is not an option. In the third installment of the Soldier of Fortune series, take on the role of a hired mercenary with The Shop, and experience all the thrills and dangers of intense mercenary combat throughout the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Blast your way through high intensity combat situations in Soldier of Fortune® Payback, and defeat an extremist organization determined to throw the world into global conflict.
New premium content is now available for Ubisoft's Dark Messiah. For 400 Microsoft Points (US$5), you can gain access to new weapons, classes and multiplayer maps. We know you're excited!
Dashboard description: Extend your quest on Dark Messiah of Might and Magic - Elements with new maps, classes and weapons from Xbox Live Marketplace. Use these new weapons to crush your opponents. According to your character's type, either Undead or Human, you can use exclusive powerful weapons such as bows, swords, or staffs. Also included, two new classes for the single player mode: Paladin He will subsequently use his powerful Charm and Shrinking spells to gain the upper hand. Warlock The Warlock will seek to weaken his enemies from a distance with his spells before moving in for the kill using his sword. What are you waiting for? Download this exclusive package right now! Also available, the demo and themes for your dashboard. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
Leading UK retailers have told GamesIndustry.biz that the Xbox 360 price cut is perfect timing for the Easter sales period and it will give the console a boost into more mainstream markets.
The Arcade unit now retails in the UK for GBP 159.99, the Premium console for GBP 199.99 and the high-end Elite machine for GBP 259.99, following yesterday's price cut.
Tim Ellis, head of games for HMV, expects the price reduction will help sell more hardware and software after a traditionally quiet retail period.
"We're certainly expecting a discernible lift in hardware sales, and through this, an increase in demand for key software titles also," he said.
"The timing is good - especially as we are now entering the Easter holidays trading period. A balance in timing is always important, but now could be a good moment to re-inject some momentum into the market following the post-Christmas lull," offered Ellis.
Tricia Brennan, UK managing director at GAME was also upbeat about the move.
"We feel that this is a very positive move from Microsoft, and our customers will be delighted as it will make it easier for even more people to enjoy the Xbox 360's incredible gaming experience," she said.
"With prices now starting at just under GBP 160, there's no doubt that the three different versions of the 360 represent outstanding value for money with the incredible technology and sheer volume of entertainment that they offer."
While some have questioned how effective the price cut will be in the long-term, Steve O'Brien of respected independent stores Action Replay and Gameshop, believes retail will benefit not just during Easter, but into the quieter summer months.
"As we near the Easter sales spike it allows us to take advantage of the increased footfall through our stores, and it will disseminate into the normally quieter following quarters too, which will make a welcome increased revenue stream."
He also said that the new prices place a discernible gap between the 360 and the PlayStation 3, and it's testament to the continued good performance of Microsoft's console that it's only now experiencing a more aggressive price point.
"I think it will yet again set enough daylight between it and the PS3 to give it a strong sales spurt.
"It would be churlish not to agree that the 360 needed another sales push but that said two and a half years without much manoeuvring in its price point is testament to how well it's done in the marketplace," said O'Brien.
As Microsoft prices the Arcade unit below the RRP of Nintendo's Wii and just over half the price of Sony's PlayStation 3, retail is hopeful the Xbox 360 will appeal to a more mainstream consumer.
"The 360 is becoming increasingly popular with mass market customers and this news, combined with the arrival of highly-anticipated family games like Sega Superstars Tennis and Lego Indiana Jones can only accelerate this," observed GAME's Brennan.
"Such a large price reduction is great news for the core gamers as well, especially as it comes in time for the launch of GTA IV and Rainbow Six Vegas 2 in the next few weeks," she added.
Ellis also said that the entertainment retailer had noticed a wider audience attracted to games, and this cheaper price could help Microsoft push out to new consumers.
"There's been a noticeable trend in recent years to suggest the demographic of gamers is broadening out a little – age-wise and also more towards female players – so making the Xbox range more accessible on price must surely help Microsoft to tap into this trend further," he said.
And O'Brien called on publishers to do their bit by offering more family orientated or mainstream products to the Xbox 360 consumer.
"The 360 is the console of the gaming connoisseur, an informed choice. I'd hope that publishers would take note of the price point change and branch out in a similar fashion to attract non-core gamers," he said.
ELPSA's own CTU, the Anti-Piracy Unit has struck again, by capturing and sentencing a Welshman for producing and selling copied games. When will they learn that you just don't mess with the APU?
Codename "Operation Buzzard" (we told you they were badass) saw the capture of a 46-year-old man, nicknamed the Welsh Games Barron (by us), who has now been sentenced for four years imprisonment for his dirty game copying deeds.
Upon hearing of the Cullen's shady dealings, ELPSA's black helicopters descended on West Hollywood... erm, we mean Coed Mawr market in Flintshire, where the Cullen's ran a stall with a massive banner that said 'The DVD man - for all your top quality DVDs at rock bottom prices'.
Cullen and his 25-year-old daughter were charging £5 each for the illegal games as well as offering three for £10 or seven for £20 (you just don't get deals like that at GameStation).
A series of coordinated raids seized equipment used in the manufacture of illegally copied games and large quantities of counterfeit goods.
When it was discovered that the Barron, the cheeky git, had claimed nearly £69,000 in Income Support despite often flying first class to Thailand, the feds got really pissed and imposed a further £190,000 confiscation order.
And if he doesn't pay it within six months? Another three years in the nick. Have that.
His daughter was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, 150 hours unpaid work and 50 lashes (we made one of those up).
Michael Rawlinson, managing director of ELSPA, commented: "ELSPA would like to thank everyone involved with Operation Buzzard for their work and helping to protect local traders and the general community from the effects of pirated goods.
"The simple fact about piracy of video games, music and films is that it is illegal and punishable by fines, Community Service and jail sentences. No matter which way you look at counterfeiting it is nothing more than theft. Counterfeiters are only out for one thing: money. And because of this consumers who buy counterfeit games have no recourse under law for faulty goods."
Electronic Arts' new IP Army of Two has knocked Sega's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games off the top of the UK All Formats charts.
Army of Two is the first new property to take the number one spot in 2008, as sales of Sega's sports game drop by 32 per cent.
Sixty six per cent of sales for the EA game are on the Xbox 360, with the remaining 34 per cent on Sony's PlayStation 3.
There are two other new entries in the top ten this week – Rockstar's Bully: Scholarship Edition from Mad Doc at number four and Relic's Warhammer: 40,000 Dawn of War Soulstorm at number eight.
The only top ten title to have increased it sales this week is Midway's Game Party on Wii, up from number 13 to number seven.
The other two new entries in the top forty are THQ's MX Vs ATV Unleashed at 18 and Koei's Dynasty Warriors 6 at 19.
The full All Formats top ten follows:
1. Army of Two
2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
3. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
4. Bully: Scholarship Edition
5. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
6. Frontlines: Fuel of War
7. Game Party
8. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Soulstorm
9. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
10. Lost: The Videogame
SEGA Superstars Tennis is a game that brings together some of the most treasured and well known characters from the SEGA universe, in some of the most unusual courts and outrageous settings ever imagined.
SEGA Superstars Tennis has over 15 playable SEGA idols including Sonic the Hedgehog, AiAi from Super Monkeyball fame, Ulala of Space Channel 5 and Amigo from Samba De Amigo. In addition to their own unique attributes, each character will also come equipped with their own superstar tennis skills, putting a whole new spin on each match played!
Exhibition mode offers the chance to challenge Sonic, or the character or your choice, to a match on one of many courts, including Sonic’s home court of Green Hill Zone, or Amigo’s Carnival Park court. Wherever you play there will be a host of SEGA celebrities cheering you on from courtside and by partaking in crazy doubles matches with your choice of partner, you could end up playing against some pretty unusual couples! Prove your SEGA hero is the shining star of SEGA Superstars Tennis by collecting silverware in the Tournament Mode. There will also be the opportunity to unlock a host of exciting extras which will be announced in the near future!
Complementing the Exhibition and Tournament modes, there will also be new and innovative ways of enjoying some of SEGA’s classic titles, plus platform exclusive ways to play the game, including online modes for X360 and PS3 versions!
“SEGA Superstars Tennis has the potential to be one of the most fun and accessible sports games ever.” commented Gary Knight, European Marketing Director. “The fantastic Sumo Digital team has had access to a wealth of SEGA IP and you’ll be surprised at the gaming icons that will be making an appearance!”
Available on the PS3, PS2, X360, NDS, and Wii, SEGA Superstars Tennis will release in early 2008.
SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that Condemned 2: Bloodshot™ has shipped to retailers for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and will be available on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system on March 18, 2008. Condemned 2: Bloodshot, the next chapter in the horrifying series that began with the award-winning and critically acclaimed Condemned: Criminal Origins™, is a first-person action thriller that will immerse players back into a universe of unimaginable psychological terror.
Condemned 2: Bloodshot follows Ethan Thomas, and his inner demons, in a string of gruesome murders where players must use their deductive skills and brute force to track down sadistic serial killers. The game features all-new fighting mechanics and high-tech forensics tools, giving players the resources they need to unravel the mysteries and cope with every disturbing event. Developed by the renowned Monolith Productions, creators of the original Condemned game, Condemned 2: Bloodshot also introduces a variety of thrilling online multiplayer modes, delivering the most brutal hand-to-hand combat experience the first-person genre has ever seen.
“Condemned 2: Bloodshot takes the horror genre to a whole new level,” said Rick Naylor, Director of Marketing for SEGA of America, Inc. “Its brutal, first-person action, all-new online multiplayer modes, and terrifying atmosphere will stay with gamers even after they’ve turned it off.”
Condemned 2: Bloodshot carries a suggested retail price of $59.95 and is rated “M” for “Mature.” For more informat ion, please visit: www.condemnedgame.com.
With the recently-announced Xbox 360 price cuts in Europe, a US price drop may not be far behind according to some analysts.
In the US, the current retail price of the basic Xbox 360 model is USD 279.99 - compared to USD 249.99 for the Nintendo Wii and USD 399.99 for the 40GB PlayStation 3. A price drop of just USD 50 would price the Xbox 360 below the Wii and further increase the gap with the PS3.
"I'm pretty confident that they will maintain a spread between the 360 and the PS3, and think that they are proud enough to care if the PS3 outsells the 360 consistently," Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter told GamesIndustry.biz.
"Due to the amount of software available and the performance of Xbox Live, I think that the 360 will hold its own until the holidays, then I think that PS3 sales will pick up dramatically - because of Blu-ray and sales of HD monitors.
"So I expect a 360 price cut before Xmas, perhaps to USD 299 for the premium model. If Sony cuts the price before then, I expect Microsoft to cut to at least USD 50 below the price of the PS3."
Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Lazard Capital Markets, agrees that a US price cut is a strong possibility.
"We believe price cuts are also likely in North America on the Xbox 360, possibly combined with the long anticipated announcement of a new hardware sku with a larger hard drive," he told GamesIndustry.biz.
"As for PS3, Sony probably takes a wait and see approach as to whether Blu-ray momentum and an improving software lineup can sustain higher demand, although competitively they may be left with little choice if pricing continues to limit market share."
Will a lower-priced Xbox 360 take away potential Wii customers - especially if Nintendo's system continues to be supply constrained?
"I think that's a fair point," Sebastian said, "although I think the Wii success has more to do with the gaming experience than the price point."
We just wanted to give our XNA Creators Club members a heads up that tomorrow we'll be releasing a title update for XNA Game Studio Connect. There are no significant new features in the update, however this should fix the issues that several forums users have experienced with XNA Game Studio Connect failing to run when they have had their console repaired or used XNA Game Studio Connect on another console. The update will be applied automatically and if you have had previous problems your connection keys will be reset.
Previously, I looked at the Apple TV in isolation, to see how it fits as a digital hub. Apple isn't the only company that wants to have its device at the center of your home entertainment though, nor the only ones who want its storefront to be the one you use to download TV and movies. So in this next installment, I shall compare the Apple TV to what I think will be its closest rival, the Microsoft Xbox 360. Yes, you read that right. I am going to compare a game console with the Apple TV, but the comparison is not as far fetched as you might think. Both have storefronts where you can download TV episodes and movies. Both will rent you content in both HD and SD, and both will let you stream your own media through them to your TV and speakers.
Why the Apple TV is better:
* Cheaper than the Xbox 360
* Cheaper HD rentals
* Less restrictive licensing
* Build quality
* Better integration with the iTunes store
* Silent running
* Small form factor
Why the Xbox 360 is better:
* Lots of features when combined with Vista Windows Media Center
* Better picture quality (at the expense of file size)
* Plays games
* DVD drive (and the option of HD DVD)
* Includes cables
Rockstar isn't saying much about GTA IV's exclusive Xbox 360 DLC (rumoured to have cost MS upwards of $50m), but the first hints on what we might be able to expect from the downloadable 'episodes' have finally emerged, in the latest issue of Edge magazine.
Speaking to Edge in its massive behind the scenes GTA feature (we almost got our wages docked reading it), Rockstar boss Sam Houser hints that the 360 download content might take the form of random missions, thought it's all dependent on the reaction of fans, he says.
"In the game, you might be walking around and then someone will come up to you and say something like, 'Hey, I need your help', and you'll be like, 'What? This isn't a story mission', and he'll be like, 'You see that room up there? That's my wife and she's f***ing some bloke, and I need you to go and do...' and this little story will unfold from there just randomly," Houser told Egde.
"The opportunity for things like that [with DLC] I would say is enormous. Really, though, for the downloadable content in general, it's about seeing how people get turned on by the game, and then we will tailor the production."
It might not sound like exactly what we were expecting for Microsoft's (alleged) $50m tag, but Houser promises that even if it does come in the from of a mission pack, the 360 DLC will still be "substantial".
"I think the mission packs with the episodes are going to be pretty deep, offering another full-on adventure in this world," he told Edge. "I think we will be in a position to market them not a million miles away from the way the boxed game is marketed."
Assuming people like the game then Houser's sense is that they'll probably like the episodes too, he says.
"And if they like the episodes it will probably make sense to market them aggressively, and we want people to be there on that first day as much as is realistic. Our goal will be to fry those Xbox Live servers - we want to have as many people tune in at that moment as possible."
Don't worry though, the marketing budget isn't going to spawn from your Microsoft Points: "You'll get a lot of content for your money," says Houser. "There are too many stories at the moment of people having the feeling that they're not getting enough for their money in terms of downloadable content.
"I never want people feeling that we've duped them in any way, shape or form. That's something that we've been into from the beginning."
The full 16-page talk with Houser, in which he reveals the stories behind GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas and yes, GTA IV, is in Edge 187, on sale March 13.
In conjunction with the release of its financial reports for Q1 2008, Take-Two has announced that BioShock 2 is in development and planned for a Q4 2009 release.
The title is being developed by 2K Marin. The original - developed by 2K Boston/2K Australia - has sold over 2 million units.
During a conference call to investors, Take-Two's CEO Ben Feder was asked why development of the sequel was being handled by a different studio and if Ken Levine would be involved.
"Ken is a terrific asset in the company and he is a brilliant game developer," Feder said.
"He will be working on BioShock 2, and he will be working on a new IP. A lot of the work will be done at 2K Marin, but that's not to say that Ken will not be involved.
"Obviously, we think he is critical to BioShock and he is critical to new IP in the company."
In a statement, Feder said that the company was exicted about its product lineup, most of which is based on internally-owned and developed IP.
"With one of the strongest release schedules in the industry, Take-Two is clearly well positioned for the future," he said.
In addition to Grand Theft Auto IV, for the balance of fiscal 2008 Take-Two's releases will include Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution, Top Spin 3, and Don King Presents: Prizefighter.
Midnight Club, originally scheduled for a spring release, was moved to the fall. Take-Two has shipped over 1 million units of Carnival Games for the Wii, and announced that it is bringing the title to the DS as well as developing Carnival Games: Mini-Golf for the Wii this year.
For fiscal 2009, which begins in October of 2008, the company plans additional episodic content for Grand Theft Auto IV, Mafia II, Borderlands, BioShock 2, their regular sports lineup and additional Nick Jr. titles under the company's agreement with Nickelodeon.
Mafia II is currently being developed by 2K Czech, formerly known as Illusion Softworks, a studio which Take-Two acquired in January.
In a conference call to investors, the company also promised one as yet unnamed AAA title coming out of Rockstar in 2009.
The first details of Lost Planet Colonies have popped up in scans of a magazine article over on Kotaku.
Apparently you'll be able to play as a girl this time around. And if you're playing online, you'll be able to take the bugs' side and fight the humans. Expect more weapons, new enemies and monster eggs.
The game is said to be in development for PC and Xbox 360, with cross-platform online play promised. It's due out in Japan on May 29th.
Capcom UK has said the details are legit, at least as far as the Japanese version goes. The features of the European game are yet to be confirmed. A representative told Eurogamer, "We will be able to shed some official light on this tomorrow."
Those devoid of Xbox Live win a small victory today, as Ubisoft reveals the Legacy Edition of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, which has all of the game's downloadable content to date bundled on a second disk.
The Xbox 360-only special edition ships with the following goodies:
32 additional maps, a combination of new maps and golden oldies
New game modes and a large variety of exclusive missions
Additional weapons that "enrich the tactical possibilities" in Single Player
It'll be in stores next month at "mid-price" says Ubisoft, which hopefully means you'll be able to snap it up for less than 30 quid.
EA Sports has announced that Jeff Gordon will be the cover athlete for NASCAR 09, which is set to ship to stores on June 10.
Gordon, who was last on the cover of NASCAR 06 and, before that, NASCAR 02, plays a huge role in the game, guiding and mentoring players in the new "Sprint for the Cup" career mode. Gordon will direct players to different locations and situations within the game, offer advice on what to do to improve your abilities within the game, and make suggestions on what events a player should go through in a given order.
"It's exciting being on the cover of NASCAR 09," said Gordon. "The game is as real as it gets and it's been great being involved with it on this level. I look forward to helping gamers in NASCAR 09."
Stay tuned to IGN Sports today for an interview with Gordon as well as a first look at the game and its new handling model.
Activision is gearing up to release Kung Fu Panda, a comedy cartoon martial arts adventure based on the film of the game name, in May.
You play as Po the Panda on a mission to become a Dragon Warrior. You journey with the Furious Five; Monkey, Tigress, Viper, Mantis and Crane, to battle against the inevitable super-evil dude, Tai Lung.
It may not feature a moody ninja that slices off the limbs of his foes, but it does have "kung fu awesomeness" and "bodacious humour" according to Activision. Though it sounds like the release was penned by Bill and Ted.
The game will pack 13 levels, as well as co-op and versus multiplayer modes and will be available for all formats and then some (PS3, 360, PC, DS, Wii and PS2, but not the NES or Atari 2600, unfortunately).
When Immersion sued both Microsoft and Sony for patent infringement in 2002, part of Microsoft's $26 million settlement agreement with the company reportedly stipulated that it would be entitled to a payment in the event that Immersion reached a settlement with Sony as well.
Sony did reach a settlement with Immersion in March 2007, and apparently Microsoft has not received a payment because Immersion never called its agreement with Sony a "settlement." According to a Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter, Microsoft and Immersion are back in court over this latest dispute, with Microsoft aiming to block law firm Irell and Manella from representing Immersion in the case.
Judge Ricardo Martinez refused the motion, however, to disqualify all of the firm's attorneys, since not all of them were individually involved in the case with Sony, and determined that Irell & Manella could represent Immersion so long as the attorneys arguing the case were separate from those who might be required to act as witnesses.
The NPD Group has released new data from its "Entertainment Trends in America" report, which the firm plans to make available to clients later this spring. According to the data based on a sample of more than 10,000 U.S. consumers, while the video game industry saw retail revenue triple in growth in 2007, hardcore gamers (defined as those who played video games daily or several times each week) actually spent most of their entertainment budgets on non-gaming entertainment.
"These consumers remain more likely to buy a DVD or CD, than they are to purchase a new video game. In fact, 58 percent had purchased a new DVD in the past six months, 46 percent bought a CD, and 43 percent purchased a game for a console," NPD stated.
It seems Capcom will be pulling a Crackdown with its upcoming XBLA and PSN game, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3. According to Gamespot, the latest entry in the top-down shooter series will grant access to an Xbox Live beta of redone and redrawn brawler, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. Upon purchasing the game for 800 MS Points ($10), Xbox Live Gold members will be offered an access key for the fighter's stress test. It's expected to become playable shortly after Commando's release and should last approximately eight weeks.
Kotaku has unearthed a new trademark filed by SEGA, indicating that the company is working on a new game in the Sonic franchise.
Sonic Unleashed is described in the trademark filing as "video game software" so there's high confidence that it's the title for a new game, but that's all the info we've got right now.
SEGA is currently unable to offer any form of comment.
What do you think the new game could be? The next game for Xbox 360 and PS3, another Wii game in the style of Secret Rings, maybe a new handheld game. Let us know in the comments section below.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 group product manager Aaron Greenberg has rejected recent speculation that the company was looking into adding a Blu-ray peripheral to its console following the demise of HD DVD.
Instead the corporation would continue to invest in digital distribution via the Xbox Live service, he told Reuters.
"Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience," he said. "We're the only console offering digital distribution of entertainment content."
The HD DVD attachment for the Xbox 360 is no longer in production following Toshiba's withdrawal from the next-generation race.
The news comes just one week after Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, told the Mix08 conference that the company was in talks over possible moves for supporting Blu-ray in Windows.
"We've already been working on, for example, in Windows, device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like, and I think the world moves on," he said then.
"Toshiba has moved on. We've moved on, and we'll support Blu-ray in ways that make sense," he added, statements which led many to believe that a peripheral similar to the Xbox 360's HD DVD drive could be released later in the year.
However, Greenberg's comments appear to clarify Ballmer's original statements as focusing purely on the Windows environment.
Xbox Live Video Store is Microsoft's bid to distance itself from the need for physical media by offering titles for rental via download, and the company's head of Xbox gaming and entertainment in the UK, Stephen McGill, told GamesIndustry.biz at the launch of the service last year that it was about customer choice.
"For the Xbox 360, from design all the way upwards, it's about consumer choice, what the consumer wants to do," he said last December. "Some will want to do it differently, about personalisation, the user interface, and how they access entertainment."
"HDTVs are phenomenally well-priced at the moment, and a lot will sell over Christmas, so we'll see many more people jumping in the high definition world.
"But then some people don't want to go out and buy a disc or anything, so download rental is more their cup of tea. So it's about choice, whatever you want to do, however you want to get your content."
Meanwhile Sony's PlayStation 3 has jumped in popularity following a price cut last year, and its victory in the Blu-ray stakes could lead to a further 10 per cent jump in sales, according to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.
This week Microsoft confirmed a price cut for the Xbox 360 in response to Sony's recent upturn in sales, making the Arcade model cheaper than the Nintendo Wii.
A sequel to top-down shooter Assault Heroes is coming to Xbox Live Arcade this spring.
Apparently everything's been "reimagined" for Assault Heroes 2 so you can expect "an even more intense arcade shooter experience". Publisher Sierra Online is also promising the game will expand its horizons into outer space.
New features will include enemy vehicles you can hijack, an enhanced co-op mode and lots more levels. Like its predecessor, Assault Heroes 2 is being developed by Wanako Studios.
Here's hoping it's a bit better, as Tom only sort of liked AH1 - read his review to find out why.
SouthPeak's epic RPG Two Worlds gets a little bit bigger today, as the company releases the first of two planned expansion packs onto Xbox Live. This pack, titled Tainted Blood, focuses on expanding the multiplayer gameplay of the game, adding four new maps to explore with friends, over 35 new quests, and a new PVP mode in which players vie for control of magical orbs of some sort.
"This pack of downloadable content is a fantastic expansion for players who love playing Two Worlds with friends and are ready for some new and exhilarating features," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "Tainted Blood's excellent new multiplayer mode is the key thing to note. The introduction of a completely new multiplayer mode lives up to our commitment to making sure Two Worlds is the best RPG experience we can create."
I particularly love the line about it being the best game they can create. It might not be the best RPG, but it's the best you'll get from us! Tainted Blood is available for download now for 600 Microsoft points.
Capcom will let Xbox Live Gold subscribers who buy the Xbox Live Arcade version of Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 access an upcoming Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix beta test, the US arm of the publisher said yesterday.
Commando 3 is set to cost 800 Microsoft Points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.60) when it launches this spring, and the HD Remix beta will launch shortly afterward and last for about eight weeks, with the aim of stress-testing the multiplayer network code. We've asked Capcom whether there'll be a PS3 equivalent but haven't heard back yet.
The company's prolific US bloggers have also shed some light on why we've been waiting so long for the HD Remix version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, which was originally announced all the way back in April 2007. A lot of the delay is to do with revamping artwork, apparently.
"As a necessary part of development, we had to outsource a lot of the [artistic] work to an outside company that based their work off of Udon's key frames," producer Rey Jimenez explains. "This company has an excellent reputation and ability as an outside art contractor and we were very impressed with their overall resources and their infrastructure.
"Without going into the nitty-gritty of it, the art they were producing just wasn't up to par or schedule of what we needed. To be honest, a lot of their art was looking pretty good, but just not 'good enough'. It just wouldn't satisfy the quality bar that both Capcom and Street Fighter fans demand."
So Capcom redid it, reducing the number of tones for each colour, among other things. "We know that it sucks that we all have to wait longer to play HD Remix, but the plus side to all this is that with the extra time needed to reboot the art pipeline, we have extra time to: a) cram in tons of cool features that weren't planned from the onset of development and b) further refine and test features that we had planned all along," Jimenez adds.
"Recent tech solutions dedicated to online play" mean that HD Remix "will provide the best online console experience to date", he says, and the team has also added 8-man Tournament Mode, remixed and classic music, and "hit box display" which is good enough for a "Woohoo!" in Capcom-land. More features will be announced later, apparently.
So, look out for more on HD Remix soon, it would seem.
Xbox Live Arcade currently carries a strict file size limit of 150MB, but it's emerged that Microsoft is to make special exception for Capcom's upcoming download games, which will break the size limit for the first time.
According to IGN, both Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Bionic Commando Rearmed will be swelling above the current cap.
Capcom says that both Rearmed and Street Fighter hold far too much content to fit the current 150MB limit, and to meet standards bonus material present in the PC and PSN versions would have to be cut for XBLA. With Microsoft's exception in place - which allows the Capcom two to swell above the 150MB limit - this won't be the case.
Thankfully then, it looks like earlier rumours suggesting "gimped" textures for the XBLA versions aren't true after all.
The last game to break the size limit rule was Konami's excellent Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which broke the previous quota of 50MB. Soon after its release Microsoft raised the cap to the current 150MB rule, so perhaps we'll be seeing another rise following Rearmed and Street Fighters appearance on XBLA...
With the price of Xbox 360 models slashed this week, Microsoft Europe boss Chris Lewis believes the aggressive move will help snare the elusive casual consumer, while reinvigorating the platform in places where it is being outsold by PlayStation 3.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Lewis, newly promoted to full oversight of Microsoft's entertainment business in Europe, said: "There are some sweet spots of pricing, particularly in parts of Europe, that do genuinely open up larger communities to the console and certainly Euro 199 is one of those pricepoints. It's a perfect time to open up the mass-market floodgates."
Coming in the wake of the demise of the Microsoft-backed HD DVD format, the price reductions are also designed to counter increasing Sony momentum, which saw SCEE president David Reeves boast earlier this year that PS3 had already overtaken 360's installed base in Italy, Spain, France and Germany, despite 360's head start.
"On a general level I certainly wouldn't trade places with any other platform holder right now," insisted Lewis. "Yes, I acknowledge that we're not where we should be in certain parts of the geography. We aim to rectify that and this step is a key stage towards it. You will see others, they will be significant," he added.
The entry-level Arcade unit at GBP 159 is now cheaper than Nintendo's mass-market friendly Wii, while the main Premium model, at GBP 199, is now GBP 100 cheaper than PlayStation 3.
Accepting that there have been flaws in the mission to conquer Europe to date, Lewis revealed: "We have to be more consistent, we have to be more single-minded about the message that we represent. It's making sure that we develop marketing and content there that is appropriate and that resonates with local tastes. I think we are getting consistently better at recognising that. I will say that in the early stages of the last version and this we were less fixated on that than we should be. I guarantee to you that will change."
He continued: "Let's take Spain as an example – we are heavily invested there, we've tripled the size of the team, we've put a warehouse in Spain that makes sense to the local retailers' need there. And we'll continue to invest in that way."
However, Lewis was keen to trumpet the overall strength of the platform, boosted significantly by its critically-acclaimed software portfolio and the growth of the Live online service, insisting that installed base is only part of the picture.
"We enjoy 42 per cent of that revenue share right now in this generation," he detailed. "That's a key milestone for us to have met and surpassed. We're also attaching just a little bit over seven games for every console – considerably ahead of where we stand with our competition. We have a strategic set of goals that revolve around our performance not only in terms of console volume, because to some extent, yes it's a key metric, but it's only one metric.
"There are others that make a lot of good economic and sound business sense that include our attach performance, that include our share of the ecosystem, that include the support we enjoy from publishers and retailers as a result of all of that. All of those elements go towards fuelling a successful business in my view." He added: "We are now much more of a mass-market entertainment proposition than we were."
Part one of the full interview with Chris Lewis can be read here.
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition -- known around these parts as Lost Planet: Colonies or Lost Planet 1.5 -- has finally been officially announced. The game is a repackaging of the full Lost Planet title, plus a bunch of additional multiplayer and single-player extras. The good news: It'll cost about $30. The bad news: Colonies Edition multiplayer will be incompatible with current Lost Planet games.
Scheduled for a May 27 release on 360 and PC, Colonies mainly adds new, creative multiplayer modes to the original game. Several are based on holding checkpoints and CTF variants. Our favorite, however, lets one gamer control an Akrid, with the others teaming up to try to take down the alien. Different creatures are available, and we recently saw a demo showing how a spindly, player-controlled giant can make quick kills with its swiping legs.
New playable characters, new weapons, and new levels are also added. Many of those are tuned for these alien battles, giving bunkers for humans to hide from the less-mobile aliens. Xbox 360 and PC players can play against each other using paid, Xbox Live gold accounts. Non-paying PC gamers will still be able to play online, but they'll only face other PCs.
Colonies single-player adds a few new ways to navigate the snowy wastelands. Score Attack awards gamers points for dispatching enemies and destructible objects. Another mode lets gamers fight each boss in order, one after another. And an extreme-action setting juices weapons, player speed, and lets gamers plow through, head-first.
All of this seems great for the Lost Planet newbie, but current players will likely balk at buying the game again. Capcom wanted the multiplayer modes to work between the old and new editions, but cited non-specific "technical reasons" for it not happening. And Capcom hasn't announced a PS3 version, so Sony gamers will also miss out on the newfound action.
Capcom's old-boy classic top-down shooter 1942 is being revived for Xbox Live Arcade and PSN, where it'll release this summer.
Reported on IGN, 1942: Joint Strike retains the top-down viewpoint of the original; but obviously things have moved on a bit in the hardware department since the 1980s so we're getting what's described as "impressive 3D graphics".
Fans of co-op play will no doubt be pleased to hear that Joint Strike features support for two-player offline and online blasting.
If you're unfamiliar with 1942, in a nutshell you flew a WWII plane and shot the crap out of stuff.
1942: Joint Strike will set you back 800 Microsoft Points (£6.80) or $9.99 in the US on PSN (which would be five quid here).
he Nikkei business daily is reporting that Toshiba will take a $986 million hit this year for its ill-fought HD DVD campaign, though somehow the manufacturing supergiant will manage to post a roughly $2.5 billion profit nonetheless, down from a projected $2.9 billion or so.
The estimated cost of HD DVD for the company this year was supposed to be closer to half a billion, but the halt in production means costly line changes and "other charges." Toshiba itself isn't saying a word yet, but damn if there ain't truth to this.
Welcome to this week's games news update. Since the toys section have been removed from the games update and takes up a separate one all for itself, from this week onwards, this news update is to be dedicated to games and games alone.
Many exciting games have been published this week. This includes the largest scale fight which every gamer is eagerly waiting for, the US version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl is in stock. Meet your favorite characters, fight with them and defeat the evil together. Along with the game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl Prima Official Game Guide is also available at Play-Asia.com.
Another popular title released this week is the God of War: Chains of Olympus that delves into Greek mythology and the question of self sacrifice and redemption. God of War: Chains of Olympus Official Strategy Guide is also available at the event of the player losing themselves in this mythological world.
Silent Hill: Origins conjures a world of horrors such that only the fittest may survive. Face the terror in this game and find out about the deepest, darkest secrets that have been plaguing the hero Travis Gradys since childhood.
To those who wishes to step away from the combat and horror, Play-Asia.com brings you the sports game Major League Baseball 2K8 to your PlayStation3™, and a funny retelling of everyone's worst high school nightmare, Bully: Scholarship Edition [Xbox360™ and Nintendo Wii™].
As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™:
Army of Two US US$ 64.90
Bully: Scholarship Edition US US$ 54.90
Cabela's Big Game Hunter ASIA US$ 44.90
History Channel: Battle for the Pacific ASIA US$ 44.90
Major League Baseball 2K8 US US$ 64.90
SKATE JPN US$ 64.90
Soldier of Fortune: Payback ASIA US$ 44.90
Super Star Karaoke KOR US$ 69.90
PlayStation3™:
Army of Two US US$ 64.90
Major League Baseball 2K8 US US$ 64.90
SKATE JPN US$ 64.90
Winning Post 7 Maximum 2008 JPN US$ 68.90
Nintendo Wii™:
Baroque for Wii JPN US$ 64.90
Bully: Scholarship Edition US US$ 54.90
Major League Baseball 2K8 US US$ 59.90
Ninja Reflex US US$ 44.90
Super Smash Bros. Brawl US US$ 59.90
Transformers: The Game JPN US$ 59.90
Winning Post 7 Maximum 2008 JPN US$ 64.90
PlayStation2™:
12Riven: The Psi-Climinal of Integral JPN US$ 64.90
12Riven: The Psi-Climinal of Integral [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 89.90
DDRMAX2 Dance Dance Revolution (Greatest Hits) US US$ 24.90
Daito Giken Koushiki Pachi-Slot Simulator: Shin Yoshimune JPN US$ 49.90
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (Greatest Hits) US US$ 24.90
Kenka Banchou 2: Full Throttle (PlayStation2 the Best) JPN US$ 34.90
Major League Baseball 2K8 US US$ 34.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion Battle Orchestra (Broccoli Best Quality) JPN US$ 34.90
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection US US$ 24.90
Silent Hill: Origins US US$ 34.90
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw Superstar Series US US$ 34.90
Winning Post 7 Maximum 2008 JPN US$ 64.90
Nintendo DS™:
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare JPN US$ 48.90
Card File 12 (Chocolate) JPN US$ 6.99
Card File 12 (Lime) JPN US$ 6.99
Card File 12 (Mint) JPN US$ 6.99
Card File 12 (Sesame) JPN US$ 6.99
Card File 12 (Strawberry) JPN US$ 6.99
Chicken Hunter US US$ 24.90
Cleaner Cloth DS Lite (Lime) JPN US$ 5.99
Cleaner Cloth DS Lite (Melon) JPN US$ 5.99
Cleaner Cloth DS Lite (Mint) JPN US$ 5.99
Cleaner Cloth DS Lite (Mocca) JPN US$ 5.99
Cleaner Cloth DS Lite (Strawberry) JPN US$ 5.99
Contra: Dual Spirits JPN US$ 48.90
DS Bimoji Training JPN US$ 39.90
Duel Love: Koisuru Otome wa Shouri no Joshin JPN US$ 52.90
Eco Creatures: Save the Forest US US$ 34.90
Edo Bunka Rekishi Kentei DS JPN US$ 39.90
Hayate no Gotoku! Ojousama Produce Daisakusen Boku Iro ni Somare! Gakkou-Hen JPN US$ 58.90
Hayate no Gotoku! Ojousama Produce Daisakusen Boku Iro ni Somare! Oyashiki-Hen JPN US$ 58.90
Imagine: Figure Skater US US$ 34.90
Kage Densetsu: The Legend of Kage 2 JPN US$ 39.90
Kantan! Tanoshii! Okashi Navi DS JPN US$ 39.90
Koinu no Heya JPN US$ 48.90
Let's Ride: Friends Forever US US$ 34.90
Mahou ni Kakeraete JPN US$ 48.90
Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer US US$ 34.90
Ninja Reflex US US$ 34.90
Petz Bunnyz US US$ 34.90
Shibou Nenshou Keikaku: YaseTore!! DS JPN US$ 39.90
Shugo Chara! 3-tsu no Tamagoto Koisuru Joker JPN US$ 48.90
Simple DS Series Vol. 33: The Crossword & Kanji Puzzle JPN US$ 28.90
Simple DS Series Vol. 34: The Haisha JPN US$ 28.90
Touch Pen Leash DS Lite (Black) JPN US$ 4.99
Touch Pen Leash DS Lite (White) JPN US$ 4.99
Yu-Gi-Oh GX: Spirit Summoner (Konami the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Sony PSP™:
Chessmaster: The Art of Learning ASIA US$ 29.90
Dead Head Fred ASIA US$ 32.90
Easy Pouch Portable (Black) JPN US$ 6.99
Easy Pouch Portable (Silver) JPN US$ 6.99
FlatOut: Head On ASIA US$ 34.90
God of War: Chains of Olympus US US$ 44.90
Inner Pouch Portable (Camouflage Gray) JPN US$ 7.99
Inner Pouch Portable (Camouflage) JPN US$ 7.99
Major League Baseball 2K8 US US$ 34.90
Parodius Portable (Konami the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection US US$ 24.90
Salamander Portable (Konami the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
The Brave One JPN US$ 14.90
The Invasion JPN US$ 14.90
Twinbee Portable (Konami the Best) JPN US$ 29.90 Game Guides:
Bully: Scholarship Edition Signature Series Guide US US$ 19.90
F-Zero GX US US$ 15.90
God of War: Chains of Olympus Official Strategy Guide US US$ 19.90
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008: Official Guide and DVD US US$ 19.90
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Tales of Innocence Perfect Guide JPN US$ 27.90
Calendars & Books:
DevaShard: At First Light Hong Kong US$ 6.99
Luna Sea Comeback Live Documentary Foto Booklet JPN US$ 49.90
School Calendar 2008/2009: Arashi JPN N/A
School Calendar 2008/2009: Hey!Say!Jump JPN US$ 29.90
School Calendar 2008/2009: Johnny's Jr. JPN US$ 29.90
School Calendar 2008/2009: Kanjyani8 JPN US$ 29.90
School Calendar 2008/2009: Kat-Tun JPN N/A
School Calendar 2008/2009: NEWS JPN N/A
School Calendar 2008/2009: Tackey & Tsubasa JPN US$ 29.90
Video Game Soundtracks:
Sana-molle Collection JPN US$ 36.90
Toshihiro Nagoshi's Yakuza juggernaut steamrolled Super Smash Bros. Brawl this week, keeping it from reclaiming the number one spot and putting a PlayStation 3 title at the top of the Media Create charts. With such an impressive debut, we wouldn't be surprised to see Yakuza 3 Kenzan! retain first place next week and give a big, big boost to PS3 hardware sales. With the PSP topping last week's hardware charts, could we see the PSP and the PS3 outselling Nintendo hardware in Japan? Doubtful, but we'll know in a few hours if the console world is about to spin off its axis.
Oh, look! Wii Sports has sold nearly 3 million copies in Japan! Should be there by next month anyway. For the rest of the software showdown make the jump.
01. Yakuza 3 Kenzan! (PS3) - 181,000 / NEW
02. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 50,000 / 1,408,000
03. Wii Fit (Wii) - 49,000 / 1,659,000
04. Gundam Musou Special (PS2) - 39,000 / 189,000
05. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) - 32,000 / NEW
06. Wii Sports (Wii) - 19,000 / 2,838,000
07. Soma Bringer (DS) - 17,000 / 68,000
08. Doraemon: Nobita to Midori no Kyojinden DS (DS) - 17,000 / NEW
09. Musou Orochi (PSP) - 16,000 / 87,000
10. Minna no Joushiki Ryoku TV (Wii) - 14,000 / NEW
11. Harvest Moon: Kira Kira Taiyou to Nakama Tachi (DS)
12. Wii Play (Wii)
13. Etrian Odyssey II: Shoou no Seihai (DS)
14. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP)
15. Family Ski (Wii)
16. Nobunaga's Ambition: Kakushin with Power-Up Kit (PS2)
17. Mario Party DS (DS)
18. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
19. Winning Eleven Play Maker 2008 (Wii)
20. Akagawa Jirou Mystery: Yasoukyoku (DS)
21. Gekihou-Han Keroro Gunsou 3: Action! Tenkuu Daibouken de Arimasu! (DS)
22. Mario Kart DS (DS)
23. Taiko Drum Master DS (DS)
24. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
25. Animal Crossing Wild World (DS)
26. World Soccer Winning Eleven: Ubiquitous Evolution 2008 (PSP)
27. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (PS3)
28. Yakuza 2 (PS2)
29. Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Koushiki Soft: 250-Mannin no KanKen (DS)
30. Tokimeki Memorial: Girl's Side 2nd Season (DS)
You know a few days back, when we've said that Sega and Obsidian Entertainment are working on a Bond-style RPG? Well, it turns out they are and both Sega and Obsidian have officially confirmed it. It's an espionage themed action RPG and you'll be playing as a young rogue - agent Michael Thornton.
“Alpha Protocol blends Obsidian’s knack for intricate stories, engrossing characters, and significant character advancement with fast-paced modern combat. Alpha Protocol embraces everything we enjoy about making RPGs from a fresh perspective. We are confident our talented staff at Obsidian will enable us to deliver this exciting RPG experience,” said Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhart.
They're calling the game Alpha Protocol and are preparing it for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. Apparently, it's slated for a 2009 launch.
Another week passes and another update for console sales in Japan are in with the change in the first 3 ranks:
Nintendo Wii: 57,068
Playstation Portable: 53,924
NintendoDS Lite: 48,658
Playstation 3: 21,008
Playstation 2: 10,429
Xbox 360: 2,891
PSP slides by roughly 19,800 into second place while the Wii tops it despite taking a 7,500 drop. The DS lite sinks further by around 3,300. PS3 see a rise by 6,500, PS2 dips 500 and the Xbox 360 up by 9, virtually no different to last week's reading.
Following the earlier news that Video Appeals Committee had reaffirmed its decision regarding the release of Manhunt 2, and the BBFC's admission that further action on its part was likely to yield realistic results, Rockstar is now working towards a new release date for the title in the UK.
"We are pleased that the VAC has reaffirmed its decision recognizing that Manhunt 2 is well within the bounds established by other 18-plus rated entertainment," a company statement read.
"Rockstar Games is committed to making great interactive entertainment, while also marketing our products responsibly and supporting an effective rating system."
The version of the game to be released in the UK has been confirmed as the same one currently available in the US under a Mature rating - the version which was rejected by the BBFC the second time around.
A Rockstar spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz that due to the news of the VAC's decision only breaking earlier today, no official decision had yet been made on a release date, but discussions were expected to take place shortly.
UK stores have not taken delivery of stock in anticipation of any decision, so the title will not hit the shelves immediately.
NPD's US hardware sales figures for the month of February have revealed Nintendo is winning, you will be shocked and stunned to hear.
More than 587,000 DS units were shifted during the month - that's more than twice the number of PSPs sold (243,000).
The Wii was in second place with 432,000 units shifted. The PlayStation 2 outsold its big brother with more than 351,000 units snapped up compared to the PS3's 280,000. Xbox 360 was in fifth place, racking up sales of 254,000 consoles.
But Microsoft will have been cheered up by news that the two best-selling games of the month, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Devil May Cry 4, were both on Xbox 360. Wii Play came in at No. 3 followed by the PS3 version of DMC4.
In fifth place was Guitar Hero III for Wii, while the PS2 version made it to No. 9. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics DS was at six, followed by more Xbox 360 games - Lost Odyssey and Turok - at seven and eight. The Xbox 360 version of Rock Band rounded off the chart at No. 10.
See, said Microsoft, everyone likes us really, pointing out that USD 332 million was spent on Xbox 360 games and consoles during February - compared to USD 283 million on Wii and USD 235 million on PS3. And besides, the company claimed, again, stock shortages meant it didn't have enough machines to sell.
The number of Americans who own an Xbox 360 has now reached 9.6 million. The figure for Wii stands at 8.1 million while for PS3 it's 3.8 million - though it's worth remembering that Microsoft's console had a head start.
People are buying more games for 360, all the same; the attach rate is now 7.2 games per console, nearly double the rate for Nintendo and Sony's machines.
Who cares, said Sony, we sold 10 per cent more consoles than you, and year-on-year sales growth is up 120 per cent. According to bossman Jack Tretton, "Consumers are recognising the tremendous value of PS3 and we believe that Blu-ray becoming the high-def format of choice was the tipping point for many consumers."
He reckons the release of titles like Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto IV will make this "the year for PS3".
Hahaha whatever said Nintendo, having kicked both Sony and Microsoft's faces off in no uncertain terms. "Our momentum has not let up since the holidays and we expect it to continue throughout the year," observed Nintendo of America exec Cammie Dunaway.
"We have the industry's strongest line-up of games for everyone from core to casual gamers." And the strongest lineup of gold bars, diamond rings and luxury yachts, of course.
Wii Software (aka WiiWare) developers have revealed Nintendo's "secret war" with Xbox Live Arcade, in a series of chats with game dev website Develop.
The developers, who are conveniently speaking under conditions of anonymity, have revealed Nintendo's plans to capitalise on developer's frustrations with Xbox Live Arcade, which recently had its developer royalties slashed in half.
According to Develop, Nintendo has been pitching to studios what it says is a "more flexible" game download service. Allegedly, it's also been plugging the fact that unlike XBLA, Wii Software won't be clogged with retro releases - something goat man Jeff Minter famously threw a wobbly over.
"Nintendo has made it very clear to us that we'll not only be making a better royalty rate from WiiWare games, but we'll also have a better chance of selling games - the service won't be clogged up with the retro titles that have blighted the chances of many independent studios on Xbox Live Arcade," said one studio boss, who didn't want to be named.
Another Wii Software developer added: "Frankly, we're not looking at making games for Xbox Live Arcade because the service is full of shit," pointing at its abundance of retro titles. Big words for an anonymous man.
Wii Software is set to launch in Japan at the end of the month with launch games including Pokemon Ranch, Dr. Mario and Star Soldier R. Yep, no retro remakes there at all.
Excellent news; Namco Bandai has confirmed that Mr. Driller Online will be tunnelling his way to Xbox Live Arcade. And yeah, there are online modes planned as well. Get in!
The oddly camp tradesman first appeared in arcades in 1999, then in puzzle iterations on Dreamcast, PS2 and DS. And we love it.
There's no official blurb on the XBLA version as yet (not in English, anyway), but from these Japanese-released screenshots below, we can work out that there's a single-player mode, Xbox Live play and all that leaderboard gubbins we've already come to expect.
Oh, and it's been rated "E for Everyone" by the ESRB, in case you were worried about violent gut drilling.
In the wake of Microsoft's announcement at the beginning of this week that it was cutting the price of the Xbox 360 across Europe, The simExchange analyst Jesse Divnich believes a similar move in the US is the company's "only feasible and economic option" to combat Sony's PlayStation 3 momentum.
"Whether there is an Xbox 360 shortage or not, it is clear that the PS3 has gained considerable ground on its rival," he said, as the impact of last year's PS3 price cut and Sony's Blu-ray victory become clear.
"Given these past two months and the momentum that the PS3 has gained, Microsoft must react quickly as the PS3's momentum will only get stronger until Microsoft reacts."
The Xbox 360 Arcade SKU is now cheaper in Europe than the Nintendo Wii, and half the price of the PS3, and Divnich believes that a similar move in the US is needed.
"In the short-term, Microsoft's only feasible and economical option is to look at reducing its hardware price in North America to at least slow down the PS3's momentum until it can implement more long-term solutions to winning the next-generation console war," he said.
Chris Lewis, Microsoft's newly-promoted VP of Interactive and Entertainment in Europe, yesterday told GamesIndustry.biz that the price cut would "open up the mass-market floodgates."
"We enjoy 42 per cent of that revenue share right now in this generation," he detailed. "That's a key milestone for us to have met and surpassed. We're also attaching just a little bit over seven games for every console – considerably ahead of where we stand with our competition."
Just when we were getting really bored of Street Fighter IV screenshots, Capcom's gone and released the best batch yet (there's different stages and everything!).
We popped down to Capcom's offices earlier this week for a bash, and it is indeed a bloody brilliant re-imagining of the classic Street Fighter gameplay. As you've probably gathered it looks terrific as well.
Ahem, now that we've taken care of Capcom's PR duties for the day, head on over to the earlier Street Fighter IV impressions, which will soon be updated with our own, gushing words.
Microsoft is confident that having a huge library of games on its console will attract the mainstream masses, as it says Xbox 360 will be the first current-gen console to reach a games library of 1000 games this summer (that's Xbox Live Arcade included).
That's according to European Xbox VP Chris Lewis, who told trade mag MCV that, coupled with Xbox Live, the milestone will help attract more mainstream consumers to Microsoft's console.
"We'll have north of 1,000 games on 360 by the summer, across Live and boxed product," Lewis said. "Titles such as our sports games, Scene It! and Guitar Hero - which has become a preferential experience on Xbox 360 - has already proved that, and we have lot more coming in that space this year.
"The number of people that have signed up to the Live service so far is testament to the fact that there are a broad spectrum of consumers enjoying the service," he added.
"That can only grow as we expand the likes of Live Arcade and Live Video Store. We're listening hard to what casual consumers want as you see us release more and more content that appeals to a broad audience."
They're being a bit cheeky with the numbers (of course they haven't got 1000 boxed games yet) but of course 360's massive games library isn't something to be snuffed at. After all, isn't the unmatched variety of games the reasons so many people bought PS2s?
As the initial disappoint at the discovery that Lost Planet Colonies is nothing more than a spruced-up special edition dies down, Capcom has released the first media of the 360 release in action.
For your money the 360 update gives you a new playable character (a girl in winter gear) and a wicked-sounding online mode which has bugs and humans battling for supremacy (but probably not flags).
There's also cross-platform play between PC and Xbox 360, although owners of the new version will not be able to play with players of the original Lost Planet.
Probably not worth a double dip then, but if you missed it the first time around the mid-range price ($30 in US - probably £25 over here) at least might be tempting.
See screens below, check back for a trailer shortly and look for the game on shelves in May.
The Smooth As Silk full shells for Xbox 360 wireless controller have been colored using a special process that makes the surface extra smooth and very pleasant to use for gaming.
They come in 4 versions: All Black, All White, Black(top)+White(bottom) and White(top)+Black(bottom).
All versions includes the Blue light kits (optional installation) that requires simple soldering to be installed.
Hunters have always loved the best-selling Big Game Hunter series. Now Cabela's delivers the most compelling hunting game ever offered for the Xbox 360. Twenty-four different North American big game animals to hunt. Play Career Hunt or jump right into the action with Quick Hunt for immediate satisfaction. Realistic 3D animal models reflect a variety of ages, genders, and sizes.
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Multiplayer Mayhem! Condemned 2 is taking mulitplayer online to the next level with an intense focus on hand to hand and weapons of opportunity. Riddled with strategy from both the experts at Prima and the creators of the game this guide will have everything you need to acheive total multiplayer domination.
Maps of every level! Whether it be single player or multi player the Prima guide will have the map you need. Complete with labled secrets, pick ups, events, and multiplayer tips.
Complete Walkthrough! Pick your way through crime scenes and the underground easily with our detailed, step-by-step walkthrough.
Secrets, Weapons, Enemies (oh my)! Hidden items, detailed weapon tables, and stats and strats for every enemy. Prima has what you need.
Pages: 176
Platform: PlayStation3, X-Box360
Coinciding with the new film, Sega has scheduled the release of the movie tie-in game, The Incredible Hulk, for June 2008 on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PS2 and PC.
The game will feature moments from the film, as well as additional plotlines and characters drawn from the Marvel universe.
Taking control of the Hulk himself, players can smash through anything in their paths and even use the debris as weaponry. According to Sega, damage is persistent and gamers can use it to gain access to otherwise unreachable areas.
Like the Spiderman games, the Manhattan skyline plays a major part in the gameplay as the Hulk can traverse skyscrapers like a greener, angrier (and more agile) version of King Kong.
Sega also promises that the game will reference other Marvel comics and include a wealth of sub-quests and mini games.
With each release of the Iron Man Video Game trailer (today being the third version of it), things are looking better for the metal head. SEGA released the new trailer for the upcoming game to accompany the upcoming movie in May 2008. Iron Man The Video Game will be available on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, DS, PSP and PCs.
See the latest Iron Man video game trailer (as of 3/14/08) below. Added 21 screens below, taken from the higher-res video!
You might want to think twice about keeping your credit card information stored on your video game consoles, especially after reading the cautionary tale of one Xbox 360 owner who unwittingly bought 15,000 Microsoft Points for a bunch of thieves. The story of Clinton's bad luck combined with bad judgment is a bit of a scary one. The Canadian gamer writes that he was robbed to the tune of about $25,000 when someone broke into his residence, swiping his Xbox 360, games and computer equipment, as well as the keys to his truck.
But it's the Points he's pissed about.
While his insurance covered the majority of the loss, the one thing he couldn't recover was the hundreds of dollars in Microsoft Points charged to his credit card, via the information stored on his Live account. Oddly enough, he says he was talked out of canceling his credit card (bad, bad idea) by a customer service rep at his card company, resulting in someone else enjoying the entirety of NHL 08's downloadable content.
Unfortunately for Clinton, Xbox Live customer service reps told him that "it can take up to 30 days to remove credit card information from your account, and up to 5 years for that information to be purged from Microsoft servers." Might not be a bad idea to see if you can wrest some of that control back in your direction, folks.
The full harrowing tale is recounted at Evil Avatar's forums. I'm definitely going to check up on my stored financial info on my three current-gen consoles. Convenience be damned! Just kidding, I didn't mean that, Convenience. You know I still love you.
March 14, 2008 - Bandai Namco caused somewhat of an uproar with the announcement that its next major RPG would be coming to the Xbox 360 rather than more Japan-friendly systems like the PS3 or Wii. We're referring to, of course, Tales of Vesperia, which was first unveiled in a system TBA state at the Jump Festa event late last year and was only recently confirmed as a 360 game. The latest Famitsu offered a few new details through an interview with the game's key staff members, Yoshito Higuchi and Tsutomu Gouda.
You'll recognize these two as well as other members of the Vesperia staff from past Tales games. Gouda is the game's producer, having recently worked on starting up the Tales of Mobile series. Higuchi, former planner on Soul Calibur, director on Tales of Symphonia, and chief director on Tales of the Abyss, is serving as director of the game. The rest of the staff is comprised of people who worked on Symphonia and Abyss.
With the move to Xbox 360, were you hoping for an Online Tales game? Higuchi disclosed that the team gave up on the idea of having online players control various members of the battle party, thinking that because this would be their first Xbox 360 title, they shouldn't try to do too many new things. The game will have some online support, though, including online rankings for battle hit counts and mini games.
Those who do like playing multiplayer can rest assured that Vesperia will, like past entries in the series, allow multiple local players to take control of your battle party members.
Another area of online compatibility under consideration are Marketplace item downloads. Both Higuchi and Gouda stressed, however, that they wouldn't do something dirty like messing with the game's balance to make it so that players will have to purchase an item in order to clear the game.
Moving on to the battle system, Higuchi said to expect an extension of the system from Tales of the Abyss, without any dramatic changes. The name of the new battle system is "EFR-LMBS," which stands for (deep breath) "Evolved Flex Range Linear Motion Battle System." This is differs from the FR-LMBS system of Abyss with revisions to some areas and the addition of a few new elements.
On top of the new battle system elements, battles will see somewhat of a boost thanks to the use of the more advanced hardware offered by the 360. Past titles in the Tales series have allowed four up to four enemies to appear on the battle field at a time. In Vesperia, you'll see smaller enemies appearing in groups of seven or eight. The game will also include some huge beasts.
Outside of the battle system, the development staff is placing effort into pre-battle preparations. The game will have a weapon synthesis system that Higuchi describes as extremely robust. You'll be able to create weapons by collecting materials on your quest. Collecting new weapons is tied into the game's skill system as well.
Famitsu asked the two about the game's vocal introduction, as this is usually one of the major areas of interest with a Tales game. Strangely, the two weren't willing to announce the performer of the game's theme song, which will accompany a new animated intro being created by animation house Production I.G. The artist has been finalized, Gouda confirmed, adding that if they announced the name, people would be surprised. While the artist is Japanese, he or she (presumably she, given the series' history) will also perform the song for the overseas version of the game.
Higuchi closed off the interview by suggesting that 360 owners who own a PS2 try out Abyss first. He feels this is "one point of arrival" for the Tales series, and it's also the basis for Vesperia's structure.
With a Japanese release for Vesperia planned for later this year, your time is running out, so we'd suggesting following Higuchi's advice as soon as possible.
via IGN
Loving the constant news about this game, keep it up namco Tales!
XCMlive Multi-Console Component Cable V3 let you connect all your consoles with only 1 cable via component output: Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, Playstation 2, Playstation 3 and now the PSP Slim and Lite.
Beside, it is a true HIGH QUALITY cable, shielded to ensure a perfect signal to your screen.
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BRUTAL IN-YOUR-FACE COMBAT with brand new vicious combo attacks and over-the-top finishing moves. Bare-fisted combat, grappling, bone breaking and neck snapping - whatever it takes to disable the enemies.
ONLINE GAMING for up to eight players with three unique modes for both Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Never before has the Condemned universe supported online action!
A BAD-ASS ARSENAL now totally expanded to include items taken straight from the environment. Tire irons, bricks, toilet seats, antlers, flaming 2x4s, mannequin arms and mop buckets, just to name a few. Pick your punishment!
MASSIVE GUNPLAY made possible by powerful projectile-based weapons like the sub-machine gun, crossbow, shotgun, 9MM handgun, and .45 caliber pistol.
OWN YOUR INVESTIGATION with an inventive approach to solving crime scenes naturally sewn into the action. You will be rewarded with unlockable weapons and achievements along the way.
GRITTY REALISTIC ENVIRONMENTS with secondary objectives and multiple path solutions so that players never get bored. Atmospheric elements and chilling ambiance that will make every player cringe at every turn.
SMART AND DEVIOUS ENEMIES featuring highly realistic AI behavior -- befriend them, and they just might fight on your side.
description
Condemned 2: Bloodshot™ ratchets up the bone-crushing brutality of the popular psychological thriller with an all-new fighting system and for the first time, online multiplayer modes. As Ethan Thomas, the unstable and disgraced Serial Crimes Unit investigator, you will face horrifying enemies and endless heart-stopping surprises in the shadows of a strange and sinister world. Utilize a new set of high-tech forensic tools and fight off violent enemies on the perilous hunt for your missing partner. You'll need to use anything and everything in the environment to survive as you unravels the mysteries shrouding the city in darkness. Condemned 2: Bloodshot is set to horrify the masses in 2008.
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Genuine Soccer game experience by utilizing next-gen hardware!
With TEAMVISION -brand new Artificial Intelligent, CPU learns your tactics!
Improved gameplay experience on Master League that reflects Popularity of your player and your team.
Customize your team and players by using USB Camera. You can be a player in the videogame.
description
The world’s most popular soccer game is back under a new name, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. Formerly Winning Eleven, PES 2008 builds upon the competitive spirit embodied by its predecessor with some major improvements. PES gamers will discover a more immersive, vivid soccer experience than they’ve ever played! PES 2008 features new animations, new clubs and leagues and on-line play! Above all else, the new “TEAMVISION” AI system is more intelligent than ever. Hot-shots will have plenty of new moves to show-up their opponents, or get shown-up so tape those ankles!
Activision has decided that it's about time a Game of the Year Edition of Call of Duty 4 was available for Xbox 360.
Down for a release in April, it'll include a flashy box as well as a token to download the upcoming Variety Map Pack, according to reports.
The map pack costs 800 Points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.60) and adds Creek, Broadhouse, Killhouse and Chinatown maps to the fray. Infinity Ward has only referred to a "spring" date so far.
We're waiting to hear back from Activision about specifics and if PS3 and PC owners can expect a GOTY Edition too.
Microsoft has sent word that more Forza Motorsport 2 download content will be out this week, though we reckon everyone's moved on to PGR4 and GT5 Prologue by now.
OK, we're sure someone's still playing the Xbox 360 Turn 10 racer, and for that loyal bloke the 400 Microsoft Point (£3) pack , which includes 13 motors, isn't a bad deal at all.
It's out on Wednesday and includes a whole bunch of Ferraris and Lamborghinis we can't be arsed to learn the names of. Read about it here.
Turn 10 will also be taking to the Xbox Live track this weekend, with lots of lovely racing wheels and signed games up for grabs. So, if you're not in a beer garden somewhere drinking your weight in cider, it might be a nice way to spend your four-day weekend.
Microsoft has revealed the selection of games heading to Xbox Live Arcade in the coming weeks, and sorry shooter fans; Ikargua isn't mentioned once.
Rocky and Bullwinkle, Shotest Shogi and Capcom's Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 head up the list, which (with the exception of Commando) probably says a lot about the quality of the rest of the roster.
The company also revealed the Doom and Assault heroes will be added to the discounted Arcade Hits section, and will now flog for 400 points each (about 3 quid).
Here's the full listing (PR spiel included):
Rocky and Bullwinkle (Zen Studios) Based on the highly popular US cartoon series of the same name, Rocky and Bullwinkle on Xbox LIVE Arcade is a fast and fun party experience packed with over 100 micro-games and decked out in authentic retro art style. Plus, players with an Xbox LIVE Vision camera can control 25 of these games using fun gestures.
Shotest Shogi (AI Factory and Rubicon Development) Experience a new kind of shogi, Japan's top board game, which encourages complex tactical play and strategic sacrifices. Set in an elegant Japanese room, this beautifully rendered game features 16 challenging artificial intelligence opponents as well as an online multiplayer mode. For beginners, "Shotest Shogi" on Xbox LIVE Arcade also offers an advanced tutorial that guides and tests players as they progress through the game.
TiQal" (Slapdash Games) An addictive new puzzler, TiQal takes players on an epic journey to save an ancient Mayan village. Players demolish enemy block walls by matching squares of the same colour and building them up to unleash massive combo points and mind-blowing power-ups. Partner with a friend over local or Xbox LIVE* co-op play to rescue the village, while enjoying sumptuous graphics, exciting sound effects and an awe-inspiring musical score.
Wits & Wagers (Hidden Path Entertainment) Party and trivia fun! Even if trivia isn't your thing, the first trivia and party game to hit Xbox LIVE Arcade is one in which players can win by making educated guesses, playing the odds or just knowing the interests of other players, whether they are local or online. Break out the Big Button Pad controllers or play couch vs. couch on Xbox LIVE for a trivia party extravaganza.
Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (Capcom) Xbox LIVE Arcade's Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 revives one of the most popular arcade shooters with an all-new adventure. Battle solo or recruit two other specialised commandos to conquer the evil tyrant, General Ratiev. Players can play as Codename Wolf, Coyote or Fox to take on waves of soldiers, rescue POWs and blow up armoured vehicles through a variety of dangerous battlefields.
Though Ben's still hard at work at the modular "Access" one-handed controller to be sold by eDimensional, he's certainly not frittering away that free time of his. The latest and greatest mod by Ben Heckendorn is a refined version of his right-handed Xbox 360 controller.
As opposed to the one-size-fits-all modularity of the Access, his one-handed controllers puts all the buttons easily within reach and places the right analog stick at the base of the controller -- you play the game by moving the analog stick against your leg. The new version has slimmed down the design considerably and spruced up the aesthetics -- thought the inclusion of a PS3 d-pad could be seen as sacrilege to some.
D3Publisher has promised a ginormous expansion for Puzzle Quest on Live Arcade this spring.
The publisher wants help naming it, too; starting today and ending on Friday you can submit ideas via the official website. Rather a frustating site, that.
Fresh additions are professions Bard, Rogue, Ranger and Warlock, as well as an undiscovered area containing 25 quests.
On top of that are 50 spells and 40 items to collect, and the story of Antharg, Lord of Plague to unravel, which means fresh bosses and monsters.
That all adds up to excitement, in our calculator, because Puzzle Quest was one of the freshest and most fiendishly addictive games of last year.
Adventure over to our Puzzle Quest Live Arcade review to find out more.
Puzzle Quest will also be given a proper sequel sometime this year that takes place in the far, science-fiction, future.
Concrete details on the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack, including its release date, will be formally revealed tomorrow, Bungie has said.
The developer has already shown off one map set to be included in the pack; Ghost Town - an "abandoned shell in Africa" set around the Sierra 117 level from the single player game.
"Ghost Town will be joined by a pair of other maps in Legendary," says Bungie, "the first of which will actually be formally unveiled Tuesday - there's one of those press releases announcing it and concrete details about the map's release date and other sundry details. So, much to your chagrin, the wait is a few days longer."
In anticipation for the reveal, the Halo house has offered fans shots of the pack's snow-ed up vehicle roster, which have all been given lovely white paint jobs.
"The Hornet is the only vehicle from this list that has seen gameplay adjustments, in addition to the cosmetic changes," says the developer. "If you've ever used the Hornet in a custom game, its missiles-n-guns variety of dominance is an overpowered spectacle to behold. Fun as that may be for the player in the Hornet, it's a less than awesome situation for players feeling totally helpless while the sky opens up and your Halo experience is reduced to staring at death cam.
"What's different about this version of the Hornet? Its missiles have been removed and its guns have had their effectiveness reduced. It's less of an airborne death machine and more of an aerial support vehicle now."
Our investigators tell us we should probably expect some snow maps, then. Because the arctic camo would stand out like a sore thumb in the jungle.
Fable 2 will be released on May 30 with a PEGI rating of 16+, if you're to believe game e-tailer Play.com.
Attendees of last weekend's Play.com Live event received goodie bags containing a booklet that apparently dated and rated the anticipated Xbox 360 title.
Previous reports have tapped the game to come out no earlier than October this year, so we're naturally a bit sceptical.
We've dropped Microsoft a line anyway to get a positive denial, as there's a whole host of reasons not to expect the game anywhere other than leading up to Christmas.
For now though, Xbox 360 owners can pray to whatever gods they believe in for all this not to be a gigantic mistake on the part of Play.
Perhaps, like us, you occasionally feel the urge to parade through the neighborhood, toting nothing but an impossibly huge rocket launcher and a desire to vaporize anything that, well, isn't you. And perhaps, like us, you realize (before it's too late) that these impractical desires are best expressed in video games such as Sierra Online's Assault Heroes or id Software's iconic Doom. It's certainly a lot cheaper.
In fact, the two aforementioned games will be added to Xbox Live's Arcade Hits program this Wednesday, March 19th, resulting in a 50% discount to 400 MS Points ($5) each. As Microsoft is keen to point out in the same press release, your determined point pinching may just come in handy for a lineup of new titles due to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade "in the near future:"
Microsoft's decision to drop the price of its entire range of Xbox 360 consoles in Europe has resulted in an immediate and significant sales increase in the UK.
Sales monitor ChartTrack told MCV that Xbox 360 sales have leapt 36 percent since March 14 when the price cut was introduced. While the price of each of the threee Xbox 360 models was reduced, perhaps most interestingly the cost of the entry level Arcade unit was slashed to £159.99, making it cheaper than Nintendo's mass-market friendly Wii.
"During week 11, Xbox 360 enjoyed a 36 percent jump on week 10, which is a nice refreshing uplift for the console" said ChartTrack director Dorian Bloch.
During the same period PS3 sales rose six percent, while sales of all other systems fell. Software sales across all platforms also dropped week-on-week.
"We need to wait two or three more weeks to see if the 360 sales surge will carry on," Bloch added. "I would predict that it will increase again over the Easter period. It's a bit of an odd year for the industry - Easter is early, and doesn't coincide with the end of Q1 - when publishers traditionally release very big games - like it usually does."
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has returned to the top of the UK all formats chart, according to the latest data from Chart-Track for the week ending March 15.
The title, which was number one for three consecutive weeks, and has been in the top four since the Nintendo DS release in January, pushed last week's number one - Army of Two from Electronic Arts - down to number two.
Bully: Scholarship Edition moved up one place to number three, swapping places with Brain Training which fell to fourth.
Call of Duty 4 remained in fifth place while Carnival: Funfair Games from Take-Two jumped up ten places on the previous week into sixth place.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was also a big climber, moving up from 20 the previous week to seventh place, while Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 gained one place in eighth.
Cooking Mama 2 and the evergreen FIFA 08 rounded off the top ten.
The full all formats charts is as follows:
1. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
2. Army of Two
3. Bully: Scholarship Edition
4. Brain Training
5. Call of Duty 4
6. Carnival: Funfair Games
7. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
8. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
9. Cooking Mama 2
10. FIFA 08
Business technology site Digitimes is reporting that Asustek owned manufacturing firms Pegatron and Unihan have struck a deal with Microsoft to produce around 500,000 Xbox 360 consoles a month from its bases in China.
Both bases are also OEM producers of Sony’s PS3.
The news comes after Microsoft blamed its North American hardware sales defeat at the hands of Sony’s PS3 on supply constraints – though it did at the time promise an improvement by next month.
Celestica and Flextronics are the current OEM builders of Microsoft’s machine, with initial manufacturer Wistron pulling out of its deal with Microsoft last year.
Wistron is also involved in the production of Nintendo’s Wii.
We now have the XCM 1080P VGA Box for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, and PSP Slim in stock! The XCM VGA Box is a true universal VGA box compatible with the new generation consoles on todays market (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii and PSP Slim & Lite) and also with Xbox. Compatible with both PAL and NTSC system, it only requires a USB slot for power. Its easy to install also, just plug and play installation will give you Ypbpr input with all consoles, now with a 1080p resolution!
BioWare still has a number of vitally important questions to be answered in regards to Mass Effect 2, the developer's revealed to CVG.
"How do we make what you did in the first game affect what's happening in the second game?... Who is the main character? Who will re-appear in the game?" senior PR manager Matt Atwood said of the follow-up to its critically acclaimed sci-fi RPG during an interview last week.
These are key ideas currently being kicked around at the studio according to Atwood, who says that dramatically Mass Effect 2 will make us all go "wow" virtually right from the word go.
"Mass Effect really is all about dramatics and cinematics and choices and exploration", he added on the sequel, "and I think we'll expand in each of those areas".
BioWare's only speaking generally in regards to Mass Effect 2 at the moment, but Atwood continued, "There is a story arc already written for the whole thing... I do know that the level of impact from a wow factor, a dramatic factor, is going to be really quite compelling in the next game. I think people are going to be thrilled".
As reported last week, BioWare expects Mass Effect 2 to be exclusive to Xbox 360 "for a short period of time" before it releases for PC. But when is the developer actually planning to launch the sequel?
"I will tell you it won't be three and a half years or four years, which is what the first one took to create", Atwood said when asked about release timings.
"Beyond that we haven't disclosed anything. We'd like to see it soon, but as the old saying goes, we will sell no wine before it's time.
"The team's working hard already but they're going to make sure it's just right... hopefully [it will be] sooner than later... I don't know if it's sooner that you expect, or what you expect, so we'll just wait and see and once we're ready to divulge the date, we'll let you know."
Capcom has said there's no word yet on what Live Arcade and PlayStation Network title Bionic Commando: Rearmed will cost in Europe.
The US arm of the publisher has just announced it will set American gamers back USD 10 when it's released in May.
The lower price-point was picked after an online poll was conducted to ask gamers how much they'd like to pay for it. Unsurprisingly, 83 per cent of respondents picked the cheapest option.
"2D games are a bigger risk (no, they are not necessarily cheap to make. BCR has plenty of 3D models and uses much of the same tech and physics as the 3D version) because they are a harder sell," explained Ben Judd on the Bionic Commando community site. ""The poll says USD 10 so that's what it will be.
"Since the title will have to do quite well at that price point to break even (no, I'm not going to give you a specific number), I guess we have to roll the dice and see where they land."
Interestingly, Capcom has yet to decide on a price for the PC version because it "may have some downloadable content" in the future.
Bionic Commando: Rearmed is a remake of the NES platformer from the olden days.
Capcom has already exceeded the 150MB file size-limit on XBLA with it, and you can catch up with the title on our Bionic Commando: Rearmed gamepages below.
A couple have become the first known parents to have an "Xbox Live baby," and the first we know of to actually get sex from Rainbow Six Lockdown.
"I just thought you might be interested to know that Mike and I met playing Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Lockdown," the happy mother told Xbox.com. "Funny thing is, we hated each other at first, but somehow ended up falling in love."
"I was from Georgia and he was from the Bronx. On a leap of faith we met, and we have been together ever since." It's like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, only with red and blue teams.
"If it wasn't for Xbox LIVE, our paths would have never crossed," she added, bringing a tear to our eye. "We had our daughter - who we thought to be the first Xbox LIVE baby - on September 24, 2007. Maybe she's the first Xbox 360 baby, at least... I AM SO THANKFUL FOR XBOX AND THE ONLINE COMMUNITY! If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have the man of my dreams and a beautiful new baby!"
And just look at the adorable photo we've attached to the right; we're going to harass girl voices on Xbox Live even more now.
Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux has revealed there will be a total of three Xbox Live Arcade games that will let you earn money for use in Fable 2.
He unveiled the first of these, Keystone, at GDC in February, and uncovered plans for two more in the recent Major Nelson podcast.
"The idea is this: Carbonated Games, part of Microsoft, have made some great casual games, Arcade titles. They have got three titles, one called Keystone, one called Wizard's Tower and one called Mage Dice," said Molyneux.
These "semi-gambling" games will reward you with Fable gold if you win. When Fable 2 eventually comes out (sometime this autumn), you will be able to use your accrued funds in game.
"If you do a good job, you can be a millionaire before the game starts," promised Molyneux. You can then use your piles of gold to buy virtually anything in Fable 2 (on top of weapons and armour and traditional fare).
Anything from dungeons to castles to shops are up for grabs, and splashing out on them will unlock side-quests to explore. As for houses, well, take your pick.
"You can buy every house. There's the city of Bowstone; all the houses that you can get to you can buy," added Molyneux.
"If you buy all of those houses you're known as the Mayor of Bowstone. If you end up buying everything in the region you are known as the King of Bowstone. And if you buy everything in the land of Albion you are known as the Emperor of Albion."
Not all of you will get that far, suggested Molyneux, although he expects at least "a few" of you to make the effort.
But beware, spending too much time worrying about your bank balance will alter your appearance and have you looking a bit like Bill Gates, he joked. "Every choice has a consequence," he reminded us.
Molyneux went on to detail the three major ways Fable 2 will distinguish itself from the original: by adding a sense of emotional drama using mechanics such as the dog and family relationships; by adding a "much, much better" combat system that is both simple and deep; and by adding jump-in co-operative play.
One thing he didn't mention at GDC recently was the Breadcrumb Trail feature. This is a sort of personal GPS that leads you to your quest destination. Interestingly your dog will try to pull you off this straight and narrow and lead you to side-quests.
This is the same dog that will leap on floored opponents, love you without question, and act as a warning mechanism. "Dogs in films always know that aliens are aliens," added Molyneux, suggesting that this will be a feature put to use in the main story.
Another thing to note about co-op is that it will cast the person joining your world as a henchman, but it will be based on statistics from their saved game if it detects one. Then, when they leave your world, they will take all the gold and experience they have earned with them; you take your character around with you, effectively.
Peter Molyneux was also keen to point out that his team prints out and shares what the community has been saying fairly regularly. Hi Peter! Invisibility over laser-eyes, still?
And, in case you were wondering, Peter has an unnatural hatred of chickens because his mum used to leave him in a pram near a chicken ranch, so his first words were clucks.
"Chicken cruelty is always featured highly in my games," cackled Molyneux.
Mega-chain Best Buy is sending $50 gift cards to customers who bought HD DVD players or attachments from its US stores prior to Feb. 23 (coincidentally, for our readership, the date Microsoft declared the format dead to the company). CNN reports most customers won't have to do a thing to receive the card as they'll be identified through the Reward Zone program, service plans or online purchases. If you're a customer who won't be identified in this manner, just grab a receipt (you do keep those, right?) or provide your credit card info to the company for proof of purchase. Gift cards will be sent out by May 1.
Circuit City provided a similar deal earlier this month to recent HD DVD adopters by allowing them to return the product if it had been purchased within 90 days. Both Best Buy and Circuit City's online trade-in programs (run by the same company) will allow you to unload your player beginning March 21. Before anyone thinks they're being witty, only HD DVD players can be returned for store credit, you're not getting $50 per movie disc purchased. Although this format war was in no way these retailer's fault, it's very nice to see them taking care of customers left out in the cold.
SEGA of America, Inc. today shipped SEGA Superstars Tennis to stores in North America. Featuring several of the most recognized SEGA video game characters smashing it up on the most outrageously designed tennis environments, SEGA Superstars Tennis is now available on the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, the Wii home video game system and Nintendo DS.
Developed by Sumo Digital, makers of Virtua Tennis 3, SEGA Superstars Tennis combines responsive, pick-up-and-play controls with fantastic tennis action to deliver an exhilarating and entertaining experience. Each of the 16 SEGA characters has their specialty in speed, power, control, spin, and all-around ability, as well their own unique Superstar power. Each Superstar power pays tribute to the unique characteristics of each character; from Sonic The Hedgehog's Super Sonic transformation, the trail of banana peels left by AiAi from Super Monkey Ball and even the dancing power of Amigo's floating maracas from Samba De Amigo, players will be captivated by the over-the-top atmosphere experienced in SEGA Superstars Tennis.
All this exciting tennis action is played out on over-the-top tennis courts inspired by a host of different SEGA worlds. These include Green Hill Zone from Sonic The Hedgehog, Advanced Arena from Super Monkey Ball and many more. Each of these theme park-like tennis venues exudes energetic charm and marvelous style that will delight gamers of all ages.
In addition to the fun-filled experience, SEGA Superstars Tennis features a host of unlockable content ranging from archives of classic SEGA soundtrack music and addicting mini-games that take tennis to new hilarious levels. Whether it's smashing tennis balls into a horde of hungry zombies in the House of the Dead-inspired Curien Mansion or hitting groundstrokes to help guide "ChuChu" mice in Chu Chu Rocket, up to four players can compete in these comical mini-games. Hidden features will be revealed as players complete different tournament and mission games in the "Planet Superstars" mode.
SEGA Superstars Tennis is rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) by the ESRB and is priced at $49.99 for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 system and Wii, $39.99 for the PlayStation 2, and $29.99 for Nintendo DS.
Bungie has said the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack will go Live on 15th April.
It will cost 800 Points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.60) and contain three maps: Ghost Town, Avalanche, and an unannounced level.
Avalanche is the latest to be detailed, and is a "reimagination" of the original Halo map Sidewinder.
It still has the same U-shape of old, but has lost its ladders and changed the focus from deep interior portions in favour of more snowy fun outside in vehicles, which should all look suitably wintery.
The Bungie team thinks CTF works the best on it, and you can read the rest of their comments on the official website.
Remember, this special Easter weekend hopper sees the return of Team SWAT from Halo 2. That means no shields and no radar, but extra health. This will run from tomorrow until Sunday and treat you to double experience.
Developer Bizarre Creations has joined the growing chorus of calls for the UK government to introduce industry tax credits to ease the pressure on domestic talent.
"The UK has always been, and still is, a real hotbed of talent, producing some of the world's best selling games across many genres and formats. But it's getting harder and harder to be a developer or publisher in the UK, as increasing costs and global competition mean that everyone's under great financial pressure," the developer said in a statement on its website.
Explaining that the "stressful" economic conditions in the UK played a major role in its decision to become part of Activision, Bizarre said it supported the efforts of UK bodies TIGA and ELPSA in attempting to secure tax credits through discourse with the government, and threw its support behind UK citizens petitioning the government for the introduction of industry incentives.
"As the years have gone by, many studios have struggled and had to close, and different gaming studios have had to find their own ways to deal with this pressure. It was a big part of the reason that Bizarre chose to become part of the Activision family - in order to guarantee security to our employees, and security to our future games in this difficult climate. But even as part of a large publisher, without active government support of our industry, developing or publishing games in the UK is still stressful with current economic conditions.
"The problem has been compounded recently by some foreign government tax breaks and financial incentives given to studios and/or publishers who set up or operate in their countries. Many publishers have already taken advantage of financial incentives and moved, bought or set up development studios overseas, and UK talent (both experienced, and new graduates) is being tempted away. Of course, the games industry is a truly global marketplace, but undercutting incentives like this are extremely damaging to the UK games industry as a whole.
"That's why we fully support the recent actions from TIGA, ELPSA, and others in asking the UK government to offer the same tax credits to British developers, and continue to keep our local industry competitive with those overseas. We also fully support a recent petition to Gordon Brown asking directly for these tax credits to be introduced here."
The petition referred to currently has 1,744 signatures, and can be found here.
A total of 80 people got together yesterday to set the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of games characters.
Sonic, Crash, Yoshi, Lara etc. etc. etc. met up on the Millennium bridge in London. The gathering included 30 children from Argyle Primary School, Kings Cross who all dressed up as Super Mario.
"I have had a great day, I have met all my favourite characters," one said. "The best one is Tails from Sonic." Truly inner London education is in a sorry state.
Vivendi representative Catherine Channon turned up to show her support for the event and true dedication to public relations by dressing up as Spyro. "It was a great idea by the folks over at Guinness, but when you get that many game characters together things are always going to get a bit heated," she observed.
Channon declined to comment directly on rumours Spyro was forced to break up a fight between Yoshi and the wolf out of Digimon on top of a bus.
The record will appear in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2009. The 2008 edition is on sale now and is the best book I have ever read in my life. Any appearance of my name in the credits is purely coincidental. It's available on Amazon for just GBP 6.75, which works out at less than 3p per page for goodness' sake.
Many games use the current gen consoles to make pretty pictures, but Fracture is "one of the few games" that really pushes the hardware on a gameplay front, LucasArts has told CVG.
Fracture features an innovative Terrain Deformation system that allows players to use various unique weapons and tools to bend, warp and deform the ground below their feet. This, says LucasArts, was a challenge to get working, and pushes the high-performance consoles to their limits.
"We are really pushing the limits of what the Xbox 360 and PS3 can do with Fracture," the developer told us.
"While a lot of games are pushing the limits of what can be done visually in games, we also wanted to push gameplay to levels that literally could not be done on the previous generation of hardware," it added.
"To put it simply, Fracture is one of the few games that really takes advantage of all of the processing power of the new consoles."
Bold words, but how will the final game measure up? Check out a preview here, and look out for the full Q&A later today.
Environmental campaign body Greenpeace has once again slammed Nintendo for its policies on toxic chemicals and recycling.
In Greenpeace's latest Guide to Greener Electronics, which ranks the 18 top manufacturers of PCs, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles according to their policies on tackling environmental waste, Nintendo remains bottom of the pile, having been the first brand to score a zero out of ten when it was first included in the guide back in November 2007.
In the latest guide Nintendo scored eight zeros across nine categories related to the use of toxic chemicals and recycling. "Nintendo only gets 0.3 due to an indication that it does have a chemicals management policy," said Greenpeace, which urged the company to clean up its act by by eliminating hazardous substances in its products and recycling them responsibly once they become obsolete.
"Nintendo remains the odd one out of the 18 companies in the Guide, without any public timelines to eliminate the worst toxic chemicals or a global recycling policy for the millions of products it sells every year. If Nintendo has better policies why not make them public like the other 17 companies in the Guide?
"We have requested information from Nintendo head offices several times and sent it the ranking in advance but have received no response.
"Among Nintendo's competitors Microsoft [ranked sixteenth] improved its score to 4.7, mainly by bringing forwards its deadline to 2010 for eliminating toxic PVC and BFR's. Sony [ranked fourth] remains the leading console maker on 7.3, but it has yet to introduce any green innovation in the PlayStation."
You can read more about Greenpeace's efforts to get the hardware makers to tackle environmental waste on its Clash of the Consoles website.
An inevitable videogame tying in with the forthcoming second Narnia movie Prince Caspian is on the way, and here we have new screenshots from the project.
Due out June 20, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Capsian is in development at Traveller's Tales (for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PS2 and Wii), which did the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe videogame.
It combines action-adventure with puzzle solving, features over 20 playable characters - including Prince Caspian, obviously - and drop-in/drop-out co-op play for two.
Microsoft has announced that former Nintendo and I-play exec David Gosen has joined the company as vice president of strategic marketing in Europe.
Following the recent hardware price drop, Gosen will help drive the manufacturer's determined push to reach the mass-market consumer in the region.
"I'm very excited to be part of Microsoft IEB at this key stage in the gaming industry," offered Gosen. "Xbox 360 is now a mass-market gaming console, and with the recent ERP reduction we’re poised to open the market for Xbox 360 even wider.
"The content portfolio goes from strength to strength and is providing compelling experiences for a broader audience, and the titles we have coming up are massively appealing," he added.
As well as CEO of I-play and MD of Nintendo Europe, he has also held senior positions at B Sky B, Pepsico and Coca-Cola & Schweppes Beverages.
"We're very happy to welcome David to the Microsoft IEB leadership team," said Chris Lewis, VP of Xbox 360 in Europe.
"We recently re-aligned to combine laser-sharp focus with strong industry and consumer marketing experience.
"With David leading strategic marketing, Phil Spencer leading MGS in Europe, and Richard Teversham as business and strategy director, we are in a great position to leverage Xbox 360's European success to further widen the market for Xbox as a mass-market proposition."
Microsoft announced today that Dreamfall: Game of the Year Edition, originally released in April of 2006 on the Xbox, will be coming to Xbox Originals on the Live Marketplace on March 24 for the standard retail price of 1,200 Microsoft points. The game will be available for download in the US, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, France, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, India, Australia, and New Zealand.
From Xbox.com: "Dreamfall: Game of the Year Edition, winner of multiple E3 awards as the best game in its genre, is the continuation of a saga that began with the award-winning The Longest Journey. In Dreamfall, prepare for an epic journey of exploration and adventure as you venture through a thrilling and emotional story line. Dreamfall features a fully interactive world where beautiful music, stunning graphics, fascinating characters, and unparalleled gameplay variety promises to bring the adventure genre into a new era. Prepare for a spiritual, fantastic, and powerful gaming experience."
Fans should check the Xbox Live Marketplace around 2 AM PST on March 24 for the download.
When a game's development began sometime in the Nixon administration, does it really matter exactly what month it's going to be released? As gamers, you naturally know the answer to this question: Of course it does. It matters to the month, the day, possibly even the minute. It is in that spirit that we bring you this interesting tidbit: Too Human's placeholder release date on the Gamestop website has been moved from May to August.
So, what does that mean? Well, we'd like to think it means a release date is firming up, but it could just as easily mean that Jimmy the Gamestop intern is tasked with moving the Too Human release date back every few months like he's pruning some sort of cybernetic topiary. So file this one under interesting, but not terribly helpful.
We're yet to see any "game-breaking" bugs in our copies of Bully: Scholarship Edition, but it looks like many 360 owners are still moaning about the problems in Rockstar's schoolyard port.
Fear not, says the GTA dev, because it's going to tell you all about the promised patch fix tomorrow: A "broad worldwide announcement" is to be expected in the next 24 hours, the company told MTV. Hopefully then, that'll be word on the patch we've been looking for.
There have been numerous reports on the 360 update crashing and even failing to unlock Achievements.
"We are very aware of the problems some people have been experiencing with the Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition and have been doing everything within our powers to resolve these issues as quickly as possible," PR man Darlan Monterisi said on the matter.
A Banjo website has been launched but it contains nothing more than a spinning puzzle piece (or a Jiggy, as fans will know it), with the words "coming soon" appearing intermittently with Banjo's teethy, 'I'm-not-saying-anything' face.
Update: Rare has contacted CVG to inform us that, while the teaser site is currently thin on content, it will be updated soon. Rare community manager, George Kelion, told CVG: "Like the game, the teaser site is still under construction and you can expect updates relatively soon." Fingers on the F5 button, then. Original story continues:
So we presume the game will again feature Jiggys, one of the items you'll probably be collecting, along with, we guess, those annoyingly whiny little Jinjo bastards, musical notes, feathers, eggs, and whatever other tat Rare has dreamed up in the past decade.
What's this all about? They tell us the game's in the making but show us absolutely nothing for years, and even send us banjo-themed Christmas cards and launch an empty website just to rub the infuriatingly stubborn info drought in our faces.
And the site forces you to install some Microsoft web program in the promise that you'll get to "experience the site fully".
Rare insists, however, that it'll be out this year. Fingers crossed...
Southpeak Games has offered brief confirmation on Two Worlds: The Temptation, a full sequel to RPG Two Worlds.
Shouldn't the sequel have been called Three Worlds? Ahem.
Anyway, events in The Temptation kick off shortly after those portrayed in the original game and it's apparently set in the Eastern Antaloor, in the regions surrounding Oswaroh and the Drak'ar Desert. Great names.
"Featuring as much content as the original, Two Worlds: The Temptation will feature more intricate missions, improved voice-overs and animations, retooled horseback riding, completely revamped combat, and a new game engine that delivers visuals that have to be seen to be believed", says Southpeak.
You can see first screenshots on this page, right here. It's out on PC and Xbox 360 in the autumn.
The first trailer for Codemasters Race Driver: GRID has appeared online, and you can view it by clicking once on our much-loved video player just to the right of these words. It's like a family member to us.
Due for release in June 2008, Race Driver: GRID continues the popular racing game series and will be the first title in the franchise to appear on the current generation of consoles, coming to PS3, Xbox 360, PC and, er, Nintendo DS.
A disclaimer confirms at the beginning of the trailer that the footage is actual gameplay footage, and for good reason - it looks absolutely incredible.
Our personal favourite track has to be the neon-lit streets of Japan. Go. Watch. Now.
Samurai Warriors 2 Xtreme Legends will be released on PS2 and Xbox 360 on 28th March, KOEI told Eurogamer this afternoon.
Originally announced for release tomorrow, SW2 XL introduces six new legendary characters, six new difficulty settings and new scenarios. Perhaps six - who can say.
You'll also be able to climb to higher levels than you could in the original Samurai Warriors 2, play co-op in Story and Free mode, and hire samurai to fight alongside you.
PS2 owners will be able to buy the retail version as usual, but Xbox 360 owners will be able to grab it via Live Marketplace for 2400 Microsoft Points (GBP 20.40 / EUR 28.80).
Chatting with friends and family on Xbox LIVE?and Windows-based PCs is easy using the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit. This device easily connects to any Xbox 360 controller and provides easy to use chat capabilities while maintaining gameplay functionality in one easy-to-hold device. The Messenger Kit includes a Chatpad and Xbox 360 Headset.
Welcome to this week's Games update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days
As mentioned in last week's preview, many interesting games have been released this week. We bring you the exciting first person shooter The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return [US, Japanese and with Zapper] versions for Nintendo Wii™. With the Wii Zapper in hand, feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins as you defeat the zombies that are charging toward you.
This is an exciting week for fans of sci-fi, robots and mecha. Armored Core: For Answer [Xbox360™ and PlayStation3™] versions are released. Find out the reason for going to war as you challenge and defeat some of the largest and most carefully designed mecha in gaming history.
Dramatic Dungeon: Sakura Taisen [standard and limited edition] is another game that combines an engaging plot, charming characters and mecha, but instead of taking place in the futuristic world, it sets stage in Taisho Japan. Experience some exhilirating mecha fights and witness the elegance of Japanese theatrical arts in this renowned game.
Stepping away from the horror and mecha combats, we bring you Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage to your Nintendo DS™. Capture pokemon by your stylus, adventure with these beloved creatures and save the world from the clutches of darkness in this fun game. We also have the comical sports game Chou Nekketsu Koukou Kunio-Kun Dodge Ball Bu where you defeat the evil through a game of dodge ball.
As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week, followed by a quick preview of what is expected to be hot next week.
Xbox360™:
Armored Core: For Answer JPN US$ 64.90
Army of Two JPN US$ 64.90
Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII JPN US$ 64.90
Cabela's Big Game Hunter ASIA US$ 44.90
Condemned 2: Bloodshot US US$ 64.90
Need for Speed: Pro Street JPN US$ 64.90
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 US US$ 59.90
Ratatouille (Platinum Hits) US US$ 24.90
Sengoku Musou 2 with Moushouden JPN US$ 72.90
Sengoku Musou 2 with Moushouden ASIA US$ 64.90
Spider-Man 3 JPN US$ 59.90
The Club ASIA US$ 49.90
PlayStation3™:
Armored Core: For Answer ASIA US$ 59.90
Armored Core: For Answer JPN US$ 64.90
Army of Two JPN US$ 64.90
Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII JPN US$ 64.90
FolksSoul: Ushinawareta Denshou / Folklore (PlayStation3 the Best) JPN US$ 38.90
FolksSoul: Ushinawareta Denshou / Folklore (PlayStation3 the Best) ASIA US$ 34.90
Mobile Suit Gundam: Target in Sight (PlayStation3 the Best) JPN US$ 38.90
PS2 Controller to PS3/PC System Convert Cable V2 US$ 8.90
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 US US$ 59.90
Resistance: Fall of Man (PlayStation3 the Best) ASIA US$ 34.90
Resistance: Fall of Man (PlayStation3 the Best) JPN US$ 38.90
Ridge Racer 7 (PlayStation3 the Best) JPN US$ 38.90
Ridge Racer 7 (PlayStation3 the Best) ASIA US$ 34.90
The Club ASIA US$ 49.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 ASIA US$ 59.90 Nintendo Wii™:
Bomberman Land Wii (Hudson the Best) JPN US$ 34.90
Deca Sporta JPN US$ 59.90
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return US US$ 34.90
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return JPN US$ 49.90
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return (w/ Wii Zapper) JPN US$ 69.90
PlayStation2™:
Buzz Jr. Robo Jam US US$ 34.90
Buzz Jr. Robo Jam (w/ Buzzers) US US$ 49.90
Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz US US$ 34.90
Buzz! The Hollywood Quiz (w/ Buzzers) US US$ 49.90
Kamiwaza (Acquire the Best) JPN US$ 34.90
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 US US$ 34.90
Ratatouille (Greatest Hits) US US$ 24.90
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters US US$ 34.90
The Godfather (EA:SY! 1980) JPN US$ 24.90
Nintendo DS™:
Bakousou Dekotora Densetsu Black JPN US$ 48.90
Bangai-O Spirits JPN US$ 48.90
Chou Nekketsu Koukou Kunio-Kun Dodge Ball Bu JPN US$ 39.90
Crayon Shin-Chan: Arashi o Yobu Cinema Land JPN US$ 48.90
Disney Friends US US$ 34.90
Dramatic Dungeon: Sakura Taisen JPN US$ 48.90
Dramatic Dungeon: Sakura Taisen [Allstar Pack] JPN US$ 79.90
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Ring of Fates US US$ 44.90
Kachou Shima Kousaku DS: Dekiru Otoko no Love & Success JPN US$ 39.90
Kekkaishi: Koru Nogirou Shuurai JPN US$ 48.90
Nanostray 2 US US$ 34.90
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword JPN US$ 48.90
Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage JPN US$ 48.90
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 US US$ 34.90
Puchi Eva: Evangelion @ Game JPN US$ 48.90
Rosario to Vampire JPN US$ 48.90
SimCity DS 2: Kodaikara Mirai e Tsudzukumachi JPN US$ 48.90
Spider-Man 3 JPN US$ 48.90
Time Hollow: Uwareta Kako o Motome JPN US$ 48.90
Ys DS JPN US$ 48.90
Ys II DS JPN US$ 48.90
Zoo Tycoon 2 JPN US$ 48.90
Sony PSP™:
Biohazard III JPN US$ 37.90
Biohazard Trilogy Box JPN US$ 56.90
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (English language Version) ASIA US$ 44.90
FlatOut: Head On US US$ 34.90
Hannspree Ten Kate Honda: SBK-07 Superbike World Championship US US$ 24.90
Need for Speed: Pro Street JPN US$ 48.90
PSP Microphone JPN US$ 29.90
PSP Microphone (Twin Pack) JPN US$ 49.90
PSP PlayStation Portable Battery Pack (2200mAh) (Ceramic White) JPN US$ 54.90
PSP PlayStation Portable Battery Pack (2200mAh) (Ice Silver) JPN US$ 54.90
PSP PlayStation Portable Battery Pack (2200mAh) (Piano Black) JPN US$ 54.90
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 US US$ 34.90
Shock Protector Advance 2in1 (Charcoal Black) US$ 4.90
Shock Protector Advance 2in1 (Milky White) US$ 4.90
Tales of Rebirth JPN US$ 48.90
Tales of Rebirth ASIA US$ 42.90
Tales of Rebirth KOR US$ 49.90
Wild Arms XF US US$ 44.90
echochrome: Mugen Kairou JPN US$ 39.90
echochrome: Mugen Kairou ASIA US$ 42.90
PC and MAC™:
Pro Yakyuu Team o Tsukurou! Online Beginner's Package JPN US$ 24.90
Puyo Puyo Fever (Revised Price Edition) JPN US$ 29.90
Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War Soulstorm ASIA US$ 39.90
Game Guides:
Basara Style Vol.6 JPN US$ 19.90
Condemned 2: Bloodshot: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Dragon Quest IV: Michibikareshi Monotachi Lead Book DS JPN US$ 14.90
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Fuuketsu no Grimoire Official Complete Guide JPN US$ 23.90
Oideyo Dobutsu no Mori The Complete Guide JPN US$ 18.90
School Days L x H Visual Guide Book JPN US$ 36.90
Shin Sangoku Musou 5 Complete Guide A JPN US$ 26.90
Shining Force EXA Final Complete Guide JPN US$ 26.90
Star Ocean: The First Departure Final Guide JPN US$ 26.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Tsuyo Kiss: Mighty Heart Visual Guide Book JPN US$ 36.90
Winning Post 7 Maximum 2008 Guide JPN US$ 23.90
Video Game Soundtracks
Armored Core: For Answer Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 21.90
Neo Angelique - Sincerely JPN US$ 29.90
Space Invaders Extreme Audio Cluster JPN US$ 24.90
The Black Mages II -The Skies Above- (~The Black Mages) JPN US$ 21.90
The Black Mages III Darkness and Starlight (~The Black Mages) JPN US$ 26.90
A separate Video/Music update containing Japanese releases from this week, including new Anime, J-Pop and Movie releases will follow prior end of the week. So J-Pop, Anime and Movie fans, be sure to look out for that one!
Here is a preview of what are expected to be hot next week:
Xbox360™:
Raiden Fighters Aces JPN US$ 64.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 US US$ 64.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 [Limited Edition] US US$ 74.90
PlayStation3™:
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 US US$ 64.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 [Limited Edition] US US$ 74.90
PlayStation2™:
Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Lost Colors JPN US$ 64.90
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus JPN US$ 59.90
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus (Append Edition) JPN US$ 19.90
Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection US US$ 34.90
Neo Angelique Full Voice JPN US$ 39.90
Neo Angelique Full Voice [Premium Box] JPN US$ 59.90
Neo Angelique Full Voice [Super Premium Box] JPN US$ 79.90
Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 32: Phantasy Star Complete Collection JPN US$ 28.90
Silent Hill: Origins KOR US$ 39.90
Nintendo DS™:
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 JPN US$ 48.90
Sony PSP™:
Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Lost Colors JPN US$ 48.90
Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Lost Colors (Special Edition) JPN US$ 69.90
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G JPN N/A
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G Hunter Pack (w/ PSP-2000 Slim & Lite Console) JPN N/A
PC and MAC™:
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (DVD-ROM) US US$ 59.90
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – the sequel to the award-winning next-generation first-person shooter – returns to Sin City. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is your last chance to rescue America’s sexiest city from an escalating terrorist siege that will force you into heart-pounding action from beginning to end. The best are back and this time winner takes all.
Recipient of numerous awards, including 2006 Best First Person Shooter and Best Online Game, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will push the top-selling franchise to new heights with new gameplay features and groundbreaking co-op and multiplayer modes.
The Asian version of UBI Soft's most awaited first person shooting game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 for [Xbox360™ and PlayStation3™] is in stock today, available for US$ 54.90 only.
Xbox360™
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 ASIA US$ 54.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 US US$ 64.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 [Limited Edition] US US$ 74.90
PlayStation3™
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 ASIA US$ 59.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 US US$ 64.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 [Limited Edition] US US$ 74.90
PC and MAC™
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (DVD-ROM) US US$ 59.90
Game Guide
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
The US versions of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 [Xbox360™ and PlayStation3™] will arrive after the Easter Holidays and the PC and MAC™ version will be released in April.
Last week's Japanese software chart champ Yakuza 3 Kenzan! was knocked down by Nintendo's latest training game, showing that the stylus is mightier than the sword. DS Bimoji Training brings calligraphy skill assessment to the Nintendo DS, giving Nintendo the number one spot for the week of March 10 to 16. Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii Fit continue to float near the top, as few newcomers with capable star power debut on the list.
Oh, and for the record, 12Riven: The Psi-Climinal of Integral, after the jump, is not a typo on my part.
01. DS Bimoji Training (DS) - 66,000 / NEW
02. Yakuza 3 Kenzan! (PS3) - 46,000 / 227,000
03. Wii Fit (Wii) - 45,000 / 1,704,000
04. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 41,000 / 1,449,000
05. Gundam Musou Special (PS2) - 24,000 / 213,000
06. Shugo Chara! 3-tsu no Tamagoto Koisuru Joker (DS) - 20,000 / NEW
07. Daito Giken Koushiki Pachi-Slot Simulator: Shin Yoshimune (PS2) - 18,000 / NEW
08. Wii Sports (Wii) - 17,000 / 2,855,000
09. Harvest Moon: Kira Kira Taiyou to Nakama Tachi (DS) - 11,000 / 93,000
10. Wii Play (Wii) - 11,000 / 2,271,000
11. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
12. Musou Orochi (PSP)
13. 12Riven: The Psi-Climinal of Integral (PS2)
14. Minna no Joushiki Ryoku TV (Wii)
15. Soma Bringer (DS)
16. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP)
17. Doraemon: Nobita to Midori no Kyojinden DS (DS)
18. Hayate no Gotoku! Ojousama Produce Daisakusen Boku Iro ni Somare! Oyashiki-Hen (DS)
19. Hayate no Gotoku! Ojousama Produce Daisakusen Boku Iro ni Somare! Gakkou-Hen (DS)
20. Mario Party DS (DS)
21. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
22. Mario Kart DS (DS)
23. Etrian Odyssey II: Shoou no Seihai (DS)
24. Taiko Drum Master DS (DS)
25. Winning Post 7 Maximum 2008 (PS2)
26. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
27. Duel Love: Koisuru Otome wa Shouri no Megami (DS)
28. Winning Eleven Play Maker 2008 (Wii)
29. We Ski (Wii)
30. Akagawa Jirou Mystery: Yasoukyoku (DS)
Three cast members of the upcoming Iron Man feature film will also lend their acting talents to the game tie-in, Marvel and SEGA announced today.
Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Terence Howard (Jim Rhodes) and Shaun Toub (Yinsen) will all reprise their on-screen roles for the Iron Man game, due out on May 2, 2008, to coincide with the film's release.
Although Downey, Howard and Toub have signed on to act in the Iron Man game, some of the film's highest-profile stars have opted out. Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges were not mentioned in a news release as being part of the game.
Developed by Secret Level, published by SEGA and based on the Marvel comics and film, Iron Man is a third-person action shooter for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS and PC.
Using the advanced technology in Iron Man's suits of armor, gamers can take advantage of the wide array of high-impact weapons to strategically annihilate any enemy force standing in their way. Before tackling open battlefields, players can customize their armor suit as they encounter more enemies and fight in epic battles.
You'd think the BBFC's official unbanning of an edited version of Manhunt 2 would officially end the battle over the game's release. You'd be wrong though, as Kent Online reports that Kent MP Julian Brazier is working to introduce a "public appeals process" to overturn BBFC decisions, like the one that paved the way for Manhunt 2's release.
Brazier's Private Members Bill to reform the BBFC was discussed and eventually stopped in Parliament late last month, but that hasn't stopped Brazier from trying to revive its political chances. Brazier insists that the eventual decision to release Manhunt 2 "shows once again that the BBFC and its appeals system do not meet the concerns of the public" and that "the public wants a significant tightening up in this vital area." Earlier this month, Brazier accompanied Gordon Brown in a meeting with Giselle Pakeerah, a mother who believes the original Manhunt contributed to her son's murder.
The battle for weekly first place hardware showings in Japan went back to Sony this week, with the PSP outselling the Wii one more time. With just a few thousand sales setting them apart, however, the contest is almost a dead heat. DS Fever seems to have cooled a bit over the past few weeks, with the handheld resting quietly in third, presumably waiting to strike back before the end of the year. Quiet times on the hardware front make us look forward to new marquee releases. Until then...
PSP - 57,651
Wii - 55,845
Nintendo DS - 53,266
PlayStation 3 - 14,934
PlayStation 2 - 9,930
Xbox 360 - 1,744
Oh yeah, we've seen homegrown Xbox 360 joysticks that we would love to wrap our digits around, but ShaolinDrunkard's latest creation is almost too pretty to touch -- almost. The Xbox 360 Classic Led joystick sports the prototypical stick / button layout, but also includes that iconic green swirl and a smattering of lovely LEDs to really get the oohs and ahhs flowing. The handmade oak chassis isn't too shabby, either, and as much as we'd love to see these being offered up to those with more dollars than creative genius, we've all ideas this is a one-of-a-kind.
Remember that dude Nathaniel whose highly sentimental autographed Xbox 360 console was sent in for repairs and returned maddeningly clean? Turns out he didn't just get a signed Halo 3 care package. Even more swag arrived this week, including (among other things) an Xbox 360 with signatures from the 360 team and Bungie, and even Bill G himself. Yeah, that Bill G. And we can tell you exactly how damned hard it is to get the man to autograph stuff, the last few times we saw him we asked him sign our chests -- no dice. The G-man's infamous signature after the break. Us? We're closing the book on this one -- well played, Microsoft.
While folks at the Xbox 360 repair lab know good and well how to strip a console back to its birthday suit, Microsoft is going the opposite direction with its limited run of Grand Theft Auto IV Elites. The console itself is purportedly blasted with automotive quality paint and each one is individually numbered. Apparently, the 500 units -- which look to come with a case full of peripherals -- are only being dished out to press outlets and the like, so it seems your only shot at actually acquiring one is by scouring the second hand market. Or you could just steal one and toss a Molotov cocktail behind as you're getting away -- that'd be fitting, we guess.
In an adapted version of the Harry Potter video game, players lift boulders and throw lightning bolts using only their minds. Just as physical movement changed the interface of gaming with Nintendo's Wii, the power of the mind may be the next big thing in video games. And it may come soon. Emotiv, a company based in San Francisco, says its mind-control headsets will be on shelves later this year, along with a host of novel "biofeedback" games developed by its partners. Several other companies — including EmSense in Monterey, California; NeuroSky in San Jose, California; and Hitachi in Tokyo — are also developing technology to detect players brainwaves and use them in next-gen video games.
Microsoft stepped up to deliver iHD (later renamed HDi), which was a trademarked implementation of HD DVD's XML markup language. Toshiba liked it. They made HDi functionality a standard for HD DVD players, and eventually partnered with Microsoft to expand HDi's reach by founding the Advanced Interactivity Consortium. The primary goal of this group was forging industry relationships to further promote HDi in emerging outlets like downloadable and streaming media.
The deal gave HD DVD its competitive next-gen features, but here's the rub: Microsoft didn't need physical media to implement HDi. All of HDi's interactive bells and whistles could theoretically be applied to downloadable video content, as long as a runtime environment was available. Even as the disc format war raged on, elements of HDi's runtime environment showed up in Microsoft products like the Xbox 360 and Vista.
So, let's put everything together. Microsoft has a popular gaming console and an operating system that are HDi compatible. It also has a group of developers working on HDi applications, and a 360-accessible HD video library that could feasibly be outfitted with next-gen interactivity features. All that's left is the dog and pony show needed to convince content providers that HDi-enhanced content and Microsoft's video outlets are key to making HD video downloads a viable revenue stream. http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008...u-ray-xbox-hdi
While Bungie is probably hoping that everyone will get excited about their quickly approaching Legendary Map Pack, we'd wager that a larger percentage of the Halo 3-playing populous are instead anticipating the price reduction on Bungie's last expansion, the Heroic Map Pack. In their latest weekly update, Bungie announced the discount would come sooner than expected -- as of 2 a.m. this coming Tuesday, the pack will be free to download on Xbox Live Marketplace.
For those living under rocks (or PS3s), that means you've got no reason not to purchase the formerly $10 set including Standoff, Rat's Nest, and the highly customizable Foundry. Unless you hate free things, or, even less likely, you never purchased Bungie's third ringworld romp.
Earlier this month it was revealed that SEGA put down a new trademark for Sonic Unleashed, what looked like a new installment in the Sonic franchise. While there has yet to be any official announcement some sneaky forum fellas seemed to have stumbled upon a "SEGA ftp" and leaked a boatload of screens, and also a trailer on YouTube.
On March 12 McPherson returned from SXSW to discover that his home had been broken into and that the burglar had made off with his Xbox 360, an old Powerbook and a television.
Familiar with the competence of the Philadelphia police, McPherson decided to hunt for the items himself and soon found that the burglar had tried to sell his laptop at a local pawn shop, which has images of the guy from their camera. He tries to give the info to police, but never hears back.
Fast forward to Friday when McPherson's workmates present him with a replacement Xbox 360. He goes home, hooks it up and discovers a voice message on his 360 from some guy saying he has his 360 and wants cash to give it back. Better still the idiot uses his current account to leave the message.
McPherson calls police again and is hung up on... so he turns things over to the Internet and business is handled.
After speaking with spokesperson for EA, IGN has learned a few more details on the intended pricing structure for the weapons in Battlefield: Bad Company. There has been some public outcry that EA is trying to "scam" customers as screens of the BF:BC Beta indicated that some weapons might have to be purchased off of Marketplace, thus giving some an advantage over the rest of the playing field.
Here's the real deal straight from the EA Spokesperson, "Battlefield: Bad Company will release five unique weapons free of charge through five different promotional programs prior to launch. EA will again make these weapons available to players free of charge after launch, in case anyone missed the pre-launch promotions.
At launch, EA will release a Gold Edition of Battlefield: Bad Company which will feature an additional five new weapons. For players who do not purchase the Gold Edition of the game, they can still buy the five weapons at a small individualized price per item. All weapons are balanced for gameplay. More weapons offer players more choices but do not create an advantage/disadvantage for players who do not opt to buy new items."
So, if you're one of those gamers who needs to have every weapon, game development diary and behind-the-scenes featurette, do yourself a favor and pick up the Gold Edition. We'll have more coverage on the Battlefield: Bad Company Beta and full release in the near future.
Last year, MIcrosoft's Larry Hryb issued a stark warning to Xbox Live users in the wake of some issues with identity theft and achievement tampering. Today, Microsoft have taken action against those found to be in violation of the service's code of conduct. A number of accounts have been "affected", with punishments ranging from a resetting of gamerscore to public shamings (above) to permanent bannings to all of the above. Those caught, you have, oh, none of our sympathies. Those unaffected, nothing more to see here, move along.
features
Contains three classics in one collection
Includes Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2 and Raiden Fighters Jet
description
After a decade of waiting, Raiden Fighters Aces, the famous horizontal scroll shooter is finally reprogrammed and transferred to the Xbox360. The set includes all installments from the trilogy, “1”, “2” and “Jet”. By using XboxLive, the players can access the scoreboard and obtain ranking information. The scoreboard does not only record the highest scores, but save games. So good news for the novice players who are having trouble with certain stages, they know they have the support from the veterans.
In December 2007, the action game Rockman celebrated its 20th anniversary. This art book consists of illustrations from both the first Rockman series and its subsequent Rockman X series. It is an extravagant collection of 40+ colored cover illustrations from various publications. Aside from cover illustrations, pictures that were never published for the public are gathered and printed in this artbook as well. The book is edited by Rockman's producer Keiji Inafune and the established manga artist Ariga Hitoshi. It is a must have for every Rockman fan.
R20 Rockman & Rockman X Official Complete Works is in stock today and available at Play-Asia.com at US$ 39.90 only.
features
Zany SEGA Characters with Superstar Abilities - Each of the 16 characters has their own superstar alter-ego, which gives them the winning edge on the court.
Ten Fantastical Themed Courts - Guest umpires will supervise the action on a wide variety of colorful courts, from Sonic's lush Green Hill Zone to Ulala's galactic Space Channel 5 world, just to name a couple.
Four Action-Packed Tournaments - As you slice your way through the competitive tournaments, you will unlock loads of bonus content.
Classic Soundtrack - Faithfully recreated in full Dolby Digital 5.1, treasured SEGA tunes will entertain SEGA fans new and old.
description
Sixteen fan-favorite SEGA® characters from Sonic to NiGHTS are serving up non-stop fun in SEGA Superstars Tennis™. Multiple madcap mini-games will keep the party rolling and up to four friends can challenge each other in tournaments, exhibitions and unlockable special events. With hilarious cameos and comical guest umpires from SEGA's rich gaming history, this fun-filled tennis party is guaranteed to be a smashing good time for the whole family!
features
Ubisoft Montreal Returns – Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is back in the hands of Ubisoft’s Montreal studio, creators of the award-winning and highly acclaimed Rainbow Six Vegas, to ensure that ending to the Vegas story is one you’ll never forget.
More Vegas – Sin City is back and bigger than before. Explore all new Vegas hot spots as the environment changes from dusk to bright daylight to dawn, creating a visual experience that is as challenging as it is breathtaking.
More Multiplayer – The highly acclaimed multiplayer mode in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas has been upgraded to include 11 new, smaller maps that force more intense face-offs, 2 new adversarial modes, more rewards, and easier access to matches using the improved and intuitive matchmaking system.
Unprecedented Customizable Experience – Create your own identity that stays the same in both single player and multiplayer modes and progresses as you do. Reap the benefits of your single player rewards in multiplayer and vice versa.
Vastly Improved Co-op mode – Turn single player mode into co-op mode at any time, just by jumping into the game. Now your friend can jump into your single player game and help you without any change to the story. Single player maps and storyline were created with co-op in mind, which means every map has multiple entry points and the story is the same.
Improved AI – AI is more challenging than ever. Now, the terrorists are equipped with thermal vision, night vision, and shields – not to mention a multitude of varying reactions – all of which are guaranteed to give you a new playing experience every time you go into battle.
New Weapons and Armor – Take down the terrorists more effectively using 11 new weapons. New camouflage, clothing and gear allow you to take customization to the next level.
description
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – the sequel to the award-winning next-generation first-person shooter – returns to Sin City. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is your last chance to rescue America’s sexiest city from an escalating terrorist siege that will force you into heart-pounding action from beginning to end. The best are back and this time winner takes all.
Recipient of numerous awards, including 2006 Best First Person Shooter and Best Online Game, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will push the top-selling franchise to new heights with new gameplay features and groundbreaking co-op and multiplayer modes.
Happy free Heroic Map Pack day everyone! For those with a little patience, you'll be rewarded today with Halo 3's former $10 set of maps for the cost of air (but not PerriAir; that the Spaceballs still charge for). The pack includes Standoff, Rat's Nest and Foundry. While we'd love to tell you all about these levels, we're getting our first taste of them today.
With all that said, there's currently a hiccup in the system and the content – which was supposed to be free at 2AM pacific last night – is still listed for $10 on Xbox Live Marketplace. Bungie's forum has a nice thread (about to break 100 pages) on the issue and we're trying to get an answer from Major Nelson for the Microsoft angle. We'll update when the map pack actually becomes, you know ... free.
Tetris-inspired blockbuster TiQal is this week's Xbox Live Arcade release, so don't bother trawling Marketplace for Ikaruga - because it's not there.
Microsoft recently released the list of the next few Arcade releases, which includes Capcom's Commando 3, Rocky and Bullwinkle and lots of board games. At least Commando looks decent.
The Mayan themed puzzler has you dropping and spinning different blocks, which the aim of matching colours and destroying enemy walls. Like Tetris, then.
It costs 800 Microsoft points (about £6) and includes 120 levels, as well as a co-operative mode and Xbox Live head-to-head play. Head over to Xbox.com for screenshots.
The rumor about Netflix surveying the scene, prepping a possible streaming movie solution to Xbox 360 and PS3 seems to be on the verge of coming true, according to Netflix themselves. They just released a statement that says they've surveyed subscribers to see how interested they were in streaming movies over Xbox 360 (PS3 was not mentioned), but didn't say whether a partnership was coming between them and Microsoft.
Those of you who went to the Breakpoint Demo Party would have enjoyed this by TMBinc
tmbinc is probably more known for his work on gaming console platforms and other interesting hardware than for his demoscene coding. So far he coded on the Gamecube, the Xbox 360 and the Wii, always with the intention to make the available hardware useful for own projects, without being an official developer.
Gaming console hardware offers a great value for a great price, but are unfortunately usually locked down to only execute authentic code. This seminar will focus on homebrew code on the Nintendo Wii and the Microsoft Xbox 360. After giving a short overview over the two quite different architectures, methods to load own, unsigned code to retail machines will be explained and demonstrated. Finally, a "hello world" for both machines will be discussed, to give potentially interested demo coders a start.
Ubisoft's latest Tom Clancy shooter has hit the top of the UK All Formats charts on its first week of release.
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is the fifth in the publisher's Tom Clancy portfolio to take the number one position following success with Splinter Cell and its sequel Pandora Tomorrow, Rainbow Six Lockdown and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.
The game is also the fourth fastest-selling Xbox 360 game in the UK, with 77 per cent of sales on Microsoft's home console.
Despite a further jump in sales of 60 per cent, Sega's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games drops down one place to number two this week, while Activision claims the number three and four spots with Call of Duty 4 and Guitar Hero III.
With more stock back in the retail chain, Nintendo's Wii Play climbs to number seven, while EA's Army of Two is the only game in the top ten to lose sales as it slips from number two to number eight.
The only other new entry in the top ten is Sega Superstar Tennis at ten.
The full top ten follows:
1. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
5. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
6. Carnival: Funfair Games
7. Wii Play
8. Army of Two
9. FIFA 08
10. Sega Superstars Tennis
Capcom has debunked internet reports claiming that an updated version of Resident Evil 4 is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3.
Blurry photographs of "Resident Evil 4 Classic Edition" appeared on the internet yesterday, supposedly having been leaked from "Capcom's San Francisco building".
"I was sent this goody by a friend who works at Capcom's San Fransisco building. He spied an artist working on what appeared to be boxart for an upcoming port of Resident Evil 4 for the XBOX 360 and PS3 entitled "Resident Evil 4 Classic Edition," read the fakester's internet post.
A Capcom spokesperson replied on its official forum: "Wow. Really? We work in San Francisco? I didn't know that. Why does my business card say we're in San Mateo? Darn it, I need to get it updated." Looks like the faker should've done more research.
"Also. We have no artists that work in Dev here... Further more, All RE comes out of Japan. None of it comes from CEI."
A shame really, we would've played it for the Achievements alone. Cheer yourself up with some new(ish) footage of Resident Evil 5.
By the looks of it, last week's Bully: Scholarship Edition Xbox 360 patch hasn't fixed all of the "game breaking" bugs being experienced by players.
According to complaints on Major Nelson's semi-official forum, Bully players are still experiencing multiple random freezes, choppy audio and graphical glitches.
"We are very aware of the problems some people have been experiencing with the Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition and have been doing everything within our powers to resolve these issues as quickly as possible," PR man Darlan Monterisi recently said on the matter.
It looks like Rockstar might have to roll out a second patch to fix the issues then. We've left a message with its UK office and expect a statement back shortly...
We'll admit that we had almost forgotten that a console port of Chris Taylor and Gas Powered Games' Supreme Commander was in the works for the Xbox 360, which is probably just as well as it keeps us from being disappointed that the futuristic RTS won't be making its April release date. According to Shacknews, the port, which is being handled by Hellbent Games, has been pushed out by publisher Aspyr until "later this spring or early summer."
No reason was given, through Aspyr marketing man Eric Duncan spun up the delay, stating that "the additional time put into development will result in better gameplay and more fun for gamers." Supreme Commander is certainly one of the most complex RTS releases to come along in a good while, and will be a good test to see just how far the genre can be pushed on a game pad, as long as they don't push it over the cliff.
If you haven't heard of Atlus' tactical RPG Operation Darkness (and let's face it, not many of us have) then there's a chance to have it running in all its anime World War II glory via the 360 demo, arriving May 5.
The strategy RPG takes place in an alternate reality, where instead of rolling panzers across Europe Hitler's opted for the legions of undead and fire-breathing monsters. There's also zombie Nazis and mecha Nazis, which must be worth a download at least. Right?
It's out on June 24 in North America. Or, if you're really crafty, you can find a Japanese demo on the Japan Marketplace right now. Just don't tell Microsoft we told you.
UK developer Introversion's confirmed rumour that its strategy game Darwinia is heading to Xbox Live Arcade.
And going a step further, it's revealed that its multiplayer focused spin off from Darwinia, Multiwinia, is heading to XBLA too.
Both titles are scheduled to release this autumn and will be bundled together in a package called Darwinia+. Pricing's not yet confirmed.
"When we first started Introversion back in 2001, the idea of developing our games for a console seemed an impossible challenge, and whilst we have built a fantastic community around our PC games, and will continue to support that, it has always been our dream to take the next step and produce a console title", Introversion's creative director Chris Delay has said.
"Multiwinia is the natural conclusion of what we started with Darwinia way back in 2002 and with the launch of Live Arcade, Microsoft has presented us with a fantastic opportunity to get onto a rung of the console ladder. We're really looking forward to introducing Darwinia+ to a whole new audience."
Darwinia's a quirky strategy game that chucks you in the midst of a virtual theme park, where dodgy computer viruses threaten the lives of the world's digital inhabitants. Multiwinia plays on similar themes but is multiplayer.
Tom Clancy's EndWar, for anyone just stumbling out the desert, is Ubisoft's console RTS that's employing voice control to command troops in-game. Judging by a recent video, it's a feature that may even work.
But we'll make the judgement call when we experience it first-hand. In the meantime our inner Clancy fan's being entertained by a new EndWar trailer that features gameplay and cinematic footage. Watch it via the player on the right.
Ubisoft has massive confidence in EndWar and reckons it's the game that'll define RTS on console.
"We are to the RTS genre what Knights of the Old Republic was to the RPG genre, or what GTA was to action-driving", creative director Michael de Plater boasted to us a while back.
Analyst Billy Pidgeon with IDC tells Next-Gen that in the wake of the Wii's success and the explosion of casual, community gaming, the PlayStation 3 could be the last of the state-of-the-art consoles.
At launch, researchers estimated that Sony lost around $240 per 60GB PS3 sold. A pricey Blu-ray drive, state-of-the-art GPU and multicore Cell processor drove costs to new heights. Xbox 360's per-unit loss wasn't much better at launch at around $125 per console, according to estimates.
And then the Wii, with its cheap "GameCube 1.5" technology came along, albeit with motion sensing, showing that Nintendo could sell a console at no loss, attract a massive following and be profitable from the start.
"I think the results of this cycle will have a strong influence on the next cycle, in that cheaper consoles will be expected," Pidgeon says, alluding to the success of the $250 Wii. "Microsoft and Sony will attain successful business on this generation, but catering to the early adopter hardcore gamers with a technology leader strategy will be difficult in 2011.
"...Third party publishers are already looking for ubiquitous platforms to reach the market increase achieved by Nintendo and Guitar Hero," Pidgeon says. "The platforms of the next cycle may not be a console at all, but software distributed by network to convergent devices like PCs, set top boxes and smart phones."
He adds, "I would have dismissed this idea as unachievable last cycle when only Xbox could provide a promising connected console experience, but it is entirely possible that the PS3 is the last bleeding edge console hardware we will see."
Further analysis of the Wii's effect on the next console cycle can be found in the Next-Gen feature, "Wii the Death Knell of the Bleeding Edge Console?"
Over the last few weeks I've been asking top people at Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony about game demos for the downloadable games offered via Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare and PlayStation Network.
I can't get the same answer twice.
Microsoft - yes, demos are a must
Nintendo -- no, demos are not required
Sony - sometimes demos are good, sometimes bad.
Microsoft's Jeremy Wacksman, Global Marketing Manager, Xbox Live
"[Trial demos for XBLA games] came from the casual games industry. The thing is that Arcade has an identity. It is about pick-up-and-play games. The trial experience helps drive that pick-up-and-play nature. You have to think about how to get consumers to taste it. And the other thing is that it provides a great marketing tool. We've talked to consumers, and trial is one of the big drivers of purchase intent. So it gets smaller-budget games that doesn't have a big marketing campaign- this is their marketing. We're going to do a great job of getting the trial into people's hands, and then the game can help sell itself."
In 1931, Winston Churchill was hit by a taxi in New York. In the real world, he survived, and went on to rally the British people to fight the Nazi threat. But what if he hadn’t?
It’s from this premise that Fall Of Liberty takes it’s theme - without Churchill’s leadership, Europe and the United Kingdom have fallen to Hitler’s forces. By 1951, using crushing technical superiority, the United States is invaded and defeated by the Third Reich.
With this setting, Fall Of Liberty will be an FPS experience like no other; a game that’s both a World War 2 FPS and something different. Fighting not as a soldier, but a resistance fighter in a United States of America that’s under the rule of a foreign power.
Exclusive to next-generation platforms and PC, Fall Of Liberty breathes new life into the FPS genre.
features
Unprecedented unit and faction customization give players the ability to change units and research in the middle of combat to overcome any challenge
Unique multiplayer achievements that improve players' online avatars
Unique multiplayer game modes
Environmental destruction and manipulation in a persistent world
Dual-layered gameplay featuring intense tactical battles and a strategic global mode where players manage resources, consolidate territories, and maneuver armies
Real-world, modern-day environments
Three unique factions with different play styles and abilities
Special hero units with unique abilities
Massive-scale units that dwarf conventional RTS units
On-demand UI that doesn't clutter your view of the battle
Developed by Petroglyph, makers of Star Wars: Empire at War.
description
Universe at War: Earth Assault is the next sci-fi real-time strategy game from Petroglyph, the award-winning studio comprised of team members that developed the original Command & Conquer and C&C: Red Alert. The latest strategy game from these RTS pioneers features unprecedented levels of customization and an epic storyline set on near-future Earth.
Powerful forces from across the universe have brought war to our planet. In Universe at War, you take command of several unique factions with awesome powers and spectacular units. Control massive-scale alien war machines that are fully customizable. With "Tactical Dynamics," Universe at War's on-the-fly customization system, you can dynamically swap out weaponry, rework your tech tree, and retrain units in the middle of combat to thwart your foe and seize the advantage.
Universe at War features large-scale environmental destruction in a persistent world - level a city and when you come back, the area will still be a smoking ruin. Here, though, the environments you fight for are close to home, as you wage war across familiar Earth cities and landmarks.
Universe at War also introduces numerous innovative new multiplayer features inspired by today's top MMOs and competitive online games, giving players achievements, rewards, and medals in a balanced environment with intelligent matchmaking.
The official Xbox 360 PSU site was recently updated with notes on our next update which will hit our servers this Friday, March 28. Here's what we can expect.
Seasonal event
Easter will be making its way back to Gurhal from March 28 until April 18. Look out for Rappy Paskas!
New missions
A brand new party mission will be released at the Holtes City GUARDIANS Branch! Your client, Rol Medoc, wants you to go out and find some necessary ingredients for her ailing grandfather's medicine.
Also, to help with forming parties for this mission, the recruitment mission "Holtes Standby Area" has been released.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 was the top-selling game in Australia for the week of March 17 - 23 according to data released by GfK Australia.
The Xbox 360 version of Ubisoft's game debuted at number one - the PS3 version did not make it into the top ten.
The prior week's best-selling game, EA's Army of Two, dropped to the fourth spot. Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii captured the second position.
The complete list is as follows:
1. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Xbox 360)
2. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
3. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
4. Army of Two (360)
5. MX vs. ATV Untamed (PS2)
6. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
7. Army of Two (PS3)
8. Mario Party 8 (Wii)
9. The Simpsons Game (DS)
10. Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima: How Old Is Your Brain? (DS)
Microsoft has finally put a date on its promised Xbox Live Marketplace demo of Ninja Gaiden II, which will apparently be hitting its servers some time in May.
The demo was announced at the company's Game Developers Conference keynote last month, but all we've got since is a video of some bloke playing it.
Supposedly, according to the website blurb, the demo comprises of a single level which has you "guide Ryu on his mission to avenge his clan," which could be any of them really. Thanks for that, Microsoft.
Following on from yesterday's PC demo, EA has thrown a UEFA Euro 2008 demo up onto Xbox Live Marketplace, and a PlayStation Network demo will also go live today.
The Xbox 360 demo is 1.1GB, and we're waiting for EA to let us know what's in the demo and how big it is on PS3.
If it's anything like yesterday's though, you'll get to take part in a match between England and Germany. Which, er, isn't terribly authentic to Euro 2008, but proves that it's not the winning or even the qualifying that counts.
UEFA Euro 2008 is due out on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC, PSP, mobile phone, Amstrad, crackers and T-shirts on April 18th and will include several new features over and above last year's FIFA 08, including the option to Captain Your Country. Mind you, they'll let anyone do that these days...
Sierra Online, a division of Vivendi Games, is bringing the award-winning card game Lost Cities exclusively to Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system this Spring for 800 Microsoft points.
In Lost Cities, players draw from a pool of cards with the goal of amassing the most points and making prosperous expeditions through the various lost cities: the Himalayas, the Brazilian rain forest, the ever-shifting desert sands, ancient volcanoes and the mystifying depths of the Oceans.
Video game ratings need to be overhauled to make them easier for parents and children to understand, a UK government-backed review has said.
Carried out by psychologist Dr Tanya Byron, it says more games need to be rated by official bodies.
It calls for the creation of a UK body to draw up and oversee a national strategy to keep children safe online.
It also recommends that new PCs be sold with software that will help prevent children seeing harmful online content.
Greater scrutiny
"I challenge government and industry to step up to make the digital world safer for children and young people," said Dr Byron at a press event launching the review.
One key recommendation is lowering the statutory age at which games have to go before the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to 12.
At the moment video games only get a mandatory review by classifiers if they have "human sexual activity" or "gross violence"
Each year the industry submits about 250 games for review by the BBFC.
The introduction of a statutory requirement to classify games for children aged 12 plus will see the workload of the BBFC increase dramatically.
Dr Byron said her review had led her to conclude that parents' general lack of confidence and awareness was "leaving children vulnerable to risks within their digital worlds". The review also recommends that the ratings system be extended so that familiar BBFC logos seen on DVDs appear on all games sold in stores.
"I want parents to be empowered," said Dr Byron, "I want clear logos on all games so parents can make an informed choice."
"Kids are the digital natives, she said, "parents are the digital immigrants." While BBFC logos will adorn the front of game boxes, the "equivalent" ratings from Pegi will appear on the back of boxes. Pegi is a voluntary ratings system set up by the games industry.
"The European Pegi system works for the industry," said Dr Byron, "but the BBFC works for parents and children."
A consultation period will be held about the proposed changes to the recommendation system to which the games industry will be invited to contribute.
Before now the games industry has favoured a single system and has expressed a preference for Pegi.
The wide-ranging review also calls for more support for retailers so staff feel confident refusing to sell a game to anyone who is too young to play it.
Dr Byron also wants the government to set up a UK Council for Child Internet Safety that will report to the Prime Minister and be charged with drawing up a national strategy for online safety.
The council will co-ordinate the work of existing bodies who oversee net safety and implement a comprehensive programme that will educate parents about the benefits and dangers of using the net.
Work should also be done to see if there are technical means that can oversee where people go online and warn them about illegal or harmful sites they may visit.
It also called for the creation of kitemarked filtering software that is installed on all new PCs sold for use in the home and which is given away with all new net contracts.
The review said the online industry had to take greater responsibility when policing content posted to websites, such as video sites and social networks.
Sites where users can post their own images and videos should commit to specific time-lines for removing harmful content, recommended the report.
Search engines should also take steps to help parents limit what their children can look at and display links on their home pages to sites that can provide advice.
has recommended codes of practice for the industry, including social networking sites and video sharing sites, which should be independently monitored.
"We accept all the recommendations in the report," said schools secretary Ed Balls at the launch event.
He said the government would legislate where necessary to bring some of the recommendations into force.
Download the enitre report in PDF format from Computer and Video Games here
A ray of hope from reader James--Microsoft was able to fix his broken XBOX Live account. Are they getting their act together? Maybe?
"I'm sending this in due to my experience with XBOX LIVE Support and Microsoft's broken XBOX LIVE DRM (Originally posted here)
I too, like Kevin, sent in my XBOX360 for repair after the RRoD, and was sent a brand new XBOX360 as a replacement. Now, mind you, I had my XBOX360 registered on their website for warranty information, so I could see when they sent a brand new one, because the Serial Number on my warranty information was updated before they even had the new box on the truck to me. This was late December / early January.
So I called XBOXLIVE support in February, and got the same runaround as Kevin- re-download it, restore your GamerTag, etc, etc, etc. They never once offered the re-licensing until I specifically asked for the points to re-download my content. Once they did, I got the same spiel as others in the previous thread; for those that weren't keeping up, Microsoft could "fix" the problem by re-licensing my old content to my new XBOX360's serial number. Of course, this lengthy process (CTRL + H being a difficult task for their XBOX LIVE department, but common knowledge to their warranty division) would take 20 - 30 days. Of course, having no other alternative, I told them to go ahead and do it and get it resolved already.
This was 32 days ago at this point. Monday morning I get a call from an unknown number, and the message on my voicemail was from XBOX LIVE, letting me know that the re-licensing has been resolved, and all I need to do is re-download my older purchased content to the new XBOX360.
* When did you decide to take the steps that were publicly outlined today to punish people who are determined to be tampering with their game saves?
* We have always invested in upholding the Live Terms of Use through penalizing violations with user and or console bans. The method of having the individual's gamerscore reset is a more measured approach that addresses this particular form of behavior.
* How granular are your tools for determine whether someone, as your FAQ page states, "has earned achievements by using tools that circumvent the game or avoid game play entirely"?
* We look for abnormal Achievement and gamerscore activity using criteria that identifies members who have used external means to earn Achievements without really playing the game.
* Why did you decide to not only reset a player's Gamerscore, but also publicly label him or her a cheater? Is there any way for someone who has been so punished to have the scarlet "C" removed in the future?
* We want to make sure all Xbox Live members know there are consequences to violating the use of terms by cheating on the service. This label is primarily for verification to the user that yes, your gamerscore was reset due to cheating and can be observed on Xbox.com, and through the player's view of their gamercard on a console or PC connected to Xbox Live. Gamers who are labeled as 'cheaters' are still allowed to legitimately gain future Achievements and the player's experience doesn't change in any other way. Over time, we intend to remove the label - although the original achievements will remain reset. It is up to the individual player to prove that they won't do it again.
* Your adjudication process is secret, and you provide no means whatsoever for appeal, making it something of a star chamber. Aren't you concerned that in your zeal to punish the guilty, you may also ensnare the innocent?
* We only correct gamerscores for players who meet the criteria 100 percent. Like the vast majority of Xbox Live members, if you earn Achievements by playing through games like any other player, then you have nothing to worry about. Gamerscore correction only applies to players who use external means or avoid game play to earn Achievements.
Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
Many exciting games have been released this week, these include Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G for Sony PSP™. A Monster Hunter is the most interesting occupation there is, the fights with the massive creatures are thrilling and the rewards for your services are handsome, but bear in mind that this career path is only open to the fittest and most adventurous of you. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G Hunter Pack (w/ PSP-2000 Slim & Lite Console) and the its accessory pack are currently sold out, but we are sourcing some more at the moment, so be sure to check back for them.
Enter the era of WWII as a resistant fighter in Turning Point: Fall of Liberty. In this chaotic period, liberate the world as you survive skirmishes, battles and the big war.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 for Xbox360™ [standard and limited edition] and PlayStation3™ [standard and limited edition] are in stock this week. Feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins in this first person shooter as you rescue Las Vegas from the onslaught of terrorists from the comfort of your home.
Through blending stylishly rendered martial arts and graphics together with an engaging plot Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus explores whether humans and the android-like Gears can live together in peace.
Amidst all these great but serious games that came out this week, Sega Superstars Tennis for [Xbox360™, PlayStation3™, Nintendo Wii™ and Nintendo DS™] is a refreshing change. It features all the beloved Sega mascots, from Sonic the Hedgehog to NiGHTS, playing tennis and hilarious mini-games. This sports game is suitable for everyone.
As usually, here's a summary of all new releases from this week
Xbox360™:
Dark Sector JPN US$ 64.90
Raiden Fighters Aces JPN US$ 64.90
Sega Superstars Tennis US US$ 54.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 ASIA US$ 54.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 US US$ 64.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 [Limited Edition] US US$ 74.90
Tomb Raider: Anniversary JPN US$ 64.90
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty ASIA US$ 49.90
Universe at War: Earth Assault ASIA US$ 44.90
PlayStation3™:
Condemned 2: Bloodshot US US$ 64.90
Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds US US$ 64.90
Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore Bundle US US$ 79.90
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga JPN US$ 64.90
Sega Superstars Tennis US US$ 54.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Biolith Scourge Theme Deck JPN US$ 14.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Booster Pack (Japanese) JPN US$ 4.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Earth Emperor Theme Deck JPN US$ 14.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Fire Crusader Theme Deck JPN US$ 14.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Water Barrage Theme Deck JPN US$ 14.90
The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion Set 2: Wood Swarm Theme Deck JPN US$ 14.90
The Golden Compass / Lyra no Bouken: Ougon no Rashinban JPN US$ 64.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 US US$ 64.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 ASIA US$ 59.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 [Limited Edition] US US$ 74.90
Nintendo Wii™:
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga JPN US$ 59.90
Ninja Reflex JPN US$ 39.90
Nitrobike JPN US$ 59.90
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 US US$ 44.90
Sega Superstars Tennis US US$ 54.90
Tomb Raider: Anniversary JPN US$ 59.90
Worms: A Space Oddity US US$ 59.90
PlayStation2™:
Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Lost Colors JPN US$ 64.90
Elminage: Yami no Fujo to Kamigami no Yubiwa JPN US$ 64.90
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus JPN US$ 59.90
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus (Append Edition) JPN US$ 19.90
Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Oro de: Oshie Nikki JPN US$ 64.90
Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Oro de: Oshie Nikki [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 89.90
Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection US US$ 34.90
Neo Angelique Full Voice JPN US$ 39.90
Neo Angelique Full Voice [Premium Box] JPN US$ 59.90
Neo Angelique Full Voice [Super Premium Box] JPN US$ 79.90
Nobunaga no Yabou Online: Souha no Shou JPN US$ 64.90
Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends US US$ 34.90
Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 32: Phantasy Star Complete Collection JPN US$ 28.90
Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 32: Phantasy Star Complete Collection [Segadirect DX Pack] JPN N/A
Sega Superstars Tennis US US$ 44.90
Silent Hill: Origins KOR US$ 39.90
Singstar 90's US US$ 34.90
Singstar 90's with 2 Microphones US US$ 59.90
Tomb Raider: Anniversary JPN US$ 64.90
Nintendo DS™:
Aquarium US US$ 24.90
Business Ryoku Kentei DS JPN US$ 29.90
Cyber Codefreak & Accessory Pack JPN US$ 49.90
Diary Girl US US$ 34.90
Fantasy Aquarium US US$ 24.90
GoPets Vaction Island! US US$ 39.90
Insecticide US US$ 34.90
Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn! Bongole Shiki Taisen Battle Sugoroku JPN US$ 48.90
Lost in Blue 3 US US$ 39.90
Lux-Pain JPN US$ 48.90
Lyra no Bouken: Ougon no Rashinban / The Golden Compass JPN US$ 48.90
Minna de Flash Anzan DS JPN US$ 39.90
Minna no Atsumare! Quiz Party JPN US$ 39.90
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 JPN US$ 48.90
Sakana to Asobou! Aquazone DS - Kaisuigyo JPN US$ 39.90
Sega Superstars Tennis US US$ 34.90
Simple DS Series Vol. 35: The Genshin JPN US$ 28.90
Survival Kids: Lost in Blue 2 (Konami the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Tetsudou Seminar: JR-Hen JPN US$ 48.90
The Eigyoudou JPN US$ 39.90
Vitamin X Evolution JPN US$ 48.90
Vitamin X Evolution [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 69.90 Sony PSP™:
Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Lost Colors JPN US$ 48.90
Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Lost Colors (Special Edition) JPN US$ 69.90
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (English language Version) ASIA US$ 44.90
Dead Head Fred JPN US$ 48.90
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G JPN US$ 49.90
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G Accessories Set JPN N/A
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G Hunter Pack (w/ PSP-2000 Slim & Lite Console) JPN N/A
Tomb Raider: Anniversary JPN US$ 48.90
Umihara Kawase Portable JPN US$ 48.90
PC and MAC™:
Nobunaga no Yabou Online Souha no Shou JPN US$ 69.90
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 34.90
Game Books and Magazines:
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness 3 Complete Guide JPN US$ 31.90
Hobby Japan [May 2008] JPN US$ 14.90
Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis Official Strategy Guide US US$ 19.90
Monster Hunter Illustrations JPN N/A
Neo Angelique Memorial Book ~Official Setting Sourcebook~ JPN US$ 31.90
R20 Rockman & Rockman X Official Complete Works JPN US$ 39.90
Ryuusei no RockMan 2 Wave Command Card Perfect File JPN US$ 9.90
Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes Official Anthology Comics JPN US$ 19.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Won! Tertainment - Music Channel: Wantame Fan Book Vol.5 JPN US$ 14.90
Video Game Soundtracks:
Cosmos No Yoni (To Heart 2 Another Days Outro Theme) (~Rena Uehara) JPN US$ 9.90
Drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura- (w/ Final Fantasy Versus XIII Bonus Track) JPN US$ 28.90
Famison 8 Bit Idol Master 01 JPN US$ 22.90
Makai Senki Disugaia / Disgaea: Hour of Darkness - 3 Drama CD Vol.1 Kiki Kaikai! Akuma Darake No Kyoka Gasshuku (~Hiromi Hirata, Hiro Shimono, Chiwa Saito) JPN US$ 29.90
Poison Pink Complete SoundTrack JPN US$ 37.90
Rune Factory 2 Soundtrack JPN US$ 27.90
Waratte, Waratte (Sakura Wars - Kimi Arugatame - Outro Theme) JPN US$ 11.90
Zenkoku Dekotora Matsuri - Yosakoi Bakuso On Ban JPN US$ 31.90
Miscellaneous Accessories:
DVD Lens Cleaner JPN US$ 18.90
Did everyone managed to grab something off the Year of the Rat Lucky Sale? No matter whether your answer is a 'yes' or a 'no', here is another chance for you. To celebrate this holiday season (yeah well we might be a few days late, but does that really matter? ;-) ), we will be giving out Easter Eggs to all of our customers! And they are not just ordinary chocolate eggs, what we are giving out are massive savings and discounts in goods of a wide spectrum of flavors and colors. Be they small toys or popular games, there is something here for everyone!
Play-Asia.com is very happy to announce that the Easter Eggs sale will commence at this very moment. So get ready to browse through the pages or your bookmarks, hunt for the Easter Eggs strewn across the fields of our web pages and save yourself plenty of cash in the process! In fact, the more you buy, the more you save!
There is a 20% off of every "in stock" item. While some products are restocked regularly, please bear in mind that we have only a very limited amount of stock for some items, so be sure to place your order as quickly as you can to avoid disappointment. Your chance to pick up these Easter Eggs only lasts until Monday, 31st of March, so don't wait any longer, be on your way to the treasure hunt.
Pokémon fever ripped through Japan last week, pushing an impressive quarter-million copies of Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage in its debut week. It wasn't the only new release to make a splash as the combined efforts of Deca Sports, Armored Core and others pushed previous chart toppers like Wii Fit and Super Smash Bros. Brawl further down the charts. This week, fifteen newcomers crack the top thirty. See if you can catch 'em all in this week's Simple 2000 software chart, featuring sales from March 17 to 23.
See where Yakuza 3 Kenzan! landed this week and where Echochrome for the PSP debuted after the break.
01. Pokémon Ranger: Batonnage (DS) - 242,000 / NEW
02. Deca Sports (Wii) - 65,000 / NEW
03. Armored Core: For Answer (PS3) - 54,000 / NEW
04. SimCity DS 2: Kodaikara Mirai e Tsudzukumachi (DS) - 49,000 / NEW
05. Wii Fit (Wii) - 48,000 / 1,752,000
06. Tales of Rebirth (PSP) - 47,000 / NEW
07. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 41,000 / 1,490,000
08. Crayon Shin-Chan: Arashi o Yobu Cinema Land (DS) - 35,000 / NEW
09. DS Bimoji Training (DS) - 35,000 / 101,000
10. Time Hollow: Uwareta Kako o Motome (DS) - 34,000 / NEW
11. Dramatic Dungeon: Sakura Taisen (DS)
12. Echochrome (Sony)
13. Armored Core: For Answer (Xbox 360)
14. Yakuza 3: Kenzan! (PS3)
15. Wii Sports (Wii)
16. Gundam Musou Special (PS2)
17. Super Dodge Ball (DS)
18. Wii Play (Wii)
19. The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return (Wii)
20. Army of Two (Xbox 360)
21. Mario Kart DS (DS)
22. Army of Two (PS3)
23. Harvest Moon: Shining Sun and Friends (DS)
24. Mario Party DS (DS)
25. Kekkaishi: Koru Nogirou Shuurai (DS)
26. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
24. Minna no Joushiki Ryoku TV (Wii)
28. Musou Orochi (PSP)
29. Shugo Chara! 3-tsu no Tamagoto Koisuru Joker (DS)
30. Taiko Drum Master DS (DS)
Our next major event, Maximum Attack G, has just been announced! The event is scheduled to begin on April 25. Feel free to share your thoughts with us over at the forum.
Earlier today, a video of the rumored "classic edition" of Resident Evil 4 appeared. The rumored game, set for PS3 and the XBOX 360, has already been debunked by Capcom. So, is this the real deal, or is it a well-planned April fools?(the day's coming up, folks.) I'll leave it up to you.
Okay, more figures are in for the sales of consoles in Japan and they revert to usual positions as follows:
Nintendo DS Lite: 65,055
Nintendo Wii: 62,404
Playstation Portable: 59,833
Playstation 3: 12,874
Playstation 2: 9,990
Xbox 360: 1,407
DS is back on top (up about 11,800) and swaps its previous 3rd place with the PSP but even so the latter increases by about 2,000. Wii stays in 2nd, up 6,600. Last three consoles on the list ar the PS3, down 2,000, PS2 up by 60 and Xbox 360 crunches by some 300.
Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage has beaten off the opposition to take the Japanese chart top spot, selling almost a quarter of a million units in the process.
The data, compiled by Media Create for the sales week ending March 23, saw a completely new top four, with Deca Sporta for the Wii in second place, Armored Core for Answer on the PlayStation 3 in third and SimCity DS 2: From the Past to the Future in fourth place.
Wii Fit in fifth was one of only three titles to remain in the top ten from last week as a plethora of new titles saw releases in Japan.
Tales of Rebirth for the PlayStation Portable was another new entry in sixth, followed by Super Smash Bros Brawl, which will have surpassed the 1.5 million mark in Japan this week.
Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land took eighth spot, DS Beautiful Letter Training was ninth, and Time Hollow: Seeking the Lost Past rounded out the top ten.
Although eight of the top ten titles were on Nintendo platforms, there was some good news for Microsoft, as two new entries for the Xbox 360 made it into the top twenty - Armored Core for Answer on that console made number 13, while Army of Two was number 20.
The full top ten is as follows:
1. Pokemon Ranger: Batonnage (DS)
2. Deca Sporta (Wii)
3. Armored Core for Answer (PS3)
4. SimCity DS 2: From the Past to the Future (DS)
5. Wii Fit (Wii)
6. Tales of Rebirth (PSP)
7. Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
8. Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Cinema Land (DS)
9. DS Beautiful Letter Training (DS)
10. Time Hollow: Seeking the Lost Past (DS)
Rare has confirmed that the first Xbox 360 instalment in the Banjo-Kazooie series is on track for a Christmas release.
According to man-in-the-know George Kelion, posting on NeoGaf, "The game is scheduled for a holiday 2008 release - barring the coming of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, you should be playing Banjo 3 before the end of the year (providing you buy the game, that is)."
Kelion went on to confirm that Banjo's creator, Gregg Mayles, is lead designer on the game, and sought to calm fears it's going to be one for the kids.
"I can assure you that we haven't been focused on four year-olds when creating the new Banjo game," he wrote. "We hope that you'll be pleasantly suprised with what we've cooked up."
A teaser site for BK3 is up and running, for all the good it'll do you. "I really wouldn't base your ultimate judgements of the final Banjo model from what you've glimpsed on the teaser site if I were you," warned Kelion. "All shall be revealed in due course, not that long to wait now."
April 9 could well be the day that Ikaruga - the fantastic arcade shooter from Treasure - will arrive on Xbox Live Arcade.
So hinted a slip up on the Japanese Xbox.com site, which seemingly revealed the date earlier than was intended (quickly picked up by Japanese site Xbox-News).
The page on the official site has since been pulled, and MS UK offered no comment. Have some points ready anyway, though, just in case.
We've already blasted through the super-sweet high-res XBLA version, with full impressions and bullet-filled videos right here.
Former Vice President of Xbox Europe Sandy Duncan has cast his doubts on the long term future of the console market, claiming consoles as we know them will die out with a decade.
Speaking in an interview, he said: "There is a definite convergence of other devices, such as set top boxes. There's hardly any technology difference between some hard disc video recorders and an Xbox 360, for example.
"In fact in 5 to 10 years I don't think you'll have any box at all under your TV, most of this stuff will be virtualized as web services by your content provider."
We think he means you'll stream data from a server or PC straight to your telly, so technically they'll still be a box involved somewhere - it just won't be a console as we know it.
Whilst Duncan has a vested interest seeing digital distribution channels open up (he now runs a casual games company), his comments match those of Analyst Billy Pidgeon, who earlier on in the week debated whether the PlayStation 3 would be the last console we'd ever see.
Which, if nothing else, would validate Sony's claim that the PlayStation 3 would have a lifecycle of at least ten years.
Command 3 director Adam Boyes thinks N+ developer Metanet was wrong to call the vast majority of games on XBLA rubbish.
Writing on the Capcom US blog, Boyes said the real problem is how the content is presented, not the content itself.
"There is good content up there, but the Yellow Pages system [alphabetised with numerical titles at the top] doesn't lend itself to a proper sorting mechanic that we are used to from Amazon or YouTube," he said.
"Instead of complaining that XBLA has hundreds of games that are 'utter sh**' and advocating a no-limit release of a billion craptastic games, I think we need to work on lobbying a better system for sorting games. After all, Sony already has sorting for 'Most Popular' on PSN..."
Boyes praised the "indefinite shelf space" of the service that makes a game always available, and said he appreciated the demo system that lets you try before you buy.
These demos, if you remember, were one of the problem areas picked out by Metanet, which claimed it "was unbelievably depressing for us to try literally 80 games and enjoy less than 8 of them".
As a result, Metanet relies on word of mouth and reviews, which puts us back in "retail land" and far from the "Mecca for small teams" that it envisioned at the beginning of XBLA.
Meanwhile, Boyes continued to laud the freedom of the service and how there was a game for everyone, including his wife.
But again, this was something Metanet was against. It argued that "casual games outnumber proper videogames", which leads to the "vast majority of titles" being disappointing.
Conflicting interests, then. But who is right and who is wrong?
It's been about four months since we had any substantial grappling news from THQ, but the Los Angeles County-based publisher put an end to that today: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2
