Tags : xbox | playstation | sony
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Eurogamer 
Sun May 9 22:29:58 EDT 2010
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Article:
Retrospective: Max Payne -
Soft boiled.
The phone rang with a shriek that would wake the dead before trying to sell them double glazing for hell. I answered. It was Tom Bramwell, his words entering my ears as if a lava flow of rage.
"I want a retro of Max Payne on my desk by the morning, Walker. This is your final chance."
I sneered at the wall. The wall looked back at me with blank indifference. "Sure," I muttered, "Sure boss, I can do that for you."
Video: Alan Wake Performance Analysis -
Video: Alan Wake atmospherics showcase -
Video: Alan Wake combat stress test -
Video: Alan Wake environment scale showcase -
Video: Alan Wake environment scale showcase -
Article: Tech Analysis: Alan Wake -
Midnight feast.
As console exclusives for PS3 and Xbox 360 become rarer, the attention from media and gamers on first-party software has become more intense. Multiformat software does and will continue to break new technological barriers (Bad Company 2 anyone?), but the focus is on the exclusives to see the consoles pushing back the boundaries, unencumbered by the need to accommodate the limitations of a competing platform.
Few can argue with the assertion that Sony's mammoth network of first-party games studios has produced astonishing software in recent times. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and God of War III see the PS3 producing state-of-the-art visuals and gameplay that seem to hurdle the hardware limitations of the console running them almost effortlessly. But what of Xbox 360? Recently the focus from Microsoft has shifted elsewhere (most likely towards a certain camera-based device), with the platform holder seemingly happy to let third parties cater for the core gamer.
The emergence of Halo: Reach and Alan Wake looks set to change things. We took a look at Bungie's latest beta test last week, and today our gaze shifts towards Remedy's five-years-in-the-making survival horror epic, Alan Wake. Digital Foundry's love for Nordic games and their developers is well documented and an initial look at the Remedy game merely reinforces our belief that game-makers in this part of the world seem uniquely equipped to produce stunning titles, each with their own distinctive, impressive tech.
News: FFIX dated for Japanese PSN -
US release "coming soon".
Square Enix has revealed that the PlayStation Network re-release of Final Fantasy IX will hit Japanese consoles on 20th May.
The Japanese release date was revealed via a tweet by Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto (helpfully translated by Andriasang). The tweet also included a brief video showing the game running on a PSP.
Outside of Japan, the US Playstation blog has mentioned that the game will be "coming soon" to the US PSN.
News: PSP dominates Japanese hardware charts -
Console sales see slight bump.
Sony's PlayStation Portable once again topped the Japanese sales charts for the week ending 2nd May, selling 61,205 units on the strong launch of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.
The Nintendo DS took second place, selling 45,265 units despite having the week's best-selling game in Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2, according to statistics released by Media Create.
In the console space, the PS3 once again edged out the Wii, selling roughly 2000 more units for the week. Both consoles were up substantially from the week before, to the tune of a roughly 5000 unit increase for the PS3 and a 7000 unit increase for the Wii.
News: Wii Kirby pops up in Nintendo financials -
No date but set for Japanese release.
A listing from a Nintendo financial document suggests the company plans to release a new Kirby game for the Wii in the future.
A launch schedule included in Nintendo's recent Q1 financial results report lists a game called "Hoshi no Kirby(Temp.)" for release on the Wii in Japan. The title doesn't list any other regions for the release, which is dated "TBA".
Kirby's last headline appearance on a home console was 2003's Kirby's Air Ride, a racing spin-off for the GameCube. A more traditional GameCube Kirby game was planned at one point but never saw the light of day.
News: Bad Company 2 patch next week -
Console update coming 11th May.
DICE has announced a new patch for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 that will fix balancing issues on the console version of the game.
The update, set to hit 11th May, will change damage and recoil statistics for a variety of in-game weapons, and fix a few bugs that prevented weapons doing the right amount of damage.
The console update will also implement a host of balancing tweaks that hit the PC version of the game last month. In the other direction, DICE says the update will be applied to the PC version of the game "in the near future".
News: Call of Duty: The War Collection spotted -
Retailers list WWII-themed three-pack.
Listings from online retailers suggest a new Call of Duty compilation pack, The War Collection, may be coming to retailers this June.
Pages from Amazon and Gamestop online stores both describe the Xbox 360 collection as containing Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War for $59.99.
While Amazon lists the collection for a 1st June release, Gamestop's page suggests it will ship on 8th June.
News: Miyamoto pondering paid online service -
Defends Nintendo's current online strategy.
Legendary Nintendo designer and head of Entertainment Analysis and Development Shigeru Miyamoto has said Nintendo may have to start charging directly for its online features in the future.
"Probably the other thing that we are desperate to realise is the core [online] business structure," Miyamoto said in an interview with Edge.
"Do we need to demand customers pay monthly fees to enjoy online activities? Or give an online subscription that is free of charge, but then offer something extra for people that pay, so that they get some extra value? With these core business strategies I think we are less active than we should be."
News: Duke: Manhattan Project rated for 360 -
Side-scroller re-release teased by ESRB.
There's new evidence to suggest that 2002 side-scroller Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project may be coming to Xbox Live Arcade.
A new entry in America's ESRB ratings database lists the game for an Xbox 360.
This isn't the first hint we've had at an Xbox Live re-release for the Manhattan Project. Gamerbytes noticed a LinkedIn update pointing to the game late last year, and the Korean Game Rating Board listed the game last month.
News: Nintendo 3DS to have 3D off switch -
Protection from potential health effects?
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has revealed that the 3D function on the upcoming Nintendo 3DS handheld will be easy to turn off.
The revelation, which came via a Forbes interview with Iwata (thanks GoNintendo), was offered in response to concerns that 3D games might have possible health effects on children's eyesight, Iwata said.
Nintendo has had direct experience with the potential health effects of 3D gaming - the company's 3D Virtual Boy was reported to cause headaches for many players after prolonged play.
Article: Gaming the Vote -
Whatever the election outcome, there will be much to do if British development is to remain world-class.
Published as part of our sister-site GamesIndustry.biz' widely-read weekly newsletter, the GamesIndustry.biz Editorial is a weekly dissection of one of the issues weighing on the minds of the people at the top of the games business. It appears on Eurogamer after it goes out to GI.biz newsletter subscribers.
By the time you read this, it will all be over. The ballots will have been cast in the British General Election on Thursday, 6th May, and while it's highly unlikely that we'll have a new government yet, we'll be starting to get an inkling of the new direction the country will be taking.
That direction is one which will be watched more keenly than ever by those involved in the games business - from the biggest publishers right down to the bedroom developers hoping to create the next break-out hit on iPhone or Facebook. Politics has always, of course, had an impact on our sector, but never to quite the extent that it's having now.
Video: Zeno Clash XBLA - the first 10 minutes -
Video: RayStorm HD - first 10 minutes -
News: Gears 3 has burrowing-grenade launcher -
Plus more fatalities, dynamic environments.
Details on Gears of War 3's weapons, dynamic environments and additional combat systems have tumbled out in a new translation of the Russian preview that Cliff Bleszinski was grumpy about the other day.
Thanks to a Russian friend of Digital Foundry editor Rich Leadbetter, we know a number of additional details. For example, Gears 3 features a new grenade launcher with grenades that burrow underground and emerge on the other side of cover to strike enemies even when they're protected.
There's also a double-barrel shotgun that fires both shells simultaneously, and a single-shot rifle that does increasing damage when you achieve consecutive hits on the same target.
News: Nintendo unveils Wii Party -
Play with your friends and as your Mii.
Nintendo has unveiled a new multiplayer game titled Wii Party.
In an investor's presentation, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said, "We are developing this game with the aim to make it a marquee party game for Wii.
"The developers are spending significant time for this title so that they can include elements that are must-haves in a party game as well as making sure that [an] adequate volume of gameplay [is] available. We are developing it with the intent that every Wii player will be able to find a game that can be enjoyed."
News: iPad to hit Europe on 28th May -
Prices start at £429 for 16GB version.
Apple has announced a new release date for the UK launch of the iPad.
The new device will now hit British shops on Friday 28th May. It will launch in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland on the same day.
Apple's online store will begin taking pre-orders on Monday 10th May. The 16GB iPad will carry a suggested retail price of £429, while the 32GB version will cost £499 and the 64GB is £599. The 3G-enabled models will be priced at £529 for 16GB, £599 for 32GB and £699 for 64GB.
Review: Download Games Roundup -
Iraq! Wario! Dodos! Knights!
Clearly no introduction tapped out in the aftermath of hung parliament fun could resist making some reference to the fact Eurogamer now resides in the UK's first Green constituency. Appropriate, really, because part of the mandate for any download-friendly game is to lovingly recycle the things that other people leave behind. This week, all four of our selections stick to these fine ecological principles, with Rocket Knight and Babylonian Twins both being recycled from 1993, while Wario Ware's appearance on WiiWare nicely reheats some leftovers from Intelligent Systems' DS release. DodoGO!, on the other hand, rummages through the bins of Lemmings and Dizzy, scrapes off the mould and creates a rather tasty new morsel. Enjoy!
Review: Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies -
Heavens above.
It is, perhaps, the most expensive videogame ever made. Not in the financial sense: Treasure, Japan's small yet consistently brilliant boutique developer has nothing like the resources of its high-profile Western counterparts, as the often-rudimentary graphical assets in this Space Harrier-style shoot-'em-up testify. But in creative terms Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies is a high-speed conveyor belt of valuable, distinct ideas, scenes and flourishes that dizzy the mind with their density and inventiveness.
News: ModNation PSP demo due next week -
Plus: free DLC promised shortly.
Update: Sony has been in touch to let us know that the ModNation Racers PSP demo will be out here on 19th May.
Original story: Sony has announced plans to release a demo for the PSP version of ModNation Racers.
"In this demo we included a couple of our favourite tracks, some familiar Mods and their karts, and of course, a sneak peek of our amazing Track Studio," wrote producer Vernon Mollette on the PlayStation blog.
News: Remedy looking to improve Alan's face -
Wake DLC likely to boast tech tweaks.
Remedy has said that it has adopted some improved facial animation techniques for the upcoming Alan Wake downloadable content.
"While I think it'll always be possible to get 'fugly' single frames out of any game, we definitely learned a lot doing Alan Wake, and will try to improve the way we do things to get best possible looking facials," Remedy's Markus Maki wrote on the official forum.
"In fact, we're using some of the improvements in the DLC production already.
News: Things on Wheels to arrive next week -
XBLA offering will cost 800 Points.
Xbox Live Arcade exclusive Things on Wheels is due to arrive on Xbox Live next week - finally.
The kart racer was originally down for a release in summer 2008. Since then publishing duties have switched to Focus Home Interactive, which has just announced the game will be out on Wednesday 12th May.
Things on Wheels will cost 800 Microsoft Points (£6.80). You can take a look at the game in action via the gamepage.
News: More MW2 DLC in second half of 2010 -
Likely to stick with $15 price point.
Activision plans to release its second map pack for Modern Warfare 2 in the "back half of the year" according to CFO Thomas Tippl.
Referring to releases in the second half of calendar 2010, Tippl said during last night's earnings call: "With respect to the Call of Duty franchise, we plan to release the second Map Pack for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, which is currently in development at Infinity Ward."
Tippl later said that the first pack, the Stimulus Package, had been a roaring success and the $15 - 1200 Microsoft Points - price tag had been the right call for Activision.
Video: SBK X Superbike World Championship -
Video: Dragon Age Darkspawn Chronicles -
News: New Cryptic game reveal in late summer -
People will be "pleased and a bit surprised".
Cryptic Studios will announce a new game, presumably an MMO, in late summer.
That's according to Bill Roper, who told MMORPG.com (via GameSpot) that the game may surprise people.
"I can't speak to the specifics of what we're doing, but it's true that we have another game in the works," he said.
News: Ben Kingsley to appear in Fable III -
He will play a "wonderful wizard".
Veteran actor Ben Kingsley has signed up to provide a voiceover for Fable III.
"I'm a voice in a new videogame shortly - Fable III," he told CVG. "I'm a wonderful wizard character who is the king of Mist Peak."
According to Kingsley, "It's very energising and good for us actors to realise that [acting] is so diverse now. [Games] are as big a jump now as I suppose when cinema was invented, when people went from the stage to the cinema thinking: It's not really acting, is it? Now, it's videogames - and it is acting. It's very demanding."
News: Just Dance sequel on the way -
Win the chance to star in it.
Ubisoft has revealed that a sequel to Wii exclusive Just Dance is on the way.
The news comes via the game's Facebook page, where there's a competition to "win the chance to star in the next Just Dance game".
Auditions are set to be held at "a secret central London location" on 29th May. A panel of judges, including Ashley Banjo of dance troupe Diversity, will choose the winner.
News: GamesAid launching PS3 Triple Pack -
Three games, 30 quid, all profits to charity.
Never mind eh? Make yourself feel slightly better this morning by taking note of the upcoming GamesAid Triple Pack for PlayStation 3.
Due out on 25th June for £29.99, the GamesAid Triple Pack consists of Tomb Raider: Underworld, SEGA Superstars Tennis and FUEL.
Yes! Three games from three different publishers! The key to this miracle is that all the profits go to GamesAid charities.
News: Japan charts: Dragon Quest still No. 1 -
Peace Walker debuts in second.
PSP exclusive Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker debuted in second place on the Japanese sales charts for the week ending 2nd May.
Square Enix's monster-collection RPG spin-off Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 took the top spot with 624,000 weekly sales, easily besting Peace Walker's relatively strong 434,000 units, according to data released by Media Create.
Versions of Capcom's Super Street Fighter IV took the third and fifth places on the list, selling 81,000 copies on the PS3 and 28,000 copies on the Xbox 360 in its first week on sale. Last week's top seller, Nier Replicant, fell way down to ninth with only 21,000 weekly sales.
News: Takeuchi not keen to work on RE6 -
Felt he was in Mikami's shadow.
Capcom's Jun Takeuchi, who served as producer on Resident Evil 5, he says he isn't interested in working on the next game in the series.
"Personally, I don't think I'm gonna deal with Resident Evil 6 at all," Takeuchi said in an interview with Xbox 360 World (thanks, CVG). "As far as the series is concerned I'm not planning to return until at least two more Olympics have passed!"
Elsewhere in the interview, Takeuchi said his team felt "extreme pressure" and the effects of "[Resident Evil 4 Director Shinji] Mikami-san's shadow" while they were working on the RE5. "However, because we were creating the sequel to this huge franchise we wanted to make our fresh direction clear," he said.
News: EA reveals Monopoly Streets -
"3D world" game due in autumn.
Electronic Arts has announced Monopoly Streets, a new take on the 75 year-old board game franchise due for the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 in the autumn.
The announcement makes the game sound more like a land-grab-style strategy game than a board game, with a focus on property development and player-owned headquarters that grow and shrink with in-game success. Players will be reportedly be able to view the game's "dynamic, living, 3D world" from "the street level".
EA also teased features like online play, downloadable content and the ability to control Miis on the Wii and Xbox Live Avatars. Streets will reportedly include a playable version of the traditional Monopoly board game, "for purists" as the release puts it.
News: Activision teases franchise updates -
New Bond and Hawk on the way.
Activision has confirmed that new entries in its James Bond and Tony Hawk franchises are coming later this year.
The announcement of the updates to what Activision calls its "long-standing and highly successful franchise properties" seemed like almost an afterthought during Activision's first quarter earnings conference call .
We recently heard about a domain registration pointing to a James Bond game called Bloodstone and got confirmation of a Tony Hawk game called Shred being in the works.
News: Guitar Hero, DJ Hero sequels coming -
Music updates hitting in autumn.
Activision has announced that Guitar Hero 6 will be hitting store shelves this autumn, with a new DJ Hero game coming "soon after".
The new games were mentioned in a conference call discussing Activision's stronger-than-expected first quarter financial results.
Activision promised "new and innovative gameplay modes" and a "significantly enhanced social gaming experience" for both titles.
Review: What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 -
Dig for victory.
Hurrah for Nippon Ichi. Not only do they tirelessly serve the needs of niche enthusiasts with games like Disgaea, but they understand the cathartic value of letting you play the bad guys once in a while. Much like the Disgaea series, in fact, both "What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord!? 2" and its Batman-rankling predecessor put you in the shoes of a divine evil - sallying forth against the sickeningly puritanical forces of goodness and light, turning the traditional RPG hit-tables with a healthy splash of comedy villainy.
We'll be calling them the "Lord" games, by the way, for obvious reasons.
In both Lord games, players take the role of the God of Destruction, via the medium of a disembodied pickaxe. Summoned by the camply comedic dungeon master Badman, it's your job to mine an evil lair from the magical loam and bedrock below a typical fantasy JRPG kingdom, constructing a labyrinth of sufficient terror and complexity to confound the aims of the occasional visiting hero.
News: Acti financials better than expected -
Sees Blizzard driving PC market growth.
Activision Blizzard has announced stronger than expected financial results for the first quarter of 2010.
The company brought in $1.3 billion in quarterly revenue, beating previously announced expectations of $1.1 billion for the three month period. The result is up nearly 25 per cent from first quarter revenue of $981 million in 2009.
The strong performance was primarily the result of excellent performance by the company's two biggest franchises: Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. In particular, Activision cited one million Xbox Live sales of the Call of Duty Stimulus Pack in just two days and a stable base of over 11.5 million World of Warcraft players as major reasons for the heightened revenues.
News: Infinity Ward working on Call of Duty -
Activision confirms project in conference call.
Activision has confirmed that Infinity Ward is working on a Call of Duty game.
"What we have said is that Infinity Ward is working on a Call of Duty title and you'll hear more details as we advance through the year," said Activision CFO Thomas Tippl, during a conference call discussing earnings for the first quarter of the year.
Tippl did not address whether the game would be a new entry in the Modern Warfare series or a separate take on the Call of Duty franchise.
News: Kotick comments on Infinity Ward firings -
Says decision was "not taken lightly".
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick today addressed the controversial firings of Infinity Ward co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella.
"The decision to remove the Infinity ward executives was not taken lightly, and was not done to deprive them of their bonuses," Kotick said in a conference call to discuss Activision financial results for the first quarter of the year.
Referring to the detailed cross-complaint Activision filed against West and Zampella last month, Kotick said the pair's conduct forced the company's hand.
Video: Lost Planet 2 - Destroy the Mine! -
Video: Lost Planet 2 - the first 10 minutes -
Gallery: BlackShot Europe -
Gallery: Blitz1941 -
Gallery: NavyField -
Gallery: Soldner-X 2 -
Hands On: Halo: Reach -
How different armour abilities are making their mark.
So, the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta is now open to all - well, all the people who bought Halo 3: ODST anyway - and now that the obligatory first-day rush has finished pounding the servers into digital paste, we're starting to get a clearer picture of how this tactical new twist on a classic multiplayer formula is going to work.
It's tougher, that much is clear. Shield damage no longer translates into physical damage, so taking down other players requires headshot expertise. You can get away with a few lucky kills by blasting away, but if you're used to using a spray-and-pray technique for most of your multiplayer scalps, you're going to struggle.
It's also a game with a unique sense of balance. With pre-defined loadouts rather than rigid character classes, the different skillsets are, at first glance, not balanced at all. Elites in particular are absolute monsters; larger, faster and more powerful than the Spartans in almost every respect.
Video: Welcome to the House Of Sam -
