Archive for March 24th, 2006
Starcraft: Ghost? Indefinitely Postponed
Blizzard’s stealth-action console foray into the world of Starcraft looks like it’s going to be delayed again. After releasing underwhelming screenshot after underwhelming screenshot and having marginally fun builds at E3 2005 and 2004, it looks like Blizzard is going back to the drawing board, shooting for a next gen console release instead. No word on whether developer Swingin’ Ape is still on as the title’s primary developer.
Full PR follows.
Blizzard Entertainment(R) Focuses Console-Development Plans on Next-Gen Platforms
IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–March 24, 2006–Blizzard Entertainment Inc. today announced plans to focus the company’s console-development efforts on the next generation of console platforms. As part of this shift in focus, Blizzard(R) will indefinitely postpone production on StarCraft: Ghost(TM) while evaluating opportunities for utilizing the additional power of the new and upcoming console systems.
“Like many in the industry, we’ve been impressed with the potential of the new consoles, and we’re looking forward to exploring that potential further,” stated Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “In addition to allowing us to determine the best course for StarCraft: Ghost, this review period will help us lay the groundwork for our future console games.”
In the months ahead, Blizzard will further evaluate the next-gen console technology and determine the best plan of action for offering a StarCraft(R) console-gaming experience that meets the company’s expectations and those of its players. Further specifics on plans for StarCraft: Ghost and Blizzard’s future console games, as well as platform and release information, will be revealed at a later date.
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Related: EA, Blizzard and China
Related: Washington Article on Sara Andrews, Transsexual Elven Mage
Related: Starcraft Board Game Announced For 2006
GRAW PC Screens Hit
Just because Ubi is raking in the cash with Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter on the Xbox 360, don’t think they’ve forgotten about the computer version.
Here’s three images from the computer version, due out in May, likely early May.
(Two more after the jump)
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Related: GRAW Sells 360K Copies
Related: GRAW’s Interface Up Close
Related: Southpaws Left Out of GRAW, For Now
Desperate For Video Game Licenses
There’s one thought that goes through the mind of every gamer who watches Desperate Housewives: “They should make a game out of this!” Buena Vista games is doing that very thing, although unfortunately it’s not a FPS. From the sound of the press release, it’s a sim of sorts.
In the Desperate Housewives game, players take on the role of a new housewife who moves into Wisteria Lane and unlocks the delicious scandals hidden in the seemingly “perfect” neighborhood.
Buena Vista Games Announces ‘Desperate Housewives’ PC Game
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Related: Will Wright On The Scope Of Imagination In Games
Will Compose for Games
I saw this woman sitting outside one of the expo halls playing some beautiful music. The sign in front of her says “I also compose game music.” That’s one way to get a job.
Reggie Sits in on Iwata Keynote
He may not have been talking, but Reggie Fils-Aime made sure to catch his bosses keynote at GDC yesterday. He slipped out of the convention center by a backdoor after the talk. I think he was going to kick the Drop the Bomb guy’s ass.
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Related: Reggie Talks About His Super Powers
Europe To Get Just As Many PS3s As Everyone Else: 0 * 0.33
As in most things, we Euros get the short end of the console release stick. While the Japanese are waited upon hand and foot by their sexy robot butlers and while Americans play their 360s whilst munching on Freedom Fries, the stagnant and festering ruins of what once was European civilization must scavenge for technology amongst your first-world dregs. After the American and Japanese launches of new consoles, the European launch is usually a staccato of ploppings, like the last movements of Microsoft’s bowels after a particularly ponderous unloading. Not only that, but because these companies tend to think that the Euro maintains a magical equilibrium with the dollar, we end up paying twenty percent more. Man, Europe really did lose World War 2.
So as a European, I’ve been wondering how Sony intended to handle the European launch. Luckily, SCEE president David Reeves has stepped up to the plate with some answers.
“The US, Japan and Europe will be equally served,” Reeves claims. “It’s my job to make sure Europe gets equal billing. I can’t specify the numbers but we’ll work hard to ensure it is equal.”
Translation: with one million consoles available at launch world wide, no one’s going to be able to buy one. Distribution will be settled on the sole basis of most bitching blowjobs delivered to Sony execs.
Reeves further elaborated: “We’re delighted that it is out in November. I think the fact it is worldwide is good news for retail. And for our third party partners it is great timing before Christmas – in Europe specifically. Europe is on track and I think the third party publishers should recognise that. But as for us, we will have anything from four to six titles at launch, maybe more.”
Oooh. Four launch titles. Hope your Sinterklaas clog is big enough to hold them all, boys and girls!
Sony wakes up to Europe [MCV]
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Related: Phil Harrison: “In-game advertising will play a significant role in PlayStation 3’s future.”
Retro vs. Next Gen Comparison
In the last twenty-odd years, this is how far we’ve come. The image on the left is from Nintendo’s Double Dribble (1987) and the Xbox 360’s NBA Live ‘06. While, most are no actual gameplay images and definitely do not reflect each game’s fun factor, they do give an idea of where we are graphic-wise. Man, when I was 9, the pre-renders in Double Dribble were the bee’s knees. Just think, twenty years from now, we’ll all be talking about the “retro look” of the Xbox 360, the PS3 and current PC games. Can’t wait.
Comparison Here [Fosfor Gadgets] Thanks, Mikael!
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Related: The Craziest Famicom Game Evar
Kornelia’s Fingers Humiliate the GDC Masses
I met Kornelia, the Queen of Quake, over at the S3 booth during GDC. She seems very nice, unless you’re playing her in a game of Quake, then she’s just the last thing you see before being fragged into humiliation.
Seriously, she was taking people out in seconds and she didn’t look like she was really even concentrating that much.
The S3 folks were giving away a graphics card to anyone who beat her ina match. One S3 guy told me that Kornelia wanted to make it two or three on one so it would be more challenging for her.
Having watched her play, I think the key to her success are her freaky long fingers. Those things are frightening. I was going to take a video of her hands during play, but I didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea.
External Hardware Runs Three Monitors as One
This is very cool. The Maxtrox people sent me a press release about their TripleHead2Go gadget a few weeks ago.
The device plugs into your graphics card and then splits the signal three times so you can use three monitors. It fools Windows into thinking the three are just one really big monitor.
I happened upon their booth at the show and was really impressed with the device. They said they’ll be sending me a loaner so I can check it out. It looks as if there is no distortion and very little lag, depending on your card and monitors of course. The best part is you can actually mix and match the three monitors.
Very cool.
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Related: Poll: Should Nintendo Rename the Revolution?
Related: New Revolution Hardware Pics
Colossus Owns
In celebration of Shadow of the Colossus’ five GDCA awards, we present this stirring visual metaphor of Colossus owning the competition. Or… wait a second… vice versa, I guess.
Related: 6th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards WInners
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Related: God of War II Officially Announced
Related: 360 Release Date For Tomb Raider: Legends
Related: Tomb Raider: Legend, The First 10 Minutes
Sony GDC Swag
After leaving the Sony Party you have to get in another line and let them snip your little plastic security bracelet. In exchange, they give you this cool little Swiss+Tech tool with the Playstation logo on it.
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Related: Europe To Get Just As Many PS3s As Everyone Else: 0 * 0.33
Stay Alive in Theaters Today
Today, video game movie Stay Alive hits American movie theaters. It stars Frankie “Don’t Call Me Malcom” Muniz and follows a bunch of teens as they are killed in a video game or something. Can’t find a review of the film, but know most will include this zinger: “Stay Alive? More like Stay Away.” Cue the rim-shoot.
Watch The Opening [Kotaku] Thanks, Robert!
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Related: Stay Alive: Here’s the Opening Scene
Video: Will Wright Takes on Brain Age
I managed to capture a video of the second half of the Brain off during Iwata’s keynote at the GDC yesterday.
Basically, they called Will Wright, GDC Director Jamil Moledina and some G4 guy to the stage and had them take on the localization guy. It was a Brain whooping, though in the second game, Wright had an amazing come back.
Keep in mind none of these guys had ever played the game before.
Nintendo’s Other Revolution Controllers
Iwata’s keynote at the Game Developers Conference yesterday was pretty amazing. It was interesting to hear him talk about the birth of Brain Games, NiWiFi and the Revolution Controller.
One of the cool images he popped up for half a second during the speech is this one showing all of the prototype controllers they made before deciding to go with the remote control variety. Pretty cool, huh?
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Related: Animal Crossing Getting Revolutionized
Related: More Revolution Pictures: What’s that thingie?
Two Horrible, Horrible Zelda Beginnings
Earlier today, we showed you the endings to two of Link’s more execrable adventures: Wand of Gamelon and Faces of Evil on the Phillips CD-i. With a luscious pout and animation produced in the animation workshop of a south California Down’s Syndrome Community Center, Link was instantly transformed from noble hero of Hyrule to some fruity wizard’s gay boy toy with a penchant for surfer speak.
You laughed, you cried, you wanted more. Well, far be it for Kotaku to disappoint… that’s why we keep the bar here low. Now, we proudly presents the beginnings of Wand of Gamelon and Faces of Evil.
Faces of Evil is after the jump.
Hey, Zelda! How about a fuck? For luck!
Related: Two Horrible, Horrible Zelda Endings
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Related: Two Horrible, Horrible Zelda Endings
Related: Two New DS Brain Games
Related: Iwata’s GDC Keynote Transcribed
GDC: Best Poster of Show
Seriously, how wrong is this?
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Related: Rock, Paper…Multiplayer!
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Weird Little GDC Product
So this was a strange little item being shown off at GDC. The tiny, glowing treasure chest plugs into a USB slot and then your computer acts as security. Essentially, this just means you need to plug it into your computer to open it without the help of a screwdriver.
Kinda….um…useless?
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Related: External Hardware Runs Three Monitors as One
Related: GDC: Best Poster of Show
Related: French Maids Invade GDC
Multi-Tap: A Week In Comments
Dear Sony, Thanks For The Delay, Love Steve
“Who cares who wins the Sony/Microsoft battle anymore. Pick the console which has the games you want to play, and stick to it. I just hope Sony doesn’t totally fail with the PS3, because everything needs a little competition to keep prices down to the consumer.”
by nesdude
“I’m not sure if I should be aroused or absolutely frightened.”
by Draconis
“I also play them because they are generally more challenging and more of an exercise in brain and reflex skill than newer games. Also, old games are typically just more fun because the developers concentrated on the game itself and not on graphics, fmvs, etc.”
by Apreche
Starforce Reboots Your PC Without Warning. Don’t Like It? You’re Mafioso
“I have another idea: how about not charging a freaking arm and a leg for the software to begin with? They want to get rid of piracy? How about getting rid of the purpose of piracy?”
by macdeth
“I’m looking forward to all this talk of “new sources of revenue” coming to fruition. Isn’t this just another way of saying “gouge consumers” by getting them to buy a $60.00 game, then bombarding them with ads, and giving them a shell of a game that “fills out” the more “micro-payments” you make? Instead of in-game achievments unlocking things, you have to purchase them. Want that nice fancy car? 500 Sony Credits please. I know MS is already doing this, but this is just further confirmation of where the industry is going.”
by Fuzz
Shake-Up at Sony Online Entertainment
“I am tired of hearing the fall of SWG fall on ‘SOE not listening to the customers’. Individual players know what they want, which usually derives in some sort of benefit to their own player often at the cost of others. In other words, a shift in balance. Therefore, the collective term of ‘players’ as a whole do not know what they want because their views stretch in so many directions and lack that sense of balance.
I am by no means agreeing with the decisions made by SOE, but the fault does not lie in their ‘lack of attention’ to the fanbase. Perhaps it is their listening to the fans that have caused such drastic changes to the game, or rather to the fans that aren’t playing, which they are trying to attract. Fans lost to WoW or any other MMO. By listening to the public too much, they’ve lost sight of the original game and have decided to play ‘catch-up’.”
by vgachi
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French Maids Invade GDC
I guess news of a Booth Babe crackdown at E3 has the oddly dressed woman contingent looking for other places to prance about. I’m not quite sure how this had anything to do with the booth, though at one point she was playing paddle ball.
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Related: Iwata’s GDC Keynote Transcribed
Related: More Revolution Pictures: What’s that thingie?
Related: Zelda Phantom Hourglass GDC Video
Dreamfall: Longest Journey 2 Screens
Heterosexuality firmly in check, I was one of those guys who actually really dug The Longest Journey. That I could play it without confirming all my girlfriend’s suspicions about the bloodthirsty misogynism of men was a plus: instead of doing what she normally did when I played games — make exasperated sighing noises and having loud discussions on the telephone with her mother about her being right that I wasn’t the marrying type — she actually played it with me. It was the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend game, if only because what self-respecting guy could figure out the early puzzle where you need to use a pair of pliers, an inflatable duck, a belt and a diaphragm to get a key out of a subway tunnel?
Anyway, we’ve been anxiously looking forward to Dreamfall, The Longest Journey’s upcoming sequel. So we were pleased to see this fresh lathering of new Dreamfall screenshots over on Worthplaying. The art design certainly looks as beautiful as the first. Let’s hope they got rid of the pallid, dead-eyed mutants in the cut scenes this time.
‘Dreamfall: The Longest Journey’ (Xbox/PC) - 29 New Screens [Worthplaying]
