Archive for October 2nd, 2006
The Zeitgeist Following the Wii250 Announcement: Sony Tolerance on the Rise
We were told that the Wii would be under $250, and Nintendo delivered on that promise. Barely.
As Penny Arcade’s Tycho pointed out, we can’t really be angry at them for it, as they were essentially truthful, but the implications of such a statement were clear, and the average estimate of wiiprice was in the $150-$200 range.
I can’t help but think Nintendo would have been wiser to promise something below $300, so as to guarantee a wide margin and avoid much of the ensuing disappointment.
But in that disappointment was born a fresh interest in, and tolerance for, the PS3. I cannot point to any specific examples, as my claim is based more on the zeitgeist of the game media.
Here at Kotaku HQ, I am situated directly over the throbbing, gelatinous heart of the gaming memewad. It’s swampy, rotten and opaque, but one gets to recognize the amorphous feelings emanating from the evil cesspool of incoming RSS. An RSSpool, if you will.
I can’t catch every specific instance, but I can sense the sort of collective emotion of the fanboys, media, press releases and forums. And the Sony bashing has been lashed back a few notches. There’s a lot more excitement about the PS3’s pretty stunning capabilities. I’m hearing a general grumbling and occasional yell of approval for trailers like the one for White Knight, and not just from the holdout Sony fanboys.
Being faced with the Wii’s true price has put a better spin on the outlandish cost of our favorite waffle iron, and their PR blunders are met with more chortlings and “Oh, that Sony!” than screaming monkey rage, somewhat deflating the hysterical hatred for the company that until recently has been so fashionable.
What does it all mean? I am reminded of the way sleepy parakeets will shake violently to fluff out their feathers, and then slowly subside into their former shape and eventually drift off, surrounded by a gentle snow of their loosened down. I think we’re settling in for the winter. Most of the cards are on the table at this point, and there’s very little to do now except sell plasma, stand in line, and see how it all plays out.
[thanks to Stickypig for the suggestion]
Freeware DS Browser to Save Us from Opera?
The continual poor reports from the DS’s Opera browser front have been depressing. But soft, what light from yonder homebrew breaks: it is the east, and Okiwi is the sun!
Pedro J. Estébanez, a homebrewster who we assume is too frugal to purchase the already-available Opera browser, is apparently hard at work on creating a homebrew browser. Meant to cost users nothing, this browser, dubbed Okiwi, is to support .pdf files, JavaScript, file uploading, as well as a few other features. No word on release date as of right now.
I know nothing about the DS homebrew scene, but free is always good, and it sounds like at this point, anything is better than Opera
Homebrew Okiwi Web Browser [DSfanboy, via Aeropause]
Molten Core More Revealing Date than TGI Friday’s
TerraNova addresses a topic dissected by artist and gamedev Andre Fryer at the recent Sex in Video Games Conference. The piece is concerned mostly with a phenomenon most of us have encountered already, which is meeting brain before brawn online. That is to say, becoming acquainted with a personality before ever laying eyes on the fleshwrapper it pilots.
Let’s look at some example scenarios:
Our couple has been trying to slay a dragon for two hours, have died for the 20th time and the last of their armor is broken. Anyone would be irritated at this point, but who is mature enough to laugh it off and show some positive attitude, like suggesting they try again the next day, and instead go on a mountaintop picnic for now? Then again, who is childish or short tempered enough to storm off fuming because it was you that messed up during most of those attempts. Who starts giving sermons about how things are really done?
[...]
In summary: MMO relationships are playing the fast forward button to getting to know someone. As mentioned in one of the articles in the Daedelus project, Inside Out, “you get to know someone inside out”.
This article is necessarily bare of the issue of people who roleplay, either for fun, profit, or the joy of deception, as such a tangent would derail the original concept of the piece. Indeed, in my experience, people online are similar to the inebriated: they think they’re being funnier, cooler, and more badass than is actually possible, which leads to a sort of fisheye view of their core beings.
Better Dating Through MMOs [TerraNova]
Games as Teaching Tools
Futurelab, a UK company seemingly devoted to studying the potential usage of video games on education, has recently concluded a study on just this subject, and declares that the future looks bright.
The project is called Teaching With Games and has the support of Take Two, EA, Microsoft, and the ISFE.
“I can definitely see the potential of using games in the classroom. It proved to be a great tool for motivating students and engaging their interest. I would like to use games for teaching in the future if the technical problems could be addressed,” commented Claire Gemmell, a teacher at St John’s School & Community College in Marlborough. The technical problems she’s referring to involved licensing and copy protection issues that prevented some teachers from easily installing the software or running the games on school networks.
Games in the study included RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, Sims 2, and Knights of Honor.
I personally have been a proponent of regular old gaming (as opposed to educational games, which usually suck) as learning tool since I realized how savagely I fought to acquire the reading skills necessary to play adventure games when I was wee.
Games are set up to reward learning just as a basic tenet of play, so they’re already ideal forms of teaching. What did you learn from gaming, my wee apelings, and how did it help you?
Study: Games Can Aid Learning at School [Gamedaily BIZ]
Cybering is Cheating, Says Relationship Counselor
Those of you who’ve poked Night Elves in filthy little grottos on RP servers (you and you…and you, yes I can tell just by looking at you) are not so innocent, says Dr Janet Hall, a Australian “specialist” in sexual and relationship difficulties.
“Is cybersex considered cheating? Yes,” she says, emphatically. “As soon as secret, intimate, emotional or physical information is shared, it’s cheating.”
People who don’t view it that way, says Dr Hall, need to “re-commit to their relationship and agree with boundaries that will be constructive and not sabotage their future”. As with any bad habit, such as smoking and gambling, cybersex addicts, she believes, need a “structured plan to prevent the behaviour and overcome the need”.
The quick slide from people who cyber to “addicts” is symptomatic of yet another sensationalist wad of “journalism”. I am quote-happy this post, but come on.
Flirting with danger [The Age, via Joystiq]
Street Fighter, the Later Years
Hammer that giant white box, my friends.
Crecente could barely burble out the origins of this adorable little video between LOLs, but I find it more sad than anything. There is nothing more sniffleworthy than a worn-down Russian bear weeping helplessly in a video arcade.
DHALSIM: Every once in a while I pull out the old SNES, and I beat the shit out of myself. It makes me feel better somehow.
But the clip ends on a positive note, as the two dethroned champions resolve to get it going on once again.
Street Fighter: the Later Years [CollegeHumor]
Picture it: top secret game design manual found in dumpster outside big game publisher’s HQ
Filed under: Culture, Driving, Fighting, First Person Shooters, Business
- A: Lara Croft Tomb Raider
- B: Ridge Racer
- C: Auto Assault
- D: $mad profit$
Previously: Console ownership; Fanboys fight harder; The first paradox of gaming.
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Eight Wii At Tomorrow’s Event
A few more details about tomorrow’s Wii event at the Nintendo World store.
Along with a 30 minute live set by Hawthorne Heights, the event will also include eight Wii stations. The stations will have Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Wii Sports, Excite Truck, WarioWare: Smooth Moves and Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam.
It’s important to remember that only the first 300 or so people will be let into the store to hang after the music set and play Wii. And, of course, if you go send pictures.
Meet Hawthorne Heights, Play Wii Tuesday at Nintendo World Store [Kotaku]
Sony’s Last Pre-Launch Presser
We’ve heard the rumblings for quite awhile now, but it wasn’t official until today. Sony is holding one last press gathering before the launch of the Playstation 3.
The Gamer’s Day event, an invitation to “preview the beginning of the next generation”, will take place on Thursday, Oct. 19 in San Francisco and feature a round-table discussion, executive presentations and a half-day of hands-on gaming time.
I suspect Sony will have most, if not all, of their launch titles on hand for playtime as well, perhaps, as some early builds of later games.
This has also got to be the event where Sony dishes the details on PSP connectivity and the PS3’s online capabilities. I’m psyched… and going.
Square Enix Working On Mario Game
Itadaki Street is board game-based series that involves opening shops and charging rent. Square Enix is working on a new version for the DS which will feature Dragon Quest characters like Slime, along with Mario. The company previously announced that a PSP version if forthcoming with characters from Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Little is known about the DS game, except that it will use NiWiFi and probably feature loads of cut scenes.
More Here [Eurogamer]
Foundation 9 Buys Shiny Entertainment, But Not Earthworm
Foundation 9 Entertainment, which already owns Backbone, Pipeworks Circle of Confusion, Digital Eclipse and Imagine Engine, just snatched up Shiny Entertainment from Atari.
Shiny Entertainment, creators of the Earthworm Jim franchise, will “co-locate” with The Collective, creators of crap movie knock-off The Da Vinci Code, in 2007.
While F9 managed to wrestle the studio out of Atari’s weakening grasp, then didn’t get away with the Earthwork Jim IP, which remains firmly in claws of Atari.
“Shiny Entertainment fits well with the current studios of Foundation 9 Entertainment and aligns with our long-term goals for the future,” said Jon Goldman, Chairman and CEO. “The studio has tremendous talent and experience
working with big Hollywood franchises and will be working with us on a major, as-yet-undisclosed day and date release. The Shiny team will only add to our capabilities and technology base.”
What is this, buy-out Monday?
LOS ANGELES, CA - October 2, 2006 - Foundation 9 Entertainment, the largest
independent game developer in North America, announced today that it acquired
the non-game assets of Shiny Entertainment Studio from Atari, Inc. in an
acquisition funded by Foundation 9’s recent investment from Francisco Partners.
“Shiny Entertainment fits well with the current studios of Foundation 9
Entertainment and aligns with our long-term goals for the future,” said Jon
Goldman, Chairman and CEO. “The studio has tremendous talent and experience
working with big Hollywood franchises and will be working with us on a major,
as-yet-undisclosed day and date release. The Shiny team will only add to our
capabilities and technology base.”
Under the terms of the deal, the Shiny team will remain intact and will
co-locate with The Collective, one of the Foundation 9 studios, in 2007.
Shiny Entertainment was started in 1993 and has shipped eight products including
two games based on The Matrix film franchise. The studio develops for all
platforms and is perhaps best known for its original property, Earthworm Jim
(which remains an Atari property), which debuted on the Sega Genesis and Super
Nintendo in 1994. Shiny was acquired by Atari in 2002.
Shiny will join current F9E studios - The Collective, Backbone Entertainment,
Pipeworks, ImaginEngine and Digital Eclipse - solidifying Foundation 9’s
presence as the largest independent developer in North America. The company
develops in all genres for all platforms and age groups, and has shipped more
than 300 titles, including many bestsellers.
The company is currently at work on more than 20 titles, including two new
editions of its original property, Death, Jr., to be published by Konami; Dirty
Harry to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment; and Sonic
Rivals to be published by Sega. The company’s Backbone studio just recently
shipped MechAssault: Phantom War for the Nintendo DS, published by Majesco
Entertainment.
Today in Joystiq: October 2, 2006
Joystiquery
Picture it: special status for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii console owners
Economies of scale don’t apply to virtual worlds?
Roll your own Mii, pre-Wii
Xbox 360 launches in South Africa
News
Nintendo expects Mom to leave notes on your Wii
Gitaroo Man Lives again, port headed to North America
Games shipping this week
South Park: make love, not Warcraft
GameStop to be only retailer with playable Wii units at launch
Kingdom Under Fire’s new direction
Gears of War previewed
The King is in your Xbox 360
U. Texas Prof. studies gaming grannies (and grand-dads)
PlayStation 3 Magazine hands-on video with … PS3
How the Wii was engineered (or “born”)
Culture
Xbox 360 as romantic aid
Cybering night elves is cheating, but will you stop?
Better eating habits through gaming
Episodic content: Changing the way video games are made
Megaginormous NES replica dwarfs competition
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Punk Band Hits Live Vision Cam For Poker
Punk Band Rise Against will be on Xbox Live via the Vision Camera this Friday playing against gamers in a little World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions for the Xbox 360.
Too bad they aren’t just using the Arcade Texas Hold Em, I suspect they would have had a larger audience. If you’re up for a little punk poker look out for gamertag GWRiseAgainst from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST.
Any money on whether the band gets flashed during their little Live sessions?
Punk Band Uses New Xbox Live Vision Camera to Challenge Gamers in World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions as Part of the Latest Xbox Live ‘Game with Fame’ Session
The melodic hardcore band, Rise Against, is calling on all gamers to challenge them in their upcoming Xbox® Live ‘Game with Fame’ session. The group, which includes Tim McIlrath (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Chasse (vocals, guitar), Joe Principe (bass, backing vocals) and Brandon Barnes (drums), continues their North American tour for their latest album, The Sufferer & The Witness, which peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 Chart.
Fans who are interested in gaming with Rise Against guitarist Chris Chasse should keep an eye out for the Xbox Live gamertag ‘GWFRiseAgainst’ from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. PST on Friday, October 6 and to have the chance to challenge them in World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions for Xbox 360™.
Rise Against’s 2006 single “Ready to Fall” continues to climb the Billboard charts. The track has hit as high as #13 on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and #18 on the US Modern Rock chart. The hardcore punk band has released four albums since their first self-produced demo in 2000. Rise Against recently toured in Europe, and Japan and currently performing in the U.S, Canada and Australia.
The Xbox Live Game with Fame program gives Xbox Live subscribers the unique opportunity to meet, chat and play against some of today’s hottest stars. Past Game with Fame celebrity players include 30 Seconds to Mars, The Strokes, Hoobastank, Staind, Incubus and Simple Plan. For further information on other Xbox Live events, be sure to visit the “Game with Fame” Web site at http://www.xbox.com/gamewithfame.
Clips: PS3 Web Browsing, PSP Interface and Boot-Up
Phil Harrison took to the microphone at the Sony party during TGS to show off the some of the new non-gaming features of the PS3. Of course he told people not to video the presentation, and of course someone did.
The video shows off the PS3’s full featured web browser, which can have multiple windows open at the same time. It also shows NBA 07 running on 1080p at 60 frames per a second, a glimpse of PSP connectivity, somenew photo browser stuff and the visualizer. At E3 I asked about the visualizer and they showed me music playing with that stream you see going through the center of the screen. That was it. So the visualizer has obviously come a long way since then. I also love that Sony is upfront about their console supporting a USB keyboard.
Despite the lack of real gameplay in this video, I think this is the first clip in quite awhile to really get me interested in the console.
Hit the jump to watch another clip showing the kind sophisticated looking boot screen for the PS3.
Rumor: GH Survey Mentions Drummer Hero, Keyboard Hero
A reader recently got a chance to fill out a Guitar Hero 2 survey. The questions seem to hint at some pretty kick-ass things to come.
I’ve put a big chunk of the reader’s email after the jump, but here’s a summary of some of the interesting ideas hinted at:
Keyboard Hero or Drummer Hero, Guitar Hero II Expansion Packs for $30 with an extra guitar, Band-specific expansion packs, genre-specific expansion packs, a full-sized wood guitar controller, a microphone add-on for singing and playing (I like to call this the Crecente pack), a stand-alone amp, custom skins, motion-sensing controls, two-piece guitarto make it easier to transport, an effects pedal, higher level of customization which would allow you to put your face in the game, create your own guitar, download outfits, venue guitars and songs or create your own set lists, new guitar body shapes for the controller, like the Gibson Firebird or Kramer Striker.
Drummer Hero? Keyboard Hero? Microphone support? I think I’m going to pass out.
Keep in mind, despite my hyperventilating, that this all comes from an unseen survey. Which means it’s highly speculative. The jump has a more detailed list of questions and such.
Asked whether I intend to buy a Wii and/or PS3
Asked how likely I’d be to buy an expansion pack with new songs,
guitars, characters, etc. that requires owning the full game and
includes a guitar for $30 over the base price, one that does not
include the guitar, and the same two options for a version that
doesn’t require me to own the original.Asked my top three choices of band to be featured in an expansion
pack. Bands were: Van Halen, Guns n Roses, U2, The Killers, Led
Zeppelin, Jane’s Addiction, Aerosmith, Green Day, Metallica,
Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, KISS, Rush, Eagles,
Coldplay, The Beatles, AC/DC, Alice in Chains, Black Sabbath, Jimi
Hendrix.Then asked to rate my interest in each of above bands being featured
in their own expansion pack.Then asked how likely I would be to purchase following themed
expansion packs: Country (like Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks and Toby
Keith), Ozzfest Edition (like System of a Down, Disturbed and
Sepultura), Southern Rock (like ZZ Top, The Georgia Satellites and
Black Crowes), Modern Hard and Alternative Rock (like Tool, Slipknot
and Foo Fighters), Hair Metal (like Quiet Riot’s Bang Your Head,
Twisted Sister’s I Wanna Rock, and Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again), Rock
of the 60s, 80s Metal (like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Def
Leppard), Modern Metal (like Pantera, Lamb of God and Slayer), Warped
Tour Legends (like Alien Ant Farm, Anti-Flag and Weezer), Classic Rock
(like The Who’s My Generation, Rolling Stones’ Brown Sugar and
Santana’s Black Magic Woman),Modern Punk (like Anti-Flag, Bouncing
Souls and Rancid), Grunge (like Soundgarden’s Outshined, Smashing
Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream and Pearl Jam’s Alive), Christian Rock (like
King’s X, MxPx and P.O.D.), Tour-a-Palooza (like Soundgarden, Stone
Temple Pilots and The Smashing Pumpkins), Old School Punk (like
Misfits, Dead Kennedys and Minor Threat), Rock of the 70s, Rock of the
80s.Asked my opinion on how likely I would be to buy a new Guitar Hero if
it included the following hardware enhancements: Premium full sized
wood guitar controller, a microphone that allows you to sing and play
like a rockstar, a separate speaker that plugs into the console and
plays your guitar playing, custom vinyl skins of different graphics or
colors for the guitar controller, motion sending controls that would
allow your character to mimic your real-world motion for extra
power-ups and higher scores, a two-piece guitar that breaks down for
storage/portability, and an effects pedal for special sound effects.Asked my opinion on features, like downloading your face into the game
to make the character look like you, building your own guitar hero,
downloadable characters, custom guitar creating, downloadable outfits,
downloadable venues, downloadable guitars, downloadable songs, and the
ability to create your own set lists.Asked opinion on guitar shapes for future included guitars, including
Gibson Firebird, Flying V, Les Paul, SG, X-plorer, ES 335, and Kramer
Striker.Asked about colors including Metallic (mirror), Red, Green, Cherry,
Orange, Black, Pink, Blue, Natural (wood grain), light blue.Asked if I would be interested in a game that goes beyond forms of
guitars to the rest of the band, and then specifically asked about
games entitled Keyboard Hero and Drummer Hero.
Megaginormous NES replica dwarfs competition
One serious Nintendo fan attempts to prove that size does matter by building a large-scale Nintendo Entertainment System. The massive wooden replica is eight feet wide, three feet high, three feet deep, and weighs over 400 pounds … and that’s without a game cart or controller. With those specs, it clocks in only slightly larger than the original Xbox, or the 360’s power brick.
A mysterious crafstman, who posts on NESforums.net as Nationalgamedepot, originally built the NES as a bed but now plans on using it as an entertainment center. Hopefully he’ll take orders, because this looks spiffy. Plus, if you get yourself a giant NES controller, you’ve got a complete set. Miniaturization be damned.
[Thanks, Dignan17]
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Racing, Bumping and Stalking: BK Game Screens
By popular demand, I’ve uploaded a bunch of screens for the new Burger King games: Big Bumpin, Pocketbike Racer and Sneak King. That last one isn’t just a bit stalky, it’s like stalker training. Burger King mask. Check. Robes: Check. Duct tape: Check. Garbage Can hiding spot next to bedroom window: Check.
Burger King Screens [Kotaku Gallaries]
Xbox 360 launches in South Africa
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360
If you’re a gamer living in South Africa, chances are that your visual periphery was dominated this past weekend by Microsoft’s Xbox 360 launch and its accompanying marketing campaign. Nearly a year after the system’s first-worldwide launch, the Xbox 360 became officially available to eager shoppers at the stroke of midnight on Friday, 29 September. Playable in-store kiosks, radio advertisements, campus tournaments and vaguely sinister cardboard stands announced not only the arrival of “the next generation of gaming,” but the expansion of choice.
Unless you wanted to import the original Xbox or stick your hand into the awkward and tangled mess of Gamecube distribution lines, the PlayStation 2 was the only console the average gamer could reliably and affordably find in game stores. The merits of Sony’s system have long since been established and it’s easy to argue that South Africa got the best console out of the bunch, though “best” loses much of its meaning when it becomes interchangeable with “only.” Consider for a moment how your gaming habits might be affected if two out of three consoles weren’t readily available to you.
For comparison’s sake (and because we didn’t have much else to do) we attended one of the midnight launches at BT Games (Northgate) in Johannesburg, taking care to snap pictures and generally harass people who simply wanted to pick up their pre-orders in peace. Several midnight events took place all over the country, coinciding with the beginning of rAge — a gaming expo we’ll tell you about later.
With several hours to go before midnight, a few eager souls begin to gather.
More gathering ensues. At this point, people are already deciding who they’ll be able to beat up successfully in the parking lot should the console sell out.
Meanwhile, store employees set up stands for Dead or Alive 4 and Project Gotham Racing 3 tournaments. 
The group continues to grow (more annoyed at some guy taking pictures of them).
Though nearly all human beings detest lines, they’re quite adept at creating them.
It is decided that the line’s direction should be altered. Democracy is clearly at work here.
More people arrive. It seems that after a single night, sales in South Africa might overtake those in Japan. Nyuk nyuk.
Following the sounds of various beeps and boops leads one to this impromptu DS Lite corner. The game is Metroid Prime: Hunters and the eventual winner is likely to be arthiritis.
The doors are about to open and it’s becoming awfully difficult to move through this corridor of the shopping centre. Though Dead Rising isn’t releasing in South Africa until next month, we feel strangely compelled to make creative use of a parasol.
The first customers escape the store with their newly acquired consoles. Unsurprisingly, the most popular games appear to be Oblivion, Project Gotham Racing 3 and Saint’s Row. We don’t see anybody leaving with a Core system — was there a rear exit?
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How the Wii was engineered (or “born”)
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii, Business
Ars Technica explores lower-than-expected GameCube sales in the wake of Wii’s birth as Nintendo’s fifth generation home console. The piece discusses runaway costs of video game development, Wii’s admittedly risky business, the engineering of the game box, and Nintendo’s overall “less is more” approach to console design this go around. From the article:
“‘More glitz’ is always welcome in any new generation, but at some point one runs into laws of diminishing returns. [One Nintendo engineer] wondered if advances in technology could be used in a different way. The Wii was designed to take processor technology improvements and use them to make the unit run with less heat, by making the chips smaller. This enabled features that other consoles couldn’t duplicate, such as the ability to leave the console powered on all the time [read: WiiConnect24].”
The article suggests that “always on” technology and internet connectivity via WiiConnect24 were just as important in the Wii planning process as motion-controls. An idea is one thing (and don’t get us wrong, WiiConnect24 sounds intriguing), but execution is another.
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BK 360 Games (Officially) Announced
What do hottie Brook Burke, the Subservient Chicken and the King have in common? No, not porn. Xbox 360 games.
After threatening to sue us for breaking the story months early, Burger King has finally come clean and spilled the dirt on their upcoming line of Xbox and Xbox 360 games due out this holiday.
The games will give you “control” of The King, Brooke Burke and Subervient Chicken in three arcade-style games. The games include an action, title, adventure title and racing title and all three, sadly, are rated E for Everyone.
Each game will sell for $4 with the purchase of a value meal and will be on sale from Nov. 19 through Dec. 24. Hit the jump for the two other frightening box shots as well as the official description for the three games.
Update: I’ve added the screens from the games here.
“Pocketbike Racer” (Racing) — Welcome to the wild world of Pocketbike racing where players race the King and his miniature motorbike crew through five fun, yet challenging speedways. Each track varies in level of difficulty and players navigate long straights, tight bends and sharp turns at high speeds while attempting to earn enhancements and tools that they can use to gain an advantage over opponents. Featuring HAVE IT YOUR WAY® customization options, players select a bike and a driver and then hit the track of their choice — a BURGER KING® restaurant parking lot, a construction site, a backyard, the King’s garden or the fabled Fantasy Ranch set. In addition to individual play, four players can race against each other in classic split-screen set-up or eight players can battle it out online using XBOX Live.
“Big Bumpin’” (Action) – Big Bumpin’ looks like a traditional carnival bumper car ride and features familiar BURGER KING® icons, including the Subservient Chicken and Brooke Burke. But, there’s a catch - Big Bumpin’ arenas come with some big hazards, like surprise saws, bottomless pits and “power up” items that let gamers dole out thundering bumps. With several different types of game play, gamers have a chance to hone their bumper car skills in a variety of challenging scenarios. The game features theme parks, including the “Ice Box,” “Broiler,” “King’s Court,” “The Deep” and “Monsoon of Doom,” and three modes of play for each - intense four-player and XBOX Live-supported. Easy to learn. Fun to play. Difficult to avoid a major crash.
“Sneak King” (Adventure) — Only the King can turn an everyday act into an art form and now players can step into the King’s royal shoes and use cunning stealth to sneak up behind unsuspecting people and bestow them with a delicious meal. The goal of Sneak King is to surprise hungry citizens with BURGER KING® sandwiches and other menu items throughout the day before they pass out from hunger. Whether in a logging yard, construction site, suburban neighborhood or downtown urban scene — each rich with detail and hidden pathways — players can hide out and earn points based on how elaborate the delivery is executed.
