Archive for January, 2007
Gallery: Gorgeous White Knight Concept Art
I know it’s awfully vacuous of me, but good art design in a game can often get me more excited than the game itself. White Knight just got me excited.
Vista update improves “legacy” game support
Microsoft has rolled out a Vista software update that, in part, addresses compatibility issues associated with certain “legacy” games. The update is not a response to Alex St. John’s accusation that Vista’s tight security could block popular online casual game networks; those remarks have been generally discredited.
The update improves support for the following titles: Age of Empires III (and The WarChiefs Expansion Pack), Battlefield 2 Deluxe, Dungeon Siege II, Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna, Fable: The Lost Chapters, Family Feud Online, Flight Simulator X, Lego Star Wars, Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends, and Zoo Tycoon 2 (and the African Adventure, Endangered Species, Marine Mania, and Zookeeper Collection Expansion Packs).
[Via CVG]
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Special Holder For Special PS3 Games
This is not designed for DVDs or CDs. This was made especially for Blu-ray cases. I repeat THIS IS FOR BLU-RAY CASES. Why? Because PS3 Blu-ray cases are a tad different from regular game software cases. Called the PEGA Disc Stand for PS3, each can hold 12 cases and are stackable. Retails for 1980 yen (US $16), but you might want to wait till the PS3 gets more games. I’m having a hard time naming 12 PS3 titles.
PS3 Case Holder[IT Media]
Vice City Stories PS2 port plugged, then pulled from PlayStation.com
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PSP, Action, Adventure, Business
A PlayStation 2 listing for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories briefly appeared, and then disappeared on PlayStation.com, mimicking happenings on the ESRB website last week (VCS is no longer listed there either). As to be expected, Rockstar remains coy, having neither reiterated nor reversed its previous claim that the PSP exclusive would not be ported to PS2. Eurogamer supposes that there are still some financial issues to work out, namely retail price, before Rockstar and Take-Two go public with the port.
On the flip side, the VCS port could also be in the process of getting canned. Letting fans starve a little will help build anticipation for GTA IV — not that it’s needed. Pulling the plug on the port would more likely signal that Rockstar is concerned about diluting its key franchise.
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Australian Gamers Studied, Examined, Dissected
Perhaps dissected was a little much, but the “Interactive Australia 2007″ report comes close, breaking down everything you need to know about the Australian public’s gaming habits.
If stats and raw, unadulterated demographics are your thing, hit the jump for the report’s highlights, which cover everything from the non-media activities of gamers to what most people do when they finish a game.
- 79% of Australian households have a device for playing computer and video games.
- The average age of Australian gamers is 28 years.
- Interactive games are attracting new players. 41% of gamers are female. 8% are seniors.
- Parents and children are increasingly playing together. 35% of gamers are parents.
- 61% of gamers play for up to an hour at one time.
- Playing computer games does not compete with non-media and outdoor leisure activities. Instead it competes with other media such as TV, film and music.
- Parents in game households say the positive aspects of game play are more than just enjoyment and happiness. 73% say games help their children learn about technology, 68% say games help their children learn maths, 64% say games help children learn to plan.
- 70% of games classified by the OFLC in 2006 were rated G or PG.
- 62% of Australians in game households say the classification of a game has no influence on their buying decision
Broadband penetration decreased steadily with age. Game households were 12% more likely than non-game households to have broadband.
- Playing online games ranks 10th among the list of activities Australians identify as their common uses of the internet. Email, web browsing, banking and paying bills are the top uses.
In a perfect world, this would be the kind of stuff discussed on current affairs shows and talkback radio when the topic of gaming came up.
Interactive Australia 2007 [IEEA]
Saints Row confirmed for PS3
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Action, Adventure
THQ has confirmed rumors that Saints Row is headed PlayStation 3. Volition’s port is expected to be released this spring and will include support for PlayStation Network, bringing Saints Row’s enjoyable multiplayer modes to PS3. The publisher did not address the possibility of new content being added to the PS3 version.
Saints Row debuted on Xbox 360 in late August, receiving generally positive reviews.
[Thanks, The_Foo_Fighter]
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Bandai Recalls Japanese Kiddie Games
Bandai’s plug and plays are hot. No, really. The company is recalling 173,816 units from its “Let’s TV Play” series. Apparently, the cords are faulty and even slightly burned a child. There have also been 17 reports of chords overheating and smoking. Last year, Bandai shipped 173, 816 units and sold 135, 816 of ‘em. Unfortunate, because these plug and plays look pretty neat: Kids wear wrist straps (above) and their physical movements register in-game action. And after that, the cords heat up, fill living rooms with smoke and frighten kids.
Bandai Recall [Forbes, Thanks Michael!]
PS3 Unreal Tournament 3 not delayed
Filed under: PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, First Person Shooters, Online
An erroneous Midway fact sheet has stirred up confusion over Unreal Tournament 3’s release, listing the shooter’s arrival on Xbox 360 and PC as Q4 2007, and on PlayStation 3 as 2008. CVG has since confirmed with Midway that UT3 is tentatively scheduled for Q4 2007 on all platforms, quickly deading rumor of a PS3 delay.
Last week, in an interview with Game Informer, Rein called UT3 the developer’s “showcase title” and “poster child for PS3,” concluding “we just want to focus on UT3 on PS3 to start.” Today Rein chimed in on the Epic forums about UT3’s release date:
“Epic (who makes this decision, NOT Midway) have absolutely NOT decided whether the SKUs for this product will be released simultaneously or in staggered order and we have absolutely NOT decided (because we don’t know yet) when any of them will be released. If our publisher [distributed] information contrary to this they did so in error.”
See also:
- Unreal Tournament 2007 renamed, confirmed for 360
- Epic aims for Unreal Tournament user mods on PS3, 360
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Exploring The Indian Games Market
While we tend to think of gaming as a global phenomenon, it can be easy to forget that in large (ie most) areas of the planet, it’s not exactly a prominent pastime. Whether it be through poverty, language barriers or even a complete lack of interest on the part of console and software companies, we don’t usually think of places like Africa, the Middle East, South America and Eastern Europe when we’re talking about games.
Which makes looking at the gaming cultures there all the more fascinating. Gamasutra spoke with Gunjan Bagla, an Indian market advisor, and uncovered a ton of info on just how things are done on the subcontinent.
While there are more than 23 official languages in India, the gamer demographic in India is quite comfortable with the English versions of imported games. I expect consumers might prefer Indian localizations like Chennai Chase or Mumbai Mayhem instead of LA Rush, featuring Indian environments or characters but still played as an English version.
Probably most interesting are the fact Microsoft are the only platform holders actively pursuing the market (the 360 recently being officially launched and supported in the region), consoles are still outside the financial reach of most and, probably due to Sony and especially Nintendo’s indifference to the region, the grey/import market flourishes.
Well worth your time.
Q&A: Gunjan Bagla Talks Games In India [Gamasutra]
GRAW 2 demo assaults XBL Gold members
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters, Online
Ever since we told you that the GRAW 2 demo would arrive on the Xbox Live Marketplace “possibly by the end of the month,” we have been shivering with anticipation, hoping our conjecture might side with truthiness. With over 12 hours left, we’re happy to tell you that you can now enjoy Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter — but only if you’re an Xbox Live Gold member. The Silver member version, presumably, will arrive in a little while.
The 650 MB download may not make up for XBLA’s vacation, but we do have Frank Black asking for us to give him danger, little stranger. Let us know what you think of the demo.
[Thanks, Jonah Falcon and Stephen W.]
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PSP firmware 3.10 released, and decrypted
Filed under: Hacks, Portable, Sony PSP
Sony’s PSP firmware v3.10 was decrypted less than 24 hours after its release, claim reports out of the “homebrew” community. While the decrypted files are useless to the average PSP user, they represent the building blocks for requisite hacker celebs like Dark_AleX, Booster, and the Noobz team. New custom firmware? Another DevHook update? Sony lost this round, fast.
For those good lil’ updaters out there, firmware 3.10 brings support for new PlayStation Network games, MPEG-4 AVC format for the Location Free Player, and the ‘Dynamic Normalizer’ sound setting, along with a memory saving mode for the browser.
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Australian Movie Deal For Vista, 360
Vista may be leaving everyone this side of Bill himself a little cold this early in the game, but for Australian 360 owners still waiting on Microsoft’s XBL TV and movie downloads there might actually be a reason to pick the new OS up. Or, at least…consider it. Maybe.
If your 360 is hooked up to a Vista Media Centre, you’ll have instant access to Telstra’s BigPond movies service, which lets you get around the 360’s lack of HDD space by slinging it through your PC.
Yes, BigPond are pricks. And their movies service only lets you watch them once. But at between $2-6 for a new release it beats going down to the video shop, and until MS release their TV and movies service down here I can’t think of a better setup if you simply must have some decent multimedia functionality happening between your 360 and your shiny new (operatonal?) copy of Vista.
The home entertainment vista [Screen Play]
Sony Sauce for your PS3 BBQ, sir? Only in Japan!
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3
We all had a good laugh at the meat-lovin’ ingenuity of the PS3 grill, but Japan is also well up on Sony-related humor.
As a response to Sony’s “SIXAXIS Emmy,” someone at Rendering Ranger (a weird T-shirt brand in Japan) has decided to poke fun at The Machine by creating a condiment called “Actually, the Sauce is Sony.” It seems to be just a repackaged version of Japan’s Bull-Dog sauces, but the redesign is inspired.
Ken Kutaragi’s triumphant visage replaces the Bull-Dog logo; there’s an “Emmy winner!” badge next to the accurately caps-locked SIXAXIS title; and there’s the (world-)famous Sony grill render down below.
The knockout joke is completed by the pricing structure of this Sony Sauce: the 20GB version should sell for ¥499 but has been reduced to ¥399 (though in this case, just for the sake of fun; not because of any lack of demand), while the 60GB tonkatsu model is listed as Open Price but sells for ¥599. “Actually, the Sauce is Sony” is on sale in very limited quantities in Japan’s March Rabbit and Don Quijote discount stores.
If any Western gamers can concoct a more elaborate and well-planned game industry joke, we’ll tell the world all about it. Click through for more saucy pics (hee-hee) from Akiba Blog.
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John Woo, Chow Yun-Fat “Not Big Gamers”
Midway’s John Woo bang-bang title Stranglehold was supposed to be out early this year, but has gotten pushed back to summer. You know, so they can sprinkle magic dust on it. In a recent interview, the game’s director Brian Eddy described a handful of in-game moves for the cross platform title:
- Precision Aim — Lets players go first person and take out enemies with one shot
- Barrage — Spray a “flurry of bullets at high speed” towards bad guys
- Spin Attack — Medium range 360 degree spin attack that clears out goons surrounding you
What’s more, Midway’s even including Woo’s trademark Mexican stand-off as a mini-game! The game will feature loads of achievements for the 360 version and possibly take advantage of the SIXAXIS for the PLAYSTATION 3 incarnation. But, what do filmmaker John Woo and star Chow Yun-Fat think of Stranglehold? Says Eddy:
Chow Yun-Fat and John Woo are not big gamers, so they don’t play games themselves very often, but they do review Stranglehold regularly and give very good comments on how to take the cinematics to the next level and help make the overall look and feel of the game true to the movies it is styled on.
Not big gamers, maybe, but experts on blowing shit up and making it look cool, definitely.
Stranglehold Interview [VGB]
Nintendo Goodness Hidden In DS Dictionary
If you look up “ball” in DS Rakubiki Jiten (the DS Dictionary), you are presented with two words. Tap the grey one and, voila, up pops the old Game & Watch title Ball. Or, for a less involving surprise, look up “Nintendo” - tap the word and you get the little Mario coin sound.
Neat touch, Nintendo. Very cute.
Game and Watch games buried in Nintendo’s DS dictionary [Siliconera]
Moscow’s Lineage II meet up murder
Filed under: Culture, PC, RPGs, MMO
The Moscow Times reports that according to Moscow police, a man attempting to break up a fight between two Lineage II players in the real world was killed when one of the men stomped him to death. Alexander Blyoskin, 22, died trying to stop members of two rival Lineage II clans from hurting each other during a meet up in a Moscow café Jan 12. The two men were allegedly posting negative statements about each other on Lineage forums and when meeting each other in person decided to take their differences outside.
Statements differ about what happened outside. Some witnesses say Blyoskin hit his head on the ground after being punched and others say Alexander Ponamorenko stomped on his head after he fell on the ground. Ponamorenko has been formally charged with the beating death of Blyoskin and faces 15 years in prison.
[Via Raph Koster's Website]
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Wii Don’t Like Cricket. Oh No. We Love It.
This one’s for all the Commonwealth readers out there. Except you, Canada.
The Wii needs a cricket game. It’s pretty bloody obvious. Sensing this colossal hole in the PAL market, some die-hard Aussie cricket fans have started a civil movement aimed at persuading whoever necessary that the sport needs to make an apperance on the Wii.
EA (or anyone else with the faintest interest in sports games), if you’re serious about embracing the creativity of the Wii, put your money where your mouth is. Nothing’s going to shift more units in places like Australia, the UK, India and New Zealand than a full-fledged cricket simulator. Get a commercial partnership with a beer company and you’ll be printing money, I promise you.
[Thanks Dan]
PS3 ads turn up in Xbox 360 game (inadvertently)
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sports
The website of UK magazine 360 Gamer has discovered PS3 advertising in EA’s Xbox 360-bound football (soccer) sim, UEFA Champions League 2006-2007. The story here isn’t so much a case of surreptitious product placement, however, as it is a tale of the benefits that come from sponsoring the world’s most prestigious club football competition.
As one of UEFA’s main Champions League backers, Sony’s advertisement hoardings (as seen in this Xbox 360 capture) are bound to appear in any official videogame interpretation of the event — regardless of the formats those games are developed for.
There are at least two big ironies here, as far as we can see:
- UEFA Champions League 2006-2007 isn’t scheduled for a PS3 release.
- The Xbox 360 version of the game is released in Europe on March 23, which is the same day Europe (finally) gets the PS3.
(And while we’re on-topic, Joystiq is tipping Manchester United for this season’s Champions League — you know Scholesy has never been in better form.)
[Thanks, Bruce Wayne III]
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Clip: The Whole DoA Movie (Yes, The Whole Damn Thing)
Fair warning: Here’s a Google video of the whole straight-to-video Dead or Alive film. Game site Destructoid has posted it, and now we will — Not really to share (we aren’t that sick), but to see how long it takes before some lawyer tells us to take it down. It’s already been up at Google for a month, so we doubt that anyone gives a flip. And to everyone involved in making this motion picture, we accept your apology. Sorta.
The Whole DoA Movie [D-toid, Thanks Scazza!]
Woot Razer Copperhead Going Fast
An alert Kotakuite alerted me to a deal going on at Woot! as we speak for a Razer Copperhead gaming mouse in sporty Anarchy Red for only $34.99 plus $5 shipping. They are going extremely fast, with a good fith of them going as I type this. Would have alerted you all faster, but I just installed Windows Vista and am fumbling through unfamiliar territory.
Pretty transitions at least. Woo.
Now go get the best mouse ever before they are all gone!
Woot Main Page
Razer Copperhead Blog Page [Woot! - Thanks theuberasian!]
