Archive for February 9th, 2007
A TGS Contest Reminder To Remember
Ahoy! Don’t forget, we’ve got this truly fab Tokyo Game Show that involves you answering three questions. To bring everyone up to speed, we’ve got a contest that will run through the end of March. We’re going to run three (count ‘em) trivia questions over this period in the form of sponsored polls. These questions are brought to Kotaku-land by Old Spice thank-you-very-much. To one reader who gets all three questions right, we’ll give you tickets to the Tokyo Game Show in September and round trip airfare for two to Tokyo! In case you missed them, here are Question #1, Question #2 and Question #3. Good luck!
A Mario To Wipe Your Face With
Graphic-designer-by-day, blogger-by-night Martin Taylor has a neat series of pics up of a Japanese Super Mario Bros. towel he snagged in Brighton. Though, I’m not sure which I like better: The towel or the bathroom.
Super Mario Towel [mart.wrongun.org]
New Wii Shooter Announced
Conspiracy Entertainment (Yes, the guys behind Pocket Pool) just announced that they plan to bring a futuristic 3D mech shooter to the Wii.
Shoot Out “pits freedom fighters against alien robot machines in a fight for control of earth.”
“This game was a hit within the arcade/coin-up market and is now being retooled for the Wii platform,” commented Carlo Perconti, president of Hyper- Devbox. “We are very excited to collaborate with Conspiracy to increase the intensity and enjoyment of the game, while remaining true to its original and much-loved design and aesthetic. The freedom of Wii’s distinctive handheld wireless controller is ideal for creating a 3D ’shoot ‘em up’ experience and will allow players a greater feeling of interaction.”
Sirus Ahmadi, president of Conspiracy Entertainment, said, “We look forward to working with an established developer such as Hyper-Devbox on our first Wii game. We anticipate to secure other gaming projects in the near- future for the Wii platform.”
“The Wii platform is achieving rapid market acceptance. We plan to release ‘Shoot Out’ in the second quarter of 2007, as part of our efforts to capitalize on the fastest growing segments of the $30 billion global video gaming industry,” said Keith Tanaka, CFO of Conspiracy Entertainment. “This is just the beginning of our intention to enter the Wii market.”
But does Shoot Out have the Girls Gone Wild label behind it? Inquiring minds want to know.
Conspiracy Entertainment Signs Agreement With Hyper-Devbox to Launch its First Title for the Nintendo ‘Wii’ Platform [Yahoo Finance]
MGS Movie Producer, Exec Producer Named
The Hollywood Reporter is just bursting with gaming news tonight.
They’re reporting today that not only is Colubmbia Pictures in negotiations to acquire the rights to adapt the game into a “futuristic spy thriller,” but that the movie already has a producer and executive producer.
The exec will be, of course, Hideo Kojima himself while the producer will be Michael De Luca, who produced such movies as Zathura: A Space Adventure and the upcoming Ghost Rider movie.
Sony’s Doug Belgrad and Sam Dickerman will shepherd the live-action project for the studio, working in consultation with Kojima as well as Michael De Luca Prods.’ Josh Bratman, who brought the project into the company. Rick Privman of JEA will executive produce.
Belgrad praised the “Metal” property, saying it is “loaded with well-developed, intriguing characters and (is) one of the first games to ever use cinematic tools in its storytelling.”
Col forging ‘Metal Gear Solid’ [The Hollywood Reporter]
Battlestar Galactica Game Hits Live this Fall
NBC Universal and Sierra Online are releasing a Battlestar Galactica space combat game on Xbox Live Arcade and the PC this fall, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
‘Battlestar Galactica’ has been progressive with new technology from blogs and podcasts from the creators to the digital distribution of the show on iTunes,” said Bill Kispert, vice president interactive of NBC Universal. “This new game on Xbox Live Arcade is consistent with that.”
The game was developed by Auran Games and will include single and multiplayer modes, letting gamers play as human or Cylon.
“We wanted to bring a more intense combat experience to gamers,” Kispert said. “From a story standpoint, fans will be able to relive key battles from the first two seasons of the show, and then we’ll add new content and missions outside of that.”
Kispert said that Sierra Online has spent time on the show’s set in Vancouver to incorporate elements from the show into the new game, including everything from actual ships to the computer monitors aboard the Galactica. The
game will feature sound effects from the show, including weapons firing, and Kispert said they’re talking about incorporating radio chatter from the show that could feature cast voices.“We have the likeness rights to talent from the show for video games,” Kispert said, “but this game will put players in a first-person perspective, allowing them to experience the world of the show by piloting Vipers and Cylon Raiders, so there won’t really be room for actors in this game.”
Kispert said that the Xbox 360 might also start getting episodes of Galactica via Video Marketplace, citing the popularity of the free downloadable recap episode.
“The reaction to this show was fantastic, so we know there are fans out there on Xbox Live,” Kispert said. “We have discussions going on with Xbox Video Marketplace about offering ‘Battlestar Galactica’ on that service. We’re looking at a number of digital platforms for the show, but at this point, we’re just looking.”
Kispert said Xbox Live Arcade could become a new way for the studio to reach out to audiences from other shows. He said he likes the notion of using Xbox Live Arcade with several of NBC Universal’s TV properties because it allows the studio to deliver episodic or short gaming content quickly and efficiently to a large fan base. The “Galactica” game will have a one-year development cycle for this fall’s game.
Ed Zobrist, president of Sierra Online, said the great thing about digitally distributed content is that it can constantly be updated, in this case with new ships, story lines, multiplayer maps and missions.
“Digital distribution allows Hollywood licensors the ability to work with game makers and turn around content to capitalize on a show’s success, providing timely content without a lot of lead time,” he said. “Moving forward, we’ll be able to add game content via multiple delivery methods to provide new content that’s topical to what’s going on in the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ universe for seasons to come.”
High-def ‘Battlestar Galactica’ game [The Hollywood Reporter]
The Games On The DICE Floor
Want to play the latest games? Games that won’t be out for months? Don’t come to DICE! Stay home. The Green Valley Ranch grand ballroom featured one room decked out with offerings from publishers for the PC, PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, Wii and … the Gamecube? Yep! The console that didn’t get a presence at E3 2006 was represented by two playable kiosks featuring The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess.
The entire list of playable games on the DICE “show floor” were: Crysis, Supreme Commander, Company of Heroes, Viva Pinata, Gears of War, Motorstorm (the PlayStation Store demo), Hellgate London, Sam & Max, and Robotron. The Age of Conan MMO was present, but would error out every time I tried to fire up the executable. Such a tease!
I did take one more spin through the Crysis demo, previously playable at CES. Unfortunately, the machines were a little less beefy and led to some noticeable slowdown.
Alright, so maybe there were a handful of unreleased titles on the show floor. What can I say? I’m spoiled and love to bitch!
Day Note: Busy Week Coming Up
From: Crecente
To: Flynn
Subject: I’m Hungry
Man, I hate Friday nights sometimes. I always end up forgetting to do stuff as the week wraps up… like write this post. I haven’t eaten yet, so I’ll make this quick.
I spoke with a couple of sources earlier today and it sounds like next week is going to be interesting. Not in any sort of Megaton way, but more in the intriguing bits of news I’ve heard rumblings about but can’t talk about yet. Most people won’t really care, probably. But still fun.
I got a little behind on news today, so I’ll be posting some more stuff in a bit, including an item about my going to a local mall to play games against some of Seagate’s people. Very strange.
Here’s what you might have missed today:
Mike’s DICE coverage has been amazing. Being on the ground helps tons. I especially like how many times Doug Lowenstein said shit in his farewell speech.
Some small Colorado developer is working on a melee Half-Life 2 mod that will use fencing as its fighting system.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has hit beta and is, in fact, sitting on my desk, along with God of War 2, Virtua Fighter 5 and the final code for Motorstorm. Fun weekend.
OK, off to watch more old episodes of The Unit and eat food. To be followed by beer and games.
Ps. Comments and pictures are semi borked…have a fun weekend. 
Crackdown the world over
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online
Sometimes the best Photoshop work is the simplest and most subtle. Flickr user Agent G has “scoured the earth” and unearthed agility orbs at world’s greatest architecture. (There’s two at Easter Island waiting for you.) Also revealed were Secret Orbs that developer Realtime Worlds have placed in the most inconspicuous of locations, from Viva Pinata all the way to old episodes of Knight Rider.
If Halo 3 was not advertising enough for this game, perhaps Microsoft Games Studio might think of a clever television marketing campaign based on this Flickr gallery.
[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy; thanks, Jonah Falcon]
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Today’s most held in place video: Hori Play Stand DS Lite video review
Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Reviews, Video, Peripherals
CheapyD over at CheapAssGamer.com has put together a really nice little video review about the Play Stand DS Lite from Hori. We were dubious at first, but after watching this review, we’ve ordered one ourselves from Play-Asia, to the tune of fifteen bucks.
This little sucker will make playing games with one hand a snap, and it also looks swanky as well. Cradle your DS Lite in some goodness, and wait patiently for the SimCity DS game to come out. It has the ability to hold the DS Lite horizontally and vertically, so basically any of your games will look sweet in its plastic and foam goodness.
Nice work, CheapyD. Now we’ll wait patiently for this to arrive so we can pimp out Animal Crossing: Wide World as it was meant to be seen.
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Today in Joystiq: February 9, 2007
Objection! Hold it! Take that! Having beaten the original Phoenix Wright today, I truly appreciate Sebastian Robinson’s sense of style. Check out the highlights for today:
Joystiquery
Happy Snake Man theme music day
Japanese hardware sales, Jan. 29 - Feb. 4: award-winning edition
Today’s Mario-est video: World of Warcraft Super Mario Theme
News
FBI raid brings down illegal Lineage II service
Halo 3 Beta invitation confirms Crackdown disc needed
Gears of War wins big at Interactive Achievement Awards
Wii Zelda reaches one million in US sales
Microsoft celebrates Year of the Boar with boring bundles
New Penny Arcade Adventures promo shot drops hints
Games tackle psychology. How does that make you feel?
Former GameCube developer calls early Wii graphics sloppy
Battlestar Galactica game bound for XBLA, PC
Wright lets dev team talk Spore
FFXII themed DS Lite revealed for Japan
Rumors & Speculation
LocoRoco sequel outed? Not quite
Culture
Wii wrist weights? Why?
Sept. 11’s effect on the coin-op industry
The Warriors tagging NYC?
iPod + Game Boy = iBoy
A little background on game analysts
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A little background on game analysts
Filed under: Culture, Business
Industry analysts. You like them when they praise your favorites. You hate ‘em when they forecast stormy weather. But just who are these lads that get paid to opine on the video game industry and where they think it’s headed? Joystiq’s own Kyle Orland gets to the bottom of said experts in a 2005 Next-Gen piece that has aged well.
For the most part, analysts create financial models for publicly traded companies. They plug in the numbers, crunch ‘em, then interpret them for investors. Part of that interpretation includes buy/sell forecasting or “educated guessing” which is where most of the controversy stems from.
So who wouldn’t want to get paid to have an opinion. Well, if what analysts say is correct (is that a paradox?), they work long hours for not as much pay as they could amass elsewhere. Still, they play games and talk games pretty much all day long for a living. Says prominent analyst Michael Pachter on his job, “If I am wrong in the press, I’ll embarrass myself.” But he still takes home a check.
See also:
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What Are You Playing This Weekend?
DICE is wrapping up, with the final speaker on stage. Only the annual DICE Poker Tournament remains. Me? I’m about to jump in the car and head back to sunny Los Angeles, ready for a relaxing weekend to be spent not surrounded by developers and press.
On the game front, I’m still slowly working my way through Metroid Prime 2 and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, but may find some time to get in a bit of Resistance: Fall of Man multiplayer. Anyone want to go a few rounds? My copy of the Nintendo DS guitar non-game should have arrived during my absence. In addition to all that digital fun, I’m still playing the real life game of piecing together my surround sound system and dealing with the technical limitations of my cable box (and my brain).
So, what’s it gonna be? What in the bloody hell are you playing this weekend?
Japanese hardware sales, Jan. 29 - Feb. 4: award-winning edition
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business
“Excuse me, but aren’t you … that guy?”
The sound of success is not entirely dissimilar from the sound of a passing stranger, politely seeking to confirm his or her suspicions regarding your familiar identity. The higher intonation which ends the question might give you pause to doubt, but the eventual answer brings with it more certainty. You are that guy. We are that guy. Those guys. Whatever. We totally won an award!
More than one, in fact. In a recent and moderately glitzy ceremony held by the Academy of Non-Interactive Japanese Sales Charts Tracking Interactive Arts and Science Devices, Joystiq waltzed away with 3 highly prestigious awards and one award which borders on notable, but isn’t quite there yet. In the categories of “Sales Chartiest Chart,” “Best Chart That Knows It’s A Chart,” “Best Use of Soul-Crushingly Oppressive Red Arrows” and “Best Sales Chart That Conveys Information Beneath Universally Appalling Attempts at Humor”, our team of overworked writers were given recognition in the form of glorious trophies and mildly disconcerting winks from the judges. They also won’t be killed this week.
Thanks for molding us into that guy that roams the streets with a trophy in his hand and a wildly inaccurate self-image in his mind. We couldn’t have done it without you looking at stuff like this:
- DS Lite: 146,073 
48,453 (24.91%)
- Wii: 65,740 18,014 (21.51%)
- PSP: 31,216 4,484 (12.56%)
- PS3: 18,727 1,269 (6.35%)
- PS2: 17,540 3,455 (16.46%)
- Xbox 360: 6,130 1,235 (16.77%)
- Game Boy Micro: 1,050 127 (10.79%)
- GBA SP: 724 299 (29.23%)
- Gamecube: 306 41 (11.82%)
- DS Phat: 119 
37 (45.12%)
- GBA: 28 6 (17.65%)
[Source: Media Create]
See also: Previous Japanese hardware sales charts
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FFXII themed DS Lite revealed for Japan
Filed under: Nintendo DS, RPGs
Though the extra cost to paint an industrial-strength sticker is probably minimal, it’s not like Nintendo needs any help selling the consoles in Japan. A release outside of Japan is very unlikely for the limited edition console, so those desperate for a unit will have to import. However, we have a better suggestion: wait for someone to post a high-resolution image and then make your own sticker to put on that DS Lite (or DS Phat) you’re already using.
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DICE Press Get The Schwag Shaft
I sit down with analyst and fellow DICE attendee Mark Berman this morning who proudly ponders out loud “I wonder why Sony is giving away copies of Resistance. Everyone who has a PS3 already has this game.” Wait. What? Resistance? Gratis? “It’s included in the welcome package.”
Minutes to spare, I dash to the press room—I always pass on these things—grabbing one of the amBX branded messenger bags and an Insomniac stamped camo bag. Very fannypack-ish. As I dig through my bag, I quickly realize we get the shaft. No Resistance for the press. Oh well.
So what goods were attendees at DICE 07 showered with? The bags, a DICE branded Xbox 360 face plate, a GameTap photo frame, a nice little notebook with a Target logo, a massive long sleeve polo with DICE embroidery plus various dry goods and over the counter drugs. Look for these items in a future Kotaku giveaway near you!
Clip: Call of Duty: Road to Victory
I’m getting a little burnt out on World War II shooters… gimmie World War I shooters, that would be hot. Actually, no, don’t give me that at all. This only has my interest because it’s a Playstation Portable shooter and it’s always fun to see how the developers try to work around the fact the platform doesn’t have two thumbsticks. Fun for them, usually not so much for us.
Wright lets dev team talk Spore
Ocean Quigley, Chaim Gingold, Jenna Chalmers and Alex Hutchinson discussed their roles in the development cycle and explained the hardship of trying to make the game not only work, but work efficiently and with as simple amount of input possible from the player:
- Quigley focused on the challenges of letting players create their own species and objects while avoiding any potential problems associated with said freedom.
- Gingold discussed making object editors simple and powerful, expressing his mantra that “if [the game testers] don’t notice that it sucks, then it must be good.”
- Chalmers’ presentation outlined all their ideas for the space travel missions, and how she hopes the final game will be able to create new, entertaining missions on the fly. Though she noted that many ideas will not make it to publication, one mission that gave us a chuckle was having to drop a T. Rex onto an unsuspecting planet.
- Hutchinson’s speech covered his role as the overall gameplay designer, and lauds Spore for its ability to splice genres.
Wright’s example of “an interstellar war between the Care Bears and the Klingons” keeps us intrigued on the title, so long in development already. However, even though Wright has a great track record with delivering on promised goods, we can’t help but worry Spore won’t live up to the enormous hype that follows it around. We’ll find out later this year when Spore spawns on the PC and, eventually, every platform known to the human race.
See Also:
Joystiq Video: Wired Spore Event, featuring Will Wright and Robin Williams
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Clip: Crackdown Go Boom
Here’s what happens when you try to gather all the sand together in your sandbox game and attempt to make is explode.
Note the slowdown. Some people claim this is a fault with the game, but I’d like to think that it represents your heightened senses at work. I’ve got a feeling this is going to be one of those titles I spend 40-80 hours playing but never actually advance the story. I love them games.
Video: MASSIVE Crackdown Explosion [360style.net - Thanks Chilly!]
Gears Cleans Up At AIAS Awards
Epic Games third-person shooter Gears of War killed the competition at the Hard Rock Casino last night as they nabbed eight Interactive Achievement Award statues. The event was hosted by comedian Jay Mohr, who delighted audiences with a hilarious retelling of an LSD-induced Madden all-nighter and some topical side-splitting Anna Nicole Smith jokes.
He, and the night’s other presenters including Doug Lowenstein, Chris Taylor, and Phil Harrison welcomed Epic’s Mark Rein and Cliff Bleszinski to the stage over and over again as the two warmly accepted their awards. The night’s other big winner was Wii Sports, winning three awards for Oustanding Innovation In Gaming, Outstanding Achievement in Game Engineering and Outstanding Achievement in Game Design.
Nintendo was well represented by attendees Reggie Fils-Aime and Lifetime Achievement Award honorees Howard Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa. We’re still trying to recover from the copious amounts of free booze, milkshakes, sushi, lobster ravioli and banana splits provided by the sponsors, but think we had a pretty good time. Hangover curing full list of winners after the jump.
GEARS OF WAR INVADES SIN CITY CAPTURING EIGHT STATUES AT THE 10TH ANNUAL INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Honors Nintendo Duo with Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award
Dan Bunten Inducted into AIAS Hall of Fame
CALABASAS, CA - February 9, 2007 - Epic Games’ “Gears of War” emerged as the evening’s big winner last night at the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards hosted by The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), taking eight coveted Interactive Achievement Award statues, including Game of the Year honors. Nintendo’s “Wii Sports” pulled in the second most awards with three wins at the star-studded event hosted by comedian Jay Mohr at “The Joint” in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
For the first time, the AIAS honored former president of Nintendo of America, Minoru Arakawa, and chairman emeritus of Nintendo of America, Howard Lincoln with Lifetime Achievement Awards. The AIAS also inducted video game pioneer Dan Bunten (known later in life as Danielle Bunten Berry) as the tenth member of its Hall of Fame. The Interactive Achievement Awards is a peer-based award that recognizes the outstanding products, talented individuals and development teams that have contributed to the
advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.
“Last night, we recognized the brightest and most innovative in video games in what can be considered one of the best years the video game industry has seen,” said Joseph Olin, president, AIAS.
The winners in each category are as follows:
I. Game of the Year:
a. Overall
• Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)
b. Computer
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (P: 2K Games, D: Bethesda Softworks, Executive Producer: Todd Howard)
c. Console
• Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)
d. Handheld Game of the Year
• Nintendo Brain Age (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo, Producer: Shinya Takahashi, Game Director: Kouichi Kawamoto, Creative Directors: Kouichi Kawamoto, Noriko Kitamura, Masamichi Sakaino, Shinji Kitahara, Yoshinori Katsuki, Tadashi Matsushita, Masura Nishida)
II. Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
• Wii Sports (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo, Executive Producer: Satoru Iwata, Producer: Katsuya Eguchi, Game Directors: Keiza Ohta, Takayuki Shimamura, Yoshikazu Yamashita)
III. Outstanding Achievement:
a. Animation
• Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)
b. Art Direction
• Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)
c. Soundtrack
• Guitar Hero 2 (P: Activision/Red Octane, D: Harmonix, Producer: John Tam, Game Director: Daniel Sussman, Creative Director: Josh Randall)
d. Original Music Composition
• LocoRoco (P: Sony Computer Entertainment, D: Sony Computer Entertainment, Producer/Game Director/Creative Director: Tsutomo Kouno)
e. Sound Design
• Call of Duty 3 (P: Activision, D: Treyarch, Producer/Game Director/Creative Director: Treyarch)
f. Story and Character Development
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo, Producer: Shigeru Miyamoto, Game Director: Eiji Aonuma, Executive Producer: Satoru Iwata)
g. Game Play Engineering
• Wii Sports (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo, Executive Producer: Satoru Iwata, Producer: Katsuya Eguchi, Game Directors: Keiza Ohta, Takayuki Shimamura, Yoshikazu Yamashita)
h. Online Game Play
• Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)
i. Visual Engineering
• Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)
j. Game Design
• Wii Sports (P: Nintendo, D: Nintendo, Executive Producer: Satoru Iwata, Producer: Katsuya Eguchi, Game Directors: Keiza Ohta, Takayuki Shimamura, Yoshikazu Yamashita)
IV. Outstanding Character Performance:
a. Male
• Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)
b. Female
• Viva Piñata (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Rare, Producer/Game Director/Creative Director: Greg Mayles)
V. Genre Awards:
a. Sports Game of the Year
• Tony Hawk Project 8 (P: Activision, D: Neversoft Entertainment, Producer; Chris Parise, Game Director/Creative Director: Brian Bright)
b. First-Person Action Game of the Year
• Rainbow Six: Vegas (P: Activision, D: Neversoft Entertainment, Producer; Chris Parise, Game Director/Creative Director: Brian Bright)
c. Role-Playing Game of the Year
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (P: 2K Games, D: Bethesda Softworks, Executive Producer: Todd Howard)
d. Fighting Game of the Year
• Fight Night Round 3 (P/D: Electronic Arts, Producer: Kudo Tsunoda, Game Director: Keith Morton, Creative Director: Darren Bennett)
e. Action/ Adventure Game of the Year
• Gears of War (P: Microsoft Game Studios, D: Epic Games, Producer: Rod Ferguson, Game Director: Michael Capps, Creative Director: Cliff Bleszinski)
f. Racing Game of the Year
• Burnout Revenge (P: Electronic Arts, D: Criterion Games, Creative Director: Alex Ward, Criterion Games)
g. Children’s Game of the Year
• LocoRoco (P: Sony Computer Entertainment, D: Sony Computer Entertainment, Producer/Game Director/Creative Director: Tsutomo Kouno)
h. Downloadable Game of the Year
• Bookworm Adventures (P/D: PopCap, Producer/Game Director/Creative Director: Tysen Henderson)
i. Family Game of the Year
• Guitar Hero 2 (P: Activision/Red Octane, D: Harmonix, Producer: John Tam, Game Director: Daniel Sussman, Creative Director: Josh Randall)
j. Simulation Game of the Year
• Microsoft Flight Simulator X (P/D: Microsoft Game Studios, Producer: Shawn Firminger, Game Director: John Licata, Creative Director: Patt Cook, Jason Waskey)
k. Strategy Game of the Year
• Company of Heroes (P: THQ, D: Relic, Producer/Game Director: John Johnson, Creative Director: Sean Dunn)
l. Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year
• Guild Wars Nightfall (P: NCsoft, D: ArenaNet, Producer: Jay Adams, Game)
m. Mobile Game of the Year
• Orcs and Elves (P: Electronic Arts Mobile, D: Fountainhead Entertainment, Producer/ Game Director/ Creative Director: John Carmack, Katherine A. Kang)
A peer panel of eight to 12 AIAS members played and evaluated all nominated titles in their assigned category. Interactive Achievement Award recipients were determined by a vote of qualified Academy members. AIAS voting was secret, conducted online and supervised and certified by eBallot. The integrity of the system, coupled with a broad-based voting population of AIAS members, makes the Interactive Achievement Awards the most credible, respected and recognized awards for interactive entertainment software.
Nintendo of America’s Minoru Arakawa and Howard Lincoln will be the first recipients of the newly-created Lifetime Achievement Award honoring those who have devoted their lives to the advancement of the interactive entertainment industry and have made significant contributions that have guided the business to the prominent position it is in today as a booming entertainment industry with global revenues topping $25 billion.
AIAS Hall of Fame Honoree Dan Bunten is the tenth member to be inducted and joins an already impressive collection of gaming icons, including Trip Hawkins, Peter Molyneux, Yu Suzuki, Will Wright, John Carmack, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Sid Meier, Shigeru Miyamoto and Richard Garriott.
About the D.I.C.E. Summit:
The D.I.C.E. Summit is a high-level interactive entertainment industry conference that brings together the top video game designers and developers from around the world and business leaders from all the major publishers to discuss the state of the industry, its trends and the future. More information on the 2006 D.I.C.E. Summit can be found http://www.dicesummit.org.
About the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences:
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) was founded in 1996 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the interactive arts.
The Academy’s mission is to promote and advance common interests in the worldwide interactive entertainment community; recognize outstanding achievements in the interactive arts and sciences; and conduct an annual awards show (Interactive Achievement Awards) to enhance awareness of the interactive art form. The Academy also strives to provide a voice for individuals in the interactive entertainment community. More information about the AIAS can be found at http://www.interactive.org.
Battlestar Galactica game bound for XBLA, PC
Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action
The Hollywood Reporter, uh, reports that a new partnership between NBC Universal and Vivendi’s Sierra Online division will yield a digitally distributed Battlestar Galactica game. The space shooter (you know, a shooter … but in space) is expected to be completed this fall, after which it will be promptly shot in the head to initiate the download onto your PC or your Xbox 360. Australia-based Auran Games has been named as the developer, though its history of railroad simulations makes it hard to gauge whether it’ll be able to do the modern television series justice. Can anyone?
“We wanted to bring a more intense combat experience to gamers,” explains NBC Universal’s Bill Kispert. “From a story standpoint, fans will be able to relive key battles from the first two seasons of the show, and then we’ll add new content and missions outside of that.” The overarching plan is to continuously inject new challenges into the game, much in line with the episodic nature of the show itself. Kispert (who sounds more like a snack than a Cylon) also notes that Sierra Online has paid a visit to the show’s sets and hopes to incorporate everything from sound effects to pilot chatter.
Given the fracking hole currently residing in the spot where the space sim genre used to be, we’re eminently open to the idea of piloting Vipers and Cylon Raiders in an all-out, Xbox Live dogfight. Let’s just hope nobody at Sierra Online makes the obvious, in-game advertising connection. “Thanks for saving my six, Starbucks! I can always count on your finely roasted skills.” (We spent nine hours developing that joke. FACT.)
[Via CVG]
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