Archive for May 1st, 2007
News: New Gears of War map pack hits tomorrow; screens inside
Microsoft and Epic will soon offer a new pack of four multiplayer maps for the smash-hit game Gears of War.
News: Sony’s Home beta already underway
SCEE reports that the first phase of the beta test has already commenced, but a second phase, which will offer spots open to the public, is scheduled for this summer.
Screen Update: Fatal Inertia
Get caught like a deer in headlights in these Fatal Inertia screens.
News: Analyst blasts media over Kutaragi speculation
An industry analyst has come to the defense of Sony by criticizing meda outlets for unfounded speculation surrounding Ken Kutaragi’s imminent retirement.
News: Tabula Rasa set for autumn release
NCsoft announced that closed beta testing for their sci-fi / fantasy MMO Tabula Rasa is underway, with an official release set for fall of this year.
News: Nintendo releases new Phantom Hourglass screens
A handful of brand new screenshots plan to give gamers a better idea of some of the gameplay details from The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
Guerrillas In The Haze: Haze Update Coming May 10
It looks like more details on Haze, Ubisoft’s Free Radical driven shooter, is going to be hitting on May 10.
The fake website for Mantel Corp. just updated saying that they would be revealing the “new Mantel Trooper” on May 10. No clue what that means, but I do know that a developer should probably limit their guerrilla marketing to one game at a time. I don’t know about you, but I keep confusing Haze with EndWar now.
Mantel Corp [Thanks Alex]
Fashion Goes Out Of Fashion: H&M on the Sims
A new Sims 2 expansion pack is now available as a pre-order from Amazon with a release date of June 5th. It features clothing inspired by real H&M designs from dresses to casual outfits (even for men) as well as the ability to design your own H&M store. There’s a catwalk build too, but if I know H&M, by the time you finish your fashion designs and put them down a runway, it will already be time to buy a whole new season’s worth of H&M Sims clothing over again. Unfortunately, there was no mention on whether or not it would include the highly covetted Madonna H&M line in it.
Pre-Order the Sims 2 H&M Fashion Stuff Pack [Sims Gamer]
Gametap: Big Changes for GameTap
GameTap - Turner’s broadband gaming network that scours the bargain bins so you don’t have to - is undergoing some pretty massive changes, from offering newer, cheap-as-free subscription levels, ad-supported gaming, and a large digital distribution storefront for current release PC titles.
Starting May 31st, all visitors to GameTap’s website will be able to play through a rotating list of 30-60 titles (up to a T rating) and watch GameTap TV content (hooray) via an ad-supported Lite Player at no charge. Players who register become Green Level Members, effectively lifting the rating caps while gaining access to community features. Of course gamers will still be able to purchase the ad-free membership for $9.99 a month, only now they’ll be considered Gold Level members. Fancy.
The new digital distribution storefront will allow paying subscribers to purchase new PC games directly through the GameTap interface, with Tomb Raider Anniversary from Eidos set to be the debut title.
Over at GameDaily.biz James Brightman goes in-depth with GameTap GM Stu Synder about the big changes, so hit the link to learn more about how they plan to make the system more than just a fancy Sam and Max delivery device with a logo that resembles the world’s most impractical cock ring.
GameTap Expands Business Model, Goes Free [GameDaily.BIZ]
Humor?: Clip: Wii Freestyle Bowling Championship
Ok, so this vid is both crap and funny, so don’t get all angry at my for posting, the YouTube gremlins made me. I do like the Wii ankle holster.
It’s Where Your Heart Is: Home Beta Creeps Out in Europe
Over the weekend a few European PS3 owners got lucky and got a little taste of Home (not the place, the beta version). Although there is no official confirmation from Sony that it was released, there are definitely people out there posting images proving that they have what boys like and what guys want.
With only a select few G.A.P. members getting in, we imagine people are staring at their 30 person buddy lists in jealousy as a single one of their friends enjoys the thrills Home has to offer. Americans seem to be particularly jealous right now, as nobody on Western shores has yet confirmed their acceptance as of this writing. However, we’ve been hearing the date May 1st as confirmation for acceptance into the North American beta, so if that date is indeed true nobody will have to hold their breath for too much longer.
That makes America the land of the Home-less (yuck, yuck, yuck), but if you’re desperate to have it now, you and/or a friend from Canada can sign up to be beta testers before the release.
Home Beta Goes Live in Europe? [PSU, thanks Rafael!]
More World War II Please: More Phone Call of Duty
In case you didn’t have enough World War II on your consoles and handhelds, Glu Mobile and Activision have gotten together to develop a brand new mobile Call of Duty title for release later this year. While Call of Duty 1 & 2 have been released as top-down strategy games for cell phones developed by Mforma, this looks to be the first mobile iteration to take on the FPS gameplay we know and love.
“We’re thrilled to engage in an exclusive partnership with Activision and bring a new Call of Duty title to mobile gamers worldwide,” said Greg Ballard, chief executive officer and president, Glu. “The Call of Duty franchise has brought new meaning and innovation to the first person action category and is a great addition to Glu’s portfolio of award-winning games.”
Previous mobile games by Glu include Project Gotham Racing Mobile 3D, Baldur’s Gate, and a quite capable little shmup called Alpha Wing, so I’m sure they’ll do a lovely job. Hit the jump for the full press release.
Update - Aspyr dropped us a line to make sure we knew that they made the Call of Duty 2 Pocket PC Edition, which was an FPS version for mobile devices as well. Sorry about that guys.
Glu and Activision Announce Exclusive Worldwide Partnership to Bring Next Call of Duty Title to Mobile Phones
Leading Mobile Publisher Adds Title from Critically-Acclaimed Franchise
San Mateo, Calif. - May 1, 2007 - Glu Mobile Inc. (Nasdaq: GLUU), a leading global publisher of mobile games, today announced a strategic worldwide partnership with Activision, Inc., to develop an upcoming Call of Duty® title for mobile phones. Through this exclusive agreement, Glu will create a future title in the critically-acclaimed Call of Duty franchise, giving gamers around the world a way to experience Call of Duty directly on their mobile phones.
“We’re thrilled to engage in an exclusive partnership with Activision and bring a new Call of Duty title to mobile gamers worldwide,” said Greg Ballard, chief executive officer and president, Glu. “The Call of Duty franchise has brought new meaning and innovation to the first person action category and is a great addition to Glu’s portfolio of award-winning games.”
Today’s announcement highlights Glu’s superior studio capabilities and solid relationships with wireless carriers around the world that enable the company to deploy titles to a vast audience of consumers worldwide.
“Glu’s well-earned reputation for publishing award-winning quality mobile games, and their proven ability to deploy titles globally made them a clear choice as our partner to bring the next Call of Duty to mobile gamers,” said David Anderson, senior director of business development at Activision. “The mobile launch will give fans the ability to experience the thrilling action and heart-pounding intensity of Call of Duty, whenever and wherever they are.”
The critically-acclaimed, blockbuster Call of Duty series is known for its cinematic intensity, epic battlefield moments and intense multiplayer action. The Glu mobile version will be available to consumers on major wireless carriers around the world later this year.
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Chunnel: New Gears Map Pack Hits Thursday
Well lookie here, a new Gears of War map pack that we didn’t see coming. The Hidden Fronts Multiplayer Map Pack will include four new maps:
Bullet Marsh: In this Kryll-infested swamp, an old generator still powers the area lights. A few stray bullets could easily knock out the generator, leaving combatants to fend for themselves against the Kryll.
Garden: This overgrown and crumbling conservatory still has a working fertilization and pesticide system. This system can pose a serious hazard to anyone who ventures into the greenhouse without first venting the air.
Process: Teams must fight for control of this subterranean Imulsion processing plant, still active despite the cessation of the Pendulum wars.
Subway: Timgad’s Central Subway station used to serve as a central hub for commuters. Now the tunnels are crawling with Locust.
The map pack goes on sale at 9 a.m. GMT on Thursday for 800 points, or you can just wait until Sept. 3 and get it for free.
Do The Hustle: Square Enix Shuffles Executives
Square Enix will start playing musical chairs with their executives as their European CEO, John Yamamoto, replaces Daishiro Okado as president. Yamamoto will also take on the responsibility of being CEO of the US side of the publisher as well as retain his role and president and CEO of Square Enix Europe. Talk about big time!
According to Yoichi Wada, president and representative director of the board of Square Enix:
We are excited that John will be joining our senior leadership in North America, and we will benefit immensely from his experience. John’s proven track record as a senior executive and his strong understanding of our industry make him an ideal candidate to help lead our North American initiatives.
Okado has been promoted to Vice Chairman of Square Enix in America, so no tearful goodbyes for him. This could mean, though, that there could be an opening for an Assistant Regional Manager somewhere down the line. Do we have any junior executives in the house?
Square Enix Sees Worldwide Executive Re-Shuffle [MCV]
Redifining The MMORPG: MMO Vets Form Colony
There’s a new MMO studio town, and they’re making a name for themselves based on the names they’ve made before. The new Colony Studios consists of a group of ten developers who have worked on titles like EQ, City of Heroes, Dark Age of Camelot, Ultima Online, and World of Warcraft, all headed up by Michael Wallis, a former senior producer for Eve Online.
“Most dev teams - including Colony’s - have gone through the process of learning what doesn’t work in game development, but our team members have also been intimately involved with creating what does work in several successful MMOs and that combination will serve us well.
They plan on creating a game using an original IP that isn’t a clone of World of Warcraft. Novel idea.
Counting Red 5 and Heatwave Interactive this makes three new MMO companies founded by former members of (insert popular MMO name here)’s team with the goal of revitalizing the stagnant industry I’ve seen since December. Hopefully one of them will get it right.
New MMO studio established by genre veterans [GamesIndustry.Biz]
Fahey Fainted: Puzzle Quest Coming to XBLA
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is coming to the Xbox Live Arcade later this year.
D3Publisher of America also plans to bring Mad Tracks and RocketBowl to the Live Arcade late this year. No word on the exact date or price for the three games, but so far the only one I care about is Puzzle Quest.
Mad Tracks is a racing game inspired by those pull-back-and-go car toys and RocketBowl is a mini-golf meets bowling game.
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Premier publisher of interactive entertainment software, D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA), will begin to bring titles to gamers through Xbox LIVE® Arcade later this year. Xbox LIVE Arcade on the Xbox 360™ is the premier destination for digitally distributed, high definition original and classic games. The first three titles Xbox 360 owners can expect to see from D3PA on the service are Mad Tracks, a racing game that takes its inspiration from the pull-back-and-go toy cars of gamers’ youth, RocketBowl, Xbox LIVE Arcade’s first bowling game, which brings the fun of miniature golf to the bowling alley, and Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, a downloadable version of the Nintendo DS™ and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system game which blends match-three puzzle gameplay with strategy, character-building elements and a persistent storyline set in the beloved Warlords universe.
“What ties all of D3PA’s titles together are not genre or size of game or developer, but an unsurpassable element of fun,” said Yoji Takenaka, executive vice president and chief operating officer, D3PA. “We look forward to capitalizing on Xbox LIVE Arcade’s wide reach and ease of use to bring gamers unique titles that fit the bill of delivering the highest enjoyment factors.”
Mad Tracks, RocketBowl and Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords are only the first of many games that D3PA plans to make available on Xbox LIVE Arcade, reinforcing the company’s commitment to fostering strong relationships with developers of all sizes and helping them deliver their creations into the hands of the public. All three games also support the publisher’s primary aim to bring top-quality game experiences to the widest range of audiences possible; each will be quick to download, easy to pick up, but challenging to master — thereby providing hours of gameplay.
Mad Tracks was developed by Load, Inc., Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was developed by Infinite Interactive Pty. Ltd., and RocketBowl, an original Large Animal game, is being developed for Xbox LIVE Arcade by 21-6.
About D3Publisher of America, Inc
Night Note: Night Note: We’re Going To Be Friends
To: Crecente
From: Bash
Subject: Boo!
Back story: Right when Mini-Bash started school, he got in a tussle with another kid. And for days after that, the two went at each other, head on. Daily. When we asked Mini-Bash what was up, he said that he hated that other kid. What does this kid look like? “A ghost,” replied Mini-Bash.
Well! Today, Mini-Bash comes tromping home, saying that his best buddy is The Ghost. (The Ghost, it seems, also has an actual name! Which I won’t reprint here…) Anyway, Mini-Bash tells me that today, they hung out and built blocks together. And before Mini-Bash got on the bus, he told The Ghost, “I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ll build blocks again.” What caused this turn around? Other than little kids have the attention span of gnats, no clue!
What you missed:
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Clips: Clip: Gundam 0079
That’s Gundam 0079 on the Wii. Looks…barren. Well, the parts I saw looked barren. I just couldn’t stop watching the neat little waving hand at the bottom. Left, right, left, right…hypnotic!
I’m A Paste Guy Myself: Hate Glue? Like Arcade Cabinets?
Spanish hipster bar Marrs Bar recently wrapped up a super cool “We Hate Glue” contest — So cool that we wish they would’ve told us about it! Folks were asked to design paper arcade cabinets. The winner gets €250. Easy, enough? The cool bit is the imaginative way contestants covered the cabinets. Check out some of the super cool entries above and below. For interested crafty types, there’s a peppy video on how to make these cabinets after the jump.
Marrs Bar [Official Site]
You Gotta Know When To Hold Em…: Twilight Princess Cards
On offer: Twilight Princess trading cards. Note these are trading cards, not playing cards, so expect chewing gum, not hitpoints. Actually, don’t expect chewing gum, either - in a sign that I am indeed growing old, they don’t do that anymore. Matter of fact, for $1.99 they don’t do much of anything anymore.
Here’s what you get in each pack:
So you get…four cards and a tattoo. Once was a time you’d buy a pack of TMNT or Batman cards and get twice as many cards AND the gum. That was some value for money right there.
Twilight Princess Trading Cards [Enterplay, via Land of the Legend]
