Blog5 Games

Sony has heard your cries, PLAYSTATION 3 owners. This week’s PlayStation Store update finally addresses your complaints about a lack of downloadable videos for MLB 07: The Show. Sony has added a handful of new videos for the title today, a series of tutorials to get folks up to speed on how video-riffic the first-party baseball game is in action.

But what about the games? As promised, Sony Online Entertainment’s port of Championship Sprint has hit the PlayStation Store for $4.99. Additionally, downloadable content for Ridge Racer 7 (remember that?) has been added.

You’ll also get a couple of Hollywood movie trailers. What you won’t get is new content for Resistance: Fall of Man. That’s been delayed a bit longer to iron out the kinks. Whee! Michael McWhertor

Ah, The Red Ring of Death. I’ve had it, Luke’s had it, if you were cool, you would have it too. So how many people in the world are as cool and awesome as us? It’s like questioning how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop - The world will never know:

‘What is the real failure rate of the Xbox 360?’, we asked Game, one of the largest console retailers in the UK. ‘That’s not information we’re able to give out. It’s commercially sensitive,’ it said…Last month, its vice-president of entertainment, Peter Moore, refused to answer the question, telling the Mercury News: “I can’t comment on failure rates.” According to Moore, if someone has a faulty console they should worry about the customer service.

Uh, okay. So far, there have been many documented reasons why any individual’s Xbox 360 would die. Shouldn’t that concern Microsoft more than how many indivuals have been affected? Kim Phu

What is the Real Failure Rate of the Xbox 360? [Guardian Unlimited]

There ain’t no party like a Mario Party because a Mario Party don’t stop!

Nintendo, you can use that. Gratis. On me. Really. It’s cool. No one will know but us.

Mario Party 8 is the latest incarnation of the series, as well as its first appearance on the Wii. But as for its trademark minigames…those have seen more Wii than Paris Hilton. How does Mario Party 8 stack up against its predecessors? Hit the jump for our Frankenreview: (almost) every review presented in an (almost) funny way that (almost) makes sense. Look, at least we stopped rapping.

IGN
Mario Party 8 is a noteworthy arrival on Wii because it marks the first Nintendo-published project that does not run in 16:9 widescreen mode….To its credit though, the game’s title screen and main menu both run in full widescreen, but as soon as any sort of gameplay begins, everything transpires in 4:3 with superimposed bars. Good stuff, and by that we mean just the opposite.

1up
“The Wii is made for a game like this!” True. A good portion of the minigames in MP8 use the Wii’s motion controls, yes, and for the most part, they work well. Pump, lasso, point (and shoot), rotate, shake…several events use the Wii-mote exactly as you’d expect and they deliver. But they’re only part of the library….The rest consists of old minigames redone with motion controls and old-style games that don’t take advantage of the Wii whatsoever…It’s just a waste…


The Wiire
Unfortunately, all of the games in “simple” mode were all of the games that our game testers had the most problems with…It’s not that the controllers didn’t respond, they responded perfectly, but players simply didn’t know what they were supposed to be doing even after reading the instructions. Reason being: if the game is three versus one, the odd person out normally has a different control style and is looking at the others for guidance.


Wii Advanced Media Network
Mario Party 8 is a title that is all about multiplayer, and yet it does not support online play. Blame it on the yet-to-launch Wii online infrastructure if you will, but the lack of the mode really hurts the game’s lasting appeal, and it might have been smarter to wait and do this game when it could be done right.


Yahoo
Sooner or later, this mini-game fad that’s been all the rage on the Wii and DS recently is going to pass its sell-by date, and it’s already starting to smell a bit off. While Mario Party has been doing this ever since the Wii was a glint in Shigeru Miyamoto’s eye, this time it’s unfortunately landing on a platform that’s already replete with games in its style.

In other words, wait until Mario Party 9 comes out. Mark Wilson

Pictures Stolen From Here

Well that was fast. The Democrat sponsored video game bill I wrote about yesterday has been weighed, measured, and found perfectly peachy by an overwhelming majority of the NY Assembly. This is of course the bill that would make it a felony for game store clerks to sell games depicting scenes of brutal violence to children, which as you can imagine has game store owners sh***ing kittens.

With both the Senate and the Assembly having passed gaming bills, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno is calling for talks towards a compromise. You’d think that would be an easy task since there are only a few major differences between the bills, but if any group of people could argue to a standstill over something they basically agree on, it’s politicians. Michael Fahey

Lightning Round for NY Assembly: Video Game Bill Passed in a Day [GamePolitics.com]

John Carmack is working on a new franchise that will use a brand new engine crafted by the developer, according to Id Software’s Todd Hollenshead.

“We are working on an all-new franchise: it’s not Doom, it’s not Quake, it’s not Wolfenstein, it’s not Enemy Territory, it’s not even Commander Keen!

“It is a new id brand with an all-new John Carmack engine and I think that when we show it to people, once again they’ll see, just like they saw when we first showed Doom 3, that John Carmack still has a lot of magic left.”

“Our first task at id is as a single studio developer,” Hollenshead continued. “That’s really where everything spawns from. Because John Carmack is a programming genius, who in my opinion is unequalled in video games today, he makes a great technology that we can use across a wide range of applications and different games within our suite of franchises.

“The new stuff that we’re working on does have a brand new engine that John has been working on, actually is still working on today. We can’t really talk any details about it; we’ll see about when the timing is right for an announcement. We like to be able to talk about stuff that we can show at the same time and it’s not really ready to show yet.”

Hmmm, maybe some news will come out of tiny E3 afterall? Brian Crecente

A super-sneaky premium version of the Biohazard website has been uncovered in Japan. Basically all you have to do after going to the Biohazard website is to click on one of the nucleuses on the red cell that floating around aimlessy. That jumps to the premium site and voila, more red cell navigation will show you all kinds of goodies like game clips and an online sound game.

So what’s with the picture? After you’ve clicked all the red cells, blue ones will appear that let you enter to win a part of the “Leone Collection“, a set of Biohazard inspired clothing and accessories like his leather jacket. Many will enter, 25 will win. Not the whole sha-bang-a-bang, just one of the prizes in the poster. I wonder what size the one pair of “Engineer Boots” are…Kim Phu

バイオハザード4 Wiiエディション』の発売を記念して公式サイトでプレゼントキャンペーンなどを実施 [Famitsu]

Time to earn those Warhammer bragging rights. EA Mythic has launched the signup page for the closed beta phase of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning in Europe and North America. Slots are sure to be extremely limited, and with the buzz surrounding the game I’d say the competition will be massive.

Having said that, here are a few tips for getting selected for an invite-only closed beta:

1. Research the game’s theme and appear passionate about it, without sounding like a fanboy. Harder than it seems.
2. Say things like, “I believe that this game could be the next big MMO sensation, and want to have a part in helping it succeed.”
3. Sign up as a female.

Play your cards right, and two years down the road you could be the guy who keeps saying, “Well I’ve been playing since closed beta,” becoming that which you hate most. Michael Fahey

Warhammer Online Beta Signup - North America
Warhammer Online Web Page and Beta Signup - Europe

Arrogantics was kind enough to post up two new videso from Guitar Hero 3 confirming that the game will look pretty much the same despite the fact that Neversoft is now developing it instead of Harmonix. This first video shows My Name is Jonas. The video on the jump shows Slow Ride.

I think I kinda like the HUD tweaks, though I don’t know if they were really necessary. I suppose Neversoft had to do something to make it look like they weren’t just stuffing news songs into an old game. Brian Crecente

First Videos of Guitar Hero 3 [Arrogantics, thanks lawl]

The first Naruto RPG in North America wil be in the form of a Nintendo DS game and it is planning to arrive this Fall. TOMY and D3Publishers of America announced yesterdat that the game based on the popular Japanese animated series (I don’t know anyone who watches it in the States, but I’m sure there are some post-Yu-Gi-Oh fans who have globbed onto it) will feature new original content and scenarious that have never been seen before.

Choosing from six available characters, players will be able to explore the Village Hidden in the Leaves and the world of Naruto as you roam across forests, fields, rivers and mountains. Along the way players will encounter bosses and enemies that they must use their special techniques to defeat.

I guess the Nintendo “Summer of Fun” has to end sometime. Kim Phu

NARUTO ROLE-PLAYING GAME ON NINTENDO DS? BELIEVE IT! [GameBrink]

The untitled next generation Need for Speed game is no longer untitled! Now we have a name, and that gives us power over it. Shipping this fall to every gaming device you can possibly imagine, it’s now Need for Speed ProStreet, a subtitle that would be extremely generic if not for the lack of spacing and awesome middle capital S. This isn’t just any, Amateur Street, no sir.

Okay, the name kinda bites.

But the game is looking spectacular, judging by screen above and the teaser we posted last week. This new iteration is all about realistic graphics and damage modeling, meaning I might finally get my wish to have my crushed Nissan Sentra in a video game. As for the gameplay focus this time around…

“Need for Speed ProStreet accelerates street racing culture by providing the ultimate stage for the pursuit of street racing supremacy,” said Executive Producer, Larry LaPierre. “This is a game about building the ultimate performance-tuned battle machine, taking it to multi-disciplinary showdowns all over the world and pitting your skills and reputation against the very best street racers.”

So pretty much what we’ve been doing, but damn it looks pretty. Hit the jump for more details! Michael Fahey

EA SHIFTS GEARS WITH NEED FOR SPEED PROSTREET
Compete in the ultimate street racing showdown with EA’s blockbuster racing franchise

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - May 31, 2007 - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that the blockbuster Need for Speed™ franchise is introducing a new version that drives the series in a new direction. Need for Speed™ ProStreet is a ground-breaking Need for Speed experience where you’re thrust to compete head to head against the best street racers in a multitude of racing showdowns. The game is being developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, B.C., and is slated to ship this fall.

“Need for Speed ProStreet accelerates street racing culture by providing the ultimate stage for the pursuit of street racing supremacy,” said Executive Producer, Larry LaPierre. “This is a game about building the ultimate performance-tuned battle machine, taking it to multi-disciplinary showdowns all over the world and pitting your skills and reputation against the very best street racers.”

Need for Speed ProStreet boasts impeccable precision and impressively detailed photo-realistic graphics, effectively transporting you to the center of the action. It pushes the “Autosculpt™” technology to a new level, allowing you to directly impact your car’s performance for the first time as well as personalize its appearance. Need for Speed ProStreet is a true taste of raw adrenaline and racing with consequences. Every dent, every scratch and every crumpled body panel is a battle scar, proof of your commitment and competitive mettle. With an aggressive and skilled AI system, you become immersed in an unmatched believable race experience. Add in a revolutionary online mode that will redefine the meaning of competitive social play, and Need for Speed ProStreet is the ultimate formula for an emotionally charged street racing showdown.

Need for Speed ProStreet will be available for Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Wii™ as well as the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) handheld entertainment system, PC and mobile. More information can be found at www.needforspeed.com.

A new map pack for Call of Duty 3 hits the Xbox 360 today, giving gamers five more maps to run around on for about $10.

The Bravo Map Pack coms with Gare Centrale from the original Call of Duty, Marseilles from United Offensive and three new multiplayer maps that let you “storm hilltop abbeys, maneuver alleyways for the perfect ambush, or battle in the nighttime shadows of a riverside town.”

The five maps weigh in at a whopping 950.3 MB and aren’t available in Japan. Which do you think is worse, the price or the fact that the maps suck up nearly a gig of space? Brian Crecente

To: Crecente
From: Bash
Subject: Pain

Today, I had a tooth filled. It took only twenty minutes or so, and it didn’t hurt. At all. The dentist used an “electric” syringe to give me a Novocain injection. It had a super thin needle, and it didn’t cause that slight prick sensation you feel at the base of your skull that regular Novocain shots cause. After the cavity was drilled out, it was covered in a temporary plastic. Next week, I go back for it to be filled properly. Then, I go back the following week to have another cavity drilled out and the week after that for it to get filled permanently. Dentists in Japan typically see something like twenty or thirty patients a day. So, dental care is super efficient and short.

What you missed last night

• Amazing Shadowrun contest!
• Ditch cut-scenes
• Is the Wii a fad?
• Ubisoft apologizes for crap Wii games

Australian sales charts for the week ending May 27.

1) Pirates 3 (PS2)
2) Buzz: The Mega Quiz
3) C&C 3 (360)
4) Animal Crossing Wild World
5) Diddy Kong Racing
6) God of War 2
7) Buzz: The Mega Quiz Bundle
Resistance
9) MotorStorm
10) Mario Kart DS

Strange charts, these. No Spiderman, two Buzz games, Mario Kart…May’s a kooky month for game sales. Luke Plunkett

[charts courtesy of GfK]

Another contest has drawn to a close. Here are the lucky six finalists in our use-your-fingers-win-Shadowrun shadow puppet contest.

*round of applause*

Many thanks to all who entered! So, we are giving away one copy of Shadowrun for the Xbox 360 to the individual who created a neato-est shadow creation. It’s up to you, the commenters, to vote in the comments section for the one you like best. Voting ends at midnight EST. Brian Ashcraft

Finalist #1: Bowser

Finalist #2: Donkey Kong

Finalist #3: Triforce

Finalist #4: Mushroom

Finalist #5: Pac-Man

Finalist #6: Mario’s Hat

Ice-cream trucks? So 1985. Kids these days, they need a hook if you’re going to sell them sweet, cold snacks from a moving van. Greensleeves doesn’t cut it with the tech-savvy youth of 2007. They need videogame characters. And not just any videogame character: thinly-veiled copyright violations.

That’s not to discredit the quality of the goods on sale: an official Donkey Kone Banana Boat sure does sound yum. Luke Plunkett

Be Somebody Or Be Somebody’s Fool [Flickr, via The Tanooki]

Dynasty Warriors maker Koei has wrapped up construction on a new building in Yokohama. Yes, a NEW BUILDING. Design was overseen by Osaka-born graphic designer Kazumasa Nagai. That crazy eye art? Nagai made that, and it probably can see into your soul. Dubbed Koei Gemini, the building is dedicated to online gaming in Asia. So, if anyone ever doubts the power of online gaming in Asia, please point to this building. Brian Ashcraft

New Koei Building [Famitsu]

The lovely folks at Next-Gen are up for a challenge. Since the day-to-day stuff of covering this business obviously isn’t enough to keep them occupied, they’re attempting to collect in a single, convenient location the details of every last development house in the world.

Yes, Zootfly fans, even Slovenia.

By their own admission it won’t ever be 100% comprehensive, but still, it’ll have everyone listed you’d ever really need to be looking up. Well done, Next-Gen. Luke Plunkett

THE NEXT-GEN WORLD DEVELOPER LIST [Next-Gen]

Version 3.50 Firmware hit today. It enables:

• “Remote Play” over the internet
• Adds new feature “RSS Channel Guide” to the PSP’s “RSS Channel”

Sure, it’s previously been possible to access the PlayStation Store via your PSP. The catch has always been that you have to be at home, thereby eliminating the point of using the PSP instead of your PS3. This new update makes it possible to connect to the internet from anywhere via your online PS3 and viewed stored console content. The “RSS Channel Guide” helps organize RSS content on the PSP. Accessing your PS3 via your PSP from anywhere? Wow, suddenly the PlayStation Portable got a lot cooler. Brian Ashcraft

PSP Update [SCE}

Oh Ubisoft. You’re confusing me! First, you say that you’ve got three options: steady as she goes, work with the movie industry (I’m presuming your own Montreal setup) or merge (presumably with EA). That’s what you told Gamasutra, anyways. Now I see your Chief Financial Officer Alain Martinez spoke to Reuters after an investors meeting and said you’re looking at buying up some companies!

Chief Financial Officer Alain Martinez told Reuters after the meeting that Ubisoft was currently looking at two or three opportunities and notably at development studios.

He would not go into details but said the possible targets were in the range of 1 million to 20 million euros.

Either they’re real big on corporate double-speak, or they’re so cashed up they don’t know what to do with themselves. I’d like to think it’s the latter, and they’re just flying by the seat of their pants. “Yeah, fuck it, let’s buy these guys”, etc. Luke Plunkett

Ubisoft eyes buys, but wants to stay cash positive [Reuters]

Over at the Capcom official message boards, resident blogger Brian Dunn has posted a first look at 1080p Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Udon Comics is redrawing the game’s background, portraits, portraits and in-game animations — all in hi-res. Above is what Ken would look like if you paused the game, cut out the background and posted him on Kotaku. Well, whaddaya think? Brian Ashcraft

SSFIITHDR Art [Capcom, Thanks Stephen!]