Monthly Archives: December 2008

As you’ve probably gathered, we’re pretty much wrapped up for the year. We’ll be keeping an eye on things over the break and we’ll update if anything cataclysmic happens. You may get some news every day. You may not. We feel as though we need a break.

From everyone that has any input into VG247, we want to say a massive thank you for all the support you’ve given us in 2008 and sincerely hope you have a fantastic holiday. We’re going to have plenty to talk about in 2009, so don’t change your bookmark. Next year’s going to be all about newsifying your asses, and no one will do it better than us if we can honestly help it.

And that’s that. Merry Christmas!

Update: A very “well-informed source” has just told us this is “not true”.

Sadomasochistic car porn not doing it for you anymore? Browser bookmarks filled with pictures of shiny, curvaceous guns? Well then, Criterion’s come-hither looks are finally flying your way again, because it seems that a sequel to point, click, and shoot adventure Black is in development.

Of course, it’s far from confirmed, but, according to both Eurogamer Portugal and Xbox 360 Play Diaries, a listing for Black: Second Mission temporarily appeared on Criterion’s website before returning to the dark nethers from whence it came.

The game is apparently scheduled for a 2009 release on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Earlier this year, however, Burnout Paradise lead designer Craig Sullivan dumped a fresh layer of cement onto Black’s grave, saying that Criterion’s “honestly not working on [Black 2] at the moment.” A 2009 release, then, seems a bit farfetched.

But who can say what’ll actually happen? Criterion does know its way around a DeLorean, after all.

By Nathan Grayson

XNA user SniperED007 has created a fireplace for Xbox 360 costing 400 Microsoft Points.

It features “realistic smoldering embers and flickering flames,” and apparently creates “the perfect backdrop for a relaxing evening.” Quite.

You can download a demo if you want to try before you buy. Shacknews even has a video of it in action.

This is the future, right here.

By Mike Bowden

There’s a video after the break of the Burnout Paradise Back to the Future mobile burning and floating.

The clip’s unfortunately bereft of purple Calvin Klein pants and potential mother-sex, but it’s a noble effort. Thanks, Kotaku.

More »

The Guardian’s reporting that Iceland’s banking collapse may mean CCP may have to move itself, and EVE Online, out of the country.

Says the piece:

On three shiny floors of a former fish factory is CCP, a company best known in computer gaming for Eve Online, which has 300,000 participants all over the world – as many inhabitants as Iceland itself. However, restrictions on access to foreign currency for individuals and businesses and on foreign investment into Iceland are making life difficult. “To make new games, we need foreign investors,” says Eyjolfur Gudmundsson, formerly an assistant professor at the University of Akureyri, who
supervises Eve’s virtual economy. “The present currency restrictions are putting us in a straitjacket. We are in talks with the government, but if we can’t let capital in, we might be compelled to leave Iceland, even though this would be against our wishes.”

Unthinkable. Via Massively and Blue.

Don’t expect this to change for a while. NPD’s released its PC chart for the week ending December 13, and Lich King’s still top.

And goodbye GTA. Nice knowing you.

Last week’s data here. Thanks, Big Download.

1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – Blizzard
2. Spore – Electronic Arts
3. Call Of Duty: World At War – Activision
4. Left 4 Dead – Valve/EA
5. Fallout 3 – Bethesda Softworks
6. The Sims 2 Deluxe – Electronic Arts
7. The Sims 2 Apartment Life – Electronic Arts
8. Bejeweled Twist – Popcap Games
9. World of Warcraft Battle Chest – Blizzard
10. The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff – Electronic Arts

Jonathan Blow’s Braid will release on PC in “February-March 2009,” the developer’s said on his blog.

Blow had originally planned to release the platformer’s new version this year, but… didn’t.

“I had originally announced the release date for the end of 2008, but for various reasons, this hasn’t happened,” said Blow.

“Once we slipped into mid-October and all the big Christmas-season blockbusters started coming out, it just seemed like a bad idea to schedule Braid for that time period, as it seems likely it’d get released and then disappear.”

More through there.

Gamasutra’s rumouring that Warren Spector’s Junction Point Studios is working on a Mickey Mouse title called Epic Mickey.

The site says it’s seen concept art showing “mockups of the potential game’s environment, including pencil sketches of cities assembled from junk.

“Another sketch included a surreal seashore invasion scene, in which machines wearing the faces of the Seven Dwarfs deposit old-fashioned renditions of Disney characters onto the beach with mechanical hands.”

Disney bought Junction Point back in June 2007.

The original Halo is this week’s Live deal, down to 600 from 1200 MS Points. There’s details here.

Got to be worth a waz, innit? It’s not as if you’re going to be doing anything for the next two weeks apart from getting fat and avoiding the in-laws, anyway. Go shoot a Covenant thing.

Lazard Capital’s Colin Sebastian issued a research note today saying that a new Princess Peach title and, wait for it, a brand new Zelda title would help game sales grow 5 percent in 2009.

That was the good news. The bad news is that the new Zelda title is pure guesswork in his part. The Princess Peach adventure isn’t.

GTA V was also included in his research: “Looking ahead to 2009, we expect mid-single-digit growth in software sales on a tough growth comparison and potentially fewer hit titles (eg, no GTA V until 2010),” he wrote.

However, when Gamespot quizzed him on that, “Sebastian said he wasn’t so much specifying 2010 as a release window for the game as telling investors that it would definitely not be coming out in 2009.”

So a huge non-event really. Sorry about that. More through the link, though.

By Mike Bowden

Shacknews is reporting that soon-to-shut NCSoft MMO, Tabula Rasa, will now be free to play until it’s demise in February.

Former players can reactivate their accounts over at PlayNC.

Newbies would have to first create an account at PlayNC and then get a serial from the support page.

Interested? Download it here.

By Mike Bowden

Chart-Track’s confirmed that FIFA 09 has pipped World at War to the post to take the UK number one slot. Activision will be well pissed off.

The bookies won’t, however. The only way to win’s to keep it in your pocket, don’t you know.

Last week’s charts here. Data for the week ending December 20.

1. FIFA 09 (EA)
2. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision Blizzard)
3. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
4. Need For Speed Undercover (EA)
5. Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training (Nintendo)
6. Wii Play (Nintendo)
7. Quantum of Solace (Activision Blizzard)
8. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo)
9. Tomb Raider Underworld (Eidos)
10. Wii Fit (Nintendo)

Seriously, Mr Atari. It’s December 22. Why is this a good time to release new screens of Assault on Dark Athena?

Because we’re here to write about them, clearly. Look at them. It’s better than wrapping presents.

The Prototype website‘s got a counter in it that finishes during CES. That’s it. This would appear to suggest there’s going to be some kind of reveal for the actioner at CES. Wouldn’t it?

Please stop PRing videogames, publishers. It’s Christmas. Just stop.

Who needs a tiny camera in their DS? A million Japanese people, apparently.

IGN’s reporting that DSi has now sold more than 1 million units in Japan, based on Enterbrain figures.

The handheld revision beat the milestone yesterday, December 21.

It launched in Japan on November 1, and will release in both the US and Europe next year.

Eidos put out new screens of Batman: Arkham Asylum today, and everything’s looking dandy. And fighty.

On Shacknews. It’s out next year for PC, 360 and PS3.

Roxas, Axel, and the rest of the sisterhood of the traveling hoods are stuck in traffic, according to GoNintendo.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days will now arrive on the Nintendo DS “sometime” during spring 2009 – as opposed to its previous February 2009 date. But whatever; we always hated February anyway.

Click through the link for a few new – if somewhat minor – details about the newly delayed title.

By Nathan Grayson

Good grief. The relaunch of hapless handheld Gizmondo’s been delayed.

Originally planned to release this month, apparently the global downturn’s left the device without investors. We cannot think why.

The machine isn’t going to be a gaming-only venture any more. No sir. It’s now going to be a phone hybrid thing. Because the world needs more of those.

Thanks, Kotaku.

According to this AP piece, royalties musicians accrue from games such as Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero often exceed revenue from album sales.

Apparently, Aerosmith made more moolah from Guitar Hero: Aerosmith than they did from their last two albums, while Nirvana and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers have seen a sharp increase in numbers since getting involved in the rhythm action business.

According to NPD, “22 million units of Guitar Hero had sold in the US since its launch in October 2005, along with 5 million units of Rock Band since its debut in late 2007. The release of Guitar Hero: World Tour in October could boost revenue for the franchise some 40 percent over last year, according to analysts.”

Although Warner has bemoaned the lack of money made from rhythm action games, it hasn’t stopped them from allowing its artists to appear on these games. Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter says there is good reason for this:

“There are literally probably 2 million songs out there, and fewer than a 1,000 were used in these two games combined in these last two years,” he said. “If Warner wants to say we’ll take our 20 percent of the market and go away, a lot of bands are going to leave the label if they think they can get better exposure by being on these games.”

Loads more through the link.

By Mike Bowden

You can grab it here. It fixes the following:

Live Ticker

• Live Ticker: Referee pictures are displayed (user generated content)
• Live Ticker: Number of assists is displayed after a goal (league matches)
• Live Ticker: Team Status is displayed

3D Match

• 3D match improvements (Version 3)
• 3D camera improvements (TV and free camera)

Database

• Improved database (12.12.08)

Other features

• Notepad added
• Instant Calculation mode now shows the last 5 events
• New training camp features (more camps, improved calculation of the effects, option to add your own training camps)
• Player character icons now displayed on the player info screen
• Several smaller improvements (e.g. youth player scouting, night matches in generic stadiums)

Fixed Bugs

• Various bug fixes

That’s your lot.

By Mike Bowden