Monthly Archives: February 2009

Update: Gamespot’s been told work’s been “indefinitely suspended” on the game.

Rumor has it that Sega’s canceled Obsidian’s upcoming Aliens RPG, resulting in 20 employees being laid off.

This all comes on the heels of Sega’s announcement yesterday of a new Rebellion-developed Alien vs Predator for 2010.

The title’s confirmation would mean “strategically updated” release planning for Sega’s other Aliens games, said the firm. Look as though that may have meant “off the map entirely,” at least for the Obsidian project.

We’ve mailed Sega and left phone messages so hopefully someone over there can confirm or deny this soon.

Empire and American Mensa are working together to create brain training games for console, handheld, Mac and PC, reports Gamasutra.

Like the British Mensa, subjects are admitted into the non-profit if they score high enough on a rigorous standardized intelligence test.

This is the first time Mensa has struck a deal with a games company.

Hopefully you won’t have to score in the 98th percentile to play the thing.

In an interview with Variety, Paul MCartney’s confirmed that the upcoming Beatles Rock Band game will “feature different periods of the band — you get early days, Liverpool, then psychedelic, and on from there. It’s very cool. And I like the idea that the game introduces kids to music, you know?”

Still no word on when we can expect the 45-track game, but if what McCartney says is true it’ll include everything from the bowl cut days to the tripped-out hookah-smoking phase.

Awesome.

News of a Square Enix bid for Eidos has resulted in a major share boost for the Hitman-maker.

Eidos’s stock leapt over 117 percent today, with over 5 million shares being traded in the UK market’s first hour alone.

The price is currently at 30.5 pence ($.42).

Square Enix is expected to reveal more details about its deal with Eidos in March.

More over on GI.biz.

Namco has reached agreements to acquire 70 percent of D3′s shares, according to this Andriasang report.

The news apparently comes from a press release.

Namco hopes to acquire the full 100 percent of shares, at a price of 62,000 yen.

D3 will be turned into a wholly-owned Namco subsidiary.

Other detail from the press release outlines resulting benefits of the move:

• Cooperation on overseas content expansion using such products as D3′s BEN10 series.
• Increasing the value of D3′s content by tying it in with Bandai Namco Groups’ other “strategic business units” (the release mentions five such units: toys and hobbies, amusement facilities, game content, network, and video/music content).
• Use of Bandai Namco Games content with D3′s casual games series
• Use of D3′s content with Bandai Namco’s “multi-content” development system (this presumably refers to Bandai Namco’s ability to produce toys, anime and other products outside of games).
• For North American content development, improvement of development efficiency through shared use of technology (game engines, etc.)
• Cooperative development and promotions for mobile content
• Offering of new types of play and new content by using the combined knowhow of Bandai Namco Games and D3

Midway’s filed for Chapter 11, it’s been confirmed.

“This was a difficult but necessary decision,” said boss Matt Booty.

“We have been focused on realigning our operations and improving our execution, and this filing will relieve the immediate pressure from our creditors and provide us time for an orderly exploration of our strategic alternatives. This Chapter 11 filing is the next logical step in an ongoing process to address our capital structure.”

The move is supposed to allow the firm to restructure while essentially being bankrupt.

More through the link.

Owners of Guitar Hero: World Tour get a three song acoustic track pack for 360 today.

The pack costs 440 MS Points ($5.50), or 160 points ($2) per single.

Here’s the rundown:

• Incubus – Drive
• Ryan Adams – Wonderwall
• The Shins – New Slang

Thanks to The Major.

Future’s claimed that its GamesRadar Network – a group of 16 websites, including GamesRadar, CVG and N4G – is visited by more than 10 million unique users per month.

The figure, said the British publisher, represents a 40 percent increase compared to 2007 traffic.

Future said that the 10 million number was arrived at through “internal HBX and Google Analytics audits”.

ABC figures today showed that Future’s print magazine portfolio saw drops on a majority of titles.

Press release after the break.

More »

Update – There’s a new trailer, featuring Niko, on CVG.

Eurogamer.pt‘s posted up some screens showing GTA IV protagonist Niko Belic in upcoming 360 DLC The Lost and Damned.

This is the first time Niko’s been shown in the content.

The Lost and Damned released on February 17. That’s next Tuesday.

During last night’s Acti Blizz Q4 earnings call, Blizzard COO Paul Sams said that, “Blizzard intends on delivering one frontline release per year. I think you can see in our numbers that that is contemplated.”

Everyone knows that Blizzard is hard at work on Diablo III and StarCraft II along with the oft-teased “unannounced MMO”. Everyone also knows that time constraints are not an issue with the firm, as it’ll only release a game “when it is done”. So what’s coming out from Blizzard in 2009?

“As it relates to what title we’re releasing this year, we’re not prepared to say,” said Sams.

It’s StarCraft II, Paul.

Look! Snow, Mario and Sonic! Watch the first teaser for Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games after the break.

The game was announced this afternoon for Wii and DS. It’s out at the end of this year.

More »

ABC figures have shown that the majority of Future’s games mags dropped in circulation last year, with only the Official PS Mag, PSW and ONM recording any increases.

All the figures, 2007 to 2008, as compiled by GamesIndustry:

• Edge – 31,304 to 28,898
• GamesMaster – 51,389 to 40,940
• OPM – 46,018 to 53,644
• PSW – 21,826 to 24,118
• ONM – 58,754 to 58,795
• OXM – 66,894 to 63,908
• Xbox World 360 – 31,698 to 31,030
• PSM3 – 26,885 to 26,202
• PC Gamer – 38,654 to 32,619
• PC Zone – 22,297 to 19,023

Sega just made Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games official.

It’s a late 2009 release for Wii and DS, and is being developed at Sega Japan “under the guidance of Shigeru Miyamoto”.

The Wii version will use the Balance Board for some events.

“We are extremely happy to again team up with Nintendo and ISM on what promises to be another global success,” said Sega’s western boss, Naoya Tsurumi.

“Sonic will partner with Mario once more beneath the spotlight of the legendary Olympic Games. Together they will face new athletic challenges that will provide gamers with more of the exciting experiences unique to this series.”

Press release after the break.

More »

The Australian ratings board – the OFLC – has stuck up a listing for a “Cricket 9″ game from EA.

Just a hunch, but we’re thinking that’s supposed to be “09,” there.

EA’s got no confirmed cricket title for this year. YET. The last EA game from the batty sport was Cricket 07.

We’ve dropped UK PR a mail.

Thanks, CVG.

Forgot this last night. Acti Blizz confirmed a new Tony Hawk game for the fourth quarter of this year in its Q4 earnings call yesterday, saying it’s to shake the franchise up with a new gameplay mechanic.

“We said we would reinvent this franchise from the ground up and we have developed a very innovative and interactive approach for Tony,” said president Mike Griffith.

“This should allow us to broaden the appeal of skateboarding beyond the core to mass market audiences and take advantage of this cycle’s dynamics. More details later for competitive reasons.”

Do you reckon it’ll come with a plastic skateboard? Get the rest of the news from the call here.

Atari is to publish Namco Museum for 360 this April.

Over 30 games will be included on the disc, such as Pac-Man Championship Edition, Galaxian and Super Pac-Man. There’s probably a bit more Pac-Man in there as well.

Each game will have leaderboards and some are to support multiplay for up to four people.

Press release after the break.

More »

Sony’s told MCV it plans to “reinvigorate” PSP this year with a string of new releases and a focus on software development.

“Granted, perhaps there hasn’t been the volume of high profile PSP titles we would have liked to have seen on the platform,” said UK product manager Claire Backhouse.

“But, that said, we continue to focus heavily on software development.

“The fruits of this you’ll see later this year, with the release of a number of currently unannounced, yet significant franchises that will re-invigorate the current user base, as well as attracting a whole new audience.”

Both games and peripherals will help reignite interest in the platform, said Backhouse.

“This year we are also launching a host of significant PlayStation IPs on the PSP platform, the first being Resistance Retribution, which will help drive sales,” she said.

“It’s these core IPs that we believe will help broaden the appeal of PSP in the UK, and when coupled with the existing functionality such as Go!View and Go!Cam, will make PSP a very attractive proposition.”

More through there.

Pokémon Platinum, an extended version of 2007′s Diamond and Pearl, will release in the UK on May 22.

New stuff in the latest for the monster-hunting RPG includes enhanced Wi-Fi combat and a “brand new Distortion World, governed by neither time nor space”.

Which sounds sensational. More on CVG.

Microsoft’s launched Free Your Avatar, which allows you to upload your own backgrounds and add props and the like to your Avatar’s “space”.

You can send your creations as eCards. Bets on how long it takes someone to upload a picture of their erect penis as a background?

Thanks, Eurogamer.

As reported by Techradar, An EU report has claimed that most games aren’t dangerous to children, saying they can instead be beneficial in the development of a number of life-skills.

“Video games can stimulate learning of facts and skills such as strategic thinking, creativity, cooperation and innovative thinking, which are important skills in the information society,” says the study.

“Video games are in most cases not dangerous,” added Dutch MP Toine Manders, the report’s author.

“We heard evidence from experts on computer games and psychologists from France, the US, Germany and the Netherlands and they told us that video games have a positive contribution to make to the education of minors.”