Monthly Archives: February 2009

Activision’s inadvertently dated Prototype this afternoon, confirming the Radical actioner for a June release.

The info came in an email detailing the game as playable at the New York Comic Con this weekend.

“Hands-on – fans get their first chance to play the highly anticipated open-world/action thriller, PROTOTYPE, planned for release in June,” said the note, as reported by Joystiq.

Prototype was one of the few games to make the transition to Activision from Sierra, and has been heavily delayed from an originally intended summer 2008 release.

Just checking as to whether this is US-only.

Brett Sperry, the Westwood co-founder behind such gems as Dune II and Command & Conquer, has formed a new studio in Jet Set Games.

The Las Vegas company is currently hard at work on games for iPhone, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, according to Big Download.

Other members of the original Westwood team have joined Sperry at the new firm.

Brett and the gang seem to be enjoying their new digs, if the announcement on the studio’s official website is any indication:

“Just like the Rat Pack, we live by three simple rules: work hard, play hard, and never run out of olives for our martinis.”

Dean Martin would have been so proud.

Amazon’s entered the game download space with a casual service, as seen here.

More than 600 titles are available to buy for less than $10 each, and Jewel Quest 2, Build-a-lot and The Scruffs are available for free this week.

As reported by Kotaku, customers are able to download and try any game sold through the service for 30 minutes, after which they can either purchase the full game or forget they ever played it.

There’s been no confirmation on a similar service making its way to Europe as yet.

After the break. The trailer shows The Impersonator – it’s Elvis – fighting Dragon Chew, a gentleman with glowy fists.

The Wii brawler looks like fun, to be fair. It’s out in March.

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Little to shout about here. Back to normal, with the Sims and WoW leading the action. Just as they were last week.

Try to contain yourselves. Here’s the list.

1. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
2. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack
3. Spore
4. The Sims 2 Apartment Life Expansion Pack
5. Fallout 3
6. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest
7. World Of Warcraft
8. Left 4 Dead
9. Civilization IV
10. Call Of Duty: World At War

The British Advertising Standard Authority has said it believes 99 percent of all games in the UK are responsibly advertised.

The authority examined 241 ads examined last year to see whether or not they met guidelines.

“Our survey is encouraging as it suggests that videogames are being advertised responsibly and in line with the Codes,” commented Christopher Graham, director general of the ASA.

The study was in response to Tanya Byron’s UK government report on games ratings in 2008.

“The issue raised by Dr Byron of children’s exposure to violent or inappropriate imagery in videogames is an important one,” said Graham. “The ASA will play its part in protecting children by ensuring video game ads continue to play by the rules.”

Gamespot’s decided to hold off with its Killzone 2 review in an effort to better play the game’s multiplayer component.

According to the site, all US reviews published so far have been based on a mere three hours of online play.

“We’ve decided not to rush a review to publication for several reasons,” said a spokesman in this blog post.

“The most important is Killzone 2′s multiplayer component. There have been three one-hour multiplayer sessions to date for members of the American press. However, Killzone 2′s online play is complex. It uses a class-based system with seven total classes, but these classes (among weapons, upgrades, and many other perks) are only unlocked once you have reached the appropriate level.

“In just over three hours of play, the two of us joining these sessions had yet to unlock a new class. It takes many, many hours of online play to unlock them, and it would be improper for us to review class-based multiplayer without actually experiencing the classes.”

IGN was given the US exclusive on Killzone 2′s review, giving the game 9.4/10 last Friday.

The general embargo on global reviews lifted yesterday.

Nintendo’s sold more than 2 million DS units in South Korea since launching the machine in January 2007, according to Telecoms Korea.

Nintendo of Korea is a young pup: it was only formed in 2006.

Via Kotaku and GoNintendo.

Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2009 will take place on August 10-16, the event’s announced this morning.

The Festival will also continue partnership with Abertay University and its Protoplay event which showcases talent as part of its Dare to be Digital programme.

The Screening Sessions will form the “most popular” part of the event again this year, “with several key games already secured,” according to the press release.

Full thing after the break.

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Square Enix has just confirmed that Dissidia: Final Fantasy will be given a European release date in the coming weeks.

“We’ll be making an announcement on the release timing later this month,” a rep told VG247 this morning.

The PSP action game has only been released in Japan so far, where it’s been doing “quite well”: it was the biggest selling Japanese game in January on any format.

Dissidia currently has a “mid-2009″ date for the US.

Rare has told VG247 that games will soon give players items of clothing and accessories for their 360 Avatars in the same way they hand out Gamer Points.

“In time… games will be able to give away clothes and accessories just like Achievements,” said art head Lee Musgrave.

As to which games specifically will be using Avatars in this way, the developer wouldn’t be drawn.

“We are currently working with multiple partners who have expressed interest in using Avatars,” added producer Stacey Law.

Currently, Avatars are being dressed in launch clothing, although a few free packs have been given out, such as winter hats and gloves and soccer shirts.

Avatars were added to 360 with the release of New Xbox Experience last year.

Update: Confirmed. Thanks, Blerk.

VG247′s learned that Yuji Naka is to appear at a Sega event in London today, so don’t be monumentally surprised if Let’s Tap’s announced for release in both the US and Europe this afternoon.

Sega’s just given a “no comment” on the chatter.

Rumour surfaced overnight suggesting the Wii oddity’s to see light of day in the US.

Let’s Tap is Naka’s first game as leader of new dev Prope. Hit this for more details.

Ubisoft isn’t planning any DLC for the PC version of Prince of Persia, so extras will be limited to the console SKUs.

The firm’s cited “business reasons” behind the decision, as reported by BigDownload.

The game’s console versions are to get a sizeable chunk of extra stuff later this month in “Epilogue”. Details here.

Capcom’s shown off Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter IV spaces in Home in Japan, as you can see on Watch Impress.

The publisher’s selling Home costumes related to the games, so that “dressing up as Chun Li” fantasy you’ve never been able to fulfill for fear of divorce is now within reach.

No idea if this is coming west.

In a less than complimentary comment towards the now defunct Sierra, Keith Boesky, an independent agent who represents the Robert Ludlum estate, has claimed a new deal with EA means the author’s IP is now being handled by “grown ups.”

“EA came in the strongest, had the best take on the property, and they know how to grow the IP and have unquestioned worldwide market reach,” he told Variety.

“We’re dealing with grown ups now.”

Sierra published the first Bourne game, developed by High Moon, last year.

EA announced it signed a ten-year pact with the Ludlum estate yesterday.

Starbreeze is developing the first game based on the deal.

The latest round of Yakuza 3 screens show a load of children and men plying cards, obviously, which makes us more pained that the PS3 exclusive will never see release outside Japan.

Still. We can but dream. And look at pictures of virtual men with awesome tattoos. So do.

Wii Fit’s still leading the UK chart, meaning the Nintendo super-performer’s now been back in number one for three weeks straight.

World and War and FIFA are holding on in there at two and three, rather predictably.

Last week’s chart here.

Ensemble’s Halo MMO, codenamed both Titan and Orion – was to be the developer’s “new focus” beyond Halo Wars, according to this Gamasutra article on the firm’s closure.

A new campus was even being built to house development for the game, but work was was halted when Microsoft finally reach a decision to close the studio.

Apparently, work started on the game as early as 1998, “when a designer named Ian Fischer started pitching a sci-fi MMO. He loved the genre, and felt it was under-served,” according to that piece.

The game first came to light in September last year, when art was leaked online.

Jason Della Rocca is leaving his role as the executive director of the International Game Developers Association, he’s confirmed on his blog, to pursue a new venture.

Della Rocca’s headed up the organisation for nine years.

“Given the maturation and evolution of the IGDA, I’m not sure if I’m actually the ‘right guy’ anymore,” he said.

“While I believe that my particular skills and strengths suited the needs of the IGDA along the way, the org has grown to the point where different styles of leadership should probably be explored.”

No news on what his new ‘thing’ is, but he’s definitely “not starting a game development studio.”

Thanks, Gamasutra.

Financial turmoil? We toss it aside like a used glove. Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter thinks the coming months may see game stocks start to rise again, as people realise the world hasn’t actually ended in the videogame space.

“We note that consumer sentiment in October thru December was as bad as we have seen this decade, and yet sales growth was still quite solid.,” the analyst told Edge.

“We think that publisher share prices may begin to appreciate over the next several months if software sales continue to be up year-over-year, and we are hopeful that solid gains in hardware sales will continue for the full year, resulting in growth of the installed base and allowing for continued double digit software sales gains.”

Buy! Does not constitute advice.