Monthly Archives: March 2009

Given the choice between an 18-meter-tall, solid steel, mist-emitting statue carved in your image and a PS3 game, which would you rather receive as an anniversary gift? Well, if you’re the Gundam franchise, you’re getting both, which is really the only correct answer when faced with such a question.

Kotaku reports that the PS3 game in question will be titled Mobile Suit Gundam: Battlefield Record U.C.0081, and that it’ll allow up to eight players to both rock and sock each other with cold, metallic fists via PSN – but probably only after 25 minutes or so of expository dialogue.

The game currently has no release date, but is apparently 60 percent complete. We’re conservatively estimating that it’ll sell roughly a bajillion copies during its first week in Japan.

The American dollar’s apparently so devoid of value these days that GoGamer really just doesn’t care anymore. The site’s currently kicking its inventory out and telling it to get a real job with a certifiably insane 48-hour madness sale. Seriously, look at these deals:

• Little Big Planet (PS3) (I) – $21.90
• NCAA March Madness 08 (PS3) – $5.90
• Guitar Hero Aerosmith Software (Wii) – $11.90
• Stranglehold (Xbox 360) – $9.90
• Top Spin 3 (Xbox 360) – $9.90
• Prey (PC) – $2.90
• Evil Genius (I) (PC) – $4.90
• The Settlers VI: Rise of an Empire (PC) – $4.90
• Rainbow Six: Lockdown (PC) – $4.90
• Saitek Notebook Optical Mouse Yellow – $1.90
• Brain Spa (PC) – $4.90
• Call of Juarez (PC) – $4.90
• Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions (PC) – $4.90
• Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred (I) (PC) – $4.90
• Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (PC) – $4.90
• Seven Kingdoms Conquest (PC) – $4.90
• Music On PSP (PC) – $1.90
• Virtua Tennis 3 (PSP) – $9.90
• Saitek Mini UFO USB Hub – $1.90
• ATV Off Road Fury Pro (PSP) – $9.90

You’d have to be some kind of fool not to capitalize on this bounteous sales bonanza. Now then, go on. Time’s running out, etc.

Thanks, EvilAvatar.

Sega will be pleased. Empire: Total War’s taken top place in the US PC charts in its first week, while Dawn of War II looks to be graciously moving out after two weeks at number one, taking fifth place.

That WAR placing’s worthy of note. Just shows what free trials can do.

WoW, Sims, blah. Last week’s chart here. Data from March 1-7.

1. Empire: Total War
2. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
3. Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning
4. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
5. Dawn Of War II
6. The Sims Carnival: Bumper Blast
7. Empire: Total War Collector’s Edition
8. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Premier Edition
9. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest
10. World Of Warcraft

SCEA marketing chief Scott Steinberg’s claimed 2009 will deliver an unremitting bombardment of high quality product from Sony, and that Killzone 2 is the game that will trigger many to buy a PS3.

“We’re shipping a great lineup and it’s relentless and AAA quality,” Steinberg told GameDaily.

“Starting it with Killzone 2, we’re going to arrest the momentum from competitors with titles like MLB 09: The Show, which some are calling the best sports title ever made.

“Then in summer there’s inFamous and you’ll get to see even more excellent titles at E3. If PlayStation fans thought that we’d rest on our laurels from last year and if competitors thought that we’d punched ourselves out, both are mistaken.”

He added, probably shouting: “We feel that Killzone 2 is a tremendous exclusive. It’s an exclamation point that demonstrates the distance between the PS3 and other systems. The game is 40 gigs and could not be done on anything else. It will move people from the sidelines, and from what we’ve seen from blogs, will push 360 owners to try out the PS3. I think it’s going to be a major launch for us and this historical PlayStation brand.”

Hear Scott roar. Thanks, Joystiq.

THQ said overnight that it’s to close Rise of Nations developer Big Huge Games if it can’t secure a buyer in the “near future.”

LA-based Heavy Iron Studios and Carlsbad-based Incinerator have also been notified that they’re about to become independent companies.

“As part of THQ’s previously announced business realignment and related headcount reduction plans that targeted cost reductions of $220 million, including a reduction in workforce of 600 people worldwide, THQ today notified the staff at two of its development studios that they will be spun out as independent companies: Heavy Iron in Los Angeles, CA, and Incinerator in Carlsbad, CA,” said the publisher in a statement.

“In addition, THQ informed the staff at its Big Huge Games studio in Timonium, MD, that it plans to close the studio if a sale is not completed in the near future. These actions were unfortunate but were necessitated by the difficult economic environment.”

Big Huge Games is a veteran RTS developer, founded in 2000 and bought by THQ in 2008. Heavy Iron and Incinerator worked on casual franchises for THQ, including The Incredibles, WALL-E, SpongeBob SquarePants and NickToons.

Thanks, CrispyGamer and Gama.

EA Sports boss and general Welsh legend Peter Moore is to keynote this summer’s MI6 conference, taking place on April 8 in San Francisco.

“Every year MI6 brings together the most revolutionary brand and marketing executives from the gaming industry, and this year we are delivering that and more,” said event boss Jonathan Block-Verk.

“We are thrilled to give our audience the first look ever at a live demonstration of EA Sports Active. With the explosive growth in this category of gaming, it is imperative that interactive entertainment marketing professionals see the cutting edge trends at work in this dynamic area.”

Bets on Moore wheeling out the Wii Fit girl dressed only in body chocolate and a winning smile?

Nvidia announced today that it’s signed a “tools and middleware” license agreement for PS3.

This apparently means that the binary version of the NVIDIA PhysX technology software development kit (SDK) is now available to registered PS3 developers for free download and use on the SCEI Developer Network.

Thank God for that.

Makes games look more realistic, if you are one who does not understand these things.

Press release through the break.

More »

Tony Williams has stepped down from his position as Codemasters COO and will be departing the company.

Previously in charge of global operations, he joined Codemasters in 2005 and has worked for Acclaim, Take-Two and Bam.

Until he leaves Codemasters, Williams will be working on special projects “as part of a phased exit.”

British firm Awomo has found a way for gamers to start playing their digital-purchased games right away instead of waiting for the whole thing to finish downloading.

Despite games ranging from 2-20Gb in size, it’s possible to download the core files necessary to play the thing while the rest download in the background.

Using as an example the only game the firm has working at the moment, Tomb Raider Legend, you would only download 652Mb to begin playing it while the rest of the 7.2Gb game would continue to update.

The company is putting itself in the same category as Steam and Direct2Drive, and plans to offer rentals as well as a monthly subscription-based service.

Flock is expected to arrive come April 7. To keep you contained and sated until then, Capcom has released another video of the puzzling, alien-beaming game.

Xbox Live and PSN users can expect the game to land April 8 and 9 respectively.

Click onward to watch. Poor little barnyard critters.

Thanks, D’toid.

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Remember the Wii Fit girl, Lauren Bernat? Of course you do. Well, she has a new job now — as a spokesperson of sorts — with EA Sports Active.

Posted below the break are two videos. Each show EA’s Jen Riley walking us through the exercise program and demonstrating how to use the resistance bands. Lauren does the work.

Just so you know, she has more than just underpants on this time.

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The Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures: Fright of the Bumblebees demo is now up over on BigDownload.

Telltale plans to release a new episode monthly, until all four are done.

Demo includes a tutorial, and bits of the first episode.

Remember, if you pre-order the game you get a 25 percent discount, meaning you get it for $26.00 instead of the normal $34.95, plus you will get a full episode of both Sam & Max and Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Awesome People thrown in.

Capcom’s Christian Svensson said today that the company plans to release more of its PSone titles on PSN in the near future.

According to a question asked over on Unity regarding Resident Evil games coming to PSN, Svensson replied:

“The first PS1 titles for PSN were submitted last week. When I have some dates for them, we’ll let you know. Word I got back this morning is that this may take a bit more time than anticipated. We’ll keep folks posted. And for now I’m still not discussing what title(s) they are. We’ll discuss it when we’re through the pipe a bit further.”

More soon, hopefully.

The Choppa and Dwarf Slayer will officially be playable in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning on March 18.

Both classes were expected to included at launch, along with the Knight of the Blazing Sun and Black Guard.

Get happy folks. Now you can die a heroic dwarfen death, or revel in bashing heads as an orc.

Press release is below.

More »

The lawsuit filed against Nintendo by Fenner Investments has been dismissed.

Fenner claimed Nintendo infringed on it’s “low-voltage joystick port interface” patent.

The case was thrown out by the US District Court in Tyler, Texas yesterday and VP Rick Flamm was, of course, happy with the decision.

“Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others,” he said.

Fenner has also sued Sony and Microsoft over the same alleged infringement.

Target stores will be getting a new PS3 bundle on March 29 according to a source over on Joystiq.

The new SKU shown in a photo over there appears to be an 80Gb console and Greatest Hits versions of MotorStorm and Resistance.

Expected to retail for $399, it is not known if it’s a Target thing only.

Hit the link for the rest.

Grin’s Bo Andersson has said that the Swedish developer has started work on three new projects.

The firm will talk to publishers about the games next week at GDC, Andersson said.

He said the meetings are “more to do with what we will work on in 2011 and 2012″.

“One of the things we will have to gauge is when the next generation will kick off,” he said.

“I think the financial situation has delayed the start of the next generation. I’m hoping it will start late 2012 at the earliest or early 2013.”

Grin’s Wanted: Weapons of Fate is due out next week, and the company has Bionic Commando and Terminator Salvation in the works.

Capcom’s assured that those with Street Fighter IV MadCatz Arcade Fightsticks on back-order can expect pay-dirt soon.

From Unity:

Many of you have kept your orders in place trusting that we would do everything we could to get you the much sought-after controllers. We have been working closely with MadCatz to get more; especially the Tournament Editions. Rest assured, your patience will be rewarded. We will have a few more to send out this month and by the end of April, MadCatz is confident that they will have most, if not all, of the orders completed.

How’s that for customer service?

Namco Bandai owns 95 percent of D3Publisher as of this morning. The company purchased 19,990 shares today, costing 62,000 yen ($628) and putting a value on the buyout at 1,239,380,000 yen ($12.55 million).

It’s not known at this time how the merge will affect D3 Publisher America or Europe.

Namco made a bid for the company last month, and now that it’s settled the rights to publish Ben 10 games and the Vicious Engine will be at Namco’s disposal.

Hit the link for more.

EA’s Roy Schneider’s said that his team used Call of Duty 4 and Gears of War 2 as inspiration on upcoming action sequel Army of Two: The 40th Day, NowGamer reports.

“We once compared Army Of Two’s campaign mode with Call Of Duty 4’s and we found our game had more features, but it was their execution that made the game so amazingly strong,” he said.

“So what we’ve tried to do here is say ‘OK, we’re not going to try and create a thousand new features,’ it’s about creating the right new features and polishing the existing ones…

“Gears is obviously focused on the shooting more or less 100 percent of the time,” he continued. “But we wanted to give players the opportunity to utilise and experiment with co-op tactics. I think that’s what’s going to separate us from Gears Of War 2, by going far deeper with the co-op content.

“It’s about creating the right new features and polishing the existing ones”

The game’s out this “winter”.