Monthly Archives: March 2009

It’s that time once again, kiddos. Here’s your weekly all-in-one spot for the goings-on in the world of MMOs that didn’t get its own post.

‘Fraid there’s nothing too earth shattering this week — but who knows: you may find the bits below interesting after all.

Read on.

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Infinity Ward comms boss Rob Bowling’s confirmed he’s going to be in London for the BAFTAs on Tuesday.

Call of Duty 4′s up for eight awards, including Best Game, so it’s not outside the realms of possibility that you might see a lot of Rob on the main stage.

We’ll have all the news from the awards on Tuesday night.

Falcom announced two new titles at the Ys Fair in Akihabara today.

One is an action RPG titled Ys Seven due in the fall and the second is Ys I & II Chronicles due this summer.

A platform was not announced for either title, but 1UP is predicting that both will be released for the PSP, just like the firm’s upcoming RPG Brandish.

Looks like Falcom’s been a very busy beaver lately.

New screens for both games are to be released in the next issue of Dengeki PlayStation.

If you aren’t familiar with Mezmer Games’ upcoming Stalin vs. Martians, then the trailer posted after the break should give you an idea what to expect if the title doesn’t.

Seriously. We don’t know what to say about it.

Developed by the Russian firm Black Wing Foundation, the RTS features a self-explanatory storyline with gameplay featuring power-ups and “other mechanics not typically seen in the genre”.

According to the website:

“The martians leave spots on the map, plagued by the extraterrestial slimelike substance. That goo improves the enemy units’ stats the way power-ups improve ours. We need to clean the land out of this shit.

“Our game is unique. Trashy and absolutely over-the-top, arthouse kitsch production in its finest. With a good technical basis and some healthy gameplay innovations. Stalin is anything but boring and it looks pretty like schoolgirl with a kitten. Can you ask for more?”

Stalin vs. Martians is expected to arrive on digital download services in April.

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GameTrailers has posted a small chat with EA Redwood’s Glen Schofield about Dead Space: Extraction.

In the video, Schofield says the game is a prequel that takes place three weeks before Isaac sets foot on the USG Ishimura.

There’s other stuff in there. The wonderful flamethrower is back, some different pistols have been added to the weaponry, and apparently you’ll start off planet-side before heading off to the ship — which is inhabited in the game’s timeline.

The game ends with Isaac’s ship coming in.

Wii users will probably be gagging for this now. Rightly so.

Click this to watch for yourself.

The Witcher now has the illustrious honor of being one of the top 100 best-selling PC games of all time.

According to a post made in the official Witcher forums by CD Projekt RED’s Karol Zajaczkowsk, the RPG has sold over 1.2 million copies, which caused the leap onto the list.

“According to our latest sales data, The Witcher has sold more than 1.2 million copies around the world”, he said.

“‘More numbers,’ you might say, but let me finish. Because of those numbers, The Witcher has jumped onto the list of the 100 bestselling PC games in history! Not bad, huh?”

Zajaczkowsk then went on to thank everyone who purchased the game. As you do.

Congrats guys.

Mobclix, the iPhone application tracking site, says that more than 6,000 iPhone/iPod games are up for grabs on on Apple’s App Store.

Of the 20,400 apps currently available, 23 percent are games with 17 percent being puzzlers.

That’s it. Gaming-on-the-go is just getting more popular every day.

Bill Hastings , the chief government censor of New Zealand, wants to prosecute parents who allow their children access to violent games, by imposing a hefty fine of up to $5,000 or three months in jail.

He hopes that the “shock value” of seeing others prosecuted will keep other parents in line.

They might think the offense is silly, but it ain’t… That’s what the law says, but… you’re not going to have police officers in every bedroom… There would certainly be some shock value to prosecuting a parent who gives their under-18 child access to a restricted game. It would send out a message that the enforcement agency means business.

I think the word ‘game’ can mislead people for sure. It’s not checkers. For the first time in history, kids are more savvy with technology than parents… parents need to get up to speed on the digital divide. They need to look at what their kids are playing and doing…

It should be the pleasure in being able to sleep at night knowing that you have done the right thing by your kids. That should be the motivating factor.

More over on GamePolitics.

The public has been aware of a “post-Final Fantasy XI MMO” for quite some time now, and while little to no news has been heard about it, there’s no need to fret. Square Enix is still working on it.

Speaking to investors, boss Yoichi Wada said that when FFXI starts to slow down, the company needs to start the transition phase to Square’s next major MMO.

“The question is where do we go from here, and we are currently developing a post-FFXI flagship title”, he said.

No word on whether this is another Final Fantasy or not, but “flagship” sounds like a meatier form of MMO than a free-to-play casual encounter.

Atari finally appears to be moving towards releasing Ossian Studios’ digital expansion for Neverwinter Nights 2.

Mysteries of Westgate has been expected since 2007. There’s no concrete date on when it’s to be made available, but Ossian’s Alan Miranda told the NWN2 official message boards to expect it “soon” today.

He added that the add-on has been given “the official Atari stamp of approval”.

Mysteries of Westgate will boast over 15 hours of non-linear single-player campaign, new music, four extra monsters, and fresh voice acting.

High Voltage’s The Conduit will not be using Wii MotionPlus when it’s released, but it will have Wii Speak enabled when it lands in shops this spring.

There’s a new movie of the futuristic shooter after the break.

Looks like main character Michael Ford should have stayed in bed that morning.

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Seems like everything fun happens in California, and the Resident Evil 5 launch is going to be no exception.

Capcom’s confirmed in this blog post that “new game announcements” will be made at the party, to take place on San Francisco’s Union Square on Thursday, March 12.

Attendees will be able to get a glimpse of RE5 developers Takeuchi-san and Kawata-san, play the game before they buy it, win prizes, meet the motion capture and voice actors, and participate in all sorts of other revelry.

To get in, head on over to the Powell Street GameStop before the party, get a wrist band and proof of purchase from your RE5 transaction, then go have a bit of fun.

Get all the details through the link.

World in Conflict: Soviet Assault is expected to land on UK shores March 13, and to help persuade you to go out and get it, Massive has released a new video.

GamersHell has it, and it’s pretty dramatic.

In the trailer, you get a glimpse of the main characters and just enough of the storyline to whet your appetite for the RTS.

The expansion boasts six new single-player missions, eight new multiplayer maps, and voice communication via the headset — just in case you haven’t been paying attention.

Writer and rabbi Micah Kelber played through Call of Duty: World At War recently, and despite having a good time playing it, he felt it was emotionally cathartic as well.

So much so, in fact, that he now no longer fears Nazis. The game had “subconsciously flipped a switch,” he said, writing in Jewish paper, The Forward.

“The feeling that Nazis were a threat to my existence was created by teachers and rabbis, rightly making sure that I knew my history. In truth, that specific anxiety was not real, but virtual. And I could vanquish it virtually, as well.”

Kelber added:

“One of the tragedies of World War II, and war in general, is that it puts simple dichotomies, as opposed to realistic complexities, into our minds.

“Understanding the horrors of war through playing games that illustrate the complexities of violence may even help us resist the real thing,” he said.

More over on MTV.

More blox bashing madness is in store for Wii owners this spring, with Steven Spielberg’s sequel to his first foray into video game development, Boom Blox, arriving in the form of Boom Blox Bash Party.

Details on the title are under embargo until later this month, but at least you get to take a peek at it.

Trailer posted below.

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Black Rock Studios has released the first proper trailer for racing game Split/Second.

More than just street racing, the game takes place before a televised audience. Which watches as you cause destructive events on the track in an effort to stop your competitors.

Extra details on the game are expected to arrive Wednesday, so check back with us. Meanwhile, watch the some of the destructive things you can do here.

Mad Max director George Miller has told MTV that, “Games were the poor cousin to feature films when it came to storytelling but I think it’s flipping. Games allow you be much more like a novelist.”

He went on to describe the in-the-works Mad Max title as a “hybrid game”.

“I’m curious how much you can engage with the characters through the game-play,” said Miller. “It’s the opportunity to make a novel.”

Miller and God of War II’s Cory Barlog are still working on the design and script for the game, so don’t expect it until two more years at least.

The weekly “Sack it to Me” update for LittleBigPlanet is a bit light this week.

Apparently Sony is saving all the good stuff for next week, like the LittleBigChallenge2. The firm wants the announcement to go live in multiple countries at once, and need to make sure it “dots a few more i’s” and “crosses a few more t’s”.

If you head on over to the PS Blog though, you can find links to stores selling LBP t-shirts, the main one being Hot Topic.

Also, through the link, is a new LBP commercial that should be hitting the UK airwaves soon. It’s called The World of Fart Planet, has loads of bums to jump over, a bum mountain and even a bum cannon.

Bumtastic.

BioWare’s Ray Muzyka has told Play magazine – via Joystiq – that PS3 is “a really amazing platform to work on”.

So much so, in fact, that apparently BioWare is considering joining the MMO PS3 crowd if the firm can figure its way around challenges with the console interface design.

Star Wars MMO The Old Republic will not end up on PS3 though he said, but the developer is considering “other MMO games in the future”.

Hit both links for full interview and extra information.

According to this DarkZero report, it appears that only the 360 version of Resident Evil 5 is being shown in British TV ads.

It was the same deal for GTA IV, Tomb Raider: Underworld, and Dead Space, and considering the game was part of Microsoft’s E3 keynote last year, it shouldn’t be the hugest shock in the world.

The game’s out on March 13.