Monthly Archives: April 2009

Dead Space: Extraction exec producer Steve Papoutsis has pinned MadWorld and GTA: Chinatown Wars’ lacklustre reception on Wii and DS down to general unsuitability.

“I think that’s happening because of what people are looking to buy, I guess,” he told VG247 when asked if he was disconcerted by Sega’s struggle in Wii’s core space and GTA: Chinatown Wars’ lack of traction on DS, talking at EA’s spring showcase in London last week.

“I think with our game right now I think we’re hitting on something that’s really interesting and really fun, and we’re hitting on the atmosphere and the visuals that people have started to associate with Dead Space.”

Chinatown Wars managed less than 100,000 units in the US in its opening month, while Sega’s MadWorld sold only 66,000 copies.

Papoutsis didn’t appear to be concerned at Sega and Rockstar’s limited success on Nintendo platforms with M-rated games, saying that he’s keen to see more adult content on Wii.

“As a hardcore gamer myself, I want stuff like this on the Wii,” he added.

“I love the Wii, I love Nintendo. I love all the platforms, but I really want something that I can play co-operatively on the Wii with a friend that hits that sweet spot I think Dead Space: Extraction is in.”

Extraction’s out for Wii this autumn. New shots here.

Sega just confirmed that the XBLA version of Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram will cost 1,200 MS Points.

The game releases this Wednesday. It’s your duty to buy it, then play it. Don’t forget.

EA gave out some new shots and art from Dead Space: Extraction at its spring showcase in London last week.

There’s some old stuff in there as well, we think. One blowy-uppy monster starts to look a little like all the others after a while.

It’s nice, though. Look and see.

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We’ve established Uncharted 2 will have multiplayer. There are even screens to prove it. But what will the game’s online options provide?

According to Niubie, the same site that gifted the game’s new screens this morning, you’ll get the following:

• Multiplayer co-op for three players. Different story than single-player. Zones and actions in the map required for two and three players. Mini bosses in each section. Players will revive after a few seconds (less if aided by another player).
• Deathmatch. Four-on-four, and you can choose two skills. Exploration is needed to find the strongest weapons.
• Capture the Treasure. Like CTF. Four-on-four trying to steal treasure from the enemy base.

Thanks, NeoGAF. None of this is confirmed, obviously. Don’t be phenomenally shocked when it is.

Need for Speed: Shift is obviously gunning for realism. You’d kind of expect the Slightly Mad title, then, to have Gran Turismo in its sights. Apparently not. Shift is going to be about “fun,” not “driving in a straight line,” producer Jesse Abney told VG247 in London last week.

“We don’t pretend to compete with Gran Turismo for technological achievement as well as what I would call a ‘driving simulator’,” said the developer. “That’s not the fun angle we’re going after.”

“We’re going after… what it means to be in a race, in a grid of hard competitors who will battle for position, and who will make the organic nature of the race more about performing at that level and less about the challenge of driving in a straight line.”

Despite wanting to offer something different to GT, however, Abney said Shift is paying close attention to Polyphony’s work.

“For us we look at games like GT, Forza 2 and GRiD as the high water mark,” he added.

Shift ships this autumn for PS3, 360, PC and PSP.

A Windows Live update released this weekend apparently gave Liberty City a case of the hiccups. No more, though, because Microsoft smoothed things over lickety-split.

“Thanks for your patience, a new update is available that addresses the stuttering issue with GTA IV. Just log in and apply the new update,” said a Microsoft rep.

You heard the man. Go steal cars and shoot things. Or steal things and shoot cars. Or something. Enjoy!

Those of you who were afraid Square Enix would just convert Eidos over into another farm for effeminate young men — and then destroy that farm, giving the lads reason to journey around the world — can rest easy now, as the Japanese giant recently told GamesIndustry.biz that it doesn’t plan on giving Eidos much of a makeover following its acquisition.

“I felt that Eidos was a very good fit in terms of sharing the same culture and sharing the same foundation for the business,” Square Enix president and CEO Yoichi Wada said. “When I say ‘sharing the culture’ that includes the personality of the top management of the company, and the atmosphere in the studios.”

Current Eidos CEO Phil Rogers will keep his captain’s hat, and many other key staff members will continue in their current positions as well.

All Eidos franchises will also be free from Square Enix’s prying hand.

Looks like everybody wins. Check out the rest through the link.

Sega Japan’s released a YouTube movie of its 2009 press conference last week, as you can see after the break.

There’s footage in there of Bayonetta and End of Eternity, among others, and apparently this marks something of a watershed from a Japanese publisher, who aren’t overly inclined to embrace this whole internet “viral” thing in the main.

Thanks, Siliconera.

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Some new Uncharted 2 screens popped up this morning showing multiplay. They’re on Niubie.

It looks like Uncharted 2 has multiplay in it. Just in case you weren’t sure, Uncharted 2 has online play in it.

More from E3.

According to this Variety report, Radical’s been tasked with creating the next Spider-Man game.

The company’s finishing up on Prototype at the moment, an open-world superhero game. Not really a huge surprise the Acti studio’s getting busy with everyone’s favourite webslinger.

There’s no date. But if Prototype’s apparent quality’s anything to go by, there’s plenty to look forward to.

On Eurogamer.pt. This was shown off in London last week, but there are no images on our press disc, for some reason.

But whatever. It’s out next year.

Capcom’s released the Street Fighter IV Championship mode as part of the game’s Power Up Pack DLC.

The add-on’s free, and also adds Replay download functionality.

But was it already on the disc? That’s the key. Go get it.

Whoops. Konami’s dropped Six Day in Fallujah after the completely unexpected heavy criticism levelled at the Iraq War project.

“After seeing the reaction to the videogame in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and email, we decided several days ago not to sell it,” a Konami rep told Asahi.

“We had intended to convey the reality of the battles to players so that they could feel what it was like to be there.”

That was kind of what got the kids antsy, Mr Konami.

The title was supposed to release for PS3, 360 and PC in 2010. It’s being developed by Atomic Games.

There’s a good opportunity there, Mr Struggling Publisher Looking for Easy Money. It’s certainly got “buzz” behind it.

Thanks, Dark Zero.

Microsoft has apparently upped the Gamerscore limit an Xbox 360 game can award a player, with the maximum now standing at 1,750 GS and 80 Achievements for a full retail game.

The previous limit was 1,250, set in 2007.

DLC GS is also limited, according to this Xbox360Achievements.org piece, to 250 and ten Achievements per quarter.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Warren Spector convinced Will Wright at GDC that Cloud gaming’s going have a giant impact on the trade.

The famed developers went toe-to-toe on the issue during the Luminaries Lunch at the Californian show last month.

“For the first time in my life, at least, I actually got Will Wright to admit that I was right about something we were argued about — specifically, the big impact Cloud computing was likely to have on games and game development,” Spector said, writing on his blog.

“I think it’s going to be huge and he, at least at the start of the discussion, didn’t think it would change things at all.”

Wright told VG247 after the Lunch that, “In the future, if people are really browsing these things, it’s a great opportunity.”

There’s a full update on Warren’s first GDC day through the link, there.

Loads of goings on in the world of MMOs, as usual. Let us make sense of it for you.

This week was filled with birthday celebrations for four different MMOs: Lineage II, LOTRO, City of Heroes, and Guild Wars. Good job guys.

Other stuff happened too ya know, and it’s all broken down for you after the break.
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Fallout 3′s downloadable content, Operation Anchorage and The Pitt, are heading to retail on disc for PC and Xbox 360.

Titled Fallout 3 Downloadable Content: The Pitt and Operation Anchorage, the cover warns that a storage unit is required for play. This means your 360 must have a hard drive or you must possess those lovely memory unit cards.

Expect the disc to hit stores May 29 for £14.99.

Via Electronic Theatre.

Thanks, Johnny.

Xbox Live will run another free Gold Membership weekend during May 1-4. This allows all Silver members in Europe to pretend they are gold for a bit.

Microsoft is promising tournaments, exclusive music, games and HD movies too boot so make sure your home those days.

For more information, hit the link.

Thanks, Roybott.

Texas Governor Rick Perry has signed into law House Bill 873 which increases the amount of state grants available to video game firms and other media production companies in the Lonestar State.

The press release mainly focuses on what this means to the movie industry, but it applies to all forms of media created by companies that take up shop in the state.

“The passage of House Bill 873 is an important step in helping Texas regain its footing in the moving image business,” Gov. Perry said. “With this legislation, we are strengthening our state’s investment in a vital industry that not only shows off our state to the rest of the world, but also draws investment and creates jobs for Texans.”

ESA’s Mike Gallagher, who lobbied for the bill’s support back in March, seemed very pleased with the governor’s decision.

“I commend Governor Rick Perry and the Texas state legislature for recognizing the contributions that the video game industry already has made in the state, and for acting quickly and decisively to ensure that the industry has the opportunity to reach its full potential,” he said.

“Today, Texas showed its strong willingness to stay competitive with other states that are seeking to attract video game developers and publishers.”

Whole thing through the break.

Thanks, GamePolitics.

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Electronic Arts has stated that it’s unaware of pending action against it by NFL retiree Bernie Parrish and other former players over the Madden franchise.

Parrish claims that both the publisher and John Madden withheld royalties due to him and others who no longer play for the NFL, but whose likenesses were used in the games.

“This is a dispute between the retired players and their union,” a spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz. “We are not aware of any legal action involving EA.

Parrish wrote a letter recently to the 2,062 players who won the $28 million lawsuit against the NFL last January, suggesting each deposit $1,000 of their winnings into a “litigation War Chest.”

More over on GI.biz.