Monthly Archives: June 2011

“I think it’s a progression that everyone’s going to get to eventually. I’m not trying to say we’re ahead of the curve or anything like that, that’s just the choice we made for this game. I think story is the final frontier for games. We’re kind of getting there tech-wise. Mechanics-wise it’s cool that we’re innovating but it’s still in the basic same themes. I think story is eventually where we’ll all end up going.” – The Darkness II project director Sheldon Carter speaking to CVG.

Capcom’s head of consumer software development, Katsuhiko Ichii, has said the firm is “never going to stop” challenging itself as it continues to focus on its global strategy.

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2K Games has stopped using PR firm The Redner Group after its founder Jim Redner threatened to blacklist journalists and outlets that gave Duke Nukem Forever a “venom- filled” review.

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“If, in the event there were to be another Gears game, that’s something we might explore. But we want to do it right. If I had unlimited amounts of time and a team I could sit down and make a cool Kinect game, and I would love to, but it’s a matter of time and opportunity costs right now.” – Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski speaking with Industry Gamers.

ArenaNet has said plans for “the delivery of future content – retail or otherwise – has yet to be 100 percent determined,” despite an earlier report stating the firm was planning to skip out on releasing expansions at retail.

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Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told investors at an E3 briefing that the firm wants to make online “flexible enough” with Wii U so that developers can “do the types of things that they might want to do.” He also believes that with the new console being an HD system, hardware limitations with the shooter gene will “melt away.”

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The Crysis 2 Decimation Pack is now available, and it includes five new maps and two new weapons.

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EA has responded to an earlier report stating it pulled Crysis 2 from Valve’s Steam service, and according to a company representative, the game was pulled as a result of Steam’s policies, not due to a decision made by EA.

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EA has confirmed more of its games will be digitally exclusive to its Origin service, and it plans to add unique content to its games so that the titles stand-out more than they would on a competitor’s services.

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“The feedback from the development and retail community has been universally positive. The only downside I foresee is the likelihood of AAA core ‘ports’ to the Wii U console. It would be great to see Battlefield and Assassin’s Creed on the Wii U, but let’s be honest, no core gamer is going to break habit and buy it for a Nintendo console. I can only hope Nintendo strongly advises (and aids) publishers in creating truly original content for the console.” – EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich (via Gamespot).

Trion Worlds will release RIFT update 1.3, Waves of Madness, on June 22, and to get you excited for it, the firm has released a few screenshots of it. Players will travel to the Dwarven city of Hammerknell in the hills of the Moonshade Highlands. Upon your arrival, the forces of Death and Water will cause all hell to break loose. Check out the video we posted for it last week after looking over the screens below.

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EA has released a new trailer for Grasshopper Manufature’s Shadows of the Damned, and it features a feathery menace of a boss Garcia Hotspur will encounter, and destroy,on his journey through Hell. There’s also a rivals trailer posted below as well. Game’s out on June 21 for PS3 and Xbox 360.

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Sony has announced that starting today for a limited time, eligible US PS3 owners can try out a Basic subscription of Music Unlimited for free over the next 180 days. Plus, the firm just launched an Android App for the service today in Europe and the US.

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Games industry analyst Arvind Bhatia with Sterne Agee stated in the firm’s latest industry note that he expects Duke Nukem Forever to move between 1.5 and 2 million units, but that actual sales may hit nearer the lower end of the estimate.

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Avalanche Studios has announced plans to open a new studio in New York this autumn.

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Former Rockstar designer Anthony Gowland has opened a new indie studio in Edinburgh called Mainly About Games, and it will focus on web-based and mobile games.

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Nintendo announced last week a free release of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords was heading to DSiWare, and it is the original Four Swords multiplayer game released on GameBoy Advance.

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Ray Muzyka has said a Mass Effect MMO is possible, but there are no plans for such a venture back at BioWare headquarters.

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Seriously. After the break. It’s Robin Williams and his amazing beard promoting The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D Edition with his daughter Zelda – that is her actual name, for real – ahead of its release this Sunday in the US.

Game’s out on Friday in the UK.

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Rovio’s confirmed that Angry Birds has now hit 250 million downloads on all mobile platforms the game has appeared on. The news was confirmed by founder Peter Vestebacka in an interview with TechCrunch. Vestebacka also mentioned a location-based platform known as Angry Birds Magic. There’s more details on it at the link