Saling The World: Mario, Lara, Sims Drive Sales Worldwide
Gamasutra Columns :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
This week’s “Saling The World” column, covering top sellers across the globe, features the continuing leadership of Tomb Raider: Anniversary in the UK, as The Sims 2 sees another worldwide surge in popularity with H&M Stuff.
D3 Publisher acquires Vicious Cycle
GamesIndustry.biz :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
D3 Publisher of America has acquired developer Vicious Cycle for an undisclosed sum.
ELSPA “surprised” by language BBFC used to explain Manhunt ban
GamesIndustry.biz :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
ELSPA director general Paul Jackson has revealed the organisation plans to contact the BBFC over the language used to announce the ban of Manhunt 2.
More AV features to come for PS3, says Sony
GamesIndustry.biz :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Sony technical officers Izumi Kawanishi and Kanehide believe there’s room for 30 to 40 per cent more improvement in the PS3 as an audio-visual piece of kit via future firmware updates.
Eidos to release Hitman triple pack
GamesIndustry.biz :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Eidos has announced it’s to bundle together three titles from the Hitman series for release this Friday.
Nintendo’s market value closes in on Sony
GamesIndustry.biz :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Nintendo’s market value is gaining on rival Sony as demand for the Wii and DS puts the company at the forefront of the console market.
Splash Damage adopts in-game ads for Quake Wars
GamesIndustry.biz :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The managing director of developer Splash Damage has revealed that PC shooter Enemy Territory: Quake Wars will use in-game advertising to help pay for the costs of the game after release.
Registration opens for Edinburgh 2007
GamesIndustry.biz :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Registration has opened for this year’s Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2007, taking place at the Royal College of Physicians, August 13 – 14.
Sony got the price of PS3 right, says Guillemot
GamesIndustry.biz :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said he believes Sony got the price of PlayStation 3 right at launch – but warned a cut will be necessary if the company wants to attract more consumers.
“Euro 360 sales have hit a wall” – Screen Digest
GamesIndustry.biz :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Sales of the Xbox 360 in Europe have hit a wall according to a new report from Screen Digest, which suggests Microsoft is struggling to expand the user base for the next-gen console.
NHL 2K8 Announced
IGN :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
NHL 2K8 (PS3)2K Sports to bring latest hockey installment out this Fall.
Enemy Territory: QW Getting In-game Ads
IGN :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PS3)The ad revenue will be used to offset the cost of updating the game.
New Crave Game a Bunch of Bull
IGN :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Professional Bull Riders (other)You only have to play for eight seconds.
Battlefield: Bad Company HD Video Interview
IGN :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Battlefield: Bad Company (PS3)Be a badass.
The Darkness: Gunner Darkling Comes out Firing!
IGN :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The Darkness (PS3)The Gunner aims for the head in the second part of IGN’s in-depth look at the Darklings.
Sony Bundles Hot Shots with PS3
IGN :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
New bundle represents 4,000 yen price cut.
Super Stardust HD AU Review
IGN :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Super Stardust HD (PS3)A must-download title for the PS3 Network?
Battlefield: Bad Company Hands-on
IGN :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Battlefield: Bad Company (PS3)No fences can hold this soldier.
Every Day in Every Way My Brain is Getting Bigger and Bigger
Nintendo News :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Your Summer Blockbuster: Mario Parry 8
Halo Replicas Master Replicas Meets Master Chief
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Find out which weapons from the Halo universe are getting their replicas from the same manufacturer of the Star Wars lightsabers.
Ace Combat 6 Fires of Liberation Screenshots
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Namco Bandai has released a bunch of new images of their highflyer along with some new information about the game.
Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare Gameplay Footage
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Today we bring you the first gameplay footage that features action from a level called The Bog.
Transformers Boss Battle Blackout vs. Ironhide
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The largest Decepticon takes on Optimus Prime’s oldest friend in this mustsee trailer.
Rock Out with Wolfmother on Xbox Live
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Australian Trio Wolfmother is calling on Xbox gamers to challenge them in Forza Motorsport 2.
2K Sports Announces First Details of NHL 2K8
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
This title will leverage all of the next generation capabilities, featuring innovative gameplay, revolutionary player models and stunning visuals to create an entirely new hockey experience, centered on authenticity and the NHL Signature Style.
KOEI Announces Warriors Orochi
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
KOEI announced today a crossover of its two blockbuster franchises, Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. In Warriors Orochi the characters from both franchises must teamup to wage war against a new, yet powerful force.
Stranglehold Collector’s Edition for Xbox 360 Announced
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Midway announced today an exclusive Xbox 360 collector’s edition for Stranglehold.
D3Publisher of America to Acquire Vicious Cycle
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
D3Publisher of America announced today that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Vicious Cycle Software, the developer of Robotech Battlecry.
Mad Catz Enters into License Agreement with Ubisoft
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Mad Catz Interactive will produce a new line of customized controllers and other related accessories to support the upcoming launches of Assassins Creed and Tom Clancys Splinter Cell Conviction video games.
EA Exec Honored by Queen Elizabeth II
Team Xbox :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
David Gardner, Executive Vice President of International Studios, has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Treit & True: Anticipating the New Look of E3
Xbox 360 Games :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Ryan Treit reveals the benefits of a retooled E3 and his own hopes for this year’s conference.
This Week in Xbox: June 13-20, 2007
Xbox 360 Games :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Games Editor Denny Atkin brings you all the latest in what’s going on this week on Xbox.com.
Shrek the Third Theme
Xbox Live Marketplace :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Preview the themes from Shrek the Third available now on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
EuroGamer Hardware Test: Xbox 360 Elite
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The Xbox360 Elite has been out for a while now in the North-America, but Eurogamer.net (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=78001&page=1 ) posted a detailed review of the new hardware today: [QUOTE] On the one hand, the core issue that most gamers had with the machine has barely been addressed. Yes, the machine is tangibly quieter than the current unit, but it’s still loud when running a game from the DVD-ROM. It’s also still a lottery as to which drive you’ll end up getting, with the BenQ unit being a little less noisy than the Hitachi. However, the notion that there should be any disparity at all between any given system is crazy in the first place. Why not one use one supplier with a quiet drive? The stupidly large power block is unchanged too – another aesthetically hideous aspect of the 360 that I really wanted Microsoft to do something about. The jury’s also out on reliability. The Elite is a little quieter and hopefully the tweaked cooling solution will help the machines last longer. But the bottom line is that the same components are still pumping out the same amount of heat and historically that has not been good news for reliability. That being the case, we’re inclined to ask where the 65nm revision of the PowerPC CPU has got to? It’s not in the Elite, that’s for sure. However, on the plus side, I can’t help but really like the new console. A lot. I’ve always admired Microsoft’s philosophy of bringing HD gaming to as wide an audience as possible. Every HD-ready plasma and LCD has a component port, but with the 360 launch they went one better and provided VGA support – opening up a whole new range of potential new HD gaming screens for their system, or just freeing up an extra port on well-specified displays. With the Elite, they’ve done it again with a brilliant quality digital output that works beautifully on any screen you plug it into, be it a low budget GBP 100 Chinese LCD monitor or a GBP 3,000 Panasonic 1080p plasma. Microsoft has stripped away the copy protection nonsense that plagues PS3’s digital output and made exceptional picture quality available to gamers no matter what kind of equipment they use. In many ways, the HDMI port and the bigger hard disk makes this the machine that the launch unit really should have been. However, I find it hard to recommend the Elite as an upgrade to a current model as all the evidence suggests that pumping the cash into an improved display gets you all the picture quality you could ever want from the current system. [/QUOTE] Full Story: eurogamer.net (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=78001&page=1 ) (7 pages)
Penny-Arcade’s Take on the new Halo 3 ARG
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Microsoft/Bungie launched a new alternate reality game (ARG) (http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EElkEZyAEAjoowxzeK.php ), or viral marketing campaign if you perfer, for Halo 3 earlier this week. Here’s what penny-arcade (Tycho and Gabe) think about it ;) (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/06/20/ )
(USA) 150k Xbox360 HD DVD Addons Sold – Blu-Ray 5 to 1 Edge
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
From tvpredictions.com (http://www.tvpredictions.com/bluray062007.htm ): [QUOTE] Blu-ray players are in roughly 1.5 million homes — five times more than its high-def DVD rival, HD-DVD. That’s according to the research firm Digital Entertainment Group, as reported by Video Business. DEG says the 1.5 million Blu-ray homes include about 100,000 standalone Blu-ray players with the rest PlayStation 3 game consoles, which include Blu-ray players inside. The research firm says there 300,000 HD DVD homes in the United States — evenly split between standalone players and HD DVD XBox 360 attachment drives. [/QUOTE] Full Story: tvpredictions.com (http://www.tvpredictions.com/bluray062007.htm )
Xbox 360 Summer 2007 Blockbuster Tv-Spot
Xbox-Scene :: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Here’s the new Xbox 360 commercial for the summer of 2007 showing clay being formed into blockbuster movie characters of Shrek the Third, Spiderman 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
GameTap Now With Macrovision
GameTap :: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
I’m not a big fan of copy protection, and I’m sure neither are most of the OCMS readers, but GameTap seems to think this is a good idea…
GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), and Macrovision Corporation are working together to make games available online for download and purchase through GameTap’s new digital storefront.
Media Consumption: EA Mythic’s Josh Drescher (Warhammer Online)
Gamasutra Columns :: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
This week’s Media Consumption speaks to EA Mythic’s Josh Drescher, senior designer on forthcoming MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, about his media favorites, from Andrew Bird to Dr. Strangelove and Hunter S. Thompson to Civilization.
The China Angle: ‘Deja Vu’
Gamasutra Columns :: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
In Gamasutra’s latest China Angle column, Pacific Epoch’s Shang Koo looks at recent announcements of hardware manufacturer Changhong partnering with Microsoft to herald in what could be a Chinese console resurgence, and examines the crossover potential of several Chinese novels and games.
Manhunt 2 rated Adults Only in US
GamesIndustry.biz :: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
In a prepared statement, Take-Two acknowledged that the ESRB has issued a preliminary rating of AO (Adults Only) for its upcoming PlayStation 2 and Wii title Manhunt 2.
Rockstar “disappointed” at Manhunt 2 ban
GamesIndustry.biz :: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Rockstar Games has stated its disappointment at the BBFC’s recent decision to refuse Manhunt 2 a rating in the UK, effectively banning the game from sale.
Law and Order game withdrawn due to Bulger image
GamesIndustry.biz :: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
A computer game featuring a surveillance camera image of murder victim James Bulger is being withdrawn from sale in the UK following calls from the toddler’s mother.
Kutaragi officially steps down as Sony chairman and CEO
GamesIndustry.biz :: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Ken Kutaragi, known as the “Father of the PlayStation” officially retired Tuesday from his executive position as Chairman and Group CEO.
Epic’s Unreal Engine signed for new XBLA title
GamesIndustry.biz :: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Chair Entertainment has signed a deal with Gears of War developer Epic Games to licence the Unreal Engine in upcoming Xbox Live Arcade title Undertow.
No political influence over Manhunt ban, states BBFC
GamesIndustry.biz :: Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The BBFC has stated that there was no political influence in the decision to ban Rockstar’s Manhunt 2 from sale in the UK.
