American McGee
Beautiful Pixels
Hideo Kojima
Hitachi Wasabe's Xbox 360
Xbox 360 Marketplace Updates: (MajorNelson.com)
Adam Creighton, Computer and Video Gaming (Subscribe)
Sunday, August 22, 2004
No Halo 2 demo yet, gaming girls in Playboy, Non-plussed Nintendo patent
1. August 24 has come and gone2. Fable golden, Exclusive review available Friday
3. Get ready for the BloodRayne 2 blitz
4. Ghost Recon 2 to be 2 different games
5. 'Tis a good time for 2D fighters
6. Microsoft to host World Cup FIFA Soccer
7. High-tech Euro dogfighter coming to U.S.
8. Plantronics announces new XBox Live Headsets
9. Acclaim to be delisted
10. Nielsen eyeing NPD's game-data
11. Nintendo patent revealed
12. New Releases
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NEWS:
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1. August 24 has come and gone
* For Halo 2 hopefuls, August 24th was supposed to be ... something. Well, it's come and gone, and the ilovebees.com viral marketing website has finished its countdown, and links now to a bunch of nonsensical .wav files.
* The Holiday preview issue of OXM hit stands, and not only does it not have a Halo 2 demo, it doesn't even have the expected demo disc with holiday titles!
* Viral marketing and Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) are supposed to hype a product, but in this case, a bunch o' Halo fans are pissed, and sounding off around the 'Net.
2. Fable golden, Exclusive review available Friday
* The RPG-that-Would-be-King was certified gold, and is on schedule to be in stores on Sept. 14. TeamXBox.com will have a world-exclusive online review on the website Friday, August 27, and noon CST.
* Probably the most ambitious RPG to date (independent of platform), the XBox-exclusive, while published by Microsoft, is being deeply overshadowed by the publisher's marquee title, Halo 2. Not representative by any sense, but a local GameStop that has received 500+ orders for Halo 2, which ships November 9, hasn't broken 100 on the Fable preorder.
3. Get ready for the BloodRayne 2 blitz
* I'm all for intelligent, coordinated marketing for a great game (Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay), but Majesco's sequel looks to do some weirdness on the multi-marketing front:
- Cover of play magazine: A little racy, but a gaming and pop culture magazine, so we're good.
- MTV2: "Video Mods", the show that matches video-game footage to music video tracks, will showcase the titular character and her supporting cast against "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence. The show airs September 18 at 8:30pm CST.
- Playboy magazine: Seriously. Rayne gets a spread in what the magazine touts as "a first in videogame history and trust us when we say that Rayne does not disappoint." Yeah, but why?
4. Ghost Recon 2 to be 2 different games
* In an interesting departure from same-platform sequels, publisher Ubisoft announced Ghost Recon 2 will be set in 2014 on the PC and XBox, but will be a 7-year-earlier prequel on the GameCube and Playstation 2, with "related story line and characters".
5. 'Tis a good time for 2D fighters
* After the "meh" reception of Marvel vs. Capcom and coulda-woulda-shoulda response to SNK vs. Capcom, things are looking good on the 2D fighter front. Ignition Entertainment is releasing King Of Fighters 2000 and King Of Fighters 2001 in a double pack. Majesco Games is releasing Guilty Gear X2 #Reload next month, and Sammy's Guilty Gear Isuka will hit Japanese Boxes this winter, likely meaning a stateside release isn't that far off. The best part? Full-on XBox live support for both Guilty Gear titles.
6. Microsoft to host World Cup FIFA Soccer
* Besides being a sponsor for the 2006 World Cup (qualifying matches are under way), Microsoft is taking advantage of its recent XBox Live partnership with Electronic Arts. When FIFA Soccer 2005 launches in October, game- and Live-owners will be able to register for a world-wide tourney, with 8 regional finals on 6 continents. The North American final will be in New York City.
7. High-tech Euro dogfighter coming to U.S.
* Yager, a futuristic flight shooter (no, not Chuck Yeager) that's getting higher scores than Halo overseas, is coming stateside, a la Kemco Games. More combat than sim, the almost-mech fighters have "jetmode" and "hovermode" operations, and feature sky-high and ground-hugging dogfighting. Though there's no XBox Live functionality, the game is expected to retail around the $20 price point, and is touted as having some of the slickest graphics available on XBox.
8. Plantronics announces new XBox Live Headsets
* The X10 and X20 have been announced for gamer's choice of behind the head or over-the-ear, with better comfort, sound, and pickup.
9. Acclaim to be delisted
* Having run out of runway, Acclaim Studios announced NASDAQ has begun the delisting process. Acclaim did say they are close to securing new funding, so things may turnaround.
* Acclaim Studios Austin is the development house responsible for the pending Juiced, The Red Star, and 100 Bullets.
10. Nielsen eyeing NPD's game-data
* It was inevitable. After announcing a partnership with Activision in April where Nielsen would do stats tracking on in-video game advertising, logos, and miscellaneous branding, rumor has it parent company VNU is eyeing the NPD Group -- who, despite not having access to #1 retailer Wal-Mart's sales figures, is the only player world wide for comprehensive computer and video game stats tracking.
* Nielsen said they were indeed considering NPD Group as an asset, and could envision additional services based on the data, like more efficient ways to market games.
* I told you in April, didn't I? Here comes the commercial, there goes the art ...
11. Nintendo patent revealed
* Ah, big government. Turns out the patent that raised all sorts of rumors was one that was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office in 1999, and didn't see the light of day until last week. The patent is for the N64's online peripheral that received so little interest it was almost immediately canceled.
12. New Releases
August 22
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* Ghost Master (Strategy)
* Terminator 3: The Redemption (Action)
* Test Drive: Eve of Destruction (Driving/Demolition)
August 29
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* Cabela's Deer Hunt 2005 Season (Sports)
* Carmen Sandiego: The Secret of the Stolen Drums (Strategy)
* Digimon Rumble Arena 2 (Action)
* ESPN NHL 2K5 (Sports)
* The Guy Game (Puzzle)
* NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup (Driving)
* Pro Fishing Challenge (Sports)
* Street Racing Syndicate (Driving)
* Vietcong: Purple Haze (Action)
* Wings of War (Flight Simulation)
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SOURCES: Gamespot.com, TeamXBox.com, XBox.com, IGN, GameInformer, GMR, Official XBox Magazine, CNN, Anime Insider, Surge, gamesindustry.biz
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SOURCES: Gamespot.com, joystiq.com, kotaku.com, Xbox.com, IGN, GameInformer, Official XBox Magazine, CNN, gamesindustry.biz, and others.
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