Wednesday, October 27, 2004
XBox Next Mumblings, No Live Halo 2 co-op, and Seropian drops Wideload details ...
- Get out and vote
- Batman Begins -- the game
- A plethora o' Halo 2 Updates
- XBox games: Q4 '04 versus Q1 '05
- Seropian and Wideload announce Stubbs the Zombie
- Microsoft to release a real limited edition for MechAssault 2
- Game updates
- Updates on XBox 2/XBox Next/Xenon
- Free PlayStation 2 at EB Games
- New Releases
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NEWS:
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- Get out and vote
- Give your thumbs a rest today and get out and vote. Then go back to abusing your thumbs.
- Batman Begins -- the game
- Warner Bros, DC Comics and Electronic Arts have announced the development of the video game adaption of next year's Batman Begins, the next iteration of the franchise that hopes to resurrect it from the ashes of Batman & Robin. The cross-platform game and film are set to release on the same day, and both tell the darker, grittier, and more violent story of the Batman's origin, as portrayed in the comic books.
Directing is Memento director Christopher Nolan, and starring is Christian Bale, of American Psycho/The Machinist fame. The movie was written by comic book movie scribeDavid S. Goyer, and also stars Hollywood A-List talent like Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Ken Watanabe, and Rutger Hauer.
- A plethora o' Halo 2 Updates
- First review
- I just got the Official XBox Magazine in the mail (early), and it had a world-exclusive review of Halo 2 inside. No, it didn't get a 10.0 from the team, but the magazine hasn't ever given a 10.0. So, grading on the curve, the game's a 10.0. Anyway, the staff graciously put spoiler stuff in a sealed section of the magazine (and no, I didn't open it -- do you people even read my blogs?).
- Watch the making of Halo 2
- "Making the Video Game: Halo 2" will premiere on MTV on Friday, November 5th at 11:00pm (EST/PST), and replay on MTV2 on Saturday, November 6th at 9:00pm EST. It will feature interviews with designers, developers, celebrity fans, and the bands that are on the Halo 2 soundtrack. Yes, I'm going to record it. No, I'm not going to watch it until I play the game.
- Halo 2 co-op mode offline only
- Dashing hopes and hype, Microsoft confirmed Thursday Halo 2 will not support XBox Live or LAN co-op play. Early released photos made it look like at least system-link play was going to be supported. Since Microsoft knew of the rumors and expectations around the expected co-op play, disappointing folks only 12 days from formal release about a desired feature they obviously knew isn't included seems pretty poor.
- Are there other chinks in the Mjolnir armor? On the upside, Bungie did implement vertical split screen co-op for widescreen TVs. Which is good for those people, I suppose.
- New Halo 2 music online
- Did Master Chief and Halo win the Walk of Game?
- Official results aren't in, but voting for the Sony Metreon's Walk of Game closed Sunday. Both Halo and Master Chief took the top one and two spots for Game/Character (beating out Link and Mario), but the tally only indicates online voting results, not written submissions. Final results will be release later this month, and I'm hoping Microsoft's green-armored mascot gets a star in Sony's marquee game property. I'm waiting for the lawyers to context it, though.
- XBox games: Q4 '04 versus Q1 '05
- OK, the last quarter of 2004 is going to rock ...
- Halo 2 (November 9; really, the only game you need to own. Yes. Need. 1.5 million buyers aren't wrong.)
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (December 6; Sequel to the #1 game of last year, kicking it up a notch?)
- Dead or Alive Ultimate (Now; Online fighing. Jiggle counting. 'Nuff said.)
- Mortal Kombat: Deception (Now; With multiple game modes, a deal even at its premium price.)
- Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (November 2; Another treatment of the franchise done right.)
- Ghost Recon 2 (November 30; The Ghosts are back, and they're tougher than ever.)
- Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (November 30; Sleeper hit, part deux.)
- MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf (December 28; Unique modes will redefine persistent online gaming.)
- ... But the first quarter of calendar 2005 is going to come in like a lion:
- Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (March 2005; Like Pandora Tomorrow wasn't enough? It'll look tame compared to this.)
- DOOM 3 (Maybe; XBox-exclusive online and offline co-op mode.)
- NFL Street 2 (January 2005; Fan-fav redux.)
- Conker: Live and Reloaded (March 2005; He's cute and cuddly, he farts, drinks and vomits, and comes with multiplayer.)
- Star Wars: Republic Commando (February 2005; Take the Clone Wars license, and do something dark and violent with it. And the end of the game is the beginning of movie 3. Don't hold that against it.)
- Jade Empire (March 2005; Looking to the definitive RPG.)
- Forza Motorsport (January 2005; Car licensing to a premium level.)
- Far Cry Instincts (February 2005; Must-play FPS Game of the Year gets revamped for XBox.)
- TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (January 2005; I really like this franchise.)
- Unreal Championship: The Liandri Conflict (February 2005; currently considered the best-looking game on XBox, including upping Halo 2.)
- Brothers in Arms (February 2005; They're not late to the WWII FPS party -- they're right on time with a game that may take the wind out of the sales of Medal of Honor and Call of Duty.)
- Seropian and Wideload announce Stubbs the Zombie
- Ending months of hand-wringing, Austin publisher Aspyr Media and Alexander Seropian, Bungie founder, Halo creator, and founder of Chicago's Wideload Games, announced details on the joint partnership's first title: Stubbs the Zombie in "Rebel without a Pulse". Players will become "Stubbs, a wisecracking Zombie who takes on an ultra-modern city of the future using nothing but his own carcass and the weapons of his possessed enemies."
- Ooh, talk about timing. Built on the Halo engine and leveraging those game mechanics and AI, Stubbs (expected to do well in Austin), will see retail in summer of 2005, beating out American McGee and George Romero's own zombie offering, and so-called "goriest game ever made", City of the Dead, still being shopped to publishers.
- I'm looking for the marketing throw down between these two, where McGee/Romero promise gratuitous blood-and-guts, and Seropian one-ups with gratuitous blood-and-guts, and zippy one-liners ...
- Microsoft to release a real limited edition for MechAssault 2
- Wow, I didn't think the Big M would be the first to an XBox limited edition right, but they are with MechAssault 2. The LE includes two exclusive maps and a "making of " video feature, will carry the same $49.99 MSRP, and is being produced in an extremely limited run.
- Game updates
- The Bard's Tale has shipped to retail. Fans of "coin and cleavage", action RPGs, Monty Pythonish humor, but maybe not the original game should be laughing for somewhere between moments to years, depending on which all-over-the-map review to which you subscribe.
- Dead or Alive Ultimate has shipped. Fans of incredible fighting, lag-free online gaming, and fanciful mammary physics flock to stores. The game is ranging in scores from 8.8 - 9.5.
- Outrun 2, a revamp of the Sega classic arcade racer, has shipped to retail.
- The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, the video game of the movie (still 3 weeks from release) has shipped. Before you dismiss, realize the first SpongeBob SquarePants: Attack from Bikini Bottom game was one of the surprise best sleeper platformers of this year.
- EALA's The Lord of the Rings, the single player RPG of the movie license (where you control a non-Fellowship party of 4), has shipped.
- THQ's The Incredibles has shipped, just a few days before the film opens on November 5. A playable demo is included in December's OXM.
- Chessmaster, Ubisoft's XBox Live-enabled chess program for all skill levels, has shipped and is available in retail.
- Prince of Persia: Warrior Within has been delayed two weeks. Ubisoft is playing it smart and avoiding the mid-November carnage to be wrought by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Halo 2, among others.
- Updates on XBox 2/XBox Next/Xenon
- Not the new of news, but I forgot to mention at the end of Sept. Dean Lester (GM of Windows Graphics and Gaming) said "Xbox 2 peripherals will all work on PC." Hmmm -- USB 2.0? Firewire? Something completely different?
- CoR engine for the next XBox? Swedish development rockstars Starbreeze Studios (Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay) are supposedly porting their engine to XBox 2, and possibly PS3, thought too little is known at this time to help developers. Starbreeze announced the game will be developed for publisher Majesco Games.
- Halo launched the XBox as a real contender, so what's the XBox 2 going to get as the launch title? Looks like it won't be Halo 3. Bungie Studio Manager Peter Parson said, "After Halo 2 we are planning to do something different ... We will do something else and we have a few ideas." This could mean a totally new franchise of Halo-esque caliber. Possibly the Bungie-shelved Phoenix? Rumor also has it that Halo 3 will still be in developed, and will be scheduled to launch the same day as the PlayStation 3. Heh.
- The XBox 2 will be significantly smaller than the current piece of furniture we all know and love.IGN is saying NEC and Toshiba are getting HD-DVD standard (the blue-laser-based competitor to Blu-Ray/BD-ROM, which will be in the PlayStation 3) into Microsoft's next console. On paper, HD-DVD looks weaker than BD-ROM (15G versus 50G, etc.), but dual-sided/dual layering may shore up these differences. Even if they don't, if Microsoft launches with HD-DVD, it could be like the VHS trumping the technologically superior Beta Max. I love that Microsoft's codecs are required in both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, which on some fronts makes them the winner regardless.
- Free PlayStation 2 at EB Games
- Trade in your "big dog" PlayStation 2 and 5 (non-sport) PS2 games, and you can get a free, newly designed PS2.
- New Releases
- Week of 10/31/2004
- Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures (Sports)
- Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Director's Cut (Survival horror)
- High Rollers Casino (Puzzle)
- IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 (Driving)
- The Incredibles (Action)
- The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age (RPG)
- Pinball Hall of Fame (Puzzle)
- Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Platformer)
- Spyro: A Hero's Tail (Platformer)
- Tron 2.0: Killer App (FPS)
- Ultra Bust-A-Move (Puzzle)
- XBox Live Arcade (Multiple)
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SOURCES: Gamespot.com, joystiq.com, kotaku.com, Xbox.com, IGN, GameInformer, Official XBox Magazine, CNN, gamesindustry.biz, and others.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Bill will speak, Aspyr on the move, breaking down to buy a Playstation 2?
- Halo 2 pre-sales at 1.5+ million
- Gates to speak at CES
- EA announces another Medal of Honor
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas pirated and downloadable
- Hey, there's games in my advertising!
- Aspyr on the move
- Impressions: X-Men: Legends & Star Wars: Battlefront
- Fable squashing sales records
- Windows Media Center Extender for Xbox
- Game updates
- Reasons to own a PlayStation 2
- New Releases
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NEWS:
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- Halo 2 pre-sales at 1.5+ million
- As of last week (still three away from release), Halo 2 pre-orders exceeded 1.5 million units. This XBox-exclusive baby is going to obliterate records across all platforms ...
- Gates to speak at CES
- Bill Gates will be doing the pre-show keynote for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. The announcement and opportunity lends credence to the rumors that Microsoft will use the show to formally announce the successor to the current XBox.
- EA announces another Medal of Honor
- Electronic Arts (EA Games) announced a new title, Medal of Honor: Dogs of War, will see the big 3 consoles this coming spring. EA promises a "new way of playing, while still delivering an unflinching picture of warfare". the MoH series arguably pioneered the modern WWII FPS ("LOL!" yell the Wolfenstein fans).
- The title is being developed by EA's "EA Los Angeles" (EALA), the new big gun West Coast EA incarnation responsible for upcoming heavy hitters like The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age and GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas pirated and downloadable
- The cirle is complete. First Half-Life 2, then Doom 3, then Half-Life 2 again, then Halo 2, now GTA: San Andreas, and soon (probably), Half-Life 2 again. With Rockstar Games acknowleging their latest game -- manual, cover, and all -- has been pirated and is downloadable, all of the fall/holiday big guns have officially been pirated.
- Just so we're clear on where I stand on this: Pirating is stealing. It robs talented, hard-working professionals, it drives the cost of our games up, and it ruins my Christmas morning surprise. And software pirates are a$$holes (Gimme a break, this blog gets picked up and shows on some corporate servers) ...
- Hey, there's games in my advertising!
- Activision announced in April-ish they'd be working with Nielson Entertainment to put ads in games, and track gamers' responses. The next step in the relationship is to use Activision's upcoming Tony Hawk's Underground 2 to see how often players interact with the multitude of in-game placements. Chrysler Corporation will participate in a test with Activision and Nielsen and the PC version of the game, to measure players' reaction to the various Jeep placements on a daily basis. Uh, if any of those future THUG2 players are reading these articles, ya think maybe results could be skewed?
- Activision and Nielsen are arguably just slightly ahead of the curve. Ads for video games raked in about $79 million in 2003, and is projected to be at $260 million by 2008 (excluding advertising on websites). The "13-and-over" video demographic spends about $7.4 billion on games, so it's a much sought-after market segment. Conservative (in my mind) numbers indicate the spending will be up to $8.3 billion by 2008. However, 2003's in-game advertising spend of $10 million is expected to grow to $92 million by 2008, according to the Yankee Group. The trend has got in-game advertising firms like Massive announcing services that let marketers ad realtime ads, and sends back results (like each time an ad is seen).
- Yeah, I'd like advertising out of my games, but intelligent placement (a la the box office) was bound to strike our games sooner or later. I'm just hoping we can avoid a video game boffo equivalent like Mac and Me, arguably the worst rip-off (of E.T.) and infommercial ever to sear my eyeballs.
- Aspyr on the move
- Austin-based Aspyr Media announced they'll be publishing The Sims 2 for the Mac. Aspyr's own internal development team will develop the title, under license from Electronic Arts. No release date has been set.
- Aspyr is also the publisher that signed on to publish Halo-creator Alexander Seropian's games developed by his recently formed Wideload Games.
- Heya, Aspyr, methinks you need a professional voice actor for all of your cool projects ...
- Impressions: X-Men: Legends & Star Wars: Battlefront
- Fable squashing sales records
- XBox-exclusive Fable was the #1 seller across all platforms for the month of September, selling 375,000 copies in its first week, and according to NPD Group, more than 600,000 in the total month -- and it didn't launch until September 9!
- Windows Media Center Extender for Xbox
- The Windows Media Center Extender for Xbox has finally made an appearance on Microsoft's official XBox.com hardware list. No price is currently available, though a release date of "November 2004" is part of the description. The media extenders require Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, shipped earlier this month. Wireless requirements have not been released, but the only technology to currently be Media Center approved is D-Links dual band turbo 802.11a/g, which both run at a theoretical 108 mbps.
- Game updates
- The Urbz: Sims in the City -- Maxis Studios/EA Games next console iteration of the franchise has gone gold will ship November 9. Not pirated as of this writing.
- Scaler -- Platformer Scaler puts Global Star Software's (Take-Two Interactive's) titular hero in the hands of all-audiences everywhere. This could be a sleeper hit, but we'll wait and see. Made it to stores without being pirated.
- Doom 3 -- More Doom 3 is on the way from id Software and Activision, by way of an expansion pack. Hopefully, this extra content will also make it to Vicarious Visions XBox port of the game, though I worry if it's offered the XBox Live route, id will charge for "premium content".
- B.C. -- Fable creator Lionhead Studios, announced cancelation of development of this Black-and-White-esqe prehistoric action/sim game. Staff will be deployed on other Lionhead projects; possibly the unnanounced Fable 2? Cancellation may have been a ploy to keep the title from being pirated.
- The Bard's Tale has not been pirated, but check out a lampooning press release from inXile Entertainment, as they consider "some form of leak" to further the impression the game is in the "same category as a Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Half-Life 2 and Halo 2".
- Reasons to own a PlayStation 2
- Yeppers, I preferentially lean toward our giant black 'Box, but occasionally other contenders give me pause. Such is the case with the recently re-released PlayStation 2, in a smaller form factor (1/4 the size), integrated connectivity (broadband and dial-up), and a top-loading drive (which won't break as often as the ^%*&#! XBox Thompson DVD tray drives). Other reasons to think about owning a new PlayStation 2:
- Killzone -- This Guerrilla Games-developed, SCEA-published slighlty futuristic squad-based first-person shooter will support full online play, looks amazing, and has been Sony's "Halo Killer" -- not because it has anything in common other than the FPS perspective), but it looks to be a "reason to own a PS2" franchise.
- Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex -- Seriously, if you don't know about the Ghost in the Shell anime, it's recent Innocence sequel and two Stand Alone Complex TV series (the second just now finishing up in Japan), I'm not sure I want to know you. Really. GitS is a powerful Bladerunner-ish inspired cyberpunk manga and movie that has already spawned one decent game on the original Playstation, and this upcoming third-person iteration puts gamers in the shoes of Major Mokoto Kusanagi and her partner Batou, with solid controls, a great story, and solid gameplay. GitS is being developed by Cavia Inc. and published by Bandai. Check out a great feature spread in November's Play Magazine.
- Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge -- Developed and published by Capcom, this title puts pop culture icon (and personal favorite hero) Jack Skellington under your control in a sequel to the original Tim Burton 1993 film. Disney, Capcom, don't screw this one up!
- Have you seen this thing? Rarely do I look at a piece of hardware and say, "DAY-UMN!" (that corporate thing again). Any, the new PS2 is tiny, it's sexy ("Size Matters" works backwards with guys and gadgets), it's quieter, and its the same price as its now-clunky forbearer. Which makes the XBox just look friggin' huge ...
- New Releases
- Week of 10/24/2004
- The Bard's Tale (RPG)
- Bicycle Casino (Puzzle)
- Chessmaster (Action)
- Dead or Alive Ultimate (Fighting)
- Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Director's Cut (Survival/Horror)
- The Incredibles (Action)
- Monster Garage (Driving)
- OutRun2 (Driving)
- Scaler (Platformer) (shipped last week, early)
- SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie (Platformer)
- Ultra Bust-A-Move (Puzzle)
- Week of 10/31/2004
- Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures (Sports)
- Godzilla: Save the Earth (Action)
- High Rollers Casino (Puzzle)
- IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 (Driving)
- The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age (RPG)
- Pinball Hall of Fame (Puzzle)
- Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Platformer)
- Spikeout Battle Street (Brawler)
- Spyro: A Hero's Tail (Platformer)
- XBox Live Arcade (Multiple)
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SOURCES: Gamespot.com, joystiq.com, kotaku.com, Xbox.com, IGN, GameInformer, Official XBox Magazine, CNN, gamesindustry.biz, and others.
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Holiday XBox bundle, the Mjolnir Mix, More WWII FPSing
- New Halo 2 musical theme available
- The Covenant hacking Halo 2 website?
- Holiday XBox bundle
- A classic returns for more WWII FPS gaming
- Game updates
- Blackley to co-Keynote Digital Entertainment Conference
- Riddick Developers' Cut coming to PC
- Commentary: How to increase XBox Live adoption
- New Releases
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NEWS:
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- New Halo 2 musical theme available
- Obviously, the Halo theme has been revamped for the upcoming Halo 2 sequel. Over at TeamXbox.com, you can hear the "Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix" -- the original theme revamped by original composers Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, with guitars by none other than Steve Vai.
- The Covenant hacking Halo 2 website?
- Similar to the "ilovebees" viral marketing of a few months ago, the Halo 2 official website has had strange, ostensibly Covenant symbols gracing the website. A motivated halo.bungie.org forum user has deciphered the alphabet, so current and future messages can be deciphered.
- The first message? "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US AND WE LOVE BEES".
- Holiday XBox bundle
- Starting October 31, for the same $149.99 MSRP, folks well be able to get Electronic Arts' NCAA Football 2005 and Top Spin tennis game, and two months of XBox Live service, along with a giant black game box.
- A classic returns for more WWII FPS gaming
- Publisher Eidos and developer Pyro Studios announced the return of the Commandos RTS franchise in an all-new form -- First-Person (semi) tactical shooter, available "spring of 2005".
- Game updates
- Dead or Alive Ultimate (Tecmo) -- After being delayed at least 4 times, Tecmo's online rendition of the DOA franchise has gone gold, and is scheduled to ship later this month (no official date, but EB Games lists October 26).
- Blackley to co-Keynote Digital Entertainment Conference
- Billboard's first Digital Entertainment Conference & Awards on Nov. 4-5 will be co-keynoted by XBox creator Seamus Blackley. Blackley has since gone on to form production and financing house Capital Entertainment Group (CEG) and is now an agent with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), an agency geared toward representing video game developers. Billboard's addition of digital entertainment to its music and movies portfolio is big news in itself, but the real draw is any keynoter with the first name Seamus. Really. People named Seamus simply rock.
- Riddick Developers' Cut coming to PC
- XBox sleeper hit The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is on its way to the PC. The XBox-exclusive was one of the best-selling titles across all platforms for June, according the NPD Group, and the PC version will add a playable mech, a survival-style arena and game mode for players to test their skills, more enemies/action/locations, upgrade graphics, and a hint of additional unlockable content -- all at a bargain $29.99 price point, and available in December.
- Commentary: How to increase XBox Live adoption
- Honestly, I think one of the real sticking points for XBox Live adoption is the price point. Sure, the $70 starter kit gets you the first year of subscription ($50), a headset ($30), and Crimson Skies ($20), saving you 30 bucks, but it's still a balk-inducing price tag, and the $50 for a year of live isn't that swallowable for folks already shelling out $30 - $55 a month for broadband service.
What should they do? Here are my thoughts:
- Knock the price down to $39.99 or $29.99 for a year subscription. This is simply a more digestible price point.
- If they can't eat the cost by doing a straight-up service price reduction, they should provide more flexibility in the trial subscription model. Rather than "just" offering free 2-3 month trials, they should give people the latitude to apply that $10-$15 service credit toward a full-year, which brings the cost down to at or below the $39.99 price point.
- speaking of flexibility, believe it or not, I think Microsoft should offer even more options for Live Subscriptions. I think they need to offer a one-year subscription (with a free game), without the headset, for the price of just the one-year subscription. Why? Because there's now a host of first- and third-party headsets available, from the Microsoft standard ($29.99), to the cheap ($14.99), to the premium ($49.99 for the Plantronics Halo 2-branded headset, to $79.99 for the Logitech Bluetooth wireless headset). There are also combo wired and wireless controller/headset offerings from Mad Catz, Hip Interactive, and Wideye. Offering a headset-less Live package gives people choice in their headsets, and saves Microsoft from subsidizing the headsets.
- Following that thinking, they should get someone else to subsidize the headsets. Sony has been incredibly successful with SOCOM (I & II) because they bundle a headset with the game. Granted, in this case, it's Sony subsidizing Sony, but the model is sound. Think of a Plantronics/Microsoft co-branding where they bundle the Halo 2 headset with a copy of the game, or Wideye partnering with Time-Warner Roadrunner and Microsoft to practically give away headsets and controllers with combination cable/DSL and XBox Live subscriptions. Wideye did this in Hong with the Live launch, and arguably are owed some credit for the AP's 15% Live rate among XBox users (as opposed to a worldwide 12% rate).
- New Releases
- Week of 10/17/2004
- Men of Valor (FPS)
- Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors (Action)
- Outlaw Golf 2 (Sports)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus (Action)
- Week of 10/24/2004
- Bicycle Casino (Puzzle)
- Chessmaster (Action)
- Dead or Alive Ultimate (Fighting)
- The Incredibles (Action)
- Monster Garage (Driving)
- OutRun2 (Driving)
- Scaler (Platformer)
- SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie (Platformer)
- Week of 10/31/2004
- The Bard's Tale (RPG)
- Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures (Sports)
- Godzilla: Save the Earth (Action)
- High Rollers Casino (Puzzle)
- IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 (Driving)
- The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age (RPG)
- Pinball Hall of Fame (Puzzle)
- Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Platformer)
- Spikeout Battle Street (Brawler)
- Spyro: A Hero's Tail (Platformer)
- XBox Live Arcade (Multiple)
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SOURCES: Gamespot.com, joystiq.com, kotaku.com, Xbox.com, IGN, GameInformer, Official XBox Magazine, CNN, gamesindustry.biz, and others.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Adam was right, Halo 2 is golden (and pirated), and guilds invade gaming
Note: My apologies for the previous incomplete posting of this blog. Blame Blogger's poor usability. Or maybe blame user error. Let's just call it "premature posting" and never speak of it again.
Somewhere, an HR Generalist's ears are burning ...
- Midway Acquires Austin Inevitable Entertainment
- Halo 2 goes gold, allegedly pirated and available now.
- The Microsoft hype machine trying to ruin Halo 2 for Adam
- Halo 2 soundtrack details
- Mortal Kombat: Deception ships million+ units
- Game updates
- Games Adam isn't likely to own, part 1
- A sad day for Adam
- First PC designed around an XBox
- Logitech offers cordless XBox Live headset
- Bad Mojo is back!
- Game company lead named CEO of the Year
- Sony ships million-plus Playstations
- Dreamcast-on-a-chip
- WGA forms New Media Group
- New Releases
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NEWS:
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- Midway Acquires Austin Inevitable Entertainment
- The circle is complete. As closure to my blathering from back in April, Midway Games finally made it's purchase of Austin-based Inevitable Entertainment official. Inevitable is currently working on Area 51 for the publisher -- check out the dated (but solid) demo in the November issue of The Official XBox Magazine.
- For an all-stock transaction of 218,421 Midway common shares (plus 152,824 restricted shares for "key Inevitable employees"), Inevitable will be renamed Midway Studios – Austin.
- Halo 2 goes gold, allegedly pirated and available now.
- Microsoft announced Monday that the arguably most anticipated sequel ever has gone gold, and will be beginning it's million+ initial production run shortly.
- Wednesday night, 27 days before its release date, the complete PAL/French version of the game (though lacking XBox Live support) is allegedly available on the Internet, and making the Peer-to-Peer network rounds. Microsoft acknowledged the piracy, and I hope they and Interpol find and sock the pirates and any downloaders with the up to $100K-per-copyright-infringement fine. Those bastards.
- The Microsoft hype machine trying to ruin Halo 2 for Adam
- I've said it before -- I don't want to know about the story for Halo 2 until I'm actually playing through it. I'm one of those guys that doesn't like my games, movies, or comic books ruined by spoilers. If my news coverage to suffers, well, bite me. Unfortunately, the Hype Machine is trying to bypass by defenses.
- The November issue of XBox Nation magazine is wrapped in black foil, emblazoned with an image of the Master Chief. The packaging touts "Details of the single-player story inside!" No, I'm not going to buy the issue, and no, I don't want you to tell me about it if you do.
- Meanwhile, over at TeamXBox.com, they're running a story about a new upcoming (and spoiler-filled) Halo 2 cinematic. Nope, not gonna read that one either. Nope, not gonna watch the trailer.
- Then, while walking through a local GameStop last night, I run into a full-on display of the Halo 2 action figures -- not what I wanted to see (though I gotta say, the Brute looks farkin' awesome, and is the first figure that looks like a deal at the $14.99 MSRP).
- Halo 2 soundtrack details
- Here's the official song list for the Halo 2: Original Soundtrack Volume One, scheduled to release the same day as the game:
- Halo Theme Mjolner Mix
- Blow Me Away-Performed By Breaking Benjamin
- Peril
- Ghosts Of Reach
- Follow (1st Movement of the Odyssey)-Performed By Incubus
- Heretic, Hero
- Flawed Legacy
- Impend
- Never Surrender
- Ancient Machine
- 2nd Movement of the Odyssey-Performed By Incubus
- In Amber Clad
- The Last Spartan
- Orbit of Glass
- 3rd Movement of the Odyssey-Performed By Incubus
- Heavy Price Paid
- Earth City
- High Charity
- 4th Movement of the Odyssey-Performed By Incubus
- Remembrance
- Connected-Performed By Hoobastank
- Mortal Kombat: Deception ships million+ units
- The latest offering from Midway Games fighting gore-fest has become the company's fastest-selling game.
- Game updates
- Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams (THQ) -- The sequel to the middlingly reviewed, but million-unit-plus selling platformer is now available in stores.
- BloodRayne 2 (Terminal Velocity/Majesco Games) -- The sexy, double-X chromosome video game equivalent to Wesley Snipes has made it to stores in time for Halloween.
- Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue (Krome Studios/Electronic Arts Games) -- The sequel to the Aussie-heroed platformer has shipped to retailers, and should see store shelves this weekend.
- Syberia II (Microids/XS Games) -- The sequel to the well-received (and absolutely gorgeous) adventure game has been on the PC since March, and is now available on XBox for the new-game bargain price of $19.99 (a virtual necessity to encourage the genre on console platforms).
- Midway ships Arcade Treasures 2 (Midway Games) -- The second volume in the re-release of Midway's classic libraries is now available for $19.99, but lacks the original Mortal Kombat initially announced as part of the collection. That game has been bundled with the special edition of the new Mortal Kombat: Deception.
- The Bard's Tale (InXile Entertainment) -- The creator-owned (Brian Fargo) remake of the cult classic, rated T for Teen (for morally ambiguous, witty, non-linear game play), has gone gold, and is set to ship the week of October 25.
- Forza Motorsport (Microsoft Game Studios) -- Following the recent industry spate of holiday delays, Microsoft has announced a delay of the release of its super realistic racer until February of next year.
- Games Adam isn't likely to own, part 1
- No, I'm not talking The Guy Game (the Austin-based Top-Heavy Studios' recent interact "Girls Gone Wild" offering isn't exactly on my wish list). The November issue of The Official XBox Magazine includes one of their better discs in a while. On it (among other things) are a video for Dead or Alive Ultimate and a playable demo of BloodRayne 2.
- DOAU looks absolutely gorgeous and butter smooth, but methinks the thong- and bikini-clad fighters are likely to keep the game out of my house. Sigh. The only saving grace is that pretty much the entire fighting crew of fighters have full-body jeans and tees equivalents, and DOA Extreme Beach Volleyball costumes are probably unlockable anyway. And I suck at fighting games, so I'm not likely to unlock them. Ever. I swear ...
- The BloodRayne 2 demo is surprisingly playable and entertaining, but the mix of buckets o' blood, 30-plus creative finishing moves (decapitations, etc.), and a well-animated leather lead make this less than fam-friendly fare. If you play the demo, walk Rayne up to a wall (this brings the camera in close), then whip her around to face the camera. Watch her ... uh ... eyes. Ah, those conscientious physics programmers ...
- A sad day for Adam
- Despite being one of the faithful who pre-ordered their copy of Halo 2, was planning to pick it up at the EB Games midnight release party, and was taking November 9 off from work (seriously), I may be prevented from playing my game-o-dreams until the weekend. The toy job has rearranged business travel, and I'll now be speaking to the Big Boss in Latte Land Nov. 9-10, rather handing the Covenant their asses.
- Be looking for the news story about the senior credit card employee who carried his XBox to CA, and was arrested for splicing into the hotel A/V system (those TVs don't inputs).
- First PC designed around an XBox
- VoodooPC announced the launch of Voodoo VIBE, "a Central Home Theater and Entertainment PC", built around the XBox (you can use or own or purchase a VoodooPC-branded one for $120. Running the just-released Microsoft Windows XP Media Center 2005, two TV tuner VIBE and arguably the first XBox Media Center Xtender, VoodooPC has launched the ultimate media center PC/XBox pairing currently on the market -- at ~$3,300 for the base unit.
- http://www.voodoopc.com/systems/vibe.aspx
- Logitech offers cordless XBox Live headset
- Scheduled for this fall, with an MSRP of $79.99, the 2.4 GHz is officially licensed (and branded) by Microsoft, and though pricey, is a good alternative for folk not wanting to new wireless controllers shipping this month and next that finally support the standard XBox Live communicator.
- foneGEAR also recently announced the foneGEAR Cord Free is available for XBox and XBox Live. Though cheaper (MSRP: $39.99), and using slick "near field" magnetic communication, foneGEAR is neglecting to mention the range for the device is only 4-6 feet.
- Bad Mojo is back!
- Though not likely for XBox, I couldn't pass this news tidbit by. Originally released in 1996, Bad Mojo was an awesome game with photorealistic graphics, slick video sequences, and an interesting premise (the protagonist was force to solve puzzles and stay alive after being transformed into a cockroach).
- Got Game Entertainment announced they'll be updating the game to run on current PC/Mac hardware/software, and adding new features.
- Game company lead named CEO of the Year
- Smart CEO Magazine has named Jeffery L. Briggs, founder/president/CEO of Firaxis Games, the magazine’s award for "CEO of the Year" last week. Firaxis has developed 9 titles (within 8 years).
- "Firaxis is a company that sits squarely within the center of influence in the fastest growing sector of the US entertainment industry ... Much of the credit goes to Jeff Briggs, who has built the company around a way of life, instead of simply building their lives around the company."
- Briggs has already earned Ernst and Young’s "Software Entrepreneur of the Year for 2003". Firaxis is currently producing Sid Meier’s Pirates!, which is set for release in November.
- Sony ships million-plus Playstations
- Sony announced that as of Tuesday it has sold 100 million units of its first console worldwide -- and this only from numbers from the top 3 of it's 120 distribution countries. This is in the addition to the 70 million Playstation 2 units sold in under 4 years.
- Dreamcast-on-a-chip
- Renesas Technology (a Japanese semiconductor manufacturer) plan to put Sega’s Dreamcast console onto a single core microchip. With a 64-bit interface to memory, the chip will actually turn out faster than the Dreamcast. Since Sega's not involved in th project, this is likely a technology demo to interest current console manufacturers. A very impressive technology demo.
- WGA forms New Media Group
- With Writers Guild of America writers contributing to marquee video games titles like James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, Enter the Matrix, and The Chronicles of Riddick, it was only a matter of time before the guild got active in gaming.
- The WGA, West has announced the formation of a New Media Writers Caucus. The caucus can use the WGA's special contracts for new media work, Caucus members can earn health/pension benefits, and (potentially) full membership.
- New Releases
- Week of 10/10/2004
- BloodRayne 2 (Action)
- FIFA Soccer 2005 (Sports)
- Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (Strategy)
- Midway Arcade Treasures 2 (Classic)
- Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams (Platformer)
- Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue (Platformer)
- Week of 10/17/2004
- Men of Valor (FPS)
- Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors (Action)
- Outlaw Golf 2 (Sports)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus (Action)
- Week of 10/24/2004
- Bicycle Casino (Puzzle)
- Chessmaster (Action)
- Dead or Alive Ultimate (Fighting)
- The Incredibles (Action)
- Monster Garage (Driving)
- OutRun2 (Driving)
- Scaler (Platformer)
- SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie (Platformer)
- Week of 10/31/2004
- The Bard's Tale (RPG)
- Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures (Sports)
- Godzilla: Save the Earth (Action)
- High Rollers Casino (Puzzle)
- IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 (Driving)
- The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age (RPG)
- Pinball Hall of Fame (Puzzle)
- Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Platformer)
- Spikeout Battle Street (Brawler)
- Spyro: A Hero's Tail (Platformer)
- Xbox Live Arcade (Multiple)
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SOURCES: Gamespot.com, joystiq.com, kotaku.com, Xbox.com, IGN, GameInformer, Official XBox Magazine, CNN, gamesindustry.biz, and others.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Get out and vote (for Halo), use a keyboard and mouse, and GameStop goes Braveheart
- Vote for the Master Chief!
- Halo 2 Pre-Orders Reach 1 Million
- Red Vs. Blue creators expanding
- Ubisoft to bring Cold Fear to gamers
- XBox Live growing by leaps and bounds in AP
- Next-Gen Mortal Kombat?
- Add a keyboard and mouse to your XBox
- HD DVD Promotion Group wants in with Xbox 2
- Next Oddworld game to be XBox-only
- XBox tops GameFly again
- XBox 2 updates
- Game updates
- Rentrak's Home Video Essentials Industry Data Service signs Microsoft
- GameStop: "You can't take away our freedom!"
- Sam & Max get a new studio
- Acclaim pulls a phoenix?
- New Releases
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NEWS:
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- Vote for the Master Chief!
- Gamers can vote for their favorite game, characters and creators, and 4 winners will be honored at a new 'Walk of Game' display at Sony's Metreon entertainment complex in San Francisco.
- Get off your duff and vote! for Halo, and the Master Chief. How cool would it be have a Halo 24x24 brushed steel star at Sony's complex for video games?
- http://www.walkofgame.com/
- Halo 2 Pre-Orders Reach 1 Million
- Even before the one-month pre-order rush typical of a game's pre-sale, single-platform Halo 2 has already shattered the record for highest videogame pre-sale. Franchise opener Halo: Combat Evolved has sold a total of 5 million copies to date.
- Red Vs. Blue creators expanding
- Rooster Teeth Productions, the guys who have brought us two seasons of Red Vs. Blue, have signed with Electronic Arts to produce a series of in-game movies for The Sims 2. Rooster Teeth founder and Austinite Burnie Burns says he wants to run the machinima for a 22-episode season.
- Season 3 of Red Vs. Blue will be starting shortly.
- Ubisoft to bring Cold Fear to gamers
- Developer Darkworks and publisher Ubisoft will be publishing Cold Fear, a first-person action-horror title that is supposed to bring a story-driven action/horror title to the XBox.
- XBox Live growing by leaps and bounds in AP
- Six months after the regional launch of XBox Live in the AP region, 1-in-7 XBoxing Asians is on Live. At 15%, this is higher than the rest of the world's 12%, with the majority coming from China. This trend is in keeping with recent industry forecasts picking China as the #1 online industry by 2007.
- Next-Gen Mortal Kombat?
- As if this week's most recent release in the franchise wasn't enough, a recently published filing showed Midway trademarking Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Midway had previously confirmed development of the XBox Next "Mortal Kombat 7". I'm waiting for politcally sensitive Midway to patent Mortal Kombat: Tiananmen Square.
- Add a keyboard and mouse to your XBox
- Peripheral maker Lik-Sang is shipping a gadget that will let you attach a keyboard and mouse to your XBox (or Playstation 2). The SmartJoy FRAG will let PC FPS whiners bring their inputs of choice to the giant black box, and may provide an edge to controller-only jockeys. The $28.90 device is available now, and supports standard keyboards and mice, but can support USB peripherals with an additional $12.90 adapter.
- The device is programmable, and comes with presets for Halo, Medal of Honor Frontline, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Unreal Championship, and Counter-Strike.
- http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?products_id=5438
- HD DVD Promotion Group wants in with Xbox 2
- The HD DVD Promotion Group is lobbying Microsoft to make HD DVD the technology of choice for XBox 2. With Sony saying the Playstation 3 will support competing Blu-Ray technology, the stage is potentially set for a VH-versus-BetaMaxish showdown. HD DVD is more like VHS, though, in that Blu-Ray is argaubly the superior, more industry-backed technology. If you get Microsoft to front you, does that matter though?
- Next Oddworld game to be XBox-only
- Despite being dropped by Microsoft Game Studios and picked up by Electronic Arts, EA recently announced the spring 2005 title is too far into development to make a PS2 release, and they have canceled the SKU for that platform. Heh. Things work out the way they should...
- XBox tops GameFly again
- XBox titles or SKUs took 7 of the top 10 rental spots from GameFly's U.S. Game Rental Charts, in the week ending October 4.
- Fable (Xbox-only)
- Star Wars: Battlefront
- X-Men Legends
- Def Jam: Fight for NY
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005
- Burnout 3: Takedown
- NBA Live 2005
- XBox 2 updates
- The XBox's Virtual Processing Unit (VPU) design is almost finished. The ATI-customized VPU will leverage the as-yet unfinished next version of the DirectX API, and embedded DRAM found in the Xbox silicon acting as a frame buffer.
- Game updates
- Mortal Kombat: Deception Ships -- The most recent iteration of the uber-violent fighter has shipped and is getting solid reviews (8.5 - 9.5). Featuring tons of gameplay options (including chess and Tetris-like mini-games), and online play, the title is probably a great value. The special edition even includes an arcade-faithful copy of the first Mortal Kombat.
- Robotech: Invasion -- Global Star Software/Vicious Cycle's FPS take on the Robotech/Macross franchise is now available, but initial reviews make it sound like the game will disenfranchise anime faithful and genre lovers alike.
- Conflict: Vietnam -- The now-available Global Star Software offering (this time with developer Pivotal Games) is YAAtCIoV -- Yet Another Attempt to Cash In on Vietnam. Any good? Well, OXM's tag line is "More like a disagreement."
- Yourself!Fitness -- Here's an interesting offering. Not a game, per se, responDESIGN's title is a home fitness program for women, that gives women a complete fitness analysis, personalized goal setting, customized meal planning, fitness calendar, multiple workout environments, multiple music options, over 200 health and fitness tips (from Prevention Magazine, and a virtual trainer. Kudos to responDESIGN for offering productivity lifestyle software for consoles, and helping me justify the importance of my XBox.
- BloodRayne 2 -- Majesco Games' sequel to the fan-favorite has gone gold, and is scheduled for sales as of October 12. Featuring tons of gore, skin-tight curvaceousness, an occultic spin on vampires and nazis, the game should make you feel uncomfortable on a bunch of levels. But is should have a firm grip on tight gameplay. (Hah! I slay me!)
- TY the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue -- Electronic Arts (EA Games) and KROME Studios platforming sequel has gone gold, and will be available in retail next week.
- Spyro A Hero’s Tail -- Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) is bringing the Playstation fan-favorite's next title to the XBox, and it's gone gold, ready for shipment this November.
- Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 -- Activision's THUG 2 is now available for retail purchase.
- Rentrak's Home Video Essentials Industry Data Service signs Microsoft
- The Microsoft Xbox division has signed on as the first customer of the video game business intelligence service, which allows members to monitor and analyze trends broken-out by market share, genre, ESRB rating, platform, publisher, and other industry benchmarks.
- GameStop: "You can't take away our freedom!"
- Ahem. Barnes & Noble Inc. purchased computer retailer Babbage's in 1999, and renamed it GameStop, turning it into the #2 non-Wal-Mart video game retailer. B&N announced it's sold $111.5 million in shares back to GameStop. Maybe B&N is getting back to their core market (uh, books), or maybe the big swings in video game retail makes them nervous.
- Sam & Max get a new studio
- Maybe. The creative geniouses behind critic- and fan-favorite titles Sam & Max, Grim Fandango and Escape from Monkey Island, have founded San Rafael, California-based TellTale Games.
- Acclaim pulls a phoenix?
- Could happen. Acclaim CEO Rod Cousens says he will be launching a new publishing house, with a placeholder name of Exclaim, next week, and will staff it with ex-Acclaim staff from the Cheltenham and Manchester studios. No word on how this benefits the stateside folks.
- New Releases
- Week of 10/03/2004
- Conflict: Vietnam (Action)
- Hot Wheels Stunt Track Challenge (Driving)
- Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude (Adventure)
- Mortal Kombat: Deception (Fighting)
- Robotech: Invasion (FPS)
- SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom (Fighting)
- Syberia II (Adventure)
- Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (Sports)
- Trigger Man (Action/Shooter)
- Ultra Bust-A-Move (Puzzle)
- Yager (Flight sim/shooter)
- Week of 10/10/2004
- BloodRayne 2 (Action)
- FIFA Soccer 2005 (Sports)
- Funkmaster Flex Digital Hitz Factory (Puzzle)
- Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders (Strategy)
- Midway Arcade Treasures 2 (Classic)
- Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams (Platformer)
- Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue (Platformer)
- Week of 10/17/2004
- Dead or Alive Ultimate (Fighting)
- Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors (Action)
- Outlaw Golf 2 (Sports)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus (Action)
- Week of 10/24/2004
- Bicycle Casino (Puzzle)
- Chessmaster (Action)
- The Incredibles (Action)
- Men of Valor (FPS)
- Monster Garage (Driving)
- OutRun2 (Driving)
- Pinball Hall of Fame (Puzzle)
- Scaler (Platformer)
- SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie (Platformer)
- Week of 10/31/2004
- Armada 2: Star Command (Adventure)
- The Bard's Tale (RPG)
- Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures (Sports)
- FlatOut (Driving)
- Godzilla: Save the Earth (Action)
- High Rollers Casino (Puzzle)
- IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 (Driving)
- The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age (RPG)
- Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Platformer)
- Spikeout Battle Street (Brawler)
- Spyro: A Hero's Tail (Platformer)
- Xbox Live Arcade (Multiple)
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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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