When Microsoft announced last month that Windows Mobile 7 would integrate elements of Xbox Live into it there was a lot of skepticism. MS had announced high profile mobile platforms with robust game integration before, to varying degrees of success. Why would this time be different the skeptics asked? Today we learned just what is different: the 4.0 version of Microsoft's popular XNA Game Studio suite of tools will support Win 7 Mobile in addition to Xbox 360 and PC platforms.
In the short term that means developers already working on games with XNA can easily port those games over to the Win 7 Mobile OS, meaning more titles. In the longer term, having a development base as popular and liked as XNA will mean better games for mobile devices.
XNA Game Studio 4.0 will be available to download in the coming month.
What many of us suspected has now been confirmed: a full update to the Rock Band platform will be coming at us soon. Earlier this afternoon, the following juicy information was posted on the Rock Band fan page on Facebook:
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Harmonix is developing Rock Band 3 for worldwide release this holiday season! The game, which will be published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts, will innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again, just as Harmonix did with the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and The Beatles: Rock Band. Stay tuned for more details!
What we do know so far is limited to this little blurb, but a full press release should be forthcoming. Some may find it notable that EA is once again distributing, which puts to bed earlier rumors that Activision might have been courting Harmonix to return to Guitar Hero.
What features do you expect to be announced for Rock Band 3? What would you like to see?
We bring to you our review of the Playstation 3 exclusive game Heavy Rain, released February 23rd. The game was developed by Quantic Dream and published by Sony.
Heavy Rain is a pretty good game built totally around Quick Time Elements/Events, or QTEs. The whole game is played through motions of the right analog stick and pressing buttons as they come up on the screen. The story is an emotional rollercoaster as you weave through four playable characters as they try to figure out who the Origami Killer is. They've killed 8 boys in two years by drowning them in rainwater and now another boy is his captive. The simple question the game asks is how far will you go to save the ones you love? It's up to your decisions and actions to answer that question.
Feel free to read our Review and we will try to answer questions to the best of our ability.
Codemasters has announced their long rumored new game with Black creator Stuart Black - Bodycount.
Other than the screens above the publisher has remained fairly tight lipped on the details. Mentioned most prominently is the environmental destructibility; all cover can theoretically be destroyed, which will prevent what the devs call "whack-a-mole mechanics" so prominent in other shooters.
Bodycount is set to release in Q1 2011 for the 360 and PS3
- At this week's GDC CryTek will be showing off two new additions to their CryEngine 3. The sexier addition is a tool which will allow devs to craft their games in 3D. But the more important addition is "LiveCreate", which will let programmers see code cahnges in real time on the PC, 360 and PS3.
- Also coming at GDC this week: details of the first Modern Warfare 2DLC map pack.
- Sega has announced that the first DLC pack for Aliens vs Predatorwill be released next week. The module is made up of maps included in the special edition of the game. It has 2 multiplayer maps (Docks and Machine) and 2 Survivor maps (Hive and Outpost). The pack will run you 560 MSP/$7
Despite the fact that this is a movie tie-in game, it doesn't look half as bad as I'd expected from something like that.
The Forgotten Sands is the fourth game in the Sands of Time series, and takes place between the original Sands of Time and Warrior Within. The game is running on the Assassin's Creed engine, and will feature the same control schemes and mechanics as the older games (You can die and rewind again!).
The new mechanics that Forgotten Sands brings to the table is the use of elemental powers such as earth, fire and water. The results of these new mechanics can be seen in the video that follows:
The game is set for release this Summer for PC, PS3, X360 and Wii.
Valve has confirmed today that their popular digital gaming distribution platform, Steam, will soon be available on Mac operating systems. Not only that, but all of Valve's catalog of games -- from Half Life through Left for Dead 2 -- will be available for Mac, as well. But that's not all.
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Bringing Steam to Mac will give gamers several cross-platform benefits, Newell said.
If players already own the PC versions of Valve games, they’ll get Mac versions at no extra charge through a feature called Steam Play.
By using the Steam Cloud feature that the company introduced in 2008, players can save in-progress games online, then call up those saved games no matter which version they’re playing. If you’re playing Half-Life 2 on your home PC but then head out on the road with your MacBook, you can continue your game-in-progress.
Steamworks and the Source engine will also be made available on Mac. Valve revealed that Portal 2 will be the first of their games to be released on both Mac and Windows at the same time.
[Update] - Valve has confirmed that games running 'Steam Play' (pretty much all of Valve's own titles) will have cross-platform play between Macs and PCs. So if you have friends who didn't check out Left 4 Dead or Team Fortress 2 because they were allergic to Windows, you can still play against them even on your devil-PCs.
Another day, another story of a developer closing its doors. This time the victim is Cing, a rather small company responsible for the well-received (but poor-selling) Little King's Story on the Wii, as well as the phenomenal DS games Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Trace Memory. Both of those DS games were published by Nintendo. Cing also worked with Tecmo on the Monster Rancher DS series and mystery/puzzle game Again for the DS.
The company was apparently unable to come out from underneath about $3M worth of liabilities and debt.
Join the team as they tackle the dark side of Superman’s mythos. Marvel at Lex Luthor’s wealth, robo-babes, and his unrelenting desire to show everyone what a man can achieve without the help of “gods.” He fights Superman in his own unique way, with guile and dangerous intelligence. Listen to our thoughts about his crusade against the Man of Steel, posterboy for “Truth, Justice and the American Way.”
As I'm sure many of you know, I'm not really a fan of real time strategy games. I've played Starcraft and Sins of a Solar Empire, but generally with strategy titles my tastes tend to run to the more methodical turn based games. Civilization, Heroes of Might & Magic and one of the real gems of the genre: Disciples. It's been quite a while since we first heard about Disciples III: Renaissance. In fact it's been 5 years since the game was announced as in development at Russian studio Akella, and at least 2 years since the last bit of real news trickled out about the game. There was even a real fear that the game wouldn't get a release outside of Eastern Europe. But today Akella made official a publishing deal with Kalypso Media to being the game to North America and Asia. Alongside the announcement they've released some neat new screens too.
Disciples III: Renaissance is set for a summer release on the PC.
I guess Nintendo feels sorry for Wii owners who don't get to enjoy a new Final Fantasy game this week. So, to make up for it, they decided to release Final Fantasy II for the SNES on the Virtual Console channel (just don't forget that this was actually Final Fantasy IV in Japan).
We also get the WiiWare release Max & the Magic Marker, which is a really fun game that translates well to Wii remote controls (it was previously a flash-based web game that has been expanded significantly).
Full game descriptions below.
WiiWare
Max & the Magic Marker Publisher: Press Play Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief Price: 1,000 Wii Points™ Description: One day Max gets a mysterious marker in the mail. Not knowing better, the first thing he draws is a wacky, purple monster. As soon as the marker leaves the paper, the monster comes to life and jumps off the paper and into another drawing. With the monster on the loose and messing with Max's drawings, Max has no choice but to go after it. Armed with the magic marker, you must help Max track the monster through 15 inventive and challenging levels. You'll need more than good will and quick reflexes to tackle the challenges ahead. Draw freely inside the game to help Max defeat enemies, overcome obstacles and solve puzzles. As you draw stairs, seesaws, balloons, surfboards and whatever else you can think of, your creations will interact with the physical environment, making every session unique.
Dracula - Undead Awakening Publisher: Chillingo Players: 1 ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Fantasy Violence Price: 1,000 Wii Points Description: Are you a vampire hunter? Are you ready to battle legions of undead foes including zombies, ghouls and werewolves? You'll need to wield an arsenal of powerful weaponry while using your skill and intelligence. Uncover devastating firepower - machine guns, buzz-saws, flamethrowers and more - and choose upgrades for them as well as unique new perks for your character as your enemies increase in number and ferocity. You're a tough customer, but beware - Lord Dracula is always on the hunt, and you are his prey. Enemies in Dracula have one thing in common: Undead, lycanthrope or mutant, they're all after your flesh.
Virtual Console
FINAL FANTASY II Original platform: Super NES™ Publisher: Square Enix Players: 1 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes Price: 800 Wii Points Description: Follow the dark knight Cecil - Lord Captain of Baron's elite force, the Red Wings - as he embarks on a fateful journey riddled with trials, betrayals, friendship, loss and self-discovery. Plagued with uncertainty over his monarch's motives, can Cecil turn away from the path of darkness and destruction?
Nintendo DSiWare
Elemental Masters Publisher: lbxgames Players: 1-2 ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points™ Description: In this fantasy card game, stand your ground in a quest filled with magic and adventure, and experience a thrilling combination of strategy and role-playing. Choose your character, build up your army in your card deck and fight the mystical creatures of Elendior. With thoughtful use of your cards, you'll obtain the monsters of your enemy and support your attacks by using arcane spells and the rules of dark magic. Dive into this captivating story in the quest mode or duel with your friends in multiplayer mode. More than 100 creatures in numerous maps are waiting for you.
4 TRAVELLERS™ - Play Spanish Publisher: AGENIUS Interactive Players: 1-4 ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points Description: Whether played alone or together with friends, 4 TRAVELLERS can teach you new words in Spanish. The game is suitable for both young and old, and no previous knowledge is necessary. The more you play, the more your Spanish vocabulary increases. You can also play and learn with the game's unique learning mode. The game is perfect to bring on your trip, with more than 240 carefully selected words included specifically for this occasion.
Dracula - Undead Awakening Publisher: Chillingo Players: 1 ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Fantasy Violence Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points Description: Are you a vampire hunter? Are you ready to battle legions of undead foes including zombies, ghouls and werewolves? You'll need to wield an arsenal of powerful weaponry while using your skill and intelligence. Uncover devastating firepower - machine guns, buzz-saws, flamethrowers and more - and choose upgrades for them as well as unique new perks for your character as your enemies increase in number and ferocity. You're a tough customer, but beware - Lord Dracula is always on the hunt, and you are his prey. Enemies in Dracula have one thing in common: Undead, lycanthrope or mutant, they're all after your flesh.
Flips: The Bubonic Builders Publisher: Electronic Arts Players: 1 ESRB Rating: Not Rated Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points Description: Flips Interactive Books are the fun new way for kids to read. The builders are in to replace the girls' toilet block, but they're more interested in cups of tea and instant noodle snacks than doing any work. James suspects foul play, but Alexander and Lenny are doubtful until a strange accident hammers the truth home. How will the three friends stop St. Sebastian's from being reduced to rubble?
A couple of quick updates on yesterday's story on the downtime experienced by Ubisoft much maligned DRM servers. Downtime which prevented some gamers from playing Assassins' Creed II and Silent Hunter 5. According to Ubisoft, this was no simple outage, but was in fact a likely directed denial of service (DDoS) attack.
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"Servers were attacked and while the servers did not go down, service was limited from 2.30pm to 9pm Paris time [1.30pm - 8pm GMT].
Ubi contends that the outages caused by the attack only affected about 5% of the total PC userbase for both games.
On one hand it's somewhat comforting that this wasn't just a hamster falling asleep in it's wheel which caused the outage. On the other hand if a (relatively) simple DDoS attack can cause even such mild outages it does not bode well for a DRM system already under popular attack.
The most recent issue of Nintendo Power is entering people's homes as we speak, and with it comes a cover story featuring the return of Scribblenauts. 5th Cell has revealed Scirbblenauts 2, which should hit stores this coming fall.
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It'll have a whopping 10,000 new words, 120 "new and improved" levels, improved controls (one of the major complaints with the first game), a new hint system, a fleshed out level editor, and apparently it'll focus heavily on adjectives.
Evil Avnovice already has a thread up for the game, which should come as a surprise to absolutely no one.
A friend of mine told me that when he heard about Ubisoft's new DRM mechanism for Assassin's Creed 2, he was understandably apprehensive. Essentially, the DRM involves being forced to connect to an authentication server in order to play the game. He feared a day when the servers might be unavailable for some reason, and he would be completely unable to play his offline, single-player game. Today he sent me a link to the Ubisoft Forums where it was obvious that everyone's worst fears have suddenly became a stark reality. The servers are down -- on a Sunday, no less -- and no one knows how soon they might return, and people will be able to play their game again.
EDIT: Due to some confusion, it should be pointed out that these problems are being experienced only in PAL regions since Assassin's Creed 2 came out in those locations last week. The North American release date isn't until next week, and we should expect to hear similar stories soon after that launch, I'm sure.
This week, the Trailer Park goes Italian. No, not those Italians, the ones in Mafia II. This open world sand box game is set in the fictional city of Empire Bay, a mash-up of New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Mafia II is set for release later this year on the 360, PS3 and PC.
Circumstances dictated an extra week off before bringing you Episode 28, but don’t worry, we’re back in full swing and the fruits of our labor are here for your savoring.
You may recall that in the last episode I talked a bit about Cyber-Wing, the Herzog Zwei-inspired indie PC title released late last year by Martian Arctic Games. Well, Martian Arctic founder Devin Passage was good enough to agree to join us for this episode of the show, and he weighs in on all manner of things ranging from the state of indie development / publishing, to piracy and DRM, to basket-weaving. I’m totally lying about that last one. It was a real pleasure to have Devin with us, and I hope he’ll come back again when it’s time to pitch his next project.
A great many links were promised in the course of the recording, and I present them in no particular order:
Due to Devin’s inclusion in the show, we didn’t do an indie or mod segment this time around (consider the whole show your indie segment, really), but we did give Total Annihilation a fond remembrance in our retro section, and that spawned another small list of links for your pleasure:
You can also look forward to some brief unhappy commentary about both Ubisoft’s apparent burning desire to drive away its PC gaming base, and Bobby Kotick’s belief that the best way to retain the creative talent that drives the industry is to sack them. We recorded before the lawsuit news broke, so there’s no talk of that, but I suspect we may revisit it in the future. Let me be clear as I tried to be in the show: we’ve been hard on Infinity Ward about Modern Warfare 2 because we think they deserved it, but that doesn’t equate to us wishing them ill. Finally, listener mail, in which we are accused of being fabulously wealthy. If only.
Anyhow, enjoy, and we’ll probably see you all again around St Patty’s Day.
Hosted and Summarized by Eric [Ravenlock]
Participants are Robert [Trebor], Bryan [Smoof], and Devin Passage from Martian Arctic Games
Produced by Clayton [Voodoo]
Here are the software and hardware numbers from Japan, straight from Media Create, for the week 02-22 to 02-28.
4 new titles made the software top 10 last week including the latest version of popular dungeon hack game, Shiren the Wanderer, for DS, at number 7. Kenka Banchou 4: Ichinen Sensou (Schoolyard Brawl 4: The One Year War) for PSP was the number 1 game, selling 71,504 copies. This is the sequel to Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble, which was released in North America last year. The greatest hits release of Demons' Souls fell just outside the top 10, at number 12. The 360 also managed to have 2 games in the top 50 with Borderlands at 13 and Cave's latest shmup, Espgaluda 2, at 20. Certainly, some hardcore shmup fans seem excited that Espgaluda is region free, something that isn't always true for Japanese 360 releases.
The Wii once again overtook the PS3 in the hardware chart with the PSP still just ahead of the Wii. All 3 versions of the DS hardware are continuing to sell strongly each week which is unusual in an industry where the previous hardware version is usually quickly retired.
Tomonobu Itagaki, formally of Team Ninja, had a bit to say to Famitsu about his move to Valhalla Game Studios. From 1UP:
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Valhalla isn't in a position to discuss its new game project yet, nor to say when it'll be revealed or what platform it'll be on (Itagaki is taking a "flexible approach" to that). One thing's for sure, though: It's not going to be another fighting game. "I already made Dead or Alive, the best fighting game in the world, in my last company," the ever-modest Itagaki commented. "Trying to compete against my own daughter wouldn't be worth the fight. Fighting games are kind of at another dead end right now, but you could say the genre would've died ages ago if DOA wasn't around. We saw ourselves as a counterbalance to the fighting-game norm back then, and without that sort of presence in the genre, it's just going to keep shrinking in size. Someone needs to step up and change things."
Andriasang has the details for this year's Tokyo Game Show, which will be held from September 16 to September 19:
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CESA is also expanding its efforts to draw international guests to this year's show. It plans on holding the Asia Games Business Summit, which will see appearances from key persons in the Asian games market. The show will also have a new international business consultation corner.
Overseas gamers in Asia can look forward to special Tokyo Game Show tours that CESA is arranging with travel agencies.
It may be my platform of unquestioning choice, but even I was surprised to read this. A producer at DICE has just revealed that currently there are more people playing the PC version of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 than the 360 and PS3 versions combined.
Now given that the pre-ordered limited editions had been topping the Steam sales charts for quite a while, dwarfing the mainstream platforms like so is still quite a ridiculous achievement... especially considering the marketing muscle that was put behind them.
Regardless, kudos to EA and DICE who have just proven for themselves that if you deliver the right kind of product, you can have a big moneymaker on the PC just as well.
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