Archive for April, 2007:
Nintendo Announces Record Year
I would just like to point out that I found a Wii in retail today. It might have just been luck, but after 6 months of randomly checking, I actually found one for sale. So I did what any good Nintendo fan would, I bought it for someone else who I knew wanted one.
It’s hard to say what the Wii shortages were based on, but now that Nintendo has finished their fiscal year, they are shouting their success from the rooftops.
-consolidated fiscal year revenues of ¥966.5 billion, a 90% increase
-operating profits of ¥226.0 billion, a 150% increase
-23 million Nintendo DS consoles last year, lifetime sales of 40 million
-5.84 million Wii consoles in less than five months, “nearly” 29 million Wii gamesProjections:
-consolidated sales increasing nearly 18% to ¥1.14 trillion
-operating profits growing nearly 20% to ¥270 billion
-22 million Nintendo DS systems and 130 million games
-14 million Wii systems and 55 million games worldwide
14 million Wii’s in a year would definitely be more than they are pumping out now. Whether that solves the problems remains to be seen.
Read (Joystiq)
New Content on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network
First up on Xbox Live is the Alien Hominid PDA pack. The pack offers 100 PDA mini-games previously released only with the European version of the original retail Alien Hominid game. The PDA Euro pack can be had for 150 Microsoft points.
Activision has released the long awaited Hero and Villain packs for the Xbox 360 version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Each pack is separately available for 500 points, or 800 points when bought combined.
The PlayStation Network didn’t receive any additional in-game content, but did see the debut of two new demos. Gamers can now download samplings of Ninja Gaiden Sigma, the upcoming PS3-exclusive action combat game, and Virtua Tennis 3. Both are freely downloadable.
In related news, Sony-sponsored blog Three Speech announced that the PSN will receive two new games this summer: Super Stardust HD and Snakeball.
A follow-up to the ‘93 and ‘95 Amiga shoot-em-ups Stardust and Super Stardust, the PSN game will see players breaking down asteroids and destroying enemies with a spaceship on a fixed background. The PS3 version adds various weapon power-ups as well as planets that players have to defend from attacks. The other game – Snakeball – is a modified version of Snake. Players have to guide a robotic snake to consume colored balls and grow as long as possible. Standard single-player mode is there, along with a Challenge Mode that pits players up against a succession of fortified arenas. The game will support eight-player online multiplayer and more.
Super Stardust HD will hit the PSN this June, with Snakeball following in July.
Warhammer Online Delayed
YouGamers reports that the latest Warhammer Online newsletter carries word that the game has been delayed. Expected later this year, the game is now scheduled for release in the US and Europe during the first quarter of 2008 because of an early decision by EA Mythic to extend the development time. Scoop:
By extending our development time, we’ll be able to do these in-depth reviews several times prior to launch to ensure all areas of WAR benefit from the experience of ongoing development. EA is totally supportive of our decision and are behind us 100%. We all believe WAR will be the next great MMORPG and being part of EA affords us the time we need to make it so. It is EA’s ongoing commitment to quality that will allow us, and other EA studios, to deliver great games, now and in the future.
Iwata Wants Kutaragi
Satoru Iwata, CEO of Nintendo, said in a recent press conference that he ”would love to see Kutaragi join up with Nintendo”. Since Kutaragi stepped down from his honorary position at SCEI, we have not heard from him other than the hint that he would be working independantly from Sony.
Sony had originally worked with Nintendo in development of the SNES-CD, but Hiroshi Yamauchi had cancelled the project due to Sony having control of all titles written on the SNESCD-ROM format. Since then, there has been a rivalry between the two companies.
But who knows, what if Kutaragi does end up working with Nintendo on their next system? What if the man leads Nintendo to an impending doom and secretly helps Sony to regain their position in the market? Or maybe Kutaragi will join George Foreman to create the next-generation grill series? Only time can tell.
Read (QJ)
Star Wars MMO In Development?
Is BioWare working on a MMOG based on the much-loved Star Wars: KOTOR series? That’s what CVG thinks so. The site cites the rumor section of EGM as listing the game to be in development at the hands of the studio’s online team.
Their report also cites the EGM rumor section as saying that the current PC-exclusive Dragon Age is coming to the PS3 and DS.
Free God of War PSP Demo
The official site for God of War: Chains of Olympus, the first portable entry in the series, has been launched. Though it does not offer any actual details on the game, or any media, the site offers gamers a free UMD “Special Edition” of the demo delivered by mail. There is no indication as to how many UMDs will be mailed, but one can still register for the free demo.
A (leaked) trailer of the game can be found here. Further information is expected soon.
First Glimpse at Crackdown DLC
Following up on their promise of downloadable content for Crackdown, Realtime Worlds has released a screenshot showcasing the content that will include a “new game type and a new type of vehicle.” The image posted below shows a gun-equipped dune buggy-like vehicle; no other information was given. No release date was mentioned either.
Japanese Hardware Sales (Apr 16-22)
The fiscal year has come and gone, and Japan thanks to their handy weekly hardware sales will really be a good indication of how things are changing. The Wii stays fairly solid and doesn’t budge, while the DS lite packs in an extra 39 thousand (more than three times the total PS3 and 360 sales to put it perspective). Nintendo has forcast they will hit 14 million Wii’s by the end of this new fiscal year. While the demand for Nintendo products certainly seem to be on target, production has a ways to go before it catches up with the DS Lite.
- DS Lite: 172,359
- Wii: 77,913
- PSP: 29,459
- PS2: 11,398
- PS3: 11,000
- Xbox 360: 2,307
Read (Media Create)
Sixth Settlers Game Announced
Ubisoft has officially announced The Settlers – Rise of an Empire, the sixth game in the popular strategy series. Scheduled for release this September, the game will have players create medieval town, building up a flourishing economy, tend to the settlers’ needs and defend the town from danger.
An Youtube video trailer has been uploaded. Check it out below, and hit the jump for more details on the game.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/dc1zGi-FsyU" width="460" height="350" wmode="transparent" /] More »
Famitsu Unveils Square-Enix Product
The Square-Enix Party, which kicks off May 12th, is set to feature a wealth of products. 10 different versions of Final Fantasy to be exact, and an unknown game or two which will debut. Famitsu has already unveiled that Square-Enix will reveal the next chapter in the Star Ocean series on the date. It is currently unknown about which system the game will be for, seeing as the developer has traditionally worked on Sony systems in the past, but is currently developing a 360 game. Although it would be more likely the game would surface on a Nintendo console over 360 which would be much more appealing marketshare wise for the Japanese based company.
Read (CVG)
360’s Sacrificial Plunge
We all know that the majority of game console manufacturers lose a significant amount of money when producing a system, and hope to make up the loss of profit with sales of software titles. Microsoft is a company that uses this method of marketing strategy. In a recent Entertainment and Devices Division report for this quarter, their losses show a drop in operating costs by $100 million.
This is actually due to less systems being made, as shipments have also decreased as demand for the system has decreased. Most potential buyers have already bought an Xbox 360, and those who are currently waiting for the Elite are going to have to grab some of the limited supply. This is also an effect of increased sales of portable devices of Microsoft, so it’s important not to only look at the gaming department. Profit loss is predicted to be even lower next quarter.
Read (arstechnica)
Call of Duty 4 Trailer
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=19007" width="480" height="409"/]
Here it is, the official trailer for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Nintendo Buys Monolith Soft
It’s exciting times to see Nintendo making a comeback. Gone are the days of them throwing away their major 2nd parties to the likes of Microsoft. It seems Nintendo is in the market, and they’ve already made a smart first buying decision. Creators of Xenosaga, Baten Kaitos and the upcoming Disaster: Day of Crisis. A note that this is the Japanese Monolith Soft, and not the similarly named Monolith Productions in America responsible for the likes of F.E.A.R. and the Matrix Online.
Not only does the studio pack a formidable punch, they also bring with them an RPG flair that has been sorely missing from Nintendo consoles since the SNES days. If Nintendo actually wants to strengthen its console generation in Japan, more RPG support is definately the way to go.
Read (Platformers)
Ken Kutagari Retires
Chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, Ken Kutaragi, has packed his bags and is ready to depart from the company in June. It’s the end of a legacy, as Ken helped build the Playstation brand from the ground up, leading the way to the mass success the brand has generated around the world.
Announcements like this always carry a weight of questionability. Let’s face it, sometimes people just retire or like to move on, but sometimes there is some motivation from the company to have those people move on as well. Ken says he has been thinking about this decision for a while, and it has been several months already since he stepped down as president of the company.
It’ll be a sad day to see Ken leave the company, and we’ll have to see whether this will be good or bad news for future SCEI products.
Read (Macworld)
Tiberium Wars Novel
Apparently EA is somehow under the impression that gamers like/know how to read. What gave them that impression? That’s a strong assumption, which rides on the fact that they will be releasing a novel about Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars on May 29th. The novel takes place in 2047 and is written by Keith R. A. DeCandido. EA included a brief description of the novel.
Tiberium—a self-replicating alien substance that has infected the Earth—is spreading like a radioactive ice age. The Global Defense Initiative, a high-tech alliance of the world’s most advanced nations, is fighting to contain Tiberium, but Kane, the megalomaniacal leader of the Brotherhood of Nod has other plans for Earth. Kane’s secret society turned superpower is bent on using Tiberium to take control and transform humanity into his twisted vision of the future. In the midst of battles throughout the world, a third alien race emerges, and all-out war rages over Tiberium. The fate of the planet rests in the balance.
If you are a fan of the series, this will be a definite must to add to your collection.
Read (EA.com)