Archive for May, 2007:
Jackson Expects Halo Movie to Progress
Since the movie studios dropped out of the Halo movie project, things have been quiet. However, executive producer Peter Jackson has spoken recently on the project, saying that he and longtime co-writer Fran Walsh will not be involved in the project if Neill Blomkamp, the film’s only attached director, does not remain attached. “We wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else,” he said. “It’ll be Neill’s call.”
He also said that he expects the project to gain steam once Halo 3 is released later this year.
Call of Duty 4 OFFICIALLY Announced
Following up on my last post, Activision and Infinity Ward have now officially announced Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which was basically revealed some time ago via a video trailer. However, the official announcement reveals some further details: the game will offer players various warzone experiences such as “fast-roping from Blackhawk helicopters”, being a “sniper, under concealment, in a Ghillie suit miles behind enemy lines” and “engaging hostiles from an AC-130 gunship thousands of feet above the battlefield.”
In the graphics department, the game will make use of depth of field, rim-lighting, character self-shadowing and texture streaming, among a list of technically impressive features.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will be released for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this Fall.
Smash Bros. Brawl Website Updated
Lots of interesting things about the upcoming Smash Bros title have slowly slipped up. The pacing is decent, with about two major things from characters; levels, items or abilities released every day. Each post is loaded with a few screen shots as well, which makes this easily the most we’ve learned about the title in a long time. At the current pacing we’ve still got quite a few months before they’ve exhausted all of the possibilities.
Today’s update was a brand new feature to the game, called the Final Smash. The Final Smash is an item, which allows the character to use their big move. Mario for example releases waves of fire/energy, which hits every character on the field if properly positioned. His move is pictured here. The final smash will remain a rare item, something akin to the hammer seen in previous titles. It’s definitely something which will add a huge new dynamic to the title, but beyond that, doesn’t it look pretty?
Read (Smash Bros.com)
Gamer Shot While Trying to Block Robbers
With all the bad press games and gamers have been getting, thanks to Jack Thompson and his buddies, it is very hard to come across inspirational stories, or anything of that sort. However, one such story comes courtesy of The Sun, who reports of a brave gamer who was shot when trying to block two armed robbers.
Adam Mapleson, 24, was shot as he tried to help a security guard who was being held at gunpoint by two men whose faces were covered. He was shot at close range and was taken to the nearest hospital where his situation improved, though he is still in the high dependency unit.
According to his MySpace profile, he likes metal music and loves playing Counter-Strike, Oblivion and GTA: San Andreas, all violent games which would turn anyone into a sociopath, according to retards who I’d prefer not to name.
Free Half-Life 2 Titles for Radeon Owners
Effective immediately, ATI Radeon owners can download a free copy of Half-Life 2: Lost Coast and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch through Steam. The software will automatically detect the hardware on the user’s machine and offer access to the two titles.
Valve also disclosed that Steam will be included with the ATI Catalyst driver until early 2008 and that ATI Radeon HD 2900XT owners will receive Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2 once they are released.
GameTap Gets Grimm
After Sam and Max debuted on the service these past months, it seems like GameTap is the only real company that understands how episodic content is to be done. Sticking to a strict monthly release schedule, the series saw multiple short episodes, which changed up the location and expanded the storyline to the eventual completion.
Following up on the success, the next big title headed to GameTap is Grimm. Based on Tim Burton-esque fairy tales, the game will span 24 episodes. American McGee, who is the creator of Alice and Bad Day LA, is currently developing the game. Right now the title is scheduled to start in 2008 and will feature action-adventure as well as sandbox elements.
Read (Gamasutra)
Ubisoft’s Annual Sales Up 25%
Business is gong well for French publisher Ubisoft, with last year’s sales up 24,4 percent compared to the year earlier. In raw cash, that’s some $914 million to be precise. Ubisoft says that most of the sales, over 60%, were due to the new consoles on the market. Games like GRAW 2, Rainbox Six Vegas, Red Steel and Rayman Raving Rabbids accounted for most of the success.
Ubisoft isn’t done here, as a lot of new games are coming very soon, some of the most anticipated upcoming games from Ubisoft include Haze for the PS3, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction and Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway, all set for release later this year.
Woo and Spector Collaborating on Ninja Gold
The most unusual, and yet totally awesome, partnership comes in the form of John Woo and Warren Spector, both legendary in their fields of expertise, as they collaborate on a movie/game called Ninja Gold. Other than the fact that it is going to be about ninjas against the Yakuza, the report does not say much about the game, but the story states that neither property will take precedence over the other. Here’s a bit:
Spector said Woo was intimately involved in the creation of the “Ninja” cast of characters, especially the hero. He said Woo’s input on the basic situations and thematic underpinnings of the story puts him in a great position to develop the film property without a lot of assistance from the game creators.Chang said the film will be more reality-based but still will have fantastic elements from the game. He said the hope is to put the film into production next year, but that requires a script to be completed by then. No timetable or publisher has been announced for the game.
“What happened with ‘Ninja Gold’ was very different and, to my mind, much cooler. I know that my thought from the start was to develop something that would work just as well in games as in movies, and I know John was thinking along the same lines,” Spector said. “This was an attempt to create a concept that would work in, and be developed for, a variety of media simultaneously. That’s something new for games — and for movies.”
Sims 2: Bon Voyage Announced
Yes, another Sims 2 expansion has been announced. Dubbed Bon Voyage, the expansion will let gamers take their Sims away on a vacation, or at least that’s what the sparsely detailed description here tells us:
Whisk your Sims away from their everyday routines and take them on exciting trips to three exotic locations! Whether relaxing on a lush tropical island in a luxury suite, camping outdoors on a pristine mountaintop, or exploring the culture of the Far East, your Sims will enjoy all-new activities to relax and rejuvenate them. Send your Sims packing for the trip of a lifetime!
With the promise of “more things to come”, the site also offers a couple of screenshots.
Gamecock Sprays Insecticide
Awkwardly named publisher Gamecock sent word that it will release Insecticide on PC and DS this Fall. In development at Crackpot Entertainment the action adventure detective game will bring the look and feel of gumshoe films into a futuristic city where insects have become the dominant race.
Insecticide’s gameplay puts players in the shoes of bug detectives charged with the task of investigating a mystery of epic proportions. Players will discover gameplay elements reminiscent of classic adventure titles, and action elements that will get the heart racing. Every aspect of the game brings players into a totally interactive world to discover, allowing them to put together and utilize clues to their fullest extent in hunting down culprits. Bringing the game to both PC and Nintendo DS opens a plethora of options and expands the possibilities of scenarios players will find themselves in. The unique input options of PC and Nintendo DS will allow for precise navigation to investigate environments and expertly control special talents of the characters.
Insecticide will feature full real-time 3D on the DS, with a wide array of in-game items, clues and weapons. Additionally, the DS version will let players team up with friends for multiplayer action.
Pirates of the South China Seas Announced
More expansion news comes courtesy of Sony Online Entertainment who announced that Pirates of the South China Seas, the fourth expansion for the Pirates Constructible Strategy Game, is currently in development and is scheduled for release next month.
Western fleets are sailing the treasure-rich waters of the South China Seas and a new faction, the Jade Rebellion, has arisen to thwart the advances of imperialist navies. The Jade Rebellion employs two new types of ships – massive six-masted junks and the sturdy and resilient Korean “Turtle” ship. This new faction also introduces some new characters into player fleets; the inscrutable Ms. Cheng, the head of the pirate confederation and widow of the famous pirate warlord Cheng Yi. The Jade Rebellion also features her closest ally, the pirate Chang Pao; together, they’ve defeated every expedition sent out to destroy the Jade Rebellion.
SOE Denver is giving away a special promotional ship in anticipation of the expansion’s release. Those who buy 10 Pirates CSG Online digital game packs will receive the Baochuan, a massive 10-masted Chinese treasure ship. Its size allows players to fit more crew members, features four more cannons than normal ships, and more. More information can be found on this page.
Bring Dinosaurs Back with Zoo Tycoon Expansion
The latest expansion pack for Zoo Tycoon 2 has been announced. Dubbed Extinct Animals, the add-on will let gamers create their own Jurassic park with extinct species.
Set for release this Fall, the expansion will introduce 30 new animals and more than a dozen dinosaurs, ranging from the dodo bird to the T-rex. Gamers will have to dig for fossils, which once found must be taken to the Extinct Research Lab to be brought back to life once again. Players will also get the chance to wrangle rampaging dinosaurs with a tranquilizer gun.
Broken Sword Movie Being Made
Coming Soon reports that a live action movie based on the Broken Sword series is being made. According to the report, legendary video game creator Charles Cecil and Revolution Software have teamed up with a Hollywood production company to transform his adventure games into live action films. The company is question is Jay Douglas and Nav Gupta’s CastleBright Studios.
The first film will be based on “The Shadow of the Templars” and will be the beginning of a film franchise. Specific details have not yet been revealed, but filmmakers are promising to stay true to the series’ fan favorite elements.
It is not yet known who will direct or adapt the movie to the big-screen, though big names from films such as Casino Royale and X-Men have come up. The movie currently has no release date and is only in the concept stages at the moment.
80GB PS3 May be Sold in Other Markets
We all know just how well the PS3 is doing in the marketplace, and how Sony is doing nothing to improve it. According to this AP report, the company may be taking steps to improve the situation by offering the recently released 80GB PS3 in the US and other markets.
To be available only in Korea starting June 16, the 80GB PS3 does not feature anything extra other than the upgrade HD size. No decision has yet been made to release it in other markets, though it is likely to be released if the situation becomes even direr. “We make such decisions depending on the needs of the market, and every country is different,” said Satoshi Fukuoka, spokesman for SCEI.
The report also mentions that the company is not expecting to make any profit from its games division until the fiscal year ending March 2009.
That’s a long time Sony. Can you manage bleeding money like that?
Beowulf Game Coming
Unknown to many, Paramount Pictures is adapting the Old English heroic epic poem Beowulf to the big-screen, and it seems Ubisoft wants a piece of the action, too. The publisher has announced that it will develop and publish a video game based on the upcoming movie which is being directed by Robert Zemeckis and adapted to the screen by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary.
Groundbreaking director Robert Zemeckis offers a vision of the “Beowulf” saga that has never been told before. In a time of heroes, the mighty warrior Beowulf slays the demon Grendel and incurs the wrath of its monstrous, yet seductive, mother in a conflict that transforms a king into a legend. “Beowulf” stars Ray Winstone in the title role and Anthony Hopkins as the corrupt King Hrothgar, as well as John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman and Angelina Jolie as Grendel’s mother. Paramount Pictures, in association with Shangri-La Entertainment, Presents an ImageMovers Production of a Robert Zemeckis film, “Beowulf.”
Since the film is being shot in digital, the game and the movie will share content, making it a seamless transition between the two. The game is expected to be released alongside the movie’s planned release this November. No other information was disclosed.