Archive for May, 2008:
No Mandatory Install for Fallout 3
While Xbox 360 gamers can pop in a disc and start playing within moments, PS3 owners have been subjected to mandatory game installs that range from short to the excruciatingly long. However, gamers who buy the PS3 version of Fallout 3, Bethesda’s upcoming epic action-RPG, will not have to put up with the percentage bar as it will not feature any game installs.
“The answer to that is no, there isn’t,” said Pete Hines, described as Bethesda’s marketing guru. “That doesn’t mean we don’t use the hard drive, just that it does it in the background as opposed to a large, upfront install.”
He wouldn’t reveal the exact amount of space the game will need on the hard drive, though he does mention that the RPG will require a similar amount of space as Oblivion, which used about 4GB of storage on the PS3’s hard drive.
Fallout 3 is expected for release this Fall on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
Far Cry 2 Campaign to be LONG
CVG reports that the single-player campaign in Far Cry 2 may take up to 50 hours. This comes from the game’s producer, Louis-Pierre Pharand, who stated the fact when asked about cooperative play.
“We decided to abandon [co-op gameplay] for this installment simply because of the complexity and size of the game,” he said. “Add the Multi experience & the Map Editor… gamers will have their money’s worth with FarCry2.”
The game will reportedly mix Grand Theft Auto style free-roaming environments with a mission-focused structure. It is due out later this year on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
Ubi CEO: Avatar is "Wonderful"
Once more, speaking at the Ubidays press event, Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, has confirmed that the company is currently working on developing 3D games, noting particularly the Avatar project with film director James Cameron.
“Technology continues to evolve and we have now new 3D TVs that are coming in homes and we will have also movies in 3D,” he said. “Because we will have movies and TVs, we are actually working on games in 3D.”
He added that Avatar is coming along nicely and that he has seen it. The game is apparently “wonderful” and that he’s sure we will “love [the] new experience.”
Guillemot added that Avatar is set for release sometime next Summer.
Baja 1000 Announced
Introducing yet another off-road racing game to the market, Activision has announced the official SCORE International Baja 1000 game version of the world’s most grueling off-road race. In development for the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, the racing game will be available this Fall and will sport over 90 vehicles across multiple classes in the real Baja 1000 – including trophy trucks, class I, motorcycles, ATVs and more.
“No race demands more endurance of both man and machine than the Baja 1000,” said Sal Fish, President and CEO of Score International, the world’s leading desert racing organization. “In consulting Activision for a video game version, we meticulously explained what’s needed to capture the intensity of the Baja. They’ve nailed not only the look but also the elements of true desert racing.”
The game will feature realistic dirt and damage modeling, meaning players cannot be totally reckless when it comes to racing, as the vehicles can be destroyed before the race is over. It can also be reversed, as the racer can be reckless, trying to damage others while trying to stay ahead.
As mentioned above, the game is due out this Fall.
Beyond Good & Evil Sequel to be More Casual
Revealed just a few days ago, Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot has disclosed some more details on Beyond Good & Evil 2, the upcoming sequel to the critically acclaimed action-adventure title.
Speaking at the recent Ubidays press event in Paris, Guillemot said that the sequel will appeal to casual gamers more than the first game, which he believes was a little too difficult to get into.
“We saw with Beyond Good & Evil that so many customers were extremely happy with the game,” he told Next-gen. “We had a different audience at that time. We had more core gamers than casual gamers than we have today.
“We think the game was probably a little too difficult for the general gamers at that time. We’re going to make [the sequel] more accessible and make sure that it’s really done for the new generation that’s come into video games.”
The game currently does not have any release date, but as a consolation it can be said that series creator Michael Ancel is on board to direct the project, so it will hopefully be good and live up to its name.
Guitar Hero 4 Wii DLC to Feature New Songs
Shacknews carries confirmation from Vicarious Visions that the Wii edition of Guitar Hero: World Tour will support true downloadable content when it is released this Fall, meaning that it will allow users to purchase and download new songs in addition to user-created music.
“There’s downloadable content for the Wii, similar to what you’d expect, downloadable songs,” said studio CEO Karthik Bala to the publication. “The GH Tunes and the Music Studio [are] separate features.”
He, however, still would not divulge details as to how the company plans on supporting downloadable content on the console’s paltry 512MB of internal storage.
The game is due out this Fall on PS3, PS2, Xbox 360 and Wii.
Ninja Gaiden II Demo Hits Japan
While the game is less than a week away from it’s release date, the few lucky Japanese Xbox 360 owners will get a taste of the action a little bit sooner.
A demo for the cut-em-up Ninja Gaiden II has hit Xbox Live in Japan, but what about the rest of us? Well, there isn’t really any news regarding when the demo will be released in the US or UK other than ’soon’.
Ninja Gaiden II is currently in its last stages of development by Team Ninja and will hit North American shelves on June 3rd and European shelves on June 6th, exclusively for the Xbox 360.
Asus Bringing Wiimote like Controllers to PC
Asus has recently announced their new game controllers, the Eee Sticks. Utilizing the same concept as Nintendo’s Wiimote, come mid-august Eee PC owners will be able to swing their arms around in a ridiculous fashion to control on screen movements (not saying that isn’t fun).
The Eee Sticks will be bundled with both the Eee PC laptops and desktops later this year, with bundles that include 5-8 compatible games coming next year in a price range of $66-$82.
While Asus has only talked to a few game publishers about compatible games at this time they are hoping to expand their Eee Stick line with companies such as EA.
(Image and tip via Gamepro)
Be Immortalized in Fable 2
Have you ever wanted to see yourself in a video game? Well nows your chance as Lionhead Studios has announced that they are currently looking for art models to put into their latest title, Fable 2.
All you need to do is strike an artistic pose, snap a picture, and send it to Lionhead Studios before June 4th. The winners will be notified on or after that date, which marks the end of the competition.
It states in the news post the the winners will reside in one of the most luxurious houses in all of Albion. That sounds promising.
Head over to their website to get the full details, and don’t forget to read the small print to fully understand the restrictions on the competition. Good luck!
Nintendo of Canada Auctions Off Brand New Classics
Die hard collectors of games from yesteryear are sure to go crazy over Nintendo of Canada’s latest charity stunt. Apparently, according to Joystiq, they are clearing out their warehouses, and auctioning of their contents with proceeds going directly to the United Way charity.
The auction includes 421 brand new, in the box, sealed games for classic Nintendo consoles like the NES, SNES, and Gameboy.
You can head here to browse the various auctions that Nintendo of Canada has up. Beware though: High rollers only, the highest bid is currently at $1,013.07 which you can view here.
Crash Time Demo Crashes onto Xbox Live
Major Nelson has revealed yet another demo that will be hitting Xbox Live today, Crash Time. You can find more about the demo in the exerpt taken from Major Nelson’s blog below:
Content: Crash Time
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Asia, Australia, India, Mexico and New Zealand
Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) DRUG REFERENCE,MILD LANGUAGE,MILD VIOLENCE] Crash Time: Play the demo and experience fearless stunts, spectacular crashes, and car chases at breakneck speed!
Valve Announces Steamcloud
Valved has officially lifted the curtains on their latest service to hit the Steam platform, Steamcloud.
Steamcloud will Steam users to upload various pieces of information collected about their Steam usage to the service and then later access it from a PC anywhere in the world. Steamcloud will record things like game-saves, keyboard configurations, and most importantly games purchased through Steam’s virtual delivery system.
After announcing Steamcloud, Valve gave us a glimpse of what is soon to come. They hope to eventually incorporate things like automatic driver updates along with a larger game cataloge into the already popular Steam service.
Red Alert 3 Gameplay Walkthrough
The above video contains a 15 minute walk through of the various aspects of gameplay included in the latest Command & Conquer installment, Red Alert 3. While it may seem like a rather long video, RTS fanatics everywhere will not want to miss this as it takes you through an actual game, complete with narration that gives you a run down of what is happening. Enough talk, watch the video.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is currently under development by EA Los Angeles for the PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360 and is expected to ship in October, 2008.
Kojima: All Forms of Entertainment Will Converge
The master of overdramatics, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima said in an interview that with the advent of digital entertainment, all forms of entertainment are likely to merge into a single medium.
“When entertainment becomes digital, there can be a great collaboration between games and other kinds of entertainment like movies or even novels,” he said. “All these things might form together to form a coherent medium.”
He cannot exactly pinpoint when it is going to happen, but he believes that the convergence will happen “sooner or later”.
Kojima’s latest creation, Metal Gear Solid 4, is set for release this June exclusively on PS3.
Tom Clancy Dominates Ubi’s Best-selling Franchises List
French publishing giant Ubisoft has revealed its internal numbers, allowing for an interesting peek into the company’s best-selling franchises. Hosted on Gamesindustry.biz, the numbers reveal that company mascot Rayman sits at the top with an impressive 22 million units sold. The franchise was created back in 1995 by Michael Ancel, with the original going on to sell over 10 million copies.
The next three spots are occupied by Tom Clancy properties – Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon with 20, 19 and 16 million units, respectively. Quite surprisingly, the Driver franchise has sold over 14 million units, and the Prince of Persia series is superseded by Petz. Where is the world going to?!
More recent franchises include Assassin’s Creed with 6 million and Far Cry with 4 million units sold.