Saturday, April 28, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Another day 4/27/07!
Today was pretty laid back I guess, lots of news and one long ass weekly update from Bungie that was full of all kinds of interesting tid-bits.
Today's top stories:
- Bungie's long ass weekly update.
- Lego Star Wars II & Saints Row are now Platinum!
- Zoozen introduces the Ovo 360!
- Thompson's suit against Kotaku has been thrown out!
- Major Nelson shows how to transfer data to the new 120GB HDD!
- Shivering Isles will be patched on Monday!
- Gears of War movie script leaked!
Bungie's weekly update 4/27/07!
With Bungie's latest weekly update, Frankie let the cat out of the bag on a few things regarding Halo 3 and the beta test that is scheduled to start on May 16th. Frankie said that the Beta will include what Bungie calls "saved films" and it will be a watered down version of what will be in the retail copy of the game:
No, this feature we’re testing is for the moment, just a fun addition, that’s planned to grow into something pretty amazing by launch, and that feature is Saved Films. The version you’ll try in the Beta, is very, very, very limited. We just want you to play around with the general concept. You’ll be reading more about this in the gaming press in the next month or two, and of course you can try it out for yourselves in less than a month.
Here Frankie reveals that the beta will include split-screen play:
You’ll also be pleased to hear that split-screen will be an option, although limited to two people in the Public Beta. We’ve also done something cool with the splitscreen display for HD monitors – instead of stretching the horizontal or vertical axes into big, scary too wide or too tall horrors, we’ve sensibly windowed the action, maintaining lots of screen real estate, but preserving a proper, playable aspect ratio.
Frankie goes on to talk about a map that will be in Halo 3 that is bigger than any map Bungie has ever made:
Perhaps more enticing is the mention of a VERY large map that went from being just about the most empty, soulless placeholder geometry in the entire game, to one of the moodiest, most atmospheric and beautiful maps we’ve ever made. It’s also the single largest multiplayer map. You pretty much need a vehicle to get around in it, so luckily, destroyed vehicles respawn super-fast.
A couple days ago Microsoft sent out a press release saying that there will be a special Halo 3 "unveiling" on May 11th, but nobody know what it's about:
May 11th was mentioned in a San Jose Mercury News blog as an “unveiling” date for Halo 3. Of course Halo 3 was in fact “unveiled” at E3 a year ago. The May 11th date simply refers to a Public Beta preview for the press so they can get their stories done for the real Public Beta launch a few days later.
Well there you have it folks. If you want to read this week's very long weekly update, click here!
New Medal of Honor trailer is now available!
If you are anxious to play the next Medal of Honor game then the latest trailer might just tide you over. The trailer is called "The first step is everything" and can be downloaded on the XBLM for free.
Take to the skies in Medal of Honor Airborne, where you’ll drop into grueling ground attacks in a bid to turn the tide of WWII. Starting with your jump from a C-47 plane, every choice you make can seal your fate. In the air, control your parachute to select a landing spot that brings you the greatest strategic advantage. On the ground, every move you make—from your choice of landing spot to the enemies you engage on foot—will determine your success in the mission, and whether or not you are truly one of the Airborne elite. On August 28, 2007, the first step is everything.
Lego Star Wars II & Saints Row are now Platinum!
According to this Xbox newsletter that goes out once a month, Lego Star Wars II and Saints Row are now "Platinum hits" which means it is only $29.99 retail.
Gears of War movie script leaked!
It was revealed a few months back that a movie is in production based on the videogame, Gears of War. Since the announcement was made not much is known except that the games producer "Cliffy B" will be on board to make sure the film doesn't suck like they usually do.
A website called "Latinoreview.com" claims to have the actual script to the movie. I read over the script and if they can stay true to the script then the movie might actually be really good. If you would like to read the script for yourself, click here, but be warned, there are some spoilers.
Zoozen introduces the Ovo 360!
Zoozen is a creator of consumer electronics and videogame accessories. They have designed a case mod for the 360 that will blow you away, the only question I have is how will they be able to produce this legally? isn't there some sort of patent issues? if not I'm on board.
Zoozen is delighted to give the public a first look at one of many innovative projects that our development staff are working on - Ovo 360. The Ovo 360 for Xbox 360 is the first case in the world which has the power to transform the complete look of Microsoft's next-generation machine. Sporting a sleek, white and sophisiticated shell, the Ovo 360 fuses the awesome power of the Xbox with an elegant and breathtaking modern day design to match.
Below is a video preview.
Thompson's suit against Kotaku has been thrown out!
Well that didn't take long. It was announced today that the suit Jack Thompson filed against Kotaku has been thrown out.
"Federal District Court Judge Paul Huck has dismissed a complaint filed Wednesday against Gawker Media, parent company of the popular Kotaku game blog. In his ruling, Judge Huck wrote that controversial attorney Jack Thompson had failed to follow the proper federal court procedure for amending a complaint."
The best part of this is the fact that Jack is an attorney and he doesn't even know how to file a suit properly.
Way to go Jack, maybe you should go back to law school!
Shivering Isles will be patched on Monday!
The community manager for the Bethesda forums left a post saying that a patch for Shivering Isles will be released Monday.
The Bethesda forum post can be read here!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Another day 4/26/07!
Today was full of all kinds of interesting news but there is one thing I would love to have seen. I would love to have seen J Allard's reaction when he heard that Ken Kutaragi was going to resign, I bet it was a priceless.
Today's top stories:
J Allard's dream has come true!
In a interview last year, J Allard had this to say:
"What gets me out of bed and into the office every day is the thought of Ken Kutaragi's resignation letter, framed, hanging next to my desk."
Congratulations Mr Allard, you and the boys can crack open the Champaign and party your asses off.
And incase you didn't know, earlier today it was announced that the father of the Playstation, Ken Kutaragi, is resigning.
If you want to read the press release, click here!
Microsoft's financial report!
Microsoft announced today that it has made a record $4.93 billion in profit for it's last fiscal year with the entertainment division bringing in almost a billion dollars. Even though the entertainment division brought in a lot of cash, Microsoft's entertainment division still lost $315 million dollars. It should be noted that each year the entertainment division is losing less and less and when you hear the words "entertainment division", that includes the Zune as well so I'm not sure how much of that loss is attributed to the Zune. But when you bring in almost $5 billion in profit, a few hundred million is mere pocket change.
The following is from FiringSquad.com:
This press release from Microsoft announces that the PC software and entertainment company achieved record profits of $4.93 billion for its last fiscal quarter that ended on March 31. Revenue came in at $14.40 billion for the quarter, which is a 32 percent increase from the same period a year ago. Unfortunately, the company's Entertainment and Devices Division (where their Xbox console business is located) continues to lose money. The division brought in $929 million in revenue for the quarter compared to $1.182 billion for the same period a year ago and an overall loss of $315 million for the quarter compared to a loss of $402 million from the same period a year ago.
I would like to note that the sale's of Halo 3 will pretty much make up for any losses this time next year, just a theory but very possible.
Find every COG tag in a video walk through!
BradyGames has released a Gears of War video walk through on XBL marketplace showing the location of every COG tag .
- Name: COG Tags: Act 1
Price: 100 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live regions
Dash Details: Learn the locations of Act 1 COG Tags in this strategy video from BradyGames. - Name: COG Tags: Act 2
Price: 100 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live regions
Dash Details: Learn the locations of Act 2 COG Tags in this strategy video from BradyGames. - Name: COG Tags: Act 3
Price: 100 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live regions
Dash Details: Learn the locations of Act 3 COG Tags in this strategy video from BradyGames. - Name: COG Tags: Act 4
Price: 100 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live regions
Dash Details: Learn the locations of Act 4 COG Tags in this strategy video from BradyGames. - Name: COG Tags: Act 5
Price: 100 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live regions
Dash Details: Learn the locations of Act 5 COG Tags in this strategy video from BradyGames.
This list was compiled and posted on Majornelson.com!
Halo 2 player ranking reset delayed!
Last week, Bungie's Frank O Conner said that the Halo 2 matchmaking playlist and player rankings were going to be reset this week. Frankie said that they have put that on hold right now so they can work on fixing the problem that some people are having when they try to download the new Halo 2 maps. Frankie went on to say, that they plan to reset the playlist and player rankings next week:
Originally we indicated that this week was our target for updating the Halo 2 Xbox Live matchmaking playlists and resetting all player rankings. We are holding this update while we investigate and fix some of the Xbox Live download problems that people have been reporting. The good news is that almost everyone who initially had issues downloading the maps should now be able to do so. However, there may be some people who are still unable to download the maps for a variety of reasons and we’re working with the Xbox Live team to narrow down the potential cause and implement the solution.
This playlist update and rank reset will probably occur next week, pending the outcome of our ongoing work with the Xbox Live team. In the meantime, you are of course able to enjoy both Tombstone and Desolation in online custom games and offline Splitscreen/System Link play. Please stay tuned to Bungie.net for the latest info. Apologies for the inconvenience.
This comes via Bungie.net!
New games for the week of 4/30/07!
Spider-Man 3
Based on Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Columbia Pictures’ upcoming feature film, Spider-Man 3 allows players to experience the actions of heroic red-suited Spider-Man and, for the first time ever, his darker, more mysterious black-suited persona. Set in a larger, dynamic, free-roaming New York City, the game gives players the freedom to choose their own gameplay experience through multiple movie-based and original storylines, fully integrated city missions and performance rewards including improved speed, combat maneuvers and agility. In Spider-Man 3, players draw upon Spider-Man’s completely revamped combat abilities as they protect the city and defeat nemeses using expanded aerial fighting, finishing moves and dynamic webbing during missions and epic boss battles.
Release Date: May 04, 2007
Sony's Ken Kutaragi is stepping down!
It was announced today that Ken Kutaragi is stepping down from his position at SCEI:
PRESS RELEASE
SCEI and Sony announce Executive Management Transition at Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
TOKYO, JAPAN, April 26, 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) and Sony Corporation (Sony) have jointly announced today that Ken Kutaragi, Representative Director, Chairman and Group CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., will retire from his executive position at SCEI effective June 19, 2007, when SCEI’s annual shareholders’ meeting will take place. Mr. Kutaragi will pass on the torch to the next generation, stepping back from his executive management responsibility of the company to serve as Honorary Chairman of SCEI.
You can read the entire press release here!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Someone got their hands on the 120 GB HDD early!
A Hardocp.com reader got his hands on the 120 GB hard drive a week early which means another retailer has broken a street date, cough cough (Wal-Mart). Well the guy was kind enough to submit some pictures of the transfer cable, disk and some on screen shots to show how easy the transfer process is from the 20GB to the 120GB HDD.
Halo 3 announcement on May 11th!
Today, Microsoft sent out this press release:
"Save the Date - Friday, May 11th, 2007. Join us for an exclusive preview of Halo 3". The event will be held in New York and San Francisco.
I wonder what they will announce just 5 days before the beta starts? I
Crackdown DLC coming "soon"!
When Crackdown was released about 3 months ago, we were told that the reason there is only 900 possible achievement points is because future DLC will utilize the remaining 100 points. So where is this DLC? according to a member of the development team: "soon".
On the Crackdown forums a poster by the name of (Agent G) from the Crackdown team had this to say:
"hey guys - i understand your desire to get some DLC. the answer is still soon. sooner rather than later. the reason i have to be vague is that PR guys don't want me to announce a date that it will be available - they want to do that. they also want to announce the content at teh same time. the reason why is if i announce it here right now (which I would love to do) is that PRs ability to get the news out to the broadest announce (which I also want to do) will be diminished b/c it will no longer be new news. that said all I can tell you is expect to have something within the next few weeks, maybe sooner. there's that 'soon' word again."
(update)
Teamxbox.com got their hands on a screenshot from the upcoming DLC for Crackdown. The image shows a bunch of dune buggy's that weren't in the retail copy of the game. Teamxbox said that the image is just a hint of what the new gametype will be.
Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare: confirmed!
It was announced today that the next installment to the Call of Duty series is leaving the WWII battlefield. Activision announced that Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare will take place in battlefields that soldier's see today.
There will be a trailer shown on TV during the NFL draft this Saturday the 28th at 10AM PST /1PM EST on ESPN.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Another day 4/24/07!
Not much went on today in my boring existence so straight to the stories we go.
Today's top stories:
Blue Dragon 2 may be an online title!
Japan's Gpara.com is reporting that Mistwalker's producer, Hironobu Sakaguchi spilled the beans at a press conference held today in south Korea about a sequel to Blue Dragon.
"We're in talks with Microsoft about development of a sequel. Specifics aren't finalized, but there's a possibility that it will be produced as an online title."
Hironobu Sakaguchi expressed interest in doing an online RPG at the Game Developers Conference last month during an RPG round table discussion that Microsoft hosted.
PS3 interest is up but still lags the 360 and Wii!
Next-Gen.biz is reporting that Internet searches are up for the PS3 according to a study performed by Pricegrabber. According to the study, the PS3 has seen a rise in online searches by 127% on Play.com, Amazon.co.UK and Comet.co.UK. The rise in interest is a good thing for Sony but in the same amount of time or six weeks after launch, the 360 saw a 250% rise in searches while the Wii had a 579% increase.
This study was performed in the UK so I'm not sure if this reflects how the rest of the world still views the PS3.
Ubisoft announces Tom Clancy's EndWar!
Today Ubisoft has announced an addition to the Tom Clancy series of video games called, Tom Clancy's EndWar. EndWar takes place during WWIII and is being built from the ground up for the next generation systems with a street date of late 07-early 08.
"Our development teams are invigorated to be creating the first 100 percent next-generation Tom Clancy brand," said Serge Hascoët, chief creative officer at Ubisoft. "Our success with Tom Clancy franchises is unparalleled in the next-generation and Tom Clancy's EndWar will be a marvelous addition to the already critically acclaimed library of games. A strategy game like no other, EndWar will allow gamers to lead their own armies against hundreds of others online in real global locations on the massive battlefields of World War III."
Halo 3 beta video analysis!
Matchmaking Menus
- New veto system implemented.
- Military ranks are used and the use of XP points help to determine a player's skill level.
- Three types of matches: Ranked, Social and Custom.
General Multiplayer
- Spiffy new spawn animation we call the "blue grid sweep".
- Spawn with an Assault Rifle and two frag grenades
- Map is called Last Resort and is a re-creation of Zanzibar, but on crack.
- Every HUD notification (deaths, awards, weapon pickups) pops up very bubbly-like.
- Air lifts are included in multiplayer.
- Teammate's letter/code identifier expands when near, revealing their gamertag.
Weapon Information
- Weapons featured: Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, Plasma Pistol, SMG, Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, Spiker and Spartan Laser.
- The Sniper Rifle's radar features a bright green picture in picture scope.
- The Shotgun now holds 6 rounds instead of 8.
Equipment Information
- Equipment items featured: Bubble Shield and Power Drainer Equipment item listed under grenades on HUD.
- First equipment item is picked up by walking over it, no button pressing needed.
- Bubble Shield is a cone type device that doesn't move, can be entered by any person, but no weapon can penetrate it.
Vehicle Information
- The Warthog, Ghost and Mongoose are shown.
- Both the Warthog and Mongoose are demoed.
- Hold the "RB" to get into a vehicle.
BioShock limited edition details!
2K games has revealed the price and content of the limited edition of BioShock:
We have tallied up the votes, read your comments, and are happy to announce the details of the BioShock Limited Edition. Available on August 21st (the same day as the regular BioShock edition), the LE will include a Big Daddy figurine, a “Making Of” DVD, and a soundtrack CD. The LE packaging will also be an embossed graphic designed by the winner of the Cover Art Contest going on now at www.cultofrapture.com.
The BioShock Limited Edition will be available to US and Canada exclusively at GameStop and EB for US$59.99 (PC LE) and US$69.99 (Xbox 360™ LE). The Limited Edition will also be available in Europe and details about ordering a copy will be coming soon.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Another day 4/23/07!
Today I actually found time to mow my yard for the first time this year and it was a bitch let me tell you. You see, I am obsessed with having a really green lawn, so when spring comes around a healthy lawn like mine will grow with a vengeance the second it begins to warm up. Needless to say, I was able to mow my lawn in about 2 hours and in that 2 hours there were about 50 bags of grass dumped and my mower was refueled about 3 times, (BRUTAL).
Today's top stories:
Medal of Honor Airborne now has a release date!
EA has finally given a release date to the next Medal of Honor game and that date is Aug 28th. From the looks of the trailer that I saw of the game, it looks like EA is making a serious run at recapturing the crown for best WWII shooter. If the rumors are correct that the next Call of Duty game will be set in modern times, than EA shouldn't have much competition. The only WWII based shooter besides Medal of Honor Airborne that is scheduled to be released this year is Midway's Hour of Victory, the Unreal Engine powered WWII FPS.
This Saturday, InfinityWard is supposed to make an announcement on their next game which will most likely be Call of Duty 4. Now the rumors are flying that COD4 is going to be set in modern times, but if it turns out to be another WWII FPS from the current kings of the WWII genre, this will be an interesting face off when both games are released.
If you want to view the trailer for yourself, click here and check out the high production value that EA has put into this game.
Halo 3 beta video leaked!
This video shows the stationary bubble shield, a revamped Zanzibar and a concaved look to the HUD. Having a concaved HUD makes it look like you are actually looking through the Chief's helmet. Also, it looks like Bungie has made some improvements to the party system that every online game should use!
E3 2007 downsized!
Last year, E3 hosted over 400 companies ranging from developers, publishers and peripheral manufacturers. When last years E3 wrapped up there was talk of downsizing the event because it has turned into a circus of sorts. With booming music, half naked women and multi million dollar setups from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo the decision was made to scale back the event to a smaller more laid back atmosphere where the registered attendants I.E Microsoft could get their message across without spending millions of dollars.
Today it was announced that the number of entries for this years E3 will be 32, that is far fewer than last years 400. The following is a list of the companies that are registered to be there courtesy of Shacknews:
1C Company
Activision
Akella
Atari
Atlus
Disney Interactive Studios
Capcom
Codemasters
Crave Entertainment
Eidos
Electronic Arts
Foundation 9
id Software
Konami
Logitech
LucasArts
Majesco
Microsoft
Midway
Namco Bandai
NCsoft
Nintendo
Nyko
Sega
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment
Square Enix
Take-Two Interactive
THQ
Ubisoft
Vivendi Games
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Beautiful Katamari site now online!
Are you a Katamari fan? can you read Japanese? well I have just the thing for you. Namco Bandai has launched a website for Beautiful Katamari for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Click here to view the site!
XBLA gets 2 games this WED, again!
Microsoft releasing one game a week was what appeared to be the norm and at times there would be no game at all. When Nintendo started releasing 2-3 games a week for the Wii's virtual console, Microsoft has stepped up it's game with quality titles and multiple games a week.
This week the two games are "Eets: Chowdown" and "Pinball FX". All of the details can be read here!
Wal-Mart to sell $300 HD DVD players!
According to a poster on the AVS forums, Wal-Mart will be selling $300 HD DVD players:
The following site is in Chinese. It basically says that Fuh Yuan electronic corporation from Taiwan just built a new factory to manufacture blue laser HD-DVD cores. This core is independently developed by Fuh Yuan, and is a joint project with TDK. The production will be handled by Great Wall corporation in China. An interesting thing is that it mentioned that Fuh Yuan got a two million units order from Wal-Mart, worth USD$100 million. Since Wal-Mart does not sell blue laser core, I assume it would be players. Fuh Yuan's stock will be released by July 12th, and will be publicly traded next March. It is a press release.
Fuh Yuan has a similar news on its Chinese website, but not on its English version.
Link: http://www.ettoday.com/2007/04/16/320-2082635.htm
Fuh Yuan website: http://www.fuhyuan.com/
Edit: Possible price: $299, see link here (again, Chinese): http://www.udn.com/2007/4/16/NEWS/S...5/3804769.shtml
Mass Effect is penciled in for a Sept release!
BioWare's highly anticipated RPG Mass Effect has never really had a firm release date, only the months of June and July was the game "expected" to be released. According to CVG, Mass Effect has been given a release month of September, no real date has been given. This news came from a Microsoft event that was held this morning according to CVG.
So there you have it folks, find yourself a pencil and flip your calendar to September and write the words (Mass Effect) in big letters. That's if you can find room between the words, (Blue Dragon) and (Halo 3) which is also scheduled for a September release.
Halo Wars update!
Ensemble Studios has provided an update on the development status of Halo Wars:
We are cranking away on the development of Halo Wars, and recently passed another milestone. (Yes, this can be rather unpleasant sometimes) These deadlines for having features in the game start to come fast and furious when you're well into development on a game, and it certainly feels like we're at that point now. There's still a mountain of work to do, but everyone on the team has their toothpick and is working away on it.
One of the many talented toothpick wielders here at Ensemble Studios is Graeme Devine, the Lead Designer on Halo Wars. Graeme has been in the games industry for a great many years, and has his fair share of stories to tell. I burst into his office on milestone day to ask him a number of very important questions, such as, what does a lead designer do?
Click here to read the entire interview!
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The next DLC for Guitar Hero II leaked? (RUMOR ALERT)
According to HARMONIXFANS.COM, they were given a list of songs that will appear in the next DLC for Guitar Hero II. They claim that the person who leaked this info to them was the same person who leaked the songs for the first Guitar Hero II DLC.
HARMONIXFANS.COM claims that the info comes from a person who looked at a list of content that is passed around at Microsoft for certification. So take it for what it is, and that would be a rumor but when it comes to reporting on the video game industry you have to pick and choose which rumors are worth reporting on and this is one of them.
Content Pack 1:
"Cowboys From Hell" - Pantera
"I Love Rock & Roll" - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
"Cochise" - Audioslave
Content Pack 2:
"Godzilla" - Blue Oyster Cult
"I Wanna Be Sedated" - The Ramones
"Sharp Dressed Man" - ZZ Top
Content Pack 3:
"Iron Man" - Black Sabbath (Thanks porroi for the correction)
"Take Me Out" - Franz Ferdinand
"Smoke on the Water" - Deep Purple
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