from Mirror.co.uk:
The Nintendo Wii 2 will be smaller and cheaper. That’s the word from Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Mario and Donkey Kong. He says the console will also move into “other aspects of daily life”, hinting Ninty will follow Microsoft and Sony into the world of home entertainment.
Speaking with Popular Mechanics, Miyamoto, who has plenty of knowledge of what goes down inside Nintendo HQ said, “While we don’t have any concrete plans for what we’ll be doing with hardware in the future… I think it would be likely that we would try to make that same functionality perhaps more compact and perhaps even more cost-efficient.”
Black Wii and controllers UK bound
Miyamoto does think, though, that the Wii 2 will be more than just a “toy”. “We’re gradually seeing video games moving beyond simply entertainment into other aspects of everyday life,” he said. Maybe he was simply talking about the new Wii Exercise Bike?
DenOfGeek.com has a great look at 10 upcoming games that will be exclusive to the PS3. Enjoy:
10. Agent
Currently being developed by Rockstar North, in Edinburgh, and being touted as the ultimate action game. Few details are known apart from Agent will take players into the shadowy world of 1970s espionage and assassination during the cold war. Scheduled for release in 2010, Rockstar are hoping that Agent will achieve similar levels of success enjoyed by their flagship franchise, Grand Theft Auto.
9. The Last Guardian
From Team ICO, who brought you the highly acclaimed ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus, comes The Last Guardian. The game is a third person action adventure and will focus on a young boy and his friendship with a creature called Trico. The player will take control of the unarmed boy and is responsible for guiding the creature that’s driven by animal instincts.
8. ModNation Racers
This kart racing game will focus heavily on user-created content with customisable racetracks that players will be able to share online and fully customisable characters and vehicles using Urban Vinyl stylings. It’s similar to Little Big Planet with the level of customisation available (a beta demo of ModNation Racers is included in the Little Big Planet game of the year edition in the US) and the emphasis on user-created content. The single player mode will, apparently, boast 30 tracks designed by the development team using the tools that will be available to players of the game. Gameplay will be similar to that of other Kart racing games as power ups and weapons will be available to collect to give racers an advantage.
7. Gran Turismo 5
The highly anticipated and much delayed racer will, apparently, according to Polyphony Digital’s Kazunori Yamuchi, look “better than reality”. The game will support online racing, which is a first for the series. Another first is that some of the vehicles will suffer damage. The game will feature over 900 cars and 20 courses with 70 course variations. At the time of writing, the game is set for release on the 31st March in Japan, but no solid release date is set for Europe or the US, despite the developers annoyingly stating that they can release it any time they want.
6. Eight Days
Up until recently, it appeared that development of Eight Days was cancelled, along with The Getaway 3. However, it appears that it was merely on hold and it will finally get a release. Footage of Eight Days was shown as far back as 2005, in the form of a scene showing a petrol station exploding, to show the PS3’s capabilities of handling visual effects and physics. The following year, at E3, another video was released showcasing stunning graphics, but in 2008, Sony Computer Entertainment London announced that they cancelled the development of the game.
Since then they have worked on Eye Pet, which is scheduled for release at the end of October in the UK and 2010 in the US. Eight Days will be set, as the title suggests, over the course of eight days and will include a real life clock so if you’re playing during the day this will be reflected in the game. The game is also set in eight different US states, one of which is Arizona, so the potential size of the game map is rather large. Players will be able to choose between a good and an evil character, both of which are going after an organised crime syndicate for different reasons.
5. White Knight Chronicles
This fantasy RPG about two rival kingdoms at war has already enjoyed considerable success and acclaim in Japan. So much so that Sony has already got a sequel in development despite not being available in the US or Europe. European and US PS3 owners can expect to be able to get their hands on WKC in April 2010. Players will be able to customise their avatar and enjoy an immersive single player campaign as well as a real-time online multiplayer quest mode with up to four other players.
4. Demon’s Souls
Here’s another intriguing RPG prospect that’s been available elsewhere for sometime. It has been released in the US recently, but it’s unclear when it will be available in Europe. The game offers severe punishment if their character dies in combat, as all of their experience and equipment up to that point will be lost. No problem, just load your last save game, right? Afraid not! The game autosaves frequently, meaning that you can’t just reload an old game save if something bad happens to your character. Oh, and the more your character dies, the more powerful the enemies get. Rather than detracting from the game, reviews indicate that this aspect of the game makes it an incredibly rewarding experience. With still no European date yet, if you want to play this any time in the near future you’ll have to import it.
3. God Of War III
Ex-Spartan warrior Kratos finally makes his appearance on the PS3 next year, in what will be the final chapter of the God Of War series. This chapter will take advantage of a new purpose built game engine adding levels of realism and interaction to Kratos’ adventure. God Of War 3 is scheduled for release at the end of March next year, so there’s still a bit of a wait for this. For those of you who can’t wait, a God Of War collection containing parts 1 and 2 will be released on PS3 in time for Christmas and will include a demo of God Of War 3. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, this is only scheduled for a US release.
2. MAG (Massive Action Game)
Set for release in January 2010, this massive multiplayer online shooter is set to be something quite special as it will support battles of up to 256 players! Players will be divided into squads of 8. Four squads will form a platoon and 4 platoons will form a company. Players can advance through the game’s ranking system and the player with the highest rank will lead their squad and, potentially, an army. The game is set in 2025 amidst a global crisis where natural resources have diminished. Three private military companies recruited members aggressively to battle for control of what resources are available in a shadow war. Players will have three PMC’s to choose from: S.V.E.R ,a faction of war torn countries, Raven, who utilise high tech armor and weaponry and Valor company, who use standard equipment. Players will be able to customise a number of aspects of their character including facial features, voice, armor and equipment.
1. Heavy Rain
The game I’m looking forward to the most by some considerable margin. Renowned games designer David Cage is directing the game that’s being developed by Quantic Dream studios. Having directed acclaimed titles Farenheit and Omrikon: The Nomad Soul previously, it’s unsurprising that there’s a high level of anticipation around Heavy Rain. This dark thriller in a film noir style carries the tagline: “How far are you willing to go to save someone you love?” Players will control one of four playable characters that are all said to be on the hunt for The Origami Killer. The game will adopt a unique control system that will involve players having to perform actions such as tilting their pad or pressing buttons as they appear on the screen. Failure to do so will lead to their character’s reactions being performed incorrectly or their character saying something in the wrong way and take the story in a different direction. If the events lead to your character dying, they will no longer be a part of the story. The game won’t end, though, as players will take control of another character to continue the hunt. This is a fantastic prospect for replay value as there’s the distinct possibility that the game will be different every time you play it. Heavy Rain is set for release in the first quarter of 2010.
Gaming and Heavy Metal go together like long hair and tattoos. Check out the celebrity endorsements and clips from the new game Brutal Legend:
Read more about Xbox 360’s new controller free gaming from Telegraph.co.uk:
Microsoft says the enthusiasm of developers and publishers highlighted the “widespread enthusiasm” for Natal, a gaming system based on the Xbox 360 that enables players to do away with a conventional controller and instead make natural gestures to control on-screen action.
Several major publishers, including Activision, Blizzard, Capcom, Electronic Arts and Sega, will announce at this week’s Tokyo Games Show that they are working on games that will complement the Project Natal platform and work with its gesture-controlled interface.
It has raised speculation that the gaming system could be in shops by the end of next year, sparking a new console war with rival platforms Sony and Nintendo.
“Project Natal could fundamentally change the way players experience sports games,” said Peter Moore, president of EA Sports. “Some of our top development teams are experimenting with these tools with the goal of delivering a completely fresh take on genres like sports and racing.”
Project Natal was unveiled at the E3 games show in Los Angeles in June. It is designed to work with existing Xbox 360 games consoles, and uses a camera, depth-sensor and microphones to track the movement of a player and replicate it on-screen.
“We see enormous opportunities with Project Natal,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive of Ubisoft. “With the 3D camera, your body becomes the interface. Any barrier related to the use of pad controllers that may have existed for potential gamers is now abolished.”
Console makers and game developers have already set their sights on the next generation of gaming and entertainment solutions. Nintendo’s Wii, which uses innovative motion-controlled ‘Wiimotes’, has attracted a new audience to gaming, and other companies are keen to tap in to the casual gaming trend.
Sony is also working on its own gesture-controlled gaming interface, and demonstrated a prototype of the system at E3. Sony emphasised the accuracy of its system, claiming that it could track and replicate the movements of a player in real time, and even understand from their gestures how hard they had hit a ball, and map its flight using the angle of the player’s body.
Although Microsoft has yet to officially announce a launch date for Project Natal, the company’s chief executive, Steve Ballmer, said that a new Xbox 360 with “a natural interface” would be launched in 2010.
Ballmer later back-tracked on his comments, and Microsoft maintains that it is “not even halfway through the current console generation lifestyle”.
“We believe the Xbox 360 will be the entertainment centre in the home for long in to the next decade. Project Natal will be an important part of this platform, but we have not confirmed a launch date at this time.”
A super powerful Wii? I’m listening. Read more from CNET:
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors about a new Wii HD coming in 2011, but when the head of Square Enix, Yoichi Wada, predicts it, you tend to pay more attention. Wada, whose company is behind the uber popular Final Fantasy franchise, was recently interviewed by the Financial Times and had some interesting comments about a potential Wii HD, as well as the future of motion controllers.
Not surprisingly, Wada predicts the new Wii will feature similar graphics capabilities as the current PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles (why the Wii doesn’t at least have an HDMI connection at this point seems ridiculous). While he thinks Nintendo will bring out a brand new motion controller, his more biting comments were reserved for Microsoft’s and Sony’s upcoming motion-enabled systems. He largely dismissed them.
“Present game machines already have a lot of functions: they are a network terminal, a Blu-ray or DVD player, and a gaming machine. Compared to these three pillars, the (new motion) controllers are quite limited, so the impact may be small,” Wada said.
I tend to agree with Wada. Then again, I think the whole motion controller thing is pretty gimmicky at this point, with so few Wii games out there that are truly enhanced by using a motion control scheme.
What do you guys think? Is the Wii destined for tepid sales for the next couple of years, even with a price drop to $199? Or is 2011 the prefect time to come out with a new system?
Not the greatest footage ever leaked… Just some random running and shooting. Keep in mind this is a Beta version, but check it out:
News from the BBC:
Video and photos of the PSP Go have been leaked online, revealing a smaller, more lightweight console that has dropped the failed UMD disk format.
There have also been reports that Sony will announce a re-designed, slimmer PlayStation 3 but BBC News understands this will not be launched at E3.
The new PS3 model will be out later this year, BBC News understands.
Microsoft will kick start proceedings at E3 in Los Angeles with a press conference on Monday, at which the company is expected to showcase a raft of new features for its online games and content service, Xbox Live.
There have been reports that Microsoft will show off a new controller that uses many of the same features as Nintendo’s Wiimote, as the company tries to broaden the appeal of its console to non-gamers.
Sony is expected to unveil the PSP Go on Tuesday, following a number of high-profile leaks of announcements to come out of the firm in the last few weeks.
The most recent, about the PSP Go, came after an official video showcasing the new device was mistakenly posted to a Sony website before being hurriedly pulled.
In the video, Sony’s John Koller said: “It’s a 3.8-inch screen, it’s 43% lighter than the PSP-3000, 16 gigs flash memory, Bluetooth support and all digital content so the UMD drive goes away.
“So it’s going to be something a lot of consumers like - download straight to a hard drive.”
A spokesman for Sony would not confirm the launch of the PSP Go but said any announcements would be given on Tuesday.
Industry leader Nintendo is expected to focus on new software for its popular Wii console.
It is also likely to announce the availability of its Wii Motion Plus device, which adds greater sensitivity and control to its controllers, along with games that support the add-on.
Nintendo needs a big show after last year’s announcements were criticised for being lack lustre, and recent evidence of a slow down in sales of its Wii console.
Analyst Mike Hickey, of Janco Partners, told the AFP news agency: “Nintendo needs something; everyone is saying that.”
According to George Broussard, one of the creators, the game is 90% complete… suuuuuure. Here’s more from /Gamer.com:
Broussard talked about the accomplishment on his twitter.
“Closing out a milestone this week. 71 more tasks to do and we started with probably 800-900. Been a good push. Next one starts Monday.”
If you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know, Duke Nukem Forever was announced over 10 years ago on April of 1997, by 3DRealms. To put this into perspective: Zelda: Ocarina of Time wasn’t released on the N64, Bill Clinton was President, the iPod didn’t exist and super hot Hayden Panettiere looked like this(young). Yes, it was along time ago.
If it only took 12 years to get 90% done, then it should take another few years before we actually see it in stores — awesome.
From 1Up.com:
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata admits that Wii Music hasn’t met the company’s sales expectations, but is still optimistic about the game’s future. CVG reports that during a third quarter financial results briefing, he commented, “I agree that Wii Music, as of now, has not achieved its true potential. On the other hand, I feel that Wii Music is a software that elicits two extremely different reaction from consumers. There are people who highly appreciate it and those who do not appreciate it at all.”
He went on to explain that the company is still supporting the game, hoping sales increase later. “We do not think… that we should abandon sales support. If we had approached Brain Training with that mentality, the software would have not achieved its current sales situation.” Unfortunately, Wii Music’s failure to connect with audiences could be indicative of a larger uphill battle Nintendo is facing in Japan, as Iwata recognized that in its home country the console “showed a slow start, did not show sharp trajectory in sales, and ended up moving back to the sales of non-sales-season level quickly.” He pointed out that “it is impossible to hit a bulls eye every time.”
Even as the game underperformed, creator Shigeru Miyamoto defended the title and reflected on hardcore and casual gamers. But Nintendo has recently seen a hit to its stock value, and some analysts are saying that the bubble has burst. We’ll have to see if this encourages Nintendo to cater more to its core audience in the future, or if they’ll stick to their generally successful casual strategy.
Warsaw, Poland – November 18, 2008 – Today GOG.com, the best place for digitally distributed, DRM-free PC classics, announced an agreement with Epic Games, Inc. that will bring several titles in the renowned studio’s Unreal series to GOG.com. Under the agreement, Unreal Gold (including the Return to Napali expansion pack), Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition, Unreal II: The Awakening Special Edition and Unreal Tournament 2004: Editor’s Choice Edition will soon be added to the GOG.com games catalogue, completely DRM-free, compatible with modern operating systems, packed with bonus materials and sold at unreal prices.
“Epic Games redefined the first-person shooter with the Unreal series, and we’re very happy to welcome them to the growing list of companies that share our vision of digital distribution,” said Adam Oldakowski, Managing Director of GOG.com. “We know that a lot of gamers have been waiting for new deals, and we’re sure that the Unreal games will satisfy their lust for alien blood and intense multiplayer action… DRM-free, of course.”
“Epic has partnered with GOG.com to make our time-honored Unreal series more accessible than ever before,” said Jay Wilbur, vice president of Epic Games. “GOG.com provides an affordable way to buy our back catalogue of games and get up and running with minimal effort.”
The Unreal games have already begun to appear in the GOG.com games catalogue with today’s release of Unreal Gold (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/unreal_gold) and Unreal Tournament: GotY Edition (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/unreal_tournament_goty). More titles, as well as announcements of additional publishers and new site features, will appear in the coming weeks.
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