1 week and 12 staff members later - we have our mega review up for Grand Theft Auto 4. It's the biggest game of the year, and we have the biggest review ever.
While it's not Evil, gaming or truly news...today for most of our reading audience it's Mother's Day.
So for our Mothers who brought us into the world (and at least in my case threated to take me out because I was being less than respective in my rebellious days ) to wreck havoc, create families, play video games and whatever else...Thank You!
So share what you did / got for your Mom/Mother of your childen or if you are an EvAv Mom what did this day have in store for you?
GameIndustry's weekly editorial (made public via sister site Eurogamer) takes a look at Call of Duty 4's success and what it may, and should, mean for developers working on MMOs.
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What was the biggest massively multiplayer online game of 2007 - and, indeed, of 2008 so far? Ignoring the obvious answer - "World of Warcraft, again" - I'd argue for a rather unusual answer to this question. Not Lord of the Rings Online, not Tabula Rasa. No, to my mind, the biggest massively multiplayer online game of 2007 was Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
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What this industry should be striving for isn't to become the next World of Warcraft - it's to become a game equally as successful as World of Warcraft, but whose Venn diagram of players has as little crossover with Blizzard's opus as possible. Given what we've seen in recent years in this market, nobody should be shy of innovation - because it's perfectly obvious that slavish copying of the market leader is just as likely to result in utter commercial disgrace. Reinvention and rethinking of the genre and the medium may actually be a lower-risk prospect - now there's something you don't hear very often in the games industry.
I have in my hand....the official list of WiiWare titles to be available on day one.
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FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King (Square Enix, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 1,500 Wii Points): FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King takes a legendary franchise and launches it into the realm of simulation gaming. Players are challenged to rebuild a kingdom, leading its young king on a path of discovery through an adventure bristling with mystery and intrigue.
LostWinds (Frontier Development, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): A fresh, enchanting platform adventure that puts the power of the wind in the palm of your hand – from raging tornados to the gentlest breeze. You’ll wield your Wii Remote™ controller to power Toku’s jumps and glides, suspend and smash enemies, meet friends and solve puzzles using LostWinds’ novel, intuitive and playful control system.
Defend your Castle (XGen Studios, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone – Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): Defend your Castle takes place on a grassy plain surrounded by invaders. You are the commander of your castle, and it is your duty to fling the invading enemies sky-high, watching them plummet to their demise. As you progress, add powerful spells and upgrades to your arsenal for repelling the attacks. How long can you hold them off?
Pop (Nnooo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 700 Wii Points): Pop bubbles to score points and stop the timer from running out. Pop can be enjoyed by anyone – casual gamers can simply play to pop bubbles and keep the game moving, whereas advanced players will need to pick their shots rapidly and accurately and generate combos to maximize their score.
V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack (High Voltage Software®, Inc., 1-4 players, Rated T for Teen – Simulated Gambling, 700 Wii Points): V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack re-creates the casino experience, with fully animated players and a realistic Las Vegas dealer. Single players can increase their bankrolls, while multiple players can engage in a head-to-head mini-blackjack tournament.
TV Show King (Gameloft, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): TV Show King transforms your living room into a real TV quiz show studio where you’ll face the challenge of answering more than 3,000 questions across six different categories. Compete against family and friends and use your Wii Remote controller in original ways to make it to the finals to see who can win the greatest amount of cash in one final, deciding duel.
According to Next Gen, Electronic Arts has managed to secure a $1 billion loan to assist in the proposed buy out of Take-Two.
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EA said in an SEC filing that it has had more than the amount needed to cover the Take-Two acquisition--valued at around $2.1 billion--set aside as early as March 31 this year.
But EA still secured the new loan from Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., Morgan Stanley Bank, BNP Paribas, BNP Paribas Securities Corp., The Bank of Nova Scotia and KeyBank National Association.
The funding organizations will be able to provide EA with up to $1 billion of senior unsecured loan term financing at any time until January 9, 2009. Funds would be used towards offer "and/or the merger."
If ever there was any doubt about the seriousness of EA's buy out, let this lay those doubts to rest.
There has been a lot of discussion in the past few days on how the security requirements for Mass Effect for PC will work. BioWare, a division of EA, wants to let fans know that Mass Effect will not require 10- day periodic re-authentication.
The scheme will now behave similarly to Bioshock's: you need to be online when you install, and will need to call EA/Securom if you want to install on more than three computers (no indication whether that's simultaneously, within a cooloff period, or ever). There's one added caveat of having to be online to install official content/patches/etc. too.
It won't be long before we post up the exclusive first ever gameplay video for Gears of War 2. 10:30 p.m. PST on Friday night is when we'll be setting it live, so stay tuned to this space! Hope you're ready -- it's awesome.
Didn't see this one coming, despite knowing its EA in question here :
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Criterion is bringing its hit arcade racer, Burnout Paradise, to PC.
The developer says that the new version is being "rebuilt specifically for the PC". Although it didn't specify exactly what changes would be made, it promises "expanded multiplayer, enhanced online features, and community driven content".
Burnout Paradise "will combine all the open world racing, intense speed and action of the original game with new gameplay for the PC version," says Criterion.
Source
Can you imagine how awesome this can become with user-made mods/content?
TG Daily did some digging and found a bit of controversy surrounding Ubisoft's recent decision to remove DirectX 10.1 functionality from the PC port of their swords and stealth Crusades epic. Certain features of DX10.1 were detrimentally effecting performance of Nvidia cards, while Radeon cards experienced no problems. The latest patch rolls back the engine to DX10, thereby removing the problem, but downgrading the experience for Radeon owners. TG Daily contends that manufacturing partnerships may have been involved in the decision.
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Sadly, this is the way PC gaming is: There is a great game, but it is burdened with technical issues and ends up getting caught in marketing wars. We have no doubt that the development team made a mistake in QA process and integrated a feature that caused instabilities with Nvidia cards. Given Nvidia’s market share, Ubisoft had to patch it. What we do not understand is the reason for an explanation that left more questions than answers.
Where is Altair when you need him to dispense some justice?
In what may be one of the more shocking non-announcements in the last decade, Activision has confirmed that they will not be releasing a new Tony Hawk game for consoles this year. They will be releasing a DS Tony Hawk, but for the first time since 1998 there will not be a new iteration of the series on consoles.
Why no Tony Hawk this year? It has to have something to do with the success of EA's Skate last year, which outsold Activision's Tony Hawk game by a 2 to 1 margin. But don't worry, they still plan on releasing another game in the venerable franchise in 2009.
GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy director Gore Verbinski is set to helm a movie based on the Bioshock video game. Would you kindly read this excerpt from the article.
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Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick was responsible for negotiating the deal with Universal. "BioShock has been hailed as one of the most highly cinematic and richly plotted titles in interactive entertainment, making it extremely well-suited to film," he commented.
"In partnering with Universal and Gore Verbinski, we have assembled a team that respects the uniqueness of BioShock and will translate it into a powerful movie experience. Our ability to attract a major studio and unparalleled creative team speaks volumes about the strength of our BioShock franchise.
Very cool. So who's going to play the main character? Better yet - who's going to play Andre Ryan?
The Register is reporting that Microsoft has begun ordering 65nm versions of the GPU.
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The original 360 has a 90nm GPU and a 90nm CPU. Last year, console based on the 'Falcon' platform incorporated the 65nm CPU. With the debut of Jasper and its 65nm GPU, the over-heating problems - manifested most clearly in the infamous Red Ring of Death - that have plagued no small number of Xbox 360 owners will evaporate.
I wonder if this will coincide with a revamp of the size?
Eurogamer has a rather large and good preview of the next big thing in WoW.
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A stunningly brave revamp of raiding is the big surprise; every raid dungeon in the expansion will be playable with either 10 or 25 players, opening the full sweep of the game to far more people.
Then there is the new vehicle combat technology. And the fact that the Death Knight, the new hero class, will grant a 55-level head start on any server. And a raid encounter which changes over time.
Hmmm... impressive. I am happy Blizzard continues to go down the path of smaller raiding. My guild can handle big raids, but a lot of us prefer small raids.
For all the people screaming doom for Midway allegedly abandoning fatality, comes this glimmer of hope :
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Originally Posted by Joystiq
When Midway announced that DC characters were splicing worlds with Mortal Kombat for a T-rated fighting game, we prepared our eulogy for the fatality, a staple of the MK universe that seemed to run against the DC philosophy. Not so fast, says MK series creator Ed Boon, who hints that the violent sendoffs will still be there, albeit in a tamer fashion.
In an interview with GameTap, Boon notes that the developer never explicitly stated fatalities were going away. "We did acknowledge that we won't be able to do the same kinds of outrageous moves, like tearing someone's head off and the spine being attached to it," he says, adding, "My response is that, no, we're modifying fatalities. But I have every intention to keep finishers."
Gameplayer has gone to see Gearbox Studios and have had an exclusive look at the upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines. In this article they discuss the gameplay, design and mythology with the developer.
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In fact, the whole place looks more like a movie studio than a games house, no doubt a result of Gearbox’s success in aligning with Fox Studios to acquire original scripts, artwork, design elements, and even sound effects from the Aliens film.
Popular Opinion is a weekly poll designed to gauge the Evil Avatar community's overall opinion of a game that has been on the market for at least a month. See previous poll results and a summary of how it works.
AQ Interactive sends word that they will be bringing Vampire Rain: Altered Species to PlayStation 3:
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May 8, 2008 - Tokyo, Japan - AQ Interactive announced today that it will bring Vampire Rain: Altered Species to the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The exciting stealth action game will be developed by industry veteran Artoon, which has developed such blockbuster titles as Blue Dragon, Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Yoshi's Island DS and many more.
"We are very excited to bring Vampire Rain: Altered Species to the PlayStation®3," said Artoon President Naoto Ōshima. "The incredible power of the PS3, will allow us to give gamers a fully immersive experience. This will include: 5.1 channel audio, over 50 hours of gameplay, extra bonus levels, a lot of completely revamped animations, character interactions and much more."
Vampire Rain: Altered Species is an intense game that takes place during a dreary night in a suburban, west coast city in the US. For some time now, mankind has been battling the ferocious and terrifying Nightwalkers, a race of superhuman vampires who crave human blood. People have been disappearing at night; the lucky ones are found dead, but those less fortunate are reborn as Nightwalkers, and are bound by instinct to forcefully recruit unwitting victims into the Nightwalker army. Gamers take the role of John Lloyd, a member of a US special government unit created to defeat the Nightwalkers, and the only human to ever survive a physical encounter with them.
Aside from featuring a blood-chilling, story driven single player campaign, Vampire Rain: Altered Species will also feature a robust multiplayer mode.
About 20 percent of underage teens were able to buy Mature-rated games during a recent nationwide undercover shopper survey conducted by the FTC, down more than half from last year, the FTC reported today...
According to the FTC's study, ratings enforcement at retail has increased steadily since 2000, when 80% of its undercover shoppers successfully purchased M-rated games.
The ESRB conducts its own secret-shopper studies using the same surveyors as the FTC. Its most recent survey in November 2007 found 76 percent compliance with store policies.
"Video game retailers have clearly stepped up their efforts to enforce their store policies, and they deserve recognition for these outstanding results," said ESRB president Patricia Vance, in a statement released today. "We commend and applaud retailers for their strong support of the ESRB ratings, and will continue working with them to help ensure that these levels of compliance are sustained if not further increased."
That's right, video games have a better enforcement rate than R rated movies and explicit CDs.
Editor's Note - I was about to post this at the same time as cp#, so I edited it to reflect a combined effort - fitbabits
When last we heard about the Skype-on-PSP initiative it was being delayed due to headset hardware that wasn't up to Skype standards. but now, according to Engadget, the kinks have been worked out and the headset is now available stateside.
There is a small catch though:
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Sony has finally brought its Skype-friendly PSP headset to US retail. Unfortunately, it won't work with those original fatty PSPs, and at $30 you've gotta ask yourself how much you'll really be using it for -- the original price was set at $20. That said, it's undoubtedly the easiest way to get up and running with Skype and in-game voice chat on the PSP, since it used to require two separate accessories to pull it off.
Everyday Shooter is an album of games exploring the expressive power of abstract shooters. Dissolute sounds of destruction are replaced with guitar riffs harmonizing over an all-guitar soundtrack, while modulating shapes celebrate the flowing beauty of geometry.
Play through different levels each with a completely unique musical, graphical, and gameplay style. Shoot to trigger musical sounds and riffs that combine to form the final soundscape of the game. Use points earned in the game to unlock extra lives, shuffle mode, and different visual filters.
PS3Fanboy had a chance to talk with the developers of LittleBigPlanet and are reporting the game will NOT have a beta anymore.
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Sam Bennett (Community Development Manager) and Pete Smith (Producer) maintained that a public, open beta will sadly not be happening. The game will go through a beta phase, obviously, but this will be performed by an internal group at Sony.
I'm pretty disappointed by this news since by all accounts the game is a lot of fun. I guess we'll get our LBP fix in October.
David Reeves, President of SCEE, revealed to CVG today the reason why Home was delayed until this fall. It's pretty straight forward, albeit a little strange.
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"It is definitely coming out in autumn," assured Reeves. "Whether that's October or November, I don't precisely know, but it is an open beta."
"We've realised that maybe we were too ambitious with the non-gaming applications within Home, getting sponsors and stuff like that," he went on to confess.
Why they would focus more on advertising and in game clothing (I assume) is beyond me. At least they corrected the course in time.
It's been years since the last Lord of the Rings movie (and years at least before the Hobbit movie graces screens) but that doesn't mean the license is dead. Electronic Arts announced today a new title incorporating the Lord of the Rings property, but this time with a bit of a twist. Pandemic studios is giving it the Battlefront treatment.
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Judging by the info, Pandemic's aiming to have every man, dwarf, elf, orc, troll, good guy, bad guy, hobbit yadda yadda you can think of the from the story and chuck them into mass confrontations that can support 150 on-screen characters.
Only eight players will be supported on the head-to-head multiplayer, but the game will support 4 person co-op play
The MTV Multiplayer Blog contacted iSuppli, a company that estimates actual cost to manufacture and package a product to a company to find out just why those damn Xbox 360 hard drives are so expensive.
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Unlike an off-the-shelf drive that can simply be loaded into your standard PS3 the Xbox 360 drive’s pricing also includes color tuning and packaging. This begins to drive the price up from what you might see at an online retailer like NewEgg.
The software-loaded drives are then sold to what’s called Value Added Resellers (VARs). These folks take the base drives and apply the casing and packaging. iSuppli expects VARs purchase the drives for $75, before charging $5 to add their part to the final package that ends up appearing at your local games store.
These drives are then delivered to Microsoft. iSuppli believes the markup on the drives could be as much as $20, making the drives $100 a pop for Microsoft.
But..but...they sell the drives for $179.99. This $80 price difference obviously doesn't go all to Microsoft, and actually falls on the retailer. A good guess is Microsoft is making between $40 and $50 a drive sold, because even though the MSRP is $180 sites like Amazon sell the drive for $150.
There are plenty of arguments as to why the drives should be cheaper, but as long as Microsoft is making this kind of money on the drives - and they are selling - it just ain't going to happen.
Major Nelson is reporting that a demo for GRID is up on Xbox Live Marketplace.
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It's time to get on the GRID as this superb demo showcases racing in the three regions playable in the full game; Europe Touring Cars at Jarama Circuit, U.S Muscle cars at San Francisco and Japanese Drift Racing at Yokohama Docks. Compete online in the European and U.S races and check out the time trial competitions for the chance to win a car and other ace prizes.
Gameplayer are reporting that Sony has decided not to continue its licensing agreement with Formula One and that the franchise is now up for grabs.
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According to inside sources, when Sony attempted to renew their original arrangement with Formula One there was a considerable gap between what they were willing to pay for this new license – and what Bernie Ecclestone’s company was demanding they fork out for it. As a result Sony has refused to pony up the dough thereby leaving the official license up for grabs with rival publishers Codemasters, Ubisoft, and EA all poised to secure a new five-year contract.
Last year, when EA Chicago was shuttered, we though we had seen the last of the Fight Night series. EA's later announcement of the arcade boxing title Facebreaker seemed to put the final nail in the coffin. But fight fans can rejoice, because Fight Night Round 4 is on the way, and this time with a friend - Mike Tyson.
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Electronic Arts officially unveiled EA Sports Fight Night Round 4, which will feature a pre-rape conviction Mike Tyson and floating, stinging Muhammad Ali.
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Fight Night used to be a well-regarded staple of EA Chicago, but after that studio was shuttered last year, EA has handed development duties over to EA Canada.
The studio will be adding some of history's best boxers into the mix in the form of Tyson and Ali as playable characters, time periods be damned.
Fight Night Round 4 is slated for a 2009 release on both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children.
) to wreck havoc, create families, play video games and whatever else...Thank You!
