Archive for October 2nd, 2007
October 2, 2007
Last month, Epic Games president Mark Rein cautioned fans that a November release for Unreal Tournament 3 on the PlayStation 3 and PC was just a target and not a certainty. Epic appears to have missed the target with the PS3 edition of the game: Publisher Midway today announced that it expects that it won’t ship that version of the game until the first quarter of 2008.
The PC edition is still set to release in early November, and Midway president and CEO David Zucker said in an investor conference call that there is no announced timing on the release of the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament 3. However, a Midway representative confirmed to If Its Games that UT3 would still see a period of console exclusivity on the PS3.
The shift in the PS3 game’s release date was also listed by Midway as one of several factors contributing to the publisher reducing its quarterly and yearly revenue projections. Previously, Midway expected $50 million in revenue for the quarter ended September 30, but lowered that figure to $39 million after the PS3 edition of Stranglehold was pushed into the fourth quarter.
Events affecting the company’s full-year revenue estimates include delays for the PS3 Unreal Tournament 3 as well as the PS3 edition of BlackSite: Area 51. In Europe, the game has been pushed into the first quarter of 2008, while North American Sony fans will have to wait until late November for the game, three weeks after its PC and Xbox 360 counterparts ship. Factoring in those difficulties, Midway is now projecting full-year revenues of $170 million, down from the previously expected $225 million.
In the conference call, Zucker blamed the PS3 BlackSite and Stranglehold delays on problems stemming from getting the Unreal Engine 3 up and running on Sony’s console. Both will arrive before Epic Games’ PS3 debut, which had been prominently promoted as being exclusive to Sony’s console and the PC during the 2007 holiday shopping season.
Regardless, Zucker said the problems with the engine and the platform have been dealt with, and Midway expects its 2008 PS3 titles to ship day and date with their Xbox 360 counterparts. However, he noted that the two games would still be shipping before Epic Games’ own debut PS3 Unreal Engine 3 game.
However, it wasn’t all delays and bad news from the publisher. Zucker also confirmed that a number of hit franchises will be resurfacing next year.
“Looking ahead to 2008, with our core technology platform now in place, we expect to release a number of titles, including already announced console versions of Unreal Tournament 3, a next-generation installment of our NBA Ballers franchise, Wheelman, and TNA iMPACT! the video game,” Zucker said in a statement. “We also expect to release several as-yet-unannounced titles such as next-generation versions of our hit franchises Blitz and Mortal Kombat, and two exciting new ambitious open world games. We intend to give more details on our 2008 release schedule in the near future.”
October 2, 2007
Midway Games has revealed that the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament 3 will be delayed in its release until the first quarter of 2008, however the PC version is still on track to be released in November. No reason was given for the delay, but this could be \’bad\’ news for Xbox 360 owners as a while ago Mark Rein stated that whatever happens the PS3 version will be released sometime before the 360 version (whether this will be a matter of weeks or months, it will still be later).
October 2, 2007
Mark Rein has stated that due to the \’extra\’ time the PS3 version of UT 3 now has in development, the respective version will now include all of the maps that the PC version includes which wasn\’t scheduled previously. Despite previous news suggesting UT 3 would hit in 2008, Rein stated there is a possibility tht UT 3 could come out in December for the PS3.
October 2, 2007
During this year’s Game Developers Conference, Sony confirmed rumors that Incognito’s long-in-development revival of the classic PlayStation arcade air fighter Warhawk would completely forgo a single-player mode. With its nontraditional offering, much speculation arose around how Sony would handle distribution of the multiplayer PlayStation 3 game.
A few weeks before Warhawk landed to a warm critical reception, Sony answered those questions by announcing two different SKUs for the game. Warhawk could either be downloaded through the PlayStation Network for $39.99, or aspiring flight commanders could pick up a tangible copy coupled with a Bluetooth wireless headset for $59.99 at retail outlets.
Now a third SKU has taken flight. Sony has confirmed to If Its Games that a $39.99 version sans Bluetooth headset would be touching down at retailers later this month. While Sony wasn’t yet willing to say when that would happen, GameStop is currently listing the stand-alone game as shipping on October 10.
October 2, 2007
According to Japan\’s Asahi newspaper, Nintendo\’s move to offer free Wii remote covers will cost the company two billion yen which converts to around $18 million. With the success of the Wii, we\’re sure that Nintendo can afford that without too much deliberation.
October 2, 2007
The new Crimson/Onyx system is now available in stores at an MSRP of $129.99. Previously it could only be purchased as part of a bundle with Brain Age
October 2, 2007
Sony has registered a new Playstation logo - which clearly shows all the traditional buttons of the PS controller on a spherical shaped background.
October 2, 2007
The title says it all Dark_Alex has released a new update for his custom M33 v3.71 firmware and also a revised version of his v1.5 kernel add-on. This build fixes a few bugs, adds in the Noobz PSP USB slim charge option, and a few other things. Check it all out at his official release thread. Spread the word and DIGG THIS!!!
October 2, 2007
It would seem as if rumors of Microsoft and Bugie parting ways are actually somewhat true. TeamXbox are saying that their sources are telling them that things are more complicated than Microsoft simply letting Bungie go with an official announcement set to take place before October 12th. GameInformer has also said that a source of theirs has confirmed that the rumor is true but Microsoft will still retain the rights to Halo and has the right of first refusal on future games.
October 2, 2007
Popular in the West, the Xbox 360’s lackluster performance in Japan has been a constant thorn in Microsoft’s side during this generation’s console race. High on the publisher’s to-do list for winning the elusive market over has been to persuade Japanese publishers and developers to bring their franchises to its console. Prime examples of this are Namco Bandai’s Katamari and Ace Combat series, which, save for a single Ace Combat Game Boy Advance installment, had been exclusive to Sony platforms.
The Ace-Edge touches down October 23.
Today, the Japanese publishing giant announced that the latest installments of both series–Beautiful Katamari and Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation–had finished development and shipped to manufacturers in anticipation of their debuts exclusively on the Xbox 360. Beautiful Katamari rolls onto Microsoft’s console on October 16 at the budget price of $39.99, with Ace Combat 6 following on October 23 for $59.99. A limited-edition Ace Combat 6 bundle–which includes the game, an Ace-Edge Flightstick created by Hori, and an AC6 faceplate–will also be available for $149.99.
Contrary to the series’ penchant to gobble up everything in sight, Namco Bandai quietly rolled back its initially announced PlayStation 3 version of Beautiful Katamari earlier this year. The announcement, which was rumored to be given during this year’s E3 Media and Business Summit, never materialized, possibly due to the publisher’s unexpected cancellation of its E3 press conference.
Now apparently an Xbox 360 exclusive, Beautiful Katamari again sees the Prince of all Cosmos doing his father’s work, rolling up the universe in a nice, neat ball. The game expands on the series with new features and modes, as well as adds cooperative and competitive online play. It is rated E for Everyone.
Ace Combat 6 will incorporate an “allied support system” whereby players can issue commands to friendly land, sea, and air forces to coordinate attacks. Furthermore, it will mark the first time an Ace Combat has features online multiplayer action, with deathmatch, team deathmatch, and co-op modes to complement global online leaderboards. It is rated T for Teen.
Demos for both Ace Combat 6 and Beautiful Katamari are currently available on Xbox Live. For more on either game, check out If Its Games’s previous coverage.
October 2, 2007
When the world\’s most famous plumber made his video game debut, he was known as Jumpman. The mini clip also shows the new Wii remote anti-slip jacket too…
;)