Archive for April 26th, 2008
April 26, 2008
Earlier in April, it looked like the death knell had been sounded for Sega Racing Studio, when Sega confirmed that the Solihull-based studio was to be shut down. However, the Sega Rally Revo developer is being saved from the scrapyard, as today Codemasters announced that it will take over the studio with immediate effect.
Codemasters is already well established in the racing genre, having produced the Colin McRae series of rally racing games, which evolved into DiRT last year, as well as the TOCA racing series, known in its upcoming iteration as Grid.
“In seizing this opportunity, we have created additional resources to escalate our plans in the racing segment,” Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens said. “We hope to welcome more than 40 people to the company and we have enjoyed the full cooperation of our friends at Sega in making this happen.”
As for why the racing studio was set for closure in the first place, Sega cited the underwhelming sales performance of its flagship title, last year’s Sega Rally Revo, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, as a factor. A PSP edition of the game was handled by external studio Bugbear Entertainment.
“The decision is part of a review of Sega’s Western Development Studios to ensure that each studio is a profitable entity in its own right,” the company said, “and unfortunately the Sega Racing Studio’s five-year plan would not result in a successful return for the Sega business moving forward.”
The closure would have been yet another blow for the British game development industry, which has slipped from third to fourth place in the global rankings as Canada has increased its investment into the industry. This is despite the increase in game sales in the UK, which generated revenue of
April 26, 2008
While Harmonix and MTV Games have been giving Europeans the runaround with the critically lionized Rock Band, Sony has been pulling a similar stunt on North American gamers with its karaoke rhythm game SingStar for the PlayStation 3. As MTV Games finally set Rock Band’s Euro release on the Xbox 360 for May 23, so too has Sony established a date for SingStar PS3, saying today the game will be available in the US on May 20.
SingStar is one of three games Sony will have on show at this year’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, which runs this weekend in Indio, California, just outside of Palm Springs. At the event, those who choose to ascend the game’s sound stage will be able to sing a tune and then browse the game’s online SingStore to view downloadable songs or upload their performance for online distribution through My SingStar Online. Also on offer during the music event will be the recently released Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet.
Little information has been revealed regarding the US version of the Sony London-developed karaoke title. When the game launched in PAL regions last year, it came packed with 36 songs, with more than 100 additional songs currently available for purchase through the SingStore.
Sony has not yet revealed pricing information or a finalized set list for the US edition of the game. For more on SingStar on the PlayStation 3, check out If Its Games’s previous coverage.
April 26, 2008
After fighting battles in World War II, Vietnam, the present day, and 2142, DICE’s Battlefield series takes a new turn in Battlefield: Bad Company. The scenario is familiar to fans of Battlefield 2 or Activision’s Call of Duty 4: placing gamers in a present-day scenario. This time around, however, you won’t be a gung-ho, brain-dead, order-obeying grunt.
Tanks, jeeps, artillery, airstrikes, and more are all available.
You’ve been thrown into B Company (or Bad Company). B Company is a mishmash of less-than-stellar soldiers who get sent to the front line as cannon fodder and usually have a short life expectancy as a result. In a style reminiscent of the motion picture Three Kings, you’ll discover that being a soldier isn’t just about fighting for the greater good, and throughout the single-player campaign, you’ll look out for your own interests and possibly grab some booty along the way.
Bad Company has seven single-player missions, which will generally take around 45 minutes each to complete. In addition, there’s a strong multiplayer mode that supports up to 24 simultaneous players. Rather than including a conquest mode, which has traditionally been Battlefield’s bread and butter, DICE has introduced a new mode called Gold Rush. As the name implies, you’ll take turns defending, or attacking, a number of gold stockpiles. It’s a plant-the-bomb-style mode with both teams scrambling to take over the control points, and from what we’ve experienced, it’s frantic, fun, and addictive.
If Its Games previously took a look at the Ascension map, and the closed beta–which is now coming to an end–featured the Oasis and Middle East maps. This time around we were treated to a new map, titled Harvest Day in the Xbox 360 version. The map takes place in an open field, with several small villages scattered around the countryside. In between the villages is a shallow river with a few bridges of strategic importance. Much of Bad Company’s environment is destructible, including the bridges, which can be destroyed with heavy firepower to make it tricky–if not impossible–for tanks to cross.
Bad Company has five character classes: assault, recon, support, demolition, and specialist. All have four main weapons to choose from, with secondary fire options. For example, the recon class is equipped with a sniper rifle and a set of binoculars and can call in airstrikes by “painting” a target for several seconds. Once the airstrike has been deployed, you then have to assume control of the missile to guide it to the target. Although it leaves you exposed at the time, the result is immensely satisfying if you’re accurate.
Another impressive heavy weapon is artillery. To operate it, you’ll assume a top-down satellite view, which you can use to acquire targets on the ground. Once it’s fired, you’ll unleash a barrage of shells, decimating any troops, vehicles, or objects in the blast radius. It will even move earth, leaving craters behind.
You’ll also have access to mounted laser-guided missile launchers. You can guide a missile to its target using the right analogue stick. Tanks, jeeps, armoured personnel carriers, and helicopters can also be manned in the game.
Why walk when you can roll in style?
After collecting feedback from players, DICE has announced that it will include the classic conquest mode after launch as a downloadable pack. A spokesperson for DICE told If Its Games that the development team is currently wrapping up work on the game and will move on to the conquest pack when the game is finished.
Battlefield is bringing some seriously bad company to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on June 13 in Europe and on June 23 in North America. Stay tuned for a preview of DICE’s other upcoming Battlefield game, Battlefield Heroes, in the coming days.
-If Its Games
April 26, 2008
Okay, we’ll admit right now that, beyond a few screens and a single movie, we haven’t seen Madden NFL 09. However, that doesn’t mean we haven’t found out a whole bunch about the game in the past two days. EA Sports is in New York City this week to unveil NCAA Football 09 and also announce former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 09, the twentieth anniversary of EA Sports’ football series. Though EA isn’t quite ready to show the game yet, they were definitely talking about the new features and improvements that should make their way into the game when it’s released later this year. Today we met with EA Sports’ senior producer Phil Frazier for a “pre-season” discussion of what this highly anticipated game will offer.
We already know that NCAA Football 09 is taking online play seriously with the introduction of online dynasty, but it seems Madden NFL 09 is looking to up its online game as well. Online leagues will be one of the biggest features in the game this year, allowing up to 32 real players to take each other on in a real competitive environment. According to Frazier, this is something that’s been wanted by the fans and developers alike for a while now.
“We’re real excited about it,” Frazier said. “It’s one of those features that has been called out in reviews, it’s been called out on message boards; we know people have wanted online leagues and we’re finally delivering.”
Up to 32 players will be able to compete in games, participate in the NFL Draft, conduct trades between one another and more in this mode all on a schedule that works for each player in the league. “The nice thing about it is flex scheduling,” said Frazier. “You can play your games in any order, at any time. You don’t have to play one game a week, you can play five games a week if all five of your opponents are online.” The ability to skip games sounds like it will be a crucial tool towards ensuring that your online league–many of which fall apart because of the rigorous scheduling–continues through multiple seasons.
While the league play will surely be a lynchpin in the Madden NFL 09 experience, it certainly won’t be the only feature in the game. Frazier is quick to point out the improved animation system that will be found in the game, one that builds off the work that was begun in the improved branching animation system from last year’s Madden. When asked how the animations are improved over Madden NFL 08, Frazier points to both the animations themselves as well as the controls you’ll be playing with as well.
“First it’s more control, I think that’s going to be the one thing that people really pick up on from day one. It was really important for us to make sure that we get the responsiveness back in the game. And [second], we’ve added a lot of animations of course
April 26, 2008
Reuters - Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.OS) said it has no plan to cut the prices of its Wii console and DS handheld players this year, underscoring its confidence in continued demand for the Japanese videogame maker’s two growth engines.
April 26, 2008
AP - Nintendo does not plan to cut prices of its popular Wii gaming console or DS handheld game system anytime soon, the company’s president said Friday.
April 26, 2008
Reuters - Beatings, carjackings, drive-by shootings, drunk driving and hookers. For video game fans, it can only mean one thing: “Grand Theft Auto 4″ is here, with all the subtlety of a shotgun blast.
April 26, 2008
Mad Catz Interactive announced today the release of a new range of accessories compatible with the Nintendo Wii Fit system. The range includes a Wii Fit Rechargeable Battery Pack that provide up to 20 hours of game play from a single charge, a Wii Fit Travel/Storage Case, a Wii Fit Exercise Mat adds increased stability and protection to any Wii Fit workout and a Wii Fit Protective Silicone Cover.
April 26, 2008
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told analysts Friday that that \”Our earnings projection for the year is not based on hardware price cuts, and I don\’t think we are going to need them.\”
April 26, 2008
Nintendo\’s design Shigeru Miyamoto recently told the press that he wanted to include a mode in Wii Fit that allowed people to weigh their pets. \”He wasn\’t able to include it in the Japanese version, but in the North American version, available May 19th, players will receive a message informing them that if they weigh themselves while holding their pets, then weigh themselves again separately and subtract the two, the difference will tell them how much their pet weighs.\”
April 26, 2008
Bad Dog (a part of Datel) are planning to release a new Wii Nunchuk known as the Duo-FX controller. It has two unique selling points in that it costs less than an official Nunchuk and has the benefit of being useable as a classic controller so long as the arcade game doesn\’t require more buttons than the FX controller has! More information will be officially unveiled soon…
April 26, 2008
Below is the debut trailer for Biohazard 0. Get on the Wii train and exterminate the Resident Evil.
April 26, 2008
Girls Aloud stunner Sarah Harding was recently on show to promote the launch of Wii Fit. As you\’d expect, she gave some thoughts on the product and said it\’s just like having a personal trainer at home, and her and all the girls in the group now have no excuse not to keep in shape on tour.
April 26, 2008
For those with a Japanese PSN account, you can now download the Siren demo which comes in at about half a gig.
April 26, 2008
According to multiple reports, the Metal Gear Online beta is now live for all territories including the U.S.