Archive for January, 2006
Metal Gear Solid Digital Comic & Silent Hill Experience for PSP UMD
Konami announced 2 unorthodox PSP titles today. IGN tells us that Silent Hill Experience is an “interactive UMD†featuring content from all four Silent Hill games, plus the upcoming movie, and will also feature a series of animated comics written exclusively for the disc.
Conversely, Gamespot has the scoop on what is tentatively entitled Metal Gear Solid Digital Comic, which contains a similarly interactive trip through an exclusive digital comic featuring good ol’ Solid Snake. Franchise fans and comic / manga fans will likely get a kick out of these unique (if limited) offerings.
Metal Gear Solid Digital Comic (working title) is an interactive comic book-style story from franchise creator Hideo Kojima and producer Noriaki Okamura. Artwork will be provided by Australian comic book artist Ashley Wood, who fans may know from his work on Todd McFarlane’s Spawn and the Metal Gear Solid comic books. No release dates are known yet.
1 comment »Gradius Collection announced for PSP
The PSP Gradius Collection will include five different Gradius 2D shooter games, including Gradius, Gradius II, Gradius III and Gradius IV. The last title, Gradius Gaiden, never actually shipped outside Japan so it’s the first time many will get to play this Konami game come Spring 2006.
Features included are: A new save/load system will make it into the game, allowing you to save directly from the pause screen whenever you like. You can then continue play from your point of saving with your health and power up conditions in tact. The save file remains once you’ve continued play, allowing you to retry from the save point to your heart’s content.
Konami is also filling the game with gallery content for Gradius fans: Movies from Gradius Deluxe Pack (PlayStation), Gradius III & IV (PS2) and Gradius Gaiden (PlayStation) will be included in a movie gallery, with the footage re-compressed from their original master copies, ensuring the highest quality. A sound gallery will feature music from all titles.
Singer/actress Brandy is going to star in her own video game
The Los Angeles video game firm Matty/Markus Games is developing a sci-fi action game using both the voice and likeness of TV’s “Moesha” star, The Hollywood Reporter said Wednesday. “Brandy will play a strong female character who is put into a situation that she must react to, one which has the fate of the world hinging on it.” developer Matty Rich told The Reporter.
In addition to aiding in the game’s development, Brandy will assist in putting together the soundtrack as well, which will hit store shelves before the come comes out next year. I don’t know about you folks, but reading that Press Release quote made me yawn, this truely sounds like it’ll be an incredibly boring game! Giving us an actual title would’ve been nice as well… then at least we could stay far away.
New Fifa Street 2 exclusive features for DS version
FIFA Street follows the formula of past “Street” games, including NBA Street and NFL Street, urbanizing and brutalizing the sport with over-the-top moves and more action. The new FIFA Street will offer a new trick stick beat system, new juggling moves and gamebreakers, fresh tricks, more over-the-top moves, and bigger skills at a faster pace.
EA is also including new locations from around the world, including London’s Westway Leisure Centre and the beaches of Brazil. The Nintendo DS edition will feature an exclusive pitch not in the consoles: Sydney Australia.
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Pokemon movie “A New Future Lies Ahead”
I couldn’t let you miss out on this one. You know the Pokemon RPG / Card / Show phenomenon isn’t over when you watch this home video. Whether to laugh, to cry, cringe, or maybe smirk at his karaoke skills. That I leave up to you.
50 Cent: Bulletproof sells 1 million copies
You might’ve heard (of) the rapper $0.50. Well, he made a movie last year, and that movie was turned into a game. Now it’s officially announced by Vivendi Universal Games that rapper-turned-actor 50 Cent has officially purchased over a million copies of his own game, 50 Cent: Bulletproof.
…okay, so that’s not true, but how else do you explain this anomaly? 50 Cent: Bulletproof was universally panned and mocked (EGM nailed it with a two 3.5s and a 3.0), yet somehow there were enough people in America and the United Kingdom interested in living out the man’s fantasy life to put it over the million mark. We could’ve put a link to a store where you can buy this game in this article, but looking at the horrible scores, you’re better off staying away from the game.
Top-selling January games in the US & UK
Here are the top-selling game titles in the US and UK as of January 23:
* Xbox 360 US: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Collector’s Edition+ (Take-2), Call of Duty 2 (Activision), Dead or Alive 4
* PS2 US: MVP 06 NCAA Baseball (EA), MVP 06 NCAA Baseball (EA), MVP 06 NCAA Baseball (EA)
* Xbox US: MVP 06 NCAA Baseball (EA), MVP 06 NCAA Baseball (EA), Fable: The Lost Chapters (Microsoft)
* GameCube US: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess+ (Nintendo), Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Nintendo)
* PSP US: SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo (Sony), Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Take-Two)
* Nintendo DS US: Electroplankton (Nintendo), Animal Crossing: Wild World (Nintendo)
* PC US: The Sims 2 (EA), World of Warcraft (Vivendi), Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach (Atari)
* Xbox 360 UK: Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft)
* PS2 UK: Need for Speed Most Wanted (EA)
* PSP UK: Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Take-Two)
* Nintendo DS UK: Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
* Xbox UK: Need for Speed Most Wanted (EA)
* GameCube UK: Mario Smash Football (Nintendo)
* PC UK: Football Manager 2006 (Sega)
+ = titles for sale as a pre-order.
Sony buys SOCOM developer Zipper Interactive
As the Japanese giant finalises plans for the launch of its next-generation PS3 console, Sony continues to expand its exclusive developer group with the acquisition of SOCOM: US Navy SEALs creator, Zipper Interactive.
The second developer to join Sony’s newly formed Worldwide Studios group, the move follows the recently announced acquisition of Dutch studio Guerrilla Games, and bolsters Sony’s rapidly expanding internally-owned developer network.
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Conker’s Bad Fur Day review video (N64)
Humorous action-platformer that does away with the tedious item collection found in most games in the genre. Instead, 2001’s Conker’s Bad Fur Day for the Nintendo 64 employs a combination of standard jump, run and explore mechanics and context-sensitive gags and actions. For instance, in the beginning of the game, by pressing the B button on the first pad he encounters, Conker drinks some Alka-Seltzer to wipe out his hangover, at which point players can proceed forward. Later on these pads are used to activate a slingshot and throwing knives; to turn Conker into an anvil and drop downward; to shoot automatic, double-handed guns; to activate a The Matrix-inspired slow-motion effect and flip through the air shooting enemies; and much, much more.
The story of the game is the following: Conker’s very good night turns into a very bad day. He has to deal with a crazy and abusive world, all while suffering through a massive hangover. Conker encounters abusive paint pots; jabbering dung beetles; trigger-happy, scar-faced Tediz; and a belligerent giant, with only a frying pan as a means of self-defense. He is resourceful, however, and makes the best of his situation. The game combines elements of 3-D exploration, combat, and puzzle solving. It features cinematic cutscenes, movie parodies, facial expressions, dozens of unhinged characters, and 1- to 4-player deathmatch games in a variety of styles.
Nintendo has boldly gone where only cows and Bandini have gone before. This controversial M-Rated classic features a corn-loving pile of crap with an affinity for opera and revolutionary pee stream technology. Need I say more?
The most controversial N64 game of all time. Watch this Conker’s Bad Fur Day video review.
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Spider-Man’s director Sam Raimi to helm new movie based on PS2 horror game Siren
Seems like video games are finally getting their due at the cinemas with flicks that do the video game properties justice. At least that’s the direction that game movies seem to be heading with the many flicks in the works, including a chilling adaption of Konami’s psycho-horror game Silent Hill and of course the highly anticipated Halo movie being headed up by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, who will executive produce. And many more game-based movies are on the horizon (click here for a feature I did a while back on upcoming game flicks)
Ghost House Pictures, led by director Sam Raimi (both Spider-Man films, the Evil Dead franchise) and producer Robert Tapert (The Grudge, Xena: Warrior Princess), have purchased the game-to-movie rights for Siren from Sony and shooting is expected to start off this year.
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