Archive for November, 2007
Metal Gear Solid 4 last of the great 3rd-party exclusives?
The days they are a-changin’. It looks like Metal Gear Solid 4 will have to sell over 1 million copies on it’s first day(!) in order for Konami to make back the sky high development costs of the sure-to-be system-seller. This is all due to it only being available on one platform, the Playstation 3.
It used to be that video game developers could bank on a system exclusive to ramp up sales numbers for that title, but no longer. In this day and age it can take years and millions upon millions of dollars with huge development teams just to pump out one “next-gen” quality video game title (particularly on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360), and a new Reuters article explores whether or not Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots may indeed be the last great console exclusive (although maybe they are forgetting about a little game called Final Fantasy XIII).
As has been widely reported, virtually all Sony’s once-exclusive juggernauts like Devil May Cry 4, Virtua Fighter 5, Grand Theft Auto 4, Assassin’s Creed, and Mercenaries 2 have gone multiplatform with all of them releasing on Microsoft’s competing console as well as Sony’s.
“We understand publishers are needing to recoup their investment,” said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing for Sony. “From our perspective, as long as the games aren’t going exclusive to other platforms, PS3 gamers are not actually losing anything.”
To compete Sony has majorly ramped up production with it’s own internal studios and is now creating no less than 15 Playstation titles, which is more than Microsoft and Nintendo combined (according to them anyway) with 15 exclusives hitting the PS3 between September 2007 and April 2008.
And now 3rd parties are needed to move massive amounts of copies in the first DAY just to stay afloat.
Which is a high order for Metal Gear Solid 4 considering that PS3 sales have been sluggish when compared to the Xbox 360 (7.2 million units sold) and Wii (5.2 million sold). The PS3 has sold only 2 million to this point according to NPD research and a year after it’s release only two PS3 titles have reached the one million mark in sales
So with production costs being anywhere from $10 to $50 million for top titles, that means publishers are virtually required to go multiplatform to make back all that money spent.
“You might be able to weather one title coming in at 500,000 in sales,” said Pidgeon. “But two or three failures like that and even big publishers are going to be hurting.”
1 comment »Five new songs have been added to Boom Boom Rocket today
New songs have been added to Boom Boom Rocket! Earlier in the month developer Bizarre Creations announced that they would be adding dance pad and guitar support for Boom Boom Rocket (they’re music/rhythm Xbox Live Arcade game) and now they are set to add even more downloadable support for the title!
The guitar and dance mat support is now officially up for you to download and along with it are new leaderboards for players using the new control methods, Japanese and Korean language support (as previously announced) as well as five new songs!
These five songs will be free until December 16th, after which they will cost $3.12 each (250 Microsoft Points).
The new songs are:
Eine Kleine Rochtmusik
Cannon in D
Sugar High
Sting of the Bumble Bee
Explode to Joy
Chessmaster headed to Xbox 360 Live Arcade
Chessmaster will be making it’s way to yet another platform in the form of a release on Xbox Live Arcade in January 2008 from massive publisher Ubisoft.
Features of Chessmaster on Xbox Live include:
* Hundreds of AI opponents in “ELO-ranked matches”
* Voice-chat
* Live Vision Camera functions for head-to-head matches
* New 3D chess sets inspired by luxury board designer, House of Staunton
* Five “original chess variants”
* The “Message Chess” variant allows you to spread one chess match over “days, weeks or even months”!
“Chessmaster Live is not only a comprehensive chess program, but it is also one that has expanded beyond the traditional game to include exciting features for fans, both old and new,” says Ubisoft’s Peter Helm.
Ubisoft already published various Chessmaster games here including the recently released duo of Chessmaster: The Art of Learning on DS and Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition on PC and they will be publishing ChessMaster for PSP in Spring of 2008.
New Silent Hill V details surface
New details have finally surfaced on Silent Hill V, one of the most anticipated upcoming horror games. Silent Hill V is notable because it will be the first next-gen (PS3 and Xbox 360) installment in the massively popular franchise.
Returning in Silent Hill V after it’s absence in Silent Hill 4: The Room, will be the flashlight and radio. You will recall these from previous installments where the flashlight let you see in dark areas (obviously) while the radio would make static noise to tell you that enemies were approaching or nearby (as you can read in my Silent Hill 2 review).
Unlike the previous Silent Hill titles, the camera in Silent Hill 5 will feature full 3D movement. Since this news comes from the Official Playstation Magazine (which also features new scans from the game), that means that they obviously are focusing on the PS3 version, and as such they hint at the possibility of Sixaxis motion-censored support for the PS3 version of Silent Hill V. Which could make sense if it was done right, but I hope they don’t just shoehorn it in there.
Take a look at Silent Hill V in action in this old trailer.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary out now for Xbox 360 Live Marketplace
Tomb Raider: Anniversary is out now for download via the Xbox 360 Live Marketplace, but you can only get it if you already own Tomb Raider: Legend on disc, since the downloads act as additional episodes; Although it’s the entire Tomb Raider: Anniversary game, just split up into four downloads (the initial level of which is downloadable for free, btw).
This makes Tomb Raider: Anniversary the first full-retail game to be available for download over Xbox Live (although the audience is limited obviously).
This is in addition to all the other ways you can get the game, which is available as a standalone Xbox 360 title that you can buy on store shelves (but hey, now you don’t even have to get up off your couch to play it!) as well as on the PC, Playstation 2, Playstation Portable, Nintendo Wii and you can download Tomb Raider: Anniversary via Valve’s Steam service (although Europe is excluded).
If you’ve never heard of the game, it is a remake of the original Tomb Raider but using the engine (which includes updated graphics, effect, physics and control) from the extremely successful Lara Croft revival, Tomb Raider Legend. And since it is a remake of a very, very old and archaic game, many changes were made to update it to a modern experience and to make-up for all of Lara’s new moves and abilities that weren’t available in the original game. But all the same worlds and the feel of the original game is largely intact. Making it a great place to get acquainted with the video game icon Lara Croft if you never played the original.
Here is a trailer for the Xbox Live version of the game (which oddly enough doesn’t say anything about you having to own Tomb Raider: Legend on disc in order to download it).
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem developer walkthrough video
In Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem for PSP you are an elite, lone Predator with an arsenal of exotic weaponry and equipment at your disposal. Access your advanced technologies with the Predator’s wrist computer including Pred-tech/thermal vision modes and cloaking, to track, stalk and annihilate both humans and Aliens. Both classic and completely new futuristic weapons such as wrist blades, laser trip mines and dual shoulder cannons will you the ability to eradicate all traces of the Alien race.
With co-op multiplayer mode players will be able to team up with friends wirelessly to play as the Predator’s comrades, attempting to withstand hordes of attacking Aliens. To add to the game’s challenging features, an honor point system will evaluate the player’s success based on how closely they adhere to the Predator’s value system. The higher the honor achievement, the more weapon and armor upgrades available to the player.
Developed exclusively for the PSP, this action/adventure game is based on the upcoming film due this Christmas.
Honestly I’m not sure what to think about the game, but I’ll be checking out the movie just to see the Predalien!
Aquarium and Fantasy Aquarium by DS preview bring fish love to your Nintendo portable
How many people do you know that have an aquarium filled with fish in their house? Chances are you know at least one person that has an aquarium. Believe it or not, there are lots of people that simply love fish and love to watch fish or even just to have an aquarium in their living space to liven it up and add some color.
Mercury Games is banking on that very aspect to sell a new casual game of there’s. The Aquarium games consist of “Aquarium” and “Fantasy Aquarium”, the difference being that the former focuses on small fish, like you’d find in reality, while the latter allows you to keep big ocean creatures that would never be able to fit in a real fish tank that you’d keep in your home.
Game features include:
* Create your own personalized aquarium
* Pick from more than 30 fishes to populate your tank (Including killer whales, dolphins, penguins, platypuses and sea turtles in the Fantasy Aquarium version)
* Share your fishes with your friends using the DS Wi-Fi feature - allowing your fish to play on your friends aquarium
* Decorate and accessorize your tank
* Unlock extra fish and accessories to use in the game
* Control all aspects of your aquarium, size, water temp and salinity to create the perfect environment for your fishes
* Care for your fish, make sure they are fed and that the tank is clean
* Maintain them well enough and they may even start to breed!
For a first look at the game check out this trailer.
Some striking writers now working on game scripts
As you may have heard, the Writers Guild of America (WGA has over 12,000 writers) have been on strike all month to negotiate a new employment contract. With key issues being that profits made from subsequent airings or purchases of a program, are a necessary part of a writer’s income that is typically relied upon during periods of unemployment that are common in the writing industry.
The irony is that now some writers are turning to a medium resistant to unions, games. Two years ago, the Screen Actors Guild failed to achieve the inclusion of residuals for game sales when they approved a new contract covering work by actors in videogames, and game developers themselves have no union to speak of.
The WGA, however, has recently shown signs of interest in including video games into the union, creating a video game writing award to be presented at the 2008 Writers Guild Awards in February. “Video games are written and many are written very well” said WGA West President Patric M. Verrone of the award at the time. “By recognizing the skill and craft of video game writing, the Writers Guilds intend to raise the profile of these writers so that they can get WGA contracts and benefits for this work.” — Quotes via 1UP
Adapter allows Famicom (NES) games to play on the DS Lite
This new adapter lets you play your old 8-bit Famicom games (or NES games if you’ve got an additional adapter off eBay for that) on your Nintendo DS Lite.
The CYBER Familator Lite plugs into your DS Lite’s GBA adapter slot and lets you plug in carts from the old Nintendo Famicom (aka NES) and play them on your top DS Lite screen.
Technabob points out the fact that the Familator Lite is about twice the size of the DS itself making it a little impractical, but if you just have to get a fix of your favorite 8-bit titles, it could be worth a look.
Donkey Kong Jungle Climber DS review (King of Swing sequel)
Get back into the swing of things as Donkey Kong goes vertical in Donkey Kong Jungle Climber. King K Rool is up to no good again, and it’s up to Donkey Kong to swing into action. Using the same simple control scheme that made the 2005’s DK: King of Swing GameBoy Advance game so accessible and fun to play, players of all skill levels can swing and climb to new heights made possible by the dual screens of Nintendo DS.
Pick from Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong or Funky Kong, and let the monkey business begin.
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