breaking-news posts (Subscribe to this feed)

The Last Remnant chiseled in for Nov. 20 release

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jul 14th 2008 at 11:30PM }

The Last Remnant, which given Square Enix's typical grasp of words like "final" is probably the first remnant on top a great pile of discarded remnants, will be found on the Xbox 360 on November 20th. In an announcement that was almost swept away by multiplatform Final Fantasy XIII hysteria, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada confirmed at Microsoft's E3 press conference that the pointy-haired, teary-eyed RPG would arrive on Microsoft's system first, just in time for the end-of-year purchasing frenzy. A Games For Windows version will follow at a later stage.

Be sure to view the trailer posted after the break!

Continued →

Sony announces new studio heads for Europe, America

by Scott Jon Siegel { Jun 16th 2008 at 4:15PM }

Sony continues to shuffle the upper-level management of their international studios. Gamasutra reports that the company has appointed Michael Denny (pictured) as the new senior vice president of Sony Worldwide Studios Europe, moving him from his former position as Sony Computer Entertainment Europe VP.

Sony has also promoted Scott Rohde, former Sony San Diego Studios senior director, to the position of vice president of Worldwide Studios America. Both Rohde and Denny will manage the internal studios for their regions.

These promotions follow last month's appointment of Shuhei Yoshida as president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide, replacing Phil Harrison. GamesIndustry.biz has posted the first part of an interview with Yoshida, detailing the difficult task of filling Phil's shoes.

THQ delays Saints Row 2 until October 14

by Jason Dobson { May 28th 2008 at 11:29PM }

THQ has broken our gold-plated hearts (and teeth) by announcing that it will delay the launch of Saints Row 2 until the company's third quarter, from the August 26 release date announced just last month until October 14.

According to Reuters, THQ cited marketing issues and product quality as the reasons for the delay, making us hope that the nearly two extra months of development will give Volition enough time to stamp out those remaining bugs. Additionally, while THQ believes that the delay will not have a negative impact on the company's fiscal 2009 performance, given the publisher's recent pink slip party and $35.3 million loss in fiscal 2008, there's really nowhere else to go but up.

[Thanks Bo]

Sony announces Madden NFL 09 PSP bundle

by Jason Dobson { May 21st 2008 at 9:05AM }

Let's say for the sake of argument that you are a fan of American football, and in this purely hypothetical scenario you also like to get your gaming fix while on the go. If this is the case then Sony's latest PSP bundle is likely right up your alley, grouping together the portable version of EA's upcoming Madden NFL 09 with a North American-exclusive "metallic blue" PSP.

Shipping August 12 with an asking price of $199.99, the bundle will also pack in a documentary on UMD titled NFL: In Just One Play alongside a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo. In addition, the so-called Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack will include a PSN voucher to download SCEE's London Studio's Beats rhythm game, an odd bedfellow for the latest sports offering, though we suppose after players tire of going long and letting virtual pigskins slip through their fingers they'll appreciate having something else to fall back on.

Sony pushes Home open beta out until fall '08, closed beta extended

by Jason Dobson { Apr 22nd 2008 at 1:56AM }

Sony's promise of a true open-world experience with Home has been a continual dot on the horizon for PlayStation 3 owners since it was first announced during former Sony-exec Phil Harrison's GDC keynote last year. This continues to be the case this evening, as Sony just sent word that it plans to extend the service's closed beta phase through the summer season, pushing the eventual open beta launch until sometime in the fall.

According to Sony, the move will allow the company to invite more PS3 users into the closed beta, perhaps to iron out some of the social MMO's failings we heard so much about late last year. Says SCEI president and group CEO Kaz Hirai, the delay will let Sony "refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience than what it is today," which is business speak for telling us that we'll have to wait a few more months before we can know the joy of throwing virtual televisions down equally virtual stairs.

Rock Band Wii 'bonus songs' already released on 360/PS3

by Zack Stern { Apr 15th 2008 at 6:03AM }

"Bonus" means different things to different people. Harmonix has revealed the Wii's additional Rock Band tracks, and they're a collection of songs you might have already downloaded on the 360 and PS3. There's nothing wrong with that, but why all the secrecy and hype? Here's the list of the five tracks that supplement the original roster:

"Dirty Little Secret" - The All American Rejects
"Don't Look Back in Anger" - Oasis
"Roam" - The B-52's
"Rockaway Beach" - The Ramones
"Roxanne" - The Police

Head-tracking feature pulled from Boom Blox

by Zack Stern { Apr 15th 2008 at 6:00AM }

At the Nintendo Media Summit, Boom Blox senior producer Amir Rahimi confirmed that the final version of the game will lack the head-tracking mode. We understand that it was always an Easter egg, requiring gamers to set up Wii Remotes as cameras, and hacking together their own IR LED glasses. But you didn't have to go to TED to see the promise, and we're disappointed to see it removed.

EA wouldn't go on-record to say exactly why the mode was cut, only just confirming it again through public-relations channels. An email statement noted, "Head-tracking was something we considered including as an Easter egg in BOOM BLOX however, we did not end up including it in the final version of the game. ..."

Perhaps EA feared that we'd hack together a candelabra helmet as an IR emitter. They should have; we totally would.

Stormfront Studios shutting down

by Scott Jon Siegel { Apr 1st 2008 at 10:00PM }

Stormfront Studios -- developer of acclaimed titles such as the original Nevewinter Nights, and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers -- is reported to be closing down shortly. According to Next-Gen, the closure was announced internally yesterday, and is due to poor business performance.

Stormfront Studios has been in operation since 1988 -- founded under the name Beyond Studios. In 1989 the company created Quantum Space, the first play-by-email computer game, offered through a then-nascent America Online service. Later, the company created Neverwinter Nights, the first graphics-driven massively multiplayer online game, which was honored at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. More recently Stormfront has worked with numerous intellectual properties such as The Spiderwick Chronicles and Eragon.

Stormfront consists of 33 full-time employees, all of whom were informed of the closure on Monday. A representative speaking to Next-Gen cited the current economy, as well as slowed revenue on a current project, as reasons for the closure. Another one bites the dust.

Read - Breaking Report: Stormfront to Shutter Studio [Gamasutra]
Read - Stormfront Studios Closing [Next-Gen]

WiiWare to launch March 25 in Japan

by Scott Jon Siegel { Mar 11th 2008 at 7:00AM }

The official Japanese launch date for Nintendo's WiiWare service has been announced, and it's... soon. The service will become available March 25, nearly two months before the North American release, and exactly two weeks from today.

Nine titles will be available at launch, including Everybody's Pokémon Ranch, Star Soldier R, and Dr. Mario & Bacillus Extermination. Square Enix's My Life as a King: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is also slated for launch release in Japan, and will notably cost 1,500 Wii points, 500 more than any other title.

More images and details can be found on Nintendo of Japan's site, but check out a quick rundown of launch titles and prices after the break.

[Via Game|Life]

Continued →

Nintendo accidentally confirms Lucario, Ness, Jigglypuff for Brawl

by Scott Jon Siegel { Jan 21st 2008 at 7:00AM }

A small slip-up on the Nintendo of Japan website has revealed three previously unannounced characters in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Fan favorites Ness and Jigglypuff will be returning from the previous Smash Bros. titles, while the pokémon Lucario will also be joining the ever-growing ranks.

Nintendo of Japan recently posted a 5-minute video explaining the many features of Brawl. In one section of the video, the sticker-collecting feature is shown off. A small set of icons along the bottom shows which character can equip each sticker, and originally showed small icons depicting Ness, Jigglypuff, and Lucario.

Nintendo of Japan has since updated the video, conspicuously whiting out these icons and effectively assuring us that this is "for real." More than simply confirming new characters, this news also confirms that the Brawl roster will exceed those characters announced on the official blog, which is just good news for everybody. Check out the original, unedited footage after the break. The icons appear very briefly around 4:20.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continued →

Street Fighter IV: first details revealed

by Scott Jon Siegel { Dec 6th 2007 at 5:55AM }

We'll spare you the suspense: Street Fighter IV will feature fully-3D graphics, but gameplay will be purely 2D, retaining the feel of the classic non-EX Street Fighter titles.

Now that you can breathe again, we'll let you know that 1UP has scored the first exclusive details on Street Fighter IV. The first publicized screenshot (above, and taken from the in-game engine) confirms the unique art direction for the sequel, as first hinted upon in the teaser trailer. 1UP reports that Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Dhalsim are all returning to the series, although a more complete character roster has not yet been revealed.

Gameplay-wise, it's classic Street Fighter, utilizing a six-button control scheme while introducing new moves, features, and locations to the repertoire. No word yet on which platforms the game is headed to, although we can certainly hazard a few guesses. Even more details on Capcom's latest fighter will be revealed in the January 2008 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, so keep your eyes peeled on the news stands.

Sony hires Deutsch for Playstation advertising

by Scott Jon Siegel { Nov 30th 2007 at 10:03AM }

Agency Spy reports that Sony Computer Entertainment of America has already decided upon a successor for the American Playstation advertising account. The Los Angeles-based agency Deutsch, Inc. will reportedly be taking over the $150 million account, following Sony's decision to remove TBWA -- their ad firm of the last 13 years -- from the account's review.

Deutsch, one of the five finalists in the review of the Playstation account, is an award-winning ad agency first established in 1969. Currently helmed by chairman Donny Deutsch (pictured above) and CEO Linda Sawyer, Deutsch's clients include the likes of Ikea, Snapple, Johnson & Johnson, and Verizon. The agency's acquisition of the lucrative Playstation account has not yet been made official; we have e-mails in to Sony and Deutsch, and are currently awaiting confirmation.

Update: A representative from Deutsch, Inc. has confirmed that the agency has in fact been awarded the Playstation account. Now we'll just have to see what they plan on doing with it.

[Via GamesIndustry.biz]

Original NiGHTS into Dreams coming to PS2

by Scott Jon Siegel { Nov 20th 2007 at 7:30AM }

While Wii owners will soon be enjoying the first NiGHTS sequel, it looks like PS2 owners will eventually be enjoying the original. Famitsu Magazine reports that an enhanced port of the original Sega Saturn game NiGHTS into Dreams will be coming to the Playstation 2 in Japan in February of next year.

The PS2 version will display in 16:9 widescreen, and feature slightly improved graphics. The game will also include galleries of video, art, and stills from the marketing and production of the game. We're pleased as punch that the original NiGHTS is being revisited, but it is a bit odd that the Wii will be graced with NiGHTS Journey of Dreams and not its predecessor. Perhaps the odds of a Virtual Console release have slightly increased?

Check out the Famitsu page scan after the break.

Continued →

Sony cuts PS3 dev kit price in half

by Scott Jon Siegel { Nov 19th 2007 at 6:00AM }

In an attempt to further diversify the Playstation 3's library of games, Sony has announced a dramatic price cut for the console's software development kit. The Playstation 3 Reference Tool will now be made available to new developers for $10,250 USD, or €7,500 EUR. This is nearly half of what the SDK has previously cost developers.

Sony has also announced plans to further cut the cost of the development kit once more studios have adopted the format. On the surface, it's clear that Sony's struggling to earn new developers for their console, and hopes that incentives like a reduced entry fee for development will bring new blood to the system. On the other hand, decreased developer costs are good for everyone, so we'll eagerly wait to see where this takes the PS3 in the coming months.

Fall Xbox 360 dashboard update revealed: download Halo December 2

by Scott Jon Siegel { Nov 13th 2007 at 5:55AM }

Official Xbox Magazine has the scoop on the Fall Xbox 360 dashboard update, and you better believe it's a doozy. UK-based CVG reports that the December 2 update will allow 360 owners to download and play Microsoft-published Xbox 1 games on their 360s.

Let's say that one more time: come December 2, you will be able to download full, original Xbox games to the Xbox 360. The initial list of available games includes Fable, Indigo Prophecy, Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex, Burnout 3, and, of course, Halo: Combat Evolved.

Games will cost approximately 1200 Microsoft Points, or $15 USD. Microsoft plans on re-releasing as many Xbox 1 titles as possible through Marketplace. Look out, Virtual Console.

Update: The CVG source has been removed, but Eurogamer has posted a similar report, dating the update for December 4th.