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Q? Entertainment: Music licensing, other issues keeping portable Lumines off PSN for now
by JC Fletcher 
{ Oct 21st 2009 at 11:00AM } 
"We would love to bring Lumines/Lumines II to the PSN store," Q's rep said, "but there are complications, music licensing, was published by Namco, etc." However, "That said, we're obviously looking into it. :)" Q went on to single out the songs "Shinin'" and "Lights" as requiring new licenses for digital distribution, and clarified that it would be Bandai Namco's decision to publish the first Lumines on PSN, since it published the game on UMD (in Japan).
While the licensed music in Lumines makes it even harder to republish, this is starting to sound really familiar. As Sony's Eric Lempel told us, it's especially difficult for publishers of older PSP games to go to PSN, because licenses will have elapsed, and won't have covered digital distribution in the first place. And Sony isn't requiring third parties to pursue digital distribution, so unless they see significant revenue potential from, say, PSP Go sales, many publishers just won't. That said, it's hard to imagine a PSP without Lumines, and we're confident it'll happen eventually.
[Via PSN Stores; thanks, Kassatsu]
Mizuguchi, Suda 51 weigh in on E3's new motion controllers
by Ben Gilbert { Jul 1st 2009 at 4:30PM } 
"It's not a shift from 2D to 3D or in the number of polygons, but it's games trying to open up an entirely new door," Mizuguchi agreed, continuing, "I thought it would take longer, but it's happening faster than I expected." Ironically, when the trio chose the most exciting games at E3, the list quickly filled with Western-developed games, from Splinter Cell: Conviction and Assassin's Creed 2 to The Beatles: Rock Band. Could they resist the ubiquitous Final Fantasy name drop? No, no they could not. "The visual quality was so impressive that I doubted it was even a game," Hino said of AC2, adding, "Final Fantasy XIII is the same way." Impressed/interested by the motion technology but still loving AAA-franchise sequels? Sounds like the whole game industry right now.
Gallery: Project Natal
Ubisoft's collaboration with Q Entertainment likely to be a music game
by JC Fletcher { Jun 22nd 2009 at 2:15PM }
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Ubisoft executive director Alain Corre offered substantial hints that the new project may be a music game. First, he described Q as "very advanced and specialised in how to exploit the music genre."
GI followed up by asking about Ubisoft's interest in entering the market and competing with Guitar Hero and the like. "We have been researching the music genre a lot," Corre said. "We know some iterations of music games are working very well in the music category. There are a lot of new things to invent in the future with voice or dance, so we're very much looking at what we can do in that respect."
This is no absolute guarantee that "Codename Eden" is some kind of music game, but the proximity of the two statements is interesting. And the prospect of a new music game from the creator of Space Channel 5 and Rez is wonderful.
Ubisoft kind of announces something with Tetsuya Mizuguchi
by JC Fletcher { Jun 1st 2009 at 10:08PM }
In one of the weirdest moments of a very ... strange Ubisoft conference, the company announced that it was working on a project with Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi. No word on what that project is or when it's coming out, just that there is one, called "Codename Eden" for now.And instead of bringing Mizuguchi up on stage and having him talk about his project, they just pointed him out in the audience. It was weird. Of course, this came right after the company's massive No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle presentation, which consisted entirely of the game logo and a few words about Suda 51.
Lumines Supernova hitting Euro PSN on Feb. 5
by Ludwig Kietzmann { Feb 4th 2009 at 7:30AM }
We've queried Q about the add-on's European fate -- and why it's always 4AM when we stop stacking squares.
Lumines Supernova dropping on PSN Dec. 23
by Ludwig Kietzmann { Dec 19th 2008 at 1:30PM }
Ignoring them should be particularly easy given the bevy of distractions packed into Lumines Supernova's $15 package: 40 skins; a new "Dig Down" mode; a Sequencer mode for creating your own background music; Time Attack and Skin Edit modes; Puzzle and Mission levels; Trophies; and a local 2-player Battle mode for those sharing types who ignore the "mine" in Lumines.
And hey, don't forget the LittleBigPlanet skin, which will join a free "Holiday Pack" of 20 additional skins. The latter is available for a limited time only -- just like Christmas.
Gallery: Lumines Supernova
*Europe, you're getting it in "Early 2009." :(
Rumors: Rez sequel, Spielberg's LMNO on hold and more from EGM
by Ross Miller { Dec 10th 2008 at 3:50PM }
Additionally, the issue also asserted that Spielberg's mysterious EA Project LMNO is on hold at the moment. At the end of October, EA denied speculation that there had been layoffs related to the title. The remaining rumor-mongering includes a new Rifts-licensed game in 2010 (the last one was on N-Gage) and a large co-publisher for Tecmo's PlayStation 3 exclusive Quantum Theory.
Synaesthesia imminent: New Mizuguchi music game announced for Wii
by JC Fletcher { Dec 2nd 2008 at 12:45PM }
Okay, we're doing our best to calm down enough to type this out coherently. Atari has announced a new music game, tentatively titled QJ, for the Wii. According to the very short announcement, the game is being developed by Q? Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi. We can assume from the title that his company is the official developer. Either that or it's tied in to the website.
That's all the information we have, but it's enough to make us FREAK OUT. While still at Sega, Mizuguchi was responsible for the pioneering music/shooting game Rez and the incredibly awesome dance-rhythm game Space Channel 5. To celebrate, let's all enjoy the Mizuguchi-produced "Heavenly Star" by Genki Rockets!
Lumines Supernova to fall this fall on PSN
by James Ransom-Wiley { Sep 3rd 2008 at 1:57PM }
- Dig Down Mode: Using the falling blocks, erase squares from a playfield already filled with blocks as you dig down to the bottom. Show off your digging skills as your completion time is ranked based on clearing 20 consecutive stages.
- Sequencer Mode: Create your own background music using the sound loops provided in the "Sound Bank" -- drums, bass, synthesizer 1, synthesizer 2, and effects each come with 20 different loops.
Gallery: Lumines Supernova
The Genki Rockets promote new album in Shibuya
by Andrew Yoon { Jul 7th 2008 at 9:45PM }
Songs from their performance will be available on iTunes later next month.
Tetsuya Mizuguchi doesn't rule out Wii for next project
by David Hinkle { Jun 12th 2008 at 8:00PM }
But, he doesn't exactly say his next project will be on Nintendo's console, either. Such is the pain we're all forced to endure for the moment. Miziguchi's next game will be themed around music, however, providing his old-school fans of his Rez and Space Channel 5 games with some hope that he could be making a similar product (although he does shoot down the idea of remaking Space Channel 5). When grilled about his latest project, Miziguchi did say that he is "keeping an eye on several platforms - not just game consoles." He meant this to say that he was also looking at the mobile space, but that's a good thing. The more he looks at his options, the more viable solution the Wii will become in his mind. Because, let's face it, you can't be alive today without the Wii interacting in your life somehow, whether it be through television commercials, subway ads or other promotions.
Rock Band heads to Japan with help from Q Entertainment
by Ross Miller { Jun 2nd 2008 at 2:00PM }
It has been little over a week since a Harmonix rep was asked about the possibility of seeing Japanese content in Rock Band. At the time, the rep said an official announcement on future DLC plans would arrive in "a little over a week." So, the question remains: How does one program instrument tracks for a Genki Rockets song?
Mizuguchi: 'Nintendo games are too strong'
by Chris Greenhough { Jan 24th 2008 at 12:45PM }
Know who we'd like to see developing on the Wii? Tetsuya Mizuguchi, that's who. Some of his games would work beautifully on Nintendo's console. We can totally picture ourselves playing through a motion-based Space Channel 5, or using the Wii Remote to point and shoot in Rez.Wii owners who also happen to be Mizuguchi fans shouldn't get their hopes up, though. Mizuguchi seems keen enough on the Wii itself, but confessed in an interview with Wired that he was a "little bit worried" about the strength of Nintendo games. We presume this is a reference to an increasingly common complaint from publishers and other industry folk that Nintendo's first-party titles are hogging sales.
Looks like an Ulala appearance in Sega Superstars Tennis could be the closest we get to grooving with Space Michael. Cry.
Joystiq hands-on: Rez HD
by Zack Stern { Jan 24th 2008 at 4:35AM }
Rez HD surrounded me in a coordinated, sensory bombardment. The controller in my hand shook and bobbed with the beats while controllers under my feet and on my back vibrated a counter-tempo pattern. 5.1 surround-sound flew from all directions, and the neon-sharp HD game-world pulled me into its reality.
In my brief time with Rez HD, I decided that it wasn't a game as much as an experience. There's a game inside somewhere, but the title feels like a journey, rewarding meandering through levels instead of racing to the end. And even though it's a linear shooter, Rez HD hides a lot of exploration; I look forward to moving slowly through the game after its January 30 release.
Gallery: Rez HD (XBLA)
Rez HD arriving this month for 800 MSP
by Scott Jon Siegel { Jan 8th 2008 at 8:00AM }
Along with the highly-anticipated "trance vibration" support, the enhanced port of the Dreamcast/PS2 classic will include a high-definition upgrade to the visuals, and feature 5.1 surround sound. The game will also introduce new audio and visual effects, a new Replay Theater for re-watching play data, and the usual suite of XBLA leaderboards and achievements. Check out the gallery below for some gorgeous new shots of Rez in all its trippy, HD glory.
