Man, the world’s gone Matsuura crazy! First PaRappa is released on PSP, then we get his new iPod game, and now we get murmurings that he and Sony are in (casual) talks about another PaRappa game. After finding out that Matsuura was both keen for another PaRappa and that Sony were interested, 1UP pressed the topic a little further, with Matsuura revealing: Personally, I really love the downloadable games on PS3, but currently I don’t have any discussion with Sony Computer Entertainment people right now. We are exchanging casual e-mails, meeting up sometimes. I would not be surprised if these kinds of discussions will be started in the near future.
PaRappa as a downloadable game? That would of course suggest a cheap price, and maybe downloadable content as well. Good luck with those casual meet-and-greets guys, because this would be real swell. PaRappa Creator Optimistic About New Sequel [1UP]
Live in Wisconsin? Heard of Uwe Boll? If you answered “yes” to that, then maybe, just maybe, you can help us. From October 26-28, film festival It Came From Lake Michigan 2007! Best part: Uwe Boll will be there. In person, even! That means, you could actually go up to him and talk to him. Prefect for quality Kotaku Stalku! Anyone who does happen to meet Boll, please ask chowderhead if he plans on making the following games into movies:
Addressing the 2007 SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group for Computer Graphics) conference, EA’s visual and tech officer Glenn Entis has said he believes the future of graphics lies in user-generated content. As graphics advance, he says, sooner or later we’ll hit the point where they become as good as they’ll get – and once they get there there’ll be challenges. Where do you go when you don’t have to worry about increasing the fidelity of graphics, and just have to worry about making things look nice? User-generated content, that’s where.
Do not underestimate people’s desire for self expression and self creativity. Social networking and self content sites like You Tube, MySpace, Facebook are leading the way. This is the rebirth of creativity in the hands of the many.
Man may have a point. I reckon I spent about 10 hours driving a car in Forza 2. And twice as long painting the damn things. Sure, some may say it was a waste of time, but damned if my racing-striped 69 Camaro wasn’t better looking than anything that came bundled with the game. Future of game graphics could hinge on user-made content [Develop]
Back in July, we posted a couple shots of the Japan only PSP Slim’s digital TV tuner. And now, we’re posting pics of the interface. Imagine that! The display lists channels and whatnot on the right and has the program in the fill out the rest of the screen. It is possible to use the entire screen as well. Good to know. PSP Pics [Famitsu]
Movie The Bourne Ultimatum is out in American theatres and making serious bank. But where’s the game? Oh, it’s coming. Just gotta wait until next year! Vivendi Games have a cross platform Bourne title named THe Bourne Conspiracy slated for mid-2008. What’s taking so long? Emmanuel Valdez, chief creative officer at Vivendi’s internal developer, points out:
We knew we didn’t have enough time to build a quality ‘Ultimatum’ game and come out with it at the same time as the movie. So we decided to do things differently, something new.
Nope, Microsoft think Halo 3 has gotten so big Halo 3′s launch will now be competing with movie openings. Microsoft director of creative marketing Chris Di Cesare: Our competition isn’t other videogames. We put it on the plane with other entertainment launches, versus other game launches.
Think they’re bluffing? Not with the amount of cash they’re sinking into this thing. Halo 3 Halo 3 Halo 3. Not only are we gonna get Halo 3 ads up the wahzoo from now until the game launches, and tie-ins like Halo 3 Mountain Dew, we’re also going to see a big deal with GM where Pontiac cars will tour the country shilling the game, and a Halo 3-branded G6 GXP Street will be given away in a competition. And if that’s not enough (it is, but that won’t stop them), Burger King will also be running a Halo 3 meal. Halo 3 Halo 3 Halo 3. Best part? That cola is 42 ounces. Not being one to deal in ounces, I looked that up. It’s 1.2 LITRES. That little part at the bottom of the cup is so your human hand can grip it. Jesus, nobody needs that much cola. Halo 3. Here Comes ‘Halo 3′ – With a Side Order of Fries [Wall Street Journal]
Those excited for PC vs. PS3 Unreal Tournament 3 showdowns, don’t get so excited. Like, get annoyed or even pissed. Yes, the PS3 version will be keyboard and mouse support, but that’s it for now. Over on the Epic boards, Epic honcho Mark Rein points out: Cross platform play isn’t decided yet. Please keep this thread about keyboard and mouse for PS3.
Oh Epic, come on. Still Thinking [Epic via CVG]
I hate most in-game ads (sports games, I can live with it). You hate most in-game ads. But companies don’t care if we like them, they care if they work, and if a Microsoft-backed survey by the Nielsen Group is to be believed (and it may well not be), it’s working. 600 North American gamers were surveyed playing Need For Speed Carbon, and recognition and retention of ads were up across the board. Course, this doesn’t say squat about it actually affecting their purchasing habits, but that’s probably tied up in all kinds of marketing theory that’d make me a little ill wading through it. So I won’t! Study: Gamers Swayed by In-Game Ads [Next-Gen]
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