Wednesday, November 14, 2007
360 Kicking PS3’s Arse? (In Korea)
4:49PM Luke Plunkett | Sure, the PC rules all in Korea. So that particular theatre of the great, unending console wars is naught but a diversionary conflict, a tussle for second place. Ah well. Second place still gets a spot on the podium! Which brings us to Microsoft Korea’s Dae Hwan Lim, who reckons the 360 isn’t just outselling the PS3 in Korea, it’s selling like hotcakes never went out of style: Xbox 360 is doing much, much better (than the PS3). There’s a huge gap in market sales. I can’t mention other company’s numbers directly, but it’s multiples larger. Multiples! The mind boggles. Microsoft: Xbox 360 Sales, Though Low, Dwarfing PS3 Sales in Korea? [Gamasutra] More »
ABC News Compares Mario to Marilyn Monroe
4:23PM Brian Ashcraft | Sure, the news piece is Mario-for-beginners, but it’s still nice to see the mainstream to portray games in a knowing and respectful manner. Says ABC’s Charlie Gibson: For many, Super Mario is not just a game, but an important part of the culture of a generation. Comparing Mario to Marilyn Monroe (and not to Marilyn) is always good fun, too. More of this please. Watch the Clip Read the story [ABC News] More »
Interplay Re-Open Development Studio
4:23PM Luke Plunkett | Interplay are so back in the development business. They’ve been out for a little while now, but have just announced the re-opening of their internal studios, with former Fallout designer Jason Anderson onboard as creative director for an unannounced MMO. Seeing as the Fallout MMO is already announced, that’s two MMOs they’re working on. They’ve also announced plans to seek deals whereby Interplay IPs are dished out for sequels. Don’t know if they still own the rights or not, but another Battle Chess would be great, thanks. Interplay Reopens Inhouse Development, Hires Former Fallout Designer [Gamasutra] More »
Atari CEO Quits, Company Ceases Production
3:33PM Luke Plunkett | Ooooh, look. Vultures. Circling. At a decidedly low altutude. Atari’s woes are continuing, with CEO David Pierce quitting his job, no doubt screaming “screw the women and children!” as he ran cackling from the office. They’ve also announced that they’re ceasing games production to focus on publishing and distribution, and have begun farming out their IPs, with Test Drive being sold back to parent company Infogrames for $US 5 million. In advance, of course. Someone care to do the honourable thing and just put them out of their misery? Atari Exits Production as CEO Resigns [Next-Gen] [Image] More »
Microsoft on Epic vs. Silicon Knights FIGHT
3:33PM Brian Ashcraft | That Epic Games vs. Silicon Knights legal clusterfuck? One messy He Said, She Said. Too Human developer Silicon Knights is taking Gears of War maker Epic to court over Unreal Engine woes. Since both titles are from publisher Microsoft, surely Microsoft must have an opinion the squabble. Micrsoft Game Studios’ General Manager Phil Spencer: No, we’re not involved in any of the actions between Silicon Knights and Epic – that’s a relationship that they will figure out. But we are deeply involved with making sure that the future of Gears and the first iteration of Too Human are great games on our platform. At a technical level we’ve done work on both games to help further — in the case of Gears — squeeze out ever bit of power out of the 360, and — in the case of Too Human — set the foundation for a franchise… We’re playing Too Human now at MGS and, as I say — while it’s obviously not finished it’s definitely showing the promise it showed a few years ago. How many years ago, Phil? Microsoft on Legal Fiasco [Advanced Media Network via Destructoid] [Image] Eds Note: Pics of Microsoft’s Phil Spencer are appreciated. We’d love to give him a GIANT FACE. More »
More Wii Ware Details (File Size, Budgets, Etc)
2:41PM Luke Plunkett | Interested in learning a bit more about Wii Ware? Course you are. Keep reading. On the latest IGN Wii podcast, a load of details on how the system will work were revealed, adding to the collective body of WiiWare knowledge. Probably the most important are that game’s have a size limit: 40mb. How that Final Fantasy game’s coming in under that, we’ve not the foggiest. Apparently most budget sizes are under $US 100,000 (ie peanuts), prices are being set by developers and those devs can only release one game a month. Consider our interested piqued. Wii-k in Review Podcast: 11/12/07 [IGN, via Go Nintendo] More »Yelling in NYC
2:41PM Ian Bogost | To: Ashcraft From: Ian Re: Ghostbusters II Isn’t So Good Really New York City, where people yell. Starbucks workers, yelling orders. Then yelling at each other for getting the orders wrong. Then yelling in gest at each other that they wouldn’t make that order. Then yelling at the woman who took the other woman’s Frappuccino. New York City, where people still get psychoanalysis. A woman in Starbucks melting down. Screaming into her mobile phone about how she was promised an appointment today and she needed an appointment today. Sobbing. Then storming off. New York City, where people yell and get psychoanalysis, but not today. What you missed today: 43% Of Parents Don’t Game With Their Kids Conservatives Avoid Gaming But Everyone Loves Mario Heel, Rogue Ron Paul Supporters! More »
MS Using Nintendo DS To Build XBLA “Expertise”
2:40PM Michael McWhertor | How cozy is the Microsoft-Nintendo DS relationship? Just cozy enough, apparently, as Phil Spencer, general manager at Microsoft Game Studios, points to Nintendo’s dual-screened portable as a training ground of sorts for its own service, Xbox Live Arcade. He tells Develop that having a developer like Rare focus on DS games is “important for us to build that experience as a publisher and game developer and understand what it means to build lightweight, maybe shorter session experiences, and maintain that design innovation.” With a Nintendo DS version of Rare’s Viva Pinata in the works, it would seem that Microsoft might also see an opportunity for cross promotion, courtesy of the DS’s massive userbase. That’s something clearly not needed for, say, Halo. Spencer points to software for the Nintendo DS representing what “state of the art game design might be in future” and hints at nurturing further development on the platform. Let’s just hope that doesn’t somehow mutate into a flood of brain training games arriving on Xbox Live. Spencer: DS development can aid our design skills [Develop] More »
Marvel Universe Online Suspected Of Cancellation
1:57PM Michael McWhertor | After whittling down the potential candidates for Microsoft published games that were affected by cancellation rumors—developers confirming that Banjo Threeie, Alan Wake and Fable 2 were all safe—it appears that 1UP may have revealed the title that spawned said rumors. Despite being described by EGM editor Shane Bettenhausen in a recent 1UP podcast as in development for a “very long time” and a product “that people are very excited for”, it appears that Marvel Universe Online is the source of cancellation gossip. Yes, that sound your hearing is the quiet shrugging of thousands of shoulders. More »
