Friday, February 22, 2008
News
Leipzig Officially Moving To Köln
11:30PM Luke Plunkett | Those German insiders were right on the money: the Leipzig Games Convention is moving, and in the process getting a new name: Games Con. From 2009 the show – renamed because it lets them use the popular “GC” acronym even though the Leipzig team refused to relinquish the name “Games Convention” – will be held in the western city of Köln, which will not only increase the number of public visitors but also make it easier for industry types to get to the show. Which is all well and good, but “Leipzig” had a warm ring to it that the cold, teutonic “Köln Games Con” just can’t match. Spielemesse heißt künftig „Games Con” [FAZ.net] More »
Yet, Another Jubblie Game Display (Endless!)
11:00PM Brian Ashcraft |
Street Fighter IV Only Half-Finished
10:30PM Luke Plunkett | The final build of Street Fighter IV might be due to hit Japanese arcades in July, but that doesn’t mean the game’s nearly done. It’s not even close! Capcom have said despite already existing in a playable state (it’s playable at GDC, for example), the arcade version is only “50-60% complete”. Sounds crazy, but makes a little more sense when you think about it: we’ve only seen one stage and ten fighters so far, so there’s a lot left before the game’s fleshy enough to let you get your grubby mits on it. Street Fighter IV is “only 50-60% complete” [VG247] More »
News
Goichi Suda, Shinji Mikami Team Up For More Awesomeness?
10:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Word has it that No More Heroes creator Goichi Suda and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami have joined forces for a yet unannounced project. (Previously, the duo worked together on Killer7.) We’ve been hearing rumblings about this for a while, as has game magazine GamesTM. The latest issue dishes: UNTITLED PLATINUM GAMES PROJECT One of our spies informs us that Grasshopper is currently discussing a new game with the ex-Clover studio. Perhaps it’s this, perhaps not. If true, we approve. We very much approve of this. Carry on! More »
News
Pandemic: These EA Kids, They’re Not So Bad
9:30PM Luke Plunkett | So Pandemic are the latest once-promising independent studio to be absorbed into the Electronic Arts hivemind. Cash money influx aside, are they bummed about now being associated with one the industry’s less popular institutions? Or worried that their “independent” ideas and concepts will be put to the sword in favour of something like Mercenaries 2009? Nope. Everyone like me has been waiting for that other shoe to drop and it hasn’t, and honestly I’m getting to a point where I don’t think it will. You know, like John said, they don’t always get things right and it’s still going to take time for John [Riccitiello's] vision to fully spread throughout the whole organisation. It’s a big company, but they get it, you know? There’s been no integration, no assimilations. That was Pandemic President Josh Resnick. Who’s keeping. It. Real. A Post-Independent Pandemic [Next-Gen] More »
News
Riddick, Darkness Devs “Reinventing” Classic EA Franchise
9:00PM Luke Plunkett | Starbreeze, the developers behind Riddick and The Darkness, have announced that they’ve teamed up with EA to “reinvent one of EA’s most acclaimed classic franchises”. The project, which at the moment is going under the codename Project RedLime, will be released on 360, PS3 and PC. So…what could it be? EA have a ton of “acclaimed classic franchises”, like Skate or Die and the Strike series, and they bought loads more, like Origin’s and Bullfrog’s back catalogues. Since Starbreeze seem big on FPS games, though, I’m gonna go a little leftfield and suggest (or…madly hope) that it’s a new Crusader game. Twelve years is far too long to go without further adventures of gaming’s most badarse red mailbox. More »
PSP Gets 18 and Up Erotic Game
8:30PM Brian Ashcraft | Nope, Sony can’t stop risqué UMDs! Nor risqué “games,” it seems! Take Soleil, which is truly an 18 and up erotic game. Released yesterday in Japan, Soleil follows three maids, who are also high school students. Fascinating! Originally, the game was released last year on PCs as Sugao no Bishou (Real Smile). Since the game isn’t really a PSP game per se, but more of an interactive movie, it’s possible to get a PSP release as a UMD video. Sony is strict about game software, but doesn’t have much control over UMD movies (hence, UMD porn). For the curious, not-so-graphic-but-still-NSFW screenies after the jump! Proceed with caution.
Chew on Butt Biting Bug Game Trailer
8:00PM Brian Ashcraft | DS title Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (”Butt Biting Bug”) looks like nothing more than your standard rhythm game dressed up with your not-so-standard butt biting bug. “Oshiri Kajiri Mushi” was originally a silly child’s song that appeared on NHK, but later became a top ten hit in Japan. Note: Butt biting bugs aren’t supposed to bite people’s arses until they turn eight years old. Uh-huh. If you’ve stomached the game trailer, hit the jump for the original song. More »
Pete Molyneux Would Prefer To Use The 360’s HDD
7:30PM Luke Plunkett | Speaking with Eurogamer, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux has chimed in on the increasingly-important issue of HDD usage for 360 games. Given the choice, I’d obviously choose a hard drive every day of the week…But the balance to that is you’re supporting a system which is an awful lot cheaper. What I’m trying to address with Fable 2 is say ‘Look, anybody can play this game.’ That’s what I really want. So supporting the cheaper price is really important. Is it? Some 360 games are really starting to suffer from not being able to use the HDD, with Mass Effect (load times and texture pop-in) and more recently Lost Odyssey (I’m on my ninth lock-up from my poor little disc drive shitting itself) two examples of games that could have been a lot better were Microsoft to allow developers to make HDD usage mandatory. Besides, how many Arcade owners are going to be buying games like Lost Odyssey and Fable 2, anyways? Enough to warrant a lesser experience for the rest of us? More from Molyneux [Eurogamer] More »
