We knew it was May, but sometimes, it’s nice to know specifics. Bets may be determined by this date. People’s lives may hang in the balance. So it’s without further ado that we let you know that Mass Effect’s PC adventure will kick off on May 6, giving you a pinch over two months to decide whether faster load times and shiner graphics are worth a second purchase. And if you own a PC but not a 360…well, Mass Effect with faster load times and shinier graphics is worth a first purchase.
I know, it’s not the first PS3 game to feature custom soundtracks, but this isn’t some cheap bowling game we’re talking about here. This is WipeOut. A game for whom music played a big, big part in its success back on the PS1. SCEE blog Three Speech sends word that while the game’s bundled soundtrack includes appropriate artists such as Kraftwerk, you’ll also be able to create custom playlists from any songs you’ve got stored on your PS3′s HDD. WipEout HD Tracks Announced [Three Speech]
For third party publishers, Capcom’s done alright on the Wii. The Resident Evil 4 port did good business for them — even if the GameCube version was already playable on the Wii! People just loved the tacked on waggle. That means one thing: More RE ports! This year, Capcom is bringing Resident Evil Zero to the Nintendo Wii. That’s right, Capcom is again remaking a GameCube original with waggle. Think about it: Another waggle remake of a backwards compatible GC remake that you can already play on the Wii. Knowing Capcom, don’t be surprised if they wagglize every single RE game. Be sad. RE Zero [Resident Evil Horror Thanks, John!]
Sweet deal ahoy, Britain! Mistwalker’s Lost Odyssey launches in the UK later this week. It’s pretty good. In case you’re not sold on its particular merits, however, high street retail giant HMV are offering 1000 Microsoft Points to anyone who preorders the game. You can buy Rez HD for that. With change. Get on it. Pre-order Lost Odyssey and get MS Points [Eurogamer]
This is a Kotaku first, I believe. We’ve featured cosplaying tons on Kotaku. Ditto for figurines. But, we’ve never covered people cosplaying with figurines that are cosplaying. Here, cosplayer Usagi Tsukimiya poses with a Hobby Wave Haruhi Suzumiya bunny figure. Even though Tsukimiya was a Hobby Wave booth companion at the recent Wonder Festival in Japan, something about this photo shoot seems oddly profound. A cosplayer posing as a figurine character in cosplay? Damn, that’s deep. galleryPost('haruhifigurecosplay', 5, 'Humming'); Haruhi Cosplay Figure Review [Moeyo]
Like we said, Street Fighter IV’s been playable for a few days in Tokyo. Which means pictures. More pictures of the super-sexy cabinets, yeah, but since this is a newer build than the version on show at AOU and GDC, also glimpses of some of the game’s other stages. Which is nice, since so far we’ve only seen the one. galleryPost('sfivcabs', 3, 'Street Fighter IV In The Wild'); [Capcom]
At the moment, Deus Ex creator Warren Spector just lurves Nintendo. Listen to him proclaim his undying affection for Nintendo: Holy cow, do I love the Wii and DS. I am a Nintendo freak right now! It’s partly because where I am in my life; games for families, trying to make people smile. Who’s doing that? Nintendo. The tone of the games, the audience they attract… I’m loving it. But look at games on the PS3 and Xbox 360! They look gorgeous. So there are attractions to every platform.
Don’t think of developer Warren Spector as a “bargain basement Will Wright.” Think of him as a self-proclaimed “Nintendo freak.” Warren Spector [GamePro via Go Nintendo][Pic]
Time for more crazy lawsuit news! Why? Because everyone loves crazy lawsuit news. The mighty Wayne County Employees’ Retirement System are unhappy with the merger deal Vivendi and Activision signed last year, claiming that as shareholders they copped a bum deal: The merger, stock purchase and tender offer, working in concert, convey control of Activision to Vivendi but fail to offer the Activision stockholders an opportunity to realize a true control premium for their stock.
And to think, there once was a time people had to work for their money. Cry me a river. Investors sue Activision over Vivendi merger [GI.biz]
Japan’s erotic gaming industry isn’t all raindrops and lollypops! Website Canned Dogs has a look at what’s hurting the once throbbing thriving genre. Apparently, erotic game companies have hit hard times and are restructuring. With doujin games generating a bigger and bigger fan base, erotic games are having a difficult time competing. Doujin games are typically made by only a few people, and some doujin makers are popular enough to even make a living off selling their wares, while avoiding all the headaches that go with being an actual company. To compete, eroge companies try to offer better quality art than the “amateur” doujin titles. The thinking is that they can sell the game just based on screenshots. Companies are also restructuring, and the first to go are the writers. Not good for text heavy erotic games where sharp writing is key! What’s more, many eroge writers have moved on from naughty games and are publishing novels instead. Companies are forced to outsource stuff out to freelancers to varying degrees of success. And with the erotic game industry becoming less and less appealing, the new talent pool shrinkage. Hey, that’s not erotic at all!
