We miss J Allard! Real bad. We miss pudgy Allard, we even miss HD Allard. It was bad enough when he stopped hanging around the Xbox guys and was welcomed to the social, but over the past few months, he hasn’t even been doing that anymore. He’s just…faded away, without a trace. We were getting worried. Worried sick. But it’s OK! J’s popped up with a new job, and a new job title. One as aWeSome and eXtreme as J himself: Chief Experience Officer. As Microsoft’s CXO (yes, a real title), Allard will be “responsible for the technical architecture and user experiences related to products and services of the Entertainment and Devices (E&D) division”. Not really sure that means, but in a perfect world, it’ll mean he’s back at E3 this year.
J Allard gets a new job [ZDNet, thanks Marc!]
We sure hope that upcoming Capcom arcade fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is good. So far, it looks good! But we won’t know until we give it a whirl at one of the location tests for the game. The game will be playable next month (soon) in locations in both Tokyo and Osaka — Taito Hey! in Akihabara and Ikebukuro GIGO from July 10th to the 13th and Osaka’s SEGA Avion from July 25th to the 27th. Announced fighters for both the Capcom side and the Tatsunoko side include Batsu Ichimonji from Capcom 2-on-2 fighter Rival Schools, Chun-li, Ryu, space knight Tekkaman, Gatchaman and Casshern. In the flier for the arcade location test, it says there will be a new character announced. So there’s that to look forward to, too.
カプコン、ロケテストを東京と大阪で7月10日より [Game Watch Impress]
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced that the DualShock 3 for that region. The vibration function controller goes on sale in Europe from July 2nd. Says SCEE honcho David Reeves:
We are delighted to confirm that DUALSHOCK 3 will be released in SCEE territories in early July. We hope this will add to the intense gaming experience for our fans, as we continue to evolve PS3, its software and its peripherals.
The controller was announced at last year’s Tokyo Game Show and released in Japan on November 11, 2007. North America got the DualShock 3 this past April. Hit the jump for the full press release.
Rock Band 2. Recently hinted at, and now confirmed, I’m sure most of the world is as excited about the sequel as it was when Guitar Hero 2 was announced by Activision.
Well, everyone in the world except Australia. Yes, 7 months on from its US release, we’re still waiting for Harmonix’s rhythm game to debut here. 7 months on, EA has failed to provide any reason for the delay, or even a vague street date, leaving us to feed desperately on retailer estimates. 7 months on, and resentment continues to build for both publisher EA and developer Harmonix.
EA’s silence has forced gamers, once excited about the possibility of playing the game, to either boycott its release or import it from overseas. Desirable options? Not really, but what choice has EA left us?
Konami arcade shooter Otomedius features a touch screen and traditional joystick/buton interface. How the heck is that going to work on the Xbox 360 version? Well! Konami has teamed up with Japanese peripheral maker Hori to offer a solution: The Hyper Stick Pro – Otomedius Gorgeous Version. The specific stick features a touch pad, making it possible to recreate the arcade Otomedius experience at home. Bundle with Otomedius Gorgeous and character badges, the Hyper Stick Pro – Otomedius Gorgeous Version will go on sale September 25th for around ¥27,000 ($AU 265.05). So subtract the $AU 62.36 or the $AU 72.76 that the game will retail and remember touching doesn’t come cheap!
Check out the gorgeous Otomedius Gorgeous trailer here.
Hori Otomedius [Konami Style via Arcade Renaissance]
Hey, another Gears 2 mutliplayer clip! But this ones all neat and official and concise and has a ton of new multiplayer footage of the new maps, weapons and game modes. Worth a watch, but not if there’s wee ones around, as the tomato sauce is spread around quite liberally over the course of the vid.
Shocker! Harmonix has done and made Rock Band 2. The game will be out on the Xbox 360 this September, and the PS3 later this year. The sequel will feature a new set list, and the RB2 bundle will feature “quieter, more realistic, and more reliable instruments” says Lead Designer Dan Teasdale. The good news for those who already own Rock Band is that all the songs you’ve purchases so far will be playable and supported in Rock Band 2. As far as Harmonix is concerned, there’s no difference between “Rock Band 1 DLC” and “Rock Band 2 DLC” — we’re just releasing awesome songs every week onto the Rock Band platform, all of which are playable by the Rock Band titles that support DLC,” says Teasdale. The sequel will offer folks a new way to play the DLC they currently own, however. Sure, Rock Band 2 should come as no surprise, but it does sound like Harmonix is pushing things forward. Teasdale points out:
We’ve been working hard with Microsoft and Sony to develop a way to share content between games, and we’re really happy that we’ll be the first game to support fully functional cross-title DLC.
The game will get its official debut at this year’s E3. Looking forward to it.
Rock Band 2: The Opening Act [IGN Thanks everyone who sent this in!]
Metal Gear Solid 4 on the Wii — or so says Sam’s Club. Reader Stephen writes:
Saw this a few days ago at my local Sams Club in Douglasville Ga. I picked it up to verify it is for the Wii. The release is, I think, is a week or two away. Sorry for the poor quality. I was in a huge rush.
Probably all on a single DVD disc, too! We’re totally surprised that no one has heard this amazing news. We bet that even Hideo Kojima himself doesn’t know, so shhhhhhhhhhhh, don’t tell him. He’ll be floored.
The Hollywood Reporter are…reporting that, according to a “major retailer”, Microsoft will indeed be slashing the price of its Premium 360 bundle next month by $AU 51.97, from $AU 362.75 to $AU 310.78. They also say the cut will come into effect before E3, which takes place in a couple of weeks. If anyone’s wondering as to the reliability of this “major retailer”, it’s worth noting that the Hollywood Reporter nailed the timing and details of the last price cut, which took place in August 2007. It’s a safe bet these are the same sources.
Microsoft slashing price of Xbox 360 model [Hollywood Reporter]
Here’s Sony’s Eric Lempel. Eric’s taking us through Sony’s 2.40 firmware update for the PS3, and in particular, how the much-requested in-game XMB is going to work. Pleased? You’re no doubt the sensible type, who knew not to expect too much. Disappointed? You’ve got nobody to blame but yourself (specifically, your unrealistic expectations).
