Thursday, July 17, 2008
E3 Roundup Day 3
11:30PM Luke Plunkett |
News
Major Minor’s Majestic March E3 Trailer
11:00PM Luke Plunkett | You’ll probably need a refresher on this one. Major Minor’s Majestic March is a Wii game currently in development at Majesco. It’s being designed by Masaya Matsuura, with art duties being handled by his old Parappa buddy, artist Rodney Alan Greenblat. It plays a little like Space Channel, except you’re conducting an animal marching band. Read those last two sentences over again, let them sink in for a second, and you’ll see why this might be one of the quietest, yet most pleasant unveilings of the show. More »
Apogee Making Duke Nukem The Forrest Gump Of WW2
10:30PM Luke Plunkett | While the Duke Nukem Trilogy trailer was a blast, it told us absolutely nothing about the planned handheld trilogy. Fortunately, Apogee’s Terry Nagy is a little more forthcoming. He says the games will see Duke as “the Forest Gump of World War II”, and in doing so explain how he got the name Duke Nukem. And how do you do a “Forrest Gump in WWII” storyline? Nagy says you do it like this: “It was really Duke that sunk the Bismarck. It wasn’t the British”. The games will be appearing on both PSP and DS, but judging from the state of that trailer, they won’t be appearing for a while. Duke Nukem Trilogy Details: Duke Heads to WW2, Apogee Talks Possible PC Release & DS Censorship [Shacknews] More »
PS3 Platinum Range Detailed For PAL Regions
10:00PM Luke Plunkett | More news from Sony’s secret, PAL-only event in Santa Monica: the region’s “Platinum” games range for the PS3 have a release date, as well as pricing info. The first batch of Platinum games will be appearing on August 1, and titles mentioned specifically included MotorStorm, Resistance, Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed and Virtua Tennis 3 (with Heavenly Sword and Ratchet & Clank surely there as well). As for pricing, they’ll be *deep breath* $AU 50. More »
News
Ubisoft Guy Says E3, As It Stands, Is ‘Not Appropriate’
9:30PM Luke Plunkett | Ubisoft’s executive director, Alain Corre (on the left), isn’t the biggest fan of the “new” E3. He wasn’t a fan of the “old” one, either, and is instead calling for a happy medium between the two, where we get the May timing of the old event with the “no public” rules of the current one. It’s one milestone in the communication of your products throughout the year, and it’s important because it’s the ramp-up for Christmas…[But] E3 here, mid-July, in the Convention Centre in downtown LA – it’s not appropriate I would say. Reason being that it’s too late in the year for many/any new products to be announced, meaning most games on show have already been announced, meaning there’s a lot less interest in the event, from retailers to the public to journalists. Ubisoft: E3 is “not appropriate” at the current date, location [GI.biz] More »
Metal Gear Online Expansion Dated
9:00PM Luke Plunkett | Metal Gear Online’s first expansion pack – Gene – has been dated during Konami’s E3 address yesterday. And that release date is…today, July 17! The expansion will introduce a new gameplay mode (survival), three new maps, two new selectable characters (including Meryl) and a “reward shop”, where you can spend the points you earn in survival mode on new gear for your character. More »
Sony To Unveil ‘Next Generation’ SingStar At Leipzig?
8:30PM Luke Plunkett | That’s what SCEE boss David Reeves said, anyways. Responding to questions concerning iNiS’ Lips – in particular how it pays more than a passing resemblance to Sony’s Singstar – Reeves has said “If you come to Leipzig, you will see the next generation of SingStar”. What an odd thing to say. We thought the “next generation” of SingStar Was already out. Came out on the PS3 last year. Surely it hasn’t been that big a disaster they’re replacing it already? Next-gen SingStar at Leipzig [Eurogamer] More »Raven’s Singularity Is Fit Like Time-Travelling Ox, Strong Like Time-Shifting Tractor
8:00PM Luke Plunkett | Announced briefy during yesterday’s Activision presser, here’s the first footage of Singularity, a new shooter from Raven that looks like it’s going to be doing all sorts of impressive, puzzley things with the passage of time. Sort of like Link to the Past, only with less green grass, more rusty industrial stuff and what looks like a Soviet science experiment gone tits-up. More »
Wii Music Soundtrack To Feature Licensed, Public Domain Tunes, But No Plans For DLC
7:30PM Michael McWhertor | While the majority of Nintendo fans may be content to play (and replay ad nauseum) the Super Mario Bros. theme in Wii Music, some of us are going to want something else to play. At tonight’s E3 Nintendo Developer Roundtable, Nintendo showed off some of the tunes that might be included in the newly announced Wii title, including public domain hits like “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Turkey In The Straw”. The company promises “popular” licenced tracks will make their way to the casual game, but that it’s “not focusing” on tackling downloadable content to boost the tracklisting. Sure, “Turkey In The Straw” may not blow your hair back, but if the company sees fit to put some Balloon Fight or Zelda tracks in there, we’ll have no choice but to oblige via our wallets. More »
