Thursday, September 25, 2008
News
PS3 Not Selling In Japan? Blame Japanese Publishers
11:20PM Luke Plunkett | The PS3’s doing well in Japan, but compared to the unstoppable Wii and the coming-along 360, Sony wish it was doing better. So much so that SCE Worldwide boss Shuhei Yoshida believes that many Japanese punters are waiting on the sidelines, and are yet to see anything on the system to make buying one worthwhile. So who’s to blame? Japanese publishers, of course. It’s mostly a software thing. Price is important, but relative to the the value consumers perceive. There are lots of consumers, game fans in Japan, that are waiting to spend their money. What’s happening is that lack of support from the Japanese publishers – not necessarily from intentions but from development capabilities. What do you mean lack of support? Look how many of the PS3’s best exclusive games are from Japan! There’s Metal Gear Solid 4, and…and…oh, I see. Yoshida: PS3’s lack of fortunes in Japan is “mainly a software thing” [VG247] More »
Level 5 Returning With Another DS Soccer RPG
11:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Japanese developer Level 5 is back with a sequel to its soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven for the Nintendo DS. While the previous title featured a more standard story, the sequel will feature an alien team. Mmmm, alien soccer RPG! The game is slated for 2009. Level-5 announces Inazuma Eleven 2 for the Nintendo DS [Gamekyo] More »
Molyneux’s Happy The People He Pays Like Fable 2
10:40PM Brian Ashcraft | Peter Molyneux’s Fable 2 publicity storm continues, complete with Molynexisms. Today’s is about Fable 2 being so good that even the people on payroll like it. Or something. Here, let Molyneux explain: I think of all the games I’ve made, I think I’m probably more excited about the launch of Fable 2 than I’ve been about any game really. Because everybody who’s played it — the majority of which are the team members themselves, so this is going to sound strange, but they’re always the toughest audience to please — has said it’s fantastic. That’s a wonderful feeling Ever notice that Peter Molyneux is most excited about his latest game? That’s why he’s Peter Molyneux and you and I are not. Simple as that. Peter Molyneux – Part Two [Games Industry] More »
Play WipeOut HD, Your Life/Brain Is In Your Own Hands
10:20PM Luke Plunkett | Don’t think it was ever confirmed confirmed, but it was strongly suggested that WipeOut HD’s lengthy delay was the result of the game failing epilepsy tests. That suggestion looks pretty likely today, with the news that the game’s going to ship with the mother of all epilepsy warnings at the front. Every time you play the game, you’ll have to scroll through a large warning message that goes above and beyond what you’d normally expect, with the message dealing mostly with the games “flashing or flickering lights or geometric shapes and patterns”. If you’re sensitive to that sort of stuff, be warned. Serious epilepsy warning for WipEout HD [CVG] More »
‘It Would Be Great If Music Education Started With Wii Music’
10:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Mixed E3 impressions or not, Wii Music is coming out this October. And boy oh boy are Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and resident genius Shigeru Miyamoto excited. Thrilled, actually. In a “Creator’s Voice” conversation posted on the game’s official site, Miyamoto says, “I haven’t really felt the happiness from making other games that I’ve had felt making Wii Music… I wasn’t this excited while making Super Mario Bros.“ The two men go on to talk about how people want to create music and how Wii Music can help people overcome playing instruments that and enjoy making music — by pressing random buttons, we guess? While Brain Age was so popular in Japan that some school began using it in class, Iwata and Miyamoto would totally love it if Wii Music could do more of the same: More »
News
Mirror’s Edge To Inspire Future Battlefield Games
9:30PM Luke Plunkett | Remember: DICE are developing Mirror’s Edge now, but once that’s done, they’ll be back to working on their bread & butter, the Battlefield series. And once they go back, they’ll be taking some of Mirror’s Edge with them, in the form of the game’s sense of “physicality”. DICE’s Owen O’Brien: I’m not sure [about] wall-running, but certainly the others — certainly the sense of physicality in the world: the running, jumping, vaulting, [and] sliding…I think, yeah, we will definitely try to incorporate them into future Battlefield games. Shame. No wall-running? Battlefield could really have done with a parkour class, would have blown the game wide open. Making Mirror’s Edge: Behind the Scenes at DICE [1UP] More »
Here’s Why There Are Fewer PSP Games Today
9:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Panic adverted! Yesterday, we brought word that there are currently fewer third party PSP titles — leading some to say devs are “abandoning” the platform. Not entirely so! As Sony’s John Koller explains, the reason is that there’s a decline is PSP games is that “Decisions made 20-22 months ago from a development cycle perspective are affecting the quantity of titles available today.” Oh, so third party companies were abandoning the PSP, but now they’re not. Whew. Optimistic, Koller adds: I think going into next year we’re going to see significant growth. We’re counseling retail to be ready for it. We have a number of very strong franchise games on the docket that will be launching next year. We haven’t gone public with those, and many third-parties have not yet either because they’re concentrating on holiday, but we have a number of very strong titles coming. There’s even been a demographic change for the PSP: Sony research says that over the next 12 months, young mothers will have the “highest propensity” to buy the handheld for their young children. Not exactly the urban hipsters it was originally targeted at. Sony: PSP Support Will Improve [EDGE] More »
First Cooking Mama, Now Gardening Mama
8:30PM Luke Plunkett | Cooking Mama is a hit. Not just the gamer, either; Mama herself is a bonafide gaming starlet. So it’s with little surprise that we hear Majesco are taking the short-tempered lass out of the kitchen and throwing her in the garden for another Mama series, with Gardening Mama due for release on the DS at the end of the year (in Japan, at any rate). Mama’s fiery temper was a perfect fit for the kitchen in these Gordon Ramsey-heavy times, but gardening’s always been a more relaxing pursuit. Wonder how she’s going to adjust. First there was Cooking Mama, now there’s Gardening Mama? [Pocketgamer] More »
We Do Not Object To World 1-1 Pennies
8:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Pennies! Check out the penny creation Kotaku reader Teh Gwan sent us for our PAX contest. Great stuff. We’ve been getting loads (yes, LOADS) of amazing entries for the contest. Just take a gander at what reader James did after the jump. Here’s what’s going on: Win the bag of schwag we collected at this year’s Penny Arcade Expo. To enter you just need to send in a picture of your game-themed penny creation. It can be characters scenes, or even a lovely load screen. Make sure to include a Kotaku in the pic so we know you’re not faking it. You have until Friday to enter. Rules here. More »
