To: Fahey, Leigh & Mike
From: Luke

So! Few months back, I had to go in this crazy "land ballot", where new blocks of land to build a house on (I'm jack of renting, you see) are dished out via lottery. I missed out. Today, another was held, and my number was drawn! So on Monday, I trudge into some government office, and have to part with a sum of money I'm not comfortable parting with. Then, I shake someone's hand, and become a member of the landed gentry. Kinda exciting, but then, kinda sad. It's an awfully grown-up thing to do.

Oh, and you missed all the fun of the MGS4 wrap party in Tokyo. Ash would have written this, but he was either out of net range on a train or blind maggot drunk. Or both. Apparently we're getting replica ducks, MGS4 energy drink tie-ins and an Altair cosplay cameo. I'll leave you to form your own conclusions over whether this is marketing savvy or just plain madness.

You missed a lot of things to do with Metal Gear Solid 4 while you slept:
Metal Gear Movie Update
You Really Did Get Assassin's Creed In My MGS4!
New, New, New MGS4 Trailers
Presser Start!

Announced during the MGS4 party earlier today, Konami have teamed up with Japanese label Uniqlo to release a range of snazzy new MGS shirts. There are six designs to choose from, with each design coming in two colours, for a grand total of twelve shirts you can view on the internet, dream of buying then - whether due to lack of finances or lack of Japanese language skills - never buy.

Looks like the Vii's got some competition! This is the MiWi, by China's Eittek Electronics, and it's got the Vii beat in several key areas. Firstly, it's got a "W" in the name, just like the real Wii! Secondly, it comes not just with two controllers that look like Wii Remotes, but a bonus third controller that's equally familiar-looking. Finally - and perhaps most importantly - it also comes with a range of crummy "peripheral" add-ons like clip-on tennis racquets and golf clubs, to really round out that Wii-owning experience.

miwi game console is nothing like a wii, really [technabob]

Wow. That. Was. Fast. It's been out for, oh, a day, and already a LostWinds sequel is on the way. If you pop on over to Frontier Development's website, and scroll down to the bottom of the page, you'll be greeted by the following message:

Click here to REGISTER FOR ADVANCE INFORMATION on Frontier's forthcoming LostWinds sequel containing amazing new gameplay as Toku and Enril's incredible adventure to save Mistralis continues.

Frontier Developments [via Go Nintendo]

GTA IV has some problems. Some are pretty great, but most have resulted in freezes and lock-ups, which aren't great. And while a recent patch has fixed some of those problems, it hasn't fixed all of them, leaving a lot of GTA IV players still in the lurch. If that's you and you own a 60GB PS3, help may be on the way, as a poster over on the official PS3 forums has received an email from Take-Two support, who apparently told him Sony are working on a quick firmware update for the console, which will hopefully fix the issues 60GB users (who were the first to report problems with the game) have been having. Take with salt, yada yada.

Re: Phone SOny and R* Give them Your info!!! [ intimidtr3 @ PlayStation.com, thanks everyone!]

That Ubisoft/Kojima April Fool's joke was pretty elaborate! Snake running around MGS4 dressed as Altair, looking for all the world like it was actually in the game...so would it surprise you to hear that it wasn't really a gag? Yeah, that's right. It was announced at the MGS4 wrap party today that MGS4 players will indeed be able to unlock an Assassin's Creed outfit for Snake (we won't tell you how), which were it not for the silver moustache and trademark cigarette would have you thinking Altair himself had time-travelled his way into the final Metal Gear title. How's this happening? Why's this happening? Who knows, the mind boggles.

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Unlike Nintendo of America, Nintendo Europe are giving PAL customers a little time to prepare for WiiWare's launch, by announcing their first lineup of games for the service a week in advance (European launch is May 20). Europeans will be getting eight games instead of six, and while they won't be getting Defend Your Castle or VIP Blackjack, they will be getting Dr Mario, Germ Buster, Pirates: The Key of Dreams, Toki Tori and Star Soldier R. Full lineup after the jump.

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That's what the title on Gamevideos says, in this, the fifth clip to spill out of the post-MGS4 wrap party in Tokyo today. This one's apparently the game's opening (not the epic, 10-12 min cinematic, obviously), which for anyone high on love of Kojima's militaristic ponderings but short on patience will be some pretty hot hotcakes about now. Nothing looks terribly spoilerrific, but hey, since some people can't whisper "MGS4" without it being tagged a spoiler, consider yourselves warned.

We know a Warhammer 40K MMO is coming, we know it's "years away", and we know I'm terribly excited about the whole thing. Aside from that, though, we don't really know squat. Do now! Last month's PC Gamer ran a big feature on the game (of which we've already posted some scraps), which finally got us some answers to some of the more burning questions surrounding the game. Like what kind of game it was, exactly. Vigil's David Adams:

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The MGS4 wrap party in Japan today wasn't just about motorbikes and posing for photos. It was about new commercials, too! Four new ones were shown off, one the main, badass theatrical trailer (featuring the MOVIE GUY), one featuring energy drinks, one featuring a mobile phone, and the other...a lady, her cat and a strangely dust-free PS3. Theatrical trailer's above, the other three, after the clicky-click.

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Australian Gamer recently caught up with Rob Davis, a game designer over at Pandemic. He's worked mainly on two titles during his career - Destroy All Humans 2 at his current lodgings, and Ty 3 during a stint at Krome.

It's a chunky interview, covering Rob's history, experiences and how he got his break, but it was his view on the local industry that I found particularly interesting:

Well I don't think we are an enormous industry but I do think we're a microcosm of the international industry. One thing that makes me think that is that we've got a really split development scene in Australia. Like you are either on a project that costs millions upon millions of dollars (BioShock, LA Noire, Total War) or you are on a project that is more of a "Gun for hire" approach (Firemint, Tantalus, Redtribe). I think that's also happening internationally too (for better or worse) so in that sense we are operating like the rest of the world.

There's more from Rob beyond the link.

10 Game Industry Questions - Rob Davis [Australian Gamer, via Sumea]

What about that Metal Gear Solid movie? Before the presser started, I talked to Konami's Aki Saito, who is handling the film negotiations. According to him, the contract is still being worked out. Kojima will not be directing. However, he will be acting as a producer. Says Saito:

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A buzzer just sounded! Literally. The lights have gone down and I'm in the dark. Good thing I have an illuminated MacBook Pro, amirite. There's an ad for Sony phones and now Uniqlo. Just like before a movie. There's a funny no smoking ad with MGS theme exclamation points. Hahaha, now there are a bunch of phoney MGS themed ads like for guns and stuff. Great stuff.

Watching the MGS4 opening on a huge movie screen in full Dolby Digital sound. Beautiful stuff. It starts with Old Snake wearing a hooded outfit in the back of a truck. The sound is truly amazing. The credits role as it goes from gameplay to unable. Great mix of game play and cut scenes.

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How much of your scarce, precious internal memory will the new WiiWare games take up? About thiiiiiiiiisssss much. Oh, can't see my "one that got away" fishing-arms size comparison? Then consult this handy chart, put together by the Virtual Console Database, which will tell you exactly how many memory blocks the first round of WiiWare titles will consume. Bear in mind while calculating that your Wii's got a total of 2163 blocks, but then keep on bearing and remember that if even if you've got just a few extra channels and only a Virtual Console game or two, your free space is going to be a lot less than 2163.

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WiiWare has launched in the States and, as usual, Australia is left sitting on its hands as Americans throw their Wii remotes around in delight. We do have one point to be excited about - Pop, the bubble-exploding game from Balmain-based developer Nnooo! - made it as a debut title for the service.

Nic Watt, creative director over at Nnooo!, has only praise for Nintendo's platform for bite-size games, particularly its economical advantages over conventional distribution mechanisms:

The advantages [of] it are: being able to control the whole of the creation process, owning the IP, being able to distribute straight to the consumer, having a far better royalty split than we would ever get on a disc based title.

Nnooo!'s press release for the launch can be found after the jump.

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Well, PC gamers, it looks like piracy isn't the only reason developers are cutting back on the number of games they create for the platform. It's also your expensive, cutting-edge rigs! In trying to explain why Lucasart's upcoming Force Unleashed wouldn't be gracing the company's former home platform, producer Cameron Suey has said:

[If we made the game for high-end PCs], someone with a low-end PC would have a watered down experience, they would have to turn all the settings down and it wouldn't be the same game. On the other hand if we made that game for as many people as possible then it's not taking advantage of what those $US 4,000 systems can do.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Interview [VideoGamer]

Hey, Facebookers! Ever wondered which Grand Theft Auto protagonist is most like you? Probably not, but if you're wondering how a lily white nerd like me could find his virtual equivalent to be star of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Victor Vance, maybe then you'll try out weekend editor Owen Good's Facebook app "Which Grand Theft Auto Character Are You?" It's quite revealing, as I always thought of myself as a street dog vendor or TW@ internet cafe employee and this is the sort of stuff I take as gospel. Mr. Good has promised, as a sort of concession for my Kotaku-style app pimpage, that all flaming be directed in his direction.

Which Grand Theft Auto Character Are You? [Facebook]

Nothing planned for May 21, live in Victoria and enjoy a bit of Guitar Hero? The Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT) is holding its own GH championships at the Evelyn Hotel in Fitzroy. It's all part of an assessment for the NMIT's Event & Venue Management students.

You can purchase tickets beforehand at $10 a pop, or cough up $12 at the door. If you feel your skills are particularly excellent, $5 will get you into the competition. An Epiphone SG guitar is up for grabs if your jamming proves the most dazzling.

Hit the jump for more details.

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Certainly appears so. There's a new PS3 ad doing the rounds, one which shows off each of the console's main features. One of the features shown is the PlayStation Store, and in particular the kind of stuff you can download. Now, I'm not one to go making bold presumptions as to the multimedia plans of Sony corp., but that screengrab above - taken from the PS Store part of the commercial - shows a lot of TV network icons. Which, I don't know, at least strongly suggests the (entirely feasible/expected) idea of TV show downloads for the PlayStation Store. Pessimists could say no, that they're just the latest selection of corporate-funded buddy icons, but then, with a Sony press event scheduled for this Friday, pessimists may well be totally wrong. Full ad's after the jump if you're interested.

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New details on the game formerly known as Banjo Kazooie 3 and Banjo Threeie have emerged courtesy of Game Informer and GameReactor, both via message board NeoGAF. Rare's latest Xbox 360 venture, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, won't strictly follow the traditional gameplay of the previous two colorful platformers, but will have a heavy focus on vehicles and vehicle building. According to alleged details from the latest Game Informer mag—the same issue posted about earlier—the game will feature some 1600 vehicle parts and weapons with which one can customise their ride, from bikes to karts to planes.

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Team Ninja is nearly unrivaled in its ability to squeeze expert visuals out of console hardware. They're equally skilled at perfecting hammy voice acting, evidence by the latest batch of Ninja Gaiden II media. This is awesome, potentially spoiler-filled stuff, as Ryu Hayabusa is subjected to melodramatic speeches from the game's Greater Fiends and supporting cast. If you're looking for pretty graphics plus plenty of cheeseball delivery—"I recognise that stink, the repugnant stench of the Dragon lineage!"—don't pass on this batch of new clips.

Ninja Gaiden II [GameTrailers]

First week sales figures provided by Microsoft, courtesy of unnamed retailers, put sales of Grand Theft Auto IV at 60% for the Xbox 360 version, 40% for the PlayStation 3 version. A win, undoubtedly, for Microsoft. N'Gai Croal of Level Up got his hands on some GameStop-only sales data, which puts the percentage more accurately at 64% on the Microsoft side, 36% on the Sony side.

Argh! Not accurate enough, for our tastes! Fortunately, we'll be able to more obsessively split hairs on the matter later this week, when NPD data is revealed, but for now we have some expertly sculpted spin to enjoy!

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When Sega announced Phantasy Star Portable for PSP, it seemed like a good fit. The PSP is doing extremely well for itself in Japan currently, and with Phantasy Star Online servers shutting down left and right, a move to a hot platform certainly can't hurt. With Monster Hunter Portable G 2nd for the PSP moving some 2 million copies in Japan, more group beast slaying and item finding over the internet will almost certainly be welcomed by the Japanese gamer.

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If NPD sales results can be epic, then this Thursday's expected sales data from the research group will be epic. Microsoft and Sony went head to head with near identical versions of Grand Theft Auto IV, a battle sure to result in carefully crafted post-NPD reveal statements with spun gold. GTA IV assuredly moved some hardware, but who will win the April skirmish? In that particular head-to-head Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter says the PlayStation 3 pulled ahead—his SimExchange counterparts disagree. Neither, Pachter predicts, will be able to overcome the staggering power that is the Wii.

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Many analysts have theorised that Electronic Arts' ongoing bid for Take-Two has quite a lot to do with the talent in the Rockstar stable. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Rockstar's Sam Houser reveals he actually wanted to work for EA in the 1990s - and was rejected for a job.

Now, though, Houser tells the WSJ that in the event of an acquisition by EA, Houser wouldn't mind being "a much smaller fish in a much bigger pond."

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Here Are Your WiiWare Launch Titles
No, it's not out in Australia yet, but there is a locally-developed title in the list - Pop.

First Official Metal Gear Solid 4 Review
Official Playstation in the UK gave it a 10. Out of 10. I'm not saying it won't be a contender for game of the year, but can we give it a rest with the 10/10 scores?

BlizzCon 2008 Announced
Blizzard must have a big announcement on the way. The smart bet would be Diablo 3, but who knows?

According to a NeoGAF poster armed with the latest issue of Game Informer magazine, Guitar Hero IV will, as expected, focus on more than just faux guitar playing, as the next proper iteration is said to add drums and vocals, just like Rock Band. Where GH IV is expected to go above and beyond the Rock Band experience is in its custom creation modes.

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With Square Enix's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As a King one of the flagship titles for the highly-anticipated WiiWare launch, it's interesting to hear co-creators Fumiaki Shiraishi and Toshihiro Tsuchida discuss the design-lite approach to WiiWare at an in-depth feature in Gamasutra.

You'd think it'd be hard for Square Enix, whose titles are known for their size and spectacle, to make such a comparatively teeny game. Was it? Says Shiraishi:

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Okay, Craig Ferguson, you've made me a fan. Your recent monologue on the hubbub surrounding the release of Grand Theft Auto IV—despite it being clear you've not played the thing—is a thing of beauty. Five minutes of material, all based on various GTA IV topics? This is gold, pure gold.

The host of the Late Late Show does more than just make out of touch Pac-Man jokes. He riffs on recent political pandering, the dangers of letting our children get their hands on violent games and tosses in some googly-eyed looks that are just hilarious. Bonus GTA mention after the jump.

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BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka sounded off to CVG recently about the "SeXbox" controversy centered on Mass Effect, calling it an "interesting experience," and sticking by video games as an art form:

It's very tasteful, but it is an emotionally intense scene, and there's a number of similarly emotional scenes in the game, not just romances but across the board - different relationships between characters.

I see videogames as an art form, and they're an emergent art form. They're a commercial art form, but they're still art regardless. And the good thing I think is the fact that people are talking about that kind of scene; it had an impact on them.

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Over the weekend, a nosy NeoGAFer poked around one of Microsoft's press asset resources, digging up a product that goes by the name (or codename) "Lips." What is Lips, exactly? We won't know officially until, I'm guessing 8 or 9 AM Pacific time tomorrow morning, but Microsoft news breakin' blog 8bitjoystick says Lips for the Xbox 360 is not a game, but an accessory.

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Remember Shawn "Napster" Fanning? TechCrunch is reporting that Electronic Arts is about to plunk down $US 30 million on Rupture, a social network for gamers that Fanning started up with co-founder Jon Baudanza, who'd both become EA employees in the deal.

According to TechCrunch, the draw for EA is Rupture's technology infrastructure, not its userbase, because as to the latter there apparently ain't much to speak of yet. The service apparently stalled in beta and never launched a second version. In other words, Rupture's not good for much - except as a ground on which EA could build a social network around multiplayer online games.

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You may remember Threewave Software best for the original "Capture The Flag" Quake mod. These days, the studio's known for developing the multiplayer component of several major titles, most recently Touchstone's Turok and EA's Army of Two, and is currently developing the multiplayer for Activision's upcoming Wolfenstein title.

As you may have noticed, many of the devs to which we turn for our hardcore fix seem to be making full-tilt sprints for social networks like Facebook and the casual space. In today's ultra high-risk game development environment, Threewave also thought it'd be prudent to get on the burgeoning social media train, founding Gnosis Games, a casual subdivision with titles like Paparazzi, which according to the studio is a chart-topper on RealArcade, Gamehouse and other casual portals.

Now, Threewave's Gnosis has turned to Facebook. In this case, though, there's a surprising and interesting ulterior motive that's more in line with the hardcore audience than you might guess.

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San Francisco. That game would have been a whole lot shorter if they had just been upfront about things. I didn't even ask you guys a geography question! Crecente is out for the better part of this week, hopping between San Francisco and LA for various events with companies such as Electronic Arts, Sony, Ubisoft, Microsoft, Eidos, and Sega. While he is out of the tower he'll still be posting, in fact he should be posting some rather interesting information, starting this evening. Keep your eyes peeled, while the rest of us concentrate on juggling keeping the site from exploding while randomly uploading videos of our pets onto YouTube.

Take us out, Rockapella!

In case you weren't paying attention around the end of April, Sierra Online's Assault Heroes 2 is this week's Xbox Live Arcade release. The game picks up where the first left off, with our heroes realising that the enemy the vanquished in their last adventure was merely a pawn of something much more sinister. The new game features enhanced foot combat complete with a dodge roll manoeuvre, the ability to hijack enemy vehicles (perhaps to ease you away from GTA for five minutes), and combat that takes you over land, sea, and eventually into the depths of space. Assault Heroes 2 hits the 800 MS point sweet spot and will be available early Wednesday morning.

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Or is From First To Last moving EA's FaceBreaker? The post-hardcore band will feature big in EA's upcoming cartoony boxing game, including three brand-new songs to the soundtrack as well as actually appearing as characters within the game. Cross-promotion-wise, the band will be featuring the game at 45 shows during their spring and summer concert tour, featuring clips from the game projected on giant screens, with band members pulling someone out of the audience to demo the game before each show. EA will also be on the scene with their FaceBreaker band bus to make sure you get the whole cross-promoting concept. FFTL will also be releasing a series of 10 viral music videos on the internet laced with FaceBreaker footage. By the time this is all over we will forever associate the band with getting punched in the face by a large man with over exaggerated features.

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Well that was certainly one hell of a long week. After Criterion recalled the Bogart patch for Burnout Paradise on the Xbox 360 due to the update causing frame rate issues with the game, the suggested somewhat wishfully that the fixed version would be available the following week. The process wound up taking a bit longer than expected after they submitted it to Microsoft on April 29th, but now it's finally online and working fine. Once again, Bogart is pretty much the patching and bug-fixing update that lays the foundation for the upcoming Cagney, Davis, and Eastwood content packs, which introduce new game modes, motorcycles, and a host of other nifty features to the game.

360 Bogart is online now! [Criterion]

John Smedley loves his massively-multiplayer online games, and well he should, being a co-founder of Verant Interactive and now President of Sony Online Entertainment. Is he taking this love a bit too far in suggesting that one day MMOs will be a reason to buy a PlayStation 3?

I think MMOs are going to be a real strong selling point for the PS3 long term — there's going to be some great ones on the PS3. You're not going to find "The Agency" on the [Xbox] 360.

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