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E3 was a disappointment. We covered that yesterday. Didn't meet our expectations, even though they were sensible, lowered expectations. A lot lower than those we dreamed about! You should see those expectations. If they'd come true, it would have been awesome.
In the latest issue of Famitsu, Atlus has taken a two-page ad out that hints at an announcement on August 1st. According to a quick translation from the folks at NeoGAF, the tag reads:
On the day when Yin and Yang come together a new jiken (event/incident) will begin.
Seems like this is another Raidou Kuzunoha game. Any other guesses?
Atlus mysterious ad in the latest Famitsu... [NeoGAF via Go Nintendo]
We're not usually too excitable around these parts, but damned if that new Watchmen trailer didn't set our knickers alight. Decades on, we've got the Watchmen fever. But what of the inevitable game tie-in? That's being handled by Warner Bros., and they're going to be trying something a little different. See, with the movie out next year, they need a game out to cash in. But with the movie out next year, they won't have time to get the game out on time and make it any good. It's a conundrum. The solution? Go episodic.
The Wii-mote is getting an add-on peripheral which should help make the remote better. Good, says EA CEO John Riccitiello. Because the regular Wii-mote hasn't exactly been as exact as Electronic Arts hoped. Here's what Riccitiello has to say:
The Wii MotionPlus is going to be good. If I had to pick one thing we suffered from, it was imprecise control on the Wii. That meant certain genres were never going to perform as well on the Wii. There are a couple of franchises in our booth. Go look at Dead Space and imagine playing that game with a wand and a Nunchuk. If they improve the precision, then you could have a good experience.
Let's just hope Nintendo is able to get every Wii owner on board so we can actually see developers make the most out of it.
E3 perspective: An interview with John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts [Venture Beat via CVG]
For all Marvel's recent success in the movie business, there hasn't been a decent Marvel video game for years. Something the company are looking at changing. Speaking last week at an entertainment marketing conference, Marvel's Ira Rubenstein said a couple of things that should be good news for comic book fans. One is that he wants the production of movie-based games to begin sooner, so as to allow them more development time. As an example, he says Sega are already working on the Thor and Avengers games, even though they're not due in cinemas until 2010. Rubenstein also says he wants more Marvel games that aren't tied to movies, again for development timing purposes, but also presumably to allow for more creative, appealing uses of the company's characters.
Marvel looking to improve videogames, get into casual [Variety] [Pic]
C-list celebrities hit E3 [The Cut Scene]
Uniqlo's Metal Gear Solid 4 t-shirts were nice. You never stood a chance of getting one, but hey, they were nice. These new shirts, being sold directly through Konami's store, are still Japanese, but are neither by Uniqlo nor as nice. But for the fashion-conscious MGS4 fan, hey, they'll do. They go on sale August 4, and if you get in quick enough, will cost you around $US 40. Western men of a more...robust nature should be aware, though, that they're only coming in M & L.
Today in Japan, Nintendo and FujiFilm launched a new Digital Camera Print Wii Channel. Wii owners are able to order Fuji digi picture prints, photo albums and Mii business cards. Just put an SD card with picture data in the Wii and select what you'd like to order. Prints are ¥30 ($US 0.28) a pop while a 21 page album will set you back ¥1,575 ($US 14.68). One set of thirty Mii-style business cards runs ¥500. You can even have your friend code printed out on it. After paying by credit card, your order will be delivered to your doorstep.
Digital Camera Print Channel [Nintendo via Go Nintendo]
Or so say Microsoft! Speaking at Gamefest yesterday, Microsoft's games division CTO Chris Satchell thinks the console's new dashboard, avatars and UI are more than a facelift. He sees them as a transformation.
What this does is reinvent the Xbox. I don't think any one has ever done this before - transformed a console during its lifecycle.
You could just as easily say no console has ever felt the need to transform halfway through its lifecycle, either.
Satchell: 'We've reinvented the Xbox' [Develop]
Until now, nerds who wanted to play Namco's pop idol sim THE iDOLM@STER had two choices: Play the arcade versions or play the Xbox 360 versions. But not every owns an Xbox 360 in Japan. (Shocking, we know.) Good news! There's a new option as Namco Bandai is releasing the game on the PSP. Dubbed THE iDOLM@STER SP, this one player game almost looks like a port of the arcade version with PSP-tweaked graphics. There is a new "mail check" system where players have to check the idol's email from magazine writers, stylists and fans. Since Namco Bandai won't be able to make a killing on DLC like it has with the Xbox 360, the company is releasing three versions of the game with three characters spliced into each one. Maximum profits! The three versions (with characters) are:
He still doesn't belong in this game, but if he's going to be in it, you may as well use him in his native surrounds. That way you can at least pretend Kilik's an curious bonus character in a Star Wars fighting game, and not the other way around.
That's the cabinet for yet-unreleased Castlevania arcade title Akumjao Dracula THE ARCADE. Reader Landon got a hands-on with the game at a location test while strolling through Tokyo's Ikebukuro. What did Landon think? He totally dug the game, its gameplay, graphics, music — the whole schbang! Hit the jump for Landon's impressions. Don't forget to thank him and tip your waiter.
How many more reasons do you need to get all excited over Gearbox's upcoming Aliens shooter? It's being done by Gearbox, for starters. Syd Mead's had a hand in designing the gear. And now we hear that Battlestar Galactica's writers are behind the story? The good news just keeps on rolling. Seems Bradley Thompson and David Weddle - the show's lead writers - had plenty of spare time on their hands during the TV writers strike, and kept themselves busy writing a "whole season" of TVs worth of material for the game. Excellent.
Gearbox Talks Aliens Creative Team: BSG Writers, Original Film Artists, Craig Mullins [Shacknews]
Even if this year's E3 wasn't exactly all that and a bag of chips, there will be another one. And you know what? It will be next year. That's right negative humanoids, the Electronic Software Association is plotting E3 2009. Says an ESA rep:
As we do every year, we're beginning the process of surveying exhibitors and attendees to determine potential changes to the Summit. Once this is completed and shared with the ESA's Board of Directors, we will make an announcement about the specifics of the 2009 E3 Media & Business Summit, which will occur.
Maybe they'll move it back to Santa Monica again to keep everyone on their toes. Or how about Pasadena? Bring it to Orange County!
E3 to return in '09 [GameSpot via Go Nintendo]
In the wake of that Xbox 360 Final Fantasy XIII announcement, that old chestnut rumour resurfaced that Metal Gear Solid 4 was coming to the Xbox 360. Maybe it will one day, who knows. No idea what kinda deal Sony and Konami have worked out. Other Metal Gear Solid have certainly appeared on other platforms — Microsoft platforms, even. But Hideo Kojima does a good job of explaining how MGS4 was developed especially for the PS3:
Considering the version we played at TGS last September looked pretty slick, the continued absence of WipEout HD from the PSN is a puzzling one. SCEE's David Reeves said last week the delay is down to a "really, really tricky technical problem", but failed to go into specifics. What kind of problems can cause such a long delay? Here's a possibility: the game's failing important, necessary epilepsy tests. That notion was raised in the comments of our post, and have now been raised by CVG as well, though it's important to note that this is far from confirmed, and Sony have yet to comment on the claims. As far-fetched as they sound (it could just as easily be something like, oh, online MP issues).
Famitsu editor Hirokazu Hamamura isn't just an editor. He's a pundit! And he's got a bag full of opinions with him to share. Hamamura thinks the PS3's "slow penetration" is improving. Nice and slow, that's how Sony does it. According to Hamamura:
The PS3's penetration pace has been slower than I expected. Its higher price tag and software development difficulties have been major causes for stalling the growth of its installed base. However, these problems are gradually being resolved.
If the console gets another price cut by the year-end shopping season, I believe its penetration pace will become accelerated.
Don't blame Hamamura for the "penetration", blame the translator.
Posted by Logan Booker at 3:00 PM on July 23, 2008
Yeah! Homebrew Xbox 360 games made by XNA Creators Club members on Xbox Live! Sounds radical. Neat even. Shame Australia won't be getting it at launch. From the XNA website:
In which regions will Xbox LIVE Community Games be available when it launches this holiday?Well, that's a bit crappy, isn't it? We pinged Microsoft's local presence about the issue, and it was unable to provide a reason for the delay or an exact date.
Consumers in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain will be able to download Xbox LIVE Community Games at launch. We'll be adding support for other regions later in 2009 and beyond.
[Thanks Dominic]
Posted by Logan Booker at 2:30 PM on July 23, 2008
Looking to import Fallout 3? Might not be such a wise idea - at least while the game remains without classification. Australian Gamer decided to get the final word on the legalities by contacting someone at the Australian Customs Service. Here's what it came up with:
...this was also confirmed by the Senior Customs Officer I spoke to, who told me "if they are refused classification they are deemed to be prohibited imports". When I pressed him as to what the repercussions of this would be if you went ahead and tried to import it anyway, he told me "Generally, Customs will seize the goods".Well, "seize" is better than "fine", which is better than "gaol", which is better than "strip search", etc. The lesson? It's not so much you can't do it, just that you do so at your own risk.
The plot thickens ... Fallout 3 importation rules [Australian Gamer] [Pic]
Grand Theft Auto doesn't exactly leap into mind when you hear someone say "Nintendo 2.0". But new Nintendo is getting a GTA title, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, for the DS. Does that mean the Wii will get its own GTA? Says Nintendo of America honcho Reggie Fils-Aime:
All I can tell you is that since the day I walked in the door, I've had a very good relationship with the folks at Take Two, continue to have a good relationship. And so in our view we want just the best content coming on our platforms... You know, a GTA on the Wii is all based on what Rockstsar and Take Two want to do. And again, from our standpoint, if they build a bottoms-up game that takes advantage of what we do well, I'd love to see it on the platform.
And hey, why the heck not?
Nintendo President Talks 'Grand Theft Auto' Deal [MTV Multiplayer] [Pic]
Sony's Peter Dille has never been a man short on words. So when asked by MTV what he thought of Microsoft's Final Fantasy XIII coup, he offered words:
Consumers responded to "GTA" on the PS3 just as they did on the 360. And it becomes a bit of a jump ball. But it didn't rise the tide for them. And I think if you fast forward to when "Final Fantasy XIII" comes out I think you're going to have millions of people who grew up playing "Final Fantasy" on the PlayStation playing it on a PlayStation 3. They spent a lot of money, I'm sure, to get "Final Fantasy" onto the 360 but at the end of the day it's on our platform as well. Which is why we focus on, "Let's look at what happens when you have "Metal Gear Solid" on your platform ... when the NPD numbers come out ... I think you'll see the value of what a real exclusive title does and how it raised the bar for PS3 versus 360.
So...exclusives don't really matter, yet exclusives like MGS4 bring "value" and "raise the bar" for the PS3? You seem confused, Peter.
Sony: 'Final Fantasy XIII' Going To XBox 360 Creates 'Jump Ball' [MTV]
Posted by Logan Booker at 1:30 PM on July 23, 2008
That Wii! Gosh, Australia just loves it. Well, that's what Nintendo and Gfk say. According to reports, Nintendo has sold 500,000 of the little white devices since launch, making it the fastest selling console in the country, ever. I didn't even realise it was a race!
Here's the relevant info from the release:
Independent market research company GfK Australia, confirms that 84 weeks since it launched, Wii has sold more than 500,000 units, making it the fastest selling home console to reach this milestone. Previously, the console that held this record, reached it in 107 weeks, which makes Wii 23 weeks faster.Anyone care to guess which console held the old record? I reckon it was the N-Gage.
Full release after the jump. FYI, it's packed with a bunch of game announcements and street dates too.
That's what Game Informer are saying, having spoken to a number of developers at E3. They say none of the devs polled had any inkling the product was to be announced, and that the general feelings amongst them were those of "annoyance and betrayal". If that's true across the board (and it seems to be, as it echoes similar sentiments we heard at E3), it's good news for Nintendo's secret-keeping team! But bad news for third-party devs and consumers, because it means anyone who's not Nintendo is only now able to plan for games that make the most of the add-on.
Wii MotionPlus Took Developers By Surprise [Game Informer]
The Dark Knight is out. Where's the game? In an interview with G4 TV, thespian Gary Oldman let it slip that a Dark Knight game is "in the works". He described how Lieutenant Gordan is in a small scene on top of the Major Crime Unit building when Batman "jumps off the building and opened his wings to fly away and save the day" — "so it doesn't stop and start", says Oldman, "like you're watching a movie". In the now since pulled interview clip, Oldman did not mention the developer or release date. Rumour has it that Pandemic is working on the title. Neato.
'Dark Knight' Game Leaks [The Feed]
When we talked to SEGA of America president Simon Jeffery at E3 last week, he showered us with knowledge and know-how. He also threw in a quick mention of a game we hadn't heard anything about — officially, that is — Resident Evil 5 for the Wii. To say that we were surprised to hear it mentioned would be an understatement, despite our non-reaction if front of Mr. Jeffery.
We followed up with a couple folks about the on camera slip of the tongue, starting with Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime.
Discussing our Executive Pop Quiz, in which we asked Nintendo Corporate Affairs VP Denise Kaigler if Resident Evil 5 was getting a Wii version, Mr. Fils-Aime fired back with a "Not yet!" and a laugh that left us more confused than when we started the question.
Posted by Logan Booker at 12:30 PM on July 23, 2008
With Fallout 3 refused classification, and Grand Theft Auto IV censored before it even hit our shores, one had to wonder about THQ's Saints Row 2. It contains similar themes to Rockstar's opus, and if Fallout 3 is anything to go by, the board is really cracking down on games, no matter how tame they may be.
Never fear - THQ sent word late yesterday that Saints Row 2 made it past the OFLC without a problem and, more importantly, no region-specific edits. It's now being classified by the NZ OFLC. What this means is we'll be able to enjoy the same game as everyone else.
It's got me thinking though - is it possible the world is getting less-explicit games because of Australia? What do you guys think?
Of all the lowlights of last week's E3 "festivities", none were lower than Nintendo's press conference. A fact I'm sure, by now, they're acutely aware of. And in response to the, uh, less than warm reception to their offerings, Nintendo President Satoru iwata is sorry.
If there is any perception that Nintendo is ignoring the core gamers, it's a misunderstanding and we really want to get rid of that misunderstanding by any means. We are sorry about [the E3] media briefings, specifically for those who were expecting to see Nintendo show something about 'Super Mario' or 'Legend of Zelda.'
"Sorry" is a strong, and surprisingly powerful word to pull out. Probably won't do anything to sooth the strained neck veins of the outraged faithful, but it's a nice gesture regardless.
A Wii Bit Short On Supplies [Forbes]
We're making the trek down to the San Diego Convention Centre tomorrow morning for our annual trip to Comic-Con. We'll be covering all things video game related over the next five days, bringing you details from the show floor, live blogs from Comic-Con panels and all the news that breaks from Capcom, EA, Activision, Konami and much, much more.
For those attending, let us know in the comments what Sailor Moon character you'll be dressed as.
Posted by Logan Booker at 12:00 PM on July 23, 2008
The second expansion to Blizzard's World of Warcraft can't be too far away. The beta's in full swing, the dev is pumping out news on a daily basis and now, it's gone and put up the WotLK talent trees for all ten classes. That's right, none of this dribble-it-out rubbish that came with The Burning Crusade.
So, what can you expect? Protection paladins with an instant attack. Warriors dual-wielding two-handed weapons. Warlocks with a fireball that can penetrate a paladin's bubble. Death knights that can come back as a ghoul.
All this, and more, beyond the link.
Talent Calculators [World of Warcraft]
Bloggers are angry! Feminist bloggers! They're not up in arms about the unrealistic physical proportions of digital women or on-the-go near pedophilia this time, they're upset about the concept of Sony's PlayStation Network release Fat Princess. The cutesy 32-player hack and slash sees a rotund royal being overfed by the enemy, making her rescue and transport across the battlefield difficult.
Site Feminist Gamer writes that the Darkstar Industries developed title may "reinforce nasty stereotypes about women and the obese", calling the mechanic of excessively feeding the portly, titular princess "fat-bashing".
If you're using Vimeo to upload your gaming videos, you might want to look elsewhere for your future needs. The site has announced that it will no longer allow the uploading of "game walk-throughs, game strategy videos, depictions of player vs player battles, raids, fraps, or any other video gaming videos that simply depict individuals playing a video game". "Machinima" however, is cool with Vimeo. Why the change?
According to Vimeo staffers, they don't feel that said game videos that are "direct captures of video game play truly constitute 'creative expression'" and that, frankly, the file sizes are too big and mucking up the works as a result.
There is, of course, more to it than just "you're boring" and "your videos are too big", but you'll have to read on to get the what, when and why.
For those affected, you're likely aware of the alternatives, such as GameVideos, GameTrailers and YouTube, for your game video upload needs. Unfortunately, none of those options have quite the same quality that Vimeo offers.
New Upload Rules [Vimeo]
The reveal of Zipper Interactive's MAG at E3 2008 was slightly tarnished by the fact that what Sony presented at its media briefing was a pre-rendered affair. Sure, it looked like that clip utilised in-game assets, but we've been burned by CG before. Never again!
Fortunately, on the official PlayStation.blog, we get a look at how MAG will run in real-time, thanks to Rade Stojsavljevic, the game's senior producer. Stojsavljevic notes in the comments that the official still of MAG is "an actual screenshot running on a PS3", one "cropped to centre on the action".
Impressive? Hard to tell at 500 x 281 resolution, but we're willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.
First look at MAG [PlayStation.Blog - thanks, Stephen!]
Posted by Logan Booker at 10:30 AM on July 23, 2008
The E3 No Shows: Why They Weren't There
Where were you Alan Wake? How about Brutal Legend?
GFW Live Goes Free, DirectX 11 Unveiled
Unsurprisingly, it's not much different from DirectX 10, focuses on graphics and really only benefits developers.
E308 Justify Your Game: Left 4 Dead
It has zombies - you have nothing to justify!
Last Guy Looks Simple, Sounds Fantastic
Okay, it's a very zombie morning.
Now, just about anyone can be a game developer — and get paid for it, too. At its Gamefest 2008 event today, Microsoft announced that community games made using its XNA tools will be downloadable via either PC or Xbox 360, and that the creators will get 70 percent of the revenues, as we reported earlier today.
We spoke to game developers' group general manager Chris Satchell about the new community initiative. "We realised there was so much creativity out there in the community", he said. "So many people had great ideas, so we needed to give them a toolset to express themselves... and then we had to give them that worldwide stage where they could show it. And then the final step is, why not let them benefit from it?"
Microsoft saw, Satchell said, that incredible innovation came from viral communities of indie game designers across the web, and hoped to capture some of that community for its users. Satchell hopes that community games will become viral in the same way:
Perhaps Neil Peart feels handicapped by a drum set with only five pieces or perhaps Alex Lifeson simply demands strings on his guitars. It's certainly not the smooth vocals stylings of Geddy Lee that cause prog rockers Rush to fail one third of the way through their own "Tom Sawyer" on Rock Band. Perhaps it's the "Expert" difficulty? The performance, which really should have included Lee on vocals and bass, for ultimate accuracy, was taped prior to the band's appearance on The Colbert Report for posterity (and future embarrassment).
The video is after the jump!
Getting a proper impression of a game like Fable II, one that spans the lives of multiple generations, is almost impossible at an event like E3. And if Fable II lead Peter Molyneaux is being accurate when he calls the game "The biggest, most complete story of any game I've ever created", we haven't seen, well, anything yet.
That's why it's helpful that something like Fable II can be broken down into digestible, feature-focusing chunks. The game's dog, for example, with its ability to help out in battle, its nose for hidden treasure, we know is going to be A Big Deal. We won't be surprised if Man's Best Friend plays a more important role than Molyneux led us to believe in our sit down preview of his Xbox 360 game.
Julia Brasil was recently chosen as the winner of Sony Online Entertainment's first Gamers In Real Life (G.I.R.L.) design scholarship contest. Nearly 100 applicants submitted game concepts and essays, and Julia's Everquest II level and essay submission won her a $US 10,000 scholarship to The Art Institute of California, and a paid internship at Sony Online Entertainment.
We got a chance to chat with the 20 year-old Brasil (who's never won a contest in her life) about her winning concept, what she thinks of a "G.I.R.L" contest, and what she'll be working on with SOE — full interview after the jump.
Additional "spy" photos of the alleged PSP-3000 hardware update that we posted last night have come to our attention, again courtesy of the PSPChina.net message board. These shots show off what appears to be a working prototype of the PlayStation Portable, said to have built-in microphone support, among other alleged new functionality.
Hit the jump for exciting photos of the new thinner PSP ring, another look at the PS button and one more cosmetic change. While you do say, chant "This is a rumour, this is a rumour".
Earlier today, we learned that Nintendo had lost its bid for a new trial in the patent infringement suit brought against it by small Texas-based firm Anascape Ltd. Nintendo is ordered to pay $US 21 million to Anascape, who also named Microsoft and Sony in the same lawsuit — those two, however, opted earlier to settle out of court.
A ban on sales of all GameCube controllers - including GameCubes that come bundled with the infringing controllers — issued by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark is currently on hold while Nintendo appeals the verdict on the Federal level.
If the appeal fails, what are Nintendo's options, and what's the gaming giant saying about the case?
When it comes to asking the industry's bigwigs the big questions, we here at Kotaku aren't afraid to get our hands dirty. So, while we were at E3, we asked some of the top executives from each of the major companies questions on their own material. I mean think about it, when do you get to quiz your teachers? This was an opportunity we weren't going to miss. We present the Kotaku Executive Pop Quiz!
Tecmo's SPRay — oddly capped that way due to the game's protagonist, known as Spirited Prince Ray — may serve as an adequate substitute for Wii gamers waiting for Nintendo's Mario and Zelda teams to wrap up their next projects. SPRay is not unlike a Zelda-style adventure and comparisons to Mario Sunshine will likely be inevitable, as the game features a liquid spraying mechanic that's not too dissimilar from that GameCube non-classic.
The E3 party is over. We here at Kotaku are crumpling up the paper tablecloths, throwing out the empty cake boxes, and pulling your shoe out of our fish tank as we wrap up the last of our coverage of the many, many things we saw and did at the event.
But what about what we didn't do? There are a handful of key titles that we thought we could expect for this year's holiday season, so why weren't they showing alongside their seasonal bretheren? We rounded up for you a complete list of this year's no-shows and the hype that preceded them, and then tried to get to the bottom of their conspicuous absence.
Hit the jump for the full report.
