So this slick space shooter from Sidhe came out of nowhere and just as mysteriously, we’re told it’s not actually in development. Which is kind of unacceptable, especially when phrases like “A modern take on the classic space combat and exploration game Elite” are thrown around. Fortunately, Sidhe hasn’t left us with mouths completely agape.
New Zealand developers Sidhe are best known for their local sporting games based on stuff like Rugby League. They generally release one or two games a year. Sadly, one game that’s not being released anytime soon is also one that looks damn impressive, especially for anyone who remembers a time when people actually made video games about shooting things in space.
Sidhe Interactive has recently announced a World Cup update to Rugby League 2 for PS2, a content focused update rather than a new version of the game. Kudos to Sidhe for dropping this clear assertion in the FAQ — I couldn’t say it any better. If you did not like Rugby League 2 then in all likelihood you will not like this version, and you should consider purchase carefully.
The title has been popular with League nuts, so a refreshed line up of teams (hello Titans fans), players, stadiums, and ‘Twilight NRL Grand Final Stadia’, plus a World Cup mode, should mean fans of the sport and the game will have fun playing their own version of the event. No release date yet, but the tournament begins end of next week so I would hope this things lands before the tournament passes by or they’ll certainly have missed the window of interest.
When I saw the trailers for Speed Racer, I thought “hey, that looks kind of neat”. Then, the reviews came out. A rating of 37? That’s got to hurt. NZ dev Sidhe Interactive, which was responsible for the game tie-in, thinks the movie took a giant dump on its chances of success. Here’s what Jos Ruffel, the company’s business development manager, had to say at this year’s GC Developers Conference:
“When we were first asked to do Speed Racer the property it was incredible, it was very exciting. It was a film by the Wachowski brothers and it was about car racing – awesome that’s going to make a great game”.
The Wachowski brothers? I mean, other than the first Matrix film, have they done anything good? Did you see Invasion? No, neither did I.
It can’t be easy balancing demands and expectations from a studio with the desire to make a solid game. To be honest, I don’t think the sort of people who buy games based on a movie like Speed Racer are expecting the next Gran Turismo. Stick to the basics and add a bit of jazz, that’s what I say.
Poor Speed Racer movie hindered our game, says Sidhe Interactive [GamesIndustry.biz, via Tsumea]
With the iPhone SDK out and about, quite a few developers and publishers are seriously considering Apple’s mobile phone/happy-fun-gizmo as a gaming platform. I mean, why wouldn’t you when it can make all those pretty, pretty colours?
Rainbow-like appeal aside, we’ve read what EA, id Software and Sega think about gaming on the iPhone. But what about our local guys? Sumea threw a few mobile and iPhone-related questions at Tantalus, Firemint, Infinite Interactive and Sidhe to get their opinions.
This week’s Xbox Live Arcade releases include a racer born on the PSP and a hack and slash fantasy game with nods to Sega’s arcade classic Altered Beast. Gripshift, from Sidhe Interactive, is a stunt racing-puzzle game, of sorts, featuring platforming mechanics combined with raw speed. It’s joined by Arkadian Warriors, a hack and slash adventure from the team created last year’s well received XBLA hit Assault Heroes. It’s gimmick is that you and your co-op buddies can choose from one of three classes, each with it’s own spirit animal. Both will hit this Wednesday, extremely early in the morning, for 800 Microsoft Points. Details on both are available at Xbox.com.
Gripshift and Arkadian Warriors [Xbox.com]
GripShift’s pretty fun. Which explains why it’s gone from PSP to PlayStation 3 Network and now all the way over to Xbox Live Arcade. Developers Sidhe Interactive have announced that the downloadable racer will be made available on 360 sometime in December, though a firm date and price are still undecided. 360 fans worrying over the quality of a game that’s been double-ported, relax: Sidhe claim it’s the “definitive” version of the title. Until it’s ported to the Wii and/or PC. That one will be more definitiver. GripShift Heads to Live Arcade [IGN]
