SEGA PRIVATE SHOW 2008 -SUMMER [IT Media]

Honestly, we have no idea what's going on here yet, but we like Sega has tossed on an off-kilter anime style to the whole thing. We actually liked the cel-shaded The House of the Dead III and were crushed when Sega nixed it for a more photorealistic look.

Sega is showing off the new arcade light-gun shooter at the Sega Private Show in Japan and we're anxiously awaiting more details.

House of the Dead EX [AM-net]

A third, proper Yakuza game? For the PS3? Exciting stuff. So let's go over a few of the game's finer details. While we already know the game will be an immediate sequel to the second, featuring the same characters and the same storyline, what we didn't know was that the game's going to be taking a pleasant break from the streets of faux-Tokyo. While the game will still be based around Kamurocho, it'll be adding a "second city": island getaway Okinawa (or, at least, a fictional take on Okinawa). Toshihiro "Brown Man" Nagoshi talks up the addition, saying the addition of the island's resort lifestyle and touristy atmosphere - coupled with its "darker side" - will stand in stark contrast to the gritty, urban atmosphere of Kamurocho, and as far as the story goes "fits the bill perfectly". No doubt the location testing will also fit Nagoshi's sun-bathing bill perfectly, so it's a win-win situation for all involved.

Alpha Protocol, though billed as an "action-RPG," sounds a bit weighted more toward the former than the latter, aiming for a happy medium that hopes to make RPG elements accessible to twitch fans, while still adding the depth to please RPG purists. Not only that, but the team's touted a heavy emphasis on character interaction and player choice.

It sounds like a a tall order to fil, but when the developers' pedigree includes projects like KOTOR 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2

The Obsidian team held a conference call today to answer tons of questions about the game. Is it challenging to do a modern, realistic RPG (especially with Star Wars and NWN in your rearview)? How do the action elements balance with the RPG elements, and just how much influence will the players have? What kind of man is hero Michael Thorton?

"When we made Alpha Protocol, we had just finished up Neverwinter Nights 2 [which was] pretty traditional, pretty rules-based... and we wanted to do something a little more action-based, a little bit more accessible," said Obsidian executive producer Chris Parker.

"We really liked the spy genre," he said. The team also thought it would be cool to give the player the experience of developing from a green rookie agent into a "modern-day superhero." Thorton will have many traditional weapons, but will level up on a skill-based curve.

One of the things the team said was that they hoped to welcome more traditional FPS players into the RPG fold by allowing the player to simply auto-level on a class-like track, while still allowing more experienced RPG players to develop whichever skills they wanted, and allocate their points on their own.

While they hope to offer a good deal of character customization, players won't, Obsidian said, be doing the "traditional 'make your face' type modifications" — instead, customization for Thorton is more about his skills, abilities and accessories, along with subtle appearance factors like hairstyles.

Interactions with different characters will influence which factions ally with you and which oppose you - in particular, the team said you can expect your endgame to be heavily influenced by your actions in the game. The conversation wheel, the team said, resembles Mass Effect's a bit, but with less looping back and more of a real-time feel; it's also possible to choose a single "stance" and carry it through all of your interactions.

Even though Alpha Protocol is a modern spy thriller, the team decided it shouldn't go too far into realism. "We originally went for a more realistic version of gameplay and the way Thorton interacted with the world, but that wasn't as exciting as having some kind of magical abilities," said Parker. "Michael Thorton is a super-agent, so we have added some abstraction, and something... like super-powers."

One such special ability will involve Thorton being able to stop time and line up shots to kill many opponents at once.

It was also a challenge to balance realism with an engaging RPG, the team said, so in terms of the story feel, they took inspiration from the post-processing effect film style of Syriana. For the visual style, though, the design team wanted to elevate the artistic language. "We wanted to stay away from just having guys in suits... it helps gameplay-wise if they have over-the-top characteristics."

The team also hopes that the game's opening events will draw players in on an emotional level. At the story's opening, a tragic event sends Thorton on a mission - "something that has value to the world and to other people immediately." From there, the world gets turned upside down when Thorton is forced to go rogue to unravel the mystery.

"It's a unique opportunity for the player to have an effect on real world events... basically, the player can affect things happening in the news, in the financial market... to bring down a real bad corporation, or the government if that happens to be the case. There's a chance for the player to affect things happening in our world right now."

Alpha Protocol is slated for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC for February 2009.

Yakuza 3 Announced [2chan.net]

Hummer Game Looks Cool, Too [Sega Nerds Forums via Sega Nerds]

Why do the civil engineers in the Sonic universe feel the need to construct boost pads, spring loaded bumpers and twisting rails that connect to nothing? They're everywhere! And who's putting those gold rings all over the place? I realize we're discussing a game in which a giant blue hedgehog who wears shoes battles robots at high speeds and occasionally gets freaky with human beings, but c'mon. Sure, Sonic Unleashed looks good — better than any Sonic the Hedgehog effort we've seen in a long time — but when Sega's mascot gets all real world on us, we have to question this stuff.

This much crisper look at the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version is also available in impressive high definition.

Sonic Unleashed Trailer [GameTrailers]

HMV is currently listing the game and maraca combo for £34.99 (about $70 USD). We've contacted Sega to find out more and have expressed our genuine excitement, hoping that they'll get back to us sooner rather than later.

Samba De Amigo: Including Maracas [HMV via GoNintendo]

R-Tuned [Official Site via Game Watch]

"WACK-A-DOODLE-DOO" [UK:Resistance]

Both products have since been removed from Nintendo's software release list. We hope this wasn't too crushing of a blow for your future Nintendo hardware-based purchases.

SEGA comments on Nintendo date listing [Eurogamer]

Point and click adventure games and the Wii just make sense, and while they are tweaking some of the title's mini-games to take advantage of the Wiimote's motion sensing abilities, the rest of the game should remain intact. It could be the beginning of a very lucrative partnership between Sega and Her Interactive. Just don't ask me to review them.

Nancy Drew Embarks on Her First Nintendo Wii Adventure in Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek

SEGA and Her Interactive Team Up for First Nancy Drew® Game for Console

BELLEVUE, Wash.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Her Interactive, Inc., the designer, developer and publisher of the award-winning Nancy Drew® PC game series, today announced they are partnering with SEGA® of America to bring the best selling franchise to the video game console market. Already a cross-generational phenomenon for over a decade and the number one bestselling PC game adventure series, Nancy Drew ®: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek will make its Wii™ debut this October.

“With sales of our popular Nancy Drew PC series continuing its year-over-year growth, we felt that it was the natural progression to expand the brand into the console arena,” said Megan Gaiser, President and CEO of Her Interactive. “Additionally, the layout, interface and style of our Nancy Drew games make them an ideal fit for the Wii audience, and we are pleased to introduce this title with such a respected partner as SEGA.”

“SEGA is immensely excited to be working with Her Interactive on the Nancy Drew franchise and expanding our catalog into the family-focused games market,” says Sean Ratcliffe, VP of Marketing for SEGA of America. “Her Interactive has created a loyal following of upcoming detectives and bringing that to the Nintendo Wii is an ideal gaming partnership that we are thrilled to be a part of.”

Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek finds Nancy far from home in the middle of the Canadian Rockies to investigate several suspicious accidents occurring at Chantal’s spooky Icicle Creek Lodge. To make matters worse, an eerie wolf’s howl in the distance is haunting the guests at night, causing Nancy to wonder if the accidents and the mysterious wolf are connected.

Assuming the role of Nancy Drew, players embark on a mystery adventure that will tax their deductive reasoning skills as they tackle intricate puzzles and master a variety of gesture-based mini-games with the Wii Remote™. Additionally, Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek lets players choose either a Junior or Senior Detective level, making it a perfect game for players of all skill levels.

Nancy Drew: The White Wolf of Icicle Creek will be available this October at retailers nationwide, as well as from the Her Interactive website for a suggested retail price of $29.95. More information on Her Interactive and the company’s entire line of exciting Nancy Drew games can be found at www.HerInteractive.com.

When asked about maintaining quality control at Nintendo, Miyamoto says the key is in avoiding Sega-style design. He tells Wired, "I'm always instructing my game designers on the history of the characters and worlds we've created. Often we're in development and I'll say, 'Oh, this looks like a Sega game. We need to make it look more like Mario.'" Ouch.

In Miyamoto's defense, he may have been talking about Sega's last decade or so of existence. And that's totally fair.

15th Anniversary: Revenge of the Wii [Wired via NeoGAF]

Sonic's Birthday [Sega Nerds]

A Look Inside The Flora Print Club [Arcade Heroes]

In addition, as friend of the site Matt Hawkins was nice enough to tip us off to, two episodes of Retro Game Master will be screened at the event. You may know the series better as Game Center CX, in which host Shinya Arino is tasked with beating games under a time limit. This is similarly a North American debut and will feature Ghosts 'n' Goblins and Mystery of Atlantis.

Matt tells us that he's planning to review a good portion of this stuff in his Cinema Pixeldiso column for GameSetWatch. If you've never read the irregular column, it's all about video game inspired cinema and, furthermore, shame on you.

Like A Dragon & Retro Game Master [Subway Cinema]

Sega has created the ultimate peripheral for guys too busy gaming to meet women. Meet Ema - Eternal Maiden Actualization, Sega's robotic girlfriend. She stands around 18 inches tall and can sing, dance, and totally make out with you. When switched to "Love Mode", a feature sadly lacking in real life companions, Ema uses infra-red sensors to detect nearby human heads, doling out kisses with her cold, mouthless face.

Ema goes on sale in September for around 18,000 yen ($166 USD), and while she is currently exclusive to Japan, Sega isn't ruling out bringing her worldwide should demand prove high enough.

Not going to say anything further, as opening my fat mouth at this point could get me in serious trouble.

Sega creates robot girlfriend [Telegraph.co.uk - Thanks Seiger!]

Authentic, cinematic sequel. The gritty, genuine portrayal of life in the Yakuza is made more realistic throughout 16 gripping chapters with a return to the original Japanese voice cast and English subtitles.

Bravo, Sega, bravo. The game does a neat job of authentically capturing Osaka's nightlife (above) — though needs more people. Still, it's a PS2 game and quite a nice looking one at that!

Games Yakuza 2 [SEGA via Sega Nerds]

The Crucible trailer also led some to draw the conclusion that it was the unnamed title that Silicon Knights was developing as a follow-up to Too Human. Sega has since denied that the trailer is that particular project, with a rep going on record saying "it’s definitely not the project that Silicon Knights and SEGA are producing." The carefully worded statement doesn't rule out that the game is ultimately Sega's, but it does tell us to expect something "soon."

Sega: Supposedly Leaked Silicon Knights Title Is Not Our Game [MTV Multiplayer]

Meanwhile, on the field side of things, players can compete in the pole vault, high jump, triple jump, long jump, or my personal favorite events, the throws, with javelin, hammer, shot put, and discus all represented. Always been a big fan of throwing things. Just ask my borderline neurotic targets cats.

Beijing 2008 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic GamesTrack And Field Events, Screenshots and Details Available Now

LONDON (16 June, 2008) – SEGA Europe Ltd. proudly presents Beijing 2008™ - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games: Track and Field events.

Appearing on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC, Beijing 2008™ delivers a host of Track and Field events.

Of the six Track events, the 100m is the blue-riband event of the Olympic Games and is watched by millions of people worldwide. A new analogue starting block mechanic has been added to the gameplay using the trigger buttons on the controller. After launching out of the starting blocks, players will have the choice to either waggle the thumb stick from left to right, or press the A button and B button alternately to gain speed. Other track events are the 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and the 110m Hurdles for Men and 100m Hurdles for Women.

There are eight Field events in Beijing 2008™ and new to this iteration is the Hammer Throw which is played with both analogue sticks to build up power, whilst using one of the triggers to throw the Hammer. Other Field events are the High Jump, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Shot Put, Triple Jump, Discus Throw, and the Javelin Throw. All of these events have different gameplay mechanics and are playable with both male and female athletes.

Beijing 2008™ is slated for a global release on June 27th 2008 for the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and PC.

Happy Tree Friends has always ticked me off a bit, as these folks make money doing exactly the sort of thing that got me kicked out of high school art class and sent to the counselor's office. Lucky bastards.

Happy Tree Friends for XBLA next week [Eurogamer]

[via Famitsu]

Now Sega and developer Edge of Reality have taken up the task of gamifying the green goliath, creating The Incredible Hulk to coincide with Marvel's new movie of the same name. Does this new game live up to Ultimate Destruction's legacy, or does it just make us angry? You wouldn't like us when we're angry...

Loved

Ultimate Destruction: New York is the Hulk's playground, and he isn't know for being easy on his toys. Everything in the city can be destroyed – every car, every tree, and every building is a target. One of the achievements involves razing an entire neighborhood. Sorry Spanish Harlem, but you had to go.

Moving It: Traveling through New York as the Hulk is a joy, cars being knocked out of his way, fire hydrants shooting gouts of water as they shatter, pedestrians flying. Climbing buildings almost as fun as destroying them.

Incredible Feats: The feats system presents an excellent, relatively entertaining way of unlocking new powers. Rather than merely spending points, each feat has a variety of conditions that need to be met in order to unlock it, from killing enemies certain ways to using certain powers a set number of times.

Dirty Little Secrets: There's a ton of secrets hidden within The Incredible Hulk, from comic book covers and concept art to 200 power ups scattered around the city Crackdown style. There are even a handful of hidden characters to unlock, including earlier incarnations of the hero and some of his most powerful foes.

Hated

Hulk Program Puny Game: the Hulk very well could have programmed a bit of this game himself, judging from some of the glitches I ran into. Getting stuck in an animation when you are shot while climbing, enemies popping in and out of the architecture, and the jumping hilarity that ensues when you accidentally fall into water all make the game seem a bit rushed.

Loud Noises: Is it possible that everyone remotely involved with sound in this game was having a bad day when it came time to record? The voice actors sound bored and the music, when there is music, is an uninspired mess.

Limited Engagements: Not only are the enemies in the game repetitive, the bosses in the game are repetitive. One of the major storylines involves battling an shadowy scientific organization known as The Enclave, whose four bosses all fight almost exactly the same way. Very anticlimactic.

Mini-games: While some of the mini-games aren't too shabby, I found the majority of them to be either frustrating or simply boring. Mini-games shouldn't feel like gameplay padding.

Very Cut-Scenes: Two things about the cutscenes in The Incredible Hulk. First, they look absolutely hideous. Second, with few exceptions they all last under 15 seconds, making me wonder why they even bothered including cutscenes at all.

There is a great deal of fun to be had in The Incredible Hulk...just not nearly as much as there was in its obvious inspiration, Ultimate Destruction. It's almost as if Edge of Reality took Radical's original game and filtered out the charm and wit that made it a complete experience, delivering something more serious and visceral but ultimately less entertaining. I did enjoy playing the game, but I felt that it could have been so much more.

While the comic book has always been about the balance between the man outside and the beast within, Sega's The Incredible Hulk lacks the human qualities that could have made it a classic.

The Incredible Hulk was developed by Edge of Reality and published by Sega. Retails for$60 on Xbox 360 and PS3, $30 on PS2 and PC, and $50 on Wii . Played to completion on the Xbox 360. All secret characters unlocked. All side stories resolved.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

For the full list of changes implemented in patch 3, hit the jump for details.

General Changes:
Implemented Interoperable cross-play between Xbox and PC players in Ranked, Quickmatch and Conquer the World modes.
Team voice chat fixed so that communication between players is on a team basis during tactical combat
Fixed an issue where difficulty for Achievements was not being tracked correctly resulting in cases where Achievements might not always unlock.
Fixed an issue where the Corruptors would not fire on enemies within their attack radius.
Fixed an issue where Defilers would walk in place if the Project Radiation ability was targeted to close to them.
Fixed an issue where Collectors would stop collecting because they were trying to reach resources outside the playable area.
AI players are now added to custom multiplayer sessions with unique color and team settings.
In replays objects should no longer be tinted as if under the fog of war.
Implemented a quality of service check for multiplayer games to improve game matching, especially in Conquer the World mode.
Fixed an issue where Altea's aura would not un-phase enemy units.
Fixed an issue where Avengers would take zero pop-cap.
Fixed an issue where cloaked units that have been in the sight radius of a Sight-linked unit loose their ability to cloak until Sight link is removed.
Fixed an issue that was having a Conquer the World player leave the session if the other player disconnected BEFORE the stats results could be reported, preventing the player who remained connected from getting the win.
Fixed an issue where the light/dark mode was not properly reset during a tactical battle restart.
Fixed an issue where units selected in a group would not respond to orders if some were locked down by a Hacker.
Forged Alliance Achievement Renamed to Peacebringer. Requires the player to defeat 2 ranked game or CTW opponents on the opposite platform.

Xbox 360 Specific Changes:
Performance optimizations.
Fixed a random game freeze issue related to particles.
Fixed a random game freeze related to voice chat.
Fixed several Out of Sync issues, including a high-latency issues which would
cause the game to go OOS instead of correctly waiting for players.
Added Guard mode to the special ability carousel.
Added Patrol mode to the special ability carousel.
Fixed an issue where network selection lag would cause the carousel to never come up.
Fixed an issue where the build queues selected from the Command carousel would randomly disappear in battle.
Fixed an issue with paint select decal selecting units outside its radius.
Mirabel now plays her unit responses.
Fixed an issue with Foo cores not adhering to double-click movement rules.
Fixed an issue where Hackers were able to be built without the Science Center.
Fixed the invisible radar map issue in the Novus Homeworld tutorial.
Fixed an issue where the A button might appear behind something in the Novus patch menu.
If saving a replay to a full memory unit an appropriate error message is now displayed.
Players can no longer incorrectly bring up the pause menu at the battle end screen.
Multiplayer is now properly paused when the Battle End Screen is activated after the game is over, so you don't get continuing sound and rumble effects.
Fixed an issue that was causing the skirmish lobby to force the pop cap *UP* to 60 if you added 3 AI even if your chosen pop cap was less than 60.
Fixed an issue where the Y button prompt appears off the Radar Map and fails to function when maximum build cap is reached.
Fixed an issue with accepting an invite while the attract movie is up.
Fixed issue with white texture showing up for the neutral detection array's scan pulse ability.

PC Specific Changes:
Added Patrol mode via hotkey: Ctrl+A
Added progress bars to display unit/upgrade production in tactical and global modes.
Added multi-threaded support for systems with multi-core processors providing a large performance increase on those systems.
Research now available in Single Player Campaign.
Fixed an issue where using a laptop with a touchpad containing a horizontal and verticals scroll touch option would break the mini-map.
Fixed an issue where the help text would display off screen.
Fixed an issue where dropdown text would get cut off at extremely high resolutions.
Fixed an issue where tooltips for the capture ability would give an incorrect time.
We now hide the Private Game combo box when hosting, so you must make the decision about hosting a private game when you first create the session ... you can't change your mind later.
Fixed an issue which was preventing disconnected game notices from ever being displayed.
Game now pauses when LIVE dialog screen is up.
Fixed an issue which was causing multiplayer games from ending properly if the game was minimized when the battle ended. In Conquer the World this could prevent a player from being awarded a territory in some cases.
We now check save files to make sure they haven't been corrupted on the PC.
Fixed an issue where the game would crash when holding ALT key while loading and saving a game.
Fixed an issue with the research tree and other menus closing intermittently while in a MP game.

Novus Balance Changes:
Hackers now autonomously lock down targets in range.
Constructors now repair 14% faster.
Increased Constructor’s FOW reveal by 20%.
Reduced Constructor’s build time from 18 to 13 seconds.
Reduced Constructor’s price from 650 to 500.
Increased Constructor’s crush defense from 10 to 30.
Increased Founder’s Prowess health from 900 to 1100.
Increased Founder’s FOW reveal range in Prowess mode.
Increased Founder’s health from 500 to 650 in performance mode.
Decreased Vertigo’s FOW by 10%.
Increased Vertigo’s health from 700 to 775.
Increased Vertigo’s guard radius by 15%.
Increased Mirabel’s base weapon damage by 20%.
Decreased Mirabel’s Snipe recharge from 55 to 52 seconds.
Increased Mirabel’s missile damage volley by 10%.
Increased Mirabel’s missile speed by 10%.
Decreased Mirabel’s missile range by 25%.
Increased Amplifier’s movement speed by 10%.
Changed Amplifier’s armor from light to heavy.
Decreased Amplifier’s global cost from 450 to 400.
Decreased Amplifier’s tactical cost from 900 to 800.
Decreased Amplifier’s build time from 28 to 26 seconds.
Increased Amplifier’s guard range by 15%.
Increased Amplifier’s crush from 6 to 21.
Increased Field Inverter’s FOW reveal by 15%.
Decreased Field Inverter’s global cost from 600 to 500.
Decreased Field Inverter’s tactical build time from 30 to 28 seconds.
Increased Field Inverter’s guard range by 25%.
Increased Field Inverter’s shield mode walk speed by 25%.
Increased Field Inverter’s damage by 15%.
Decreased Hacker’s speed by 15%
Increased Hacker’s guard radius by 20%
Increased Hacker’s cost from 500 to 600.
Decreased Hacker’s max targeting range on lockdown ability by 15%
Increased Ohm’s max attack range by 25%.
Increased Ohm’s run speed by 10%.
Increased Ohm’s health by 15%.
Increased Ohm’s guard radius by 20%.
Decreased Corruptor’s cost from 600 to 500.
Increased Corruptor’s guard radius by 20%.

Hierarchy Balance Changes:
Increased Kamal’s health 900.
Decreased Kamal’s FOW reveal by 20%
Increased Nufai’s health from 700 to 750.
Increased Nufai’s guard radius by 15%
Increased Defiler’s cost from 775 to 850.
Increased Defiler’s build time from 26 to 30 seconds.
Increased Defiler popcap from 3-5 (updated)
Increased Saucer’s guard radius by 10%
Increased Saucer’s popcap from 3 to 4.
Decreased Saucer’s build time from 30 to 28 seconds.
Decreased Saucer’s cost from 825 to 750.
Increased Saucer’s speed by 10%.

Masari Balance Changes:
Decreased Light Mine damage by 50% for standard and upgraded figment mines.
Increased Charos, Zessus, Altea and Disciple’s guard radius by 15%
Increased Zessus’ health from 800 to 850.
Decreased Altea’s walk speed for both light and dark modes by 15%
Increased Altea’s health from 600 to 725

[via UK:R]

While the level of what’s missing has reduced, I still feel that none of the platforms totally satisfy my needs. That’s why different games on different platforms is the way to approach the situation. Also, from a business point of view, it doesn’t make sense to develop for a single platform at this point.

True, but don't count on third party exclusives to vanish anytime soon.

Platinum Games [Next Gen via Go Nintendo] [Pic]

While the Japanese continue to enjoy Yakuza 3, Americans are stuck with Yakuza 1. Don't even have Yakuza 2. Which came out in December 2006. But, hey, don't be so slum, chum. The ESRB have gone and classified it, which means it'll at least be out sometime. In the future. Which could be in six months, it could be while you toil the rest of your life away in an alien salt mine, who knows. The point is you can cross "if" off your speculation whiteboard, and circle "when" a little more furiously.

Yeah, we’re getting Yakuza 2 [Siliconera]

With that in mind, I present you Sega's trailer for Gas Powered Games space-themed follow-up to Dungeon Siege, Space Siege. Just the name alone, going by the classic "Add Space To Anything" rule, is full of epic win. So says Space Fahey.

Rambo Game [Game Watch Impress]

"The great capabilities of Unreal Engine 3 make it possible for our developers to deliver incredible gaming experiences,” said Dave Cobb, Vice President of Development for SEGA of America, Inc. "Unreal Engine 3 provides superior power and flexibility enabling SEGA to bring original and exciting next-generation multi-platform titles."

Yeah, yeah, yeah, but what's the game Cobb? Well, Sega won't say just yet, but I can't help but wonder. It can't be the new Aliens game since that was already announced. I'm hoping it's the fourth unnamed Platinum Games title. Something that's going to be as visually sexy as it is aesthetically interesting and provocative.

Thoughts?

SEGA Purchases New Unreal Engine 3 License

SAN FRANCISCO – May 27, 2008 – SEGA® of America today announced that it has extended its relationship with Epic Games by signing a new Unreal Engine 3 licensing deal for an unannounced, cross-platform game. SEGA entered into its original licensing agreement to develop multiple titles with Unreal Engine 3 in May 2007. Details of the project in development will be released at a later date.

"The great capabilities of Unreal Engine 3 make it possible for our developers to deliver incredible gaming experiences,” said Dave Cobb, Vice President of Development for SEGA of America, Inc. "Unreal Engine 3 provides superior power and flexibility enabling SEGA to bring original and exciting next-generation multi-platform titles."

“SEGA has cultivated some of the world’s most treasured game franchises, and we are thrilled that they have decided to make more games with Unreal Engine 3,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. “Epic is committed to supporting SEGA with exceptional tools and technologies so it may continue to build upon its successes.”

Developers and publishers around the world have licensed Unreal Engine 3 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Since Epic has shipped its internal titles across all supported platforms, the engine's content pipeline and technical capabilities have achieved unprecedented levels of maturity and accessibility. These advancements, combined with the continual incorporation of top quality middleware libraries via Epic's prestigious Integrated Partners Program, present Unreal Engine 3 as a superior offering for cross-platform game development.

Through this licensing agreement, SEGA will be able to take advantage of Unreal Engine 3’s latest technological enhancements, including dynamic ambient occlusion, destructible environments, an advanced crowd system and much more.

Sega Rally 3: Hands-on impressions [Arcade Heroes, via DemonCleaner @ NeoGAF]

How have 3D action games evolved since we blazed a new trail with DMC? Can you even go so far as to say they’ve evolved? Seven years ago, we put everything we had into Devil May Cry. But since then, like the hands of time for the 3D action genre were frozen at that moment, it seems like the drive to push users further has stopped. There is so much more that should be done now. And we are the only ones who seem up to the task. This is the spark that has lit the fire within me.

Ah, don't you love it when game creators have fires in their bellies? Way more uplifting than when they're burnt out and crazy. Also in his post, Kamiya says to believe him and Platinum Games that the upcoming Bayonetta "will be worth the wait." Alrighty, then.
“Pushing 3D Action to a New Dimension” [Sega UK Thanks, Screenshot!] [Pic]

I'm not sure how much a developer can add to the basic mechanic that already comes with the DS for free, but Sega is certainly trying. The screens and fact sheet they provided with the announcement don't really give me a sense of what you'll be getting when you buy the game that you don't already get with the built-in app.

Reading between the lines I suspect you won't be getting WiFi play which is a down right tragedy. It's the one thing that prevents Pictochat from being truly useful. Yes I know, it's great at big press conferences and events, but I still miss the ability to shoot crudely drawn pictures of penises out into cyberspace.

SEGA ANNOUNCES PICTOIMAGE FOR NINTENDO DS

Get ready to push your freehand drawing skills to the limit in a variety of challenging, drawing-based multiplayer games

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (May 22, 2008) – SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced that PictoImage™, a fun and challenging party game that will sharpen wit and drawing skills is coming to Nintendo DS™. PictoImage is a pick-up-and-play puzzle game scheduled for release in August 2008.

PictoImage enables up to eight players to take turns drawing the image of a word generated from a large database while competitors race against the clock to guess the word first. Featuring eight multi-player game modes, players can compete against each other in a variety of party games including Picture Pass, a mode where a subject will be passed from player to player in an image and the last player has guess the subject based on all the drawings. In multiplayer mode players can also create a personal library of words to use when they square off against other players.

PictoImage will also include a single-player and two-player mode where players must guess an image from a library of 300 drawings created by people of all ages. The tutorial mode teaches players how to draw a variety of different images from four main categories (Animals, Objects, Food, and Other).

The multiplayer-free game has Sonic traveling through the fractured chunks of an Earth recently shattered by Dr. Eggman, collecting Chaos Emeralds in an attempt to return the planet to its former state. The game will include stylized humans, but likely no hot hedgehog-on-female action.

The developers said one version of Sonic Unleashed is being developed for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and another for the PS2 and Wii. The Wii version of the game will allow you to use the remote and nunchuk or the classic Gamecube controller.

The developers showing off the game to media said that, while the engine was designed to "work well with Sonic titles," it can be used for other games.

Sega brought on Yoshihisa Hashimoto to lead the project because he "knows what needs to happen to make Sonic new and relevant again."

It was unclear if that meant the occasionally over-the-blue-fur look of the game or the yet to be unveiled "surprise" about the game, which I suspect might be his still-unconfirmed werewolf nature.

In our short session watching the game, it felt to me that playing through the third-person perspective sections of the game could be, if not nauseating at times, at least very daunting. The developer who ran us through several sections did just fine, though I imagine first-time gamers wouldn't be as adapt at jumping and maneuvering through the maps with such little warning of approaching turns.

Sonic Unleashed will have day and night gameplay and maintain the ability to collect ring energy. The faster you collect the energy the more you obtain. Eventually you can use it to boost your speed, making Sonic go so fast it blurs the scenery.

The sections we saw did include a couple of split paths, giving the game at least a bit of replayability.

The Chimp Is Awesome [Sega Nerds]