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Square Enix Seems Optimistic About This Year
With the announcement of its 2009 fiscal financials, Square Enix stock prices jumped to the highest they have been since 2003. Thank you Eidos acquisition. Eidos titles like Batman and Kane and Lynch 2 are expected to be million sellers. Overseas sales are expected increase significantly as well. Taito, another Square Enix possession, will see…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Have You Been To An Arcade 7000 Feet Above Sea Level?
Probably not. This one is located in the Indian city of Darjeeling (yes, like the tea). And while it’s not much of an arcade, that’s still pretty high. Lee Bradley, writing for the still-got-that-new-site-smell Bitmob, tells of his travels to both the city and the “arcade”, which is really nothing more than “a collection of…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Already, Another Lips On The Way
It’s barely been six months since the release of Lips, Microsoft’s shameless swipe at SingStar’s karaoke crown. And now, with E3 just around the corner, it seems it’s already time for another Lips game. The Royalty Network – a site cataloguing the latest licensing and royalty deals in the world of music – has made…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
“No One From Capcom Japan Will Be At E3” vs. “Capcom Japan’s Attendance Is Under Review”
Previously we posted that Capcom’s E3 plans were up in the air, because of the Swine Flu. Earlier this morning, game site NowGamer reported that Capcom Japan have apparently canceled their appearance. Now? We’ve contacted Capcom, who told us, “Capcom will definitely be attending E3 this year. The Capcom Japan staff specifically attending is something…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
British Sales Charts: Go, Rhythm Heaven, Go!
Wii Fit is about to set some kind of sales record in the UK, but we couldn’t care less. Because the most interesting story of the week is the fact Rhythm Heaven is still selling! Yes, the game – known as Rhythm Paradise in the UK – was at #8 last week, and is #8…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Ubisoft Ready To “Enrich Movies” Through Special Effects
Watch out, Hollywood! French game company Ubisoft is totally keen on the movie special effects business. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stresses that the company does not want to make movies per se, saying just that: “We don’t want to make movies, but the expertise we have is key to creating special effects, graphics and animation.”…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Here’s Your E3 2009 Floor Plan
The organisers of the Electronic Entertainment Expo have released the floorplan for this year’s show. Let’s all take a look, shall we? Yup. There’s plenty of video game companies occupying plenty of floorspace with video game company booths. Just as expected! Nothing really stands out as being potentially incendiary (the “big three” being split amongst…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Age Of Conan Fighting On, Attracting New Players
For a while there, it appeared that Funcom’s Age of Conan was on its last legs. Players were leaving, servers were closing. But still, the game lives on! Funcom’s latest financial report states that “a significant increase in new customers in Q1 compared to Q4 has led to a stable and solid subscriber base”, meaning…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Mario Kart Wii Used In Driver’s Ed
Students at Vail Christian High School in Colorado are learning the importance of not driving while distracted. They’re doing this with the help of Mario Kart Wii. The high school created the “distracted and drowsy driving project” with the help of the Eagle County Sheriff’s Department, the Colorado State Patrol, the Eagle Country Fire Fighters…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Yeah, LEGO Half-Life 2 Would Be Pretty Great
The guys at LEGO gotta make money. So they license Star Wars, and Harry Potter, and Rock Band. But if they didn’t have to make money, we like to think they’d license Half-Life 2. Sadly, that probably won’t happen. Ever. So we’ll have to make do with these custom HL2 LEGO figures and playsets, exquisitely…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Assassin’s Creed II’s Team Has Tripled
Assassin’s Creed II is a big game. Big games need big teams, and developer Ubisoft has assembled just that: an army. According to producer Sebastien Puel, there are 450 people working on the the sequel, and 75 percent of the original team is working on the game. Just how much bigger is the AC 2…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Heads Roll At Valve Over “Leaked” Team Fortress 2 Vid
There has been speculation that the “leaked” Team Fortress 2 video from the weekend was not leaked at all. Speculation that, in light of events at Valve HQ today, seems entirely without merit. Incensed at the lapse in security, the company’s notoriously mean Team Fortress 2 blogger (byline says Robin Walker, but we have our…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
New WoW, Gears Of War Figures For Your Adult Bookshelf
Fans of either Gears of War or World of Warcraft (or both!) will be happy to know there’s now more things to spend their disposable income on, with the release of some new figures. The latest additions to NECA’s line of Gears of War line feature a Lambent soldier (which is a San Diego Comic…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Three Reasons Maybe Why There Aren’t Many PS3 Gal Games
The PS2 has an impressive catalogue of not only “regular games”, but also PC gal games (think Japanese dating sims) ported over with the adult scenes edited out. Called “visual novels”, these games are more reading intensive than anything else. There is a small, yet rabid, market for them; however, PS3 hasn’t exactly been fertile…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
No, The Game Boy Advance Is Not Dead
With the Nintendo DS now the undisputed heavyweight champion of the handheld gaming space, we got to wondering: what’s become of the humble Game Boy Advance? Is it dead? Ask yourself: when was the last time you saw a Game Boy Advance on a shelf? Or heard about a new Game Boy Advance game? Or…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Pokemon Could Have Been Muscular Monsters
When cutesy monster series Pokémon was being prepped for the Western market, localizers told Nintendo this: No way will adorable monsters be accepted by Americans. In a recent interview, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata reveals, “We were sent a proposal of muscle-bound characters to use if we wanted to do well in the U.S.” Nintendo didn’t…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2009 - Uncategorized
Capcom Japan May Pull Out Of E3
Looks like Capcom’s travel lockdown may not be confined to just Keiji Inafune and Malmö, Sweden. Turns out Capcom Japan may yank all international travel over swine flu fears, which would include, yes, E3. Capcom have told British trade site Develop that the Japanese branch of the company are yet to commit 100% to attending…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 18, 2009 - Uncategorized
Grasshopper Working With Square Enix
Japanese game designer Goichi Suda has a “video game brand” called Grasshopper Manufacture. That company has made games for lots of companies, but did you know that Square Enix was a client? Via website Siliconera, here’s a breakdown of companies that Grasshopper has worked with, and the titles that were produced. Companies such as D3…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2009 - Uncategorized
So, How Does The Tony Hawk Controller Work?
You’ve heard the announcement, you’ve seen what the controller looks like, you’ve already formed half-informed opinions on the whole thing, but do you know just how the new Tony Hawk peripheral actually works? Josh Tsui, president of Robomodo (the developers behind the game), told Crecente in his latest “Well Played” column that “Playing on the…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 18, 2009