-
Ready To Smash Up Cars In Super Street Fighter IV?
The upcoming SSFIV is bringing back the Street Fighter bonus stages of yore: car destruction. The latest issue of Famitsu confirms the car wrecking bonus stages in Super Street Fighter IV. There’s also a barrel bonus stage, too. Other details about the game include info about online play: • Team Battle is from 2-on-2 up…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2009 -
For Thirty Four Years, Kids Have Wanted Video Games For Christmas
Market research firm Permuto Discoveries have published a list of the top-selling Christmas gifts for kids over the past forty years. Unsurprisingly, over the past few years at least, video games have dominated. The list provides only the single, top-selling, must-have item for the year. No room for second place here. And it shows that…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 4, 2009 -
Kojima Has Warning For Game Industry
Don’t sound the alarm bells just yet. Hideo Kojima talks with Japanese magazine Famitsu about what it was like working on adventure game Snatcher during the late 1980s. Times were different then, Kojima says. “Games development these days is completely compartmentalized; you have people who do nothing but make the logo for a game,” he…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2009 -
New Puzzle Game Features Moby, Proceeds Go To Charity
Founded in 2007, publishers OneBigGame have this week unveiled their first game: a puzzler featuring big-name music acts, with proceeds from the title’s sales going towards some big-name charity groups. The game’s called Chime (out “soon” for 360 and PC), and was developed by British studio Zoe Mode. Lumines fans should feel right at home…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 4, 2009 -
Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack CD Dated For Japan
On January 27, Square Enix will be releasing the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack in Japan — one limited edition, and the other not. The 5-disc limited edition is priced at ¥5,250 (US$58) includes a bonus “drama CD” called FINAL FANTASY XIII Episode Zero -Promise- Story01 -ENCOUNTER and written by FFXIII scenario writer Motomu Toriyama. The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2009 -
Sci-Fi Author Writing Not One, Not Two, But Three Games For Electronic Arts
Acclaimed British science fiction author Richard K. Morgan has announced that he’s teaming up with EA to help pen the stories for three of the publisher’s upcoming titles. Writing on his site, Morgan – best known for his novels Altered Carbon and Black Man/Thirteen – says he was approached last year by EA’s John Miles…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 4, 2009 -
Five New PSP Bundles For Japan
This December, Japan is getting not one, but five, count ’em five, PSP-3000 bundles. Four of them are “Value Pack” bundles that include the PSP-3000 and accessories for ¥19,800 (US$219.50). Colors include Vibrant Blue, Piano Black, Pearl White and Radiant Red. The other bundle is a Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G dealio with fewer accessories,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2009 -
Shooting A Nintendo DS Through A Wall
Throwing a controller/handheld to the ground in frustration is for wussies. You really want to vent some steam, you load the offending peripheral or console into a gun and you shoot it through a wall. That’s what Amusement – the greatest gaming mag to never be published in English – did for their latest issue,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 4, 2009 -
Infinity Ward: Wii Can’t Deliver Our Multi-Platform Experience
The first Modern Warfare was truly a multi-platform release, appearing on the Xbox 360, PS3, PC/Mac and a Nintendo Wii port. Its sequel, Modern Warfare 2, isn’t getting a Wii port just yet. Whether Activision has a studio like Treyarch do a Wii port of Modern Warfare 2 remains to be seen, but developer Infinity…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2009 -
Modern Warfare 2 Breaks Pre-Order Records
The game that has sent the competition scurrying into 2010 looks set to break all kinds of sales records when it’s released next week, with Modern Warfare 2 setting a new mark for pre-orders at GameStop. Speaking with USA Today, the chain’s executive vice president for merchandising and marketing, Tony Bartel, has revealed “As of…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 4, 2009 -
Game Tech Now Good Enough For Hans Zimmer
Composer Hans Zimmer has standards. He likes things big. Just look at the movies he has scored: Gladiator, The Last Samurai and The Da Vinci Code. Big films! So how and why did he make the leap to games? “This is the first time I even stuck my toe into these waters,” Zimmer tells USA…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 4, 2009 -
Warren Spector So Not Done With Deus Ex
Warren Spector, creator of Deus Ex, isn’t letting the fact he no longer has access to the series stop him from dreaming up more games in the series. Well, maybe not series. “Series”. Spector – currently at work on Epic Mickey – has told Variety that prior to picking up work the Disney gig, he…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 3, 2009 -
Square Enix Fire Some People
It’s already been announced that the severance payouts to Taito employees has drained money from parent company Square Enix. Those were the only cuts Square Enix has made post Eidos-buyout. “There’s an ongoing process of reshuffling people, but that’s not something we do just because of integration,” Square Enix president Yoichi Wada explained to website…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 3, 2009 -
Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis Is Bad At Video Games
Robert Zemeckis, director of Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, is good at making movies. He’s good at writing them. But he’s not very good at video games. Zemeckis tells MTV, “I love what they do in the technology, the way they move those images, I’m fascinated by the amount of code-writing…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 3, 2009 -
NCAA 10 Showcases the Charm and Bad Calls of Hoops’ Top Home Courts
NCAA Basketball 10 isn’t just about the announcing teams and pretty graphics, it still faces the tall order of presenting all the arenas of every major conference member. Another 15 screens show us what to expect. This package delivers Lousiville at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center (Big East); Michigan State at Illinois’ Assembly Hall, one of…
By Owen Good Published November 3, 2009 -
World Of Warcraft “Lacks Approval” To Operate In China [Update]
Courtesy of some alleged “gross violations” of national regulations, China’s General Administration of Press and Publication have ordered that World of Warcraft be suspended in the country. According to a report on Reuters, NetEase – the company operating the game in China for publishers Activision Blizzard – have been ordered to “stop operating” the title,…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 3, 2009 -
“Margaritaville” Trademarked for Video Game Use
Another cull of patent and trademark filings turns up this gem: Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville,” the soundtrack for public drunkenness and amphitheater-humping for more than two decades, has been trademarked for use in a video game. You can see the filing here, but my bet is that this is for some mobile game. I can’t imagine…
By Owen Good Published November 3, 2009 -
Sony’s Mystery Science Theater-Like Interactive TV Patent Puts You In The Movies
Your PlayStation 3 may become a reasonably priced, earthbound Satellite of Love, if Sony Computer Entertainment America’s patent application for a Mystery Science Theater 3000-like interactive television becomes a real-life product. Sony’s patent for a “Method and Apparatus For Real-Time Viewer Interaction With A Media Presentation” was filed back in April, but eagle-eyed patent watcher…
By Michael McWhertor Published November 3, 2009 -
Pumpkin Chop Makes Top 10 Indie Games List
Major Nelson’s got the Xbox Live numbers up for the week of October 26th and who should be in third place on the Indie list but Pumpkin Chop. I took a look at the virtual pumpkin carving sim not too long before Halloween and liked what I saw. So I’m glad to see its done…
By AJ Glasser Published November 3, 2009