Guitar Hero III Confirmed for Online, Major Platforms
April 17, 2007
Red Octane reps have confirmed that the latest in its Guitar Hero franchise will be focused on online play and downloadable tracks, and it will hit every major platform.
Red Octane founder and president Kai Huang said that Neversoft would be working to bring the features to Guitar Hero III, the latest in the franchise expected to be released for Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii, and the PS2 by the end of the year.
In an interview with GameSpot, Huang also confirmed earlier suspicions regarding a handheld version of the game, saying the company was “looking at a DS version, for early next year.”
Last September, Activision chairman and CEO Robert Kotick said at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia XV Conference that Guitar Hero will be released “on every significant new format.” The game was also recently announced to be in development for mobile phones by San Francisco mobile developer Hands-On Mobile.
Huang added that new Guitar Hero developers Neversoft would be “focusing on online play, of course, and that includes both co-op and competitive modes. We’re looking at more downloadable content, and more music, because we know that’s one of the things the fans want–as soon as they finish playing Guitar Hero, they want more music.”
Huang also told IGN that for the Wii version of the new game, while Red Octane was “really excited about the Wii game because there are so many options for the Wii remote,” players would still “play the game with a guitar peripheral and it will be similar to a guitar you’ve seen in the past.”
On former Guitar Hero developer Harmonix’s recently announced Rock Band, now positioned as an MTV- and Electronic Arts-backed competitor to the Guitar Hero franchise, with additional drumming and vocal features and full online play, Huang said, “I was very excited to hear about Harmonix and EA working on the game Rock Band. I think Guitar Hero was really the first big game that defined the music rhythm genre… So we’re excited that Harmonix is working on it. They’re a fantastic developer, we’ve had a great relationship working with them in the past, and we know that they’re going to do a great job with the game.”
Capcom Reveals New Titles
April 16, 2007
As part of its Gamer’s Day event, Capcom revealed a number of new titles for multiple devices.
Capcom dabbled in PC gaming but never made a strong commitment to PC games, so releasing Lost Planet for PC is cool. Lost Planet will feature DirectX 10 and Shader Model 3.0 support as well, making one of the best looking console games one of the best looking PC games ever made. Lost Planet is a good sign that we will be seeing more Capcom titles coming to PCs in the near future. Also coming to PC (and PSN and Xbox Live) is Talisman, Games Workshop’s hybrid board and RPG.
For many, Wii is making out the best with the new Capcom titles. Lets’s start with Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. Using the Wii Remote as your boomstick, players will gun down zombies and other monstrosities. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition might be the best Resident Evil of all time! It includes everything from the previous versions, utilizing the Wii Remote to point and blow apart the armies of the undead. Also coming to Wii is Project Treasure Island Z, a series of puzzles and mini-games centered around the antics of a pirate in training, Zack, and his magical monkey, Wiki. Younger gamers will be entertained.
Newly announced titles for Nintendo’s handheld DS system include the third chapter in Capcom’s cult Phoenix Wright legal adventures, with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations. Set for release in September 2007, Trials and Tribulations will continue the tradition of the first two chapters of the series, with a new “mysterious hard-boiled” prosecutor named Godot, and a return of the second game’s “pysche-lock” interrogation tool. Also coming to Nintendo DS, in October, is the latest in the decades-long running Mega Man franchise, Mega Man ZX Advent, which includes a new “biometal” system that allows players to change into different forms and utilizes the DS touchscreen to switch between ‘Biometal’ and map navigation screens. Not a bad way to celebrate 20 years of Mega Man, I’d say.
Capcom also revealed that it was working with Cartoon Network to deliver a game based on the Adult Swim original cartoon Harvey Birdman to both the PSP and PS2 by developer High Voltage (Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude), though no further details were yet revealed.
As for PS2, Capcom has announced that the company as acquired PlayStation rights to the motor sport MotoGP, and will be publishing its first PlayStation 2 game based on the sport this year, tentatively titled MotoGP 07.
Capcom also revealed a number of digitally distributed titles coming throughout the year for PC, Xbox Live, and the PlayStation network. Foremost amongst these is the return of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix coming to all three digital platforms this fall, including newly redrawn 1080p HD graphics from the backgrounds and blocks, handled by developer Backbone and all new character portraits, done by Udon Entertainment (the company responsible for the official US Street Fighter series of comics). The game will also see “improved game balance,” and, most importantly, online play — a feature fans of the cult puzzler have been asking for since it first appeared. The game will also be including the X, Y, and Z-’ism’ modes from the Dreamcast’s “For Matching Service” version.
Also coming are two more original titles, with WizKids’ Rocketmen: Axis of Evil arriving on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network as an arcade shooter as up to four players battle cooperatively through multiple levels in a struggle to ‘free the Solar System.’
Nintendo: Phantom Hourglass Playable Online
March 16, 2007
Nintendo confirmed last week that the upcoming DS Zelda game Phantom Hourglass would be playable over the internet through the Nintenedo Wi-Fi Connection. It’s reported to be released initially in Japan and is undergoing the “fine-tuning and polishing stages” of development as per Nintendo’s Eiji Aonuma, one of the designers working on the project.
This was announced at the Game Developers Conference last week where the multiplayer was displayed again. Aonuma also explained that “the first thing I have to do without taking any breaks at all is get into the office and see that it gets done.”
Phantom Hourglass’s multiplayer gameplay on the Wi-Fi will consist of one-on-one combat where the player manuevers Link through a maze as the Stalker’s three Darknuts are attempting to halt his progress. Power ups such as Pegsuas boots and a shield to use to deflect one attack by the Stalker are available to Link. The Stalker itself will also have access to the boots in addition to a tornado to obstruct Link’s path and a power up to increase offensive power.
Nintendo Reveals (Some) Details at GDC
March 9, 2007
As part of Nintendo’s keynote, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto stated that the company is currently developing a new Wii channel that would allow users to enter their Miis in contests. Later, he announced that Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii is planned for release sometime within the 2007 calendar year.
Miyamoto also discussed Nintendo’s emphasis on creating games for a broader audience. He noted that even his wife, a gamer by no means, fancies herself to be a “true” gamer, thanks to the Wii, having made Mii avatars for the entire extended family and even all of their neighbors. Miyamoto also stressed the importance of balance and teamwork by using the Wii controller design as an example. He illustrated that Nintendo went through a number of prototypes before finally resting on the idea of a remote control, but he states that the final design only came through a group collaboration on the part of many of Nintendo’s design teams.
Following some words about the importance of risk-taking and tenacity, Miyamoto then made the announcements about the new Wii channel devoted to Mii contests and Super Mario Galaxy’s 2007 release. In the case of Galaxy, he made mention of the fact that numerous gamers have approached him, asking whatever happened to Super Mario 128. His usual response is that what originally started off as Super Mario 128 became the framework for what eventually became Pikmin.
It’s reported that the lack of any juicy announcements on the part of Nintendo is the direct result of a gag order placed upon the company so as not to significantly alter the price of its stock. News reports from Bloomberg indicate Nintendo’s desire to decrease the price of its stock and increase the number of shares available to the general public, so, instead of initiating a stock-split (as is the custom with most public companies), it requested that the Japanese government sell off all of its shares in the company. All Nintendo executives were recently placed on a temporary gag order (as a result of the impending securities trade) that would prevent them from revealing any information regarding “forward-looking” titles. Failure to uphold this gag order could potentially cause the stock to fluctuate, thereby greatly influencing the efficacy of the sale.
The real good stuff from Nintendo actually came before Miyamoto’s address. The biggest news was that Pokemon Battle Revolution will be the first Wii game that will take advantage of the console’s online capabilities. The Pokemon Battle Revolution release also marks the first game to feature Wii and DS connectivity, through which users not only have the option of importing saved characters from the upcoming Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, but they can also use the DS as a makeshift controller. Pokemon Battle Revolution will be released in North American on June 25.
Other upcoming Nintendo titles for the Wii include Super Paper Mario on April 9th, Mario Party 8 on May 29, and Big Brain Academy on June 11. Upcoming Nintendo DS titles include Pokemon Diamond/Pearl on April 22, Planet Puzzle League on June 4, and the “Opera” web browser also to be released on June 4.
//
//
// 
//
// 
