Wii Voting
February 15, 2007
Nintendo has announced the launch of a new online channel called Everybody Votes, which can be accessed for free in the Wii’s online shop. The Wii Everybody Votes Channel allows subscribed users to vote through a series of quick multiple choice questions; topics range from casual interest to the completely ridiculous (e.g. Do you like cats or dogs better?). Questions will be updated on a weeky basis, and Wii owners will also be granted the ability to suggest future poll topics. Each weekly update will contain three local questions, whereas a different global question will appear every two weeks, simultaneously presented to users across the world. Upon casting their votes/answers, users can also submit a prediction as to what the popular consensus will be for each question asked. Once the polls close, results will be revealed to the public shortly after the polls close, allowing users to compare their answers to their friends’ and to answers from people across the world.
In addition to this new channel, Nintendo has also provided the first updates for its Virtual Console games. The patches are intended to fix emulation issues for two games in particular: Military Madness for the TurboGrafx-16, which previously experienced scrolling and slowdown problems, and the N64’s Mario Kart 64, which contained a bug in the selection screen.
Ubisoft to Create Jobs and Films
February 13, 2007
Video game publisher Ubisoft announced last week a new phase of development for its operations in Quebec. The company plans to invest up to an additional 295.6 million euros over the next six years with the goal of creating 1,000 new jobs.
The motivation behind the creation of the new jobs is two-fold: 1) the group has set a goal of creating 500 new video game positions in Quebec by 2013, and 2) Ubisoft will inaugurate a new production center that specializes in computer generated images (CGI) creation.
The studio’s mission will be to produce short films inspired by Ubisoft video games. An initial eight-minute short film will be based on the award-winning and highly anticipated game, Assassin’s Creed, and by 2013, the new CGI studio should count 500 specialists.
“In 1997 Ubisoft made the decision to wager on Quebec’s immense creative potential,” recalls CEO Yves Guillemot. “Ten years later, the Montreal studio has been the driving force behind the conception and development of legendary brands, such as Prince of Persia, and the greatly anticipated Assassin’s Creed. The Montreal studio was recently ranked 4th development studio in the world by Game Informer, one of the most influential magazines in the game industry. Today, we are pursuing our strategy centered on innovation by increasing investments in our creative teams based in Quebec.”
“With this announcement, we are one step closer to reaching our goal of making Ubsisoft’s Montreal studio the most important center for video game development in the world, and especially to reinforce Quebec’s position as a reference in the creation of digital entertainment,” said Montreal studio CEO Yannis Mallat.
“Video game production has progressively moved closer and closer to film and television production and this convergence will only intensify in the coming years. This natural evolution is accompanied by revolutionary changes in online distribution channels via the explosion of free and paid-for digital content. Today’s launch of a studio specializing in digital film creation will allow Ubisoft to be a pioneer in the domain for the years to come,” Yves Guillemot added.
Virgin Launches Download Game Service
February 12, 2007
Richard Branson’s Virgin Group plans to launch A World of My Own (AWOMO), a new games download service for the PC which is designed to “replicate the functionality of iTunes” and offer downloadable PC games on demand. AWOMO will apparently utilize a 3D community based interface, rather than the utilitarian designs currently favored by rivals such as Steam.
The service is to be run by subsidiary Virgin Games, which currently operates an online casino and British company Game Domain International (GDI). Apart from the 3D interface, the key advantages of the system are claimed to be fast download speeds, greater security, and improved ease of use for the customer. Kock Media is, so far, the only publisher announced as supporting the service.
“This is a really exciting development for us, as it gives us the opportunity to do for PC Games what iTunes has done for music. The GDI technology will revolutionise how the mass market will play games, and will give them more choice for less money,” billionaire Branson said of the deal.
Gears of War Wins Big at AIA Awards
February 9, 2007
Epic’s Gears of War walked of the 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards last night with eight awards, including Game of the Year honors. Nintendo’s Wii Sports pulled in the second with three awards at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. “Last night, we recognized the brightest and most innovative in video games in what can be considered one of the best years the video game industry has seen,” said AIAS president Joseph Olin.
Listed below are the winners for each category presented:
Overall Game of the Year - Gears of War
PC Game of the Year - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Console Game of the Year - Gears of War
Handheld Game of the Year - Nintendo Brain Age
Outstanding Innovation in Gaming - Wii Sports
Outstanding Achievement: Animation - Gears of War
Outstanding Achievement: Art Direction - Gears of War
Outstanding Achievement: Soundtrack - Guitar Hero 2
Outstanding Achievement: Original Music Composition - LocoRoco
Outstanding Achievement: Sound Design - Call of Duty 3
Outstanding Achievement: Story and Character Development - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Outstanding Achievement: Game Play Engineering - Wii Sports
Outstanding Achievement: Online Game Play - Gears of War
Outstanding Achievement: Visual Engineering - Gears of War
Outstanding Achievement: Game Design - Wii Sports
Outstanding Character Performance: Male - Gears of War
Outstanding Character Performance: Female - Viva Pinata
Sports Game of the Year - Tony Hawk Project 8
First-Person Action Game of the Year - Rainbow Six: Vegas
Role-Playing Game of the Year - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Fighting Game of the Year - Fight Night Round 3
Action/ Adventure Game of the Year - Gears of War
Racing Game of the Year - Burnout Revenge
Children’s Game of the Year - LocoRoco
Downloadable Game of the Year - Bookworm Adventures
Family Game of the Year - Guitar Hero 2
Simulation Game of the Year - Microsoft Flight Simulator X
Strategy Game of the Year - Company of Heroes
Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year - Guild Wars Nightfall
Mobile Game of the Year - Orcs and Elves
EA Beats Sega to the Punch with 1080p Title for Xbox 360
February 8, 2007
Following yesterday’s news that Sega’s March 20 release of Virtua Tennis 3 would be the first Xbox 360 game to feature native 1080p support, an EA representative revealed that its upcoming NBA Street Homecourt will also support the high-end 1080p resolution on Xbox 360. NBA Street Homecourt is scheduled to ship for the Xbox 360 February 20, and a PS3 version is expected to arrive at retail on March 6.
Microsoft first announced support for native 1080p games and movies in its October 2006 Xbox Live update, and it announced a number of titles competing to be the first to offer the highest-end HD resolution; it now appears that NBA Street Homecourt will beat Sega’s Virtua Tennis 3 to retail with the 1080p resolution included.
NBA Street Homecourt is the fourth game in EA’s basketball series and the first for a next-gen console, and it will support multiple resolutions, including 16:9 1080p at 30fps, according to further information from EA representatives. Other features confirmed for the upcoming 3-on-3 basketball title include a new animation engine and control system, as well as the ability to create a player and play online via Xbox Live. A demo for the game, which lets players compete as either Denver Nuggets small forward Carmelo Anthony or Detroit Pistons shooting guard Richard Hamilton, is currently available for download over Xbox Live.
Okami and Oblivion Lead Game Developers Choice Awards Nominees
The nominees for the seventh annual year’s Game Developers Choice Awards were announced, with Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Capcom’s Okami each earning four nominations.
The awards ceremony will take place on March 7, and will be a featured event at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. Monkey Island series creator Tim Schafer will host, and DJ Chris and Mega64 will headline the entertainment for the evening.
“The GDC derives its authenticity from the developers themselves, who teach and share at the show - the Game Developers Choice Awards is then the natural validation of their collective artistic effort, voted on and awarded to individual game creators,” stated Jamil Moledina, executive director of the Game Developers Conference. “Since the Choice Awards have an open nomination process and reflect the judgment of peers, the awards have earned the highest respect of the community.”
And the nominees are…
Best Game
Gears of War
Okami
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Wii Sports
Audio
Company of Heroes
DEFCON: Everybody Dies
Guitar Hero II
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend
LocoRoco
Character Design
Final Fantasy XII
LocoRoco
Okami
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Viva Piñata
Game Design
Bully
Okami
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Viva Piñata
Wii Sports
Technology
Company of Heroes
Dead Rising
Gears of War
Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis
Wii Sports
Visual Arts
Final Fantasy XII
Gears of War
Okami
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Viva Piñata
Writing
Bully
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture Shock
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
New Studio
Gastronaut Studios
Iron Lore Entertainment
Naked Sky Entertainment
Ready At Dawn Studios
Wadjet Eye Games
Atari and CD Projekt to Deliver The Witcher
February 6, 2007
Third-party video game publisher Atari and game developer CD Projekt announced yesterday that they have entered into a publishing agreement for The Witcher. The Witcher is scheduled for release on Games for Windows, the new brand optimized for Windows XP and Windows Vista.
Based on the works of best-selling Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher tells the story of Geralt, a master swordsman and monster slayer who is gifted with superhuman abilities. “The Witcher presents a fresh approach to traditional role-playing, blending an expansive, twisting plotline – in which the impact of individual decisions can drastically alter the outcome of the game – and fast-paced combat against a wide variety of foes. Using advanced graphics and physics systems, The Witcher delivers brutal action, multi-faceted RPG options and an intriguing story to engulf all players who dare,” a press release reads.
“The Witcher is a tremendous game that has been on everyone’s radar since CD Projekt began development,” said Jeremiah Cohn, Product Manager, Atari, Inc. “With this publishing deal, Atari continues its quest to bring highly impressive titles to North America and we have our sights set on making The Witcher one of the most anticipated RPGs of the year.”
The series has already been represented as short stories, novels, comic books, a feature-length movie, a television series, and a table-top role-playing game. This will be the first video game to be based on the series and its characters. The game is currently under development using Bioware’s Aurora Engine and will be strictly single player. The game’s developers have sung the praises of its realistic character movements and fighting techniques, based on genuine medieval sword combat. While the original European release will be out in stores this Spring, look for Atari’s localized version to be out this fall.
Scarface, Zorro Coming to Wii
February 5, 2007
Tony Montana, one of the most vulgar, violent stars of film and now gaming, is making his way to the mostly family-orientated Wii this year. Scarface: The World is Yours will come with the obvious controller enhancements, using the Wii Remote like a gun to manually target enemies.
You will also get to fist fight enemies (or any passer-by on the street) with motion control, or use the Remote to mangle people with a chainsaw while the sound of the engine revs from the speaker in the Remote. Scarface will release on Wii later this year, so check back for mre specifics
Speaking of gangster fun on Wii by the end of 2007, The Godfather has been confirmed for Wii and Driver: Parallel Lines is reported to be on the way too.
Wii owners could have more Wii Remote-operated swordplay to look forward to with blade-ninja Zorro making his debut Wii appearance in The Destiny of Zorro. Pronto Games say the game will focus on being “instantly engaging” and fun: “The visuals are high quality, as are the audio and storyline.” That sounds both engaging and fun to me.
In The Destiny of Zorro, Zorro will do battle against a dual-sword-weilding skeleton known as Calavero, pictured below. No further gameplay details have been announced, but it’s probably a good bet that you’ll be swinging the Wii Remote in some sword-like fashion. The Destiny of Zorro is due to release this Christmas.
Konami Announces New Projects
February 2, 2007
Konami, at its recent Gamer’s Day, revealed two major new releases for the upcoming year: an original Wii and a remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood for PSP. Both games were announced without release dates but are expected in 2007.
Konami’s new Wii game, from Elebits producer Shingo Mukaitoge, was revealed to be Dewy’s Adventure, marking the second original IP from Konami for Nintendo’s Wii console.
Players are to use the Wii controller for nearly all of the in-game puzzle-solving and platforming interactions, such as tilting it to roll the titular Dewy character, a living water droplet, around his environment, using the d-pad to heat or cool Dewy to steam or ice, or fanning the controller to create gusts of wind.
The game will also include an edit mode in the same manner as Elebits, and will also make use of the Wii’s internet connectivity in a yet-unannounced way.
Konami also announced the long-anticipated official debut of its classic Castlevania franchise for the PSP with Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. Unlike recent DS adventure originals, the first Castlevania PSP outing will be a remake of the PC Engine Super CD cult hit Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, also known as Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. The PSP remake of Rondo is being done with fully 3D assets, but maintains the 2D perspective.
Also included in The Dracula X Chronicles will be a portable version of PlayStation classic Symphony of the Night, featuring a reworked localization and slightly reworked graphics, making it the second forthcoming release of the game, alongside the Xbox Live Arcade Version, which is also due soon.
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