Igniq: June 5, 2005 : Igniq Gaming News

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Check out this video of a bunch of Counter-Strike fans re-enacting the game - it's worth it for the woeful lip-synch alone, but one of them acting like he has a bad connection comes a close second.

Reallife Counterstrike via Boingboing
Discussion >>

By Rob

Nintendo Revolution Helmet Rumour Revived -

Though it's likely a hoax, a forum member at the Moz la Punk gaming site has posted some new images which show a helmet for the Nintendo Revolution, one of the main features of the Nintendo ON video that made the rounds before the E3:

All we know is a certain Mephisto clames he has received some information about the Nintendo Revolution and one of it's control methods/visualisations: a helmet. Mephesto posted these pics on our message boards[...] Apparently he's a developer and this check he's holding is a non-disclosure statement that he had to send back to Nintendo to not leak things out.

New pictures reach the surface: real or fake? via Engadget

By Rob

Far Cry Instincts Only Planned for Xbox -

Ubisoft have confirmed to Eurogamer that the only console version of Far Cry currently planned is the Xbox version, titled Far Cry Instincts and due for release on 22 September.

Ubisoft did not rule out versions for other platforms in the future however, and said that there was a "very big possibility" of a Playstation 2 version:

Eurogamer.net: Far Cry for Xbox only

Related:
New Far Cry Instincts Movie
Official Far Cry Instincts site
Crytek.com - developers
Far Cry Goes 64-Bit, Will You?
Discussion >>

By Rob

PSP Piracy -

Gamesradar reports that a UMD dumper has been released that allows PSP users to move data from inserted UMD discs to the console's memory sticks.

Hackers recently figured out how to rip PSP games from UMD to the ISO format for download from the web, where a number are now readily available - the one obstacle left for hackers is a way to run the files from the memory sticks.

Gamesradar speculate that a utility to do this is just days away and could spark a "PSP file-sharing revolution", but a leading developer of homebrew games for the Playstation platform has pointed out that this will be a monumental task for hackers, and even if it's successful, would only open up piracy for a very small percentage of PSP's that were released in Japan:

"Even if you put the UMD game on the memory stick," Gilbert added, "that binary is not only encrypted, but also programmed to load from the UMD. So obviously, it's not going to boot from the memory stick."
[...]
Furthermore, no PSPs with firmware earlier than version 1.5 were ever released to the US market, according to Gilbert, who notes that 1.0 editions were only available in Japan, and even then in limited quantities. "Plus, once you have a 1.5, there's no way to downgrade it to a 1.0," added Gilbert. "So the base of installed, exploitable units is limited, and shrinking every day.

Fallout from PSP hacking tool could be less severe than feared
Gamesradar: PSP piracy to explode

By Rob

New Risk Your Life Screenshots -

Ahead of the launch of their tournament on 1 July that will see a player walk away with a $1 million prize, Planetwide Games have released a new batch of screenshots for Risk Your Life: Path of The Emperor.

View the screenshots here.

Related:
Planetwide Games
RYL.net
RYL Sponsors MTV Movie Awards Event (6 June)
Risk Your Life: Path of The Emperor review (4 out of 5)
Discussion >>

By Rob

New EQ Expansion & Tutorial Details -

According to mobhunter.com, Sony Online Entertainment have revealed details on the next expansion for Everquest at the annual SOE Fan Faire:

The next expansion is called Depths of Darkhollow. It appears to be an underdark-ish expansion but details will be thicker during the official announcement on Saturday. The devs seem very excited about it and give the impression that they plan to take it in a new direction. One unattributed quote: "No other MMORPG has done this yet".

Sony also plan to release the tutorial for the game, that will let players get a taste of the game without the need for a credit card:

SOE plans to release the tutorial, a level 1 to 10 instanced zone with a variety of quests and missions, will be released in a single stand-alone format, both on CD and download. New players can sign up for a station account and play the tutorial on a special server known as "escape". New players can play up to level 10 without having to put in a credit card. The tutorial has all new artwork, mostly from DON but some unique models such as the Kobolds. This lets player get a good taste of EQ without having to commit anything more than download time. This whole package will be known as 'Escape to Norrath'.

Mobhunter.com via Slashdot.org

By Rob

Micro-Sized NES Controller - 10.6.05

Having already created the world's largest working NES controller, G4TV's Attack of The Show has managed to put together one that's smaller than a quarter; they've also posted up a detailed HOW-TO article for Nintendo fans to make their own:

We’re back with another old-school mod and this time bigger is not always better: To complement our World's Biggest NES Controller, we decided to make the World's Smallest NES Controller. This little project (pun intended) is pretty easy to do; however, it will require a new skill: PCB (Printed Circuit Board) creation

How to Make Your Very Own Micro-Sized NES Controller via Boingboing

By Rob

Dance Dance Revolution with Flamethrowers -

Talk about a disaster waiting to happen - someone has decided to take Konami's Dance Dance Revolution to the next level with a version that shoots players in the face with flamethrowers when they perform poorly:

What is DDI?
Dance Dance Immolation is an adaptation of the popular arcade video game Dance Dance Revolution, but with fire! Basically, you play DDR; when you do well, the computer shoots big propane blasts up into the air. When you do poorly, it shoots you in the face with flamethrowers. Yes, you, as in your actual corporeal body. And yes, flamethrowers, like the kind that are on fire.

Dance Dance Immolation! via iBLOGthere4iM

Discussion >>

By Rob

Piracy Comes to Nintendo DS -

Causing a major new headache for Nintendo, widespread piracy of DS games is now possible.

Specialized flash memory cards have been made available that allow users to easily download and play illegal copies of top games for the console:

Numerous games, such as Nintendogs and Super Mario 64 DS have now been illegally leaked on to the internet, with players able to download and play them via specially designed flash memory cards (pictured on the right).

These flash cards come in two sizes, 512MB and 1GB, and are fully rewriteable, giving gamers the ability to swap downloaded games around as they see fit.

Nintendo DS piracy begins

By Rob

Microsoft's Halo Movie Deal -

Looks like Microsoft finally got their way in Hollywood. Among others, Kotaku reports that Microsoft is about to conclude a deal with Universal and Fox to produce a movie based on the highly successful Halo series. Negotiations with other studios failed because of high production costs and Microsoft's fussy control policy. Universal and Fox may now share production costs equally, with Universal likely to assume distribution in the US and Fox for the rest of the world.

Related info:
Microsoft Go All Out With Halo Movie Script (8 June)
Discussion >>

By Chris

Sony's Kutaragi: MS playing catch up with PS2? -

The next-gen console wars continue (where's that popcorn). Sony Computer Entertainment Boss, Ken Kutaragi has has once again hit out at the competition. This time Microsoft was on the receiving end. In an interview with Watch Impress, Kutaragi confirmed Sony's commitment to making the PS3 a console for grown-ups.

Other companies may talk of game machines, but we've always referred to 'computer entertainment,' even in our press materials. It's entertainment and also a computer. That's what's important.

In a bold statement, the Sony heavyweight claimed Microsoft is still playing catch-up with Sony and are after the Playstation 2 in terms of innovation, rather then gunning for ground with the PS3.

This time, Microsoft has stated clearly that it is going after PlayStation. However, they're going not after the PlayStation 3, but the PlayStation 2. They were looking at 2, and that's why [Xbox 360] became like that.

Read on

By Gary

Vietcong 2, screenshots and concept art -

Gamespy has posted up a fresh batch of Vietcong 2 screenshots, including some concept art and weapons screens.

The game itself is slated for release in late 2005 and will feature an entirely new graphics engine to that of the original.

Vietcong 2 is a FPS set against the background of the 1968 Tet Offensive, in and around the ancient city of Hue during the Vietnam War. Brought to life through a gritty story compiled from first hand accounts and memories of Special Forces and Infantry servicemen stationed in Hue during the assault.

Check out the screenshots

By Gary

Trinigy GmbH announce support for the Xbox 360 -

Trinigy GmbH has announced support for the Xbox 360. Trinity GmbH are responsible for the Vision Game Engine (which can be credited for rendering the image to the right).

Trinigy has said that future versions of it's next-gen rendering engine will fully support Microsoft's Xbox 360.

The Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft version of the Vision engine is the first of the new platform versions that Trinigy will release in the scope of its next generation strategy. Since the company has been able to obtain an Xbox 360 development kit at an early stage, the engine version for the new game console is already fairly advanced. The universal design and the comprehensive set of platform-specific features and optimisations makes the Next-Gen version of Vision an ideal platform for Xbox 360 developers, explains Trinigy's managing director Dag Frommhold. Vision allows developers to easily utilise the impressive performance and feature set of Microsoft's nextgeneration game platform while at the same time saving development time and money.

Read the full article | Via Jostiq

By Gary

Kid captures Stargate in-game footage -

Some plucky youngster on a school trip to JoWood's Austrian headquarters in Rottenmann captured footage of the still in development Stargate game.

Armed with nothing more than a small video camera and some moxy, the kid managed to capture some in-game footage.

Download it out from this forum | Via Kotaku

Discussion >>

By Gary

Battlefield 2 demo, world premiere on Gamespot -

EA has confirmed it will be dealing with Gamespot exclusively when the Battlefield 2 demo is ready for deployment. The game is due for release to PC on the 21st of this month but Gamespot will be the only place you can initially get your hands on the demo to see what all this hype was about.

Don't worry though if you don't have membership as the demo will be available to members and non-members alike.

Update: Download mirrors and torrent here

The demo will feature three variations of the Gulf of Oman map from Battlefield 2, which is set in a near-future conflict between three clashing powers: The United States, China, and the fictional Middle Eastern Coalition (MEC). The single-player, 16-player, and 32-player versions of the map included in the demo will pit the US against the MEC in time-limit-based combat. (China is not playable in the demo.)

By Gary

Seagate announce LD25 HDD for Xbox 360 -

Harddrive giant Seagate has announced support to make Xbox 360 harddrives for gaming and home-entertainment. Their newly designed LD25 2.5" discs are to be used as the removable drives for the console.

Seagate describe the new harddrives as specifically designed for use in game systems, home entertainment devices and small form factor PCs.

The LD25's will come in different variations, 20 Gb, 40 Gb and 80Gb. The default size the 360 will ship with is 20 Gb.

The hard drive extends the gaming experience on Xbox 360," explained Microsoft's corporate VP of Xbox hardware, Todd Holmdahl. "From downloading trailers, new game levels, maps, weapons, vehicles, and more to supporting custom playlists in every game and storing video messages from friends, Seagate's LD25 Series 2.5-inch hard drive brings gaming and digital media together for the ultimate entertainment experience.

Read the full article

By Gary

Add-on PS3 harddrive to run Linux -

Ken Kutaragi, in an interview with Impress PC Watch has revealed the PS3 will not ship with a HDD, rather it will be purchased as an add-on.

Also to make sure people believed Sony when they said the PS3 is not a gaming machine, Kutaragi plans to install Linux on the harddrive in fact, he envisions other operating systems running on the PS3's CPU.

We're not going to equip [the PS3 with] a HDD by default, because no matter how much [capacity] we put in it, it won't be enough.

Although he did hint at different bundles of the PS3 at launch, one with a HDD and one without.

Further comments seemed to indicate that there will be more than one model of optional add-on PS3 HDDs available at launch. "We've added a 2.5-inch HDD bay so that users can equip HDDs, such as 80GB and 120GB, even though that's still not enough [capacity]." By contrast, the Xbox 360 will ship with a 20GB hard drive, standard. No other 360 HDD models have been announced, although Microsoft officials have indicated larger-capacity models could be produced if needed.

Read the full article

By Gary

Star in Black & White 2 - 9.6.05

A lucky fan could be in with a chance to get their likeness immortalised forever in Black & White 2. Lionhead are running a new contest, the prize of which will be your likeness used as one of the Greek villagers in the game; all that's required is proof that you're the most excited about the upcoming release of Black & White 2:

What do you have to do in order to win?

That's easy! All you have to do is prove that you are more excited than anyone else about Black&White 2! Yes indeed, show us that you are a real gamer and that you are looking forward to the game, and express yourself! This could well be anything; like a video of you dressed like a gigantic ape, or a picture of you carrying a sign stating your love for Black&White 2, or an interesting piece of (fan) art, or a story, or or or... There's so much you can do! So let's get creative, shall we!

Enter the contest - view the rules

By Rob

Major WoW Patch Introduces Battlegrounds -

Blizzard have introduced the first two PvP battlegrounds for World of Warcraft in a major patch for the game.

The patch downloads automatically when players log into WoW, and includes two new areas, Alterac Valley and Warsong Gulch. Alterac Valley is designed for more experienced players, while Warsong Gulch will cater for all players of level 21 and up. Blizzard also promise more Battlegrounds will be available for testing in the months ahead.

In their press release, Blizzard give an idea of how significant the introduction of Battlegrounds is:

“While World of Warcraft has been expanding with new content regularly since launch, the PvP Battlegrounds represent the single biggest update to the game yet,” stated Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re excited that players can now experience Horde-vs.-Alliance combat as it was meant to be, and we’re looking forward to adding even more Battlegrounds to the game with future updates.”

World of Warcraft’s Battlegrounds are PvP-enabled zones where players compete against each other to achieve victory, Honor points, and valuable in-game rewards. Each Battleground has different goals and gameplay styles, providing an addictively engaging experience for participants.

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® LAUNCHES
BATTLEGROUNDS FOR WORLD OF WARCRAFT®

By Rob

PS-Porno flicks on the way -

Sony has reportedly given the all clear to a couple of Japanese publishers of adult videos to create new content for their PSP. The 2 films mentioned will feature Big-Breasted Nurse Mitsu Amai; Anna Kaneshiro in High-Class Soap Mistress and Lolita Pick-Up Special 5. The 2 pornos will debut next month with prices ranging from 1,925 to 3,800 yen ($18 to $35)

Since the PSP's Japanese launch last December, about 15 UMD videos have been released, with content ranging from feature films like Spider-Man 2 to music videos and episodes of animation. Over the next two months, the release schedule (in Japanese) will ramp up considerably, with episodes from the giant-robot animation series Gundam as well as feature films like Kung Fu Hustle and Starsky and Hutch.
Read on

Sony's UMD movie format is gaining a lot of momentum with more and more companies signing up to produce content, including Eagle Rock and Geneon who are producing numerous music videos in the PSP's format.

Related:
PSP's UMD on the offensive
Make Your Own PSP Docking Station
Tons of Movies Coming to PSP
PSP Hacks and Mods List
PSPMag
Discussion >>

By Gary

Angelina Jolie and Bob Geldof Combine Forces -

Academy Award winner and Tomb Raider star Angelina Jolie has pledged to campaign with Bob Geldof on behalf of Live 8 to eliminate Third World Debt and rewrite the trade laws. Jolie, who is also ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, is to help Geldof rally up support.

A colleague of Jolie's insists that she is not just putting her looks to the campaign but is contemplating stepping away from Hollywood and films to help Geldof convince leaders from the industrialized nations to back them.

Angelina won't just be putting her name to Live 8, she's also agreed to sacrifice a considerable amount of time for us, which is pretty much unheard of for a Hollywood star. She's been talking for some time about taking a break from films and we're delighted to be the ones to benefit from it.
Read on

Discussion >>

By Gary

Saga of Ryzom to Get User-Generated Land -

Wonderland links to a nifty-sounding new expansion for MMORPG The Saga of Ryzom that will let users create their own maps and plug them directly into the games' world:

The Ryzom Ring is a set of tools for editing and sharing player-made “maps” that are customizable with terrain, monsters and NPCs all run by individual players. Maps can be integrated directly into The Saga of Ryzom world of Atys, where thousands of other players can experience one person’s handiwork, or kept as a private sanctuary only accessible to a select few. Maps can be made exclusive to player guilds or select friends while running their own invasions or events.

“Our hope for The Ryzom Ring is that it will bring back the power to the players,” said David Cohen Corval, CEO of Nevrax and creator of The Saga of Ryzom. “The Ryzom Ring will empower individuals to create their own adventures and lands and to share them. The only true limitations will be their own imaginations“.

Saga of Ryzom Expands

By Rob

Mario Techno Tune Climbs Japanese Charts -

A new techno tune based on the original Super Mario Brothers music is racing up the Japanese charts. Surfacing 12 weeks ago, the wild-card entry is now at a healthy No.4 spot.

"B-Dash" uses samples from the classic Super Mario Brothers game from 1985, then takes the samples and mashes them up with a mix of techno and humorous lyrics. The song was conceived by the arethe Tongari Kids, a Japanese techno band consisting of three members.

"B-Dash" first appeared in 36th place in Japan's music chart for the week of March 28. Despite the fact that songs usually slip in the charts after their initial appearance, "B-Dash" became a national hit after it aired on FM radio, and its popularity was further strengthened after it appeared on TV. The song has continued to stay in the top-10 rankings for the past month; last week, it ranked in sixth place. "B-Dash" has sold a total of 196,000 CD singles in Japan to date.
Read on

By Gary

FFXI Team Working on Next-Gen MMORPG -

Final Fantasy XI producer Hiromichi Tanaka has revealed his development team are working on a new massively multiplayer online game for next-generation consoles.

Tanaka didn't reveal a title for the MMORPG, or whether it would be a successor to Final Fantasy XI or a new product.

On the subject of FFXI, he revealed the Xbox 360 version will be released as a beta when the console launches this year and will include graphics of similar quality to the PC version.

He also mentioned a possible Playstation 3 version, though this would depend on Sony's choice of hard drive for the console:

Final Fantasy XI team working on new next-gen MMORPG
Final Fantasy XI Xbox 360 and a possible PS3 version discussed

Related:
FINAL FANTASY® XI COMING TO XBOX 360 (16 May)
Discussion >>

By Rob

PlayStation classics headed to PSP -

2 classic PlayStation titles are reportedly heading for Sony's PSP this Summer, according to Japanese retailers. The first 3D Mega Man title, Mega Man Legends and Breath of Fire III will both be available by August 25th. The only downside is that the titles are initially to be released in Japan only with no word of an international release just yet.

Another thing we don't know - don't you love these news stories which are all about the things we don't know? - is whether Capcom is going to launch the games at full price, or if it plans to take fewer Yen from its customers' grubby paws in recognition of the fact that the titles are getting on a bit.
Read on

By Gary

Far Cry Instincts Movie -

Another official movie for the Xbox version of Far Cry has been made available.

Far Cry Instincts is due to be released this September, and will include brand-new scenarios not seen in the classic PC version.

Download the new 2-minute movie here (51 MB).

Related:
Official Far Cry Instincts site
Crytek.com - developers
Far Cry Goes 64-Bit, Will You?
Far Cry Prologue - The Project Video
Discussion >>

By Rob

$1 Million Advent Rising Contest Begins Today -

Majesco's $1 million promotion for Advent Rising is due to get underway later today (5pm EST, 1am GMT). For six weeks, Majesco will be hiding Easter Eggs inside Advent Rising levels; hawk-eyed gamers who discover the eggs (small icons marked with an "A") will be rewarded with various prizes, including large cash amounts, Xbox Live subscription cards, strategy guides, Xbox controllers and a selection of SoBe items.

The contest will culminate with the giveaway of $1 million dollars to a lucky player.

The requirements to participate are a copy of Advent Rising, an Xbox and a valid Xbox Live account.
For more information on the prizes and how to play, check the official site here.

Related:
Gamespot: Advent Rising Xbox contest begins tomorrow (8 June)
Advent Rising F.A.Q.
Discussion >>

By Rob

Nintendo Officially Unveil Revolution in Japan -

Nintendo officially unveiled its Revolution console for the first time to the Japanese press yesterday. Despite the move though, not a lot came out that was not already known. Still no release date, no price on the console or games. They did reiterate however that the downloading of classic Nintendo titles will not be free, as was previously rumoured.

Iwata did confirm what was already expected, that all GameCube peripherals will be compatible with the Revolution. A little disappointing not to hear more but Nintendo say they will be bringing the curtains down before the year's end, so watch this space.

According to Cube IGN, the Revolution will sport about 512MB of free internal flash memory that gamers can use to store data like game saves, console firmware, and downloadable games and demos (those sound like some small demos). Should the 512MB prove insufficient, additional storage is made possible thanks to Secure Digital memory card media support. Data stored on the removable SD cards can also be transferred onto your computer for... something useful, we assume. Perhaps the converse functionality is true as well. Anti-piracy measures will be put into effect to prevent unauthorized distribution of Revolution files through the PC and internet, but no concrete details were released regarding this.

Read the full article

By Gary

Spore Wins Top E3 Award -

The winners of the E3 Game Critics Awards have been announced after the event was broadcast on Spike TV.

Will Wright's Spore was the biggest winner, scooping awards in four categories, including the "Best of Show" award. Here's what the critics had to say about giving the game the top award:

Spore
(Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)
If God were one of us, he'd look a lot like Will Wright. At this year's E3, the hype for the new consoles was so deafening that the games themselves became an afterthought. But once the sound and fury faded into background noise, one game stood undeniably above the rest. The concept behind Spore is deceptively simple--you guide the evolution of a single-celled organism from a drop of water to the furthest reaches of the universe--but a better word might be accessible. Wright and his team plumb our collective unconscious, extracting barely remembered biology, astronomy and history lessons; they weld its high concept to now-classic gameplay from titles like Pac-Man and Civilization; and they tie it all together with tools that are as intuitive as Lego blocks and as playful as Silly Putty. Wright calls Spore a tool for epic creativity. We call it Best of Show.

Game Critics Awards 2005 Winners

By Rob

From Russia With Love, 6 New Screenshots -

6 new screenshots have been posted of From Russia with Love, the upcoming Bond game from EA that was showcased earlier at E3. The game features the voice of Bond legend Sean Connery and is based around the classic 1963 movie of the same name.

A release date for From Russia with Love has yet to be set, but some online retailers are already listing the game for pre-order with expected shipping dates, some as early as the 1st of November but nothing concrete to go on on just yet.

Check out the 6 screenshots here

Related:
Official website
Discussion >>

By Gary

Resident Evil 4 Bowls Over Half-Million Mark -

According to recent reports, Capcom's survival horror Resident Evil 4 has sold more than 500,000 copies in the US and Canada since its release in January. Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero are the top selling titles on Nintendo's GameCube, with combined North American sales of over 1.5 million.

With Resident Evil 4, the series and the entire survival horror genre have been advanced to a whole new level. It's been rewarding to see that the incredible response the game has received from fans and critics has been mirrored by a phenomenal retail performance.
Read on

Related:
Official website
Discussion >>

By Gary

Panovation Update On Sonic ORPG - 8.6.05

The Panovation website, which has had Sega fans buzzing over a possible Sonic MMORPG, has been updated.

According to a new article explaining Panovation's projects, they reveal that they are a gaming company that was approved by Sega to create a Sonic Community and international shopping center, who have since "taken it to the extra mile" and will be producing a Sonic ORPG.

They claim the game is due for release as a beta towards the end of this year, and the article gives scant other details aside from saying the storyline is very deep.

Despite Sega officially denying any involvement in an online Sonic game, Panovation also say that Sega is part-owner of the project:

Please stop e-mailing Sega about this project. They may own part of the project but that doesn’t mean thousands of people should bother them about it. Everything will be made clear very soon, and it is how it seems to be.

Panovation Studios is not very known by Sega, however The Blue Hedgehog Network, LLP is. Again, please keep your questions until the launch of our website which can be found at http://www.panovation.com/ which will release shortly.

Panovation Studios

The article also verifies this interview as genuine, which contains more details on the Sonic ORPG.

Related:
Cryptic Site Hints at Online Sonic Game
Panovation teaser image
Interview with Panovation Studios (And SONIC MMO!)
Discussion >>

By Rob

Roll Your Own MMORPG -

Waxy.org links to a free do-it-yourself MMORPG kit that lets users create their own games through a web interface:

phpMMORPG is a Web interface that can be used to create an MMORPG with a back-end which permits users of the interface to create their own games. It features real-time chat, a map editor, a template system, a quest box, PVP, PVE, a loot system, and other functions. Except for the use of “marquee", it uses 100% XHTML 1.0.

Download phpMMORPG

By Rob

Chinese Gamer Gets Suspended Death Sentence For Sword Murder -

Qui Chengwei stabbed fellow gamer Zhu Caoyuan in the chest after finding out Caoyuan had sold his virtual sword for 7,200 Yuan. The sword at the centre of the murder case was won in the popular online game Legend of Mir 3.

China at present has no law that protects virtual property, so all hopes of resolving the matter peacefully were quickly dashed.

The suspended sentence given to Qui means he could spend the rest of his life behind bars, although it could be reduced to 15 years for good behaviour. Following the case, associate law professor at Beijing's Renmin University of China said that such weapons should be deemed as private property because players "have to spend time and money for them".

Read the full article

By Gary

Black & White Series To Have 5 Installments -

The Guardian's Gamesblog recently visited Lionhead Studios, and has a great feature posted up about Black & White 2 and the overall series.

Among lots of other interesting details, Lionhead chief Peter Molyneux reveals that there will be five installments to the series, each game following the progression of the relationship between the citizens in the game and the god, represented by the player.

He explained that in Black & White 1, the villagers had no previous experiences of gods but in the second installment they will be used to the concept and will have come to expect certain things from them. Molyneux gives the hint that eventually Black & White will end up in the present time, and gradually the players power as a god will diminish:

Black & White will end up in the modern day, in today’s world. And I would say, to give you a hint, probably B&W2, maybe B&W3, we’re getting to the top of the curve in terms of the god’s power. Then it goes down the other side, because you as a god get less powerful. Then it’s more about proving yourself, than just being this omnipotent ‘I can do anything’ god.

Black & White: war, immigration and the next three games in the series…

By Rob

New Civilization IV Q&A -

Fragland.net has a lengthy Civilization IV Q&A with Barry Caudill, the senior producer at Firaxis, which includes some interesting information on why this will be the most moddable version of Civilization ever.

According to Caudill players will be able to use a simple text-editor to open up XML data files to add new units, Civ's and technologies:

At the most basic level, you can open the World Builder interface at any time and change the map or add things to the game through a simple point and click interface. Also, anyone should be able to edit the XML data files (especially with a good XML editor) to add new units or Civs or technologies.
People having a higher comfort level with programming will be able to add scripted events and such to their mod or scenario. People with lots of programming experience will be able to compile their own dll's based off the game and AI SDK we will be providing. Even people with no interest or desire in making mods will be able to reap the benefits of the people who do, so there should be some level of enjoyment from this all around. Community building is very high on the Civ IV priority list.

Fragland.net | Specials ::: Civilization IV Q&A

By Rob

Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion Site Launched -

The official site has been launched for the Rome: Total War expansion, Barbarian Invasion. The site includes screenshots and detailed information on the new factions as well as a long list of new game features.

Mention is also made on the site of some extra surprises in the game that have yet to be revealed.

Creative Assembly plan to release the expansion in the third quarter of 2005 for the PC.

Barbarian Invasion official site via GamingStation.com

Related:
TotalWar.com
Developer Creative Assembly
Barbarian Invasion E3 2005 Impressions
Discussion >>

By Rob

Nintendo Revolution Controller Still Being Designed -

The controller for the Nintendo Revolution, which was conspicuously absent at the unveiling of the console at E3, has not been fully designed yet.

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed that the company is still adding and removing functions to the controller, explaining that the company are aiming to avoid an overly-complex design:

"We're at a stage where we're adding and removing various kinds of functions, which has been very fun,"
[...]
The Revolution will have an interesting interface. We're investing a lot of money into the [development of the] interface, and it's still not finalized," said Miyamoto.

Revolution controller not done - Nintendo still designing Revolution controller

Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata didn't give any further details, only giving the hint that "we expect that you will be surprised with the Revolution's controller".

Related:
Nintendo Squash 221 Free Revolution Games Rumour
Miyamoto: PS3 and X360 "Just shiny computer graphics"
Touchscreen Tech Sparks Another Revolution Rumour (26 May)
Discussion >>

By Rob

Microsoft Go All Out With Halo Movie Script -

A fleet of messengers dressed as Master Chief swooped on Hollywood on Monday, trying to sell the Halo movie script to the highest bidder.

The script alone could go for $4 million, and that's the least of Microsoft's demands - in addition the studio that takes up the movie will have to fork out a $10 million advance, 15% of the gross earnings and provide a $75 million below-the-line budget (this is a fee the studio would have to pay before hiring actors or a director).

In addition to these, the studio will have to hand over strict development control to Bungie, and strictly follow a "Halo Bible" that will "make sure any changes to the script don't alter the universe established in the first two Halo games that will continue in future sequels".

I'm not expert on the kinds of demands Hollywood studios usually have to agree to, but by all accounts a lot of studios have passed on the script altogether because these demands are too high.

Another interesting piece of information is the schedule for release - the studios only had until late Monday to make a bid, and kotaku reports that Microsoft want the movie in production by this September.

Gamespot speculate this would mean a summer 2006 release - in line with the release of Halo 3 and a thunder-stealing double blow to the Playstation 3 launch.

Related:
Microsoft hawking Halo script for $10m
Slashdot: Halo Script Hawked To Studios
Halo 3 parrying PlayStation 3 launch (15 May)
TheStencil.com: Master Chief Is A Billionaire
Variety.com: 'Halo' stomps into studios (Free reg. req)
Discussion >>

By Rob

Nintendo Squash 221 Free Revolution Games Rumour -

Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata has squashed the rumour that the Revolution will feature 221 free downloadable games from Nintendo's back-catalogue. In an interview on Famitsu.com, he said the retro Nintendo games will not be available as free downloads, though the company may offer some games as a bonus for purchasing titles for the Revolution. He also went on to say that demos will be offered as free downloads on the Revolution.

The original Japanese article, and the unreadable Babelfish translation

More links:
Revolution downloads NOT for free
If A Million Nintendo Fan's Heads Exploded At Once...
Iwata strikes down rumors of free retro Nintendo games on Revolution; yes to free demos
IWATA: 'WE'LL CHARGE FOR REVOLUTION DOWNLOADS'
Discussion >>

By Rob

Graphics don't make a game fun, or do they? -

An interesting article over on gamerdad.com examines the level of importance good looking graphics play in today's games, be it PC or the upcoming next-gen consoles.

The article looks closely at how much enjoyment a gamer can get out of an old title like Super-Mario Brothers, compared to a current day game like Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, in terms of sheer enjoyment instead of focusing on the physical appeal of the experience.

Gameplay innovation is what really turns me on the most. I'm looking at the Nintendo DS lineup that's available and coming soon and I'm really excited because I see things that are new. The graphics look fine to me so it really doesn't matter that they're not cutting edge for handhelds. Same goes for games on the current consoles. PS2, Xbox and Gamecube games all look pretty good so it comes down to what kind of gameplay I want to enjoy influencing my decisions on what to play. I recall a day when that probably wasn't so true about my gaming habits. I know I played way too much DOOM and Duke Nukem 3D back in the early 90's and that was driven by how great they looked. Both were also great games but the graphics drew me to playing those games. I bought many games back then because they were technologically awesome even if they played like crap. Graphics don't draw me like that anymore. They're not the thing that makes me say, "I should play that!" If they do have influence on my gaming, it's more because of stylistic choices. Jet Grind Radio on Dreamcast was alluring because of its cel shaded appearance and yeah, that drew me to the game. It wasn't really a technical achievement though. It just was a new way of making things look cool. Cool beats technically amazing any day for me now.

Read the full article

By Gary

The Matrix: Path of Neo Trailer -

The first official trailer has been released for The Matrix: Path of Neo, the only game in the Matrix franchise so far that lets players take the role of Neo and experience the major events of the movies.

The game is being developed by Shiny Entertainment and is due for worldwide release at the end of the year on Playstation 2, Xbox and PC.

Download the trailer on the Shiny Entertainment site

Related:
Path of Neo screenshots
The Matrix: Path of Neo Hands-On
Morpheus Killed in Matrix Online
Discussion >>

By Rob

Halo 2 Multiplayer Maps Preview -

The remaining five Halo 2 multiplayer maps are due to be released on 5 July, along with a "Halo 2 1.1" update that will feature bug fixes and balance changes to the game.

Ahead of this, Gamespot have a preview of the five maps, as well as details on the extra content that will come bundled with the $19.95 retail disc. The extras will include a 12-minute documentary focusing on the making of the nine maps and a cinematic called "Another Day at the Beach" that follows one of the storylines that takes place concurrently with the action in Halo 2.

For more details on the individual maps, check out the preview here.

Related:
Containment, Warlock, Turf and Sanctuary Halo 2 Maps Released (26 April)
Halo 2 review by dek
Halo 3 listed by retailers
Halo 3 to thwart Ps3 release?
Discussion >>

By Rob

Test Drive Unlimited Website Launched -

Atari has launched the official website for their upcoming Xbox 360 title, Test Drive Unlimited. The site includes game details, a trailer, and three screenshot packs.

In development at Eden Games for the Xbox 360, Test Drive Unlimited builds on the long-running series, with over 125 licensed vehicles from manufacturers including: Lamborghini, Ducati, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Saleen, Shelby, and Jaguar.

Check out the official website here
Discussion >>

By Gary

Super Xbox Modders Charged -

American Xbox modders are to be charged according to the US Department of Justice.

The modders worked in Pandoras Cube, a video game distributor with three stores in Springfield, Virginia; College Park, Maryland; and Baltimore, Maryland.

The idea behind the modded Xboxes, named Super Xboxes was to cut out the integrated copyright protection system which allowed customers to avoid paying the full price on an authentic Xbox disk.

Users of the Super Xbox could copy video games from an authentic Xbox disk, save the contents onto the Super-Xbox storage and play it directly from the harddrive.

Additionally, Pandoras Cube illegally copied large quantities of Xbox video games onto the hard drives of the Super Xboxes and sold the copied games at very substantial discounts to customers.

The four face five years in prison under the DCMA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act ), a fine of $250,000, and Arestitution to the victims.

Read the full article

By Gary

Virtual Pacman comes to life on city streets -

Pacman fans brace yourselves. A human version of the classic 80's Pacman game, superimposing the virtual 3D game world on to city streets and buildings, is being developed by researchers at Singapore.

Players equipped with a small, wearable computer, headset and goggles can enter the real world game.

A central computer system keeps track of all their movements with the aid of GPS receivers and a wireless local area network.

The Human Pacman was developed by Adrian David Cheok and his team at the Mixed Reality Lab, National University of Singapore.

Merging different technologies such as GPS, Bluetooth, virtual reality, wi-fi, infrared and sensing mechanisms, the augmented reality game allows gamers to play in a digitally-enhanced maze-like version of the real world.

Read the full article

The virtual-life Pacman has been selected as one of the world's top 100 high-impact and visionary technologies and will be showcased at the Wired NextFest 2005 in Chicago, US on June 24th to 26th.

Related:
Pac-Man smashes Guinness Book of World Records
Pac Man's 25th Birthday, And We Salute Him
Discussion >>

By Gary

Capcom to consider legal action against GTA3 age ban -

The local government of Kanagawa, south of Tokyo announced it will ban the sales of Grand Theft Auto III to minors. The ruling came into effect yesterday and is also being considered by Saitama, another region neighboring Tokyo.

Capcom has announced that it is considering taking legal action against the ruling, on the basis that issues in freedom of expression in future games may be compromised.

In a public statement, Capcom said:

Japan's Videogame industry is a world-class business, which foundations are supported by the freedom of expression and intellectual property protection laws. Like our country itself has been practicing, it is essential that we continue to make efforts to sustain these two factors that are essential for growth of the game industry.

Read the full article

By Gary

Nvidia to unveil next-gen GPU June 21st, ATI to follow -

Graphics card giant Nvidia is set to hold an event in San Francisco, California on June 21st where it will be taking the ribbon off its next-generation graphics card, the G70, which Nvidia claim shares some features with the PS3's GPU.

It is reported that some of the demo booths at E3 showcasing the PS3 were running the games via a prototype of the G70 board.

ATI as usual will not be sitting idle and are expected to release their own next-generation card, the R520 on July 26th.

While NVIDIA is supplying a design for the graphics chip in PlayStation 3, Microsoft's Xbox 360 will be powered by a variant of ATI's next-gen part.

NVIDIA's current top of the range boards are the GeForce 6800 family (high end versions of which were also used to run some PS3 demos), and the company recently introduced functionality which allows two 6800 boards to run together for extra performance, a configuration called SLI. It's believed that the G70 boards will offer this functionality from the outset.
Read on

By Gary

GTA: San Andreas, 2 new PC movies -

After the announcement yesterday that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas shipped for the Xbox and PC, Rockstar Games subsequently released 2 movies.

European PC gamers will be able to get their hands on the long awaited PC version on June 10th.

Check out the 2 videos Rockstar Games posted on the official website.

Related:
Rockstar Games: Liberty City Stories Leaked Screens, Fake
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas For Xbox/PC Ships
Rockstar Games Ships Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for Xbox and PC
Rockstar Games
San Andreas for PC official site
San Andreas for Xbox official site
Discussion >>

By Gary

World of Warcraft Now Launched in China - 7.6.05

In co-operation with Chinese publisher The9, Blizzard Entertainment have now officially launched their MMORPG World of Warcraft in China. For developers around the globe, the country offers unparalleled growth opportunities, a fact Mike Morhaime hints at in the official press release:

"It has always been a goal at Blizzard to become a major developer and publisher for the Chinese gaming market," said Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We feel that China offers a huge and eager audience and it is poised to become the next great region in gaming. We are simply thrilled to be bringing World of Warcraft to this great country. With fully localized content, a regional network infrastructure, and local, around-the-clock customer support, we believe that World of Warcraft will provide Chinese gamers with an unparalleled game experience."

Contrary to the sale in Europe and the US, the game can be downloaded for free at www.wowchina.com, but players will need to purchase a CD key to create an account and enter the game. The key comes at a price of 30 Yuan (about 3 euros or 2 pounds) and can be bought with a so-called Points Card which costs the same. While game time can be purchased on a monthly basis here, you can play WoW on an hourly basis in China - at an incredible rate of 0.45 Yuan/hour, amounting to 0.05 euros or 0.03 pounds respectively.

Related info:
Blizzard Entertainment
World of Warcraft
Detailed Maps of World of Warcraft Lands (18 May)
Gaining Real Wealth With WoW (9 May)
Discussion >>

By Chris

Rockstar Games: Liberty City Stories Leaked Screens, Fake -

Earlier we reported on supposed leaked screens of the upcoming Grand Theft Auto: Liberty Stories for the PSP. CJ from Rockstar Games recently confirmed to us that the screens are indeed fake.

The game was showcased at E3 this year and is slated for an Autumn/Fall release following the European launch of the PSP system on September 1, 2005.

Related:
official website
Bully by Rockstar Games Coming to PS2, XBox
Discussion >>

By Gary

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas For Xbox/PC Ships -

Rockstar Games have announced the PC and Xbox versions of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas are now available to buy at retail stores across North America, with a European release due for 10 June.

Read previews of the new versions here:
PC preview - Xbox preview

Related:
Rockstar Games Ships Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for Xbox® and PC
Rockstar Games
San Andreas for PC official site
San Andreas for Xbox official site
Discussion >>

By Rob

Xbox 360 Box Art Revealed -

Spong has posted up some Xbox 360 box-art, they have a total of 3 images so far and although they are not final, it is an interesting sight nonetheless. Among the box-art is Kameo: Elements of Power, Project Gotham Racing 3 and Perfect Dark Zero (see above).

Coming from an official Microsoft source, we have the almost complete box art for Kameo: Elements of Power, Project Gotham Racing 3 (with the games name now final, it seems) and the box art - albeit sans wording - for Perfect Dark Zero .

Check out the box art here.

Related:
Microsoft Anticipate Xbox 360 Shortages
Downloadable Titles on Xbox 360
Microsoft subsidize 360, focus on game sales
Fonix To Provide XBox 360 Voice Recognition
Xbox father and son reunite for the Family Photo
Discussion >>

By Gary

Bin Laden Vs USA, a Handheld 9/11 -

Citizens of Brooklyn, New York are in an uproar over someone selling a hand-held video game called Laden Vs USA, which features planes flying into the World Trade Center. The hand-held can be purchased for $5 on Coney Island Avenue.

The game’s box art includes pictures of Bush and Osama superimposed over pictures of a flaming World Trade Center.
Read on

Discussion >>

By Gary

Doom Coming to Phones, Second id Title Planned -

John Carmack revealed a couple of months ago his desire to create Doom for cellphones (he complained that there were no good games on his own phone), and now the game has been officially announced.

Entitled Doom RPG, the game is due to be released at the same time as the Doom movie and will feature the same look and feel of the original game with a turn-based combat system specifically designed for playing on cellphones.

The game will be published by Jamdat for wireless phones, and the agreement also includes another wireless id Software title, though no details have been released about that as yet.

Jamdat Mobile and id Software Bring Doom to Wireless

Related:
Carmack Tackles DOOM For Cell Phones (29 March)
Universal Pictures list DOOM Movie for 21 October
Photos and info on Doom The Movie (May 2005)
John Carmack's blog
About John Carmack
Discussion >>

By Rob

Fantastic Four Screenshots Emerge -

Gamegossip has 6 new screenshots from Activision's upcoming Fantastic Four. The game itself, based around next month's movie is due for release to Xbox, PS2, GameCube and PC on June 28th, later this month.

Check out the 6 screenshots

In development at Seven Studios (console) and Beenox (PC), Fantastic Four is based on the upcoming 20th Century Fox feature film, which is based on MarvelÂs comic franchise of the same name. The gameÂs story follows the Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing) movie plot, putting players to the task of battling enemies such as Doctor Doom. The game will let players switch between the four characters, and play through the game in single or two-player co-op or head-to-head.

Related:
Official website
Discussion >>

By Gary

Irth Online MMORPG Open Beta Test -

Magic Hat Software have announced a new open beta period for their MMORPG Irth Online. The game is due to go on commercial release next month, and applications for the open beta will only be accepted until 5 July.

The decision to have the open beta so late in the development of the game is to let players have the most complete experience of the game before it goes on commercial release:

“We scheduled our Open Beta relatively late in the development cycle because we wanted our gamers to have the deepest and most complete experience we could provide,” says Alan Chipura, Lead Game Designer. “We’ve paid close attention to the input provided by earlier testers and our changes and improvements are up to date, so we expect the Open Beta test to go smoothly.”

Press release - Sign up for the open beta

By Rob

Cryptic Site Hints at Online Sonic Game -

It is most likely a very cryptic hoax, but an unlikely place might hold information about a new online role playing game based on Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sega fans have uncovered the website of tech firm Panovation, whose page displays a simple message: *hint* We have partial information of our announcement located somewhere on this website. Can you find it?

Closer inspection leads visitors to view the source code of the page, which includes a lot of Sonic-related phrases stuffed into the keywords for the site.

Further, Spong.com discovered another page on the site that specifically announces a "Sonic ORPG":

Upon further investigation, a test page can be found, with the image included with this news story. As well as having a 'Guess Who?' button clearly showing the face of Dr Eggman, the news section reads “Sonic ORPG Announced!”

When contacted this morning, Sega had no comment on the situation at all.

Sonic the Hedgehog Online RPG to be Announced?

Sega have since denied any plans for a Sonic Online game, though refused to comment on why Panovation had hints to that effect on their site or give any further information.

Related:
Alleged interview with Panovation Studios about the Sonic MMOG
SEGA SLAMS SONIC ONLINE SPECULATION
Sonic MMORPG
Discussion >>

By Rob

Microsoft Anticipate Xbox 360 Shortages -

Retailers who were burned last Christmas by a shortage of Xboxes are sceptical about launching pre-order campaigns for the Xbox 360, MCV reports.

U.K. Xbox chief Neil Thompson tried to allay their fears, admitting that there may well be shortages when the next-gen console is released, but they will be down to a sheer surge of demand from customers rather than any problems in manufacturing the machines themselves:

“I think demand is going to be phenomenal so we see that as a really difficult thing,” he offered. “Will we execute well so retail will have good volume? Yes. But I don’t think we’re going to meet demand as people are going to come into this platform in a big way.”

Retail cool on 360 pre-orders, MS confident

By Rob

Downloadable Titles on Xbox 360 -

Right on the heels of the news that the Nintendo Revolution will sport over 200 free to download games, comes word that the Xbox 360 will also have games to download.

We had heard about downloadable trailers, demos and game content for the Xbox 360, but not full games, and now a press release from Garage Games mentions they have a downloadable title for X360 in the pipeline.

Gamesarefun.com speculates we'll see online purchasing of games through Xbox Live:

Microsoft has yet to release official information on this, but we'd speculate this would be an opt-in style delivery service. GarageGames has always used online purchasing for their games and it's likely that companies such as Sega, Microsoft Games Studios, and others will continue to make sales through retail. Still, cheap games that can be tried in demo form and purchased without ever leaving your living is not a bad thing.

Xbox 360 to have downloadable games

By Rob

Star Wars case mod sweeps up 1st place -

Most PC gamers will appreciate the craft of any good case-modding and design. After seeing this Star Wars based mod, I will have to track down the maker of this giant Tie Fighter (and steal it) The beautifully made Fighter acts as a PC and a desk.

The design won 1st place on Extreme Tech's recent Case-mod competition.

Via Wonderland
Discussion >>

By Gary

Unofficial List of 221 Free Nintendo Revolution Games -

Over on the official Nintendo forums, someone has posted a list of 221 titles supposedly available for download on the Revolution. The games pan across from the Nes, Super-Nes, N64 right up to the Gamecube.

A mouth watering site no doubt, and if they are all free then Nintendo really will be onto something good here.

A COMPLETE list of the 221 Nintendo published games.

Related:
Miyamoto: PS3 and X360 "Just shiny computer graphics"
Miyamoto says modern games are "too long"
PS3 and 360 unimpressive, says Miyamoto
Nintendo Chief: "Revolution will attract casual gamers better than anyone" (17 May)
Shigeru Miyamoto on the Wikipedia
Discussion >>

By Gary

Real-Time PS3 Demos Before End of June? -

Spong are reporting that speculation in the games industry points to another showing of the Playstation 3 on 21 June at nVidia's event to unveil its new GPU.

The new nVidia tech will be the base of the GPU inside the Playstation 3 according to nVidia, and even if the PS3 doesn't make an appearance, a clear indicator of the final quality of the consoles real-time graphics should be on display:
Real-Time Playstation 3 Demos Within Weeks?

Related:
Nvidia unveiling next-gen GPU June 21
Playable PS3 at This Year's Tokyo Games Show
Miyamoto: PS3 and X360 "Just shiny computer graphics"
Sony unload 90 million PS2 units since launch
Discussion >>

By Rob

Street Fighter II Vs Mortal Kombat -

Some clever soul has designed a flash animation that pits Street Fighter II characters against Mortal Kombat heavy weights such as Raiden. Old-School SF2 fans need to check this out ;-)

Check it out (flash req. of course)

Via Forever Geek

Related:
Nintendo stress free downloads for retro titles
Discussion >>

By Gary

Microsoft subsidize 360, focus on game sales -

Some interesting news coming in from Ferrago, where they examine Microsoft's approach to the Xbox 360. The article stems from Investment bank analysts at UBS, who predict the Xbox development cost Redmond $375 to make but it will be subsidized to the tune of $75 a unit upon launch. This will bring the price down to the expected $300 mark.

The idea behind the subsidized Xbox is that once MS has accumulated a strong user-base, their investment can be returned via games sales.

The cost of building consoles also drops later in a system's life, and it is at this point too that platform holders begin turning a profit. This method was utilised by Sony in the current-generation, but it is believed Redmond failed to break-even after committing too much ongoing cash to manufacturing partners NVIDIA and Intel.
Read on

By Gary

RYL Sponsors MTV Movie Awards Event - 6.6.05

Planetwide Games have announced they will be the official video game sponsors for the MTV Style Lounge 2005, a gathering of top stars, nominees, presenters and performers that leads up to this year's MTV Movie Awards:

On Thursday June 2 and Friday, June 3, celebrities including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Shannon Elizabeth, Wilmer Valderama, Chris Judd, Bai Ling, Shelley Burkard, Natasha Henstridge, Hal Sparks, Ashley Tisdale, Daveigh Chase, Travis Aaron Wade, Naveen Andrews , Joe Hahn (Linkin Park) and Monkey (Korn) were at the MTV event and enjoyed the newest Massively Multiplayer Online Role Play Game RYL: Path of the Emperor.

Photos are now available online here.

The sponsorship ties in with the publicity for PWG's competition next month, which will see the winner of a Risk Your Life tournament walk away with 1 million dollars.
Starting 1 July and ending 30 April 2006, any player can take part in the tournament, the finalists of which will appear in a live broadcast from next year's E3 as they duke it out for the grand prize.

For more information about the $1,000,000 RYL tournament, check here.

Related:
Official site for the MTV 2005 Movie Awards
RYL.net
Planetwide Games
Discussion >>

By Rob

Miyamoto: PS3 and X360 "Just shiny computer graphics" -

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Donkey Kong, Mario, Zelda and the upcoming Nintendogs has slapped down the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in a new interview:

"Most of what you're seeing are not even the first projections of games," he said. "They're just shiny computer graphics. They're things anyone using a computer can do. ... It's how we're going to use the technology that separates us. What we want to do is different – and we're happy with the road we're taking. When you have a Revolution, you're not going to have the same experience as you would with the other home consoles."

Following a theme from other interviews with Nintendo heads, Miyamoto also emphasised the effort the company is making to have the Revolution appeal to the whole family:

"The Revolution will use cutting edge technology, but it's ultimately about how that technology is used," he said. "We asked ourselves 'why would a family need or want to have a gaming console?' The answer is what's driving development of the Revolution."

CNN Money: Nintendo: Innovation is dying

Related:
Miyamoto says modern games are "too long"
PS3 and 360 unimpressive, says Miyamoto
Nintendo Chief: "Revolution will attract casual gamers better than anyone" (17 May)
Shigeru Miyamoto on the Wikipedia
Discussion >>

By Rob

221 Free Games for Nintendo Revolution -

The latest issue of Japanese gaming mag Famitsu reveals that Nintendo has 221 NES/SNES/N64 and Gamecube games for the Revolution, which will be available through the console's download service.

Nintendo vice president George Harrison also recently said in an interview that the older Nintendo titles would be downloadable for free.

Scans of the Famitsu article have popped up on the Web, but I've only been able to find a partial translation from Japanese so far:

But what's interesting is that Famitsu stated that Nintendo had 221 published titles for NES/SNES/N64/[Gamecube]. They also used a Final Fantasy V pic to tell us it is possible to play other companies' old games through Revolution. So there are 221 games that can be downloaded from the download service (in Japan) not counting the possible third-party downloads.

Next Generation Classic: Famitsu Scans: Revolution Info - Cubed3.com

Update
Unfortunately, Nintendo have since officially announced the retro Nintendo games will not be available for free: Nintendo Squash 221 Free Revolution Games Rumour

Related:
Nintendo stress free downloads for retro titles
Touchscreen Tech Sparks Another Revolution Rumour (26 May)
20 Years of Nintendo Content with Revolution (17 May)
Discussion >>

By Rob

Jack Thompson Goes Head-to-Head -

1UP.com has a feature focusing on violence in video games, in which Jack Thompson, the outspoken and sensationalist anti-game lawyer goes head to head with professor Henry Jenkins, who doesn't buy into the view that exposure to violent games alone can make a violent individual.

Of course, Thompson steals the show from the more reasoned Jenkins by describing games as the "mental molestation of children with murder simulators" and his comparison of E3 head Doug Lowenstein to Saddam Hussein (seriously).

1UP.com - Head to Head via Slashdot

Related:
(Attempted)Open Discussion with Jack Thompson
CBSNews GameSpeak: Jack Thompson (Feb 2005)
Jack Thompson: "kiss the game industry good-bye"
Jack Thompson (declines to) speak out on gaming violence (Nov 2004)
About Jack Thompson
Jack Thompson's stopkill.com
Discussion >>

By Rob

PSP Trademark May Delay European Release? -

A dispute between Sony and a small Internet retailer has revealed an interesting tidbit of information - Sony has not secured the European trademarks to the names PSP, UMD or XMB (a component of the operating system that appears on all PSP packaging).

Sony have served a cease & desist order to Electricbirdland.com for unofficially importing PSP's from Japan and the U.S. for sale in the U.K., months before the device's official European launch on 1 September.

The press release giving information on the dispute speculates that the trademark issue could cause further delays in the European release of the PSP, or may even see the release of the device under another name in that territory:

Sony's failure to secure these trademarks could potentially lead to further delays to the European launch of the PSP, or could result in the costly re-branding of a product which has already proved to be a hit in the US and Japan.

SONY USING BULLY TACTICS TO COVER UP PLAYSTATION PORTABLE LAUNCH MISTAKES

By Rob

Playable PS3 at This Year's Tokyo Games Show -

Sony have revealed that the Playstation 3 will be playable at the Tokyo Games Show, due to take place between 16-18 September.

The Playstation 3 made its debut at the E3 expo last month but the console wasn't playable by attendees, who had to make do with watching a series of impressive tech demos instead.

PlayStation 3 Playable At Tokyo Game Show via pikuru

Related:
Tokyo Games Show 2005
Watch the unveiling of Playstation 3 on Gamespot (16 May)
PS3 in-built harddrive, not a given?
Playstation 3 GPU, still in development?
PS3 To Have Same Launch Price as Previous Playstations? (25 May)
Discussion >>

By Rob

Fonix To Provide XBox 360 Voice Recognition -

Microsoft will continue to use Fonix voice-recognition technology with the release of the Xbox 360, Fonix have announced:

The voice recognition feature debuted in the original Xbox design and became a key factor in Microsoft's launch of Xbox Live service back in November 2002. With it, gamers can chat back and forth during networked games or interact while watching movies or listening to music.

C|NET:Xbox 360 keeps its voice

According to Tom's Hardware Guide, users will be able to use the feature in games straight out of the box, without any need to train the software.

Related:
Fonix.com Press release
Microsoft Retains Voice Recognition Company for Xbox 360
Discussion >>

By Rob

All I have learned stems from my gaming -

I came across a quirky article over at games.net in which the author describes his abilities as a person and how they stem from his gaming. Everything from, Look both ways before you go, Strafe and stick to the walls and very important Always take headshots.

America's Army knows a thing or two about the power of video games; not only can they inspire new recruits to sign up for the armed forces, they can also actually teach them some basic tactical information. Well given all the combat games I've played over the years, I figure I've reached veteran status by now.

Read the full article over at games.net | via Forever Geek

Discussion >>

By Gary

Xbox father and son reunite for the Family Photo -

An interesting pic has been making the rounds of an Xbox 360 standing beside its predecessor, the Xbox. This has been colorfully referred to as the "family photo".

Via engadget

Related:
Xbox 360 Countdown Widget
MS: Â£400 Xbox 360 Just Speculation
J Allard: Xbox 360 in the neighbourhood of $300
Xbox 360 over 600 dollars?
Xbox 360 Accessories Images
Say hello to Grandpa's Xbox
Discussion >>

By Gary

Croft to take flight on Xbox 360 and PSP -

As was expected from early predictions, Lara Croft's next Tomb Raider adventure, Legend will appear on both the Xbox 360 and PSP. Tomb Raider Chronicles report on the announcement by Eidos that the game is now under the wing of Crystal Dynamics.

As we reported earlier this week, Eidos has today confirmed that a version of Tomb Raider Legend - now under the aegis of Crystal Dynamics - will debut on Microsoft's Xbox 360 (Xbox 2) entertainment console and Sony's Playstation Portable, although did not specify a release date.

Eidos announced the return of Lara Croft earlier this year on Xbox, PS2 and PC. However, during the company's financial reports, Xbox 360 and PSP versions were dropped into the equation. Although Eidos initially refused to comment on whether next-gen platforms would be supported, the company now confirms development is in progress.
Read on

By Gary

Firefox Coming to Second Life -

Mozilla Firefox is to be embedded into a future version of the Second Life virtual world game according to a new announcement from creators Linden Lab.

The plan is to allow regular 2D browsing in the game as well as the display of web pages on 3D objects, though the browser won't have all the functions of the regular Firefox, like Flash.

James Cook, the developer behind the project gave some examples of what Second Life players can expect:

I'm probably not going to be able to put web pages on your avatar's face or shirt. Unfortunately, avatars are 'special' -- the best I can promise is local traffic conditions on the windshield of your virtual car, or a weather satellite image on the ceiling of your house.

Embedded Firefox coming to Second Life - "Second Life" to Integrate Firefox Browsing

By Rob

Sony unload 90 million PS2 units since launch -

According to an article over on spong.com, Sony has sold upwards of 90 millions Playstation 2 consoles since its launch in March 2000 in Japan. A pretty impressive numbers, it will be interesting to see how the next few months progress and if Sony will be looking at similar figures for their PS3 in years to come.

ItÂs actually a phenomenal 90 million. Yes, gamers around the globe have bought 90 million PlayStation 2 hardware units since the platform launched in March 2000 in Japan. And only a few of them were used for guiding stealth bombers built by Middle Eastern dictators. The rest were all used for playing Gran Turismo and Grand Theft Auto.
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By Gary

Next-gen consoles to assassinate pc gaming forever -

CNET has an interesting article in which they put forth claims that Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 will be the final nail the the PC game's coffin. They argue that as the new consoles emerge, PC gamers will be more likely to want to shell out the cash for the entire console instead of the same amount for a new graphics card in their PC.

They claim that the PC games market is already dwindling and that it cannot take another blow like this, as developers will be forced to make games for the ever-growing console market if they want to have any sizeable profits.

What I am willing to predict, however, even at this early stage, is that the real loser in all of this will be PC gaming. Let's start with Quake 4, which uses the "old" Doom 3 engine but still came across as one of the more impressive PC titles I saw at the show. Id, Quake 4's developer, was also showing an Xbox 360 version of the same game behind closed doors, and those reporters I polled at the show confirmed what I thought: they really couldn't discern any difference between the two versions.

Read the full article over at CNET | Via slashdot

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By Gary

Nintendo stress free downloads for retro titles -

Nintendo's George Harrison has announced that old Nintendo favourites emulated on their next console will be available for download free of cost.

People sort of picked on us for not prematurely jumping into online or internet gaming," he mused, going on to point out that now the company has more to offer besides online gaming. Harrison then confirmed that past-gen, Nintendo-created titles will indeed be downloadable for free.

The claim will certainly bring joy to old-school Nintendo fans but Nintendo will have to do more to entice the public onto its marketing campaign if they are to catch up with Microsoft or indeed Sony in the next-gen console wars.

This is a clever move by Nintendo: regardless of the final power of Revolution and the frequency of new titles, Nintendo knows that its loyal fans will cry tears of joy over a free service that lets them download previous Nintendo classics straight out of the box.

Read the full article over at gamesradar.com

By Gary

Prey E3 Movie Released -

2K Games have released the full, 12 minute high-resolution video of Prey shown at this year's E3.

Download the video on Gamershell.com (178 MB)

A sci-fi first person shooter, Prey was one of the surprise announcements for the E3 when 2K Games and 3D Realms revealed development on the game had been restarted a few years ago.
Prey was initially begun back in 1995, but the title got shelved along the way when 3D Realms put their focus into the still-unreleased Duke Nukem Forever.

Related:
Prey.com
3DRealms
Steam-like Distribution for Prey (20 May)
Gamespot: Prey E3 2005 First Impressions
2K & 3D Realms Officially Announce Prey (26 April)
Discussion >>

By Rob

GTA: Liberty City Stories, PSP pics emerge? -

Joystiq report on a source who has sent them links to screenshots of a PSP displaying the upcoming Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. The pics are somewhat grainy and pretty bad quality but you can make out menus and characters on the screen. Whether or not they are real remains to be seen.

A friend of mine has an FTP server that he lets me and a bunch of people use. Theres tons of stuff on there, and I happened to come across these. No telling if theyre real, and if they are, where he got them. I just put them up on photobucket just in case they areÂyou never know. Anyways here
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Related:
Official website
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By Gary

Blizzard Axe 50,000 WarCraft accounts -

Blizzard Entertainment announced that it has closed 53,928 Warcraft III battle.net accounts from online play.

We will continue to monitor Battle.net for cheating and take action as needed. As always, thank you for your continued support; with your help we have been able to keep Battle.net a fun and safe place to play Blizzard games.E

The banning comes amid a wave of cheating and hacking to gain status in the online RTS, which the company says it will not tolerate.

Most of the aforementioned accounts were closed due to reported hacking or cheating during a WarCraft III multiplayer session. 8,168 of the accounts have also been banned from ladder play for one month, whereas only 3,331 were permanently removed.
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By Gary