In the face of reports that a supply of PlayStation 3 consoles on North American store shelves has to do with the console’s lack of popularity, Sony’s Jack Tretton is fighting back.

Rather than showing the PS3’s lack of potential buyers, Tretton is saying the ready supply of consoles shows how well Sony’s manufacturing and supply chain is working.

“It’s a testament to the fact that we’ve been able to manufacture and ship units on a greater pace than any previous console,” Tretton has been quoted as saying. “Our goal is to fill shelves across the United States. Our goal is not to have empty shelves, it’s to have full shelves. If we have a empty shelves that’s one less consumer who could have bought a PlayStation 3.”

Tretton also said the company is on target to sell about 2 million units by the end of March and promised consoles shortages in some locations will end by May.

Whether the supply statement is total spin or the honest truth remains to be seen. Only time will tell, and that 2-million unit sales mark being hit would be one of the best markers.

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Labels: jack tretton, PlayStation 3, ps3, sony

While Sony’s PlayStation 3 is being outperformed by the other two next-gen consoles in sales, the news doesn’t seem to be impacting the company all that greatly.

In fact, even as PS3 sales are sluggish, the PlayStation 2 and PSP are still enjoying rather brisk sales. This bodes well for Sony and its execs aren’t afraid to point that out.

“We are pleased with the numbers from January as they demonstrate overall sales improvements for our legacy systems year over year and continued momentum for PS3. With supply levels stabilizing, you can expect to see increased marketing for PS3 and PS2 in weekly retail circulars, which should garner strong numbers, boosted by big software launches, such as MotorStorm and Virtua Fighter 5,” Sony’s director of corporate communications, David Karraker, is quoted as saying.

Indeed, the introduction of Virtua Fighter 5 seems to be a very big boost for the third-place next-gen console and with the European launch on the horizon, sales figures should only rise. While more PS3 titles would certainly help, too, there are moves to make this happen.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the PS3 is a great machine. When more options in games are presented, it will be a hard one to beat – even at the price. Right now, however, it isn’t the most attractive machine on the market. When it comes to options for play, the Xbox 360 wins hands down in my mind, while the Wii is a winner for its overall family fun factor and affordability.

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Labels: PlayStation 3, ps3, sony, virtua fighter 5, Wii, xbox 360

Nintendo fans looking for some more Sims action won’t have to wait too much longer to try their hands at MySims. Electronic Arts is in the process of developing the game for both the Wii and the Nintendo DS.

According to Digital Home Pipeline, the title will have gamers “creating their own toy-like Sim that reflects their personal style and attitudes whether its pig-tails and baseball caps or dreadlocks and Mohawks.”

Players will moved into a disorganized town where they can redo everything to make it truly their own. Along the way, they’ll meet a host of characters, such as the Mayor, Rosalyn P. Marshall, and Buddy, a lazy hotel bellhop.

Sounds like this will be one fun entry in the Sims series.

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Labels: electronic arts, mysims, Nintendo, nintendo ds, sims, Wii

Xbox 360 gamers looking to expand their video game library without forking over a lot of cash might want to hold out until next month. Next month’s Platinum Hits additions are nothing to sneeze at.

According to IT News Online, the North American platinum titles for release March 16 include such games as Call of Duty 2, Fight Night Round 3, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Top Spin 2.

The pricing on these games will fall in at $29.99, which is a heck of a lot better than the $59.99 most titles set gamers back.

The program was designed to heighten the appeal of the Xbox 360 by offering solid titles at seriously discounted prices. Jeff Bell, a Microsoft VP, has been quoted as saying, “Platinum Hits not only lets gamers enjoy a broad portfolio of titles at an amazing price, it also ensures that existing and new gamers alike can get the most from their Xbox 360 by owning a great library of blockbuster hits.”

However it’s cracked, it’s a good program for 360 gamers and one heck of a money savings. The program’s pretty darn popular, too. Since its launch last fall, the Platinum Hits titles have accounted for more than 16.3 million games sold worldwide.

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Labels: call of duty 2, microsoft, platinum hits, xbox 360

There’s a new site dedicated to teaching World of Warcraft players how to make gold the old fashion way – by earning it.

The World of Warcraft Gold blog is dedicated to giving players, especially new ones, an overview in the quick and non-banned ways to make gold.

“New players to World of Warcraft—nicknamed “newbies”—especially need help in learning the basics that will maximize their gold inflow,” says the site’s media release. “Even before venturing into an auction house, there are simple tips and tricks to maximize gold income from killing beasts and humanoids, finishing quests, and selling items to non-player characters (NPCs). While these money-making tips won’t rocket a character into WoW wealth, it definitely helps characters, especially low-level ones, get an edge on the server.”

The site already has a few entries up, including one by Dan West, the author of “The Wow Mastery Guide.”

This will be an interesting site to watch grow and develop. It’s refreshing to see someone dedicate time to teaching the ins and outs of a game without tutoring players on how to cheat or pointing them in the direction of a place they can buy their gaming success.

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Labels: world of warcraft, wow, wow gold, wow tips

If an interview with Microsoft’s Peter Moore is any indication, the Xbox 360 might become the Wii-60 in the near future.

Moore not only makes it sound like the 360 will soon have a new, lighter lease on gaming, but he also is gracious enough to give credit where it’s due.

“From a first-party point of view, it’s not just about E-rated games, it’s going to be about the experience that, quite frankly, Nintendo has done a tremendous job in capturing, in bringing back fun – if you will – to the gaming platforms,” Moore has been quoted as saying.

“But we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve as well to be able to do that. It’s not something that we’re going to be shy about, and it’s not something that we’re not painfully aware of that needs to be changed by this holiday. That has been the strategy all along, and we’ll be making some more announcements in the coming month or two.”

CVG thinks this means a motion-sensing controller is indeed on its way. And, Moore’s comments certainly give that idea credence. “It’s actually not games. It’s more experiential than that. And again, since the day I saw Iwata-san pull the Nunchuk controller out from under his podium a few years ago at TGS, I’ve always realized that was the right thing for Nintendo … to be successful in this next generation.”

It sounds like some great things could be on the horizon for the Xbox 360. Here’s hoping Microsoft just adds on the Wii sort of fun without losing sight of the fact it already has a console a lot of serious gamers love.

Now, if they manage to tap into the fun Wii offers while keeping the intense action titles on the drawing board and the graphics high, Microsoft will be on to something big.

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Labels: microsoft, Nintendo, Wii, xbox 360

Sony’s making sure European PlayStation 3 buyers don’t miss out on some serious racing action when the console arrives next month. Gran Turismo HD Concept will be available March 23, just in time for the launch.

The fully playable, one-track sneak preview of the game will be available for free download via the PlayStation Store over the PlaySation Network. The North American launch of the demo was so popular, Sony’s servers couldn’t handle it.

According to a Sony media release, players get to start with a single car on the Eiger Nordwand track in the Swiss Alps. When that track’s completed, a new car is unlocked. Players that are really good can even manage to unlock a Ferrari 599. The game’s time trail will also kick off the first Gran Turismo online ranking system.

The actual new Gran Turismo isn’t due out for a long while, so gamers should savor the demo while they can.

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Labels: gran turismo hd, PlayStation 3, playstation network, ps3

Sony’s Phil Harrison has let the cat out of the bag about Sony’s intention to add movie downloads to the PlayStation Network.

“We made a very conscious decision in putting a hard drive in every machine and a minimum of 20GB, 60GB and who knows in the future, maybe that will rise. You know, that tends to be a trend,” Harrison has been quoted as saying. “The decision we made to put a hard drive in every PlayStation 3 was because we saw the long term benefit. The ten year plan of allowing people to download all kinds of digital content to their PlayStation 3 — not just games but movies, music, HD, standard definition TV, you name it. And that was a significant investment, but it was absolutely the right thing to do.”

The news comes as little surprise as Microsoft is already in the field. Its movie and TV download service over Xbox Live Marketplace is a big hit, with gamers fast realizing their Xboxes can be used for a whole lot more than games.

As 1UP aptly points out, Sony is a in great position going into the proposition due to its Sony Music and Sony Pictures divisions. Content should not be an issue for the company.

Hopefully, more news on this will be coming soon. Lots of questions remain, including pricing, content, a launch date and whether or not IPTV will go along with the deal. No matter what, though, this is good news for PS3 owners that bought to make the console a part of a total entertainment package.

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Labels: PlayStation 3, playstation network, ps3, xbox live

There’s a new analysis out of Texas A&M International University’s Department of Behavioral, Applied Sciences and Criminal Justice that debunks the notion that violent games increase violent behaviors.

It seems Dr. Christopher Ferguson conducted an analysis of studies that associate violent video games and aggression behavior and came up with the conclusion the two don’t necessarily correlate.

“Results from the current meta-analysis found that there were about 25 recent studies on violent video game effects, with conflicting results. Overall results of the study found that although violent videogames appear to increase people’s aggressive thoughts they do not appear to increase aggressive behavior,” Ferguson is quoted as saying.

He concluded: “There is little evidence from the current body of literature that playing violent videogames is either causally or correlationally associated with increases in aggressive behavior.”

Ferguson went on to say studies that claim to conclusively prove the link “provide only questionable or inconsistent evidence.”

That’s some serious food for thought as many lawmakers and wannabe lawmakers continue to seek to vilify video games as the root of all evil, blaming them rather than those responsible for acts of violence.

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Labels: video game study, video game violence, violent video games

With the European launch of the PlayStation 3 looming on the horizon, Sony has dropped a bomb fans might not have been expecting.

“The backwards compatibility is not going to be as good as the U.S. and Japan models,” a Sony spokesperson was quoted as saying.

This little tidbit means that many PlayStation 2 titles gamers might be holding onto to play on the PS3 won’t work. It also sounds like Sony doesn’t intend to fix the problem any time soon.

According to X-bit Labs, a Sony statement has made it pretty clear: “Rather than concentrate on PS2 backwards compatibility, in the future, company resources will be increasingly focused on developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3.”

While that’s all fine and well, and new games should be developed for the PS3, gamers were told the console would be backwards compatible. And for the price Sony’s charging for the PS3, they have every right to expect it to be so.

Sony intends to only roll out the 60 GB version at first in Europe. This means the pricing falls in at €599 ($777) in the most of the markets and for pricing close to that in a variety of countries (UK – £425 ($837), Ireland – €629 ($816), Australia – AUD 999.95 ($777), New Zealand – NZ 1199.95 ($840)), according to X-Bit.

If gamers have been banking on having the old titles work, this news might not bode well for Sony.

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Labels: backwards compatibility, PlayStation 3, ps3, sony

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition fans getting tired of the same old, same old in online action don’t have to wait too much longer to get a jolt in their gameplay.

Capcom has announced it will release the first new multiplayer map March 9 via the Xbox Live Marketplace. The map will cost 400 Microsoft Points for those who are interested in battling it out on some new ground. It seems it will be the first of many the company intends to roll out to make sure the action stays fresh.

“We’re committed to bringing new content to the thriving community of Lost Planet fans,” said Charles Bellfield, vice president of marketing for Capcom, has been quoted as saying. “The development team is steadily working on additional environments to provide players with new ways to enjoy the intense Lost Planet brand of action.”

Lost Planet is a fairly new title that’s seen some amazing success. Gamers are flocking to it because of the unique setting, the realism and the balls-to-walls action. We’ll have a full review of it coming soon, but suffice it to say, the game’s a hit in our house.

Better than Halo? You’ll have to read the review to find out!

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Labels: capcom, halo 3, lost planet, xbox 360, xbox live

The financial moguls at Merrill Lynch are banking on Nintendo’s Wii as being the console to beat. They’re saying that by 2011, about 30 percent of all American households will own a Wii and about a third of Japanese households will, too.

The predictions come from Lynch analyst Yoshiyuki Kinoshita on the heels of some major performance by the little console that could.

Whether they’ll pan out to be true or not remains to be seen, but the console is certainly outperforming expectations.

The folks at Crunch Gear seem think there’s not a snowball’s change in Hades this will be the case, considering the average U.S. household income, which is under $47,000.

“These people don’t have the money for a Nintendo Wii + some games + a broadband internet connection – they need their money for real expenses like a mortgage payment and cases of Keystone Light,” they write, adding the potential for bias in the prediction.

I beg to differ. The “average” American family I know happens to own at least one gaming console if not more. Wii is fairly economical in the grand scheme of things and some of its games happen to be pretty darn good for family members of all ages.

Considering its price tag of about $350-$400 for the console and a game or so, compared to soccer, cheerleading, baseball and so on, and the Wii doesn’t seem like that bad of a deal.

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Labels: merrill lynch, next-gen console, Nintendo, Wii

As Sony slowly lets the cat out of the bag about a potential movie and television download service for the PlayStation 3, things over on Xbox Live Marketplace are starting to really shape up.

The Microsoft site’s entry into the television and movie arena has really come a long way since launch, offering a fair amount of titles in both the television and the movie arenas.

The Top 10 list for Movies has some pretty good flicks listed, including “Crank,” “Superman Returns” and “See No Evil.”

On the television side, Comedy Central is a big contributor with “Stand Up” and “South Park” both in the Top 10. “CSI,” “Supernatural” and a host of other shows round out the offerings.

Microsoft’s partners in the download effort include such big-name players as WB, Paramount, NBC and Spike TV.

While this isn’t exactly “gaming news,” it is interesting to watch this service grow and round out. The downloads for both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 make the consoles more well-rounded, useable and easier to financially justify. We’ve barely used a regular DVD player since the 360 and PS3 made their way into our home.

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Labels: microsoft, ps3, sony, xbox 360, xbox live

The popularity of Sony’s PlayStation 3 in the UK market has once again been confirmed by the presales information coming out of online sites.

Last week, we reported the PS3 was the fast-selling presale on the British site, Play.com. Now, it seems the console’s the hot item to have on Amazon UK.

According to i4u.com, the PS3 is the leader in the video game top sales chart on the Amazon site. It’s followed by the Wii and the black Nintendo DS Lite.

The news must be music to the ears of Sony execs and might even provide a little room for gloating. If the launch figures hold true when the console arrives in Europe next month, the execs who said the delay would effect PS3 sales in Europe over the long haul will be proven correct.

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Labels: nintendo ds, play.com, PlayStation 3, ps3, sony, Wii

The Wii has a lot to be proud of. It’s little. It’s spunky. It’s affordable. And, now, it’s the fastest-selling console on the market.

According to Absolute Gadget, the console boasted 435,503 units sold in the U.S. during the month of January alone. This, per the NPD Group, made the Wii’s sales 70 percent higher than any other new game system released during the last decade during its first full January.

This is a pretty amazing little tid bit considering the availability issues, but not entirely surprising overall considering the console’s playability and affordability.

As if the Wii’s success weren’t enough, the Nitnendo DS once again took on all comers to hold the title of being the best-selling portable device. It sold almost 240,000 units during January.

Nintendo sounds pretty proud: “The continuing success of Wii and DS demonstrates that the public has embraced Nintendo’s philosophy of entertaining current gamers in new ways, and expanding gaming for the masses.”

The success of both systems gives some serious credence to the idea that Nintendo founded its Wii on: Affordability + Fun = Success.

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Labels: Nintendo, nintendo ds, videogames, Wii

Virtua Fighter 5 has given the PlayStation 3 its first No. 1 title on Japanese charts, about four months after the console’s launch.

But, even as the single title is making waves, beating off a host of Wii titles for the lead position, the Nintendo console is still beating the Sony creation in overall sales.

According to CVG, the Wii dominates the console sales market with 78,550 units shifted this week. The PS3 came in second with 32, 175, while the Xbox 360 lagged way behind with 4,811.

None of the numbers are very surprising. Virtua Fighter 5 is one of the most anticipated PS3 releases, so its surge over Wii titles isn’t a shocker. The continued domination of Wii on the sales charts also doesn’t surprise. After all, the console’s the most affordable going and it’s absolutely a family pleaser.

Virtua Fighter 5 will arrive with the PS3 in Europe at launch. It’s already available in North America.

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Labels: ps3, virtua fighter 5, Wii, wii sports, xbox 360

There’s another sneak peek of the upcoming Halo 3 release that’s made its way on to the Internet. This time, it’s a video that shows some of the weapons.

Appearing on YouTube thanks to a guy named Bip Chizzle, the video gives a pretty good indication of the arsenal players will get to enjoy. It appears as if the M6D pistol will make its way into the latest rendition of Halo, along the clip might have a few less rounds.

The folks over at Talk Xbox point out the weapon animations in the video are likely placeholders.

Halo is perhaps the hottest Microsoft franchise for its Xbox and Xbox 360. Gears of War and a few others have made real head way recently, but Halo’s the signature series.

A firm release date for Halo 3 hasn’t been unveiled, but the game is moving forward in its alpha testing and new tweaks like the A-Hole Button are being implemented. It sounds like the third entry will be one of the best in the series.

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Labels: bungie, halo 3, microsoft, xbox 360

This guide is the first in a new beginner-to-advanced Second Life series written by Igniq writer and Second Life fan Richard Cahill, who can be found inworld as Richie Waves.

What is Second Life?
Second Life is a persistent online virtual world created by San Francisco-based Linden Lab.
Its similarities with other online worlds such as the popular game World of Warcraft end there.

In Second Life, there are no scores, no leveling and no end boss monsters to fight, in fact Second Life isn’t a game at all. The entire world (or grid as it is commonly called) is in fact shaped and created by the residents themselves, thanks to powerful built in 3D building tools and the ability to upload textures. There is also a built in scripting language called LSL (Linden Scripting Language) which can be used to bring your builds to life.

The ability to own your own land in Second Life is also a major drawing point, from small plots of land where you can build a house or hang out experimenting with your friends, to purchasing entire islands where you can run your own night clubs for instance, or build huge castles – it’s completely up to the user what happens with his or her own land.

Second Life also has its very own inworld currency, known as the Linden dollar (L$) which is exchangable to USD, in this way residents of Second Life in their hundreds are making real world salaries selling items they create like clothing, jewelry or even racing cars and guns.
Residents in their thousands are using the tools in Second Life to simply pay their rent, making Second Life pay for itself.
One resident known as Anche Chung recently became the first person to amass over 1 million USD in a virtual world buying and selling land and is employing over 30 residents.

You read that correct, this is not a game.

How much is it to play?

Initial signup to Second Life is free, with no need for a credit card. However the ability to own your own land requires that you sign up to a premium account, which costs $9.95 a month. If you pay annually it costs $72 ($6 a month).
Users who sign up and don’t give credit card information have it noted in their inworld profile, and can be denied access to areas in the game, thanks to a land tool that allows land owners to block “unverified accounts”.

Thankfully you can become verified by simply giving your credit card information to Linden Lab without having to actually pay any money. Once your credit card info is there you can use the inworld tool “LindeX” to purchase Lindens. Currently the Linden dollar is worth $4 for L$1000, but fluctuates on a daily basis just like real world currency.
Second Life has a minimum age requirement of 18.

So I want to try it out.. what do I do?

First off go here: http://secondlife.com/
Signing up is easy, and much like signup to any website or MMO, first thing you do is pick your name. In Second Life you can use any name you like as your first name but you must pick your surname from a list, then you can pick how you appear when you “rez” for the first time in world.

You’ll appear (or “rez”) in an area known as “Orientation Island”. This area is separate from the main grid, and teaches you the basics. It is recommended you spend at least a few minutes here practicing things like moving around, flying (yes all residents in Second Life have the ability to fly) and tweaking your appearance.
Simply follow the path to each of the exercises.

Once at the end of Orientation Island you will be asked if you want to go straight to the main grid, or be transported to Help Island. This is in fact 4 connected islands only accessible by new residents, and older residents who have signed up as volunteer “mentors”.
These helpful residents will teach you the more advanced skills like attaching items to your avatar and using the building tools. you can spot them by the tag above their head “Second Life Mentor”.
Employees of Linden Lab will all have the second name Linden in world and a tag.

In the coming series of articles on SL I will be covering subjects such as building how-to’s, shopping guides and more.

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There’s been a lot of buzz as of late in regards to a white paper released by Sony Online Entertainment that announces the results of its Station Exchange trial. It seems Sony’s finally proven what most MMORPG gamers already knew – there’s a lot of money to be had in virtual sales.

During the one-year study period, the auction site pulled in $1.87 million, with players paying as much as $2,000 for a single account on auction. One player managed to pull in more than $35,000 in cash from 351 auctions.

“We’ve found that Station Exchange is providing an excellent ancillary revenue stream for both SOE and our players,” John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment, has been quoted as saying. “Some of our Station Exchange players are literally paying for their subscription to EQII, while others are making significant money.”

Perhaps with the doors being shut on eBay sales of virtual items, the exchange idea will catch on, giving gamers who want to buy items and gold the ability to do so. It’s my guess if there’s money to be had in it, which there obviously is, more big gaming companies beyond Sony will adopt something similar.

While I personally feel online sales cheapen gaming, money talks. Nearly $2 million is not too shabby for a year of ancillary income off a couple of games.

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You’ve got to hand it to the folks at Bungie. They really know how to add some serious perks to a game that almost anyone can appreciate.

Take the “A-Hole Button” that’s being touted on Bungie.net for the upcoming release of Halo 3.

“Anyone who’s played MP on Xbox Live knows the following is true: Teenagers, plus anonymity, plus microphone = idiot,” writes Frankie. “Xbox Live already gives you powerful tools to mute, well, tools on a case by case basis. The ‘A-Hole Button’ in Halo 3 lets you exact instant, silent vengeance.”

Evidently, gamers will be able to hit the back button, use the right stick to highlight a name and “instantly mute them for the rest of the game.”

Very nice touch guys!

Meanwhile, as testing continues on the title, some gamers have leaked screen shots of some of the surprises in store. According to CVG, there’s quite a few Halo 3 alpha shots now up that show the new assault rifle and more.

Check them out here.

Now, if Bungie could just make that “A-Hole Button” work in real life!

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Blizzard Entertainment’s Cinderella story of a MMORPG won’t be coming to next-gen consoles at all if Itzik Ben Bassat has his way.

The company’s vice president of development said that he believes the consoles will also become obsolete within about five years’ time.

According to an interview in Games Industry Biz, Bassat believes this will become the case since consoles are morphing into mini-PCs.

“Consoles are becoming sophisticated PCs which sit in the living room,” he is quoted as saying. “Maybe in five years you won’t need a console because you’ll have one PC which delivers content all over your house.”

Indeed, as Bassat points out, computers are quickly becoming all-purpose entertainment devices. As video and music downloading options just get better and easier connections are made between the PC itself and televisions, the need for consoles is becoming minimal other than for playing specific titles.

On WoW specifically, he left no room for guessing. “We are not going to develop WoW for consoles.”

Don’t count Blizzard out of catering to consoles with a title at some point though. “Personally I love XBLA – I think Microsoft has done an excellent job developing it and there are lots of exciting things there,” he said.

The news on WoW isn’t surprising. The fact is, next-gen consoles don’t necessarily lend themselves to a game like this where communication in text is key – even if a TeamSpeak type program is used among friends. Rapid typing and complicated UI setups seem to operate better in the realm of the PC.

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It’s been rumored for a while, but now it seems this time it’s true. Michael De Luca will produce a Metal Gear Solid movie for Sony with game creator Hideo Kojima acting as executive producer.

That’s right. To the relief of many, it doesn’t appear as if Uwe Boll will have anything to do with the movie based on the popular video game.

The game itself focuses in on a former commando who gets called to action to tackle terrorist and save hostages. As Cinema Blend is pointing out, this is the stuff a lot of Hollywood action movies are made of, so Metal Gear shouldn’t be too difficult to pull off.

With Boll not in the picture, the flick might just have half a chance at being a bearable one, too.

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You’ve got to give it to Atari. The company can take a punch and come back up fighting.

The latest out of the gaming great is news it will publish The Witcher, a highly anticipated fantasy RPG developed by CD Projekt Sp. z.o.o. Atari will be responsible for marketing and distributing the title in North America. The release for the PC is expected this fall.

The Witcher is a darker more “adult” fantasy role-play game that appears to border on the lines of horror to me. It has a single player traversing a world based on the books of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Players will take on the role of Geralt, “a legendary monster slayer and master swordfighter with supernatural abilities and reflexes.”

The screens and trailer for this one look absolutely incredible. The action looks fast-paced and the monsters are truly breathtaking. It looks to me like The Witcher could be the Oblivion of 2007.

You can be this one will get loaded on my machine at release.

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Battlestar Galactica fans looking for a little more action in between Sunday show nights will have a new place to turn this fall thanks to a game being developed by NBC Universal and Sierra.

The title will come with a few twists that have been recently announced. First off, the game will only be made available to one next-gen console – the Xbox 360. Secondly, it will only come in one format – digital download.

According to a piece on Game Daily, the videogame will release this fall only through digital downloads. The game will completely bypass retailers by going instead on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 360 users. Windows-based PC users will also be able to download the title.

Based on what Sierra’s Ed Zobrist had to say, the game is sounding like a whole lot of fun for fans or not. The title will include nine levels of single-player missions that will be spin offs of the major battles in the show. There will also be more than a few multi-player maps for PC users and 360 fans to play together. The only thing that isn’t clear is if the two can play together.

Regardless, plans for the title make it sound like one worth watch. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I’m a recent Battlestar convert, but hey!

“We’re capturing the essence of the show and the look and feel of the series as best we can,” said Zobrist. “We were on set to photograph the cockpits and hangar. We took audio that they use in the show for sound effects. We’re using the same color palette as the show. It’s going to be the best-looking game available on Xbox Live Arcade.”

I’m looking forward to being able to confirm or deny that boast.

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The Xbox 360 has come under the gun in Britain when the BBC’s “Watchdog” program has questioned the quality of the machine.

It seems the show, which investigates consumer complaints, received about 250 of them from owners of 360s that broke down after the warranty expired.

According to Team Xbox, the show focused in on the “ring of death” red light error.

“The Xbox 360 was a global phenomenon when it was launched in the UK in December 2005. The world’s richest man and Microsoft boss Bill Gates called it the Ferrari of home entertainment. But we’ve had nearly 250 complaints from people who think it’s more of a clapped-out old banger.

Worse still, you’ve been telling us that some of the problems with your faulty Xbox 360 consoles occur when the one-year warranty has run out. That means you have to fork out to get it fixed.”

It seems those gamers were told they’d have to pay about £80 (or USD$160) to get them fixed.

Microsoft responded to the complaint, saying there is “no systemic issue.”

There is a known issue, however, with the initial batch of Xbox consoles that hit the market. An extension in the warranty was granted as a result of early complaints.

Ours went down a few weeks after purchase, but fortunately it was during the warranty period, so it was fixed rather quickly and at no charge. Our second 360 has had no similar problem (knock on wood).

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Labels: bbc, microsoft, xbox 360, xbox 360 errors

As the PlayStation 3 continues to take a beating in sales, the Xbox 360 is gaining some ground on interest. The next-gen console is the subject of some big rumors this morning and some authentic good news, too.

On the confirmed end, Sega and Electronic Arts both have 1080p titles headed to the Xbox 360.

The first release is NBA Street Homecourt by Electronic Arts. It will ship Feb. 20 and support high-end resolution on the 360.

Sega, too, has a title in the pipeline that will release soon in all its high-res glory, Virtua Tennis 3. This game, fearing native 1080p support, will hit stores March 20.

The title releases come on the heels of Microsoft’s October Xbox Live update that paved the way for 1080p support, giving gamers a high-def experience.

On the rumor end, it’s being reported that a black Xbox 360 with a 120GB hard drive and HDMI will soon hit retailers. These rumors aren’t new, but the “soon” part is.

According to MCV, if the rumors are true, the “special edition console will retail for AUS$749, which works out as around £295.”

While there’s no official confirmation on the new 360 model, the move wouldn’t be a surprising one. With the launch of HD movies on the Xbox Live site, the need for a bigger hard drive has more than presented itself. Plus, the HDMI and bigger drive would put the 360 in a better position to compete with the PS3.

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Rockstar Games’ wants to take gamers on a manhunt this summer.

The company’s Rockstar London studio will release the Manhunt 2 title for play on the PlayStation 2, PSP and the Wii. The title is the debut from the newly formed studio, which is developing the game in conjunction with the series creator, Rockstar North. The Toronoto studio has the honors of developing the Wii version.

“With Manhunt 2 we have tried to create a game that stays close to the original concept of chilling suspense and stealth, whilst pushing the game design and storytelling forward,” said Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar Games, in a media release. “We are also excited to have our newest development team, Rockstar London, working on the title alongside our two established UK studios, Rockstar North and Leeds.”

What’s interesting to note here is the absence of the other two next-gen consoles on the development list.

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As Sony picks on the other consoles in the next-gen field, Electronic Arts is expressing its disappointment with sales of titles made for the PlayStation 3.

Frank Gibeau, EA’s executive vice president, said during a conference call about the company’s quarter end financial result that he “disappointed” at the ration of games sold per PS3 console.

According to Action Trip, EA hold a 32% share of PS3 game revenue based on $41 million in orders from retailers and distributors (900,000-plus units at $44.99 wholesale) through the holiday quarter.

Gibeau said the lack of sales can be blamed on the fact many console buyers were simply out to do a fast turn around on eBay and weren’t actually interested in buying games. He called the phenomena the “eBay effect.”

My guess is there are quite a few PS3 owners out there who couldn’t afford game titles after buying the console, too. Plus, with the pickings kind of slim, there aren’t a whole lot of games worth the price, at least that was the case at launch.

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If you’re among the thousands that have already signed up for Vanguard, or you hope to be, there are a few things players of the latest entry on the MMORPG market need to watch out for.

While the game is a whole lot of fun, these particular bugs can really take the wind out of an adventurer’s sails. Some of them can be avoided, others cannot. On the upside, based on GM conversations in game, it sounds like many of them are being worked on currently.

Confirmed bugs GMs are aware of include:

Mail not working
Be very careful what you send through the mail in Vanguard right now. The system works, but not all the time. Getting this one fixed on a player-by-player basis can be a mess, too. Players need to /bug report the issue and it’s best to have both the sender and the receiver do so. I have a set of enhanced horseshoes lost in the ether somewhere, so I’m speaking from first-hand experience here.

Harvesting skills not advancing
This one is really irritating and what’s worse, some of the GMs don’t seem to be aware of it. The harvesting primary and secondary skills on some characters refuse to go up, no matter what’s done. Keep in mind, you do have to have the right tools and training to harvest, but even when all that’s in order, some players are seeing no advancements. I understand from a GM conversation today that this is being addressed.

Other irritations:

Seamless seams
Vanguard is a “seamless” game, but watch out, when you hit what would normally be a zone, it appears as if your computer has locked up. This is a very minor irritation, especially when you get used to it, but the first few times the lack of a “Loading … please wait” message is very noticeable.

Missing mobs
Some of the mobs in this game ghost during battle. To reset them, move away. Otherwise, you might not be able to get a spell off to your detriment. Oh yes, ghosting mobs can still get you!

Customer service
It seems anything that has Sony Online Entertainment attached to it has this problem. The customer service overall is pretty darn slow. It took a few days to get answers about the harvesting issue. I had messages from two GMs. One was clueless. The other, thank goodness, seemed to have a handle on the situation.

Vanguard’s a very new MMORPG and bugs are to be expected. Overall the game play is great, the world is beautiful and the quests are mostly fun.

I’ll post up a starter guide in the next few days to help newbies get their feet wet. As much as SOE drives me nuts, I’ll have to admit, they tend to back very fun games.

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Labels: mmorpg, sigil, soe, vanguard

The Wii is about to get some serious monster fighting action.

It seems Atari is developing Godzilla Unleashed for the Wii, the DS and the PSP for a fall release. The monster title looks pretty darn neat in screen shots for its existing consoles (Xbox and PlayStation 2), but I have to admit the possibilities with the Wii make it sound even better.

As a recent Wii convert (review to come soon), the appeal of a fun, monster mashing fighting game is huge. If the title’s done correctly for the platform, it will be an incredible blast.

The game features Godzilla and a battle to save the planet from a host of nasty beasts.

“We are building on the famous Godzilla franchise by focusing on multiple story paths, devastating urban destruction, and utilizing the most imposing creatures in film history, all in one hard-hitting fighting game,” Rick Mehler, Director, Marketing, Atari, Inc. has been quoted as saying. “In Godzilla: Unleashed for the Wii, players will tap into their inner monster powers when using the system’s wireless, motion-sensing controller.”

The quote is a good cue that Atari is taking the controller into serious account while developing the remix of the title. Here’s hoping, because if it does, the game could be a real hit.

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