EEG News

Boll Wants To Fight You

Uwe Boll is offering a chance for the online gaming community to take their shots at him, in a literal sense. The filmmaker, who has taken a lot of flack by both journalists and internet denizen for his very un-boffo movie adaptations of beloved video game franchises wants a chance to beat up the naysayer on camera. Or get beat up – depending on what the editors can do.

Boll is holding a sweepstakes where critics who have written "extremely" negative articles about two of his films in 2005 via the internet or written text have a chance to fight Boll in a boxing match.

From Gamespot:

To answer his critics, Boll is orchestrating what might be considered one of the more bizarre sweepstakes in memory. After he finishes the ongoing shoot of In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, and the subsequent project, Seed, starring the TV incarnation of Conan the Barbarian, bodybuilder Ralf Moeller (Gladiator), Boll will move onto the big-screen version of studio Running With Scissors' controversial Postal series. During that shoot, Boll will personally take on his biggest detractors in boxing matches to be used in the film.

"Towards the end of the filming of Postal the five most outspoken critics will be flown into Vancouver and supplied with hotel rooms," read Boll's press release. "As a guest of Uwe Boll they will be given the chance to be an extra/stand-in in Postal and have the opportunity to put on boxing gloves and enter a BOXING RING [emphasis in the original] to fight Uwe Boll. Each critic will have the opportunity to bring down Uwe in a 10-bout match. There will be five matches planned over the last two days of the movie. Certain scenes from these boxing matches will become part of the Postal movie. All five fights will be televised on the Internet and will be covered by international press."

You know your film career star is really shining when you have to start throwing punches. But maybe Boll can grab a little glory out of it. Let me direct your eyes to this part of the press release, my emphasis:

Certain scenes from these boxing matches will become part of the Postal movie.

So yeah, don’t be surprised if Boll comes out the winner on the silver screen despite the outcome.

These are the moments where a one must teeter on the edge of reporting news like this, resulting in unavoidable compliance with an unsavory publicity ploy and a desire to sweep said attention seeker under the rug. It burns my fingers, for instance, every time I must type the name of people like Boll or industry demagogue Jack Thompson. I would just as soon ignore them, but they’re just so wiley.

EEG News Closed For A Wee Bit

EEG News reporter Austin Modine is currently attending the Cannes film festival in France, and won't be updating until the 28th.

Please be patient, and Austin will bring you back a croissant or something.

E3: Microsoft Conference

Microsoft had a solid showing during its E3 press conference, but suffered from a severe lack of surprises.

The star of the show was of course the Halo 3 teaser – saved for the very end of the conference but completely expected. They showed off the HD-DVD accessory some more but didn’t give a price point. They showed clips of games previously announced, announced that Grand Theft Auto would be time-exclusive (no word on how long the exclusivity will last) and brought out Bill Gates to bore everyone, There was some talk about Windows Vista (it’s supposed to be “the best gaming OS ever,” but they’ve been saying that since 1995) and then they called it a day. No surprises, but damned if the games didn’t look good.

The biggest piece of news (as in, new) from the conference was announcing the Live Anywhere service which will integrate Xbox Live with Windows Vista, Windows Mobile and of course the 360. With Live Anywhere, players will be able to challenge other gamers, check stats, message people on Live and more regardless of the Microsoft platform you are on. One example was customizing a car on a mobile phone and sending it to the 360 to play.

Everything looked droolworthy, although I’m getting a little sick of generic shooters on the console. Microsoft just might grab themselves a bigger piece of the marketshare than expected this generation, especially with the announced price of the PS3.

E3: Nintendo Press Conference

Super Mario Galaxy

Nintendo kept characteristically (and perhaps rather disapointingly) tight-lipped during their E3 press conference today.

The big N showed small glimpses of highly anticipated titles such as Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3 and dropping the news that Super Mario Galaxy is in the works for the Wii, but any hard information was nowhere to be seen. Nintendo did not divulge a release date or price for its upcoming console which most hoped for and many genuinely needed, to dull the pain of the PS3’s outragous $600 price tag. Nor did Nintendo reveal plans for launch or an online strategy. Nintendo’s message: this stuff is fun. You’ll see tomorrow on the show floor.

I have to say, watching the Nintendo Wii graphics on the big screen didn’t exactly impress me. Nintendo made it clear that graphics will come second to gameplay, and I believe that in theory. I certainly don’t consider myself a “graphics whore,” but everything looked like a Gamecube game. I can’t help but feel a little disappointed when the games I’m seeing at an E3 conference don’t make me go “wow.” It just ain’t right.

I will, however, take Nintendo’s advice and wait to get my hands on the system. Nintendo’s new slogan is “Playing = Beliving,” and I’m more than willing to go along with it. Nintendo’s conference was the only one out of the big three where people actually looked like they were enjoying themselves playing. People weren’t muttering “that looks so cool,” but “that looks like so much fun.” And maybe that’s what it’s about.

At least, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself until tomorrow.

E3: Sony Press Conference

Sony lifted the curtain on some much sought-after PS3 info during their E3 press conference this evening in addition to showing off a number of game trailers.

The PS3 will launch in Japan Nov. 11 and in America and Europe Nov. 17.  The console will be available in two packages; with a 20GB hard drive for $499 and a 60GB version for $599. They will ship 2 million during launch period and 4 million by the end of 2006.

Sony has ditched the boomerang controller they showed off last E3, unveiling a new controller design that looks very much like a Duel Shock 2. However, Sony has – shall we say, borrowed ideas from both Microsoft and Nintendo for their design.

In the center of the new controller is a 360-like media button.  Sony has also included a motion sensor device inside much like the Nintendo Wii.

Game trailers featured in the presentation included Grand Turismo, Final Fantasy XIII, Metal Gear Solid 4 and some interesting new titles.  Check out reports on those here.

E3 Begins

E3.  For gamers it's Christmas, New Years, and -- oh, let's say Secretary's Day all rolled into one.  Your truly will be attending this week and I will be updating with news as much as I can.

However, I am but one man and news will be coming in at a steady stream. My mouth is firmly over the spigot but it’s going to get messy.

For those playing the home game; the major conferences will be as follows:

SONY Monday, May 8th. 4 PM pacific.

NINTENDO Tuesday, May 9th. 9:30 AM pacific.

MICROSOFT Tuesday, May 9th. 11:30 AM pacific.

Keep an eye out for major announcements and E3 floor impressions right here.

ESRB Changes Oblivion Rating to Mature

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board has changed the rating of popular PC and Xbox 360 game Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion From T (teen) to M (mature) after apparently pondering the blood and gore for a month and a class 5 nipple alert.

According to the ESRB statement:

"The content causing the ESRB to change the rating involves more detailed depictions of blood and gore than were considered in the original rating, as well as the presence of a locked-out art file or “skin” that, if accessed through a third-party modification to the PC version of the game, allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters.”

The rating change parallels the infamous “hot coffee” scandal that rocked Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas where players could access a sexually explicit minigame through third party software. It is currently unknown if the ESRB is aware that a person can mod a topless skin into almost every computer game using “third party software.” Players are also cautioned not to peek under their shirts due to an extreme risk of seeing not just one, but possibly two dirty dirty nipples.

Currently there is no way for 360 users to access these fleshy abominations.

Since we don't know what version the ESRB used to rate the game in the first place, we cannot be sure if additional gore was added to the game before release. However, since the game has involved violent bloody stabbing of monsters and people with a sword since the earliest screen shots, it seems unlikely that gore was the main reason for the change.

Perhaps it’s time the ESRB placed a new label on all game boxes: WARNING: this game, like all software can be modified by someone on the internet to include content unsuitable for minors.

Analyst: Next Gen DVD Format to Determine Console War

Industry analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities Michael Pachter believes the battle between the PS2 and the Xbox 360 will be determined by whether HD-DVD or Blu-ray wins the market.

“Notwithstanding the efforts of all three console manufacturers to deliver compelling exclusive content, we believe that the ultimate outcome of the console wars will be decided by the motion picture studios,” said Pachter.

“Should the studios embrace Sony’s Blu-ray standard for high definition DVDs, we think Sony will gain an insurmountable advantage over Microsoft; should the studios embrace Sony rival Toshiba’s HD-DVD format, we think that Microsoft can maintain its first mover advantage and will dominate software sales for years to come.”

Pachter went on to predict the Blu-Ray format will prevail, despite arriving second to the market. In the meantime, Pachter believes Microsoft will “enjoy a first mover advantage for the next two years, capturing approximately 42% of U.S. and European combined next generation hardware units sales through 2007.”

Pachter’s analyst crystal ball also had good news for the Nintendo Wii, saying it will thrive as a second console for consumers.

Wiiskey Tango Foxtrot

Sick for one day and Nintendo goes and releases the official name of their next console.

And it’s a dozey.

The console, formally codenamed Revolution, has been renamed Wii.

Yes, Wii. As in "we."

Internet gaming communities have exploded with a lot of hate and a little bit of love for Wii. And Nintendo seemed to be prepared for it.

The name is stupid, yes, and Nintendo certainly isn’t doing themselves any favors by naming their next console Wii, but we’ll get used to it. Together.

After all, it was a bitter pill to swallow when Microsoft further evoked images of Dew chugging eXreme Sk8rZ by adding a “360” after the already lame moniker “Xbox.”

Certainly, Nintendo’s decision to release the name before E3 was smart. The last time Nintendo dropped a bomb on its audiences at E3 was with the cell-shaded Zelda, Wind Waker. The footage was met with shock and disbelief rather than the expected applause and cheers. The big N bowing the name now gives people a chance to get used to it.

So let’s do it together.  Wii.

Wii.

Okay, so maybe I need more time.

The news also puts Nintendo in the E3 spotlight. For better or worse, people are talking about Wii. (Oh god, it just sounds so wrong.) There's no such thing as bad press, after all. Sony is going to have to jump through some flaming hoops to steal Nintendo’s momentum now.

Microsoft To Buy Massive

Microsoft plans to buy in-game advertising company Massive Inc.

The deal, first reported by the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), is valued between $200 million to $400 million. Microsoft plans on officially bowing the deal next week. Massive’s current clients include Coca-Cola and Honda.

Massive's business model involves placing dynamic ads in video games such as on billboards or soda machines that can be updated via internet.

It remains to be seen whether videogame ads can help Microsoft's broader advertising goals. The videogame-ad market is growing and has garnered much interest among advertisers and game publishers. For now, though, it's small. Advertisers spent about $56 million on advertisements in videogames last year, up from $34 million the prior year. But a recent report by the Boston research firm Yankee Group predicts the in-game advertising market will reach more than $700 million by 2010. Yankee Group also predicts the number of games with advertising in them will double by the end of this year to more than 200.

Let’s just hope developers keep advertisements reasonable. When they start to put soda machines in medieval role playing games for the slamming ye olde Mountaine Dewe, it will be a sad day indeed.

New Revolution Controller Info

This person keeps their house rather tidy.

Advance Media Network reports rumors that the Nintendo Revolution controller will have an accelerometer have been confirmed by a “developer incredibly close to Nintendo.”

The accelerometer supposedly will be build into the “nunchaku” controller peripheral (pictured in the left hand), and would sense when it is tilted in different directions. The tech was previously featured in the Gameboy Advance game, Wario Ware Twisted.

Nintendo and those who work with the company are notoriously tight-lipped about their products, so break out the salt shaker – even though it sounds like reasonable speculation. E3 is about two weeks away, so it won’t be long before all is revealed.

'Silent Hill' Takes 'Scary' Crown

“Silent Hill” won the weekend boxoffice fisticuffs match with “Scary Movie 4,” grabbing the top spot with a $20.2 million bow.

Despite the cold reception from critics (RottenTomatoes.com currently has “Silent” listed at 24 percent), Sony TriStar’s treatment of the first game in the popular survival horror series averaged $6,904 on 2,926 screens.

Pic scored high sales with teens, with 67% of the audience under 25 years old – and surprisingly, only 55% male.

The critical reaction certainly isn’t what many vidgame fans hoped for in the first game-to-movie translation in recent memory that actually tries to stick to the source material somewhat (and doesn’t rely on camp. I’m looking at you “Mortal Kombat”). However, the box office numbers seem to indicate there will be another Silent Hill movie in the future.

PS2 Price Drop

Sony announced a price drop on the PS2 today…but it’s only $20 less, so don’t get too excited.

The price, lowered from $149 to $129 will be effective immedietly. It may not be a big discount, but hey, it’s better than a punch in the mouth.

Winstron Ramps-Up 360 Production

The 360s are coming!

After being an endangered species on retail market shelves for five months, Xbox 360 production is finally getting a kick in the pants.

Taiwanese electronics manufacturing firm Winstron Corp has announced it will step-up its production of the console to one million units a month by the end of the year.

The firm will also be expanding its Xbox 360 manufacturing facility in China.

Having more 360s on retail shelves will doubtlessly play a role in the console wars when the PS3 is released world-wide – likely facing the same shortage Microsoft experienced with its own console.

Apocalypse Watch: Paris Hilton Video Games Announced

Fans of vapid socialite Paris Hilton will soon be able to live out their fantasies of being a trampy attention-craving heiress right on their cellular phone.

European mobile vidgame developer and publisher Gameloft has announced a multi-game agreement with Paris Hilton Entertainment Inc. The company plans on releasing several Hilton-themed games under the licensing agreement over the upcoming years.

“I’m excited to collaborate with Gameloft to bring the Paris Hilton brand and the glamour of young Hollywood to the cell phones of all my fans around the world,” said Hilton in the press release. “My phone has become an all in one entertainment device and mobile games are an integral part of that. Mobile gaming is really hot right now and I’m excited to be part of this project.”

Wow, who would have thought Hilton suddenly has the vocabulary and aptitude of a PR copy writer when she talks about the mobile communication market?

Superman Speaks for Himself

Clark Kent (pictured without glasses)

The cast of “Superman Returns” has signed on to voice the characters of the obligatory vidgame version of the film. Variety has the scoop, of course.

Superman Returns the game (and hopefully that little bon mot isn’t an omen of what the audience will do with the game) will feature the voices of Brandon Routh (Supes), Kate Bosworth (Lois Lane), Kevin Spacey (Lex Luthor), Parker Posey (Kitty Kowalski), and Sam Huntington (Jimmy Olsen). Routh will also be providing his likeness rights as the vidgame’s Superman.

Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will release the game alongside the film this summer.

'Pirates' Set Sail Online

Disney is advocating online piracy. But it’s the “arr matey” kind. Gamersreport is – er – reporting that the MMORPG genre is going to a little more crowded with Disney Online unveiling a "Pirates of the Caribbean" game at this year’s E3 expo.

Capturing the high seas and swashbuckling adventures found in both “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and the upcoming “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” players embark on quests for adventure and treasure in an effort to become the Caribbean’s most legendary pirate. Featuring hundreds of customization options, players create and customize their own pirate, form a crew, and set sail on the high seas. Along the way they learn skills and tactics from the notorious Jack Sparrow, helping them forge alliances, hunt for buried treasure, battle evil undead forces and face off against known enemies from the movie franchise.

The game is being developed by Disney’s VR Studio, makers of Toontown Online. The game will face a lot of competition in the MMORPG genre, not just butting heads with genre toppers such as World of Warcraft, but another upcoming pirate MMORPG as well. You can check out the official Pirates of the Caribbean game site here.

Paramount Pairs With Xbox Live

Microsoft and Paramount have entered a pact to make the studio’s movie content available on Xbox Live.

Those straining at the bit to download free content from "Mission: Impossible III" and "Nacho Libre" will be able to do so today (and perhaps should seek therapy, but hey, I’m no movie critic).

Content set for release includes movie trailers and graphic theme packs for Xbox Live. The deal will also launch a “Game with Fame” contest where participants can enter to play a online against celebrities from Par's current movies including "Nacho Libre’s" Jack Black.

Vidgame Study: Urge...To Kill...Rising...

Video Games: From the makers of Rock N' Roll music, Dungeons & Dragons, and other fine tools of Satan.

Playing Grand Theft Auto III turns undergraduate males into drug smoking, violent alcoholics a new study published in The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine suggests.

The study “Effects of Media Violence on Health-Related Outcomes Among Young Men” sampled 100 males aged 18 to 21. The test subjects were randomly chosen to either play The Simpsons: Hit & Run (not so violent) or Grand Theft Auto III (you kill hookers).

The study concluded that “Men randomly assigned to play Grand Theft Auto III exhibited greater increases in diastolic blood pressure from a baseline rest period to game play, greater negative affect, more permissive attitudes toward using alcohol and marijuana, and more uncooperative behavior in comparison with men randomly assigned to play The Simpsons.”

Assuming increased diastolic blood pressure combined with negative attitudes is a leading cause of mass murder, followed by laying low at opium dens and crack houses, only leaving to buy cheap liquor, disguised with a crude mask made out of the skin of your victims – this reporter is outraged

Sadly, the study did pander (however slightly) to these electronic smut peddlers, conceding “Only among participants with greater exposure to home and community violence, play of Grand Theft Auto III led to elevated systolic blood pressure in comparison with play of The Simpsons.”

Obviously, the notion of young men who are regurarly exposed to violence in the family and/or community being physiologically aroused by violent media is ridiculous and missing the point. Let’s not go around pointing fingers towards societal or parental failures here. We don’t need to waste time playing the blame game here! Video games are the cause of violence and that's enough for me.

Avatar Picks Up Cold Fear Movie Option

Gamer reception to Cold Fear was largely chilly. Oh ho ho! Do you see what I did there?

Gamers may not have been interested in investigating a mysterious Russian frigate filled with unfriendly Russian soldiers and even less friendly parasitical alien creatures in Ubisoft’s Cold Fear – but Hollywood thinks they’ll want to watch someone else do it.

In an unusual move, Avatar Films and Sekretagent Prods. have picked up movie rights to Cold Fear – a game that neither sold particularly well nor received much critical praise.

The producers are currently looking for a director before they pitch to studios.

Xbox Battles For Japan

I’m yearning Japanese, I really think so.

Japan’s Xbox division general manager Takashi Sensui vowed today that Microsoft will succeed in Japan with its “relaunch” of the 360 console, despite the console’s current poor sales.

“Since the launch of the original Xbox in 2002, there was one thing that we have consistently said: Microsoft will inevitably succeed in Japan,” said Sensui. “I believe that this year will be the stepping-stone to that success.”

Sensui revealed at today's press conference that the 360 game library in Japan will grow to 40 games, up from the current 25, by summer. Sensui went on to say that number will double by the year’s end.

Microsoft will also begin releasing downloadable anime trailers via Xbox Live to further woo the market to the online service

Winning over the hearts of the Japanese with an American console has been an uphill battle for Microsoft. The original Xbox floundered at the bottom of Japanese sales charts its entire lifespan. The console was often outpaced by the likes of Nintendo’s Gameboy Advance – during a time when the upgraded Gameboy Advance SP was available. Microsoft’s hopes to make a bigger impact in Japan with a worldwide release of the 360 combined with aggressive marketing and more robust Japanese gamemaker support also proved futile. The Japanese launch of the 360 even ended up being slower than than the Xbox.

Western game developers have traditionally gotten somewhat of a cold-shoulder with the Japanese market. The 360 must also compete with a great deal of anticipation for Sony’s upcoming PS3. Microsoft has a hard sell ahead of it, but securing a piece of the land of the rising sun's market can assure more Japanese gamemaker support – a critical postition to have.

PS3 Price: Not $700!?

Gamesindustry.biz reports that comments by Sony France prexy Georges Fornay yesterday which indicated the price of a PS3 will be upwards of $700 were “mistranslated or misunderstood.”

"At no time did [Fornay] suggest or indicate a specific price point or price range for PS3, and any reports that he did so are incorrect."

According to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Fornay stated the PS3 (which will include a Blu-ray drive) would cost more than current video game consoles but less than stand-alone Blu-ray players.

Since Blu-ray players are expected to run around €600-800 and game consoles run from €150-500, that leaves a lot of wiggle-room.

Back to square one, I suppose.

Microsoft Bags A Lion

Microsoft announced today its acquisition of UK-based Lionhead Studios, creators of Black & White and Fable. The studio, headed by Peter Molyneux, will begin developing new content exclusive to the Xbox 360 and Windows platforms.

M’soft and Lionhead (L’head?) supposedly got cozy with each other after working on Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters.

Microsoft’s Peter Moore tells BBC News that being a part of the Redmond company won’t stifle Molyneux and co. from creative game design.

“We are not going to try to bracket them into churning out a shooter. Peter [Molyneux] is willing to take a risk and do things differently. We will support that.”

PS3 Price: $700!?

Now officially qualifies as bling.

Gamasutra is reporting that president of Sony Computer Entertainment France, George Fornay may have dropped the PS3 price point during an interview with French radio station Europe 1.

The lowdown, it’s a lot of Euros.

“Around €500,” Fornay was reported saying (only in French, natch’) in the range of €499 to €599”. That’s $612-734 American!

Bear in mind the European gaming market likes to gouge their products by at least $50 because they can. US and Japanese gamers may be paying around $600-650, which scientifically speaking is still a huge kick in the pants for a gaming console.

Meanwhile, Spong reports that some Californian game developers have been briefed that the PS3 will bow at $499. While that particular price is much more welcoming (it’s still $100 more than an Xbox 360 Premium bundle, damn it), even Spong is a little unsure about their sources.

Sony has been warning us that the PS3 will be expensive from the get-go. Maybe it’s time to face the terrifying possibility that they weren’t pulling our collective leg. All that’s left is to cross our fingers, hold on to our wallets and wait for the official price announcement.

Michigan’s Violent Vidgame Law Blocked…Even More

I bet there is nothing better for a judge than starting the ol’ work week by trashing a law that attacks free speech. Mmmm…I love the smell of Constitution in the morning.

Entertainment Software Association announced today that U.S. District Court judge George (“The Honorable) Caram Steeh ruled a Michigan law restricting the sales of vidgames to minors, signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, was unconstitutional and cannot be implemented.

The same judge previously put a hold on the law back in November, but this time it’s permenant.

The judge dismissed claims that due to the interactive nature of video games, they are not protected under the first amendment...An argument which can make a lot of sense, depending on how wrong you are.

"The interactive, or functional aspect, in video games can be said to enhance the expressive elements even more than other media by drawing the player closer to the characters and becoming more involved in the plot of the game than by simply watching a movie or television show," Judge Steeh wrote.  "It would be impossible to separate the functional aspects of a video game from the expressive, inasmuch as they are so closely intertwined and dependent on each other in creating the virtual experience."

Judge Steeh, I tip my controller to you.

Senate Violent Game Panel Today

Gamers can get a little insight on the ongoing debate of violent vidgame regulation today by listening to the webcast of the Senate subcommittee hearing.

The amusingly long-titled Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights will hold the hearing titled “What’s in a Game? State Regulation of Violent Video Games and the First Amendment” beginning 2 pm Eastern (that’s 12 Pacific). You can listen live (or later) from the hearing's website.

The Panelist will include Reverend Steve Strickland, brother of Arnold Strickland, police officer killed by teenager in 2004 and who is currently plaintiff in a civil suit against Take-Two Interactive. Panelists also include Patricia E. Vance, President of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and several PhDs to discuss the psychology of games on youth.

GDC: Zelda DS, Genesis Games for Revolution Revealed

Nintendo Revolution

Nintendo has announced a new cell-shaded Legend of Zelda game for the DS which will be released alongside Twilight Princess. Nintendo also revealed that their next console (still officially codenamed Revolution) will be able to download games from the Sega Genesis and Turbo Grafx library to the Revolution’s “virtual console.”

Speaking at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, Nintendo prexy Satoru Iwata revealed the new details during his keynote speech.  Eurogamer.net has an excellent play-by-play of the event.

The new Zelda, titled The Phantom Hourglass, will be the spiritual sequel to Wind Waker, with 3-D cell-shaded graphics but a top-down perspective and 2-D gameplay like earlier incarnations of the series.

The keynote featured the Nintendo DS’s line of “brain training” games, which have been a huge hit in Japan and will be released soon in the States.

EA's Godfather Gamble

EA’s Godfather

The game industry ethos of no intellectual property being too sacred to make into a game reaches a new apex with Electronic Arts’ The Godfather hitting shelves today.

Making a Godfather game has been both a major gamble and struggle for EA. Begin with a lofty budget of over $15 million, add public disapproval from Godfather film director Francis Ford Coppola and voice work from Brando (before his death) being largely unusable – a release delay that hurt EA's stock  – and you’ve got a recipe for troubled game production.

Whether EA’s gamble will pay off will soon be apparent. Initial reviews are not glowing but mostly positive – but what really matters is sales. If The Godfather does well, expect more studios to open their archives to vidgame adaptations.

Will this reporter get a chance to live out his Jareth the Goblin King fantasies in a future “Labyrinth” game? Only time will tell.

Microsoft Handheld in the Works?

Microsoft may be planning to join the portable game/entertainment system bandwagon…and we’re not talking about the Origami.

San Jose Mercury News game correspondent Dean Takahashi published on his blog an entry from his upcoming book that Microsoft is throwing their hat into the portable console ring.

The device, which allegedly will be released in 2007, will take on Sony’s PSP, Nintendo’s DS and Apple’s iPod. That’s a tall order.

In fact, usually when a company tells the public they’re making an “iPod killer,” it is as good as dooming their media device to anonymity. With the iPod Goliath easily smashing any slingshot-wielding upstarts that try to compete, it is becoming likely it will take another corporate giant to compete. Microsoft certainly fits that bill.

Meanwhile, Sony’s PSP is doing well against Nintendo’s Gameboy dynasty, but whether or not the market can take another system is debatable.

If anyone can release a portable gaming device this late in the game and compete, it’s Microsoft. But until they announce something, keep your grains of salt handy.

PSP Price Cut, New Features

Cheap...er

Sony’s PlayStation Business Briefing held last night unveiled new features for the PSP, including a price drop for the portable.

Details here.

• PSP price will be dropped to $199 starting March 22.
• Sony will release an EyeToy for the PSP.
• Sony will also release a GPS receiver for the PSP.
• Macromedia Flash support will be integrated with the next update.
• PSP will soon support downloadable games.
• Sony is developing an emulator that will allow the PSP to play original PlayStation games.

Official: PS3 to Launch in November

November, November, November…

Sony had themselves a little press conference hootenanny last night, lifting the curtain on some juicy PS3 details.  Read the coverage here.

Finally, we have some answers from those carrot danglers at Sony:

• PS3 will launch worldwide in November.
• Six million units will be launched before March 31.
• Final dev kits won’t be shipped until June.
• PS3 will have a 60GB hard drive, which comes preloaded with LinuxOS.
• PS3 will have 100 percent compatibility with PS1 and PS2 games – and run in high def.
• Sony’s basic online service will be free – subscription service option likely.
• PS3 will have a Blu-Ray disk drive, all PS3 will be on Blu-Ray.

BAFTA Makes Vidgames 'Third Arm'

The British Academy of Films & Television Arts will make video games the “third arm” of the organization – giving games the same status in the org as film and television.

The change has been driven by newly-formed BAFTA Games committee consisting of representatives of Europe’s largest publishers, developers and trade associations.

“We have moved to re-emphasize video games as an art form of the moving image on a par with film and TV as a result of a strategic review we conducted last year,” said BAFTA chairman Duncan Kenworthy.

BAFTA will start by raising the profile of the British Academy Video Game Awards, which were moved from March to October to coincide with London Games Week, the industry’s premier European event.

The first hurdle – tweaking the award show’s 17 categories and giving it some good ol' fashion award show glamour.

Politicians Want To Study Childrens' Brains

Senators Joe Lieberman, Hillary Clinton, Sam Brownback and Rick Santorum announced today a senate panel has approved legislation which will study the effects vidgames have on children.

The Center of Disease Control and Prevention will work with the National Institutes of Health to investigate “the effects of viewing and using electronic media, including television, computers, video games and the Internet on children's cognitive, social, physical, and psychological development.”

Considering the origins of the study (if a negative correlation is actually found) will likely fuel future anti-game legislation. Check out the story at C/net’s News.com for details on how the study could affect the industry.

Namco Bandai prez: PS3 Spring Release 'Impossible'

Namco Bandai prexy Takeo Takasu doesn’t think Sony’s spring release schedule for the PS3 is going to happen.

Speaking Bloomberg, the head of Japan’s second-biggest game publisher connects the dots on the mounting evidence for a PS3 delay.

From the article:

"We are developing titles for PlayStation 3, but the release of the games depends on the timing of the hardware," Takasu, 60, said in an interview yesterday in Tokyo. Sony, maker of the world's most popular game machines, hasn't announced any marketing plans, making "the spring release impossible."

However, he has another date in mind; “We would like Sony to realease the PS3 this year for the Christmas season,” said Takasu.

If Sony isn’t planning on delaying the release of the PS3, somebody aught to tell poor Takasu.

Variety Drops a PS3 Date?

Howard Stringer

Did Sony CEO Howard Stringer confirm the PS3 launch window with Variety?

Our own Jill Goldsmith stirred up the game blog hornets’ nest with a story about Stringer 's struggles at Sony that mentions a possible release window of the console;

Sony's new PlayStation 3 was widely expected to be introduced this spring, but will be delayed as the company fine-tunes the chips that are crucial to the success of the console's Blu-ray function….

Sony will roll out the PS3 by year end, in time for the holidays. If PS3 "delivers what everyone thinks it will, the game is up," Stringer boasts.

Her words have spread around the gaming blogosphere like wildfire, much to Goldsmith's surprise. Some people believe it. Others...not so much.

So what did Stringer say? Well, read the story. He said that the PS3 will be out by the holidays.

For all those saying it was idle speculation or, dare I say, incorrect —bzzzt—try again. Those who think it’s conformation…well…some time before the holidays isn’t exactly specific, but if it makes you happy, there you are…

Either way, it's not coming this spring.

Family Guy Vidgame Imminent

Family Guy

When a license appealing to the young male demographic like Family Guy gets tapped by vidgame makers, it’s less an inspiration as it is an inevitability.

No eyebrows were raised when 2k games bought the rights to Family guy – but like Fox who was airing the show, the game maker didn’t seem terribly interested. Now that Family Guy is back, 2k2 is re-announcing their ownership.

It will be developer High Voltage Games to conceptualize how Family Guy will translate into a video game. Managing Director of 2k Games Christoph Hartmann tells Gamespot it will be an "action/adventure style game."

Hopefully we’ll see fewer misses in that game department than The Simpsons have brought us. 

XBox Games for $10

Ten bucks

Ten dollars is a good price for a game. That’s a scientific fact. Go ahead – look it up in a science book. It’s there. Right next to the section about rocks.

Employing this truth, Microsoft has announced the Best of Platinum Hits line of discounted games – chopping the tag of the most popular of the $19.99 Platinum Hits line in half.

The catch is M’soft somehow made the Best of Platinum Hits boxes even uglier than the foul-looking Platinum Hits that begat it.

The line-up begins with Counter-Strike, MechAssault, Project Gotham Racing 2, Soul Calibur II, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six 3, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and Ghost Recon: Island Thunder.

Game Developers See No 'Evil'

Nominees for the 2006 Game Developers Choice Awards have been announced.

God of War leads with six nominations, followed by Shadow of the Colossus with five, Guitar Hero, Project Gotham Racing 3 and Psychonauts with three nods each.

Noticably absent from honors is Resident Evil 4, which received only one nom in the Visual Arts category. RE4 has lead many game of the year lists for 2005 including Game Informer, GamePro, Gamespot, Chicago Tribune, Game Revolution, GameZone.com, UGO.com, G4TV’s X-Play, GameSpot Readers’ Choice, IGN Readers’ Choice and the Spike TV Video Game Awards 2005.

Game Developer Choice Awards is a peer-based industry kudofest with nominees chosen by members of the International Game Developers Association. The ceremony will take place March 22 at the San Jose Civic Auditorium and is hosted by the Game Developers Conference.

For those keeping score, the IGDA chooses the GDCA for the GDC.

Sayonara Atari

Variety’s Ben Fritz says his goodbyes to Atari. It’s dying again, you know.

Though it has existed since the ‘90s as a mere shadow of the company that brought us the 2600 – passed around by congloms like a bong at a String Cheese Incident concert – it’s sad to see the old girl go. Every time.

However, backrupty hits this company like a zombie bite. Atari will rise again – perhaps as a bloodthirsty mockary of what it used to be...but still existing.

Midway Loves In-Game Ads

Midway announced a multiyear agreement with in-game advertisers Double Fusion for – you guessed it – in-game advertising. Although the deal will span several games, thus far only third-person, action/adventure Stranglehold is confirmed to have the ads.

From Gamespot:

"We believe that the technology to allow for dynamic, in-game advertising will add a sense of cultural relevance and context for the mass-market audience," Midway's chief marketing officer Steve Allison said in a statement. "Our relationship with Double Fusion will not only add potential incremental revenue on top of our existing static ad placements, but allow us to work with a partner sensitive to game development and committed to making ad placements organic and credible."

'Wheelman' Signs Movie Deal

Vin Diesel

MTV Films and Paramount are teaming with Midway games to bring action title “The Wheelman,” as a simultaneous feature film and vidgame release. The studios bought the rights to the title which is already well into development for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

“Wheelman,” which will star Vin Diesel as “an expert driver who comes out of retirement to protect a woman from his past” is targeted for a late 2007 release.

The deal is a part of the cross-marketing pact between the companies that already have a holiday release of "L.A. Rush." underway. "Wheelman" was tapped to be developed into a film after Diesel came aboard.

The vidgame version is believed to have a comfy budget of over $15 million.

Sony Stock Falls After $900 Forcast

Stock-brokerage firm Merrill Lynch published a report Friday that made stock holders react like Chris Rock's Cheap Pete in an In Living Color sketch:

How much for that Playstation 3?  Nine hundred dollars? Good lord, that’s a lot of money!

The result of a $900 per-console manufacturing cost forcast along with scepticism about the company's next generation plans by the firm sent Sony’s stock for a 3.6 percent sink Monday. More predicted delays also continue to haunt the PS3 hype, despite Sony's contradictory statements.

Sony better release some figures if it wants to do damage control.

Lego-fied Vidgame Scenes

Some visionary has recreated several video games using Lego blocks; scenes from Duck Hunt, Excite Bike, Bionic Commando, Metal Gear and Katamari Damacy. Check out his (presumably) growing collection here.

Oh, Lego. Is there anything you can’t do?

(Link from Digg.com)

UMDidn't

Small disk, small sales

Playstation Portable’s UMD movie format isn’t the hot new medium Sony was hoping for.

Variety reports low sales have resulted in Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video are cutting back on movie releases for the portable. It turns out – and this may shock you – movies targeted towards the male gamer demographic are the only movies that are selling well. Studio execs hoping grandma will buy a $250 portable game console to watch “The Last Time I Saw Paris” are shocked.

In the meantime, Sony is cutting back on new releases and adding to its comedy slate for PSP with Monty Python content and "Not Another Teen Movie." Feingold said comedy has turned out to be the sweet spot on the format -- the top-selling PSP release is Fox's "Napoleon Dynamite."

Paramount's biggest PSP successes have been TV comedies such as "Chappelle's Show -- Vol. 1" and "Beavis & Butthead -- The Mike Judge Collection: Vol. 1."

Others blame low sales on more nepharious reasons - demographics be damned:

Some have reasoned that sales may have slowed recently because of a shortage of new titles in the last month and because users may be illegally copying films from DVDs onto a memory chip the PSPs can read.

Or maybe it’s all the new disk formats battling for the hearts of consumers?

"With standard definition, HD DVD, Blu-ray and PSP, all these formats take up space," said one retail source. "Consumers aren't going to buy three or four configurations of the same movie. Something has to give."

On a vaugely related note, 1962’s “Something’s Got to Give” and 2003's "Something's Gotta Give" are not available on UMD.

Activision Sees EA’s 5%, Raises Them 2

The holiday sales slump continues to wreak havoc on vidgame companies. Activision announced they will be cutting 7 percent of their workforce, or around 150 people.

Do you see what happens when we don’t buy the Tony Hawk? DO YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS!!? What have I done?

The announcement comes just a month after Electronic Arts announced they were laying off 5% of its workers.

4GB HDD for Nintendo DS

MAX Media Player for DS

The Nintendo DS joins the push to make portable electronic devices media players – although through third-party intervention.

Datel has announced a hard drive peripherial for the Nintendo DS that will allow the portable to run movies, play music and view photos.

The Max Media Player is a 4GB hard drive for the DS which connects the portable to a PC (no word on Mac support) for media playback and storage. The unit is attached to the DS through the GBA port and runs on the DS's battery.

But before anyone gets excited - the site advertises the product will be released in March for "a mere £129." That's about $225  – almost twice the amount of the DS itself.

(Link from Digg.com)

January Top 10 Game Titles

These are the top ten game titles for January 2006.

01: 360 Call of Duty 2 - Activision
02: PS2 Madden NFL 06 - Electronic Arts
03: PS2 MVP 06 NCAA Baseball -  Electronic Arts
04: PSP Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories  - Take 2 Interactive
05: NDS Mario Kart - Nintendo
06: NDS Animal Crossing: Wild World - Nintendo
07: PS2 Need for Speed: Most Wanted - Electronic Arts
08: 360 Dead or Alive 4 - Temco
09: PS2 Star Wars: Battlefront II - LucasArts
10: PS2 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Special Edition - Take 2 Interactive

Source: The NPD Group / Point-of-Sale Information

360 Taken Off Endangered Species List

Peter Moore

Xbox Executive Peter Moore announced that the Xbox 360 shortage will soon be over. This revelation comes as a part of Moore’s keynote speech at the D.I.C.E. summit in Las Vegas.

"Within the next four to six weeks, anybody will be able to walk into a store and buy an Xbox 360."

Moore went on to blame the stock supply problems to component shortages and the simultaneous launch of the console in North America, Europe and Japan.

On Xbox Live, he noted that 54 percent of owners have connectd to the service. Moore also called the Live Arcade service "The Sundance of independent games," which probably means Moore has never been to the nightmarishly crowded, chaotic and disobliging festival.

Game Maker Sez Industry Too Hollywood

God of War director David Jaffe criticized the gaming industry at the Los Vegas D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) conference for trying too hard to emulate Hollywood films.

From Gamespot:

"Why is it that every game pitch I hear these days wants to be like a movie," he said. "Why don't video games embrace game language? Why film language? ... I understand film is glamorous, I understand the making of films is glamorous. But the reality is I think that thinking is hurting the industry."

In particular, the designer called out Ubisoft's Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of a Movie as an example of how games can be too cinematic. "A lot of reviews praised King Kong's lack of a HUD [heads-up display]," said Jaffe. "But what's wrong with a HUD? What's wrong with having a health bar like in Onimusha which glows and blinks when you collect enough orbs?"

Jaffe also compared gaming to the pornography industry. Not because the audience is dominated by lonely, lonely men – but for a lack of creativity in the writing process.

"It's like the porn industry ... sort of," he told a crowd still digesting the sumptuous complimentary lunch provided by the organizers of the exclusive event. "I read about this guy who has this topless review that he is trying to add art to, and it's bombing," said Jaffe. "Maybe games fall into that slot ...We have an industry filled with craftspeople that make compelling content ... but we don't have a lot of writers and directors who bring creativity to the process."

This isn't Jaffe's first criticism of vidgame narratives. Recently, he attacked the use of cut scenes for taking players out of the game.

 

Halo 2 Coming to PC...But There's A Catch

Halo for Vista

Microsoft has announced that the upcoming port of Halo 2 for PC will only run on the yet-to-be-released Windows Vista.

From BBC News:

Deciding to make the best-selling Halo 2 Xbox game a Vista-only title is likely driven by Microsoft's desire to get people upgrading to the new version of the Windows.

Minimum specifications for Vista (formerly called Longhorn) will be released in the summer but information gathered from reviews of pre-release versions have given clues about its hunger for computer power.

As much as I like Halo, forcing people to upgrade their OS in order to play the sequel to what was one of the clunkiest PC ports in history sounds like a losing proposition.

Oh well, I give it one week after the game's release before hackers "fix" that particular limitation.

Closer Look at the DS Lite

Engadget got their (apparently very grubby) hands on the upcoming Nintendo DS Lite. Check it out.

In the future, all electronics will be white plastic.

Power-ups Violate Geneva Convention: Who Knew?

Geneva new symbol

The Canadian Red Cross (AKA Croix-Rouge Canadienne) recently contacted GameLaw about the “unauthorized and indeed illegal use of the Red Cross emblem by the [game] industry.”

It turns out that little red plus sign on first aid items and Red Cross facilities in combat games are a violation of chapter VII articles 38-44 of the Geneva Convention.

Apparently this infringement has been stuck in the Red Cross’ craw for a long time – and the fact that the symbol is used in video games where bloody sessions of rocket launcher hijinks is rewarded doesn’t make the humanitarian org any happier about it.

GamesIndustry.biz contacted Michael Meyer, head of international law for the British Red Cross (AKA The British Red Cross) who elaborated on the issue. While Red Cross won’t pursue action against past violations, they would like to establish a dialogue with game makers about future use.

From the article:

"We would be willing to work with a videogame manufacturer to produce a game which shows the emblem in its correct use, as a symbol of protection during armed conflict, and where the player is rewarded for using the emblem correctly. Such a game could reward the player for respecting the rules of war and thereby, help the Red Cross Movement with its work to promote such respect," Meyer continued.

Needless to say, that game sounds horrible. Nobody quit their day job guys.

EA Cuts 5% of Workforce