Log on:
Powered by Elgg

Feed detail

August 24, 2011

Flick Soccer review

This take on iOS classic Flick Kick Football proves some clones are definitely better than others.

When is a clone not a clone? When it has a distinguishing characteristic, of course, and Flick Soccer certainly has one. Its foundations are straight up copied from Pik Pok's Flick Kick Football, which is a miniature masterpiece and one of the few permanent-fixture iOS games.

read more


Ubisoft okays Steam From Dust refunds

Rock Paper Shotgun reports that Ubisoft has authorised Steam to refund owners of From Dust who are unhappy with the game's lacklustre PC port and use of always-on DRM. "Ubisoft has just announced that they are working on a patch that will eliminate the need for any online authentication for From Dust," reads an email sent to customers. "The patch will release in approximately two weeks. If you don't want to wait for the patch, or if you haven't played the game, per Ubisoft's request, we will issue refunds for this title."
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/08/24/steam-is-offering-refunds-for-from-dust/
Rock Paper Shotgun


Microsoft demands simultaneous multiplatform releases

Firm reserves the right to deny Xbox 360 release for games released first on rival platforms.

Microsoft reserves the right to refuse an Xbox 360 release for games that are released first on other platforms, according to reports.

Eurogamer reveals that Microsoft's developer terms also stipulate that the company may also refuse to allow an Xbox 360 release for games that offer more features or content on other platforms.

0

read more


Daily links: August 24

A cockatiel, a trenchcoat, a game that's a music video and Xenoblade glitches.

Let’s kick off with a return to the gamification debate, as lawyer and game blogger L.B. Jeffries wades in to apply some good old fashioned law to proceedings. The question at the heart of gamification, he says, is “how far can you structure an organized system before it stops being play?” And if you exchange the word ‘play’ for ‘morality’ or ‘justice’, it’s a very similar to a question lawyers and judges have been arguing about for years.

0

read more


Machinarium iOS exclusive to iPad 2

The iPad port of Amanita Design's point-and-click adventure has, according to Pocket Gamer, been submitted to Apple and should be released on September 8. Unfortunately, it won't run on first-generation hardware, with Amanita co-founder Jakub Dvorský explaining: "Unfortunately, the game is performance and memory demanding, so we decided not to make any compromises and make it available only for iPad 2."
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPad/Machinarium/news.asp?c=32658&srch=machinarium
Pocket Gamer


Ni No Kuni PS3 gets Japan release date

The collaboration between Level 5 and Studio Ghibli was released for DS in Japan last December, but the wait for the PlayStation 3 release is finally at an end. According to this week's Famitsu, translated by Andriasang, Ni No Kuni PS3 will be released on November 17.
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/08/24/ni_no_kuni_ps3_date/
Andriasang


Sony's Hocking: 3DS "doesn't work very well"

Despite prefacing his comments with "I won't comment directly on 3DS," Sony worldwide studios senior director Mick Hocking - the driving force behind stereoscopic 3D on PS3 - hints to Gamespot that he believes 3DS has struggled because its main selling point isn't good enough. "What we've seen over the last 12 months is a strong correlation between good-quality 3D content and great response from our fanbase," he says. "The opposite is also true. When people see 3D that doesn't work very well, or content that isn't very compelling, I think quite naturally they're not as interested in it."
http://gamescom.gamespot.com/story/6330393/sony-goes-in-depth-on-3d
Gamespot


Nagoshi: Microsoft turned down Yakuza

Toshihiro Nagoshi, producer of the PlayStation exclusive Yakuza series, has revealed to Eurogamer that Microsoft turned down the opportunity to have the first game in the series on Xbox. In fact, Sony originally did as well. "At the beginning of the project we spoke to all the platform holders including Sony and Microsoft," he told Eurogamer. "Every platform holder was negative about this prospect, but we kept on pushing because we believed in the potential, and as we kept going the one platform holder that showed interest and saw the prospects of this title was Sony. That's how we started working with them, and that's probably not going to change." Sega announced in June that it had shipped five million copies of games in the series since the first Yakuza was released for PS2 in 2005.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-24-yakuza-unlikely-on-xbox-360
Eurogamer


Little King's Story sequel announced for Vita

Marvelous Entertainment is at work on a Vita sequel to the delightful 2009 Wii title, according to Andriasang. Konami is to publish the game, the Japanese title of which translates as "The King, The Demon King And The Seven Princesses: New King Story."
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/08/24/vita_king_story/
Andriasang


Little King's Story sequel announced for Vita

Marvelous Entertainment is at work on a Vita sequel to the delightful 2009 Wii title, according to Andriasang. Konami is to publish the game, the Japanese title of which translates as "The King, The Demon King And The Seven Princesses: New King Story."
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/08/24/vita_king_story/
Andriasang


Swery planning Deadly Premonition re-release

Hidetaka "Swery" Suehiro told Metro at last week's Gamescom that he and his team at Access Games have plans for a special edition re-release of cult favourite Deadly Premonition, with improved graphics. He also wants to make both a prequel and sequel to the game, and says western publishers have expressed interest in an all-new title, another story-led action adventure.
http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/872628-deadly-premonition-developer-prequel-and-sequel-on-the-cards
Metro


Microsoft bundles Monster Hunter in Japan

According to Andriasang, the official reason for the inclusion - at no extra cost - of Monster Hunter Frontier in a 250GB Xbox 360 bundle is to celebrate the September release of a new update to the game. What seems more likely is the desire to give hardware sales a much-needed boost. It's not the full version of Frontier, but a level-capped trial, with players needing to pay a monthly fee to continue beyond Hunter level 2.
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2011/08/24/xbox360_monhan_bundle/
Andriasang


Theme Park headed to iOS

An all-new title based on Bullfrog's 1994 classic will be released for iPhone and iPad before the end of the year, Digital Spy reports. A free download with microtransaction support, some attractions will be based on EA properties including Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Dead Space. EA is also promising cloud storage of game saves using its Origin platform.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a335800/theme-park-coming-to-iphone-as-all-new-game-gamescom-2011.html
Digital Spy


Activision: social gaming company valuations “out of whack”

Activision isn’t ruling out expanding into the social gaming arena, but it appears unlikely to do so aggressively through buyouts. Speaking about the high market value of social game makers, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg told Bloomberg: “Valuations of some of the companies in that space are out of whack, so that’s an issue when it comes to acquisitions.” The executive went on to say that while Activision may not have made any formal announcements on the subject of bringing its games to social networks, “any new place where people are playing games, at scale, is something that we’re interested in.” He added: “Don’t mistake careful, methodical planning for inaction.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-18/social-game-company-valuations-out-of-whack-activision-publishing-says.html
Bloomberg


Sony: Vita motion control ruled out 3D

Motion control and glasses-free 3D screens aren’t a good fit, according to SCEE senior group studio director Mick Hocking, who has been explaining the reasons PlayStation Vita won’t support 3D. “At the time we were looking at Vita, there were several issues,” he told GameSpot. “One was the quality of the glasses-free 3D screens. It can work very well on small screens, but to get the best effect, you need to keep your head very, very still. Now with a handheld gaming device and Vita having Sixaxis motion control in it, there may be gameplay where you're moving the Vita around. And if you're doing that and having glasses-free 3D, the two things don't sit very well together. We wanted to offer a really, really high-resolution OLED screen, and the best way to do that was in 2D. At least for the first one.” Asked if slow early 3DS sales were an indication that gamers aren’t embracing 3D, Hocking added: “I wouldn't comment directly on 3DS, but I think what we've seen over the last 12 months is a strong correlation between good-quality 3D content and great response from our fan base. The opposite is also true. When people see 3D that doesn't work very well, or content that isn't very compelling, I think quite naturally they're not as interested in it.”
http://gamescom.gamespot.com/story/6330393/sony-goes-in-depth-on-3d
GameSpot


Sony: Vita motion control ruled out 3D

Motion control and glasses-free 3D screens aren’t a good fit, according to SCEE senior group studio director Mick Hocking, who has been explaining the reasons PlayStation Vita won’t support 3D. “At the time we were looking at Vita, there were several issues,” he told GameSpot. “One was the quality of the glasses-free 3D screens. It can work very well on small screens, but to get the best effect, you need to keep your head very, very still. Now with a handheld gaming device and Vita having Sixaxis motion control in it, there may be gameplay where you're moving the Vita around. And if you're doing that and having glasses-free 3D, the two things don't sit very well together. We wanted to offer a really, really high-resolution OLED screen, and the best way to do that was in 2D. At least for the first one.” Asked if slow early 3DS sales were an indication that gamers aren’t embracing 3D, Hocking added: “I wouldn't comment directly on 3DS, but I think what we've seen over the last 12 months is a strong correlation between good-quality 3D content and great response from our fan base. The opposite is also true. When people see 3D that doesn't work very well, or content that isn't very compelling, I think quite naturally they're not as interested in it.”
http://gamescom.gamespot.com/story/6330393/sony-goes-in-depth-on-3d
GameSpot


August 23, 2011

House of the Dead: Overkill PS3 refused classification in Australia

The Australian classification board has ruled not to grant Sega's The House Of The Dead: Overkill Extended Cut a rating, making it illegal to sell the PS3 game in the country. As spotted by VG247, the classification listing notes that the version submitted for review was “modified”, suggesting Sega may already have made content cuts in a bid to gain approval. Ahead of its release in 2007, the original Wii version of the game, The House Of The Dead: Overkill, was granted an MA15+ rating for “strong horror violence”. Extended Cut features 3D and Move support, as well as exclusive levels. The Australian classification board is notoriously strict when it comes to games. While an overhaul of the nation’s classification system is expected to pave the way for the introduction of an R18+ rating for games, none higher than 15+ currently exists for the medium, despite the fact that movies and magazines can receive adult classification.
http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/23/house-of-the-dead-overkill-extended-cut-refused-classification-in-australia/
VG247


House of the Dead: Overkill PS3 refused classification in Australia

The Australian classification board has ruled not to grant Sega's The House Of The Dead: Overkill Extended Cut a rating, making it illegal to sell the PS3 game in the country. As spotted by VG247, the classification listing notes that the version submitted for review was “modified”, suggesting Sega may already have made content cuts in a bid to gain approval. Ahead of its release in 2007, the original Wii version of the game, The House Of The Dead: Overkill, was granted an MA15+ rating for “strong horror violence”. Extended Cut features 3D and Move support, as well as exclusive levels. The Australian classification board is notoriously strict when it comes to games. While an overhaul of the nation’s classification system is expected to pave the way for the introduction of an R18+ rating for games, none higher than 15+ currently exists for the medium, despite the fact that movies and magazines can receive adult classification.
http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/23/house-of-the-dead-overkill-extended-cut-refused-classification-in-australia/
VG247


Rovio hires former Fox Digital exec

Andrew Stalbow, previously senior vice president of mobile at Fox Digital Entertainment, has joined the Angry Birds developer as general manager of its North American division. Stalbow has worked with the firm before, on the movie tie-in Angry Birds Rio, and said: "I saw first-hand the power of the Angry Birds brand during the collaboration…I'm looking forward to helping grow Rovio's business and the franchise by building partnerships with the entertainment industry, the biggest consumer brands and the latest digital distribution platforms."
http://www.industrygamers.com/news/rovio-hires-fox-digital-exec-for-north-america-gm/
Industry Gamers


London Social Gaming Summit discount for Edge readers

Edge readers are entitled to 15 per cent off the cost of tickets to the London Social Gaming Summit, being held between November 14 and 15. The event is the second annual conference with sessions and speakers exploring the intersection of gaming, immersive worlds and social networking. To get the discount, you need to quote EDGE15 when booking which you can do by following the source link below.
http://www.mediabistro.com/socialgamingsummit/2011/11/
London Social Gaming Summit


Report: Bedlam Games closed

Joystiq reports that the Toronto studio, whose sole released work was the downloadable Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale, has effectively closed its doors. A source confirmed that around 90 per cent of staff at the studio are officially on "temporary layoffs", and have not received severance pay, with many of those affected already working elsewhere.
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/22/dandd-daggerdale-studio-bedlam-games-effectively-shuttered/
Joystiq


Nintendo confirms 3DS trade show

In what appears a smart move given that its share price ended the day's trading up 8.1 per cent based on rumours that it was holding a pre-Tokyo Game Show trade event focused solely on 3DS, Nintendo has confirmed precisely that. Set for September 13, it will be open to analysts, investors and press, but not consumers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110823-700482.html?mod=WSJ_Media_middleHeadlines
Wall Street Journal


PlayStation Home to get social revamp

Jack Buser touts redesigned virtual world as "a giant leap in the evolution of the platform."

Sony is to give its PS3 virtual world, PlayStation Home, a thorough redesign, with a greater emphasis on social elements.

The move is designed to ensure Home stays relevant despite the decline in popularity of virtual worlds. The new-look Home, set to launch this autumn, will feature not only social games but quests, community events and user-generated content.

0

read more


Building Liberty City

We chronicle the rise of the 3D metropolis at the heart of the GTA universe.

Everywhere has a beginning. In GTA III, radio host Lazlow tells an irate caller that, at the time the telephone was invented, Liberty City was no more than “a church, a cow pasture and three houses.” The city’s real-world foundations can be traced back to March 1995, and a document prepared by DMA Design for a game tentatively titled Race ’N’ Chase. Even at this early stage, much of what we know as Liberty City was present.

read more


Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown announced

The third formal revision to Virtua Fighter 5 was released in Japanese arcades last July, and Sega has this morning confirmed that it will be headed to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 next summer as a downloadable title. As well as balance tweaks, new game modes, extra stages and customisable characters, Sega is promising two new characters: VF3's Taka-Arashi, and an all-new fighter, Jean Kujo.
http://www.sega.co.uk/news/?n=5289
Sega


<< Back Next >>