Nintendo has announced New Super Mario Bros. Wii at its E3 press conference.
The 2D sidescroller is the product of 15 years of Miyamoto attempting to find a new way for gamers to play Mario games, according to Nintendo of America's Cammie Dunaway.
The main game mode can be played in single player or four player co-op and you can switch between the two at any time.
Warp pipes and hidden areas are all present and you can pick up and carry or throw other players, while item boxes generally produce one item for each player.
One fifth of game players are currently committed to a gaming subscription of one form or another.
That’s according to US market research firm the NPD Group, which pointed to Xbox Live Gold membership, online rental services and MMO subscriptions as examples in its Entertainment Trends in America report.
With a US$300 million budget, a three-month IMAX run, and the hopes of the stereoscopic 3D movement on its shoulders, all eyes are on James Cameron’s Avatar. Not just moviegoers’, either. The videogame tie-in, in development at Ubisoft Montreal, hopes to spearhead 3D’s move from the big screen to the television. But as industry insiders are discovering, the movie isn’t just a pioneer for live-action 3D, but for next-gen motion capture as well. This, the director of Aliens and Titanic tells us, will benefit avatars of every description.
Having been president at LucasArts for a year now, Darrell Rodriguez explains in his E3note the strength of the iconic cultural brands his company has to work with, including Star Wars: Clone Wars, a project which has encompassed most of Lucas' divisions. LucasArts, of course, will be bringing Star Wars Clone Wars: Republic Heroes out in September.
Electronic Arts’ The Sims 2: Double Deluxe has topped the US PC chart for the week ended May 23, according to NPD data.
Sales of the game outpaced those of long-time bestseller World Of Warcraft: Wrath Of The Lich King. The Sims 3, which is reviewed here, releases this week.
At its E3 press conference Ubisoft unveiled a new in-game service titled UPlay.
While details were thin, UPlay will feature a store, community aspects and media content accessible in-game rather than via consoles’ dashboards, reports Kotaku. The service will have four elements, according to company CEO Yves Guillemot: UShare, UWin, UHelp and UShop.
Ubisoft said this morning that the key takeaway from its E3 press conference is that it is no longer just a games company.
"Ubisoft is going from a simple developer and publisher company to a full 360-degrees content provider," said CEO Yves Guillemot, according to Gamasutra.
We haven't seen much of Pandemic's The Saboteur since June 2007, but the project seems to be on much the same track: an open world renditon of WWII-era occupied Paris that's depicted in black and white until your actions return each area to freedom. And it at least used to have a lovely jazz soundtrack, too, chosen for its 'seedy vibe'.
Turbine has appointed M. Beau Paradowski as its chief financial officer.
Paradowski, who’ll be charged with overseeing Turbine’s worldwide financial operations, previously served as CFO at Optasite and at Clearwire Technologies, where he eventually lead the sale of the companies to SBA Communications and Craig McCaw respectively.
Poor old Dante's had to go to Hell because his wife's been murdered, but the joke's on him because he finds he's also there to face his demons and to find redemption.
Platform: PC, Mac
Release: June 2 (US), June 5 (EU)
Publisher: EA
Developer: EA Redwood Shores
THQ’s multiplatform mixed martial arts title UFC 2009: Undisputed has held the top spot in the UK all formats chart, despite a 42 percent drop in weekly sales.
Nintendo’s Pokemon Platinum for DS and EA’s EA Sports Active for Wii were also non-movers, in second and third respectively.
Activision Blizzard’s Guitar Hero: Metallica debuted in fourth spot, while Sony’s PS3 exclusive Infamous entered the chart in fifth place.
Electronic Arts will publish Crysis 2 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, the company has announced with developer Crytek.
Veteran independent game developers Jeff Tunnell and Rick Overman have officially announced the formation of PushButton Labs.
The Eugene, Oregon, US-based studio will focus on creating new web and game properties targeted at emerging consumer markets. It currently has two games in the works including Flash title Grunts: Skirmish, which is described as a “semi-real time strategy game set in a vibrant 3D world.”
Danish development studio Deadline Games has filed for bankruptcy.
The board stated that the company was no longer able to fulfil its financial obligations, according to a brief statement issued to Boomtown.
Formed in 1996, Deadline Games was perhaps best known for its multiplatform action release Total Overdose and handheld sequel Chili Con Carnage.
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has predicted massive growth for the global videogame industry over the next few years.
Speaking during an investor event, the executive said he expects the industry to grow from a $39 billion business in 2008 to a $55 billion market in 2012, reports VentureBeat.
Sony's widely-rumoured PSP Go will be released this autumn, according to SCEA’s director of hardware marketing, John Koller.
Sony Computer Entertainment president Kaz Hirai has spoken of the company’s plans “to quickly bring our PlayStation business on a break-even level and later to profitability.”
Format: Arcade
Release: 1979
Publisher: Atari
Developer: In-house
When Atari released Asteroids in 1979, the game did something that very few coin-operated arcade games had ever done before. It kept selling. Months after its introduction, when the sales cycle for an arcade game should have ended, its manufacturer kept receiving orders.
Format: 360 (version tested), PS3
Release: Out now
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke’s
EA has confirmed plans to release a browser-based golf title that will be offered through a multi-tiered subscription from autumn 2009.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online will be streamed to web browsers and require no game installation, disc or additional peripherals.
Players will be able suspend play at any time and resume from the same point later on, said EA. At launch the game will feature “several world class championship courses,” with new features to be added “regularly.”
Format: Flash
Developer: Kerb
www.agame.com/game/Infamous.html
Midway Games has established the timeline for the expected sale of its assets.
The company said it plans to sell off four development studios, its European and North American publishing arms, the Mortal Kombat franchise, its TNA wrestling license and more to the highest bidders on July 1.
Midway recently announced a “stalking horse” asset purchase agreement, which is expected to receive court approval in a hearing on June 2.