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February 23, 2012

Opinion: Unboxing Vita

Usability expert Graham McAllister considers the initial experience of owning Sony's new handheld.

Sony may be renowned for making great hardware, but its actual use has not always lived up to purchasers' expectations. But that, apparently, is all going to change: "User experience, not just solid hardware is the way forward for Sony", new Sony CEO Kaz Harai believes. But what does he mean by this in terms of PlayStation? Is he referring to user experience to mean only game experiences, or is he being more wide-reaching?

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Opinion: Unboxing Vita

Usability expert Graham McAllister considers the initial experience of owning Sony's new handheld.

Sony may be renowned for making great hardware, but its actual use has not always lived up to purchasers' expectations. But that, apparently, is all going to change: "User experience, not just solid hardware is the way forward for Sony", new Sony CEO Kaz Harai believes. But what does he mean by this in terms of PlayStation? Is he referring to user experience to mean only game experiences, or is he being more wide-reaching?

read more


Maimai: Sega's new arcade music game

Sega has unveiled Maimai, a new music game for arcades with a giant touchscreen and built-in camera. Diginfo reports that Sega hopes the game will rekindle interest in arcade music games thanks to its eye-catching design and a less exacting difficulty level than its peers.
http://www.diginfo.tv/v/12-0027-r-en.php
Diginfo

Sega has unveiled Maimai, a new music game for arcades with a giant touchscreen and built-in camera.

Diginfo reports that Sega hopes the game will rekindle interest in arcade music games thanks to its eye-catching design and a lower difficulty level than many of its peers.

"This game is very simple to play," Ryuichi Taki of Sega's R&D division says in the below video. "You only need two actions: pressing the eight buttons around the main screen; and scrolling across the middle part of the screen, which is a touchscreen."

read more


Maimai: Sega's new arcade music game

Sega has unveiled Maimai, a new music game for arcades with a giant touchscreen and built-in camera. Diginfo reports that Sega hopes the game will rekindle interest in arcade music games thanks to its eye-catching design and a less exacting difficulty level than its peers.
http://www.diginfo.tv/v/12-0027-r-en.php
Diginfo

Sega has unveiled Maimai, a new music game for arcades with a giant touchscreen and built-in camera.

Diginfo reports that Sega hopes the game will rekindle interest in arcade music games thanks to its eye-catching design and a lower difficulty level than many of its peers.

"This game is very simple to play," Ryuichi Taki of Sega's R&D division says in the below video. "You only need two actions: pressing the eight buttons around the main screen; and scrolling across the middle part of the screen, which is a touchscreen."

read more


Unity to "blow dev community away" at GDC

Unity Technologies says it will "blow the development community away" with the latest improvements to its dev platform at next month's Game Developers Conference (GDC).
http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/13473322/
Unity

Unity Technologies says it will "blow the development community away" with the latest improvements to its dev platform at next month's Game Developers Conference (GDC).

The company will show off the recently released Unity 3.5 at its GDC booth, along with some work-in-progress features including a first look at new animation technology currently in development at Unity Canada.

read more


Unity to "blow dev community away" at GDC

Unity Technologies says it will "blow the development community away" with the latest improvements to its dev platform at next month's Game Developers Conference (GDC).
http://schedule.gdconf.com/session/13473322/
Unity

Unity Technologies says it will "blow the development community away" with the latest improvements to its dev platform at next month's Game Developers Conference (GDC).

The company will show off the recently released Unity 3.5 at its GDC booth, along with some work-in-progress features including a first look at new animation technology currently in development at Unity Canada.

read more


CCP contemplates IPO

Eve Online developer CCP Games is mulling over a potential initial public offering on the back of continued growth in 2011.
http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/21/eve-online-saw-66m-in-revenue-last-year-mulls-ipo/
TechCrunch

Eve Online developer CCP Games is mulling over a potential initial public offering on the back of continued growth in 2011.

The Icelandic company brought in $66 million in revenue last year and has “very healthy” profit margins, CEO Hilmar Pétursson told TechCrunch.

read more


CCP contemplates IPO

Eve Online developer CCP Games is mulling over a potential initial public offering on the back of continued growth in 2011.
http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/21/eve-online-saw-66m-in-revenue-last-year-mulls-ipo/
TechCrunch

Eve Online developer CCP Games is mulling over a potential initial public offering on the back of continued growth in 2011.

The Icelandic company brought in $66 million in revenue last year and has “very healthy” profit margins, CEO Hilmar Pétursson told TechCrunch.

read more


Game cancels all The Last Story pre-orders

Embattled UK retailer Game Group has cancelled all pre-orders of The Last Story, admitting it will not be stocking the Wii RPG when it is released on Friday. "Unfortunately we are no longer stocking The Last Story on Wii," the retailer admits in an email to those who had pre-ordered. "If you return to the store they will be happy to refund your £5 deposit. I apologise for any inconvenience caused."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-23-game-cancels-the-last-story-preorders-refunds-deposits
Eurogamer

Embattled UK retailer Game Group has cancelled all pre-orders of The Last Story, admitting it will not be stocking the Wii RPG when it is released on Friday.

"Unfortunately we are no longer stocking The Last Story on Wii," the retailer admits in an email to those who had pre-ordered. "If you return to the store they will be happy to refund your £5 deposit. I apologise for any inconvenience caused."

read more


Game cancels all The Last Story pre-orders

Embattled UK retailer Game Group has cancelled all pre-orders of The Last Story, admitting it will not be stocking the Wii RPG when it is released on Friday. "Unfortunately we are no longer stocking The Last Story on Wii," the retailer admits in an email to those who had pre-ordered. "If you return to the store they will be happy to refund your £5 deposit. I apologise for any inconvenience caused."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-23-game-cancels-the-last-story-preorders-refunds-deposits
Eurogamer

Embattled UK retailer Game Group has cancelled all pre-orders of The Last Story, admitting it will not be stocking the Wii RPG when it is released on Friday.

"Unfortunately we are no longer stocking The Last Story on Wii," the retailer admits in an email to those who had pre-ordered. "If you return to the store they will be happy to refund your £5 deposit. I apologise for any inconvenience caused."

read more


Kingdoms Of Amalur tops Nordic chart

Action RPG Kingdoms Of Amalur has ended Battlefield 3’s six week run atop the Nordic all formats chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

Kingdoms Of Amalur has ended Battlefield 3’s six week run atop the Nordic all formats chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

The RPG debuted at number one ahead of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3, which had held the top spot since the last week of December.

FIFA 12 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim rounded off the top five, while The Darkness II made its chart bow at number eight.

01. Kingdoms Of Amalur (EA)

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Kingdoms Of Amalur tops Nordic chart

Action RPG Kingdoms Of Amalur has ended Battlefield 3’s six week run atop the Nordic all formats chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

Kingdoms Of Amalur has ended Battlefield 3’s six week run atop the Nordic all formats chart, which collates sales data from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.

The RPG debuted at number one ahead of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3, which had held the top spot since the last week of December.

FIFA 12 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim rounded off the top five, while The Darkness II made its chart bow at number eight.

01. Kingdoms Of Amalur (EA)

read more


Syndicate review

Can Starbreeze's FPS reboot make the most of its rich heritage?

You can read this review in full in our print edition.

Our April issue, which is on sale March 14, features an in-depth Post Script article on the nature of being overpowered in a game that wants you to be.

read more


Syndicate review

Can Starbreeze's FPS reboot make the most of its rich heritage?

You can read this review in full in our print edition.

Our April issue, which is on sale March 14, features an in-depth Post Script article on the nature of being overpowered in a game that wants you to be.

read more


Japan: New releases boost weekly 3DS sales

Strong 3DS software sales helped Nintendo’s handheld increase its lead over rival platforms in Japan during the week ended February 19.
http://andriasang.com/con02f/media_create_chart/
Andriasang

Strong 3DS software sales helped Nintendo’s handheld increase its lead over rival platforms in Japan during the week ended February 19.

Dating sim New Love Plus, which launched on Valentine’s Day, sold just shy of 105,000 copies to take the top spot, while fellow 3DS title Theatrhythm Final Fantasy debuted at number three with 67,206 sales. Sandwiched between them was the PS3 version of Binary Domain, which shifted 73,683 copies.

read more


Japan: New releases boost weekly 3DS sales

Strong 3DS software sales helped Nintendo’s handheld increase its lead over rival platforms in Japan during the week ended February 19.
http://andriasang.com/con02f/media_create_chart/
Andriasang

Strong 3DS software sales helped Nintendo’s handheld increase its lead over rival platforms in Japan during the week ended February 19.

Dating sim New Love Plus, which launched on Valentine’s Day, sold just shy of 105,000 copies to take the top spot, while fellow 3DS title Theatrhythm Final Fantasy debuted at number three with 67,206 sales. Sandwiched between them was the PS3 version of Binary Domain, which shifted 73,683 copies.

read more


Guerrilla co-founder quits for Visceral

Arjan Brussee, co-founder and technical director of Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, is leaving the company and joining Visceral Games, the studio behind the Dead Space series. Brussee confirmed his departure in an email to staff, obtained by Dutch website Control Online. He paid tribute to his colleagues for their workrate: they developed the original Killzone and Shellshock: Nam '67 at the same time, and made Killzone 3 in two years.
http://www.control-online.nl/gamesindustrie/2012/02/23/nieuws-mede-oprichter-arjan-brussee-vertrekt-bij-guerrilla-games-wordt-executive-producer-bij-ea/
Control Online

Arjan Brussee, co-founder and technical director of Amsterdam-based Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, is leaving the company and joining Visceral Games, the studio behind the Dead Space series.

read more


Guerrilla co-founder quits for Visceral

Arjan Brussee, co-founder and technical director of Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, is leaving the company and joining Visceral Games, the studio behind the Dead Space series. Brussee confirmed his departure in an email to staff, obtained by Dutch website Control Online. He paid tribute to his colleagues for their workrate: they developed the original Killzone and Shellshock: Nam '67 at the same time, and made Killzone 3 in two years.
http://www.control-online.nl/gamesindustrie/2012/02/23/nieuws-mede-oprichter-arjan-brussee-vertrekt-bij-guerrilla-games-wordt-executive-producer-bij-ea/
Control Online

Arjan Brussee, co-founder and technical director of Amsterdam-based Killzone developer Guerrilla Games, is leaving the company and joining Visceral Games, the studio behind the Dead Space series.

read more


UK retail slump "an absolute nightmare"

Sales of videogames at UK retail are down 25 per cent on last year, leading one publisher to describe the situation as "an absolute nightmare." MCV reports that this year's major new releases are selling between 10,000 and 48,000 in their first week on shelves; last year they were selling between 35,000 and 80,000 units.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/new-releases-ko-d-on-tough-uk-high-street/091673
MCV

Sales of videogames at UK retail are down 25 per cent on last year, leading one publisher to describe the situation as "an absolute nightmare."

MCV reports that this year's major new releases are selling between 10,000 and 48,000 in their first week on shelves; last year they were selling between 35,000 and 80,000 units.

read more


UK retail slump "an absolute nightmare"

Sales of videogames at UK retail are down 25 per cent on last year, leading one publisher to describe the situation as "an absolute nightmare." MCV reports that this year's major new releases are selling between 10,000 and 48,000 in their first week on shelves; last year they were selling between 35,000 and 80,000 units.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/new-releases-ko-d-on-tough-uk-high-street/091673
MCV

Sales of videogames at UK retail are down 25 per cent on last year, leading one publisher to describe the situation as "an absolute nightmare."

MCV reports that this year's major new releases are selling between 10,000 and 48,000 in their first week on shelves; last year they were selling between 35,000 and 80,000 units.

read more


UK retail slump "an absolute nightmare"

Sales of videogames at UK retail are down 25 per cent on last year, leading one publisher to describe the situation as "an absolute nightmare." MCV reports that this year's major new releases are selling between 10,000 and 48,000 in their first week on shelves; last year they were selling between 35,000 and 80,000 units.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/new-releases-ko-d-on-tough-uk-high-street/091673
MCV

Sales of videogames at UK retail are down 25 per cent on last year, leading one publisher to describe the situation as "an absolute nightmare."

MCV reports that this year's major new releases are selling between 10,000 and 48,000 in their first week on shelves; last year they were selling between 35,000 and 80,000 units.

read more


Things: Save points

Why an immersion-breaking necessity can also be a crucial piece of design.

Save points are easy to resent. They are, after all, harbingers of in-game admin. Whereas books can be picked up where you left off with minimal fuss, and films and TV shows can be consumed in a sitting, save points demand that the working-day language of data storage intrudes upon your relaxation time. You don’t ‘play’ a save point: it’s a practicality, a momentary disruption of a game’s flow to ensure that time isn’t wasted and progress is retained.

read more


Things: Save points

Why an immersion-breaking necessity can also be a crucial piece of design.

Save points are easy to resent. They are, after all, harbingers of in-game admin. Whereas books can be picked up where you left off with minimal fuss, and films and TV shows can be consumed in a sitting, save points demand that the working-day language of data storage intrudes upon your relaxation time. You don’t ‘play’ a save point: it’s a practicality, a momentary disruption of a game’s flow to ensure that time isn’t wasted and progress is retained.

read more


Devs rush to license Old Republic engine

More than 5,000 developers have licensed the Hero Engine, the platform used in The Old Republic. Neil Harris, COO of Idea Fabrik, which owns the tech, told Develop there had been a rush of interest following the launch of BioWare's Star Wars MMOG in December.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/39905/More-than-5000-MMOs-licensed-with-Hero-Engine
Develop

More than 5,000 developers have licensed the Hero Engine, the platform used in The Old Republic.

Neil Harris, COO of Idea Fabrik, which owns the tech, told Develop there had been a rush of interest following the launch of BioWare's Star Wars MMOG in December.

"In January we [were] inundated with thousands of enquiries from studios, large and small, more than in any other period in the company's existence," he said.

read more


Devs rush to license Old Republic engine

More than 5,000 developers have licensed the Hero Engine, the platform used in The Old Republic. Neil Harris, COO of Idea Fabrik, which owns the tech, told Develop there had been a rush of interest following the launch of BioWare's Star Wars MMOG in December.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/39905/More-than-5000-MMOs-licensed-with-Hero-Engine
Develop

More than 5,000 developers have licensed the Hero Engine, the platform used in The Old Republic.

Neil Harris, COO of Idea Fabrik, which owns the tech, told Develop there had been a rush of interest following the launch of BioWare's Star Wars MMOG in December.

"In January we [were] inundated with thousands of enquiries from studios, large and small, more than in any other period in the company's existence," he said.

read more


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