Thursday, January 18, 2007
Step into the 19th Century...
Discover the adventures of Sherlock Holmes in a game with a gripping atmosphere, for the first time ever delivered in a full 3D world of thoroughly intensive and wholly immersive real-time sleuthing.
Cities and places exude authenticity, creating environments you would expect to find at the end of the 19th Century. And yet, amidst the daily grind and bustling lives of society, there also exists terrifying places, and it is in these confines where you will have to control your fears, retain your focus, and ascertain the truth.
Get Closer to the Clues…
This new adventure of Sherlock Holmes rises to the challenge of being entirely in 3D, while the creators have retained the traditional adventure game 'point & click' mechanic, in which the game is played solely with the mouse. The use of full 3D allows for an immersive experience, with changing game rhythm and additional enigmas and puzzles using physics and lighting.
Sherlock Holmes - The Awakened offers rewarding gameplay, a true symbiosis of two technologies specific to adventure games: WARP (used in the first Myst and Amerzone) which allows first-person movement in pre-calculated decors; and 3D surroundings, which allows the character to be controlled in a truly immersive manner, as well as being able to appreciate the splendour of the surroundings, thus offering a large freedom of movement. The advantage of mixing these two game modes provides a greater diversity of scenario, interaction with more people and a high factor of realism. You will also be challenged by puzzles in 3D, linked to physics for example, in which the weight of objects can be used to trigger mechanisms, and others using dynamic lighting, where a torch might be used to illuminate, in real time, certain places in order to reveal clues or other secrets and passageways.
Neversoft to create new Guitar Hero titles
The development of future titles in the Guitar Hero franchise looks set be taken on by Neversoft, after a recent job listing appeared on the Tony Hawk developer's website.
Harmonix had developed previous titles in the acclaimed series, but has since been bought by MTV Networks for US $175 million in September last year.
Activision acquired original Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane, along with the licence, in May of last year, adding the music franchise to a highly-regarded portfolio of brands that includes Call of Duty, Tony Hawk and Spider-Man.
A spokesperson for Activision would not be drawn on the situation, offering: "Activision does not comment on matters of rumour or speculation."
Neversoft has been an Activision studio since 1999, and has worked on titles such as Tony Hawk's Project 8, Gun and Spider-Man.
Harmonix had developed previous titles in the acclaimed series, but has since been bought by MTV Networks for US $175 million in September last year.
Activision acquired original Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane, along with the licence, in May of last year, adding the music franchise to a highly-regarded portfolio of brands that includes Call of Duty, Tony Hawk and Spider-Man.
A spokesperson for Activision would not be drawn on the situation, offering: "Activision does not comment on matters of rumour or speculation."
Neversoft has been an Activision studio since 1999, and has worked on titles such as Tony Hawk's Project 8, Gun and Spider-Man.
Halo 3 beta boosts Crackdown pre-orders by 25 per cent
Retail has noted a surge of interest in free-roaming action game Crackdown, since the announcement that the game disc will include a beta key to the multiplayer testing of Bungie's highly-anticipated shooter Halo 3.
Specialist chain GAME says that pre-orders for Crackdown have risen by 25 per cent since Microsoft unveiled the initiative.
"Halo 3 is one of the most highly anticipated Xbox 360 titles for 2007 and our customers are hungry to get hold of it," commented, MD of GAME Group's online business.
"Halo 3 beta is a great way for gamers to actually influence the making of the game and will ensure the production of a truly amazing game," he added.
Crackdown, from developer Realtime Worlds, is due for release February 23 in Europe. Copies of the game which include the Halo 3 beta key will be housed in specially marked packaging.
Specialist chain GAME says that pre-orders for Crackdown have risen by 25 per cent since Microsoft unveiled the initiative.
"Halo 3 is one of the most highly anticipated Xbox 360 titles for 2007 and our customers are hungry to get hold of it," commented, MD of GAME Group's online business.
"Halo 3 beta is a great way for gamers to actually influence the making of the game and will ensure the production of a truly amazing game," he added.
Crackdown, from developer Realtime Worlds, is due for release February 23 in Europe. Copies of the game which include the Halo 3 beta key will be housed in specially marked packaging.
EA and Bizarre reveal new Live Arcade title
Boom Boom Rocket to be EA's first title on Xbox 360 download service
Electronic Arts has revealed its first title for the Xbox 360's Live Arcade service - a game developed by Project Gotham team Bizarre Creations and conceived by Pogo.com.
Boom Boom Rocket is a rhythm action title due for release in Spring this year, and marks EA's first entry into the growing on-demand download service for consoles.
Project Gotham from same developers
"As one of the worldwide leaders in game publishing, EA has long recognised the power of on-demand, online entertainment," said Chris Early, product unit manager for Xbox Live Arcade.
"We're honoured that EA has chosen Xbox Live Arcade as the platform for their first-ever downloadable game for console game players and are excited to make Boom Boom Rocket available to the millions of Xbox Live Arcade players around the world."
Developer Bizarre Creations has already enjoyed success in the download market with Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, a fan favourite and one of the first titles available on Xbox Live Arcade.
"Boom Boom Rocket is an addictive and original challenge for all types of gamer, and we're enjoying working with EA to create this unique Xbox Live Arcade experience," said Martyn Chudley, MD of Bizarre Creations.
"Our teams love both working and playing on Xbox Live Arcade, and we're looking forward to releasing another innovative title on this platform with Boom Boom Rocket."
Electronic Arts has revealed its first title for the Xbox 360's Live Arcade service - a game developed by Project Gotham team Bizarre Creations and conceived by Pogo.com.
Boom Boom Rocket is a rhythm action title due for release in Spring this year, and marks EA's first entry into the growing on-demand download service for consoles.
Project Gotham from same developers"As one of the worldwide leaders in game publishing, EA has long recognised the power of on-demand, online entertainment," said Chris Early, product unit manager for Xbox Live Arcade.
"We're honoured that EA has chosen Xbox Live Arcade as the platform for their first-ever downloadable game for console game players and are excited to make Boom Boom Rocket available to the millions of Xbox Live Arcade players around the world."
Developer Bizarre Creations has already enjoyed success in the download market with Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, a fan favourite and one of the first titles available on Xbox Live Arcade.
"Boom Boom Rocket is an addictive and original challenge for all types of gamer, and we're enjoying working with EA to create this unique Xbox Live Arcade experience," said Martyn Chudley, MD of Bizarre Creations.
"Our teams love both working and playing on Xbox Live Arcade, and we're looking forward to releasing another innovative title on this platform with Boom Boom Rocket."
PS3 to cost £425 in the UK
Senior retail sources have said that the 60GB PlayStation 3 will go on sale in the UK for £425, as previously stated by Sony UK.
Now several retail execs have confirmed that the £425 figure is correct, and said they are expecting an official announcement from Sony next week. It's thought that the 20GB PlayStation 3 will NOT be made available in the UK, at least during the initial launch period.
The announcement is also expected to confirm a March 23 launch date across Europe, as previously reported.
The UK price is equivalent to just under EUR 647, which is likely to elicit complaints about "rip-off Britain" as Sony has confirmed that the 60GB PS3 will cost EUR 599 in most other European territories. The price for Ireland, however, has been set at EUR 629.99, apparently due to a higher VAT rate.
One retail source said that the higher UK price has not been driven by Sony but by British retailers, who traditionally seek bigger profit margins than their Continental counterparts.
Now several retail execs have confirmed that the £425 figure is correct, and said they are expecting an official announcement from Sony next week. It's thought that the 20GB PlayStation 3 will NOT be made available in the UK, at least during the initial launch period.
The announcement is also expected to confirm a March 23 launch date across Europe, as previously reported.
The UK price is equivalent to just under EUR 647, which is likely to elicit complaints about "rip-off Britain" as Sony has confirmed that the 60GB PS3 will cost EUR 599 in most other European territories. The price for Ireland, however, has been set at EUR 629.99, apparently due to a higher VAT rate.
One retail source said that the higher UK price has not been driven by Sony but by British retailers, who traditionally seek bigger profit margins than their Continental counterparts.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
EA to launch Sims Stories
Electronic Arts Inc announced a new line of video games called "The Sims Stories" aimed at the laptop-toting youth market as it strives to deliver a bigger proportion of titles based on more lucrative company-owned material.
Players of "The Sims" control virtual people called Sims as they sleep, eat, cook, socialise, buy things and work.
"The Sims" is the No. 1 franchise at EA, the world's biggest video game publisher, which has sold more than 70 million games globally since 2000. It also has a broader audience than most games. Half of its players are female -- unlike most commercial video game audiences, who are mostly male.
"The Sims Life Stories" is the first in the new series and is due in the United States and Europe in the first week of February.
"The Sims Pet Stories" and "The Sims Castaway Stories" are scheduled to ship in mid-2007 and late 2008, respectively.
EA aims to use the new titles to expand the "Sims" audience to more casual players and is targeting multitasking MySpace teens and consumers in their early 20s with the new games.
"The Sims Life Stories" has a comic-romantic plot and offers a new story mode, which runs through 12 chapters of a set story line, while also supporting the franchise's traditional open style of play.
All of "The Sims Life Stories" games are designed to run on laptops and do not require upgraded graphics cards, as many PC games do. The games can also be played for hours or minutes in a window while other programs, such as instant messaging or e-mail, run simultaneously.
The games have a "Teen" rating and will retail for $40.
American Technology Research analyst Paul-Jon McNealy said the franchise-expanding move comes at a time when "The Sims" was due for a refresh and fits in with EA's goal of creating more games with internally owned properties -- which have better margins than games based on licensed material such as films.
It also comes amid changes in the laptop market.
"The laptop market has opened up to a younger demographic in the last seven years," McNealy said.
Players of "The Sims" control virtual people called Sims as they sleep, eat, cook, socialise, buy things and work.
"The Sims" is the No. 1 franchise at EA, the world's biggest video game publisher, which has sold more than 70 million games globally since 2000. It also has a broader audience than most games. Half of its players are female -- unlike most commercial video game audiences, who are mostly male.
"The Sims Life Stories" is the first in the new series and is due in the United States and Europe in the first week of February.
"The Sims Pet Stories" and "The Sims Castaway Stories" are scheduled to ship in mid-2007 and late 2008, respectively.
EA aims to use the new titles to expand the "Sims" audience to more casual players and is targeting multitasking MySpace teens and consumers in their early 20s with the new games.
"The Sims Life Stories" has a comic-romantic plot and offers a new story mode, which runs through 12 chapters of a set story line, while also supporting the franchise's traditional open style of play.
All of "The Sims Life Stories" games are designed to run on laptops and do not require upgraded graphics cards, as many PC games do. The games can also be played for hours or minutes in a window while other programs, such as instant messaging or e-mail, run simultaneously.
The games have a "Teen" rating and will retail for $40.
American Technology Research analyst Paul-Jon McNealy said the franchise-expanding move comes at a time when "The Sims" was due for a refresh and fits in with EA's goal of creating more games with internally owned properties -- which have better margins than games based on licensed material such as films.
It also comes amid changes in the laptop market.
"The laptop market has opened up to a younger demographic in the last seven years," McNealy said.
Video games fulfilling needs
Researchers say they've found another reason why video games are so hard to give up: They may help fulfil basic psychological needs.
In a study published in the January issue of Motivation and Emotion, investigators from the University of Rochester and Immersyve Inc. looked at what motivated 1,000 gamers to keep playing video games.
"We think there's a deeper theory than the fun of playing," lead investigator Richard Ryan, a motivational psychologist at Rochester, said in a prepared statement.
The gamers were divided into four groups, each asked to play different games. They answered questionnaires both before and after playing the games. The researchers used the questionnaires to look at the underlying motives and satisfactions that can spark players' interests and sustain them during play.
More than just mindless fun
The researchers found that the games can provide opportunities for achievement, freedom and even a connection to other players. Those benefits trumped a shallow sense of fun, which doesn't keep gamers as interested. Players reported feeling the best when the games produced positive experiences and challenges that connected to what they knew in the real world.
"It's our contention that the psychological 'pull' of games is largely due to their capacity to engender feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness," said Ryan. He believes that video games not only motivate further play but "also can be experienced as enhancing psychological wellness, at least short-term."
For the participants who played massively multiplayer online, or MMO, games - which are capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of players simultaneously - the need for relatedness emerged "as an important satisfaction that promotes a sense of presence, game enjoyment and an intention for future play," the researchers found.
Ryan pointed out that while not all video games are able to satisfy basic psychological needs, "those that do may be the best at keeping players coming back." – (HealthDayNews)
In a study published in the January issue of Motivation and Emotion, investigators from the University of Rochester and Immersyve Inc. looked at what motivated 1,000 gamers to keep playing video games.
"We think there's a deeper theory than the fun of playing," lead investigator Richard Ryan, a motivational psychologist at Rochester, said in a prepared statement.
The gamers were divided into four groups, each asked to play different games. They answered questionnaires both before and after playing the games. The researchers used the questionnaires to look at the underlying motives and satisfactions that can spark players' interests and sustain them during play.
More than just mindless fun
The researchers found that the games can provide opportunities for achievement, freedom and even a connection to other players. Those benefits trumped a shallow sense of fun, which doesn't keep gamers as interested. Players reported feeling the best when the games produced positive experiences and challenges that connected to what they knew in the real world.
"It's our contention that the psychological 'pull' of games is largely due to their capacity to engender feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness," said Ryan. He believes that video games not only motivate further play but "also can be experienced as enhancing psychological wellness, at least short-term."
For the participants who played massively multiplayer online, or MMO, games - which are capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of players simultaneously - the need for relatedness emerged "as an important satisfaction that promotes a sense of presence, game enjoyment and an intention for future play," the researchers found.
Ryan pointed out that while not all video games are able to satisfy basic psychological needs, "those that do may be the best at keeping players coming back." – (HealthDayNews)
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