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Friday, October 19, 2007

EA wants 'open gaming platform'


Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo should abandon the console wars and help build a common gaming platform, a senior executive at Electronic Arts has said.
Gerhard Florin said incompatible consoles made life harder for developers and consumers.

"We want an open, standard platform which is much easier than having five which are not compatible," said EA's head of international publishing.

He said the web and set-top boxes would grow in importance to the industry.

"We're platform agnostic and we definitely don't want to have one platform which is a walled garden," said Mr Florin.

EA currently produces games for more than 14 different gaming systems, including consoles, portable devices and PCs.

More from the BBC

Students digitally rock in Kogan


Four guys wearing colorful Mexican wrestling masks, shirtless underneath their open blazers, stepped onto stage. They took their positions, their eyes glued to a screen next to them, and the music started. While they played enthusiastically, their concert may have appalled the likes of Queen or the Clash.

Instead of playing typical instruments, this band was playing a video game.



These students were one of more than 600 bands across the country - and 25 at GW - to step onto the stage of the Rock Band tour this fall. Rock Band's big black tour truck has been setting up at colleges across the country since September to promote the video game Rock Band, due for release Nov. 23. The tour offers anyone a chance to try the new game and bring their new-found Rock Band skills onto a stage to audition for a spot on TRL.

“The tour will give everyone from casual music fans, to hard core gamers and professional musicians the chance to live out their rock star fantasies on an authentic concert stage,” said Jeff Yapp, executive vice president of MTV Program Enterprises, in a press release.

Rock Band comes from the collaboration of MTV Games (a division of the MTV network), Harmonix (the creators of Guitar Hero) and Electronic Arts (video and computer game creators). Likened by many to Guitar Hero, the game allows up to four players to pick up three different instrument peripherals, a guitar, bass guitar, drum and microphone, and simulate playing rock music while the music crosses the screen.

Ryan Bittner ‘11 said that he finds the game's versatility very appealing. “You can be like a real musician,” he said. “You can play guitar and sing at the same time.”

The game will give players more options than other games currently on the market, said Rock Band tour manager Kyle Brady. Rock Band will allow for solo players or up to a four-person band to play. The game comes with basic classic rock songs, but will have supplements available for downloading. Players will be able to download up to entire CDs of their favorite bands to use in the game.

“It's like playing along with the best quality songs from your favorite bands,” Brady said.

Trung Le '10 and a group of his friends decided to try the game on campus after hearing about it on Youtube.

“We're all big fans of (the video game) Guitar Hero so we're really excited for (Rock Band) to come out,” Le said. “It's going to be able to involve a lot of people. I think it will be a great party game.”

Gamers weren’t the only ones stepping onto the stage. Rock-star wannabes were also encouraged to drop to audition their music, gaming and rock star abilities for MTV.

“Every band that plays will get seen by a casting director,” Brady said. Of the auditioning bands, two will be picked to play at a battle of bands in New York City, with the winning band going on the open for a “real” rock band at the holiday launch party for the game.

The competing bands will be flown to New York and spend a week going through rock star boot camp.

Bittner auditioned with nine different bands, but was skeptical of his chance of going to New York.

“It seems a little far fetched for a lot of people,” he said. “I just came out here to play the game.”

Source: Daily Colonial

Virtual utopia

Mario, Master Chief, Sonic and company dealt out musical justice alongside members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Sunday night as they presented Video Games Live! (VGL), an incredible celebration of some of the most popular videogame music of all time.

Buffalo welcomed their heroic performers whole-heartedly as Kleinhans Music Hall played host to New York's first-ever performance of this internationally recognized, audience-interactive performance.

A stunning spectacle of sight and sound, Video Games Live! creates a unique experience that is highly innovative and entertaining. Their aim is to delight and dazzle audiences in ways that showcase how culturally relevant videogames have become, while romanticizing the artistic validity and beauty of the music that accompanies these games.

"Videogame music is more than just beeps and bleeps," boomed Tommy Tallarico, co-creator and host of VGL, as the show got under way.

Judging by the increasingly feverish applause as the night pressed on, the audience definitely agreed with Tallarico's sentiment. There wasn't a flicker of discontent from anyone, avid videogamer or not.

For those unfamiliar with the gaming world, a lack of knowledge mattered not as the abundant sensory stimulators provided enough unbridled energy.

The powerful sound of the full-scale orchestra, an impressive syncopated light show and the passion of the music being performed left even the most skeptical audience member clamoring for more.

As for the serious game aficionados, they were having the time of their lives.

"I knew this would be good, but they've gone above and beyond what I expected," said Matthew Kanner, UB student and videogame lover. "I was expecting a few well-orchestrated Mario pieces; this is so much more than that."

The majority of the audience could be found somewhere in the middle of the videogame sub-culture; they were not completely obsessive, but many them spent a good deal of their childhood getting lost in the world of Super Mario Bros.

The concert kicked off with a medley of classic arcade hits such as Pong, Donkey Kong, Tetris and others. On the backdrop of the stage was an enormous projection screen on which clips from the games were timed perfectly with the music. This fittingly classical start gave people only an inkling of what was in store.

Spurred on by the boundless youthful energy of Tallarico with co-creator and conductor Jack Wall, anticipation and excitement began to rise through the crowd like a princess-rescuing plumber rising up through a giant green pipe.

The anticipation gave way to the thunder of fans applauding musical scores from the most socially prominent and fanatically revered games to date. Dark, dangerous, profoundly moving pieces emerged from games such as God of War and Medal of Honor.

Contrasting this were songs from the epic and enchantingly whimsical Zelda soundtracks. Fan-favorites such as Sonic and Metal Gear Solid were also included, along with a theatrical performance of a live action Solid Snake.

Computer games, not to be left out of the mix, were also brought to life with scores from blockbuster phenomena Warcraft, Starcraft and Civilization.

Each piece was masterfully matched to clips from the showcased game and further synced with a stunning light show.

Adding interactivity to production gems, Video Games Live! also contained a costume contest (Princess Zelda won), a videogame cover band and audience participation in which a few lucky fans got on stage to show off their Frogger and Space Invader skills.

The last acts of the night came when nostalgic excitement had reached its peak.

First came music from the most influential and timeless character in the history of the industry: the music of Mario. The music of Halo, currently the most popular game in the world, was included in the show's encore.

"Art imitates life, videogames imitate life, so in a way the two (art and videogames) are very closely connected," said Scott Loblaw, UB alumni and longtime gamer.

The multi-sensory spectacle delivered by Video Games Live! bedazzled a Buffalo audience giving testament to the feeling that this touring troop will likely be glorifying the game for years to come.

A Perfect World for gamers


For 36 hours, several computer game buffs had to assume the role of Werefox in online fantasy game Perfect World (http://w2.cubizone.com).

They were taking part in Gurney Plaza's 36-hour Computer Games Challenge in Penang which kicked off at 10am on Saturday and ended at 10pm the next day.

Fuelled with determination, the 16 all-male contestants were geared up for the challenge. After all, it is common for most game enthusiasts to lose track of time as they manoeuvre their avatars through adrenaline-pumping missions.

Among the contestants, Danyel Chong Boon Hui, 13, shared this view.

“My brother (Jayson Chong Boon Keat, 25) and I are used to playing computer games for hours in our room.

“So, we thought we'd give this competition a shot,” said the Form One student from SM St Xaviers.

However, fatigue won over the brothers. They called it quits after nearly 26 hours in the challenge.

After catching a half-hour nap at home, they returned to the plaza to cheer on the other contestants.

The first contestant to quit left the game after midnight while a group of six including the brothers withdrew on Sunday morning.

The mechanics
Cubinet Interactive Sdn Bhd marketing manager Michael Cheah, who coordinated the event, said there were 105 levels in Perfect Game.

“For the event, we connected the game to a test server which only allowed the contestants to play. “We chose Werefox, who is among the game's six characters, for the contestants because she can tame animals to back her up in combat.

“These animals can perform poison and venom spells to wound her opponents.

“When Werefox conquers a land, she will receive coins to shop for tactical skills, weapons and potions,” he explained.

The contestants were allowed to take intervals of 10-minute toilet breaks and 15-minute meal breaks.

If they took longer than the allotted time, marks would be deducted accordingly.

They were also required to play six short games called Bug on a Wire, Twins, Panik in Chocoland, Bubble Trouble, Mission Mars and Trapshoot.

The winner had to achieve the highest combined score from Perfect World and the six short games.

Third-time running
The plaza’s marketing and communications manager Pauline Teh said this was their third 36-hour event.

“In 2005, we organised a 36-hour sleeping competition while last year, it was a 36-hour challenge to watch television.

“This year is focused on online games because we thought that that's what kids do nowadays.

“After all, it's not often that shoppers get to sleep overnight in a mall,” she said with a laugh.

Her director Phuah Choon Meng presented the prizes to the winners.



The first prize winner, Tony Kok Chin San, 23, won a laptop worth RM3,000 and an RM500 SenQ cash voucher.

The second prize winner, Lee Choon Fei, 25, received an RM1,000 SenQ cash voucher and RM300 cash while third prize winner Lim Wei Ping, 19, got a RM500 SenQ cash voucher and RM200 cash.

The top three scored 267, 265 and 252 marks respectively.

Kok said the first thing on his mind after the competition was to have a good bath.

THE ART OF SKATEBOARDING


Activision Unveils Skate Photo Exhibition For Launch of Tony Hawk's Proving Ground



In celebration of the launch of Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, the latest instalment in the #1 best-selling action sports video game franchise, Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) is hosting The Art of Skateboarding photo exhibition at The Second Space Gallery – www.secondspacegallery.com – from Monday, October 29 through Friday, November 2. Featuring photographs by Tony Taglianetti, fashion photographer and skateboarder, the exhibition tells the amazing stories of London skateboarders and their favourite tricks, which were shot at some of the capital’s most popular skateboarding destinations, including the Westway, South Bank and Stockwell.

The photography will focus on the different kinds of skateboarding personalities, also found in Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, including contest-winning athletes, fast and furious hardcore skaters and maverick riggers, who modify their environment into their own personal skate park.

“Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground lets players choose their own path as a skater, so that they can tell the world who they are,” commented Gary Sims, Brand Manager, Activision. “This art exhibition will take that concept and bring it to life outside of the game, allowing skaters to tell their own story for the first time. It’s not often that games and art come together in any meaningful way, so we’re particularly excited about this project.”

The exhibit will open at The Second Space Gallery – www.secondpacegallery.com, which is located at 117 Redchurch Street, London, E2, on October 29. A private VIP reception will be held on the evening of Thursday 1st November, dedicated to press, retail and the skateboarders featured in the exhibition.

Set in the streets of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground is the largest, deepest and most customisable Tony Hawk game yet and gives players the freedom to define their character, story and style based on the choices they make, the paths they select and the style of skateboarding they want.

Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground will be available on November 2nd for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Wii home video game system, Nintendo DS and will be available to play at The Art of Skateboarding throughout the exhibition week.

BAFTA countdown continues


The countdown to the Awards continues, with 52 individual games spanning 15 categories. Of those games vying for a coveted BAFTA mask, Nintendo’s Wii Sports looks to be the strongest contender with seven nominations, including Best Game, Casual, Gameplay, Innovation and Multiplayer.

The other titles with the highest number of individual nominations are Crackdown, Gears of War, God of War 2 and Okami, with each title notching up five individual BAFTA nominations. Gears of War has also been nominated in the separate PC World Gamers’ Award – the only award to be voted for by the public – which will be given out on the night.

Crackdown (Xbox 360) (Realtime Worlds/Microsoft Game Studios)


Dundee-based Realtime Worlds allowed gamers to leap tall buildings and pull off impossible vehicle stunts, all in a bid to bring order back to crime-ridden Pacific City.

Gears of War (Xbox 360) (Epic Games/Microsoft Game Studios)


Epic Games’ sci-fi shooter successfully wowed critics and consumers alike with its intense cinematic action that pitched humanity against the Locust Horde.

God of War 2 (PS2) (SCE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)


An exhilarating action adventure set deep within Greek mythology, depicting the visceral return of the ex-Spartan warrior Kratos, the God of War.

Okami (PS2) (Clover/Capcom)


This stunning fantasy adventure features an innovative visual style that effectively blends 3D game level design with Japanese watercolour calligraphy.

Wii Sports (Wii) (Nintendo/Nintendo)


This benchmark launch title for the Wii opened gaming to a wider casual market by dragging players off the sofa to compete with a new level of interactivity.

With a dedicated annual awards event from BAFTA, the video games industry is now elevated to the same cultural level as film and television. In recognition of this, Will Wright, the creator of The Sims, will become the first recipient from the video games industry of the coveted Fellowship award. He will also be delivering the Academy’s first Annual Lecture within the Games sector on “Interactive Entertainment - the Oldest Art Form” on 24 October.

This year also sees the introduction of the inaugural BAFTA’s Ones to Watch Award in association with Dare to be Digital. This award has been introduced by BAFTA as a showcase for new development talent. The three titles shortlisted this year are Ragnarawk from Voodoo Boogy, ClimbActic from Carebox and Bear Go Home from Phoenix Seed. In addition to receiving the award, each of the winning team members will receive a state of the art Packard Bell gaming PC.

Here is the full alphabetical list of the games nominated for a BAFTA in the 2007 British Academy Video Games Awards in association with PC World:

Battlefield 2142 (PC)
Big Brain Academy for Wii (Wii)
BioShock (Xbox 360)
Cake Mania (DS)
Colin McRae: DiRT (Xbox 360)
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (Xbox 360)
Crackdown (Xbox 360)
Crysis (PC)
Elite Beat Agents (DS)
FIFA 08 (PS3)
Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
flOw (PSN)
Football Manager 2008 (PC)
Forza Motorsport 2 (Xbox 360)
Gears of War (Xbox 360)
God of War 2 (PS2)
Guitar Hero II (PS2)
Heavenly Sword (PS3)
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (Xbox 360)
Lair (PS3)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
Medieval II: Total Kingdoms (PC)
More Brain Training (DS)
MotorStorm (PS3)
Okami (PS2)
The Orange Box (PS3)
Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
Sega Rally (PS3)
SingStar (PS3)
Skate (PS3)
Super Paper Mario (Wii)
The Darkness (Xbox 360)
The Eye of Judgement (PS3)
The Simpsons Game (Xbox 360)
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas (Xbox 360)
Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Wii)
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (PS3)
Virtua Tennis 3 (Xbox 360)
Viva Piñata (Xbox 360)
Warhawk (PS3)
Wii Sports (Wii)
World in Conflict (PC)
World of WarCraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)

BAFTA Ones To Watch Award in association with Dare to be Digital

Bear Go Home (Phoenix Seed)
ClimbActic (Carebox)
Ragnarawk (Voodoo Boogy)

The PC World Gamers’ Award
(The only award to be voted for by the public)

Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training (DS)
FIFA 07 (PS2)
Football Manager 2007 (PC)
Gears of War (Xbox 360)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PSP)
Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)
Wii Play (Wii)

This year’s Awards during London Games Festival, will be hosted by comedian Vic Reeves. They will feature live music from Athlete and Remi Nicole, a spectacular spherical display from Pufferfish and will be held at London’s Battersea Evolution on 23 October. The show will be broadcast on E4 on November 4 at 11pm and repeated the following weekend on Channel 4.

About BAFTA:


The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is the UK’s leading organisation dedicated to the recognition and promotion of excellence in the fields of the moving image. Renowned for its high profile Film & Television Awards ceremonies, the prestigious BAFTA mask has long been seen as a symbol of excellence.

Red Mile Secures Key Talent for Sin City Game


Red Mile Entertainment, a worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software, today announced it has engaged acclaimed video-game industry writing and production talent to participate in the development of Red Mile's upcoming game based on multi-award-winning creator/writer/artist Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novels and comic books.

Accomplished game and animation veteran, Flint Dille, will spearhead the design, scriptwriting, story generation, and overall production of "Sin City: The Game" (working title). Dille has twenty years of game experience to his name, and has twice won "Story of the Year" for his work on The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and on Dead to Rights. In addition to his solid game and animation credentials, Dille is also a close friend of Sin City creator, Frank Miller -- enough so that Miller named the storyteller in his epic 300 "Dilios." "Frank and I met during what I call our 'professional adolescence' when he was doing the Dark Knight and I was doing the Transformers cartoon series," says Dille, "and we've been great friends ever since." About the Sin City game, Dille adds, "Frank and I have been having a party coming up with nasty stuff for the game. In true Sin City fashion, some old characters will return, new characters will appear and -- without giving anything away -- probably die horribly. It's great to be working with the Red Mile team on this project: They clearly share Frank's and my commitment to bringing a new and true Sin City to interactive life."

Also participating in the game's development is Union Entertainment. Union's video-game producer credits include The Red Star and this year's breakout hit, The Darkness. Union generated the original Sin City concept document that first got Miller interested in adapting Sin City as a video game, and was central to setting up the Sin City project with Red Mile. "Sin City is one of a select few properties that everyone agrees is ideal for video games," said Union President, Richard Leibowitz, "and we're very proud to help make that happen."

"Flint and Union bring a deep and broad array of video game experience to Sin City and they'll be integral to Red Mile's creating a video game experience that delivers on gamers' and fans' expectations," said Chester Aldridge, CEO of Red Mile Entertainment.

About Red Mile Entertainment, Inc.

Red Mile Entertainment, Inc. is a worldwide developer and publisher of interactive-entertainment software. Red Mile creates, incubates, and licenses premier intellectual properties and develops products for console video-game systems, personal computers, and other interactive entertainment platforms. For more information about Red Mile Entertainment, Inc. please visit our web site at http://www.redmileentertainment.com.

About Union Entertainment, LLC

Union Entertainment is a talent management and production company specializing in video games. Union has been instrumental in designing, packaging, writing, developing, producing and/or providing talent for video games that have collectively amassed more than half-a-billion dollars at retail. As a producer, Union works with top talent to develop and produce video games and feature films through major publishers and studios. In addition, Union manages a roster of top console and handheld video game development companies, writers, designers and artists. Union enjoys unparalleled success in the marketplace, direct access to publishers, extensive relationships with Hollywood studios and talent agencies, and a firm grasp of the entertainment business.

About Flint Dille

Flint Dille is one of the most experienced and respected creators in the video game business today. Flint's career includes extensive animation writing, editing, and/or producing for hit television animation programs including G.I. Joe, Inhumanoids, The Transformers animated feature, and American Tail II: Fievel Goes West. Flint is also active in the live-action feature film business, having co-created and co-executive produced Dimension's 2005 cult horror film, Venom (aka Backwater). Flint is consistently the game publisher's "go-to" writer for major franchise properties, including Fantastic Four 2, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, Teen Titans, Dead to Rights, Superman Returns, James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies, Soviet Strike, Nuclear Strike, and two upcoming projects official announcements for which are pending. In addition to his full slate of video game work, Flint has an original game/multimedia property in development and a book about video game writing (co-written with his frequent writing partner John Zuur Platten) that is expected to be published within the year. Flint, grandson of the creator of Buck Rogers, has also written for comics and worked for game company, TSR.

About Frank Miller

Frank Miller first came to prominence drawing and/or writing comics properties such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Daredevil, and Elektra. Miller then created Ronin, a science-fiction samurai drama, which is in development at Warner Bros. as a feature film. Miller then wrote and illustrated the groundbreaking Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (an inspiration for the 1992 feature Batman), which not only redefined the classic character, but also revitalized the comics industry and reawoke audiences to the potentials of the medium. Miller also wrote Batman: Year One, which was a basis for 2005's Batman Begins.

Miller introduced his noir masterpiece Sin City in 1991, and it became an instant sales success. To date, Miller has written and illustrated seven Sin City graphic novels. In 2005, Miller co-directed with Robert Rodriguez the feature film Frank Miller's Sin City.

300, Warner Bros. feature-film adaptation of the award-winning graphic novel by Miller (with Lynn Varley) smashed U.S. box-office records this year.

Miller is currently in preproduction of a feature-film adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit, for which Miller has written the screenplay and is set to direct.

Brain Age 2: Training in Minutes a Day! Nintendo DS


Get ready for a totally new way to enjoy your free time.



Give your brain the workout it needs
Exercise is the key to good health both for body and mind - and now, with the Brain Age games, there's a way to make mental exercise fun, even competitive. Just minutes a day, that's all it takes to challenge your mind and, with Nintendo DS portability, you can play Brain Age at work, on vacation, or anywhere your day takes you.

Fun pick-up-and-play activities
Brain Age's intuitive gameplay makes brain training easy for everyone. Train across fifteen activities. Solve simple math problems, recite piano songs, play a challenging version of rock, paper, scissors, and test your memory skills in the classic game, Concentration. You'll love your mental workout!

Play Sudoku!
When you're done with training for the day, try your hand solving 100 Sudoku puzzles! The Nintendo DS's Touch Screen makes writing the numbers a snap.

Visit the Brain Age website

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Secret service turns to video games to recruit future spies



In years gone by, potential recruits to the secret services would be approached with a quick flash of the old school tie, or a discreet chat in an Oxbridge junior common room.

The spymasters of today are resorting to very different tactics to sign up the next generation of spooks: GCHQ, the government's electronic eavesdropping service will this month become the first intelligence agency to post recruitment adverts in the virtual worlds of online computer games.

The advertisements will appear as billboards in the backgrounds of computer games such as Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

A spokeswoman for GCHQ - the surveillance branch of the intelligence service - said the agency was looking for recruits who were "computer-savvy, technologically able, quick thinking".

"We find increasingly we have to use less conventional means of attracting people ... to go beyond the glossy brochures and milk-round stalls," she told the Times.

The agency hopes to "plant the idea in the minds of younger players" of pursuing a career in the secret services.

"We will monitor the results from this campaign and are ready to change our recruitment methods. We know we can't stand still," the spokeswoman said.

The move into computer-game adverts is the latest sign that the security services are attempting to shift their recruitment practices away from the old-boy networks. Earlier this year, MI5, the security service, advertised for staff on the side of London buses.

GCHQ was consulted on its scheme, but the decision on where to place the adverts was made by its advertising agency, TMP Worldwide.

Kate Clemens, head of GCHQ digital strategy at TMP, said: "Online gaming allows GCHQ to target a captive audience. Gamers are loyal and receptive to innovative forms of advertising."

In recent years, Britain and the US have put increasing emphasis on "information warfare" in their efforts to confront terrorism and rogue states.

But thrill-seeking video gamers hoping to live out their Tom Clancy fantasies in the real world may well be disappointed by the reality.

GCHQ is the signals intelligence branch of the security services, and its main work is the interception and decryption of emails and phone calls. Most of the recruits will be software experts who will be put to work at the agency's main listening post at Cheltenham in Gloucestershire.

Source: Guardian

Solo games live on in multiplayer world



Video game developers, eager to please all consumers, are increasingly including features that let gamers play with or against their friends.

With Microsoft trying to convince people to plunk down $50 a year for its Xbox Live service, and Sony eyeing the sale of movies and music over its fledgling network, developers are under more pressure than ever to include some sort of online component.

The best-known example may be Microsoft's "Halo 3", but last week also saw the release of "The Orange Box" -- a collection of "Half-Life 2" content from Electronic Arts that includes a long-awaited multiplayer-only title called "Team Fortress 2". The week before that had the launch of "Enemy Territory: Quake Wars" from Activision.

Yet for all the balanced play and refinement of a "Halo 3" or "Warhawk", sometimes you just want to dig in and work on a game by yourself.

Several recent and upcoming titles illustrate that solo gaming is still going strong.

More from Reuters

Later this month, owners of Sony's PlayStation 3 can get their hands on "Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction", the latest addition to one of Sony's most popular franchises.

Although some past titles starring the furry protagonist and his robotic sidekick let gamers play against each other, usage data showed something unexpected: only three percent of players bothered to try out that part of the game.

"It's something that can appeal to anybody and a lot of people just don't enjoy multiplayer," Brian Allgeier, lead designer on the series, said of the decision to focus on the single-player story.