Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Revolution Returns To Mars In THQ's Groundbreaking Open World Shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced that Volition, Inc.’s critically acclaimed Red Faction franchise will make its open-world, next-generation debut with Red Faction: Guerrilla. Set 50 years after the climactic events of the original Red Faction, this third-person open-world action-shooter will return to Mars and once again re-define the limits of destruction-based game-play. Red Faction: Guerrilla is currently in development for Microsoft Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Sony PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, and Windows-based PC, and is scheduled to ship in THQ’s fiscal year 2009.
"Red Faction is one THQ’s most successful and critically acclaimed original franchises to date, with a huge global base of loyal fans waiting to join the new revolution," said Brad Carraway, director of global brand management, THQ. "With the game’s unique pairing of true physics-based destruction, fast-paced guerrilla warfare style combat, and a massive world to explore – Red Faction: Guerrilla will redefine the limits of open-world gaming.”
“Red Faction: Guerrilla expands the signature destruction elements of the series and pushes the boundaries of next-gen gaming on a massive, terra-formed Mars where gamers can literally tear down the enemy EDF presence brick by brick,” said Mike Kulas, president of Volition, Inc. ”With a new 3rd person perspective, a full cover system that allows for guerrilla style tactics and a diverse planet to explore we’re excited to revitalize the gripping world of Red Faction for high-definition platforms.”
About Red Faction: Guerrilla
Red Faction: Guerrilla is a 3rd person, open-world action shooter set on Mars, 50 years after the events of the original Red Faction. Players will take the role of an insurgent fighter with the newly re-established Red Faction movement as they battle for liberation from the oppressive Earth Defense Force. Throughout their fight for freedom, players will carve their own path, wreaking havoc across the vast, open-world environment of Mars, from the desolate mining outpost of Parker to the gleaming EDF capital city of Eos. Utilizing improvised weapons, explosives and re-purposed mining equipment and vehicles, Red Faction: Guerrilla allows players to tear through fully destructible environments in an unforgiving Martian landscape swarming with EDF forces, Red Faction resistance fighters, and the downtrodden settlers caught in the cross-fire. Red Faction: Guerrilla will also feature a robust multiplayer component, including several modes focused on destruction-based gameplay. Currently in development for Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PLAYSTATION 3, and Windows PC, Red Faction: Guerrilla is expected to ship to retailers worldwide in THQ’s fiscal year 2009.
Tramps Beware
SEGA Europe, Ltd. revealed that the official European website for Condemned 2 is currently live. The site provides an inside look into 2008’s scariest and most compelling game, exposing the twisted world of Ethan Thomas by giving fans access to screenshots, concept art, videos and more. Suitable for those with keen observation skills and a hankering for some bone-crushing brutality, the site can be found here: www.condemnedgame.com
Condemned 2, the next chapter in the terrifying series that began with the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Condemned: Criminal Origins, is a first-person action thriller which immerses players in a world of psychological terror. Featuring all-new fighting mechanics and online multiplayer functionality, Condemned 2 follows Ethan Thomas in a string of gruesome murders where players must use their deductive skills and brute force to track down sadistic serial killer. Developed by the renowned Monolith Productions, creators of the original Condemned game, Condemned 2 is slated to ship in March 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
For more information on Condemned 2 please visit www.condemnedgame.com. For Assets please visit www.sega-press.com.
Mario Kart and Wii Fit Nintendo launch dates announced
Wii owners, well those who actually buy additional games for their Wii Sports machine, have got a busy April to look forward to. Nintendo has announced that Mario Kart Wii will launch in Europe on the 11th April. The game comes bundled with the Wii Wheel, although the Wii remote and even a Gamecube controller can be used. The introduction of bikes and the ability to race with your Mii avatars offer some innovation, but let's hope the bikes work better than previous attempts to update the classic action. 11 player simultaneous online play is a welcome move while the Mario Kart channel - which launches with the game - will allow for rankings, leaderboards and downloads.
Less exciting, but possibly a bigger long term seller is Wii Fit. The fitness board is confirmed for release on the 25th April and likely to benefit from the word of mouth that helped the Wii do so well in 2007.
Source:Guardian Blog
Thanks to PS3, Sony enjoys spoils of format fracas
Sony's strategy of seeding the market with PlayStation 3 game consoles that came with Blu-ray Discs playback ability looks fairly prescient now, though it didn't at the time.
After a boffo market entrance--fans queuing up for days to buy the next-generation consoles--in late 2006, Sony had to deal with a lot of bad press for product shortages and the success of the Xbox 360, and the sudden popularity of the Wii from Nintendo. Blu-ray's inclusion in the PS3 was a major reason for product shortages and was responsible for the high price of the console.
Sony was able to claim in January 2007 that it had 1 million Blu-ray players sold. But those were largely PS3 sales. At the time, since the battle with HD DVD was still in full swing, it wasn't clear that Sony's strategy on Blu-ray had worked.
HD DVD's demise gives new perspective. Sony doesn't break out how many standalone players it has sold from the number of PS3s, but according to DisplaySearch shipment estimates, in the third quarter of 2007, Sony accounted for nearly 96 percent of Blu-ray devices worldwide. In conjunction with point-of-sale data collected by the NPD Group that shows Sony and Samsung collectively accounted for 87 percent of Blu-ray Disc standalone player sales in December alone, Sony is already the dominant player. Samsung is its closest competitor, but the royalties earned on manufacture of the discs and players give Sony much more room to be competitive.
Sony won't comment on any future business plans for the company, but it can now move full-speed ahead on its HD strategy in the living room, which it's been laying out over the last year or so.
More from CNet - http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9874808-7.html
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Avatar Reality to Unveil New Technologies and Blue Mars Attractions at GDC 2008
Avatar Reality to Unveil New Technologies and Blue Mars Attractions at GDC 2008
Renowned Development Team to Showcase Third Party SDK and Scenic Tours of Upcoming Virtual World; Sponsored Session to Focus on Blue Mars Third Party Development Program
Avatar Reality Inc., a new development entity dedicated to the advancement of online community building, today announced it will provide a sneak preview of its upcoming massively multiplayer virtual world (MMVW), Blue Mars, at the 2008 Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, Booth 418 in the West Hall Career Pavilion.
Set in Terraformed Mars in the year 2177 AD, Blue Mars will feature stunning graphics, realistic characters and endless gaming attractions that will allow players to build and simulate real-life scenarios by creating personalized characters, or avatars. The MMVW will launch in a public beta version at the end of 2008.
At GDC, Avatar Reality will conduct an interactive tour of Blue Mars attractions which highlight breathtaking graphics through the utilization of CryTek’s game middleware CryENGINE™2. Additionally, they will preview their scripting game development environment which enables third party developers to easily build rich 3D casual games, and their proprietary Avatar Technology, which enables realistic character appearance and animation.
Avatar Reality’s vice president Li-Han Chen will host a sponsored session on Wed., Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. announcing the Blue Mars Third Party Development Program which gives game developers, CG artists and interested business partners an opportunity to create a variety of in-world attractions, 3D art assets and promotions for Blue Mars users. The session will take place in the West Hall, Room 2000.
For more information on Blue Mars and the Third Party Development Program at GDC, please visit Avatar Reality at Booth 418 in the West Hall Career Pavilion.
About Avatar Reality Inc.
Founded in December of 2006, Avatar Reality Inc. is developing a new massively multiplayer virtual world (MMVW), called Blue Mars, featuring stunning graphics, realistic characters and endless social bonding opportunities. The Honolulu-based company consists of multiple well-known and award-winning game developers including Henk Rogers, founder of Blue Planet Software, Blue Lava Wireless and The Tetris Company, and Kazuyuki Hashimoto, former vice president of technology, New Platforms at Electronic Arts (EA) and chief technical officer of Square USA.
For more information about Avatar Reality, please visit www.avatar-reality.com.
DX Studio 2.3 released with new PhysX engine option, performance boosts and user controls
Pinewood studios based software developers Worldweaver Ltd announce the latest release of their games and simulation platform DX Studio.
Version 2.3 comes packed with new features including PhysX support, depth of field, simple user control creation, scrolling listboxes, full tweening on all object properties, DXT support and a spherical map importer. There have also been a number of performance and memory usage optimizations. Full details of all the new features in v2.3 can be found at www.dxstudio.com/news.
“We’ve done a lot of work embedding the PhysX engine into DX Studio but the benefits of using PhysX should really help users looking to create particular gaming environments, especially given the recent announcement of Nvidia’s acquisition of Ageia and that they will soon introduce PhysX physics processing support into all GeForce 8-series graphics cards through a simple software download. Of course we have still kept the option of using Bullet physics too as it is still proving to be more appropriate for creating certain environments ” said CEO and founder Chris Sterling.
The latest version of DX Studio also sees the release of their own demo game, Hut of the Dead (www.hutofthedead.com). The game is free to play and all script available to DX Studio users to help with their own projects. There is also a competition running for the best game play modification of Hut of the Dead.
DX Studio licenses are available in both freeware and commercial editions (from £50) and can be downloaded from the website at www.dxstudio.com.
Games Convention Asia Set for September 18-20, 2008
The organizers of Games Convention Asia (GCA) and Games Convention Asia Conference (GCAC) today announced new dates for this year’s shows. GCA will take place at Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre Singapore, September 18-20, 2008, with the GC Asia Conference (GCAC) being held alongside, September 18-19. The main focus of GCA is the public exposition and business area, where product presentations of the latest industry innovations will be held as well as the promotion of international business contacts and the creation of business solutions.
GCA is the only platform for the booming interactive entertainment industry in the Asia-Pacific region with the Inaugural show drawing more than 70,000 international visitors. PricewaterhouseCoopers is predicting annual growth of more than ten percent in the digital games sector for the Asia-Pacific region alone. This means market growth from $ 11.7 billion in 2006 to an incredible $ 18.8 billion in 2011. Worldwide revenue in this sector is expected to grow from $ 31.6 billion to $ 49 billion over the same period.
GC Asia also announced that it has appointed Red Dawn Communications as its PR Agency of Record for the Asia-Pacific region. Red Dawn Communications is a full service communications agency specializing in PR for entertainment clients. The agency's client roster includes 20th Century Fox (East), Diageo, Electronic Arts, Golden Village Multiplex, Motion Picture Association, SingTel mio TV, and United International Pictures.
GameSpy Technology Launches New In-Game Commerce Engine, Direct2Game
IGN Entertainment’s GameSpy, a leader in multiplayer and online gaming technology, today announced the launch of Direct2Game, a new in-game commerce service that will allow publishers and developers to create and manage in-game storefronts, selling and delivering add-on content directly to gamers. Building on the successful foundation of IGN’s Direct2Drive, a leader in the digital distribution of games, GameSpy now offers developers a one-stop service to create new revenue streams and expand the range of content available to consumers.
Direct2Game’s service will enable gamers to purchase and download add-on content, such as maps, mods, expansions, sequels, and soundtracks. The service will also give developers access to a robust catalog of program interfaces, empowering them to create in-game “storefronts” to market their products. GameSpy will also provide full digital rights management (DRM), billing, and customer support to Direct2Game developers, backing innovations in videogame technology with a high level of client support.
“With the launch of our Direct2Game commerce service, GameSpy is now bridging its dual heritage in digital distribution and in-game technology, opening up new revenue streams and business models for publishers and developers,” said Jamie Berger, senior vice president of consumer products and technology for IGN Entertainment. “This new service further demonstrates our commitment to publishers and developers who want to directly offer new content and experiences to their valuable core fans.”
In addition to Direct2Game, GameSpy continues to be a leader in multiplayer and online gaming. The company’s suite of high-end technology enhancements enables videogame developers to build community experiences that transcend the barrier between in-game and out-of-game environments. Core features like instant messaging, friend rosters, and advanced matchmaking capabilities offer developers a turnkey toolset for constructing dynamic communities around their games. In addition to these community elements, GameSpy also provides tools for developers to build extensive player profiles, ranking systems and in-game voice applications. GameSpy technology is featured in more than 500 titles and the company most recently partnered with Epic Games to integrate GameSpy multiplayer technology into Epic’s Unreal 3 game engine. This partnership powers the recently-released Unreal Tournament 3 on both the PC and PLAYSTATION 3 platforms.
Splash Damage Launches New Website
Splash Damage today announced that it has relaunched its web presence at www.splashdamage.com. The updated look signals a new era as the company moves into multiplatform development with a larger team.
"Our goal for the new Splash Damage site was to create a useful and comprehensive resource for gamers, journalists, and business partners," said Stephen Gaffney, Splash Damage's Business Development Manager. "We needed something bigger and better and now we have it."
The new website boasts a clean and modern look, and offers a wealth of information about Splash Damage and its projects, while also providing community tools including forums and a developer blog the studio intends to use to keep its fans and the general gaming public up-to-date.
"We will keep adding features and useful tools to the new site, with a special focus on our online community," added Steve Hessel, Splash Damage's Community Relations Manager. "It's our goal to turn this into one of the best community platforms on the web."
The company also announced it is now actively hiring for several additional positions. These include openings related to Art, Game and Level Design, and Programming. Full details can be found at www.splashdamage.com/jobs.
POOL, PIRATES, PINBALL AND PUZZLES – COMING SOON IN OXYGEN'S NINTENDO DS SYSTEM LINE UP
Oxygen today announces four new DS titles to add to its spring line up. Hurry Up Hedgehog!; An intriguing multiplayer brainteaser for all ages, and Powershot Pinball Constructor; allowing you to play, create and share pinabll - are both set for release March 28th. Pirates: Duels on the High Seas; an epic adventure for the 7 keys of the 7 seas, and 8Ball Allstars; Your pool, your way, your rules - both hitting stores April 18th.
About Hurry Up Hedgehog! – Instore 28th March:
Hurry your hedgehogs home with Hurry Up Hedgehog! An intriguing brainteaser challenging the whole family to shrewdly manoeuvre their hedgehog to victory. Jostling against the canniest critters in the garden players must dodge hazards, out-smart their friends and use cunning to race their hedgehogs home.
Hurry Up Hedgehog! – Race, creep, jostle and out-manoeuvre.
About Pirates: Duels on the High Seas – Instore 18th April:
A chance encounter with an old sea-dog, the legend of a fantastic treasure - Thus begins an epic adventure for the 7 keys of the 7 seas – a daring battle against the Royal Navy, sea monsters, the Witch Queen and Blackbeard himself!
Steel yourself to face foes that no captain has ever bested before, in this perilous adventure of the enchanted worlds. Collect weapons, pick up crewmen, amass great riches and explore un-chartered seas. Learn the secrets of dozens of enemies as you cast off and set sail on a daring voyage of adventure and battle.
Choose a pirates life – For gold and glory!
About Powershot Pinball Constructor – Instore 28th March:
Play on a selection of stylish tables. Create and design your own unique table using the first DS table editor. Share it with your friends… Or employ the sabotage mode to disrupt your opponent’s game.
If that’s not enough – engage in a tournament, team battle or time attack as well as a variety of secret areas and mini games.
Pinball - Play it. Create it. Share it.
About 8Ball Allstars – Instore 18th April:
Chalk up your cue and challenge your friends anywhere to a head-to-head match, doubles game or just take a break and design your own table and playing icon!
Authentic and crazy tables, chat rooms, friends lists, challenge mode, league tables, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 10 ball games, plus online play and unique Winner Stays On mode, make this the years most exciting pool experience on the DS.
8Ball Allstars – Your Pool, Your Rules, Your Style!