Guitar Hero III first game to pass $1 billion in sales

Roughly one year ago, Activision proudly announced that the Guitar Hero franchise had surpassed $1 billion in North American revenues (a feat accomplished in just 26 months). Now Guitar Hero has reached another important milestone, as Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has become the first ever game to generate $1 billion in sales.

The news came from Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith during his keynote address at CES. Griffith also noted how the video game industry has had a profound effect on other entertainment sectors, and that Guitar Hero in particular has been hugely important to the music industry. For example, in its first week, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith sold over three times as many units as Aerosmith's last studio album. Furthermore, he cited Nielsen SoundScan data, which showed that artists whose music was playable in Guitar Hero had seen download sales increase 15-843%.

"Music has a history of evolving through technology and we are at the beginning of the latest chapter in that story," he said, as quoted by the BBC.

As for the newest Guitar Hero, Griffith said he's quite pleased with World Tour's user-generated aspect. 25,000 songs were created in the first 10 days and 141,000 songs have been posted so far. The Guitar Hero community site now has more than 600,000 members. To date, there have been 21 million user-song downloads.

Looking at the video game business overall, Griffith sees gaming dominating. "Movies, recorded music and TV - these are all stagnating or contracting entertainment sectors. Video games are poised to eclipse all other forms of entertainment in the decade ahead."

Full post here on Game Daily....

YS Online – Call of Solum!

* The YS Series is one of the top 3 most venerable Japanese RPGs.
* A combination of manga and free MMORPG.
* The Closed Beta will start on January 2009.

Based on the famous YS series originally developed by Falcom, CJ Internet Game Studio and Nihon Falcom have teamed up to convert the famous YS series to an online game which is brought to you by Key To Play.

Who will you be? A powerful Afrocan fighter? A wise Kimo or a skillful Eresian? Join a story that started 22 years ago and defeat the hordes of evil creatures invading the mystical Romune Empire, from seaport Lutino to Peruzard. You won’t be alone to follow the steps of Grey the Brave Hero and many battles await you.

Set in the era of the greatest adventures, the time of Adol, this unique version of YS will allow you and your friends to experience one of the top 3 most venerable Japanese RPGs. It is the perfect mix of manga and online gaming!

Featuring a fast-paced combat system, dungeons, crafting professions, guild battles and many more possibilities, YS Online – Call of Solum is one of the most anticipated MMORPGs of the year.

The adventure starts early 2009!

STORYLINE

The YS adventure is set in a mystical world with dark secrets: Romune, the center of the YS world. Dark spells are ravaging the entire continent and people are talking about the 6 lords and the 6 ancient books sealed with magic spells.

The Man of Wings was not only the Absolute Being but also a God in the Eresia Continent. With the Man of Wings' ascension to heaven, the ancient civilization that had blossomed in the vicinity of Vartekal and Romune came to an end. The Europa Region, situated in the center of the continent was on the brink of disaster due to the evil stone's incredibly reckless acts and the copious amount of legacies left by the Man of Wings.

After nearly a hundred years, numerous kingdoms across the continent collapsed, one after the other with a multitude of evil monsters emerging. Worse yet, the remaining kingdoms fell into the hands of those monsters for almost 20 years. After years of slavery, Grey the brave hero and his 12 valiant soldiers appeared. They eliminated the evil gods who were masterminding those monsters, paving the ground for an Empire under the name of Romune. The Romune Empire continued to expand its domain to a degree where it held sway over most of the regions on the continent including Europa.

And now, you are here to re-connect the historical dots of YS. YS Online inherits the worldview of YS series.

KEY TO PLAY

We are a new publisher specialized in different types of online videogames which has entered the European market with a bang thanks to PristonTale 2, and now, YS Online. Soon we will also distribute other equally attractive games. We have many surprises in store.

Key To Play’s strategy is clear and solid:

1. Provide an excellent online service to players.
2. Offer a variety of well-thought and well-selected games.


Key To Play is a company created by gamers for gamers.
In the upcoming months we will continue to grow and become one of the Europe reference portals for online videogames.

Watercolour Political Platform Puzzler Clover - on Xbox 360

The return of the classic platform-puzzle adventure with début title Clover, to be released in Q1 '09 via Xbox LIVE Community Games for 400 Microsoft Points. Rendering a much-missed genre in watercolour, accompanied by melancholy piano pieces and laced with political themes, Clover embodies Binary Tweed's frank motto of "New games that are a bit like old games, but better."

Set in a medieval world ruled by a monarchy with a welfare state, Clover tells the story of Sam, an adolescent teenager. Recently orphaned after his lone parent mother died in a shock attack on the proud nation of Sanha, Clover follows Sam's journey of discovery as he explores the land and events surrounding his loss.

Clover is a plot-driven platformer in the style of classic titles such as Fantastic Dizzy that sees the player solve logical puzzles by collecting items, talking to a diverse cast of characters and exploring artistically realised environments. Featuring many hours of gameplay and plot development, Clover promises value-for-money beyond other Xbox LIVE Community Games. The game innovates on its predecessors with modern gameplay mechanics, such as unique and forgiving alternatives to player 'health' and 'death'.

"Clover is a game about artwork and plot; so much so that we're struggling to fit everything within the size limit," said Daniel 'Deejay' Jones, Managing Director of Binary Tweed. "We wanted to make a game that has the artistic charm to appeal to a broad audience, whilst exploring issues that communicate to adult gamers."

Kodu: Game programming so easy, an adult can do it

I'm sure kids will take to Kodu—an easy-as-pie game creation app for Xbox Live—like ducks to water. Indeed, at Microsoft's CES keynote Wednesday night, a precocious 12-year-old named Sparrow wowed the audience as she worked the Kodu menus like an expert.

More surprising, however, is that even an old stick-in-the-mud like me wants to give Kodu a shot.


Set for release on the Xbox Live Community channel in the spring, Kodu isn’t a game so much as a game-authoring tool—although it looks much more fun than it sounds. You can pick a world, populate it with characters and objects, give 'em weapons and behaviors, and then test your creation to see if you’ve got a game on your hands.

Full post here on Yahoo...

Hands on with Mad Catz SFIV Fight Sick and Fight Pad

If a $150 arcade stick is too rich for your blood, accessory maker Mad Catz has a few other options for the fighting game fan not content with the standard Xbox 360 or PS3 controller.

Frankly, neither option is as quite as magical as the Street Fighter IV-branded Tournament Edition Arcade FightStick controller, but for those with shallower pockets, they'll get the job done.

More at Kotaku here...

Klonoa - Nintendo Wii video game will get a US release

Klonoa will be available in North America for Wii in 2009. Klonoa’s long-awaited return offers vibrant graphics, motion control and new secrets to discover in this update to the series’ debut adventure. Highly revered as one of the best platform games of the past 10 years, Klonoa will ignite Wii owners’ imaginations with addictive gameplay, exciting stages and a memorable story.

“Klonoa’s return marks an exciting re-boot of this beloved franchise with old-school gameplay, spectacular graphics and an instantly recognizable character,” said Todd Thorson, director of marketing and public relations for NAMCO BANDAI Games America. “Klonoa’s time-tested gameplay and intricate level design make for an awesome experience on Wii.”

Help Klonoa save Phantomile, a land formed by the dreams of its inhabitants, and recently besieged by an unknown evil. Klonoa’s breathtaking journey takes him through a series of increasingly difficult stages across multiple kingdoms as he strives to save his friends and homeland. Throughout his quest, Klonoa is aided by his friend Hewpoe, a benevolent spirit who resides in the ring from which Klonoa is able to fire his Wind Bullet. The Wind Bullet gives Klonoa the ability to grab and inflate his enemies and use them to his advantage.

With a simple move of the Wii Remote Klonoa can throw captured enemies to break obstacles, uncover hidden items or defeat other enemies. Klonoa can also use any enemy he is holding to perform a double jump which allows him to reach high ledges or jump across large pits. By moving the Nunchuk, Klonoa can use his whirlwind to slowdown approaching enemies. In addition to the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls, Klonoa offers a wide range of control options for any style of play, including Wii Remote only, Classic Controller and the Nintendo GameCube controller.

Wii take five of top ten UK games in 2008

The British video game chart for 2008 shows Nintendo's Wii capturing five of the top ten slots.

Amazing - Carnival Funfair makes it in at number nine... this game is rubbish!

Here's the full chart...

1. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
2. Wii Fit (Wii)
3. Wii Play (Wii)
4. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
5. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
6. GTA IV (360)
7. GTA IV (PS3)
8. Call of Duty: World at War (360)
9. Carnival Funfair (Wii)
10. FIFA 09 (360)

My top ten would include...

Little Big Planet
Spore
Lara Croft
Fallout 3
Fable 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Dead Space
World of Warcraft

So basically, the chart reflects the number of consoles sold...

Why the PlayStation 3 is better then the Xbox 360 - Sony

The console war is full of never-ending battles, waged between the top three manufacturers, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, in order to show which product is the best and the most attractive in the eyes of the consumer. Although sales charts show that Nintendo and Microsoft currently dominate Sony, the Japanese company won't settle and is determined to put up a fight.

It seems that it has recently released a press statement in which it showcases the many disadvantages of its opposition, claiming that its PlayStation 3 console is the best product any consumer can buy for the long run, despite the fact that its price tag may seem very steep, as opposed to the competition.

Among the points Sony made are the HDMI output, which ensures visual and audio quality, Wi-Fi, which saves you from messing with wires, a hard drive or the online gaming service. All of these arguments are of course won by the PS3, which, from Sony's point of view, offers “years of value with a future-proof system via firmware updates that offer new services and features.”

“The PS3 is the perfect example of a product featuring superior technology and a sophisticated design creating an ideal all-in-one entertainment product. The Xbox 360 requires additional money, multiple upgrades and additional external devices, putting a burden on the wallet and adds clutter to the entertainment center. And the Wii's lack of enhanced features comes at the expense of a comprehensive entertainment solution. So as PS3 continues to evolve without the need for additional parts or expenses, expect the competition to continue peddling add-ons in an effort to keep up with the Jones',” reads the official press release.

While it does seem a bit weird that Sony itself releases such a statement, it looks like the Japanese company is very determined to show its customers that the features and the value that the PS3 offers are well above those of its competition and that a price cut isn't necessary when you can have all of these things. Let's just hope that from this “battle” the average consumer will have the most to gain, as only he can decide which console will be better and more popular. What do you think? Is the PS3 the best product on the market or do its rivals, despite the fact that they don't have the same features, offer a better experience?

Source: Softpedia

PS2 Emulator Coming to PlayStation 3?

Yes we know your launch PlayStation 3 plays PlayStation 2 games. Good for you. However, with a necessary chip missing from recent models, the rest of us are left in the lurch.

So here comes the rumour that Sony is looking into the problem. In order to keep the PS3's price down the originally included PS2 chips were cut out (look here to see the reformed PS3 board), so the only solution is to develop software emulation. Reportedly anyone who's up to the challenge can enter the frame.

The rumour comes from NeoGAF member Meph who recounts what was told to him by a Sony representative (openly described as a 'tool'). The story goes that Sony might be willing to buy a PlayStation 2 emulator for the future. 

"He mentioned that since the PS2 has just 1 year left on its life-cycle not to expect them to develop anything new with regards to backwards compatibility," says Meph.

"He then leans in and lowers his voice, as if to tell me some deep dark secret and mentions that Sony may be willing to potentially buy a PS2 emulator to put in future consoles."

According to Meph this similarly happened with PlayStation 1 backwards compatibility in the PlayStation 2.

How exactly an independent coder could create a PlayStation 2 emulator without a PlayStation 3 development kit, we're unawares, but intriguing nonetheless.

Source: Gamezine

How to get F.E.A.R. 2 demo on PlayStation 3

Sony have announced that F.E.A.R. 2 - Project Origin demo on PlayStation 3 owners will be releasedexclusively with Qore. You'll have to buy the forthcoming episode of their downloadable video magazine.

According to DarkZero, the show and demo will be coming "mid-January," so that could presumably be as soon as late next week. Single episodes of Qore cost $2.99, with a 13-episode subscription costing $24.99.

There's no word yet of a potential F.E.A.R. 2 demo on the Xbox 360, which obviously wouldn't carry any similar restrictions. The game is set for release for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on February 10.