Capcom move to Wii due to high PS3 prices

Monster Hunter 3 now a Nintendo exclusive

Capcom has said that the high development costs of working on the PlayStation 3 are the reason the publisher is moving its latest Monster Hunter title to the Nintendo Wii.

Previous Monster Hunter games were Sony exclusives for the PS2 and PSP, and the company has enjoyed considerable success with the franchise clocking up sales of over 4.5 million units.

"Due to high development cost of titles for PS3, we have decided to switch the platform to which we release our Monster Hunter 3 title," said Katsuhiko Ichii, Capcom's managing corporate officer, according to Thompson Financial.

Capcom revealed Monster Hunter 3 for the Wii at a recent Nintendo press briefing, although it had originally said the game would appear on the PlayStation 3.

The publisher said earlier this month that it was now shifting its development strategy for Sony products to the PlayStation 3, where previously it had dedicated the majority of its efforts on the PlayStation 2.

Nintendo conference also announces 7.8 million Virtual Console downloads

Nintendo has announced some of the software titles that will be available for download via the Wii Software/WiiWare system from March next year.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that prices will be lower for downloaded games than those purchased in shops because there will be no problems with stock, and therefore no missed sales.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles from Square Enix will be one of the first titles released, and will be exclusive to the download service. It will be joined by Pokemon Bukojou - translated as "Pokemon Farm" - Star Soldier R, Mojipittan Wii and Doctor Mario.

Nintendo intends to spend more time helping households to set up internet connections so that they can make use of the new online services.


Additionally the company announced that Virtual Console downloads had now passed the 7.8 million mark, and that it would re-focus the Wii Vote aspect of its operating system in order to better enable users to send feedback and rate the games they were playing.

Iwata also hinted that Nintendo was looking to third party publishers to play a bigger role in the development of its platforms.

"In Japan, Nintendo has 50% of the DS software market this year. From here on out, the share should shift to other software makers."

Wii Fit will be released in Japan on December 1, priced JPY 8800 (EUR 53, USD 75) while Mario Kart Wii will ship with a steering wheel controller, will feature motorbikes and will be available in Spring 2008.

Source: Games Industry

Project Gotham Racing 4 demo available on Xbox LIVE

Includes EXCLUSIVE content not available in PGR4

Race three exotic cars and two beauteous bikes through the streets of Macu and a snow laden Nurburgring.

The demo also includes an exclusive Nurburgring Snow Challenge and unique PGR Arcade Events.

Download the demo today and getting practising ahead of the release of the game this Friday 12th October!

Super Smash Bros. Goes Super Sonic

SEGA's gaming legend Sonic The Hedgehog to feature in Super Smash Bros Brawl for Wii

Nintendo of Europe and SEGA Europe Ltd today revealed that Sonic, SEGA’s legendary blue hedgehog, will be making his debut in the eagerly anticipated beat ‘em up, Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii. This brawling, battling, action packed video game features a varied roster of characters, from Mario to Link to Zero Suite Samus and now players can choose the iconic hedgehog to go into battle with.

Sonic made his first appearance in 1991, appearing in Sonic The Hedgehog for the SEGA MEGADRIVE, and quickly became a well-known household name, securing a dedicated following across the globe. Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. series has been a firm favourite since the first title launched in 1999 on the Nintendo 64, and since the launch of Super Smash Bros. Melee for Nintendo GameCube, it has since gone on to have millions of fans worldwide.

Laurent Fischer, European Managing Director for Marketing and PR commented:
“I am very pleased that Nintendo is extending its relationship with SEGA in this way and that our gaming icons can come together in such an action packed title. I am sure many fans will share my enthusiasm to see Sonic appear Super Smash Bros. Brawl to battle it out with a whole host of Nintendo favourites!”

Mike Hayes, President and COO of SEGA Europe commented:

”Its amazing that after all these years we get to see these two much loved characters compete against each other in another fantastic title. Bringing Mario and Sonic together again underlines the continuing partnerships between Nintendo and SEGA, and produces another industry first for our two companies.”

In the forthcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl, players will for the first time be able to complete in online multiplayer battles for up to four players. The game will also contain an all-new adventure mode called Super Smash Bros. Brawl: The Subspace Emissary, where players can select their favourite character before embarking on an adventure to conquer giant bosses from the Nintendo Universe. There will also be a variety of stages where players can commence battles, including Delfino Plaza, Yoshi’s Island and Sky World.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl will launch across Europe on Wii early 2008 at an estimated retail price of €60.

Mii functionality and Dream events in Mario & Sonic at the Olympics

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has not only a massive line-up of real-life Olympic events, but SEGA can today proudly confirm that their much anticipated title also has a unique series of exclusive “Dream Events” to add to the mix. The Dream Events - which are both single and multiplayer - are based in colourful game-like universes that include objects and power-ups that will either improve a players game, or bring their opponent down.

The four Dream events featured are:

- Dream Race (Sandhill Race Course) – Get on your marks for this intense power-up filled race course, made for either one player, or as many as four.

- Dream Platform (Tropical Reef Diving Area – 10,000M Diving) – More like skydiving, soar through hoops and perform aerial tricks while avoiding obstacles and opponents to reach the finish line first.

- Dream Fencing (Duel Wharf Fencing Beach) – With unique special attacks for each character, this jungle-inspired world offers the ultimate duel.

- Dream Table Tennis (Speed Rally Table Tennis Stadium) – A sci-fi wonderland, this magical table tennis extravaganza offers a special ability for each character – so move fast!

Mario & Sonic At the Olympic Games also offers Wii users the ultimate gaming fantasy – the opportunity to play against their favourite Mario or Sonic character. Thanks to the unique interactive Mii features, players can bring their own Mii into the game as a playable character and compete as themselves in any of the Olympic or Dream events.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will be in-stores across Europe on November 23, 2007 for Wii, and Q1 2008 for the Nintendo DS.

New Internet Channel for Nintendo Wii owners

Hardware keyboard support, send to a Wii friend
are key features of new release

Opera today announced Nintendo has started distributing the much-anticipated new version of the Internet Channel for Nintendo Wii. The Internet Channel now features new ways to share, communicate and enjoy the Internet Channel by adding support for a USB keyboard and enhanced ways to communicate with your Wii friends.

Hardware support for any USB keyboard makes typing both easier and faster. Simply plug any standard USB keyboard into one of the two USB ports on your Nintendo Wii and you are ready to write email, compose blog posts, comment in forums and much more. Also making text input more comfortable are several new keyboard-specific shortcuts to be used with the existing soft keyboard, such as using the "B" button on the Wii remote as a "Shift" button.

"We believe this new version of the Internet Channel is even more engaging and delightful for the users around the world than its predecessor," says Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. "Nintendo has always brought a new perspective, fresh ideas and unwavering enthusiasm to our partnership. And today, our combined efforts have given users more reasons to be excited."

Send to a friend enables you to send links to your favorite Web sites - or the one you are currently browsing - to your Wii friends whom you have added in your Wii. You can also add a message to send along with the link. When your Wii friend opens the message, they can immediately visit the page in the Internet Channel.

The new Internet Channel for Nintendo Wii carries additional usability improvements. Users can now copy information from a Web page and paste it directly into the search field. Users may also store nine more favorites, bringing the total to 56. Visit the Wii Shop Channel to download the new Internet Channel today.

For Web Developers

The Nintendo Wii also embraces Web content and applications in a revolutionary new way with the debut of Widget View Mode in the Internet Channel. By surfing to widgets.opera.com users can browse Opera's collection of community-built, Opera-tested Web applications immediately ready to run on the Nintendo Wii Internet Channel.

Widgets available now include calendars, news readers, Internet radios and other fun applications. Users of Opera's desktop browser will immediately recognize their favorite widgets on this new platform. Web developers can publish widgets on Opera's website to make them available to Wii users. For more information on creating widgets, please visit widgets.opera.com

Availability

The Opera powered "Internet Channel" is available as a free upgrade for existing Internet Channel subscribers. For people wishing to subscribe, the Internet Channel can be purchased from the Wii Shop Channel menu for 500 Wii points.

New Wii owners site

New Web Site Invites Wii Owners
to Share Their Stories

Every Wii owner has a unique Wii story to tell: the guy whose girlfriend could finally partake of his video gaming pastime - and win ... the family whose weekly game night shifted from board games to video games ... the mom who refused to let her son keep the Wii in his room - because she wanted to play too.

In response to the growing Wii phenomenon, Nintendo has set up MyWiiStory.com. It's a place where Wii owners and their friends and family have been gathering to post real-life anecdotes about the way that Wii has changed their social dynamic or even their opinions about video games. Men and women, young and old, kids and grandparents - people of all types have posted anecdotes, photos and videos of their experiences with Wii.

"Everyone's a gamer and every gamer has a Wii story to share," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "We want all Wii owners to go to MyWiiStory.com to further demonstrate the extent to which we have brought new players into the world of video games."

Here is a sampling of some of the kinds of stories you will find on the site:

• "We are the house that everyone wants to be at because of the Wii. When we have dinner parties, the evening ends up in the living room for dessert, coffee and Wii. It has brought our family closer." - Katia Clark
  
  
• "I bought the Wii to use for exercise indoors. ... People assume that it belongs to one of my sons and I get a kick out of seeing their faces when I tell them it's mine!" - Jeanne Boutwell
  
  
• "I'm a 46-year-old mom, never really played any video games. My kids are now 25 yrs, 22 yrs and 19 yrs old. I am having a Wii party on the 21st of this month. We sent out invitations and I have about 15 women coming to try to play Wii." - Sue Leone
  
  
• "I always liked to bowl, although I wasn't very good at it, but I had to stop 4 years ago when I was diagnosed with bone cancer. A few months ago we purchased a Wii and I was able to bowl again. We have major family tournaments and I have hit 'PRO' status. Thanks to Wii I am able to enjoy one of my life's pleasures again." - Randy Bhaga
  
  
• "As a woman with multiple sclerosis, I have found that playing the Wii has offered me both a chance to use my body and my mind. I've recommended it to other MSers on one of my Web sites. I think it is just a phenomenal way to exercise and play." - Diana de Avila
  

Climate Education In SimCity Societies

1up

New Game in PC Gaming's Most Popular City-Building Series to Feature Alternatives to Carbon-Producing Energy Sources

Electronic Arts and BP have collaborated to include climate change education within SimCity Societies, the next iteration in the genre-defining city-building franchise that has sold more than 18 million games to date. The collaboration brings together world-class game building skills and industry expertise on energy, electricity production and greenhouse gas emissions to highlight the impact of electricity generation on the emissions of carbon dioxide that are linked to climate change. The low-carbon electricity choices and monitoring of SimCity’s carbon emissions provide an entertaining, fully-integrated and accurate look at some of the causes and some of the major solutions available to combat rising levels of carbon and to help address the threat of global warming. SimCity Societies will be available at retailers across North America and Europe November 15.

"Since their inception in 1989, SimCity games have served as excellent creative and educational tools to convey complex subjects. With SimCity Societies, we have the opportunity not only to demonstrate some of the causes and effects of global warming, but also to educate players how seemingly small choices can have a big global impact," said Steve Seabolt, Vice President of Global Brand Development for The Sims Label at EA. "BP was one of the first major energy companies to publicly acknowledge the need to reduce carbon emissions and begin taking precautionary measures. As such, they are the perfect partner to help educate people on this important social issue in SimCity Societies."

The game does not force players to power their cities any specific way, but allows them to make choices, each of which come with advantages and disadvantages. Similar to real-life, the least expensive and most readily-available buildings in SimCity Societies are also the biggest producers of carbon dioxide, an invisible gas that contributes to global warming. Should players choose to build cities dependent on these types of sources for power to conserve their in-game money, their carbon ratings will rise and, at reaching critical levels, the game will issue alerts about the threat of the various natural disasters like droughts, heat waves and others that may strike their cities.

Alternatively, players can strive to create a greener environment and avoid hazards caused by excessive carbon emissions by choosing from a variety of BP Alternative Energy low-carbon power options. Using hydrogen and natural gas plants to wind farms and solar power, SimCity Societies encourages people to learn about some of the causes and consequences of global warming in an engaging, educational and meaningful way. While these power sources maintain nearby property values and keep the cities’ citizens safer from disaster, they also mimic real-life in that they cost players more of their funds, and do not produce as much power as less green options that take up similar space. Informative real-world snippets about power production and conservation will also be available in-game, informing players of global warming issues both virtually and in reality.

"The time was right for this partnership. EA was developing the next iteration of the SimCity series at the same time that we were looking for opportunities to raise awareness about low-carbon power choices," said Carol Battershell, Vice President, BP Alternative Energy. "EA has a powerful reach to the next generation and BP has a suite of low-carbon power alternatives. In our collaboration through this innovative game, we can provide education on the issues surrounding climate change, its association with carbon emissions and the ability to take early positive action through low-carbon power choices."

The SimCity franchise is one of the most popular PC gaming franchises in history, having sold more than 18 million games worldwide to date since the SimCity launch in 1989. Subsequent base game releases include SimCity 2000tm (1993), SimCity 3000tm (1999) and SimCity 4 (2003). SimCity Societies is being published by Electronic Arts and developed by Tilted Mill Entertainment.

Atari - Legendary: The Box

IGN.com

Atari Announces Agreement With Gamecock to Co-Publish Original First-Person Shooter

Atari today announced an agreement with Gamecock Media Group to co-publish the stunningly original forthcoming first-person shooter Legendary: The Box in PAL territories. Coming to PC and next-generation consoles, Legendary: The Box is scheduled to launch in summer 2008.

Developed by Spark Unlimited, Legendary: The Box tells the story of a thief – Charles Deckard – who is duped into stealing the mythical Pandora’s Box. Like Pandora before him, he cannot resist the temptation of finding out what’s inside. By opening the fabled device, he unleashes hordes of creatures thought to be merely the imaginings of our ancestors. However, murderous werewolves, unstoppable gryphons and other creatures of ancient lore prove all too real as they wreak havoc across an unprepared modern world.

“Gamecock have already established themselves as a serious new force to be reckoned with in video games, and we’re proud and excited to be entering into this agreement with them to co-publish such an original and excellent quality product as Legendary: The Box™,” said Mathias Hautefort, Executive Vice President of publishing and production, Atari. “The agreement marks another positive step forward for Atari in bringing original and high quality interactive entertainment to the market.”

"Gamecock is very proud to be working with Atari on this project, utilizing their massive distribution network in the PAL territories to make this game as big a hit outside the US as it will be inside," said Harry Miller, El Presidente and Head of Development, Gamecock Media Group.

Developer Spark Unlimited was founded by 27 of the individuals who developed titles in the award-winning Medal of Honor™ series. The critically acclaimed and multi-million unit selling Call of Duty™: Finest Hour™ was the result of the company's first efforts and the team is excited to bring their proven talent and experience in creating compelling first person action games to this project.

“Our goal at Spark has been to create high-quality innovative titles that deliver uniquely realistic and cinematic gaming experiences,” said Craig Allen, Chief Executive Officer of Spark Unlimited. “We are excited to welcome Atari as a co-publisher in order to insure Legendary: The Box™ becomes a global success.”

Legendary: The Box is a breath-taking blockbuster experience where man and machine take on the beasts of legend in the war to end all wars, all set against a backdrop of total social disintegration. High calibre ordnance meets beak, talon, fang and claw in awe-inspiring fire fights the like of which have never before been realised in a video game. Living, breathing dynamic environments are spectacularly torn apart in the battle to stay alive, with the devastation of New York and London realised on an unprecedented scale.

For more information about the game please visit www.legendarythebox.com. Gamecock Media Group can be found at www.gamecockmedia.com, with more information about Atari’s entire product line up at www.atari.com.

Juiced 2 - Hot Import Nights hits Mobile! Mobile video game

Juiced is back! Now you can tear up the streets in full 3D glory. Juiced 2 moves away from the underground street-racing atmosphere of the previous instalments. This game is all about officially endorsed street races hosted in exotic world-wide locations.

Win races, earn money, and improve your ride, as you progress into the professional world of street racing.

A true rags-to-riches story where the player rises from a novice driving modded hatchbacks, to a world class driver at the wheel of a super car!

• The hugely successful racing franchise Juiced returns on next-gen console and mobile
• Career Mode - Comprehensive career adventure through six driver classes.
• Arcade Mode - Need time away from the career. Drive where you want and with what you want.
• Quick Race – When time is of the essence, hit the roads instantly.
• Extensive Modding - Tweak four cars from inside out. Four visually upgradeable parts with three variants.
• Seven performance upgrades with five variants each. Plus paint your car any color you like.
• 12 tracks - Three unique world locations with four night-time tracks each.
• Non-linear Gameplay - Tailor make your career through flexible goals.

Check out the game in action:
Windows Media
Real Media
Quicktime