'Zheng Tu' game going online in Malaysia

Malaysian video game fans will soon be able to join the more than 1 million online users of the increasingly popular Chinese video game, "Zheng Tu."

The Malaysian company, iG-Interactive Sdn Bhd, has announced that it has reached an agreement with China's Lager Network Technologies Inc. to create a regional online server for the popular video game, China's official Xinhua news agency said Saturday.

"Game mission can teach gamers Chinese philosophy," iG-Interactive Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Tan Teck Seng said Friday.

The Malaysian executive said that the server's official launch would take place on Wednesday, adding that the game's quizzes would also be localized for users in the capital of Kuala Lumpur.

"Zheng Tu" is currently one of only three video games with online capabilities that have more than 1 million concurrent users.

Xinhua said that Chinese online games have been especially successful in other Asian countries such as Malaysia, where nearly one quarter of the country's population are Chinese.

Limited Edition PSP

If the regular black PlayStation Portable and current offering of Darth Vader-inspired PSP versions don’t do it for you, then you might consider opening your import wallet in December. The sweet looking limited edition Star Ocean PSP you see above will go on sale in Japan on December 27 and will pack in a metallic case and a copy of Star Ocean.

Aside from the game looking terrific in terms of visuals, I’m really digging the look of that PSP.

Source: File Front

Why Nintendo Should've Held Off a Little Longer On Announcing Sonic in Smash Bros. Brawl

By now, Smash Bros. Brawl fans have all heard the news that Sonic the Hedgehog, one of video games’ more venerable, classic characters, will be appearing as a playable character in the game. As exciting as this news is, it was a pretty obvious attempt by Nintendo to soften the blow that the game would be delayed until February of next year. That’s not a bad motive for revealing the big secret when they did, but I can think of one very good reason that Nintendo maybe should’ve kept the lid on that bit of information just a little while longer. Seven words: Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.

When Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games was first announced, it caused a huge stir for one simple reason: Mario and Sonic finally in a game together. It was something fans of both characters had been requesting for years. It didn’t matter that it would be based around the upcoming Olympics, which has shown a history of not making good game material. At best, it looks like another Wii Sports; at worst, it’s another collection of mini-games on the Wii. But still, gamers the world over would be willing to shell out the money just for the simple fact that Sonic and Mario were finally together under one title.

Now, why bother? If you hold out for just a few more months, you can own what’s sure to be one of the best games for the Wii, with Sonic as just icing on the cake. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games is already facing enough competition just from its November 6 release date, which has Call of Duty 4 dropping at the same time. It’s not even the only Wii game being released that day, since Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, and The Bee Movie Game are all hitting store shelves around that time. Now though, it’s competing against itself being “that other game with Mario and Sonic.” Of course, the game is being published by Sega, but I doubt Nintendo would want to intentionally hurt a Wii-exclusive title.

The game may still turn out to sell fairly well, but I’d wager not as much as it would if no one knew that Sonic was definitely going to be in Smash Bros. Brawl. The main thing it had going for it was the novelty of two of gaming history’s most iconic characters bundled in the same package. With Sonic appearing in Brawl though, that novelty has worn off. Why play a game putting Sonic through some random sporting events, when you can have him actually using his powers in another game? Mostly, I just now realized how little I care about this game now that Sonic is joining the Smash Bros. group.

Source: FileFront

Hard drive? Wii don’t need no steenking hard drive!

By any measure the Nintendo Wii has been a tremendous success. Thanks to its low price and innovative design the Wii continues to outsell all other next generation consoles. It’s fast, quiet, and cool. So why mess with success?

That’s why I’m always puzzled when people request Nintendo put a hard drive on the Wii. ComputerAndVideoGames.com writes “Have you filled up your Wii’s internal memory yet? We have and it’s bloody annoying.” Well I haven’t and I’ve been playing it hard since buying one from a scalper ebayer last Christmas. CVG writer Mike Jackson takes Nintendo to task for the omission. But he fails to mention that the latest XBox 360 Arcade version doesn’t have a hard drive either. The PS2, probably the most popular game machine ever, doesn’t have a hard drive.

With “storage in the cloud” of the Internet, and with solid state options like flash memory, hard drives are completely unnecessary. Suppose the Wii did have a hard drive. You know what the next complaint would be: “The Wii hard drive isn’t big enough,” or maybe “It’s too noisy,” or “It’s too expensive”. There’s no pleasing some people.

More from ZDNet

EA post loss and shed 350 jobs

Video-game software publisher Electronic Arts Inc. swung to a fiscal second-quarter net loss, hurt by an accounting change, but shares climbed almost 3 percent after the company outlined a promising product lineup and said it expected to see a "great" holiday season.

Shares of Redwood City-based EA, the world's largest independent video game publisher, rose $1.72, or 2.9 percent, to close at $60.46 Friday, a day after it posted the loss.

EA also said Thursday it would shut down one of its development studios in England and trim its work force by about 4 percent, laying off about 350 employees.

"They've made tons of progress," said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities. "They appear to have costs under control and revenue growth is solid. They made all the right comments about cost-cutting."
The company has been criticized this year for not investing enough in games for the Nintendo Wii, which has become a runaway best-seller among the three major game consoles.

EA's chief financial officer, Warren Jenson, said the company has worked to change its lineup and will have seven titles for the Wii in time for the holidays, as well as five titles for the popular Nintendo DS gaming handheld — and more are planned.
"We were late to the Wii, but this year, we plan to launch 10 to 15 games for the Wii and DS," Jenson said in an interview. Currently, EA is the biggest third-party developer for the Wii, he said, but the company knows there is stiff competition in the arena. "So we're still building on that and we know we have a long way to go," he said.

In its fiscal second quarter, which ended Sept. 30, new editions of EA's popular sports franchises remained a key revenue driver, the company said. Gamers bought 4.5 million copies of "Madden NFL 08" and 2.9 million copies of "FIFA 08" during the period.

Some new titles also made solid debuts. "MySims," a game made for the Nintendo DS and Wii, sold over 1 million copies while "Skate" sold more than 500,000 units.

For the quarter, EA posted a net loss of $195 million, or 62 cents per share, compared with a profit of $22 million, or 7 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.

The company attributed part of the loss to a change in how it accounts for sales of online-enabled games, now recognizing the sales on a deferred basis over an estimated service period.

Adjusted earnings, excluding the change in revenue recognition and other items, were $87 million or 27 cents per share, up from $65 million or 21 cents per share a year earlier. On that basis, EA beat Wall Street's earnings expectations of 20 cents per share, according to a survey by Thomson Financial.

Revenue, however, fell 18 percent to $640 million from $784 million a year ago. But EA said it booked $296 million in sales of online-related products that will be accounted for in future periods. If it had included the deferred revenue, sales would have been $936 million, an increase of 19 percent from the year-ago period, the company said.

For the fiscal third quarter, EA forecast adjusted earnings of 75 cents to 95 cents per share on sales of $1.33 billion to $1.58 billion.

Analysts were predicting earnings of 94 cents per share.

For its fiscal year, which ends in March, the company predicted sales between $3.35 billion and $3.65 billion, up $150 million from its previous guidance. Adjusted earnings are expected to fall between 85 cents per share and $1.15 per share, reflecting a decrease of 5 cents per share stemming from the impact of its proposed acquisition of BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios.
Analysts were projecting adjusted earnings of $1.15 per share on sales of $3.77 billion.

EA said the restructuring plan will save it $25 million to $30 million a year on a pretax basis.

Electronic Arts sheds 350 jobs

Electronic Arts, the US computer games giant, is to close one of its offices in the UK as it sheds 350 jobs worldwide.

The company, whose products include The Simpsons Game and FIFA 08, said it would close its development site in Chertsey, Surrey, in an effort to cut costs.

EA, the world's biggest independent video games maker, said it made a loss of $195m (£94m) in the quarter to the end of September, against a $22m profit a year ago.

Accounting changes and production costs hit the bottom line. Marketing expenses rose 52pc, while research and development costs grew 9pc.

LifeSigns: Surgical Unit for Nintendo DS

DreamCatcher Inc. of the JoWooD Group, a leading worldwide publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software, today announced that LifeSigns: Surgical Unit for the Nintendo DS has shipped to retail stores. Find out what it is really like to examine, diagnose and operate on patients as you live the exciting life of a young, motivated doctor in this medical simulation title. LifeSigns: Surgical Unit will sell for a suggested retail price of $29.99 USD.

It’s a matter of life and death in this unique and exciting adventure game where players will strive to become a top-notch intern at one of the country’s best hospitals. As though you were a real doctor, you will be continuously confronted with medical emergencies and personnel issues that require your immediate attention. Communicate and interact with patients, nurses and other doctors in this dramatic medical simulation game where you are the doctor on call! With the unique features of the Nintendo DS, you will use authentic medical techniques and instruments to take pulse rates, make incisions and much more. Experience the medical drama of LifeSigns: Surgical Unit for yourself!

LifeSigns: Surgical Unit is developed by Spike with an ESRB Rating of T for Teen.

Kevin Pietersen endorses 10th year of International Cricket Captain III

10 years at the top for International Cricket captain

Empire are delighted to announce 10 years at the top of the Cricket Strategy league with International Cricket Captain - The world’s most popular cricket management game.

The world’s No. 1 selling cricket management series is endorsed by Hampshire and England hero, KEVIN PIETERSEN. “The games are made by cricket fans for cricket fans. They love the game and it shows,” said Kevin Pietersen MBE.

As the international cricket calendar continues around the world, with England’s tour of Sri Lanka soon to start; plus Pakistan, India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies all in action over the coming weeks, Empire is launching the world’s favourite cricket strategy simulation management game onto new formats for 2007-2008.

“Only International Cricket Captain feels like you are managing tactics and influencing performance of real players in the game of cricket before, during and after each match throughout the domestic and international season”, said Rob Noble Empire Marketing Manager.

The new version of International Cricket Captain also includes the following updates for 2007- 2008.
- Brand new 3D game engine
- Fully motion captured animations; the game captures the essence of watching the match on TV.
- New Ball Tracker instant replays reflect the televisual style
- New PS2 console and PSP versions for the first time
- New commentary from Test Match Special’s Jonathan Agnew

New formats. More choice. Improved quality
- Familiar PC version - Still Cricket Captain as current players know and love
- User interface and game engine brought up-to-date for 2007
- More decision making control during the match and newly modelled environments
- Consumer demand for more realistic visual representation

Who will be interested in the game?
It’s not just English cricket fans who are waiting for their chance to take on the world. Cricket fans from all the test playing nations will pick up International Cricket Captain because you can choose to be captain of any country, not just England. This is another new feature of Cricket Captain III.

The PC version arrived in the shops in July 2007, but new formats are now available.

Now new gaming audiences can captain their way to the top of World cricket. The game is available for the first time on PS2 console and PSP hand held.
– PS2 players for the all new fully motion captured player animations, 3D highlights engine and Tracker Cam all wrapped in TV presentation style. Available on PlayStation 2 for first time.
– PSP players for the short form games like Twenty20 and two player matches over WiFi connections. First time on a handheld.

What’s it like to play and what can you do?
International Cricket Captain allows you to manage tactics and influence performance of real players in the game of cricket before, during and after each match throughout the domestic and international seasons.

Everything that you could affect as a captain; from team selection, coaching, nurturing young talent and making the vital decisions in the match can make the difference between a great winning team and a poor season.

Take charge of a domestic or international team and steer them to victory through every match of the season.

You control all aspects of the team’s progress; from transfers, team selection and training, to detailed match tactics.

Choose your bowlers, plan their line of attack, set their fields and then watch the highlights to see if you get that vital breakthrough.

Ask your batsmen to make hay while the sun shines or defend through the fading light.

Match Modes
- Exhibition Match: go straight into a one off match with two international teams in either T20 or a One Day International (ODI) match
- Match Series: create a Test or One Day series of your choice with any two international teams
- County & International Career: captain both the county team of your choice and international team from the start of the game
- World Cup Series: replay the World Cup tournament in the West Indies or choose from historical World Cups

PS2
All the action comes to you with TV style replays in the all new 3D highlights. Fully motion captured animations, Ball Tracker cam analysis and all the tension, stress and pressure of coaching your team to ultimate success. Are you up for the challenge?

PSP
Get the action underway with specially created short forms of the game in exhibition matches, like 20/20 presented in TV style replays to get into International Cricket Captain on-the-go. Pick up, play, win. Are you up for the challenge?

Genre: Sports strategy management
Players: PS2 1/2, PSP 1/Wireless, (PC 1/2/Network)
Launch date: 16 Nov 2007
Formats: PlayStation 2, PSP, (PC CD-ROM released July 2007)
Publisher: Empire Interactive
Developer: Childish Things / Atomic Planet
Rating: PEGI rating 3+
SRP: £19.99

Tony Hawk's £1000 prize

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, out 2nd November, is available on X360, PS2, PS3, Wii and DS.

Every skater has a different story. In Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, you have the freedom to create yours. Experience a Tony Hawk game that lets you create and share your own lifestyle, where the choices you make impact how your character develops and the story unfolds. Take the risks, face the challenges and reap the rewards.

But that's not all! Grind on over to the official Tony Hawk Proving Ground You Tube channel and tell us your skate stories for a chance to win a £1000 cash. The options are limitless, just be totally creative - get out there with your phone or video camera and create your story for a chance to win £1000 cash.

To enter simply upload your video to the Tony Hawk Proving Ground Group at http://www.youtube.com/group/thpg. We will then approve your movie and post it here.
The movie with the most views by 31st December 2007 wins £1000 cash, Quicksilver and Vans gear, a console and a copy of the game. The next 5 most viewed get Quicksilver and Vans gear and a copy of the game plus we have 50 games for the next top 50 viewed.

Just remember there are some crazy ass moves in the game so don't try this at home, plus don't use any licensed music, brands and games (we won't mention any names).

Every skater has a story. Create yours.

PS3 closing gap on Japanese Wii sales

The Nintendo Wii is still outselling the PlayStation 3 by 2-to-1 in Japan, although the gap between the rival formats has closed for the fourth consecutive month.

The latest figures released by Enterbrain and reported by Reuters show that Nintendo shifted 110,415 units in the four weeks to October 28, while Sony sold 47,183 PlayStation 3 units.

Microsoft continues to struggle in the region, with sales of the Xbox 360 reaching 18,717 units for the same period.

Maybe due to short supply - see post below...

Midway blames Wii shortages for slow software roll-out

Midway has has said that manufacturing delays of Nintendo's Wii has had a direct effect on the company's roll-out of software to support the machine.

In a conference call following the release of the company's Q3 financial results, vice president of publishing Miguel Iribarren said that products for the busy Christmas period have had longer lead times than necessary

"The demand for Wii product has put a pretty big strain on Nintendo's production capacity, and that has in turn, for us, turned into longer lead times for some of our Wii products," commented Iribarren.

"And that, during the holidays – given product coming out in a short timeframe – has resulted, for us, in reduced ability to get product to shelves."

In the same call the publisher admitted that it had faced some technical issues with its first products for PlayStation 3 – including the best-selling Stranglehold – but that it was now over any architecture problems.

"We ran into some technical issues developing for the PlayStation 3 that have taken more time to finalise than we expected," admitted David Zucker, CEO of Midway.

"We do believe these technical issues are now complete at a core level in our engine," added Zucker, and that he expects all SKUs of multiformat titles to ship "day and date."

Source: Games Industry