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class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2008/01/03/the_twenty_other_games_to_look_forward_to_in_2008_part_one.html" title="The twenty (other) games to look forward to in 2008: part one">The twenty (other) games to look forward to in 2008: part one</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Coming soon / Must Haves / NIntendo / Next Gen / PC / PlayStation / Round-up / Xbox</strong> 02:10pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="echochrome" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/echochrome.gif" width="410" height="180"/><br/> Okay, we all know what the big games of the year are going to be. Familiar names like Grand Theft Auto IV, Gran Turismo 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Too Human, Mario Kart Wii and Burnout Paradise are cropping up on just about every 'hot for 2008' list feature out there.</p> <p>So here's a <i>slightly</i> different top twenty, with titles drawn from your suggestions for 'the most promising game of 2008' as well as my own wishlist. Just something to get us all thinking about the riches this genuinely exciting year has in store... </p> <p>Part two arriving as soon as I've written it. Probably tomorrow.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2008/01/03/the_twenty_other_games_to_look_forward_to_in_2008_part_one.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2008/01/03/the_twenty_other_games_to_look_forward_to_in_2008_part_one.html#comments">Comments (20)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2008/01/03/the_twenty_other_games_to_look_forward_to_in_2008_part_one.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Monday 29.10.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/29/exguitar_hero_developer_bashes_ps3.html" title="Ex-Guitar Hero developer bashes PS3">Ex-Guitar Hero developer bashes PS3</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Business / Next Gen / PlayStation</strong> 09:40am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>This one is <i>all over</i> the blogosphere. Jason Booth, previously of Harmonix and now part of a fresh start-up, Conduit Labs, has blogged about the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://jbooth.blogspot.com/2007/10/ps3-misconceptions-and-spin.html">limitations of the PS3 hardware</a>. He attacks what he sees as the myths surrounding the system - that it's more graphically advanced than the 360, that Blu-ray provides advantages and that developers will draw more performance out of the architecture once they master it. He claims, instead, that intrinsic hardware issues mean that developers are always playing catch up to the Xbox capabilities: </p> <blockquote><p>...getting equivalent performance out of the PS3 requires a lot of work unique to the platform, and in many cases, even with all these tricks, you still won't see equivalent performance. Thus, many ps3 games have simplified shaders and run at lower native resolutions than the 360 versions. On top of this, there is shrinking incentive to do this work; the PS3 isn't selling.</p></blockquote> <p>His conclusion?</p> <blockquote><p>Sony let their hardware be designed by a comity of business interests rather than a well thought out design that would serve the game development community. They are going to loose hard this round because of it, and I hope that in the next round they take lessons from this round and produce a more balanced and usable machine.</p></blockquote> <p>It's an interesting piece, although certainly not <i>the only</i> point of view I've heard from developers - Epic chief Mark Rein has mounted a robust defense of PS3 on several occasions (one <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=156365">here</a>), and, of course, Brian Hastings of Insomniac provided a witty pro-PS3 anti-Wii tirade (see <http: www.gamersquad.com category playstation-3 insomniac-execs-10-reasons-why-the-ps3-will-succeed/>here</a>) on the company's website.</p> <p>The thing is, next-generation videogame development is now so enormously complex and demanding, almost every studio (and everyone <i>within</i> each studio) is going to have a different play on the intrinsic advantages and disadvantages of each platform, based on their own personal experiences. Having an opinion on a piece of games hardware is now almost a political undertaking, similarly fraught with personal prejudice and conflicting data.</p> <p>The console war is a modern war - fractured, partial, almost incomprehensible to the layman. These voices from the development community are dispatches from a foreign land, fed through the static of individual experience and technological mumbo-jumbo. The only evidence we can really trust is the games.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/29/exguitar_hero_developer_bashes_ps3.html#comments">Comments (22)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/29/exguitar_hero_developer_bashes_ps3.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 25.10.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/25/assassins_creed_launch_date_announced.html" title="Assassin's Creed launch date announced">Assassin's Creed launch date announced</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 08:27pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="assassin_2.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/assassin_2.gif" width="410" height="180"/><br/> I don't usually bother with this sort of thing, but having travelled out to Montreal twice to see this epic production (four years in the making!), I thought I'd mention that Ubisoft's adventure has 'gone gold' and will be released on November 16. Finally we'll get the chance to see what all this genetic memory stuff is about. We'll also get our hands on the interesting but controversial context-sensitive control system, which is meant to turn all the free-running elements into a pleasure rather than a Prince of Persia-style challenge. Those who played the demo at E3 weren't sure.</p> <p>Whatever, the fact that Ubisoft has pinned its seasonal hopes on a new 'franchise' is something to be commended. Christmas is traditionally a time of witless movie tie-ins and cookie cutter sequels, with various Need for Speed iterations dominating the number one slot for the last five years. But this year we've got Assassin's, Haze, Stranglehold and Kane & Lynch standing up against NFS, FIFA, PES and CoD.</p> <p>It's Ubisoft's Holy War-'em-up that stands the best chance of fighting off the sequel brigade to claim top spot. It's a vitally important release for the company, cripplingly expensive to develop (the team stood at over 170 last time I was there in the spring) and the start point for a potentially lucrative series. It's clear creative director Patrice Desilets has plans for several sequels, and even spin-offs - I'm pretty sure he hinted to me that some sort of co-op based sidestory was planned. It'll all come to nothing if this doesn't shift at least a couple of million copies.</p> <p>In the chaos of Christmas, publishers of original titles are making a dangerous but necessary gamble. They may cancel each other out or drown in a sea of FIFA cases, but they've got to be here, slogging it out with the veterans. Four years work resting on a couple of months in the retail quagmire? This is a pitiless business at times. </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/25/assassins_creed_launch_date_announced.html#comments">Comments (20)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/25/assassins_creed_launch_date_announced.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Wednesday 10.10.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/10/haze_and_the_evolution_of_coop_a_quick_chat_with_free_radical_design.html" title="Haze and the evolution of co-op: a quick chat with Free Radical Design">Haze and the evolution of co-op: a quick chat with Free Radical Design</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Interviews / Next Gen</strong> 08:49pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="haze_four.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/haze_four.gif" width="410" height="180"/><br/> Mulitplayer is changing. Once upon-a-time studios flung a couple of deathmatch modes in at the arse-end of the development process, and considered that job done. But now the co-operative option has become a key, integrated element of next-gen console releases. Halo was a trendsetter of course, but since then, we've had the tactical tension of four-player GRAW and the pitch dark, blood-splattered carnage of Gears of War, designed very much with two-player co-operation in mind.</p> <p>Now, co-op is gradually being refined and re-thought. Soon we'll see EA's <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.ea.com/armyoftwo/index.jsp">Army of Two</a>, in which players must communicate constantly, collaboratively clearing obstacles, protecting each other, employing the characters' different weapons and skills in a holistic, combined approach. Interestingly, players that race off ahead will be penalised by drawing much more enemy fire (or 'Agro' as its referred to in the game). Everyone is in this together. </p> <p>Meanwhile, Io Interactive has just revealed a fascinating new 'Fragile Alliance' mode set to appear in forthcoming shooter, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.kaneandlynch.com/">Kane and Lynch</a>, where players must work co-operatively on a bank heist but then figure out ways they can betray their colleagues and escape with the most loot. According to the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=173325">CVG preview</a>, gunned down crooks return as cops to take revenge on their back-stabbing cohorts - a neat little wrinkle on an already intriguing premise.</p> <p>Then there's Free Radical Design's <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://hazegame.uk.ubi.com/">Haze</a>, which presents a co-op mode that integrates with the single player missions, beefing out plotpoints and narrative gaps that won't get explained in the main campaign. I asked the game's project leader, Derek Littlewood, about the growing role of the co-op mode and where he thinks the concept is going... </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/10/haze_and_the_evolution_of_coop_a_quick_chat_with_free_radical_design.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/10/haze_and_the_evolution_of_coop_a_quick_chat_with_free_radical_design.html#comments">Comments (21)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/10/10/haze_and_the_evolution_of_coop_a_quick_chat_with_free_radical_design.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 23.08.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/08/23/there_can_be_only_one.html" title="There can be only one...">There can be only one...</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Events / Next Gen</strong> 11:10am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/NY6_09.jpg"><img alt="NY6_09.jpg" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/NY6_09-thumb.jpg" width="400" height="200"/></a><br/> Eidos has unveiled Highlander, a new title based in the 'universe' of the movies and TV series. Due out on PC, 360 and PS3 next year, it looks like a third-person adventure with the acrobatic undertones of Assasin's Creed. From the release:</p> <p><i>"control an Immortal embroiled in a battle against rival Immortals in an adventure spanning over 2000 years. Explore and battle your way through epic historical locations. (NY, Pompeii, Japan and the Highlands). Featuring familiar characters from the Highlander series, stunning sword combat, epic battles and high adventure in lush, historical locations."</i></p> <p>As well as sword fighting and leaping from buildings there are also a series of Quickening moves to remember ("Resurrection, Chi balance, Weapon Mastery and Channelling the Source"), which, to the cynical mind, might sound a little like Force powers. No word yet on a soundtrack, but <i>surely</i> they'll license the Queen tunes?</p> <p>The announcement has been accompanied by several moody screenshots of a New York dock location. I've no idea why. There's also an <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.highlanderthegame.com/">official website</a>, but it's not working. I don't think Eidos are fully with it on this one yet, but I loved the original Highlander so I'll let them off. I can also do a convincing Kurgan impersonation.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/08/23/there_can_be_only_one.html#comments">Comments (15)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/08/23/there_can_be_only_one.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Wednesday 22.08.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/08/22/ea_announces_new_rock_band_tunes.html" title="EA announces new Rock Band tunes">EA announces new Rock Band tunes</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Events / Next Gen</strong> 02:00pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>It's due out in the US at the end of 2007 and in Europe in early 2008 and now it has a whole new selection of music tracks. Yes, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.rockband.com/">Rock Band</a> is at the Games Convention with EA revealing a localised music selection for Europe.</p> <p>New songs for the disc are confirmed as: Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter," Deep Purple "Highway Star," The Clash "Should I Stay or Should I Go," Faith No More "Epic," Smashing Pumpkins "Cherub Rock," Radiohead "Creep," Beastie Boys "Sabotage," Jet "Are You Gonna Be My Girl," OK Go "Here It Goes Again," and Nine Inch Nails "The Hand That Feeds."</p> <p>This brings the total to 26 and EA is talking about making more available for download.</p> <p>So any of these tickle your drumming, strumming or vocalising fancy? OK Go is a rather unexpected inclusion, and can you imagine the mess that drunk, flirty blokes are going to make of Radiohead's morbidly self-indulgent ode to doomed love?</p> <p>I've put the full track list below...</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/08/22/ea_announces_new_rock_band_tunes.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/08/22/ea_announces_new_rock_band_tunes.html#comments">Comments (13)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/08/22/ea_announces_new_rock_band_tunes.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Tuesday 31.07.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/31/flawed_fiddly_unmissable_can_raw_ambition_survive_in_the_nextgen_era.html" title="Flawed, fiddly... unmissable? Can raw ambition survive in the next-gen era?">Flawed, fiddly... unmissable? Can raw ambition survive in the next-gen era?</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 12:07pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="assassin_e3.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/assassin_e3.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> Some interesting hands-on reports of Assassin's Creed are coming through after the game's showing at E3. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=169205">This one</a> from PSM3 magazine's Dan Dawkins, seems to sum up opinion quite nicely - the game is massively ambitious, has moments of genius, but is also frustrating and demanding:</p> <blockquote><p>"It pays little respect to convention - instead of holding L1 to lock-on, you simply tap it on/off to engage combat mode, which takes adjustment, especially since you can't always tell whether you're locked on. All controls are context-sensitive, with different abilities available when you're locked on. The R1 button is used as an 'Aggression Modifier'. Your main buttons are displayed in a tiny icon (e.g. X to blend into the crowd, circle for push, square to punch), but hold R1 and they're aggressively modified (e.g. X to free run, circle to barge, square to attack). 'Punch' may become 'assassinate' when you're holding the right weapon, and alter according to where you're stood, and by whom."</p></blockquote> <p>What some journos have told me is that these context-sensitive controls work well when you're relaxed and have time and space. But when you're being chased through the city by armed guards, the foibles of the free-running system can have you fruitlessly clawing at brick like a frightened cat. </p> <p>Dan earlier compares this lack of intuitive interaction with Metal Gear Solid 3 - here, too, the controls took several hours to master. The recent Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer also hints at a complex control array, with players able to shimmy across the floor, change camouflage, kneel, wrestle and quietly subdue guards via a complex series of interlinked moves. </p> <p>In the winter season these two 'brands' are going to be the standard bearers for 'hardcore' action adventuring. It will be interesting to see how the scope of these games and, of course, the stunning visuals - can counter the lack of immediacy some players may feel when engaging with their worlds. </p> <p>The context-sensitive control system for Assassin's was meant to be about simplifying the action, but, it turns out that moving away from standard 'this button does that and only that' thinking has turned up new problems. I know that the mechanism has gone through several changes over the last year, the designers making concessions to the habitual expectations of gamers. Have they gone too far, or not far enough?</p> <p>One thing's certain: everyone seems pleased - relieved even - that games of such single-minded ambition are still being created. With development costs spiraling out of control thanks to the complexities of PS3 and Xbox 360 development, it is questionable how many more of these titles we'll see. Assassin's has a staff of over 170 people. Creative Director Patrice Desilets has been working on the project for three years - how many publishers will be able to support that kind of indulgence in the future? Sure, the movie business still manages to produce 200 million dollar blockbusters, but the retail, distribution and funding models are totally different.</p> <p>Interestingly though, Assassin's wasn't a big player in the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/nominees.html">2007 E3 Game Critics Award Nominations</a> - it's only in the running for Best Action/Adventure. Rockband, Call of Duty 4, LittleBigPlanet, Bioshock, Fallout 3 and Mass Effect were among the most nominated titles. The results are announced today.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/31/flawed_fiddly_unmissable_can_raw_ambition_survive_in_the_nextgen_era.html#comments">Comments (18)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/31/flawed_fiddly_unmissable_can_raw_ambition_survive_in_the_nextgen_era.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 26.07.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/26/ubisoft_finds_lost_and_calls_in_heroes.html" title="Ubisoft finds Lost and calls in Heroes">Ubisoft finds Lost and calls in Heroes</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 08:02pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>Ubisoft has revealed the first details of its tie-in with hit series Lost, due out on Xbox 360, PC and PS3 in Q1 2008. The deal with ABC Studios was struck ages ago, but then Ubisoft suddenly stopped talking about it, as though silenced by The Others. Today, however, we've discovered that players will take on the role of a Flight 815 passenger who survives the crash (good start) and must work with characters from the TV show to unravel the island's mysteries. Helene Juguet, US senior director of marketing for Ubisoft, says:</p> <blockquote><p>"Ubisoft has worked closely with ABC Studios and the show's producers to create a compelling storyline that has the same mystery, adventure and intensity fans of the show have come to expect from the 'Lost' brand."</p></blockquote> <p>You'll also have to confront dark secrets from your character's past - mirroring the flashback formula used throughout the TV programme. Naturally, there are puzzles to solve, smoke monsters to vanquish and familiar environments to explore. Ubisoft is releasing a trailer later tonight.</p> <p>Ubisoft has also revealed a deal to create the inevitable game version of NBC's Lost rival, Heroes. It will be a, yes, third-person action adventure, featuring all the key characters. Interestingly, co-executive producer Jesse Alexander <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i875ea62c3f121f746d26fd652250bd82">told Hollywood Reporter</a>, "From Day 1 we've all been thinking about the game... All along we've been writing some of our stories in ways they can tie into the eventual video game."</p> <p>It's an indication of how relationships are shifting within the entertainment industry. It used to be movies that coyly inserted sequences specifically designed for the videogame conversion, now TV execs are at it, knowing that game tie-ins don't just bring in raw cash - they also help to build and cement the brand community.<br/> At the same time, with the growing cultural importance of TV shows like Lost, Battlestar Galactica and Heroes, game publishers are likely to seek the same sort of deals they used to ink with the film studios.</p> <p>On top of this, there's also a growing <i>creative</i> synergy between the videogame and TV industries. A lot of key players behind the big TV series' are gamers - they've grown up with videogame themes and conventions and have clearly been influenced by game culture. Lost is a clear example.</p> <p>Ubisoft isn't too nu-school to reject movies entirely though. Earlier this week, James Cameron announced that he'd chosen the French company to produce a videogame version of his sci-fi movie, Avatar, due out in 2009. Here's another example of videogame conventions inspiring other forms of entertainment. As <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ifb0f8af7f80d3cacb8d27b004f9d7267?imw=Y">Hollywood Reporter explains</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>"Avatar, Cameron's first feature film in more than a decade, tells the story of Jake (Sam Worthington), an ex-Marine who persists in an alien world as an avatar, a human mind in an alien body. The concept is similar to many video games where a player creates a virtual manifestation of themselves, often referred to as an avatar."</p></blockquote> <p>Two other interesting facts from the report: the performance capture data and 3D CGI effects from the movie will feed directly into the game - a familiar tactic with special effects blockbusters these days, but set to be more extensive in this case. Also, Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot reckons that game tie-ins, "will generate at least 50% of a blockbuster film's global boxoffice tally".</p> <p>But back to Lost and Heroes - what would you like to see from the videogame conversions?</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/26/ubisoft_finds_lost_and_calls_in_heroes.html#comments">Comments (4)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/26/ubisoft_finds_lost_and_calls_in_heroes.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <div class="blogs-index-separator"> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/26/gta_iv_rockstar_mouthpiece_says_buy_a_360.html" title="GTA IV - Rockstar mouthpiece says 'buy a 360'">GTA IV - Rockstar mouthpiece says 'buy a 360'</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 01:51pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>This one's going through the Xbox fanboy community like an under-cooked chicken jalfrezi. Rockstar Games US spokesman Hosi Simon has <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.gamesradar.com/us/ps3/game/news/article.jsp?sectionId=1006&articleId=20070725111542242077&releaseId=20060313153735796095">told</a> GamesRadar that if you want the most complete GTA IV experience, "you should buy the 360" - a reference, of course, to that version's exclusive downloadable episodes. </p> <p>He's earlier quoted as saying, "They're identical games... We're not hardware makers, and we're not like a pawn between these companies, we try not to be as much as we can. We make great games for people to enjoy on whichever system they want."</p> <p>But this spirit of objectivity is rather undermined by the whole 'complete experience' angle. It also raises interesting questions about the future of downloadable content - at what point does an optional extra become a mandatory addition? Are we facing a retail model where gamers fork out for a full-price product only to get an ad for the <i>real</i> final level at the close of the game? </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/26/gta_iv_rockstar_mouthpiece_says_buy_a_360.html#comments">Comments (11)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/26/gta_iv_rockstar_mouthpiece_says_buy_a_360.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 05.07.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/05/microsoft_confesses_that_xbox_360_has_huge_glitches_takes_115bn_charge.html" title="Microsoft confesses that Xbox 360 has huge glitches: takes $1.15bn charge">Microsoft confesses that Xbox 360 has huge glitches: takes $1.15bn charge</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Charles Arthur / Next Gen</strong> 10:32pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>Microsoft is to take a record charge after deciding to extend the Xbox 360's warranty to three years.</p> <p>According to the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118366722047358380.html?mod=technology_main_whats_news">Wall Street Journal</a>, "Microsoft said it will take a charge of as much as $1.15 billion to extend Xbox 360 warranty coverage to three years. The company said it has been required to make an "unacceptable number" of repairs to the game machines since they went on sale in November 2005. The extended warranty covers a specific problem that causes the machines to fail."</p> <p>This follows our stories earlier asking <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2091221,00.html">What is the real failure rate of the Xbox 360?</a> (31 May) and Microsoft's attempts to evade the question in earlier interviews. </p> <p>This will only cover the "three flashing red lights" problem - and though Microsoft has published an <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/resources/warrantyfaq.htm">FAQ on its site</a>, the key FAQ remains open:</p> <blockquote><strong>Q</strong>: Have you identified a root cause that can lead to failure?</blockquote> <blockquote><strong>A</strong>: There is not a single issue that we can point to as being a problem. We test the product extensively, including accelerated life testing, but the nature of the console itself is very complex, as it’s a consumer electronic product that contains more than 1,700 different components and 500 million transistors. </blockquote> <p>Oh, those transistors again. Has nobody told Microsoft? <i>Transistors don't fail.</i> It's big hardware that fails. We'll have more next week - and in the next few days - but the fact is that the motherboard seems to warp when it gets warm. </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/05/microsoft_confesses_that_xbox_360_has_huge_glitches_takes_115bn_charge.html#comments">Comments (30)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/05/microsoft_confesses_that_xbox_360_has_huge_glitches_takes_115bn_charge.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <div class="blogs-index-separator"> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/05/gran_turismo_5_a_year_away_and_still_no_damage.html" title="Gran Turismo 5 - a year away. And still no damage">Gran Turismo 5 - a year away. And still no damage</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 12:21pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="GT5 screen" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/Nissan_SKYLINE_GT-R_Vspec_II__94_Eiger_Nordwand_061212_002.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> Okay, I'm a little late with this, but just in case you haven't seen it, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.the-magicbox.com/gaming.htm">Magic Box</a> and other news sources have picked up on the latest scarce titbits from GT5 developer Polyphony Digital, delivered to US car magazine, Car and Drive. Kazunori Yamauchi has apparently confirmed that the game won't be released until Spring 2008. There will also be no vehicle damage - at least not in the original release. Damage may be included as a downloadable option at a later date. </p> <p>The reasoning behind the damage decision? Yamauchi blames manufacturer unwillingness to see their beautiful cars being mangled, and also the complexity of re-modeling each chassis element to portray realistic damage. It has been pointed out on several sites that both of these problems were resolved in the Project Gotham series.</p> <p>It's another blow to Sony, the company clearly desperate for exclusive Triple A releases in order to compete with the rampaging Wii. High-end, well-established simulations like this are going to prove a key selling point for PS3. Wii cannot compete with the graphical luxuries of the GT series (each car in GT5 takes 180 days to model, we're told), plus the hardcore audience of simulation fans will probably want to play 'serious' driving games (as well as sports sims) on a system and controller that support intricate, accurate interaction. With lots of buttons.</p> <p>In short, and this is probably contentious, Gran Turismo appeals to the audience that Wii doesn't. And now it doesn't get to enter the arena for almost a year.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/05/gran_turismo_5_a_year_away_and_still_no_damage.html#comments">Comments (32)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/07/05/gran_turismo_5_a_year_away_and_still_no_damage.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Monday 18.06.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/06/18/pes_2008_gets_clever.html" title="PES 2008 gets clever">PES 2008 gets clever</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 01:28pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="pes2008.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/pes2008.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> Konami has released new details and screenshots of Pro Evo 2008, due on PS3, Xbox 360 and super-powered PCs this Autumn. The biggest boast, predictably enough, is the re-worked AI, or 'proprietary adaptive AI system' according to the press release. It's called Teamvision and here's a bit more info from the release:</p> <blockquote><p>"Unique to the Konami game, Teamvision is a sophisticated AI programming that learns and adapts according to an individual's style of play. As such, it will learn new ways to build attacks and to counter specific movements and previous attacking or defensive errors, ensuring games are more in line with the tactical but flowing nature of the real thing."</p></blockquote> <p>I always thought that's what the PES AI was <i>supposed</i> to have been doing all these years, but obviously I was mistaken. Still, it looks like I'm finally going to have to add to my two basic scoring tactics.</p> <p>Also in the 2008 edition - enhanced close-control, with new subtle moves to beat defenders, and better dribbling. Konami is also promising to improve the set-piece system, which is a relief as it's currently easier to flick a frozen pea through a Hula Hoop crisp suspended a quarter of a mile away around a slight corner, than it is to net from a PES free-kick. Or at least that's my experience.</p> <p>Finally, we're promised incredibly realistic facial animation thanks to the wonders of HD. Will we be able to lip-read what the players are saying to the ref - or for that matter, what they're whispering to each other in the game's touchingly homoerotic goal celebrations? </p> <p>The strange thing is, though, all these promises hardly matter. The audiences for PES and FIFA are so entrenched it'll take an almighty fumble of the ball by one of the competitors to convince fans to defect to the other. Frankly, I'll buy this even if they make 'Man Blue' as ineffectual and sluggish as they did last time. That's realism for you, I suppose. </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/06/18/pes_2008_gets_clever.html#comments">Comments (23)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/06/18/pes_2008_gets_clever.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Wednesday 30.05.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/05/30/woo_spector_ninjas.html" title="Woo + Spector + ninjas">Woo + Spector + ninjas</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 07:30pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>I missed this on Monday, but Hollywood Reporter has revealed that action movie director John Woo and game designer Warren Spector are teaming up to work on a new movie/videogame project named Ninja Gold. The story revolves around a traditional Ninja warrior who must adapt to operate in the modern world of covert warfare. </p> <p>"The game concept is actually based on facts that the Yakuza and the Russian mob are involved in tons of gold being stolen in South Africa," Terrence Chang, Woo's production partner, told Hollywood Reporter. </p> <p>Woo has appparently been involved in creating the cast of characters and some key set-pieces for the game, and these will transfer to the movie - although the game will have a more fantasy-based scenario. Spector will oversee the game, but will also have a production credit on the film. All very cosy.</p> <p>John Woo is one of several mainstream directors to get intimately involved with videogames. He co-owns a development studio, Tiger Hill Entertainment; its promising shooter, Stranglehold, will be released by Midway later this year. As for Spector, this isn't his first dalliance with the movie world - Columbia Pictures optioned his dark PC adventure Deus Ex for a movie <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.insidemacgames.com/news/story.php?ArticleID=5462">back in 2002</a>, but nothing happened. It is, however, difficult to imagine a John Woo movie about gold hunting ninjas not making it to multiplex screens everywhere.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/05/30/woo_spector_ninjas.html#comments">Comments (5)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/05/30/woo_spector_ninjas.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Wednesday 23.05.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/05/23/ubidays_event_sam_fisher_goes_bad.html" title="Ubidays event: Sam Fisher goes bad">Ubidays event: Sam Fisher goes bad</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 09:37pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="Sam Fisher: the stealthiest hobo" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/SCC_Park_FinishingMove2.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> Ubisoft is holding a big press event in Paris at the moment. I couldn't make it, sadly, but the press info and screenshots are now trickling back. Most interesting perhaps is Spinter Cell Conviction in which Sam Fisher, now resembling an early seventies Kris Kristofferson, is forced to become a fugitive when the government turns against him - a twist influenced by 24, perhaps?</p> <p>Here, Fisher is able to pick up and implement a range of every day items, as well as hit his blackmarket contacts for familiar high-tech gadgets. Like Assassin's Creed, there's a big emphasis on crowds, with Fisher often having to hide amid civilians in order to evade his persecutors. </p> <p>I'm fascinated by the promised crowd-based multiplayer system in which players do battle surrounded by innocent passers-by. This, I feel, is going to get extremely messy. The game is due out this winter. </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/05/23/ubidays_event_sam_fisher_goes_bad.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/05/23/ubidays_event_sam_fisher_goes_bad.html#comments">Comments (6)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/05/23/ubidays_event_sam_fisher_goes_bad.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 03.05.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/05/03/ibm_invents_selfassembling_nanochip.html" title="IBM invents self-assembling nano-chip">IBM invents self-assembling nano-chip</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 07:00pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="ibmchip.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/ibmchip.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> I'm not even go to pretend to fully understand this, but it has interesting ramifications for future videogame console development, so here goes. IBM has <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/21473.wss">announced</a> a new computer chip based around self-assembling nanotechnology.</p> <blockquote><p>"The natural pattern-creating process that forms seashells, snowflakes, and enamel on teeth has been harnessed by IBM to form trillions of holes to create insulating vacuums around the miles of nano-scale wires packed next to each other inside each computer chip. In chips running in IBM labs using the technique, the researchers have proven that the electrical signals on the chips can flow 35 percent faster, or the chips can consume 15 percent less energy compared to the most advanced chips using conventional techniques."</p></blockquote> <p>Apparently the nanotechnology manufacturing process provides the equivalent of two generations of Moore's Law, in terms of performance improvement, in a single step. It will be incorporated into IBM's manufacturing lines in 2009.</p> <p>Kuturagi <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=163127">spoke last week</a> about his plans (or former plans) for PlayStation 4,5 and 6. I wonder if these two announcements will one day prove to be linked? </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/05/03/ibm_invents_selfassembling_nanochip.html#comments">Comments (6)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/05/03/ibm_invents_selfassembling_nanochip.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Wednesday 11.04.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/04/11/gta_iv_multiplayer_and_other_details.html" title="GTA IV - multiplayer and other details">GTA IV - multiplayer and other details</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 10:12pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://spong.com/article/12263/GTA_IV_Multiplayer_Exclusive_360_Content_Details_Here_/?d=200704111139&cb=533">SPOnG</a> and other sources have lasciviously pored over a ten-page GTA IV preview featured in this month's Game Informer magazine. Some of the titbits include confirmation of a multiplayter mode as well as Xbox 360 exclusive episodic content available for download at a later date.</p> <p>The game centres around Eastern European immigrant Niko Bellic who arrives in a contemporary Liberty City to pursue the American dream after a few years spent working in the up-and-coming areas of human trafficking and murder. He is, then, a sort of cross between Scarface and the Daily Mail's perennial nightmare of Balkan madmen coming for our jobs. And daughters. </p> <p>This is a rather downbeat set-up for the series, eschewing the idealised period placement of previous titles, and opting for an ethnicity that exudes none of the easy allure of previous gangsta characters. There have been no mainstream rap records, no flashy Brian de Palma movies, about Croatian killers seeking American redemption. And still, no female lead character - perhaps they're saving that for the <i>next</i> generation. </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/04/11/gta_iv_multiplayer_and_other_details.html#comments">Comments (12)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/04/11/gta_iv_multiplayer_and_other_details.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Tuesday 10.04.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/04/10/radio_on_console.html" title="Radio on console">Radio on console</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 08:18pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>It's weird how radio has come back into vogue. A few years ago technological sooth-sayers were predicting its demise, due to our increasingly visual culture manifested in the rise of satellite and cable TV. But then came iPod to get us interested in audio again, plus DAB and internet radio, their proliferation of new channels appealing to the magpie consciousness of the modern media consumer. </p> <p>Now Channel 4 has made radio a key part of its multimedia strategy (bringing several shows to PSP, via a series of Wi-Fi podcasts), and today Virgin Radio announced that it has launched <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.virginradio.co.uk/listen/">a special version of its Media Player</a> for PS3 and Wii, allowing users to stream the station via their consoles. The service will also support ticket and CD sales, and listeners will be able to download music tracks through the Virgin Radio Ticket Store.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.1850">Radio Today</a> quotes James Cridland at Virgin who states:</p> <blockquote><p>"People are treating the consoles as part of their home entertainment media centre, and now Virgin Radio will be part of that experience. This platform has great growth potential, particularly among early-adopters and 25-44 audience popular with advertisers."</p></blockquote> <p>Of course, what Wii and PS3 owners could really do with is Real or Windows Media Player compatibility so any of the thousands of internet radio stations would be listenable via console. I'm not sure about Wii, but I know that PS3 can handle radio stations that use Flash to stream audio - although this is comparatively rare. Sony has stated that it plans some kind of media player support in the future.</p> <p>For now, Virgin radio will have to do.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/04/10/radio_on_console.html#comments">Comments (4)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/04/10/radio_on_console.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 11.01.07</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/01/11/wii_outsells_ps3_in_japan_is_the_wii_to_consoles_what_wifi_was_to_laptops.html" title="Wii outsells PS3 - in Japan; is the Wii to consoles what Wi-Fi was to laptops?">Wii outsells PS3 - in Japan; is the Wii to consoles what Wi-Fi was to laptops?</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Charles Arthur / NIntendo / Next Gen / PlayStation / Xbox</strong> 11:26am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>Despite going on sale in Japan three weeks after the PS3, Nintendo's Wii outsold the PS3 in both companies' home territory by more than two to one, according to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/technology/10cnd-sony.html?_r=1&ref=technology&oref=slogin">this story in the New York Times</a> (login required), quoting Japanese estimates.</p> <blockquote>Enterbrain, a Tokyo-based video game magazine publisher, released sales estimates in Japan today that showed Sony fell far short of its goal of selling one million PlayStation 3 consoles here last year. Sony sold 534,336 units between their debut in Japan on Nov. 11 and Jan. 7, Enterbrain said.</blockquote> <blockquote>By contrast, Enterbrain reported that rival Nintendo sold 1.14 million units of its less expensive new game console, Wii, by the same date, despite going on sale three weeks after PlayStation. Microsoft’s Xbox 360, which has had limited success breaking into the Japanese market, has sold 311,053 units since arriving in December 2005, Enterbrain said.</blockquote> <blockquote>...The Japanese sales estimates came just days after Sony announced that it had met its goal of shipping one million PlayStation 3s to the United States by the end of last year. That announcement was made on the opening day of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where Sony is showcasing PlayStation 3.</blockquote> <blockquote>However, analysts point out that the American figure only reflects shipments to retailers, not actual purchases by consumers.</blockquote> <p>And that last could be important. The Wiii has terrific word-of-mouth. It pulls in people who wouldn't be in the least interested in a games console. Which means a potential buyer if that person is an adult. Tell me, how would you sell the PS3 to an adult who's not interested in games? With Blu-ray? But who's going to hitch their horse to a high-def format that's not a winner and whose discs cost tons more than a DVD?</p> <p>Let me add my own perspective here. Nobody is ever going to mistake me for a rabid console maniac (even though my first computer programming was to write a game on a Commodore PET - so, guess <i>my</i> age). But I think the Wii defines the next generation of console. It doesn't matter how powerful your product is if it doesn't do what it needs to. </p> <p>That's why I compare the Wii to Wi-Fi. I first tried out Wi-Fi in September 2000, when most of us (including me) were on dialup connectivity. What, disbelievers asked, was the point in having a wireless Ethernet when your internet connection was running at one-twentieth the speed? But wireless, and the freedom it confers, is a boon in itself, and as the rest of the technology catches up, wireless becomes even more useful. <strong>Once you’ve used it, you don’t want to go back.</strong></p> <p>The comparison struck me when I was trying out the Nintendo Wii with its Bluetooth- and infrared-control remotes, which let you “play” games such as tennis, golf, baseball and bowling by doing what you’d really do — move your arms and body about. Many gamers say dismissively that Nintendo’s audience are “just kids”.</p> <p>But the Wii instantly makes the PS3 and Xbox 360 look like the mainframes of the past, stuck in an old paradigm. And today’s kids, of course, are tomorrow’s console buyers too. </p> <p>If I were at Sony, I’d be rather worried, and have a crash team working on lending the PS3 some Wii-ness, to go on sale <i>right away</i>. And if there isn’t someone out there writing a Star Wars game for the Wii, complete with light sabre duels, I’d just like to say: start now and you’ll make a killing next Christmas. </p> <p>(Sorry, a problem where people couldn't comment on this now fixed, I hope.)<br/> </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/01/11/wii_outsells_ps3_in_japan_is_the_wii_to_consoles_what_wifi_was_to_laptops.html#comments">Comments (9)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2007/01/11/wii_outsells_ps3_in_japan_is_the_wii_to_consoles_what_wifi_was_to_laptops.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Monday 18.12.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/18/bioshock_and_awe.html" title="Bioshock and awe">Bioshock and awe</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen / Xbox</strong> 08:58pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>2K Games has released a new trailer of its promising FPS, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock/">Bioshock</a>, and I've put it on the Gamesblog YouTube page! It was created for the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.spiketv.com/#events/vga2006/index.jhtml">Spike TV videogame awards</a> and features a few new snippets of in-game action.</p> <p>I won't embed the video here as it's quite large, so <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lekKQEE2lZM">please follow this link</a> directly to YouTube.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/18/bioshock_and_awe.html#comments">Comments (24)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/18/bioshock_and_awe.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 14.12.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/14/blue_dragon_beats_zelda.html" title="Blue Dragon beats Zelda">Blue Dragon beats Zelda</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 10:01pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>Just a quick one. In all the Wii vs PS3 fuss, some people have accidentally forgotten about Xbox 360. But it's still around and actually building itself a presence in Japan. As CVG reports, the country's <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=151799?cid=otc-rss&attr=cvg-general-rss&skip=yes">game charts from December 4 to 10</a>, shows Blue Dragon at number 4, while Zelda limps in at 17. Okay, this is probably down to the inavailability of Wii units, but let's not focus on that - 80,000 sales for a 360 game is pretty decent.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/14/blue_dragon_beats_zelda.html#comments">Comments (15)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/14/blue_dragon_beats_zelda.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <div class="blogs-index-separator"> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/14/actress_reveals_assassins_creed_secret.html" title="Actress reveals Assassin's Creed secret">Actress reveals Assassin's Creed secret</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 08:51pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="assassins_creed.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/images/assassins_creed.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> Watch out there may be spoilers ahead... Veronica Mars actress Kristen Bell has just <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/750/750843p1.html">given an interview to IGN TV</a> in which she talks about her voice role in forthcoming next-gen adventure, Assassin's Creed. The game was thought to be a historical slice n' dicer, revolving around an assassin who gets caught up in a Holy Land conspiracy. But it turns out (as, in fact, the developer has always <i>hinted</i>) that this may only be part of the story.</p> <p>When asked about the game she replies...</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/14/actress_reveals_assassins_creed_secret.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/14/actress_reveals_assassins_creed_secret.html#comments">Comments (19)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/14/actress_reveals_assassins_creed_secret.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 07.12.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/07/ps3_vs_xbox_360_a_developer_speaks.html" title="PS3 vs Xbox 360 - a developer speaks">PS3 vs Xbox 360 - a developer speaks</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 08:42am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>The debate over which is the more powerful next-gen games console has been raging for over a year, but in the last few weeks we've finally been able to pore over some first-hand evidence. The Call of Duty 3 conversions to Xbox 360 and PS3 are more closely comparable, perhaps, than many fanboys on either side would have predicted. More interesting is the unspoken rivalry between Gears of War and Resistance: Fall of Man - two showboating FPS titles with similar themes and environments. </p> <p>One thing has become clear. Totting up specs isn't going to help us choose a winner. On paper, PS3 has more raw processing grunt than Xbox 360, but at the moment - with second generation titles under their belts - developers seem to be extracting more performance out of Xbox 360. That's natural considering their greater experience with the platform. The question is, how much further can Xbox go?</p> <p>Frankly, the only views that matter in this debate are those of programmers who have experience with next-gen hardware. So this week I spoke to Richard Hackett a head of technology at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.blitzgames.com/">Blitz Games</a> about his experiences with both machines. He feels that CELL has an ace up its sleeve and it's not something you might have predicted... </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/07/ps3_vs_xbox_360_a_developer_speaks.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/07/ps3_vs_xbox_360_a_developer_speaks.html#comments">Comments (10)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/12/07/ps3_vs_xbox_360_a_developer_speaks.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Monday 27.11.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/27/game_on_goes_nextgen.html" title="Game On goes next-gen">Game On goes next-gen</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Events / Next Gen</strong> 02:17pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>The organisers of the Science Museum's <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/gameon/">Game On</a> exhibition have announced that they're taking delivery of Wii and PS3 consoles. The two new machines will be installed alongside Xbox 360 on Wednesday, thereby creating an interative next-gen showdown area. No word yet on what games they'll be running, but a Gears of Wars vs Resistance vs Red Steel face-off would be interesting. And if you get bored in the inevitable queue, you could always scamper off to try one of the 120 other machines at the event. </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/27/game_on_goes_nextgen.html#comments">Comments (7)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/27/game_on_goes_nextgen.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Monday 20.11.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/20/the_bradford_animation_festival_and_the_state_of_game_development.html" title="The Bradford Animation Festival - and the state of game development">The Bradford Animation Festival - and the state of game development</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Events / Next Gen</strong> 09:59pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="indie.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/images/indie.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> Just got back from the excellent Bradford Animation Festival where I was hosting two days of videogame events. It was good fun. I got to chat with Charles Cecil and William Latham and finally met the chaps from Introversion Software. It was also interesting to see how the organisers of an animation event perceived the games industry - and to talk a lot about where advances in graphics are taking game development. </p> <p>So here's a bunch of stuff from the event, seamlessly mixed in with my speech notes and some other stuff on graphics. This is a long post so you might want to make a cup of tea...<br/> </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/20/the_bradford_animation_festival_and_the_state_of_game_development.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/20/the_bradford_animation_festival_and_the_state_of_game_development.html#comments">Comments (7)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/20/the_bradford_animation_festival_and_the_state_of_game_development.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Tuesday 07.11.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/07/buena_vista_unveils_dedicated_nintendo_studio_is_creative_fragmentation_the_future.html" title="Buena Vista unveils dedicated Nintendo studio - is creative fragmentation the future?">Buena Vista unveils dedicated Nintendo studio - is creative fragmentation the future?</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / NIntendo / Next Gen</strong> 08:51pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>I wouldn't usually write about Disney's interactive offshoot, but its press release caught my eye today. The company has just announced Fall Line Studio, a development team dedicated to 'creating innovative games for Nintendo platforms':</p> <blockquote><p>"Built around a core of industry veterans, the studio will focus on small-team, creative projects that leverage the Disney brand in new and innovative ways."</p></blockquote> <p>Alright, try and forget the gruesome use of the phrase 'leverage the Disney brand' for a moment and focus on the positives: an extremely mainstream publisher has realised that Nintendo's machines cannot be squidged into a multiplatform production line, and that the spirit of innovation that exists behind Wii and DS <i>must</i> be embraced - even if you're just cranking out Disney tie-ins.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/07/buena_vista_unveils_dedicated_nintendo_studio_is_creative_fragmentation_the_future.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/07/buena_vista_unveils_dedicated_nintendo_studio_is_creative_fragmentation_the_future.html#comments">Comments (11)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/07/buena_vista_unveils_dedicated_nintendo_studio_is_creative_fragmentation_the_future.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 02.11.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/02/ps3_has_40_downloadable_games_in_development_says_harrison.html" title="PS3 has 40 downloadable games in development, says Harrison">PS3 has 40 downloadable games in development, says Harrison</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen / PlayStation</strong> 04:01pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>In case you've missed this, Phil Harrison, head of development at Sony, has been talking about the console's downloadable game service. In an <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://threespeech.com/blog/2006/10/31/phil-harrison-on-downloadable-games/">interview</a> with 'semi-official' PS3 blog Three Speech, he claims that the company is funding studios to work on the platform and currently has over 40 titles in development, including flOw, shown off at the Tokyo Game Show earlier this year.</p> <p>Naturally, Harrison grasps the chance to favourably compare the PS3 service with Xbox 360's Live Arcade...</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/02/ps3_has_40_downloadable_games_in_development_says_harrison.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/02/ps3_has_40_downloadable_games_in_development_says_harrison.html#comments">Comments (14)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/02/ps3_has_40_downloadable_games_in_development_says_harrison.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Wednesday 01.11.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/01/sega_reveals_virtual_console_lineup_for_2006.html" title="Sega reveals Virtual Console line-up for 2006">Sega reveals Virtual Console line-up for 2006</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 09:55am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>Sega has officially announced its first selection of downloadable retro treats for the Wii Virtual Console. Just in case you've been living in Nintendo denial for several months, the Virtual Console is Wii's answer to the Xbox Live Arcade, a download area where players will be able to buy conversions of classic titles from the likes of Nintendo, Sega and Hudson.</p> <p>Although seven of the nine titles were <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.codenamerevolution.com/?p=1820$">leaked</a> six weeks ago, there are two newcomers... </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/01/sega_reveals_virtual_console_lineup_for_2006.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/01/sega_reveals_virtual_console_lineup_for_2006.html#comments">Comments (20)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/11/01/sega_reveals_virtual_console_lineup_for_2006.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Tuesday 31.10.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/10/31/ps3_more_shortages.html" title="PS3: more shortages?">PS3: more shortages?</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Business / Next Gen / PlayStation</strong> 10:05am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>IGN <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/742/742510p1.html">reported</a> yesterday that Sony may now only have 80,000 PS3 units available for the Japanese launch due to component shortages - that's 20,000 down on previous promises. This news comes from Japan's Nikkei Keizai Shimbun agency.</p> <p>A few days earlier, IGN also <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/742/742284p1.html">mentioned</a> a story from Mainichi Interactive which claims that Sony will be offering Japanese consumers the chance to purchase vouchers guaranteeing them a system early next year. If this is the case, it's a rather desperate measure to stop people purchasing other consoles over the Christmas period. </p> <p>Imagine opening your presents on Christmas morning and finding an IOU from Sony... Ho ho ho? I think not.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/10/31/ps3_more_shortages.html#comments">Comments (4)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/10/31/ps3_more_shortages.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Monday 23.10.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/10/23/sony_delays_bluray_player_again.html" title="Sony delays Blu-ray player. Again...">Sony delays Blu-ray player. Again...</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 09:44pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/storage/display/20061023131518.html">Several</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=20552">news</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Sony-Delays-Blu-ray-Player-for-PS3-Parts/story.xhtml?story_id=11300C1NI9GI">sources</a> have reported that Sony is delaying the release of its BDP-S1 Blu-ray player - for the third time. Originally due for launch almost six months ago, the benchmark player will now hit the shelves in December - <i>after</i> the US and Japan launch of PS3. It seems Sony may be stockpiling Blu-ray components for its next-gen games machine at the expense of other hardware. </p> <p>Although other manufacturers of Blu-ray products <i>have</i> made it to market, Sony is the guiding force behind the HD standard. The company's problems with its own format probably haven't earned it many points in the war with HD DVD.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/10/23/sony_delays_bluray_player_again.html#comments">Comments (5)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/10/23/sony_delays_bluray_player_again.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Tuesday 26.09.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/ps3_gallery.html" title="PS3 gallery">PS3 gallery</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen / PlayStation</strong> 02:15pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>The Gran Turismo post has prompted a mini-debate about the quality of graphics on offer from early PlayStation 3 titles. So for the purposes of comparison, here's a selection of other in-game* PS3 shots, fresh from TGS. Forget <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/holbein/">Holbein</a> - wander through <i>this</i> gallery of much-hyped images then feel free to add a Brian Sewell-esque comment...</p> <p><br/> *<i>don't start...</i></p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/ps3_gallery.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/ps3_gallery.html#comments">Comments (52)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/ps3_gallery.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <div class="blogs-index-separator"> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/rockstar_goes_noire.html" title="Rockstar goes noire">Rockstar goes noire</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 11:22am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>Rockstar has officially announced its latest project, L.A. Noire, an interactive detective story developed by Australian codeshop, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.teambondi.com/about/">Team Bondi</a>. Set in the late forties, it's an attempt to capture the look and spirit of the Film Noire genre - as the press release explains:</p> <blockquote><p>"L.A. Noire blends action, detection and complex storytelling and draws players into an open-ended challenge to solve a series of gruesome murders. Set in a perfectly recreated Los Angeles before freeways, with a post-war backdrop of corruption, drugs and jazz, L.A. Noire will truly blend cinema and gaming."</p></blockquote> <p>'GTA meets Raymond Chandler' is what they'll all be saying, but of course this project has nothing to do with Rockstar North, and is actually being overseen by Brendan McNamara of Getaway <strike>infamy</strike> fame. And, of course, it's not the first title to play with the themes and aesthetics of Film Noir - Max Payne and Grim Fandango among others have been there first. An intriguing prospect though.</p> <p>A trailer will be available <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.rockstargames.com/lanoire/">here</a> from October 5.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/rockstar_goes_noire.html#comments">Comments (15)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/rockstar_goes_noire.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <div class="blogs-index-separator"> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/gran_turismo_hd_the_future_is_microtransactions.html" title="Gran Turismo HD: the future is microtransactions">Gran Turismo HD: the future is microtransactions</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen / PlayStation</strong> 08:44am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="gt_hd.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/images/gt_hd.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> On the tail of a mixed Tokyo Game Show, Sony has officially released details of Gran Turismo HD, the latest in Polyphony Digital's cerebral driving series. Like other GT specials before it, this is not <i>quite</i> a full-on GT sequel. The game will consist of two separate sections: GT HD Premium and GT HD Classic...</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/gran_turismo_hd_the_future_is_microtransactions.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/gran_turismo_hd_the_future_is_microtransactions.html#comments">Comments (42)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/26/gran_turismo_hd_the_future_is_microtransactions.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 21.09.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/21/phew_format_war_is_over.html" title="Phew, format war is over">Phew, format war is over</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 12:37pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>Although it's unlikely you were holding off on your next-gen console purchase until the Blu-ray vs HD DVD war was settled, this piece of news may still be of interest to you. Warner has applied for a patent on a disc that can hold HD DVD, Blu-ray <i>and</i> standard DVD content via different data layers. "From the standpoint of a manufacturer, it is disadvantageous to have to manufacture and distribute three different types of disc formats to satisfy consumer demand for one product, such as a motion picture," says the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220060179448%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20060179448&RS=DN/20060179448">patent application</a> accurately.</p> <p>Technology blog has <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/archives/2006/09/21/new_design_could_nuke_bluray_and_hddvd.html">more details</a>. </p> <p><i>Via <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2164614/warner-puts-hd-dvd-blu-ray-same">VNUNet</a></i></p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/21/phew_format_war_is_over.html#comments">Comments (1)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/21/phew_format_war_is_over.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Wednesday 20.09.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/20/xbox_360_goes_1080p.html" title="Xbox 360 goes 1080p">Xbox 360 goes 1080p</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 12:27pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>Just a quickie: as mentioned <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/285796_msftxbox20.html">here</a> and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/20/tgs-xbox-360-to-add-1080p-support-ps3-to-lose-bullet-point/">here</a>, Microsoft has announced, ahead of the Tokyo Game Show, that Xbox 360 is going to get 1080p support via a free software download. Currently, the console is only able to display a HD signal in either 720p or 1080i.</p> <p>Predictably, it seems there are no plans to release games that run in 1080p. Instead, the software update will allow DVD movies to be scaled up to 1080p and will also handle HD DVD releases. Sony, of course, has made much out of PS3's status as the only console capable of coping with 'True HD'. Although limited numbers of first-party games will attempt to exploit the resolution, most PS3 titles will stick with 720p/1080i. </p> <p>An interesting little annoucement there for Microsoft, ahead of a key PR-saving event for Sony...</p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/20/xbox_360_goes_1080p.html#comments">Comments (23)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/20/xbox_360_goes_1080p.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Wednesday 06.09.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/06/ps3_delayed_in_europe_until_march_2007.html" title="PS3 delayed in Europe until March 2007">PS3 delayed in Europe until March 2007</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Aleks Krotoski / Next Gen</strong> 09:33am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>We cynics and pessimists knew a near-simultaneous launch for the PlayStation 3 wouldn't happen, but until the announcement yesterday, we had hoped Sony would forget its past record and accidentally fulfil its promise to get their next generation hardware out in European territories within weeks of the machine's release in North America and Japan. But - in a story that's become all too familliar - they're having a hard time mass-producing one of the components, and we're getting left out of the lurch.</p> <p>From the official press release:</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/06/ps3_delayed_in_europe_until_march_2007.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/06/ps3_delayed_in_europe_until_march_2007.html#comments">Comments (63)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/09/06/ps3_delayed_in_europe_until_march_2007.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 31.08.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/31/wwii_shooter_writes_alternative_history.html" title="WWII shooter writes alternative history">WWII shooter writes alternative history</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen / PC</strong> 04:31pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="fallofliberty.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/images/fallofliberty.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> It seems someone has been reading Man in the High Castle... Codemasters has announced that it will be publishing Fall of Liberty, an FPS set in an alternate WWII where the Nazis have conquered Europe and are now invading America. Developed by Spark Unlimited, the chaps responsible for Call of Duty: Finest Hour, the game is set for release this autumn on PC and next-gen consoles. </p> <p>Here's some background stuff from the press release:</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/31/wwii_shooter_writes_alternative_history.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/31/wwii_shooter_writes_alternative_history.html#comments">Comments (20)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/31/wwii_shooter_writes_alternative_history.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Wednesday 23.08.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/23/ps3_launching_in_numbers_with_lots_of_games.html" title="PS3: launching in numbers... with lots of games">PS3: launching in numbers... with lots of games</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen / PlayStation</strong> 08:48pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="heavenly.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/images/heavenly.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> So what if they haven't actually started building them yet - Sony is still making confident noises about PS3. Yesterday Arstechnica.com <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060822-7558.html">reported</a> that the company has reiterated plans to ship four million next-gen consoles by the close of the year and another two million by the end of March 2007. That's still only six million consoles to feed significant global demand, of course, but lets not be pedantic.</p> <p>More recently, Reuters - among others - has <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://news.com.com/Sony+to+offer+27+PS3+games+at+Tokyo+show/2100-1043_3-6108667.html?tag=cd.top">covered</a> Sony's announcement that it would be showing off 27 PS3 games at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show. Gamespot goes <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6156273.html">one further</a>, listing the playable demos on offer allegedly including Ridge Racer 7, Devil May cry 4, MotorStorm, the latest Metal Gear Solid, Heavenly Sword (pictured) and the one everybody is watching, Mahjong Taikai IV. It's an impressive line-up bolstered by a generous handful of PSP titles. </p> <p>Now, if they could just get round to actually <i>manufacturing the consoles</i>...</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/23/ps3_launching_in_numbers_with_lots_of_games.html#comments">Comments (4)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/23/ps3_launching_in_numbers_with_lots_of_games.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <div class="blogs-index-separator"> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/23/nextgen_pro_evo_and_fifa_exclusive_to_360.html" title="Next-gen Pro Evo and FIFA exclusive to 360">Next-gen Pro Evo and FIFA exclusive to 360</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Greg Howson / Next Gen</strong> 01:32pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.mcvuk.com/newsitem.php?id=24298">news</a> that FIFA 07 and Pro Evo 6 will be next gen exclusive to 360 - i.e. they won't appear on PS3 and Wii - is further indication of Microsoft's bullish intention. Want to play the latest Pro Evo on a next-gen machine this Christmas? Then you'll have to play on the 360. So good news for Microsoft then, although you could argue that with PS3 and Wii not due out until later in the year, and with both likely to suffer from supply issues, the coup is not quite as impressive as Microsoft are making out. Now securing Pro Evo 7 and FIFA 08 as exclusives - with PS3 and Wii firmly established - would be the real killer. Still, today's announcement confirms, if we didn't know already, that Microsoft are deadly serious about winning the next-gen games war. </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/23/nextgen_pro_evo_and_fifa_exclusive_to_360.html#comments">Comments (10)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/23/nextgen_pro_evo_and_fifa_exclusive_to_360.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Friday 04.08.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/04/ps3_and_wii_chatter.html" title="PS3 and Wii chatter">PS3 and Wii chatter</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 03:20pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>Just in case you don't have the time or inclination to surf the web looking for the latest PS3 and Wii speculation, here's 'what's going down'. I quite enjoyed <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.technophilia.org/2006/07/list-of-cancelled-ps3-games.html">this</a> list of cancelled PS3 games, put together by Technophilia.org. A few of them I hadn't heard of and a couple are multi-platform titles that may never have been intended for the platform. In the introduction the writer solemnly asks, "why are developers avoiding the PS3?" I'm not sure a selection of six binned titles really warrants such a query, but it's a fun little piece with some determined research behind it.</p> <p>Game World Network has a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.gwn.com/news/story.php/id/10038/">tiny story</a> from the EA summer showcase event. Referring to the company's development commitment to Wii, Xbox30 and PS3, Jeff Brown, corporate communications VP, is quoted as saying, "This is not a business plan, but there are a lot of people at EA who are walking around whispering: 40 / 40 / 20 per cent".</p> <p>Away from the Sony baiting, Ubisoft has just announced seven titles due to be ready for the Wii launch. Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WW II is a dogfight sim promising to make good use of that unique controller. Then there's a Wii outing for groundbreaking FPS, Far Cry: "use the Wii Remote to drive, shoot, slash, jump and climb your way through a rebel-infested tropical hell," says the press release. Monster 4X4 World Circuit is monster truck racing and stunting, GT Pro Series is GT car racing. Open Season is an animated movie tie-in. The two biggies are probably Red Steel, the interesting looking shooter, and Rayman Raving Rabbids, a comeback for Michel Ancel's limb-free platform hero. </p> <p>Finally, Gamasutra has a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=10352">mini-article</a> based around an unattributed quote from 'Activision execs'. "We are starting to port elements from the 360 to the PlayStation 3, and also from current-gen platforms into Nintendo Wii," they said, hinting that Wii has more in common with current-gen systems than it's super-powered contemporaries. Okay, but we sort of all knew that.</p> <p>So that's it. Frankly, the Tokyo Game Show can't come quickly enough.</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/04/ps3_and_wii_chatter.html#comments">Comments (15)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/08/04/ps3_and_wii_chatter.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Friday 30.06.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/30/ps3_games_to_retail_at_70_quid.html" title="PS3 games to retail at 70 quid?">PS3 games to retail at 70 quid?</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen / PlayStation</strong> 09:13am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p>More from that fateful interview with Kaz Hirai, president of Sony Computer Entertainment America. You'll remember that yesterday I <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/29/sony_vs_microsoft_round_37_this_time_its_tenuous.html">posted</a> about his dig at Microsoft for stalking Sony and totally, "going down the path of everything we do". </p> <p>Apparently, in the same chat he was drawn to comment on the likely price point for PS3 games. "If it becomes a bit higher than US$ 59, don't ding me, but, again, I don't expect it to be US$ 100," he chortled to reporters. So, the key question here - apart from what the hell does 'don't ding me' mean - is, will the eventual retail price fall at the lower or upper end of that vague scale?</p> <p>Gamesindustry.biz <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=18038">reckons</a> that due to the vagaries of price conversions between the US and UK, we could end up paying 拢70 or more. I haven't forked out that much for a game since the days of the Neo Geo AES. </p> <p>Well Sony, if there's any truth in these figures, this is one path you can be pretty sure Microsoft <i>won't</i> follow you down... </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/30/ps3_games_to_retail_at_70_quid.html#comments">Comments (41)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/30/ps3_games_to_retail_at_70_quid.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Wednesday 28.06.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/28/namco_rings_changes_with_chopin_rpg.html" title="Namco rings changes with Chopin RPG">Namco rings changes with Chopin RPG</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen / Xbox</strong> 03:14pm </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="trustybell.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/images/trustybell.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> Sometimes you just have to sink to the floor and say a quiet prayer of thanks for the game design bravery of the finest Japanese studios. Here's the latest case in point - and apologies if you've already heard about it from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.the-magicbox.com/0606/game060625d.shtml">other</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q2-2006/062206a.html">sources</a>. Namco has released screenshots and information on a forthcoming Xbox 360 RPG entitled, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://namco-ch.net/trusty_bell/index.php">Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream</a>. Now, you may think the name itself is a gift from the gods, and you'd be right. But the excitement doesn't end there.</p> <p>Trusty Bell is set in a dreamworld conjured into existence by composer Fr茅d茅ric Chopin during the last three hours of his life. In this world, he teams up with a young girl suffering from an incurable disease and her teenage swordsman boyfriend. Together they must search for a magic potion that can save the kingdom. It seems that, logically enough, music is going to play a key part in the game with Russian pianist Stanislav Bunin drafted in to perform key Chopin works for the soundtrack - perhaps Ballade in (RP)G minor?</p> <p>Now, imagine if this bizarre scenario were to be pitched at a western commissioning executive. If he actually understood what you were going on about at all (because you wouldn't have used the magic words 'gangsta', 'respect', 'ultra-realistic visuals' or 'Halo-beater') he would have some kind of seizure. Simple as that. You'd be trying to explain your reasons for reanimating this giant of piano music within a classic RPG framework, and he'd be convulsing in disbelief while slamming his shaking hand against a button on his desk marked, 'security'.</p> <p>Who knows, it might be crap. But it's a sublimely off-kilter idea - and the developer has a decent CV: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://www.tri-crescendo.co.jp/">Tri-Crescendo</a> was also responsible for cult RPGs such as Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean. Plus, the 360 certainly needs more Japanese flavoured titles and this title represents part of a movement away from US brands like Halo and Splinter Cell.</p> <p>Can you think of any other adventure games based around the dying fantasies of world famous composers?</p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/28/namco_rings_changes_with_chopin_rpg.html#comments">Comments (22)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/28/namco_rings_changes_with_chopin_rpg.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Friday 02.06.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/02/lost_planet_lost_interest.html" title="Lost Planet. Lost interest?">Lost Planet. Lost interest?</a></h3> <div class="blogs-index-article-metaData"> <strong>Keith Stuart / Next Gen</strong> 09:58am </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-body"> <p><img alt="lostplanet.gif" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/images/lostplanet.gif" width="400" height="180"/><br/> Has anyone else downloaded the two level demo of Lost Planet, Capcom's Xbox 360 sci-fi shooter? Set on a frozen planet populated by snow pirates and hideous insectoid monsters, it's a third-person action romp with a single player quest and multiplayer online mode. It's also devastatingly generic.</p> <p>Okay, the visuals are astonishing in places. The way your character's feet sink into the snow as blizzards blow flakes around you. The astonishingly realistic explosions. The intricately detailed glacial majesty of the environments. All as you would expect from a next-gen machine. </p> <p>But the gameplay is pure this-gen. Actually, it's more-or-less previous-gen. Pick up (extremely familiar) weapons, blast aliens, encounter bosses sporting clear weak spots, activate computer terminals, pick up bigger weapons, sneak about a bit, shoot a bit more. </p> </div> <div class="blogs-index-article-comments"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/02/lost_planet_lost_interest.html">Read more</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/02/lost_planet_lost_interest.html#comments">Comments (14)</a> · <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://technorati.com/search/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/06/02/lost_planet_lost_interest.html"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602im_/http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/site_imagery/technorati15x11.gif" width="15" height="11" alt="Technorati logo" class="technorati"/></a> </div> </div> <h2>Thursday 11.05.06</h2> <div class="blogs-index-article"> <h3><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080511203602/http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/05/11/free_radicals_get_hazy.html" title="Free Radicals get hazy">Free Radicals get hazy</a></h3> <div class = "blogs-inde