GamerNode: Latest Industry News

Fable 2? How about 3, 4, and 5? Molyneux talks.

Fable II is still three months away from release, and already Peter Molyneux has been caught talking about the next three games in the series. In an interview with GameTrailers, he discussed the links between the first two games, as well as the learning process from one game to the next.

"I realized during making Fable 2 what atrocious mistakes I've made in the past... I don't think I was skilful enough to make Fable 1 better, but I learned so much from the mistakes in Fable 1 and that is what I'm proudest about in Fable 2."

"We've got plans for Fable 3, 4 and 5. It's a big story arc and you can see that if you play Fable 2 you'll recognize things from Fable 1."

The Lionhead big shot went on to mention a secret project in the works at the studio, and although he refused to comment on that, he...

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EA says it made the wrong call on the Wii

Whether you love the Wii or hate it, the demand is still strong for the miniscule white game console. EA's CEO, John Riccitiello also agrees, although he admits that EA made the wrong bet as far as which game console would be the leader in the industry.

Considering that the Big 3, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo released their versions of next gen machines within a relatively short time, EA had to make a decision on which consoles it would focus on. The bottom line was profitability and it looked like Sony's PS3 and the Xbox 360 would be in the driver's seat. Nintendo's Wii was literally put on the shelf for game development and the rest is history.

The bets were made, and John Riccitiello looked back on the decisions and said, "One thing that's different is we typically figured out who the mar...

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Soul Calibur IV: Vader on 360, Yoda on PS3?

Star Wars fans may have been happy to learn that Soul Calibur 4 will feature console-specific playable characters Darth Vader and Yoda, but the inability to pit them against one another in mortal combat is likely to have left a bittersweet taste in many gamers' mouths.

Well that taste may not linger very long, as it is rumored that Darth Vader will be available as downloadable content on the Xbox 360 and Yoda will be getting the same treatment on the Playstation 3. We don't know if these downloads will be free or paid just yet, and what we do know remains unconfirmed by Namco, Microsoft, or Sony. This video is pretty clear, however:

[via GamersReports]

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Miyamoto believes developers should focus more on ...

Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary creator of Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda, has finally shared the secret ingredient that has made his games so successful; improving people instead of technology.

According to Miyamoto, designers today are too obsessed with having their games run on the newest engine and capturing the attention of players with ultra-realistic graphics.  According to Miyamoto, they should, instead, be thinking "about things such as health or mental improvement, rather than technology itself."  Humans, he thinks, should be the inspiration for games, not high resolution or polygon count.

Miyamoto has a point here.  It seems today that developers care only for the graphics they output.  Looking at Miyamoto's titles, however, we can see that, even though his games do not necessarily...

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UK prisons ban inmates from playing games

A UK Prison Service directive has been sent out that will ban most prisoners from playing violent video games.

But if inmates can achieve the highest levels of Incentives and Earned Privileges for good behavior, they'll still be able to play games.

According to statistics, the UK Government spent more than 10,000 pounds ($19,900 US) on 80 PlayStations and 15 Xboxes for young offender institutions.

In addition to prisoners who have earned the highest EP (earned privileges), those at risk of suicide will also be allowed to play video games.

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Exec says consoles going the way of dinosaurs

Alex St. John really likes to talk about stuff. For those who don't know (and I didn't know until this morning) he is the head of WildTangent, an online gaming network. He recently spoke in Seattle at the Casual Connect conference calling the console market "extremely fragile."

He also told Edge Magazine that the "notion of the console wired to the big TV--its time is up." The evidence for his theory is based on laptops changing the computer market. Ninety percent of people have enough power to do what they need to do with a laptop. He predicts as more people have laptops they will be gaming on their laptops.

He goes on, saying:

"...kids can play anywhere, or they plug in a gamepad and plug into a TV for that 'immersive' experience. People in our generation might cling to that idea of th...

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E3 2009 confirmed! My predictions...

Worry not young ones. Despite what seemed like a lackluster event this year, what with no new hardware announced (microphones don't count Nintendo), and some companies talking about a movie that's not due out until 2011 for half an hour (Capcom!) the ESA has confirmed that E3 will be returning next year.

Hooray!

Like Janus I think we need to look back on E3 2008 and bid it adieu, while looking forward in anticipation for E3 2009. An ESA rep told Edge Magazine Online, "As we do every year, we're beginning the process of surveying exhibitors and attendees to determine potential changes to the Summit."

And changes do indeed occur. In 2006 there were upwards of 60,000 people at E3. This year, that number was closer to 5,000. Now you can check my math here but that's a 91% decrease in atten...

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Splinter Cell: Conviction delayed once again

Sam Fisher is so good at going under the radar it now looks like it is affecting his games...literally. Splinter Cell: Conviction has been uncharacteristically absent at the last few Ubisoft events. Rumor is the entire game is receiving a tweaking before being shown to the public again.

With the direction the Splinter Cell series was heading I'm not going to complain. While Double Agent was fun, and had the best iteration of the Splinter Cell multiplayer experience, the rest of the game felt lacking. With Conviction straying even further from the core that made the Splinter Cell games so good and so popular, some extra time can't be a bad thing.Naturally, Ubisoft is giving their own explanation beyond the reworked story to appease the fans. Who can blame them? Turns out Ubisoft considers C...

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Kyle plays indie game levelHead at E3

Independent games looked great at this year's E3 Media & Business summit, in a few cases outshining nearly all of the "popular" stuff in terms of creativity and design. One such title was the Linux-only levelHead, created by artist/game designer Julian Oliver.

This game was so impressive that we couldn't help but to shoot some footage on the lowest-fi recording equipment we could find (my point-and-shoot digital camera). Kyle is playing the game while I describe what's going on. I apologize in advance for the amount of background noise on the show floor, but this game is just too cool not to show off.

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Dead Space feature-length cartoon trailer

I think it's safe to say at this point that EA is not interested in making another ho-hum clone out of their upcoming survival horror game, Dead Space. A great showing at E3, good marketing support, an animated comic series, and now a feature length cartoon that acts as a prequel to the events of the videogame all tell us that EA is standing firmly behind this product.

That's good, because from what we played at E3, the actual game looks to be a fine gaming experience. Here is the official trailer for the straight-to-DVD Dead Space: Downfall. Surprisingly, it doesn't look terrible at all.

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Mattrick: Sony and Nintendo have been on vacation

Microsoft's senior vice president Don Mattrick obviously feels pretty strongly about his company's products, and he isn't afraid to tell the press about it. What's more is that while talking to MCV, he not only claimed "victory" at this year's E3 Media & Business Summit, but was also quick to take a few jabs at the competition.

"I think we got more than 12 months' work done, and others went on an extended vacation. Hopefully they got some good vacation photos, because they sure weren't showing up at work.

Of course I'm going to be biased, but so far what I've heard is that Sony and Nintendo have disappointed. And Microsoft has been leading, innovating and driving a very comprehensive global program.

We're building momentum and we're on a scale that no other consumer electronics company or en...

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EA: Lucasarts and BioWare building KotOR MMO

Even though this might not come to a shock to many of us, it is nice to finally hear official word that Lucasarts and BioWare are indeed making a Knights of the Old Republic MMO.

Portfolio.com published a short excerpt of its interview with EA boss John Riccitiello who tells the site that it's "got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development" including "the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about -- in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare."

Joystiq talked with N. Evan Van Zelfden, the writer of the report, who told them that when asked specifically if this game was "KOTOR Online", Riccitiello responded unequivocally, "Yes." Well there you go guys, it's good to finally hear that the game is in the works, and that another Star Wars MMO (hopefully mu...

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New guitar controller rocks out for $179

Tired of your Guitar Hero controller? Are you constantly worrying about the longevity of your Rock Band guitar and how flimsy it feels?

Never worry again...for a price, that is. Peak Products has announced a full sized, full weighted guitar controller for both games for $179 called Starpex.

This may sound a little hefty in price, but if you want to complete the illusion of being a rock star, this is the way to go. The guitar looks suspiciously like Fender's Statocaster model, (I own a real cherry red Elite Statocaster, btw) and sports a hardwood body, neck and headstock.

The guitar is fully compatible for Rock Band and Guitar Hero on the PS3 and PS2 and will sport wired or wireless play, a ten button fret board, overdrive button, improved whammy bar, enhanced strum bar and modular design.

Jam...

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New console RTS from Total War developers

Creatve Assembly, the masterminds behind the ever popular Total War series, are coming out with a brand new strategy game exclusively for consoles. As with most console RTS projects, the game promises a simple control scheme that will "revolutionize" the genre. Multiple vertical layers of combat -- air, surface, underground -- are said to set the game apart from other RTS efforts.

"Stormrise has been built from the ground up specifically for high def consoles to provide a more intense, frenetic style of game that, coupled with the all new control mechanic, will revolutionise the way RTS games are played," claimed Sega Europe marketing director Gary Knight.  

Are console-exclusive RTS games a smart move, or is leaving the birthplace of the strategy genre a formula for failure? It seems more ...

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Infinity Ward "definitely"doing a sci-fi shooter

Rumors have been floating around that Infinity Ward, makers of the popular Call of Duty series, are planning a sci-fi shooter as their next project. According to the latest issue of Xbox World 360, the studio's sci-fi project is "definitely" happening. "The net is awash with rumour mongering that Infinity Ward are beavering away on a brand new sci-fi shooter," says the mag. "However, we can confirm that it is definitely happening."

Speaking on its official website blog recently, the developer itself revealed plans of possibly exploring new IP. 

"We're excited to announce that in the recent months we have decided to reup on our contract with Activision publishing," the developer said in the post. "The recently renegotiated deal may not seem like much of an impact from the outside perspective,...

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Capcom's "super-secret project" for E3: Flock

According to a post at the Capcom blog, the company has some tricks up it's sleeve for next week's E3 Media & Business Summit. Namely, a project entitled "Flock."

Capcom gave no hard details on this "super-secret project," but it is rumored to be "a surprising take on a next-gen favourite."

Using the title as a clue to what the game might be, I am hoping that it's somehow related to Dead Rising (flock of zombies), but it could also be a Lost Planet spin-off (flock of aliens), or even something to do with the Resident Evil franchise (flock of zombies...again).

I guess we'll find out next week. Capcom's press conference will be held on Tuesday at 4:30pm, and GamerNode will be there.

[via Capcom, NeoGAF]

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Square-Enix's E3 line-up. No FFXIII?

E3 is the place for game developers and publishers to show off their games to get everyone excited, and we all know amongst many other companies, RPG champions Square-Enix will be there as well. While reading their press review of games they will be featuring at E3, something very noticeable that stuck out was the fact that Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3 was not mentioned. Could this mean that they really don't plan on showing it at E3, or perhaps have it make its grand opening preview to everyone's surprise?

Despite FFXIII not being in the press release, other big games are expected to show their faces at E3. Here's what we can expect to see From Square Enix at E3:

E3 2008 Line-up(Square-Enix)

Multiplatform

THE LAST REMNANTPlatform: Microsoft Xbox 360® / PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment ...

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Top selling games of 2008 in Japan

Some say that 2008 has had a good start, and some are still waiting to see the big name games come out. But either way, since it's about halfway through the year let's take a quick look at the top selling games so far in Japan.

The last issue of the mega popular Japanese video game magazine Famitsu released the list and it's interesting to see a couple of games still hanging on to their spots. What's more surprising: seeing Mario Kart DS hanging on or seeing Metal Gear Solid making the top 10 list after just a month? You decide.

10. Wii Play (Wii) 411,416 copies, 9. Mario Kart DS (DS) 416,935 copies, 8. Mario Party DS (DS) 497,547 copies, 7. Wii Sports (Wii) 544,958 copies, 6. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) 576,437 copies,

5. Pokémon Ranger: Battonage (DS) 576,467 copies, 4. Wii Fit (Wii) 1,443,16...

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E3 '07 One Year Later

If anyone gets the chance, the guys over at MTV Multiplayer are doing a great "one year later" series as they gear up for E3 this year.  You can read about Sony and Nintendo announcements from last year and compare that to what has / has not happened for each of the big 3.  It's really interesting how much you forget in a year.  Like Unreal Tournament being a console exclusive on the PS3.  Whoops, that game drops today for the Xbox 360.  Also, inFAMOUS was announced last year but is only now getting the press from Game Informer.

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E3? How about the C4 convention?

E3, E3, E3. Everybody is talking about E3. But there was another convention that occurred recently that should get some recognition as well: namely the C4 Expo.

We pause for the scratching of heads...

The 3rd annual C4 convention isn't about explosives, but about fans of the old school Commodore 64 computer. C4 stands for the Cincinnati Commodore Computer Club. The event was held during the last week in Mitchell, Kentucky.

The official website didn't go into details about what was going to happen at the convention, but we do know that the world's first Commodore 64 LAN party was held there. A new LAN game called NetRacer was unveiled and allowed an astonishing 8 players to play together over an Internet connection.

PSN and Xbox Live...hang your heads in shame.

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