Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Vita’s Launch Bundle Makes the 3G System Much More Attractive

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Vita launch bundle

PlayStation Vita's 3G model may not be for everyone, but thanks to a limited-time bundle Sony announced today it may have just become the best available option for those purchasing the system at launch.

Vita comes in two flavors: Wi-Fi-only and 3G. Priced at $250 and $300 respectively, there isn't much sense in paying an extra $50 for the 3G system unless you have some intention of also paying for 3G service at some point in time. The one exception to this before now was the First Edition bundle which includes the 3G system, some extra goodies, and most importantly, a week's head start for $350.


Street Fighter Movie Reenactment with Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Sometimes...we get bored. And, you know, fun-loving developers happen to be in our office. And, well...things happen.

When Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono stopped by to demo Street Fighter X Tekken last week, we handed him a piece of paper with lines from the Street Fighter movie on it, crossed our fingers, turned a camera on, and hoped for the best. You can see the result above.


Nintendo Gets More Serious About Online With the Nintendo Network

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Nintendo Network

The digital and online spaces are two areas where Nintendo hasn't been the most forward-thinking. But after a year where the company struggled to meet expectations, despite an uptick in 3DS sales in 2011's final months, it now seems more serious than ever about providing a more robust online experience.

President Satoru Iwata conducted a briefing for investors regarding its Q3 performance in Japan on Friday. For the third quarter in a row, the company was forced to lower its guidance to reflect lower-than-expected sales of Nintendo hardware and software. Noting the initial poor sales of 3DS after its launch, the ensuing price drop, and a lack of big games released in the first half of the fiscal year (April through September), Iwata said, "Our business performance will be the worst since we went into business in the video game industry." This was expected after Nintendo announced in October that it anticipated suffering its first annual loss in 30 years.


Four Ways Publishers Will Use Wii U’s NFC

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Nintendo's newly-announced Near Field Communication (NFC) technology allows the Wii U controller to exchange wireless data with outside objects -- similar to last year's Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure game and figurines. Company president, Satoru Iwata, announced the device at an investors meeting, but gave little information as to how the company intends to utilize it. Developers may find creative uses for this tech, but we think it's likely that publishers will try to milk money out of consumers in the four ways below.

1) Micropayments

Iwata only gave one explicit example of how the NFC tech might be used, "micropayments." He didn't elaborate beyond that one word, but this probably means Wii point cards will no longer come with scratch codes. Instead, Nintendo will probably sell cards with NFC chips. Swipe it and points will be added to your Nintendo Network account.


Steam Mobile App Lets You Shop and Chat From Your Phone

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Steam Mobile

Valve has at long last released a Steam app mobile phones which brings with it much of Steam's core functionality.

The app can be downloaded now for iOS and Android devices, but not everyone can make use of it just yet. With the app still in beta, Valve will be allowing gamers in as time goes on. In order to enroll for the beta, you'll want to download the app, sign in with your Steam account, and then hope you're selected.


Netflix Ditches Plans for Game Rentals

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Netflix logo

Netflix bewildered nearly everyone last year when it announced it would separate its streaming and DVD-by-mail services into distinct brands. There was a piece of good news in all of it, and that was Netflix's intention to add game rentals to the newly revealed Qwikster. But between the negative backlash and confusion generated through this plan, which looked to be an attempt to move away from the DVD-by-mail business it made its name on, plans for Qwikster were dropped and the prospect of game rentals was called into question.

As a part of Netflix's Q4 earnings report conference call, CEO Reed Hastings stated there are "no plans" to begin offering videogames in addition to DVDs and Blu-rays, Engadget reports. It's an understandable decision as the company's mailing service is clearly in decline and its future lies with streaming content. So barring any interest in acquiring a company like OnLive or Gaikai (or developing its own technology) games and Netflix won't have anything to do with one another in the near future. And it's a very unlikely scenario to change as Netflix is faced with enough problems in acquiring streaming video content; it doesn't want to pay more money on a per-user basis in licensing fees but wants to continue growing its user base. Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter is among those who are skeptical such a scenario is possible.


Take a Tour of the New Modern Warfare 3 Maps With Us

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

The first content drop for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is now available on Xbox Live for COD Elite premium members. If you missed our livestream tour of the new maps yesterday, fear not; this video is just for you! Join Tina Palacios, Peter Eykemans, Steven Hopper, and Bobby Amos for a fun-filled tour of disastrous proportions through new maps Piazza and Liberation.


BlizzCon Skipping Out on 2012

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

BlizzCon

Blizzard's annual BlizzCon convention won't be sticking to its annual schedule this year. For the first time since 2006, Blizzard fans won't be gathering at the Anaheim Convention Center to celebrate all things Blizzard.

Blizzard made the surprising announcement on its blog earlier today. BlizzCon will return in 2013 -- it isn't a matter of the event being put on ice indefinitely -- and to make up for its absence this year, Blizzard announced the 2012 Battle.net World Championship. Set to be held later this year in Asia, it'll be home to the World Championship tournaments for both StarCraft II and World of Warcraft. It's another example of Blizzard supporting eSports and professional gaming, with it having already hosted tournaments at BlizzCon itself.


After Failing to Buy its Dev, Zynga Makes its Own Tiny Tower

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Dream Heights

The recent release of an iOS game from Zynga has prompted allegations that the FarmVille developer blatantly copied an existing game. Among those noting the similarities are the developers of the game it's accused of copying.

Dream Heights was released last week on the Canadian App Store, and although it remains unavailable in the United States, a quick glance at its screenshots reveal it to be very similar to NimbleBit's Tiny Tower. Tiny Tower is not some obscure iOS game hidden on the App Store, either -- Apple named it the iPhone Game of the Year for 2011 and it received a good amount of attention when it was released last June. And while Tiny Tower was clearly inspired by SimTower, Dream Heights is a different matter. Art style aside, the mechanics appear to be ripped directly from Tiny Tower.


Origin Continues Expanding with 11 New Publishers

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Rift

Electronic Arts has continued working to expand Origin into something more than a home for its own games. The publisher announced today it has agreed to deals with 11 third-party publishers to bring their games to Origin's catalog.

Trion Worlds MMO Rift (pictured above) is the first of these additions and is now available. Specific games beyond that weren't mentioned, just that in the "coming months" Origin will also be home to titles from Robot Entertainment (Orcs Must Die), CD Projekt RED (The Witcher 2), Freebird Games (To the Moon), Recoil Games (Rochard), Autumn Games (Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine), 1C Company (IL-2 Sturmovik), inXile Entertainment (Choplifter HD), Paradox Interactive (Magicka), Core Learning Ltd., and N3V Games (Arcania: Gothic 4).