The release date of the concluding installment of the epic saga Gears of War 3 was accidentally announced in Microsoft’s XBox Live morning of Friday, April 9.
The “spotlight” bar in XBox Live indicated that Gears of War 3 would be available one year from now in April 2011.
The story running around is that game designer Cliff Bleszinski was supposed to make a guest appearance in the late night show of Jimmy Fallon but was replaced in the last minute by singer Justin Bieber. Staff at XBox Live probably didn’t receive the message that Bleszinski was not able to make the announcement. He was rescheduled on Monday.
The designer, however, insisted via Twitter that he was not bumped from his slot and that it was his idea to change the schedule of his guest appearance.
“As much as I’d like to start a fight with @justinbieber the truth of the matter is that we wanted to take a couple more days to polish,” his message said.
The first two games in the series are almost exclusive to the XBox. There is a Windows PC version for the fist installment.
In an effort to expand its video-gaming business, Electronic Arts may start charging for certain pre-game content – a possible move that is already drawing fire from gamers.
In an interview with Wedbush Morgan Securities' industry analyst Michael Pachter, EA Group GM Nick Earl said the company plans to start charging for “premium downloadable content” before releasing the entire game at full price. Earl said the strategy would "serve as a low-cost marketing tool” and limit the risk of promoting a full game that may not do well.
Reaction from gamers was swift. Some denounced the move as a blatant attempt at money-grabbing while other urged patience to see what the final plan would be.
A user named Fimmel wrote on GameSpot’s message board, “Do they really think we'll pay to DL the beginning of the game before we've even gathered enough information to decide if we want to buy the game at all?”
Another commenter, Lord Thayer, wrote on Kotaku, “So, is it safe to assume that, if you buy the demo, then upgrade to the full game digitally, that they would take the price of the demo out? If so, I actually think that would be rad. “
Facing a possible backlash, Electronic Arts has tried to clarify its position on demos. A statement from the company said there were no set pricing strategies for the entire EA portfolio and included a curious line:
“None of the proposals call for charging consumers for traditionally free game demos."
The statement also said EA was working on delivering “premium content” to gamers before, during and after the launch of a final game package. It said each division of EA was experimenting with downloadables in an effort to provide “fresh game content in formats players want to experience.”
Blizzard Entertainment fifth community-focused confab returning to the Anaheim Convention Center this fall; ticket sales, pricing TBA.
With Starcraft II, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and Diablo III, Blizzard's had a lot to talk about for the past couple of years. Much of that work culminates soon, as the Irvine, California-based shop gears up to release two games in a single year: Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Barring any delays, sandwiched in between those two releases should be BlizzCon 2010, which Blizzard officially announced today.
Expect to catch a glimpse of Deathwing at this year's show.
This year's event will return to the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, from October 22-23. Blizzard expects to release additional information on ticket sales and pricing closer to the show. However, that's information fans of the studio will want to keep an eye out for, as Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime noted as part of his keynote address last year that BlizzCon 2009 sold out in less than 60 seconds.
As in years past, BlizzCon will feature a variety of activities catering to the tastes of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo fans. Those in attendance will be able to play prerelease builds of Blizzard's upcoming games, presumably World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and Diablo III. The show will also include a variety of panels form Blizzard developers, casual and competitive tournaments, contests, a silent auction, and a merchandise store.
Some 20,000 tickets were sold at $125 a pop to BlizzCon 2009, though Blizzard has said that the event remains unprofitable. Highlights included the announcement of WOW's third expansion, Cataclysm, as well as a live performance by metal maestro Ozzy Osbourne, whom GameSpot spoke with after the show.
Blizzard plans to announce additional details for the event through the BlizzCon 2010 official Web site.
God of War III picks up immediately where God of War II ended, with Kratos riding on Gaia as she and the other Titans climb Mount Olympus to assault the gods. Atop the mountain, Hermes, Poseidon, Hades, and Helios mount a defensive against the Titans. After defeating and killing Poseidon, Kratos and Gaia reach Zeus, only to be knocked off Mt. Olympus by Zeus' lightning bolt. As Gaia tries to climb back up, Kratos begins to slip off her back. Gaia states that she cannot help him and that the Titans war with the gods is more important than Kratos' revenge. Kratos falls off Gaia as she continues upward. Kratos lands in the River Styx, where the souls of the underworld take away all of Kratos' power and health, except for the Golden Fleece, Icarus Wings, and the Blade of Olympus.
Square Enix's acclaimed JRPG goes platinum in US and Canada within five days of PS3, Xbox 360 release, becoming fastest-selling installment in franchise history.
A day after Final Fantasy XIII's March 9 release for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America and Europe, Square Enix was trumpeting the game's Western sales potential. According to the publisher, the highly anticipated role-playing game had shipped 5 million units worldwide. That figure, of course, includes the more than 1 million units in day-one sales the game enjoyed in Japan, where it is a PS3-exclusive.
They say you can't go home again, but whoever coined that old adage apparently wasn't talking about the realm of Ferelden. Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening returns you to this familiar and fair fantasy world, where degenerate demons called darkspawn have ravaged the land. The forces of evil may still lurk, but fans of 2009's wonderful Dragon Age will settle easily into the game's first full expansion pack, which harbors few surprises but delivers all the loot-happy adventuring that they'd expect. Awakening is not as exceptional as the main game; its story and characters make little impression, which is a disappointment compared to Dragon Age's splendid yarn. But in spite of some story frustrations and scattered bugs, Awakening is more of a terrific thing. It isn't a groundbreaking expansion, but it's an entertaining one that reminds us that if it isn't broken, there's no need to fix it.
You begin Awakening by selecting a character, either by importing one from Dragon Age: Origins or by creating a new one, who will start at level 18. Whichever route you choose, you're immediately dropped outside the fortress of Warden's Keep, where darkspawn continue their assault in spite of the Grey Wardens' earlier triumphs. It's clear from the beginning, however, that these foes are not the usual expendable masses. You hear tales of a darkspawn that speaks, and soon thereafter you meet this growling beast. As the keep's commander, it's up to you to venture into the surrounding environs, searching for clues that may help you identify and stave off the forces behind the new threat.
This is a straightforward fable much like the original, though it does provide a few memorable threads. A damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't decision toward the end of the game is possibly the finest of these, and your choice has major effects on how your adventure plays out. Tension between siblings and a journey into the realm of spirits known as The Fade serve up some additional highlights. Yet in spite of a few quality moments, the story isn't as interesting as you'd expect. One of Dragon Age: Origins' most shocking moments illustrated the sacrifice Grey Wardens must be willing to make to join the order, and it underlined just how determined and self-possessed its members must be. In Awakening, the ritual is treated so casually that the Grey Wardens--and the Joining--no longer retain their edge. The story treats The Right of Conscription with a maddening degree of carelessness; what was once serious has become almost flippant.
Luckily, your old ale-swilling pal Oghren will be there to remind you of the good old days. While you run into a couple of friends from your previous quests, the dwarf Oghren is the only party member from Dragon Age to cross over into Awakening. He's as funny as he ever was and a never-ending source of comic relief. His belching, cussing, womanizing ways always make for entertaining stories during your travels, and he's a great foil for Anders, a sarcastic mage who joins your party early on. You'll add four others to your party, including a warrior named Justice who proves that looks really can be deceiving, and a Dalish elf called Valenna who regrets the loss of her people's ancient myths and legends. Oghren is practically a legend, or at least he's one in his own mind, but none of your new cohorts are as unforgettable as old friends like Dragon Age's Alistair and Morrigan, let alone Oghren. There are no romances to undertake, and while giving gifts to your party members will lead to new dialogue options and other surprises, you aren't likely to get too caught up in their personal tales. So classic characters they aren't, but they are still appealing, in part due to the uniformly excellent voice acting that brings them to life.
Compared to the original Dragon Age: Origins, Awakening doesn't offer the same kind of outstanding value--$40 for under 20 hours of questing, as opposed to the 50-plus hours of the $50 main game. Yet the length is nothing to sneeze at, particularly when the questing is this involving. Your objectives are typical role-playing tropes--fetch a plant, kill some demons, seek out the apostate mages--but good quest writing gives them context, and improved art design makes some of the environments fun to explore. Awakening still looks like a typical fantasy game, and the forests and underground corridors look much the same as before. But a few of the new areas clearly received some artistic attention. A creepy marsh is one such location; an abandoned dwarven stronghold is another. Even a late-game trek down a series of winding stairways is a nice change of pace for the series and adds a welcome bit of environmental variety. Unfortunately, a few bugs let the visuals down here and there. We had a character's arm get stuck in an odd position and remain there for hours; at another point, initiating a conversation with a non-player character spawned a doppelganger that clipped in and out of its twin's body as it moved. These and other quirks might be small distractions, but they're common enough to be notable.
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening doesn't reach the high standards set by its illustrious precursor, but it's still a great game on its own terms. The combat and questing are as fun as they ever were and will keep you involved up until the very end, in spite of the uneven quality of the story and the characters that fill it. Oghren once said, "Misery, vomit, and malt liquor. Ah, reminds me of home." You know you've missed such delights too, and now's the time to head back.
A cocky self-proclaimed hero with a charming sneer and a heart of gold. A sultry, no-nonsense ally you can rely on for a sly quip and a warm hug. These characters sound like standard role-playing stereotypes, but to Final Fantasy XIII's credit, they transcend formula and wriggle into your heart. Like many other Final Fantasy ensemble casts, the misfits at the center of this tale feel like old friends, and like old friends, they will excite your spirit, move your heart, and sometimes exasperate you. Their story is grand and compelling--as absorbing as you could hope for in a long role-playing game. That's just as well, given the fun but flawed game woven around this excellent tale. This is an intensely focused, exceptionally linear adventure that offers a few illusions of choice but never makes good on them. Fortunately, the battle system is fun and engaging once all of its elements fall into place, and it will keep you pushing forward even when the story lulls in the second half. Yet don't let the flaws dissuade you from playing and enjoying Final Fantasy XIII. It's a gorgeous RPG that delivers the emotional poignancy and slick production values you expect from this beloved series.
The aforementioned cocky hero is Snow, the spiritual leader of a ragtag group of rebels in the world of Cocoon, though he isn't the soul of Final Fantasy XIII's story. That honor goes to Lightning, a likeable, strong-willed beauty on a vision quest to save her sister. In the first few moments of the game, you meet both Lightning and her accidental companion, Sazh, a good-hearted former pilot whose afro serves as home to a chocobo chick. (Don't worry: This bit of silly humor is not taken to extremes.) Eventually, this duo is joined by four others, drawn together by dramatic events, intertwined pasts, and a seemingly unachievable goal. The cast is diverse and the members play off of each other well. Tension between the resolute Lightning and the stubborn Snow is relieved when anger gives way to honesty. A young man called Hope blindly lets revenge cloud his judgment, even while admitting that nothing will stop his broken heart from bleeding. With a single exception, these are winning characters that are easy to relate to, providing a haven of comfort and familiarity in a beautiful but unusual world. That exception is Vanille, an incessantly irritating waif whose superbubbly voice and high-pitched monosyllabic chirps exceed tolerable limits, even in a genre known for squeaky, bright-eyed heroines. Fortunately, the bulk of the voice acting and dialogue is quite good, though RPG purists should take note that there's no option to hear the original Japanese voice tracks.
It's best to discover the intricacies of the narrative on your own, given the constant stream of shocks and high drama it provides. But the excellent setting deserves special mention. Metal behemoths called fal'Cie lord over two distinct worlds: The raw and dangerous underworld called Pulse and the high-tech, elaborately designed world of Cocoon that floats above it. Cocoon is all shiny sleekness and crystalline craftwork, a fascinating marriage of the organic and the synthetic. Sophisticated machinery and finely wrought buildings dominate the urban backgrounds, and every last stone and spire looks as if great care went into creating it. The attention to detail is astounding, so there's always something to catch your eye, whether it is the fancy latticework of a fence, the decorative patterns spreading across a wall like ivy, or the complex networks of pipes and planks. The art design is beautiful and varied, yet it's also consistent. Not a single detail seems out of place.
Pros
A diverse and mostly excellent cast of characters
A great original world, fleshed out by a compelling story
Fun combat system keeps you on your toes
Magnificent production values.
Cons
Exceedingly linear exploration and character progression
Nintendo president lays out early details on the company's next handheld, slates Link's next adventure into 2010 holiday release schedule.
The Nintendo DS just enjoyed a record-setting year of sales in the US, but Nintendo already has plenty of ideas for a successor. In the aftermath to the company's holiday sales update yesterday, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata dropped a handful of details on the company's next handheld, as well as its upcoming Zelda and Vitality Sensor Wii games, to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
Link is set to don his trademark green tights again shortly.
According to the report, as translated by GameSpot, Iwata told the paper that the DS successor could be expected to feature a "high level of visual quality," as well as sensors to read a player's movements. However, gamers shouldn't expect the system to arrive anytime soon. Iwata mentioned the current DS lineup's record sales in 2009, "so we are not currently talking about [the next handheld's release]."
Moving onto the company's Wii software lineup, the paper also reported that the next Wii iteration of Zelda is planned for release at the end of October. Nintendo has previously said the game was "targeted" for 2010, with producer Eiji Aonuma teasing a new approach to the series that might be shown off as early as the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo (taking place June 15-17).
Finally, the paper reported that Nintendo is working to launch the Wii Vitality Sensor peripheral as soon as possible, with pulse-reading games expected for July.
Yesterday, Microsoft held its 2009 Consumer Electronics Show press conference, an event that was largely dominated by updates for the software company's latest operating system, Windows 7. However, Microsoft also offered a handful of headline announcements for its gaming arm, namely confirming that its camera-based motion-sensing add-on Project Natal would be available for the Xbox 360 this holiday. And as had been leaked first in October and then again hours before the press event, Microsoft also announced its new retro Game Room hub.
The Game Room goes live this spring.
Microsoft has now offered additional details on the Game Room, which was developed by Krome Studios and will be available through Xbox Live and the Games for Windows - Live PC client this spring. As part of an announcement trailer, below, the publisher rattled off some 30 games that will initially be available. Games on the docket include such Atari and Intellivision classics as Centipede, Crystal Castles, Red Baron, Yars' Revenge, and Tempest. A full list can be found below. With plans to expand the Game Room to more than 1,000 titles, Microsoft intends to release additional offerings on a weekly basis.
The publisher also announced a pricing structure for the downloadable classics. Games can be purchased for play on both the Xbox 360 and PC for MSP 400 ($5), or for an individual platform at MSP 240 ($3) apiece. Alternatively, gamers can carry on in the coin-op tradition by purchasing single rounds of any individual game for MSP 40 ($.50). Players can also sample games purchased by their friends for free by visiting their game rooms.
Up to two players can compete in online or local multiplayer in games that support competitive or cooperative action. The Game Room will also support Xbox Live Avatars, as well as voice chat, 1080p graphics, cross-platform leaderboards, and achievements.
Confirmed Microsoft Game Room titles:
Adventure
Armor Battle
Asteroids Deluxe
Astrosmash
Battlantis
Centipede
Combat
Crystal Castles
Finalizer
Football
Jungler
Lunar Lander
Millipede
Mountain Madness: Super Pro Skiing
Outlaw
RealSports Tennis
Red Baron
Road Fighter
Scramble
Sea Battle
Shao-Lin's Road
Space Armada
Space Hawk
Star Raiders
Sub Hunt
Super Cobra
Tempest
Tutankham
Yars' Revenge
Blizzard Entertainment's massively popular, massively multiplayer online role-playing franchise World of Warcraft boasts some 11.5 million users worldwide, and a significant chunk of that tally hails from China. However, since November, the online game's operation has been in jeopardy, after Blizzard's new distribution partner in the region, NetEase, became mired in a dispute between two regulatory agencies within China.
It looks like Chinese players won't be left waiting at the gates.
Today, Reuters reports that NetEase's travails may come to a conclusion this month. China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) told Reuters that a resolution and announcement concerning World of Warcraft would be revealed "very soon." Citing local media, Reuters reports that NetEase will be able to resume operating the game after paying an undisclosed fine.
GAPP had initially revoked NetEase's permit to operate the MMORPG due to "gross violations" of Chinese law. However, the Chinese Ministry of Culture quickly denounced the move, saying that GAPP "overstepped its authority" as it did not have the authority to penalize online gaming.
Despite the legal tussle, Blizzard confirmed for GameSpot that at no point did the game go offline in China. However, the dispute did impact the release of WOW's first expansion, The Burning Crusade. GAPP reportedly denied NetEase's application to localize the expansion pack as part of the interagency conflict. Citing analyst reports, Reuters notes that NetEase will now have an opportunity to bring the fast-selling add-on to China.
Square Enix's hotly anticipated JRPG busts platinum sales marker in 24 hours on PS3, franchise sales surpass 92 million.
It almost went without saying that Final Fantasy XIII would be a massive success in Japan. Any doubts to that were squelched in April, when Square Enix released a short demo for the game in Japan for the PlayStation 3--the only console that Final Fantasy XIII is available for in the region--and system sales nearly quadrupled on a weekly basis, according to Media Create.
With Final Fantasy XIII officially available on retail shelves in Japan yesterday, the game's selling potential has snapped clearly into focus. Citing internal figures, Square Enix announced today that the Japanese role-playing game has sold more than 1 million units in its first 24 hours. Square Enix noted that the figure does not include units sold as part of hardware bundles, such as the 250GB ceramic-white PS3 with a graphic of protagonist Lightning printed on the top.
Yesterday, Square Enix announced that it had shipped some 1.8 million units to Japanese retailers in advance of the game's launch. The publisher also noted that total worldwide franchise sales stand at 92 million units since the Final Fantasy brand first emerged in 1987. Of its most recent iteration, Square Enix has forecast total sales of 6 million units worldwide.
Final Fantasy XIII will be released for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in North America and Europe on March 9. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.
EEDAR analysis finds slightly more titles fighting over fewer customer dollars, increasingly scarce shelf space; 2010 to see fewer new retail games.
Judging from the glut of potential blockbusters that were delayed to next year, one might get the impression that 2009 saw fewer games released than normal. That's actually not the case, according to Electronic Entertainment Design and Research analyst Jesse Divnich.
Citing figures from EEDAR's GamePulse service, Divnich told GameSpot that 2009 saw 1,099 games debut at US retailers across all platforms, up slightly from the previous year's 1,092 releases. Although the quantity of titles hasn't changed much, the steady flow of new releases has some significant implications when combined other factors.
"For just the current generation home consoles (PS3/360/Wii), 2009's release quantities increase the total availability of games to consumers by 55 percent," Divnich noted. "Unless retail shelf space grows by the same amount--and it isn't--than the retail shelf life for an average game decreases dramatically. Additionally, each year there are at least 50 games that achieve a permanent spot on retail shelves (Greatest Hits, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, etc.), which decreases the total amount of retail space available for newer titles."
Shelf space isn't the only commodity new games have to fight over. With industry sales down year-over-year, there are fewer consumer dollars spread out over a larger number of possible purchases.
"Because our industry is not growing at the same rate as release quantities, it does mean the average new release is producing fewer unit sales than in previous years," Divnich said.
Breaking down the number of new releases by platform (see picture), Divnich noted that despite slowing sales momentum, the DS and Wii both saw significant bumps in their new release numbers. Meanwhile, new PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 retail releases were flat and slightly down for the year, respectively, which Divnich attributed to the rise in digital distribution.
Beyond simply selling games online instead of in stores, developers are spending more time supporting released titles with downloadable content, Divnich said. Over time, those extra resources could lead to fewer games finding their way into retail.
Looking ahead to next year, Divnich expects a 5-8 percent drop in the number of games to hit shelves. He attributed the expected drop to a combination of factors including industry consolidation, and peak release trends from previous console generations. He also emphasized the impact of digital distribution, saying that if projects like OnLive and GaiKai pan out, the number of boxed retail games released for the year could drop as much as 10 percent.
