I'd like to borrow a quote from Garfield: "Whoever created Bubble Bobble Revolution needs to be drugged out into the street and shot".Wii News
ONLINE WII FOR FREE. COULD IT BE? [credit: Gamasutra, GameDaily]
In an interview with USA Today, Reggie Fils-Aime commented on how Wii will have free online play.
"We will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They'll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. The Wii console is going to be Wi-Fi enabled, so essentially, you'll be able to plug it in and go. It won't have hidden fees or costs."
I would say this is awesome, but really, I've rarely played games online. But since it's going to be free, perhaps I might actually get into online gaming.
ZELDA ONLY USES WIIMOTE [credit: 1Up.com]
Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii's version of Zelda: Twilight Princess will only support the Wii controller and not any Gamecube controllers.
Finally, an excuse to get the Gamecube version instead! Gamecube lives on!
WII-CUBE? [credit: Gamasutra]
Shingeru Miyamoto has hinted at the possibility of Gamecube games getting remade for Wii and being sold at a lower price then usual. He noted: "The machine is based on GC... We'll be upgrading the development tools, but GameCube code can be used for the most part as is. In that sense, I believe that it would be good to remake GameCube games for Wii, and that some titles would become better with the change to the Wii remote controller."
I would say this is cool, but I can't really think of any Gamecube games off the top of my head that would be cool getting a Wii makeover.
Xbox 360 News
HD-DVDON'T COUNT ON IT [credit: GameDaily, Gamasutra]
Microsoft's group manager of online marketing communications John Porcaro has stated on his Gamerscore Blog that the Xbox 360 will not be playing HD-DVD format games. The rumor of HD-DVD games started from a Consumer Electronics Daily newsletter where Microsoft Game Studios general manager Dave Luehmann stated that there will be no HD-DVD games by the holiday but it wasn't ruled out for next year. Porcaro explains that they have no seen any next-gen DVD formats offer better game experiences and the new format would add development costs and create longer load times for gamers.
Microsoft is really doing anything they can to cut high development costs aren't they?
YET AGAIN, AN XBOX CONTROLLER SUCKS [credit: Gamepro.com]
Microsoft's product manager Robert S. Walker commented at Gamefest about a redesigned Xbox 360 controller to make FPS games a lot more playable, more specifically the right analog stick for more precise movements.
Next-gen consoles with same crappy controller problems. How about that.
WEDNESDAY! WEDNESDAY! WEDNESDAY! [credit: Gamespot]
Here's the line-up for the next wave of XBLA Wednesday games.
August 23: Texas Hold 'Em. 800 points ($10) or get a 48 hour trial.
August 30: Time Pilot (with HD graphics and "enhanced gameplay"). 400 points ($5).
September 6: Scramble. 400 points ($5).
Here are some tips for Texas Hold 'Em. First of all, if you have to know when to hold them. Then, you have to know when to fold them. But most importantly, you don't count your money UNTIL the dealing is done.
Sony News
NO PSP PRICE DROP [credit: Gamepro.com]
Speaking to GameIndustry.biz, a Sony UK spokesperson debunked all rumors: "Currently we have no plans to cut the price of the PSP at this time."
Enjoy trailing behind then.
THE SONY NEGATIVE NEWS REPORT [credit: Evil Avatar, next-gen.biz]
Surprisingly enough, nobody this week was messing with stock options or getting sued. However, the trend of Sony negative news continued, so in this week's Gaming Trends Select and Start News Report, I will attempt to make this negative Sony news positive!
And boy, it doesn't get much more negative then this:
In an extensive interview with consumer site GameSpot, Hirai stated, "We haven't started manufacturing [the PS3] yet. Some of our ops guys were actually just in China, and also in Japan just reviewing the [production] lines and everything else. But they are, again, preparing as we speak to get the manufacturing going. We've not announced and we haven't set really a specific date to say, 'As of this day we're going to start manufacturing.'"
PS3 Production hasn't even started yet! By launch they're going to suffer the same problems they did by Microsoft! So how can there be any positivity in this news?! Well, let's see...
Over the past several months, all the gamers in the world were bitching about Sony's high PS3 cost. All this bitching would lead to make you think that gamers aren't going to buy the $600 PS3 right away. So really, why bother trying to manufacture so many units if they're just going to sit on the shelf waiting for a price drop? That to me is called a "Colossal Waste of Time", and if there's one thing I hate to waste, it's time. So by manufacturing less, they're saving time and parts!
Plus, you also have to look at who this will REALLY profit: The GAMERS! See, if one of them is lucky enough to get one of the few $600 PS3's by whatever means (hopefully not by stabbing/robbing/killing someone else), they can immediately sell in on eBay for a much inflated price! When the PS2 came out and it had shortages, prices for eBay PS2's went to about $1000, really high considering the original price of $300. So if you get the $600 PS3 and immediately sell on eBay, you'll be getting HUGE profits in no time! Of course, you won't have a PS3 anymore, but you can use that money to upgrade those darn computers that can't play Half-Life 3 or Doom 5.
Okay, so that was my attempt at making this news seem positive. Perhaps now I might get nominated for the next Great Positivity Debate. Or I'll just be going back to bitching about the PS3 price and buy a Wii instead.
Other News
PERSCRIBED BY DR.MARIO [credit: Gamasutra]
A new report from Business Week shows that playing video games is an effective way to distract children while taking pain or frightening medical procedures.
A recent study measuring pain tolerance of sixty children ages 5 – 12 found that when asked to submerge their arm in a tub of icy cold water, on average each subject was able to keep their arm immersed for around 19 seconds. However, if the child was allowed to play Free Dive (a new PC game in development by BreakAway Games) with their free hand while partaking in the test, researchers found that time to increase by more than 400 percent to around 86 seconds.
It makes me sad to know that video games can be used in a positive manner, but people like senators and Jack(ass) Thompson will never acknowledge it.
Wait...did I just turn positive news into negative news? Screw the Great Positivity Debate. Sign me up for the Horrid Negativity Debate!
RIP TONY JAY [credit: GameDaily]
Actor Tony Jay died recently at Cedar Sinai Hospital. He died from complications related to a micro surgery to remove a non cancerous tumor from his lungs. He is survived by his wife Marta and his son Adam, who is also an actor.
A Royal Shakespeare actor, Jay had taken on roles in numerous acting fields, including appearances in film, television and Broadway. Fans of animation no doubt remember his roles as Judge Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Megabyte in ReBoot. He also lent his deep baritone voice to the game Fallout and the Legacy of Kain series, in which he played the role of the Elder God.
R.I.P. Tony Jay. Megabyte sounded awesome on that show.
NEW PSA'S FOR ESRB IN GA [credit: Gamespot, GameSpy, Gamasutra, GameDaily]
The ESRB is working with the state of Georgia in launching several new Public Service Announcements to educate parents about their ratings system.
"As a father, I know about the tough decisions parents face today about the media they allow into their homes," said Georgia attorney general Thurbert Baker. "Parents need and deserve all the help they can get, and the ESRB ratings are an effective and informative resource that allows parents to decide if the video game their child wants is appropriate. I'm proud to be helping educate Georgia's parents about the tools at their disposal."
So does that mean that senators will stop complaining about the Hot Coffee/ESRB doesn't work stuff now?
HD TAKES THE LEAD [credit: Evil Avatar, tgdaily.com]
An NPD study shows that HD DVD players outsold Blu-ray players by 33% during their first six weeks after launch. HD DVD sales began in April, while Blu-ray players followed in June; the only Blu-ray play currently offered is Samsung's $1000 BD-P1000, while HD DVD players are offered from multiple vendors for prices as low as $450.
Due to the price of their Blu-Ray player however, Samsung's BD-P1000 achieved 42% more revenue than all HD DVD players during their first six weeks.
HD DVD players outsell Blu-Ray players, but Blu-Ray players generate better revenue. The format war is heating up! Or at least defrosting.
MORE BULLY CRAP [credit: Gamasutra]
After media pressure and a lawsuit from Jack(ass) Thompson, Wal-Mart has stopped taking pre-orders for Bully, a game that has not been rated by the ESRB yet. While Thompson is taking this as a victory, Wal-Mart spokesperson John Simley claims that they stopped doing pre-orders because the company's policy on taking online pre-orders for unrated games has been under review for some time, implying that the timing in not accepting new pre-orders is merely coincidental. However, GamePolitics points out that Wal-Mart's website is still selling preorders for many games without an official ESRB rating, including Crackdown, Phantasy Star Universe, and Justice League Heroes.
To Wal-Mart: Stop being pussies. To Thompson: Screw you.
ALL.NET COMES TO NORTH AMERICA [credit: Gamasutra]
Officials from Sega Amusements USA and Sega Entertainment USA have announced that they will be bringing the online platform ALL.Net, which originally launched in Japan in 2004, to North American arcades soon with the first title being Extreme Hunting 2: Tournament Edition.
The ALL.Net platform is designed to allow players to compete in massively multiplayer online tournaments in exterior locations such as bars, arcades and family entertainment centers such as the company's GameWorks chain.
Sounds cool. If this All.net thing happens to show up at Dave and Buster's, I'll give it a try.
The Other Crap
VIDEO GAME VIDEOS
One of these days I'm going to be importing Battle Stadium D.O.N., an anime crossover fighting game. In the meantime, I'll be constantly watching the several gameplay videos on YouTube. Check them out:
Battle Stadium D.O.N. Gameplay Videos
CHAMPIONSHIP GAMING INVITATIONALS
According to my DirecTV Tivo, the CGI is going to air on September 8th on Channel 101. The preview showed a gaming arena of sorts and the games that will be played include Dead or Alive 4, Counter Strike 1.6, Project Gotham Racing 3, and Halo 2. I'll probably be doing recaps of the show when it airs, so stay tuned.
Guys who'd probably beat me in a Great Positivity Debate
Your 411 Action Game News Team:
Joshua Richey with The Digital Pulse
Tommy Coloma with The Negative Edge
The Attila to my Genghis, Caleb Newby with News from Bitopia
Steven Masters with The Casual Gamer News
This Week's Columns:
In Angry Gaming, Damian Sarcuni thinks it's time MMA promotions got better video games and explains how it should be done.
In Hardcore Haven, Joel Beggs talks about how Xbox appeals to 12-year-olds. You know there's actually a 7-year-old kid who's a master at Halo? I kid you not (no pun intended).
In Working Title, Jordan Williams teaches us about the many kinds of fanboys and their annoying habits. Crikey!
And speaking of Jordan Williams, head over to the Wrestling zone's Hidden Highlights column and vote for him in the Great Positivity Debate.
In Retro Review, Steve McHugh gets "eaten by a fucking tree" after playing Virtual Hydlide four minutes in. Hilarity ensues.
In The Retrospective, Sean McCabe looks back at the history of the Legend of Zelda in a 3 part series.
In Game Rants, Will Scott believes that PC Gaming is dying. Could it possibly be true? (Dun dun duuun)
411's Top 5 Scariest Games. You might notice I didn't list much survival horror games, because you know what? I HATE SCARY GAMES!
411's Fact or Fiction: The Curse of the 5/6 agreement!
Previews:
Check out the 21 Screenshots for Rainbow Six Vegas.
Those darn saiyans are at it again! Dragonball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
Reviews:
Bubble Bobble was my favorite game. Seeing this review of Bubble Bobble Revolution (DS) nearly broke my heart.
Ever heard of Summon Night: Swordcraft Story? Me neither, but check out the review and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
That's it for this week's news report. This is Vincent Chiucchi, future champion of the Horrid Negativity Debate, signing out.
