Before we get on with the news, I'm going to start with some feedback. So last week I gave my opinion on Trickster. Except I forgot to realize a couple of important things. Here's Marc Dufour to explain:Superb article as usual enjoy reading all of them. I had recently decided to check our Trickster Online as well and when I read that you were going to be checking it out I was assuming a few things.
1. You'd realize that the game is not actually out yet so it's shouldn't be met with regular expectations right away since it's in BETA TESTING. There have been errors left right and center.
2. The game connects through a single sign on feature used by gamengame.com for several of it's games so you don't have to make accounts for every single game. Now this feature was recently introduced as well so full expectations shouldn't yet be made either. It has worked quite well recently though.
3. Why are you complaining about the day/night feature? I don't know how it's not possible to see anything during the night time phase unless your monitor is made out of a trash can and you have horrible vision. Yeah your visibility is decreased during the night time phase but you can see enough stuff around you along with your area map on the top right to move around. And the map size can be expanded by hitting the proper key.
Overall maybe you should've either acknowledged the game was in BETA testing or waited until the full version to review it. Other than that good column as usual.
Yes folks, now you realize what an idiot I am in forgetting that it was still in BETA! But still, the whole "go to the site and log in to play" thing isn't something that seems good to me, unless you're into playing a LOT of MMORPGs at the same time. And fact is, the night thing still limits my vision, and I thing that sucks.
So if we take away the long installation problems and site problems, then I guess the game isn't as bad as I thought. The drilling system is cool and they give you lots of quests to start off with that aren't freaking impossible to do. So I guess when they show some significant improvements I'll go back and play it to give it a better review. At least it hasn't been infested with bible thumping christians (*coughMapleStorycough*).
Thanks for the feedback on my half-assed review. I promise to do more research from now on.
The News and The Olds
DUKE NUKEM FOREVER CANCELLED [credit: GamePro.com]
Reported by Shacknews editor Chris Remo, it seems "up to ten major team members" working on the "game" have left 3DRealms since late 2005. Many of them were high-level programmers or designers. 3DRealms community manager Joe Siegler says "There's honestly nothing to be concerned about. People leave. People come. There's staff on the project you don't know about."
If this news surprises you, you're an idiot.
EA ANNOUNCES BURNOUT 5 [credit: GamePro.com, Gamasutra, GameDaily, GameSpy]
Criterion Games and it's publisher EA have announced a fifth installment for the popular arcade racing game Burnout, due sometime in 2007. Burnout 5 will take place in the open ended world of Paradise City, and according to Alex Ward, director of game design at Criterion Games, the game "is a complete reinvention of the series, built from the ground up for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360."
Let the destruction commence!
XBOX 360 SOLD OUT IN JAPAN [credit: Kotaku]
Electronics retailer Bic Camera's Shinjuku store has completely sold out of Xbox 360 consoles, which is amazing considering the Xbox 360 has been failing in Japan. It's even more amazing considering their commercials look like this.
XNA BETA RELEASE [credit: Dignews.com, GameSpy, GameSpot, Gamasutra]
Microsoft has recently released the beta version of it's XNA Game Studio Express, which allows indy developers and game enthusiats to develop their own game for Windows XP and Vista. Later in the year the XNA Creators Club will allow you to migrate your work to the Xbox 360 for a yearly subsricption of $99 ($49 for a four-month trial). Since the initial announcement, more than 100 schools have requested information for having the XNA Game Studio incorporated into their curricula.
I can't wait for the day when the first Xbox 360 game created through XNA hits, as it can possibly define the future of video games. If any of you out there are interested in this, go here.
TECMO JOINS THE VIRUAL CONSOLE [credit: GameDaily, Gamasutra]
During their mid-year financial report, Tecmo announced they be strongly supporting the Wii virtual console. though they did not mention any specific games for it, some popular Tecmo titles that may be available are the Ninja Gaiden series, Tecmo Bowl, and Rygar.
Now this is awesome. Tecmo has had a history of having many cult hits from the past game generations.
DEAD RISING RISES TO TOP OF CHARTS [credit: GamePro.com, GameSpy]
Two weeks after Dead Rising launched, Capcom has shipped over 500,000 copies of the game in the USA. Capcom proclaimed that his game is the "fastest selling next generation title for a Japanese publisher." The success of this game could start the support of other Japanese companies for the Xbox 360.
A successful Capcom game could only mean one thing: SEQUEL TIME! Expect Dead Rising 2 to be released in 1 or 2 years, followed by a Dead Rising 3 that will kill the franchise.
TWO MILLION PLAYERS CAN'T BE WRONG [credit: GameDaily, GameSpy, Gamasutra]
Nintendo has officially reached the 2 million mark for unique users on Nintendo Wi-Fi and have altogether played 70 million game sessions. Nintendo expects this number to earn a boost with the release of Star Fox Command.
Now to see if they can pull off the same goodness where it really matters; the Wii.
NO DS PORN FOR YOU [credit: Dignews.com]
Astaro Corporation has announced that it will be teaming up with Nintendo to equip the DS Browser with a filter technology to prevent children from visiting innappropriate websites.
Even though it's a parental control kind of filter, I'm pretty sure you still won't be able to access porn with it anyway. Then again, why am I even bringing that up?
LEIPZIG BREAKS A RECORD [credit: Gamasutra]
Officials from the 2006 Leipzig Games Convention are reporting record breaking attendance at the close of this year's European consumer/trade convention, with an increase of nearly 27% over the 2005 attendance levels.
Expect it to go way up in years to come since, you know, E3 has been reduced.
FREE ONLINE GAMING [credit: GameDaily, Gamasutra]
Supercomputer International Inc. (SCI), in partnership with Verizon and AOL, is launching a new online platform called Playlinc, allowing players to set up their online games on free servers and also offers a variety of free tools, including team management and create private sessions so only friends can play. While it's mostly meant for PC games, it can also be used for console games, which means Xbox 360 games might actually be played without having to use Xbox Live.
I'm not into online gaming, but this sounds really cool. Hope it succeeds.
OVERULED! [credit: GameDaily]
In June, Minnesota passed a violent game law that would fine minors for buying M or AO rated games. The law was overturned, but Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch is appealing. Hatch argues "If the parents aren't troubled by their kids playing these games, they can buy them for their children. What the Act really does is make sure that parents are involved in the decision of whether their children should play a violent or sexually-explicit video game."
Judge Rosenbaum, who blocked the law, noted "There is a paucity of evidence linking the availability of video games with any harm to Minnesota's children at all", to which Hatch strongly disaggrees.
Fining minors for buying M rated games? Now that's a new one. But if the minor was able to buy the M rated game without a parent, shouldn't the game store be getting blamed? The debate these days just gets more ridiculous.
NEW SPECIES OF GAMERS DISCOVERED [credit: GameDaily]
Many people believe gamers are divided into "Casual" and "Hardcore", but a new study from Parks Associates suggests there is a huge middle ground that marketers should be paying very close attention to. This "middle ground" accounts for 53 percent of the Internet gamer population and 56 percent of the retail revenue.
-Power gamers represent 11 percent of the gamer market but account for 30 cents of every dollar spent on retail and online games.
-Social gamers enjoy gaming as a way to interact with friends.
-Leisure gamers spend 58 hours per month playing games but mainly on casual titles. Nevertheless they prefer challenging titles and show high interest in new gaming services.
-Dormant gamers love gaming but spend little time because of family, work, or school. They like to play with friends and family and prefer complex and challenging games.
-Incidental gamers lack motivation and play games mainly out of boredom. However, they spend more than 20 hours a month playing online games.
-Occasional gamers play puzzle, word, and board games almost exclusively.
That's some interesting new info. But isn't someone who only accounts for 30 cents of every dollar spent considered a "Cheap Gamer"?
The Blackhole of PS3 News
HIRAI SAYS STUFF [credit: Gamasutra, GameDaily]
In an interview with CNET News, Hirai suggested that the PS3 will have a ten year life cycle, which he also suggested in the past for the PS1 and PS2. "I think that we are offering a very good value for the consumers. We look at our products having a ten-year life cycle, which we've proven with the PlayStation. Therefore, the PlayStation 3 is going to be a console that's going to be with you again for 10 years. We're not going to ask the consumers to suddenly buy another PlayStation console in five years time, and basically have their investment go by the wayside."
Also in an interview with San Jose Mercury News, Hirai says that Sony is on track to have 2 Million units ready by launch and having 6 Million shipped by March 2007, despite a Japanese analyst predicting their shipping forecast would be halved. He also emphasized the importance of the Blu-ray format and explained that several titles were taking up as much as 20 gigabytes of space. Sony believe that Blu-Ray discs being able to hold more data will add to the gameplay. "You'll see the difference in the gameplay," said Hirai. "In things like the number of levels, the lines of dialogue, the AI."
Ten year life cycle? I guess it's possible seeing how PS1 survived that long and PS2 will eventually reach it. But as for having that many units ready, it's still very skeptical, especially when...
THERE ARE BLU-RAY SHORTAGES! [credit: GamePro.com, Dignews.com]
According to DigiTimes, a shortage in blue laser diodes has forced Sony to suspend shipments of the drives to third-party Blu-ray player manufacturers.
I'm sorry folks, not even I could put a positive spin on this news. From the looks of it, PS3 hopefuls are going to have a limited launch AND an insane price to deal with come November 14th.
FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 3 FOR PS3 [credit: Dignews.com, GameSpy]
Fight Night Round 3 is heading for the PS3, and this version will have some exclusive features such as a new mode called Get in the Ring.
So PS3 has taken Fight Night Round 3. So what does Xbox 360 take?
PS3 LOSES ASSASSIN'S EXCLUSIVE [credit: Gamasutra, Dignews.com]
Ubisoft has officially announced that Assassin's Creed will also be on the Xbox 360.
Ouch!
AND IT JUST GETS WORSE [credit: GamePro.com]
The $600 HDMI-capable PS3 model will not include an HDMI cable.
Yet another reason to not get a PS3 if you're lucky to get one in the first place.
Bully B.S.
CANIS CANEM EDIT [credit: Gamasutra]
Rockstar has officially changed the name of Bully outside of the U.S. to Canis Canem Edit, latin for "Dog Eat Dog". This is likely stemming from the controversary the game recieved over the name alone without anyone actually playing it.
I find it ironic that all these complainers are trying to ban this game because they claim it teaches kids how to be bullies, but at the same time they are the ones acting like bullies by trying to ban it based on the name alone without actually getting to know it. Who's the real bully here?
THE STUPIDITY OF JAYNE HITCHCOCK [credit: Gamasutra]
Check out what Jayne Hitchcock of "Working to Halt Online Abuse" (WHO@) had to say about Bully:
"How long will it be before we hear on the news about a victim of bullies who is inspired by the new game and retaliates using a baseball bat? There is a tremendous probability that this new game will send out twisted messages, possibly even influence victims of bullying to resort to violence as a means of defense. Games can and do make impressions on young people, especially when they play the games over and over."
So here's a freaking brilliant idea: Why not tell these victims what the right and wrong ways of settling these issues are? Or maybe actually confronting the bullies and getting them to stop? If this video game does make a kid go into school one day and start beating bullies left and right, then you failed to do your real job. And plus, what's the big deal? It isn't like this game is teaching kids to go out and kill innocent people. Just the ones that constantly abuse them all day every day.
But on the bright side, Australia did decide not to ban the game...yet. It probably won't matter as these morons will still bitch instead of addressing the real issues.
THE INTELLIGENCE OF EDINBURGH [credit: Gamasutra]
A consortium of nine universities, led by Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University, have announced the development of a new game that hopes to teach children how to counter and control real world bullying situations. the universities' game, created with input from both teachers and students, will look at various bullying scenarios and help children learn how various actions can create various subsequent outcomes between the bully and their victims.
FINALLY someone who actually does something INTELLIGENT! You hear that senators and parents? This is how you actually do something about bullying! Although this isn't as sickeningly satisfying as doing it the "Canis Canem Edit" way.
The Other Crap
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Quick thoughts on some things game and non-game related
-Is it me or do the characters of Final Fantasy III look bored out of their minds?
-If Pluto is no longer considered a planet, is Sailor Pluto no longer considered a Sailor Senshi?
-If a game is ordered but nothing is delivered, does Gamefly really suck?
-How come violent video games teach us how to kill, but sports games don't teach us how to be better athletes?
Guys who don't write half-ass reviews like me
Your 411 Action Game News Team:
Joshua Richey's Digital Pulse will return next week
Tommy Coloma with The Negative Edge
Caleb Newby with News from Bitopia
Filling in for Steven Masters, Damian Sarcuni with The Casual Gamer News
This Week's Columns:
411's Fact or Fiction: Revenge of the 5/6 Agreement!
Are you a gamer that gets really angry? If so, join Damian Sarcuni's Hate Mail Club.
What gaming moments does Joel Beggs think is so hardcore? Give you a hint: someone dies.
Am I the only one these days that actually likes Donkey Kong Country? Jordan Williams talks about Overated/Underated platform games
Can you come up with a better title for Will Scott's "Death of PC Gaming" rant? He could really use the help.
And be sure to check out Gaming Trends.
Previews:
I preview Sonic the Hedgehog (and this time I did the research)
Armando Rodriquez previews TWO Tony Hawk games: Tony Hawk's Project 8 and Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
Shawn Struck previews Dragon Quest: Rocket Slime, then previews Final Fantasy 3 and shows us some cool character art
Reviews:
D.W. reviews Dead Rising
Shawn Struck reviews Dirge of Cerberus FF7, then breaks his RPG mold and reviews One Piece: Grand Battle
That's it for this week's news reports, and I've got nothing more to say.
