The Select and Start News Report: 08.18.08
Posted by Vincent Chiucchi on 08.18.2008
War predicted by video games, new Batman game announced, Final Fantasy makes gamers puke, EA teams up with Suda51 and Shinji Mikami, and more.
You know how really crappy video games that should never have been made are called "shovelware?" I've been wondering if there's a term for that when relating to movies, especially for Space Chimps and Star Wars Clone Wars. Speaking of movies, one movie that turned out not to be shovelware was Tropic Thunder. I didn't have hope of this movie being any good, but the moment it started with those fake trailers, I loved this movie.
Big News
PANDEMONIUM WARDEN CASTS PUKAGA! [credit: Kotaku, The Escapist, Destructoid]
A new super tough boss has arrived in Final Fantasy XI called Pandemonium Warden. It's one of those bosses that requires a guild full of top level characters to take down, so in comes Beyond the Limitation, a group that defeated other super tough boss Absolute Virtue. Pandemonium Warden, however, was a lot tougher then the group had anticipated. Warden has over twenty different forms and was taking the group over 18 hours. Finally, the group eventually gave up because members were getting physically ill from playing so long, including vomiting. Many are questioning why Square Enix would create such a boss when they have a warning at the beginning of the game to not let this game ruin your life.
I always knew them MMOs was dangerous. Forget Grand Theft Auto IV; it's Final Fantasy XI that needs to be banned from stores nationwide. You know how hard it is to clean the puke off of your own keyboard? Square Enix is obviously being very irresponsible of a game company, and I say we take action! Ridiculous pointless legal action! Won't someone think of the children?!
RUSSIA-GEORGIA CONFLICT FORESHADOWED IN GHOST RECON [credit: GamePolitics, GameSpot]
So out in the real world, Russia has invaded Georgia and President Bush was getting pissed off about it. I think the joke with that statement is really obvious. As it turns out, this conflict was predicted to happen in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon released back in 2001. The Philadelphia Bulletin gave a detailed analysis:
As the game's intro opens, a lone 2008 flashes on the screen before the narrator reads the following words: "The year is 2008, and the world teeters on the brink of war. Radical ultranationalists have seized power in Moscow - their goal, the reestablishment of the old Soviet empire. Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan - one by one the nearby independent republics slip back into the Russian orbit. Russian tanks sit in the Caucasus Mountains and the Baltic forests, poised to strike to the south and east. The world holds its breath, and waits."
The biggest difference though is that in the game, the US sends it's forces to help Georgia. As of now that hasn't happened yet, but President Bush did order the US Navy to the region to provide humanitarian aid to Georgia and support a fragile cease-fire.
Or what if...what if Russia was playing this video game, and decide to reenact the events? Forget Grand Theft Auto and Final Fantasy XI; it's Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon that needs to be banend from stores worldwide! Won't someone think of the children?!
EA TO PUBLISH HORROR GAME BY SUDA 51 AND SHINJI MIKAMI [credit: Joystiq, Destructoid, GameDaily]
EA has announced a licensing agreement with Grasshopper Manufacture, developer of No More Heroes, for an "all-new action horror game" through the EA Partners program. Producing the game will be Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, and directing the game will be the man behind Killer7 and No More Heroes, Goichi "Suda51" Suda. The game is due for release on PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.
Let's see: Guy who made underated titles Killer7 and No More Heroes + Guy who created the Resident Evil series + Juggernaut company EA = Potentially Awesome Deal. They didn't give any details on what this game is going to be, but knowing the works these two have done, it could be something worth looking forward to.
In other EA news, they've also teamed up with Epic for a new action title currently in development by the People Can Fly studio. That game will be coming out for PS3, PC and Xbox 360.
17% OF GTA BUYERS ARE UNDERAGED [credit: GameDaily, Gamasutra, GamePolitics, The Escapist]
According to a Nielsan survey, 17% of people who own Grand Theft Auto IV were under the age of 17. Of those 17%, 61% had bought the game themselves while the rest got a parent or guardian to do so for them. The survey did not indicate why the parent or guardian bought the game for them. Back in Spring the FTC released it's secret shopper survey that showed 20% of minors were able to buy an M-rated game without being turned down, compared to 35% for an R-rated movie and 47% for an R-rated DVD.
So overall, only 10% of people who had the game were underaged kids who bought it themselves. Does this sound like such a problem that we need to pass government bills to prevent such sales?
BATMAN HEADING TO ARKHAM ASYLUM [credit: GameDaily, Gamasutra, 1UP, GameSpot]
Last week it turned out that EA had turned down making a Batman game based on The Dark Knight movie. This week, it turns out there will be a new Batman game after all, only not based on the movie. Titled Batman: Arkham Asylum, the game is in development from Rocksteady Studios and Eidos. The game is planned for a 2009 release on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC/Windows and takes place in the infamous Arkham Asylum, where Batman will have to battle the Joker and other villains. The game will have a dark and gritty setting, co-written by Paul Dini, producer of TV's Batman: The Animated Series.
An originally done Batman game is definitely better then a tie-in game for the movie. With one of the writers of the animated series aboard, this could be an awesome enough Batman game to make us forget all the crappy ones he's had. Batman: Dark Tommorow...*shudder*.
Tidbit News
-Yu Suzuki, creator of the Virtua Fighter series, was said to have left Sega although still collaborating games with them. It turns out that Suzuki is still employed with the company, just under a different role and still keeping a low profile. [credit: GameDaily, Gamasutra]
-Holy in the black Batman, Atari actually made a profit! Atari posted a profit of $3.5 million for the quarter, a big improvement from the net loss of $11.9 million during the same period last year, and net revenue jumping from $10.4 million to $40.3 million. The major contributers for this was Alone in the Dark and DBZ: Burst Limit. [credit: GameDaily, Gamasutra]
-The Final Fantasy XIII demo that will come with the blu-ray version of Advent Children in Japan is going to be over two hours long. Hopefully some of that two hours will actually be for gameplay. [credit: Kotaku]
-Fallout 3 has been reclassified in Australia, now having an MA15+ rating and will be available for sale in mid-October. Fallout 3's resubmitted version was passed by the board because "the reward and incentive" for in-game drug use had been significantly toned down. [credit: GameDaily, GameSpot]
-A survey from parenal advisory website What They Play shows that parents are more worried about their children playing Grand Theft Auto then watching pornography or drinking alcohol. They were also more offended about men and women having sex or two men kissing then seeing a severed head in a video game. So let me get this straight: Real life porn is okay, but video game porn isn't? And you'd rather let your kids see the kind of violent things that you blame for school shootings then two people having sex? This is why I hate older people. [credit: GamePolitics]
-Spore is recieving controversy for it's protrayal of religion from...atheists? Says Will Wright: "I didn't expect to hit hot buttons on the atheist side as much; I expected it on the religious side. But so far I've had no critical feedback at all from anybody who is religious feeling that we were misrepresenting religion or it was bad to represent religion in the game. It was really the atheists." [credit: GameDaily]
-Blizzard has confirmed that the Diablo universe will continue beyond Diablo III. No word on if it will go back to it's gothic look everyone cares about so much. [credit: GameDaily]
-According to the 2008 Game Development Survey, 70% of those surveyed said they are making games for the PC/Mac, compared to 43% who are making console games. I thought that number would be lower considering the rampage of PC piracy going on. [credit: GameDaily]
-EA has acknowledged that it's looking to license the television and movie rights to Spore. Why do I have the feeling we're going to get a crappy children's show/movie out of this? [credit: GameDaily]
-Rock Band has been out for a while now, but the gamers down under have yet to recieve it. Now rumors are going around that because retailers are hesitant to transport and shelve the bulky bundles, they may NEVER get the game. It must really suck to be an Austrailian gamer. [credit: Joystiq]
Gaming Calendar
August 21st - Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty (PSN)
August 25th - Mario Super Sluggers (Wii)
August 26th - Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice (PS3)
August 2008 - Tales of Vesperia (Xbox 360)
Summer 2008 - Air Traffic Chaos (DS)
September 2nd - Infinite Undiscovery (Xbox 360)
September 5th - FaceBreaker (X360, PS3)
September 7th - Spore (PC)
September 16th - Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS)
September 18th - Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC)
September 22nd - Sim City Creator (Wii, DS)
September 23rd:
-Disgaea DS
-Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (DS)
September 29th:
-Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS)
-Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii)
September 2008:
-TNA iMPACT (Multi)
-Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360)
October 3-5 - E for All 2008 to be held
October 9-13 - The Tokyo Game Show 2008 to be held
October 21st:
-Dead Space (X360)
-Fable II (X360)
October 2008:
-LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
-Bioshock ported to the PS3
-Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 (Xbox 360, PC)
November 4th - Left 4 Dead (PC, X360)
November 7th - Gears of War 2 (X360)
November 11th - Eternal Poison (PS2)
Fall 2008:
-Resistance: Fall of Man 2 (PS3)
-MySims Kingdom (DS, Wii)
March 13th 2009 - Resident Evil 5 (X360)
Video of the Day
McDonalds Line Rider Commercial:
Mario at Nintendo World
Mario is once again appearing at Nintendo World, so if you live in the NYC area and want to ask the virtual plumber any questions, drop by between 12PM and 2PM. I remember doing this two years ago and it was pretty enjoyable. Also, I've heard that for the release of Mario Super Sluggers, anyone who buys the game gets to meet the voice actor of Mario himself! I might have to go just to see if my Mario impersonation is truly as good as the man himself.
While I'm sure Clancy didn't have that much to do with story line in that Ghost Recon game he has a history of predicting things in his books. In The novel Debt of Honor after a war with Japan a Japanese airline pilot uses crashes his plane into the capital after Jack Ryan is confirmed as VP. It is early similar to 9/11(United 93's target was the capitol).
Posted By: Snakedoctor (Guest) on August 18, 2008 at 11:08 AM
The Clinton administration also predicted 9/11. They sent Bush memos that one of the top priorities was to be on the lookout for Osama Bin Laden's terrorists using airplanes to attack buildings. Incredible!
Shame Bush and McSame didn't take them seriously.
Posted By: Clinton Clancy (Guest) on August 18, 2008 at 05:50 PM
Just to add to the bit about Rock Band.
The reason Aussie retailers are apparently hesitant to stock it is because it's going to have a rumoured RRP of $520AU ($450USD).
$520...A 60GB Xbox 360 is selling for $499 here, so you would be paying $20 bucks more for ONE game that is nearly a year old then an actual 360 console.
Posted By: aussiegamer (Guest) on August 18, 2008 at 10:32 PM
