Primotech

No More Heroes Going Multiplatform ?

2009-07-02T22:32:20Z

In an interview with Edge, Goichi Suda, CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture, has suggested the studio’s Wii franchise, No More Heroes, may not remain a platform exclusive for long.

“I really want to make NMH a big franchise,” he said, “and with this second episode have bigger success. I’m putting a lot of care into developing this IP, as I feel there’s a lot of potential.”

He also went on to strongly suggest that the franchise will be heading to other formats; “I think this is the last NMH that is going to be developed on Wii,” Suda revealed. “To expand NMH to new possibilities, we need a new platform. Wii is a great platform, but we’ve done everything we can with it now.”

In related news, Siliconera is reporting on a financial presentation by No More Heroes’ publisher, Marvelous Entertainment that seems to match with Suda’s comments.

For this console generation, Marvelous has been a Wii-heavy publisher, putting a great deal of support behind Nintendo’s platform with titles like Harvest Moon and Little King’s Story.

However, referring to poor sales, Siliconera suggests that there is a change of strategy on the way, and that Marvelous will begin porting their games to other platforms.

No specific titles are mentioned, but it seems that Grasshopper’s No More Heroes is likely to figure highly on any list.

Grease Video Game Announced

2009-07-02T22:06:32Z

505 Games today announced it has secured the rights to create a new game based on the original high school musical, Grease.
In collaboration with Paramount Digital Entertainment, 505 Games will oversee and publish a Grease video game for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

The Grease video game will allow players to fulfil those long forgotten dreams of singing and dancing alongside Danny, Sandy, The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds. On Nintendo’s home console, the game will utilise the Wii’s motion-sensing controls and a microphone, most likely in the style of EA’s Boogie, while the DS version is expected be a much more touch screen-centric affair.

“We are really excited about working with Paramount Digital Entertainment to turn this world famous film into a video game for the very first time,” said Ian Howe, Managing Director of 505 Games. “Working with such a well known and much loved brand is a great opportunity and we believe the collaboration further strengthens 505 Games’ entertainment portfolio.”

Grease will be released on Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS and co-published by 505 Games and Paramount Digital Entertainment.

Ron Gilbert to Provide Keynote at PAX 2009

2009-06-29T22:39:15Z

The organisers of Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) today announced their keynote speaker for 2009’s event, famed developer and writer Ron Gilbert.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gilbert created countless classic video games, shaping LucasArts’ fearsome reputation for adventure games, from Maniac Mansion to the first two installments in the Monkey Island series. In more than 20 years in the games industry, Gilbert has also co-founded three game studios, created the famous SCUMM scripting language and been inducted into the Computer Game Hall of Fame.

He is currently creative director at independent development studio Hothead Games in Vancouver, Canada, home of the Penny Arcade Adventures series.

“This is an unbelievable moment for us,” said Penny Arcade’s business manager, Robert Khoo. “I wasted an entire family vacation one year trying to figure out how to win that stupid spitting competition.”

In it’s six year history, PAX has hosted previous speakers such as noted geek icon Wil Wheaton and innovative game designer Ken Levine, creative director of 2K Boston, and responsible for titles such as Thief and Bioshock.

PAX 2009 will take place from Sept 4-6 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Centre.

ID Purchased By Bethesda Owner ZeniMax Media

2009-06-24T22:45:11Z

It was announced today that id Software has been purchased by ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Game Studios. The deal means that the house of Doom and Quake joins with the developers of Fallout 3 and Elder Scrolls under one publisher, the Bethesda Softworks brand.

“This puts id Software in a wonderful position going forward,” said John Carmack, who will continue to serve in his current role as Technical Director.

“We will now be able to grow and extend all of our franchises under one roof…We will be bigger and stronger, as we recruit the best talent to help us build the landmark games of the future,” he continued.

In an interview with Kotaku, Carmack helped to further explain the decision. “We’re really getting kind of tired competing with our own publishers in terms of how our titles will be featured, and we’ve really gotten more IPs than we’ve been able to take advantage of, and working with other companies hasn’t been working out as spectacularly as it could,” he said.

“So the idea of actually becoming a publisher and merging Bethesda and ZeniMax on there [is ideal]. It would be hard to imagine a more complementary relationship. They are triple A, top-of-the-line in what they do in the RPGs. And they have no overlap with all the things we do in the FPSes.”

As a result of today’s deal, all forthcoming titles developed by id will be released under the Bethesda Softworks name, with the exception of those previously committed to other publishers, such as the post-apocalyptic racer/shooter Rage.

Founder, Chairman & CEO of ZeniMax Media, Robert Altman reassured fans that no changes will be made, saying, “Our intention is to make sure id Software will continue to do what they do best – make AAA games. Our role will be to provide publisher support through Bethesda Softworks and give id Software the resources it needs to grow and expand.”

iD’s first title under Zenimax’s ownership is likely to be the highly anticipated shooter, Doom 4, though no release date has yet been confirmed.

E3 09: Mafia 2 Screenshots Scream Thug Life

2009-06-08T04:08:01Z

You owe it to yourself to take a gander at these new Mafia 2 screenshots. Go ahead. We’ll wait.

Mafia 2 releases on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 early next year.

E3 09: Mafia 2 Screenshots

E3 09: First BioShock 2 Multiplayer Screens; New Singleplayer Shots

2009-06-08T02:52:05Z

Here are the first officially released screenshots of the multiplayer component in BioShock 2. New singleplayer screenshots follow.

We return to Rapture on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 this November.

E3 2009: BioShock 2 Multiplayer Screenshots

E3 2009: BioShock 2 Singleplayer Screenshots

E3 09: Split/Second Hands-On Preview

2009-06-05T23:36:10Z

Last fall, Black Rock Studios released the adrenaline-pumping ATV racer Pure to critical acclaim. Early next year, the developer returns with Split/Second, a high-octane arcade auto racer. In Split/Second, players participate in a reality TV-style racing show, speeding around tracks that are actually elaborately designed sets rigged with explosives.

Using the environment around the track and taking out opponents are critical to winning races in Split/Second. A circular power meter floated just behind our car’s rear bumper, which we charged by drafting, jumping, and drifting. Once the bar is charged sufficiently, players can hit ‘A’ on the Xbox 360 controller when they’re within proximity to another car to perform a ‘standard power-play,’ or ‘B’ to trigger a ‘super power-play.’

Depending on where they are on the track, opponents who are hit with a standard power-play might have a bomb dropped onto them by an attack helicopter hovering overhead or suffer having a nearby wall explode, launching debris and concrete onto the track. A wrecked car isn’t knocked out of the race entirely, but does suffer a time-delay penalty while it is reset on the track.

Super power-plays cause even greater destruction. One triggered explosives rigged under the track, leaving behind a massive gap in the roadway and creating an alternate underground route that was persistent over the next two laps. A second caused the airport’s control tower to explode and crumble to the ground, sealing off another part of the track and forcing us out onto the runway. A final super power-play had a massive jetliner fall out of the sky and crash-land onto the runway as the cars in front of us sped head-on towards it.

From the brief time we had with it, Split/Second seems absurdly fun and is a marvel to behold, with each consecutive power-play more devastating and dazzling than the last. Our car handled just-right and it was a real blast to dodge concrete and asphalt flying toward us from every direction.

But seeing as how this is the only included gameplay mode in Split/Second, it’s difficult to say how long the final game will hold our interest, even with the planned online multiplayer. We’ll know for sure when it is released early next year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

E3 09: Trine Coming to Xbox Live Arcade Courtesy of Atlus; Supports Online Coop

2009-06-05T17:53:10Z

Atlus will be acting as publisher for the Xbox Live Arcade version of Frozenbyte’s upcoming cooperative platformer Trine, the company informed us at E3. Previously, the game was only being published on the PlayStation Network and PC by Nobilis.

What’s more, Trine was previously said to only support local cooperative play, but an Atlus representative told us that three-player online coop will be a staple of the Xbox Live Arcade version. He was unable to comment on the status of online play in the PlayStation and PC versions.

The PlayStation 3 and PC versions of Trine are scheduled for release this summer, with the Xbox Live Arcade iteration planned for launch later this year. We’ll have a preview of the PC version online next week.

E3 09: New High-Quality Assassin’s Creed 2 Screens Fall From Above

2009-06-04T16:00:44Z

Marvel at the grace and agility of Ezio Auditore da Firenze in these new Assassin’s Creed 2 screenshots. We’ll have a preview posted soon from our demonstration of the game at E3 2009.

Assassin’s Creed 2 releases simultaneously for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 17.

E3 2009: Assassin’s Creed 2 Screenshots

E3 09: Splinter Cell Conviction Confirmed to Have Multiplayer

2009-06-04T06:34:40Z

During a private demonstration at E3 2009 this evening, Splinter Cell Conviction associate producer Jean-Francois Poirer confirmed to Primotech that the newest entry in the series will have a multiplayer component. Poirer was not able to confirm any further details on what that might entail.

Multiplayer in Splinter Cell debuted with the second game, Pandora Tomorrow, and continued through the two following titles, Chaos Theory and Double Agent. Because Ubisoft refers to Conviction as a “redefinition of the series,” and given the extended and troubled development of the title, the inclusion of multiplayer was not a certainty.

Splinter Cell Conviction ships this fall exclusively for the Xbox 360 and PC. Be sure to watch the gameplay video montage and read our impressions of the demonstration.

E3 09: Splinter Cell Conviction ‘Malta’ Gameplay Montage

2009-06-04T06:33:28Z

Ubisoft has released the first new gameplay footage of Splinter Cell Conviction, taken from the demonstration its been showcasing at its E3 2009 booth. Watch the direct feed, high-quality footage below. It begins with the new interrogation gameplay, which plays out as a kind-of interactive cut-scene, and then onto an infiltration mission in a mansion.

Conviction is out this fall only on the Xbox 360 and PC. Read our impressions of the demo.

E3 09: Splinter Cell Conviction ‘Malta’ Gameplay Montage

E3 09: Brink Eyes-On Preview

2009-06-08T13:44:52Z

The earth of 2035 is a grim place to the developers at Splash Damage. Global warming has lead to rapidly rising sea levels, leaving continents underwater. The surviving humans inhabit a giant city adrift at sea known as “the Ark.” Designed to be a utopia for all men, a “last refuge of humanity,” the Ark is now a warzone between violent factions. Once great edifices stand in ruin. Entire neighborhoods have turned into battlegrounds. Pandemonium fills the streets. It’s an entire society that’s been pushed to the Brink.

Splash Damage CEO and Brink game director Paul Wedgwood provided us with an early look at his studio’s hugely-ambitious new project at E3 this evening. Wedgwood describes one of his design goals as “blurring the lines” between singleplayer and multiplayer shooters. Players of Brink will find their character to be both persistent and constantly evolving, and earned skills and experience carry over between the game’s singleplayer, cooperative, and multiplayer modes. It is being designed with the notion that players will want to stay with a single, almost “MMO-style” character for however many months or years they decide to play.

As is tradition, players are first presented with an extensive character customization screen. They begin by choosing which side in this war they want to be on– Security or Resistance– and then go about customizing their character’s body dimensions, facial features, and manner of garb. Those who enlist with Security enjoy the finest assortment of body armor, while Resistance forces make-do with flak vests fashioned from scrap metal and vulcanized rubber.

The first environment we witnessed was an abandoned airport. Wedgwood took the opportunity to demonstrate the game’s “smooth movement across random terrain,” or ‘SMART’ system (publishing partner Bethesda purportedly helped with the acronyms). What SMART enables the player to do is traverse an area of the map by way of the most efficient route, all with a single button press. Simply look in the direction you want to head, hit the corresponding button, and sit back and watch your character leap over barriers, slide under obstacles, or vault onto platforms automatically, as necessary to reach his final destination. Of course, the player can turn and look around during the SMART sequence and break from it entirely by either moving or firing his weapon.

After scurrying about an empty airport for a few minutes, we were eager to see the real game in-action. Wedgwood loaded a map called Container City. Once a transport and storage center for the wealthy elite of the Ark, it is now a shanty town carved from mountains of shipping containers and plagued by violence. The level began on a dock right outside the city, where we stood alongside a small group of Security squadmates (the multiplayer mode accommodates up to eight players on a side). Our major mission objective was to infiltrate the city, quell the Resistance, and recover a McGuffin inside a shipping container.

To begin, Wedgwood approached a nearby computer terminal called a “command post.” Command posts are scattered throughout levels and allow players to switch between the game’s various character classes, change or customize weapon loadouts, and obtain new missions. We assumed the role of an Operative, whose abilities are geared toward stealthy infiltration, and selected a standard assault weapons class.

It’s at these stations that the player can view and select from new mission objectives. Different missions reward the player with different levels of experience points, and, once selected, add waypoints to the player’s radar and map. Each level, therefore, has at least six different smaller, side-missions the player can select from while carrying out his main objective. This applies to each side: both the Security and Resistance forces have their own unique assortment of missions to complete in each level.

In one mission Wedgwood demonstrated, the player needed to progress up platforms to reach a crane that needed repair. While gunning down enemies and vaulting up ledges, we saw an incredible amount of detail and action in the background; turrets blasted enemies with a deafening roar and squadmates were cut down by the fire of Resistance forces. The player feels like his role is critical in shaping the outcome of a mission, but also that he’s not the only one embroiled in battle.

Splash Damage has assembled an all-star design team for Brink. Olivier Leonardi, whose past credits include the Prince of Persia series and Myst IV, was brought on as Art Director last summer. Tim Appleby, whose creatures inhabited the worlds of Mass Effect and Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, serves as the Lead Character Designer. During action segments, the game most resembles Killzone 2, at least in terms of graphic fidelity and shader effects. But up close, there’s an incredible attention to detail in the decaying ruins of the Ark and in the harried faces of its denizens.

The actual gunplay, too, is most comparable to Guerilla’s latest. Wedgwood blasted away at Resistance forces with an assault rifle outfitted with a red-dot sight, hurled grenades at enemies bunched together, and sprinted across the battlefield before sliding behind cover.

Splash Damage has taken measures to ensure that the non-playable characters of Brink aren’t generic grunt Marines that have become all too common for this kind of genre. Security force squadmates we encountered were ethnically diverse, exhibited a range of emotions and motivations, and spoke with believable accents that didn’t make them sound like caricatures of themselves.

While you may feel like you’ve seen bits and pieces of Brink implemented in other games before, all these systems and design choices work together here to incredible effect. We’ve been long awaiting a game that takes the strong storytelling and character development of a singleplayer experience and mixes the persistence and competitiveness of an online shooter. Brink looks to finally be that game. Look for it to launch on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC next spring.

E3 09: Sony Announces Agent, A New PS3-Exclusive from Rockstar North

2009-06-05T20:11:21Z

Rockstar’s hottest existing properties, like Max Payne, Red Dead, and Grand Theft Auto, may have been missing from the Xbox 360 briefing yesterday, but Sony managed to outshine Microsoft with the announcement of Agent, a new Rockstar North production, coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3.

“It’s clear that Rockstar recognizes the PlayStation 3 as an ideal place to build an audience,” said SCEA president Jack Tretton during the Sony press briefing. “And that’s why we’re thrilled to have Agent coming exclusively to PlayStation.”

Set at the height of the Cold War in the late 1970s, Agent takes players into a world of counter-intelligence, espionage, and political assassinations.

“You’re all aware of the impact Grand Theft Auto had on our platform,” Tretton continued, “and we expect Agent to have the same, must-have value.”

“We have always enjoyed making action games, and with Agent we are making what we believe will be the ultimate action game,” read a statement from Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games.

“Agent is a game we have wanted to make for a long time. The team in Edinburgh is doing an amazing job combining intense action, atmosphere and story in a great period setting to create something that feels quite unique. We cannot wait for people to experience this game.”

No release target was set.

E3 09: Assassin’s Creed 2 Sails November 17; Debut Trailer

2009-06-02T06:57:18Z

At its E3 09 presser this evening, Ubisoft revealed that Assassin’s Creed 2 will ship to retailers in North America and Europe on November 17. The game will launch simultaneously on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

The first cinematic trailer debuted, giving fans their earliest taste of Renaissance Venice. Look for our E3 preview of the game later this week.

Assassin’s Creed 2 E3 09 Debut Cinematic Trailer

E3 09: The First Trailer for APB and New Screens are Arresting

2009-06-02T16:28:41Z

Following the earlier announcement that EA will be publishing Realtime Worlds’ crime MMO APB, the first trailer for the game has been released. New screens accompany the video.

APB launches early next year for the PC…and maybe the Xbox 360.

E3 09 APB Screens

E3 09 APB Trailer

E3 09: Steven Spielberg Collaborating With Ubisoft on Tintin Game

2009-06-05T20:12:33Z

At its E3 press conference this evening, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced that filmmakers Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg are collaborating with the publisher on a video game based on the duo’s upcoming movie Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.

In development at Ubisoft’s Montpellier studio, Tintin will utilize the same “state-of-the-art, next-generation performance capture” that’s now going into making the movie.

“We look forward to working with Ubisoft and the filmmakers to create exciting new interactive adventures for Tintin,” said Thomas Lesinski, President of Paramount Digital Entertainment, the film’s distributor.

Arguably one of the most beloved comics in all of Europe, Tintin follows the globe trotting adventures of a young newspaper journalist and his white Wire Fox Terrier, Snowy. Originally conceived as an early 20th-century newspaper comic strip by Belgian artist Hergé, it later spawned several live-action films and animated television series.

The game is expected to launch on all major platforms alongside the film in December, 2011.

E3 09: EA to Publish Realtime Worlds’ APB

2009-06-02T06:39:19Z

Electronic Arts announced today that it will be publishing Realtime World’s cops and robbers MMO, APB, for release in North America and Europe on the PC in early 2010.

Said industry veteran and Realtime World’s founder David Jones: “It’s very evident that EA Partners are clearly in-sync with our vision for APB and between us we aim to ensure gamers understand why it’s unique, and share our excitement”

“Throughout his career David Jones has continually forged new creative paths in interactive entertainment,” said David DeMartini, Senior VP and GM of EA Partners.

“David and the team at Realtime Worlds are set to do it once again with APB. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with them in introducing online persistence to 3rd person, open-world action games and defining a new category within the genre.”

APB is already well-known for its persistent, open-world and high-level of player and gang customizations.

Look for more on the game later this week.

E3 09: Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach, Forza 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Lots More Dated

2009-06-01T23:03:27Z

A number of key release dates were set at the E3 Xbox 360 Media Briefing this morning. Two new Halo titles are on their way, plus a Left 4 Dead sequel and Final Fantasy XIII.

Microsoft Xbox 360 E3 09 Media Briefing Release Schedule

Halo 3: ODST – September 22 2009
Forza Motorsport 3 – October 2009
Left 4 Dead 2 – November 17 2009
Splinter Cell: Conviction - Fall 2009
Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM integration - Fall 2009
Alan Wake – Spring 2010
Final Fantasy XIII – Spring 2010
Halo Reach – Fall 2010
Zune Video - Fall 2009

Finally, the release dates for The Beatles Rock Band and Modern Warfare 2 were reiterated as September 9 and November 11, respectively.

E3 09: Take a Look at Crackdown 2

2009-06-01T22:44:27Z

Today, Microsoft debuted the trailer to Crackdown 2, offering the first, quick glimpse of the stylized open-world action game. The video shows an agent soaring off building tops and chasing after another character. The camera pans to their silhouette of a monstrous form in an alleyway and throws in a surprise explosion for good measure.

The trailer is short but leaves high expectations of what is to come. No date or further details, but we have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot more on this game very soon.

E3 2009 Crackdown 2 Debut Trailer

E3 09: Alan Wake is Back With New Gameplay Video, Trailer, and Screenshots

2009-06-01T22:32:43Z

Remedy’s Sam Lake took to the stage at the Xbox 360 E3 2009 Media Brief and introduced the world to “a good friend of his,” fellow writer Alan Wake. What followed was an extended trailer of the psychological thriller, plus a brand-new gameplay demo. See for yourself below.

At the end, Lake revealed that the game finally has a tentative date: Remedy plans on releasing Alan Wake on the Xbox 360 and PC next spring.

Primotech

No More Heroes Going Multiplatform ?

Grease Video Game Announced

Ron Gilbert to Provide Keynote at PAX 2009

ID Purchased By Bethesda Owner ZeniMax Media

E3 09: Mafia 2 Screenshots Scream Thug Life

E3 09: Mafia 2 Screenshots

E3 09: First BioShock 2 Multiplayer Screens; New Singleplayer Shots

E3 2009: BioShock 2 Multiplayer Screenshots

E3 2009: BioShock 2 Singleplayer Screenshots

E3 09: Split/Second Hands-On Preview

E3 09: Trine Coming to Xbox Live Arcade Courtesy of Atlus; Supports Online Coop

E3 09: New High-Quality Assassin’s Creed 2 Screens Fall From Above

E3 2009: Assassin’s Creed 2 Screenshots

E3 09: Splinter Cell Conviction Confirmed to Have Multiplayer

E3 09: Splinter Cell Conviction ‘Malta’ Gameplay Montage

E3 09: Splinter Cell Conviction ‘Malta’ Gameplay Montage

E3 09: Brink Eyes-On Preview

E3 09: Sony Announces Agent, A New PS3-Exclusive from Rockstar North

E3 09: Assassin’s Creed 2 Sails November 17; Debut Trailer

Assassin’s Creed 2 E3 09 Debut Cinematic Trailer

E3 09: The First Trailer for APB and New Screens are Arresting

E3 09 APB Screens

E3 09 APB Trailer

E3 09: Steven Spielberg Collaborating With Ubisoft on Tintin Game

E3 09: EA to Publish Realtime Worlds’ APB

E3 09: Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach, Forza 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Lots More Dated

Microsoft Xbox 360 E3 09 Media Briefing Release Schedule

E3 09: Take a Look at Crackdown 2

E3 2009 Crackdown 2 Debut Trailer

E3 09: Alan Wake is Back With New Gameplay Video, Trailer, and Screenshots

Official Alan Wake E3 09 Trailer

Primotech’s Alan Wake E3 09 Off-Screen Gameplay Footage

Alan Wake E3 09 Screenshots