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Two new DLC packs crash into Split/Second
Two DLC packs are set to liven up Split/Second this week (as if it needed any livening up). The Elite Vehicle Livery Pack adds new liveries for the Brawn, Vixen and Raptor cars and, as a nice bonus, it's free. Meanwhile, the High Octane Supercar Pack adds three new supercars and a new livery for the Ryback Cyclone. The High Octane Supercar DLC isn't free, but it's pretty close, clocking in at 160 MSP or $2 on Xbox Live and PSN, respectively. Both DLC packs should be available today on Xbox Live, though currently only the Supercar Pack is listed (along with an unannounced Ryback Cyclone Special Edition pack). The Livery and Supercar DLC are slated to hit PSN tomorrow, September 1. %Gallery-100787%
Toy Story 3 Hybrid Premium Edition contains PS3 game and original movie
If your concern for the well-being of mother nature has already led you to purchase a hybrid automobile, you might want to think of incorporating your environmentalist considerations into other aspects of your shopping habits. For instance, if you were thinking about picking up Avalanche's video game adaptation of Toy Story 3, perhaps you'd be interested in the title's "Hybrid Premium Edition," which includes the game and the original Toy Story film on a single Blu-ray disc for $64.99. A recent PlayStation.Blog post announced that the bundle will be released to retailers this week, so keep an eye out for it at your local brick and mortar in the coming days. In the meantime just think about all the endangered species you're preserving by placing the two products into one container.
Split/Second getting three DLC packs in August, 'major DLC pack' in September
If you're still racing around the structurally unsound tracks in Split/Second, you'll be pleased to note that developer Black Rock Studios plans to release three DLC packs "in the next couple of weeks," as well as a fourth in September. The first three packs will introduce new cars, while the pack coming next month is said to be "major" and will come packed with an entirely new environment (we're hoping that means new powerplays as well). No pricing has been offered for any of the packs, but the game's Facebook page (where all of this was announced) says that the third DLC pack will be free "as a way of saying thanks to our awesome community," and will contain a "special edition vehicle based on the original classic Ryback Cyclone." Solid launch dates weren't given either, and nothing's showing up on XBLM or PSN just yet, but we do have this one screenshot above from the second DLC pack of a "High Octane Supercar." Don't say we never gave you nothin'!
Junction Point taking the (mean) Mickey out of Epic Mickey
One of the key features in Disney Epic Mickey is the ability for players to choose either good or evil actions as Mickey Mouse. We originally learned that Mickey's appearance would change based on what sort of actions you take. Take good actions, and he would appear more like the Mickey we all know and love. Take evil actions, on the other hand, and he would transform into something decidedly more sinister. Until now, that is, with the Mainichi Daily News reporting that the "mean" version of Mickey has been removed from the game after it left a bad taste in the mouths of focus testers. Now, instead of transforming into a more menacing mouse, Mickey will simply adopt a smudgy look. Just another reminder that, yes, focus testing can ruin anything.
Interview: Wideload Games' Patrick Curry talks Disney Guilty Party, life after 'Stubbs'
Some of the most fun to be had during multiplayer video games isn't actually in the game itself -- it's outside of the games, where players chat with each other for fun, break down a strategy during co-op, or trash talk in-between deathmatches. You don't usually get XP for taunting over voicechat or telling your team where the enemy is, but there's a reward nevertheless, a social bonus completely independent of the code that developers write. Wideload Games has done a great job of focusing on that gameplay in Disney Guilty Party. I got to play the same co-op Party Mode as Randy at a pre-E3 event this week, and while it's definitely a family game, it competently serves up custom-made mysteries for families to take on. In hunting down and accusing various colorful suspects, that out-of-game conversation and interaction becomes just as important and fun as the in-game button pressing and Wiimote waggling. Game Director Patrick Curry was my partner-in-crime-solving, and since we have common roots in Chicago (I used to work in the same building, one floor below Wideload's studios), we had a quick chat about the studio's direction towards family games, and its acquisition by Disney Interactive.
Review: Split/Second
Do you remember that part at the end of Return of the Jedi, where Lando is flying the Millennium Falcon through a corridor as the Death Star itself explodes around him? Remember how exciting it was, when he just barely cleared the exit, a plume of flames and spaceship debris chasing mere hundredths of seconds behind? Split/Second isn't a game that glorifies the fundamentals of racing. These are represented, sure; folks familiar with the genre will likely be drifting and drafting onto the podium within the first few races. More than that, though, Split/Second rewards players who quickly master the art of catastrophe evasion -- an art which frequently requires you to navigate cinematic hazards mimicking Lando's narrow escape. It's a winning recipe that provides some of the most satisfying thrills I've ever experienced while behind the wheel of a virtual automobile. %Gallery-47488%
Disney Interactive reports increased revenue, $55 million loss
Disney has posted earnings for its second fiscal quarter ended April 3, 2010, and there's good news and bad news. The good news is that revenues are up in its Interactive Media segment (which houses Disney Interactive Studios). Specifically, Interactive Media revenues are at $155 million, up from $129 million in the same period last year, a 20 percent increase. The bad news: the Interactive Media segment still reports a loss of $55 million, though that loss is an improvement over the $61 million loss reported during the same quarter last year. Disney pins the improvement on growing Club Penguin subscription revenues as well as "lower video game inventory costs." The company added that gains were offset by "higher internet product development and sales and marketing costs." The report makes little note of Disney Interactive's prospects for the rest of the year, though the publisher has more than a few big projects on the horizon. Split/Second is only a week away, while Toy Story 3, Disney Sing It: Family Hits, Disney Guilty Party, a new Pirates of the Caribbean and Disney Epic Mickey are all on the horizon this year. And let's not forget Marvel -- which Disney owns -- has a title or two on the way, as well.
Toy Story 3 on PS3 features Move support, exclusive character
As with most major children's films, Toy Story 3 will have a licensed video game counterpart, releasing on nearly every platform imaginable -- including platforms from the future. Disney Interactive Studios has confirmed PlayStation Move motion controller support for Toy Story 3. Like Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, the game won't offer motion controller support out of the box. The reason? Toy Story 3's release date -- June 15 -- is months before the Move controller is even available. A press release clarifies that "players will be able to download mini-games that will be playable with the PlayStation Move when the new motion controller is available." Excellent, motion controller mini-games! We can't wait! Until then, PS3 owners will be able to enjoy additional content exclusive to the platform. As with Batman: Arkham Asylum, Sony has secured exclusive rights to yet another playable villain. The slightly less disturbed Emperor Zurg will be playable in the game's "Toy Box" mode, a sandbox mode that allows players to create and play free-form challenges.%Gallery-92107%
Video: A Split/Second primer
If you've missed all our hands-on coverage of upcoming racer Split/Second and if, somehow, you've failed to watch a single trailer, then this post is for you. The video above, which profiles Black Rock Studios, essentially serves as an introduction to all things Split/Second. If you can't be bothered to watch -- again -- we'll sum up: You get to blow up parts of the track in order to beat the other racers. At times, you will accomplish this by exploding parts of the track onto other racers. If you're not interested by now, there's really not much we can do for you. Split/Second is out on May 18.
Disney wants to take Epic Mickey to 'Nintendo levels' on the Wii
Gamasutra got a chance to speak with the executive VP and GM of Disney Interactive Studios, Graham Hopper, who says that Disney is swinging for the stands on their future game releases. The games division is learning from "pure" gaming studios and their success, and while Hopper admits that the company hasn't always treated their properties correctly on the gaming side, starting with Disney's Epic Mickey, it wants to "give their projects the time and appropriate resources to be successful." In other words, let them stand on their own as games, rather than squeeze them up against a movie's release date. And Hopper hopes for quite the payoff, too -- while third-party titles on the Wii have been hit or miss (mostly miss), Hopper expects Epic Mickey's success to go "to Nintendo levels." He does say that they don't want to turn Mickey into Mario by "simply using him as an icon or an avatar in a game," but Disney's goal in the future will be to make sure that each of their properties' appearances are worth it. Hopper says if they port a film to five different gaming platforms, customers should expect "not the same story five times over, but five different stories, each uniquely suited for the platform they're on." A good plan to have, but much easier said than done.
Disney Guilty Party spurs television-crowding bedlam
We're not convinced that anyone outside of Disney Guilty Party's target audience will stand up and dance when the music for the above trailer really ramps up, but that doesn't mean we're trying to dissuade you from viewing it. Quite the contrary, as Guilty Party's revelry in the family-friendly nature of its cartoon sleuthery shouldn't necessarily be a reason to ignore it (yes, the music is a tad obnoxious). We'll have a hands-on with the game going up later today, but from what we can see in the trailer above and the screenshots below, it seems to be a lighthearted puzzle game suitable for a room full of friends. The jury's still out on whether or not that room full of friends plays good games or not. %Gallery-86428%
Split/Second releases May 18; renamed 'Split/Second: Velocity' in Europe
Click to gigantisize. While Nintendo threw a release date party in San Francisco today, Disney Interactive rev-ealed the scheduled arrival of Split/Second on May 18 to Joystiq in an email today. "The Split/Second release date is May 18 in the US and the name in the US is still Split/Second ... Split/Second: Velocity is only for Europe and will be released on May 21," the publisher clarified. Now Gamer recently reported the UK release date exclusively alongside the reveal of a new moniker in the EU. Along with a more specific release date (previously known as "May 2010"), Disney sent along some new box art (as seen above). Unfortunately, we were told no new details are yet available on a demo for the upcoming Michael Bay-esque racer. %Gallery-47488%
Black Rock working on additional game besides Split/Second
In a recent interview with VG247, Black Rock studio head Tony Beckwith confirmed that Split/Second isn't the only title the company is currently developing. "We're a two-product studio," Beckwith explained -- but when pressed to identify Black Rock's other game, he only responded by saying it's "not being discussed at all." Whatever the title ends up being, we just hope it retains Split/Second's remote-controlled explosions. Because, really, is there any genre that's not immensely improved with remote-controlled explosions?
Split/Second destroys the track in May 2010
Split/Second now has a much narrower release window, having been winnowed from a vague '2010' to a much more manageable 'May 2010,' according to CVG (and confirmed by Joystiq with Disney Interactive). For those who haven't been keeping up with it, Split/Second is a racing game that lets players use the environment against their opponents. For example, you can cause a whole building to topple directly onto the road, thus changing the course of the race -- and possibly crushing a few opponents in the process. In short, it's great fun, to which our E3 hands-on can attest. Fans of racing and big explosions may want to mark their Michael Bay Swimsuit calendars pronto.
Next Tron game teased, debuting at VGAs
[Image Source] Joining games the likes of Halo: Reach and 2K's new Spec Ops debuting at this year's Spike Video Game Awards is a new installment in the Tron franchise. It's not the first time we've heard of the game -- it was rumored to be in development back in January of this year. Still, its existence is confirmed by an all-too-brief teaser at GameTrailers, which promises a proper unveiling at Spike's awards show on Saturday, December 12. Based on the teaser, the game may simply be titled Tron -- although the logo and art style found in the footage are very similar to that of the upcoming movie sequel, Tron: Legacy. We'll find out exactly what to expect on the Game Grid in just a little over two weeks' time. For now, check out the teaser after the break. [Via That Videogame Blog]
Rumor: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep not releasing on PSN
There's a rumor circulating around the wild wild web right now that says Square Enix may not be looking to offer Kingdom of Hearts: Birth by Sleep via digital distribution on PSN, possibly adding insult to injury for all PSP Go owners out there. The rumor originated from Twitter user Magunus, who apparently attended a recent PlayStation event in Japan (we can't figure out which event this is referring to, and there's no mention on the official Japanese blog) where a clerk confirmed it, citing "copyright issues." This strikes us as odd not only because of the tenuous nature by which this has been reported, but because a lot of Disney Interactive's titles have been made available via digital distribution in the past. We've contacted both Square Enix and Disney Interactive about this and will be sure to let you know what we hear back. [Via Sankaku Complex (site NSFW)]
Ubisoft, Sony, EA and Disney sued over voice recognition patent
CJ Sorg On November 10th, Bareis Technologies, LLC filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft, Sony Computer Entertainment, Electronic Arts and Disney Interactive Studios, claiming that various games, including Tom Clancy, SOCOM and NASCAR titles, infringe upon a patent filed in 1996. "Optical disk having speech recognition templates for information access" describes a process "integrating automatic speech recognition technologies into optical disk players for command and control purposes." As is typical with lawsuits of this nature, the plaintiff is seeking "no less than a reasonable royalty" for the supposed use of this "stolen" technology. Should the case make it to court, the plaintiff will have a few hurdles to overcome. Primarily, lawyers will have to prove how a patent largely targeted towards accessing specific music tracks on audio CDs is applicable to the video games in question. Considering it's been over seven years since the debut of the first SOCOM game, it's surprising that the plaintiff has waited so long to file this suit. Perhaps it's telling that the company going forward with the lawsuit has done so little in the thirteen years since filing the trademark that it has no web presence whatsoever. [Via GamePolitics]
Spector explains disparity between Disney Epic Mickey concept shots and reality
If you're anything like us, you may have felt a bit ... underwhelmed by the recently released screenshots of Warren Spector-lead project Disney Epic Mickey, especially when compared to the magic-filled concept art leaked so many weeks ago. Speaking to 1UP in a recent interview, Spector says he works on creating concept art that will find the metaphorical "line" by "pushing past it." For him, it is a question of finding the boundaries for not just himself and his development team, but also Disney. "I know where my lines are, but I don't know where Disney's are."He additionally teases, "Some of what you saw was beyond the line ... some of it was early design ideas that are no longer relevant ... some of it is stuff that's still in the game, and I'm not saying what." If the recent steady stream of information on Disney Epic Mickey continues, we'll likely see at least a few of those original concepts in their current form at a point in the not-too-distant future.%Gallery-76724%%Gallery-68993%
Artist lists work on Pure 2, now canceled
Professional artist Young s. Ko. has numerous video games under his belt, all listed on his blog and all likely to be very familiar to you. Why, he's done vehicle art for games such as Need For Speed Shift, Burnout Revenge, Pure and even Pure 2. "But wait!" you exclaim. "One of those hasn't come out!" You're right -- Need For Speed Shift hasn't been released yet -- but please, you really need to concentrate on the "Pure 2" thing. That's what this whole post is about.According to the project's description, a sequel to last year's thrilling off-road racer has not only failed to materialize, but may have been sent to the scrap heap altogether. The publishing contract was allegedly canceled (not entirely surprising considering Disney's rough year), dashing our hopes of ever seeing Young's ATV displays, uh, displayed on a TV. Well, maybe not ever. One can hope that developer Black Rock Studios will revisit the four-wheeled franchise after it completes 2010's Split/Second ... provided we don't immediately start clamoring for a sequel to that first.Disney Interactive Studios had no comment to offer at the time of publishing. [Via superannuation]
'Impossible ideas come to life' in Disney's Alice in Wonderland games
Whether that includes the idea of making a halfway decent game based on a Hollywood film has yet to be seen, of course. Opting for director Tim Burton over American McGee (currently working on a separate Alice project), Disney Interactive Studios has announced that a new batch of Alice in Wonderland games will arrive early next year, just in time for the upcoming movie. While Wii and PC versions will "follow the film's epic storyline and introduce new fiction and locations," the DS Wonderland will diverge and introduce a different art style, as well as an extra playable character alongside the imperiled Alice.The games, which are in development at French studio Étranges Libellules, seem centered on an upgradeable combat system and the use of support characters, like the Cheshire Cat or the Mad Hatter. According to Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing at DIS, "Alice in Wonderland introduces fans to an entirely new style of innovative gameplay designed to challenge the puzzle solving skills of older players while making the adventures accessible and enjoyable for the younger crowd." That quote's probably going to be trimmed a little for the back of the box, but you'll get the idea.Those averse to boxes of any sort will be pleased to note that Alice in Wonderland is also slated to hit the iPhone, iPod Touch and mobile phones not made by Apple in early 2010.
