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Rumor: Ubisoft picks up Midway's 'Wheelman'
Employing a wheelman, especially one of Vin Diesel caliber, can get kinda pricey. Think about it: an ordinary personal driver is a luxury reserved for the Richies of the rich -- imagine what one who sees in pitch black, morphs into an iron giant, and walks around calling himself "Triple X" and still seems sorta cool would cost. Actually, never mind, you don't have to imagine it. According to a new rumor, only a profitable game publisher can afford that kind of wheelman -- indeed, The Wheelman. While both Ubisoft and Midway have declined to comment on a insider's report that The Wheelman has been acquired by Ubisoft from Midway (in the wake of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing), the possibility remains strong (see this GameFly listing). The report -- again, still a rumor at this time -- does not speculate on what, if any changes Ubisoft would make to the game, which is actually a "groundbreaking action-entertainment property"" with a feature film tie-in supposedly hitting theaters some time this year. It is expected, however, that Ubisoft would further delay The Wheelman's currently scheduled March 2009 release, in turn, potentially affecting the movie's production. Heck, Ubisoft could possibly cut ties with the Diesel altogether and to turn the game into an ordinary Driver.%Gallery-20884%Source - Rumor: Midway's Wheelman Is Now Ubisoft's Wheelman [Kotaku]Source - Ubisoft refuses to comment on Wheelman acquisition [GI.biz]
Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena gets new trailer
We hope we're not alone in this, but we sure miss Vin Diesel when we don't get to see him for a while. The reasons should be more than evident in this new trailer for Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, which we've just lifted from our friends at Xbox 360 Fanboy.Vin Diesel is a video game character. He's bald, he's buff, he speaks only in low growls and he loves to kill people. All he's missing is a bitchin' rock guitar soundtrack to follow him around everywhere, and we think you'll agree that the above trailer fills that need effortlessly.
Wheelman delayed, demo due before release
Midway's gasoline-guzzling Vin Diesel vehicle, Wheelman, has been delayed, thus becoming the victim of insufferable motor-related phrases like "it stalled," "it swerved" and the somewhat esoteric "it pulled a Mika Hakkinen." Regardless, the information being conveyed here is that Midway has pushed Wheelman's release back to March 20th, but has also promised to release a demo on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 sometime before then. Assuming the company's still around.A PC demo for the cinematic drive-em-up is also planned, though Midway couldn't say whether it would hit hard drives before the game cars ships.
The Wheelman shouldn't look fun, trailer proves otherwise
Movie star. Pawned Hollywood story. Slowly dying publisher. Mix these elements into a blender with your favorite liqueur and you're typically going to get "crap in a glass." But, based on the cinematic trailer for The Wheelman the game actually looks entertaining. One part Burnout, two parts Transporter; The Wheelman could shape up to be a solid release if all the stars align in the favor of developer Tigon Studios.And no, we're not going to hate on Vin Diesel in this post because the last time he was involved with a game, things got done right. We will however hate on the dialogue in the trailer, "A good driver knows when to start and knows when to stop." Really? Thanks, The Wheelman! That actually might be the first question on the learner's permit written exam. Not exactly brimming with the Hollywood toughness their script writer probably thought it was when he wrote it. But, we digress.
Dark Athena is an 'episodic expansion'
Even with a new 10-hour campaign to its credit, we'd suggest portioning out your time with Starbreeze's shiny remake of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay when it arrives next spring. According to Eurogamer, Tigon Studios views the upcoming Assault on Dark Athena as an "episodic expansion" to the original Xbox classic, while an actual sequel is still "a couple of years out." The Diesel-fueled developer calls the theoretical sequel "ambitious," adding that its arrival is largely contingent on whether or not the fans like the upcoming title and "tell us [they] want more." In short, money talks if players want to continue to live vicariously through Vin Diesel's manly virtual physique. Then again, there's always The Wheelman ... maybe.
Riddick: Dark Athena coming early '09, features new 10-hour campaign
click to enlarge It's no secret that Atari rescued Starbreeze Studios' hi-def remake of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay after Activision-Blizzard kicked it to the curb. What you don't know – and we didn't know until we recently saw it in action – is that those added "Dark Athena" levels are quite substantial. They've been expended into an entirely new, 10-plus-hour campaign, complete with new game mechanics, full-game production values ... the works.Starbreeze told us that, despite the game being absent from anyone's radar for quite some time, it never let up on development. In fact, the acquisition of the game by Atari has afforded the team upwards of nine additional months of development time, hence the (essentally) second full game and what the team was visibly ecstatic about: more time to polish every last detail.The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (Escape from Butcher's Bay is still there, looks amazing, and will incorporate new gameplay and tech developed for Dark Athena) is set for release in spring of 2009. Check back tomorrow for our full impressions of the new campaign.%Gallery-38368%
Wheelman drives into stores Feb. 16
Well, this just seems like a missed opportunity. No, it's not that Wheelman's Feb. 16 release date is going to miss the coveted (and crowded) holiday release window. We think that's a darn fine idea. No, what we're troubled by is that had it arrived just two days earlier, it could have made the perfect Valentine's Day gift for that special someone in your life.May we suggest a "VIN DIESEL Sexy Beefcake Photo Pics Vids Fan CD" to fill the gap? Or perhaps you'd prefer a dollar bill that looks like it has Vin's face on it, a replica from a magical alternate timeline where he served as our 44th Head of State and Also Kicking Faces. Either way, you can't go wrong.
Midway: Wheelman devs still behind the wheel
Just days after a new trailer and screens were released for the delayed Vin Diesel ... vehicle, Wheelman, some rumors evidently surfaced (emphasis on the "evidently" since this is the first we'd heard of it) that Midway was planning on shuttering the very studio behind its development. Not so, says Midway CEO Matt Booty (who should really call Ratchet, who recently embarked on a quest for him)."Newcastle is a very important studio for us" Booty told GamesIndustry, adding, "We just brought in a new studio head, Craig Duncan, formerly with Codemasters, so I think those two things are an indication that we've got a very strong commitment to that studio." Booty (it's fun to say!) also went as far as to call Wheelman "a front line important game for [Midway] in the first half of 2009."Booty then abruptly bolted out of the building, hopped into a running car driven by none other than Diesel himself, and quickly sped away. At least that's how we would have liked to see the interview wrap up. [Via Big Download]
Know Your Lore: High Overlord Saurfang
Welcome to Know Your Lore, where each week Alex Ziebart brings you a tasty little morsel of lore to wrap your mind around. Sweet, sweet lore. Mmmm. Have suggestions for future KYL topics? E-mail us! Or, if you have a question for our sister column Ask a Lore Nerd, e-mail us those, too!Did you know that Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms were actually separated by a stray swing of High Overlord Saurfang's axe? Did you know giraffes are just zhevras that were on the receiving end of a Saurfang Uppercut? Did you know that Saurfang doesn't have a face beneath his mask, just another axe? Overlord Saurfang is only afraid of one thing... Mrs. Saurfang.Okay, I'm sorry, none of that was true except for possibly that last one. It was just as obnoxious to type out as it was to read, trust me. (Un)fortunately, it's a pretty good introduction to Saurfang, as he somehow evolved into a fan favorite bad ass over the last few years while his Alliance counterpart remained a Blizzard Employee ego stroke. It took me awhile to buy into the hype around this guy, but he's been winning me over as of late.
GC 2008: New trailer, screens for The Wheelman (not The Assassin!)
That's right! As Vin Diesel so eloquently points out, he's a wheelman, not an assassin. Of course, this dramatic scene takes place just after he's mowed down countless bad guys and destroyed half the city in a dramatic and collision-filled car chase. It's all a bit frantic, frankly, but at least we have The Wheelman's lead mission designer, Mark Thompson, to guide us through the broken glass and mangled metal. Don't forget to check out fresh screenshots in the gallery below!%Gallery-30183%
Wheelman pumps brakes, delayed until Q1 2009
Midway recently announced that their Vin Diesel-infused Driver-esque title Wheelman has hit some traffic whilst traveling down the release date turnpike, pushing its initial release window of Fall 2008 to the first quarter of 2009. While we're sure that there will be a number of Vinthusiasts out there who will be disappointed by this announcement, we fully understand the postponement -- based on our brief time with the game, we could tell it needed quite a bit of polish. Judging by the waxy sheen of the beefy actor's rippling head, we assume Diesel has plenty of polish that Midway could borrow, should they muster up the courage to ask.
Joystiq E3 impressions: Wheelman
Vin Diesel's gaming company, Tigon Studios, is trying to make good with Wheelman, a Driver-esque, open world action/driving experience due out from Midway. There were a few... interesting innovations in the game (instead of stopping your car to steal other vehicles, you can now hijack any car on the road while in motion), but this was mostly a case of "we saw it being played so you don't have to."Still, Producer Pall Palsson was kind enough to show us what his team has been up to lately, so check after the break to see both what Wheelman has to offer, and what it doesn't (hint: realistic physics).
Vin Diesel is looking for a job in new The Wheelman trailer
With a shaved head, chiseled jaw and a the voice of a chain smoker, Vin Diesel is tailor made for the central role of Milo Buick in The Wheelman, as well as the film's video game nod from both Midway and Diesel-powered developer Tigon Studios. The game – which looks to headline Midway's new Hollywood-or-bust focus for 2008 – has now been revealed in trailer-form and – whether it's the ridiculous jumps, over-the-top explosions, or just Diesel's gravelly narration – you can consider our interest piqued. As 'The Pacifier' puts it, he's "looking for a job," something he should land when The Wheelman ships for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this fall.%Gallery-20884%
Deadwood star replaces Vin Diesel in Hitman movie
No, not Swearengen! Vin Diesel has been replaced by Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant as star of the upcoming Hitman movie, reports Ain't It Cool News. Bullock as Agent 47? Perhaps Olyphant's range as an actor will lend itself to the role of a brooding sociopath -- more so than what "The Pacifier" could bring to the big screen.Whatever the outcome, Skip Woods has completed his script, and the Hitman project has received the greenlight, with Luc Besson (Transporter 2) recently climbing aboard as co-producer. Hitman could be in theatres as early as next fall. We ain't holding our breath.
Vin Diesel is... The Wheelman!
While we might want to laugh at Vin Diesel, mostly 'cause his name's funny and he played a nanny in The Pacifier, the reality is his Tigon Studios was responsible for Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, one of the best video game movie adaptations to date. So the announcement that Vin and co. are working on a new project is met with a little less cynicism than similar announcements would otherwise be.ComingSoon.net reports that Tigon Studios and Midway games are creating The Wheelman video game and Tigon Films and MTV Films are making the movie, to be distributed by Paramount Pictures. Who's going to play the titular wheelman? Why, Mr. Diesel of course, who had this to say about the project:"With 'The Wheelman' we have created the first integrated franchise being launched for both the gaming and film industries... In collaborating with Midway, MTV and Paramount, Tigon Studios has brought together an incredible team to execute this project."The rest of report finds the different participants waxing on about how this new model--and this new franchise--will irrevocably change the very concept of entertainment forever. [Via Xbox Circle]
