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MotoGP 07 Hands on
IGN got some hands-on time with MotoGP '07 and came back with some intriguing details. First off, all of the licensed GP tracks you know and love will be making a triumphant return this September. The face lift to the graphics are also worthing noting, as well as adding tweaks to the handling to make the game a little more accessible, while still maintaining its simulation roots. The Extreme mode is also back, and apparently at least some of the tracks from last year will be playable again. Customization will be more in depth, to help make your bike yours. But, it won't necessarily be yours forever, as you can take a page out of Juiced 2's book and race for pink slips on your crotch rocket. More details available by clicking the "Read" link. With the swarm of MotoGP news, can September come soon enough? Or should we wake you when it's over?
MotoGP 07 Trailer, release month announced
We brought you screens earlier this week, and now IGN just posted a trailer. The game looks beautiful, which is to be expected, and Moto GP 07 promises that this is going to be the most "spectacular season ever" and refers to the player as the returning champion. Could their be a slight storyline behind this season's career mode? It also showed some glimpses of the Extreme Mode, as well. We'll have to see, but what they did show at the end was interesting, the game is scheduled to release in September 2007. So at the tail end of summer we should be ripping along the tracks at 300 km/h. How did the trailer look to you?
MotoGP 07 Images and release schedule
We announced that Climax's MotoGP 07 would be coming to Xbox 360, and now we can tell you that it is expected to hit retail shelves sometime this fourth quarter. 360Monster also got their hands on 4 new screens of MotoGP 07, courtesy of THQ, and it is looking very pretty. In it we see that Extreme mode is making return, with enhanced options for customization. Of particular note is the textures for the asphalt on the tracks, which along with all the other graphical details, are making progress over last years edition. We've got some very sexy screens awaiting your perusal after the break.
MotoGP 07 confirmed for Xbox 360
Xboxygen reports that Climax's upcoming title will be MotoGP 07, and will feature updated graphics, and 3D animated crowds. Old school Xbox Live members should have fond memories of the MotoGP series. The online demo/patch for the original MotoGP as well as the demo for Whacked! were packed in with the initial release of the Xbox Live starter kit back in 2002. On Xbox 360, MotoGP 06 wowed gamers with its stellar graphics, and while the Grand Prix was less forgiving, the Extreme Mode tailored more to the arcade racing style and was more accessible. Are you interested in some two wheeled racing? And for the record, were any of our readers there for the beginning of Xbox Live and had some of their first online experiences in a 16 person race around Mugello?[Thanks, gaetge]
ATV Offroad Fury developer thinks PSP's future is "worrying"
Karl Jeffrey, CEO of Climax Studios, talked to GI.biz about the future of the PSP, and he thinks its pretty bleak. Climax, responsible for the development of over two dozen Sony titles, such as the ATV games, thinks that Sony is simply not doing enough to reinvigorate the now-slowing PSP market. "We're sitting here thinking about what Sony is going to do to get the platform back on track and we're not hearing much from them."It's distressing to see one of Sony's development partners express such fear and uncertainty for the platform. "Personally, I love it as a platform to develop for, it's very powerful and it's a great machine," Jeffrey said. But it's very disappointing at the moment when you look at the installed base and the sales of the games that are out there; it's not a compelling prospect for many publishers."Jeffrey believes that publishers will soon abandon the system, but predicts that a PSP redesign and downloadable games will help reverse the negative momentum. Too bad Sony continues to deny the possibility of a new PSP, and won't allow downloads without a PS3 (for now). Sony... what are you doing?!
Disney forms Nintendo games studio
Disney is forming a new studio based in Salt Lake City called Fall Line (???) to make games exclusively for Nintendo featuring Disney characters. The new studio marks the fourth that Disney has bought or started up on their own in the past two years at a tune of more than $200 million dollars.While Nintendo puts the emphasis on fun in their games instead of next-gen processing power, Disney could be a great fit with them. Both Nintendo and Disney skew heavily towards younger audiences, and those aren't the kind of gamers who'll be concerned with how many polygons it takes to render Goofy's hat into a photorealistic prop. They have sequels in the immediate future: another Chicken Little game comes out around Wii-launch, and you can probably expect another Cars video game.It'll be interesting to see what Fall Line can produce on their own. Maybe they'll port Kingdom Hearts to the Wii. That would be worth a wait.[Thanks, Bored]
Rumor: Silent Hill Origins in trouble?
Our eagerly-anticipated Silent Hill Origins may be in a little bit of trouble. The game's developer, Climax, recently laid off 14 of its workers in order to "integrate into a single management structure." (Source: Gamespot) According to Kotaku (you should already put on your "doubt" visors), the main reasoning behind the lay-offs was to "salvage the disastrous development of Silent Hill Origins for the PSP." The article continues to state that "the game had been cut extensively... shriveled down to a handful of much smaller levels and three to four hours of gameplay... Konami was understandably disappointed... and employees were told there were "no assurances" that the Origins project would continue."While it would be disastrous if this rumor were true, I'm going to take a leap of faith and say it's untrue. The Kotaku report states that a working engine wasn't made available until June, which sounds false considering the game's incredible graphics engine (which was playable). Secondly, I highly doubt the folks at Konami would allow for a high-caliber project like this to fall apart, especially with their other high-profile PSP titles coming down the pipeline. Lastly, a developer in supposedly as much trouble as Climax wouldn't also be working on another high-profile game: Oblivion for the PSP. Climax is a relatively prolific developer: a few layoffs most likely won't affect the future of any of the games in development.[Via PSP-Vault]
Buena Vista Games races to Climax in Europe
Disney's video game arm Buena Vista Games has acquired London-based Climax Racing for an undisclosed amount of dough, giving BVG a chance to develop racing games, and a European office to add to the Disney empire. The Mouse House also currently owns Propaganda Games in Vancouver, and Avalanche Software in Salt Lake City.Climax developed MotoGP and ATV Offroad® Fury and may start cramming Disney characters into racing games, a la Mario Kart, or continue to develop sequels to both of these franchises. The recent MotoGP 2006 scored fairly decent numbers when it went through the paces, so hopefully BVG won't tinker too much with a formula that produces solid games.Still, we're hoping that Climax insisted on cash and didn't receive only stock options, Mickey Dollars and tickets to EuroDisney. If they held out for bootleg copies of The Rescuers and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? with the missing footage intact, they're sitting on a goldmine.
MotoGP screenshots released, commence drooling
Take it all in: THQ has released some stellar new screenshots of their super fast MotoGP Ultimate Racing Technology 2006. There are only so many buzzwords that one can use to describe the graphics of this title. Slated for a Q1 release (or otherwise TBA), MotoGP is being developed by Climax, the same people working on the recently-sold Ghost Rider franchise.
