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Activision closes 'Web of Shadows' dev Shaba [update]
Activision's Shaba Games, which most recently developed Spider-man: Web of Shadows, has allegedly been shuttered. Kotaku reports that sources with knowledge claim the studio closed yesterday; attributing the corporate downsizing to sluggish sales of Guitar Hero 5.Approximately 30 employees were reportedly laid off at Shaba, which is roughly half the workforce Shaba claims to have -- an eerily similar fate that apparently befell Activision's 7 Studios earlier this week. We're currently following up and will update with any new information.Update: Activision confirmed the studio's closure with this statement: "Activision continually evaluates the resources at our studio properties to ensure that they are properly matched to our product slate and overall strategic goals. As part of this process, we recently made the difficult but necessary decision to close Shaba Studios. We are grateful for the studio's contributions and wish this talented team success in their future endeavors."%Gallery-28337%
Video: symbiote Wolverine in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
We knew that Wolverine would make an appearance in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows since Activision released potential box art for the game. What we didn't know, is that Wolvy will be infected by the infamous symbiote at some point in the game, creating a clawed, Venom-like monster. Joystiq blogger (and feeble podcast producer) Justin McElroy notes that this already happened once in the comics, at which point the alien goo was immediately ejected by Woverine's mutant healing factor. We have some possibilities then. One, this is a special new breed of symbiote. Two, the developers at Shaba want an awesome Woverine monster and don't care about continuity.Whatever the answer is, we suggest you watch the (awesome) trailer after the break, in which Wolverine shows up near the end. Be sure to watch the whole video for a look at some great looking combat too.
See symbiote Wolverine in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
OK, so you can color us confused. The end of the stunningly rad Spider-Man: Web of Shadows trailer we've put right after the jump seems to end with a glimpse of an alien symbiote bonded with lovable gruffster Wolverine. But we could have sworn the last time that happened the symbiote was forced out by Logan's mutant healing factor. Are we alone here?OK, niggling continuity issues aside, if the combat is half as cool in Shaba's game as this video makes it look, we could finally be in for a game where we feel like the Webhead both when we're spinning webs any size and catching thieves just like flies. And we can't wait.
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows combat preview looks astonishing
We've had a love/hate relationship with past iterations of titles featuring our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, though one aspect of every title that we felt was never quite right was the manner in which the beloved web-slinger placed the beatdown upon unsuspecting thugs. Sure, certain games have had entertaining, intuitive combat systems, but none truly captured the way the arachnid protagonist whips up on baddies as he does on ink and paper.However, a recently released video from Shaba Games, developer of the upcoming Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, has boosted our spirits significantly, displaying the kind of aerial acrobatics and swift brawling we've always hoped to see in a Spidey title. Now, as long as they can avoid any glaring graphical issues or frequent cutscenes showing Peter Parker bawling his eyes out, Web of Shadows could be one of the better adaptations of the Spider-Man comics to ever hit the market.
New Spidey game looks mighty impressive
Back in April, we were treated to some teaser footage revealing a new Spider-Man game called Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. Since then, there hasn't been much to report on and things have been awfully quiet. We've been wondering: when would we ever see more of the game? The answer would be today.In this new clip, we see some of the guys from developer Shaba Games talk about how they're redefining the Spider-Man games franchise. The biggest improvement revealed so far is the revamped combat system which seems to look like a seamless and smooth experience merging regular combat and versatile webslinging. The ability to switch between red and black spidey suits sounds like a good way to mix gameplay up even more. While this new footage has tingeld our spidey senses, we're still excited to see more. But, when will that be? We're not exactly sure as it's been months since the last time we heard from this title. The next reveal will probably be again mired in another "web of shadows" until then. Oooh, mysterious.
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Trailer and Info
With the earlier reveal by Gamestop, it was assumed that we wouldn't be seeing much of Spidey for awhile, at least until the game was officially confirmed. Well that is what happened, just a little sooner than we thought. Revolving around the free roaming exploration of New York City, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is supposed to give the player more freedom over the game's "direction and outcome." Coming to us courtesy of Shaba Games and Treyarch, the idea seems to be to give the player control over the character as never before, with customizable powers and the ability to ally with various members of the Marvel Universe.
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows confirmed for all current platforms
It seems we'll be donning our tight-fitting Spider-Man costumes and matching cavalier attitudes sooner than expected, as we head off to the store to purchase Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. The humiliation better be worth it this time, Activision! Confirming earlier rumors, the publisher has announced (via IGN) that Spidey's next "free-roaming, open-ended" adventure will be hitting the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Wii, DS, PSP and PC, courtesy of Shaba Games and Treyarch. Not much is known about the title, but the official website hints that you'll be able to influence the game's "direction and outcome" and choose which characters in the Marvel universe to ally yourself with. The central theme seems to be "control," though as the trailer (embedded after the break) rightly points out, we can't know what it really means ... until we lose it.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows coming to Wii
Keep in mind, this is not the Wii versionTake note, webheads: a new Spidey game is being made for the Wii (along with those other systems nobody cares about). It's called Spider-Man: Web of Shadows and will once again feature the tried-and-true sandbox mechanic of a fully-explorable New York City. Other than that, we know that the game is being worked on by Treyarch and Shaba Games and will feature some kind of system that allows for customizable superpowers. Also, players will have some control in determining whether they want to be the boyscout do-gooder or a more selfish anti-hero type.Perhaps even cooler than the news of there being a new game is word that Activision will be holding auditions for folks to do the voiceover work in the game at their booth at the upcoming New York Comic-Con. The winner will be determined by open voting, which will go down at the game's official website here.
A new Tony Hawk for the next generation?
Kikizo Games reports that Neversoft is starting from (almost) scratch with the next installment of the only perennial skating franchise. This version's dubbed Tony Hawk's Project 8 and it's being built with a new engine and character modeling tools. Of course, over-the-top skating is still the focus, exploited further this time around with a shallow depth of field.Will the aging skater be reborn on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360? Or is Tony Hawk headed 'downhill?' Project 8 is slated for a Q4 2006 release.
