surfer girl
Latest
Slim Xbox 360 and Natal bundle to debut at E3? (Rumor update: false)
It's always good to see rumors coalescing into neat little bundles, which in Microsoft's case means that its expected 360 hardware refresh and Natal re-introduction will coincide at E3 this year. Surfer Girl, one of the gaming industry's more notorious rumor hounds, is telling us that Microsoft is about to unveil a slimmer Xbox 360 at the upcoming E3 in June, together with Natal hardware bundles. She describes the new system design as "pretty neat" and suggests there'll be a shift to black as the console's primary color, to go along with Natal's darker hue, which in turn was dictated by the fact it'd have to sit alongside dark and moody HDTV sets. Very feng shui of Microsoft indeed. For the final, and most unbelievable of her predictions, she tells us -- while highlighting the initials M.G.S. -- that we'll be "very surprised and very pleased" by one of the Natal games revealed at the show. Seriously, Metal Gear Natal? [Thanks, Lander] Update: Looks like this was all a hilarious hoax perpetrated by someone pretending to be Surfer Girl. Yeah, we've heard plenty of "real" rumors about a slimmer Xbox and Natal bundles, but it looks like there's no weight to this one.
Star Wars the only IP that can challenge World of Warcraft?
Games industry rumor-monger Surfer Girl is apparently not done with MMO-bombshells yet. Last week she partially deflated the hopes of folks wanting a Massively Multiplayer version of Knights of the Old Republic. Today she says she sees the SOE/LucasArts venture Star Wars Galaxies closing down within a year of the release of the new game. Lucas and the (unnamed) company working on the new MMO apparently think Star Wars is "the only IP that can pose a serious challenge [to] World of Warcraft". She also claims that the Old Republic setting is too niche to fully utilize the Star Wars IP, which is why it's not the new game's setting. If the new MMO is set in the same period as the new television show, as she previously claimed, it will likely take place sometime between Episode III and IV. That previously untapped period in the Galaxy Far, Far Away is the setting for most of Lucas' new projects. She goes on to say that LucasArts and the dev house expect their new project to have at least three million subscribers by the end of its first year. As for what BioWare is actually working on, she intimates that the Edmonton studio is working on a new KOTOR title. The MMO the Austin studio is making (according to an earlier post of hers) "has a fantasy setting akin to the company's previous fantasy role playing games." So ... Dungeons and Dragons possibly? The world made so much more sense last week. Do you think she is right about WoW and Star Wars? Is the Force the only thing that could shake Azeroth's deathgrip on the massive gaming genre?
Surfer Girl gives BOOM BLOX praise as we continue to come around
We were heavily criticized for our initial (and, okay, harsh) opinions about BOOM BLOX. Even though we softened up to the game after seeing the trailer, we can't say we were behind it all along. Some people were, though, like the notorious Surfer Girl.Surfer Girl, who is famous in the world of video games for her endless flow of industry rumors, thinks very highly of the title. In fact, she calls it "this year's best third-party Wii game." Those are certainly some strong words, and although she doesn't elaborate on why the game is so great, she does say it's a fun puzzle experience.So, who will be eating crow, us or Surfer Girl? It's too early to tell, but we're ready for some humble pie if the game turns out to be as amazing as she says.%Gallery-15446%
Rumor: BioWare not involved with Star Wars MMO
Like a complicated puzzle infuriatingly missing the final piece, the mystery over what exactly BioWare and LucasArts are up to after their announced collaboration is impossible to solve. The most obvious rumor is that BioWare's due in 2009 MMO is based on its celebrated Star Wars RPG Knights of the Old Republic. But video game insider (or rumor-mongering charlatan?) Surfer Girl claims that there is an upcoming Star Wars MMO coming in 2009 that's "not being developed by BioWare or Sony Online Entertainment." She says the new MMO is being timed to debut, and will actually tie into, the live-action Star Wars television series planned for next year.So, if you're the kind of person who believes every rumor they read on the internet (you're not though, right?) then here's the takeaway: BioWare is still working on an MMO, they're still working with LucasArts, but they're not working on this Star Wars MMO. Everyone else: let's just wait it out, okay?[Via Massively]
Rumor: Gears of War 2 and Alan Wake at GDC
The video game industry's favorite insider darling Surfer Girl is back to her predicting ways, this time targeting Alan Wake and the highly anticipated Gears of War 2.According to her long list of answers that she posted in response to readers' numerous questions, Surfer Girl confirms that Gears of War 2 will be making an appearance at GDC later this month and so will the somewhat forgotten Alan Wake. Surfer Girl goes on to claim other rumors including Mass Effect DLC as well as Halo 4's existence, but in the short term, GoW2 and Alan Wake making a GDC appearance is the hotness right now. Even if Mark Rein says otherwise.Looking back, Surfer Girl has been able to keep a pretty solid track record for being spot about insider news, but know that her insider tips are not always perfect. So, take all her tips for what they're worth, analyze your GDC floorplan and pick up a copy of GamePro, because GoW2 announcement buzz is taking over the intertubes. Be prepared.[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
Surfer Girl 'confirms' localized Suda games
The enigmatic "Surfer Girl," who posts a bunch of game-related rumors on a Blogspot site every so often, is at it again. This time she has "revealed" something that we already kinda knew about some DS games in which we're very interested. Specifically, in her post "December Thirtieth Things" she said that the three Grasshopper Manufacture adventure remakes The Silver Case, The Silver Case Ward 25, and the recently-announced Flower, Sun, and Rain, would be released next year in the U.S. Is this really "insider" knowledge? Maybe. Suda already announced that The Silver Case and its sequel were being released worldwide, but it's possible that whoever this Surfer Girl character is saw some release plans from a publisher. The possibility of a localized FSR is news to us. At the very least, this rumor provides evidence that someone, somewhere, who may be related to game publishing, is talking about these Suda 51 adventure games. That's comforting.
