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Rumor: Experience The BIGS next week
The Xbox Domain is reporting that after a 2K Sports conference call they learned that a demo for The BIGS will making its way onto the XBLM sometime next week. No exact date was given, but the game's developers did confirm that the demo would include three innings of gameplay. In the conference call 2K Sports also made it very clear that The BIGS is not a next generation version of Midway's Slugfest almost as if Slugfest was an airborne virus that 2K Sports wants to avoid. Actually, Slugfest may be an airborne virus that we should recommend everyone stay away from. Stay tuned.[Via Game Stooge]
2K football rises again, 2K8 debut trailer
It's been a long time coming, but 2K football is back. GameTrailers has posted the debut trailer of All-Pro Football 2K8. The trailer is heavy on the hip-hop, which is to be expected based on the game's previously announced soundtrack (not to mention other 2K sports soundtracks). The All-Pro engine looks nice, with plenty of jukes, spins, and tackles on which to feast your eyes. We have to wonder though, can any non-licensed football title stand up next to the Electronic Arts Madden juggernaut? How about you? Assuming All-Pro delivers where it counts, will you pick it up over Madden?
All-Pro Football cover art and mad beats
2K Sports just released All-Pro Football's official box art, the game's full roster and announced the complete soundtrack. So, let's dig in. The cover art is mildly dull featuring what look to be painted caricatures of NFL legends Jerry Rice, John Elway and Barry Sanders. We say "meh". The game's roster is a little more impressive with a slew of retired NFL stars including Troy Aikman, Gale Sayers and coach Mike Ditka. Finally, the All-Pro Football soundtrack features mash-up tracks done by DJ Z-Trip and is very heavy on the hip-hop flavor. All-Pro Football cover art, soundtrack track listings, and complete roster posted after the break.Read - SoundtrackRead - Box Art and Roster
NMS: Up close and personal with The BIGS
Colin Torretta headed out to the Nintendo Media Summit for the Joystiq Network to get a little hands-on time with a lot of games, including the upcoming baseball blowout from Take-Two's 2k Sports, The BIGS. The BIGS is a baseball game, sure, but it's not your average game. It's baseball made bigger, better, faster, and completely awesome ... unless, of course, you want a fully realistic experience. But come on, you can get that anywhere. Sometimes it's nice to wallow in a string of heart-wrenching moments of baseball badassery -- and that's what The BIGS promises. And according to Colin's impressions, The BIGS delivers exactly as promised in most ways ... but not in one highly-anticipated extra. The controls sound fluid (like a beefier Wii Sports Baseball), and judging from the screenshots, we don't have much issue with the look of the game. But it seems that the promised online mode is missing from the Wii game. It's a shame, but we're starting to get used to inviting people over to enjoy the Wii at this point. %Gallery-3430%
Today's swing-for-the-fences video : The Bigs
As baseball players keep bulking up in unnatural ways, we wonder if this extreme version of the sport is what fans want to see; upcoming 2K Sports baseball game, The Bigs, seems to take that pro-girth approach. ("Big" is right there in the title.) Two trailers for this NFL Blitz- and NBA Jam-style baseball title show some of the flashy effects.And maybe we shouldn't connect The Bigs with the current state of baseball; if we want straight simulation, we can play another title. See the trailers and decide for yourself after the break.
Take-Two saga continues: no buyers yet
It seems Take-Two just can't catch a break. After the golden towers of Take-Two were ransacked by angry shareholders demanding that CEO Paul Eibeler step down, Take-Two announced that it was postponing its annual meeting to come up with alternative solutions. Alternative solutions, in this case, means selling the company. TeamXbox has received word from Take-Two that the company is "unlikely to present alternative courses of action prior to the annual meeting on March 29th." In other words, it looks like Take-Two hasn't managed to find a buyer (not even Microsoft).Expect more Take-Two drama to unfold during the company's annual meeting this Thursday.
Rumorang: Microsoft not buying Take-Two
Quelling rumors that Microsoft is bidding on the ailing Take-Two, Shane Kim has confirmed to CNN that Microsoft has no such intention. According to the CNN article, taking over an independent publisher that creates games for multiple platforms would actually create a revenue loss, as all Take-Two's development would be shifted to the 360 alone. Said Kim, "We could never launch an acquisition bid at a third party publisher."As for parties that are interested in the company, speculation ranges from Ubisoft to Elevation Partners (of which U2's Bono is a member) to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The article also suggests, as others have suggested in the past, that Take-Two may be sold in pieces, offering up divisions like 2K Sports and Rockstar Games instead of Take-Two being sold as a whole.[Via DCEmu]
MLB 2K7 is going, going, gone gold
On Friday, 2K Sports announced that upcoming sports game MLB 2K7 has officially gone gold. In their press release, they also confirm the February 27th release date that we reported on earlier. Now discs can be pressed, no more bugs can be fixed, and those signature style animations cannot be tweaked, because baseball is upon us. We know this game has potential, but is anyone buying MLB 2K7 guaranteed? Though, if you're a MLB baseball fan you don't have much of a choice.[Via Game Stooge]
MLB 2K7 coming earlier than expected?
According to SportsGamer.com, MLB 2K7 appears to be releasing a week earlier to compete with the Playstation's MLB 07: The Show. Gamestop changed the shipping date for MLB 2K7 to 2/26/07 which is the same release date as MLB 07: The Show. 2K Sports wants their MLB gem to be a success and maybe by moving the release date up a week will help deter possible MLB 07: The Show purchases. Cross your fingers and watch for the release of MLB 2K7 towards the end of the month.[Via Game Stooge]
Take Two downgraded. EA seeks 2K sports?
Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities recently downgraded his assessment of Take Two Interactive stock from "hold" to "sell." While Grand Theft Auto IV is a guaranteed smash, WMS is wary of the lackluster performance of 2K Sports and "everything else." Naturally, Take Two's recent "hot coffee" scandal add to the decision, which Pachter chalks up to management decisions. Essentially, Take Two allows great freedoms to its creators, which results in groundbreaking games like GTA, but also results in sexual content making it onto a retail disc.Pachter discussed the possibility of the company being bought, divided, and sold in pieces. It's "unlikely" according to Pachter, but he does note that EA would be the most likely candidate to purchase 2K, as it would give the company a monopoly on nearly all major sports products. Pachter said such a monopoly could be worth as much as $1 billion, though he believes 2K Sports itself could probably be had for $200 million.[Thanks, dpcough]See Also:NFL2K rises from the ashesReduced 360 target causes VG stock dip
Online College Hoops 2K7 Final 4 tourney
2K Sports, partnering with Pontiac, is hosting an online College Hoops 2K7 tournament. You'll have the chance to win numerous prizes including a Pontiac G5 GT, NCAA tournament tickets, and a trophy if you are the best of the best. The tournament is open to all Xbox Live members, registration and qualifying rounds must be completed by March 10th, and the first 2,000 members to sign up will receive an exclusive Final 4 theme. Full contest rules and overly complicated details on how the contest works are listed after the break.
Of MLB2K7, Marketplace, and ugly trailers
If you were to look at the above image of Major League Baseball 2K7, you'd probably assume that the game has some serious graphical prowess. The cloth looks real, the face is well rendered, the stubble is nice and manly. All in all, it looks pretty good, right? Okay, now go download the latest trailer off of Marketplace. It's available today. Go ahead, it won't take long; it's barely 3 MB in size. Now watch it. It's okay, we'll wait ... did you watch it? What did you notice? That's right! It looks awful. Seriously, it looks like a poorly compressed CG movie from the PS1 era. Just a note to prospective content providers: Xbox Live Marketplace is not YouTube. At least give us 480p.We know, it seems petty to point out an ugly trailer, but the 360 was built with HD in mind. Next to so many great looking trailers, this actually makes MLB2K7 look bad by comparison. So far, people have good things to say about the game. We just want a good trailer to go with it.
NFL2K rises from the ashes
If you're someone who absolutely despises EA, chances are it has something to do with NFL2K. Just over two years ago, Electronic Arts bought exclusive rights to the NFL license, effectively killing it's only competition, NFL2K. The fact that NFL2K was consistently rated as high (or higher) than EA's Madden may have had something to do with that, not to mention SEGA's ballsy move of lowering NFL2K5's price to $20, which led to it outselling Madden for the first time. EA wouldn't have any of that, so they did what they do best and bought out the competition.Now, 2 years later, NFL2K is coming back, though not in the way many would have hoped. 2K Sports has announced that NFL2K is returning as All-Pro Football 2K8. Gamespot has posted a lengthy interview with 2K Sports' Greg Thomas, though he doesn't give away many details. No gameplay details have been announced, except that 2K Sports is out to make the best football game it can. Without the NFL license, many are suggesting that the game will feature old football legends, but 2K Sports isn't talking. At any rate, NFL2K is coming back, and that is bound to make plenty of sports fans happy. The game is expected to hit this summer.[Via Joystiq]
NFL2K rises from grave as All-Pro Football 2K8
Today is a day that sports gamers have prayed for since the fateful morning of December 13th, 2004 when EA locked up the NFL license in an exclusive agreement, effectively shutting down their critically acclaimed rival, NFL 2K. Not one to go quietly, 2K Sports has announced their long rumored gridiron return with All-Pro Football 2K8, slated for this Summer and for "next generation video game systems."Gamespot sat down with Visual Concepts president Greg Thomas to cover some of the more obvious challenges they will be facing in the marketplace. With no license to work with, All-Pro Football 2K8 will be facing an uphill battle for mind share when it comes to dealing with EA's unstoppable Madden series. This doesn't seem to bother Thomas as he is "expecting this game to be a big, big seller, we're expecting our fans to be really excited, and there's a lot of fans."
Can I get some peanuts and a dog with that MLB 2K7 trailer?
2K Games unveiled new in-game footage of MLB 2K7 for the 360 at this week's CES as the baseball season quickly approaches. If it weren't for some jerky fielder movements, static looking crowd, and zombie-looking eyes, we would have thought this was an actual broadcast (almost). So is this good enough realism for our Japanese friends who prefer cartoony players until uncanny valley no longer exists? And while not perfect, it's definitely impressive. MLB 2K7 hits the 360, Xbox, PS3, PS2, and PSP this March.
Surprise -- Derek Jeter to grace MLB 2K7 cover
New York Yankees Shortstop Derek Jeter will have his mugshot plastered on the front of all copies of Major League Baseball 2K7. This should come as no big revelation, as the seven-time All Star has previously adorned the covers of the last two annual editions. Jeter has also appeared serially on game boxes for the now-deceased All-Star Baseball franchise from Acclaim. Say what you will about Electronic Arts for lack of innovation, but at least they swap out cover athletes every year (thanks in no small part to the curse). To be fair, 2K Sports is hoping MLB 2K7 will be a reinvention of the franchise. According to designer Ben Brinkman, "First year, drill down to the core and get the core baseball game going. Year two, add some cool features, maybe some tersely modes, maybe redesign franchise. The third year, just wrap it up into a nice bow and nail it." So if not this year, expect MLB 2K9 to be the real winner. MLB 2K7 will come to bat Spring 2007 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP, PS2, and the original Xbox.
Typo: vibration function cited in PS3's NBA 2K7 booklet
Keen eyes have spotted this careless passage published in the PlayStation 3 version of the NBA 2K7 instruction booklet: "Once you start feeling your heart rate pumping (via controller vibration), you'll be ready to begin! Shooting free throws in 24/7: NEXT is just like shooting free throws in a normal quick game" (page 15). The rumble citation is an amusing relic of pre-Sixaxis days when the manual's authors must have assumed (or were told) the final PS3 controller would feature a standard vibration function. Guess 2K Games didn't bother to hire a knowledgeable copy editor.Please, let's not assume this means PS3 games have 'hidden' vibration features. A typo's a typo. And PS3 launch titles won't be a'rumblin.[Thanks, Xenokai]
What a deal! Viva Pinata and more only $29.99
Simply put, cheap games roxorz, especially cheap games that are good. In store at Best Buy and at bestbuy.com you can purchase Viva Piñata, Pimp My Ride, and College Hoops 2K7 for the rock bottom price of $29.99. This deal is only good up until Saturday, December 23rd and can be purchased online (thank god) for those of us who hate to deal with the holiday crowds. It's almost Christmas and retailers want your money, retailers need your money, so make them happy and at least pick up Viva Piñata, because 5 out of 6 gamers agree Viva Piñata is the cool kids crack.
Take-Two signs in-game advertising deal
Take-Two and independent advertising company, Double Fusion, have announced an agreement that will see up to nine upcoming 2K and 2K Sports titles riddled with in-game "advertising opportunities". The official press release notes that Double Fusion will be exclusively providing dynamic advertising technology across all platforms, with the exception of the Xbox and the Xbox 360. While the online implementation of ads is nothing unheard of, it's the actual description of the embedded, offline versions that prove to be a bit scary."Select versions of 2K and 2K Sports titles will feature integrated, hard-coded placements that will offer marketers opportunities for deep integration into gameplay and storylines, reaching users of the games whether or not they are connected to the Internet."In-game advertising is often a tug-of-war between a subtle man in a trenchcoat and an obnoxious exhibitionist with an oily burger in his pocket. It's all a matter of balance, with the product or service demanding the player's attention, but in a way that seems natural and unobtrusive within the game's framework. The best in-game advertising often lends to the believability of the world (billboards in a dense city make complete sense), whereas the worst destroys it completely (billboards in Hyrule, not so much). Let's hope Take-Two doesn't have us taking our band of adventurers into the ancient NIVEA forest as we search for the magical PANASONIC DLP SCREEN. (Hint: Speak to the merchant elf -- he'll give you a BMW with GPS navigation.)
Boost Gamerscore the easy way: pay for it
Life is hard. Every time you boot up your 360, all you see is the incredible Gamerscores that your friends have. It's embarrassing. Your pathetic, anemic little Gamerscore just doesn't compare. You feel like you just can't perform anymore. You don't have the time. You turn to your significant other and say, "I swear this has never happened to me before." Your significant other turns to you and says, "That's okay, honey. A lot of people have this problem. It's very common." Cold and ashamed, you warm up a glass of milk and go to bed early for 8 hours of fitful sleep. Does this sound familiar? Well, the dastardly fine folks at Levelmy360.com are here to help. Through the goodness of their hearts (and for significant amounts of cash), they will boost your Gamerscore anywhere from 500 to 7000 points. Prices range from $40 to $400. That's right, all the pride and public notoriety of having a high Gamerscore is now free to be bought (and sold) at your discretion. Why on earth someone would actually pay just to boost Gamerscore we have no idea. It's not like World of Warcraft or anything -- the only thing Gamerscore is for is bragging rights. We're not really sure what's worse, paying to use this service, or the countless hours of King Kong and College Hoops 2K6 being played by the people who run it. [Thanks, Christian Santarelli] See Also: Earn 6,000 Xbox 360 points -- without trying
