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Sadness details that are not exclusive in any way
IGN's banner headline: "We bring you exclusive new details on the psychological-horror title." We're appreciative and all, but now we're just gonna take those exclusive details and steal them. You should certainly check out the original article if you're interested in hearing a bit of sample music from the game.NIBRIS has, thankfully, acquired a publisher for their work. Rumored to be either Atlus or Majesco, this mystery group is quite unwillingly to allow the Sadness team to unveil any in-game screenshots. You'll remember that the game is in all black and white...a gutsy stylistic choice. We like it. Now, NIBRIS is confirming that the game will have no HUD (heads-up display) to mar the cinematic quality of the game. This worked quite well for the PS2 masterpiece Shadow of the Colossus, and we applaud the decision.Also of note is that NIBRIS is essentially oursourcing the graphics engine and programming to well-known companies: Frontline Studios for the code, and Digital Amigos for the engine. These are experienced sources, and so hopefully some veteran shine will come through on what is otherwise a very "indie" game.The team seems very committed to bringing a truly frightening and intuitive experience. Novelists and psychologists have been consulted for the game script, and the designers promise us the ability to interact with the environment in ways only made possible with the Wii controller. There is a downside, however...we're going to have to wait. Sadness isn't touching our consoles until Q4 2007...at the earliest.
Merc 2 rumored for 360, Venezuelans pissed
Another former "PS3 exclusive" looks like it's headed to the Xbox 360, but not without some geo-political baggage. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames from Pandemic/BioWare moves the action from North Korea to sunny South America where "a power-hungry tyrant messes with Venezuela's oil supply, sparking an invasion that turns the country into a warzone." As you might expect, the premise has drawn criticism from the Venezuelan media who are directing their indignation at an unlikely target: U2 frontman Bono, who just so happens to be an investor. Meanwhile, stateside fans of lefty hero Hugo Chavez are coming up with conspiracy theories involving CIA propaganda and the Military Industrial Video Game Complex (Wait until they figure out THQ wants to Destroy All Humans). Instead of getting upset about diplomatic sensitivities, save your sympathy for the PS3 fanboys, who now have one less exclusive title to help rationalize their credit card bill this fall.
Teaser takes Mass Effect on XBLM
A four minute "Demo Walkthrough" for BioWare's 360 exclusive RPG, Mass Effect ,is now available for download on Xbox Live Marketplace. The video features Project Manager Casey Hudson talking over gameplay footage from E3. It's impressive stuff, especially if you haven't seen it before. The squad-based gameplay looks a bit like Gears of War and you have to love that incinerator gun (Not too crazy about the voice acting though). BioWare's baby isn't due until Q2 2007. No telling why the marketing guys are calling the vid a "walkthrough" when it's more aptly described as a teaser trailer -- unless it's to torture us with the hint of an early playable Mass experience.Note: Bungie's Halo 3 "making of" featurette, long available on the web, is up as well.[Thanks Matt T]
Hold your breath and rev your chainsaw [Update 1]
We've known for quite some time that Capcom would be developing a Wii-exclusive Resident Evil title. Would it be the next game in the main franchise, a true RE5, or perhaps a more direct sequel of the Gamecube and PS2 mega-hit Resident Evil 4? Or would it be one of those Outbreak/Zero/Veronica spin-offs that no one really cares about? According to the most recent issue of the Official Nintendo Magazine (UK), we won't have to wait much longer. Though the news was too fresh to make the August issue, they apparently have some exclusive info on REWii, as evidenced by a rather obvious silhouette of Leon Kennedy. The issue is due for release somewhere around August 6th.[Update 1: Clarified August vs. September issue mix-up.]
Read my lips: Gears of War will pwn
NextTechNews calls attention to a glossed over nugget of Gears of War goodness: Epic took the time to include some fancy lip-synching so that when you yell obscenity-laced voice commands into your headset, the character on the screen mouths along in real time. Very cool -- and no small task judging by the crusty choppers at right. It's nice see Cliffy B & Company sweating the small stuff. We all know that sometimes it's that little extra detail that makes the difference between a great game and an honest-to-God killer app. [via Xboxic]
Assassin's Creed not so exclusive for PS3
1UP.com does some research on the murky multi-platform status of Assassin's Creed and get this broken record response from Ubisoft: 1UP: Is Assassin's Creed an exclusive title for the PS3 or is it only announced for the PS3? Ubisoft: "Assassin's Creed is coming to the PS3. No other announcements have been made." 1UP: So it is not exclusive? Ubisoft: "Assassin's Creed is coming to the PS3. No other announcements have been made." 1UP speculates that Sony's arrangement is similar to the announcement deal Microsoft brokered with Rockstar regarding the next GTA, with Kutaragi's krew unwilling to shell out the bucks for exclusivity. They also note that Sony has recently downplayed the importance of third-party exclusives. That's good news for 360 owners, who will likely get the chance to play this impressive-looking game on their system. But it has to depress the PS3 fanboys, who now have one less rationalization for forking over $600. We'll see if Sony decides they need one.
Incase releases exclusive New York commemorative case line
iLounge is reporting that Incase has pulled out all their case-making stops and introduced a complete lineup of cases for Apple products that commemorate New York and some of its major landmarks. To top things off, these cases are exclusive to the new 24/7 5th Avenue Apple Store that opened last weekend.The lineup consists of white and black cases for the 5G iPod, iPod nano and MacBook Pro. No word yet on whether Incase has been chosen to create the leather case for the giant glass cube that Dave mentioned yesterday.[image via iLounge]
Grand Theft: MS robs Sony of GTA exclusivity
Console war vets nearly spilled their hot coffee Tuesday morning when Peter Moore's GTA tattoo-baring stunt at Microsoft's E3 keynote was over-zealously interpreted to imply exclusive rights to Grand Theft Auto IV. It quickly became clear that Sony didn't get jacked quite that badly. The first next-gen installment in Rockstar's amazingly popular yet politically touchy series will be released on both consoles simultaneously in October 2007. It's still great news for 360 owners, who won't have to wait an extra 12 months to run over high-polygon hookers. Conversely, it's a potentially signifcant blow to the golden kneecaps of the pricey PS3. Loyal Sony fanboys who go into usurious debt in order to purchase that caviar console would presumably prefer a little alone time with those dead prostitutes, at least until they get their credit card paid off. So much for what was once a major selling point. Sony may not have an edge when it comes to grand thievery, but they still have a license to steal -- from their customers.
Halo 3 trailer: See it again for the first time
Here's the Halo 3 trailer again, embedded for your puny viewing pleasure. If you want more pixels and have no luck with XBLM, try Xboxyde's 720p torrent or Bungie's large Quicktime version. Oh yeah, Bungie reminds the world this baby is real time with an appropriately sarcastic announcement: Nobody saw it coming. Halo 3! Who knew? For the last year or two, people have speculated about what our next project was and surprisingly, in all that time, not a single person guessed that it would be Halo 3. Not one. We declare it the best kept secret ever. ...We won't ruin the content of our short presentation by describing it frame by frame, but we will note that everything you're seeing here is being rendered in real-time on the Xbox 360, using the current version of our Halo 3 game engine. The HDR lighting, self-shadowing, GPU-run particle system and many other effects should make it intact (and more) to our final game. Worth repeat viewing.
Virtua Fighter 5 only for PS3 next spring
There was a time when Virtua Fighter 5 was considered a strong candidate for an arcade port to the Xbox 360, but that multiplatform hope's been dashed with the official announcement that VF5 will appear only on PS3 in the spring of 2007. Sega's technical fighter is a Sony exclusive once more.While home-console online play remains doubtful at this point, next-gen PlayStation owners can now securely look forward to facing off as El Blaze and Eileen (the new luchador and monkey kung-fu artist, respectively) along with the other 15 fighters, decked out in all sorts of items purchased in the in-game store with prize money earned through in-game matches.VF5 will support up to 720p HD resolution and will be featured in game footage in the SEGA booth at E3 (South Hall, Booth #946) later this week.[Thanks, Matt; also via Joystiq]
MS trying to score a GTA exclusive?
The latest issue of Game Informer stands by the mag's last bombshell rumor and adds a new one. Xboxic has a summary:GI is standing by their April issue in which they revealed Forerunner, a new title in the Halo series. Now this month in their Loose Talk section, they reveal Project Orion. According to GI, Bungie and Ensemble Studios are teaming up to make a Halo FPS MMO. They claim this project is in “planning stages” just like Forerunner, so things could “change.”Microsoft is currently trying their hardest to secure the next version of GTA as an Xbox 360 exclusive. They claim MS is going full out in this. Even if MS does not secure it as a full exclusive, they will try to get it as a timed exclusive (similar to Sony last gen).That should get the PS3 fanboys' coffee percolating.
Rumor: Final Fantasy XIII PS3 exclusive at E3
According to 1UP, the May issue of EGM contains a rumor that Final Fantasy XIII will be showing up at next month's E3 for "a brief teaser video and confirmation from [Square Enix] that the RPG will be a PS3 exclusive." RPG fans, rejoice!What's a little shocking is that FFXIII would be unveiled before FFXII is even released outside Japan, but "rumblings" have apparently also been picked up that "Final Fantasy XIII is practically close to being finished" already. With all the delays to XII, it's certainly more than possible that a second team working on XIII's already got something to show by now.It wasn't exactly surprising that FFXIII would show up as a PS3 exclusive--despite certain misquotes to the contrary--but you know that a new Final Fantasy is just what the next PlayStation needs (judging by how previews of FFX elevated the PS2's platform profile). Hopefully this little tidbit isn't EGM's way of stretching its April Fools' coverage to another issue (and another month).[Thanks, Spatlase Disexia]
Xbox retail confidence sags; PS2 powers on
An executive VP with Vivendi Europe feels that retail confidence in the original Xbox is flagging with MS needing to work with publishers "to help generate some impetus."With Microsoft's primary and first-party focus squarely set on the next generation, the 360's predecessor may be feeling some neglect since saves aren't transferable and exclusive titles are elusive.The Vivendi VP also noted that the PS2 still has a lot of life left in it, which we're inclined to believe with all the triple-A games still to come to the West, including Kingdom Hearts II, Okami, Final Fantasy XII, and God of War 2. You gotta love the PS3's 100% backward compatibility (or 99.9% BC, give or take a couple of titles). Emulation profiles can only do so much.[Via Evil Avatar]
