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Crackdown leaps into Games on Demand lineup
Games on Demand's latest additions are all about two types of orbs: agility and katamaris. The 6GB Crackdown is reasonably priced at $20, with the "Getting Busy Bonus Pack" DLC permanently reduced to 400 ($5). Those looking for a cheaper solution to obtaining Crackdown are advised to permanently borrow the copy their Spartan-obsessed buddies purchased for access to the Halo 3 beta years ago. If you happen to live in Japan and are interested in collecting a single, incredibly huge sphere, Beautiful Katamari is now available. Helping the Prince keep his egomaniacal father happy will cost 2000 in Japan -- there's no word on a global release yet.
Crackdown HDD installation now available
One of the conveniences introduced by the NXE last year was the ability to install games onto the Xbox 360 hard drive. Unfortunately, a select few games don't support the feature. Chief among the unsupported titles is Crackdown, Microsoft's addicting open-world action game. At least, it was until now, as Major Nelson has informed the masses that a title update is now available on Live that enables HDD installation of Crackdown. Remember agent, installing isn't just for convenience, it's also for saving wear and tear on the DVD drive -- especially in games like Crackdown, which stream data constantly.
Crackdown shows up in Psych, writers obviously not familiar with video games
Video games often find their way into other forms of media, with cameos of upcoming software in vampire shows or how our consoles will one day rise up and destroy us all. In nearly every instance, TV show and film writers prove they aren't familiar with how games work or ditch logic for a silly premise. During the August 28 episode of Psych, we saw it happen again. When faux psychic detective Shawn Spencer (James Roday) visits his father (played by Corbin Bernsen, above) for advice, we find the retired officer red-eyed and fixated on the console, waving a plastic toy gun as the game's controller. Although the game isn't named, we can see it's Crackdown, which Bernsen's character claims "lets you feel like a cop, without all the guilt after you shoot someone." It's a funny cameo that weaves itself nicely into the episode's story, but goes a little crazy with the wacky video game accessory. Besides, everyone knows Crackdown 2 uses no controller and will be completely mapped to a player's body when Natal hits stores* in 2010. Check out a clip of all the episode's video game related gags after the break. *We kid. We hope. [Thanks, PsychOut]
Realtime Worlds celebrates new office opening, ever-expanding staff
Like the Scottish equivalent of George and Weezie, Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds is movin' on up. Rather than a deeeluxe apartment in the sky, the company has just opened an 8,000 sq. ft. office, adding to its already existing 26,000 sq. ft. location. Quite a feat considering the company moved into its current studio less than three years ago and has only ever shipped one game. "We've had tremendous commercial and critical success, and have done the lion's share of the work towards a successful launch of our online title APB," studio manager Colin MacDonald says in the press release, referring to the company's upcoming PC MMO. Considering the down economy and flood of layoffs we saw earlier in the year, it's always good to see some expansion -- RTW is looking to reach over 300 employees by years end. And you could be one of them, as the company wants to remind everyone that "over 40 vacancies" exist in the careers section at the Realtime Worlds website. You live in Scotland, right?
1.5 million copies of Crackdown sold is 'breaking even' for Realtime Worlds
During a recent interview with Gamasutra, Realtime Worlds CEO David Jones talked about the success of the first Crackdown. Well, okay, maybe it wasn't a really huge success or anything, even though 1.5 million copies of the Halo 3 beta Crackdown were snatched up by consumers. It turns out that Realtime Worlds only broke even, which it partially blames on GameStop's used game sales. "With Crackdown we sold about 1.5 million copies, but even at that we pretty much only managed to break even," Jones said. "It was due to the amount of factors that were out of our control as the developer, influences such as GameStop's amazing used-game sales; we know 1.5 million new copies were sold, but it's likely there were 2.5, three million sold when you include used." Hey, that sounds like another game we've heard about recently! Hopefully this whole game downloading thing will help with some of those trade-ins. Not that it's Realtime Worlds' problem to worry about any more.
Wheelman, Crackdown designers join Ruffian Games
It's fully a month on and we're still no closer to discovering just what newly founded Ruffian Games is up to than we were when it first broke ground. The fledgling company was first announced in January, formed by team members having worked on such titles and franchises as Fable 2, Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown. Now a pair of new faces have joined the Scotland-based studio's eclectic cast, including Steve Iannetta, former lead world designer on Wheelman for Midway Newcastle. Iannetta was also a designer on Crackdown alongside Ed Campbell, who also joined the company. With so much former Crackdown talent on Ruffian Games' payroll (most everyone at the company had at least some part in the game's development), the smell of open worlds and explosions coming out of the Ruffian's kitchen is unmistakable.
Fable 2, Crackdown, MotoGP devs form Ruffian
Writing about the announcement of a new studio is always tough, because there's just not a lot of information to go on. Take, for instance, newly founded Ruffian Games. It's located in Scotland, which seems like a good a place as any. Its mission? "To bring the best in action gaming to current generation consoles." Which, yeah, we guess we're on board with that. The team members have worked on games like Fable 2, Crackdown, MotoGP and Grand Theft Auto, which all seem pretty ... disparate? What are we supposed to derive from this? Maybe we'd be better off just wishing Ruffian the best of luck and sitting on our hands until we see an actual game.
Realtime Worlds: We'd be 'gutted' if MS gave Crackdown 2 to another developer
Talking to videogaming247, Realtime Worlds studio head Colin MacDonald addressed the recent Crackdown 2 rumors, specifically the fact that Ruffian Games was developing the sequel. "Although to date we haven't had an offer from Microsoft for the Crackdown sequel rumoured, we continue to have ongoing discussions with them" admitted MacDonald adding that if Microsoft were to chose another studio to make the sequel, they'd want it done by "by an established, renowned developer that had the track record of delivering the quality gaming experience Crackdown players would demand." MacDonald confirmed that a handful of ex-Realtime employees have gone to Ruffian, but that the majority of the team remains and also made it clear that they doubt MS would chose a "startup on RTW's doorstep" (Ruffian) to develop Crackdown 2. Stil no Crackdown 2 rumor busting or confirmation, but this is turning into a developer soap opera. How entertaining. [Via Game Stooge]
Rumor: New studio working on Crackdown sequel
Juicy rumor news coming from Edge Online is that a sequel to Realtime Worlds' superhuman destructo'fest Crackdown is in development, but not by Realtime. They're busy with All Points Bulletin. As rumor goes, Crackdown 2 is supposedly in development by the newly formed (and unofficially announced) Ruffian Games, a team comprised of a few "key" ex-Realtime Worlds employees. As is the norm, Microsoft isn't saying a darn thing. Though, if true, we hope Crackdown 2's release gets us access to the Halo 4 beta. [Via Joystiq, Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Rumor: Whispers of Crackdown 2 surround new studio
We're not exactly sure how "A leads to B" in this case, but Edge claims a new Crackdown could be in development following the creation of Ruffian Games. The new studio, which has not been officially announced, is allegedly comprised of several members of the Crackdown development team, including "key members" and the game's lead designer. Realtime Worlds, the original developer of Crackdown, is currently working on APB. Of course, all this sequel talk falls snugly in the realm of rumor and speculation. We've contacted Microsoft, which owns the rights to Crackdown, to ask if Crackdown 2 is currently in development. It's a Friday, might as well take one good shot in the dark before the weekend starts. Update: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."
Realtime says Crackdown 2 is still a possibility
Chatting with videogaming247, Realtime Worlds' main man Colin Macdonald admitted that "it was a horrible, horrible decision" to not jump right into development of a sequel to their super human sandbox game Crackdown, also confirming that the possibility for sequel love is still there. "I don't think the door's closed," said Macdonald, "obviously, right now we're tied up with APB and everything else, but hopefully in the future we'll have the resource and something can be worked out with Microsoft. We would have loved to have seen it. We poured five years of our lives into that game. You know, we've got guys on the development team that have Crackdown tattoos, permanent tattoos on their arms. We're extremely passionate about it." Wow, permanent Crackdown tattoos, eh? Someone at Realtime or Microsoft needs to green-light a Crackdown sequel just to pay respect to the dev team's tattooing. You can't let someone tattoo Crackdown on their arm and not make a sequel ... that's just blasphemy!
Realtime Worlds speaks up on Crackdown sequel
Many 360 owners would really love a sequel to the superpower-infused crime fighting favorite, Crackdown. From the sound of things, developer Realtime Worlds would really love to return to the game's open-world universe – and is actually mighty upset that it didn't immediately upon finishing the original. VG247 spoke to Realtime Worlds studio head Colin Macdonald at the recent UK Develop event, where he said that not starting work on Crackdown 2 straight away "Was a horrible, horrible decision that we still dwell on." Why not just do it, then? Macdonald explained that it was all about sales. "The numbers just didn't add up," he admitted. "We're not in the business of doing things because we'd like to, if we can't guarantee that it makes sense for the company." Instead it moved on to something new, and RTW has been happily cranking away on its crime-themed MMO, GTA Online APB, since. Still, Macdonald related that the dev could revisit Crackdown once APB wraps. "I don't think the door's closed," he revealed, adding, "Hopefully in the future we'll have the resource and something can be worked out with Microsoft." The house Bill Gates built might have already worked something out, though – with another developer.
X3F TV -- Points>Life: You So Flippin' Crazy
Each week, X3F tips gamers to the tricks of the trade of Achievement hoarding in Points>Life. Every week a new achievement is unlocked to help you continue your unhealthy obsession with the Xbox 360 meta-game. We heard the requests and have delivered! This week we bring you a tip for the Xbox 360 exclusive sand-box adventure, Crackdown. In Episode 3 of Points>Life we bring you tips on obtaining the Flippin' Crazy achievement in the best-selling action title. By driving your vehicle off a high rise tower you can grab an easy 30GP and if you're lucky you may be able to obtain a bonus achievement along the way! Music: "Chain Reaction" by 31Knots [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon). [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [MP4] Download the MP4 directly.
Realtime Worlds nabs $50 million investment
While other developers are having trouble staying afloat, the Scottish crew over at Realtime Worlds seem to be doing something right, because today they announced that they've secured an additional $50 million. The $50 million was put up by various investment firms and will be used towards growth and expansion of the company as they continue to to turn the development gears on their latest project, All Points Bulletin. Congrats to Realtime Worlds and to a super successful money raising effort. So ... umm, can we haz Crackdown 2 now?
Realtime Worlds receives $50 million in real world investment
Realtime Worlds, the developer best known for Crackdown, raised $50 million in its third round of financing. The company is currently at work on the MMO All Points Bulletin in conjunction with Korean company Webzen. Realtime Worlds CEO David Jones was a creator on the original Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings back in the day. Although Crackdown was a great game, nobody is going to deny that the title did better because of its tie-in with the Halo 3 beta. APB should let us see how a Realtime Worlds title does without the assistance of Master Chief and the Halo army. [Via GameDaily]
DICE 08: Microsoft owns Crackdown IP, sequel an 'option'
Despite the dynamic pairing of good sales and majority acclaim for Crackdown, Shane Kim grew cagey when questioned about the status of a sequel at DICE, during an interview with Game|Life. "I don't really want to talk about that discussion," said Kim when asked to comment on reports that Realtime Worlds would not develop a sequel to last year's successful super-cop sandbox shooter. What Kim did clarify is that Microsoft owns the Crackdown IP and is free to pursue development of a sequel with a new studio. "I think that customers would like to see more in that space," Kim vaguely noted, "So that's an option for us."
Microsoft: Crackdown 2 still a possibility
Speaking to Wired, Microsoft Game Studios VP Shane Kim mentioned the possibility of a sequel to Crackdown. While Real Time Worlds -- creators of Crackdown -- stated last year that a sequel wasn't in the works (they're focusing on other projects), it seems Kim is still open to the idea. It seems that the folks at the Microsoft gang still "love" Crackdown, as Kim says, "We consider that a pretty successful title for us, high-quality, I think that customers would like to see more in that space. So that's an option for us." What remains unknown is whether Microsoft intends to ask Real Time Worlds to create the sequel or if the project will be given to a different developer. While the prospect of Crackdown 2 is definitely music to our ears, we can only hope the reins wind up in the right hands. The remainder of Kim's Wired interview comes out soon. Here's hoping we can learn more.
Best of the Rest: Alexander's Picks of 2007
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword (PC) Please, make the addiction stop! Civilization IV: Warlords, the first expansion for Civ IV, made my "Best of the Rest" last year and Beyond the Sword tops this year's list. The funny thing is I'm not a Civ fanboy, nor am I even that great of a player (Full Disclosure: I still play on Noble level), but Civ IV is a game I can come back to over and over again. Beyond the Sword added much-needed mechanics for culture-prone and passive-aggressive players, with enhancements in espionage and other concepts "beyond the sword." Oh, and just to keep last year's tradition going: Firaxis (2K, Take-Two), please get the rights to Alpha Centauri back from EA and give us a sequel!
Best of the Rest: Justin's Picks of 2007
Dead Head Fred (PSP) Though he may have been on a small screen, Dead Head Fred (voiced by Scrubs' John C. McGinley), had more character than 90 percent of the leads in this year's crop of console games. If you haven't played it, do yourself a favor and track it down. It's excellent stuff.
Best of the Rest: James' Picks of 2007
Pac-Man Championship Edition (XBLA) If not worthy of a Top 10 spot, then certainly Pac-Man deserves Joystiq's 'Comeback Player of the Year' award. I covered Pac-Man CE's overblown launch in early June, but it wasn't until I became a devoted player at home that I realized the sheer genius of the first true Pac-Man sequel since 'the Ms.' hit the maze in '82. Designer Toru Iwatani managed to scrape off a quarter-century of rust and fashion a remarkably relevant game that held me down during an otherwise punishing summer drought. Geometry Wars might be the most celebrated, but Pac-Man CE is Xbox Live Arcade's true star.
