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Nokia jumps out of thin air, acquires bit-side
Can't say we saw this one coming. Out of seemingly nowhere, Nokia has up and acquired a privately held Berlin-based professional services and software company with 39 employees. As part of the agreement, Nokia will take on "substantially all assets of bit-side GmbH," and for some unexplained reason, that move will enable Nokia to "strengthen and accelerate its mobile development for Nokia Maps." According to Michael Halbherr, vice president and head of social location at Nokia: "Acquiring bit-side enables Nokia to offer consumers the world-leading mobile location applications, such as Maps, along with routing and navigation at an accelerated speed." It's stated that bit-side will be wrapped into Nokia's Services unit, but honestly, we're still left mostly in the dark as to what this all means. Dark and inscrutable, just how we like it.[Via MobilityUpdate]
Verizon Wireless closes Alltel acquisition, lays out path forward
Welp, that's that. But not really, because acquiring a company as big as Alltel and shoving it into a company as gigantic as Verizon Wireless simply can't be easy. To that end, VZW has issued a release that details the steps forward now that the deal itself is closed. For starters, Alltel employees below executive level will continue in their present jobs as Verizon Wireless assesses staffing needs, and Verizon intends to re-brand Alltel operations in retained markets (read: the ones not divested by force) in phases, beginning in the second quarter and continuing through the third quarter of 2009." As for Alltel subscribers, they won't need to take any action at this time, with everything in their current plan -- My Circle included -- remaining the same throughout the transition period. If you're interested in the rest (we're looking at you, loyal Alltel user), hop on down to the read link.[Via phonescoop]
Rikimaru's turn to impress in Tenchu: Shadow Assassins
Okay, now we're at a crossroads. Last time, we said that Tenchu's Ayame was edging her counterpart Rikimaru out as the ninja to fear in Tenchu: Shadow Assassins. In this latest trailer, Rikimaru delivers his own campaign platform. Between his gravelly, menacing voice (good job, Ubi!), his lightning-fast movements, and, well, all those dudes he kills, he makes a pretty good argument for his own badassery. And at the end of the day, no matter which ninja is cooler, the real winner is ... whoever isn't a guard in feudal Japan.The trailer is after the break for reasons of violent, somewhat bloody content.%Gallery-25071%
Tenchu 4 PSP trailer showcases plenty of ninja action
From Software just released a Japanese trailer for the PSP version of Tenchu 4 and it has everything one would expect from a game of the stealth-action franchise. Check it out after the jump -- badass ninjas sneaking around at night, check. Villain with a maniacal laugh, check. Blades piercing various people, check. Damsel in distress, check. The graphics also look like they haven't suffered a downgrade compared to the Wii version. Still no word yet on a US release.And last but not least, the trailer confirms the inclusion of kittens in the game. Is it too early to crown Tenchu 4 GOTY?[Via Siliconera]
Tenchu: Accent Assassins
We've taken two things away from this English-language trailer of Tenchu: Shadow Assassins: first, that Ayame is totally hardcore, and knows all kinds of ways to just kill a dude with her bare hands (and legs, and such). Although she has no compunctions about using weapons, either. Previous footage has presented Rikimaru as a badass, but for our money, Ayame is the scarier stone-cold killer.The other thing we learned is that in the absence of a large British population in ancient Japan, locals were unable to properly learn to imitate British accents. We're impressed with the accuracy with which Ubisoft has rendered this historical fact. %Gallery-25071%
Tenchu 4 devs worked to satisfy audiences of all skill levels
Acquire's goals with Tenchu 4 (Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, as they're calling it now) are pretty lofty. They wanted to create a game that expanded upon the classic Tenchu stealth gameplay in new ways that longtime fans and hardcore gamers would enjoy, while making the series more accessible. In this interview with 1up's James Mielke, Acquire's Keisuke Kanayama and Takuma Endo described the ideas that informed Tenchu 4's design. "... We looked at this game as a way," Kanayama said, "with the Wii and its motion control, to allow someone to really feel like a ninja playing the game -- really attacking and blocking and hiding." And yet, Acquire made sure to include the ability to "go through cities in different ways using different tools, and to explore at their own pace ... " That seems like the kind of smart design that truly takes advantage of the platform.The interview is also noteworthy for Acquire's rather diplomatic discussion of the Tenchu games developed in their absence, and the stories found within, as Endo alludes to in a statement about Rikimaru's apparent death in Tenchu and his mysterious resurrection later: "As I said earlier, we had our own ideas of where the story would go, but since it's already done, we will follow the already established Tenchu story where Rikimaru inexplicably survived."%Gallery-25071%
Funai to acquire Philips' North American Blu-ray / DVD operations
We already saw the writing on the wall, but now the deed is purportedly done -- or close enough, anyway. Reuters has it that Japan's Funai Electric will take over Philips' North American DVD, Blu-ray and other audiovisual operations starting next month. It's anticipated that the deal will boost Funai's North American sales by around $332 million, and of course, maintaining that well-known Philips badge is sure to be of assistance in that department. The agreement lays out that Funai will make periodic royalty payments to use the Philips brand rather than just buying up the whole thing outrightly. First the TV division, now this -- is there anything left of Philips worth caring about in the US?
Two bonuses for Tenchu 4: Better boxart and bandana
The Tenchu 4 (or, rather, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins) boxart we spotted on Ubisoft's site didn't really meet with the Internet's approval. While the image on the official site has yet to change, retailer GameCrazy is displaying a different boxart, which is quite likely to be a newer revision of Tenchu's North American box image.We happen to think it looks better, though there's an odd mixture of art styles on display here due to the combination of art from the other American box and Japanese character art -- Rikimaru is a lot more realistic-looking than Ayame. After the break, have a look at the preorder bonus being given away at Gamestop. It's pretty nice, for a video game-related bandana.%Gallery-25071%
Nokia seals acquisition of Symbian Limited
Yep, it's a done deal. On the same day Nokia chose to unveil its new flagship N97, the outfit also announced that it had "completed its offer to acquire software company Symbian Limited." As of now, "all conditions to Nokia's offer to acquire Symbian Limited have been satisfied and it has received valid acceptance of greater than 99.9% of the total Symbian shares that Nokia did not already own." Nokia's not saying much else about the changeover just yet, but we are told that every last Symbian employee is expected to wear a Nokia badge come February 1, 2009.
Vodafone voices intentions to keep stake in Verizon Wireless
Earlier in the summer, some words from Verizon chief Ivan Seidenberg led us all to believe that he wanted his firm to take full control of Verizon Wireless. Now, Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao has made clear that his outfit had precisely zero plans to sell its 45% stake in VZW, though he did mention having an "open mind" about the future of said stake. Just in case that wasn't definitive enough for ya, he stressed that staying put was "the best thing" for Vodafone right now, and given just how many Storms are flying off of US shelves, we can't stand to disagree.[Via mocoNews]
Sonic Solutions signs on to acquire CinemaNow
Now here's a couple that really makes sense. Sonic Solution's fancy schmancy burn technology is already used on Qflix-enabled DVD burners, and those very drives are used to toast CinemaNow movies. See the connection? Do ya? Obvious similarities aside, Sonic really has entered into a "definitive agreement" to acquire CinemaNow, and after the deal goes down, CinemaNow will combine with Sonic's Qflix team to form "a new Premium Content Group under the direction of Mark Ely, Sonic's EVP of Strategy." The reason? To increase the placement of CinemaNow's storefront on PCs and consumer electronics devices, all while "expanding the adoption of the Qflix technology platform." We hope Sonic scored this company for a song, 'cause even with our blinders on, we just can't see Qflix becoming the next big thing. Nor the next, next big thing.
Tenchu 4: Surprise boxart attack
We don't know how long this preview boxart image for Tenchu 4 has been on Ubisoft's site. We suspect it hasn't been very long, because the name change (to Tenchu: Shadow Assassins) is a very recent development, showing up just last week on GameStop.com. The image is regrettably tiny, but detailed enough for us to see what's going on -- and what's going on is that Rikimaru is cutting the head off of whoever picks the game up off the shelf. We've enlarged the image a bit. It's not as beautiful as the Japanese box, but it does have a certain "video game ninja" quality about it.We're not sure the name change was the way to go; while Shadow Assassins is both more descriptive and exciting than 4, if we were Ubisoft, we'd want to emphasize however we could that this game was somehow different from all the other non-numbered Tenchu games not made by Acquire.If you're in a Tenchu mood, be sure to browse the official website. And if you're Australian and in a Tenchu mood, good news! The OFLC has rated the game for release.
AT&T picks up Centennial Communications for $944 million
For those who stick to one coast or the other, you may have never even heard of Centennial Communications. Not to worry, though, as AT&T just made said company entirely more relevant. Shortly before heading out of the office on Friday, AT&T decided it fitting to acquire Centennial for a few bucks shy of a billion, or $944 million for those seeking precision. The transaction will beef up AT&T's coverage for customers in rural areas of the Midwest and Southeast United States, not to mention in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. As always, the acquisition must first pass regulatory approval, the approval of Centennial's stockholders and "other customary closing conditions" before the little guy's 1.1 million subscribers officially make the shift, but we certainly don't expect that to be an issue.[Via The New York Times, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Tenchu 4: Stealth waggle
There's been some confusion about the motion-control content of Tenchu 4, at least on our part -- how pervasive is it? Is it all waggle all the time, or is it basic Tenchu with added motion flavor? What we really needed was for someone to play it and describe it to us.According to Siliconera, motions abound. Spencer describes lifting the remote to jump and shaking left and right to dive behind bushes. Stealth kills are accomplished by following QTE-style button prompts. In fact, Spencer said the game "felt more like a path of rapid fire quick time events rather than a traditional stealth game." So the motion controls are pretty frequently used.%Gallery-25071%
Tenchu 4 to hit PSP, not Wii exclusive after all?
There isn't enough ninja on PSP. There aren't enough pirates either, but Tenchu 4 can't solve that. It can, however, save us from a current lack of stealth kills and rooftop trespasses. Speaking to a Tenchu 4 rep, Siliconera got word that the famed neck-snapper would be going to PSP.Later, they found out that the game was also listed on the OFLC (Australia) as a multiplatform release. Is this all just coincidence or an early leak? We guess the one place to find out would be at TGS starting next week.
Dungeons & Dam: Two great structures in one game
Acquire's Dungeons & Dam, or "Dandam" for short, is a pretty strange concept. We don't know how some designer got the idea to combine dungeons and rushing water, but it seems like it could work. We first saw this game in Famitsu last week, but this is the first actual information we've been able to figure out about it.We were just talking about how great it is to have controllable characters in a tower defense game, and it looks like Acquire agrees. Well, this isn't "tower defense" so much as dungeon defense. During the day, you'll recruit adventurers who will mine for materials and build defenses around the city, including dams. At night, creatures will come, but so will flowing water which, depending on how you have directed it with your dams, can help hold back or defeat enemies. At the same time, you'll be traversing the dungeon and fighting. We fully encourage more developers to experiment with defense-type games!
Still images of Tenchu 4's motion controls
Tenchu 4 may purport to be a "return to form" thanks to the return of original developer Acquire, but it won't be exactly like the old games. While they've all had context-sensitive controls, Tenchu 4's will, of course, involve motion. Sometimes you'll be waving the Wiimote downward to put out lanterns, and sometimes you'll flick the remote left and right to stab someone in the back. We've seen motion at work in Tenchu 4 before, but these new screens show a bit more.It's nice to know that Acquire decided on the WIi as a platform for Tenchu for reasons other than the low cost of development. For our tastes, traditional controls with a bit of added motion work great for action games.%Gallery-25071%
Ubisoft sneaking Tenchu 4 into America, Europe in '09
If, like us, you've recently had the urge to draw a blade and quietly assassinate someone in the dead of night, you should probably seek the assistance of a good or physically attractive psychiatrist as soon as possible. If, however, you've recently had the urge to draw a blade and quietly assassinate someone in the dead of night -- in a game -- you'll be pleased to note that Ubisoft is bringing Acquire's ninja sim, Tenchu 4, to North America and Europe in "early 2009."Aside from offering two playable characters and the ability to "fight, dash, jump and kill like a true ninja," the Wii exclusive is almost certain to provide one of the most novel uses of the nunchuk yet -- you know, as a nunchuk. Probably. Either way, Ubisoft is confident enough in Tenchu 4's merits to lay down a fairly specific prediction in the press release: "Tenchu 4 will come to a North American and European audience where it will be well-received by both fans of the series as well as Wii owners who have been looking for an edgy and exciting game." It will be well-received ... hmm, perhaps it's more of a command?
Tenchu 4 sneaks onto North American and European rooftops in early 2009
Ubisoft's distribution deal with From Software and Acquire will benefit would-be assassins in North America and Europe early next year. The company has announced that they'll publish Acquire's Tenchu 4 in both regions within that time frame. People who go on and on about the lack of "core games" for Wii: here you go. This is one of those.Along with the announcement, Ubisoft sent IGN the first English-language trailer, made mostly of footage from previous trailers with new English narration. It's cool and atmospheric enough to make us think that maybe this Tenchu really will be good, unlike all those other recent Tenchu games.
Tenchu IV's new Wii-style combat mode
When your sneaky ninja assassin is discovered in Tenchu IV, the target shakes your hand, laughing heartily while exclaiming "Ohhhhh, you! You almost got me that time! I gotta watch this guy!" Of course we're kidding -- he tries to murder you. In situations when you've been noticed, rather than just giving up or retrying, you now have the option to actually fight in a new first-person mode.In alternating attack and defense phases, you use Wiimote gestures to simulate a one-on-one swordfight, battling until one of you is dead or your sword breaks. It's like Rose & Camellia, except with to-the-death ninja fights instead of Victorian-era face-reddening! Being a ninja and therefore a total jerk, you can also throw knives while fighting.
