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Sinclair ZX Spectrum turns 30, gets immortalized as a Google Doodle
Today's Google UK doodle celebrates both St. Georges Day and the little home computer that became a British phenomenon, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. To be competitive with the rival Commodore 64, the 16KB of RAM-packing machine retailed for just £130 ($210 in today's money), punched well above its own weight and was often the first computer bought by techno-phobic families. Designed to be as programmer-friendly as possible, the founders of Shiny, Rare and Blitz Games studios all cut their teeth on the computer that introduced the world to Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy and Dizzy. It lasted a full decade in production, selling five million units before Amstrad purchased the money-losing unit and closed it down. Despite its demise, it's still got a loyal following from a generation of fans, something we doubt can be said about the Amstrad machines that replaced it.
Game exec hints at 3D gaming on Sony's PlayStation 3 in 2009
Take this one with a sizable dose of salt, but one Neil Schneider, President and CEO of Meant to be Seen (MTBS), Blitz Games Studios, has made known that Sony "fully intends" to throw in its support for "stereoscopic 3D gaming and Blu-ray 3D on PS3 in 2009 with the Blitz Tech engine." Granted, MTBS is a stereoscopic 3D certification and advocacy group, thus the whole "salt warning." The meat of the story is that 3D gaming on consoles will likely need a BIOS upgrade to work with its technology, and that capability could be unique to Sony's PS3. Like we said, this here is far from carved in stone, but given how emphatically movie studios, cinemas and home entertainment companies are pushing the third-dimension on us, we wouldn't be surprised one bit to hear that the next installment of Madden is one that requires tinted glasses to fully enjoy.[Via HDTV Expert]
Blitz zombie game on hold, 'major new project' in the works
Blitz Games' upcoming zombie title Possession has officially been put on hold. It comes as no surprise, though, seeing as the last update we had on the game was late 2005.A spokesperson for the company told GamesIndustry.biz that the delay is only temporary and that the Possession team has been reassigned for a "major new project" coming on PS3 and Xbox 360. "Much of the work done on Possession directly led to us signing this new game," he said, "and some of the technology has been enhanced further and will appear in this new title."The new, unnamed project will be under Blitz Games' mature-centric Volatile label. Although they did say "temporary," the implication is that this major new title will be in development for quite some time. By the time it's finished, will it even be worth it to resume work on the zombie title?
Burger King games go double-platinum
What burger-backed trio of minigames reached the 2-million-in-sales mark faster than Gears of War? That's right ... Burger King's Value Meal threesome! Well, technically, 2 million is the number of combined sales (of the three games: Pocketbike Racer, Big Bumpin', and Sneak King); and each is only $3.99 with the purchase of an E. coli-free meal.Still, 2 million of these games consumed in just four weeks must represent a milestone in the evolution of fast food chain promotions. Look to Taco Bell to start thinking inside your 'Box to claw its way out of the doghouse.
Fusionnnnn Frennnzyyy!...um...2!
Microsoft announced today that the sequel to Fusion Frenzy -- creatively titled, Fusion Frenzy 2 -- will be released in the US in time for the holidays. The title is being developed by Hudson (Mario Party, Bomberman) and published by Microsoft Game Studios. For those unfamiliar with the original Xbox title (pictured above), Fuzion Frenzy is a party game full of frantic minigames and eXtreMe! character designs. It's kind of like Mario Party without all the boring board game sections (oh, snap!).It will be interesting to see what Hudson does with the franchise -- the original game was developed by Blitz games, who are currently working on another 360 game, Possession. Anybody itching for a good 360 party game?[Thanks, Paul]
