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Sony execs talk backward compatibility, PS3 comeback
One year after EGM's infamous BattleStation cover feature on the PS3's problems, the latest issue has a feature that's quite a bit more bullish about the system's chances in the coming year. Included in that feature is an interesting interview with two PlayStation executives that reveals some interesting thoughts on the future of backward compatibility on the PS3.First off, VP of Marketing Peter Dille said point blank that backward compatibility was "important" to Sony, and stressed that there's still a model on the market that offers the features (for $100 extra, of course). What's more, according to PSN Operation Director Eric Lempel, downloadable PS2 title might be possible even on versions of the system that don't support disc-based backward compatibility at all. "There are possibilities through technology and software emulation to make that possible," Lempel said, intriguingly.The entire interview is a must-read for anyone interested in a somewhat defensive take on everything from PS3 motion sensitivity to hard drive sizes and system pricing. Well worth wading into the tree-killing magazine racks of your local newsstand.
EGM's Rumor Mill: Dead Rising 2, Team ICO sequel coming soon
We're not ones to pounce on rumors as readily as the tiger pounces on the lone platypus separated from its herd on their journey to the potato tree, but EGM has a pretty good track record at tossing a few hints into the fray. Their latest mag, hitting subscribers any day now, gives PS3 fans a few things to look forward to in the coming months.First off, they claim they've caught wind that Capcom is developing Dead Rising 2 right now. Not big news in itself, sure, but they claim the title is being developed for multiple consoles. Their strategy for releasing games on all systems might actually begin to hold water. The other interesting tidbit comes in the form of Sony's Team ICO. Their new project will be unveiled soon. We smell something at GDC. If not, well, it'll just be announced at random. It's up to you guys to make your own judgment calls here, though.
EGM rumor mill suggests Everyday Shooter to PSP, God of War to PS2
The rumor-mongering masters at EGM have a few juicy tidbits to contemplate in their upcoming March issue. The notorious Quarterman is back, with a few more rumors: They say: God of War: Chains of Olympus will move to PS2. We say: Yeah, that's almost a certainty. But, how long will gamers have to wait for a console port? PSP games that move to the home console usually take a year to transition, and by then, PSP owners will have already moved on to bigger and better games. If you need your GoW fix any time soon, you're going to play it on Sony's handheld. They say: Everyday Shooter will arrive on PSP. We say: Yep, that's also almost certainly going to happen. flOw made the jump from PSN to PSP, and we're confident that many games will follow. Considering Everyday Shooter's simple control scheme, it's perfect for PSP. We can't wait. See also: The top PSN games we'd love to see on PSP.
Joyswag: Free 1-year subscription to EGM magazine
[Update: All gone, folks. Enjoy!]Surely you leave the house and/or office? And perhaps if your phone doesn't support our lovely, lightweight mobile page, you find yourself reaching for the comfortable contours of a print magazine. Something familiar. Something that reminds you of the days when you had little more to worry about than remembering to grab your lunchbox out of the fridge before catching the bus. Something like ... EGM, which has always been there for you.To make sure you're comforted in those dark times, we've buddied up with the good folks at Ziff once again to give away 22,000 45,000 (we went ahead and added some more for y'all) free 1-year subscriptions (US readers only, alas!) to their flagship gaming mag. How free? You won't need to provide your credit card information; your subscription won't be automatically renewed at the end of the year; and you'll need to "opt-in" to renew your subscription before receiving any bill for the magazine. Free. Our way of saying thanks for spending your computer time with us.
Super Mario Fusion makes Mushroom Kingdom Hearts a reality
You may remember last year's April issue of EGM particularly well, as it included the breaking news on a hot new title making its way onto the Nintendo Wii: Mushroom Kingdom Hearts. Then again, you might remember the chorus of angry Nintendo/Disney/Square Enix fanboys screaming when they realized that the announcement was one of EGM's annual April Fools' Day pranks. If you also smacked your head in realization when the initial excitement subsided, we've got great news for you (and this time, it's on the level).JudgeSpear has lovingly crafted his take on the game-that-never-was, titling it Super Mario Fusion: Mushroom Kingdom Hearts. Much like the legit Square Enix franchise, Fusion features a dimension-hopping Mario, and worlds based off of other video game franchises, including Halo, Sonic, Doom, Castlevania, Ghouls and Ghosts, Mega Man, and a handful of other Nintendo titles. Using familiar controls similar to those of Super Mario World, and a new gunplay mechanic using Covenant weaponry, this programmer has created a Frankengame that is definitely worth checking out.A demo for the game is available on his site. Sure, it's still a tad buggy, but it's free, and it's probably the only time you'll see Mario packin' heat. We hope.
Pachter foresees Wii coup in 2008
2007 was the year of the Wii. So, which console's cuisine will reign supreme in 2008? According to super-analyst Michael Pachter, that would be the PS3.In the latest issue of EGM, Pachter predicts that the Wii will fall to the PS3 this year. The thing that will bring about this fall is not software (well, that too), but price. That's right, Pachter predicts that the price will soon be right for the PS3. The Wedbush Morgan analyst stated, "I think the Wii momentum will last until the Playstation 3 is under $300, so another year."Perhaps Pachter is making too many assumptions: Will the PS3 drop to under $300? And if so, does that necessarily mean that Nintendo won't cut the price of the Wii to compete? If Nintendo doesn't price drop, will people even care (check eBay, for example)? Of course, it's his job to make assumptions, so we suppose we can't fault him for that.[Via NeoGAF]
Rumor: Guitar Hero sequel to star U2
Now that we've had a taste of mixing the peanut butter of drumming and vocals with the chocolate of guitar and bass, it's hard for us not to wish exciting news about Guitar Hero would replace the words "guitar" and "hero" with "rock" and "band." The newest nugget from EGM's Quatermann is a perfect example. In the latest issue of the magazine, the rumor monger hints that a standalone sequel to Guitar Hero is in the works based around the music of Irish rockers U2.Now, don't get us wrong, we'll be excited to channel our inner The Edge, but who doesn't want to be Bono? Or, to a far lesser extent, Larry Mullen Jr.? ... Oh, before we forget, we should mention that our Rock Band/Guitar Hero news juxtaposition law doesn't apply to whatever assault of depression Aerosmith's crafting. Guitar Hero can keep that. -- Or jettison it into blackest space. Either way.
EGM visits Ninjatown
Shawnimals creator and Electronic Gaming Monthly alum Shawn Smith finally broke his silence on Ninjatown, sitting with EGM to talk about the game and share a couple screenshots. We knew to expect plenty of characters from the Shawnimals plush toy line when the Ninjatown trailer debuted, but, until now, we've been left in the dark on how the "action-strategy" title would play.According to Shawn, battles will be split into two phases, building and combat, the first of which allows you to drop in structures and create/upgrade the different ninjas at your disposal. While combat hasn't been finalized, it's expected to include a "puzzle element." We're not sure how that would work with the two screens shown so far, but it certainly sounds interesting!
EGM editor Dan Hsu talks about 'blackball' editorial
Earlier this week we saw an editorial from Electronic Gaming Monthly Editor-in-chief Dan "Shoe" Hsu calling out Sony's sport division, the Mortal Kombat team and Ubisoft for purportedly blackballing the magazine. GameDaily's Media Coverage feature, written by Joystiq's Kyle Orland, talks with Hsu about the editorial to extract more insight into his decision to publish the editorial.Hsu clarifies that these incidents are not common, despite the perception one might get from all the media around it. In talking about Ubisoft specifically, Hsu points out two previews for Assassin's Creed, which discussed worrisome design flaws. He also notes that Capcom had at one point in the magazine's history pulled support and have since become a prominent advertiser again.Our favorite line comes at the end of the piece. Said Hsu, "I'd drag EGM down with me or quit before we compromise our integrity." You hear that, EGM writers who value paychecks over integrity? Get out while you still can!
Sony sports, Ubisoft, Midway ban EGM from reviews
According to EGM editor-in-chief Dan Hsu, Sony's sports game division along with Midway and Ubisoft have banned the magazine from further coverage of their products. Why? They apparently haven't agreed with the way their titles have been treated by the magazine. We can't forget about all that Gamespot hubbub over Kane & Lynch and can't help but draw some kind of parallel between the issues. If Sony's sports division is so afraid of a bad or mediocre review, they ought to focus on the problem -- the games -- and not on refusing to let game journalists try them and review them. Just a thought.[via Digg]
Publishers allegedly blackball EGM for negative coverage
UPDATE: The full text of the editorial is now available on Hsu's blog.In his latest editorial, Electronic Gaming Monthly Editor-in-chief Dan "Shoe" Hsu publicly calls out three companies that are allegedly refusing to work with the magazine due to negative reviews of their games. According to Hsu, the members of Midway's Mortal Kombat team, Sony's sports division and Ubisoft as a whole are refusing to give EGM access to early preview or review builds of their games (in the case of Ubisoft, Hsu specifically says "it seems our coverage of Assassin's Creed was the last straw").As a result, Hsu says EGM readers will get "little, late, or no coverage" of these companies' games. "We won't treat these products or companies any differently, and we'll just cover them to the best of our own abilities, with or without their support," Hsu writes. "Because, after all, we're writing for you, the reader -- not them."These types of allegations aren't anything new around the game industry water cooler, and stories of publisher reprisals in the form of pulled advertising or blackballed journalists occasionally bubble up in the game press. But editors are usually reluctant to publicly name names in these situations, for fear of pissing off publishers further. Are we seeing the beginning of a new age in game journalism, where journalists aren't afraid of standing up to publishers that try to push them around?We'll be following up with Hsu and the companies involved and let you know what we hear.
EGM: Sony working with major third party on remakes
EGM's sometimes-right rumor mongerer, Quartermann, is now claiming that Sony has signed an agreement with a major third party Japanese publisher to create remakes for the PSN. 1UP further fuels the fanboy fire with a rather unhelpful (but exciting) tease that'll get our imaginations rolling:"As for which publisher this is, the magazine doesn't reveal. Could it be Konami? A remake of Contra or Castlevania could be pretty sweet. Or Capcom? Ghosts & Goblins or Strider please. Or maybe even Square Enix? Chrono Trigger = OMG."We're pretty certain the EGM team knows exactly what's going on -- but must keep their mouths shut on the specifics. Regardless, things are going to get pretty interesting later this year.[Thanks, Joe! Image Credit]
1UP asks for your input on game of the year
After one of the most hectic release schedules in recent years, finally just about every big game is out, and the 1UP network are running their 2007 1UP Awards. The awards are voted on by readers of the site, and print magazines Electronic Gaming Monthly and Games for Windows. The games are first broken down in to categories, like "Best Action Game", and there's a final "Game of the Year" category with pre-selected titles.Among all of the other superb games on the lists, there are a couple of MMO nominations. In the "Best Multiplayer Game" category, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade and The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar are included, and both of these appear again in the important "Game of the Year" section. These games have each already won some awards this year at the Golden Joysticks, with LotRO taking best PC game, and WoW:TBC getting online game of the year.In both of the areas they are competing, there is stiff competition for the two MMO entries, but if you feel that one of these games deserves to be acknowledged then head on over to the 1UP Awards page and cast your vote.
Promotional Consideration: Advertising with Power
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.As of October of this year, Nintendo of America relinquished its hold of Nintendo Power and handed over publishing duties to Future US, the same media corporation behind the official Xbox and PlayStation magazines. Two issues into the transition, Nintendo Power's writing staff and format haven't changed much, but the number of ads certainly has!
Banjo-Kazooie not cancelled ... so what is?
On a recent episode of the 1UP Yours podcast, EGM's Shane Bettenhausen shared the rumor that "a big Microsoft first-party title that has been in the works for a very long time, that people are very excited for, sounds like it's being canceled." That had a lot of people turning their eyes towards a new Banjo Kazooie game, which, though announced sometime in the Nixon administration has been receiving zero buzz. Now Rare has come out to confirm that, if a Microsoft title is due for the chopping block, it's not Banjo Kazooie. So that has us wondering: Was Bettenhausen off the mark? Or is there another long-in-the-works title we're just not thinking of?
New York Times on tough times for game mags
Do you read video game magazines? Come on, you can be honest. Just because we try to provide you with all the online gaming news and views you need doesn't mean we don't expect you to occasionally feel the urge to read something printed on glossy paper. We won't get mad. Honest. Why aren't you answering us? YOU THINK WE'RE FAT DON'T YOU!Oh, we don't know why we're even worried. After all, we were just reading in today's New York Times how magazines are having a real tough time attracting readers, what with their outdated news and limited space. Sure they'll try to lure you in with special issues and in-depth features, but your attention span is so short that you probably won't bother reading them, no matter how much you say you want them. You'll just tune them out like ... hey, are you even still reading this? WHY DO YOU NEVER LISTEN TO US? *SOB*
Bioshock PS3 rumour resurfaces
From the vault of rumours that won't die (no, not that one - that one is hopefully dead forever) comes, once again, the rumour of Bioshock coming to the PS3 sometime in 2008. While this was buried a few months ago the latest issue of EGM - and, in it, the newest Quartermann rumour predictions - has dug it back up and plans to rehabilitate it into mainstream debate. We're not biting, however. There's no new evidence other than Mr. Quartermann's statement. We'd be happy to see it, but until we see some sort of proof we're firmly labeling this as the rumour it is.
Rumour: Another Metal Gear Solid PSP title in the works
EGM's resident rumour-monger, Quartermann, has suggested in the latest issue that Kojima Productions have another PSP Metal Gear Solid game planned. This is completely unconfirmed and, at this stage, nothing more than a rumour but, to be honest, we wouldn't be surprised. There are no other details other than the implication that the game will be based on the early days of Snake's career. Makes sense really, seeing as how Metal Gear Solid 4 will be the last chapter of Snake's story - going backwards in the timeline is the only choice left.
Geometry Wars: Galaxies ad is out of this world
Sierra's deviant advertising campaign for Geometry Wars: Galaxies, LOLcats and a "Particle Man" music video, was undeniably effective at grabbing the attention of online gamers, so it only makes sense that the publisher would carry over the same offbeat approach to the land of print. EGM's latest issue features one of the most ridiculous full-page ads we've seen since the mid-90s, promoting the multi-directional shooter as "Asteroids on steroids" and emphasizing that abstract with a beefy, curled-lip ape of a man gripping a Wii remote and nunchuck. Jump past the break for the complete, glorious Geometry Wars: Galaxies ad.
Next Halo game: FPS MMO?
So now that Bungie and Microsoft have parted ways, what's next for the Halo universe? The latest rumor says Master Chief and company are headed to an first person shooter MMO. That... would be spectacular, given that's done right. Halo is already basically an MMO, considering all the persistent stats, customization and tracking that Bungie has put into it. All it really needs is a virtual world for the Covenant (or what's left of it), Earth, and the Flood to fight it out in, and we're off to the rocket races.The rumor, which is actually from the latest EGM, recommends Bungie for such a task, and there has been speculation that Bungie will go to an MMO next also (although, there's been speculation that every big game developer is working on an MMO, so don't hold your breath on that one either). But it's true that while PlanetSide is entertaining, we haven't yet seen a next generation FPS MMO done right. Could be that Bungie are just the ones to do it.[ via X3F ]
