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New Burnout is a PS2 and PSP exclusive
When Burnout 5 was announced for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, current-gen system owners felt somewhat neglected. Well, it appears that Electronic Arts is giving the Sony current-gen platforms some love through an all new Burnout game called Burnout Dominator. "The series was born on the PlayStation 2, and Burnout Dominator is about celebrating the essence of Burnout," said Nick Channon, Senior Producer of Burnout Dominator."Celebrating the essence" of the franchise makes this upcoming game sound a lot like PSP's Burnout Legends, which was an amalgamation of various games from the acclaimed series. Considering how excellent Legends was, PSP gamers have a lot to look forward to.(Of course, a DS version wasn't announced. Probably because the first DS Burnout was a horrible idea.)[Via Gamasutra]
New footage of C&C 3: Tiberium Wars
Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars was officially confirmed as a 360 title last month, and now we bring you brand new footage of the game, via GameTrailers. In short, the game looks insane (in a good way). Without any sort of HUD or visible interface, it's hard to imagine actually being in control of the madness on screen. The game looks great, especially for an RTS, and looks to be running at a buttery smooth frame rate, too. Watch the video after the break and tell us what you think.
Wii-exclusive SSX all 'Blur' for now
EA was kind enough to provide the name of its upcoming SSX installment for Wii: SSX Blur. But despite a projected March release date, developer EA Montreal remains vague about the project that was revealed five months ago. Producer Alex Hyder did imply extensive use of motion, saying, "We wanted to take the soul of the franchise ... and Wii-ify it," but stopped short of defining the specific mechanics. Let's just hope this series doesn't get butchered the way Activision did Tony Hawk for its Wii debut.
Superman Returns fails to soar, EA unscathed
QA testers neglected to tell EA Tiburon that Superman Returns: The Videogame just isn't any fun. Or, maybe they did, and EA just assumed the brand would sell itself, regardless of game quality. Wrong.According to Bank of America research analyst Michael Savner, "sales of Superman Returns have been disappointing." But even a 'Super-dud' failed to crush EA's spirits. That's because Madden and FIFA are expected to gross $242 million in sales for the quarter. Hence, company share prices are up.
Burnout Dominator disappears in a flash
Following the posting and hasty removal of a 'Burnout Dominator' listing on EB Games' website comes speculation that Criterion is developing a sequel-of-sorts to PS P's Burnout Legends for both Sony's handheld and PlayStation 2. While the tease listing could be written off as a gaffe, more likely, Criterion is looking to double-dip, extending the Burnout franchise in two directions.Similar to how Legends was released in tandem with Burnout Revenge, Dominator could be paired with the forthcoming open-world Burnout 5. Or, given that a PSP engine has already been built, Dominator could be offered as a quickly assembled appetizer to stave off hungry appetites, buying time for the next-gen PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 installment. Toss in a PS2 port, and Criterion has 2007 in the bag.
Will Wright, Stephen Colbert, and N'Gai Croal
Legendary game designer Will Wright visited The Colbert Report last night. Surrounded by a nativity scene and lacking his standard comfort mustache, Wright and Stephen Colbert philosophized on why anyone would want to, as Colbert put it, "go into another world to live a life that is just as mundane." About four minutes into the interview, the discussion transitions into Spore, which Wright describes as a "spreadsheet for God." This brings up a debate on Evolution versus Intelligent Design, which should not come as a surprise for anyone familiar with the show. Wright notes that it is a hybrid between the two theories, though "the designers aren't necessarily that intelligent." The evolution aspect, Wright explains, comes with the online world where your creations are pitted against everyone else's -- it's like "competing gods on the playing field of the world," they conclude. Watch near the end where Wright almost gets Colbert to break character by "confessing" he is almost fluent in Sim-lish, the language of The Sims. Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, who described the designer as polymathic (that means he's edumucated), followed Wright to the set to get some behind-the-scenes perspective of the interview and reveals some insight into Wright's gaming habits, like that he doesn't like MMOs because of the "rote treadmill" of leveling characters. Spore, according to Wright, is on track for a release the second half of 2007 and is currently in Pre-Alpha Five phase, which means five months until alpha phase, which means there are some lucky EA employees playing the full version of Spore right now. The full Colbert Report interview is embedded after the break.
EA porting another geriatric sim to DS
DS Fanboy has posted some shots of EA's Theme Park port for DS. The publisher's Japanese studio, already tweaking Sim City for DS, has been handed the dirty work. Theme Park is expected to be pushed out by springtime.It's hard to get excited about a port of a 12 year-old sim-builder, but at least the DS is a suitable platform for such retro-activity. Anyone stirred by the motion?
EA offering free content? Hell has frozen over...
EA hasn't ever been known for their charitable giving ... never offering downloadable content for free, but today they're in a giving mood. Major Nelson is reporting that EA has put up FREE downloads from the XBLM offering NFL throwback jerseys for Madden 2007 and alternate jerseys for NCAA 2007. Yes, we did say free ... yes hell has frozen over ... yes pigs are flying and yes we are extremely paranoid. Go get your free jerseys off of the XBLM if you own either of these games, because we're dealing with EA and not certain how long these downloads will remain free (poke, poke, jab, jab).
New Skate shots, can it topple Tony?
Courtesy of our French friends at Xboxygen, we now have some screenshots of EA's Skate to go along with the shaky cam footage that Joystiq ran last month. In short, the shots looks amazing -- then again, so did the target renders for next gen Madden, and we all know how that turned out. Still, EA knows a successful genre when they see it, and it's up to them to exploit it try and make it better. The obvious question is whether or not Skate can hold a candle to the current king of skating the Tony Hawk series. Given the reception of Project 8, that might be a tough order to fill. Watch Joystiq's video after the break and join the discussion.
NBA Street Homecourt shots, nothin' but net
DeaconBlade 360 let us know about some exclusive shots of NBA Street Homecourt that he snagged. Unfotunately, the shots only tell us two things. One, well, it's basketball. Two, it's damned pretty. Obviously, we don't know how schmoove it looks in motion, but the shots are definitely promising, showing off plenty of detail in both the characters and the backgrounds. Here's hoping EA releases some video to go with the shots. Do we have any NBA Street fans out there? What would you like to see in Homecourt?
EA so jazzed about Wii they form exclusive studio
EA, no doubt hypnotized by the low production costs and high profit possibilities of the Wii, has bought Headgate Studios. Headgate, responsible for development on the last six Tiger Woods games on the PC, as well as Madden 07, has been renamed to EA Salt Lake and will focus exclusively on the Wii.EA's support for the console comes as no surprise, what with the Wii-exclusive The Sims installment planned for the console. Still, for how much just about everyone in the gaming industry despises EA, this is a good thing. More companies offering exclusives for the console is one of the errors Nintendo's past console needed to correct and it is looking like that is happening, starting with Ubisoft and EA.[Thanks Brandon!]
EA's Larry Probst denies PSP gamers original games
Newsweek's N'gai Croal (awesome name) had a chance to talk to Electronic Arts' CEO, Larry Probst. Love them or hate them, EA is a major player in the industry, and their games have the power to move hardware units. Croal asked Probst about making original games for the PSP, something that seems outrageous to the CEO: I'm not so sure that I agree with the premise that we're strategically focused on building original product for the PSP. "That's news to me. It's more likely that we would target platforms like the PS3, Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii if we had an original in mind. Our strategy on PSP has typically been to take the franchises that we build on other platforms and exploit them on the PSP."Croal points out the success of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories as one reason why publishers should look into making exclusive games for the handheld. However, Probst believes that without more units out there, the chances of original PSP games from EA is slim. Like the rest of the sane world, he notes that Sony should lower the price, and maybe even make a redesigned console, in order to reinvigorate sales.Check out the rest of the interview to see Probst's other PSP thoughts, and why Nintendo matters.See also:Fun = DS, not PSP, says EA execEA makes a lot of money on PSP[Via Joystiq; Image via Games Blog]
EA trying to win back our hearts?
EA's VP and chief visual officer Glenn Entis is ready to put the company's money where Montreal GM Alain Tascan's mouth was. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Entis outlines a new direction in which EA execs will begin to trust the efforts of developers seeking to create original IPs. No doubt EA will continue to farm its established franchises, but Entis describes an "aggressive" strategy whereby the Maddens, FIFAs, Need for Speeds, etc., will play equals to new "creative risks."A combination of relentless Pac-Man-style acquisitions -- striking again just yesterday with the buyout of Headgate Studios -- and a history of poor employee treatment has marred EA's image among informed gamers, but could a few refreshing attempts alter our opinions? Can EA be loved again?
EA announces Theme Park DS
If building and managing cities isn't your bag, how's a theme park sound? Electronic Arts announced, according to GameFront, that they'll be releasing another port of one of their popular games, Theme Park, for the DS. There are very few details thus far on Theme Park DS, though there's word of a tentative Japanese release date in March. Some German sources are listing a similar date for Europe, but there's no word yet on any other region. As soon as we hear anything else, we'll let you know. Whether you love or hate EA (there seems to be no middle ground on that subject), it's nice to see that they're dedicating resources to the DS, since the building games seem so well suited to the stylus.
SimCity, as it was never meant to be
It's doubtful that when Will Wright birthed SimCity he imagined the game one day playable in the palm of the hand, using a cell phone keypad. Nevertheless, EA Mobile Games has made it happen.For $1.99, SimCity will surely attract some impulse buys, but perhaps its legacy -- as the starting block for the Sim phenomenon -- is best kept with fond memories; or at least, a better suited platform. As with Geometry Wars, we just can't imagine that mobile SimCity is any good.
Europe demands more PS3 units upon launch, says EA
Leave it to Electronic Arts to be the voice of common sense, right? EA's vice prez and general manager, Jens Intat, says that he'd like more physical units available in Europe upon launch than what was seen in North America and Japan. That really seems like an easy goal for Sony to meet. Intat also feels Sony's launch was a success, selling out of limited systems rather than releasing many that stay seated snugly on retailer's shelves.Intat's take on first day sales: "The first day is not overly important for us, it's more important that the machine keeps on selling. That's why it's important that the hype and momentum keeps running because the installed base builds up over time, not in the first week." This is very true, as you all know, the users for a system aren't just the early adopters -- in the marketing cycle, it's by the third cycle (where the price is reduced and latecomers purchase... and early adopters re-purchase should something be wrong with the original... think the slim PS2 vs. fatty PS2) out of a four cycle marketing life where most of the adopters come in. Basically, EA says to give Sony time and however many units they get out there, that's how many they will sell. Also, lots of games will be ready in March, so Europeans can enjoy a plethora of titles as the summer months approach. Sweet.
Metareview: Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City
This franchise has come a long way since it was released on the 3DO back in the mid-90s. I remember how frustrated I got having to slow down to a near stop just to successfully navigate a curve. But now, the Need for Speed franchise is one of the best around, and it seems Need for Speed Carbon: Own the City continues the franchises forward progression. PGNx Media (87/100) - It's one of the rare times where you should purchase both the console versions and the PSP version since both offer different yet extremely compelling racing.Games Radar (80/100) - We're definitely keen on the PSP version, serving up some solid racing fun that'll get your heart pumping and your fingers moving. Just be sure to get by with a little help from your friends.IGN (70/100) - Own the City simply feels like more of the same. Sure, there's an open city and wingmen that'll take out your opponents during a race, but neither of these are huge, game-changing additions.I haven't had the chance to play the game yet, but from these reviews, it seems like a pretty decent game. Hopefully, EA continues the Need for Speed franchise on the PSP.
Order of the Phoenix going next-gen
In what can be called the most unsurprising announcement this week, Warner Bros Interactive and Electronic Arts has announced that it will be making a game adaptation of the film adaptation of the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Electronic Arts has previously made every single Harry Potter game for every single console in existence.If that wasn't enough for you, the title will launch on or around the release of the film version of Order of the Phoenix, July 2007, just to make sure it can capitalize on the massive success of the film franchise without worrying about pithy things like game quality. With the exception of Chamber of Secrets, which managed a metacritic score of 77, all of the Harry Potter game adaptations have scored in the mid-to-high 60s.The Order of the Phoenix game will come out for three Nintendo systems (DS, GBA, and Wii), three PlayStations (PS 2, 3 and P), and two Microsoft formats (Xbox 360 and Windows PC). Both the GameCube and original Xbox are now officially forgotten.A new 20-second teaser for the film can be found -- for some reason or another -- at the website for Warner Bros.' Happy Feet. [Via 1UP]
360 Command & Conquer 3 is official
We reported that Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars was bound for 360 way back in June. 4 months later, it looks like EA has finally seen fit to give official confirmation. Building (and hopefully improving) upon the control scheme developed for Battle for Middle Earth II, C&C3 promises a great campaign as well as a huge multiplayer component all in a futuristic setting. Two screens, including the image above, have been released and they look awfully nice -- see hi-res versions on Xboxyde. No doubt, RTS enthusiasts will prefer to play on their PC, but it's nice for 360 fanboys to have a more couch-friendly option. Read the full press release (politely borrowed from Fraggerock) after the break.
Superman demo doesn't suck, hell freezes
I just downloaded the Superman Returns demo and gave it a quick play through. In short, it's actually pretty good (I invite my fellow 360 Fanboy bloggers to disagree). It seems like for all the crap EA puts on the market, there's always one or two good games, too. It's the law of averages really. After all, if you put out 500* games a year, at least a few of them have to be good, right? Superman, however, is special, and not just because he's Superman either. No, the Son of Krypton has a sordid past in the videogame world. It's arguable that there has only ever been one Superman game that was actually fun, and that was the arcade game -- in fairness, I've never played the NES Superman and I somewhat enjoyed The Death and Return of Superman on Genesis/SNES. Read on for impressions (especially Live Silver members, who, we have just learned, cannot currently download the demo).
