FIFA
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FIFA 08 Wii: Mii-supported party games, dev talks Wii vs. Xbox One
For the Wii version of FIFA 08, Electronic Arts has turned Brazilian footballer (or soccer player, for those in the US) Ronaldinho into his own Mii character and included a Wii-only collection of multiplayer minigames dubbed "Footii Party with Ronaldinho" that gamers can play using their own Mii characters. Yes, folks, another Wii title with an added minigame collection, only this time we get a football legend with an unarguably large grimace to host. While discussing FIFA with Eurogamer, group producer Tim Tschirner was asked his thoughts on the Wii's horsepower. Tschirner said that the console is "about as powerful as the original Xbox," though noting that the video hardware "unfortunately is not as powerful." Shaders were cited as an issue, which is something we heard previously when Newsweek's N'Gai Croal discussed Wii and Xbox One similarities with anonymous developers. Not that the hardware limitations have hurt its sales, mind you, so can't we all just get along? %Gallery-3967%
Plastic legs score a goal in FIFA 08 teaser trailer
Assuming you really love watching some quick footwork by some plastic-looking legs, you'll probably get a ... prepare yourself ... kick out of this teaser trailer. Oh no we didn't! In all honesty, EA has made some fairly lofty improvements regarding the next installment of FIFA. Like having superstar Ronaldinho grace the cover. Other improvements? We imagine graphics, gameplay, pretty much everything that crippled last year's game. It's all in good fun and shows what we can expect -- nicely rendered grass, possibly some insanely improved ball-handling mechanics, and people cheering. Cheering people are awesome.
11 vs. 11 possible for EA's FIFA 2010
EA is hoping to support 11 vs. 11 play in time for their FIFA 2010 World Cup edition. This will allow them to have a "Virtual World Cup" with 11 of the best players from each country representing. FIFA 08 producer Joe Booth says, "In the long term we have big plans. We'd like for the 2010 World Cup to have a virtual World Cup at the same time, and build an organization in each territory that finds the best 11 players and flies them out to South Africa, and have a full-on tournament there." Booth says that over the next two iterations of the game they're focusing on a "Be A Pro" feature which has the player taking care of one man on the field. Booth says they're trying to get something that feels "offline." It would be cool after EA finishes the whole tournament in 2010 they edit the footage to get the best angles possible for the game and put it on the marketplace ... for free. That might be fun to watch.
FIFA 08 scores with Ronaldinho, blesses PS3 & Wii
EA didn't shock the world with its surprise confirmation of FIFA 08 today, but PlayStation 3 and Wii owners might be pleased with the assurance that versions of the soccer sim are in development for their consoles, along with Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS, PC, and mobile platforms. A strong marketing initiative appears to be the key feature of this year's iteration, with Barcelona's midfielder and two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo de Assís Moreira, or simply Ronaldinho, being brought on as the "center-piece" for the global packaging campaign. From country to country, Ronaldinho will be joined by other carefully selected stars, whose celebrity will help drive predictable profits. But EA claims it's not just paying these footballers for a picture, as several participating athletes will be carefully studied under the lens of a mocap camera deep within a private facility in Barcelona for authentic virtual representation. As for the rest of the league's players? Well, you just can't pay 'em all... FIFA 08 is being developed by EA Canada in Vancouver and is scheduled for a worldwide release this fall.
FIFA franchise coming to PS3
EA Vancouver will be developing the next reiteration in the series, FIFA 08. This marks a prominent series introduction to the Sony console, as the last crippled FIFA game hit all systems except the PS3. The first showing of a FIFA on the PS3 might even push system sales by convincing soccer fanatics the PS3 can provide high-profile titles as well as lucrative sports franchises. Soccer champ Ronaldinho will grace this year's cover, with several other prominant soccer stars assisting with motion-capture. FIFA 08 will be availablle in the fall, on every console known to man (but more importantly, the PlayStation 3).
Online sports to be big for the Wii in 2008?
Rumorreporter is reporting on a pair of EA's biggest sports franchises coming to the Wii in 2008 and, more importantly, going online. Joining the ranks of Mario Strikers: Charged and Pokemon Battle Revolution, EA's Madden and FIFA franchises are both going to claim their stake in the fertal lands of the Wii's Wi-Fi functionality.This news, which supposedly comes from a variety of sources including the latest issue of Nintendo Power (July, 2007), points toward the already set structures of online play for each franchise living on through the Wii (leaderboards, roster updates and ESPN ticker updates). The piece does say that friend codes will be implemented, however won't affect the overall grand scheme of things as gamers will still be able to challenge and play complete strangers. Also, no voice chat will be supported, but EA's instant-messaging feature will survive.[Thanks, Taylor!]
EA invests in The9
Electronic Arts has acquired a stake in Chinese publisher The9, Gamasutra reports. The US-based publishing powerhouse will have 15% of the The9's common stock, which amounts to US $167 million. The two companies also announced a licensing agreement that makes The9 the sole publisher of FIFA Online in mainland China.EA had previously half-denied reports of an investment, saying that at the time there was "no signed agreement with The9." Rumors of an investment date back to at least September 2006. EA Asia Online president Hubert Larenaudie stated that he believes this is "another significant step" in building EA's presence in Asia. It is unclear how this arrangement might affect The9's relationship with EA rival Vivendi, who licenses the massively popular World of Warcraft to the publisher.
CGS boasts $5 mil payroll, Playboy Mansion pro-gamer draft
Hosting its inaugural player draft far from the storied sanctum of The Garden, with a paltry $5 million league-wide payroll, (an amount routinely squandered on a single signing bonus for a young athlete in another professional league,) the Championship Gaming Series continues to take baby steps toward becoming a marquee "sports entertainment" business. Still, come June 12, 60 prospects will split the riches, as they're contracted to join one of six city-based squads that will compete in a small variety of games leading up to the CGS Grand Slam and World Championships this October. Not a bad gig, eh? But what of this Playboy Mansion draft locale? If CGS is to be taken seriously, it's gotta avoid these WWEsque publicity stunts ... right? Maybe not. A lil' scantly-clad drama might be just the lure needed to hook viewers who might not otherwise tune into a glorified LAN party.
EA offering FIFA for free?
For the past eight months EA has been offering FIFA Online for free in South Korea. The strategy being: if you can't beat 'em (software pirates), join 'em. Much like any other company that owns digital media sought after by consumers, EA has had to contend with the free, albeit illegal distribution of its products across the internet. So FIFA Online is free in South Korea ... with a catch. EA has divided the cost of FIFA into micropayments, sold as "enhancements." Want to extend the career of a star player? It'll cost you some change. The approach has proved agreeable to consumer habits -- and presumably less conducive to piracy. Since last May, EA has sold roughly 700,000 enhancements. Cha-ching!
Deal of the Day: $17 PSP games at Circuit City
If you're like me, then you like to buy your games on the cheap. And you can't get much cheaper than Circuit City and its $17 clearance on a bunch of PSP games. Here's the list: Burnout Legends Death Jr. FIFA World Cup 2006 Lumines Mega Man: Powered Up Midway Arcade Treasures Namco Museum Battle Collection NBA Ballers Rebound Pinball Hall of Fame Ridge Racer SSX On Tour Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max WWE Smackdown vs. Raw Yeah, most of these games are a tad old, but we gotta take the deals as they come to us, right? It doesn't look like this deal is currently being offered online, so you'll have to get off the computer and go outside. [Via Cheapassgamer - Registration required]
Winning Eleven headed to the Wii
Wiinning Eleven? Oh, we couldn't resist. In any case, the extremely popular soccer sim (which almost consistently dominates European sales charts immediately upon release) is coming to the Wii, complete with (you guessed it) a revamped control system designed specially for the system. As cool as a "power boot" clip-on ankle-brace for the Wiimote would be, however, we think it'll be something slightly more traditional. Strangely enough, the CVG article mentions whispers of that very insanity taking place in EA's camp, with the FIFA series. Bizarre. Winning Eleven is a brilliant series, and it's great news for Nintendo to have the series aboard. Note to the confused: Winning Eleven is also known as Pro Evolution Soccer in many parts of the world, including Europe. In retrospect, shouldn't it be called Pro Evolution Football over there? Hmm.
360 FIFA gets 1/4 the leagues of PS2, Xbox [update 1]
Leave it to EA to prove that they are still the "evil" EA. Long story short, EA has completely nerfed the "exclusive" 360 version of FIFA 07. For this wonderful exclusive, EA has decided to remove an entire 18 soccer leagues, leaving the 360 with a paltry 7. Even the 7 is misleading, as one of those leagues has only one team in it. One team! On top of all this, the 360 version is also getting less than half of the stadiums of it's last gen brethren (21 compared to 47 on Xbox and PS2). Granted, we're all Americans here at 360 Fanboy, and thus not soccer fans by default, but this is ri-goddamn-diculous. Anybody else want to bet that EA just might be expecting us to buy the missing content with MS Points? Shame on you EA. Why release the game at all? [Via Xboxic] Update: Fixed continuity error
EuroGamer: MS pwned Leipzig
EuroGamer discusses Microsoft's dominance at the Leipzig Game Convention. Choice quotes: "The PR victory scored by Microsoft here cannot be underestimated. The power of the company's spin machine continues to leave the rest of the games industry in awe even after an entire console generation of experience" ..."There is a very clear winner, and a very clear loser, in the Leipziger Messe this week, as 150,000 consumers are currently finding out - and hundreds of press types have already discovered. The winner is Microsoft." Being European, these guys make a big deal out of Microsoft cornering the soccer market. However, 1up reports that MS may have..gulp..exaggerated (normally a Sony trademark) the extent of that coup (It looks like Pro Evo/Winning 11 and FIFA are "exclusive" only until the Konami and EA can finish developing them for the PS3). Was Sony's lack of a response due to calm knowledge that MS was over-selling its football shut out, or just their usual "Riiiiidge Racer" corporate buffoonery? [Thanks Charch & Lorul2]
FIFA and Pro Evo sock it to Sony
In a Zidane-style head butt to the World Cup dreams of PS3 fanboys across the globe, Microsoft announced that both FIFA 2007 and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 for at least a year. Always eloquent Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis said it best: "Xbox 360 owns football." This shut out probably won't shatter too many shins stateside, but it should provide an added edge in the football-crazed international market. GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAL! [Thanks Rogue Soul]
360 exclusives won't hinder PS3 sales, unless...
Unless you really can't get enough of those FPS's and sports titles (in which case you probably have either the original Xbox or the 360 already). That was a joke -- don't take it personally. Although Microsoft has acquired a 12-month exclusivity deal for next-gen FIFA and Pro-Evolution Soccer, this won't damage PS3 sales in the UK (since soccer is a bigger deal there than the US, "supposedly"). Marketing Director of Chips, a retail franchise, said that "Microsoft is really pulling out the big guns, but it won't change sale predictions for the PS3 due to the hearts and minds that Sony had already won over." Brand loyalty to the rescue, huh? Independant stores like Action Replay and Gameshop (not Gamestop) agree, saying how the PS3 will sell all its allocation even if there's no... killer app. That's such a terrible term, but it's growing more common. Anyway. While this may or may not end up true, other groups do concede that Microsoft has made a mighty beast with their marketing and sales angle. What do you think? Will brand loyalty help keep Sony afloat until they do find their... killer app? Terrible term. Anyway.
Microsoft head butts FIFA, Pro Evo Soccer into exclusivity
Speaking at the Leipzig Games Convention, Microsoft has announced that if you want to play the most graphically impressive footy games without gallivanting outside and running the risk of getting someone's head lodged in your chest, you'll have to do it on the Xbox 360. In what is sure to be a valuable coup, both FIFA 2007 and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 are bound exclusively to the Xbox 360 for a period of 12 months. The latter game is hugely popular in Europe and may prove to be quite a head butting killer app for Microsoft's next-generation console. The exclusivity doesn't include current generation consoles, it seems, but a significantly improved 360 version of Pro Evolution Soccer with Xbox Live support would likely prove irresistable to most. As for FIFA, well, it has "ultra realistic player motion and delivers complete responsiveness due to its ability to branch animations and the real-time calculation of real human biomechanics," according to producer Hugues Ricour. "Essentially our software engineers are writing human decision-making code." Look forward to not making a decision at all regarding the console when you buy a next-gen soccer game in 2007.
FIFA 07 features
Who knew you would be able to use the DS microphone for a soccer game? We can only imagine the number of people barking at their DS's louder than they bark "Yellow!" at Brain Age in a crowded area. Go Nintendo has the scoop on the newest FIFA game and what all it will do on the DS. Custom Charts via microphone and a new Touch Run feature using the (durr) stylus is just what it needs. Try to not pop a blood vessel when screaming at your team and remember how those idiots yelling "yellow, damn it!" at the DS look when playing.
Blocky new FIFA 07 screens
Go Nintendo has some screens up from FIFA 07 for the DS and let's just say, it's not too difficult to figure out why the DS version netted IGN's lowest rating of last year's series. We're hoping the quality of the screens themselves are somewhat to blame for any cosmetic issues. If not ... well, customized chants only go so far, after all. Can we get a side of improved graphics with that?
World Cup keeps EA at top of sales charts
Team USA may have been eliminated from Cup contention, but North American sales have remained strong for Electronic Arts' FIFA 2006 World Cup. According to Amazon's sales charts, EA's footballer is currently the top selling game for the Xbox 360, the second most popular PlayStation 2 title, and a solid #3 on the original Xbox. The PSP edition also checks in at a respectable #6. Meanwhile, DS gamers are busy flexing their brains, while the GameCube faithful partake in a half dozen adventures with the plumber. See also: UK sales charts, June 4-10: World Cup fever Czechs win 2006 World Cup (sort of)
Overcompressed bitstarved HDTV frustrates World Cup fans
It's an unfortunate but familiar circumstance for many high definition television owners, after spending a lot of money on a new HDTV, hooked up the cable/satellite/antenna and settled in to watch the big game, only to get a blurry, blocky mess. While American soccer futbot football soccer fans have commented that they "can finally see the ball" during the World Cup broadcast, Korean watchers are flooding the nations three major broadcasters with complaints that they can't see anything thats moving quickly.The broadcasters have been testing a new multicasting system, MMS to broadcast more channels within the same frequency, lowering the bitrate from 19Mbps to 13Mbps. It looks like viewers noticed the difference, with threats to sue and other complaints posted on the internet. The Korean Broadcasting Commission is going to vote tomorrow on whether to continue the MMS test or not. Korea, we've got our fingers crossed. Whether or not someone will sue ESPN for their poor color commentary during games remains to be seen.
