game-set-watch
Latest
Analysis: What happened to Realtime Worlds?
While still very much an ongoing concern for the parties involved, the events surrounding Realtime Worlds and APB are beginning to die down for the rest of the MMO community. Many people are beginning to look at the overall situation to try and figure out what happened. APB was a very promising game, and there was more than a little surprise when things began to go south. Kris Graft at GameSetWatch.com published a detailed editorial exploring RTW's past, as well as some of the company's goals and thoughts, and how it all led to the current situation. It's a must-read for anyone who's been following the company over the past few months.
NIS America open to releasing titles on non-Sony systems
Jeffrey Fleming from Game Set Watch had a chance to interview RPG fan favorite publisher NIS America (Disgaea). In the interview, he asks if NIS plans on just keeping Sony platforms as their target for game releases. Here's their response:"For a long time, NIS America has been releasing titles for the PS2 and PSP, so some people might think we are solely dedicated to Sony, but that is not true. Our goal is to provide quality games and services to all game fans, and looking ahead, there are several platforms that can help us reach out to a broader audience and gamers can expect surprises from us. Of course, we will also continue to work closely with Sony, providing great games for PS2/PS3/PSP users as well."So while they have no intentions to be a Sony exclusive publisher, they do plan to still support them. Here's hoping our favorite portable continues to get the NIS love.
Metal Slug model to drool over
Metal Slug fansite Metal Slug Database has put up this gorgeous looking Metal Slug model that fans of the series should certainly appreciate. It's a resin model kit and assembly and painting is needed, so if you did buy this, it's unlikely it'd look as good as the image above. It's unclear if the model is official or not, but it's officially awesome. If only the model came free with copies of Metal Slug Anthology for PSP, then it would be the ultimate collectors edition. Do any readers love Metal Slug still like myself? [Via Game Set Watch]
A history lesson about punching faces
Those that have had a PSP since launch may know that Darkstalkers was one of the first games on the system and certainly still one of the best fighters on the handheld. But for those that only know the PSP version or don't know the interesting and varied history of Darkstalkers, you may want to check out Gamespy's Hardcore Gaming 101 write up on the spooky brawler. Even fans of the series may not know facts like Darkstalkers was the first Capcom fighter to have a Super guage and air-blocking or the number of Darkstalkers characters that appeared in Namco X Capcom (a game I'm still sad never came to the US). Cheer up your next gaming party with Darkstalkers trivia or have unhealthy thoughts over the Lilith art. The choice is yours. [Via Game Set Watch]
PlayStation 4 is forthcoming ... so what?
There is a piece circulating the internet on comments made by Paul Holman, VP of Technology for SCEE, where we claimed that we would not see a PlayStation 4 until at least 2010. Unfortunately, 2010 is never actually quoted by Holman, implying that it might have been a fabricated/sensationalized number created by the article's author, David Richards, at SmartHouse.Here's what we gather from the article: following one analyst predictions that were circulating the internet (notice a trend here?) that predicted Sony's executive shift would result in them leaving the hardware market, Holman states that, "to say that there will be no PS4 because of a management change is a bit far fetched." That is the only thing he says about a PlayStation 4, yet the article uses the topic, with an unsubstantiated number, as its headline. The article has been picked up by many press outlets either as "at least 2010" or just plain "PS4 arriving in 2010."We're not going to say anything regarding their spelling and punctuation, but the 2010 claim (at least 2010, mind you) is not supported by any quotes from Holman. GameSetWatch also tackles this issue, both specifically and generally.The rest of the article discusses the new-gen PlayStation 3 firmware (we've blogged this). What you should take from the article is that a PlayStation 4 will arrive, eventually, but a launch year is not yet being discussed. And read the full article, as the headlines can be misleading or worse, as in this case, unsupported by the article itself.Last month, Ken Kutaragi told BBC that he wanted a PlayStation 4 "within the next decade." Maybe we can say, then, that PS4 will be out by 2020? Nah, let's not be presumptuous.
