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Eidos holding out for better PS3 install base
Eidos, publisher of all things Tomb Raider and Hitman, is taking a wait and see approach to the PS3. Eidos says they will not release major titles on the PS3 until 2008 because the amount of people who own a PS3 doesn't make the cost of manufacturing for the console worth their time.Eidos CEO Jane Cavanagh says, "We believe that PlayStation 3 will be a successful platform, and are developing technology and products for this console ... we do not believe that the installed base will be high enough until the second half of our 2008 financial year, most of our major product releases on the PlayStation 3 platform are not scheduled before that date." Coincidentally, Cavanagh spoke of digital distribution increasing their opportunities for profit the same day we received a release stating that Steam is increasing their line of Eidos games for sale.Considering Hitman releases on a two year cycle, the next edition in the saga wouldn't occur until 2008 anyway. We also don't plan to see the next part of the Tomb Raider: Legend story until 2008 also. If PlayStation 3 owners really want to play Legend and Blood Money, they can always just get the PS2 versions.
New actors, director targeted for 'Hitman' film
In what's sure to be a blow to David Bateson fans everywhere, Variety confirmed today that Deadwood sheriff Timothy Olyphant will trade in his pistol for ... well, two pistols to play murder and Rogaine enthusiast Agent 47 in the Luc Besson-produced Hitman film. The article also added some new names to the cast. Fans of Desperate Housewives and Mission: Impossible II (a surprisingly small cross-section of the population) will recognize Dougray Scott, who will be playing an unnamed antagonist in the film, based on the Eidos video game series.Robert Knepper (lovable T-Bag on Prison Break) and a few other even less recognizable performers are also named in the article, as is French director Xavier Gens, the latest to join Uwe Boll and Paul W.S. Anderson in the proud, international fraternity of video game adaptation directors.
Sequels! Eidos announces more Tomb Raider, Hitman, Just Cause
Rest easy, there will be more Tomb Raider, more Hitman, and another Just Cause. And just 'cause, Eidos has also confirmed that a new edition of its perennial footie sim Championship Manager will hit the pitch for (at least) one more go'round. Although development is currently underway for the follow-up foursome, release dates have yet to be issued. The expected sequels will be joined by Kane & Lynch and Crossfire, new IPs (they still bother with those?), along with Battlestations: Midway, which is due out next month.
Kane and Lynch on PSP?
Future Gamez is reporting that Atari Australia's release schedule listed Kane & Lynch: Dead Men as not just a PC and Xbox 360 game, but also for PS3, PS2 and most importantly, PSP. The game is due out June 2007 and features (at least on home consoles) co-op play with two characters. One is a morally challenged mercenary and the other is a pill popping psychopath. If this listing is more than just a mistake, it could mean great things for PSP fans. The game is developed by Io Interactive, creators of Freedom Fighters and the Hitman franchise. This game was a must buy for me on the Xbox 360 and if it comes out for the PSP as well, I'm such an Io Interactive fan that I'll likely buy both. [Via DCEmu]
Deadwood star replaces Vin Diesel in Hitman movie
No, not Swearengen! Vin Diesel has been replaced by Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant as star of the upcoming Hitman movie, reports Ain't It Cool News. Bullock as Agent 47? Perhaps Olyphant's range as an actor will lend itself to the role of a brooding sociopath -- more so than what "The Pacifier" could bring to the big screen.Whatever the outcome, Skip Woods has completed his script, and the Hitman project has received the greenlight, with Luc Besson (Transporter 2) recently climbing aboard as co-producer. Hitman could be in theatres as early as next fall. We ain't holding our breath.
UK sales charts, May 28-June 3: Double top for Hitman
This week's UK charts look suspiciously similar to last week's, despite the impending World Cup. Since we English can't walk down a street without seeing at least five St George's Crosses, perhaps all those who would buy football games are already playing them. Noticeable changes this week are merely the slight ascension of The Sims 2 and the new arrival of Half-Life 2: Episode One at number eight. 1. Hitman: Blood Money2. FIFA World Cup Germany 20063. Tomb Raider: Legend4. Pro Evolution Soccer 55. X-Men: The Official Game6. Animal Crossing: Wild World7. The Sims 28. Half-Life 2: Episode One9. Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis10. Championship Manager 2006
First impressions: Xbox 360 dashboard update
We installed the new Xbox 360 dashboard update the moment we awoke this morning, literally, before stepping out of bed. We fired up our 360 using the remote, only to have the system lockup while attempting to sign into Xbox Live. Maybe releasing the first major dashboard update on such an ominous date (6-6-6) was not such a great move after all ... But, a simple reboot successfully set the gears in motion, and the update was installed in no time (roughly 10 seconds).
UK sales charts, May 21-27: Hitman hits the spot
With the World Cup due to kick off in under a fortnight, UK consumers are doing the obvious thing -- and buying Hitman: Blood Money. The football-themed titles are still strong in the charts, but Eidos' Agent 47 has overtaken them in its first week of release. The recent Sims 2 expansion keeps the original fresh, too.1. Hitman: Blood Money2. FIFA World Cup Germany 20063. Pro Evolution Soccer 54. Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis5. Tomb Raider: Legend6. X-Men: The Official Game7. Animal Crossing: Wild World8. The Da Vinci Code9. Championship Manager 200610. The Sims 2
Hitman: Blood Money demo hits XBL
Set to ship next week, the demo for Eidos' latest Hitman title, Blood Money, has hit the Xbox Live Marketplace. Stop everything you're doing on your 360 and give it some time to download the 783Mb demo. Can't wait until that active downloads functionality starts working fo' real. Our sources are whispering any day now.
Hitman: Blood Money gets a ship date
Xbox 360 owners got a real treat not too long ago when we found out Hitman: Blood Money will not only be making it to the current-gen consoles but the 360 as well. Today Eidos has come out and said that May 26th is the day in which our infamous cleaner makes his debut on next-gen territory. So with this title coming out on PC, PS2 and Xbox, most gamers want to know whether or not the 360 version will be just a fancy port or provide a little something more. We know how some ported titles don't exactly live up to the next-gen hype (*cough* GUN *cough*). It'd be a crying shame to see this happen to the Hitman series. Here's hoping we don't see an easy cop-out from IO Interactive.
Ad critic: Hitman ad titillates, but is it a murder/sex sim?
Pictured here is a two-page ad spread for the Hitman game that appeared in the April 2006 issue of PC Gamer magazine. Click the image to view a larger version, and then post your critiques below. Does this ad speak to you? Does it make you want to buy the game? Is it too edgy? Does it appear to be, in the words of one Joystiq reader, an ad selling a "rape/murder fantasy" type of game? Let's see how well we can deconstruct this ad. Stay tuned, we'll do this again next Friday. We'll quote some of the best critiques in next week's post.
Hitman: Blood Money sets sights on Xbox 360
In a stealth attack maneuver worthy of Agent 47, the fourth iteration of Eidos' Hitman series, dubbed Hitman: Blood Money, will be released on Microsoft's next-gen Xbox 360 system, in addition to the previously announced PC, Xbox, and PS2 platforms. The real coup de grâce is that it will be released alongside those versions this spring!Executive Producer Neil Donnell said, "We are thrilled to be able to deliver Hitman: Blood Money on Xbox 360," continuing, “The development team at IO have engineered and developed the game to harness and exploit the latest in graphics and game technology so Xbox 360 is the ideal platform to demonstrate this work in HD. Gamers will be in for a real treat when they get their hands on this game and are able to fulfill their wildest Hitman fantasies.”We'll have to wait and see if Blood Money has that GR:AW-licious, next-gen look or that disappointing current-gen port look, this screenshot ain't saying much.[Thanks, Alex]
Swordfish writer to pen Hitman movie
Skip Woods has been enlisted to write the screenplay for the upcoming movie adaptation of Hitman, which will star Vin Diesel as Agent 47. Woods is best known for 2001's Swordfish, but also penned the 1998 indie film Thursday. He'll receive a modest mid-six figure payment for his work on Hitman. Currently, the movie is scheduled for a 2007 release. [Thanks, bandersnatch]
Diesel meets Hitman
Nope, there hasn't been some tragic attempt on Vin's life. Rather he has signed on to play Agent 47 in the movie version of Hitman. Having mulled it over for a few minutes, this is a pretty good bit of casting. Sure, Vin isn't the greatest actor around, but he's A) bald, and B) suitably badass enough to pull this off. I mean for all it's problems, XXX wasn't bad. *crickets chirping* Plus, if stories are to be believed, Vin is a big gamer, so hopefully he won't want to see the game license messed up. There's also a good possibility that Vin will also become the face and voice of Agent 47 in future games.
