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GoldenEye XBLA stuck in 'no man's land'
Having foiled countless doomsday devices, monologuing masterminds and aesthetically pleasing assassins, James Bond has felt the bite of reality and become inextricably entangled in a web of legal nonsense. Though an Xbox Live Arcade version of the classic N64 FPS, GoldenEye, continues to make appearances both in dreams and alleged screenshots, nobody's been able to pull the game out of a web spun by numerous lawyers and license holders. "It's kind of locked in this no man's land."That's according to Rare's senior software engineer, Nick Burton, who recently discussed the game's fate with VideoGamer.com. "It's incredibly hard to solve because there's so many licence holders involved," explained Burton. "You've got the guys that own the license to the gaming rights now, the guys that have the licence to Bond as an IP, and there are umpteen licensees." Last time we checked, "umpteen" was quite a lot ... at least 37 or so.Burton goes on to explain that the game's release is no longer in Rare's hands -- it's up to the publishers to figure out how Microsoft can get its hands on a Nintendo game starring one of Activision's favorite characters. "It's probably going to go down in the annuls of gaming history as one of the big mysteries." Wait ... the "annuls" of gaming history? What an appropriate misspelling.
Latest Bond to feature Titanium Sony Ericsson C902 -- Q would have done better
It's Bond time again and that means the inevitable glut of merchandising tie-ins. First out of the gate is a limited edition Titanium silver Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot which does the honor of promoting the release of the latest 007 exploit dubbed Quantum of Solace. Besides the color, 007-themed wallpapers, screen savers, and "spy-style" game demo, the C902 slider that actor Daniel Craig will sport during the November theatrical launch is just like the C902 launched way back in February. Oddly enough, no pictures of the new 007 model were provided by Sony Ericsson in the announcement. Fitting though, given Q's disquieting absence from the film we weren't expecting much. SE could certainly learn a thing or two from Nokia about effective product placement.
Six James Bond movies due on Blu-ray in October spec'd, priced
More info on all six of the James Bond pictures coming to Blu-ray October 21 is finally available, the individual discs of Dr. No, Die Another Day, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, From Russia With Love and Thunderball will carry a pretty standard $34.98 MSRP, or as two separate volumes of three with an $89.98 SRP. The special features and 4K Lowry transfers seen in the Ultimate Edition Bond DVDs return here, so if you've already got those the net benefit is 1080p and possibly better sound (and a Quantum of Solace movie ticket), although it wasn't specified. Still, if you're awaiting the best looking home editions of these Bond movies yet there's no doubt these are the ones you're looking for.
Treyarch's James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace in motion
Utilizing the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, James Bond returns to gaming in James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace from developer Treyarch. Shown off at Activision's non-E3 press conference, Quantum of Solace takes place within the story of both Casino Royale and the upcoming Bond film of the same name. Starring new Bond, Daniel Craig, the game is presented in a first-person perspective but uses a cover system that snaps to a third-person view -- a la Tom Clancy's Rainbox Six Vegas style. Surprisingly (because it is based on a license) the game looks fantastic and we can't wait to see more. James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace hits shelves this November.
Quantum of Solace screens look pretty bad
Yep, pretty much. Bond games have never lived up to the astronomical heights of GoldenEye 007, and we weren't really expecting a DS game to pull through and take the crown. Action games in general aren't the best for the touchscreen -- but we want to be proven wrong. Will Daniel Craig's portable outing be an exception to the laws of crappiness? Unnnnnlikely.Using your keen spy senses, examine the gallery and predict the fate of Quantum of Solace. The movie will be undoubtedly cool, but that might be all we can hope for.%Gallery-27829%[Via press release]
See Quantum of Solace in action
After the glut of James Bond games earlier in the millennium, we'll admit it: We got spoiled. Now, after a long absence and a changing of hands, the Double-OG is back and we can't help but wonder: Does this Quantum of Solace gameplay video really look as good as we think it does?Because we're going to be honest: It looks really good to us. The Daniel Craig model is spot on, the destructible environments are solid and the Call of Duty 4 engine is under the hood. We're stirred ... and a little shaken. Are you as excited as we are? Or are we just in denial?
Homebrewer hacks GoldenEye to run on Wii
Sit down if you aren't and don't start taking a sip of something before you click the play button on the video above: someone managed to get GoldenEye 007 to run on the Wii. As evidenced above, the title can be emulated on the Wii, but not in perfect form. There are still some issues with saving and frame rates dipping here and there. But, all in all, pretty impressive and manages to only strengthen our desire to have this one show up on the Virtual Console.[Thanks, trefox!] The homebrew community has been hard at work creating wonderful experiences for you to enjoy with your Wii. Did you know about homebrew game Masteroids? Or how about the shmup OpenTyrian? Outside of games, people have been using the Balance Board to come up with some really neat stuff. Keep up with the homebrew scene by staying current with our Homebrew category!
Joystiq interview: Treyarch's Jeremy Luyties on James Bond
During out whirlwhind tour through the new Quantum of Solace game, we were able to spend a few minutes speaking with Treyarch's Jeremy Luyties, who serves as design director on the title. Luyties has worked on everything from Return to Castle Wolfenstein to Call of Duty 3 to the heavily Bond-influenced classic No One Lives Forever. Find out what secrets he spilled about the new Bond title after the break.%Gallery-26648%
See Bond run in Quantum of Solace: The Game screenshots
click to enlarge You can't tell much from one lousy screenshot so we thought we'd share the following eight screens, recently declassified by Activision. Want to see how the Call of Duty 4 engine looks powering the first-person slash third-person Bond title Quantum of Solace? Here you go. Uninterested in pretty pictures, just want to read words about the game? Well, we've got you covered there too. %Gallery-26648%
Joystiq eyes (only) on: James Bond in Quantum of Solace: The Game
James Bond, always too busy to stop and smell the flowers. James Bond returns to movie theaters this fall in Quantum of Solace, and this time he'll be back in video game format as well. Treyarch has been developing a Quantum of Solace game in conjunction with the new flick, enjoying carte blanche from the producers to photograph and use everything from the movie in the game, including blonde Bond Daniel Craig. You can count on his stoic visage making an appearance, not to mention his recognizable voice. Find out what we learned from this first peek at the game, freshly declassified.%Gallery-26648%
First James Bond: Quantum of Solace image
So far, we know next to nothing about Treyarch's upcoming James Bond: Quantum of Solace. Now we have this single screenshot thanks to GamesRadar. And still, know next to nothing about it. It's pretty. It's obvious that Daniel Craig's mug has been licensed for the game. There is a pool. That's about all really. GamesRadar promises that there will be plenty more where this came from though, as the next issue of Official Xbox Magazine is set to contain a "powerful amount" of details and screens," whatever that means.[Via Joystiq]
See the first image from Quantum of Solace
Interested to see what Treyarch is doing with the 007 license? GamesRadar has obtained the first image of Quantum of Solace, built on the Call of Duty 4 engine and due out this fall alongside the film. What can we glean from this screenshot? Well, there's Daniel Craig, and he will probably use a pistol while standing by an indoor body of water at some point. We eagerly await the next screenshot to find out what, exactly, Daniel Craig would shoot at.
James Bond classics coming to Blu-ray this October
Before you rush off to theaters to catch Quantum of Solace this November, MGM and Fox are planning to keep you squarely planted on the couch for at least a few days in October. Announced today, the two studios have agreed to push out a half dozen Bond classics on Blu-ray this October (20th internationally; 21st in North America), each of which will be "restored and re-mastered." The films in question are Dr. No, Die Another Day, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, From Russia With Love and Thunderball. There's no mention of a price just yet, but judging by how extraordinarily well Casino Royale did, we're sure these will do just fine.[Image courtesy of OriginalProp]
First 007: Quantum of Solace intel declassified
CVG's sister publication, GamesMaster, got its hand (the other was holding a martini) on the latest Bond game, James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace. Previously confirmed to run on Infinity Ward's slick Call of Duty 4 engine, it is said to combine scenes and settings from the upcoming (22nd!) Bond flick as well as the previous film in the franchise, Casino Royale. (GamesMaster confirms that one of them is the latter's thrilling "free running" opening sequence.) Gameplay is set to be a mix of first- and third-person action that sounds a lot like Rainbow Six Vegas. The camera reportedly pulls out for a view of Bond when he sticks to cover, climbs ladders, climbs along ledges, and in other "cinematic" situations, such as stealthy button-timing based takedowns ... or, dare we suggest, for "interacting" with the Bond girls?
Nnooo.com pitches Pokemon MMO; own name gives the answer
Question: What's the difference between John Q. Public saying they "have a neat idea" for a Pokémon MMO and the maker of casual Wii title Pop saying the same thing? Answer: a foot in the door, and little else. That hasn't stopped nnooo.com from pitching the idea to Nintendo via their website, along with ideas for games based on the Battlestar Galactica, James Bond, and X-Men franchises. We're not saying they don't have the talent to back this claim, but a casual title is a far cry from a polished MMO -- and possibly Nintendo's first one, at that.Even assuming this pitch had a chance to be taken seriously by Nintendo, it's highly unlikely the company would let a third-party develop it, judging by their existing Pokémon line's history. You know, if we're calling dibs, we've already pitched two of these ideas ourselves. Hmm ... Massively Games ... has a nice ring, doesn't it?[Via NintendoLife]
Two new videos of The Agency show more action
The more of The Agency we see, the more interested we get. G4's X-Play recently showed off two new videos featuring more in-depth looks at gameplay than we've gotten to see previously. In speaking with Director of Development Matt Wilson and Designer Hal Milton, we get to see glimpses of various elements, such as cool spy gadgets a la James Bond's Q, and how the Operatives can help you in your missions.We've got both videos after the jump, and you'll find them in larger resolutions on G4's site.[Thanks, Steven!]
New Bond game Quantum of Solace runs on COD4 engine, launching with movie
The upcoming 007 game just got an ammo clip of good news.* Quantum of Solace, currently in development at Treyarch, is running on the Call of Duty 4 game engine and due out this Fall alongside the movie. "We look forward to launching Bond: Quantum of Solace in Q3 concurrent with movie. This game uses the Call of Duty 4 engine and technology to bring Bond games to a new level," said Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith in a conference call yesterday (36:20 mark).Why does this excite us? Simply put: COD4 is one of the best multiplayer experiences currently available on consoles, and it gives us hope that this version will be able recapture the magic we felt when we first tried split-screen Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64. It also gives us an idea as to what platforms we can expect to see the game on -- likely Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and perhaps PC. Quantum of Solace, the film, is releasing October 31 in the UK, November 7 in North America.* Note: Fear not, the writer of this joke has indeed been eliminated.
New setting for Call of Duty 5, Bond game powered by Call of Duty 4 engine
After a recent earnings call, Activision outlined plans to release a new entry into the Call of Duty series by the end of its 2009 fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2009. "We'll launch on all four platforms we've participated on in fiscal [year] 2008," Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith said, refering to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's debut on the Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Nintendo DS; a PS2 and Wii version are also in the works.Griffith also revealed that Call of Duty 5 will see the franchise move into a new "military theater." Long-standing suspicion has been that Call of Duty 3 developer Treyarch would return the franchise to its World War II roots but Griffith's comments seem to debunk that setting rumor. Griffith did not mention whether Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward or rumored Treyarch would take the reins as the Call of Duty 5 developer.On the subject of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Griffith revealed the James Bond licensed title that is currently in development by Treyarch will be powered by the CoD4 engine and release around the time of the latest Bond film, Quantum of Solace, this fall.The only question to answer now is which war could Call of Duty 5 be based on. The answer? Civil. Muskets = Win.
Science says: FPS players enjoy getting shot
Intuitively, winning at a video game should be more fun than losing, right? Thankfully, science is around to show us exactly how our intuition is totally wrong. According to a study in the February issue of science journal Emotion, "the wounding and death of the player's own character may increase some aspect of positive emotion." The Helsinki-based study, which looked at 36 young-adults playing James Bond 007: Nightfire, found that getting hurt and killed in the game "elicited an increase in SCL and zygomatic and orbicularis oculi EMG activity and a decrease in corrugator activity" -- in layman's terms, it made the players less anxious. Even more interestingly, the study found that "wounding and killing the opponent may elicit high-arousal negative affect (anxiety)." The study also found that students that scored higher on a common test for "psychoticism" experienced less anxiety when shooting opponents. So the next time you enjoy fragging an opponent in Halo 3, remember ... there is a good chance you are psychotic![Via GameCritics. Photo Credit]
GDC08: An evening with Will Wright minus friends (video)
I applied for, and received an invitation to 'An Evening with Will Wright and Friends', held in Mezzanine, a swanky club in San Francisco's SOMA district on Thursday evening. I didn't know what exactly to expect, but I knew two things: 1) It wasn't going to be about Spore, and 2) It was Will Freaking Wright. How did I know Spore wasn't on the offering? 'Cause we're all kind of Spore'd out, aren't we?I was right about the lack of Spore, but was pleasantly surprised and gratified to hear Will speak on a variety of topics -- James Bond, cosmonauts, Gilligan's Island as the predecessor of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman comics, Godzilla, Care Bears, Lost, Walt Disney, Battlestar Galactica, Spiderman, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance -- before finally wrapping it all up with the observation that the stories that resonate with us are deconstructible; we can reduce them to components, and using those components, build our own stories. Finally, accepting questions from the audience, I asked him what advice he'd give NASA as they create their MMO. His friends never showed up, but man, Will Wright is always worth a listen. He knows his stuff so well and is such a wonderful speaker ... check out the video I shot after the break, and you'll see what I mean.
