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THQ abandons Stuntman and Juiced franchises
Developer and publisher THQ is going through some, how shall we say this, mid-life crisis problems as of late. Problems that are forcing them to close a studio, give up on certain franchises and cancel games. Oh bother ... According to THQ's financial outlook that was just released, THQ confirmed that both their Stuntman and Juiced franchises haven't performed as well as they expected and they will not be making any more games in either franchise. THQ also confirmed that they've canceled the PS3 version of Frontlines: Fuel of War, the PS2 version of Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed and stopped development on one of their unannounced 2010 releases, closing the studio behind it (Concrete Games). They say they're "trimming the fat", we say there's trouble in paradise.
Juiced (the franchise) dead; Juice Games (the studio) not dead
Despite THQ giving up on their street-racing franchise Juiced, they're keeping series' developer – and new winner of the shortsighted studio naming award – Juice Games around to develop two unannounced games that, managing director Colin Bell tells GamesIndustry.biz, are "very fresh and exciting." Bell was rather candid about the less-than-stellar commercial success of the Juiced franchise and the "sound commercial reasons" that prompted the abandonment of the franchise. We're just hopeful that structural changes at the studio to support two development projects will result in at least one game that satisfies the publisher's newfound desire for original IPs and product quality.
THQ cans Frontlines PS3, Juiced and Stuntman franchises
Confirming earlier rumors, THQ has announced that the PlayStation 3 version of dystopian shooter, Frontlines: Fuel of War, has been canceled. And it's not the only game to have its plug unceremoniously pulled. Indeed, THQ's update to its fiscal 2008 outlook brings to mind Joystiq's consistently inept maid who's always yanking all the cables out with her feet while she's dusting the office TV. In describing the publisher's third fiscal quarter (ended December 31, 2007), the report notes "non-cash charges of approximately $27 million" in relation to the cancellation of not only the PlayStation 3 edition of Frontlines, but the PlayStation 2 version of Destroy All Humans!: Big Willy Unleashed. THQ also notes a decision "not to pursue" its Juiced and Stuntman properties, the latter particularly described as underperforming following its release on Xbox 360 and PS3 last year. Also appended are two unannounced titles for Xbox 360 and PS3 which "had" been scheduled for release in THQ's fiscal year 2010. One of them was being worked on by THQ's Concrete Games Studio, also the victim of a closure according to the report. Though it would be easier to blame the maid, THQ CEO and president, Brian Farrel, deemed the decouplings necessary to "strengthen [THQ's] pipeline and position [the company] to compete aggressively with compelling, high quality games."
Destroy All Humans, Saint's Row sequels not coming this year
A brief note in publisher THQ's fiscal report (PDF file) indicates that a previously announced sequel to Saint's Row will not be marching until fiscal year 2009. In calendar terms, that means excess excess pimp-slapping won't be coming until at least April 1, 2008. Conspicuously absent from the entire report was a mention of a Destroy All Humans sequel. Though DAH3 was reportedly announced in a German magazine as coming out this calendar year to consoles, no mentions were made of the franchise for either FY 2008 or 2009. It is still listed as one of its key IPs, however. There's always a chance, however slim, that THQ could pull a surprise announcement at next week's Min-E3. Expected this fiscal year from THQ are Stuntman: Ignition, Frontlines: Fuel of War, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights and MX vs. ATV. Oh, and licensed titles, too.
Juiced 2 teaser trailer drifts onto Marketplace
A teaser trailer for Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights is available in both High and Standard definition on XBLM. It's short and sweet, considering they're 35 and 7 MB in size, respectively. Upon watching the FMV teaser, our initial response was uncontrollable laughter. The trailer seems to highlight some of the street racing "subculture", and features not one, but two gratuitous shots of a girl in a tight tank top and bikini bottom. Give it a watch, because at the very least it will give you a chuckle.
Worldwide PSP releases for the week of May 20
Another week, and luckily another set of game releases. Every Sunday we give you the 411 on what's coming out for the PSP worldwide. If a game is listed as coming out in a different country from where you live, don't worry. Your PSP can play games from any region. That gives every game on this list the potential to be in your future game library. We have some interesting choices this week, so read on! US Games Brooktown High Senior Year Diner Dash Legend of the Dragon Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End EU Games Crush Heatseeker Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Winx Club Asian Games Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 Juiced Eliminator Release dates may always change, so you may want to call before heading to your local game shop. I totally want Bleach, but do any of these games interest our readers?
Wii lacks Juice, settles for soda
In speaking with Eurogamer, Juiced 2 project lead Richard Badger thinks that porting racers over to the Wii has been bad business, which is the main reason why a port of Juiced 2 won't be gracing the system. "If I was doing a Juiced on the Wii, I would look at what the Wii's all about," Badger explains, further emphasizing the need for unique products on Nintendo's unique system by stating "I don't want to play Need for Speed: Carbon on the Wii, though I'll happily play it on PS3 or 360. For the Wii version, I'd want something different." We couldn't agree more.Really though, how would one make a racing game unique and fun on the Wii aside from turning the Wiimote into a steering wheel? Excite Truck showed us how racing could be done on the Wii, but if every title in the genre follows that control scheme, where is the unique gameplay we all care so much about?
PSP gets Juiced again
Swedish gaming magazine, Gamereactor has revealed a sequel to urban racer Juiced. The sequel will be called Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (with a subtitle like that, it sounds like it should be sold late at night by phone order). In Juiced 2 you'll be racing across several European cities with over 90 customizable motors. The game is scheduled to be released in September, but has yet to be confirmed from THQ. Anyone pick up the first and look forward to this sequel? How does it rate among other racers? [Via DCEmu]
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights announced
THQ recently unveiled that they have a sequel to last generation's Juiced street racing title slated for a September release this year. Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights is being developed for the 360, PS3 and PSP. It will have 93 licensed vehicles, tracks in Sydney, Paris, London, Rome, and San Francisco, and over licensed 10,000 components to be added to your car. Drifting races have apparently replaced the drag racing and showdown modes found in the original. We expect the ability to form car clubs, race for pink slips, and other features that made Juiced unique to remain intact for the new gen sequel. Were you a fan of the original, and would you want to play it on current generation consoles?
THQ announces six franchises to be worked on
THQ CEO Brian Farrell had a conference call recently and thanks to PS3Fanboy tapping all major developer's phone lines (not really... but that would yield some priceless news!), we've learned of six franchises THQ wishes to bring back for some previously unannounced sequels.Farrell belted the titles he wanted to bring back almost as if he had them written down on a napkin: "Saints Row, Stuntman, which will be released this year, Juiced, which is a sequel to the product we launched a couple years ago, Destroy All Humans, MX, and my favorite, Red Faction." This is awesome! With Saints Row on it's way to the PS3, we might see a sequel fairly close to our completion of the first, unless he was referring to the PS3 version of the original. And Red Faction? Heck yes. The first one was a lot of fun. Never played the second. This is good news from THQ! Which game are you guys looking forward to seeing again from this list?
Hands on with Juiced Eliminator
PSP owners aren't really hard pressed for another racing game, so Juiced Eliminator has that much more to prove coming right out of the gate. This isn't necessarily a mediocre game, the developers just have to step it up and make it shine in the midsts of other racing titles. The demo level I tried out allowed me to set up all of the environmental conditions from the beginning. Rain, morning, night, sunshine and blue skies: the versatility here was a nice feature, but not uncommon to the genre. The controls were done well enough to keep your attention span, and the nitro boost added an extra level of speed. If only there was a way to get some back after using it all up. Overall, Juiced Eliminator is slightly above average, but hardcore racing fans might want to look elsewhere.The real question is: Do PSP fans really want another racing game?
PSP impressions: Juiced Eliminator
PSP owners aren't really hard pressed for another racing game, so Juiced Eliminator has that much more to prove coming right out of the gate. This isn't necessarily a mediocre game, the developers just have to step it up and make it shine in the midsts of other racing titles. The demo level I tried out allowed me to set up all of the environmental conditions from the beginning. Rain, morning, night, sunshine and blue skies: the versatility here was a nice feature, but not uncommon to the genre. The controls were done well enough to keep your attention span, and the nitro boost added an extra level of speed. If only there was a way to get some back after using it all up. Overall, Juiced Eliminator is slightly above average, but hardcore racing fans might want to look elsewhere.The real question is: Do PSP fans really want another racing game?
