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Viva Piata missing from top Xbox Live titles
Major Nelson has released this week's Xbox Live activity report*. Gears of War is still atop the heap, but where's Viva Piñata?Microsoft's 'other' big holiday title has enjoyed favorable reception, but continues to maintain a low profile. Perhaps most of the kid-centric fanbase is unplugged, but we're wondering if some older gamers are signing out of their Live accounts before doing the Piñata dance. After all, a gamertag like '[l33t]murd3rd34thk1ll187' would lose its impact if an all-night session of Viva Piñata was being broadcast to Xbox Live community members.In related news, check out the Lost Planet multiplayer demo's position; it currently ranks fourth among Xbox 360's most popular Live titles. Could this be foreshadowing another Capcom hit, or is it just proof that we love freebies?*Activity lists are calculated using data collected from unique Xbox Live users (all games are included; not just multiplayer titles).
Lost Planet as epic entertainment
A Lost Planet theatrical trailer popped up on Xbox Live Marketplace today (as did a trailer for Battlestations: Midway). We'd love to show you the trailer, as that is our style. Unfortunately, it is currently nowhere to be found on any of the internets, so you'll just have to take our word for it that it's pretty neat. Presented in CG, it adopts the growing trend of making videogame commercials in the same style as movie trailers. In other words, it's made as though grown ups might actually be interested in it (imagine that). Lots of snow, lots of epic battle scenes, and a throaty narrator, the trailer has all the trappings of your typical blockbuster. We especially like the ending slogan that comes ripping towards the screen one word at a time -- you know, "JANUARY 12TH ... BLOOD ... RUNS ... COLD." Of course, the question remains whether or not the game itself will be so compelling (though signs point to "yes").And, just because we wouldn't want you to feel left out, we've embedded a five minute gameplay trailer that we found at GameTrailers. Check it out after the break.
Lost Planet interview, art and design
The Lost Planet community blog (part of the overall community site) has been updated with an interview with Art Director, Takahiro Kawano, and Director, Kenji Oguro. The interview covers some of the creators' original inspirations (Kurosawa FTW!) as well as what went into the design process for the game. It's a lengthy read, essentially covering the life of the whole project, and it also includes many pieces of concept art and design sketches. If you just can't get enough Lost Planet -- and if the Live top 10 is any indication, many of you can't -- be sure to check it out.
Lost Planet grapples for position at consumer mecca
Capcom is determined to turn Lost Planet into an American blockbuster, forking over enough loot to secure a 60-second advert on the 3,000 sq. ft. HDTV screen in Times Square through the month. There's no mistaking that this move is part of a push to establish a new franchise rooted in perceived American tastes.But does all-out-action really resonate with audiences as much as Resident Evil's intricacies? Is Lost Planet's seemingly unsophisticated core in danger of appearing generic? Those are risks Capcom is willing to take, perhaps because Lost Planet really does nail the action genre. At least, that's what the growing trail of money invites us to believe.[Via Press Release]
The Lost Planet mini-contest winner is ...
The winner of our Lost Planet mini-contest has been selected, and the winner is Anticrawl. Anticrawl believes that he deserves this demo because he likes apple pie, and that's good enough for us (and our random number generator). Anticrawl now has access to an exclusive version of the Lost Planet multiplayer demo, containing the map "Dilapidation." Thanks to everyone who entered. Don't feel bad if you didn't win. You're all winners to Xbox 360 Fanboy -- and your mom told us you were just the best looking kid in your class, too. As always, we end our contest post with a plea to the game companies out there. O game companies, we love to give things away in fabulous, buzz generating contests. Now, doesn't that sound nice? If so, you can always drop us a line.
Lost Planet text is oh so bigger
If you sadly only own a standard definition (SD) television and own a copy of Capcom's Dead Rising you probably already know that the text in the game is way too tiny to read. Capcom was barraged with complaints and we thought they learned their lesson ... until playing the multiplayer demo of Lost Planet. Again the text was very small for SD televisions and so everyone complained. Finally, it looks like Capcom heard our cries because they announced that they've increased the text size for SD televisions and implemented a system that identifies whether the output is SD or HD and adjusts the text size accordingly. Note to game devlopers, us fans complain so much only so we get our way. And speaking of SD televisions, who in fanboy world is rocking SD instead of HD?
Capcom fixing Lost Planet tiny text
[Click to enlarge]Looks like Capcom finally figured out what Nintendo knew when they developed the Wii: A clear majority of consumers still own standard definition televisions. Following complaints that the multiplayer text on Lost Planet was like going through a Dead Rising tiny text time warp, Capcom has taken "the great feedback we have received from our fans ... Lost Planet will automatically detect if you are playing on an SDTV and change the score display settings for this mode automatically."Capcom states that the demo does not reflect the final build "as they are still early works in progress." You know, Lost Planet was still in the "early works" with a launch date of January 12, 2007. Other fixes to the final game will be having objectives delivered in single player as both voice-over and text. Players can also pause the game at any time to review objectives on their in-game PDA.Hold up, back to paragraph one, that text fix will happen "automatically" on a SDTV? Now is there any way we can get Capcom to reconsider their decision to not patch Dead Rising's tiny text, considering they have the technology to fix it "automatically" now?See also: Capcom's Lost Planet tiny text
Lost Planet mini-contest: it's a map!
Some of you may have seen Joystiq's recent giveaway involving Lost Planet. If not, the gist of it was this: there is more than one Lost Planet multiplayer demo on Live Marketplace, but this different and alternate demo is available only to a select few -- namely those who pre-ordered Lost Planet last week. Joystiq, kindly souls that they are, decided to give away free redemption codes for this super spectacular demo (which contains a different map entitled "Dilapidation."Now, Lost Planet is a 360 game, so you'd think Joystiq (or Capcom) might be so kind as to give us, Xbox 360 Fanboy, one of those promotional codes. You might think that, but if you did, you'd be wrong. No, we didn't get any codes at all ... until today. As luck would have it, our man Godfree from Gamertag Radio hooked us up with one yesterday, so if you want your shot at this exclusive demo, listen up. All you have to do is leave a comment about why you deserve this demo. The winner will be randomly chosen, so don't feel like you have to work too hard on your entry. The winner will be chosen tonight and announced tomorrow. Get commenting and good luck.Also, if you're crazy good at Snake, you can take a stab at making the top 4 in Gamertag Radio's arcade section. The top 4 players on their Snake leaderboard will also be receiving the exclusive Lost Planet demo.
Capcom's Lost Planet tiny text
Capcom isn't done sticking it to standard definition television users yet. After Capcom dismissed patching Dead Rising's tiny text because it just "wasn't possible," now Capcom is about to release the same tiny text scourge with Lost Planet's multiplayer. We know the comment thread is about to fill up with: "Why do you own an Xbox 360 without an HDTV?" or "HDTV's are so cheap, just go out and buy one!" May we please remind those commenters that a majority of consumers still own a SDTV and that's not an excuse for sloppy developers to create unreadable text.This time around SDTV owners should be aware that Lost Planet, as things stand now, does have tiny text issues. Hopefully this time around Capcom will see the light and allow players to increase the font size before it becomes an impossibly horrible burden on the poor company to fix it.Video after the break and we did mention this in passing during our Lost Planet multiplayer review.
Joystiq White Friday giveaway: Lost Planet codes [update 1]
[Update: Using random.org, we've chosen and contacted our seven winners. Thanks, everyone!]Capcom wants you to leave your warm house, head still spinning from last night's excessive turkey consumption, and plunge yourself into the retail nightmare that our species has come to know simply as "Black Friday" -- a day when an otherwise loving grannie would gladly spear you with her crutch to get to that last pile of DISCOUNT bath towels at the local box store. So, why would Capcom (they always seemed so nice) expect you to do such a thing? For free stuff, of course! They've decided to trick us by calling it White Friday (does that mean it's the opposite of that terrible other Friday?) and, if you dare venture to your local game retailer to pre-order the Xbox 360 exclusive Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (no doubt bowled over by yesterday's holiday multiplayer demo), you'll be rewarded with not only a terrible headache but a token card containing a code for Xbox Live that will let you download a separate version of yesterday's multiplayer demo containing an extra map, dubbed "Dilapidation."Already downloaded the demo, with the Pirate Fortress map, yesterday but still not content? Need that additional multiplayer map, but thousands of years of evolution preclude you from inflicting harm on yourself? Not to worry Joystiqers, Capcom has been so kind as to offer us seven codes which we'll in turn offer to seven lucky readers! All you need to do is leave a comment telling us what you had for dinner last night (not in the US? Tell us anyways!) and we'll select seven winners randomly by midnight tonight (ET). You can spend the rest of the weekend playing against others who, no doubt, will be playing with a severe handicap following the massive head trauma they sustained leaving the house on Black White Friday.
Lost Planet multiplayer demo is out
As it was prophesied, the Lost Planet multiplayer demo is now available. We'd love to tell you how great it is, but so far we have been unable to get into a match. Judging from yesterday's video, we're betting it's pretty damned good. Do you agree? Go grab the demo and let us know how it is.
Lost Planet Turkey Day multiplayer review
Click to enlargeWe've been playing the Lost Planet multiplayer for the past couple of days through an arrangement with Capcom. All Xbox Live users will be able to download the multiplayer-enabled demo today and get some gaming in ... if the tryptophan hasn't incapacitated them. The demo comes with one map called Pirate Fortress, although if you pre-order the Lost Planet Collector's Edition on "White Friday" (11/24), you'll get a code that allows you to download an additional map called Dilapidation. If you've played the single-player demo, then you've played Pirate Fortress. It's exactly the same level (except you can't go in that sort of warehouse/garage area), with power-ups and additional weapons scattered all over the place. Dilapidation is much more closed in, set in the ruins of a burned out multi-story building with an underwater area (your player is equipped with some kind of fancy futuristic scuba gear that doesn't even release bubbles) and multiple tunnels and dark corners to hide in.
Video: Lost Planet multiplayer demo
Gamertag Radio's Godfree got together with some friends (including Deaconblade360 from Unscripted360.com) for a preview of the upcoming Lost Planet multiplayer demo. After their session, they talked about the game over video chat on Xbox Live. Then Godfree balled it all up into a nice video podcast for the whole world to enjoy. The video shows off some really nice looking gameplay, including Lost Planet's multiple grenade types -- the lightning/stun grenade looks awesome. Overall, the game looks like it's going to be a blast. Check out the video after the break.
Xbox 360 HDMI rumor rides again
What do you get the console that has everything for? An HD DVD player, some high-def movie downloads, maybe a new game or two. We're not so good at wrapping stuff, so we brought yet another Xbox 360 HDMI cable rumor on the eve of the one year anniversary of the console's launch in North America. These pictures claim to be from the back of an upcoming Lost Planet / Xbox 360 bundle package taken by the employee of a Japanese games shop. In various forum threads allegations of photoshop chicanery have arisen, although some commenters claim knowledge of a Microsoft statement that it's real, but merely a misprint. The 360 is no longer alone in the next-gen gaming market and HDMI is due at some point to keep up with the Jones' PlayStation 3. ICT and 1080p concerns notwithstanding, visions of DVD upconversion via HDMI are floating through our heads, particularly since the PS3 fell short on that bullet point.
Lost Planet trailer lays on the intrigue
Another webisode for Lost Planet is now available for download on Marketplace. In the trailer it's revealed that Mr. British Accent Guy* is working with a nefarious character. We told you he was evil! The trailer concludes with another snippet that may or may not be part of an ARG (Alternate Reality Game). Some of our readers noticed these little tidbits in earlier webisodes, leading to the website of a construction company. This video contains the words "HINT UPSET EVE." What does it mean? We have no idea. Have any of you made any progress with this viral campaign? For that matter, is anyone even interested? Watch the video after the break.*Not his real name.
Lost Planet webisodes 1 & 2 now on XBLM [update 1]
The Lost Planet viral marketing continues with the introduction of webisode 2. This webisode features a little more character interaction, but the meat of the trailer is clips of the actual gameplay, including the mech that transforms into a snowmobile. We really must commend Capcom on its marketing skillz, because they seem to be working. Starting way back in May with the demo, every little snippet gets us more interested in the game -- let's not forget the Turkey Day multiplayer demo either. Check out webisode 2 after the break.
Small Arms' old name, Lost Planet interview
Our friends at Gamertag Radio recently sat down with some of the team behind Capcom's Lost Planet and got a surprise interview with Gastronaut Studios (the team behind Small Arms). While he was at Gastronaut HQ, Godfree snapped a picture of the above poster. Apparently Small Arms was originally called Hipshot (good change, guys). Listen for talk of Lost Planet multiplayer (six grenade types?!) and plenty of info about the Small Arms development process. Unfortunately, the real questions were never answered. For example, will Devil May Cry ever see the light of day on 360? No answer. What about a Small Arms release date? "Soon." And so, we're back where we started. Still, if you're looking forward to these games, it's worth a listen. Maybe we should do one of these "podcast" things ...
Lost Planet MP demo + turkey = awesome
If you we able to focus at all when you opened your copy of Gears of War, you may have noticed a flier advertising a multiplayer demo for Lost Planet. The card merely reminds you to "Check out Xbox Live Marketplace for new multiplayer demo!" and does not bother with specific dates. Enter Capcom with this announcement: the Lost Planet multiplayer demo will arrive on November 23rd, an obscure American holiday we call Thanksgiving, during which we collectively ingest thousands of turkeys. Some of us even eat the giblets ... *shudder.* The multiplayer demo supports 16 players online, and should give eager gamers a chance to see what Lost Planet has to offer. Also, in a move probably inspired by Dead Rising's phenomenal demo-to-sale conversion rate, retailers will begin taking pre-orders for the game starting the next day, cleverly dubbed "White Friday" by Capcom. Should you opt for the now obligatory collector's edition, you will be given access to a new map, which will available to the regular edition schmucks for free by summer 2007. And, if that wasn't enough Lost Planet for you, expect to see trailers for the game before this holiday season's biggest movies like Casino Royale. The revelation of the extra map's availability answers some questions we raised about the collector's edition. Basically, you're paying ten extra dollars for a metal case, art book, and early access to a free map. Is that worth it? Is anyone still planning on getting the collector's edition?[Via Joystiq]
Lost Planet multiplayer demo coming out on turkey day
Capcom announced today that the multiplayer demo of Lost Planet will (finally) be available as a free download on Xbox Live come November 23rd. Stuff yourself with as much food as possible (although not turkey, you don't want to pass out) while this thing downloads and see what all the hubbub is about. Invite a few friends too, it supports 16 players online. We've enjoyed the time that we've spent in both the single-player and multiplayer versions of the game, and the response to the XBL demo currently available, which is single-player only, has been very favorable. If you want to know more about what you can expect, check out the videos from the multiplayer demo at the Leipzig Games Convention.Retailers will also give gamers a chance to preorder the game on November 24th, which has been dubbed "White Friday" by Capcom. Anyone who preorders the game will be given a token card containing a code for XBL that will let you download a separate version of the multiplayer demo that contains an extra map, "Dilapidation." People who pony up for the collector's edition of the game will likewise be given access to a second bonus map which won't be released until summer of 2007 as a free download. So by spending ten bucks extra, you'll get a special case, an art book *yawn* and an extra map. A whole set of extra maps might be worth the extra dough, but just one? Still not sold. With so many companies offering collector's editions of their games (Gears of War, Halo 2 & 3, Perfect Dark Zero, World of Warcraft), they really need to make it worthwhile to justify the extra cost, a flimsy tin case just isn't going to cut it anymore. Check out the Burning Crusade collector's edition to see what every publisher should be offering in these fancy packages.Capcom will also be running a 60 second theatrical trailer for the game in front of movies like Casino Royale on over 2,000 screens, which = a buttload. With Gears of War using movie theaters for their "A Match Made in Hell" event, gamers will stop wanting to game on small(ish) screens, and will take the action to their local multiplex. We hate commercials in front of our movies, but we might be able to start making an exception for well-done game trailers. They are really trying to spread the word on this one, the image for this post was taken from an insert in at least one of our Gears of War game cases.Hit us on Thanksgiving on XBL and we'll see how drowsy you are.
Video: Lost Planet, the soap opera?
Some may remember the series of "webisodes" that preceded the launch of Capcom's Dead Rising. It looks like someone at Capcom's marketing department liked the idea, as the first webisode of Lost Planet has just hit the web. The short clip introduces some of the characters and gives audiences a rare chance to hear a bad British accent in a videogame. Then again, maybe it's some kind of soap opera cliché and he's only pretending to be British. Whatever the case, the game still looks very nice, and anyone interested should take a look. Watch the video after the break.
