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Fallout 3 dominates MI6 marketing awards
Critical acclaim is a swell bullet point for the back of a box, but, really, who bases their buying decisions on what the so-called "experts" have to say? Let's face it, we buy certain games because they're staring us down every which way we turn -- on the internet, on the TV, on the frickin' subway -- and because, well, sometimes we're just suckers for the ol' "Chotchkie" Editions. And, while we might curse the thought of marketing (and our powerlessness against it), the MI6 Awards celebrates this integral component of the game industry machine. So, just this once, let's all give a hand to the brilliant minds that so craftily offered us many, many valuable opportunities to ride their hype waves all the way to the checkout last year. View the complete list of awards and "Gold Winners" (no euphemism necessary, huh?) after the break.
MI6: Dark Void impressions
We'll admit it -- we kinda have a crush on Capcom and Airtight Games' Dark Void. It started back at E3 '08, and only got stronger when we had a brief rendevous at CES earlier this year. So, when we saw the game being demo'd at yesterday's MI6 Game Marketing summit, we were both excited and confused. After all, what was the game doing there, of all events? Truth be told, we're not sure even Capcom knew why, but we weren't going to look a gift demo in the mouth. The game's associate producer, Shana Bryant, took us through a small area from a day-old build of the game, explaining that it was intended to give a better indication of the sort of scenic variety we could expect from the finished product. Where earlier builds focused on more "Earth-like" settings, she said, the new area was definitely not of this world.We got to see the game's hero, Will, assisting other airborne friendlies in taking down Watcher UFOs in a battle we were told would lead to the infiltration of an underground complex. One of our biggest fears about the game -- the framerate -- was squashed, as everything ran silky smooth, complimented by subtle effects such as Will's pants rustling as he flew. Oh, how we yearn to take our relationship with this game to the next level at E3. %Gallery-24248%
MI6: PS3-to-Facebook integration 'coming quicker than some may think' [update]
Update: SCEA contacted us with this statement to clarify: "There's nothing imminent in the pipeline between PS3 and Facebook or any social media sites. The point Koller was making is that the day when the console market in general will have tighter integration with social media isn't too far off. SCEA is always evaluating opportunities that might expand where and how the PS3 community interacts."The MI6 Games Marketing Summit is going on right now and our man on the scene, Randy Nelson, just dropped an interesting tidbit in our laps. During a panel titled "Casual to the Core: Redefining the Gaming Dynamic," SCEA's John Koller talked about social media and how it can affect the games space. When asked by panel moderator John Davison if there would ever be a point when someone could be playing PS3 and have it "spit out something to Facebook," Koller stated that plans are already afoot. He said that such functionality is "critical not just for marketing but for the types of games we're trying to develop. That day is coming quicker than some may think." One must try to remain skeptical of this, however. Koller didn't say any specific Facebook implementation would be coming, and could have just been referring to social media interaction as a whole. Still, we must admit it's a great idea, if only for something small like real-time Trophy updates for your Facebook friends.
