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Mortal Kombat Wii lacks online mode, developer blames Nintendo
The Wii version of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon producer Shaun Himmerick has confirmed that the title will have no online functionality whatsoever. This is despite previous versions of the game having online play (on PlayStation 2 and Xbox One) and despite the developer's wishes to include online play.The reason, as Himmerick explains in an interview with Advanced Media Network, was not a technology issue but that "Nintendo didn't have their online system ready for us when we would have needed to implement it," he said. Himmerick said they instead focused on improving the single player aspect: creating an Endurance mode, including a new character and fine tuning the Wii remote controls.The news comes as further anecdotal evidence that Nintendo is not letting third-party developers put online in their gameplay. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, takes out its aggression on the Wii on May 29.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Rampage: World Tour tosses a trailer your way
The PlayStation Store is gearing up for some more tasty, old school releases. Midway announced the release of six titles throughout the year, and they've already released Mortal Kombat II, Gauntlet II and Rampart. Well, Rampage: World Tour is just around the corner now. Originally released in 1997, the graphics on this version have been pumped up a bit for HD, yet they still look a bit dated. Midway is betting their titles will appeal to gamers yearning for a trip down memory lane. Which is good, because we love the releases of classic titles from yesteryear and thus far, have enjoyed pwning friends with Jax in MKII. Game play on Rampage: World Tour seems similar to what we recall, which will dictate your interest in this go-round of the Rampage franchise. It's a lot of smashing and grabbing. Personally, I've always found gobbling up the damsels in distress quite satisfying. So, what do you think? Is this a title you'll be heading over to download on release?
Area 51: BlackSite demo Live, government still denying existence
You don't know, man! I've been living in a trailer in southern Nevada for nigh on 27 years, and I've seen some things. Things that Uncle Sam ain't exactly thrilled to be talking about sort of things. Just last night, I was laying in the back of my El Camino peering through my Advanced Ritchey-Chretien Telescope with UHTC Coatings when I saw it: A brilliant blue light, hovering right above Groom Lake. It was what Area 51 junkies like myself had been waiting for for since Art Bell was in short pants: Real proof.So, I tell my harpy of a wife this morning, what does she do? She says I never even made it outside last night. She says I blacked out on the Davenport after my 13th (possibly 17th) PBR. She says the kids were up all night playing the "new demo for BlackSite: Area 51," whatever the hell that means. Now, I'm not as concerned about another sighting going tits up as I am about the kids playing their AxeBox 360 without their foil hats. How can I protect them if they're not willing to save themselves?%Gallery-1680%
Happy Friday! Area 51 demo on Marketplace
There are few things better than an unexpected Friday demo. We were delighted to see a demo for BlackSite: Area 51 sitting quietly on Marketplace this morning. After a few minutes we had the demo downloaded and took it for a spin. Upon firing up the demo, you will be quickly greeted by some impressive Unreal Engine 3 visuals. The character models are top notch, and the lighting effects (particularly the wet, reflective surfaces) look fantastic. Not only does it look great, but most of the environment is destructible. The gameplay is sort of a streamlined version of Rainbow Six Vegas, with one button squad commands (you start with two team members) and tactical firefights. You won't be issuing any complicated commands, it's all basic things like "go there" or "open that door," so it's not overwhelming. The demo is very short, you basically make your way through three firefights and that's it. The closing screens of the demo promise more tactical gameplay, lots of vehicles, levels based in US cities, and a robust multiplayer component.All in all the demo is sweet but just a little too short. Hopefully, we'll see a multiplayer demo before the game hits retail this year.
New Touchmaster screens - bar favourites on the way
Here are a bunch of new screens for Touchmaster DS, which should awaken a few hazy memories. The collection of 23 minigames will be familiar to bar patrons everywhere, as they come from Midway's touch screen range.The minigames include trivia, solitaire, and a range of card and puzzle games. You'll also be able to upload your high scores onto worldwide leaderboards. Better start saving that beer money now-- Touchmaster DS goes on sale June 11th in North America.
Metareview + Our Take: Mortal Kombat II
Today gives us the opportunity to look at the reviews given to the PS Store's downloadable Mortal Kombat II. Before we get into our impressions, we'll do as we always do and cite the big-name review sites. Their scores for this game were surprising. There aren't too many reviews on the game, though. Without further ado, here are some of the scores given to MKII. IGN: 7.3 / 10 GameSpot: 7.9 / 10 What we noticed in these reviews is that the reviewers didn't actually review the title as what it is, rather, as what it was. "Oh, this game was great in 1993!" were slapped over both reviews, listing what the game offered back then and how it still does all those things. What our impressions were entailed how that doesn't matter two kicks of the donkey -- the game as it is now really sucks. Read on to listen to our reasoning, or just flame away for no reason now.
Midway reports $11 million sales, $19 million loss
So it would seem the release of Mortal Kombat II on the PS Store actually contributed to helping out Midway's Q1 numbers. We'll be reviewing that title this weekend and here's a teaser -- we aren't pleased. Sales for Midway this first quarter were a reported $11.1 million, down from the previous quarter's $15.4 million. Their net loss is teetering on $19.8 million, which is better than last year and better than anticipated. Most of Midway's killer titles are due out later this year.CEO David Zucker was pleased, saying the company's performance "exceeded our expectations during the first quarter primarily due to the continuing sales of our holiday 2006 releases and other catalog titles." Heck, those random-number-generating analysts snidely remarked that Midway would only see $8 million in sales by the end of the first quarter.Still, Midway isn't making that many games -- they're creating a few new titles on the PSP and DS, but the Wii will be getting a remake of MK: Armageddon, the 360 will snag Hour of Victory, and continued sales of Lord of the Rings Online will probably bear the brunt of sales for the rest of the year. We'd like to see more from these guys on the PS3 -- maybe a new IP. We'll keep you posted if anyone gets talked up, but for now, we'll just continue to shrug at these numbers.
XBLA hosts Catan, infested by Centipedes
We're at a loss for words. Xbox Live Arcade has set an unprecedented streak. For weeks upon weeks, we have had no gaps in our gaming goodness. Furthermore, we have even received multiple games during the same week. Now this week we'll be getting both Catan and the Centipede/Millipede combo. We only have one question: what the hell are we supposed to complain about? Xbox Live Arcade was our go-to source for dissatisfaction and now it seems to be humming along ... smoothly. Catan can be had for 800 points, while Centipede and Millipede will set you back a mere 400.Sigh ... it's just not fair.
Mortal Kombat wants to get "real serious"
What happens when an undisclosed number of game developers stop making the same blood-drenched fighting games and start getting real? A terrible Real World special. That's what. After Armageddon, MK creator Ed Boon said the next title in the franchise will be more realistic-looking and "not going to be like jokes." Indeed. It'll be an edgier move, grittier, dirtier. Darker? Whatever they plan, they're planning from scratch. Other than the idea of it being a fighting game, anything after that is open for consideration. No kart-racing, please.Boon added this about the upcoming (read: end of 2008) game: "We're not putting any restrictions like we HAVE to keep weapons or we HAVE to keep fighting styles and stuff like that... we're going to... try to introduce as many new characters as possible, new features, new stuff like that and take advantage of the amazing presentation, graphics that all of a sudden you can do, things that are a lot more real." New characters are always welcome, really. As far as features go, Boon and his Boonies (teehee, it's like Goonies) will try to incorporate the SIXAXIS controls in there and use the next-gen consoles as fully as possible. We look forward to seeing what gets revealed... next year.
Area 51 being renovated at Hollywood's Paramount Pictures
As far as game-to-film adaptations go, Midway's Area 51 is almost certainly one of the easiest ones to pitch; the equivalent of a limp-wristed grandma flinging a roll of film at an executive producer sitting five inches away. Ticking nearly all of the boxes on Hollywood's quality assurance list, namely "aliens," "guns" and (this one is crucial) "aliens being killed by guns," Area 51 seems like a natural property for Paramount Pictures to abduct and perform hideous experiments on. Variety reports that comic book writer and artist, Grant Morrison, has been handed the task of adapting the 2005 first-person shooter (which was itself loosely based on the 90's light gun game) into a piece of cinema. Morrison's list of published works includes issues of Judge Dredd, New X-Men, Batman, JLA and Fantastic Four. If completed and released (Paramount has reportedly been sitting on the rights since 2004), Area 51 will mark his first produced film project. Hollywood monster guru, Stan Winston, is also attached as producer. Hopefully, the production team will gather some inspiration from forthcoming Area 51 sequel, Blacksite, which is said to be more politically charged and thoughtful than the first. Then again, perhaps Hollywood should concentrate on getting the basics right first.[Via FirstShowing.net]
Battlestations sequel is on the way
In a recent statement, SCi, parent company of Eidos, has confirmed that a sequel to Battlesations: Midway is in development. According to the statement, unearthed by Eurogamer, the original title was a big success, debuting at number one on both the 360 and all formats charts in the UK last month. No details about the sequel have been revealed, but it's probably safe to assume it will involve planes, boats, and submarines. We're also fairly certain the sequel will see release on the Xbox 360.
Midway wants a piece of the PS3 pie, about 4%
If the PS3 were a pie, what kind of pie would it be? Blackberry? Chocolate? Ooh, chocolate sounds good. Apparently, Midway agrees because they have sunk a ton of funds into next-gen development. How much? They've put one-hundred million dollars into next-gen development tools and technology. That's a lot. Oh, and they've also put in two-hundred million dollars into game development. So... okay, wow. Lots of cash just to get started! It's understandable how many companies this early in the game are deciding on multiplatform -- you've got to recoup that initial investment quickly, then you can concentrate on the best of the systems (whichever it turns out to be, we say in our least-fanboyish way).Midway's boss, David Zucker, said this about their goals: "We have been pushing this for two and a half years now, investing a lot and being very heavily focused on next-generation consoles like 360 and PS3. Really this year it's about gaining market share. We're around two per cent of the market – if we can go to four per cent that would be a huge win for us and it's something we really believe we can do. We are looking to do that on next-gen platforms now. We've invested a lot of money and we have a lot of good products." We hope so! We can't remember the last "great Midway product"... especially if we look outside of the Mortal Kombat franchise. Can you?
Midway to develop Aqua Teen Hunger Force combat golf game
What has already been hinted at has finally been confirmed: Aqua Teen Hunger Force is getting a console game. This fall, the mooninites will be invading retail outlets with Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am. Billed as an "epic, action-adventure combat golf, cart racing game," ATHFZNP-A will pit players as the dynamic fast food trio, complete with weapons and golfing equipment, to face bad guys derived from the show.Licensed games, with some exceptions, generally fare badly in terms of quality. There is a glimmer of hope in that ATHF creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis will be "working closely" with Midway, but we're not getting our hopes up.The game is due out this fall on PlayStation 2. If there is any parallel to be drawn between the game and the movie, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theatres, however, some sensationalist event might cause the game to expand its horizons to newer generation consoles.
Las Vegas and Midway may tussle over similar catchphrase
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, owners of the trademarked phrase "Only Vegas," are looking to tussle with Midway games over their attempts to trademark "Only in Vegas." We can't imagine why the LVCVA would think that Midway is dangerously close to infringing on their trademark -- everyone knows that prepositions make everything different.Surreal Games, a division of Midway, is trying to trademark "Only in Vegas" for an upcoming game where "Las Vegas is in the cross hairs of a powerful corporate boss who wants to turn Sin City into a family-themed destination." There's a lot of chest-beating and posturing around this trademark issue currently. Why doesn't Surreal Games just come up with something more original that doesn't come close to violating a trademark? How about, "What happens on the strip, stays on the strip!" Now that's far more original than "Only in Vegas."[Via GamePolitics]
Let's Get Ready 2 Rumble on 360?
While you may not have seen a Ready 2 Rumble game since 2000, by no means does that indicate the series is not going to see the light of day again. Publisher 10tacle Studios of Germany announced that it will be working with Japanese developer Aki. Michael Buffer will also return as the announcer with his trademark catch phrase. While details are a little sketchy in regards to platforms and release date, would you like to see this as a more playful counterpart to the Fight Night franchise? While we're here, did you ever play either game on the Dreamcast?
Mortal Kombat 2 hitting PlayStation Store in March
If you check out the link we've posted, you might have to sign in with your age. Not sure if that really matters, but kids, get permission or whatever. My parenting skills probably aren't sufficient, but that's why I don't have children. Anyway, if you remember Mortal Kombat II, then you should also remember this: March. That's the date Sony has the classic Midway title up for PlayStation Store availability. Since Sony has a pretty funny/entertaining bit on the game, we'll transcribe it below."Get Over Here! Come relive all the fatalities that made Mortal Kombat II® a beloved classic. Brought back and available for download exclusively on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, play as 1 of 12 characters as you venture through realms, such as The Dead Pool, Kombat Tomb or Kahn's Lair. Battle all of your favorite bosses such as Goro or Shang Tsung and unlock hidden characters including Noob Saibot. Decide your enemies' fate with 3 different special endings and prepare to Finish Him!"For $4.99? Sure. Who wouldn't?
Hour of Victory screens and box art
Midway's upcoming World War II themed shooter Hour of Victory has the UK box art, first screenshots and some concept art and renders available for your viewing. The game will be an Xbox 360 exclusive and at the very least doesn't look ugly. We'll have to wait an see from a gameplay standpoint and how it looks when in motion if it's really worth your time. So far it seems to be taking steps in the right direction from a visual standpoint. Some of the commenters at the source were giving it the "meh" treatment since we have our Call of Duty and Brothers in Arms. We're going to wait and see before we pass judgement, though. That being said, do you think we're getting swamped with World War II titles, or is this right up your alley for the setting of a first person shooter?
PREPARE YOURSELF for new Mortal Kombat Armageddon screens
Is it okay to get nostalgic about Mortal Kombat? We know the series isn't that old, and, in fact, still exists. But, for example, we can't help but reference the old "PREPARE YOURSELF" slogan from the 1993 print ads when we're talking about any MK game. We miss the old games, and it took the new one to put us in that state.Looking at the big, empty environments of the new Wii version of Mortal Kombat Armageddon makes us long for the detail-filled stages of the old games, and the sort-of-plain character models remind us of how amusingly hokey the digitized sprites used to be. Those were the days, when we didn't need fancy polygons to enjoy virtually ripping some dude's spine out. We had Claymation bosses and we liked it. It was a simpler time-- a TOASTY!! time.Screens, with obligatory Wii-gesture diagrams, after the break.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force, golfing (?) soon on a PS2 near you
Sure, it's a sad snafu that cost a few million dollars and some mass hysteria, but the Boston Mooninites bomb scare has done wonders for the Aqua Teen Hunger Franchise. The movie, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theatres has been pushed back to allow for a much wider release and now an upcoming PlayStation 2 game will surely sell a few extra copies because of the fiasco.In an interview with G4, Aqua Teen co-creator Dave Willis has described the title as "extreme combat golf," with Frylock being accepted at New Jersey course and Master Shake looking to destroy it. Also promised were violence, villains, and sawed-off shotguns. "Carl's gigantic crabs are lurking in the sandtraps," he said, "and the Brownie monsters, and obviously the Mooninites. It's sort of a racing, violent golf game."Though Willis and co-creator Matt Maiellaro tend to be coy and dishonest in interviews, it's all we have at this point. Truth be told, the extreme golf sounds fun. Whatever it may be, the Aqua Teen Hunger Force game is slated for release later this year, either in the summer or 3rd quarter, on the PlayStation 2.[Thanks, Tom Fronczak]
Paperboy breaks XBLA's window
It's our job to inform you when new games arrive on Xbox Live Arcade. As such, we are compelled to let you know that you can now download Paperboy for your ... um ... paper delivering pleasure. We'd be lying if we said we were excited about it, though. We're sure that some of you have fond memories of the game, but we only remember relentless quarter gobbling difficulty and a premise that's not that fun to begin with. So, if paperboy floats your boat, or, more accurately, delivers your paper, then by all means enjoy it. The rest of us will enjoy the fact that Paperboy was the last remaining "retro" title on the recently announced list of Xbox Live Arcade games. Short of no game at all, we have to get something new next week.Should you desire to subscribe to Paperboy's shenanigans, it can be had for 400 MS points.
