Q4 2010
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Gran Turismo 5 arriving in Europe on November 3
If you're willing to believe any Gran Turismo 5 date announcement, you'll be glad to know that the game will -- allegedly -- be racing to retailers in Europe on November 3. Sony announced as much at its Gamescom presser this morning.
Nintendo dates Q4 lineup, announces Bit.Trip Fate
Nintendo sent out one of its seasonal mega-press releases, announcing pretty much everything at once. Its whole fall Wii lineup now has solid release dates, with newly dated games including: Kirby's Epic Yarn: October 17 Wii Party: October 3 PokePark Wii: November 1 FlingSmash: November 7 Donkey Kong Country Returns: November 21 On DS, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem has been given a November 14 date. But Nintendo didn't stop there with the announcements: we now know we can expect Super Meat Boy for WiiWare and Shantae: Risky's Revenge for DSiWare this holiday season (which was previously announced, but it's good to know that game is still on track). Also ... Bit. Trip Fate this fall! That's right, not content with merely giving release dates to games we knew about, Nintendo went ahead and announced someone else's unannounced game. And that's why we love these press releases.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon coming to Wii and PSP this Nov.
While they are responsible for monitoring and apprehending malicious spirits that threaten the United States, the Ghost Recon soldiers are frequently tasked with shooting a bunch of bad guys in politically unstable circumstances. You'll be able to accompany them to Sri Lanka in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Predator for PSP, and to Norway and Moscow in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: No Subtitle for Wii. According to Ubisoft, both games are due this November. Both promise a "true Ghost Recon experience," which implies technologically advanced weaponry, squad-based combat and probably a suitcase that is also a bomb. Ghost Recon Predator (that's the PSP game) will offer customizable squad mates and three-player ad-hoc multiplayer, while the more action-oriented Wii title promises two-player co-op with drop-in play (Ubisoft describes it more interestingly as "Co-op Hot Join"). The Wii's Ghost Recon seems to be quite a departure from other Tom Clancy games, though Ubisoft stresses that you'll still get "high intensity combat, tactical infiltration and WOW moments." That's probably referring to the exclamation, not the loot spilling out of a terrorist's dead body. %Gallery-99548%
Nail'd secures October 19 release date
Techland's insane ATV game Nail'd might defy reality in many ways, chaining together ridiculous stunts that nobody should ever do, on courses that rely on incredible, unlikely circumstances -- but even something with as little regard for the real world as this must adhere to linear time. To that end, publisher Deep Silver has announced a release date for the game: October 19 in North America, and October 22 in Europe. Past the break, you'll find a new trailer, absolutely loaded with both guitar rock and slow-motion absurdity.
Rising Star Games sees a Deadly Premonition in Europe
Deadly Premonition, Access Games' creepy, low-budget survival horror adventure starring an insane FBI investigator, is on the way to Europe. Former Marvelous partner and "Home of Japanese Games" Rising Star Games will publish the surreal open-world Xbox 360 game in Europe this "autumn," for £24.99 ($39), which isn't quite as wallet-friendly as the North American release's $19.99 price point, but is still less than full price. In the press release, Rising Star noted the unusual range of reactions from reviewers, including IGN's 2/10 review. Seriously, this quote is in the press release announcing the game: "Awful in nearly every way... Terrible controls. Terrible pacing. Terrible sound effects. Terrible visuals." Absolutely everything about this game is insane, even the people publishing it.
Costume Quest is Double Fine's first downloadable title
As reported from last month's Develop conference, Double Fine – the San Francisco-based development studio led by Tim Schafer – won't be following up Brütal Legend with Brütal Legend 2. Instead, it's working on four "smaller" games, the first of which has just been revealed. Costume Quest is the first of two games being published by THQ and it's not being designed by Tim Schafer himself. "The concept is the brainchild of Double Fine lead animator Tasha Harris," 1UP reports. Shafer explains, "we are coming out swinging with two great adventures from two of the most creative minds in the company." While the game is being published by THQ's KFC business (that's Kids, Family, Casual Games), VP Martin Good says the games' "potential appeal could encompass both hardcore and casual players." Costume Quest has a Halloween theme and, in what is surely a coincidence, a Halloween release date this year on both Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. For more information on what kind of game it is (it's isometric!) and to see some screens of the lovely, cel-shaded art, hit up UGO in the Source link below. %Gallery-99218%
Rumor: Ubisoft releasing Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia trilogies on PS3
According to Amazon France listings spotted by The Sixth Axis, both Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia franchises could be getting the Blu-ray treatment in the coming months. Unfortunately, other than a 39.95 Euro ($54) price tag and a November 2 release date, neither listing provides any real detail on what the trilogies might contain. If Ubisoft is planning to re-release these games as compilations, it's possible that they might feature updated graphics, much like last year's God of War Collection. With a Sly Cooper collection on the way -- and rumors of a Team Ico Collection refusing to go away -- we'd hardly be surprised to see third-party publishers giving their own classics another spin.
EA's customizable puzzler 'Create' coming this November
EA's hoping you'll take off that silly santa hat and don a thinking cap this holiday, when you play "Create," a new game from its UK-based Bright Light studio. "Create uses families' imaginations to develop new ways to play together that are both fun and challenging," said Harvey Elliot, VP and general manager of Bright Light. So, the game's about ... inventing stuff? Not quite. The actual nuts and bolts of gameplay are about completing "level-based challenges" and solving Rube Goldberg-esque puzzles in ... creative ways. The more you complete, the more objects and tools unlock to customize the environment. The game is set to launch on PC, Mac, Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Create will support the PlayStation Move, though no indication is given that the Xbox version will employ Kinect. Based on the first trailer (see it after the break), the game seems comparable to LittleBigPlanet -- though it's lacking that adorable little sack guy -- and The Incredible Machine. Create will arrive at retail sometime this November. %Gallery-98649%
Dragon's Lair Trilogy for Wii: one step closer to porting Dragon's Lair to everything
Hey, Mad Dog McCree: Gunslinger Pack, there's a new sheriff in town -- the "town" in this case being the set of "Collections of Three Laserdisc Games on Wii." Digital Leisure and publisher Destineer are partnering to release Dragon's Lair Trilogy on Wii this fall. Despite the name, the "Trilogy" is only two-thirds Dragon's Lair: in addition to Dragon's Lair and Dragon's Lair 2: Time Warp, the disc will include Space Ace. And for those of you who want to watch the remastered animation, but who firmly insist that these aren't video games, you can remove any vestige of interactivity and just enjoy the games in "Watch Mode." The collection will retail for $30, which is relatively good news for this guy.
Microsoft reports $4.5b in profit, a record $16.04b in revenue
This time last year, almost to the day, Microsoft saw its first annual sales decline in history. Things are looking much better now, with the company reporting a record $16.04 billion in revenue, a 22 percent year-over-year increase for its Q4 revenue ending June 30th. In fact, revenue is up across all divisions, with Windows and Windows Live seeing the biggest uptick (43.5 percent to $4.55 billion) followed by Entertainment and Devices (27.3 percent to $1.6 billion). Operating income, on the other hand, paints a different picture of E&D, showing a $172 million loss for this quarter (compared to $141 loss in Q4 last year), but looking over the entire fiscal year, the home of Xbox and Zune this year did $679 million in operating income -- a sizable jump to the $108 million from 2009. The overall operating income for the company is $5.93 billion this quarter (net income $4.52 billion), a 49 percent increase over last Q4, and $20.36 billion for the year (18 percent compared with fiscal 2009). We know you're interested in comparisons, so we'll just go ahead and break it down for ya: the gang in Redmond is still beating Apple in both revenue ($16.04 billion vs. $15.7 billion) and profit ($4.52 billion vs. $3.25), but that margin feels smaller than it used to. Enough to keep the rumored pressure off Ballmer? Frankly, we don't even think biplanes could knock the man off the top of a tower, but Windows Phone 7 has a lot to prove, and fast. Microsoft is hosting a webcast of its report later today -- usually much ado about nothing, as far as we're concerned, but we'll listen in and let ya know if anything interesting pops up. Update: Some interesting Xbox 360 statistics. 1.5 million consoles were sold this last quarter. Xbox Live has 25 million members, and for the first time since its inception, the revenue from the Marketplace exceeded subscription revenue.
Meet Majin, visit the Forsaken Kingdom on November 30
If, like us, you've been waiting patiently for your formal introduction to your giant, super-powered, super-huggable BFF Majin, now you can schedule your playdate for November 30. That's the date that Namco Bandai revealed for the North American release of Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom, Game Republic's new adventure about hanging out with the most wonderful stone giant guy ever (and also fighting or something). Join us in scouring the gallery below for any evidence of a Boy and His Blob-style hug button, won't you? We mostly see a lot of fighting in here.%Gallery-97995%
CryEngine 3 licensed for XBLA, PSN version of arena FPS Nexuiz
Going from a free, community-driven environment to the closed storefronts on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network calls for some added incentive. Developer IllFonic claims its console version of Nexuiz, which began as an open-source shooter for Windows, Linux and OSX, will be the first downloadable title developed with CryEngine 3. That's quite an upgrade over the Quake 1 engine that once powered the arena-based first-person shooter. Looking to reap the benefits from Crytek's support and technology -- not to mention Quake Arena Arcade's continued absence -- Illfonic plans to launch Nexuiz simultaneously on PSN and XBLA this winter. According to lead designer Kedhrin Gonzalez, maintaining the collaborative, malleable nature of the original will "definitely" be a goal. "Nexuiz was built by a community and we're bringing that vision to consoles," he said. "But we had to change some things in order to make it more accessible to console players." Initially, that audience will find some standard multiplayer offerings like Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag, wrapped in a fast-paced fragfest not unlike Unreal Tournament III (which supported basic modding on PlayStation 3). We should be able to see how community-created content takes shape when the game is showcased at this year's Penny Arcade Expo, which will take place in Seattle from September 3 until September 5. %Gallery-97412%
Vanquish sliding across Europe October 22 [Update: Now with specific date]
Platinum Games' first Shinji Mikami-helmed title, Vanquish, will slide, jumpkick, and then pulverize European retail on October 22, according to a press release from Sega Europe. While no release window beyond "winter" has been nailed down for the game's North American debut, Famitsu puts an October 21 date on the game's Japanese arrival (via VG247). It seems we won't have long to wait before hearing about our own release date, however, as Sega added that it'll be able to talk worldwide dates "shortly." While we wait for that, why not join us in watching this flippy, explosioney trailer for the game, hmm? Sega also announced European pre-order bonuses for the stylish shooter -- a set of three downloadable guns that will be given away with pre-orders from "selected retailers." Update: Release date and pre-order info has arrived via press release and been added to this post. %Gallery-97142%
Split/Second 'sploding on PSP this holiday
Disney Interactive has announced that its havoc-wreaking racer, Split/Second, is drifting onto the PSP in time for the holiday. The basic structure of the game will remain intact -- players drive across booby trap-infused tracks, attempting to take out the competition by setting off hazards at opportune times. Online multiplayer is a no-show, but up to four players will be able to engage in ad-hoc races. We're awfully curious about how Disney plans on porting Split/Second's big, blockbuster feel to a much smaller device. More than that, though, we're looking forward to the game's first commercial, where a kid is playing his PSP in the back of his mom's minivan, and oh no, the road's blowing up in real life! And the mom's swerving out of the way, like, why is this happening? And the kid smiles, knowingly. %Gallery-97064%
Rayman Origins slapped on XBLA, PSN this Christmas, other platforms possible
Rayman and Globox will be slapping everything in sight as soon as this holiday season. The "about" page for Rayman Origins, the new 2D Rayman revival, reveals that the first episode is scheduled for a Christmas release, with "the rest" to follow in 2011. Ubisoft specified releases on "HD Consoles" for the platformer, with Wii, PC, iPad, and 3DS in consideration as well. The page also reveals that the Ubiart framework used by Origins' five-person team to create the game will be released open-source next year, allowing users to design levels and characters. Not only is Ubisoft making a convincingly indie-style game, it's going to release tools to let you make indie games.%Gallery-96983%
OnLive's Perlman says Microconsole coming by end of 2010
Speaking with OnLive company head Steve Perlman at E3 2010, Joystiq learned that the TV-based version of OnLive should be widely available by the end of 2010. "When we get to what we call 'cruising altitude' -- this is the bumpy takeoff -- we can introduce the Microconsole. It's a walk before you run sorta thing. Frankly, this is the quietest -- well, it's not the quietest, but it's one of the quieter times of the year for gaming -- the fourth quarter is the really big ramp up." It's his hope that the service will have a chance to become completely stable before going live with the home console. "So between now and the fourth quarter gives us an opportunity to sort of get our legs underneath us without being at huge risk of disappointing people." When asked to elaborate on whether that meant the Microconsole would be arriving by the end of 2010, Perlman responded. "Oh yeah yeah yeah. They're working ... We have beta users who are using it." Additionally, Perlman pointed out that the service is already up and running (for beta users) on "the iPad or on the iPhone as well -- or on Android now." Our full interview with Perlman and OnLive's Joe Bentley will be up in the coming days.
EA Sports MMA grapples with October 19 launch date
Peter Moore took pause during the EA E3 keynote to detail a launch date for its UFC competitor, EA Sports MMA: October 19. On top of a release date, Moore revealed that competitors Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianeko will battle for box art real estate -- both will be featured on the game's cover.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 'Vietnam' add-on coming Winter 2010
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam was just announced at EA's press conference. The first expansion pack to the hit FPS series will be released this winter. No further details were airdropped, but we'll be sure to fight our way to getting more details soon. Update: EA has revealed a few more details about Vietnam, which will be a multiplayer-only expansion, featuring four new maps. Additionally, the add-on will include "enhanced" persistence, as well as new weapons, vehicles, unlocks, awards and Achievements/Trophies. Pricing will be announced at a later date. Peep the trailer after the break.
Fable 3 launches on October 26
Ready to drag some slaves back into your dungeon, Fable-style? Well, you'd better be, 'cause Fable 3 is heading to Xbox 360 and PC on October 26. Peter Molyneux hit the stage at this morning's Microsoft press conference and let the release date slip. We'd love to tell you more, but frankly, there's not much else to say. We'll have a new trailer for you (featuring dog grabbing, no joke) just as soon as Microsoft hands it over.
Kinect moves into retail this November
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/Kinect_Moves_Into_Retail_This_November'; According to Xbox.com, we'll be flailing our arms and jumping in the air with Kinect this November. Microsoft seems to be aiming directly for mainstream culture's jugular, with broadcast media getting body-ons this morning. Enjoy. [Thanks, Jason C.!]
