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Android smartphone made of solid titanium now available for $1,800
In the past, luxury handset manufacturer Gresso has been known for dressing up iPhones with diamonds (and charging $30,000 for the deed) and producing featurephones, but now it's getting into the Android business with its limited edition Radical smartphone series. The bottom-line model, the Radical R1, goes for $1,800 and is made of grade 5 solid titanium, while you can also grab a $2,300 version, which features a logo plate adorned with your choice of white or yellow 18K gold (everything else is exactly the same, however). Not too shabby, but the downside is that they don't necessarily come with the flagship specs you might come to expect from phones that cost a third of the price: The 219g (7.73-ounce) Radicals come with Android 4.1.2, a 4.5-inch qHD screen, dual SIM support, an 8MP rear camera, 36GB internal storage and a quad-core 1.2GHz processor. Don't wait long to decide, however -- only 999 units are available. Update: we originally reported the R1's price at $1,500, where in fact it is actually $1,800.
Prototype dev Radical Entertainment's status hasn't changed since downsize
A tweet from downsized Prototype 2 developer Radical Entertainment's twitter account last week may have been interpreted a bit too optimistically."Just a quick note to our great fans and friends," the tweet on September 19 from the company's official account read. "The rumours of our closure have been greatly exaggerated - we're still here! More later..."We reached out to Activision Blizzard, of which Radical is a subsidiary, to get a clearer picture of the studio's status. A representative informed us that nothing had changed since the statement in late June. The staff was reduced, but the studio wasn't closed.Radical Entertainment remains open, supporting other existing Activision projects, but the studio has ceased "development of its own games going forward."
The Amazing Spider-Man has been cooking for at least a year; Acti canned Spider-Man 4
It's hard to nail down exactly when Beenox began production of The Amazing Spider-Man. According to Activision producer Doug Heder, Amazing has been in the works for longer than either Shattered Dimensions or Edge of Time, the publisher's two latest Spidey titles. "We've spent more time on this game than we will have on either of the other two," he explained to me after Marvel's game panel at New York Comic Con this past weekend. But that's not to say that all that time has been spent in production -- apparently the genesis of Amazing was nearly four years ago, though development didn't begin in earnest until about a year ago. "They are two completely separate teams," Heder said of the developing studio, Beenox. "We have separate leads, separate artists, separate designers -- they're working in parallel with each other." Heder also noted that, at one point, Activison had another studio working on a Spider-Man 4 title to be released alongside a planned movie. When the movie fell through, however, Activision canceled the project and concentrated on other Spidey games. "That was a completely different studio that was working on it, completely different tech, and engine and everything," Heder said. "And when the movie shut down, we shut the game down." Reports from 2009 suggest Radical was working on the now canned title, but Heder unfortunately wouldn't get any more specific.
Toyota smashes EV record on Nurburgring, speed rivals gas-powered cars (video)
Last week, Toyota's racing team set out to break the current EV record on the Nordschleife track, part of Germany's infamous Nürburgring -- and they've done it, clocking a swift 7:47.79 seconds with the P001 electric racing car. The Peugeot EX1 EV's previous 9:01.338 record seems like a distant memory as the new contender shaved more than a minute off the time, giving even gasoline-powered vehicles a run for their money. Toyota's car is no slouch as it can reach 260km/h (174mph), with a track time that rivals the Radical SR8 LM's record breaking time of 6:48. Beating its predicted goal of eight minutes, Toyota hopes the victory will bring new awareness to electric racing and perhaps to help sell custom race cars in the future -- yes, you too might be able to cop a car with the same guts (albeit different body and chassis) as a Radical Sportscar some day. Check out the full PR after the jump.
Activision reveals April launch for Prototype 2, September for X-Men Destiny
Kicking off its San Diego Comic Con announcements, game publishing giant Activision today revealed two solid, very different release dates for two hopefully solid, very different games. First up, Prototype 2 will surf victims' bodies into retail on April 24, 2012. A new trailer for next year's sequel is available just below the break, fresh from San Diego. Additionally, a new trailer for X-Men Destiny was released, which puts a September 27 launch date on the next project from Silicon Knights. Given the origin of both pieces of info, SDCC attendees should be aware that X-Men Destiny will be playable at this week's show, while "15-minute live stage presentations" for Prototype 2 will be going off at the Activision booth. Still here? Both trailers are just below -- follow us!
Racing Green Endurance team completes its 16,000 mile, electric Pan-American trip (video)
Hey, remember the crazy Imperial College kids in the Racing Green Endurance team, the ones who took a perfectly wonderful Radical racer and stripped it of its internal-combustion assets, flew it to Alaska, and then pledged to drive it all the way down the Pan-American Highway? Well, they made it. 26,000km later (that's 16,155 miles) the team has reached Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southern tip of South America and a long, long way from Anchorage. Traveling an average of 300km (186 miles) per day the team conquered desert, jungle, and torrential rain storms, conditions the purely electric and decidedly track-focused machine certainly wasn't meant for, but proving that an EV can be driven way beyond its maximum range -- if you don't mind taking nearly six months to do it. [Thanks, Amanda]
Racing Green Endurance SRZero electric car to make 16,000 mile trip, 250 at a time
Want to show that electric cars can be practical in day-to-day living? Take one on an impossibly long trip and show the world. That's the plan for the Racing Green Endurance team, centered at Imperial College London, which will be taking its SRZero electric car along 26,000km (16,000 miles) of the Pan-American Highway, starting in northern Alaska and driving all the way down to Tierra del Fuego on the southern tip of South America. Their car is a repurposed Radical SR8, once a back-breakingly quick two-seat prototype with a curb weight of just 1,433lbs and a rollicking 363 V8 in the back. That lump has been displaced by a pair of Axial Flux electric motors, producing a combined peak of 386hp, though their batteries conspire to nearly double the car's initial weight to 2,600lbs. Still, a 248 mile range is predicted on the EPA cycle, and since you can eke out 300 in a Tesla Roadster (224 mile EPA-rated range), 350 might just be possible here. We'll find out in July, when the trip begins. Early video after the break, filmed by Claudio von Planta of Long Way Round fame, and we threw in footage of the SR8 setting the Nurburgring production car record just for kicks.
Assassin's Creed 2, Dragon Age: Origins win Canadian game awards
We like to playfully rip on Canada every now and then (America's hat!), but we must admit that The Great White North knows how to make some quality games, evidenced by the winners at the inaugural Canadian Videogame Awards ceremony. While Game of the Year went to Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 made out with the most awards, winning Best Console Game, Best Visual Arts, and Best Game Design, and sharing the award for Best Technology with Radical Entertainment's Prototype. That's not to say all of the awards went to the triple-A titles, as Toronto's own darling, Capybara Games, received nods for two of its titles: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, which won Best Handheld Game, and Critter Crunch, which secured victory as the Best Downloadable Game. Maybe now that cute little guy will stop crying so much! [Thanks, Alan Strangis]
Luxoflux shuttered as layoffs hit Activision dev studios, publisher confirms
Reports began circulating this morning about major layoffs at a handful of Activision-owned development studios, affecting as much as half of Radical Entertainment's staff (Prototype), an undisclosed amount of Neversoft employees (Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk), and the entirety of Luxoflux (Tranformers). An Activision rep confirmed two former studio layoffs to us this afternoon, though a representative didn't city any official numbers -- the rep also told us he could "confirm the closure of Luxoflux." The full, significantly more vague, company statement given out to everyone reads: "Activision Publishing continually evaluates its resources to ensure that they are properly matched against its product slate and strategic goals. In 2010, the company's SKU count will be smaller than in 2009 driven in part, by a decrease in the number of music-based games we will be releasing. As we discussed on our earnings conference call yesterday, we are directing our resources against the largest and most profitable business segments, and as part of this initiative, we are realigning our resources to better reflect our slate and the market opportunities. At the same time, we are increasing our digital/online capabilities as we expect that digital/online will continue to become a more meaningful part of our business model in the years ahead."
Steam slashes price on Prototype until August 13
Fans of Barry Pepper and blowin' the crap out of everything in sight need to pay attention to this next string of words: Steam is discounting Prototype by 20% until August 13, bringing the game's price down to $40. While the story is largely forgettable, there's big value in elbow-dropping tanks and throwing air conditioners into helicopters. Oh, and consuming everyone in Manhattan ain't too bad a time, either.
UK chart get: Prototype on top, Ghostbusters debuts at third
According to Chart Track's UK software sales figures from last week, we know the Barry Pepper-voiced free-roamer, Prototype, has managed to secure the top spot. It wasn't an easy battle, as Radical Entertainment's title had some stiff competition in Terminal Reality's Ghostbusters, which made its debut in the UK last week. The ghost bustin' reunion was not enough to topple the "go anywhere, kill everything" game, and managed to secure the bronze with a third place showing. It should be noted that this is the all-format charts, and with it being a PS3 exclusive in the territory (Xbox 360 owners do have options, though), third is pretty impressive for a game on just one platform (excluding Wii Fit). As for second place, The Sims 3 dropped down from its cushy throne last week thanks to a 49% decline in sales. Don't feel too bad for the game, though -- it did have the best PC launch in EA's history, you know.
Metareview: Prototype
Hitting retailers just two weeks after the PlayStation 3 exclusive (and highly regarded) inFamous, we were a bit worried about the fate of Radical Entertainment's Prototype. It seems from the response that most game reviewers are having to it, our worries were somewhat unfounded. 1UP (B-): "Making Alex [the main character] such a badass also proves to be Prototype's undoing. It becomes a fight to follow and control Alex in the midst of the action. This problem mounts the further you get into the game, leading to more frustration than fun ... Alex can essentially fly around the city. With his jump, air dash, and glide abilities fully powered up, and the basic ability to run on any surface, the buildings become like a giant jungle gym." Eurogamer (7/10): "Fans of serious hero fiction will find Prototype a bit of a turn-off. You're infected with some sort of virus ... and the story of why, told through snatches of video obtained by absorbing key characters (basically, weakening and eating them) and in moody cut-scenes, is basic and yet difficult to follow ... Mission design isn't very open-ended, usually boiling down to doing something violently or stealthily, but with such a vast array of attacking options you often have the luxury of trying something different." IGN (7.5/10): "How long can you do flying elbow drops onto tanks or throw people off of rooftops before it gets boring? The world itself here is far from the most engaging ... Since repetition is oftentimes the name of the game here, you can be sure you'll be doing uninspired tasks over and over again." Giant Bomb (4/5): "Radical almost went too far with its kitchen-sink approach to combat design, but the gameplay here is satisfying and broad enough that you can have plenty of fun with it even without mastering the nuances of every last combo and attack ... Prepare to be frustrated from time to time when the mission difficulty amps up to insane levels and you feel it's you against the entire world all of a sudden." %Gallery-5779%
Watch four minutes of Prototype, the death of a helicopter
So, Prototype, we're a little worried about you, not gonna lie. Considering the recent wave of positive inFamous reviews, talk of Crackdown 2, and APB's E3 reveal, a game we once looked forward to greatly could quite possibly fall by the wayside. Luckily, the developer walkthrough of "mission #7" (found after the break) helps to assuage our concerns and brings back some fire into our lonely, cold hearts. Unfortunately for the person piloting Prototype's main man Alex Mercer, things don't go so well and the video ends in tragedy (spoilerz! omg!). Hopefully we'll do better when we get our hands on the retail copy June 9.%Gallery-5779%
Joystiq hands-on: two hours with Prototype
Soon, Prototype will be shipping to stores for its June 9 launch, exactly one week after E3 kicks off. So how did Activision and Radical Entertainment decide to spend the intervening weeks between finishing and launching the game? By having a press event at the New York, New York hotel in Las Vegas, where one of the bars was done over in Prototype fashion: think New York covered in trash (including rats and crows), faux battle damage, zombie-fied go-go girls, dense fog, and even a model helicopter overhead. Amidst all this (and some pulse-pounding techno music) there were game stations set up to distract us from the theme park environment. We managed to ignore the actual bizarre sights long enough to dive in and enjoy the virtual ones. Head past the break for our thoughts on the two hours spent with the upcoming action-adventure title (spoiler alert: it's fun).Also be sure and check out the new images from the game and the event below, along with the new "Boss Battles" video at the end of the post.%Gallery-63848%%Gallery-63857%
Joystiq interview: Radical prez Kelly Zmak on Prototype
Radical Entertainment president Kelly Zmak donned zombie makeup (and cowboy duds?) at the last-hurrah-before-launch event for Prototype (besides E3, of course) in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. Surprisingly, it's the first time we've ever seen the head of a company appear as a member of the undead -- or whatever it is that's happening to folks in the game.We took our chances, closing in on Zmak with a microphone -- well within range of his open sores -- to get his answers on all things Prototype. Continue on after the break for the full interview, and then join us in petitioning Radical to release "Tank Battle" (not to be confused with Battle Tanks). As for us, we've got to go rinse off ...%Gallery-63857%
Radical job listings might hint at Wii Prototype port
We're doing our best not to let our imaginations run away with this, so here are the facts: As superannuation recently noticed, Radical Entertainment is looking for a Wii designer with an "affinity for 3rd Person 'Open-World' Camera Design/Functionality" and a Wii programmer to "take game features from concept to execution for a port of a 360/PS3 game to the Wii."Now, we'd like to think that this is an indication that Radical's bringing upcoming open-world action game, Prototype, to the Wii. Considering the company's track record, however, there's every chance that this is for another Crash game. Less depressingly, the listing could also be recruiting for an unconfirmed Spider-Man game. Not as juicy as Prototype, but hey, at least it's not Crash. What are you hoping for?Source -- Senior Wii Programmer (Systems & Rendering)Source -- Wii Gameplay Designer
New Prototype trailer examines mission types, sword-arming
With only two short months until its North American release, over the top action game Prototype got a new trailer today. Before you read any further, you must know this: Yes, you are able to mow down "infected" enemies (read as: zombies) using the (pilotable) helicopters. Finally!Now that we've gotten that out of the way, in the trailer above, Prototype's executive producer Tim Bennison explains the various mission types you'll be playing. Between "shank dude then appear as him" and "chase giant monster through the city" (clearly the official names), we're hoping the game has enough variation to keep us interested. But, then again, we could always just run up a building and then glide down to the ground off the side of it, killing helicopter pilots on the way down, in mid-air. Yeah, maybe we'll do that instead.
Report: Activision putting Radical to work on Spider-Man, High Moon on Transformers
It's true! Ultra publisher Activision Blizzard is planning to release more games based on the lucrative Transformers and Spider-Man franchises. According to The Cut Scene's Ben Fritz, the powerhouse has already chosen which of its owned developers will sit next to the conveyor belt for upcoming (and currently unannounced) titles. Fritz and his sources suggest that High Moon Studios, developer of last year's The Bourne ConspiraQTE, will deliver a new Transformers game in 2010. Activision likely hopes to turn the robots in disguise into an annual franchise, even without an accompanying film for fans to despise. Likewise, with a Spider-Man 4 film nowhere in sight (we'll ask Spider-Man 3's CSI butler to get on the case), you can expect to see a new, unattached arachnid adventure crawling out of Radical Entertainment -- currently finishing the superheroic Prototype -- sometime in the future.Things you're unlikely to see sometime in the future: giant robots and agile superheroes losing their appeal.
Video: Top ten reasons to play Prototype
Despite what the above trailer has to say on the matter, the number one reason to play Radical Entertainment's open world destroy-em-up, Prototype, is not "Deadly Shape-Shifting Action." No, the number one reason to play Prototype is because you can elbow drop a tank. More importantly, said action will cause the tank to explode. Sure, there are plenty of other cool things to do, like kicking people into tanks, throwing cars into helicopters or repeatedly power bombing soldiers off the sides of buildings, but come on: elbow dropping a tank.You may disagree, but let us offer a counterargument: You. Can elbow drop. A tank.
Heard @ CES 2009: Does Prototype have that fairy dust?
We love Radical Entertainment President Kelly Zmak, his excitement is infectious. One might even go so far as to say that he, himself is radical ... or at least tubular. To give you a sample of Zmak, here's a bon mot he dropped on us as he showed Prototype earlier today on the showfloor of CES."When we get to to the preview stage and you get your hands on it and you get to play it, does it have that magic element, that fairy dust where you have those moments where you go 'F*** yeah!'?"Here's hoping it has it.
