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Sega confirms closure of Iron Man dev Sega Studios San Francisco [update]
The word-of-mouth we reported on last week was proven accurate this morning, when Sega confirmed that it has shut down Sega Studios San Francisco (formerly Secret Level), developer of Iron Man and Golden Axe: Beast Rider. An unnamed Sega representative issued a statement to IndustryGamers, offering condolences to the recently unemployed developers, while promising to "continue to pursue external development opportunities all over the world," a fact we're sure the aforementioned jobless truly appreciate. The only unknown in this scenario is the fate of the studio's swan song, the video game adaptation of Iron Man 2. Rumor has it that the game was finished, but Sega's yet to issue a statement on its completion. We've contacted Sega to find out the game's status, and to find out how many naughty Easter eggs its disgruntled developers embedded within it after being informed their jobs were forfeit. Update: A Sega representative has confirmed that Iron Man 2's May 4 release date hasn't been affected by the studio's closure.
Report: Sega Studios San Francisco shutting down
According to a report by Sega Nerds, which 1UP later claimed to confirm via an anonymous insider at the company, Sega Studios San Francisco, creators of Iron Man, Golden Axe: Beast Rider and the Xbox port of Karaoke Revolution (which was developed under the studio's original moniker, Secret Level), will be shutting down, possibly as soon as this evening. According to 1UP, a memo about the closure began to circulate through the company yesterday -- meaning it could just be the most tasteless April Fools' Day joke in the history of mankind. Both 1UP and Sega Nerds report that Sega Studios San Fran's current project, Iron Man 2, has been completed, so a studio shutdown wouldn't derail the title's May 4 release date. It might, however, derail the studios' employees' enjoyment of this Easter weekend. If the report turns out to be accurate, we wish everyone at Sega Studios San Francisco the best of luck in finding new means of employment.
Here's your first look at Iron Man 2 in action
There, that was the first trailer for Iron Man 2. Now, here's a brief history lesson, courtesy of "Iron Man's new trailer looks unexpectedly awesome":"We know, we know, it's just a video clip. And yes, we know that we've been burned by sexy trailers for mediocre licensed games before. But this new trailer for Iron Man (shown during last night's Spike VGAs) is just so freaking good, we're finding it hard to keep our cynical composure.How about when Iron Man throws a fighter jet, or when it grabs a missile and redirects it? How about the original gray armor? Awesome. Everything here is."Never, ever forget this lesson: You can believe what we're saying 99.9% of the time. But when it comes to pretending to be a man in a robot suit, we are frail, weak, and, above all, not to be trusted.
Sega to churn out Iron Man 2
If the world has felt just a little more mediocre lately, it's not your imagination: Sega has begun work on transforming upcoming Robert Downey Jr. vehicle Iron Man 2 into "multi-platform" video game form. And why wouldn't Marvel want to make a deal like that, after Sega Studios San Francisco (formerly Secret Level) knocked it out of the park with the last Iron Man iteration? 45 percent on Metacritic? Hell, is it too early to sign them on for Iron Man 3?You'll be able to do your best to avoid eye contact with Iron Man 2 when it crash-lands on store shelves alongside the movie in 2010.
The Abrax: Golden Axe's purple chicken evolved?
Sega has released a new video featuring one of the new beasts in Golden Axe: Beast Rider. As the title implies, the beast in question can be ridden. Called the Abrax, the beast looks to be something of an amalgamation of the dragons and the purple chicken-lizard thing from the original arcade game. It has a variety of abilities, including a tail whip, fire breath, and fireballs that take on the properties of mortar shells. All in all, the Abrax looks like a pretty sweet ride, although we can't help but feel something's missing.Check out a video of the original chicken-lizard in action after the break. We're these guys separated at birth, or what?
Golden Axe video is missing something
Imagine you gathered together a group of video game journalists and told them to recall their fondest memories of the classic Sega arcade game, Golden Axe. Now imagine you created a video montage of said journalists discussing said memories. Now imagine watching that video and not once hearing the word "multiplayer." Seems a little weird, no? And yet, not once in a new Golden Axe: Beast Rider mini documentary (embedded after the brdeak) does a single person mention one of the biggest (if not the biggest) features from the original Golden Axe, multiplayer. Now, we're not saying Beast Rider will be an awful game -- in fact, it looks pretty decent -- but come on. Really? Nobody remembers how awesome it was to take on Death Adder with a buddy? Nobody remembers how our brother used to kick us in the shins when our dwarf accidentally clipped his barbarian with our trusty battle axe?Anyhway, the team at Secret Level seems to be pretty dedicated to the Golden Axe legacy. We just hope someone explains the lack of multiplayer. Somehow, we get the feeling that the answer will sound something like this: "Do you know how successful God of War is?"
Debut Golden Axe: Beast Rider trailer shows protagonist riding beasts
We were heartbroken to learn that the upcoming re-imagining of the once beloved arcade franchise, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, would not feature any co-op gameplay. Our faith in the title was admittedly shaken -- though this debut trailer has officially piqued our interest. After all, who needs friends when you have gigantic, mountable dinosaurs? Though we would have preferred to see some footage of some unassumping, puntable power-up gnomes, the combat in the above video certainly looks enticing -- though the gameplay featured in this preview might be lost on you if your monitor is unable to display the 400 shades of brown apparently used to create the game's visual aesthetic. May we suggest adjusting the title to the slightly more appropriate Burnt Sienna Axe?
Golden Axe: Beast Rider impressions
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/Golden_Axe_Beast_Rider_impressions_no_co_op_play'; Bad news, kids: Golden Axe: Beast Rider won't have any co-op play. Nigel Cook, Senior Producer at Secret Level, Sega's Bay Area studio creating the arcade "reimagining", said it was a "difficult decision" to remove the original's group gameplay and "focus on one player for the first game in the franchise." So, there are going to be more titles, and "the second game in the franchise is going to have all the characters in co-op," but for the first installment it's all about perfecting the combat. Now that you've had a moment to digest the very concept of a Golden Axe without cooperative play, let's discuss that combat system. Beast combat is what makes the game special, Cook tells us, but it's not the only combat offered. He compared the game's melee system to action paragon Devil May Cry, and the arcade's magic system is back as well. First, the beasts: There are five offered in the game including a giant gorilla, a cheetah-like cat thing that can become invisible, and the "raptor," an enormous T-Rex-esque reptile with a scorpion tail. As you can see, historical accuracy is very important in Beast Rider.%Gallery-15436%
Go behind-the-scenes with Secret Level's Iron Man
This video goes behind-the-scenes with San Francisco developer, Secret Level -- the dev studio working on PS3 and 360 versions of Iron Man. The crew talks about the challenges and techniques involved with making the game, but also focus on how they harnessed Iron Man's flying abilities. Not only that, but the video also displays tasty in-game footage and concept art.So far, we like what we've seen of the game. We need to pat Secret Level on the back. The flight gameplay looks glorious, as does the environments when flying. We hope it will remain this way once we play the game for ourselves.
Joystiq impressions: Iron Man (Xbox 360)
Of course Iron Man is yet another movie cash-in, a title that will sit on the shelf and call to you as you march out the cinema with glitzy, superhero shenanigans still fresh in your memory. But aside from all that, wanting to play as the eponymous, metal-clad cad is a desire that doesn't just come from the foul wells of corporate synergy and marketing. Nigh indestructible and capable of dishing out destruction from the palm of his hand, it's no challenge to see the appeal in controlling Iron Man -- a literal can of whoop-ass. It does come as a major concern then, when his in-game movements display more than a little clumsiness. It's not entirely Iron Man's fault -- he's a flying tank that performs best when it maintains momentum and moves in a straight line -- but the 3rd-person action shown to us by a Sega representative seemed hampered by the controls and camera. While there's a great sense of speed and freedom conveyed by soaring across a desert, it's only when Iron Man cools his jets and starts punching things that issues arise.%Gallery-19567%
New screens of Golden Axe: Beast Rider
San Francisco-based studio Secret Level has released new screenshots from the upcoming Golden Axe: Beast Rider. The title was first announced waaay back in 2006, and promises to be a next-gen upgrade to the classic side-scrolling, hack 'n slash Sega series. The game is currently slated for a summer 2008 release, and is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 (no beast-riding love for the Wii, it seems).The shots disclosed so far don't reveal much in terms of the gameplay, but our journalistic sixth-sense tells us that the game will possibly focus on riding various kinds of beasts (honestly, sometimes we give ourselves goosebumps). Check out the gallery for all the Beast Rider images. %Gallery-15436%
New Golden Axe: Beast Rider screens
Secret Level, famously known for working on the Xbox gem port of Final Fight: Streetwise, just dropped fresh screens of the upcoming title Golden Axe: Beast Rider. While these images look a little rough in spots, remember the game isn't hitting the Xbox 360 and PS3 until this summer. However, we're a little more perplexed by studio's love for the use of a colon in their titles. Past games include; Star Wars: Starfighter, America's Army: Rise of a Soldier and they are currently working on Iron Man: The Video Game. Come on: Seriously. Stop: It. See what you made us do?! Make it end!%Gallery-15398%
'America's Army' grows to 8 million, actual Army increase costly
According to America's Army PR (ostensibly paid for by US tax dollars), the PC version of the popular shooter registered its 8 millionth user this past weekend. The America's Army user base now apparently spans more than 60 countries, likely owing to the fact that the "game" is freeware; the payoff is in the propagation of a positive image of the US Army throughout various parts of the world. It's no secret that the US Government developed the project as a propaganda device, but it's difficult to measure its impact on worldwide opinions, not to mention US Army recruitment success. We do know that the Army met its recruitment quotas in the two years following the game's release (in 2002).Lt. Gen. Stephen Speakes, a deputy chief of staff, estimates that increasing the size of the Army's active troops by 65,000 (as recommended by Defense Secretary Robert Gates), would cost $70 billion (to be budgeted between 2009 and 2013). Nearly half of that proposed increase has already been accomplished under a temporary program that will likely be made permanent. It's unclear what portion of the estimated $70 billion, if any, would be spent on future upgrades to America's Army. If US troop growth is indeed this costly, then America's Army's true strength may be in its potential to win over the minds and bodies (enlisted in the militaries of US allies) of non-US players.[Via press release]
Golden Axe, very little armor
Joystiq had a post about some blurry next gen Golden Axe screens a few days ago. Turns out that SEGA actually released some very nice non-blurry character art during E3. Readers, meet Tyris. Tyris, readers. Check out one more shot after the jump (safe for work, but that doesn't mean your co-workers won't think you're a perv).
Fuzzy E3 Golden Axe shots surface
Close to a year ago, Sega announced a partnership with Secret Level that would revive a classic Sega franchise. A few guesses about what that franchise might be were tossed around over the months, and then, during this year's E3, Sega quietly announced that Golden Axe would be the series receiving the next-gen makeover.A trailer for the new Golden Axe was previewed behind closed doors at Sega's E3 booth. For whatever reason, the video has been slow to turn up on the internet. Retroplayer.tv recently posted 20 -- extremely blurry -- still frames. Anyone else have a link to a better reproduction?
Sega acquires Secret Level & Sports Interactive
Sega moved one step closer to gaining further ground in the Western market by acquiring San Francisco developer Secret Level through an undisclosed deal. Last July, Sega put Secret Level to work, tasking the developer with reviving a classic franchise - rumored to be After Burner - for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Apparently, pleased with the studio's work, Sega decided to acquire Secret Level, rather than build an internal team from scratch. Sega has also announced the acquisition of UK studio Sports Interactive, developers of the Football Manager series. [Thanks, The1]
