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FIFA Street 3 demo now on Xbox Live
We'd imagine that the FIFA Street series isn't particularly popular with true soccer fans, if only because their tea doilies can often be irreversibly soiled by putting them on the street or nearby benches. And for the rest of us, the players would probably need to smash their teacups on said street and jam one of the resulting shards in an opponent's eye before we'd be able to muster any interest. So, where does that leave FIFA Street 3? Well, if it's going to win anyone over it's badly in need of a demo, something it received on Xbox Live today. Will the third iteration of the game strike a balance between being boring enough for fans of soccer while not being so boring as to make the rest of us pine for the excitement of riding the bus? Only the demo will tell.
Level-5 is rich
We've been saying since Professor Layton first hit that Level-5 is the new Square. While Square continues remaking and spinning off their classics, Level-5 is making well-received RPGs (and Professor Layton) that happen to sell tons. They're now competing with Square in the 'ridiculous show of wealth' department. Where Square disgraced Hironobu Sakaguchi into fleeing and almost ruined themselves with a high-budget CG movie, Level-5 is taking a more modest, but still overboard, approach to the whole 'conspicuous consumption' thing. Presumably to promote Inazuma Eleven (for which the company also manufactured a singing group), the company has purchased the naming rights to the Avispa Fukuoka J-League soccer team. For the next three years (at $287,185 a year), Hakata no Mori Football Stadium in their native Fukuoka will be known as Level-5 Stadium, and teams across Japan will be encouraged to defeat the bosses of Levels 1 through 4 before attempting a game here. Well, maybe not. But the name thing -- that's true.
EA's world conquest continues with new Korean dev studio
According to Digital Chosunilbo, Electronic Arts -- the planet Jupiter of game development -- has plans to open a new studio in Korea this year. EA intends to make three or four new titles for the Asian market. The studio will be a 20 million dollar investment, and its first projects will be online versions of NBA Street and Battlefield. All this will be helmed by Danny Isaac of FIFA Soccer fame. Gamasutra noted that this is not EA's first foray into the Asian market. The company invested in Korean developer Neowiz back in March, and shortly thereafter announced plans to release in Asia one or more titles from the Battlefield series.This is just one more step towards total world domination, unless EA's newly-formed rival Activision-Blizzard has something to say about it![Via The Escapist]
Inazuma Eleven adds three for Twe'lv
Aiming for the hearts of companionless gamers out there, Level 5 seems to have formed an idol group to both promote and appear in its Soccer RPG, Inazuma Eleven. The three girls -- left to right, Haruna Otonashi (16 years old), Natsumi Kaminarimon (18 years old), and Aki Kino (13 years old) -- make up Twe'lv, the group's name playing off the phrase "12th man," a common sports term referring to a team's fans.In the game, each of the three girls provides a different support function for your team. Haruna covers matches and events for the school paper, following players to collect data on them. Natsumi, the top student of her class and daughter of a politician/philanthropist, is initially unimpressed with your crew, but she eventually becomes one of the team's biggest fans and benefactors. Aki, the youngest of the group, manages the team. We guess she likes to wear green skirts, too.Twe'lv plans to perform Inazuma Eleven's ending theme, a song composed by Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger), at the World Hobby Fair in Osaka this weekend. Peek past the post break for in-game art and more promotional photos of the young trio.
FIFA, Brain Training best selling UK games in 2007
EA Sports football (or "soccer" for the US audience) title FIFA 08 was the best-selling video game in the United Kingdom last year according to Chart-Track (via GamesIndustry.biz). The game reportedly sold 25% percent more than its closest rival, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training. Perhaps surprisingly, Microsoft's flagship Halo 3 came in sixth place with only half of FIFA 08's sales. Both FIFA 08 and Halo 3 were released in late September within days of each other. It should be noted that FIFA 08 was a multiplatform title available on six different consoles and the PC. Top ten list after the break.
New Winning Eleven footage shows off Wii controls
To those of us reared on playing Winning Eleven games with d-pads and/or analog sticks, the Wii version of Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 has the potential to be a slightly unsettling experience. As the video above shows, pointing your cursor to pass actually looks very natural and fluid, but we're also hoping this doesn't make Winning Eleven on the Wii too simplistic. The series has long been defined by the subtlety of its gameplay, and while greater immediacy would potentially draw in new fans, learning how to master each new game in the series is one of its biggest attractions. We're remaining positive though, if only because series creator Shingo "Seabass" Takatsuka has repeatedly demonstrated that he knows more than most people about producing superb soccer games. Here's hoping he nails this one.
Goal x Goal, Demo x Video
Fanboy alum James Konik is fancy enough (and located in Japan enough) to have access to the Everybody's Nintendo channel on the Wii. Using the service, he downloaded a demo of Winning Eleven Goal x Goal to his DS, and recorded a play session of the demo for the edificiation of the poor plebes without access to the currently-Japan-only Wii channel.The game is a much more traditional interpretation of soccer gameplay than Inazuma Eleven, realistically depicting soccer action instead of high-flying anime-ness. According to the detailed impressions provided along with the video, Goal x Goal is an admirable handheld translation of the vaunted Winning Eleven series, with the added ability to change tactics with the touchscreen.
Inazuma Eleven site scores a GOOOOOAL
The website for Japanese super-soccer romp Inazuma Eleven has got some stuff going on for the few of you who're as excited for the game as we are. There's a complete character section, explaining all of the different participants in the title. There is also an explanation on the game's controls, plus all of the indecipherable Japanese text you can try to read.
Fresh Famitsu scans for Inazuma Eleven
After getting our peepers knee-deep in some Inazuma Eleven, we knew this game was for us. Not being as obsessed with soccer (football or futbol, to some of you) as the rest of the world, we're still convinced the game will be a big success, because the gameplay looks sound and, of course, it's being made by Level-5. Hopefully menu navigation won't be a pain, because we're pretty sure we're going to have to import it.For the full scans, head past the break.
Sensible World of Soccer fixed, back on XBLA
After a blatant bug caused it to be yanked from the Xbox Live Marketplace, Sensible World of Soccer has returned sans obvious technical faults. This version of the footy classic still has the problem of us being completely rubbish at it, but we can't lay the blame at the feet of the developers. They'd just boot it into our obviously unguarded net.If you were enjoying the previous release of Codemasters' kicker despite the creepy crawlies in the code, you're advised to delete the game from your Xbox 360 hard drive and download it again. Major Nelson assures us that you won't be charged if you've already paid for it -- and if not, swos never your concern anyway.
Brits blow billions on gaming
Video game sales in the UK went through the crumpetsphere this year with the citizenry spending £1.52 billion ($3.06 billion USD), a 25% increase from last year. BBC reports there are evidently still two weeks to be added to that 25%, including last week's sales of £87.9 million ($177million USD) in games sales. Maybe the British soccer guys actually do have something to complain about.We're not exactly sure if the BBC is still talking strictly UK here, but it goes on to report a 33% increase in console sales over last year with 11 million units sold, it also points out that console games now make up 79% of all software sales. We'll believe gaming has taken over the UK when we see the Queen rocking a jeweled DS and talking about Brain Training during her Christmas speech.
Make like Pel with Wii Fit soccer
Soccer is the world's most popular sport, and we can see why -- in what other sport do a line of hydrocephalitic kids take turns throwing balls, shoes, and panda heads at your dome piece? We're just happy that the soccer mini-game included in the Wii Fit bundle is faithful to the sport, panda head dodgery and all.However, we are somewhat concerned about the terrible score of the player in this video -- is this another example of game previewers being bad at their own games? Or is the balance board not as accurate as some gameplay videos make it look? We'll just have to find out when the chubbiness informer comes stateside early next year.
Wii Fit gameplay makes us sweat just watching it
Josh from WiiFolder.com took the time show us his large HDTV some Wii Fit games in action, and we have to say, the game looks promising.A few of the games definitely won't help you drop those love handles (at least we don't think so, but since we got A's in gym class so you can pretty much count that as an expert opinion). Nonetheless, they still look fun, and we're glad we won't have to go to the zoo anymore to get our "kicking Panda heads" fix.
Heroic Map Pack brings back the soccer ball
So, everyone with an Xbox probably knows about the hidden soccer ball in Halo 2. The fancy lads over at 7th Columnist have uncovered that the soccer ball is making its return in Halo 3 via the upcoming Heroic Map Pack. Apparently the recently held press previews of the Heroic Map Pack revealed that the soccer ball would appear as one of the special Forge items available for the new map Foundry. Foundry, if you don't know, is a special map that is composed almost entirely out of objects players can manipulate inside Forge. In other words, the level can be treated as a blank slate upon which to design the ultimate Halo 3 map from the ground up. Now if only there were some way to make the game keep track of goals .... [Thanks, Bowie. Image from 7th Columnist]]
EA bringing FIFA Street 3 to DS
FIFA Street 3, EA's arcadey interpretation of soccer designed for people who like their sports games to come with a more (*cringe*) "urban" feel, is coming to the DS.Previously slated for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, EA announced the DS version this morning, promising touch screen controls, the usual array of flicks, bicycle kicks, and tricks, and DS exclusive stages and mini-games.Also making the transition to the handheld version are the unique character models that appear in the home console editions, which we totally love, by the way. Hopefully, the DS's screens will be big enough to sufficiently show these off.First shots below!%Gallery-11431%[Via press release]
Football (not Soccer) MMO in the works
Now this sounds interesting: CyberSports' Football Superstars is a soccer career MMO, where you not only play realtime matches against other online players, but where you're also meant to actively pursue fame and fortune by seeking out representation. Working out the timing on matches could be tricky; obviously there will be pre-appointed dates and times for matches, and every member must be there to fill out the roster.Also, the article shows what they claim are screenshots, but I have my doubts. Unless they're dealing with an incredibly powerful rendering engine that can handle cloth deformation on the fly, AND each avatar really is standing in front of a stadium full of blurry, indistinct spectators, then I must call foul. Still, the concept is intriguing -- might it be enough to bring in footy fans who might not otherwise play an MMO?Personally, I just like saying 'footy'.
Six minutes of sort-of uninterrupted Inazuma Eleven
Inazuma Eleven has half of the formula down for making a successful soccer game in Japan: it's got Eleven in the title. To replace the Winning part, another clever tactic was used: being made by Level-5. Sales are guaranteed! Or at least assumed!This video provides the first real look at how the game operates. Unfortunately, the shots of gameplay are constantly intercut with footage of the players mugging as they enjoy the game. It's not quite enough misdirection to keep us from seeing how to play the game: passing and movement down the field is done in real-time, with players directed by stylus-drawn lines. Actions, including shooting and the over-the-top anime-style special moves are accessed via an RPG-style menu that opens up and pauses the game. It doesn't seem to hurt these two guys' painful enthusiasm.[Via NeoGAF]
English soccer team loses, player blames video games
Just a month or so after Harry Redknapp, manager of a soccer team in the English Premier League, spoke out against people replacing soccer love with video game passion, West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green added to the chorus after England lost to Croatia and failed to qualify for Euro 2008. The player, whose talents can be seen in the video above, said "I think we would have the best team if we could go into every household and throw away every PlayStation, Xbox and video game. We have the players and the best league in the world. The way the game is played here is so different though."OK, English soccer players and coaches. We're going to lay it out slowly: You're embarrassing yourself. If you can't cobble together a decent team from the 50 million people living in your county, it's not the fault of Mario and Sonic. The simple fact is that video games continue to take up a larger portion of the populace's free time and money, and they cuts have got to come from somewhere. And if that prevents Mr. Green from robbing happiness from a bunch of Croatians, I think Bill, Kaz and Reggie are going to sleep OK tonight. Consider yourself lucky. In America, video games have made the populace so thick and unwieldy that Domino's not only brings the pizza to our doors, but chews it up and spits it in to our mouths like mama birds. It's a terrifying sort of paradise.
Sensible World of Soccer coming to XBLA Dec. 19
Hooray! Sensible World of Soccer is coming to Xbox Live next month and -- wait a second, is that what it really looks like? Yes, we're afraid. It is. Despite that, the game's cult following can look forward to playing the game in the very near future: Dec. 19, to be exact.Speaking as Americans who barely even understand soccer, let alone a whole video game devoted to soccer, we can't really tell you why some people are so excited about the game, or why it's one of the most important of all time, according to Chris Grant and his band of old guys. We'll leave that job to the onslaught of European commenters we assume have already started drafting their exceptionally terse response.
FIFA to trial chipped soccer ball in Japan
The referees at the upcoming Club World Cup in Japan will likely be taking a little less flack from the fans if a ball manages to come dangerously close to slipping into the net, as FIFA is deploying a type of "goal-line" technology that more precisely indicates whether debatable shots really crossed the line. At the heart of the system are four sensors that are placed around the goal and a single microchip within the so-called smart-ball; if the ball does indeed cross over the goal line, an encrypted message is instantly beamed out to a referee's watch, leaving no doubt as to whether or not a point should be awarded. Apparently, the system will be widely used at the 2010 World Cup if testing proves successful, but unfortunately, this same technology can't be used to embarrass the multitude of players who will inevitably take a dive in order to draw a card.[Via AFP / Yahoo, image courtesy of FIFA]
