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Dead Rising and Lost Planet staying exclusive
Capcom's director of strategic planning Christian Svensson commented on their official forums to whether or not Dead Rising or Lost Planet would be appearing on the PS3 or Wii in the future. Bluntly put, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Svensson says that both games are "not slated to appear on Wii or PS3 as far as current plans go" going on to say that he is "bound by NDAs on these matters so I can't divulge why this is the situation". We guess that with the Playstation 3 losing exclusives left and right, it's fair to question whether any of our previously thought Xbox 360 exclusives may be headed for multi-platform. But, in this case, we're happy to report that both Dead Rising and Lost Planet are pretty much locked up to stay 360 exclusives for the long haul. [Via Joystiq]
Dead Rising and Lost Planet to remain Xbox 360 exclusives
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Dead_Rising_and_Lost_Planet_to_remain_Xbox_360_exclusives'; At least "as far as current plans go." So says Capcom's senior director of strategic planning and research, Christian Svensson, posting on the official Capcom forums in the midst of a Devil May Cry outcry. When asked by fans whether the company's new mulitplatform strategy would extend to their pair of successful Xbox 360 titles, Svensson explains that "Dead Rising and Lost Planet are not slated to appear on Wii or PS3," noting that the reasons for the continued exclusivity "are quite convoluted" and are bound by a slew of suspicious non-disclosure agreements. He goes on to say that Capcom's current approach -- which sees Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4 coming to both PS3 and Xbox 360 -- is for future titles and isn't meant to be applied in a "retroactive" manner. Of course, this comes just days after Svensson used the forum to respond to sulking petitioners and their disdain for Devil May Cry gracing multiple platforms. "We are certainly moved that people are so passionate about our products that they would go to such extremes," he said in a seperate thread. "At the same time we feel that allowing more people access to our content pleases far more people than it displeases (after all, we're not denying DMC4 to anyone that was already going to get it). It really is the best decision for the company and for consumers." Apparently, Dead Rising and Lost Planet simply missed the multiplatform boat. [Thanks, mocoworm]
Rumor: Condemned sequel sentenced for fall?
UK retailer has a listing for Condemned 2 and is currently taking pre-orders on the title, stating the release date as November 30th 2007. The date could simply be just some random "Fall 2007" timeframe so they can rack up some money now with pre-orders. Their "review" of the title is the in depth and thorough "A superb sequel of brilliantly brutal bloody hand to hand brawling...". As far as we know, Monolith hasn't officially announced a sequel, although the ending definitely did leave a lot of questions unanswered. Did you play through the exquisitely scary launch title, and would you like to see that universe expanded upon in a sequel? [Via QJ.net]
Dead Rising gets its OST
Those of you looking to get your groove on while chilling in a mall and massacring zombies now have you chance, as the Original Soundtrack for Dead Rising has been announced. Ordering online will also net you a snazzy T-Shirt designed by Yoshiki Takahashi, who did the layout for the Kill Bill posters. It seems to be limited edition as our Babelfishery indicates there are only producing 2000 sets. If you buy it now, it will cost you a little over fifty bucks, but there are talks of the soundtrack making its way to Europe and North America. Did you enjoy Dead Rising enough to want to pick up some cool swag and its tunes? [Via QJ.net]
Rumor: Co-op may be coming to Dead Rising
Keeping the rumor mill a twirling, Xboxic received word that in the latest issue of EGM they reporting that Capcom has co-op aspirations for Dead Rising. EGM says that when Dead Rising comes to the platinum hits catalog that it will include a new online co-op feature. At the same time there will be a co-op patch downloadable via the XBLM for current Dead Rising owners, but it will not be free. Do you think an online co-op patch could breathe new life into an aging Dead Rising or would you be dead set (get it?) against paying extra for the option via a download? Come on ... spill your guts!
Lost Planet producer: "western developers are leading the industry"
Capcom marketing specialist Brain Dunn has posted an "exclusive" interview with co-worker Keiji Inafune, Mega Man creator and one of Lost Planet's executive producers. While we shouldn't overlook Dunn's access to Inafune as a potentially convenient PR moment, the conversation is not without its honest details. Within, Inafune offers his insight into Capcom's resistance to expanding its content for a worldwide audience, revealing managements' initial rejection of the Lost Planet and Dead Rising concepts. "Actually for a while there we were practically on the verge of having the projects cancelled," Inafune told Dunn. Having convinced Capcom to invest in these properties -- both now commercially successful -- Inafune believes the company is entering a new era; in the same line as past milestones Street Fighter II and Resident Evil. "I think Dead Rising and Lost Planet have helped established Capcom not just as a Japanese developer, but as a developer that is on par with, and that can compete with, the top developers in the US," offered Inafune; important because the producer believes "western developers are leading the industry, with Japanese developers falling behind." Inafune suggests that Japanese companies need to improve working environments, imagining that western developers aren't nearly as over-worked or underpaid as their Japanese counterparts. He muses that by coupling an American "quality of life" with Japanese "diligence" (and selflessness) Japan can turn things around -- with some risk-taking too. "There are more titles like [Lost Planet] in store for fans: risky, challenging games, with a lot riding on them," promised Inafune.
Mega 64 takes on Dead Rising
Once again landing in the gap between video games and reality, the Mega 64 boys find themselves covering a zombie outbreak in a mall. Follow the real Frank West as he takes "FANTASTIC!" photos, protects those with poor pathfinding abilities and deals with annoying security guards. He's covered wars, you know. [Thanks Jay & Braith. More Mega 64 hilarity can be found here.]
Capcom Rumor Round-Up: SFII on PS3, Dead Rising 2 on 360
As the prettiest girl at the gossip ball, Capcom has been making quite a few headlines recently for actions they may or may not be considering. In light of the particularly bogus rumors floating concerning Microsoft buying out Capcom, lets take a look at some of the more substantiated rumors involving your favorite Mega Man sweatshop. For your consideration, three rumors from the February issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (#112). For those who still believe in the aforementioned rumor, you may as well tear down those tin foil barriers around your room as Capcom "looks to be making several interesting games for the PS3's (network) service." The two titles mentioned being a remake of Street Fighter II with brand new sprites and an "updated NES classic."
Real life Dead Rising: "Fantastic!"
The boys at Mega64 are at it again, this time with a real life version of Dead Rising. For those of you unfamiliar with Mega64, we have only one question: how's the view? You know, like, how's the view from underneath the rock that you live under. We keed, we keed. Seriously, Mega64 goes around harassing people performing skits based off their favorite video games. Some of their works include skits based off Resident Evil 4 (one of our favorites), Paperboy, and Katamari Damacy. Check out the above video, and when you're done with that, hit their website for more hilarity. Because watching funny videos is always better than working, right? [Thanks, Braith]
Dead Rising keeps killing, 1 million sold
Capcom's zombified shopping mall game has sold over 1 million copies since its release. Dead Rising has been out in the US since August 8th and has just broken the 1 million mark in worldwide sales. Hacking and slashing has never been so much fun! But after looking at the sales sucess of games like Gears of War ... it just goes to show that selling a million copies is great, but 2.7 million copies is all the better. Good job Dead Rising, because we're looking forward to a sequel with more zombies, a beefier story, some Live co-op, and a dash of multiplayer. Now get to work Capcom, our demands have been made public. [Via Digg]
Dead Rising sequels shambling forth
Having shipped over one million copies of their Romero-inspired zombie massacre sim, Capcom can confidently dub Dead Rising a full-on franchise. Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz, Capcom's head of consumer games confirms that further zombie-mashing titles are due to arrive on consoles in the future (feel free to let out a collective gasp). "When you're at the front-end of a hardware cycle, people are willing to take more of an experiment in what games they'll try," says Mark Beaumont. "Bringing out Dead Rising has allowed us to establish a new franchise that we can use for years to come." It's always refreshing to see brand new franchises take off, especially when chainsaws are involved. Controversial save mechanics and shameful SDTV support aside, we fully expect the next Dead Rising to be considerably more pleasant than being torn apart by a snarling, undead force.
Best of the rest: Ross' picks
Lumines Live! (XBLA) On a big screen with surround sound, Q Entertainment's Lumines Live was easily the most-played game in my library (if you stretch the definition of library to digitally distributed titles). Although I railed against how microtransactions were implemented in this title and still think the extent to which they disclosed the dearth of features was misleading, both the Basic and Advanced Pack got more than enough play time, as did the multiplayer. It is the best Xbox Live Arcade title since Geometry Wars.
Get your vote on, Gamespot's game of the year
It's the end of one long gaming year and that could only mean one thing, Gamespot has just announced its nominees for 2006 Game of the Year. Among the ten nominees there are quite a few great 360 games on the list including Dead Rising, Oblivion, Rainbow Six Vegas, Viva Piñata, and our little engine that could Gears of War. It's nice to see that so many high profile games from the 360 made the list and that Oblivion may have some of its stiffest competition yet. Visit their site, vote for who you think deserves the crown, and wait patiently for the winner to be announced. It's a difficult decision so we're totally opting for a write-in and voting for Viva Gears Rising ... that's one great game.
Gears named 3rd most important game of '06
Gamasutra recently sent a request to its readers from the game industry, asking them to name the games that created a true "quantum leap" in game design this year. Sandwiched in between critical darlings, Okami and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, was Epic's Gears of War in the number 3 spot on the list. Each game on the list is supplemented with a paragraph or two contributed by Gamasutra readers and industry professionals. The achievements of Gears of War are nicely summarized by Game Developer Magazine's Brandon Sheffield, who notes the amazing graphics (of course) and cover-based gameplay. In particular, we share his sentiments about GOW's co-op: "I'm personally most fond of the game's cooperative play – the most fully-realized truly cooperative action experience in games since the days of 2D beat 'em ups – Double Dragon and their ilk." We were also reminded of 2D co-op games of yore (Contra, in this case). Congratulations, Gears of War. The industry likes you. They really like you! Props also to Dead Rising for receiving an honorable mention. What game provided this year's greatest "quantum leap" in your opinion?
Boo! Scariest moments in gaming history
It's customary at this time of year to pay tribute to all things that go bump in the night, so the GameSpy staff has indulged us with a list of their scariest experiences in gaming. The classic Resident Evil and Silent Hill entries are mentioned, along with the more recent Fatal Frame, Call of Cthulu, and sweet little Alma from F.E.A.R. My personal scariest moment comes courtesy of Rebellion Software, circa 1994. The original Alien vs. Predator on the Atari Jaguar was one of the first shooters I had ever played (along with Marathon, but that wasn't very scary). I recall creeping around the empty corridors of the Space Marine base with the ambient sounds of machinery in the background, and no warning that you're about to have company. Suddenly, you turn around, hear that familiar screech, and see a pack of Aliens approaching -- which really sucked when I was entering a turbolift and had nowhere to run. The Predator's trademark rattling sound also scared the bejeezus out of me because you never knew when he was going to decloak and start whaling on you. Let's hear your scariest moments.
Dead Rising $39.99 at Best Buy
For those who have played Dead Rising on a standard definition television, you aren't completely blind yet -- the headline on top is factual. Dead Rising is on sale this week at Best Buy for $39.99, which is cheaper than buying it used from most retailers. Why the strong price drop? No idea, but we certainly made a call to Best Buy corporate to find out. Sadly, it's Sunday, so we aren't expecting an answer today. The reviews for Dead Rising were kind given its awkward save system and structural issues. Also, insult was added to injury when Capcom squashed any hopes of patching the standard definition tiny-text problem. So, take those $20 you're gonna save and put it toward an HDTV fund -- or a pair of designer glasses. See also: Metareview: Dead Rising Xbox 360 Capcom aware of Dead Rising standard definition woes Dead Rising patch chance lost [Thanks Chris]
Joyswag: Get a call from Otis, win Dead Rising -- four days later
We chose Gabriel's truly terrifying milieu of a zombie infestation, sans zombies, as the winner in the final day of our Dead Rising contest. Everyone knows Phantoms don't exist -- yet, there it is! Gives us the creeps. Of course, don't forget about our other winners: zombie Flanders, vegetarian zombies, and PS3 early adopter zombies, each one terrifying in their own right. Vegetarians! We'd like to thank every single entrant to our little contest (more honorable mentions after the break), and Capcom for hooking us up with some great prizes.
360 rocking in the UK
This week's sales numbers are in for the UK, and the 360 is still topping the charts. The 360 currently has games in four of the top five spots. In order, they are: Lego Star Wars II (#1), Dead Rising (#2), Saints Row (#3), and Test Drive Unlimited (#5). Granted, LSWII is a multiplatform title, but you can bet Microsoft is nothing but pleased with these numbers. Any of our UK readers rocking one of these great 360 games?
Joyswag: Get a call from Otis, win Dead Rising -- three days later
Selecting today's winner was especially tough but, after barricading ourselves inside for hours to make the decision, we've chosen Christian's nightmarish vision of this coming November 17th for day three in our four day Dead Rising giveaway contest! When that fated day rolls around, we'll all wistfully recall these silly contests and our silly, little lives. This is your last chance! You have until midnight tonight EDT to send your entries in .jpg format to joyswag [dot] submissions [at] gmail [dot] com. We'll comb through them (with gloves on, of course) and lift our favorite submission out of the feeding frenzy to admire it, before sharing it with all of you. Read on for some more rules and a sampling of some of yesterday's honorable mentions.
UK prefers zombies to gangstas
It seems that zombies -- not math or music -- are in fact the universal language. Transcending all cultural barriers, Dead Rising, in its first week of release in the UK, has topped the Euro charts, knocking Saints Row off of the coveted top spot. And Britain loves gangstas, too -- though we must admit that the pimped out thugs of Saints Row aren't the suave Layer Cake gangstas that the UK is used to. Still, tiny text and red lights be damned, Dead Rising cannot be ignored. Any UK readers care to comment on their experience with the game thus far?
