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Top Spin Tennis is a real honest game
Following word that Rockstar would be bringing their Table Tennis game to the Wii, Take Two announced that its popular tennis franchise Top Spin Tennis would also be gracing the Wii. After seeing Table Tennis, though, many reported it isn't the fun game on the Wii that it is on the Xbox 360. Now, doubts are surfacing regarding Top Spin Tennis.Senior producer Jean-Yves Patay wants you to rest assured that Top Spin Tennis will be a full-fledged tennis game and nothing like Wii Sports: Tennis. "Wii Sports Tennis is a wonderful game but in Topspin you will have to move your character and do different swings. You can move normally and that'll be fine - you will just perform regular swings. But if you want to perfect your technique you will need to practise. So I like to say it's a finished game on Wii." Sounds good to us, because we always wanted something like Wii Sports: Tennis, but with more depth.
M-rated Manhunt 2 coming on Halloween
After temporarily suspending release of the AO-rated game back in June, Rockstar Games today announced a modified, M-rated version of Manhunt 2 will be release for the PS2, PSP and Wii on Oct. 31, 2007. "Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we're glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience," Rockstar founder and president Sam Houser, said in a press release. "Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it." The original Adults Only rating was a kiss of death for the game, leading to self-imposed bans from console makers and rental houses. It's still unclear exactly what modifications were necessary to achieve the lower rating and what effect the modifications will have on on Manhunt 2 bans in England, Ireland and other countries.Whatever effect the controversy had on the game's content, you can bet that all the drama will have a positive effect on the game's sales. Remember, 2 Live Crew's As Nasty As They Wanna Be sold over two million copies despite being patently awful, all thanks to the magic of controversy.
Civilization: Revolution to take it online, we squeal like little girls
News comes straight our of the Leipzig oven that Civilization Revolutions, the console port of the immaculate PC franchise, will have some features you might not expect. For one, the gameplay will not be altered for the Wii at all. So, it'll be the same game (just about, we imagine) you know and love. Also, we won't be getting the game until late in 2008.But, the best bit of news to come out for the game is that it will utilize Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect service, allowing players to compete online. This .. couldn't make us happier. We had to towel down our keyboard several times contructing this post, as tears of joy erupted from our face over and over again. There's even a possibility for downloadable content!%Gallery-4694%[Via Go Nintendo]
Take Two brings Top Spin to the Wii
If there's one thing the Wii needs, it's more tennis. And that's just what Take Two and 2K Sports think, as they get set to bring their top tennis franchise Top Spin to the console sometime this spring. The game will be developed by 2K's Paris studio PAM Development in conjunction with 2K Shanghai and, if press releases are to be believed, will feature "fun, flawless tennis action and the most real life tennis experience to date for the Wii." Players will use the nunchuk for controlling their player and their aim, while, as one would assume, the Wiimote will be the player's tennis racket, allowing them to take use of the motion-sensitive controls. This will allow players to control what kind of shot they make, as well as the power and intensity of that shot. Oh, and there will be party games. We all know a Wii game is incomplete without them!Sadly, no Wi-Fi support was mentioned.[Thanks, Tim!]
Investors 'getting carried away' by BioShock buzz says analyst
Following the rise in the Take-Two stock price, Nollenberger Capital Partners analyst Todd Greenwald tells GameDaily BIZ that BioShock is "not the next GTA" and he thinks investors are "getting carried away." Greenwald says he expects BioShock will beat sales expectations (which were originally under 1 million units) and land somewhere in the 1.5 - 2 million range. He says, "However, with the stock up over 20% in the last few days, we have heard of expectations in the 3-4 million unit range, which we believe are unrealistic... keep in mind that Bioshock is only being released on one console platform (Xbox 360), and will likely be limited by its intense, hard-core, first-person-shooter style of game. The game is very dark, very complex, and will have a hard time penetrating the mass market, in our view."But what about Gears of War and its phenomenal success? Greenwald says that was a more "accessible game, had more marketing support, and was released in the holiday window." BioShock sales may come to a screeching halt come Sept. 25 with the release of Halo 3. Most importantly, Greenwald says that he believes the stocks rise can actually be attributed to the expectation that EA (or some other large entity) will acquire Take-Two -- although he doesn't expect it to happen in the next 3-6 months, he also says that management wants to get GTA IV out the door before talking buyout.
Top Spin and Table Tennis on Wii
Now if Take-Two would just come out with a badminton sim they'd have a Wii racket trifecta. Today 2K announced famous tennis game Top Spin would be making its way to the Wii in spring of '08; this follows the recent announcement that Rockstar's Table Tennis would also make its way to the console. Above you can see the video for Table Tennis on the Wii, which premiered at the Leipzig Games Conference.A tennis game on the Wii is about as natural as peanut butter and jelly. We've been clamoring for a solid tennis experience since Wii Sports served up its first tennis ball. Of course, to compensate for the graphical downgrade that'd inevitable with the Wii, the games will have to make up for it in the ol' controls department. Top Spin says that it will use both the Wiimote and the Nunchuk; the Nunchuk controls the player and aiming, while the Wiimote will control force and style. Both games sound like they're perfectly suited for the Wii but, like all things with the console, the controls make or break the game.
2K responds to BioShock PC copy protection issue, ignores PS3 code mention
After watching developers trying to get BioShock up and running (pictured) at the launch party, and listening to a fair share of Vista complaining -- this BioShock copy protection issue is just another straw on the camel's back of fear in meddling with anything that requires a beyond up-to-date PC rig in the Vista era. 2K has calmed the copy protection issue saying simply "the only people who will be concerned about any of these security measures are those who are rapidly putting BioShock on many PCs."Another little tidbit found is that the PC version of BioShock mentions the PS3 in the PC demo code. Currently the game is only confirmed for the PC and Xbox 360, which we're sure sits very well for Microsoft given the buzz and acclaim. We also know that Microsoft isn't afraid to buy exclusive content, specifically with Take-Two. So even if this is leftover code for a PS3 version, that project may have been unceremoniously squashed many fathoms ago -- but there is no way to know at this point if this code is leftover by 2K Boston or Epic in their Unreal Engine 3. Take-Two will not even comment on this issue, and it's a special kind of no comment too. They won't comment to the point where there's not even an official "no comment" to the question of what this coding means.Read: 2K responds to copy protection issueRead: BioShock PC config file hints strongly at a PS3 version
Like BioShock? Thank Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand isn't a name you typically associate with videogames. At least, we never thought it would come to pass before someone finally green-lit the long awaited The Fountainhead: The Video Game. And yet, Wired has taken up the headline that "BioShock owes more to Ayn Rand than DOOM." Given that the pursuit of personal happiness is the ultimate goal of Rand's philosophy, we'd be hard-pressed to disagree. After all, we can't imagine anything making you happier than escaping Rapture alive, right? Just remember, from a Big Daddy's point of view, nothing would make him happier than seeing you dead. In all seriousness, the point of the article is that there is more to BioShock than shooting everything that moves. In fact, if you've been keeping up with the game, you'll know that it is actually heavily influenced by Rand. Still, if you find yourself with an unexplainable desire to become an Objectivist after playing BioShock, now you know why.
BioShock jolts Take-Two stock up 10%
Big Daddy should probably be renamed Sugar Daddy, as Reuters reports Take-Two's stock rose 10% at the close of trading on Tuesday. Wall Street seems happy with the buzz for the game and if Amazon.com's bestseller list is any indication, sales seem strong. The Xbox 360 version of BioShock is currently #2 as of this writing on their bestseller list behind the Wii, the PC version of the game is #5 behind Halo 3 pre-orders and the sexy crimson DS.Reviews for the game itself have been overwhelmingly positive, with random tech issues (especially on the PC version) and the whole widescreen problem bringing most of the hate. Following the delay of GTA IV, it probably comes as a relief to Take-Two that they'll at least have one strong mega-hit going into this holiday season.
BioShock LE busted Big Daddies abound
We're receiving reports that many of the Big Daddy figurines included with the limited edition of BioShock are broken. X3F reader SirUrza noted that he turned away 3 copies at his local GameStop, noticing that the tip of the Big Daddy's drill was broken. SirUrza also notes that the copies with broken figurines were put right back on the shelf, so be mindful when picking up your own copy. Luckily for those that have already purchased a copy with a broken figurine, 2K is aware of the problem and is planning to replace all broken figurines. As a consolation until the new figurines are manufactured, 2K is also doling out special printed copies of "Breaking the Mold," the BioShock art book, to affected customers.If you are one of the unlucky gamers affected by this, keep your eye on the official 2K page for updates on the replacement program.
Reminder: win BioShock, play it tomorrow morning! [update]
[Update: Apologies for the interminable wait, but we wanted to wait until we heard back from the four winners before officially considering the contest closed. Both winners on Joystiq have their games in the mail already, while one on X3F has yet to respond to our emails. If it goes unclaimed until tomorrow morning we'll have another random drawing, but the winner obviously won't have it for the weekend.]There's about one hour left to enter to win a copy of next week's biggest release, BioShock. Joystiq snagged four copies from their local Toys 'R' Us early, and we're overnighting them to four lucky winners who will, no doubt, spend the entire weekend kicking it underwater in Rapture.But remember, you have four chances to win! Looking over our four giveaway posts, the number of entries varies meaning some folks aren't maximizing their odds. Here's the four posts you can enter on but remember: if you leave more than one comment on any one post you'll be disqualified. Good luck! Joyswag: Win a copy of BioShock, get it overnighted (Part 1) Joyswag: Win a copy of BioShock, get it overnighted (Part 2) Fanswag: Win a copy of BioShock, get it overnighted (Part 1) Fanswag: Win a copy of BioShock, get it overnighted (Part 2)
Gearbox's Borderlands to be published by 2K
Borderlands, the upcoming Mad Max-ish, Diablo-esque action game from Gearbox, has been picked up by publisher 2K Games (who are releasing a little game called BioShock next week, by the way). Known for their work on the Brothers In Arms series, Gearbox is crafting Borderlands as an action game with RPG elements and 4 player online co-op. In other words, it sounds like just the thing to cure what ails you (and a hell of a lot of fun to boot). President of 2K, Christoph Hartmann, notes that Borderlands will play host to "revolutionary new technology" that allows for the creation of "thousands of unique, randomly generated missions, weapons and situations." With such lofty promises in tow, Hartmann concludes that Borderlands "will raise the bar for next gen action games."We'll have to wait and see though, as the game isn't scheduled to release until the end of 2008. For more info on Borderlands, keep an eye out for the September Game Informer, of which the contents will no doubt be scoured for the benefit of X3F readers everywhere.[Via Joystiq]
SEC considering charges against Take-Two
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has sent publisher Take-Two a Wells notice, which indicates that the agency is considering filing charges and pursuing a "civil monetary penalty," according to Reuters.Though the publisher has previously been entangled with the government over a cup of warm java, the issue here arises from improper backdating of employee stock options. An internal review by the publisher discovered that their financial records for the last decade were unreliable. Former CEO Ryan Bryant has already plead guilty and was punished five years of probation and millions of dollars in fines.The Wells notice gives Take-Two a final chance to convince the SEC not to take action. Though their financial quarter already looks bleak given the GTA IV delay, the company may have a hit on their hands with BioShock given the inordinate amount of praise that title has received.
Fanswag: Win a copy of BioShock, get it overnighted (Part 2) [We have a winner]
Update: Alright, folks. Comments are closed and we've picked a winner and shipped out their prize. Congratulations to Brandon!Here we are for Part 2 of our fabulous BioShock giveaway. Read the details below and enter for your chance to win, then check Part 1 for the background and another chance to win. It's free and easy, so what more do you want? Leave a comment below that tries to make us not excited about BioShock (spoiler alert: you can't!) You may only comment on this specific post once. If you leave more than one comment, you'll be automatically disqualified so be careful, ok? If you enter more than once, only activate one comment -- otherwise we'll send a Big Daddy after you You can also enter our Part 1 giveaway, and both of Joystiq's giveaways (Part 1 & Part 2), giving you a total of four chances to win. You can only win once though. Not bad, eh? This contest is open to readers in the US only Entries can be submitted until 12:04pm ET on Friday, August 17th. Official rules are here so check 'em if you've got any questions.
Fanswag: Win a copy of BioShock, get it overnighted (Part 1) [We have a winner]
[Update: A winner has been chosen. Congratulations to ZappaKitty!]So, perhaps you heard that certain Toys R' Us locations are selling BioShock early. While we haven't been lucky enough to find a copy at our local store, Joystiq has snatched up four (count 'em four) copies of the game and decided to share them with us! Yes, we'll be giving away two copies of BioShock right here on X3F. Even better, the games will be overnighted to the winners so that they can get their BioShock on before anyone else. Both Joystiq and X3F will be giving away two copies today, for a grand total of four. What do you have to do to win? Here's the skinny: Leave a comment below that tries to make us not excited about BioShock (spoiler alert: you can't!) You may only comment on this specific post once. If you leave more than one comment, you'll be automatically disqualified so be careful, ok? If you enter more than once, only activate one comment -- otherwise we'll send a Big Daddy after you You can also enter our Part 2 giveaway, and both of Joystiq's giveaways (Part 1 & Part 2), giving you a total of four chances to win. You can only win once though. Not bad, eh? This contest is open to readers in the US only Entries can be submitted until 11:59 am ET on Friday, August 17th. Official rules are here, so check 'em if you've got any questions.
Win some BioShock swag from Joystiq
So, maybe you managed to grab an early copy of BioShock from Toys R' Us. So, what are you supposed to do on the real BioShock launch day? If you just can't get enough BioShock, then maybe you'd like to get your hands on a limited edition T-shirt and faceplate. If that sounds like just the thing you need to complete the BioShock trifecta of awesomeness, then head on over to Joystiq, where they're giving away three faceplate / T-shirt combos. Entering is as easy as pie and the prize is just as sweet, so get to clicking already.
Unlock hard mode in the BioShock demo
So, you've downloaded the BioShock demo. You've plumbed its glorious depths, defeated its grisly baddies, and you thought to yourself, "Self," you thought, "that was easy." Well fear not, avid BioShock fans, for we have one more way to stay your undying hunger for underwater dystopia. The fine fellows at DCEmu have uncovered how to play the BioShock demo in hard mode. When you start the BioShock demo, you'll notice that the hard mode option is there, but cannot be selected. The workaround for this is actually very simple. Before you start up the demo, open up your gamer profile and edit the default game settings. Under "general," simply set your default difficulty to hard. Now start up the BioShock demo and, voilà, hard difficulty will be highlighted. Just don't move it or you won't be able to reselect it without restarting the demo.Enjoy.
Rockstar Leeds tired of ports, working on new IP
The latest issue of Develop Magazine features an interview with Rockstar Leeds studio head Gordon Hall, who professes a desire to move on from portable ports – his studio was responsible for the PSP ports of Rockstar staples like Midnight Club, and The Warriors as well as two portable Grand Theft Auto titles – and develop their own new-gen IP. Hall said, "We're going to be branching out further into next-gen - we've done original work on an existing franchise, but now we want to work on new IPs, and are looking at what we can do on Xbox 360 and PS3."Hall's team – who previously worked on mostly GBA titles as Mobius Entertainment before being acquired by Rockstar in 2004 – has been relegated to the handheld "ghetto" for some time. Current development on ports of Bully and Table Tennis for the Xbox 360 and Wii platforms should be decent practice for their next project, of which Hall says, "... it's a short development cycle, just 18 months, and it really excites me." An 18-month dev cycle? Maybe something for XBLA and PlayStation Network, then? And what about a San Andreas Stories game? And what's with all the questions?
BioShock goes gold, Irrational Games becomes 2K Boston / 2K Australia
2K announced this afternoon that Irrational's beautiful underwater FPS BioShock has gone gold and will be hitting Xbox 360s and PCs on August 21st. That simple reassurance is comforting amidst the pile of delayed games we find ourselves wading through lately. But that's not all!After acquiring Irrational early last year, Take-Two has undoubtedly enjoyed the litany of critical praise the still-unreleased BioShock has enjoyed. Furthering their journey into the corporate belly of the beast, it was also announced this afternoon that Irrational Games would now be known as 2K Boston and 2K Australia. Are you worried this means that the development studio formerly known as Irrational would be artistically compromised, reduced to making movie-licensed games for hire? Ken Levine, President and Creative Director of 2K Boston, assuages all of our fears saying, "We're proud to be part of the 2K Games family and enjoy the new opportunities and artistic freedoms this strengthened relationship provides." Let's hope so. Speaking of which, what's next for Irrational 2K Boston now that BioShock is locked down?Read – 2K Announces BioShock has Gone GoldRead – Irrational Games Renamed 2K Boston and 2K Australia
London Review of Books weighs in on Manhunt 2
British novelist and journalist John Lanchester has penned a piece for the London Review of Books discussing the Manhunt 2 ban. While not taking sides, Lanchester does opine that the BBFC's decision will help the industry if it gets developers to focus more on pushing video games as a form of art.The article gets some important facts right, specifically when it comes to how the public and news outlets can unfairly blame video games for acts of violence. However, others facts presented seem based on a lot of FUD, particularly with Rockstar's history. Lanchester wrote that the infamous sex sequence was "unlockable," implying it could be done in-game without modifications (not true). He also talks about Bully (or Canis Canem Edit in the UK) in a manner to imply public outcry was justified, when anyone who did play the game realized it actually punished bullying and rewarded you for being a good student.[Thanks, amit]
