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MotoGP 07 Hands on
IGN got some hands-on time with MotoGP '07 and came back with some intriguing details. First off, all of the licensed GP tracks you know and love will be making a triumphant return this September. The face lift to the graphics are also worthing noting, as well as adding tweaks to the handling to make the game a little more accessible, while still maintaining its simulation roots. The Extreme mode is also back, and apparently at least some of the tracks from last year will be playable again. Customization will be more in depth, to help make your bike yours. But, it won't necessarily be yours forever, as you can take a page out of Juiced 2's book and race for pink slips on your crotch rocket. More details available by clicking the "Read" link. With the swarm of MotoGP news, can September come soon enough? Or should we wake you when it's over?
Stuntman Ignition is on fire, literally
This video of the new Stuntman: Ignition surfaced today, and we must say it's looking very nice. Actually, we take that back. Just for a moment, we're going to revert back into 15-year-olds, which is what we are on the inside, and say that Stuntman: Ignition looks totally awesome. Watching the trailer, you really do get the Hollywood feeling, like you're driving through a bad Pierce Brosnan movie. The last part of the trailer -- the yellow car tearing ass around San Francisco -- looks like it was heavily inspired by The Rock. The ending of the trailer, though, is just plain inspired. In short, we can't wait to get a closer look at this one.Check out the video and tell us what you think.[Via Joystiq]
MotoGP 07 Trailer, release month announced
We brought you screens earlier this week, and now IGN just posted a trailer. The game looks beautiful, which is to be expected, and Moto GP 07 promises that this is going to be the most "spectacular season ever" and refers to the player as the returning champion. Could their be a slight storyline behind this season's career mode? It also showed some glimpses of the Extreme Mode, as well. We'll have to see, but what they did show at the end was interesting, the game is scheduled to release in September 2007. So at the tail end of summer we should be ripping along the tracks at 300 km/h. How did the trailer look to you?
Conan impressions from THQ Gamers' Day
What we witnessed during our brief demo of Conan was violence that would make Kratos himself rise from his throne atop Mount Olympus and say, "Kudos." Announced earlier this week, we got a chance to check out THQ's latest for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Cut from the mold that brought us God of War, it's a straight forward action title that thinks not with its brain, but with its gigantic, barbarian-sized testicles.Beyond the violence, Conan looks to sport solid, if not uninspired mechanics. Looking past the usual combo and experience systems, interacting with the environments already looks hugely entertaining with tons of hazards in which to torture enemies with. Any weapons they drop can be picked up, dual-wielded and utilized with their own unique statistics and combos. And if giant swords aren't your style, Conan possesses some mean grappling skills that are straight out of the world of professional wrestling. We'll admit it. We marked out when Conan popped some guys head off with what appeared to be the Canadian Destroyer.Scheduled for an early 2008 release, the developers at THQ seem to be in good shape despite the overall clunkiness we witnessed. It also must be pointed out that Conan is a single-player experience without any multiplayer or online modes to speak of. They may not be reinventing the wheel, but we're looking forward to getting some hands-on time with THQ's half-naked hero.%Gallery-1863%
Stuntman Ignites onto 360
Before we mentioned that THQ had a bunch of sequels coming down the pipeline, including the Stuntman series. Yesterday, THQ announced that their internal studio Paradigm Entertainment is currently developing Stuntman: Ignition. Scheduled to be released this summer, Stuntman: Ignition has you play the job of a Hollywood stunt driver with the task of performing some of the most insane stunts to be caught on film. Complete with a career mode and online multiplayer, this is looking to be an interesting entry into the Xbox 360's library. Will the "stunt driver" spin be enough to set it apart from the Burnout series, though?
THQ announces Warhammer 40k MMO
From Gamespot, the same people who brought you the fake World of Starcraft, comes the announcement of a Warhammer 40,000 MMO -- this sci-fi MMO based on a popular franchise is real though. The Warhammer MMO should also not be confused or compared to the orcs and humans Warhammer: Age of Reckoning MMO by EA Mythic, expected this holiday season.THQ will develop the game with Austin, Texas-based Vigil Games. All of this Warhammer 40k MMO stuff is just in the talking stage at the moment, so expect the game sometime near the next decade. By then we should have hoverboards and Duke Nukem Forever.
Stuntman Ignition on PS3 & Xbox 360 in summer 2007
THQ has announced that the follow-up to Atari's 2002 Stuntman will arrive this summer for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Dubbed Stuntman Ignition, the sequel is being developed by the publisher's internal studio Paradigm Entertainment (formerly of Atari). The original Stuntman was developed by another former Atari studio, now with Ubisoft, Reflections. Ignition will continue the tradition of insane(-ly frustrating) stunts, as players desperately fight to maintain a variety of careening-prone vehicles, including exotic sports cars, motorcycles, and (ever-impossible to control) hovercraft. Thankfully, an online mode will let you design the torturous routes, and then invite others to suffer the trial and error.
Tetris Evolution is very Tetris-like
Godfree from Gamertag Radio just sent us ten new screenshots of recently announced title Tetris Evolution. And everyone will be glad to know that the game looks just like Tetris with high definition background graphics. It kind of reminds us of Lumines Live with the various themes to each level, but without the moving backgrounds (or so we think they don't move). With up to four players duking it out at once here's hoping that Tetris Evolution turns out to be a prettier version of the game we love and doesn't cost the full retail price of a Xbox 360 game. Because as we see it now, charging $60 for the game would be outrageous.
MotoGP 07 Images and release schedule
We announced that Climax's MotoGP 07 would be coming to Xbox 360, and now we can tell you that it is expected to hit retail shelves sometime this fourth quarter. 360Monster also got their hands on 4 new screens of MotoGP 07, courtesy of THQ, and it is looking very pretty. In it we see that Extreme mode is making return, with enhanced options for customization. Of particular note is the textures for the asphalt on the tracks, which along with all the other graphical details, are making progress over last years edition. We've got some very sexy screens awaiting your perusal after the break.
THQ announces 'Conan' for PS3 & Xbox 360
With the latest Conan-scooped issue of Game Informer resting beside your toilet, having had a few weeks to collect a residue of bathroom scuzz (its measure an acceptable method for determining the length of an NDA), THQ has deemed it time for the interweblings to be enlightened. 'Old news' has been made new again as THQ today announced a new Conan (the Cimmerian cum Barbarian, not O'Brien) game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by Nihilistic Software.What we've been told is vague. We're to expect an action-adventure game in early 2008, highlighted by "a story of epic brutality, sheer evil and visceral combat." Sounds -- and if you've got that GI issue lying around, looks -- a lot like God of War (minus the Greek influence).See also: THQ revives Conan the Barbarian
THQ cooking up sequels
THQ CFO Ed Zinser talked about the future of their intellectual properties and announced sequels for new gen consoles. Saints Row, Destroy All Humans!, Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights, Stuntman and MX all saw enough success to warrant continuing their respective series. Ed also informed us that they would be released on an every-other-year type schedule. On top of all the aforementioned franchises, Zinser also stated that THQ has fresh intellectual properties that they plan on introducing this generation. Are you looking forward to seeing any of these sequels come to your 360?[Via QJ.net]
MotoGP 07 confirmed for Xbox 360
Xboxygen reports that Climax's upcoming title will be MotoGP 07, and will feature updated graphics, and 3D animated crowds. Old school Xbox Live members should have fond memories of the MotoGP series. The online demo/patch for the original MotoGP as well as the demo for Whacked! were packed in with the initial release of the Xbox Live starter kit back in 2002. On Xbox 360, MotoGP 06 wowed gamers with its stellar graphics, and while the Grand Prix was less forgiving, the Extreme Mode tailored more to the arcade racing style and was more accessible. Are you interested in some two wheeled racing? And for the record, were any of our readers there for the beginning of Xbox Live and had some of their first online experiences in a 16 person race around Mugello?[Thanks, gaetge]
Today's sneakiest game video: Frontlines - Fuel of War hidden tour
Sneaky hidden videos will always score high on our list, particularly if they don't involve Britney, Paris, and Lindsay. It's time we reclaimed their 15 minutes because they've run into serious overtime.So, the story behind this video is as follows: 'Games For Windows' Magazine recently filmed a totally unathorized, hidden video tour of Kaos Studios for a piece about Frontlines: Fuel of War. They weren't thrilled about having their HQ filmed Geraldo-style, but THQ (the publisher) didn't want to retaliate against the magazine, for fear that they would give them a bad review in return.So, once all the smoke has cleared, what does that leave us with? Frankly, not too much. Either it's a well planned "fake" secret video, or else it's a new wave of marketing going into effect that really embraces the old adage "there's no such thing as bad publicity." Of course, nothing really groundbreaking or damaging was revealed in this video ... or was it? Does this mean we can start running around developer HQs with a camera, knowing that they won't want us to pan their upcoming games? Hmmmmmm ...
Tetris Evolution coming to Xbox 360
THQ has confirmed that it will be releasing Tetris Evolution on Xbox 360. In the announcement THQ also said that the title will be released next month, and will be built upon their previous title, Tetris Worlds. This is in fact the second Tetris game to be released on the Xbox 360, the first being Tetris: The Grandmaster Ace which was an Xbox 360 launch title in Japan. Tetris: The Grandmaster Ace was accused of not having enough substance to justify being a full retail game, when it should have been an Arcade title. We'll have to see if Tetris Evolution falls into the same trap in March. What do you think, can there be reason to pay fifty bucks for a Tetris game?[Via GameStooge]
THQ announces 'Tetris Evolution' for Xbox 360
We knew it was coming, today THQ gave it a name: Tetris Evolution. While it seemingly would fit just fine on Xbox Live Arcade, Evolution appears to be a boxed-retail release (listed on Gamefly); currently scheduled for March. Expect traditional Tetrimino-dropping along with new modes, headlined by "Go Low" and "Eraser" -- 4-player Xbox Live support too.True to its name, Evolution will build on recent puzzler trends (see Lumines) and feature customizable themes, skins, icons, and music. More than a dozen "HD" background videos will be available to distract your high-score efforts. Whatever, just as long as it's budget-priced.
PSP gets Juiced again
Swedish gaming magazine, Gamereactor has revealed a sequel to urban racer Juiced. The sequel will be called Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (with a subtitle like that, it sounds like it should be sold late at night by phone order). In Juiced 2 you'll be racing across several European cities with over 90 customizable motors. The game is scheduled to be released in September, but has yet to be confirmed from THQ. Anyone pick up the first and look forward to this sequel? How does it rate among other racers? [Via DCEmu]
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights announced
THQ recently unveiled that they have a sequel to last generation's Juiced street racing title slated for a September release this year. Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights is being developed for the 360, PS3 and PSP. It will have 93 licensed vehicles, tracks in Sydney, Paris, London, Rome, and San Francisco, and over licensed 10,000 components to be added to your car. Drifting races have apparently replaced the drag racing and showdown modes found in the original. We expect the ability to form car clubs, race for pink slips, and other features that made Juiced unique to remain intact for the new gen sequel. Were you a fan of the original, and would you want to play it on current generation consoles?
Viva Pinata possibly bursting onto DS
How can Microsoft max out their profits this year? By latching onto the hottest system in the world -- the DS. Suddenly their reason for buying Rare becomes clear! Microsoft's super-powerful seers predicted the rise of the DS, and so they bought a company Nintendo fans adore as a way in. Brilliant! Now that we have our daily fanboy conspiracy theory out of the way, let's get to the news. Viva Pinata may well be headed toward the DS. Microsoft VP Shane Kim told 1UP that "a Kameo or a Viva Pinata on a DS makes a lot of sense in a lot of ways from a franchise perspective." Yeah, also from the perspective of mucho dinero, and we know that's a big deal to Micro$oft. However, if it all ends with more great games on the DS, we're all for it. [Via Joystiq]
THQ capitalizes on in-game ads, $5 million-ish
This is just an expectation from THQ, but it seems more than likely. They expect over $5 million in revenues from in-game ads as well as downloadable content by 2008. More and more games are relying on the promise of delivering downloadable content in the future, thanks to the utilization of the internet by consoles. This is also good because, well, if a game gets released but isn't "finished" in the developers eyes, the costs are easier to swallow by cashing in one small, almost micro, transactions over the next year or so.You'll recall that THQ also recently discussed the return of many of their existing franchises for the next-gen consoles. GamesIndustry also mentions this fact: "THQ's titles for next-gen machines include sequels to Red Faction, Juiced and Stuntman, as well as further exploitation of THQ's Destroy All Humans, MX and Saints Row franchises." Hopefully none of them will take place in the future and have presently existing ads in them. Unless they're on half-exploded billboards or corroded structures from the "distant past". Ads. Good for developers, annoying for gamers. Sort of... if you notice them. Although we'd gladly face off against the Fanta Girls in a boss battle, Metal Gear Solid style!
Smackdown vs Raw 2008 Announced
THQ announced to investors today that it would release WWE titles for every platform imaginable. That means the PSP will be getting its third WWE wrestling game in so many years. No real details were announced for the 2008 edition, but to anyone that has followed wrestling games, it should be painfully obvious that features will be added and the roster of wrestlers will be updated. And one can only hope that ECW will be incorporated fully. [Via IGN]
