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Take a look at these bloody consoles that one Joystiq member owns:



Is your set up as impressive ...

Via Kotaku

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Apparently, Xbox 360 gamers will "be able to" download Star Wars prequel characters from Xbox Live Marketplace for play in LSW2 for a fee.

I suppose this sort of makes sense, afterall, you can' transfer over characters for a game that doesn't exist on this platform, but it does still annoy me.

LucasArts hasn't yet announced the price, that I could see, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it isn't egregiously high. Oh, and the opening to Episode V is just plain hot. Nothing like roping Lego Walkers. ...

Australia's top Xbox executive, Microsoft's David McLean, spoke to GameSpot AU last week and provided his company's perspective on the PlayStation 3 launch delay in territories outside of Japan and the US--specifically, the console's delay from November 2006 to March 2007 in Australia. He said the delay didn't catch him or anyone else at Microsoft by surprise. In fact, McLean brought up the topic of even more delays for Sony's next-gen console.

"[The PS3 delay] doesn't surprise me--and it further wouldn't surprise me if this product wasn't seen in March next year either," McLean said.

"We have always been comfortable with our strategy for Christmas irrespective of Sony. We are completely unsurprised by this situation. We have actually been a little surprised at how surprised other people have been."

McLean hinted that Microsoft would unveil some retail-focused strategies this holiday season to entice gamers who had money saved up for a PS3 to switch to an Xbox 360 instead. McLean was close-mouthed when it came to providing exact details, however.

"We may well look at working with our retail partners to come up with some opportunities to give gamers more choice," he said.

McLean said the only downside for Microsoft with the PS3 delay was that consumers would have to wait longer to finally compare the 360 and the PS3 side-by-side.

"It would have been nice for people to really contrast what the Xbox 360 had to offer versus Sony this Christmas, so the vapourware aspect could go away," he said.

But when it comes to the other next-generation console still expected to reach Australian shores this year--the Nintendo Wii--McLean was more benign. "I actually think the Wii is very innovative. I think it will have an interesting niche market for that controller. I do think that it will lend itself to some new experiences around gameplay--but I also do think that in terms of true power, next-generation content and true digital lifestyle scenarios, the game is still with Xbox 360," he said.

Sony Computer Entertainment Australia declined to comment to GameSpot AU about Microsoft's reaction. ...

Devil May Cry protagonist Dante is being replaced for the fourth installment in the series, a move the game's developers explained in the new Famitsu PS2. The magazine interviewed Devil May Cry 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, whose credits include Basara 2 and the GameCube version of Resident Evil 4, and Devil May Cry series veteran Hideaki Itsuno.

Itsuno revealed some of the reasons why Dante was replaced with his younger look-alike Nero. "First of all, Dante sort of peaked out in the last game. Also, the introduction of the new protagonist, levels the playing field for veterans and new players," Itsuno told the magazine.

As for the similarities in appearance between Dante and Nero, Kobayashi gave a couple of reasons for that design choice. "The silver hair and coats are symbols that make it easier to recognize the series' protagonist," Kobayashi said. "There is also a deeper meaning [to their similarities]..."

Nero is a member of a religious group called the Kyoudan Kishi, or "Order of Knights." Kobayashi said he will have some new powers, including the abilities to pull enemies toward him or throw them. The awakening of these powers in Nero will apparently make up one of the plot elements in Devil May Cry 4. Regarding Nero's ability to pull or repel enemies, he said: "Nero's right arm uses a new system we're calling the 'Devil Bringer.' This system could have been done on the current hardware, but due to problems with the PlayStation 2's specs, it would have looked primitive. However, with the PlayStation 3 we were able to get the visual aspects right."

A close examination of the screen shots provided in Famitsu PS2 reveals a strange, life-bar-like graphic in the upper left-hand corners. Itsuno explains, "This is like the throttle and clutch on a motorcycle... The sword has a sort of will of its own. Nero has tuned it himself, turning it into a very powerful weapon. I can't talk about the specifics of the system, but we'd created a new style of game-play for the sword."

Despite the focus on Nero, it seems that he may not be the game's only playable character. When asked if it would be possible to play as Dante, Kobayashi replied with another question. "Do you want to be able to play as Dante," he laughed. "In order to proceed through the story, the player's point of view will change but...who knows?"

Expect more details about the game to be revealed later this month at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show. Kobayashi noted that in addition to the playable demo of the game at the show, "the stage event will include a real-time demonstration of the game... There will also be some surprise announcements!" ...

All the talk about professional gaming has focused largely on who can race the fastest, who can frag the most, and who can fight the best. That may all change now, as a prize of $1 million was given to the gamer who could break the most jewels, play the most cards, and bust the most bubbles over the weekend.

Kavitha Yalavarthi of Odessa, Texas, was crowned World's Best Casual Gamer by Fun Technologies at the first-ever WorldWide Web Games held in Hollywood, California. Three games--Bejeweled 2, Solitaire, and Zuma--were featured in the competition, which took place over 12 hours and featured 71 contestants.

Casual games, called so because of their appeal to the non-gaming crowd, have garnered a lot of attention in recent years because of their revenue potential and low development costs. Many industry experts believe the sector is due for considerable growth domestically over the next five years, with some pegging it as a billion-dollar industry by 2011.

Via Gamespot

Lucky bast ...

Via Slashdot

Joystiq reports the news that, for the time being, Spore will be only on the PC. This, despite Will Wright's hopes that it would see publication on the Wii, 360, PS3, Gameboy, DS, and PSP. EA seems to be wanting to 'get it right' on the PC to begin with, though, and is discounting the game's publication on those platforms at this time. From the article:
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