via Eurogamer


Rare studio manager Mark Betteridge has told Eurogamer that the veteran Britsoft developer is thinking about making a new version of Killer Instinct - but that it would require a "revolution" to make it worthwhile.

Betteridge, who was lead engineer on the original instalment of the 2D fighter, admitted the franchise was a candidate for revival, following the rebirth of Banjo-Kazooie in Nuts & Bolts, which released earlier this month on Xbox 360.

"Killer Instinct is an IP that is fondly remembered and we may do something with it, but it's a tricky market to be like the old Killer Instinct," he revealed.

"At the time there was Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat and we were thinking, 'how do we make our own area here?' and it came from the combo system. The market after that became more and more specialised. And all you do then is make your user-base smaller and smaller and it disappears [to the point where] it's not really feasible anymore."

However, Betteridge insisted there were still great opportunities in the one-on-one fighting genre to be seized with the right innovation.

"Once a market gets like that then it needs a revolution to bring something new to it and to kick-start a new growth," he said. "It will stagnate for a while and then it needs a real significant change of direction potentially.

"It is a law of diminishing returns to recycle the same game. That's why we didn't want to do that with Banjo just to build a Banjo game that was hi-def. We wanted to do a game that not only provided a different gameplay experience that we couldn't do before, but we wanted to build something that we can then build on to do other titles."

Rare is notorious for teasing fans about forthcoming projects, and recently sparked fresh rumours of Killer Instinct 3 with the release of themed cards for Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise.

Killer Instinct first hit arcades in the mid-'90s, followed by versions for SNES and GBA, with a sequel appearing as a coin-op and on N64. It was famed notably for its stunning visuals and massive combos.

Rare celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this year, but despite the strength of its back catalogue, creating IP is "primarily our goal", according to production manager Lee Schuneman.

He added: "We want to be forward-thinking as much as we can. Even though we've got a great heritage that gamers love and we love, we want our design team to be thinking for the next thing, what's the next great idea. We need to define our own space on this console and we're only going to do that by using new IP."

"The best way to have success is to build your own area," added Betteridge. "We don't want to chase a genre. We think the best genres are the ones that don't exist at the moment." ...

via Eurogamer


Gamers may be nearing the end of the annual road to where's-all-my-money-gone, but that hasn't deterred Nintendo from updating the Virtual Console with three more treasures from the retro archives this Friday. Although your treasure may vary.

First up is Space Invaders: The Original Game for the Super Nintendo, which at 800 Wii Points (GBP 6 / EUR 7.70) sounds a bit overpriced, but let's hear it out. There's four game modes with different orientations, and, er, that's it. Perhaps you'd be better off putting that money towards discounted copies of Space Invaders Extreme on PSP or DS.

Next there's Forgotten Worlds on the Megadrive, also for 800 Wii Points, which is a side-scrolling shooter from Capcom, although not the best version of it according to our extensive research on Wikipedia. It's also worth noting that this made it into the Capcom Classics Collection on PS2/Xbox and the remixed PSP release.

Finally there's Metal Slug 2 for the NeoGeo at a slightly higher 900 Wii Points (approx. GBP 6.30 / EUR 8.10). Much as we adore all things Metal Slug, we expect others who adore all things Metal Slug have probably already adored Metal Slug Anthology, of which this is also a part, and which is also out on the Wii.

Oddly we never reviewed it (we'll see about rectifying that, if you like - we know you enjoy two-year-old reviews), but we'll be taking a look at MS2 and its counterparts in a forthcoming Virtual Console Roundup, as per. ...

via Games Industry


THQ has clarified that while the PlayStation 3 version of its upcoming title, Destroy All Humans! Path of Furon, is not going to see a release in the US it will be released in Europe.

Yesterday it was reported that the publisher was canning the PS3 version of the title due to "development issues", however it has now been revealed that the title will only be an Xbox 360 exclusive in the US and have its release on both platforms in Europe on the delayed date of February 13.

...

via Computer and Video Games


There are now more than one million combined Xbox 360 leaderboard entries for Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 1 & 2, according to Bizarre Creations.


On the other hand, the figure doesn't account for the amount of times gamers will have played the title while offline.


We're not surprised by the popularity of the Geometry Wars franchise on 360, as both games made the grade in our Ten best games on Xbox Live Arcade feature. ...

via Eurogamer


PlayStation Home director Jack Buser has reassured gamers that the PS3 virtual world will be open to everybody this year.

"Like we've said, we're excited about moving PlayStation Home into its open beta stage this year. Once we make the move to open beta, everyone will have access to PlayStation Home," Jack Buser told IGN.

Hundreds of thousands of people were invited inside the closed PlayStation Home beta last week, and an even larger number are expecting invites today.

So far only "loyal" members of the PS3 community are being offered places, but Jack Buser said the closed phase is, well, closing.

"PlayStation Home is nearing the final stages of our closed beta. Last week we successfully moved to our 1.0 client, which places us on schedule for the launch of open beta this year," he said.

The ambitious and free virtual world was unveiled alongside LittleBigPlanet at GDC back in March 2007.

Since then, the online service has been delayed on numerous occasions, as Sony puts its features to the test.

So far, the results are promising, as our hands-on impressions of PlayStation Home pointed out. ...

via Joystiq


Too Human cleaved a line between those who appreciate the subtle nuances of button mashery and others who simply didn't get it. It's a gap, however, that may be bridged somewhat with the one element of the game that managed to garner significant praise. No, not the hoarding of random loot, but the music.

The hour-long Too Human soundtrack, scored by Silicon Knight's composer Steve Henifin and performed by the FILMharmonic Orchestra and Choir Prague, is now available for around $16 from Amazon, Best Buy, iTunes and the CD label Sumthing Distribution's own site. The soundtrack promises an interesting mix, from orchestra to metal, and even "cyber elements" that "are more elegant and organic in style." Whatever, as long as we won't again be forced to watch a Valkyrie descend for the hundredth time to carry Baldur (and our patience) off to Valhalla as the selection goes from track to track. ...

via Computer and Video Games



Capcom's screenshot man must be getting paid overtime in the run-up to Christmas, as he's pumped out another batch of 30 plus shots for the Japanese brawler.


35 screenshots here ...

via Eurogamer


Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store are offering discounted goodies in celebration of Thanksgiving.

But, as only the US celebrate Thanksgiving, only the US get the treats.

From tomorrow, Xbox Live will see Rez HD drop from 800 Microsoft Points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.60) down to 500 MSP (GBP 4.25 / EUR 6.00) - a steal, considering the critical acclaim.

The full Death Magnetic album by Metallica for Guitar Hero III also sheds a load, dropping to 1000 MSP (GBP 8.50 / EUR 12.00). And there's plenty more on Major Nelson's blog.

Meanwhile, over on the PlayStation Store (which we can at least access), The Last Guy, PixelJunk Eden, echochrome, Novastrike and Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 are all temporarily USD 4.99 (just over GBP 3). Offer ends on 4th December. ...

via Eurogamer


Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store are offering discounted goodies in celebration of Thanksgiving.

But, as only the US celebrate Thanksgiving, only the US get the treats.

From tomorrow, Xbox Live will see Rez HD drop from 800 Microsoft Points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.60) down to 500 MSP (GBP 4.25 / EUR 6.00) - a steal, considering the critical acclaim.

The full Death Magnetic album by Metallica for Guitar Hero III also sheds a load, dropping to 1000 MSP (GBP 8.50 / EUR 12.00). And there's plenty more on Major Nelson's blog.

Meanwhile, over on the PlayStation Store (which we can at least access), The Last Guy, PixelJunk Eden, echochrome, Novastrike and Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 are all temporarily USD 4.99 (just over GBP 3). Offer ends on 4th December. ...