via IGN


Harmonix Music Systems, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), announced today that they will team up with Q Entertainment, a leading Japanese music game designer, to bring the best-selling music videogame Rock Band to Japan. The two studios will work together to develop the title, marking the first US-originated rock music game to be heavily localized for the Japanese market. The game will feature Japanese musical acts as well as other localized assets.

Rock Band's return to the birthplace of rhythm games will benefit from Q Entertainment's experience designing progressive and engaging games many of which have a heavy focus on integrating music elements into gameplay. Since its founding in 2003, Tokyo based Q Entertainment has become a leader in rhythm oriented titles, including the critically acclaimed music and luminary action puzzle game series Lumines,and the recently released Extend Every Extra Extreme (E4) and Rez HD for Xbox Live.

Today's announcement was also featured Saturday at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards - Japan, where a Rock Band trailer was presented. The US-version of Rock Band was also prominently featured backstage and at the afterparty, giving Japanese attendees a taste of what's to come in the newly announced title.

Rock Band, which has sold over 3 million units in North America and Europe, is an all-new platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune, mastering lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals.With more master recordings than any other music game, Rock Band features some of the world's biggest rock artists and spans every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock to heavy metal and punk.

Rock Band is a true music platform, with over 12 million songs sold as downloadable content since its initial release. There are currently over 140 songs available for download in the Rock Band Music Store and Harmonix continues to release new music every week.

Since its North American release in 2007, Rock Bandhasgarnered over 40 awards including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007and three awards at The 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack. ...

via Games Industry



Microsoft has said that the decision to delist under performing Xbox Live Arcade titles will force developers to focus on better quality games.

Titles which have a Metacritic rating of less than 65 per cent, have been on the service for at least six months and have a trial conversion rate of less than 6 per cent are due for the chop from the download service this autumn.

Director of product management, Aaron Greenberg, has also told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes developers will still be willing to experiment with niche or new concepts, rather than adopting safe gameplay in order to receive a high score and stay on the service.


Xbox Live Arcade has been criticised in the past for a glut of poor titles, making it difficult for users to find quality games in a crowded digital market. As well as forcing developers to tighten quality control, Microsoft is also planning its own in-house Live Arcade team to lead the way with downloadable content.


Although Microsoft is still quiet on the amount of titles to be delisted in 2007, Greenberg said the cull will not begin until after the summer, with users and developers receiving at least three months notice.

He also stated that this new policy will not have any affects on the proposed Community Games project due to launch later this year, which will showcase games created using Microsoft's XNA tools.

...

via Computer and Video Games


Six new Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (DS) screens have been released, in much the same way we imagine blood spills out of sword cuts in the actual title.

Ninja Gaiden DS occurs straight after the original game on the Xbox, as Ryu rebuilds his peaceful home village. As you can see from the screenshots, it doesn't stay that way for long.

The game uses the 'Phantom Hourglass' method of moving the titular character around the screen, which is fast becoming common practice for any DS game worth its own weight in gold.

Die-hard Ninja Gaiden fans will be pleased to know that the portable version ties into the upcoming sequel on the 360, although exactly how is yet to be revealed.

In our exclusive interview with designer Tomonobu Itagaki, he said: "I am personally overseeing the development of everything from the story through to the gameplay elements for both games, so if you're observant you may be able to extrapolate some similarities between the two, yes, and not just in the area of story.

Check out the rest here.


Screenshots ...

via Eurogamer


The actor behind Gears of War character Cole Train has hinted that the upcoming sequel will be out on 16th November.

Lester "Mighty Rasta" Speight (who used to play professional American Football before deciding he likes his dramatics) spilled the beans by cheekily suggesting press ask him again after that date.

He was chatting at a TriForce event in the US; this is the company that has just announced it will be creating official life-sized replicas of the Gears of War armour and weapons.

Microsoft was unavailable to clarify the date, which falls on a Sunday according to our calendar - neither a Tuesday when the US typically gets games nor a Friday when Europe gets them.

It is within the November window previously and officially promised, though, and similar to the original Gears of War "Emergency Day" date [I added that bit and I'm not changing it - Ed].

The platform holder and publisher has also just revealed a fresh edition of the original Gears of War for PC and Xbox 360.

It goes on sale across the US on 24th June, and contains all of the downloadable content so far, 250 fresh Gamerpoints to achieve, plus a second disc with a preview of Gears of War 2.

Unfortunately its European whereabouts are still unknown. ...

via Eurogamer


Sony has declined to comment on speculation that it is making its very own Wiimote-style controller for PS3.

Reports suggest the platform holder ran secret focus groups in the US at the beginning of the year, where console owners were shown the motion-sensing device.

Visually it appeared very similar to the Nintendo controller, according to PlayStation LifeStyle, and was apparently "incredibly responsive and accurate".

Titles shown ranged from tennis to fencing to paintball, and when the demonstrator ducked in the latter, so did his on-screen character. The PS3 controller was also shown playing Quake on a laptop, we're told.

Of course, Sony is no stranger to motion-sensing controls, having included it in its Sixaxis pads since the launch of PlayStation 3.

Earlier this year rumours began circulating that Microsoft had its own Wiimote-style controller in the works, too, with developer Rare supposedly involved on the software side. ...

via Joystiq


Flipping through our copy of the July issue of EGM we were surprised to see that the editors passed up a coveted pre-release review of Metal Gear Solid 4 for ... a roundtable discussion? Turns out there's a pretty significant explanation. Here's what EGM has to say verbatim (emphasis ours):


The full list of limitations has not been made public (Any readers out there seen the list? Care to share?), but MTV has posted two possible limitations, naming the length of cutscenes and the size of the hard drive installation as two topics that are potentially off-limits to print reviewers. Strangely, these limitations do not seem to be fully imposed on online reviewers (Eurogamer writes freely about both topics in its review), though IGN UK does vaguely acknowledge that "Konami issued us with a list of things that we're not allowed to discuss," adding, "[the] list of prohibited topics is pretty long, and even extends as far as several facts that the company itself has already made public." (It's worth noting that IGN UK confirms later in its review that one of the prohibited topics is the "total length of cutscenes," before going on to state that the cutscenes represent "about half of the content of the game.")

Clearly, Konami has issued certain limitations on pre-release reviews. The scope of these limitations and who they extend to remains unclear. (Also unclear is the potential penalty for violating them, as IGN UK seemingly does.) Still, if EGM understands these limitations to be review-compromising factors, should all pre-release reviews under Konami's guidance be filed with an asterisk? ...

via Computer and Video Games


PS3 Firmware 2.4 - the one we're all waiting for - will be out on June 18, claim "unnamed sources" in Holland.

Version 2.4 is expected to introduce the much-requested in-game communication features to the console, as well as an Achievement-point equivalent Trophy system and other goodies.

"Summer" is the only official word Sony has given on 2.4's arrival, with June heavily tipped. The June 18 report from Dutch site PlayStation Only claims previous rumours of a June 10 release are false.

It's all speculation until Sony gives the official word, which we expect will be any time now. ...

via Games Industry


Wedbush Morgan Securities has speculated about a possible Netflix deal to stream movies through Xbox 360 consoles.

The conclusion, made by the investment banking firm, came off the back of comments made by Netflix management. If true it would allow the online rental service to stream movies directly into consumer's consoles.


Earlier this year, Netflix had surveyed subscribers on the possibility of streaming movies via the Xbox 360 console. ...

via Eurogamer


HMV has boasted that its Oxford Street store in London will be housing Metal Gear Solid 4 creator Hideo Kojima this afternoon.

He will be there from 12pm onwards signing pre-ordered HMV-exclusive sleeves for his upcoming game.

Note that there are only 300 of these and you will need to dish out a GBP 5 deposit to reserve your copy. Otherwise it is first come first served.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is due out for PS3 on 12th June.

Head over to our MGS4 review to find out why you could "not ask for a funnier, cleverer, more ambitious or inspired or over-the-top conclusion to the Metal Gear Solid series". ...