via Computer and Video Games


We already knew that Nintendo was shying away from the traditional four/five-year console lifespan, but it comes as a surprise to learn that Nintendo sees the cycle being extended further, rather than shortening it.

Speaking to investors President Satoru Iwata pondered over the current assumptions about console lifespans. "I have to wonder if it is all right to think that this current generation of hardware will have a four-year lifespan just because the past generation's lifespan was four years," he said. "I believe a different time cycle must be considered."

Iwata went on to say that he suspected customers reluctantly buy a Nintendo console just so they can play the software. Because of this, Nintendo owes its customers a longer lifecycle for Wii.

"Accordingly, we would like to offer new proposals one after another as long as that hardware can still provide fresh and pleasant surprises," he added. "If such efforts can be resulted in the prolonged lifespan of a hardware, that is good to us."

So can we expect to be playing the same old Wii come 2019, then? Or is this further evidence that Nintendo is looking towards adopting a business model akin to the iPod, where newer models are released without making former units obsolete? We suspect the latter. ...

via Eurogamer


Capcom has confirmed Clover has been removed from the Okami Wii credits, blaming legal constraints for the deletion.

The Wii conversion was handled by Ready At Dawn, and according to Capcom this left its hands tied.


Clover created Okami for PS2 and former game director Hideki Kamiya is upset at the decision; not simply because his name is absent from the credits, but because the ending movie closes the game and conveys all of the emotion the team poured into the project over many years.


However, even with legal permission, Ready At Dawn claimed it may not have been that easy to include the ending roll due to Wii data sizes - although it was quick to point out it would never "willingly" not give credit where it was due.


Clover Studios was closed down in March 2007 in "an effort to increase efficiency". The team was responsible for games such as Viewtiful Joe, God Hand and Okami. Hideki Koyami is now in charge of Platinum Games.

Okami was released on PS2 in February 2007 and achieved top marks on Eurogamer. The Wii version has motion-sensing controls, widescreen and 480p support.

Okami Wii is due out in Europe on 13th June. ...

via IGN


GTA fan hopes rose today with a report from qj.net suggesting that GTA 2 was coming to XBLA and/or PSN at the end of May. This was due to a countdown clock found on Rockstar's site. We're sorry to report that this is not the case.

The clock is old and was counting to the release of GTA 2 on PlayStation One. Checking the source code for the site, the page is credited as being designed in 1999. The code includes a date correction for the 1900s, with a note stating, "apply correction for this century only." Simply put: This code does not understand that the 21st century exists. If you've been searching for a Y2K error, you've found one.

Rockstar confirmed to IGN that the clock is in error and is not counting down to a re-release of GTA 2. ...

via Joystiq


We've been trying to get answers this week for those GTA IV players who've been experiencing freeze-ups with the title. Our very unscientific poll has shown that although many of you are enjoying the game without issue, a small percentage are experiencing problems -- and a "small percentage" of the millions who bought GTA IV actually ends up being a lot of people. Although Rockstar has so far not responded to the issue, Gamespot received a "fix" from Take-Two's tech support team.

The 12-part "fix" Gamespot received involves steps like: erasing the install data, deleting the game saves, disabling PS3 internet connectivity, disabling the console's information board, deleting the system's internet cache and much more. For its part, Sony says the issue is affecting "a limited number of PS3s" and its working with customers to resolve the problem. Microsoft has yet to acknowledge any freezing issues. ...

via IGN


How big is Metal Gear Solid 4? The correct answer is, "big enough to get two hardware bundles."

That's just what Sony and Konami are preparing for the game over in Japan. Konami already unveiled the first MGS4 bundle a few weeks back. Today, Sony unveiled the PlayStation 3 Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots Welcome Box with Dual Shock 3, a package that bundles the standard version of MGS4 with a standard 40 gigabyte PS3 unit and throws in a DUALSHOCK 3 controller to complement the included SIXAXIS.

Sony will be making the bundle available in Clear Black, Ceramic White, and Satin Silver, with the included Dual Shock 3 matching the system's color. Pricing is set at 49,980 yen, a savings of around 4,480 yen over the price of buying the Dual Shock 3, PS3 and a copy of MGS4 separately.

The Konami bundle, known as the game's Premium Pack, includes the game's Special Edition, a special "steel" color of the PS3 system, and a Dual Shock 3, all for 51,800 yen. It's missing the SIXAXIS, but it has the bonus goodies from the Special Edition of the title.

All bundles and variations will be available in Japan on June 12.


Photographs of the second bundles here ...

via Kotaku




Nice to see that Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi isn't pussy footing around. Dude is clearly able to drive. Fast. Here he takes to the wheel of the new Nissan GT-R and pushes it upwards of 190 mph. This is exactly the person you want making your realistic racing simulators. ...

via Eurogamer


The second Hanabi Festival is under way on the Virtual Console, so you can play all sorts of foreign games never released over here.

These include puzzle game Columns III: Revenge of Columns (Megadrive) and horizontal scrolling-shooter Gradius II (TurboGrafx-CD), plus scrolling-shooter Final Soldier (TurboGrafx-CD).

Unfortunately, because these are rare, Nintendo has seen fit to bump the prices for no apparent reason; air fares and stuff, probably.

Columns III costs 900 Wii Points (GBP 6.30 / EUR 9 approx), while Gradius II and Final Soldier cost 700 Wii Points (GBP 4. 90 / EUR 7 approx).

Look out for our Virtual Console roundup later today. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Microsoft has told Next-Gen that the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV is outselling the PlayStation 3 version by a wide margin in the US, but Sony questions Microsoft's claims.

"What we've heard anecdotally from our retail partners is that the Xbox 360 version of the game is outselling the PS3 version by a margin of two-to-one," said Aaron Greenberg, director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live during an interview Thursday.

"That mirrors what we saw with pre-orders, but it continues to hold true at retail, at least for the first couple of days. It's a great sign."

But a SCEA rep questioned Microsoft's findings, saying that Microsoft's two-to-one ratio "doesn't line up" with what Sony has been hearing from its retailers. The rep declined to say exactly what Sony has been hearing from its retail partners until more concrete data can be compiled.

Rockstar's GTA IV launched on Tuesday.

In day-one sales in the UK, the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV outsold the PS3 version: 335,000 versus 274,000, respectively, according to Chart Track.

One of the big questions hovering around the release of GTA IV is just how much of an impact the game will have on sales of Xbox 360 and PS3.

SCEA released a statement Thursday saying that GTA IV drove a boost in PS3 sales on the game's launch day, although the company has yet to release hard figures.

Microsoft also has yet to release post-GTA IV hardware sales figures, but Greenberg said, "We've heard from our retailers that the consoles saw strong lifts during the week. We typically wait for [research firm] NPD to give us a better read on that.


Asked if April NPD results would definitely show a GTA IV-driven Xbox 360 hardware boost, Greenberg said, "I think we'll have solid performance in April, but I think you might actually see a bigger impact in May."

Analysts (and Sony) point out that the GTA series has deep roots in the PlayStation brand, which still has strong pull with mainstream gamers who have yet to upgrade from their PS2s.

But Greenberg suggested that many gamers are ignoring PlayStation brand loyalty in the case of GTA IV because of the exclusive downloadable content that will be available for the Xbox 360 this fall.

"That's making a big difference in peoples' console purchase decisions. ... GTA fans are switching over to Xbox 360 just like Guitar Hero fans and Madden fans did. ...The same thing is happening with Grand Theft Auto IV."

Greenberg also said that many gamers are "graduating" from the last generation of consoles to this generation via Xbox 360 and GTA IV.

Heavy Xbox Live play

Greenberg said that on day one, roughly 1 million GTA IV users went online with the game on Xbox Live.


Greenberg also said that 2 million GTA IV achievements were unlocked in the first 24 hours of the game's release. In addition, over 15 million Gamerscore points were added to users' accounts in the first day.

1.5 million cross-game invites also occurred during that period.

Microsoft has been keen to leverage GTA IV's strong online multiplayer component by including a one-month Xbox Live gold subscription with all GTA IV launch copies. The firm hopes the game will drive Xbox Live adoption. Gold subscriptions cost $50 for a full year.

"Our teams have been doing a lot of work in advance of this game, in fact, months. The operations team has been working on scaling our infrastructure around building and increasing our server capacities," he added. ...

via Eurogamer


Sony has told Eurogamer that it has made no announcements about the LittleBigPlanet beta dates so far.

It was responding after comments from producer Kyle Schubel from Sony in the land of America, who told PSU that a closed beta for the game would begin this summer.


Kyle Schubel also outed that around one million user-created levels will fit onto one planet in the game, and that there will be multiple planets.

You will also be able to filter content by popularity, upload date, what your friends have been playing and ratings.

LittleBigPlanet is the second most wanted game on the whole of Eurogamer, and has evidently won you around with its elaborate tool-set premise where you can build your own adventure for your little sack creature people things. ...