via Games Industry


Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick has clarified that Grand Theft Auto IV will still release in the company's second fiscal quarter - between February and April 2008.

Last week, Zelnick told a BMO Capital Markets conference that the company was not ready to announce a firm date for the highly-anticipated title.

This was taken by some to mean that the previously announced launch window - between the start of February and the end of April 2008 - was not set in stone.

But Zelnick, speaking to Gamespot, has stated that he only meant that Take-Two and developer Rockstar did not want to name an exact date yet.

...

via Computer and Video Games


A new free online mode for FIFA 08 on PS3 and Xbox 360 that allows ten players to play in a single match over the 'net has been launched.


It adds that the mode is automatically available when your Xbox 360 or PS3 is connected online. ...

via Games Industry


Doom creator John Carmack believes the DS would make a great proving ground for upstart programmers if only platform holders didn't stifle homebrew development.


Carmack took a similar route to creating Orcs & Elves, id Software's upcoming Nintendo DS game - created as a collaboration between Carmack and Fountainhead Software.

As he explained at QuakeCon 2007, he got the 3D code that underpins the game up and running in four days during one of his "working retreats" - where he locks himself in a hotel room for two weeks with no internet connection "for completely focused work".

Unofficial homebrew solutions do exist for DS, using flash cards for storage, but they're not supported by Nintendo because of the potential for piracy. ...

via Games Industry


Capcom has recorded modest sales growth for the first half of 2007, with revenues of JPY 31.1 billion (EUR 188.2 m), up 6.6 per cent for the period ended September 30.

However, net income was down to JPY 1.6 billion (EUR 9.6 m) or 16.3 per cent, with the company's arcade revenue dropping 68.9 per cent from JPY 4.3 billion (EUR 26m) to JPY 1.4 billion (EUR 8.4m) for the first six months of the year.

Console software was the key performer for Capcom, with the publisher singling out Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and the 500,000-selling Apollo Justice Ace Attorney.


Capcom expects to achieve JPY 78 billion (EUR 471.9m) in net revenue for the full year ending March 31, 2008, and JPY 6.2 billion (EUR 37.5m) in net income. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Halo 3's out, Bungie's off the MS leash, but there's no time for rest as studio manager Harold Ryan reveals the developer is already hard at work on not one but two new IPs, and new Halo games.


Speaking about Halo and the split with Microsoft, he said, "Obviously Microsoft wanted us to make more Halo games. Both I and some of the more senior guys from the original Halo game have deep piles of game designs for the Halo universe that we are excited to build at some point".


He explained that new game prototypes created during the development of Halo 2 were ditched to deal with the hefty workload that was Master Chief's second outing. But it's not dead and buried.


Ryan continued, "We also have Halo DLC on the way, and a new IP prototype that we are very excited about. Then we have other Halo games that are cranking along also. So the end result so far has been exactly as it should have been - we're happy, excited, and doing our best work on a path that lets us grow."

Get excited. ...

via Games Industry


Sir Howard Stringer said that Blu-ray is currently in a "stalemate" with HD DVD.

Speaking in Manhattan, Sony's CEO downplayed the importance of the battle, however, saying that it was mostly a matter of prestige whose format wins out in the end.

The HD DVD format is chiefly backed by Toshiba and Microsoft.

"We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides," Stringer said, in reference to the movie studio's recent decision to drop Blu-ray in support of HD DVD, for which it received USD 150 million from HD DVD proponents.

"It doesn't mean as much as all that," Stringer said. He believed that there was an opportunity of uniting the two camps under one format before he became CEO of Sony, and wishes he could travel back in time to make that happen.

Stringer was more positive about the PlayStation 3, noting that it has become the best-selling console in Europe after a price cut three weeks ago. The recent US price cut has doubled sales.

"We are coming back up again," Stringer said.

Sony aims to sell 10 million PS3 consoles by March, the end of its fiscal year. ...

via Games Industry


The Atari 2600 videogame console, which recently turned 30 years-old, has been inducted into the Strong National Museum of Play's toy "Hall of Fame."

While not the first home videogame console, it quickly became the most popular when it was released in 1977.

It is the first electronic "toy" to be inducted, joining such classics as the Etc-a-sketch, Frisbee, Barbie, Mr. Potato Head, Play-Doh, the yo yo, jigsaw puzzles, the hula hoop, and Legos.


The Atari 2600 was inducted along with Raggedy Andy (brother of the Raggedy Ann doll, who was inducted five years ago), and the kite.

While the videogame system is the most recently invented member of the hall, the kite - believed to have originated in China almost 3,000 years ago - is probably the oldest. ...

via Eurogamer


What with Gears of War launching on PC today (read our review or they won't pay me), we thought it would be a good idea to ask Mark Rein for the umpteenth time whether the five new chapters are ever going to come out on Xbox 360.

Asked if Epic is categorically never going to release them as downloads for Xbox 360 users, Rein said, "It looks that way."

Never? "Well, never say never, but I mean there's no plans to do it. The problem is the two versions aren't really compatible," he added, reiterating the previous explanation that the PC and Xbox 360 code-bases are too far removed from one another for an efficient patch.

Gears of War on PC introduces chapters that bridge the gap between events at the end of Act 4 and those that kick off Act 5. In essence (mild spoiler), it explains why they go from the house to the train. Sort of.

Gears on PC also includes a level editor and of course the ability to play with a keyboard and mouse, which we certainly appreciated, and it also allows you to get on board with Games for Windows - Live (Xbox Live for Windows) on XP as well as Vista, meaning you can unlock another 1000 points worth of Gamerscore for Gears of War if you're really that bothered. ...

via Eurogamer


Koei has decided that what you want is a PSP version of its strategical role-playing series Disgaea.

It is called Afternoon of Darkness in memory of a good pub lunch, and will be available to get lost in this December.

The story is based around the familiar face of Prince Laharl and his band of oddball chums, who get all rough and tumble as they fight for control of the Netherworld.

Developer Nippon Ichi has included a few new things for portable fans, though, like a PSP-specific multiplayer mode that lets you duel friends around the world or share items ad-hoc from your shop.

There is also an exclusive storyline featuring Etna, which sees you try to become Beauty Queen Ultimate Overlord by finishing the game. And if you do, a never-before-seen ending awaits.

You will also be able to customise your multiplayer settings, like modifying the rules, field conditions and other bits and pieces. And to spice things up, you and your opponent can pick five geo cubes before a battle, each with random and potentially game winning properties - although neither of you will know what the other has, a bit like sleeping with a stranger.

Disgaea one and two both scored 9/10 here on Eurogamer for their blend of complex statistics hidden in an engrossing storyline.

Pop over to our Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness gallery to see how it is shaping up. ...