via Games Industry


NCsoft Europe CEO Geoff Heath has told GamesIndustry.biz that the games the company plans to release for PlayStation platforms are also likely to be released for PC.

Heath's comments followed the Sony conference announcement that NCsoft has signed a development deal to produce titles for PS3 and PSP. He told GI.biz, "We've got a load of stuff in development, primarily for PC, and we will with Sony select the ones that are applicable to do on PS3.

"Those are the ones we will do for PS3, and they will be exclusive to PS3, but they will also very likely be on PC."

Heath confirmed the games will not appear on any other console, stating that there are "no plans" to develop games exclusively for Wii or Xbox 360. However, he added, "We'll continue to talk to all the other console people, we're not cutting off anything with anybody.

"But in terms of what Sony's vision is and our vision is for online gaming on console, I think it's a good fit."

No details of game titles or release dates were announced at Sony's conference today. Heath said there is "no minimum and no maximum" to the number of NCsoft games which will eventually appear on PlayStation platforms, but that the first batch will be comprised of several titles.

"Our nice problem is to try and distill down to three or four titles initially that will do for PS3, and working out with Sony which ones they are," he explained. ...

via Games Industry


Activision, Midway, and Konami showed off their upcoming titles to E3 attendees in a series of afternoon press conferences.

“We are pleased with Sony’s recent PS3 price cuts, which will provide additional opportunities to increase sales on that platform,” said Activision's Robin Kaminsky. She noted that the company holds a leadership position on all three current generation consoles.

With Stan Lee, Tony Hawk, Slash, and Jamie Kennedy in attendance, Activision showed video footage of the upcoming titles Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground, Bee Movie Game, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

At Midway’s conference, the focus was on John Woo’s Stranglehold. A downloadable demo will be released next month for the 360, PS3, and PC, with the final game coming in August. The PS3 version will have Woo’s Hardboiled film together with the game on one Blu-Ray disk.

Midway also announced a November release date for Unreal Tournament 3 on PS3 and PC, as well as a September release for BlackSite: Area 51. A new demo of BlackSite will be available for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in August.

Last, but not least, Konami showed a trailer of MGS4 and announced that Silent Hill V is in development for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Original composer Akira Yamaoka is returning to create a new soundtrack for the game. The company also discussed upcoming DDR games for the PS2, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. For the PS2, Konami plans a line of educational games known as the Kids Playground series. ...

via Games Industry


Microsoft has said that the European price relationship between Xbox 360 Elite and Premium will be similar to the relationship between the two SKUs in North America.

"If you compare it to the price difference between Xbox 360 Elite and Premium in the US, you wouldn't be far off," UK marketing head Steve McGill told GamesIndustry.biz.

In North America, Xbox 360 Premium costs USD 399 while the Elite retails for USD 479. In the UK, Premium currently sells for GBP 279.

An announcement can be expected in the run-up to the Elite's launch on August 24th, and was only held back from Microsoft's E3 2007 press briefing because of the need for territories to make their preparations.

Xbox 360 Elite features a 120GB hard disk, HDMI video output and a unique black casing that sets it apart from the Xbox 360 Premium. ...

via Computer and Video Games


SCEE has told CVG that details 'leaked' on its Euro PS3 announcement planned for later this week are categorically not true.

Internet reports are stating that the company's announcement will include news on a bundle containing PS3, Resistance Fall of Man and MotorStorm which will have a recommended retail price of 514 Euro (roughly 350 quid) - in France at least.

The information appeared in a leaked internal email sent by a French retailer to a Sony key account manager based in Paris, according to website Spong, in which it was said the bundle would be available in France as of August 1.

The site went on to say it contacted the key account manager in question who verified the authenticity of the email and, when questioned, confirmed that the information within would form part of Sony's announcement Europe-wide.

However, SCEE told CVG that the reported details including pricing are "categorically not true" when contacted.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's announcement, which is expected to be value-related, will occur at around 5am our time on Friday morning. ...

via Computer and Video Games


When Sega and Nintendo revealed that Sonic and Mario would be in a game together it was is a big deal. Following 20 years of rivalry the two gaming icons would join forces to promote sport to kids around the world.

Back when the game was announced we caught up with Sega Europe boss Mike Hayes who explained, "Obviously we were lucky enough to secure the Beijing 2008 Olympic licence about a year ago and so we were thinking about what we could do with that. Speaking to the IOC (International Olympics Committee), they really pushed home the spirit of sport for everyone, and their wanting to get younger people into the Olympics.

"So rather than just doing a simulation we thought that we had some great characters that young people love and are very iconic. The idea started there, and then we thought that is would be perfect if Nintendo could bring Mario into it so we talked to Nintendo and they agreed it was a great idea. So it was actually from the Olympics that this was born."


Screenshots here ...

via Computer and Video Games


Pre-E3 whispers say MGS4 will be a timed exclusive for PS3. Microsoft mentioned just about every other game under the sun at its E3 press conference expect Kojima's highly-anticipated action game.

It was only yesterday that rumours of Metal Gear Solid 4 being released for Xbox 360 hit a new high. Konami's head of US and European operations, Kazumi Kitaue, said that even though Metal Gear Solid was born for PlayStation, and the firm would like to keep it that way, steps may have to be taken.

We can only presume that he means steps taken to make the game multiplatform to cover the cost of the game's lengthy development cycle.

A source has told CVG that , "Kitaue is constantly trying to force Kojima to drop the game's PS3 exclusivity, which Hideo refuses point blank to do. Trust me MGS4 will be a PS3 exclusive for for months at least."

Microsoft's press conference focused on games that will be released this year (apart from Resi 5). There was no mention of MGS4 and 360 which makes us believe that Sony is still holding tight to the franchise. If it was coming to 360, Peter Moore would have made a massive song and dance about it. He didn't, probably because the deal's not been signed yet. ...

via Kotaku


Not much more you can say, really. It's not looking as slick as the Killzone trailer, but then, it is using a ton of random in-game footage. Best bit? About 1:12 in. It's good to see (what I can only assume is) the Arbiter again.


Video here ...

via Eurogamer


Square Enix's John Yamamoto, president and CEO for North America and Europe, has said that the publisher is busily trying to work out if it can release Last Remnant and Final Fantasy XIII simultaneously worldwide, calling it "a goal".

"For one of our biggest upcoming titles, Last Remnant, we're working to simultaneously launch in the United States and Japan - and we're aiming for Europe. We're still assessing whether that's feasible, but it's a goal," Yamamoto told our sister site GamesIndustry.biz on the eve of the E3 Media & Business Summit in Santa Monica.

"We'll try our best," Yamamoto said when asked whether the same would be true for next-generation Final Fantasy. "Our ultimate purpose is to release titles in five languages at the same time. That is our ultimate goal and we are working on that," he added.

Square Enix has traditionally struggled to get Europe into line with launches in other territories, with translation thought responsible for a four-month gap between Final Fantasy XII's US and European releases, and the five extra months it took for Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King to materialise here following its North American launch.

Last Remnant was unveiled at the Square Enix Party 2007 last month with the promise of a simultaneous US/Japan release, while Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII - both currently only for PS3 - first pitched up at E3 last year. ...

via Games Industry


Microsoft will be selling the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit in the US for USD 29.99 from September 6.

Containing a keyboard attachment for the contoller – dubbed the Chatpad – and the standard 360 headset, the peripherals are designed to make communication via Xbox Live Messenger more convenient.

Microsoft is also making different coloured controllers available for USD 49.99, in Pink, Dark Blue and a Light Blue model for the European market, due this October. ...