What prompts a giant like Microsoft -- amidst layoffs and studio closures -- to purchase a Vancouver-based developer that's barely two years old? Aside from boasting a collection of 20-year industry veterans that have had their hands in franchises like Need For Speed, SSX and NBA Street, BigPark Inc. benefited from having its ideas being "very compatible" with those of Microsoft.

That's according to BigPark CEO and co-founder Hanno Lemke, who spoke to us regarding Microsoft's recently announced plans to acquire the studio and its "extremely talented group of people." BigPark's titles (including free-to-play tower defense game, Wizard Defense) focus on online social play, digital distribution and a direct-to-consumer model. Lemke suggested that his company's upcoming Xbox 360-exclusive game, which has been in development for more than a year, would be in line with what it had released before. Resulting from a fortuitous "meeting of the minds" between BigPark and Microsoft, the game is unlikely to be a typical product aimed at the Xbox's hardcore audience (no space marines here!), instead fitting in with Microsoft's "big push to broaden the audience." A casual, free-to-play title would certainly fit the description, if one were to speculate.

Though Lemke refrained from offering much detail, he confirmed that the "very new and different" title would be playable at next month's E3 -- and that it would break some rules. "[It's] pretty innovative in how it's delivered to consumers," he remarked. And if there's any doubt that the game plays a pivotal role in an audience expansion strategy, consider just what prompts a giant like Microsoft to purchase a Vancouver-based developer that's barely two years old. "It obviously goes beyond one game, right?"

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/07/bi...nce-be-playab/ ...

Games have come a long way since joystick jockeys first spent hours dropping quarters into Space Invaders. Now on the heels of Space Invaders Extreme's XBLA debut, series' creator Tomohiro Nishikado has spoken out on the state of games today, observing that originality has suffered despite advances in technology.

"I think the focus on unique concepts and gameplay has waned with the evolution of technology," commented Nishikado in a recent interview. While the iconic game designer praised new tech for allowing developers to create most anything they can imagine, he called out the industry for churning out "replicated gameplay formats and concepts," adding that "people are growing tired of playing the same thing." We'd be hard pressed to argue the point, though with games like Noby Noby Boy and Rhythm Heaven (a game Nishikado calls "excellent"), we still think there is a spark of originality out there. What about you?

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/08/sp...s-improved-re/ ...

Majesco just sent out a very cute invitation to a Cooking Mama-themed party to be held during E3. Listed among the activities planned for the party: a chance to play Cooking Mama 3. What a nice way to announce a new game! The last "numbered" Cooking Mama was Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends on DS, so it seems likely that this latest iteration will be on the DS as well.

It is very little surprise that Majesco and developer Cooking Mama Ltd. are planning another game. Cooking Mama is the cornerstone of Majesco's business, and we'd expect at least a couple of the "approximately 31 titles" the company plans to release (according to its financial report) to be Mama games. Probably more than a couple -- in addition to the newly announced 3, trademarks suggest both Babysitting Mama and Crafting Mama are on the way.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/08/ma...-e3-attendees/ ...

A batch of media came with the release dates for Ys Chronicles I & II and Ys Seven. Polygonal Ys Seven drifts into stores on September 17. Ys Chronicles I & II takes the journey a few months earlier arriving on July 16.

Neither game has been confirmed for North America, but Ys Chronicles I & II might be marginally easier for importers to pick up. A screenshot shows the PSP game has English status information. I wouldn’t expect a hidden localization in Ys Chronicles I & II, though.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/05/08...sp-ys-screens/ ...

EA's football developers may be ushering in a third era of Wii motion control game development — a better one.

Remember when Wii controls involved swinging your arms wildly or making gestures that could more easily be inputted with the press of a button?

The developers of the next Madden on Wii are trying to rein things back in and nail what has been eluding many developers for almost two and a half years: good Wii motion controls.

The latest re-thinking, or re-re-thinking was on display at an EA games showcase in New York a couple of weeks ago where a producer for Madden NFL 10 for Wii explained the new, calmer controls for this year's game.

Last year, Madden NFL 09 All-Play asked players to shove their hands left and right to juke and stiff-arm. They had to reel back with the Wii remote when throwing a pass and then flick their arm forward, as if throwing a football.

Those controls proved both too hard for some players to remember and too time-consuming for quick plays, a Madden producer told me at the event.

So this year's game, which drops the All-Play moniker and matches title with its big console brethren, will feature simpler but still Wii-specific controls:

* The development team is offering a "point-and-pass" option which lets players point the Wii remote at the spot where they want to pass the ball, press a button and make that pass.

* Tackling and escaping tackles will be accomplished by shaking the Wii remote. It's what players naturally do with their motion-controller when they are being tackled in the games anyway, the EA developer explained.

* The game will also let players use the Wii remote to draw routes for their players.

So maybe the development of motion controls will end up like the porridge Goldilocks liked to eat. Did those early Wii games have too little implementation of motion control? Did games like All-Play have too much? If so, here's hoping that Madden NFL 10 ushers in an age of game developers getting things just right.

Madden NFL 10 for Wii ships this August.

http://kotaku.com/5244441/madden-wii...otion-controls ...

You'll never forget how much some 720p videos cost on the Xbox 360 Marketplace.

Fans of the fighting arts may be wondering, like me, why some videos on the Xbox 360 Marketplace are so expensive. They have easy-to-remember price points, but those price points are high.

Want to watch an hour of Ring of Honor pro wrestling, brought to you by HD Net? The official listing shows that that will cost you 480 Microsoft points for standard definition, 720 points in high definition.

http://kotaku.com/5244447/pay+per+p-...eo-marketplace ...

The first download-only PSP title hits the PlayStation Store this week, along with the PS3 debut of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and an oddly-priced set of downloadable Disgaea 3 content.

This marks my first time posting the PlayStation Store Update, so forgive me if I go astray. This week seems particularly packed with goodies, with three new PSone Classics, demos for Savage Moon and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a set of three free songs for Guitar Hero World Tour, Norse outfits for LittleBigPlanet, and what certainly seems like a lot of Disgaea DLC.

Along with two new characters in the form of Gig and Revya from Soul Nomad, Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice also scores a new storyline for Raspberyl, available as four separate chapters for $2.99 each, or in one big pack for $11.99. I'll let you guys figure out the math on that one while you browse this week's list.

Qore Episode 12 - May 2009 ($2.99)

Games & Demos
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix ($19.99)
PSone Classic - Bowling ($5.99)
PSone Classic - R-Type Delta ($5.99)
PSone Classic - Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! ($5.99)
PSP - Pursuit Force ($22.99)
Savage Moon Demo
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Demo
Patapon 2 for the PSP($19.99)

Expansions & Add-ons
BUZZ! Quiz TV: Rock Legends ($7.99)
LittleBigPlanet Norse Mini-Pack ($2.99)
Disgaea 3 Character: Gig ($1.99)
Disgaea 3 Character: Revya ($1.99)
Disgaea 3: Soul Nomad Set ($3.99)
Digaea 3: Raspberyl Chapter 1 ($2.99)
Digaea 3: Raspberyl Chapter 2 ($2.99)
Digaea 3: Raspberyl Chapter 3 ($2.99)
Digaea 3: Raspberyl Chapter 4 ($2.99)
Disgaea 3: Raspberyl Chapters 1-4 ($11.99) $.03 more expensive than buying them individually!
Sonic Unleashed Mazuri Adventure Pack ($2.99)
Street Fighter IV Alternate Costume Pack ($12.49)
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. - US Eagles Pack ($4.99)
Trivial Pursuit TV Pack ($4.99)
Wheelman: Free Street Showdown (free)
Wheelman: Premium Street Showdown Pack ($4.99)

Guitar Hero World Tour add-on tracks

Ferret/Metal Blade Track Pack (free)
"On Broken Glass" by Chimaira
"Dez Moines" by Devil Wears Prada
"Grave of Opportunity" by Unearth.

Rock Band add-on tracks

"Do You Want To"- Franz Ferdinand ($1.99)
"Lucid Dreams"- Franz Ferdinand ($1.99)
"Take Me Out"- Franz Ferdinand ($1.99)
Franz Ferdinand Pack 01 ($5.49)
"Smooth Criminal"- Alien Ant Farm ($1.99)
"Blue Sky"- The Allman Brothers Band ($1.99)
"Midnight Rider"- The Allman Brothers Band ($1.99)
"Drain the Blood"- The Distillers ($1.99)
"Naked Eye"- Luscious Jackson ($1.99)
"Idealistic Types"- Prong ($1.99)
"The Banishment"- Prong ($1.99)

Game Videos
PULSE 5/7 Edition (free)
inFAMOUS: Power Trip Trailer
Killzone 2: Steel & Titanium Pack Video
PATAPON 2: Build Up Your Army Trailer
SOCOM FTB3 Announce Trailer
Alpha Protocol Gameplay Walkthrough #1
Magic Ball Booster Pack Trailer
Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom Booster Pack Trailer
Tekken 6 Editor's Day 2009 Trailer
Speedway TV Spot
The Making of Speedway

Wallpapers & Themes
Disgaea 3 - Gig Theme ($0.99)
Disgaea 3 - Raspberyl & Sapphire Theme ($0.99)
Anime MBM Theme 2 ($1.49)
Bunnies Pinups Theme 2 ($1.49)
Metal Battalion Maidens Theme 2 ($1.49)
NASCAR/Sprint Cup Series Monsters Theme (free)

http://kotaku.com/5244858/playstatio...add+on-madness ...

The first download-only PSP title hits the PlayStation Store this week, along with the PS3 debut of Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and an oddly-priced set of downloadable Disgaea 3 content.

This marks my first time posting the PlayStation Store Update, so forgive me if I go astray. This week seems particularly packed with goodies, with three new PSone Classics, demos for Savage Moon and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a set of three free songs for Guitar Hero World Tour, Norse outfits for LittleBigPlanet, and what certainly seems like a lot of Disgaea DLC.

Along with two new characters in the form of Gig and Revya from Soul Nomad, Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice also scores a new storyline for Raspberyl, available as four separate chapters for $2.99 each, or in one big pack for $11.99. I'll let you guys figure out the math on that one while you browse this week's list.

Qore Episode 12 - May 2009 ($2.99)

Games & Demos
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix ($19.99)
PSone Classic - Bowling ($5.99)
PSone Classic - R-Type Delta ($5.99)
PSone Classic - Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! ($5.99)
PSP - Pursuit Force ($22.99)
Savage Moon Demo
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Demo
Patapon 2 for the PSP($19.99)

Expansions & Add-ons
BUZZ! Quiz TV: Rock Legends ($7.99)
LittleBigPlanet Norse Mini-Pack ($2.99)
Disgaea 3 Character: Gig ($1.99)
Disgaea 3 Character: Revya ($1.99)
Disgaea 3: Soul Nomad Set ($3.99)
Digaea 3: Raspberyl Chapter 1 ($2.99)
Digaea 3: Raspberyl Chapter 2 ($2.99)
Digaea 3: Raspberyl Chapter 3 ($2.99)
Digaea 3: Raspberyl Chapter 4 ($2.99)
Disgaea 3: Raspberyl Chapters 1-4 ($11.99) $.03 more expensive than buying them individually!
Sonic Unleashed Mazuri Adventure Pack ($2.99)
Street Fighter IV Alternate Costume Pack ($12.49)
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. - US Eagles Pack ($4.99)
Trivial Pursuit TV Pack ($4.99)
Wheelman: Free Street Showdown (free)
Wheelman: Premium Street Showdown Pack ($4.99)

Guitar Hero World Tour add-on tracks

Ferret/Metal Blade Track Pack (free)
"On Broken Glass" by Chimaira
"Dez Moines" by Devil Wears Prada
"Grave of Opportunity" by Unearth.

Rock Band add-on tracks

"Do You Want To"- Franz Ferdinand ($1.99)
"Lucid Dreams"- Franz Ferdinand ($1.99)
"Take Me Out"- Franz Ferdinand ($1.99)
Franz Ferdinand Pack 01 ($5.49)
"Smooth Criminal"- Alien Ant Farm ($1.99)
"Blue Sky"- The Allman Brothers Band ($1.99)
"Midnight Rider"- The Allman Brothers Band ($1.99)
"Drain the Blood"- The Distillers ($1.99)
"Naked Eye"- Luscious Jackson ($1.99)
"Idealistic Types"- Prong ($1.99)
"The Banishment"- Prong ($1.99)

Game Videos
PULSE 5/7 Edition (free)
inFAMOUS: Power Trip Trailer
Killzone 2: Steel & Titanium Pack Video
PATAPON 2: Build Up Your Army Trailer
SOCOM FTB3 Announce Trailer
Alpha Protocol Gameplay Walkthrough #1
Magic Ball Booster Pack Trailer
Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom Booster Pack Trailer
Tekken 6 Editor's Day 2009 Trailer
Speedway TV Spot
The Making of Speedway

Wallpapers & Themes
Disgaea 3 - Gig Theme ($0.99)
Disgaea 3 - Raspberyl & Sapphire Theme ($0.99)
Anime MBM Theme 2 ($1.49)
Bunnies Pinups Theme 2 ($1.49)
Metal Battalion Maidens Theme 2 ($1.49)
NASCAR/Sprint Cup Series Monsters Theme (free)

http://kotaku.com/5244858/playstatio...add+on-madness ...

Microsoft honcho and screamer Steve Ballmer gave a speech today in Dallas as a guest of the Dallas Regional Chamber to deliver a speech at the Dallas Convention Center.

The topic: "The Role of Innovation in a Challenging Economy". The game connection: During his speech, Ballmer is quotes as saying, "Pay attention to the stuff we're announcing in the next month on Xbox." Ballmer did not elaborate more than that reports Victor Godinez from The Dallas Morning News.

Of course, next month is E3, and of course Microsoft will be announcing things for its Xbox 360 platform — things like the rumored motion controller. If it doesn't, Steve Ballmer still wants your undivided attention.

http://kotaku.com/5244840/microsoft-...x-announcement ...