via Computer and Video Games


Namco Bandai has added another Star Wars character to Soul Calibur IV, revealing that Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice from The Force Unleashed will turn up for a ruck.

If you didn't already know, the Secret Apprentice is a character created for this years' Star Wars cross-media event that covers some of the timeline between Episode III and IV. Now, according to GameSpot, he's snuck in to yet other title.

Whilst we're not entirely keen that the Soul Calibur franchise is becoming more and more a just Star Wars fighting game with each passing day, it does mean that there now will be two lightsaber-equipped characters in both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.

Although given the usual titillation in the series, we wish they'd just put Leia in there. ...

via Computer and Video Games


The introduction of gaming to Apple's iPhone could "kill" Nintendo DS's success, claims a report in Forbes magazine.

The article, titled 'Why Apple Could Kill The Nintendo DS', says that the iPhone's combination of motion sensing and touch-screen tech could leave it as a more desirable format for both consumers and developers.

The comes before an expected announcement from Apple this Monday, where boss Steve Jobs "will likely launch a long-promised feature, dubbed the App Store, which will let outside developers pour software into the iPhone and iPod Touch".

"The ability to pour fresh software into the iPhone, wirelessly, at the touch of a button already has game developers interested," says Forbes.

"Apple is the first to master a pair of tricks that have made Nintendo's latest products so compelling; a touch-screen interface and the ability to pick up on motion. The key difference: Unlike Nintendo, which has created a gaming console with a motion-sensitive controller and a touch-sensitive handheld gaming system, Apple has crammed both capabilities into its iPhone and iPod Touch"

Ubisoft, Electronic Arts and Sega are already signed up to make games for iPhone, and if sales catch on as much as industry analysts expect them too, the handheld arena could well and truly be in for a shake up.

"Looks like the handheld gaming business, so long dominated by Nintendo, could be about to undergo a little evolution too," boldy claims Forbes.

Peeking at Nintendo's current sales figures, we wouldn't chuck your DS in the bin just yet, though... ...

via Computer and Video Games


Apple plans to charge a whopping $25 for games that use its iPhone, a developer has revealed.

Ignacio Cavero, CEO of development studio LemonQuest, told PocketGamer that Apple's "games would be sold in iTunes for €17-18" (which is about $25, or £14). Currently, games for the iPod cost $8.

Whilst LemonQuest can only say its working on "a big UK licence, and we're using all the capabilities of the iPhone," EA and Sega have confirmed they're releasing adaptations of Spore and Super Monkey Ball on the platform.

After the inevitable UK price hike we wouldn't be surprised to see these titles land here for about £20.

That's about the same price as most Nintendo DS games, coincidently enough. It all points to Apple finally sizing up to Nintendo in the handheld space. But could, as a Forbes story yesterday claimed, the iPhone kill the Nintendo DS? We're not convinced. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Bethesda Softworks has today revealed the Fallout 3 Survival Edition for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but it's currently just for America.

The set includes a life-size replica of the wrist-mounted Pip-Boy 3000 worn by characters in-game, a Vault-Tech lunch box, a Vault Boy Bobblehead, an Art of Fallout 3 book and a making of DVD. Oh, and the game too.

It all sounds pretty cool. We've seen some of it - the lunch box and Bobblehead sits on the desks of the PC Zone lads within stealing range of CVG.

Unfortunately, the replica Pip-Boy 3000 doesn't detect radiation and reveal how reputable you are with those around you. It instead displays the time.

But if you really want it, you might have to take a trip across the pond or import it (and hope the game's region free).

Fallout 3 is due for a release later in the year.


Fallout 3 pack image here ...

via Eurogamer


Ubisoft has called for immediate action from Sony in order to stop publishers abandoning the PSP.

Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, UK big cheese Rob Cooper said the handheld lacks direction, as Sony is confused about how to sell a machine he feels is over-priced and too technical for most of us.

"I think that Sony is disappointed with sales and it's unsure as to which way to take it," Cooper told GamesIndustry.biz in an interview published today.

"Sony needs to show us a bit more about what its plans are to convince the publisher to invest lots more money into it. Especially when you've got the DS selling at such a tremendous pace.

"I suppose it's almost too technical for the casual person, those that are buying the DS at the moment want a few buttons and not a lot more. It's so simple what [Nintendo] has done. That's where I think Sony has gone a little bit too complicated, they've over-specced it, the price is too high and they need to go back to the drawing board and start again," he added.

Cooper doesn't think it's an issue with software pricing, rather Sony hasn't communicated to publishers clearly what direction the machine is going to take in the future.

"I don't think it's a pricing issue," he admitted. "As a publisher I'll always say pricing is not the first point of call. I don't think dropping the price of games is going to sell more product or hardware.

"It's direction, a real strategic decision by Sony as to what it wants to do with that product. It's a great shame that sales are at the level they are, because you've got a hardware system that is absolutely beautiful."

Ubisoft has no games planned for the PSP this year, but Cooper insists the format still has potential, so long as Sony can properly identify its audience and move the system out of "no man's land".

"There are ongoing discussions with Sony about what its decisions and strategies are, how they are going to go forward.

"Certainly, we still see it as a viable format. But we're not developing too many games on it until we get some direction. They've got to decide what they want to do with it, and come out clearly and say, 'this is our strategy, this is our process and this is how publishers can get behind it'."

"At the moment they are in no man's land, they're not sure quite how to tackle the DS competition and who is the PSP consumer. They've got to sort that out first," he said.

Coopers comments come just a month after Sony Europe boss David Reeves admitted that the PSP was suffering from a lack of games.

However, despite support dwindling in Europe and the US, sales of the PSP in Japan continue to rocket. The continued introduction of fresh colours as well as beastly sales of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G mean the handheld regularly outsells both Wii and DS there.

Pop over to GamesIndustry.biz for the full interview with Ubisoft UK boss Rob Cooper, where he dabbles in all sorts including the problems with Wii owners and why this Christmas is going to be "vicious".


Full interview here ...

via Games Industry


Senior industry analysts have voiced concerns over the future of Microsoft's Xbox business, labeling the US firm's attempts to market 360 to casual audiences "disastrous", and predicting that the console will "start to struggle in the market" over the coming year.

Speaking during a panel session at last month's Nordic Game 2008 conference in Malmo, Sweden, analysts covering the UK, Europe and North America were called upon to assess the current state of the global games market, and predict key trends for the next 12-18 months. And for Microsoft, the picture in their crystal ball was anything but rosy.

"When you look at an installed base basis, the Xbox 360's going to come in third place when all's said and done," said DFC Intelligence analyst David Cole. "The concern I would have with a company like Microsoft is, one of these days they're going to have to make a profit on this business otherwise why are they in it?"

Nick Parker, MD of Parker Consulting and an analyst for Screen Digest, argued that 360's failure to succeed in key continental Europe territories pointed to a fundamental image problem. "The trouble with Xbox 360 is it hasn't managed to shake off this urban, irreverent adult male feel; so it hasn't gained traction in the more casual gaming markets of mainland Europe such as France, Spain and Italy, where it's stalled," he said. "And there are already rumours of Xbox 360 being delisted from certain retailers."

Parker, a former VP of strategic planning at Sony Europe, maintained that Microsoft had failed to learn from the mistakes of its first console: "I think they started off badly with the Xbox itself: blood and breasts. This alienated it immediately to a lot of consumers around Europe, and they never got over that. The brand image never went away. And although Halo 3 is a big game, it just emphasises again what the Xbox is all about.

"If you go talk to people in Seville, in Rome, they're not interested in that. They're much more casual gamers, they don't want to have such competitive games."

Cole argued that, despite Microsoft's perceived failure to appeal beyond its core audience, it was still possible for publishers to do strong business in 360's bread-and-butter areas. "If you're doing a first-person shooter title, you're clearly going to want to be on Xbox 360, and that's for years to come," he offered. "[But] their efforts at marketing outside of the first-person shooter crowd have been disastrous." In March, Microsoft hired former Nintendo Europe boss David Gosen to spearhead its drive for casual gamers on the continent.

While 360 remains particularly strong in its home US market and the UK, bitter rival Sony's PlayStation 3 has overtaken it on installed base in other territories, despite launching over a year later. Sony Europe boss David Reeves claimed last month that the console had already surpassed 360's sales across Europe.

Globally, Xbox 360 has sold through over 19 million units since it launched in November 2005. Sony revealed last month that it has sold 12.85 million PlayStation 3s since November 2006, with worldwide Wii hardware sales standing at 24.4 million units as of April 2008.

Xbox 360 last month hit the 10 million milestone in the US, prompting Xbox boss Don Mattrick to proclaim: "History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle." However, the panel accused Mattrick of "clutching at straws".

"[Microsoft] get very defensive because they realise the US is their last stronghold now as their sales go into decline across the rest of the world," said Parker. "So they're a little bit desperate and they're clutching at straws now to cling on to what they've got in the market which is primarily the US." Parker also pointed to the "tremendous brand loyalty to PlayStation" amongst its consumer base, causing many to hold off from entering the new generation until the release of their favourite brands, rather than buying an Xbox.

Asked whether there was any chance Microsoft might reconsider its place in the console business, Cole said: "I think there's always that risk. They will have to assess their position after this round, and clearly they were very committed to saying they were going to stick with this business through another console system. They haven't really talked much beyond that and I know that really at some point they are going to have to figure out how they're going to make money out of this business."

He added that DFC Intelligence expected to "see the Xbox 360 start to struggle in the market" over the next 12 months, ...

via Games Industry


Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian, who recently hosted investors on a visit to videogame companies in the San Francisco area, warns against counting Sony out over the long haul.

"Despite ongoing modest sales trends for PS3 hardware in North America, we believe the platform may benefit from an improving software lineup - MGS 4, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2 - and the late 2008 rollout of more robust online services," he wrote in a note to investors.

Sebastian also thinks that the PS3 could benefit from the Blu-ray format victory, a prolonged console cycle and the potential migration of the large PS2 installed base. He does not think a PS3 price cut is likely this year, however, as Sony focuses on achieving segment profitability.

The analyst continues to expect solid 17 - 18 per cent growth in videogame software sales in 2008, believing that publishers will benefit from an expanding consumer base and the increasing popularity of social and community games.

"Retailer interest continues to build for videogame products," Sebastian wrote.

"As a result of positive industry trends, software publishers are noting increasing interest from a cross-section of retailers, a number of which are allocating more shelf space to the videogame category.

"Additionally, while online distribution is still a limited market at this point, we expect software publishers will shift an increasing portion of content to online distribution channels over the next 3-5 years."

Finally, Sebastian noted that handheld game platforms have become an increasingly important part of the industry's growth. He expects further innovation in the handheld market, with the Apple iPhone and Google Android expanding the market for media-enabled smart phones.

He also thinks that Nintendo and Sony will "refresh" their respective handheld platforms - although he did not specifically indicate if this meant adding additional features or releasing entirely new SKUs. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Microsoft is unhappy with the ability to find content on Xbox Live Marketplace, 360 product management director Aaron Greenberg has put on record.

"I think that we are not, I would say...happy with the ability to find and discover content as easily as we'd like for consumers to be able to do that," Greenberg, told MTV Multiplayer.

The feeling has caused the platform holder to start removing underperforming and poorly reviewed Xbox Live Arcade games from Marketplace.

"I think a lot of that is we built Xbox Live Marketplace for a few hundred items and now we have 17,000 items," said Greenberg. "We built a small store and we filled it with lots of lots of stuff. We're feeling some of these growing pains and [the new policy] is one of those tradeoffs we've had to make.

"Longer term, we're looking to make the ability to find content and organize the 17,000 pieces of content we have a lot better."

We've never had any problems. What's the plan then? A Giant, 720p spreadsheet? ...

via Eurogamer


Actionloop Twist is the solitary addition to the Wii Shop this week. It's a WiiWare title that costs 1000 Wii Points (GBP 7.00 / EUR 10.00 approx).

If the name rings a bell, it's because Actionloop Twist is a, er, twist on the DS game Actionloop, which we wrote up very favourably back in February last year, deciding it was "a worthy addition to your DS puzzle collection".

The idea is to fire coloured marbles at other coloured marbles that are snaking their way around the screen on a meandering collision course with the centrepoint. You can delete coloured marbles by cannoning them into groups or three or more.

The Wii version is controlled using the Wiimote and supports four players in co-operative or competitive multiplayer modes. According to the game's Wikipedia page-fillers, it also has Mii support and the Remote can be used to fling marbles over their friends. However, while there are challenge and quest modes, the DS game's puzzle mode is reportedly ditched.

Elsewhere on the Wii Shop, Nintendo is not offering you anything on the Virtual Console this week for some reason. Recent weeks have buried us in all sorts of foreign treats that were never released in Europe, as part of a Hanabi Festival.

The arrival of those overpriced oldies is the only reason we can think of for deciding not to add anything this week. Unfortunately Nintendo was unavailable to comment. We just double-checked the Wii Shop shelves again and they're still bare.

Look out for our review of Actionloop Twist soon. ...