via Eurogamer


Writer Frank O'Connor has said he is quitting Bungie to continue working on the Halo brand at Microsoft.

"I am leaving you. I am off to work more closely with Microsoft on the Halo franchise, so I shan't be too far away, but I wanted to take this last chance, appropriately enough in a Weekly Update, to tell you a very fond thanks," wrote a teary-eyed "Frankie" on the official Bungie website.

"It was very hard for me to make the decision to move on, but one thing that made it just a bit easier was seeing the amazing work that's coming down the pipe. I was busy working on a story for one of our next games, an experience that is destined to surprise, amaze and entertain like nothing we've ever made before. That game has an amazing team invested in it, and one that will be tasked with building the Next Big Thing. You should see what they've already achieved, you truly should.

"And there are other things rumbling at Bungie, just as secret, just as epic and just as incredible. And the thing that turns all that rumbling into incredible gameplay experiences is, has always been and will always continue to be, the people. The brilliant, talented, industrious gang of geniuses who brought you everything from a monochrome Pong clone to the staggering vistas and vision of Halo 3," added O'Connor.

Frank O'Connor was lead writer at Bungie and oversaw everything from character and combat dialogue to board game scripts to weekly community updates.

He joined the developer after a background in games journalist, writing for Amstrad Action, Total! and Computer and Video Games, the paper one.

Bungie decided to break away from Microsoft and become independent last October, after the third Halo game and conclusion to the sci-fi trilogy had been released.

Microsoft will still retain an equity interest in the developer and continue create titles based on the Halo brand, such as Halo Wars from Ensemble and the Peter Jackson projects. ...

via Computer and Video Games


The transition to its own engine after ditching Epic's "inadequate" Unreal Engine 3 has been "fantastic", says Too Human mastermind Dennis Dyack.

"We completely threw out the Unreal Engine and focused on something that would work for what we're doing, and it's been fantastic," said Dyack, speaking to CVG at Microsoft's spring showcase last week.

In case you missed the commotion, Too Human dev Silicon Knights served Epic with a lawsuit, claiming it was "misled" over how complete the Unreal Engine 3 code actually was, thus putting a pretty big kink in its development schedule for the game.

The developer's now using its own in-house engine work, and thankfully everything's looking good again for the 360 exclusive brawler, which has finally been dated for August 19.

"Co-op is awesome, the number of enemies on screen, the responsiveness, the framerate... everything we're really happy with," said Dyack.

When asked if he felt uncomfortable sharing a room with the Epic team, who were showcasing Gears of War 2 just metres away, Dyack said: "I haven't seen them today, so I can't comment."

Fight! Fight! Fight! etc ...

A JURY has been sent home for the night after failing to reach conclusive verdicts on whether two men stole £700,000 of PlayStation games consoles from a Northampton warehouse.
Partizan Zekaj, 28, and Nard Paloka, 29, are accused of using inside information they gained while working at NYK Logistics in Grange Park, Northampton to steal a lorry load of consoles.

They deny theft and have been on trial at Northampton Crown Court for the past week.

Judge Charles Wide QC today spent the morning summing up the prosecution and defence cases to the jury before sending them out to consider their verdicts.

However, they did not reach conclusive verdicts by the end of the day and are due to resume their deliberations tomorrow.

The two men were once employed at the distribution depot, next to the M1 at junction 15, and are accused of producing false documents to make off with a delivery of 1,,440 PlayStation 3 consoles.

Zekaj, of Wake Way, Grange Park and Paloka, from east London, who are from Albania, deny theft. The trial continues.

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/ne...ion.4096124.jp ...

via Computer and Video Games


Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude developer High Voltage Software has released the first footage of Conduit, its upcoming Wii game that it hopes will 'look like a 360 title.

Speaking last April, High Voltage CEO Kerry Ganofsky said: "Most of the games on the Wii look like crap. We want to change that, so we've invested heavily in our Wii tech over the past year.

"Of course [Wii owners] care about gameplay," he continued, "but we believe if given the choice, they would want great graphics as well. It's just a cop out. With Conduit, we are trying to make a Wii game that looks like a 360 title."

High Voltage claimed that the game would contain real-time shadows, projected lights and interactive water. Based on the trailer posted on IGN, we can confirm that at least of those claims were true - the water does look nice for a Wii game.

Unfortunately, we couldn't really make out any evidence of any of the other stuff. Whilst it does look technically better than a lot of games on Wii, its colour palette makes extensive use of the same metallic gray that we've seen in the research labs and underground corridors of a dozen other generic first person shooters. It all seems a bit too familiar.

Still, graphics aren't everything, right? There still might be a decent first person shooter underneath it all, a genre severely lacking a crowning title on Wii. Maybe High Voltage can still pull this out of the bag yet. ...

New from SuccessHK



Disney/Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian game takes players to the locations from the blockbuster film. A year after the events of the first film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,?but 1,300 years in Narnian time, Prince Caspian finds the Pevensie children returning to a more savage land where the Narnian creatures have been driven into hiding and Narnia is under the rule of the evil tyrant Miraz. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for consoles is developed by Traveller’s Tales. Fall Line Studio, Disney Interactive Studios?Nintendo-dedicated studio in Salt Lake City, is developing the Nintendo DS version. ...

via Computer and Video Games


SCE Australia managing director Michael Ephraim says that the PlayStation 3 far outsold Microsoft's Xbox 360 in Australia during the first quarter of 2008.

Ephraim told PALGN that the PS3 outsold Xbox 360 by 45 percent in Australia during Q1 2008, and that he expects the console's domestic installed base to top that of Microsoft's 360 by the end of the year.

"I can tell you in the first quarter of 2008 we have outsold Xbox 360 by around 45 percent," he said. "That is not including the Bravia deal, which moved through around 30,000 units, so if you add the Bravia deal to our global sales we have now, in the first quarter of 2008 we have outsold the Xbox 360 by two to one.

"We think it's a matter of time before we surpass the [Xbox 360] install base... We're just guessing somewhere around the end of the year, if not sooner if the trend keeps going the way it is."

Earlier this month Sony Computer Entertainment Australia announced that the PS3 had reached an installed base of 238,000 during its first year on the market, eclipsing the year one performance of the PS2.

The figure, which came directly from Sony and not official industry sales monitor GfK Australia, may also have included more than 28,000 consoles given away as part of a Sony Bravia LCD holiday promotion. ...

Newly released today



features
Platform: PlayStation 3
Nectar: Take your skill to the next level with tips and tricks to help you master the use of Nectar.
Maps: Detailed maps for every single and multiplayer level.
Co-op: Learn expert strategies to help you and your friends master every encounter in single-player co-op mode.
Dev Tips: Tips and tricks directly from the development team will help you get the edge on every opponent.
Multiplayer: Multiplayer strategy to help you lay waste to the competition.

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-26pk.html ...

Newly released today



features
Intuitive controls – Fly down the slopes with the most intuitive skiing game on the Wii™! Step onto your Wii Balance Board™ or grab your Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ and ski down the massive mountain!
Ski with your friends and family – Hit the slopes with up to 4 players to race, slice through slaloms, and traverse moguls as you head to the lodge for some hot chocolate!
As big as a real mountain – We Ski™ features 14 exhilarating courses, including runs for beginner and intermediate skiers, and black diamonds for the advanced skiers!
Race down the slopes and more! – In addition to races, freestyle, moguls, and slaloms, enjoy over a dozen other activities including Ski School, Centipede Races, Search and Rescue, and shoot photos to share with your friends on WiiConnect24!
Ski the mountain at night – Enjoy the kaleidoscope of colorful fireworks in the night sky as you perform night specific activities on all 14 courses!
Ski with your Mii or a customized character – Use your own Mii, or customize your characters with a host of combinations and more! And earn points to buy new skis, gloves, outfits, and other skiing accessories!

description
Welcome to the Happy Ski Resort, where fresh powder, groomed runs, multiple trails, and state of the art facilities await!

We Ski™ takes you down the slopes in the most exciting skiing game to hit the Wii™! Grab your Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ or step onto your Wii Balance Board™ to execute perfect wedge stops, shred the slaloms, and negotiate moguls with ease. With an in-depth Ski School and over a dozen lengthy runs packed with jumps, races, and more, you and your friends won’t want to leave the slopes again!

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-2ovl.html ...

Newly released today



features
Single player modes – Play Open Match, Tournament, Deca Challenge, or the ultimate competition in the Deca League.
Multiplayer – Face off against others in 2-4 player competition.
Locker Room – Keep track of all your medals, trophies, and accomplishments.
Beginner and advanced controls included – intuitive controls for everyone and advanced moves for avid players.
Wii exclusive: designed specifically for the Nintendo Wii, DECA SPORTS takes full advantage of the Wii Remote and nunchuk.

description
No one else delivers a full 10 sports games for the price of one! With great mix of team sports, racing, winter sports, and events for both guys and gals, Deca Sports will satisfy both the casual sports gamer and the hardcore gamer! The spirit of competition never felt this good.

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-2nuo.html ...