via Computer and Video Games


Square Enix will launch Final Fantasy IV in Europe and other PAL territories on September 5, exclusively on DS.

John Yamamoto, president of Square Enix, gushed, "Final Fantasy IV is one of the most significant titles in the history of the franchise. It has been remarkably enhanced for the Nintendo DS, making it a great opportunity for our fans to experience its deep story and ground-breaking battle system in an exciting and innovative new way".

The DS version features "improved 3D graphics, fully-voiced cut-scenes, an inspiring remixed score and additional never before seen content" says Square.

Sounds good. Loads of new shots here. Enjoy. ...

via Games Industry


Jonathan Blow, the man behind the award-winning XBLA title Braid, has revealed that the new deal structure put in place by Microsoft could be enough to prevent him from working on Arcade titles in the future.

"What would keep me from putting another game on Arcade again is just that they've changed the business deal - at least as I've heard," he told Gamasutra. "If it's as I've heard that it is, I couldn't even necessarily break even."

Braid was signed long before the new deal structure was put in place, and while Microsoft has been coy on the details, some sources have cited a drop in royalty levels from around the 75 per cent mark to around the 30 per cent level.

Blow added that he had no plans to develop any additions to Braid in the future, regardless of how well it sold.

"Money is not really my goal, so even if Braid does very well... that's not my concern," he said. "I'm not going to do a sequel to Braid -- I don't care how many copies it sells.

"I mean, maybe in five years when I'm motivated, if I have a really fresh idea for it. But I'm not waiting in the wings with a level pack, or DLC or anything."

And he also revealed that while he'd been thinking about designing a Braid theme for the new Xbox Live, the intrusion from advertisements had put him off anything on the current system.

"I didn't want to do them on the old Dashboard, because it's covered with ads everywhere," he said. "Braid is about setting a mood and a feeling, and you can't do it while there's like, a Burger King ad there, flashing... I just felt that juxtaposition would have been bad for the game." ...

via Joystiq


Here's everything we know about Dead Rising 2: it's coming. Really, that's it ... and even that, we don't know for sure; however, close watchers of the industry might remind you that a sequel to a successful game (now a franchise with the addition of the Wii-centric Chop Till You Drop) is more or less a certainty so, with that in mind, we've been on the prowl for Dead Rising 2 deets since the original debuted two years ago this month.

... and all we've got is a handful of rumors. The first: Dead Rising 2 will be an Xbox 360 exclusive; the second: Dead Rising 2 will be multiplatform and development duties will be handled by a Western developer. Oh, and both of those rumors are from the same source. Now, along comes Capcom marketing man John Diamonon posting on the official PlayStation.Blog site, dropping the smallest of teases that would seem to not only intimate another Dead Rising sequel is in development (no way!) but that it would be heading to the PlayStation 3 as well.

Diamonon's tease came in response to a barely legible comment praising the developer for supporting the PlayStation 3 and asking that despite Capcom's VP of business development and strategic planning Christian Svensson "saying that there is no chance in [sic] happening, please give us a bit of hope on Dead Rising." Diamonon's response: "You haven't seen the last of Dead Rising." Of course, we could interpret this comment any number of ways but we'd like to think that Capcom just threw a knowing wink and a smile our way. Right back atcha Cap'. ...

via Eurogamer


Epic Games has confirmed that the replica Lancer gun from Gears of War, which was prematurely revealed at the end of last week, is official and has been selling like "hot cakes".

The 36-inch plastic weapon shakes and growls when you slot three C batteries (the chunky cylindrical ones) in its chamber. Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski poses with the replica on Amazon, maybe in an attempt to distract from the USD 139.99 (GBP 70) asking price.

Still, fork that out on a pre-order and a copy of Gears of War 2 is chucked in for free - plus the option to upgrade the game to a Limited Edition for USD 10 (GBP 5).

NECA, the company behind the plastic Lancer, has also made a "Headshot" Locust Drone action figure, which depicts an unfortunate insect-person-baddie taking a sniper bullet to the face. This comes complete with replica metal COG tags and costs USD 19.99 (GBP 10).

Both Lancer and "Headshot" Locust Drone go on sale alongside the Gears of War 2 game on 7th November.

We're waiting to hear back from NECA about European plans for the toys.


Picture of replica gun at Eurogamer ...

via Games Industry


Microsoft has hit back at claims made by Nintendo that the Wii sells the most third party games, saying instead that it's Xbox 360 sells the most.

Last week, Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs, Denise Kaigler, defended the Wii's third party sales saying, "We are selling third party games and they are doing very well, and better than our competitors."

But according to NPD information obtained from Microsoft by GamesIndustry.biz, that Nintendo claim appears to be wrong:

• Total third party sales for the Xbox 360 since launch is currently 67,929,999 units, followed by the Wii at 33,394,311 units and the PlayStation 3 at 19,976,325 units.
• Third party sales for the Xbox 360 since the launch of the Wii and PS3 is 54,065,728 units, still almost double the Wii's 33,394,311 units.
• If you take the total number of units sold and divide that by the number of titles released since November 2006, the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are selling more units per title on average than the Wii. This puts the Xbox 360 at 217,252 units per title, the PS3 at 156,065 units and the Wii at 132,517 units.

"No matter how you slice it, the Wii third party game story is not a pretty one," commented David Dennis, group manager of corporate PR at Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business. ...

via Games Industry


The NPD Group has published its Games Segmentation report, detailing seven different gamer demographics and habits - revealing, among other things, that only 10 per cent of PlayStation 2 owners also own a PlayStation 3.

In the report, the estimated 174 million gamers are broken down into seven groups: 3 per cent are "Extreme gamers"; nine per cent are "Avid PC gamers"; 17 per cent are "Console gamers"; 14 per cent "Online PC gamers"; 15 percent are "Offline PC gamers"; 22 percent are "Young Heavy gamers"; and 20 percent are "Secondary gamers'.

Young Heavy gamers - the largest group at over 38 million people - play for above average amounts of time on every videogame system but show a strong preference for portable games platforms. Six out of every ten Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable owners fall into the category of young heavy gamers.

The report also details the cross-platform gaming habits of PlayStation owners. PS3 owners were found to be more likely to own other next-generation consoles when compared to Wii and Xbox 360 owners, however only 10 per cent of PS2 owners also own the PS3. While 45 per cent of PlayStation Portable owners also own a DS, only 21 per cent of DS owners also own a PSP.

The growth of digital distribution is reflected in the report, with 14 per cent of games purchased in the past three months through digital downloads, with Avid PC gamers making 27 per cent of their purchases through digital means. ...

via Eurogamer


Q-Games has a pair of patches prepared for PSN games PixelJunk Eden and PixelJunk Monsters.

Eden is in line for "a more namby pamby mode for the 'lighter' people out there", developer boss Dylan Cuthbert told TheBBPS.com. He hints that we may see more gameplay modes based around the swinging mechanic, too.

PixelJunk Monsters will be broken into four difficulty levels to help ease multi-skilled people in; extreme mode will be added to the easy, medium, and hard options.

Cuthbert gave no indication of when these patches will arrive, which is about as useful as Michael Jackson's original face. ...

via Eurogamer


Downloadable PS3 title PAIN will be retrofitted with Trophies on 4th September, according to the Sony blog.

That's also the day that you will be able to buy the new Amusement Park level, although we'll have to wait and see whether the European release date tallies with the US one.

The inevitable question about Trophies is whether they are retroactive. "Most of the trophy requirements are new so we haven't tracked your progress until now," producer Travis Williams said in response, implying that developer Idol Minds has come up with unique goals. "Some work you will get credit for."

If you're a PAIN fan and want to know what you will be aiming for, head over to the PAIN Trophies blog-post and scroll down.

And, in case if you've been living under a collapsed skyscraper with a ragdoll nurse for the last few months, Trophies are PlayStation 3's answer to Xbox Live Achievements, rewarding your accomplishments with shiny prizes.

One day you'll be able to display Trophies in your PlayStation Home abode, and in the meantime you can compare your skills with other people on your friends' list. Early supporters include Super Stardust HD, PixelJunk Eden, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Buzz! Quiz TV. ...

via Computer and Video Games


August 21-24 sees the Games Convention 2008 kick into life and here's the cards Atari will playing at the show.

Attendees will be treated to the likes of What's Cooking? with Jamie Oliver on DS and My Horse and Me 2 for Wii and DS (quiet at the back). The Witcher Enhanced Edition will also be there alongside an "enhanced Alone in the Dark for PlayStation 3".

Fixing the bugs of the already-released versions doesn't count as being enhanced but Atari goes one further to say "a number of gameplay enhancements" will make "the journey more unmissable than ever".

Other games on show include Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 (PS2), Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm (PS3), Legendary (PC), GTR Evolution (PC) and Race Pro (Xbox 360). Look out for screens and info live from the show starting August 21. ...