Square Enix says that the leap to the latest generation of gaming platforms has dramatically altered the way the market works.

"Up to PlayStation 2, all consoles had roughly the same concept of how to enjoy the gaming experience. With next-gen, each has different features and is targeted at a different audience," vice president of software development Hiromichi Tanaka told GamesIndustry.biz.

"So, we have to make different titles for different platforms, depending on what sort of game we want to make and what the users will be expecting; we can choose which platform we want to go for."

"This is completely different from the old games industry," he added.

"Also we now have [Windows] Vista and the Nintendo DS, so it's not only those three next-gen platforms but a whole variety of different platforms. It's hard having this variety but it also gives us lots of opportunities."

Meanwhile, global online producer Saga Sundi suggested that MMO title Final Fantasy XI - which he believes hasn't felt too much impact from the dominance of World of Warcraft - might see another expansion pack.

"We're working together with our community and with the users, so we're very flexible," Sundi explained. "If they all ask for expansion packs, then we might consider more expansion packs - it really depends on how it goes with our users."

via eurogamer ...

New from Divineo China



A brand new replacement drive for Xbox 360 by Hitachi-LG, model GDR-3120L. Comes with ROM VER : 0047DJ ...

It's widely agreed that N64 games on Virtual Console appear too few and far between, but it's okay though because Lylat Wars is the awesome treat waiting for you in today's VC update.

Coming to the European VC almost three weeks after the US, Lylat Wars (Starfox to the yanks) is the legendary on-rails shooter that launched on N64 in 1997. Easily the pinnacle of the Star Fox series, Lylat Wars was the last 'proper' Star Fox game, before Fox McCloud took a shining to on-foot antics on GameCube.

You'll have to fork out 100 Wii Points (£7.50) to get this beauty on your Wii, but you won't regret it. Now we'll be waiting with baited breath for the Super NES original, Starwing, which was just as awesome. C'mon Nintendo, make it happen.

Oh yeah, NES educational game, Donkey Kong Jr. Math, also hit the VC today for 500 Wii Poi... - you don't care do you? Didn't think so.

via cvg ...

Although we don't condone the use of the number '8' in words to replace 'ate' (it's a tired phonetic trick), we are in favour of more puzzle action on DS, and that's exactly what publishers Alten8 have lined up.

The aim of Wordsnake is to "build words of 3-8 letters from the random selection on the tile rack, and reach a target score before the time runs out," as Alten8 explains.

"Each new word is placed on the board from an existing letter tile, forming snake like structures, which means the words must begin or end with the existing letter. Subsequent tiles will disappear after a set time, which means the player must form new words to keep the snake alive and invalid words will reduce the players score."

So, if we're getting this right, it sounds like an interesting adaptation of Scrabble. Well, check out the first screens below and you'll see what we mean.

Wordsnake is due later this year, with the DS and PC versions expected first, followed later by Wii.

Screens Here ...

Although we don't condone the use of the number '8' in words to replace 'ate' (it's a tired phonetic trick), we are in favour of more puzzle action on DS, and that's exactly what publishers Alten8 have lined up.

The aim of Wordsnake is to "build words of 3-8 letters from the random selection on the tile rack, and reach a target score before the time runs out," as Alten8 explains.

"Each new word is placed on the board from an existing letter tile, forming snake like structures, which means the words must begin or end with the existing letter. Subsequent tiles will disappear after a set time, which means the player must form new words to keep the snake alive and invalid words will reduce the players score."

So, if we're getting this right, it sounds like an interesting adaptation of Scrabble. Well, check out the first screens below and you'll see what we mean.

Wordsnake is due later this year, with the DS and PC versions expected first, followed later by Wii.

Screens Here ...

Although we don't condone the use of the number '8' in words to replace 'ate' (it's a tired phonetic trick), we are in favour of more puzzle action on DS, and that's exactly what publishers Alten8 have lined up.

The aim of Wordsnake is to "build words of 3-8 letters from the random selection on the tile rack, and reach a target score before the time runs out," as Alten8 explains.

"Each new word is placed on the board from an existing letter tile, forming snake like structures, which means the words must begin or end with the existing letter. Subsequent tiles will disappear after a set time, which means the player must form new words to keep the snake alive and invalid words will reduce the players score."

So, if we're getting this right, it sounds like an interesting adaptation of Scrabble. Well, check out the first screens below and you'll see what we mean.

Wordsnake is due later this year, with the DS and PC versions expected first, followed later by Wii.

Screens Here ...

Although we don't condone the use of the number '8' in words to replace 'ate' (it's a tired phonetic trick), we are in favour of more puzzle action on DS, and that's exactly what publishers Alten8 have lined up.

The aim of Wordsnake is to "build words of 3-8 letters from the random selection on the tile rack, and reach a target score before the time runs out," as Alten8 explains.

"Each new word is placed on the board from an existing letter tile, forming snake like structures, which means the words must begin or end with the existing letter. Subsequent tiles will disappear after a set time, which means the player must form new words to keep the snake alive and invalid words will reduce the players score."

So, if we're getting this right, it sounds like an interesting adaptation of Scrabble. Well, check out the first screens below and you'll see what we mean.

Wordsnake is due later this year, with the DS and PC versions expected first, followed later by Wii.

Screens Here ...

More dusty Xbox games are being dragged out of the CVG cupboard this morning as Microsoft rolls out a surprise Xbox 360 backwards compatibility update - and there's some real gems in there.

Sega favourites Panzer Dragoon Orta and Jet Set Radio Future are the most notable names on the list, while Pandemic's Mercenaries, Unreal Championship 2 and Oddworld: Much's Odyssey are also sure to please many.

There's still a few games we're impatiently waiting for MS to tinker for Xbox 360. Where's Chronicles or Riddick? Here's hoping it arrives in the next update.

For full instructions on getting the update head over to Xbox.com. By the magic of copy and paste, here's the full list:

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Breakdown
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Call of Duty 3
Cars
Crash Bandicoot 5: Wrath of Cortex
Dai Senryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics
FIFA Soccer 2007
Full Spectrum Warrior
Guilty Gear Isuka
JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future
MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf
Mercenaries
NASCAR 2006: Total Team Control
NFL Fever 2004
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
Panzer Dragoon ORTA
Phantom Dust
Reservoir Dogs
Return To Castle Wolfenstein
RugbyLeague 2
Sonic Riders
Soul Calibur 2
Star Wars Republic Commando
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
The King of Fighters Neowave
The King of Fighters 2002 & 2003
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07
Tony Hawk's Underground
Ultra Bust-A-Move
Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict
Xiaolin Showdown

UPDATE: PAL users are reporting problems with the update which apparently won't run European copies of Jet Set Radio Future. We'll report back as soon as we get Microsoft's official line.

via cvg ...

Ubisoft's FPS Haze disappeared off the radar after being officially announced last May, but a year on and it's back - sort of - as the publisher launches a viral marketing-style website for Mantel Global Industries.

Mantel Global Industries is the multinational corporation that's produced an army in which Haze main protagonist Jake Carpenter has enlisted.

As a soldier for the Mantel army, Carpenter has access to high-tech vehicles, kick-ass weapons and performance-enhancing bio-medical support via the company's patented n-Keto-thyrazine substance.

A consumer version of this substance has been produced and labelled Nectar Energy Drink - whether this ties into Haze's storyline and ends up turning the world's population in the raving homicidal maniacs, we'll just have to wait and see.

Haze is being developed for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 by TimeSplitters chaps Free Radical and is set in the near-future. Events kick off when Carpenter is sent as part of army to quell rebel uprising in a South American country, but everything's not quite as it seems...

We've not had a chance to have a thorough dig around the Mantel Global Industries website just yet but there's bound to be a few secrets to be discovered.

via cvg ...