via eurogamer

Microsoft has announced the "Xbox Live Arcade Challenge", set to run between 17th and 30th December, which will see players competing in Lumines Live! and Small Arms for big-screen televisions, Xbox hardware and other prizes.

The Lumines Live! challenge will run from 17th to 23rd December and see players competing in the Time Attack 60-second mode, with the top 105 people on the leaderboard as of 12:01am GMT on 24th December. Perfect Christmas present!

Small Arms will also produce 105 winners based on ranked match activity between 24th and 30th December, with the leaderboards reset beforehand. A minute past midnight on the 31st, the winners for that will be drawn. Happy New Year!

They're not bad prizes, either, with a 42" Hitatchi UltraVision Plasma TV for the overall winner of each tournament, and four runners-up getting bundles of HD-DVD player, wireless steering wheel and wireless headset. The 100 after that, in each case, will get 500 Microsoft points.

In order to take part, it looks like you'll have to pre-register over at Xboxlivetournament.com, which doesn't appear to be quite ready to accept your sign-up at the time of writing - but don't worry, you can always read the US rules and FAQ in the meantime.

And doubly don't worry, because Microsoft UK assures us that it will be open to European gamers as well. ...

via engadget

In what already has the makings of a per-console must, an arcade-style joystick has been built for the Wii, and has quickly made its way onto those mean eBay streets. While it lacks that certain nostalgia of its Xbox 360 Street Fighter-based counterpart, the Wii joystick prototype does manage to look quite a bit less ghetto -- matching the Wii pretty well for looks, though it dwarfs the console in size. The custom controller plugs in via a GameCube plug, so it's backward compatible with GameCube games while you wait around for the Wii lineup to fill in. Of course, the joystick is a natural fit for Virtual Console titles, and while at 10 pounds it might not quite pull off that minimalism of the Wii Classic Controller, the legit arcade components worked into this thing should be welcomed by purists. Unfortunately, there's only one of these floating around so far, so unless you can wait for these kids to build more of 'em, you had better start freeing up a bit of PayPal cash for an eminent eBay purchase.

Screenshot Via Comments ...

Heres a question to guage the reactions of all Wii Fans,

What Are the Virtual Console Titles You most want to See ?

Ill do mine by system

Nes

Nes Open Golf

Snes

Super Mario World
Mario Kart

Genesis

Megalomania

Nintendo 64

Starcraft64

Whats the Games you would most like to see ? ...

Ok i have finally finished my Where's Sora game i originally got the idea from gunntims0103 Where's Waldo game that he decided to stop due to lack of pictures.Part of this game does include gunntims0103 code so i give credit to him as it was his Where's Waldo script i used.

I also thank Cypher for the GFX

This game is very basic at the moment and has only a few images

Instructions

Just start the game and press X on each image when you have found him


In the next release
Cursor Support
More pictures
Possibly music

If you find any errors let me know.

One more thing i havent heard nothing from my GFX in a while so it looks like i need a new one for this game.

Contact me for more information about the GFX artist postion ...

Released today at Play Asia:



Compatible with GBA™, NDS™, GBA SP™, GB Micro™, NDS™ Lite
No Region Protection
Price: US$ 49.90 (~25.78 GBP)

features
Also compatible with Game Boy Micro, Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP
Includes built-in headphone socket for crystal clear stereo sound
Simple on-screen interface including Repeat and Shuffle modes
Two themes available for on-screen interface: standard and Mario
Simply 'drag and drop' songs from PC to SD card, dividing artists or albums into folders as desired
Store approx. 240 songs on a 1Gb SD card (SD card not included)



description
With Nintendo DS you're already used to gaming on the go; now you can listen to music on your travels too, without the need to carry around extra equipment.

The Nintendo MP3 Player is not much bigger than a Game Boy Advance Game Pak but, when slotted into Nintendo DS's GBA cartridge port, turns your handheld into a full-featured music player. Simply select tracks and adjust playing options with the easy on-screen interface and play your tunes through the DS speakers or headphones.

The Nintendo MP3 Player uses common SD cards to store music; simply transfer songs to SD card via a PC and you're all set in seconds - no software, no converting, no fuss!

Buy Now over at Play Asia ...

Blue Dragon is Microsoft's attempt to truly break into the Japanese console market. The Blue Dragon launch can be billed the REAL Xbox 360 launch day in Japan; at least, Microsoft hopes it is.

According to a confusing machine translation from GameSpot China, the Xbox 360 sold either 27,000 or 70,000 units to accommodate the release of Blue Dragon. If 70,000 is the correct number, an additional 43,000 units of Blue Dragon sold (which is the bulk of the Japanese owners who previously purchased an Xbox 360). In either case, this is certainly a nice boost for Microsoft.

If the 70,000 is the correct version of the translation, it would certainly be odd to see the Xbox 360 sitting at a solid #3 on Japan's weekly sales chart. Microsoft hopes to sell 200,000 copies of Blue Dragon in Japan, which means Microsoft hopes to have around 200,000 Xbox 360 units in Japanese households. While not impressive from the standpoint of, say, the DS -- Nintendo sells that many in two weeks -- Microsoft should enjoy the sales boost and the publicity that goes along with it.

Via Joystiq ...

Via GIBiz

UK developer Evolution Studios is already planning for opportunities on the PlayStation 4, according to chief executive Martin Kenwright.

With the racing specialist readying Motorstorm for launch on the PlayStation 3, Kenwright believes that it's important to think far ahead as the industry is set to change monumentally in the future.

Speaking in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, part one of which is published today, Kenwright said, "The market place will be changing beyond all recognition in the next five years. We've anticipated that.

"I know people are looking at PS3 now, and I'm not being glib, but we're actually looking at PS4. I'm thinking where will it be in five years, how will we get there? What will the marketplace be like, the games, and who'll be buying them?"

Kenwright believes companies that settle into a routine are more at risk than those who experiment with original IP - with sequels to popular games merely dividing the market.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but sticking to what you're best at can be more of a risk than reinventing yourself," said the studio boss.

"The DNA of all these games is around 80 per cent the same. It's the application, the value of the IP, the new killer brand, that is actually priceless.

"What we've learnt in the past is you can inclemently improve something by one per cent, and it takes two years and millions of pounds and all you get is more of the same. You polarise your market. You're offering more of the same instead of something new, memorable and exciting."

While sequels to popular games have traditionally been considered bankable, Kenwright believes the market is changing - with publishers encouraging developers to take bigger risks and create new products.

"People like to tick boxes and play it safe, but sequels are the bane of our industry. 'The last one was good so the board wants ten more the same.' That's actually harming the marketplace irreparably," he observed.

"The reality for many small developers is that publishers are risk averse. But things are going to change. It's not going to be like a parent/child relationship with publishers in the future; it's going to become much more of a creative partnership.

"People are waking up now to the fact that sequels are actually high risk rather than low risk," Kenwright concluded. ...

Via Gamesindustry

A new report by analysts TNS Worldpanel Entertainment has revealed that women and older people are playing more games than ever - while figures for the traditional audience remain stable.

Over the past four years, the number of people aged 45 and over who buy games for personal use has risen by more than 40 per cent, while the figure for women gamers is up by 67 per cent. Meanwhile, sales to men have increased by just 4 per cent.

The over 45s contributed an additional GBP 81 million to the market last year, while women purchased 15 per cent of all games bought for personal use.

Although 57 per cent of titles bought will be played by gamers aged under 20, only 22 per cent are purchased by people in that age bracket - with the remainder bought as gifts.

According to TNS, UK gamers spent a total of GBP 1.1 billion on games over the last 12 months, and 47 million units were sold in total. The figures represent an increase of 10 per cent over the previous year and 50 per cent over the past five years.

The research will be well received by the likes of Nintendo, which has repeatedly stated its intention to expand the market by making gaming more accessible. Titles such as Brain Training and Animal Crossing for the Nintendo DS have already proved to be a hit with gamers outside the traditional market, and the company is hoping to attract new consumers with the recently launched Wii console. ...

Article Via Eurogamer


What utter rubbish, everyone knows the right handers are best ...