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PS3 Warhawk Screenshot

For those of you looking forward to tilting your next-gen controller sans Wii, Kikizo has posted a video with the developers of Warhawk (for the Playstation 3) in which they discuss how the Cell processor is being used even to help design the only announced PS3 tilt-sensitive game.

Straight from the article:

David Wright, the game’s lead modeller, also makes an appearance to explain that the level of variation in detail across the expansive game world wasn’t possible to be hand-placed by a human designer, and that the team was able to “devise a method to have the Cell processor place this stuff dynamically for us, and it was a very good result. I don’t have to worry about any of that, which is nice!”

Okay, so the Cell isn’t making games from scratch yet, but it certainly sounds like developers are learning some nifty tricks to deal with the levels of detail required in next-gen gaming. Still, some users at ArsTechnica noted the less-than-stellar graphics, comparing the feel to current Xbox 360 offerings and noting “bland” land-based missions in the game. It will be interesting to see how this title fares, as it’s one of the flagship games for demonstrating the utility of the PS3 controller’s motion sensing capabilities.

Read More | Kikizo

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Cipher Complex Concept Art

Development studio Edge of Reality has announced Cipher Complex, a Splinter Cell-lookin’ game for the Xbox 360 and the upcoming Playstation 3. Details are scant at this point beyond the title and some concept art contained in a trailer that can be found here. Edge of Reality has a mixed track record, including

flops

movie-based games like Shark Tale and some good console ports/re-mixes like The Sims.

Straight from the press release:

[Cipher Complex is] an intense, cinematic military combat game that will deliver a brutal shot of adrenaline straight to the hearts of next-generation gamers. ...

In Cipher Complex, a recon satellite is mysteriously blasted from orbit, and when diplomatic requests for information are stonewalled, the US government is forced to call in its last resort – Operative John Cipher. Charged with uncovering the truth by any means necessary, Cipher is going behind enemy lines to extract information the hard way.

Sounds like the next Schwarzenegger movie, but who knows, it could be fun. We’ll keep our eyes open for more details as they emerge.

Read More | Xbox Circle

Soul Calibur IVIn a recent interview over at GameDaily, Daisuke Uchiyama, the Chief Producer at Namco-Bandai mentioned that Soul Calibur IV is currently in development for the Playstation 3. Additionally, Uchiyama commented that Tekken 6 will be heading straight to the Playsation 3, skipping its initial arcade run. In light of this recent news, as well as Soul Calibur III first appearing on the PS2, it seems likely that Soul Calibur IV is set to follow suit. While undoubtedly a huge blow to the niche, but still heavily active arcade fighting game scene, all hope is not lost. Soul Calibur III: Arcade Edition recently debuted in Japan, a full 6 months after its console release and added various balancing tweaks/character fixes. Perhaps a similar “console first, arcade later” release plan is in the cards for Tekken 6 and other Namco-Bandai developed fighters.

Read More | GameDaily

This year at E3 many games were announced and demoed, and it is inevitable that some will slip through the cracks.  Small Arms, a Smash Bros.-esque brawling game which will come to the marketplace near the end of the summer, is one of those titles.  The game is being developed by Gastronaut Studios, an independent developer comprised of 4 people who focus on downloadable games.  Recently one of the developers gave some new info and background on Small Arms in an interview with ThrillsKilla. Here’s a snippet:

‘Marky Kat’ is our cyborg cat character who sports a ‘chain gun’ as his default weapon. The primary attack is a rapid fire stream of bullets, while the secondary is a shotgun type burst shot.

This will be another awesome game on XBLA, and while Gastronaut Studios doesn’t view the game as a Smash Bros. clone, it should fill a nice void in the marketplace and in my gaming rotation.

Read More | K1llas Xbox Domain

Chow Yun Fat in Stranglehold for the PS3

It had been suspected for a while, but today IGN confirmed with Midway that John Woo Presents Stranglehold will launch on November 17th with the Playstation 3. Of course, the title will also be launching for the Xbox 360 and the PC at the same time. This is great news for fans of gunfighting, slow-mo and Chow Yun Fat, and appears to be one of the stronger launch titles for the PS3.

IGN earlier had a chance to play through a demo and was impressed with the completely destructible environment and free-form gunfighting controls. This sounds like one of those games that’s going to be a great way to demo your brand-spanking new PS3 to your jealous friends on launch day.

Read More | IGN PS3

Iwata talks Wii and DSIn probably the biggest Nintendo update since E3, Nintendo’s President Satoru Iwata announced some major new details about the Wii and the games available for it. Quickly summarized, the main points of interest are:

  • The Wii launch date will be revealed in September
  • Unsurprisingly, Nintendo won’t lose much on Wii hardware sales. They hope to have 6 million units ready by April ‘07
  • Game pricing for the Virtual Console is suggested to be around $5 and $10 a game (implying this won’t be subscription-based)
  • The Wii will be able to recognize touch-screen input, meaning the DS can be used as a controller in some instances
  • DS sales are expected to be around 2 million / month for the coming year, with production to meet this level of demand
  • Pokemon for the Wii will be released and available in Winter ‘06

It’s good to see more concrete details filtering in. Also, announcing Pokemon during this conference instead of during E3 may have been a great strategic decision, as Nintendo appears to be trying to shed its “kiddy” image with titles like Project H.A.M.M.E.R. and Disaster: Day of Crisis that were announced at E3.


Read More | Famitsu (Japanese) via Spong.com (English summary)


Smash Bros. Brawl

Masahiro Sakurai, the Director of the upcoming Super Smash Brothers Brawl, has just revealed new tidbits of information regarding the game on his blog. According to the entry, game play will be less complex this time around, in an effort to make the game easier for new players to enjoy. In addition, a greater focus on aerial battles and “moderated” speed will be among the other changes to the game’s fighting system. Online play will feature only basic functionality, eschewing popular features in other games, such as player rankings.

The character roster for the game remains unfinished, but there does seem to be a chance that non-Nintendo characters may still appear. The only apparent requirements for consideration, are that the character(s) must have appeared already in a game on a Nintendo platform earlier. Sakurai goes on to mention that the roster has only room for one or two more characters.


Read More | Smash Boards


On the heels of the surprise announcement of Solid Snake’s addition to the Smash Brothers: Brawl lineup, rumors have begun circulating on the internet regarding who may be added to the roster. Recently, Nintendo had begun receiving online surveys from fans of the series, with their suggestions for who they would want to join the lineup for the popular fighting game.

Sakurai, the director of Brawl and also the original Smash Brothers, recently issued a listing of some of the suggestions fans had made in the survey. Most notable of the names on the list included, Sora, of Kingdom Hearts fame; Mega Man, and also Little Mac from Nintendo’s Punch Out games. Whether or not this signifies if these characters are seriously being considered for the game is as yet, unknown.


Read More | SmashBoards
Read More | Smash Bros.


Description
We’re well aware things have been a bit sparse over here, but we have tons of video we’re working on editing, encoding and sending upwards on a ridiculously finicky internet connection. Sit tight, because some of the things we have in store are pretty damn cool.

ANYway, we got into the invite-only portion of the Wii demos and I was able to speak to a few Nintendo employees for their take on the name, questions about the Wiimote and anything else that crossed my mind.

Here are some of the facts we were able to confirm:

  • At Launch:
    The Wii will ship the same way most every Nintendo console system has: Wii Remote (Wiimote, get it?), Nunchuk and console, with no games. The classic controller will not be included.
  • Accessorizing:
    The default purchase package for additional controllers will all include the Nunchuk as well. You won’t have to purchase it separately, though they weren’t able to comment on price.

Find out more about the Wii Remote’s battery situation, licensing old titles, what they thought of the name and more, after the jump.

Click to continue reading Live From E3: Fun Wii Facts Confirmed


Power Stone Collection

Capcom showed off some video of Power Stone Collection for the PSP in February, showing off the classic gameplay of the Dreamcast game in portable form. IGN recently got some hands-on time with a playable preview of the game, and post some impressions.

The game does seem to capture the essence of the Power Stone series, albeit with some scale down for the PSP and its smaller screen. “Collection” means that both the original Power Stone and its sequel are included. Part of the most addicting part of the series was multiplayer; the four-player madness of Power Stone 2 made the game an exceptional party game, and it looks like gamers will be able to play with up to four players via the ad-hoc wireless connection. Capcom also thought to include game sharing, so not everyone will need their own copy of the game to play.


Read More | IGN PSP


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