Game News: November 08, 2006

CliffyB Gears Up
   We sit down with the manic mastermind behind Gears of War, who talks tactics, chainsaws, sequels, and Ted Nugent.

Sony firm on U.S. pricing for PlayStation 3 (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Sony Corp. (6758.T) has no plans to cut the price of its upcoming PlayStation 3 video game console in the United States, despite a recent cut announced for Japan, the chief of the company's U.S. electronic entertainment division said on Wednesday.

Shoot-'em-up heaven on DS
   Nanostray 2 is looking real slick, and we've got the first shots to prove it.
We're big fans of scrolling shoot-'em-ups, and although Nanostray on DS wasn't perfect, it's hard-as-nails bullet-dodging action was good enough to keep up hooked for a while.



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Novadrome: New details and screens
   New 360-exclusive vehicle-based combat game to go Live next month.
Novadrome, developed by Stainless (the minds behind Carmageddon), is an arena-based battle game in which players control of "biggy-like" vehicles, armed to the teeth with various paticle, beam and physics weapons in huge sci-fi environments.



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`Guitar Hero II' a rocking sequel (AP)
   AP - A rocking sequel to last year's sleeper hit, "Guitar Hero II" brings more of what made the original music video game so great, then cranks up the volume as loud as it goes.

Buena Vista Commits to Wii
   Buena Vista Games is forming a new game development studio dedicated exclusively to the creation of games for Nintendo platforms. Located in Salt Lake City, Fall Line Studios is focused on developing games based on Disney characters, television shows, and entertainment properties as well as creating...

Disney To Develop Nintendo Games (NewsFactor)
   NewsFactor - News emerged this week that the Walt Disney Company has created a game studio that will crank out titles exclusively for Nintendo's soon-to-launch Wii gaming console and handheld DS and Game Boy players.

Five New Webcomics from Viper
   Last September Viper Comics announced they were in search of a new webcomic to join 'You'll Have That' and 'The Horrible Pirates' on the publisher's website. After an overwhelming response Viper has decided on not one, but FIVE, new webcomics to be added to the site's roster. 'The quality of the su...

No Wireless Guitar for Xbox 360?
   Red Octane is setting PlayStation 2-owning 'Guitar Hero' fans free with a wireless controller that is releasing alongside the sequel to last year's music game. But it looks like the sweet taste of freedom may be known only to those in Sony's camp, as Red Octane is claiming Microsoft's proprietary wi...

'DoA' Creator Accused of Sexual Harassment
   A 31-year old female employee of Tecmo, the company responsible for the popular Dead or Alive series, recently filed a sexual harassment suit against that series's creator, Tomonobu Itagaki. The suit claims 10 million yen (100,000 USD) in damages for acts of sexual harassment dating back to Septembe...

'Do' It On Your Phone
   Namco is bringing the classic arcade games 'Mr. Do!' and 'Mr. Do's Castle' to mobile. Developed originally by Aruze and published in American arcade by Universal, this pair of Mr. Do games are expected to launch on mobile in summer of 2007....

Infogrames CEO says will not abandon company (Reuters)
   Reuters - Infogrames Entertainment's chief executive, who is seeking shareholders' approval for a debt refinancing plan, vowed on Wednesday to stay on board at the cash-strapped French video-games company.

Microsoft sees gamers online as key to growth (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Microsoft Corp.'s ability to convert occasional players of online video games into regular gamers is key to growth for the next-generation Xbox 360 console, a company executive said on Tuesday.

Role-playing thrives in PS2's final days (AP)
   AP - It's been a good ride for the PlayStation 2. It has dominated the video-game industry so far this century, enjoying a healthy 60 percent market share. Much of the PS2's success can be attributed to its remarkably diverse software lineup — including its overwhelming supremacy of the role-playing genre.

Download the 'Mark of Chaos' Demo
   If you're looking to get a taste of the chaos that will begin next week, a single-player demo for 'Warhammer: Mark of Chaos' is now available at fileplanet.com. The demo includes three tutorials and chapter one of the single-player campaign, 'Will of the Gods.' There are three different Warhammer g...

Namco, Bandai in Unholy Alliance
   Namco Bandai and Electronic Arts have announced the two companies are seeing each other, but they're keeping it strictly professional. The two companies will co-publish the upcoming PC game 'Hellgate...

'Guitar' Hero for Activision's Profits
   Yesterday Activision reported its financial information for the second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2006. Net revenues were $188.2 million, a 45 percent increase over the company's prior outlook of $130 million. Activision attributed this success to 'Call of Duty 2,' 'World Series of Poker,' a...

Journal of Game Development Calls for Submissions
   

The Journal of Game Development (JOGD), a peer-reviewed journal published by book publisher Charles River Media, and "dedicated to the advancement of game development as a recognized field within the computer science discipline", has announced a call for submissions.

Professional video gamer says it's not all fun (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Professional video gamer Tom Taylor, aka Tsquared, is the envy of every young video game player but he wants to debunk the myth that wielding a joystick for a living is all fun and games.

Armoured Core 4 - stunning new screens
   Next-gen shots of the mech action shooter for PS3 and Xbox 360.
Check these screens out - if the game looks anything like this when it finally launches in spring next year, we'll be impressed.



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Red Orchestra gets Collector's Edition
   Re-release of Tripwire's WWII FPS features new content - details inside.
WWII first-person shooter Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 is being re-released in Collector's Edition form, the new version featuring two new maps, four new weapons and two new vehicles.

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RoboBlitz demo on Steam
   Oodles of physics-driven fun in Unreal Engine 3-powered action game.
Naked Sky Entertainment's action title RoboBlitz has been released for PC through Steam.

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Take-Two announces Fantastic 4 sequel
   Rise of the Silver Surfer heading to console and handheld.
Take-Two's sent out an official release confirming that it's publishing a new Fantastic Four game which will tie in with the movie sequel released next June - the news of Take-Two's involvement with the title broke earlier in the week.

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Dark Messiah patch details
   Indestructible shields are now really indestructible - and a heap more fixes for single-player coming soon.
Kicking your PC in the metaphorical nuts in frustration due to 'hiccups' in the single-player component of action-RPG Dark Messiah? Well, the good news is that a patch for the game is shortly to be released and the official Might and Magic website lists what's being addressed in the update.

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Hellgate opens: New screens, info
   New details reveal the Hunter faction, which has been designed to appeal to FPS players.
New details and screenshots on Flagship Studios' action-RPG Hellgate: London have emerged in the wake of news that EA is to co-publish the game with Namco Bandai in Europe and North America.



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Eight new Virtual Console games surface
   ESRB website exposes new retro titles for Wii.
Nintendo has previously promised that it will add 10 games to its retro Virtual Console library stating January 2007, and it looks like ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) might have revealed part of the first batch to come.

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Microsoft Makes Xbox A Family Machine (TechWeb)
   TechWeb - Microsoft is hoping for a larger role in the digital living room by making movies and TV shows available for viewing through the Xbox video game console.