Tuesday, March 27, 2007

B-Side News: WipEout Pulse Coming to PSP

WipEout Pulse, the sequel to the gravity defying racing game WipEout Pure, is set to release this September. SCEE’s Studio Liverpool is helming the development. WipEout Pulse will contain 24 new tracks and seven different game modes. Probably a lot of blazingly quick racing too, but that’s just a hunch. Eight racing teams will be making their appearance, including the new EG-X outfit. The newly refined racing will also include a new Mag-Strip feature, which will cause ships to become temporarily restrained to the track’s surface. Of course, this new addition will allow for a multitude of track design options such as loops, vertical drops, and 90 degree angled sections.

Additionally, the game will support both Ad hoc and Infrastructure modes for multiplayer. Another neat feature will be the ability to listen to your own music from a Memory Stick. That is of course, if you prefer that to the licensed soundtrack, which will include artists such as Mason, Loco Dice, and Stanton Warriors. You can even snap a picture of your ship at any time during a racing using Photo Mode.

Downloadable content such as new tracks, ships, and tunes will also be available at launch and proceeding afterwards.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

B-Side News: Rockstar Collaborates with Timbaland on PSP Game

Further evidence that gaming has gone pop; Rockstar Games is working in unison with the hip-hop producer Timbaland to produce the music and rhythm game Beaterator for the PSP. The game will allow for players to become their own music producer, creating original beats and rhythms at their leisure. Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar Games explained, "Having Timbaland involved in the game is a real honor and only adds to our excitement about the title." Will Timbaland’s famed beats ensure Beaterator’s success? That’s still up for debate, but we’ll be there to find out when the game launches this summer.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

B-Side News: More news that didn't make the cut

As I previously mentioned, I'm going to post news that otherwise doesn't get posted on the site I write for. I'll start using "B-Side News" as the title to denote such entries. Anyway, this one is from yesterday, so it's a day late; but enjoy! (It's not very interesting.)

Aspiring game designer? Well, put your skills to the test, as Microsoft is offering $40,000 in potential prizes with its new Dream-Build-Play promotion. Excellent news if you’re versed in the ways of Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio Express, as that’s what’s required to partake in this contest. The possibility stands that your game could even be featured on Xbox Live Arcade. Great exposure, and a great thing to add on your resume. In addition to this, Microsoft also announced new tools available for the XNA Game Studio Express. These include Torque X, as well as texture-creation software.

The contest ends on July 2nd, and for further details about the Dream-Build-Play promotion, visit http://www.dreambuildplay.com.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Taking it Slow

GDC is just getting started; and I'm sitting at my computer, patiently awaiting the onslaught of news the world expects me to report. Hopefully by next year I'll be at GDC rather than reporting on it from my house (wishful thinking). So what's worth noting this week? We've got some keynotes, some meetings, some general industry chit-chat. I'm actually more excited to see what Sony has ready to unveil than Nintendo. As some stock arrangement with the Japanese government is complicating their would-be GDC plans. This, essentially, puts an interim period where they are unable to reveal their future intentions. It sucks really, as it was something I was anticipating since the Wii launch. Nintendo loyalists are undeniably more accustomed to waiting than any other fans, so I'm sure they don't mind too much.

So, what have I been playing? Aside from the dismally short-lived Crackdown, things have been bleak on my itinerary. Prior to being engulfed by Crackdown's gangster-purging, I began Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. The dialogue is excellent; clever, really, is the best way to describe it. The lacking elements come in the form of everything outside of the courtroom. The sections bore me, as it plays like a point-and-click adventure with still-frame portraits. Encapsulating not only my sheer boredom, but also monotonous gameplay. I need to go back and finish that and write a review for it. I've been neglecting a certain site, and they'd probably appreciate it if I occasionally did some work. Last up is Ninja Gaiden, for the original Xbox. I've put about 10 minutes into this radiant title, so I don't have a clear impression for it just yet. Other than the awkward camera that resembles the recent Sonic's. I'm cringing, really; just use your internet-goggles to properly view it.

Oh, I'd like to formally announce -- or as formal as a blog can be -- that I'm not going to write for Audiosyncratic any longer (see: I never did). I talked it over with Brian, and I don't feel suited to the task. He was fine with that, and my plate is kind of widening every day with things to write to begin with. So, it works out, for me at least. By the way, do read Audiosyncratic. Even though I know the majority of my traffic (all one of you) is brought in by way of Brian's other blog, BĂȘtise.

I guess that's about it. I may update later this week after GDC; but don't count on it unless something absolutely huge is revealed.

Friday, March 2, 2007

B-Side News: The Tirade Continues

Only posting this crap here because someone beat me to posting it for the site I legitimately write for. I may start doing this more frequently in the future, because it's happening on a daily basis.

Oh, and long time no post!

My original post is below in italics:

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Fights Its Way To Next-Gen
Set to release across “various platforms”.

Ready 2 Rumble, the zany, yet comical boxing title that saw brief popularity at the beginning of last-gen is finally receiving a third installment. Not much was provided in terms of details unfortunately. The title is being developed by the Japanese AKI, whom you may recall developed such titles as Def Jam and WWF Wrestlemania. According to the press release, Ready 2 Rumble is planned for various platforms. So, hopefully no matter which console you own, you should be able to get your boxing on.

The original Ready 2 Rumble Boxing was a Dreamcast launch title. How the time just flies by. But I digress; Ready 2 Rumble saw a sequel appropriately named Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2. It’s anyone guess as to why the series was KOed from further development, but at least now things seem to be looking up.

10Tacle Studios CEO Michele Pes commented that, “With the release of “Ready 2 Rumble” 10Tacle Studios is focusing on one of the major game brands in the market.”
The original two titles saw favorable sales. But, a series that hasn’t had a game release in over six years can still be considered a “major game brand”? In any case, this title could potentially reclaim its former glory.