B-Side News: Shadowrun Beta to End April 30th

Oh man, I feel like I'm on a roll with B-Side News. I'll have a proper update sometime later this week. It's been a long time; not that anyone reads this or cares. Until then, Pokemons will consume me.

Shadowrun’s beta test will end on April 30th, FASA claims it was a success.

Shadowrun beta, we had a good long run. As with most beta tests though, they end on a bit of a bittersweet note. Let us pensively reflect on the times we shared, as the end comes this April 30th. FASA announced the beta closure today, and has deemed the Shadowrun beta test as a success through and through.

We look forward to your retail release, Shadowrun.

B-Side News: E3 Exhibitor List Revealed

E3 has been drastically reduced in size compared to last year. Expect only 3,500 invite-only attendees.

A definitive list of exhibitors to be at E3 ’07 has been released. Most major publishers will be in attendance, two independent developers, id Software and Foundation 9 Entertainment, and accessory and peripheral manufacturers Logitech and Nyko Technologies.

E3’s exhibit hall this year will be hosted in Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger, with running demos at nearby hotels. 60,000 attendees came out to E3 last year, this year it’s believed that only around 3,500 invite-only guests will attend E3 on July 11-13.

The full list of major publishers expected to attend this year’s E3 is below:

1C Company, Activision, Akella, Atari, Atlus, Buena Vista Games (now Disney Interactive Studios), Capcom, Codemasters, Crave Entertainment, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Konami, LucasArts, Majesco, Microsoft, Midway, Namco Bandai Games, NCsoft, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Online Entertainment, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, THQ, Ubisoft, Vivendi Games, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

B-Side News: Mad Catz Plays Basketball

Third party game accessory provider renews their license to produce NBA related game accessories.

Mad Catz Interactive known for their third party game accessories, have renewed their license with the National Basketball Association (NBA). This license will bring forth a variety of customized team video game controllers and other NBA related accessories.

Mad Cats intends to produce new video game controllers, faceplates, and Console Skinz for all 30 NBA teams, featuring their respective colors and logos. These products will be available across all major platforms, including the PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, PSP, DS Lite, and Wii.

Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz commented, “Basketball has proven to be an extremely popular genre for gamers and we are thrilled to announce the continuation of our license agreement with the NBA. Our new NBA line will offer fans more ways than ever to demonstrate their support for their favorite teams and we look forward to launching controllers and other quality accessories that enhance the gaming experience of our customers.”

Expect to be able to purchase this line of Mad Catz products through NBA.com, NBA arena stores, online game retailers, and your standard retailers.

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.

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.

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.

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, Bêtise.

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.