| Iwata on Ditching 3D, Supporting Social Networks, and Wii U Price Cut Concerns Posted: 03 Aug 2011 06:52 PM PDT 
3D might be the most distinct feature of the 3DS, but it's not the only thing that sets it apart. It is, however, something that could be entirely ignored in future game releases -- even those from Nintendo. An English translation of Nintendo's recent financial results Q&A has gone live, giving us more insight into the company's decision to drop the price of the 3DS so early in its life cycle, among other things. CEO Satoru Iwata addressed a number of questions about the system's 3D capabilities, prompting him to outline the difficulties of conveying 3D through traditional advertising. He also admitted that 3D isn't a necessary feature for every 3DS game. "I think there could be a Nintendo 3DS software title which does not use the 3D feature at all, and I believe Nintendo will develop such software," he said. "Instead, other features of the Nintendo 3DS should be focused on. It might be a communication feature, or other functions (such as the gyro sensor or the motion sensor). The important thing is that each respective software title has its own characteristics, and appeals to the consumers in a way that fits the software. So I am not worried in a way like, 'The value of the Nintendo 3DS will decrease when the novelty of 3D wears off.'" |
| Monthly XBLA Kinect Games on the Way From Microsoft Posted: 03 Aug 2011 06:00 PM PDT 
There hasn't been much in the way of support for Kinect on Xbox Live Arcade. The Gunstringer was originally planned to be a Microsoft-published XBLA game that would have fit the bill, but it has since been converted into a full retail game. XBLA seems like a perfect place for Kinect games -- you can try something new and unique using motion controls and charge a relatively small amount for the product. And yet, beyond the upcoming Fruit Ninja Kinect, there hasn't been much there. Microsoft has plans to change that. "Obviously we have Xbox Live Arcade exclusives running through the Summer of Arcade program, but yes, you can expect far more exclusives coming to the platform in future," Xbox Live's Robin Burrowes told CVG. "I can't give you those names today -- we'll announce them in due course -- but you have the trust factor of the legacy of titles we've launched in the past. Burrowes, the Xbox Live product marketing manage for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, was speaking generally there, though Microsoft is explicitly targeting regular Kinect releases on XBLA, too. |
| Get Five Extra Humble Bundle Games by Paying More Than the Average Posted: 03 Aug 2011 05:21 PM PDT 
When you release something -- a bundle of games, in the case of the Humble Indie Bundle -- where people can pay whatever amount they want, you're naturally going to get a great deal of people paying a single penny. Doing so with the latest humble bundle may bring up the image above, but more than likely that's not proven to change enough people's minds. Besides helping charity, there's another very good reason to now drop a few bucks -- all fives games from the second Humble Indie Bundle are being given away to those who pay more than the current average price. Last December, the first bundle's contents were given away to buyers of the second bundle. The requirement this time isn't all that unfair -- as of this writing, you only need to spend more than $5.01 to get the extra five games, which include Braid, Cortex Command, Osmos, Machinarium, and Revenge of the Titans -- hardly a bad bunch. That comes in addition to the six games you already get with the current bundle: Cogs, VVVVVV, And Yet it Moves, Hammerfight, Steel Storm, and Crayon Physics Deluxe. This change has already had a noticeable impact on the average price paid. When I covered the news about the bundle generating over $1 million yesterday, the average price paid was $4.78, or a measly $3.80 for a Windows user. $5.01 is now the average overall, or $4.05 for Windows users. The Mac and Linux users' average payment has increased, too: Mac users are up to $6.85 from $6.61, and Linux users are at $11.69 from $11.64. |
| Minecraft Fan Convention Set for November in Las Vegas Posted: 03 Aug 2011 04:55 PM PDT 
Back in May, Mojang asked fans of Minecraft if they would be interested in attending a Minecraft convention in Las Vegas this November for about $90. In less than ten hours, more than 13,000 people said yes, 19,000 said maybe, and another 23,000 said no. Those numbers have since ballooned to over 42,000, 65,000, and 94,000, respectively. And while "no" has been the most popular answer, there's clearly more than enough interest in a fan convention devoted to the sandbox building game to make it a reality. The convention, which is set to take place November 18 and 19 in Las Vegas, PC Gamer reports, will coincide with the release of the final build of Minecraft. The game that people have been playing is not, in fact, the finished product. It was first released in an unfinished state in 2009 and only reached beta this past December. "For me, MineCon is about celebrating the full release of Minecraft," developer Notch told PC Gamer. "I'm really looking forward to getting up on stage and pushing the button to upload the final build." |
| StarCraft II Follows in WoW's Partially F2P Footsteps Posted: 03 Aug 2011 03:40 PM PDT 
In an attempt to lure in new players, Blizzard ditched the old trial system in June and began allowing anyone to play World of Warcraft up to level 20 for free. It's now doing essentially the same thing with StarCraft II, dropping the old Wings of Liberty demo in favor of StarCraft II: Starter Edition. StarCraft doesn't have a level system like WoW to cap free players at, so instead freebie StarCraft II players will be able to play through the game's first four missions (choosing either Tychus or Dr. Hansen's first mission after the initial three), the first two Challenges, and a selection of multiplayer content. Four multiplayer maps -- Xel'Naga Caverns, Shattered Temple, Discord IV, and High Orbit -- are currently playable, though they may be rotated out in favor of other maps as time goes on. The Starter Edition allows for only the Terrans to be played in custom games, and multiplayer matchmaking is inaccessible. It is, however, possible to play with those who own the full game, making this a really ideal way to bring in a new player who doesn't yet own StarCraft II -- there's no need for someone who already owns the game to download a separate demo just to play with a friend they're trying to convince to buy it. |
| Diablo III Still Without a Release Date, Beta Begins by September's End Posted: 03 Aug 2011 02:46 PM PDT 
We still don't for sure when the final version if Diablo III will be in our hands, but the beta is still set to begin this quarter -- meaning it should be ready to go by the end of September. During today's Activision Blizzard conference call, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime was hesitant to officially attach any release date to Diablo III. He did say, "[W]e are still working hard to ship the game before the end of the year." But there's always a caveat: "However, we are not ready to commit to a release date at this time." We learned earlier this week that Diablo III requires players to be online in order to play and allows for items to be auctioned off for real money. |
| Modern Warfare 3 Officially Headed to Wii Posted: 03 Aug 2011 02:21 PM PDT 
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games have generally left Wii fans out in the cold. Modern Warfare 2 has never appeared on the console, while the original, two-year-old Modern Warfare was ported to Wii alongside the 360, PS3, and PC release of MW2 in November 2009 as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex. This time around, things will be different with Modern Warfare 3. A PDP accessory for Call of Duty on Wii was announced in June that seemed to suggest MW3 would be coming to Wii. Infinity Ward avoided confirming that this was the case, but the news was confirmed during Activision Blizzard's earnings conference call moments ago. No details were forthcoming, like if Infinity Ward is handling that version -- the aforementioned Reflex was handled by World at War and Black Ops developer Treyarch -- or what changes will be made. Call of Duty Elite has only been confirmed for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, so it's unclear if that functionality will be available in the Wii version. |
| Black Ops Rezurrection Map Pack is All Zombies Posted: 03 Aug 2011 01:33 PM PDT 
Update: The contents of the Resurrection map pack -- which is in fact called Rezurrection -- have been detailed, and, as many fans have asked for, it's an all-Zombies update. There will be five maps: four remastered and updated maps from World at War (Nacht der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa, and Der Riese), which were included with the Hardened and Prestige editions of Black Ops, and a new map called Moon. It's hinted that things will be different on the Moon level (low gravity, perhaps?), but that information wasn't forthcoming. A bonus Moon dashboard theme for 360 is included with the DLC, as is the official soundtrack for Zombies map (plus three new tracks). As for the Rezurrection name, Zombies creative lead Jimmy Zelinski told One of Swords, "You never know where hints and Easter eggs may appear in Zombies. What looks like a typo may be a typo... but it might also be the hidden truth behind everything. |
| Will Arnett and Jason Bateman's Call of Duty Video Series to Debut at XP Posted: 03 Aug 2011 12:34 PM PDT 
The upcoming Call of Duty XP fan event will be home to more reveals than just that of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer. Those who attend will also get a sneak peek of what we can only assume is a comedy series that's coming from DumbDumb, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman's production company. Activision unveiled additional details about XP today, including the fact that attendees will receive a "special redemption code" to get a free copy of the Hardened Edition of Modern Warfare 3 on launch day, effectively cutting the price of admission to the show in half. The press release didn't make it clear how one would go about redeeming a code, so we're trying to clear that up with Activision. We don't know for sure what's included in the Hardened Edition of MW3, as the contents are another thing that will be detailed for the first time at XP. (Modern Warfare 2's $80 Hardened Edition included a steel case, art book, and a token to download the original Call of Duty on XBLA or PSN.) We do know what it'll look like, thanks to a tweet sent out by Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling last month. |
| HBO Go to Stream Game of Thrones, Curb, and More to Game Consoles Posted: 03 Aug 2011 11:10 AM PDT 
Much like Netflix and Hulu already do, HBO has plans to expand support of its HBO Go on demand service to videogame consoles (and web-connected TVs). The news was revealed on an earnings conference call earlier today, as attended by Gigaom. No specific consoles or timeline was outlined, although Xbox 360 seems like a likely target given Microsoft's emphasis on streaming media support. (I had hoped for an HBO Go announcement at E3 and was disappointed when one didn't come.) The Wii or 3DS are also possibilities, as they each already have a Netflix app, so streaming video to the systems is possible. Sony already has a relationship with HBO, so PS3 and Vita are also in the discussion. HBO Go is a video on demand service that is free to all HBO subscribers, provided they have a participating television provider (Comcast, AT&T, Cox, DirecTV, Verizon, and Dish Network all work with it, among others). It's home to a great deal of content -- comedy specials, documentaries, boxing, movies, and its long list of series (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Game of Thrones, The Wire, etc.) -- that can be watched from your browser or, more recently, your iOS or Android device. It's a great service based on my experience using it. The one thing that would be welcomed by many is the ability to subscribe to HBO directly without needing to go through your local television provider. |
