Mattrick still not sold on Blu-ray as the definitive high-def solution either

Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division senior VP Don A. Mattrick already made headlines last week when he boasted that the Xbox 360 would best Sony's PlayStation 3 in global console sales "this generation" during its E3 conference. Mattrick's confidence didn't let up one bit in an post-E3 interview with Eurogamer, believing his company will also overtake Sony in the console software race with a telling lead over the course of the next three or four years. Yep, he's still got the global console market in mind too.

Part of Mattrick's confidence stems from the established Xbox 360 userbase, and he deemed the average 360 user to be "the most sophisticated media consumer on the planet". The 18-26 year-old crowd likely has their own income, and more importantly they potentially have better influence on the gaming habits for both their younger and older family members.

We know that our third-party partners have a tremendous well of content coming to our platform so there's support. We know that we're driving the majority of their revenue and profit growth. We know that in prior generations, whoever creates that ecosystem where people can scale, can be profitable, can grow, that they tend to win.

The other thing we know is Sony's given guidance and said their goal is to create ten million units this coming year. Needless to say, our aspiration is to do more. We also know we have a volume lead both in Europe and North America, and with that volume lead in the aggregate, when you add in Japan, is larger than Sony's.

Mattrick conceded they had to pull Bungie's upcoming game from their conference, as part of a number of changes made quite simply to keep things under ninety minutes. On the bright side, he did hint at a possible "well-attended" Halo-only event where Bungie's as-of-yet unrevealed title could make an ever bigger impact "in a more intimate setting than the E3 briefing".

The commentary keeps up in a response to how Microsoft should feel about Blu-ray emerging triumphant over HD-DVD as the next-gen optical disc format of choice. The Xbox 360 previously backed HD-DVD over Blu-ray, before Toshiba pulled the plug on its internal HD-DVD development. Mattrick was certainly not about to imply that the Xbox 360 could potentially support Blu-ray as a result, and instead explains that if high-definition content is what the consumer wants, the Xbox 360 already has them covered with digital downloads.

I think that what people want is digital high-def content, I think that's what our box provides, and we've announced several movie partners - and one in particular, Netflix, for the streaming technology. People love being able to download and interact instantaneously with high-def content. I don't have to go somewhere, I don't have to buy a disc, I don't have to pay a 12-14 dollar or 6-7 pound premium to do that. I don't have to have my face be two feet in front of my TV to see the difference.

Third parties have some breathing room now that Nintendo's first party stuff is still under wraps

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello stands ready to defend his company's performance and priorities in an interview with VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi. Aside from getting all huffy over some tough investor-related related questions (e.g. "I don’t think the investors give a sh!t about our quality. They care about our earnings per share."), Riccitiello reiterates EA's commitment to all current generation platforms.

"There are three strong players in the sector. They have all got their respective demographics and geographies. Blu-ray on the PS trumps DVD on the Xbox 360. Xbox Live trumps the PlayStation Network. The wand controller trumps the traditional controller. They’ve all got their rock, paper, scissors competition going. The $249 Wii price trumps $349 Xbox 360 price. We are playing all three. We’re not trying to avoid your question. Nintendo is pretty happy with its market position."

However, Riccitiello does note that there is now a bigger window of opportunity to nab a meatier portion of marketshare on Nintendo platforms, traditionally dominated by Nintendo itself. Indeed, Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian muses that longtime Nintendo supporters EA and Ubisoft are the most committed to benefiting as third party Wii developers. This is especially true now that Nintendo remains mum over its first-party offerings, which are still under development.

On the Wii side of things, Riccitiello believes there will be merit to the recently announced MotionPlus peripheral for the Wiimote. Early impressions of the Wii MotionPlus-enhanced Wiimote already appear quite positive (at least with Wii Sports Resort), hailing the newfound control bestowed upon the once gesture-oriented gameplay mechanics.

"The Wii MotionPlus is going to be good. If I had to pick one thing we suffered from, it was imprecise control on the Wii. That meant certain genres were never going to perform as well on the Wii. There are a couple of franchises in our booth. Go look at Dead Space and imagine playing that game with a wand and a Nunchuk. If they improve the precision, then you could have a good experience. There is no doubt that Wii Speak will appeal to a certain group of people. I thought what was nice is that they created an opportunity for third parties to be more successful."

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello

Microsoft service opening the floodgates for inde devs

Much like Nintendo has reached out to independent developers with WiiWare, Microsoft is now following suit via Xbox Live, opening up their doors for the inde crowd.

Announced today, the corporation said it will start to sell "user-generated" games later this year via Live, sharing up to 70 percent of the revenue with the developer. How awesome is that!

Microsoft has been offering production tools to the public for two years now under the "XNA" initiative, which would allow the finished product to work on the Xbox, PC, or Zune.

The deal here is an aspiring developer pays a $99/yr premium membership to the XNA Creators Club; in return, they get a hefty revenue cut (hey, it's a lot better than what musicians get), proportional to how well their game sells. Speaking of which, the titles will go for $2.50, $5, or $10, in Microsoft Point form, of course. A peer review system will help keeps things in check, too.

"Not only are we democratizing game development with Xbox Live Community Games later this year, but we're creating an opportunity for aspiring developers," Chris Satchell, chief technology officer at Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business group, said in a news release.

Microsoft is expecting double the amount of games to be available for its console when the Community Games sector of its Live store comes out of beta this fall, so get crackin'.

But Wii and DS still lead the console hardware pack (surprise!)

It's that time of the month again where the NPD Group makes its monthly console gaming industry sales figures public, and we're treated to their teardown for June. Compared to May, June's industry sales increased greatly thanks to stronger software and hardware sales across the board.

June 2008 US Games Industry Summary

Total sales - $1.69 billion USD
Console software - $872.6 million USD
Console hardware - $615.1 million USD
Console accessories - $202 million USD

June 2008 US Hardware Sales

Nearly all consoles enjoyed a healthy boost in sales, particularly the PS3 numbers which practically doubled thanks in no small part to Metal Gear Solid 4's release. The PS2 makes its return to the NPD charts after its mysterious disappearing act in May, and surprisingly it had a pretty good run last month, just over 30,000 units short of the Xbox 360.

Somebody is clearly happy with their console sales thus far, as Nintendo is quick to boast that their lifetime-to-date sales for the Wii have since surpassed those the Xbox 360. Microsoft's console launched ahead of its rivals, and company reps at first company to reach in sales ought to be crowned this generation's console race victor. Perhaps realizing just how quickly Nintendo managed to gain ground with the Wii in a short period of time, they now maintain that the first to 100 million will be the victor.

June 2008 US Game Software Sales

The big winner on the software sales wars last month was easily Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4. Old Snake's old spice was just too irresistable for those who really wanted to finish the tactical espionage fight. Unfortunately, MGS4 didn't manage to break over one million units in sales during its first month, unlike GTAIV and Mario Kart Wii.

As with May, only one Guitar Hero game made the charts in June, but this time it's the new DS release which launched with a bang. Indeed, Activision already noted Guitar Hero On Tour was its finest DS launch yet, and the publisher (naturally) is already gunning for a DS sequel. That Guitar Hero DS peripheral sure proved to be less of a turn-off than the naysayers expected.

Another new entry into the charts was Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden II for the Xbox 360. The latest game in Team Ninja's punishing action game series has nothing to be ashamed of by jumping straight to third place in its first month of release. Sadly, the game's release was shadowed by the resignation of Team Ninja's outspoken head producer Tomonobu Itagaki, and his subsequent lawsuit against his former parent company for unpaid bonuses.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl has all but fallen off the face of the charts in June, as did both the new Pokemon games. On the flip side, Wii Play is still hogging a spot in the top ten months after its initial release. Wii Fit also remains on the chart after launching in May, but its sales figures have dropped quite a bit by over 300,000 units.

Meanwhile, three different versions of Lego Indiana Jones occupy the bottom part of the NPD software sales chart. No doubt the game was basking in the warm glow of the recent motion picture release.

Playing as Darth Vader, the Secret Apprentice, and Yoda

Siliconera was lucky enough to get their hands on a Soul Calibur IV demo and try out the Star Wars characters in the game, and so what follows is a brief rundown of the main "features" and moves of each character.

Several features, however, are shared amongst all three characters. For one, the second meter underneath the character's life bar is linked to their force powers (Force Meter, perhaps?). Two, despite the armor breaking system, the SW characters take "battle damage", but don't have any dramatic effects or scars like the other characters (i.e. you can cut parts of their clothes off), meaning you can't knock off Vader's helmet, for example. But hey, who really wants to see that feeble crusty old white mug, anyway?
 

Darth Vader
 
Moves: choke, powerful unblockable burning force punch (VADER PAUNNCH!!)

Note: Using either of these moves without an adequate amount of force power will result in you being stunned.

Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice

Moves: force levitation, fast lightsaber strikes

Yoda

Moves: Force Cancel (a temporary glowing green shield that stuns enemies when they attack, kind of like Blanka's electrical discharge), jump attacks

Sadly, custom made Jedi Knights aren't available in the creation system, and the 'classes' from it are gone; created characters have 'cloned' fighting styles, from the already available characters. Bonus characters like Angol Fear (pictured below) are clones too (many clones).

A demo for the game is planned, but not until after it's released. Some smart marketing, there.

You gonna be stylin' on Xbox Live

As part of Microsoft's E3 press conference highlighting the sparkling new interface for Xbox Live itself, the company confirms the customizable, user-created avatars for Xbox Live previously leaked in a preview report from marketing research firm Intellisponse. Online avatars users which can kit out with virtual gear are all the rage these days, and they've already made an impression on console gaming thanks to the Nintendo Miis. They were just the start, as Sony is planning avatars for the upcoming PlayStation Home network as well.

Microsoft's own avatar system will be designed by Rare, and are intended to personalize user gamercards. These avatars will also be integrated into the games themselves, much like Nintendo's Miis. Avatar customizations will update the gamercard profiles in turn.

Unlike PlayStation Home, Microsoft has no intention of establishing a virtual world for its avatars to populate as a literal representation of its social network. The gamercard avatars will instead be focused on XBL multiplayer endeavors. According to Microsoft's Corporate VP Shane Kim:

"We have no plans to create our own 'Home' type of functionality. Our focus in the online space – and we talked a lot about this when Sony announced plans for Home – has always been about building on the foundation we created when we started Xbox Live. We're continuing to add services and features and functionality that we believe our customers care more about."

Meanwhile, a 60GB Xbox 360 appears this August to take the 20GB Premium's place

Retailers have already released flyers which all but spell out a price reduction for "Premium" Xbox 360 consoles featuring the built-in 20GB hard drive, from $349.99 USD to a nice $299.99 USD.  Microsoft today confirms this will indeed be the new official pricing for the 20GB Xbox 360s, but only while "supplies last".

In other words, the company intends phase out its ol' faithful flavor at retail.  Taking its place starting August 2008 will be a new, 60GB edition priced at... $349.99 USD.  It's described as being essentially the same console at the 20GB Premium console, which means it will still straddle the middle ground between the trimmer $279.99 USD Xbox 360 Arcade (lacking built-in HDD storage) and the top-of-the-line $449.99 USD 120GB Xbox 360 Elite.

Nintendo vs. Microsoft vs. Sony in FPS tourney of the century

I say let's cut the shenanigans, the figures, the posturing, the "well yes my company did this but we're still the best ever if you look at it this way", and just pit the console makers/developers against each other in three-way firefights (and melee fights) this E3 (which starts July 15). What a way to resolve differences, eh? Let's just get it all out in the open, folks. So here's a semi-random list of games coming to the plate this year that, in this writer's opinion, would make for some good old-fashioned trash talking times, and why:

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Who wouldn't just love to see Bill Gates (I know he's not really in charge of the games thing, but still) go head to head with Shigeru Miyamoto in a multiplayer lightsaber duel? Or Heck, Gates vs. Lucas, just for the kicks?

Madworld

Probably the bloodiest game that's ever surfaced on the Wii, so naturally it'd be cool to see someone with Nintendo in on the action, perhaps its president Satoru Iwata? Second would creator Platinum Games. I don't believe this one has multiplayer, but it's a nice thought, hey?

Resistance 2/Call of Duty: World at War/Killzone 2/The Conduit/Gears of War 2

I hate to lump them all together, but hey, it just makes sense for the purposes of this piece. Resistance 2 because it's big and freaking loaded with enemies, Call of Duty because..it's Call of Duty (probably equally good for pitting companies against each other as pairing them together in co-op), Killzone 2 because it looks pretty awesome, The Conduit because it's a good looking FPS on the Wii, and Gears for co-op mode. Oh, and actually, let's get journalists into the mix a bit too: how about Gears dev Cliffy B up against Softpedia's Silviu Stahie? There's a score waiting to be settled.

Soul Calibur IV

Because it's freaking Soul Calibur IV! And for a similar reason to The Force Unleashed, what with all the Star Wars characters in it and whatnot, this one would be good to pit folks like George Lucas and (sometimes) casual game makers like Nintendo against each other with. But mostly, it's freaking Soul Calibur IV.

I'm sure I've left out some good ones, so as always, feel free to add your own suggestions.

Who would win in these epic battles? I'm betting on Microsoft for the FPS matches, Sony for fighting, and Nintendo for the lightsaber duels (they made the Wiimote, after all). Although, maybe Nintendo has a hidden dark side and have been looking to pound someone for a good long time now. Never know!

Gamers invited to compete for prizes

GameRecruiter is the 'premier' recruitment agency for the interactive entertainment industry, and today they've announced something they'll be putting off at Austin's Game Developer Conference this year, September 17: the "Level Up Charity Games competition.

A $20 per competitor entry fee (paid at the door) hopes to see gamers of all kinds entering to compete for prizes (cash, video games, t-shirts and more) whilst playing the likes of Guitar Hero, Madden, FIFA08 and I-play Bowling. This is in part to celebrate the 20th anniversary of GameRecruiter as well as to benefit the ESA Foundation Scholarship Program which provides tuition assistance to women and minority students who plan to continue their education in fields such as game development and computer science.

"The ESA Foundation is honored to have been chosen to participate in this event," says Jenny Lai, Founder and Executive Director of the ESA Foundation. "The scholarship program is an important part of our programming and we hope to be able to expand it in the near future."

The Level Up Charity Games are scheduled from 6 pm to 10 pm on Wednesday, September 17, taking place in the ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Austin. The Four Seasons is located at 98 San Jacinto Boulevard, directly across the street from the Austin Convention Center, the site of the Austin GDC.

Co-sponsors for the event include McDonald's, Southwest Airlines, 1Up Network and Monkeysphere Games, with game competition elements sponsored by Midnight Gaming Championships. If interested, you can learn more with the link below.

Carrying "new epics and fan favourites" in tow

E3 should prove to be an exciting year for Squenix fans; the company has a varied blend of remastered classics, all-new titles, and much-wanted sequels, one out of the bunch of which is multiplatform. So here's the exhaustive list:

Multiplatform

THE LAST REMNANT
Platform: Microsoft Xbox 360® / PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system
Genre: RPG
PAL Release Date: (Xbox 360) This Winter / (PLAYSTATION 3 system) TBA

iPod

SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes
Platforms: iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod
Genre: Role-Playing
Now Available (EU, JP, NA)

Nintendo DS

CHRONO TRIGGER
Genre: RPG
PAL Release: TBC

DRAGON QUEST: Chapters of the Chosen
Genre: RPG
PAL Release Date: September 2008

FINAL FANTASY IV
Genre: RPG
PAL Release Date: TBA

PSP

STAR OCEAN: FIRST DEPARTURE
Genre: RPG
PAL Release: TBC

STAR OCEAN: SECOND EVOLUTION
Genre: RPG
PAL Release: TBC

Xbox 360

INFINITE UNDISCOVERY (Xbox 360 Exclusive)
Genre: RPG
PAL Release Date: September 5, 2008

STAR OCEAN: THE LAST HOPE
Genre: RPG
Release Date: 2009

The one that really sticks out here of course is Song Summoner, apparently the first full-out RPG for the iPod. The game lets you transform songs from your player into "Tune Troopers" which you take into combat. Their attributes and abilities are based on the characteristics of the songs you select, and each time you listen to them outside the game, the character is powered up a bit more. A freaking cool idea, really.

Aside from that, I guess this means Star Ocean fans better grab hold of a PSP soon if they don't already have one, and the same goes for Dragon Quest fans and the DS (aside from Chapters of the Chosen, a string of other titles in the series will be released in the relatively near future). Looking good, Square.

Chainsaws, headshots and more arrive in the multiplayer preview.

A lot of Gears 2 video has been running about these days, usually fan shot by camcorder or whatever they can do for a TV Tuner. MS and Epic have made life a bit easier though by dropping off a 2 minute demonstration of new gameplay mechanics in Gears of War 2. Honestly by the video I'd have to say it lights up my hope in the franchise for enjoyability since I wasn't entirely sold on revisiting the sequel even with giant armies to grind into mush. With more tactical shooting abilities though I think I'm going to be quite a happy gamer.

Check out the clip and see how insane the guys at Epic have gone with this new title.

Gears of War 2 seems to be on steady development and will arrive on the Xbox 360 this November, hopefully the game stays on track with all these changes and really ups the ante in the marketplace since what they've got right now is quite impressive. The changes in the model behavior from 1-2 are like night and day and it really shows the commitment from Epic to do something with this franchise they have on their hands.

"One man's Halo dream becomes a reality"

More news regarding that old game Halo 3: Scott Robertson, from Cardiff, UK just won a Microsoft video competition called "Halo: RECUT." 

The contest saw aspiring film directors from Europe create works "inspired by the unseen adventures of Master Chief". This ain't any small deal: Roberston, being the winner and all, gets an all expenses paid trip to L.A. to study at the "pretisgious New York Film Academy." I'm a little confused as to why the prestigious New York Film Academy has courses under its original name in Los Angeles, but I digress.

The competition saw many entries, and the race was stiff: there was Chief's exploits as a TV chef ("Cooking with Mister Chef"), a Spartan high school reunion, and a bunch more, but ultimately the folks at Bungie decided Roberston, with his "Master Chief's Day Off" entry was the one. This you can view through the alternate source (unfortunately this seems to be the only place its online, and it has no embed code).

While not exactly radiating high production values, the substance in the entry lies in its humour: my favourite part is seeing Master Chief hanging out on his couch in his sunny apartment, turning on the TV to see violent news footage in the universe of Halo, which he blasts angrily with his gun.

Robertson says he's baffled by his video being chosen:

“My head’s still a little bit in the clouds about it all - I'm such a big fan of Halo and have always enjoyed being creative – but to be chosen a the overall winner is just a dream come true!"

"I spent six years battling a serious illness which resulted in several major operations, the last being in November 2007. It was during my recovery from this final operation that I heard about the Halo: RECUT competition and working on this video really helped me through this difficult time.”

Scott is now entirely recovered and "thrilled at the opportunity to trade in his day job at British Gas in Cardiff and jet off to the home of cinema." I would imagine as much! Who says video games and movies aren't good for ya?

“I studied Animation at the University of Glamorgan, and this is great chance for me to throw myself back into the world of film – where better than the home of cinema to do this! I just want to say a huge thank you to Xbox, Bungie and, of course, Master Chief for all the help this competition gave me, and above all the opportunity to live out my dream!”

Bungie Studios’ Brian Jarrard has his own comment:

“This fantastic competition really showcased the creativity and passion that drives the Halo fan community. It was great to see people throw themselves into the task, infusing their personality and style into the Halo legend – often with hilarious consequences! We really want to extend a massive thank you to all those who entered, it’s amazing to see the creativity of the Halo fan base come to life.”

Aw, that's sweet.

Pub Games let you stock up before release date

Lionhead Studios and Microsoft Game Studios announced today a few juicy bits about Fable II's pre-order benefits.

Firstly, gamers who pre-order the game at participating retailers worldwide will be given free access to download the Fable II "Pub Games", which will be released this August (those who don't pre-order can purchase it for 800 MS points; also it will be included with the game itself). Gold earned in the casino-style mini-games therein can be transferred to the world of Fable II. As well, you can purchase things with the gold - really nice things. Things like weapons, clothing, houses, dog tricks and more. So basically, anyone who pre-orders the game is going to be stinking rich and chock full of weapons and stuff by the time it's released ("maybe when the leaves have a slight brownish tinge - but are still on the trees").

The games will be available as one download, and are called "Keystone" (a Craps/Roulette combination), "Spinnerbox" (an updated take on the slot machine),  and "Fortune's Tower" (a 'press your luck style of game'). A tutorial called "Shell" will be included to help you learn how to play each.

The second thing is the inevitable limited collector's edition of the game. That's ready for pre-order now as well, for $79.99 USD. Here's what you get:

• bonus disc with a new behind-the-scenes making of video
• collectible Hobbe figure
• LIVE trial card
• additional in-game content (an Xbox LIVE account is required).

The standard edition can also be pre-ordered for 20 bucks less.

Dyack's plan to expose forums appears successful

Some may recall a little over a week ago a thing about Too Human developer Denis Dyack implying he wanted to "own" gamers. The deal (posted on forum site NeoGAF) was gamers would say whether they were "for" or "against" the game; if there were more votes "for" it by the time of the game's release, those against would be tagged with the phrase "owned by Too Human", and the opposite would apply if the results were flipped.

Now, one of our writers here thought the whole thing rather childish, and he wasn't alone; it caused some controversy online. But now Dyack is revealing this was all apart of his master plan:

"I was basically calling out people who had no way of assessing the game. All I wanted to point out to people is that this is so ridiculous."

"I went through all of this for two reasons.... If you're going to look at the NeoGAF forum as a non-profit organization, if it does not reform itself, it's eventually going to crumble. There's going to be a point where they step over the line where someone's going to shut them down. That would be a loss for everyone.... The question I have to ask the moderators of GAF: Are you going to follow your own rules? With people making GIFs of myself that are, I would say, attacking me.... Why haven't 180 people been banned now? If I wanted to move in and shut that place down, do I have grounds under their own forum policy?"

Well, I'm all for his exposure of the occasional ridiculousness we see in forums, especially on the topic of prejudgment, but what's with the last thing? It's the Internet, and a hell of a lot of other worse things happen out there. Anyway, much as I really enjoy Dyack, I really have to say: man, if you don't like it, ignore it. Banning 180 people who don't like you or shutting down an entire site isn't going to make the world dislike you any less.

Here is his conclusion:

"NeoGAF and other forums like this that don't have good management are not only hurting society and hurting the videogame industry, they're in decline, and they need to reform quickly before people stop listening to them.... If the moderators and people who run the site think they aren't doing any damage, they are sorely mistaken, and it's only a matter of time before something bad happens."

Note that his full thoughts are located through the source in podcast form, and 1UP highly reccomends hearing him out (I do as well, it adds a lot of colour to his views that's mostly lost on online journalism). With that said, I kind of think maybe to stop listening is the best solution in this case. Everything works itself out in the end; there's a reason for the million brainless sitcoms out there (for example), but there's also quite a bit of room for the more thoughtful ones too: people pay attention to both. If everyone stopped watching either, the given one would fade and the other would fill in the gap. The same thing applies here to whatever sites he has a problem with. Ignore them if you don't like them, and your contribution to demand is done.

Note: After listening to the full podcast mentioned the paragraph previous, I wonder if Dyack doesn't have a point, if only in that it's important to stand up for humanization and civility online. If we just ignore users like those they mention, is that just as effective of a form of change as attempting to affect things from within the currently existing system? Or would it be ineffective and everything would repeat until someone (like Dyack) said something? Hard to say, but I think both are valid methods, details aside.

Free and cheap stuff for Halo 3 forthcoming

Okay everyone, don't worry about work tomorrow: it's Bungie Day! Well, okay, you should probably go into work, but not without your Master Chief helmet.

July 7 is known to Bungie fans/Halo players as "Bungie Day", and it's a day of gaming celebration. This year the developer will be offering gifts for their famed Halo 3: a new multiplayer map ("Cold Storage"), seven new gamer pics, and a price drop for the Legendary Map Pack (down to 600 MS points). An added bonus is a Bungie Day Xbox 360 dashboard theme. Note that all of this applies July 7 only (so git on down to the Xbox Live Marketplace!!!!).

Cold Storage is inspired by the "Chill Out" level in the original Halo, so gamers who've been with the series from the start should be pleased. Here's some background on the area:

The Cold Storage facility was once a vibrant, active research center on Installation 05. An accidental contamination resulted in an unforeseen outbreak, which compromised the Forerunner center. Now, emptied and silent, watched only by a local caretaker, the abandoned structure serves as a reminder of how something as powerful as science is ultimately beholden to nature.

And if you're wondering why July 7 (7/7), it's hard to say. All that's known really is Bungie have had a real fixation with the number in the Marathon trilogy games, and Halo (i.e seven Halo rings, Master Chief being Spartan 117, etc). If you care to hazard some guesses as to what the significance of the number is in reference to these games, Wikipedia is probably a good place to start.

DS and Wii regain their positions as runner-ups after strong recent weeks for the PS3

Japanese console gaming market analyst firm Media Create releases its sales chart for the week ending June 30th. Though the DS and Wii still enjoy signifigant lifetime-to-date sales numbers globally, the weekly race for pole position in recent memory has seen Sony's PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3 consoles rise to the occasion thanks to major, exclusive software offerings like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G. For the better part of June's final week, it's the PSP which reclaimed its throne at top of the Japanese console hardware sales charts.

Japanese Console Hardware Sales 2008/06/23 - 2008/06/29

The DS and Wii platforms meanwhile continue to be backed by strong software sales, as indicated in Media Create's latest software sales figures where nearly all of the top ten game titles last week were for Nintendo platforms. The top five games are all new releases, including the Tales of Symphonia sequel which is still awaiting launch in North America.

Japanese Console Software Sales 2008/06/23 - 2008/06/29

Everything is tastefully done despite the poor protection against sharp, pointy objects boasted by the ladies in the Age of Exploration

While many a joke has been cracked throughout Soul Calibur IV's development cycle concerning why the game's lovely lasses even bother wearing anything at this point, the BBFC's recent "12" rating for the brawler basically spells out a lack of on-screen nudity. All this despite the lip-smacking possibilities offered by a most curiously motivated "armor break" system! In fact, the only piece of consumer advice listed on the BBFC's classification page for the game is "moderate fantasy violence".

To be sure, the game's female character designs have assured there are still thrills aplenty for lonely men. Well, it's not like any amount of eighteenth century inspired armor will help against a lightsaber and the Force anyways.

Moving onto other pressing matters, Namco Bandai stresses that various reports suggesting the PlayStation 3 version of SCIV would require a 2GB save file on top of a 6.5GB install are grossly exaggerated. That's not so cool for the 20GB PS3 owners out there.  Unfortunately, the publisher has yet to actually confirm what the correct amount of storage required will be for both Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers.  According to the publisher's rep in a response to blog Kotaku:

"Those numbers are not accurate and are significantly overblown. The actual amount of space for the Soulcalibur IV install and save data file are in-line with other games requiring this feature."

Since we're talking about the BBFC, it might worth noting that Ubisoft (SCIV's publisher in the United Kingdom) has posted word of the bonuses in store for PAL region gamers who pre-order the title at retailers Play.com and GAME.

Price drop down under

Rumors of a Xbox 360 price cut for American gamers have been lingering for a while now, following a price cut in Europe and Asia.

So we don't have our precious price drop yet, but Australia and New Zealand now have theirs.  As of July 2, all 360 models have been slashed, with the Arcade unit down 50 AUD, putting it at 349 AUD and making it cheaper than the Nintendo Wii.  The Pro bundle has gone from 579 AUD to 499, and the Elite is now 649 after dropping 80 AUD.

GameSpot AU confirmed all this with an Xbox executive.  Thanks to the cut, the 360's install base now totals over 400,000 units, making it second only to the Wii.  In an interview with the site, Jeremy Hinton, Microsoft's Xbox Group Product Marketing Manager in Australia, stated that the price cut really had nothing to do with competition from the PlayStation 3 and Wii:

GS AU: So can this be taken as a sign that--in the Australian market anyway--the 360 is facing a lot more competitive pressure from the Wii and PS3?

JH: No, absolutely not. This is a strategy we've had for some time. Decisions are made not necessarily around what the competition are doing. And from our point of view, the last 12 months have been very successful--more dollars have gone through retail tills on Xbox 360 products than both of our competitors.

According to Hinton, it's simply a tactic to sell more units because more consumers are relying on these price drops as deciding factors in whether or not they plan to purchase a console.

Each region is getting individual consideration from Microsoft, so the price cuts aren't simply a global trend.  Hence, just because Europe gets a cut doesn't mean the U.S. will see one so soon after.

Hinton says Microsoft is expecting to see a spike in sales after this move, and there's no doubt the Aussies and Kiwis are pleased with a cheaper machine made available.  Now if only they started getting the actual games on time too.

After only one week Alone in the Dark is the number one Xbox360 game in Europe

One week after its release, Alone in the Dark for the Xbox 360 nabbed the number one spot in the two of the countries with a very large Xbox 360 market, so there was obviously tough competition.

The first Alone in the Dark was released well over a decade ago. It had the simple story of a mansion owner mysteriously dying, and you being sent in to comprise a list of valuables on the estate. However, unnatural horrors awaited you once you were inside -- and they wouldn't let you get out so easily. This was one of the first games in the survival horror genre and it helped kick-off many other titles and series in the same genre with similar plots. In this incarnation, you will still play as protagonist Edward Carnby and you must unravel an age-old mystery in Manhatten about the famed Central Park.

The gameplay is comprised of "episodes". In each of these episodes, roughly 30 to 40 minutes of gameplay can be obtained while you reach objectives. At the start of each episode, a recap of what happened during the last episode occurs so you'll be quickly pulled back into the game. Also, similar to how some television series ends their episodes, a cliffhanger will be at the end of most of these episodes. Eden Studios' Twilight technology and rendering engine creates the detailed graphics that displays even down to the light sources and moisture on a surface.

Will Alone in the Dark enjoy similiar success on the PS3 later this year? Not much has been released about any changes made between it and the already released versions. Changes about the movement, damage and healing system, and in-game inventory haven't been said to be altered, so will it just be the graphics getting a possible boost? Maybe a few more episodes added to the story?

XBLA may be getting some new oldies

In light of all the news surrounding Soul Calibur IV, Xbox.com has posted pages for Soulcalibur as well as Schizoid, which suggests that the two games will likely be hitting Xbox LIVE Arcade soon.  However, neither have a set release date.

Technically, all this is just speculation right now, but Joystiq has mentioned a certain trend, comprised of Xbox.com posting pages for games that invariably wind up on XBLA shortly after.  Developer Torpex has already confirmed that Schizoid is due for LIVE next month, so there is merit to one half of these rumors.

Additions to XBLA will be revealed this coming Monday, and hopefully, the original Soulcalibur will be on that list.  If so, 360 owners can all take a trip down memory lane before Soul Calibur IV hits the shelves.

Battlefield: Bad Company hits the shelves!

After being pushed back from a February release date to June, the anticipation for Battlefield: Bad Company has only risen. Today it was finally shipped to stores, awaiting its June 25th North American release and June 27th European one for both the PS3 and Xbox360 consoles. After having the demo reach 1.5 million downloads combined on both the Playstation Store and Xbox Live in a span of only two weeks, I think it's safe to say that the game has great appeal towards a lot of gamers.

In Battlefield: Bad Company, you take control of Preston Marlowe, a young soldier in B Company, alongside other soldiers that are more interested in treasure hunting than anything else. With enviroments that are 90% destructable, you can literally play out the battles your own way using an array of weapons, vehicles (for land, air, and sea) and other gadgets. Digital Illusions'  revolutionary Frostbite Game Engine provides stunning HD graphics to bring everything around you to life.

The single-player campaign mode is an extremely in-depth, cinematic style mode, that allows you to watch as the story unfolds and you and your company risk it all for treasure. A 24 player online mode will put you on the side of either the assaulter or defender, one where you are trying to protect your found gold, and the other where you are trying to destroy it. A conquest mode is said to be available for download for free later this Summer.

Who was that voice in the sky, exactly?

Cliff Bleszinski revealed some rather juicy tidbits in an interview with Danish game publication Game Reactor, hinting at what we should be expecting in Gears of War 2.  While the interview is, regrettably, in Danish, Team Xbox was kind enough to post a translated excerpt for the linguistically challenged:

Is Gears of War the Story of Marcus Fenix?

It’s without the doubt the story of Marcus, but it’s also the story of humanity with its back against the wall. And in the sequel, it’s also about Dom and the two new characters Tai and Dizzy. And there’s also loads of backstory about the Pendulum Wars, Jacinto, etc. There are lot of details. And what about the voice you hear in the trailers? That’s the kind of stuff we’ll answer in [Gears of War] 2.

Okay, so many have already speculated that the female voice narrating much of the game is the Locust Queen, especially when she refers to herself and the Locusts in the plural "we" in the ending cinematic.  Locust units like Boomers and General RAAM can be heard shouting reverences that reference a female leader (i.e. "For the Queen!"), and there is now a chance gamers will finally learn more about her this coming November.

Sure, some were disgruntled with the first Gears of War's lack of story, but the absence of narrative exploration left a lot of untapped potential for Epic to explore, and there's a good chance they took full advantage of all the first game's loose ends while composing the sequel.

Bleszinski is optimistic about the game-to-movie adaptation.

By now, several sources have already announced that Len Wiseman, the man responsible for Live Free or Die Hard and the Underworld movie franchise, will be directing the upcoming Gears of War movie.

The Hollywood Reporter has also confirmed that Chris Morgan, writer for upcoming movies The Fast and the Furious 4 and Wanted, will be writing the screenplay for GoW.

This project between Epic and Hollywood has sparked skepticism, especially among those who are unfamiliar with the game, exhibiting less knowledge on the subject than a badly written Wiki article.  Critics continue bringing up the utter failure of Doom as a movie, suggesting that GoW may wind up the same way; I suspect that to their untrained eyes, Doom and Gears of War are the same game, and it is unlikely that the non-gamer demographic will be giving the GoW movie any fair consideration unmarred by the failures of those that preceded it.

To be fair, video games have not transitioned smoothly onto the big screen, though the trend is profitable enough so that producers remain undeterred.  Skepticism is not unwarranted.  However, GoW design director Cliff Bleszinski remains confident in the matter, exhibiting an admirable amount of optimism in the face of naysayers:

"Hollywood needs to take the source material seriously, win over the avid gamers and make it work for an audience that is young and old, male and female.  Disney made a great movie out of a theme park ride, and somebody is sooner or later going to make a great one out of a video game.  Having someone like Len really helps the odds. I think we're going to create something special here."

So if Disney can do it, why can't Epic?  They've brought us great games, so let's hope they'll inspire great movies too.  No pressure, Len Wiseman.

..Mario?

Japanese gaming mag Famitsu talked about the latest Street Fighter game with producer Yoshinori Ono, and came out with some interesting tidbits (tidbits, get your tidbits here!). Firstly, he cites New Super Mario Bros. as an influence. Why..how..guh?

“When we heard during development that Shigeru Miyamoto was making a new DS version of Super Mario Bros., we were really happy that our vision [for Street Fighter IV] and [Shigeru Miyamoto’s] vision were the same. [Lost Planet and Dead Rising producer] Keiji Inafune said to me, ‘If you’re doing the same thing as the giants of gaming, surely it’s bound to go well?’”  

Part of what he's referring to is Nintendo's trend lately of bringing back older games and gamers with their titles, which relates to Street Fighter IV's codename: R35. This referred to their intention to make it appealing to gamers 35 and older, in other words, everyone who grew up with Street Fighter and its popularization:

“People who have been away from the arcades might return, and it’s possible that a new generation of players will buy home game consoles [to play SFIV]. I think it might not be a ‘killer title’ like an RPG, but if we’re gambling on the possibility of being able to call back those [older] players, a name like ‘Street Fighter IV’ will help. Even if we can interest just a fraction of the two or three million people who used to play Street Fighter II, I think the environment surrounding new games could change.”

Well, I'm onboard, how about you? I think it's a good idea and Capcom could certainly pull it off. The game's looking great (if you ignore the man hands, anyway), and gamers seem excited. I say it's about time someone revitalizes that warm fuzzy feeling we all got playing Street Fighter II in arcades, especially if it can be recreated at home. But really, I hope it ends up on the Wii, especially with this shared vision they speak about; I really think it belongs on the Wii, especially with the disparaging lack of solid and engaging fighters on the system.

Unreal Tournament 3 for the Xbox 360 gets an official release date!

Though already released for the PC and Playstation 3 platforms in late 2007, Unreal Tournament 3 for the Xbox 360 console now has a release date, as well as some new features not included in its other versions. The M rated game is set to hit North American shelves on July 7th, 2008, and will hopefully surpass the over one million copies already sold for the other two platforms.

In this edition of the Unreal Tournament series, an invasion has begun that is set to end the human race. Your kin have already been wiped out, so you head into the fray in hopes of saving humanity, as well as taking revenge for your lost loved ones. In a first-person shooter style fashion, you must fight against the incredibly realistic artificial intelligence featured in the enemies. Common FPS modes are included such as Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, and Team Deathmatch.

The additions featured in this version that aren't in the already released versions include a split-screen mode, five new maps to play in, as well as two new characters in the storyline. Mark Rein, the vice president of Epic Games, Inc. had this to say about the release:

We're very excited to be shipping Unreal Tournament 3 for Xbox 360. This is a great title and, with two-player split screen support and some very cool new content, Xbox 360 players should be thrilled with this fantastic version of the game.

As another added bonus, a video preview of Gears of War 2 narrated by design director Cliff Bleszinski, and producer, Rod Fergusson is also on the disc. In it, you will be able to see new footage of new modes, weapons, maps, and other aspects of the highly-anticipated sequel.