Major Publishers to Support Natal

Microsoft has announced that Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, Capcom, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ and Ubisoft are all actively working on games for “Project Natal”. The announcement comes before a Tokyo Game Show panel discussing Microsoft’s motion and gesture recognition system.

The panel at TGS featured Capcom’s Keiji Inafune, creator of Dead Rising, Sega’s Toshihiro Nagoshi, creator of Super Monkey Ball, and Konami’s Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear Solid series.

Sony confirm and deny 250GB PS3

Following the announcement this week of the upcoming 250GB Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 bundle and the news that a similarly themed Forza 3 bundle is incoming, Sony have moved to distance themselves from similar bundles appearing for the newly revitalised PS3 Slim.

SCEA have denied the fact that the above is indeed a legitimate upcoming SKU whilst at the same time saying that they cannot comment on rumour or speculation regarding other SCE regions – that old chestnut !

I think all that means that Europe will be receiving an Uncharted 2 bundle sometime around launch of the game on October 16.

The current rumour and speculation is that it will include the console, 250GB hard drive and a copy of the game for £299, only £50 more than the current 120GB model – no wonder they’re denying it for now.

Microsoft is hiring for Natal

Microsoft Game Studios is looking for devs, engineers, artists, audio staff and producers for upcoming Project Natal games. 18 job positions have been posted online.

Project Natal is the codename for a sophisticated 3D motion tracking peripheral from Microsoft, first revealed at E3 2009.

Microsoft to show Halo: Reach and Fable III at TGS

 

Microsoft has released a list of the titles it will be showing at the Tokyo Game Show this year. They include demos and trailers of a number of eagerly-awaited games:

• Forza Motorsport 3 (Demo, Trailer)
• Alan Wake (Trailer)
• Fable III (Trailer)
• Halo 3: ODST (Demo, Trailer)
• Halo Legends (Trailer)
• Halo: Reach (Trailer)
• Crackdown 2 (Trailer)
• Borderlands (Trailer)
• Samurai Shodown Sen (Demo, Trailer)
• FIFA 10 (Demo, Trailer)
• Lost Planet 2 (Demo, Trailer)
• MUSHIHIME SAMA Futari Ver1.5 (Demo, Trailer)
• Shin Sangoku MULTI RAID Special (Demo, Trailer)
• Castlevania ~Lords of Shadow~ (Trailer)
• NINETY-NINE NIGHTS II (Demo, Trailer)
• Pro Evo 2010 (Demo, Trailer)
• FRONT MISSION EVOLVED (Demo, Trailer)
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (Trailer)
• NeiR Gestalt (Demo, Trailer)
• BAYONETTA (Demo, Trailer)
• Resonance of Fate (Demo, Trailer)
• Assassin’s Creed II (Demo, Trailer)
• Splinter Cell Conviction (Trailer)
• Infernal (Demo, Trailer)
• Dragon Ball Rising Burst (Demo, Trailer)
• Tekken 6 (Demo, Trailer)
• STEINS;GATE (Demo, Trailer)

New Crackdown 2 Details

US magazine, Game Informer had the privilege of getting the first real details to do with Crackdown 2. They went to Ruffian Games and found out much more than what we previously knew.

All that we knew before was that it was a new developer (Ruffian Games instead of Realtime Worlds), that it would now be four-Player co-op and that there would be a competitive sixteen player online mode. According to Game Informer, the sequel sees the Agency in a three way-war when many of the inhabitants of Pacific City have been infected by a zombie-like virus, and a large portion of the rest are in a civilian gang unhappy that the government could not contain the virus.

If you didn’t notice, I did just say Pacific City. This is because we now know that the game takes place in the same city as the original Crackdown, although with a few changes. Some roads and buildings have been destroyed or demolished, and there will probably be new features here and there. Also featuring are new weapons and vehicles, now including a Helicopter. Some vehicles have been upgraded with things like mounted turrets to accomodate four players in co-op.

Finally they have said that the city decays over time due to the spreading infection, meaning that the city will certainly look and feel different, but maybe your favourite routes around the city will no longer be accessible due to collapsing buildings. The mutant civilians will also become more fearsome as the game progresses.

A lot of info to make any Crackdown fans look forward to the sequel just a bit more. I know I am.

Microsoft Explains why Ruffian will take over Crackdown II

If you’re like me, and always jump the gun about another Developer taking over a game that was a success, then you would have raised an eyebrow and sighed in pity when you found out that Microsoft handed Crackdown over to the fresh company, Ruffian Games.

Well Microsoft have have backed up their plans, and reading the big picture you will realize there is still hope, and what a great hope it is.

Apparently, it would seem Mr. Spencer believes Realtime Worlds is simply too busy developing APB to give a Crackdown sequel the attention it deserves. “I wanted to make sure that anything we work on is correctly nurtured … we had to find the right team who really understood what game it is – and that was Billy [Thompson] and the team at Ruffian.” Crackdown 2 Ruffian Games since the studio’s inception late last year. will be the first game developed by Ruffian Games since the studio’s inception late last year.

My mind is at rest, finally.

Microsoft want your money

Speaking about the upcoming Left 4 Dead DLC Crash Course, Valve’s Chet Faliszek has stated that it was Microsoft’s decision to charge for the content on Xbox 360.

The content, free to all PC-owners, will cost 560 MS points on Xbox as Microsoft “wanted to make sure there’s an economy of value there”. Pressed further on the issue he said the following:

Well, they helped us get the first one out for free. We had the one DLC out for free. And I think… they have to look and say, wow, we’re kind of being unfair to everybody else if these guys can do that.

In other news, the sky is blue and fire is hot. Who knew.

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