News
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New portable will make 3D games accessible.
Nintendo are planning on bringing both 2D and 3D Mario platformers to its new handheld, general manager Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed.
According to Andriasang, when asked at an investor Q&A last week whether the platform holder was planning a 2D or 3D Mario platformer for the 3DS, Miyamoto said, “The answer is, of course, we’ll make both. They both have their own appeal.”
“When Super Mario became Mario 64, the range of players narrowed greatly,” he added, before explaining how the new handheld’s 3D effect will make games easier to play by helping users judge depth of field.
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PopCap Games bringing latest iteration of seminal match-3 puzzler to PCs next month for $20.
Even before the casual gaming business began booming, PopCap Games was helping gamers idle away a few minutes with addictive puzzle games. One of the most popular of those games, Bejeweled, saw first release in 2000 and has since sold more than 50 million units, spawning a host of copycat and one-offs in the process. Today, PopCap announced the latest installment in that puzzle series, Bejeweled 3, will be available for the PC on December 7.
Bejeweled 3 will not stray far from the tried-and-true match-3 style of puzzle gameplay. The game’s simple play mechanics see players presented with a field of gems, with the goal of swapping the place of two adjacent baubles to form a sequence of three or more and clear them from the board. The game awards bonus points and score multipliers for extended sequences.
As for the changes in Bejeweled 3, PopCap has crafted a 40-mission quest mode, which includes 11 minigames that meld classic Bejeweled play with other “classic game mechanics.” The game also includes updated versions of four modes previously seen in Bejeweled 2, which saw first release in 2004. Other new riffs on the Bejeweled formula include Ice Storm and Poker game types.
Bejeweled 3 will be available through PopCap.com as well as other digital distribution portals and retail outlets for $20.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“Bejeweled 3 shimmering on Dec. 7” was posted by Tom Magrino on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:14:51 -0700 -
Microsoft looking for suitable developer.
Microsoft is apparently in talks with a number of developers regarding a makeover of the dormant Project Gotham Racing franchise.
According to Develop’s sources, the platform holder has held meetings with various European independent studios regarding the revamp but is yet to settle on a developer.
The last game in the series, 2007’s Project Gotham Racing 4, was made by Bizarre Creations. The Blur developer forfeited the reins when it was bought out by Activision later that year.
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Microsoft looking for suitable developer.
Microsoft is apparently in talks with a number of developers regarding a makeover of the dormant Project Gotham Racing franchise.
According to Develop’s sources, the platform holder has held meetings with various European independent studios regarding the revamp but is yet to settle on a developer.
The last game in the series, 2007’s Project Gotham Racing 4, was made by Bizarre Creations. The Blur developer forfeited the reins when it was bought out by Activision later that year.
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Japanese publisher says “smaller growth” of new software spurred revenue revision down to $843 million, profit to $21 million.
Square Enix began its current fiscal year on the lifting wings of a dragon–Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2, that is. During the April-June period, the Japanese publisher saw production enough out of the DS title to post a ¥1.81 billion ($22.5 million) profit on revenues that were up 11 percent from the prior year to ¥32.5 billion ($403 million). However, Square Enix has been unable to sustain that pace through its second fiscal quarter.
With Square Enix expected to release its six-month earnings later this week, the publisher today preannounced a severe downward earnings revision for the April-September fiscal period. Having previously forecast sales of ¥76 billion ($942 million), Square Enix now expects to pull in ¥68 billion ($843 million) for the period, a 10.5 percent decrease.
Profit projections also fell sharply. With initial six-month income estimated at ¥2.4 billion ($29 million), Square Enix now expects to bring in ¥1.7 billion ($21 million), a change of 29.2 percent.
As for the why, Square Enix said new game software releases saw “relatively smaller growth,” though no specific titles were named. Square Enix released a handful of high-profile titles during the period. Included among these was the tepidly received Front Mission Evolved, as well as Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
The publisher also attributed its revision to an appreciation of the yen in foreign currency markets, as well as losses associated with the sale of equipment and property and a change in accounting standards.
Square Enix believes it will be able to compensate for the second-quarter weakness through the rest of its fiscal year. As such, the publisher said that it has not revised its full-year earnings projections.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“Square Enix slashes six-month forecast by 10% ” was posted by Tom Magrino on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:14:56 -0700 -
Japanese publisher says “smaller growth” of new software spurred revenue revision down to $843 million, profit to $21 million.
Square Enix began its current fiscal year on the lifting wings of a dragon–Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2, that is. During the April-June period, the Japanese publisher saw production enough out of the DS title to post a ¥1.81 billion ($22.5 million) profit on revenues that were up 11 percent from the prior year to ¥32.5 billion ($403 million). However, Square Enix has been unable to sustain that pace through its second fiscal quarter.
With Square Enix expected to release its six-month earnings later this week, the publisher today preannounced a severe downward earnings revision for the April-September fiscal period. Having previously forecast sales of ¥76 billion ($942 million), Square Enix now expects to pull in ¥68 billion ($843 million) for the period, a 10.5 percent decrease.
Profit projections also fell sharply. With initial six-month income estimated at ¥2.4 billion ($29 million), Square Enix now expects to bring in ¥1.7 billion ($21 million), a change of 29.2 percent.
As for the why, Square Enix said new game software releases saw “relatively smaller growth,” though no specific titles were named. Square Enix released a handful of high-profile titles during the period. Included among these was the tepidly received Front Mission Evolved, as well as Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.
The publisher also attributed its revision to an appreciation of the yen in foreign currency markets, as well as losses associated with the sale of equipment and property and a change in accounting standards.
Square Enix believes it will be able to compensate for the second-quarter weakness through the rest of its fiscal year. Therefore, the publisher said that it has not revised its full-year earnings projections.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
“Square Enix slashes six-month forecast by 10% ” was posted by Tom Magrino on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:14:56 -0700 -
It knows “what gamers want to play”.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior developer City Interactive has licensed Crytek’s CryENGINE3 for two new games.
The Polish developer offered no details as to what those games might be, but expect a release for both of them in the “next couple of years”.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior, despite being not very good at all, has been quite the success story for the studio. Revenue for the first nine months of the year is up 230 per cent.
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3D game development engine reaches milestone while Unity Web Player passes 35 million installs.US-based Unity Technologies, which creates tools for videogame production, has announced a year-on-year increase from 13,000 users of its Unity development platform to 250,000. The Unity Web Player allows software developed with the Unity platform to be played/viewed through a browser.
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Lionhead’s regal sequel makes number one in its first week; Rock Band 3 fails to make the top 20.
Get the full article at GameSpot
“Fable III rules UK sales chart” was posted by Jane Douglas on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:05:17 -0700 -
Lionhead’s regal sequel makes number one in its first week; Rock Band 3 fails to make the top 20.
Get the full article at GameSpot
“Fable III rules UK sales chart” was posted by Jane Douglas on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:05:17 -0700