Wednesday, February 15, 2012
New ‘Karateka’ Slated For 2012, iOS A Possible Platform
And some say the world is a cold, passionless place. Thanks to a hip angel investor, the visionary behind Prince of Persia, Jordan Mechner, is getting a shot at remaking and re-imagining Karateka for release across multiple downloadable platforms.
In a blog post, Mechner says that he’s been working on the new Karateka with a “small team” for over a year. It’s a passionate write-up for the most part, and the reason is plain: this was his first published game, and it’s a legendary one to boot. The side-scrolling action might have been simple, but the title caught fire and has been purchased and subsequently ported roughly sixteen billion times.
Firm details are impossible to find at this point, but we do know that this is a re-make that will blur the standard lines:
It’s closer than the 2003 Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was to the original, side-scrolling Prince of Persia. But it’s a more radical reinvention than, say, the 2007 XBLA Prince of Persia Classic. The new Karateka is much more than a port; it’s both a remake and a re-imagining of the original game for today’s consoles.
Full article: http://toucharcade.c … a-possible-platform/
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Xbox 720 Chipset “in Production”
The chipset for a next generation Xbox console has been in production since last month, and will go into full production by the end of the year, according to technology news reports.
Tech site Fudzilla states, “Recent speculation that the new main System on a Chip (SoC) for the Next Xbox began production is apparently accurate; the SoC did indeed start production in late December of 2011. Sources tell us that the code name for the chip is Oban, and it is being produced by both IBM and Global Foundries for Microsoft.”
The report goes on to claim that, “the power behind the next Xbox will be a PowerPC CPU that is married to an ATI Southern Islands GPU, or modified 7000 series.” It adds that the console is unlikely to ship at the end of 2012, with full production gearing in December of this year.
“This first run of these 32nm Oban chips will be destined for developer consoles, so any hope for a holiday console release in 2012 seems unrealistic, according to our sources, but an announcement perhaps before the end of the year might be possible. It would seem Microsoft’s strategy of getting it in 2013 is all but assured. We do think that the chips will be in production by the end of the year for consoles destined to be sold in 2013, which seems to agree with what others are saying.”
Full article: http://xbox360.ign.c … s/121/1217112p1.html
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Simpsons Arcade Game Might Be Coming to XBLA
The Simpsons Arcade Game may finally be in line for its first console port. As reported by XBLA Fans, the Australian government’s Classification Board has updated its database with a listing for The Simpsons Arcade Game on multiple platforms.
Originally released in 1991, The Simpsons Arcade Game was a four-player beat-’em-up from Konami. The game allowed players to plow through side-scrolling levels as Bart, Lisa, Homer, and Marge, pummeling generic suit-wearing bad guys, Matt Groening Life is Hell extras, and recognizable residents of Springfield alike. The arcade game was ported to the PC and Commodore 64 the same year, but never made it to the consoles of the time.
In 2009, Electronic Arts released a mobile phone game called The Simpsons Arcade, but the new classification suggests that the project is unrelated. Handed down yesterday, the listing details Konami as the publisher and retro specialist Backbone Entertainment as the developer. The Emeryville, California-based studio has previously released downloadable versions of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. It also developed Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, a compilation of 40 games from Sega’s 16-bit system, for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
The Simpsons is another in a line of downloadable console ports for Konami’s licensed coin-op games of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Last year, Konami and Backbone teamed up to release X-Men: The Arcade Game on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The publisher also worked with Ubisoft for 2007’s Xbox 360 release of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game and in 2009 saw the French publisher remake the game’s arcade sequel, Turtles in Time.
Full article: http://www.gamespot. … le-platforms-6344641
Friday, October 28, 2011
10 best scary video games of all time
By Dave Herndon & Dave Scanlan
Ghosts, ghouls and goblins alike will be coming to your door Monday night trick or treating, earlier this week we published lists of films to enjoy between visitors, but if movies aren’t your thing, here are the top 10 horrifying video games, many of which can still be played on modern gaming consoles.
10. Dead Rising 2 (Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC)— This is a zombie game, no this is THE zombie game, set in the fictional Fortune City, the game follows Chuck Greene as he fights off zombies while accomplishing goals around the city. Various weapons can be picked up, and even customized to as the play makes their way through the game. Up to 7,000 zombie characters can appear on screen at a time.
9. Resident Evil —(Playstation, Sega Saturn, PC, remade and revamped for GameCube and DS, the latter being known as Resident Evil: Deadly Silence) – As a member of S.T.A.R.S (Special Tactics And Rescue Service), it’s up to you to go to Raccoon City and fight your way through hordes of infected creatures to find your comrades.
8. The House of the Dead (arcade) —One of the best arcade shooter’s I have ever played, not so much scary as creepy, this is just as the title suggests set in a house filled with ‘dead’ things, or rather the inhuman experiments of one very mad scientist.
7. Ghostbusters (Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2 & 3, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PSP, PC) —The movie franchise from my youth became a fantastic game a couple of years ago. The game play is fantastic, the story is wonderful and the voice cast is all the originals from the film, what more could one ask for when hunting down the ghosts and ghouls from the netherworld?
6. Uninvited (Atari, Commodore 64, NES, PC) — Your sibling’s left the car after its crashed in front of an old mansion, and you have to find them. A tricky game, not unlike a choose-your-own-adventure, in which strange and horrifying deaths are not uncommon. Keep your wits about you.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Take A Tour Of Video Game Developer Rare’s Never Before Seen Museum
Most gamers know Rare for its work on such classic Nintendo games as Donkey Kong Country, GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, though the company’s history goes back further than the SNES and Nintendo 64. It was founded in 1982 by brothers Chris and Tim Stamper, and was originally known as Ultimate Play the Game, where it released titles for the deceased ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64.
That said, there’s at least 29 years of history in the developer’s Twycross campus, neatly arranged within a glass case in the cafeteria.
Here, curious folks can get an inside peak at Rare’s humble beginnings and go all the way to its Xbox 360 days. It’s a fan’s paradise.
Full article (with photos): http://www.businessi … -perfect-dark-2011-9
Monday, September 12, 2011
EA and Starbreeze Studios Announce Revival of Cult Classic Franchise Syndicate
Redwood City, CA – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Starbreeze Studios today announced the reinvention of Syndicate, a storied franchise at EA. Created by an all-new development team from the awarding-winning studio that brought gamers The Chronicles of Riddick and The Darkness, Starbreeze Studios delivers a unique and brutal sci-fi first-person shooter experience set in a not too distant future, where business is war. Players take on the role of Miles Kilo, Eurocorp’s latest prototype agent, and embark on an epic action adventure full of corruption and revenge.
“Fans of the franchise will recognize many weapons and environments in the game, but in a whole new way. The game also provides a separate and deep 4-player co-op mode featuring missions from the original cult classic, which adds another layer of depth to the overall experience.”
“We are excited to finally reveal what we’ve been working on the past couple years,” says Mikael Nermark, CEO of Starbreeze Studios. “It’s been a great experience working with EA, and an amazing opportunity for us to use our expertise in the first person shooter and action genres to bring back, and reignite, the signature action/espionage gameplay of Syndicate.”
Set in 2069, Syndicate takes players into a dark, Machiavellian world run without government oversight with many syndicates vying for total dominance of their local market place. With no one to question their intentions or actions, three mega corporations – Eurocorp, Cayman Global, and Aspari – are at the forefront of this brutal war for control of the pivotal American market. In the world of Syndicate, everything is digitally connected, including the people. Players aren’t limited to the weapons in their hands. Through DART 6 bio-chip technology implanted in their head, players can slow down time and breach the digital world around them to take down their foes using a variety of upgradable hacking mechanics. Syndicate’s blend of fast-paced, futuristic, action shooter settings and story combined with innovative chip breach gameplay instantly immerses players in a unique digital world.
“Our goal with Syndicate is to provide a challenging action shooter for today’s gamers as well as fans of the original. I’m sure they will enjoy and recognize the legacy that made it such a classic,” says Jeff Gamon, EA Partners Executive Producer. “Fans of the franchise will recognize many weapons and environments in the game, but in a whole new way. The game also provides a separate and deep 4-player co-op mode featuring missions from the original cult classic, which adds another layer of depth to the overall experience.”
Syndicate will be available in early 2012 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and the PC. For more information on Syndicate, please visit www.syndicate.ea.com.