VGN for September 23rd, 2005

Friday, 23 September 2005

VGN for September 23rd, 2005

Video Game news:

Posted: 20:35 on 22 Sep 2005
By: Chris Leyton

An impressive Tokyo Game Show presence lifts interest in the Xbox360...

Microsoft may have scoffed at the significance of surveys prior to the Tokyo Game Show, however this week’s Famitsu could have them changing their minds.

A strong presence in Japan last week saw potential Xbox 360 purchasers rise from 6% to 22%, as commitment to the 360 in the shape of Resident Evil 5, Ridge Racer 6, Armoured Core, Gundam and Bomberman appear to have won over a significant proportion of Japanese gamers.

With Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon on the horizon it appears that Microsoft have laid a good foundation to build upon, however the US giant will have to ensure that Japanese orientated titles continue long after the launch of the system if they want to guarantee a significant footing the second time around.

Video games directly responsible for anime popularity?

Posted Sep 22, 2005, 8:00 AM ET by Vladimir Cole
Related entries: Culture

The Associated Press writes, “The popularity of animé, that uniquely Japanese form of animation, can be traced directly to the growth of video games, especially the Final Fantasy series and other role-playing epics like Dragon Warrior.”

The relationship between the two media is more complicated than that. First of all, anime has been around for nearly 100 years, so it’s far more likely that anime has had greater influence on games than the other way around.

Second, the relationship is more symbiotic than the article implies. Fans of the two entertainment forms tend to appreciate many of the same techniques, plot devices, and tropes. It’s difficult to imagine either form of entertainment evolving to the state that each is in today without the other. Anime is constantly referencing video games and games anime.

Read the whole article...

Whose job got cut?

Sony reorg follows earlier changes at PlayStation division

Sir Howard puts his mark on Sony's future; cuts 10,000 jobs, admitting to past "missteps."
Sony is planning a company-wide restructuring that will result in the loss of 10,000 jobs and the closure of 11 plants, among other changes, the electronics giant said Thursday.

The company known for its Walkman music player, the Spider-Man movie franchise, and the PlayStation game console will "eliminate the corporate silos" of its Sony Corporation Network starting October 1, and it will replace them with a new structure that it hopes will allow for better coordination on product planning. Centralized decision-making authority over key areas will go to president and electronics CEO Ryoji Chubachi.

Because of the changes, Sony will report a financial loss of about $90 million on sales of about $65.1 billion for the year, the company said. Sony previously said it would post a profit of $90 million.

revolution controller

See it in action...

Nintendo's new controller

By Nathan Alderman (TMF Nato)
Mon Sep 19,12:09 PM ET

Once the king of the video game hill, Nintendo (NQB: NTDOY - News) took a tumble in recent years. The hotter sales and more powerful hardware of consoles like Sony's (NYSE: SNE - News) PlayStation and Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT - News) Xbox made Nintendo's GameCube look like kids' stuff, and hardcore gamers began to snicker at its cute and happy games.

But the makers of Mario may have the last laugh: Nintendo's focus on creative new ways to play video games finally seems to be paying off. The most recent example: a bizarre, but impressive new controller for the company's upcoming Revolution system.

The Revolution device Nintendo unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show last Thursday looks like a regular TV remote control, with one button under gamers' thumbs and another for their trigger fingers. In a unique twist, the wireless controller senses its position, angle and orientation relative to the screen. Now, fantasy fans can slash their broadswords at goblins with a swing of the arm. Shooter-game enthusiasts can take pinpoint aim at onscreen foes. Virtual racers can really lean into those hairpin turns. At least one reporter who got to try out the new gizmo found it intuitive, impressive, and a lot of fun.

It's not Nintendo's first offbeat experiment with game controllers. The classic Nintendo Entertainment System originally came with R.O.B., a "robot" that could move and stack small weights in tandem with onscreen events (yeah, I don't get it either). More recently, Nintendo created a series of Donkey Kong games where players controlled the famous ape through claps, shouts, and rhythmic beats on a set of touch- and voice-sensitive bongo drums. The company also pioneered games for its line of portable Game Boy systems that detect when the system is tilted or shaken.

Watch the video, look at the pics...read what you can. When you hold it in your own hands, then you can form a proper opinion.:)

What I've been playing:

Burnout Revenge!!! Holy Crap!

Pirates!

Land of the Dead demo...zombiiiiieeeees.

Anime News:

Review of Final Fantasy: Advent Children--thanks Tasha!

Another chance to see it on the big screen!

From Anime Gaijin America:

Hey guys -
Thanks to everyone who came out Friday night. We filled all 279 seats
at Anime Explosion last Friday night. Sadly, we actually had to turn
some of guests away. :(

But fear not, we have made arrangements to do an encore screening this
coming Friday night at Midnight. Standard Anime Explosion procedures
apply... arrive early (by 10:30pm) and get your wristband. We are in
our regular room, so we only have about 150 seats.

If you saw FF:Advent's Children at Anime Explosion last week please let
those who missed out have a seat.

Con Corner:

Screamfest!!

Come get spooky with me!