Gary's Blog

Just a place to find out what's on my mind, or what's occupying my time whilst I avoid actual "work."

 

VGN for April 7th, 2006

Video Game News:

 

MS vows to wow in Japan?

By YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer Thu Apr 6, 5:56 PM ET

TOKYO - The new head of Microsoft's Japanese video-game business

expressed determination Thursday to make the
Xbox 360 a success in Japan, where the console has struggled, by

more than tripling the number of games it offers by the end of the

year.

"Our message is this: We're prepared to do everything that's needed

to make Xbox 360 a success around the world, including Japan," said

Takashi Sensui, who became the head of Japan's Xbox operations this

month.

At a Tokyo hall, Sensui showed off dazzlingly graphic footage of

several video games in the works, especially designed to appeal to

Japanese gamers.

Up to now, Microsoft's Xbox 360 console and its predecessor, the

Xbox, have struggled against the domination of products from

Japanese game-makers Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). and Nintendo Co.

A major part of Xbox's troubles have stemmed from the lack of

role-playing games, which are favored here over the shoot-'em-up

and action games that tend to be hits in the U.S.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp. has made a point of signing on

game designers popular in Japan to deliver works like "Final

Fantasy XI," set to go on sale later this month.

Xbox 360 has a pocket of opportunity to win over Japanese gamers

because Sony, which makes the market leader
PlayStation 2 console, recently announced it's delaying the sale of

the next-generation PlayStation 3 until November.

PS3 to cost 500 Euros?  How many Pesos is that?

 Posted: 16:43 on 05 Apr 2006
By: Jon Wilcox

Speaking to French language radio station Generation Europe 1 last

night, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's Vice President George

Fornay commented that the price of the PlayStation3 will be around

500 Euros (£350) on its release this November.

Defending the cost of the machine, Fornay said that was a justified

figure given the technology on-board the machine such as the

Blu-Ray drive.

An official figure is yet to be formally confirmed, however this is

the closest we've come so far to getting a finalised price for the

console.

Fable's Lionhead bought.

Thu Apr 6, 5:56 PM ET

REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it had bought

Lionhead Studios, a British company that developed the "Fable"

role-playing games for its
Xbox videogame consoles.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Following the

acquisition, Microsoft said Guildford, England-based Lionhead would

continue to develop games exclusively for its Xbox consoles and

Windows operating system.

Lionhead produced "Fable" for Xbox and "Fable: The Lost Chapters"

for Xbox and the Windows operating system, as well as other Windows

games. Redmond-based Microsoft said more than 2 million of the

"Fable" games have been sold.

Microsoft, best known as a software maker, enjoyed a successful

U.S. launch late last year of its Xbox 360 console, the follow-up

to its first Xbox console.

Wait...PS3 NOT going to cost that much?

 Posted: 15:24 on 06 Apr 2006
By: Chris Leyton

With the allegation that Sony's typical silence on the price of the

Playstation3 had been broken during an interview with Sony Computer

Entertainment Europe's Vice President, George Fornay, GameKult has

today been contacted by representatives from SCEE suggesting that

comments made during the interview have been badly interpreted.

In a desperate attempt to cover up information that quickly spread

across the net, SCEE claimed to GameKult that Fornay had never

announced the launch price for the Playstation3, which has

currently yet to be finalised.

Despite today's comments TVG can't help but feel that the 499-599

euros speculation is close to the mark, why else would SCEE feel

the need to address what would otherwise be labelled as rumour and

speculation.

 

Brain Training on the go, to go.

Wed Apr 5, 1:08 PM ET

TOKYO (AFP) - Nintendo said it would launch its 'brain-training'

software, a megahit in Japan, in the United States and Europe in

hopes of winning customers who do not like video games but worry

about aging.

The software is billed as checking the ages of players' brains by

quizzing them on math, reading and other simple tasks. Players keep

scores of their performance and check how their brains have

improved.

"We hope people who have not played games will take an interest,

regardless of their gender or age," a Nintendo spokeswoman said.

The Japanese company will release an English-language version

called "Brain Age" on April 17 in the United States for use on its

double-screen, hand-held Nintendo DS console, she said.

The European launch will be in June, with versions in Dutch,

English, French, German, Italian and Spanish available, she said.

 

 

Peanuts, Tampons, Get your ugly ass Scions over here!

By Scott Hillis Thu Apr 6, 9:17 AM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - For some baseball video game fans, a trip

to the virtual ballpark is getting a bit more realistic -- for

better or for worse -- with the arrival of in-game advertising.

Massive Inc. said on Wednesday that Take-Two Interactive Software

Inc. is using its ad-delivery system to put billboards, logos and

other corporate promotions in the game "Major League Baseball 2K6."

The deal, which also involved Major League Baseball and the

Players' Association that controls athletes' images, is a big boost

for Massive, which hopes to tap the growing popularity of a medium

whose annual revenue of $25 billion is now bigger than Hollywood's

box office haul.

"Video games are front and center as a major new advertising

medium," Massive chief executive Mitch Davis told Reuters in an

interview.

Advertisers are expected to spend up to $100 million this year on

such ads, and Davis said that could swell to $3 billion in 2010 as

ad money chases the coveted demographic of 18 to 34-year-old men,

who are increasingly turning to games as their primary form of

entertainment.

What I've been Playing:

Oblivion--XBOX 360

Fight Night Round 3--XBOX 360

Tombraider!  The new one!

Anime News:

Naruto for the 360.

Ubisoft announces Naruto for Xbox 360
anounced on 2006-04-06 15:10Paris, FRANCE – April 6, 2006 – Today

Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers,

announced that it has signed a strategic non exclusive licensing

agreement with TV TOKYO Corporation and SHUEISHA Inc., to develop

games based on the hugely popular Naruto anime series for the

Microsoft Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from

Microsoft. The new titles will be available in North and South

America and European territories in 2007.

With Naruto, Ubisoft will develop for the first time a game based

on a Japanese property. Naruto was first launched as part of

SHUEISHA’s weekly manga magazine in 1999 and Naruto manga books

have sold more than 50,000,000 copies in Japan alone. Manga books

are published in the US and major territories of Europe as well.

Naruto anime series debuted on TV TOKYO in 2002 and has already

spawned several successful video game titles in Japan as well as

multiple character merchandise and two movies. Now, Naruto anime is

aired with tremendous success on Cartoon Network in the US

NARUTO takes place in a world where ninja are the ultimate power.

Uzumaki NARUTO is a ninja-in-training who is learning the art of

ninjutsu with his classmates Sakura and Sasuke. The trio studies

under the instruction of their teacher, Kakashi, who helps the

group face a series of dangerous and daunting tests and challenges.

Through their adventures, the young ninjas learn the importance of

friendship, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, creativity, ingenuity,

and right versus wrong.

Anime Explosion out at Universal in two weeks!!

Convention Corner:

Jacon?  Have not heard yet if we're going.

MetroCon!!
June 2nd through the 4th in Tampa!

Anime Human Chess Match

Anime Fan Film Festival

posted by: Gary1059 at 06:11 | link | comments |