A demo of Ubisoft's FarCry Instincts Predator for the Xbox 360 is now available in the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo weighs in at 344.48mb. I heard nothing but bad things about this one when it came out, so I'm interested to see if it's as poor of a game as most people say it is.
In recent months there have been a lot of rumors that Sony has been having serious issues with the manufacturing of both the Playstation 3 Cell processor and the laser diodes used for Blu-Ray drives. Well, it appears as if the laser diode problem doesn't just exist, but is pretty bad to boot. GameIndustry.biz is reporting that the problems manufacturing blue laser diodes has gotten so bad that Sony has suspended shipments of the diodes to their customers in order to ensure that there are enough diodes for Playstation 3 manufacturing.
"This puts Sony in particular in quite a bind. Sony has obviously invested quite a bit in the Blu-ray format and the company would very much like consumers to pick up a Blu-ray player and not an HD DVD player or the HD DVD peripheral for Microsoft's Xbox 360. In order to make sure that the Blu-ray enabled PlayStation 3 does not run into any further problems, Sony has actually suspended shipments of blue laser diodes to other customers so that the components can be used for PS3 manufacturing first." -GameIndustry.biz
Now I'm not sure who they're referring to by the term "customers" - do they mean Sony was manufacturing the diodes for their Blu-Ray Disc partners and has suspended shipments to them, or that the "customers" are the other divisions at Sony that would require the diodes - namely the consumer electronics division. Either way, it seems the Blu-Ray format may be in for a rough time in the upcoming HD format wars.
It should also be noted that the diodes in question are also used in the production of HD-DVD drives, so if the problems are affecting all the companies manufacturing blue laser diodes, then the companies behind HD-DVD may be in for some trouble too. For more information on this story, check out the GameIndustry.biz article here.
Microsoft has announced that a beta version of their XNA Game Studio Express software is now available for download. For those unfamiliar with it, the XNA software is designed to make developing games for Windows and the Xbox Live Arcade much easier, allowing smaller companies and programming groups to create content for those platforms. The current beta software only supports Windows game development and can be obtained at this link. Download size is 91.1mb.
Details as per the download page;
System Requirements and Prerequisites
- Only supported on Microsoft® Windows® XP SP2 (all editions) at this time. Windows Vista will be available only in a future beta release of XNA Game Studio Express.
- Hardware requirements are identical to those for Visual Studio 2005 plus a graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 2.0.
- This release requires Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition to be installed before proceeding. You can install Visual C# Express from the Visual C# Express Download Page. However, other members of the Visual Studio 2005 line of products, for example Visual Studio 2005 Professional, can co-exist with XNA Game Studio Express (Beta) on the same computer.
What is not in this Beta (but coming soon)
While we’re very proud of this Beta milestone, it does not represent all of the great features we are enabling in XNA Game Studio Express which will be available in final release form by this holiday. Some of the key feature areas that were not able to make it into this beta include:
- The XNA Framework Content Pipeline feature is not present in this release of XNA Game Studio Express (Beta). It will be made available in a future beta release of XNA Game Studio Express
- Support for retail Xbox 360 game development. This feature will be made available upon final release of XNA Game Studio Express later this holiday
- Additional starter kits and tutorials will be made available upon final release of XNA Game Studio Express
GoNintendo is reporting that they've learned that Nintendo is having serious issues with the the Nintendo Wii remote control and it could cause either a shortage of units come launch, or delay in the Wii's release. According to this article, they've translated a report from a Japanese website that states there are numerous problems with the Wiimote, ranging from button sensitivity to durability to hardware failure, and that as a result, the controller is stuck in testing and has not yet been approved for manufacturing.
"The factory has received Wii controller's purchasing order and its sample, but is still stucked in testing phrase. From feedbacks of testers, currently the Wiimote and nunchuck still have a lot of small issues, such as buttons aren't sensitive, hard to press 2 buttons together, and even no response occasionally, and the current sample is easy to get damaged, using the controller in normal situation will produce some noise, etc. Entering Sept, if the above hardware problems cannot be fixed, it will directly affect Wii's selling strategy." -GoNintendo translation
I unfortunately don't read Japanese, so the best I can do is point you to GoNintendo's site here and advise you to take this with a grain of salt as for all I know, it could be the worst translation in the history of humankind. Here's to hoping Nintendo can get all the bugs worked out in time for the Wii launch.
Konami's classic arcade game Time Pilot comes to the Xbox Live Arcade today, and I for one am absolutely thrilled. Back when I was in the sixth grade, I remember being hopelessly addicted to Time Pilot and my feelings for the game have never really changed. It's a great example of action packed, addictive gameplay, and I'd highly suggest you at least give the demo a try. Here's to hoping the game translates well to the Xbox 360 control pad.
Title: Time Pilot
Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Genre: Action
Release Date: 8/30/06
Console: Xbox 360
Players: 1 - 2
Xbox Live: Yes
HDTV Support: Not specified
Full Game: 400 Points ($5)
Demo?: YesDescription as per Xbox.com
"Fly into the past in Time Pilot! Control an experimental aircraft sent back in time to alter the path of the future. Travel to different periods both in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, taking on enemy aircraft in daring aerial dogfights. Start by fighting biplanes in 1911 and end by combating swarms of UFOs!
With enhanced graphics and an intense new soundtrack, Time Pilot is a new twist on an arcade classic. This enhanced version includes exciting new multiplayer modes, 12 challenging achievements to test your skill, and plenty of ways to see your name on the Xbox Live® leaderboards.
- Enhanced! Newly-enhanced artwork includes rendered 3-D models for every aircraft, particle systems for smoke and explosions, and parallax scrolling backgrounds. Experience fresh sound effects and music, created specifically for this new Time Pilot.
- Challenging! Compete head to head on Xbox Live with players from around the world, or fly solo in five levels of increasing difficulty.
- Extras! Unlock hidden extras like parachutes and enemy boss planes. Add 12 new achievements to your gamerscore, ranging in challenge from simple to expert."- Xbox.com Time Pilot product page
Stay tuned as next wednesday the last of the scheduled second wave of Live Arcade titles finishes up when Konami's Scramble is released - hopefully Microsoft will have the next set of games ready shortly.
An update to the official Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion download store indicates that there's another piece of downloadable content coming for Bethesda's role-playing masterpiece. This time around the content pack, "Spell Tomes", adds new items and spells to the game.
From the content description;
Spell Tomes - DLC4
This pack adds “Spell Tomes” to the world’s random treasure. These books grant you wondrous and powerful magic spells, just by reading them! Now Mages will also gain instant benefits by treasure hunting. Friend and foe alike will bow in awe before your power.
Features:
- Hundreds of new spell-giving books
- All the most useful basic spells covered
- Low level and high level spells available
- Many new powerful spells with multiple effects added
- Extremely powerful new spells that are balanced with slightly detrimental effects to lower the cost in Magicka
- Find Spell Tomes in dungeons all over Cyrodiil
- Spend less time and money arming yourself with the spells you want and need
No word as of yet if the content will be exclusive to the PC or if an Xbox 360 version is in the works as well, though as all the content to date has appeared for both versions, it's probably a good bet that the 360 will see "Spell Tomes" as well. While no release date has been specified at this time, The PC version will be available via the official Oblivion download store for 99 cents once released.
For more information on "Spell Tomes", check out the official Oblivion download store here. We'll update this story as more information becomes available.
Gamespot is reporting that Electronic Arts has confirmed that the next game in the Burnout series, tentatively titled Burnout 5 is now in production and is expected to be released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 sometime in 2007. According to the Gamespot report, while EA isn't messing with the gameplay, they are revamping the menu system to create a seamless world rather than the current "pick an event/location" based system. For more information on the announcement, check out the Gamespot article at this link.
Normally I don't put much stock in trailers that contain nothing but pre-rendered footage, but in the case of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, I'll make an exception. The reason I'll do this is that based on comments from both the developers and producers of the game, this trailer shows a lot of what we can expect to see in the game itself. Everything from the way the main character moves through the crowd, to the way he scales walls to the combat system is representative of how things supposedly will work in the game.
The idea behind Assassin's Creed is that you play as an assassin who is essentially promoting peace by taking out those who wish to start wars - in this case the third crusade. Sure the plot has almost got a Remo Williams (the movie) feel to it, but hey, Chiun was a kick-ass kind of guy so it can't be all that bad, right? Seriously though, if Ubisoft manages to stay true to the gameplay concepts they're trying to get across in this trailer, the game should turn out to be something special. That said, sit back and enjoy the E3 '06 trailer for Assassin's Creed.
Assassin's Creed is currently slated to release for the Playstation 3 in 2007, with an Xbox 360 version rumored to be in the works as well.
As is par for the course, there's still no support for embedding video files here in the archives, so click here to see the Assassin's Creed trailer.
Microsoft has announced they've released the latest Xbox backwards compatibility update for the Xbox 360 and it's a big one. A lot of highly desired titles made the list this time around, including one of my favorites, Sid Meier's Pirates!. Now if only they would get to work on ESPN NFL2K5 and Mercenaries, life would be good.
Here's a list of what was added to the backwards compatible list today;
Check out the full list of backwards compatible games here. Got a title you're desperately waiting for? Why not talk about why you want to see it in the comments section - don't worry, it doesn't bite.
A demo of Electronic Arts Madden NFL '07 is now available for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo weighs in at 750.71 mb and, as with the NCAA Football '07 demo, allows players to try the game using 1 minute quarters.
