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Microsoft will finance Halo movie

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Microsoft Corp. plans to finance a movie based on its popular video game "Halo" after Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox backed out of the project.

The two studios cut their ties to "Halo" because of costs associated with the movie, which had a preliminary budget of $145 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The studios also failed to persuade the filmmakers to renegotiate their contracts, the newspaper said.

"We are disappointed that Universal wanted to significantly renegotiate the financial points of the deal," Microsoft said in a statement Friday. "We are already in discussions with potential partners who recognize the value of the 'Halo' brand."

Fox and Universal also had been in a power struggle over the movie's control, the Times said. The studios refused to comment.

The movie -- a large production replete with complicated special effects -- is scheduled for a summer 2008 release.

HALO game features:

Halo® is a sci-fi shooter that takes place on a mysterious alien ring-world. Packed with combat, Halo will have you battling on foot, in vehicles, inside and outdoors with Alien and Human weaponry. Your

objective: to uncover Halo's horrible secrets and destroy mankind's sworn enemy, the Covenant.

Huge weapon variety: Vanquish your enemies with a vast array of Human or Covenant weaponry ranging from the stealthy (semi-automatic pistols, alien energy guns) to the fierce (rocket launchers and assault rifles).
Vehicle & foot-based action: Tackle missions anyway you choose-be it storming an enemy base or taking the wheel or gunnery position of a variety of powerful vehicles. Vehicles range from stolen Covenant flyers & hovercraft to Human buggies, tanks and more.
Indoor & outdoor combat: Fight seamlessly in Halo's ultra-realistic indoor and outdoor environments as you hunt the Covenant in dozens of single player missions and multiplayer battles.
Intense multiplayer shoot-outs: Form a team, choose a role, and fight cooperatively with your friends, battle it out Deathmatch style via intense split screen combat or fight co-op with a friend through the single player missions.
Incredible mission variety: Fight the Covenant in dozens of missions as you uncover the dark secrets of Halo. Among your many objectives - attack enemy outposts, raid underground labs for advanced technology, rescue fallen comrades, steal alien vehicles and weaponry and snipe enemy forces.
Reality-bending special effects: Halo features the most advanced graphic system on the most advanced gaming platform in the world. Gunfire rips off the screen, explosions light up a living room, and environments blur the line between your couch and fantasy.
Rich sci-fi experience: Halo transports gamers into a science fiction universe fresh out of a Hollywood movie. With a detailed twisting story-line, complex characters and cunning enemies Halo will fulfill every sci-fi enthusiasts dream.

Article Source Microsoft will finance Halo movie

List of 21 PlayStation 3 games

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Sony has revealed the list of 21 titles that will be available for the PS3 when it launches.

So here is the list:

Resistance: Fall of Man
NBA 07
Genji: Days of the Blade
Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII
Call of Duty 3
Fight Night Round 3
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
F.E.A.R
Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Madden NFL 07
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
NBA 2K7
Need For Speed Carbon
NHL 2K7
Ridge Racer 7
Sonic the Hedgehog
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
Tony Hawk's Project
Untold Legends Dark Kingdom

The List looks great but knowing Sony most of this PS3 games will not be ready for the launch

Article Source List of 21 PlayStation 3 games

How to Bypass the Xbox 360 country lock

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Want to get all the demos released for the Xbox 360?

Microsoft's chosen to disable certain game demos and game videos for people of certain regions, but we want all our media to be free, don't we? Its very simple, the Xbox 360 is designed to let you only download games from the country your gamertag is registered in. So how can you bypass this?

Very simply, setting up an account on the Xbox 360 is excruciating long and to tedious to even fathom. We recommend you use http://xbox.com for a quick and easy way to register your gamertags. You can simply follow the onscreen instructions, add in email that has not been registered with a previous gamertag and make sure you older that 1985 otherwise you get asked for a second email account. Also choose a country such as Japan or America to download the latest games first. I chose Japan for my first account and America for my second now I have the best of both worlds.

Alright new account made, simply pop onto your Xbox 360 and choose recover gamertag. Follow the steps and bingo, you have another gamertag capable of downloading everything from the chosen country.

Also if you are new to the Xbox 360 the Demo’s you download can be viewed by all gamertags as it’s stored onto the hard drive

Article Source How to Bypass the Xbox 360 country lock

Sony launches net service for PS3

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

The PlayStation Network will let PS3 owners play other gamers, chat, download extras, store images, video, or music and browse the net and the most important thing is that the network will be free to play or chat but users must pay to get downloadable games and other extras.

The PS3 is due to launch on 11 November in Japan, 17 November in North America and March 2007 in Europe.

Sony Playstation have sold more than 105 million PS2s globally, competitor Microsoft has set the pace online with its Xbox Live service. About 60% of Xbox 360 owners use its online system and pay a small annual fee to get access.

This navigation system has a "Friends" area in which users manage online game play. In this area they can see if friends are online and what games they want to play. It also includes a basic social networking system that lets people swap text-based messages.

As well as giving users access to online gaming and the net, this browsing system gives access to any images, music or movies stored on the device. This multimedia content can be taken from the net, bought from the Sony PlayStation store or loaded via memory sticks or USB.

Via the store PS3 owners will be able to buy downloadable games, extras for games, movies and music. Downloadable games are expected to cost about $15 (£8).

A custom built version of the Opera browser is included in the PlayStation 3 for using the net.

Sony has also revealed the list of 21 titles that will be available for the PS3 when it launches.

The line-up includes a wide mix of titles - everything from sports to driving games and first person shooters. The top tier titles for the PS3, such as Sony's own Resistance: Fall of Man, are expected to cost $59.99 (£32).

Article Source Sony launches net service for PS3

Gears of War Xbox 360 game to be launched in November

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Gears of War for Xbox 360
Gears of War is a violent, futuristic shooter
Gears of War, the highly-anticipated shooter for Xbox 360, will be released in the UK on 17 November and in will be available in North America on November 12, 2006

Microsoft hopes the exclusive title will drive sales of Xbox 360 and is released on the same day the PlayStation 3 is available in the UK.

"It will deliver a one-two punch of cinematic action," promised lead designer Cliff Bleszinski.

The battle for next generation supremacy begins later this year with Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft competing.

Article Source Gears of War Xbox 360 game to be launched in November

EA Announces Two New Games for Wii

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 01:00:00 +0100

EA Games for Wii

To commemorate the launch of the next generation of console and PC hardware, Electronic Arts is pleased to announce the launch of a new lineup of interactive titles for all next generation gaming platforms.

ImageThe Island™ is a massively open world encompassing 600 square miles of fictional island landscape. The island has different regions with various topologies and weather conditions, ranging from sunny beaches to snowy mountain passes. Published under the EA GAMES™ brand, The Island™ is a lineup of games that can be played in conjunction with each other, fully contained within this single massively open world. EA™ will be launching three of these games on November 14, 2006 with future titles to be announced in 2007.

In Need for Speed: The Island™ you will take to the streets of The Island™ in a variety of licensed vehicles from classic muscle cars to futuristic concept cars. In addition to racing against the clock, 15 computer-controlled opponents, or up to seven human opponents in network play, you can also free roam on over 1000 miles of open road, complete with AI traffic and human traffic in online mode.

In The Sims: The Island™ you can choose to raise your family of Sims in the majestic mountains, on the casual coast, or in a bustling city on The Island™. The Sims™ will feature an offline story mode, offline free play mode, and online free play mode. In addition, The Sims™ story mode can be played co-operatively in split screen or online.

Article Source EA Announces Two New Games for Wii

Nintendo will launch Wii console in November

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Nintendo's next-generation game console Wii will arrive on time and at prices lower than its rivals, the company said Thursday.

Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo Co. said on Thursday that Wii will go on sale Dec. 2, costing 25,000 yen ($215.50).

Nintendo also makes Game Boy and Nintendo DS handheld machines, had promised Wii for sometime in the final quarter of this year, and so it's managing to avoid the embarrassing delays announced recently by rival Sony Corp.

Nintendo had already said Wii wouldn't cost more than 25,000 yen. It didn't immediately disclose overseas prices.

Wii--pronounced "we" and meant to conjure the idea of fun for everyone--will be going head-to-head against PlayStation 3, the upgrade from industry leader Sony, to woo game fans during holiday shopping.

Wii is considerably cheaper than PlayStation 3, set to sell for $499 and $599, depending on the features, and 59,800 yen in Japan.

More critically, PlayStation 3, initially planned for earlier this year, has been postponed twice. The decision to delay PlayStation 3 in Europe for four months until March was announced last week.

Plans were unchanged for US and Japan sales, but far fewer consoles are expected to be available at the launch, with about 400,000 PlayStation 3 machines when they go on sale in the US Nov. 17, and 100,000 on the Nov. 11 Japan launch date.

In a demonstration Thursday, Nintendo showed Wii will come with an Internet browser, and can be used to look at and edit digital photos on a TV monitor.

Nintendo's Wii can also be used to get weather forecasts and news reports, features that are meant to widen the machine's appeal to people not used to games, Iwata said. Games for older Nintendo consoles will be offered as downloads, he said.

Another appeal of Nintendo's Wii is that users will be able to create their own game characters. Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto played a game of tennis on Wii with Japanese tennis star Ai Sugiyama, swinging the remote controller like a racket on the stage. And the characters playing tennis on the monitor were created to resemble Miyamoto and Sugiyama.

The handheld controller vibrates in time to the virtual racket hitting the ball, and the slapping sounds are also synchronized with the moves.

Nintendo says Wii, which offers easy-playing games, meant to appeal to people regardless of gender, age or skills, won't be competing directly against PlayStation 3 or Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 because Wii targets a different audience.

Instead of old-style remote controllers with complex buttons, Nintendo Wii has a wireless wand-like remote that can be swung around like a tennis racket or a baton for conducting a virtual orchestra.

Microsoft's Xbox 360, which went on sale last year, could also get a lift from the delay and shortage of PlayStation 3.

A low-end version, already sold as the Xbox 360 Core System in the United States and Europe, is scheduled to arrive at stores here in November for 29,800 yen ($256.00)--about 10,000 yen ($86.00) cheaper than its standard version.

Article Source Nintendo will launch Wii console in November

Xbox: Call of Duty 2 game to sell more than 1 million copies in the US alone

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Call of duty 2 puts players in the center of WWII action
World War II shooter Call of Duty 2 has become the first Xbox 360 game to sell more than one million copies.
The game has long been the best-selling title for Microsoft's console and sales figures now show it has sold more than one million units in the US alone.

The game is a follow-up to the hugely successful first Call of Duty that was launched in 2003.

New locations in the second version of the squad-based shooter include North Africa and the D-Day beaches.

When the original Call of Duty was released a few years ago, it made an impact both on critics and on consumers, even in the already-crowded WWII shooter genre.

Call of Duty's visceral action struck a chord with PC shooter fans, thanks to a well-designed campaign, enjoyable multiplayer, and outstanding sound effects. If you liked those aspects of the original, then you're sure to enjoy the sequel, which stays true to the strengths of its predecessor, while enhancing the sense that you're just one soldier in the midst of a massive war machine. It doesn't really break any new ground, but the game nails the core aspects of first-person-shooter gameplay so well that it doesn't need to.

Article Source Xbox: Call of Duty 2 game to sell more than 1 million copies in the US alone

Microsoft Xbox 360 HD-DVD Price and Release Date

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Add-on HD-DVD drive will include Peter Jackson's King Kong.

Today at X06 in Barcelona, Microsoft officially announced pricing and release dates for the anticipated HD-DVD add-on drive for the Xbox 360. The drive will hit retail in North America in "mid-November" and will retail for $199.99. Europe will also receive the drive in a similar time period, where it will retail for €199.99/£129.99 in the U.K., France, and Germany. For a limited time, all 360 HD-DVD drives will include a copy of Peter Jackson's "King Kong" on HD-DVD as well as the Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote.

The Toshiba-backed HD-DVD standard is currently involved in a format war with the Sony-led Blu-ray format. Both technologies offer movies encoded at 6 times the resolution of standard DVDs. Sony took the initiative in the format war in the videogame arena by making Blu-ray an integral part of the upcoming PlayStation 3, which will use the new technology for both games and movies. The Microsoft HD-DVD drive will only be used for movie watching.

Hardware prices have become a critical issue in the format war. Sony will launch two versions of the Blu-ray based PlayStation 3 at $499 and $599. The combination of the premium Xbox 360 ($399) and HD-DVD drive ($199) will place Microsoft's offering directly in price competition with the high-end PS3 version. A Core 360 and HD-DVD combination will compete with the lower-end PS3. In this configuration, the PS3 takes the value edge, as the low end model still has a hard drive, something the Core 360 does not.

Microsoft is unique in offering gamers a choice in adopting one of the next-gen DVD formats. The popularity of the HD-DVD (or lack thereof) will likely provide interesting insight into the videogame market's enthusiasm for the next-gen DVD formats.

Article Source Microsoft Xbox 360 HD-DVD Price and Release Date

TOP 10 GAMING FACTS

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

1. U.S. computer and video game software sales grew four percent in 2005 to $7 billion - a more than doubling of industry software sales since 1996.

2. Sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer and video games.

3. The average game player is 33 years old and has been playing games for 12 years.

4. The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 40 years old. In 2006, 93 percent of computer game buyers and 83 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18.

5. Eighty-five percent of all games sold in 2005 were rated "E" for Everyone, "T" for Teen, or "E10 " for Everyone 10 .

6. Eighty-seven percent of game players under the age of 18 report that they get their parents’ permission when renting or buying games, and 89 percent say their parents are present when they buy games.

7. Thirty-five percent of American parents say they play computer and video games. Further, 80 percent of gamer parents say they play video games with their kids. Sixty-six percent feel that playing games has brought their families closer together.

8. Thirty-eight percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (30%) than boys age 17 or younger (23%).

9. In 2005, 25 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999.

10. Forty-four percent of game players say they play games online one or more hours per week. In addition, 32 percent of heads of households play games on a wireless device, such as a cell phone or PDA, up from 20 percent in 2002.

Article Source TOP 10 GAMING FACTS