SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Activision Inc (ATVI.O: Quote, Profile, Research) is adding drums, bass guitar, and microphone to its popular "Guitar Hero" video game, a move aimed at winning away fans of MTV's rival musical title "Rock Band".
"Guitar Hero World Tour" will include the ability for two groups of four people each to compete online, as well as let players compose and play their own music, Activision said on Thursday.
The game will feature songs from bands such as Van Halen, The Eagles, Linkin Park and Sublime, with every song being an original master track, unlike past games where many of the songs were cover versions.
Due out in the fall, the game will mark a new direction for the "Guitar Hero" franchise, in which players push colored buttons on a plastic guitar-shaped controller to match notes on the screen.
"I certainly think it takes the edge off 'Rock Band'," said Mike Hickey, an analyst with Janco Partners. "What's 'Rock Band' going to do now, add a flute and banjo?"
Activision's money-spinning franchise got its first real competition last November when Viacom's (VIAb.N: Quote, Profile, Research) MTV unit launched "Rock Band", which featured drumming and singing in addition to guitar playing.
The "Guitar Hero" series has raked in more than a billion dollars for Activision and has helped drive a 72 percent rise in the company's stock over the past 12 months.
That compares to virtually flat performance in the shares of Activision's top rival Electronic Arts Inc (ERTS.O: Quote, Profile, Research), which distributes "Rock Band" for MTV.
Shares in Activision were up 19 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $32.82 in late morning trading on Nasdaq. Activision did not say how much the new game will cost. Last year's "Guitar Hero 3", which came with one wireless guitar controller, sold for about $90. "Rock Band", which came with one guitar, a drum kit, and a microphone, sold for $170.
"World Tour" will be the third "Guitar Hero" game coming out this year.
Next month will see the launch of "Guitar Hero Aerosmith" focusing on the best-selling American rock group, as well as a portable version called "On Tour" for Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) popular DS handheld device.
"Guitar Hero World Tour" will come out in versions for Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii, and Sony Corp's (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 consoles.
(Reporting by Scott Hillis; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)
Source: Reuters
viernes, mayo 23, 2008
domingo, mayo 11, 2008
All time games in Japan by Famitsu
Here are the Famitsu Readers All Time Favorite Games in Japan:
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP, Capcom)
Final Fantasy X (PS2, Square Enix)
Dragon Quest VIII (PS2, Square Enix)
Final Fantasy VII (PS, Square Enix)
Dairantou Smash Bros. X [Super Smash Bros. Brawl] (Wii, Nintendo)
Persona 3 Fes (PS2, Atlus)
Oide yo Doubutsu no Mori DS [Animal Crossing: Wild World] (NDS, Nintendo)
Machi (Saturn, Chunsoft)
Final Fantasy XII (PS2, Square Enix)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2, Konami)
Tales of the Abyss (PS2, Bandai Namco)
Tactics Orge (SFC, Square Enix/Quest)
Super Robot Taisen Original Generations (PS2, Banpresto)
Okami (PS2, Capcom)
Lost Odyssey (X360, Microsoft)
Dragon Quest IV (NDS, Square Enix)
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, Nintendo)
Biohazard 4 (PS2, Capcom)
Final Fantasy IV (NDS, Square Enix)
Ryuga Gotoku 2 (PS2, Sega)
Source: Famitsu
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP, Capcom)
Final Fantasy X (PS2, Square Enix)
Dragon Quest VIII (PS2, Square Enix)
Final Fantasy VII (PS, Square Enix)
Dairantou Smash Bros. X [Super Smash Bros. Brawl] (Wii, Nintendo)
Persona 3 Fes (PS2, Atlus)
Oide yo Doubutsu no Mori DS [Animal Crossing: Wild World] (NDS, Nintendo)
Machi (Saturn, Chunsoft)
Final Fantasy XII (PS2, Square Enix)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2, Konami)
Tales of the Abyss (PS2, Bandai Namco)
Tactics Orge (SFC, Square Enix/Quest)
Super Robot Taisen Original Generations (PS2, Banpresto)
Okami (PS2, Capcom)
Lost Odyssey (X360, Microsoft)
Dragon Quest IV (NDS, Square Enix)
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, Nintendo)
Biohazard 4 (PS2, Capcom)
Final Fantasy IV (NDS, Square Enix)
Ryuga Gotoku 2 (PS2, Sega)
Source: Famitsu
Fourth Doom is preparing to rock...
Shortly before Doom 3 launched to much fanfare--and solid sales--in August 2004, id Software announced it was working on an all-new IP. That turned out to be Rage, a visually innovative, open-world driving and shooting game first unveiled at the MacWorld Expo last year. The game was a marked departure from the Texan studio's signature Quake and Doom series, whose future remained shrouded in mystery.
Although the possibility of a Quake 5 remains up in the air, id today formally announced that work is beginning on Doom 4. Typically such announcements are accompanied by bluster, but id took a different approach, using the news to hang up a big "now hiring" sign on its suburban Dallas headquarters, saying it was "expanding its internal team."
"Doom is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth," id CEO Todd Hollenshead said in a statement. "It's critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles."
Though the Doom 4 announcement carefully avoided any mention of platforms, it did direct potential hires to id's official jobs page. There, every single job listing has "PlayStation 3, 360, and PC" as "applicable platforms." Many are specifically for Rage, but a listing for a cinematic art director asks for "an experienced and creative visionary...who want[s] to apply their craft to the development of legendary id brands like Quake and Doom" for the "PC, Xbox 360, [and] PS3."
Reps for id declined to comment on the listings or on any potential Doom 4 release date.
Traditionally, id has focused on the PC, farming out port duties--such as the Xbox Doom 3--to external operations. However, since Doom 3's release, the studio has shifted to focus on not only next-generation consoles, but also on the Mac platform as well, as revealed by the Rage announcement.
Source: GameSpot
Although the possibility of a Quake 5 remains up in the air, id today formally announced that work is beginning on Doom 4. Typically such announcements are accompanied by bluster, but id took a different approach, using the news to hang up a big "now hiring" sign on its suburban Dallas headquarters, saying it was "expanding its internal team."
"Doom is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth," id CEO Todd Hollenshead said in a statement. "It's critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles."
Though the Doom 4 announcement carefully avoided any mention of platforms, it did direct potential hires to id's official jobs page. There, every single job listing has "PlayStation 3, 360, and PC" as "applicable platforms." Many are specifically for Rage, but a listing for a cinematic art director asks for "an experienced and creative visionary...who want[s] to apply their craft to the development of legendary id brands like Quake and Doom" for the "PC, Xbox 360, [and] PS3."
Reps for id declined to comment on the listings or on any potential Doom 4 release date.
Traditionally, id has focused on the PC, farming out port duties--such as the Xbox Doom 3--to external operations. However, since Doom 3's release, the studio has shifted to focus on not only next-generation consoles, but also on the Mac platform as well, as revealed by the Rage announcement.
Source: GameSpot
Verbinski Bioshocks Hollywood
Gore Verbinski is returning to Davy Jones' locker. Having completed work on the Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy, Verbinski has signed on for another oceanic epic with the big-screen adaptation of 2K Games' award-winning action game BioShock.
The publisher today announced the project in conjunction with Universal Pictures. The studio is in talks with Academy Award-nominated writer John Logan (Aviator, The Time Machine) to provide the screenplay.
In an interview with Hollywood trade magazine Variety, Verbinski said the film won't be on the same scale as his summer blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean films.
"It's a much more intimate story than Pirates," Verbinski explained. "Although it's an adventure, its a dramatic adventure. I see it more along the lines of Blade Runner."
Although the Disney ride-based films are his best-known work, Verbinski has worked on smaller-scale pictures as well. He directed the US remake of The Ring, as well as the 1997 family picture Mousehunt. Three months ago, he gave the keynote address at the DICE Summit, telling hundreds of the game-industry elite about his growing interest in games.
Verbinski also told the trade that he was prepared to make a BioShock movie rated R. Beyond the dark tone and violence of the game, Verbinski also said the "graphic nature of the story is smarter than that."
"The utopian references and the way the characters and world are drawn in that delightfully inspired Jules Verne and Ayn Rand style places the film in a more elevated realm," Verbinski said. "It's the realm of a graphic novel. It has to have that edge."
Variety also reported that Take-Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick dismissed fears that the project would end up in turnaround like Universal's last big game adaptation--Halo--saying that the BioShock deal was structured specifically to avoid such a fate.
No projected release window for the film was announced, nor was the casting of any major characters--including the silent, faceless protagonist--revealed.
Source: GameSpot
The publisher today announced the project in conjunction with Universal Pictures. The studio is in talks with Academy Award-nominated writer John Logan (Aviator, The Time Machine) to provide the screenplay.
In an interview with Hollywood trade magazine Variety, Verbinski said the film won't be on the same scale as his summer blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean films.
"It's a much more intimate story than Pirates," Verbinski explained. "Although it's an adventure, its a dramatic adventure. I see it more along the lines of Blade Runner."
Although the Disney ride-based films are his best-known work, Verbinski has worked on smaller-scale pictures as well. He directed the US remake of The Ring, as well as the 1997 family picture Mousehunt. Three months ago, he gave the keynote address at the DICE Summit, telling hundreds of the game-industry elite about his growing interest in games.
Verbinski also told the trade that he was prepared to make a BioShock movie rated R. Beyond the dark tone and violence of the game, Verbinski also said the "graphic nature of the story is smarter than that."
"The utopian references and the way the characters and world are drawn in that delightfully inspired Jules Verne and Ayn Rand style places the film in a more elevated realm," Verbinski said. "It's the realm of a graphic novel. It has to have that edge."
Variety also reported that Take-Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick dismissed fears that the project would end up in turnaround like Universal's last big game adaptation--Halo--saying that the BioShock deal was structured specifically to avoid such a fate.
No projected release window for the film was announced, nor was the casting of any major characters--including the silent, faceless protagonist--revealed.
Source: GameSpot
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