BioShock and Halo 3 earn most nominations when Spike TV unveiled the list of nominees for its 2007 Video Game Awards
To be eligible, a game must have been released between November 16, 2006 and December 1, 2007. The nominees were chosen by Spike TV's advisory panel, which is made of nearly two dozen game journalists.
BioShock and Halo 3 received the most nominations, with seven each, including nominations as Game of the Year and Xbox 360 Game of the Year. No Wii or PS3 exclusives were nominated as Game of the Year.
The "Most Addictive Game" category will be selected by online voters polled on the official VGA website.
The 2007 Video Game Awards will be shown on Spike TV on December 9. The complete list of nominees is as follows:
Game of the Year
- BioShock
- Halo 3
- Mass Effect
- The Orange Box
Best PS3 Game
- Heavenly Sword
- Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
- Warhawk
Click the read more link for the full list of nominations..
Madden NFL and FIFA 08 weren’t enough to keep Electronic Arts from posting lower sales and a net loss for its fiscal second quarter, but the firm still beat guidance.
The Redwood City, Calif.-based megapubisher reported revenues of $640 million, down 18 percent year-on-year for the quarter ended September 30. Guidance was set to be between $465 and $570 million.
Net loss for the quarter amounted to $195 million versus net income of $22 million a year ago. Loss per share was 62 cents, which likewise beat Q2 guidance.
EA said that August’s Madden NFL 08 was the prime seller for the quarter with 4.5 million units sold. FIFA 08 sold 2.9 million copies worldwide. The new MySims for Wii and DS sold over 1 million copies, according to the company.
The biggest news for EA during the quarter was the October announcement of plans to acquire revered independent duo-studio BioWare/Pandemic for $860 million. Following the announcement, EA shares hit a two-year high.
"We think this will be a great holiday season for consumers," said CFO Warren Jenson in a statement. "We plan to launch over ten titles including The Simpsons Game, Need for Speed Pro Street, Hellgate: London, Rock Band, NBA Live 08, SimCity Societies and Crysis."
For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008, EA expects revenues of $3.35 to $3.65 billion, up $150 million from previous guidance. Loss per share is expected to be between $1.60 and 91 cents, a greater loss than implied by previous guidance of between 63 cents and 10 cents.
For the big holiday December quarter, EA expects revenues of $1.3 to $1.6 billion and loss per share between 28 cents and income of 12 cents.
EA also announced plans to close down facilities including EA Chertsey over the next two years as part of restructuring plans that may amount to charges between $90 and $110 million. Most of these charges will be felt this fiscal year.
EA says if you don't line up on day one, you won't be rocking on Christmas.
November 1, 2007 - During Electronic Arts' Q2 2008 Earnings Conference Cal today, CEO John Riccitiello warned that supply for Rock Band would not meet demand this holiday season and even into next year.
"If I were you, on the 19th of November I would get in line outside of your favorite retailer," Riccitiello told investors. "We've got a lot of inventory coming, and my expectation is it will sell through.
Riccitiello said unless you pre-order Rock Band or get in line on launch day, "unless you have a buddy that works at one of our retailers you're not gonna have it at Christmas."
Electronic Arts anticipates struggling to meet demand well into the new year, as well.
"This is definitely not a sprint. We're not going to be able to put enough inventory to meet demand in North America and Europe this calendar year or this fiscal [year]."
In the latest OXM Podcast, Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos confirms that the Xbox 360 guitars for Rock Band are wired in the bundles.
There will be wired and wireless versions available for the Xbox 360, but once again, the retail bundles will come with a wired guitar. The PS3 guitars are all wireless. The Xbox 360 bundle will also come with a USB hub for all the peripherals to plug into. On both the Xbox 360 and PS3 version the microphone and drum kit will be wired.
Rigopulos says, "The cost of wireless technology on the Microsoft side is higher and to be able to offer those bundles at a price point that would be reasonable for consumers it was necessary ... on the 360 side we are also bundling a hub."
And no, there is no official price yet. It's starting to look like the $20 difference between the Xbox 360 wired and wireless guitar we reported after receiving an internal Game Crazy memo is holding up. So, that's that, the Xbox 360 bundle of Rock Band has a wired guitar and you'll get a little hub to plug everything in. Now comes the question if Microsoft will loosen their grip on the cost of licensing the proprietary wireless tech if the PS3 version of Rock Band sells stronger (comparatively given its lower install base) due to its wireless advantage. In the end, we don't blame Harmonix/EA/MTV for this wired issue -- although it was shady of them to hide it this long -- we're more upset that the consumer is going to get an inferior product due to an obnoxious licensing issue. It's deja vu all over again.
Guitar hero publisher speculates no show for its biggest competitor in Australia/New Zealand this Christmas; other territories could also be affected.
Rock Band was one of the most well received games of E3 this year, with the four-player music game garnering kudos from many critics. While gamers in the US have a tentative release date of the fourth quarter of 2007 to look forward to, wannabe rockers in other nations have had no such date tagged by game developer Harmonix, publisher MTV, and distributor EA.
Gamers outside of the US may have to wait until 2008 to get their Rock Band fix, at least if the speculation of one of the key brains behind the competing Guitar Hero franchise comes true. In an interview with GameSpot AU, RedOctane cofounder and chief operating officer Charles Huang has predicted that “multiple territories...will not see Rock Band this Christmas.”
"I have two predictions: One is I don't think [Rock Band] will actually ship this Christmas in Australia and New Zealand, and secondly, I think if it does, the retail price of that will be at least probably A$275, and it'll be very interesting to see," Huang said.
Huang attributes any possible release delays to peripheral manufacturing output, going on to suggest the delay could reach beyond the Asia-Pacific region. RedOctane is the maker of the guitar peripherals used in the Guitar Hero series, as well as being the official publisher of the games.
Xbox 360 is home to the most exclusives and biggest blockbuster games of 2007.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — July 10, 2007 — On the eve of the E3 Media & Business Summit (E3), against the backdrop of the Santa Monica, Calif., night sky, Microsoft Corp. tonight demonstrated its leadership in interactive entertainment when it showcased an unparalleled lineup of holiday blockbuster hits and exclusives for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system. Microsoft delighted a live audience of thousands, and many more watching the live online broadcast, with titles such as the epic finale to the groundbreaking “Halo®” series, “Halo 3”; the successor to the seminal “Grand Theft Auto” franchise, “Grand Theft Auto IV,” featuring exclusive content for Xbox LIVE®; “Madden NFL 08” with stunning high-definition game play; and the widely anticipated “Rock Band,” where players can perform music from the world’s biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band.
The Best Place to Play the Most Exclusives and Biggest Blockbuster Games of 2007
Xbox 360 is a great place to play the next chapters of “Grand Theft Auto,” “Madden,” and “Halo” — the best-selling franchises of the last generation. In fact, “Halo 3,” “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Madden NFL 08” are expected to account for one-third of all console new release sales in the U.S. during the second half of the year, according to a recent report by IGN Entertainment’s GamerMetrics. Xbox 360 has an unprecedented lineup of blockbuster titles available by holiday 2007, including these:
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation - (NAMCO BANDAI Games). “Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation” takes players up to the sky and into the heat of realistic air combat with next-generation audio and visual effects and online multiplayer action.* Available this holiday, only on Xbox 360.
Assassin’s Creed - (Ubisoft) “Assassin’s Creed” is the next-generation game developed by Ubisoft that merges technology, game design, theme and emotions into a world where players will assume the role of the main character, Altair, and will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and experience the art of a master assassin. Available this November.
Beautiful Katamari - (NAMCO BANDAI Games) Marking the debut of Namco’s beloved ball-rolling puzzle game on a next-generation platform, “Beautiful Katamari,” the fourth installment of the “Katamari” series, features levels of quirkiness, cosmic animations and musical stylings never seen before. Available this October.
BioShock - (2K Games). “BioShock” is the “genetically enhanced” first-person shooter set in the ruined undersea metropolis of Rapture. The game includes a great deal of interactive environments and player-driven choices, called emergent gameplay. Available this August, only on Xbox 360 and Windows®.
Blue Dragon - (Mistwalker/Artoon Co. Ltd.) Featuring the character design of Akira Toriyama, who designed “Dragon Ball Z,” and music by Nobuo Uematsu, the composer for “Final Fantasy,” “Blue Dragon™” is an epic role-playing game (RPG) centered on a young boy named Shu and several of his friends. Available Aug. 28, only on Xbox 360.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - (Activision). The new action thriller from the award-winning team at Infinity Ward Inc., “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” delivers the most intense and cinematic action experience ever. The epic title also delivers an added depth of multiplayer action providing online fans an all-new community of persistence, addictive and customizable gameplay. Available this fall.
Grand Theft Auto IV - (Rockstar Games) “Grand Theft Auto IV” is the next chapter of the award-winning “Grand Theft Auto” franchise, available Oct.16. “Grand Theft Auto IV” will feature episodic content through Xbox LIVE exclusive to Xbox 360.
Guitar Hero III™: Legends of Rock - (RedOctane/Activision). Fire up the fret board, crank up the amp and get ready to rock out on the new wireless Les Paul guitar controllers. “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” includes star-studded tracks by such legendary artists as Guns N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Muse and Pearl Jam. Available this fall.
Halo 3 - (Bungie Studios) The epic saga continues with “Halo 3,” the hugely anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed “Halo 2.” The epic saga continues with Halo 3, the hugely anticipated sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. Available Sept. 25, only on Xbox 360.
Madden NFL 08 - (Electronic Arts Inc.) EA’s unstoppable football franchise "Madden NFL 08" returns for the ’08 season in Hall of Fame fashion, featuring new players, modes, rosters and rewards to create the ultimate touchdown for pigskin fans. Available this August.
Mass Effect - (BioWare Corp.) An epic science-fiction action and role-playing game, “Mass Effect” will deliver an immersive, story-driven experience presented in a cinematic style with high production values. Available this holiday season, only on Xbox 360.
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja - (Ubisoft) Relive the hit anime and manga and experience Naruto’s transformation from noisy ninja-academy dropout to respected ninja. "Naruto: Rise of a Ninja" is available in October, only on Xbox 360.
Project Gotham Racing 4 - (Bizarre Creations Ltd.) “Project Gotham Racing® 4” will redefine the acclaimed “PGR®” franchise by delivering a unique, exciting racing experience complete with motorcycles and cars. Available this September, only on Xbox 360.