The frequent delays multiplatform titles experience before reaching the Sony PlayStation 3 can be credited to "hardware differences in memory and processor," said Midway Games' studio head Mike Bilder who worked on Stranglehold (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PS3, PC). It took six weeks before the Sony console got served with Tequila (Inspector Tequila, that is), and Bilder blames technical difficulties.
According to Bilder, development of Stranglehold for the Sony PS3 took more time not because they wanted to change anything. He commented, "...part of the reason why we're delaying it, is that we want to ensure that the quality is the same on all platforms."
For Bilder, the case with the Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 is "certainly more of a level playing field." Unlike the previous generation of consoles when "the Xbox was considerably more powerful than the PS2" and developers could just look at the PS2 as main SKU to make a game for before porting to the more capable Xbox, Bilder believes the industry is facing a challenge right now. He explained:
...When we tried to get [Stranglehold builds] game-ready and fitting on the [PS3] disc and fitting in memory, in the end it was an easier endeavor on two of the SKUs and it was a more difficult endeavor on one of them. Just, to be honest, the hardware differences in memory and processor on the PS3 vs. traditional PC and 360, it makes it a challenge, and it's representative.
However, Bilder seems to have a viable solution ready. He went on to say that:
A lot of people and a lot of focus as far as games that we have internally that are going to be multi-SKU are trying to put the PS3 out in front now... I don't think it's necessarily a negative to put the PS3 first. But it does help mitigate some of that risk in framerate, memory, technology, just the hardware differences.
Exclusive downloads, competitions, and online events
Microsoft has announced Xtival 07, a European-only online event taking place next month.
From November 23 to 26, Gold memberships will be free to everyone with a broadband connection who connects to Xbox Live and signs in.
Microsoft promises a line-up of events, competitions, and exclusive downloads to be announced soon on Xbox.com. The company is also promising "headline acts" for existing Xbox Live Gold members.
The event is only taking place in European countries with Xbox Live service.
Major Nelson has recently posted a article warning all Xbox 360 users about Gamesave Tampering and Account Sharing.
Looks like all these guys with 100k gamerscores may be reset eh.. We all know they are cheaters as I and others game harder then most and only have 40k. Bloody gamesaves.
I have mentioned this a couple of times on my podcasts, but I want to make sure those that don't listen to the show get the message. Specifically, don't share your account information. If you run into that person in Halo 3 who claims if they could have your LIVE ID name and password to recover your Xbox LIVE account to their Xbox and they'll rank you up or find you all the hidden skulls in Halo 3, I urge you not to fall to temptation. While it may be appealing, in addition to violating the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use it can also result in you permanently losing your account. If that 'friend' of yours decides not return your account and buys a bunch of Arcade titles and movies on your account, there is nothing we can do except cancel the account since you willingly shared your information.
Cancelled.
As in you can never get it back.
In addition to losing your Gamertag, you'll also lose your Gamerscore, saved games and any points you have on the account.
While I am on the subject of things you should not do, I strongly urge you not to tamper with your Gamerscore and Achievements. If you decide to employ some nefarious techniques to artificially increase your Gamerscore or obtain achievements by manipulating the Xbox software without playing the game, bad things will happen. What type of bad things? For one thing we may remove the entire Gamerscore for an account that contains manipulated gamerscore. Let me be more clear: If you use tampered gamesaves to boost your Achievements and Gamerscore, you may sign in to Xbox LIVE one day and discover that we have removed your Gamerscore. Once we do that, you will never be able to re-earn those achievements on that account. Even worse, you might have your account and/or console banned from Xbox Live.
As you can imagine, we know how to find out if you do this and we do take action. And we'll continue to do so.
The best way to increase your Gamerscore or gain that Achievement is to earn it like a real gamer; play the game. Then you can rightly be proud of your Gamerscore as you earned it yourself and not have to worry about anything. I imagine that the majority of you earn your Gamerscore honorably, but I know there are some people out there are may not be as honest. In short: Don't do it. It's not worth it.
Jeronimo Barrera, Rockstar’s vice president of product development, has stated that Manhunt 2 wasn’t neutered in order to receive a revised rating and secure a US release.
The controversial game, which went on sale on Tuesday in the US for Wii, PS2 and PSP, was initially given an Adults-Only rating by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), effectively barring it from release on Sony and Nintendo platforms, and blocked from sale in the UK after the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) failed to grant the game a rating due to its “unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone.”
In Manhunt 2 the player assumes the role of Daniel Lamb, a tortured man who wakes up to find himself in a mental institution he must escape. What follows is a murder spree using weapons including guns, plastic bags and shovels, in locations such as graveyards and red-light districts.
While a revised version of the title was granted an M for Mature rating (17+), Barrera told MTV that the company’s artistic vision wasn’t compromised by the revisions, and insisted there was more to talk about than just the violence in the horror title.
"We are very happy to have the game out, and we feel we kept the original vision and the content and we didn't neuter the game as people say we have," Barrera said of the changes, which didn’t alter the story or lead to the removal of any scenes.
Of the changes made, the depiction of successful executions has been blurred somewhat and altered in color, making the brutal action a little less visible, while a scoring system that rewarded the most gruesome kills has also been dropped.
"You know, a lot of people just believe this is a murder simulator and all you do is kill people. But the reality is that there's a really strong narrative... There are conversations to be had about this game — intelligent conversations," he added. "That's what we want to do: get people interested in those [things], rather than ban this game because of X, Y and Z."
Barrera also noted that Rockstar would consider a multiplayer Manhunt game. "That's a very interesting question. ... Who knows where the Manhunt series is going to go? And that's definitely something that warrants some exploring on our part for sure."
Earlier this month Rockstar told Next-Gen it would continue to appeal the decision not to grant the revised version of Manhunt 2 a UK rating
LucasArts, creators of both Star Wars and Howard the Duck, are teaming up with Bioware, creators of Knights of the Old Republic, to make an as-yet-unspecified entertainment product.
The product, details of which will be unveiled at a later date, "will be developed and published by BioWare and LucasArts, and will push the boundaries of the gaming market by utilizing the strengths of both companies to deliver an innovative, high-quality experience."
We know Bioware is working on an MMO... so could this be the fabled, hoped-for, but altogether unconfirmed multi-player based on Knights of the Old Republic?
It could be. Or it could be Knights of the Old Republic 3. Or it could be some totally new product...
Time, as they say, will tell. We'll tell you more when we know more.
Consumers based in the US who bought Orange Box product keys from an online retailer in Thailand are having their copies of the game deactivated.
Orange Box developer and Steam operator Valve issued a statement late last week defending its behaviour. "Valve uses Steam for territory control to make sure products authorized for use in certain territories are not being distributed and used outside of those territories," the company said.
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"In this case, a Thai website was selling retail box product keys for Thailand to people outside of Thailand. Since those keys are only for use in Thailand, people who purchased product keys from the Thai website are not able to use those product keys in other territories."
Consumers who have since bought a new domestic copy of the game but could still not get the new Orange Box to work, have been told to contact Steam directly.
"Some of these users have subsequently purchased a legal copy after realizing the issue and were having difficulty removing the illegitimate keys from their Steam accounts," the statement continues. "Anyone having this problem should contact Steam Support to have the Thai key removed from their Steam account."
Metro Simulator 2 is coming soon for Xbox and PlayStation consoles Ultimate Games (@ULTGames) confirmed that Metro Simulator 2, the realistic and relaxing simulator with faithfully reproduced subway realities and train control mechanics from KishMish Games, will laun..
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According to Bilder, development of Stranglehold for the Sony PS3 took more time not because they wanted to change anything. He commented, "...part of the reason why we're delaying it, is that we want to ensure that the quality is the same on all platforms."
Microsoft has announced Xtival 07, a European-only online event taking place next month.
In Manhunt 2 the player assumes the role of Daniel Lamb, a tortured man who wakes up to find himself in a mental institution he must escape. What follows is a murder spree using weapons including guns, plastic bags and shovels, in locations such as graveyards and red-light districts.
We know Bioware is working on an MMO... so could this be the fabled, hoped-for, but altogether unconfirmed multi-player based on Knights of the Old Republic?
