[GameRatty] tag: third-party

NESTA report predicts downturn in UK games development sector

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:40:05 +0000

According to a report from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and Arts (NESTA), the UK games will be dropping down from third position to fifth in 2009's global rankings.

Blame was leveled at lack of funding, a shortage of skilled workers and poor online development. Expected to fill the gap left by UK are Canada, Korea and/or China.

Chief Executive of NESTA, Jonathan Kestenbaum claimed that the problem wasn't that UK devs are becoming less skilled but that they are being lured away. He said:

The generous tax breaks on offer from other countries are resulting in a mass exodus of some of the best talent in the U.K. In order to put a halt to this, the U.K. needs to wake up to the value in this sector and beat these foreign incentives with our own supportive measures.

Perhaps lending credance to Jonathan's statement is the fact that it was mostly UK devs birthed Grand Theft Auto IV not too long ago. Anyone's who's played the game is likely to agree that there's certainly no shortage of developing know-how from whoever made that game.

NESTA report predicts downturn in UK games development sector

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:40:05 +0000

NESTA report predicts downturn in UK games development sector

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:40:05 +0000

Japanese sales - week ending 30th November

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:00:46 +0000

Professor Layton’s third DS adventure easily tops the Japanese charts, outselling nearest rival PES 2009 (or Winning Eleven in Japan) by 2:1, and knocking previous leader Animal Crossing: City Folk down to third spot. Crosso suffers a serious hit to its sales, with a drop to 108,547 units this week - no news on whether that’s down to low stock, or perhaps it could be that the Japanese are realising just how similar it is to the DS game (or indeed that it’s better suited to handheld play).

Elsewhere, Chrono Trigger hangs in there in fourth position, though in the lower positions it’s the PSP show, Sony’s handheld proving very popular in the east at the moment. Yet in the hardware charts, DSi still rules the roost. Though with such impressive software sales - and for some pretty hardcore-friendly titles too - the PSP is proving a worthy competitor. That particular battle is going to rage on well into next year. Meanwhile, Wii continues to outsell its home console rivals, though the PS3 had a strong week again - whether that will start to catch up as 2009 goes on remains to be seen, but with Tatsunoko vs. Capcom out next week, I expect a sales spike for Wii as we head into the festive period.

The full charts follow:

1. NDS - Layton 3 - 347,360 / NEW
2. PS3 - PES 2009 - 168,405 / NEW
3. WII - Animal Crossing - 108,547 / 413,727
4. NDS - Chrono Trigger - 80,157 / 351,025
5. PSP - Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force 3 - 64,179 / NEW
6. PSP - Gundam vs. Gundam - 56,557 / 323,489
7. NDS - Kirby Superstar Ultra - 56176 / 474,749
8. PSP - Kenka Banchou 3 - 53,966 / NEW
9. PSP - Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin - 45,809 / NEW
10. PSP - Higurashi Daybreak - 32,639 / NEW

Hardware
DSi = 87,185
PSP = 55,090
Wii = 49,848
PS3 = 34,978
DSL = 26,851
360 = 11,423
PS2 = 5,628

Bookmark to:

Brothers in Arms Gives Hope For Console-Style Games On iPhone

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:30:22 +0000

There are no buttons on the iPhone*. That should stop most console-style games from working on the device, despite power comparable to the PSP.

That didn’t stop Gameloft from bringing the “Brothers in Arms” series to Apple’s handheld, however, and I have good news to report: it actually works.

I booted “Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes” with low expectations. The game promised dual analog controls on a device with no analog sticks.

No way, I said! Yet, it works. Here’s how:

*When we say iPhone, we also mean iPod Touch, unless noted.

The iPhone “Brothers in Arms” moves the perspective to third person, a viewpoint found in the console “Brothers in Arms” when you line up against cover. The aiming has been simplified — you need only hover the reticule somewhat near an enemy and auto-aim takes cares of the rest — but character movement has been kept intact.

Because the iPhone’s screen is multi-touch, Gameloft has included a way to move and aim at the same time. With one finger, you look around the environment. Movement is a little trickier. In the bottom-left-hand side, there’s a small circle simulating an analog stick. By moving your thumb ever so slightly, it’s possible to run ‘n gun, thanks to the game’s auto-aim. By all expectations, it shouldn’t work.

But it does, and it works extremely well. By the end of the tutorial, I was zipping around the war zone without trouble. Despite Gameloft’s inventive use of the touch screen, however, they can’t get around the downsides that come with it. You will constantly be blocking what’s in front of you with your finger. Once you become accustomed to the auto-aim, it’s not such a big deal.

It’s ambitious that Gameloft attempted to re-create the authentic “Brothers in Arms” on the iPhone with as few compromises as possible. While not a perfect port, many of the hiccups seem rooted in the limitations of the device to support this style of play. For what it is, though, “Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes” is a step in the right direction for big, bold 3D games on the iPhone.

Wintersday is coming - win some Guild Wars prizes!

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:30:40 +0000

Wintersday is fast approaching and this year the festivities in the world of Guild Wars promise to be better than ever.

As usual, ArenaNet are running a Wintersday Art contest. The rules are the same as last year - create some seasonal art with a Guild Wars theme. The prizes are the usual great items - limited edition signed Guild Wars prints, custom Razor peripherals, and PAX 2008 Guild Wars signed prints.

Head on over to http://eu.guildwars.com/events/contests/wintersday_2008_contest/ to check out the full prize list, as well as the entry details and competition rules.

Technorati Tags: Eye of the North, Guild Wars skills, Guild Wars maps, Guild Wars armor, destroyers

You can also subscribe to the Guild Wars: Eye of the North blog by email.
Get the latest Guild Wars items and gold
Related posts:

Strategic Command WWII Pacific Theater Goes Gold

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:45:08 +0000

Battlefront.com and Fury Software have announced that their combat simulation/strategy game Strategic Command WWII Pacific Theater has just gone gold! In order to ease the wait for the much anticipated third title in the award-winning Strategic Command game series and have also just published an online version of the full game manual.

What does “gone gold” mean? It means that the game code has been “frozen” and a final release candidate has been created. It does NOT mean that the game is ready for release yet. They are now finalizing the testing, proofing all the print materials, creating and testing the installers, and preparing the online delivery system for the downloads. A firm release date as well as info about pre-orders will be announced Sunday, December 7 (yes, that’s a historic date). The game is a stand-alone third part of the series, does not require any previous games to play, and will cost $45.

For more information on the game, hit one of the links above.

---
Related Articles at Gaming Today:

Nyko's 'Metal Petal' for RB and GHWT takes licking, keeps kicking

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:45:00 +0000

Filed under: Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour

click to enlarge

Have you be cursed with the world's heaviest feet? Do you leave footprints in cement? Do you go through Rock Band or Guitar Hero bass pedals like tissue paper? If you answered yes to the third question, Nyko has your solution, the Metal Pedal. The pedal is compatible with Guitar Hero: World Tour as well as both the original Rock Band and Rock Band 2 and is metal plated to stand up to your torturous kicking. Unfortunately, the Metal Pedal isn't hitting stores until January 2009, so you'll have to wait a bit before you can fork over the $20 price tag. Of course, as Joystiq notes, you could always try the DIY alternative, the Pedal Metal.

Now, if you answered yes to the first two questions, well, you're on the wrong website. Sorry.

[Via Joystiq]

Gallery: Nyko Metal Pedal

Nyko's 'Metal Petal' for RB and GHWT takes licking, keeps kicking originally appeared on Xbox 360 Fanboy on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Phil Harrison sees downloads as the future of gaming

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:30:00 +0000

Filed under: News

We've no idea what the future holds for Nintendo. Their next console could be HD, might have a better storage solution than 512mbs of memory and possibly will bring peace and love to all mankind. Of course, this is only speculation on our part and now Atari's Phil Harrison is joining in on the action.

He sees a future of downloads. One where walking into a store and buying a disc copy of a game is an impossibility. Not due to the fact that discs no longer exist, but because the young ones of today won't want their games in that way. Phil thinks "there's a generation of kids being born today and probably already alive who I'm pretty confident will never buy a physical media product." Phil went on to elaborate that he thinks they'll "never buy a DVD, they will never buy a CD, and they will never buy a game in a box."

We're not entirely sure that such a future is so close to becoming a reality, personally. For one, there comes a certain satisfaction from actually holding something in your hands that downloads could never achieve. Second, that would mean the next generation of consoles would be affected by this and we're not willing to drink the Kool-Aid and say that all three major console manufacturers, as well as the plethora of third-parties involved, would be committed to offering all titles as downloads. Third, have you ever smelled the inside of a freshly opened game? It's like new car smell, but way better.

Phil Harrison sees downloads as the future of gaming originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Ads by Google

GameTap Thursday: Grimm Goes Up Against Iron John; Gothic 3, Kingpin

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:24:41 +0000

It is once again GameTap Thursday, and what a great week it is! Not only is a new episode of American McGee’s Grimm Volume 2 now available to play free for the first 24-hours, but subscribers can also download Gothic 3 and Kingpin. Metal Slug fans who have signed up on GameTap are in for a treat because Metal Slug X is the latest free game to be added to the growing roster (145 free games total).

Here are the details for each game added this week:

Grimm Volume 2, Episode 14: Iron John: A strange iron man living in the forest befriends a young man hoping an act of kindness will free him from his iron curse. With Iron John’s help the boy marries the princess and lives happily ever after—well, not really because Grimm hates that sort of thing.

Gothic 3: Piranha Bytes’ third in the series of fantasy-themed role-playing games. In this installment, The Nameless Hero arrives on a continent overrun with orcs, who have enslaved most of the humans in the area. The Gothic series thrives on choices and reputation, and this installment is no different - players can side with the orcs, save the humans, or both. Gothic 3 also boasts a beautifully-rendered open world, with lush jungles, deserts and intricately detailed icy tundras.

Kingpin: Life of Crime: Publisher Interplay and Redneck Rampage developer Grey Matter Interactive present Kingpin: Life of Crime, a first-person shooter set in a gritty, crime-ridden city. Players enact their revenge against drug kingpin Nikko Blanco using whatever weapons are available. Gameplay includes weapon modification, interactive conversations with non-playable characters, and the ability to hire gang members to join in the fight.

Metal Slug X: (Free to play for one week only) Morden’s Army is at it again, and only the Metal Slug team can stand in its way. But taking down Morden and his troops won’t be easy. Fortunately what the team lacks in wits, it makes up for with ordnance: they’ve got about ten zillion bullets and grenades, plus the ultra-advanced (and stylish) Metal Slug super vehicles. Released in 1999, it is something of a remixed, upgraded, “director’s cut” version of Metal Slug 2. Gentlemen, start your war.

December 11 will see the release of Grimm Volume 2, Episode 15: The Pied Piper which like all Grimm episodes, will be free to play for the first 24-hours. In it, the Piped Piper uses his siren call (or flute if you will) to lure a kingdom’s children to a watery grave. Just how much more horrible can Grimm make such a tale? Tune in next week to find out.

In the meantime, to play Metal Slug X for free or any of the other games in GameTap’s wide variety of free titles, head on over to the website and sign up. While you are there, if you decide to become a subscriber, you can sign up for that too.

---
Related Articles at Gaming Today: