IMPORTANT KONAMI ANNOUNCEMENT

El Segundo, Calif. April 10, 2008 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the limited edition of the highly-anticipated release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system will be available in North America on June 12 exclusively at GameStop, the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer. Additionally, Konami has revealed pricing and the first images of the final packaging for both the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Standard Edition and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition.ABOUT METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS STANDARD EDITION Marking the return of Hideo Kojima’s legendary tactical espionage action series, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots features a cinematic experience and visual masterpiece that will redefine this landmark franchise as a revolutionary game for the PLAYSTATION®3 system. The game is the final chapter in the saga of Solid Snake which sends him around the world in pursuit of his arch nemesis, Liquid Ocelot. Armed with new gadgets and abilities, Solid Snake must shift the tides of war into his favor, using the chaos of the battlefield to infiltrate deep into enemy territory. In his globetrotting final mission, Snake must sneak deep into enemy locations in the Middle East, South America, and other corners of the earth to foil Liquid Ocelot’s. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots includes Metal Gear Online “Starter Pack”, which is the full and complete multiplayer component of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Standard Edition will be priced at $59.99 SRP. ABOUT METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS LIMITED EDITION Featuring collectible packaging with exclusive artwork by famed Kojima Productions illustrator Yoji Shinkawa, the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition will contain everything that is included with the Standard Edition as well as an additional Blu-ray disc featuring two “making of” documentaries. The documentaries will include extensive interviews with Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima and the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Soundtrack CD. The Limited Edition will be available exclusively at GameStop. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition will be priced at $84.99 SRP. ABOUT METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS PRE-SELL PROGRAM A special pre-sale program of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be offered at participating retailers. This pre-sell entitles customers that pre-order either edition, a copy of the Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2 DVD (while supplies last). Featuring extensive original video content the DVD primarily focuses on the interconnected history between all of the “Snakes”: Big Boss (Naked Snake), Liquid Snake, Solidus Snake, and of course, Solid Snake. The DVD also contains a compendium of the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots trailers.  Additionally, each DVD allocated during this pre-order period will contain a unique voucher code that will enable the consumer to download the Metal Gear Online Beta. The download of the Beta will be available from April 17th to May 5th and the gameplay will be available from April 21st to May 5th. “As the most anticipated game to be released for the PLAYSTATION®3 system this year, we wanted to make sure that no fan of Metal Gear Solid would be disappointed with the amount of content and gameplay at their disposal,” said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB.

Strong Bad checks his wiimail

 

Announcing Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People for WiiWare

New episodic series set in Homestar Runner universe coming in June from Telltale

 

SAN RAFAEL, CA, April 10, 2008 – Interactive entertainment pioneer Telltale, Inc. is pleased to announce Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People (SBCG4AP), a new series of episodic games for WiiWare^™, in partnership with Videlectrix. Starring Strong Bad, the self-proclaimed coolest person ever, the series is based on Matt and Mike Chapman’s online animated series, which has been running at Homestarrunner.com since 2000. SBCG4AP will launch on WiiWare this June.

 

As the very first episodic series for connected consoles, Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People has been designed specifically for WiiWare, with easy-to-use controls and WiiConnect24^™ features. Like Telltale’s popular Sam & Max series, SBCG4AP will be released as a five-episode “season” akin to a season of television. The episodes will come out on a monthly schedule. Release dates and pricing details will be revealed in a future announcement.

 

“Homestarrunner.com is one of the biggest success stories in online entertainment,” says Telltale CEO Dan Connors. “The Chapmans have been treating the Internet to episodic content for years. We’re thrilled to have teamed up with them to take episodic gaming to the next level via Nintendo’s innovative WiiWare delivery system.”

 

Telltale is working closely with the Chapmans on the series’ art style, storylines, and scripts. This hands-on collaboration will deliver long-time fans the ultimate Strong Bad experience and give new players a crash course in the series’ offbeat and unusual humor. The episodes play like extended cartoons, during which the player assumes the role of Strong Bad—controlling his actions, hearing his innermost thoughts, and becoming part of his awesome world.SBCG4AP features the cast of characters and locations from the Homestarrunner.com cartoons, and the games are fully voice acted by Matt Chapman and the rest of the original cast.

 

Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People is a story-driven series with a comic spin that’s undeniably Strong Bad. The player uncovers each episode’s comedic plot through character interaction, dialogue-based puzzles, and the use (and abuse) of inventory items. In addition, each episode will be crammed with time-wasters to keep players poking around in the world, including Strong Bad emails to check, prank phone calls to place, and mini-games styled after the arcade games on the Homestarrunner.com website.

 

“Telltale has been rejecting my ideas for green text adventures for years,” laments thousandaire gadabout Strong Bad, “but we finally reached a compromise with this puffy 3D point-and-click-em-up adventure. They claim all the coding was done with green text, so I guess that’s pretty cool.”

 

In addition to WiiWare, Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People will be available on PC. For more details about the series, including a brand new trailer, screenshots, and Strong Bad’s development blog, please visitwww.telltalegames.com.

 

Now say it with me: “Hulk Smash!”

 

SEGA ANNOUNCES VOICE TALENT FOR THE INCREDIBLE HULK™

VIDEO GAME

 

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (April 9, 2008) - Marvel Entertainment, Inc., SEGA® of America, Inc and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced that all prominent cast members from the upcoming action-thriller from Universal Pictures and Marvel Studios, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, will also lend their voices and likeness to the video game of the same name, slated to release with the film in June 2008. Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson and William Hurt will all take part in the game as their respective characters. Based on the film and the popular comic book series created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, THE INCREDIBLE HULK™ is being developed by Edge of Reality and published by SEGA for next-generation consoles and the PC.

 

SEGA brings the film’s A-list actors to the game to create a more authentic experience. Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Italian Job, The Illusionist) plays scientist Bruce Banner, a man desperately seeking to rid himself of the unbridled force of rage within him: The Hulk. Liv Tyler (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Strangers) is Dr. Betty Ross, Banner’s love interest, while Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) voices Emil Blonsky (alter ego of The Hulk’s archenemy, The Abomination). Tim Blake Nelson (Syriana, Meet the Fockers) portrays Dr. Samuel Sterns, and William Hurt (Into the Wild, The Village) plays General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the man who wants to capture The Hulk and brutally exploit his power. 

 

Fast-paced and action-packed, the blockbuster franchise and comic book saga will unfold for the first time on next-generation platforms, as Banner scours the planet trying to find anything to help him fight his involuntary rage. Take the role of one of Marvel®’s most powerful Super Heroes in THE INCREDIBLE HULK™, an intensely realistic third-person action video game. Gamers can demolish anything in their path, including lampposts, passing cars and even buildings. The fury-fueled game also features key moments from the film, as well as additional plotlines and characters from THE INCREDIBLE HULK universe. Players crash through New York City, battling gigantic enemies amidst soaring skyscrapers in a massive open world.

 

First reflections from the Black Mirror 2

 

Hamburg/Germany: April 9th, 2008 – Today, Hamburg based publisher dtp entertainment announces first details on the upcoming adventure game Black Mirror 2:

 

dtp will publish Black Mirror 2 in 2009. Black Mirror 2 is developed by Hanover/Germany-based Cranberry productions, formerly known as 4Head Studios.

 

Black Mirror 2 is going to be a classical point & click adventure, based on so-called 2.5D technologies, using a combination of highly detailed 2D backgrounds and 3D characters.

 

“We found the ideal constellation for realizing Black Mirror 2 the way gamers want it”, Markus Windelen, dtp’s COO, explains. “We own the rights of the Black Mirror brand, and we know that it’s our duty to produce a Black Mirror sequel in the right spirit. The first Black Mirror adventure game was a blockbuster and still has a lot of fans awaiting a sequel. So we felt it was right to invest much time and efforts for finding and committing experienced partners, that intensively take care for realizing Black Mirror 2”, Markus Windelen adds.

 

“Cranberry Productions is responsible for developing and technically realizing Black Mirror 2 since the beginning of 2008. Additionally, the team of Bremen/Germany based developer King Art takes care for story and gameplay design. Professional story authors have also been involved in creating the game’s storyboard, so players can look forward to playing a thrilling, scary adventure game that features dramaturgy and tension”, reports Achim Heidelauf, Senior Producer at dtp entertainment and responsible for concept and production of Black Mirror 2.

 

“We decided to make Black Mirror 2 a 2.5D game after last year’s Leipzig Games Convention. Originally, Black Mirror 2 was planned to be a 3D adventure game, but then we felt that Black Mirror’s unique look didn’t work out in 3D. Additionally, we received a lot of response from the adventure gamers community, asking for keeping the unique Black Mirror style when doing a sequel to the game”, Achim Heidelauf continues.

  

Black Mirror 2 will fascinate players with lovely detailed 2D backgrounds and a thrilling story: Black Mirror 2 takes place in the 1990’s, twelve years after the first episode. Solitary Darren, hero of Black Mirror 2, meets cute Angelina while he is working at the local photo shop of Biddeford, a small town in New England. Angelina immediately understands to catch the eye of Darren´s despotic, unpopular boss. To add the mystery, there seems to be a third person interested in Angelina – Darren sees someone chasing her. He decides to investigate these incidents. His researches will soon lead him to several locations – such as the small English village of Willow Creek, that adventure game players know from part #1…

 

dtp will publish Black Mirror 2 worldwide in 2009.

 

Wii got Sam & Max

As part of a continuing effort to extend episodic gaming to new audiences and platforms, Telltale is officially announcing that Sam & Max Season One will be coming to Nintendo’s Wii™ console. This collection of the first six Sam & Max episodes will introduce a brand new audience to the popular and critically-acclaimed game series. The Wii release is expected to ship to retail stores worldwide this fall, thanks to a partnership between Telltale and JoWooD/DreamCatcher.

Sam & Max’s journey to the Wii platform has been fueled by fan excitement. Just before the episodic series’ PC debut, fans launched an email campaign clamoring for a Wii version of the series. Continuous rumors and rampant speculation online led to developer and publisher enthusiasm for the title. With Telltale now focusing on console development in addition to PC, the company can finally bring Sam & Max to Wii in response to this overwhelming demand.

The Sam & Max episodes let players guide the Freelance Police through a series of bizarre—and often sidesplitting—mysteries. Sam & Max Season One has already experienced enormous success, both as an episodic series available for download through Telltale’s website and other services, and at retail. Honors include Adventure Game of the Year from GameSpy and IGN, and inclusion on Games for Windows’ list of Top 10 Games in 2007.

Nintendo’s Wii is a perfect fit for the Sam & Max games. The series’ story-driven gameplay and episodic structure has often been favorably compared to TV sitcoms. The new Wii version will present Sam & Max in a format that can be enjoyed from the comfort of the living room, either alone or with a group of friends—a setting perfectly suited for this kind of experience. The game’s easy-to-use interface has a low learning curve, making it ideal for the Wii’s broad consumer audience.

Sam & Max first hit the indie comic scene in 1987, courtesy of franchise creator Steve Purcell. In the twenty years since, they have appeared in an animated TV series, an Eisner-winning webcomic, and numerous video games. The success of the Sam & Max episodic series has fueled a renaissance for the franchise. Telltale recently released a special 20th Anniversary Edition of the complete Sam & Max comic collection, Surfin’ the Highway, after nearly a decade out of print, and a DVD box set of the 1997 animated series has just been published by Shout Factory. Both are available in Telltale’s online store (www.telltalegames.com/store), along with other Sam & Max merchandise.

Sam & Max Season One for Nintendo Wii will be published by Dreamcatcher/The Adventure Company in North America, and by JoWooD in Europe. In addition to English language, the game will be fully localized in French and German, and subtitled in Italian and Spanish. All versions are expected to ship during the fall 2008 season.

Bourne Conspiracy release set

 

Sierra Entertainment today announced that the Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy™ video game will ship in North America June 3, 2008   on Microsoft’s Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.  The game brings Jason Bourne’s signature combat style to life by sharply blending a seamless mix of hand-to-hand fighting, gunplay and dramatic escapes.  To round out the non-stop action to the title’s hunter-prey game play, The Bourne Conspiracy will give gamers a re-imagination of the high speed pursuit through Paris in the MINI COOPER®.

Through close partnership with Ludlum Entertainment, and collaboration on story and character development with Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy, The Bourne Conspiracy is an intense interactive addition to the blockbuster films and best-selling novels.  The game delivers an original story uncovering Jason Bourne’s past and the conspiracy shrouding his origins, plunging players into the role of Bourne as both trained assassin and marked government agent.  Core to the experience is Bourne’s definition as a perfect weapon with heightened combat instinct, where players use Bourne’s characteristic capabilities to recognize threats, perform devastating takedown moves and use his surrounding environment to overcome deadly situations.

“Wrought with action, combat, elaborate escape scenes and untold story, the Bourne series is making a natural progression into the interactive medium,” said Al Simone, senior vice president, global marketing, Sierra Entertainment. “We’re pleased to announce that this June gamers will have the chance to experience the dangerously exciting aura and frenetic pace inherent in the Bourne franchise.”

Developed by High Moon Studios and based around a combat system co-designed by Jeff Imada, the renowned choreographer who defined Bourne-style combat in the films, The Bourne Conspiracy delivers gamers every signature Jason Bourne element, from hand-to-hand fighting to shooting to escape and evasion.  Framing the experience is a relentless pace of action and an in-game camera system that captures the cinematography techniques that established the memorable visual style of the films.

Capturing the intense high-speed pursuit based on the memorable car chase from The Bourne Identity, players will take the wheel in an upgraded version of Marie’s red MINI COOPER trying to evade seemingly every police car in Paris.  Arcade racing-style game play and destructive stunt setups combine with Bourne instinct-based game mechanics to create a previously unseen and unforgettable action driving experience.

“We’re creating a video game that is distinctly Bourne, based on a deconstruction of the character from action hero to game hero, and one that we ultimately believe gamers will discover as a distinctively original licensed action game,” said Emmanuel Valdez, chief creative officer, High Moon Studios and game director on The Bourne Conspiracy.

For more information on the Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy video game, including screenshots and video trailers, please visit bournethegame.com.

First Impressions: Lost Odyssey

Five hours into Mistwalker’s new RPG for the Xbox 360, Lost Odyssey.  I am no stranger to the turn-based-combat system of traditional Japanese RPG’s. In fact, I’m a big fan of the concept. Perhaps that makes my impressions of Lost Odyssey a little biased. Okay, I’m biased. I like amazing games. So far, Lost Odyssey is proving to be the culmination of many wonderful things. Gorgeous graphics and art design, a solid and entertaining combat system, and a story of immense intrigue. 
In regards to the loading times mentioned in almost every review of Lost Odyssey, I’m finding myself baffled. Yes, the loading times are there, and yes they occur somewhat frequently. But I don’t recall much whining about the loading times in Oblivion, which seem to me to be just as long or longer and almost as frequent. The loading times in Lost Odyssey have done nothing to dampen my experience, or have they bugged me in the least. In fact, the opening of Lost Odyssey blessed me with a sense of gaming nirvana that I haven’t felt since the opening of Final Fantasy 7. That’s high praise indeed. 
Unless the game takes a dramatic downfall in later hours, I’m going on record as saying that Lost Odyssey has been severely underrated by a number of reviewers. Time will tell if it can maintain the brilliance demonstrated to me in the first five hours. I sure hope it does. Look for my full review soon.
-James Wilson 

Now Playing: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Oblivion never seems to get old. The fact that I have logged in over 150 hours and am still finding new things is testament to the hugeness of this game. It gives a perfect Epic Fantasy tickle up my spine every time I am trudging through these beautiful forests, slaying trolls or minotaurs, watching the breathtaking rising and setting of the sun. Oblivion is a beautiful, masterpiece of a game. Still one of the best of the new generation. I’ll be playing this game until Elder Scrolls V. And loving every bit of it. 

-James Wilson 

Sam & Max: Season 2 finale

After months of building anticipation, the groundbreaking episodic game series Sam & Max Season Two has reached its climax. Now Telltale can at last reveal details about the exciting Sam & Max Season Two finale. With souls on the line and the fate of mankind hanging by a thread, Sam & Max will come face to face with their biggest, baddest adversary ever. The episode, entitled “What’s New, Beelzebub?”, will debut Thursday, April 10 for subscribers of Turner Broadcasting’s GameTap service. Its worldwide release will follow one day later, on Friday, April 11, from Telltale’s website.

“What’s New, Beelzebub?” caps a five-game season that has been gaining momentum since November. During this time, Sam & Max have faced off against a demonically-possessed Santa in the North Pole, visited the tropics to stop a cataclysmic volcano eruption, stormed a trendy Eurotrash nightclub overrun with dancing zombies to vanquish their vampire leader, and launched across space and time to track down their missing friend Bosco. Now, judgment day is at hand, and it’s time for a showdown with the guy downstairs to bargain for Bosco’s soul. But, in the corporate wasteland known as Hell, not even Sam & Max are safe from eternal damnation. Can they wiggle free from Satan’s grasp, or have they finally reached the end of the line?

The Sam & Max series has been widely heralded as one of the best examples of successful episodic gaming. In Season Two, the model has been used to piece out a clever and humorous story month by month, gradually growing suspense and winning the praise of critics and fans as seemingly unrelated threads and increasingly varied scenarios have woven into a surprising and compelling plot. As the most epic and off-the-wall Sam & Max episode yet, “What’s New, Beelzebub?” promises to close the season with a bang.

Anticipation is already high for those following the series, but it’s not too late for new players to dive in. All Sam & Max Season Two episodes can be purchased from Telltale’s online store through a full season set or as individual episodes and are also available as part of a GameTap subscription.  Additionally, customers who purchase the Season Two bundle from Telltale will be eligible to get a DVD that includes all five episodes along with bonus content for just the cost of shipping and handling. Emails will be sent to qualifying customers when the DVD is available for ordering.

The success of the Sam & Max game series has fueled a renaissance for the franchise. Telltale recently released a special 20th Anniversary Edition of Sam & Max creator Steve Purcell’s Surfin’ the Highway comic collection after a decade out of print, and a DVD box set of the 1997 animated series has just been published by Shout Factory. Both are available in Telltale’s online store, along with other Sam & Max merchandise.

Caspian the friendly Prince

The good folks from Disney Interactive Studios sent along this brand-spanking-new trailer for the game based on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Like the last game, this one was also created by Traveler’s Tales, the company best known for the Lego Star Wars games.

Take a look: