Archive for May 9th, 2008

Box art for the original Marvel Ultimate Alliance by Activision - Image 1There’s something about playing as your favorite Marvel superhero that has an appeal all its own. Now all you fans of the original Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (PS3, XBox 360, Wii, PSP) have reason to rejoice: Activision has recently confirmed it will be releasing the sequel within the year.

Activision made the announcement in a recent conference call, whereupon it also announced its plans for the rest of the year. The company, however, did not announce any specific platforms for the sequel, nor did it mention an exact title, either.

Nevertheless, until Activision reveals the official name of the sequel, we’ll be referring to it as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 for simplicity’s sake. Watch this space for more updates regarding the sequel to Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

source pc.qj.net

Comments No Comments »

Another variation of the Activision logo - Image 1Encouraged by the record results of the Q4 and fiscal year 2008 reports, Activision is already planning its next set of projects for the year. The company recently announced these in a current analyst conference call.

Activision executives Bobby Kotick and Mike Griffith and others mentioned several particularly noteworthy franchise endeavors and projections:

  • Guitar Hero - The company will triple the number of Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC) SKUs in fiscal year 2009. Further details regarding the next entry in franchise will be coming within a couple of weeks.
  • Call of Duty - a new Call of Duty game is in the works for the next fiscal year. Early reports have suggested the game is being developed by Call of Duty 3 developer Treyarch. The game will be set in “a new military theater” and will reportedly be released for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo DS.
  • Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) engine - This will also be used in Activision’s first James Bond title. The new game is set to be released concurrently with this year’s film “Quantum of Solace.”
  • Tony Hawk - Activision is “inventing the franchise from the ground up.” The company has two games planned: one exclusively for the DS and another one for consoles. The DS title will launch this year, to be reportedly developed by Vicarious Visions. The latter one has been set for some time in the fiscal year starting April 2009. It will supposedly be innovative in a different kind of way than other Tony Hawk games.
  • Console growth projections - Activision anticipates the following console sales to rise:
    • PlaySation 2 - by 2-3 million units
    • PlayStation 3 - 3-4 million units
    • Xbox 360 - 4-5 million units
    • Wii - 7 million units
    • handheld sales (combined) - 11 million units
  • The merger between Activision and Blizzard - Execs stated that the deal will give stronger inroads into the Asian (especially the Korean) market. Conversely, Activision will be leveraging Blizzard’s experience in the online arena worldwide.

Looks like this next fiscal year will be a busy one for Activision. Stay tuned for more updates on all the plans that the company has mentioned above.

source pc.qj.net

Comments No Comments »

BioShock movie director Gore Verbinski - Image 1It looks like Mr. Bubbles will be getting some attention on the silver screen after all: Universal and Take-Two Interactive have struck a deal for the movie version of 2K Games‘ BioShock (PC, Xbox 360).

Gore Verbinski will be the film’s director. That being the case, the director took the time to tell us a tiny bit about his work on the motion picture adaptation.

Apparently, BioShock designer Ken Levine was already considering a film to begin with, and Verbinski picked it up from him. Both Verbinski and Levine are communicating on a regular basis regarding the movie’s content. This is especially important, as even Verbinski noted that he’ll have to make some tough choices as to what to include or not to include in the film.

One question that might be burning in your minds is how the movie’s protagonist will treat the Little Sisters, as that option came up in the BioShock game. Without going into specifics, Verbinski said:

I think we’ll go right up to the edge with the Tiny Sisters. I don t want to soften it to the point where the core audience feels betrayed. At the same time, the gameplay is totally different than it will be for an audience watching.

The movie audience s imagination is a lot more graphic if you let them imagine it. We’ll have to be really clever with that.

And what about the Massive Daddies? Verbinski mentioned that he could go for either costumes or CG effects. Taking into account that he doesn’t want to get bogged down with animatronics, chances are that the director will probably go for a hybrid between the two.

Finally, Verbinski noted that he’ll likely be designing the BioShock film’s main character around the concept of free will. He mentioned that he’ll be starting work on the motion picture immediately after he receives a worthy script.

source pc.qj.net

Comments No Comments »

BioShock movie director Gore Verbinski - Image 1It looks like Mr. Bubbles will be getting some attention on the silver screen after all: Universal and Take-Two Interactive have struck a deal for the motion picture version of 2K Games‘ BioShock (Personal computer, Xbox 360).

Gore Verbinski will be the film’s director. That being the case, the director took the time to tell us a tiny bit about his work on the motion picture adaptation.

Apparently, BioShock designer Ken Levine was already considering a film to begin with, and Verbinski picked it up from him. Both Verbinski and Levine are communicating on a regular basis regarding the movie’s content. This is especially important, as even Verbinski noted that he’ll have to make some tough choices as to what to include or not to include in the film.

One question that may be burning in your minds is how the movie’s protagonist will treat the Little Sisters, as that option came up in the BioShock game. Without going into specifics, Verbinski said:

I think we’ll go right up to the edge with the Tiny Sisters. I don t want to soften it to the point where the core audience feels betrayed. At the same time, the gameplay is absolutely different than it will be for an audience watching.

The motion picture audience s imagination is a lot more graphic if you let them envision it. We’ll have to be really clever with that.

And what about the Large Daddies? Verbinski mentioned that he could go for either costumes or CG effects. Taking into account that he doesn’t want to get bogged down with animatronics, chances are that the director will probably go for a hybrid between the two.

Finally, Verbinski noted that he’ll likely be designing the BioShock film’s main character around the concept of free will. He mentioned that he’ll be starting work on the movie immediately after he receives a worthy script.

source pc.qj.net

Comments No Comments »

Comments No Comments »

A section of the current ESA member list with LucasArts missing - Image 1Have you visited the Entertainment Software Association’s (ESA’s) official website recently? For those of you who haven’t, suffice it to say that there’s a listing of current ESA members right on the front page. Of course, Vivendi and Activision are longer on the list, since it’s been reported that they left the association some time ago due to “business reasons.”

What’s peculiar is that LucasArts isn’t on the current list, either. Could the company have left the ESA as well, or was the emission of the company’s name due to error? GamePolitics has already sent messages out to contacts at the company in order to confirm this. An ESA representative even stated that “he would look into it.”

Until official word comes in, we’ll think about this a rumor. Stay tuned for more updates as we get them. Regardless of whether or not LucasArts has actually left the ESA, though, the fact remains that certain parties have been critical of the way the organization (and current president Mike Gallagher) have been running things.

source pc.qj.net

Comments No Comments »

BioShock movie director Gore Verbinski - Image 1It looks like Mr. Bubbles will be getting some attention on the silver screen after all: Universal and Take-Two Interactive have struck a deal for the motion picture version of 2K Games‘ BioShock (Computer, Xbox 360).

Gore Verbinski will be the film’s director. That being the case, the director took the time to tell us a tiny bit about his work on the motion picture adaptation.

Apparently, BioShock designer Ken Levine was already considering a film to begin with, and Verbinski picked it up from him. Both Verbinski and Levine are communicating on a regular basis regarding the movie’s content. This is especially important, as even Verbinski noted that he’ll have to make some tough choices as to what to include or not to include in the film.

One question that might be burning in your minds is how the movie’s protagonist will treat the Little Sisters, as that option came up in the BioShock game. Without going into specifics, Verbinski said:

I think we’ll go right up to the edge with the Tiny Sisters. I don t want to soften it to the point where the core audience feels betrayed. At the same time, the gameplay is completely different than it will be for an audience watching.

The motion picture audience s imagination is a lot more graphic if you let them imagine it. We’ll have to be really clever with that.

And what about the Huge Daddies? Verbinski mentioned that he could go for either costumes or CG effects. Taking into account that he doesn’t want to get bogged down with animatronics, chances are that the director will probably go for a hybrid between the two.

Finally, Verbinski noted that he’ll likely be designing the BioShock film’s main character around the concept of free will. He mentioned that he’ll be starting work on the motion picture immediately after he receives a worthy script.

source pc.qj.net

Comments No Comments »

A nostalgic look back at the mid-1980s, when shoulder pads were massive, hair was even larger, and a mobile telephone had the dimensions of a large brick.



Comments No Comments »

NVIDIA GeFORCE - Image 1

Comments No Comments »

Atari  - Image 1

Atari has been duly warned by NASDAQ to raise their stock value to above the US 15 million until March 20 or face delisting. Well, Atari has failed to fulfill the requirements thus they’re now being delisted from the Nasdaq Global Market.

What will this mean for Atari? All of their shares are now suspended when business opens again on May 9. Their stocks will be quoted on Pink Sheets and OTC Bulletin Board. In short, tougher financial times are awaiting for the classic gaming brand that is Atari.

On the bright side of things, Atari is confident that this low point won’t affect their completed merger with Infogrames. More developments as QJ.NET retrieves them.

source pc.qj.net

Comments No Comments »

Close
E-mail It