Thursday, March 11th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | 2 Comments

Harmonix and MTV Games recently announced a four-song pack coming to the Music Store from pop phenomenon Lady Gaga. In addition to “Bad Romance,” “Just Dance,” “Monster,” and “Poker Face” being available as a track pack and individual songs, the popular cover version by South Park character Eric Cartman will also be made available with the track pack as a separate song when the songs premiere next week.

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Thursday, March 11th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | 1 Comment

Following the success of The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition, LucasArts has announced that the popular point-and-click adventure sequel, LeChuck’s Revenge, will also receive a HD revamp this summer. Coming to Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, PC, and the iPhone, the remake will feature the same features as its predecessor: including a full high-definition makeover, complete voice-over, hint system, and seamless integration of both the new and old versions of the game allowing for players to switch between at will. Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge will also contain some new goodies: including interactive developer commentary and allowing for players to directly control Guybrush in lieu of the classic point-and-click interface found in the original.

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Thursday, March 11th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | No Comments

Harmonix and MTV Games strive to continue their domination in the music-rhythm genre, despite a downturn in sales last year, with releasing information on two new discs in the self-described revolutionary Rock Band franchise. Via an update to their company Facebook page, Harmonix revealed Rock Band 3 as being in production. This reveal comes after the announcement that Dhani Harrison, son of Beatle George Harrison and aid in selling the band’s music rights to Apple, will be working on making Rock Band 3 instruments “more real so people can actually learn how to play music while playing the game.” No release dates have been officially announced for the title.

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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 | Posted by Vincent Lam | 5 Comments

Sony has demoed 6 games for the PlayStation Move in their press conference at GDC 2010 in San Francisco. Games demoed included Sports Champion, Move Party, LittleBigPlanet, EyePet, Motion Fighter and SOCOM 4.

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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | 3 Comments

Acting as a major keynote in Sony’s conference at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference was a video debuting their motion controller. Shown in a variety of uses, the system has finally received a final name, “Playstation Move,” and will be available this Fall. Advertised games featuring the motion control include LittleBigPlanet, EyePet, Motion Fighter, SOCOM 4, Gladiator, Table Tennis, and Move Party. The official, full Elder-Geek summary of the motion controller segment of Sony’s press conference can be found here.

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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 | Posted by Robin Meijer | 1 Comment

Earlier today at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, OnLive COO Mike McGarvy revealed that cloud-gaming service OnLive is scheduled for a launch on the 17th of June 2010. The service will be available for PCs and Macs, but will be limited to users in the United States. More information regarding a possible launch outside the United States and the OnLive MicroConsole, which is designed to bypass the need for a computer entirely, will be made available later this year.

The service will require a monthly fee of $14.95, with prices of specific games to be determined at a later date prior to release. Several major publishers, such as Ubisoft, EA, THQ, Take Two and Warner Bros. Interactive, have expressed their support for OnLive and have announced that they will be making games available for the system. New titles that will be available at launch will include Assassin’s Creed 2, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands and Metro 2033.

McGarvy has stated that more information will be revealed at the E3, which will take place from June 15 – 17th.

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Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | 1 Comment

While it may lack the name recognition many other DS/Wii developers manage, Cing released a few cult favorite titles on Nintendo’s platforms before they filed for bankruptcy on March 1st. Kotaku reports that the company is over 200 million yen ($2.2 million) in debt. Former releases for Cing include Trace Memory, Little King’s Story, and Hotel Dusk Room 215, the sequel of which – Last Window - was released this January in Japan.

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Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | 2 Comments

Even if you managed to not succumb to homicidal rage by the internet account/access loopholes required to play titles like Assassin’s Creed II or Silent Hunter 5, a recent malfunction over the weekend left even legitimate copies of the software unplayable. Considering the already heated response the developer has received from the fanbase, Ubisoft was quick to issue a statement on the situation.

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Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | No Comments

Globex Studios announced the formation of a subsidiary studio in LA recently, headed by veterans of the recently defunct Pandemic Studios. Former publishing specialist Jesse Taylor will operate as Chief Operating Officer, with former game designer/director Troy Dunniway taking of the Vice President of Game Development mantle and Carey Chico, executive art director back at Pandemic, will be handling Chief Creative Officer duties. The new studio’s main focus is a new MMO property set for the Chinese market.

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Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | 2 Comments

Unofficial Concept Photo: Sony product may not reach pictured level of cool

Looks like years of fan rumors and wishes are soon to be granted, as Sony is getting into the smartphone industry with their sights set straight at iPhone competition. A report filed by the Wall Street Journal claims that the Japanese electronic company is working on a sophisticated line of phones capable of downloading and playing videogames. In addition to being the likely next step in Sony’s handheld console line, the phones will compete directly with other multi-function devices, meaning video playback and wireless access to various applications are likely feature possibilities.

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Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | 2 Comments

Erectile Dysfunction proved a much stronger foe than Sephiroth for Cloud...

Demonstration builds are a key instrument in building pre-release hype for a game, or to breath a bit of post-release buzz for a lesser known release. But creating a self-contained experience, while still teasing the fully-priced product, is a difficult task. Some developers, most often seen in Xbox Live’s Indie Games library, time their demos: offering the full experience for a limited amount of time. Others block off all but the basic modes of play, giving the most streamlined version of the game. But a new  patent from Sony, discovered by Siliconera, may add a new method to the demo madness.

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Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 | Posted by Eliot Hagen | 4 Comments

Musical instrument manufacturer First Act have birthed Seven45 Studios, who will be developing Power Gig: Rise of the SixString for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Promising to be the “dawn of a new era for music games,” PowerGig ships with a new peripheral designed from the ground up that’s actually a fully functional 6-string electric guitar. In addition to working with the game, the peripheral can be plugged into any standard amp.

“Power Gig: Rise of the SixString is meant to be the answer for all of those gamers who have wanted to take their band game experience to the next level; we’re confident that players will agree that the transition from the existing games is both seamless and exhilarating,” said Seven45 Studios CEO Bernard Chiu. He went on to state that anybody will be able to “pick up and play” the instrument.

The game is set to release in the Fall of 2010.  Click on the pic of the peripheral to see it in all its glory.

Monday, March 8th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | 3 Comments

On March 3rd, developers for some of the most acclaimed independent releases of last year have announced their funding of a self-explanatory Indie Fund. Braid developer Jonathan Blow, World of Goo devs Ron Carmel and Kyle Gabler, Armadillo Gold Rush creator Aaron Isaksen, and employee of thatgamecompany (the makers of flOwer) Kellee Santiago will reveal their collaborative projects within the fund later this week at the Game Developer’s Conference.

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Monday, March 8th, 2010 | Posted by Gavin Greene | No Comments

Recently Elder-Geek reported on the passing of Capcom COO Mark Beaumont, of a heart attack in late February. The Chief Operating Officer garnered a lot of respect in his tenure, evidenced by a recent scholarship passed by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS), which will donate $2,500 to four students a year who are looking into jobs within the video game industry.

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Monday, March 8th, 2010 | Posted by Robin Meijer | 4 Comments

Following the recent stir between Activision and the management at Infinity Ward, Vince Zampella and Jason West have filed a court document in which they launch some major allegations at their former employer. In the court documents, Zampella and West claim control over the Modern Warfare as well as control over any Call of Duty-instalment set in a post-Vietnam era.

Based on a memorandum of understanding created between Activision and the former CEO and President of Infinity Ward, West and Zampella are owned royalties for the use of the Modern Warfare engine in other games published by Activision, as well as royalties for the success of Modern Warfare 2. Activision is charged with wrongfully discharging both West and Zampella over unsubstantiated allegations of insubordination. West and Zampella argue that Activision is trying to ‘cheat’ them out of their rightful compensation for the success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and is trying to gain full control over the Call of Duty franchise. The court documents states that Activision owes West and Zampella the sum of at least $36 million USD.

While Activision has not yet officially launched a legal response to the allegations, it has provided a statement in which it declares the suit filed by West and Zampella to be meritless. This statement is included below.

“Activision is disappointed that Mr. Zampella and Mr. West have chosen to file a lawsuit, and believes their claims are meritless. Over eight years, Activision shareholders provided these executives with the capital they needed to start Infinity Ward, as well as the financial support, resources and creative independence that helped them flourish and achieve enormous professional success and personal wealth.

In return, Activision legitimately expected them to honor their obligations to Activision, just like any other executives who hold positions of trust in the company. While the company showed enormous patience, it firmly believes that its decision was justified based on their course of conduct and actions. Activision remains committed to the Call of Duty franchise, which it owns, and will continue to produce exciting and innovative games for its millions of fans.”

While the Call of Duty franchise itself is legally owned by Activision, West and Zampella dispute the rights for the separate Modern Warfare franchise.

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