Wednesday, October 27, 2004

XBox Next Mumblings, No Live Halo 2 co-op, and Seropian drops Wideload details ...


  1. Get out and vote
  2. Batman Begins -- the game
  3. A plethora o' Halo 2 Updates
  4. XBox games: Q4 '04 versus Q1 '05
  5. Seropian and Wideload announce Stubbs the Zombie
  6. Microsoft to release a real limited edition for MechAssault 2
  7. Game updates
  8. Updates on XBox 2/XBox Next/Xenon
  9. Free PlayStation 2 at EB Games
  10. New Releases


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NEWS:
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  1. Get out and vote

    • Give your thumbs a rest today and get out and vote. Then go back to abusing your thumbs.


  2. Batman Begins -- the game


  3. A plethora o' Halo 2 Updates

    • First review

      • I just got the Official XBox Magazine in the mail (early), and it had a world-exclusive review of Halo 2 inside. No, it didn't get a 10.0 from the team, but the magazine hasn't ever given a 10.0. So, grading on the curve, the game's a 10.0. Anyway, the staff graciously put spoiler stuff in a sealed section of the magazine (and no, I didn't open it -- do you people even read my blogs?).


    • Watch the making of Halo 2

      • "Making the Video Game: Halo 2" will premiere on MTV on Friday, November 5th at 11:00pm (EST/PST), and replay on MTV2 on Saturday, November 6th at 9:00pm EST. It will feature interviews with designers, developers, celebrity fans, and the bands that are on the Halo 2 soundtrack. Yes, I'm going to record it. No, I'm not going to watch it until I play the game.


    • Halo 2 co-op mode offline only

      • Dashing hopes and hype, Microsoft confirmed Thursday Halo 2 will not support XBox Live or LAN co-op play. Early released photos made it look like at least system-link play was going to be supported. Since Microsoft knew of the rumors and expectations around the expected co-op play, disappointing folks only 12 days from formal release about a desired feature they obviously knew isn't included seems pretty poor.

      • Are there other chinks in the Mjolnir armor? On the upside, Bungie did implement vertical split screen co-op for widescreen TVs. Which is good for those people, I suppose.


    • New Halo 2 music online

    • Did Master Chief and Halo win the Walk of Game?

      • Official results aren't in, but voting for the Sony Metreon's Walk of Game closed Sunday. Both Halo and Master Chief took the top one and two spots for Game/Character (beating out Link and Mario), but the tally only indicates online voting results, not written submissions. Final results will be release later this month, and I'm hoping Microsoft's green-armored mascot gets a star in Sony's marquee game property. I'm waiting for the lawyers to context it, though.




  4. XBox games: Q4 '04 versus Q1 '05

    • OK, the last quarter of 2004 is going to rock ...

      1. Halo 2 (November 9; really, the only game you need to own. Yes. Need. 1.5 million buyers aren't wrong.)

      2. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (December 6; Sequel to the #1 game of last year, kicking it up a notch?)

      3. Dead or Alive Ultimate (Now; Online fighing. Jiggle counting. 'Nuff said.)

      4. Mortal Kombat: Deception (Now; With multiple game modes, a deal even at its premium price.)

      5. Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (November 2; Another treatment of the franchise done right.)

      6. Ghost Recon 2 (November 30; The Ghosts are back, and they're tougher than ever.)

      7. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (November 30; Sleeper hit, part deux.)

      8. MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf (December 28; Unique modes will redefine persistent online gaming.)


    • ... But the first quarter of calendar 2005 is going to come in like a lion:

      1. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (March 2005; Like Pandora Tomorrow wasn't enough? It'll look tame compared to this.)

      2. DOOM 3 (Maybe; XBox-exclusive online and offline co-op mode.)

      3. NFL Street 2 (January 2005; Fan-fav redux.)

      4. Conker: Live and Reloaded (March 2005; He's cute and cuddly, he farts, drinks and vomits, and comes with multiplayer.)

      5. Star Wars: Republic Commando (February 2005; Take the Clone Wars license, and do something dark and violent with it. And the end of the game is the beginning of movie 3. Don't hold that against it.)

      6. Jade Empire (March 2005; Looking to the definitive RPG.)

      7. Forza Motorsport (January 2005; Car licensing to a premium level.)

      8. Far Cry Instincts (February 2005; Must-play FPS Game of the Year gets revamped for XBox.)

      9. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (January 2005; I really like this franchise.)

      10. Unreal Championship: The Liandri Conflict (February 2005; currently considered the best-looking game on XBox, including upping Halo 2.)

      11. Brothers in Arms (February 2005; They're not late to the WWII FPS party -- they're right on time with a game that may take the wind out of the sales of Medal of Honor and Call of Duty.)



  5. Seropian and Wideload announce Stubbs the Zombie

    • Ending months of hand-wringing, Austin publisher Aspyr Media and Alexander Seropian, Bungie founder, Halo creator, and founder of Chicago's Wideload Games, announced details on the joint partnership's first title: Stubbs the Zombie in "Rebel without a Pulse". Players will become "Stubbs, a wisecracking Zombie who takes on an ultra-modern city of the future using nothing but his own carcass and the weapons of his possessed enemies."

    • Ooh, talk about timing. Built on the Halo engine and leveraging those game mechanics and AI, Stubbs (expected to do well in Austin), will see retail in summer of 2005, beating out American McGee and George Romero's own zombie offering, and so-called "goriest game ever made", City of the Dead, still being shopped to publishers.

    • I'm looking for the marketing throw down between these two, where McGee/Romero promise gratuitous blood-and-guts, and Seropian one-ups with gratuitous blood-and-guts, and zippy one-liners ...


  6. Microsoft to release a real limited edition for MechAssault 2

    • Wow, I didn't think the Big M would be the first to an XBox limited edition right, but they are with MechAssault 2. The LE includes two exclusive maps and a "making of " video feature, will carry the same $49.99 MSRP, and is being produced in an extremely limited run.


  7. Game updates

    • The Bard's Tale has shipped to retail. Fans of "coin and cleavage", action RPGs, Monty Pythonish humor, but maybe not the original game should be laughing for somewhere between moments to years, depending on which all-over-the-map review to which you subscribe.
    • Dead or Alive Ultimate has shipped. Fans of incredible fighting, lag-free online gaming, and fanciful mammary physics flock to stores. The game is ranging in scores from 8.8 - 9.5.

    • Outrun 2, a revamp of the Sega classic arcade racer, has shipped to retail.

    • The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, the video game of the movie (still 3 weeks from release) has shipped. Before you dismiss, realize the first SpongeBob SquarePants: Attack from Bikini Bottom game was one of the surprise best sleeper platformers of this year.

    • EALA's The Lord of the Rings, the single player RPG of the movie license (where you control a non-Fellowship party of 4), has shipped.

    • THQ's The Incredibles has shipped, just a few days before the film opens on November 5. A playable demo is included in December's OXM.
    • Chessmaster, Ubisoft's XBox Live-enabled chess program for all skill levels, has shipped and is available in retail.

    • Prince of Persia: Warrior Within has been delayed two weeks. Ubisoft is playing it smart and avoiding the mid-November carnage to be wrought by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Halo 2, among others.


  8. Updates on XBox 2/XBox Next/Xenon

    • Not the new of news, but I forgot to mention at the end of Sept. Dean Lester (GM of Windows Graphics and Gaming) said "Xbox 2 peripherals will all work on PC." Hmmm -- USB 2.0? Firewire? Something completely different?

    • CoR engine for the next XBox? Swedish development rockstars Starbreeze Studios (Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay) are supposedly porting their engine to XBox 2, and possibly PS3, thought too little is known at this time to help developers. Starbreeze announced the game will be developed for publisher Majesco Games.

    • Halo launched the XBox as a real contender, so what's the XBox 2 going to get as the launch title? Looks like it won't be Halo 3. Bungie Studio Manager Peter Parson said, "After Halo 2 we are planning to do something different ... We will do something else and we have a few ideas." This could mean a totally new franchise of Halo-esque caliber. Possibly the Bungie-shelved Phoenix? Rumor also has it that Halo 3 will still be in developed, and will be scheduled to launch the same day as the PlayStation 3. Heh.

    • The XBox 2 will be significantly smaller than the current piece of furniture we all know and love.IGN is saying NEC and Toshiba are getting HD-DVD standard (the blue-laser-based competitor to Blu-Ray/BD-ROM, which will be in the PlayStation 3) into Microsoft's next console. On paper, HD-DVD looks weaker than BD-ROM (15G versus 50G, etc.), but dual-sided/dual layering may shore up these differences. Even if they don't, if Microsoft launches with HD-DVD, it could be like the VHS trumping the technologically superior Beta Max. I love that Microsoft's codecs are required in both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, which on some fronts makes them the winner regardless.


  9. Free PlayStation 2 at EB Games

    • Trade in your "big dog" PlayStation 2 and 5 (non-sport) PS2 games, and you can get a free, newly designed PS2.


  10. New Releases

    • Week of 10/31/2004

      • Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures (Sports)
      • Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Director's Cut (Survival horror)
      • High Rollers Casino (Puzzle)
      • IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005 (Driving)
      • The Incredibles (Action)
      • The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age (RPG)
      • Pinball Hall of Fame (Puzzle)
      • Sonic Mega Collection Plus (Platformer)
      • Spyro: A Hero's Tail (Platformer)
      • Tron 2.0: Killer App (FPS)
      • Ultra Bust-A-Move (Puzzle)
      • XBox Live Arcade (Multiple)


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