Futuremark Games Studio has chimed in on what may one day be known as the great DRM Debate, and in an interview with CVG, criticized Ubisoft for punishing its paying customers.

Producer Jaakko Haapasalo believes DRM should be convenient and hassle-free at all times. “The question I ask myself with all DRM approaches is will it be more or less convenient for me, as a paying customer? If it stays out of my face, I’m cool with it. But if it gets in the way of being entertained, inconveniences me or seems unnecessarily restrictive then … well, it’s not like there is a shortage of other games demanding my attention.”

Is he alone? Not in the slightest, as company CEO Jukka Makinen wholeheartedly agreed with the statement. “Exactly. Whatever the DRM used, games need to be hassle free for those who have bought their copy the proper way. Taking good care of the customer is always better than chasing the thieves.”

At least one industry CEO agrees that games are “bought”.

MCV reports that Strategy Analytics analyst David Mercer predicts the PS3 will outsell the Wii by 2013. While he does leave some wiggle room in his forecast, “the signs are that the Wii has peaked in terms of console sales, and its installed base will begin to decline after 2011. Meanwhile, Sony’s PS3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 will continue to grow, so that the PS3 will become the largest platform globally by 2013. In terms of cumulative lifetime sales we expect the PS3 to hit 127m units; compared to 103m Wiis…Uncertainties clearly surround each of the major platforms, particularly relating to the new services and upgrades planned by Sony and Microsoft. Natal on the Xbox could be more beneficial to 360 sales than expected, and Sony’s own motion controller, together with its plans to upgrade all PS3s to 3D capability, also represent potential for upside to our core forecasts.”

Yesterday, the Tennessean reported that three-year-old Cheyenne Alexis McKeehan shot herself in the abdomen with the family’s handgun in their Wilson County home. Sheriff Terry Ashe said the girl’s stepfather had taken out his gun to try to frighten off dogs that had been hanging around the home, and then put said loaded gun on a table in the living room. Cheyenne had been playing a Wii game with a controller shaped like a gun that looked very similar to the real handgun. The apparently unattended toddler then pulled the gun off of the table and it went off, killing the three year-old. No charges have yet been filed.

Sadly, what do most people remember about the above story? That a three year-old was playing video games and died. Now normally I just report the news around these parts and keep most of my two cents to myself, but this time, I have to scream. Why did the reporter feel the need to even mention that the girl was playing a video game? What if she’d mistaken it for a water gun? What if she’d just been curious? She was three years old!!! You don’t leave a three year-old alone with a butter knife or an actual glass, who in the world is moronic enough to leave one alone with a loaded gun?

( read more… )

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 will feature the Ryder Cup and provide support for Sony’s new PlayStation 3 Motion Controller. The title will permit gamers to select a team and square off to try and bring home The Ryder Cup. Choose either the U.S. or European squad and participate in the various competition formats that include foursomes where players hit alternate shots, fourballs and singles which traditionally brings the biennial event to a close with players going head to head. The game will be available on June 8 for the Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and iPhone.

Electronic Arts has announced they will publish 38 Studios’ first game, which currently bears the working title Project Mercury. Ken Rolston (Oblivion) will assume the lead for the single-player RPG, which is set in R.A. Salvatore’s Copernicus universe. More details are scheduled to be revealed this week at GDC, but for now we know that the title is being developed for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Power Gig: Rise of the SixString aims to transport players to an entirely new universe where music rules. The game offers two modes of play which includes, in addition to traditional beat-matching, the option to switch on chording, or chord play. Chording presents the added challenge of playing the game using chords that require specific finger placement on the strings. As players progress through the game, becoming more comfortable with a genuine guitar and potentially choosing to play real power chords, they will find that the byproduct of playing the game is coming away from it with an understanding of some real-life guitar fundamentals.

Power Gig: Rise of the SixString will be available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this fall. The actual SixString guitar will make its debut today at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Hank Chien of New York has set a new Donkey Kong record with a high score of 1,061,700 during a 2 hour, 35 minute play session. Chien, a plastic surgeon, said he started playing the game after seeing The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, and that before then he didn’t even know the kill screen existed. “I remember the exact day I could get the world record: September 13, 2009,” Chien said in an interview with Twin Galaxies. “That was the day I first broke a million on Donkey Kong to reach 1,037,700. I didn’t even realize how close I was to the world record. I was going on a business trip that day and had a flight to catch, but I had about two hours to kill and figured I had enough time for one game. So I figured up my Donkey Kong machine, and on my first game, boom! Too bad getting 1,000,000 takes about 2 1/2 hours.”

Source: Joystiq

Destructoid reports that Ubisoft’s DRM servers were attacked once again, and players found themselves locked out of their games. The publisher has been experiencing problems with DOS attacks since the weekend, but initially reported the problem as an issue of “unprecedented demand” before revealing the truth. “Our servers are under attack again. Some gamers are experiencing trouble signing in. We’re working on it and will keep you posted.”

At the moment, all appears to be working, and the servers are back online, but for how long?

Bodycount has been officially confirmed as the new project in development by Codemasters at its Guildford studio. The game’s development team features a number of individuals (notably Stuart Black) who worked on the FPS Black. A Codemasters spokesperson revealed that, “in Bodycount players become ensnared in a clandestine global power struggle as a powerful combat asset with a green-light to eliminate enemies known only as ‘Targets’ on behalf of the ‘Network’.”

Blimey, the world is full of clandestine conspiracies! Maybe that’s what accounted for the power failure at the cafe this morning which resulted in my lack of pre-morning caffeine. The game will be built using Codemasters’ proprietary Ego engine and will feature online multiplayer and co-op game modes, and is set for release on the PS3 and Xbox 360 during the first quarter of 2011. It is being billed as the “ultimate shooter”, but methinks I’ve heard that before.

Join us Friday, March 12th at 9pm for the Adrenaline Vault’s PC Game Night. This month’s host is Andrew Clark, and we’ll be playing SOLDAT. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, it’s 2D, it’s fun, and it’s free. Time is EST and server address is 204.80.93.33. We look forward to seeing you all Friday night!

Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil) boasts that his new FPS title, Vanquish, “isn’t a regular shooting game.” He claims that the game will set itself apart from other third person shooters thanks to its focus on acrobatics and agility. “I wanted to create a game that was speedier and more acrobatic than other shooters. It’s a brand new kind of shooting game that’s incredibly tense.” The acrobatics come care of a rocket powered suit and gravity, and Mikami added, “I wanted to make a shooter where the player is active – taking people on. I didn’t want the game to be like other third-person action titles, where people are just trying to survive, taking pot-shots at enemies from behind cover. So it is this aggression and active spirit that I wanted to capture with Vanquish.”

The story is set in the near future. Russia and the United States are vying for ownership of the world’s fast-depleting energy resources and the US has constructed a space station in order to harness energy from the sun. Russian forces capture this space station and divert its harvested solar energy into a blast wave that destroys San Francisco, in an attempt to force the US into total and unconditional surrender. Obviously the US isn’t going to take that, so they send an elite combat unit to reclaim the station, a la James Bond’s and Moonraker.

Vanquish is set to release next winter for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Do you find yourself lying awake at night wondering whatever happened to Bill, Louis, Zoey and Francis? Well, your nocturnal musings may finally come to an end. Valve is planning a Left 4 Dead comic for release on Xbox Live. The comic, a first for the network, is alleged to explain how the original four survivors meet Ellis, Rochelle, Coach and Nick, and serve as a link between the two episodes we have thus far, and the upcoming DLC The Passing.

(click to play the video)In Dracula – Undead Awakening players control a grizzled Hunter of the Undead who chooses weapons and abilities, and then battles legions of undead foes that include zombies, ghouls, werewolves and more. As play progresses, an arsenal of powerful weaponry can be unlocked including Machine Guns, Buzz-Saws and Flamethrowers. Players can even earn upgrades for their weaponry and unique new perks for their character, all while their gruesome enemies increase in number and ferocity. The Hunter of the Undead is a tough customer but players must beware – Lord Dracula is always on the hunt and looking for prey! Dracula – Undead Awakening is available for download now, for both the Wii and DSi.

Racquet Sports, the multisport game that includes tennis, ping-pong, badminton, squash and beach tennis is now available exclusively for the Wii. The game engages players in 40 worldwide locations including an underwater reef, a Moroccan palace, a New York loft and a fan-filled stadium, and includes a multiplayer feature that allows the family to play either cooperatively or to compete against each other. The title is compatible with both the Wii MotionPlus accessory and Ubisoft’s Motion Tracking Camera, in an effort to simulate actual racquet play. Racquet Sports is rated E and retails for $29.99, or you can get it bundled with the camera for $39.99.

Kotaku reports that a listing for Batman: Arkham Asylum II game credits shows Vincent Martella performing the role of Robin. It could be an error, as he is confirmed in the role for an animated feature, Batman: Under the Red Hood, or it could be that Warner Bros. is keeping secrets. When contacted for clarification, the company responded with “to our knowledge, what you asked about is inaccurate information. We are not yet discussing details for the sequel.”