My main criticism of Kinect has been how blatantly Microsoft copied Nintendo in both technology (though I concede Microsoft’s is better) and abundance of family-themed titles. Kevin Unangst, senior producer of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, is working on the family-themed problem, and has said that more hardcore titles are in development. In addition to Child of Eden, Forza Motosports 4 and Kinect Star Wars (please, let it be the ORIGINAL trilogy), there will be a long line of other more mature titles on their way.

It’s a fair statement that the PS3 lost out during the early days to both the Wii and 360 because of its higher price, but Push Square has put forth that the console’s poor showing had more to do with the difficulty that developers had with the product. Worldwide Studios manager, Shuhei Yoshida, claims that much of PlayStation’s recent success is due to their better relationship with developers, which should relate to the future success of the NGP.

I’m not a fan of this new handheld craze, but I do agree that Sony needs to go back to their roots and remember what put them at the forefront of mature gaming. With the 3DS and the NGP, the video game industry is going to become both more competitive and very exciting. What do you think, 3DS or NGP?

According to Just Push Start, Gears and Halo have been the cornerstone of the 360′s success. They report that while Bungie never really considered releasing their title on Sony’s console, that might not be the case for Epic. President Mike Capps has said that he would love for the game to release for the PS3, but added that they appreciate their relationship with Microsoft.

So, the intention is there. The Gears trilogy may very well find its way onto the PlayStation sometime in the future, but in the short-term I am sure Microsoft will want to hold onto their exclusive assets.

THQ may finally be the ones to have seriously challenge Modern Warfare. That’s according to pre-sale figures that show Homefront to be the most pre-ordered title in THQ’S history, with 200,000 already sold in North America. The story has a strong writer and it looks like the company is really aiming to be #1 in this highly competitive genre.

Not many, me included, thought Saints Row would survive past its debut title, but we’ve all been proven wrong. Against the giant of the genre that is GTA, it has bravely held its own and created a fan base. The Saints now take on a new enemy in the Syndicate, one who wields global power. The story takes the war to a new city and to all platforms.

CVG has the scoop on what may be David Cage’s next project. After revolutionizing the gaming world with Heavy Rain, he is keen on injecting the same emotions and innovation into war games. So, there may finally be an alternative to the “kill the [boys without fathers]” code that has been evident throughout that genre of games.

Cage says he wants to say something about war and is taking his inspiration from Apocalypse Now and Platoon (my favorite war movie). I really hope he does this as I think it would be really different and amazing to feel for your comrades and actually have an opinion on the war that you are fighting in. It’s definitely a genre that needs an alternate slant on things.

Fans of the original Beyond Good & Evil have been eagerly awaiting the sequel to the cult game. It has been a few years since the May 2008 trailer, and there has been no word of when the game will be released. According to Eurogamer, who chatted with producer, Wang Xu, he simply said; “keep the faith.” So, there is still the intention of the game being released even though little is known as to when (if ever) it will come out.

The Virtua Tennis series shall continue its run into the world of motion-play. Sega’s popular title will be fully compatible with the the Move controller with the added bonus that those with 3D TVs will get to experience an exclusive 3D stereoscopic mode. European fans of the series will be pleased to find out that they will be getting the game before the Americans. The title arrives in Europe April 29, and will appear in the US in May. I’m curious to see how it compares to the Wii tennis titles.

I’m sure, unless you do not inhabit this place called the Internet, you’ve seen that Dead Island trailer everyone seems to be raving about. (If not click left.) I’ll admit it was cleverly done, but while others found it heartbreaking and emotional, I just found it was very well executed. Earlier it was reported that the folks in Hollywood agreed with others and had purchased the rights to make a film out of the unreleased game. But according to Deep Silver, no such thing has happened. They realize the vast interest in the game and they will wait until they give the film to the right people.

The current rumor around the campfire is that SCEI has stopped development of the PS4, and will instead focus their efforts on the NGP. According to the company, handhelds will be the future of gaming.

Let me be the first to butt in and say that they are bonkers if they think that handhelds will somehow replace consoles. Of course the PSP has been a success, but the big money is in full-sized consoles. Modern Warfare, Halo, Mass Effect, and GTA all trounce the sales of any handheld title. I sincerely hope Sony is not simply acting cowardly and backing away from the challenge that Microsoft has posed in the console war.

Silicon Republic reports that Gunnar Scréach (means Blazing Guns in Gaelic) has set the record for the longest time playing an FPS, with an unhealthily scary 42 hours of Halo: Reach. The previous record was held by the UK-based Rustlers, for 33 hours playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

There were some tough rules that the Irish lads had to abide by. Only a five minute break was allowed and at least one member had to be playing at all times. As for sleeping, the team found that slumber was not an all too current activity. In the end, they broke the record, raised money for the Midlands Simon community, and have gone further to prove that gamers are amongst the most insane mortals on our planet.

Yes, there’s another alien invasion movie coming this summer starring Harvey Dent (aka Aaron Eckart) and the woman who helped the blue people in Avatar (Michelle Rodriguez). In truth, Battle: Los Angeles film does look good with some pretty good CGI, but I personally feel that the only who can defeat the aliens are Tom Cruise and Will Smith.

Rumor has it, according to an Australian ratings board, that the game is being developed by Saber Interactive and will be published by Metal Gear Solid‘s very own Konami. As is often the case with games made of popular summer movies, this will be a multi-platform release. I think I’ll wait to see if the movie is any good before I even consider playing the game.

Publisher: SG Interactive
Developer: SG Interactive
System requirements: TBD
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Not rated at press time
Release date: Q1 2011

So here comes another online shooter ready to duke it out with the likes of Counter-Strike and Call of Duty. Developed by SG Interactive, Project Blackout seeks to bring something new to the table in what is already a highly competitive genre.

( read more… )

I’m sure you all know that Blade (aka Wesley Snipes) was convicted of tax evasion after escaping the law for some time. While I did shed a tear for one of my heroes, according to CVG it looks like he will still keep busy from the confines of prison by lending his voice to games.

Snipes describes his first assignment as a combination of street survival skills and academic intellect. The game is called Julius Styles and it’s said appeal to both the strategic and warrior-loving gamer. I for one am very interested to see how this game will turn out, though I hope it isn’t just a lame effort whose sole intention is cashing in on a big name.

Details have been released for Bethesda’s next installment in their critically acclaimed Elder Scrolls series. Looking at the proposed updates and features, it looks like this will be drastically different from Oblivion.

Speaking of Oblivion, it’s been a game that I felt could have been great, but a few gameplay issues prevented it from being so. Thankfully, Bethesda has addressed one of the main issues I had with it, which is the combat. There are more tactics involved with the chance of dual-wielding and each weapon having its own distinct feature and feel. Conversations were also another real weak point of the title. Now, in Skyrim, when you talk to people who are working, they carry on with their duties as they talk to you. So you don’t have every person stopping what they do and staring straight at you just to have a conversation. These along with other features such as more dynamic and varied quests may make this a contender in the RPG genre, though I doubt it will come close to Mass Effect‘s crown.