GAMES

WBIE reveals follow-up to 5TH Cell’s acclaimed DS puzzle-platformer expands with new adjective system this fall.

A critical darling ever since its 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo debut, 5TH Cell’s Scribblenauts for the DS has also proven to be a commercial success, having sold more than 1 million units since its December launch. With that kind of reception, it’s no wonder that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has commissioned 5TH Cell for a follow-up. Today, WBIE announced that a new, as-yet-untitled Scribblenauts game will arrive for the DS this fall.

The original Scribblenauts taught us that a griffin and a guitar can pretty much take you everywhere.

Like the first installment, the next Scribblenauts game sees players solving puzzles by summoning thousands of different objects and creatures, all of which work more or less as they do in real life. The game again focuses on the pursuits of Maxwell as he attempts to acquire each level’s “starite.” According to the publisher, Scribblenauts’ follow-up will feature all-new puzzles as well as redesigned levels.

5TH Cell will be expanding its word summoning formula in the new game with the addition of an adjective system. With adjectives, players can modify the color, size, elements, and behaviors of the summoned objects. The publisher notes that changes made to creatures or objects are cumulative.

Beyond the Scribblenauts follow-up, 5TH Cell is actively engaged in working on a “pretty big” project for Xbox Live. The Bellevue, Washington-based development house had previously said that it intended to shift its development away from the DS and toward console development. Notably, 5TH Cell will be discussing just that topic on the first day of the 2010 Game Developers Conference tomorrow, and GameSpot will be on hand to cover it.

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Q&A: Grasshopper Manufacture CEO considering new IP for Sony and Microsoft’s motion-sensing systems; admires Heavy Rain’s attempt to bring “new experiences” to players.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle was released in the US to critical acclaim in January, and is heading to Europe next month. The CEO of developer Grasshopper Manufacture Goichi Suda–commonly known as Suda-51–was in London yesterday to talk about the game’s upcoming launch and his future plans.

Talking to GameSpot UK, Suda said he was “very interested” in making games geared towards Project Natal and the upcoming PlayStation 3 motion controller, which he saw first hand at last year’s Tokyo Game Show. This isn’t just going to be an expanded port of No More Heroes, however. “I will make some original IP to fit that control system,” Suda said.

Suda went on to explain that it it took some time playing with the Wii to work out exactly how No More Heroes was going to work, and that he anticipated doing something similar with Natal and the PS3 motion control systems. Any new IP would have to be designed with the control scheme in mind to make sure the end product is as good as possible, he said.

Suda also expressed admiration for Heavy Rain, saying he would “very much like” to make a title in a similar vein at some point in the future, as he likes the idea of “new designs and anything that gives new experiences to the players.” Suda-51 beleives such a game might be tricky to make with “the current generation” of Japanese developers. However, he thinks as developers become aware of the “different tastes” of the three major markets–Europe, North America, and Japan–it might become easier.

Grasshopper Manufacture CEO, Goichi Suda.

Suda also adressed No More Heroes’ relative lack of success in Japan, where Marvellous Entertainment has yet to confirm a release date for the sequel. He said that western gamers are more open to games that are “silly” or “nasty” than those in his home country. He shrugged off suggestions that the Japanese development industry was not in good health, joking that the problem was just that journalists were upset at not being able to play No More Heroes 2 at TGS 2008.

Finally, Suda-51 teased that he might have something new to show off at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, though he wouldn’t elaborate. Tune in to GameSpot UK’s video show Start/Select next week for more from Suda-51, as he shows off a couple of his favourite parts of No More Heroes 2.

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Microsoft has announced more details about its Xbox Live Arcade “Block Party,” which is … right around the corner. Next month’s lead-up to the launch of the Xbox Game Room will see a promotion similar to the one offered during last year’s Summer of Arcade, and then some.

For Xbox Live Silver members that purchase all three Block Party titles released next month — Toy Soldiers, Perfect Dark and Scrap Metal – and then download the free Game Room “client,” Microsoft will credit your account 400 ($5). So, 3200 ($40) spent on the participating XBLA titles will get you back five bucks. If you’re a Gold member, though, the deal gets a little sweeter: Purchase the three titles, download Game Room, and you’ll get the 400 refund and a free month of Xbox Live Gold service (worth $4 and change if you’re an annual subscriber) credited to your account.

A free “everyone’s a Gold member” (no, not that Goldmember) weekend is also scheduled, permitting Silver members to play the three Block Party releases online (but only the Block Party releases) from 12pm ET on Friday, March 26 through 12pm ET on Monday, March 29.

Stay for the entire XBLA Block Party and receive parting gifts originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capcom’s latest motorcycle racing sim for Xbox 360, PS3 on track to kick off real-world 2010 season; demo due prerelease.

With MotoGP 09/10, Capcom set out to realign the game’s traditional holiday release window with one that better coincides with the start of the season. So the publisher was up front with the fact that the game would be out in March when it initially announced the game back in June 2009. Today, Capcom announced a specific race day for MotoGP 09/10, saying the game would be available in North America for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on March 16.

The doctor will see you shortly.

As its name implies, MotoGP 09/10 will pull its data from both the ‘09 and ‘10 racing seasons. Initially, the game will contain bikes, riders, tracks, and liveries from the 2009 season. Shortly after the game’s release, Capcom will add in content from the 2010 season, including new tracks, team updates, and bike classes, as a free downloadable update.

Developed by Monumental Games, MotoGP 09/10 will include a career mode in which players can manage their crew, hire staff, and compete in races in pursuit of a MotoGP championship. The game will also feature online multiplayer that lets players compete with up to 20 other racers from around the world. MotoGP 09/10 also packs a free-play-style arcade mode, as well as online leaderboards and a spectator mode.

Capcom plans to release a demo for the game through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network before its official launch. For more information, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage of MotoGP 09/10.

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Konami to publish FeelPlus follow-up to Phantagram’s Xbox 360-exclusive as N3II; Euro launch slated for spring.

When Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 in 2005, one of its prime directives was to gain a substantive foothold in Japan. To do so, the publisher signed on a variety of high-profile Japanese game developers to create games targeted specifically at the island nation, games like Ninety-Nine Nights from Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s Q Entertainment and codeveloped by Kingdom Under Fire studio Phantagram.

N3II retains the original’s suffocating hordes of enemies.

And though Ninety-Nine Nights didn’t fare particularly well with critics, Microsoft announced that it had tapped FeelPlus to develop a sequel for the Xbox 360 at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show. Today, Konami announced that it will publish the game in Europe this spring, with the game’s North American release to follow this summer. Konami also redubbed FeelPlus’ brawler as N3II: Ninety-Nine Nights.

N3II will be a direct follow-up to Phantagram’s original, presenting a style of beat-’em-up action similar to Koei’s button-mashing Dynasty Warriors franchise. Players can wade through hordes and hordes of enemies as one of five different factions, including humans, elves, and goblins. The five factions all have unique storylines, as well as race-specific skills and abilities. The game will also feature two-player online co-op, giving gamers a chance to team up to face down waves of enemies.

For more information, check out GameSpot’s hands-on with N3II.

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In what’s becoming the rule rather than the exception for EA games, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will receive day one DLC. Speaking to Worthplaying, senior producer Patrick Bach said, “We have an in-game store where you get free content or you can buy new content to the game, so it’s a very integral part of the game that we will have a long post-launch campaign. I think people will be thrilled to see what’s in that already. On day one, you will get some really cool stuff.”

It’s still not clear if that “really cool” stuff will be free, for-pay or both — in the case of EA’s usual in-the-box DLC strategy, it would be free to new buyers and sold separately for used copies of the game. You’ll remember that during the release of the first Bad Company, EA was actually threatened with a boycott for its (soon abandoned) strategy that would have created an in-game gap between players that spent extra money and those who didn’t. Hopefully EA and DICE will be a bit smarter about things this time around.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 to have day-one DLC originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Publisher rides Final Fantasy XIII’s Japanese launch, Eidos acquisition to ballooning net income of $87 million on $1.51 billion revenues.

Square Enix continues to see its revenues inflate after subsuming UK publisher Eidos in April 2009. This week, the Japanese gaming publisher reported revenue of ¥135.4 billion ($1.51 billion) for the nine-month period ended December 31, up 30.9 percent from the same period in 2008. Profits also jumped during the first nine months of its fiscal year, rising 48.2 percent to ¥7.8 billion ($87 million).

Final Fantasy is bringing in the gil hand over fist.

Net sales for Square Enix’s games segment stood at ¥72.9 billion ($813 million) for the period, a 97 percent increase from the year-ago period. Operating income matched the pace of that growth, rising 99 percent to ¥18 billion ($200 million). Dragon Quest IX, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Final Fantasy XIII, and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days led sales for the publisher during the period.

Square Enix did not provide unit-sales updates for any of the games launched during the period. However, as part of its first-half report in November, the publisher said that Arkham Asylum had sold 2.63 million units and Kingdom Hearts 385/2 had sold 1.22 million copies. The publisher also previously announced that Final Fantasy XIII had sold 1.7 million units upon its debut in Japan in December.

As for the remainder of its fiscal year, the publisher expects to publish the PC version of Gas Powered Games’ Supreme Commander 2 in North America on March 2, with the Xbox 360 version following on March 16. In between the arrival of those two, Square Enix will deploy its heavy hitter Final Fantasy XIII internationally on March 9, with Just Cause 2 coming for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on March 23.

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It looks like that entire game’s worth of removed content might be making it into Final Fantasy XIII after all. GameStop has posted the box art for the Xbox 360 version of the game and, more importantly, it has also posted the art for the back of the box. As you can see above, the box mentions that Final Fantasy XIII will support downloadable content after all, though there is no mention of what the DLC actually is. It’s worth noting that the content could be something as simple as Avatar outfits or accessories, though it would certainly make sense for Square Enix to supply its most well-known franchise with post-launch DLC.

The news comes after producer Yoshinori Kitase was rumored to have stated that no DLC had been planned for the game, though he noted it was still “possible.” Final Fantasy Union, however, notes that Kitase apparently confirmed DLC during a recent interview with the Dutch Official Playstation Magazine. The box art certainly seems to confirm that, though we’ve reached out to Square for clarification. As of this writing, GameStop has yet to post the art for the back of the PS3 version, so it’s unclear if both platforms will support said content.

[Via Final Fantasy Union]

Back of FFXIII box for 360 mentions DLC originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Washington studio says Microsoft’s camera-based motion sensor will not be used in upcoming shooter this fall.

Speculation has run rampant as to whether Bungie will integrate Microsoft’s Project Natal into its top shooter franchise, Halo, ever since the motion-sensing device was revealed at the 2008 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Though Microsoft initially insinuated that Bungie may be delivering a compatible game for the device upon its launch–an event scheduled for this holiday–the publisher has also noted that Natal support in Halo won’t happen “until it makes sense.”

Emphasis in original.

Now, it appears as if Natal support doesn’t make sense for Halo: Reach, a game that is “probably” Bungie’s last effort in the franchise. In a post to its Web site, Bungie stated that Halo: Reach will not make use of Project Natal when it arrives for the Xbox 360 later this year. The refutation comes after a recently released screenshot for the game showed an off-center targeting reticle, which some took as confirmation that the device would in fact be supported.

“Halo: Reach is NOT a Natal title and is being developed expressly with the traditional Xbox 360 controller in mind,” the developer said in a post to its official site. (Emphasis in original.) As for the errant targeting reticle, Bungie said that it could be chalked up to a bug in the game’s code (”Bug #15163 to be exact”).

Depicting some of the same events that took place in the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund, Bungie’s latest shooter will follow a squad of multiple Spartan soldiers. According to Microsoft, the six-Spartan group is Noble Squad, the military unit that will be the focus of the game. Halo: Reach will apparently chronicle their battles with the Covenant as they try to protect Reach’s human inhabitants from their relentless onslaught.

For more information, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage of Halo Reach.

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Wii price cut and slowing DS sales cut into Mario Factory’s bottom line; Legend of Zelda sells 2.45 million, DSi XL sells 700,000.

Following a rough 2009, Nintendo today issued its earnings report for the nine months ending December 31. The April to December period saw sales of ¥1,182.1 billion ($13.06 billion), a decline of 23.1 percent compared to the same time frame in 2008. Nintendo’s nine-month net profit was ¥192.6 billion ($2.13 billion), down 9.4 percent year over year.

Wii Sports Resort was flying high with 13.58 million units sold.

Though Nintendo blamed appreciation of the yen for much of the downfall, another reason for the decline was slowing sales of the DS. From April to December 2009, Nintendo sold 23.35 million units of the dual-screen handheld worldwide, down from 25.62 million during the same period in 2008. The 2009 total included 13.51 million DSis and 700,000 large-screen DSi XLs (currently available only in Japan as the DSi LL).

Wii sales also fell during the nine-month period, going from 20.5 million in 2008 to 17.05 million in 2009. The shortfall came despite Nintendo cutting the Wii’s price in September from $250 to $200 in the US, from €250 to €200 in the EU, and from ¥25,000 to ¥20,000 in Japan. (In the UK, the Wii’s recommended retail price of ¥180 remained unchanged, but Nintendo began bundling the console with Wii Sports Resort and the Wii MotionPlus accessory, along with the already standard Wii Sports pack-in.)

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks has sold 2.45 million units since its December launch.

In terms of software, some 121.38 million DS games were sold from April to December 2009, down from 163.78 million the year prior. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver was the top new title, selling 3.74 million units in Japan. (The game launches in March in North America and Europe.) Its forbearer, Pokemon Platinum Version, sold 3.1 million globally, followed by Tomodachi Collection’s 2.74 million units. Finally, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks sold 2.45 million copies following its worldwide launch in December.

New Wii games posted higher totals, with Wii Sports Resort selling 13.58 million units worldwide from April to December. Global consumers also scooped up 10.55 million units of New Super Mario Bros. Wii and 10.16 million copies of Wii Fit Plus, the recently introduced reworking of Wii Fit.

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