Tag Archive: news


XBox 360 Tops Bing 2011 Technology Searches

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December 14, 2011

THE BUZZ: Bing has released a series of Top 10 lists today compiling its most searched subjects in a series of categories ranging from celebrities and musicians to technology.

Video games had a very strong showing as topping the list of top searched tech was the Xbox 360. Playstation 3 was ranked third and the Nintendo Wii was ranked sixth.

Other interesting notes to be taken was that the iPhone 5, which doesn’t even exist, but I guess enough people were wishing and hoping it did, came in at fourth. Apple products dominated the list overall in terms of spots taken as they also had the fifth spot with the iPad, seventh with the iPad 2, and tenth with the only laptop on the list with the MacBook Pro. The only other Microsoft product on the list was the Windows Phone 7, which took ninth. Rounding out the list was a couple of eReaders with the Nook taking the eighth spot and the Kindle taking number two.

No Google products made the list.

EGM’s TAKE: Everyone loves a good list, especially at the end of the year and especially us here at EGM (and we’ve got a few of our own special ones in the works as well, mwa ha ha ha ha), but considering that Bing is only the third top search engine with 14.8% of the search market behind Yahoo’s 15.2% and Google’s dominating 65.6%, you have to take this list with a grain of salt. And I don’t think anyone was surprised that a Microsoft product miraculously topped a list composed by another Microsoft product.

What do you folks think? As skeptical as us here at EGM? What search engine do you prefer to use? Do you search more about the Wii, Xbox 360, or PS3? Let us know with comments below!

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Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc HD Remake Coming

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November 29, 2011

THE BUZZ: Ubisoft has announced today, right on the heels of their recent Rayman: Origins release, that Spring of 2012 will see a HD remake of Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc released onto XBLA and PSN. Ubisoft also mentioned the game will run at a full 60 frames per second and that they estimate there should be 15 to 20 hours worth of game play in the download.

EGM’s TAKE: The big question that comes up with this announcement is of course going to be price. To release a full game of that length, I wouldn’t be surprised if this pushed into the $20 range, which is a lot for a download. But considering I’m sure the game was more than twice that in its original release back in 2003 on Xbox, PS2, and PC, it’ll still be a worthwhile deal if they include some new features. If it’s just a straight HD port though, this may seem like too much of a quick cash dash trying to capitalize on the remake trend lately and nostalgia for folks who played the original. Interesting though that Ubisoft chose Rayman 3 to remake when, and I know I speak for many on the EGM crew, Rayman 2 is widely considered the pinnacle of the series.

What do you folks think of this announcement? What is your favorite chapter in the Rayman series? Are you fans of all these remake releases lately (Resident Evil, ICO/Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, and Halo just to name a few)? Is making this a downloadable title the way to go? Let us know your thoughts with comments below!

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Sony Announces Adrian Gonzalez as MLB 12: The Show Cover Boy

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THE BUZZ: Sony announced today that the 2011 Gold Glove Winner at first base in the American League, Adrian Gonzalez of the Boston Red Sox, will grace MLB 12: The Show’s cover.

Gonzalez came to Beantown in the 2010-2011 off-season via a trade with the San Diego Padres and showed that the big market pressure would not faze him as he produced 27 HRs, 117 RBIs, and a .338 batting average in 159 games.

Gonzalez also marks the 3rd Red Sox to grace The Show’s cover in its 7th year after David Ortiz did it in the inaugural year of the franchise in 2006 and Dustin Pedroia did it in 2009. This selection also continues the trend that no outfielder or pitcher has ever graced the franchise’s cover.

EGM’S TAKE: This Boston bias that Sony is showing is a little ridiculous. Pedroia and Ortiz both made sense when they graced the cover, but Gonzalez will be lucky to even make the Top 5 in AL MVP voting after stellar years from guys like the New York Yankees’ Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, Toronto’s Jose Bautista, Texas’s Michael Young, the White Sox’s Paul Konerko, or Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. Not to mention National Leaguers like Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder of the Brewers, Matt Kemp of the Dodgers, or World Series Champion pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals Chris Carpenter, any of whom also would’ve been more than worthy to grace the cover.

Although Verlander was snatched up first by 2K and you wouldn’t want a pair of players from the same team to grace the only baseball games on the market so that eliminates Cabrera, there are still clearly better selections for the cover. Not to mention it is arguable that Gonzalez shouldn’t even have been in the Top 3 for the Gold Glove this year as he robbed players like the Yankees’ Mark Teixeira, the Rays’ Casey Kotchman, and Detroit’s Cabrera again, showing once more that offensive numbers somehow influence defensive awards. Heck, Gonzalez is barely in the Top 3 in the division when it comes to fielding and I’m tempted to put Toronto’s Adam Lind ahead of him.

All of this on top of the fact that he was part of the greatest collapse in baseball history blowing a nine game Wild Card lead with his Red Sox in the last month of the season.

The only explanation I might have is that Sony’s San Diego based studios have a soft spot for the guy for all the time he put in with the Padres and as long as he had a good year, this may have been planned ahead of time. It still seems fishy to me though when there are clearly better choices available to you.

What do you guys think of Adrian Gonzalez making the cover? Are you bigger fans of 2K or The Show? Is The Show showing a Boston bias? What other athletes may have been more deserving?

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Market Analysis Shows More Cash Coming in for F2P Games

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THE BUZZ: Newzoo, a market research group that specializes in video games, released a report yesterday that Americans are spending 24% more money on the micro transactions of free-to-play (F2P) games this year than they did in 2010.

This number equates so far to a total of $4.9 billion dollars across the nation being poured into F2P games. The report also warns via a prediction for 2012 that a time for consolidation could be at hand due to the market being saturated with high quality F2P games and that some may fold up shop before even getting started.

EGM’S TAKE: This report comes hot on the heels of the news that World of Warcraft lost 800,000 subscriptions last quarter and really seems to be painting a clear trend in the MMO market in that gamers do not want monthly fees anymore. With such high quality MMOs like FireFall, WildStar, Auto-Club Revolution, and more coming out as F2P in the coming months, it should be interesting to see just how much consolidation happens as Newzoo predicts.

It is also interesting to note that DCU Online, City of Heroes, and the soon to be re-released All Points Bulletin, games that started as subscription based, have also all switched to F2P in order to survive. It makes you wonder about games like The Secret World that have announced subscription plans at launch and if they will be able to buck this trend. You would think though EA would have learned this lesson after APB tanked last year.

What do you guys think of F2P MMOs? Are you fans? Do you prefer subscription based MMOs? What do you think of the micro transaction business model? Let us know your thoughts with comments below!

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RUMOR: The Simpsons Arcade Game Coming to XBLA

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THE BUZZ: XBLAFans.com, known for breaking the first news about Gotham City Impostors and Alan Wake: Night Springs is back for a downloadable trifecta as they have come across evidence that early 90s arcade classic beat ‘em up The Simpsons may be ported sooner rather than later to XBLA. This information comes after they found out that the Australian Ratings Board recently reviewed the game and are citing Backbone Entertainment as the developer.

The original arcade game, released in 1991, revolved around you playing as one of four Simpsons in a race to save Maggie who has been kidnapped by Mr. Burns and Smithers. The first video game ever revolving around the now pop culture icons had action very similar to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 arcade game, which was also a Konami product.

EGM’S TAKE: Konami just had a poll on their Facebook page where they asked fans which of their arcade classics they would like to see put on consoles and The Simpsons won by a staggering amount. Also, if Backbone has indeed been brought on as a developer to tweak the game possibly, they have a long history of producing quality downloadable titles and would be a perfect match to re-fit the arcade game for XBLA or even touch it up in the vein that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time was a couple of years ago with new graphics and dubbed Re-Shelled. On top of this, an iOS version of The Simpsons was made in 2009 and sold very well and Konami has been in the market of making XBLA ports of their classic arcade games recently including the X-Men arcade game and the aforementioned remake of TMNT: Turtles in Time, so it seems all evidence is pointing to this being a very strong possibility although nothing truly concrete has surfaced yet. I for one though would buy this day one if it is true and hope we can get something more solid in the coming days from Konami or Backbone to confirm this development.

What do you folks think? Would you drop $10 on a port of this classic arcade game? How do you feel about Konami bringing back these classic arcade games as downloads on consoles? Did you ever play the original The Simpsons arcade game? Let us know with comments below!

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Shadow Complex 2 ‘Largely Designed’?

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September 22, 2011

Cliffy B talks Shadow Complex 2, ChAIR clarifies

THE BUZZ: Cliff Bleszinski let loose in an interview with Gamasutra that Shadow Complex 2, a sequel to the 2009 downloadable smash hit Shadow Complex, a side-scrolling action/adventure game akin to old-school Metroid with a conspiracy theory twist, “is sitting there, it’s actually largely designed, we just need to find a partner to help us finish it so we can bring it to market”. EGM spoke with ChAIR representative Laura Mustard in regards to Cliffy B’s statement and this was her response:

“Regarding the recent Shadow Complex 2 rumors, there’s nothing new to report. As ChAIR creative director Donald Mustard has said in the past, following the release of Shadow Complex, ChAIR did some really great design work on Shadow Complex 2 before shifting gears to develop Infinity Blade as the iOS market was quickly emerging. Given the tremendous popularity of Shadow Complex, there’s a ton of interest in a sequel and plenty more we’d like to do in that universe. We’re confident we’ll re-visit when the right opportunity presents itself.”

Epic president Mike Capps has also gone on record previously stating pretty much the same thing while also acknowledging how risky a business move it was to move ChAIR off of a proven franchise like Shadow Complex and into a new realm like iOS. Although it has clearly paid off with Infinity Blade being a huge grosser in the iOS market and as Bleszinski pointed out in the Gamasutra interview, they were looking for a flagship product in the iOS realm to begin with and thought it would have been more work to port the original Shadow Complex over.

EGM’S TAKE: Most of this may be old news, but the thing that catches your eye and has caused this maelstrom of buzz surrounding the statement is ‘largely designed’ and the fact that Epic is looking for a partner. Assuming Bleszinski means a publishing partner as clearly between ChAIR and Epic the development side of things shouldn’t be an issue, the real question is why hasn’t Microsoft, publisher of the first Shadow Complex, jumped all over it knowing how well the first did or why hasn’t Sony thrown their hat in the ring to try and steal a jewel away from Microsoft’s dominate Xbox Live Arcade? If the game is ‘largely designed’, how much longer must we wait before one of the two comes to their senses for Shadow Complex 2 to be available for download? Of course, and this is just speculation on my part, there must be other factors involved keeping this from moving forward. Or they could be holding off until just the right time to announce it, like since Gears 3 is now out of the way, maybe a Summer of Arcade 2012 slot?

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EGM Buzz: Halo 4 Warthog Easter Egg in Forza 4

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September 13, 2011

Originally Published: September 6, 2011, on EGMMAG.com

THE BUZZ: Turn 10, the developer for Microsoft’s Forza franchise, has teamed up with 343 Industries to provide a unique experience in Forza 4. A special Halo 4 Warthog Easter egg will be featured in Forza 4’s brand new Autovista mode, which allows gamers to get a detailed look at some of the game’s super cars, and will provide fans of both franchises a chance to get up close and personal with the iconic all-terrain vehicle like never before.

WHAT WE KNOW: Turn 10 head Dan Greenawalt made sure to point out that this was an Easter egg meaning only the most hardcore of Forza 4 drivers would likely have a shot at unlocking the Warthog in the Kinect compatible Autovista mode. And considering you can’t drive the vehicle in the game (it would get smoked off the line as its top speed is only 78 MPH, but I wonder if a Ferrari could out run the bullets from its mini-turret), only the mightiest of mechanics might even be interested in going for it. An extra special addition to the Warthog Easter egg will be Cortana providing never before heard commentary as you explore the inner and outer workings of the vehicle.

WHAT IT MEANS: It’s not unheard of for a company to cross-promote with exclusive franchises, but I think it is actually a plus that the Warthog is not a drivable vehicle because when you cross promote too much, you might turn off the audience that is only interested in the primary franchise, in this case Forza 4, to begin with.

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EGM Buzz: I, Computer

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September 6, 2011

Originally Published: August 30, 2011, on EGMNOW.COM

THE BUZZ: IBM’s working on a new type of “cognitive computer chip” that not only performs preprogrammed functions, but can also learn and recognize elements in its environment and react to them—including play videogames—in a way similar to the human brain.

WHAT WE KNOW: IBM says their research team set up two prototype chips that “successfully demonstrated simple applications like navigation, machine vision, pattern recognition, associative memory, and classification.” One of the highlights came when they pointed out one chip in particular “taught itself how to play Pong,” which served as one of their first tests for cognitive recognition.

EGM’S TAKE: In terms of real-world applications, these chips could provide “smart” traffic signals, water-supply monitoring, or natural-disaster prediction. On a more personal note, imagine these chips in your iPad—or even your videogames—as they learn from your daily interaction. Developers could guarantee that no two gamers would have the same experience, as these smartchips could change a given game to challenge you specifically. Personally, I’d like to be the first to welcome our new computer overlords, as this is how a lot of apocalyptic science-fiction novels start: Computers that can think like humans then start to out-think humans. In all seriousness, I don’t know if it will ever get to that, but the applications for a chip like this are intriguing…if a bit frightening.

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EGM Buzz: Debit-Card Disaster

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Originally Published: August 30, 2011, on EGMNOW.COM

THE BUZZ: Customer Ryan Graves, citing improper charges to many of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold Member accounts, has filed a class-action lawsuit against the company for “an award of appropriate equitable relief.”

WHAT WE KNOW: Graves claims that he let his Xbox Live Gold Membership expire in January; in March, he renewed his subscription with a different debit card. When he received his bank statements the following month, he found that Microsoft had double-charged him for Xbox Live. When he called Microsoft to have one of the charges removed, believing it to be a mistake, he was told that both charges were legitimate. One was for his new subscription, while the other was for the original he’d let expire—and Microsoft refused him a refund. Graves’ class-action suit demands retribution for himself and others who’ve been double-charged, and it further states that Microsoft is in breach of contract with its users and in violation of the Electronic Funds Transfer Act.

EGM’S TAKE: There’s no way to know exactly how many customers have been affected beyond Graves—or who may be joining him in this lawsuit. But if Microsoft’s forced to refund money to these individuals at $60 a person, with over 30 million Xbox Live users as of January 2011, it would only take 0.1% of the current Xbox Live audience to cost Microsoft millions—never mind the legal fees.

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EGM Buzz: Turning Bits into Bucks

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August 23, 2011

Originally Published: August 16, 2011, on EGMNOW.COM

New Survey Shows 1 out of 3 American Gamers Buy DLC

THE BUZZ: A new study of online purchasing behavior commissioned by PlaySpan, a Visa company, and undertaken by VGMarket, a research firm specializing in video game content testing, shows that the online marketplace for game add-ons is strong and is only likely to grow stronger in the coming years.

WHAT WE KNOW: The study reveals that 31% of gamers have bought digital content for their gaming needs in the past year and 57% of those people did it on a regular basis of at least once a month. The survey also showed that 72% of gamers said they are likely to spend the same amount of money, if not more, in 2011 than they did in 2010.

WHAT IT MEANS: Surveys like this show a clear movement by the gaming community into the online realm in terms of acquiring content and the industry has taken notice. Considered a drop in the bucket at the time of purchase compared to a full $60 game, you see how these online purchases can add up and may compel more developers to promise DLC for their games in the future. This might also mean less resources being put towards developing new games as it becomes more and more profitable simply to keep adding on to games that already exist. This could also compel developers and publishers to pave the way for more efficient ways of making full games digitally accessible and could be the beginning of the end for discs and retail distribution.

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