Games Industry Wire

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Usually Nintendo releases new Super Mario Bros titles on their console. However, will sales of the DS EMBARRASSING the GameCube’s sales, it seems they’ve decided to showcase their latest Mario title on the popular handheld.
This latest version puts Mario and Luigi in a sort of old-skool, side-scolling game complete with flagpoles and a typical Bowser, albeit graphically updated to satisfy today’s gamers.
In typical Nintendo fashion, they’ve made it easy enough to play for a novice but with extras and irritating difficult levels/areas that will delight even the best players (3 star coins in each level). And, …read more

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Microsoft was convinced that a year lead would put them ahead in the console wars against Sony. MS expects to have around 8-10million consoles out by the time the PS3 launches. However, Jack Tretton, Sony’s American Executive VP and co-COO, seems to disagree, and that Microsoft’s jump in sales will not affect the PS3 negatively in any fashion; in fact, he insist it could be a disadvantage.
I’m not sure what Tretton’s was trying to accomplish by not being somewhat concerned about the 360’s early launch. Yeah, the PS3 may win this console war again, but the margin gets slimmer and …read more

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I really want a DS lite, there I said it. I’ve always been a sucker for handhelds. I always get a handheld, and then I realize I did not really want it. I realize that I’m usually home more than not, and I would rather be playing something on my TV. However, maybe the DS will be different (lol). Maybe, just maybe, I will actually use the DS and not lose it or get tired of it.
I think the rest of the U.S. wants a DS lite too. 136,500 DSs have been sold in the US in the first two …read more

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Which ads are working?
While I don’t have the data to tell you which games and ads are parlaying this well, I can tell you how I would do in game advertising.
Finding the right game for my product
Advertising McDonalds in a medieval game like Oblivion would be ridiculous.  If my client was a product of the 20th Century, I wouldn’t be looking to place their spots in a game in which they would not mesh well.  Finding the right game is key.  You’re looking for these things:
Era, Mood and Type
Do you need an RPG (role playing game), an FPS (first person …read more

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Square Enix, creator of the popular final fantasy series, knows a thing or two about MMORPGs. They probably have the most popular role playing game franchise to-date. And, with Final Fantasy 8 debuting on the PS3 it does not seem like things are not slowing down for them.
On the other side of the spectrum, Microsoft has always needed a good MMORPG, thus, it seems possible that Microsoft would look to the experts when creating such a game. If Microsoft did obtain the Final Fantasy series that would also largely increase their presence in Japan, which they’ve tried to do many …read more

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I know that for some of you, to call the ‘graphic novel’ a comic book would be sacrilege, so I’ll stick to graphic novel for this post.
1UP has a few graphics from the soon to be released graphic novel (due out July12).  It won’t retell the already published Halo book (and sequel), but will look at side stories instead.  If anyone gets their hand on this, I’d love to see it.
Microsoft won’t talk more about Halo for a while, as they don’t want to take attention away from Gears of War, but look for Halo 3 mid-2007.

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There’s a movement to place video games in the exhibition sports category of the upcoming Olympics in China. That’d place it behind a number of official recognized sports that still don’t hold a place in the Olympics (bridge, billiards, chess and tug of war). Tug of war???

With the Olympics already cutting Baseball, Softball and others from the upcoming Olympics, I can’t see them making competitive gaming an Olympic sport any time soon.
While I know it’d be fun, just look at all your fellow gamers… How proud would you be to see them in a tight-fitting …read more

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Because of upcoming development office closings, TakeTwo’s stocks took a nosedive today.
Shares of the Take-Two (down $2.48 to $14.29, Research) fell 14.7 percent in morning trade on Nasdaq Friday.
Their development office closings caused an unexpected loss, and upon reporting that the shares took a tumble.  Of course they don’t mention that the whole world is fed up RockStar…

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What starts out as a great “Making of Halo 3″ PR video for Microsoft, turns out to be a cat fight that’s really worth watching. Of course, the fact that I’m blogging about it and that Justin emailed it to me means that their PR is working, I guess.
Viral PR… Microsoft/Bungie really gets this stuff. Or, I guess Edelman (their PR firm) gets it.

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There have been a lot of rumors flying around about how Sony will lose a hefty billion on the PS3. I’m not sure how legit that is, but I do know that Nintendo is reporting that they will not lose much at all on the Wii’s launch. Initially almost all game companies, that produce consoles, will lose money on launch to remain competitive. Usually companies incur those costs in hopes that the technology will become cheaper and they will make money on the games.
It seems, however, that Nintendo’s Wii will actually be profitable from the beginning. Though Nintendo does not …read more

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