Games Industry Wire

Yep, we were let down by the gaming hype yet again as Island of Rhodes turned out to just be a site where developers of God of War II could post videos about the game. So much for an announcement.
The site features videos from the games director Cory Barlog as well as other designers, animators, and artists. And that’s it. Feel free to check it out but it’s a pretty empty site. I am so glad I didn’t stay up to see what it was about.

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The RumorReporter has got his hands on lists of GameStop’s Wii and DS release dates which confirm some games as well as give us an estimate on their arrival date. A quick look at the lists (embedded below) has some game stand out. Notable DS released include Simpsons: The Game, Jam Session, and Phantom Hourglass. For the Wii we can look forward to Resident Evil 4, Alien Syndrome (?), and Manhunt 2. Here are the complete lists from RumorReporter:

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Here an unconfirmed video showing the spring Xbox 360 dashboard update:
Here are some of the major changes that will happen to the dashboard on May 7th when the update is set to release.

Added integration between Windows Live messenger
Marketplace skins for special events
Marketplace will be updated for easier navigation
Low-power downloading with auto-off feature

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When Halo 3 is released this fall there will be 3 different versions of the game to choose from. The most shocking price tag wise is the Halo 3 legenary edition which will fetch a reported $129.99. You do get a lot for the price including a sweet Halo 3 replica helmet that any true gamer would be proud to display on their mantle.
The other 2 editions will fall more in line with what games expect. The first is a Limited edition of the game costing $69.99 in a metal case with a bonus content DVD as well as Halo …read more

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What we thought was going to be Girls Gone Wild turns out to just be pool with a dose of nudity for added measure. We first reported the odd partnership back in February but it appears the deal never got signed. The game’s title and references in press releases only ever referred to it as pocket pool making most question whether the deal was done and it turns out it wasn’t.
GameSpot is reporting that it will not be featuring the GGW name. Here’s a quote from the site:
“While I can confirm that the Girls Gone Wild license was in …read more

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The super popular “Gears of War” game appears to be heading to the big screen courtesy of New Line. Variety reports New Line won the rights to the popular Microsoft and Epic Games creation.
Writing the screenplay will be Stuart Beattie who also penned Pirates of the Caribbean and Collateral.  Producers will be Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey.
The article states that the deal is with Epic alone who retained rights despite allowing Microsoft development. With its commercial success a sequel is essentially guaranteed making a movie/game co-release a distinct possibility.
So far the numbers easily show how popular “Gears” has been selling …read more

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With God of War yet to make the jump to PS3 some news is coming out on what the future holds for the popular series. Here’s a condensed version of what Joystiq had to say:

Much of the rumors surrounded the series upcoming PSP title. The game will not be a port and will have its own unique storyline from either of the first 2 games, both for PS2.
The PSP game may have PS2 or PS3 connectivity but it hasn’t been announced either way to this point
The speculated but not-yet-announced God of War 3 for PS3 will include vibration, motion, and …read more

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Joystiq recently reported news from Nintendo’s Takeshi Shimada about the Wii and possible upcoming changes, additions, and upgrades. Here’s what we found out:

Nintendo is considering adding a text-to-speech tool to the console that will allow the Wii to read text aloud. This would be most useful for news as well as emails while users can just listen to what they need to hear while completing other tasks.
An upgrade may be in the works to predict upcoming movements to make the Wii’s menus a bit more fluid by predicting and loading likely programs before actually being accessed.
The article also discusses a …read more

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GameDailyBiz has the numbers from February and they are inpressive. Here’s a piece from the article:
“On the hardware front the DS sold more than any other platform with 485K units, followed by the Wii with 335K units. The PS2 once again outsold the Xbox 360, 295K vs. 228K. Meanwhile, the PS3 sold a disappointing 127K, far below analysts’ estimate of 200K. In fact, the old GBA even outsold the PS3, with 136K. Sony’s PSP managed to sell 176K. Finally, trailing the pack (essentially on life support) was the GameCube with 24K.”
If Nintendo keeps this up they might find themselves in …read more

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After rumoms about the PSP went from redesign, to no redesign, to redesign again we held off reporting the news until we knew what what was happening. Kotaku is now reporting that a PSP2 will be coming. E3 is being guessed as the location for the announcement of the redesigned console which is said to boast such features as:

An improved screen
Faster load times
Improved buttons
8GB of internal flash memory
Possible touch-screen and camera

I think this redesign will make the PSP more attractive. The DS redesign transformed the DS from the lump of silver plastic I currently own into a hugely popular and …read more

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