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King's Bounty: Princess
An expansion to bury Heroes V deeper still
An expansion to bury Heroes V deeper still
    | Jan 30, 2007 Barely did we mention it about a week ago, in a RPG news round-up, and now Zuxxez' and Reality Pump's fantasy RPG once again honors us with its presence in the following lines. Although ironically said "honors", since all that we have is a bad news for those of you who were eagerly waiting for it, like some top-quality substitute for other recent productions in the genre (Oblivion and Gothic 3 in particular). So, it looks like Two Worlds was delayed. Yes, again! The producers broke the news straight on the game's website, where they confessed that their RPG will not be out in Europe on March 7, but on May 9, 2007. The delay was justified by the need to further balance the game, and to perfect the multiplayer aspect, which should hopefully place Two Worlds one step ahead - or at least sideways - when compared to the two heavy-weight titles mentioned above. The clarification comes from Zuxxez's CEO, Alexandra Constandache:
So don't despair, it's not that big of a delay. In early May, the enormous world of Antaloor from Two Worlds will open its doors both on PC and Xbox 360, inviting all those role-playing fans who just can't get enough. (N.B. Archive text, links removed) 20 Million DS Sold In Europe And Americas, 3.2 Million Wii Worldwide Nintendo began a tour de force on Monday, January 22, when they announced that the DS had sold a total of 10 million units in Europe, since its May 2005 debut on the old continent. This figure also includes the redesinged DS Lite that came out in June 2006, and just in December alone, Nintendo managed to sell some 1.7 million DS units across Europe. All in all, Nintendo says it's the fastest console to reach the 10 million mark and the best-selling handheld in history, in the territory. To further pimp their announcement, Nintendo also updated their software sales figures, which now include over 5 million Nintendogs (meaning half of the DS owners in Europe also bought this game!), topping not only North America, but even Japan. Furthermore, Brain Age so far sold 2 million copies (since its June 2006 release), and plenty more first-party titles reached the 1 million mark as well - including New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64 DS, Mario Kart DS, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Animal Crossing: Wild World. Then, just a few days later, Nintendo returned with the annoucement that the DS also reached the 10 million mark in total units units sold across North and South America. The handheld console made its American debut back in November 2004, and last month the DS sold 1.6 million units in the US. Nintendo also provided the following updated DS line-up in North America during Q1 2007:
Moving on to the Wii front, Nintendo's latest financial report boasts some pretty amazing numbers in itself: 4 million Wii units manufactured by the end of 2006 - during which time they managed to deliver and sell 3.19 million Wiis - as well as the following:
Need I really draw any conclusion?... (N.B. Archive text, links removed) Unreal Tournament 3, Unreal Tournament III... Just Not UT 2007 Epic Games' plans to release a new UT game each year have long since gone down the drain, and even the upcoming Unreal Tournament 2007 - originally intended to be released in 2006 - couldn't keep up with the prolonged development time required for such a next-gen multiplayer shooter. So now that the whole EA Sports-like numbering system is compromised, Epic and Midway are finally changing the game's title, from UT 2007, to Unreal Tournament 3 - according to a report on GameSpy. They say that the game is scheduled to be released in the latter half of this year for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and they point out that there's a new UT3 trailer, which we found lurking on IGN.
On their gamespace, there's also the following new description for the game:
It's also worth noting that the old UT2007.com official website currently shows only a splash page with a huge "III" in the background, indicating that the game's new title might actually be Unreal Tournament III, with Roman numerals. In any case, we expect that page to redirect you either to UnrealTournament3.com, or to UnrealTournamentIII.com soon (this latter one simply takes you back to UT2007.com). On the other hand, the UnrealTournament3.com domain, which is also registered by Epic Games, gives a "Bad Request (Invalid Hostname)" message right now. So we'll wait a bit longer for it to go live. Well... now that it's settled, they can safely delay it to 2008, without having to worry about adjusting the title anymore. Oh wait, why is it UT3, when this is actually the 4th one?! (N.B. Archive text, links removed) Thou Shall Not Make Violent Video Games, Says The Pope I don't usually trust priests, especially if they're Shadow specced. But when The Pope takes the stage, I guess it's worth taking the time to listen. Especially if he has something to say about video games - which, mind-boggling as it may sound, is actually what happened this week during Pope Benedict XVI's public message themed around the 41st World Communications Day. That's right, His Holyness touched upon the issue of violent, anti-social and sexually explicit games, among other forms of "entertainment" deemed "repulsive" by the Roman Catholic Church (and we suspect many other curches as well). Gamasutra reports that the theme of the Ratzinger's message was "Children and the Media: A Challenge for Education", and further implies that
Ever wondered what would happen if the Ten Commandments would be applied to our virtual worlds? Thou shall not pickpocket... Thou shall not gank... Thou shall not /sexy at your guild-mate's succubus... That would be such a boring world to play in. Much like real life. (N.B. Archive text, links removed) BioWare, Midway, NCsoft, Spellborn, 10tacle, Atari, Trilogy Studios, Mistwalker, THQ, Gearbox, Sony Online, Electronic Arts, NetDevil, even the US Army: these are just some of the developers and publishers currently using Epic's Unreal Engine 3 technology to carve the future of gaming. And even though there are still very few games to show for, the big names just keep on signing Epic's next-gen engine, hoping to reduce development costs by making an early, hefty investment for a neat pre-coded engine. We obviously can't blame them, since many of their projects are shaping up to become the very best(-looking) games in 2007 and 2008. And when a name like Square Enix comes along and jumps on the Unreal Engine 3 bandwagon, we can only open our eyes wide and hold them like that, until something stunningly beautiful comes along. Because something will, we're sure of it! Indeed, Square Enix is now one of the many companies using Epic's technology, as freshly announced in a press-release issued by the Japanese giant, and discussed on Gamasutra. This licensing may come as a bit of a surprise, since Square Enix has already shown what their proprietary White Engine is capable of (think Final Fantasy XIII). But apparently they were too technologically-challenged by the implications of HD graphics and multi-core parallel processing, which is why they resorted to "building a combined technology platform to use throughout the company, utilizing proprietary technologies as well as third-party solutions such as Unreal Engine 3". We're not quite sure what this change of development tactics will mean for the likes of Final Fantasy XIII and FF Versus XIII, but we're wishing them a speedy adaptation. UPDATE: The most unsurprising rumour, since Duke Nukem Forever was last delayed, is that FF XIII is not coming out in 2007 - as if anyone actually thought it would! (N.B. Archive text, links removed) As Che Guevara would have probably said after playing last year's subversive shooter Just Cause, it only takes 6 GB of explosive gaming goodness to start a revolution. Just one month after Avalanche Studios' action game was sucessfully deployed at retail last September, rebellious fans around the world rejoiced when the Swedish developer's CEO, Christofer Sundberg, revealed to a local magazine that his studio was already hard at work on a sequel. At that time, publisher SCi Games / Eidos was still refusing to make any comments, but that has finally changed this week. In SCi's latest financial report, the company bluntly admits that the Just Cause sequel is in development, after recalling the original game's surprisingly good performance in the UK charts, and saying that they now expect it to hit the 1 million in sales mark during their current fiscal year.
In lack of any other kind of details about the sequel, we'll just assume for now that it will be called something like Just Cause 2, and stick with what we know so far: that it will leave behind the huge (though fictional) Caribbean island of San Esperito, in order to move within the boundaries of an extremely large urban environment. As for the target platforms, let's see... Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, maybe? That would be just. (N.B. Archive text, links removed) Last week, BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka made quite a revealing statement in an interview with CVG, stating that BioWare plans to add post-release and episodic content not only for Mass Effect (something that's been known about since early 2006), but also for other games they're currently developing, both on console and PC - such as Dragon Age, Jade Empire: Special Edition and other projects yet to be unveiled. Including BioWare Austin's secretive MMORPG, we assume. That statement alone was enough to shed a whole new light on BioWare's future strategy, and this week the lights gets brighter still! As reported on Shacknews, some fans that attended this week's Video Games Live concert in Edmonton, Canada, got a chance to chat with the same Dr. Ray Muzyka, and he reportedly stated that his studio is also developing for the PlayStation 3. Considering that he told this to several attendants, it's likely that an official annoucement on this matter will follow soon. Impatient as always, 1UP tried to yank the rabbit out of the hat in advance, but all they got in return from BioWare was this meaningless, yet teasing response:
Well, you heard 'em: stay tuned... P.S. In other BioWare news, a couple of days ago they also revealed a new Mass Effect cover artwork (note that the box contains an "Only on Xbox 360" notice - much like the non-Xbox360-exclusive Enchanted Arms). (N.B. Archive text, links removed) Halo 3 Beta Invites This Week, More Bungie Updates // UPDATE Sure enough, there's been plenty of Halo 3 news piled up over the last few days, so there's no time to waste: let's dig in. First and foremost, as the Halo3.com website announces, the first phase of the Halo 3 Beta registration process is now closed, and Beta invitations are already being sent off this week! If you're one of the lucky ones selected to participate, Microsoft congratulates you and asks that you "stay tuned for an email notification on the week of January 22-26, 2007". Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? If you don't, just hold on tight and get ready for the next two phases, in which more fans will get access to the Halo 3 beta. The first one is the so-called "Rule of Three" program, set to take place over Xbox Live in early February; and the other one is through purchasing "specially marked boxes" of the upcoming game Crackdown (sounds tricky...). More detailed information on these two options are presented on the official Halo 3 website. Moving on to Bungie's own weekly update, reading between the lines leads us to believe that Halo 3 is playable "from end to end" by now. That only means that all the raw (more or less) levels are in place, but they still have to pour in "layers and layers of details" - which they're doing indeed, at an "astonishing" speed no less! Towards the end of the update, it's revealed that the game's latest build includes "a working, controllable version of a brand new vehicle". Which reminds me that, just a couple of days earlier, Bungie also detailed the MA5C Assault Rifle - complete with full specs, description, observations, remarks, and what not. And finally, CVG points us to a Bungie interview from Edge magazine (also available online). "What stands out the most", they notice, "is technical lead Chris Butcher's comments on his disapointment with Halo 2":
Sure, that may be a bit out of context, but read on to see what led to his perfectly justified frustration. UPDATE: To clear up the "specially marked boxes" confusion, Microsoft told CVG that *every* UK copy of Crackdown will include a Halo 3 Beta invite. Same thing goes for the US, says Gamespot. [26.01.2007, 18:26] (N.B. Archive text, links removed) Lumines was one of the PSP's biggest surprise hits, and to this day it remains the best-ranked game for Sony's handheld platform on GameRankings.com (although the new Sid Meier's Pirates! is also soaring high). After releasing the Lumines II sequel last November, the game's creators from Q Entertainment - led by Tetsuya Mizuguchi - are about to make a comeback in Europe this February. Their new PSP game, Every Extend Extra (EEE) is a completely new experience that promises to be just as "addictive", and even more "hypnotic" and "explosive", featuring an exuberating blend of visuals, sound and gameplay.
Last we checked, EEE's European release date was set February 9 (the game already shipped in the US). In preparation for the launch, we were sent a whole bunch of exclusive content, most of which we posted today on Playfuls for your visual delight. We'll start off easy, with some psychedelic screenshots and wallpapers. Once you feel your brain starting to swirl, you can safely move on to watching these mind-bending gameplay trailers (one of which is available for online streaming, the rest are in the full .zip pack). And to wrap it all up, we also have an EEE tutorial trailer running for nearly two minutes, in which you'll be shown what the game is all about and a few hints at keeping the whole on-screen madness in check. The mind literally boggles! (N.B. Archive text, links removed) Ah, what a wonderful day for flying... Actually, no, I'm lying. The weather's horrible outside, but I'm hoping you'll find this lousy excuse of an intro way better suited to your local meteorological condition. Either way, just pretend that it really is a wonderful day for flying, and therefore the perfect occasion for someone - like Wild Hare Entertainment - to announce a new flying If not, then here's some more from the young publisher's announcement, who boldly claims that "there are only two types of Aircraft - fighters and targets":
And if that still doesn't get your attention, then maybe this trailer will. Oh, no trailer? Then how about these screenshots? What, no screenshots either?! Pff, young publishers these days... In any way, Air Battles: Sky Defender is developed by Pilot Entertainment, the creators of "Wings of Power: Heavy Bombers and Jets" and "World War II fighters" packs for the latest entries in Microsoft's Flight Simulator series. If that counts for something. Wild Hare plans to begin take-off procedures for Air Battles: Sky Defender in February 2007. Over and out cold. (N.B. Archive text, links removed) | Top stories Filter news Search news Latest comments
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Two Worlds Delayed Yet Again
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