Late Night Consoling

17
  • Surprise: Ueda and Team Ico still working on PS3

    [ps3]

    Though it was first revealed sixteen months ago in Japanese publication Dengeki, the internets have been aflutter this week with news that designer Fumito Ueda and Team Ico, the talent responsible for delivering the critically acclaimed Ico (PS2) and Shadow of the Colossus, are working on a new game for PlayStation 3. These reports stem from another Japanese publication, Famitsu, in which Team Ico took out a full page ad calling for experienced developers to apply to the Sony-owned studio and contribute to the still unannounced game.

    Hooray!

  • Foul-mouthed noser to traverse cubes on PS3

    [ps3]

    Sony Online Entertainment sends word that classic (and intensely frustrating) arcade puzzle/platform game Q*Bert, which celebrates a quarter century of existence this year, will be released for PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Store later this month. Presented in 720p resolution with online leaderboards, the game will support up to two players in hot pyramid-navigating action.

    SOE released several screenshots of the game today.

    Q*Bert is set for release on February 22, 2007 for $4.99.

  • Eidos goes to Montreal

    [ps2] [ps3] [xbox360] [wii] [ds] [psp] [gba]

    Montreal, which has become something of a game development hotbed in recent years, will be host to a branch of yet another major publisher in the near future. Eidos Interactive, owned by SCi Entertainment, announced its intention to open up a development studio in Quebec's largest city, which will create some 350 new jobs over the next three years. In total, the studio will contain three development teams working on current generation consoles; one is planned to go operational this year, with the others opening through 2009.

    UK-based Eidos operates only one other North American development studio, current Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics in California. "I'm really delighted to be joining Eidos who deserve their worldwide recognition for some fantastic games," said new Eidos Montreal GM Stephane D'Astous. "I look forward to establishing a brand new studio that will continue this legacy and develop AAA, next-generation titles that will demonstrate once again the expertise and knowledge we have in Montreal."

  • Forza 2 to go European this May

    [xbox360]

    This January, Forza Motorsport 2 (X360) developer Turn 10 revealed that the game will be hitting North American retail shelves this May. Today, the studio announced that European Xbox 360 owners will be able to pick up the game the same month. "After some debate, we felt it was only right for Forza Motorsport 2's online community if we were to release the game on a global level simultaneously," said community manager Che Chou.

    Along with the announcement, Turn 10 released four new screenshots. For a list of the nearly three dozen European exotics that will be featured in Forza 2, head over to the latest official development update.

  • Work @ keen games

    [wii]

    Keen games, Germany's first licensed Wii development studio, sends word that it is looking for programmers and artists to help fill out its ranks. Previously, keen games was known as Neon Studios. It is currently working on a Wii-exclusive title due out in 2008.

  • Misc. Q&As/Features

    N'Gai Croal celebrates 100 posts of the informative Level Up blog, featuring the Dread Watch counter, chronicling how long Microsoft's J Allard has refused to honor a bet and head up a press conference in dreadlocks.

Misc. Media/Previews

PS2/PS3

IGN has an update on the PS2 version of Criterion's Burnout Dominator (PS2, also PSP) as well as impressions of Namco's Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (PS3).

Screenshots: Q*Bert (PS3).

Xbox/X360

Screenshots: Forza Motorsport 2 (X360).

Portable

Previews of Planet Moon's After Burner: Black Falcon (PSP) come to us from GameSpy and GameSpot.

Multi

GameSpot checks out Starbreeze's The Darkness (PS3, X360).

Screenshots: Backyard Basketball 2007 (PS2, PC).

Cover art: Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (PS3, X360, PC).

Console Game Of The Evening [Submit Yours!]

Radical Dreamers for the Super NES. "The weird ass text-based "sidequel" to Chrono Trigger. It was the inspiration for the horror that was Chrono Cross. Yay for ROM hacks!" (submitted by RevRaven)

From The Chatty
  • reply
    February 15, 2007 8:01 PM

    I'll have to get a PS3 once the Ico team release their game.

    • reply
      February 15, 2007 8:03 PM

      Metal Gear Solid for me

      • reply
        February 15, 2007 8:10 PM

        Also coming out on 360 (afterwards)!

        • reply
          February 15, 2007 8:16 PM

          MGS4 was my reason for a PS3, but now, eh.

        • reply
          February 15, 2007 8:17 PM

          What

        • reply
          February 15, 2007 9:15 PM

          MGS4 is never going to 360. Kojima has said he hated MGS1 on gamecube and MGS2 on XBOX. Is it a surprise that MGS3, arguably the best yet, was never ported?

          • reply
            February 15, 2007 9:57 PM

            Haha, why did he hate the GC version? Because it showed up his previous effort?

            • reply
              February 15, 2007 10:05 PM

              Yeah I won't buy the validity of this without a source. Twin Snakes was a great remake, on par with the original Resident Evil's.

              • reply
                February 15, 2007 10:35 PM

                I've definitely seen that bit quoted before, his distaste for the GC version which was developed, IIRC, largely without his involvement.

                • reply
                  February 16, 2007 5:50 AM

                  The only thing I've seen that MAY cause that inference is that Kojima asked his own man (Kitamaru) to redo the cut scenes (note, Kitamaru was doing them originally) because they were done exactly like the ones in the first MGS.

              • reply
                February 15, 2007 10:38 PM

                You're so wrong :D

        • reply
          February 15, 2007 9:21 PM

          That was a good joke.

        • reply
          February 15, 2007 9:46 PM

          I'm not counting on it, but it honestly wouldn't surprise me. Just because Kojima doesn't like the idea--and no, he's not adverse to it--doesn't mean Konami won't outright make him do it. A lot more people have a 360 than a PS3, which is quite the opposite from the last console generation. Plus, a lot of developers are moving their one time PS3 exclusives to ports for the 360.

          Not saying it'll definitely happen, I'm just saying that it could.

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