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Is Crackdown Developer Ruffian Games Working on a New Game?

Justin Carter — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:15:17 +0000

Since the release of Crackdown 2 last year, not a lot’s been heard from developer Ruffian Games. In fact, the last anyone really heard from them was for a new DLC pack for Crackdown 2, and that was months ago. However the Scottish developer is now rumored to be working on a new multi-platform game.

Job listings at the Ruffian Games website are asking for an art director and environmental artists. The game they’re working on isn’t revealed, but they’re said to be in a “major contract with one of the biggest publishers in the industry,” so that’s potentially got the list whittled down to EA, Bethesda, Activision, Ubisoft, or Square Enix, since all of them put out multiplatform games.

Via [Joystiq]

Official Statement on GOG.com Closure Coming Wednesday

Sam Naylor — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:05:28 +0000

The staff at the recently shut down GOG.com have posted an update to the website, adding a few more details about the closure as well as the notification that the full official statement will be coming on Wednesday.

The update reads:

UPDATE 20.09.2010
First of all, we apologize everyone for the whole situation and closing GOG.com. We do understand the timing for taking down the site caused confusion and many users didn’t manage to download all their games. Unfortunately we had to close the service due to business and technical reasons.

At the same time we guarantee that every user who bought any game on GOG.com will be able to download all their games with bonus materials, DRM-free and as many times as they need starting this Thursday.

The official statement from GOG.com’s management concerning the ongoing events is planned on Wednesday. If you want to receive further information about GOG.com, please send an email to update_media@gog.com if you’re a media representative or to update_users@gog.com if you’re a user without a GOG account.

There are plenty of rumours flying about concerning the state of GOG.com, but make sure to check back on Wednesday to find out exactly what has happened to the formerly beloved site.

Rumour: PSP-4000 Coming to Japan this Year

Sam Naylor — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:05:24 +0000

A major Japanese retailer, Geo, has listed a PSP-4000 model in a lineup of products to be released this calendar year. Also included was a listing for the Nintendo 3DS, suggesting a 2010 release in Japan for both consoles.

It was a surprise not to see an new PSP model at E3 this year, but perhaps Sony will be trying to pull the same trick Microsoft did the with Xbox 360 Slim and release it on the same day they announce it (and give it to a room full of games journalists for free, causing them to whoop with delight). Obviously this is to be taken with a pinch of salt, as all retail listings are, but a PSP-4000 seems likely, given the track record of Sony releasing a new SKU every Autumn for the last few years.

[Via Siliconera]

Rumour: Team ICO Collection Coming in June 2011

Sam Naylor — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:31:33 +0000

Amazon France has posted a listing for one “Team ICO Collection” on PlayStation 3, with a release date of June 2011. We’ve heard rumours of this before, as well as statements about it from Fumito Ueda, so this is just fuel for the fire at this point.

Back in May we spotted a rumour that the game would be coming to PS3 at some point, but it’s nice now to have a little more info on a release date. Of course, Amazon’s release dates are purely speculative, but from having no clue to having a speculative clue is better than nothing. I think this is really something to be excited about, since Team ICO’s games are just begging to be upgraded to HD.

There is info to suggest a Q1 2011 release date, but it could be that it has been pushed back to June (30 June to quote Amazon France). More info as it comes in, folks!

[Via VG247]

See the New Nintendo 3DS Cartridge

Sam Naylor — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:35:31 +0000

Some pictures have surfaced of the new 3DS cartridge and the slots they will slot into.

As you can see, it’s very similar to the DS carts, though with a little lip on the side. Not all that much info on the carts is available at present, but we do know that the carts will be able to support up to 2GB of data.

The new carts are also supposedly made to fight piracy on the platform, though there’s not really any info on how that will happen. I suspect the pirates will find a way- they are quite good at that sort of thing.

Microsoft Kinect will Cost $149, According to Major Retailers

Sam Naylor — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:46:42 +0000

Several major retail outlets have listed Kinect for Xbox 360 at a price of $149.99, suggesting that this will be the RRP for the device.

Best Buy, Gamestop, Walmart, and Amazon have all listed the product at about $149.99, as you can see.

Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg , however, has said that “No Kinect price announced yet, retail price estimates are purely speculative, final price & pack-in details are not yet determined.”

It seems likely, however, given that there have been rumours about the price point before, although they also stated that the device will be available in October, when in fact Kinect will be available in November. Still, it’s not too far off, so perhaps the price won’t stray too far away from this price point.

Either way, it’s way too much. It’s the price of a new console. Microsoft might be touting it as one, but it just has not impressed me enough to make me feel like paying one hundred and fifty dollars (probably more in GBP) for it.

Via Joystiq

Dead Space 2 Coming 2011?

Sam Naylor — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:47:27 +0000

This listing from the GameStop website has surfaced on the internet (that’s where you are now). As you can see (with your eyes), the listing sets the date of release at the third of January 2011. Obviously this is over a year from now; it’s not often that we start hearing about a game this long before it launches, unless it’s something like Final Fantasy XIII, which has been in development for around 2000 years (and Chad’s been posting about it since then, too).

Take what you will from this. Could be a typo, could be a complete guess from a GameStop employee, could be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. My guess is that it’s just a placeholder, since almost no information about the game has been announced. We don’t even have a cover image yet. Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of this episode of “will this game be released when we think it will?”

Via QJ.net

Big Boss appears in Famitsu and on countdown page

Sam Naylor — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:47:40 +0000

This coutndown page has sparked a lot of new speculation about Kojima’s next Metal gear project. As you can see it recently showed an image of what appears to be Big Boss. Famitsu have also shown the image, along with one of what appears to be Raiden.

I say “appears to be” because there are plenty of hints in the text with Kojima (see it after the jump) that it it not Big Boss or Raiden at all. Also mentioned is that the game may cover all time periods over the Saga’s chronology, and that “Raiden” may be Grey Fox and “Big Boss” may be another clone. Speculation has hit overdrive once again. Thanks a lot, Kojima.

Translation:

NOTE: The interview was censored in certain parts in the Famitsu issue, hence the X”s at some points.

“1. (The Big Boss image is posted above)

Interviewer: “Is that Big Boss?”

Kojima: It’s a little different from XX

(or XXX’s next form is a little different)

Interviewer: “Whaaaattt? Different???”

2.　

Kojima: I still can’t tell you what the title is, but this is the real
deal. Put it this way, it’s part of the orthodox “Metal Gear Saga”

(The text below was mostly blocked out, but it talked about what
timeframe the game is based in, and it appears that it’s across all
time periods)

3.

Kojima: I want the game’s core to be aimed towards Japan, and released globally. XXX… It’s being made by MGS4 staff

Interviewer: That’s awesome!

4.

Kojima: The symbol on the cap of the old man (he did not say Big Boss) will be important

Interviewer: This symbol is different from the fox, it looks like a world map

Kojima: No just the mark, but the system of the game will be new!

Note: Kojima uses “This old man” a lot through the interview rather than referring to Big Boss

5.

Interviewer: It sounds interesting, but do you think people will understand it at all?

Kojima: I think people will understand

Well… Tried my best to translate it, but it’s so hard with all the
blocked out text… bloody Kojima. That’s all I can do for now, maybe
I’ll give it another go later

Summary:

Interestingly the old man in the cap might not be Big Boss, the story will be part of the main MGS saga and it will go through different time periods. New game system, and it’s being made by the staff from MGS4

And yet another translation:

Famitsu: Is the generation XXX?

Kojima: No, it’s XXX. If I were to say it all, perhaps XXXXX. I’m currently doing the game design and direction.

Famitsu: Really!

Kojima: I believe Japan will be the focus, but it will be sold
throughout the world. Within me, this is XXXX. I won’t say it’s X, but
I am making a proper story, and it is being made by the MGS4 staff.

Famitsu: Really! That’s amazing.

Elsewhere, the interview touches a bit upon the content of the game:

Kojima: The mark on the old man’s hat is very important

Famitsu: This mark is different from a fox. It’s like a world map.

Kojima: Not just the mark, but the game systems are also new.

Famitsu: Is it XX-XXXXXXXXXX?

Kojima: Yes. We’ll be doing stuff that one would expect of
XXXXXXX. XXXX and so-forth are obvious, so those will be included.
Uh-oh… I said stuff that was unplanned (laughs)

Famitsu also asked Kojima about the setting. “The setting is
XXXXXXX,” responded Kojima. Apparently, something called “XXXXXXXXX”
happened in this location, leaving it as a “XXXXX” country.

Rumour: New GTA in 2009? [Updated: No.]

Sam Naylor — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:44:05 +0000

PSU have posted up an intriguing rumour concerning Rockstar’s blockbuster GTA franchise. The site claims that the latest issue of Game Informer features news that a new full retail game, in a similar style to ‘GTA: San Andreas’ and the like (new game, but not full sequel), will release by the end of 2009. Choice quote from the magazine:

“We’re not talking about new DLC or a collection of previously available DLC, we’re talking about a full retail game. We expect this title to follow the suit of previous GTAs and use a subtitle such as GTA: San Andreas, etc. Tokyo might be a possible setting for the game, but details are non-existent at this time.”

Tokyo certainly sounds like a jolly good choice if you ask me. I’m sure Sean will agree with me on that. Just remember this is ~~total fact~~ completely a rumour at this point.

[Update]: Kotaku have recieved word from Rockstar that there’s “no truth” in this rumour. Never mind, eh?

When You Wish On LBP, Disney Stars Are DLC

Demi Adejuyigbe — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:43:53 +0000

Being that this is the internet, a bunch of rumours pass across the Ripten tipline in the span of a single day, and for the most part, we try to post as many as we can. Though the cries of a thousand deluded forumgoers screaming “Crysis upgraded for mobile phones!” will always be ignored, one tip piqued my interest, coming straight out of the November issue of EGM.

According to a NeoGAF member that recieved their issue early, Quartermann’s monthly rumour section held some pretty surprising information, namely that Sony’s 1st-party blockbuster LittleBigPlanet would have Disney-related DLC, as well as other third-party characters. Of course, this single piece of news wouldn’t suffice to fill Quartermann’s rumour section as a whole, so hit the jump to read the full list of rumours.

Devil May Cry style Strider game
Lucas Arts handing Rogue Squadron rights to new publisher. All games released on one Wii disk with enhanced visuals and Wii controls.
Kojima wants to make a FPS game. Has been seen talking to Infinity Ward, Guerilla Games, and Treyarch
Fast domestic release of the Disgaea side scroller
non-Sony property LittleBigPlanet DLC coming very soon including Disney and characters from 3rd party games
Every single 2009 PSP game will also be offered as a download

Surfer Girl Retracts Comments on GDC Games

Patrick Steen — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:40:25 +0000

After our previous report on Surfer Girl’s GDC’08 predictions, she has since blamed sleep deprivation for her original comments. We can, however, still confirm the six games we revealed, along with further titbits.

In an apparent lapse of concentration, Surfer Girl (or one of the few Surfer Girls as we presume) previously let the games of GDC ’08 slip, or at least she made unconfirmed predictions. She has now removed all of her comments from the article, stating in an update:

Note to self: Don’t answer things when half-asleep leaves rooom for error.
Note to self: Don’t type things when half-awake leaves room for errorr.
Note to self: Proofread.
Note to self: Go back to sleep.

As with the nature of these things, any listed titles are of course rumours and Surfer Girl does not act as any sort of confirmation. And yes, we noted the irony in the spelling of “errorr” too. Get some sleep Surfer Girl.

However, nothing has changed from our predictions. The Final Fantasy XIII engine will be presented in a tutorial by Square Enix, and we’re hopeful that there’ll be extensive footage of this previously unseen game.

The Force Unleashed engine will be on show, along with a discussion on Far Cry 2′s procedural storytelling. Pandemic will be presenting Mercenaries 2: World in Flames’ destructible environment, and ID Software’s Rage engine has a high chance of making an appearance.

There will be a walk through of the Frostbite engine (Battlefield: Bad Company), in addition to three big Fable 2 announcements. You can also expect new footage of Sony’s HOME and XNA announcements from Microsoft.

There is a chance that you’ll see the first footage of Resistance 2, since Insomniac will be discussing the improvements they have made with their PS3 engine. However, if we don’t see the game at GDC, I’m certain we’ll see it elsewhere very soon.

It is unknown whether the public will get to see any of this, but at least you’ll hear about it from us.

Microsoft Would Be Mad to Go Ultimate Update

Patrick Steen — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 02:41:24 +0000

Multiple sku’s, what can we lose? This appears to be the motto of Microsoft and Sony this generation. With rumours that Microsoft are once again going to change things up with an “Ultimate” console to further compete with Sony, this would both confuse consumers, and dig themselves a mighty HD-DVD hole.

A rumour hit last week suggesting that Microsoft had another Xbox 360 sku on the way; an Ultimate Xbox 360.

With a scheduled release of Fall ‘08, the Ultimate will come packed with a 320GB harddrive, full 1080p support through HDMI, hi-def audio, built-in wi-fi, and perhaps most importantly: a delicious 65nm chip and a cooler, quieter fan.

What’s strange about this is that this is the Xbox 360 Elite with a bigger hard drive and built in wi-fi. The smaller chip and quieter fan should naturally make their way into Xbox 360′s as time goes on, since console manufactures continue to improve their console in private – adding reliability and reducing cost, not adding specs.

Thus, in my eyes, the Ultimate would be a useless console. Instead, just release the 320GB Hard Drive add-on and be done with it. Yes a built in wi-fi would be nice, but just add it as standard in the Elite sku. Why they didn’t do so in the first place is confusing, when their online capabilities are one of the consoles strong points.

Creating a new console sku with insignificant features would be both confusing and damaging. Confusing consumers with yet another sku could make them stray to the competition, and buyers remorse would be felt in recent Elite purchasers

Furthermore, if you’re adding specs, you’re going to increase the price. This new Ultimate 360 will only be successful if it comes in at the same price as the Elite, so as to save the Xbox 360 price advantage over the Playstation 3. This outcome enforces the conclusion that these features should just be added to the Elite, instead of producing the “Ultimate”.

But wait. Isn’t “Ultimate” just a name created by Stuff.tv who originally reported the upgrade? If so, then isn’t putting these features into the Elite the very same thing as releasing a higher spec sku? That as it may be, the point I am trying to make is that the price should be the same after the addition, and should not be percieved as something completely new.

What’s more worrying in the rumour is that it will include a built-in HD-DVD player:

To top off this already ultimate Ultimate, they’re throwing in a fully integrated HD-DVD drive.

This would be a grave mistake. Such a move would send out mixed messages. Didn’t Microsoft always say that unlike Sony they wanted its customers to have a choice, thus providing an HD-DVD player as an optional add-on.

A built in HD-DVD drive would just look as though they were unsuccessfully trying to trump Sony. The reason the inbuilt Blu-ray player is a perceived success for the Playstation 3, is because it was inbuilt from the beginning. It’s a standard and can even be used by PS3 game developers. This would not be the case with the new Ultimate, where DVD would have to remain the standard for game development.

Moreover, the price of an inbuilt HD-DVD drive would be extortionate. These drives are expensive. As much as $200 on the PS3′s release, Sony was losing a hell of a lot of money. Though the price has gone down considerably, if Microsoft were to make any profit out of this new sku, they’d have to price the Ultimate even higher than the Playstation 3.

More importantly, an end to the format war is beginning to transpire. Microsoft would be wise to wait until the war was over before they introduce any HD drive in their console. By such a time, it might be better to wait until their next console.

Plus, what kind of image would the Xbox 360 have with a dying format inside? It would start to look like a piece of useless kit, just like the HD-DVD players surrounding it. This is very much the problem the Playstation 3 faces, but with movie studios beginning to back Blu-ray, Sony might have just gotten themselves out of a sticky situation.

Thankfully Microsoft have put this built-in HD-DVD rumour to rest:

Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation.

Ironically Microsoft then go on to comment on the rumour. Or is their comment a sign that an inbuilt HD-DVD is not in fact a rumour? Hmm.

We have reiterated multiple times since launching the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player that we have no plans to integrate an HD-DVD player in to the Xbox 360.

We feel that offering the drive externally is the best way to give consumers the ultimate choice to create their own high-definition experiences.

In conclusion, Microsoft would be mad to go Ultimate. With repercussions threatening to confuse, anger and scare the consumer, Microsoft could weaken their position in this console generation.

Sony is just as guilty in this multiple sku age and yet both companies fail to see that the console outselling them both is the HD-less, uni-sku’ed Wii.

Whether Microsoft are announcing an Ultimate console is likely to be revealed within the next few hours as their conference at CES begins.

*Update* Microsoft and Bill didn’t announce an Xbox 360 Ultimate in their CES keynote. Thus, either they are holding back, or it was a false rumour in the first place.

Xboxer.tv question whether the Xbox 360 Ultimate was canceled after Warner decided to go Blu. Even hypothesising that an HD-DVD enabled Xbox 360 was some kind of insentive for Fox and Warner to exclusively support HD-DVD, only to be cancelled when this deal fell through.

Microsoft have always been good at business decisions, and this time they made the right one once again.

Far Cry 2 Officially Announced for PS3 and Xbox 360

Patrick Steen — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:59:16 +0000

After rampant rumours of Far Cry 2 coming to consoles, Ubisoft have finally announced the game for both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

A predictable outcome for Ubisoft; a company that doesn’t like to keep all its eggs in one basket, as was seen in Assassin’s Creed reaching both consoles – and soon to be PC.

Whether the console iterations of Far Cry 2 will be as solid and impressive as the PC version that we’ve always been expecting, we’ll have to wait and see.

Here’s the press release, which is regrettably in French. Nothing against the language, but it’ll be foreign to the majority of you.

Ubisoft annonce aujourd’hui que Far Cry® 2 est actuellement en développement sur Xbox 360® de Microsoft et PLAYSTATION®3 de Sony. Far Cry 2 est un jeu de tir à la première personne développé par le studio d’Ubisoft Montréal.

Plus qu’une performance visuelle et technologique, Far Cry 2 constitue pour le joueur une expérience de jeu inédite, basée sur un moteur de jeu conçu spécifiquement pour l’occasion. Les joueurs seront plongés dans un univers de jeu totalement ouvert, au sein de somptueux paysages africains, grâce à la haute définition et à la technologie next-gen.

La sortie de Far Cry 2 est prévue pour l’année fiscale 2008-2009.

In way of a translation: Far Cry 2 is being developed for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, which will be released in the fiscal year 2008-09. Or there abouts.

Heavenly Sword Updated: Nariko Rumbles

Patrick Steen — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 10:12:30 +0000

And she’s happy about it.

Heavenly Sword has been updated to 1.10 and only one feature can be confirmed. Rumble.

Some impatient souls were complaining that Heavenly Sword had not joined the rumbling ranks. Ninja Theory’s PS3 offering now has (along with Warhawk which joined last week) and update 1.10 can be downloaded on start up of the game.

Other than rumbling, there are rumors that loading after death is faster and some framerate problems have been improved. I believe that this is just a placebo effect, and the problems were never that bad in the first place.