Daily News Roundup: April 15, 2009


Today at the wonderful TGR…

Why Dialogue Trees Stink
TGR’s Jeffrey Matulef says dialogue trees are not the coolest new thing in video games, and he tells us why.

PC Alliance Loses Blizzard, Gains SecuRom.
This is not a good deal for the PCGA.

No MotionPlus Support Coming to Old Wii Games
Nintendo has announced they have no plans to include the device in older games.

In other news around the information superhighway…

Crash Bandicoot is Back!
Crash Bandicoot was a serious staple for Sony when they released the original PlayStation. Since then, he has starred in numerous games and on numerous platforms. Although lately, he hasn’t been the legendary icon that he once was. But now he is now back on top, thanks to the iPhone.

Apple announced that Crash Bandicoot: Nitro Kart is the most popular paid-for video game on their iPhone and iPod Touch. The game is currently at $5.99, and that doesn’t seem to be a problem for the popular kart game on the platform as Crash’s face sits on the very top of the list.

iPhone scaring Sony and Nintendo?
Trip Hawkins, founder of Digital Chocolate and original founder of Electronic Arts, thinks the iPhone is scaring Nintendo and Sony, according to VentureBeat.

Hawkins claims the iPhone is “freaking out” the major companies. He went on to say the iPhone and the iPod Touch have sold 30 million, and Apple only has one half of one percent in the total market.

Sony and Nintendo may not be freaking out just yet, but based on that, the companies have to be at least looking at Apple as a serious competitor.


Killzone 2 DLC Release Date Announced

We all found out last week that Killzone 2’s DLC will be a multiplayer map pack, and it would be due out soon. Well, following up on the announcement, Sony has announced the release date for Killzone 2.

Killzone 2’s DLC, Steel and Titanium map pack, will be released on April 30th on PSN. The maps are called Wasteland Bullet and Vesta Cruiser, and Sony also released a couple of videos showing off the new DLC.

For more on the DLC and videos, check out Blend Games.

Banjo Tooie Release Date Announced

We all played the Nintendo 64, and we all played Banjo Tooie. The sequel to Banjo Kazooie was quite a game, and now, it is being re-released for Xbox Live Arcade.

Rare has confirmed today that the updated game will be released on XBLA on April 29th, and has an updated frame rate among other things. TGR will keep you updated with more details as they arrive.

 

Final Fantasy XIII Gameplay Leaked

There has been a lot of talk in the Final Fantasy world for the last couple of years, and Final Fantasy XIII always seems to make the conversation. I know a lot of you are excited about this game and tired of waiting. But while you are waiting, you should probably check out the new videos of some of the game’s footage.

The game footage was leaked in Japan, and has already made the internet. The videos include what looks like the first boss, random battles, and some character dialogue.

If you want to check out the videos, you can see them over at Computer and Video Games official website.

David Reeves retires from Sony Europe

David Reeves, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president, CEO, and co-COO announced his retirement today. Andrew House, CMO and group executive, will be taking the helm and take his place sometime this month.
David Reeves has been at Sony since 1995 and in the UK office since 1999. He then became COO for SCEE in 2003, and CEO in 2005.

Although, there have been rumors of Reeves taking a Senior role at Realtime Worlds in the future, there has been no official word yet.

Author: TGRStaff

Our hard(ly?) working team of inhouse writers and editors; and some orphaned articles are associated with this user.