Square promises major Final Fantasy surprise this September

Square Executive Shinji Hashimoto has got a surprise lined up for Final Fantasy fans at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, due to be held in September...more

Japan - Weekly Hardware Sales

The latest weekly hardware sale figures from Japan have arrived and if you were expecting another week of total Nintendo domination, you wouldn't be wrong. The NDS racked up an astonishing 123,211 sales this week to finish in first place, followed by the Wii with 69,748. Sony's PSP came in third with 26,358 units sold, whilst the PS2 with 11,814 units is still managing to sell more than its big brother, the PS3 with 8,998. The Xbox 360 as per usual trailed in last with 2,219...more

Square Enix clarifies position on Final Fantasy for 360

Square Enix has clarified that recent comments made by Shinji Hashimoto regarding Final Fantasy on Xbox 360 were referring to the company's current plans.

Japan's Nikkei BP quoted the executive producer as saying, "As for Final Fantasy on the Xbox 360, it's currently a completely blank page." Some reports interpreted this to mean that the series will never again appear on Microsoft's next-gen console.

However, a spokesperson for Square Enix told GamesIndustry.biz, "Hashimoto-san was talking about the current situation" - which would suggest his comments shouldn't be interpreted as forward-looking...more

Microsoft could have stopped the Blu-ray/HD DVD war

Red states and blue states. With the presidential primary season in full pander mode, red states and blue states are currently a big political story. But in the world of technology, red states and blue states refer to the red and blue lasers that dogmatically separate the two competing and incompatible high-definition disc formats, the blue laser-powered Blu-ray and red laser-powered HD DVD.

Competing technology formats are as natural as, well, Democrats dueling Republicans. But the HD blue/red war could have been averted. How? Ask Bill Gates. Why? Read on.

DVD History 101

A dozen years ago, the creation of the original DVD standard started out as a similar format war between Sony-Philips and Toshiba. The two technologies weren't irreconcilable. But as in any format war, he who controls the patents gets rich from the patent royalties, so the sides went to the mattresses for format supremacy.

Both courts courted IBM, the King Kong of the computer world in an era in which PCs were still referred to as "IBM compatible." Wielding its formidable clout, IBM essentially dictated terms for a unified DVD format to the benefit of everyone.

We Got the Horse Right Here…

But over the last decade, IBM has devolved from King Kong to Donkey Kong. So when negotiations between the HD DVD camp (led by Toshiba) and the Blu-ray forces (led by Sony) to establish a unified format broke off in August 2005, there was only one outfit wielding a big enough club — and the documented willingness to swing it regardless of legal niceties — to force a compromise: Microsoft.

But unlike IBM, Microsoft had a horse in the race: Xbox. Sony, naturally, would add Blu-ray to PlayStation 3, leaving Microsoft at a competitive disadvantage. Microsoft couldn't very well add a Sony technology to the Xbox. So just a month after Sony and Toshiba broke off their unified format talks, instead of using its great power for good and lock the protagonists in a room until one format emerged, Microsoft partnered with Toshiba and announced that Xbox 360 would include an HD DVD option.

So, as Dr. Phil would ask, how's that working out for you? Sony has a Blu-ray drive built into the PS3. But Microsoft's HD DVD drive is a $199 add-on to the Xbox 360 and doesn't include an HDMI connector. You can only connect the drive via USB through an Xbox 360, and only the Elite version includes an HDMI out. The bottom line: adding HD DVD hasn't helped the Xbox differentiate itself from PS3. Hell, Nintendo's HD-free Wii is kicking both of their asses.

Just Shut Up!

But Microsoft didn't even need to take an active role in brokering a compromise format. All Bill had to do was sit Buddha still. The New York Times noted that after Microsoft reversed its neutral position and adopted HD DVD, "the unexpected change of heart reverberated through the technology industry. Suddenly, Toshiba's seemingly quixotic defense of its format had new life. Intel joined Microsoft in backing HD DVD. Hewlett-Packard withdrew its exclusive support of Blu-ray."

In other words, without Microsoft selfishly choosing sides, HD DVD would have been dead in the water, and, for better or for worse, we'd all be shopping for Blu-ray players now. Instead, the sides are about even. While Blu-ray is outselling HD DVD in the U.S., the reverse is true in Europe. And China, tired of paying royalties to Japanese companies, will introduce its home-grown red laser-based EVD (Enhanced Versatile Disc) format next year.

DVD hardware makers and the movie studios are doing their damndest to resolve the resulting red/blue battle. Warner and Paramount are releasing titles in both formats, and those studios that aren't yet likely will (except Sony/Columbia, of course). Warner announced a Total High Def (THD) format, a single disc with the Blu-ray version on one side and the HD DVD version on the t'other. The first THD discs are rumored to be coming later this summer, with The Lord of the Rings trilogy an odds-on favorite to be among the first. But no other studio has signed on yet.

On the hardware side, you can already buy the tech equivalent of Hillary Giuliani. (Rudy Clinton?) LG's dual-format Blu-ray/HD DVD player, the BH100 ($1,300), has been selling surprisingly well for months (according to our super-scientific sampling of one Manhattan retailer), and Samsung says its more fully HD DVD-compatible dual HD player, the BD-UP5000, will be available for the holiday season, probably for around $1,000. For less than either, you can already buy a Sony BDP-S300 ($499), a Toshiba HD-A2 ($299) and an XtremeHD 4-1 HDMI switcher ($100) to connect both to your A/V receiver, with enough left over for copies of Black Snake Moan in both formats.

Format Catch-22

But deciding to buy a combined deck or one of each wouldn't be an issue if Bill had just shut up. We money-conscious non-early adopters, otherwise known as mainstream consumers, normally would wait for the market to declare a winner before investing in either format. But with both sides now nearly equal in strength, the market is unlikely to make a decision anytime soon. Sony is probably happy. Toshiba is thrilled. And we're screwed...source

Final Halo 3 standard edition cover art revealed on xbox.com

Konami fixes Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer, removes Playstation 3 logo

A Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer that was re-released to fix some visual errors has unintentionally whipped the gaming community into a frenzy.

The trailer was released on Konami's new Metal Gear 20th Anniversary website, and has quite a few noticeable differences between the original trailer which was released at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2006.

The most striking of these differences is the removal of the Playstation 3 logo during the final credits, leading some gamers to believe that the game is no longer exclusive for the Playstation 3 platform.

The Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer shown at the Tokyo Games Show also had its Playstation logo removed, which may indicate a pattern of change since E3 last year.....more

Fall out 3 video!!!!

Fallout 3 confirmed for 360, PS3

The fog of mystery that has surrounded Fallout 3 for the past several years is rapidly dissipating. Yesterday, developer/publisher Bethesda Softworks revealed that the long-awaited role-playing game will arrive in fall 2008--some 10 years after Fallout 2. The confirmation came in the form of a teaser trailer, which showed off around two minutes of in-engine footage and confirmed several story and setting details...more

Itagaki: Ninja Gaiden 2 will make other developers lose their motivation...

Tomonobu Itagaki says there's no way other developers will beat what they're doing with Ninja Gaiden 2. He goes even further saying that those devs will lose...more

Assassin's Creed Trailer Impressions

At its recent Ubidays event in downtown San Francisco, Ubisoft had a number of big upcoming titles on display, including the latest from the Splinter Cell and Brothers in Arms franchises. But perhaps its most anticipated title was left for the finale with Assassin's Creed getting the only solo show during the event. Jade Raymond, producer on the title, took the stage to introduce the new trailer, which unfortunately didn't actually have much new information in it at all..more

No Final Fantasy For Xbox 360

Looking for more Final Fantasy following the Xbox 360 port of Final Fantasy XI? Then you're going to have to look to a different next generation system. A Square Enix executive has disclosed to Japan's Nikkei BP that the company currently has no plans for Final Fantasy games on the 360..more

Bethesda confirms Fallout 3 for Xbox 360

One of the biggest RPG franchises in history, Fallout, just got confirmed for all major gaming platforms instead of PC only through GameInformer leaking their July issue cover. Not much information yet is known, except that we’ll be drooling until the game arrives in 2008...more

Will Nintendo Wii’s Success Herald an Era of Gameplay Over Graphics?

According to a Tokyo based research firm Enterbrain Inc, Nintendo sold 251,794 units in May outselling Sony’s PS3 by a factor of five to one. It’s been a slide for the former king of the video game console. Sony desperately needs to recoup some losses from its investment into the machines formidable hardware. Sony PS3 sports the most powerful processor in the game console business and it's costing Sony a princely sum to keep it competitively affordable.

It’s a classic sales war between Sony’s brute force approach to hardware production vs. Nintendo’s ability to bring us something we’ve never seen before. The Wii-‘mote is easily the biggest draw to the Nintendo Wii. It’s the controller that allows users to stand up and play games by swinging the controller in the air. It’s just plain infectious fun...more

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess beaten in 5 hours and 39 minutes

Daniel Hart recorded himself completing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess in an incredible 5 hours and 39 minutes..more

Official Harry Potter site launched

Games developing giant, Electronic Arts has just launched the official web site for the game version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The web site is currently incomplete and the UK version is the only one available for public viewing...more

Fighting the Halo 3 hype

Do you know that feeling, when you look at something that millions of people think is a big deal, and wonder, "What's all the fuss about?" For me, it might be the "Dancing With the Stars" finale, a Picasso painting worth more than Seattle's waterfront or the 24-hour news coverage of Anna Nicole Smith's death. Call me a cynic, but I just don't understand all the hoopla...more

FFVII Not Being Remade

A Square Enix power player has issued the most direct denial yet of a Final Fantasy VII remake. Speaking with Japan's monthly Dorimaga gaming publication, character designer Tetsuya Nomura said, "It appears that there are often overseas rumors like 'Are you currently developing a VII remake?' My apologies, but were absolutely not making [such a game]."..more