The organizer of America’s Videogame Expo, Lunar Tide Communications, has announced the return of the event this year: it will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia from November 2 through 4.
In its third year, VGXPO is a consumer convention, and is the largest gathering of video and computer gamers across North America. This year the expo has doubled its size, utilizing over 100,000 square feet of convention space.
“As an attendee of this event over the years, I’ve really enjoyed the history and community aspect that VGXPO creates,” said Tommy Tallarico, video game composer and creator of Video Games Live. “Each year it gets bigger and better and this year is no exception!”
To make the event accessible to all, the organizer will issue single-day passes for $15, with additional discounts to be found online. These passes will include access to the expo hall, the VGXPO arcade, gaming kiosks and keynote speakers.
Last year over 50 organizations participated in the event, including NVIDIA, Microsoft, 1Up, Nintendo and many others. This year the organizers are hoping to attract more names to the event.
Further information on the event can be found on its official website.
Peripheral maker SplitFish GameWare has officially announced the FragFX controller for the PS3, hoping to make playing FPS games easier on the console. The FragFX consists of a separate right-hand mouse controller and detachable left-hand grip controller, ideal for keyboard-mouse style gameplay of shooters. Here’s the deal:
- The right hand mouse controller has the complete set of PlayStation 3 controller buttons. The mouse is used during game play to shoot, look left, right, up and down for that same PC style game play experience on the PlayStation 3.
- The mouse is optimized for navigation within the recently announced PlayStation Home virtual world.
- A menu mode on the mouse allows it to double as a regular mouse during menu selections. A lap mouse pad and left hand grip cradle is included with the FragFX to allow for comfortable play in a living room setting.
- The left hand re-programmable grip (nicknamed the “FragChuck” by G4TV) has the full range of 6-axis motion control providing Wii-like motion sensitivity for the PlayStation 3. In games like Resistance:Fall of Man, to reload a weapon or to rifle butt an opponent, the user can swing the FragChuck.
- The FragChuck also offers a game speed dial and frag button. When the frag button is pressed it slows the mouse down to incremental movement for smooth sniper shots. The speed dial allows for instant fast or slow overall game play. These two additional features let the user get out of battles as fast as they get into them.
Valve has announced that Nexon has licensed the Source engine to power its upcoming fantasy-themed third-person action title.
“We evaluated all the engine technologies available for licensing and Source was our best choice,” said Dong-gun Kim, the producer of NEXON. “With support for integrated network-physics, high-end visuals, and constant adoption of new features, Source is both the most flexible as well as the most robust technology set available today.”
No other information on the project was disclosed.
Ubisoft has announced Surfs Up!, an upcoming surfing game tie-in to the movie of the same name. The game will hit stores July 26, ahead of the movie’s August 10 debut, for the PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii, Gamecube, DS, GBA and PC.
Developed by Ubisoft’s award-winning Montreal studio, Surf’s Up™ takes players on a tubular surf adventure with Cody Maverick, an up-and-coming surfer, entering his first pro competition. The game plunges players into the exciting world of surfing, featuring thrilling surf tricks, cool surf locales and all the characters from the Surf’s Up movie. Film clips featuring all the characters from the film - including Chicken Joe (Jon Heder) and surfing icons Kelly Slater and Rob Machado (themselves) - are showcased in the game.
In an announcement that deals a lot of damage to the PS3, Capcom revealed that Devil May Cry 4 will also be released for the Xbox 360 and PC. Each version of the game will be maximized to take advantage of the systems’ strengths. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions will be relased simultaneously, though no release date was given.
“Capcom is committed to making its titles available to as wide an audience as possible, and has been building its technology base to meet that goal,” said Mark Beaumont, executive vice president, officer and head of Capcom consumer software publishing in the Americas and Europe. “This announcement means that PS3, Xbox 360 and PC owners worldwide will be able to experience the latest instalment of one of Capcom’s pillar franchises.”
The official website for Zendoku, an upcoming puzzler for the PSP and DS, has been launched. Featuring the same colorful Far Eastern visual style of the game, the site hosts details of the game’s storylines and gameplay modes, as well as screenshots, wallpapers, messenger icons and other goodies.
Take-Two Interactive sends word that it has postponed its annual meeting scheduled for March 23, until March 29. The company revealed that the purpose of this action was to provide additional time to review the proposed actions of the shareholder group and also to evaluate alternative actions… including a possible sale of the company.
Though confirmed earlier, Ubisoft has officially announced that Call of Juarez will be hitting Xbox 360 this Summer. Already released for the PC back in Autumn 2006, the game is a first-person-shooter set in the old West.
The Xbox 360 version will feature graphical and technical enhancements, as well as enhanced AI for more realistic gameplay and more challenging NPCs. There will also be multiplayer modes which will include a variety of maps and landscapes.
Nintendo has added three new classic games to the Wii Shop Channel. Here they are:
Excitebike (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): Face crazy curves, hairpin turns, and daredevil jumps as you race toward the checkered flag and the Excitebike championship. Race against the clock or challenge an opponent. You must keep your bearings as you fly through the air and avoid getting clipped by other racers. Stay cool under pressure or your bike will overheat. If you get tired of racing on the circuit, create your own course in Design Mode. There you have access to all the ramps, mounds, bridges, and other obstacles Excitebike has to offer.Beyond Oasis (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): You are Prince Ali, who has discovered a buried gold armlet. This armlet once belonged to a wizard who waged a long war against the evil wielder of a silver armlet. The silver armlet was used to create chaos and destruction, while the gold armlet had the power to summon four spirits: the water spirit “Dytto,” the fire spirit “Efreet,” the shadow spirit “Shade,” and the plant spirit “Bow.” To stop the person who first discovered the ancient silver armlet and is again using it for evil, Prince Ali travels the land of Oasis, gradually acquiring the ability to summon the four spirits. Use your wits and speed to claim the silver armlet!
SPLATTERHOUSE (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Rick and Jennifer, both parapsychology students at the local university, are visiting West Mansion, site of the research lab where the famed Dr. West conducted some of his most gruesome experiments. A sudden storm forces them to find shelter inside the mansion. Once inside, they are attacked by monsters. Jennifer is kidnapped and Rick is knocked unconscious. Hours later, Rick awakes to find himself covered in blood, with the Terror Mask stuck to his face. His only hope is to depend on the ancient powers of the mask to give him the strength and courage to find Jennifer. Now Rick’s fight has begun! Splatter your way through 7 stages of side-scrolling horror action. Armed with cleavers and shotguns, Rick must fight his way through the monsters of West Mansion and defeat the bosses at the end of every stage. The creepy music, gruesome monsters, gory action and shocking events leading up to the finale will keep you on the edge of your seat!
The third - and final - Pirates of the Caribbean film is set for release later this year, and the game won’t be far behind: Disney Interactive Studio has announced the movie-game tie-in for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, PC and DS.
Subtitled At World’s End, the game will follow the film as players “fight notorious villains on the decks and riggings of massive ships, exploring towns and jungle-filled islands, and avoiding perils at sea.” The game will take advantage of each platform, with the Wii version using the console’s unique controller for swinging and thrusting motions while sword-fighting.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is set for release on May 22. The game is being developed by Eurocom Entertainment Software, except the DS version which is being worked on by Amaze Entertainment.
And then there was a Wii version… The Adventure Company has announced its plans to bring the popular PC title Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None to the Wii.
In development for release this November, the game follows the classic story written by Agatha Christie, and will use the console’s controller to control their character’s actions, such as using a digging motion to unearth clues, or spinning the handle of a safe by using the Wiimote. The Wii version will also see the introduction of timed puzzles, such as running up a flight of stairs from a boat docked below.
Following word that backwards compatibility has been (somewhat) crippled in the European PS3, SCEE has launched a website that will allow prospective PS3 owners in the region to check out whether their new shiny black box will run their old titles (or not). The website lists all titles from the portfolio of PS2 titles available in the SCEE PAL territories that are playable on the new console.
“Our engineers have been working overtime, and have succeeded in delivering a significant number of playable PS2 titles for the European launch”, said David Reeves, President of SCEE. “We will be adding additional titles to this list in future firmware upgrades, but as we have made clear before, in the future our resources will be increasingly focused on developing new services and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, rather than on delivering PS2 backwards compatibility.”
Sony also announced that a new firmware - v1.60 - will be available at launch from midnight on March 22 through the PlayStation Network. The upgrade will allow players to run the PS2 titles listed on the website; it will also deliver features such as Folding@home connectivity, allowing gamers to contribute their PS3 cycles to solve diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s; background downloading of content from the PlayStation Store, allowing up to six pieces of content to be queued up while letting users enjoy other non-gaming functions of the PS3; support for Bluetooth keyboards and mice; and an optional full QWERTY on-screen keyboard for text entry.
To celebrate the first anniversary of the release of Scratches, its atmospheric mystery adventure, Got Game Entertainment has announced Scratches: Director’s Cut, an even more “terrifying” take on the game. Having sold over 150,000 units worldwide, the game sets players in a solitary Victorian mansion concealing a terrible secret.
The Director’s Cut will feature an alternate ending, a new chapter, over two additional hours of gameplay, new clues, higher resolutions, enhanced graphics, and much more. It will be released sometime next month for $20; a Mac version is scheduled for release this May.
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