Prepare To See More Frank West In Capcom Titles

Capcom community manager, Seth Killian has commented on the appearance of Frank West in upcoming titles and states we should expect to see a lot more of him, because the West like him... apparently:

“For better or for worse, (Capcom of) Japan has understood that ‘the West’ likes Frank. So maybe that’s why he’s called Frank West?"

“I don’t know… Rightly or wrongly (Capcom of) Japan is convinced that Joe Six pack here in America love God damn Frank West."

“He will be making appearances in as many games as they can get him into”.

What do you say to that, really? Besides being involved in a fun zombie mashing title, Frank has the charisma and style of turnip.

Mafia II Makes GTA IV Look Out Dated

Scheduled to arrive in August, a recent preview for Mafia II by Xbox World 360 magazine has said the game makes Grand Theft Auto IV look dated. No, really, here's a snippet:

“We were blown away by both the visual fidelity and intricacy of the level design. As Vito, Steve, Joey and troops poured forward to bout the Brylcreemed baddies, GTA IV seemed very dated indeed.

“Individual letters were blown from the sign; windows shattered in astonishing detail, splinters of wood were torn from the building’s frame – before a trunkful of Molotovs sent fireballs of flame snarling out from the fiery husk.”

We've got good reason to expect a lot from this title, so lets hope it delivers.

New Developer Blog For Guild Wars 2

Wow, we'd totally forgotten about Guild Wars 2... mind you, it's not due for release until next year and things have been rather quiet on the news front surrounding the game. Alas, now we have a new Blog entry on the game from ArenaNet president Mike O’Brien. It's a rather lengthy post, so if it takes your fancy, go read it here.

Blizzard Looking For New E-Sports Partner In South Korea

Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime has confirmed the publisher is seeking a new e-sports partner in South Korea due to IP rights problems with the Korean e-Sports Association. Morhaime stated:

“We’ve tried to talk to [the Korean e-Sports Association] for three years, but we can’t get them to recognize our IP rights."

“Of course we think our IP rights should be respected. StarCraft II will be released soon, so we will have to look for a new partner”.

It's a big thing over in South Korea, if it's down your alley, get more info here.

Trinigy Licenses Its 3D Engine To 12 New Developers

Trinigy has announced a deal with 12 more development teams to license their 3D engine which adds up to a count of 125 licensing deals. The German middleware company developed the 3D engine in question, named the Vision Engine, with a great reception that was boosted by last year's integration of the Havok physics engine.

Chimera Entertainment, one of the licensed companies, seems happy with the agreement according to their managing director Chris Kluckner:

"There is a reason why we’ve licensed the Vision Engine for multiple projects now. Trinigy has a unique heritage of staying close to its customers and growing along with them and their evolving technical needs. This customer-oriented approach shows in the dedicated support they provide, and in the versatility, performance and stability of the Vision Engine."

I guess congratulations is on the menu.

Square Enix Creates Mature Games Label

Square Enix will launch it's western mature games under the Square Enix Extreme Edge label. The intention is to make clear to the buyers the rating of the game in a measure already used by Nintendo (over 15 rating titles are in black boxes) and that it will be applied immediately.

The measure will affect Eidos games, as well as the Activision games that they publish in Japan. Parents, look at the box before buying!

Far Cry 2 And Kane And Lynch Added To Xbox 360 Games On Demand

Three new titles arrive on Xbox 360's Games on Demand Service this week. They include, Far Cry 2 and Kane and Lynch, both for the usual amounts in your country.

Dead To Rights Retribution DLC Announced

Namco Bandai has now released the sequel to 2002 dog-packed action game Dead to Rights. They have also taken the chance to officially announce the first DLC pack that will arrive for the game.

The DLC has been named GAC Pack and it will include 2 new Gameplay modes and missions plus the pre-order exclusive DLCs: Jack Pack and Shadow Pack. It will be released on Xbox 360 and PS3 on June 1st.

Dead to Rights: Retribution will allow you to continue the adventures of Jack and his loyal (lethal) dog Shadow as they shoot, punch and bite every enemy on their way on their fight against crime. Todd Thorson, director of marketing and public relations at Namco Bandai Games America commented the release:

"We've completely rebooted the Dead to Rights franchise to deliver a satisfying, visceral and action-packed gameplay experience for existing fans and new gamers. We're boosting the action up another notch with an accessibly priced DLC pack filled with all new missions and game-enhancing bonus content."

With this Namco Bandai is assuring the support for the game in an attempt to get better figures than the original. Despite the critical reception of the first one, in truth it was a game with some interesting conceptions, but the poor technical level and some flaws forced this game under the radar.

Ninja Theory Not Afraid Of PS3 Development

Enslaved is looking pretty awesome so far, and Ninja Theory’s chief designer, Tameem Antoniades has said its experience with Heavenly Sword on PS3 has strengthened the developer's skills working on the console:

“When we went into this project instead of starting from scratch with absolutely nothing we had a much clearer idea of what we wanted to do and how we could do it."

“The PS3 didn’t scare us anymore because we were so used to it, so it’s been a lot smoother."

“I think a lot of the games that were announced back then were tainted by that negativity about the price of the console and the things people were saying about it."

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is scheduled to release towards the end of the year on Xbox 360 and PS3. Interesting to note, the script was written by 28 Days Later and Sunshine writer Alex Garland. Epic.

Dead Space 2 Announcement Imminent?

Visceral Studios has teased with a psychiatric report a possible announcement on April 29th 2010, tomorrow. Visceral has sent documents to the press of patient 1544C and his psychological profile (our own Isaac Clarke) that reads:

Notes on Patient 1544C, Session #18.

1544C condition shows scant improvement from previous assessment.

OBSERVED SYMPTOMS INCLUDE:

DELUSIONS: Subject vacillates between mourning the deceased, believing she is in need of assistance +/or has assimilated + is one with the universe, calling for his hand.

PARANOIA: Subject experiences frequent outbursts. Has attacked staff + other patients.

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS: Insomnia, Dyskinesia, Frantic sketching and etching of symbols identified as related to Unitology.

FOR REFERENCE: [two lines of Unitology symbols, which translate to "The sickness is the cure! The cure is the sickness!"]

Additional obsessive compulsive behavior documented by staff includes the repetition of the following phrases:
-Fractal heuristic replicating crystal
-The nightmare is over but it will not end
-Bismuth zirconate titanate
-Twinkle twinkle little star
-Sympathetic alpha wave attenuation

Prospects for recovery still unknown.

The numbers 4,2,9,10 (4/29/10) are included in a Unitology script that fans have translated as the following:

"It was just a shard. It was red with symbols. It put things in my head. Symbols that spoke to me. Behind my eyes I feel her screaming. Symbols that spoke to me. Symbols that (lied) to me. It was just a shard. The sickness is the cure! The cure is the sickness!"

Interesting info, though as for now it's not very clear. Will we be getting a release date?

Denise Kaigler Joins 38 Studios

Remember former Nintendo of America vice president of corporate affairs, Denise Kaigler? She stepped down from the company back in November last year and has now joined 38 Studios as chief marketing officer.

The studio is owned by baseball legend Curt Schilling. The Boston-based 38 Studios is currently working on an MMO known as 'Copernicus' which is being penned by comic book creator Todd MacFarlane and author R.A. Salvatore. Kaigler commented:

“While at Nintendo, I was commuting regularly between San Francisco, New York City, Seattle and my home outside of Boston, but we’re all together now.”

Her new position is the lead coordinator for studios operated by 38, which includes Big Huge Games and the team working on Copernicus. Well done Denise.

New Crash Team Racing Title in Development

Whoops, Justin Rasch, lead animator at High Impact Games has revealed a new Crash Team Racing title in development for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii via his online CV posted here. There's no further info on what the game will entail, feature or when it's expected to release, but surprisingly his CV hasn't been yoinked offline yet.

DJ Hero Downloadable Content Arrives Tomorrow

DJ Hero downloadable content is on the way tomorrow in the form of Darude’s “Sandstorm”. It’s part of the Domination Mix Pack, and will cost you $7.99/640 Microsoft Points. Each track on the Wii is 300 Wii points. In the pack, is:

* DJ Hero Domination Mix Pack “Sandstorm” by Darude Mixed With “Higher State of Consciousness” by Josh Wink
* “Wolfgang’s Fifth Symphony” beat juggle by Wolfgang Gartner
* “Red Mist VIP” beat juggle by Danny Byrd

EA Announces The Sims 3 For Consoles This Year

We mentioned back in February that EA has plans to bring The Sims 3 to consoles and we've now got official confirmation. EA has also confirmed that Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game won't be simple ports of the PC version either, and will include Facebook integration.

There's also a Wii version coming, which will feature an exclusive 'beach town' area with its own unique features. Sam Player, Executive Producer at EA commented:

“We’re bringing players the best console and handheld game for The Sims franchise to date and are excited to offer a unique experience for all types of gamers on their platform of choice. Building on the unique traits system, living open neighbourhood, lifetime wishes, and endless customization options, we’ve tailored each platform of The Sims 3 with exclusive features to allow for even more control, creativity, and connectivity.”

Groovetown. The Sims 3 will arrive on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and DS in time for Christmas.

Infinity Ward Staff Begin Lawsuit Against Activision

Ah, here we go. A group of 38 plaintiffs, the "Infinity Ward Employee Group" have filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Activision.

The group alleges Activision has breached contract, breached the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, violation of California labour code and more, seeking "a large amount of unpaid royalties."

The suit references that $28 million in royalties have been paid in regards to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but a whopping $58 million is still outstanding. The group is seeking to recover between $75 million and $125 million, if not more, in compensatory damages."

The suit also states "Activision withheld the property of the IWEG in an attempt to keep the employees hostage so that Activision could reap the benefit of the completion of Modern Warfare 3."

Interesting stuff. Activision has already responded to the suit, stating:

"Activision believes the action is without merit. Activision retains the discretion to determine the amount and the schedule of bonus payments for MW2 and has acted consistent with its rights and the law at all times. We look forward to getting judicial confirmation that our position is right."

It's now officially on.

Olivia Munn To Host Lost Planet 2 Charity Event

Capcom has announced that Olivia Munn will be hosting the Lost Planet 2 “Kill Big for Charity” launch event and celebrity tournament in Los Angeles on May 6th.

The combined celebrity and community tournament is the final chapter in Capcom’s month long “Kill Big for Charity” campaign where community members were called into action to support a good cause and download the newest Lost Planet 2 multiplayer demo on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

Capcom, in partnership with Music for Relief, has promised in return to donate $25,000 to charity if the demo hits 1.5 million downloads. The tournament on May 6th, comprised of celebrities, press, community and super-fans will compete in a variety of Lost Planet 2 multiplayer modes. The victorious team will then get the honour of choosing the charity from a list of Music for Relief partnerships.

Community members can compete for a seat in the celebrity tournament and a trip to Los Angeles to attend the launch party by submitting their best tips and tricks for beating the new Lost Planet 2 multiplayer demo by this Thursday to Capcom Unity here.

Four lucky community members and Lost Planet 2 super-fans will be awarded spots in the celebrity tournament.

Most UK PS3 Users Purchased Their Console Second Hand

A study conducted by PS3PriceCompare, has concluded that more PS3 owners are buying their console preowned rather than new.

While only a small survey of only 1,017 PS3 owners, results found that 33% of owners purchased their console second hand, with 24% buying it new. 14% received their console as a give, and 26% received it as part of a mobile phone contract incentive.