EA files trademarks and expresses interest in old IP.
by Martin Robinson, IGN UK
UK, August 12, 2009 – Classic gaming franchises such as Populous and Road Rash could be returning to the current generation of consoles, with EA filing new trademarks for the games as well as expressing an interest in reviving old franchises.
Superannuation has picked up new trademark registrations for Populous, Theme Park, Wing Commander and Road Rash.
The discovery comes shortly after EA Bright Light Studio boss Harvey Elliot, a veteran of Theme Park and Populous developer Bullfrog, didn’t rule out the possibility of the classic games returning in some form.
“I think there’s an opportunity to bring those back in the future,” he told Kikizo, “but only if it’s right for the time and not just a ‘remake’ or something. We’d need to do it in a way that’s true to the original values, but would still make a great game today.”
It won’t be the only Bullfrog game to be put through the remake machine – talented developer Starbreeze is currently lined up to revive the revered Syndicate brand in the near future.
My Take: This doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as both Populous and Road Rash have been reverred as great IPs, and it would be nice to see them return but there is a dark side to this story…
Here’s what I want… Critertion to helm a new Road Rash project, can you imagine Road Rash from the makers of Burnout?!
Here’s what will probably happen: Okay, we got Theme Park, Road Rash, and Syndicate…. Let’s make them XBLA arcade ports and call it a day.. *sigh*…
What do you think? Should these games come back or are we just desperate to see old titles again?
(God help us if it’s Road Rash: Jailbreak)
Remember Lunar? That one great game released on the Sega CD so many moons ago? Or perhaps you’ve played the Playstation remakes? The Silver Star Story Complete, Eternal Blue Complete, or both?
Well, you might think this game has gone completely into obscurity since the fall of Working Designs and the fact that the DS game (Lunar: Dragon Song) sucked something awful.. Well it looks like it’s being remade (again) and this time for the PSP, these first screenshots are the only evidence we have right now…
As far as we know, it’s coming out in Japan (no definitive release has been set), will it hit the US or UK shores? Let’s hope so…
Note: I’ve played the entire Lunar series including the GBA version, although I’ve played the Silver Star Story to death, it’s one of my favorite RPG’s of all time, and I will definetly pick this one up for the PSP if it finds it’s way to US shores…
That’s right, and John Riccitiello, the head of EA has confirmed it. Not that I’m ridiculously excited about the prospect of a new MoH game… not after the success of CoD. It’s going to have to be something pretty special to best what Infinity Ward are doing, really.
Of course, there have a been a few rumors floating around the internet pipes for the past few months as tot he title of the new game which could very well possibly be ‘Operation Anaconda’… which sounds a little bit WW2, meaning that they’re sticking to what they do best. WW2 FPSs. Hmmmf. Innovation? Let’s hope so!
August 4, 2009 – If you ask veteran PC gamers to list their favorite games of all time, odds are X-Wing or TIE Fighter (or both) are somewhere on their lists. There’s a reason for that, as both were superb action flight simulators that immersed you in the epic Star Wars conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. X-Wing was the first game in the series and TIE Fighter the sequel, so TIE Fighter is often more beloved because it was more refined. Plus, it was awesome to rise in the ranks of the Imperial Navy and become the Emperor’s most valued fighter pilot.
It’s been more than a decade since the last game in the series was released; hard to believe but X-Wing Alliance was released in February of 1999. The space sim genre that was established by the Star Wars games and Origin’s Wing Commander series then began to fade for various reasons. However, fans have longed for a sequel to TIE Fighter since then.
However, things may be changing. There’s a new president at LucasArts, Darrel Rodriguez, who seems intent on revisiting the company’s past glories. In the past few months, LucasArts has begun to release its library on Steam, and the company recently released The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition on PC and Xbox 360. The latter was a remake of the classic adventure game with improved graphics (but for those who want a nostalgic return, you could toggle the original graphics at any moment.)
Now here’s where it gets interesting. G4 recently asked Rodriguez about the possibility of X-Wing and TIE Fighter returning. His answer: “We don’t have any announcements now, but stay tuned. We will soon.”
It might be time to dust off that joystick.
My take: There’s only one word for this awesome! Wouldn’t it be cool if X-Wing vs Tie Fighter found it’s way onto XBLA or PSN? Or, possibly, even better, A new game in the series? This is merely a rumor based on a potential freudian slip but….. X-Wing vs Tie Fighter? What do you think?
Hello there everyone. You know, sometimes, in the world of video games, it’s pretty hard to be optimistic about the way in which the industry works in terms of its economy.
Today, I realized how retarded Industry leaders must think the public are, and I’ll tell you why.
My reason is simple and clear, and it goes back for generations. Hardware Upgrades.
And before you say anything, no, I don’t mean generation to generation hardware upgrades, I mean stuff like Wii Motion Plus and the 360 Elite. It’s those little iterations on hardware that we’ve put a bunch of money into which makes me think that hardware manufactorers take us for fools, and quite frankly, it’s a little bit bullshit.
Now, by no means am I some kind of anti-Capitalist who’s against buying and consuming, I’m all for it, in fact. What I don’t like, is having my intelligence insulted by companies such as Sony, who are bringing out a slim version of the PS3 sometime probably in the next year, and what will the main differences be? Well, that it’s a bit slimmer, of course. So then why not introduce the slim modle at the beginning of the console lifespan?!
Don’t give the that “well, they’re different components inside the box” bull shit either, because I personally think that a company should work their asses off to produce the best possible console they can do in their allotted period of development time and then keep it at that. Seriously guys, if the PS3 Slim launches at a price similar to the price of the original PS3 I am going to be pissed.
In a similar fashion, console upgrades such as the 360 Elite console make me want to /Rage_Quit life completely. Adding a HDMI port and a larger hard drive and painting it black do not warrent a £320.00 price point. If anything, the thing should have been sold at the price of the original 360 when it launched, which was £280.00, far more reasonable. Granted, the introduction of a HDMI port does warrant a hardware upgrade; it’s not something that you can really just pack out in a separate box… it’s sort of integral to the machine’s design. However, price point needs to be kept under control in these kinds of circumstances.
The other infuriating situation which keeps plaguing me is this “Wii HD” thing. Why, oh why Nintendo, do you persist to put out consoles half-finished?! The whole Wii Motion Plus thing is bad enough. Sure the add-on is brilliant in every single way possible, and it’s not too expensive and makes games feel great… but why wasn’t it packed in when the hardware first launched? Why promise a person something that you know you can’t achieve right from the off? So, erm, back to my original problem… Wii HD?! Say what? The idea is insane.
The Wii should have been in High Definition anyway, and it’s the only fault that I have with that system. Games look dumb on it… I’m sorry, but it’s true. If Nintendo decide to release a new Wii (which they’ve not agreed to, yet) that’s exactly the same but with high definition… buy I will be angry. Would I go out and buy the damn thing? yes! Of course I would, because I want my games in high definition, but I would feel completely insulted by Nintendo for making me spend another couple of hundred pounds on something that should have been there in the first place.
So there. I buy consoles so that I can avoid upgrading… that’s what makes PC gaming suck. Please, tell me I’m not alone in these opinions…. there’s got to be more people than just me feeling angered by the decisions of greedy hardware manufactures! Leave a comment and then head over to the forum to Vent!
by Martin Robinson, IGN UK
UK, August 4, 2009 – Amazon has cut 50 USD from the price of the 160 GB PlayStation 3, with the unit – bundled with a copy of the revered Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – now weighing in at 449.99 USD.
The cut – picked up by gamesindustry.biz – comes ahead of Gamescom, where many believe Sony will reveal an official price cut, as well as possibly introduce the much touted slim model of the PlayStation 3. The price cut for the 160 GB model is only effective in the US.
A listing for the PlayStation 3 slim was spotted on Amazon Germany over the weekend, suggesting that any official news on the rumoured console will come sooner rather than later.
My Take: Well, a price cut on the 160 GB model was inevitable since it comes packed with Uncharted, (I.E. it’s being discontinued), I’d say the likelihood of them actually cutting the price of the other console models may come soon, as the rumors for the “slim” model are sparking up more and more. Can the 80GB model finally make the $299.99 mark?
Yes yes yes, It’s Thursday which makes it the day for a large collection of video about video games! How I just love doing this. Each and every Thursday we here at The Weird Pixel go through the week’s posts to collate everything to do with video and games into one nice big feature so that you can brows through at your leisurely pace. Remember to come back next Thursday for our next edition of This Week in Pixels!
Some users over at Gametrailers have ‘leaked’ footage of what appears to be a golf game for the Xbox 360 which allows you to use your avatar as the player.
Some critics believe this may be an Xbox Live Indie game, however, the game looks too finally polished and I’m not 100% that an indie developer would have the facilities and tools to utilise avatars.
If Microsoft are planning the title will it be able to match up to the motion sensitive controls of the Wii, heck this sort of golf game relies on being fun and the motion controls of the Wii make the Wii version ‘fun’.
Microsoft have been approached for comment and if they do respond we’ll let you know how right here.
In a very rare occasion, has the game industry produced a title which is actually ahead of schedule?
EA and DICE have both stated over and over that this highly anticipated sequal will be due to hit the shops in 2010. However over on the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 website it clearly states that all patforms (Xbox360, PS3, PC) are to recieve the game this winter 2009.
Interesting huh, or maybe its just a typo. You decide!
Activision have remained quiet about Guitar Hero: Van Halen, in fact officially all we know about the setlist is that it’ll be a very small 44 tracks. This list is an apparent leak (via videogamesblogger) showcasing a partial setlist:
Here’s 18 of out 44 songs included on the game disc.
Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
Dope Nose by Weezer
I Want It All by Queen
Jump
Panama
Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind
The Takedown by Yellowcard
You Really Got Me
And the Cradle Will Rock…
Unchained
Atomic Punk
Somebody Get Me a Doctor
Everybody Wants Some!!
Runnin’ with the Devil
Little Guitars
Spanish Fly
Cathedral
Eruption
Nice to see most of the Van Halen greats there and even to see Queen but at any rate I’m still holding out for Bohemian Rhapsody.
You getting GH: Van Halen? Why not tell us why?
You not getting GH: Van Halen? Then why not slag it off?
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