The game already looks phenomenal, but when you combine that with a smooth frame rate, you've got something special.
There have been plenty of driving games of late that have been visually impressive, but very few live up to the visual fidelity displayed by DiRT. This game is a technical achievement in car design, track design, and damage modeling. To begin with, the cars are beautifully rendered, highly detailed models that are as fantastic to look at as they are to destroy. Damage modeling is one of the most impressive aspects of the game; you can lose bumpers or doors, break glass, tear up the paintjob, and roll your ride into a crushed, deformed mess. Tracks are equally beautiful and destructible. From the rain-slick tarmac tracks of Japan and the dusty backroads of Italy to the muddy, gravelly countryside of the UK, DiRT nails every environment wonderfully.
The game also uses lighting to fantastic effect, not just to emphasize how shiny and reflective th... More »
EA Sports announced the soundtrack for the forthcoming release of NBA Live 08, boasting 19 tracks that span both eras (with recent singles like "The Way I Are" and old-school artists, such as DJ Jazzy Jeff and KRS-One) and genres (from hip-hop to rock and reggae).
"When it comes to defining new music for the coming year, the NBA Live soundtrack is the music industry's top playmaker," said Steve Schnur, worldwide executive of music and marketing at Electronic Arts. "The goal remains to further define the global cultural phenomenon of music -- and help shape its future -- via one of the hottest sports videogame franchises in the world today. The NBA Live soundtrack is now officially a dynasty."
Who knew? Apparently videogame soundtracks can boast dynastic qualities. The full track listing can be found below:
The new version, called LiveMove Pro, includes several new features. AiLive says the technology reduces lag between movement of the Wiimote and on-screen recognition and improves the ability to create motion-based input ideas.
AiLive claims that its tool is already being used at 'hundreds' of studios as a fast-prototyping tool, and that the Pro version has been built from their feedback.
"Zero-lag recognition is so responsive that the game will know what you are doing as soon as you start moving," commented Wei Yen, Chairman of AiLive.
"LiveMove Pro can help you do anything you need to do with motion sensing devices. We changed the rules of the game, making it easy to build the motion controls that will define the next generation of Wii console games."
"Nintendo saw the potential in LiveMove last year, and AiLive has done it again," added Genyo Takeda, senior MD and GM of Nintendo's Integrated Research & Development Division.
... More »
In a wide-ranging interview posted on the Nintendo web site recently, company executives offered investors a rare glimpse into the Japanese gaming giant's business strategy and future plans, discussing everything from Shigeru Miyamoto's recent hobbies to the chances that we'll see a DS phone any time soon.
But mostly, they talked about Nintendo's strengths in a global videogame marketplace they increasingly define. We wish they would have named it the Super Okay Fun-Time Party, but they called it the Corporate Management Policy Briefing instead. Despite the dry name, we read it anyway, and came away with some fascinating insights.
The interview was posted on the Nintendo site after the company's recent sales results conference (linked via Gamasutra), and contains five pages of Q&A.
Rather than ramble on, we'll pull out some of the more interesting bits and interpret them below.... More »
Ok, ok. I get it. Not unlike the 'video games as art' argument morality is a tired topic when it comes to video games, but in the current climate of this new generation it is certainly one worth discussing.
Video games are changing, offering new experiences and interactions that both literally and figuratively take you to the next level. Better graphics, higher production values, a strong sense of immersion, realistic relations with more-human-than-ever characters. With such an evolution taking place in the creation process of each video game the question of morality is always ready to rear its ugly head.
It's a point of contention that's as old as the industry itself, constantly dissected and viewed from every angle. Since the first shot was fired in SpaceWar games have portrayed violent behavior in such a way that allows the player to define their own moral framework.
Not all video games are violent affairs, but an incredible amount will allow... More »
Toshiba has released a statement which indicates that it is surprised by WB's decision to abandon the HD DVD format and go exclusively Blu-ray.
There seems to be 'sour grapes' involved as Toshiba draw on the fact there are various contracts in place regarding the support of HD DVD And the two companies worked closely to standardize the DVD format and shape HD DVD as its successor.
TOSHIBA'S STATEMENT:
Toshiba is quite surprised by Warner Bros.' decision to abandon HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray, despite the fact that there are various contracts in place between our companies concerning the support of HD DVD. As central members of the DVD Forum, we have long maintained a close partnership with Warner Bros. We worked closely together to help standardize the first-generation DVD format as well as to define and shape HD DVD as its next-generation successor.
We were particularly disappointed that this decision was Made in spite of the signif... More »
Colin Sebastian banks on consoles for the first half, PCs for back end of the year, while DFC Intelligence projects hardcore fare to define the market.
With the first month of 2008 nearly in the books, industry analysts are wrapping up their latest round of predictions for what the coming year will mean to gaming.
In a note to investors this morning, Lazard Capital Markets' Colin Sebastian picked out two trends to watch for. For the first half of the year, Sebastian expects growth in console gaming to be a big story thanks to the release of high-profile games like Devil May Cry 4, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Metal Gear Solid 4. However, Sebastian expects the PC market to gain prominence after June, buffeted on the strength of releases for Activision Blizzard's World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and Starcraft II, as well as Electronic Arts' Spore.
Will Wright's intergalactic life sim isn't the only EA game Sebastian is looking forward to. The... More »
A university in Devon is preparing to find out if a baby robot can be taught to talk.
Staff at the University of Plymouth will work with a 1m-high (3ft) humanoid baby robot called iCub.
Over the next four years robotics experts will work with language development specialists who research how parents teach children to speak.
Their findings could lead to the development of humanoid robots which learn, think and talk.
The project is believed to be the first of its kind in the world and typical experiments with the iCub robot will include activities such as inserting objects of various shapes into the corresponding holes in a box, serialising nested cups and stacking wooden blocks.
Artificial intelligence
The iCub, which will arrive at the university next year, will also be asked to name objects and actions so that it acquires basic phrases such as "robot puts stick on cube".
The original Tekken was not only the first PlayStation game to sell a million copies, but it was also the first title in a series that for more than twelve years has helped define Sony's PlayStation brand. Later this year, the seventh instalment - Tekken 6 - will be released for the PlayStation 3, a console that would arguably benefit from some sort of definition.
The Tekken series may have found worldwide success due to its home console versions, but its origin and home is in the arcades. Tekken 6 was released in Japan in November last year, and has quickly amassed a hardcore following. But what if you don't live in Japan and are desperate to play the latest instalment of the hugely popular brawler?
Well, there appears to be a shortage of cabinets for the US and Europe, and as of right now Tekken 6 is only available in select Namco operated sites. Fortunately for yours truly, I happen to live less than 2 miles away from a Namco Station in the UK, which rece... More »
Each generation of consoles has made an advance in gaming unlike any other. For the N64/PS1 generation, it was the jump to 3D; for the Xbox/PS2/GC generation, it was online gameplay and sandbox games. But what about now?
Aside from prettier graphics, micro-transactions, and (arguably) motion control, what has defined this generation of consoles? The answer: nothing. Yet.
This year, however, that's going to change. 2008 will go down in gaming history as the year of user-created content's rise to prominence, with XNA and LittleBigPlanet leading the charge.
XNA was actually touted before the Xbox 360 had even made its star-studded debut on MTV. But regardless of its apparent age, the idea behind XNA has always been the same.
Through it, Microsoft wants to provide budding game designers and hobbyists with a method to realize their dreams. And now, with Microsoft's announcement that XNA-developed games will appear on Xbox Live for even ... More »
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