Per Microsoft's Major Nelson (linked above): Xbox.com and the Xbox forums will be offline for maintenance on Tuesday, November 18th from 12:01am PT until 4:00am PT to prepare for the New Xbox Experience launch on Wednesday the 19th.
This does NOT affect Xbox LIVE, which will remain available during this time.
Additionally, similar as was done for the PlayStation 3 recently, Microsoft will give Capcom its own “branded destination experience” tomorrow, to coincide with the launch of New Xbox Experience.
The hub will serve as a sort of one-stop shop for all things Street Fighter. Related add-ons and content, as well information on upcoming releases, will be accessible from one single destination.
Press Release: CAPCOM® PARTNERS WITH MICROSOFT® TO PROVIDE A BRANDED EXPERIENCE WITH SUPER STREET FIGHTER® II TURBO HD R... More »
Below is a recent interview with the very friendly Ben LeRougtel of Capcom, who enthusiatically answered some questions on Resident Evil 5 courtesy of XCN.
XCN: What makes a classic Resident Evil game?
BL: It’s fear and tension. If you look at some of the enemies you encounter in Resident Evil games they’re always grotesque and you’re not sure what they’re made up of - sometimes they’re part human, sometimes they’re complete abominations of nature. But Resident Evil 5 has moved away from that survival horror tag that was there in the beginning.
It has more of an action feel to it but still the tension is there and it’s intensified with the addition of co-op. It’s a very different experience - normally your Resident Evil mindset is “me, me, me!” and it’s just about your survival. Now you’ve got to worry about someone else as well, and if the other person is only out for themselves it makes the game ver... More »
Capcom's John Diamonon shared the following today via PS Blog:
Hey PS Fam! Long time no blog. It’s my pleasure to announce that Age of Booty will finally become available today on the PSN for only $9.99. I know there was a delay bringing this title to you, but we had to make sure we fixed all the bugs before we deliver one of the most original digital games on this platform.
Anyway, Max Hoberman, the President of Certain Affinity and the developer of Age of Booty, wanted to give you some insights into this critically acclaimed game. He’ll also answer any questions you have about the game. Without further ado, heeeere’s Max!
This is a follow-up to my previous post, where I described the genesis of our upcoming downloadable pirate action RTS, Age of Booty. I left off with us signing a publishing deal with Capcom and beginning production. That was a year ago, and since then we’ve had a lot of time to improve upon the original design.... More »
While perusing the aisles of my local Target this evening, I noticed something that caught my attention.
Nintendo has apparently just released a controller combo pack that includes a Wii Remote, Nunchuck, and Mario Kart Steering wheel, without telling a soul in the press. This is very bizarre as game companies usually like us to be aware of even the most mundane of its business moves (e.g. picture pack releases on Xbox Live.)
This is an officially licensed set that includes all authentic Nintendo accessories. Somewhat surprising though, is the $74.99 price point for the bundle.
Some may seek out the pack thinking they are getting a good deal, but don’t let this fool you. Nintendo has done nothing for the consumer in terms of savings. Bought separately, all of the items in the bundle cost the exact same price as the bundle. Technically, you would save two cents by purchasing them individually. Wii Remote ($39.99) + Wii Wheel ($14.99) + Nunchaku ... More »
Sony's semi-official blog ThreeSpeech has posted an article that asks AI coders from a number of studios "how close are we to creating truly autonomous AI characters" in games. To quote:
Part one: autonomy
To kick off, we’re looking at enemies who think for themselves. How close are we to creating truly autonomous AI characters, able to react in real-time to player actions and formulate their own responses? Some developers have been experimenting with techniques such as Goal-Orientated Action Planning (GOAP) for several years in order to create ‘thinking’ beings.
But is this desirable? And is there still a role for scripted AI, in which the baddies perform actions based on pre-programmed, pre-determined elements? We ask the makers of F.E.A.R, Prototype, Dead Space and Wheelman.
Participants:
Sergio Garces Casao, Lead AI Programmer, Prototype, Radical Entertainment
Chris Hecker: Independent game coder
Jef... More »
Sony Chief Executive Howard Stringer bristles every time he gets the question: Why can't the Japanese electronics giant be more like Apple?
The maker of the iPod, iPhone, and Mac computers consistently delivers supercool gadgets that are easy to use, while Sony sells music players, TVs, and cameras that get mixed reviews and often don't even work well with other Sony (SNE) products.
"Sony is a very big company," Stringer says by way of explanation. "Our toughest competitors are niche organizations."
Stringer is quick to admit, though, that Sony may face a troubled future if it can't rival Apple (AAPL) in creating simple software that makes its gadgets fun and in giving consumers easy access to music and videos.
Apple's iTunes store has long made filling iPods a cinch, but Sony's consumer electronics and PlayStation divisions have only recently started to integrate their offerings with those of the company's movie studio and... More »
Community Manager Bryan Intihar of Insomniac Games shared the following via PS Blog today:
It’s here! Well, almost. The launch of Resistance 2 is now only days away, so we hope you and your Bullseye are just about ready to go huntin’ for some Chimera. The game officially hits store shelves in North America on November 4, and to help celebrate Resistance 2’s arrival, we’ve got something extra-special planned:
Midnight Launch Event: That’s right, Resistance 2 is taking over the PlayStation Store in San Francisco’s Metreon for the night of November 3rd (and early on the 4th). In addition to being one of the first to pick up a copy of the game, attendees will be able to meet a host of Insomniacs (including Ted Price, our President and CEO, and members of the community team), receive some cool swag, get their copy of the game signed, and have their picture taken and placed on the cover of Resistance 2.
A patent application filed on October 23rd that surfaced at NeoGAF reveals that talk of Sony creating a break-apart controller that surfaced back in July of this year might not have been as far-fetched as was originally thought.
The patent is for a method by which a system could track the movement of one or more controllers, with video tracking the position of the controllers and ultrasonic frequencies used to determine their distance from the console.
What this means is that two different controllers would submit data to a video input device like the PlayStation Eye, with the Eye's microphone picking up on both the visual lo... More »
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