Category: GC 2006
Pro Evo/FIFA Not so Exclusive to Xbox 360
1Up reports that Microsoft’s soccer-exclusivity announcement at the Leipzig Games Convention may not be so exclusive. Speaking with Pro Evolution Soccer producer/creator Shingo ‘Seabass’ Takatsuka, the reporter learned that Microsoft’s claims weren’t true: “We never said exclusive for one year on the next-gen platforms. We said this year. We were agreed that it was this year.”
As per Takatsuka, Pro Evolution Soccer is exclusive to Xbox 360 this year only and not the “twelve” months Microsoft announced. It may be the same with FIFA07, as sources are indicating so. However, an official comment from EA is yet to come.
Gray Matter Officially Unveiled
Following up on this story, ANACONDA‘s press conference saw the official unveiling of Jane Jensen‘s new project Gray Matter.
The game’s story mixes eerie mysteries with supernatural events in best Jensen-style. Neurobiologist Dr. David Styles is one of the game’s central characters: since losing his wife in a horrible accident some several years ago, he has become a recluse, seldom leaving Dread Hill House, his English country estate.
When student and part-time street performer Samantha Everett shows up at his doorstep, she unexpectedly becomes his assistant. Hailing from America, she has been traveling through most of Europe the last couple years, making do by performing magic tricks on street corners, so this comes as a nice change of pace for her. But is the meeting of Sam and Styles really as coincidental as it seems?
Her first task: finding six test subjects at Oxford University for one of Styles’ experiments. The experiment starts off innocently enough: the subjects are tasked with imagining different forms of physical exercise. But then inexplicable incidents start mounting – and Styles receives visitations by his dear departed wife. Now it’s up to Sam to solve the mysteries of Dread Hill House.
In Gray Matter, players control both Dr. David Styles as well as Samantha Everett in their bid to uncover the secrets and find out the truth. While Dr. Styles research leads him into an investigation into the intricacies of the human mind, the player will have to tackle stage magic as Sam to solve puzzles. Gray Matter tackles questions concerning the nature of reality and the power of the mind in constructing the world we take for granted.
Gray Matter is in development at Tonuzaba Entertainment in Hungary and will be published worldwide during Q4 2007.
Unreal Tournament 2007 Leipzig Screenshots
Assassin's Creed Leipzig Screenshots
Alone in the Dark Leipzig Screenshots
Metal Gear Solid 4 Screenshots
27 Playable PS3 Games Next Month!
This year’s Tokyo Game Show will be an awesome one for PS3 fans, as Sony has released a list of 19 PlayStation 3 titles that will be playable at the Japanese show this September. The company also noted that 8 further PS3 titles will be playable, but haven’t been revealed yet. This brings the total number of playable PS3 titles at the show to 27. Check out the list:
- Armored Core 4
- Blade Storm: Hundred Years War
- Coded Arms Assault
- Devil May Cry 4
- The Eye of Judgment
- Fatal Inertia
- Formula One 06
- Genji: Days of the Blade
- “Gran Turismo” series
- Heavenly Sword
- Lair (working title)
- Mahjong Taikai IV
- Hot Shots Golf 5
- Mobile Suit Gundam
- MotorStorm
- Railfan
- Resistance: Fall of Man
- Ridge Racer 7
- Warhawk
Sony also stated that it will show video footage of a total of 35 games at the show.
FIFA 07 Next-gen Revealed
EA has unveiled the next-gen version of FIFA 07, which is now exclusive to the Xbox 360 for a year. The next-gen version will use a dynamic new engine that has been in development for two years and is driven by physics and data. It will offer individuality of player movement, authentic athletic motion and an “unprecedented” level of responsiveness.
The new engine creates a decision-making layer in FIFA 07 that gives each individual player a ‘football brain’ – a level of intelligence never before seen in a videogame. Player characteristics are now based on brand-new traits and twice the number of attributes, so no two players move in exactly the same way. Instead, they behave like the individual athletes we see gracing the pitch week-in, week-out.
FIFA 07 allows players to recognize their favorite athletes by the way they move. The human biomechanics of each athlete are taken into account and replicated in the game because the new engine is data-driven — the player motion is driven by individual attributes, physical characteristics and for the first time, traits.
FIFA 07 also introduces new ball physics, a central component to the feel and finesse of a football game. For the first time, the ball is alive with its own independent physics, resulting in truly unpredictable gameplay. Now any type of pass or shot is possible and goals will feel natural and unique.
Bringing the football experience beyond the videogame to truly deliver a complete media package for football fans is the online component to FIFA 07 which streams up-to-the-minute match results via real-time podcasts and news ticker. Nowhere else will football fans find such a comprehensive destination for football stats, information and real-world news.
With this new engine and licenses from the top leagues around the world, FIFA 07 on the Xbox 360 will create the most refined football gameplay experience to date.
FIFA 07 will hit stores this Fall on the Xbox 360. It will also be released on a multitude of current-gen platforms as well.
Gaming Mice from Microsoft
Microsoft, as part of its Leipzig presence, also announced several new products to enhance its gaming line – the Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 and the Habu mouse in partnership with Razer.
Popular demand has lead to the resurrection of the IntelliMouse. In this new version, the mouse will deliver “maximum precision and superior control” as well as “ergonomic design and wide footprint” for “outstanding comfort and stability”. The mouse will offer 9,000 frames per second; a Precision Booster enabling gamers to switch between default and precision mode for enhanced control; and a Gaming Toggle letting gamers switch easily between weapons or program frequently used action sequences. The new IntelliMouse will be gnawing its way into stores this October; it will retail for £35.
The curiously named Habu is the result of Microsoft’s alliance with Razer. The new mouse will feature “cutting-edge innovation and comfort” and “best-in-class gaming accessory technology.” Habu will be habuing into stores this October for £60.
Microsoft's X360 Accessories Announcement at Leipzig
During Leipzig, Microsoft made the surprise announcement that it has gotten Xbox 360 exclusivity for FIFA 07 and Pro Evolution Soccer 6. Basically, these two titles will be exclusive to the Microsoft console for a year before appearing on other next-gen consoles.
The company also announced that Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy and Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania will join the growing list of Windows Vista titles. Both are due for release next year when Vista and DirectX 10 will be readily available.
On the accessories front, Microsoft stated that the Xbox Live Vision camera for the Xbox 360 will be available in US and UK on September 19 and October 6, respectively, in two packages:
Xbox Live Vision. This package includes Xbox Live Vision camera, one-month Xbox Live Gold Membership, Xbox 360 Headset, and free* downloads of two full-version Xbox Live Arcade games: the popular “UNO®” card game and “TotemBall,” the new 3-D platform game from Freeverse and Strange Flavour Ltd. that is a mixture of platform skills and puzzles (estimated retail price (ERP) $39.99 U.S./ €49.99).
Xbox Live Video Chat Gold Kit. This package includes the Xbox Live Vision camera, a 12-month Xbox Live Gold Membership, an Xbox 360 Headset, free* downloads of three full-version Xbox Live Arcade games – the “UNO” card game, “TotemBall,” and the classic “Robotron™” action shooter – and 200 Microsoft Points (ERP $79.99 U.S./€89.99).
The company also announced the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel ($150, available in November), Xbox 360 Wireless Headset ($60, available in November), Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows ($20, available late December) and new Xbox 360 Faceplates featuring images from Halo, Viva Pinata and Forza Motorsport ($20, available late December).
Microsoft also revealed that it will launch the next-gen console in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia on November 3, following the South African launch on September 29.