News
| Viacom: Rock Band sales "are improving" but slower than predicted | |
| Posted: 04.11.2009 05:33 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 The Rock Band franchise, rival to Activision's Guitar Hero, isn't the financial power Viacom would like it to be but it's getting there, slowly.
The Beatles: Rock Band had a "great launch" but hopes for more with "marketing dollars" on the way. Franchise could see profit this Q4. | |
| Buzz! Quiz World next week in US, it includes 5000 new questions | |
| Posted: 04.11.2009 05:21 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 Europe has already been enjoying the new Buzz! Quiz World when it released last week, but the US has got to wait until November 10 for Buzz! This latest instalment has new customisation options but more importantly has 5000 new quizzes, with more from user-generated packs. | |
| Rumour-mill: Roger Daltrey talks The Who Rock Band "next year" | |
| Posted: 27.10.2009 08:21 by Technet2k | Comments: 1 |
 Lead singer for The Who, Roger Daltrey, has revealed that EA apparently has designs for the long-time group and Rock Band to team up, possibly in the form of a special edition.
The singer told The Republican, that they're "going to be doing a Who one next year." It's unclear if he means a full The Beatles Rock Band treatment. It could be something else entirely. | |
| Kalypso Media acquires Airline Tycoon II from Spellbound Entertainment | |
| Posted: 27.10.2009 05:24 by Jamie Davey | Comments: 0 |
 Kalypso Media announced today the acquisition of the worldwide name and publishing rights for Airline Tycoon II from Spellbound Entertainment. Kalypso is planning to release the sequel in the first quarter of 2011, with development being managed by its in-house studio, Realmforge. "Following the success of Tropico 3 and the development of future titles including MudTV and Patrician, we are thrilled to be bringing another hugely popular and respected brand to market. Airline Tycoon II will further strengthen our line up for the first quarter of 2011," says Simon Hellwig, Global Managing Director Kalypso Media Group. | |
| Operation Flashpoint to get patch and DLC, expected month's end | |
| Posted: 23.10.2009 04:40 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 Publisher Codemasters has said they hope to update the game and give out new content at the same time for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, which is by October end.
Their intention "is to align" the two to hopefully do the"whole thing in one." For the developer it's "not a lot of fuss" to work on new content, in fact it's "actually quite easy" to do; open-ended. | |
| Panzer General: Allied Assault and Tower Bloxx Deluxe on XBLA | |
| Posted: 20.10.2009 04:22 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 This week on Xbox Live Arcade a game from Star Wars: Empire at War developer Petroglyph Games will be available to the masses, Panzer General: Allied Assault.
Digital Chocolate has been busy prepping Tower Bloxx Deluxe for its HD release too. Both of these XBLA newcomer titles will be available tomorrow for 800 Microsoft Points each. | |
| LEGO to Rock Band our world November 27th, UK date confirmed | |
| Posted: 15.10.2009 05:00 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 Developer Traveller's Tales, now experts of all things LEGO, teamed up with Rock Band's Harmonix and have been hard at work infusing plastic bricks and studs with music.
LEGO Rock Band, which features family-friendly tunes, will be releasing in the UK on November 27th for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and DS. Rock VIPS have been thoroughly Lego-ised. | |
| Codemasters has "very ambitious" Operation Flashpoint DLC plans | |
| Posted: 15.10.2009 04:27 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 The first downloadable content for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is due in "a matter of weeks," and the developers are trying out all sorts for the future. Perfect for expansion.
Codemasters' Sion Lenton confirms there will be "weapons packs, map packs" coming for sure, as a release is now "just the beginning" thanks to DLC. They're "already prototyping" more. | |
| Brian May: Queen Rock Band "may happen," loves Lego "accolade" | |
| Posted: 14.10.2009 06:43 by Technet2k | Comments: 3 |
 Queen guitarist Brian May reveals they're open to a dedicated Rock Band edition, but sound as if they'd settle being "portrayed in Lego" as it's the "ultimate accolade" to have.
Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones quite agree. There's been "behind the scenes" chatter about a Rock Band game, and Queen are "into it" affirms May; believes it could happen. | |
| Buy World of Goo at "whatever price you like", celebrates one year | |
| Posted: 14.10.2009 06:13 by Technet2k | Comments: 2 |
 Developer 2D Boy of the physics-based puzzler World of Goo is celebrating one full year of the indie game's release, and runs a special 'sale time' promotion until October 19th.
This offer means you can pay "whatever" you want for the game, from a single cent to "a million dollars," and says it's even a chance for pirates "at redemption!" World of Goo on iPhone. | |
| Cascade Game Foundry from ex-Flight sims, can "redefine" genre | |
| Posted: 14.10.2009 05:12 by Technet2k | Comments: 1 |
 The closure of Microsoft Aces Studio, which had been making Flight Simulators since forever, has turned out to be "incredibly liberating" for ex-staffers as they've formed a new studio.
Cascade Game Foundry is a Washington-based developer, and they'll be reconsidering all their "preconceived notions," says Cascade's Rick Selby. Hardcore sim fans "critical foundation". | |
| Red Baron's Damon Slye gets rights back, has "a lot of ideas" for it | |
| Posted: 13.10.2009 06:22 by Technet2k | Comments: 1 |
 Now that Red Baron creator Damon Slye has all the legal papers back from Activision Blizzard, he's free to give us more of the classic flying antics. Something new planned.
The whole thing's a "strange boomerang" experience for him, they never expected "to see it again." A new Red Baron will have "emphasis on the human" so no quick, cheap thrill tricks. | |
| Warner Bros and MTV Games announce LEGO Rock Band track-list | |
| Posted: 13.10.2009 05:52 by Technet2k | Comments: 4 |
 Publisher Warner Bros has dished the full list of tracks available in the upcoming LEGO Rock Band, which will likely take us all by storm. It'll include DLC support of course.
Also featured are exportable tracks to other Rock Band titles, "for a nominal export fee" naturally. How much? Don't know. 45 tracks have been named for LEGO rockers to strum. | |
| Should Beatles albums "sell well", then Rock Band gets more DLC | |
| Posted: 09.10.2009 06:02 by Technet2k | Comments: 1 |
 The reasoning behind no avalanche of new The Beatles: Rock Band DLC is quite simple, as Harmonix's John Drake explains. It costs money to convert them, they need incentive.
The developers don't wait for masters to arrive and "just author them" like with other Rock Band tracks, it costs "thousands of dollars" using the original tapes. Sales will mean DLC. | |
| Bust a Move, Football Genius and Military Madness on XBLA soon | |
| Posted: 29.09.2009 04:39 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 This week the Xbox Live Arcade will have three new gems in its vault. Taito's Bust a Move, I-Imagine's Football Genius and Backbone's Military Madness are on their way.
Each of the XBLA titles will be up for 800 Microsoft Points. Military Madness: Nectaris is a remake of the original game back in the day, that day being in 1989 on the TurboGrafx-16. | |
| Harmonix unleash Rock Band 2 update, adds in an 'Audition Mode' | |
| Posted: 28.09.2009 05:46 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 Currently the new title update is only available for Xbox 360 because the PS3 version is still going through tests with PlayStation Network. The patch addresses "common requests".
Most notably it adds the 'Rock Band Network Audition Mode', which lets users try out their uploaded songs from the PC. In "coming weeks" the Rock Band Network starts an open beta. | |
| RedOctane "think it's likely" Natal will play a role with Guitar Hero | |
| Posted: 22.09.2009 07:47 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 Project Natal's destiny is murky, officially speaking, only theories exist on the extent of its practical application. RedOctane believes Acti's Guitar Hero will be infusing it eventually.
Kai Huang, boss of RedOctane, says Natal is "very interesting" because of the numerous things "you can do with it". They're "evaluating it" and say the future holds integration. | |
| The Beatles sales have "exceeded" goals, it really is "a work of art" | |
| Posted: 17.09.2009 05:55 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 Philippe Dauman, Viacom's CEO, has said during a recent Goldman Sachs conference call that The Beatles: Rock Band sales have blown past "internal expectations" they had.
It's "been terrific," and they shifted 25 percent of their inventory the first week. The music game delivers "in all respects" and Viacom expect it to continue performing. Bigger than Jesus? | |
| Ubisoft date Heroes Over Europe for PC, retails September 22nd | |
| Posted: 14.09.2009 04:37 by Technet2k | Comments: 6 |
 The WWII dogfighter Heroes Over Europe, which sees our heroic flyboys do battle in the skies, is coming to PC a bit later that on console but will see release this month.
Console versions fire up those rotors next week, but PC will remain grounded. Heroes Over Europe very nearly crashed and burned, but Ubisoft saved the day from Atari pulling out. | |
| Arsenal of Democracy announced, it's Hearts of Iron II "on steroids" | |
| Posted: 09.09.2009 05:12 by Technet2k | Comments: 0 |
 Paradox Interactive have announced another expansion, this time for Hearts of Iron II that's being developed by the fan formed BL-Logic. No game mechanic is left untouched.
What started as a forum list of improvements for the WWII simulator, became "guidelines to the new game." By the projects end they had "replaced and enhanced" everything. | |
