Friday, November 30, 2007

Which Console for Christmas?

Nintendo Wii Game Console
If you want a Nintendo Wii Console, you really should have bought one already! It’s been nearly a year since the launch of the Wii, and again it's this Christmas' must-have present. While the Nintendo Wii is the least powerful of the current generation consoles, its innovative motion-sensing control system has contributed to the Wii becoming more popular than even Nintendo had anticipated. High demand & limited supplies have caused retailers to experience stock shortages ever since the launch last December ('06). Prices started to rise early this October, with several major retailers only selling the Wii console bundled with games. Amazon reported a recent delivery of 1,400 Wiis sold out within ten minutes. The market for Wiis on eBay also looks set to match last year's frenzy of inflated pricing, with many sellers getting their stock from elsewhere in Europe. Nintendo has said it is "doing everything possible" to keep up with demand, aiming to ship an extra 3.5 million consoles before Christmas...

XBOX 360 Game Console
During September, XBOX 360 overtook the Wii as the top-selling console that month, thanks to a major boost from the blockbuster game HALO 3 & recent release of the new 120GB XBOX 360 Elite. Microsoft’s XBOX 360 console may be the oldest of the "next-generation" consoles, but it’s still a very powerful high-definition games machine, with a varied range of impressive titles to choose from, including exclusive bestsellers such as Gears of War, Forza Motorsport 2, Mass Effect & Bioshock. If you are comparing prices with the PlayStation 3 console you should consider the additional cost for XBOX 360 add-ons (HD DVD Player, Wi-Fi, etc.) and Xbox LIVE Membership fees. There's now 4 models of the Microsoft XBOX 360 console to choose from: the black 120GB XBOX 360 Elite, the chrome 20GB Premium Package, the new Arcade Console, plus the green & gold 20GB HALO 3 Limited Edition

PlayStation 3 Game Console
It’s been a confusing first year for the much-anticipated PlayStation 3 console, with a delayed launch and the rapidly discontinued 20GB & 60GB models. Sony's PlayStation 3 has the edge on the Microsoft XBOX 360 with more processing power, superior graphics potential and state-of-the-art gaming capabilities. It also has a high-definition Blu-ray Disc player and Wi-Fi built-in to the console. Now the price of the console is more competitive, 2008 should be the year when the big, black, shinny PlayStation 3 starts to challenge the competition. There are already many outstanding PS3 exclusive games - Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, Resistance: Fall of Man, MotorStorm, etc. - with more lined-up for the New Year. And, the virtual world of PlayStation Home is set to soon add an extra dimension to interaction between console owners...

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Blu-ray Discs Outselling HD DVD

HD DVD vs. Blu-ray Disc

The story so far: HD DVD format was launched by Toshiba in Japan on 31st March 2006. The first Samsung Blu-ray players went on sale in the US on 25th June 2006. Sony's PlayStation 3 Console with built-in Blu-ray player launched in Japan on 10th November 2006. Microsoft's HD DVD Player for XBOX 360 was released at the beginning of December 2006...

October 2007: Home Media Research released a report stating
Blu-ray Disc movies have outsold rival HD DVD movie titles by an almost 2:1 ratio in the United States so far this year. While HD DVD player owners buy more movies, there are now 2.7 million US homes with a Blu-ray player (includes Sony PlayStation 3 Console owners) compared to only 750,000 with HD DVD players

Today, the Blu-ray Disc Association issued a statement that Blu-ray movie sales have now exceeded a million in Europe & Blu-ray currently represents 73% of high-definition movie sales. In Europe, over 20 million Blu-ray Disc games for the PlayStation 3 Console have also been produced

Friday, November 23, 2007

Need for Speed: Pro Street

Need for Speed: Pro Street for PS3, XBOX 360 & Wii

Need for Speed: Pro Street departs from the usual NfS arcade-style gameplay, providing a much more realistic racing simulation. The Autosculpt feature from Need for Speed: Carbon is carried forward with greater detail (including a Wind Tunnel for testing). Need for Speed: Pro Street on XBOX 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii places you at the highest-level of street racing. Build the ultimate racing machine, then compete against world-class drivers on closed tracks in various game modes: Drag, Wheelie, Grip, Sector Shootout, Time Attack, Speed Challenge, Top Speed Run & Drift. You can choose to race cleanly or race rough: bumping, ramming, blocking, etc. With detailed photo-realistic graphics, more aggressive A.I. and an advanced physics engine, NfS: Pro Street also features damage modeling, with every dent & scratch displayed as a battle scar on your car...


Mario & Sonic: Olympic Games

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for Nintendo Wii

Once deadly rivals in the Console Wars, Sega's Sonic and Nintendo's Mario compete in the first officially licensed game for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games for the Nintendo Wii console allows you to "Go for Gold" in stylised Olympic venues, with authentic events including: 100m sprint, hurdles, swimming, pole vault, javelin, gymnastics, archery, table tennis, etc... More than twenty-five characters from both Mario's and Sonic's universes are playable in the game, with full tournament & missions modes as well as online leaderboards. While the game was developed by Sega, it has been overseen by the legendary Nintendo creator Shigeru Miyamoto...



A more realistic Olympic Games simulation will also be released by Sega in 2008. And, Sonic & Mario are set to go head-to-head again on the Nintendo Wii soon in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock

Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock for PS3, XBOX 360 & Wii

Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock for XBOX 360, PlayStation 3 & Nintendo Wii features tracks from legendary rock bands such as the Rolling Stones, Metallica, Guns N Roses, Aerosmith & Pearl Jam - with new music composed by iconic guitarists Slash and Tom Morello. Improved graphics heighten the visual experience, while the new wireless Gibson Les Paul guitar controller allows you more freedom to channel your inner "Rock god". The arcade-style Battle Mode, Co-op Career & Boss Battles add even more challenges to the intense gameplay...



Mass Effect for XBOX 360

Mass Effect for XBOX 360

MASS EFFECT is a story-driven, science-fiction adventure developed by BioWare: delivering an epic, immersive experience with awe-inspiring visuals, exclusive to the XBOX 360 Console. As one of the first human beings to venture to alien worlds, you uncover an ancient threat that is set to destroy all organic civilizations. Travel across an expansive universe, exploring the uncharted corners of the galaxy, searching for the truth in order to discover a way to avoid the coming annihilation...

Friday, November 16, 2007

Super Mario Galaxy for Nintendo Wii

Super Mario Galaxy for Nintendo Wii

Princess Peach has carelessly got kidnapped again! It's up to you, Mario, to rescue her... It's the same old story, but Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii is light-years ahead of previous 3D platforming games, taking full advantage of the unique Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers to add new dimensions to gameplay. There's new power-ups (such as Bee Mario & invisible Boo Mario), and Mario can defy gravity to perform mind-bending leaps across the bizarre alien landscapes or over to other planets. With an engaging soundtrack, Super Mario Galaxy features some of the most impressive graphics seen on the Nintendo Wii to date...



Friday, November 09, 2007

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Call of Duty 4 for PlayStation 3, XBOX 360 & PC

The latest in Activision's bestselling series, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on the Sony PlayStation 3 & Microsoft XBOX 360, leaves behind World War II & heads for the more topical setting of the Middle East. Armed with photo-realistic graphics and amazing special effects, this delivers more of the intense, explosive action you expect from COD games. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare brings a variety of gameplay styles to the single player game, with interlaced storylines from the perspective of a member of the US Marines & a British SAS soldier. There are also several brief missions where you drive forward the plot in the role of various other soldiers. The series' move to modern warfare also introduces new weapons & technologies which add extra depth to the online multiplayer experience...


DVD Playback Delay for Wii Console

On it's Japanese website, Nintendo has confirmed that DVD playback now won’t be added to the Wii console this year. Plans for a DVD-enabled model of the Nintendo Wii were revealed last October and penciled-in for release in the second half of 2007 in Japan & North America. Industry-wide component shortages, which have restricted production of the standard Wii console, were cited as the reason for postponing the Premium Wii with DVD

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga for PS3, XBOX 360 & Wii

The Lego Star Wars games were massive hits on the last generation of consoles for their innovative & entertaining gameplay... Now the next generation gets to join in the fun, with Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, a compendium of action from the previous games with a galaxy of new features, extra levels, bonus missions and new playable characters (choose from over 160!) Fight & fly through events from both the original & prequel Star Wars trilogies. The PlayStation 3 & XBOX 360 versions of the game also include a new online co-op mode, and you can wield your Nintendo Wii's remote like a lightsaber!



Ratchet & Clank: Destruction on PS3

Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction for PS3

Insomniac Games follow-up their best-selling PS3 launch title, Resistance: Fall of Man, by bringing crazy heroes Ratchet & Clank to the PlayStation 3. Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction offers a galaxy of fantastically detailed planets to explore, each overflowing with new alien races, exotic creatures and gigantic enemies. Robotic sidekick Clank returns as a playable character, while Ratchet has more gadgets at his disposal and access to an arsenal of new weapons, including the devastating "Tornado Launcher" and the completely bonkers "Groovitron" (which causes enemies to dance uncontrollably to 70's disco music!) In Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, our heroes face a villain determined to exterminate Ratchet's entire species. The game's storyline delivers an epic and humorous adventure, with state-of-the-art cartoon-style carnage, & diverse gameplay. Tonnes of fun for gamers of all ages & levels of experience...



Tuesday, November 06, 2007

PS3: Universe of Entertainment

PlayStation 3

Everyone keeps asking, so here's a link & more info' about the latest TV Spot for the Sony PS3 console...

Hired by Sony, the advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day commissioned animators Superfad to create "Universe of Entertainment", to express the immersive & explosive entertainment experience of the Playstation 3. Superfad developed a concept of "controlled chaos", designing a TV commercial where each single frame could also be used as a printed image. The dynamic final advertisement was produced using Maya & AfterEffects. The music, Ladies and Gentlemen, is by rockers Saliva...