Posts tagged Unprecedented Level
Midway’s UK studio reveals new IP, could be RIP by July
Jun 17th
Publisher’s Newcastle shop announces crime-noir drama Necessary Force, as remaining time to find a buyer dwindles.
In May, Midway received an 11th-hour savior in the form of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, who put in a $33 million offer for the bulk of the bankrupt publisher’s assets. Not all of Midway’s holdings were party to the offer, however, with WBIE opting not to include the publisher’s Newcastle (Wheelman) and San Diego (TNA Impact) studios as part to the deal.
With Midway’s court-supervised adjudication process concluding by the end of this month, Newcastle is actively courting a buyer that will keep the studio’s doors open. To aid it in this endeavor, Newcastle today announced Necessary Force, an original intellectual property that tells a noir-style crime drama built on the backbone of Newcastle’s Wheelman engine, which is based on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine III technology.
Speaking to British magazine Develop, Newcastle studio head Craig Duncan said Necessary Force is the studio’s attempt to distinguish itself as a unique development house. “I think that, because we were an internal studio within Midway, a lot of people don’t really know what we’re about,” he said. “We’re not really a driving studio, although it’s in our heritage; we’ve got this great backbone of technology that enables us to make flexible open-world content relatively quickly.”
Of Necessary Force specifically, Duncan said that its fundamental goal is to better explore the noir genre through the gaming medium. “The idea of a detective who sets his own rules is the sort of story that’s been around in movies for a while, but we don’t think anyone’s managed to capture the essence of those choices and consequences in games,” he said. “That unprecedented level of open-world influence and troubled morality is something we’re really keen to explore.”
With the world economy in turmoil, Newcastle’s bid to stave off closure isn’t an uncommon predicament, and the possibility of a last-minute buyer isn’t unheard of. In late 2008, fellow British developer Free Radical Design, of TimeSplitters fame and Haze infamy, filed for bankruptcy after a number of its upcoming develop contracts fell through. Rather than going under, however, Free Radical was picked up by Crysis creators Crytek, who bought the studio along with its remaining assets in February.
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero, DJ Hero confirmed for fall ‘09
May 7th
Activision confirms previously rumoured Heroes arriving this autumn, alongside Van Halen; full Greatest Hits/Smash Hits setlist revealed; first shot of turntable controller inside.
Activision today officially announced or confirmed information for a wide range of products with the Hero moniker, including Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero, DJ Hero, Guitar Hero Van Halen, Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits–known as Guitar Hero: Smash Hits in North America. The biggest news is that Guitar Hero 5 was also officially revealed, though no specific details save the release window were mentioned.
Guitar Hero 5 is expected to follow the formula of Guitar Hero World Tour which was released last year on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, and PC, to positive reviews. It will offer “unprecedented level of control over the way they play the game with the ability to drop in and out of songs and change band members, instruments and difficulty levels on the fly,” according to the megapublisher.
The long-rumored Band Hero was also confirmed. Instead of featuring non-rock instruments, the title will instead be a all-ages, family-friendly entry in the series–the first game in the franchise to bear an E10+ rating from the ESRB. No details were given other than that the game will feature “top-40 hits designed to expand the appeal to a broad family audience who can play together on the guitar, drums, bass and microphone.”
The previously confirmed DJ Hero also got a mention. Swapping pubs for clubs, the new instalment will feature songs spanning hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronic, and “dance” genres. Rather than creating songs from scratch, DJ Hero will allow players to produce “original mixes of popular songs and music from the world’s most exciting artists and DJs.”
Several publicity images of the DJ Hero Turntable Controller were unveiled along the announcement. The deck features green, red, and blue buttons akin to those found on Guitar Hero instruments, with the middle button noticeably larger than the other two. DJ Hero is heading to the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3 and/or PlayStation 2.
While Prince may’ve knocked back the franchise’s advances, Activision’s Will Kassoy officially confirmed the existence of Guitar Hero: Van Halen earlier this week at a press event. Kassoy promised the game will feature “many of the band’s greatest hits,” although it is still unclear which platforms it will appear on.
In a separate announcement, Activision also confirmed the complete 48-song set list for Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits (subtitled Smash Hits in the US), combining songs from previous titles in the series including Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. The full list is below.
Guitar Hero
Blue Oyster Cult – Godzilla
Boston – “More Than A Feeling
Deep Purple – Smoke On The Water
Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out
Helmet – Unsung (Live)
Incubus – Stellar
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – I Love Rock N“ Roll
Ozzy Osbourne – Bark At The Moon
Pantera – Cowboys From Hell (Live)
Queen – Killer Queen
Queens Of The Stone Age – No One Knows
The Donnas – Take It Off
The Exies – Hey You
White Zombie – Thunder Kiss ‘65
Guitar Hero II
Alice In Chains – Them Bones
Avenged Sevenfold – Beast And The Harlot
Danzig – Mother
Foo Fighters – Monkey Wrench
Iron Maiden – The Trooper
Jane“s Addiction – Stop!
Kansas – Carry On Wayward Son
Lamb Of God – Laid To Rest
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird
M“tley Cr“e- Shout At The Devil
Nirvana – Heart-Shaped Box
Rage Against The Machine – Killing In The Name
Reverend Horton Heat – Psychobilly Freakout
Rush – YYZ
Stone Temple Pilots – Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart
The Police – Message In A Bottle
The Sword – Freya
Warrant – Cherry Pie
Wolfmother – Woman
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
Anthrax – Caught In A Mosh
Extreme – Play With Me
Judas Priest – Electric Eye
Poison – Nothin’ But A Good Time
Ratt – Round and Round
Twisted Sister – I Wanna Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
AFI – Miss Murder
DragonForce – Through The Fire And Flames
Heart – Barracuda
Kiss – Rock And Roll All Nite
Living Colour – Cult Of Personality
Pat Benatar – Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Priestess – Lay Down
Slayer – Raining Blood
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
Aerosmith – Back In The Saddle
Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
