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Archive for the ‘PlayStation 3’ Category
[Image: Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers]
Looks like somebody up there (or down here) finally decided to have some pity on Indian gamers without an Internet connection, a credit card, a Play-Asia account and oh, about 3 weeks of patience. Or in some cases, way longer. After having ignored the country for a long time, except for Lost Planet: Extreme Condition on the Xbox 360, Jap videogame giant Capcom have tied up with local distribution giant Milestone Interactive to bring all their upcoming and back catalog titles to the country.
While the distribution would initially stick to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PSP platforms, Milestone says they would also be offering PC and PlayStation 2 titles somewhere down the line. The back catalog, which currently includes hot property such as Dead Rising, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition and Devil May Cry 4 will be available starting this week at stores all over the country, with newer games such as MotoGP ‘08, Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5 being available in accordance with the international street dates for these titles.
If there’s one way to make a survival horror game a lot more appealing to those who crap in their pants everytime they as much as hear a plastic bag rustle in the dead of night, it is to release one on Friday the 13th. Demoing Resident Evil 5 at the Microsoft Press Conference at E3 2008 some time back, Capcom’s Jun Takeuchi walked the audience through a demo of the game, which is also supposed to be playable on the floor for the attendees during the course of the expo.
After explaining a little bit about Chris Redfield joining a new organization called the BSAA (or was it the VSAA?) and teaming up with Sheva to hunt zombie ass deep in Africa, the game’s co-producer joined in to show off the game’s co-op session - which involved Chris and Sheva working together and helping each other survive the zombie hordes in what was undoubtedly the high point of the entire Microsoft press conference. Which, ultimately, culminated in them facing off against a chainsaw wielding zombie and having the entire world groan in collective agony at having to wait until March 13, 2009. And for all the people in India, you know what that means - RE5 will probably walk in the footsteps of DMC4, so you better start placing your pre-orders as the option goes up on Play-Asia!
Well, what more can we say? We’ve confirmed with local distributor e-Xpress Interactive a couple of days back that Soulcalibur IV will indeed not make it to Indian shores, thanks to the fact that it’s an Ubisoft game. Since Ubisoft doesn’t believe in offering any sort of sales concession when it comes to Indian markets, and e-Xpress, like anyone else, wouldn’t want non-existent profit margins, Indian gamers eager for Soulcalibur IV will now have to look at Play-Asia (as usual) for their imports.
Speaking to us about the situation, e-Xpress has clarified that rather than haggle with Ubi and import the games for “an obscenely high price”, they’ve elected to not import the game in all likelihood. But the real terrifying part of the conversation came when Fallout 3 came into the picture. In a press release issued last month, Ubisoft had claimed that it would be distributing Fallout 3 in some PAL territory countries in Europe including Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Which indirectly means that if India’s import were to happen via Ubi, there’s no chance of Fallout 3 ever being officially released for the consoles here.
A few days ago, Indiagames COO Sameer Bangara was interviewed by AnimationXpress on the company’s current business situation and future mobile gaming plans. When asked about the ensuing development for PC and console gaming, Bangara revealed that the company is working together with UTV-owned, UK-based game publisher Ignition Entertainment on a several number of projects. One in particular that only seems to be possible on the Playstation 3.
Is Indiagames looking at developing high-end games for platforms apart from mobile?
Yes. But, we don‘t compete with our publishing partners. Hence, we only work in sections which are not catered by them because that will conflict with our GOD model. However, our 3D team has excellent potential and we are working on some high-end content. If you take Paanchvi Pass, for example, it‘s a cracker of a game. Then there is 20-20, a cricket game, which is also doing very well. As far as console titles go, we are working on a title called Ashoka. Besides, through our group company Ignition we are working on three other titles, of which one game can only run on a PS3.
Now, there aren’t that many publicly-know PS3 exclusives from Ignition buzzing around the net these days. Actually, there’s just one! So we’re gonna bite the proverbial bullet here and assume that Bangara is talking about the closely-kept guarded secret that is WarDevil. Being developed by Digi-Guys, a subsidiary of Ignition, WarDevil is an action-adventure game being built to accommodate the latest in graphics tech and will hopefully push the PS3 hardware to its limits. So where Indiagames fits into all of this is anyone’s guess, and we highly doubt Bangara will just give us the info on a silver platter. One thing’s for sure: any notable signs of Bhangra music in this post-apocolyptic robo-fiesta, and you will now come to understand how it happened.
Some of you may remember Sameer Desai’s first interview session with Sony Computer Entertainment India Country Manager Atindriya Bose. Much time has passed since then, and Sam decided to get the GamingIndians community together and voice in their questions for the Big Bose (oh snap). New info concerning recent Playstation brand sales (11,000 units across all three primary platforms in each month since the last three) as well as possible servicing for imported Playstation 3 units were some of the many things discussed.
GI: A major chunk of PlayStation 3s in India is imported and therefore warranty does not apply on these consoles. If we do have a service facility in the future, can Sony provide any sort of support or paid repair service for these owners?
AB: We will, most probably, look at providing service for a price, because ultimately it is a Sony customer, although they will not enjoy warranty. If it is tampered with in any way, like is seen often with the PlayStation 2, we will not touch it. Other than that, we will come up with a policy for imported consoles.
You can catch the entire interview here.
Sandbox games, what’s there not to like? You know, other than nagging politicians and concerned parents. That’s right, a lot. Canadian-based developer Radical Entertainment (known greatly for their work on Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and The Simpsons Hit & Run) have been busy waxing off PROTOTYPE - a multi-platformed title which some are coining as an “open-world thriller”. The basic gist is: You’re a science-fair project gone wrong, and can make your body do freaky things like lob peoples’ heads off or consume their bodies while taking their form and memories. Sounds thriller-y enough, we thinks. We spoke to Executive Producer Tim Bennison about the various aspects uniquely found in PROTOTYPE, as well as dabble in the topics of GTAIV, possible inclusion of multiplayer modes, and console-specific development.
More after the jump.
Four beautiful women gathered from around the world. Each one has been mentally violated by the horror of war. As their sole means of survival, they are modified into the ultimate bio-mechanical arsenal: The Beauty and the Beast Corps. Can Solid Snake finally uncover their humanity and rescue them from their lucid nightmares? Or will they simply be another notch or four on the casualty list?
Director Hideo Kojima’s vision, a physical beast on the outside and a woman’s beauty on the inside, has finally been realized with the approaching release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Two voice actors were provided for each boss in the English voices department, one providing the beast’s voice, the second portraying the human voice and both voices subsequently over-lapped to further the personality divide. The high-grade production values don’t stop there. Kojima commissioned four real-life beauties and used advanced modeling and digital photography techniques to have them provide the framework, so to speak, for the feral four.
We know some of the powers displayed by each beastly beauty, and the references to famous and infamous Metal Gear Solid bosses and Snake Eater pathos. What of the beauty beneath the beast? Let’s take a closer look at the models who have gamers head-over-heels in love with their rampant murder mixed with a dash of stylish mangling and post-traumatic stress echoing in their desensitized mechanical hearts.