Sega Examining Xbox 360 Virtual On Twin Sticks

Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram Ver. 5.66 is coming to Xbox Live Arcade this spring. Great news, but fans of the series probably want to play the game with a twin stick controller. Sega hears you.

In an official post the development team discusses a peripheral, but they don’t exactly announce it. They mention tinkering with key assignments and manufacturing costs which sounds like a prototype Xbox 360 twin stick controller is sitting on someone’s desk. However, the device is said to be rather expensive and it’s possible that the accessory could not make it to market. How much would you pay for a set of Xbox 360 Virtual On sticks?

source: siliconera

Xbox Live Arcade titles getting out of their comfort zone

Two new Xbox Live Arcade titles hit tomorrow and they seem…well, a bit greedy. Capcom’s alien shepherd title Flock will run at $15 (1200 MSP) and some puzzle game that rehashes Bejeweled and Hexic called Puzzle Quest: Galactrix will require $20 (1600 MSP) for purchase. XBLA titles are generally successful on the basis that they’re worth what they cost; Braid dared to ask $15 of your hard earned cash. There was plenty of upheaval over the price until people got their hands on it and came to the consensus that it may be the best ‘little’ game of all time. It doesn’t appear Flock or Puzzle Quest (yeah, it gets lamer every time you say it) has that kind of potential. Even when the games are inevitably discounted the price will still seem high. I’m not trying to suggest that expensive games don’t work in digital distribution through consoles, just that if you’re going to slap a $20 price tag on a title, you better have a good reason. If there is one good reason to buy either of these titles it has alluded me thus far…except maybe for Blanka.

source:  examiner

New fable II dlc on May

As it turns out, Lionhead Studios is currently in full-scale production of a second add-on for Fable II, and not Fable III, as gabby BBC personality Jonathan Ross initially led many to believe. Today, the Microsoft-owned studio provided the first details on the Fable II downloadable content–titled See the Future–saying it would be available through Xbox Live this May for MSP560 ($7). For those keeping track, that dollar amount equates to $3 less than the well-received Knothole Island DLC pack, released in January.

The basic concept behind See the Future involves players lifting a curse on three items obtained by Murgo the Trader, better known as the mysterious vendor introduced during the opening childhood sequence in Fable II. According to Lionhead, those who complete the new quest line will be offered “a vision of Albion’s future and what lies ahead for those born into the heroic bloodline.”

As with the first Fable II DLC pack, See the Future will offer a variety of new characters, creatures, quests, and items. According to Lionhead, new quests include “The Ghosts of the Snowglobe,” in which players must cipher out the secret of a mysterious town locked away in a chintzy novelty, and “The Cursed Knight,” where players are tasked with assuming a variety of disguises to free an undead champion. The DLC pack will also include the Colosseum, where players can compete for prizes by besting a variety of challengers.

Many of the items and emotes contained in See the Future will also be available as a free download, allowing those who don’t purchase the premium content to play with those who have.

Source: gamespot

triumph sues trouble

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Yu Suzuki Steps Down at Sega

Yu Suzuki,‭ ‬the pioneer of numerous videogame franchises,‭ ‬has stepped down from‭ ‬his role as R&D creative officer at Sega.

According to the latest Sega-Sammy investor report,‭ ‬the revered game designer has‭ “‬retired‭” ‬from the key role.‭ ‬Suzuki,‭ ‬50,‭ ‬remains at Sega in a somewhat diminished capacity‭; ‬acting as the R&D‭ ‬manager‭ ‬at Sega’s AM Plus division.

AM Plus has yet to release a title outside of‭ ‬Japan,‭ ‬with the group having developed two arcade titles,‭ ‬one of which was the long-delayed arcade touch-screen game Psy-Phi.‭

Suzuki’s name is synonymous with Sega’s, and is responsible for the birth of several iconic franchises that brought the publisher wealth and fame.‭ ‬Having joined Sega in‭ ‬1983‭ ‬as a programmer,‭ ‬Suzuki quickly exhibited a prodigious talent in understanding how to design arcade games that both attracted audiences and pleased players.‭

The arcade release of OutRun made his career,‭ ‬yet the list of Suzuki’s creations read like a‭ ‬Desert Island Games collection;‭ ‬Afterburner,‭ ‬Space Harrier,‭ ‬Shenmue,‭ ‬Virtua Cop and Virtua Fighter.‭

By‭ ‬2003‭ ‬he was still active in game production,‭ ‬both adding final tweaks to the applauded Virtua Fighter‭ ‬4,‭ ‬as well as overseeing the unsuspectingly triumphant sequel to OutRun.‭ ‬In the same year he was honoured with an‭ ‬induction into the‭ ‬Academy of‭ ‬Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.‭

Since receiving the honour,‭ ‬Suzuki has not been involved in the production of any key releases.‭ ‬In recent times he has been best known for working on and promoting Shenmue Online,‭ ‬the unreleased‭ ‬online role-playing‭ ‬game.‭

Yet Shenmue Online,‭ ‬like its creator,‭ ‬has slipped under the radar in recent times.‭ ‬The game looks unlikely to ever see a release,‭ ‬and furthermore,‭ ‬the Shenmue series itself looks likely to remain incomplete.

If Shenmue is to be Suzuki’s legacy,‭ ‬then the games‭’ ‬loose-ends are perhaps fitting tribute to an arcade maestro who,‭ ‬in the traditions of coin-sinking,‭ ‬always left the audience wanting more.

Source: http://www.edge-online.com/news/101/yu-suzuki-steps-down-sega

Sony says dsi is for children

As the DSi launches in America, it’s fielding new criticism from Sony, which claims Nintendo’s new portable underserves its audience and lacks third-party suport compared to Sony’s own PSP.

“If Nintendo is really committed to reaching a broader, more diverse audience of gamers beyond the ‘kids’ market that they’ve always engaged, there isn’t much new with the DSi to support that,” SCEA director of hardware marketing John Koller said in a statement sent to media outlets including Engadget.

“Significant gamer demographic groups are being ignored, and there continues to be limited opportunities for games from external publishers to do well on the DSi,” Koller said.

The statement conversely touted the PSP platform’s “many blockbuster franchises” including Rock Band Unplugged, Assassin’s Creed and Dissidia Final Fantasy, and ability to target “diverse demographics.”

As it claimed a 50 million PSP userbase, Sony recently unveiled its 2009 lineup for the handheld, including a line of casual Petz games from Ubisoft, a portable version of Media Molecule’s PS3-exclusive LittleBigPlanet, and and a Hannah Montana bundle with lilac-colored hardware.

Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=23073

Funimation Channel Adds Viz Anime Starting in Late Spring

The official blog of the North American distributor Funimation has announced that FUNimation Channel, the anime television network from Funimation and OlympuSAT, will add Viz Media anime titles to its lineup in late spring and summer. The five titles are NANA, Honey and Clover, Monster, Buso Renkin, and Hunter X Hunter.

Of the five titles, only Buso Renkin and Hunter X Hunter have shipped on DVD in North America. Viz had indicated at its New York Comic Con panel in February that it will detail release plans for Monster “very soon.” Viz has also been showcasing these five titles are various trade events aimed at television and media buyers and distributors. In particular, all but Hunter X Hunter were among Viz Media’s offerings in the last two MIPTV conferences for international television distributors at Cannes, France.

Funimation also noted that the following titles are now available on its official page on Sony’s PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 entertainment console:

• Afro Samurai 1
• Aquarion
• BALDR FORCE EXE Resolution
• Basilisk
• Black Blood Brothers
• Burst Angel
• Desert Punk
• The Galaxy Railways
• Ghost Hunt
• Glass Fleet
• Gunslinger Girl
• Hell Girl
• Jyu-Oh-Sei
• Kiddy Grade
• MoonPhase
• Mushi-Shi
• Rumbling Hearts
• Samurai 7
• Solty Rei
• Speed Grapher
• Suzuka
• Shuffle!
• Trinity Blood
• Witchblade

Source:http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-06/funimation-channel-adds-viz-anime-starting-late-spring