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The Week in Review news piece summarizes and highlights the most important gaming related news over the past week. This weekly article, in conjunction with the Rumor Round-Up, will keep you plugged in and in-tune. Nyko announced the development of a wireless classic controller for the Nintendo Wii this week. The Wing, as it’s known, is the first wireless solution designed from the ground up for classic-style Wii gaming. The controller will be available in October for $29.99. Despite rumblings surrounding the development of the DS 2, a new Metallic Silver DS was announced this week and is set for a September 7th ship date. Gamers eagerly awaiting the launch of Resistance 2 this November 4 will have an opportunity to get an early look at the game, as SCEA announced a worldwide competitive online multiplayer and co-operative beta beginning in early October. Powered by the PlayStation Network, the Resistance 2 multiplayer and co-operative beta will provide PS3 owners with an opportunity to experience new levels, modes, and weapons. Sony also announced that the PSP will gain the ability to directly download games, demos, etc. from the PSN without having to first link the handheld to a PS3 or PC first. Additionally, Sony will update the PSP’s networking capabilities. At an unannounced date this fall, certain PSP titles will allow players to use the PS3 for various Ad-hoc multiplayer modes. That means the PS3 will serve as both an online matching tool and will support text and chat features. According to Capcom, RE5 will be getting its control mechanic revamped in favor of a system that is reminiscent of that of Gears of War. The new control scheme was promised by the game’s producer Jun Takeuchi to be available for display at October’s Tokyo Game Show. There are no hard details as to what the new control scheme will entail, but the game had received some early, harsh scrutiny, and the Gears of War reference certainly must mean a better cover mechanic will be incorporated. Unless, of course, hooded baddies aren’t the only ones that get to use chainsaws. In the scramble to get your dollars, recently, companies have been turning to pre-order goodies to get the job done. Ubisoft has decided to go one further. The company will automatically upgrade your copy of the new Prince of Persia to the limited edition version simply by placing a pre-order for the game. Sony’s director of hardware marketing John Koller made a statement on the PlayStation Blog this week in an attempt to quell fears surrounding the PSP 3000’s battery life. After a statement made in a much ballyhooed interview with GameSpot, it became clear that the PSP 3000’s battery life was diminished by 20-30 minutes due to the improved screen. Apparently, this is a false assertion. According to the blog posting, the PSP 3000, like its predecessor, will function for 4-5 hours for movie playback and 4-6 hours for games in spite of the increased energy demands of the more vibrant display. That’s because the engineers at Sony have found ways of making the hardware more efficient in other ways. EA announced that Dead Space , from developer EA Redwood Shores, will release fully one week early. Originally set for an October 21st release, Dead Space will now ship for Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 14th and for PC on October 20th. After a lot of rumor mongering and circumstantial evidence, the Microsoft Corp. officially announced it will slash prices on all 360 SKUs. Starting Sept. 5, the Xbox 360 Arcade will retail for $199.99, the 60 GB Xbox 360 console for $299.99, and Xbox 360 Elite for $399.99. According to Microsoft, “History shows that more than 75 percent of all console sales happen after the price falls below the $200 mark.” The Xbox 360 is the first current-gen home console to get to below the $200 threshold. Maybe now is the time to “Jump In.” Effective immediately and valid through the month of October, various XBLA downloadable content packs have received significant price cuts. Players can pick up Beautiful Katamari, Mass Effect, Oblivion, and more are included in the price cuts. Click HERE for a complete list from Major Nelson. Take-Two Interactive recently published their quarterly earnings statement reviewing their fiscal third quarter of 2008. It comes as no surprise that GTA IV led the pack in total sales and revenue generation. More interestingly, in the same statement, it was confirmed that GTA Chinatown Wars for the DS is set to release in Take-Two’s fiscal ’09 (the 12 months following November 1, 2008). Thanks so much everyone and we will see you next week! |