For those of you wondering if Resident Evil 5 will be ported to the Wii like Resident Evil 4 was then you may be sadly disappointed. In an interview with Kotaku Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi said that that “With the difference between hardware specs for the Wii and the PS3, porting might be hard”. He went on to say that they currently have “no plans” to release a Wii port of the game. However, Takeuchi did express a desire to bring the Resident Evil games to a larger franchise

“I think, while Resident Evil 4 is a great game, its appeal was limited somewhat to maniac players,” Takeuchi said. “With RE5, I wanted to bring the series to a larger audience. I think its important to do the same for the next RE.” - Source

The Wii Resident Evil titles – such as The Darkside Chronicles – are part of this plan, making games that are fit for the Wii’s technical capabilities and not creating a game that is a bad port from a technically superior console. I’ve always thought that porting games to the Wii from Xbox 360 or PS3 is a bad idea, and games like Dead Rising proves my point. It can work though, the recent Ghosbusters game being a good example, but it’s usually better if it doesn’t try to emulate something that the Wii just can’t do.

Capcom is yet to decide on a producer for Resident Evil 6.

As I somewhat speculated yesterday Sony have confirmed that PSP owners will officially be unable to transfer their UMD games to the digital-only PSPgo system upon its release next week. This means, obviously, that you will be unable to play any of the PSP games you currently own on the new iteration of the PSP, if you decide to upgrade of course.

Sony officially ended any hope for such a program by releasing a statement to Kotaku;

“We were evaluating a UMD conversion program, but due to legal and technical reasons we will not be offering the program at this time,” - Source

Sony originally said that they would try to find a way for people who own UMD games to transfer their purchases to digital form so they could be played o the PSPgo. The statement released yesterday does leave a small window open for the future, but it’s pretty unlikely that we will ever see such a program. There was a rumour that Sony would install kiosks in various shops, which would allow people to turn their existing UMD games into digital form. Sony probably figured that would be too expensive, so we’re left with no options at all (well, no legal ones anyway).

Like I said before, you’re probably better off sticking with your old PSP than splashing out for a new one. Sony is still trying to tempt you in with the reward program, but it’s not worth the asking price of a PSPgo purchase (which, in my opinion, is overpriced anyway). For everyone else the PSPgo is a good purchase if you’re willing to pay the high price (which, in Denmark, is ridiculously priced as high as a PS3). I wouldn’t have said that any PSP was worth it a few years back, but the library of games, downloadable PSOne classics and the upcoming PSP Minis it’s not a bad purchase. To be totally honest though it doesn’t really matter what model you get (although you do get more choice with an older PSP), unless you’re the kind of person who needs to have the latest version of a gadget, even if it seems like a step backwards.

We weren’t really sure what Sony meant when they said they would come up with some way to compensate those who own PSP UMD games but want to upgrade to the download only PSP Go. We now have a slightly better idea of what Sony is going to do, and it may not be exactly what you were hoping for.

Sony is offering Europeans the chance to take part in a rewards program, which involves placing a UMD in your existing PSP then downloading a special PSPgo theme from PSN. After doing this you should be sent an email containing a voucher code which you can exchange in return for three free downloads out of a choice of 17 full games. Some of the games include Killzone: Liberation (I own this, and it’s actually pretty good), SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3, Everybody’s Golf, WipEout Pure, Echochrome, LocoRoco, Patapon and Buzz!: Master Quiz. The offer is open to anybody who owns an existing PSP model, plus at least one game, who buys and registers a PSPgo from its release on 1st October until 31st March next year.

So, while you may not be able to turn your existing purchases into a free download it’s certainly better than nothing if you’re set on buying a PSPgo. People with a large library of UMD games are going to be disappointed, there’s little doubt about that, but I’m finding it hard to figure out how Sony would be able to turn your existing purchases into downloads anyway. How can you prove that you own a game, especially if it was bought a few years back? There must be some way of doing it, and I doubt Sony will be losing many sales by coming up with a solution as the majority of people are unlikely to buy another copy of something they already own.

Like some Dutch retailers I don’t really care for the PSPgo. A smaller screen and more cramped controls doesn’t really do much for me, especially as memory sticks are getting cheaper all the time. I don’t use my PSP much, but if I do buy a game I can now choose to between a UMD or a download, which is far better than only having one option.

Goldeneye may have a special place in the hearts of millions of gamers, and it may also consistently place high in ‘Top X Games of All Time’ lists, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that a port to Xbox Live Arcade or Wii’s Virtual Arcade will ever happen. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard such rumours, but Rare – developer of the classic FPS – has seemingly given up on the port ever seeing the light of day.

In response to a readers question in a recent Rare Scribes update the developer all but signed the execution warrant on a port of the game;

“That was some time ago, my friend. Fate was against us that day. Destiny conspired to raise the hurdles even as we attempted to clear them, resulting in unpleasant groinal injury. I suspect we’re long past the stage where an agreement was on the cards, but you never know. Stranger things have happened… somewhere… probably.” - Source

The blame lies at the feet of Microsoft and Nintendo, who are apparently unable to reach an agreement on the financial terms of such a release. It all comes down to licensing laws, with Microsoft now owning Rare but Activision ultimately owning the rights to produce games in the James Bond franchise. However, Activision places the blame in Nintendo’s court, which published the game on its original N64 release. Whatever the case it seems that gamers won’t get a port until the money side of things is sorted out and it doesn’t look like that will be happening anytime soon.

I never actually owned an N64 myself, but a friend use to bring his round to my house and we used to have hours of fun playing four player split-screen. Most of the time we got trounced by my friend, but he pretty much always played as Odd Job so I still, to this day, say he had the advantage. The graphics may not be anywhere near today’s standards, but I’d still relish the opportunity to play the game through my Xbox 360; largely because there are so few split-screen games out there today and nothing can beat having three friends playing in the same room as you.

Fear not though, as Perfect Dark – which in some ways had a more enjoyable multiplayer than Goldeneye – will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade this winter, which is at least some consolation.

If you live in the Netherlands then you’ve just lost a possible place to buy a PSPgo when it’s released in October. Eurogamer reports that the Dutch retailer Nedgame – the country’s largest specialist games retailer – are refusing to stock and sell Sony’s new product.

There are a number of reasons why this is happening, one of them being that Nedgame believes that the PSPgo is too expensive priced at €249.99, and they certainly have a point as it’s €80 more than the PSP-3000 that is currently on the market. Apparently the cost isn’t justified, with the smaller screen being one example of why it isn’t worth the asking price. However, this is not the main reason for the ‘boycott’.

The lack of a UMD drive on the PSPgo is putting retailers like Nedgame off selling the product. Retailers make the most profit off software, and not hardware, when it comes to games; so this means that they’re about to lose out on the majority of the profit from a section of the video game market (plus the pre-owned market, which is a huge slice of income for retailers such as the American Gamestop), and with Nedgame being a specialist retailer they’ll be even more worried as the video game market moves ever closer to full digital distribution.

Of course, retailers have tried to gain from digital distribution by selling downloadable games through their website, or selling, for example, Xbox Live points cards in-store. However, the PSPgo is different in that Sony is effectively creating a monopoly on the software for the console by making them only available on the Playstation Store; which, in my mind, is pretty bad from a consumer viewpoint. No competition means that Sony can price however they want, but I suppose you do get the added bonus of all your games being easily accessible from one PSN account.

Eurogamer Holland says that other Dutch retailers are starting to grumble too, and it probably won’t be long before retailers in other countries start to have their say (apparently Spanish retailers are considering following suit). At least you can be sure that your local supermarket will be selling them come launch day, but have we really go to the point where specialist game retailers don’t really matter anymore? I know I haven’t bought a game in one for ages, unless it was off their website, largely because the prices are more expensive than the Internet.

Personally I’m just going to keep my old PSP and use SD cards to store downloadable games, just like I did with Final Fantasy VII a few months back.

It looks like the Left 4 Dead 2 boycott movement I wrote about back in June has been dealt a major blow as two of the founders recently published a post that raised more than just a few eyebrows. In an attempt to show the boycott group that Left 4 Dead 2 maintains the same quality that made the first game such a joy to play Valve flew the two group members out to their offices in Washington, which at least gives them a chance to say they’ve played the game before they continue to ‘boycott’ it.

So, what was their verdict?

“As for L4D2, things seemed balanced and ‘tight’ and did not feel like a rushed job. While we were visiting their offices we personally witnessed what can only be called a small army of artists, coders, mappers hard at work, which explains the rapid transformations in artwork that we’ve all seen.

What we can say with confidence is that the quality of gameplay in Left 4 Dead 2 is not in question; and it will only get better (from what we understand, almost daily testing of game builds by most of the staff at Valve).” - Source

266 comments later (at the time of writing) and they had been predictably labeled as ‘sell-outs’ by the majority of the group, even after the two guys were adamant that Valve isn’t dropping support for the first game. I suppose it’s hard to trust the word of two guys who’d just had an all-expenses paid trip across the US, even if they did help create the group. However, I had already made up my mind long before this new development.

So, what do you think? Sell-outs? Simply appreciating a good game? Don’t care? I think that I regret the comments I made in my previous post on this issue. After reading updated previews and seeing new videos since that post I believe that Left 4 Dead 2 will be worth it if you enjoyed the first game, and I am now genuinely looking forward to it. If Valve continues to support the first game then you’ve got two great games in your hands, and what could really be wrong with that apart from finding the time to play them both? I also need to note that I never agreed with a ‘boycott’ in the first place; I was simply a little annoyed because I thought that Valve would only be releasing a tiny bit of content for the first game, but from seeing more of the sequel I’m not sure that I’m even bothered about playing the first game anymore (to be fair I have enjoyed the content we did get). I probably won’t buy the game full price, but that’s because I have more than enough games to keep me occupied at the moment and it’s always good to pick up a bargain somewhere down the line.

I suppose the most important question here is “What the hell is that on Gabe’s shirt???”.

Related posts:

• Valve Responds to Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott

There’s one big thing missing from Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and that’s any real representation of the MMO genre. Cryptic, developer of the upcoming Champions Online, believes that it’s not because developers don’t want to represent the genre on the 360, it is because Microsoft is holding back on coming with a way of how such a game would work through Live.

“Microsoft’s a big company, and they have to work out all the various issues related to MMOs,” explains Emmert. “It just takes time for the big beast known as Microsoft to get moving. I really have no explanation other than that, because it’s as baffling to developers as it is to everyone else.” (Source)

Cryptic already have a 360 version of Champions Online “ready to go”, but with Microsoft dragging their heels on the subject it doesn’t look like any 360 gamer will be controlling their very own superhero anytime soon. That means we probably won’t see it this year, but will we ever see it at all?

“Right now we’re just talking with Microsoft. Right now the ball is firmly in their court. We’re ready to go, but until we get the go ahead from Microsoft, right now we’re sort of waiting.”

This isn’t the first time this has happened. In fact the team behind Final Fantasy XIV told VG247 that their game was partly a timed PS3 exclusive because they were still in ongoing discussions about just how the game would work over Live. Of course, Final Fantasy XI is already out for the 360, so it does work in some way.

Personally I’m not sure MMO’s are such a good idea on the console, at least not for the time being. The 360 is good for online games, but on a far smaller scale, and I’m not sure the communities that form around such games as Call of Duty 4 would translate to an MMO. I’ve always thought MMO’s were a far better fit for a mouse and keyboard, but I would have said the same thing about FPS’s a few years back. Another thing is you would have to pay two subscriptions; one for the MMO and one for Live, so maybe the PS3 would be a better bet.

Meanwhile Sony have no such reservations about the MMO, with The Agency currently under development. Maybe we will see Champions Online on the 360 eventually, but it certainly won’t be in time for the PC versions release next week.

If you’re like me, and millions of other people, then you probably really enjoyed Final Fantasy VII; which still makes the list as one of the best RPG’s or even best game of all time. You also probably didn’t want that enjoyment to last, but unfortunately all good things come to an end. Except people didn’t want that, and there still exists a hardcore community of Final Fantasy VII fans that are still involved in the world through fan fiction, and also lap up every little thing that arrives set in the same universe (such as the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children film, which I thought was pretty good even if Cloud could suddenly jump around like he was in The Matrix). They also want a remake, no, they DEMAND a remake.

Square Enix has since moved on, such as making new Final Fantasy games like they should be doing, but they’re still milking the popularity of Final Fantasy VII through releasing spin-off’s such as Crisis Core. So, if they’re so prone to milking their most popular games then why don’t they give in to fan demands and just remake the damn thing already?

“There’s no official project that’s up and running for a remake of Final Fantasy VII at this point. Both Toriyama-san and Kitase-san were involved in the development of the game, however, and it holds a special place in their hearts. They do talk about it on a personal level, like, ‘If we did it it would be like this or like that,” Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama told VG247.

They added;

“So, they do talk about it, but there’s no official project yet. But there’s that PlayStation Network release that just came out, so if you could play that for the time being, it should be fun.”

It makes sense that Square Enix wouldn’t want to channel a whole boat load of resources into a remake as they’re far too busy concentrating on making a handful of new Final Fantasy games. Personally, as much as I loved Final Fantasy VII, I’d rather have new Final Fantasy games then a remake. I also think the games charm would be lost with a HD graphical upgrade. I do enjoy playing the PSN re-release on my PSP while sat on the toilet though, not that there’s much charm in that. What I want is for Final Fantasy VIII and IX to be re-released on PSN though, because then I’d be in heaven.

We played it. We Loved it.

Now let it go!

Sony has finally confirmed that the previously rumoured ‘slim’ version of the Playstation 3 is real and will be in shops during the first week of September (yes, that’s next month people!). It’s apparently 33% smaller and 36% lighter that the current PS3 (you can see a comparison shot below), has a 120GB hard drive, and will cost 299 Euro’s or £249.99, which means that we’re unfortunately still getting the short straw when it comes to comparing prices here and prices in the US.

The news was revealed during Sony’s press conference by Sony Computer Entertainment America head Kaz Hirai at GamesCom. The press conference also revealed that all current models will finally be getting a much requested price drop from tomorrow. The price will be the same as the PS3 Slim, so you can either buy one now or wait less than a month for a newer and slimmer version for the same price (it’s really a no brainer, just wait). Before you complain that the price of the PS3 Slim should be cheaper than the original PS3 (like the PS2 Slim was for a while), due to cheaper components or whatever, it’s obvious that this move is intended to replace the original once stocks of its predecessor have all left the warehouse (ASDA certainly believes the old one will be phased out anyway).

Personally I’m not sure I dig the new look, but I suppose the loss of shininess will lead the less finger prints all over your console. It doesn’t really matter about the look though, as it finally means that the PS3 can now compete with the other consoles at a more reasonable price point. It’s no longer that expensive when comparing it to the Xbox 360, and with a great stable of games lined up for release (and a number of good ones already out) it’s now easily worth owning one.

Good one Sony, even though it took you long enough.

Tuesday saw the release of a new Xbox 360 dashboard update, although some people (including myself) already had the new update due to a beta preview that you could join a few weeks before the official release. The update included a number of improvements and new features; which included the ability to buy and download games, Netflix parties (US only), user ratings and more streamlined navigation (for the full list of updates see here). However, one of the biggest new features and also one of the most controversial was the new Avatar Marketplace.

The Avatar Marketplace allows you to buy new clothes and props for your Xbox Live avatars. Up until now every new piece of clothing released for the avatars has been free, although it has always been a bit limited in terms of what you can dress your virtual persona in. Now there are themed clothes; such as Star Wars or Gears of War clothing, and even props that your avatar interacts with; such as guitars and pom-poms. Over the next few months we should see a vast increase in content for your avatar, but is it really worth paying for?

The main argument, as you’d expect, is why spend money on content for a virtual avatar? What you have to remember is that this trend isn’t knew, Playstation Home and Second Life have done it, as have hundreds of websites that allow kids to dress up their virtual creations. What links all these products? They sell, and they sell for so little that people have no qualms about buying a few items every now. It’s also a good source of profit, so no-one can really blame Microsoft for moving into this area when it’s already proven that it works.

The only criticism I have is that some of the items are priced a little high. 400 points for a lightsaber is a bit over the top (you can buy some Xbox Live Arcade games for that), but it’s understandable that branded content is going to cost a little more – just like in real life. I don’t have a problem with content being priced, since it was inevitable that Microsoft wasn’t going to be releasing free content forever. So, before you complain that content is no longer free you have to remember that people and companies often want to make money off their creations. It’s crazy right? This damn capitalism! In all seriousness though, wouldn’t you? I know we pay for a gold subscription already, but we don’t get the majority downloadable content for free so why would this be any different? Microsoft isn’t getting all the profit; it also goes to the content creators.

People have the right to choose what they spend their money on. Some like spending £1.36 (160 Microsoft Points, the price of the guitar I bought) on snacks, while others like dressing up a virtual doll. We don’t have to right to criticise what people choose to spend their money on just because you might not like what they’re spending it on. If you don’t like the new Avatar Marketplace then don’t buy anything on it, it’s really that simple. Maybe I wouldn’t buy some MS Points just to buy clothes, but it’s a good way to get rid of those 300 points I had left from buying Fallout 3: Broken Steel and Castle Crashers.

We have to learn to accept that micro transactions are only going to get more prevalent, and they will continue to sell by the bucket load. Some people may not like it, but I think it’s a good way to get rid of the spare change in my pocket. Maybe I’m also admitting that I like to dress up dolls, but we all have our secrets, right?