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Nintendo recently posted the latest “Iwata Says” segment, which has Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, sitting down for a chat with Shigeru Miyamoto. The conversation starts with Iwata asking Miyamoto questions about how they came to develop Link’s Crossbow Training and accompanying Zapper, but then things start to take a turn for the weird. Miyamoto casually begins revealing some of the radical ideas that were proposed for various Legend of Zelda titles. How radical? Well, he once envisioned having Ocarina of Time play from a first-person perspective — his fascination with the FPS style eventually spawned Link’s Crossbow Training. Also, he concieved of “a sort of Terminator style story about a time warp from the future” to explain how Link might have a gun. Finally, the original prototype for the Wii Zapper? It was literally made from rubber bands and wires. Obviously (and thankfully), none of these ideas ever came to fruition. However the images in my head of Arnold Schwarzenegger decked out in Link’s green costuem isn’t going to go away anytime soon.

Via Wii.com

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When Mortal Kombat Vs. DC was first announced, a lot of people went, “Whoa, that’s awesome!” Then they sat down, though about it for awhile, and went, “Wait…that’s ridiculous.” But what outraged people the most was when it was revealed the developers were aiming for a “T for Teen” rating, indicating that they would be abandoning the series’ signature “Fatalities” this time around. Recently, GameTap sat down to discuss these issues and more with Ed Boon, the creator of Mortal Kombat. At one point, Boon vaguely explained how Fatalities will still have a presence in the game:

“There was never any statement on our part that fatalities will be gone or that finishing moves will be gone. We did acknowledge that we won’t be able to do the same kinds of outrageous moves, like tearing someone’s head off and the spine being attached to it. But there are a lot of assumptions that there will be no blood in the game, that there are no fatalities in the game. It’s an assumption that, because the DC characters will be in there, those features will have to be dropped. My response is that, no, we’re modifying fatalities. But I have every intention to keep finishers. You know, to let gamers do a really cool secret button combination and follow with a really outrageous finishing move to end the match. The names of these moves, and the level of violence we use, are to be determined. But it’s certainly not a feature we plan on eliminating from the series.

…I certainly can’t speak with authority as to what DC will permit. There will certainly be some limitations. But my intention is that we want to push the envelope of a T-rated game as far as we can without being an M-rated game.”

He also went on to give some hints as to how they plan to make sense of these two universes colliding. Read the full article

To this day, some people are still bitter about G4 changing from a video game-only channel to a technology channel that sprinkles in episodes of COPS and Cheaters. In fact the president of G4, Neal Tiles, addressed many peoples’ questions awhile back about why the channel no longer offers “niche” programming and why shows like COPS and Cheaters are unfortunately necessary to fuel their more original programming. Well it looks like the company has now found a way to try and lure back all those viewers who felt burned by the changes over the years. Starting June 2nd, G4TV will beginning running a segment called “G4 Rewind,” which will re-air some of the shows from the channel’s early days. Shows such as Filter, Arena, Blister, Players, and many more will run on weekday mornings from 9 AM to noon ET. The whole block of programming will also now feature related video viewer mail, a video virtual audience, and an on-air chatroom. Not that any of this will quiet the people who still hold a torch for the old G4, but it should at least appease them a little.

I have to wonder though, did somebody see something I didn’t before G4 took over TechTV and switched its programming? I mostly remember preview shows that seemed incredibly outdated, reruns of the same episodes over and over again, and shows that were entirely based around a novelty that would get old after a few episodes. These days, G4TV actually makes big announcements and gets some exclusive interviews and such — mostly through Attack of the Show and X-Play – that even other news outlets cover (Gaming Today included). Hell, I miss TechTV too, but seriously, they were bought out years ago; it’s time to move on. That said though, I wouldn’t mind seeing some episodes of Icons Game Makers and the old X-Plays back on the air.

Via G4TV

The Federal Trade Commission has apparently been looking into just how easy it is for children adult-oriented media and just released their findings today. The organization sent out undercover shoppers aged 13-16 to various retailers to find out just how successful a minor would be at purchasing restricted content. Out of M-rated video games, tickets to R-rated movies, unrated or R-rated DVDs, and music labelled with a Parental Advisory, the FTC found that video games were restricted from 20% of minors, the lowest percentage out of all of them. Of the video game retailers, GameStop rejected 94% of underage shoppers – putting it at the top of the heap – while Hollywood Video came in at the lowest, rejecting 60% of underage customers.

Sure, they could do better, but these figures aren’t too bad, considering how much worse the other forms of media fared. What I’m more interested in knowing though is just what accounts for that 20%? Is it a lack of proper training, human error, or something else? I know I’ve personally rented out R-rated movies to kids on accident several times way back when I worked at Blockbuster during days when we were particularly slammed.

Via FTC

The “big three” (Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo) are notorious for pulling out huge surprises at E3, but it looks like one of Nintendo’s secrets may have been inadvertently revealed already. On a couple of podcasts from IGN, one of the hosts, Matt Casamassina, has all but confirmed that a new Kid Icarus game is on the way for the Wii:

“Of course [Nintendo is] going to have some E3 surprises. You know, Kid Icarus, for crying out loud, how many times do we have to say Kid Icarus? Kid Icarus is coming for crying out loud.” When a co-host asks if he wants to reveal the developer he responds “I think we’ve confirmed it a billion times but no, I’m not going to say it officially.”

Yeah, this is kind of a “wink-wink-nudge-nudge” reveal, but Casamassina sounds really confident about his prediction; like he might be privy to some insider information [note: the image above is a made-up fan creation]. Plus, it’s not like fans haven’t been requesting it even more fervently ever since Pit made an appearance in Smash Bros. Brawl. This could actually be a really good idea to bring in some of the gamers that are tired of so many Mario games, but still love Nintendo’s classic characters. *Sigh* Just another reason E3 can’t get here soon enough.

Via Joystiq [image via VGBox Art]

A spokesperson over on the Fable 2 forums named Sam, who also works for the Lion Head Studios site according to his profile, has given people itching for new information on Fable 2 something to be be gagging over until next week. Why next week you ask? Because that is when an announcement will take place regarding the hyped but not really hyped sequel to the mediocre first installment in the series.

According to Sam:

“A lot is happening. If you are anxious to find out something new about Fable 2, I suggest you make sure you’ve got access to the internet, next week! Yes we are planning something (quite) big-ish.”

Whatever this “big-ish” news is we will be sure to let you know about it the moment we find out. Hopefully this time it will not involve more gambling and hookers. Although that would make Bender a very happy robot indeed.

Looks like the Uwe Boll hate has become a monster that even the much loathed director himself cannot make any more horrid than it is already.Remember last month when Jonathan posted the news regarding the petition for Uwe Boll to stop making movies, and Uwe’s poor attempt at wit a couple of days later? Well, Stride gum is getting in on the hate and is offering each person who signed the petition a pack of gum, providing that the goal of one million signatures is reached by May 23rd. Those that signed up will be able to download a redeemable coupon if the target is reached.

Gary Osifchin, the Marketing Director for Stride, had this to say regarding his company’s stance on the industry’s plight:

“Since gamers are one of our most supportive groups, we’ve been looking for ways to return the favor. And what better way is there to get gamer’s backs than by helping them rescue their cherished videogames from the clutches of Uwe Boll?”

As of this post 251, 772 people have signed the petition, and while I think this is pretty damn hilarious, I would rather just go down to the store a buy a pack of Stride than waste my time on signing anything related to Uwe.

EA Sport’s Peter Moore has confirmed to Eurogamer that the company is currently at work on a Wii Fit game and said that EA plans on making it more strenuous than the current offerings for the Balance Board. Speaking at an EA Sports conference, Moore stated:

“We’re watching very closely what the Wii Fit board does. We think we have to have a role to play with that mum - the kids have gone to school, she’s got 45 minutes on her own, the Wii is there, it’s the first console she’s ever liked because she can do things herself. And we’re working on stuff, trying to work out how we can use EA Sports applications there.

“We also need to make sure we’re delivering something that’s truly exercise. I’ll call [Wii Fit] more eastern fitness, where it senses weight and balance, like Tai-Chi. It’s more about holistic fitness. I don’t think the board is going to take a pounding. We need to look more at western fitness in which I can actually be moving and start to sweat a little bit, and that’s what we’re working on right now.”

No details on the game were given, and no release date was even hinted around at but lets hope that this Wii Fit title will not tell you that you are fat. If it does, I am going to smash the board to pieces and hand deliver the carnage to EA myself. You may want to start raising bail money for me now just in case.

Via: Eurogamer

FireSky’s senior VP of strategic operations Joe Ybarra, sees a similarity between television production and game development. FireSky, as you are well aware, is the company who is currently developing the new MMO based upon Stargate Worlds.

Speaking to GamesIndustry, Ybarra stated:

“I think the best way to look at it is that the IP for Stargate Worlds was originally a television series, and what’s really interesting about working on a TV-based property - especially with Stargate - is the fact that it’s an ongoing production and the mentality that they take towards creating the show is very similar to that which we take when building a game.”

FireSky, like other MMOS developers, plan on releasing incremental content on a regular basis which from a developmental standpoint, Ybarra feels is almost the same thing as creating regular content for a television series.

“I think what’s also interesting is that the audiences that consume these products, both from TV with respect to science-fiction programming and gaming, is the same. As we refine our processes, as we start to look into the future of how we can make that relationship between television and gaming even closer than we’ve accomplished already, that’s a really exciting aspect of our business.”

According to GamesIndustry.biz, FireSky will not rely upon a licensed IP but will focus instead on an original IP along with a platform called “Social Networks At Play”, which the company hopes will bring gaming and social networking together.

“…The one thing we have to produce is a great game - and it really doesn’t matter what the property or subject matter is, we have to deliver to the customer a great game,” Ybarra said.

For the complete interview with Joe Ybarra and Rod Nakamoto hit the link below.

Via: GamesIndustry.biz

While checking out GamePolitics this morning, I came across some pretty hilarious posters that G4TV found on the streets of LA. No matter what your political leanings are, and no matter what you think about Barack Obama’s stance on videogames, you have to admit, these are pretty funny ads.

I love being a gamer, because an ordinary person may not know what the hell these are suppose to mean. Enjoy.

Via: GamePolitics, G4TV

Forbes has published their list of the 40st richest people in Japan and topping the list is former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi. Running the company from 1949 to 2002 and retiring from the gaming giant completely in 2005, over the past year his wealth has increased by $3 billion dollars - thanks mainly in part to the Wii, DS and the game sales for both systems. This has increased his overall wealth to a whopping $7.8 billion.

Hiroshi’s wealth has tripled over the past three years, and one can only imagine how much wealth he will accumulate once the WiiFit hits the states.

Via: Forbes

It seems that the Democrats and the Republicans are working together for once, because Republican Lee Terry and Democrat Jim Matheson have introduced into the US House of Representatives a bill that would force retailers to check IDs before selling “AO” or “M” rated games. Failure to check ID would result in a $5,000 fine.

The aims to ensure that children will only be able to “access age appropriate content without parental permission” and it would also enforce an explanation of the ratings systems to customers. Whether this is a verbal explanation or just a huge sign posted is unknown, but they have to explain it nonetheless.

According to Terry:

“The images and themes in some videogames are shocking and troublesome. In some games high scores are often earned by players who commit ‘virtual’ murder, assault and rape. Many young children are walking into stores and are able to buy or rent these games without their parents even knowing about it. Many retailers have tried to develop voluntary policies to make sure mature games do not end up in the hands of young kids, but we need to do more to protect our children.”

This will possibly be shot down just like previous bills submitted which have been rejected by “first amendment” rights. I wonder if they will start doing the same thing with “R” rated movies. It would only be fair, plus, in what game do you actually “rape” someone? Please provide me with an example that does not include some perverted form of internet Hentai because I have never even seen such content in any game released on a console. I am not saying Terry is lying and such actions in games do not exist, just that I have not seen it.

Via: Variety

Sierra has announced the development of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a video game based the third installment of the “Mummy” movies from Universal Pictures. The game, which will mirror the events depicted in the film, is being developed by Eurocom Studios for the PS2 and the Wii; and in development for the DS from A2M.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor game was created through a licensing agreement with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. In this third-person action-adventure game, players will take on the roles of Rick O’Connell and his son, Alex (played by Brendan Fraser and Luke Ford, respectively, in the film). Gamers will follow the lead characters on their journey - across locations from ancient Chinese catacombs to the Himalayan peaks - to defeat the revived servants of the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li). The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will allow players to switch between gunplay and hand-to-hand melee attacks, and also features an arsenal of weaponry that can be used to vanquish the many enemies players will face during their journey. Players will also be able to utilize combat, puzzle-solving and hieroglyphic decoding gameplay elements to fight their way through the game.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is expected to be available on July 22nd, while the movie is expected to be released in theaters on August 1st.

You know, as horrid as The Scorpion King was combined with the asinine antics and plotline of the The Mummy Returns, I am surprised that they are even making ANOTHER one. I mean, even Rachel Weisz is smart enough not to be a part of this one - her character is being played by Maria Bello this time around - who isn’t even British so how in the world can she still be considered Jonathan’s sister? Plus, with the “son” as a side-kick in the movie, that just guarantees that it will both suck and blow. Plus, with Luke Ford playing Brenden Fraser’s son, his character would have been 13 when Alex was born which is absurd - of course, now I am just nit-picking so I will shut up.

Via: Press Release

A “source” has stated that a movie adaptation of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is currently being written. Being such a well received game it is not too surprising that Hollyweird might want to try and cash in on the popularity of it - but with the track record of videogame/movie tie-ins and movies based on popular video games usually being a pile of steamy horse manure - it makes me wonder how they are going to screw this one up -providing that this information is actually true and not just some silly rumor.

Supposedly though, this “well-placed source” has confirmed that the film rights to Naughty Dog’s game has been snatched up by Atlas Entertainment (Fallen, Three Kings), and when asked about the possibility of a movie starring Nathan Drake, Sony had no comment. Usually when “no comment” is given as an answer you can usually bet your auntie’s great big panties that what they really meant was “yes” but that they do not want to ruin the horrible surprise.

If this is indeed true, who do you think should play Nathan Drake? 1Up thinks it should be Hal Sparks, and if you do not agree with them then you are a monster. Well, call me a monster all you like, but I think that Josh Holloway (Sawyer) from Lost would make a great Nathan Drake. Yeah, sure he is blond, and sometimes resembles Kid Rock, but he could pull it off. He is smarmy enough, handsome enough, and could easily get away with the half-tuck any day of the week. Of course, I am sure I am in the minority on that suggestion.

We will be sure to let you know either way when more information becomes available. In the meantime, feel free to post your suggestions on who you think should star in it.

Thanks: 1UP

Nvidia has announced plans to simplify their product range in the near future. Roy Taylor, VP of Content Business Development at Nvidia, recently stated his company is having trouble reaching a broader audience due to their complicated line of products:

“It is a challenge that we’re looking at right now. There is a need to simplify it for consumers, there’s no question,” Taylor explained. “We think that the people who understand and know GeForce today, they’re okay with it - they understand it. But if we’re going to widen our appeal, there’s no doubt that we have to solve that problem,” he added.

Unfortunately, he didn’t elaborate on what changes might occur exactly. Hopefully it’s just something as simple as changing the names of the graphics cards to better keep track of them. I upgrade my computer’s components every so often, and I even have trouble keeping up with all the cards’ difference.

Via GamesIndustry.biz

Electronic Arts is looking to a new avenue — casual sports — to try and capitalize as they today announced a new sub-brand of EA Sports, called EA Sports Freestyle. It’ll be focusing on the growing casual sports gaming audience, with games that are “playful, inclusive, casual, and easy to pick up and play for kids and parents, women and men, and casual and hardcore sports fans of all ages.”

“The launch of EA Sports Freestyle is an exciting milestone in the evolution of the EA Sports brand,” said Peter Moore. “EA Sports Freestyle will be a perfect complement to our core portfolio of games that our loyal fans are deeply passionate about, and will provide compelling opportunities for new audiences looking for a lighter gaming experience and an easier entry point into EA Sports.”

Moore talked about expanding the EA Sports brand when he first took over last year. Freestyle has three games in development that will launch in the next year, the first of which will be FaceBreaker, set for release in September.

EA is claiming we’ll see more innovation from this brand; FaceBreaker is the first new IP from EA Sports since 2002, so we’ll have to wait and see if that’s all they have up their sleeve.

EA has announced that Fight Night Round 4 is currently in production for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The game will feature a reworked gameplay engine that allows for different varieties of fighting styles to more accurately represent some of the fighters’ real-life fighting styles. This allow players to pit some of the world’s greatest boxers against each other. This will also mark the first time Mike Tyson has been featured in a video game for almost a decade. The last Fight Night game was used to show off the evolution of the next generation of gaming, so you can probably expect more jaw-dropping graphics from this one. Look for the game to hit store shelves sometime next year. And let’s all hope they don’t suddenly replace Tyson with a modern version of Mr. Dream, even though that would be kind of funny.

Via EA

In news that shouldn’t be all that surprising, id software has announced that they have begun production of the next installment in the Doom series. And…that’s really all that we know right now. However, id has also announced that they’re now looking to hire some new people for the project:

“DOOM is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. “It’s critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles.”

Odds are the game will be an FPS involving a space marine fighting demons on Mars. Unless they shake things up a bit and make it real-time-strategy-kart-racing game. Frankly, with the FPS genre so oversaturated these days, I’d welcome the change of pace.

Via Press Release

David Reeves, the big bossman over at SCEE, recently told VideoGamer.com that owners of the PS3 version of GTA IV “probably will see” DLC in the future. If this is to be taken seriously, it would take the “exclusive” wind out of the Xbox 360’s sales and leave them just floating aimlessly upon the water.

This comes on the heels of Microsoft sending out press releases and sound bites regarding their exclusive deal to bring hours of additional gameplay to the 360 version of GTA IV - something that the PS3 was lacking. However, when Videogaming.com caught up with Reeves after his SCEE PlayStation Day presentation in London yesterday evening, they asked him if the Xbox 360 exclusive content was “damaging to the PS3″ and he had this to say:

“Well I think you probably will see it, it’s just that a deal obviously was struck between Microsoft and Take-Two to do that, and if that’s what they want to do, I think that’s the last shot they have.”

Videogamer.com went on to ask Reeves if he had anything to say to PS3 owners who were curious about being left-out of the DLC, he replied:

“I would say to them then, you know, email Rockstar (laughs), and ask them what’s coming. I think they already are, probably! I’m honestly not going to make any comment on that because it’s too big a thing to… we can make an announcement when we make an announcement.”

Baited words from Sony, and no comment from Rockstar. Nothing unusual there.

If you would like, you can read the rest of Videogamer.com’s interview with David Reeves by clicking through the link below.

Thanks: Videogamer.com

The good folks over at Blizzard have launched their revamped online store complete with digital downloads, a beta lottery and CD key registrations.For the moment, the only games you can download digitally are the StarCraft Anthology, Warcraft III, and the WarCraft III Frozen Throne expansion, this is the first time any Blizzard game has been made available via digitally distributed releases - sans WoW of course. Plus, owners of Blizzard games can register their CD keys on the site which adds titles to their Blizzard account, and download them for free. Diablo II downloads are not currently ready, so you may want to check the site often.

Also, Blizzard is holding a beta lottery which will allow registered users to be entered into a drawing for beta access. This is so that users whose account is drawn will get the first shot at being part of the next beta they launch, which will most likely be their currently unannounced “Next-Gen MMO”.

Here is a list of PC titles that can be registered and downloaded from the Blizzard Store:

• Diablo II (coming soon)
• Diablo II: Lord of Destruction (coming soon)
• Diablo II Battlechest (coming soon)
• StarCraft
• StarCraft Battlechest
• StarCraft Anthology
• Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
• Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne Expansion Pack

For more information on the Blizzard Store and the beta lottery, check out the official site.

Thanks: Shacknews