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As expected, Microsoft continued to tout the fact that the Xbox 360 has surpassed 10 million units sold in the United States. Since they first made the announcement a few days ago, they’ve bumped that figure up to 10.1 million sold.

Surprisingly little from the press release Microsoft sent out had to do with figures that would stem from the 360 having been on the market for a year longer than the competition. That could be because they dedicated an entire portion of it to talking about how wonderful Grand Theft Auto IV has been performing on the 360. They even say it’s “outselling the other platform’s version by nearly 2:1 in the U.S.” — “other platform”? What’s up with that?

Hit the break for the full spinjob.

image via CrunchGear.com

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Konami Digital has announced that they are seriously trying to move forward with a feature film adaptation of Metal Gear Solid, but they aren’t just throwing it out into the depths of Hollywood to let just anyone take on the job. After all, this is one of their most cherished franchises, so they’re choosing who gets the film rights very carefully. The man currently working on the film project at Konami, Aki Saito, explains his views on the matter:

Often Hollywood adaptations have the original game creator involved at the beginning, but somewhere along the line they fall out of view. This is why it’s very important for us to carefully pick the studio for this project.

On this note however, he did mention that Hideo Kojima would not be directing the movie. All he did manage to say really was that Paul Thomas Anderson, director of There Will Be Blood, had expressed interest in helming the feature film. Personally, I hope he does end up directing, at least so I can make a “Snake Drinks Your Milkshake” t-shirt, and have it make a little sense.

Via QJ

We’re over four months into the year, but Shane Kim still believes that 2008 will be another landmark year for Xbox 360. Speaking with GI.biz at yesterday’s Microsoft event, the head of Microsoft Game Studios pointed to the exclusives we’ll be seeing this year as proof of his claim.

“What we’re really trying to communicate is that this is going to be another landmark year for Xbox 360,” Kim said.

“Mainly because we are really focused on the strategy of tremendous exclusive content. Titles like Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Banjo, et cetera. as well as the continuing leadership we have in the online space with Xbox Live.”

He claimed the battle between Xbox 360 and PS3 in Europe was a “horse race no matter what,” but also said, “I understand that Sony has declared leadership already. We’ll let the data speak for itself.”

Kim admits that Europe has always been a dominant market for Sony, and claims that with that in mind, any progress Microsoft has made is great progress. Japan, however, has few bright spots for the 360.

“Look, we’ve acknowledged for a long time that we probably wouldn’t win in Japan and that it was going to continue to be a tough market for us.

“We took some different steps in this generation - our partnership with Sakaguchi-san produced two very well-received and critically reviewed titles in Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. Unfortunately, it remains a difficult market for us.”

With that in mind, Microsoft isn’t about to give up on that market. Kim knows it’s critical and that there’s nowhere to go but up.

“I’m not going to go out and say our hope is to win in Japan because that’s not realistic. Do I think we have room for progress and improvement? I absolutely do.

“So, no, the battle is not over.”

For those of you who’d rather view your trailers online, the first look at Gears of War 2 “Assault” trailer is streaming on FileFront. As Gaming Today laid it out this weekend, Cliffy B talks about the new threat of Locust Horde forces that can drag entire cities down into emergence holes. You’ll have to pass an age gate to view the trailer, but it’s well worth it. Chainsaw dueling… need I say more?

via FileFront

I won’t bother you with any teaser text: go here to download the first real trailer for Gears of War 2.

With that out of the way, those of you who are of age are in for a treat after downloading the trailer, which shows off the game’s usage of an upgraded Unreal Engine that looks terrific. There’s also a preview of a number of new game mechanics, such as being able to grab an enemy and use him for cover and chainsaw duels. Head over to GameVideos for an in depth analysis of all the details those folks were able to pull from the trailer.

As for my thoughts; it certainly looks great, there’s no denying that. I wasn’t blown away by the trailer, but that’s the nature of seeing gameplay versus a teaser trailer. And in all actuality, while it doesn’t have the same effect that a teaser would have, this is much more satisfying, as we can actually see the game in motion. I’m not sure how to feel about the chainsaw duels — it seems like an improvement from the first Gears, but I’m not sure that mashing B (which may or may not be all there is to it) is really the most elegant solution to the problems with Gears‘ chainsaw. Cliffy B is right, though. The game looks pretty badass.

For the most part, executives from Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo don’t usually have too harsh of words for one another; they’ll talk up their respective consoles quite a bit, but that’s usually the extent of it. But that’s not always the case, as we learned from a new Destructoid interview with Aaron Greenberg, the director of product management for Xbox 360 and Live.

The interview focused on the success of Grand Theft Auto IV, and while Greenberg took a veiled shot at Sony for the problems that have been reported with the online play on PS3, he didn’t say much until he was asked about the PS3’s 2008 prospects. Destructoid asked if Greenberg thought that the 360 had enough to fend off the PS3 and its growing momentum with MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, and Home.

[D]idn’t Sony promise all of this last year including Home as well? We have been fighting Sony’s promises from the day we entered the market and if you remember at that time it was all about PS2 being an online cybercity with partner announcements from the likes of RealNetworks and AOL. Then three years ago at E3 they showed what PS3 games would supposedly look like with the Killzone 2 video, that we are now learning will ship four years later. That means that we will have shipped Gears of War and Gears of War 2 before they can even get Killzone out the door. Think back to GDC 2007 when Sony promised to leap ahead in online with the Sony Home unveil. Here we are two years later and multiple delays for a product that has appears to have little to no buzz. Where are the achievements? The friends list integration across all games? Where is the long-promised video store? Where are all the other products using and networking with their CELL chip? How come Blu-ray did not result in better games? What happened with Sixaxis and rumble? Where is the complete 1080p game library we were promised? If Blu-ray as they said would be such a catalyst to PS3 console sales, then why have PS3 sales over the past couple months not seen any lift since the format victory?

There are indeed inaccuracies in there; it’s only been a little over a year since Home was unveiled, and the PS3 has outsold the 360 most months this year, even in the US. He does raise some good points as well, but I mean, jeeze — do you really peg this as something you’d hear an executive say publicly?

It is great to be part of the 1Up Network. You know why? Because tomorrow, 1UP’s GameVideos will be the very first place online you’ll be able to see new footage from Gears of War 2 in all of its HD glory. According to 1UP, “you’re going to be blown away”. Sounds great if you are a GoW fan and are looking forward to the next installment from Cliffy B and the rest of the folks at Epic Games.

The new footage is expected to hit the net around 10:30 pm PST - so for those of us in the EST zone, that is 1:30 in the morning. Sorry, but I just can’t stay up that late to watch it - maybe if it was something I was truly excited about I could possibly do it, but even then, I prefer to get my beauty sleep and trust me - you, dear readers, benefit more from it than I do. There is nothing worse than a cranky Stephany - except maybe a rabid badger.

Thanks: 1Up

Not one to be proven wrong all that often, Electronic Gaming Month’s Quartermann has some hot rumors he’s reporting on in the upcoming June issue of EGM, which should be arriving in subscribers’ mailboxes soon.

The biggest rumor is that one of the titles Bungie purportedly agreed to make for Microsoft as a way of securing its independence is a third-person action/adventure spinoff of Halo. The game would take place before the first Halo and would focus on ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers; gosh, get with the times, will ya?) encounters with the Covenant. It’s unclear if this is the Peter Jackson project, but Jackson’ WETA studio will be involved either way. Details are expected to surface around the same time that Gears of War 2 makes its way to retail later this year.

Of course, that’s not the only juicy rumor — Rockstar is also working on both Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Revolver 2, both for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, in addition to the PS3 exclusive L.A. Noire. Oh, and one other little game from Rockstar is in early development: a massively multiplayer Grand Theft Auto is apparently in the works.

And while Guitar Hero might be working on adding instruments to its currently guitar-only experience, Rock Band 2 (slated for this fall) won’t be adding to its current load of instruments. Hopefully that means current Rock Band owners won’t need to buy anything more than a copy of the game to get the full experience.

As for the rest, you’ll have to check out the June issue of EGM to get all the details. It’s the one with Splatterhouse on the cover.

via 1UP

Sure, that pre-rendered trailer for Gears of War 2 was pretty awesome, but seriously, I just want to know what the actual gameplay looks like. Luckily, Epic plans to reveal just that in a little over two weeks. On May 9th, the developer will finally reveal some gameplay footage for this hotly anticipated sequel. GameTrailers TV has apparently secured the footage, which is set to air at 1 AM that day. The video will also apparently include an introduction from game designer Cliff Bleszinski (a.k.a. “Cliffy B”). So we’ve only got just a little more waiting ahead of us before we get to find out just how different this game is from the first.

Via Kotaku

Are you holding out for a Wii version of Gears of War, complete with chainsaw motion controls? Well, I wouldn’t hold your breath. According to Epic Games’ president, Mike Capps, the developer will never make a game for the Wii. When asked about it, Capps stated, “No, we go forward, not back. It makes more sense for us to invest in the next-generation tech.” He then went on to discuss why he thinks the Nintendo’s machine has been so popular:

It’s a virus where you buy it and you play it with your friends and they’re like, “Oh my God that’s so cool, I’m gonna go buy it.” So you stop playing it after two months, but they buy it and they stop playing it after two months but they’ve showed it to someone else who then go out and buy it and so on. Everyone I know bought one and nobody turns it on. Obviously there’s a class of people who really love it and enjoy it and are getting into the games but I’m still waiting for that one game that makes me play it.

Wow, it’s like he was specifically talking about me and my Wii-owning friends. Mine’s been collecting dust for awhile now, in fact. So I guess you can take this news for what it is though. In the debate of whether graphics truly represent the next-generation of gaming, Epic would apparently argue that they do.

Via MegaTonik

While this may not come as a complete shock to most folks, alas, the news is slightly grim for those who want to try out Gears of War 2 before laying down their hard earned cash on a cold, unfeeling retail counter.

According to Tanya Jessen, the associate producer of the game, Epic is not planning on releasing a demo for the highly anticipated sequel to the fan favorite Gears of War. Well, at least in ADVANCE of the title’s November release - what they plan on doing after the release is unknown except to psychics, ghost-whisperers and Cliffy himself.

Tanya had this to say about the demo:

“[There are] no plans for a demo. The reason being that it’s been such a fast turnaround. A two year production cycle, for a game of this caliber, is really short. Our focus is always on putting out the best possible game we can. Whenever you do a demo, you have to basically ship a whole separate product. As far as our plans after we ship, I can’t really speak to that.”

Despite gamers not being able to get an idea of what to expect from the full title, I am sure this will still sell very well - because you have to remember that the original did not have a demo released beforehand and it went on to sell over 3 million copies anyway. So demo or no demo, it won’t make a bit of difference either way - gamers want it, therefore they will buy it.

Thanks: Shacknews

DC seems to be all over the video game industry these days. Just this week they’ve announced a comic book series for Prototype and a game featuring their beloved superheroes battling the Mortal Kombat crew. Well, now you can add “Gears of War” to the list of tie-ins, as they’ve now announced a new comic books series based on the popular shooter. The book is set to debut through DC’s Wildstorm label in October. And, like the Prototype comic, that’s pretty much all we know at this time. Wildstorm did however mention that the comic will fill in the timeframe between the first and second game:

“Big guns and monsters — what a perfect comic book for WildStorm! We have an opportunity to work closely with Epic to add to the canon of the Gears of War mythos, so you can imagine how excited we all are, said Hank Kanalz, VP – General Manager, WildStorm. “Epic sets the bar very high, in graphics, story, and gameplay — and expect no less from our series, starting with our lead-in arc that fills in the gaps between the first game and the upcoming sequel.”

Via Press Release

NECA has unveiled the first series of Gears of War figures that they will be releasing soon in their finished and packaged state. Series 1 will include Marcus Fenix, Cole “Train,” a Locust Drone, and a Locust Sniper. NECA is pretty well known for their attention to detail, and it looks like these figures are no exception. Series 2 should also bring Baird, Dominic, and a couple more varieties of Locust to the fold. This first wave of figures shold be appearing at certain retailers in the coming weeks.

Via NECA

If you’re expecting Epic Games to roll out the next iteration of its Unreal Engine any month now, you might want to consider rethinking that.

“It’s just a research project today,” Epic VP Mark Rein told Eurogamer. “Our plan is that it will be aimed at the next generation so it is many years away.”

For those who haven’t been keeping track, Epic’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, explained last month that Unreal Engine is tied to the console cycle. As the next generation of systems roll out, that’s the period when you can start imaging what sort of squishy meat cube physics it’ll include.

Dark Sector
Developer: Digital Extremes
Publisher: D3 Publisher of America
Price: $59.99
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Category: Action
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Intense Violence)
Release Date: March 25, 2008

Dark Sector unfortunately suffers from a gaming ailment that I’ve begun referring to as “Gears of War Syndrome.” You see, Gears of War really nailed the whole “third-person, cover-based shooter” genre over a year ago; so much so that any title with similar gameplay since can be labeled as being “good…but not as good as Gears of War.” Army of Two has this problem, Kane and Lynch has this problem (among many others), and Dark Sector also has this problem. Even while playing the game, I found myself trying to pull off some moves from Gears of War — like blind fire — and was disappointed when I couldn’t. That’s not to say Dark sector is a bad game; it’s just mostly all been done before and better.

Read the full article

Disney Online has announced a Pirates of the Caribbean Online Double Experience weekend. All players will have a chance to benefit whether they’re unlimited access members or have the basic service.

• Both Basic and Unlimited Access players can earn double reputation points in both land and ship battles this Saturday, April 12th when they play from 12-3pm (PT).
• In addition, on Sunday, April 13 from 12-3pm (PT), Unlimited Access members get a second chance to earn double reputation points.

Players can also look forward to details on upcoming content for the MMO. The new Fine Cutlass, the Coltello Dagger, Pirate Voodoo Doll, Harrow Voodoo Staff, and the Elegant Pistol (level 15 weapon notoriety required for these new quests) are going through the paces on the test serve, and should be more to the public server soon.

via Press Release; Disney Pirates of the Caribbean Online

There is a pretty humorous interview with Sam Cordier, the PR guy for Codemasters over on Rock, Paper, Shotgun and while it really does not discuss Damnation at length it is a fun, short read nonetheless. It also has tons of concept art for the game which is to be made available for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

This new “shooter gone vertical,” will feature open-world landscapes spanning not only the ground but the air as well, and players will get to participate in a wide variety of acrobatics and vehicular stunts.Sam had this to say about the Damnation when asked to describe it without using the word “huge”:

“Damnation takes all the best bits from games like Prince of Persia, Gears of War and takes place in VAST streaming environments where the sense of scale is literally vertigo inducing. It’s also got loads of weapons and incredible vehicles, with which players will be able to pull off awesome stunts. There’s simply nothing else out there like it and on top of it all, it’s graphically superb and the story will blow you away.”

Whether or not it will indeed blow us away remains to be seen, nevertheless it does look interesting to say the least. No word on when to expect this other than sometime this Winter, so keep your ears and eyes on Gaming Today as more information sees the light of day.

Thanks: Rock, Paper, Shotgun

The New York Comic Con will be taking place April 18 – 20, at the Jacob K Javits Center in New York City and for those planning on attending, you might want to check out the gamer’s summit that will also be part of the festivities.

Attendees will be able to take part in roundtable discussions on writing for games, advice on how to break into the industry and gaming journalism. Michale Capps, the president of Epic Games and Gears of War writer Joshua Ortega will be there providing some information on Gears of War 2, and other titles such as Age of Conan, EVE Online, Iron Man and Warhammer Online will also be featured at the summit. Gaming publishers Konami, Namco Bandai Square Enix, and Ubisoft will also have exhibits for gamers to check out at the show.

Some other cool things to look forward to at Comic Con:

• The Premiere of Dr. Who Season 4
• An Evening With Neil Gaiman
• Autograph opportunities with Guillermo del Toro, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, and Mike Mignola

If you live in the New York area or are in need of a fun little road trip the dedicated gamer’s summit is scheduled for April 20.

Via: Press Release

Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that there’s a Gears of War movie actually in the works (probably because there hasn’t been anything really all that interesting announced yet). Still, ComingSoon.net decided to check in with producer Wyck Godfrey about the status of the film:

“We’ve got our script on and a director we’re about to attach. We’ll hopefully make that early next year for the summer of 2010,” said Godfrey.

So don’t start getting too excited just yet; there’s still at least a couple of years left to go before this film can even hope to make it to theaters. Hopefully the sequel being released in November builds up even more interest to get the production moving along.

Via ComingSoon.net

Gamers located in the UK no longer need to wonder when some of this year’s biggest PlayStation 3 titles will be arriving in stores, as videogamer.com reports that Sony Computer Entertainment UK has announced that both LittleBigPlanet and Killzone 2 are set for release in September, with Resistance 2 “penciled in” for a November release. Don’t be surprised to see one of the two big shooters get pushed back to avoid having them compete with each other, but at least we’ve got an idea of when to expect the games. If you’re in the UK, at least.

Microsoft’s got a number of big titles of its own releasing later this year, headlined by Gears of War 2 and Fable 2. While we might not be looking at this fall the same way we did last year, when we expected to see GTA IV, Halo 3, Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Galaxy all release, the second half of 2008 is looking like it’s going to be packed to the brim with big releases.

Until we start hearing about those delays.