Late Night Consoling

Following yesterday's announcements by Microsoft that Xbox 360 owners will be able to buy and rent HD television episodes and movies via Xbox Live Marketplace, Sony Computer Entertainment America PR chief Dave Karraker has slammed the service. "I think they are doing a disservice to their consumer base because they are ignoring all those people who bought the Core system," said Karraker. "We would never segregate or shut out any of our consumers from our entertainment experience because they didn't buy the top of the line system." He pointed out that while both PlayStation 3 models, priced at $499 and $599, include a hard drive, while Microsoft's $299 Xbox 360 Core unit does not.

Meanwhile, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios head Phil Harrison spoke to Sony-sanctioned blog ThreeSpeech about PS3's own HD capabilities, such as its included Blu-ray Disc drive and HDMI output. Harrison admitted that Blu-ray has caused production problems for Sony, but is a necessary obstacle to overcome. "Today, it looks like a very difficult situation--but in the weeks, months and years to come, this will pale into zero," said Harrison. "Yes, we have overreached in production of the Blu-Ray component--I can't deny that. But that's the price you pay for adopting brand new, leading-edge technologies that will be future proof. We will resolve those issues--we are already catching up." Harrison restated Sony's goal to ship 6 million PS3 units by the end of its fiscal year in March 2007.

Though Stainless Games' Novadrome was mentioned in yesterday's announcement of upcoming Xbox Live Arcade games, publisher Buena Vista Games today officially announced the game as coming to Xbox 360 this holiday season. Novadrome is a sci-fi vehicle combat game featuring exaggerated physics and over the top weapons in a demolition derby setting.

As the Isle of Wight, England-based team behind the infamous combat racers Carmageddon and Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now, Stainless has some experience in the genre. "We took our renowned experience of making intense vehicle combat games and put it into an extremely addictive game--'Novadrome'," said managing director Patrick Buckland. The game features two dozen vehicles and fifteen arenas, as well as online and offline gameplay modes.

Novadrome is expected to be released for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade by the end of 2006.

As the organization that rates content in all major game releases in North America, the ESRB can be a prime source for determining upcoming unannounced games. In September, the ESRB's website divulged several Sega Genesis games eventually confirmed to be Wii Virtual Console launch titles, and now the site has what appears to be titles from the second wave of planned VC games. The following NES and SNES titles have been designated "E for Everyone:"

- Hogan's Alley (NES)
- Ice Hockey (NES)
- Kid Icarus (NES)
- Kirby's Adventure (NES)
- PilotWings (SNES)
- Pro Wrestling (NES)
- Punch-Out (NES)
- Wild Gunman (NES)

No release dates were given for the game. Nintendo has stated its intention to provide at least ten Virtual Console games per month after the system's initial VC launch lineup of 30 titles.

Publisher Buena Vista Games has rapidly been raising its profile in the video game industry in recent months. The Disney subsidiary recently picked up Climax's racing dev studio, signed a publishing deal with Tetsuya Mizuguchi's studio Q Entertainment, picked up the rights to the Turok franchise, and recently picked up Propaganda Games and Avalanche Software. Now, BVG has announced that it has formed Fall Line Studio, dedicated entirely to developing games for Nintendo DS and Wii. It will create both new intellectual properties as well as games based on established Disney-owned franchises.

Fall Line is headed up by Scott Novis, former general manager of Rainbow Studios (Cars, ATV Offroad Fury, Motocross Madness). It will specialize in "small-team, creative projects," acting as a sister studio to Avalanche Software. Both companies are based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

No specific projects were announced in today's press release.

Online retailer GameStop.com has put up a preliminary information page regarding Wii preorders, its brick and mortar counterpart already having filled its quotas. GameStop.com and sister company EBGames.com will apparently be selling preorders for Nintendo's upcoming system only in a single mandatory bundle at an unspecified price "under $699." As far as what that "under $699" will net you, the company has not yet shared any details beyond the basic Wii unit, but presumably it will include several games and accessories such as extra controllers. They better figure it out soon, as the site lists the start date for preorders as this Thursday, November 9. Keep checking back until then for further details.

GameStop.com's PS3 preorder page has even less information, lacking both a date and potential price range.