Late Night Consoling

Id Software today announced via publisher Activision that Splash Damage's upcoming team-based multiplayer shooter Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is in development for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as well as PC. Nerve Software, the Mesquite, Texas-based developer of Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil (Xbox, PC) and the multiplayer component of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, will be handling the Xbox 360 version of the game; Activision studio Z-Axis, developer of X-Men: The Official Game (PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360, NDS, GBA, PC) and the Dave Mirra BMX franchise, will handle the PS3 version. All of the games will continue to be supervised by id Software.

According to today's press release, the console ports will be essentially the same game as the PC version, with largely identical features and game types. However, the console games appear to be limited to 16 simultaneous players, whereas the PC game is intended for 24 players. There was no mention of cross-platform multiplayer, but it is almost certainly not planned. Shacknews has sent further inquiries to Activision on the matter.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars currently has a "when it's done" release status, but is planned to ship some time this year.

EA Sports' Fight Night franchise saw one release on a Nintendo home console with EA Canada's Fight Night Round 2, released for GameCube in 2005, but the followup Fight Night Round 3 developed by EA Chicago stuck to Sony and Microsoft platforms. With the Wii's motion-sensing two-part controller and the inclusion of boxing in Wii Sports, many have noted that the system would make a good target for future iterations of the series.

Speaking to boxing coverage site Doghouse Boxing in a recent interview, EA Sports producer Michael Blank was asked about the possibility of seeing Fight Night on Wii. Blank indicated that EA is currently considering such a project, and it seems likely. "We definitely feel there are some exciting things we can do with the Fight Night franchise and the Wii," he responded. "We are looking at it right now and I am sure you will something some time in the future on the Wii."

In an interview last year, Shacknews spoke with EA Chicago GM Kudo Tsunoda about the possibility of his studio coming to Nintendo's current platform. "For sure. The Wii is a great system," he answered. "All different hardware all has their own cool thing that we can use as a launching point."

If your Wii disc drive is pulsing blue, it's probably because, with no advance warning, a rather odd new channel has been added to the Wii user interface. Announced via a message from Nintendo to Wii consoles, the new feature is activated upon performing a system update. Entitled the Everybody Votes Channel, it is a channel which everybody, indeed, votes. As it has to do more with opinions rather than actual plans, however, it might have been better called Everybody Expresses a Preference Channel.

"We're happy to announced the surprise launch of the Everybody Votes Channel!" reads the official message. "With the Everybody Votes Channel, you can answer popular questions like the one above and voice your opinion in national and worldwide polls!" The question cited is "What wish would you ask a genie to grant? Health or Wealth?"

Other questions are along similar hypothetical and preferential lines, such as "Which is a more romantic Valentine's Gift? Chocolates or Roses?" and "Which century would you prefer to live in? 19th or 22nd?" Questions appear to differ from country to country and perhaps even state to state within the US. Up to six Miis can be registered with the service, allowing different users of the console to state their own preferences.

It is unclear if Nintendo plans to use the channel in the future for concerns more directly related to practical consumer feedback.

Though the contest has been open for a few days now, Electronic Arts today officially announced its second Burnout Bandslam competition, which will see one band each from the United States and Europe have a song included in the soundtrack to "a future Burnout videogame," as well as receive a "demo recording contract" with Virgin Records. The first competition, held in 2005, offered bands the chance to have a song featured in Criterion's Burnout Revenge (PS2, Xbox, X360). The Burnout game corresponding to this contest was not specified. Though series developer Criterion is currently working on both Burnout Dominator (PS2, PSP) and Burnout 5 (PS3, X360), only the former game was explicitly mentioned in today's press release. Henry Juszkiewicz, CEO of sponsor Gibson Guitar, also made reference to Burnout Dominator, suggesting that that is the game in which the winning bands will be featured.

MySpace users will be able to vote for entrants in the MySpace-hosted contest, though according to the official contest rules, actual decisions are made by a judging panel that appears to be assembled from Electronic Arts and Virgin Records as well as the bands The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and We Are Scientists. Entries will be accepted until March 14, 2007.

GameSpot chats with Alex Seropian of Wideload Games on his company's recently announced Hail to the Chimp (PS3, X360) being published by the illustrious Gamecock.