Late Night Consoling

August 6, 2003 8:00 PM

I've mentioned elsewhere on the site that I'll be attending a Sony Online Entertainment event here in NYC tomorrow, but I want to mention that again here, because if anyone has any questions regarding Champions of Norrath, the very cool looking action RPG from the creators of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, you can post them in the comments and I'll take them with me tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to checking out the game, because I think the fact that it's online-enabled (and uses the same matchmaking system as the PC title Lords of EverQuest, so it won't be half-assed) could be really, really cool if pulled off right. Plus of course, the game was announced after E3, so I wasn't able to see it then. And of course if you have any questions regarding EverQuest Online Adventures post those here as well.

	"Cell" Tech Gets Closer Sony, IBM and Toshiba announced today that they have neared completion of their "Cell" technology, which may or may not (okay let's face it, it will) wind up in the PlayStation 3. As soon as the technology has "taped out" (that is, reached final specs on paper) it will move on to the prototype stage, and following that process it will go into full production.
	New Xbox Live Dashboard Soon The big Xbox Live news of the day is that Microsoft will be rolling out their new Xbox Live dashboard on August 25th. Details and screenshots on the new features and changes can be found at Microsoft's official site. This looks like a good improvement over the original.
	New Wolfenstein Map Available In other Xbox Live news today, Activision announced that the latest unlockable map for Return to Castle Wolfenstein is now available. Details on this are likewise available at Microsoft's site.
	Still More Manhunt Details Still more details from Rockstar's Manhunt have hit the web, this time over at Computer and Video Games. CvG has a lot of the same info we've already heard before about this game, but they have such tantalizing tidbits as the news that as you hide from thugs you can hear them talking about all the horrible things they're planning on doing to you, and that the first weapon you acquire in the game is a plastic bag, which, let's face it, is pretty damn cool.
	More Front Mission on the Way According to The Magic Box a lot more Front Mission may be in the cards...it sounds like a new PS2 game is a definite (possibly with online multiplayer) and the game's producer is said to be considering porting the second and third games in the series to the PlayStation (or PS2).
	Kirby Creator Leaves Nintendo As noted in this story at Gamesindustry.biz, Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Kirby and the head of the Super Smash Bros. series has left Nintendo subsidiary HAL Labs. According to a statement released to the Japanese magazine Famitsu, he left because he felt that he couldn't make the games he wanted to make while at Nintendo, which of course makes you wonder if he wanted to make an M-rated Kirby.
	Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge Resurfaces IGN has posted the first new screenshots from Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge in seemingly ages, along with the news that they expect THQ to announce a new GBA publishing deal with Rare in the next few days. While there have been hints dropped for some time now that Rare was continuing to develop GBA titles, this is the first concrete evidence to pop up.
	Latest Japanese Magazine Reviews -- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Graded Over at Games Are Fun tonight is a roundup of review scores from Japanese magazines, and the most notable title listed is none other than Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, which was given a 9, 8, 7, 8 for a total of 32/40.
	Capcom Rolls out Online Service in Japan Gamers.com is reporting that Capcom is set to unveil their own online gaming network for PC and console systems in Japan. The system sounds a lot like Square's PlayOnline, although it differs in a couple of ways, most notably that they plan to allow other publishers to make their games available (Taito is the first to sign up). The service will cost $7 per month for broadband users (dial-up users pay for the time they use) and a subscription will be required to play Resident Evil Outbreak.
	Gungrave Sequel in the Works Also at Gamers.com is the news that Sega is working on Gungrave O.D., a sequel to their original hyperactive third person shooter (which played a lot like a rail shooter). The same development team (including designs from the creator of Trigun) will return for the sequel.
	Misc. Media/Previews GameSpot has a new preview of ESPN NFL Football (PS2, Xbox), a new preview of Freedom Fighters (GC, PS2. Xbox) and new shots from Ratchet & Clank 2: Going Commando (PS2). Over at IGN they have new shots from XGRA (GC, PS2, Xbox) and a new preview of SWAT: Global Strike Team (Xbox). Elsewhere online, GamePro.com has new shots from Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space (PS2), GameSpy has a new preview of Black9 (Xbox), Planet GameCube has new shots from Gladius (GC) and pictures from Nintendo's Fusion Tour, Computer and Video Games has a new preview of Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (GC), Gamers.com has the first screenshots from Tenchu: Return From Darkness (Xbox) and Eidos has launched their official site for Whiplash (PS2, Xbox).

Console Game of the Evening: Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo for the Super Nintendo. "The best version out of the series for any platform to date. Smooth graphics, perfect sounds, easy execution, and loads of fun. None have topped it." (submitted by Xak Malice).

jason bergman

Filed Under