Operation Raccoon City Confirmed for Winter Release

The new and radically different Resident Evil gameOperation Raccoon City, which wasreportedon last week, is indeed real and will be coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this winter.

Slant Six Games, the developer ofSOCOM: Confrontation, is at work on the newest console RE game. Its story is officially described as a"reinterpretation"of what happened inResident Evil 2and3, with players assuming the role of an Umbrella Security Services soldier. Four-player co-op is supported, as is competitive online multiplayer.

In other Resident Evil news, the upcoming 3DS gameResident Evil: The Mercenaries 3Dwill include a demo of the forthcomingResident Evil: Revelations(pictured above), an original game being designed for the 3DS. It's set betweenResident Evil 4and5and (at least partially) takes place on a cruise ship. More on the game will be announced at this year's E3 in June.

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TGS Not Canceled But Could End up Downsized

The earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan earlier this month have already had a profoundeffecton the games industry, with games being delayed or even outright canceled and events being called off. Given the devastation, it's hard to imagine this year's Tokyo Game Show taking place without a hitch. Yet that's the plan as of right now, but event organizers haven't ruled out the possibility that things could be scaled back by the time September rolls around.

Kotaku Japanspoke with TGS management and were told,"Currently, we are not thinking of canceling or making the show smaller."That doesn't mean plans won't change in the future, though. It was also said,"Depending on the situation from here on out, it is possible that the show is reduced."

This year's TGS is scheduled to take place from September 15-18.

Source:Kotaku

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Today in Gaming - 3/28/11: 3DS Headaches and Choplifter HD

The NPD's decision to even furtherclamp downon how its data is shared with the media is a disappointing one. Once upon a time, the monthly NPD releases were something to look forward to -- they gave us a good look at what was going on in the industry that we didn't otherwise get. Even if it did offer as much information as it once did, it would not be nearly as all-encompassing; digital has become such a major aspect of the business that only releasing numbers which account for physical sales at retail would be misleading. And that appears to be one of the exact reasons NPD has pulled back on the data it shares.

Today's highlights:

• Operation Raccoon Cityconfirmed,The Mercenaries 3Dgets aRevelationsdemo.
• Nintendorespondsto reports of 3DS-induced headaches.
• The PlayStation Rewards program has beendelayedindefinitely.
• Choplifteris making areturnthis fall.
• The Tokyo Game Show is still set to take place, but it could end updownsized.
• Gallery: The Nintendo 3DS Midnight Launch
• Call in toRetronautson Tuesday afternoon to talk Street Fighter.

And here's what else happened today:

God of War Developer Hiring Online Programmer

Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica studio is looking to hire an online programmer who would, among other things, be responsible for"designing and implementing systems and tools to support networking needs (such as in-game communication, client-server, match-making, leaderboards)."SCE Santa Monica is most noteworthy for theGod of Warseries, so this hire begs the question if a multiplayer God of War is in the works. On the other hand, the developer was also involved withWarhawk, and Middle Eastern siteNG4A(viaCVG) is reporting that Warhawk 2 is in development. We obviously can't confirm that, but if Santa Monica were involved, that might explain the need for an online programmer.

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Where Nintendo Draws the Line on Working with Indies

Followingcommentsthat Nintendo wouldn't be interested in working with garage developers, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has further elaborated on the situation."We've been clear that we want to work with independent developers who understand this business, who have experience in this business,"he said."These are people who spent time working with larger publishers and larger developers, but had that idea in the back of their head that they needed to bring to life ... and so that's the type of entity that we want to work with."He added,"I'll tell you, if someone calls us tomorrow who has no experience in the gaming industry, but has a passion and has a great idea, our perspective would be, 'Great, but get some experience. Understand your craft, and then come back to us.'"

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Jimmy Fallon Does Reggie Fils-Aime's Job For Him on Late Night

Reggie Fils-Aime appeared onLate Night with Jimmy Fallonthis past Friday to make sure everyone went out and purchased a 3DS at launch yesterday. However, it ended up being Fallon himself that seemed much more enthusiastic about the system. He couldn't have been more excited (or at least, he couldn't act like he was) to be playing Face Raiders and one of the AR games. You can check out the appearancehere.

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Choplifter Being Revived This Fall

The classic Broderbund seriesChoplifterwill be getting its first new game in more than 15 years with the release ofChoplifter HDthis fall.

InXile Entertainment announced today that it would be bringing the new title to PlayStation Network and PC."First playing and loving the original Choplifter on my Apple II, then watching the franchise expand into arcades and the early console systems helped seed my passion for building lasting, quality gameplay experiences,"said the company's president, Brian Fargo."The feedback on creating a fresh take on Choplifter has been incredibly positive. We all have so many fond memories of playing the first game and the fun of rescuing people in hostile situations is timeless."

There wasn't much in the way of details in the announcement. Players will assume the role of a member of C.H.O.P.R (which stands for Coordinated Helicopter Operations, Preservation and Rescue, as you were no doubt wondering) who take control of helicopters to save survivors. There will be more than 20 missions, ranging from saving a military prisoner to someone needing to be saved from a viral outbreak.

InXile is also currently at work onHunted: The Demon's Forge. It previously developedThe Bard's Talein 2004.

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Tomorrow on Retronauts: Street Fighter II is 20

People keep calling in for our live Retronauts podcast recording sessions, and that's great. In fact, more people call in than we actually have time to include in the shows! Your patience in listening to busy signals is commendable, though, and to shake things up a little -- hopefully allowing people to get through a little more easily -- we're moving this week's recording session from its usual Friday afternoon slot toTuesdayafternoon. That's tomorrow! Less than 24 hours from now, in fact.

Our topic this week? Why, nothing less than the 20th anniversary of Street Fighter II. Do you have Street Fighter memories or questions? We're willing to bet you do! That game was a danged juggernaut. Everyone played it, whether in the arcade or at home on Super NES, Genesis, or TurboGrafx-16. If you were young enough 20 years ago, maybe you played it first on Game Boy. (If so, we're sorry.) The Street Fighter series is still going strong, even if Capcom's sluggish arithmetic skills mean that two decades later we're still only up to Street Fighter IV. But that's cool. It's all the more opportunity to reminiscence on the most influential fighting game ever.

So call us415-547-8778tomorrow (Tuesday, March 29) between4 to 4:30 p.m.Pacific time (which is, as always,7 to 7:30 p.m.Eastern). We will talk to you about Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and even Sheng Long, if you want. Just don't challenge us to a Street Fighter II throwdown, because it would be unsporting to pick on people whose fighting skills are as atrophied as ours.

Special Bonus Feature:If you prefer more passive entertainment rather than taking an active role,last week's Retronauts episode (feat. the 10th anniversary of the Game Boy Advance) is now online to pleasure your ears. Except in a less naughty way than that particular turn of phrase makes it sound.

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3DS Day One Sales Outpace Previous Nintendo Handhelds

There were complaints about the launch lineup, claims that the 3D was just a gimmick, and a higher-than-usual price tag attached to it, but the 3DS managed to outperform all previous Nintendo handhelds during its first day of availability.

"U.S. day-one sales numbers for Nintendo 3DS were the highest of any Nintendo hand-held system in our history,"a Nintendo of America statement reads. Nintendo isn't providing specific sales numbers and will instead wait until April 14, when the March NPD figures are released, for those to go public.

"Nintendo worked hard to get as much product as possible to retailers on day one to meet demand, and we will continue with these efforts moving forward,"it added.

The $250 price tag made it $100 more expensive than the DS when it was released in 2004. Apparently that wasn't enough to slow consumers down who rushed out to pick up the first portable gaming system with glasses-free 3D.

Source:Joystiq

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De Niro's Film Festival to Recognize L.A. Noire

Rockstar's upcoming crime dramaL.A. Noirelooks to have a very heavy focus on its story. It may or may not turn out to be something special, but the Tribeca Film Festival is going ahead and honoring it as an official selection at this year's event in April.

Those at the festival will be able to check out an exclusive preview of the game as members of the development team show off the game before discussing it, its technology, and working with story and action in the medium of videogames. The conversation will be moderated by Tribeca chief creative officer Geoff Gilmore.

"What Rockstar and Team Bondi have accomplished with L.A. Noire is nothing less than groundbreaking,"Gilmore said in a statement."It's an invention of a new realm of storytelling that is part cinema, part gaming, and a whole new realm of narrative expression, interactivity, and immersion. We are poised on the edge of a new frontier."

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff. It's a sizable, annual event that has never before recognized a videogame. The L.A. Noire preview will take place on April 25. More information is available at the official Tribecawebsite.

L.A. Noire is a cross betweenAce AttorneyandGrand Theft Auto, as 1UP's recentpreviewput it. Afterseveraldelays, it's currently set for release on May 17.

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Today in Gaming - 3/29/11: New 360 Disc Format, No 3D for Wii 2

It's strange howAngry Birdsgets lumped in with the really cheap, disposable games that are on the iOS App Store. The game actually offers alotof content and has received quite a few free updates. Rovio's Peter Vesterbacka has a validpointwhen he says that those who produce traditional retail games might have reason to be worried -- more and more people are opting to play cheap games they can get for less than $1. Even if they don't offer the same kind of value as a $60 retail game, there's nothing stopping people from opting for 10 games at $1 and getting a good number of hours' worth of entertainment instead of picking up a full-priced retail game.

Our firstPlay For Japanauction has come to a close -- a signed copy of Katamari Damacy fetched $305 for charity. We have several auctions ending over the next two days, and we've also posted some new auctions: A set of signed Stacking Russiannesting dollsand two Turtle Beach Earforce PX5 wirelessheadsetbundles. Check out all of our auction listingshereand, if you can afford to, bid on something you fancy.

Today's highlights:

• Xbox 360 isgettinga new disc format and Microsoft needs help testing it.
• Acasting callfor voice actors seems to point to Grand Theft Auto 5.
• Day one sales of the 3DS werebetterthan any previous Nintendo handheld.
• L.A. Noirewill berecognizedat the Tribeca Film Festival.
• at1UP 3/29: 3DS No Sale, Rango, Wondercon

And here's what else happened today:

3D Unlikely to be the Hook for Wii 2

3D is the big, unique feature that sets the 3DS apart from other gaming systems. And while it had a big day one and is almost certain to be a huge success, that doesn't mean Nintendo will shoehorn in 3D to its next home console."Glasses-free is a big deal,"Reggie Fils-Aime said."We've not said publicly what the next thing for us will be in the home console space, but based on what we've learned on 3D, likely, that won't be it."We do know that Nintendoexperimentedwith a 3D-enabled Wii prior to persuing glasses-free 3D for the 3DS.

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Another Breakdown Values 3DS at $100

Reaffirming areportfrom last week that the costs of the 3DS add up to $101, a new breakdown by iSuppli has come to a similar conclusion, stating that the 3DS costs Nintendo $103.25 to produce. This doesn't take into account costs like marketing the system and other things of that nature, but it does provide gamers with some idea of how much it cost to make what they're now holding in their hands.

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Warlords Gets a Remake This Summer

Classic Atari 2600 gameWarlordsis being brought back this summer for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Up to four players compete to defend their castles while trying to take out their opponents."Warlords infuses the arcade action genre with a bold and vibrant visual style coupled with robust strategy gameplay,"Atari president Jim Wilson said."It exemplifies our design goals and company strategy as we reintroduce these classic brands to a new generation of gamers."It's being developed by Griptonite Games, the developer ofMarvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntletand numerous DS versions of games likeThe Simpsons GameandSpider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.

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Angry Birds Dev Fires Back at Nintendo, Console Games

Peter Vesterbacka, the boss atAngry Birdsdeveloper Rovio, finds it"interesting"that games like his company's have come under attack by Nintendo. Then again, Vesterbacka says if he were selling"$49 pieces of plastic to people"he would be worried, too.

Although he never once singled out a particular platform, developer, or game, it was pretty clear that comments made by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata during hiskeynoteat GDC were aimed at cheap mobile games like Angry Birds. He talked about how inexpensive, disposable games were destroying the value of the products being made by companies like Nintendo."The fact is, what we produce has value, and we should protect that value,"he said.

Iwata hasn't been the only one to attack Angry Birds or games of its ilk, though he is certainly the highest profile person to do so. And Angry Birds, being the massive success that it is -- it's been downloaded more than 100 million times already -- usually ends up taking the brunt of these knocks.

"It's interesting to see people like Nintendo saying smartphones are destroying the games industry,"Vesterbacka toldMCV."Of course, if I was trying to sell a $49 pieces {sic} of plastic to people then yes, I'd be worried too. But I think it's a good sign that people are concerned -- because from my point of view we're doing something right."

"Games consoles for us are just like launching on a new smartphone platform,"he added."We don't see..."he started, before continuing,"Look, the console market is important, but it's also... It's not dying, but not the fastest growing platform out there. So we don't see it the way others do. A lot of people in the games industry, they think the 'real' games are on consoles. You're only a 'real' games company if you do a big budget game. But we don't have that inferiority complex."

Angry Birds has already appeared on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, and there have been talks of also bringing it to Xbox 360 and DS. The latter platform would be interesting given that Nintendo isn't especially high on the prospect of games that only cost $0.99. But one of the hurdles of bringing Angry Birds to consoles is the inability to frequently update console games, calling the restriction a"legacy way of thinking."

"There is no reason why, when you do digital distribution on console, you couldn't do frequent updates,"he explained."It's just a legacy way of thinking. And if the consoles want to stay relevant they have to start mimicking what's going on around them on app stores, smartphones and online. It's the only way. because people expect games to stay fresh.

"If you pay $59 or $69 dollars and you get no updates -- but you pay 99 cents for a game in the App Store and get updates every month, then it sets the expectations higher. So the pressure is definitely on those guys."

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New Grand Theft Auto 5 Evidence: The Man-Boy Love Activist

A series of casting calls that werediscoveredearlier this month seemed to point towards a project known as 'Rush' being the code name for Grand Theft Auto 5. The pieces certainly appeared to fit, but there was no direct connection between that information and the GTA series. A newly-postedcasting callfor voice actors lists one of the characters as James Pedeaston, the name of a child molester from the GTA series.

The call is seeking a man in the 40-45-year-old range for the role. Pedeaston is described as"a man-boy love activist who just got released from an Indonesian prison."He was around during bothGrand Theft Auto: San AndreasandGrand Theft Auto IV, the latter of which is where the image to the right comes from. He was a radio show host who wasarrestedin Indonesia, with Rockstar setting up a fake website at freejames.org that asked for donations to his legal fund. (The website now forwards to the official GTAIV site.)

The other four characters would fit right into the GTA universe as well, with Samantha --"a young female obsessed with sex parties, always dreaming of being a Hollywood celebrity"-- seemingly perfect for the game'srumoredHollywood setting.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter hasspeculatedthat we could see the release of the next Grand Theft Auto before the end of January 2012 due to several key employees' contracts expiring at that time. If that's the case, maybe we'll be hearing from Pedeaston and GTA 5 at E3 in June.

Source:Eurogamer

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3DS Giving You Headaches? Here's What Nintendo Says

Judging by many of the comments made on Twitter, it seems clear that the 3D effect in Nintendo's new 3DS has caused more than a handful of headaches. Nintendo has responded, claiming that a short break is usually more than enough to alleviate any such symptoms.

Responding to a MaxConsolestorywhich compiled complaints made on Twitter about eye strain or headaches caused by the 3DS, Nintendo U.K.'s Robert Saundersstated,"We have shown Nintendo 3DS at multiple events around the world to literally hundreds of thousands of people and have received very few negative comments. As with anything that requires focus, from reading to staring at a computer screen, taking breaks frequent breaks is always recommended.

"When viewing any kind of 3D images (TV, movies etc.), some people might experience minor discomfort. The effects are short term and have no lasting effect, in fact most players can continue after taking a short break. The Nintendo 3D was designed with a 3D depth slider that lets users adjust the 3D effect to a level that suits them for optimum enjoyment."

The depth slider can completely turn off the 3D effect, which should be able to completely eliminate the potentially headache-inducing aspect of the system. Of course, that's a potentially frustrating choice to have to make for people who had looked forward to enjoying their $40 launch titles in 3D.

Nintendo issued awarningabout children playing games in 3D last year, although eye experts seemed to think it wasunnecessary. Nintendo has since said it was intended toprotectthe company against lawsuits, and just recently, the possibility was suggested that the 3DS could be used to helpidentifychildren with vision problems.

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Gallery: The Nintendo 3DS Midnight Launch

A substantial crowd lined up Saturday night in front of Best Buy's Union Square in New York to be among the first Americans to buy Nintendo's new 3DS. 1UP was there to document the event in photographs, click through to check them all out.

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Xbox 360's New Disc Format Increases Storage - Report

Plenty of guessing took place yesterday as to what the newXbox 360 disc formatwould actually change. According to reports, it will still be a DVD, but it will allow for an additional gigabyte of storage to be used by developers, as well as enhancing anti-piracy measures.

Just 6.8GB of a standard, dual-layer DVD (with a maximum storage capacity of 7.95GB) is able to be used for Xbox 360 games due to more than 1GB being dedicated to an anti-piracy partition, according toDigital Foundry. While it's unclear what exactly is being changed from a technical standpoint, the new disc format will provide developers with an allotment of almost 15% more space for storing games.

Corroborating the suggestion that the storage capacity will increase is noteworthy Xbox hacker commodore4eva.Riptenreports c4eva stated that the new format will also bring new safeguards against piracy:"MS will introduce xgd3 - this will add more ap checks, cvi (content integerity) checks, increase the disc size and adds a new layer for protection issues - all in the 20500 sdk! bring it on"

Additional space is certainly nice, but having almost 8GB of storage available still pales in comparison to the capacity of the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray discs. (Of course, that has its drawbacks as well, as seen by the number of PS3 games that include mandatory installs.)

A Microsoft preview program for the new disc format is set to begin sometime in the next two weeks. Thousands of testers will be accepted to help test the format, with all participants receiving a free copy ofHalo Reach-- presumably in the new format --"along with other possible rewards"for helping.

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Sony to Release PSP Remake of Olde-Japan RPG

This week's issue ofFamitsumagazine in Japan has a lot of key info for fans ofVanillawareandthe Resident Evil series, but for the truly hardcore among console JRPG fans, the real big news of the week is the first look the magazine offered atOre no Shikabane o Koete Yuke, a PSP role-player that combines an ancient Japanese setting with some very unique gameplay features.

A remake of a Japanese game released for the original PlayStation in 1999,Ore no Shikabane(which loosely translates as"Press On Beyond My Corpse") tells the tale of a warrior clan in the Heian period of Japan's medieval age. After the demon Shuten Douji lays waste to the capital, the wedded fighters Genta and Orin step up to defeat the menace, only to be trounced handily. Shuten Douji then places two curses upon their progeny: they will grow, mature and die within the space of two years, and they cannot bear any children of their own. The gods, viewing this tragedy unfold, have pity upon Genta and Orin's child (the player character) and offer him or her a deal: help them eradicate the human world of Shuten Douji and his demons, and in exchange they will pair with the child to help give birth to future generations and keep the clan alive.

Thus, the gameplay of Ore no Shikabane has the player fighting through labyrinths, defeating mythical Japanese monsters, and using the mana proceeds to unlock access to new gods to mate and create the next generation of fighters with. Each generation of the clan is stronger than the previous one, learning new skills and combo moves, and your skill at raising characters in battle and choosing the right god to assist your family defines how quickly you're able to confront Shuten Douji anew. It's a neat system that's made the RPG an underground hit among Japanese gamers, enough so that the original PS release has been a perennial best-seller on the PlayStation Network in Japan since it was put up for sale in 2007.

The PSP version of Ore no Shikabane is a completely revised remake from indie game designer Shoji Masuda and development outfit Alfa System, the two main forces behind the original. The game is receiving a full graphical remake that emphasizes brush-like art and subdued colors, giving it a visual look that's more than a little reminiscent of Capcom's Okami series. Many new weapons, monsters and fighting moves are being added, and ad-hoc multiplayer support is also in the works, although details are still being kept under wraps.

The game, pegged at 50% complete by Sony Computer Entertainment PR, is due out this fall in Japan.

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Safety is Most Important to Pokemon Director

It's an accepted fact that -- no matter how huge a hit it would be -- we won't be seeing a Pokemon game on, say, Facebook anytime soon. Besides Nintendo's own quirks, there's another reason why such a thing isn't going to happen: A concern for safety.

Longtime Game Freak employee andPokemon Black/Whitedirector Junichi Masuda explained that ensuring gamers can pick up a new Pokemon and play it safely and without any fears is what he considers to be most important when developing a new game.

Asked if he feels any pressure to change how Pokemon is delivered in light of the success of the social and mobile aspects of the industry, he toldMCV,"I don't feel pressured. What I consider to be most important when releasing a videogame is to ensure it reaches everybody and to make sure it can be enjoyed by players safely and securely."

Nintendo's game systems are a more appropriate, controlled environment for games that kids will want to play. Facebook and things of that nature, on the other hand, aren't really intended for people of all ages.

"For example, Facebook and MSN are mainly for adults, but what's very important is that everyone can enjoy a Pokémon game without feeling any fear,"he continued."So that's what I think about whenever I produce a new video game."

To some, that's likely to sound pretty strange. But online safety has been a high priority for Nintendo, as anyone who has had to use friend codes can attest.

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Today in Gaming - 3/30/11: 20 Years of Street Fighter, Super Meat World

I can't imagine there being anyone out there that is worse at playing fighting games than me, and despite mysensationallypoor ability to defeat the game's AI, even I have an appreciation forStreet Fighter II. It certainly says something about the game's quality that after nearly two decades, I find myself buying multiple iterations of the game and still fighting to make it through the first few opponents in the single-player. (I've given up hope of ever defeating a human opponent without the assistance of their controller spontaneously combusting.) We've got a look back at20 years of Street Fighter II, including 20 thingsyou didn't knowabout the game and an episode ofRetronautsdedicated to Capcom's classic.

Today's highlights:

• That new disc format for Xbox 360 will reportedly increase itsstorage capacity.
• Operation Raccoon Cityproducer talks about anew directionfor Resident Evil.
• The director ofPokemon Black and Whitevaluessafetyabove all else.
• Allegedly thieving talent from Ubisoft has led to aninjunctionagainst THQ.
• Indefenseof Zynga's metrics-driven game design.
• Muramasadeveloper Vanillaware isbringing outa new RPG called Grand Knights History.
• What's ittaketo make a leading JRPG lady?
• Insomniac Games won't develop NGP gamesin-house.
• Steambot Chronicles 2 has beencanceled.
• JRPG Ore no Shikabane is getting aremakeon PSP.
• Insomniac Community Day 2011

And here's what else happened today:

Super Meat World to Debut"Very Soon"

The automated level portal for user-madeSuper Meat Boylevels will be launching exclusively for Steam owners"very soon;"it's possibly even"days away."To"weed out the crap,"levels will be rated by both their difficulty and fun factor. It will launch with at least five chapters and 200 new levels.Respondingto a question about when Direct2Drive customers will see it, Team Meat said on Twitter,"probably not for a while (or at least not till they pay us)."

Just Cause Makers at Work on Renegade Ops

Sega will be publishing the new game fromJust Causedeveloper Avalanche Studios. Renegade Ops is a co-op shooter for XBLA, PSN, and PC that's planned for release in 2011."A number of developers in the studio wanted to try developing a smaller digital project, so we gathered a team, built a new IP and SEGA gave us the opportunity to carry this out,"said senior producer Andreas Thorsén."The IP is all about driving or flying around blowing stuff up while playing with your friends and that to us, is a dream-project."

Madden Concussions Will Take Players Out for the Game

The NFL is taking concussions much more seriously than it used to (which is to say, it's actually taking them seriously) and its policies are extending to Madden NFL.Accordingto a member of the NFL Players Association, when a player suffers a concussion inMadden NFL 12, they'll be unable to return to the game, as per current NFL rules.

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BurgerTime HD Coming Back as a Download Game

PuzzlerBurgerTimeis the latest classic game to be brought back. Rather than being coined as a remake, MonkeyPaw Games is calling this an"extension"of the old game."It's been 29 years since the original debut and now BurgerTime is back and much better than ever. By creating unique platform features while faithfully retaining the original gameplay, BurgerTime HD will redefine retro evolution", said MonkeyPaw president John Greiner."We also love the fact that playing the game makes our team really hungry."It'll support online multiplayer for up to four players.

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Alleged Talent Thieving Leads to Injunction Against THQ

A court in Quebec has granted Ubisoft an injunction preventing THQ from violating the non-solicit clauses of Ubisoft Montreal's employees. This development comes after a number of employees at theAssassin's Creedstudio departed from the company under suspicious circumstances.

After leaving Ubisoft Montreal last year, it wasannouncedin October that Assassin's Creed creative director Patrice Désilets would be heading up a new Montreal-based studio for THQ beginning in May. Since then, several other Ubisoft Montreal staffers have departed the company for various reasons that have raised some eyebrows,Game Informerreports.

Désilets isn't joining THQ Montreal until this May, following the expiration of a one-year non-compete clause. Three employees who left Ubisoft Montreal in his wake have Montreal Canadiens season tickets with Désilets, which makes you wonder if their decision to all leave was a coincidence. Keep inmind that his non-compete clause should have prevented Désilets from being able to recruit his former colleagues.

THQ core games boss Danny Bilson spoke withJoystiqin January about THQ Montreal, and some choice words of his could end up leading to trouble for his company. He said,"I don't think I can talk about the other three people we've already contracted because I wouldn't ... I just know Patrice said, 'I need these three guys.' And I said 'Okay! Whatever you need!' We put all of them on retention and got them started on their non-competes. I kind of know what their roles are, but they were the most important people to Patrice. All three of them are Ubi."

An injunction was granted by a judge in January. Despite that, another Ubisoft staffer was contacted about a potential employment opportunity at THQ by localization manager Adolfo Gomez-Urda. This latest injunction, which was first reported by French siteRue Frontenac, now includes Gomez-Urda in addition to THQ and Désilets.

This is quite a rocky start for THQ Montreal, and Désilets won't even officially start work there for another two months. The interview in January wasn't the first time Bilson had hinted at grabbing friends of Désilets' for the new studio;speakingwith 1UP last year, he said,"Now, combined with building out this huge facility in Montreal, with the {financial} advantage, and getting that kind of talent who lives here in it, and all his friends live here, we should be able to build out an incredible veteran team to anchor this studio."

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Steambot Chronicles 2 Officially Cancelled

Despite the fairly decent amount of news coming out in this week's issue ofFamitsu, the magazine is overall looking a little sad. With only 160 pages (an average issue easily breaks 250) and no reviews at all, it reflects the current state of both the local game biz and Japan in general -- on cruise control, holding their breath, as they struggle to deal with the past month's worth of national crises.

Something else in this week's issue will make game fans sad, too: The release pages formally confirmed thatSteambot Chronicles 2, sequel to theoffbeat 2006 titlethat featured free-world exploration in steampunk-ish"trotmobiles,"has been cancelled. The sequel, first shown as a PlayStation 2 title at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, was slated to come out in 2007 but wound up missing its release date and falling into the realm of vaporware. It was re-announced by developer Item in late 2008 as a PS3 title, but the company once again fell completely silent on the title, even as it produced and released the PSP spin-off gameSteambot Chronicles Battle Tournament.

The news comes after Irem also cancelled the latest game in theZettai Zetsumei Toshiseries of disaster sims in the wake of the major earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11. The moves leave Irem with nearly no games to release, but the company itself -- which makes the majority of its income developing software for pachinko and other gaming machines -- is likely not in danger of going out of business.

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Motomu Toriyama Talks About Making Heroines

How does Motomu Toriyama, the Square Enix director whose most recent project wasFinal Fantasy XIII, approach designing the women that populate his games?

"The first aspect of a heroine's design we decide upon depends on the game we're making,"he said in an interview published in this week'sFamitsumagazine in Japan."With Yuna fromFinal Fantasy X, we started with the back story of a summoner that fights against Sin, but for Lightning in FFXIII, our initial concept was just for a 'strong woman' -- it was personality-based instead of plot-driven. Then we consider the heroine's 'job,' her position in the story and duties in battle. We always try for unique worlds in the FF series, so we don't base characters off of real people or anything like that, but since there are so many games in the series, it's always a trial to ensure that new characters don't overlap with previous ones."

It isn't until that point when Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix's resident character designer extraordinaire, gets involved."Once the character's concept starts to take form, we write out her basic personality traits and so forth on a sheet of paper and give it to Nomura,"Toriyama said."Sometimes this is before all of the details are worked out for all the characters, but we've got to get them drawn sometime, so..."

What happens next?"After that, we wrap up the details behind each character's background,"Toriyama continued."With Lightning, that would be how she resolved to become strong in order to protect her sister after their parents passed away. We're working on all the characters in parallel, which results in some inconsistencies popping up later on in the designs and story backdrops -- when that happens, we rework as necessary to fit with the design. With Lightning, one look at the design made me say 'This is it!' She looked so cool and strong that there was no need for any retakes. It was the same way with Yuna. Making an FF game takes several years, so if you don't essentially fall in love at first sight with a character, then you really can't keep yourself going."

Then comes the process of actually rendering the heroine as she appears in the game -- the hard part, in other words,"When portraying a character, we take extreme care in her movements and voice,"reflected Toriyama."This begins with the motion-capture process, something that will make everything go wrong if we mess it up, so we get very intricate with our directions for that. The voice acting comes last in this process, and the actors we work with are good enough that things usually go pretty smoothly. The voice we record essentially becomes the main image of the character, so in a way that's the most delicate part of making the character."

So what's Toriyama's favorite leading girl?"Out of the heroines I've had a hand in creating, Lightning and Yuna are definitely the ones that stick out in my mind,"he said."That, and Yoyo from {Japan-only Super NES RPG}Bahamut Lagoon, the first game I worked on. I wanted to make her into a heroine like any that's existed before."

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Ratchet&Clank Dev Won't Develop NGP Games In-House

Insomniac Games' franchises are sure to end up on NGP, but Insomniac is unlikely to develop any of them itself. It'll provide support, sure -- just don't expect its focus to stray from its newfoundmulti-platformdevelopment projects for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Speaking at an Insomniac community day event at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California yesterday, senior community manager James Stevenson explained that the company is currently"totally focused on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360."We don't know what the Xbox 360 project is except that it's the product of a partnership with Electronic Arts; for PlayStation 3, Insomniac hasResistance 3(pictured above) andRatchet&Clank: All 4 Onecoming later this year.

Stevenson explained that Insomniac would offer to"support Sony"on NGP game development but those games are"probably not something we would develop in-house."And indeed, the upcomingResistancegame for NGP is in development atPlayStation Move Heroesdeveloper Nihilistic Software. Insomniac wasn't responsible for the PSP edition of Resistance,Retribution; it was made by Sony Computer Entertainment's Bend Studio (which is now at work onUncharted NGP).

Insomniac isn't completely ignoring all non-console development. CEO Brian Hastings recentlyspokeabout how"increasingly challenging"the console market is and the need to"expand into the social sector"because of the size of its audience. This prompted Insomniac to open a new division called Insomniac Click that will be dedicated to web and mobile development.

"I don't think that every console developer needs to join the social and mobile markets to survive, but as an industry we do need to broaden our audience in order to have more companies survive in general,"Hastings explained.

Source:Kotaku

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Vanillaware Returns With Grand Knights History

The new issue ofFamitsumagazine this week brings the first word onGrand Knights History, a brand-new PSP role-playing game and the first title from Tokyo-based Vanillaware since Wii action gameMuramasa: The Demon Bladein 2009.

Grand Knights History is the first traditional, turn-based RPG from Vanillaware, a developer that's gained a worldwide following chiefly thanks to the virtuoso 2D graphics and animation seen in their titles. The game is set in the land of Ristia, home to three competing nations: Union, Avalon and Logres. You play the leader of the knight corps in the nation of your choice, supervising a team of warriors that you're free to customize and train as you like -- raising their stats, defining their appearance and personalities, and so forth.

The battles in GKH are strictly turn-based, but there is some innovation to be had here -- Vanillaware has plans afoot for seamless online multiplayer, although they aren't going into details on them yet.

"The 2D characters will be animated just like in our action games, and we're also challenging ourselves to build a new type of gameplay by fusing online and offline,"said Tomohiko Deguchi, project director at Vanillaware."Most RPGs up to now involve one person or a group of friends playing together, but we're trying to set up this new kind of game, a full-on war that all the users are connected together in. It's a war RPG where not just one player, not just a few people, but all of the players are drawn together as they fight."

The PSP title, which is being published by Marvelous Entertainment in Japan, has a summer release date planned for the region. No US release has been announced yet.

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