Ya circula un nuevo trailer de Avatar (al menos en cines Norteamericanos y en versión pirata por internet), algunas personas ya han podido ver lo que será el juego en 3D de Avatar que editará UBI Soft, la banda sonora de James Horner saldrá a la venta el día 15 de Diciembre (3 días antes del estreno de la película de James Cameron), y ya se empiezan a ver anuncios para reservar las maquetas de las naves espaciales y personajes de la película.
También, todo apunta a que se llegará en Diciembre a la cifra de 7.000 salas 3D a nivel mundial, y me extrañaría que alguna no la pasara el día 18 de Diciembre.
En España, estaremos rozando la cifra de las 200 salas 3D. Ya os diré la cifra exacta cuando llegue el día pero sería una cifra inimaginable a principios de año cuando estábamos en 32.
Tengo alguna ligera esperanza que sólo se estrene en 3D y gane mi apuesta, eso sólo ocurrirá si se usa el sistema de Technicolor de 3D en 35mm que se anunció en Septiembre. En mi opinión, si este invento se ve bien, debería estrenarse sólo en 3D, en versiones IMAX 3D, 3D digital y 3D en 35mm, pero veremos qué ocurre al final. La fecha se va acercando. La expectación es altísima.

Dinosaurs: Combat Of Giants (Nintendo DS) Review

I really like this game, I bought it for my son who is six, he has got the hang of it quickly, with some help. Its not all about fighting, there are little missions to complete and things to collect too, it has kept him busy for ages and he loves creating his own dinosaurs.

Feature

Overview

Choose your dinosaur from among 25 different species. Explore and conquer a variety of terrain maps as you battle other dinosaurs for eggs and fossils. Use these to unlock attack and defence features like thorns, scales, and camouflaging colour to make your dinosaur stronger and faster! Conquer the world, then challenge your friends!

• Select your dinosaur from 25 different species, including Ravenous Predators, Witty Scavengers, Horned Territorials, Mighty Tanks, and Peaceful Herbivores.
• Experience an intuitive combat system based on player’s dexterity that challenges your skills, not your luck, in battle
• Customize your dinosaur with attack and defence features that you unlock.
• Play through three great game modes, including Adventure, Quickmatch, and Multiplayer Tournament mode.

Specifications

*** Product Information Sep 22, 2009 22:00:12

Cette fois-ci c’est Le producteur d’Assassin’s Creed II Jean-François Boivin qui achève de nous convaincre sur le gros potentiel de ce titre avec une vidéo commentée de 7 minutes sur le game-play.  C’est moins sexy qu’une vidéo avec Jade Raymond, mais cela reste très intéressant.

Mauvais karma pour Ubi soft, son chiffre d’affaires est en berne  de 50% pour le premier trimestre de son année fiscale (ce qui fait la “modique” somme de  83 millions d’euros en moins) la faute surtout à la Nintendo DS qui est de plus en plus piratée.

L’autre mauvaise nouvelle (et surtout pour les joueurs) c’est le report de certains titres, red steel 2 mais surtout le dernier Splinter cell qui est repoussé au premier trimestre 2010.

Heute möchte ich euch in meiner Serie “The most awesome and attractive Previews of 2009″ die Fortsetzung des 2008 erschienenen Actionspiels Assassins Creed vorstellen – Assassins Creed 2. Wie im ersten Teil des Spiels werden wir in die Rolle des Barkeepers Desmond Miles schlüpfen, der immer noch von derselben Organisation festgehalten wird. Dieses mal schicken uns die dubiosen Wissenschaftler allerdings nicht in das Zeitalter Saladins sondern in das mittelalterliche Italien – denn wie schon in Assassins Creed wollen die Entwickler von Ubi Soft Montreal eine bestimmte Epoche in ihrem Spiel beleuchten. So wäre es auch unlogisch wenn der Kultheld Altair erneut der Vorfahre Desmond Miles wäre, weswegen er nun unfreiwillig in die Rolle eines anderen Vorfahren geworfen wird: Dem charismatischen Ezio Auditore de Firenze, kurz Ezio, der im Gegensatz zu seinem Vorgänger Altair wendiger, frischer und aktiver wirken soll. Zumindest optisch ähnelt Ezio Altair aber dann doch noch, weil Ubi Soft die Identifizierung der Gamer mit Altair natürlich nicht gänzlich über Bord schmeißen will.

Aber was wird es sonst noch so neues geben in Assassins Creed 2? Zwar war Teil 1 bereits grafisch prachtvoll, innovativ und bis dato einzigartig – doch das alles half nach 10 bis 15 Stunden Spielzeit nicht mehr viel, denn alles im Spiel wiederholte sich. Dieser gleichbleibende Mechanismus soll bei dem optisch noch ansprecherenderen Assassins Creed 2 unbedingt verhindert werden. Deswegen hat Ubi Soft auch schon einige Neuerungen angekündigt: Zunächst einmal, wie bereits gesagt, wird das Setting vom nahen Osten in das mittelalterliche Italien verlegt – genauer gesagt nach Florenz, Venedig und in die Toskana.

Ezio wird unter anderem in Venedig meucheln

Das schafft erstmal eine Menge Abwechslung, denn die Städte werden sich deutlicher voneinander unterscheiden als im ersten Teil Damaskus, Akkon und Jerusalem. Zudem hat Ubi Soft bereits angekündigt, zu den alten Informantenmissionen neue hinzuzufügen und auch die eigentlichen Morde individueller zu gestalten. Natürlich hat Ezio auch einen neuen Meister – dabei wird es sich um Großmeister Leonardo da Vinci höchstpersönlich halten. Der geniale Wissenschaftler wird Ezio Aufträge erteilen und ausrüsten. Dadurch hat Ubi Soft einige weitere innovative Neuerungen in Assassins Creed 2 hineingebracht, indem man ein paar von da Vincis Erfindungen einfach in das Spiel importiert hat. So wird in manchen Missionen beispielsweise die berühmte Flugmaschine des Italieners zur Verfügung stehen. Ebenfalls eine interessante Neuerung ist das Schwimmen. Ezio ist nämlich im Gegensatz zu Altair nicht aus Zucker, was insbesondere im wasserreichen Venedig viele neue Möglichkeiten liefern sollte. Des Weiteren gibt es natürlich einige kleinere Aufbesserungen und Neuerungen – ein paar davon sind auch schon im neuesten Trailer zu sehen, der meine Vorfreude noch einmal gewaltig entfacht hat!

Das Releasedatum liegt derzeit bei Ende 2009 – ich freue mich jedenfalls sehr auf das Spiel und hoffe, dass die Neuerungen dazu beitragen, dass Assassins Creed 2 abwechslungsreich genug sein wird, um ein absolutes Topspiel zu werden. Bis Assassins Creed 2 rauskommt kann ich nur jedem, der ihn noch nicht angespielt hat, den ersten Teil empfehlen. Die Kosten liegen derzeit ungefähr bei erschwinglichen 25 €. In diesem Sinne,

Kevin

une bande-annonce sortie de nulle part pour la suite de Beyond good and evil qui nous promet des heures de plaisirs.  Un joli croisement entre Prince of Persia et Assassin’s creed (deux titres aussi de Ubi Soft).

Mister Thi

Regular readers of this crazy blog may remember my last business-oriented post speculating on the future of Apple TV and how it is primed to morph into a game console. Since that time, the pieces have started to fall into place.

Consider these recent developments and rumors:

Apple Snags Xbox Exec (PC World)

Apple Hires AMD Graphics CTO (EETimes)

Is Apple Developing A Game And Media Console? (BNET)

“Chatter that Apple is eyeing Electronic Arts as a takeover target.” (The Street.com)

All point to “something” going on. But what?

Today, the market for video games is a hit-driven packaged goods business which has seen its margins continually squeezed by rapidly escalating costs, long development cycles, short product shelf lives and the competition of used games at retail. Third parties and independent developers have all been squeezed by this model and the industry has been accused of playing it safe with less innovation and more reliance on pre-sold franchises.

Today’s market for dedicated game consoles is split between three first parties: Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. All sell downloadable games through speciality online services attached to their current generation of hardware. The holy grail for the video game business is the direct download of episodic game content to a mass audience, a model for profit which is widely seen as the future of the industry. As noted by Kiplinger.com:

“(Videogame publishers) … recognize that their future lies in direct game downloads via the consoles themselves. XBox has gone the furthest along this path, with its XBox Arcade and incorporation of video rental business NetFlix into XBox consoles … TakeTwo has already recognized this reality and is shifting … toward releasing an annual new module for Grand Theft Auto and other popular games. The modules will cost about one-third the price of a new title but will cost far less to create and will be distributed directly to consoles via the internet.”

The Fight For Your Living Room

So, the video game industry is racing toward downloadable distribution of games on a mass scale. Both Microsoft and Sony would like you to use their platforms to download music and rent movies as well. Each of these companies has designs on the living room that they believe they can achieve through a dedicated game console that doubles as a media center.

“The ill-fated Pippin”

What about Apple? Not only is Apple a non-factor in the console space, but they have historically steered away from gaming and, save for the ill-fated Pippin, have shown no direct interest in entering the home gaming market.

But they will. In fact, Apple is poised to redefine the home gaming industry exactly as they have already done to the music and mobile phone industries.

They have no choice.

Today, Apple makes most of its income on the sale of Macs, iPods and iPhones. All of these products carry industry-leading margins for Apple for a variety of reasons including industrial design, excellent hardware and software, class-leading retail experience, characteristic ease-of-use and thoughtful consumer-centric design.

But taken by themselves, these elements can be copied and/or overcome by dedicated competitors. Windows-based PCs crushed the Macintosh for precisely this reason, offering far more applications and compatibility at a lower price. Entertainment hardware is not sold in a vacuum — it is part of a larger content and product ecosystem that must be continually renewed. The history of entertainment platforms is littered with great stand-alone products that became orphaned without an ecosystem of supporting content.

Through iTunes, Apple has built the world’s best distribution system for media and used it to launch it’s Apple-specific App Store, an ecosystem that only services Apple iPhones and iPod Touches. Since its inception last June, over one billion applications have been downloaded and the catalog has grown to 40,000 applications. In less than a year. Apple has re-written the value proposition for smart phones and every manufacturer is racing to build and stock their own App Stores. Right now, it is a crushing advantage for Apple’s mobile hardware.

As the App Store becomes larger and more ubiquitous, more iPhones and iPod Touches are sold. As more iPhones and iPod Touches sell, more music and media are downloaded through iTunes … which leads to sales of more iPhones and iPods. As the market leader in digital distribution, iTunes keeps a conglomeration of media titans beholden to Apple. And as the ecosystem tree grows larger branches, Apple can hang more and more products from it, like the rumored “MacBook Touch” or any other devices which, in turn, feed the ecosystem.

Enter The “Un-Console”

What does this have to do with game consoles?

Everything. Exactly as the iPhone was four devices in one (an iPod, a Web browser, a mobile phone, and an email device) Apple’s new “Un-Console” would build off of today’s Apple TV to become not only a home internet browser, a media player, and a rental service but also an entertainment console with a catalog of thousands of Apps, all available through a consistent and already familiar App Store. Perhaps Apple could team with AT&T’s U-verse service and incorporate a software-based DVR into this box as well.

The Un-Console would mean consumers don’t have to buy a dedicated game console and turn it into a home media center — instead they’ll buy a home media center that happens to play games. Instead of having to buy a bewildering amount of equipment, users could replace the multiple boxes under their TV with one box controlled through their iPhones with an easy to use, consistent, reliable and (most importantly) familiar set of interfaces.

Behold … The Living Room Of Tomorrow (Maybe Not)

Games would be more episodic, shorter and probably cheaper than today’s $60 USD console titles. But the Un-Console will offer more than games — the Apple OS already supports a huge variety of non-game applications that seamlessly support the digital lifestyle (something the game-centric libraries of the big three console companies will need years to match). Controllers would be touch based using existing iPod Touches or iPhones or cheaper multi-touch controllers designed expressly for the system. Video chat, social networking, GPS awareness, seamless iPhone integration — all of these become the building blocks for new types of games, experiences, applications and services.

By leveraging already existing technologies and products, there is a huge opportunity for Apple to continue to build on top of Apple’s ecosystem and sell even more hardware at very good margins to an ever larger base of consumers.

Why It Has To Happen

That’s the opportunity. But this goes beyond opportunity. Remember when I said Apple has no choice but to make a strong play for the living room? What’s the risk to Apple if they just sit tight and skim billions off the distribution system they’ve already built?

Suppose Apple continues to treat Apple TV as a “hobby” and allows somebody else (say Microsoft) to occupy this space? This could put iTunes is at risk which would then start to reverse the momentum that Apple has spent so many long years building — jeopardizing their entire ecosystem including the iPod and iPhone franchises. Can Apple really build their strategy around “Digital Lifestyle” and not have a strong presence in the living room? Can they own this space without home gaming?

Apple will make a serious play for the living room that will involve the App Store and the direct download of console-type games to an Apple TV- like device. It is not a matter of “if,” but “when,” and not an “opportunity,” but an “imperative.”

At Appy Entertainment, we’re staking our professional futures on bringing our console game development expertise to bear on Apple’s iPhone, and we’d happily support an “Un-Console,” too. This market is vibrant, dynamic, and only just offering the first glimmers of what it will someday be. As far as we’re concerned, the future can’t get here soon enough!

Today on Nostalgic Music we head back to the start of the new millenium.  Now, the Dreamcast had some stellar games, especially in the role playing department.  One of these games was Grandia II, which was the game that put the series on the map.  Since its release on the Dreamcast it has been remade as a PlayStation 2 game, as well as been given a sequel: Grandia III.  Grandia II had a lot of fantastic musical scores, but one of the greatest had to be this little diddy by Elena the Priestess.  Enjoy the serenade, A Deus:

Thanks to Youtube for the link.

Tom Clancy’s End War (c) UBI SOFT

Date: 26.02.2009
Size: 1 DVD
Game Type: Real-Time Strategy
Protection: ~

Game Notes
~~~~~~~~~~
The unthinkable happens in 2016. A nuclear exchange in the Middle East kills 20 million people and cripples the world’s oil supply. Crude oil prices spike at $800  barrel.

One year later, the threat of world-wide nuclear war is eliminated when the United States and Europe deploy a comprehensive space-based anti-ballistic missile shield. Russia soon follows with an advanced missile defense system of its own. Intercontinental ballistic missiles are rendered obsolete.

Russia becomes the world’s primary supplier of energy and experiences a massive economic boom. With its newfound
riches, Russia quickly re-establishes itself as a major superpower and restores her military might.

Western Europe, with the notable exception of the UK and Ireland, unifies to create the European Federation. This
new nation is destined to be a formidable 21st-century Superpower.

Install Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Mount or Burn iso.
2. Install the game.
3. Play and regret that you didn’t save money to buy a new pc!
4. Thanks ViTALiTY.
5. Only English.
6. Cadou de ziua mea pentru voi!!! La multi ani mie!

L’un travaillait pour Ubi Soft et l’autre, pour une agence de motivation par le sport.
Olivier Valentin et Frédéric Rivet ont fondé en 2000 “Minuit Moins Dix”, une agence de teambuilding spécialisée dans l’organisation de jeux de rôle grandeur nature pour équipes de travail.

Que vous ayez toujours rêvé d’être Indiana Jones, James Bond, ou Mademoiselle Rose au coeur du Cluedo, les deux associés ont ce qu’ils vous faut.

Voici un exempe de  jeux qu’ils proposent:

“Meurtre au Manoir est un jeu d’investigation policière en grandeur nature.
Répartis en équipes les participants doivent résoudre une affaire criminelle en utilisant les méthodes scientifiques de la police moderne.
Les détectives de l’agence « Enigma » incarnés par des comédiens professionnels vous accompagneront tout au long de cette enquête afin de vous guider sur la voie de la vérité et de la justice.
Directement inspiré des univers policiers de Conan Doyle et de la série TV les Experts, le scénario de « Meurtre au Manoir » vous entraîne dans une passionnante aventure à huis clos qui vous captivera jusqu’à sa résolution.
Vous devrez identifier le coupable, l’arme et le lieu du crime, ainsi que le mode opératoire de l’assassin. À vous d’instruire ce dossier sensible et de confondre le criminel…”

Retrouvez-les sur leur site www.minuitmoinsdix.com