QTE Gamers

Friday, May 29, 2009

Lucas Arts - Lego Indiana Jones 2 Announced.

Lucas Arts have announced Lego Indiana Jones 2 for the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 for a Fall 2009 Release.
the game will be based on all 4 of the Indiana Jones Movies.

The fact Sheet they released for the game also highlights new features for the Lego Brand, namely the ability to create your own levels and environments.

Fact Sheet

For the first time ever in a LEGO game, Build Your Own Adventure Mode allows you to create your own levels and environments and share them with your friends.
For the ultimate and most authentic LEGO experience, you can create your own levels and combine them with the existing ones in the game.
Play all new Kingdom of the Crystal Skull characters such as Mutt Williams on his motorcycle and use special abilities, including Oxley’s Crystal Skull Power.
Innovative re-tellings of the classic movies (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) with all new objectives and brand new levels. For example, this time you can play through the exciting vehicle chase in Shanghai with Short Round.
Beat each level in Story mode and return in Free Play for a completely new adventure.
Indy has all new animations, such as grabbing an enemy with his whip then throwing him over his shoulder.
Jump into all new vehicles to help Indy get through all the new levels including planes, boats and mine carts – but watch out for the quicksand!
Use Indy's newly enhanced whip to interact with Lego objects and help unlock iconic puzzles and battle with enemies.
Use a variety of weapons from the environment to fight enemies (e.g., chairs, guns, swords, bottles).
Collect artifacts through the game to unlock more than 60 playable characters, including villains and supporting characters (Marion Ravenwood, Mutt Williams, Short Round, Rene Belloq, Willie Scott, Marcus Brody, Dr. Henry Jones Sr. and Irina Spalko).
Character swapping and free-play abilities
Two-player drop-in, drop-out cooperative gameplay encourages parents to share the legacy of Indiana Jones with their children in a fun and humorous way.

Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – May 29, 2009 – LucasArts and TT Games today announced that LEGO® Indiana Jones™ 2: The Adventure Continues will whip onto Wii™, Nintendo DS™, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows in the Fall of 2009. Developed by the same team at Traveller’s Tales that created the award-winning LEGO® Indiana Jones™: The Original Adventures and the LEGO® Star Wars™ series, LEGO Indiana Jones 2 presents a tongue-in-cheek take on all four cinematic adventures of pop culture’s most iconic archaeologist, including for the first time ever Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and will give players the ability to create levels of their own!

“LucasArts and TT Games continue to set the bar for next-generation family entertainment with the LEGO Indiana Jones franchise,” said Darrell Rodriguez, president of LucasArts. “LEGO Indiana Jones 2 delivers something a little different for everyone. Parents will enjoy the humorous take on the classic moments from their favorite movies, and their kids have an opportunity to experience the most authentic LEGO experience by building their own fun levels brick by brick.”

“It has been a real joy to work with LucasArts on such an iconic character. Indiana Jones embodies the adventurous spirit that perfectly suits the LEGO world,” said Tom Stone, director at TT Games. “Indy also presents us with wonderful and memorable cinematic moments.”

For more information on LEGO Indiana Jones, please visit www.lucasarts.com.

About LucasArts

LucasArts, a division of Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd., is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company.

About TT Games

TT Games aims to become a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment for young gamers and their families. Based in the UK, the Group incorporates the TT Games Publishing organisation with world-renowned developer Traveller's Tales, and subsidiary studio TT Fusion. The first title to come from the TT Games partnership was the award winning LEGO Star Wars: The Videogame, which won over audiences both young and old alike, achieving critical acclaim rarely matched for a title aimed at children. For more information, visit www.ttgames.com.

About The LEGO Group

LEGO Systems, Inc. is the North American division of The LEGO Group, a privately-held, family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, one of the world's leading manufacturers of creatively educational play materials for children. The company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: "Only the best is good enough." Visit the virtual LEGO world at www.LEGO.com

Indiana Jones™ and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

“PlayStation”, “PS” Family logo and “PSP” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold separately).

Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo.

EA - Grand Slam Tennis Stadiums. Screens and a Q&A (Not done by QTE)

EA Have released screenshots for their Upcoming Grand Slam Tennis, highlighting the different venues. the Pictures show US Open, Australian Open, Wimbledon and Roland Garros.
The Q&A is more about the producers own experience at going to these venues. when talking about putting these venues into the game he does go on to say that they brought the Art Director along to make sure the unique features of each venue were captured.

Q&A

Producer Q&A with Thomas Singleton

Grand Slam Tennis – Venues

Which venues did you go to?

In developing EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis, I went to Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. It was also my first time at any of them.

What was the most impressive thing about being at the Grand Slams?

The most impressive thing about the being there was the sheer scale of the tournaments and the different vibe and cultural aspects of each location from France to England to New York and how unique each one was. Overall I don’t think you truly appreciate how massive these tournaments are and how big the sport of tennis is across the globe until you’ve been to one of the Grand Slams. They’re almost the equivalent of the Superbowl. But instead of one, there are four of them taking place each year.

Which was your favourite and why?

Wimbledon was my favourite because of the history of the event and the scale and the tradition of the tennis there.

What was the atmosphere like at them?

The atmosphere was really different at each one. The Wimbledon fan base was definitely much more about the tradition of tennis, from the attire to the respect to the players, to the etiquette that everybody had. Then when you travel over the U.S. Open where it’s much more about seeing the celebrities at courtside or having a hot dog, it was almost like watching a baseball game. It was about the glitz and glamour, under the lights, the announcers outside constantly talking about what’s coming up. It was a bit more Hollywood style. For the French Open, it seems like everyone in France plays tennis. Everybody at the venue came from work in their suits, very light-hearted. The crowds would constantly shout things out so there was an element of humour. Fashion was definitely a big thing, people got dressed up to go to Roland Garros, and I mean dressed up, the suits, the dresses. It was a pretty interesting thing.

Was it challenging to recreate the venues in the game?

No, we’re all about authenticity, one of the main reasons to go was to not only experience them first hand but also to capture the essence of them visually and audibly.

Did it help that you were there?

It helped immensely to be there. It was myself and our art director that went so that we could make sure they were being built in their 3D in-game form. It also helped us to determine which elements were priorities and what the signature elements were.

What did you learn about tennis that you didn’t already know?

I truly never appreciated the speed of the game at that level, the pace on the ball, the major differences between the court surfaces, from grass to clay to hard court. Seeing the athleticism of the pro tennis player, I have a new found respect for the longevity of the matches and how they can sustain such athletic ability and power throughout.

Mad Catz - Deal Struck with Microsoft for a Multi Year License to make speciality Controller for the 360 - Press Release

Mad Catz have announced an exclusive deal with Microsoft to make specialty Wireless peripherals for the Xbox 360. the first of these will be the wireless Fender bass guitar for Rock Band

Press release

SAN DIEGO --(Business Wire)-- May 29, 2009 Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, announced today that it has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Microsoft Corporation (“Microsoft”) (MSFT: NASDAQ). Pursuant to the agreement, Mad Catz has global rights to manufacture, market and sell Xbox 360-branded wireless specialty videogame controllers.

“This agreement expands our relationship with Microsoft and we look forward to shipping a range of new wireless specialty controllers, the first of which will be our wireless Fender bass guitar for Rock Band, later this month,” said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. “The Xbox 360 platform is a key focus of our growing licensed accessories business and we look forward to bringing Xbox 360 fans a variety of innovative and distinctive wireless specialty controllers to enhance their gaming experiences.”

About Mad Catz Interactive, Inc.

Mad Catz is a global leader in providing innovative peripherals for the interactive entertainment industry. Mad Catz designs and markets accessories for video game systems and publishes video game software, including the industry-leading GameShark video game enhancements, under its Mad Catz, GameShark and Joytech brands. Mad Catz also designs and markets mice, keyboards, headsets, PC gaming controllers and other PC peripherals through its Saitek brand, and recently began manufacturing and marketing proprietary portable earphones under its AirDrives brand. Mad Catz distributes its products through most of the leading retailers offering interactive entertainment products and has offices across Canada, Europe and Asia. For additional information please go to www.madcatz.com, as well as www.gameshark.com, www.airdrives.com, www.saitek.com and www.joytech.net.

Safe Harbor for Forward Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company's business prospects that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information or future events or developments. You can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "should," "plan," "goal," "believe," and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: the ability to maintain or renew the Company's licenses; competitive developments affecting the Company's current products; first party price reductions; the ability to successfully market both new and existing products domestically and internationally; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; or a downturn in the market or industry. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian Securities Administrators.

THQ - MX VS ATV Reflex Screenshots and Trailer

THQ have released screenshots and a trailer for their upcoming game, MX VS ATV Reflex.

THQ - Darksiders Trailer and screenshots

THQ have released new screens for Darksiders as well as a new trailer.

EA - The Sims 3. New Screenshots and Trailer for Riverview Town

EA Have released new screens for Sims 3 and a trailer for Riverview Town, a town only available Online.

PS3 - No EU Afrika Release Information At Present

After reading that Natsume is publishing Afrika in the USA i asked Sony Europe if there was any information regarding a EU/UK release.

"There is no information regarding the European market" was the response. Not saying that it won't come out, but not a confirmation either.