The above video represents Sega’s new attempt to ‘fix’ the rather mediocre Sonic series. With Sonic Unleashed, Sega is going back to their roots by offering users a game that will feature side-scrolling gameplay that gamers have been wanting from a console Sonic game since the Sega Genesis era. While Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 were not exactly horrible games, many Sonic fans simply were not satisfied with how well it played. Countless other Sonic games have been made and most people will agree that none of them have delivered the gameplay that Sonic fans want.

While not many details are known about this game we can easily see that the game will play like the original Sonic games, feature impressive cinematic quality visuals and will feature a wide variety of locales. A ton of screenshots have already been released for the screen in which you can check out here and some more here. There is some speculation that these screenshots and video could be a well orchestrated hoax but until then I would assume that this content is indeed the real deal. The game is listed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii and will likely be released sometime next year.

During the first few months of working on integrating Activision into Vivendi studios, head of Activision, Bobby Kotick mentioned the possibility of working on a massive multi player game that would potentially cost one billion dollars to create in order to compete with the successful World of Warcraft.

Talking with the investors at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference, Kotick specifically mentioned Call of Duty:

What would be the natural evolution of a property like Call of Duty into a massively-multiplayer environment and how do you monetize that?

Kotick also mentioned the possibility of using in-game advertising as one of the sources of income from such a massive project. While Activision may only be considering a Call of Duty MMO at this time, they company is at the very least considering the possibilities of such a game. One thing is for sure, if we every do see a Call of Duty MMO, it won’t be for at least three or four years.

[Via Kotaku]

When you think of Banjo-Kazooie, you generally think of single-player story based platforming.  At Microsoft’s X06 event a couple of years ago, Rareware had announced the third console incarnation of what has become a rather popular franchise character for the company.  Since the project was still in early development, they did not release any details regarding what the game would look or play like.  However, recently Rareware has finally spoken out with a few cryptic hints regarding the status of Banjo-Kazooie 3 and what fans can expect from the highly anticipated game through the Scribes section of their website.  The company originally had plans to do a simple remake of the original game utilizing the new graphics power of the Xbox 360 console:

I don’t think that’s what we said.  We said there was a possibility of Banjo DS at some point, and we said that preliminary work on a Banjo-Kazooie remake for Xbox 360 was started before the team decided to build a brand new game instead.

The company has since scrapped those plans for new plans in which they shared a few hints at what those plans might entail:

Banjo won’t be a shooter (unless we sell no copies like Ghoulies and out of desperation give him a gun for the next game) but it also won’t be a traditional platformer…

...your multiplayer hopes will be answered.  The ‘new direction’ that Banjo is taking should offer a multiplayer experience unique to anything currently available.

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Kotaku has heard rumors from multiple sources that a sequel is in production for Dead Rising, which is fantastic news.  However, it appears a new developer will be handling it.  I find that worrisome to say the least.  Let’s try and remain optimistic though...things don’t always go wrong when development responsibilities change hands.  The current name being tossed around is Blue Castle Games, who recently released The Bigs...a baseball game.  Though it’s unlikely Capcom would hand their successful (and well reviewed) franchise over to just anyone.  Hopefully they can do this fantastic series justice.

[Via Kotaku]

Microsoft’s XNA tools have been giving indie developers access to powerful game design tools for a few years now.  We’re finally beginning to see the fruits of their labor.  Microsoft has released the XNA Creators Club Game Launcher as well as quite a few demos for some independently developed games.  Above is a trailer showing off some of the games coming out.  Little Gamers, Dishwasher, and Jellycar were the ones that particularly caught my eye.  Microsoft claims there will be a large number of community games released and I’m looking forward to playing them all.  Sometimes the best ideas are the ones the big companies won’t take on.  If my 360 wasn’t in for repairs (again) I’d be downloading everything that’s currently available.  When you get a chance to try them, please post your impression, whether they’re good or bad.

The GDC has been particularly interesting for Microsoft fans with some great Xbox 360 news.  November 2008 will allegedly be bring Gears of War 2 exclusively to your Xbox 360.  Considering they released an uninteresting teaser trailer with no gameplay footage, I hope the game can make the release date.  I don’t see why they’d be so secretive about the game when people pretty much know what to expect from it.  I’ll definitely be getting this game right when it comes out, and I can’t wait to see what they’ve done with the already fun multiplayer.

Nour Polloni, a designer working on Alone in the Dark has revealed that you’ll be able to skip some of the more difficult sequences in the game.  They decided to implement this feature so that everyone has a shot at beating the game.  Here’s what she said about it in the latest OXM:

Another achievement is linked to whether or not the player skips. We want everybody to be able to finish our game, so one of the other new features we’ve added is the ability to skip sections using a DVD-style menu if you get stuck, but always at a cost, and achievements is one way to reward players who don’t skip.

I have to say this is a fantastic feature.  Will I ever use it?  No way.  The challenges that games provide is a large portion of the fun for me, but not everyone feels that way.  Many people come across a difficult section in a game, then end up never finishing it because they were never able to overcome that particular sequence.  This is a much better solution than making games easier, since that then takes away from people looking for a challenge.  The best part is if you don’t like the feature, you don’t have to use it.  Everybody wins.

[Via Destructoid]

This Wednesday N+ will be released for 800 Microsoft Points.  It’s an improved version of the original (and free) PC game known only as N (download the free version here). 

For fans of physics and unique ways of approaching every situation, Alone in the Dark is one game you’ll want to keep your eyes on.  In the above tech demo we see very creative use of...just about everything in your environment.  The new direction Alone in the Dark is going reminds me a lot of Penumbra (which you should check out if you haven’t already), a PC horror game where you must use objects you find in creative ways in order to survive.  As a huge horror fan, it looks like this game could give some of our old favorites like Silent Hill a run for their money.  Watch the above video and tell me what you think, it definitely blew my mind.

Reuters is reporting that Toshiba has given up on HD DVD, ending the format war.  An official announcement should be coming soon.  This is very unfortunate news for Toshiba since they are set to lose tons of money in the wake of their defeat.  Technically DVD is still beating Blu-ray, but it’s only a matter of time before more people upgrade to an HDTV and want an HD movie format to go along with it.  I have always preferred HD DVD, but with last week’s announcement that Netflix was going Blu-ray exclusive, they made my decision for me.  The PlayStation 3’s high cost had been attributed to Blu-ray, and if Blu-ray hadn’t won Sony’s system would have been in serious trouble.  Now they are likely to benefit greatly from its inclusion.  Being one of the cheapest Blu-ray players on the market is nice, but in addition the PS3 has many other features making it an attractive purchase for anyone looking to upgrade to an HD movie format.

[Via Reuters]