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Passion For Games - February 2007

Analysts Share Wii and PS3 Expectations

PS3 market expected to be slow for the time being.

The Japanese game industry is seeing some interesting times, with the Wii and DS dominating the sales charts while Sony's platforms falter. Famitsu recently asked analysts with Japanese firms Daiwa Securities, Nomura Securities and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities to share their thoughts on how things are shaping up for the game market as the 2007 fiscal year winds down.

Daiwa Securities' Eiji Maeda pointed to Gundam Musou and Virtua Fighter 5 as key software titles for the end of the fiscal year. He believes that sales of these two titles are important for the PlayStation 3 as a whole, and that other software manufacturers should be paying attention to them. Nomura's Yuta Sakurai also made mention of Gundam Musou as a key title for the end of the term, but added Monster Hunter Portable 2nd to the list. He feels that this game will push PSP hardware.


Everyone seems to be down on the PS3 and up on the Wii. Maeda believes Sony won't be able to get actual sales of six million PS3s by the end of the term. In contrast, he believes Nintendo will be able to ship out six million Wii units (2 million to Japan, 3 million to America, 1 million to Europe) and that the demand for the system won't die down for some time. Sakurai believes Sony's worldwide PS3 shipments will reach the 4.5 million mark, and stop there, while Nintendo will be able to ship 6.5 million systems. He also feels that the Wii supply problem won't clear up by the end of the term.

UFJ's Hiroshi Murakami thinks that the current retail state, where PS3's are readily available and Wii is nowhere to be found, will continue for a while. The Summer of 2007 will be the biggest fight for the PS3, he believes. Murakami believes strongly in the scenario of the PS3 being the number one system 3 to 5 years from now, and expects this state to come into view at the end of 2007.


Outside of the next generation, the analysts offers some interesting thoughts on the DS. Sakurai believes that the system saw its Japanese sales peak in 2006 and that sales will gradually go down from here on. However, he believes that the system's flame was lit in Europe over the holiday season, and that 2007 will be the breakout year over there. Murakami believes that while the DS's success will continue throughout the term, the end of 2007 is a bit unclear. There's the possibility that the light users will move away from the system. He feels that Dragon Quest IX will be the big test.
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Tekken 6 Revealed

Namco debuts a new PS3 trailer and shares first details.

Shocker from the land of raw fish and tofu. Something big actually happened at one of those Japanese arcade shows where nothing big usually happens. How big? How about the proper debut of the sixth entry in a certain Namco fighting series?

That's right, Tekken 6 showed face at the AOU arcade expo in Japan today, ending a lengthy silence that followed the underwhelming trailer clip that introduced the game as a PlayStation 3 title back at last year's E3.

So is Tekken 6 a PlayStation 3 game, or an arcade game? The answer will likely be both! The game will debut sometime in 2007 as the first arcade game to use a new arcade board based off the PlayStation 3 hardware. News of a PS3-based arcade board is news in of itself, as it's the first time such a project has been mentioned. Presumably, ports to the PS3 itself will be simple, meaning Tekken 6 is as good as confirmed for home release.

The footage showed at AOU consisted of a trailer, followed by a brief interview with director Katsuhiro Hirada. Hirada was also director of Tekken 5, so this latest entry in the series appears to be in good hands.

Based on Hirada's comments during the interview, Team Tekken will be retaining for Tekken 6 the elements of Tekken 5 and Dark Resurrection that were received well by players. Hirada promised the greatest character count the series has ever seen, along with heavily customizable character costumes. He also made mention of greater interactivity in the stages.

Two new characters were introduced in the AOU trailer. Zafina is a female character whose moves Hirada likened to that of a spider. Leo is a German character whom Hirada expects beginners and experienced players alike to enjoy.

The E3 Tekken 6 teasaer clip shocked many with how terrible it looked, especially compared to the pre-rendered teaser clip Namco had shown at the E3 before. The footage shown today, which we presume is represenative of how the final game will look, looks a lot better than the E3 clip, but doesn't stand up to Sega's Virtua Fighter 5 in terms of detail and lighting. The game does run in high definition, although we're not sure if that means 1080p or 720p.

But don't take our word for it. Namco has made the trailer available in streaming format at its website. Click here to start the Windows Media 9 stream. We've also uploaded our own version of the trailer, which we grabbed with the IGN spy cam off the show floor. The quality isn't the greatest, but you should get an idea of what the game will look like.

As to how it will play. Well, there is that little bonus footage at the end of the trailer showing one of the characters firing a gun. We're expecting a few surprises when Tekken 6 arrives in arcades later this year.

Check out the new video here at Gamevideos.com
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New Xbox 360 Model Rumor Resurfaces



You can’t keep a good rumor down. Just weeks after Microsoft stamped down talk that an HDMI-enabled Xbox 360, codenamed Zephyr, was in the works, the rumors are back. Retailers have confirmed that the new SKU is in their systems, set for a May 1 release for $479.99. In addition to the new video interface, the system would also pack a 120 GB hard drive into its nifty black exterior. Microsoft won’t officially confirm that such a configuration exists, but it’s interesting that so many retailers are wrong in the same way…

As always, I'll keep you posted.

When more of this story develops. Think we might hear something in E3? Who knows. But I getting more of a gut feeling this Rumor is true.

Let's see what happens. In the next couple of weeks to months.
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Blue Dragon Downloads Set to Start

Microsoft and Mistwalker extend life of last year's big RPG.



Late last year, as development on Blue Dragon winded down, Mistwalker producer Hironobu Sakaguchi promised that downloads for the game would begin early this year. Today, the promise became a reality. Microsoft announced the first Blue Dragon download, set to become available through the Marketplace on 2/16 at 8:00PM.

The download is titled "Strong, New Game." With the download, three new options become available at the game's title screen: "hard," "super," and "new plus." The first two are new difficulty settings, which make the enemies harder than normal. The "new plus" option allows those who've cleared the game to start the adventure with their character's stats in tow.

Both should welcome additions for Blue Dragon fans, especially since the download is free.

So as soon I got this story in. I check the Marketplace and don't see anything now. So I do not know what is going on. But as soon I see that I could download it. I will let you know.

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Crackdown Sold early?

This might open some eyes if there is a Compusa Local Retailer around you..

Click Here
to read the full story.

I might just head over to my local Compusa to see if they will make a mistake. LOL

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Gaming Discussion Forum

I just made a Gaming Discussion forum on my blog. So if you want to talk about anything that is related on gaming. Please post away!

Please keep it clean and lets not make any Fan Boys flame. On which console is better, it is old and it does not end


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Reviews!!!

I will be making some little changes on my blog in the next couple of days. Which I will be adding in a preview and reviews section onto the blog.

My very first review that I am working on right now is Crack Down. I have also had some reviews that I type up but not yet posted of games such as Lost Planet, Rainbow Six Vegas and Gears of War. So beware of that as well. If anyone has any ideas how can I improve on my blog so. Let me know


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Wada Has High Hopes for PS3

Square Enix exec expects Sony market to take off in 2008.

Yoichi Wada is one of the most outspoken industry figures in Japan, often sharing his thoughts as one of his two identities: chairman of the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association or president of Square Enix. In a recent interview with Japan's Nikkei BP, Wada assumed the latter form as he discussed Dragon Quest and the future of the PS3


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Settlers of Catan Release Date

Big Huge Games today announced that Xbox Live Arcade players will be able to purchase the game by the end of the first quarter of the year, but weren't any more specific on the actual release date. The announcement also confirmed that the game will support three to four players online, and can also be played against AI opponents. Don't expect these singleplayer opponents to be a pushover though, with the creator of the game collaborating on AI logic with Brian Reynolds, designer of Civilization II and Rise of Nations.

According to the announcement, Mr Reynolds is a long time player of the board game, "I'm a great fan of Settlers of Catan, having personally played at the tournament level. We jumped at the opportunity to create a version for the millions of gamers on the Xbox 360." He continued, "The design is so elegant you can teach someone to play in minutes and then spend years trying to master it. With our expertise in interface design and artificial intelligence, it seemed like a natural fit for the project


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Half-Life 2 Bundle Delayed Again

Electronic Arts issued a press release today, one designed to officially name the Half-Life 2 bundle for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, and one with a new upsetting fact seamlessly woven into the text. Yes, there is the Half-Life 2 Orange Box and the Half-Life 2 Black Box, but there is also a delay. Yes, Half Life 2 Orange and Half-Life 2 Black are delayed until fall 2007.

In case you weren't aware what was inside the boxes, the Black Box is only available on PC and includes Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2. It retails for $39.99. The Orange Box is available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 and includes Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episodes One and Two, Portal and Team Fortress. It retails for a modest $59.99


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Xbox 360 v.2 Back In Black?

HDMI-capable Xbox 360 to see possible release in April.

The Internet is alive with rumors! Today we hear that Australia is getting a black Xbox 360 replete with 120GB hard drive and HMDI port this April, according to Gaming Website Gamers' Reports latest story. The Website recently asserted it is "100% official" that a black Xbox 360 with 120GB hard drive and an HDMI port is coming this April


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Next Square Enix MMO Not Necessarily on PS3

Tony Hawk's Project 8 didn't go online on PlayStation 3 because Sony didn't have their online infrastructure ready yet -- even though Resistance: Fall of Man made it online. But, the same complications may prevent Square Enix's next MMO from arriving on the platform, despite Final Fantasy XI being a popular presence on PlayStation 2, reports Pro-G.

While speaking to Final Fantasy III remake executive producer Hiromichi Tanaka


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Back!!!!

Well sorry that have not been onto of my blog or giving any updates of what is going on in the Video Game Industry in these past couple of months. I just have been very busy with work and most importantly my girlfriend just had a baby. On Feb 5. So I have been so excited that I have not really had a chance to do anything. But I promise to you all that this weekend, I'm going to get the ball rolling and start giving you all so news and rumors of what is going on in the game Industry. I hope you all are looking forward to that.

Please stay tuned


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SplitFish Rumble Feature on PS3???



A company called SplitFish claims that it has solved the problem regarding the PlayStation 3's lack of rumble functionality. The company claims that its "dynamic force feedback system" can be used with the PlayStation 3's SIXAXIS controller without interrupting its motion sensing abilities. Its low power force feedback technology is called SensorFX and uses no moving parts to produce the feedback. Its feedback will work across the entirety of the controller, allowing feedback to be focused on one side or the other if necessary


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