Atlus USA is certainly no stranger to obscure, niche releases, fantastic (Disgaea: Hour of Darkness), terrible (Magna Carta: Tears of Blood), and misunderstood (Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land). The company has become synonymous with localization just left of normal, and while perhaps not ideal for mainstream acceptance, there is little question that Atlus’ localization efforts have found appreciation among hardcore video game enthusiasts. Perhaps that is why the fan community marshals such zealous support with each newly announced project, the latest of which is Etrian Odyssey, a new RPG for the Nintendo DS known as Sekaiju no Meikyuu in Japan. Recently we had the opportunity to speak with Atlus USA’s Nich Maragos, a former video game journalist whose resume includes both 1UP and Gamasutra.
Etrian Odyssey represents Maragos’ first game where he’s served as a project lead, through he has been an editor on Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, Yggdra Union, Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner, and Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja. In addition to editing Etrian Odyssey’s text, he is overseeing other aspects of the game’s localization as well.
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I’m not a huge fan of techno and electronic music. I can get into it and there is some stuff that I really dig, but as a whole it doesn’t make up a very large chunk of my regular music. That being said, the record label for Junkie XL, the DJ behind the soundtrack for SSX Blur, dropped us a quick email to let us know that there is a new podcast out with Junkie XL. I’ve been listening to the tracks from SSX Blur all day and I can say that it’s some pretty solid music. If you are into the techno scene you may want to check it out.
Officials have announced the return of America’s VideoGame Expo (VGXPO), set for November 2 through 4 in Philadelphia, PA. Now in its third year, VGXPO is a consumer convention, and is described as “the largest gathering of video and computer gamers in North America.” The event invites attendees to play new games, meet game industry legends, compete in tournaments, buy games and meet with friends.
This latest incarnation of the event is expected to be more then double its previous size. To achieve this, the expo has moved to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Utilizing over 100,000 square feet of convention space, VGXPO’s show floor is now nearly twice the size of previous events. The new location, in the heart of Philadelphia, is located just a few blocks form the city’s Independence Hall, Liberty Bell and the Philadelphia riverfront.
Hosting VGXPO at the Pennsylvania Convention Center locates the event above one of the North East’s largest transportation hubs. This station will provide railroad access for attendees coming from the suburbs and regional cities like Boston, New York, Trenton, Wilmington, Baltimore, and Washington, DC.
For more information regarding America’s VideoGame Expo, visit the [url=http://www.vgxpo.com/]official website[/url].
As we [url=http://www.snackbar-games.com/n2474.html]previously reported[/url], the complete list of backwards compatible games for the European launch of the PlayStation 3 has been released by Sony, revealing that many popular titles such as [i]Metal Gear Solid 2, Silent Hill 3[/i], and [i] Jak and Dexter[/i] will not be playable on Sony’s new console due.
Much of this has to do with Sony’s shift from hardware to software emulation, a move that has also made games such as [i]Final Fantasy XII[/i] and [i]Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories[/i] crippled by serious issues. However, thank goodness games like [i]Shark Tale[/i], [i]Fisherman’s Challenge[/i], and others that few people care about will work perfectly fine.
Sony Europe’s Nick Sharples [url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3158104]spoke up[/url] on the controversy, though instead of offering hope for those interested in picking up a PlayStation 3, his words seems to only add fuel to the fire.
[quote]We will test all forthcoming PS2 titles, but it would be unrealistic to expect significant increases in the number of playable PS2 titles in future firmware upgrades given the above. Whilst [i]J&D[/i] and [i]MGS[/i] are not listed as playable, their successors [i]MGS3[/i] and [i]Jak and Daxter 2[/i] are playable.[/quote]
And I think it would be unrealistic if a lot of people bothered with the PS3 until Sony remedied these problems.
Gears of War, a game which remains among the most popular games played over Xbox Live and took center stage in more than a few panels and lectures during the recent Game Developers Conference, is now being given a movie makeover care of New Line Cinema.
As Variety [url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961472.html?categoryid=13&cs=1]reports[/url], the upcoming movie is being penned by Stuart Beattie, who most probably recognize for his work on the Pirates of the Caribbean films, as well as on Collateral and Derailed. Beattie has also been linked to the upcoming movie adaptation of Midway’s Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run, which according to IMDB is set to be released in 2009.
Marty Bowen, producer of 2006’s The Nativity Story, and Wyck Godfrey, executive producer on Aliens vs. Predator, will jointly produce the project under their Temple Hill banner.
It remains to be seen if this project will been seen to conclusion, or fall into the same pitfall as the ill fated Halo film, which was cut short in 2006 after Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox backed out and production was confirmed to be “postponed.”
