While there have been some rumors of a possible Wii version of Bethesda’s popular fourth entry of the [i]Elder Scrolls[/i] role-playing series, [i]Oblivion[/i], Pete Hines, the developer’s marketing vice president, has commented that such a port is “not possible.”
However, given that the folks at Bethesda like the Wii, the company has not ruled out the possibility of bringing a new game to the Wii in the future. “It’s a great console and many of us at Bethesda have one but I know that bringing Oblivion over is not possible – we’d have to do a whole new game,” commented Hines in a [url=http://www.actiontrip.com/link.phtml?http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23597]GamesIndustry.biz interview[/url].
It does comes off as rather strange that these guys feel so adamantly that it is impossible to bring the game in some form to the Wii, especially given that a PSP version is in the works, and [i]Oblivion[/i] was also released for cell phones.
A list of PS3 compatible PS1 and PS2 games was recently posted [url=http://faq.eu.playstation.com/bc/bcGames.htm]here[/url]. In total, 1,782 of the 2,451 PS2 games released in Europe will work on the PlayStation 3 on day one.
While the list is rather thorough, it is a bit strange that a game such as [i]Gran Turismo 4[/i] is missing from the list and that [i]GTA: San Andreas[/i] will have issues running. Hopefully these problems will soon be fixed through some sort of downloadable update.
The mastermind behind the [i]Final Fantasy[/i] series, Hironobu Sakaguchi recently commented on whether the [i]Final Fantasy[/i] series (namely, [i]XIII[/i]) could eventually find its way to the Xbox 360. The simple answer is, yes.
According to [url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6167571.html?tag=topslot;title;1&om_act=convert&om_clk=topslot]a GDC interview with Sakaguchi[/url] by Gamespot, the White Engine used by [i]Final Fantasy XIII[/i] is an “open platform” engine, and thus compatible with the Xbox 360.
“I feel that the [i]Final Fantasy[/i] series should come to Xbox 360 as well,” commented Sakaguchi. “This is wise. It makes so much sense to me …it has so much potential in North America and in Europe. So there’s a great chance for the series to succeed on 360 as well.”
Given that production costs are sky rocketing, it seems even more likely that many games will eschew platform exclusivity in favor of reaching a wider audience.
Saguchi currently has two games for the Xbox 360 under his belt with his Mistwalker studio. One of them is [i]Blue Dragon[/i], which was recently released in Japan and will see release in other parts of the world later this year. The other game currently in development is the much coveted [i]Lost Odyssey[/i].
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According to several online reports, Best Buy, one of the biggest retailers in the United States, has decided to pull the 20 GB version of the PlayStation 3 from its shelves. Why? No one in their right mind seemed to buying it, and the lack of demand has caused the retailed to recoup its precious shelf space.
A document [url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/17/best-buy-done-with-ps3-20gb/]posted by Joystiq[/url] lists the SKU as “discontinued,” which seems to fall in line with Sony’s earlier statements that the firm is losing more money on the lower end model, $307 versus $241 with each sale of the 60GB variety. However, despite this, Sony still plans to make the stripped down model, which features not only a smaller hard drive but also lacks the 60GB version’s 802.11b/g wireless networking capabilities and MemoryStick/Secure Digital/CompactFlash reader, though reports seem to indicate that retails are simply not biting.
[url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/14/rumor-debunk-no-more-u-s-20gb-ps3-and-euro-backward-compatibil]Recent statements[/url] from SCEA communications director Dave Karraker to Joystiq indicated that retail outlets have been ordering the 60GB version and leaving the 20GB variety largely ignored. “Retailers have been requesting the 60GB model, the mix has been about 80 percent 60GB, 20 percent 20GB retailer orders. So, the reason you might not be seeing the 20 GB is simply that retailers have been ordering more of the 60 GB unit,” commented Karraker.
If you are one of the many who still play Electronic Arts’ popular Digital Illusions developed Battlefield 1942 for the PC, and have been pining for higher definition, the new HD mod for the game may be just what you are looking for. Some of the new features included with the mod are longer range of sight, bodies that stay longer on the ground, and higher definition textures. You can download it [url=http://bfhd.basnetworks.net/index.php]here[/url].
