2. January UPDATE GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // Now that all the New Year’s resolutions have been washed away with a good dose of reality, it is time to bring you the first gaming update of the new year. With the Consumer Electronics Show we had a very important event this month, providing some crucial insights into the future of gaming hardware. But that’s not all of course. A lot more has happened in the first month of the new decade. So for all the newest bits and bytes… read on!
3. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // TABLET GAMING //TAKING OFF FAST If you haven’t seen an iPad in the wild yet, or you haven’t heard about that addictive game called Angry Birds, you were living underneath a rock in 2010. With the iPhone, mobile gaming took off like the good old spaceshuttle, with the bigger-screened iPad in its slipstream. The owners of Apple’s latest toy as well as other less hyped tablets seem to put their mobile screens to good gaming use. Data from Interpret shows that 54% of tablet owners play games on the device. Once again, this shows us the rise of casual gaming. Most of these tablet games are not played by hardcore gamers, but by Mr. and Mrs. Jones who want to kill some time on the train or just need a break in their busy schedule. And do you remember that businessman you saw working away on his laptop at the airport ten years ago? Did you ever see him play GTA or Sim City in the open? Probably not, and if you did, it would have seemed a bit out of place. But when you see him tomorrow and he takes out his tablet to play a round of Fruit Ninja, you won’t even blink your eyes… source: walkingrandomly.com
4. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // TITAN VS. WORLD OF WARCRAFT //BLIZZARD’S NEW MMO We’re sure Wikileaks has nothing to do with it, but a confidential document concerning the production of a new Blizzard MMO was spread all over the interweb last month. The guys behind the biggest MMO of all-time, World of Warcraft, seem to be working on what might be their next big hit, a massive multiplayer online-game called Titan. At the VGA Awards, World of Warcraft-producer Frank Pearce admitted that his company is in the middle of the development process. Blizzard is looking for the best people in the industry to get on board as we speak. The new guys still have some time to get used to each other as the game’s planned release is the end of 2012. Mark it on your calendars! www.activisionblizzard.com source: eu.blizzard.com
5. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // FAMILIES GAME TOGETHER //YOU GOT OWNED MOM! Research among 1000 parents has shown that playing video games with their kids has broken into the top three list of time spent together, after watching TV or movies, and cooking. An incredible 42% of families game together. Today’s parents grew up with videogames themselves and have no problem with having games in their own household. The developers have already adapted by putting tons of family friendly games on the market. Maybe its not the best idea to shoot your 5 year old through the head with a virtual sniper rifle, but playing a fun match of Wii tennis can surely create strong bonds between mom, dad and the kids. source: joystick.com
6. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // THE END OF THE CONSOLE? //GAMING TELEVISIONS ARE COMING It has been long awaited, but now they are finally here; televisions that double as gaming consoles. Or as OnLive CEO Steve Perlman put it at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this month: “For the first time in the history of videogames, consumers will be able to enjoy premium video games directly on a TV, no console or computer needed.” Indeed, OnLive is pushing the trend with its cloud gaming system, but other companies are also putting their foot in the door. Panasonic is bringing an Android-based system to its Viera models. Developers can then make any kind of app that can be controlled with the remote control or with an extra controller. At CES the company already showed off the 3D racing game Asphalt 5. And no, it’s not just basic racing fun. The game will feature 28 cars and an online multiplayer option. But if all televisions become high profile gaming systems, what are the Xboxes and Playstations of this world going to do? Will they start working together with television manufacturers, will they bring out their own television sets, or will this all be just another fad? Interesting times ahead. www.onlive.com www.panasonic.com/viera source: agencialobo.cl
7. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // EA EMBRACES A CONNECTED FUTURE //NO ROOM FOR SINGLE-PLAYER ONLY GAMES According to Frank Gibeau, the head of EA Games, the days of the single player only game are numbered. People want to be connected these days. Well, that sounds familiar! We heard it all before at the London Games Conference where it was clear that online doesn’t necessarily mean multi-player, it means being connected. EA is now taking it a step further by claiming the days of boxed 22 hours single player gameplay are completely over. Gibeau wants to put some ‘connectedness’ into all games. This can come in the form of co-operation features or multi-player and other online services. We have to admit that there is a slight panic among the less-skilled gamers here at Advance… there will be a time when there is nowhere to hide your gaming inadequacies. Everyone will be able to see just how bad we are at the new racing game we just bought. www.ea.com source: aboutus.ea.com
8. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // GAMING CONSOLE OF THE FUTURE //SHIFT SOME SIFTEO’S If you are expecting a new sleek design, something that looks like a miniature spaceship and gives you super-realistic graphics, you’re going to be very disappointed by Sifteo. Instead of a new Xbox, the gaming console of the future looks more like Xblocks, a set of small block-shaped units that connect wirelessly with each other and your pc. No, this new console is not for the hardcore gamer (yet?), but surfs gently on the wave of casual gaming, in order to get games in the hands of people who wouldn’t spend hours in front of the screen playing Halo or Gran Turismo. Sifteo is a mix between a video game and a board game, getting the best from the interactive gaming experience combined with physical and personal interaction. You can wirelessly download Sifteo games (card games, puzzles, etc.) through your computer and then go full speed ahead by touching, shaking, stacking and sliding your Sifteo cubes around. The starter pack comes with three cubes, a dock and a USB adapter and will cost $99. Only available in the US. VIDEO www.sifteo.com source: sifteo.com
9. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // KILLZONE COLLECTIBLE CARDS //BACK TO THE SCHOOL YARD Boys and card games? It never gets old. Combine that with the trend towards ‘stuff we can actually touch’, and you have the perfect conditions for a fan to come up with a card game based on his favorite videogame. That is what ‘thepineapple1’ did for Killzone. And he did it thoroughly, putting together nine pages of rules for using your card soldiers, vehicles and weapons the right way. If printing and cutting is your thing, you can download the game’s starter pack right HERE . www.killzone.com source: gamefront.com
10. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // FROM IPHONE APP TO BOARD GAME //RAISING A CASH BIRD What do you do when you have a hugely popular golden nugget in your hands? You try to get as much out of it as possible of course! Which is why the most popular mobile game of the moment is coming to the real world. Time to get excited about Angry Birds the board game! Hurling birds at pigs with a slingshot sounds like an instant winner, no matter what form it comes in. Mattel took the job seriously to get the virtual fun to your table and into your hands. Depending on the card you draw, you will have to build a structure with plastic units that look like wood and some fat green pigs. For those who know the mobile game, this sounds completely normal, for others it might be hard to imagine. After you show off your building skills, it’s time to demolish the place with a miniature slingshot and some very, very angry looking birds. All of that for just under 15 dollars, soap to wash the bird poo away sold separately. VIDEO www.rovio.com source: rovio.com
11. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // AVATAR KINECT //VIRTUAL ME If you’re already the proud owner of an Xbox Kinect camera, you know that the device does a very impressive job of tracking body movement. But that wasn’t good enough for the guys at Microsoft. They knew the motion sensor could track much more than your big clumsy waving arms. The device is so precise that it can actually register your facial expression, turning your Xbox avatar into a real virtual version of you. That’s right, you better smooth away that grumpy look you’ve got most of the time. With Avatar Kinect, you can now connect with others, sit in a circle with your avatar friends and have Alcoholics Anonymous-style chat sessions. If your group talks are incredibly interesting, you even have the option to record them and put them straight on Facebook. If you don’t have enough embarassing videos of your real self on there already… Avatar Kinect will be free for all Xbox Live Gold members. Launch: Spring 2011 VIDEO www.xbox.com source: xbox.com
12. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // MATCH MADE IN TOY HEAVEN //MATTEL AND THQ JOIN FORCES Toy giant Mattel and THQ, one of the biggest games publishers/developers in the world, have announced a partnership to kick off the new decade. Barbie, Hot Wheels… you name it, they’re all property of Mattel and may now enter different worlds. As Chuck Scothon, GM of Mattel’s digital network puts it: “Mattel is synonymous with play and as such we continually seek creative opportunities to generate new ways to play with our brands. Partnering with THQ extends the connection consumers have with our brands to a deeper multi-platform experience with video games for kids and family audiences.” The partnership comes after previous joint efforts on Mattel’s well-known Pictionary game. But we here at Advance_Gaming feel the exciting stuff is yet to come with Masters of the Universe and He-Man as our all-time favorite! Oh and maybe a Polly Pocket game for our girls… please please please! www.mattel.com www.thq.com source: poeghostal.com
13. GAMING UPDATE // JANUARY 2011 // $600 GRAN TURISMO 5 RACING WHEEL //GOING FULL-OPTION WITH THRUSTMASTER
