Analyst: 3DS U.S. Launch In April, To Cost $250

Nintendo says it will release its 3DS portable gaming device to U.S. and Europe in March, but Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter isn't convinced.

Speaking in an interview with gaming blog Joystiq, Pachter said that based on "how Nintendo does things," he doesn't believe it's "remotely possible they're launching [the 3DS in the] first half of March."

"I'm getting it gets delayed until April in Europe and U.S.," Pachter said.
Pachter also isn't convinced that the 3DS, which allows gamers to play in 3D without requiring 3D glasses, will be sold in the U.S. and Europe for the $300 price tag Nintendo plans for the Japanese market. In fact, he believes Nintendo will charge $50 less for the device in Western markets.

"I know people who haven't played a handheld in forever--I'm talking guys who play Halo and Call of Duty 24/7 and nothing else--and they all want one," Pachter told Joystiq. "I think Nintendo will charge $250 and people will pay it."

Pachter said Nintendo will likely sell 3DS titles for $34.99.

So far, Nintendo has been relatively tight-lipped on key details about the U.S. and Europe 3DS launch. The company announced yesterday that the device will be available at the end of February in Japan for $300, and it plans to launch it in the U.S. and European markets in March. It didn't provide an exact release date or a launch price.


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Black Ops Zombies: Confirmed!

Well, the long, long wait is finally over for many Zombie-mode fans around the globe. Today, in CVG’s sneak peak at Black Ops’ Strategy Guide, they discovered a rather interesting tagline.

“a complete walkthrough to the gritty Cold War-era Campaign mode, tips and tricks to rank up in Multiplayer, how to excel in Co-Op, or fight back the relentless Nazi Zombie horde” – BradyGames Black Ops Strategy Guide

So, from this statement, we are able to glean two important bits of information. First, the traditional Nazi Zombie mode is returning, where players fight off an endless horde of undead while trying to frantically repair windows and openings into their safehouse. Secondly, we are able to see that Nazi Zombies is not the exclusive co-op mode. The tagline clearly reads co-op OR Nazi Zombies. Exact details on that, of course, are not confirmed just yet but hopefully we will see more info on that in the GameTrailers TV spotlight on Black Ops.

Also mentioned in the strategy guide are “tactics for every type of Co-Op, Team-Based, and Head-to-Head play mode,” seeming to indicate that there is more than one game type in Co-Op mode.

Mark Lamia speaks to Edge Magazine

You didn’t think the Zombie news stopped there, did you? Mark Lamia, Studio Head at Treyarch, spoke to Edge magazine and had this to say, concerning Zombies:
“We continued to evolve [Nazi Zombies] after World At War – there was a dialogue going on with some of our hardcore community, and we were able to interact with the community and evolve – we did that with our zombie lore.” – Mark Lamia, Studio Head, Treyarch

So, as you can see, it definitely seems like it isn’t a plain old rehash of Nazi Zombie mode. That much is fairly obvious, the real question is what changes and reinventions have Treyarch created for this time around?

We’d love to hear from you, and get your opinions on this big development. Discussion is just heating up over at the forums, and we’d love to see you stop by and join in. Jump straight to that discussion here, or leave us a note in the comments!

New Halo Games Coming Every Year From Now On?

Halo fans looking to get new titles might not have to wait too long in the coming years.

Microsoft Game Studios Vice President Phil Spencer said in a recent interview with IGN that the company plans to increase the frequency with which new Halo games hit store shelves.

"There's no explicit strategy that says we're to ship a Halo game every year," Spencer told the publication. "I will say I think one Halo game every three years, which was kind of our old cadence, is probably not frequent enough."

Spencer indicated that by waiting so long to release a major update to the franchise, the company could hurt overall engagement. He told IGN that Microsoft is trying to achieve "a more persistent Halo engagement for customers and not go dark for two years."

Spencer was quick to point out that Microsoft won't necessarily release a new Halo game each year, but he said that the company wants to provide gamers with "an ongoing relationship" with the franchise.

Several Halo games have come out in the past couple years. Real-time strategy title Halo Wars hit store shelves in February 2009. It was followed by the release of Halo 3: ODST in September 2009. Just last week, Halo: Reach hit store shelves. So it seems that Microsoft has already started its annual strategy and plans to extend it going forward.

But it's getting consumers to sign on to Microsoft's strategy that the company could have trouble with. As Spencer pointed out, he "used to look at annual releases of non-sports games as people trying to milk me." He's undoubtedly not alone. And selling a new Halo game each year to those who have the same feelings could be Microsoft's greatest challenge as it continues to release new Halo titles


Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20017304-17.html?tag=mncol;title#ixzz10ILvlvIo

Angry Birds Nets New Attack Eagle, Revenue Stream

LONDON--The creator of the popular Angry Birds game for mobile devices is adding a new character--and new profit-making potential along with it.

Rovio Mobile currently offers a limited free version of the game and a constant series of new levels to those who pay for Angry Birds. The new character, an all-powerful bird called the Mighty Eagle, can be bought within the application when players want to blast their way through a level they can't pass with the conventional arsenal, said Rovio CEO Mikael Hed, speaking here at the Nokia World conference.

That means even those who've paid for the application will get an opportunity to pay more. The approach is similar in games such as Zynga's FarmVille, in which people can spend money to advance more quickly than with the free version.

"The key point from a business perspective is that the Mighty Eagle is declaring the end of games as a commodity and the beginning of games as a service," Hed said. To use it, a mobile phone's software and application store needs the ability to let people make purchases from within the game.

"In-app [purchasing] capabilities provide a remarkable opportunity to provide extraordinary content to our most engaged customers," Hed said. Nokia just added that ability to its Ovi store for applications.

Rovio intends the Mighty Eagle is to be used by players frustrated with their inability to advance. The Angry Birds plot line (prepare to suspend a little disbelief here) involves birds with various destructive attributes trying to demolish structures built by greedy pigs. The player uses a slingshot to shoot the birds.

The Mighty Eagle, summoned with a can of fish, obliterates a tricky structure.



"The Mighty Eagle is truly a silver bullet to solve all your problems in one shot," Hed said. It "can be used to clear any one level instantly. If you wish to use it later in the game, you must clear [the earlier level destroyed with the eagle] using the standard selection of birds."

If you're really into the narrative structure, check out Rovio's Mighty Eagle video.
Angry Birds is available on Nokia N900 devices, which use the Linux-based Maemo 5 OS. The game is also found on Apple iOS products and WebOS devices and is in beta testing for Android devices. It will be available later this year for phones with the Symbian operating system, Hed said.

Apple Game Center Snubs iPhone 3G, First iPod Touch

Apple's Game Center, a new social-gaming platform for the iPhone and iPod Touch, will rely upon the masses to be successful.

But some of Apple's longest iOS users apparently won't be invited to join the fun.

Game Center is due to arrive with Apple's iOS 4.1, which may be released as early as Wednesday. Apple already has a Game Center page up, though, and it lists all of the iOS 4.1 devices compatible with Game Center. That list includes the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and the last three generations of the iPod Touch. However, the iPhone 3G and all first-generation iPhones and iPod Touch devices apparently will not work with Game Center.

So far, Apple has not offered an explanation for leaving the iPhone 3G out of Game Center. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Game Center will be available only on devices running iOS 4.1. The service allows gamers to play titles with others, track achievements, and discover games that friends are playing.