Digital Trends
Although Electronic Arts recently let its unsolicited offer to buy up Take-Two Interactive expire, the two companies are reportedly in negotiations about some type of partnerships or acquisition. EA wants a slice of Take-Two franchises like Grand Theft Auto and BioShock and has promised to let the company keep spinning out its “edgy”—and often controversial—game titles.
Everyone’s favorite over-the-top boxing promoter will step away from the ringside this spring to put his name to a new boxing title from 2K Sports. The label announced Don King Presents: Prizefighter on Monday, billing it as a realistic boxing simulation that will capture the realism and grit of the sport .
“The combination of real-life fight scenarios, story-driven gameplay and photo-realistic graphics will set this title apart from the competition,” said 2K president Christoph Hartmann, in a statement. “Our goal has always been to deliver the most engaging and realistic titles, and Don King Presents: Prizefighter will exceed these expectations.”
The previously rumored baseball game MLB Power Pros moved a little closer to reality Friday with an official announcement from 2K Sports and Konami, and a loose release date set sometime in the fall for North America. The companies confirmed details of the game, along with its availability on both Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 2.
Unlike most other professional sports games, Japan’s Power Pros franchise discards realism, favoring cartoony characters and exaggerated expressions. Despite the goofy treatment, Konami says players will still be able to recognize their favorite players and landmarks.
When Electronic Arts cut a deal with the National Football League in 2004 giving them exclusive rights to the league’s branding in their titles, the Madden series put a major damper on other football franchises. How would they sell without the teams fans were rabidly attached to? Game publisher 2K Sports has their own answer: sell the players, not the teams.
2K Sports announced details about the upcoming All-Pro Football 2K8 on Thursday, which revealed that the game’s roster will consist of football heroes past and present. Each one will have signature abilities, and an attribute system will be included for further customization.
PlayStation fans will be able to get their hands on a lot more games in the coming months, promises Sony. The Foster City, Calif.-based company said today it will launch more than 100 titles for its PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation2 products. The beefed-up second-quarter of 2007 line-up will comprise industry leading franchises as well as new intellectual properties from both in-house and third parties, according to Sony Computer Entertainment America.
“We are excited by the content being developed by our partners, but are also looking forward to launching PlayStation-branded exclusive games created by our own worldwide studios this quarter and throughout the rest of 2007," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing at SCEA in a statement.
It’s well known in the gaming industry that when you launch a new console you have to have a fleet of sports games to go along with it. Titles like Madden or the 2K series have massive followings; without their presence no console will be a success. The 360 had a full lineup from both EA and 2K Sports available at or soon after its launch, but for whatever reason none of the games really felt ready. 2K is now showing off their section revision next-gen sports titles, and they’re looking more than ready.
2K Sports, a Take-Two Interactive Software publishing label, today said they’d pitched Major League Baseball 2K6 to retailers in time for MLB opening day. The game is priced at $39.99 and initially available for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 video game systems. Separate releases for the Xbox 360, GameCube and PlayStation Portable are forthcoming.
Major League Baseball 2K6, said 2K Sports, is the only officially licensed MLB video game available on every major gaming console. Features of this latest title in the franchise include a World Baseball Classic mode, a tighter pitcher batter relationship via improved interfaces and individual player behaviors, analog swing stick batting, a new physics engine and a player morale system.
Microsoft Corporation announced today an “inventory surge” which will put “two to three times” the number of Xbox 360 gaming systems into retail channels beginning this week. Since its launch in November 2005, Microsoft’s new gaming platform has been hindered by limited availability in the U.S. and European markets.
“Today we have turned a major corner,” said Peter Moore, corporate VP of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “With more consoles on their way to retail, 80 games available by June, and new content and experiences coming to Xbox Live all the time, there has never been a better time to own an Xbox 360.”
Take Two’s 2K Sports publishing label yesterday announced that College Hoops 2K6 for the Xbox 360 was now available at retailers across North America. The game is priced at $59.99 and is currently the only college basketball game for Microsoft’s next generation video game platform.
Take Two Interactive Software’s 2K Sports video game publishing label today said they were introducing some new “standard-setting†features to their upcoming baseball game Major League Baseball 2K6. The title is currently slated for release in the spring on the Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo GameCube.
These new features, said 2K Sports, include a “Swing Stick†mechanic to bring a greater degree of control to batting, “Payoff Pitching†for more accurate spotting of pitches, “Catcher Mechanics†for giving the catcher the ability to call pitches and pre-game/playoff analysis style commentary from Jeanne Zelasko and Steve Physioc. Zelasko and Physioc join Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, who already provide in-game commentary for 2K Sports.
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