The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is set to kick off at the beginning of June in Los Angeles, and this is supposed to be the year the show puts itself back on the map after a couple years of less-than-successful scaled-back efforts. Game publishers are already looking to jump on the E3 hype machine, and Sega is out the door early, announcing a slate of titles it plans to showcase at the show…and, of course, the company plans to get many of them into consumers’ hands in time for the end-of-year holiday season.
Tag Archive: Vancouver
Microsoft Snaps Up Game Developer BigPark
Microsoft has inked a deal to acquire Vancouver, Canada-based game developer BigPark Inc., which created or produced successful franchises like FIFA Soccer,NBA Street, and the Need for Speed series. Financial terms of the acquisition weren’t disclosed, but Microsoft has been working with BigPark for some time.
Microsoft plans to integrate BigPark into Microsoft Game Studios, where they will continue to work on a so-far unannounced exclusive Xbox 360 game. The acquisition is another step in Microsoft’s strategy to expand the Xbox platform through the development of appealing, exclusive content.
EA Slaps Out NHL 08
Video game mega-publisher Electronic Arts has shipped the lastest version of its NL hocket franchise video game, NHL 08, to retailers.
Developed (appropriately enough) by E’s Vancouver-based EA Canada, the new version of the game features an all new On-the-Fly AI which actively learns a player’s moves and forces them to adapt their game. A Create-a-Play feature enables players to whiteboard and record their own strategies, then bring them into real games to outwit their opponents. Online features let players set up Custom Leagues, and online Team Play enables up to six players to slap each other silly on the ice. A new deking system enables players to move the puck off their sticks to get around defenders, and a new Goalie Mode lets players squat in front of the net and take high-velocity pucks, sticks, elbows, knees, and the occasional fist for the team.
Computer Poker Program Challenges Humans
While programmers have recently mastered the game of checkers by creating a program that can win at every game, the much more complex game of poker is just starting to be unraveled by artificial intelligence. A team of researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada have developed a poker-playing program known as Polaris, which is set to square off with two human opponents on Monday.
Phil Laak and Ali Eslami are both professional poker players who have proved their mettle by raking in winnings from the poker circuit in the past. They will play four games of Texas Hold ‘Em with Polaris, winning $5,000 for each successful round, with an additional $5,000 awarded if they manage to sweep all four games.
Internet Safety Is All a Big Game
What could be more fun than learning about Internet safety? A lot of things, probably, but it seems be a be a major issue for the latest generation of Internet-savvy youngsters. The Entertainment Software Association’s ESA Foundation is doing its best to make Internet safety fun by teaching kids about it through their medium of choice – games.
Newest Need for Speed Title Hits The Track
After scores of urban tuner racing games released under the Need for Speed moniker, Electronic Arts is switching gears to offer something slightly different. Need for Speed: ProStreet will put players back in the seats of hot imports and muscle cars, but ditch the city setting for good old-fashioned racetracks.
“Need for Speed ProStreet accelerates street racing culture by providing the ultimate stage for the pursuit of street racing supremacy,” said executive producer Larry LaPierre, in a statement. “This is a game about building the ultimate performance-tuned battle machine, taking it to multi-disciplinary showdowns all over the world and pitting your skills and reputation against the very best street racers.”
Amazon Unbox Offering NHL Videos
Leading online retailer Amazon and the National Hockey League struck up a content deal today in which users of Amazon’s online video download service will be able to enjoy NHL videos for a fee. This new Amazon Unbox offering is available now.
Under the agreement between NHL and Amazon, the Amazon Unbox service will begin offering three or more NHL games each week during the regular season and playoffs as well as classic NHL games. Games are available for download as soon as 48 hours after game time ends for $2.99. Dozens of classic games from the NHL’s archives also are available, including "the 1994 Stanley Cup Final in which the New York Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks, the 1993 Western Conference Final game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings featuring Wayne Gretzky, and the 1997 Stanley Cup Final in which the Detroit Red Wings topped the Philadelphia Flyers."
Uwe Boll Announces Five Bouts with Critics
Since 1994, German filmmaker Uwe Boll has managed to craft himself a reputation as the Ed Wood of his generation, producing and directing films—often based on video games—which are often considered so bad as to be unwatchable. (And no, we don’t mean “so bad they’re good,” we just mean “bad.”) Boll’s films make it to a few theaters, but just barely, and yet Boll keeps getting rights to scripts and properties and churns out opus after opus thanks to a provision in German tax law that rewards investments in Germany’s film industry. Investors get to write of the entirety of film investments as a tax deduction, and even invest borrowed money and write off financing fees. If the movie makes money, investors pay taxes on the profits; if the movie loses money…writeoff.
Yahoo Maps Out Travel Planning
Internet giant Yahoo
EA Delivers New Rugby Game to Stores
Electronic Arts yesterday announced the availability of EA Sports Rugby 06 in stores. Platforms which it is supported on include Sony’s PlayStation 2and Microsoft’s Xbox.
EA Sports Rugby 06, said the video game publisher, was produced by EA Canada in Vancouver. Features include a new off-loading passing system, quick line-outs and penalties, new set plays, enhanced stadium models, 3D field textures, atmosphere effects such as visible player breath and a larger number of licensed teams.
EA Sports Rugby 06 is priced at $29.99 and rated “E†for Everyone by the ESRB.





