Lost Odyssey delayed in U.S, not playable at TGS 07

Listed in: News, Lost Odyssey, Games Tags: Microsoft, Japan, North America, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Takahashi Sensui

During Microsoft's pre-TGS 07 conference, Xbox Division Manager for Japan Takahashi Sensui showcased Mistwalker's upcoming title Lost Odyssey and he has good news and bad news for all of you. Before we drop the bad news, you might want to know that the RPG is already 95% complete.

Hironobu Sakaguchi played a demo in front of the live audience but he was eventually killed in one of the battles. According to those who were in attendance, the graphics was indeed awesome while the battle system can be likened to other titles running on Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3.

A box art for the game was displayed and then Takahashi Sensui took the floor again. According to the official, Japan will get Lost Odyssey this coming December 6 as scheduled but fans in North America will have to wait until next year to get their hands on the title - and that's February 2008 to be accurate.

It was also said during the event that Lost Odyssey is not going to be playable at this year's Tokyo Game Show but a separate conference will be hosted by Microsoft some time in November for the press. Sensui also said that the the title will be available for the rest of Asia by January but no launch date was provided for the European fans.

[Via Joystiq]

Halo 3 pre-TGS screens, Diorama TV ad, and StarCraft promo video

Listed in: Halo 3, Videos, Games, Screenshots Tags: Blizzard, Microsoft, Master Chief, Bungie Studios, UEFA

It seems that Microsoft is currently enjoying a brief marketing lead over the competition as the company has just held a pre-TGS 2007 conference. In the said gathering, a lot of new video game titles were revealed and the upcoming big ones were given further exposure.

Bungie Studios' Halo 3 was given a superstar treatment as new screenshots were released coupled with a promotional video for their upcoming FPS and Blizzard's StarCraft. It sounds quite impossible but we have the video clip here so you can see it for your own eyes.

Aside from that, there's also a TV ad that will be debuting on Tuesday (September 18) over at ITV1 during the coverage of the UEFA Champions League. It will be shown at around 9:35 p.m. This advertisement features a "diorama" put on display at the "Museum of Humanity" in honor of Master Chief's heroism.

If you can't wait for the said launch date of the ad, don't worry because QJ.NET has all the goods for you - right here, right now. Halo 3 will be released on September 25.

See the other screenshots and the two videos after the jump!

[Full Article]
Buy: [Halo 3]

Xbox 360 Guitar Hero II downloads pass 650,000

Listed in: News, Games, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Tags: Activision, PS2, Downloadable Content, RedOctane It was recently announced that the downloadable song packs for the Xbox 360 version of RedOctane and Activision's Guitar Hero II has already hit multi-platinum status. This essentially means it sold 650,000 through the Xbox Live Marketplace in less than five months.

It has also been reported that individual songs for download have already passed the two million mark and that the Guitar Hero games have sold over 5.5 million units. RedOctane's head of publishing Dusty Welsh spoke about this milestone and how they were able to reach it:

Activision was the first third-party publisher to offer downloadable content via Xbox LIVE to consumers and as a result, we have tremendous insight into the types of content that consumers want.

The Guitar Hero II downloadable video game song packs are some of the most popular content on Xbox LIVE and are quickly becoming a very lucrative revenue stream and powerful promotional vehicle for musicians and record labels today.

With the popularity of both Guitar Hero I and II, can we expect lightning to strike thrice with the upcoming Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock(Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PS3)? We'll have to see when it comes out this October 29.

XBLA title Omega Five's features and screenshots

Listed in: News, Xbox Live, Games, Screenshots Tags: Microsoft, Natsume, Hudson Entertainment, Xbox Live Arcade, Tomonobu Itagaki, John Greiner

In case you missed our earlier article, Microsoft just had a preliminary conference for the upcoming Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2007. Aside from Tomonobu Itagaki's live demonstration for the Xbox 360-exclusive Ninja Gaiden 2, a handful of full retail titles and Xbox Live games were announced as well.

One of those was Omega Five from developers Natsume and Hudson Entertainment. The new IP is actually a side-scrolling shooter set in a 3D environment where players can choose from multiple humanoid characters. All of these characters come with their own unique special attacks and upgradeable weapons.

"Hudson is truly pleased to be working with Natsume on bringing an all new franchise to shooter fans worldwide. Omega Five promises to be the most challenging shooter in the Xbox Live Arcade library, and will appease the most hardcore fan of the genre", said Hudson Entertainment CEO and President John Greiner.

Hudson said that Omega five will be ready for download in all Xbox Live regions this coming November. While waiting for the release, just take a look at these screenshots and other features for the game.

The screenshots and features after the jump!

[Full Article]

KISS guitar controller for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Listed in: News, Games, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Tags: PS2, RedOctane

Axe and you shall receive (ok, that was an awful pun). But seriously, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PC, Mac, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, Wii) gives everyone the chance to rock in style as they offer a customized KISS-themed guitar controller for the game.

Art Guitar is offering to produce limited editions of the AG Riff Master Guitar Controller, the official RedOctane "axe" for the game. These thematic controllers will be modded from actual guitars with the fret buttons and strum bar still intact. The strings will, of course, be removed to make way for players to jam to their heart's content.

The design for the body itself will feature the legendary band, KISS. Having spanned through all the incarnations of Guitar Hero, they make another encore performance for this latest iteration with their song, "Rock and Roll All Nite" in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

The controller isn't without a hefty price tag attached to it however. This pretty little piece is priced at US$ 399 and Art Guitar is currently accepting pre-orders for it already. Also, for those looking into a little more variety, Art Guitar will be announcing more varied styles in the coming months.

Buy: [Guitar Hero 3 Bundle]

[Via Gamespot]

Video: Beautiful Katamari TGS '07 trailer ready to roll

Listed in: Videos, Games, Beautiful Katamari Tags: Namco Bandai

Regardless of whether Beautiful Katamari will appear on other platforms outside Xbox 360 or not, we can settle down and safely say it's looking good. This Japanese trailer, which should appear at Tokyo Game Show a few days from now, rolled up some sweet gameplay footage together while breaking down what features to expect from Namco Bandai's larger-than-life title.

When we say larger than life, we mean it quite literally - in Beautiful Katamari, you can roll up pretty much everything and eventually be more massive than Earth itself. Add online multiplayer features and a quirky soundtrack the series is known for, then we're sold.

More details are packed in the trailer, but our comprehension of the Japanese language can only do so much. Check it out yourself by watching the embed below.

Buy: [Beautiful Katamari]

Microsoft comments on BrandIntel console sentiment study

Listed in: News, Opinions & Analysis Tags: Microsoft, Sony, BrandIntel

Upon receiving news about BrandIntel's report on console sentiment, a Microsoft representative told Next-Gen.biz (Next Generation) that they are "where [they] need to be at this point in [their] lifecycle." And in the same prepared statement to Next Generation, they remained confident that they wouldn't trade their current position with anyone. The representative added:

When we launched Xbox 360 back in November 2005, we knew that strategically it would be imperative for us to first win over the hearts and minds of the core gaming audience before focusing on a broader audience. If gamers didn't love us, we didn't stand a chance.

True to the representative's words, the study concluded that the Xbox 360 does have the largest user attach factor if viewed from a hardcore gaming perspective. However, the BrandIntel report suggested that the Wii would become the consumer choice for this generation of consoles, because of its high intent to purchase and sentiment scores.

BrandIntel revealed a study earlier that found consumer sentiment for the Nintendo Wii topped sentiment for the competition at 3.7 points, which was closely followed by the Xbox 360 at 3.4 points and the Sony PlayStation 3 at 3.1 points.

[Via Next-Gen.biz]