Activision + Vivendi + Blizzard = LOVE

Yes, you heard it right!

Everybody know that Activision is currently battling the grand EA for the position of “the Man” in video games publishing, hitting the jackpot with titles like Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk or Assassin’s Creed.

Activision has joined forces with Vivendi and thus Blizzard, famous father of the Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft (World of Warcraft has over 8 million players worldwide) creating Activision Blizzard, a new company. The catch is that Vivendi will be the primary shareholder for the new Activision Blizzard, with 68% of the shares, so that (oh, the irony!) when the deal actually gets finalized Vivendi will have actually bought Activision.

“The details on the Blizzard-Activision part of the deal are as follows: <Note: quotes are taken from the FAQ on Blizzard’s website)

• Activision will change their name to Activision Blizzard.
• “We do not anticipate any difference in Blizzard’s operations as a result of the combination. Joining forces with Activision will create a stronger and more diversified company that we anticipate will benefit and strengthen both brands.”
• Brand names on boxes will remain the same. i.e WoW will continue to be branded Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. There will be no change to the logo.
• “A: There will be no changes in the way Blizzard operates. All of the people, processes, and philosophies that have made Blizzard so successful will be preserved.”
• Development on current roster will continue as normal at Blizzard (WoW: Wrath of the Lich King, StarCraft II and unnaounced games – Diablo 3?), although no word on whether this will be the case across the other Vivendi games.
• There will be no sharing of development teams across Blizzard and Activision.
• Release schedules will not change as a result of the deal… so Starcraft 2 could still come out some time in the next decade.
• The deal should be finalised by mid 2008″

This only represents the part of the deal concerning Activision and Blizzard, further details concerning Vivendi still being awaited.

PS3 for $299 a reality!

Omg! Here’s a piece of information I bet would interest even the most bored viewer of the console-wars (console war, what-ever!) :

Sony has put forward a new offer which states that if you purchase a PS3 with the Sony Credit Card, you get 100$ worth of credit, thus making the 40GB PS3’s price go down to 299$.

Go here if you’re interested in signing up!

That just about puts to rest all possible arguments implying that the Playstation 3 is too expensive for purchase. If you’re into buying a gaming console, you most likely know a little bit of something about games and stuff (and the fact that Nintendo’s Wii doesn’t output in HD – High Definition, that is – ) so you will probably be interested in the Xbox 360 from Microsoft or the Playstation 3 from Sony.

The fact is, a couple of months ago, everyone was saying that they couldn’t buy the PS3 because of it’s horrendous price compared to the 360. Now, taking advantage of this offer, every model of the Ps3 is 50$ cheaper than it’s Microsoftian sibling, without even taking into consideration the Xbox Live subscription, which is another 50$ for U.S. residents, and 80$ (80 – ZOMG!) for Europe residents or the difference in out-of-the-box features.

The scene is definitely set for an all-out battle this Christmas, and it will be very interesting to follow both Microsoft and the audience’s replies.

P.S. I think this change deserves a new head-to-head review of the two gaming systems, don’t you? When I have some time, I’ll work on it.

PC games on the PS3?

Why not?

A UK-based company under the name of StreamMyGame.com claims it has managed to create a system of hypertext links to computers that can be used remotely to play PC games by other visitors on the PC or other platforms.
Right now the games must be compatible to either Windows XP or Vista, supporting DirectX8, DirectX9, DirectX10 and OpenGL formats on resolutions up to HDTV 3200×2400. However, they promise to develop a Linux-based system by the end of the year, allowing games to be played on the(-also-Linux-based) PS3.

” “We are embarking on a new paradigm in the gaming industry fuelled by advances in computer hardware, network speeds and the want of gamers to have more freedom,” said Richard Faria CEO of StreamMyGame. “We network the power of their main PC so it can be used to play high end games on other PCs and laptops around the home. I believe the demand for high resolutions will drive the sales of high end PC hardware”.

“We will release a Linux version in Q4 2007 which will enable PC games to be played on the PlayStation 3 and many other devices including DVD players, set top boxes, networked media devices and mobile phones,” he said. ” – more here

How about that for a revolution? I think it would be absolutely brilliant if they managed to put together such a community of multi-platformed gamers, especially due to the fact that my PS3 only currently has 6 games and about 30 demos, while the library of my PC games reaches a couple of hundred big (and a couple of thousand small) games.
Bring on the future, I’m ready for it!

Altair is his name, stealthin’ is his game.

One of the games that inspired me to purchase a Playstation 3 (PS3) – actually, this game, along with Haze, counts for most of my most-eagerly-awaited games on the console – is Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed“.

The game takes place in medieval times (during the Third Crusade, more precisely the year 1191) and places you in the shoes of Altair, a member of the Hashshashin sect of true “assassins”, who moves freely between the cities of Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus with the goal of eliminating nine important and historically-accurate figures.

Key aspects of the game’s appeal are the total interactiveness of the environment (very realistically crafted, they say) and the flawless historical accuracy (all targets of elimination are people who died or disappeared in the year of 1191).

To tell you the truth, I think that this was the game that “rang the bell” for me, in terms of gaming platform of the future, because it will only be available for the PS3 (Sony’s latest baby – if you didn’t know that, go back and make sure you read my posts attentively. I mean, I’m working my …keyboard off trying to get my posts to be factually accurate and you don’t bother to take notice and learn?! ) and the Xbox 360 from Sony’s bitter rival, Microsoft. (it is announced for the PC also, to be released sometime in early – Q1 – 2008)

I now invite you to join me in watching “Assassin’s Creed” ’s beautifully made trailer :

Seems like Ubisoft did it again, wouldn’t you agree?
I can barely wait to get my hands on it!

I’m shot! (a.k.a "Un fleac! M-au ciuruit!")

Another victim in the next-gen console-war : me.
As you already know (if you’ve cared enough to have read my posts), I’ve been researching for a while now. All that research seems to have paid off. About a week ago, I decided to buy a next-gen console. “Why?”, you ask? Because I had been reading so much about it that I thought I knew all the advantages and disadvantages, both for now and for the future, and I got sooooo hyped that I decided the console that I had to own and abuse for a couple of years would be… ta-da-da-dam… yes, you’ve guessed it, the PS3!

I got it – Starter Pack – on thursday from the local Mall for a whopping 1900 RON (that’s about 800$).
I know, I know, “You’re one crazy Sony fanboy!”. Actually, no. At least you can’t call me a Wii-tard or a Gaylo lover (in fact, I do like Halo – a lot), or any other Wii or 360 related insult for that matter. *sigh* Ok, bring on the flaming!
Well, I’ve had it for almost 4 days now and I’m damn proud of it. They didn’t have Resistance or an extra controller at the store anymore, so I’ll have to pay them another visit next week to pick those off. I purchased Warhawk, so I can only currently play that and Motorstorm, which came with the Starter Pack.
What can I say? The PS3 compelled me to buy a HD-Ready Tv (I’m thinking of writing a guide to buying an HDTV, actually). I think it a blasphemy, a sin to have a source like a PS3 or an Xbox360 and not connect it to a HD-compliant Tv, instead playing it on your tiny couple-of-decades-old 4:3-ratioed CRT. A sin, I tell you! THE LORD SHALL SMITE YOU, O, BLASPHEMOUS ONE! Being a God-fearing mortal that I *still* am (even though I own a PS3 – shouldn’t that, like, make me a gaming mini-god or something??), I chose, after careful deliberation/googling, LG’s 32lc51 to do my bidding.
I must say, one fact that upsets me is the lack of support Sony has for many european countries. I was anxiously waiting to enter the Playstation Store and download some free demo’s or other free content, but it seems that Romania hasn’t got a Store of its own. That would be just fine with me, if it wasn’t for the fact that Sony doesn’t allow you to access any other country’s Store but yours. That implies that, unless you have an account with a location of a Store-supported-country, you can’t get any Sony free content. Not fair, one would say! I searched for a solution and found out that one can have multiple accounts, so one can add an account with an american, let’s say, residence. That enables the use of that country’s Playstation Store. “Finally!” I said…now I’m downloading about 6 almost-one-gigabyte-sized demos that’ll help me choose my next games.
Also in the news, I’ve found another sales-counting site which states that Wii is, in fact, the market leader. About time, I say! I give you, VGCHARTZ!
I hope I’ll get around to writing some reviews of all the new features and also of the few games I’ve managed to play so far on the PS3, but for now, “sayonara”!

In the trenches

Well, folks, after numerous nights spent on the internet researching every consoles’ ups and downs, I’ve come to the following conclusion, based on one’s choice of console:
-you’re either interested in the future, in next-gen games with next-gen graphics, in online capabilities and next-game movie viewing; this case is split into two parts : the Xbox 360 part and the Ps3 part; in this case you can either wait and save up some more $$ and then go and get PS3, or buy the Xbox360, thinking “Wow, it’s got more games than the PS3…I am just going to ignore the fact that it doesn’t come with a HD-DVD player, included wireless network support or free online browsing – true, this is only a few bucks away – (and if I ever want that, I’ve got to spend some big bucks *which I think will make it as expensive as the PS3*)…but hey, who needs that? It’s got MORE GAMES!!!111″; or
– you’re simply interested in having a good time and lots of fun during your time out from school/work, in which case you’ll choose the revolutionary Wii as your best-friend and ally;

The above represent my opinion and my opinion only, do not take them as facts or insults to any of the god-companies by the names of Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo. (To be read: blabla…*subliminal message: either buy PS3 or Wii*…blabla..*subliminal message*…disclaimer)

Right now I’ve got to go to school to gather more knowledge to help me in my *secret* plan of world domination…*insert creepy Mandark-like laugh here*mwhuahahahaha!

Movies

Some movies to releave the console-wars-tension:

and

"Le Roi est mort. Vive le Roi!"

“The King is dead. Long live The King!” (explanation) :

Wii LOST FIRST PLACE!!11!!

As incredible as it may seem, the guys over at NextGenWars say that Wii has been overpowered by almost two thousand consoles, thanks to the 360. Their extrapolation-based pseudo-live calculation system gives us the following data :

(15′th of October, 2007, 0000 hours)

Xbox 360 – 11,886,442 units
Playstation 3 – 4,848,624 units
Wii – 11,705,658 units

Well, honestly, I can’t really seem to deal with this situation now, so I’ll just continue with my denial phase… *starts talking to himself* wii is still first-place, wii is still first-place, wii is still…

to be continued …

War?!

Hey, guys…

Today, I’ll try to tell you about a war…a war so vicious that it affects most gamers of this (and, perhaps, other) planet. A war so tough, that it keeps on going for decades now, with parties implied changing on every generation. One can even say that there are different wars, one with each generation of combatants. The first four were mostly fought between the companies Nintendo and Sega and all of them were won (more or less conclusive) by Nintendo. The fifth wave brought a change, a surprise, a new candidate that managed to defeat both Nintendo and Sega and take first-place : Sony’s PlayStation. It managed to outsell Nintendo’s “Nintendo 64″ by about 3 times and Sega’s “Sega Saturn” by roughly 10. It seemed clear that new opposition was forming. The next wave, the sixth, brought about another serious competitor that was keen on selling consoles: Microsoft. At the end of this one, Sony clearly won, selling 117.89 million PlayStation2’s, compared to the 24 million Xboxes sold by Microsoft and the 21 million Gamecubes sold by Nintendo. Sega got sidelined and the stage was set for the next and latest cat-and-mouse (game-like-)war.
It officially started with the launch of the Xbox 360 on the 22′nd of November, in 2005, followed by Nintendo’s Wii on the 19′th of November, 2006 (wow, nice head start for Microsoft) and Sony’s latest toy, the PlayStation 3, on the 17′th of November (U.S).

Well, the standing, according to worldwide sales, is the following:

Wii -10.7 million; (September 13, 2007)
Xbox 360 – 8.9 million; (July 31, 2007)
PS3 – 4.3 million (June 30, 2007)

Seems like the revolutionary little Wii managed to defeat Xbox’s huge one-year advantage and has install itself on the top position. The question is: How long will it stay there?

to be continued …