Nightly News Roundup: 2010.07.19

This week’s downloadable games; Rock Band 3 dated and bonuses announced; and pay-to-play Call of Duty: Black Ops?

By M. Noah Ward. Posted 07/19/2010 22:00 Comment on this     ShareThis

HoopWorld Screenshot

This Week in Downloadable Software

The Virtual Console sees nothing new this week, but there are some interesting titles on Wii and DSi. In WiiWare, the AquaSpace title seems to combine an aquarium-styled screensaver with an interactive, Endless Ocean twist. You can click on the ever-changing sea life to learn about them, and even send your Mii in to swim alongside the fish. Furry Legends is a colorful action adventure platformer requiring gamers to roll a smiling furball through various platform puzzles while trying to thwart evil square folks. HoopWorld brings zany arcade-style 3-on-3 basketball action to the service. The DSiWare titles all have a strategy game bent, whether figuring out the best way to raise a kitten, play Scrabble, run a hospital or a birthday gift store.

WiiWare

  • AquaSpace (600 Wii Points)
  • Furry Legends (1000 Wii Points)
  • HoopWorld (1000 Wii Points)

DSiWare

  • Petz Kittens (800 Nintendo DSi Points)
  • Scrabble Tools (500 Nintendo DSi Points)
  • Hospital Havoc (500 Nintendo DSi Points)
  • Happy Birthday Mart (500 Nintendo DSi Points)
  • Crazy Sudoku (200 Nintendo DSi Points)

Source: Nintendo


Rock Band 3 Dated and Incentivized

Harmonix and Electronic Arts revealed the next numbered sequel in the Rock Band franchise will release globally (North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand) on Tuesday October 26, 2010. North American consumers who preorder the game on Amazon will get an exclusive in-game guitar, Walmart preorders are rewarded with a $10 e-gift card, and GameStop preorders will be bundled with three extra songs: “My Own Summer” by The Deftones, “Blue Monday” by New Order, and “Burning Down the House” by Talking Heads.

Source: MTV Games


Call of Duty: Black Ops Not to Feature Pay-to-Play Multiplayer

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick would like gamers to pay to play Call of Duty games online per a Financial Times interview revealed at the start of this month, and some video game industry analysts (yes, Michael Pachter) feel such a model should happen given how much time gamers spend online in their favorite first person shooters. Here on Nintendojo’s staff, several staffers have no qualms with labeling Activision’s Call of Duty online multiplayer the best you can experience in Wii’s library of first person shooters. So when an Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 player was unexpectedly asked to select a membership level or deposit Microsoft Points while trying to join a friend’s online game, alarm bells went off all around: should we expect a pay-to-play model (either subscription- or micro transactions-based) in the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops?

Not at this time, according to twitter.com posts from Infinity Ward’s creative strategist Robert Bowling and Black Ops developer Treyarch’s community manager Josh Olin. Bowling tweeted, “Modern Warfare 2 subscription plan rumors going around. For the record, nobody has to pay to play COD or MW2 multiplayer, nor will they.” Later in the day, Olin tweeted, “No, you will not have to ‘Pay to Play’#CODBlackOps Multiplayer either. Rumor -> Squashed.”

So, Nintendo gamers should be safe, for now. Given Activision Blizzard’s keen interest on monetizing the online arena of one of its largest franchises, and the growing acceptance of pay-to-play online games, though, don’t be surprised if this changes.

Source: 360Junkies Forums, Financial Times, Industry Gamers, Twitter

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