A bit of bad news has arrived regarding the entity that's now known as Activision Blizzard. The company sent out a press wire announcing that only five of Vivendi's games are expected to be published, leaving the future of the company's other titles in question. Further details are available in the full article.

*Update* Ghostbusters is still in development.
*Update 2* Brutal Legend has also left limbo.

Not long after Grand Theft Auto 4 (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) rocked the world, and a few weeks before Metal Gear Solid 4 does the same, we're left with several decent titles that can't be dubbed as mere distractions. This week marks the release of Myst on the Nintendo DS, while Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King is set to build a kingdom on the Wii. The rest await at the full article, so hit that jump!

* Article originally posted May 12, 2008 at 12:05AM

If you enjoyed the last Nordic Game conference and are looking forward to this year's event, we've got some news for you. Quite a number of big name speakers will be sharing their thoughts at the Business and Production part of the program. To find out who will at the event, head on over to the full article.

The industry-focused leg of the Games Convention at GCDC 2007 will take place">Leipzig is expected to break its previous record of 650 attendees, after Leipziger Messe GmbH announced through press wire that the registered attendee tally for the 2007 event has hit 850 attendees. The Games Convention Developers Conference (GCDC) will take place on August 20-22, just before the consumer and retailer exhibition.

 

Hailing from 35 countries all over the globe - 60 percent from the North American and UK regions - participants have the opportunity to witness the delivery of more than 80 event keynotes from over 120 speakers. And representatives from their respective industry segments - namely handheld, mobile, console, PC, Mac, and online markets - will expound on visions, themes and issues relevant to the industry's times.

Although much of the planned discussions will be focused on the industry side, there will also be discussions on how society and political bodies can properly recognize the gaming industry, and the significance of associations representing the game industry to the outside world.

And in another note, Leipziger Messe has particularly named Tim Schafer of Double Fine Production (Grim Fandango, Psychonauts) to deliver his keynote speech entitled "Games and Creativity," adapted for the new age of game development. If memory serves us right, Schafer and his studio has been secretly at work on a game project under Vivendi's revived Sierra Entertainment label.

It was claimed to be titled "Brutal Legend", but that has been under question for some time since it was retracted. But if former Leipzig revelations are were groundbreaking, then you may count that fellow blogger Schafer will spill more details on his ambitious "labor of love."

The 2007 Games Convention Developers Conference opening remarks will be delivered by none other than the Chairman of the European Games Development Forum (EGDF), Fred Hasson. More GC and GCDC news coming your way, before the Leipzig-filled week begins next Monday.

Here are a few more Geometry Wars: Galaxies (DS, Wii) assets for you guys. The first is a video, which you can check out below, and after the jump are a bunch of new screenshots of the game.

The "Blast" video below features some frenetic shooting action and a veritable rain of ammo as whoever is playing makes mincemeat of approaching enemies. The video shows what looks like two stages of the game: the first one is set in a hexagonal area while the second is in a square area.

The screenshots are mode of the same action sequences, only this time they're stationary. Still, check 'em out. Geometry Wars: Galaxies from Sierra and Kuju Entertainment is slated for a fall release.

Check out the screenshots behind the Full Article link!

Geometry Wars: Galaxies (DS, Wii) might feature the addition of stages and bosses to the popular Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved gameplay, but apparently, the bottom line is not about progression. It's still all about the high scores.

That's what Roger Carpenter, Sierra Entertainment's producer for Geometry Wars: Galaxies, revealed in a recent interview with Modojo. "It's all about score still," said Carpenter. "With the different battles we're just introducing a huge variety into how the game delivers fun."

Carpenter also talked a bit about how the team behind Geometry Wars: Galaxies handled the addition of saving and the game's currency system without lessening the difficulty. Here's Carpenter's explanation:

It's quite well publicized now but we've created a Galaxy, full of solar systems and planets. Each planet is an infinitely playable battle, equivalent to the original Retro Evolved if you like. Saving happens every time a game state changes, usually at the end of a battle or when you get a high score.

The currency system in the game determines how the game unlocks before you, so difficulty is handled through that. You can replay any battle as many times as you like, thats part of the Geometry Wars formula.

If you're worried about save points on a short journey or such like with the DS, typical games last minutes or 10's of minutes rather than hours. Of course we hope that some players will last hours on battles but we'd be honestly impressed if they did that on tram ride.

For the full interview, click on the Read Link below. Geometry Wars: Galaxies is currently slated for release in the fall.

 

Sierra Entertainment has just announced the latest installment to the Spyro the Dragon franchise, The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night.  This time hitting the PlayStation 2, Wii, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and mobile phones, this video game is the second installment to The Legend of Spyro trilogy.

The game kicks off when the Ape King attempts to start a new age of darkness by going to the Temple of Souls. Around the same time, the protagonist Spyro starts receiving strange visions which serve as clues to what's happening around him. Players will take on the role of Spyro and solve the mysteries hidden in the visions to defeat enemies such as Skabb the Pirate and Gaul the Ape King.

Aside from new breath attacks and fury modes, a new weapon beefs up Spyro's already smoking-hot arsenal: Dragon Time. Spyro can use Dragon Time to bend time and allow him to dodge attacks, confuse enemies, and aid him in solving time environmental puzzles. Sounds interesting enough, and certainly adds a new twist to the usual puzzle solving games.

Spyro's new abilities include the following:

• Upgradeable Breath Attacks (Ice Bomb, Electric Orb, Earth Vine, Enhanced Fire)
• Four elemental melee attacks like Comet Dash, Artic Blast, Earth Pound, Electric Spin, and
• New Fury Attacks that come in either Earth, Electricity, Ice and Fire elements.

Sierra Entertainment's own Senior Vice-President for Global Marketing Al Simone is excited about this new project. "We’re really excited to continue the re-emergence of one of video gaming’s most popular characters through this ongoing trilogy," says Simone.

Hollywood actors Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman reprise their roles as the voices of Spyro and Ignitus the Fire Dragon Elder, respectively.

The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night is expected to be released this autumn. Krome Studios is developing the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions; Amaze Entertainment is in charge for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance versions; and, Vivendi Games Mobile will make the mobile version of The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night. The mobile games will be available for Europe and North American mobile subscribers.

Definitely a step up and in the right direction for the arcade shooter, Geometry Wars Galaxies is anything but the US$ 5 offering on Xbox Live. After a lengthy hands-on and an interview with Sierra's Roger Carpenter, Game Informer discovered that the game would offer fans a lot more than they handled in Geometry Wars. More planets, more content, and a full version of Retro Evolved are just the tip of the iceberg.

Although mentioned quite generally before, multiplayer for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS will take full swing this time around.

According to senior producer Carpenter, each of the platforms will get an exclusive multiplayer mode but they have yet to be revealed. Leaderboards are planned already at this stage of development and it's been mentioned that Gamespy can support Nintendo's leaderboard offerings.

The current build of the game shoves co-op and an AI drone to aid players in the mayhem, but watch out: the developers will be using that as an excuse to amp up the manic gameplay. And those who are worried about adapting to a new control scheme can ease up a bit.

Carpenter said, "At this stage we’re not using motion-sensitive functionality, it's all with the sensor bar but all our testing points to the fact that the control method is not a barrier to crazy scores." They believe that the hard-core Geometry Wars players will find comfort in the new control scheme in time, because it offers new control tricks for the pro-shooter.

Point and click adventures used to be Sierra's forte, a reign that was only once rivalled by that of LucasArts' The Dig (nothing like Digg, mind you), and then recaptured by the limelight of the later Quest series (Police Quest, King's Quest, Space Quest, etc.). Until Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem on the GameCube.

 

Today Capcom is reviving the genre with a game that has certainly captured IGN Wii's attention (and their pockets for sure), coming in the iffy title Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure. What's that you ask? Well that's the new name for Project Treasure Island Z, a game we've heard little about.

But it's certainly got IGN excited - enough to get them to recommend that Wii owners pre-order a copy of the game right now. In fact, Matt Casamassina was quoted to have said:

But we're telling you, Zack & Wiki is fun. Really fun. Really smart. And really enjoyable. And we're not going to stop this campaign until you've pre-ordered it. Do it. Do it right now. What do you mean your local retailer isn't accepting pre-orders? That's no excuse for the truly dedicated. Start saving. Create a Zack & Wiki fund. And get on the message boards and spread the word. It's come down from the IGN Wii editors that Z&W (as those in the know call it) is the real deal and must be owned. As loyal Nintendo fans, you cannot disobey.

We're not quite sure with what got IGN so worked up with the game, but anything that capitulates on the strengths of the Wii and is comparatively great to a genre...uhh..older gamers started out with is appetizing enough. In fact, it's good enough to compel us to check out this game as soon as it comes out later in 2007.
But all the same, we'll be watching out for new developments on this game. Keep your eyes peeled.

After Vivendi re-brandished the Sierra name for game branding, Sierra is now out to accomplish the task it was revived to do: push out great games worthy of its name to PC and console. As Vivendi's bid for the mid-end to low-end bracket of the market, Sierra has announced the next in the Spyro the Dragon series, The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night.

Spyro the Dragon was originally released on the first Sony PlayStation, and players may remember accompanying the purple Puff (get it? Puff?) in his efforts to rescue his fellow drakes from their crystalline prisons. Two other titles succeeded the first and Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon by (guess who? Yep that's right!) Insomniac Games was considered the best of them all.

The PlayStation 2 versions, including the later The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, soon followed thereafter, and A New Beginning's revival of the series from a previous title's lackluster performance hinted that a sequel would be highly likely.

The Eternal Night will be developed once again by Krome Studios, together with Amaze Entertainment, for the PS2, GBA, Nintendo DS, and Wii. The official announcement came through with the news that Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman would voice the characters Spyro the Dragon and red dragon Ignitus, respectively.

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night for Wii

  

Click on Full Article for screenshots for the Nintendo DS version.