July is when the boredom really kicks in. If you find the summer months scant, it’s not because SPOnG got tired writing such an amazing review of 2004. It because bugger all happened. We’ll do our best to make it interesting though. Actually, it wasn’t that bad.
By the 6th something had happened. Sega Sammy Holdings announces that Yuji Naka’s Sonic Team will remain open. According to Sammy boss Hajime Satomi, Sonic Team will retain a certain level of recognition as a stand-alone partner developer, though the specifics were not disclosed. No mention was made of any other Sega development teams, indicating that Sonic Team will be the only studio to represent Sega’s standing of old.
SPOnG reveals that the e-Reader will not now be delivered to European shores. “We don't think the market potential is great enough to launch the product in Europe - however we will make the downloadable elements that cards provided available via different routes,” we were told.
The 8th and SNK’s Koyama-san let the firm’s frustration with recent PlayStation 2 submission issues be known. As regular readers of SPOnG will know, SNK’s US offering, headed up by the infamous Ben Herman, has had some difficulties in its attempts to get games already on open sale in Japan accepted as stand-alone PlayStation 2 releases. “Sony just isn’t interested in 2D games anymore – whatever it might be,” exclaimed Koyama-san. “And yet crappy games, as long as they are in 3D, trickle through all the time. It’s a crazy situation and we don’t believe it reflects the needs of game consumers.”
Five days later at a Tokyo press conference, Kuturagi-san stated, “We will exhibit our next-generation game console at E3 next year.” The claim has not been repeated to date and is now thought unlikely to come good.
By the 14th, Sega’s latest lie regarding Outrun 2 is exposed with the game confirmed for a release in the United States, following months of Sega’s 'for Europe only' official stance. To date, why Sega saw fit to completely mislead everyone about every aspect of the game is a complete mystery though the resulting confusion no doubt contributed to the retail disaster it became.
In an interview with News.com published the next day, scary Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer exclaims, “I am betting we can take Sony in the next generation. I think the work that Bill (Gates) and I have been doing, really together, is to make sure we are investing in new areas. Look at what we have done with Xbox! We may still be losing money, but we have gone from nowhere to a significant player with a whole different approach. We've generated something brand new.”
More breasts, this time Kirsten Dunst’s on the 20th on June. "I got to approve the video game [Spider-Man 2], the way she looks," Dunst said. "They made her boobs gigantic. I was like, 'Tone down the boobs, please!' It was a little ridiculous." Welcome to being digitally rendered by pizza-fuelled giants with beards, love.
By the 26th and Rare is on the ropes again. However, for a change, it’s not for its inability to release a single credible game for Xbox. Various reports spring up talking of various walkouts at all levels in the firm. Rare keeps quiet.
On the same day the once highly-principled Future Publishing removes all threads relating to DRIV3R form it games website forum. A transparent move which has nothing to do with its own readers very verbal horror and dismay at the recent fixed review scores scandal. Nor to do withy its own staff effectively admiting that they'd got the review scores very very wrong. Honest.
Nintendo shows the final design of the DS console. "The innovative functions make Nintendo DS a superior game device, while the chat feature and ability to detect other DS units make it a social device as well," says Reggie. "We've figured out the magic of what makes portable game play so attractive to consumers. We've defeated nine challengers and once again we're prepared to win." Quite.
At the end of July, Manhunt is targeted as a contributing factor in the tragic murder of a UK teenager. A media storm rages over acceptable levels of content which is still to fully play itself out. Rockstar sees its game taken from stores though constantly denies any wrong-doing.
SPOnG hopes that if anything is be gained from this whole sorry episode it comprises government legislation aimed at penalising the marketing of inappropriate gaming material to minors, something magazine publishers and game companies have been guilty of for years.
By the 6th something had happened. Sega Sammy Holdings announces that Yuji Naka’s Sonic Team will remain open. According to Sammy boss Hajime Satomi, Sonic Team will retain a certain level of recognition as a stand-alone partner developer, though the specifics were not disclosed. No mention was made of any other Sega development teams, indicating that Sonic Team will be the only studio to represent Sega’s standing of old.
SPOnG reveals that the e-Reader will not now be delivered to European shores. “We don't think the market potential is great enough to launch the product in Europe - however we will make the downloadable elements that cards provided available via different routes,” we were told.
The 8th and SNK’s Koyama-san let the firm’s frustration with recent PlayStation 2 submission issues be known. As regular readers of SPOnG will know, SNK’s US offering, headed up by the infamous Ben Herman, has had some difficulties in its attempts to get games already on open sale in Japan accepted as stand-alone PlayStation 2 releases. “Sony just isn’t interested in 2D games anymore – whatever it might be,” exclaimed Koyama-san. “And yet crappy games, as long as they are in 3D, trickle through all the time. It’s a crazy situation and we don’t believe it reflects the needs of game consumers.”
Five days later at a Tokyo press conference, Kuturagi-san stated, “We will exhibit our next-generation game console at E3 next year.” The claim has not been repeated to date and is now thought unlikely to come good.
By the 14th, Sega’s latest lie regarding Outrun 2 is exposed with the game confirmed for a release in the United States, following months of Sega’s 'for Europe only' official stance. To date, why Sega saw fit to completely mislead everyone about every aspect of the game is a complete mystery though the resulting confusion no doubt contributed to the retail disaster it became.
In an interview with News.com published the next day, scary Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer exclaims, “I am betting we can take Sony in the next generation. I think the work that Bill (Gates) and I have been doing, really together, is to make sure we are investing in new areas. Look at what we have done with Xbox! We may still be losing money, but we have gone from nowhere to a significant player with a whole different approach. We've generated something brand new.”
More breasts, this time Kirsten Dunst’s on the 20th on June. "I got to approve the video game [Spider-Man 2], the way she looks," Dunst said. "They made her boobs gigantic. I was like, 'Tone down the boobs, please!' It was a little ridiculous." Welcome to being digitally rendered by pizza-fuelled giants with beards, love.
By the 26th and Rare is on the ropes again. However, for a change, it’s not for its inability to release a single credible game for Xbox. Various reports spring up talking of various walkouts at all levels in the firm. Rare keeps quiet.
On the same day the once highly-principled Future Publishing removes all threads relating to DRIV3R form it games website forum. A transparent move which has nothing to do with its own readers very verbal horror and dismay at the recent fixed review scores scandal. Nor to do withy its own staff effectively admiting that they'd got the review scores very very wrong. Honest.
Nintendo shows the final design of the DS console. "The innovative functions make Nintendo DS a superior game device, while the chat feature and ability to detect other DS units make it a social device as well," says Reggie. "We've figured out the magic of what makes portable game play so attractive to consumers. We've defeated nine challengers and once again we're prepared to win." Quite.
At the end of July, Manhunt is targeted as a contributing factor in the tragic murder of a UK teenager. A media storm rages over acceptable levels of content which is still to fully play itself out. Rockstar sees its game taken from stores though constantly denies any wrong-doing.
SPOnG hopes that if anything is be gained from this whole sorry episode it comprises government legislation aimed at penalising the marketing of inappropriate gaming material to minors, something magazine publishers and game companies have been guilty of for years.