ThEvolution Network is the source for next generation gaming news, previews, updates and event coverage. Gaming is our passion and we are driven to provide our audience with current up to date coverage on the ever evolving gaming industry. Because we understand how passionate gamers are about their respective platform and software of choice, ThEvolution Network is the place where gamers of different preferences can find what they are looking for.
Archive for May, 2009
ThEvolution Network Talk Radio Show
ThEvolution Network Talk Radio
Show Topics
Metroid Prime Trilogy Coming To The Wii
LEFT 4 DEAD 2 Rumored to be Announced by Microsoft at E3
MADDEN 10 Online Co-op
New Sony Ericsson Aino – Equipped with Remote Play
Why is E3 So important and does the video game industry need it
Def Jam: Rapstar
If you are a fan of Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Jay-z, and other Def Jam recording artist, you will be excited to learn that they will be releasing a music video game, Rapstar. The newly formed 4mm gameswill be producing this title, which is their first.
“There are not very many products out there that speak directly to the hip-hop consumer base,” said Def Jam’s Lauren Wirtzer.
“More than just a music game, this is a game that really incorporates all of the crucial elements of this lifestyle. It’s not just about music, it’s about swagger.”
With video games and hip hop very close knit, it will be interesting to see if this game will gain the same popularity as the Guitar Hero franchise.
Pre-E3 – DEAD SPACE: Extraction – Wii Walkthrough Video
THE CONDUIT: The Ultimate FPS On The Wii
For the very few hardcore gamers who find no interest in owning the Wii due to it’s non-mature software approach, those times are rapidly changing. Today the Wii is home to an array of genre offerings where there is definitely something for everyone. Also, today many publishers and 3rd party developers are quickly jumping on Nintendo’s money train by creating exclusive Wii content and EA for example has swung for the fence by introducing EA Active Sports, Dead Space Extraction, and Grand Slam Tennis all for Wii.
Sega is another company that has supported the Wii from the beginning and has recently shown there latest Wii exclusive in the form of the higly anticipated first person shooter known as The Conduit. Sega’s new shooter truly looks amazing on the Wii. The Conduit looks like a great addition to the Wii library as Modern Warfare 2 and Devil May Cry 5 have also been speculated to arrive on the Wii in the near future. For more on The Conduit, be sure to check out the latest sreenshots and video below.
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I know, very Impressive indeed
E3 ‘09: ThEvolution Network Getting Ready For The Big Show
ThEvolution Network will be on location at this year’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) to bring you the most up-to-date event coverage. We look forward to bringing you interviews, game impressions and other interesting gaming updates. This year’s event is expected to be huge, so ThEvolution Network will be working hard to get you show coverage each day of the event.
Be sure to check out the E3 ‘09 floor plan below.
Smart Marketing Techniques By Nintendo
No super powerful processors, no HD next-gen graphics and no HD movie support has prevented Nintendo’s Wii from stealing the majority of the market share which is more than both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 combined. Due to a rather simple yet intelligent marketing campaign the Nintendo Wii is running away from the competition.
Entering this generation of consoles at an aggressively lower price point than the competition while tailoring their system to engage eveyone in the family has been the key component to their success. Outside of the enjoyment by millions of kids worldwide, moms, dads and even grandparents are having a blast with Nintendo’s Wii.
Nintendo has released the Wii Fit and just recently, EA’s Active Sport title to add to the Wii experience. Based on the commercials for these two exclusive titles it is clear that Nintendo is catering to the female audience in order to drive sales. From the buzz surrounding these two workout titles, their strategy is working quite well. Debating whether or not these new offerings by Nintendo are gimmicks or not doesn’t matter as long as they are enjoyed by the millions of Wii users.
Looking ahead it doesn’t appear as though Nintendo is in a hurry to drop the current price point of their Wii system. As sales begin to slow down it will be interesting to see what strategies are taken by Nintendo. Will they finally offer some form of HD gameplay or downloadable HD or non-HD movie watching update? Or will Nintendo shake things up and jump ahead of the competition by offering up their next Nintendo console (Wii2) equipped with all the bells and whistles? Be sure to give us your take on Nintendo’s strategy.
METROID PRIME TRILOGY: Coming To The Wii
The Nintendo Wii has been drawing more attention to itself with recent software updates. With speculation that Modern Warfare 2 and Devil May Cry 5 might be heading to the Wii, Nintendo’s wonder machine appears to be placing it’s heel on the throats of the competition. But of course the excitement doesn’t stop there. Nintendo has just announced that Metroid Prime Trilogy is headed to the Wii August 24th and will retail for $49.99. Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption will all be featured on one dics. Now this is an amazing bundle that is sure to move consoles.
If you have played any of the Metroid Prime titles it should be hard to believe that an update like this will really happen. Nevertheless Nintendo is definitely trying to spread the wealth.
ThEvolution Network Talk Radio #7
Show Topics
Modern Warfare 2 – Full Trailer May 24th
1 vs 100 XboxLIVE beta delayed in the US
Devil May Cry 5 Coming To the Wii
Are Multi-platform games being fully realized?
ThEvolution Network Talk Radio – Episode#7
ThEvolution Talk Radio
May 23rd @ 1pm PST
Show Topics
Modern Warfare 2 – Full Trailer May 24th
1 vs 100 XboxLIVE beta delayed in the US
Devil May Cry 5 Coming To the Wii
Are Multi-platform games being fully realized?
Be sure to call in to the show LIVE @ (347) 945-5626
DSi Thrives Despite Japan’s Slow Harware Sales
Gamasutra Writes;
Video game hardware sales out of Japan show a week-on-week slowdown for the week ended May 17 as sales of every platform decline, according to tracking firm Media Create.
The feature-laden Nintendo DSi handheld sold 34,152 during the week, leading all other platforms for the second consecutive week. But weekly sales for the platform were down 20,000 units from the prior week.
Sony’s PSP followed in the second slot this week with 28,683, down from 43,000 the week before. Wii edged out PlayStation 3 for the second week in a row, selling 15,116 and 11,605, respectively, following a March and April that saw PS3 outsell Nintendo’s motion-controlled moneymaker.
PlayStation 3 sales had received a strong boost over past weeks from releases such as Yakuza 3 and Resident Evil 5 in Japan, as well as the Blu-ray release of the movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, which included a playable demo of Final Fantasy XIII.
Nintendo’s DS Lite (whose sales are not included with DSi), Sony’s PS2 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 rounded out the depressed hardware charts.
(Week of May 11-17)
DSi: 34,152
PSP: 28,683
Wii: 15,116
PS3: 11,605
DS Lite: 4,888
PS2: 4,020
Xbox 360: 3,233
INDIANA JONES: Coming To The Wii In Great Fashion
Here is a sneak peak at the new Indiana Jones and the Staff Of Kings game coming to the Nintendo Wii. This game looks to offer a unique and unforgettable Indiana Jones interactive adventure.
Video Game Evolution Over The Years – PART #1
(This is a multi-part article taking a look at the evolution of video games and the systems responsible for it.)
Sometimes it’s easy to forget but having 3 different systems to choose from is unprecedented in the history of video games. Historically, the market has only had room for the ‘big 2′ and the third system found itself in a distant third and ultimately out of business i.e. Sega. But here we are in 2009 and there is a battle going on amongst the ‘Big 3′- Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Some would say the battle is only between Microsoft and Sony for second place because Nintendo has laid the smack down this generation of video gaming with the Wii and I would have to agree, like it or not. Consumers have chosen the system they wish to endorse and are often caught up in flame wars defending the ‘honor’ of their system and discussions can sometimes become really heated.
Don’t worry, this article is not promoting such a discussion, rather, I am here to actually celebrate the merits of ALL systems (now that’s a twist!) Just think about it, with three systems now fully sharing the video game market it shows just how far the video game industry has grown or does it, or better yet, have you even thought about it? Well, if the thought never crossed your mind I humbly invite you to take a stroll down the video game memory lane with me and take a look at the contributions of video game systems past and present, to celebrate each systems merits which directly moved video games into another level of existence- the EVOLUTION of video games, that’s what it’s all about.
I remember wayyy back in 1978 as a kid my mom use to take me and my brother to a Sears department store located in Compton, Ca. and it was there me and my brother was introduced to the Atari 2600. I remember begging my mom to leave us in the department where the Atari 2600 was located while she went shopping, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Ultimately, the Atari 2600 found it’s way to my home and my love for video games was born. The Atari 2600 was a blockbuster success. At its peak, Atari accounted for a third of Time Warner’s annual income and was the fastest-growing company in the history of the United States at the time. Atari, already a force in the arcades starting with pong, helped the evolution of video games by a programming technique called Player Missile Graphics. To achieve this, Atari created 2 custom graphic chips called ANTIC and GTIA. Before this, computer generated graphics were created solely by the the computer’s CPU.
Through innovation (the blood of evolution) Atari invented custom graphic chips to handle graphics and custom sound chips to handle sound which freed the computer’s CPU. These innovations changed the way games were created and are used to this very day. Atari’s Player Missile Graphics allowed a programmer to create a group of sprites called a player and a group of sprites called a missile that is separated from the background. Now you can create an animated figure, move it quickly to any part of the screen consisting of any mixture of graphic modes, and not worry about erasing any part of the existing background. This breakthrough in video game graphics laid the foundation for video game creation for years to come and helped fuel an industry that would eventually rival Hollywood. To those of you who were there doing the days of Atari, if you are like me, you will always shed a tear or two when looking at what has become of Atari and for those of you who had no idea of how important Atari was to the evolution of video games, hopefully this will help. Thanks Atari.
(PART 2- Atari succumbs to internal problems and gives way to another evolutionary company.)
New PUNCH-OUT!! Gameplay Trailer
Little Mac is back in his new Nintendo Wii debut. The super popular Punch-Out!! title is making a return to glory and from the looks of it, all the classic gameplay fun has been kept in tact. Also the new Punch-Out!! is bringing back all of our favorite cartoon boxers like Glass Joe, Von Kaiser, King Hippo and a few new faces have also been added to the mix. Unfortunately there has not been any word of a Mike Tyson appearance but it would be awesome if ‘Iron Mike’ was unlockable.
Be sure to check out the latest Punch-Out!! trailer exclusively for the Nintendo Wii -- Enjoy!
EA Sports Active – Nintendo Wii Video Trailer
For an intense user-friendly work-out right from the comfort of your own home EA is introducing EA Sports Active exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. After checking out EA Sports Active it very cear that EA has given careful consideration to their new Wii workout title and speculations that this is just another WiiFit can erased. The new EA Sports Active comes with 20 distinct workouts, a resistance band and much more. Check out the latest WiiFit video trailer to get a sneek peek into EA’s new video game fitness buzz.
EA’s New Spore Hero & Spore Hero Arena Video
EA’s new Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena are said to released sometime this fall. Be sure to keep your eyes open for these two new exclusives arriving on the Wii and Nintendo DS.
WiiWare One Year Anniversary
Joystiq writes;
On May 12 of last year, Nintendo of America launched the WiiWare download service with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, LostWinds, Defend Your Castle, Pop, VIP Casino: Blackjack, and TV Show King. Today, on the one-year anniversary of that launch, Nintendo sent out a video featuring the highlights of the service’s 81-game lineup.
