Rockstar may dissolve relationship with Team Bondi

Things are not looking good for Team Bondi, the studio behind L.A. Noire, after allegations of cruel management and an investigation into such by the IGDA. Now, the Sydney, Australia-based company may need to look for a new publisher.

“Rockstar used to be very keen on making Team Bondi something like ‘Rockstar Sydney’ – the more they worked with Team Bondi management, the more they came to understand that this was a terrible idea,” an anonymous source told Industry Gamers. “I’ve heard a lot about Rockstar’s disdain for Team Bondi, and it has been made quite clear that they will not publish Team Bondi’s next game.”

Of course, it’s hard to question the management of a game that turned out so good, but the source claims, “Rockstar also pitched in with programmers, animators, artists, QA, etc. Part of the conflict between Team Bondi and Rockstar was due to Rockstar’s frustration with Team Bondi’s direction, and eventually Team Bondi’s management in turn resented Rockstar for taking lots of creative control.”

I seriously doubt Team Bondi will have a hard time searching for a new publisher given how well the game has sold. But hopefully the studio can adequately deal with a lot of the negative press it has received.

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Sony announces PSN, Qriocity restoration in Japan

After being offline for two and a half months in Japan, the PlayStation Network and Qriocity will finally be restored on July 6. Phased restoration for Japan started on May 28. The ApocalyPS3 began when Sony Network Entertainment International shut everything down on April 20, after they discovered malicious activity. After a PR nightmare involving stolen passwords and credit card information, as well as what felt like a half-hearted gesture of good will (I mean, come on, most of us already have all those games), services were restored in America, Europe, and parts of Asia on June 2. Hong Kong followed on June 14, and South Korea on June 24.

All services will be available in Japan starting on the 6, including:

  • Full functionality on PlayStation Store
  • In-game commerce
  • Ability to redeem vouchers and codes
  • Full functionality on “Video On Demand powered by Qriocity across all compatible devices
  • Full functionality on Media Go

There will also be a “Welcome Back” package available to Japanese users as well.

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Second Chances: 5 Games That Deserve Another Look

Gaming is a time-consuming hobby. Unlike music or movies, which require a minimal investment, video games can be lengthy and involved affairs. As such, it’s much easier to miss out on really good games that come and go without much notice. Perhaps it’s because of a bad release date, or maybe it just didn’t get heavy distribution or advertising. Hell, maybe it doesn’t have a good Metacritic score, or it was completely ignored on gaming message boards. Regardless of the reason why, some games just don’t make it, and that’s a shame. That’s why we’re here, though – to pick out some unheralded gems and give them the attention they so richly deserve. They might not be able to compete with the heaviest of hitters, the so-called “AAA” games that sell millions, but they present entertaining gaming experiences all the same.

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Miyamoto and Cuthbert taught each other Japanese and English, respectively

When Dylan Cuthbert first went to Japan to show off a 3D engine for the Game Boy, he was 18 and didn’t speak a word of Japanese. When he came back to work for Nintendo, he worked on his grasp of the language with none other than Miyamoto himself. The father of PixelJunk and the father of Mario engaged in a language exchange while developing Star Fox for the SNES.

This interesting fact came up in the latest “Iwata Asks,” celebrating the Star Fox series and the upcoming Star Fox 64 3D, of which Cuthbert is directing. The interview also touches on the unreleased Star Fox 2, and should be available soon with the other English translations in the 3DS developers section.

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The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Collector’s Edition: longbow not included

The Lord of the Rings is a huge franchise, and as such, WB Games is preparing a $130 collector’s edition for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.

The awesome quiver to your left contains the game, an art book, three songs from the soundtrack, and a behind-the-scenes DVD about the making of the game. The Xbox 360 version also comes with a Ranger XBL Avatar, while the PlayStation 3 version includes a Theme Pack. I got to check out War in the North at the last two PAXes, and I have to say, it does look pretty good. If you’re a Rings fan, this is one collector’s edition you may not become ashamed of.

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North releases on August 24 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

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Daily Scoop: July 5, 2011 – Patriotic savings!

The 4th of July has come and gone, but the savings still remain! The Internet is buzzing with deals, deals, deals. How many games did you buy this weekend?

Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is Namco’s Tekken 6 Limited Edition Wireless Fight Stick Bundle for the Xbox 360. It’s just $37.99 today, and includes the game, the Hori fight stick, and an art book. This is a good deal for any fan of the franchise! Also on Amazon is this ridiculous buy one, get one free sale, which includes Mini Ninjas for $25.55 on the PS3, Lost Planet 2 for $19.82 on the Xbox 360, this insane Wii Bowling Ball for $16.54, and much, much more. In addition to all that, Amazon’s also having another weekly deal, with Duke Nukem Forever at $37.99 for the regular edition and $79.99 for the Balls of Steel Edition, Hunted: The Demon’s Forge at $39.99 on PS3 and Xbox 360 and $29.99 on PC, and Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident for the DS only $14.99. Whew. That’s a lotta deals!

And there’s still more. Gamestop is also having a sale, with Tron: Evolution Collectors Edition for the PS3 and Xbox 360 marked down to $49.99 from $129.99, as well as God of War III for $14.99 (OMG). And F.3.A.R. seems to be on sale everywhere – it’s $39.99 on consoles and $29.99 on PC at Gamestop, and they’re also running a deal where you can get it bundled with the DVD or Blu-ray of Sucker Punch for $64.99 and $74.99, respectively. Now’s your chance to grab some games on the cheap!

No gaming t-shirts, but today’s Ript shirt gave me pause:

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PSN’s “Welcome Back” program extended to July 5

After you finish celebrating the 4th of July today, Sony wants to remind you that there’s just one day left in their “Welcome Back” program. The program was actually scheduled to end yesterday, but it’s been extended, so the last chance for all you PS3/PSP owners to get your free games is Tuesday, July 5 at 9 AM Pacific Time.

In addition to the free games, Sony is offering a variety of other freebies to make up for the month-long PlayStation Network outage including a 30-day PlayStation Plus subscription and 100 virtual items in PlayStation Home.

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See 12 minutes of Batman: Arkham City gameplay in new trailer

This 4th of July weekend, it’s important to remember that if there’s one comic book character who stands for truth, justice and the American way… it’s Batman!

Wait… I don’t think that’s right…

Anyway, WB Games and developer Rocksteady have released over 12 minutes of Batman: Arkham City gameplay footage including Catwoman taking down a bunch of thugs, getting captured by Two-Face and Batman’s rescue mission. And trust me, there’s no shortage of fireworks when those three get together.

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