[PS3, X360] Rumour: Ratings board lists Resident Evil: Revelations for consoles

[PS3, X360] Rumour: Ratings board lists Resident Evil: Revelations for consoles

Resident Evil 6 is behind us now and Resident Evil 7 is likely years away, so what's the best way for Capcom to keep the franchise going until a new entry is released? It seems as though throwing together a port might be the answer.

VG247 reports that a listing surfaced on the Korean Ratings Board suggesting that Resident Evil: Revelations is making its way to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

This move shouldn't be a surprise to anyone really, Resident Evil: Revelations didn't make nearly as many mistakes as Resident Evil 6 did and was generally well-received. Bringing it to a wider audience makes sense, but time will tell if this actually ends up being true. Would any of you guys be interested in picking this up for console? Personally, I'd like to see Capcom include the Wii U in this as well if they're going to do a console port.

Capcom are staying quiet at the moment, we'll update you as soon as we learn more.

Written by: Kyran Morrison

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Tony Hawk says Ride was 'a bit rushed,' still thinks critics didn't give his board a chance

by David Hinkle on Mar 8th 2012 8:15PM

Even after all this time, Tony Hawk's stance is firm regarding the poorly received Shred and Ride games. He thinks critics made up their mind before giving the games and associated peripheral an honest chance -- even in the case of Ride, which he admits "was a bit rushed" due to time spent prototyping the board.

"I think that Ride was a bit rushed for a number of reasons, mostly because probably for about the first half of the development process it was just figuring out how to make a board and how to make it work -- we were in uncharted territory," he told Joystiq during an interview at GDC. "So the game was a bit rushed, but I still feel like the critics never really gave it a chance in terms of learning how to play. They got on it and went straight into expert mode, because supposedly they're expert gamers. And they didn't really learn the mechanics of how the board works, and so I felt like they already had their mind made up before it came out. It was a gimmick and it was a peripheral and whatnot, and they never really took the time to learn how to play it."

Its sequel, Tony Hawk Shred, was the game he thought Ride should've been, Hawk said. "I thought Shred was the game I wanted Ride to be, because I really felt like the board was more than just a skateboard, and it could be used as a snowboard. But by the time Shred came out, the peripherals were fading away, so it was bad timing in that respect, I guess. But I'm proud of the idea and I'm glad we took a chance because it was something bold to try and it was bad timing in the end."

But why make a board peripheral in the first place? Hawk said it's because of the dominance of peripheral-based gaming at the time -- remember Guitar Hero? -- the introduction of the Skate series, and because the Pro Skater series had become "diluted."

"It was mostly because the series had gotten really diluted," Hawk said. "Skate was coming into play and that really split the market for us. So I thought it was really time to do something new and peripheral-based games were very big right then and I felt like we could do something that is more revolutionary -- that's what we set out to do. I really do feel like the board we created was ahead of its time. It read your every motion." And if you're one of those individuals hoping for another peripheral-based skateboarding game from the vert champ, don't hold your breath.

Hawk has no hard feelings toward the Skate series. EA would ultimately bail on the franchise after its third installment -- though EA hasn't publicly said it wouldn't return to Skate in the future -- but Hawk lauded the series for its unique control scheme. "I appreciated that someone could come out with a new control scheme for a skaterboarding game. That was very unique and progressive. Honestly, I was happy that skating had come so far as a genre in video games that you could have two main titles. Prior to that, some people had tried to do skating games, but they were just copying us." Thrasher: Skate and Destroy, anyone?

Hawk's primary focus now is on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, something he hopes he'll be able to build upon through DLC characters and levels from other Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games.

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Alleged former THQ staffer sends furious note to board, press

by Alexander Sliwinski on Jan 25th 2012 9:10AM

An anonymous letter sent to media and THQ's board of directors, allegedly written by a former employee of THQ, rains fire on the company's management and, specifically, CEO Brian Farrell. The letter arrives the same day as THQ announces another strategic realignment, a little over a week after the company had to spin a major cancellation rumor and over a month after THQ's stock dropped below $1.

"It is to the point where having [THQ] on your resume is not a point in your favor. And that shouldn't be the case," the "Formerly Mismanaged" writes. "I'm/We're sending this note anonymously because some of us are still awaiting final checks and others know how little corporations like employees who air their dirty laundry. We feel the need to say something to combat the partial misinformation being written."

The Formerly Mismanaged lays out its belief that the beginning of the end came when the cash rich company went on an acquisition spree years ago, allegedly "with no plan" -- many of those studios have since been shuttered or sold off. Then came what the accuser(s) call bad licensing deals and the most recent business miscalculation with the uDraw tablet, which caused the company to lower its fiscal outlook for the year.

The scope of THQ's problems is expected to come into slightly better focus when it announces its current financial position on February 2. Wedbush Morgan Financial Analyst Michael Pachter has pointed out he believes THQ will generate a "substantial loss" at the end of its fiscal year and that "THQ is at risk of running out of cash by the June 2012 quarter."

You can read the entire letter by "The Formerly Mismanaged" after the break.
Full "Formerly Mismanaged" Letter:

"To:
THQ Board of Directors
Lawrence Burstein
James Whims, Gigex, Inc.
Henry DeNero, Arcturus Capital
Brian Dougherty, AirSet, Inc.
Jeffrey Griffiths , Lumber Liquidators

From:
Current and Ex-Employees, Shareholders, and The Public

Dear THQ Board,
I am an ex-employee at THQ. I saw the tweet-started headlines over the past week from an "industry expert." This expert is one who I and my friends and co-workers in the industry have never heard of after a long time in the field. I had been reading the various following articles and accounts and it generated sympathy for friends both recently laid off and currently still there. I thought it would be a good idea to send a note with their input. This note has honest facts and thoughts about THQ and the current problems there. Most of these facts are public knowledge and they have been confirmed by public records or can be confirmed by current and former THQ staff there both before and after my and their time.

I have long felt the need to explain to outsiders how this beaten-down company has wound up in this position. It is to the point where having it on your resume is not a point in your favor. And that shouldn't be the case. I'm/We're sending this note anonymously because some of us are still awaiting final checks and others know how little corporations like employees who air their dirty laundry. We feel the need to say something to combat the partial misinformation being written.
THQ had been known through the years for having a formula. They find a hot license, make a cheap game, barely advertise it, and make money. This formula worked during the Playstation and Xbox and Gameboy days and made the company a lot of cash. Unfortunately, THQ's old guard executives seem to be stuck trying to manage the company the same way they did back then and haven't realized the industry has changed.

The beginning of the end came years ago as Brian Farrell lead an executive team to acquire a large number of studios. A large amount of cash was used in the acquisition or setup of game developers with different degrees of talent. The problem was they were bought without strategic reasoning or specific plan on to use them. So after awhile another large amount of money was spent as those studios failed and were sold off and shut down. The executive team at the time were an entirely different group of people with one key exception in the CEO. The CEO/the then executive team wasted the cash that the company had built up with these massive investments and selloffs.
The studio purchase errors were not helped by the mistakes in the licensing deals that were signed by the same CEO. Millions and millions of dollars were wasted on acquiring licenses at the same time the kids, family, casual business was declining at a rapid rate. Instead of slowing those acquisitions he overpaid for more of them until again cash was wasted in paying for brands that didn't sell well anymore.

The mistakes in decisions and cash losses triggered wave after wave of layoffs. In the most recent wave, about 40 people lost their jobs this past December through no fault of their own. The reason why is the chronic and constant mismanagement of their company. The fact is that the CEO and executive committee were so focused on trying to hit an unrealistic financial goal that they bet everything on an extremely risky proposition in the uDraw tablet. When they lost, they further displayed their lack of management skills by not having a contingency plan. Three weeks after the game launched, an entire business unit was wiped out when it didn't meet its goal due to relying on that one product to hit an unrealistic target.

After the layoffs many ex-employees walked around shell-shocked and trying to figure out who was responsible. They came to the understanding that most of us do after leaving the company. The issue with THQ has never been one of lack of staff creativity, intellect or business intelligence. It all rests of the failure of its management team and you the Board of Directors.

This Board has allowed the Brian Farrell, the CEO, the ongoing ability to take a cash-rich profitable company and drive it from a $30 share price down to around $.70 without acting despite numerous mistakes that even for those lacking business training, could see were errors. Even without glaring mistakes how can the same CEO stay in charge after a 99% share price loss? Aside from the board, who is responsible for the current situation and who is accountable for the current and future job losses at the company? When you ask the recently departed who are a good source of information, you get the same answers. This uDraw failure is the largest and most recent one in a string of them that were hushed over and hidden. The answer aside from the Board is the current executive team that allowed this uDraw implosion to happen.
Brian Farrell, CEO with a 2011 salary of $1,289,558, for a lack of business intelligence or fiscal accountability. A vocal inside group pointed out the mistake of trying to launch a year-old product that received almost no software support in the last 12 months. Instead of listening and having a back-up plan, he went ahead and invested a ridiculous amount of money in the manufacturing and advertising of the product and failed miserably. It is passed time for him to go. We are wondering what is taking so long for you to act. We have been wondering this same question for a long time.

Martin Good, EVP and head of Kids, Family, Casual with a 2011 salary of $1,198,023, for bringing no strategic thought or business sense to the role. He was brought out from Australia sales to replace an outgoing head of the business unit and rapidly displayed a complete lack of leadership skills, vision, and any sort of analytical sense. Looking at his compensation package, he is an excellent negotiator as his salary is higher than anyone's except for the CEO. On the plus side he lost his job with the rest of those laid off. On the minus side, he will be floating down on a golden parachute while the rest of the former employees scramble to look for jobs in this challenging environment. Most of those jobs will be at studios in other parts of the country, so they will be forced to relocate their families in the middle of their childrens school years. It is incredible that he made this level of income while doing such a poor job, but it serves as a reflection of the lack of Brian Farrell's ability to staff well and manage.
Paul Pucino, CFO with a 2011 salary of $674,855, for not planning for this possibility and having a safety net or a plan to cover THQ just in case of failure. We have a line of credit that we likely used to buy the plastic that is not selling to customers. It is like taking a cash advance to buy THQ stock and just as worthless of an investment. Paul is known as an absentee executive who is missing when business situations gets complicated. While he was in the loop at the point of the risk, with the following failure he has been clearly unavailable. It is another example of Brian Farrell's inability to staff.

Ian Curran, EVP and head of global publishing with a 2011 salary of $1,037,047, for not flagging an unrealistic sales goal to the CEO or the Board when a big part of the corporation felt the numbers were unrealistic. He blindly held up an unachievable target and didn't act when multiple people told him he was aiming to high and out of step with the marketplace. If a sales executive's job is to anticipate the market, he has done a poor job of it. Another example of Brian Farrell not being able to find the right people for the right job.

Ed Kauffman, EVP of Legal and Business Affairs who clearly was signing bad deals on licensed products, not factoring in the changes in the business and being more critical with financial terms with partners. uDraw by itself cannot possibly explain the companies poor financial health. It is a combination of that product and a string of bad licensed deals that the company took on against better judgement. While Brain Farrell would logically be the final decisionmaker for deals, Kauffman is either unpersuasive in his arguments to not do them or supported them. Either situation equates to another example of poor staffing choices by the CEO.
uDraw was failure and the only people to blame are the people listed above. THQ and its current financial situation is also their responsibility. And they were paid around $4.5 million dollars for their poor decisions. If there is any doubt we would recommend talking to current and former staff to get the straight story. Don't read this note as bitterness on their part, but more as long overdue truth.

So, Board, it is time. Passed time for you to act and passed time for you to do something about the mismanagement that has gone on for too many years. We've watched the stock from the outside and read the comments and the reason why the company is valued so low despite its sales is because of this underqualified management team.
Board it is time for you to act before your names are added to the list above of things that must change.
Sincerely,

The Formerly Mismanaged"

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Gamescom 2011 exhibitors revealed, Valve on board

by Richard Mitchell on Jun 17th 2011 12:30PM

Europe's Gamescom 2011 convention is starting to take shape, with a hefty list of exhibitors revealed by GameCloud. The list includes most of the major players from E3, including Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Capcom, EA. Activision was notably absent from the list, which is odd given that it usually attends the convention. Gamescom will also be sporting some exhibitors not seen at E3, chief among them being Valve and NCSoft.

Just what Valve has planned is anyone's guess. Dota 2, perhaps (we've heard it's kind of a big deal over there). NCSoft, on the other hand, is almost certain to show off its upcoming MMO, Guild Wars 2. Rest assured, we'll be on hand to see what the fuss is about.

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Fortune Street favors the board game fan

by JC Fletcher on Jun 8th 2011 7:30AM

Of all the surprises Nintendo tossed out during E3, none was as random as Fortune Street. And it's weird whether you know the history or not; if you don't pay attention to old imports, it's just a Mario/Dragon Quest board game for Wii, which is unquestionably bizarre. But for those of us in the know about relatively obscure crossover games, Fortune Street is the left-field localization of a series that has been a fixture in Japan since 1991: Itadaki Street.

Itadaki Street, created by Dragon Quest's Yuji Horii, is a video board game series about buying shops on spaces on the board, charging other players for occupying those shops Monopoly-style, and increasing your wealth by clever placement of yourself and your holdings (passing by the "bank" increases the value of stuff you own, as does owning contiguous blocks) and through manipulation of a "stock market."

I didn't happen to see the stock market in my quick demo, but I did buy a clothing shop and other assorted businesses on the board ... as a slime, which is pretty wonderful to think about. The corners of the Bowser-themed board had playing card suits (spade, club, etc.) which would deliver a cash bonus if all four were collected and then the Bank was crossed. I didn't hit that milestone, but I did land on one of those suits, which gave me a chance to draw a card for a random effect like more pay for my businesses, or (what I got) the opportunity to buy any one space on the board.

Some previous Itadaki Streets have featured crossovers between Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest; the 2007 DS iteration was the first to mix Mario and the RPG mainstay. This first-ever North American release will be out on Wii this holiday season. Check out a trailer after the break.

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'Family Game Night 4: The Game Show' got bored with board games

by James Ransom-Wiley on May 3rd 2011 4:15PM

The crazy thing is: Yahtzee played with a giant rubber bawl and bowling pins, instead of the traditional cup and dice, is actually a better idea for a video game -- especially one compatible with Kinect and PlayStation Move.

The crazier thing is: The Family Game Night 4 video game includes fewer than half of the minigames featured in the Family Game Night television game show on which it's based. You can't even begin to imagine how "Operation Relay" is going to work in your living room -- you just have to wait for the EA Hasbro division's next sequel.

Family Game Night 4: The Game Show will be released this fall for Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and features support for motion control on all three platforms. It includes five minigames adapted from The Hub channel's Family Game Night game show, including "Bop-It Boptagon," "Connect 4 Basketball," "Scrabble Flash," "Sorry! Sliders" and "Yahtzee Bowling."

[Image credit: Hub Television Networks]

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'Burnout Crash' classified by Aussie ratings board

by Alexander Sliwinski on Apr 4th 2011 11:45AM

The Australian Classification Review Board has revealed Burnout Crash, an unannounced, PG-rated title to be published by Electronic Arts. Aside from being listed for multiple platforms, no other details on Burnout Crash have been made known.

The Burnout series has been on hiatus since Paradise, which developer Criterion supported with extensive DLC for a good span of time after launch, before moving on to last year's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. The last thing we heard about Burnout came from EA senior VP Patrick Soderlund, who assured us the franchise was far from dead.

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Student Cockpit Concept Puts <b>Wii</b> Balance Board In The Pilot's Seat

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EA Sports® Active Step Up Board for Nintendo Wii FitTM

Compatible with EA Sports® Active Personal Trainer and EA Sports® Active More Workouts. Also compatible with Ninteno Wii FitTM. Cross platform capabilities for Xbox 360TM and PS3®.

Price: $24.99

Click here to buy from Amazon