As the rest of the tech world scrambles to assess the implications of the recently announced 5,000 layoffs at software giant Microsoft, news has come in that might potentially spell the end of the company’s nearly 30-year-old Flight Simulator series.
Microsoft confirmed Friday that the software giant has shuttered ACES Studios, the developer of the Flight Simulator series of games, whose latest incarnation is Flight Simulator X. The simulation is considered Microsoft’s oldest product, whose original version first shipped in 1982.
However, a Microsoft spokeswoman said that while the studio has been closed, the software company remains committed to the Flight Simulator franchise, without explaining how future products can be launched without a dedicated software development team backing them.
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is a 2008 video game developed by Traveller’s Tales and published by LucasArts. The game allows players to recreate moments (albeit more humorously) from the first three Indiana Jones films. It features the same drop in/out co-operative play mode as seen in the Lego Star Wars video games, although it is restricted to local console play. The game was released on June 3, 2008 in the United States and Canada, and June 6, 2008 in Europe. A downloadable demo for Windows was made available on May 13, 2008.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a point and click adventure game that includes over 120 brain teasers for the player to solve. The game was developed by Level-5 for the Nintendo DS, and is the first installment of the Professor Layton series. The game was released in Japan, and was later released in North America, Australia, South Korea and Europe.
* Game of the Year:
Grand Theft Auto IV (winner)
Gears of War 2
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Fallout 3
LittleBigPlanet
* Studio of the Year:
Media Molecule (winner)
Rockstar North
Harmonix
Bethesda Game Studios
* Best Shooter:
Gears of War 2 (winner)
Left 4 Dead
Resistance 2
Far Cry 2
* Best RPG:
Fallout 3 (winner)
The World Ends With You
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Fable II
* Best Individual Sports Game:
Shaun White Snowboarding (winner)
Skate It
Wii Fit
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
* Best Handheld Game:
Professor Layton and the Curious Village (winner)
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Patapon
God of War: Chains of Olympus
* Best Graphics:
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (winner)
LittleBigPlanet
Gears of War 2
Fallout 3
* Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show:
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (winner)
Naruto: The Broken Bond
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Quantum of Solace
* Best Music Game:
Rock Band 2 (winner)
SingStar
Wii Music
Guitar Hero World Tour
* Best Driving Game:
Burnout Paradise (winner)
Mario Kart Wii
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
PURE
* Best Action Adventure Game:
Grand Theft Auto IV (winner)
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Mirror’s Edge
Dead Space
* Best Soundtrack:
Rock Band 2 (winner)
Guitar Hero World Tour
Grand Theft Auto IV
LittleBigPlanet
* Best Xbox 360 Game:
Gears of War 2 (winner)
Fallout 3
Grand Theft Auto IV
Fable II
* Best Wii Game:
Boom Blox (winner)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
No More Heroes
Wii Fit
* Best PS3 Game:
LittleBigPlanet (winner)
Grand Theft Auto IV
Resistance 2
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
* Best PC Game:
Left 4 Dead (winner)
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Crysis Warhead
Spore
* Best Original Score:
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (winner)
LittleBigPlanet
Spore
Fallout 3
* Best Multiplayer Game:
Left 4 Dead (winner)
Call of Duty: World at War
Resistance 2
Gears of War 2
* Best Independent game:
World of Goo (winner)
PixelJunk Eden
Braid
Audiosurf
* Best Fighting Game:
Soulcalibur IV (winner)
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
* Best Male Voice:
Michael Hollick as Niko Bellic in Grand Theft Auto IV (winner)
Stephen Fry as “The Narrator” in LittleBigPlanet
David Hayter as “Old Snake” in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Jason Zumwalt as “Roman Bellic” in Grand Theft Auto IV
* Best Female Voice:
Debi Mae West as Meryl Silverburgh in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (winner)
Keeley Hawes as “Lara Croft” in Tomb Raider: Underworld
Paula Tiso as “Silvia Christel” in No More Heroes
Nathalie Cox as “Juno Eclipse” in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
* Big Name in the Game Male:
Kiefer Sutherland as Sgt. Roebuck in Call of Duty: World at War (winner)
Liam Neeson as “Father” in Fallout 3
Ricky Gervais as “Himself” in Grand Theft Auto IV
Daniel Craig as “James Bond” in Quantum of Solace
* Big Name in the Game Female:
Jenny McCarthy as Special Agent Tanya Adams in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (winner)
Dame Judi Dench as “M” in Quantum of Solace
Eliza Dushku as “Shaundi” from Saints Row 2
Liv Tyler as “Betty Ross” in The Incredible Hulk
* Best Team Sports Game:
NHL 09
Fifa Soccer 09
NBA 2K9
Madden NFL 09
Spike Video Game Awards – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ten of the best browser arcade games released this year, right here. We’ve got everything from running a 100-metre sprint event, hitting balls out of the park, racing dinosaurs, gigantic swords and even a time-management game in this edition.
Best Freeware Arcade Games 2008
Whether you fancy rescuing the princess, assassinating the president or saving the world, we’ve got everyone’s wishes covered. We humbly present to you IndieGames.com’s special feature on some of the best action and arcade games released in the past twelve months.
From upgraded remakes with painstakingly redrawn and recolored graphics, to the most retro of demakes with blocky pixel art and noisy chiptunes, IndieGames.com has rounded up ten remakes of classic games that you should not miss the second time around.
We’ve compiled a list of twenty adventure games to proof that the genre is still very much alive, with picks such as a western-themed IF, an educational game for both adults and children, a chatroom simulator, a couple of sequels, and even a remake of a past Sierra classic in full VGA glory to satiate anyone’s desire for more questing.
Sony Corp. is closer to breaking even on its new-generation PlayStation 3 videogame console because it costs 35% less to make than the previous model, according to technology-research firm iSuppli Corp.
The electronics giant is locked in a battle with Nintendo Co.’s Wii and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 for control of the videogame-console market. The cost cuts could help stanch the hardware red ink at Sony, which sold the previous-generation PS3 at a significant loss, making up for it with game-title sales and royalties.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information.
