And here I thought Natal was the name of some obtuse drug….
News Blips:
Consumers are holding out on "purchase intent" for Natal and PlayStation Move. A research study probed 2,000 gamers to gauge the interest and awareness for the upcoming motion-control hardware from Microsoft and Sony. Interestingly, only 8 percent of Xbox 360 owners plan to purchase Natal, and 6 percent of PlayStation 3 users say they will order Move. Even more peculiar is the number of people who are aware of either tech — a paltry 15 percent. This is a clear sign that we need more commercials featuring clueless actors flailing in front of a TV screen. [Gamasutra]
David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake, isn't involved with Metal Gear Solid: Rising — so far. While it's no secret that the sword-swinging Raiden is the main attraction in the next installment of the series, Hayter indicated that he hasn't been contacted yet for any voice work. "I don’t know if I’m doing 'Metal Gear Rising,'" he told MTV during an interview. "Nobody’s contacted me about it, so I have no idea." That's OK — Raiden can pick up the slack in the raspy voice department.
New details on Rock Band 3's instruments step into the spotlight. The new piano peripheral features a two-octave keyboard (with strap buttons to transform into a keytar) for both regular play and the new Pro mode — an instructional system where players learn a song note by note. A 17-fret Fender Mustang acts as a "simulated" guitar-controller, while the ultraswank Squier Stratocaster is a fully functional six-string electric guitar. The new Pro Drums include an expansion set for three cymbals for use in Pro mode. I think that's everything…unless the microphone is getting a spit shield or something. [GamePro]
Civilization 5 is set to etch its name in history on its release date of September 21. The epic strategy-game series receives a fresh update with significant tweaks to the core gameplay, including a combat overhaul and the change to a hex-based map. The game shall appear at E3, and I can only imagine the amount of babbling languages present in the demo. [Joystiq]
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