I am Psych..... :P

Well, as some of you may already have noticed, a lot of sites have been plugging us because I predicted Mario & Sonic at The Olympics, about 3 years ago.

Well, if you guys are impressed by that, then you are not going to believe what I predicted last year (November 18th of 2006 to be exact). It's a prediction so shocking, you might not believe what you hear. It's a prediction from five years in the future!

But to hear it, you are going to have to listen to episode 20 of GamersCast (I'll announce it early in the show, so you don't have to wait), which is being recorded tomorrow evening, and should be available to download by Saturday morning.

More Xbox 360 Elite Details

Earlier this week, we posted about how Microsoft will be releasing the Xbox 360 Elite, and we got more details. First off, Japan will not be getting the new console (the current 360 is suffering there as it is) and it will be shipped on April 29, 2007. Microsoft has also confirmed that the Elite is not a limited edition model, as previously thought. Also, being contradictory to previous thought, the internal hardware of the console will remain the same, with the exception of an HDMI port in the rear, in addition to the already existing ports. The console is also bundled with:

- A 120GB Hard Drive
- An Ethernet Cable
- A black headset
- A cable to port data from your old 360 to your new one

Despite the new system, Microsoft says that all games will still be made to be optimized the 20GB HDD, so that nobody needs to buy any additional hardware.
Microsoft is also shipping some new Xbox 360 accessories on the launch date, which include:

- A wireless black controller ($50)
- A black Play & Charge Kit ($20)
- A rechargeable battery back ($12)

Though they are now launching this new console, Microsoft said they still feel that their Pro model will continue to sell the best.

Old Rivals come together at last.....

Back in the 1990s, Mario, who was known as the king of platformers was challenged by Sega's blue hedgehog, Sonic. And so throughout the 16-bit console wars the two combat, though it was hard to tell which was better, until Mario took the 1st leap into 64-bit gaming with Super Mario 64. Sonic attempted the feat a few years later on the Dreamcast, not making nearly as much noise. So, in the minds of gamers, Mario was the clear winner. However, this rivalry became legendary.

Just today, Sega and Nintendo had announced a new game where both Sonic and Mario would be present, entitled, "Sonic & Mario at the Olympics" The game has been set for a Christmas Day release in both Japan and Europe, though it's estimated the US release will be in the same time frame. The game will be playable for both the Nintendo DS and the Wii. Though the game is primarily being developed by Sega, Shigeru Miyamoto will also be taking a lead role in the development, and characters from both franchises will be present.
Of course, the question then came up about Sonic being playable in Super Smash Brothers Brawl, but both Sega and Nintendo refused to comment.
But hey, maybe this could finally be the game to turn around the slump that the Sonic series has been going through! Only time will tell.

Shining Wii

Our service formerly known as "WiiGlow" is now known as "Shining Wii" due to copyright violations. Because of this, to turn on your Wii's WiiConnect24 Disc Slot you must now simply send an e-mail to: ShiningWii@Gmail.com

Anyone who tries sending an e-mail to the former "Wii Glow" address will receive a message informing them of this.

http://www.gamerscastpodcast.com/wiiglow will be updated with this information soon as well, and the following URL will replace it:


http://www.gamerscastpodcast.com/shiningwii


We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Wii Browser Delayed until April

It was recently reported that Opera's Nintendo Wii Web Browser will be availible sometime during April, though the exact date has not yet been announced. Previously, it was stated that the web browser would be available during the end of March, but seeing as March is now ending, it must have been, though it is not known on why. The web browser will be free of charge through June. After June, it will be priced at 500 wii points ($5). Currently, only the following changes were confirmed:

- Improved zooming and scrolling
- An improved zoomed font
- Shortened startup times
- Quicker access to 'favorites'
- An ability to erase the toolbar
- Buttons that instantly type common preset letters, such as 'www' or '.com'



All other changes are simply rumors, though it can be assumed the some more scripts would be allowed, along with some more Flash, video, and/or possibly Java.

Zephyr is Elite!

Well, the Zephyr is now real with an actual name! It is known as Xbox 360 Elite. Here's the specs:

- Comes in a limited edition black color
- Comes with limited edition black headset
- Despite Rumors there is no internal wifi or HD-DVD
- New Packaging
- Priced at $479

So, now all three Xbox 360 models are going to be sold in stores, though there is no word on any sort of price drop on the older models. Believe it or not, it is expected to come out in April! We're also going to be talking about this on episode 20 of GamersCast!

Pic:

Gears of War Movie

Well, New Line Cinema just secured the rights to a Gears of War movie! WOW, we have seen way too many possible game movies. Well, I guess there's yet another thing you can tack on to our list of things to talk about in episode 20 (see post below this).

Episode 20 for this weekend!

At long last episode 20 is will be here this weekend! This episode was way overdue, but it was worth the wait! This time around, we will as always be joined by Adam Shear. But now, we have a brand-new host on the show, who has actually been working with the podcast for over a year now! So, now that he finally has a microphone, Mr. Stephen Caskey will be on the show, at long last! After a few quick, updates, and announcements here is what will be going on, in the show:

Announcements:


- I talk about future interactive podcast segements (PO Box, Phone Hotline, Tournaments, Voicemails, etc.)
- I talk about our new service: Wii Glow
- I very quickly thank listeners for continuing to support the podcast

Discussions:

- iPhone Games?
- Dreamcast on the Virtual Console?
- N64 Emulation Issues?
- Flaws in the Wii Menu
- I reveal something beyond belief about Nintendo
- GDC Keynote Discussions
- The Zephyr News
- Metal Gear Solid Movie
- Looking back at movies from games
- Gamecube Dies!
- Console Sales Statistics
- 1st Party Site Statistics
- Wii Web Browser
- Good ideas, that will never happen
- Why we hate certain consoles and companies
- The mind reading Epoc Helmet
- And more!


All of this will be coming in Episode 20 of GamersCast, this weekend!

We've hit the iTunes cap!

Well, we have now gone over the cap on iTunes. In case you didn't know, iTunes will only show the latest 101 episodes of a podcast on their music store page, and now we have gone over that limit. So, our older content will no longer be availible via the iTunes Music Store Page. However, you can still download these episodes if you are a subscriber to the podcast on iTunes, then every episode can be managed in the podcasts section of iTunes.

Because of this, we are now working on creating a directory of all our podcast episodes, to be displayed on the site.

Until this happens, you better get what you want from iTunes now, because last year's E3 content is gonna be the first to go! Here's the link to the music store:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=79240767

Nintendo Game Sales - February 2007

Why was it that only Nintendo's stats were published? Who knows, but once Sony and Microsoft's stats come out, we'll let you know!

In February 2007, the best selling system was not the Wii, but actually it was the Nintendo DS (whether it was the Lite, or original, or both is unknown), selling a total of 485,000 units! However, the Wii still has second selling 335,000 units. Now that may not sound like much, but Nintendo only sent out 335,000 units in Febrauary, showing that every system shipped has been sold!

Combined together, the two platforms were represented by over half of all sales in February! WOW!

PSP 2 Confirmed.... again?

Alright, last year we hear about a PSP 2.
At GDC, they say the idea was cancelled.
And now, only a week later, they say it's back again!
MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!

This time, it was confirmed by the managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment UK (Ray Maguire). The only details revealed about the new upcoming system is that it will be more "pocket friendly", but if that's the only change after all the hype, I don't think it'll help too much. Especially, with the rumors of its tentative capabilities.

Keep mind that, this may only confirm a PSP 2 for Europe, but as for everyone else, we might not see it at all.

1st Party Websites get more visits

Well, a new report out shows that Nintendo.com has gotten a 91% increase in unique users, since Febrauary of last year. Most likely, this is due to the success of the wii.


Microsoft's website also got a considerable 47% increase in users since last year. This is probably due the Xbox 360 getting so many good titles in the past year.


And last but not least, Sony's website, well, it dropped. Yes, Sony is the only gaming company who's site viewers has dropped since last year. This is beyond doubt the work of the PS3, and if you ask me, the only reason they didn't lose even more is because of PS2's continuing success. Unfortunately, now that God of War II has been released, it might just be the end of the reign of PS2. But we'll have to wait, to be sure.


But hey, even our website has quadrupled in unique users over the past year, so maybe there is hope for Sony (probably not....)!

GDC 07: New Super Paper Mario Videos

As part of us, reorganizing our posts, we are replacing the existing GDC videos with Flash 7 version of the (via YouTube). All videos from GDC will also be added to the podcast feed.

As far as Super Paper Mario goes, not only are we just replacing the two videos that were up with flash ones, but also adding 3 more, making a total of five! These videos will be available this weekend (I'll edit this post) right here and on the podcast feed.

Update:All 5 videos are now on the podcast feed. The Flash versions are coming soon!

Blast from the Past: Mario 128 Technical Demo

Not too many people seemed to have ever seen the technical demo that is so often referred to by the gaming media, at Spaceworld 2000. But of course, almost everyone now-a-days has heard of it. Now that we know exactly what happened to Mario 128, here's a little blast from the past! This video is going to be exclusively available to the podcast feed, so here's the link:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=79240767&s=143441&i=14691338

New Nintendo Wii/Mii Commercials

Shortly after GDC 2007 concluded, Nintendo announced that starting next week, they will be airing two new television commercials, featuring the Mii Channel (possibly to also indirectly hype the new one). Both of these are availible for viewing on YouTube (below), but they will also be availible soon on the podcast feed, with both commercials merged together as one file.

GDC 2007 Post Re-Organization

Hey guys, we're are soon going to be re-organizing all of the posts on this page. The reason being is, we were testing different formats of videos on this page and were testing to how well each format would work. Well, now that GDC has ended I am going to be changing all of the GDC videos to Flash (YouTube) format. And all of the videos from GDC seen here that were not on the podcast feed will be added to the podcast feed. However, the keynotes conferences will not be changed to Flash form, as it is in compatible with YouTube. This post will be deleted once the re-organization concludes.

GDC 07: Nintendo Keynote Speech Video

Well, this year's Game Developers Conference is now officially over. So, for our last post of this year's Game Developers Conference (well there may be one or two more later), here's the video of Shigeru Miyamoto's Keynote Speech at GDC 2007. And let me tell you right now, this video was insanely hard to get my hands on, and between security loads conversions and merges, that's why it took so long to get up. So, here is one of the only places you can see it. It's also availible up on the podcast feed, so that you can download the video, and watch it on your iPod or MP4 device . Remember, next year's conference will be starting on February 18, 2008 for five days, as always. But don't fret we'll still have loads of gaming coverage as news breaks. Just because GDC is over, doesn't mean we'll stop keeping you informed. And of course, there's loads of gaming events to look foward to in the rest of 2007. So, keep it parked right here with GamersCast, for the latest, up-to-date video game news. And without further adue, here is Nintendo's GDC 2007 Keynote Speech, given by Shigeru Miyamoto (.MP4 format only):

GDC 07: No More Heroes Trailer

GDC 07: Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Trailer

The next game in the Elder Scrolls series is coming for the PC! Here's the trailer:

GDC 07: PSP 2 is cancelled

Today at GDC Sony has changed their mind about making a PSP 2, as they said there is currently no need to do so. But they also said that some new functionality will be added to the PSP later on this year.

GDC 07: Big Brain Academy Wii Video

Nintendo has made a sequal for their popular DS Brain Game, Big Brain Academy. Here's the trailer:

GDC 07: Phantom Hourglass Trailer

Well, Phantom Hourglass was officially announced at the 2006 Game Developers Conference, so it's only proper to give us a trailer from the game this year. At the show, they had a multiplayer demo running on display. Here's the trailer (also on the podcast feed):

GDC 07: Sony Keynote Speech Video

Here's the video for Sony's Keynote speech at GDC, this video is also on the podcast feed for download, but unfortunetely, it will only be availible in .MP4 format:

GDC 07: Super Mario Galaxy Trailer

One of the most anticipated Mario titles of all-time is coming this year. It WAS Super Mario 128, and now it IS Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii. And the video is availible here (in Flash 7 format) and on the podcast feed. Here is the GDC 2007 trailer:

GDC 07: Forza Motorsport 2 Trailer

GDC 07: Mario Strikers Charged Video

New video from Mario Strikers Charged has finally surfaced. I'm not all too excited about this release just because of the other enormous titles that are coming out, but I thought I might as well post it for those who are looking foward to it:

GDC 07: Next new Wii Channel (kinda) Revealed!

At his keynote today, Shigueru Miyamoto said he was working on a new wii channel. On this channel users would be able to compare and have popularity contests with your miis and other miis all over the world. No other details aside from this were revealed, but my guess is that the channel will more than likely launch in April. And we still are working on getting the keynote video up, as quickly as possible.

GDC 07: Nintendo's Keynote

Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo gave the keynote at this year's Game Developer Conference, after just winning the lifetime achivement award yesterday. We'll have the video for you here and on the the podcast feed, very soon...

GDC 07: New Super Paper Mario

Wow! The new video footage from Super Paper Mario looks a lot better than I ever would have expected from this game! Check it out:

GDC 07: Mind Controlled Video Games

Hmmm.... I could've sworn some Sci-Fi movie called this somewhere around at least 2015, but I'm cool with it. Ed Fries of Emotiv Systems has revealed his mind-controlled video game helmet! This helmet reads your mind, so you can think things like "jump, push, pull, or run" to control your characters in video games. It is called the "Project Epoc" helmet. Somehow they announced a 2008 release. I smell controversy!

I dunno, but this guy sounds like anti-Nintendo to me. They're both trying to get people into their video games more. One by moving more, and another by not moving at all!

GDC Choice Award Results are in

Well, the results for this year's Game Developer's Choice Awards results are now in. They are actually quite flabbergasting and not what I would have expected at all (especially for Best Game). The results are as follows:

Best Game
Gears of War (Xbox 360)

Character Design
Okami (PS2)

Game Design
Wii Sports (Wii)

Innovation
Okami (PS2)
Wii Sports (Wii)
Bosjan Cadez (Flash)

Audio
Guitar Hero II (PS2)

Writing
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii & GCN)

Technology
Gears of War (Xbox 360)

Visual Arts
Gears of War (Xbox 360)

New Studio
Titan Quest (Iron Lore)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo)

Maverick Award
Greg Costikyan (Manifesto Games)

Community Contribution
George Sanger

Penguin Award
Alexey Pajitnov (Nintendo)



w00t! I actually beat IGN to posting this, by ten minutes!

GDC 07: Sony Keynote Address

Today Phil Harrison gave Sony's Keynote Address for this year's Game Developers Conference this morning. Within a few minutes we will have the video of this keynote on this page (in Flash 7 format) and on the podcast feed. We'll have Shigeru Miyamoto's keynote soon as well.

GDC 07: Nintendo shows off Wii Lineup Dates

Finally, we have dates for a lot of upcoming Wii games! There are a few 1st party titles to note on the list, and now we finally no how long Mario Party 8 was delayed for, but unfortunately it also crushes the rumor of it having online play. Here is the list (this may be a bit painful for those who are viewing Wii Newsletter version of this):

• Super Paper Mario: April 9 - Nintendo
  
• Prince of Persia Rival Swords: April - Ubisoft
  
• Bust-A-Move Bash - April - Majesco
  
• Bionicle Heroes - April - Eidos
  
• Mortal Kombat: Armageddon - May 15 - Midway
  
• Mario Party 8 - May 29 - Nintendo
  
• Tamagotchi Party On - May - Namco Bandai
  
• Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End - May - Disney Interactive
  
• Escape from Bug Island - May - Eidos
  
• Spider-Man The Movie 3 - May - Activision
  
• Big Brain Academy - June 11 - Nintendo
  
• Pokemon Battle Revolution - June 25 - Nintendo
  
• Cosmic Family - June - Ubisoft
  
• Heatseeker - Spring - Codemasters
  
• Legend of the Dragon - Q2 - American Game Factory
  
• Shrek the Third - Summer - Activision
  
• Transformers the Game - Summer - Activision

GDC 07: Nintendo DS Browser coming to the US

After years of waiting, the Nintendo DS Web Browser is at long last coming to the United States (we may be last to get it, but who cares?)! So, everyone can now browse the net with a DS (GBA RAM expansion pack, required). No word on the price point yet, but it will be released on June 4th of this year.

Also, Nintendo's Wii Web Browser is also set to be released this month for free through June, though no exact date was yet announced.

GDC 07: Wii goes online!

On November 14, 2005 Nintendo at last decided to put their games into the world of online gameplay, with the Nintendo DS' online service, Nintendo WFC. Now, it's time for their console to do the same. As Reggie Fils-Aime said back in September, Poke'mon Battle Revolution will be the first online game for the Wii, and it will launch on June 25, 2007.

There's no word on what the Wii's online service will be called, or if it'll still just be a part of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection..

GDC 07: 2 Episodic Xbox 360 Series

Back at X06 we learned that Peter Jackson is going to direct the Halo Wars series. This morining at GDC, Microsoft hosted breakfast (ain't that nice! :) ) and answered some questions (WOW! FOOD AND GAMING NEWS ALL AT ONCE! IT'S MY DREAM COME TRUE!).

At the gaming/breakfast, microsoft.... thing, a variety of topics were discussed, starting from Xbox 360 hardware problems (from launch) upto stuff about the new series Peter Jackson will be directing.

"We're in the design phase now. The first series will be set in the Halo universe."

And of course, the Halo film is also being directed at the same time. I guess that's a good thing... if it ever actually happens....

"Our deal with Peter is not about a film guy who wants to make video games."

But of course, that's all the details we really have about this now. It's kinda interesting to see how something like this will play out.

GDC 07: WoW that's a LOT!

Officials from Blizzard Entertainment have just announced at the Game Developers Conference, that within just one month the World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade expansion pack has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide! This grows the World of Warcraft fan-dom to an outstanding 8.5 million people! That's pretty good, especially considering it's only been a month since the release, and there's a handful of countries it hasn't been released in yet! WoW!

Game Developers Conference 2008 Details Revealed

Some basic information about the 2008 Game Developer Conference has just been released.
The 2008 GDC will take place on February 18th and ending on February 22nd. This conference will be taking place at The Moscone Center West and North in San Francisco, California.

That's all that's has been announced about next year's conference, but all information that surfaces will be posted on the official GDC website at: GDconf.com


Yay! 100 blog posts!

Shining Wii by GamersCast

Note: Due to flaming, comments have been disabled in this post. Any questions must now be sent to: GamersCast@GamersCastPodCast.com

We are happy to announce we are now launching a new service called, "Shining Wii".

Obviously, you love that amazing blue light on your Wii, that's a given, but doesn't it suck that you can't turn it on when you want it to go on!? Well, now you can turn it on whenever you want! Simply, send a message to shiningwii@gmail.com from your Nintendo Wii Message Board and shut it off, and within 5 minutes or less (actual time may vary) your Wii's WiiConnect24 light will turn on! Best of all, there's no limit to how often you turn on the light!

Not Turning On? Here's what to do:

1. Your Wii may have the light disabled. To enable it do the following:

A. Press The Wii Button on the bottom-left corner of the Wii Menu
B. Press Wii Settings
C. Click the button on the right to advance to the next settings screen
D. Click WiiConnect24
E. Click Slot Illumination
F. Click Bright (if it's already set to Bright, try Dim)
G. Press OK
H. Return to Wii Menu
I. Re-send your message to shiningwii@gmail.com
J. Turn off your Wii
K. Wait 5-10 minutes
L. The Light should turn on
M. If it does not turn on, please send an e-mail to: GamersCast@GamersCastPodCast.com or add your question as a comment to this post.

2. Your Wii may be searching for updates as you use it. Send your message to shiningwii@gmail.com as the last thing you do before you shut off your wii. After sending the message, immeadietely shut off your Wii and wait about 5 minutes.

3. Your Wii may be outside of your network's wireless range. Try moving your Wii closer to your router, or use the Wii LAN Adapter (required if you do not have wireless router).

4. Your Wii may not be configured to your wireless network. To configure your Wii to the internet, follow the directions at the following page:

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/connectingOnline.jsp

5. Make sure the power light on your Wii is yellow when you shut it off. If it is red, than you are either holding the power button on the console to turn it off, or unplug it entirely. Please either use the Wii Remote to shut off your console or quickly press the power button once on the console itself.

6. If you are still having trouble, you can either contact me by sending an e-mail to: GamersCast@GamersCastPodCast.com
Or Contact Nintendo at: 1-800-255-3700
If you contact Nintendo, tell them that your Wii isn't properly connecting to WiiConnect24 and the disc slot is not illuminating.

GDC Award Nominees Revealed

Well, the Game Developer Conference Awards are back again. So, to make a long story short.... It's an award show for the best games of 2006 that happens every year at GDC. So, here are the nominees! (This better come up right on the wii, 'cause I spent hours reformatting this so it would work.... but if it doesn't i'll just re-post it..... :D)



Best Game

Gears of War (Epic Games / Microsoft Game Studios)
- Cliff Bleszinski, Michael Capps, Rod Fergusson

Okami (Clover Studio / Capcom Entertainment)
- Atsushi Inaba, Hideki Kamiya

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Game Studios / 2K Games/Bethesda Softworks)
- Todd Howard

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo)
- Eiji Aonuma, Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto

Wii Sports (Nintendo)
- Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto, Keizo Ohta, Takayuki Shimamura, Yoshiaki Yamashita


Audio

Company of Heroes (Relic Entertainment / THQ)
- Crispin Hands, John Johnson, Jennifer Lewis, John Tennant

DEFCON: Everybody Dies (Introversion Software)
- Alistair Lindsay, Michael Maidment

Guitar Hero II (Harmonix Music Systems / RedOctane)
- Jeff Allen, Eric Brosius, Izzy Maxwell

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend (Crystal Dynamics / Eidos Interactive)
- Troels Folmann, Karl Gallagher, Mike Peaslee, Gregg Stephens

LocoRoco (Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Kemmei Adachi, Tomonobu Kikuchi, Kouji Niikura, Nobuyuki Shimizu


Character Design

Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix)
- Hideo Minaba, Hiroshi Minagawa, Akihiko Yoshida

LocoRoco (Sony Computer Entertainment)
- Tsutomu Kouno, Keigo Tsuchiya

Okami (Clover Studio / Capcom Entertainment)
- Mari Shimazaki, Sawaki Takeyasu, Kenichirou Yoshimura

Rayman Raving Rabbids (Ubisoft Montpellier Studio / Ubisoft Entertainment)
- Michel Ancel, Charles Beirnaert, Hubert Chevillard, Florent Sacre

Viva Piñata (Rare / Microsoft Game Studios)
- Ryan Stevenson


Game Design

Bully (Rockstar Vancouver / Rockstar Games)
- Michael Skupa

Okami (Clover Studio / Capcom Entertainment)
- Hideki Kamiya

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Game Studios / 2K Games/Bethesda Softworks)
- Todd Howard

Viva Piñata (Rare / Microsoft Game Studios)
- Justin Cook, Gregg Mayles

Wii Sports (Nintendo)
- Keizo Ohta, Takayuki Shimamura, Yoshiaki Yamashita


Technology

Company of Heroes (Relic Entertainment / THQ)
- Drew Dunlop, Shelby Hubick, David Swinerd, Ian Thomson

Dead Rising (Capcom Entertainment)
- Shinya Ikuta, Tomofumi Ishida, Yasuhide Sawada, Tomohiro Ueda

Gears of War (Epic Games / Microsoft Game Studios)
- Michael Capps, Ray Davis, Tim Sweeney, Daniel Vogel

Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis (Rockstar San Diego / Rockstar Games)
- Ted Carson, Eugene Foss, Wil Paredes, Steve Reed

Wii Sports (Nintendo)
- Takuhiro Dohta, Takeshi Miyamoto, Keizo Ohta, Kenta Sato


Visual Arts

Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix)
- Isamu Kamikokuryo, Hideo Minaba, Akihiko Yoshida

Gears of War (Epic Games / Microsoft Game Studios)
- Jerry O'Flaherty, Chris Perna

Okami (Clover Studio / Capcom Entertainment)
- Naoki Katakai, Kenichirou Yoshimura

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Game Studios / 2K Games/Bethesda Softworks)
- Matthew Carofano, Christiane Meister, Istvan Pely

Viva Piñata (Rare / Microsoft Game Studios)
- Ed Bryan, Ryan Stevenson


Writing

Bully (Rockstar Vancouver / Rockstar Games)
- Dan Houser, Jacob Krarup

Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (Funcom / Aspyr Media)
- Dag Scheve, Ragnar Tørnquist

Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture Shock (Telltale Games / GameTap)
- Brendan Ferguson, Dave Grossman, Steve Purcell

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Game Studios / 2K Games/Bethesda Softworks)
- Ken Rolston

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo)
- Kyogoku Aya, Nate Bihldorff, Mitsuhiro Takano

New Studio

Gastronaut Studios (Small Arms)
- Jacob Van Wingen, Don Wurster

Iron Lore Entertainment (Titan Quest)
- Paul Chieffo, Jeff Goodsill, Brian Sullivan

Naked Sky Entertainment (RoboBlitz)
- Joshua Glazer, Tian Mu, Sam Thibault

Ready At Dawn Studios (Daxter)
- Didier Malenfant, Andrea Pessino, Ru Weerasuriya

Wadjet Eye Games (The Shiva)
- Chris Femo, Dave Gilbert, Peter Gresser, Ian Schlaepfer

GDC 07: Microsoft Announces 6 Million

Wow! With perfect timing for GDC, Microsoft announces that they have just reached 6 million Xbox Live users, 4 months ahead of their goal to reach this milestone. Just for comparisons purposes, so far, Nintendo WFC (Nintendo's DS online service) has only reached 2 million users (keep in mind Nintendo didn't go online until November 14, 2005, while Microsoft was online 2 years before that.) Here's some quick stats:

- 2.3 billion hours of total play (93 million days; 260,000 years)
- 2 million text/voice messages sent every day
- 300 million achievements
- 37 countries (GamersCast has almost that :P)
- 10 million Xbox 360 units
- 135 million+ downloads from the Marketplace
- Xbox Live Arcade has 25 million downloads


Also, keep in mind that Halo 2 is responsible for 710 million hours alone...

GDC 07: Xbox Live Expands

Wow, that was kinda fast.....


Microsoft has just announced at GDC today that they will be expanding Xbox Live by raising the previous 50MB download cap to a nicer 150MB!

In the same speech they also revealed that they will now be selling a 512MB memory card for the Xbox 360 (which is the amount of internal memory found in the Wii) for a steep $50! But they also note, that the 64MB memory card will have a $10 price drop, so it now only costs $30.

For more GDC news, keep it here with GamersCast!

The 2007 Game Developers Conference has begun

Well, I got good news! One, I fixed most of the problems with the Wii Version of the newsletter.

Two, today marks the beginning of the 2007 Game Developers Conference!

The conference lasts for five days, so stick here and we'll let you know everything that's going on, from one of the biggest gaming events of the year!