NBA 2K11: Now In 3D

While 2K Sports’ NBA 2K11 has seen heaps of praise, people can still experience it in a whole new way with 3D. Check out the launch trailer for this new mode.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5H2GbIOakoU

Nissan Juke’s Sexed Up Video Game Commercial

The Juke is a crossover clearly aimed at the younger demographic, and keeping that in mind, Nissan went in a slightly different direction for this commercial. Not only does it have a lot of CG, but it’s highly action oriented.

 

Visit Darkmoon Faire For World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

Blizzard has launched a promotional site to celebrate the upcoming launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.  The beautifully crafted promotional site is based around the Darkmoon Faire, and it allows fans to interact with various elements while unlocking hidden content.

Along with the ability to ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ the site via Facebook, there is also a video and artwork contest. Find out more at fortune.worldofwarcraft.com.

Call Of Duty Ad With Kobe Bryant Draws Fire

Yet again, Call of Duty is finding a way to be controversial. For Call of Duty: Black Ops, the ad running extensively on television (including ESPN) was criticized on ESPN’s First Take for its inclusion of Kobe Bryant.

“I was shocked to see Kobe Bryant in the ads, and shooting the grenades off,” says Bomani Jones. The thing I was wondering about is, where is the David Stern that popped up when Allen Iverson made a rap album They’ve sold 6 million copies of this video game so far and all you’re doing is shooting and killing people.

“This qualifies as the all-time what were you thinking ” said a visibly upset Skip Bayless. “Does Kobe Bryant really need this money, this badly Doesn’t he have a couple of daughters, last time I checked He is smiling while wielding an assault rifle in combat, while we have troops overseas at this moment, doing the same thing for real! It’s out of bounds for a Kobe Bryant who we thought had completely rehabilitated his image after Eagle Colorado, but even he is not, so to speak, ‘bulletproof’.

Source: ESPN

Microsoft Talks Kinect Demand

President of Interactive Entertainment Business for Microsoft Don Mattrick was very confident of his position to launch Kinect during a The New Geography Of Gaming panel at the Web 2.0 Summit. The panel debated the need for gaming controllers, though with music games (and their plastic controllers) selling less and Kinect selling one million in ten days, Mattrick spoke from a position of power.

Microsoft’s advertising spend on Kinect has reportedly been very high, and Mattrick joked it felt like in excess of a billion. However, when asked about when people should order Kinect, he said by the end of this week because they’re set to sell out very soon.

Source: TechCrunch

David Reeves Talks Combined Sony/Microsoft Console

Consoles are very expensive to make, something David Reeves, former deputy president of SCE worldwide, knows all too well. Now COO of Capcom, he talks about a beautiful vision of the future, where companies like Sony and Microsoft work together to make consoles.

“When you’re on the first-party side, you realize how really, really expensive it is to develop a platform. Whether it’s PS3, or Xbox 360 or even Wii, they cost millions – maybe not billions, but absolutely millions, said Reeves. You don’t know when to put that stake in the ground of technology and move on. You know, say ‘that’s enough’.

“Eventually, it may just become so expensive to develop that Microsoft and Sony say, ‘Okay, let’s get together.’ I’d say it’s between 10 and 15 years away, noted Reeves. That’s how long I think it will take. I don’t think it will be the next console cycle, but probably the next cycle after that, where you might have something platform-agnostic.

Of course, the gaming industry is in flux right now and it might not be Sony and Microsoft. “But it might be different players, of course, noted Reeves. It might be Google getting together with, dare I say, Microsoft, or Google with somebody else.”

Source: CVG

Nintendo’s Holiday Mall Experience Touring U.S.

Nintendo announced that they will be running promotional events at shopping centers around the U.S. this holiday season.  Nintendo’s Holiday Mall Experience will run from November 22 to December 19 and will demonstrate the latest games for Wii and DS.

“There’s no better way to highlight the nonstop fun and extraordinary value offered by Nintendo systems than simply letting consumers enjoy them firsthand,” said Marc Franklin, Nintendo of America’s director of Public Relations. “From the moment they pick up a Wii Remote controller or a portable Nintendo DSi XL system, anyone who takes part in the Holiday Mall Experience will quickly recognize that our lineup truly includes something for everyone.”

More than 20 games will be featured at the 23 Holiday Mall Experience locations. The games will include Donkey Kong Country Returns, PokéPark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure, uDraw, Just Dance 2, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, Art Academy, Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs and Professor Layton and the Unwound Future.

To find out more about the locations of Holiday Mall Experience events visit http://happyholidays.nintendo.com. The site also includes details for many of the Wii and DS titles available this holiday season.

Old Navy Giving Out Dance Central

Old Navy has sent out fliers for their Black Friday deals and it’s clear they’re on board with the mainstream sales targeting of Kinect. They will be giving out copies of Dance Central for the Xbox 360 while supplies last.

The fashionable clothing retailer goes with Microsoft’s mainstream targeting for Kinect, along with their spots on Oprah and The Ellen Degeneres Show. The game will be given away with a $25 purchase Old Navy stores will open on midnight on Black Friday.

Game Ad Agency Pays Up

In the wake of a guerrilla advertising campaign with fake $25,000 bills, Davis Elen Advertising has agreed to pay the city of San Francisco a $45,000 fine. This was done to promote Zynga’s latest Mafia Wars title, although they deny any awareness of the campaign.

The Los Angeles-based advertising agency had a subcontractor glue 4,000 decals to sidewalks in 70 locations around San Francisco. City Attorney Dennis Herrera noted that the Department of Public Works had to bring in a steam cleaner to clean off the advertising decals.

Source: AP