Mercenaries 2 Expands to PS3, Xbox 360, PC and PS2
February 22, 2007
When Mercenaries 2: World in Flames was first announced, PS3 was the only platform the controversial title was coming to. Now Merc 2 is spreading its wings — Xbox 360, PS2, and PC now get to join in on the fun as well. And Mattias Nilsson will still be voiced by V-Dub’s Peter Stormare, so it’s all good in the world of soldiers of fortune.
The news straight from EA & PS:
Electronic Arts, the world’s leading interactive entertainment company and Pandemic Studios, one of the world’s leading independent game developers, today announced that Mercenaries 2: World in Flames , will ship simultaneously on four platforms worldwide – the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PS3 computer entertainment system and PC – in holiday 2007.
“Mercenaries 2: World in Flames delivers the next evolution in explosive open world gameplay – regardless of the system you play it on,” said Pandemic Studios CEO Andrew Goldman. “All four platforms are incredible gaming machines, and from the beginning we designed an experience that accentuates their individual strengths and delivers the interactive freedom and explosive action Mercenaries fans demand.”
“EA Partners is proud to team up with Pandemic Studios to help execute a seamless, simultaneous global release for Mercenaries 2: World in Flames on four platforms,” said EA Partners vice president and general manager, David DeMartini. “The team at Pandemic Studios is building an incredible game that will blow away gamers in all regions of the world.”
Nintendo Wii Indie Devs Waiting For Support
February 22, 2007
Wii has been a dream come true for Nintendo; the launch was better than anybody could have dreamed. But one casualty of Nintendo Wii’s popularity is the lack of dev kits for indie developers. And to truly flourish long-term, these guys cannot be left out in the cold.
Here’s a brief summary how they’re being left out in the cold, courtesy of Water Cooler Games:
According to our contact, the Wii Independent Developer Program is “on hold” until the end of the month, because “the Wii publishers are taking all of the available inventory, and more.” In other words, Nintendo doesn’t have enough kits to cover the demand for all those crappy licensed games, let alone more original work. I’ve confirmed that others heard the same story at D.I.C.E. last week.
The dev kit situation mirrors the Wii itself. Last November I also lamented about the absurd fanboy commitment required to obtain a Wii, and I wondered how Nintendo could claim to appeal to ordinary people if nobody could get a device. Today, three months later, it’s still almost impossible to get a Wii — or a DS for that matter, the two game consoles most likely to appeal to the so-called “non-gamer.”
According to WCG, indie titles of any kind won’t be a possibility until 2008 at the earliest if something doesn’t change quickly.
Listeria Scare Prompts Chicken Strip Recall
February 20, 2007
Listeriosis is one of those food contamination illnesses that one should attempt to avoid at all costs. This is why Carolina Culinary Foods is participating in a voluntary recall of 52,650 pounds of cooked chicken breast strips that were manufactured for Oscar Mayer. The details of the recall follow.
Carolina Culinary Foods, a West Columbia, S.C., firm, is voluntarily recalling approximately 52,650 pounds of fully cooked chicken breast strips that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.
The following product was manufactured for Oscar Mayer and is subject to recall:
6-ounce packages of “OSCAR MAYER/LOUIS RICH CHICKEN BREAST STRIPS WITH RIB MEAT, GRILLED, FULLY COOKED - READY TO EAT.” The front of each package bears the establishment number “P-19676″ inside the USDA mark of inspection. On the back of each package appears a “Use by” date of “19 Apr 2007.” The code “19 APR 2007″ appears on each case.
The chicken breast strips were produced on Jan. 9, 2007 and distributed to retail establishments nationwide.
The problem was discovered through microbiological testing completed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of this product.
Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.
Media with questions about the recall should call Oscar Mayer Representative Elisabeth Wenner at (847) 646-4271. Consumers with questions about the recall should contact Kraft Consumer Response at 800-871-7117.
Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.