Nintendo Power promised the scoop on The Conduit’s multiplayer mode, but a few early details have apparently been released. If the latest rumors are to be believed, The Conduit will support 16 players online and will include friend codes.
From the PlanetXbox360.com feature article:
"If you’ve been dormant the last month and haven’t ventured out to your local electronic store since you finished your Christmas shopping, then you should know that you haven’t missed much in terms of video games. January was a slow month with only a few key releases spread out throughout, but there wasn’t much that made waves. February 2009 looks to turn the tides and with the slew of titles readied for release, it looks like there will be enough to hold people over until the huge March releases currently set for retail. Out of all the releases this month we would like to know your top three choices, please put them in the comments section below, thanks!"
Analysts say online games are not only recession-proof but can even get a boost from an economic slump, because people stay longer at home and have more time on their hands to play.
The so-called "massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)" typically takes months of extensive time investment, as a user — say, a warrior or sorcerer in the fantasy world — builds skills and takes on adversaries in a series of missions.
Online gamers’ profiles are different from buyers of Nintendo’s Wii consoles or DS handheld players, which have proved a roaring success with easy-to-play games for a broader population.
"I don’t think (online multiplayer games) get impacted at all, because people who play them are addicts," said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan. "Losing their jobs makes them more likely to play because they have more time to play."
"These days more people stay late in the evening playing games," said Jung, a manager at a crowded Web cafe in downtown Seoul. "I think they don’t have other places to go."
In South Korea, online gaming quickly spread to become a social phenomenon in the early 2000s in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis, which left many young men unemployed.
The Pentagon has allocated $36 million dollars to develop an immersive video game/simulation that trains soldiers. The simulator would be used to assist soldiers in dealing with scenarios that arise in modern conflicts worldwide.
D+PAD has put together a brief compilation video of every multiplayer map included in Killzone 2.
The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has found that game adverts in the UK are not in contravention of its fair promotion guidelines, IncGamers report.
