Ghostbusters due in June, Baldur's Gate reopening

  • By Guy Cocker, Luke Anderson, Tor Thorsen, Tom Magrino, GameSpot UK
  • Posted Dec 2, 2008 10:58 am PT

Atari's European event dates Vivendi castaway, teases revival of classic D&D RPG; Ready 2 Rumble Revolution Wii, Mizuguchi Wii rhythm games revealed; Witcher confirmed for PS3 and 360.

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In February 2008, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios head Phil Harrison resigned to become president of Atari parent company Infogrames. Since then the gaming world has been eager to find out what he's been up to. Today, Harrison, alongside Infogrames CEO David Gardner, used the Matter nightclub at London's O2 Arena to reveal all.

One of Atari's first announcements from the event was for Aki Corporation's Ready 2 Rumble Revolution. Originally teased as a multiplatform venture between Aki and 10tacle, the cartoon-styled boxing game is now a Wii exclusive and is expected to arrive in March 2009.

Next, Atari announced a partnership with famed rhythm-game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Q! Entertainment on a new music-based game for the Wii. Details on the game are slim, and it's operating under the working title "QJ." Atari will also be packaging three of Q's previous Xbox Live hits--RezHD, Lumines Live, and Every Extend Extra Extreme--into one package, titled Q3 (pronounced "cubed"). In addition to the three games, Q3 will include some extra content and has been priced at €30 in Europe.

Atari also outlined its partnership with Namco Bandai, whose games it distributes in Europe. The Japanese publisher used the occasion to reveal a new trailer for Tekken 6, saying the game will hit the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in fall 2009. Namco Bandai also has three other games lined up for spring 2009: Family Ski on the Wii, Afro Samurai on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and Eternal Sonata on the PS3, which includes new music, quests, and playable characters.

Atari then moved on to its own internal brands, such as the Dungeons & Dragons franchise Neverwinter Nights and the long-dormant Baldur's Gate. Developed by BioWare and published by then-D&D rights holder Interplay, the 1998 original Baldur's Gate is considered one of the best role-playing games of all time. Former Interplay staffers at Obsidian Entertainment developed Neverwinter Nights 2 using technology created by BioWare, which made the original Neverwinter Nights. It is unclear who might develop the new Baldur's Gate; reps for Obsidian, which just released the latest NWN2 expansion, declined to comment.

The game maker acknowledged that developments were under way for new entries in some of these franchises and hinted at new installments in the Test Drive Unlimited, Backyard Sports, and V-Rally series.

Atari also officially confirmed the console adaptation of CD Projekt Red's fantasy PC role-playing game, The Witcher. Subtitled Rise of the White Wolf, the game will use the original's story and is set to ship for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in fall 2009. Another PC game, the racing sim RACE Pro, will arrive on the Xbox 360 in January, with 12-player Xbox Live support and the complete FIA license.

Atari was bullish about its movie-studio support, talking up deals in place with Universal and Columbia for The Chronicles of Riddick and Ghostbusters, respectively. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena will hit the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC next year and will combine a new story and multiplayer mode with an HD remake of the 2004/2005 Xbox/360 hit Escape From Butcher Bay. Ghostbusters, meanwhile, will arrive in June 2009 to coincide with the first movie's 25th anniversary. It will hit six platforms: the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, DS, and PC.

Paulina Bozek, who joined Atari in September after heading up the SingStar brand at Sony Computer Entertainment, appeared at the event but didn't reveal anything she was working on. However, she did note in an open Q&A session that her upcoming game would be "social [and] multiplatform."

GameSpot will be holding interviews with Atari executives and game developers over the coming days, so stay tuned for more news and previews.

173 Comments

  • Crazy_Guns

    Posted Mar 22, 2009 11:14 pm PT

    !!!!!!! Did I hear the words Baldur's Gate? Fantastic!

  • Humorguy_basic

    Posted Dec 21, 2008 2:59 am PT

    IF the new Baldur's Gate, Riddick and Ghostbuster's are good and ACTUALLY come out on PC,they could really help the format stay alive! The story in 2009, I fear, is how many games are quietly going to drop the PC version, or not produce a PC version in the first place!

  • Shmoe82

    Posted Dec 10, 2008 8:09 am PT

    Ghostbuster and a new Baulders Gate is going to be awesome. The first Baulders Gate was the best D&D game I have ever played and Ghostbusters need a new game after those NES/Atari pieces of work.

  • Zloth2

    Posted Dec 8, 2008 8:08 pm PT

    Obsidian has done a LOT of really good stuff but they've been having problems of late, too. Party AI comes to mind, which has been absolutely horrific in the NWN2 games. Still very fun games but... yow.

    A new Baulder's Gate.... meh. If it hasn't got Minsk in it, it's no Baulder's Gate.

  • quirky_clayboy

    Posted Dec 8, 2008 3:35 pm PT

    There's a bit of hate for Obsidian here... which I find confusing considering they are the start-up of former Black Isle Studios - creators of the superior BG II.

    KotOR II > KotOR
    BG II > BG
    NVN II >>>>>>>>> NVN

    In my mind, Obsidian seem to improve on Bioware's efforts, so I would prefer it if they were the developers.

  • Templar_Bladema

    Posted Dec 8, 2008 1:32 pm PT

    Atari, always there to pick up the pieces of franchises that go dormant or are on the brink of cancellation due to lack of publisher. You gotta love em.

  • Jericho66

    Posted Dec 7, 2008 5:06 pm PT

    Very very happy ghostbusters found a new developer!

  • tawagivercetti

    Posted Dec 5, 2008 8:51 pm PT

    Ghostbusters will feel my wrath, that movie scared the crap out of me when I was 6. Revenge will be sweet.

  • blackace

    Posted Dec 5, 2008 4:49 pm PT

    Not sure what they will do with Baldur's Gate, but hopefully it'll be better then what they did with NWN2. I am looking forward to RACE Pro and Ghostbusters however. Crossing my fingers that Chronicles of Riddick sequel is as good as the first game. Don't really care about the other crap. I can't see Ready 2 Rumble being any better then the Dreamcast versions.

  • saejox

    Posted Dec 5, 2008 6:40 am PT

    Baldur's gate sequel? BG's story has ended very well. They cant make another BG, unless its just a name

  • calanorn

    Posted Dec 4, 2008 10:53 am PT

    mikey i didnt say fallout 3 was a bad game i said the opposite i played it through from start to finish and enjoyed it like i said before a decent game in its own right but for me it had lost nearly all the appeal from fallout 1 and 2. im not sure why it just had for me but thats the same for most remakes of classics.

  • rohit9891

    Posted Dec 4, 2008 12:48 am PT

    nice....it's about time they released a new chronicles of riddick

  • LewyDeng2

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 2:58 pm PT

    Nothing would please me more in the video game world than another BG.

  • BewilderedRonin

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 2:18 pm PT

    Why do people always act as if the publisher actually made the games? Hint: Atari didn't make Alone in the Dark, Eden Games did. Atari isn't making Ghostbusters, Terminal Reality is. Hint: Atari hasn't been a developer for years. As a PUBLISHER, Atari *gasp!* publishes games. Blaming Atari is like blaming Bantam Publishing because The Da Vinci Code was poorly written with obvious and poorly conceived plot twists. That's not the publisher's fault, that's the author Dan Brown's fault.

  • JRDEE1912

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 2:03 pm PT

    Hmmm, new BG game. I should be excited, but I cant seem to get into the NWN games. Something about the engine and the atmosphere of the games are just off. May have been spoiled with voice acting these days as well.

  • GSgirl

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 1:57 pm PT

    Atari......after the last Alone inthe dark...I dont know. A ghost Busters game, well I realy liked the movies but I hope they create a very good story for it (better if it is new), if not, whats the big deal of chasing ghosts and locking them on a box over and over again.

    In the other hand, Riddick was awesome so lets hope this will be better and Baldurs gate was my addiction, so this one its a sure thing

  • ChiefFreeman

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 1:33 pm PT

    the Witcher is a long way off.

  • Alphamale001

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 12:10 pm PT

    DukeBriggs, I think Bethesda did a good job with Fallout 3. So a competent dev can take over an established franchise and make a wonderful game. Then again, it could easily be a terrible game. But hopefully they get a great dev for the BG game. It seems like Atari is trying to move forward and get back on track. Good for them.

  • lilsugardaddie

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 12:04 pm PT

    @sieg6529, that's a sad and pathetic comment

  • sircyrus

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 11:53 am PT

    No one but BioWare should be touching the Baldur's Gate series, unless it's another one of the crappy hack-n-slash action RPG's.

    The games Obsidian puts out are nowhere near as good as what BioWare churns out, or what Black Isle used to. They lack the polish, and final acts always feel rushed and incomplete.

  • King_Jeremy_77

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 11:35 am PT

    Ghostbusters and Riddick, awesome!

  • sieg6529

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 11:13 am PT

    very stoked about Witcher on PS3. Maybe the programmers could actually try to harness it's power and not leaving it look sub-par next to the 360 version.

  • IgGy621985

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 10:59 am PT

    Well, ghostbusters game actually looks pretty cool. I'm pleasantly surprised.

  • DukeBriggs

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 10:42 am PT

    how does one go about making a sequel to one of the greatest role-playing games ever made without tainting the franchise?

    as for console owners being able to play The Witcher, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

  • Kvain

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 10:37 am PT

    "Atari also officially confirmed the console adaptation of CD Projekt Red's fantasy PC role-playing game, The Witcher." Uh... woot?

  • tyzwain

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 10:36 am PT

    Might have to crank out the NES to play the older Ghostbuster games first. Love the midi theme on the game. Worst one was on the Spectrum.

  • d3emondav3 posted Dec 3, 2008 10:24 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    d3emondav3

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 10:24 am PT (hide)

    Balder's Gate! I've played almost all of them and really liked Dark Alliance on the Xbox. If the new Baldurs comes out on PC I won't mind, but I really want another console Baldur. Riddick too! Hopefully the games will be good...

  • tig1979

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 9:53 am PT

    Ghostbusters looks amazing, Riddick was great before so high hopes there, but gaming new's of the decade has to be Baldurs Gate, i really hope we get another great forgotten realms game!

  • PlayerPrezident

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 9:42 am PT

    It's great to see Atari doing the damn thing. Although they had some troubles in the past, I still have a huge amount of respect for them.

  • Henninger

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 9:26 am PT

    Im glad the Ghostbusters game finally has a release date or rather month. The Chronicles of Riddick game should b good since the original wuz pretty good.

  • AtlanticRock

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 9:24 am PT

    Riddick, YES! I never got a chance to play butcher bay, cant wait for the updated hd version...

    Ghostbusters = win for everyone

  • Michael324

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 8:13 am PT

    The movie came out in June.
    That would be the 25th anniversary.

  • dannyatkinson

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 7:49 am PT

    Maby they could bring back Icewind as well.
    I love ALL Baldur's gate games.
    Champions of Norrath was cool too.
    Whatever happened to snowblind.
    Their games are junk lately.

  • SedeoInedus

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 7:40 am PT

    Those who gave me negative feedback before I think you misunderstand me and, if anything, you are proving my point. BG is without a doubt the single best RPG ever made. If there is to be a sequel then Atari lack the authority to make that call- if BG is theirs, it is in name only. Bioware have stated on numerous occasions that they are not interested in a sequel- hence dragon age. Calanorn's concerns are entirely valid. Developers need to break out of this incredibly detrimental cycle of re-hashing franchises and contribute originality in story, setting and interaction. I feel this news has put a great deal of pressure on Bioware to pick this up if only to prevent Obsidian from trotting out another mediocre generational improvement on an original and fantastic game.

  • dmish82

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 7:33 am PT

    Who ya gonna call?

  • simonsworld

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 7:33 am PT

    Message for jjrob "what...." what? you dead already? boring jerk booo, lame.

  • cyn0113

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 7:28 am PT

    I've always been a big fan of the Fallout series, I've played every title except for that god-awful xbox title and I even considered doing that. What Fallout 3 lacks in some ways it makes up for in others: a better landscape, the ability to actually explore the world instead of simply fast travelling on the map and stumbling upon random groups of enemies in the exact same landscapes over and over. It lacks a lot of the humor the originals had but it has its own shining points.

  • Irelandish

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 7:28 am PT

    Cant freakin wait for BG

  • shadowblade99

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 7:07 am PT

    Some good stuff coming up here...2k9 doesn't look so bad afterall.

  • TheFragcat

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 6:51 am PT

    "Who you gonna call?"

  • mikeyg756

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 6:36 am PT

    calanorn Fallout 3 was great. I think you expect sequels to be exact copies of the last game, but not everyone is like Nintendo and brings out the same game every year with just graphical changes. What you call dumbed down others may call improvements. You can never make everyone happy.

  • calanorn

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 6:24 am PT

    BG will uase the name as a selling point only IMO the chances are the story will be changed enough to allow all the younger players /console players to get into it without having to put the time into the first two. As for me id much preffer it to stay on PC then goto consoles as well BG on the PC was amazing the amount of hot keys etc would just not work on console.

    The console versions of BG although good in there own way was not BG in anything but name and was nothing but a hack and slash run through the story didnt come close to a 3rd of the scale of the parent game and contained none of the depth.

    hope fully we get a remake to do it justice fall out 3 another game that was decent in its own right but when compared with fallout 1 and 2 and you look at the things that made people love that game fallout 3 is so dumbed down that it falls flat on its face

  • Lostboy1224

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 6:23 am PT

    Well, at least I will be able to enjoy playing Ghostbusters this summer.

  • InfernoBane

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 5:59 am PT

    Seeing comments from people that never played the PC versions of Baldur's Gate make me cry inside. Those mediocre Diablo clones that came out on the consoles are NOT Baldur's Gate!

  • bryanacross

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 5:51 am PT

    Umm, as much as I loved the pc versions of both baulders gates.. I also loved the console versions, if the witcher see's success on consoles you can bet you'll see baulders gate 3 as a console release. It's why dragon age will do the same.. cash. It's a good thing too, sorry pc fans i'd rather play this on my ps3 or 360.

  • canadianloonie

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 5:48 am PT

    Obsidian is making the next Baldur's Gate game? Eck!! They'll ruin the franchise just like they ruined NWN.

    NWN2 is one of the buggiest game that I've ever played.

  • makchady

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 5:48 am PT

    bg1 and 2 were great games, i can only hope for a third and for it to be as good

  • johnnyv2003

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 5:38 am PT

    It might be a long shot for Bioware to develop, but not completely insane to think about. Atari is "publishing" the title so it's not a complete lock that Obsidian is developing. In another article about this same thing, Atari mentioned they won't have BG3 in development until after 2009. So, Dragon Age will be done by then.

    While I wouldn't put money on a bet that Bioware is the developer, I certainly wouldn't count them out either.

  • Phantsy16

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 5:22 am PT

    lol and my last and final post to cut bioware from all of this, Bioware are an EA devision, not Atari. Sorry guys, but it will most likely be Obsidian. Ok i'm done

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