- Title: USA: Video game releases heat up this summer
- Date: 11th June 2008
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) STEVEN SPIELBERG TALKING TO PRESS
- Embargoed: 26th June 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAEZCJ6Y3KRSNGRESE51GNCCZ3A
- Story Text: It may be a hot summer for blockbuster movies but the video game industry has planned its own firestorm of new releases.
Grand Theft Auto IV kicked off the season with record sales and lines snaking out of stores. Some critics even credited the game with a movie-like complexity and feel.
Then came Wii Fit - Blurring the line between a video game and a workout.
But there's more to come.
Adam Sessler, host of G4TV's X-Play and a gamer in his own right, says the summer line up is something to watch.
"We're going to see what's really going to be happening from Nintendo from Sony," said Sessler. "Because Nintendo has really been quiet and what they're going to do is going to be very significant because of the popularity of the Wii."
If you're not a hard-core gamer, don't worry. New trends are aiming for the casual user.
"All three systems: the Wii, the XBox 360 and the PlayStation 3 all have a secondary tier of games that you download through the various services, said Sessler. "They tend to be smaller games, and sort of the scope, they're like quick hit games. Like an arcade shooter from back in the 1980s. You play for about 20 minutes, get your fix and move on. They are very very popular and this is not something that we necessarily saw coming about 2 years ago."
And it all comes back to the movies. Steven Spielberg has his hand in the business too- helping to produce his own game: Boom Blox.
And just released for the big screen Kung Fu Panda and LEGO Indiana Jones. Next up: Your favorite characters from the hugely popular Halo franchise are hitting the big screen in 2009.
In Los Angeles, I'm Lindsay Claiborn for Reuters. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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