About James Higginbotham

Eight-player racer roars on to Wii this July

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced a new multi-player racing title entitled Driift (working title), which will be released as a WiiWare title from July.

Viewed from above, Driift is a fast-paced racer that allows up to eight players to race each other, using cartoon-style chars. Featuring twelve different tracks based on four themed environments – cityscape, hills, snow and a desert oasis – players can also select one of 32 vehicles from four categories. Each category is tailored for use within the different environments, with variations of speed, acceleration and handling and grip levels making specific vehicles ideal for particular locations.

Driift’s multi-player modes allow users to play using combinations of Wii Remotes, Nunchucks and Classic Controllers, and seven game modes are on offer. These range from the single-player and multi-player championships, and Team Race, wherein participants are divided into two teams, with the winner determined by those that accrue the most points. The VIP mode elects one player per team as a VIP vehicle, who must be protected at all costs from the opposition cars, with the removal of the VIP car resulting in a win for the attacking team.

Read More

For the fifth consecutive year now, Apple has topped the list of ‘The 25 Most Innovative Companies’ in BusinessWeek’s annual special report, produced in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group.

Google, Toyota Motor, Microsoft, and Nintendo round out the top five. Newcomers to this year’s top-25 list include Samsung, Volkswagen, and Coca-Cola.

Not that long ago, innovation was a must-do priority for business. Now research and development might seem more like vacation homes and new cars–luxuries that will have to wait for better times.

In an annual survey of top executives by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), more respondents said that innovation spending will be flat or down than since the ranking began in 2005. On the other hand, after focusing on shorter-term, lower-risk projects, a majority said they are satisfied with their returns on innovation investments. But recession and market meltdown aside, many of the corporations on the 2009 ranking are finding ways to forge ahead.

Read More

Redwood Shores, CA – April 13, 2009 – The Boston Bruins will win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 37 years, defeating original six rival Chicago Blackhawks in a six game series, according to the official EA SPORTS simulation of the 2009 NHL playoffs on the award-winning NHL 09 videogame.

Boston, led by shutdown defenseman Zdeno Chara, outmuscled the Blackhawks and received timely scoring from Conn Smythe Trophy winner Phil Kessel to capture its sixth Stanley Cup, and first since 1972. Kessel, playing on the Bruins top line with playoff leading scorer Marc Savard, delivered two overtime game-winners during the Finals. He finished with 14 goals in the playoffs, including five in the Finals.

Read More