PlayStation 3 | EA tackled by more sports license suits

Browns superfan, former UNC football player, and boxers' association have publisher on defense regarding Madden NFL, NCAA games, and Fight Night Round 4.

Former Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown's suit against Electronic Arts over his unnamed likeness appearing in Madden NFL games has been dismissed, but the publisher's courtroom battles are by no means over. In the past three months, three new likeness lawsuits concerning the publisher's various sports games have hit courts around the country.

"If it pleases the court, may I suggest a 10-minute recess so I can go walkies?"

Brown isn't the only Cleveland sports icon taking issue with Electronic Arts' Madden NFL franchise. In July, John Big Dawg Thompson (yes, that's his legal name), the mask-wearing pack leader of Cleveland's Dawg Pound, filed a complaint against EA in the Cuyahoga Country Court of Common Pleas seeking restitution for the alleged unauthorized and unlicensed use of his Big Dawg persona in Madden NFL 09.

Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame's inaugural Hall of Fans class in 1999, the Big Dawg character sports a bug-eyed dogface mask, orange hardhat, oversize dog bone, and a Browns jersey with the number "98." A similarly outfitted fan wearing a "92" jersey can be seen in Madden NFL 09 in the same section of the Cleveland Browns' stadium where Thompson appears during the team's home games. Thompson is seeking damages in excess of $25,000 and that EA be prevented from selling the game or using the Big Dawg character without permission in the future.

While Thompson has the publisher in court over its pro football sim, EA Sports' NCAA basketball and football games have drawn another suit. Earlier this month, former University of North Carolina left guard Bryon Bishop filed suit against EA, as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association and its licensing arm.

Bishop, who is seeking class-action status for his suit, claims that the trio has conspired to violate the NCAA's own by-laws prohibiting the for-profit use of amateur athletes by including likenesses--but not names--of current athletes in its NCAA-branded games. In those games, players only bear a number corresponding to an actual student athlete and are typically given the same height, weight, skin color, hairstyle, and home state as their real-life counterparts.

The suit seeks damages for all amateur athletes whose likenesses have been included as such in EA's NCAA games, as well as for the games publisher and its partners to give up all profits garnered from those titles. A similar suit was filed in May by former Arizona State and University of Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller.

Fight Night Round 4 has spawned disputes both in and out of the ring.

Finally, EA is facing a suit filed earlier this month by sports management company Fighters, Inc. Founded in 2007, Fighters, Inc. is a group licensing organization with a goal to be for boxing what official players associations are for other sports. The company is suing EA over Fight Night Round 4, claiming the publisher included clients like Kelly Pavlik, Jorge Arce, and Fernando Montiel in violation of exclusive group licensing agreements they had signed with Fighters, Inc.

The licensing group further claims that EA willfully violated the deals with its boxers, and continued to do so after Fight Night Round 4's release, pursuing fighters like Andre Berto and Andre Ward for downloadable content updates for the game. Fighters, Inc. is seeking at least $25 million in actual damages, with punitive and statutory awards on top.

EA declined to address any of the three cases, saying it had no comment on pending litigation.

EAS Song

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/maddennfl10/news.html?sid=6230771

PlayStation 3 | Ubisoft Quebec crafting mystery 360, Wii projects

Job postings detail unannounced fantasy combat games from French-Canadian studio; 360 title will provide "whole new game experience," sparking Natal speculation.

Though Ubisoft Montreal is the most famous Ubisoft studio in Quebec, the French publisher has a second shop in Canada's francophone province. Now, that operation, located in Quebec City, is going on a hiring spree for "a senior core team to work on an upcoming new AAA title," according to several job listings unearthed by Web Superannuation.

Ubisoft Quebec's next title is shrouded in mystery.

During its latest trawl of game-industry job postings, Superannuation uncovered three positions at Ubisoft Quebec which hint at an original multiplatform Wii/360 game and a potential spin-off of an existing IP on the 360, Wii, or both. The first is for a producer position on "an Xbox 360 title that will give the player a whole new game experience!" (Exclamation in the original.)

What could the "whole new game experience" be? Ubisoft reps declined to comment, saying only, "We don't have any further information for the public other than what's listed in the posting." But while it is not named, Project Natal is an obvious possibility. At the Tokyo Game Show last week, Microsoft confirmed that Ubisoft is "actively developing" titles using the 360's motion-sensing tech. Furthermore, a game in development now could launch next year alongside Natal, and Ubisoft Quebec has experience making motion-sensing games for the Wii (Cranium Kabookii).

Though no title is mentioned for the 360 game, the listing does say it will be "a new, original brand" and "an epic combat game set in a fantasy world." A Technical Animator position also references "a brand new epic combat game"--but for the Wii. The use of the same language in both ads may be that the two projects are versions of one all-new multiplatform title. If true, the game could potentially use both the Wii Remote and Project Natal for melee combat simulation, but Ubisoft declined to comment further on the second listing.

Finally, a third listing for an art director position also touts "an Xbox 360 title that will give the player a whole new game experience." However, the description then says that the company is "looking for an Artistic Director to help us develop a AAA game on a reputed Ubisoft brand on the Wii." (Emphasis added.) This raises the possibility of another game--possibly both on the Wii and Natal-ized 360--based on existing Ubisoft IP, or simply an error in the job listing. Ubisoft also did not offer additional information on the third listing.

E32008 - Ubisoft I Am Alive Trailer

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6230775.html

PlayStation 3 | PSN ban lawsuit tossed by judge

Banning people for thwarting user agreement in Resistance: Fall of Man not a violation of First Amendment rights, judge rules.

Ordinarily when a gamer gets banned from an online game or service, that's the end of the discussion. That wasn't the case earlier this year, when one California gamer filed suit against Sony Computer Entertainment following his ban from Resistance: Fall of Man, the PlayStation Network, and its message boards for what the electronics giant called "multiple, repeated, intentional violations" of the user agreement.

Watch your trash talk, kids.

Claiming that his First Amendment right to free speech had been infringed upon, the banned player had been asking for pain and suffering damages, as well as an injunction preventing Sony from banning other players in the game. Last week, a district court judge dismissed the case, saying that with few exceptions, the First Amendment protects people only from having their right to free speech violated by the government, not from private companies.

The suit also alleged that Sony had in essence stolen from the banned gamer by freezing his PlayStation Network account, complete with funds in his PlayStation Wallet. For its part, Sony said the frozen funds in question were equivalent to about $10, and its offer to return the money in question had been declined. It also noted that its "Terms of Service and User Agreement specifically notes that certain types of behavior can lead to suspension or revocation of the user's Network access and that any such suspension or revocation will lead to the loss of any funds held on the Network."

The judge declined to rule on the second matter, saying with the First Amendment argument dismissed, the remaining allegations would be better argued in state court.

How to get banned from PSN ~Killzone_Beta

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/insomniacshooter/news.html?sid=6230777

PlayStation 3 | Modern Warfare 2 map pack due spring 2010

Activision, Monster Energy promotional material confirms add-on for anticipated military shooter will arrive for PS3, 360 next year.

The fuel that'll keep Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer running.

Activision Blizzard certainly knows a thing or two about hauling in cash, as evidenced by the publisher's billion-dollar April-June quarter. In a post-earnings call, Activision Publishing president and CEO Mike Griffith tipped off investors and analysts as to how it plans to extend Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's sales beyond the game's rapidly approaching November 10 release, saying that the game will get a pair of map packs post-launch.

Today, Activision revealed the timeframe for one of those map packs, as part of a giveaway for Modern Warfare 2-branded Monster Energy drinks that will go on sale in October. As part of a set of promotional materials provided to various media outlets, the Monster Energy packaging notes that 5,000 winners will be offered a free Modern Warfare 2 map pack, which has a "planned release" in spring 2010.

Activision declined to offer more information on the giveaway and would not comment on whether the spring 2010 map pack would be the first available for Modern Warfare 2. The Monster Energy prize opportunity also includes 100 copies of the game and 10,000 Modern Warfare 2 dashboard themes for the Xbox 360 and PS3, as well as free can of Monster Energy drink.

Not even drinks are immune from the Modern Warfare 2 hype juggernaut.

The publisher has already enjoyed significant success with downloadable map packs for Call of Duty. In July, Activision said that the first two map packs for its most recent installment in the franchise, the 11-million-unit-selling World at War, have achieved combined sales of 4 million units. A third World at War map pack went on sale in August.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Modern Warfare 2.

[ Watch Video ]

Modern Talking - Cherry Cherry Lady

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/modernwarfare2/news.html?sid=6230778

PlayStation 3 | Final Fantasy XIII to sell 6 million - Square Enix

CEO Yoichi Wada predicts huge sales of JRPG, China expansion will help publisher's profits double in 3-5 years; DQIX ships 4 million.

Square Enix has embarked upon an aggressive approach in expanding its operations. Known mostly for its niche line of Japanese role-playing games, Square Enix has taken steps to fleshing out its catalogue by purchasing British publisher Eidos as well as signing a handful of Western studios such as Gas Powered Games, Wargaming.net, and Double Helix to development deals.

Square Enix is nearly assured a healthy return on FFXIII.

As part of a Reuters Japan report translated by GameSpot, Square Enix plans to more heavily target China's online gaming market, in addition to the West. According to CEO Yoichi Wada, the move will help Square Enix double its recurring income over the next three to five years to ¥50 billion ($554 million). Currently, the Japanese company expects to bring in ¥25 billion ($277 million) for its fiscal year ending March 31, 2010, having set a company best in the metric with ¥26.2 billion ($290 million) in 2007.

One of the biggest profit drivers, of course, will be Square Enix's highly anticipated release of Final Fantasy XIII. As part of the interview, Wada said that he expects the game to ship more than 6 million units worldwide. The Japanese executive also noted that Dragon Quest IX has shifted 4 million units domestically since its launch on the DS in July. Square Enix has yet to indicate a release window for the West.

Final Fantasy XIII will ship for the PlayStation 3 as a standalone product as well as part of a ceramic white PS3 Slim bundle in Japan on December 17. The game is expected to arrive in North America and Europe on the Xbox 360 and PS3 in spring 2010.

[ Watch Video ]

Europe - The Final Countdown

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/finalfantasy13/news.html?sid=6230719

Xbox 360 | Free Fable II episode, Bust-a-Move, Military Madness overrun Xbox Live

First of five installments of Lionhead's RPG join remake of Taito's puzzler, HudsonSoft's turn-based strategy game, and soccer quiz Football Genius.

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Free - All Right Now

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/blogs/sidebar/909182374/27055522/free-fable-ii-episode-bust-a-move-military-madness-overrun-xbox-live.html

PlayStation 3 | Uncharted 2 De-Twittered

Sony strips social networking support from Naughty Dog adventure, pledges to reinstate it with limitations after launch.

System Update.

Uncharted 2 : Among Thieves - Official E3 Trailer [HD]

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/blogs/sidebar/909182374/27055336/uncharted-2-de-twittered.html

PlayStation 3 | LA Noire details coming 'very soon'

Rockstar says development on Team Bondi's undercover crime drama for current-generation consoles progressing "splendidly," new information on the way.

Rockstar hasn't done much more with Team Bondi's LA Noire than announce in 2006 its intent to publish the game for current-generation consoles. Since then, the game has maintained an off-the-radar profile, being name-checked only on occasion over the years following the release of a trailer in 2006.

Hartfields! Why did it have to be Hartfields?!

This week, Rockstar again confirmed that LA Noire remains in development, adding that those interested in finding out more about the title may not have much longer to wait. Responding to a fan's question as part of its Asked & Answered feature, Rockstar said of the game, "While we have yet to announce a definitive release date, LA Noire is coming along quite splendidly." The post went on to note that "we're going to have details to share with you all very soon."

The debut effort from Team Bondi, LA Noire is set in "a perfectly re-created Los Angeles" of the late 1940s, with players being given an "open-ended challenge" to solve a series of murders. The postwar setting will include such film-noir genre staples as corruption and crime, with drugs and jazz thrown in for good measure. Though initially announced as a Sony-published PlayStation 3-exclusive, LA Noire was later dubbed a project coming to "next-generation consoles" when Rockstar picked up the project in 2006.

Rockstar cofounder and creative director Sam Houser is executive-producing L.A. Noire, with Team Bondi founder Brendan McNamara (writer and director of The Getaway) serving as director of development.

[ Watch Video ]

L.A. Gang Wars

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/adventure/lanoire/news.html?sid=6230684

Xbox 360 | Uncharted 2 MP, Need for Speed Shift, NBA 2K10 demos drop

Sony opening up multiplayer sample of Naughty Dog's actioner, EA offering taste off its racer Oct. 1, 2K Sports' re-creation of NBA finals available now.

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Uncharted 2 : Among Thieves - Official E3 Trailer [HD]

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/blogs/sidebar/909182374/27055358/uncharted-2-mp-need-for-speed-shift-nba-2k10-demos-drop.html

PC | Second Left 4 Dead DLC live

Following pricing mix-up, the Crash Course expansion is now available on Xbox Live for $7 and for the PC on Steam for free.

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In a second - Aly & Aj

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/blogs/sidebar/909182374/27055440/second-left-4-dead-dlc-live.html

Xbox 360 | Final Fantasy XIII to sell 6 million - Square Enix

CEO Yoichi Wada predicts huge sales of JRPG, China expansion will help publisher's profits double in 3-5 years; DQIX ships 4 million.

Square Enix has embarked upon an aggressive approach in expanding its operations. Known mostly for its niche line of Japanese role-playing games, Square Enix has taken steps to fleshing out its catalogue by purchasing British publisher Eidos as well as signing a handful of Western studios such as Gas Powered Games, Wargaming.net, and Double Helix to development deals.

Square Enix is nearly assured a healthy return on FFXIII.

As part of a Reuters Japan report translated by GameSpot, Square Enix plans to more heavily target China's online gaming market, in addition to the West. According to CEO Yoichi Wada, the move will help Square Enix double its recurring income over the next three to five years to ¥50 billion ($554 million). Currently, the Japanese company expects to bring in ¥25 billion ($277 million) for its fiscal year ending March 31, 2010, having set a company best in the metric with ¥26.2 billion ($290 million) in 2007.

One of the biggest profit drivers, of course, will be Square Enix's highly anticipated release of Final Fantasy XIII. As part of the interview, Wada said that he expects the game to ship more than 6 million units worldwide. The Japanese executive also noted that Dragon Quest IX has shifted 4 million units domestically since its launch on the DS in July. Square Enix has yet to indicate a release window for the West.

Final Fantasy XIII will ship for the PlayStation 3 as a standalone product as well as part of a ceramic white PS3 Slim bundle in Japan on December 17. The game is expected to arrive in North America and Europe on the Xbox 360 and PS3 in spring 2010.

[ Watch Video ]

Europe - The Final Countdown

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/finalfantasy13/news.html?sid=6230719

Xbox 360 | Pro Evo 10 PS3 Slim and Xbox 360 Elite bundles show up in Japan

Unleashed this November for ’38,000 (’265) but with no firm announcement on a European release.

IFBB Pro bodybuilder Johnnie Jackson backstage

Source: http://uk.gamespot.com/news/blogs/london-calling/909183773/27054729/pro-evo-10-ps3-slim-and-xbox-360-elite-bundles-show-up-in-japan.html

DS | UK survey reveals massive gaming growth

Games now take up more time than reading magazines and newspapers for many; mobile, social platforms boom.

Gaming is now more popular than print media, according to the latest UK National Gamers Survey. In an average week in the UK, males now play games for just under five hours, compared to reading newspapers and magazines for under four. Seventy-three percent of the UK population now plays games, according to the pan-European survey that looked at the responses of more than 2,000 people in the UK.

The percentage of the UK population that plays games.

This can partially be attributed to the large rise in casual gaming. Games portals such as Shockwave.com and PopCap.com are now visited by 41 percent of men and 47 percent of women. The survey, based on 2,226 respondents in the UK, reflects the massive growth in casual gaming platforms. Former Playfirst CEO John Welch announced at GDC '08 that "we will have succeeded when 'casual games' goes away as a category and 'hardcore games' is the niche." A Forbes report from the same year reported that Europeans prefer "short, so-called casual games" to the likes of core titles such as Halo.

The percentage of time spent playing games by the UK population.

Social gaming on the Internet on sites such as Facebook and MySpace has now reached 11 percent, significantly growing in popularity, though lagging behind the US where the figure reportedly stands at 24 percent. It is also proving particularly popular with women, with social gaming being the only platform where females outnumber the males. In terms of raw numbers, more women play Brain Training games than any other genre, though they're outnumbered by men in that category.

Mobile gaming has also seen a sharp increase in use, doubling to 20 percent in the past year, thanks to the success of new platforms such as Apple's iPhone and Google's Android. Apple itself described the iPhone as a "superior" platform to both the Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP.

The percentage of the UK population that plays mobile games.

Those new platforms and portals have seen gaming gain a significant amount of traction with the older generation--42 percent of respondents over 50 spent more time gaming than reading magazines. The younger generation seems even more set on gaming, with boys aged 8 to 12 spending more time playing games than browsing the Internet.

The Wii, often regarded as the console for casual games, helped Nintendo reach record sales of $16.2 billion (’10 billion) in 2008. Though recent financials have been less than impressive, the company still posted a profit of $442 million, much better than rival Sony, who posted a loss of $390 million (’224 million), and Microsoft, who posted a loss of $130 million (’81 million).

London Gangs - UK

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/brainagetrainyourbraininminutesaday/news.html?sid=6230654

Xbox 360 | Ireland targets Scottish games industry

APB developer being wooed by potential Irish tax breaks; would give the proposals "serious consideration."

The UK games industry has been struggling to keep hold of developers for some time now, thanks to the efforts of countries such as Canada to subsidise game development and lure talent to its shores. It now looks like there is another threat even closer to home, with pressure growing in Ireland to poach British developers to boost the country's ailing economy.

The Irish countryside has its advantages.

According to Scotland's Sunday Herald, Dundee-based Realtime Worlds would consider the overtures from the Emerald Isle. Colin McDonald, studio manager at the APB developer, told the paper, "Dundee is a great place to be based, one of the main hubs for computer games in Britain, but at the end of the day we’ve got to look after our bottom line."

"Ireland is a lot closer to home than Canada, so Scottish policy-makers should regard it as a potentially serious threat. They need to make sure there's a level playing field here or they will lose some of us and lose out on a potential boom," he continued.

The explicit threat of Irish subsidies--a five-year tax holiday for game development is reportedly one of the measures under consideration--looks likely to provide the incumbent Scottish National Party government a reason to continue to push for greater independence for the country. This is in addition to increased powers for its devolved regional assembly, which does not currently have the authority to implement tax breaks of its own, relying instead on progress on that front in Westminster.

Richard Wilson, CEO of Tiga--the trade body that represents British game developers--welcomed the fact that members of the Scottish Parliament were supporting the industry and calling for tax breaks.

Talking to GameSpot UK, Wilsonsaid, "We'd be very happy to get [a tax break] in Scotland, but in time we'd have to have one for all the UK," rather than a "messier" patchwork system. He also indicated that Tiga had been lobbying Westminster MPs for Scottish constituencies to make sure they offer their support to companies such as Realtime Worlds and others in Westminster by backing plans for a UK-wide change to regulations, rather than a system that would not be of benefit to all.

Ireland - Flying through the country

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/apb/news.html?sid=6230655

PC | Age of Conan dev cutting staff by 20%, Secret World delayed

Following Canadian expansion announcement, Funcom "better aligns" workforce on financial concerns; modern-day magic-themed MMOG pushed "some months."

The month began with Norwegian Funcom announcing an expansion of its operations into Montreal, Canada. The new studio, according to Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas, would allow the massively multiplayer online role-playing game company behind such titles as 2008's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures to take advantage of the generous tax breaks Canada affords to game-development studios. However, Funcom's expansion hasn't come without a contraction.

A concrete golem's natural weakness? Flaming katanas.

Funcom said today that it would be cutting headcount through layoffs and forced leave at its Norwegian development house by approximately 20 percent. According to a statement issued by the developer, the move comes as part of an effort "to better align the company's operations to the current marketplace." Funcom currently employs some 320 employees globally, maintaining offices in the US, China, and Switzerland.

Along with cuts to its workforce, Funcom said that it has pushed back the launch of its newest MMOG, The Secret World, by "some months." Announced for the Xbox 360 and PC in 2007, The Secret World posits an alternate universe in which a modern-day world has been torn asunder by the reemergence of magic and other occult activity. No release window had previously been attached to The Secret World.

Funcom has seen marginal success with its most recently launched MMOG, Age of Conan. Debuting to a warm critical reception and strong initial sales in 2008, the game soon had to contend with the launch of Mythic Entertainment's Warhammer Online and Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King later that year. In August, Funcom announced that Rise of the Godslayer will be Age of Conan's first expansion pack, though no release window was announced.

For its full fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, Funcom reported losses of $33.8 million on revenues of $39.9 million.

[ Watch Video ]

No Age - Eraser

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/ageofconanriseofthegodslayer/news.html?sid=6230657

PC | BioWare taking Star Wars MMOG beta apps

EA-owned studio opens up applications to participate in closed testing phase for The Old Republic on PC.

BioWare caught some flack from a number of diehard Knights of the Old Republic players when it announced that its next installment in the franchise, Star Wars: The Old Republic, would be a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. To assuage complaints, though, BioWare has said on multiple occasions that SW:TOR would be tantamount to 10 or more sequels to its hit action RPG.

The application process can be...demanding.

With all of that content, SW:TOR is going to need a healthy pool of testers to work out any number of unforeseen bugs in the code. As a result, BioWare said today that it has begun accepting applications to participate in the game's closed beta testing phase through the game's official Web site. (As of press time, the SW:TOR Web site is unavailable due to heavy traffic.) The EA-owned studio did not indicate when the beta phase would begin, saying only that it would be "an ongoing process."

SW:TOR takes place approximately 300 years after the events of the original game, but some 3,600 years before the events of LucasArts' quintessential films. Players can choose to align themselves with either side of the Force, taking on professions like the Sith Warrior and Bounty Hunter for the Dark Side and the Trooper and Smuggler for the Galactic Republic.

BioWare has yet to place a firm release date on Star Wars: The Old Republic. For more information, check out GameSpot's extensive previous coverage.

[ Watch Video ]

Dragon Age Bioware E3 2009 Official Credentialed Media

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/starwarstheoldrepublic/news.html?sid=6230664

PlayStation 3 | Heavenly Sword dev Enslaved on 360, PS3

Ninja Theory's game for Namco Bandai revealed as tactical action-adventure in post-apocalyptic America; Andy Serkis to provide protagonist's voice, motion-capture.

At Germany's GamesCom in August, Namco Bandai Games revealed it was teaming with Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory on a new mystery project for release next year. The mystery was solved today, as Namco Bandai officially announced Ninja Theory's Enslaved for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Monkey and Trip might work together in Enslaved, but they don't have to like it.

Set in a post-apocalyptic America, the game tells the story of slaves forced to work together for survival. The game's protagonist, the muscular Monkey, is captured by slavers along with the techno-savvy woman Trip. The pair escape, but Trip hacks a slave headband to tie her life to Monkey's, forcing him to protect her as they search for refuge.

Enslaved also marks a reunion between Ninja Theory and Andy Serkis, the actor who provided voice and motion-capture work for Gollum in the recent Lord of the Rings trilogy of films. According to Namco Bandai, Serkis will "direct" and "portray" Monkey. The developer and Serkis previously collaborated on Heavenly Sword, where the actor received praise for his performance as the sinister King Bohan (see video below).

Ninja Theory has also enlisted Ninja Theory has also enlisted British music producer and club DJ Nitin Sawhney to compost the game's score. Sawhney worked on Heavenly Sword as well, and has scored movies and television, including The Namesake and House, M.D.. To co-write the story, Namco Bandai and Ninja Theory have tapped Alex Garland, the 28 Days Later screenwriter who may be familiar to gamers as the author behind the scuttled Neill Blomkamp Halo film. Enslaved will be Garland's first game script.

[ Watch Video ]

Heavenly-Spill blood on fire

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/enslaved/news.html?sid=6230677

Xbox 360 | Xbox 360 Elite, controller holiday bundles unveiled

Microsoft officially confirms rumored $299 Pure/Lego Batman pack-in, reveals $60 black controller pack with Geometry Wars 2, Lumines, Bomberman, and Ms. Pac-Man.

Surprise?

One week after it didn't comment on rumor and speculation about an Xbox 360 Elite Holiday bundle, Microsoft has officially announced one. As predicted, the $300 package will include the console setup and Warner Bros.' superhero adventure Lego Batman and Pure from Disney Interactive Studios' Black Rock Studio, formerly Climax Racing.

The bundle announcement comes one week before the current incentive to buy the Xbox 360 Elite ends. Through Monday, October 5, the company is offering a $50 rebate on the wired, DVD-media-based 120GB console, a month after it dropped its price from $400 to $300. The rebate came a month after Sony introduced the wireless, Blu-ray-playing 120GB PlayStation 3 Slim at $300, and--for a brief time--matched the now-$199 Wii's then-$250 price point.

OK, surprise.

In addition to the Elite holiday bundle, Microsoft also revealed a new retail configuration for the standalone Xbox 360 controller. The $60 package will include a black controller with three Xbox Live Arcade games--Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Lumines LIVE!, Bomberman LIVE!--and a token for Ms. Pac-Man. By itself, the Xbox 360 controller costs $50, and comes in black, white, and several other colors, including a black-and-red GameStop-exclusive controller, due out October 15.

Project Natal for XBOX 360

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/adventure/legobatman/news.html?sid=6230676

Wii | Pro Evo 10 PS3 Slim and Xbox 360 Elite bundles show up in Japan

Unleashed this November for ¥38,000 (¥265) but with no firm annoucement on a European release.

IFBB Pro bodybuilder Johnnie Jackson backstage

Source: http://uk.gamespot.com/news/blogs/london-calling/909183773/27054729/pro-evo-10-ps3-slim-and-xbox-360-elite-bundles-show-up-in-japan.html

PSP | Tokyo Game Show attendance declines to 185,000

Japan's largest gaming exhibition sees year-over-year population drop off for the first time since switching to annual format in 2002; TGS 2010 dated for next September.

TOKYO--Last year's Tokyo Game Show hit a record-high visitor count that came in just shy of the 200,000-visitor mark. Unfortunately, TGS 2009 did not fare as well. Show organizers the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Organization announced today that this year's attendance fell by almost 10,000 people, dropping from 194,288 in 2008 to 185,030 in 2009.

All those people, packed onto these grounds.

As a breakdown of attendance figures indicates (below), the business days had about the same number of visitors as last year. But the show was hit hard on its public opening day, which is when the most dedicated of Japanese gamers traditionally come in for an early peek at the new games.

Day 1 - 27,435 Visitors (2008: 27,305 Visitors)
Day 2 - 24,605 Visitors (2008: 24,178 Visitors)
Day 3 - 61,138 Visitors (2008: 71,639 Visitors)
Day 4 - 71,852 Visitors (2008: 71,166 Visitors)
Total: 185,030 Visitors (2008: 194,288 Visitors)

What's more, TGS 2009's visitor count signifies the first time that the show's attendance has taken a step backward after it switched to an annual format in 2002. (Prior to 2002, the show occurred on a semiannual basis.) Furthermore, attendance was below that of 2006, when the show was still a three-day event.

The global economic downturn seemed to affect the show's presence of small to midrange publishers. Frequent attendees of this ilk, such as From Software, Irem, and SNK Playmore, did not have booths at this year's show. Other attractions for the visitors, such as freebies and merchandise stores, were also not as prevalent as they have been in years past.

According to show organizers, TGS 2010 will return to Chiba prefecture's Makuhari Messe convention center. CESA is still deciding whether to hold the next show for three or four days. It will start on either September 16 or 17 and run until September 19. TGS 2010 will be the 20th show since its debut back in the summer of 1996.

Visitor attendance for previous Tokyo Game Shows has been as follows:
2007 - 193,040
2006 - 192,411
2005 - 176,056
2004 - 160,096
2003 - 150,089
2002 - 134,042
2001 Fall - 129,626
2001 Spring - 118,080
2000 Fall - 137,400
2000 Spring - 131,708
1999 Fall - 163,866
1999 Spring - 163,448
1998 Fall - 156,455
1998 Spring - 147,913

[ Watch Video ]

TOKYO! TRAILER

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6230552.html

PSP | Gran Turismo 5 probably coming to US, EU in early 2010 - Polyphony

Series creator Kazunori Yamauchi says global rollout of anticipated PS3-exclusive racer won't trail March Japanese launch by much.

Polyphony Digital certainly hasn't won any races in bringing its latest installment in the PlayStation-exclusive Gran Turismo franchise to market. Announced at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo at the same time Sony unveiled the PlayStation 3, the game has languished largely out of sight from the public eye, though the studio did release the pared-down Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in 2008.

GT5 hopes to make up some time in the stretch.

As part of this year's Tokyo Game Show, Sony and Polyphony at long last attached a release window for Gran Turismo 5, saying the realistic racer's launch in Japan should come in March 2010. Now, it appears as if Gran Turismo 5's rollout in other regions won't be long after, according to series creator Kazunori Yamauchi. As part of a presentation to the press over the weekend, Yamauchi said the game's North American and European launch should closely follow its Japanese release.

"I don't think it's going to be that much later in the US and Europe," Yamauchi said. "This is based on our production schedule. The reason why the dates for the US and [European] regions are not decided yet is because their marketing is still discussing their issues. It shouldn't be too far off from [the Japanese] date for the other regions as well."

As part of his presentation, Yamauchi also laid out Gran Turismo 5's ambitious offerings, stating that the game will feature more than 950 cars, 20 locations, and 70 variations of tracks from which to choose. The notable game designer also said that those who unlock vehicles in Gran Turismo PSP--which launches alongside the PSP Go later this week--will be able to transfer them for use in the PS3 game.

For more information, check out Yamuchi's presentation, as well as GameSpot's previous coverage of Gran Turismo 5.

[ Watch Video ]

Tribute Gran Torino Music Written by Clint Eastwood, Jamie cullum, Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/psp/driving/granturismo/news.html?sid=6230557

PSP | PSP Go launching with 225 downloadable games

Sony touts library for new digital-delivery-only handheld as having 16,000 pieces of content--including 13,300 TV episodes and 2,300 movies.

On Thursday, the 16GB PSP Go will finally launch at a price point of $250--just $50 less than its bigger brother, the 120GB PlayStation 3 Slim. To help hype the digital-download-only handheld's debut, Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced that some 16,000 pieces of PSP Go-compatible content will be available on October 1. The vast majority will be television episodes, some 13,300 in all. Next up is movies, totaling 2,300.

The PSP Go cometh.

As for games, some 225 titles will be on tap on day one, including games already released on UMD and the PlayStation Network, as well as PSOne titles formatted for the PSP. Catalog titles will include God of War: Chains of Olympus, Daxter, Star Wars: Battlefront II, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas, Tetris, Fieldrunners, Madden NFL 10, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.

As for new games, four titles released this week--Beaterator, MotorStorm Arctic Edge, PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe, and the long-awaited Gran Turismo--will be available to download on the PSP Go. As for future games, SCEA hardware marketing director John Koller told GameSpot that after October 1, his company will try to make as many new UMD releases available on the PlayStation Store.

Gran Turismo will be available for the PSP Go on day one.

"We can't say 'all' because there are legal restrictions in converting some titles to digital, but on the whole, we expect a substantial amount," explained Koller. "I think what consumers can expect is to go onto the PSP store and see a large amount of previously released UMD content and see day-and-date releases of new games."

To help PSP Go owners get games on day one, Sony is also beginning to sell PlayStation Network Game Cards for downloadable games at retail outlets. The first round of cards will offer codes to download Gran Turismo, Daxter, MotorStorm Arctic Edge, God of War: Chains of Olympus, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2, Patapon 2, Secret Agent Clank, Twisted Metal: Head On, SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 2, and NBA 10: The Inside.

Though hailed by Sony as the next evolution of its handheld platform, the PSP Go has not been untouched by controversy. Last week, Sony revealed that North American PSP owners would not get free digital copies of PSP games they had already purchased on UMD. In Europe, current PSP owners who upgrade to the PSP Go will be able to download three games from a restricted list gratis.

[ Watch Video ]

PSP vs DS

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/psp/driving/granturismo/news.html?sid=6230575

Xbox 360 | Natal to have dynamic 'play spaces,' but no patchable support

Kudo Tsunoda says forthcoming motion-sensing technology will use infrared light to custom-size in-game areas--but is too complex to add to existing games via software updates.

At last week's Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft Game Studios' Kudo Tsunoda revealed a few new details about Project Natal. As part of another dodgeball-like "Ricochet" tech demo, the creative director revealed that the Xbox 360 motion-sensing technology's camera sees only the infrared spectrum. That allows Natal to work in all lighting conditions and to adjust the in-game playing area to fit players' game dens.

"We can configure the play space around your living room," explained Tsunoda. "Let's say you had sofas that were squeezing in this way, we can automatically move the walls of the [Ricochet] court in. If you don't have a wall that goes back that far, they can move the wall up. So we can totally customize the play area to the dimensions of your personal play area."

[ Watch Video ]

Tsunoda also explained that Natal's multiparty microphone could distinguish individual voices from multiple players in the same room.

Although Natal-ized versions of Burnout Paradise and Beautiful Katamari were on hand at TGS, Tsunoda said existing games couldn't be updated to support the technology. He told game blog Destructoid that the motion-sensing technology would require code changes more extensive than any software patch could provide. Existing 360 titles could conceivably be rereleased with Natal support, much like Nintendo's New Play Control! program rereleased GameCube titles such as Pikmin to work with the Wii's motion controls.

Microsoft pulled out all the stops to promote Project Natal at TGS 2009. Besides Tsunoda's demonstration, the company trotted out three of Japan's most respected game developers to talk about their enthusiasm for Natal: Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi (Super Monkey Ball), Capcom's Keiji Inafune (Dead Rising 2), and Konami's Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid Rising).

In addition, Microsoft revealed which publishers are "actively working" on games using Project Natal, which will go on sale sometime next year. They include Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, Capcom, Disney, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ, and Ubisoft.

E3 2009: Project Natal Xbox 360 Announcement

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/driving/burnout5/news.html?sid=6230590

Xbox 360 | Epic on shipping Gears of War 2 in Japan

Stronger violence almost led to Gears of War 2 not being released in Japan, Epic president says.

Who was there: Mike Capps president of Epic, speaking at a special session at Tokyo Game Show.

What they talked about: The Gears of War franchise may be one of the biggest on the 360 in the US and other Western markets, but that's certainly not the case in Japan. While both games in the series have been released in the country (and reviewed favourably), Epic president Mike Capps said Gears of Wars 2 was close to not being available, thanks to concerns the developer had about some of the violent content in GoW2 making it past Japanese censors.

Capps said it was "difficult" for Epic to ship the first Gears, and it wasn't because of the language barrier. It was the game's violence which was the biggest hurdle, with Epic having to create a separate version of the game for Japan with objectionable content taken out (such as bloodspray). This meant the developer also had to create two versions of all DLC and updates, which was a heavy workload considering Japan only accounted for one percent of global sales for Gears of War.

So when it came to the sequel, Capps said Epic did not even initially plan for a Japanese release due to the game's more violent content, pointing out in particular the boss level which took place inside a giant worm-like creature. "We thought that we could never make a version for Japan that would fit our vision, that we would need too much work, and supporting two games would be too difficult," he said.

But thanks to the persistence of Microsoft in Japan--and calls from Japanese fans of the series--Epic relented and asked the local Microsoft to check out what content needed to be changed for Gears of War 2. As it turns out, recent changes to Japanese classification laws meant very little had to be actually changed, much to the suprise of Capps.

Quote: "We would have done this 10 months earlier if we knew you could cut up a boss monster's heart from the inside and would have no problem (with censors)."

Takeaway: With the room packed with Japanese journalists wanting to hear from the Epic president, it seems that the Gears of War franchise remains one of the leading Western ones within the nation.

Faith No More - Epic Music Video

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/gearsofwar/news.html?sid=6230543

PC | Capcom teases new Street Fighter IV character

Video released counting down to 5 p.m. JST tomorrow may give sneak peak at mysterious new warrior.

While Ryu is riding high in GameSpot's Greatest Game Hero competition--having made it to the quarter-finals--he may soon have a new challenger. A teaser video has been posted on Capcom's Japanese site promising details of a new warrior, indicating that it will be updated at 5 p.m. JST tomorrow (9 a.m. BST, 1 a.m. PDT).

Street Fighter IV received a flurry of DLC shortly after launch with new game modes, improved online features and a number of premium costume packs hitting the console marketplaces in the weeks after launch, but none has been seen since. The game has proved a financial boon for Capcom with its 2-million-sale first week helping buoy the Japanese publisher's annual results, with some help from Resident Evil 5.

Will Dee Jay be making a return?

The brawler, which was released on Xbox 360 and PS3 in February and PC in July after its arcade debut in 2008. Five characters made their series debut in the arcade version--Abel, Crimson Viper, Rufue, El Fuerte and the inimitable Seth, while the console and PC versions feature six characters not found in the arcades--Dan, Fei Long, Sakura, Cammy, Gen and Rose.

The series features plenty of characters who have not been seen in this updated version, with Dee Jay and T-Hawk from Super Street Fighter II Turbo the most notable omissions from the franchise's heyday. The video presented on Capcom's site looks to present long-distance silhouette images of fighters in combat, though at no point is it clear that either of these characters is indeed new, nor is there enough detail to determine the identities of those in combat.

[ Watch Video ]

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Intro

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/streetfighteriv/news.html?sid=6230544

PC | Shippin' Out Sept. 27-Oct. 3: PSP Go, Gran Turismo PSP, Dead Space Extraction

New handheld joins portable racer, Wii horror-survivor, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga, Fallout 3 PS3 DLC, MySims Agents, and Beaterator.

In May 2004, Sony and Polyphony Digital announced that it was developing a PSP version of Gran Turismo. Over five years later, the 60 FPS-graphics game is finally coming out in North America, both solo and in a $200 bundle with a silver PSP-3000, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo and vouchers for a downloadable movie and in-game Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

Curiously, the Gran Turismo PSP bundle won't go on sale until October 20, 19 days after the launches of the game itself and the PSP Go. Priced at $249.99--the same price as the original PSP when it went on sale in 2005--the new handheld will feature 16GB of flash memory and a screen which slides over the controls. It will have a 3.8-inch screen--versus the PSP-3000's 4.3-inch screen--and will be 43 percent lighter than the original, but will not have a UMD drive. Despite promises of a "solution" by Sony, current North American PSP owners will not get free digital copies of their UMDs to play on the PSP Go. (UK PSP owners will be able to download three games from a restricted list.) For a closer look at the PSP Go, check out GameSpot's unboxing of the portable below.

[ Watch Video ]

Wii-wagglers will get a bit of a fright this week in the form of Dead Space Extraction. The Wii-exclusive prequel chronicles the viscera-spattered tragedy which led to the otherworldly carnage of last year's critically acclaimed horror-survival game Dead Space. The game also trades in the over-the-shoulder third-person point of view for a first-person shooter scheme, which sees players blast foes with the Wii Remote, House of the Dead: Overkill-style.

PlayStation 3 owners will get a chance to step into the split-toe tabi of Ryu Hayabusa in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. The reworked version of Ninja Gaiden II will feature less violence than its dismembering, decapitating Xbox 360 sibling, released last year to good reviews. However, it will add femme fatales imported from Tecmo's Dead or Alive series and an upgraded graphics engine. The M for Mature-rated game will come a la carte or via a $70 Collector's Edition bundled with an 80-page book with three parts: a strategy guide, a section with "vibrant Ninja Gaiden art," and a comic book that matches the storyline.

Rounding out the week's releases are Rockstar Games' Beaterator for the PSP, which also will get Sony's racer MotorStorm Arctic Edge. Electronic Arts looses its latest Sims creation, the cuddly espionage-themed MySims Agents, onto the Wii and DS, the latter of which will also receive Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

Speaking of the Wii, Xseed gives Nintendo's console some exclusive action-RPG business in the form of Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga. And last but definitely not least for PS3 owners, Bethesda Softworks releases two of its formerly Xbox 360 and PC exclusive expansion packs for Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage and The Pitt. The Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition--which has all five expansions--ships October 13 for the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360.

[ Watch Video ]

For further details on the week's games, visit GameSpot's New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009
No new releases scheduled.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009
Baseball Blast / WII / Sports / 2K Sports
Bass Pro Shops: The Strike / PC, Wii, X360 / Sports / XS Games
Battle of Giants - Dragons / DS / Adventure / Ubisoft
Beaterator / IP, PSP / Puzzle / Rockstar Games
Black College Football Experience - The Doug Williams Edition / X360 / Sports / Aspyr
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010 / PS3, WII, X360 / Sports
Dead Space Extraction / WII / Action / Electronic Arts
Deca Sports 2 / WII / Sports / Hudson
Dream Dancer / DS / Simulation / Zoo Games
Fabulous Finds / DS / Puzzle / THQ
Family Feud / DS, PC, Wii / Puzzle / Ubisoft
Family Fun Football / WII / Sports / Tecmo
Hidden Mysteries: Titanic / DS / Adventure / Activision Value
Imagine Salon Stylist / DS / Simulation / Ubisoft
Just in Time Translation / DS / Simulation / THQ
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days / DS / Role-Playing / Square Enix
MotorStorm Arctic Edge / PSP / Driving / SCEA
MySims Agents / DS, WII / Puzzle / Electronic Arts
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 / PS3 / Action / Tecmo
Obscure: The Aftermath / PSP / Adventure / Ignition Entertainment
Rapala: We Fish / WII / Sports / Activision
Red War: Edem's Curse / PC / Action / Uforia
Sideswiped / DS / Driving / Majesco Games
Smart Boys Game Room 2 / DS / Puzzle / Tommo
Smart Girls Playhouse 2 / DS / Puzzle / Tommo
Smart Kids: Mega Game Mix / DS / Action / UFO Interactive
Tornado Outbreak / PS3, WII, X360 / Action / Konami
Undead Knights / PSP / Action / Tecmo
Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga / WII / Role-Playing / Xseed Games
The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road / DS / Role-Playing / Xseed Games

SEPTEMBER 30, 2009
.detuned / PS3 / Puzzle / SCEA
Axel & Pixel / X360 / Adventure / 2K Play
Backbreaker Football: Tackle Alley / IP / Sports / NaturalMotion
Boom Brigade / IP / Action / 10tons Entertainment
Critter Crunch / PS3 / Puzzle / Capybara Games

OCTOBER 1, 2009
Dreamer: Top Model / DS / Action / Dreamcatcher
Driift / WII / Driving / Konami
Elven Legacy: Ranger / PC / Strategy / Paradox Interactive
Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage / PS3 / Role-Playing / Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 3: The Pitt / PS3 / Role-Playing / Bethesda Softworks
Gran Turismo / PSP / Driving / SCEA
Kissing Frenzy / IP / Simulation / Tequila
Medieval Games / WII / Action / Vir2L Studios
Party Crashers / WII / Puzzle / Detn8
Shutter Island / PC / Adventure / Merscom LLC
Theatre of War II: Centauro / PC / Strategy / Battlefront.com

OCTOBER 2, 2009
Risen / PC / Role-Playing / Deep Silver
Rock Blast / WII / Puzzle / UFO Interactive

I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Dropkick Murphys

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sports/bassproshopsthestrike/news.html?sid=6230448

Wii | Capcom illuminates Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles' new chapter

TGS 2009: Producer Masachika Kawata highlights details on Wii game's new scenario, Operation Javier, and more; new trailer inside.

TOKYO---Today at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show, Capcom held a stage to introduce the new story addition to Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, its upcoming Wii remake of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica.

Appearing on stage, producer Masachika Kawata started out his presentation with a new trailer, which showed us a new chapter, Operation Javiar. The year is 2002 and the setting is in South America. We see Leon S. Kennedy, who's walked into a deserted village together with Jack Krauser.

[ Watch Video ]

Leon and Krauser search through the village, only to find their guide gravely injured inside one of the wrecked houses, mumbling something about a girl. Then, the trailer quickly shifts back to the village streets, except this time, they're no longer deserted. Leon and Krauser find themselves surrounded by mobs of zombies all too eager to take a bite out of the two protagonists. As Leon enters a church, he finds a girl in a white dress laying on the ground.

The trailer then suddenly changes to a number of cut scenes in a huge futuristic lab facility, full of B.O.W.s (Bio-Organic Weapons). They included a Tyrant, and more noteworthy, a mysterious fiery being that mentions that it's been waiting for years to become one with the Veronica virus.

The trailer then switches to a scene that looks like a dam or possibly the outside of the lab. Leon and Krauser are together with the girl in the white dress, and we find out her name is Manuela. A couple of game play scenes show Leon and Krauser fighting their way through the streets, while also protecting Manuela. A number of interesting lines of dialogue were heard while additional gameplay was shown: "So this is what Umbrella's virus can do, huh?" "Yeah, but there's something different about this one."

The trailer ended with a zoom into Manuela's face, and the screen fades out.

Mr. Kennedy, I presume?

After the trailer ended, Kawata pointed out the highlights in Operation Javier. "For this new episode, we decided to go with South America, which is a setting that hasn't been used in the Resident Evil series up do date," he said. "The main characters are Leon. S. Kennedy and Jack Krauser. They were foes in Resident Evil 4, but this story takes place before that time period and you'll cooperate together as teammates."

Kawata then introduced two important storyline characters. The first was Manuela, the girl from the trailer, and the second is one Javier Hidalgo. While it wasn't mentioned during the presentation, Capcom's official site gives some additional insight to the story. Javier is an internationally wanted drug lord who has absolute power over a region in South America. However, he suddenly disappears, and not long thereafter, information comes in that an ex-Umbrella Corporation researcher was spotted entering into Javier's territory. That triggers the United States to assemble a search party--led by Leon and Krauser--to find out what's happening.

After talking about the characters, Kawata went on to announce that the game will be released in Japan on January 14, over a month after its North American release on November 27. Kawata commented that the extra time might allow for "additional measures" for its Japan launch. However, he wasn't clear on whether he meant additional game content or some kind of a pre-order or retail bonus.

Not everyone is happy to see the Resident Evil series return to the Wii.

Kawata then introduced Cavia producer Kentaro Noguchi, whose company is developing the game. Noguchi played through a few minutes of Operation Javier, and he showed that the easy mode would feature an auto-lock system for novice players. Kawata then explained that while auto-lock makes it easier to hit enemies, it's not meant for advanced players because the scores won't be as high.

As Noguchi advanced through the game, Kawata explained how the developers have aimed for as much realism and advanced graphics as possible on the Wii. Aside from the graphics and textures, they've also put effort to the smaller details, such as a shaky-cam effect.

The auto-lock feature will come in handy when zombies don't want to play nice.

In terms of the story, there's about three times many lines of dialogue compared to the previous Chronicles game, since the two partners often talk with each other. It was also mentioned that the game features a status screen while paused, very much like the mainstream Resident Evil action game series. In the screen, players can take their time to select a weapon and use items on damaged characters without the worry of being attacked by enemies.

For additional details on Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, check out GameSpot's hands-on preview from the Tokyo Game Show.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Intro

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/biohazardthedarksidechronicles/news.html?sid=6230538

PlayStation 3 | Yakuza 4 unmasked by Yoshihiro Nagoshi

TGS 2009: Creator of Japanese crime franchise gives first details on the next installment, which will feature three new main characters.

TOKYO--For the past several years, Sega debuted every new Yakuza title at aTokyo Game Show. That's an impressive feat, considering the short development cycle for a fully featured game. This year was no exception, and series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi was once again at Sega's stage to talk about the latest installment, titled Ryu Ga Gotoku 4: Densetu wo Tsugu Mono. The game's title roughly translates into English as "Yakuza 4: Inheritor of the Legend."

Nagoshi on stage with some of the hostesses which will be featured in the game.

Nagoshi's presentation of Yakuza 4 started out with a surprise revelation: this time, the game will have four main characters instead of just one. An introductory trailer was shown, and we learned about the three new main characters that will accompany series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. They are:

Shun Akiyama: A well-dressed loan shark who was once a homeless. In the trailer, Shun was seen sitting around with a bunch of other homelesses, and he explains that he lends his money to people with moral faith.

Masayoshi Tanimura: A young, slick looking detective in Kamurocho. The trailer showed him playing mahjong, and then the scene switched to a back alley where he's accepting bribe money in turn for looking the other way. It turns out that he's a corrupt cop called "The tick of Kamurocho".

Taiga Saejima: A huge muscular man who's escaped from prison after killing over a dozen Yakuza members. In the trailer, he goes on a bloody rampage with revolvers in both hands, killing everyone inside a small Japanese restaurant. After unloading both, he switches in another revolver clenched in his mouth, and empties that into his enemies too.

After the presentation of the new main protagonists, the trailer went on to show a mysterious lady with long black hair. Her name is Lili, and she's said to be the key character in Yakuza 4's storyline. In the scene, Lili looked like she was in serious distress. She's at Shun's office, and reluctantly, she asks him to lend her a bold amount of cash--10 billion yen (over $111 million).

The scene then cut to a familiar face: the Yakuza with an eyepatch, Goro Majima. But this isn't usual crazy Goro that Yakuza fans are familiar with. He's got a stern face, and in a dialogue with Shun, we find out that he knows Lili from the past and he's sworn to protect her. Later, during the stage presentation, Nagoshi explained that the mass murderer Taiga used to work for Goro in the past. We were also told that we'll get to see Majima back when he had both his eyes, and discover the reason why he lost one.

The trailer then suddenly changes to a familiar scene where a huge building suddenly explodes at its top floors, and a ton of money comes floating down to the streets. It's apparently a scene from the past, and Shun, dressed a lot more poorly than his current self, is picking up the money on the ground. Later during the presentation, Nagoshi revealed that it's actually the incident back in the original Yakuza game, and he wanted to depict the life of one person whose life had completely changed by the money.

Kazuma Kiryu and his three new (playable) friends.

And as the trailer came to its end, audiences finally saw the series' legendary hero, Kazuma Kiryu. The four main characters walked through the streets of Kamurocho, and the screen faded out to the Yakuza 4 logo. The trailer is now available for viewing at Sega's official Japanese-language site .

"Each of these four characters are protagonists, so you'll be able to control and play with them. The Yakuza series has had a lot of adventures, and we're hoping to make Yakuza 4 the most comprehensive game yet, with an even bolder, more exciting storyline," said Nagoshi, explaining the decision to add more characters. He avoided from giving any details on the Yakuza 4's subtitle, stating only that it'll make sense when the game is played.

Nagoshi then went on to talk more about the actual game. Yakuza 4 will once again take place in Kamurocho, but this time, the developers have added "depth" to the town's field. In addition to expanding the dirty back streets of Kamurocho, players will be able to explore the rooftops of buildings, and walk through underground parking lots, brightly lit underground shopping malls, and even the nasty sewers.

"Each of the characters have their own activity range. For example, the detective would go deep into the town's streets. And in the case of the escaped convict, he'd go lower into the town to avoid being discovered."

In terms of battle, each of the four protagonists has different moves and characteristics. Shun is agile and his moves are based on kicks. Taiga relies on his massive strength to beat on opponents. In one example, he was shown swinging around a motorbike like it was as light as a cardboard box. Masahiro is based more on technique. He's good at dodging attacks and beating opponents with a single move, like hitting them in their weak spot or breaking their bone. He can also arrest enemies since he's a detective. And last but not least, the legendary Kazuma is simply good at knocking the daylights out of enemies with his street-style fighting.

There'll be additional new forms of enemy encounters, and chases can take place even up to the rooftops, dashing and hopping from one building to another. The new characters can learn new moves just like Kazuma did in the previous games. In one example, Masahiro witnessed a fat female restaurant worker jump kicking a guy, and he quickly jotted down the incident in his notebook to acquire a new move.

"The Yakuza series has always featured exhilarating fights that could be enjoyed with simple controls," Said Nagoshi. We've kept that concept, and added even more variations and moves. We've also brought back things that were popular in the previous games and refined them, and so we're very confident about the battle system."

Since the Yakuza series takes place in the red-light district of Kamurocho, there's always been a lot of places to enjoy entertainment in the form of minigames. Yakuza 4 will feature the largest volume of minigames yet, and from a brief look, we could see that there's bowling, fishing, mahjong, darts, billiards, roulette, prize catcher machines, quiz game, batting practice, and of course, Karaoke. This time, there's a duet mode in the Karaoke mini-game where Kazuma can sing together with a girl.

Up until now, Kamurocho was missing one major thing to make it feel like the real-life Kabukicho district in Tokyo: the Pachinko gambling parlors. In Yakuza 4, players will be able to go in and play on the Japanese pinball machines to their heart's desire. And as expected, Sega has taken the effort to tie up with actual pachinko makers--like sibling company Sammy--to feature the real machines.

As another interesting new addition to Yakuza 4 that's also very distinctly Japanese. The player will be able to take traditional spring baths with girls, and then play a game of table tennis while they're drying down in yukata robes. In a trailer, Kazuma was seen jumping high into the air, and then smashing his ping-pong ball into his female opponent's chest.

Back in Yakuza 3, Nagoshi put in a lot of effort to create a fully featured hostess club system and he went as far as to collaborate with a Japanese hostess magazine to take renderings of their top models. Nagoshi has put in an equally strong effort this time again, and he held a public audition that had over 1,500 entries. Five finalists were chosen, and they range from a professional hostess to even an ordinary college girl.

As new features to the hostess system, the game will feature even more customizable parts for the player to change the look of their hostess girls. This time, the player can have fun with not only one, but two girls at the same time. What's more, the player can also make advances to their own hostess that they've created and raised.

Yakuza 4 is slated for a spring 2010 release in Japan. No North American or European release plans have been announced.

Japanese Yakuza Documentary: 5th Regime Yamaguchi Yakuza Family 2

Source: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/ryugagotoku4/news.html?sid=6230536