Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee was one of the games I played the most during the early days of the PSP, so I am definitely looking forward to the sequel, coming out the June. The new version features online tournaments for up to 16 players, 12 challenging courses, and 24 different golfers with insane customization options, which I really missed in the PlayStation 3 Hot Shots title. If you need more facts, hit the jump for a fact sheet, and help a little document fulfill its purpose in life.

Hot Shots Golf®: Open Tee 2 FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan / Clap Hanz
Platform: PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)
Genre: Sports / Golf
Release Date: June 2008
Rating: "E" for Everyone

OVERVIEW
Developed by Clap Hanz, in conjunction with Sony Computer Entertainment America's Santa Monica Studios, Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee® 2 brings another chapter of the beloved Hot Shots franchise onto PSP® (PlayStation®Portable). Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 adds six challenging new courses to test even the most hardened golf veteran, and 12 new characters are available to customize with hundreds of accessories. With the franchise's signature over-the-top visuals and pick-up-and-play action, fans of the series can once again look forward to hitting the links on the go with the most fun and wacky golf experience available.

Players will also have unmatched online access with robust Internet play available for players to challenge other Hot Shots across the globe in tournaments of up to 16 players. Additionally, players can tee-off locally with up to eight players via Match Play or head-to-head in Ad Hoc mode. Individually, players can test their prowess on the links with a number of single-player modes such as Challenge, training, and Stroke Play.

KEY FEATURES
Online Golf Action - Tee off in tournaments of up to 16 players online and challenge others around the world for the Hot Shots title.
Ad Hoc Multiplayer - Players can engage in an eight-player Match Play mode or even hit the links one-on-one via Ad Hoc.
Exotic Courses - 12 challenging courses to conquer, with a mix of new courses as well as fan favorites from the past to challenge golfers of all levels. The environments will take players across tropical islands, vast desert plains, snow-capped mountains, and oceanfront views.

Crazy Characters & Caddies - Choose from 24 different playable characters and five different caddies, each with their own distinct look and characteristics that embody the fun and spirit of the Hot Shots franchise.
In-Depth Customization - Customize characters with more than 300 different options, including clothing, hairstyles, shoes, clubs, hats, and much more. Successfully conquering challenges in the game will allow players to further upgrade equipment, allowing for more accurate shots, longer drives, and impeccable control.
Clothing & Accessory Attribute Boost - Incorporating special combinations of clothing and accessories will provide a unique boost to character attributes as well as overall fashion style.
Unlock A Variety of Equipment - Players can earn new clubs and golf balls throughout each match to execute more accurate shots, longer drives, tighter approaches, and pinpoint putts.
A Variety of Golf Outings - Multiple single-player and multi-player modes of play including VS Mode, Training Mode, Tournament Mode, Stroke Mode, Match Play Mode, and other challenging modes offer a diverse golfing experience for everyone.

Sure, they showed a whole lot of this at the European PlayStation Day last week, but they didn't show these babies. These are U.S. exclusive shots of Siren: Blood Curse, the episodic horror game that Sony will begin delivering via the PlayStation Network this summer. If you are not from the U.S., please refrain from looking through this gallery. We appreciate it. Just trying to follow instructions.

Feel free to hit the jump for the fact sheet, however, as it doesn't seem to be exclusive at all. Just not the screens. If you look we shall be very cross.

SIREN: Blood Curse Fact Sheet

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA)
Studio: SCE Japan Studio
Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™)
Distribution: 12 downloadable episodes via PLAYSTATION®Network
Genre: Survival Horror, Adventure
Rating: RP for "Rating Pending"
Release: Summer 2008

OVERVIEW
Released in twelve downloadable episodes, SIREN: Blood Curse™ delivers a haunting and horrifying story exclusively to PS3. In SIREN: Blood Curse, players are pulled into an epic tale with realistic gameplay and graphics complemented by chilling cut scenes. The unique "sight jack" system allows the player to see from the point of view of the Shibito, or living dead, to avoid their detection or anxiously watch as they close in. Intense graphics, realistic character animation, and a gritty film-like graphical presentation add to the horror of SIREN: Blood Curse.

STORYLINE
Set in the Japanese village of Hanuda, an American TV crew has arrived to research and film an exposé on the legend of a "vanished village." Controlling seven different playable characters, the player must discover the mystery behind the curse that grips the eerie village of Hanuda.

KEY FEATURES
Epic Story - spread across 12 dramatic episodes, SIREN: Blood Curse will feature interactive scenarios and gripping cut scenes in each episode to keep players on the edge of their seats.
Enhanced 'Sight Jack' System - the automatic and seamless sight jack system allows players to see exactly what their enemies see
Playable Characters - players will control seven playable characters throughout the haunting story
Fatal Moves - Sneak past the deadly Shibito or take them head on with over 50 kinds of weapons, each with unique fatal finishing move animations
Archive System - lets player unlock a variety of story clues and important background information

Now with video! If you didn't know that Pixeljunk Eden, the latest in Q-Games series of PlayStation Network titles, was a psychedelic experiment that involved pollinating flowers, would you have any idea what the hell was going on in it? Looking at the screens, which are part of the Sony Pre-E3 Judge's Event, I long for the misspent days of my youth when we would score some so mind-altering substances from who knows where and then spend four hours taping strips of torn cassette tape to the ceiling so we could aim the fan at it while the strobe light was going. If only they made games like this back then.

That's it. I don't want to see any more Little Big Planet screens until I can play the game with my own two hands. This latest set, available at the Sony Pre-E3 Judge's day goes beyond tantalizing to torture. Can I be a zebra? Do I want to be a zebra? I just don't know! What I do know is that companies need to stop showing really cool stuff a year and a half before it is released, because my mind just cannot handle it anymore.

Yes! I want to be a zebra! *breaks down*

Sony's Pre-E3 Judge's Day is in full swing, and while Brian and McWhertor will be updating throughout the afternoon with hands-on, eyes-on, and whatever other body parts they can get onto the games featured at the event, we'll be here at home base gathering up the information, screens, and movies for your viewing and reading pleasure.

First up is SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, due out in September for the PlayStation 3. We've got screens, concept art, and a giant fact sheet after the jump that contains all you really need to know about that latest game in the SOCOM series. Enjoy!

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation FACT SHEET

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Slant Six Games
Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system
Genre: 3rd Person Shooter (Online Only)
Players: Multi-player (32 players)
Launch Date: September 16, 2008
Rating: Rating pending (targeting M-Mature)

OVERVIEW

Following its success as the number one online PlayStation®2 franchise,
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs breaches onto the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system this fall with SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation. The highly anticipated title promises to deliver the ultimate next-generation online combat experience, exclusively on the PS3.

With the power of the PS3, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation will deliver the most intense and authentic high definition modern combat action. The title's focus is on online play and the global community and clans that support it. With an emphasis on Tournaments, Clan Ladders, Leader Boards, the latest title in the multi-million unit selling franchise is exactly what SOCOM fans have been clamoring for.

Delivering a global-scale combat experience that has been refined over four generations of the SOCOM franchise, SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation gives players the opportunity to battle against the best and brightest from the U.S., Europe and Asia. Additionally, players will be able to modify their appearance through facial and physical customization.

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation features seven North African environments, including a 32-player version of the most popular SOCOM map of all time "Crossroads." Additional themed packs containing new Special Forces, weapons, maps and features will be made available for download via the PLAYSTATION®Store.

KEY FEATURES
Intense online combat experience with up to 32 players delivered in High Definition

7 highly detailed maps, 5 scalable for 8, 16, and 32 players with night and day versions.

New engine built for PS3 with advanced physics, lighting and ballistics including penetration modeling

Choice of playing as one of five special forces units: United States Navy SEALs, Special Air Service (SAS, United Kingdom), Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK, Germany), Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (UOE, Spain), 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (1er RPIMa, France)

Comprehensive player customization including facial and camo customization

Customizable load outs and gear, including weapons modifications

Up to seven different game modes, including all from previous SOCOM games. Full support of the Dual Shock 3 SIXAXIS™ wireless controller, offering greater control

Advanced voice communication systems and immersive audio

Unrivaled Community Features with increased clan & ladder support

Tournaments available at the regional, national and global levels

Advanced player matching enable players to form teams with their friends and easily join an online game

Integration with SOCOM.com: Stat tracking, clan management tools, My SOCOM pages and more

Sega's official video game of the 2008 Beijing Olympics is looking pretty damn realistic, if these screenshots are any indication, but as Olympic games of the past have taught us, it isn't about the looks so much as it is the motion. I am actually willing to take that a bit farther.
There will be no successful Olympics video game until they implement realistic hurdle-based testicle damage.
As someone who has felt the painful impact of a hurdle between my legs, I can safely say that making the runners simply stumble or slow down for hitting a hurdle does not accurately represent the rigors of the sport. It's the whole reason they implemented hurdles in the first place!

Here are some shots of Dinosaur King for the Nintendo DS from the Sega event attended by our ever busy Dr. Crecente. Dinosaur King is a game based off of an anime based off of a card game, if I've got the progression correct, which pretty much means that fans of the show and players of the card game will enjoy it. Being neither, I simply present you with the screens while smiling a warm, reassuring smile.

As a long-time proponent for Aztecs as video game villains, Polish developer Gingerbread Studios' newly announced first/third person shooter The Protector couldn't help but pique my interest, even if it only features Aztec mythology being used by terrorists. The game, under development for the PC and Xbox 360, is really two games in one. You have British mercenary Jonathan Kane going in guns blazing to protect lithe American archaeologist Jennifer Guile, who uses stealth tactics to avoid the forces of Scarlet Vengeance, a terrorist organization that needs her to unlock the secrets of an ancient Aztec weapon.

Right now The Protector is at an early stage, so we'll have to wait and see whether or not it delivers on the standard shooter promise of intelligent AI, but the chance of fighting "mythical Aztec creatures" is enough to keep my watching. What can I say? I have an Aztec fetish.

Gingerbread Studios Unleashes THE PROTECTOR

Toruń, Poland (16th May, 2008) - Newly formed Polish developer Gingerbread Studios today announced The Protector, a thrilling PC and Xbox 360 first/third person shooter featuring visceral action, tense, tactical stealth and an enthralling storyline.

The Protector centres on the exploits of two vastly different characters - hardened British mercenary Jonathan Kane and beautiful US archaeologist Jennifer Guile. After an acrimonious two-year estrangement, these two former lovers are reunited when Jennifer's father - a leading archaeologist - is murdered by a new terrorist organisation called Scarlet Vengeance, which is looking for a powerful Aztec artefact to use for a devastating terrorist attack. When Scarlet Vengeance's attentions turn to Jennifer - the only person who knows the location of the artefact - Kane is forced to track her down and protect her. Thrown together in extreme circumstances, the duo must overcome their differences and use their unique skills to thwart the terrorists' horrifying plan.

'Gingerbread Studios has taken the theme of South American mythology and masterfully injected it into a contemporary setting that reflects the escalating threat of global terrorism within the modern day world,' said James Cato, CEO of Gingerbread Studios. 'The Protector's two distinct playable characters and eclectic mix of action and stealth make it highly unique, while its branching, thrilling plot promises to keep gamers captivated till the end credits roll.'

Features:

Play as both Jonathan Kane - a hardened British mercenary and former MI6 agent trained in counter-terrorist tactics - and Jennifer Guile - a beautiful and wily US archaeologist.

Two distinct gameplay modes - searing, tactical shooting action (Kane) and tense, stealth sections (Jennifer).

Use your environment to hide and take cover. Enter into third-person mode when in cover to acquire a better overview of your surroundings. Lean out from behind cover to engage your enemies with minimal exposure. Blind fire around corners when severely pinned down.

Superb world physics where objects are splintered, shattered and sent flying by barrages of bullets and explosions, creating massively believable battlefields. The player can even shoot enemies - and be shot - through thin walls, adding a further tactical element.

Enemies intelligently seek out and utilise cover - just like you.

Disarm enemies by shooting the weapons from their hands, leaving the enemies vulnerable. Once an enemy has been disarmed, they must either reach for a sidearm or run for cover - both of which take time.

Enemy AI uses lifelike line of sight and hearing to determine your whereabouts. Enemies are more vulnerable in darker areas, while their lifelike reactions to sight and sound also provide the perfect environment for stealth-based gameplay.

Fully interactive world, populated by civilians, commuters, students and workers who intelligently react to their surroundings and situations.

Wide range of enemy types, ranging from elite terrorist forces to mythical Aztec creatures.

Intriguing plot featuring two very different endings, depending on your choices.

Challenging puzzles and mini games.

The Western release of Capcom's We Love Golf! for the Nintendo Wii approaches, and with two exclusive characters in the release, Capcom had to come up with two special Capcom classic-inspired costumes for each one, so they decided to let the players choose.

Out of a field hat contained choices such as Roll Caskett from Mega Man Legends and Captain Commando (my choices), the votes came out in favor of Morrigan from the Dark Stalkers series and Ken from Street Fighter. Morrigan will be portrayed by the lovely Stephanie, while Mark will don a red gi and blond locks, becoming the first African-American Ken Masters.

It may look a bit odd to you, but I used to have a black friend who dressed up as Ken for anime conventions, so these screens just bring back fond memories.

We Love Golf! Exclusive Character and Costume Revealed!

The fans asked for it and so they shall receive

Hi guys,

We Love Golf!'s release is steadily approaching soon and in addition to the Wii-tastic golf action, one of the really fun things about We Love Golf is the alternate Capcom costumes for the characters. When we heard the team was adding two new characters for the upcoming Western release of the game, we asked "why not ask our fans to pick their alternate costumes?"

As it turns out, everybody at Capcom had lots of extremely good reasons why this was a terrible idea. But then we did it anyway!

For the female character, your choices for the alternate costumes were Cammy (Street Fighter), Morrigan (Darkstalkers), Rouge (Power Stone), Roll Caskett (Mega Man Legends), and Ashley Graham (Resident Evil). For the men, the options were Frank West (Dead Rising), Balrog (Street Fighter boxer), Guy (Final Fight), Ken (Street Fighter), Dhalsim (Street Fighter), and Captain Commando (from, um, Captain Commando).

Today we're proud to announce the fans' choices: Darkstalkers' own Morrigan, and Street Fighter's Ken! Morrigan's outfit is available as Stephanie's alternate costume, and you'll find Ken's red gi on Mark, giving us our first African-American incarnation of Ken Masters!

Thanks to everyone who voted for making this a ton of fun and adding some great surprises to the game.

Cheers,

Tim and the Capcom PR team

Back when I was growing up, just about every family I knew had a closet full of tattered board games, ready at a moment's notice should said family come dangerously close to just quietly sitting and enjoying each other's company. Now EA introduces the 21st century version of said dusty closet, Hasbro Family Game Night for the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 2.

The title contains a nice selection of six big-name board game favorites - Battleship, Yahtzee, Boggle, Connect Four, Sorry!, and the all-new Sorry! Sliders, each with its own twist for fresh gameplay. Connect Four gets power chips, Bobble gets portal cubes, etc. As a special added bonus, each game is hosted by Mr. Potato Head. Apparently we needed a host, and he was available.

If you ever wanted to get you parents into gaming, Hasbro Family Game Night will probably be your best chance when it comes out this Fall.

EA BRINGS FAMILY BOARD GAME FAVORITES TO THE WII AND PLAYSTATION 2 WITH HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT VIDEO GAME

Host Interactive Video Game Parties with BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, CONNECT FOUR, and SORRY! from the Comfort of Your Living Room

Guildford, UK. - May 16, 2008 - Join your host MR. POTATO HEAD for fun and games with family and friends like never before. From the Casual Entertainment Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) comes the fun-filled video game HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT, launching Autumn 2008 on Wii™ and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Featuring six games including: BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, CONNECT FOUR, SORRY! and the all new, SORRY! Sliders, HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT is sure to become a valuable family favorite.

With the HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT digital experience, families can enjoy familiar classic Hasbro board games or throw in a fun spin with new versions like CONNECT FOUR Power Chips, BOGGLE Portal Cubes, Reverse YAHTZEE and BATTLESHIP Barrage - which add fresh dimensions and challenges to these legendary favorites. Play with up to four people in YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, SORRY! and SORRY! Sliders or up to two players in CONNECT FOUR and BATTLESHIP.

Players can deck out their very own distinctive digital game room in HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT by choosing a setting and adding earned trophies, cool furniture and decorations all themed to their favorite games. Not only can players customize where they play, but also how they play. HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT features a party mode that gives players the option to build a custom party game by choosing their desired game(s), number of players and setting a time limit. Party mode mini-game challenges include Match the Pattern, Shake for Words and Bomb Run.

"We're giving families a new way to bond and play together," said Chip Lange, Vice President and General Manager of EA's Casual Entertainment Label. "HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT offers parents and their children a digital party experience full of classic brands they know and love. Between original and new rule settings, an easy-to-play party mode and a customizable game room feature, the variety and choice promise hours of fun family play."

"HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT is designed to bring family and friends of all ages together in the digital living room for an evening of 'anything goes' fun," said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Media and Gaming at Hasbro. "Hasbro has been providing families with the best in game play for decades, and now they can enjoy some of our most beloved brands with an all-new digital twist."

For HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT screenshots and assets, please visit www.electronicarts.co.uk/press.

# # #

I know. That Sagat statue was nice and all, but his hands were so big, and that scar on his chest was so gross....it's perfectly reasonable to expect you to want something a little cleaner. A little more...beautiful. Like this Vega Statue. By Sideshow Collectibles, it's due in Q4 this year, and there'll only be 200 of them available worldwide. Which can only mean one thing: nutjob prices. At 20" he's nicely detailed, but at $275 I don't expect his chest to look like he's wearing a extra small-sized, inflatable sumo suit.

Bethesda have cracked open Fallout 3's hermetically-sealed, underground pre-production bunker and slipped out a few pieces of gorgeous concept art for the game. No screenshots amongst them, but then, as with the very first art we saw for the game, screenshots have never been quite as fun as checking out the art team's take on a retrpo, post-apocalyptic American society.

I remember the Dreamcast version of the original Soul Calibur blowing my baby blue socks clean off when I first saw it. Then again, that was on a 4:3, standard definition TV. This update, on a 16:9 screen and in HD? With those Windows 3.1 desktop-lookin borders? I...look, it still looks great, and I maintain the first is the best game in the series, it's just going to take a while to get used to seeing it look so different, that's all.

Here's a clip and some shots of the first episode of Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People, "Homestar Ruiner", in which Strong Bad's plot to win the tri-annual Race to the End of the Race somehow manages to get his arch-nemesis Homestar to move in with him. The episode of the point and click adventure, due out this summer for WiiWare and the PC, also features nifty side bits such as Videlectrix's Snake Boxer 5 and a create your own Teen Girl Squad comic dealie. It'll be just like playing the website on your Wii!

Unless of course you play it on your PC. Here, screenshots.

Sometimes a rumor is a rumor only because the press release hasn't hit yet, as is the case with Sega's newly announced partnership with PlatinumGames, the studio formed after Capcom decided to dissolve Okami developer Clover. The only difference between the rumor and the official announcement is that instead of three games we're getting four, and PlatinumGames doesn't have a space in it. Along with the previously revealed MADWORLD (Wii), Infinite Line (DS), and Bayonetta *Xbox 360 and PS3), a fourth game is in the works directed by Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil.

"The creative forces at PlatinumGames bring a new level of imagination into the SEGA family at a pivotal time in the video game industry when the demand for quality, originality and fun has never been greater," said Tatsuya Minami, President and CEO, PlatinumGames. "These new titles will contribute meaningfully to SEGA's brand, while adding a new level of depth to the strategic portfolio of games in our library."

For more on this partnership, which will go great lengths towards restoring many gamers' faith in Sega, check out Crecente's article from the announcement event, or hit the jump for the full release.

SEGA ANNOUNCES A PLATINUM PARTNERSHIP

Famed Developers Confirm Exclusive Four-Game Deal with SEGA

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (May 15, 2008) - SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced a worldwide partnership with PlatinumGames Inc., the development studio recently formed by the team behind some of the most successful franchises in the video game industry. Under the agreement, PlatinumGames will develop three ground-breaking new SEGA titles - MADWORLD™, Infinite Line™ and Bayonetta™ - covering a variety of game genres with innovative design concepts that explore the depths of today's best-selling platforms. A soon-to-be-announced fourth title, being directed by legendary gaming icon Shinji Mikami, is also part of the agreement.

"The creative forces at PlatinumGames bring a new level of imagination into the SEGA family at a pivotal time in the video game industry when the demand for quality, originality and fun has never been greater," said Tatsuya Minami, President and CEO, PlatinumGames. "These new titles will contribute meaningfully to SEGA's brand, while adding a new level of depth to the strategic portfolio of games in our library."

"We are thrilled to have forged this new relationship with such a talented team of individuals and we are understandably excited about the titles that they are producing for us," commented Mike Hayes President and COO of SEGA Europe Ltd. "SEGA continually strives to release games for all consumers that are of the highest quality, working with Platinum Games further enhances that strategy."

MADWORLD, the first title set for release in Q1 2009, is an inventive third-person action game exclusively for Wii™. Produced by Atsushi Inaba, MADWORLD has a unique black and white style, depicting an incredibly sharp backdrop that straddles graphic novels and 3D worlds. As players battle opponents, they must master the use of various weapons and items found within their environment, such as chainsaws and street signs, while entertaining sports commentary adds to the third-person gameplay. With its irreverent humour and over-the-top violence, MADWORLD will deliver a unique core gaming experience currently missing on the Wii system.

Infinite Line (working title), a role playing game exclusively for the Nintendo DS™ portable handheld system, takes place in outer space and gives players the ability to control, build, outfit and customise more than 150 spaceships. Infinite Line stretches the DS hardware to the limit, offering over 200 characters and the ability to control multiple spaceships at any one time. Releasing in 2009 and currently being produced by Atsushi Inaba and directed by Hifumi Kouno (from developer Nude Maker), Infinite Line is one of the most complex RPG titles developed for the DS to date.

Bayonetta is a stylish and cinematic action game, directed by creator Hideki Kamiya and set for release in 2009 on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. A witch with powers beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, Bayonetta faces-off against countless angelic enemies, many reaching epic proportions, in a game of 100% pure, unadulterated all-out action. Outlandish finishing moves are performed with balletic grace as Bayonetta flows from one fight to another. With magnificent over-the-top action taking place in stages that are a veritable theme park of exciting attractions, Bayonetta pushes the limits of the action genre, bringing to life its fast-paced, dynamic climax combat.

For more information regarding the partnership between SEGA and PlatinumGames please go to www.sega.com/platinumgames

Looking to get your hand on the first Dragon Balls on the PS3 and Xbox 360? Atari has a demo up on Xbox Live right now for Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, the series' first foray onto the current crop of cutting-edge consoles. The demo weighs in at under 500 megs and features two battles from the game's story mode, Goku versus long-haired guy and other long-haired guy versus those little green things. Yep, I am definitely up on my DBZ terminology. The demo is currently available on Xbox Live and should be up on PSN later today, Sony willing. While you wait, a metric ass-ton of screenshots.

Looks like those Platinum Games rumors are true. Things like a mulit-page article in this week's Famitsu magazine tend to confirm things like that. There's 3D action title Bayonetta for the PS3 and the Xbox 360>. The angel-battling game features a protagonist with gun-feet. The game is being directed by Hideki Kamiya, the creator of Devil May Cry and director of Okami. The other game Famitsu mentions is Infinite Line, which is apparently being co-developed with Nude Maker. The game is being directed by Nude Maker's Hifumi Kouno. The DS game allows players to customize their spaceship and features the appearance of over 200 characters! The last game mentioned is monochrome and crimson Wii title MADWORLD. The ultra violent title will feature comical mayhem. And blood. Lots and lots of blood. Platinum Games is working on a fourth title as well. No idea about title or platform or publisher — all that's known is that Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami is at the helm. That will suffice for now!

Famitsu 20080516 [Wii @ Everyday]

Cute can only get you so far, as evidence by EA's first MySims for the Nintendo Wii and DS. It's adorable characters lured in many players (myself included) who were then disappointed by the lack of compelling gameplay. Perhaps EA can redeem themselves with MySims Kingdom, coming out for both Nintendo platforms this fall. The Wii game challenges you to help a colorful cast of characters restore King Roland's kingdom to its former glory, while the DS version acts as an extension of the storyline, helping the King thwart some far-flung evil. Adding a true storyline to the game should help bunches in making this next entry in the MySims franchise playable. Fingers crossed.

THE SIMS ANNOUNCES MYSIMS KINGDOM, THE NEXT EXPERIENCE IN THE POPULAR MYSIMS FRANCHISE, COMING IN FALL 2008

Create Your Story Of Adventure To Make The Kingdom Great

Guildford, UK — May 14, 2008 — The Sims™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) Label, today announced first details for MySims™ Kingdom, the next experience from the creators of MySims™. Launching exclusively on the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ platforms, MySims Kingdom sets you on a story of adventure, discovery and exploration to help King Roland and his subjects revitalize the Kingdom. Launching globally in autumn 2008, MySims Kingdom for the Wii and Nintendo DS puts the creativity in your hands to make the Kingdom something to behold!

MySims Kingdom for the Wii
King Roland needs your help to make the Kingdom a better place. Throughout this tale to bring the Kingdom back to its former glory, you must help new and old friends alike, discover new lands and build to the limit of your imagination.

Your MySims Kingdom experience begins in The Capital, the majestic land at the center of your story-telling. Check out the Castle, explore this first land and begin to meet your first set of new friends, including King Roland, Princess Butter, and the Wizard Marlon. Find out more of what awaits you here and then get in your boat to sail to many more lands on the horizon!

Throughout your journey new characters, lands, and clever new contraptions will be revealed. Construct and do everything from tending your pigs to finding treasure chests. Newly-added building options will help you accomplish the tasks you're challenged with along the way, including building broken bridges. In true MySims fashion, everything is customizable, allowing every creation within your world to have a signature look.

There is a lot more to discover in regions beyond The Capital, so stay tuned for more characters, contraptions and lands that are yet to be revealed!

MySims Kingdom for Nintendo DS
Take the Kingdom with you! MySims Kingdom on Nintendo DS adds a new chapter to the saga, challenging you to help the King thwart the plans of evil in a far flung corner of the Kingdom. Many new activities and mini-games are included to help you persuade the King that your island is the ultimate royal destination.

"MySims has been met with such enthusiasm by players and families everywhere, we are excited to make MySims its own franchise within The Sims Label," said Rod Humble, Head of Studio for The Sims Label. "MySims Kingdom has players helping King Roland and his subjects make the MySims world a better place by completing rewarding quests, building houses, bridges or even making contraptions powered by electricity or water. And MySims Kingdom on Nintendo DS, adds many new activities such as kayaking, ski jumping, populating the town zoo and many others!"

Since its launch in September 2007, MySims quickly rose to global success and is loved by players everywhere, having sold 2.8 million copies worldwide to date. The second installment in the franchise, MySims Kingdom, will hit retail shelves across North America, Europe and Asia in Fall of 2008. For more information on MySims, please visit www.mysims.com.

Get ready to embark on your own story-telling journey of discovery and exploration in MySims Kingdom this fall.

Nothing like lo-res magazine scans to show off your game! This week's Famitsu has a huge 9 page article on upcoming Resident Evil 5 features game concept art, which sheds light onto how the finished product might look. While the game is set in a new location, it will apparently feature big boss style enemies from earlier games. So far, only three weapons are confirmed: a knife, a handgun and a sniper rifle.

New RE5 Art [DarkZero via videogaming247]

Microsoft weren't going to let their Spring Showcase go without dishing out some Gears of War 2 stuff. Here, then, are four screens, which I'm pretty sure are from the already-released trailers, but what they lack in motion, they make up for in size and crispness. I'm not the world's biggest Gears fan, so it's all looking very "same as the last one but louder", but I will applaud them for the use of green. Makes a pleasant change!

Before the whole shebang took off last night and Electronic Arts kicked off their Spring Break Games Day, I managed to sneak my way onto a computer loaded up with Battlefield Heroes to check out a bit of gameplay and mess around with the game's interesting customization settings.

DICE's free-to-play upcoming shooter features Team Fortress 2-like graphics and a definite Battlefield Lite feel, but what really captured my interest was the game's use of customization.

To create your character you have to first choose between a soldier, gunner and commando. Once you've selected the basic type of character you are playing you can go in and customize his look by adding objects to the ten provided slots. Like in many role-playing games, each slot changes a specific part of a character's look.

For instance with my character, a long mustachioed gunner, I gave him skull make up on his face, a dragon tattoo on his back, a bandolero of ammo slung from a shoulder, black pants and a peg leg. Yes, a peg leg. Really, I could have stopped playing at this point because any World War II -themed shooter that features a cartoon like art-style and the ability to slap peg legs on anyone is going to have a hard time convincing me not to play it.

But there is more. Besides customizing the look of your characters, you can also customize the way they play. By playing the game you unlock abilities which you can then bind to hotkeys, like you would in a massively multiplayer or role-playing game. The first few are typically reserved for weapons, but then you can use the rest for rechargeable powers like the ability to heal yourself, run, toughen your skin for a short time.

I didn't have tons of time to actually play the game, what with the time I spent marveling over the peg legs, but from what I saw it looks like it's going to be quite a bit of fun: A shooter that in many ways looks and feels like an RPG.

Standing on the tiny white stage set up in front of the back bar of Supperclub last night, a drink sloshing nearly out of its glass in one hand, Skate It executive producer Scott Blackwood promised not to use the phrase "built from the ground up" while explaining his game.

Boo me off the stage, he insisted, if I do... and then he proceeded to use the phrase.

"If it's not built from the ground up, is it a port? Not really."

Blackwood explained that before Black Box started their work on the Wii and DS versions of Skate, they had to figure out if the controls would work.

"It we couldn't get that great flick it feel, we weren't going to do it," he said.

Later on, while trying out the Wii version of the game for myself, I was told the team spent three to four months working on getting those controls right and for the most part, it felt like they succeeded.

To play the Wii version, you hold the remote flat, facing it toward the screen and then move it around as if it is the board you are standing on. The A button makes your skater push with his foot, and the B makes him hold the board. The rest is done with motion. You turn by tilting the remote side to side, manual and nose manual by tilting the remote forward or back and do tricks by snapping the remote up, to the side or in tight circles.

I was able to do quite a few tricks with the remote, including a new Kung-Fu move requires jumping up in the air and pushing both buttons at the same time, after just a few minutes with the controller. There was a slight lag between the motion and a jump, but it felt like it was something built into the game on purpose rather than a design flaw. The turning was tight and responsive and for the most part if felt like a Skate game.

One very noticeable difference is that in Skate it on the Wii there are no pedestrians. The developers explain this away by saying a series of disasters have struck the city, leaving you with a playground of upturned asphalt, broken signs and bent rails to skate in, but I suspect that some of that decision was also driven by the necessity of developing an Xbox 360, PS3 game for the Wii.

While the game will also make use of the Wii Balance Board, allowing you to steer and do manuals with it by shifting your weight, we weren't allowed to test that out at last night's event.

The game will have you leaving the city and traveling to real cities around the world to compete in skate events, the developers told me.

While the graphics certainly take a hit, the slick feel of the controls, I suspect, will more than make up for that.

I didn't get a chance to check out the DS version, unfortunately, but in the demo they showed how you will perform stunts by tracing lines across a skateboard on the touch screen. Most moves looked like they were made by drawing angles lines or open shapes, like a rough J or U, though one trick required a odd-looking loopdeloop.

At first blush Battleforge appears to be an amalgamation of Magic the Gather and Warcraft, a PC game that combines the strategy and pacing of a well put together real-time strategy game with the collectible nature and infrastructure-free feel of a trading card game.

During last night's EA event Richard Leinfellner, executive producer of the game and video president of developer Phenomic, walked the press through a quick co-op battle.

While Battleforge has single player and versus modes, it appears that it's really, at its heart, a cooperative game, supporting up to 12 players.

To play, players first build a deck from the cards they've collected by working through the campaign, which rewards gamers with new cards, trading online or buying booster packs.

Once the deck has been built, players use these cards to summon their armies, there are no production buildings or resource management, instead you fight to capture territories, which gives you the ability to summon larger and larger creatures.

In the demo we were shown one of the players used more of the aggressive, direct attack cards, while the other player used cards that were more about support and healing. While most of the cards we saw summoned creatures, which were then controlled like units in a typical real-time-strategy game, some of the cards were spells that did direct damage. The Inferno card, for instance, dropped comets onto an area.

Some of the game's creatures have specific abilities, for instance the Juggernaut, which is a massive creature that deals high levels of damage, also can charge it's way through enemy walls and fortifications.

The demo ended after the two players worked together to take down a sort of boss enemy. Once the enemy was defeated both players won his card, which they were then able to use in future battles. So winning a battle in campaign, gives you this permanent reward.

After the demo I tracked down Dirk Ringe, one of the development team members, to quiz him on some of the ins and outs of the game. Unfortunately, I couldn't check the game out because they were having some technical issues when I went by.

The game will support co-op up to 12 players and versus up to four. There will also be the ability to play through maps as a single player, but it doesn't sound like that's really the game's focus.

Ringe said the company plans to sell booster packs for the game starting with its launch, though you won't need to buy them if you don't want to. Essentially these packs will be a collection of random cards which might make deck building easier, but won't really give you a leg up on your competition. The game will include a robust system designed to allow gamers to permanently trade cards with one another, to bolster and fine-tune their decks. It won't support the ability to compete for cards, but players could always try the honor system.

From what I saw of the game it looks like it has quite a bit of potential, I like the idea of stripping away some of the resource management aspects of strategy gaming and making it a bit more about the combat.

Valve was on hand at last night's EA festivities to give attendees a chance to check out zombie survival shooter Left 4 Dead. In the game you play as one of four characters co-oping through a city ravaged with a plague of zombies, trying to shoot, melee and run your way from safe room to safe room.

The game starts off with your and three other players on a roof top behind a locked door. A nearby table is stocked with a selection of weapons, ammo and health packs. In the map we played, the first room had molotov cocktails, submachine guns, pistols and shotguns. Each player can equip a health pack, molotov cocktail, handgun and primary weapon: I went with the submachine gun.

Staying true to the zombie formula, your ammo is very limited, so survival isn't as much about clearing a room as getting through it.

After stocking up we unlocked the door, made our way down a set of stairs and were immediately attacked by a dozen or so zombies. The zombies in the game are a nice mix of the ambling Dawn of the Dead variety and the liquid fast 28 Days Later breed. The dead tend to stand around, mill in corners or, at times, crouch in pockets of shadow. Initially when they spot you they seem slow, turning to track you, but most of them got fast once they lock on and either run at you or, on occasion, actually leap across a room at you.

While there's a nice mix of zombie animation it became clear early on that certain zombies behave certain ways. Some can be killed with a single shot, others take a full clip to knock down. Some hide, others mil, some bound around the map, others come straight at you.

After pushing our way through that first home and onto the streets we wandered around the nearly empty city looking for our way out. In the game, the object is to make it from safe room to safe room, taking the time to replenish ammo and health, on your way to an evacuation point.

In my first run through with the game, I made it to the streets before my firs-person shooter habits got the best of me and I made the mistake of separating from my team to see if we left any of the undead, not dead. After taking out a straggler or two I realized I was on my own and started to hot-foot it back to the team. Too late. Within minutes the once empty city was crawling with zombies and my last moments were spent standing in the bed of a pick-up truck trying desperately to shoot down the sea of zombies surrounding me with a quickly diminishing supply of ammo.

Take-two went much better, knowing that we had to stick together and not dally, we managed to make it to the second safe room with almost now losses, though one of our party was taken down in the room itself before I managed to close the steel door and drop a metal bar across it.

After replenishing we made our way into a warehouse where the doors and windows blew open and zombies began to pour in. The seemingly insurmountable odds were evened a bit when one of the other gamers noticed a room blocked off by a wall of sand bags and a mounted machine gun. The three of us stayed in the room fighting off the zombies as the flooded the warehouse. At one point I found a gas can and threw it on the other side of the sand bags. Shooting it, created a wall of flames which slowed the zombie attack, but didn't stop it.

Finally we were picked off until it was just me, once more cornered and desperately trying to put off the inevitable death at the undead hands of countless zombies.

The game's graphics were amazing, pushing the Source Engine to it's limits and delivering plenty of startling moments. The one off-putting thing I noticed was the gallons of blood that pour from you after an attack, it looked like, at times, that characters had a hose attached to their head or stomach, so much blood was pouring out.

There are an interesting mix of zombies in the game including a slow, fat thing that projectile vomits blood on you and explodes in a geyser of gore when you shoot them.

The balance of the game perfectly matches the feel of most zombie movies and we tended to die when we strayed from the unspoken rules of a zombie flick. Never separate, never slow down, and conserve your ammo.

It's very official, as Microsoft has announced the existence of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Rare's fuzzy follow-up for the Xbox 360. Lucky Banjo fan that you are, you've been subjected to leak after leak, giving you a glimpse of the new-gen bear and bird adventure all weekend. Out of obligation, though, we've put together a handy gallery of the available Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts screen shots, which you can find below.

A handy fact sheet, courtesy of Microsoft, explains how the Lord of Games has crafted a ridiculous excuse to pit Banjo and Gruntilda against eachother in a battle that can only be settled by vehicle creation and customization. Seriously! You'll find it after the jump!

Famed game developer Rare Ltd. is reviving one of its most beloved and successful franchises exclusively on Xbox 360 with the third installment of the “Banjo-Kazooie” series. “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” embraces new and old fans alike, as the famous bear and bird duo return in stunning high definition for a unique adventure of epic proportions. The Lord of the Games (aka LOG) is tired of the petty squabbling between Banjo and the evil witch Gruntilda (aka Grunty) over the years, and has arranged a showdown to decide the rightful owner of Spiral Mountain. Claiming to have created every video game ever made, LOG has built the game worlds in which the contest’s challenges take place. Banjo must complete LOG’s challenges to win, while Grunty tries to stop him using every method her devious mind can muster.

Throughout their adventure, players create their own abilities by building vehicles for Banjo to pilot over land, water and air. Vehicle parts, which range from simple devices such as engines and wheels to more unusual equipment such as springs and egg guns, are earned and collected throughout the game. Players use their imagination to combine parts in any order to create whatever vehicle they choose. LOG’s challenges have one goal, but players’ choice of vehicle and tactics will determine how they get there. By exploring worlds and solving puzzles, players both young and old will be rewarded with more advanced and diverse vehicle parts in their quest to defeat Grunty once and for all.

With the power of Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE, “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” brings an entirely new experience to the console and takes the franchise to a whole new level of enjoyment. High-definition graphics, user-created content and online gameplay are just three of the many advances people of all ages and skill levels will discover as they embark on their adventure.

Features: Top features include the following:
An adventure that starts with your imagination. If you can imagine it, you can build it in the Mumbo’s Motors easy-to-use workshop. Then put your creation to the test as you take on Grunty in your quest for Spiral Mountain. Unlike other games, where the player progressively picks up new skills or abilities at points pre-determined by the game’s creator, “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” puts the power of improving Banjo’s abilities into the hands of the players as they build vehicles that allow Banjo to progress through the game. Vehicle parts include a wide variety of body panels, engines, wheels, wings, propellers, fuel and weapons, plus many more weird and wonderful gadgets such as floaters, Mumbo Bombos and the versatile sticky ball, from which players can design and create anything from a simple object-carrying truck to a space-age flying saucer. Once you’ve designed your creation, give it the finishing touch by painting it and choosing a suitable name before Banjo jumps in and pilots it into action.
Customizable experience. With more than 100 contraption parts and unlimited combinations possible, no two players will have the same experience in “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.” By exploring the vast game worlds, discovering hidden secrets and solving puzzles to win rewards, players continually find more and more ways to customize and improve their contraptions, creating an unprecedented level of user-generated content for a 3-D platform adventure game.
Fun right out of the box. Don’t worry if you aren’t the world’s greatest inventor or want to skip the workshop and get straight to the action, because “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” comes with a fully loaded experience right out of the box. Pre-built vehicles are included so players can jump right in and get started, with many more contraptions available for purchase throughout the adventure using the in-game currency system of musical notes.
Engaging storyline and entertaining characters. Two of Rare’s most beloved characters have returned from retirement, making their debut on Xbox 360. To win the deed to their homeland and prevent the evil witch Gruntilda from developing it into tower blocks and malls, Banjo and his best friend Kazooie battle over land, sea and air against their longtime rival. Familiar faces such as Mumbo Jumbo, Bottles, Captain Blubber and the Jinjos are also back to lend a hand, along with an equally colorful cast of new friends and foes. Look out for Trophy Thomas, Piddles, Lord of the Games and Grunty’s mechanically menacing army of Gruntbots.
Enjoy alone or with friends. “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts” offers complete single-player and multiplayer experiences. You can play through the adventure alone in the single-player campaign, or play with friends in competitive or cooperative challenges on your own or in teams.
Fun for everyone. Xbox 360 is the home to the best entertainment experiences for everyone. With “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts,” Xbox 360 continues to build its impressive lineup of content that appeals to people of all ages and types.

Announced during the MGS4 party earlier today, Konami have teamed up with Japanese label Uniqlo to release a range of snazzy new MGS shirts. There are six designs to choose from, with each design coming in two colours, for a grand total of twelve shirts you can view on the internet, dream of buying then - whether due to lack of finances or lack of Japanese language skills - never buy.

Yup. BIG HANDS. But don't let them put you off this Sagat statue by SOTA. It's not his fault, is it? Indeed, he's become quite sensitive about it, so if you don't mind, quit your staring. Due in September, it's - as you can see - a highly detailed representation of Thailand's favourite one-eyed son, stands 12" and will cost you $120.

Reader Tony writes it to show off this Metal Gear Solid 4 Old Snake action figure he made by heavily customizing a Dark Knight movie Batman figure. Pretty cool, though it does look a little Thunderbirds are Go! to me. More shots on the jump.

David "Pointman" Brothers dropped a bunch of new screens for upcoming Playstation 3 shooter SOCOM Confrontations this week over on the SOCOM site, he also added a bit of commentary to a few.

Check out the jump for details on some of the screens taking from the Crossroads and Urban Wasteland maps. I can't wait till this game hits, looks like it's going to be a total blast.

On the Crossroads map:

Three on one? All’s fair in love and war.

I’m a huge fan of architecture and the way cities look. I took a trip to New York City a couple weeks ago and came home with more pictures of random buildings and streets than I did of the actual thing I went there to see.

So, there’s a lot for me to like in this one screen. The way that the tile gives way to basic dirt, the street lamps, and the brick work are all pushing my buttons over here. It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?

Do you see that lion in the background, just to the left of center?

If you wanted to, you could travel all the way over there. Same thing with the tall building in the center, and the rooftops to the left, front, and center.

Two more bits. First, if you have a proper weapon, you can snipe from this position and pick people off from across the map. Second, do you see the birds flying in the air? You can shoot them. We don’t encourage that sort of thing, and you’re really better off shooting at the enemy, but hey... you can shoot them.

This is an image from the same angle as the post from the other day, but a bit lower to the ground and more detailed. You can see some things that were blocked or covered before. The bicycle, the garbage bags (there are two), and the fuel can, for example. There’s even a transformer on the electrical tower.

For those of you who don’t speak French, “Bain pour hommes" translates to, “Men’s Bath.”

On the Urban Wasteland map:

This is a shot from Urban Wasteland. We can get a good look at the wrecked building, and can probably figure out some decent working strategies for this specific point. There are pretty clearly four levels at work here— the beginning of the stairs (off-screen), the first landing, the second landing (off-screen to the left and top), and then the walkway in the top right.

It seems like it’d be pretty easy to pick people off from any level of the staircase, which means that you’ve got to stay on your toes when ascending or descending. The real question is what’s in the rooms that the staircase comes from and goes to?

In 1999, moviegoers were thrilled by Brendan Fraser in The Mummy. In 2001 they were titillated by The Mummy Returns. A year later they kinda scratched their heads at The Scorpion King, but this year the filmmakers are off The Rock and things are back to normal with The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, and Sierra is busy developing the blockbuster game to go along with the blockbuster film. Developed by Eurocom Studios for the Wii, PS2, and Nintendo DS, the game will place payers in the roles of Rick O'Connell and his son Alex in their quest to defeat the servants of the Dragon Emperor, portrayed by Jet Li. The third-person action will consist of hand-to-hand combat, gun play, and platforming, and looks from the screenshots to be very much like Tomb Raider without the breasts, which is exactly what The Mummy franchise is all about! Look for the game on or around the movie release this August.

Sierra Entertainment's Video Game The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor To Rise This Summer

Video Game Captures the Intense Action-Adventure, Fantastic Creatures and Epic Locations of Upcoming Universal Pictures' Supernatural Adventure Staring Brendan Fraser and Jet Li

MARLOW, UK (8th May, 2008) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced the development of The Mummy™: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, a video game based on one of Summer 2008's most highly anticipated movies from Universal Pictures. The game, which will mirror the fast-paced action and adventure depicted in the film, is being developed by Eurocom Studios for the Wii™ home video game console and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and by A2M for Nintendo DS™.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor game was created through a licensing agreement with Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group.

"Sierra Entertainment is pleased to partner with Universal to deliver an exciting extension to this popular film franchise," said Al Simone, senior vice president, Global Marketing, Sierra Entertainment. "Developed in collaboration with the film's creative talent, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor video game will add another opportunity for players to experience the thrill and excitement of this adventure favourite."

"The Mummy is one of the most distinctive and expansive franchises in Universal's portfolio, and there is inherent gameplay in the property," said Bill Kispert, Vice President and General Manager, Interactive, Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group. "The new film amps up the action, introduces a ruthless new villain and takes our heroes to incredible new locations. We are thrilled to bring all these attributes to life in this game."

In the third-person action-adventure game The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, players will take on the roles of Rick O'Connell and his son, Alex (played by Brendan Fraser and Luke Ford, respectively, in the film). Gamers will follow the lead characters on their harrowing journey - across exotic locations from ancient Chinese catacombs to beautiful, but dangerous, Himalayan peaks - to defeat the revived servants of the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li). The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor allows players to switch seamlessly between gunplay and hand-to-hand melee attacks, and also features a fast and fluid combat system and an arsenal of weaponry that can be used to vanquish the many bone-chilling enemies players will face during their journey. Fans of the upcoming Universal Pictures film, directed by Rob Cohen and set to hit cinemas this 1st August, will fight their way through The Mummy universe by utilising combat, puzzle-solving and hieroglyphic decoding gameplay elements.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor video game is expected to be available from UK retailers on 8th August, 2008. For more information, please visit the game's official Web site at www.mummyvideogame.com.

Earlier this morning Electronic Arts officially announced the long-rumored Lord of the Rings meets Battlefield title, Lord of the Rings Conquest.

The game, under development by Pandemic Studios, will give gamers a chance to fight some of Tolkein's greatest battles as either the good guys or the bad when it hits this fall.

“We’ll freely admit that we’re rabid fans of The Lord of the Rings fantasy,” says Josh Resnick, co-founder and general manager at Pandemic Studios. “Our experience creating massive, rich, action-packed games means that The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will give fans exactly what they want: full control of the blade, bow and magic to fight its epic battles any way they want – even if they choose to play from the evil side.”

Hit the jump for the official press release.

PANDEMIC STUDIOS ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS: CONQUEST
‘Conquest’ Grants Players Freedom to Fight Epic ‘Rings’ Battles Any Way Desired

LOS ANGELES, Calif., May 8, 2008 – Pandemic™ Studios, an award-winning developer of blockbuster video games, is proud to announce the development of The Lord of the Rings: Conquest™ for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PC and Nintendo DS™ platforms. Pandemic Studios is a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS).

In a partnership with New Line Cinema, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is an action-packed game created by the same Pandemic Studios team behind the best-selling Star Wars Battlefront™ and Star Wars Battlefront™ II titles. Set in “The Lord of the Rings” universe of J.R.R. Tolkien as depicted by the Academy Award®-winning films, players will finally fight the entirety of these epic battles any way they want. In addition to crusading as the heroic forces of good, for the first time ever in a ‘The Lord of the Rings’ action title they’ll conquer Middle-earth while playing as the legions of Sauron’s evil army, including Cave-trolls, Oliphaunts, the Balrog and Sauron himself. The game is set for a global release in fall 2008.

“Our Pandemic Studios creative teams have years of expertise bringing giant battlefields to life,” says Andrew Goldman, Pandemic Studios co-founder and general manager. “We’ve always wanted to harness our experience in a fantasy universe with warriors, archers, mages and castle sieges. Of course, there is truly no better fantasy world to recreate than the enormity of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ realm.”

“We’ll freely admit that we’re rabid fans of The Lord of the Rings fantasy,” says Josh Resnick, co-founder and general manager at Pandemic Studios. “Our experience creating massive, rich, action-packed games means that The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will give fans exactly what they want: full control of the blade, bow and magic to fight its epic battles any way they want – even if they choose to play from the evil side.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Pandemic Studios on this game,” commented David Imhoff, Senior EVP of Worldwide Licensing & Merchandising for New Line Cinema. “They bring not only their incredible technical and creative abilities but also a great passion for The Lord of the Rings.”

The world premiere of game footage and the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will premiere exclusively on Spike TV’s GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley on Friday, June 20.

This announcement reveals the third blockbuster video game project in the works at Pandemic Studios’ Los Angeles-based headquarters alongside the upcoming Mercenaries 2: World in Flames™ and Saboteur™, both in development for the Xbox 360™, PLAYSTATION®3 and PC platforms. For more information on The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, please visit: http://www.pandemicstudios.com/conquest.

It looks like Ubisoft's first game for the Wii's WiiWare channel will be a shoot-em up called Protöthea, a finalist at the Independent Games Festival developed by Sabarasa and Digital Builders.

"Ubisoft is excited to bring Protöthea exclusively to the platform and we feel it's a must-have WiiWare title,” shared James Regan, vice president of third party operations, Ubisoft. "Protöthea really reminds me of some of the best arcade games, with the Wii Remote as an added dimension. It's just a flurry of fast-paced action that anyone can simply pick up and enjoy.”

In the game players control a "last-generation" spaceship with the Remote and Nunchuk as they try to destroy asteroid Maqno 01 and stop the plans of The Core. The game includes multiple missions, eight different air-to-air weapons, two bombs, as well as a special power that slows time.

Hit the jump for a second vid of the game and fact sheet.

Protöthea™

Product Description
Protöthea™ is a top-down vertical scrolling shooter game putting players in complete control of a last-generation spaceship, with the challenge to destroy an asteroid called “Maqno 01” and sabotage the plans of the political faction called “The Core.”

Ubisoft’s WiiWare™ exclusive launch title introduces new concepts to a beloved classic game style while mixing genres and utilizing the full capabilities of the Wii™ system, from graphics to controls.

Players of all ages and experience will easily jump right in and guide their ship through multiple missions on futuristic planets in a complete 3D world featuring non-stop action.

Key Features

Pick Up and Play
Protöthea takes full advantage of the Nintendo Wii Remote™ and Nunchuck giving players total control of their ship via an easy-to-play and extremely intuitive control scheme.

Graphical Prowess
The game takes place in a complete 3D world packed with graphically rich environments, non-stop action featuring explosions and cool special effects.

Enemy AI
Unlike traditional scrolling shooters where enemy paths and maneuvers were predictable, the enemy AI in Protöthea is dynamic and changes based on the player’s actions.
Complete Arsenal of Weapons
A wide range of eight different air-to-air weapons and two different air-to-ground bombs give players a variety of options at their fingertips as they can use any given weapon they’ve obtained at any given time; the slow-down special power gives the spaceship the ability to decelerate time and avoid enemy fire while rapidly moving and attacking enemies.

Storyline and Missions
Protöthea boasts four unique planets where players will battle through ten levels and two difficulty settings to destroy the plans of “The Core,” a faction that plans to use the minerals extracted from the Maqno asteroid to build an army of bio-machines with the objective to control the Free Planets Federation – yeah, totally evil, right?

Product Specifications:
Developers: Sabarasa & Digital Builders
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: May 2008
Category: Action Shooter
Rating: “E” for Everyone
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Web site: www.ubisoft.com

Fresh from their big PR event today in London, Sony have released some new screenshots from their now-delayed flagship shooter, Killzone 2. And looking at a couple of the in-game shots they chose to release (not the gorgeous one above), it's easy to see why it's been held back. Still looking a little rough in places. Indeed, some of these shots aren't just missing their earlier "target renders", they look more PS2 than PS3! Ah, I kid, but really, there's still a long way to go if they want to meet their own lofty, self-imposed standards. Feb 2009 should about do it.

Yet another classic Batman villain joins the cast of Lego Batman as Two-Face makes his tiny, blocky debut. Sporting dual pistols to go with his dual personality, he joins the Riddler in the prestigious ranks of Batman enemies who more often than not let their own psychoses get them caught. I have to say, this is my second favorite version of Two-Face, behind only (movie spoiler) this one.

This latest batch of screenshots from Namco Bandai do absolutely nothing to ease my excitement over Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm for the PlayStation 3, despite cell-shaded screenshots always looking a bit rough compared to the game in motion. I'm going to have to sit down with my nephew one day and get a crash course in exactly who all these people are, though that could lead to me finally putting aside my pride and buying one of those damn headbands and start calling myself the next hokage.

For the record, that will never, ever happen.

The UK's PSW Magazine has a slew of gorgeous new screenshots of the highly anticipated follow-up to last year's PlayStation 3 racer Motorstorm, which show off just how far the developers have come since those first stumbling steps on the PS3. The new island local looks suitably tropical, the characters have a great deal more character, and overall the environments look like they'd be a joy to tear up. Hit up the link for the full gallery.
New Motorstorm 2 screens [CVG]

I know. Metroid made the jump to 3D years ago. Just the one GameCube could do it, no duct tape required. But is it really 3D? Course not. You can keep your supposed Z-axis, if I'm playing Metroid on a two-dimensional screen, it's two-dimensional. Which is why these shots of Metroid Prime 3, taken and converted by Nintendo Everything's Valay, are so great. Because they're really in 3D. You need the blue/red glasses and everything.

Metroid Prime 3 in true 3D [Nintendo Everything]

LEGOs, Batman, Power Suits, it's all good. This latest gallery from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment shows off Batman and Robin's spanky new Power Suits. It looks like the suits allow them to do things like walk up metal walls, breath underwater and get funky with a sweet pair of sunglasses.

Face it: The Xbox 360 hasn't done so hot in Japan. That doesn't mean everyone in Japan hates it. Oh, no! Not at all. In fact, at least a handful people really like the Xbox 360. Look at the above picture. This individual likes the 360 so much, he/she/it bought back-ups. If that's not undying adoration, we really don't know what is.

Xbox In Japan [Hatimaki]