Rockstar Games just confirmed that they have released a patch for the Playstation 3 version of GTA IV which was causing issues with online play.

Rockstar Games has released a GTA IV patch for Playstation 3 today that prevents Gamespy’s servers from being overloaded and therefore reduces the impact on those servers that were causing the game to stutter and lock up. We continue to monitor the performance of the game both on and offline and will provide further updates as necessary. We want to assure everyone that, together with our hardware partners, we continue to strive to give our fans the best possible interactive entertainment experiences possible. This update will ensure that everyone will experience Grand Theft Auto IV the way it was intended. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.

Looks like Microsoft's prep work for the game mostly paid off.

Nintendo Announces Worldwide Mario Kart Wii Tournaments

Nintendo has thrown down the gauntlet for Mario Kart® Wii racers worldwide. Now it's time to see who's up to the challenge, as players take on the world in Mario Kart Wii Tournaments.

Every few weeks, a new tournament will appear on the Mario Kart Channel, an online feature that not only allows players to compete in tournaments, but also exchange race data with friends. Tournaments might take the form of a challenge for players to race a certain course as fast as they can with specific characters, or to collect a number of coins on a course using the Wii Wheel™ accessory or another control setup. They can feature unique rules or obstacles on the course.

The first tournament, which appears today, directs racers to compete for the fastest time on the Mario Circuit. Look closely though - something may be different. Players can attempt the challenge as often as they like during the duration of the tournament. Their best time will be recorded and added to the worldwide rankings, allowing players to see how they stack up against the best racers from around the world.

Monte Cristo Unveils the Next Generation of City-Builders Think massive, think online, think CITIES XL™

PARIS, France. April 17, 2008 - Monte Cristo is pleased to announce CITIES XL™ for Windows today. In this next-generation take on the city building genre, realism will be pushed to the limit with cities that are bigger, more realistic and more sophisticated than ever before. CITIES XL™ will expand upon all the features that make city builders fun and interesting, while also letting players take their game online, as they interact with others in a massive online environment.

Download new CITIES XL™ screens at:
http://www.calico-media.com/montecristo/citiesxl/CitiesXL.zip

CITIES XL™ allows gamers to develop cities on realistic 3D maps using an incredible collection of unique structures and monuments based on American, Asian and European-influenced architectural styles. The maps feature a variety of environments: mountains, hills, canyons, beaches and islands, all set in different climates from tropical to desert, Mediterranean to temperate. Players must create the right combinations of social services, leisure activities, special events and other job opportunities within their cities in order to feed, clothe, employ and entertain their citizens. Be it planning and building a new zoo, public park, residential neighborhood or transit system - there's always a fresh and exciting challenge for would-be city managers and mayors in CITIES XL™.

"We believe that the level of detail and realism brought to CITIES XL™ answers the needs of city-builder fans," said Jérôme Gastaldi, COO of Monte Cristo. "We believe fans of the genre will definitely enjoy CITIES XL™ and many of those fans have provided us with feedback on our development so far. We are really proud to have such a cool and proactive community."

The game's online features and services will allow players to create interconnected cities on virtual and persistent planets. Mayors can share and trade with one another, specialize their economy and team up with befriended cities to create sprawling metropolises. Life on the planet will be punctuated by events and competitions - a concert held in one town may, for example, be attended by visitors from other areas who can also enjoy a walk around the city to admire the urban creations of multiple players. By combining a fantastic single-player game with the social and multiplayer aspects of an MMO, CITIES XL™ will shape the future of the genre by offering more variety, bigger cities and multiple gameplay layers.

For more information about CITIES XL™, which will ship in 2009, please join the continuously growing community at www.citiesxl.com
# # #

Three new FreeBurn game modes unveiled for the Cagney Update!!! [The Criterion Games Blog]

The total list of closures is as follows:

PlayStation 2

* Amplitude
* Destruction Derby Arenas
* Everybody's Golf
* EyeToy Chat
* F1 '04
* Jak X
* Lemmings PS2
* My Street
* Syphon Filter Omega Strain
* This is Football 2004
* This is Football 2005
* Twisted Metal: Black Online

PlayStation Portable

* Lemmings
* World Tour Soccer 2

Sony US to shut down some servers [Eurogamer] [Pic]">Pic]

...the online behavior of our customers is dramatically reducing our sales, and continues to stunt the growth of our industry. Non-gamers simply don't love games enough to put up with the crap they get online. The reason they would consider playing online is to have fun with other people — and right now, playing games online with strangers rarely delivers that for anyone outside the hardcore demographic.

"That's just 360. There's even more on the other platforms [PS3 and PC], but we just don't have the same numbering system. Overall, even without the other consoles, we are beating the competition. PS3 numbers are monstrously huge. No other game has come close, either online current, or total unique users in a day."

Nearly 1.3m play COD4 "every day" [Eurogamer]

—-

Dear Former Member of The Sims Online

I would like to introduce you to EA-Land, an online world that is free-to-play, and based on a re-engineered The Sims Online architecture.  Yes, FREE.

(To see an HTML version of the information in this letter please go to http://www.ea-land.ea.com)

I wanted you to know that at the beginning of last year, I assembled a team to improve The Sims Online. After months of ongoing hard work, we can proudly say that we have been successful and we have made this game fun again! I am writing to you because I would like to invite you to rejoin us in the game. You can come back for free right now by REACTIVATING your old account at this page http://ea-land.ea.com/register/free.php and then by downloading the game from the same link. Most likely, your Sim is no more, but if you come back to the game this month, you will get your earned privileges back (gifts, skill locks etc... in EA-Land) when we run our amnesty program at the end of the month.

The Sims Online was made of 12 different cities (AlphaVille, Blazing Falls, etc..), which now all exist EA-Land (this is called 'the merge' by the users!). We have a huge new map: it is 100 times bigger than the previous size of any city. We had to add a whole new zoom level to let users see it. The internet is faster now, so we have been able to let each house have more simultaneous visitors.  A lot of new users are constantly joining us and we expect more. As you have played TSO before, I think that you ought to own your lot in this new land, and I want you to have the ability to grab the best location before we open the gates. As an EA-Land subscriber, you will be able to have several Sims in the same "city" unlike in TSO where you were limited to one Sim per city. Also, if you refer others to become subscribers we will give you extra money in-game each week per person referred. Read more about this at http://www.ea-land.ea.com/blog/?p=826


RE-designed with Smart Users

On our blog ( http://www.ea-land.ea.com/blog ) we explain all the things we are working on and the events we are running in the game. We also have a very active wiki web site (http://www.game-blueprints.com ) managed by the community where you can work with others to design the game. We have already implemented many features designed by the users! The stratics forum community continues to be very active. We have made some big changes to the game, and many more are coming over the next few months. It is difficult to say which of the recent changes are the most important as users have different reasons to play the game, but let me tell you about the changes that I particularly like:


Custom Content

Users now have the ability to upload custom content. Like in the original Sims game, the goal is to let you customize the game completely, but in EA-Land you can see and buy the customizations of the other players! Players have already uploaded several thousands pieces of custom content. I suspect that by some time this year, all of the content of the game will have been replaced many times over by custom content. We started with the ability to upload bitmaps (easiest for the new creative users), then moved on to chairs and sculptures. You can now make your own portraits in the game and "skin" objects like in Sims2 by using your own images. Because we are approving all of the content, this user content is safe to be viewed by everyone! We are working with the main user web sites that have been providing custom content to the Sims users for years (e.g. http://www.TheSimsResource.com) to make sure that their content will be made available in the game.


New Economy

We heard from the community that the economy was broken in TSO. That was true, too many users were billionaires, and the goal of the game was mostly about extracting money from Maxis. I can now say with satisfaction that we have fixed the economy on EA-Land. This took many features, from establishing a real estate market, where users can easily buy or sell lots to one another, and a dynamic object pricing market where the prices of objects purchased from Maxis is based on supply and demand, enabling stores and entrepreneurs to earn a living. We also enabled users to buy the in-game currency directly using secure PayPal transactions. While there is no need for users to do so in the game (we give subscribers money in-game every week), it can help new users build their dream house faster.


Web Services and Social Networks

The internet has changed so much since the launch of The Sims Online in December 2002, we had to change the way we think about online games. We have opened the access to most of the in game information to the internet through web services. For example this enables you to add Google or Yahoo widgets to your computer (or iPhone! ) and see if your favorite lots or friends are online. We are providing you with privacy settings so you can decide if or which of your avatars will broadcast what information to the internet. Sims User web sites are already using this feature to create some amazing community sites. We also built avatarbook, to show how that information can be seen and connected to social web sites like Facebook © (login to the "avatar book" application at http://apps.facebook.com/avatarbook where you can search for MaxisLuc's profile page)


And there's more to come! We are looking forward to seeing you back in the game and having fun with us again!

Sincerely

Luc Barthelet,
"MaxisLuc".

It's legitimate to ask whether the Wii needs an online service as rich and powerful as Xbox Live .... Much of the Wii's charm comes in watching your friends and family make fools out of themselves by swinging the remote like a baseball bat; that sort of amusement would be lost online. But it's important to note that many of the Wii's games (including Brawl) don't require physical exercise and are similar to the games on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. And while Nintendo could be forgiven for designing a more streamlined network than Live in order to appeal to casual gamers, the one they've given Wii owners makes it difficult to do even the most basic things, like interact with your friends.

Being the solitary type when I'm gaming, I've never made much of any online features except in a few rare cases, but it would be nice if Nintendo would think of maybe, just maybe, doing some tweaking with online functionality so it's more ... functional.

Smashing Failure [Slate, thanks to HeavyFuel]

So I decided to check out MXO after three years now.  I'm always skeptical about joining new mmo's and this one was a title that I originally wanted to check out back when it was in beta.  However all the negative press, high technical requirements, and average reviews made me pass on it.  Three years later it has an anniversary today and since I feel mmo's are usually more improved years after their release since most stuff is fixed and improved - I'll give it a whirl on my DX10 laptop.

The game is surprisingly fun if your a huge fan of the Matrix films.  Sci-Fi mmo's don't ever get any slack cut for them since the most popular ones are the traditional cliché knights, swords, and magic.  While I can see it having some graphical issues, they seemed minor compared to what I read at release.  Lastly, the most impressive thing I noticed about MXO is the community.  They are the most friendly, helpful, and non-obnoxious (juvenile behavior, n00b calling, '1337' attitudes) mmo crowd I've met.  Even the forums are so welcoming and friendly.  Heck the moment I jacked in this really nice girl gave me a tour and shown me around the game.

Overall I kind of wish I didn't wait out all these years on MXO, but I can say if your not a fan of the movies even by a little - then search further for your clichés.

Trying again is not working either, and I would imagine that once enough people give up and the service starts functioning as it should, the flood of players hopping online once the gaming news outlets reported it would just screw things up all over again. Perhaps we all should get together and work out shift assignments?

They had to have seen this coming. The game had similar issues when it was released in Japan, as Ashcraft reported back in January. If a smaller group of people situated on a much smaller piece of real estate had that much of a problem, how could the U.S. even have a remote chance at flawless online play?

It's frustrating as hell on this end, so I know you guys must be pissed off as well. My last successful online Brawl was yesterday morning around 9AM, so I am currently jonesing for a fix with no relief in sight. In the meantime I've been going through event mode in between trying over and over again to unlock Wolf, who keeps kicking my sorry Hedgehog ass.

We'll keep you posted as the issue evolves. For now, you might want to adjust your sleep schedule or call in sick to work for a chance to play online. Just not everybody at once please.

"The business and the industry is moving online on a global basis. It's moving at different speeds in different countries, but it's pretty clear to me that the whole way that people are going to want to buy their games, play their games, interface with their games is network centric"

"The good news is that we have a massive catalogue of properties. We have the DNA of every major company through gaming history - the Ocean, GT Interactive, Gremlin, Accolade factory of products, it's a long genetic history.

CASUAL GAMING GETS A SHOT IN THE TENTACLE: OCTOMANIA INKED FOR WiiTM Net the Best Multiplayer Puzzle Game on Wii March 11th for only $19.99! IRVINE,CA - FEBRUARY 5th, 2008 - Atlus U.S.A., Inc., the video game publisher voted "least likely to distribute a fun, family-friendly puzzle game," today announced it will be the exclusive North American distributor for Octomania, a new multiplayer puzzle game for Wii. Formerly beautiful and serene land suddenly ruined by a magic spell gone awry? Check. Challenging puzzle gameplay, online multiplayer, and a variety of different play modes? Affirmative. A story of mischief and mayhem filled with zany characters? It's all here, along with the hundreds of thousands of octopi you'll have to deal with. Let the Octomania begin! Octomania is scheduled to be on sale March 11, 2008, at a MSRP of $19.99

About Octomania
On a peaceful day in the land of Lonronpia, Kari, an apprentice magician, is summoning up her favorite treat. When her spell goes horribly awry, hundreds of thousands of colored octopi suddenly rain down from the clouds. A guardian angel appears before her, asking Kari to rid the land of the octopi and undo the damage of her failed spell.

Key Features
- Encounter zany foes on your quest to rid Lonronpia of octopi! Story mode takes you to multiple locales to battle a variety of clever and humorous opponents, while Arcade mode lets you jump straight into the action. You can even opt to play in "Endless mode," where it's all about how long you can hang in there before your screen fills up.
- Local head-to-head and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection multiplayer modes! Whether you're playing alone, alongside a friend, or against a random player online, the fast-paced puzzle gameplay is always a blast! Two players can face off online, and up to four players can play in local multiplayer.
- Tons of content for a great price! Combo chains, special attacks, multiple difficulty levels... Experienced gamers will find a lot to enjoy, but newcomers will find just as much fun to be had. And with the included tutorial mode, anyone can pick it up and play!.

Here's a run down of his posts which include impressions, images and such:
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Line Madness
Super Smash Bros. Brawl in the House
Here's The Super Smash Bros. Brawl Online Menu
What's Super Smash Bros. Brawl Online Like? Eh...
Does Super Smash Bros. Brawl Actually Deliver?

That's epic! Can we really do this? Wouldn't you say it's way better than having all your opponents drop out?

With Anyone/Basic Brawl [Smash Bros. Dojo!! - Thanks SephirothYuyX!]

Marvel, other comics go online [Yahoo! News via Evil Avatar]

"We wanted to make a multiplayer experience using the theme, dynamics and atmosphere of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men" said Kim Krogh, Lead Game Designer, IO Interactive. "Fragile Alliance is a new way to use co-op in multiplayer. Play it like a soldier and you'll lose, play it like a criminal and you'll win".

Eidos Unveil Innovative New Multiplayer in Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

Eidos Interactive, one of the world's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, is pleased to unveil a sinister new twist to the online multiplayer experience in Kane & Lynch: Dead Men called Fragile Alliance.

Fragile Alliance is based on greed, betrayal and revenge, offering online gamers the choice of working as a team or back-stabbing their team mates and working for themselves at any moment. Up to eight players team up against police in a series of gripping heist scenarios, but from here the choice is entirely up to the individual player. The objective is to steal the loot and make it to the getaway point. The winner is the player who escapes with the most loot. How and when you make your move is up to you.

"Kane & Lynch multiplayer opens up Pandora's gun cabinet in terms of gameplay possibilities," said Fabien Rossini, Brand Controller, Eidos. "The options available to players are mouth-watering; are you a team player, a traitor, a bounty hunter, a cop - the decision is yours. You may start as part of a team but then it's up to the player what they want to do."

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is a dark and gritty tale of two men bound by circumstance as they wait on death row for their final sentence. One is a flawed mercenary, the other a medicated psychopath. The two are forced to embark on a violent and chaotic journey, hating each other every step of the way.

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men will be available in stores in the US beginning Tuesday 20th November and throughout Europe beginning Friday 23rd November on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC Games for Windows.

Of course, there could be confounding correlations at work here, like between a game's budget and its propensity to have online play, or taking the possibility a step further, a game's level of marketing and said budget. Still, it's an interesting theory. Has the promise of multiplayer ever tipped the scales for a game you almost didn't purchase?

Games with strong online components outsell the competition [arstechnica]

"... Right now these marketers are going straight after the young ones to try to get them addicted at an early age, and it's like a parent trying to fight tobacco and alcohol. It's very difficult," she said.

There's actually some interesting discussion over at GamePolitics once you get past the frothing and foaming at the mouth.

A new type of cyberbully hits online gaming world [Reuters via GamePolitics]

UPDATE: Microsoft Takes $12M Stake In Chinese Game Maker [CNN Money]

Compatible with PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) and Wii, MEGA Series may be delivered via the broadband connection of each console and is accessible through the device's Internet browser, which both use custom Flash players from Adobe. MEGA Series programming will be based on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim shows. MEGA Series content is designed to be played simultaneously with streaming video and delivered episodically over time, providing a real-time immersive experience for fans.

The service wil be launched at the latest early 2008, and there better be a karaoke MC Pee Pants game or I'm going to be very disappointed. I WANT CANDY! Kim Phu

Cartoon Network to Deliver Digital Games to PS2, Wii [Games Industry]

Thank the stars a patent that was filed a year ago by Nintendo at the US Patent & Trademark Office for an "Invitation System for On-Line Video Games" has recently been published. This patent basically includes what is already standard on Xbox Live which is enabling users to automatically see when their friends log on, though it is unknown if the Wii can even do this, with or without a patent. The hope is that this will mean more online multi-player gaming outside of Mario Strikers. And of course, less cleaning days. Kim Phu

Invitation and Wii Online Gaming... [Codename Revolution]

Version 3.50 Firmware hit today. It enables:

• "Remote Play" over the internet
• Adds new feature "RSS Channel Guide" to the PSP's "RSS Channel"

Sure, it's previously been possible to access the PlayStation Store via your PSP. The catch has always been that you have to be at home, thereby eliminating the point of using the PSP instead of your PS3. This new update makes it possible to connect to the internet from anywhere via your online PS3 and viewed stored console content. The "RSS Channel Guide" helps organize RSS content on the PSP. Accessing your PS3 via your PSP from anywhere? Wow, suddenly the PlayStation Portable got a lot cooler. Brian Ashcraft

PSP Update [SCE}

Go ahead, play. It's the day after a holiday. No one could actually expect you to work today, can they? Kim Phu

Square Enix Starts New Game Service [IGN via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

I doubt [Sony's] ability to implement it and execute it in a really rich and compelling way. PlayStation Network is not Xbox Live, it's not even close. To think about layering [Home] on top of that—wow. The hardest part is not even creating the system, it's regulating the behavior and all of that too. Boy, that's a massive investment in infrastructure. I actually believe that most gamers will always find more value in what we have on Xbox Live and now Games for Windows Live and how we're building that out, which really started all about gaming features and now has added more like instant messaging, Video Marketplace, etcetera. That's what I think is a much better approach, and that's what our approach is going to be.

Kim makes some valid points, albeit sandwiched inbetween cheerleading his own company. All three consoles have their own glitches when it comes to their online components, but it does seem that PS3 has bitten off a bigger chunk to chew on than the other two. Let's hope for everyone who is enjoying Home Beta that Sony can keep up with their list of things to do. Kim Phu

Kim Unconvinced by PlayStation Home [Shack News via Next-Gen]

Last month, two Belgian papers reported that police (real) were investigating a rape (virtual) that happened in Second Life. Which begs the question: at what point do virtual crimes become real ones? Regina Lynn over at Wired has her answer: "... the psychological upheaval of virtual rape [isn't] anywhere near the trauma of real rape. And I can't see us making virtual rape a matter for the real-life police. It's a shitty thing to do to someone. But it's not a crime."

She links to some interesting articles, notably one from Virtually Blind, on virtual law, where the question of "What is 'virtual rape?' Does it even make internal sense as a term? Is it control of an avatar against a user's will, a textual or graphical depiction of a forced sexual act, or something else completely?" is asked.

All in all, some interesting questions asked and expounded upon. What to do at the point where the virtual world and real life feelings and experiences overlap? Maggie Greene

Virtual Rape Is Traumatic, but Is It a Crime? [Wired]
Reader Roundtable: "Virtual Rape" Claim Brings Belgian Police to Second Life [Virtually Blind]

Beijing Perfect World, the company behind some of China's most popular MMOs, is charging ahead with their new MMO Zhu Xian (no English on that page, so you're SOL if you can't read Chinese, but you can look at the pretty pictures!). They're moving into beta testing, and while I don't do computer gaming, I have to admit being strangely drawn to this MMO, which is based on a super popular wuxia (martial arts) novel of the same name. But with press releases like this, how can you not be?

The Wu Xian story is very visionary and there are some aspects that take you away from ordinary life, but the real reason why you will be inspired is because of the Wu Xian spirit, which will affect your heart and sense of justice, and the passionate love the game inspires will make it so that you can't give it up. In cases like these, when we return to reality, to our real and busy society, we approach our lives in the same way as we play these games; so, the most important aspect is to try our best to express these true sensibilities and affect the players' hearts.

Remember kids, it's not about killing virtual people with friends, it's about being inspired by passionate love! Maggie Greene

Asian Star Cooperates with "Zhu Xian" for the Start of Closed Beta Testing [PR Newswire via Xinhua]

In addition to the game's classic Deathmatch mode, the game will feature new multiplayer modes such as Rope Race, Fort, Puzzle and Campaign modes challenging the player to use teamwork to defeat the enemy.

The game features 11 new weapons like the Bunker Buster and Buffalo of Lies as well as classics such as the Super Sheep, Concrete Donkey and the Holy Hand Grenade.

I'm skeptical about it, but I need a new online multiplayer game. If I have to go around Babypark one more time in MarioKart, I'm going to throw up. Kim Phu

THQ Confirms Worms: Open Warfare 2 [Pro-G]

The press release is a bit vague, but it seems to me like the plan is to allow you to craft a virtual representation of yourself to compete in popular, Endemol produced shows online, like Big Brother, 1 Vs. 100, and Deal or No Deal, bringing all the excitement of people opening briefcases to the online world. Maybe you can even be a briefcase opener yourself!

Gerhard Florin, Executive Vice President and General Manager, EA International said, "With Virtual Me we are at the forefront of a new, hybrid form of entertainment that takes gaming beyond the console. Endemol is a great partner to help us bring together the best of TV and video games for an offering that can appeal to mass market audiences and change the face of entertainment."

Look for the technology to debut in a future episode of Big Brother, or if you're like me, tell someone who cares to keep an eye out and give you a ring if anything gaming-related happens. Michael Fahey

EA AND ENDEMOL ANNOUNCE CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP FOR VIRTUAL ME
CANNES, FRANCE, - April 16, 2007 - Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), the world's leading interactive entertainment software company, and the Endemol group, a global leader in television and other audiovisual entertainment, today announced a creative partnership for the development of Virtual Me, a new digital entertainment concept that bridges the divide between traditional TV and videogames. The all-new online offering is being prepared to debut in Endemol's top-rated Big Brother.

Virtual Me combines cutting edge avatar creation technology from EA with popular TV formats from Endemol to give consumers a breakthrough way to meet, compete and socialize in online digital worlds. Avatar creation takes a leap forward with a high performing, easy-to-use tool that creates astonishingly life-like cyber-clones, with uniquely customized appearances and identities.

Want to be a pop star? A movie star? An action star? Virtual Me offers players the chance to participate in virtual versions of TV talent shows like Fame Academy and Operacion Triunfo, game shows like Deal Or No Deal and 1 vs 100 and to form real relationships with other virtual avatars on the web. VirtualMe.com, the home of the Virtual Me avatar creation system, will launch in the coming months.

Peter Bazalgette, Chief Creative Officer, Endemol comments: "We're told that people are starting to spend more time online than they are watching TV. Both markets are now important and this has huge implications for content creators. Our opportunity with Electronic Arts is to develop ideas that fully embrace the way people are consuming entertainment today."

Gerhard Florin, Executive Vice President and General Manager, EA International said, "With Virtual Me we are at the forefront of a new, hybrid form of entertainment that takes gaming beyond the console. Endemol is a great partner to help us bring together the best of TV and video games for an offering that can appeal to mass market audiences and change the face of entertainment."

The two companies will create an integrated team to share expertise in their respective fields and develop entertainment formats and experiences for a wide range of platforms, including TV and online.

Electronic Arts is the creator of some of the world's most successful video game franchises including FIFA Football, Need for Speed , Harry Potter and The Sims . Endemol's catalogue of TV formats includes international blockbusters such as Big Brother, Fear Factor and Deal or No Deal.

Virgin Radio digital media director James Cridland has high hopes for the future of both consoles as media delivery devices.

This platform has great growth potential, particularly among early-adopters and 25-44 audience popular with advertisers. Playstation 3 or Wii will become the entertainment hub in your front room. We have worked hard to make the station available on as many different platforms as possible.

Keep in mind there are plenty of MP3 streaming non-commercial networks out there (mmmm, SomaFM), and if you really must turn your $250-$600 console into a radio, might as well go ad-free. Michael Fahey

[Digital Spy]
Virgin Radio streamed to games consoles

The rap on Nintendo: Polished games, innovative hardware, internet hater. In a recent interview with Shigeru Miyamoto (guy's everywhere these days!), the Mario creator says not so! Nintendo is interested in providing a high quality online, networked experience. But, it's just not the way we want have come to expect. It's different. Miyamoto explains:

A lot of people have the misunderstanding that Nintendo is not interested in network gaming. What we are interested in isn't so much the idea of creating a game that is online and networked in a way that we have seen online up until now. We are really more interested in this idea of having the household television connected to the Internet constantly via the Wii. I think you are going to see a lot of new possibilities for new types of entertainment, such as new channels for the Wii in that type of network environment.

I think that will give rise to more social-based communities including those created by users, which is going to be a very interesting and exciting area for us to explore.

So we get more Wii Channels? Swell. Confession: My Wii is not even connected to the internet. That's what my computer is for. And for network play, that's what my Xbox 360 and PS3 are for. The Wii is for playing games with a buncha people at home. Am I alone on this? I can't be... Brian Ashcraft

Not Online Like Your Used To [GamePro, Thanks Yannis!]

Don't expect anything to have changed when you get back on, as this was merely a behind-the-scenes update. Racial epithets and homophobic slurs are still working as normal and Halo 2 tea-baggers will notice little to no difference in Xbox Live performance. Enjoy! Michael McWhertor

The International Fund for Animal Welfare is taking to Second Life to launch a campaign against Canada's seal hunt tomorrow.

The event will be held on Progressive Island at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday and will feature avatar Daisey Meadowbrook who will talk about the IFAW's new campaign to stop the Canadian seal hunt. Meadowbrook will also be unveiling the new public service announcements against the hunt, in game.

The virtual presser will be followed by a virtual cocktail reception onboard the virtual Song of the Whale, the IFAW's research boat. I wonder if virtual seals will be in attendance?

What I don't get is why organizations waste their time. I mean most sims have a pretty tiny cap. For instance, the turn out at last week's book reading by Dean Koontz was expected to be about 30 people. Why in the hell would he waste his time?

Stop the Seal Hunt

The man who brought us Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, is bringing us an "open-source magazine" about video games called "Gaming Wikia." Actually, there are four of these Wikia "magazines" — Music, cars, health and, as previously mentioned, games. Wired's Chris Kohler puts it best: Think NeoGAF, but run amock and with the abilities to edit content. Says company V.P. Dan Lewis,

The 'open-source magazines' we're unveiling today are focused largely around topics where passionate people have already started collaborating online. The launch of Tunes, Cars, Gaming and Health is a continuation of our mission to open-source the creation and development of content around every topic imaginable—so we are obviously not stopping here.

User generated content matters. Just take a look at our comments section. I'm curious to see how this pans out, though. Could be fantastic. Or not. Brian Ashcraft

Wikia Gaming "Mag" Press Release [Game|Life via 1Up]

In May of 2005 GameSpy announced a similar agreement regarding the Nintendo DS, and the handheld technology has been used in multiple titles, including Animal Crossing DS.

"This partnership will expand our wireless community of players on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "Millions of Nintendo DS users have already logged on using GameSpy's technology, and now Wii owners will be able to do the same in a fun and easy-to-use environment."

NINTENDO'S Wii TO LEVERAGE MULTIPLAYER TECHNOLOGY FROM IGN ENTERTAINMENT'S GAMESPY

Leader in Multiplayer Technology Enables Exclusive Community Functionality for Nintendo's Hit Console

Los Angeles, CA- March 13, 2007 - GameSpy, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, announced today that it will provide multiplayer technology to game publishers developing titles for Nintendo's Wii video game system. As part of an ongoing partnership with Nintendo, GameSpy has developed middleware technology to enable Wii titles to offer community features, such as friend rosters, advanced matchmaking capabilities and comprehensive rankings data.

"This partnership will expand our wireless community of players on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "Millions of Nintendo DS users have already logged on using GameSpy's technology, and now Wii owners will be able to do the same in a fun and easy-to-use environment."

"Nintendo has been an invaluable partner and we look forward to expanding our relationship with them in the future," said Jamie Berger, Senior Vice President of Consumer Products and Technology for IGN Entertainment. "Our goal is to extend our ground-breaking work on the Nintendo DS to provide Wii users with the social, community and multiplayer tools that we believe will expand the online gaming experience to the mass market."

Pok mon Battle Revolution, the first Wii game to utilize the technology, launches on June 25, with multiplayer features similar to those leveraging GameSpy technology in several Nintendo DS titles.

Prior to this development agreement for Wii, GameSpy and Nintendo brought gamers wireless community options for Nintendo DS . The service provided an innovative network for portable video games, allowing people around the world to link easily and wirelessly to play games. The partnership represented GameSpy's first foray into portable games.

About GameSpy

GameSpy, a division of IGN Entertainment, is the leader in multiplayer gaming technology. Utilized by each of world's top ten publishers, GameSpy's technology is accessible on eight different platforms and featured in more than 400 current titles.

About Fox Interactive Media:

A division of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS), Fox Interactive Media (FIM) offers a global, border-free online network that caters to consumers by giving them the platform and tools to express themselves, communicate with each other, and engage with the best music, TV, film, sports, information and more. The company's worldwide network includes such category leaders as MySpace, IGN Entertainment, FOXSports.com, RottenTomatoes, AskMen, AmericanIdol.com and more that together comprise one of the largest and most engaged audiences on the Web.

About Nintendo

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii , Nintendo DS , Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario , Donkey Kong , Metroid , Zelda and Pok mon . A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.

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Nintendo does hate the internet. Just listen to SNK America president Ben Herman describe the Wii's current online situation:

Nintendo is still not letting Wii third-party publishers include online capabilities in their games and it doesn't look like they will during 2007.

If this is true, why the heck not, Nintendo?! Brian Ashcraft

SNK Honcho Talks Wii [Game|Life via 4CR]

Sony just shoved a press release in the rusty ol' Kotaku mailbox. An update is bringing Resistance new online content that includes Team Conversion and Assault mode. To quote the presser:

Within this update, two new online gameplay modes will be added- Team Conversion and Assault mode. Team Conversion mode is the same gameplay mechanic as the existing Conversion mode except that gamers will play a team and both teams will start off as human and have one life on each side. The Assault mode is based around the concept of attrition where the objective is to wear down an opponent's defenses before destroying their base.

Other additions include a Spectator mode that lets players, well, watch. Also, May will bring new maps and an online expansion that lets players challenge each other globally. Full press after the jump. Ya know, for people who like reading press releases. Brian Ashcraft

NEW RESISTANCE: FALL OF MAN ONLINE CONTENT

AND FEATURES COMING THIS SPRING

Sony Computer Entertainment America and Insomniac Games today announced new features and online content for Resistance: Fall of Man , the top-selling PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3 ) game. First, an update for Resistance: Fall of Man is scheduled to coincide with the European PLAYSTATION 3 launch on March 23.

Within this update, two new online gameplay modes will be added- Team Conversion and Assault mode. Team Conversion mode is the same gameplay mechanic as the existing Conversion mode except that gamers will play a team and both teams will start off as human and have one life on each side. The Assault mode is based around the concept of attrition where the objective is to wear down an opponent's defenses before destroying their base.

In addition, another new online feature is the spectator camera that allows players to either observe the action from the player's point-of-view or free-roam across the entire battlefield. Matchmaking also will become even quicker and more reliable, and the old radar will make a comeback as a new custom game option ideal for nostalgic players.

Then, in May, a map pack update is scheduled that will enable worldwide gameplay and allow players to purchase and download new multiplayer maps in-game. Insomniac Games has created two fresh maps to provide players with an entirely different feel from the maps released with the packaged game.

One of the maps is set in Westmorland, England where players will find the struggle against the Chimera continues among the snowy hills of northern Great Britain. The other map is set in Camborn, England where once again the British Resistance battles the Chimera. In Camborn, players will be able to take part in both above-ground and subterranean combat. The story behind the new maps is told as an extension of the backstory presented on the Resistance: Fall of Man website, www.rfomps3.com , and additional details will be revealed closer to the May release.

The May update also expands Resistance: Fall of Man by allowing players globally the choice to challenge one another. Players from around the world now will be able to hop online with one another and establish new friends and potential opponents. Leaderboards on www.myresistance.net will be filterable by region, and each territory will retain the ability to make announcements and hold events that are targeted to their players.

Spokesperson Pete Hines told trade weekly MCV, "We plan to support downloadable content on PS3, but we couldn't tell you how or when it will be out, because it's not clear how we're going to do that yet."

So while Oblivion will run much more smoothly and look better overall on the PS3, there'll be no horse armor. I ask you then, what is the point? Michael Fahey

Questions Over Oblivion PS3 Online Plans [Next Generation]