Believe it or not, Guida - who has an enormous lion's mane stuck to his scalp - was apparently left out of the game due to technical concerns over his hair, which was causing major clipping and collision detection issues. Indeed, things apparently got so bad that THQ, the publishers of the game, offered him cash to cut his hair in real life, so they could trim his in-game model.

But Guida refused (good for him!), and so had to be left out of the game, because his character was borderline unplayable.

UFC 2009 Cuts Fighter Due To Hair Issues [Fight! Magazine, via GameSetWatch]

Beating EA's Cricket 09 to the punch, and with new developers at the helm (Australia's Transmission Games), the game is being released to cash in on the hype surrounding this years Ashes series of matches between Australia and England, one of the world's oldest sporting contests (the first series was in 1882!).

It's fully-licensed by the International Cricket Board, so every major international team will be represented, along with 18 of the world's most notable stadiums. Players will be able to play Twenty20 games, one-dayers and test matches, while for newcomers to the sport - ie, you Americans reading this - there's an extensive tutorial mode.

Two players can fight it out online, while offline contests can accommodate up to four. All of which sounds good, but as an Australian, I'm saddened by the fact that while the game includes real commentary from real commentators (Shane Warne, Tony Greig, etc), there's no room for the great Richie Benaud.

The game will be out on 360, PS3 and PC in the summer, while the long-awaited Wii debut of the sport will be out later in the year.

Codies pads up for Ashes clash this summer [GameSpot]

Ryan Tyack, 17, is competing at the festival as an archer, having taken up the sport in 2001. Why'd he take up the sport? Because his mother was "despairing" at the amount of time he was spending on his PC, hacking away at Age of Empires.

So she urged him to take up a sport. And he picked archery.

I just sat around playing Age of Empires all the time and my mum wanted me to do a sport and meet some kids. So I chose either fencing or archery as Age Of Empires had swordsmen and archers

Lucky he wasn't playing Grand Theft Auto...

Aussie Sports Star Thanks Age Of Empires [Kotaku AU]

Michael thinks so too - in fact, in an interview on 60 Minutes he just let slip that there is indeed one in development. No further details were forthcoming and the sorry excuses for journalists they employ on Minutes these days didn't pursue the point. Activision are yet to confirm that they are working on such a title, though they would seem to be the likely choice.

We are going to go out on a limb here and assume that the game will involve swimming in some form, allthough we strongly suspect that there is no physical activity that Phelps is not the best at - except perhaps failing - so who knows?

Michael Phelps game in development [Gaming Target]

Reason we bring this up is that Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 will be taking centre stage on Italian Serie A club Lazio’s jersey for their game next week (and that game only) against Inter Milan. Just in time for the Christmas shopping rush.

It’s a smart move on the part of Konami. FIFA has beaten Pro Evo at both the sales register and the reviews circuit for the first time since, oh, ever, so the more exposure the series gets in front of die-hard football nuts, the better.

PES 2009 e S.S. Lazio dal calcio virtuale a quello reale

Siglato l’accordo tra S.S. Lazio e Digital Bros S.p.A., distributore esclusivo per l’Italia del videogioco PES 2009, per la sponsorizzazione della partita Lazio-Inter del 6 dicembre p.v..
PES 2009, il videogioco di calcio edito da Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH, si conferma “il più amato d’Italia”, attestandosi al vertice delle classifiche di vendita italiana ed internazionale.
Continuando la tradizione, infatti, anche quest’anno PES surclassa il successo delle edizioni precedenti registrando, ad un mese dal lancio, oltre 675.000 copie vendute solo nel nostro Paese.

Grazie alla partnership con S.S. Lazio, oggi, PES 2009, raggiunge un nuovo record: è il primo videogame ad essere main sponsor di una squadra di calcio per una partita di Campionato di Serie A, passando così dai campi virtuali a quelli reali.

In occasione della 15° giornata di campionato, infatti, i biancocelesti indosseranno una maglia speciale - un vero “pezzo unico” - che riprodurrà il marchio di PES 2009.

Per Digital Bros e PES 2009, la collaborazione con la S.S. Lazio, rappresenta una scelta importante che apre un nuovo orizzonte sul mondo del calcio i cui dettagli verranno spiegati nel corso di una speciale conferenza stampa congiunta, che si terrà venerdì 5 dicembre alle ore 12.00 presso la sede della società sportiva a Formello (Roma), via Santa Cornelia, 1000.

The Live edition will essentially be a football MMO, with multiple servers hosting different sets of competing teams. Players can subscribe for as little as 3 months (How will that work? Will AI take over for the rest of the season if they bail?) with free additional content available every few months.

SI's Miles Jacobson said, “This year there'll be a limited amount of game worlds launched, which are available for people to pre-order at the moment, and they should be released before the end of the year. Then there'll be a proper push on FML early next year.”

Football MMO Coming from Sports Interactive [Softpedia]

The Adidas Live Season add-on will use a network of real-world fact finders and stat-grinders to compile performance reports on all the players in Britain's Barclay’s Premier League, Spain's La Liga BBVA, France's Ligue 1, the German Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A and the Mexican Primera Division.

Phew. That's a lot of stats. EA's Andrew Wilson claims that

“The game will feel and play differently each week. With Adidas Live Season if Ronaldinho has a great match on the weekend you’ll feel the difference when you pick up the controller as his in-game attributes increase.”

Contrariwise, it might be a bit galling to be playing your favorite team only to find that real-world injuries rob you of your virtual dreams as well. So much for escapism.

Take a look at the full details after the jump.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – August 20, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced a new premium service for EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 09 called adidas Live Season that will redefine the soccer videogame experience by dynamically updating player form in-game on a weekly basis so that player attributes mirror real-world performances. FIFA Soccer 09 will now feel and play differently throughout the entire 2008-2009 season matching the weekly rhythm of soccer. The new service will be available for Barclay’s Premier League, La Liga BBVA, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A and Mexican Primera Division on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and PC.

FIFA Soccer 09 is now powered with dynamic real-world data and analytics, lifting the game to new heights of authenticity for soccer fans and gamers connected online. The adidas Live Season service is based on how real players performed in the most recent real-world matches. Gameplay will change dynamically as the performance of players and soccer teams in the real world experience the highs and lows during their campaigns.

“This is an ambitious and completely unique feature that has never been attempted before for football videogames,” said Andrew Wilson, Vice President & Executive Producer for the franchise. “The game will feel and play differently each week. With adidas Live Season if Ronaldinho has a great match on the weekend you’ll feel the difference when you pick up the controller as his in-game attributes increase.”

A global network of scouts will monitor every player in the adidas Live Season leagues throughout the season to supply accurate and in-depth player and team data each week. Player attributes will be impacted and player performance will change dynamically. The adidas Live Season service is downloaded into FIFA Soccer 09 each week and will run from the launch of the game to the end of the 2008-2009 season. Gamers will have access to one league of their choice for a free* trial from the moment they activate it to the end of the 2008-2009 season.

Today, EA also announced it has secured an exclusive licensing agreement with the Spanish Liga BBVA and Adelante. The exclusive partnership with the Spanish La Liga grants EA SPORTS sole rights to include every Spanish La Liga club and enables the EA SPORTS FIFA franchise to deliver the most realistic and up-to-date game with current kits, squads and player likenesses.

"La Liga is widely regarded as one of the most exciting leagues in the world and we’re delighted to have been able to secure this deal," said Romain Rossi, Marketing Director, EA SPORTS. "The FIFA franchise has always delivered the most authentic game experience and this relationship will enable us to maintain the high standards fans have come to expect from EA SPORTS."

A FIFA Soccer 09 demo will be available for download on September 11 worldwide on the PLAYSTATION®Network and Xbox LIVE™.

This year FIFA Soccer 09 delivers unique, platform specific experiences that takes advantage of the hardware specifications of each available platform— the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii™, PC, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and mobile.

To learn more about FIFA Soccer 09 visit www.FIFA09.ea.com.

For a mere five English pounds (or 7 Euros - weirdly, there are no US Dollar prices. Can't think why) you can fill your PSP with 45 minute chunks of footy clips provided by Sky Sports as well as other sporting highlights in the Go!View Sports Pack.

Hit the jump for the full press release, with more details of what will be shown

Barclays Premier League Football available on GO!VIEW

Don’t just talk about the football – re-live it!

Football fans will be thrilled to hear that the best of this season’s Barclays Premier League will be available on GO!VIEW, the video on-demand service for the PlayStation Portable (PSP™). Following the big kick off this weekend, from Sunday 17th August, PSP™ owners will be able to transfer 45 minutes of extended highlights from Sky Sports matches to watch on the go - or wherever they want!

Throughout the new season, GO!VIEW customers will be able to watch a great range of Barclays Premier League football from hundreds of Sky Sports games. Sky Sports will show 92 Live Barclays Premier League games this season and a further 242 ‘near live’ matches, ensuring that all GO!VIEW customers will be able to access games involving their favourite Premier League team.

In addition, highlights from the season’s best games so far will also be available ongoing from October for fans to transfer to their PSP™ so they can relive the highs and lows of the current campaign.

The football content on GO!VIEW is available as part of the monthly ‘Sports’ subscription packs which offers content from across the sporting world, and includes cricket, golf, boxing and extreme sports. New GO!VIEW customers can get a one month trial subscription to the Sports Pack as well - as the two other Subscription Packs; Comedy and Entertainment - absolutely free!

In addition to the subscription packs, selected Movies to Rent and Latest TV to Rent can be transferred via the rental service on GO!VIEW. Subscription packs are priced at £5 (€7) for 1 pack, £8 (€11) for 2 packs and £10 (€14) for all three packs and with everyone who registers for the service at www.goview.tv receiving a free month’s subscription, there’s no better time to be a PSP owner!

www.goview.tv

GO!VIEW is a joint venture between Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Sky who have established the joint venture ‘GO!VIEW Entertainment UK’. This is being used to bring the PSP video-on-demand to market in the UK, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands & the Isle of Man. Sky is providing their expertise in building successful video-on-demand platforms as well as content acquisition. Sony Computer Entertainment is providing the marketing for the service.

KIRKLAND, WASH. – The Seattle Sounders FC announced a multi-year sponsorship with Microsoft Corp. and Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. The landmark deal is highlighted by the ‘Xbox 360 LIVE’ logo featured prominently on the Sounders FC jersey. Sounders FC will debut its new uniforms when the team takes the field for the first time in Spring 2009.

Xbox 360 also will be featured as the presenting sponsor of the Sounders FC annual international tour and will gain entitlement to the team’s playing surface, “The Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field”. Xbox 360 will be recognized as the official and exclusive video game console of Major League Soccer.

“This is a defining moment for the entire soccer community,” said Sounders FC majority owner Joe Roth. "We took a very strategic approach in our search for a presenting partner. In our minds it was critical to partner with a locally based, international company with a strong brand, a culture similar to our own, and a commitment to our community. The Xbox reputation for providing products and entertainment experiences that bring people together to compete, hang out and have fun, makes them a perfect partner for our organization."

“Teaming with the Seattle Sounders FC and Major League Soccer is a perfect combination for Microsoft and Xbox 360,” said Robbie Bach, president, Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft. “Xbox 360 is the new home for sports, and our goal is to entertain a global audience. Sponsoring our hometown team playing the world’s favorite sport marked a great opportunity for Microsoft to support our local community and further associate the Xbox 360 brand with soccer’s international appeal.”

At the heart of the sponsorship is a commitment from the Sounders FC and Xbox 360 to collaborate in developing the team’s overall community and philanthropic initiatives.

“One of the most exciting pieces of this sponsorship is the opportunity to work with Microsoft and Xbox 360 to create dynamic community programs and build one of the leading brands of soccer in the U.S.,” Vulcan Sports and Entertainment CEO Tod Leiweke said. “We also look forward to building a great relationship with Microsoft employees who live, work and play in our backyard.”

Additionally, the sponsorship gives Xbox 360 the right to use MLS league and team marks along with logos and marketing assets at league and select team events such as the Pepsi MLS All-Star Game and MLS Cup, Major League Soccer’s championship game. The agreement includes player appearances, intellectual property, title nights, website presence, in-stadium exposure - including Xbox 360 fieldboards to be displayed at every MLS game. Xbox 360 also will be a sponsor of MLS grassroots and community initiatives including MLS Futbolito, the League’s official 4-v-4 soccer tournament.

“We are proud to welcome Microsoft and Xbox 360 to the Major League Soccer family,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “The addition of one of the world’s most prominent brands to Major League Soccer is another indication of the League’s growth on the global sports landscape. Xbox 360 fits in perfectly with the Sounders FC brand and with our young and diverse audience that is actively involved in today’s digital world.”

Instead of running up and down sports courts in a zebra-striped costume, referee Robert Mruczek watches video tapes of recorded games of Pac-Man or Joust that he's been sent. This profile, by Stephen Totilo, looks at Robert Mruczek's life as a referee. Essentially, Mruczek watched videos of players completing tasks, some set out by him with large bounties, to see world records broken. This is a different kind of competitive gaming than the FPS fragfest or Madden-bowl that might otherwise come to mind. These competitions are for speed runs or high scores. Totilo's piece does an excellent job of showing a different aspect of pro gaming, one that doesn't garner CBS 60 Minutes reports on Fatal1ty.

Gaming's Top Ref Pays Big Bucks For Record-Breaking Scores [MTV]

MLG Lands $10 mln in Funding]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=156258&view=rss&microfeed=true