Say what you will about pop punk music...how it all sounds the same and the bands generally look the same and probably smell the same...it's still damn infectious stuff. Destineer chose this particular Quietdrive song to celebrate the deliver of their Xbox 360 snowboarding game Stoked to retail store shelves. Cute. Now the song is going to be stuck in my damn head all day long. Thanks a bunch, Destineer.

Here's a quick look at some of the mountains in Alaska, Chile and Japan. This looks pretty amazing, but can a realistic snowboarding game succeed enough to warrant a sequel. It seems like it's always been a struggle in the past.

The whole point of Stoked is to get yourself fame points in order to appear in snowboarding films and magazines, and these screenshots show you how you go about earning those points. Personally I'd just rather have a good old-fashioned snowboarding title that just features you and the mountain, but if they manage to nail both tricks then who am I to complain? We'll find out how they did once Stoked gets released next month.

Nice shots, though. As ever, pinches of salt should be kept within easy reach but if those are really in-game then this could be one to watch.

“I was stoked when EA committed to putting our etnies Goofy vs. Regular event in their new game! GvR is one the best skate contests of the year and has created some of the most hype and friction over the past 5 years,” said Don Brown, senior vice president of marketing for Sole Technology and goofy footed skateboarder. “The original Skate was incredibly popular, so we’re really proud to be a part of Skate 2.”

See? He's completely stoked about all of the hype and friction that is bound to ensue. Skate culture is so rad.

EA Brings etnies’ Fifth Annual Goofy versus Regular Skateboarding Competition to Skate 2
One of the World’s Most Celebrated Skateboarding Events Makes Its Videogame Debut

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Compete for stance supremacy! Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS), announced today that it will be partnering with leading global action sports footwear and apparel brand, etnies, to bring their epic Goofy vs. Regular (GvR) skateboarding contest to the videogame world. Gamers will lead a team of goofy foot or regular foot pros as they pit the best skateboarders against each other in the ultimate team competition.

“The Skate franchise has always been committed to showcasing the spirit and soul of skateboard culture,” said Executive Producer, Scott Blackwood. “The etnies GvR competition celebrates the fun, creativity and talent in skateboarding today. Featuring the event as one of the main competitions in Skate 2 felt like a natural integration and a perfect fit.”

Skate 2 picks up five years after the original Skate, a period marred by an unspeakable disaster that left San Vanelona in ruins. Within that time, Mongocorp rebuilt the city but their zealous protection of private property has put a damper on the once thriving skate population. Equipped with double the bag of tricks, gamers are tasked to rebuild their career and revive the New San Vanelona skate scene. With their ability to get off-board to move objects around and with help from a crew of locals, players will embark on a mission to take back the city, one spot at a time. Along the way, they’ll need to get coverage, earn sponsorships, own challenges and enter contests, including a coveted invite to etnies GvR competition.

“I was stoked when EA committed to putting our etnies Goofy vs. Regular event in their new game! GvR is one the best skate contests of the year and has created some of the most hype and friction over the past 5 years,” said Don Brown, senior vice president of marketing for Sole Technology and goofy footed skateboarder. “The original Skate was incredibly popular, so we’re really proud to be a part of Skate 2.”

etnies will also be partnering with Skate 2 on an exclusive shoe that will hit an etnies preferred retailer in the United States when the game ships in 2009.

Developed by Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia, Skate 2 ups the ante in delivering an authentic skateboarding experience with all-new tricks that allow gamers to truly skate it their way – on and off the board.

Skate 2 will be released for the PLAYSTATION®3 system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system in early 2009. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Players who cannot wait until 2009 can pick up Skate It for the Wii™ this Fall.

About etnies

Established in 1986, etnies is the first skateboarder-owned and operated global action sports footwear and apparel company. etnies not only pushed the envelope by creating the first pro model skate shoe, but it pioneered technological advances and changed the face of skateboard footwear forever. Today etnies’ vision is to remain the leading action sports company committed to creating functional products that provide the most style, comfort, durability and protection possible. etnies stays true to its roots by sponsoring a world class team of skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, moto-x and BMX athletes and continues its dedication by giving back to each of these communities. For additional information, visit www.etnies.com.

“It’s all about defining your riding style and crafting the line that suits you,” said Peter Anthony Chiodo (“Tony”), Destineer’s Director of Product Development. “Stoked leaves well-worn resorts behind and gives players absolute freedom to ride wherever they want and trick off of anything they can find in some of the most famous backcountry locations the world has to offer. Gameplay is focused on style and finesse, not button mashing; Destineer and Bongfish have created a game that looks and plays like a snowboarding movie.”

Adds Patrick “Brusti” Armbruster, co-founder of Absinthe Films: “Developing a snowboard video game has always been a dream of mine. There are endless synergies between a snowboard film production and a game developer that were just waiting to be activated. Bongfish and Destineer have realized this potential, and have shown a real passion for snowboarding, and together we’ve worked to bring snowboarding luminaries from across the planet together for this project.”

Stoked includes five famous mountains featuring over 45 square miles of open terrain in each location, hidden drop points for helicopter starts, dynamic weather, multiplayer support and tons of real world pro riders. Among the list: Travis Rice, Nicolas Mueller, Wolle Nyvelt, Annie Boulanger, Romain de Marchi, Tadashi Fuse, Gigi Ruef, and Bjorn Leines.

Stoked is scheduled for release in November. More details on the jump as well as a chunky gallery.

Ride your way to fame as a professional snowboarder! Destineer Announces ‘Stoked’ for Xbox 360

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – August 20, 2008 – Hit the mountains on your quest to become the next snowboarding phenomenon in Stoked, the open-world, back country snowboarding experience from Destineer and developer Bongfish GmbH. Coming exclusively to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft in November, Stoked features five huge open-world mountains, changing weather patterns, and the sponsorship and cooperation of some of the most respected and influential names in the sport.

Developed in conjunction with world-renowned snowboarding movie creator Absinthe Films, Stoked captures the pioneering spirit of professional back country riders. Exhilarating snowboarding experiences are born from dynamic backcountry conditions. The riders who brave and master these conditions are the stuff of legend in Absinthe videos and the pages of snowboarding magazines. The look and style of these riders are emulated across the world. In Stoked, it’s your turn to become a legendary rider and wow the world on Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network by becoming an absolute snowboarding phenomenon.

“It’s all about defining your riding style and crafting the line that suits you,” said Peter Anthony Chiodo (“Tony”), Destineer’s Director of Product Development. “Stoked leaves well-worn resorts behind and gives players absolute freedom to ride wherever they want and trick off of anything they can find in some of the most famous backcountry locations the world has to offer. Gameplay is focused on style and finesse, not button mashing; Destineer and Bongfish have created a game that looks and plays like a snowboarding movie.”

Adds Patrick “Brusti” Armbruster, co-founder of Absinthe Films: “Developing a snowboard video game has always been a dream of mine. There are endless synergies between a snowboard film production and a game developer that were just waiting to be activated. Bongfish and Destineer have realized this potential, and have shown a real passion for snowboarding, and together we’ve worked to bring snowboarding luminaries from across the planet together for this project.”

In Stoked, craft a snowboarding career with your own customizable style and ride five famous mountains featuring over 45 square miles of open terrain in each location. Discover new drop points by helicopter. Dynamic and ever-evolving weather conditions await riders as they choose where they ride and what they ride in by tracking conditions that suit their tastes.

Riders get instant drop in access to multiplayer action where they team up with friends to create a wide variety of riding experiences, both cooperative and competitive. Players can also go up against other riders on Xbox LIVE in a series of sponsored events to boost their fame!

Stoked features some of the most influential professional riders in the world: Travis Rice, Nicolas Mueller, Wolle Nyvelt, Annie Boulanger, Romain de Marchi, Tadashi Fuse, Gigi Ruef, and Bjorn Leines. An impressive line up of 30 authentic sponsors also appear in Stoked including but not limited to: Burton, Dragon, Arcus, Von Zipper, Eleven, 686, Billabong, DaKine, Electric, LibTech, Nitro, Northwave, Oakley, Quiksilver, Ride, Hart, Rome, Salomon, TechNine, Vans, Volcom, and more!

Own trick spots, show up rivals, and build your reputation. Take pictures of friends and capture video of your best moves to win the kind of attention that lands you on the cover of a snowboarding magazine. Conquer massive mountains and carve your path as a snowboarding phenomenon in the deepest, truest backcountry snowboarding video game yet: Stoked.

Stoked is scheduled for release in November of 2008. For more information, please visit www.destineerstudios.com.

Demian sent this in and I'm very pleased with them. This is the newest Rule of Rose trailer, appropriately titled "Creepy Kids" over on GameVideos.

Lots of sadism, short skirts, and spooky smiles. And my special friend, the fishblimp, makes another spectacular showing at the very end.

This video is completely nonsensical but I couldn't look away. Eliza Gauger

This vid comes from Aeropause. I'm leaving on a road trip on the 5th, but will be bringing a 360 with me so that on the 8th, somewhere in eastern Montana in some god-forsaken Walmart host body of a town, I can plug that sucker into a hotel TV and rock out, zombie-style.

But I'm scared, see. The last time I got really excited about a zombie game, it was Stubbs the Zombie. Thinking about it just makes me weep with disappointment all over again. Eliza Gauger

I have realised I've got the PR equivalent of Tourette's. I can't help myself. It's the inability to downplay stuff - I have to get excited!

Oh my god, I am so, so stoked. Seriously you guys, have you seen this?! It's Fable 2! You all remember how totally sweet Fable was, yeah? Me too! Cause I made it! Ha ha!

I don't believe in going out and saying: 'we're going to create quite a good game.' I believe that what we're doing, with Fable 2, is thinking, right we've got to address all those things we did slightly wrong on Fable 1; we've got to make a bigger, better story, it's got to be an amazing world.

One of the main things is we've got to make this game jaw-droppingly beautiful. Sometimes darkly beautiful; beauty doesn't only mean green fields, but just stunningly beautiful. I came away from E3 just sick of seeing gunmetal shiny things and sewers.

Like, remember how we made your eyes all big and shiny in Fable, and everyone's faces kinda blocky like a Pink Pearl eraser, and then you could like, buy hair trading cards so you could have a totally badass ponytail? Right, so I had NO clue how we were gonna top that. But one night I totally had this brainstorm, and the security guys went out and got internet superstar Brian Peppers and we totally just scanned him with lasers like, right into the game! I know!

There has to be one big, big thing about Fable 2 that is going to shock and surprise people and that's what we've got, that's the exciting thing. And we're not ready to show it yet. I think it's going to be next year if I'm honest with you. It's a very, very big thing and if I told you about it, it's one word, and if I told you about it then you'd say: 'what are you talking about? It's another one of those Peter Molyneux moments.'

I'm serious, I totally can't tell you! Okay look...I'm just gonna pull a Molyneux here and totally blow off the NDA, because like, whatever, and you guys are totally my peeps, right? Okay, so get ready for this...the word, the ONE word? Is "otterpops".

Eliza Gauger

Interview with Peter Molyneux [Eurogamer, thanks Joooooonas]