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Sony sticks to PS3 pricing

2006-11-10T09:36:00.001+07:00

The chesslike move-countermove strategy normally employed by rival gaming companies hasn't quite affected the pricing of consoles as some had expected. Microsoft has not shown any signs of a future price drop for any of its Xbox 360 models, Nintendo is very comfortable with having the cheapest next-gen system in the Wii, and Sony believes the PlayStation 3, at $499 or $599, is a "fantastic value for customers"--though some vocal dissidents disagree.

Even with the possibility of a US PS3 price drop being a hot topic (so much so that some are even willing to bet on it) ever since Sony dropped the price of the 20GB version of the console in Japan, it appears as though Sony isn't having any of it. Sony Computer Entertainment America president Kaz Hirai reiterated that cash-conscious gamers shouldn't get their hopes up for a cheaper PS3 sometime in the near future.

"We are very comfortable with the pricing we have announced and have gotten tremendous support from retailers for that price point," Hirai told Reuters. "So it's full steam ahead with the pricing of $499 and $599."

Hirai also said that Sony is sticking with its projections of having 2 million PS3s through December and 4 million PS3s by March in consumers' hands. Some doubt was cast on those figures when SCEA vice president Jack Tretton told Bloomberg, "The honest answer is [the figures are] more of a target. Clearly we've had some production issues."

Hirai sounded more confident than Tretton. "That is the goal we are working toward to deliver and hopefully exceed those numbers," he said, according to Reuters.

As for the next-gen war, Hirai believes that the battle doesn't begin until gamers have a choice from all that is available. Hirai said, "The real test comes when any other products are available in abundance so the consumer can walk into any retailer and pick up whatever console they want."

Confirmed: PS3 Oblivion now "Q1 2007 title"

2006-11-10T09:36:00.000+07:00

Just hours after gamers noticed online retailers were listing the PlayStation 3 version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as coming in 2007, Bethesda Softworks has made it official. In a statement, Pete Hines, the rising developer-publisher's vice president of PR, said flat out that "Oblivion PS3 is now a Q1 2007 title."

Hines gave no official reason for the Oblivion delay. Unofficially, though, the postponement has stirred up suspicions about PS3 development difficulties. There have also been murmurs that the scant supply of the PS3 at launch--400,000 on day one in all of North America--is giving publishers pause about rushing games to market. However, the game suffered a similar setback last November, when it was scheduled to be an Xbox 360 launch title. It was not released until the following March.

Of the 21 PS3 games announced as 2006 titles at Sony's Gamers Day, Oblivion is the first to be officially delayed until next year. Online retailers are also listing F.E.A.R. as being pushed to February, and unconfirmed reports have surfaced that have Sonic the Hedgehog coming in 2007. Neither reps for Sierra Entertainment nor Sega would comment on either game's release status, but GameStop.com still lists Sonic as arriving on November 14. A full list of the remaining 20 launch titles with their GameStop.com release dates--which are not official--is below.

SCEA Launch Titles:
Resistance: Fall of Man - 11/14/06
NBA 07 - 11/14/06
Genji: Days of the Blade - 11/14/06

Third-Party Publisher Titles:
Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII / Ubisoft - 12/05/06
Call of Duty 3 / Activision - 11/14/06
EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 / Electronic Arts - 12/12/06
F.E.A.R. / Vivendi Universal Games - 02/06/07
Full Auto 2: Battlelines / Sega - 12/12/06
Madden NFL 07 / Electronic Arts - 11/14/06
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance / Activision - "Ships in 24 hours"
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire / Namco Bandai Games - 11/13/06
NBA 2K7 / 2K Sports - 11/13/06*
Need for Speed Carbon / Electronic Arts - 11/20/06
NHL 2K7 / 2K Sports - 11/13/06*
Ridge Racer 7 / Namco Bandai Games - 11/13/06
Sonic the Hedgehog / Sega - 11/14/06
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 / Electronic Arts - 11/14/06
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas / Ubisoft - 12/19/06
Tony Hawk's Project 8 / Activision - "Ships in 24 hours"
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom / Sony Online Entertainment - 11/13/06

* = Confirmed by publisher as day-of-launch release.

PC Double Agent does double-demo duty

2006-11-10T09:35:00.000+07:00

Way back in August, PC gamers were tantalized with the announcement that Splinter Cell Double Agent demos were coming to their platform of choice. Unfortunately, time passed and, like the game's stealthy protagonist, they were nowhere to be seen.

Today, Ubisoft finally released the two demos, just days after the game hit store shelves. Both a multiplayer and single-player demo for Double Agent are now available from GameSpot downloads.

The multiplayer trial weighs in at 808.1MB and features only the Motorway 90 map. The demo is limited to one skin per team, one gadget, no bonuses or co-op challenges, and no live news. The 871MB single-player demo features a portion of the Okhotsk level.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent is rated M for Mature and retails for $49.99.

Blizzard dates Burning Crusade

2006-11-10T09:34:00.000+07:00

Ordinarily, Blizzard Entertainment sticks to a strict release date of "when it's done" for all of its titles. It appears the company's World of Warcraft expansion pack, The Burning Crusade, is getting awfully close to done, as Blizzard today announced a January 16 release date in the US and Europe for the add-on. It will also be available "in a similar time frame" in Korea and Singapore. Dates for mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau will follow shortly after, with announcements being made "in the near future." The Australian and New Zealand release date for The Burning Crusade will be on January 17.

The massively multiplayer online role-playing game add-on had previously been scheduled for a pre-Christmas release, but developer Blizzard Entertainment recently announced that it would be putting the schedule back to extend beta-testing and give the game its "finishing touches."

Some of the extras available for Burning Crusade include being able to advance character levels from the previous maximum of 60 to 70, two new playable races (the Blood Elves and the Draenei), a new profession (jewelcrafting), new weapons and armour, as well as "many enhancements to player-versus-player action."

A special collector's edition of the expansion will also be available, including a coffee-table book of The Art of Burning Crusade, an exclusive game pet, a behind-the-scenes DVD, an official soundtrack CD, a trading-card starter deck, and exclusive cards. [UPDATE] Blizzard has updated the ingredients of its collector's edition, and it's good news for WOW goodie collectors. The CE will actually include two trading-card starter decks, and three exclusive cards.

Blizzard Entertainment also announced a new milestone reached in the virtual world of WOW today--it now has 7.5 million players worldwide.

Final Fantasy XII lands at retail

2006-11-01T18:49:00.000+07:00

Anticipation for the launch of Square Enix's PlayStation 2 role-playing game Final Fantasy XII has been building all year, from the announcement of an energy drink spin-off in January to a rare perfect review score from Japanese magazine Famitsu in March. The game sold more than 1.7 million copies in Japan in its first four days of release, and its appeal is in no way limited to the island nation. Earlier this month, New York City declared October 11 to be Final Fantasy XII Day, and held a special commemoration for the game in Times Square.

You can bet these guys are excited about the FFXII release!
All that hype comes to a head today, as Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XII is now available in North American stores. The domestic edition of the game includes some extras that were left out of the Japanese version, including 16x9 widescreen support and extra voiced CG cutscenes.

Final Fantasy XII is available in both a standard package ($49.99) and a Collector's Edition ($59.99), the latter of which is available exclusively through GameStop and EB Games. For the extra $10, customers receive a bonus DVD with developer interviews, promotional trailers, an art gallery, and more. The game is rated T for Teen.

Kameo to cameo in Uno

2006-11-01T18:48:00.000+07:00

Gamers eagerly waiting the latest offering from Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays had better like both Uno and Kameo: Elements of Power. Microsoft has announced that in lieu of a new game, a new Kameo-themed Uno deck will be available at 1:00 a.m. Wednesday morning over Xbox Live.

The Uno Kameo Theme Deck will cost gamers 100 Marketplace points ($1.25) and feature a special new card that allows the gamer who plays it to swap hands with any of his or her opponents. Only the table's host needs to own the deck in order to deal out the new cards.

Uno is available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 Marketplace points ($5). Kameo: Elements of Power is rated T for Teen and retails for $29.99.

Wii launch lineup narrowed

2006-11-01T18:47:00.000+07:00

Gamers who anxiously awaited the launch lineup of the Xbox 360 know that they shouldn't get their hopes up and anything can happen in the days leading up to launch. Several purported games fell in and out of the Xbox 360's extended launch window, including highly anticipated games like Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Nintendo is getting set to launch its next-gen console, the Wii, next month, and its projected launch lineup is doing a little shuffling of its own--although the changes aren't as drastic as the 360's.

Nintendo expects 32 Wii games to be available in North America by the end of December (as well as 30 Virtual Console games). At September's big Wii release date and price unveiling in New York, Nintendo boasted that there would be 30 games before the calendar turned to 2007.

Shortly after the event, a few publishers declared their intentions to join the Wii's launch window, including four games apiece from THQ and Midway Games.

Added to the list recently and confirmed today for release in 2006 are SNK's Metal Slug Anthology, Atari's Dragon Ball Z Budokai: Tenkaichi 2, and Tecmo's Super Swing Golf.

According to a press release from Nintendo, one of Ubisoft's promised eight Wii launch titles has been shot down. Missing from the list of games to be released in 2006 was Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII. In fact, there is no listing for the Wii version of the game on Ubisoft's Web site. Ubisoft was unavailable for comment as of press time.

Nintendo would not say how many Wii games would be available on November 19 besides its three games--The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, and Wii Sports. Citing last-minute polishing, the company stated that release dates for third-party games would "soon be locked down, though most will launch by the end of November." One third-party game that will definitely be there day one is Sega's Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, which the publisher today announced would be on store shelves on November 14.

The following is the list of Wii games expected by the end of 2006, divided by publisher:

Nintendo
Excite Truck
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Wii Sports (bundled with the Wii console)

Activision
Call of Duty 3
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Rapala Tournament Fishing
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
World Series of Poker

Atari
Dragon Ball Z Budokai: Tenkaichi 2

Atlus
Trauma Center: Second Opinion

EA
Madden NFL 07
Need for Speed: Carbon

Konami
Elebits

Midway
The Ant Bully
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
Happy Feet
Rampage: Total Destruction

Sega
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

SNK
Metal Slug Anthology

Tecmo
Super Swing Golf

THQ
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Barnyard
Cars
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab

Ubisoft
Far Cry: Vengeance
GT Pro Series
Monster 4x4: World Circuit
Open Season
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Red Steel
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent

Vivendi Games
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

Play : Toy Car

2006-10-28T19:53:00.000+07:00

Race over the wall and paint as many bricks as you can.

Bethesda enlists Rogue Warrior

2006-10-28T19:52:00.000+07:00

Navy SEALs may have taken a hit to their reputation thanks to a certain Charlie Sheen movie, but if Bethesda Softworks has its way, they're about to get their credibility back. The publisher of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has announced that its next game is Rogue Warrior, due in stores in fall 2007.

The game is being developed by Zombie Studios, the Seattle-based studio responsible for several military shooters, including games from the America's Army and Delta Force series. Rogue Warrior will do battle on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

A first-person shooter, Rogue Warrior is based on books by best-selling author and former Navy SEAL Richard Marcinko. Using squad-based tactics, gamers will lead a team behind enemy lines in present-day North Korea to evaluate the state of the country's nuclear technology.

Players will pursue global stability through 10 gameplay modes that cover both single-player and cooperative play for up to four gamers. The multiplayer mode features a unique tiling system, where teams mix and match landscapes to create up to 200 different maps.

Swedish mag breaks Halo 3 details?

2006-10-28T19:51:00.001+07:00

What we heard: Last week, Bungie mentioned in its weekly update that it had shown off early builds of Halo 3 to a variety of gaming press outlets and that magazine articles on the visit would start hitting mailboxes shortly.

It appears that Swedish mailboxes are plum stuffed with Halo 3 news, as purported scans of the latest issue of LEVEL have hit the Internet with gobs of info about Bungie's highly anticipated first-person shooter. The multiplayer-focused sneak peek dished out details on new weapons, vehicles, and features for the game, some of it expected, some not so much.

First, the bad news for hermitic gamers: According to the magazine article, Halo 3 won't have bots. If Halo 2 is any indicator, there shouldn't be any shortage of human opponents to frag online, but antisocial players or those who tire of powergaming play styles won't be able to fake their multiplayer fix. According to a translation on GAF, LEVEL quotes a Bungie rep as explaining that the developers would rather spend that time working on the weapons, levels, and netcode for the game.

Speaking of weapons, Halo 3 will apparently feature a few new ways to off opponents. The Spartan Laser should help players open up vehicles like so many sardine cans, while the self-explanatory nail grenade should be a real hit at parties. There's also a Brute spiker to play with.

As for new vehicles, the Mongoose ATV that was once intended for Halo 2 will be available. Although it lacks firepower of any kind, the Mongoose seats two and should be good for getting Spartans where they need to be ASAP. And while it isn't quite a vehicle, the "Man Cannon" will launch players across the map unprotected on air streams. Gamers launched by the cannon will be vulnerable to enemy fire, but they'll also be able to fire back.

Bungie's also switching up some of the familiar Halo gameplay, according to the scans. For one thing, the X button will no longer reload. Instead, players will use the left and right bumpers on the Xbox 360 controller to independently reload their primary and secondary weapons. As for what the X button will do, Bungie is keeping that under wraps for now. In another tweak, players' secondary weapons will be visibly slung over their backs at all times, so players will no longer be able to conceal the fact that they're carrying around four-foot plasma swords in their pockets.

Finally, the scan indicates that the limited-edition release of Halo 3 will be called the "Legendary Edition" and will come packed in a replica of the Master Chief's helmet. The four-disc set will include the game, documentaries and developer interviews, Red vs. Blue content along with other Halo tie-ins, and HD cutscenes from the whole Halo trilogy.

Just Cause 2 dropping in?

2006-10-28T19:51:00.000+07:00

What we heard: Though not a raging success in North America, Just Cause has been fairing quite well in retail in the UK, where it stayed on the region's top 10 all-formats list for four weeks after its September release. This success was apparently enough of a sign to begin work on a sequel, according to Internet reports.

Gaming site Worthplaying.com cites an article in Swedish gaming magazine Kong, in which Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios (also from Sweden) apparently cops to a sequel's development. Worthplaying says Avalanche CEO Christofer Sundberg reveals that his studio is already working on a sequel and that the game will abandon the Far Cry-esque island paradise for a "VERY large city environment" (caps in original).

The game will also reportedly go multiformat again but this time will focus on the next generation--specifically the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Though taking translations from foreign publications often ends up in a game of "telephone," this bit of scuttlebutt is likely legitimate. Avalanche has a grand total of one game under its belt (Just Cause), and given the game's success and potential, it seems like a smart business move to pump out another one of Rico Rodriguez's adventures.

The Last Word: October 23-27

2006-10-28T19:50:00.000+07:00

Plenty of gaming news hit the wires this week, most notably the ever-so-sexy world of corporate finances. Five major publishers reported revenues, and it was a bit of a grab bag in terms of results.

In the "Oh my, we're rich!" category, Nintendo posted a $456.6 million profit for the first half of its fiscal year, which ended on September 30. Sales of the DS and DS software kickstarted the numbers, which were up 48 percent over the same period the previous year.

Ubisoft followed in the "Now I can afford those rims" category with a more modest 13 percent increase in profits for the six months through September. Sales of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter were singled out as a major contributor to the company's six-month success, and the game's downloadable map packs also proved profitable, bringing in $3.8 million.

Activision took the "Ramen time" slot, seeing a 15-percent decline in sales for the three-month period ended September 30 versus the same period the previous year. However, the $188.2 million in revenue beat the company's earlier prediction of $130 million, boosting stock prices.

In the "We're rich and we don't care" category, the Entertainment and Devices division of Microsoft took a $96 million hit for the first quarter of its fiscal year, which covers the three-month period from July through September. However, sales of the Xbox 360 helped cut the division's losses by almost half as compared to the same period in the previous year--in 2005, the E&D division lost $173 million. Overall, Microsoft as a whole took in $10.81 billion during the period.

Sony held up the rear in the "How much can I get for this kidney?" category. Delays of the PlayStation 3 and a costly recall of laptop batteries led to a 94 percent plunge in profits compared to the same time the previous year, going from 2005's $240.8 million to 2006's $14.36 million. Sony's gaming division lost $367.5 million for the quarter, mostly blamed on declining sales of PlayStation 2 and PSP hardware and software. Things look to go up from here though, as November's launch of the PlayStation 3 nears.

Sony may have lost a chunk of change, but at least its doors are still open. The electronics giant lobbied to make the sale of exported Sony game consoles to Europe illegal, and it worked. Just a day after Sony said it would pursue its endeavor, Hong-Kong-based game exporter Lik-Sang shut down, citing insurmountable legal costs as the reason for closing.

Enough numbers and business talk already! Ubisoft announced Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 was in the works, and would replace both Assassin's Creed and Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway as its marquee title early next year--the two latter games were delayed for an unspecified amount of time. Taking a cue from Ubi's Tom Clancy-branded success, Bethesda Softworks is making its own military shooter based on the works of author Richard Marcinko. The game is titled Rogue Warrior and will be released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC in fall 2007.

Millions of online gamers were given a new lease on life, when Blizzard Entertainment announced that The Burning Crusade expansion to oh-so-addicting World of Warcraft would be delayed to January 2007. The game was originally slated for a November release, but Blizzard will use the extra time to fine tune the add-on.

Anti-gamer Jack Thompson was in the headlines again this week, doing his thing. Take-Two Interactive lawyers asked that Thompson be held in contempt of court for his fiery words aimed at Judge Ronald Friedman. Currently, no charges have been filed. Thompson also took another shot at Bully, the latest game from Take-Two subsidiary Rockstar Games. In the game, male protagonist Jimmy Hopkins can smooch another male student, which prompted Thompson to spew in an e-mail to ESRB president Patricia Vance, "Dear Ms. Vance, we just found gay sexual content in Bully, as Jimmy Hopkins makes out with another male student. Good luck with your 'Teen' rating now, Patty."

And last but not least, Toys "R" Us detailed its Wii preorder system, and if you are reading this on Monday or after, you're too late. Preorders, which require $50 down, begin at all retail locations on Sunday, October 29 when stores' doors open.

UK street date 'anarchy'

2006-10-26T14:19:00.000+07:00

The official release date in the UK has been broken again by retailers this week, which put Bully and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 out onto store shelves two days ahead of schedule. Last week, Sega brought the official release date of Football Manager 2007 forward to October 18, after "certain retail outlets" had chosen to ignore the embargo and put the game out on sale early.

This week, both Canis Canum Edit (also known as Bully) and PES6 are already on sale at high street retailers and online stores throughout the UK. Konami spokespersons pointed the finger at family store Woolworths, where it claims the games were deliberately put on sale today, October 25.

They told GameSpot: "This Friday is one of the busiest days on record for new releases, one of which is PES6. We understand that Woolworths, reacting to street date-breaking during recent weeks have instructed their stores to sell this week's major new releases from today (Wednesday)."

The situation could escalate into retail and chart chaos, Konami warned. "This is not something we condone," said the reps. "It leads to anarchy in the market, and some retailers who do not yet have stock or are unable to react quick enough will be disadvantaged."

A spokesperson for Woolworths commented that the company had simply been reacting to other retailers who had already put the games on sale, though he refused to name names. He said, "Woolworths is reacting to what it has seen in the market over the past two weeks."

Gears of War spins gold

2006-10-26T14:18:00.000+07:00

While Sony and Nintendo are preparing to wage war in retail with two brand-spanking new consoles, the PlayStation 3 and Wii, the two companies' other rival, Microsoft, is banking on the success of a game for its holiday push. That title is Gears of War, the latest shooter from Epic Games (Unreal Tournament 2004).

Microsoft Game Studios today announced that development on the game has been completed and the gold master has been sent off for duplication. Gears of War will be available beginning November 7 and nationwide on November 12--commonly referred to as Emergence Day by the game's creators.

To hype the game's release, Microsoft Game Studios is holding several Emergence Day festivities beginning at 12:01 a.m. on November 12 (no time zone was specified). Xbox Live Gold members will be able to participate in a 24-hour leaderboard tournament, with the winner getting a Gears of War-branded guitar and a place in a worldwide Gears of War tournament in 2007.

In addition, winners will also be drawn each hour to receive prizes such as Samsung surround-sound systems; a free Gears gamer pic and theme will be on Marketplace; metal band Megadeth and game's designer Cliff Bleszinski will play with fans online; and MTV will air a Gears of War: The Road to Launch featurette.

Those who can't wait for new Gears of War content can hop onto Xbox Live Marketplace and preview the new TV ad for the game. The video is available in 720p (59MB) and 480p (10MB) resolutions.

Gears of War is rated M for Mature and will retail for $59.99--the first first-party game for the Xbox 360 to retail above $49.99.

No PS3 imports for Europe, says Sony

2006-10-24T08:29:00.001+07:00

Sony has stated its intentions to prosecute companies for what it calls "grey importing" of its products, including the PlayStation 3, from other regions to within the European Union.

This comes hot on the heels of Sony's court win against Hong Kong-based online retailer Lik-Sang, the second time the two have clashed, this time over Lik-Sang's selling Japanese PSPs to EU customers. The judge found in favour of Sony and deemed that various intellectual property rights had been violated by Lik-Sang's activities.

Sony also asserted its intentions to prosecute other retailers who sell the PS3--which is launching around three months earlier in Japan and the US--to Europeans desperate to get their hands on it for Christmas.

Sony stated: "The law is clear, grey importing PS2, PSP, or PS3 into the EU, without the express permission of SCE is illegal. Therefore, we will utilise the full scope of the law to put a stop to any retailers who chose to do this."

The company explained the reasoning behind this policy as trying to "protect" European consumers "from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards (due to voltage supply differences etc.), is not (in PS3's case) backwards compatible with either PS1 or PS2 software, will not play European Blu-ray movies or DVDs, and will not be covered by warranty."

When asked if Sony would be pursuing private customers, such as those who advertise PS3s on auction sites such as eBay and offer to ship their own consoles overseas (for a price), a spokesperson said that Sony currently had no comment.

No 100GB hard drive for 360

2006-10-24T08:29:00.000+07:00

Last week a Korean gaming site carried pictures from a presentation on Xbox 360 peripherals at Microsoft's X06 Korea event. The snapshots included art of the Xbox Live Vision camera, a 256MB memory card, the Xbox 360 wireless gaming receiver that lets players use the system peripherals on a PC without cords, and an Xbox 360 hard drive with "100GB" written across the top.

The news was picked up and reported around the Web, and Microsoft today finally addressed the issue directly. A representative for the company passed on the following statement:

"The reference to a 100GB hard drive in a recent presentation in Korea has been misleading, and in fact we have no plans to bring a 100GB hard drive to the market. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused."

The representative could not explain exactly how the reference was misleading. When asked if the company had plans for a larger Xbox 360 hard drive, he did say it was "always a possibility."

"The device is modular, and there's the possibility that different hard drives will be available in the future," the representative said. "To reiterate, we have no plans to announce such an accessory in the near future."

Play : Rescue Mission

2006-10-21T08:31:00.000+07:00

Shoot all of the bad guys and rescue the hostages.

US PC game charts: October 1-7

2006-10-21T08:30:00.000+07:00

On Wednesday October 4, World of Warcraft was further cemented into the pop-culture zeitgeist, courtesy of an episode of South Park. The Comedy Central cartoon featured a storyline that involved the show's four heroes--Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny--getting addicted to the massively multiplayer role-playing game, which left each a pimply, portly mess. Ironically, the merciless parody was done with the full participation of WOW developer-publisher Blizzard Entertainment, which helped South Park's creators create entire in-game machinima sequences.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, the week of October 1-7 also saw WOW at the top of the US PC game charts, nearly two years after it first hit the market. It was the second week in a row the title was in first place after it was briefly displaced by Company of Heroes. THQ's acclaimed World War II real-time strategy game hasn't fallen far, though--it finished in second place for the second week running.

As far as debuts go, the week saw only one all-new game crack the top 10--Vivendi Games' Caesar IV. The game was the first installment in the historic city-building simulation series since 1998's Caesar III, and it received the same level of decent critical praise as its forebears.

As for the rest of the list, it was many of the same faces, such as The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff (third), The Sims 2 (fourth), Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (sixth), SimCity 4 Deluxe (seventh), and Cars Radiator Springs Adventures (ninth). Gone from the list were Star Wars: Empire at War and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06, replaced by the aforementioned Caesar IV and returnees Guild Wars Factions (eighth) and Warcraft III Battlechest (10th).

Sixaxis to tilt several PS3 games

2006-10-20T09:39:00.000+07:00

Today Sony is holding a Gamers' Day press event in San Francisco to show off the latest builds of its upcoming PlayStation 3 games. In coordination with the event, the company has released new information on several previously announced games, most involving the tilt-sensitive capabilities of the new Sixaxis controller.

Tony Hawk's Project 8 will use the Sixaxis to control steering, balance, precision foot placement in the Nail the Trick feature, and more. GameSpot recently tested the Sixaxis in the game--read the preview to find out more.

Tilting will be incorporated into Madden NFL 07 as well. By moving the controller in various ways, gamers can fake the snap, jump the snap, control the lead blocker, and bear down on ball carriers with brutal hits. Read GameSpot's preview for more info.

Placing backspin, topspin, and sidespin on the ball in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 for the PS3 just got a bit easier than repeatedly tapping a button. Pushing the controller in the direction gamers want the spin to go will control spin direction, and the longer they hold the tilt, the more spin will be added. GameSpot recently teed off with the PS3 version.

2K Sports recently revealed that NBA 2K7 will use motion sensitivity for its free-throw mechanic, but it appears as though Sony is taking it a bit further. In NBA 07, jerking the Sixaxis back and forth will control dribbling moves such as crossovers, spins, and jukes, as well as perform moves in the post.

Hockey fans will also move the controller back and forth to control their goalkeepers in 2K Sports' NHL 2K7. When entering the first-person view in the crease-control system, gamers will control the cursor by tilting the controller, thereby thwarting slapshots from goons. The Sixaxis' tilt sensitivity will also be used to check opposing players, but it is optional. For more details, read GameSpot's preview of NHL 2K7 for the PS3.

While gamers have known for a while that Blazing Angels will use the Sixaxis' new feature, they didn't know they could also turn it off. For those worried about carpal tunnel syndrome from too many barrel rolls, the tilt sensitivity can be turned off and the classic controls used. It's currently unclear how many PS3 games will also make tilt sensitivity an option.

Blazing Angels will also feature a new multiplayer mode that lets competing teams try to attack each other's bases in the shortest amount of time possible. This brings the total number of multiplayer modes in the PS3 version to 13.

Fighting fans looking for some super-high-definition beatdowns got some disappointing news today. It appears as though the highly anticipated Virtua Fighter 5 will max out at a 720p resolution, not the PS3's highly touted 1080p.

Tucked away in the press release for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a listing of prices for the game. While the $59.99 price tag for the PS3 version isn't surprising, the game's price on another platform deserves a double take. Activision lists the game as costing $49.99 on the Wii, which appears to confirm what the publisher hinted at before--that third-party Wii games would generally be priced at $49.99. For the record, first-party Wii games will also cost $49.99.

100GB Xbox 360 HD on the way?

2006-10-20T09:38:00.000+07:00

What we heard: So far the response to downloadable demos, trailers, and game content on Xbox Live Marketplace has been overwhelmingly positive. So positive, in fact, that gamers are downloading files at record-setting rates.

The premium Xbox 360 came stocked with a 20GB hard drive, but with most demos hovering in the 500MB to 800MB range (and some topping 1GB) Xbox 360 owners are beginning to feel the pinch when it comes to available hard drive space. And with upcoming downloadable expansions such as the Knights of the Nine expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and bonus packs for Grand Theft Auto IV expected to take up lots of room, hard drive space will be a necessity for 360 owners. Now it appears that even when its 2K9, gamers might still be able to hang on to that demo of NBA 2K6.

At the Microsoft-centric X06 Korea, some pictures of a bigger Xbox 360 hard drive have surfaced courtesy of Korean game site Game Inside. The photos appear to have been taken during a presentation hyping the new Xbox 360 accessories that are on their way, including the force feedback steering wheel, the wireless headset, and a 256MB memory card.

But what's of real interest to gamers starving for more HD space is the image of a hard drive emblazoned with the phrase "100GB." There isn't any other information on the hard drive (in English, anyway), and Microsoft has not announced anything on this side of the pond.

This isn't the first time the world has heard about a 100GB Xbox 360 hard drive. Back in April, a Spanish gaming Web site reported that a Microsoft insider said the company was working on a 100GB hard drive. But then again, the mole also said that Xbox Live Vision would be called 'My Eye on You," Gears of War would be out by Halloween, and that the HD-DVD peripheral would be $100.

Gears of War won't turn in Germany

2006-10-19T16:57:00.000+07:00

Back in July, German zombie-haters were stymied in their quest to slay the undead when the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) refused to give the game a rating due to its excessive violence. While this didn't officially ban the game, it effectively limited the scope of its release and made it available only as a hard-to-get under-the-counter sale.

Now it appears the USK is at it again. Microsoft has confirmed to GameSpot that Gears of War has been refused rating in Germany, presumably also due to violence. Because of this, Microsoft has decided not to release the game in the country, as per the company's policy with unrated games.

It's currently unclear whether Germany has been left out of the Gears of War loop entirely or if Deutsch consumers will be able to get the game the same roundabout way they can get Dead Rising, such as by importing the game from other regions.
Gears of War is rated M for Mature in North America and will be released on November 7.

Xbox Live hits 4 million users

2006-10-19T16:54:00.000+07:00

Next month won't just ring in the one-year anniversary of Microsoft's Xbox 360, it will also be the four-year anniversary of Xbox Live. To tout the online gaming service, Microsoft announced the latest stats and figures and they reveal a new milestone.

Xbox Live has surpassed 4 million members worldwide, just shy of its sixth iteration, which launches "this fall." The service, which Microsoft describes as "the first and only unified online games and entertainment network," is available in 24 countries and the company expects it to surpass 6 million members by the summer of 2007.

Other items of note include:

--More than 70 million pieces of content downloaded in Xbox Live Marketplace's first 11 months.

--Over 12 million Xbox Live Arcade downloads in that same period, with a trial-to-purchase ratio of 24 percent (Uno leads all Arcade titles with a 50 percent trial-to-purchase ratio)

--Time logged on Xbox Live playing games has surpassed two billion hours

--More than 9 million text and voice messages are sent over Xbox Live each week

A fall dashboard update for the Xbox 360 is expected sometime soon.

Play : Drift Battle

2006-10-18T14:41:00.000+07:00

Try and beat the computer in this really cool race game.

After Hours delivers games

2006-10-18T14:39:00.000+07:00

What if they gave a party and everyone showed up? That's how it felt Saturday night in San Francisco when GameSpot After Hours opened its doors at Pier 27 on that city's Embarcadero.

Close to 2,000 gamers checked out 21 premier titles at over 100 kiosks, enjoyed live and DJ-spun tunes and the rich showmanship of the GameSpot Live crew, and even indulged in beer and pizza as the first-ever event delivered on its promise of bringing the best in games and competition to the GameSpot community--in our own backyard as well as around the world.

Attendees compared the experience to E3, "only you could actually play the games." Among the crowd's favorites were Battlefield 2142, Call of Duty 3, BioShock, and Full Auto 2, the latter game running on PlayStation 3s at just eight, very in-demand game kiosks.

While hundreds of gamers had their fill of gamplay inside the massive space on the Bay, five cameras brought the event to an online audience of many thousands more.

EA sells Tiger Woods cheats on XBL

2006-10-18T14:36:00.000+07:00

The Xbox 360 has been out for almost a year, and publishers are still experimenting to find the best way to make money and serve their customers with downloadable content for games. The latest approach comes from Electronic Arts, which has released a handful of downloadable add-ons for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 on the Xbox Live Marketplace today.

What makes some of these add-ons unusual is that they merely give players instant access to things they would normally have to unlock in the course of normal play. So gamers can download the Unlock Golfer and Unlock Courses add-ons for 200 points ($2.50) each and open up all the hidden golfers and courses in the game without ever having to set foot on the virtual fairways.

Players wanting to take a shortcut to greatness can also shell out 200 points for the Maxed-Out Player add-on, which will set their created golfers' stats to 110 percent across the board. Finally, the more expensive Pro Shop add-on (300 points, or $3.75) will unlock all of the pro shop gear for the player's use.

Not all of the Tiger Woods add-ons being offered can be earned by actually playing the game, however. The Sunday Tiger download (240 points, or $3) is exclusive to the Marketplace, and allows players to hit the links as Woods in his trademark tournament-ending red shirt.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 for the Xbox 360 is scheduled to release later this week. It is rated E for Everyone and will retail for $59.99.

MumboJumbo working on PSP

2006-10-18T09:36:00.000+07:00

Last month, the Retail Radar picked up a couple of unusual bogeys on the PlayStation Portable release lists, specifically the downloadable PC and Mac games Platypus and Luxor. Today those two titles were confirmed as the first PSP releases from Texas-based casual games publisher MumboJumbo.

Luxor: Wrath of Set is the latest installment of an action-puzzle franchise that boasts more than 40 million downloads in the last two years. Similar to Zuma or Ballistic, Luxor requires players to destroy a field of colored balls by firing like-colored balls from a cannon. However, it also incorporates an Arkanoid-like twist in that the player's cannon can move along the bottom of the screen.

Much like the animal platypus is an unlikely amalgamation of characteristics from other animals, so too is the game Platypus distinctive. Despite being a "casual game," Platypus is squarely in the traditionally hardcore genre of side-scrolling 2D shooters. But unlike Gradius, R-Type, or Thunder Force, Platypus has its own unique visual style in that the graphics are made entirely of clay.

Luxor and Platypus will retail for $29.99 each when they are released next month.

Lumines Live lights up Xbox Live tomorrow

2006-10-18T09:35:00.000+07:00

Earlier this week, rumors began to swirl that Lumines Live, the Xbox 360 version of Q Entertainment's popular puzzle game, would soon hit Xbox Live. The reasoning went that, with only a few months left in the year, the game had to be released sometime soon, and unconfirmed reports had it being released as early as this week.
Now, it's official. This afternoon, Microsoft announced that Lumines Live will be released tomorrow as the latest push in the company's Xbox Live Wednesdays campaign. As of 1:00 a.m. PDT (0800 GMT), the game will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 1,200 Microsoft points ($15).

Designed by legendary game-maker Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Space Channel 5, Rez), the first Lumines arrived in 2005 on the PlayStation Portable to rave reviews. Earlier this year at E3, Microsoft announced that the franchise would also be coming to Xbox Live Arcade. Sporting the same Tetris-esque gameplay as its predecessor, Lumines Live includes six single-player modes--challenge, skin edit, mission, puzzle, versus CPU, and time attack. It also features two-player head-to-head multiplayer via Xbox Live and unnamed music videos that Microsoft reps could not identify.

Besides the regular version of Lumines Live, Microsoft is also selling a Lumines Live! Advance Pack separately for 600 Microsoft points ($7.50). According to the company, the Advance Pack will include 22 new skins with new music tracks. Microsoft also said more updates would be on the way in the form of unspecified "exclusive downloadable content to enhance and extend the gameplay experience."
For more on Lumines Live, peruse GameSpot's previous coverage, and check back later in the week for a full review.

PS3 downloadable games revealed?

2006-10-18T01:54:00.000+07:00

What we heard: This week Sony is holding a Gamers Day, a press-only event that gives the company a chance to show off its upcoming games, and make a few announcements. This Gamers Day is a little more anticipated than most, given that it comes less than a month before Sony the PlayStation 3's November 17 launch in North America, and is expected to answer a number of questions surrounding the machine.
One of those questions is "What games is Sony planning for its digital distribution service?" The answer to that may have leaked out a little early, as a poster on PS3forums by the name of "Elder " appears to have preemptively dumped a slew of Sony screenshots and game details onto the Web.
While Elder's post has new pictures of Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom, Full Auto 2: Battlelines, and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, the real attraction is the list of "e-Distribution" games. From Sony, there's Blast Factor, Lemmings 2, Go Sudoku, Swizzleblocks, Criminal Crackdown, and the previously announced flOw.
At first glance, Blast Factor appears to be a shooter in the mold of the Xbox Live Arcade games Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved or Mutant Storm. However, the details promise "integral use" of the motion-sensitive Sixaxis controller, noting, "By tilting left and right, gamers can push enemies around the play field, but need to be careful as some might enemies not react as expected."
While the other new games on that list aren't detailed, some information can be gleaned from the screenshots. Go Sudoku is a flashy version of the puzzle phenomenon that includes a multiplayer mode supporting at least four players. Lemmings 2 appears not to be a port of the early '90s PC and console follow-up to the classic puzzle game, but instead an original game with a visual sheen more akin to the Worms series of games.
Finally, Swizzleblocks is a grid-based block puzzle game with a multiplayer mode, and Criminal Crackdown is a complete mystery, with the only information posted being a cartoon drawing of a criminal crook fleeing the police with a bag of money in one hand and the Mona Lisa in the other.
While the third-party games lined up for PS3 e-Distribution weren't detailed or shown in screens, they were named. There's the TV game show Wheel of Fortune, a PS3 version of the PlayStation Portable racer hybrid Gripshift, and Crash Carnage Ciaos, which is either a typo that should read "Crash Carnage Chaos," or perhaps something combining mass destruction and Italian greetings.
The sheer volume of assets in that thread, the number of new screens for existing games, and the fact that Sony has a press event scheduled for this week (always a prime time for leaks) is convincing enough to buy into this one.

Project 8 booms 56 tracks

2006-10-18T01:51:00.000+07:00

Ollies, McTwists, acid drops, and Saran Wraps just don't have street cred when performed to the tunes of Perry Como, Celine Dion, or polka king Jolly Joe Timmer. For the soundtrack of Tony Hawk's Project 8, Activision culled songs from recent memory and yesteryear, and there's not a waltz, muzak, or easy listening tune in earshot.

The soundtrack is populated with 56 songs from rock, hip-hop, and punk artists all spanning a few decades. Among new acts such as Gnarls Barkley ("Gone Daddy Gone"), Wolfmother ("Woman"), and Kasabian ("Club Foot"), are classic bands including Joy Division ("Interzone"), Kool and the Gang ("Summer Madness"), and The Ramones ("I Wanna Live"). The full soundtrack is listed over at MP3.com.

The new band featuring former Blink-182 members, Plus-44 (pictured), is using the soundtrack to debut a song from their forthcoming album When Your Heart Stops Beating. Gamers will be able to hear the song "Lycanthrope" in Project 8 a week before the album is released in mid-November.
Tony Hawk's Project 8, rated T for Teen, is scheduled for release November 7 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox. A PlayStation 3 version is also in the works and will be released later this year.