New Releases: Week of 5/27

Title	Platform	Genre	Release Date
Surf's Up	GC	Sports	May 31, 2007
Halo 2	PC	Action	May 31, 2007
Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia	PC	Action	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	X360	Sports	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	PSP	Sports	May 29, 2007
The Secrets of Atlantis: The Sacred Legacy	PC	Adventure	May 29, 2007
The New York Times Crosswords	DS	Puzzle	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	WII	Sports	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	PS2	Sports	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	PC	Sports	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	GBA	Sports	May 29, 2007
Codename: Panzers Commander's Edition	PC	Strategy	May 29, 2007
Dream Day Wedding	PC	Puzzle	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	DS	Sports	May 29, 2007
Tamagotchi Party On!	WII	Puzzle	May 29, 2007
Surf's Up	PS3	Sports	May 29, 2007
Legend of the Dragon	PSP	Action	May 29, 2007
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon	WII	Action	May 29, 2007
Shadowrun	X360	Action	May 29, 2007
Forza Motorsport 2	X360	Driving	May 29, 2007
Mario Party 8	WII	Puzzle	May 29, 2007
Pony Friends	DS	Puzzle	May 29, 2007
Crush	PSP	Action	May 29, 2007
Tank Beat	DS	Action	May 29, 2007
Shadowrun	PC	Action	May 29, 2007
Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia	X360	Action	May 29, 2007
Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm	PS2	Role-Playing	May 29, 2007
LA Street Racing	PC	Driving	May 28, 2007
Marine Sharpshooter III	PC	Action	May 28, 2007

[From Gamespot]

Tom Clancy's EndWar to Recieve PUBLIC Beta

Man every since the release of the Halo 3 Beta I have been seeing Beta this and Beta that everywhere on all kinds of games. Here's another to add onto the ever growing list. It may seem like I'm being a jerk about it, but honestly this is good for the industry it's about time the companies realize how important it is to value the consumers opinion. Oh and by the way the scheduled release of the beta is sometime in November.

Gears of War to Recieve Another Update

In a recent message posted on the official Gears of War forums, the Epic VP stated that his team is currently working on an update to the game that will fix a number of gameplay issues.

"In addition to the previously mentioned plan to improve roadie run we're also going to have new achievements relating to Annex and the Hidden Fronts DLC," Rein writes. "Of course no title update would be complete without more exploit squashing and the ever-popular 'general housekeeping'."

Although he also states that Epic has so far made "significant progress", Rein is reluctant to slap on even a hypothetical timeframe for the update.
[From GamePro]

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga Officially ANNOUNCED

Yet another game that was in the rumor bandwagon, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga will be available via PS3, Wii, 360, and DS. The game for DS will be a whole new edition. The game available via consoles will be just a collection of the previous versions of the game with a few "added" features. Check out the web site here if you are interested in any more details.

Geometry Wars for Wii, DS Officially CONFIRMED

There have been rumors everywhere about this release, and now we know officially that it is coming. When? No official date at this time, but here's the press release. And if you were expecting a port you were wrong, included in this version are several new features that will be available exclusively for the Wii and DS.

The next Evolution Of Top Selling Xbox Live® Arcade Masterpiece Geometry Wars Comes To Nintendo Wii And Nintendo DS

Geometry Wars: Galaxies Game to Feature All New Single-player and Multiplayer Modes, Enemies and Weapons

READING, ENGLAND (25, May 2007) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, announced today that Geometry Wars™: Galaxies, a 2D arcade shooter game, will be coming to Nintendo exclusively on the Wii Console and Nintendo DS system. The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame is developed by Kuju Entertainment (Surrey) and is the follow-up to Bizarre Creations' Xbox LIVE® Arcade sensation, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.

The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame delivers an all new mission-based campaign where players blast-off on action-paced quests across the galaxy, defending solar systems one by one, defeating waves of alien enemies on new and classic Battle Grids. The controls have been optimized for Nintendo systems, allowing gamers to use the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controller or DS touch screen to execute hotshot moves as never before.

For the first time ever, the Geometry Wars videogame will let players battle via hot seat, co-op, simultaneous and versus in multiplayer mode. Those that own both the Nintendo DS and Wii can link the game together using Wi-Fi to unlock bonus content. Elite players will be able to challenge the universe by posting high scores on the Wii's online leader board.

The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame also includes the full version of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, winner of IGN's 2005 Best XBLA Title of The Year.

"The Geometry Wars: Galaxies videogame is an entertaining title blending old-school arcade fun with next-gen gameplay and action," said Al Simone, SVP of Global Marketing for Sierra Entertainment. "We are excited to bring the Geometry Wars brand to the Nintendo platform as both the Wii and DS enable a fun and frenetic experience for gamers."

For more information, please visit the game's official Web site at http://www.sierra.com/geometrywarsgalaxies/.

[From Kotaku]

This Year's E3 Schedule

For all you E3 junkies out there here is the official schedule for this year E3, which will be from July 11-13:

Tuesday, July 10th
8:30 - 9:30 PM - Microsoft Corporation

Wednesday, July 11th
9:00 - 10:00 AM - Nintendo
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM - Sony
2:00 - 3:00 PM - EA
3:15 - 4:15 PM - Activision
4:30 - 5:30 PM - Midway
5:45 - 6:45 PM - Konami

Thursday July 12th
8:00 - 9:00 AM - Take Two Interactive
9:15 - 10:15 AM - THQ
10:30 - 11:30 AM - Ubisoft
1:00 - 2:00 PM - Namco Bandai
3:30 - 4:30 PM - Disney Interactive

There you go, mark your calenders and prepare for a lot of gaming news.

360 Wireless Racing Wheel Price DROP

Although the price is not that much of a difference, with the release of the Forza 2 game on May 29th the price of the wheel will go from $149.99 to $129.99 a difference of $20. As I said earlier, not that much of a difference, and in my opinion still not worth it.

Why the Halo 2 for Vista DELAY?

The reason for the delay you ask? Well the answer is surprisingly nudity. Yes, nudity. You never would have thought that out of all the games Halo would have nudity. Well the reason for this "nudity" was just a programmer's joke. The nudity was never supposed to be accessed by the customers. According to the ESRB statement: "The content in question, although likely to be inaccessible to the vast majority of users, displays a photograph of an individual showing his bare backside to the user when a particular error occurs, and thus warrants a 'Partial Nudity' content descriptor in order to alert consumers to its presence in the product."

Those crazy ol' programmers are back at it again.

Sony Being Sued for Another Patent Infringement

Last Wednesday three divisions of Sony Corp. were sued by California based Target Technology Co. for allegedly violating a patent on the silver-based alloy coating used on Blu-ray disks manufactured by Sony. The three divisions accused of the infringement are Sony DADC U.S. Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment of America Inc., and Sony Pictures Inc. The claim asks for damages and the prevention of Sony to use the patent any further.
[From GamePro]

Wow, Sony sure is keeping themselves in some hot water, but if they keep doing this they will eventually get burned. You would have thought with the recent case with Immersion that Sony would have made sure they wouldn't infringe again, but for the record it is "allegedly" meaning it may not be true.

Halo 2 for VIsta DELAYED Yet Again

First, we were told the release date was suppose to be May 8th. Then it moved to May 22nd. Now it is delayed yet another week to May 31st.

Come on Microsoft, I know it takes time to release games, but this is the 3rd time. Not that I really care, but Major Nelson and some of his buddies have been playing Halo 2 for Vista a long time so there is no doubt that this is game is in fact done. I think this has something to do with the release of Shadowrun, which is due to be released on the 29th, maybe because Halo 2 will take the spotlight? Well Shadowrun is the new launch game for The Games for Windows platform.

P.S.: June 8th is the release date of Halo 2 for Vista in Europe

Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80's Box Cover

Released today the new box cover artwork for the upcoming Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80's expansion. Included on the cover is two new characters, maybe to be included in the game?

Rumble Coming to the PS3 in November?

According to the rumors section in PSM the rumble functionality that the Sixaxis obviously lacks may be on its way to the PS3's controller in November of this year. The article even mentions some specifics to the release of the new controller such as: there will be an announcement at E3 of this year and the projected release date of the new controller will be November 13th.
[From Kotaku]

With so much criticism over this feature I couldn't blame Sony for wanting to include it, but as mentioned earlier this year the PS3 games do not include the functionality for rumble. So if this new controller is indeed true, how will Sony handle previous games? Will they release updates to give older games rumble? Or will they just focus on new games for rumble?

Today's PSN Update

Today along with the new firmware update is some new content for the Playstation Store. Joust is now available for download in the downloadable games section. Also available are 7 new trailers. Among them are: MLB 07: The Show, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and Championship Sprint. So if you own a PS3 and can get away from playing your games for a while go check out the new content, and while your at it make sure you download the new firmware update too.

PS3 Firmware Update 1.80 to be Released TOMORROW

Latest PLAYSTATION 3 Firmware Update Provides PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and DVD Upscaling Remote Play on PSP (PlayStation Portable) via the Internet and DLNA transfer of media content also enabled

London, 24 May 2007 - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today availability of the latest version of the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) firmware. Version 1.80 features upscaling of PlayStation® and PlayStation 2 games, and DVD movies up to full 1080p HD resolution when viewed on a compatible HD TV set.

The capability to upscale DVDs to HD quality is a feature normally only associated with top range DVD players, and its inclusion in the latest firmware upgrade now allows PS3 owners with an existing DVD collection to dramatically enhance the viewing pleasure of their DVD collection when viewed through a compatible HD TV set1. Not only can DVD movies be enhanced to full 1080p HD quality but so too will PlayStation 2 and PlayStation games be upscaled to provide much improved gaming pleasure.

In a comprehensive update to PS3's already impressive capabilities, Version 1.80 also allows users to enjoy Remote Play on their PSP across the internet, allowing them to access their PS3 anywhere in the world where a broadband internet connection is available2.

Version 1.80 also allows users on a home network to seamlessly view and play rich media content such as images, music and video on their PS3, that is stored on their DLNA3 enabled devices such as PCs and laptops elsewhere in the house, reinforcing PS3's credentials as a home entertainment hub that truly deserves pride of place in the Living Room.

A host of other enhancements include the ability to print photo images stored on PS3's hard disk or inserted storage media to a selection of Epson printers.

PS3 owners will be able to upgrade their PS3 with the latest Version 1.80 firmware from 24th May 2007.

[From Kotaku]

Finally some good news for PS3 owners.

Guitar Hero III Announced

We all wanted another one, and today Activision has fulfilled our wishes. The new game which I am calling Guitar Hero III (not the official name at this time) will be made available to all Next-Gen consoles and the PS2. Plus, they will all sport WIRELESS guitars. Though all the tracks have not been announced Activision has promised that there will be more tracks on this installment of the game than any other. At this time the announced tracks are:

• Paint It Black (by The Rolling Stones)

• Cherub Rock (by Smashing Pumpkins)

• Sabotage (by Beastie Boys)

• The Metal (by Tenacious D)

• My Name is Jonas (by Weezer)

• Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)

• Rock And Roll All Nite (as made famous by Kiss)

• School's Out (as made famous by Alice Cooper)

• Slow Ride (as made famous by Fog Hat)

• Cult of Personality (by Living Colour)

• Barracuda (as made famous by Heart)

[From GamePro]

And bet there will be more to come. So for those of you who are sold now, the game is scheduled for a Fall '07 release, just in time for the holidays.

This Weeks XBLA Wednesday Releases

Another double release today for the Xbox Live Arcade. Today's releases will be:

Name: Xevious
Price: 400 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live members
Dash Details: Size: 13.5 MB■Single player ■Hi-Definition ■Control your Solvalou ship and destroy the XEVIOUS forces! Use blasters against air-based enemies and bombs against ground-based targets. Destroy And or Genesis to earn bonus points! Unique enemies, interesting BGM, a variety of scrolling background environments and many hidden gameplay features differentiated XEVIOUS from other shooting games released at the time. XEVIOUS was released in 1982 and became an instant classic

Name: Rush'n Attack
Price: 400 Points
Availability: All Xbox Live members
Dash Details: Single Player, Xbox LIVE Multiplayer 1-2, HD (High Definition). Download the full version of Rush'n Attack and get all four levels of difficulty, plus a complete set of twelve achievements. So many POWs and so little time! Relive the Cold War from your warm cozy couch.
Size: 39.9 MB (approx.)

[From Major Nelson]

Bad Sony! Take That Foot Out of Your Mouth

Jack Tretton the SCEA President and CEO recently had an interview with Gamepro. In the interview Gamepro asked Jack's opinion on the rumor of Microsoft adopting the Folding@Home project that, well Sony was first to adopt. Here is his response:

"I think what's very important to us, and I think is great for our consumers, is the pride that it gives you as a company to say that we're helping to fight and research Alzheimer's and that 250K people signed up in less than 60 days. And what we're doing takes 30 times longer on a PC, and that's a great testament to the PS3, but it's more a real feel-good thing to take your machine when it's idle to help contribute to that cause.

So if other companies can help contribute to that, I think that's great. But let's face it, if your motivation is for PR, to me, that's a little shallow. We go out of our way, correctly so, to make sure that we don't try to sell PS3s on Folding@Home. We try to look at it for just what it is, which is great community service for a great cause, and I think to look at it as a marketing platform is something that a company certainly wouldn't want to do. I'm certainly not insinuating that's Microsoft's motivation, but I'm not even sure how relevant it is to what were doing.

Would they be even having this conversation if we weren't doing it? I don't know. I would guess that the medical community would take help from anywhere they could get it, but the commentary that I heard is that Stanford isn't sure that [the Xbox 360's processing abilities] would help them very much, which is odd to be because if it helped at all, it seems like they would welcome it with open arms.

It's really ugly territory to get into, but let's take fighting a disease and see if we can get some credit for that. It's not a cool game to play one way or the other, so I don't want to even give the impression that that's our motivation and I'd be very disappointed if they're looking for PR value or to try to suck off some of the goodwill that we're doing."

So they don't want folding at home for PR value or to sell the PS3?

"takes 30 times longer on a PC"

"does it when the machine is idle"

"not sure if the Xbox 360 could help"

"let's take fighting a disease and see if we can get some credit for that."

"try to suck off some of the goodwill we're doing"


Lets go through the checklist:

1.) Brag about how much faster your PS3 is than the PC- CHECK

2.) Brag even more because the PS3 does it while it's idle- CHECK

3.) Put down your competition because your "Not sure they can help"- CHECK

4.) Take credit for fighting disease- CHECK

5.) Make Microsoft the bad guy because they want to help- CHECK


Not trying to sale the PS3 or get good PR huh? Doesn't sound like it to me. And well if they actually do end up finding the cure for cancer, you'll never here the end of it.

Nintendo Annouces Summer Lineup

Today Nintendo has announced this years summer lineup and it has some goodies in it too! Here it is:

Wii:

• Mario Strikers Charged: July 30 - Nintendo
  
• Metroid Prime 3 Corruption: Aug. 20 - Nintendo
  
• Battalion Wars 2: September - Nintendo
  
• High School Musical: Sing It!: Aug. 14 - Disney Interactive
  
• Madden NFL '08: Aug. 14 - EA
  
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour '08: August - EA
  
• Space Station Tycoon: August - Namco Bandai
  
• Brunswick Pro Bowling: August - Crave
  
• Dave Mirra BMX Challenge: August - Crave
  
• Pinball Hall of fame: The Williams Collection: Aug. - Crave
  
• Brothers in Arms: September - Ubisoft
  
• Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal: September - Warner Bros.
  
• George of the Jungle: September - Crave
  
• Boogie: Fall - EA

[From IGN]

DS:

• Picross DS: July 30
  
• Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day: Aug 20
  
• DK Jungle Climber: Sept. 10
  
• Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol: Sept. 24
• SimCity: July (Electronic Arts)
  
• Namco Museum DS: July (Namco Bandai)
  
• Drake & Josh: July (THQ)
  
• Glory Days 2: July - (Eidos)
  
• Madden NFL '08: Aug. 14 (Electronic Arts)
  
• High School Musical: Makin' the Cut!: Aug. 14 (Disney Interactive)
  
• Heroes of Mana: Aug. 14 (Square-Enix)
  
• I SPY: Fun House: August (Activision)
  
• Jewel Quest Expedition: August (Activision)
  
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour '08: August (Electronic Arts)
  
• Worms: Open Warfare 2: August (THQ)
  
• Luminous Arc: August (Atlus)
  
• Mega Man Star Force (Pegasus, Leo, Dragon): August (Capcom)
  
• Operation: Vietnam: August (Majesco)
  
• Turn It Around: August (Majesco)
  
• The Wild West: August (Majesco)
  
• Full Metal Alchemist Trading Card Game: August (Destineer)
  
• Drawn to Life: September (THQ)
  
• Zoey 101: September (THQ)
  
• Crayola Treasure Adventure: September (Crave)
  
• Nancy Drew and The Deadly Secret of the Olde World Park: September (Majesco)
  
• Holly Hobbie & Friends: September (Majesco)
  
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations: September (Capcom)
  
• Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck: September (Warner Bros.)
  
• Pet Luv Spad & Resort Tycoon: September (Activision)
  
• Animal Genius: September (Activision)
  
• George of the Jungle: September (Crave)
  
• Jam Sessions: September (Ubisoft)
  
• Professor Brainium: September (Destineer)
  
• Indy 500 Legends: September (Destineer)

[From IGN]

Sounds good can't wait for Metroid Prime 3.

This Weeks VC Update

Today Nintendo has released 3 more Virtual Console games. They will be drum roll please:

Donkey Kong Country 2™: Diddy's Kong Quest™ (SNES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): In the sequel to the immensely popular Donkey Kong Country™, Diddy Kong® gets the spotlight, along with his girlfriend, Dixie Kong™ - a great little monkey with a dangerous ponytail. The action starts on the wreck of King K. Rool's Gangplank Galleon that has apparently broken up on a reef offshore from the Kremlings' Island. Diddy and his friends will have to work together to rescue Donkey Kong®, exploring all the hidden areas of the Kremlings' island: a spooky haunted forest, treacherous swamps, a giant beehive oozing with sticky honey and lava-filled caves, just to name a few.

Streets of Rage™ 2 (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): To celebrate their defeat of the Syndicate exactly one year before, Blaze, Adam and Axel met for drinks. The next morning, Axel received a frantic phone call from Eddie "Skate" Hunter, Adam's younger brother, whom he was living with on the edge of the city. Blaze and Axel found Adam and Skate's house wrecked, and a picture showing Adam chained up at the feet of Mr. X. The city then once again returned to its nightmarish state as criminals ran rampant. Unable to contact their old friend in artillery, Axel and Blaze team up with Skate and Max Thunder to free the city and rescue Adam from the Syndicate. It is up to you to take down Mr. X once and for all.

Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): Blazing Lazers is a vertical-scrolling shooter that was praised for surpassing the limitations of the hardware of its time. Players control the extraordinary firepower of their Gunhed Star Fighter to take on the Dark Squadron that has begun its invasion of Earth. Collect power-ups to increase your ship's battle strength so it can cut through enemies and defeat the bosses in all nine areas. Of course, as part of the "Soldier" series, the game contains a good combination of fast-paced speed with catchy, drum-propelled background music, coupled with the Field Thunder that can be used to destroy enemies in one fell swoop for the ultimate sense of satisfaction. With its fine-tuned difficulty levels, Blazing Lazers is a shooting game that anyone can enjoy.

[From Kotaku]

GRAW 2 DELAYED on PS3 AGAIN

Ubisoft has announced that Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 will not make it to PS3 owners in June as anticipated, instead they have assigned a new release date of August 31st.

[From PS3 Fanboy]

With this being the second delay of this game, which was suppose to be released in March I'm beginning to wonder if Ubisoft like Sony.

80 GB PS3 CONFIRMED (For Korea)

At first there were two available PS3 consoles, a 20 gig and a 60 gig. Now that Sony has discontinued the 20 gig there is only one available console, which is the 60 gig. Announced today was the new 80 gig console. The console, at this time, will only be released in Korea. The new console will be released on June 16 for a price of 518,000 Won ($558) for the Koreans this is the only PS3 console that will be available to buy in this region. Just like the previous 60 gig that was released in Europe earlier this year, the new console will be "identical to the European model in terms of all other technical specs [apart from the size of the hard drive]." Which means this console to will be lacking the backwards compatibility chip the consoles in Europe lacked. When Sony was asked about any future plans of the console they replied with "We have no plans to release the 80GB model PS3 in Europe at this time."

[From Gamespot]

Like they said in Europe at this time. They didn't mention North America or Japan. Prediction: You will see them soon.

New Releases: Week of 5/20

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End-(360, PC, PS2, Wii, PS3, DS, PSP)

Halo 2-(PC)

Odin Sphere-(PS2)

UFO: Extraterrestrials-(PC)

Dawn of Mana-(PS2)

Naruto: Ninja Council 3-(DS)

WarTech: Senko no Ronde-(360)

Brooktown High: Senior Year-(PSP)

Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom-(DS)

Marvel Trading Card Game-(DS)

Major League Baseball 2K7-(GBA)

The New York Times Crosswords- (DS)

XBLA Wants YOUR Opinion On New Games

Over at Gamerscore Blog they want your opinion on games you would like to see come to the Xbox Live Arcade. So head on over and let your opinion be heard!

Starcraft 2 Officially Announced

We all knew it was coming, the only question was when. Well the answer is now! Although the game was officially announced there is still no date available on its release. Also released was the official Starcraft 2 website you can get to it by clicking here. For those who haven't seen it yet here's a clip of the announcement trailer:

Riddick CONFIRMED for Next-Gen

From CVG:

A next gen redux of the splendid Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is underway with developers Starbreeze finally confirming Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena which is due to debut on Xbox 360 and PS3 before the end of this year.

Dark Athena will be more than a simple port of the original game though, which went great guns in its original Xbox incarnation and really put Starbreeze on the development map. Dark Athena will apparently boast an additional 40 per cent single-player content set on board the scavenger ship Dark Athena. What that means we can only guess, but it certainly sounds intriguing and it looks like some kind of assault will be in order.

However, word is one of the main attractions of Dark Athena will be a superb multiplayer mode, with visceral hand-to-hand combat and shiny shiv action featuring heavily if it follows the course of the original game.

So there you have it Chronicles of Riddick: Assualt on Dark Athena, look for it on shelves later this year for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Wii Passes the 7 Million Mark

According to VGChartz in the latest worldwide console sells, the Wii has now sold 7.09 Million units. Just ahead is the 360 with 9.71 Million and the PS3 comes in last with 3.31 Million.

Xbox 360 Owners Being BANNED

From Gamerscore Blog:

Keeping Xbox LIVE Fair

One of the great things about LIVE and the unified community is that we work hard to create a level playing field for all gamers and have a no tolerance policy towards inappropriate behavior like hacking or cheating. As part of our commitment to our members, we do not allow people that we have detected to have modified their console to connect to LIVE. This is an important part of our efforts to try and maintain a fair gaming environment for the large majority of gamers that play by the rules. This topic is more important than ever given the recent release of the Halo 3 beta. As a result, some consumers that try to login to LIVE who we detect have illegally modified their console will get an error code (Status Code: Z: 8015 - 190D) when trying to connect to the service. These users will not have their account automatically banned from LIVE, but they will no longer be able to access the service from the console they modified.

We have stated in the past that customers can only enjoy access to the Xbox LIVE community through the use of a genuine, unmodified, Xbox console and we will continue to enforce this rule to ensure the integrity of our service, the protection of our partners and the benefits of our users.

I don't have a problem with this just as long as innocent people don't get hurt in the process.

Another PS3 Blunder: PGR 3 Used to Promote GT... Again!

Kia's Spanish website was the culprit this time. In an attempt to compare the Kia to a Ferrari, the automobile company used a car from obviously PGR 3 (can tell by the license plate). The only problem with this is well the giant PS3 in the the picture.

Warhawk Beta Update

The upcoming PS3 game "Warhawk" is having a Beta that will be going public on May 24th, 2007. In order to take advantage of this beta you must register on the PlayStation site. I guess this gives you PS3 owners something to do while Halo 3 Beta is out.

Halo 3 Beta FIXED and EXTENDED

According to the Bungie website the Crackdown patch has been deployed and the Halo 3 Beta is now ready to play. As a result to the wait Bungie has decided to extend the beta date. The new date for the beta to end is now officially Jun. 10th at 11.59 P.M. PDT. That's a whole extra 4 days, not so bad for a less than 24 hr. wait.

Halo 3 Beta to be patched by 12:30 A.M. at the LATEST

According to Joystiq the Halo 3 Beta Crackdown patch will be available at the LATEST to Crackdown owners by 12:30 A.M. EST on 5/17. Also the Bungie website mentions that the update, which will be available as a Crackdown patch, will be available in the next 3 to 6 hrs. Man I hope they make this deadline or they will be facing an even deadlier wrath of Halo fanboys.

Bomberman LIVE is a Go

Just today Hudson officially announced that they were releasing Bomberman Live in a WORLDWIDE launch later this summer. Check out Kotaku for the entire press release. Oh and by the way I found you guys a leaked video. Enjoy!

Midnight Club: Los Angeles Announced

Last night Rockstar officially announced the release of Midnight Club: Los Angeles for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The game is due out early next year. No details of the game at this time.

Killzone 2 Beta to Go PUBLIC Later This Year

From CVG:

It's not just 360 fans that are getting online FPS-beta-testing love this year. Oh no. It's been confirmed that PS3 owners have a public beta of the upcoming Killzone to look forward to.

Posting on the killzone.com forums, Seb Downie (under the alias 'motherH') revealed: "Of course there is going to be a public beta. I have always said that any game that has an online mode needs to go through a public beta to ensure it works as intended." We agree (give us more demos).

"More on a beta later this year," were his concluding words, leaving us to stew over when the beta may arrive and how you guys can ensure you get in on the action. More as it breaks.

For all you PS3 owners out there you can blow off all that dust, you might actually be able to play a game on it. Who would have thought?

Halo 3 Beta DELAYED

According to Rithum News the owners of Crackdown will be delayed in downloading the new Halo 3 Beta. The article also mentions the release of the Beta which has now been changed to 5/17 at 5:00 A.M. EST. This is not good, I was really looking forward to playing the Beta today, you would have thought with all the hype over this Beta Bungie really would have made sure this thing would work, but oh well things happen I guess. Come on you can do it less than 24 hrs. away, just 24 more hours.

Halo 3 Release Date CONFIRMED

According to the official press release one of the most anticipated games of the year, Halo 3, will be available on September 25, 2007. The official words:

In a year when Hollywood is launching its biggest blockbusters ever, a video game is set to conquer them all. “Halo® 3,” the final chapter in the groundbreaking “Halo” trilogy, is set to shatter day-one entertainment sales records when it is released worldwide beginning Tuesday, Sept. 25. Created by legendary developer Bungie Studios and exclusive to the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, “Halo 3” will set a new standard for interactive storytelling and social gaming by engaging consumers worldwide in Master Chief’s epic battle to save humankind. “Halo 3” will be available to audiences around the world starting Sept. 25 and will release in Europe on Sept. 26.

I'm sure you wont forget this date, but just in case mark it on your calender.

PS3 Users "Sharing" Downloaded Games?

From Game Stooge:

Apparently, some PS3 users are buying downloadable games such as flOw and Calling All Cars and then allowing friends and even strangers to also download a copy for free through some clearly questionable online exploits which they refer to as “sharing.” Essentially, this allows multiple PS3 users to download and have immediate access to the game while only one user actually pays for it.

Now, those who know more about this practice report some significant disadvantages to “sharing.” First, the sharer’s credit card account information, including online “wallet” contents, are accessible to the sharee. Second, “sharing” may inadvertently cause the sharer to lose his or her rights to the game if their PS3 loses data or needs to be replaced.

This sounds cool, but the disadvantages takes that "coolness" away.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Countdown

The new web site for the upcoming Wii title Super Smash Bros. Brawl now has a countdown until the launch of the site. The site has a countdown of 6 days left which means it will launch on May 21st at 11:00 A.M. EST. If you want to check it out here's the link.

360 HD DVD Player Update

Along with the May dash update is the HD DVD update which can be downloaded the next time you pop in a HD DVD while signed on to Xbox Live. The new update will contain many improvements, features, and upgrades. From Major Nelson:

Added option for user to select from the following audio output formats via TOSLINK or HDMI: o Digital Stereo (2 channel PCM) o Dolby Digital 5.1 o DTS 5.1 o WMA Pro Added "Dynamic Range Control" toggle for digital audio output Improved HD DVD networking support Improved HD DVD title compatibility Improved performance with MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 1080p via HDMI is supported on the Xbox 360 Elite with HDCP compliant displays Improved parental controls If you don’t have access to Xbox Live, this update will be available for download from Xbox.com later this week.

Limited Time flOw Discount

For all those people out there who own a PS3 the game flOw will be available for a discounted price of $5.00 instead of the normal price of $8.00, but as mentioned before this is a limited time offer, to receive this discount you must download flOw by May 23rd.

"Aegis Wing" -- FREE XBLA Game On 5/16

"Aegis Wing" will be available for FREE this week only so make sure you download it before the Halo 3 Beta or you may forget. The official press release:

Xbox LIVE Arcade Intern Project Game "Aegis Wing" Launches This Week as Free Gift to Gamers

REDMOND, Wash. -- May 14, 2007 -- This Wednesday, team up with up to three of your friends and prepare yourselves for intense side-scrolling, sci-fi shooting action in "Aegis Wing." Originally conceived by three Microsoft Corp. interns over the course of a summer, "Aegis Wing" will be available for free to all Xbox LIVE® Silver and Gold members in North America for a limited time. "Aegis Wing" will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360™ beginning Wednesday, May 16, at 2 a.m. PDT.

"Aegis Wing" is a 2-D side-scrolling space shooter that combines epic space combat with fantastic visuals, and is set to a rich symphonic soundtrack. It is set in the year 2105, when humanity must flee a dying Earth for the distant world Europa. But this new home is soon threatened by a powerful alien race, the Araxia. With stolen Araxian technology, the Europa fleet develops an experimental star fighter and assigns four ace pilots to test it. The Aegis Wing is born, and it becomes your mission to wield this new technology as humanity's last hope for survival.
Up to four players can play together either locally or over Xbox LIVE to defeat waves of nefarious Araxian ships and bosses, and can even combine spacecraft in two-, three- or four-ship formations to access powerful Super Weapons.

"Aegis Wing" was originally conceived by three students - Scott Brodie, Danny Dyer and Matt Monson - during a summer internship at Xbox LIVE Arcade. The students worked in tandem with Carbonated Games - the creators of fan-favorite, UNO® - to bring the game to the Xbox LIVE Arcade community. The full version of "Aegis Wing" is being released on Xbox LIVE Arcade free of charge and will be available for a limited time.

Game Features
• Amazing environmental art
• Full symphonic soundtrack
• Up to four-player simultaneous cooperative multiplayer gameplay, either locally on the same Xbox 360 console or over Xbox LIVE*
• Ability to attach your ship to your wingmen's spacecraft to gain the "turret" ability and increase the firepower of the Super Weapons
• Four Super Weapons: the Hades Beam (wreaks total destruction), the Gorgon Burst (wipes out incoming fire and disables enemy spacecraft with an electromagnetic pulse), the Arcus Missile (a heat-seeking missile) and the Lambda Shield (deflects incoming fire back at enemies)
• Six epic missions and several memorable boss encounters to fight through

Where Can I Get It?
You can download "Aegis Wing" beginning Wednesday, May 16, at 2 a.m. PDT on Xbox LIVE Arcade. "Aegis Wing" will be available for download in North America only. "Aegis Wing" is rated E for Everyone, with Mild Fantasy Violence.

New Motorstorm Update Available Jun. 7th

MotorStorm for PS3 - New Downloadable Content Announced

Show the world how fast you really are with the new MotorStorm Time Attack mode.

Since its March 6th launch date, MotorStorm on the PLAYSTATION 3 has been solidified as the must have off-road action adventure title of the year. The wild and dirty ride continues with the availability of new downloadable content. Sony Computer Entertainment American along with the development team at Evolution Studios is delighted to announce the arrival of the Time Attack Mode, a new and cost-free automatic patch exclusively for MotorStorm on the PLAYSTATION 3.

In Time Attack gamers can set their best times on each track with any available vehicle classes, then race against ghost laps in subsequent Time Attack races. Extra-fast times will see your ghost laps automatically uploaded to the global leader boards for others to compete with. Additionally, gamers will have the option of racing against up to seven ghosts at a time, beat their friends' efforts then let them have their ghost lap to prove it. Players can race against their own recorded ghost, take on the best runs recorded by other players (downloadable from the online leaderboards), or try and beat the expert ghosts from Evolution.

The Time Attack mode will be unlocked with a free key that will be available on the PlayStation network store starting June 7th. Before installing, please load MotorStorm from the Blu-Ray Disc, select "Online", an appropriate game universe, and install any updates if prompted.

PLAYSTATION 3 gamers will also have access to new and improved additional downloadable games and content. These upgrades include:

1. Game List Improvement
- 'Game Status' is now displayed with the game list in the online lobby making it easier to find a session where you'll be able to join and race promptly.

2. Host Identification
- Within the game lobby the host is now clearly identified by a 'host' icon visible to all players and updated during host migration.

3. Boost Exploit
- A bug involving the boost system that allowed a player to use boost in an exploitative manner has been resolved.

4. Buddy List Size
- This has been updated to support up to 50 friends.

5. Text Cut-off
- When playing in standard definition all messages will now display as intended.

6. Improved Stability Online
- Online gameplay stability has been improved.

7. Audio issues
- All known issues with 5.1 / 7.1 surround have been fixed. Audio issues within the front-end have been resolved.

8. Player Ranking
- Players were found to be ranked incorrectly due to a bug. Because of this all online rankings will be reset and the ranking system should now function correctly. Evolution and Sony apologize for this measure but it will result in a fairer and more stable ranking system for all players.

9. Auto-Start
- Races will be forced to start after a fixed countdown which should dramatically reduce the waiting times in lobbies. Hosts may delay this countdown up to three times.

10. Save Data Corruption
- When quitting the game using the PS button it was possible to corrupt the save game data. This will no longer occur.

11. Lobby Information
- Upcoming track and current lap details will be displayed in lobbies.

12. Vehicle Damage
- When restarting a single player race during a death camera the damage wasn't always reset at the start of the next race. This has now been resolved.

13. Missing Audio
- Audio effects were missing from the death camera, these have now been reinstated.

14. Name Tags
- Added ability to switch the player name tags on / off during online races using a single button press (L1).

New PS3 Firmware Update 2.0?

From Kotaku:

The PLAYSTATION®3 system software version 2.00 update includes the following:

Users
You can now password-protect user accounts.

Settings
[Dynamic Normalizer] has been added as an option under [Sound Settings].
[Energy Saver] has been added as an option.
[Equalizer] has been added as a feature under [Music Settings].
[Full] has been added as an option for [DVD Wide Display] under [BD / DVD Settings].
[Photo Settings] has been added as an option.
[PS / PS2 Settings] has been added as an option.
[RSS Channel Settings] has been added as an option.
[Sample Rate] has been added to [Audio CD Import] under [Music Settings].
[Screen Saver] has been expanded under [Display Settings].
The method of selecting an output resolution has been changed in [Video Output Settings] under [Display Settings].
[Theme Settings] has been added as an option.
[Zero Unused Disk Space] has been added as an option under [System Settings] > [Format Utility].

Photo
Additional slideshow effects have been added.
[Photo Effects] have been added as a feature.
Wallpaper feature has been added.
[Zoom] has been added as a feature.

Music
Additional visualization effects have been added.
CD information can now be entered.
Three-speed fast forward and fast reverse has been added as a feature.

Video
Files can now be played sequentially.
Three-speed fast forward and fast reverse has been added as a feature.
You can now select [Zoom] under [Screen Mode] when playing video files saved on the hard disk or storage media.*.
*An appropriate USB adapter (not included) is required to use storage media with some models.

Game
Support for PLAYSTATION®3 format software titles has been expanded.
XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) is now accessible during gameplay.

Network
[RSS Channel] has been added as a feature.

Friends
You can now have multiple chat sessions.
You can now select an image to use as your Avatar from [Photo].

Other
Date and Time is now shown when the PS button is pressed.
File sorting has been changed.
[Help] has been added as a feature.
Playability status with the PS3™ system has changed for some PlayStation® and PlayStation®2 format titles.
To check on the latest status, visit the search site for compatible titles.
[Secure Delete] has been added as an option.
Some PLAYSTATION®Network features have been revised.

Even though all of this is just speculation it's hard to believe that someone would go through so much trouble to make all of this up.

This Weeks VC Update

This week on the Wii Virtual Console there will be 3 new games added. They will be Pac-Man (NES-500 pts), Ninja Gaiden (NES-500 pts), and Ninja Spirit (TurboGrafx-600 pts). To get more details on these games that are available as of now click here.

Forza 2 Demo Hits Live

Released today was the new demo to the highly anticipated Forza 2 game which is to be released later this month. The demo includes several cars, one track, and can be downloaded for the very low price of FREE.

New Crackdown Content NOW Available!

Announced yesterday was the new DLC for Crackdown. Surprisingly, today it was released. Included in the download is three parts: the patch, the Free-For-All pack, both which are free, and the Gettin' Busy Bonus pack which will cost 800 MS points ($10). Major Nelson has posted 4 videos of the content in action which can be found here. Here is one of the four:

Saints Row For PS3 CANCELED

Saints Row was originally a Xbox 360 exclusive and was being ported to the PS3 has been canceled. Instead there will be a simultaneous release of Saints Row 2 for both platforms next year. THQ's official word on this matter is:

"We think the most important thing for the Saints Row franchise is to have a simultaneous ship into a larger installed base next year. We think the bigger opportunity is a multiplatform launch."

I guess that's another exclusive to add to the 360 (for the second time).

Calling All Cars Finally Hits PSN

After being delayed Calling All Cars is finally being made available to all PS3 owners. The price you ask? $10. The game will also support up to 4 players and be in a full 1080p resolution. This just may be a reason to buy the PS3. Sike!

New Crackdown Update Details

A huge update for Crackdown has been announced. The update will come in three installments. Two which will be FREE of charge. The first update will address many issues to the game:

• The option to turn on crime has been replaced by an option allowing gangs to be completely reset in the main campaign.

• If you're searching for the last 50% of the game's hidden orbs and 20% of the agility orbs, the sound these orbs make will be heard from a much greater audio range, making them much easier to find.

• Agents with 4-star strength can now slam down on the ground after a jump by holding the attack button, which causes both a devastating attack on the point of impact, as well as blast damage in the surrounding area.

• If taking cover behind a low wall, agents can now fire at a better downwards angle.

• Lock-on targeting has been improved, and live enemies take precedence over corpses in terms of target priority.

• Fire hydrants are no longer nigh-indestructible.

• Stunt Rings have improved visibility.

• "Lefty flip" for vehicle control has been removed, meaning that left-handed players can aim with the left stick, but still steer with the right stick.

• Limpet Charges (and the new Proximity Mines) will not disappear even when not within visual range.

• Explosions that occur anywhere within the city can be seen as long as the player has a clear vantage point.

• Interaction with the ramp truck has been improved on all vehicles, not just the SUV.

• Camera movement has been improved for both vehicle stunts and long plummeting jumps.

• The player-on-player lock-on has been eliminated, but an agent can be hit by another agent with a head or leg shot by using normal targeting.

The second update called the Free-For-All pack will contain several game enhancements:

• Keys to the City: This alternative play mode starts you off with a clean slate and several customizable options, such as the ability to give your character as high a skill level as desired. In fact, the new "Super Agent Agility" and "Super Agent Strength" levels will allow your agent to perform feats previously unimaginable. Players can produce weapons and ammo in an instant, and also spawn ramp trucks and agency vehicles at any point on the map, thanks to the mode's pop-up cheat menu. Of course, achievements and leaderboards will be disabled for this mode.

• Vehicle Impounding: Agents can now grab any vehicle of their choice and place it for storage in the Agency Garage. The game will also notify the player as to which vehicles are absent from their collection.

• Co-op Trophies: Players that win against opponents in time trials during co-op mode will be awarded with an image of a trophy next to their Gamertag.

• Achievements: Two new achievements will be offered for those who choose to only partake in the free downloadable content:

Confiscator (40 Gamerscore) - Impound all vehicles in the Agency Garage.

Psych Out (100 Gamerscore) - Complete all Time Trial missions at the Psychotic Difficult level.

And as if this wasn't enough there is also a third pack called the Gettin' Busy Bonus Pack, which will cost an undisclosed amount of MS points. This pack will include:

• New Vehicles: Three new vehicles will be added to the agency garage, including the Agency Patrol Buggy (mentioned in our previous report), the Agency Pursuit Vehicle (a souped-up race car), and the Agency Armored Vehicle (a tank). The Buggy's special weapon will be a roof-mounted mini-gun that can be independently aimed, while the tank will be able to fire rockets.

• New Equipment: Five new weapons have been added to the Agency arsenal, including the MSK "Lobber" (a gun that fires homing mini-rockets), the EX1 "Proximity Charge" (a proximity mine), the HRX "Harpoon" (players can harpoon criminals and attach them to moving vehicles), the MZ360 "Mini-Gun" (unrivaled in the number of rounds fired per minute), and the VS1 "Cloaking Device" (which makes players nigh-invisible and off radar detection).

• Street Racing: In order to adjust to the massive reduction of crime, agents have now taken to passing their time in street races that are scattered across the city. The races number six in total (both on and off road), and players can race against up to 11 other opponents, including a co-op player over Xbox Live.

• New Game Types:

Max-Agility Rooftop Races - Nine new races have been added, and only 4-star agents need apply.

Stockpile - Collect orbs in the fastest time possible. Can be played in either a co-op or vs. mode.

Checkpoint Chase - Starting from the Agency Garage, players race to reach an identified point somewhere in Pacific City. Getting there first gains you a point, and the first to 10 points wins.


Rocket Tag - One agent is given a rocket launcher with a ton of rockets. The other is given a pistol. The "hunter" agent simply has to defeat the other with just rockets, while the "hunted" agent needs to avoid the rocket blasts for 60 seconds.

• Achievements: Achievements marked with a "*" are accessible as long as one co-op player has purchased the add-on pack. Those marked with "**" requires both players to purchase the update.

Stockpile Supreme (10 Gamerscore) * - Complete any stockpile mini-game in less than 2 minutes, 30 seconds.

Flippin' Crazy (20 Gamerscore) * - Complete three flips of any type in a single jump in any vehicle.

Body Armor (10 Gamerscore) * - Attach five corpses to a single vehicle using the Harpoon gun.

Street Racer (20 Gamerscore) ** - Win all Street Races using any vehicle.

Street Racer Elite (150 Gamerscore) ** - Win all Street Races using all available vehicles.

Sounds like a great update especially for Crackdown fans like me. I can't wait, just hope that it's released after Halo 3 Beta.

PSP Lite?

From Next Generation. A rumor of a possible new "lighter" PSP version is once again on the horizon. Many questions are left to be asked, but you know Sony isn't talking.

Guitar Hero II: Rock the 80's Update

Announced today were several tracks from the add-on pack to Guitar Hero II: Rock the 80's edition. Seven tracks total were announced among them were:

I Wanna Rock (by Twisted Sister)

I Ran (by Flock of Seagulls)

Round and Round (as made famous by Ratt)

I Want Candy (as made famous by Bow Wow Wow)

Metal Health (as made famous by Quiet Riot)

Holy Diver (as made famous by Dio)

Heat Of The Moment (as made famous by Asia)

That's good news for Guitar Hero fans. Lets just hope they don't charge an arm and a leg for them.

Be Back Soon!!!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to say sorry for not posting in such a long time. Just to fill you in a little, I am a college student and I'm currently busy with my college work. I sincerely apologize for not being here for you guys, but I will be back as soon as I can and will try to post as often as I can in my busy life. I will be off on summer break soon and will return back to posting normally, until then...GAME ON!!!