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Halo 3 will Be Tested By Xbox Gamers

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

PS3 thunder-stealing is well underway as Microsoft and Bungie throw up some Halo 3 surprises to distract the console hordes. That’s on top of Zune finally hitting the stores Stateside. Coincidence?

Anyway, Xbox 360 gamers are going to get their grubby little mitts all over Halo 3 before it launches in a giant beta test of the multiplayer side of the console’s most successful game franchise. So far, 14.5m copies of Halo and Halo 2 have shipped while 800m hours of online fragging has been clocked up.

New multiplayer maps for Halo 2 will also be available for download next month but, get this, only for Xbox 360 owners.

Article Source Halo 3 will Be Tested By Xbox Gamers

Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta Coming Spring 2007

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

On the fifth anniversary of the release of the landmark Xbox video game "Halo," Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios today announced an exclusive hands-on experience with "Halo 3," one of the industry's most anticipated sequels. The Xbox Live multiplayer public beta, which is a pre-release version of the multiplayer experience of "Halo 3," is scheduled for availability in spring 2007 exclusively on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system.

In addition, Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie confirmed today that consumers will be able to experience the "Halo" universe this holiday season through a one-time airing of a stirring, 60-second "Halo 3" teaser ad. Finally, it was announced that new, premium downloadable content for "Halo 2," exclusive to Xbox 360, is scheduled for release in spring 2007.

"The 'Halo' Nation has a nearly insatiable desire," said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. "We hope a taste of advance 'Halo 3' gameplay satisfies some of their appetite as we count down to the game's launch later in 2007."

The "Halo 3" test will be available to Xbox 360 consoles and accessed via Microsoft's Xbox Live online game service. Microsoft said it will take feedback from testers and use it to put finishing touches on the third installment of its blockbuster game series.

Microsoft and "Halo" maker Bungie Studios said they also will offer new downloadable "Halo 2" content for the Xbox 360 in spring 2007.

Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 -- a rival to the Xbox 360 -- makes its U.S. debut on Friday. Nintendo Co. Ltd. will unveil its new Wii console on Sunday.

Article Source Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta Coming Spring 2007

Hundreds of PS2 games won't play on new PS3

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Sony's PlayStation 3 console is having trouble playing 200 games designed for the PlayStation 2, Sony has acknowledged.

About 7,500 game titles are available for the PS2 console today, about 2.5 per cent of which have issues ranging from missing sound or a complete inability to run.

Sony has promised to develop a patch that will be made available through an online software update.

The software issues are yet another setback for Sony, which already had to delay the console's launch because of production issues with the Blu-ray high definition DVD drives.

Article Source Hundreds of PS2 games won't play on new PS3

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Coming Soon

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The release date for the highly anticipated game, "World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade" has been announced.

The game is an expansion to the world's leading subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, "World of Warcraft."

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that the game will be available in stores from January 16th in North America, Europe, as well as in Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore in a similar time frame.

This release will later be followed by some other countries like Mainland China and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Explaining the expansion of the game, Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder, Blizzard Entertainment, said, "With this expansion, we are looking forward to offering the same level of quality that players have experienced in World of Warcraft so far, and we will continue balancing and play-testing up until launch to ensure that The Burning Crusade achieves that goal."

In "World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade" players will be able to advance their characters up to level 70. It will have additional features including two new playable races (the Blood Elves and the Draenei), flying mounts, new talents and abilities for all character classes, new jewelcrafting profession, new magical weapons and armor, and many improvements to the player-vs-player action.

Moreover, the expansion will lead experienced players through the fabled Dark Portal, and into the Outland, former homeworld of the Orcs, through a series of cataclysmic events that helped shape the history of the Warcraft universe. Players will encounter new challenges and dangers in the form of new outdoor zones, quests, dungeons, never-before-seen monsters, and much more.

"The World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade" will be available for Windows 2000/XP and Macintosh formats at a suggested retail price (SRP) of approximately $39.99.

The expansion requires the original World of Warcraft game, which is now selling for a suggested retail price of around $19.99.

Article Source World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Coming Soon

BVG Opens New Wii And DS Studio For Disney Games

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Animation giant Disney is creating a games studio aimed at developing titles exclusively for the Nintendo platform, including the upcoming Wii console, as well as the hand-held Nintendo DS and Gameboy portable consoles.

The new studio, called Fall Line, is located in Salt Lake City and will be led by the man responsible for the adaptation of the Pixar movie Cars to the videogame format, Scott Novis.

Disney characters, such as The Incredibles and Chicken Little, which don't rely heavily on computing intensive graphics and are aimed at younger audiences, should be particularly suited to the Nintendo Wii platform.

Disney certainly seems to think so because it is investing heavily in games development at its new Nintendo only studio.

Article Source BVG Opens New Wii And DS Studio For Disney Games

EA to launch Sequels For: Sims, SimCity, Black, LotR Games

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

The Sims 3 is, by no surprise whatsoever, already in the works. EA chief financial officer Warren Jenson said that The Sims 3 "is likely to be a fiscal '09 title" - meaning it could come out as "soon" as April 2008, or as late as March 2009. So that should give them plenty of time to milk another dozen or so Sims 2 expansion packs.

Also on the topic of Sims, mr. Jenson confirmed that the series is also coming to two next-generation platforms: Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3. The only surprise here is that Microsoft's Xbox 360 seems to have been deliberately left out. GameSpot writes:

"There is a Sims title that is being specifically developed for the Wii platform," said Jenson. "The Sims II holiday edition on PS3" is also coming, said the executive, indicating the game will arrive either in the 2006 or 2007 holiday season.

SimCity 5 was also confirmed at the time (although EA didn't use this actual title), re-strengthening an information that had been known for over two years. The game was already said to be in development in early 2004, when both Will Wright and Luc Barthelet (Maxis general manager) confirmed they were working on another sequel to the SimCity series.

Other titles mentioned by Electronic Arts were the next-generation version of Black (Criterion's PS2 / Xbox shooter), a new Simpsons game, the return of the Road Rash franchise, as well as another Lord of the Rings game. Gosh, you don't say!

Article Source EA to launch Sequels For: Sims, SimCity, Black, LotR Games

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary launching next year

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Eidos Interactive has confirmed the next title of the Tomb Raider game series as "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary," created as a tribute to Lara Croft and the continued impact she's had on pop culture and gaming.

Inspired by the first Tomb Raider videogame, originally released in 1996, "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary" is an all new 2006 adventure for Lara, yet faithfully preserving the key ingredients of the original classic that reportedly sold over 7 million copies world-wide.

The new game will have Lara chase all over after the mystical 'Scion' artifact, besides focusing on more in-depth puzzles as also realistic game physics.

Talking about the game, Kathryn Clements, senior brand manager, Eidos, said:

"Over the years, we have had literally thousands of requests to re-make the original Tomb Raider for today s gamer, we have gone a step further, as we have taken the original story and made a completely new version for 'Tomb Raider: Anniversary'. We are re-telling an incredible story, using today s technology. We have taken all of the key moments from the original game, and put them into the context of a brand new Tomb Raider adventure."

Ian Livingstone, Eidos, added: "We have captured the essence of what made the original game so special, and with today's technology, created a game that pushes the boundaries of the current gaming consoles. 'Tomb Raider: Anniversary' is a special celebration of Lara s reign as video gaming's leading lady."

Meanwhile, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary is currently in development by Crystal Dynamics, and will be available in 2007 for the PlayStation2, PlayStation Portable (PSP), and Windows PC.

Article Source Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary launching next year

Golden Joysticks Award Winners announced

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

GOLDEN JOYSTICK AWARD WINNERS

Ultimate Game of the Year:	Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Game of the Year:	Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
Family Game Award:	Nintendogs
Girls Choice Award :	Nintendogs
All-Nighter Award:	Pro Evolution Soccer 5
PlayStation 2 Game of the Year:	Resident Evil 4
Nintendo Game of the Year:	New Super Mario Brothers
Xbox Game of the Year :	Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
PC Game of the Year:	Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Handheld Game of the Year:	GTA: Liberty City Stories
Online Game of the Year:	Age of Empires III
Soundtrack of the Year:	Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Innovation Award:	Xbox Live Marketplace
One to Watch for 2007:	Sony PlayStation 3
Favourite Character Award:	Lara Croft
Publisher of the Year:	Electronic Arts
Retailer of the Year:	Game

Article Source Golden Joysticks Award Winners announced

World of Warcraft Burning Crusade expansion game delayed

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Blizzard has announced the release of the Burning Crusade expansion pack is now being delayed until January 2007.

The expansion, which gives players new races, territories and more powerful characters, was scheduled to appear in late 2006.

But Blizzard said more time was needed to "further refine" the extras.

Since it launched in 2004, the massively-multiplayer online fantasy role-playing game has proved a huge hit. Now more than six million people have signed up to play the game and send their warriors, warlocks, rogues and other characters questing in Azeroth.

The Burning Crusade is the first big expansion of World of Warcraft that makes a variety of changes to the game. It was due to appear before Christmas 2006, but Blizzard said it was delaying this launch date by a "few extra weeks".

In a statement, Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard, said: "We feel confident that the extra time spent polishing the game will result in the high-quality experience that our players expect and deserve."

In mid-October, Blizzard began a closed trial test of the Burning Crusade in which a few players got the chance to try out the new races, places and abilities in the expansion.

Blizzard said the few extra weeks would give those taking part in the test more time to "participate in the final stages of development and continue providing valuable feedback".

Article Source World of Warcraft Burning Crusade expansion game delayed

Sony Bleeds Lik-Sang.com to Death

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony claimed that Lik-Sang infringed its trade marks, copyright and registered design rights by selling Sony PSP consoles from Asia to European customers, and have recently obtained a judgment in the High Court of London (England) rendering Lik-Sang's sales of PSP consoles unlawful.

735 Diggs so far. People are not happy and everyone hates SONY now

As of today, Lik-Sang.com will not be in the position to accept any new orders and will cancel and refund all existing orders that have already been placed. Furthermore, Lik-Sang is working closely with banks and PayPal to refund any store credits held by the company, and the customer support department is taking care of any open transactions such as pending RMAs or repairs and shipping related matters. The staff of Lik-Sang will make sure that nobody will get hurt in the crossfire of this ordeal.

A Sony spokesperson declined to comment directly on the lawsuit against Lik-Sang, but recently went on to tell Gamesindustry.biz that "ultimately, we're trying to protect consumers from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards, due to voltage supply differences et cetera; 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".

Lik Sang strongly disagrees with Sony's opinion that their customers need this kind of protection and pointed out that PSP consoles shipped from Lik-Sang contained genuine Sony 100V-240V AC Adapters that carry CE and other safety marks and are compatible world wide. All PSP consoles were in conformity with all EU and UK consumer safety regulations.

Furthermore, Sony have failed to disclose to the London High Court that not only the world wide gaming community in more than 100 countries relied on Lik-Sang for their gaming needs, but also Sony Europe's very own top directors repeatedly got their Sony PSP hard or software imports in nicely packed Lik-Sang parcels with free Lik-Sang Mugs or Lik-Sang Badge Holders, starting just two days after Japan's official release, as early as 14th of December 2004 (more than nine months earlier than the legal action). The list of PSP related Sony Europe orders reads like the who's who of the videogames industry, and includes Ray Maguire (Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Alan Duncan (UK Marketing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Chris Sorrell (Creative Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Rob Parkin (Development Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited), just to name a few.

"Today is Sony Europe victory about PSP, tomorrow is Sony Europe’s ongoing pressure about PlayStation 3. With this precedent set, next week could already be the stage for complaints from Sony America about the same thing, or from other console manufacturers about other consoles to other regions, or even from any publisher about any specific software title to any country they don’t see fit. It’s the beginning of the end... of the World as we know it", stated Pascal Clarysse, formerly known as the Marketing Manager of Lik-Sang.com.

"Blame it on Sony. That's the latest dark spot in their shameful track record as gaming industry leader. The Empire finally 'won', few dominating retailers from the UK probably will rejoice the news, but everybody else in the gaming world lost something today."

UPDATE

In a statement issued to GamesIndustry, Sony has denied any responsibility for the closure of Lik-Sang - accusing the online retailer of "sour grapes".

Oh we are so innocent please do not boycott Sony - how pathetic

Article Source Sony Bleeds Lik-Sang.com to Death