PlayStation 2 Video Games News

Budding superstar DJs will have to move aside the plastic guitars and drum kits for the release of DJ Hero on October 30th.  

Featuring a considerable array of talent including DJ AM, Cut Chemist, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Jazzy Jeff, J. Period, DJ Shadow and DJ Z-Trip, Activision-Blizzard today revealed the final set list featuring 93 mixes that appear in the game.

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EA Sports' FIFA 10 has become the fastest selling FIFA game in UK history and the second biggest game launch ever, with only Rockstar's GTA IV selling more copies during its launch week.

This is according to official Chart Track figures, which place FIFA atop the UK charts following its release on Friday. FIFA 10's sales at launch were 48% higher than its predecessor, while the format spread was 2% higher on the Xbox 360 than they were on PS3 (Xbox 360 - 48%, PS3 - 46%, other formats - 6%).

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EA discovered the perils of releasing unfinished features in a finished game across the launch weekend of FIFA 10.  Attempts to use the Game Face technology or Live Season 2.0 failed abjectly, with servers allegedly struggling to keep up with the sheer demand.

Players struggled to log-in to the website www.easportsfootball.co.uk, and on the rare occasion when the editor was actually available, problems such as editing or saving meant that a lot of disgruntled customers were intensifying the heat in EA's official forums across the weekend.

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UK Supermarket Tesco is currently offering EA's FIFA 10 at £24.97, which is a markdown of 50% from the game's RRP of £49.99, while other retailers have attempted to follow suit with similar price reductions.

We purchased our copies at the store this morning from a promotional display that was setup front and centre at our local Tesco Direct but, if you can't be bothered to make the journey, then there's always the online option via the TVG Store.

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Major Nelson has just confirmed the arrival of a PES 2010 demo onto Xbox Live. Demos for PS3 and PC are also scheduled for release today as the game prepares for its full retail launch on October 23rd.

According to Nelson's blog, the demo supports multiplayer and allows players to sample PES 2010's new tactical slider settings, which you can have a good look at in the trailer below.

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It's not often that Courtney Love makes a great deal of sense, but we'll agree with her recent Twitter outburst surrounding the appearance of Kurt Cobain in Guitar Hero 5.

Going beyond the realms of taste and exploitation for many, the fact that Kurt Cobain is even in the game is bad enough for Nirvana fans, but watching the purveyor of all things plaid sing along to other band's songs is nothing short of tragic.

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The impact of the release of GTA IV in 2008, saw Take-Two Interactive post a 68% drop in net revenues of $138.6 million for the third quarter ended July 31st 2009, compared to the $433.8 million posted in the same quarter last year.  

As a result, the US publisher recorded a net loss of $55.5 million compared to a net income of $51.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2008.  Although this loss was slightly smaller than analysts were previously expecting.

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We've just received word from Guitar Hero's UK reps that GH5 will release over here on September 11th, 10 days after its US release and a mere three days after Harmonix's The Beatles: Rock Band launches worldwide on September 9th.

Both the standalone game and guitar bundle packages will be available on September 11th for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2, although there's still no word on when GH5's new drum kit will arrive in the UK and whether a 'band-in-a-box' bundle (comprising of drums, guitar,  microphone, and game) will be made available as it was last year.

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Konami has announced from GamesCom that PES 2010 will be released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on October 22nd, which is a mere three weeks after the currently slated release date for FIFA 10.

October 22nd is a Thursday though, so we'd expect that date to be for continental Europe with the UK receiving it one day later on the Friday. PSP and PS2 versions will then arrive shortly after this on November 5th and, true to Konami's promise, the Wii version will launch this side of Christmas on November 19th (both dates are also Thursdays).

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FIFA 10's Producer, David Rutter has just revealed a new mode for FIFA 10 at EA's GamesCom keynote address in Germany. The new Virtual Pro feature will incorporate EA's Photo Game Face technology into FIFA for the first time.

The technology, which allows a user to upload a photo of their face into the game and paste their likeness onto an in-game avatar, has been previously used in EA Sports' Tiger Woods series.

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Activision has revealed that all of the disc-based tracks on 2008's Guitar Hero World Tour will be forward compatible with Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero when they launch this autumn, although gamers will have to pay a price for the functionality.

The publisher hasn't landed on an exact fee for the service at this stage, which will be available on all three current-gen consoles. Activision has also promised that tracks from Guitar Hero Smash Hits will have the same forward compatibility as World Tour.

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Activision Blizzard's overlord, Bobby Kotick earned a credit crunch busting $15 million (£9 million) in 2008 according to a Forbes online profile for the President, Director, and CEO of the world's biggest games publisher.

This is the same man who wants UK gamers to pay an extra £5 for Modern Warfare 2, who filed a lawsuit against Double Fine Productions in an attempt to delay Brutal Legend's release, and who has allegedly used questionable business practices to hinder the development of Genius Products' Scratch: The Ultimate DJ.

Kotick also recently stated, "you know if it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further," in reference to Activision's numerous peripherals for some of its most successful game series (e.g. Tony Hawk: RIDE, Guitar Hero, and the incoming DJ Hero).

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The usual heavyweights of World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, and Call of Duty fuelled Activision-Blizzard's results beyond expectations for the fiscal second quarter ended June 30th 2009.

For the period, the world's largest third-party publisher posted GAAP net revenues of $1.04 billion and a GAAP operating income of $218 million.  On a non-GAAP basis, the publisher recorded net revenues of $801 million and an operating income of $156 million for the period.

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Although we’re still some time away from day one releases on Games on Demand, Microsoft today released the list of titles that we can expect when the service launches with the Xbox 360 dash update on August 11th.

The full list includes:

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The final portion of tracks for Activision's Guitar Hero 5 set-list have been revealed, which includes 15 new tunes and brings together some absolute classics like Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition', Queen and David Bowie's 'Under Pressure', and Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire'.

Here are the 15 new tracks that have been revealed today:

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Activision, rather predictably, confirmed that DJ Hero will be getting the Special Edition treatment when it launches later in the year.

Featuring a premium Renegade turntable controller with lavish metal controls and finish, the Renegade Edition also contains a hard-shell carrying case to transport your decks that also transforms into a handy performance-ready DJ stand.  The Renegade Edition also features an exclusive 2-CD pack featuring unreleased tracks from Jay-Z and Eminem with artwork by Shepard Fairey.

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Sony's exclusivity period in Europe for Terminal Reality's Ghostbusters will end on October 23rd of this year when the game will release on the Xbox 360, Wii, DS, and PC according to Namco Bandai Partners' latest release schedule.

Up until May of this year, Namco Bandai Partners (then Atari) was poised to release the game across all of its originally slated formats until Sony swooped in and purchased an exclusivity deal for the title, which then released for PS3 and PS2 in June (a PSP version is still planned for a later date).

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This year's PES certainly looks the biz judging by the screens and footage we've seen so far, but Konami isn't limiting itself to aesthetics this year as the publisher has today detailed a range of new features for the game's Master League mode.

It looks like the biggest addition will be a new youth team feature, which allows gamers to develop youngsters by investing in them at a young age and fast-tracking their skills before introducing them into the first team.

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The third portion of DLC for Call of Duty: World at War, imaginatively titled Map Pack 3, will be coming to PSN and Xbox Live this August according to an Activision announcement this afternoon.

Four new maps will be included in the DLC, three of which will be for the adversarial multiplayer ('Battery', 'Breach', and 'Revolution') as well as one entitled 'Der Riese' for the Nazi zombie co-op mode.

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The next 22 tracks for Guitar Hero 5's set-list have been announced by Activision, which now brings the total list of announced tracks to 46 following the publisher's initial 24 track reveal last week. Here are the new tunes:

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FIFA 10's Producer, David Rutter isn't one to mix his words and he's also quite the perfectionist. This is one of the major reasons why FIFA 09 (the first FIFA game that Rutter produced) was such a huge improvement over its predecessors.

Like all perfectionists though, Rutter is never happy with his previous achievements and wants to keep making things better. Perhaps this is why he admitted to hating FIFA 09 now that his EA Canada team is improving the formula so much with FIFA 10:

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We suspected that this was the case but never expected an EA Producer to admit that he already knows the major new features for the next three iterations of an EA Sports series. Nonetheless, that's exactly what FIFA 10's Producer, David Rutter has revealed to TVG in a recent interview:

"I know already what the major new features will be for FIFA 11 and 12," explained Rutter at a recent FIFA 10 preview event. However, before you get all hot under the collar and start petitioning EA for all the new features to appear in this year's game, Rutter went on to explain why it's not that simple:

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EA has just announced that this year's FIFA will be reaching European shop shelves on October 2nd when it will release across all formats.

Be sure to check out our freshly posted Q&A with FIFA 10's Producer, David Rutter and a hands on preview that reveals a number of new features including the Create-a-Set-Piece mode.

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While Activision has already unveiled the full list of artists for Guitar Hero 5, we didn't know a whole lot about the tracks that would feature in the game until this list of 24 tracks was press released by the publisher this afternoon:

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PES fans with a Wii won't have the traditional months to wait after PES 2010 turns up on the other consoles, with confirmation that the Wii version will follow shortly after during the Autumn.

Boasting the same improvements to the Master League mode as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 versions with closer integration of the UEFA Champions League, PES 2010 also boasts a number of notable gameplay improvements currently being implemented by Akiyoshi 'Greyhound' Chosogabe and his dedicated Wii PES team.

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Online retailer ShopTo has stated openly that Activision has issued a £107.99 RRP for DJ Hero in the UK, which will include the game itself as well as its much-talked-about turntable peripheral.

Eurogamer has the scoop from ShopTo, although the retailer has taken the decision to reduce its pricing to £94.85 for the bundle. The only other UK retailer to register a price-tag for the product so far has been HMV, which is apparently "going with its own price on this" at £99.99.

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Move over Lionel Messi, Liverpool's golden boy, Fernando Torres, is set for equal billing on the PES 2010 box art.  But more important then that is the release of new details, as Konami attempts to wrestle back its crown from last year's resurgent FIFA.

Promising enhanced realism that focuses on the "triangulation" of passes and off-the-ball movement, Konami promises an end to "soft goals" with players needing to work the flanks and use the precision play of great players to make the difference.

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Harold Ramis, who co-wrote and starred in the Ghostbusters movies, has been talking about some of the challenges that game writers face when they're trying to pen a funny script.

Ramis explained that because game scripts are so long, the challenge of writing enough comic alternatives to make the dialogue funny is like producing three hit movie scripts.

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Activision and Treyarch have announced that last year's Call of Duty: World at War has now passed through the 11 million unit sales mark, making it one of the most commercially successful games released in 2008.

World at War has reached this milestone in approximately half a year, while its predecessor (Infinity Ward's original Modern Warfare title) has totalled 13 million unit sales according to Activision figures announced earlier in the year.

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If you're a European Xbox 360 owner and a little peeved that there's going to be no Ghostbusters action (for a little while at least), there could be a solution to ensure you're busting ghosts and getting slimed with Venkman, Ray, Egon and Winston.

Destructoid reports that the North American version of Ghostbusters on the Xbox 360 is region-free, meaning that if you're desperate to play the game then you simply need to check out your local game importer or scour the web for a copy.

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Activision and FreeStyleGames' DJ Hero will receive its first portion of DLC at launch, with FreeStyleGames' Studio Manager, Kevin McSherry confirming to TVG that the there are plans for "Day 1 DLC".

When asked whether FreeStyleGames is going to hit the ground running with DLC for DJ Hero or hold-off on any DLC plans until after release, McSherry told us, "At FreeStyleGames, we've been heavily involved with Neversoft on DLC, so we've been creating Guitar Hero DLC for quite some time now."

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EA today outlined the big new features that are set to ensure FIFA 10 continues the improvements laid down by its predecessor.

More sophisticated ball control and enhanced physical interactions between players are top of the list, along with the "first ever-true" 360 degree dribbling system allowing skilled dribblers to face the defender and use highly responsive dribbling to skip past him. 

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The full list of artists and bands that are set to grace the hallowed stages of Guitar Hero 5 has been revealed by Activision and the selection suggests a more refined look at the annals of rock music than we've seen from Guitar Hero in previous iterations.

Here's the roster in full:

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Embattled publisher Atari signalled a statement of intent last year with the appointment of Phil Harrison, formerly President of SCE Worldwide Studios.

However it appears that the recent announcement that Atari Europe will fall under the Namco-Bandai family has ruffled a few feathers, with confirmation that Harrison will no longer serve as President of the publisher.  Instead Harrison's new role is the slightly less significant position of non-executive director of the group.  Atari adds that he will continue to assist, support and guide the company's strategy.

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Activision and Red Octane are planning to launch the next Guitar Hero iteration a couple of months earlier than usual, with Guitar Hero 5 being pegged for a September 1st release on the official Guitar Hero website.

This means that the game will release in the US nine days before The Beatles: Rock Band is scheduled to launch across all territories, which will no doubt spoil MTV Games and Harmonix's launch party plans for The Beatles: Rock Band.

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The first game announcement from E3 has dropped a fortnight before the expo is due to begin, as an Entertainment Software Association (ESA) promotional list for the event has unveiled The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest.

Warner Bros. Interactive is heading-up the project in what will be the publisher's first Lord of the Rings title since the game rights were dropped by EA. And what are they doing with the license? Making a LOTR game for kids, it would seem:

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The first details on DJ Hero have surfaced, revealing everything from a mixing desk for the turntable peripheral to the first handful of mixes for the game, as well as some info on how the gameplay will bind everything together.

This news comes from the latest issue of Game Informer, which unveils an as yet unseen part of DJ Hero's turntable peripheral: a mixing desk. Well, less of a desk and more of an attachment to the turntable that brings a crossfader, effects dial, and euphoria button into the mix.

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Activision has announced that Bob Dylan will be a featured artist in Guitar Hero 5, which will not only be the first time that a Dylan track has featured in the game series, but one of the few times that the iconic folk singer has licensed his music for promotional use by a third party.

A watershed was passed earlier this year when Dylan approved the use of his track 'Blowin' In The Wind' in a advertising spot for the Co-operative Group, which was the first time he had approved the use of his music in an advert for the UK market.

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SEGA Sammy is reporting net losses of 23 billion yen (£158 million) for the fiscal year ending 31st March 2009, which more than halves its losses for the previous year of 52 billion yen (£362 million).

Despite these improvements, the company is actually reporting slightly lower revenues for fiscal '09, with net sales figures coming in at 429 billion yen (£2.96 billion) compared to 459 billion yen (£3.17 billion) for the previous year.

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A drop in sales along with the appreciation of the yen has resulted in Sony Corp posting a smaller than expected loss for the financial year ended March 31st 2009, but it still represents the company's first annual loss in 14 years.

Sales for electronics giant slumped by 12.9% during the fiscal year to 7.73 trillion yen (£53.50 billion).  The company posted an operating loss for the period of 227.80 billion yen (£1.58 billion) leading to a net loss of 98.90 billion yen (£684.55 million).

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Atari's global operations will soon be narrowed down to the US only as Namco Bandai is reportedly set to acquire Atari Europe from parent company Infogrames next month.

Having already acquired a 34 percent stake in Atari Europe last year, Namco Bandai is now expected to purchase the remaining 66% of the company next month (reports MCV), when it will be swallowed up by the newly formed Distribution Partners (a.k.a. Namco Bandai Partners).

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Having been toppled from the s with the release of the outstandingly brilliant FIFA 09, it appears that Seabass and his team at Konami are taking things slightly more serious this season if the first screen from PES 2010 is anything to go by.

Showcasing Lionel Messi, it certainly seems as though the graphics engine has been given a complete overhaul to bring it closer to FIFA's level of visual prowess.  The game now supports dynamic lighting effects, along with player expressions, individual skin textures and different fabric weaves for the various shirts featured in the game.

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Activision Blizzard has announced its earnings for the first quarter of its 2009 financial year (January 1st - March 31st 2009) and is reporting net revenues of $981 million (£651 million) for the quarter, which is $121 million (£80 million) up on its previous predictions.

That equates to a net income of $189 million (£125 million) for the company during Q1, $146 million (£97 million) more than its net income for the same period last year. As a result of these figures, Activision Blizzard is raising its year-long predictions for calendar 2009 by $100 million (£66 million) to $4.3 billion (£2.6 billion) in net revenues.

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This titbit of DJ Hero info appears to have slipped through the net of most reports on Activision Blizzard's Q1 financials, but we've spotted that the publisher may be planning to integrate guitar peripherals in its upcoming DJ Hero game.

In the post-earnings report conference call for the company's Q1 financials (via a Seeking Alpha transcription), Activision Blizzard's President and CEO Michael J. Griffith said, "First, we will launch DJ Hero, which uses a turntable and can be optionally supplemented with a guitar."

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Publisher Activision has officially announced its 2009 autumn line-up of music/rhythm games, including the long known about DJ Hero, a fully expected Guitar Hero 5, and the previously rumoured Band Hero.

As far as details surrounding DJ Hero are concerned, there was no more information than we've already gleamed from various rumours and Twitters. Perhaps a genre list of "hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance," is bordering on new info though.

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Guitar Hero megalodon Activision has unveiled the first pictures of the turntable peripheral that will drive its upcoming rhythm game DJ Hero, which is due out later this year.

One of the images (shown below right), which has been distributed via Twitter, appears to be more on the prototypical than final side of things at this stage, although the Guitar Hero style buttons on the turntable and the platter itself are in line with previous rumours about the peripheral.

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Ghostbusters has now gone through three separate publishers in its bid to reach the market following a deal between Sony and Atari that will bring the title to PS2 and PS3 initially, with a PSP version to follow.

This is according to gi.biz, which reports that Terminal Reality's game will now come to Sony's PS2 and PS3 exclusively on June 19th alongside the Blu-ray launch of the original films, while a PSP version of Ghostbusters is now planned for release several months later.

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If you're one of the few people not inspired by the change in the forthcoming Need for Speed: Shift, then news of two new DLC packages for Need for Speed: Undercover is likely to be

The first package, Challenge Series, is available for free and introduces 60 new challenges across two new game modes:  Highway Wars promises to blend Highway Battles and Sprint Racing, with players racing through congested highways against three AI opponents to become first across the line.  Highway Checkpoint is a race against time to make the next checkpoint before the timer runs out.

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War is set to continue waging across the world in June with confirmation of the second Call of Duty: World at War DLC, featuring three new multiplayer maps and a brand new zombie map.

World at Wars fans can fight to gain control of a tall river bridge deep within enemy territory on the Banzai map, come face to face in a ruined Russian train yard, or fight to gain control of a bombed out submarine base in the constrained Sub pens map.

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We were already fairly sure that this would happen but can now confirm that Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne are joining the Xbox Live Marketplace's 'Originals' range.

In fact, they're both available right now for the usual price of 1200 Microsoft Points (that's about £10) and have no doubt been served up by Rockstar chefs with the intention of providing sumptuous hors d'oeuvres that will entice gamers' interests in Max Payne 3, which is due later this year.

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Following a record breaking year in both revenue and profit, UK retailer GAME has released details on the lifetime sales of the major formats in the country

It makes for a largely unsurprising read, with Wii leading the charge at 4.9 million units to-date since its launch back in December 2006.  Despite making an appearance beforehand, the Xbox 360 is in second spot with 3.2 million units, while the PlayStation3 has sold 1.9 million since March 2007.

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Following last week's legal controversy surrounding the Scratch: The Ultimate DJ game, the opposing parties in the ongoing lawsuit have now published statements that directly contradict each other and the findings of the Los Angeles Superior Court. 

Genius Products and Numark (the companies behind the Scratch: The Ultimate DJ venture), announced the following in a press release yesterday: "the Los Angeles County Superior Court has granted it a temporary restraining order in its lawsuit against Activision Publishing, Inc."

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Publisher Activision has been exonerated from the charges brought against it by Genius Products relating to its Scratch: The Ultimate DJ Game. During legal proceedings yesterday (an Activision statement reads), the LA Superior Court cleared Activision from any wrongdoing while refusing to enforce a restraining order on the publisher.

According to reports that surfaced earlier this week, Genius Products alleged that Activision had conspired with Scratch: The Ultimate DJ's developers, 7 Studio, to hold back the game's development and pass on trade secrets to Activision.

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Nintendo today confirmed that the Wii MotionPlus peripheral will be available across the UK from June 12th... however the debut title Wii Sports Resort won't hit these shores until July 24th.

When plugged into a Wii Remote the MotionPlus peripheral provides a greater sense of motion sensing capabilities with compatible titles, of which only Wii Sports Resort, Virtua Tennis 2009, Grand Slam Tennis, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 have been announced so far. 

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Team Ico's Shadow of the Colossus could be destined for the silver screen if online reports are anything to go by, with Columbia Pictures seemingly handling the production of a film translation for what's arguably the best PS2 game of 2005.

According to Firstshowing.net, Kevin Misher (Fighting, Public Enemies) is overseeing production of the film, while Columbia Pictures has already requisitioned the writing talent of Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, Masters of the Universe) to pen the screenplay.

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Japanese publisher Konami has officially announced PES 2010, which will be released on PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PSP, and PS2 this coming autumn and is set to improve on a number of the features in last year's title.

By making some new additions to PES Productions' backroom staff in Tokyo, Konami is now able to promise a greater commitment to providing downloadable content for PES 2010, a strategy that has been introduced this year with team license and transfer updates for PES 2009.

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Following recent sightings, Konami today officially lifted the wraps on Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, confirming a PS2 version in the process alongside the reported Wii and PSP titles.

A "re-imagining" of the original shares the twisting plot of the PSone title, .  Familiar characters will offer different responses and can be found in different locations, along with new clues and paths to be found through the adventure as Harry Mason attempts to find his missing daughter.

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Microsoft finally gave Xbox 360 gamers a reason to own Lips, its SingStar clone, with confirmation that the wireless microphones can be used with Guitar Hero: Metallica and Rock Band 2.

Initially the mics will be compatible with Guitar Hero: Metallica, though a later system update (due in the summer) will expand the support to Rock Band 2.  Microsoft also promises that further compatibility with additional titles will occur later in the year.

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It all seemed so plausible: a PSP version gets added to an ESRB rating for Atari's upcoming Ghostbusters: The Video Game, thereby handing the publisher a clean sweeping all platform title for one of its biggest releases of the year.

Not so fast, though, as the PSP listing has since been pulled from the ESRB's website and Atari has now told Eurogamer that any claims of a PSP version being in the works are just "not true".

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A string of new titles from THQ and rough release dates were recently spotted from a sheet during an investor's presentation, courtesy of Gamespot.

New titles slated to arrive during the current fiscal year (01/04/09 - 31/03/10) that we didn't know about are an untitled Marvel Superhero Squad title (with a follow up in the following fiscal year, and the year after that), a new Drawn to Life title along with SpongeBob's Tenth - presumably to celebrate his tenth anniversary.

Confirmed for fiscal year 2011 (01/04/10 - 31/03/11) are Saints Row 3, an untitled action title from Relic Entertainment, and a racing title, alongside the customary WWE, UFC, Drawn To Life and SpongeBob titles.  WWE Online could end up being focussed on the Asian markets like Company of Heroes Online.

During fiscal 2012 (01/04/11 - 31/03/12) we'll see the follow-up to the as-of-yet unreleased Red Faction: Guerrilla with the release of Red Faction 4, along with a Darksiders sequel and the long rumoured Warhammer 40k MMO.

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Rumours of a Silent Hill remake appear to have been spot on, with confirmation coming in the latest issue of Nintendo Power - well the Wii version at least, it's not like they're going to talk about the previously sighted PSP version.

Described as a "re-imagining" of the original, Nintendo Power suggests that although you'll still play as the original protagonist, Harry Mason, things will be significantly different to the 1999 Psone original.

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While Daxter may have appeared in his very own PSP spin-off a few years back, Sony has now announced that the first title to feature both the furry Ottsel and his partner Jak together on PSP will be Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier.

The game is heading to both Sony's handheld and the PS2, with SCEE pinning an autumn 2009 release window on the title at this stage.

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A listing on the ESRB website, the ratings board for games in the US, has added the PSP to its list of platforms for the upcoming Ghostbusters: The Video Game title from publisher Atari.

The PSP title is listed with the PlayStation 2 and Wii games, so we assume it must be the version under development at Red Fly Studio. Different versions of the game are also being developed by Zen Studios for DS, and Terminal Reality for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

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The US Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has added the Xbox 360 to its list of rated platforms for Max Payne and its sequel The Fall of Max Payne, sparking rumours that the two titles are set to appear on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Both the original, released in 2001, and the sequel that was released in 2003 have previously been rated M for Mature, although the addition of an Xbox 360 platform label on the ESRB database usually means only one thing where old games are concerned: they're probably heading to the Xbox Live Marketplace and, in the case of these two titles, most likely as Xbox Originals.

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The proposed takeover of Eidos by Japanese publisher Square-Enix is set to go ahead as planned next month after Eidos shareholders voted in favour of the bid by a majority of 85%.

Once Eidos' shares are delisted, which is estimated to happen next month according to gi.biz, Square-Enix will takeover the company at a rate of 32 pence per share.

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A splash page has appeared for Activsion Blizzard's DJ Hero, with the site suggesting that the game will come out on Xbox 360, Wii, and at least one PlayStation console (presumably the PS3, but possibly the PS2 as well).

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With Guitar Hero: Metallica gearing up for release in just over a month and Rock Band's The Beatles game scheduled for release in September, it seems that Mötley Crüe may be the next band to get its very own rhythm game spin-off.

An MTV article charting the band's upcoming tour also notes, "Aside from gearing up for the tour, the band is also working on side projects, a new album and a possible Mötley Crüe-inspired edition of Guitar Hero."

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Following quickly after the most successful launch of a Resident Evil title across the UK, Capcom today celebrated sales of the Devil May Cry series passing 10 million globally.

The stylish action series made its first appearance back in 2001 and quickly made a name for itself with its unforgettable characters and frenzied action.  The latest title in the series, Devil May Cry 4 on the Xbox 360 and PS3, has achieved sales of 2.2 million units across the world.

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It'll be no huge surprise to most gamers that Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 10 has been confirmed by EA, with the game preparing for its 12th round of golf since its inception in 1998.

As with last year, Tiger Woods 10 will be released on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, and PSP. Once again, the DS and PC have not been included in the list, so we can only assume that EA has withdrawn the series from those two platforms.

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A recent listing on the BBFC website has added to the rumours that a Silent Hill remake is heading to Wii and PSP.

The listing of the game's cut-scenes references characters from the PSone original, including Harry, Alessa, Lisa and Cybil, leading us to believe this is a remake of the iconic 1999 survival/horror.

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Comments: (2)

On March 26th, Guitar Hero World Tour will be graced by the silky sounds of Brian May's fretboard for the first time when a track pack of Queen songs is released for Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 26th.

Additionally, a second Jimi Hendrix track pack will be released on March 19th and will add 'Angel', 'Freedom', and a live 'Foxey Lady' recording from Hendrix's iconic Woodstock performance to the four Hendrix tracks that are already available for GHWT.

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Comments: (90)

Traditionally Capcom's internal Q&A's with leading developers and senior executives have failed to create anything of note.  However the latest chat with Capcom's Keiji Inafune Managing Corporate Officer, Head of Research & Development Management Group, has proved to be a little more revealing.

When discussing the virtues of Capcom's overseas policy, Inafune-san suggests that long before Dead Rising and Lost Planet established the model, it was in fact the relatively little-heard of PS2 title Shadow of Rome that became the first title to adopt it.

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Comments: (59)

You wait months and months for PSP news and then all of a sudden it seems barely a day goes by without one. 

If you missed out on Konami's big PSP titles then this is surely an offer not to be sniffed at, with confirmation of the release of two Konami 'double packs' for just £19.99.

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EA Partner, MTV Games, has today confirmed the UK release dates for Rock Band 2 on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and Wii.

Due on the two Sony home platforms from 23rd March and Wii on 24th April, the sequel includes over 100 tracks from the likes of AC/DC, Pearl Jam, and Guns 'n' Roses, with the added functionality to import songs from the original Rock Band, and downloadable tracks on the online store.

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EA Sports has today confirmed two titles compatible with Nintendo's upcoming Wii MotionPlus dongle, which allows for 1:1 motion control.

The first, Tiger Woods PGA World Tour 10, is perhaps no surprise.  Featuring some of the world's greatest golfers and courses, World Tour 10's MotionPlus functionality will now mean that players won't be able to blame the restrictions of the Wii-remote.

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Long rumoured, PSP versions of LittleBigPlanet and MotorStorm have today been confirmed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

Causing ecological damage will be MotorStorm: Arctic Edge, taking the arcade racer to an all new latitude in 2009.  In development at BigBig Studios, the handheld outshoot of MotorStorm's Evolution Studios, Arctic Edge will include six classes of vehicles, new vehicles (the snowcat and snow machine), together with a single-player campaign and online multiplayer for up to eight players over Ad Hoc and Infrastructure modes.  The game will also get a home console release on PlayStation 2.

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Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has confirmed that the SingStar franchise will be going wireless from tomorrow, with the launch of wireless microphones compatible with both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2.

The shift to wireless comes just a few weeks ahead of SingStar Pop Edition landing on PlayStation 3.  Featuring songs from the likes of King of Leon, Queen, Bon Jovi, and Sugababes, there's certainly a range of tastes to found in the latest instalment.

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Atari Europe has today confirmed that the next instalment in the Ultimate Ninja franchise, following the adventures of young ninja Naruto, will be arriving across May on PlayStation 2.

Set over two years after Naruto leaves the seclusion of the Hidden Leaf Village,  Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4 follows the storyline of his return to the village, where a new threat – the Akatsuki – have appeared in the shadows.  Over 52 players make up a jam-packed roster in the one-on-one beat-em-up, which will also include a more narrative-driven 'Master Mode' that unlocks the story behind Naruto's return.

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Last week, Square Enix revealed that a bid to acquire UK publisher Eidos had been made, which would see Lara Croft, Agent 47, and augmented humans fall under the House of Cloud Strife.

Although the deal had the strong backing of the Eidos board, there were two potential banana skins: a vote by Eidos shareholders, and the opinion of Warner Bros, which currently has a 20% in the publisher.

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It's emerged today that Square Enix has put in an offer to acquire ailing UK publisher, Eidos.  The deal, which is being recommended by Eidos' director, is worth £84 million, 129% of Eidos' current share price on the London Stock Exchange.

The deal has to be approved by at least 75% of Eidos shareholders, and could pass by before the end of April.

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Comments: (39)

Go, Joe! Not only is the veteran of many American toy wars set to sidle up to the silver screen later this year, but he'll also have his very own movie tie-in game published by EA to boot.

The game is due for release this summer alongside the movie, which comes to theatres on August 7th 2009, and EA plans to publish the game across all major home consoles and handheld systems.

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Treyarch has announced the first piece of downloadable content for Call of Duty: World at War. The DLC will include four new maps for the game, three of which will be for the adversarial multiplayer will a further map will be thrown in for the co-op Nazi zombies mini-game.

The competitive multiplayer maps include 'Nightfire' (featuring a flame lit, night time depiction of war ravaged Berlin), 'Station' (set in an underground train station), and 'Knee Deep' (where combat takes place across the island of Peleliu, which also features in the single-player game).

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Electronic Arts has today confirmed that a new mode for FIFA 09, 'FIFA 09 Ultimate Team', will be available to download from Xbox Live and PlayStation Network from March 19th.

Sounding like a crazy cross between Fantasy Football and Magic: The Gathering, FIFA 09 Ultimate Team will give players the opportunity to collect virtual playing cards, create the ultimate starting line up of footballers, add tactics and managerial prowess, and them test them out against the dream teams of other players online.

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Comments: (126)

With the release of its latest financial reports for the nine-month period ended December 31st 2008, SEGA-Sammy became the latest Japanese publisher to suffer from the global credit crunch and the impact of the strong Yen.

Despite posting a 15.4% decrease in net sales to 309.02 billion yen (£2.29 billion) from 342.09 billion yen (£2.54 billion) in the previous year and a resulting operating loss of 2.76 billion yen (£20.47 million), SEGA-Sammy managed to reduce its overall net loss to 10.84 billion yen (£80.39 million) from 15.77 billion yen (£116.95 million) in the nine-month period from the previous year.

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Tomb Raider fans looking forward to the release of 'Beneath The Ashes', the first downloadable content taking place in the remains of Croft Manor, will have to wait a little longer it seems.

Originally due for digital release exclusively on the Xbox 360 tomorrow, Eidos has sent word that the package has been delayed due to technical issues.

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Comments: (39)

The appearance of a Transformers video game return to coincide with this year's Hollywood sequel was probably one of the least surprising entries from a marketing research leak last year: good sales of the original? Check; this summer's movie blockbuster? Check; generic, low-risk game design? ... Check.

So confirmation from Activision of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is hardly going to astonish, neither is the fact it's coming out on virtually every format imaginable.

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Californian publisher THQ has today confirmed losses of over $191 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2009, which ended on December 31st 2008, despite the launch of several 'high-quality' titles like Saints Row 2 and WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2009.

News of the net losses comes as THQ revealed that net sales also dropped during the three-month period, from $509 million in the third quarter of FY 2008, to $357 million.

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Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment has today confirmed the acquisition of Snowblind Studios, the outfit behind Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath, which launched on Xbox and PlayStation 2 between 2001 and 2004.

The studio is currently close to completing 'Death Tank' for Xbox Live Arcade, and becomes WBIE's third wholly owned development studio, following Monolith Productions and TT Games.

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It's another week atop the UK Charts for Wii Fit, which has now notched up three weeks on the trot at No.1 and eight total weeks atop the charts since it was released last spring.

Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: World at War is refusing to let go of No.2, hanging on for the fifth week running despite an 11% drop in sales over the last week. Having spent 12 weeks on the charts in total, the game has never dropped below No.2, enjoying six of these weeks at No.1.

The only new entry into the top 10 this week is Need For Speed: Undercover, which re-entered at No.10 and pushed another EA title, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, into No.11 from No.5 last week.

The remaining seven games in the top 10 were also there last week, although all but one of them have swapped positions. FIFA 09 moves up one place to No.3, Professor Layton jumps from No.10 to No.4, while Skate 2 drops two places to No.5.

The bottom half of the top ten is then made up of Mario Kart Wii at No.6 (up two places), Wii Play at No.7 (down one), My Fitness Coach at No.8 (also down one), and then Tomb Raider: Underworld holding its No.9 position from last week.

Those are the figures for Chart Track's all formats chart, which calculates the total sales for a game across all the platforms it was released on. The individual formats chart, which calculates sales for the individual SKUs of each game, reveals that Microsoft's Xbox 360 is the best represented console on the chart this week with 13 games in the top 40:

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Following on from the phenomenally successful Guitar Hero series, Activision Blizzard's next project in the music game genre will be DJ Hero, the publisher's CEO Robert Kotick has confirmed.

Speaking to CNBC at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Kotick said, "We have this product called DJ Hero coming out later this year, which is a turntable that you can actually play competitively, spin discs and mix on."

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Comments: (11)

Sony Corporation has today published its financial performance during the third quarter of the current fiscal year, which ran from October 1st to December 31st 2008.

Announcing an operating loss of 18 billion Yen (£140 million), down from an operating income of over 230 billion Yen (£1.79 billion) year-on-year, the Corporation blamed several key factors, including an appreciation of the Yen, the current global financial crisis, and intensified price competition.

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Comments: (757)

Never underestimate the selling power of fitness products during the bloated month of January, as Wii Fit has proved for Nintendo by staying atop the UK charts for the second week running with a 21% rise in sales.

Even though Wii Fit has visited the top spot seven times since it was released last April, this is the first time that the balance board aided phenomenon has managed to hold on to No.1 for more than a single week.

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Metallica have just revealed their list of tracks for the upcoming Guitar Hero: Metallica game over on the band's official site.

As you might expect, the absolute must have Metallica tracks are there including 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', 'Master of Puppets', 'Nothing Else Matters', and of course the timeless 'Enter Sandman':

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Comments: (2)

Eidos has today confirmed the release dates for Tomb Raider: Underworld's Xbox 360 exclusive downloadable content.  The DLC, two new chapters, 'Beneath the Ashes' and 'Lara's Shadow', expands the storyline of the main campaign and feature addition costumes for the iconic Lara Croft.

In Beneath the Ashes, Lara returns to the ruins of Croft Manor and discovers crypts and caverns, which are used to protect (somewhat ominously) a 'deadly source of power'.  As for Lara's Shadow, Eidos is keeping quiet...

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Comments: (39)

As widely reported last week, Sony today revised its results forecast for the year ended March 31st 2009, confirming the company's first operating loss in 14 years.

The expected 260 billion yen (£2.10 billion) loss for the year is considerably larger than the 98.28 billion yen (£792.09 million) deficit predicted by financial analysts and the media last week.  The loss is attributed to sliding demand for Sony projects and a stronger yen, which has affected Japan's export industry - and we can't imagine consumer electronics proving too popular amongst Japan's ageing population.

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Comments: (757)

Nintendo's Wii Fit has returned to the No.1 spot for the fifth time since it was released in April 2008, uprooting last week's top scorer (FIFA 09) on the UK all formats chart and holding off the threat of Call of Duty: World at War, which stands fast at No.2.

An 18% rise in sales is responsible for Wii Fit's triumphant rise from No.4 last week and it'll be interesting to see whether the title can stay at No.1 next week. Even though it's held the top spot five times previously, Wii Fit has never managed to hold on to the position for more than a week.

With only 2,500 unit sales separating the top three games in this week's chart, staying at No.1 next week will be no mean feat for Nintendo's balance board aided exercise game. As well as CoD's seemingly unrelenting chart run to contend with, Wii Fit will also have to fend off the highest new entry this week with EA's Lord of the Rings: Conquest at No.3.

FIFA 09 has done a direct swap with Wii Fit, moving from No.1 to No.4 this week, while Wii Play is a non-mover at No.5. The rest of the top 10 retains some of the same faces as last week, while two re-entries to the sharp end of the chart have also appeared, according to Chart Track's week 3 figures for 2009.

Take 2's Carnival: Funfair Games comes in at No.9 (from No.11 last week), while Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training refuses to exit the top 40 gracefully having been on the market for a year and a half, jumping from No.13 to No.10 over the last week.

Need For Speed: Undercover, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, and Guitar Hero: World Tour all hold on to top 10 spots at No.6, No.7, and No.8 respectively. While Mario & Sonic is a non-mover, NFSU and GHWT both drop places.

A pair of shooters return to the top 40 this week, with Halo 3 (No.29) and Resistance 2 (No.39) both posting new entries on the chart. The biggest chart jump in the top 40 goes to Rockstar's GTA IV. Thanks to a price promotion, the title enjoyed a 26% rise in sales and moved from No.33 to No.18.

Despite the PC release of Mirror's Edge this week, this couldn't stop EA's faltering parkour runabout dropping four places from No.23 to No.27 due to a 38% drop in sales.

According to Chart Track's top 40 by individual formats, the Xbox 360 has once again achieved the highest number of games on the chart, while the PC still trails with one game and the PSP fails to chart a single title on the top 40.

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According to online reports, the Australian arm of Pandemic Studios (best known for its work on the Destroy All Humans! series of games) may have parted company with its third party publisher Electronic Arts.

This is according to an anonymous source who noted that the studio has been "set free" from EA while retaining its original IP and equipment. "It was more of a 'Find a new publisher. Good luck.' kind of thing," the source told Kotaku.

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FIFA 09 has beaten out Activision's Call of Duty: World At War once again this week, making it the only game in Chart Track's all formats UK chart to sit on the No.1 spot so far this year.

However, the gap in sales between CoD and FIFA 09 went from small to minute over the last week, shrinking from 5,000 to just 400 units.

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Comments: (126)

It's been a long two years since we first laid eyes on the tech demo that was Indiana Jones at E3'06.  Since then we've heard virtually nothing on the title as LucasArts concentrated on mastering the power of NatrualMotion's Euphoria and Pixelux' Digital Molecular Matter in Star Wars: Force Unleashed

Depending on which side of the US reports you wish to sit, Indiana Jones has either been quietly cancelled according to IGN, or, alternatively, Joystiq reports a LucasArts representative stating:

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UK publisher Eidos has today revealed that global sales of its winter blockbuster, Tomb Raider: Underworld, have topped 1.5 million units – below internal forecasts.

Making the statement in a trade update, Eidos' Chief Financial Offier, Robert Brent, acknowledged that whilst Underworld “performed well against both competitive products and recent iterations of the franchise” in Europe, the game didn't quite have the same impact across the pond:  “In a difficult North American economy we have seen retailers restricting inventory levels and triple-A products being price discounted above our expectation.”

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Comments: (39)

On top of beating out Call of Duty: World at War for the Christmas No.1 spot and returning to the top of the UK charts for the first week of 2009, EA's FIFA 09 has sold over 2 million units so far in the UK alone, making it the fastest selling FIFA game in the series' history.

"The studio created a game that appeals to everyone. We've listened to our consumers and delivered the game they wanted with rich gameplay and innovation," EA's Marketing Manager in the UK, Dan Holman, told MCV before adding: "We have now sold in excess of 2 million in the UK making it the fastest selling FIFA title to date."

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Comments: (126)

It may have been inadvertent, but Sony Pictures has today revealed that Atari's recently acquired ex-Sierra title, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, will launch simultaneously with the 1984 movie's release on Blu-Ray.

Featuring a new storyline written by creators Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, the video game had originally been pencilled in for a late 2008 launch, but was dropped following the merger between Activision and Vivendi Games.

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Comments: (18)

After pinching the Christmas No.1 spot from right under the nose of Call of Duty: World at War last year, FIFA 09 has retaken the top spot on Chart Track's UK charts for the first week of 2009.

EA's footie juggernaut dropped back to the No.2 spot behind CoD last week after spending the Christmas week at No.1, but now sits atop the chart for the first week of 2009 despite a 41% drop in sales. 

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Comments: (126)

Activision's Call of Duty: World at War has once again shown why it's the 3-1 favourite to retain the Christmas number 1 spot on Chart Track's UK all format sales chart, with this week's chart bringing the shooter in at the top of the pile for the fifth week running.

While the Christmas number 1 will be crowned with next week's chart results, CoD: World at War's refusal to budge from the top spot for the last five weeks would make it the longest running, uninterrupted, chart topping run-in for Christmas number 1 in Chart Track history, if it were to retain the spot next week.

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According to online reports, US entertainment outfit, Time Warner, has completed the purchase of ten million new shares in ailing UK publisher, Eidos.

News of the latest acquisition of shares by Warner comes from UK industry mag, MCV, which reports that the US conglomerate now has a stake in Eidos of a little over 19%.  Time Warner had previously increased its share to 16% back in October.  Under an agreement signed between the two outfits, Warner cannot exceed a 30% stake before the end of January, although a clause that stopped the media giant from purchasing more shares before then, has been lifted.

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Comments: (39)

The favourite for the Christmas number 1 spot this year, Activision's Call of Duty: World Art War, has fanned its own flames once again by sitting atop the UK Charts (according to Chart Track's all format figures) for the fourth week running.

Despite suffering a 15% sales drop this week on top of a 30% drop the previous week, it seems CoD 5 is still way ahead of the competition. The Second World War shooter has now sold 1 million units in half the time it took CoD 4 to reach the same milestone in the UK.

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Comments: (313)

Despite the successful launch of Tomb Raider: Underworld, the vultures continue to circle above Eidos, with Square Enix the latest name linked to a possible take over bid for the beleaguered UK publisher.

Industry publication MCV cites comments from one source that the Japanese RPG specialist, which has recently confirmed plans to expand into the West, is in the process of making a late bid for Eidos.  The report even mentions that Square Enix's president, Yoichi Wada, has paid a visit to Hitman studio, IO Interactive, based in Copenhagen.

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Comments: (39)

We all know that Activision has become the undisputed heavyweight champion of year-on-year releases for their leading game franchises, and 2009 will be no exception according to news that's been spilt from an advertising showcase with in-game ad company Massive Inc.

Top of the bunch of confirmations is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Despite rumours that Infinity Ward were developing a sci-fi CoD for 2009, it has now become apparent that CoD 6 will return to the Modern Warfare setting of CoD 4 next autumn, according to the scoop from MTV's Multiplayer blog.

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Comments: (270)

According to Chart Track data, Call of Duty World At War is atop the UK charts once again this week for the third time in succession despite seeing a 30% drop in sell-through sales.

Last week's most notable releases climbed a couple of places in the charts each, with EA's Need For Speed: Undercover coming in at number 2 (from 4) and Eidos' Tomb Raider: Underworld jumping from 9 to 7.

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Comments: (313)

Activision has organised a double XP week for multiplayer bouts of Call of Duty World At War, starting on Friday December 5th at 8:00pm GMT and continuing until 7:59pm the following Friday.

There's a catch though: only players who have successfully activated their Collector's Edition copies of World At War will be eligible for double XP.

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Comments: (313)

Although Activision is yet to announce a DJ Hero game officially, it seems Superstar DJ Tiësto has revealed in his newsletter that there will be a special Tiesto edition of the game featuring music he's produced exclusively for Activision as well as tracks from the artist's back catalogue of music.

This news comes from a forum post on Trance.nu, which quotes the Tiesto newsletter (unsurprisingly, we don't subscribe to it) as saying: "We are proud to announce that Tiësto has teamed up with the game developer Activision and their latest project Dj Hero! Activision is behind the widely popular video game Guitar Hero, which has sold over 60 million copies worldwide.

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Comments: (11)

Despite the launch of Halo 3 last September, there's only really been one game dominating Xbox Live over the last twelve months: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.  The Infinity Ward title has consistently been at the top (or close to it) since it arrived in late 2007.

So with the launch of the next instalment, Call of Duty: World at War, you'd expect the throng of hardcore CoD fans to rush out and experience the same level of multiplayer depth, this time set at the end of World War II, and forget all about the SAS and USMC...

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Comments: (313)

This week's Chart Track data is in, revealing surprises that make this season's Premiership look predictable. Most notably, on its way to the number one spot on the UK charts, Treyarch's Call of Duty: World at War has doubled the week one sales figures of CoD4 on next-gen consoles and PC.

A larger installed base of Xbox 360 and PS3 owners could go some way to explaining this, although it'll be interesting to see whether World at War has the staying power in the charts that CoD4 did. Infinity Ward's title returned to the number one spot during the Christmas week last year, while World at War is currently the favourite for Christmas No.1 this year.

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Due for release (finally) next week, Atari has today confirmed that a demo has launched on the PlayStation Network for Alone in the Dark: Inferno.

The game, developed by Eden Games, is an improved version of the survival-horror title, which launched on Xbox 360 and PC earlier in 2008.  A raft of changes have been implemented for the PlayStation 3, which should make the rough diamond the lustre a little greater this time around.

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Following Activision Blizzard's decision that Ghostbusters: The Videogame didn't have enough sequel possibility and couldn't be squeezed for every last penny, Atari today confirmed that it has picked up the title from development limbo.

Working closely with Sony Pictures and Terminal Reality, the all-new storyline penned by original Ghostbusters writers Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, takes place two years after Ghostbusters 2.  Re-uniting the cast of the original, the game features the voice talent of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson along with their likenesses.

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Comments: (18)

Activision Blizzard's CEO, Bobby Kotick, has revealed that the company may implement a subscription based service for its GH Tunes feature in Guitar Hero World Tour, which would charge players for downloading user generated content in the game.

The GH Tunes feature, which allows users to upload tracks they've created in GHWT's new Music Studio mode for other gamers to download and rate, has had around 25,000 tracks uploaded to it since the game's US launch on October 26th (it's coming to Europe next Friday).

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Comments: (90)

Speaking in a post earnings report conference call, Activision Blizzard's CEO Bobby Kotick has defended the company's decision to sell off Vivendi projects such as Ghostbusters, 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, and The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena following last year's Activision and Vivendi merger.

"There were a lot of different projects and businesses that we identified as not likely to achieve the profit margin potential that we look for," Kotick said while fielding a question on the matter.

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Comments: (18)

Not only content with bringing back the legendary Thunder Force series with the recent release of Thunder Force VI on the PlayStation2 in Japan, it seems SEGA's Tez Okano likes a challenge and is taking on perhaps the hardest task in the videogames industry... the resurrection of the shooter genre.

Previously up there in terms of popularity with beat-em-up's and platformers, the shooter genre has seen a significant downturn during the last decade as it slipped into obscurity.

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Comments: (1)

Activision has today confirmed that it has opened up the Call of Duty: World at War beta to all Xbox 360 gamers – a week ahead of the shooter's launch in North America on November 11th.  Treyarch's latest stab at the franchise is scheduled to arrive in the UK from November 14th.

News of the public status was made on the official Call of Duty website.

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Capcom has today announced that an installation issue has appeared on the PC version of the publisher's MotoGP 08.

Moving to reassure PC gamers, Capcom revealed the issue only appeared when MotoGP 08 was installed to a custom location on a hard drive - and does not affect the default installation.  The publisher has advised owners of the PC version not to use the custom installation option to change the destination location:

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Comments: (6)

Atari has announced that it has picked up the publishing and distribution rights for The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, which is set for release during the spring of 2009 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Initially billed as a remake of the cult classic film tie-in game, Escape from Butcher Bay, Assault on Dark Athena is now set to offer a new chapter to the Riddick saga as well as online multiplayer and remade content from the 2004 Xbox and PC game.

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Comments: (7)

Following on from a similar deal between Citroen and Gran Turismo, Electronic Arts has today confirmed that the new Nissan 370Z will be making an appearance in Need for Speed Undercover.

Due to arrive across North America on November18th, the latest Need for Speed will feature the new model the day before the 370Z makes its unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show.  The European release of Undercover is due on November 21st.

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Comments: (141)

Microsoft has released demos on the Xbox Live Marketplace for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and Tomb Raider: Underworld, two of the library's worth of titles due for launch before Christmas.

The third instalment of Rare's Banjo franchise, Nuts & Bolts is due to arrive across the UK from November 14th, with Underworld launching a week later on the 21st.  An updated version of the Nintendo 64 original Banjo is also due next month.

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Comments: (436)

Although there have already been smoke signals that Activision is working on a DJ Hero game, comments made by Brian Bright,  the Project Director on Guitar Hero World Tour, have now confirmed these suspicions.

Speaking to Joystiq, Bright revealed that, "Activision's doing a DJ Hero game, and I can't comment on what we're doing."

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Comments: (11)

As Azeroth gets overrun by zombies in World of Warcraft and a zombie plague spreads across multiplayer games of GTA IV, Treyarch has announced that Call of Duty: World At War will be the latest game to get in on the zombie craze that's sweeping the world of games.

Dan Bunting, Producer on Call of Duty: World At War, told Gametrailers about the Nazi zombie squelching game mode that will ship with Treyarch's latest CoD attempt next month: 

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Comments: (313)

A deal has been agreed between SCi Entertainment and Warner Brothers, which will stop the US media conglomerate from controlling more than a 30% stake in SCi before January 2009. The move  seems to suggest that the Britsoft outfit is relying on the Tomb Raider effect this Christmas in a bid to increase the value of its share price.

Warner Bros upped its stake in SCi earlier this month, taking it to 16%, leading to increased speculation that the company was looking to fully acquire SCi.  The beleaguered UK publisher, which has already experienced a massive corporate overhaul in 2008, has seen its 52-week share price on the London Stock Exchange fall from a high of 370p to just 18p. 

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Comments: (39)

Their latest stab at the award-winning franchise hasn't even reached store shelves yet, but that hasn't stopped Treyarch from revealing a desire to work on more Call of Duty.

In an interview with TVG, Call of Duty: World at War producer, Noah Heller, has revealed that the team behind the fifth CoD would love to work on another instalment of the franchise:

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Comments: (313)

Activision has today confirmed that the Gallaghers will be beefing up the downloadable content for Guitar Hero World Tour, with the release of select tracks from Oasis' seventh album, Dig Out Your Soul.

Due for release on November 6th, the 'Oasis Track Pack' includes "Bag it Up," "Waiting for the Rapture" and the hit first single "The Shock of the Lightning", will arrive simultaneously on Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store, with a full album launch scheduled in 2009.

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Comments: (90)

Launched in December last year, the stream of titles arriving on the Xbox 360’s ‘Xbox Originals’ has been more like a trickle. There aren’t even two dozen games on the service yet, and the selection available has been questionable on more than a couple of occasions (we’re looking at you Guilty Gear X2 and Fusion Frenzy).

Thankfully, there are some titles on Xbox Originals that really do typify the very best of the last generation, with Fable, Fahrenheit, Burnout 3, and Halo giving the service a sense of respect.

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Comments: (50)

Days ahead of launching in North America, EA Sports has confirmed that FIFA 09 has become the fastest selling instalment in the football franchise ever.

Since it launched across Europe last week, over 1.2 million copies of the game have been sold, becoming number one in several charts, including the UK, Ireland, and Denmark.

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Scheduled to arrive on an array of platforms in just a few weeks, Konami has today confirmed that a one-year sponsorship deal has been reached with Setanta Sports for the UK edition of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009.

Featured in game on stadium boards, together with the UK official PES Rankings website for the game, the deal comes just weeks after it was confirmed PES 2009 includes the official license to the UEFA Champions League.

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Electronic Arts has revealed that it's to bring Hasbro's general knowledge board game, Trivial Pursuit, to the home consoles in early 2009.

The adaptation will bring several gameplay modes to test players, including the classic Trivial Pursuit mode, a solo mode, and a 'High Stakes' mode for a multiplayer quiz-tastic experience. Trivial Pursuit will launch on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and PlayStation 2.

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Konami has today revealed the line up of licensed clubs featured in the upcoming Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, which is heading to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation in just a few weeks time.

We already know that Manchester United and Liverpool are there, but the publisher has announced the likes of FC Porto, Inter Milan (but seemingly not AC Milan), Zenit St. Petersburg, and Barcelona. In addition, the Dutch Eredivisie and the French Ligue 1 will be featured in their entirety.

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LucasArts has today confirmed global first week sales for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, with the latest title from the 'House that George Built' topping 1.5 million copies - a record for any Star Wars game, and a record for LucasArts as a company.

The game, which sheds light on Darth Vader's secret apprentice between the events of Episode III and Episode IV, had proved something of a challenge for LucasArts. The internal studio had to deal with the technological challenge of getting three third-party middleware products, Digital Molecular Matter, Euphoria, and Havok Physics, to work together and deliver what their 'next-gen' vision for the famed brand.

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As usual there's been much speculation on what the set list for Guitar Hero World Tour will contain, with 'leaked' lists making their way onto the net - well now, the wait is over as Activision has today revealed the whole list.

Eight-six tracks will feature in the final game, which is due later in the autumn, featuring the likes of Foo Fighters, Lynard Skynyrd, and Muse. Here's the full list:

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Activision has today readdressed the balance of Guitar Hero World Tour by revealing the appearance of Ted 'The Nuge' Nugent in the upcoming game. The announcement of the outspoken guitarist comes just a few days after saviour of the rainforests and former The Police singer, Sting, joined the rostrum on the World Tour.

As well as challenging The Nuge in one of World Tour's duels, players will also be able to perform some of his famous tracks, including the 1975 hit, "Stranglehold".

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Pro Evolution Soccer will be the new home for Champions League football with confirmation that PES 2009 will be the first title in the series to feature Europe's premiere competition.

In a swoop of Robinho proportions, Konami have grabbed the license from under EA's nose following last year's reasonable adaptation. The agreement grants Konami a four-year deal, allowing Seabass' team to use all elements and attributes to create an exclusive Champions League mode within the game.

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Rumblings emanating from the GameStop Expo. In Las Vegas are suggesting that LucasArts' next-gen Indiana Jones game (originally shown at an E3 2006 tech demo with very few details surfacing since) will be revealed next week and is set for a 2009 release.

This news comes from 1up, with further details alleging that the Xbox 360 and PS3 game will use Star Wars: The Force Unleashed's game engine.

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A day after Electronic Arts confirmed that the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince had been delayed to summer 2009 (thanks to the decision by Warner Bros. to push the movie into next year), an SEC filing has emerged showing how much the move has cost the publisher in the current financial year.

Originally scheduled to arrive on all platforms in November, the delayed start to the boy wizard's sixth year at Hogwarts is costing EA a little bit more than the average public school fees...to the tune of $120 million.

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After much speculation, Electronic Arts has today confirmed that the videogame adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been pushed back to summer 2009, to coincide with the recently delayed movie.

Originally planned for a late 2008 release, Warner Bros. decided to delay the release of the sixth instalment to ensure a summer blockbuster from the Hollywood studio.

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The Guitar Hero: World Tour line-up just keeps on growing with confirmation that The Police frontman and lead guitarist Sting will be lending his vocals and likeness to the game.

Players can either select to play as the world-renowned singer-songwriter, actor, author, and activist, or play alongside him as he performs The Police classic, 'Demolition Man'.

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A publicity stunt to promote Mercenaries 2: World in Flames has caused chaos at a London petrol station, as car drivers queued in their hundreds to put up to £40 worth of fuel in their tanks for nothing.

The BBC reports that up to 150 vehicles were queuing at the station by 7:30 this morning, with a total of £20,000 worth of free fuel up for grabs. Allegedly security staff were having to deal with rowdy customers when tempers started to mount during the rush hour.

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As the football season begins in earnest, Konami has today revealed two new modes (for the Western market at least) for Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, which is due to arrive this autumn for most platforms...and 2009 on Wii.

Alongside the usual barrage of promises that physics and animations, have all been improved - the LED billboards immediately spring to mind - the publisher has also lifted the lid on 'Become a Legend', a new mode for PES gamers in the West.

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Having shifted over 100 million albums to-date, packed out arenas worldwide, and made a bumbling appearance to millions with his own reality show, Activision today confirmed that a fully motion-captured Ozzy Osbourne will be making his videogame debut in Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Now in its 13th year, OZZFest will also feature in the game as a playable stage, where GH fans can play as Ozzy, or alongside him, wailing along to singles, 'Crazy Train' and 'Mr. Crowley', taken from the Blizzard of Ozz album (let's just hope Bob Daisley doesn't hear about it).

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Following a poor performance last fiscal year, SEGA-Sammy today reported a net loss of ¥10.53 billion (£49.84 million) for fiscal Q1 period ended June 30th 2008. During the three-month period SEGA-Sammy recorded net sales of ¥74.60 billion (£353.08 million) compared with ¥95.42 billion (£451.62 million) in the same period last year, leading to an operating loss of ¥10.29 billion (£48.70 million) in contrast to an operating loss of ¥2.43 billion (£11.50 million) in the same period last year.

SEGA-Sammy attributed the poor performance to continued uncertainty surrounding the Japanese economy, blaming the food and fuel crisis for causing global instability. The number of pachinko parlours and players continues to drop, which is a key element to SEGA-Sammy business strategy, as a result of the new legislation forcing models to meet new standards. The sector recorded ¥12.29 billion (£58.17 million) in net sales, resulting in an operating loss of ¥4.35 billion (£20.59 million).

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Previously announced for practically every format, Konami has today confirmed that Wii owners will have to wait until next year before they get their hands on Pro Evolution Soccer 2009.

Other gamers, namely those on the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC, and PSP, will only have to wait until this autumn.

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MCV today brings word that FIFA 09 will launch shortly after the customary late September timeframe, on October 3rd 2008.

Boasting over 250 improvements from last year's version, including a 20-player online mode, improved shooting, ball physics, and AI, FIFA 09 has already begun to mount a strong challenge ahead of the new season kick off against Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 09.

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Perhaps it was the Metal Gear Solid 4 effect, but Sony Corporation has today confirmed that global hardware sales of the PlayStation 3 surpassed the PlayStation 2 during the company's first quarter, which ended on June 30th.

Sales of the younger monolith topped 1.56 million units, only just managing to pip its older sibling by 0.50 million units.

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Following in the aftermath of the Vivendi Games merger, Activision today announced plans to absorb a number of Vivendi's brands into its own catalogue and take a close look at the publisher's internal studios.

Brands now falling underneath the Activision banner include videogame stalwarts Crash Bandicoot and Spyro, Radical Entertainment's Prototype, Ice Age and an unannounced original IP.

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A full set-list of all the tracks that will apparently be appearing in Guitar Hero World Tour has popped up on various game forums across the internet.

There are a few reasons to believe this track listing. One is that it includes the two Jimi Hendrix tracks that have recently been confirmed by Activision. Another more compelling reason to give it the time of day is the listed "Eruption Tour", which is dedicated to the virtuosic guitarist Eddie Van Halen and the Van Halen band (which we already knew would feature in World Tour).

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Daniel Craig's second outing as James Bond at the silver screen will be joined simultaneously with its videogame adaptation, as Activision has today confirmed an end of October launch for the publisher's debut 007 title.

The Quantum of Solace videogame, which takes in the events of the new Bond adventure together with predecessor Casino Royale, is set to hit the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, Wii, Nintendo DS, and PC on October 31st (the same day as the movie), according to UK trade mag, MCV.

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Previously, the only Jimi Hendrix track to feature in a Guitar Hero game was Spanish Castle Magic in the first GH game. Now, according to a CBC News report, it seems The Wind Cries Mary and a live version of Purple Haze will appear alongside a Jimi Hendrix character in Guitar Hero World Tour.

We already knew that Jimi's music would appear in GH World Tour, but no details had been released on which tracks would be featured, let alone that the guitar icon would be making a trip back from the grave to appear in the game itself.

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Buried in an E3 fact sheet for Guitar Hero World Tour is the revelation that Wii owners will be able to download tracks for the first time in a Guitar Hero game.

It hasn't been possible to download track packs for the Wii in previous GH games for the simple reason that the Wii doesn't have a hard drive. Exactly how Activision will avoid this problem with World Tour is unclear at this point, but the clever boffins have clearly found a way.

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We're guessing Lara Croft's return can't come soon enough for Eidos, but it seems we've all got a little while to wait with confirmation of the Tomb Raider: Underworld European release date.

Taking place on November 21st 2008, Tomb Raider Underworld will appear on the Xbox 360, PlayStation3, Wii, PlayStation2, DS and PC simultaneously, suggesting a likely Christmas No.1.

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Activision may be in talks with Van Halen about "showcasing" the band in an upcoming Guitar Hero game.

Or at least that's what the Wall Street Journal is suggesting, stating the following in an article about the release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith: "A version of Guitar Hero featuring the metal band Metallica is due out within the next year, and Activision is in serious discussions with Van Halen about showcasing that band in Guitar Hero as well, people familiar with the matter say."

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Could Harmonix and Activision be making nice over peripheral compatibility between Rock Band and Guitar Hero? Maybe so, as it seems you can use Rock Band guitars on the Xbox 360 version of the latest Guitar Hero game (GH: Aerosmith).

At least that's what a G4TV report states, noting that even the whammy bar and Star Power are in good working order.

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What better way is there to celebrate your nation's independence from tyrannical British rule than by releasing the Top Gun Anthem as DLC for Guitar Hero III? While some suggestions here at the TVG office would opt instead for Jimi Hendrix's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, this might not go down quite so well with the ever patriotic American populace.

Instead, Activision has opted for the theme of Top Gun, a film with heavier homo-erotic overtones than Brokeback Mountain. Perhaps the US publisher is using this opportunity to have a jab at the US Military's 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy.

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It's release this year was never in doubt, but Electronic Arts has today revealed details on FIFA 09, the upcoming instalment in the annual football franchise due for launch later in the autumn.

In development at EA's Vancouver studio, FIFA 09's multi-platform launch will see features tailored to the strengths of each platform, together with the promise of greater gameplay realism.

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Perhaps hoping to emulate the iconic use of its logo in Ridley Scott's depiction of a dystopian future in Blade Runner, Atari today announced bold plans to strengthen the brand and put the logo back to where it once belonged.

Confirming the appointment of Rocket Licensing as licensor in the UK of its classic Atari Mount Fuji trademark and Alone in the Dark brand, Atari intends to announce representatives across the world to license both the trademark and peddle the old classics - namely Asteroids, Breakout, Missile Command and Pong.

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Japanese publisher Konami has just confirmed the next instalment in the much loved Pro Evolution Soccer series. PES 2009 will be released this autumn on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, PS2, and PSP.

The announcement blurb included the usual list of promises such as improved graphics, enhanced controls, new moves, and "key online elements". If the screens accompanying the press release are anything to go by, then PES 2009 certainly looks set to deliver on the visual improvements at the very least.

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The Financial Times is reporting that representatives of The Beatles are in talks with Activision and MTV Games over the possibility of licensing the band's music to either the Guitar Hero or Rock Band franchises.

While rumours surfaced earlier this year suggesting that a Guitar Hero: Beatles game was a distinct possibility, no further details have arisen since. It now appears that MTV Games has bought its Rock Band franchise to the bargaining table.

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Despite continued speculation over its future, SCi Entertainment/Eidos has today announced that Tomb Raider: Underworld is on track to launch in November.

The upcoming Lara Croft adventure, which sees the aristocratic adventurer scale the depths of the Norse underworld, had originally been slated for release this summer but was pushed into a broad 'pre-Christmas' period back in January. News of the November release comes as Eidos launches a new Tomb Raider portal.

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If ever there was a publisher out to prove that it's turned over a new leaf, it's Infogrames and subsidiary, Atari. Not content with securing the services of heavy-weights Phil Harrison and David Gardner, the publisher has now confirmed that it's tempted Apple's European boss, Pascal Cagri to a new role.

News of the appointment comes from UK industry mag, MCV.

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Continuing the waves of information that have sprung forth from the Intellisponse leak, further details on additional Activision titles have come to light.

Revealing that Tony Hawk's reinvention on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 will take shape in the form of Tony Hawk's Huck Jam or Tony Hawk's Adrenaline and utilise a motion-sensing board to create a genre defining update.

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Refusing to let sleeping dogs lie, SNK Playmore and Ignition Entertainment today announced the release of SNK Arcade Classics Vol.1 for Wii, PS2, and PSP.

Due for release during the autumn on PS2 and PSP with the Wii version following later, the packed compilation includes 16 SNK titles, many of which serve as the introductions to several of SNK's once mighty brands. Presumably Vol.2, 3 and so forth will cash in on the sequel heavy series.

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Atari has today confirmed that Eden Games' reboot of Alone in the Dark is complete, ahead of its European launch on June 20th.

The game, which is being launched across a number of formats (including a PlayStation 3 version due later in the year), is set entirely in New York City's famous Central Park, as protagonist Edward Carnaby fights to uncover the truth behind park's secrets.

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SEGA Europe has today released an updated release schedule for the next few months and into 2009, which confirms that Aliens: Colonial Marines and Empire: Total War will now make an appearance during the first quarter of next year.

Set after the events of the 1986 movie, Colonial Marines returns players to the alien planet LV426 and chaos proceeds to ensue. Currently in development at Gearbox Software, the game had originally been announced for a release in 2009, before SEGA re-scheduled it for the end of this year. Colonial Marines and Empire: Total War, the latest instalment in The Creative Assembly's massively successful strategy franchise, are now expected to launch before the end of March.

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LucasArts employees have been spilling the beans on unannounced LucasArts projects following a cull of around 100 staff at the company this week. At the top of the list of juicy revelations is that the unannounced LucasArts/BioWare project is KOTOR3, and it's the long rumoured MMO!

Kotaku reports that some of these 100 LucasArts have been sacked immediately after many years of service and that the sackings are spread across the company, from Testers to Head Producers.

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Details from Famitsu regarding the latest edition of Winning Eleven (J League Winning Eleven Club Championship 2008) seem to suggest that it will incorporate a mode similar to FIFA's 'Be A Pro'. Fans of EA's footie title will know that the mode revolves around taking control of a single player and places more emphasis on position and movement to generally good effect.

Entitled 'Fantasista' (although that could be the result of our Jinglish), the mode suggests a similar low-level camera perspective and on-screen arrows to suggest where the player should position themselves - sounds suspiciously similar. Early information suggests that you'll be able to create the player, presumably developing his career until he becomes a superstar earning billions of yen and the adulation of the watching crowds.

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What are the chances? You wait around for years, and then two Baja games arrive at once! Just months after THQ confirmed the development of Baja, Activision has today unveiled its own version of the gruelling off-road event, Score International Baja 1000.

Scheduled for launch this autumn (the same period as THQ's Baja), Score International Baja 1000 is set to arrive on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, and PC, and will take players into the heart of the desert in a mix of vehicles. Using a mix of scramblers, heavy-duty Trophy Trucks, and ATVs, Score International Baja 1000's game modes are so far being kept under wraps - although the chance to compare both Baja titles will be something to relish later in the year!

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Pandemic's satirical take on US foreign policy could return in Mercenaries 2, with the game's Senior Producer Jonathan Zamkoff suggesting that the Deck of Cards layout for high value targets is still on the table.

Pandemic had originally planned not to use the feature in Mercs 2, making that point clear in a TVG Q&A last September. However, Zamkoff revealed to us at a recent viewing of the game that there happens to be 52 high value targets in the game by pure chance.

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Just a day ahead of Rock Band's timed exclusive launch on Xbox 360 in Europe, Activision and Red Octane have announced new details on Guitar Hero IV, now rechristened 'Guitar Hero World Tour'.

Besides expanding the instrumental skills of Guitar Hero gamers to match MTV Games' guitar, drums, microphone ensemble, World Tour is set to include a raft of new features that push the franchise in a new direction; for instance, the Music Studio. Having seen diehard fans hack their own songs and post the new vids on the likes of YouTube, it seems that developer Neversoft has takem notice, with the Music Studio allowing gamers to create their own GH masterpieces and share them across Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.

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For the development teams at Omega Force, every day must seem like Groundhog Day. Not content with creating multiple iterations of the same feudal stories from Japan and China, thanks to the ever-living Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors franchises, publisher Koei seems intent to push a 'third way': Warriors Orochi.

A clash of the franchises that brings together characters from both Warriors series, last year's Warriors Orochi for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PSP, and PC seems to have been so popular (1.5 million units worldwide, apparently), that Koei has confirmed the development of a second instalment. Creatively coined 'Warriors Orochi 2', the follow-up sees the return of the Serpent King Orochi and his army of minions. All is not lost however, as the band of honourable warriors from the Far East renew their alliance, together with new characters from Samurai Warriors 2: Extreme Legends that brings the total tally up to ninety.

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Despite experiencing a 'weak performance' in its arcade sector, Capcom has today confirmed that the 2008 fiscal year was the second biggest (in terms of net sales) in its near-thirty year history.

Thanks to the performances of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (both of which sold over one million units), the double platinum sales figure of Devil May Cry 4, and an initial near-one million sales figure for Monster Hunter Freedom 2nd G, Capcom's coffers have managed to fill up quite nicely.

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Guitar Hero IV will definitely feature a drum kit peripheral and, in a bid to outdo Harmonix's peripheral, Activision has added a couple of cymbals to the setup. However, there will only be three pads on the kit compared to Rock Band's four.

The news comes from scans on internet forums of the latest Game Informer, which pretty much confirms yesterday's rumours. The scans clearly show a bass drum pedal, three pressure sensitive pads, and two cymbal pads on the Guitar Hero IV drum kit.

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During the last fiscal year (ending March 31st 2008), Sony has increased its operating income by 491.9% over the earnings for the previous 2006/07 fiscal year. The operating increase year-on-year was from 71.8 to 374.5 billion Yen (£352 million to £1.837 billion).

Sony reported that an increase in sales, as well as the Yen's depreciation against the Euro, were the main causes of growth. Although the company's game segment did end the year at a loss of 124.5 billion Yen (£610.3 million), this did nevertheless mark an increase in operating income of 107.8 billion Yen (£528.5 million) over the previous year.

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According to rumours, Guitar Hero IV will feature a Create a Song mode that will allow players to upload their compositions for others to rate. Guitar Hero fans will also be able to name their masterpieces and create album art for them.

These rumours have surfaced on NeoGaf, where the content of the latest Game Informer has supposedly been spilled early. This new Create a Song feature will allow gamers to initially upload up to five compositions. Depending on user ratings, song creators will then be able to upload 10 or more of their own tracks to GH Tunes.

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Activision's earnings conference call following its record breaking 20008 fiscal reports provided a host of details and information on the publisher's forthcoming titles for the current year and beyond.

Continuing to champion the success of Guitar Hero and Call of Duty, both franchises that have passed the $1 billion mark, Activision expectedly confirmed that new titles are expected in the current year for both franchises.

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Sierra has announced its game tie-in for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Empire. The game will be released for the Wii, PS2, and DS alongside this latest The Mummy film, which will be the third in the series (fourth if you count the Scorpion King spin-off).

While the film is scheduled for release on August 1st, Sierra Entertainment's film licensed game will hit shop shelves a week later on August 8th. Pegged as an adventure game featuring gunplay, melee attacks, and hand-to-hand combat, there will also be some nifty Hieroglyphic decoding puzzles involved as well.

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Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that a Track Pack of 20 songs will be made available for Rock Band on Wii and PS2. The Track Pack will be released in the US on July 15th as a boxed copy for retail, although there is no confirmation of when or if the pack will come to Europe.

As the pack is titled Rock Band Track Pack Volume I, we can only assume that more retail packs of additional songs will be made available for Wii and PS2 in the future. Unlike with the Xbox 360 and PS3, it's not possible for Wii and PS2 owners to download additional tracks digitally for Rock Band due to insufficient storage capacities or online infrastructures.

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Infogrames has today confirmed an agreement that will end with the purchase of the remaining outstanding shares in Atari US for $11 million. The planned merger is expected to close during the third quarter of 2008.

The move is the latest chapter in a more focused strategy at the publisher, following the appointment of former European EA supreme, David Gardner and SCE Worldwide Studios head, Phil Harrison as CEO and President respectively.

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Vivendi Games label, Sierra Entertainment has today confirmed new adventures for Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, which are due to arrive on the consoles in the Autumn.

The final part of the rebooted Legend of Spyro series, Dawn of the Dragon is due to arrive on a multitude of consoles this Autumn. Once again featuring the voice talent of Elijah 'Mr Frodo' Wood and Gary 'token British baddie' Oldman, Dawn of the Dragon sees the purple dragon team up with former adversary, Cynder in a bid to stop the Dark Master (voiced by Mark 'I'm a Jedi, like my father' Hamill). The third part in the darker series sees a number of new additions to the gameplay, including Spyro's ability to fly at any point in the adventure, and drop in/drop out co-operative play.

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Following SCi Entertainment's confirmation earlier in the week that it had pulled out of acquisition discussions, the UK-based publisher has today confirmed a new share issue, and further dealings with current investor, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

The new issue, which will see shares trading at around 35p each, is hoped to generate £60 million for the Tomb Raider and Hitman publisher, which has seen its share price plummet from highs of over 520p each in July 2007 to around 45p at lunchtime today.

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In a very unsurprising move, EA has today confirmed the development of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, which is scheduled to arrive on a multitude of platforms in time for the movie to burst into the cinemas this Autumn.

Perhaps more of an eyebrow raiser is that 'Harry Potter 6' will be published under EA's Casual label, the first time that the boy wizard's adventures have been released away from the more core 'EA Games' label. Development is being handled by EA's UK-based Bright Light Studio.

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The only rhythm game to currently offer the full rock four-piece experience is Rock Band, what with its guitar, drums, and microphone peripherals. This could all change in future though as Activision's CEO, Robert Kotick, has suggested that Guitar Hero IV could feature other instruments and vocals.

Speaking to Conde Nast Portfolio magazine (via IGN), Kotick said of Activision's Guitar Hero franchise, "It's not just about guitars. We'll include a lot of other instruments, vocals."

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While the first complete album on Rock Band's Music Store (Judas Priest's 'Screaming for Vengeance') will be available for download from tomorrow, further details have now emerged of the next two albums that are in the pipeline for the game's download service.

According to Level Up, Rock Band gamers will be able to purchase the full album of 'The Cars' by The Cars when it's released on the Music Store next month. Harmonix will then follow this up by releasing 'Doolittle' by The Pixies in June.

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Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that Judas Priest's 'Screaming for Vengeance' will be the first full album to be made available for download in Rock Band. Both the full album and individual tracks will be released in the US on April 22nd for 1200 and 160 Microsoft Points respectively.

These tracks will then be available to European gamers when Rock Band's Music Store goes live in the territory on May 27th, following the game's timed exclusive release on the Xbox 360 on May 23rd. The album will add to over 70 tracks that can already be downloaded from the game's Music Store.

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Marvel's wall-crawling, web-swinging superhero, Spider-Man is set to make his one millionth appearance* on the current crop of consoles in 2008, in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.

The game, which is currently in development at TreyArch and Shaba Games, is destined to hit every platform on the market, including the PC and handhelds. News of the upcoming title was made by Activision to entertainment site, IGN.

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Following last week's announcement that Rock Band will be a timed exclusive release in Europe for the Xbox 360 this May 23rd, EA has now revealed that the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation 2 versions of the game won't be released until August 29th.

This news was buried at the bottom of an EA press release for the game, which has finally been confirmed for a European release after the title came out in the US 6 months ago.

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Having faced a somewhat tempestuous few years, in which it's been forced to sell off several brands and internal studios, Atari and its parent company Infogrames seem to laying down the foundation for a more stable future.

In recent months, the publisher has appointed David Gardner (the man who practically built EA's European presence with his bare hands) as CEO, and former SCE Worldwide Studios head, Phil Harrison as President. Both men seem adamant that Atari can turn a corner, and in an interview with global news organisation Reuters, Gardner set out his main goal:

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LucasArts today announced that the European launch of the highly anticipated Star Wars: the Force Unleashed will take place on September 19th 2008.

Casting players as Darth Vader's secret apprentice and promising to unveil new revelations about the Star Wars universe, The Force Unleashed takes place between the popular gap between the trilogies as players attempt Lord Vader's attempts to wipe out the last remaining Jedi.

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At its Gamers Day event held in San Francisco, THQ has outlined its fiscal 2009 line-up, including a mixture of original concepts and the latest titles in established franchises and series.

The event includes Volition's Saints Row 2 and Red Faction: Guerrilla, the return of WWE: Smackdown vs RAW 2009 and Relic Entertainment's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. Alongside such established titles are a range of original titles including Blue Tongue Entertainment's anticipated de Blob, Darksiders: Wrath of War from Vigil Game, Rainbow Studios' Deadly Creatures, and a couple of others that we can't talk about just of yet.

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The latest trailer for Mercenaries 2 has revealed a September 5th release date for Europe and an August 31st release in the US. The game was originally delayed from late 2007 into early 2008, before the most recent delay pushed the title into a vague fiscal 2008/09 window for EA.

At least this cemented September 5th date suggests that Pandemic and EA are keen to ensure we receive a flawless product when Mercs 2 is eventually released.

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We told you Sonic Unleashed was worth keeping an eye on when we first spotted it last month. Today, with the game officially unwrapped, we're prepared to stick our heads on the block and say Sonic Unleashed will be a true return to form for the blue hedgehog after many years of anguish.

Having finally settled the issues caused by Yuji Naka's resignation and the confusion that followed, Sonic Unleashed is in development for the Xbox 360, PlayStation3, Wii, and PlayStation2 at the very capable Sonic Team.

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It's one of our most anticipated titles of 2008, however we're beginning to wish Atari and Eden Studios would stop delaying Alone in the Dark - we just can't wait anymore.

Originally scheduled for release last year, Alone in the Dark was recently the subject of a push into May during a well publicised interview with the then Chairman and CEO Patrick Leleu in the French newspaper Les Echos.

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Comments: (24)

It's hard to fault Capcom's renewed vigour for Western markets and the success that it's brought, however the decision to take two wheels on the track with last year's Moto GP 07 on the PS2 still seems like a strange one.

Capcom must be on to something however with confirmation that it has obtained the worldwide exclusive rights to publish videogames and peripherals based on the MotoGP brand across all formats.

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Comments: (6)

Besides the previously confirmed Aerosmith edition, Activision and Red Octane are also working on a 'true' fourth instalment in the Guitar Hero franchise. Already announced for the release is 'Never Too Late' from UK band The Answer, but a more luminary Brit rock band is apparently joining them - if reports from the US prove accurate.

According to Guitar Hero fansite 'Guitar Hero News', US radio show Rockline featured an interview with Def Leppard, with the band apparently confirming that three of their classic tracks will form part of the line up for Guitar Hero IV.

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Comments: (90)

Despite announcing Battlestations: Pacific today, Eidos' parent company SCi Entertainment has today revealed massive restructuring, following a six week review of the business led by newly installed CEO, Phil Rogers.

A major part of the restructuring is changing to a more "studio-led" business, one that'll now be driven by production in Eidos' Montreal studio and focusing on the publisher's key brands such as Tomb Raider, Hitman, Championship Manager, and Deus Ex - though 14 titles have been cancelled in today' move. The company has also aims to lose up to 25% of its workforce, and transfer Quality Assurance to Canada. Some of the changes will have an effect by the middle of the year, with SCi announcing that its operating costs should be driven down by around £14 million by June.

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Comments: (39)

Koei has today revealed its first foray into downloadable titles with the impending release of Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends, due to hit Xbox Live Marketplace on March 21st.

Following a similar method to Eidos' Tomb Raider Anniversary, Xtreme Legends requires gamers to own Samurai Warriors 2, though Koei are yet to announce how many Microsoft Points the expansion pack will cost. Featuring additional characters and thirty-six new scenarios, together with a Mercenary mode, Xtreme Legends will also be heading to PlayStation 2 in March - as a standalone title at retail.

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Following confirmation in November that Vanillaware's Odin Sphere would be heading to the UK and Europe this Spring, Square-Enix has today announced that that the RPG is set to arrive on March 14th.

The game, which is Vanillaware's first title since the release of GrimGrimoire, features hand-drawn characters and a score by Final Fantasy XII composer, Hitoshi Sakimoto.

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