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PSP HTTPDDespite Sony's frowning on homebrew apps for the PSP, users keep coming up with cool capabilities locked away in the console. Now, some resourceful hackers have released apps that turn the PSP into a Web or FTP server.

Be warned though that both are very early releases and come with advice to beware of security holes and to be careful of exposing sensitive files:

PSP HTTPD - PSP FTPD

Related:
Joystiq: A new era of PSP piracy has begun…
CNN: Sony PSP piracy guards hacked
PSP Hacks and Mods List
Silver PSP?
PS3/Xbox360/PSP/DS Compatibility Rumours Swirl
Gizmodo: €249 PSP to launch in Europe on 1 Sept 2005
PSP Trademark May Delay European Release? (6 June)
Discussion >>
By Rob



Doom Movie Logo?

Can Magazine have been sent what is claimed to be the logo for the upcoming Doom Movie.
It looks similar in many ways to the logo for Doom 3, and Universal Pictures haven't commented, so it should be taken with a grain of salt:

Obviously this logo for the upcoming movie Doom is not official, so it could have just been taken from the video game. However, I would expect something like this as the finalized logo, but maybe with a few shots from the film blended in. For now, lets just assume that this might be the logo for the movie, and wait it out till we here any more info on the post.

Another Doom Movie Logo via Gaminghorizon.com

The movie is due for release on 21 October, and will star The Rock and Karl Urban of LOTR: the Two Towers.

Related:
Universal Pictures listing for Doom The Movie
Doom (2005) on IMDb.com
Doom Coming to Phones (7 June)
Doom 3 Expansion, uninspiring money grabber?
id Software Biopic In The Pipeline (15 April)
Discussion >>
By Rob



STALKERIt appears that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl will not see a release this year.

Oblivion-lost.com is reporting that GSC Gameworld's Anton Bolshakov said as much on the Russian forums for the game:

In two words, to sum up an ICQ chat: when the plot is fully implemented (it is being completed), the simulation will be finally tuned. This is what the team is doing right now.

The game will certainly not come out this year.

Look for the beginning of the wide advertising campaign, as it will mean half a year until the release.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Release not in 2005

Related:
GSC Game World
THQ - publisher
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. website
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Live From Chernobyl Zone (1 June)
Stalker dx9 trailer - The toughest enemy (16 May)
17 New S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl Movies (21 April)
Discussion >>
By Rob



Ken KutaragiShacknews has collected together all of SCE chief Ken Kutaragi's recent quotes into one handy feature called "The Kraziness of Ken Kutaragi".
His every utterance recently has made headlines, either because it was incredible "PS3 is not a game machine" or because of his new fondness for putting the boot into Microsoft "Xbox 360 is more of an Xbox 1.5 than a next generation console":

Although much of his notoriety comes from his accomplishments, including his trailblazing work on LCD projectors and digital cameras, lately the venerable leader has been garnering press for his off-the-wall remarks. His image has been slowly turning from a videogame luminary to a boisterous loudmouth. What's happened? Why, suddenly, has everything that Kutaragi says immediately undergoes scrutiny and then ridicule on gaming forums across the ‘net? Let's take a look at the history of Ken Kutaragi's remarks and try to pinpoint where things go wrong.

The Kraziness of Ken Kutaragi via Joystiq

Related:
Kutaragi on PS3 backwards compatibility, more 360 attacks (14 June)
Sony's Kutaragi: MS playing catch up with PS2? (10 June)
Kutaragi: Microsoft Still Not a Blackbelt (2 June)
Ken Kutaragi: PS3 An "Entertainment Supercomputer" (25 May)
"Father of PlayStation" Ken Kutaragi (5 April)
Discussion >>
By Rob



Xbox 360 beta development kitAn image said to be of the beta development kit for the Xbox 360 has popped up on the Xbox-scene.com forums.
It recently emerged Microsoft had shipped the beta kits to games developers, replacing the Powermac G5-based alpha kits that powered the demos at the E3.

Xbox 360 Beta Kit Picture via Kotaku

Related:
Xbox 360 Beta Dev-Kits Shipped To Developers
Apple Powering XBox 360 Demos at E3? (20 May)
PlayStation 3 SDK Hardware Images On The Web
Discussion >>
By Rob



We Love Katamari 1UP.com have posted screenshots, video and a new preview for We Love Katamari, the sequel to the bizarre (but by all accounts excellent) Katamari Damacy.

The sequel was released in Japan yesterday, with a U.S. release due for later in the year.
1UP give the game high marks, revealing the game is much larger than its predecessor and every stage in the game can now be completed either solo or by two players together. They also say that the gameplay and plot contain many similarities to Katamari Damacy:

Without question, the new game is its father's son -- very literally so, in fact. (The narrative that appears between stages details the tough-love story of the fruity King Of All Cosmos and his childhood struggles to win the acceptance of his own stern and cold-hearted dad.) More to the point, the gameplay itself is largely unchanged from last year's surprise hit. The control scheme is exactly the same, and the fundamental concept of rolling things into a giant katamari ball within a certain time limit remains intact as well.

Still, it's hard to write off We Love Katamari as merely "more of the same." (And even if it were, most people would agree that the highly creative and universally appealing first game is something we could stand to see more of.) In short, it's a win-win situation... and there's enough added to this sequel to justify the purchase by fans.

We Love Katamari Preview - Screens - Video


Related:
Japanese trailer for We Love Katamari
Gamespot: Katamari Damacy sequel coming to US
Official site for Katamari Damacy
Discussion >>
By Rob



Battlefield 2Following recent server problems, EA is expected to announce a workaround for the recent server issues that have plagued BF2 fans, already disappointed by the exclusion of popular graphics cards from the online shooter.
The problem lies in the recent patch released by EA. There seems to be a memory leak, which in some cases causes servers to reboot.

The good news is that EA has been able to reproduce the error - they hadn't seen it previously. However, outside the EA headquarters not a single EA partner has seen a server that runs without memory problems since the patch. It also turns out that Linux servers leak as much memory as the Windows servers do.

There is hope that EA will be releasing a workaround, instead of asking players to reinstall the game (man, that would suck). According to Boomtown.net, EA will be making a statement at 12.00 PST/21.00 GMT+1 about what they are going to do about the problems.

Some option include:

1) Complete rollback to the previous version 1.0, however all users running version 1.01 are a big issue. EA doesn't know whether the patch can be rolled back. Maybe the game has to be re-installed...

2) Small fix to solve the memory leak problem

However, this is all complicated by the fact that the DICE guys are on their (well-deserved) summer holiday and have to be called back to work. Thus there's a risk of further delays.

The EA partner group are currently also discussing other topics:

1) Password protection for clan servers - something that you can't do anymore in version 1.01. The partner group wants a solution for this and is hoping for an inclusion in the (hopefully) upcoming fix.

2) The minimum number of players needed to start a game on a ranked server has been locked by EA due to problems with rank cheaters. The partner group wants the number lowered.

3) The ticket/ration ratio is now creating lag. This needs to be fixed.

EA to make statement about BF2 server problems

Related:
EA launch first Battlefield 2 patch
Battlefield 2 video card dilemma
Battlefield 2 demo, mirrors and torrent
Official website
Dice
EA Games
Discussion >>
By Gary



SEGAIn the latest issue of Japanese games mag Famitsu, some good news for retro Sega gamers. According to the article, a new wave of classic SEGA titles will be finding a new home on the PS2.

Some notable titles include jet packing, key collecting platformer Quartet on the Master System, Space Harrier 2 on the Megadrive, and Panzer Dragoon on the Saturn, which will feature upgraded graphics.

Also mentioned is something called Dynamite Detective, which over here in the West was called Die Hard Arcade (on the Saturn). It'’s not clear how many of these games will be included together on one disc, or how they will be grouped.

By far the most exciting news, though, is that of something called the Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box, a selection of games from twitch gameplay maestro developers Treasure, originally published by SEGA on the Megadrive. Naturally, it includes Gunstar Heroes, the platform/side scrolling shooter in which you must save your home planet of Gunstar-9. Heroes has it all, beautiful, busy graphics, pump-up music and sublime, hectic gameplay. Also included in this collection are Alien Soldier, another space platform/shooter, and Dynamite Headdy, a rather surreal platformer in which your character has access to a number of detachable and interchangeable heads according to his need.

SEGA Classics to come to PS2?

Related:
Atari guide Mercury blob to Euro PSP launch
Silver PSP?
PS3/Xbox360/PSP/DS Compatibility Rumours Swirl
Adult gamers choose DS over PSP
Direct-Loading PSP 1.5 Exploit Released (23 June)
Sony Unhappy But Powerless On PSP Porn (20 June)
Discussion >>
By Gary





For anyone looking to snag a new PC case on the cheap, ThermalTake is producing an entry-level case, designed to give hardcore users the same look and feel of the more expensive Tsunami Dreams but with a price tag under $100.

Introducing the Thermaltake Soprano. The name 'Soprano' is in reference to the curved front panel of the case.

Why the Soprano name? Is Thermaltake trying to invoke images of shrieking opera divas or New Jersey mob bosses? No, it's the kind of name and marketing message only Taiwan could come up with: The name is in reference to the curved front panel, and the box proudly proclaims, "Curve is the same charming as music." Today we take a tour of the new case, building a system into it to see if this is a "charming" replacement for the Tsunami Dream, or a cheap cut-rate spin-off.

Thermaltake's Soprano—A PC Case on the Cheap

Related:
Design a PC, win $125,000 USD
Discussion >>
By Gary





For all you Mario Bros fans out there looking to brush up on your knowledge of the game, there is now a 'Mariopedia' available. Packed with all things related to the Italian plumber including almost every character from the game's franchise.

A handy resource for brushing up on your Mario-isms and what not.

Mariopedia | Via Kotaku

Related:
Engineers pay tribute to Mario in massive art display
Next 3D Mario Coming to Revolution
Mario Techno Tune Climbs Japanese Charts
Nintendo nut sells out
Haunted NES For Sale On eBay (15th March 05)
New eBay Auction - Haunted SNES (19th March 05)
Micro-Sized NES Controller
Giant NES Controller
NES Controller Belt Buckle
Discussion >>
By Gary



NeonWell, in a nice way that is. Jeff Minter of LlamaSoft has created a piece of software he calls 'Neon'. Neon is a visualization tool that will allow user to interact and tweak the on screen visualizations in real-time. Users can also hook their ipods or other music devices to drive and direct the program's actions.

Typically in the kind of work I'll be doing, you want a lot of computational power available for generating effects and meshes procedurally in real-time, and the X360 delivers a lot of grunt in that area," Minter told The Guardian on the power of the new hardware. "We were working with the alpha hardware and still managed to achieve staggering performance with just that, and the alpha kits probably operate at only about 30 per cent of the capacity of the final hardware. I'm really looking forward to doing more on final hardware and really pushing the thing as hard as we can.

Neon creator Talks Xbox 360

Related:
Xbox 360 Beta Dev-Kits Shipped To Developers
Team Ninja chief attacks Xbox 360 DVDs
PS3/Xbox360/PSP/DS Compatibility Rumours Swirl
More Xbox 360 support in July?
PS3 and Xbox 360, disappointing CPU performance?
Konami hint at Xbox 360 exclusive
Xbox 360 to side with HD-DVD?
XBox 360 PSP/iPod Compatible (17 May)
Hundreds of Fan-Created Xbox 360 Faceplates
Discussion >>
By Gary



GTAIt seems that violent games just can't catch a break lately. If it's not a politician lashing out, there's always somebody else to hold the baton. This time around, California assemblyman Leland Yee has hit out not only at violent games, but one title in particular, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The politician and child psychologist launched a verbal assault at the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), for "failing to appropriately rate" Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas with an AO for Adults Only rating.

Yee then brought up the reported recent discovery of sex minigames hidden in the game's code that can be unlocked by a third-party mod. These hidden games have yet to be confirmed by Rockstar who as of yet have no comment on the matter.

"Once again, ESRB has failed our parents," Yee said in a statement. "Plain and simple, parents cannot trust the ESRB to rate games appropriately or the industry to look out for our children's best interests." The ESRB was created by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the preeminent game-industry lobby and organizers of the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

Politician wants San Andreas rated Adults Only

Related:
GTA 4 Screenshot: Fake
San Andreas stunts video posted
GTA: Liberty City Stories Official Details
Rockstar Games Confirm Liberty City Stories Leaked Screens Fake
GTA on PSP named, confirmed for autumn release
Official site for Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
Rockstar Games
Discussion >>
By Gary



Michael Jackson - Famicom HeroThis is one of the more bizarre tributes to Michael Jackson I've seen. A Japanese fan has taken a pixellated animation of Smooth Criminal era Jacko and woven it into a movie of what seems like hundreds of Famicom/NES games.

Check the Flash-based weirdness for yourself here via Waxy.org

Related:
Micro-Sized NES Controller
Nintendo nut sells out
NES Controller Belt Buckle
Haunted NES For Sale On eBay
Discussion >>
By Rob



All Points Bulletin (APB)Eurogamer have a new 2 minute concept trailer for All Points Bulletin (APB), the new PC/Xbox 360 title from Grand Theft Auto creator David Jones.

While the video doesn't show any in-game footage, it gives a glimpse of the theme of the game, which is due for PC release in 2007 and for the X360 in 2008.

Download the trailer (BT required)

Related:
Game information
APB For Xbox 360 In 2008 (29 June)
Real Time Worlds - Developer
WEBZEN GETS WORLDWIDE PUBLISHING RIGHTS FOR 'APB' (15 Feb)
Discussion >>
By Rob



Final Fantasy XI ClockKotaku links to the ultimate in Final Fantasy XI geek accessories. If you're a fan of the game and just don't think you're immersed enough, an official clock is available to help you to disconnect even further from reality.
It displays the time and date in Vana'diel and also has four alarms that will alert you to ferry and airship departure times, guild shop opening times and the recharge times of your character's special abilities. It also displays the phases of the moon in Vana'diel and blares music from the game:

* Displays Time and Date in both Vana'diel time and Earth time.
* The display also shows the phases of the moon and when the next phase will be.
* You can set 4 different alarms or countdown timers in both Vana'diel or Earth time.
* The 4 alarms play background music from San d'Oria, Bastok, Windurst, and Jeuno.
* It comes in a classy pearl white color.
* A blue LED light can be turned on so you can see the screen in the dark.
* This product is officially licensed by Square Enix Co.,Ltd.

Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Clock

Related:
Final Fantasy XI Online
FFXI Team Working on Next-Gen MMORPG (9 June)
Discussion >>
By Rob



Second LifeTo celebrate the second anniversary of Second Life, developer Linden Labs are giving away basic accounts to the game for free for the next seven days.

The basic account gives lifetime access to the full-featured game with the limitation that you can't own land unless you upgrade to a subscription account:

Join Linden Lab as we celebrate our Second Anniversary FREE Account Giveaway! For a limited time new subscribers can join Second Life for free.* Starting 12 AM PDT July 7th, 2005 through 11:59 PM PDT July 13th, 2005 (7 AM GMT July 7th thru 6:59 AM July 14th GMT), simply visit Second Life (http://secondlife.com) and sign up.

Make sure your friends don’t miss this limited time opportunity to celebrate our Second Anniversary!

The Fine Print: As part of this new subscriber promotion, Affiliate Credits (http://secondlife.com/corporate/affiliates.php) and Basic Account referral credits will be suspended during this promotion. The Free Account is only for new subscribers (only those that do not have a current Second Life account) and is limited to one free account per new subscriber over 13 years old.

Secondlife.com

Related:
What is Second Life?
Firefox Coming to Second Life (6 June)
C|NET video about Second Life
N.Y Times: The Game Is Virtual. The Profit Is Real.
Novelist to sign virtual copies of book in Second Life
Nightmarish experience of schizophrenia recreated in Second Life
Discussion >>
By Rob



1UP.com has a feature on the underground sweatshops in massively multiplayer online games, covering the guys who put in 12-hour days tending bots for a pittance to the managers of MMOG farms, who can earn six-figure salaries:

Sack is the low man in these operations. "I work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the U.S. Lineage II server," he says. He works long, boring hours for low pay and gets no holidays. Carefully constructed macros do most of the work; Sack is just there to fend off the occasional player itching for a fight or game master who's hunting for these automated farming programs.

[...]

Smooth Criminal's game cartel made $1.5 million from Star Wars Galaxies alone last year, and individually, he's made as much as $700,000 in a single year. "[SWG] built my new house, which I paid for in cash," he says. "So when you ring my doorbell, it plays the Star Wars music."

Wage Slaves

Related:
$1M RYL Tourney Underway, Monthly Fee Now Optional (1 July)
Interview with $26,500 MMOG Land Owner
Classic MMOG Rescued from Dumpster by Fans (21 June)
Discussion >>
By Rob



ScarfaceFollowing on the recent disclosure that they have acquired a new licensing deal with Epic Games, VU president Phil O'Neil has revealed an impressive line-up of titles planned. Talking with gamesindustry.biz, the publishing giant is planning sequels to both the upcoming 50 Cent game and the Scarface game. O'Neil actually hopes for a Scarface 2, 3 and even 4!

"It's actually an ability to create a franchise," the president said noting that the Fiddy game is not based on an 'IP' in the traditional sense, "and that's probably the big determination which is the ability to take an IP and make it into a franchise as opposed to a one-off. So we're hopeful that candidly, both Scarface and 50, while not 'original' IP, become sustainable franchise brands for us." We couldn't agree more (ahem).

VU Foresee Scarface and Fiddy Sequels

Related:
VU announce Unreal 3 Licensing Deal
Unreal Engine 3 Demo Video
EpicGames.com
UnrealTechnology.com
Unreal Engine 3 detailed overview
Epic announce Unreal Engine 3 for Sony's Ps3 (18 May)
Discussion >>
By Gary



Yet another tragic games-related death to hit the headlines. A young 4 year old boy from Ohio, U.S. died after he locked himself in his parents' car to play a video game. When his parents found him in the car sometime later, Andy Jones had stopped breathing completely. He was then flown to hospital by ambulance helicopter in a desperate attempt to save the young boy, but tragically he died not long after that.

Later, officials estimated that the car's temperature exceeded 100 degrees.

WLWT-TV in Cincinnati reports that by the time Andy Jones' parents found him inside the Honda he had stopped breathing. The Amelia couple rushed their son to a nearby Baptist church to meet a medevac helicopter, but it was too late to save the child.

4-year-old dies in locked car | Via Kotaku

Related:
Incredibles fan in baby stabbing
GameCube nut murders infant son
Seven Year Old Girl Killed Over GTA: San Andreas Row
Boy Dies of Stroke After 12 Hours of Gaming
Boy falls 24 stories to his death, to join friends in Heaven
Discussion >>
By Gary



SEGASEGA and Secret Level have announced a parnership to recreate a "classic SEGA franchise" on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Secret Level are best known for Karaoke Revolution on the Xbox and the upcoming America's Army: Rise of a Soldier for the PS2 and Xbox.

The press release for the new deal doesn't contain much more information - no title, release date or specific platform are mentioned, but we are told that the deal is a part of SEGA's new emphasis on "Western development":

Press release - Gamespot: Sonic coming to PS3 and 360?

Related:
SecretLevel.com
Discussion >>
By Rob



UT 2007

Vivendi Universal has announced a new licensing deal with Epic Games to use the Unreal 3 Engine for its next-gen games. The gaming engine is designed from the ground up with raw power in mind, running comfortably only on the next-gen consoles and PCs with the latest graphics cards and high-end specs.

The Unreal 3 Engine has already been licensed by Midway, NCsoft, BioWare and Microsoft Game Studios. Now VU will be able to harness the power of this very impressive technology for their future titles on both high-end PC and next-gen hardware.

Unreal Engine 3 technology will enable us to create exceptional high-quality next-gen titles in a productive and cost-effective fashion.

disclosed Peter Della Penna, VU Games' executive vice president and chief operating officer, product development.

Epic Games first demonstrated the Unreal Engine 3 at E3 2004. The engine was also the basis for several more-polished demonstrations at this year's expo, including a PlayStation 3 tech demo and a dazzling movie of Gears of War for the Xbox 360. Epic Games' official site has a detailed breakdown of the Unreal Engine 3 toolset.

VU Games using Unreal Engine 3.0

Related:
Unreal Engine 3 Demo Video
EpicGames.com
UnrealTechnology.com
Unreal Engine 3 detailed overview
Epic announce Unreal Engine 3 for Sony's Ps3 (18 May)
Discussion >>
By Gary



Battlefield 2As was expected yesterday, EA has released the first patch for Battlefield 2. The update is an answer to several issues reported by the BF2 community.

The patch itself (v1.01) includes updates to the multiplayer browser that adds functionality and buttons to make finding an open game easier.

Also addressed is a problem in which 'users have encountered involving zero ping servers or browser hangs', according to EA.

The BF2 Update v1.01 also fixes an issue that made some game controls unavailable to be rebound within the options menu, in addition to fixing a crash issued users experienced when rebinding the left mouse button to commands.

The patch also enables command line joining, which means Battlefield 2 is now supported in GameCenter, GameSpot's new premium gaming service. For those who'd like to play on ranked servers but can't find quality servers that aren't full, GameCenter offers the unique ability to start up ranked servers without paying the hefty monthly fee usually associated with private server hosting. New or existing GameSpot Complete members can sign up for the Sneak Peek for free, as well as immediately download the GameCenter application.

Battlefield 2 gets first patch

You can download patch v1.01 from the official website (13.4Mb).

Related:
Battlefield 2 video card dilemma
Battlefield 2 demo, mirrors and torrent
Official website
Dice
EA Games
Discussion >>
By Gary





According to an article over on the Inquirer, it cost ATI roughly 8 million dollars in total for the Half Life 2 deal with Valve. The deal saw them promote their line of 9600 and 9800 XT cards, along with their X800 line. It also saw ATI's logo on the game itself.

ATI never sold so many cards than when they bundled the Half Life 2 voucher with them. Of course, people buying the cards were (myself included) in no way aware of the fact that Valve completely botched the release date and planning of the follow-up to 1998's classic shooter Half Life.

ATI gave Valve $2.4 million for the deal, along with investing $1.2 million in marketing the game. Finally, $4.4 million was spent by ATI and its partners on bundling the game with their cards.

ATI actually benefited from HL2 being late. People were just buying and buying ATI cards because of the voucher and just to get the free game. So it was a win-win rather than a whinge-whinge deal for ATI, which recouped the money back from end users.

As for Nvidia, we can surely bet that Nvidia spends even more on its highly successful TWIMTBP marketing program, but Nvidia invests in many games and not in a single game only. A chapter in the history of vouchers has just ended.

How much ATI really paid for its Half Life 2 deal

Related:
cs_assault launched with new terrorist models
Lombardi: Folks will be quite pleased with DoD: Source
New DoD: Source Gameplay Trailers
Valve Unveil Developer Community Site (29 June)
Doug Lombardi talks Steam (29 June)
Valve: Getting Closer To HL2: Lost Coast Release (27 June)
Doug Lombardi Interview, DoD Source development still unclear
DoD: Source News Update & HL1: Deathmatch Source Revamp
DoD: Source Screenshots Collection
Half Life 2: Lost Coast HDR overview
Eurogamer: Half-Life 2: The Lost Coast preview
Discussion >>
By Gary



cs_assault

As was previously expected, Valve has updated Counter Strike: Source to include the newly ported map cs_assault plus new terrorist models. Simply restart Steam to download cs_assault and the new skins.

Don't forget to check out the preview of cs_assault over at csnation.

Related:
Valve: cs_assault this week, new terrorist skins
Lombardi: Folks will be quite pleased with DoD: Source
New DoD: Source Gameplay Trailers
Valve Unveil Developer Community Site (29 June)
Doug Lombardi talks Steam (29 June)
Valve: Getting Closer To HL2: Lost Coast Release (27 June)
Doug Lombardi Interview, DoD Source development still unclear
DoD: Source News Update & HL1: Deathmatch Source Revamp
DoD: Source Screenshots Collection
Half Life 2: Lost Coast HDR overview
Eurogamer: Half-Life 2: The Lost Coast preview
Discussion >>
By Gary



Prince of Persia 3
Judging from the screenshots (check out the latest 10 screens here), Prince of Persia 3: Kindred Blades will be the darkest game in the series to date. Like before, the game blends classic action-adventure elements with mind-boggling swordfights that are unique both in their ferocity and their breakneck speed. As a side-effect from controlling the powerful Sands of Time, the player will take on the role of the prince's sinister twin, the Dark Prince, who has a different attitude, history, and combat style. Prince of Persia 3 is likely to hit the shelves this November.

Related info:
Prince of Persia
Ubisoft
Discussion >>



MTVMTV has created a new division devoted to games and announced a new partnership with Midway Games for three titles. The two companies plan to jointly sell in-game advertising in the three games.

One of the titles will be the racing game L.A. Rush, due for release in autumn on the PS2 and Xbox, and the new deal will be felt with MTV branding throughout the game.

MTV will also collaborate with Midway on development of the soundtracks for the titles.

MTV, Midway to Develop Games With Ads

Related:
Press release: MTV Gets In The Game With Midway
LA Rush game details
Midway Games
Discussion >>
By Rob



MercuryAtari as plucked the European distribution rights to Archer Maclean's critically acclaimed puzzler, Mercury from Ignition/ Awesome studios and will be releasing the game to coincide with the European launch of Sony's PSP on September 1st. The game involves the player guiding a blob of mercury through a series of mazes and traps.

Atari's UK Director expressed his delight at scoring the rights to Mercury:

Having such a strong title at launch for the PSP is a tremendous bonus and we look forward to working with Ignition Entertainment to this make this great success. Mercury is such an addictive game, I am sure will capture the imagination of all PSP owners and become this year's must-have game.

Ignition are equally as pleased as Atari, stating that Atari's retail muscle will ensure their game gets into the hands of as many PSP owners as possible.

Atari's distribution network and retail muscle will enable us to get Mercury to as many PSP owners as possible. We're delighted they have recognized the potential this amazing title has, and can't wait to partner with Atari in order to make Mercury one of the most sought-after titles at launch.

Set over 72 levels (with a hidden world to unlock too), critics claim that the game really does feel like a blob of Mercury is trapped under the screen - and work is already underway on a sequel.

Atari brings Mercury to Euro PSP launch

Related:
Official website
Silver PSP?
PS3/Xbox360/PSP/DS Compatibility Rumours Swirl
Adult gamers choose DS over PSP
Direct-Loading PSP 1.5 Exploit Released (23 June)
Sony Unhappy But Powerless On PSP Porn (20 June)
Discussion >>
By Gary



Project Gotham Racing 3

The release of an amazing screenshot of a street scene in Project Gotham Racing 3 (above) resulted in doubt that it was a genuine in-game shot, with understandable claims that it may just be a photograph.

To prove it wasn't a fake, developer Bizarre Creations have since released the wire-frame version of the same scene:

Initially, people claimed it was just a photograph! I think people have pretty much come to the correct conclusion now though - this is what people can genuinely expect from the next generation of video games. Bizarre Creations are proud to be one of the developers leading the charge toward High Definition, and we're very pleased with the results so far.

As a small gift to all of you who still refuse to believe that last week's image was a real screenshot, here we have the wire-frame version of the same scene, captured from the same dev kit that the original screenshot was taken.

Bizarre Creations via Kotaku


Related:
Official site for Project Gotham Racing 3
BizarreCreations.com
Project Gotham Racing 3 preview on Gamespot
Discussion >>
By Rob



SiNFollowing Doug Lombardi's announcement that games from other developers delivered via Steam would be revealed over the coming weeks, Ritual have confirmed the sequel to the 1998 shooter SiN will see a Winter release on the platform.

The latest issue of PC Gamer has an exclusive feature on the game, entitled SiN Episodes, and reveals the individual episodes will be released every three to four months at a price of around $20 each.

The collaboration between Valve and Ritual seems a little strange, since the original SiN game was billed as a "Half-Life killer" when it was released in 1998.

It also included digs at Valve, including one section that warned the player "Do Not Play With Valve"; twisting the valve the warning displayed on resulted in an explosion and major damage to the player.
The two companies appear to have made up their differences though, with SiN Episodes even utilizing a modified version of the Source engine.

Ritual CEO Steve Nix also said:

We've been talking to Valve about Steam for about four years now, and we've always wanted to get back to the SiN universe.
We talked to publishers about doing it, but we never felt able to make the product we wanted to make with the next SiN.

SiN Episodes gets Steam release

Related:
Ritual.com
Official website for SiN
SiN on the Wikipedia
Discussion >>
By Rob



Battlefield 2Over on The WOLFgaming Network, there is suggestions that EA is going to release it's first major patch for the recently released Battlefield 2 later on today. Fans of the PC game with lower end graphics cards were hoping for EA to release something that would allow owners of a GeForce 4 graphics card or lower to enjoy the game, but going on the specs of the update it doesn't appear so.

The new Linux server and Windows servers will also be available. The Client patch weighs in at just over 13 Megs. While the server files are complete re-installs. The server software is the major part of this release. Netcode is a big piece of this for the Ranked and UnRanked Servers.

Patch v1.01

- Fixed in issue that caused the Multiplayer Browser to become unresponsive.

- Fixed an issue where some game controls were not available to be rebound within the Options menu.

- Fixed an issue with increasing performance degradation on servers.

- Fixed a problem with shader caching on client/host : after the first map in a rotation, shaders would be loaded on the fly during gameplay.

- Fixed a crash with rebinding LMB

- Fixed a problem that caused environment mapping to not appear on reflective surfaces.

- Fixed a crash that happened when a client picks up a kit that doesn't
exist anymore.

- Fixed a problem with AI when the game was paused for a long time: bots
would become unresponsive and also shoot more accurately.

- LOD distances tweaked on certain objects.

BF2: 1st Patch

This does not come straight from EA, we will find out later on today if the patch materializes.

Related:
Battlefield 2 video card dilemma
Battlefield 2 demo, mirrors and torrent
Official website
Dice
EA Games
Discussion >>
By Gary



The July 16th baseball game between the Kansas City T-Bones and the Schaumburg Flyers gained a bit of advance publicity when it was announced the first two innings would not be played on a field, but by two gamers on an Xbox.

The teams would then pick up the game in the third inning, starting where the virtual game left off.

Disappointingly, the Northern League Baseball commissioner has since changed his mind and nixed the idea:

"After further review and discussion, I have decided that this concept as originally presented is not in the best interest of the league.

"Any promotion that could affect the outcome of a regular season game is not permissible. Ultimately, such an event could have an influence on the final standings, and this certainly challenges the integrity of the league."

Xbox baseball match off

Related:
Baseball Season To Open On Xbox (24 June)
Discussion >>
By Rob





It seems graphics card giant Nvidia are finally leaving AGP slots in the backyard to rust. Their latest card, the 7800 series of GPU will not be manufactured in an AGP form, instead the company is going full throttle with PCI-E from here on in.

Their last GPU, the 6800 and 6600 line of cards included an AGP selection but this time around they are not going to release a new product the old fashioned way, so all you AGP motherboard owners eyeing up the new 7800 cards had better look deep into your wallets for a new motherboard.

This comes as something of a surprise to us as we know that ATI will release an AGP version of R520 once it's ready. Bear in mind that ATI sill has to release PCIe version but once it has R520 PCIe it won't be a rocket science to bridge this chip to AGP with its Rialto bridge to Babylon chip.

For the majority of you who still have AGP systems and like high end graphics, it transpires that you will have to change the platform from AGP to PCIe in order to continue buying the latest greatest cards from Nvidia.

Nvidia won't release a Geforce 7800 GTX AGP version

Related:
Nvidia launch 7800 GTX, promise worldwide availability
Nvidia to save Xbox 360's incompatible ass
ATI's Crossfire gunning to oust Nvidia's SLI (01 June 05)
Discussion >>
By Gary



Big MacMc Donalds are this week enticing their customers to play an instant-win game with the promise of winning a Sony PSP. All you need do is find a winning code on a Big Mac or fry box, once you find the code you then (after paying for your meal) need to get your ass to the nearest Internet access point and input your code to a website to see if you are one of the lucky PSP recipients, or just the winner of one of the other 50,000 smaller, suckier prizes.

The system, nicknamed PSP, plays videogames, movies and music. Codes on Big Mac and fry boxes send players online to see if they win a system or one of 50,000 smaller PlayStation prizes. Arc Worldwide, Chicago, handles.

The Sony promo follows on the heels of an on-pack game for Big Mac that dangled a grand prize of 10 concerts at any House of Blues club in 10 cities. (Diners entered codes from Big Mac boxes online or via text message.) The Marketing Store Worldwide, Oak Brook, IL, handled that effort.

McDonald's, Sony Serve Up PlayStation with Big Mac | Via Kotaku

Related:
Design a PC, win $125,000 USD
Xbox 360 Faceplate Competition
Discussion >>
By Gary



Gears of WarA cool new Gears of War feature is being hosted over at Shacknews. It's basically a series of scans that may or may not be from the books handed out to attendees of the E3 demo. Starting with a foreword from Epic's Cliff Bleszinski, it