You may have been following the the teasers Bungie have been droping over the last few months featuring the mysterious "Superintendent". Well things seemed to be building up to a climate on Bungie website, with a splash page counting down to E3. But its seems at the last moment Bungie's publisher (Microsoft) has decided not to reveal Bungie's latest project. This message has been posted on the Bungie splash page:


Is this part of the hype? Seem not. Bungie community lead Luke Smith has confirmed the postponement is legitimate.

When members of the NeoGAF forum assumed it was a joke Smith responded with:
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EA has told Eurogamer that Left 4 Dead will be out in Europe on 7th November.

Both PC and Xbox 360 versions should be out on the same day, and will follow the E3-announced US date by three days.

Developed by Turtle Rock, Left 4 Dead is an online co-operative zombie shooter for you and your friends. You can even control the zombies as you try to eat the quartet of human survivors.

Interestingly, 7th November is the same day Gears of War 2 will be released in Europe. Gulp.

Via Eurogamer ...

ELSPA considers legal action against rogue retailers selling R4 cards; piracy damaging console sales

Sales of DS titles are suffering due to the rise in popularity and availability of R4 ‘piracy’ Cards, MCV can reveal.

The R4, along with similar devices such as the M3, N5 and TT, allow users to download games illegally and play them on a DS. And the cards can be bought from a host of retailers, including the likes of Amazon, eBay traders and independent retailers.

But ELSPA’s IP Crime Unit manager John Hillier has warned the trade that unless the sale of these items halts, the trade body will be forced to act.

“There are various SD cards for the DS that illegally circumvent the copyright protection in place and allows copied games to be played,” he explained to MCV.

“The supply of these items is an infringement and an offence under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and the Trade Marks Act 1994. ELSPA’s IP Crime Unit works closely with the enforcement agencies to stop this supply and prevent instances of intellectual property theft.”

A spokesperson for Nintendo added: “We are monitoring the situation with R4 cards and working closely with our legal teams to identify any infringements on our IP and will take action where and when appropriate.”

According to MCV sources, casual games remain largely unaffected by these cards; it is titles that appeal to traditional, hardcore gamers – those consumers who are also more tech-savvy – that are suffering a decline in sales. Doug Bone, UK sales director at Square-Enix, whose Final Fantasy titles are said to be amongst those affected,
explained:

“The growing availability of these R4 products is certainly alarming. The undeniable fact is that they are predominantly bought for software piracy and steps should be taken to restrict the distribution channels available.

“In the short-term it is the responsibility of the trade to ensure these products don’t hit the shelves. For every game pirated and so not bought, we suffer as an industry.”

Online retailer Simply Games stocks the R4 card, with MD Neil Muspratt explaining:

“Simply Games has only recently started selling them and it was as a direct result of larger retailers getting involved, mainly Amazon,” he explained. “They have been reasonably popular but we’re considering removing them in the near future.”

Via MCV UK ...

We've long been working under the assumption that Microsoft have conned Ouendan/Elite Beat Agents creators iNiS into developing a Singstar-killing karaoke game - called Lips - for the Xbox 360. An assumption that should next week be kicked up a notch. Variety's Ben Fritz is reporting that "Microsoft will be debuting a brand new music/singing game", which fits Lips' mission statement pretty snugly. Having been almost continually disappointed by SingStar PS3's tracklist, here's hoping iNiS can get this one right. And if not, can at least get it wrong but with Ouendan's homework-finishing, meteor-deflecting charm

Via Kotaku ...

Capcom has announced that 1942: Joint Strike will be releasing soon. The classically inspired vertical arcade shooter1942: Joint Strike arrives on PSN 7/24 and on XBLA on 7/23.

1942: Joint Strike takes inspiration and influence from the ‘80s 194X series of World War II-themed vertical arcade shooters. The art, sound and gameplay of the new game take cues from the original 194X games, much like Wolf of the battlefeild: Commando 3 (check out our review). Gameplay will resemble the classic 2D style that gamers expect, but the game utilizes a fully 3D engine. Set in a World War II-themed locale, stages, vehicles and weapons have the look and feel of WWII with some stylistic differences.

The new 1942: Joint Strike features 2-player online cooperative play. Graphics and music have been similarly updated by Backbone Entertainment, the developers of this latest entry into the 194X series. There’s also a brand new score for the game created by Norihiko Hibino, an international composer well-known for his work creating music for the Metal Gear series. ...

Capcom has announced that 1942: Joint Strike will be releasing soon. The classically inspired vertical arcade shooter1942: Joint Strike arrives on PSN 7/24 and on XBLA on 7/23.

1942: Joint Strike takes inspiration and influence from the ‘80s 194X series of World War II-themed vertical arcade shooters. The art, sound and gameplay of the new game take cues from the original 194X games, much like Wolf of the battlefeild: Commando 3 (check out our review). Gameplay will resemble the classic 2D style that gamers expect, but the game utilizes a fully 3D engine. Set in a World War II-themed locale, stages, vehicles and weapons have the look and feel of WWII with some stylistic differences.

The new 1942: Joint Strike features 2-player online cooperative play. Graphics and music have been similarly updated by Backbone Entertainment, the developers of this latest entry into the 194X series. There’s also a brand new score for the game created by Norihiko Hibino, an international composer well-known for his work creating music for the Metal Gear series. ...

Edit: Seems this method only works in the US, If you are in the UK ring MS on 0800 587 1102 to cancel

pibs has posted on our forums a method to easily cancel your Credit Cards off you Xbox live account, instead of having to ring their hot line.

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It seems that Soul Calibur has been a big hit topping the XBLA chart and getting in to the top 10 of the most played Xbox games. With Rez HD and Ikaruga also big hits for XBLA it make you wonder, did all those Dreamcast/Sega fans move on to the Xbox? (I know I did )

Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3, continues to sell well, mostly likely driven by the Street Fighter HD beta (not unlike Crackdown: Halo beta of last year)

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Call of Duty 4
2 Halo 3
3 GTA IV
4 Guitar Hero III
5 Gears of War
6 Battlefield: Bad Company
7 Rock Band
8 Battlefield: Bad Company Demo
9 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
10 Soul Calibur

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Soul Calibur
2 Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3
3 UNO
4 Ticket to Ride
5 Happy Tree Friends
6 DOOM
7 N+
8 Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting
9 Worms
10 Sonic The Hedgehog 2
The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

Next week, will Bungie day (and a new free map) help knock Halo 3 beat COD4 to the number one spot?

Red = New

Source: Major Nelson ...

The latest Bungie podcast, which features the usual internal shenanigans — we get up to speed on the developer's air conditioning situation whilst discussing all things Halo — ends with a potential tease about the team's next title being revealed. After lamenting the lack of hard, breaking news over the course of the 91-minute(!) podcast, co-hosts Brian Jarrard and Luke Smith cruelly tease something being revealed at E3.

The following exchange wraps up the Bungie Podcast.


No, not very helpful. Listening to it though, is very different from reading it, as Smith and Jarrard's delivery leaves little doubt that Bungie has something up its sleeve.

We're sure that since both Microsoft and EA are holding their press conferences that day, at least one of them is going to announce something good. And it might even be Bungie related. And it might even have something to do with that little plunger man they've been shoving in our faces all year.

via Kotaku ...