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Ubisoft’s Brain Challenge?for the Nintendo DS?is an entertaining, comprehensive personal training program to improve coping skills when faced with real-life challenges and stress. Brain Challenge is a simple, entertaining solution for brain activity maintenance that goes far beyond logic tests to help increase your actual percentage of brain use. ...

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The History Channel takes you to the Battle for the Pacific where you will experience history brought to life in one of the defining campaigns of World War II. Relive epic land battles fought on some of the most brutal and unforgiving battlefields in recorded history. Retake strategically important locations throughout the Pacific Theatre that are vital to the allies on the Road to Tokyo. Play through the eyes of an American GI as you experience intense, no holds barred action against an opponent for which surrender isn't an option! Fire authentic allied and axis weaponry including sub-machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-aircraft guns, pistols, and grenades Relive History - each level begins with a documentary video featuring actual battle footage, key facts and statistics, and the importance that the battle ultimately played in the allied victory. ...

SCEA just updated their Flickr page (aren't they so web savvy these days?) with an intriguing image: shirts that proudly display the phrase "in-shirt XMB." Apparently, Sony's picked up a sense of humor these days. We read this either one of two ways:

ZOMG, in-game XMB confirmed!!!1
Sony is just teasing the gaming community in a cruel, but humorous way
In-game XMB has been one of the most requested features for the PS3 since its inception. Currently, gamers are forced to quit games in progress in order to do things like check which friends are online, read a message or play music. This much-awaited feature has been promised for "this year." According to our watches, that includes now. Stay tuned.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/19/gd...s-in-game-xmb/ ...

We know Nintendo is looking to target the non-gamers -- any quote from the company for the last two years would make some reference to it. Speaking to GameDaily BIZ, Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat said that when Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime first saw My Word Coach (developed by Ubisoft's casual team), he said, "You got it. You guys got exactly the type of game we want for this machine."

The comments were echoed by President Satoru Iwata, who provided some insight into Nintendo's current casual development philosophy. Mallat summed it up in three words (which are not, as some might assume, "Mario, Mario, Mario"): "strong, obvious and accessible." The full GameDaily interview will be up in the coming weeks.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/20/ub...tendos-praise/ ...

We know Nintendo is looking to target the non-gamers -- any quote from the company for the last two years would make some reference to it. Speaking to GameDaily BIZ, Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat said that when Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime first saw My Word Coach (developed by Ubisoft's casual team), he said, "You got it. You guys got exactly the type of game we want for this machine."

The comments were echoed by President Satoru Iwata, who provided some insight into Nintendo's current casual development philosophy. Mallat summed it up in three words (which are not, as some might assume, "Mario, Mario, Mario"): "strong, obvious and accessible." The full GameDaily interview will be up in the coming weeks.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/20/ub...tendos-praise/ ...

Company responds to death of HD DVD format

Sony has responded to news of its victory over Toshiba in the next-generation DVD battle by pointing to Blu-ray as "one more reason" for people to buy a PlayStation 3.

The comment, made by Sony Computer Entertainment America president and CEO Jack Tretton, also pointed to 2008 as being key to the platform's evolution.

"The emergence of Blu-ray as the de facto high-def standard is one more reason why PS3 is a great value to consumers. The combination of strong sales, Blu-ray dominance and widely-anticipated games all point to 2008 as a breakthrough year for PS3."

Both analysts and publishers have now gone on record stating their belief that the PlayStation 3 will outsell its Microsoft rival, the Xbox 360, throughout 2008 and the demise of HD DVD is expected to give Sony a monthly boost in sales of around 10 per cent.

But Microsoft isn't admitting defeat, and Studios' corporate VP Shane Kim hinted recently that there was more to come from his company's machine that hadn't yet been announced.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=33301 ...

Why moving away from animated routines is important for GTA and Indiana Jones

The CEO of development tools company Natural Motion has told GamesIndustry.biz that the future for creating realism in videogames lies not with lots of animated routines, but with CPU synthesis.

Torsten Reil, speaking in an interview at GDC, believes that in order to capture the imagination of the pubic moving forwards it's important to provide "unique gaming moments" - in other words that 'never the same twice' feeling.

His company is working with the likes of LucasArts on Indiana Jones and Star Wars titles, and with Rockstar on Grand Theft Auto IV, and of the latter title explained:

"There is a drinking mini-game in very detailed form where you can get drunk and he can actually then stumble around and you have to get home," he said. "But all of that is fully simulated.

"So, it is not based on animation any more. It is actually all synthesized on the CPU. Which means that it has a completely different outcome every time you play."

Crucially, providing those different outcomes enables developers to "actually create a live world" and draw on the much-improved power of modern CPUs.

"The big thing for us, the core mission that we've always had behind this, is the quality of unique gaming moments," he added. "So, rather than really treating it as a nice cosmetic effect where the animation looks slightly nicer – which you could do – we want people to use it in a way that actually opens up the game.

"So that every time you play the game something different happens. And that's obviously much more like real life than playing just back pre-existing assets."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=33325 ...

Home Office report on violence references games, pledges "proportionate" response

The Home Office has released its extensive review into the issues and effects of violence in society with its Violent Crime Action Plan, and while it references the possible effects of violent videogames, according to ELSPA it represents a shift in attitude towards the subject.

The report states in its New Challenges section that: "There are concerns that the way in which violence can be presented in popular culture, for example in music, television, films, videos, computer games and on the internet, may attribute towards a general atmosphere in which violence is tolerated and even glorified.

"Some individuals may be more influenced by this than others and we are considering this issue in particular with respect to children and young children."

While the effects of videogame violence is a hot topic in the national press, as is speculation about the results of the Byron Review, due at the end of March and the CMS Select Committee, which will start hearing oral evidence later this month, ELSPA has released a statement welcoming the wording of the Home Office document.

"ELSPA had been very concerned about the content of this document as much has previously been made by the media and Parliament of a link between violent video games and violent crime," it read.

"To their credit they appear to have listened to what we have had to say, as while the document does express concern over the way violence can be presented in popular culture, it doesn't single out games and goes on to state that government 'will work with relevant industries and regulators to ensure that any response is proportionate and evidence based'.

"This is a marked change in government thinking on this issue which, while we remain cautious, we warmly applaud. We look forward to meeting with government to discuss this issue further in due course."

The plethora of government reports and reviews come against a backdrop of concern over the level to which virtual violence can affect gamers, the ongoing dispute between the BBFC and Rockstar over Manhunt 2, and the prospect of videogame versions of extreme violence (but legal) movies - such as Saw - in the works.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=33326 ...

Frontier unveils launch title LostWinds

Frontier Developments has told GamesIndustry.biz that Nintendo's WiiWare service is another refreshing way for developers to create titles and deliver them to a new audience.

Full WiiWare plans are yet to be announced by Nintendo, although expectations are that the company will lift the lid on it's much-anticipated downloads service at GDC this week.

Frontier has today unveiled its first title for the service, adventure game LostWinds, due for the launch of the service and promising to take full advantage of the console's unique control methods.

"For me, one of the coolest and different things about it is the audience that you get with the Wii. Firstly, there are a lot of them. But also they are a different type of person than those using Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. It's exciting that we can get into the living rooms of a different audience," said Frontier's David Walsh.

As Nintendo puts the finishing touches to its downloads service – finally joining Sony and Microsoft by offering cheaper gaming experiences direct to console – Frontier founder David Braben sees WiiWare as an opportunity for his studio to keep invigorated and excited about the business of making games.

"What we're trying to do at Frontier is keep ourselves fresh by doing lots of different contrasting things. We've got a broad range of experience and also a broad range of game styles that people really like," he said.

"We've seen a lot of game ideas out there that haven't felt fresh. First and foremost we've got to believe that we're making a really great game and believe in what we're doing."

For Braben, some of the shine has already come off Microsoft's digital offering, as Xbox Live becomes bloated with titles and difficult to navigate. But he does believe that each of the big three's digital platforms can offer developers, and consumers, new avenues to explore.

"It's interesting how Xbox Live and PlayStation Network now have quite a different feel to them," he said.

"When Xbox Live first came out it was very easy and fun to use. But now there's so many games on Xbox Live that it's actually really hard to find anything you want. For me, as an early adopter of that, it's lost some of the magic it used to have. Whereas the PlayStation Network is on the up.

"But I think all three are very different services in the way they are pitched. There are some exciting features of WiiWare that make it very appealing," he added.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=33297 ...