EA's upcoming Godfather: Blackhand Edition for Wii will incorporate motion-sensing controls to let you hammer the faces of your enemies - or any random granny, if you're that way inclined - by swinging your fists with the Wii Remote in hand.

As you can see, graphically it look pretty much the same as the Xbox game, but we'll wait to see it running before we make any final judgements.

Nobody will be able to call the Wii a console for kids by the end of the year, with Godfather, Driver, Scarface AND Manhunt 2 all on the way.

Screens Here ...

via gamesradar

It struck us as kind of weird when we first heard that publisher Sega had handed off its classic After Burner franchise to Planet Moon, the oddball developer behind Infected, Armed and Dangerous and Giants: Citizen Kabuto. And now we've seen the result of that decision: cow-themed jet fighters with giant, milk-spraying udders.

Granted, the cow jets are just part of After Burner: Black Falcon's "Mad Cow" deathmatch mode, in which one player becomes the Mad Cow (hence the new paintjob) and everyone else tries to kill him or her to become the next Mad Cow. The Mad Cow isn't completely defenseless, though, and can squirt gobs of milk backwards out of its udders, stopping any would-be pursuers dead in their tracks.

Or at least, that's how it's supposed to work - during our brief time trying to steer the cow-jet, our opponents repeatedly pulled behind us and shoved missile after missile up our exhaust despite our best efforts to splatter them. When we weren't getting blown to pieces, however, the jets handled smoothly, racing over the landscape, pulling off barrel rolls and weaving through caverns with ease.

Mad Cow won't be Black Falcon 's only multiplayer mode, but it's the only one we've been able to try out so far. However, we've gleaned that bizarre aerial deathmatches will be only the tip of Black Falcon 's multiplayer iceberg when the game hits in March. And while the four-player explodathons show a lot of promise, co-op is where the real action's at. ...

Sega Racing Studio head designer Guy Wilday has branded PlayStation 3's motion-sensitive capabilities, offered by the new SixAxis pad, as rubbish - arguing that Dual Shock's rumble feature is far more appealing.

When asked by PSM3 if the next-gen renovation of Sega Rally, set to roll out in November, would support tilt control, Wilday replied: "Yes, tilt control will be included - it's not difficult to do. Fundamentally, though, the whole tilt control thing is rubbish... it's no compensation for rumble".

We would ask you what your thoughts are, but we're pretty sure we already know. Everyone's a bit disappointed about losing the rumble feature, and Sony can't be unaware of how welcome a new, rumble-capable SixAxis would be. GamesRadar will not be held accountable for anyone passing out while holding their breath for that to happen, however.

via gamesradar ...

via gamesradar

To celebrate The Cloud’s partnership with Channel 4 Radio, GamesRadar has teamed up with The Cloud to offer one lucky winner a Sony PSP plus one year’s free WiFi subscription. Three runners-up will receive a year's free WiFi subscription to The Cloud.

Keep up to date with all the latest news from your favourite programmes, and download the best mix of news, gossip and new music with the selection of podcasts from Channel 4 Radio. To download the latest podcast for free*, find your nearest hotspot at www.thecloud.net.

Located throughout the UK, WiFi from The Cloud is available across 7,500 convenient hotspots in city centres, coffee shops, hotels, train stations, pubs, airports and many more locations.

For your chance to win a year’s free subscription to The Cloud, plus a Sony PSP, just answer the following question and complete the tiebreaker. The best tiebreaker with the correct answer will win the prize!

What is every cloud said to have?

a) A silver lining

b) A hidden rainbow

c) A golden halo

Tiebreaker (20 words or fewer): I would love to have a year's WiFi subscription because...

Click here to email us with your answer, name and full address. The closing date for entries is Wednesday 14 March 2007. ...

Last month, Kansas Senator Sam Brownback declared he would seek the 2008 Republican nomination for President of the United States. His first speech as a candidate was roundly mocked on the January 23 episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for his repeated use of the words "greatness" and "goodness." (The same program also pilloried the entire spectrum of Democratic candidates, including the "first Leprechaun president[al]" hopeful, Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich.)

Today, Brownback took a very public step to prove the American public how "good" and "great" he is. The Senator announced that he was reintroducing the Truth in Video Game Rating Act (S.3935), a measure he first submitted last September. If made law, the act would require the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) to play the final build of a game from beginning to end before it gives said game a rating.

"Video game reviewers should be required to review the entire content of a game to ensure the accuracy of the rating," Brownback said in a statement. "The current video game ratings system is not as accurate as it could be because reviewers do not see the full content of games and do not even play the games they rate." The Truth in Video Game Rating Act would also commission a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study to "determine the efficacy of the...ESRB ratings system."

Currently, the ESRB reviews video of the "most extreme instances, across all relevant categories including but not limited to violence, language, sex, controlled substances and gambling" in each game it rates. Following the infamous hidden-sex-minigame Grand Theft Auto San Andreas scandal of 2005, publishers must now also submit "pertinent content that is not playable, but will exist in the game code on the final game disc."

Since then, the ESRB's system has proven fallible--or infallible, depending on one's viewpoint. In May 2006, the board rescinded the T for Teen rating of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion after it discovered graphically violent content at the denouement of the Dark Brotherhood questline. Despite being rated M for Mature, Oblivion went on to sell nearly 1.4 million copies in the US as of December 2006, generating just short of $80 million.* It has also won numerous accolades, including GameSpot's Role-Playing Game of the Year.

via gamespot ...

Glu Mobile has signed a deal with Britsoft publisher Codemasters to bring more PC and console brands to mobile phones.

Hit franchises TOCA Race Driver, LMA Manager, Operation Flashpoint and Colin McRae Rally will all appear on handsets, following the two companies' recent toe-in-the-water deal which saw them partner on the release of Brian Lara International Cricket 2007.

"This relationship with Codemasters brings an exciting set of franchises to our growing portfolio," commented Kristian Segerstrale, managing director of EMEA at Glu.

The mobile publisher has already forged strong relationships with traditional videogame publishers to bring a string of hit brands to handsets including Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Monkey Ball, plus Bizarre Creations's Project Gotham Racing.

"As part of Codemasters? strategic drive across all platforms of digital entertainment, Glu's momentum in the market was key for us in creating this alliance," said Matt Davies, director of Codemasters mobile.

"As technology advances, Codemasters will focus its development expertise in embracing wireless as the functionality between formats to add to the overall gaming experience."

The first mobile title to be released under the new deal will be LMA Manager 2008, which is due out this Autumn.

via gibiz ...

EA's teamed up with Virgin Records and Epiphone to go on a MySpace-wide talent search for the best new bands and artists, offering the winner a chance for their track to appear in Burnout Dominator.

Not only that, if your song is voted into the top ranks by the MySpace community and picked as a winner by a panel of judges, you'll also bag yourself a Virgin Records demo recording contract.

All you have to do to enter is create a MySpace account for yourself, or your band, then upload your track and enter it into the competition. Your tune will then go into a gallery, one for the US and one for Europe, where the online community will listen and rate your entry, resulting in a winner being selected for each region.

The Burnout Bandslam competition began earlier this month, and the closing date for it is 14th March.

Head over to the website if you're feeling lucky, or to vote on other people's creations.

Burnout Dominator is due for release on PS2 and PSP on 23rd March. Head over to the gamepages for the latest media.

via eurogamer ...

New from Divineo China



A true universal VGA box compatible with all consoles on todays market: Xbox 1, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii.
Compatible with both PAL and NTSC system, it is available with European or US power supply. A plug and play installation will give you Ypbpr input with all consoles!

- Compatible with all consoles.(Wii™, PS3™, XB360™, PS2™, Xbox™ etc )
- Works on both PAL and NTSC system.
- Double scan conversion (31.5KHz for NTSC, 31.25KHz for PAL).
- Output resolution ; NTSC (60Hz) 858 x 525 PAL (50Hz) 864 x 625
- YpbPr (works for all consoles with Ypbpr input).
- Automatically memorizes your adjustments.
- Plug and play installation.
- With power supply (110V or 220-240V) and a Multi-Ypbpr cable. ...

New from Divineo China



A true universal VGA box compatible with all consoles on todays market: Xbox 1, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii.
Compatible with both PAL and NTSC system, it is available with European or US power supply. A plug and play installation will give you Ypbpr input with all consoles!

- Compatible with all consoles.(Wii™, PS3™, XB360™, PS2™, Xbox™ etc )
- Works on both PAL and NTSC system.
- Double scan conversion (31.5KHz for NTSC, 31.25KHz for PAL).
- Output resolution ; NTSC (60Hz) 858 x 525 PAL (50Hz) 864 x 625
- YpbPr (works for all consoles with Ypbpr input).
- Automatically memorizes your adjustments.
- Plug and play installation.
- With power supply (110V or 220-240V) and a Multi-Ypbpr cable. ...