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A few places are listing the possibility of a Western release for G.Rev's Senko no Ronde Rev.X (now being billed as Senko no Rondo). This being the 360 port of the eclectic arcade versus shmup. Apparently, Ubisoft is responsible for taking the publishing torch on this one but no official announcement has been made as yet to clarify that fact (the game isn't listed on their respective sites). I have my robot fingers crossed on this (despite already owning the Japanese limited edition release, which I have played rather obsessively anyway). ...

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Spectral Force 3 ~Innocent Rage~ was Idea Factory's first next-gen SRPG, and it came out for the Xbox 360 back in June. Now the company is preparing two more releases for the 360, both of which are remakes of two of their most successful PS2 titles. Diario: Rebirth Moon Legend, a remake of Rebirth Moon Legend, is due out on the 8th of this month, and Absolute Blazing Infinity, a remake of Blazing Souls, set in the Neverland universe, is scheduled for the 29th of March.

Strange, isn't it? Spectral Force 3 sold a paltry number of copies, and yet the Idea's factory keeps churning them out[/cheap pun]. Of course they are merely remakes, and I doubt whether the slightly enhanced graphics or the extra content (some of which will be downloadable) will persuade anyone to replay these games, but will they manage to attract new players? It's all highly doubtful, and for a company as calculating as this I can only assume that MS is somehow making this worth their while. Meanwhile, Mist of Chaos is coming out on the PS3 about a month later than expected (so the street date is now the 22nd of March), and, as a brand-new title and the console's first SRPG, it will certainly attract most of the attention. ...

It looks like the PlayStation 3 isn't the only major piece of console hardware that will be released in Australia in March. Microsoft has announced it is finally bringing the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player into Australia on March 29, one week after the PS3 makes its local debut.

The add-on player, which was released in the US last November, will retail for A$249, and will be packaged with a remote control and a copy of director Peter Jackson's King Kong. The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player can play movies in 720p, 1080i, and 1080p high-definition resolutions.

A Microsoft Australia spokesman said that close to 40 HD DVD titles would be available in Australia by the date of the 360 player's release.

via gamespot ...

via engadget

So, you're a man's man, and while you might very well enjoy a game of Wii Tennis now and then, or launching a plunger or three at those dagnab Rabbids, you're getting tired of looking like a spazmo kid while you're at it. We're not sure about the spazmo part, but it won't be hard for people to take you seriously when you start waving this Wiimote gun mod thing around. Due to the limitations of machine translation, we're not too sure on the details of this hack, other than the fact that the trigger has been indeed wired to the Wiimote's B button, and that the original gun is an alarmingly realistic BB number that most likely would not be legal in the States without some sort of orange paintjob, and even then, we don't really recommend doing anything stupid with your own version of this -- don't even try and deny it, we bet you're already ordering up the materials -- 'cause Jack Bauer might just have to take you down.

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Word that a new WipEout game is in development has come from an interview with Develop magazine with Clemens Wangerin, development director for Sony's Liverpool studio.

Wangerin wouldn't give away much at all (just the above) and there was no one around at Sony when we tried to contact them. All eyes on GDC next month for an announcement? We'll see.

via cvg ...

Following the publication of financial results which reveal Electronic Arts to be the number one publisher on Sony, Microsoft and PC platforms, the company has set its sights firmly on the Nintendo Wii and DS.

In its latest conference call, the publisher revealed it has 15 SKUs in development for Nintendo formats - including a DS version of Will Wright's new project, Spore, Sims spin-off My Sims and a selection of imarket-leading sports franchises.

"We have shifted and acquired resources and are attacking these successful platforms," commented CFO Warren Jenson. "In short, we're on it."

The bullish statements follow the announcement of record revenues totalling US $1.281 billion, and the revelation that EA is the number one publisher in North America and Europe on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC and PSP.

However, CEO Larry Probst conceded that EA would struggle to take Nintendo's place as the number one publisher on its own formats, making do with second place.

"On the Nintendo platforms, we think that we can be very a strong number two," he said.

"Clearly, Nintendo will always be number one on the Wii and DS, but we think we have a realistic goal of being number two, with a market share goal of 15-20 per cent," detailed Probst.

The recent purchase in December of Headgate Studios, which will be a Wii-exclusive developer, is one of the foundations behind the renewed focus, with Jensen noting the company will also be devoting additional resources to DS production.

"With regards to the Wii platform, at least initially, it seems like it's expanding the overall market and expanding the demographic of users and people that purchase software, and we think that's a good thing," said Probst.

via gibiz ...

Rockstar has proven that Western developed titles do have an audience in Japan, with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas making its debut at number one in the regional charts.

Published by Capcom in Japan, the PlayStation 2 title has sold over 227,000 units on the first week of release.

While last week saw the debut of Microsoft's Gears of War in the top ten, this week the game is entirely absent from the top fifty games in Japan.

Namco's The Idol Master is the only Xbox 360 title in the top twenty, while From Software's Enchanted Arms is the only PS3 game in the top fifty, at number 29.

The Nintendo DS continues to enjoy healthy sales in the region, shifting over 194,600 units in the past week, with Wii sales reaching over 83,750.

Sony has sold 35,700 PSP units in the past seven days, with the PlayStation 2 outselling the PlayStation 3, with 20,995 and 19,996 units, respectively. The Xbox 360 sold just over 7360 units.

The Japanese top twenty software titles are:

01. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)

02. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker (DS)

03. Sangokushi Taisen DS (DS)

04. Picross DS (DS)

05. Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS)

06. Wii Sports (Wii)

07. Wario: The Seven (DS)

08. Wii Play (Wii)

09. Pachinko Winter Sonata (PS2)

10. More Brain Age (DS)

11. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)

12. Common Knowledge Training (DS)

13. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS)

14. Prince of Tennis: Doki-Doki Survival (DS)

15. The Idolm@ster (Xbox 360)

16. Mario Kart DS (DS)

17. Pokemon Diamond (DS)

18. English Training (DS)

19. Brain Training (DS)

20. Shining Force EXA (PS2)

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Electronic Arts has revealed record revenues of US $1.281 billion (EUR 983 million) for the Christmas period, driven by key franchises that dominated the charts in North America and Europe.

Need for Speed Carbon, FIFA 07, The Sims 2 Pets and Madden NFL all sold over three million units each, helping the third-party publisher beat analyst estimates and prompting renewed interest in company shares, which climbed over US $2 to US $52.80.

FIFA 07 was EA's biggest seller in Europe, with six million copies sold across the globe since launch. The Sims 2 has now shifted 10 million units, accompanied by 5 million copies of The Sims 2 Pets.

Need for Speed Carbon sold over eight million copies in North America and Europe during the period, while Madden NFL 07 has sold the same amount since launch.

Next-generation products accounted for 32 per cent revenue share in North America, with EA the number one publisher on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC and PSP in North America and Europe.

"We are pleased with the performance of our products on next-generation consoles," commented Larry Probst, CEO of EA.

"In the year ahead, we plan to build on our leadership position on both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, and to significantly increase support for the Nintendo platforms."

Profits were down 38 per cent to US $160 million (EUR 122.8m), down from the previous year results of US $259 million (EUR 198.9m). North America was the strongest performing region, with net revenues up three per cent to US $637 million (EUR 489.2m), while Europe saw a rise in revenue of one per cent to US 583 million (EUR 447.7m).

Revenues in Asia were down 19 per cent to US $61 million (EUR 46.8m), and currency exchange rates impacted revenue by US $33 million (EUR 25.3m).

via gibiz ...

Attention soldiers, it's time for more information from the frontlines of Halo 3 development, as another weapon update populates the Bungie website.

This time our reticules are set on the Spartan Laser, known by us professionals as the M6 G/GNR. Crucial information tells us it weighs in at a hefty 19.07 kg, has a muzzle velocity of 299792458 m/s and a unit replacement cost of cR. 2180000.00 - which apparently is quite a lot.

In more realistic terms it's a heavy and powerful weapon that's slow to fire. Acting mainly as an anti-vehicle weapon, it requires a three-second charge before the devastating beam erupts from the nozzle, taking down more or less anything in its path.

As with the the previous assault rifle and Mongoose announcements, there's some quotes from the men-at-arms who've encountered or used this piece of kit.

"I engaged an enemy chopper at a range of [blanked out] meters," boasted one soldier, stroking his handle-bar moustache. "The target immediately erupted into flames. Both vehicle and rider were eliminated."

Another added: "the M6 is one of those rare systems that simultaneously boosts morale, degrades the fighting spirit of the enemy and actually performs admirably as a weapon."

Don't forget that you can experience all this for yourself if you happen to get in to the multiplayer beta test that starts in spring. Currently the only way in is to purchase a copy of Crackdown, which is actually shaping up to be a pretty good game in its own right

via eurogamer ...