In the wake of the news that Sony won't be launching PS3 in Europe until March 2007, we were keen to find out what Microsoft's official response - not just the obvious unofficial whooping, cheering and high-fiving - to the bombshell would be. And this is what Neil Thompson, Microsoft's UK director of Home and Entertainment Division, told us:

"We know how challenging it is to pull off a global launch, so it's not surprising that Sony has backed away from its previously announced launch plan due to the unproven technology it is trying to pack in to its console.

"Europe remains a priority for us and that is why gamers have been able to experience Xbox 360 from day one and why we're confident that we're going to have a great Christmas, regardless of what competitors are or are not in the market. Xbox 360 will have over 160 high-definition games including Viva Pinata from Rare, Gears of War from Epic, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 from Konami and FIFA 2007 from EA, a growing and innovating online gaming service, fantastic entertainment capabilities, optional HD-DVD capability and a great-value price.

"These factors will help us reach our goal of 10 million consoles sold worldwide by the end of the year."

So, while diplomatically sympathetic, Microsoft is keen to reinforce the fact that it is delivering the next-gen era in Europe right now, while Sony is still some way from the starting blocks.

Of course, with nearly 40 million PS2s shipped in Europe to date, Microsoft - and the rest of us - knows better than to underestimate the power of PlayStation. We'll just have to see what happens in Christmas 2007... ...

New from Lik Sang:



Product Features

Protect your Xbox 360 wireless controler against damage

Tough case, with secure zip

Description

Protective carry case stylistically designed to keep your Xbox 360 wireless controller protected from minor bumps, drops or scratches

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News from Lik Sang

Over in Japan the Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) has always been a fascinating subject for films and stories, providing a dark atmosphere but with an interesting sense of honor, respect, and loyalty. Last year however for the first time Sega let people experience that seedy underworld for themselves with a free roaming PS2 action adventure title. Costing a massive US$ 21 million to produce, it was right up there with the most expensive titles ever made, but it also scored a whopping 37 / 40 from Famitsu, a sequel is already due for release this Christmas in Japan, and a feature length Japanese movie based on the game is in the works too. We're looking at it this week though because the US port is arriving and it boasts an impressive voice talent of Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Sin City, Kill Bill), Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor in Smallville), Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bring It On), Rachel Leigh Cook (She's All That, and the voice of Tifa in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children) and Mark Hamill (Star Wars, Wing Commander, Batman: New Times).

The storyline was penned by an award winning Japanese novelist, Seishu Hase, and stars Kazuma Kiryu, previously a rough member of the Yakuza who has been locked up for a decade after taking the blame for a friends mistake. Now not a moment after getting out he's was back in the world of dank allies, dive bars and dodgy strip clubs, but the rules of the game have changed however. That's where you and complex story including over a dozen intricately detailed chapters begins. The designers went to great lengths to authentically re-create the city streets and illicit haunts of Tokyo's nightlife district, and the graphics are some of the best seen on the PS2. As you get into street brawls the fighting engine lets you string together attack combos to take out multiple enemies or grab and use in-game objects as weapons. Your strength, stamina, and skills can be upgraded, and a heat gauge is powered up by pulling off perfect combos. You can also accumulate weapons and items, engage in numerous side missions, interrogate and bribe informants, gamble, and even stop in one of the many shops or hit baseballs in a batting cage if that takes your fancy. Those after a deep adventure set in a world unseen in videogames to date should pick up the US release of Yakuza today. ...

News from Lik Sang

Nearing the all exciting final quarter of the year, this month heats up with loads of major releases, plus the Tokyo Game Show takes place Sep 22nd to 24th. Beyond the four hits this week, there's Mario Hoops 3 on 3 US next Monday on the 11th for the DS, then on the 14th Ridge Racers 2 US drifts onto the PSP. The following Tue on the 19th Naruto Clash of the Ninja 2 US finally hits the Cube, while on the 21st PSP owners can pick up Metal Gear Solid Bande Dessinee for only US$ 29.90! Looking to the last week there's Mario vs Donkey Kong 2 US for the DS on the 25th, then DDR SuperNova US dances it's way onto the PS2 on the 26th, and finally on the 28th the NDS gets Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl.

Tales of Phantasia - PSP

Along with a major Windows release, the craze over a techno remix of Cotton Eyed Joe, the revealing of a standard called "DVD", and the, err, Drew Carey Show, 1995 was also the year Namco's now legendary "Tales of" series began, with Tales of Phantasia being the first of 10 (and counting!) RPG's. The original impressed with a perfectly paced storyline that grew and twisted into something much bigger, innovative gameplay mechanics and wonderfully detailed graphics. The characters were born from the mind of Kosuke Fujishima, who also produced manga like Oh My Goddess!, and games such as Sakura Wars, Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss. The memorable music was put together by Motoi Sakuraba, who also composed the soundtracks to far more games than we can list here like Star Ocean, Valkyrie Profile, Golden Sun, Shining Force III, Baten Kaitos, and titles in the Tales of series; Symphonia, Destiny 1 & 2, Eternia, Rebirth and the Abyss.

The first title was a SNES game, then the sequel came to the PlayStation. A year after that however, the original was ported to the PS1 too, later followed by a GBA edition in 2003. It wasn't until this year however that the game was translated into English, when Namco contracted Nintendo to handle it and release it in March across Europe and the US. Back to the PS1 remake however, it ran on an updated engine from the sequel, and now makes it onto the PSP. Along with improved graphics, characters received more moves and spells, plus features common today such as cooking, titles and the ability to control any party member all made their debut in the remake. There were a slew of other changes too, such as a fully animated intro, extra side quests, a new character and summon, plus a less intense random battle encounter rate. This PSP edition enhances it all further still though with a revamped battle system, newly created sprites which match last years PSP remake, Tales of Eternia, and while the SNES original was noted as the first title to include streaming voice samples, here the PSP port has full voice overs. Arriving this week, it's your chance to witness the birth of a legacy, and since the PSP is region free, the game will run on any unit worldwide.

Ghosts 'n' Goblins Ultimate - PSP (US)

In just their second year of producing arcade games Capcom gave the world its own take on the classic hero-saves-princess tale; Ghosts 'n’ Goblins. Over the next many years, Arthur, our main hero often seen running around in underwear after suffering a blow, was blessed across sequels and home console ports with upgrades like new moves, weapons, armor and magic power ups. Then he largely faded away into a classic memory, but this week the true Capcom legend comes back to life with the US edition of Ghosts 'n' Goblins Ultimate on the PSP, and at the hands of the original's creator no less! With side scrolling 3D graphics staying true to the glorious past while still packing a modern look, there's more spells and weapons than ever before here and plenty of non-linear gameplay with new branching levels. Defeating enemies with your huge weapon arsenal like a grand lance, dagger, fire bottle, spinal whip (ouch!), swallow blade and more, you'll venture through a dark forest, a frozen old castle, some seriously messed up swamp and a fiery lava-flooded environment just to name a few. Along with the trailer and TV commercial, check out this hilarious attempt at a "real-life" Arthur:

Many of Capcom titles are known to be a serious challenge, but the new checkpoint system help balance this out, plus as the game progresses you'll earn a double jump, the ability to hang off ledges and dash. Beyond that, the new inventory and magic structure lets you cycle through your shields and spells with L & R, then you can roast some demon butt with Inferno Magic or slow down the action with Time Magic (a very neat 2D bullet time feature). To not feel naked and offer increasing protection, there are four different armor items to pick up as well. Honestly where else do you get to fight godforsaken, mummified dragons with a boomerang scythe wearing nuthin' but your undies? Hell yeah. So grab your copy today, and thanks to the handheld's true region-free capability it'll play on any PSP system ...

New for Xbox 360:



Kengo Zero is the latest installment in Genki's famous samurai simulator. For this episode, the player does not follow a scenario but instead fights like in a beat' em all moving from stages to stages to face stronger opponents. Battle stages vary greatly and include historical places like Ganryuujima where Musashia Miyamoto and Kojirou Sasaki battled against each other. The battle system is similar to the previous episodes and relies on observation and strategy.



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New RPG released for the DS:



More Info --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...3&lsaid=219793 ...

New RPG released for the DS:



More Info --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...3&lsaid=219793 ...

New Commercial Game for DS:



I havent got a clue what this games about

More info --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...1&lsaid=219793 ...

New Commercial Game for DS:



I havent got a clue what this games about

More info --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...1&lsaid=219793 ...