Hot on the heels of this week's announcement of seven more songs for the 1980s-themed Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, Activision has announced the first batch of songs for Guitar Hero III. The full list for the latest rhythm game, first revealed during an earnings call earlier in the year, is below--and contains many tracks by the original artists:

ORIGINAL RECORDINGS:
"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour
"Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones
"Cherub Rock" by Smashing Pumpkins
"Sabotage" by Beastie Boys
"The Metal" by Tenacious D
"My Name Is Jonas" by Weezer
"Knights of Cydonia" by Muse


COVER SONGS:
"Rock And Roll All Nite" as made famous by Kiss
"School's Out" as made famous by Alice Cooper
"Slow Ride" as made famous by Foghat
"Barracuda" as made famous by Heart


The company also confirmed that the game would be getting two new controllers--a Gibson Les Paul guitar model for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii consoles, and a Gibson Kramer guitar for the PlayStation 2. Both controllers will be wireless.

The new game will also get a host of new features, including a "multiplayer action-inspired battle mode," and authentic rock venues. An expanded online multiplayer mode will allow gamers to compete with other guitar heroes worldwide.

RedOctane's head of publishing, Dusty Welch, said that the team had listened to fans' requests for this edition of the game. He commented, "Many of the top bands and songs we've tried to get in the past are now on board, and we've definitely got some giant aces in the hole to say the least."

Guitar Hero III is due for release on the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii this "fall." It will be the first full-fledged entry in the series to be developed by Activision's in-house studio Neversoft--the first two Guitar Hero games were made by Harmonix.

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With Killzone 2's release date still very much up in the air--more information is expected at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in July--it looked like there would be no PlayStation 3-exclusive first-person-shooter counterweight to Halo 3 this fall.

That is no longer the case.

This morning, Ubisoft revealed that the PS3 is now the "lead platform" for Free Radical's forthcoming shooter, Haze. Originally set for a release on the Xbox 360, PC, and PS3 this spring, the game will now debut solely on the PS3 this fall.


Haze MantelCorp wants you!
Watch | Download In fact, the fact sheet provided by Ubisoft no longer lists the PC or Xbox 360 versions of the game, prompting some speculation that it may become PS3-exclusive. The UK Haze site for the game also only bears the PS3 logo, although the American Haze site still sports the Xbox 360 and PC-DVD logos at its bottom.

When contacted by GameSpot, Ubisoft reps were somewhat cagey. "Haze is leading on PS3, but no exclusivity for any platform has been officially announced," a spokesperson said. This leaves open the possibility that the game could arrive on the 360 and PC sometime in 2008.

Set in the year 2048, Haze foresees a near future where megacorporations dominate the planet with private armies. Players assume the role of a solider for one corporation, Mantel, which outfits its troops with high-tech weaponry and biomechanical serums. For more information, check out GameSpot's latest Haze impressions.

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Japanese cast of handheld remakes remake appear at Square Enix Party, leak some additional tidbits of information; no new Star Ocean 4 details.

MAKUHARI--Two days ago, Square Enix announced it is resurrecting the first two installments of its Star Ocean series on the PSP with new characters and voice acting. Today at the Square Enix Party 2007, the publisher revealed the voice cast for the two new games, Star Ocean: First Departure and Star Ocean: Second Evolution. The roster of actors that will be playing the main roles in the two titles is listed below.

PSP Star Ocean characters will be quite chatty, apparently.
Star Ocean: First Departure
Ratix Farrence - Mamoru Miyano
Milly Kiliet - Hitomi Nabatame
Marvel Frozen - Houko Kuwashima
Fear Mell - Megumi Toyoguchi


Star Ocean: Second Evolution
Claude C. Kenni - Daisuke Namikawa
Rena Lanford - Nana Mizuki
Dias Flac - Tomokazu Sugita
Precis F. Neumann - Rie Kugimiya


Early in the morning, Square Enix held a stage show featuring the voice actors together, which attracted an attendance of well over 600 people. As happens during many live events, the voice actors leaked some extra tidbits of information that weren't disclosed at the press conference two days ago.

While Square Enix previously confirmed that the games will feature voices, they didn't clarify how much dialogue they would contain. The actors confirmed that the game will feature extensive vocal work, including conversations in the "private action" system. Rena Lanford voice actress Nana Mizuki commented that she literally received a box full of scripts at her office, all of which was just for Second Evolution.

The developers are taking their time and effort in making the PSP Star Oceans more than just simple remakes. In a statement, series producer Yoshinori Yamagishi said that he wants the remake to feel as though they're completely new games. Apparently, he's not just saying that. The voice actors revealed that, despite the games' lengthy scripts, they still haven't started recording yet. As it turns out, the scripts aren't yet finished, due to the addition of extensive new scenarios and characters.

Square Enix didn't disclose any new details on Star Ocean 4, which was also announced this week during its stage show at the Party. "We are currently hard at work in making Star Ocean 4 (working title), so that it will be worthy of being considered the latest installment in the series," was all Yamagishi's statement said.

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Activision to bring a dose of nostalgia to the popular game series, with 30 tracks from the era including originals from Flock of Seagulls, Twisted Sister.

One of the worst-kept secrets in the games industry is finally out. After weeks of rumors, Activision has finally confirmed that Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s is in the works. So far, the game has only been confirmed for the PlayStation 2 and will take the retail stage in the US and Europe sometime this summer.

Seven songs out of the total 30 have so far been announced, but they run the genre gamut. It will feature "as made famous" covers of "Round and Round" by Ratt, "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow, "Metal Health" by Quiet Riot, "Holy Diver" by Ronnie James Dio, and "Heat of the Moment" by Asia. It will also sport two original tracks: Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran" and "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister. The game will also feature retro rock venues, unlockable guitars, and a variety of "intense" gameplay modes.

RedOctane's head of publishing, Dusty Welch, commented, "The 80s features an amazing variety of rock genres from hair metal to punk to new wave, and our dedicated Guitar Hero fans will definitely appreciate the opportunity to play all the new and exciting content we've added."

One thing Welch didn't comment on was the fact that Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s is being developed by Harmonix. Though it developed the first two guitar heroes, the rhythm-game studio has since been purchased by MTV, and announced in March it is making a Guitar Hero rival called Rock Band with Electronic Arts. Activision-owned Neversoft, maker of the Tony Hawk series, has since taken over Guitar Hero development. It will presumably be making Guitar Hero III, due out later this year for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

RedOctane founder and president Kai Huang had previously confirmed to GameSpot that the company would be looking to work on a variety of different genres for upcoming Guitar Hero, and that one of the options would be to offer these packs as extra downloadable content. However, the PS2 edition of Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s edition will be coming out in the more traditional boxed format.

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Sequel to popular Grand Theft Auto-style free-range crime game to debut on both Sony's and Microsoft's consoles next year; PS3 port of original canceled.

Saints Row for the PlayStation 3 is no more. During a conference call with analysts after THQ's earnings report today, CFO Edward Zinser revealed the port, which was originally slated for release during this quarter, has been canceled. He said that as a result the California-based publisher is revising its guidance for the April-June quarter, the first of its fiscal year, downward.

THQ CEO Brian Farrell explained the logic behind the cancellation thusly to analysts: "We think the most important thing for the Saints Row franchise is to have a simultaneous ship into a larger installed base next year," he said. "We think the bigger opportunity is a multiplatform launch."

As one might deduce from Farrell's comments, THQ has reallocated all Saints Row resources at its internal studio, Volition, to work on a sequel. The game, which currently has no official title, will ship simultaneously on the PS3 and 360 sometime next year. Further details on the second Saints Row were scant, with THQ saying only that the game would "utilize Volition's proprietary open-world engine and deliver an all-new cross-platform gaming experience." Farrell did tell analysts the game had been in the works for "some time."

Released last August as a 360 exclusive, Saints Row was praised by critics as being the first free-roaming urban crime game to be worthy of comparison to Grand Theft Auto. It also benefited from the fact no GTA game was released for next-gen consoles in 2006, selling nearly 700,000 copies in the US alone, according to industry research group NPD Funworld. The game has topped over 1 million copies worldwide, and recently achieved Platinum Hits status. Perhaps not so-coincidentally, there are no console versions of Grand Theft Auto planned for 2008.

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http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3159370

So many games folks, have been announced only in this short preview:

---Star Ocean 4 (PS3)

---Star Ocean First Departure (PSP)

---Star Ocean Second Evolution (PSP)

---Last Remnant (PS3 and Xbox360)

---Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac Job System (PS2)

----Chocobo Dungeon (Wii)

----Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates (NDS)

----Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Crystal Bearers (Wii)

A remake of the Star Ocean (SNES ver) and Star Ocean (PS1 ver), priceless...

also do not forget about FFIV DS, FFTacticsA2, FFTactics Lion War, FFXIII, FFVersusXIII, FFIA, FFIIA, FFXIIRW and FFDissidia people! ...

New Ken Rolston-led project will sally forth on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in 2009.

More details are slowly emerging about the new Ken Rolston-led role-playing game--THQ has announced it has entered into a "development agreement" with studio Big Huge Games to bring the new RPG to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC platforms in 2009.

Rolston, who has 25 years' experience in RPG design, began his career working on pen-and-paper RPGs, including games and supplements for Paranoia, Warhammer, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, and Rune Quest. His most recent video game projects have been Bethesda Softworks' massive fantasy RPGs The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

In February 2007, Rolston put off retirement and instead joined the Maryland-based Big Huge Games to work on an "original and cunning" RPG. Big Huge Games was founded in 2000 by four veteran game designers, with the original focus to be on "top quality strategy games." It has previously worked on gamees including Rise of Legends, Rise of Nations, and Catan, but with the hiring of Rolston, the company announced it would be branching out into the RPG realm for the first time.

Big Huge Games' president and COO, Tim Train, commented, "We've wanted to do an RPG for years and I think we have a great direction that will knock everyone's socks off." Lead designer Rolston, added, "I'm privileged to embark on a bold pilgrimage to create a refreshingly original RPG experience."

GameSpot will bring you more details on the project as and when more information becomes available.

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Closed beta for Sony's virtual world has started in Europe and a official release date announced:

The first phase of the European beta for PlayStation Home kicked off yesterday evening, starting with "a small group of both internal staff and known beta testers."

Sometime during "summer," the online community will be made available to a wider group of testers. Those who are interested in signing up can register their interest on the company's Web site.

Sony Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison first announced Home--billed as a community-based, three-dimensional sim for the PlayStation Network on the PlayStation 3 console--at this year's Game Developers Conference.

In the US, Sony confirmed that the beta would also run in two phases, with 15,000 users beta testing in April and 50,000 in August, although numbers have not been given for the European beta. Home is set for release in the US and Europe "around October or November time," according to SCEE's senior PR manager Jonathan Fargher.

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Closed beta for Sony's virtual world has started in Europe and a official release date announced:

The first phase of the European beta for PlayStation Home kicked off yesterday evening, starting with "a small group of both internal staff and known beta testers."

Sometime during "summer," the online community will be made available to a wider group of testers. Those who are interested in signing up can register their interest on the company's Web site.

Sony Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison first announced Home--billed as a community-based, three-dimensional sim for the PlayStation Network on the PlayStation 3 console--at this year's Game Developers Conference.

In the US, Sony confirmed that the beta would also run in two phases, with 15,000 users beta testing in April and 50,000 in August, although numbers have not been given for the European beta. Home is set for release in the US and Europe "around October or November time," according to SCEE's senior PR manager Jonathan Fargher.

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