news via teamxbox

Boy, the guys at Bizarre Creations sure do know a thing or two about crafting flashy, addictive casual games, huh? While the company is best known as the developer of the stellar Project Gotham Racing series, we’d be willing to bet that more people have played their “other” title, a little game called Geometry Wars. Although it could be unlocked in PGR3, the game was still one of the most downloaded Xbox Live Arcade titles, developing a rabid following of fans. Now the Liverpool-based team is hard at work on their follow-up, which will be published by Electronic Arts and should be hitting XBLA sometime this spring.

Boom Boom Rocket is a rhythm game that tasks players with setting off fireworks in time to the beat of a song. Like so many rhythm games before it (most notably Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero), you’ll have to hit your cues at the right time to earn points. The fireworks will move upward from the bottom of the screen, and each of them will be colored to correspond with one of the four face buttons. All you’ve got to do is hit that button just as the cue hits the line near the top of the screen, at which point your performance will be rated and you’ll earn some points.

Sounds pretty simple, huh? At first glance, the gameplay looks fairly straightforward, but there are a number of elements that will force you to strategize a bit. When the action kicks off, the points you score will only be multiplied by one, but the more you score the higher your multiplier becomes. This is reflected in the gauge on the top of the screen, and you’ll notice it start to sparkle once you fill it up for the fourth time (the gauge also acts as a life bar of sorts, since the game ends once it is empty). At that point, you can hit one of the triggers to enter the bonus mode, during which any points you score will be multiplied by sixteen. However, it pays to think before you enter the bonus mode, as it’ll run out quickly, particularly if there’s a lull in the music.

Boom Boom Rocket features some very interesting musical selections, each of which is based on a famous classical tune. They’ve all been remixed with a hip techno beat, but you’ll likely instantly recognize many of them. This makes playing the game quite a bit easier, and the game’s producer said that they wanted to make it accessible to just about anyone. The titles have been changed a bit, too, sporting names like “1812 Overdrive,” “Hall of the Mountain Dude,” and “Rave New World.” Alas, you won’t be able to add your own tunes, but there will be some downloadable content available sometime after the game is released.

In addition to the straight-up single player mode, there are quite a few other gametypes to keep you busy. Endurance finds the same song playing over and over, and you’ve got to complete the requisite number of “laps” in order to survive. Naturally, the music speeds up from one lap to the next, so you’ll be furiously hitting buttons by the end. There are also a few head-to-head multiplayer games which are a lot of fun, although we were a bit saddened to hear that they won’t be playable over Xbox Live. The game will also ship with a visualizer of some sort, as well as a mode that allows anyone to just hit buttons and set off as many fireworks as they want. Perfect for the kiddies!

We had a great time playing Boom Boom Rocket, even on the hardest difficulty level (trust me, it’s frustratingly tough). The game adeptly combines beautiful visuals, interesting music, and accessible gameplay to create one of the year’s most intriguing Xbox Live Arcade titles. It’s a blast to play with friends, and the fact that they’ve included a number of cool extras helps to make it one game you won’t want to miss. We’ll be bringing you more information on Boom Boom Rocket in the coming months!

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news via scoop

First 4,000 New Zealand PS3 Registrants on PLAYSTATION®Network to be Rewarded with Casino Royale on Blu-ray

23rd February 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand (SCE NZ) confirmed today that, in addition to the extensive line-up of games, the first 4,000 purchasers of PLAYSTATION®3 who registered on the PLAYSTATION®Network will receive a Blu-ray disc movie of Casino Royale, starring James Bond newcomer Daniel Craig.

Casino Royale, which has already grossed more than US$560 million at the box office worldwide, and has established itself as the most successful Bond film of all time will debut on a 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray disc encoded in MPEG-4 AVC. With a ground breaking collection of added-value features in 1080P High Definition visual quality, and with uncompressed audio features for the best possible audio experience, Casino Royale not only demonstrates the exceptional visual quality of Full 1080P High Definition movies on Blu-ray disc, but is the perfect vehicle to highlight the broader entertainment credentials of the PLAYSTATION 3 system.

Explaining the offer, Warwick Light, General Manager of Sales and Marketing said, “The PLAYSTATION®Network unlocks the broad range of interactive entertainment features of PLAYSTATION 3. It’s a simple set up, it offers free online gaming, has an array of tools for staying in touch with friends and family, and includes a wide variety of content for download through the PLAYSTATION®Store.”

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news via psu

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced that the PlayStation 3 to be launched in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australasia on 23rd March 2007 would utilize a new hardware specification.

The European PS3 will feature the Cell Broadband Engine, 60 GB hard disc drive, Blu-ray Disc player, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, SIXAXIS wireless controller (as with the US and Japanese PS3 units). It also embodies a new combination of hardware and software emulation which will enable the PS3 to be compatible with a broad range of original PlayStation titles and a limited range of PlayStation 2 titles.

This means we won’t be seeing the 100% backwards compatibility feature that Sony promised we’d all have sometime ago, although Sony did say that additional PS2 games will become compatible on the PS3 system through regular downloadable firmware updates.

“PS3 is first and foremost a system that excels in playing games specifically designed to exploit the power and potential of the PS3 system,” said David Reeves, President of SCEE. “Games designed for PS3 offer incredible graphics quality, stunning gameplay and massively improved audio and video fidelity that is simply not achievable with PS and PS2 games. Rather than concentrate on PS2 backwards compatibility, in the future, company resources will be increasingly focused on developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, truly taking advantage of this exciting technology.”

You’ll be able to check which games work by visiting this website: http://faq.eu.playstation.com/bc.

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news via clickz

Video game enthusiasts can be a fairly loyal and at times a very snarky bunch, so I wasn't too surprised when a few game developer friends of mine tipped me off to this video floating around the Internet about Sony's PS3 sales woes verses the Microsoft Xbox 360.

But as the song repeats its chorus of "How You Killed Your Brand" intermixed with samples of Phil Harrison, the president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, supposedly hemming and hawing over answers to questions, and even several shots of PS3 declining sales charts, I was hard pressed not to chuckle at things as well.

A brief search on my part failed to uncover where the video came from, aside from the fact that it was recorded by someone named Doc Adams, but it's hard not to smell some of Microsoft's hand in things. If viral marketing is all the rage, was viral mudslinging not too far behind? Or perhaps some viral dancing on graves?

Still, it's a catchy tune!

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news via psu

The PlayStation 3 version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will not have downloadable content available when it is released, even though the Xbox 360 and PC versions did.

Pete Hines, PR Vice President of Bethesda said: “You could point to any number of factors for why that is. Although it's impossible to say which is the better between [Xbox Live, PS Network], Xbox Live is easier to implement because we've had a much better sense of it at an earlier stage than with PS3”.

The company did say that it’ll be releasing extra content for the PS3 version of Oblivion at a later date.

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news via newtech

When the PS3 is out in Europe and Australia this March, the units sold will have no Emotion Engine like the ones sold in Japan and US. Instead Sony will use emulation software to play back PS2 and PS1 games.

Sony is doing this to cut manufacturing costs but also functionality, as the new version will play fewer games developed for the PlayStation and PS2 than the U.S. and Japanese version. This is an utter disgrace especially the unit sold in Europe and Australia is more costly.

It is time to boycott Sony products. Go buy a Nintendo Wii and/or a XBox 360 instead!

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news via el33online

The latest Japanese sales data released by tracking firm Media Create reveals that Virtua Fighter 5 has fallen from the top of the charts to 25th in the space of a week. It remains the sole PS3 game in the top 50 games sold in the week of 12th to 18th of February 2007. Japanese video game sales are usually quite front-loaded in that a large portion of their sales are made in the first week, but this is a surprising result for the anticipated title.

The PS3 console itself kept a fairly steady 20676 units sold, which is still a lot less than its main rival, Nintendo's Wii with 63618 units sold. The DS dropped a lot from the previous week with 136999 sales (down from just over 200000) but, as has been the case for a year now, it is significantly supply constrained. The PSP has kept a very steady pace, selling 34505 this week, up 2000 from the previous week.

Prof. Layton and the Mysterious Village Japan BoxLevel 5 made their publishing debut with Prof. Layton and the Mysterious Village on the Nintendo DS in the week and managed to top the charts with a very healthy 136736 copies sold. Level 5 are best known for developing Dragon Quest 8 and the Dark Cloud series, but up to now have not published a title themselves. The rest of the top 5 were also all new releases, shared between the PSP, DS and PS2.

Sony will be looking forward to the next few weeks with big releases coming out for PSP in Monster Hunter Portable 2 (this week) and for the PS3 in Gundam Musou (next week). Monster Hunter Portable, by Capcom, is expected to have first week sales of over 500000.

This coming week also sees the release of Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn and a new Naruto game for the Wii as well as Sim City DS and Metal Slug PSP for their respective platforms.

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news via worthplaying

At home or on the go, challenge the world's top golfers in all-new PGA TOUR Mode, featuring training sessions, practice, and The FedEx Cup, the new PGA TOUR championship playoff system. Hone your skills in the all-new Shooting Gallery, then play as or against 11 players, including John Daly, on 12 championship courses.

Earn respect and climb the ranks with the Tiger Challenge in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07. The top-selling golf video game franchise is packed with new content, including 18 championship courses and 35 pro and fantasy golfers. Use the cutting edge Wii controller to swing the clubs like the pros. Perfect using the Wii-mote interface for enhanced interaction with the game.

key console Features

* The power and control of every swing are literally in your hands. Whether you tilt the Wii-mote to hook and slice the ball or swing away for a long straight drive, the Wii’s innovative game controller provides the most realistic golfing experience that has ever been felt or seen. The Nunchuk can also be attached for the traditional analog swing.
* With new True Aiming, survey the layout and weigh the risks before each shot, then hit away with life-like Wii Remote swing system, making the quest for the perfect ball just a little tougher.
* Use the Wii-mote’s point and click interface to move the new golf glove, grab the True-Aiming circle and position your shots for true-to-life accuracy.
* Put your skills to the test with eight Arcade games, or challenge your friends in 12 multiplayer game modes.
* Travel the globe in a single player tour to 18 Championship courses, take on PGA TOUR Pro golfers through the new Arcade Modes and unlock the fantasy golfers as you climb the ranks to take on Tiger Woods himself.
* The race to become the top golfer in the world is based on FedExCup points earned at every tournament during the season.
* Train yourself and your character to hit like the pros. Use the instructional tutorials to learn how to effectively use the Wii-mote or flip on the Practice Mode during course play to dial-in your swing.
* Featuring 35 of the game’s best pro and fantasy players, including Tiger Woods, John Daly, Vijay Singh, and Annika Sorenstam, the most decorated golfer on the LPGA TOUR®.
* New PGA TOUR licensed courses include Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, and many more.
* The innovative character creation tool is revamped with deeper modifications, more apparel, equipment licenses, and specialty items.
* The announcing dream team of David Feherty and Gary McCord provide commentary and irreverent observations during every round.
* Challenge yourself with the new adjustable difficulty levels and golf as a novice to a championship pro. Change the swing sensitivity for enhanced draws and fades.
* With 480p Widescreen support and improved texture resolution for skydomes and greens, the courses are sharper and more realistic than ever!
* Swing away and hear the crack of the club as it impacts on the ball through the Wii-mote’s integral sound system.

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news via engadget



Apparently not content with simply selling other company's wares, Gamestop has decided to get in on the Wii accessory madness itself, introducing its own line of Wii add-ons of varying utility. Sure to attract more than a few stares is the company's Afterglow Cooler (pictured above), which promises to keep the already cool console even cooler, with some blue LED lighting adding some justification for the $15 price tag. The rest of Gamestop's accessories take on the ever-expandable Wiimote, including a $10 silicon grip that replaces the controller's battery cover to reduce slippage (check it out after the break), and a full compliment of now-familiar Wii Sports accessories (also viewable after the break), available in a bundle for $20. Look for the whole lot to be available sometime before the end of this quarter.

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