via Computer and Video Games


We almost forgot a Wii version of Animal Crossing was on the cards, but Nintendo's Japan outfit has decided to remind us by slapping a dirty great "2008" release date on the dig-'em-up via a financial report.

Wii Music and Disaster: Day of Crisis have also been re-confirmed for 2008, along with a Wii Kirby game.

It's encouraging to see that the Wii instalment of Animal Crossing (announced alongside the 'Revolution' in 2005) finally has something that looks like a release date. But as its a Japanese date; North America and Europe could have to wait until 2009 before we get our dirty mitts on it (especially with all that text).

We still don't know anything about it either, although we reported on the MMO rumour (via Edge) late last year.

We'll be happy either way as long as Nintendo don't just do a quick "extra Wi-Fi and Famicom games" bodge job. No more N64 graphics, please! ...

via Games Industry


Burnout Paradise has crashed into the number one spot in the UK all formats charts, pushing aside a top ten of pre-Christmas releases.

Sales of the latest Electronic Arts' racer are fairly evenly split between the two formats – Xbox 360 accounts for 53 per cent of all units sold while 47 per cent is attributed to the PlayStation 3.

The first blockbuster releases of the new year knocks Sega's Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games off the top spot to number two, despite a sales increase over last week of seven per cent.

Activision's seven million-selling Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare also benefited from a rise in sales by five per cent, although it was also nudged down the charts to number three.

Continuing success for the Wii has seen Wii Play climb the charts from ten to four this week, while chart stalwart Dr Kawashima's Brain Training is at five.

The Simpsons Game and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed are at six and seven respectively, with FIFA 08 at eight.

THQ's Ratatouille is the biggest climber this week, shooting up the charts to number nine from last week's 30, while More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima completes the top ten at ten. ...

via Eurogamer


Ubisoft has pushed the release of Dark Messiah of Might & Magic Elements back one week to 15th February.

The latest release schedule for the publisher also shows delays for Assassin's Creed on PC and DS, which will now both be available on 28th March. The former was originally due on 1st March, while the latter was supposed to be out in February.

Meanwhile Haze PS3 and Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (Wii) have been slotted into the murky waters of Q1 - between April and June, in other words.

Earlier this year Ubisoft revealed it would push a handful of key titles into the latter half of 2008, including Far Cry 2, Tom Clancy's EndWar and Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Rake out your PS2 next month - a game that doesn't involve singling or answering pointless trivia questions is coming out and it's bloody good.

Persona 3 from Koei was very well received in the US, where it recently went on sale, and it'll be hitting UK stores on February 29.

As part of the Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona 3 is set in a Japanese school, with a unique time mechanic that sees you socialise with students and make friends during the day, almost like a life sim, then battle demons that emerge at night.

The UK Official PlayStation Magazine gave it a 10-out-of-10 score, Koei is keen to boast, so it's definitely a reason to put the PS3 to one side for a few weeks (unless you have a full-fat 60GB console that'll play your PS2 games as well).

Check out these screens for a taste of the action within.


Screenshots here ...

via IGN


Konami has kindly offered a helping hand to CRT-owning PlayStation 3 Pro Evolution 2008 players, with a new patch available today over the PlayStation Network ironing out frame-rate issues experienced by our lo-def cousins.

While it may come as a surprise to some that PS3 owners may still be hooking up their console to older televisions, the news will be welcomed by the large number of current-generation gamers yet to make the switch to HD, and marks a welcome stance from Konami following some other publishers shunning of older technologies.

The download will be initiated automatically upon next booting up PSN via the game. ...

via Computer and Video Games


West Yorkshire police have figured out an ingenious way to track down the owners of stolen Wiis; by using the console's Miis.

When a Wii was stolen by a 32-year-old man arrested earlier this month, the Northern (to us, anyway) coppers used the console's 16 Miis to call out for the poor original owner, who's left with only a Wii-shaped dust hole on their carpet.

16 Miis are stored on the system, say police, with names including Seb, Pheebes, Nicks and Evie. Sounds like it might've belonged to Pokemon trainer Gary.

"The Nintendo Wii looks new and is thought to have been stolen before January 1," said Officer Neil Johnson in a statement, possibly after eating a plate of Northern favourite chips 'n gravy.

"It may have been a Christmas present. If anyone has devised these characters listed and the Wii has gone missing, then please contact us urgently."

Police have the console's ID number and are calling for anyone who can claim the Wii to phone them.

The moral of this story then is clearly that if you're going to nick a Wii, delete the bloody Miis before you try and sell it down the pub. ...

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue will be available in the US from April 17 in shops or as a download. We're sitting tight about a European release date though...

Sony has sent word that the long awaited GT5 will be out in the US mid-April. Or a few weeks before GTA IV to be more precise. "It's official - SCEA announced today the April 17 North American ship date for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue" beams the official PlayStation blog.

Sony UK told us, "April 17 is a US date only. We have yet to confirm a release date for GT5 Prologue in Europe, and will do so in due course."

The title will be available for $39.99 [£20] on Blu-ray Disc or as a download via the PlayStation Store. Curiously Sony hasn't said how much cheaper the download version will be, if at all.

But if you opt for the Blu-ray version you'll also get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the game dubbed, Beyond the Apex, which translated into UK English means Round The Bend.

"This video will offer some awesome access to the folks at Polyphony and give some background on how they are able to create such a realistic and beautiful driving simulator," says Sony.

We're promised more in the run up, but if you can't wait that long take a look at our recent GT5 movies, taken straight from the Japanese version, which went on sale the other side of Christmas. It's all good.


Screenshots ...

via Games Industry


Sony is currently facing legal proceedings over the trademark Buzz, which it uses for the quiz series developed by UK team Relentless Software.

Buzztime Entertainment in the US had filed a suit against SCEE alleging the Buzz line of games violate a number of the company's trademarks while demanding that all infringing products be recalled and destroyed, along with a payment of damages, reports GameSpot.

The US company also alleges Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is guilty of "malicious, fraudulent, wilful and deliberate" violation of trademarks.

SCEE has acknowledged the lawsuit to GamesIndustry.biz, stating: "We are aware that a complaint has been made against Buzz in the United States, but as is our normal procedure in matters like these we will not be making any public statement."

Buzztime Entertainment makes electronic trivia games usually found in bars and restaurants, as well as running quiz events over mobile phones, through cable TV and plug-and-play devices.

Sony's trademark applications for Buzz are currently pending in North America, but Buzztime Entertainment wants the US Patent and Trademark Office to reject the applications. ...

via Eurogamer


2K Games has announced that the Wii version of Civilization Revolution has been put on hold indefinitely.

A spokesperson told Eurogamer developer Firaxis wants to put all of its efforts into building the "next-generation" versions.

Which means PS3 and 360 outings, plus a DS game, are still due out this spring.

Civilization Revolution is a fully-fledged instalment in the series - no worries about a quickly cobbled together and dumbed down port here. 2K Games is also keen to emphasise it is spending hours and hours on getting the interface right for consoles, believing few have nailed it so far.

Specifically it will have a strong online component, with streamlined games for fewer day-long head-to-head matches. On top of that will be voice and vision chat so you can see the effect of your plans on your opponent, and 16 civilizations to test your tactical tenacity with. ...