via Eurogamer


Empire has revealed plans to release a continual stream of new content for Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe on Live Arcade, a bit like a persistent nosebleed.

The first of these was a Theme Pack to decorate your Dashboard with, which will be followed this week by a bundle of new Arena locations each with three variations to keep things fresh.

Then, in order, we will be treated to a collection of Gamerpics, more superstar players, fresh team strips and a final compilation of Gamerpics. Each will cost between 100 and 150 Points (GBP 0.85 and 1.28).

Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe is a remake of the retro sports gem for Live Arcade. If you really must know, it is a futuristic sports game not too dissimilar to American Football, just with more body armour, less rules, better steroids and an metal Olympic hammer-like ball. It also costs 800 Microsoft points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.30).

We loved it back in 1991 and we heart the Live Arcade version. Pop over to our Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe review to find out why.

Alternatively you can pop into our Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe gallery for some exclusive snaps of the new content. ...

via Next Gereration


You have to feel sorry for single-system owners who plumped for a PS3. The news from 1UP that the PS3 version of The Orange Box is, at present, nothing more than an awful port, is the latest in a series of unwelcome announcements concerning delays and problems with PS3 versions of multiplatform titles.

It’s even worse when you consider that The Orange Box is game of the year material. It makes me feel completely justified in buying the Xbox 360 version of any multiplatform console game every time, even though I’m desperate to build up my PS3 collection.

The signs weren’t good when Valve co-founder Gabe Newell labeled the PS3 "a waste of everybody's time” earlier this year. Unlike the PC and Xbox 360 versions, The Orange Box for PS3 was farmed out to an internal team at EA, but surely even the pessimists amongst PS3 owners hoped for better than the scathing comments the game’s received. Ok, here comes the pain PS3 owners, in the form of a few choice excerpts from 1UP’s preview:


Don’t worry too much though – apparently the PS3 version of Portal seems ok! ...

via Eurogamer


As made famous earlier this month, EA has slung up yet more downloadable content for Rock Band.

This week's offerings are from David Bowie, and come in the form of the David Bowie Pack 01 on Xbox Live Marketplace, which costs 440 Microsoft Points (GBP 3.74 / EUR 5.12).

It should also appear on the PlayStation 3 Store, although we can't check whether it's up at the moment because of cloud cover/ducks. New content typically arrives on PSN on Thursdays.

So what's in the pack? Well, 400 Points gets you the proper version of Moonage Daydream, along with covers (aw) of Heroes and Queen Bitch, or "Queen ***" as Microsoft's calling it. If you prefer to buy them individually, they're 160 MS Points (GBP 1.36 / EUR 1.86) apiece.

Thanks to the magic of pre-announcements, we can also safely predict that next week's content will be Black Sabbath tracks, followed by some punk a week later and some others (ooh, Iron Lung) as we edge further towards Christmas.

Rock Band is out now in the US on PS3 and 360 and will be released in Europe in Q1 2008. ...

via Computer and Video Games


We remember the days when shots that were this good-looking were guaranteed to be renders, but these are game-engine shots and it looks brilliant.

All Tecmo needs to do is drip-feed us with these sweet shots of Hayabusa slicing faces off of lesser ninjas. We're already sold on the 360-exclusive sequel, which looks like it'll be one of the most violent games of the generation so far.

Considering it already looks this good, we're hoping that it'll be out by the summer.


Screenshots ...

via Computer and Video Games


Expensive PS3 production, among other things, has made Sony the topic of some not-so-ideal financial reports of late, but things are finally looking up as the Tokyo-based company sees a sharp rise in share prices on Tuesday.

Sony's stock prices shot up 4.54 percent (250 yen) to close at 5,750 yen - said to be thanks to the here recent boost in PS3 sales and a deal that saw the Dubai state fund invest up to $500 million in the company.

Koya Tabata, an analyst at Credit Suisse, spotted the obvious: "The news of brisk PS3 sales in North America apparently had an effect on Sony shares."

Conversely, Nintendo shares dropped by 800 Yen (1.28 percent) to 61,700, while Wii remains widely sold out in the major territories worldwide.

For those that don't understand, Sony's doing 'aight'. ...

via Computer and Video Games


The first details on Sega and Secret Level's long announced Golden Axe update have been revealed in the latest issue of PSM3.

If you're looking for a straight update you're probably going to be disappointed, because the classic bruiser has been pretty much completely re-imagined in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 update.

First off, you now play as one Amazonian hero, the scantily clad Tyris Flare, instead of the original game's trio of fantasy stereotypes. Gillus the dwarf and Ax Battler are still in the game, says PSM3, but only as supporting cast.

Secondly, and probably the biggest change of the lot, is instead of straight-forward bruising Golden Axe: Beast Rider's focus shifts over to free-roaming environments and - surprise, surprise - the various beasties you can ride and battle on. There are five in total, ranging from the light and nippy to hulking, slow dragon-ites with scales the size of toilet seats.

The traditional hack and slash combat is still there and if you're tired of fumbling around on a dragon you can hop on foot and perform combos whenever you like - plus Tyrus has a range of spells at her disposal.

The open environments are looking rather nice, but as always it's going to come down to how decent Golden Axe's combat system is when it finally comes out next year.

We're expecting media to hit the net shortly, but for now you can pick up issue 95 of PSM3 - The PlayStation 3 Magazine in the shops now. ...

via MCV UK


Whist it remains too early to predict if one format will emerge victorious in the ongoing battle to capture the hi-def disc format crown, Sony’s Blu-Ray standard appears to be winning the European war, having recently broken the one million unit sales barrier.

This number represents just under 75 per cent of the total hi-def movie sales in Europe to date, putting the format in a commanding position.
If you factor in the sales of PS3 games, which are also on Blu-Ray disc, then total sales reach an estimated 21 million.

Top selling Blu-Ray movies include 300, Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. ...

via Computer and Video Games


In even more sales willy waving, Sony Computer Entertainment America has said that PlayStation 3 sales have increased by (exactly) 298 percent since November 2 in North America.

The platform holder puts the jump in sales down to the availability of the cheaper 40GB PS3 model, as well as the beefier 80GB option in the shops.

The fact that it's the biggest month of the year for game releases probably helped as well, we reckon.

Sony says that total numbers for all PlayStation products rose 178 percent during the holiday, Thanks Giving.

Based on data from the "top 10 retailers in North America," the PSP was up 136 percent for the week and the PS2 shot up a massive 287 percent. There's till life in the old box yet, then.

Sony's Japanese outfit bragged similar sales success earlier this week, when the PSP Slim & Light cleared a million units in the Far East.

No word from Europe yet, but we're predicting shameless sales bragging in 3, 2, 1... ...

via Games Industry


Future Publishing has submitted cover discs for two of its UK magazines to the BBFC for rating, both of which contain footage of the US version of Manhunt 2, the game currently banned in the UK.

Refusing to answer questions from GamesIndustry.biz on how Future would ensure the content is not sold to minors if passed by the BBFC, the publisher only stated that, "Future is the only games magazine publisher to submit all of its cover discs to the BBFC for rating," and that "no Manhunt video footage has been published on Future's cover discs since the game was refused a certificate."

The publisher declined to offer any further statement on the matter.

GamesIndustry.biz understands that discs for PSM3 issue 96 and PlayStation World issue 103 are currently with the BBFC for classification, and that Rockstar Games has not given any permission for the magazine house to include the footage.

The footage is taken from the retail version of Manhunt 2 released recently in North America, although it's not clear at this point exactly what the discs will portray, and whether they will include specific examples of the sort of violence that led to the game's ban.

Yesterday, the BBFC and Rockstar Games went head-to-head in an appeal over the banning of the game in the UK.

Rockstar argued that the game has been banned in order to protect the reputation of the BBFC, but the classification board stood by its decision to refuse the game a release, citing numerous factors including the perspective of the player, the weapons used in the game and a decision to draw a line on acceptable violence. ...