via MCV


After a prolonged period of uncertainty concerning possible format exclusivity, Gamespot reports that Namco Bandai will release both Ace Combat 6 and Beautiful Katamari exclusively on Xbox 360 later this month in North America.

Both are titles that, bar for one outing on Game Boy Advance for Ace Combat, were formerly PlayStation exclusives.

Quirky roll-‘em-up Beautiful Katamari will be released in the US on October 16th at a budget price of $39.99, whilst Ace Combat will arrive a week later on October 23rd.

No news on any European release dates have yet emerged, though it had been suggested at one point that Beautiful Katamari could end up being a download only title. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Activision has ramped up the number of tracks shipping with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock to 59 with the announcement of 17 new tunes.

1. The new tracks are:
2. Same Old Song and Dance (by Aerosmith)
3. Helicopter (by Bloc Party)
4. Stricken (by Disturbed)
5. Monsters (by Matchbook Romance)
6. Before I Forget (by Slipknot)
7. Kool Thing (by Sonic Youth)
8. When You Were Young (by The Killers)
9. Devil Went Down to Georgia (as made famous by Charlie Daniels Band)
10. Sunshine of Your Love (as made famous by Cream)
11. Holiday in Cambodia (as made famous by Dead Kennedys)
12. Cliffs of Dover (as made famous by Eric Johnson)
13. Hit Me with Your Best Shot (as made famous by Pat Benetar)
14. Black Magic Woman (as made famous by Santana)
15. Story of My Life (as made famous by Social Distortion)
16. Pride and Joy (as made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughn)
17. The Seeker (as made famous by The Who)
18. Black Sunshine (as made famous by White Zombie)

...

via Computer and Video Games


The boss of Buzz! developer Relentless Software says he's flattered by the controller accompanying Microsoft's Scene It? Xbox 360 quiz game, which bears a remarkable resemblance to Buzz!'s own big-button peripheral.

"It would be easy for me to poke fun of the similarities, so I won't. What's interesting is that when we first talked about Buzz! people didn't understand why we wouldn't just use the PlayStation controller and saw little value in a bespoke peripheral", David Amor told CVG in the latest instalment in our Creative Minds series when queried about the Scene It? controller.

Quiz series Buzz! has become a multi-million selling franchise on the PS2 platform, and Microsoft is obviously hoping to nab some of the market share with Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action on Xbox 360.

Amor went on to say that since the success of Buzz!, the value of the bespoke controller has been recognised.


Our full interview with David Amor will be hitting the site later this afternoon. ...

via Computer and Video Games


The much-rumoured reduce-priced 40GB PS3 will hit stores in Italy on October 10 for €399 - roughly £277.

That's word from Italian trade magazine, Gamestore, who reveals that the cut-price console will also be available in a two-game package for €499 (£346).

So the big question is where's the UK cut? Sony UK says "no comment", although we remain hopeful that a similar cut is in the pipeline.

Sources have previously told CVG that the new model will launch here at £299.

It is also rumoured that as well as a smaller hard drive, the new console will come without backwards compatibility and fewer USB ports, although that's yet to be confirmed. ...

via IGN


Atlus's late life Game Boy Advance RPG, which went by the completely unpronounceable name of Yggdra Union, is making a return to the game scene in 2008. The company has announced in the latest issue of Famitsu a remake for the PSP to be titled Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone.

It's a bit unclear exactly how much "make" is going into this particular remake. Famitsu mentions a new three minute animated opening movie, a few new characters, and new scenarios. Voices are being added to up the drama during event scenes. While the game still uses sprite-based characters, battle animations are being improved. And, of course, the game fully supports the PSP's wide screen format.

Yggdra Union (it's pronounced Yugudora, by the way) is set for Japanese release on 1/24/2008. Its fate in the US will likely be determined by how much is new, so let's hope Atlus isn't cutting corners. ...

via IGN


Nintendo's Japanese share value has hit an all-time high as Goldman Sachs slapped a 'buy' rating on the company. Goldman Sachs also noted Nintendo's ability to create new markets "could bring it close to the level of Apple".

Shares in the publisher rose to 64,800 Yen (roughly 274 GBP) before closing at 64,300 Yen (about 272 GBP) on the Japanese stock market yesterday, as reported by Reuters. Once again, strong sales of both Wii and DS were cited as the reason behind the buying frenzy. However, Goldman Sachs predicts that Nintendo's value could sky rocket to 71,000 Yen.

Shares were also boosted by investor speculation that Nintendo is set to raise its earnings forecast, for the third time this financial year. Apparently, there's no end to the public's demand for Wii-mote waggling and stylus stroking. ...

via IGN


We had a blast at the Tokyo Game Show playing Toy Home, Sony's surprise PS3 racing game. But the big question was, who was behind the title? It turns out that the SIXAXIS compatible toy racer is being developed by none-other-than Game Republic, the studio formed by former Capcom producer Yoshiki Okamoto and recently responsible for Folklore.

Famitsu got Okamoto to share a few comments on Toy Home and other titles during an interview conducted at TGS. According to Okamoto, Toy Home will be released to Japan exclusively as a download title. In addition to SIXAXIS support for steering (see see our TGS preview for more), the game will support rumble. Okamoto says that players should look forward to some heavy shake when they drift their toy vehicles.

Game Republic has been making games primarily for the PS3 of late, but the studio is definitely not all Sony. Okamoto says the Xbox 360 title he's been talking about for two years now is still in the works. He describes being able to develop this game as fulfilling a dream. While it's been a long time in the coming, this is the game he's shifted his focus to following the development of Folklore, so hopefully the wait won't be too long.

Okamoto also expressed interest in the Wii. However, he believes that you can't make a game where players are swinging the Wiimote around over a full 30 hours of play time. Instead, he suggests something where you play in 30 minute segments, like a mission-based title, or a serial manga where you read one short episode a day.

Toy Home will be Game Republic's next release. While release outside of Japan has yet to be announced, players with Japanese PlayStation Store accounts will be able to make the download this Winter. ...

via Computer and Video Games


What started as a dodgy internet rumour is starting look more and more legit; reports are steaming in from various publications backing what we heard yesterday, that Halo developer Bungie is splitting from its parent company Microsoft Game Studios.

8BitJoystick's original source - who doesn't work at Bungie but "knows" someone who does - said that Microsoft has agreed to allow Bungie to become an independent studio, but MS will keep the rights to its cash cow Halo franchise. The source claimed that the split stems from increased friction during the rush to release Halo 3.

Since then other sources tapped up by Team Xbox ("It is more complex than simply Bungie leaving Microsoft or Microsoft letting Bungie go," it claims) and Game Informer (Bungie is "tired of Making Halo, and didn't want to do future Halo games," says its source) have added to the speculation.

The latter report goes on to claim that as well as keeping the rights to the Halo franchise, Microsoft also has "the right of first refusal on future games", which means MS has the first shot at publishing Bungie's future titles.

Perhaps it isn't just a dodgy rumour then? With all the carnage spreading across the internet, an official announcement either way can't be far off. ...

via Games Industry


Retailers in the US are taking pre-orders for a new Xbox 360 Arcade bundle, due for release later this month.

The Arcade bundle consists of a Core unit, a memory card, wireless controller and five Xbox Live arcade titles including Pac-Man Championship Edition and Uno.

Toys R Us and Amazon.com both have the deal listed, with a price of USD 279.99 – the current asking price for the Core unit.

In the US, leading retailer GameStop has removed listings for the Xbox 360 Core, leading to suggestions that this new Arcade bundle will replace the existing USD 279.99 SKU.

Microsoft was not available for comment at the time of writing. ...