Guinness World Records plans to launch a new videogame edition of its famous book of records, bringing together a wide range of game-related achievements and information.

Called "Guinness World Records - Videogame Edition 2008", the book will include reviews of the 20 biggest games of the year (8/10), record scores and fastest times, hardware profiles, sales figures and technical achievements made by individual games (e.g. how Viva Piñata is best).

The book will also answer questions such as which pro gamers earn the most money, what's the single highest score ever in a game, and which is the most successful console of all time.

Somewhat undermining the book's credibility will be celebrity consultant and GamesIndustry.biz editor Ellie Gibson, so expect at least fourteen Star Wars games and probably a category for "Fittest Developer".

"We reintroduced videogaming world records to our annual book a few years ago, and it’s proved to be one of the most popular sections with our core readers. It makes sense, therefore, to dedicate an entire annual to the subject," said Guinness World Records editor in chief Craig Glenday.

"Our record researchers are already scouring the videogaming community for superlatives, and the vast number of games, gamers, developers and platforms mean that we have an incredible pool of content to dip into each year. It's going to be a very exciting project," Glenday added.

"The news that Guinness World Records has decided to produce a book devoted to games is great for both gamers and the industry," said Gibson. "It's another boost for the profile of gaming, and I'm very much looking forward to getting started."

The Guinness World Records - Videogame Edition 2008 will be officially unveiled on stand D505 at the London Book Fair, which takes place between 16th and 18th April.

via eurogamer ...

It's a rhythm-action sort of day here at Eurogamer, what with Boom Boom Rocket blaring out of the imaginary-office speakers, and a sort of virtual conga line snaking around the Internet at news that the sequel to Ouendan is due out in Japan on 17th May.

We only know thanks to those crazy Japanese magazines (and those crazy enough to read them), but a refreshing glance back at our Osu! Tatakae Ouendan import impressions and all those strange marks on the cart suggest we ought to scoot off to an importer of some description and throw down some Eurodollars.

All of which meaningless hyperbole is meant to mask the fact that we haven't much else to say about it. The NeoGAF scribes list a number of tracks, but unless the first lot meant something to you before you played Ouendan then you probably won't recognise any.

Those seeking recognition shouldn't despair or sell their wedding pictures to HELLO or anything, however, because there's always the US adaptation of Ouendan, Elite Beat Agents, which won itself a mighty 9/10 on import from these very pages. It's available off the Internet for those of you with no qualms about importing.

Sadly though, there's no sign of it for those of you who prefer all their boxes to match up. In other words, those of you who want a European release. We want one in general so that the game sells more copies, which is the "good ending". Unfortunately, Nintendo UK wasn't prepared to comment on when we'll see it propping up the shelves down the high street, but retailers tell us to expect something this year. We'll let you know as soon as there's a concrete date.

via eurogamer ...

It's a rhythm-action sort of day here at Eurogamer, what with Boom Boom Rocket blaring out of the imaginary-office speakers, and a sort of virtual conga line snaking around the Internet at news that the sequel to Ouendan is due out in Japan on 17th May.

We only know thanks to those crazy Japanese magazines (and those crazy enough to read them), but a refreshing glance back at our Osu! Tatakae Ouendan import impressions and all those strange marks on the cart suggest we ought to scoot off to an importer of some description and throw down some Eurodollars.

All of which meaningless hyperbole is meant to mask the fact that we haven't much else to say about it. The NeoGAF scribes list a number of tracks, but unless the first lot meant something to you before you played Ouendan then you probably won't recognise any.

Those seeking recognition shouldn't despair or sell their wedding pictures to HELLO or anything, however, because there's always the US adaptation of Ouendan, Elite Beat Agents, which won itself a mighty 9/10 on import from these very pages. It's available off the Internet for those of you with no qualms about importing.

Sadly though, there's no sign of it for those of you who prefer all their boxes to match up. In other words, those of you who want a European release. We want one in general so that the game sells more copies, which is the "good ending". Unfortunately, Nintendo UK wasn't prepared to comment on when we'll see it propping up the shelves down the high street, but retailers tell us to expect something this year. We'll let you know as soon as there's a concrete date.

via eurogamer ...

It's a rhythm-action sort of day here at Eurogamer, what with Boom Boom Rocket blaring out of the imaginary-office speakers, and a sort of virtual conga line snaking around the Internet at news that the sequel to Ouendan is due out in Japan on 17th May.

We only know thanks to those crazy Japanese magazines (and those crazy enough to read them), but a refreshing glance back at our Osu! Tatakae Ouendan import impressions and all those strange marks on the cart suggest we ought to scoot off to an importer of some description and throw down some Eurodollars.

All of which meaningless hyperbole is meant to mask the fact that we haven't much else to say about it. The NeoGAF scribes list a number of tracks, but unless the first lot meant something to you before you played Ouendan then you probably won't recognise any.

Those seeking recognition shouldn't despair or sell their wedding pictures to HELLO or anything, however, because there's always the US adaptation of Ouendan, Elite Beat Agents, which won itself a mighty 9/10 on import from these very pages. It's available off the Internet for those of you with no qualms about importing.

Sadly though, there's no sign of it for those of you who prefer all their boxes to match up. In other words, those of you who want a European release. We want one in general so that the game sells more copies, which is the "good ending". Unfortunately, Nintendo UK wasn't prepared to comment on when we'll see it propping up the shelves down the high street, but retailers tell us to expect something this year. We'll let you know as soon as there's a concrete date.

via eurogamer ...

New details for Grand Theft Auto IV have spilled their way onto the Internet, expanding on what we can expect when the game launches on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this October.

The game will be as significantly different as GTA III was to the previous top-down crime capers, Rockstar founder Dan Houser told Game Informer, and will offer much wider choice and freedom to the player.

As we already know from the trailer, GTA IV will take place in Liberty City (New York) in 2007, and will revolve around an Eastern European fellow. This chap, the main character, is Niko Bellic - an immigrant in search of the "American Dream".

His cousin Roman persuaded him to make the move by boasting a life of luxury, but it eventually turns out he was using this as a cover to hide his own failures. He'll be your only contact until you can find your feet, and ultimately carve out your own destiny.

One of the biggest differences in the new game will be the way you interact with other people. In previous iterations you've been at the beck and call of others, picking up your phone to receive orders. But this time around you'll be able to dial out, calling people to arrange rendezvouses and correlate your own plans. There will still be an element of following someone else's game plan, but the freedom of choice is something Rockstar is proudly standing by.

In GTA IV, four of the five boroughs of New York have been recreated for you to explore, as well as parts of New Jersey. Broker is the equivalent of Brooklyn, Manhattan is now Algonquin, Queens becomes Dukes, the Bronx is Brohan, and New Jersey transforms into Alderney.

While that doesn't give the fourth game the largest geographical playing field in the series, the level of detail and freedom should apparently more than make up for it.

We've already seen the impressive lighting effects, sumptuous skyline, and next-gen sheen from the trailer. What is less evident is the vastly enhanced AI, where NPCs will walk and talk much more convincingly, going about their daily routines around you. And apparently the game will only look better as we get closer to launch.

As with other games you can expect voice acting and an impressive array of radio stations to choose from while you're joyriding in Liberty City. However, it's unlikely we'll see Hollywood actors in the lead roles in this game, as Rockstar is making an effort to choose less well-known talent, both for voices and for the track listing.

Multiplayer is also going to be included this time around, but it isn't going to be an MMORPG. It's going to be something separate to the single-player experience that will be fun, interesting, and progressive.

Technically the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will look and feel the same, and loading screens should be non existent after your initial entry into the world.

However, Microsoft's console will offer that exclusive downloadable content its boasted about at every opportunity, though there's still speculation as to whether the Blu-ray disc will include more to begin with.

via eurogamer ...

New details for Grand Theft Auto IV have spilled their way onto the Internet, expanding on what we can expect when the game launches on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this October.

The game will be as significantly different as GTA III was to the previous top-down crime capers, Rockstar founder Dan Houser told Game Informer, and will offer much wider choice and freedom to the player.

As we already know from the trailer, GTA IV will take place in Liberty City (New York) in 2007, and will revolve around an Eastern European fellow. This chap, the main character, is Niko Bellic - an immigrant in search of the "American Dream".

His cousin Roman persuaded him to make the move by boasting a life of luxury, but it eventually turns out he was using this as a cover to hide his own failures. He'll be your only contact until you can find your feet, and ultimately carve out your own destiny.

One of the biggest differences in the new game will be the way you interact with other people. In previous iterations you've been at the beck and call of others, picking up your phone to receive orders. But this time around you'll be able to dial out, calling people to arrange rendezvouses and correlate your own plans. There will still be an element of following someone else's game plan, but the freedom of choice is something Rockstar is proudly standing by.

In GTA IV, four of the five boroughs of New York have been recreated for you to explore, as well as parts of New Jersey. Broker is the equivalent of Brooklyn, Manhattan is now Algonquin, Queens becomes Dukes, the Bronx is Brohan, and New Jersey transforms into Alderney.

While that doesn't give the fourth game the largest geographical playing field in the series, the level of detail and freedom should apparently more than make up for it.

We've already seen the impressive lighting effects, sumptuous skyline, and next-gen sheen from the trailer. What is less evident is the vastly enhanced AI, where NPCs will walk and talk much more convincingly, going about their daily routines around you. And apparently the game will only look better as we get closer to launch.

As with other games you can expect voice acting and an impressive array of radio stations to choose from while you're joyriding in Liberty City. However, it's unlikely we'll see Hollywood actors in the lead roles in this game, as Rockstar is making an effort to choose less well-known talent, both for voices and for the track listing.

Multiplayer is also going to be included this time around, but it isn't going to be an MMORPG. It's going to be something separate to the single-player experience that will be fun, interesting, and progressive.

Technically the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will look and feel the same, and loading screens should be non existent after your initial entry into the world.

However, Microsoft's console will offer that exclusive downloadable content its boasted about at every opportunity, though there's still speculation as to whether the Blu-ray disc will include more to begin with.

via eurogamer ...

News from Divineo China

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Sony is taking a wait and see approach before announcing any plans to release the 20GB PS3 in Europe.

It was revealed yesterday that the 20GB model was taken off the US consumer website Sony Style, leading many to believe (us included) that the smaller 20GB model's days are numbered in the US.

Speaking to CVG, Sony UK explained, "With regards to the 20GB model taken off Sony Style - it's only applicable to the US market as it was never released over here."

The chances of the 20GB PS3 being released on our shores are getting slimmer and slimmer. Don't expect to see the smaller hard drive model any time soon, unless there's suddenly massive demand for its release. But if you're going to shell out that amount of money for a console, you really should go the whole hog and fork out for the 60GB model. It'll save you money in the long run.

"We'll continue to monitor demand for the 20GB model, from a consumer and retailer perspective... which will be factored into any future Euro launch plans," Sony told us.

via cvg ...

Although the Wii launched almost six months ago it's still tough to get ahold of a console in both the US and this side of the Atlantic - and according to Nintendo it could be many months before the stock situation is under control.

Speaking to Game Theory Podcast via CVG colleagues Next-Gen.biz, Nintendo Marketing VP Perrin Kaplan said of the stock problems: "There is a lot going on behind the scenes in terms of working on what we are producing and the numbers continue to rise but the product is so very popular that we may see a supply / demand situation last for some time.

"We are at absolute maximum production and doing everything we can," she added. "The number of units that we have been able to produce has far exceeded our hardware production in the past and the production levels of a lot of our competitors but demand continues to be really high."

Despite the shortages Nintendo still managed to shift over 25,000 Wii consoles in the UK last week, trumping even Sony's newly-released PS3 which cleared 17,000 units in the same time period.

"People are being really diligent about working with retailers to locate [a Wii] but we are cognisant of the fact that a lot of fans are not able to get their hands on one yet," Kaplan continued in the Podcast. "We are asking them to be patient and to know that we are working on this as fast as we can."

When quizzed whether Nintendo could've priced the Wii $50 higher than the current $250 US price tag, she said: "there was definitely that possibility. There are so many people who are very much liking the system and while the price that it's at is very much mass market we probably could have folded at a higher price but I think that it was always Nintendo's intent to make it a product that is appealing to the mass market."

via cvg ...