via marketnews

Marketnews isn't really the place you’d expect to read about the latest fitness centre, but the Bulldog Interactive facility for youths is a perfect example of the growing trend toward electronics in fitness. The facilities combine video games with getting in shape by using exercise equipment that’s fed through gaming systems, like Sony’s PlayStation 2.

Founded in February 2005 by Halifax, NS resident Holly Bond, Bulldog Interactive Fitness, Inc.’s mandate is to help combat childhood obesity, and the general lack of activity displayed by youth today. Kids these days are more apt to stay indoors and conquer the latest video game with their friends, or surf the ‘net, than to engage in outdoor sports activites.

"I know what happens when you run out of tricks: TV, Internet, snacks, MP3 players, cell phones, cameras... it's tough getting kids active and there aren't many options out there," explained Lisa Franschman, owner of a new, 5,000 sq. ft. franchise location that will celebrate its grand opening this weekend in Thornhill, ON. "Parents can just drop their kids off and go do their errands. They can rest assured that when they leave their children at our facility, we will cater to every child and make him feel special."

Members at any of the four locations can get fit while having fun on a video dance machine, cycle live against Bulldog members in other facilities, or race against friends (or the computer) using bikes connected to Sony PlayStation 2 consoles and games: their pedaling activates their virtual car in the game, while the handlebars allow them to steer! Both Toronto locations (two others are in Nova Scotia) are also equipped with the new Nintendo Wii gaming consoles. Other technology-related activities are available. For example, a wall that illuminates in random spots, prompting the child to swat a tennis ball in its direction. The gyms are designed exclusively for youth aged from three up to teens, and certified youth trainers are on hand, supervising at all times.

“Parents are encouraged to just drop their kids off,” Bond told Marketnews. “The kids tend to be better behaved when the parents aren’t there!”

“We [also] work on [kids’] self-esteem, and a by-product of this is that they lose weight if they need to, develop muscle tone, and their school grades go up: the list of benefits is long,” enthused Bond.

For more information, visit www.bulldoginteractivefitness.com. ...

Holygame has released a new portal for the PSP called Darkportal.

Heres whats in the latest build:


Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

New from Divineo UK



An ergonomic rechargeable power grip for DS™ Lite.
Perfect for hard core gamers with long gameplay outdoors or on the road, it also improves grip, making high scores on the go just got easier!

• Enjoy longer periods of gaming without having to recharge;
great for road trips or flights
• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to
8 hours of additional play time
• Ergonomic design provides user with a more comfortable,
less strenuous grip, enabling longer gaming sessions
• Existing DS lite AC adaptor simultaneously charges handheld
and Charger Grip
• Easy installation and removal ...

New from Divineo UK



The DVD Linker is a replacement product for the standard DVD cables of the Xbox 360. Perfect match whether yours are lost, damaged in a Frankenstein moment, or you just want spares on hand before trying your next wild mod. ...

New from Divineo UK



Replacing your failed DVD drive just got easier, with Talismoon’s 8164 solderless adapter. This device allows you to use an LG-8164 DVD drive with your original Xbox. Repairing your Xbox just got cheaper and easier! In addition, the LG-8164 drive reads CDs at 52x and DVDs at 16x, which means that you will also experience faster read speeds (up to 8 times faster than OEM). Fast read speeds means faster load speeds, which is less time waiting when you could be playing. ...

New from Divineo UK



The aurora vent lighting system creates more than one illusion: first, that your Xbox is emitting an unearthly glow, but also that you took a lot of
time to create a custom LED array for your Xbox vent lights. Instead, this product snaps into the custom LED holders included with the product, and
plugs into the onboard power without any soldering. ...

via cvg

Most games are released on Fridays (to maximise weekend buying activity) but if something is brought forward or moves, this is the place to come if you want to track the title that just keeps on slipping (naming no names, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.). We'll even throw in one or two hardware and peripheral releases if we think they're worthy.

The complete list of games released in the UK this week (23/02/07):

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, PSP, Ubisoft

You have to pity the publisher that brings a game out on the same day as the long anticipated Final Fantasy XII, which is exactly what Ubisoft is doing by releasing Pippa Funnel 3: The Golden Stirrup Challenge this coming Friday. It doesn't stand a chance...

Of course, different audiences, different markets but you have to wonder how anything is going to compete with Square Enix's 100+ hour PS2 behemoth. Can Crackdown make a dent in its hardcore following?

Final Fantasy XII (PS2)

How can we sum up this game in just a few words? 'Buy it!' is probably most succinct. If you've never played a Final Fantasy game before it's the perfect place to start. And if you have you should realise straight away that this mammoth chapter in the series has done away with random encounters entirely, the only thing that really grated in previous episodes.

There's a new 'gambit' system allowing you to tailor combat commands to your every whim and a kind of bizarre chess-style mini-game that lets you unlock special 'licence' abilities for your characters. It's all done with Square Enix's usual élan, story-telling genius and focus on sumptuous visuals. Pippa Funnel RIP.


Crackdown (Xbox 360)

This is Dave Jones' (the creator of GTA and Lemmings) latest title and it takes the free-roaming concept to the next level. Set in the crime-infested world of Pacific City the game sees you, literally, raining down justice on hundreds of thugs and perps. The title's main innovation is complete freedom of motion. There are no areas locked-off and the city's dizzy 'verticality' can be fully explored by your character's ability to leap and climb with abandon. But action is the main focus and there's a strong OTT explosive dynamic about the game that'll appeal to anyone who enjoyed Mercenaries or Just Cause. In fact it's everything those games aspired to be. Well worth a look if you prefer action over RPGs.

Ghost Rider (PS2, PSP, GBA)

Released to coincide with the movie, starring Nicholas Cage as a fiery-headed vigilante, Ghost Rider is Devil May Cry with a hint of Road Rash. We've played the game at preview stage several times and it's certainly enjoyable in a God of War-style way but lacks that game's exploratory charm and intricate boss encounters. The PSP version has been adapted to deliver shorter, more goal oriented missions and looks superb. Likely to be a decent movie tie-in but unless you are a fan of the comic-book there are better games out this week.

Kororinpa (Wii)

Now this one is interesting and we're pleased it's getting a European release. Certainly worth looking into if you've already grown tired of Wii Sports. Basically it's Marble Madness where you tilt the Remote to move your marble around the course.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas (PSP)

Rainbow Six Vegas was a return to form for the series on Xbox 360 and was particularly effervescent in multiplayer. This is the PSP port and along with introducing new characters and new locations in the single-player component there's also some exclusive Wi-Fi multiplayer modes. Along with a Terrorist Hunt mode there's a 5-player Survival and Team Survival option available in both Ad hoc and Infrastructure. If the gameplay can be tailored to the PSP controls this could well be one of the best multiplayer games on the PSP to date.

Pippa Funnel 3: The Golden Stirrup Challenge (PC)

Our Week Ahead round-up wouldn't be complete without a short comment on the latest in the Pippa Funnel series. Bizarrely this is from the same developer that brought us the intriguing and innovative In Memoriam on PC. But Pippa Funnel 3: The Golden Stirrup Challenge is exactly what you'd expect: a horsey petting and dressage title, mainly aimed at girls (though CVG's Andy Taylor also has a soft spot for it). This time round you can visit Italy, Alsace and China and even raise your own foal.

Keep an eye out for next week's round-up going live on Saturday. ...

Xbox 360 might have only dipped a toe into the MMORPG waters to date but developer Funcom is confident that its forthcoming Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will be a success on the console.

Product manager Erling Ellingsen reckons this is because of how well the game "sits with the action-oriented audience".

"We have just as high hopes for this version of the game," Ellingsen continued in an interview with CVG. "Combat in Age of Conan is dynamic, real-time and hands-on - something that will make it work much better on a console than what has been possible with other MMOs."

Ellingsen explained that the Xbox 360 version of Age of Conan will release after the PC version - which is out October - but was keen to point out that a separate development team is focussing on the console version of the MMORPG.

"It's important to note that this is not going to be just a port from the PC, but we're actually going to great lengths to make a tailored version for the Xbox 360", Ellingsen said.

via cvg ...

These are the first ever images of Spider-Man's next web-slinging outing, showing the super hero up to his usual antics in both his standard suit and the new black suit.

Check out the shot with the heavily dented taxi cab, which hopefully reflects the levels of interaction to feature in the new polygonal recreation of The Big Apple.

Although the format from which these screens were taken has not been official confirmed, that Spider-Man character model looks too detailed to be on Wii, so we're calling Xbox 360 with these shots.

Spider-Man 3 is expected to release in May to coincide with the release of the motion picture.

Screens Here ...