In case your time has kept on slippin' ... into the future, the November issue of EGM (and today's date) reminds us that Sony and Nintendo next-gen offerings are only a month a way; Nov. 17 and 19 respectively. With that, the gamer mag has a feature comparing PS2 and GameCube launches by the numbers to see if history can teach us anything about the launch potential of the PS3 and Wii.

PlayStation 2

Number of launch titles: 29
Average EGM review score: 71%
Launch pro: Diverse and high number of games
Launch con: Majority of launch titles were "rushed-out rubbish"
PS3 launch outlook: EGM believes Sony can have a successful launch depending on the final number of launch titles which is still unknown. Like everyone else, they believe availability will at least hurt the system's initial potential.
GameCube

Number of launch titles: 10
Average EGM review score: 77%
Launch pro: "Not a lot" despite what the print mag calls above-average third-party games.
Launch con: Lack of games (see above) sans a big franchise
Wii launch outlook: $250 price, Wii Sports packed-in, and upwards of 25 launch titles including Zelda are a good thing. Third-party publisher's ability to deliver games and those searching for "next-gen" graphics may be turned off by Wii, however. ...

Hi all

I was given a link to a post on the us site about the 3.00 update, it claims that the info on the new firmware will be announced at a gamers show in san fransisco on 19th october heres what they had to say

-Sony will be reveling the information as well as dating the release about the next major update at "Gamer's Day" in San Francisco on October 19th. You guys will just love the new "Remote Play" feature, located under the "Network" icon, which allows you to access the PLAYSTATION® 3 from the PSP™ (PlayStation® Portable).

link - http://boardsus.playstation.com/play...ead.id=2582564

Awesome eh ...

Source: A posting packed with screenshots and game details on the PS3forums message boards.

The official story: Sony did not return a request for comment as of press time.

What we heard: This week Sony is holding a Gamers Day, a press-only event that gives the company a chance to show off its upcoming games, and make a few announcements. This Gamers Day is a little more anticipated than most, given that it comes less than a month before Sony the PlayStation 3's November 17 launch in North America, and is expected to answer a number of questions surrounding the machine.

One of those questions is "What games is Sony planning for its digital distribution service?" The answer to that may have leaked out a little early, as a poster on PS3forums by the name of "Elder " appears to have preemptively dumped a slew of Sony screenshots and game details onto the Web.

While Elder's post has new pictures of Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom, Full Auto 2: Battlelines, and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, the real attraction is the list of "e-Distribution" games. From Sony, there's Blast Factor, Lemmings 2, Go Sudoku, Swizzleblocks, Criminal Crackdown, and the previously announced flOw.

At first glance, Blast Factor appears to be a shooter in the mold of the Xbox Live Arcade games Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved or Mutant Storm. However, the details promise "integral use" of the motion-sensitive Sixaxis controller, noting, "By tilting left and right, gamers can push enemies around the play field, but need to be careful as some might enemies not react as expected."

While the other new games on that list aren't detailed, some information can be gleaned from the screenshots. Go Sudoku is a flashy version of the puzzle phenomenon that includes a multiplayer mode supporting at least four players. Lemmings 2 appears not to be a port of the early '90s PC and console follow-up to the classic puzzle game, but instead an original game with a visual sheen more akin to the Worms series of games.

Finally, Swizzleblocks is a grid-based block puzzle game with a multiplayer mode, and Criminal Crackdown is a complete mystery, with the only information posted being a cartoon drawing of a criminal crook fleeing the police with a bag of money in one hand and the Mona Lisa in the other.

While the third-party games lined up for PS3 e-Distribution weren't detailed or shown in screens, they were named. There's the TV game show Wheel of Fortune, a PS3 version of the PlayStation Portable racer hybrid Gripshift, and Crash Carnage Ciaos, which is either a typo that should read "Crash Carnage Chaos," or perhaps something combining mass destruction and Italian greetings.

The sheer volume of assets in that thread, the number of new screens for existing games, and the fact that Sony has a press event scheduled for this week (always a prime time for leaks) is convincing enough to buy into this one.

Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus. ...

Amazon.com have Microsofts Zune its answer to the Ipod up for preorder, heres the details:




Preorder at Amazon.com for $249.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping ...

I've taken the source from NJ's page and created a 1.0 binary release.

Please do NOT contact NJ about this unofficial release. I have no idea what is different between this and version .22, I do know it works, that is all.

Let me know how you get along with it. I've only tried the smallest of roms so far as I don't own any neogeo arcade boards (Andro Dunos).

Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

Via Slashdot

Retrogaming with racketboy has up an interesting feature, a piece intended to discuss the best and most relevant Dreamcast games available today. Not intended as a 'top ten list', his goal is to suggest titles that will resonate with gamers of today who are likely to own other consoles. By suggesting titles that haven't been topped by further works, or that may have been the basis for other popular games, he's hoping that today's gamers will still stop and play the classics once in a while. From the article:
...

Despite a rather disappointing debut into the arcades, the Mario Kart series will be racing to arcades again to swallow more coins from die-hard Nintendo fans' pockets.

A Japanese flier, which surfaced on NEO GAF, reveals that Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 will include a range of crazy new karts, as well as two new racers: Waluigi and a little Tamagotchi.

If you live in or around London (or are just desperate), you can sample the antics of the first game in 'Fun Land' in Trocadero, Piccadilly Circus. We wouldn't encourage you to bother though - it's not proper Mario Kart.

Flier via Comments ...

Via Kotaku

Dear Taito: we know that making games is hard. Heck, that's why we pay you guys to do it. Still, perhaps in the future you might want to budget for more than 30% of the game to be play tested?

Because your latest game? Bubble Bobble Revolution? It's clear no one bothered playtesting this past level 30, the level in which a big boss who is supposed to appear to allow you to proceed absolutely, positively doesn't.

And this? It's not cutting it:

...

Via Gamesindustry

Electronic Arts' FIFA 07 continues to hold its position at the top of the UK All Formats Charts, as it scores a third week at number one.

Making its debut at number two is VU Games' Scarface: The World is Yours, nudging Lego Star Wars: The Original Trilogy down one place to number three.

Eidos' Just Cause continues to perform well, remaining in the number four position, while Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 drops two places but still manages to stay in the top five, at five.

Square Enix's RPG Kingdom Hearts II falls one place to number six, while DS-exclusive Dr Kawashima's Brain Training is the only title in the top ten to climb up the charts to number seven.

THQ's Cars reverses into the number eight position, PC soccer sim Championship Manager 2007 make its debut at number nine, while Project Gotham Racing 3 hangs on to the same position as last week, at number ten.

Elsewhere in the top forty, Ubisoft's Open Season has jumped up the charts to number 17 following the release of the movie in cinemas, while Blizzard's MMORPG World of Warcraft has re-entered the charts at number 33 due to a retail price reduction. ...