While developer Nibris has been attracting a lot of attention for its intriguing looking Sadness, it's easy to forget the Polish developer has been beavering away on a couple of other titles too.

Chief of which is a remake of the classic Raid over the River, which is piloting its way toward a release next year on DS, with a version also planned for Nintendo Wii in the fullness of time.

The first movie from the game has raided in from across the river this morning, (oh alright then, they sent it to us). Nibris is promising to redefine the vertical shooter as we know it, with extensive strategy elemets involved in navigating six different timelines and multiple outcomes.

Marek Okoñ, game designer for ROTR, says, "It's a title which is going to change the current image of a vertical shooter as a meaningless, arcade game which only tests the speed of player's fingers."

There's a bit of a glitch on the vid with an occasional black bar intervening, but it should give you a welcome taster of the raiding delights to come. Raid Over the River debuts on DS next year.

Trailer and Screens Here ...

The PSP - a great piece of gadgetry. Amazingly - Sony ships it without any software. We've tried to fill that gap with the release of a new all-in-one
software utility for the PSP called "PSP Feeder". PSP Feeder includes all sorts of useful tools that you would previously have to find, download and
pay for separately. Now - all the functionality you need is in one neat package

Full News Release:

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Nintendo has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that an MP3 player for the platform holder's handhelds, sold under the name of Play Yan in Japan, is coming to Europe.

"It's just like the Play Yan, where you insert an SD card into a GBA cart-sized adaptor," a Nintendo spokesperson explained.

"That is then inserted into either your DS, DS Lite, GBA SP or GB Micro - turn it on and away you go."

Nintendo has yet to confirm whether the MP3 player will come complete with an SD card. A 1GB SD card, which can hold approximately 240 songs, currently retails for around 30 Euro.

The spokesperson dismissed suggestions that the player will only work with SD cards of up to 2GB storage capacity, stating: "You can put any other sized SD card into it, not just 2GB."

According to the spokesperson, "Both price and release date for Europe are still to be confirmed." However, gadget website Gizmodo is citing an October release date and a 29.99 Euro price point. ...

Nintendo has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that an MP3 player for the platform holder's handhelds, sold under the name of Play Yan in Japan, is coming to Europe.

"It's just like the Play Yan, where you insert an SD card into a GBA cart-sized adaptor," a Nintendo spokesperson explained.

"That is then inserted into either your DS, DS Lite, GBA SP or GB Micro - turn it on and away you go."

Nintendo has yet to confirm whether the MP3 player will come complete with an SD card. A 1GB SD card, which can hold approximately 240 songs, currently retails for around 30 Euro.

The spokesperson dismissed suggestions that the player will only work with SD cards of up to 2GB storage capacity, stating: "You can put any other sized SD card into it, not just 2GB."

According to the spokesperson, "Both price and release date for Europe are still to be confirmed." However, gadget website Gizmodo is citing an October release date and a 29.99 Euro price point. ...

With just over two months to go until the launch of the PlayStation 3, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has launched a new online campaign to promote the console.

The new website, which has been developed in co-operation with ad agency TBWA, features the slogan 'This is Living' and six 'PS3 stories' - short films designed to reveal more about various aspects of Sony's new machine.

The first film to be released focuses on the theme of real-time. The other films, which cover blu-ray, high definition, cell processing, tilt sensitive control and cinematic production, will follow at two week intervals.

The website also features a new specs page which confirms that, as predicted, the PS3 will not come with a HDMI cable as standard. As previously announced, the console will weigh in at 5kg, feature four USB ports and will be compatible with third-party 2.5 inch serial ATA hard drives.

According a statement issued by Sony, the new 'This is Living' campaign "moves away from conventional 'cryptic' pre-launch campaigns" - such as the 'Third Place' campaign which was used to launch PlayStation 2, complete with a surreal television advert from David Lynch.

"This audience is hungry and savvy - it wants to be inspired and informed, not teased and frustrated," said TBWA's Robert Hardwood-Mathews.

Sony product manager Luke Southern added: "PlayStation 3’s primary audiences are entertainment enthusiasts who spend a lot of time online.

"We want these stories to become the property of the Internet commons - shared, remixed, hosted on YouTube, linked, blogged about - so that they gain their own momentum and inspire the online communities. We want to create a campaign as dynamic as the PS3 itself."

The films, which are said to have been inspired by Phil Harrison's demo of the PS3 at E3, each feature the tagline: "Where the old rules don't apply... PS3." They will also be shown on TV and in cinemas, and the campaign will run across Europe, Australia and New Zealand "until at least November 2006", according to Sony. ...

North American consumers planning to purchase a 60GB PlayStation 3 will need to purchase a HDMI cable separately if they want to fully exploit the console's graphics capabilities.

That's according to the specs page on the official US PS3 website, which notes: "HDMI cable not included. Additional equipment may be required to use the HDMI connector."

Sony has long promoted the 60GB PS3's HDMI output as a key feature of the machine. The 20GB model, however, does not feature HDMI - and nor does Microsoft's rival Xbox 360 console.

SCE UK declined to comment on whether the 60GB PS3 will also ship without a HDMI cable here. However, sources close to Sony speculate that Europe will follow the US example by not including a cable in the box, due to the fact that the majority of console purchasers will not own a HDMI-ready TV - and those that do will already own a HDMI lead.

Instead, PS3 is highly likely to be sold with a composite cable and SCART adaptor - just like the PlayStation 2. ...

Sony Japan is set to reduce the price of its PlayStation 2 console in the region, in preparation for the launch of the PlayStation 3 later this year.

The popular home console will retail for 16,000 Yen (108 Euro), coming in to effect on September 15th.

Sony recently reduced the price of the PS2 in Europe, where it now sells for a suggested retail price of 129.99 Euro.

Sony has sold over 106 million units of the PlayStation 2 worldwide since its debut in 2000, and intends to launch the PlayStation 3 across Japan, Europe and the US this November. ...

Toshiba has confirmed that the first standalone HD-DVD player to reach Europe will hit the shops on November 15 - just two days before the launch of the PlayStation 3.

Speaking at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Toshiba's Olivier Van Wynendaele said the first player to go on sale will be the HD-E1, priced at 599 Euro - the same price as the 60GB PlayStation 3. A higher-end model, the HD-XE1, will follow in December, and will retail for around 1000 Euro.

Both players are slimmer than similar models released in the US, where HD-DVD began to roll out in April. They can output from HD-DVD discs at 720p or 1080i, and the HD-XE1 can also output at 1080p.

Toshiba claims to have sold 50,000 HD-DVD players in the US and Japan already, and predicts year-end sales of 200,000. The company plans to ship 10,000 units to Europe for the first phase of launch.

The HD-DVD format is backed by Microsoft, which has already announced plans to release an external drive for Xbox 360 and is expected to do so in time for Christmas.

Sony's rival Blu-Ray technology, however, will be incorporated into the PlayStation 3. The 60GB model will launch alongside a 20GB version, priced at 499 Euro, on November 17. ...

Via GIBiz

Publisher THQ has knocked itself off the top of the charts in the UK, as Saints Row nudges Cars to the number two position to claim the top spot in its first week of sales.

The gang-based action adventure game has benefited from heavy promotion on satellite channels and becomes the second fastest-selling Xbox 360 title after Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter.

Rockstar’s crime sim Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories drops a place to the number three position, followed by DS exclusive New Super Mario Bros.

The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff is the only other new entry in the top ten, making its debut at number five, with The Sims 2 nestling behind at number 6.

Both Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training and Pro Evolution Soccer are nudged down the charts to number seven and eight respectively, while Eidos’ Reservoir Dogs breaks into the top ten at nine, in its second week of release. Another DS exclusive title, Animal Crossing: Wild World drops three places to number ten.

There are two other new entries in the top 40. Sony’s PSP exclusive Getaway spin-off Gangs of London charts at number 23, while Sega’s Let’s Make a Soccer Team! debuts at number 31.

Next week sees the release of two Xbox 360 titles set to challenge Saints Row for the number one position: Capcom’s Dead Rising and Atari’s Test Drive Unlimited, both of which have received encouraging media coverage. ...