Via Gamespot

The pre-order incentive is an interesting promotional art form, an extra freebie given out in exchange for an early commitment to buy an upcoming game. Sometimes the incentive is as meaty as an entire game (or two). Sometimes it's just a code to unlock an extra weapon in the game. The space between those two extremes is filled with all manner of freebies: action figures, soundtracks, demos, trading cards, strategy guides, and more.

For players who like their games a little grittier, Konami is also offering a bonus item for pre-orders of Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops for the PSP. If the game's focus on espionage and intrigue has players a little paranoid about security, perhaps a free Metal Gear Solid-branded PSP case would but them at ease. Both the Elebits and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops bonuses are being offered at GameStop, EB Games, and GameCrazy. Konami will also be distributing them with pre-orders for the games made through its Konami Style online store. ...

Today Sony gave out more details regarding its strategy and content lineup for Blu-ray, one of the next-generation optical formats fighting to succeed the DVD. Famitsu says there will be about 75 titles from 12 companies available on Blu-ray by November 8 in Japan, including films by 20th Century Fox Japan and Buena Vista. Also, Blu-ray videos will be priced in the vicinity of JPY 5,000 (about $42.80)--on par with special edition DVDs in Japan.

Although no games were shown, a PlayStation 3 was used to show off Blu-ray discs containing film and music clips, alongside Blu-ray players manufactured by Matsushita, Pioneer, and others. One perk of the format, BD JAVA, enables the browsing of information such as actor data and profiles during playback and was also demonstrated. Another feature, called BD Live, lets the viewer participate in interactive events over the Internet.

Blu-ray trends will bear watching, considering that in Japan during the early days of the PlayStation 2, the console's ability to play DVDs helped to drive sales of both the system and DVD movies. Sony is relying heavily on Blu-ray to be a success, as the company's decision to include PlayStation 3s with Blu-ray drives as standard has driven the console's cost up. The Blu-ray technology is currently competing with the Toshiba-backed HD-DVD format to be the next-generation format standard. Microsoft has announced that it is working on an external HD-DVD attachment for the Xbox 360. ...

The Chart Track all-formats chart is suffering from the traditional summer lull this week, as only one new entry breaks the top ten - while there’s no change for the top six titles.

THQ’s movie tie-in, Cars, has suffered a 15 per cent drop in sales, but it’s still comfortable in the top spot ahead of Grand Theft Auto:

Liberty City Stories, New Super Mario Bros, The Sims 2 and Pro Evolution Soccer 5.

Heavy television advertising helps Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training hold onto the number six spot, while crawling up two places to number seven is Animal Crossing: Wild World.

Xbox 360 exclusive Ninety-Nine Nights is the only new entry at number eight, followed by two chart stalwarts – Star Wars: Battlefront II and Need for Speed: Most Wanted at nine and ten respectively.

Elsewhere in the charts, despite Eidos having had to recall the Xbox version of the game, Reservoir Dogs takes the number 14 position hostage as the only other new entry in the top forty.

This Friday sees the release of a number of high profile titles that look set to shake the charts up. THQ’s Saint’s Row for Xbox 360 is sure to break the top ten, while SCEE’s The Getaway spin-off, Gangs of London, and EA’s brawler Def Jam Fight for NY: The Take Over will be jostling for position as the highest chart entry on the PSP.

News via Gamesindustry ...

New PS2 Game Released



Blood + One Night Kiss is the adaptation for BLOOD+ the anime series aired on the TBS Network in Japan. Players control Saya the main character and a new character named Aoyama in this action game. The game was developped by Grasshopper (Killer 7, Samurai Champloo).

More info --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...9&lsaid=219793 ...

It’s been a long time coming, but European gamers will finally be able to get their hands on Dirge of Cerberus - Final Fantasy VII this November.

Our version won't have an online play option, unlike the Japanese version, on account of none of us having a hard drive for our PAL PS2s. However, it will boast more than 40 extra missions for hero Vincent to swan his way through.

Square-Enix is also promising an impressive list of additions and tweaks to the original Japanese release, giving Euro FF fans plenty to look forward to.

These include Vincent being able to move 1.2 times faster and use a new double-jump, quicker aiming that can be increased by customising weapons, a new rush move and a magic bar that no longer depletes when using the Limit Break attack. Feel the love.

There’s also a batch of modified weapons, artwork and sound galleries as well as a new character model to unlock by completing the Ex Hard mode, for those that consider themselves truly hardcore. You know, like, double hardcore.

So, November’s the month for those that can’t wait to indulge in slick gunplay, over-stylised hair and effeminate clothing. ...

ELSPA has published the Java download chart for June, revealing that mobile gamers just can't get enough of ancient falling block games - with EA's mobile version of Tetris still in the number one spot.

There's no change in second or third position, either, where THQ's Worms and Glu Mobile's Sonic the Hedgehog: Part One are holding steady.

For some reason, FIFA World Cup Germany rose up the charts to reach number four during June, while The Sims 2 remained in fifth place.

At six it's Who Wants to be a Millionaire? 2nd Edition, which appears to be on course to repeat the success of its million-selling predecessor. Quiztastic.

Eidos's Championship Manager 2006 is down three places to number seven, followed by movie tie-in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. At nine it's Gameloft's Block Breaker Deluxe, can't imagine what the gameplay's like, while Glu Mobile's Monopoly gives us an opportunity to pull out some clichés by passing go, collecting £200 and landing in tenth place.

The mobile games Java download chart is compiled from information supplied by 3, O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone. ...

Probably not too hopeful about taking a big bite out of the PSP's or DS's market share, a company called Performance Designed Products is nonetheless releasing a new pair of portable 2.5-inch consoles that bring together the magic of Disney with the gaming excitement that only 90's era 16-bit processing can provide. Although not being advertised as such, the flame-adorned "Classic Pals" and all-pink, heart-shaped "Princess Pals" are clearly being targeted at either one gender or the other, a notion only furthered by the mix of characters chosen for these so-called Disney GAME iT! devices. Each product comes preloaded with 12 different, relatively simple games (suggested ages are six and up); boys get such titles as Mickey's Apple Cart, Pluto's Buried Bone Treasure, and the oddly-named Goofy's Loco Coconuts, while the girls' edition sports winners like Sebastian's Sea Urchin Symphony, Susie's Buttons and Baubles, and Flotsam and Jetsam's Potion Commotion. Although you can pick up a separate $15 kit that connects the $40 systems to your TV, there's no way to add additional games a la more traditional consoles -- which actually, will probably work out just fine, as chances are good that your kids will smash these portable units to bits before getting sick of the limited content.

Screen via Comments ...

DigiTimes is reporting that a serious shortage of blue laser diodes is forcing many manufacturers to cut back on production of next-generation drives, which means the expected pre-Holiday flood of HD-DVD and Blu-ray players may not materialize as expected. They're also claiming that Sony, which is one of a handful of companies making the diodes right now, just suspended shipments to other companies so they'll have enough Blu-ray drives for the PlayStation 3. It's not entirely clear how this is going to affect the balance of power in the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray deathmatch -- each format relies on 405 nm blue-violet laser diodes, so each may be equally affected -- but it looks like the battle royale between the two may have to be postponed until next year. ...

It's Wednesday, which can only mean one thing: a new game on Xbox Live Arcade. This week, Time Pilot takes a bow.

Yup, that's the old arcade classic from Konami, in which -- as the name might just suggest a teensy bit -- you pilot an experimental aircraft which can travel backwards and forwards in time and hence engage in dogfights against both biplanes and UFOs.

Time Pilot is yours for the paltry sum of 400 Microsoft points, squire, and boasts single and multi-player modes as well as fistfuls of unlockables. Nice! ...