The First Shots For SBK-08 Superbike World Championship

Black Bean today announced that its highly anticipated videogame SBK-08 Superbike World Championship, will storm the market for all key formats next year.

SBK-08 Superbike World Championship, Milestone’s fast paced videogame, the officially licensed WSBK, lands on the next-gen console with brand new features and enhancements. Thanks to the X360 and PS3 hardware performances, gameplay experience will be enriched in order to let players experience the Worlds Super Bike universe in a compelling and immersive game. SBK-08 Superbike World Championship will be available from May 2008 for X360, PS3, PS2, PSP and PC.

The US Can Now Play Manhunt 2!

Rockstar Games today announced it will release Manhunt 2 for the PlayStation 2, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, and the Wii home video game system from Nintendo in North America on October 31, 2007. This announcement follows the submission of a modified version of Manhunt 2 to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), who has now rated the title “M” for Mature for ages 17 and older.

In June, Take-Two was compelled to suspend the release of the horror title when the ESRB issued an AO (Adults Only) rating.

“Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we’re glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience,” said Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar Games. “We love the horror genre. Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it.”

“Manhunt 2 is an extraordinary game, and we eagerly anticipate its release in North America,” added Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two.

 Manhunt 2 is the debut title from the newly formed Rockstar London studio, which is developing the game in conjunction with series creator Rockstar North. Early previews of Manhunt 2 have consistently praised the game’s original design and creative use of narrative, tone, and atmosphere to evoke an experience many consider unmatched in video games. The Wii version is being developed by Rockstar Toronto.

Video games rated Mature are for consumers ages 17 and older and are not intended for children. Along with the Mature rating, the ESRB also assigned the following content descriptors to Manhunt 2: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Release Date Announced

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will begin deployment to retailers worldwide on November 5. Armed with more than 40 awards and honors from this year’s annual E3 Business and Media Summit including “Best Action Game” from the Game Critics Awards. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will be available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. A Nintendo DS version will also deliver the signature Call of Duty chaos of battle to handheld gamers.

Worlds Largest Gaming Center Is Now Open In The UK

Omega Sektor, the brand new gaming and entertainment centre, today opens its doors in the heart of Birmingham. The venue, the largest of its kind in the world, features 450 state-of-the-art Intel Core 2 Quad-based PCs from leading UK manufacturer SCAN, a dedicated next-gen console room, and offers visitors more than 100 games to choose from. The Intel quad-core equipped SCAN PCs, and specially selected Razer peripherals enable gamers visiting the centre to experience all the action using the best gaming technology available. The centre is the largest permanent collection of Intel based gaming PCs available in Europe.

Commenting on Intel’s support of the centre, Adrian Le Mans, sales and marketing director for Omega Sektor says,

“Intel is synonymous with quality and performance, and its continuing investment in creating the ultimate gaming experience and supporting serious gaming talent, is a perfect match for Omega Sektor.”

“At Intel, we’re excited at the emergence of mainstream gaming, and Omega Sektor gives gamers, both serious and casual, the chance to try out our latest quad-core technology. It represents a new breed of centres that enable a gaming experience that the whole family can enjoy, and emphasises the fact that gaming is a thoroughly engaging and hugely sociable pastime,” Graham Palmer, at Intel Corporation (UK) Ltd. says.

The centre offers something for all types of gamers from casual right through to professional, with a number of tournament organisers signing up to use the centre for major events, and top-class gamers coming from all over Europe to play at the centre. In addition to externally organised tournaments, the centre will also host its own smaller tournaments, offering visitors the opportunity to try out multi-player gaming and win prizes.

The venue houses a range of brand new and classic games from major publishers including Activision, THQ, Square Enix, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Blizzard Entertainment – with 12+ and under games on the ground floor – and 15+ and above games on the first floor. Membership for the first 5,000 people to register for the centre is free, and there are a number of different gaming price packages available, including one hour of gaming for £3 and three hours of gaming for £5. The centre also has a VIP gaming room, the OS Club that can be hired for private events and special tournaments.

Omega Sektor is located at 90-98 Corporation Street (corner of Bull St), Birmingham, B4 6SX. The centre opens daily from Monday to Saturday from 8am until 11pm, and on Sundays from 9am until 11pm. There will also be late night sessions available on Fridays and Saturdays.

Speed Racer As a Movie and Wii Game?!?!

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will launch the Speed Racer videogame based on the upcoming film written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. The game will be available in 2008 on the Wii and Nintendo DS systems along with the Playstation 2 system.

In the Wii and PlayStation 2 system games, players will be able to take on the role of the characters from the film, getting behind the wheels of each character’s signature vehicles to experience firsthand the film’s high-adrenaline, combative racing style. The car-fu style of action within the game will closely represent the action style being designed by the Wachowski brothers for the film itself as they lend direction and assets to the development team directly from their Berlin set. John Gaeta, a long-time Wachowski collaborator and Co-VFX Supervisor on the Speed Racer film, is working with Sidhe and WBIE to assist in maintaining a close film-to-game aesthetic connection.

“Speed Racer is an exceptionally creative property and teamed with the Wachowski brothers’ vision it makes for action-packed racing gameplay,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The game will capture the intensity of the racing in the film to give gamers and movie fans a chance to take the wheel after they experience the film.”

“We are very excited about this natural extension from the Speed Racer film to the videogame. Larry and Andy are videogame fans themselves, so they believe that an interactive game is a key component to the entire Speed Racer experience,” said film producer Joel Silver.

The game’s development for the Wii and PlayStation 2 system platforms is led by the New Zealand-based Sidhe, a game development studio recognized for producing high-quality entertainment titles with world-class creative and software development skills. Developing across console, handheld, and PC, Sidhe has created a range of innovative products including a variety of racing titles.

Written and directed by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta) and produced by Joel Silver, Speed Racer is based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida. A live-action family adventure, Speed Racer follows the young race car driver Speed in his quest for glory on and off the track in his thundering Mach 5. The film will feature other characters that fans of the show will remember, including Speed’s family and his mysterious arch-rival, Racer X. The new high-octane actioner will combine the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the Wachowski brothers’ films, bringing Speed Racer into the 21st century. The film stars Emile Hirsch (”Alpha Dog”) as Speed, Christina Ricci (”Black Snake Moan”) as Trixie and Matthew Fox (TV’s “Lost”) as Racer X as well as Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (”Dead Man Walking”) and John Goodman (”Evan Almighty”) as Mom and Pops Racer.

New Nintendo DS Color Comes Bundled With Brain Age 2

Nintendo has found a way for people to exercise both their fashion sense and their minds at the same time. The first new color scheme to hit the hot-selling Nintendo DSâ„¢ system in the United States in nearly a year will come bundled with Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day, all at an MSRP of $149.99. The bundle hits stores Aug. 21.

The top half of the new Nintendo DS sports a smooth, glossy Crimson, reminiscent of a dangerous shade of lipstick or a cherry-red sports car. The bottom is a matte black – an Onyx yin that complements the Crimson yang.

Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day is the sequel to the smash-hit original that got baby boomers and seniors playing and redefined the concept of what video games could be. This new title includes 15 fun new activities designed to help users exercise their brains. It challenges players in areas like math, memorization and even music.

Chicago Chimera Are Champs In Championship Gaming Series

In the title match, the Chicago Chimera trumped the Carolina Core 22-21 in the Championship Gaming Series North American final, broadcast live and in HD on DIRECTV’s The 101.

For Chicago, who precariously held pole position in the league standings through most of the league season, victory did not come easy. Falling behind 12-4 on defeats to Carolina in DOA female (2-5), FIFA (0-2) and DOA male (5-2), Chicago appeared to be giving the final away.

But the Chimera found its footing in Counter-Strike, running away with a 13-5 romp over the Core to pull even with a 17-all team score.

Waiting in the wings all night was the dominant force of Wesley “Ch0mpr” Cwiklo and Jason “Jason X” Exelby, the dynamic PGR duo. Carolina’s Brent “Rex” Dimapilis did his best to run Cwiklo off the road early in the race, but the 18-year old from Camarillo, CA slipped through to finish first, giving Chicago the championship.

“I thought we were out of it,” confided Chicago GM, Brian Flander. “But our Counter-Strike guys really showed up for us tonight and the PGR team finished it off. This is just unbelievable.”

Chicago Chimera receives an additional $100,000 team bonus on top of their salaries for the win and their overall record improves to 10-4. Both teams go on to the global finals to be held in Los Angeles this November.

Pleaseeee Make A New Game … PLEASE!

I can’t wait for the day when more game makers finally forget about trying to latch onto the so called latest “craze” and try to bring something new to the game market. The average game player is 33 years old and we have just about seen it all when it comes to games.

We need something new, something different in our games. Don’t just add a number to the title, change the graphics and the maps along with maybe adding a new weapon or two, and then call it “SameOldGame 3” **cough, cough Halo 3**. It’s almost like what is going on with the movie industry now days. How many remakes or sequels have you see at the box office in the last 5 years? (Way to many to even count) Full Story »

THQ’s Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown for Nintendo DS, I Say WTF? WHY!!

THQ  today announced that Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown for the Nintendo DS has begun shipping to retailers throughout North America. Following the release of Drake & Josh for the Game Boy Advance this spring, the DS game marks the second original release based on the popular live-action Nickelodeon TV series. Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown is rated E for everyone and is now available for a suggested retail price of $29.99.  In Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown, fans of the show can play as all three of their favorite characters — Drake, Josh and Megan. The game follows the title characters as they prepare and compete for the title of “Teen American Talent,” the hottest talent competition abuzz at Belleview High. Players will help Drake win “best musical act,” while helping Josh hone his magic skills. Drake & Josh: Talent Showdown includes humor from the hit TV show and game-play specifically tailored to the Nintendo DS, including all-new guitar-style game-play where players strum strings on the touch-screen with the stylus to help put Drake on the fast lane to stardom. Players will also utilize the stylus to perform dazzling magic tricks.

Did they really make this into a game, or did the world go crazy wile I was sleeping last night? Will game makers continue to put out crap to fill the store shelf’s, or will they at some point say hay lets really try to make a good game?

Sony And Sky Join Forces For Video On Demand Service In Uk

SKY and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced the formation of a Joint Venture company to deliver on-demand entertainment content to owners of the PSP (PlayStation Portable) in the UK and Ireland.

The Joint Venture company, with equal Board level representation from SKY and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will draw on the unrivalled entertainment aggregation expertise and technical leadership of SKY, and the handheld entertainment knowledge and brand power of PlayStation. The company will establish PSP and the new ground breaking video download service as the natural partners for those seeking the ultimate choice of portable entertainment content.

Focusing exclusively on delivering video content to the PSP, the Joint Venture will initially provide a wealth of video and film content to the more than 2.3 million PSP owners in the UK and Ireland. The two companies are already in discussions with entertainment content providers across Europe to facilitate future introduction of the service to European PSP owners.

More information on the service will be announced by SCEE at Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany on Wednesday 22nd August.