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E3 - Silent Hill V For the Xbox and PS3

Silent Hill V (Provisional Title) marks the first appearance of the acclaimed series for Next Generation systems. The game follows Alex Shepherd, a war veteran returning home from an overseas tour of duty. Alex has taken compassionate leave following the news that his younger brother, Joshua, has gone missing. Initial investigations lead Alex to the small, insular community of Shepherd’s Glen, before he finds himself in the mist-shrouded and seemingly empty streets of Silent Hill…

Maximising the use of the PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360’s high definition capabilities, Silent Hill V draws the players into an incredibly realised world of shadowy terror, while the unfolding story sheds new light on the inherent evil of the eponymous town. Building upon the series’ trademark foundations of atmosphere, adventure and storytelling, Silent Hill V introduces players to a frightening new experience and more control than ever over its central character.

When confronted by the perverse incarnations of evil that roam both Silent Hill and Shepherd’s Glen, players can now access an enhanced combat system to execute a number of offensive and defensive moves to counter the eclectic collection of nightmarish creatures that dwell within the town. The series’ famed puzzles have also been enhanced, with players using cues from the environment to unlock Silent Hill’s darkest secrets. And as the claustrophobia and unsettling sense of horror develops, Silent Hill V turns the screw even further with the addition of an all-new soundtrack from famed composer Akira Yamaoka…

“Silent Hill V is an international, cross-cultural production, with leading development talent from around the globe collaborating to raise the bar even higher for this incredible series,” said Brian Christian, Vice President of Product Development at Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “With gritty graphics and sound combining to create a haunting atmosphere and all-new visceral gameplay elements, Silent Hill V shows the level to which next-generation hardware can enhance the player’s overall gaming experience.”

E3 - Unreal Tournament 3 As Exclusive To PlayStation 3 System And PC

Midway Games Inc., Epic Games Inc., and Sony Computer Entertainment America today announced that the highly anticipated and award-winning Unreal Tournament 3 will be exclusive to the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and PC in 2007. Thanks to the open network of the PLAYSTATION 3 system, Unreal Tournament 3 will also be the first game to feature robust user generated content including multiplayer maps, custom game modes and much more. Developed by North Carolina-based, Epic Games Inc., Unreal Tournament 3 is scheduled to be available in November.

The technology behind Unreal Tournament 3, Epic’s world class Unreal Engine 3 will be fully optimized for the PLAYSTATION 3 system allowing game developers to take full advantage of the power and creativity that the engine offers.

“Midway is extremely excited to release Unreal Tournament 3 on the PLAYSTATION 3 system and PC,” said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. “We expect Unreal Tournament 3 to set the bar for what a first-person shooter and next generation game can truly be.”

“We feel very confident that Unreal Tournament 3 will continue to deliver on Epic’s promise to gamers to develop only the highest quality titles using our cutting-edge Unreal Engine 3 technology,” said Mark Rein, vice president and co-founder, Epic Games. “The game takes full advantage of the power of the PLAYSTATION 3 system, and Unreal Tournament 3 will for the first time allow users to create robust user created content, known as “mods”, on the PC version and play them on the PLAYSTATION 3 system. We’re extremely excited about this and we feel this will bring a level of creativity, innovation and replayability not previously seen on home consoles.”

“We expect Unreal Tournament 3 to be one of the most innovative and defining titles of this next generation,” said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America. “We are extremely pleased that gamers will only be able to experience Unreal Tournament 3 on the PLAYSTATION 3 system later this year.”

E3 - Prediction Xbox360 will have a Price Cut Announcement Tonight

Following confirmation of a PlayStation 3 price cut, several industry analysts are indicating they are expecting Microsoft to follow suit, despite the Xbox 360’s sales lead. Analysts are also expecting a price drop on one or more of the Xbox systems, between $50 and $100. Microsoft should be announcing the price drop at their tonight’s E3 Microsoft press conference.

My Prediction is that Microsoft is going to drop the price of the Xbox 360 Elite from $479 to $399, the Premium from $399 to $349 and the Core from $299 to $249.

We Can Only Hope ….. More Info After The E3 Microsoft press conference Ends.

Electronic Arts And Spielberg Team up for Two New Games

Electronic Arts Inc. today revealed the first details surrounding two of the three new games in collaboration with director and producer, Steven Spielberg.

“I am a gamer myself and game development has always intrigued me,” said Steven Spielberg. “Now I’ve been able to jump in and do it, enjoying the creative collaboration with the EALA team on our first two games and I feel we have two incredibly unique projects in development.”

As an exclusive for the Wii, the first of the two projects will allow for players of all ages to compete in over a hundred challenging, action-packed interactive games that take blocks to a new level of creativity and fun for single player, co-op, and versus game play. Additionally, use the Wii remote to build your own fun games and structures or turn the same Wii remote into a destructive tool to bring them crashing down.

The second, and more ambitious project in development, is a contemporary action-packed adventure that puts you in the leading role of an emotional journey where your actions tell the tale. Set against the backdrop of an epic story, the game focuses on a touching and ever-changing relationship between you and a mysterious female character who holds the key to many futures. The game is in development for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PC. No ship timeframe has been disclosed.

Gamer TV “Heavenly Sword” Special Airs On Bravo

This weekend an exclusive edition of Gamer TV dedicated to the forthcoming PlayStation 3 AAA title Heavenly Sword airs on UK satellite and cable channel Bravo. This half-hour program takes an in-depth look at the making of the game, as well as revealing never before seen levels, characters and story elements.
Exclusive interviews with the cast, including Andy ‘Gollum’ Serkis, and unseen footage from the performance capture sessions at Weta Digital reveal how the game’s impressive cinematic sequences were created.
The program concludes with a round-up of critical reaction to the game, which is hoping to launch its star Nariko as the next iconic female video game character.

Producer Jason Kilshaw said, “This should rev people up for next week’s E3 where Heavenly Sword will undoubtedly be a key PS3 title.”

The program airs:

Saturday 7th July 10.00 am Bravo 2
Sunday 8th July 11.30 am Bravo
Monday 9th July 5.30 pm Bravo

The Bourne Conspiracy For the PS3 and Xbox 360

Sierra Entertainment, today announced Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy, the first title in its exclusive global partnership with Ludlum Entertainment. Being developed by High Moon Studios, one of Sierra’s internal developers, the game combines seminal moments from the best-selling novel and hit film The Bourne Identity with all-new content developed in conjunction with Ludlum Entertainment. Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy makes the highly anticipated jump to PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Microsoft’s Xbox 360â„¢ videogame and entertainment system in summer 2008.

Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy, will give players the experience of becoming a 30 million dollar elite agent, fusing an experience that delves deep into Jason Bourne’s character with gameplay and game presentation inspired by the aggressive filmmaking and frenetic action found in the films. Only by playing Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy will players discover Bourne’s true identity and experience the very moment he became a malfunctioning weapon, first hunting targets around the world as a deadly government assassin then marking himself as his agency’s most wanted.

Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy promises constant tension and action, with players adopting Jason Bourne’s piercing sense of survival, cunning nature, heightened target awareness and firearms training that allow him to engage and eliminate small armies. As a third-person espionage action game, players move from fistfights to firefights to experience sequences that, unlike any other game, seamlessly blend Bourne’s signature hand-to-hand combat with intense shooting and the ability to escape and evade deadly situations.

More details will be revealed about Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy, with the title making an appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) held July 11-13 in Santa Monica, CA, as well as in the cover story in the August issue of The Official Xbox Magazine hitting news stands July 3.