During a Tecmo press event held in Japan yesterday, the publisher announced that it is bringing the much-loved Tecmo Bowl franchise out of retirement with a brand new game: Tecmo Bowl 2008. While no specific platform was announced, the game was said to be coming to one of the new current-gen systems and is not a port of a previous Tecmo Bowl game.

Following the release of the original Tecmo Bowl on NES in 1989, additional games in the series were developed for NES, Super NES, Genesis, and Game Boy, with the NES game appearing on Wii's Virtual Console earlier this year.

Tecmo Bowl 2008 is being developed by Team Tachyon, a new internal Tecmo team whose formation was announced during the event. Helmed by Fatal Frame series producer Keisuke Kikuchi, Team Tachyon will be one of Tecmo's marquee developers along with Ninja Gaiden producer Tomonobu Itagaki's Team NINJA.

No gameplay footage or screenshots of the new game were shown. As its moniker suggests, Tecmo Bowl 2008 is planned for release in 2008.

Tecmo plans to revisit its Rygar series of action/adventure games on the Wii, the publisher announced at its Tokyo press event yesterady. Currently known by the working title Project Rygar, the new game will feature a revamped protagonist design, new enemies, and new locations--but will retain the iconic chained shield for which the titular hero is known. Of course, the motion-sensitive Wii remote will control the swinging weapon.

Tecmo's original Rygar was released for arcades in 1986, with a followup game developed for NES and numerous other console and PC platforms in 1987. No new entries in the series were created until 15 years later, when Tecmo released Rygar: The Legendary Adventure for PlayStation 2 to a warm response in 2002.

No release period was given for Rygar, but Tecmo expects to show more of the game in the coming months.

According to numerous reports from gamers, including threads on Shacknews and the official Crackdown forums, Realtime Worlds' recently released and admirably expansive downloadable content for Crackdown (X360) suffers from a bug that deletes users' save games in certain situations. Apparently, joining a cooperative game in one of the newly added game modes, then leaving the game, will completely wipe out the save game, which includes character progression and completed boss missions.

A Crackdown team member going by the alias "Agent G" stated that Realtime Worlds is looking into the problem:

"hey guys - just so you know, we are aware of the situation and working on it. as soon as we have a fix or workaround i'll let you know. i'll post info right here on these forums, I'm just waiting to hear from the guys on the test team about a solid fix or workaround."

When contacted for comment, a Microsoft representative responded, "We are aware that the recently released "Crackdown" DLC is causing some gamers to experience a reset of their saved games when they engage in co-op play. We have identified this problem and outlined instructions to avoid the issue, which can be found by visiting the official 'Crackdown' site. A permanent solution will be released with the game's next Title Update, which will be available in the very near future."

To ensure that a save file is protected after downloading the new content, perform the following Microsoft-provided steps:
- Sign-in to Xbox Live
- Start Crackdown and receive new Title Update (if you haven't already)
- Begin a Single Player Campaign game
- Once loaded, press Start and choose "Quit"
- Reboot Crackdown (soft reboot or hard reboot of console)

There is no way to restore data lost due to the glitch.

According to an unnamed source cited by GameSpot, Harmonix Music Systems' upcoming peripheral-based music group simulator Rock Band is heading to Wii as well as the previously announced PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The source, which GameSpot claims has a track record of reliability, was allegedly part of a Rock Band focus group which was told that Rock Band is being developed for Wii.

The source also put forward the encouraging rumor that all tracks included in the game will be based on original artist recordings rather than cover band recordings. Harmonix's Guitar Hero (PS2) and Guitar Hero II (PS2, X360) consisted of largely cover recordings, with a few original master tracks.

Finally, the reader noted that focus group participants were asked for their reactions to various bundle price points for Rock Band. Session organizers proposed a bundle containing the game, a wireless guitar controller, a drum controller, and a microphone controller at three potential prices--$200, $175, and $150. Based on the unconfirmed prices released by retailer GameStop last month, such a package would run $259.96 if its individual components were purchased individually.

Electronic Arts plans to ship Harmonix's Rock Band this fall.

Though already confirmed, Namco Bandai officially announced the latest entry in its Soulcalibur series, Soulcalibur Legends for the Wii. Scheduled for release this winter, Legends' third person action adventure gameplay sets it apart from past iterations of the fighting franchise, which began with Namco's 1995 arcade fighter Soul Edge.

Telling the tale of 16th century empire on the verge of ruin, Soulcalibur Legends follows the actions of Siegfried and other characters, both new and familiar. Performing what today's announcement described as "orchestrated slashes and movements" with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, players will fight their way through a number of enemies, bosses, and gameplay modes.

An Xbox 360 demo of Midway Studios Austin's first person shooter BlackSite: Area 51 can now be downloaded from Xbox Live Marketplace. Set in the small town of Rachel, Nevada, the single player demo showcases the effects of high-powered military weapons when used against a variety of alien lifeforms. Along with the demo, Midway also released a several new screenshots.

Microsoft revealed that next week's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday release will be Silver Creek Entertainment's Soltrio Solitaire. Featuring 18 different types of solitaire, the game includes a single player campaign that has players pursuing custom card designs as well as two-person multiplayer over Xbox Live and system link, with support for the Xbox Live Vision camera. In versus mode, opponents compete against one another to finish the game first. Meanwhile, co-op has players working together to finish the game as fast as they can.

Set to hit Xbox Live Arcade on May 16, Soltrio Solitaire will sell for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

Tor Books has unveiled details on Halo: Contact Harvest, the fifth book based off Bungie's Halo franchise. Unlike past Halo novels, which were written by Eric Nylund and William C. Dietz, Contact Harvest comes directly from Bungie lead writer and first-time novelist Joseph Staten.

Slated to arrive in bookstores on October 2, 2007, Halo: Contact Harvest details the beginnings of humanity's conflict with the Covenant from the perspective of the ever-demanding Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson.

"It goes without saying that Joseph has great, intimate knowledge of the Halo universe, so who better to tell the harrowing tale of humanity's first contact with the Covenant?" explained Tor Editor Eric Raab. "In the novel, Joseph not only reveals exciting nuances of known events and characters such as Sgt. Johnson. But he also breaks new ground--takes readers on an action-packed journey to a little-known but vital part of the Halo universe: the far-flung, ill-fated word of Harvest."

As suggested by retailer listings last week, Activision subsidiary RedOctane confirmed that its popular Guitar Hero franchise will see an edition centered around music from the 1980s. Developed by series creator Harmonix, Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s will be released on PlayStation 2 later this summer.

The announcement also provided the first glimpse of the game's 30 songs, including a mix of tracks performed by the original artists and "as made famous by" covers:

- I Wanna Rock (by Twisted Sister)
- I Ran (by Flock of Seagulls)
- Round and Round (as made famous by Ratt)
- I Want Candy (as made famous by Bow Wow Wow)
- Metal Health (as made famous by Quiet Riot)
- Holy Diver (as made famous by Dio)
- Heat Of The Moment (as made famous by Asia)

When asked about the chances of tracks from Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s appearing on the Xbox 360--possibly as downloadable content for Guitar Hero II--RedOctane representative Bryan Lam issued a statement that neither confirmed nor denied that possibility. "We recently launched the Xbox 360 game, and will continue to offer downloadable content for Xbox 360 users," Lam told Shacknews. "Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s provides a unique opportunity for our PlayStation2 fans who don't have the same online capabilities to enjoy fresh new content. We're strongly committed to offering the greatest game play experiences possible on all platforms."

Sega AM2's Ghost Squad, the company's top-earning arcade gun game in 2005, is on its way to the Wii this holiday season. An enhanced port of the arcade version, the Wii edition allows gamers to gun down terrorists and defuse bombs via the Wii Remote with up to three other players. Up to 25 different weapons--including machine guns, pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles, and crossbows--are available throughout the course of the game.

"Ghost Squad brings the classic light gun blaster experience that SEGA made popular in the arcades to the Wii," said Sega of America marketing VP Scott Steinberg. "With a more robust multiplayer experience than even the arcade version and numerous unlockable items and stages adding replay value, Ghost Squad will be the ultimate shooter experience for the Nintendo Wii console."

Formerly announced for the PC, Petroglyph's RTS Universe at War: Earth Assault will be hitting the Xbox 360 as well. Unlike many other RTS games, Universe at War's persistent world tracks environmental damage across multiple battles and environments, enabling players to return to a previous location and find it still in shambles. Players can customize their weapons and defenses in the midst of battle to be more effective, as well as partake in a number of multiplayer modes.

Responding to queries as to how Petroglyph came to the decision to bring Universe at War to Xbox 360, creative director Adam Isgreen told Shacknews that consoles are an appropriate fit for Petroglyph's design philosophy. "We always like to approach games with a console attitude in the first place," he explained, "keeping things approachable and intuitive."

Published by Sega, Universe at War: Earth Assault is scheduled for a PC release in holiday 2007 with the Xbox 360 version following in Q1 2008.

A new entry in THQ's open ended crime-centric Saints Row series is in development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the company announced today. As with the original, the followup will be handled by developer Volition and should arrive at some point in 2008.

"The original Saints Row earned critical acclaim for its stunning graphics, unparalleled customization options and the genre's first-ever online multiplayer," announced THQ executive VP of worldwide publishing Kelly Flock. "The game's worldwide success shows the growing fanaticism for open-world gaming and our talented team at Volition is now using their proprietary technology to revolutionize the genre yet again."

Though an additional Saints Row release was first mentioned during a conference call in February, it was not known at the time if the executive was referring to a new title or the upcoming PlayStation 3 version of the Xbox 360 original.

Namco Bandai and Koei today unveiled plans to bring PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Dynasty Warriors:Gundam to North America in late summer. Previously released on the PlayStation 3 in Japan as Gundam Musou, the game combines developer Omega Force's penchant for large-scale battles and mass destruction, as seen in its Dynasty Warriors games, with the ever-popular robots and mythology of Sunrise's mech-tastic franchise. Spanning multiple Gundam time lines, Dynasty Warriors:Gundam includes a number of different mobile suits and pilots to control across its official, original and versus game modes.

LucasArts sent along the first details on developer Rebellion's Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. Exclusively for the PSP, Renegade Squadron will represent the only original entry in the Star Wars Battlefront series this year when it releases in the fall.

Building off Savage Entertainment's PSP version of Star Wars Battlefront II, Renegade Squadron replaces the traditional class system with the option to customize a character's weapons, equipment and special abilities. The game also supports online matches of up to 16 players, with maps ranging from Korriban's Valley of the Sith to the remains of Alderaan.

Author Lorenzo Carcaterra is working with developer Eden Games to help pen the studio's upcoming revival of the classic survival horror series Alone in the Dark, which is in development for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Carcaterra--who has written books such as Chasers, Apaches, and Sleepers--is said to bring his expertise of the New York City area and experience of over 20 years in writing fact and fiction to the project, which centers around a conspiracy involving New York City's Central Park.

"Alone in the Dark was a challenge which allowed me to bring a realistic feel to an apocalyptic situation facing New York City and really dig into the Central Park conspiracy idea," explained the author. "It also allowed me to write for hard-edged characters, some good, some bad, all forced to confront a force whose power they could never imagine. The story never stalls, always moves in overdrive and the characters zoom right along at warp speed, stopping long enough along the way to say a few lines that keep driving the plot forward. The end result is, I hope, a roller-coaster of a thrill ride that should be tons of fun to play."

Neither developer Eden Studios nor publisher Atari has suggested a target release date for Alone in the Dark.

The latest entry in the Growlanser RPG series, Growlanser: Heritage of War, will make its way to North America in late summer care of publisher Atlus. Following the appearance of an impassable veil on its borders, a small island becomes plagued by war, famine, and monsters. As players struggle to save themselves and their country across the game's five chapters, they will find themselves tackling a number of strategic party-based battles and interacting with a magical fairy companion. As with most recent Atlus releases, the game will come packaged in a special edition box loaded with bonus materials, which will be unveiled at a later date.

Mondo Media's disturbingly cute and exceedingly violent Happy Tree Friends animated series has entered the interactive realm thanks to Sega and developer Stainless Studios. An action-puzzle game, Happy Tree Friends False Alarm puts players in control of one of three characters--Flippy, Lumpy, and Handy--as they use items such as concrete, ice, gasoline, and nitroglycerin to modify the surrounding environment in hopes of preventing an untimely demise.

Happy Tree Friends False Alarm will hit PC and Xbox Live Arcade this fall.

Sony Online Entertainment has announced High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition, a downloadable PlayStation 3 title for the PlayStation Network. Along with five different types of poker--Texas Hold'em, Super Hold'em, Billabon, Tahoe, and Shanghai--the game offers 6 person multiplayer and support for compatible USB camera, including the PlayStation 2 EyeToy. SOE expects High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition to arrive in the PlayStation Store later this summer, priced at $9.99.

After a few unexpected delays, David Jaffe's cops'n'robbers-inspired Calling All Cars! is now available for download from the online PlayStation Store. Developed by the Utah-based Incognito Entertainment and featuring both local and online multiplayer of up to four players, Calling All Cars! is priced at $9.99.

As reported yesterday, Sony Online Entertainment's edition of Midway's Rampart also arrived in the PlayStation store today, selling for $4.99.

Microsoft and developer Realtime Worlds today released a title update and detailed two new pieces of Crackdown downloadable content slated to arrive within the next week. The update resolves several issues with the game, such as indestructible fire hydrants and ramp problems, and adds the option to repopulate the city's gangs.

As for downloadable content, the first pack, "Free-For-All", is available free of charge and grants players the Keys to the City--a cheat mode that allows players the freedom to do just about anything, from spawning ramps and activating infinite ammo to further enhancing the capabilities of their agent. The in-game garage has also been redesigned to accommodate more vehicles.

The other piece of content, the "Getting' Busy Bonus Pack", sells for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Included in the premium pack are a number of new vehicles--the Agency Buggy, Agency Racecar, Agency Armored Vehicle--as well as new weapons--the MSK mini-rocket Lobber, EX1 "Proximity Charge", HRX "Harpoon", MZ360 "Mini-Gun", VS1 "Cloaking Device. New game types--Street Racing, Max-Agility Rooftop Races, Stockpile, Checkpoint Chase, Rocket Tag--and new achievements are also added. Furthermore, should a player that has not purchased the "Getting' Busy Bonus Pack" enter into a co-op game with one that has, they will be able to preview the extra content for the duration of that session.

Along with the announcement, Microsoft also provided a number of movies showing off the new content and modes. For a full list of all the additions and changes, check out Major Nelson.

Update: Both the "Free-For-All Pack" and "Getting' Busy Bonus Pack" are now available from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Microsoft dropped word that Turn 10 Studios' Xbox 360 race sim Forza Motorsport 2 has gone gone and will definitely be in stores on May 29. As mentioned last night, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can now download a free demo of the game from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The release of developer Artifical Studios' top-down action game Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia has been pushed from May 15 to May 29, publisher SouthPeak Games noted today. Meanwhile, last month's Xbox Live demo is still available.

Speaking to Gamasutra, Julian Eggebrecht of Lair (PS3) developer Factor 5 indicated that the independent studio is doing concept work on a new entry in the classic Turrican series of sidescrolling action games. "We've been concepting quite a bit internally," said Eggebrecht. "That's another universe creation thing. I was looking at Metroid Prime's reinventing of a franchise that had been out there for quite awhile, and we're facing the same thing with Turrican."

Factor 5 was responsible for the Amiga ports of Manfred Trenz's original Commodore 64 games Turrican and Turrican 2. The company then fully developed a Genesis game in the series, Mega Turrican (Turrican 3 on Amiga), and two Super Nintendo games, Super Turrican and Super Turrican 2.

During its Nintendo 64 era, Factor 5 was developing a spiritual successor to the Turrican series, entitled Thornado. Development of the reportedly ambitious game was eventually moved to GameCube but was officially cancelled.

"There's aspects of the old games where people will feel betrayed if we don't transform them into the next generation," said Eggebrecht in this week's interview. "On the other hand, there's other stuff which is simply cheesy, let's face it. I don't think gamers will accept those things anymore. It's a fine line to balance."

Eggebrecht did not give any indication of a target platform for the potential new Turrican game, though on many occasions--including this Gamasutra interview--he has spoken very positively on the PlayStation 3's SPU-based architecture.

Following constant rumors and essentially official statements regarding a PSP version of SCE Santa Monica's God of War franchise, SCEA has launched an official site for the game, whose title has been confirmed as God of War: Chains of Olympus. Currently, the site contains only an offer to obtain a free "special edition demo" of the game delivered by mail on UMD for PSP. There is no indication as to when the demos will be sent out or how many are available.

Though the official site hosts no screenshots or videos, a short trailer has surfaced on the internets, consisting of cutscene and gameplay footage. It reconfirms that the developer on the project is Ready at Dawn Studios, which created last year's Jak & Daxter followup Daxter for PSP.

Prior to the release of Realtime Worlds' superpower-tinged action game Crackdown, the studio promised downloadable content for the game but declined to elaborate as to the nature of that content. Today, a community manager at the official Crackdown forums gave the first visual hint as to the contents of the...content, which apparently includes "a new game type and a new type of vehicle." Depicted in the screenshot are four gun-equipped dune buggy-like vehicles, one of which is awkwardly situated on top of another.

According to the forum post, the content will be delivered "soon." There was no word on whether it would fill in Crackdown's 100 missing Achievement points.

February sales figures for the United States video game industry were released today by tracking firm NPD, and the results saw Nintendo topping the hardware charts while Realtime Worlds' Crackdown (X360) headed up software. On the hardware side, Nintendo DS overcame its January supply problems to move an impressive 485,149 units. Nintendo also took the second slot, with last month's number one selling console, Wii, selling 335,000. PlayStation 2 again kept a strong position in the market, selling 295,000. Next was Xbox 360 with 228,000. Sony's PSP came in at number five with 176,000. Rather remarkably, Nintendo's Game Boy Advance managed to outsell Sony's PlayStation 3, which took the last position among the current major home and portable consoles. GBA moved 136,000 units, topping PS3's 127,000. Finally, GameCube managed to scrape up 24,000 sales, with Xbox taking 480.

Crackdown topped off the software charts, followed by Nintendo's Wii Play with Wii Remote (Wii). Next up was Rare's Diddy Kong Racing (NDS), followed by Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii). Harmonix's Guitar Hero II for PlayStation 2 was number five, followed by Epic's Gears of War (X360). Kush Games' Xbox 360 version of MLB 2K7 came in at number seven. Capcom's Lost Planet (X360) was number eight, and Intelligent Systems' WarioWare: Smooth Moves number nine. Finally, EA Canada's Xbox 360 version of NBA Street Homecourt rounded out the top ten.

Nintendo sent along a press release pointing out that today's results saw Nintendo represent a chunky 54% of all February hardware sales in the United States. Overall, Nintendo was the top publisher this month in terms of financial market share, followed respectively by Electronic Arts, Activision, Microsoft, Take-Two, and Sony.

Prevailing assumption has been that Bungie Studios' inevitable juggernaut Halo 3 would hit Xbox 360 this November; after all, both prior Halo games have shipped during the month of November. This week, however, various outlets have published tidbits suggesting the game might come a couple of months sooner. Speaking in a 1UP interview, Microsoft Game Studios' Shane Kim pointed out, "In September of 2004 we released Fable, Fable got big sales and then in November got big sales again. I just believe great titles can get the double bump and I think Halo 3 is going to be that."

The resulting speculation was bolstered today when IGN published a report that it had been contacted by a studio "close with Bungie" and leaked the September release period. Microsoft has not commented on the rumors, instead sticking to its official fall 2007 date.

In 2002, Atari released Stuntman, a driving game based around recreating movie stunts developed by Reflections Interactive, known for its Driver series. Last year, THQ acquired Atari studio Paradigm Entertainment as well as Atari's rights to the Stuntman franchise. Today, THQ formally announced Stuntman: Ignition for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, to be developed by Paradigm. Players will again take the role of a stunt driver performing wacky automotive feats for movies and competitions. The game will include online functionality through which players can challenge others to stunts of their own design, or "battle it out" in user-created lots. Hopefully such battles will be referred to as Stunt-Offs.

"Stuntman: Ignition delivers an addictive blend of death-defying stunts and precision-based driving unlike anything seen before," said Paradigm Studios GM Dave Gatchel. "With an action-packed career mode and intense online multiplayer, gamers will have plenty to prove to become Hollywood's next big stuntman."

Paradigm Entertainment's Stuntman: Ignition is set to release this summer for PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Electronic Arts today officially confirmed development of SimCity DS, a new edition of Maxis' classic city-building simulation for Nintendo's current portable. The game has been known to be in development for some time, with numerous screenshots released out of Japan. Doubt was cast on the fate of the game when it was announced earlier this month that the game's developer, EA Japan, had been closed, but EA noted that development of SimCity DS will be continued by an external studio via the EA Partners program. EA Japan's other two titles, Theme Park DS and Dragon Zakura DS, are still in the works as well.

SimCity DS is based around Maxis' SimCity 3000 (PC), though the game is newly developed rather than a port of that title. "We are very excited to bring the SimCity experience to the Nintendo DS platform," said producer Takahiro Murakami. "The unique Nintendo DS functionalities inspired us to incorporate many new features to delight the most dedicated SimCity fans. The game is filled with fun surprises that will appeal to new and existing fans of the franchise." The most dedicated SimCity fans are also likely to be delighted by the fun surprise of SimCity designer Will Wright appearing in caricatured form as one of the in-game advisors.

Along with today's announcement, EA sent over the first English-language screenshot of the game. EA plans to release the game worldwide for Nintendo DS this summer.

Ubisoft today announced that the score to Ubisoft Montreal's upcoming sequel Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PS3, X360, PSP, PC) has been composed by Tom Salta, who also handled the music for last year's Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.

"Our goal on the sequel was to match the same high quality level as the acclaimed Tom Clancy's GRAW1 soundtrack," said music supervisor Manu Bachet. "However Tom exceeded our expectations and has brought Tom Clancy’s GRAW2's score to the next level, guiding the whole orchestra and choir performance to beautifully balance the thin line between emotion and violence---right where the magic happens."

Salta's past game credits include Realtime Worlds' Crackdown (X360), Ubisoft Paris' Red Steel (Wii), Microids' Still Life (PC), and Guillemot Inc. and Ubisoft's Sprung (NDS).

Samples from the GRAW2 soundtrack can be heard at Ubisoft's official site.

Along with the Salta news, Ubisoft also announced that GRAW2 has gone gold. The publisher plans to ship the game for Xbox 360 on March 9, with the PC and PSP versions following on March 30. The PlayStation 3 version of the game is set for release in June.

Publisher Rockstar Games has announced that it will be utilizing NaturalMotion's euphoria Motion Synthesis Engine in future projects. The euphoria technology for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is used to create in-game characters that animate realistically and in unique ways rather than on rigidly defined paths. The tech garnered attention recently when showcased by LucasArts in video demonstrations of its upcoming game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PS2, PS3, X360, NDS, PSP).

"euphoria is about giving people an interactive experience they have never seen before. We now have the processing power to simulate humans, and the possibilities for games are endless," said NaturalMotion CEO Torsten Reil. "In Rockstar, we have found a partner that shares this vision, and is renowned for creating some of the most ground-breaking and immersive games in the industry. We are thrilled and honored to work with a partner of such high caliber, and look forward to helping create amazing titles."

Rockstar Games is comprised of numerous development studios worldwide, including main Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar North. It has not yet been announced which Rockstar titles will make use of the euphoria technology, though some have of course hopefully speculated that it is planned for use in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360), set to release this October.

Confirming the latest previously PlayStation-exclusive franchise to go multiplatform, Sega today announced AM2's console version of the arcade fighting game Virtua Fighter 5 is in the works for Xbox 360 as well as PlayStation 3. This week, Sega nailed down release dates for the PS3 version of the game, which will be released on February 20, 2007 in North America and at the PS3's launch in Europe. The Xbox 360 version of the game is set to come a little later, arriving towards the end of summer in both North America and Europe. Sega did not give details as to if there will be any significant features exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform. Presumably, based on statements made by AM2 developers regarding pitfalls of online play, the game will not feature Xbox Live multiplater.

"SEGA delivers the most technical fighting game experience on Xbox 360 with this installment of the award-winning Virtua Fighter series," said Sega of America VP of marketing Scott A. Steinberg. "Virtua Fighter 5 takes full advantage of Xbox 360's hardware with action-packed gameplay, customizable characters, stunning graphics and highly detailed 3D fighting environments."

Coming as little surprise given the already multiplatform status of the game, Ubisoft today confirmed that Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Shanghai's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent will be seeing a release on PlayStation 3 early next year. Double Agent was released this year for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Xbox 360, Wii, and PC. Some kind of motion-sensitive control using the PS3's Sixaxis controller, as well as additional multiplater content, will feature in the PS3 game.

Ubisoft plans to ship the PlayStation 3 version of Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Shanghai's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent in March 2007.

Nintendo today revealed that, come Christmas Day, Wii's Virtual Console will be seeing five games added to its lineup--the biggest weekly growth of the service since it opened on the console's launch day. On December 25, 2006, the following games will be available for purchase:

- R-TYPE (Hudson, TurboGrafx-16, 1-2 players), 800 Wii Points ($8)
- Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, NES, 1-2 players), 500 Wii Points ($5)
- Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Capcom, SNES, 1-2 players), 800 Wii Points ($8)
- Super Castlevania IV (Konami, SNES, 1 player), 800 Wii Points ($8)
- Toe Jam & Earl (Sega, Sega Genesis, 1-2 players), 800 Wii Points ($8)

There will also be a smaller update to ring in the new year, with the following two games appearing on January 1, 2007:

- Baseball (Nintendo, NES, 1-2 players), 500 Wii Points ($5)
- Urban Champion (Nintendo, NES, 1-2 players), 500 Wii Points ($5)

Developer Bethesda today sent word that it plans to give away its popular Mehrunes' Razor content pack for the Xbox 360 version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion--but only for the rest of 2006. Between December 22, 2006 and December 31, 2006, Xbox Live users can download the content for free, adding a new quest and numerous new items to their world of Tamriel. After the free download period, the game will return to its regular price of 250 Microsoft Points ($3.13).

Realtime Worlds' futuristic GTA-inspired superhuman crime-fighting action game Crackdown now has a firm in-store date courtesy of publisher Microsoft. It will be available in North America on February 20, 2007. Notably, the game will run $59.99, making it the second game after Epic's Gears of War to break Microsoft's previously established precedent of charging only $49.99 for its own first party published Xbox 360 games. Consumers seem to have shown themselves to be price insensitive with current-gen software, and this trend may represent a general change in Microsoft's pricing policy.

On January 18, just over a month prior to the game's release, Realtime Worlds will provide a free demo via Xbox Live Marketplace, showcasing the game's online cooperative mode. For more on the game, check out our hands on look.

Faring significantly better than a great number of deserving but underperforming original titles, Blitz Games' budget-priced trio of Burger King-themed Xbox and Xbox 360 games has managed to convince a total of 2 million gamers to pay for their marketing (and mandatory fast food) within a mere six weeks of release. Big Bumpin', Pocketbike Racer, and Sneak King are sold in Burger King restaurants and run $3.99 after the purchase of a Burger King value meal.

Ritual Entertainment's Tom Mustaine has been quite public with his desire to distribute the recently inaugurated FPS series SiN Episodes distributed to Xbox 360 over Xbox Live. Back in January, he revealed that Ritual was actively looking into that possibility. Now, in an...interestingly conducted interview with Ain't It Cool News, Mustaine spoke on the 360 version in a more confident manner. "We haven’t finalized those plans yet so I haven’t really announced it yet," he said. "But we will be doing it." Again, he mentions the Xbox Live Marketplace, which suggests that the company may work out an agreement with Microsoft to bypass the current 50MB restriction to games bought through the service.

Mustaine also mentions a PS3 version of the game, though that seems like more of an eventual hope than a current active plan.

Musician Kenji Eno is one of gaming's cult figures, having designed the "interactive cinema" titles D (SAT, PS1, 3D0, PC), Enemy Zero (SAT, PC), and D2 (DC). His former studio Warp once employed acclaimed designer Fumito Ueda, of Ico (PS2) and Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) fame. Having been away from the gaming world for years, it seems that Eno is about to make his return. Speaking to Gamasutra, the designer revealed that he has founded a new development studio called From Yellow To Orange (fyto) and is currently working on a new game. Though he did not reveal the game's platform, he did say "It will be for a console with a new control device" and wave his hands in the air, suggesting Wii or, a bit less likely, PlayStation 3.

The fyto website contains nothing beyond an appropriate yellow to orange gradient and the assurance that "fyto will be on your side."

Microsoft has announced plans to launch Xbox 360 in India, targeting consumers benefiting from a current economic upswing and increased spending in the country. "It is estimated there are 1.6 million gamers in India who spend at least 2 hours playing everyday," said Mohit Anand of Microsoft's entertainment division in India. Microsoft corporate VP of global retail sales Mitch Koch noted that Xbox 360 would be available in India "before our competition has launched in any other market."

The system will be available before the holiday of Diwali, which occurs on October 21, for a retail price of 19,900 rupees ($439). That price includes a bundled game. The price point is somewhat surprising, given Microsoft exec Peter Moore's defense of the $299 core system as, among other things, a viable product for emerging markets.

Advanced Media Network has a video interview with several developers on Retro Studios' Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii).

GTA creator David Jones speaks a bit on his studio Realtime Worlds' upcoming game Crackdown (X360).

Two developers from Grasshopper Manufacture, Goichi Suda and Takeshi Ogura, chat about the studio's upcoming projects including Contact (NDS) and Heroes (Wii).

IGN speaks with Opera's Scott Hedrick about the upcoming Wii Opera browser. Notably, Hedrick reveals that, unlike the upcoming DS version of Opera, the Wii version will not be sold as a separate item, making it more likely that it will be downloadable or included out of the box.

Though it's not quite the media hype event we're obviously seeing with X05, Nintendo held a conference today in Japan to discuss the future of the DS. There were some new game announcements and some details about previously mysterious games. And here they are:

Mistwalker Studios, founded by Final Fantasy creator and former Square head of development Hironobu Sakagushi, announced an RPG for DS entitled ASH, short for Archaic Sealed Heart. Sakagushi explained that he wants to convey realism with the game's 3D graphics. ASH is the story of a flame whose touch would turn people to ash, leaving their bodies destroyed but their heart and memories intact. The flame was sealed away long ago, but as the game begins people who were turned to ash are being revived. The player must unravel the strange events, solve ancient mysteries, and meet supposed time travelers. It is a "simulation RPG", with character design by Final Fantasy veteran Hideo Minaba and music by FFXII's Hitoshi Sakimoto. Mistwalker is also developing two RPGs for Xbox 360.

Nintendo of America also made some concrete announcements regarding Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Nintendo will be setting up thousands of hotspots around the country, and is also sponsoring the Free Spot Council, an organization which sets up free wireless access points in Japan and around the world. Obviously, other free wireless access points can be used as well. For those without a home wireless network, Nintendo will sell a small USB dongle which plugs into a computer with internet access and sends a wi-fi signal to the DS (or Revolution eventually). Anybody you've played against using the DS' local wireless will be added to your friends list. Every DS owner will also have a "Friend Code" which can be used to add others to your list. Most games, such as Mario Kart DS, will have several online options: create a game with friends, get put into a matchmade game, or join a random game with people from all over the world. In Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS), on the other hand, only your friends can visit your town (and vice versa) due to the game's more personal and open interactions. It seems that all games will be free to play online, even third-party games. Vicarious Visions' Tony Hawk's American Sk8land (DS) will ship alongside Nintendo's Mario Kart DS on November 14 as the first online-enabled games. Animal Crossing will follow a few weeks later, and Metroid Prime Hunters (DS) will ship in early 2006.

Several upcoming Nintendo-published DS games were announced, most of which with few details:

Many third-party games were also announced at the conference, likewise with few details given:

I initially had all of this Square Enix news in the above story, but the developer/publisher had so much Nintendo-related stuff to say that I figured it justified its own story. Read on:

The main topic for Square Enix was the Final Fantasy III remake on DS. It was first mentioned almost a year ago, and finally has some concrete details. Apparently the game has changed quite a bit in that time. For one thing, it will be in 3D, both the character models and backgrounds, which explains why it's not appearing on GBA. Mana veteran Koichi Ishii and Chrono Trigger producer Kazuhiko Aoki, both also FFIII team members, will be supervising the project. FFXI's Ryoskusuke Aiba will be handling art direction and Xenogears/FFXII's Akihiko Yoshida will do character design.

The company released some updated information regarding Children of Mana (DS). The game's release date has been moved from the end of 2006 to this coming winter. It will also feature wireless multiplayer cooperative mode, though it was not specified whether this will be available through the upcoming Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or just local wi-fi. Fans of the series should be pleasd to hear that multiplayer is considered a crucial aspect of the game. The game will employing an item-based customization system in order to allow players to better suit themselves on the fly to their multiplayer partners. Finally, it was noted that the stylus will be used, but all the main action will be controlled with the d-pad and face buttons.

Square Enix also announced Final Fantasy V and VI for Game Boy Advance. It was noted that as expected the games will receive visual and other upgrades along the way. Along with Final Fantasy I+II: Dawn of Souls (GBA) and Final Fantasy IV (GBA), which will be released this year in Japan, today's announcements ensure that all pre-PlayStation Final Fantasy console titles will have made it to current Nintendo portable platforms.

Somewhat surprisingly, Square Enix is also currently developing Mario Basket 3 on 3 (DS), which is of course a Mario basketball title. According to Square Enix president Youichi Wada, his company actually approached Nintendo with the proposal, and Nintendo agreed. The game is rendered in real-time 3D and promises to feature a deep ball handling system made possible with the stylus. It will feature a variety of courts themed around the Mushroom Kingdom. This will mark Mario's first basketball title, not counting the appearance of Mario, Luigi, and Peach in NBA Street. The game is set for release next year, and it seems likely it will make it out of Japan.

Joystiq has uncovered a research report filed by Deutsche Bank employees suggesting that Microsoft may be concerned about Xbox 360 shortages. This would explain why Japan is not getting a stripped down version of the console; once supply is at an optimal level, Microsoft may introduce the hard drive-less version in that country. The manufacturer is already planning to offer the premium bundle at an approximate discount of $50 in Japan as compared to the North American price point.

If true, this would run contrary to Microsoft's stated goal to have no problems supplying sufficient quantities of the console come launch.

Forbes has a comprehensive look at the pricing plans and strategies for Xbox 360 consoles and software. The article seems to indicate that Microsoft is actually requiring retailers to "to sell only bundles for the Xbox [360]", which would explain why you can't seem to find anything online that's just the boxed console itself.

Forbes also quoted Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, who indicated that $60 standard pricing for next-generation games should hold true. When Activision set this pricing scheme for their products, other publishers followed suit. Said Kotick:

"We've said we're to going sell those products at higher price points until ... the market forces us to sell them at lower price points, which we don't think is likely. We don't really think that there's a lot of price sensitivity on the part of the consumer, if you're delivering value."

First-party Microsoft titles will be priced at $50; first-party console publishers frequently sell their software for cheaper than third-party publishers because they are already receiving console rights royalties on all software for the system.

Eidos has confirmed that Crystal Dynamics' upcoming Tomb Raider: Legend (PS2, Xbox, PSP, PC) has in fact slipped to 2006, both for Xbox 360 and Xbox. Presumably, this also applies to the other console versions. The fact that the confirmation was made at X05 explains why they were not mentioned.

WarCry's Shannon Drake compares Nintendo's next-gen strategy to Muhammad Ali's Rope-A-Dope ploy.

A few new titles were announced at X05. Splinter Cell 4 and Castle Wolfenstein are not Xbox 360 exclusive, so you can check out Maarten's posts on the front page for those.

Veteran RPG developer Bioware revealed a new Xbox 360-exclusive RPG entitled Mass Effect. Set in the 23rd century, "the real conflict between organic beings and artificial intelligence comes to life in startling clarity." The game is reportedly the first in a trilogy. It will be more action-oriented than some of the company's past efforts, with the player controlling a squad in the name of peace and freedom. Bioware has an official page up for the game, containing some information and a short trailer.

Too Human, from Silicon Knights of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN) fame, was also confirmed as an Xbox 360 exclusive. The game is certainly not being newly announced. In fact, it has now been in development for all three current major console manufacturers, over the course of three generations. It was originally slated for PlayStation (1), then GameCube, and finally now Microsoft's next-gen system. It too is the first game in--you guessed it--a trilogy (those things are all the rage these days), and is making use of the Unreal 3 engine. Players are cast as cybernetic god Baldur, who must protect mankind from a self-aware force of machines bend on humanity's destruction. The game will feature a "vast number of enemies." The long in development game is set for release in the holiday season of 2006.

Electronic Arts confirmed long-standing rumors that its Tiburon studio--responsible for the Madden series--is developing the video game adaptation of the upcoming Superman Returns film, being directed by Bryan Singer. Few details were given about the game, other than that players will "experience a real sense of flying, and master Superman's unrivaled super hero powers in order to save Metropolis." Well, that's good. As tends to be the case with games based on movies based on comic books, the game will draw not only from the film but from the rest of the Superman universe. It is set for release alongside the movie in June of next year.

Well, not quite. Peter Jackson, director of such films as Bad Taste, Meet the Feebles, The Frighteners, and The Making of The Frighteners, has been taken onboard the upcoming Halo film adaptation as an executive producer along with longtime partner Fran Walsh, known for her portrayal of "Mother at Park" in Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (Braindead). Fanboys of Halo and/or Jackson whose heads are exploding and whose hearts are attacking should probably bear in mind that the Executive Producer tends to occupy more of a figurehead role on a project, rather than a constantly involved creative force. An actual director has yet to be confirmed. Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later, has written the script for the film. The Producer producers on Halo are Mary Parent, Scott Stuber, and Peter Schlessel.

Probably more relevant to the actual end result of the film is the news that Jackson's Weta Digital and Weta Workshop studios will be handling the special effects and physical paraphanelia, which bodes well for Halo's visual aspects. As a result, the movie will be filmed in Wellington, New Zealand.

Halo is set for release in Summer of 2007.

Despite widespread speculation that Microsoft would be releasing a concrete list of launch titles for its upcoming November 22 launch of Xbox 360, the company has remained reluctant to do so. Amid a flurry of confusing and contradictory press release announcements, GameSpot contacted Microsoft to get a straight answer, and were given a list of eight titles out of "15 to 20 Xbox 360 titles available on launch day." The confirmed eight are fairly unsurprising: Rare's Kameo an