Week of April 22, 2007

We had the pleasure of interviewing Sergey Zabaryansky of Deep Shadows about thier RPG/FPS hybrid The Precursors. The interview comes with three exclusive screenshots.

Richard Garriott has posted his thoughts and experiences about the Zero G flight he took with Stephen Hawking:

On Thursday, April 26, the weather was great and we were all excited to go on the day’s journey. The event ran even smoother than the rehearsals, and the pilots flew the best parabolas I have experienced in my few trips. The Professor was grinning widely throughout the whole experience. He not only floated weightless but completed several spins while floating free inside the cabin. Professor Hawking did all this while free of his wheelchair for the first time in over forty years!

yes, I'm ripping off Colin Cowherd's idea from his morning radio show, but I'm a big fan of his and... well, I'm sure he won't mind.

Here's what's been happening in the world of videogames:

The PlayStation Store will be updated today with several exciting demos and trailers. Details are listed below:

April 26, 2007 – Today Focus Home Interactive is pleased to release three new screenshots for its upcoming racing title - TrackMania United, and also to announce the official North American release date.

TrackMania United is now officially set to release on June 11, 2007, and will be distributed by ValuSoft to North American retail in partnership with the title's publisher -- Focus Home Interactive.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 24, 2006 – Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that Medal of Honor Airborne™, the newest installment from EA’s critically-acclaimed Medal of Honor™ franchise which was credited with pioneering the First-Person Shooter (FPS) WWII genre when it debuted in 1999, will ship to store shelves August 28, 2007. While building on the key tenets of the franchise including historical accuracy and authenticity, Medal of Honor Airborne is set to redefine the series by introducing players to an entirely new way of experiencing a WWII FPS – namely the fully interactive Airborne experience. Medal of Honor Airborne will ship under the EA™ brand for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360™ videogame system from Microsoft, and PC.

DALLAS, TX - APRIL 26, 2007 - MumboJumbo, a leading publisher of premium casual games, today announced that the popular 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, which was previously released on PC, is now available for the PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system. This exciting action-adventure puzzler from developer Hot Lava lets gamers re-create history as they match magical runes to help workers build legendary landmarks of the ancient world such as the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

7 Wonders of the Ancient World lets gamers explore ancient lands through three modes of play - Story, Free Play, and Rune Quest - that cover more than 140 levels and three modes of difficulty. Collect eye-popping powerups like the Lightning Bolt or Fire Bomb to help you in your race against the clock, and learn about history while having fun! 7 Wonders of the Ancient World is rated E for "Everyone" and has an MSRP of $19.99.

2K Games has finally officially announced the new football title they've been working on, All-Pro Football 2K8, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Click the logo to learn more about the Madden-killer. :)

The next generation of the Eye camera for your PlayStation 3 has been announced, sporting an impressive array of specs and features.

To go along with the announcement, we have eight new screenshots of The BIGS for your viewing pleasure.

JoWood sent over twenty new screenshots and a brand new gameplay trailer for Spaceforce: Rogue Universe, their gorgeous looking space combat title.

Ubi soft has announced The Settlers: Rise of an Empire for the PC, due out sometime later this year. We have two new screenshots and a 14MB trailer for you to see.

Activision sends word that there will be two Transformers titles for the Nintendo DS released this July:

TRANSFORMERS: AUTOBOTS and TRANSFORMERS: DECEPTICONS lets gamers control the outcome in the battle for Earth. Players can choose to protect the Earth as AUTOBOTS or destroy it as DECEPTICONS and will also experience the unstoppable power and massive scale of their favorite ROBOTS IN DISGUISE such as BUMBLEBEE, BARRICADE and others.

KEY FEATURES:
• Protect Or Destroy The Earth with Nintendo’s Wi-Fi – Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection enables players to engage in the “AllSpark Wars” where they must help their side win the global conflict between AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS via daily challenge missions and global player stats comparisons.

• Battle Again and Again Alone or With Friends – Each Nintendo DS game features 20 unique story missions plus more than 20 challenge missions as well as local wireless multiplayer modes (up to four players) such as Team Death Match and AllSpark Sports.

• More Than Meets the Eye – In addition to playing as some of the most well-known TRANSFORMERS robots, fans are able to scan over 30 unique vehicles and customize their paint schemes. Gamers can instantly morph from a larger-than-life robot to a high-powered vehicle, such as a sports car, fighter jet or helicopter, as quick conversions leave enemies in the dust and enhance player’s combat strategy.

• The World Is Your Playground – Players take on enemy AUTOBOTS or DECEPTICONS to build up their custom TRANSFORMERS stats and abilities. Both games feature huge open environment city levels which include Casino Town and Hoover Dam while Antarctic levels are exclusive to the TRANSFORMERS: AUTOBOTS game and desert levels are featured in the TRANSFORMERS: DECEPTICONS game.

2K Sports announced the development of a new baseball game called The BIGS, coming to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation 2.

Read the Press Release

Codemasters sent along this press release proudly announcing Operation Flashpoint 2 will be arriving on the PC and next-gen consoles.

EA released a whole slew of new images of SimCity DS, which can be viewed here.

Atlus USA has announced that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3is coming to North America later this year in the form of a Deluxe Edition filled with goodies.

Read the Press Release

FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America announced today the July 2007 launch of Hot Shots Tennis available exclusively for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. Developed by Clap Hanz, Hot Shots Tennis brings the beloved, multi-million unit selling Hot Shots franchise to the tennis world for the first time. With a host of wacky characters and tennis styles, exotic court locations, and game modes, Hot Shots Tennis offers pick up and play action for tennis fans of all ages.

Available at $29.99, Hot Shots Tennis delivers entertainment value with fast-paced, colorful gameplay that fans of the Hot Shots franchise have grown to love. Incorporating an ideal blend of arcade-style action and in-depth strategy, Hot Shots Tennis includes a deep feature set allowing players to practice a variety of strokes, enter challenge modes, and play singles or doubles with up to four players. With 14 unique playable characters and five umpires available in the game, there is never a shortage of distinct tennis skills or personality on the court. Players can also enjoy a variety of court surfaces such as hardcourt, clay, and grass, set amongst 11 spectacular locations including tropical beaches and ancient ruins.

It's time to get your race on with The Fast and the Furious for the Sony PSP.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., (April 24, 2007) – Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today The Fast & the Furious ™, inspired by Universal Pictures feature film, The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, has shipped for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. Following in the footsteps of the highly popular, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version, The Fast & the Furious for the PSP system will captivate gamers with enhanced upgrades and new features. Players now have the chance to show off their creative side by using the PSP system wireless connectivity option to trick out a ride and send it to other players via “Swap Meet” to use in non-career game mode.

KOEI announced they are bring the Dynasty Warriors franchise to the Nintendo DS:

Burlingame, CA -- April 24, 2007 -- KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, today announced that DYNASTY WARRIORS DS: FIGHTER'S BATTLE will arrive in North America in July 2007. Featuring all new characters and designs inspired by Japanese anime (animation), this title marks the debut of the hit Tactical Action series on the Nintendo DS.

Dreamcatcher released five new gameplay videos of Genesis Rising, their space RTS in development by Metamorf Studios.

Another week, another Wii-kly update from Nintendo:

April 23, 2007 - Admit it. Somewhere deep inside, you've always wanted to go for the gold, take down Monster World, and have people call you Vic Viper. How cool would that be? Well, pay a visit to the popular Wii™ video game system's Wii Shop Channel, and all those fantasies can now come true.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Gradius®III (SNES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)

Wonder Boy™ in Monster World (Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)

Battle Lode Runner® (TurboGrafx 16, 1-5players, 600 Wii Points)

Looking for MMO fighting game that's easy to learn and fun to play? TAPA Online might be the answer you need. Click the screens to learn more about the game.

Game Factory Interactive released another ten new images of their desert RTS Warfare, PC bound later this summer.

Activision released three new screenshots of Transformers: The Game.