Week of May 27, 2007

June 1, 2007 – Ubisoft, one of the world's largest videogame publishers, today announces that the multiplayer demo for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter ® 2 PC will be released on June 7th. Once again being developed from the ground up by GRIN, the PC version of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter ® 2 is being developed specifically for the PC and PC gamers. Look forward to seeing more information on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter ® 2 PC as it approaches its release in June 2007. Until then, take a look below for more details on the multiplayer demo.

In the multiplayer demo gamers abroad can get their first taste of the map CALAVERA, a map created exclusively for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter ® 2 PC. CALAVERA, already tested in the closed multiplayer beta, has been revisited and revised incorporating the feedback given by the closed beta participants.

The new Recon vs. Assault mode will have players fight their way through this Mexican village near the US border. As a member of the elite Ghost squad, gamers will need to use all of their know-how and expertise to stay hidden and sneak through small winding roads to locate and engage the enemy. As a Mexican rebel, players must be prepared to engage the Ghosts, using high calibre fire power, and must stop them at all cost.

The return of Team Deathmatch will challenge players and their friends to a fight a fight where everything is possible; explore, engage and terminate.

For more information on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter® 2, please visit www.ghostrecon.com.

PSP Firmware 3.50

PSP Firmware 3.50 is now available for download and includes the following updates:

* Remote Play – As announced last week, the Remote Play feature for using a PSP system to access photos, videos, and music on a PS3 system’s hard drive has been enhanced, enabling consumers to connect their PSP system from outside of their own home via any accessible Wi-Fi Internet connection. With today’s PSP firmware update, that functionality is now live. Users must also update their PS3 firmware to the current version, 1.80.
* Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Channel Guide – An index of RSS audio and video feeds, or podcasts, is now accessible from the XrossMediaBar (XMB™), under the RSS Channel icon, providing PSP owners with another destination to find and play back RSS content.

PLAYSTATION Store Additions

Below are the details of the exciting new offerings:

* Championship Sprint Game ($4.99): Put your pedal to the metal and race to the finish line in this nostalgic racing game. Choose from a multitude of different tracks and be the first to make it to the finish line while avoiding oil slicks, water spots and more!

* Ridge Racer 7 Add-on Content (prices vary): Download new special events, decals and beats as you experience drift racing in all of its 1080p* glory in this legendary racing series.

* MLB 07 The Show (PS3) Tutorial Videos (free): Check out some of the gameplay features that make MLB 07 The Show for PS3 a home run, including Road To The Show, the new Pitching System, and Umpire Personalities.

* Movie Trailers (free): Download the latest theatrical trailers for Hot Rod and Ratatouille.

PSP system firmware updates can be wirelessly downloaded directly to a PSP system using a Wi-Fi connection; downloaded to a PC from http://www.us.playstation.com/psp and transferred to a PSP system through a USB cable; or installed using upcoming UMD™ software.

Six new images of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel.

Electronic Arts announced Need For Speed: Pro Street, and that they will be bringing the next game in the long-running series to the PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Wii, Nintendo DS, and Sony PSP.

EA released a couple dozen images of Medal of Honor: Airborne, their WWII shooter. Sadly, this batch is not too impressive as the resolutions aren't very high.

Santa Monica, CA – May 31, 2007 – The call has come again! Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) is calling players back to the trenches with the release of new Call of Duty® 3 multiplayer maps, available only on Xbox 360™ and Xbox LIVE from Microsoft. The Bravo Map Pack features classic maps and new battlefields for players to test their skill. The five new maps are currently available for purchase (800 Microsoft Points) on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360 from Microsoft.

Veteran players will recognize two fan favorite maps from Call of Duty® and Call of Duty®: United Offensive™ in the Bravo Map Pack. Depot, from Call of Duty, combines a unique layout of warehouses, water towers and a train depot, has been updated for duty as Gare Centrale. While for vehicle combat, nothing comes close to one of United Offensive’s most popular maps, Kharkov, an area that blends tanks, jeeps and motorcycles within a vast open combat arena, now re-envisioned and set to deploy as Marseilles.

New recruits and veterans alike are thrust into the fight with three new maps that will challenge players of all skill levels. Whether it is the Axis-held hilltop fortress at Aller Haut, the quiet, moonlit village on the foggy Seine River or Rimling, a small picturesque town filled with canals, players will have to use their infantry skills to wrest control from the enemy.

EA Mythic today announced that beta registration for the highly-anticipated MMORPG, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, has officially begun. Players looking to join the epic battle before Warhammer Online launches in early 2008 can now sign up for a chance to participate in the invite-only Closed Beta Test.

To enlist in the Warhammer Online Closed Beta, please visit: http://betacenter.eamythic.com/signup.php

We've posted part two of our Q&A with Blade Interactive about their co2-themed title Hydrophobia. Along with the interview are two new screenshots.

We've posted our interview with LucasArts regarding their new action game Fracture, a title featuring realtime terrain deformation.

Be sure to check it the Q&A.

NCsoft released a whole slew of screenshots and concept art for Guild Wars - Eye of the North. Along with the new images are some new details of the areas.

Soldak Entertainment updated their site with a new story called Necromancer.

Santa Clara, Calif., (May 29, 2007) – Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that they have shipped TAMAGOTCHI®: Party On™! for the Nintendo Wii™. Take part in the wildest campaign election since the primaries as your favorite Tamagotchis come to life, running for Tamagotchi president in this quirky and totally fun 3-D party game. Namco Bandai’s first game to hit the Nintendo Wii, will have you laughing out loud as players are able to get together with up to 4 of their friends to compete in a hilarious and completely unique presidential campaign. Utilizing the Wii Remote to compete in a variety of fun mini-games,TAMAGOTCHI: Party On!, will have players twisting, shaking, driving, and jumping their way to presidential victory.

ATLANTA – May 29, 2007 – GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS, Inc.), announced today the latest addition to the GameTap Originals line-up, American McGee’s Grimm.The title cements GameTap’s leadership position as a digital publisher and pioneer in episodic games. The 24 episode series will debut in the spring of 2008.

"American McGee is one of the best known and most dynamic developers in the industry today and Grimm is the perfect fit with our GameTap Originals brand,” said Ricardo Sanchez, GameTap’s VP of content. “American is really exploring the potential of episodic game development. Adding this exciting new title to our list of already successful episodic game titles shows our commitment to this proven format.”

In keeping with American’s distinct development style on his smash hit game American McGee’s Alice, fans can expect the same twisted treatment of children’s classics, in addition to a fantastical art style, and groundbreaking gameplay elements. American McGee’s Grimm is a narrative-driven, action-adventure game which immerses the player in a world built around some of the best known tales from the Brothers Grimm, including Rapunzel, Rumplestiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White.

"My interpretation of these classic fables will provide gamers with an entertaining and interactive way of experiencing how the stories were originally meant to unfold,” said American McGee, creative director for Spicy Horse. “The ‘chapters’ inherently lend themselves to the new episodic model that GameTap has perfected.”

American McGee’s Grimm is a story-driven action-adventure game. The player interacts with a compelling collection of vividly drawn characters inhabiting a world built around twisted takes on the best-known tales in Western fiction. The game combines familiar exploration and questing conventions with a thematically inspired fighting mechanic based on the notion that “words are weapons”.

Players will experience the game in a sandbox world which contains missions assigned in episodic fashion. Game and narrative concepts equivalent to TV cliffhangers will be used to create game play and story interest to encourage players to keep up with new releases.

The final teaser image for Fallout 3 is up. Be sure to check it out since the teaser video is due next week.

Visit the site

NCsoft released ten new screenshots of their free-to-play RPG Dungeon Runners.

K2 Network sends over some new screenshots and details of Red Stone, their 2D fantasy MMORPG.

There is a teaser website for a new RTS game, though unannounced and lacking details. The teaser site has a puzzle on the front page, tempting you to type in the 3 correct letters (which are QUO).

Doing a WHOIS look-up of the site reveals two names: John Johnson and Drew Dunlop, both employees of Relic Entertainment, creators of Homeworld and Company of Heroes.

From what little has been shown, the title appears to be a futuristic RTS.

Visit the site

Three New Classic Games Announced for Wii Shop Channel:

ActRaiser™ (SNES®, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)

Kid Chameleon™ (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)

J.J. & JEFF (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)